Savour Every Moment

Places to eat in Washington DC

2011-12-09T00:41:00.001-05:00

The Costa Rica Adventure, part 1

2011-05-04T14:22:00.002-04:00

This post is incredibly belated. It is in fact very nearly an entire year overdue. But it is still being written, because there are stories that should really be shared (and so I don't forget, of course).

From May 31, 2010 to June 11, 2010, Jeff and I traveled to Costa Rica. I was in Costa Rica 5 years previously on a school spring break trip, but Jeff had never been. Plane tickets were relatively cheap (~$300 roundtrip) and we knew someone in the Peace Corps there who we would visit.

We landed in San Jose on Monday, May 31 (it was Memorial Day in the US) and grabbed a taxi to our hostel, Hostel Bekuo. It had free internet and we had a decent private room but shared bathroom. We ate down the street at a place called Spoon, which allowed me to recall just how rusty my Spanish really was. I could get my point across, sure, but I'm definitely less conversant than in high school. We also walked around a bit, got some snacks at a grocery store, went into a comics shop, saw a Subway, etc. We had to arrange for a taxi the next morning at the crack of dawn to take us to the bus station, since San Jose wasn't so much a destination for us. That meant we missed the free hostel breakfast, but oh well.

The next morning we got up and went to the bus station. The taxi driver talked to us a bit, but of course we couldn't say much. We were there for the bus to Monteverde, and when we got there the ticket window wasn't open yet. There were a few other backpackers waiting around too. Some guys from Quebec we would see multiple times. Finally the window opened and we bought our tickets, something like $5 each (the public bus is the cheapest way around Costa Rica, and is what I would recommend if you are there). One cool thing about public buses is that food merchants get on every once in a while and are let off shortly afterward. But this means you can easily get a pretty cheap snack on your bus ride. The buses are mostly somewhat clean and a lot seem to have been tour buses in a former life (though, in the less visited areas I did ride on what was clearly a school bus once).

The bus ride was long but uneventful. As soon as you step off into Monteverde you are assaulted by people trying to sell you a place to stay. We already had reservations and one guy very nicely walked us to the bed and breakfast's sister hostel in town, where a guy who worked there walked us out to the Camino Verde B&B (it wasn't far just maybe not easy to describe). We were given our pick of rooms and basically had the place to ourselves.

Stay tuned for the continuation of our adventures - what we did in Monteverde and beyond - once I find the journal I wrote this down in!

Overcoming Fear: Kayaking Style

2011-05-03T16:51:00.000-04:00

In my 100 facts about me post, I wrote "Overcoming a fear is one of the most satisfying and self-affirming things I can do." That really is true about me, and I'd like to share my tale of overcoming fear that really drove this point home.

During the spring semester of 2008, I decided to take a Whitewater Kayaking class at William and Mary. I had been flatwater kayaking many a time, and thought that doing whitewater would be really fun. But there was one part of the class for which I wasn't mentally prepared. That was the part where we learned various rescues. When you're just kayaking for fun the boat is not usually enclosed. However, for whitewater, you're in a smaller, more maneuverable boat and you close up the hole that you sit in with a spray skirt so the water doesn't get in and sink you. But, obviously, that means you're sort of shutting yourself in the boat. So one thing we had to practice was various ways to get out if your kayak gets overturned.

Up until this point, I hadn't really come to terms with the fact that I'm a little claustrophobic and a lot afraid of drowning. That's probably a lot of why the one time I went snorkeling ended with me freaking out and bailing. So of course when we started trapping ourselves underwater, stuck in a kayak, I was a little freaked out (this was in a pool, by the way). But I was also determined to get the stuff right. First we just practiced getting ourselves out of the boat. It's really easy, you just pull the loop for the spray skirt and push yourself out. So no, it's not like you're totally stuck or anything. However, if you're out in a river you don't want to bail like that if possible, because then you have to take a bunch of time to drain your boat and flip it and get back in, all taking lots of time away from your enjoyment of kayaking down rapids.

Luckily, there are a couple other options. One is called a bow rescue, and involves another boat coming perpendicular to yours. You grab the bow of their boat and use it to help flip yourself over. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy. But imagine getting to that point - so you've flipped your kayak. You bang on the bottom of the boat and have to wait to feel the bow. Then of course, you're underwater and upside down, and if you're like me you're pretty disoriented by this point. Every time I tried it, I'd try to flip the wrong way and consequently get my head up a little then fall right back upside down. Of course, by that point I'd be panicking. I seriously wasn't getting it, and was stressing massively about it in and outside of class. My instructor, Randy, who was awesome by the way, offered an extra session for people who were having trouble. I came in along with a couple other people and we got one on one attention. At some point during this session, I finally got it. I could do it, and I could repeat it. Suddenly I felt a lot safer and more confident in my kayaking abilities.

Not long after that we learned how to do a self rescue called an Eskimo Roll. You roll in a similar manner, using a hip snap, but you do it all yourself, using your oar to help you. I was much more confident by this point, and I was able to get pretty good at doing an Eskimo Roll, doing it successfully more than half of the time. After a bunch of practice out on the lake we had our outing to the Appomattox River near Petersburg to raft some Class 2 and 3 rapids. The other parts of kayaking come fairly naturally to me - I assume it has something to do with my years of horseback riding (that sounds odd, I know, but I just have the feeling it's true). Anyway, the point is I didn't have to get rescued or self-rescue on the river, but I had that extra confidence boost from knowing that if I flipped out there, I'd be just fine.

And that's the sort of reason I love overcoming fears. Nothing can make you feel quite as good about yourself as mastering something you know you couldn't have done before. Plus the added adrenaline is pretty great.

City Review: Williamsburg

2011-05-01T17:47:00.000-04:00

City: Williamsburg, VA
Geographical Location: Mid-Atlantic, East Coast, USA
Population: 14,068
Size: 8.7 square miles
Climate: temperate, seasonal

My Time There: I went to college at William and Mary so I lived there for 3 and a half years, minus one semester abroad and one summer when I lived at home (that was August 2006 to December 2009). In addition, my grandmother lives there so I visited countless times throughout my childhood.

Weather: 3 out of 10. One summer I looked online and the two hottest places in the country at the time were Death Valley, CA and Williamsburg. No joke. Summers are muggy and miserable - it was built on a swamp, after all. There is a lot of rain. It can be nice in Williamsburg (winters are nice and mild), don't get me wrong, but because of summer it gets a low rating.

Food: 7 out of 10. Williamsburg is chock full of chain restaurants, being a huge tourist destination and all. It has a few unique options, and definitely lots of stuff is good. Plenty of non-American cuisine options, too.

Walkability: Campus and the historical part: 10 out of 10. The rest of the city: 6 out of 10. The William and Mary campus and Colonial Williamsburg are fantastic places to walk around. If it's within those boundaries it's easy to walk to, and a very pretty place to walk, besides. Both have few places where cars can get in your way. If you go outside of those areas, there are usually sidewalks but everything is really spread out so walking is not very practical.

Bikeability: 8 out of 10. Overall it is very bike-friendly, especially on/near campus and the colonial part. There are some bike lanes on the roads outside of campus, too.

Public Transportation: 2 out of 10. So there's a bus system, but it leaves a lot to be desired. There are only a few routes and they only go one way around a loop, so you might get stuck going through most of the whole loop to get to where you're going (and if you have to wait at the bus depot you should probably find another way to get where you're going).

Vegetarian-friendly: 4 out of 10. There are vegetarian options at many of the restaurants but no all-veg restaurants that I'm aware of. Food for Thought is one of the best choices to take someone vegetarian.

Beauty: 7 out of 10. Except for the swampy parts, Williamsburg is pretty gorgeous. Very green.

Museums, Etc.: 5 out of 10. There are a few museums around, but the rating is mostly for the 'etc.' Obviously with Colonial Williamsburg you have a wealth of historical information and locations to visit. That stuff is free for students but will cost you otherwise.

Cool Shops: 5 out of 10. There are definitely some neat places, like a totally sweet used bookstore and a shop that has tons of free samples of peanuts.

Free Stuff to Do: 8 out of 10. It's partially a college town, so of course there are plenty of things to do that are free and cheap.

Great Outdoors: 7 out of 10. The university has a boathouse which is free for students so you can kayak and canoe to your heart's content. The WM Rec Center has some great outdoor student trips, and there's a great outdoors club. If you're not a student, there are still some things for you - short drives to Jamestown and some James River beaches, and not very far from York River State Park.

Cleanliness: 9 out of 10. It's a clean place, probably because they want to make sure it looks nice for tourists. Though you should watch out for horse manure if you're in Colonial Williamsburg.

People: 8 out of 10. On campus there are lots of great people and I knew just about everybody. I have also met lots of non-WM Williamsburg residents through my grandmother and can say they are often friendly. One downside is that some residents resent the college students and tried to make our lives a bit more difficult.

Cost of Living: $$ out of $$$$. Rent is not terribly bad - on Craigslist there are plenty of apartments for $700-$800 a month. Food is also not extremely expensive (though can be a bit overpriced if it's a place that tourists flock to), and there are some pretty cheap places (I'm looking at you, Retro's).

Tourist Congestion: Non-Summer: 3 out of 5. Summer: 5 out of 5. People flock to Colonial Williamsburg when it is nice out. Also, there's Busch Gardens which is a big draw as well. If you're around on campus in the summer the tourists will even filter over and ask things like, "is this a real college?"

Safety: 4 out of 5. You would occasionally hear reports of crimes around campus, and there were a couple bad parts of town, but mostly it seemed quite safe.

Overall Thoughts: Williamsburg was a lovely place to go to college, although staying over the summer as I did, the heat sometimes got unbearable. There is stuff to do for students but in general this is a sleepy town that goes to bed around 8 pm. There are no establishments called 'bars' due to a town law - though of course there are bars, they are just called 'cafes' or 'delis'. So if you like to go out drinking, it's not the town for you. At least there is a 24-hour Wawa next to campus, for your late night macaroni and cheese needs. I liked it, but wouldn't really want to move back there unless I was doing grad school or something.

City Review: Atlanta

2011-04-14T15:16:00.006-04:00

City: Atlanta, GA
Geographical Location: Southeastern USA
Population: 420,003 (city); 3.49 million (urban); 5.29 million (metro)
Size: 132.4 square miles (city); 1,963 sq mi (urban); 8,376 sq mi (metro)
Climate: humid subtropical

My Time There: I joined my boyfriend on a business trip there for 4 days in early January 2011.

Weather: 3 out of 10. Winters are mild; I was there in early January and it was in the 50s - pretty excellent. However, they don't call it Hotlanta for nothing. From what I hear, summers are terrible, probably worse than in DC. Hot and humid - no good.

Food: 6 out of 10. We definitely found some delicious stuff, though it was almost exclusively American places, with a Southern cooking focus.

Walkability: 2 out of 10. There are sidewalks (in mostly good repair) but it will only be you and sort of sketchy people on them, except for a few touristy areas. Nobody walks around - I was walking and I did not feel safe in some places in mid-day.

Bikeability: 2 out of 10. No bike lanes that I saw, and no people on bikes either.

Public Transportation: 6 out of 10. The metro system, MARTA, will take you to many places in the city and there appeared to be a decent bus system. However, we were questioned about feeling safe on MARTA (which we did) so apparently there is a stereotype that it is unsafe.

Vegetarian-friendly: 4 out of 10. Happycow.net has quite a few listings for Atlanta veg places; however, none of them are in the downtown area - all in the burbs. There were veg options at some of the places we went.

Beauty: 3 out of 10. From what I saw, it was not that easy on the eyes.

Museums, Etc.: 5 out of 10. There are a number of museums, though they all cost money. The Georgia Aquarium is top notch. The World of Coke is cheesy, but fun for the tasting you can do.

Cool Shops: Downtown area: 0 out of 10. Little Five Points: 8 out of 10. There was nothing cool downtown, but Little Five Points was awesome, chock full of interesting stuff.

Free Stuff to Do: 0 out of 10. I really found basically nothing to do for free there.

Great Outdoors: 2 out of 10. There were a few parks, but nothing really close by in the way of hikes, that I know of.

Cleanliness: 3 out of 10. The downtown area, at least, was not particularly clean.

People: 3 out of 10. I know one nice guy who lives there, but people on the street were weird or sort of hostile.

Cost of Living: $ out of $$$$. Food was cheap (even the fancy places weren't too bad), and a quick Craigslist search just revealed that I could be living in a 4 bedroom home with what I pay for rent in DC.

Tourist Congestion: 3 out of 5. Apparently tourists come to Atlanta. I'm not really sure why.

Safety: 2 out of 5. I did not feel particularly safe anywhere in Atlanta (a little better in Little Five Points). The guy I know who lives there says every apartment parking lot has to be locked up tight. Not great.

Overall Thoughts: I was not enamored of Atlanta. In fact, I didn't like it. It was sort of dirty, and nobody walked around. It's easy to drive around in - traffic in the downtown seemed pretty light even during 'rush hour'. However, that's not what I want out of a city.

City Review: Dunedin

2011-04-13T11:20:00.007-04:00

City: Dunedin, New Zealand
Geographical Location: Otago Region, South Island
Population: 116,600 in the city proper; 124,800 in the territorial region
Size: 98.5 square miles (city), 1279.5 square miles (territorial region)
Climate: temperate

My Time There: Five months of living and studying at the University of Otago (June - November 2008).

Weather: 6 out of 10. Winters are cold (and there is pretty much no central heating) but it rarely snows or gets below freezing. It rains a lot in the winter. It does get warm (and fairly hot in the summer, I'm told). It really does embody that NZ slogan of '4 seasons in a day', though.

Food: 6 out of 10. Yummy Asian options. Good burger joints. Nothing in the way of good Mexican (but it's NZ, what can you expect?). Fabulous Saturday farmers' market at the train station (year round, as far as I could tell).

Walkability: 8 out of 10. Plenty of good sidewalks, and I never felt unsafe walking around anywhere from the Octagon north (even by myself at 3 am).

Bikeability: 6 out of 10. There were plenty of people biking but I didn't see any bike lanes. Center City and the Uni area is pretty flat, but if you went outside of that you'd be dealing with some major hills.

Public Transportation: 5 out of 10. There's just the bus, and it is hard to figure out. I had problems with it... I walked everywhere, though.

Vegetarian-friendly: 5 out of 10. Many places had meat-free items but there were few whole restaurants that were veg.

Beauty: City center: 7 out of 10, Areas around the city: 10 out of 10. Some lovely old architecture and a wonderful botanic gardens were gorgeous. Down in the uni flats, not so much. But you don't have to go far to get to some of the most amazing views I've seen.

Museums: 5 out of 10. There weren't that many museums but most of them were free or cheap.

Cool Shops: 6 out of 10. Plenty of opshops (that's a thrift store) but that's about it.

Free Stuff to Do: 4 out of 10. There were some things... but a lot of stuff cost a little money.

Great Outdoors: 9 out of 10. There were the botanic gardens and several hikes within walking distance, and if you had a car there are tons of hikes you can drive to.

Cleanliness: 3 out of 10. Especially on a Friday morning, it could be pretty gross - beer bottles everywhere... I would never walk around barefoot. I did find the ubiquitous graffiti rather charming.

People: 4 out of 10. I found nice people in Dunedin but on first glance most Uni students are standoffish, if not hostile. I didn't meet many other folks but the ones I did were rather nice.

Cost of Living: $$ out of $$$$. Quick TradeMe search revealed some 2 bedrooms in the city center for the equivalent of $1300/month USD. Food is also not too bad, though it always looked expensive due to exchange rates...

Tourist Congestion: 1 out of 5. Now, I wasn't there in the summer but it's not really a tourist destination as much as a lot of other NZ cities, so I can't imagine it's bad at all. If we're talking drunk uni student congestion, that is pretty high...

Safety: 5 out of 5. Like I mentioned earlier, I really never felt unsafe in Dunedin. A major plus.

Overall Thoughts: I absolutely loved Dunedin when I lived there for 5 months, but I don't think I'd want to live there again. It was a great base for travel but the sheer amount of drunk people you see was sort of overwhelming. It's pretty, but it's dirty. I'm sure there's better spots to call home in NZ.

City Reviewing

2011-04-12T10:41:00.012-04:00

Recently, I was thinking how I love to review everything and how there is a whole category of things I have totally neglected: cities. I travel a decent amount, and expect to travel more soon. There are many cities I have been to, and it would be cool to keep good track of what I liked and didn't like about them. That way when I am older and ready to choose where to move to, I can easily remember 'ah, yes, it's that one for sure!' assuming I move to a city. But I'll probably always want to be within a day's drive or so to some big city.

