Christmas Cheers

Merry Christmas!

Chris Garneau - "Christmas Song"

Top 10 Songs Part II - 2007

5. Winter Family - "Garden"

The duo behind Winter Family consists of Israeli singer Ruth Rosenthal, who writes her texts in Hebrew and English, and French musician Xavier Klaine, who plays piano, harmoniums and pipe organ. I came across this enchanting song during my daily perusal of motel de moka and instantly "Garden" gave me chills at first listen. Then I played it ten more times to just begin to absorb it. Can I say that the lyrics are so ridiculously romantic and charming? And Ms. Rosenthal's vocals are beautiful, as are the independent background vocals. The subtle tinkling of the piano in the background is probably the only reason why I would go back to learn more piano, so I could play these types of melodies.

"I remember

I saw you coming closer and closer to me
And maybe it was excitement, I don't know
But I was paralyzed
I fell on my knees
It was me, you
It was... us... finally"

4. Badly Drawn Boy - "Promises"

Badly Drawn Boy has been getting some mediocre reviews for the past album or two that he's churned out, but I'm one of those that doesn't buy into the negatives on this guy. His music is too good and I continue to faithfully buy what he puts out (within reason. A cover album of Abba songs would probably sour my affection for him just a little). He didn't come out with anything new this year in terms of albums, but he did release this single through iTunes and I instantly snagged it when I saw it featured under new releases. It was one of my favorite iTunes purchases this year. I appreciate how "Promises" layers on itself as it progresses, nothing too fancy, but enough to have me putting this song on permanent repeat status. It's a sad song (what else is new) and consistently socks me in the gut. No better combination.

"I promise you will get old
I promised you everything
To protect you wherever you go
I'll give you this diamond ring

Just promise you will remember
A promise should last forever
Right up to the dying embers
Of a fire that burns so slow"


3. Pete Yorn - "Lose You"

Nothing against Pete, but the studio version has always sounded like his voice and emotions are dead, though the use of organs towards the end is personally very enjoyable. Then I listened to his one on the Live From New Jersey album and it knocked me back. It had that appropriate sadness for the lyrics, yet the interaction with the audience brings some levity (and it shows he's an amazing live singer). I would date him, with it ending good or bad, just in hopes he would write a song like this for me. As long as he doesn't call me out by name in his liner notes, I'm ok with it.

"I don’t need a better thing
I’d settle for less
It’s another thing for me
I just have to wander through this world
Alone"



2. Arcade Fire - "Keep the Car Running"


The end of 2006 is the when I discovered Arcade Fire and their album Funeral. Then March of 2007 came along and *WHAM* Neon Bible was released. I was genuinely giddy while listening through the tracks, and that sadly doesn't happen so often anymore to me with new music. "Keep the Car Running" is just one of many tracks from Neon Bible that hits me in all the right places and makes me come back for more.

"There’s a weight that’s pressing down.
Late at night you can hear the sound.
Even the noise you make when you sleep.
Can’t swim across a river so deep.
They know my name 'cause I told it to them, But they don’t know where
And they don’t know
When It’s coming, when It’s coming."



1. Peter Gabriel - "San Jacinto"

There's not much to say about "San Jacinto" other than I do a little fist pump of victory every time it plays on my iPod. Following the fist pump comes a sing-along. An hour later the urge to see Secret World Live DVD appears. Then I scour the internet to see if he will ever come back to southern California to do a concert. The answer is usually no. I'm sad about this truth for a few minutes, but "In Your Eyes" comes on the radio sometime after that and all is well again in Peter Gabriel lovefest land.

"I hold the line - the line of strength that pulls me through the fear
San Jacinto - I hold the line
San Jacinto - the poison bite and darkness take my sight - I hold the line
And the tears roll down my swollen cheek - think I'm losing it - getting weaker
I hold the line - I hold the line
San Jacinto - yellow eagle flies down from the sun - from the sun"



Runner-Ups:

Sufjan Stevens - "Super Sexy Woman"
Quirky, frisky lyrics and something out of the ordinary for Sufjan.


Radical Face - "Along the Road"
The creaking boards and the low notes that he's not quite reaching, the piano tinkling along, the low hums... It all just works.


Laura Veirs & Saltbreakers - "To the Country"
I really like Laura Veirs. Her music is consistently good and this was my favorite track from her new album. It's simple, clean, and has clapping incorporated into it. How can that fail?



Sea Wolf - "Leaves in the River"
A cool instrumental intro that I wanted to last the whole 5 minutes. But it nicely sets up the rest of the very pretty song. Sea Wolf was a great find this year.




