PinkRose

Every Day is a New Day

2011-01-25T17:41:00.000-08:00

AND I AM DETERMINED TO BLOG THIS SEMESTER!

It might not happen because I have to keep a separate blog for my Web Journalism class (SO EXCITED), but hey, there is always use in trying.

Let's Start from the Beginning

2010-10-03T13:16:00.000-07:00

I've been a horrible blogger this past month, actually, pretty much always. I'm gonna try to update all the important stuff that has happened since I've been back at school in the next couple of days.

I got to school a week earlier for Mentor Training.

Basically the EXCEL Mentor program is in Eddy Hall, where the 1st and 3rd floor are reserved for Freshman only. Except for the 12 mentors who live amongst them. Everyone is assigned a mentor, so every mentor has about 7 mentees.

The first week we just went to a lot of workshops and such during the day, and then we did a bunch of team building stuff at night.

Including decorating this board in the lounge.

See the boy blowing the bubble? That was all me! I love him, he is so cute. He has a name tag on that says "Hi My Name Is Eddy".

All of the mentees have their names on the cherries, the mentors are on the ice cream, the RAs are on the milkshake along with our RHD.

Us first floor mentors have this in our hall. Every mentor has a Yoshi and the mentees have eggs. The theme of our building is video games, lol.

They did puzzles on the third floor. They have eight mentors on the third floor, we have four, lol.

This is Liz, Lauren, Me, my roomie Jennifer, RHD Michelle.

And Milo, Lauren, Kim, Sami, Octavia, Lisa, Shakyma, and Mike.

These are my little welcome gifts for my kids, everyone did something different. They are full of tons of fun stuff, including Mac and Cheese.

It was a great week! It felt like being a kindergarten teacher for most of it, except that fact that we watched Maury for an hour every.single.morning.

So far is has been super fun being a mentor! We are going bowling tomorrow night!

Ah, FIRST.

2010-09-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

FIRST Robotics, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, will quite possibly remain one of the most influential aspects of my life. Not only did it provide me with countless amazing memories, skills that I will use forever, or $24,000 in scholarships; it single-handedly made me realize what I want to do with my life.

I was very pleased to find out that Google awarded FIRST $3 million dollars to start new teams as part of there 10^100 Project. They were awarded the biggest sum out of all 5 winners.

Seriously, can that be my job?! I want to give away millions of dollars to a worthy cause! What are those people's job titles. Surely it can't be too far removed from Public Relations or Communications.

Also, I was freaked out when I read that the "creator" of the segway was killed by riding his invention off a cliff. Dean Kamen, the man who started FIRST and who once told me to have an amazing time in Long Island for college because there is no place in the world like New York (city and state), invented the segway!

Turns out it was the man who owned the company who produces the segway that passed away. Which is still so very sad, but less detrimental to the amazing program that FIRST is.

Are you wearing THAT?!

2010-09-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

At 7 in the am this morning I got up to go to the gym with my fellow mentor Kim.

We had just woken up and we were both brushing our teeth when Kim said to me (through a mouth full of toothpaste suds) "is that what you're wearing?"

Confused and still half asleep I replied "uh...yeah."

She gave me an odd look and it took me several moments to realize we were wearing the exact same outfits. Our spike-it shirts from Adelphi's volleyball tournament last spring and black shorts.

You guys, this isn't even that funny. It deserved a chuckle at the very most. But to two girls who woke up moments before after 5-6 hours of sleep it was HILARIOUS!

I probably did more muscle toning while laughing and trying to keep the toothpaste in my mouth than I actually achieved at the gym.

Then on the way back from the gym it poured on us.

It was quite lovely to walk slowly in the rain getting soaking wet without a care in the world, since we needed to shower before class anyway.

My Poppy Bedroom

2010-08-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

So when we moved I knew I wanted to decorate my new bedroom, even though, at most, I only spend 4 months out of the year there. We were able to use all my old bedroom stuff in the guest room, so since that didn't go to waste, I was allowed to get new stuff!

I of course wanted to paint the room orange because a) very few people have orange bedrooms b) it would look AWESOME and I knew it c) I had a handful of beautiful poppy pictures I took my junior year I could hang up.

So here is my orange, poppy themed room!

My mom has had the bed, the armoire, and the dresser (not pictured) since she was a teenager. I used them for years before my dad and I built my murphy bed in the old house.

Thank you Target for having the PERFECT poppy comforter! That was sheer luck.

The Ikea bookshelf I put together (mostly) all by myself!

The orange wall and my favorite poppy shot.

More pictures of the hallway (yes, hallway) and bathroom to come!

Ali Babba

2010-08-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights before I left, when my Granny was visiting, we went to a restaurant in the area called Ali Babba. With rave reviews online and from people we had met in San Diego we had high expectations.

Needless to say, they were met with flying colors.