I've been trying to decide how to work it, what categories to use, and what numbers I should assign. So here I'm going to sort of do an example one with my home city.

City: Washington, DC
Geographical Location: Mid-Atlantic, East Coast, USA
Population: 600,000 in the city proper; 5.4 million in the metro area
Size: 68.3 square miles
Climate: humid subtropical

My Time There: I have lived here, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, since December 2009, and will probably be moving away in July or August.

Weather: 4 out of 10. DC weather is fairly nice in the spring and fall, and winters are generally mild (not this winter, though). However, the summer is ungodly hot and humid and barely tolerable. Also, the weather fluctuates a huge amount, and it rains with some frequency.

Food: 7 out of 10. We've got some great food. Lots of delicious American, Italian, Asian offerings in the city proper. Not much in the way of good Mexican food in DC, though. There are several great farmers' markets, and a couple (Dupont, Eastern Market) are even year-round.

Walkability: 8 out of 10. Good sidewalks, feels safe, lots of people walking around at all hours. Sort of unusual to find a closed sidewalk.

Bikeability: 9 out of 10. There are lots of bike lanes and more are getting added all the time. That doesn't mean that cars (cabs, especially) will honor the sanctity of the bike lane, though... Slightly hilly, but not too bad. The awesome new bikeshare system makes this an even better place to bike.

Public Transportation: 9 out of 10. You can get almost anywhere you want to go in the city by metro, and many places in the suburbs, too. Buses cover a lot of spots that aren't so metro accessible. Metro is easy to navigate, but the buses are actually pretty difficult to figure out (it took me nearly a year of living here to figure out even the buses in my neighborhood).

Vegetarian-friendly: 7 out of 10. My neighborhood is great for this, and there are a lot of veg places in the city.

Beauty: 5 out of 10. There's no coast or mountains to gaze at, but the old buildings down on the mall, and the cherry blossoms in spring, for instance, are quite nice.

Museums: 10 out of 10. DC is full of fabulous, FREE, museums. If you want to see basically any topic covered in a museum you just wander down to the Mall and pick a Smithsonian. There are some other museums that aren't free, and some of those are good as well, though generally at least $14.

Cool Shops: 4 out of 10. I like to look in thrift stores/consignment shops and they are sadly lacking in DC. There is the occasional shop like The Brass Knob, which is basically an antique doorknob store, but there isn't much for me in the way of cool places to go in.

Free Stuff to Do: 9 out of 10. There are the free museums, then also the free monuments. There tend to be a lot of things that happen in the city that are free or quite cheap; DCist is a great guide for that.

Great Outdoors: 5 out of 10. There are some parks, but a lot of them you can't sit in without being bothered by beggars or the smell of urine. We have Rock Creek Park, which has some nice hiking trails but you shouldn't be there if it isn't daytime. You can get to several good hikes in a couple hours by car.

Cleanliness: 5 out of 10. Depends on the part of the city, but generally it is only sort of clean. My part of the city, especially in the winter when they suspend street sweeping, can be pretty dirty indeed.

People: 6 out of 10. There are a lot of friendly people to be found, though many of those are just crazy and/or homeless people that will start talking to you on the street. Generally a good vibe, though, except maybe for angry government employees on the subway.

Cost of Living: $$$ out of $$$$. Rent is high - in Columbia Heights, $1300/month is a good deal for a one bedroom basement apartment. You can find rooms in the $800 range if you're willing to do group housing. Food is not especially expensive, however. It's easy to find cheap dinner under $10 or more pricey stuff is around $15.

Tourist Congestion: 4 out of 5. It definitely depends on what part of the city you're in, but if you're anywhere downtown and it is anywhere near summer, watch out, you are going to be in a mob of escalefters and matching backpacks. September, October, January, and February are relatively peaceful (I should know, I worked in a museum gift shop).

Safety: 3 out of 5. Certainly there are areas of the city that would get a higher score here. But there are places I wouldn't be comfortable walking alone during the day, and even in my neighborhood I limit the amount I walk alone after dark, and try not to be out at all if it's late enough.

Overall Thoughts: I like DC. It's awesomely easy to get around under your own power or by public transport. The whole free museums thing is a major perk. It's big, but not huge, so you don't feel totally lost to anonymity. It's not the prettiest of cities, but it is pretty vegetarian friendly. Probably the worst part about it is the summer. It is really awful. Thanks a lot, founding fathers, for building it on a swamp.

I will almost certainly be updating this with new things I think of. Let me know if you think of something I should add!

Review: Angel the Series

2011-04-08T15:24:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: Slight spoilers ahead

1999-2004

Starring: David Boreanaz, Charisma Carpenter, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Andy Hallett, Amy Acker, Stephanie Romanov, Vincent Kartheiser, James Marsters, Christian Kane, Julie Benz, Mercedes McNabb, Glen Quinn

Created by: Joss Whedon

I have now finished all the Buffyverse shows. I feel a little empty inside. Angel is, for those who crawled out from under a rock, a spinoff of Buffy, in which Angel moves to Los Angeles and has a detective agency.

This show gets off to a slow start. The first season is highly episodic (not to say that there aren't some good ones) and sort of directionless. Season 2 features Angel being highly annoying, though I liked the last couple episodes, because we get Fred! Yay! I really, really liked Season 3. I think that's when the show really gets into its own. It goes into some dark places, though the ending part is sort of dumb in some ways. I also liked Season 4. Season 5 has Spike join the cast, which is awesome, but is not so great in other ways. Finally, the ending is totally unsatisfying.

There is a little too much damsel-in-distress crap at first, but there are some great characters and we get some top-notch character development as well. I love Cordy and Fred, and Wesley, so of course they have terrible fates. Angel was never my favorite character in Buffy, and he isn't always my favorite character in this show either, but I do like him better (at least some of the time). Jeff asked me if Angel was to Buffy as Torchwood is to Doctor Who, and my response is sort of. It is darker. Sure. More adult? Maybe. Sexier? Not really. The plots can be a little more out there, I think. There's good romance, some horror, suspense, etc. There were some pretty bad episodes (like Soul Purpose in Season 5, ugh) but I mostly liked it. Not quite as much as Buffy, but it has its own place in my heart.

Grade: B+

LA and Norfolk weekends

2011-04-06T17:39:00.004-04:00

The past couple weeks have been travel-heavy, with a 4 day excursion to Los Angeles for a wedding and a 3 day jaunt to Norfolk to visit Suz and Nate (and their pooch, Rice). And this coming weekend we are popping over to Charlottesville to see my brother.

First up, LA. We stayed the night on Thursday (March 24) at Jeff's parents house and they drove us to Dulles in the morning (our flights were 10 minutes apart). I had to go through the body scanner - for the first time. It's not so bad, really. We had time to grab a bagel and then got on the plane. The flight was around 6 hours instead of the usual five due to strong headwinds. I couldn't watch the movies (the first one was the King's Speech, which I want to see) because my headphones made a godawful noise when plugged into the plane. Other than that, uneventful. We landed, then pretty quickly met up with Jeff's parents on the Enterprise shuttle, rented a car, and drove back to get Jeff's brother Kevin who had had flight problems but it all worked out. We stopped at a Coco's for lunch and continued on to be dropped off at our hotel in Huntington Beach, where we took a nap. We hung out until dinner-time, which was at the Macaroni Grill. It was a long dinner (there were 23 people) but quite nice.

Saturday was the day of the wedding. We found an awesome bagel place. We hung out in Jeff's parents' hotel suite in Irvine for a while and then got prettied up and headed to the Sea Cliff Country Club for the wedding. It was really nice all around. Melissa had an awesome, unusual dress. The ceremony included the whole 'speak now or forever hold your peace' thing which was funny. It was a lot of fun. Jeff and I did some dancing.

On Sunday we went to meet up with some of Kevin's friends on the Santa Monica pier, after having brunch with Jeff's parents and Patrick and Dana.. It reminded me of a small version of the Ocean City boardwalk. Very colorful. In multiple ways. It was fun to walk around.

Next we found a mall and I got a slice of pizza and then we all got frozen yogurt. We found and checked into our hotel near LAX then met up at another guy's house for some board games. We played We Didn't Playtest This at All, Dixit, and Who Would Win. I liked all of those. We got dinner at a Subway - they had avocados! Oh California. The next day we flew out... after having to grab a last minute different flight due to ours being delayed and almost not making it on the plane... but we got home at around the time we expected, anyway.

On to the Norfolk weekend! We headed down on Friday, April 1 and stopped through Williamsburg to visit the Cheese Shop and the Peanut Shop... mmm. We got to Norfolk around dinner time and went out to Ten Top, which was delicious. We then hung out at Fair Grounds Coffee until it was time to get donuts at Donut Dinette (are you seeing a theme?).

Saturday we headed over to Suz's place of work, Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve in Suffolk. We were there to take the Spring Greens Tasting Tour. It was run by this awesome woman named Vicky who took us around the preserve and pointed out edible wild plants, and which ones are medicinal, and which ones are poisonous, and stuff. Then we gathered some and went back and made a salad. The dressing was fresh lemon juice mixed with maple syrup. It was very colorful!

After returning to Norfolk we stopped for bagels at Yorgo's, which has amazing herb cream cheese! Then we looked at a couple of apartments (Suz and Nate are looking for a new place). Later Suz's friend Kristy came over with her adorable baby, and was supposed to go to dinner with us but she had to leave instead. We went to San Antonio Sam's where I got veggie fajitas. We went into Naro Expanded Video after that, which is totally cool, but didn't get any movies. We just chilled and cuddled with the dog and played Blokus.

On Sunday I met my mom at MacArthur Center and then we went out for brunch at Tortilla West, which was really tasty. I got to see her rockin' new Mustang. Then she went back home and we got dessert at The Skinny Dip. We went to another house to look at, this one a mansion. Then Jeff and I headed home, stopping for dinner at a Wawa.

Look for posts on Charlottesville and further adventures upcoming!

100 Facts About Me

2011-03-22T20:58:00.002-04:00

I can't resist such a list and quiz-like meme. So I didn't. Hope it's interesting!

1. I am mildly allergic to eggplant.

2. I can juggle while hula hooping.

3. I have been bungee jumping (Kawarau Bridge, Queenstown - amazing!).

4. I'm really itching to travel again. That's partially why I hope to go to South Korea in August.

5. When I graduated from college, I was ready to leave. Now I'm ready to go back.

6. I don't know what I want to do with my life.

7. Well, really, I think I'd like to be a librarian, but I'm afraid there's no jobs available.

8. I fear I may never be satisfied.

9. I wish I could ride horses again, but I can't afford it.

10. I like wine, but not beer.

11. I want to learn to scuba dive even though I know it would terrify me.

12. Overcoming a fear is one of the most satisfying and self-affirming thing I can do.

13. I think I've lost my knack for getting to know people easily.

14. Last year I read 83 books. My goal is to read 100 this year.

15. I am way too obsessed with the Buffyverse.

16. I'm really good at remembering people's names.

17. Apparently I'm pretty hard on my knees.

18. There is some unknown food ingredient that makes me instantly ill (wish I could figure out what).

19. I am really bad at keeping in touch with people from my past. Thank goodness for Facebook.

20. I can't stand high heat combined with high humidity.

21. I want to move to San Francisco some day.

22. I like making lists.

23. I like keeping good track of the things I watch and read, and the places I eat.

24. I'm a foodie.

25. I used to be religious.

26. I watched a lot of movies growing up; now I'm more into TV shows.

27. I value my free time more than making a lot of money.

28. I can't stand working retail.

29. I don't exercise as much as I'd like to.

30. I really wanted to get a job as a dog walker.

31. I'm currently temping. It's okay.

32. I like the convenience of the city. Walking everywhere is great.

33. But I also like being in nature, and wish I had a yard.

34. I miss having dogs.

35. I want to go back to New Zealand really badly.

36. I'm obsessed with Tumblr.

37. It took me 5 months to start decorating my apartment.

38. I enjoy dressing outrageously for theme parties.

39. I can't wait for Doctor Who season 6.

40. I like putting together puzzles and models.

41. I'm good at crossword puzzles.

42. I really want a DSLR.

43. I love Tegan and Sara.

44. I want another tattoo but I can't decide on what it should be.

45. I hitchhiked for the first time last summer in Costa Rica.

46. I want to go to Herculaneum.

47. I wish I could take Whitewater Kayaking again.

48. I love board games.

49. I also really like video games.

50. I'm a nerd.

51. I read and liked the Twilight series.

52. I love the smell of leather.

53. I want to go rock climbing soon, but I have to wait for my knees to heal.

54. I pride myself on being able to trip without falling, but I have fallen twice in the last two weeks (once, up the stairs, and the second time, on a sidewalk in Georgetown).

55. I still like country music.

56. I don't still like Christian contemporary music.

57. The book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer had a really big impact on me.

58. I have decided to become vegetarian.

59. I hate visiting people in the hospital.

60. I have been hang gliding.

61. I have been spelunking.

62. I have been ziplining.

63. I rafted down the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world in Rotorua, NZ.

64. I love adrenaline rushes.

65. I like taking the bus better than taking the metro.

66. I like riding bikes but am still pretty out of shape.

67. I have recently been cooking a lot.

68. I enjoy cooking but I always want to eat out.

69. My cashier number at my last job was 69.

70. I like graphic novels.

71. I increasingly like reading fantasy.

72. I haven't shaved my legs in 6 months or so.

73. I also haven't had a haircut for that long.

74. I like buying things, even though I try not to very much.

75. When I have my own house, it has to have a library, or at least a lot of bookcases.

76. I really like animals.

77. I've taken birth control pills since I was 16. I wonder what it would be like to go off them.

78. I have high cholesterol.

79. I wish someone would pay me to travel the world.

80. I like traveling alone.

81. But that's not to say I don't like traveling with friends, especially Jeff.

82. I am going to a wedding on Saturday.

83. I don't like flying, but I tolerate it.

84. I do not like Los Angeles.

85. I'm afraid of bats.

86. It's only relatively recently that I realized the benefits of using scarves and umbrellas.

87. I want to ride an elephant.

88. I like IKEA because I can imagine my dream house.

89. I'm a macaroni and cheese addict.

90. Neil Gaiman and Brandon Sanderson are my favorite authors.

91. I have really strange dreams.

92. I like to make up stories when I'm falling asleep.

93. I miss seeing my parents regularly; when I was at college they visited a lot.

94. I look a lot like my mom.

95. I want to get my motorcycle license.

96. I shot some guns recently and I loved it.

97. I'm pro-choice.

98. I'm really interested in promoting gay rights.

99. I want to write poetry again.

100. I have a sweet birthmark on my leg.

So there you go - a list of things that are true about me. There are more things about me, but I think this gives you a decent idea.

A Very Busy Couple Weeks

2011-02-28T18:39:00.004-05:00

As the title suggests, I have been quite busy the past couple weeks! Especially clustered around the weekends. Since the last post, I had an interview at City Dogs (no call back) and one with DogCentric last Wednesday (supposed to hear back around tomorrow). I'm totally optimistic about DogCentric.

Last weekend, as in President's Day weekend, went something like this:

Friday: gorgeous weather drove us outside to bike around the city a bunch. Went to food trucks; I had CapMac mac and cheese and Jeff had a banh mi at El Floridano.

Saturday: Drove down to Alexandria. Met up with Rob, Mary, Mary's friend Mike, and Peter (no Amy - she chickened out due to high winds, though I don't really blame her). Jeff and I rode in Peter's car up to Whitetail Resort to go skiing, stopping at Wendy's on the way. I got the EZ package which let you on all the green slopes. It was icy enough that I was glad of this. Started out on the baby slope, then moved up to the real bunny slope (the easiest green slope). Right before a break I went on the really long green, and realized how much my legs were already hurting. Then everybody met up and sat in the lodge and got hot chocolate and rested for about an hour. I then stuck to the easy slope and felt like I was really 'getting it'. I didn't fall down at all the entire time! Oh, and did I mention it was windy? Yes. The more advanced slopes were apparently shielded from the wind, but the green slopes were fully at the mercy of the 60mph+ gusts. And they were pushing you downhill, mostly. So I'd be going along and suddenly get pushed down much faster than I wanted to be going. It made riding on the chairlifts quite nerve-wracking. Anyway, it was great fun! We drove back and stopped in at Amphora, an all-night diner in Vienna (also it's supposedly Greek food but the menu is vast and consists mostly of American diner food). I got nachos (big surprise) that were really good (actually a surprise; they looked mediocre but tasted excellent). Then we left and got stuck in a non-moving, construction related traffic jam for 30 minutes. It was 2am, by the way. Finally, finally, we got to our car and drove home and sank into bed, exhausted (well, I was, anyway).