Snow Patrol - "Finish Line"
It's back to my compulsive preference towards "night time" mood songs. And it's not their song "Crashing Cars", so win win for everyone!

Lovely Lovely Food

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."
Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright

I'm a creature of habit when it comes to food. I find something I love, I then have to somehow incorporate it into my daily menu. Here's a few of the foods that I love, and really believe I could live off of any of these foods/meals if I needed to.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches - Apricot jam, Boysenberry jam, Blackberry jam, whatever. If it's combined with chunky peanut butter and warm whole wheat pita bread from Trader Joe's, I am giddy and satisfied for life. Back when the show Big Brother had PB&J as a food punishment, I always knew that I would thrive on that show. Laziness + the occasional physical/mental challenge + others crying on PB&J while I gain strength = the easiest million dollars I will ever make. Thank you, peanut butter and jelly!

“Peanut butter is the pâté of childhood."
Florence Fabricant

Cashews, Pistachios, and Peanuts - I really think it's possible to live off these nuts. My brothers and I usually polish off the whole cannister of cashews and peanuts within a week with a big fat smile on our faces while doing so. The pistachios are left to me and my dad to finish, without much difficulty.

“No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut.”
Channing Pollock

Bread - Sure, it's simple. But good bread is disturbingly amazing. I only eat 100% whole wheat, which I have grown to really love. All bread is tasty in its own way, and back in the day when I did eat whatever I craved, there were some mighty good times what with the lovely fresh out of the oven crusty french bread (either dipped in buttermilk or honey) or sourdough bread with a little bit of plum jam or butter. Now I stick with Ezekiel whole wheat bread and Trader Joe's whole wheat pita, which isn't a bad compromise if you've tasted these tasty breads. I recommend the cinnamon and raisin Ezekiel bread because it's still healthy and I can sneak in a little sweetness without guilt. Huzzah!

“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.”
Robert Browning

Cheese - I admit it. I'm a cheese whore. My dinners can consist of just a mini platter of assorted cheeses that I had horded into the cart at Costco, Sam's Club or Trader Joe's. New York Sharp Cheddar, Swiss, smoked Mozarella, marinated Mozarella, Caşcaval (Romanians for the win), Gruyere, Blue, Roquefort, Feta (French only, please), Mascarpone, Fontina, chunks of Parmesan, Provolone, Asiago, heck even regular cheddar is amazing. The list could go on, but I heartily endorse all of those favorites. High-Five for cheese!

"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be oversophisticated. Yet it remains, cheese, milk's leap toward immortality."
Clifton Fadiman

Bread and Cheese (AKA Grilled Cheese Sandwich) - Genius creation.

Tomatoes and salt - This is my staple food for 90% of my meals as it's a perfect companion food. Cut up, with kosher or sea salt sprinkled over. And maybe doused in some Cholula if I feel a little feisty. Tomatoes are my #1 vegetable (or is it really a fruit? Bah, like it truly matters which category it belongs in. It's healthy and yummy, which should be a category in itself).

"A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins."
Laurie Colwin

Tomato and Feta Cheese Salad - This is the old standby. Don't know what side to include with your grilled chicken? Bust out a tomato and feta cheese salad. What can you make quickly on the fly to satisfy those pangs of hunger? Tomato and feta cheese salad. Want to impress dinner guests with some mad salad skills? Boom, just tomato and feta cheese salad their asses. It's a win win in every situation this salad is made. Add red onion plus green peppers and it's pure gold you're devouring. Though the best kind is the homemade kind, because having ordered this in various restaurants has taught me that only you or your mom can make the best, everyone else basically sucks.

Fruit - I'm always a little shocked when I hear people say they don't really care for fruit. It's nature's sweet delicious candy. But to them I say, "More for me, suckers!" The wimpering and crankiness skyrockets when I'm denied this essential food, and will 99% of the time never refuse fruit that's offered to me, unless I just had too much and I get that weird bloated belly thing happening. The way to tell if I have been afflicted with fruit bloat is if you see me groaning on the couch and still trying to pop in another grape or slice of apple.
Daily, I eagerly await the fruit snack and merrily skip to the fridge with bowl in tow to start cutting up and eating the mango, pineapple, blackberries, apples, tangerines, or whatever other colorful food catches my eye. The whole time in London I hadn't had any fruit because I seriously didn't trust the stuff hanging outside the little hole in the wall markets they had going. On the flight back from London, I hungrily ripped through a little bag of grapes they served and begged my brother if I could have his bag too. I gave him my chocolate from the meal, so I think we both came out on top with that deal.