That was the feast for four, after the five of us had already had one whole plate full each!

Zoo Wahoo!!!!

2010-08-20T14:19:00.000-07:00

We went to the ZOO yesterday!!!!!!!

These monkeys were playing, they were so cute!

Eventually the other monkey stole this monkey's reed.

I spared you from the more disgusting pictures of this lion eating.

The keeper said that this elephant has a high metabolism and isn't a very good eater, so in order to get her to eat they reward her by blowing in her trunk.

My favorite!

A Modern Mime

2010-08-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Old Town for dinner tonight, which is a very touristy area of San Diego full of Mexican restaurants and little shops.

After dinner we were sitting on a bench outside of the restaurant while my mom's friend was speaking on the phone. It was then I noticed I young blond boy no older than 10 standing on the sidewalk with a blue fedora on the ground in front of him. He was wearing normal clothes, but was miming a multitude of scenarios. At first I thought he was attempting some odd dance, but I soon realized he was really just pantomiming juggling, balancing a torch on his lip, being stuck in a box, hitting himself in the face with a baseball bat, and other things.

His family was sitting right across from him, we soon realized, so while he was acting like a guard at Buckingham Palace (standing stoically) we dropped a crisp one dollar bill into his hat... which he didn't even notice until a minute later when his mom pointed it out to him.

Target vs. The Love Alliance

2010-08-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

Because if you're going to be a billboard, you might as well stand for something worthwhile.

The Cause:

The Love Alliance works to educate people on the many social injustices around the globe. They do this by traveling to schools, conferences, festivals, and many other venues to spread their message. They ask us to remember the thirsty, the poor, the hungry, the sick, the enslaved, the environment, the homeless, the oppressed, and the mentally ill.

But they don't just educate! They take their knowledge and use it to make a difference through different service projects, action groups, and partnerships. They have an action project each month with this August's being gathering school supplies for needy children. This is a great organization for people who simply care-- care about making a difference, about helping others. I find their variety a great way for a large number of people to get involved. Plus, You don't have to do anything special to get involved. Simply use their ideas as inspiration for your own service projects and their resources to make your projects successful. So as always, check out their website for more information and ways to get involved.

The Proceeds:

25% of proceeds go towards addressing specific needs concerning social injustice. Plus if you buy a product, you are helping The Love Alliance stay alive!

The Shirts:

The men's shirt is the 'Educate Yourself, Take Action' v-neck shirt and can be found here. The regular t-shirt (not v-neck) can be found here.

The "women's" shirt (all shirts are unisex and this shirt's image just happened to be of a male model, work with me here) is the 'Purple Logo' shirt and can be found here.

The Extra Perks:

Shirts are NOT made in sweatshops.

The sizes range from XS-XXL.

Glamour: September

2010-08-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have a confession. I love Glamour Magazine, and only Glamour. I don't read Cosmo or Vogue or anything like that, just Glamour.

I guess I mentioned it to Kellie because while we were in Berkeley she took a quick trip to Walgreens (across the street) and came back with the gigantic September issue.

So I thought I would recap some of the best little tidbits from this months issue (even though they are loving animal print a little too much for my taste).

Aretha Franklin says "Do remember that real friends last forever. It doesn't matter how often you talk, as long as you can pick up where you left off."

Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota (jokingly) asked Supreme Court nominee Elena Kegan what here stance was on the "famous case of Edward vs. Jacob." To which she responded "I wish you wouldn't ask."

Jeez, Twilight is coming up in our government, I feel society declining.

Caitlin Boyle is transforming the way we see ourselves, one post-it note at a time, with her project Operation Beautiful.

Have fun with your nails! Wearing bright colors (anywhere but a job interview) is IN!

It makes sense to start using anti-aging products before you see any signs of aging (but you probably don't need the serious stuff). Look for ingredients in a facial moisturizer like vitamins C and E, pomegranate, acai, apple stem cells, anti-inflammatory agents (mushrooms and aloe), hyaluronic acid, lipids, and/or amino acids (peptides and ceramides).

While your little black dress won't ever go out of style, a little bright dress is in style these days. Like this one from lulus.com.

This vest is only $15 at Walmart.

I'm LOVING lace shirts! Glamour dressed real women in a $38 lace t-shirt from American Apparel, but I found the ones below at CharlotteRusse.com. The middle two are currently 2 for $20 (or $15 each) and the two on the outside are $20 each! Put a blazer or a vest over them, wear a dark tank or long sleeve shirt underneath, or pair it with a fun skirt and accessories.

Daphne Oz, daughter of the famous Dr. Oz, said she was shocked when she went to college and saw people guzzle soda like it was water. Water should always be your drink of choice, she says. Which is inspiring me to drink less of everything else, and more water. Daphne also talks about how you should never blindly trust your doctor, how getting dirty can be good for you, and how your body craves playtime!