Sunday: We met my grandparents for brunch at Poste down by Gallery Place. It was tasty! I got a burger, though I wish I'd gotten an omelette or French toast or something. They gave me a Kodak video camera (similar to the Flip) that I have been playing with. We didn't do a whole lot else.

Monday: It was a holiday for most people, so we had people over to play games. I had to duck out for a quick doctor's appointment before Rob and Mary came, but I ended up getting to play Cribbage, Shadow Hunters, and Betrayal. Rob and Mary left but Stan and Carla went with us to Everlasting Life Cafe, a vegan soul food place on Georgia and Columbia. I got the kale vinaigrette and the mac n cheeze and it was delicious!

Then there was this past weekend! Ready?

Friday: My parents were meant to get in at about 2 pm on the train. A 45 minute delay, plus a train ahead of them hitting a truck, meant they actually got to the hotel at about 4:30. So before they came, we biked down to the mall to hang out with Anne and Mike (whose wedding we attended in St. Louis in September). The wind was blowing steadily at 40 or 50mph, which was kind of neat. We stopped in the Natural History Museum and I saw the hand-knit coral reef! It's sweet as. Then my parents called to say they were at Union Station, so we walked to the Marriott and they came in by 4:30. By this time I had made reservations for dinner at Founding Farmers for 4:45, so I had sent Jeff ahead to sort of secure our table. My parents went to check in quickly but the hotel told them they had no reservations. After a few minutes they decided to sort it out later (they had reserved through Expedia and were told they needed the Marriott confirmation number). So we went over to Founding Farmers, they with their luggage for the weekend. We got popcorn (cinnamon sugar), deviled eggs, and corn bread for appetizers, and I got the mac and cheese for my dish (it has peas, ham, and... apples?). It was good. I got to try their enchiladas which are awesome (they come with a huge slab of steak and corn on the cob). Then we walked to Starbucks while my parents tried to get their hotel straightened out, and ended up going back to the Marriott, and checking in anyway and asking for a refund from Expedia. Yeesh.

Saturday: We met up at the zoo at 10 am. We walked through and saw as many animals as possible before we had to go at about noon. That was unfortunate, because the lion cubs were going to be out at 12:30. Sigh. At least we saw the orangutans on their big tower lines that go way up in the air! I like the zoo. We saw the sloths actually! And the reptiles seemed more active than usual. After that we walked to Busboys and Poets, where I found you can't get nachos for brunch. However, I got the portabello sandwich (sans portabello) instead and it was very delicious. Next we walked a bit until it was time to meet up with Greg and Steph at the Source Theater (it's at 14th and T) to see the play On The Razzle. I liked the play; it was silly and pretty funny. Then we went up to our apartment (Greg and Steph went home) and hung out for a bit. After a while we headed out to Ray's Hell Burger, which took longer than usual because there was track work on EVERY LINE. Anyway, of course that was incredibly delicious and I got an au poivre burger with cheese, onions, pickles, and mac n cheese. We had to sit outside because it was pretty crowded and it was sort of cold, but still very enjoyable. They don't have tap root beer anymore (just the same brand in bottles) and they changed their buns, though they seem to hold up better now to all the juices. We took the metro back and said goodbye to my parents on the way (they had to leave at 7:30 Sunday morning). Back at the apartment, Anne and Mike came over to play board games. We played: Chrononauts (I won), Race for the Galaxy (Jeff won), Star Munchkin (Jeff won), and Shadow Hunters (Jeff and I won). Finally, at about 1:30am, we said goodbye and went to sleep.

Sunday: Got up and drove down to Alexandria to meet up with Mary and Rob to go shooting. Rob showed us the basic operation of the guns we would use, then we headed out. We stopped at Wawa for lunch on our way to Clark Brother's in Warrenton (which, incidentally, is the gun range my grandfather goes to). We got there, signed a form to get our range cards (free and permanent), then bought some ammo (you have to buy it there to shoot there) and headed to the back. Okay, I knew guns were loud, but I guess I have never been near so many being fired at once. Even with decent earplugs, it was pretty loud (though not too painful or anything). We started out on the shotgun range because it was empty. We were shooting clay pigeons, aka trap or skeet shooting, using a 12 gauge. The first couple of times I did not hit anything. But finally, I got it! And I hit like 4 or 5. It is a very satisfying feeling to see your little orange disk explode into many pieces. Also it is a great activity for groups because you can easily take turns shooting and pulling the launcher thingy. There were some people briefly testing out their new gun next to us and it was this intimidating large shotgun with holes all through it. It was scary-looking as hell and I tried to Google image search it but had no luck whatsoever (unfruitful searches: "scary looking shotgun," "shotgun full of holes," etc.). Oh well. Anyway, it was fun! Eventually we moved over to the rifle range to shoot the AR-15 (you know, the civilian version). Apparently I am really good at it. My first five rounds were all within the center black part of the target! This was at 25 yards. Eventually we ran out of ammo and left. Upon arriving back in Alexandria we decided to grab takeout at Red Mei, a mediocre, unspecifically Asian place. Then we played games! We played Dominion, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and then some Super Mario Wii. Then we went home.

Since then I have: bought new sneakers and bought the Buffy Chosen Collection. I know... obsessed, much? But it was on sale! So there.

2010: A Year in Books

2011-02-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

I read 83 books in 2010. Eighty-three... I can barely believe it. That's a whole lot. And yet... I've already read 25 books in 2011 (though that includes some quick graphic novels). My goal is to read 100 books this year. Anyway... 83 is way above the average amount of books read a year by Americans (on different sites I found numbers like 4 to 11). I love reading, and I spend a decent amount of my time doing it. I read pretty fast, but the key is really setting aside reading time.

So, what books did I read in 2010? Perhaps you don't want an exhaustive list (but if you do, you can check out my 'read' books on Goodreads. But I will give you my highlights.

The Ten Best Books I read in 2010 (order is only by the most recently read):

1. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville - A steampunk fantasy novel. It's very gritty and plunges you right into the world of New Crobuzon. The ending is sort of unsatisfying and yet... I absolutely loved this.

2. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - A tale of racism, love, religion, and bees in the south (really, there are bees). This book is sweet and insightful, but the sweetness is deep like a nice vat of honey... mmm... honey.

3. The Scott Pilgrim Graphic Novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley - Unapologetically nerdy graphic novels. They're also funny. Very very funny, and quirky, and just my style.

4. The Fruit Hunters by Adam Leith Gollner - A nonfiction book about people who seek out unusual fruits. So very interesting and awesome!

5. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - A tale about what happens to the people in your life after you die that borders on fantasy. Based on the Goodreads reviews, this is really a love-it-or-hate-it book. I loved it.

6. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky - Yes, this is a 500 page book about the history of salt. Yes, it is also an intriguing and even exciting read! I really like Kurlansky's food histories (he's also written about Cod), and I love reading about food in general. I think everyone should read this book.

7. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - This had been in my book pile for years. I was sort of put off from reading it, just because of the subject matter. But it is amazing and magnificent and just wonderful. This one is a classic for good reason.

8. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson - Epic fantasy done right. Sanderson is fantastic, all fantasy fans should read him (also! this book is available free on his website). The system of magic is super cool (it involves pretty colors) and Sanderson writes great female characters.

9. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - A novel about comic books! There seems to be some consensus that it's 'boring', but the quality of the writing made me forget about the points where maybe the plot was a little dragging.

10. The Windrose Chronicles by Barbara Hambly - Fantasy trilogy with magic, wizards, ...and a computer programmer. Awesome!!! Really great, strong female lead, some romance.

Many of these are nerdy and/or fantasy. That's alright. That's who I am. I didn't always read so much fantasy, but I find myself really loving it (though I refuse to go the Robert Jordan route. However I'm open to George R.R. Martin).

The Worst Books I read in 2010 (similarly ordered):

1. The Liar by Stephen Fry - Don't get me wrong, I really like Stephen Fry. But, apparently, not as an author. I found the book tedious and dry.

2. The Tummy Trilogy by Calvin Trillin - I started out liking this book. Maybe it was the repeated jokes or something, but I got bored and annoyed with it rather quickly.

3. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - BORING! Oh my good lord, I do NOT care about Swedish business intrigue! The middle was decent thriller material, but the beginning and the end made me want to gouge out my own eyes.

4. A Passage to India by EM Forster - Blah. I didn't like the characters. It was alright, but did not hold my interest well.

5. Neuromancer by William Gibson - For such a scifi classic, this book is utterly forgettable. Literally, every time I see it mentioned, I completely forget that I have actually read it.

6. The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner - I hated this book. Really, honestly, detested it. I grabbed it at a yard sale for 4 cents and swapped it for a not-even-decently-trashy romance in a Costa Rican hostel.

7. A Destiny of Love by Ivy St. David - Not that you would have ever heard of or seen this book (I am the only person to ever review it on Goodreads, for example), but it is a piece of crap. Barely worth getting for free in a hostel (see above).

And luckily, that's all the bad books I read last year (though there were some mediocre ones too). And there were good ones that I have not included, like The Color Purple, which totally would have made a list that was more than 10. I just had to stop somewhere, before I was actually going into all 83 books individually.

I look forward to making this post and series of lists next year as well. I am in the midst of a book that I suspect will make the best list. I'm going to go read it now.

Valentine's Day Weekend

2011-02-14T21:54:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, internet! I personally have had a fantastic Valentine's weekend. Let me tell it to you:

Saturday: It was my last day of work! It was actually fine, since it was busy and I was a little nostalgic and everything was in perspective. I didn't change my mind or anything; I definitely think quitting was the best thing for me, and as Jeff said, my soul is now slowly repairing itself. I am hoping to get a dog walking job now. Anyway, after work I sped home, had a snack, then went to Hinckley Pottery for a Try It! Class (Jeff's birthday present to me). We got there and were given a tour of the studio. There were about 10 people in the class. After that we were shown the basics of centering your clay, then we got to do it! This was wheel pottery by the way. So we hunched over our wheels and started pushing the clay up and down. It is pretty difficult to move the clay; it takes more force than it looks like. After doing that for a while, we were shown the basic steps of throwing a pot, and then it was time to throw our own. Really, there's isn't much actual throwing involved... it was not quite like I imagined. My first pot had too shallow of a bottom and it fell off. I made a second pot and overcompensated, so it had quite a thick bottom. It looked like an okay dog bowl! Sadly we forgot a camera so I can't show you my efforts. Anyway, the class was incredibly fun, and I see that throwing pots on the wheel is difficult, but not as impossible as I imagined. I mean, I was able to make a little bowl that didn't look awful! I would love to take a full class but alas, it's out of my price range.

After the pottery class, we drove to Alexandria and stopped by Whole Foods for a salad. We arrived at Carla's house just in time for the telephone pictionary extravaganza! Telephone pictionary is a wonderful game for large groups (at least 5 is recommended, more is better). No one wins; except everyone wins because it is just fun and hilarious! This time was no exception. We stayed til the wee hours of the morning and I was totally exhausted, so when we got home I slept like a log.

Sunday: We drove back down to Alexandria for a trip to Fredericksburg with Mary and Rob. We went to a game store called Game Vault and tried out some board games! We played Last Night on Earth, Pandemic, and Revolution!, which I will review below.

Last Night on Earth: This is a team game. Some people are zombies, the others are survivors, and you have one night (15 turns in basic gameplay) to win the game - the zombies want to kill the people (each survivor plays as two people, and you have to kill two heroes to win) and the people want to kill the zombies. It is a fairly complex, multistep game that we quite enjoyed (though the rulebook was sort of vague and we kept misinterpreting things).

Pandemic: This is a cooperative game where you are trying to cure four diseases around the world. It was not very complicated, and due to a misinterpreted card we won easily (the perils of trying to learn games that none of you have played). We thought it was okay, but weren't enamored with it. It is apparently, though, decently popular.

Revolution!: It's a bidding game that goes rather quickly and is easy to learn. However, once someone gains an advantage (which can happen randomly) it becomes very hard to catch up, and it's the kind of game where one or more people can end up totally screwed over. I really disliked it, and it was generally everyone's least favorite of the three).

We went out to Salsarita's for food at some point and I got some delicious nachos. After the three games were over, Rob and Mary bought a couple games (Ticket to Ride Europe and Betrayal at House on the Hill), then we headed back to Alexandria. Stan and Carla were there when we got there so we decided to give Betrayal at House on the Hill a try.

This is a game with a changeable board - you start exploring and go through a door, then a random room tile is laid down. Eventually a haunting occurs. Someone is a traitor and everyone else is working against that traitor. There are 50 different hauntings, apparently. Ours was the Zombie Lord one, coincidentally. It dragged on a bit but was quite fun. Also, the game is very different each time you play, so that's nice. I will be playing this again!

Monday: Today it was 68 (!) degrees out. Jeff took off work and we biked downtown to get something from a food truck (but were too late for everything but Lobster Pound, which is too expensive for me so I got a salad from Chop't). Then we went over to the police department to pick up our stupid background checks (I may go into more detail about the Korea documents fiasco but maybe not since it is so frustrating. Suffice it to say that it has been annoying). After that we went home, took a shower, then lazed around, ate canned Indian food, and watched the first episode of Jeopardy that has Watson the supercomputer on it. So far Watson is winning... but they didn't finish the playing of the first game due to showing stuff about Watson and all that. I will watch again tomorrow!

Review: Full Dark, No Stars

2011-02-04T00:54:00.002-05:00

2010

By Stephen King

Full Dark, No Stars is a collection of four novellas by Stephen King, and so each one must be discussed individually.

"1922" - an account told by a man who has just murdered his wife. It is grisly, and horrifying, and really quite creepy; it led me to wonder what was real and what was just the character being driven crazy by guilt. Fantastically written, and really stayed with me.

"Big Driver" - A revenge story where a woman who gets raped decides not to go to the police. I've read some reviewers who really didn't like this one. I thought it was okay, but not great.

"Fair Extension" - Cancer patient makes a deal with a devil-like figure where he gets better but his lifelong friend, who he hates, has everything terrible happen to him. Interesting, especially how heartless the main character becomes.

"A Good Marriage" - A woman learns her husband's dark secret and has to decide what to do with this information. I really liked this one; I understood her motivations and the ending was nice.

In conclusion: wonderful collection of novellas. I need to read the other collections of his; they say he's his best in novella format, and these did not disappoint.

Grade: B+/A-

Or, you know, you could just go read Neal Gaiman's review for this book.

Review: Repo! The Genetic Opera

2011-01-31T20:28:00.003-05:00

2008

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman

Starring: Alexa Vega, Anthony Stewart Head, Paul Sorvino, Sarah Brightman, Paris Hilton

Ok, the first thing you're thinking, I'm sure, is why would you ever watch a movie with Paris Hilton in it? (again... hmm... House of Wax...). Well, rest assured that she actually does decently in this and besides, only has a few scenes. This is a horror movie, as you might have guessed from that poster. But it's also... a musical? And it's funny, in a black humor sort of way.

It's the not-so-distant future, and due to a crisis of organ failures there is now a company that can replace all your organs. But if you fail to pay, they can also repossess them. Enter the Repo Man, played by Anthony Stewart Head, who was basically blackmailed into the job so that he could raise his daughter (Alexa Vega), who has a rare blood disease, instead of going to jail. One day his daughter goes out to her mother's tomb and begins to suspect all is not what it seems.

This movie is pretty gory, in kind of an absurd, unrealistic way. The fact that it's a musical makes it rather surreal and delightful. I already knew Anthony Stewart Head could sing, due to Buffy, and I liked him in this as well. It is a fun watch if you don't mind a lot of blood and violence. Bizarrely, there's a cameo by Joan Jett. The plot kept me guessing.

Grade: B

On an unrelated note, when I Google-image-searched 'Repo!', this came up:

Fabulous Five, a reading list-a-ma-jig

2011-01-31T20:07:00.003-05:00

I have swiped this from my friend and former creative writing club/anthropology club pal, Shelly Holder.