“Give me book, fruit, French wine, and fine weather and a little music out of doors played by someone I do not know."
John Keats

Deli Meats from the Local German or Italian Store - I cheer when my parents come home with plastic bags filled with those white paper-wrapped goodies of meats and cheeses. Though I do avoid head cheese like the plague. It frightens me and no one can talk me into ever eating it, short of trying to hide it under some salad leaves or some Cholula or something so I couldn't identify it. Don't get any ideas.

"My favorite animal is steak."
Fran Lebowitz

Just pray for me that I will never add any Romanian foods to this list in the future. My motto is Just Say No To Sarmale. It's kept me out of a lot of trouble so far.


Sufjan Stevens - "Sister Winter"

Top 10 Songs Part I - 2007

2007 - It was a pretty great year in many respects. Some highlights are : I got into grad school, hell, I finished my undergraduate degree; I'm in London for nine days (a post recapping all that glory later); I was 21 for most of the year; and I went on a entertainment overload rampage with movies, T.V. and music, which sounds a little sad but it really isn't. At least in my head it isn't and that's where it counts. So that leads to the first of a series of posts that will list and dissect what my favorite things were the past year. Music! Since I absorb so much music yearly I can never settle on just a 5, or even a 10 for me is a struggle. But I forced myself to just stick with a top 10 and here's the #10-6 countdown.

[Destroy All Evidence (Nicole) and I are trying to pump these out together around the same time, but my being out of the country has caused a little delay. But London I guess is a modern city or something, because I see Internet Cafes strewn everywhere, and it's fun to get an internet fix amidst all the walking, play-watching, and shopping.]

10. Bear McCreary - "Reuniting the Fleet"

My favorite drama show and hands down the best score on T.V. This song is all inspirational, motivational, and kickass-ational. It's mostly guaranteed that a track from soundtrack season 3 or 4 will make its way onto the 2008 mix because Bear is surefire composer.


9. Ryan Adams - "If I'm a Stranger"

This version is a bit scratchy and rough but it has much more oomph behind it than the studio version. I dig it. A lot.

"For all the hours here that move to slow
There's all this letting go, that won't pass
If all this love is real, how will we know?
And if were only scared of losing it, how will it last?

If I am a stranger now to you
I will always be, I will always be
Stronger now than me, stronger than you
Our love will always be
If we let it go, I will try to be there for you
I will try to be there for you
I will try to be there for you"


8. Glen Hansard - "Say It To Me Now"

I had most of the songs to Once before I saw the movie and I was still affected by the songs. Glen Hansard's voice is like a dagger, it's so packed with emotion and power. Gorgeously sad song.

"Cause this is what you've waited for
A chance to even up the score
And as these shadows fall on me now
I will somehow

Cause I'm picking up a message Lord
And I'm closer than I've ever been before

So if you have something to say
Say it to me now"


7. Enigma - "Prism of Life"

Enigma - oh, how you bring me such joy. I'm not sure why, but a well-placed chorus of singers in a song can make me a happy girl. Sure it's cheesy, but I really don't see why some Euro cheese can't be a good part of the music diet.

"And when it seems that we're in a dead end street
There's no reason to cry
Cause we have a helping hand who's always aside"


6. Delirious? - "Our God Reigns"

The combination of old-school use of choir and traditional chorus lyrics mixed with modern issues and a soaring climax make for a potent song. Throw in gorgeous piano and violins for good measure and it has hit the near top of my favorites. Oh, and they're British.

"The west has found a gun and it’s loaded with ‘unsure’
Nip and tuck if you have the bucks in a race to find a cure.
Psalm one hundred and thirty nine is the conscience to our selfish crime,
God didn’t screw up when he made you,
He’s a father who loves to parade you."

Bra My Brains Out

Can I say that I HATE the Playtex Bra commercials that have been popping up on T.V. recently? Like, I honestly want to let out a primal scream and then get in my car to drive over a cat, any cat will do, every time it comes on. Let's put aside that Playtex is at best a mediocre bra, but these things are ugly as hell and the main comment from one of these "real" women is how hot the new bras look. I stare at them and pray that I am never subjected to having to wear it even as a torture device. Another lady declares that finding a good bra is like finding a good man. Listen, there's a store called Victoria's Secret that most likely you will find within a 10 mile ratio of your trailer. Save $40, go there, and buy a dumb supportive bra rather than be in a commercial where you are seen my millions wearing only a nightmarish bra and your tan-colored undies. No one, save your convict boyfriend, wants to see that mess. And the lady that stores her gummy bears and cell phone in her bra, I get it. That's your little party trick and the kids will clap and cheer for the crazy blonde lady, but it serves no purpose to store your junk there (sweat + gummy bears = death. Trust me).