12 Things I'd Wished I'd Known About Love When I was 21

1. Never underestimate the importance of being interesting.

2. There is a find line between teasing a guy and criticizing him.

3. Your wants and needs are just as important as his.

4. Knowing how to cook: helpful.

5. Sometimes guys flirt with you because it makes them feel good about themselves.

6. You will probably never fully understand men. So just try to understand yourself.

7. It's shocking how much men will talk about marriage.

8. Don't be cynical.

9. Things chance once your naked.

10. Being worshiped isn't all that.

11. We see what we want to see (and ignore the bad signs).

12. Don't compare yourself with your friends.

The new Suze Orman, 22 year old cutie Zac Bissonnette, has lots of wonderful advice on finances. My favorite is this: Giving money away feels better than buying things. (Backed up by research done at the University of British Columbia, Hey Catherine!)

Hey, it's ok! ...if you've never felt a "runner's high." Unless you mean that high you feel when you stop running.

Karly Rossiter sued her ex for giving her an STD, and won!

I'm adoring the new Perry Ellis scent for women.

My horoscope says: You're jonesing for a major health overhaul. Whether your goal is training for a marathon or finall getting to your healthy weight, the chances of success skyrocket if you start on September 8th.

September 8th, here I come!

But the most interesting article I found in this issue was the one on anxiety. This article (written by Sean Dreisbach) takes up 6 pages and is full of interesting information on these disorders. 40 million Americans (that is more than 1 in 7) suffer from them, women are twice as likely to suffer than men, and five times as many college students are dealing with high anxiety levels today than they were in the 1930s (yeah, during the Great Depression). There are a handful of factors that lead to anxiety, and a lot of ways to help put a stop to it. Exercising three to four times a week and eating better are both great places to start.

Anyway, I hope that gave you a fun little preview of this month's issue. I hope I left you wanting more, because the mag if totally worth the $4 (and no, I don't work for Glamour).

Hollister vs. Invisible Children

2010-08-12T21:39:00.001-07:00

Because if you're going to be a billboard, you might as well advertise something worthwhile.

The Cause:

If you don't know what Invisible Children is you're probably living in a bubble!

But I'll still tell you!

Invisible Children seeks to end the conflict in Uganda and to stop the use of children as child soldiers. They use film, creativity, and social action to make a difference in the world.

In May the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northn Uganda Recovery Act passed in Congress and was signed by President Obama. This means that pursuing Joseph Koney is now a law.

Obama said "We have seen your reporting, your websites, your blogs, and your video postcards -- you have made the plight of the children visible to us all. Your action represents the very best of American leadership around the world, and we are committed to working with you in pursuit of the future of peace and dignity that the people of who have suffered at the hands of the LRA deserve."

So this bill that became a law was not just a victory for Invisible Children or the children of Uganda, but for every young person who has ever worked towards a cause. Because it means we can change things.

The Proceeds:

I'm all about being honest here on this blog, so here is my honestly. I'm not 100% sure how much of the proceeds actually go back to the children of Uganda. On their FAQ page it states that 100% of the purchase goes towards their programs, but I can't find any specifics like I could for Common Threadz. However wearing these shirts is not just about donating to the cause, it is about getting the word out. Trust me, it does. I have a shirt from Invisible Children and in the last two years I cannot even tell you how many times I have gotten a comment on my shirt, and have been able to educate so many people about Invisible Children.

The Shirts:

The men's shirt is the LXD T-shirt, which represents the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. They were featured on the 2010 Academy Awards, and founded by Invisible Children friend and film director Jon M. Chu. 50% of the proceeds go towards Invisible Children. Go here to purchase.

The women's shirt is the White Peace shirt. Go here to purchase.

The Extra Perks:

All the styles are available either in men's or women's sizes or in unisex.

They tell you what size the models are wearing! WOO!

American Eagle vs. Common Threadz

2010-08-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Because if you're going to be a billboard, you might as well advertise something worthwhile.

So here is the first of several comparisons between the big name label t-shirts everyone wears, and the cause t-shirts I encourage more people to try!

I understand that these shirts are a bit more expensive than the AE ones, but read on to find out where that money is going! 100% of the proceeds are given to the cause.

The Cause:

Common Threadz is a non-profit organization geared towards helping orphans and other vulnerable children in third world nations. For this organization the t-shirts are not just a small contributor to the mission, they are the mission!

The Proceeds:

Common Threadz has three different t-shirt collections.

The Signature Collection: Designed by leading artists around the world, each purchase gives an orphan a new school uniform.

The Orphan Collection: Designed by orphans in South Africa, the proceeds from each purchase feeds a child for 1 month.

The CelebriTee Collection: Designed by celebrities such as Laura Prepon, you are able to give a school uniform to an orphan and have $5 donated to the charity of the celebrities choice by purchasing a shirt.

The Shirts:

The men's shirt 'Birdland' is a part of the Signature Collection. Go here to purchase.

