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"