Yes, I have DVR, and yes I can forward through commercials. But every so often I encounter what they call "Live TV" and I then suffer through real time commercials. So all I ask this holiday season is that Playtex just put all of those commercials on the Oxygen channel, where I will never venture over to watch. Oh, and please slap the redhead at the end that says with some sort of a lisp, "Tanks, Playteks!".

The offending video here.

Nourallah Brothers - Christmastime

I'm In.

HOLY MOTHER, I did it. I was accepted to the graduate program at my university. After months and months of inner turmoil, of nagging and whining to friends and family about how stupidly hard the process was, of figuring out what I would do in terms of career if I wasn't accepted (Physical Therapist or Special Education Teacher), and of just trying to get along and become friends with the knot that developed in my stomach so many moons ago, I somehow muscled my way in to the program. Don't ask me how, because I was pretty confident that I would be borderline or wait list material. Not because I suck hard or anything like that, my skills and the "completeness" of my overall package are actually pretty stellar, if I do say so. It's just that this major is 99.9% female, and that means the manicured claws are always sharpened and ready to slice. But I guess I brought the right kind of shiv to this fight.

The past few weeks since turning in the whole application packet, the news began to trickle down, i.e. I listened in on people's conversations in class. Hey, at least I try to be inconspicuous. I leave my earbuds in and pretend to listen to my ipod while I have my nose in a book cracked open. Word to the wise, don't trust people who do that. They are totally listening in on your conversations. Anyway, the information that I would hear being chattered would be which stage of the process the committee was on, how many actual spots there were available for Spring (12. I wept just a little after hearing that), and that the calls would be going out during the week before finals. My good friend Knot grew and tightened with that latter information.

When I came home from class Tuesday night, I assembled a night time snack of tangerines and some cashews and set it down in anticipation for watching some of the terrible and cheesy Christmas made-for-TV movies I've been DVR'ing. I went upstairs to change and saw that my phone's message light was flashing. My heart ricocheted for a few seconds as I played the message, and when the voice of a certain head of the department came out of the speakers I let out a muffled scream and started hopping around my room before fumbling and spazzing for a pen and paper to write down the phone numbers he was giving me. Calls immediately went out to family and friends as I shrieked to them and then proceeded to dance around to my pre-made "Grad School, Onward!" playlist. Now I have a strut and a smirk permanently attached, just as it should be.

The biggest burden feels like it's finally been lifted and now it's all on me to do well rather than having to worry about what your fellow student is up to and being secretly glad that they didn't do so hot on a test. One of the chosen, and it feels so good.


The Emmaus Group Singers - "Eyes on the Prize"


This song has helped me get through the past three semesters (Fun Fact: It was on my 2006 Best Of Mix too. It lives on). I play it before a test or when my stress level gets too uncomfortable. Sure, it's a Civil Rights song from the movie Green Card that I hijacked for my own purposes, but it's a sanity saver so I will continue to play it as I now officially consider it my musical lucky charm.

Welcome Back to the Real World

I wrote a post over at Buddy Comedy about my year spent playing World of Warcraft. Heave a big sigh for me as you read.

Ryan Adams - Follow the Lights

Rating Scores

(With special contributer, and my sister, Ligia)

Way way back in March 2005, my sister and I had a strange and memorable experience while sitting in the church balcony during a Sunday morning service. We witnessed something that caused us to create a list that to this day makes us amused and annoyed when looking at it. It was a rating scale of sorts and while we were pretty FCC conscious of our written language, we still think it's a relevant rating system in 2007. Rather than explain it here, we will go through each line and rehash the dumb moment that caused us to write about it on that slip of paper. All you need to know to start is that it involves four or so 16 year old boys, with their little leader instigating the madness right in front of us.

March 6, 2005

Fake snoring = Lame-butt:

These guys actually were fake snoring in the balcony. I remember looking at Ligia and asking if these guys were for real.

Ripping paper = Jackball*:
Not just any ripping, but ripping of the loud variety. The kind where you hold the paper out in front of you and make a prolonged rip right down the middle.

*Jackball is the combination of jackass and oddball. Thank you, Mr. Hendrie.

Writing "Hello" big on paper = Freak:
Their ring leader wrote a huge "HELLO" on a blank page and just flashed it to people down below.