The women's shirt is from the CelebriTee Collection and is entitled 'Cherish'. Go here to purchase.

The Extra Perks:

For a limited time shipping is free if you order 2 or more shirts!

The designs come in a variety of options, from women's, men's, and children's sizes to different types of shirts. You, your hubby, and you baby can all match!

Customer's names are painted on a "Thank You" wall in Africa every quarter, and they send you a picture!

They were featured in Lucky Magazine!

They are high quality shirts!

They are super stylish and will totally spark up a conversation!

If You're Going to be a Billboard...

2010-08-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

You might as well advertise something worth while!

So my generation's go-to wardrobe choice seems to be t-shirts and jeans, but not just any t-shirts, they usually have the name of a brand etched across the front.

I've owned I think one of these shirts in my lifetime, for two reasons. One is that I look pretty horrible in t-shirts and jeans, and prefer pretty blouses or dresses.

But the other is the more dominant reason.

I don't need to be a billboard. If American Eagle, Hollister, Express, and Areopostale want to advertise their brand, they can buy commercial slots, I don't need to be a billboard for them.

And yet, so many of my peers are constantly spending so much money on these shirts simply because they are "stylish" or "cool".

So here is my challenge to my peers! Next time you need a new shirts, don't make your way to them mall, but go online and buy a shirt that means something!

Even if you don't wear brand name clothing, but advertise bands, tv shows, movies (Twilight shirts anyone?), video games, or places, switch it up and add a cause shirt to your wardrobe!

Buy a shirt that will get the word out about charities, issues, and diseases!

Some of these cause shirts will be more expensive than name brands, some will be cheaper, some will be about even. Some of your proceeds may go towards the actual cause, sometimes it is just about getting the word out there.

And I'll help! For the next two weeks every couple of days I'll share with you some comparisons on label brands versus charity brands, where you can buy them, and how your purchase of the shirt will do some good!

I'll post my first comparison tonight, so check back soon!

We Be Well Rounded

2010-08-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

So you all know Kellie by now! One of my amazing friends from high school who is just about one of the silliest people I know. Okay, recap over. Anyway, she goes to UC Berkeley, and will be living in a studio apartment next year.

She has already taken a couple of trips up there with some stuff, and will do so again when she moves in in a couple of weeks. Still, she had too much stuff for one carload and needed to be there for her mattress delivery last weekend.

So of course we turned it into a mini vacation!

Kellie, Ari, Danielle and I drove down to Berkeley on Friday morning. But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

First my mom and I drove up to Lancaster on Thursday afternoon. Danielle, Kellie, and I all went and saw Charlie St. Cloud that night. It isn't exactly the best movie in the world, but I wouldn't say it was a waste of my money and time. I enjoyed it for more than just Zac Efron's tight fitting shirts, veiny arms, and bare back. It was surprisingly not predictable and Zac Efron gave a fine performance.

Anyway, we then drove to Berkeley. Let me just say 6 hours in a car with three of your best friends is a pretty good time, even though I can't remember what made it fun. We helped unload stuff into her adorable studio apartment and then Kellie showed us around the beautiful campus and area before we headed back so she could wait for her mattress delivery.

We decided that since we are poor college students, we would make dinner instead of going out. But with a tiny kitchen and only 2 frying pans to cook with, we had few options.

We decided to do breakfast for dinner. I made eggs and Danielle made pancakes. It was pretty yummy if I say so myself!

Look at Kellie's adorable plates!

We showered, cleaned up, played some trivial pursuit, and set up for bed.

Four people sleeping in a studio apartment means that the entire room becomes bed.

Ari had to sleep on the Spongebob bed.

The next day we went into San Francisco. Being the nerdy control freaks we are (okay, maybe I'm the only control freak) we planned the whole day out. We wanted to go to Alcatraz but it was completely sold out for some special event. Instead of doing all cheesy tourist things, we decided to mix it up with some museums.

I begged them to go to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and they were nice enough to oblige. How sad is it that I've been to the SFMOMA before the original NY one?

So we were lucky enough to get to the Berkeley BART station early enough to get a free parking space, the train came within 3 minutes, the connecting train was waiting for us, and the SFMOMA was a short walk away from the station in the city.

Oh! Hello Frida Kahlo. Latter that day at Pier 39 I bought socks with her picture on it.

Matisse is love.

A more interesting Pollock than the ones I've seen before.

Eventually we made our way toward the more contemporary stuff. This sculpture of Michael Jackson and his monkey Bubbles sparked a very philosophical conversation on the way home about "what is art" between Kellie and I. The artist didn't actually execute this sculpture, but hired people to do it. These types of snooty conversations don't usually happen with us.

Frank Stella (the second one). In art class Stella kept coming up in videos, but we never saw his art! So I was pleasantly surprised to find a handful of them that I fell in love with!