Five Books Read Recently:
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 8): The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon

- Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden #1) by Charlaine Harris

- The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie

- Kraken by China Mieville

- Lost Girls by Alan Moore

Five Books I'm Reading:
- A Fool and His Honey (Aurora Teagarden #6)

- Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

- Stories, edited by Neil Gaiman

- The Mental Floss History of the United States by Erik Sass

- The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose

Five Favorite Books (not definitive)
- Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

- Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Five Least Favorite Books
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin

- The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

- The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner

- The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

- Emma by Jane Austen

Five Notable Book-to-Film Adaptions
- the Scott Pilgrim comics by Bryan Lee O'Malley - the movie captures the mood pretty well, and of course the first bit is spot on (perhaps too much?)

- No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - Despite the difficulty of translating the internal monologues that are a large part of the book to film, the Coen Brothers treated this very well, and added layers to the story visually in a manner that made me really happy.

- The Shawshank Redemption (based on the short story by Stephen King) - such a fabulous movie, along with The Green Mile, another King adaptation

- The Vampire Diaries novels by LJ Smith - The show is completely different from the books, and I like parts of the books better, but I still like the show. Sigh, guilty pleasure, and not a film.

- Thank You For Smoking by Christopher Buckley - Ok, that's totally cheating because I haven't read the book. But I couldn't think of any more.

This has served to remind me I need to see the movie of Never Let Me Go. Especially since Carey Mulligan's in it! I leave you with a picture of her gorgeousness.

Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

2011-01-22T00:01:00.009-05:00

Warning! Possible spoilers!

1997-2003

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Anthony Stewart Head, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, James Marsters, Marc Blucas, Emma Caulfield, Michelle Trachtenberg, Amber Benson

Created by: Joss Whedon

A couple of my friends in college were obsessed with Buffy and one of them owned all of it. She was on my freshman hall and I caught a couple of episodes in the lounge with her. They were alright, but I knew watching Buffy was going to be a huge time suck so I didn't get into it.

Well, it was nice to know I was right at least - watching Buffy was a huge time suck. I was watching it for a few months. But, on the other hand, I watched it in a few months. This is a 7 season show we're talking about, with each season having about 22 episodes. Without commercials each episode is about 43 minutes long. That's roughly 110.4 hours, or 4.6 entire days of my life spent watching Buffy. So that tells you how absorbed I was in watching it - it didn't really take me that long.

Indeed, I can now count myself in the Buffy-obsessed. It is a fabulous, wonderful show. It drew me in within a few episodes with its campy humor, teenage drama, and bad special effects. Trust me, it's awesome. It goes interesting places and deals with a lot of issues: death (of course), the burden of fate, various relationships, etc etc. It does gray moral issues very, very well. Every character in Buffy spends some time being evil. All the main characters are well fleshed out and rounded.

Different seasons are differently good. Seasons one and two have Angel (David Boreanaz), the brooding vampire with a soul, and the main characters are in high school. Season three sees Angel gone but a new slayer, Faith (Eliza Dushku), in the mix. Season 4 finds the gang in college and a new guy interest, Riley (Marc Blucas). Season 5 introduces Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), Buffy's sister. Season 6 brings Buffy back from the dead and into a sexual relationship with the vampire Spike (James Marsters), and Season 7 has Spike get a soul and the gang is up against probably the toughest evil they've yet faced.

While not every episode was amazing, and I sometimes didn't like certain characters (though there were few if any that I didn't at least like some of the time). It was consistently good and I never wanted to stop watching it (I still don't, sigh). I think it is my favorite show - yes, I believe I am saying I like it more than Doctor Who.

This is not, by the way, your typical vampire show. It's way more complex than that. I recommend it to anyone. I'm realizing I'm not going to be able to go into great depth here - perhaps I'll follow with a few more posts. For now - go watch Buffy. I recommend starting at the beginning, or you can watch "Once More with Feeling," the musical episode, which is top notch.

What is this graphic? Whatever, I love it.

Grade: A++++

...And I leave you with the following:

An Angel vs. Spike montage. SPIKE ALL THE WAY!!!

Atlanta: or, the Land of Not Walking

2011-01-15T22:16:00.009-05:00

I had an opportunity to go to Atlanta with such perks as a free hotel and mostly free food (thanks, the government, for sending my boyfriend on business trips), so of course I seized it (after all, the flight was only around $200).

My boyfriend got there on Sunday. I arrived Tuesday morning, exhausted from getting up at 4 am and driving, bleary-eyed, to Baltimore (damn you, cheaper but further airports!). I zombie-walked to the MARTA station, and pressed some sort of random buttons on the ticket machine (and ended up spending twice as much as I should have, thanks to sleep deprivation). The hotel was thankfully easy to find. Luckily, Jeff was able to leave a key for me at the desk. I grabbed it, went to the room, and slept until lunch. Jeff and I met up for lunch at a place called Think Sushi, which was good until we saw a roach on the table.

After that I looked up some stuff on my nook then wandered around in random circles. I found Atlanta Underground but didn't go in. I turned back from finding a cupcake place because I got intimidated by the large groups of men smoking and staring at me. Then I went back to the hotel to wait for Jeff to be done with work. Once he was, we went to the World of Coca-Cola. We tried lots of cool flavors!

Then we talked to Jeff's old co-intern Ian. He picked us up and took us to the Midtown Vortex Burger, which he lives right next to. I had wanted to go there, and it was quite tasty! He drove us back to our hotel, where we watched some TV and went to bed.

The next day I got up and went to Reuben's deli for lunch (delicious) then headed to the Georgia Aquarium. It is amazing. Expensive, but worth it. There's the biggest aquarium tank in the world there! It has 4 whale sharks and 4 manta rays. There was a crawl tube in the penguin tank that let you get face to face with the penguins! And the beluga whales were awesome. They're adding dolphins this summer (sad to miss that!). There are touch tanks as well.

That evening we went to Rare, a soul food tapas place. It was tasty and tapas are fun. We went to the Publix grocery store across the street to find dessert. Didn't find any, but found a guy being wheeled away on a stretcher... We didn't do much else that evening.

Thursday I got up and went to the Arts Center station. I got lunch at Carolyn's Gourmet Cafe, which was pretty crappy. Then I went to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see the museum which is free on Thursdays from 1-3. The Jim Henson stuff was neat, and otherwise the museum was a little creepy since it was just me and the puppets, basically. After that I walked across a bridge to Atlantic Station, which is basically a larger version of New Town in Williamsburg. I tried on some clothes and some purses, to kill time. They had a shuttle to the metro, and at the metro there were Travel Channel people promoting the show 'The Wild Within' and they gave me some trail mix.

Dinner that night was at Dogwood, a fancy southern place. It was absolutely wonderful. We had pimento grits, apple/bacon fritters, salad, and I had fried chicken with mac and cheese and green beans. It was the best service I've ever gotten at a restaurant, and the best grits I've ever had. Mmm!

The next day was my last in Atlanta. We got up and trekked over to Little Five Points, a neighborhood where people supposedly actually walked around. We ate lunch at Savage Pizza, which was great, and then went into a bunch of novelty shops, thrift stores, and comic book stores. It was quite a cool neighborhood, definitely the best we found in Atlanta. After that we went to The Varsity for dinner, a big drive-in that is famous in Atlanta. It is greasy. Very greasy. But pretty good.

I then gathered my stuff and went to the airport, where I had a very smooth process of getting through security (5 minutes) then getting a bagel and coming to my gate to find I could get right on (they had started boarding early). The flight was short and I drove back home uneventfully.

It was a good trip, but I didn't really like Atlanta. Nobody seems to walk anywhere (unless they are a creepy loiterer or a homeless person). We were asked for money more than we are in DC, but in a generally more polite way. Atlanta is pretty sprawling, so the amount of driving makes sense. It's like LA in that way. But the reason I like cities is the fact that you can walk around or take public transportation, and Atlanta was not as accessible in those ways. Some of Jeff's coworkers for the week asked if he felt safe on the MARTA, so I guess it sort of has a reputation or something. I was interested in going to the Natural History Museum, but it wasn't really accessible at all by public transportation. So I'd say I wouldn't want to live there at all, and it ranks near LA in my least favorite cities.

Day 13: A fictional book

2010-11-08T15:41:00.003-05:00

When I was looking at that 30-day blogging list, I wondered if this meant a book in the genre of fiction, or a book that was not actually real. I'll go with the first, and make this post a review of the most recent book I read.

Review: Kushiel's Dart

2001

By Jacqueline Carey

Fantasy

Kushiel's Dart is quite the epic tale, at 700 pages, and still just the first in a series. A young girl, Phedre, is sold into the Night Court because she has an unfortunate blemish: a red dot in one pupil. It is revealed that this is in fact a mark of the divine, Kushiel's dart to be precise, and shows her to be one of Kushiel's chosen. Without going into too many details (the back story is an involved mythology), this means she likes pain, in a sexual way. She finds herself in the household of one Delaunay, who trains her to garner political knowledge while going about her ways as a famed courtesan.

A lot of things happen and I'd rather not spoil them. The story takes place in mythical France (not called France, but it is anyway), and the way this version of Europe is depicted is intriguing. It's quite a good read, though due to her particular pleasures I wouldn't call the sex scenes all that stimulating. Also, the religiosity and the nationalism get at times a bit heavy-handed. Finally, I thought the book could have ended sooner; in fact, I'm not sure if I want to continue reading the series because I'm so tired of the character of Melisande. I just looked at Wikipedia and it looks like she continues to play a large role in most of the rest of the series, so I may just have to give it up. My final criticism is that there's very little magic. Which doesn't actually detract from the book; it's just sort of annoying since the cover seems to suggest magic is important.

Rating: B+

(And yes, I'm picking up the 30 day blogging thing again despite months having gone by. I think the prompts are nice.)

Some Catching Up

2010-11-08T15:10:00.002-05:00

So, let's see... the last thing I really posted about was in late July. Yeah, so I guess moving and then my computer ceasing to function has had a big effect on my blogging (or not that much, I haven't been keeping up very well anyway). Also, I know I haven't even posted about Costa Rica, but now I have the excuse of lack of access to my pictures.

I guess the only way to do this is to give you a nice synopsis, and go into detail when I have pictures available.

August: I started working full time at the History Museum and looked constantly for a new place to live. Late in the month we moved from Fairmont to 11th and Irving, which is where we are currently. It's a basement apartment and is much nicer than our previous digs! I also now have my car parked in an alley spot.

September: Settled into the new apartment. The weekend of September 11 Jeff and I went to the river with Stan and Carla, who nearly didn't make it due to illness. We ate at Southwind Pizza, went to Mathews Market Days, and kayaked. Suz came over Saturday night for Stan's birthday dinner. It was a great time. The following weekend, Jeff and I went to St. Louis for his family friend Anne's wedding. We went to the zoo, the Gateway Arch, and the City Museum, as well as to the wedding (I'd like to do that one more in depth later).

October: This month involved some fun foodie activities! We went to Taste of Dupont, where we got to try 5 different Dupont Circle restaurants in a brief two-hour period. More on this later. We also went to the Curbside Cook-off, which was all the food trucks in a big parking lot, though the lines were incredibly long. We tried poutine from Eat Wonky and empanadas from DC Empanada. Pics and things later for that too. We also played lots of board games and went to Kostume Karaoke.

The first week of November: This past weekend has been full of activities - Saturday night we went to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center with Steph and Greg, and last night we went to see the play My First Time in Adams Morgan. We are in the process of applying for Korea teaching jobs.

So, yeah, there's been a lot of goings-on, and I have been watching a whole lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I'm on the 3rd season currently). I've also done a lot of reading. I hope to increase the amount of posts on this blog, especially as the Korea thing develops.

Capital Fringe Festival

2010-09-22T23:34:00.002-04:00

Through the month of July there is a Fringe Festival in DC. It’s full of shows that are not your standard theatre fare. I heard about it on DCist and saw several plays I wanted to see. One day Jeff asked if I’d like to go to “The Horrors of Online Dating” with him, that very night. I was off work that day and the show was at 1409 Playbill which is right at 14th and P so I said of course.

I got to the theatre to meet Jeff at about 7 and when he got there we tried to buy tickets. We were told they’d be selling them at about 20 ‘til 8 so we went and got salads at Whole Foods for dinner. When we returned there was a line for tickets so we got in it. There were no tickets left but we got on the wait list (second and third people on it). It turned out that everyone was able to get in. However, the plastic sheets that they were giving out (for splash protection) were all gone. Jeff and I got a seat front and center (I suppose, due to the “you may be covered in fluids” warning, people tried to avoid the front).

The play was a musical horror comedy about a crazy girl who kills people that she meets from an online dating site. It was hilarious and gory (lots of fake blood!). It was also pretty intense to sit in the front row since we were so close to the stage fighting and to things such as a gun with blanks being shot (though it was a black box theatre so nobody was far away).

We really enjoyed it, and left covered in fake blood, which made people’s reactions in the grocery store and on the street afterwards really amusing.

That was on a Thursday, and we kept doing a lot of things all weekend. Friday – a burlesque show (which I neglected to bring my camera to: it included fire spinning, walking on broken glass, climbing up silks, hula hooping, and more) and Saturday – karaoke with Steph, Greg, Suz, Nate, Carla, and Stan (again, forgot the camera – boo). It was basically amazing.

[The play was July 8, for reference.]

Fourth of July

2010-07-19T12:36:00.001-04:00

It’s been a couple weeks since July 4th happened, but I haven’t written about it yet.

I had to work on the fourth, naturally. The day before we had had a going away party for Evie who is now working at Reagan airport. There was a ton of food and Megan came with her new baby.

Work was actually pretty slow on Sunday during the parade (which I didn’t know about), though it picked up considerably in the afternoon. I was working dog tags, and Shelly had given me festive eye shadow.

After work I went down to Alexandria and stopped by Whole Foods to get a salad for dinner. Then I met up with Stan and Carla (Jeff, by the way, was in Norfolk all weekend).

We went up onto the steps of the Masonic Temple, which seemed to be a popular option, including with this really absurdly muscle-y guy:

We were there at 8, and by the time the fireworks started it was very crowded. As the sun began to set, you could start to see fireworks along the horizon.

Finally the big show down by the mall started, and it turned out we were not at all in a good spot. We moved around so that we could take not-very-good pictures of the fireworks (which still looked big even from so far away).

We almost left but then suddenly a much closer, much more awesome fireworks show started in another direction. My camera ran out of batteries, so there are no photo attempts from it. We suspect it was from Ft. Belvoir, but we’re not sure. We were basically able to see two good fireworks shows as well as tiny bursts from many other ones on the horizon. It was a really cool place to be.

After everything seemed to be finished, we walked back to Carla’s place and watched the excellent (read: terrible) movie Troll, in which Harry Potter Jr. (seriously – this was from the 80s, too, so maybe it inspired JK Rowling…) helps a witch battle the troll that is possessing his little sister and taking over their San Francisco apartment building (it has a sequel too, apparently).

I then went back home, nearly running right into some fireworks being shot off down the block along the way. I couldn’t stay up to wait for Jeff to get home (he got there at about 3 in the morning) since I had the final day of the Folklife Festival to go to in the morning. Basically, it was a great fourth of July, and continued Jeff and I’s streak of usually not being together on July 4.

The Killer Mockingbird

2010-06-16T11:05:00.004-04:00

Sunday, I walked home from work like it was any other day. I didn't know that this day had something special in store. Special like a bird attack.

I crossed Fairmont and turned to walk up it, like usual. I was looking at flowers and thinking about the temporary nature of beauty, like always. Suddenly, I felt an unusual light scratch against my left arm. I looked, expecting to see a branch or something I had absentmindedly brushed. But instead I looked straight into the beady, murderous eyes of a mockingbird.

At first, I felt like laughing. I thought, seriously, did that bird just bite me? But then it started flying at me again. I said "Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?" and ran away a little. Then I thought about what this must look like (dumb; a little crazy) to anyone watching me out their window, and I stopped running.

But the bird was not done. I noticed its assaults seemed largely directed towards my purse, so I held it away from me awkwardly. I walked as quickly as possible and made sure it wasn't following me. Finally it did stop and I ran into my house and stood behind the door. I still felt a little like laughing, but I was a little freaked out, too. I realized then that I could have used my massive purse as a weapon if necessary. I also thought, this is going to make a great story. And indeed, I hope that it has.

It was like this, sort of. Also see this Guardian article.

Sidenote: Tuesday morning I saw the bird attack someone else. I have decided to walk on the other side of the street, and find myself flinching a little whenever birds fly near me. They could be out for blood, like this mockingbird. You can't be too careful.