Touching hair constantly like a mo = Mo:
I have no issue that his hair was styled and looked like he put some time into grooming as opposed to just grunting in the mirror and moving on. But he was straight up preening. I deeply objected.

Writing love letters to pastor = Flaming Mo:
Yes, the dude wrote "I LOVE YOU" on a page and just held it up at our pastor in the front.

Showing boxers = Lover of dill and flies*:
Something about guys and their not being able to just pull up their pants has always been a bugaboo of mine.

*Dill and Flies - Oh boy. Sort of a Romanian inside joke, but here's the gist. Dill is used in everything, and I mean anything that they think they can sneak away with, they'll do it. And my aunt, who is a notorious dill user, always has these buffet meals ready to go whenever she has a family get-together at her house. Alongside this display of food, there are also a multitude of flies always buzzing over the dill-infused food. One Sunday in church we found out we were going to lunch at that aunt's house and the phrase "Is she serving dill and flies" just came out on the notes I was writing to my sister. We literally laughed out loud during the service and my mom gave us the elbow jab and death glare. So whenever we have to go to her house, my sister and I never fail to ask my parents whether she will be serving "dill and flies" (It's much more affective a joke when you've had to endure that combination. Be forever grateful that you have been spared. For now.)

Drops a hymnal book = What a sap:
Sure, people accidentally drop books and no one gives a rip, but this was completely intentional. Plus they would really drop it so that it was a loud thud on the ground, loud enough to get people to look up into the balcony to see what was going on.

Wearing pen behind ear = Crackhead
I think this is where we kind of became a little ridiculous because now any little thing about these schmucks was irritating, and seeing a pen behind the ringleader's ear was enough to aggravate. Thus the use of crackhead.

Waving to someone in church = Creep

Come on. Waving to someone down below in the middle of a sermon? I was ready to shove him over the rail and accomodate his obvious need to say hello to his friend below.

So... I guess the point of this post is that Ligia and I get angry at idiots and will write the venom down to remember and get angry at for years to come. We rule.

Rod Stewart - Young Turks

Andrea Digs [Insert Artist/Song Here] - October '07

Scott Matthews. Listen and love.

Scott Matthews - "Dream Song" (mp3)

GO GO GO

My Graduate School application is due by Thursday. Online application sent in and being processed? Check. CBEST taken and kicked up and down the block for drill? Check. Letter of Intent, the previous bane of my existence now written and officially amazing? Hell yes, Check (Thanks Nicole!). Three letters of recommendation from professors or associates in the field? Che--, well, not so much. I've confirmed with two of the three that they sent in their letters, so huge mop up of the sweaty brow there. The only thing remaining for me to worry about is this third floater. He's known to be unresponsive and slow with getting these things in, but for the ones he does write a letter for, he rocks it. I decided to take the gamble (Honestly, he's the only one I made an effort to get to know, so my options were basically him or him. But he really is super nice and ridiculously smart, he being my option is a good struggle). So I'm currently on Operation: Harass-A-Professor. I am pathetically emailing and leaving voicemail messages on his office phone with the hope that he will get tired of seeing my email address and hearing my trying-to-be-sweet-while-gently-browbeating-him voice on his phone. The pain will end for him and for me once he just prints out that letter, gets up from his chair, walks about 30 feet down the hall and hands it in. Cross fingers!

Beck - "Timebomb"


Update: He emailed today and said it would be sent in on time. Huzzah!

Kitschy Will Be the Death of Me

The Catalog Favorites magazine came in yesterday, and while quickly skimming through the pages it made me stop to contemplate. This genre of magazine has for awhile now been gnawing at me, slowly chipping away at my spirit and hopes for my future as a kick-ass 40 year old woman. It's that magazine that sells all of that middle aged crap like "Sleep Is The New Sex" or "Time Flies When You Are Having Rum!" t-shirts that only come in XXL, the tacky turquoise coral and shell caftan that they actually have the balls to describe as sensual, or the Fanny Bank where it makes "amusing sounds" when coins are deposited in the rear end. I know there are people out there that do order from these magazines because they've been mailing those suckers for a long time now. I just need to know this: Does your brain turn to dull and unfunny mush when you hit the age of 40 and on? What compels a woman, who was at one time 20 years old and would never ever have purchased any of this junk, to buy a Fartmaster Key Chain that comes with six realistic flatulent sounds? I fear for what will become of me, and that is why I have made a pact with Sean. I will provide the loaded shotgun and he will pull the trigger to end any potential embarrassment and/or misery that would directly stem from buying a "Sometimes I Pee When I Laugh" t-shirt.