They love art.

We then took the most crowded bus ever to Ghiradelli Square. It was so crowded that Ari and Danielle were standing next to the driver.

We ate lunch at an adorable 50's diner in the square. The family sitting next to us (there was about 10 inches between our tables) paid with a coupon on a map they had. Danielle noticed it was the same map we had, and voila! 20% off our lunch!

We walked around the square for a bit, got free chocolate at the Ghiradelli Chocolate store and bought nothing.

We then got on another bus on the same line that we had to lightly run to make, and made our way to the Exploratorium. This is the most photographed place in San Francisco, we even saw a couple getting their wedding pictures done.

The Exploratorium was so fun! This was Danielle's suggestion, and we believe it totally proved how well rounded we are, an art museum and a science museum all in one day!

This vibrating sand one (I don't remember what the science was behind this exhibit) made my hands feel tingly, but it got all stuck to my hand and in my nails and made my hands smell funny.

This was the best one. You sat on either side and adjusted the light to see what your faces looked like meshed together.

With this one you "drew" in the room and then it showed up on the screen. When I took a picture with flash it put Ari and Kellie's images on the screen too.

Ari and Kellie trying to read eye expressions.

We then caught another bus, JUST IN TIME back to Fisherman's Wharf.

We went into a bunch of stores, the sock store (woo Frida socks), the hat store, the puppet store, the left handed store, this crab store, and made fun of the name of the knife store "We Be Knives", creative.

Kellie REALLY wanted to buy that hat, but wouldn't spend $8 on it, obviously.

Danielle and her cute lobster, which of course she wouldn't spend $18 on.

Alcatraz!

Sea Lions!

Then we ate at a little restaurant on the pier. At first we were sitting next to a couple with a baby boy who kept waving at me (okay, maybe I waved first), but then they left and this group of two couples, one that was at least 15 years older than the other, sat down. They were so loud and crude! Plus we watched as they had like 4 credit cards denied for their bill at the bar! We left shortly after that.

Then the only problem we had ALL DAY was getting on the bus back to the BART station. When we first got to the stop we were the only ones there, but by the time the bus came we were basically at the back of the line. We didn't make it on the already crowded bus, and decided to wait for the next one. Then like 50 other people showed up, so there were like 75 people waiting for a bus. We were close to the front and decided that we were gonna be tough for once in our lives and GET ON THE NEXT BUS... and if we didn't we would call a cab.

So we pushed our way onto the bus and were all sandwiched together. When we got off Kellie bumped this 12 year old kid (who had been being annoying the ENTIRE bus ride) in the head with her purse. It totally couldn't have really hurt, and he whines to his mother about how badly it hurt, with Kellie right there! How rude!

Anyway, we made it back with no further issues. We decided to play another game of Trivial Pursuit because we are NERDS! Usually Kellie and Ari are on a team and Danielle and I are on a team. Because Kellie and Danielle rock at TP and Ari and I... not so much. I suggested that we switch it up, Ari got cocky and decided that he and I should be on a team because we could totally beat them... and guess what?!

WE DID! WOOO!!!!!!

Anyway the next morning we packed up, deflated air mattresses, ate at a cute little diner (and spent a whopping $7 on pastries) and were on our way home!

It was a great trip. We had no problems, the sky was blue, the weather mild, and everything went smashing! We blamed it on karma, we gave out good vibes, and got good time in return.

Five years ago I wanted to move to San Francisco so badly, and now, even though I'm living in New York for school, my family moved to San Diego, and that my dream job may very well take me to LA, I still feel like San Francisco would be an amazing place to live. Who knows, I'm trying to let life take me wherever it pleases.

And for now, a weekend trip to San Francisco with three of my best friends is enough for me!

Muh BayBees

2010-08-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

So when I was on Robotics in high school I was close with a group of girls who are two years younger than me. They brought out my ridiculous side when I was stressing out over guests lists for our events, ordering jerseys, writing essays, and 50,000 other things. Most of the time if actual work needed to be done we had to make sure Lauren and I weren't within a ten foot radius of each other.

Anyway, Caitlin's mom and my mom are really good friends, so they came up last weekend to see SDSU and just hang out for a couple of days.

After the tour on Friday we took a trip to the mall, buying something like 20 pairs of underwear and nothing else.

Asia (middle) and Caitlin (right) are playing checkers. Lauren is standing in as one of Asia's pieces Chamber of Secrets style. Asia won.

Then Asia got a free massage, that apparently wasn't very good.

That night we dyed our hair...with Kool-Aid. You just boil some water, add the Kool-Aid, pour the mixture into a mug, then dip your hair in it for anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes. It doesn't last too long, and it's cheap!

This is Lauren dying her hair blue.

Me dying my hair pink for the Avon Walk.

Caitlin re- dyed her hair pink.

They make me feel silly and young(er).