Second Boyfriend

2010-06-16T10:47:00.007-04:00

Zach and I in freshman year, with Tim on the side.

I'd like to share with you an anecdote I find amusing. At one point at Amnesty I was trying to tell my fellow interns something and I said "one of my boyfriend's brothers-" and I was interrupted by Warren saying, "wait, you have more than one boyfriend?" Immediately I lamented the ambiguity of the English language. But then I remembered my joke second boyfriend.

It all started my last semester at college (last fall). Well, I suppose it started in freshman year, when my main group of friends was mostly made up of guys. Sure there were some girls that we hung out with off and on, but the main group was Tim, Zach, Steve, Jeff (current boyfriend) and occasionally Trevor. As so many groups of friends are wont to do, this group drifted apart. Last fall, Tim was taking the semester off (and had already left the group mostly for a frat). Steve was, as was so often the case, mired in doing schoolwork, running, and playing video games, so he hung out less. Jeff had graduated. That left Zach and Trevor. I had drifted apart from them, too - Zach, mostly because of a girl, and Trevor, for various activities. Since many of the people I had been hanging out with had graduated, I decided to hang out with Zach and Trevor again.

Zach had a new girlfriend and we soon became friends. Then they broke up. I stayed friends with both of them. But Zach and I mostly hung out alone. At first, we just met up at the dining hall for dinner once a week or so. Then we would occasionally go out to dinner together. Someone assumed we were dating. We laughed. We went to see (500) Days of Summer together. I said, "Zach, I think we are dating." And thus was born the joke of the second boyfriend. Basically, a friend, who you go on dates with, but it's not romantic or anything, but everyone else thinks you're dating. I suppose we are now on-again, off-again, though Zach has asked to resume our dates via Skype due to him being in . He wanted to be my first Skype relationship, but I reminded him that my boyfriend and I were long distance for two semesters. Sorry, Zach. It will still be special.

Vacation

2010-05-28T19:41:00.003-04:00

Last weekend I went to Ocean City, and this Monday I head off for Costa Rica - thus the lapse in posting, which will only be continued.

Ocean City was quite fun and relaxing. It was a cruiser weekend so there were lots of classic cars there. I picked up my car Wednesday, thinking I could just park at work and it would be easier than picking it up Thursday night. Well I couldn't park at work and had an awful time of finding a place to park. I did eventually though and picked up Jeff after work and drove to Melfa.

Friday we met my parents for lunch at the Harborside Bar and Grill, which they like. It was really good. They have a lot of seafood and the mahi mahi sandwich was awesome.

The view from Harborside

Then we went to the condo after some light shopping. We stayed at Somerset and 2nd and the condo was huge. It was 3 bedrooms and had a large common area, and 2 balconies. It was fun to watch people on the boardwalk. We didn't do anything noteworthy that afternoon, and later we had dinner at Shenanigan's. After that Jeff and I went to the arcades with my brother. We played a lot of skee ball. I was the champion, with this rockin' score:

forgive the blurriness.

We got some sweet prizes like 4 hacky sacks, 2 mini frisbees, a power squirt (aka squirt gun), and a magical fortune-telling fish.

The next day we went to the Sunset Grille for lunch and Atlantic Stand for dinner. In between we did some shopping and walked around and stuff like that.

Junk fries and a grilled cheese from the Atlantic Stand

The following day was pretty foggy. Jeff and I searched for bagels and found an okay place somewhere and misread the sign, thinking half a dozen were $4.99 but really that was for donuts. So we got too many bagels, I guess, but that was okay. Anyway we went to check out the car show which was cool but we didn't go in the parking lot because they were charging $10 for admission.

Still got some sweet shots though...

Then we went back to Harborside and this time I got nachos. And an Orange Crush, their signature cocktail. Which is rather strong. So we went back to the condo and played the game Red Dead Redemption for Xbox which is really great. My brother and Kristen left that evening and my parents and Jeff and I went to Tony's Pizza for dinner because it was pretty much the only place open at 9 on a Sunday.

Mounted police running down the beach - lucky.

The next morning we went to Bagels and Buns for breakfast (amazing bagels) and then headed home, stopping in Salisbury and at the Prime Outlets in - get this - Queenstown, MD. Jeff snagged a hat, hiking shoes, and pants, while I found... nothing. Oh well. Good trip!

And, like I mentioned, Monday it's Costa Rica! Stay tuned for updates on that trip.

It's really over

2010-05-18T21:14:00.002-04:00

(Day 12 of the month of themed blogging is a whatever you feel like day)

Sunday morning I went down to Williamsburg to attend the Classics graduation ceremony. I wasn't going to participate, just watch and catch up with friends and professors. My mom and brother happened to be bringing my grandmother a TV so I got to see them and we went to lunch at Firehouse Subs, which is pretty good. Not long after it was time to drive onto campus to go to the ceremony at the Campus Center.

I got the program and noticed I was on the list of degree recipients! I should have written a paragraph and walked across the stage like everybody else.... oh well. I sat in front of Callie and got to talk a little bit of Doctor Who with her. Got to see people like Lauren, Maggie, Natasha, Lena, and Meg, and some other people I sort of know. What was mind boggling was there were classics majors there I didn't know! Out of 19 graduating students, there were at least 2 I'd never seen before. Crazy! Talking to profs was cool too.

After that I was just going to go home but was able to get up with Zach and went and hung out with him while he packed. Trevor was there for a bit too. Eventually I headed home after saying bye to my grandmother, and got gas at Wawa and dinner at Taco Bell.

But what this whole thing really drove home was the fact that college is really over. Sure, it's been over since mid-December for me, but the people in my year were still in school that whole time and I could visit and it was like a semester away, sort of; at least that's how it felt. But now that they've all graduated it really feels like I'm done. And I miss it. Mostly, the people. And the abundance of free time, and the proximity and availability of friends and all that. I didn't feel like I missed Williamsburg per se, or being in classes, but just the whole experience of being in college. It's a chapter of my life that has ended, and that's weird. Sure, high school ended but then there was just more school. Now, most likely, school is over. Even if I go to grad school one day it'll be different.

I'm a little bit sad. I'm a bit in mourning, you could say. I will miss my college friends - will any of us keep in touch? These are really good friends, great people, many of whom I've known for 4 years of my life or longer. Isn't it strange that suddenly, many of us will drift apart and possibly never see each other again? It seemed bad enough for the people I'd bonded with in one semester in New Zealand were gone from my life, but now I have to face up to that with even closer friends... but I've kept in touch with some people from New Zealand, so I'm confident that I can keep in touch with some people from college.

The other night I had a dream about riding and realized I miss that part of my life, too. I want horses to be part of me again. I think it was part of this feeling like I'm letting things go, and I just don't want to. If I try hard enough, I probably don't have to. I'm planning on riding in Costa Rica at least once. And I'll Skype with at least one person this summer. That's my goal.

Day 11 — A photo of me taken recently

2010-05-17T15:42:00.002-04:00

This is me at Busch Gardens in the fall with a Guira Cuckoo cuddling on my shoulder. Such a sweet bird!

Day 10 — A photo of me taken over ten years ago

2010-05-15T23:38:00.003-04:00

This one had to be early too, since I'm going down to Williamsburg for graduation tomorrow. Here you go:

This was with my cat Sassy, who despised me, possibly, it would seem, with good reason...

Day 09 — A photo I took

2010-05-14T21:35:00.004-04:00

Okay, this time, I'm doing this early, because I have to work tomorrow and probably will not do much after work. So here is a photo I took.

Sure, I have photos I consider better quality, but I just really like this one, for its bizarre factor. Also, it looks like the guy is posing for me. I'm pretty sure he wasn't, though... he had the chicken pointed at the Hollywood sign.

Day 08 — A photo that makes me angry/sad

2010-05-14T10:49:00.004-04:00

For this I've chosen a photo that makes me sad. And it's a montage from a Doctor Who episode. Relevant dialogue quoted below.

The Doctor: Here you are, living a life day after day. The one adventure I can never have.
Rose: Am I ever going to see you again?
The Doctor: You can’t.
Rose: What are you going to do?
The Doctor: I’ve got the TARDIS. Same old life. Last of the Time Lords.
Rose: On your own? I… I love you.
The Doctor: Quite right too. And I suppose… if it’s my last chance to say it… Rose Tyler… [disappears]

I cried when watching this.

Day 7: A photo that makes me happy

2010-05-13T14:19:00.004-04:00

I know, I know. These are really long days, or something. Day 6 was 'whatever tickles your fancy,' so that was my Firefly review. Here goes the next one!

When Jeff and I were long distance, I had to come up with quick ways of getting happy, because sometimes having your boyfriend thousands of miles away just bums you out. Since I'd rather not venture into the area of mood-altering drugs, I needed something else. Luckily, someone introduced me to Cute Overload, which delivers adorable photos regularly.

Just try to scowl at that sloth. I dare you.

The only thing I don't like about Cute Overload is the captions. Very occasionally, they'll have a witty reference that I like. But, for the most part, they are kind of annoying. So, luckily for you, dear reader, I have just yesterday found a new site, which has pictures that are just as cute, and doesn't have the obnoxious captions! That site is ZooBorns, which chronicles baby animals born at zoos.

Foxy!

Even godless killing machines can be adorable!

So, the moral of the story is that cute things make me happy. It's great to find websites that never fail to make you smile!

Review: Firefly

2010-05-12T10:31:00.003-04:00

Year: 2002
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Gina Torres, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Ron Glass
Created by: Joss Whedon

Firefly is one of those shows that got canceled too early and, like many of those (the good ones at least), has sort of a cult following. From my point of view, it well deserves that following. It was a great show, and it's really a shame that it didn't even run a full season (just 10 episodes). I am really glad a followup movie was made, at least.

So why, exactly, is it so good? Well, for one, it's a sci-fi western. How cool is that? If you've seen the video for Muse's "Knights of Cydonia" you sort of know what that's like. This is the most believable scifi I've seen - basically, technology has advanced enough in the future to allow space travel, and since Earth was all used up, people moved on to a new solar system. There are no aliens, just some people that were driven crazy and turned into creepy killing machines. There's some laser technology in guns, but only the central planets have the best tech, while the outworlds are backwaters with little sophistication and often beyond reach of the Alliance law.

Anyway, so our heroes are the crew of a transport ship that takes miscellaneous jobs, mostly on the outworlds. Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Fillion) was a sergeant in the big war for the Independents, and so he has attracted a crew that mostly eschew Alliance control. The crew includes a pilot, Wash (Tudyk), his wife who fought with Mal in the war, second-in-command Zoe (Torres), a Companion (basically a courtesan) who rents out one of the shuttles, Inara (Baccarin), the tough guy, Jayne (Baldwin), and the mechanic, Kaylee (Staite). In the pilot episode they pick up a Shepherd (pastor), Book (Glass), and a doctor (Maher) who has taken his sister (Glau) out of an Alliance camp where they've been doing things to her brain.

The characters are done really well; they all seem real and have interesting relationships, and develop as the show goes on. Everyone is either likeable or amusing, or both. The show is thrilling, engaging, funny, and just generally delightful. It's quick to watch but, if you're like me, you'll wish it just kept on going.

Basically, I loved it, and on a few different levels. It was entertaining but also just a great story, and there was action and romance and humor... oh I just can't say enough!

Now, go forth and watch! You won't be disappointed, I feel. It's on Netflix streaming now.

Grade: A+!

Day 5: My favorite quote

2010-04-18T21:07:00.002-04:00

No fanfare needed, here's just a few quotes I love.

"You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness." - Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

"We save our lives in such unlikely ways." - Neil Gaiman

"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars." - Og Mandino

"Brighten the corner where you are, and you will light the world." - Dean Koontz, From the Corner of His Eye

"Now I'll only think about you if it's raining or it's not." - 'Jolene' by The Weepies

Day 4: My favorite book

2010-04-14T10:52:00.005-04:00

I almost blogged yesterday. I was this close. Oh well.

So, my favorite book, eh? My canned answer (as in, the one I tell myself is true for ease of answering such a question) is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. And it's a great book, don't get me wrong. But I read it years ago; I think when I was a college freshman. I've read a lot of great books since then, and there were plenty of lovely ones before. Middlesex is deep and kind of heavy, but still I love it. It's about hermaphrodism, incest, sexuality, and acceptance. It's a coming of age story. And yes, it was an Oprah Book Club choice (I'm okay with that).

Another great book is The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Yeah, it's about a guy who can time-travel, but it's not a scifi. It's a drama and a romance. It's about what it's like to love someone who uncontrollably disappears sometimes, and lives his life out of order. It's sweet and tragic.

Poster for the recent movie, which I thought was enjoyable.

But I don't just like books that are kind of a bummer. And I don't just like books that are considered 'literature'. I like popular fiction, too. I don't really buy into the distinction. I mean, sure, there's a difference in the writing styles, but I don't think that you should bother with making yourself 'look good' by only reading 'literature'. I will read anything, as long as it's halfway decent or at least entertaining. I do follow the practice of ditching a book if I'm not into it by 50 pages (not a hard and fast rule - I've quit books after 100 pages or even halfway through). The latest book I've stopped reading was Atonement by Ian McEwan.

So, some other stuff I like: the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (hilarious satirical fantasy), From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz (good thriller), anything by Neil Gaiman (invariably fantasy, sometimes a bit creepy), The Stand by Stephen King (a huge apocalyptic novel), Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (great fantasy with some romance thrown in), the Harry Potter series, and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (awesome techy scifi).

There you go! A sampling of some of my favorite books! I think you should just read whatever suits your fancy. Even if it's Twilight, because yeah, it was addictive.

Day 3: My favorite television program

2010-04-12T12:40:00.014-04:00

Yeah, so, I'm awful at posting every day. Anyhow, here is the post in which I will go on and on about Doctor Who! And possibly some other shows.

But first, Doctor Who!

A promo for the 2005 series

So Doctor Who is an old British show; it started in the 60s. I wasn't aware of it until rather recently, when the new version which started in 2005 had already had 4 seasons. So I started with the 2005 season with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, his companion. I was hooked almost immediately. It didn't take me long to power through the first season, at the end of which the Doctor, a Timelord who can regenerate with a new face and personality, does so. So the second season has a new actor playing the Doctor: David Tennant.

David Tennant as the Doctor

At first I thought, oh no, it will never be the same, but then I started liking Ten even more! Season Two was great, then Season Three had a new companion, Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman. I loved Rose and hated to see her go, but Martha was alright. The best episode of the season by far was "Blink," which was the first episode I saw and also written by Stephen Moffat, who was the creator of the show Coupling, another UK show I love.

Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones

The fourth season featured another new companion, Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. The character had appeared once before in the Christmas special before season three, and I didn't much like her, but she was much better in this season. It was a pretty good season, though it had some very bad episodes as well.

Catherine Tate as Donna Noble

The fifth season has just started, with a new producer, the wonderful Stephen Moffat himself, a new Doctor, Matt Smith, and a new companion, Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan.

There have been two episodes so far, and so far it's brilliant. Love it. I already really like Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as well.

From episode 2, "The Beast Below"

So, basically, to summarise: Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show mostly directed towards kids. However, it can be deep and scary and often has elements of romance, so plenty for me, as well. Also, it is silly and campy and sometimes quite hilarious. There is a wide range of tones depending on the episode. It really has something for everyone (people with completely opposite tastes have been known to like it equally). It varies widely in quality, but overall is very good. You do not need to like sci-fi whatsoever to like it! So give it a go! The fifth season would be a fine place to start if you don't feel like playing catch-up.

From the opening credits

I will briefly go over a few more shows that I love.

-Veronica Mars - A high school girl works at her father's private detective agency on the side. It's funny, sassy, dramatic, and very compelling. Kristen Bell stars.

-Skins - Follows the lives of teens in Bristol, England. Quite engaging, dramatic, sometimes funny and quirky. Very addictive.

-How I Met Your Mother - Sitcom about a guy telling his kids how he met their mother by showing what led up to it (hint: it's the fifth season, we still haven't met the mother). It's absolutely hilarious.

...And that's about it for right now! There are other great shows, but those are the ones I've been most currently into.

Day 2: My Favourite Movie

2010-04-07T16:21:00.003-04:00

Well, crap. I already missed a day. But that's because we did trivia last night, and I didn't have time since I didn't go home first. Trivia was in Alexandria this week, and it was pretty decent, though the place got pretty smoky at 9 o'clock. So anyway! Time for: my favourite movie. So for a while now I've been saying it's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's sweet, but also weird. A bizarre love story. I like it a lot.