Ryan Adams - "I Taught Myself To Grow Old"


The New Pornographers - "Challengers"

Panic Button A Go

I just submitted my technical Graduate School application. Now on to finishing my Letter of Intent and bugging my professors to get those recommendation letters written. Three weeks left.

Breathe...

Alexi Murdoch - Breathe

Kid Conversations

I had an interesting conversation yesterday with one of the kiddos in the Sunday School class I help in. She basically blurted out how she never wanted to get married because A) She never wanted to leave her parents and B) Apparently once you got married, you were then automatically going to start getting cancer and all of those other diseases old people get. She paused for a moment, then said how maybe she would get married but that she would want to live at her home and kick her parents out. Her male cousin chimed in with "I don't think the guy would want to live in your house." She nodded her head to that, then the topic immediately changed to how she's outgrowing her bed and what her favorite colors were.
Little kids rule.

Wilco - Just a Kid

College Days - Annoyance Abounds

Today's observations. Joy.

(The Reno 911 clip)

Paul Simon - Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard

College Days

I'm currently in the last semester of my undergraduate career and I have to say that the past 4 years of college have been... a mixed bag. There definitely have been many positive moments, but what fun is there in talking about that, really? So moving to the other side of that spectrum: I always seem to be alert of all the crazies, goofs and idiots while I'm at school, and I tend to have an adverse reaction to most of them. My mind fills quickly with dagger comments at them and that's my way of defusing the annoyance. Or I just have the most random thoughts come to me that make perfect sense at the time. Then later when trying to figure it out, I frustratingly lose most of my original reasoning and purpose behind those observations. So I wised up today and started bringing a notebook to all of my classes. I love that I can jot down what new thing or event has left me all in a heap or has put a pep in my step. I think some of those thoughts are worth posting, and there are some that aren't as they can get either really dumb or really mean.

So today's notebook page was filled up in a matter of 3 classes. Too much to retype so I'm just scanning it up and you can read it from the source. Excuse grammar and funky sentences as these were all written as quickly as my left hand could muster.

*The notebook I use is seriously one of the coolest notebooks as it came from Ex Libris Anonymous. The one I've used here is the Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss. I've gotten so many notebooks from there and I have a nice little stash going. If you're nice, I might send you one. :)

Relient K - "Bite My Tongue"

How Do You Open An Email?...

I have a problem. Whenever I get emails from "certain" people, something inside stops me from opening it to read it. I somehow end up thinking that the worst is in that email and the longer I hold out and am ignorant of its content, the better I will be off. Obviously that thinking always equals a big "dumb". But I can't do it. Right now as I type this there's an email from a professor I asked to write me a letter of recommendation. I emailed him a week ago asking for a status update on that letter's progress and was getting nervous over his lack of response. I was even thinking of ways to go to his office, fearful and shaky, and just ask how my very important letter was coming along. Now that he finally responded, I can't force my finger to click it open. I'm stuck staring at it and then closing the page down. Then I bring it back up, knowing I should read it. So painful.

Brett Dennen - Darlin Do Not Fear

Why My Brother Rules

While watching the old 1939 black and white Wuthering Heights movie and seeing Heathcliff make Hindley Earnshaw cry, my brother, Jon, said this gem:

"He just made a grown man cry. That's also my goal."

Ramble Rumble

My two thoughts this weekend:

1. Nicole and I were at The Grove, and more specifically Sur La Table Saturday night browsing through cooking materials galore, and just being in awe of all the glorious products. I mentioned to her how at that moment I really wanted to find my dude and get married just so I would have a good excuse to buy two cart-loads of these wonderful things. And then I tossed in that I also wanted a kid for the themed plate and serving sets. I am a terrible person.

2. Say you're eating with friends/family at a restaurant that specializes and is known for their seafood, and I'll use the restaurant Providence in Los Angeles as an example. Why do people give you grief for ordering something from the menu that isn't their specialty item? "Oh, you're ordering steak? [Pause] From a place that is known for their seafood? Okaayy..." Which is then followed by the ubiquitous eye roll. My thinking on this is: if it's being offered on the menu, I can freaking order it. (Nicole didn't do this. It came to me randomly and I am in no way implicating her on this. Thank you.)

The Shins - Sea Legs

Nicole - Queen of Souvenirs

I declare that the New York souvenir Nicole brought back for little ole me is by far superior and more fantastic than any I Heart New York mug, Yankees t-shirt, or Statue of Liberty pencil. Really, you can't top this souvenir, short of having packed me in her bag and then been taken to New York. I'm ready to blow some minds with these recipes. Thanks again, buddy!