Saturday we just hung out at home, took some senior portraits (post coming soon), then went to Old Town for dinner.

Oh Hello! Long-ish car ride to get gas and make it to Old Town.

I have no comment.

Yummy dinner!

I believe there is a very similar picture of us from our cruise a year and a half ago.

Nuff said.

Hillbilly "brief"case.

I really enjoyed seeing my girls before I left for New York. I'm so excited for them to start their senior year of high school, to see where they all choose to go to school, and to find out what they decide to do with the rest of their lives. They already all seem so much more mature and eloquent than they did last year and I know they are going to grow up to be such strong, lovely ladies!

The Case of the Curious Canine

2010-08-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

A while after I had painted the wall underneath my window, I came in to find paw print marks in the wet paint! A little dog had been trying to peer out of my window!

After a little detective work I found the culprit!

Good things our new carpet wasn't in yet!

Potato Cheese Soup

2010-08-01T21:39:00.001-07:00

At Marie Calendars the other night (which has a health rating of a B, uh oh!) we were deciding what to order... eventually everyone ordered the amazing potato cheese soup and corn bread.

It was a good night.

This is the meal I was talking about in this post where I could barely eat Ari and Kellie were being so hilarious.

Midnight Harry Potter Conversations

2010-07-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

So I'm lying in my bed next to Lauren participating in the necessary girl talk required before you can fall asleep. I have no glasses on so I can't really see what I'm typing, so forgive the typos.

We were talking about the fact that my room's paint color names reminded me of Harry Potter, Aged Parchment and Pumpkin Patch. When Lauren and Asia first got here on Thursday they said "Your room doesn't remind me of Harry Potter."

I don't know what they expecting, gold and maroon stripes or a mural of Hogwarts or something, but they obviously didn't get the point of that post.

So then we were on the topic of Harry Potter. I said something about the 3rd one, Lauren said she liked that one, to which I said "That is the only one, besides the 6th one, where Voldemort isn't involved in the climax."

To which Lauren replied...

Voldemort is freaking annoying, can't he just die already.

That is right guys Voldemoret is freaking annoying.

I told her, well, he can't die because he split his soul into 7 pieces, and she said "I know, and they are called horcruxes, I always laugh because they are called whore-cruxes."

These are the conversations I have at midnight which I then post on my blog...in the dark...without glasses.

Your Friends Aren't As Cool As Mine!

2010-07-28T11:04:00.001-07:00

So I have these two friends from High School, Ari and Kellie. I love them both to death, they are two of the sweetest, smartest, and funniest people I know.

Most of my friends are really funny, but these two are down right hilarious, many times because their humor is so big and unbelievably ridiculous . We went out to dinner the other night with Danielle and I could barely eat they were being so silly.

They are both also avid readers and commenters of this blog! But their comments are, just like them, usually a little out there and crazy.

Like this one from Kellie on this post .

I thought it resembled me. Though, I have been told I am an uglier version of Buckbeak.

But last night Ari left me the most hilarious comment on this post from yesterday. My mom and I laughed for a while after I read it to her.

I'm also a fan of kindness. Whenever someone is feeling over-heated, I wave my arms at them to cool them down while shouting compliments at them. That is why people call me a fan of kindness.

So thank you, Ari and Kellie, for always being able to make me laugh. Don't be mad at me for dedicating an entire post to you.

"What the world needs is a new kind of army..."

2010-07-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

"...- the army of the kind."

-Cleveland Amory

I'm really into kindness, a trait I feel is lacking from my generation and society as a whole.

So when I stumbled upon the Kind Over Matter blog, I fell in love.

They have a ton of cute PDFs and tutorials all geared around kindness. I'm tempted to print a bunch of the little quote cards out and carry them around with me in my purse. That way I can leave them in places where they will hopefully brighten people's days.

And I totally want to post this up around campus.

Download the PDF.

Or take a look at more cute printable goodies.

Just the general blog is worth peeking at too.

Argh

2010-07-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yeah, that seems like a pretty appropriate title for this entry.

Before I can explain my frustrations, let me give you a little background.

We have officially moved, as of Wednesday, from Lancaster to San Diego.

The whole move started out stressful when, due to their union restrictions, the movers were required to pack up our stuff on Wednesday, drive to San Diego on Thursday, and then unload on Friday.

But we dealt. We had painted several rooms at the house the weekend before, but not mine. I spent Thursday painting my room, which I had hoped would be completely set up by Saturday, seeing as the carpet was coming on Friday.

Wrong. The carpet guy called and said he would not begin installing the carpet until Monday.

Still, we dealt. I unpacked and organized everything from our old laundry room (which was huge and held a heck of a lot of random stuff) and pool room (for those of you who don't know, basically just a whatever room off the pool that held board games, craft stuff, and entertaining supplies) and arranged it to go into the mudroom. We also unpacked the kitchen and bathrooms, and rearranged all the boxes that were in the family room, taking out all my brothers stuff, and piling all my stuff in a corner to be taken into my room after the carpet was installed...on Monday.