But there are certainly other movies I really like. The Lives of Others is one of those, as is The Talented Mr. Ripley. Those are kind of darker, and very clever. I enjoy a clever film. I also like watching sweet romantic comedies like Love Actually, or mindless action like, most recently, the new Clash of the Titans (though that last is definitely not a favorite). So it would be a lot easier to pick my favourites from each genre (and even then, still hard). I know "it totally depends on what mood I'm in" is a crap answer, but there it is, the best I can do.

Cover songs of note

2010-04-05T17:13:00.002-04:00

While I'm thinking about songs I would like to share with you some cover songs I found thanks to Lists Galore.

First up, this cover of Hey Ya! by Matt Weddle of Obadiah Parker (no, I've never heard of them either). It features a big bushy beard guy singing a folk version of the song quite beautifully, and the video uses clips from the original video in an interesting way.

Kind of completely opposite almost is this screamo version of "Such Great Heights" originally by the Postal Service. I found it amusing and was surprised that it worked as well as it did for me.

If you haven't already heard of the YouTube sensation that is Julia Nunes, you should definitely check her out. She is cute and talented. Here's her cover of "Accidentally in Love."

I was already a Jonathan Coulton fan but I had never heard his version of "Baby Got Back"! It is fabulous and you will love it, I hope.

And, finally, I never thought I would say this, but there is a version of Single Ladies that I actually kind of like. And here it is (it's by Pomplamoose, how cool is their name?).

Day 1: My favourite song

2010-04-05T17:01:00.002-04:00

If you know me, you know I find it hard to choose favourites. But I'm going to try.

There's one song I can listen to over and over and over again and still love, so perhaps that's my current favorite. It's "Nineteen" by Tegan and Sara. I love them, I love their atypical voices and alternative style. Their songs are so simple but so infectious.

This acoustic version is a bit different than the one I have but you can see how awesome they are here.

Jeff and I have also been really obsessed with Laura Veirs lately. Here's the video for "Cast a Hook in Me" which I've been humming almost constantly.

One last song to make note of is "The Taste of Ink" by The Used. It has been one of my favourites for a long time and is the inspiration for my blog title. Despite no longer really being into screamo or whatnot in general, I still love The Used.

Trying to get myself to write...

2010-04-05T16:59:00.002-04:00

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to complete the following 30 days of blogging meme:

Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

Starting, well, today, probably! And hopefully I'll be able to blog for 30 consecutive days. (PS - got this meme from here)

Wonderful Williamsburg for the Weekend

2010-03-25T21:59:00.002-04:00

So after that awfully alliterative title, perhaps I should finally tell you about my trip to Williamsburg this past weekend. On Thursday night, Jeff and I trekked over to his parents' house and ate some yummy home-cooked chicken and slept. In the morning I got up to get my truck inspected. I took it to this GM dealer (after all it's a GMC), except it wasn't a GM dealer anymore - it was a Hyundai dealer. Luckily they were still an inspection station so I still got it done there. Had to replace the wiper blades, so they now have the Hyundai symbol on them which amuses me for some reason. After that we headed down to Richmond to Thai Diner Too to have lunch with Jeff's friend Savannah. However, on the way, we discovered that Savannah had to stay home with her sick kid so we went to Thai Diner Too by ourselves. It was good! Then we went to Savannah's house in Church Hill which is a nice neighborhood. She has a really sweet pit bull named Will, and she lives with Thomas and his son Silas who is an adorable toddler and he was a bit sick. But I made silly faces at him and he liked us. Savannah is also pregnant with twins, and studying to become an art teacher. Pretty cool.

After that we drove on to Williamsburg, and went to dinner at Sal's with my grandmother. It was good as always. From there we drove to campus, then rounded up the troops to spend a Green Leafe gift certificate. Megan, JG, Trevor, and Will ended up coming. We ate cheese fries, had some beers, watched some basketball, and generally had a good time. After that we ran into Ashley and Margaret who were going to the drag ball, so Jeff and I decided to go too. It was great - Will Martin picked me up and carried me almost all the way into the room, and everybody rushed up to us when we got there and gave us a gigantic hug. The Lambda people are so awesome. Also Rachel A, Erica, Pablo, and Alex Y were there. After drag ball ended only an hour later (sadly) Jeff and I went to Rachel A's room with a group and hung out for a while, then went back to bed.

On Saturday we were supposed to meet Suz in CW but she didn't make it. Instead we met Zach and Trevor in CW and had a Cheese Shop picnic on the Palace Green. It was lovely. After that Jeff and I went to Jamestown Beach because the weather was so nice and read in the sun. Then we went to Zach and Trevor's room to watch with them and Mel the adult musical comedy version of Alice in Wonderland and eat pizza. Next we drove to the Huttons' house off campus for the yearly Classics banquet, which just happened to be occurring (fortuitous!). It was cool to see classics club people and my profs. Also Sam Angley made an awesome Pantheon cake and an awesomer penis-shaped cake (which was also delicious!). After that Jeff and I met up with Minda, then went to the UC which is now the SC to grab Kat, and Mel was there too. We talked for a while then went to Wawa where I sadly did not get mac n cheese because I was too full. Or a milkshake even! Wawa run fail. Oh well. Then we sat on the Sunken Gardens until it was too chilly, and after that we went to Landrum and met up with Suzy as well as visiting Katy, who rooms with Catherine Cole who also happened to be there! We hung out for a while in the basement then left for sleeps.

Sunday we headed to Newport News to meet Suz and my mom for lunch. Managed to catch Suz this time, but my mom couldn't make it because of traffic - ugh. It was pretty unfortunate. We went to a Mexican place in City Center called Salsa's which was decent and quite cheap. Then we walked around for a while and then headed out to try to make it to a dinner party in DC with Jeff's APCO friends (at Karly's house), which we did make, though we were late. It was yummy and then we walked to Eastern Market to return some library items. Basically, a jam-packed fun weekend!

Since then:

Monday - there was THUNDER! For I think the first time since I've lived here.
Tuesday - trivia! Carla came with Mary and Rob. We did terribly; the picture round was female tennis players, and basically just blonde Russian ones. It got better from there though, just not better enough. Before trivia I went to MLK library and read, which was a good way not to go home.
Wednesday - work was great because I got to hang out with my supervisor while he did database stuff then he took me to get a burrito at CalTort! Also it was nice out so we ate at the Sculpture Garden by the now-closed ice rink which, I found out, is actually in a giant fountain! Cool. Then after work and stopping by home I met Jeff at Mt Vernon Square, and we went to the DCist Exposed Photo Exhibit's last day at Longview Gallery. There were some cool pictures and all for sale for a mere $100 or more. Way out of my price range. Then we walked towards home and found ourselves in Logan Circle, at which point we realized we were close to the Whole Foods. We followed the trail of people with Whole Foods bags to the store and decided to grab salads at the salad bar for dinner - and they were awesome. So many toppings... mmm... On the way back some guy outside of a personal trainer place asked us if we worked out but didn't try to sell us anything and then some nice middle-aged ladies laughed with us about it.
Today - nothing special.

As for the future:
Tomorrow - dinner at the Melting Pot! Karaoke!
Saturday - kite festival! possibly Good Stuff Eatery!
also... how long can we manage not to go to the grocery store? It'll have been two weeks since we went tomorrow. Stay tuned!

DIY: Air Mattress Pump*

2010-03-15T18:17:00.006-04:00

*all genius belongs to Jeff.

As I mentioned in the last post, Zach and Trevor came by and stayed over not this past weekend but the weekend before. Jeff and I had thoughtfully bought an air mattress, so when added to our Love Sac that equaled two makeshift beds. We were looking in Target and the cheapest one didn't come with a pump. I voiced mild concern that it would be annoying to blow it up by our own lung power but Jeff was certain it wouldn't be too much of a problem. So it came time to set the thing up and there was a problem, only not one we had expected. The little air hole thingy that you usually use to blow things up with was clearly designed with only letting air out in mind. You literally couldn't get air in it - we thought maybe it came with the hole not opened but that wasn't the case, it was just somehow designed to go only one way. I was ready to give up and go buy an air pump. However, Jeff had an idea. He asked for two items:

+

It worked really well, actually, as a makeshift pump! Now, if you're going to do this at home, you need a hair dryer that has a 'cool' setting. I wouldn't try it with the hot air unless you want to risk that fragrant smell of melting plastic (and you don't, plus busting the air mattress is no good either). You can use any old cardboard tube, and I'm betting you have one around somewhere. Open up the place where the pump hose goes, put the cardboard tube over it, then hold the hair dryer against the tube, blowing in cool air, and there you go - a relatively decently inflated air mattress! I'm happy that my boyfriend is so creative!

Let's face it... I'm a slacker

2010-03-14T14:19:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm going to admit it right now. There's something in me that's patently lazy. Maybe it's just the weather - after all, I have done a lot during all the nice days we've had, at least. Maybe it's the still-early-darkening of the days. Maybe, for this week in particular, it's the fact that I've been sort of sick. But anyway, there are a lot of things I haven't been doing. One of them is writing in this blog. I hope to change that. I get distracted every time I'm online, especially by my RSS feed which has the effect of 'oooh, shiny...'. Also, playing Robot Unicorn Attack hasn't helped (I see you clicking that link. Go ahead... it's fun). And I just decided to really start up my Flixter account, to feed that need to put star ratings on everything I do ever - so that covers movies now as well as books and food/businesses/museums not to mention the site I use to simply catalog everything I watch or read. So I'm a little addicted to social media sites, including Facebook and Tumblr too, which sadly has made me neglect my blogging.

I also haven't been exercising like I should. Yes, last weekend I walked from my house to U Street to Dupont Circle then from Metro Center to the Washington Monument to the Capital building to Union Station then from Woodley Park to Adams Morgan to home again... but then I woke up the next morning to find that my knee hurt. So I need to be doing stretches and purposeful knee exercises. And going out dancing whenever I'm feeling better from this mystery illness.

Another thing I haven't been doing is applying for jobs. My AI internship is coming to a close at the end of April, and I'd really like to have something part-time lined up by then. I am also going to apply to this sweet Sierra Club internship, but that is basically a shot in the dark. But if I got it - oh man, two months in SF plus hiking and rafting and traveling? AND a whole bunch of free North Face gear? Awesome. Basically I gotta get on the making-another-video thing. I just don't want to give up. Of course, it's also come to my attention that I should probably be thinking about the future. The Sierra Club internship wouldn't really help there, unless I really go for my dreams and try to make some sort of career out of travel or the great outdoors in one way or another (kayak instructor? horse trek leader? ropes course facilitator? travel writer? suggestions?). Maybe I could be the next Randy Drake, who knows.

Here are what I have in mind for possibilities of what I might do in the future: library or archival work, museum stuff, teaching of some sort, or maybe something with computers, maybe even specifically social media. It's still pretty broad and each thing is even too general. But at least for most of that stuff I am on the right track - the Smithsonian internship is really broad, enough to cover most of that stuff. I need to do some informational interviews with some CFCH employees to see what they really do and if I might like it. I want to work in a library, I really do, to see if that's the kind of thing I might like. And of course there's the hope that Jeff and I will be teaching in South Korea next year which would cover the teaching possibility, and allow me to see if I like it.

Here's a quick overview of what I have been doing:

-Obsessively watching the entire three seasons of Veronica Mars (oh wait, there is where all my time has gone recently!) But I'm done now. Kind of sad.
-Languishing on my computer.
-Reading the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson (partway through book 2 of 3 now).
-Feb. 27 - my parents came to visit. Ate lunch at Capitol Brewing Co., walked around the mall, went to the National Botanic Gardens, played some Phase 10 at home, ate dinner at Ray's Hell Burger.
-Feb. 28 - parents still here, and my grandparents came in along with Uncle Jamie and Aunt Kathy and we went to brunch at Jaleo which was absolutely amazing and decadent. Then my parents and Jeff and I went to the Newseum. I returned the next day since the admission gets you in two days in a row. It was great.
-March 6 - went into AI really early to help Keri with a meeting. Then went over to Old Town Alexandria and watched a St. Patrick's Day parade, met up with StephGreg and Suz and Nate and had some lunch and some cupcake. There were shriner cars and storm troopers in the parade!
-March 7 - Zach and Trevor came to visit and we did the aforementioned walking around, going to Ben's Chili Bowl for lunch, Firehook for a cookie, and Bukom, a West African place in Adams Morgan, for dinner.
-March 8 - I went to Pollo Campero by the metro for lunch with Zach and Trevor then finally finished Veronica Mars, leaving me time for a life.
-This Wednesday started getting dizzy spells so I didn't go into work Thursday, and went in but left early Friday, and didn't go to the rally yesterday. I'm feeling better now and we're supposed to visit Williamsburg this weekend, so I hope I really am better.

Sorry this post was so long, but I had a lot of catching up to do.

Jeff GIF

2010-03-14T00:10:00.002-05:00

Just testing out some online GIF animators. Hopefully this works!

And this might just be a little better:

(made them at Picasion)

Curling, a Parade, etc

2010-02-22T17:29:00.004-05:00

This past week has been mighty eventful. Let's see... there was trivia on Tuesday, a Tegan and Sara concert on Wednesday, a conference call on Thursday (not exciting), finishing season 1 of Veronica Mars on Friday, failed attempt at curling, a walk to the Jefferson Memorial, and dinner and a movie with Suz, Steph/Greg, and Stan Saturday, successful attempt at curling, Chinese New Year Parade, and Nat'l Museum of Crime and Punishment with Stan and Carla on Sunday. Need I even mention that Jeff was involved in all but the conference call?

Trivia went well - we got fifth place! Now onto the more interesting stuff. Jeff had bought me tickets to see Tegan and Sara for my birthday and now the time was upon us! We headed to the Warner Theatre after eating at Chopt which was yummy. They had assigned seating and we were on the balcony. The opening acts were Steel Train, an all-guy band that I really liked, and Holly Miranda, a band with a chick lead singer who had an amazing voice but thanks to me being tired the mellowness of that act nearly put me to sleep.

Steel Train

Holly Miranda

Then Tegan and Sara came out. They started off playing a lot from Sainthood, then started interspersing it with older stuff. They played a lot of songs I really like, including "Hell," "Nineteen," and "The Con." I was only disappointed that they didn't play "Take Me Anywhere," but that's okay. They are amazing live. They do a lot of funny bantering, and interact a lot with the crowd. After leaving the stage they came back on without their band for an acoustic set which included the popular "Living Room" which I didn't know I knew, but I did. Basically, I loved it.

Tegan and Sara

One weird thing did happen at that concert - Erica clone was there! She's this girl who goes to W&M and looks exactly like my friend Erica and she was standing really close to us. Bizarre. Skipping to Saturday... Jeff and I tried to go to the Capital Curling Expo but there was a three hour wait for curling. Instead we wandered towards the mall, finding a big giant map in a square...

Jeff is totally inside the Capital Building here.

Next we decided to wander towards the monuments, after looking at an imposing-from-afar building which turned out to be the EPA. We walked by the Washington Monument and then I realised I had possibly never been to the Jefferson Memorial, so we walked there. We walked by the water where the cherry trees are and noticed a lot of storm damage, including to a great big lovely elm that is apparently well-known. We noticed there's paddle-boating you can do so that might be something to remember (though Carla says you can do it for cheaper elsewhere). Anyway, we made it to the monument and admired how tall Thomas Jefferson was.

It was a nice day and we walked a lot. From there we walked to the Smithsonian Metro and met the people mentioned above for dinner at the Arlington Diner, which was mediocre or less but cheap. Then we went to Greg and Steph's apartment and watched Away We Go (review to come), which Jeff and I really liked.

On to Sunday! We made a second stab at the Capital Curling Expo and this time were some of the first people there. Jeff, Stan, and I gave it a go, though it was fake ice and no sweeping.

Stan curling

Basically it was a little taste and I learned a lot of things, including that you can go curling for real in Laurel, MD, which I'd really like to try. Next we ate at Subway, then went to the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown, which was pretty cool.

Lion Dancers

Next we went to the Museum of Crime and Punishment which I got into for free with my Smithsonian badge. It was decent but not the best museum I've been to.

Jeff on a police motorcycle

Today I got a haircut at Bang Salon on U Street. It's fabulous and was inspired by a girl I saw at the Tegan and Sara show. Now here's hoping this week is great as well!