Sam Cooke - The Best Things In Life Are Free

Today's Secret Ingredient Is....

I completely monopolized the DVR this summer, with Food Network timers galore having been set and all other shows thrown to the way-side. It's reached junkie status as there's at least 8 or so new shows to watch each day and I'm still finding new shows to record. I also frequent the network website and have filled my recipe box with great stuff (damn you, 50 recipe limit!). So I thought it would be fun to do a run-through of my favorite, and not so favorite, Food Network shows and personalities. So grab a chunky peanut butter and blackberry jam on whole wheat sandwich in honor of my favorite, but really Food Network-unworthy snack, and read on...

Barefoot Contessa - Ina Garten
Nicole always jokes that she would love to be adopted by Ina and Jeffrey and move to their amazing home in The Hamptons. Well, I would really settle for just being a house servant of theirs, if it meant I could even live in the basement (or wine cellar. I have my own blankets and pillows galore to bring, so I'm really a no-hassle, low maintenance servant). But really, her overall style and demeanor is pleasant, kind, and approachable. And any of Ina's recipes I've tried I've always found to turn out excellently and were so easy to do. She's even inspired me to try my hand at being a hostess once I'm settled into my own place. And if you know me, you know the idea of Andrea hosting anything is both hilarious and insane. I declare her my favorite "celebrity chef".

Every Day Italian - Giada De Laurentiis
I dig Giada, I really do. Stylish show, great food, and it's always amusing for me and my brother Jon, to point out how unusually large her mouth is. Other than the pervasive problem of her always wearing low-cut blouses (Hint: Women watch your show, we're not all exactly into that sort of thing), she's all right in my book. It's just that... lately she's kind of come across as sort of arrogant and a tiny bit superior in the way she interacts with the "common folk" or people she deems to be lesser chefs. My examples are whenever she's a guest judge on one of those Challenge episodes with the cake makers and when she guest judged the Next Food Network Star show. Watch her on these programs, you'll see what I mean. Plus, I sometimes find myself embarrassed with how she will act on her Weekend Getaway show, especially when she's out of the country. Nicole says it's just her excitement that gets her all riled up in these travel destinations, but I believe it's more to do with her being rudely loud and not even trying to go with the flow and chill out a little with the locals. Whatever, even with these trouble spots, her food more than does enough to redeem. So, salute, Giada! (And learn to love a camisole).

Boy Meets Grill - Bobby Flay
I used to really be anti-Flay. He came across as this brash, arrogant New Yorker ass who had an exaggerated strut and constantly smirked when he talked. Now, I find all of those negatives to be my favorite things about him because he backs it up with fantastic food. I am in awe when watching Boy Meets Grill, because I rarely see him make something I don't desperately want at that moment to scarf down. And he's a pretty hardcore competitor on Iron Chef America, which I respect. If I had to go into that kitchen stadium and stare down the The Chairman, I think I would end up being the secret ingredient (because I would get slaughtered. Get it?... Whatever). I'm not sure what his deal is with all of the ex-wives at such a young age, but I'll ignore it because he's Flay. And Irish.

Tyler's Ultimate - Tyler Florence
I love this guy! I don't really believe that what he makes on Tyler's Ultimate is really the ultimate version of that dish (though his open-faced chicken salad sandwich is insanely good), but it doesn't matter as he is one handsome man and watching him cook is enough for me. Even with the slow weight gain over the past few years, he's still gorgeously gorgeous. When I saw that marriage band pop up on his finger this year, it was almost enough to make me spurn away The Food Network for awhile. But I'm really nowhere close to being that dramatic of a person so I am still religiously watching this beautiful man cook for the masses (Applebee's is actually appealing again). The upside was that it did open up a slot for my new food-man-crush to be filled and it was filled rather quickly by another. Which leads me to my next potential love..

Good Deal - Dave Lieberman
I'll take one Dave Lieberman to go, hold the perky. Wow, where has this one been hiding, or rather, what hole in the ground has my head been in that I never noticed The Dave Lieberman? (Read Nicole's letter to Mr. Dave, as it speaks for all of us love-struck fools). For a long time my goal was to marry either a doctor, film composer, or chef as all of these have great qualities to offer. But now I've settled on marrying a chef. Why? Amazing food, killer gadgets and tools for the kitchen, Dave Lieberman.
I love how at the end of his episodes he always has his snobbish New Yorker friends over to his apartment, and he is so eager to share his food with them and explain every ingredient that went into every dish, waiting for them to show approval - sort of like the male version of Giada in that respect. On a side note: I was thrilled to read on wikipedia that he was moving to Los Angeles (and that he was single, but one step at a time). So throw him into the ever-growing list of men I must stalk.