Sunday I put all the stuff on the mudroom shelves. But by god that was a task. The shelves are adjustable, but the mechanisms used to adjust them were very finicky. I was getting so frustrated that I had to take several breaks. I watched Kimora Lee Simmons whateverhernameisnow move into her house. Watching all her moving drama (the movers didn't know how to disassemble a treadmill, her moving truck driven by her friends husband from New Jersey to Beverly Hills was late, and then not allowed into Beveraly Hill because of some crazy law, her personal assistant left with her blackberry! Oh no!) somehow made mine seem much less intense.

But anyway. the shelves were finished, and the carpet would be in the next day and we could finally unpack everything else and life would get back to normal.

Wrong again!

The carpet guy came today...at 11:00am (btdubs, if we used military time it would be so much easier, I wouldn't have to add the am. Not that you think he came at 11pm, but I feel incorrect just saying 11, so Danielle I agree with you ). He said his son had wanted to help, but was too tired. That is right, this guy came to do four good sized rooms ALONE.

Obviously he didn't finish. My parents room is mostly done, and my room is now void of any carpet. I guess it is progress, but didn't he see that WE ARE LIVING OUT OF OUR KITCHEN!!! The family room is covered in all the boxes and furniture meant to go in the bedrooms and living room. You guys I haven't sat on anything except hard kitchen chairs and a mattress plopped in the middle of the room Benjamin Button style is 6 days!

I know, my life is horrible.

Then to add to my frustrations I went to Target today. I had a wonderful time shopping for tons of stuff. My favorite purchase, a shelving unit and storage boxes to organize the now completely empty 5 foot high cabinet we will use for baking supplies. So I get home, have the time of my life organizing everything into their proper bins (I know, I'm crazy. I once spent a WHOLE YEAR organizing my school's dressing rooms, I'll post pictures soon), and when I got to put the shelf together I find out that 23" in Targetland means 23 and 1/5". IT DIDN'T FIT! So now all my hard work is sitting piled in a box in the mudroom.

To add to all of this, the dogs can't go outside because they are fixing our septic tank. That means that they have to be inside with us at all times. We had to buy a baby gate to quarantine them to the kitchen so they wouldn't bother the carpet guy or run out the open front door he was walking in and out of all day.

We can't leave them locked in a room either. Candy completely destroyed my bathroom door when we locked her in their the other night.

That means my mom and I can't both go out at the same time during the day.

Which means I can't go buy a mattress (we left the other one with my built in bed in Lancracker) or go to Ikea to get a bookshelf or more organization things to completely finish my mudroom project.

So to sum it all up. four of our rooms are completely empty. Our main room is piled full with junk (our life in boxes), and we are trapped in our kitchen all day, unable to even make ourselves feel better by shopping!

I'm not good at this waiting around thing. It isn't a secret that I'm not the most patient person in the world. I love to relax, and I'm a pretty hard worker. I can't relax until all the work is done, and I can't get all the work done until other people get their work done! ARGH! (hence the title of this post).

I want my room! I want alone time! I want to finish my 3rd reread of Harry Potter 7!

I know, I know, my life isn't all that bad.

Does my commitment to charity make me any less annoying? I do board game drives for sick children and breast cancer walks!

Potter Paint

2010-07-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

The colors I painted my room today remind me of Harry Potter.

Aged Parchment and Pumpkin Patch

I bet you can't wait to see my room now.

Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You Not To Play With Your Food?

2010-07-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of the summer Brad and his mom Julie (some family friends of ours) came over for dinner. Apparently after dinner, the girl talk couldn't keep Brad's attention.

Pink gets Pinker

2010-07-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

I'm determined to walk in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NYC on October 16th and 17th. This means I have to train, buy a great pair of walking shoes, and raise $1,800.

So every single dollar counts.

We had a garage sale on Saturday and I sold cupcakes and pink lemonade for $.50 each.

One lady refused to pay $.50 for the lemonade since they were in "such small cups" and "you can buy a whole container of powdered lemonade for $3." Of course you can, that is exactly what I did! I explained to her that it was for charity, but she still haggled me down to a quarter a cup. I sold it to her, since I had way more pink lemonade than I could possibly sell in one day and a quarter is better than nothing, but it was the principle of the thing.

O'well, I made $30!

If you are interested in donating please go here, like I said, every dollar counts: www.avonwalk.org/goto/EmmaMary4

My mom always wanted me to have a cooking show called "Emma's Entrees"

2010-07-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

So here is another post about the most wonderful thing in the world...food.

But before I walk you through an Emeril recipe I picked out for the 4th of July, I must make it clear that I AM NOT A COOK. Not that I've really practiced all that much, but if I can make this, so can you! Just be sure to stick through until the end to hear my suggestion on how I think next time I can make this meal just a little bit better.