TV Show Review: Torchwood

2010-02-07T14:21:00.002-05:00

Air Date: 2006-2009
Created by: Russell T. Davies
Starring: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori

I'm guessing you probably know by now that I've in the last year become totally obsessed with Doctor Who. Well, while I was feverishly waiting to receive Season 4 in the mail I started watching Torchwood, which is a spinoff featuring Captain Jack Harkness (Barrowman). It begins with Gwen Cooper (Myles), a policewoman, finding out about and joining Torchwood, an organization based around the Rift in Cardiff whose purpose is to protect Earth from alien life. It is often referenced in Doctor Who, and often Torchwood and The Doctor have different stances on how to deal with aliens.

The first season establishes Torchwood as a show for more mature audiences. Friends of mine have complained that they try to force in sex scenes (much like, say, True Blood does) and I can see that as a valid point. However, I enjoyed it. The second season is much more compelling than the first. The characters are better portrayed, and we see more into their psyches and relationships. The third 'season', a 5 episode miniseries arc called Children of Earth, was fantastic (and the most popular of the seasons at the time it aired).

It helps that John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd are quite attractive, I won't lie. Basically, it has a much darker, more adult feel than Doctor Who, and I can't say I liked it quite as much. They did start tying it in more in the second season, but it was still a definitely separate show. I kept hoping the Doctor would show up in some episode... no luck. It certainly made me laugh and cry and I really did enjoy the series.

Grade: A

Snowmageddon

2010-02-07T13:28:00.000-05:00

As you've probably heard by now, DC was pummeled this weekend with somewhere around 20 inches of snow. Jeff and I ventured out yesterday to check out what was going on. It was pretty epic. There were drifts up to something like 6 feet, and on one side of most roads there were cars completely under the snow. Unfortunately, all of my camera batteries were dead so I was only able to get four pictures.

Those are just out our window and right on our sidewalk. After that we went to look at the hill on 13th Street near Cardozo High School. People were sledding, skiing, and snowboarding down it. It made me wish I had a sled, even a makeshift one.

Here's a picture of 13th St. from DCist.

Then we decided to trek over to Meridian Hill Park. There were several hundred people there, playing with their dogs, making snowmen (and in one instance a snow phallus), sledding, skiing, and snowboarding down the stairs, and having massive snowball fights (including a bunch of people trying hard to knock people off sleds with snowballs or big chunks of snow).

Snowball fight at Meridian Hill Park.

It was a lot of fun, we tried to pelt sledders and got in on the snowball fight (especially against people who had foolishly decided to sit in a fountain). After that we made our way back home, making sure to jump or fall into big snowdrifts as often as possible. Friday we had made a big batch of chili so we warmed up and had chili nachos. Mmm, perfect for a snowday. Today it's sunny and it looks like the snow's starting to melt; the roads, at least, look half-driveable. It's unfortunate that Jeff's parents were supposed to fly in yesterday... they're hoping to get in tomorrow at least. I don't have work Monday anyway but I'm hoping Jeff gets off too so we can do fun stuff.

What's Going on Now

2010-01-19T15:06:00.002-05:00

So I've been a little lazy in my blogging, it's true, and so I'm way out of date at the moment. So a quick overview:

-I graduated from college, summa cum laude. I'll be getting my diploma in the mail any day now.

-I moved to DC to live with Jeff.

-Jeff and I went to his parents' house for Christmas day, and my parents' the day after.

-For New Year's, we had a gathering in DC.

-Jan. 2 we went to Mom-mom and Pop-pop's for a general holiday celebration.

-Jan. 3 we went up to NYC, Jeff on the train and me on the bus. We ate a lot of great food and I did lots of fun things including meeting up with Michelle (for more info look at my Yelp reviews).

-Jan. 5 I was offered an internship at the Smithsonian, and ended up taking it.

-Jan. 9 we returned to DC.

-Jan. 13, my 22nd birthday, I started an internship at Amnesty International. I'll mostly be doing admin stuff, and working there Wednesday through Friday until the end of April.

-Today I got fingerprinted for the Smithsonian and made the first attempt to apply for food stamps, unsuccessfully, because they weren't taking any more new people today since they were full. Alas... I'm going to watch an episode of Dexter then try to make some vegetarian chili.

I start at the Smithsonian Feb. 1, hopefully. I will try to blog more.

sorry about all these surveys... blame tumblr

2009-12-15T23:36:00.002-05:00

breeawnuhh:followmeunder:gruesomegabby:beedonk:

A - AVAILABLE: No.
B - BIRTHDAY: January 13th
C - CRUSHING ON: Jeff :)
D - DRINK YOU LAST HAD: Water
E - EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO: Jeff
F - FAVORITE SONG: dunno. Really addicted to Bad Romance right now.
G - GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: Bears.
H - HOMETOWN: Melfa, VA
I - IN LOVE WITH: Jeff
J - JUGGLE: Yes, I can.
K - KILLED SOMEONE: No.
L - LONGEST CAR RIDE: 14 hours.
M - MILKSHAKE FLAVOR: Chocolate.
N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: 1
O - ONE WISH: to travel the world.
P - PERSON WHO CALLED YOU LAST: Jeff
Q - QUICKIE: mmkay :)
R - REASON TO SMILE: life!
S - SONG YOU LAST HEARD: Clockwatching by Jason Mraz
T - TIME YOU WOKE UP: 1 pm
U - UNDERWEAR COLOR: gray.
V - VEGETABLE(S): delicious!
W - WORST HABIT: cracking my knuckles.
X - X-RAYS YOU’VE HAD: teeth, maybe some others.
Y – YO-YO’S ARE: so 90s.
Z - ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn.

Random About You:
—Spell your name without vowels: rchl.
—What color do you wear most?: green and red
—Least favorite color?: hmm... bright yellow.
—What are you listening to?: Set Fire to the Third Bar - Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright
—Are you happy with your life right now? yes!
—What is your favorite class in school?: it was probably Global Sex and Gender
—When do you start back at school/college?: I'm finished. Potentially forever.
—Are you outgoing?: yes
—Favorite pair of shoes?: sneakers
—Where do you wish you were right now?: in DC already.
—Can you dance?: yes
—Can you tie a cherry stem with your mouth?: no.
—Can you whistle?: Yes.
—Write with both hands?: Yes.
—Can you walk with your toes curled ?: maybe?

THE DO’S:
—Do you believe there is life on other planets? I won't discount it completely.
—Do you believe in magic?: Yeah, sort of.
—Love at first sight?: Not really.
—Do you believe in Santa?: no.
—Do you know how to swim?: Yes.
—Do you like roller coasters?: Yes.

THE HAVES:
—Have you ever been on a plane?: Yes.
—Have you ever asked someone out?: No, actually.
—Have you ever been to the ocean?: Yes.
—Have you ever painted your nails?: Yes.

THE WHATS:
—What is the temperature outside?: 49 degrees Fahrenheit.
—What radio station do you listen to?: 100.5, 94.9, 96.1
—What was the last place you ate at?: Jamestown North.
—What was the last thing you bought?: Pizza.
—What was the last thing on TV you watched?: hmm... How I met Your Mother probably.

THE WHO’S:
—Who was the last person you IM’d?: umm... Jeff? Zach? Carla?
—Who was the last person you took a picture of?: Jeff?
—Who was the last person you said ‘I love you’ to?: Jeff

CRYING SECTION:
—Ever really cried your heart out?: Yes.
—Ever cried yourself to sleep?: Yes.
—Ever cried on your friend’s shoulder?: Yes.
—Ever cried over the opposite sex?: Yes.
—Do you cry when you get an injury?: Sometimes.
—Do certain songs make you cry?: Yes.

LOVE SECTION:
—How many times have you had your heart broken?: Once.
—What is your current hair color?: Dark blonde/light brown.
—Current piercings?: Ears X2 in each
—Have any tattoos?: 5
—Eye color?: Brown.

IN A BOY/GIRL:
—Favorite eye color: don't care.
—Short or long hair: Short.
—Height: Any.

HAVE YOU EVER:
—Been to jail: No.
—Mooned someone: No.
—Ran away from home?: No.
—Laughed so hard you cried?: Yes.
—Cried in school?: Yes.
—Thrown up in a store?: No.
—Is there something really stupid that you still laugh at today?: Yes.

THIS OR THAT
—Pepsi or Coke: Coke.
—McDonald’s or Burger King: McDonald’s.
—Single or Group Dates: Single.
—Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate.
—Strawberries or Blueberries: Strawberries.
—Meat or Veggies: Veggies.
—TV or Movie: Movies.
—Guitar or Drums: Guitar.
—Adidas or Nike: Nike.
—Chinese or Mexican: Mexican.
—Cheerios or Corn Flakes: Cheerios.
—Cake or Pie: Cake.

Quirky personality traits

2009-12-15T22:57:00.002-05:00

Here is a list of quirky personality traits! Bold what applies to you, strike what you can’t stand.

I always announce when I have to pee/use the bathroom.
I won’t eat my food if it touches a different food.
I will not blow my nose in front of other people.
I put my feet up on everything.
I say hello to everyone I see.
I have a tendency to make everything awkward.
My mind always wanders to the “sexual” side of things.
I always follow things up with “That’s what she said!”
I’m too embarrassed to ask my friends/family for tampons.
I use chapstick/lip balm religiously.
I check my accounts online in order every time I get on the computer.
If I get up from the computer, even for a second, I put an away message up.
I’m always leaving my phone in random places.
I always keep on earbud out, in case someone needs to talk to me.
I mark off every day on the calendar.
I have the same routine every time I take a shower.
~~I will not go out in public without makeup on.~~
Everything about my life is very neat. It has to be.
I make a to-do list every day, and I’m lost without it. (or most days)
I always check my phone the second I wake up.
I have to pee before bed.
I laugh when I hear/see the number 69.
I yell “Burn!” when someone disses someone else (or I do).
I take off my shoes when I get inside the house.
I can’t stand silence. Especially when I drive.
I have to listen to something or I can’t fall asleep.
I have to have the TV on or I can’t fall asleep.
I don’t use public bathrooms. Period.
I will NOT fart in front of anyone.

I will absolutely NOT fart in front of my boyfriend/girlfriend.
All my music on iTunes has to have album art.
Going a day without changing my underwear, NEVER, EVER happens.
I tend to skip showers frequently. (when I'm taking classes it's an every-other-day thing)
I count to 20 (seconds) when I wash my hands.
I’m always forgetting to take my pills.
I have panic attacks frequently.
The door(s) must be shut before I go to bed.
~~I’m always saying chat lingo out loud (example: “L-O-L” or “W-T-F”)~~
I swear way too much for my own good.
I re-write (or type) all my notes.
Without thinking twice, I always correct spelling/grammar mistakes.
I go for weeks without checking my email.
I show up late to work all the time.
I number my surveys (in the title).
I number the questions on all my surveys.

2009

2009-12-15T17:44:00.002-05:00

things i did in 2009.

( ) stayed single for the whole year
(x) made out in/on a car
( ) kissed in the snow
(x) celebrated Halloween
(x) kissed in the rain
( ) had your heart broken
( ) broke someone else’s heart
( ) had a stalker
( ) went over the minutes on your cell phone
(x) had a good relationship with someone
(x) someone questioned your sexual orientation
( ) gotten pregnant
( ) had an abortion
(x) have a relationship with someone you’ll never forget
( ) done something you’ve regretted
( ) lost faith in love
( ) kissed under a mistletoe
( ) painted a picture
(x) wrote a poem
( ) ran a mile
( ) shopped at Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch
(x) posted a blog
(x) listened to music you couldn’t stand
(x) went to a sleepover
( ) went camping
( ) threw a surprise party
(x) laughed till you cried
( ) laughed till you peed in your pants
(x) visited a foreign country
( ) cut in a line of waiting people
(x) told someone you were busy when you weren’t
(x) partied to celebrate the new year
( ) cooked a disastrous meal
( ) lost something/someone important to you
( ) broke a promise
( ) lied
( ) went behind your parents back
( ) cried over a broken heart
( ) disappointed someone close
( ) hid a secret
( ) pretended to be happy
( ) slept under the stars
( ) kept your new years resolution
(x) forgot your new years resolution
( ) met someone who changed your life
( ) met one of your idols
(x) changed your outlook on life
(x) sat home all day doing nothing
( ) pretended to be sick
(x) left the country
( ) almost died
( ) given up something important to you
( ) lost something expensive
(x) learned something new about yourself
(x) tried something you normally wouldn’t try and liked it
(x) made a change in your life
(x) found out who your true friends were
(x) met great people
( ) stayed up til sunrise
(x) cried over the silliest thing
( ) was never home on weekends
( ) got into a car accident
(x) had friends who were drifting away from you
( ) had someone close to you die
( ) had a high cell phone bill
(x) spent most of your money on food
( ) had a fist fight
(x) went to the beach with your best friend
( ) saw a celebrity
(x) gotten sick
( ) liked more than 5 people at the same time
(x) became closer with a lot of people

tv shows

2009-12-09T23:35:00.005-05:00

Rules:
from mimisaurus

- Bold all of the following TV shows which you’ve ever seen 3 or more episodes of in your lifetime.
- Italicize a show if you’re positive you’ve seen every episode of it.

24
7th Heaven
ALF
Alias
American Gothic
America’s Next Top Model
Angel
Arrested Development
Babylon 5
Batman: The Animated Series
Battlestar Galactica (the old one)
Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
Baywatch
Beverly Hills 90210 (original)
Bewitched
Bonanza
Bones
Bosom Buddies
Boston Legal
Boy Meets World
Brothers And Sisters
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Californication
Chappelle’s Show
Charlie’s Angels
Charmed
Cheers
Chuck
Clarissa Explains it All
Columbo
Commander in Chief
Crossing Jordan
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dark Angel
Dark Skies
DaVinci’s Inquest
Dawson’s Creek
Dead Like Me
Deadwood
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Designing Women
Desperate Housewives
Dexter
Dharma & Greg
Different Strokes
Doctor Who
Dragnet
Due South
ER
Everwood
Everybody Loves Raymond
Facts of Life
Family Guy
Farscape
Fawlty Towers
Felicity
Firefly
Frasier
Freaks & Geeks
Friends
Fringe
Futurama

Get Smart
Gilligan’s Island
Gilmore Girls
Gossip Girl
Grey’s Anatomy
Grange Hill
Growing Pains
Gunsmoke
Happy Days
Hercules: the Legendary Journeys
Heroes
Home Improvement
Homicide: Life on the Street
House
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
Invader Zim
Invasion
Hell’s Kitchen
JAG
Jackass
Joey
Kim Possible
Knight Rider
Knight Rider: 2008
Kung Fu
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
La Femme Nikita

LA Law
Laverne and Shirley
Law and Order
Law and Order: SVU
Law and Order: CI
Leverage
Little House on the Prairie
Lizzie McGuire
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lost

Lost in Space
MASH
MacGyver
Malcolm in the Middle
Married… With Children
McLeods Daughters
Melrose Place
Miami Vice
Mission: Impossible
Mod Squad
Monk
Mork & Mindy
Murphy Brown
My Life As A Dog
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
Mythbusters
NCIS
Ned Bigby’s Declassified School Survival Guide

Nip/Tuck
Numb3rs
One Tree Hill
Oz
Perry Mason
Power Rangers
Press Gang
Prison Break
Private Practice
Privileged
Profiler
Project Runway
Psych
Pushing Daisies
Quantum Leap
Queer As Folk (US)
Queer as Folk (UK)
ReGenesis
Remington Steele
Rescue Me
Road Rules
ROME
Roseanne
Roswell
Sanctuary
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
Scrubs
Seaquest DSV
Seinfeld
Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
Slings and Arrows
Smallville
So Weird

South of Nowhere
South Park
St. Elsewhere
Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
Starsky & Hutch
Superman
Supernatural

Surface
Survivor

Taxi
Teen Titans
That’s So Raven

The 4400
The Addams Family

The Amazing Race
The Andy Griffith Show

The A-Team
The Avengers
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Big Bang Theory
The Brady Bunch

The Cosby Show
The Daily Show
The Dead Zone
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Flintstones
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Golden Girls

The Honeymooners
The Jeffersons
The Jetsons

The L Word
The Love Boat
The Magnificent Seven
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Monkees
The Munsters
The Office (US)
The Powerpuff Girls
The Pretender
The Real World
The Shield
The Simpsons
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Sopranos

The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

The Twilight Zone

The Waltons
The West Wing
The Wonder Years
The X-Files
Third Watch
Three’s Company
Twin Peaks
Twitch City
Unfabulous
Ugly Betty

Veronica Mars

Weeds

Whose Line is it Anyway? (US)
Whose Line is it Anyway? (UK)
Will and Grace

Wings
Wonderfalls

Xena: Warrior Princess

Updated 1/21/11: Have now watched all of Buffy, Firefly, Freaks and Geeks, Pushing Daisies Veronica Mars, and Wonderfalls; some of Six Feet Under, Smallville, Weeds. Have no longer seen all episodes of Dexter.