Rachael Ray:
I have a very deep disdain for Rachael Ray. Everything about her rubs me raw, from her stroke-victim way of speaking to her exaggerated hand gestures and painfully loud in-your-ear voice. She also uses so many ridiculous phrases and attempted abbreviations, like sammy for sandwich (because the 2-syllable "sammy" saves so much time over saying the 2-syllable "sandwich"), yum-o for yummy, and EVOO for Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Toss on top how popular she is and it throws me over the edge. Seriously, if you post that Rachael Ray is terrible in any forum, her rabid fans are all over you like a monkey on the grapevine before you even finished hitting the submit button.
First of all, the "food" she makes on 30 Minute Meals looks like dog crap 99% of the time and the other 1% it looks maybe like something I would make for someone, but only as a very cruel joke. Her talk show is the worst I've seen, and that's counting Magic Johnson's The Magic Hour show back in the '98. Am I also the only who notices that on her $40 A Day travel show, she never tips? I guess her thinking must be, "Hey, I'm showcasing your craphole of a restaurant/cafe/bar, so shut up about a tip". And I don't want to get into her husband, because that's too far, even for me. But I will say this about him - "grease". That is all.

Now that my summer has ended and I am back into school, the recordings will sadly be curbed. The Office, Battlestar Galactica and House take precedence. Always. But I will continue to take what I learned from these shows to make some amazing food and try to figure out how I can break into Ina's home by crudely mapping out the layout from what I can see from the episodes.

Amos Lee - Sweet Pea
The Archies - Sugar Sugar

Sunday Art VI

Balloons - The easiest things to create with dot paint.

The Boy Least Likely To - Be Gentle With Me

Baby Not On Board

Do you know about that "maternal" feeling that women talk about? The one that gives us females those so-called pangs and deep desires to have our own kids whenever we encounter the little ones while they're scooting around. You see that child and think "I desperately - nay - maniacally want one of my own". Well, there just might be something wrong with me as I can confidently say that I have never experienced any of these desires in my life. The closest I came to wanting a kid was seeing my little cousin Micah and just wanting to snatch him and take him home as is. Other than that, nothing. I mean, I work with children on a weekly basis with my volunteering, I have toddler cousins that are as adorable as those "animals wearing hats" videos, I even leave the house now and then and encounter people, some of them being cute little kids. Not once did it really affect me. I love working with kids, because if I didn't I'm a big fool and I've been wasting the past few years of my life stressing and being an overall wreck over getting into speech therapy (yes, you can work with adults as well, but I refuse so very deeply). I also have endless patience with kids and can chat and chat in circles with them and not get bored, unlike how I feel about my peers whom I would strangle 92% of the time if given a really solid chance of completing the act and getting away with it. So why wouldn't I be experiencing these drive-by hits of wanting to be a mother when I chose my future career around them along with using my free time to be a helper?

I think I figured it out today - Why do I not wish for Andrea Jr. saddled up in the burlap sling as I tote around town on my cruiser bike doing errands and being all motherly and what not. My conclusion is that it's a sort of relief that I get the perks of hanging out with these kids part time, with just being able to play and chat with them and in the near future help them gain language and speech skills that are so vital. But I'm not really responsible for them in the long run. Sure, if I lost a little tyke on my watch I would be flayed alive, but ultimately I'm not taking these kids home and being with them 24/7. I'm not the one that has to pay the ridiculous costs it takes to get a kid from age 0 to 18 (I won't even venture into the 30 year olds living at home. That makes me heave sobs). I don't have to be under the daily stresses and angst that comes with having kids and ultimately I do not have to be in charge of raising a kid that becomes a responsible, respectable moral member of this society. It could be just me but I really really don't want to fear that my kid will become the next psychopath and I end up being interviewed on TV playing the part of that dumb-as-dirt parent that had no clue what happened. I think that in the back of mind I just know that I'm not ready to take on that life-long mission and as a result I just refuse to get sucked in to daydreaming of child-rearing. Down the road I guess I might get suckered into it if/when I met the right guy (I'm talking to you, John Krasinski). So end result of my daily pondering - 1. I am satisfied that right now I get the perks of working with kids, and 2. Screw you if you still think it's odd that I don't want kids of my own.

Oh, and did I mention that in 7th grade I saw a real video of a woman giving birth that scarred me for life and at that moment I swore to not have kids, short of adoption? Thought I'd throw that tidbit in.

Originals - "Nothing In This World Like My Baby"