So here is the making of a Zucchini and Summer Squash Casserole.

I like to lay out all of my ingredients before I start cooking (sometimes in the order that I will need to use them). If things are hiding in the fridge or the cabinet, I am likely to forget them.

Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, heavy whipping cream, 3 XL eggs, fresh thyme, garlic, onion (pictured is a shalet, we used both), salt, freshly ground pepper, olive oil, summer squash, zucchini, some yellow squash, and butter crackers.

Now I screwed up on 2 things just on my shopping trip. The recipe called for "summer squash", well when I went to the store those funky light green things were labeled "summer squash", so I bought 2lbs of them, like the recipe told me to. When I got home my mom said "Oh, I would have bought yellow crookneck squash." She then explained to me that all the squash were summer squash. I had to run to the store again before I made this dish anyway, so I picked up some yellow crookneck squash. So you can forgo buying the funky shaped ones, or do what we did, which will be pictured later.

Also, those "butter crackers" I bought are organic Ritz Crackers. I don't usually worry too much about organic vs. not, but these were the first crackers I saw on the isle that read "butter crackers" so I grabbed them. It wasn't until later I realized I could have bought Ritz. You can buy either.

The recipe called for 2lbs zucchini, 2lbs summer squash, so we just weighed all three until it came out to 4lbs. I say the more variety the better, but it is up to you.

Oh! I forgot this ingredient! MUSIC! You can't cook without music. Today Michael Buble accompanied us.

Wash and cut off the ends of the squash (some were already being chopped when this picture was taken).

The 13 x 9in pan is buttered with 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of onions are chopped (the recipe calls for 1 cup but I don't love onions so we just used 1/2), 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper is measured out, 1 teaspoon of garlic is minced, and 1 teaspoon of thyme is chopped.

We chopped the squash into thin pieces. The yellow squash were large, so we cut it in half first and ended up with half moon shaped pieces.

For those beginners out there, like me, you have to pull of the leaves off the thyme, the stems are too "woody" (as my mother said) to eat.

Not pictured: Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat until the butter is melted.

Add the onions, salt, and pepper and cook until the onions are soft and more translucent, which takes about 5 minutes.

Not pictured: Add the garlic and "cook until fragrant", about 30 seconds.

Add the squash and zucchini and give it a good stir to get all the veggies coated.

Keep that cooking for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Sometimes we covered it, but often times it was uncovered to avoid steaming the veggies and overcooking them.

While that is cooking take 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream. I added 2 splashes more to account for the amount that remained in the measuring cup (I'm too lazy to wait for it to settle), and another splash because I felt like it. Then add 3 XL eggs and whisk together.

Don't forget to stir the veggies!

Crush 1 cup of the crackers. You can use your hands (just make sure they become very crushed) or any number of other tools. I put my crackers in a bag and smacked them with a tart maker.

We also added some panco crumbs, and probably ended up with about 1 1/4 cup of crumbs combined.

Not pictured: Once the veggies have been cooking for 20 minutes stir in the thyme and remove from heat. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the veggies and place them evenly into the pan. Keep the liquid. Then slowly add the liquid to your eggs and cream. We added about 1/2 cup at a time and whisked it together after every bit of liquid was added.

Add the mixture evenly over the veggies. Then carefully "shift the vegetables around so the egg mixture is evenly distributed". We used our hands, then made sure all the veggies were covering the pan evenly.

Bake the dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While the dish is baking, grate 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan cheese. I used a little bit more. If you don't have help like I did, you can crush your crackers during this time too instead of cleaning the kitchen or sitting down and watching a show about how banjos are made with your Dad.

Can you guess which one I did?

I cleaned the kitchen.

Not pictured: After 30 minutes remove the dish and add the crushed crackers and cheese evenly on top of the veggies and pop is back in the oven for another 15 minutes!

VOILA! YUMMY!

I was using the veggie casserole as a side dish to chicken. We used boneless skinless chicken breasts and marinaded it overnight with this dressing along with a little bit of olive oil and wine.

Then we BBQed them!

We have this fancy smancy fork we won in a gift exchange that tells us if the meat is cooked. It is 2 years old and this is the 2nd time we are using it.

The whole meal! Can't have a 4th of July meal (or any summer meal for us) without watermelon!!!!

What what we do differently to make the casserole better?

-Use only 3 pounds of veggies and the same amount of cream and eggs. That way there is a little higher of a liquid to veggie ratio.

-Add some cheese (parm or a great melty cheese) to the egg/cream/veggie liquid mixture so it was a little more cheesy throughout the whole casserole.

-Add some olive oil or melted butter to the bread crumbs before adding them so they weren't so dry on the top.

Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/zucchini-and-summer-squash-casserole-recipe/index.html

Have you tried any new recipes lately?