Review: Brothers

2009-12-06T23:29:00.002-05:00

2009

Directed by: Jim Sheridan

Written by: David Benioff, Susanne Bier (she wrote the Danish version)

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal

Brothers is about a man, Sam (Maguire), who goes off to war and is reported dead. His wife Grace (Portman) is devastated, and his brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal) steps in to help with the house and the kids. Sam ends up not being dead and returns, having gone through a harrowing experience and coming back changed. His kids don't like him anymore and he suspects his wife and brother are sleeping together.

The movie seeks to portray what war does to a person, and how our soldiers are not properly treated, psychologically. It probably does a good job of just how much it would suck to come home and know you can't relate to people in the same way. And what that does to a family. It's tragic, it's sad, but it's well done. Good acting. Oh, and it's based on a Danish movie.

Grade: B-

Hello December, you're here already?

2009-12-05T14:41:00.002-05:00

Well so I apologize for the posting dry spell. I have been busy what with visiting Jeff, writing my 10 page Ancient Greece paper, and having end-of-classes celebrations...

So that's it. My classes are over. No more undergraduate classes for me. My academic career is over, at least temporarily. Wow. I feel mixed about it. Certainly I'm ready. But there are people and things I'll certainly miss.

The campus is just beautiful, and there are lots of great places to walk and fun, spontaneous things to do. Not that the city will be lacking in things to do... but right now I don't know as many people there. Of course, that will change. I'll get to know and love DC, too.

In other news, I got an Amnesty International internship for the spring. Waiting to hear back from Greenpeace, then I've got to decide.

Blowout was nice this year, except I'm getting a cold.

I have decided to create a Tumblr. Not sure how much I'll use it, or how it'll affect this blog. We shall see!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T22:40:00.003-05:00

I'm at home on the shore for this Thanksgiving holiday. I have been mostly chilling and getting very little work done (as expected). Mom and I went shopping on Wednesday and saw 2012 as previously mentioned. Today we went down to the pharmacy and I interviewed Tina for my anthropology project. I've gotten good responses on my online survey as well (in fact, I just checked, I have 100 responses. I can only have 100 on a basic membership). After that I was lazy and sort of half-helped Mom cook some. We watched Angels and Demons on Pay-per-view. And you know, I will probably write a review eventually, but I thought it was a pretty good adaptation of the book. Now, the caveat with that is, of course, it has been quite a few years since I've read the book, and the details are fuzzy. So there ya go. Eventually I put together some Devils on Horseback, recipe courtesy of Brad Weiss follows:

dates, pitted

Parmesan cheese, shredded

bacon

Stuff some cheese in each date, wrap with bacon, spear with toothpick if desired. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Eat.

It's the lazy man's bacon appetizer. Seriously - could not be much easier (of course if you have to pit the dates yourself it's a bit more...). I ate about one and the smell of all that bacon was actually not sitting so well with me. Eventually dinner was all ready around 7 (Dad was working so we had to wait for him to come home). It was delicious but I had very little turkey... again, not sure how I feel about meat. Signs point to not so good. Anywho... we had green beans, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, cranberry sauce, and rolls to go with it so I was not at a loss for food.

After dinner and cleanup and me almost falling asleep and definitely having to unbutton my pants... my parents and I watched Adventureland. It had its moments... but that's about it. Tomorrow Jessi Long and I are going to lunch and then I'm going up to Jeff's. Yay, break!

Review: 2012

2009-11-26T00:53:00.002-05:00

2009 (so many numbers!)

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

Written by: Roland Emmerich and Harald Kloser

Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofer, Oliver Platt, Woody Harrelson, etc.

My mom and I went to Salisbury to shop around and ended up deciding to see 2012. It wasn't my top choice (that was Pirate Radio but they didn't have it) but I figured the crazy CGI might be worth seeing.

And boy, was I right! I mean, this is one of those movies that you can watch and totally forgive its ridiculous plot, fake science, and downright dumb things that happen for its sheer awesomeness. It's monstrously epic. They destroy everything - yes, you've got your famous monuments going down, but also just random shit like Yellowstone Park, all of California, Las Vegas, etc. That shot of a tidal wave pushing the USS John F Kennedy onto the National Mall is pretty crazy amazing. Basically, they destroy the entire world. It is beautiful, heart-pounding, thrilling action and has its fair share of explosions and volcanoes. It will get you excited, scared, and laughing, and maybe a little teary-eyed, all in the same movie.

So basically, yes, you should see 2012, in all its gloriously epic disaster-movie terribleness which is always especially good in theaters. But don't worry - all that stuff won't happen. Right?

Grade: B+

Review: New Moon

2009-11-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

2009
Directed by: Chris Weitz
Written by: Melissa Rosenberg and Stephenie Meyer (novel)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

If you want to get the hots for a 17 year old kid, this movie's for you (I feel less creepy because I'm only 21 I suppose). Seriously... Lautner is really excellent looking in this and fabulously buff. RPattz's supposedly compelling pouty look is really getting annoying though, but at least we can giggle at the sparkle motion moments.

Enough about looks, let's talk about the movie itself. I thought it was a pretty good adaptation of the book on screen, and perhaps better than the first (Twilight). However, it was also often unintentionally hilarious. Slow motion Edward with his shirt blowing in the wind - hilarious. Tender moment with Bella and whoever - hilarious. Especially the 'serious' parts. There are some pretty dumb lines ("you're kind of beautiful") which if I recall correctly are close to what's in the book.

Perhaps I should be embarrassed that I actively loved the books when I was reading them. But I think the movies are terrible. Fabulously, hilariously terrible. So yeah, pretty much the most entertaining and enjoyable movie-going experience for me in a long time, perhaps ever, thanks to the girls I went with, Sarah and Katy, and the fact that everyone in the theater was a college kid and we were all laughing.

Grade: Too awesomely bad to grade.

A recipe for deliciousness! (and specifically pavlova)

2009-11-23T01:50:00.004-05:00

We had a feast day in anthropology last week, and I decided to make a pavlova. A what, you say? A pavlova is a holiday or celebratory meringue cake eaten traditionally in Australia and New Zealand. It was created in honour of the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova who toured Australia and NZ in the 1920s (it's light and airy just like her I guess - plus I bet she was crunchy on the outside). Australia and NZ equally claim the creation of the pavlova. According to Wikipedia, research has proven that New Zealand has the more legitimate claim. But don't listen to me, I'm biased. So anyway, a pav as it is colloquially known, is delicious and easy to make. Here is what it could look like:

Note: this recipe isn't mine originally. But since cookbook writers don't even feel the need to always cite their sources, neither do I! (it was procured somewhere on the internet and possibly combined a few different sites' interpretations).

So you want to make a magical pav! (it's the eggs that supply the magic) Here's how. You'll need:

4 large egg whites (you could make an omelette with the yolks, or something)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 and a half teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Then:
-Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking tray with foil and draw a circle (they said 7 inches) on it with the blunt edge of a knife (don't cut the foil!).
-Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks.
-Continue beating as you add the sugar, a little at a time, until it forms stiff glossy peaks.
-Fold in the cornstarch and the vinegar, and then the vanilla, with a plastic spatula.
-Spread the meringue in your circle on the foil - the edges must be a little higher than the middle so it doesn't become a pav pancake.
-Bake for an hour and fifteen minutes. It should be a pale pink color - but remember: do not open the oven door! I have made this twice and the time was perfect both times, so you shouldn't need to check it.
-Turn oven off, let the pavlova cool completely - do not open the door or it will crack/flatten. I let it cool for about 3 and a half hours and that was good.
-Shortly before serving, cover with whipped cream. I used cool whip, but if you're more discerning, you can make your own topping: whip 1 cup heavy whipping cream until you get soft peaks, then add 1 and a half tablespoons granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
-Put on fruit on top of the cream. Think tart fruits, here, to counteract the sweetness of the meringue. I prefer kiwifruit, but raspberries and blackberries work well too - go wild!
-Eat and enjoy! Easy as!

Who doesn't love kiwifruit? MMMM

PS - sorry vegans, this isn't going to be an easy one to substitute :( I'm not sure that so far we have egg substitutes that are as magical as eggs. One day, perhaps? I still love you though and have a great cake recipe for you - I'll post it sometime. Also, if anyone knows of a way to make this vegan, or tries it out - let me know how it goes!

Review: Fantasia

2009-11-22T17:24:00.002-05:00

1942
Directed by: James Algar and Samuel Armstrong
Written by: Joe Grant and Dick Huemer
Starring: Leopold Stokowski (the conductor)

Now, I've seen Fantasia before, when I was little, and probably more than once. But this is the first time I've seen it as an 'adult.' Some lovely people and I went to Blair and watched it in a classroom. The parts I had remembered were the myth part, the Mickey part, and the dancing hippos. The little unicorns and pegasi were my favorites as a kid.

My first impression was, holy crap, did I just drop acid? The beginning at least is like that. It gets a little less weird, though, when instead of trippy colors they have actual scenes. Some parts bored me to tears. Other parts were great. I still like the myth part. But now I also like the Rite of Spring part with the dinosaurs.

My friend Amanda kept pointing out parts of the movie that make recurrences in later Disney films, which was quite interesting! This is a movie that most people saw as a kid, and it's a classic, so I guess I think you should watch it. But you might laugh at it, a whole lot, and be a little shocked at the blatant racism. But that's the 1940s for you I guess. And Disney.

Grade: C

Chasing Arrows at The Point

2009-11-22T12:58:00.004-05:00

Friday night, after seeing (500) Days of Summer at the Kimball with Zach, I met up with my friend Suz, who is currently living in Newport News, to go see a Chasing Arrows show. Suz is friends with these guys (they're from NN) and in fact she lived with Joe (the drummer) and Nate (lead guitarist) for a few months. I had met Joe on several occasions before, and Nate once, briefly. First we went to Taco Bell, then we got gas and headed over to Gloucester Point. It was really close by, in fact, only about 15 minutes via the Colonial Parkway. I had a little trouble finding the venue, The Point, because it was disguised as a different name (Olivia's) since it was a restaurant by day. We got there and sat at the merch table and I met the rest of the guys: Graham (lead singer), Walter (guitarist/keyboardist), and Tate (bassist).

above: L-R - Nate, Graham, Walter, a tiny bit of Joe, and Tate

I stole some of their fries and then they started playing. We were sitting right in front of the stage and I really should have accepted the offer to borrow earplugs from Joe. Oh well. You live and learn. They played 3 sets, so we were there for about 5 hours in total (woah). The bar was really smoky so my eyes got irritated.

above: Nate, Graham, a little of Joe, a little of Walter

Despite those complaints, it was totally worth it. They were great, and I ended up buying a CD (actually guys IOU $10 - soon, I promise). They had some great covers, like "Inside Out", "Hurt", a couple Foo Fighters songs, "Dani California", and other songs that I love.

Graham, Walter, and Tate

Also their original stuff was good, too. I like that they occasionally throw in some keyboard action. Overall they sound quite good. I like their album that I bought.

Nate, Graham, Joe, Walter

More about the overall experience of the concert: there was this skanky girl dancing up on a bunch of guys, and at one point she got in front of the stage, pulled up her shirt a little, and was pointing down her pants. Classy. There was also a guy really trashed, trying to dance seductively I suppose, but his beer gut was just not that attractive... ha ha. Suz and I were called cute or attractive or hot by a number of gentlemen (or some not so much), and at one point Graham actually pinched my cheek. I thought, is this for real? Like, really happening? It was. A girl walked in at one point with this atrociously furred white boots (Suz: how many animals had to die for those ugly boots?). I was told my dancing was too scandalous for this conservative bar, in what may or may not have been an epic fail attempt at flirting. Basically, it was a lot of fun and highly amusing but there were indeed a few really trashy people there. But every once in a while it's fun to watch people like that, no?

Review: (500) Days of Summer

2009-11-21T23:23:00.003-05:00

2009

Directed by: Marc Webb

Written by: Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz

(500) Days of Summer is a lovely little film about breaking up (yes, it's not a love story). I loved the use of anachronistic storytelling, it actually drew you in more instead of being confusing. Plus, it's kind of the way you think about the past - not usually in chronological order like a traditional story, and there's the 'oh wait right that happened' aspect.

Gordon-Levitt is adorable and so is Deschanel... their interactions make a lot of sense and seem so realistic. They're both somewhat average characters - as in, you probably know people like that. The message is mostly that yeah, there will be girls (or guys) like Summer who will be total bitches, but in the end life doesn't end when the relationship does. There are other people out there.

The movie reminded me of one of my all-time favorites, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It was similarly quirky and disjointed, though not quite as weird. There are also little tidbits that push it to that next level, like the 'author's note' in the beginning, and Tom's friend's comment that "you should turn it into a novel." Kind of great.

Grade: A

PS - Awesome soundtrack, too. Two Regina Spektor song including "Us" which might be my favorite of hers, the Smiths, and a bunch of indie stuff I'd never heard before but really liked.

I can't resist you... Lists Galore

2009-11-20T00:30:00.003-05:00

So recently I found this blog, Lists Galore. It puts up lists with themes of links to lists that fall under that theme - brilliant! You know how I love lists. I've RSS'd the blog and it will waste tons of my time. So all these links below were found there.

Comic book movies that were better than the comics. I didn't know MiB was originally a comic! Also, I am in agreement with their sentiment about Josie and the Pussycats (love it).

Creepy comic sex scenes (it's on Cracked so I judge it NSFW - the images are mostly okay though).

Good and bad comic book vehicles. Ha ha, I totally love the Green Goblin's original broomstick! Also that Helicarrier bears a striking resemblance to the Valiant from Doctor Who (obviously there it isn't an original idea).

Upcoming comic movies! Shia Labouef as Yorick? Mumble mumble. We'll see. Must finish Y the Last Man. Also, ABC has picked up Fables?! I hope it's good. I love Ryan Reynolds - yayyy.

Alan Moore comics to read - who doesn't love some Alan Moore?

Some good comics movie casting.

Awesome, weird Marvel characters.

Thirsty? Make some comic book cocktails!

How much did that sandwich really cost?

Sandwich art - though is the bacon one really art?

School lunches from around the world. Really? Tater tots AND chicken nuggets? Mmm, health food.

Really really cool sandwiches.

Cool video game quilts.

Are these what you would consider the appliances you can't live without? Definitely true for me.

Jeff and I need a bookshelf for our apartment. How about one of these?

10 interesting inventions for the home. The dog speaker is just creepy.

Interesting faucets and tables - these are really cool.

Weird furniture - they say terrifying, but I wouldn't go that far.

Uncomfortable chairs. I think that panda one, contrary to what they say, would be uncomfortable to sit on, too. It's all uneven and think of the button noses!

Cool recycled furniture.

Neat beds - I like that tree bed, and shower heads - the inverted one is interesting, but why is there someone who's almost a furry?

That should keep you entertained for a while...

Review: Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

2009-11-19T22:54:00.002-05:00

2006

By Michael Pollan

Nonfiction

Omnivore's Dilemma sheds light on the industrial food complex, especially on America's heavy reliance on corn, and what brought that about. I learned an amazing amount reading this book. It is really a must read for everyone, if you're living in this society. Everyone ought to know where there food is coming from, and what those unintelligible words on nutrition labels mean.

Pollan tries to find out exactly what happens in the industrial food chain, the industrial organic one, a food chain that comes from a farm that describes itself as 'beyond organic', and one where he hunts and gathers himself. He clearly learned a lot in the process, and you will too. You should also know that 'organic', while having a positive impact on the environment nevertheless, is a much vaguer term than you think - it doesn't mean what you think it means. A fact that the book doesn't mention is that WalMart is the largest seller of organic produce in the country. You will learn that industrial organic is only a narrow shade different from pure industrial - and just as problematic but in different ways.

The description of Polyface farm and its fully sustainable ecosystem are awesome. You can see that it is possible for the animals we raise for food to get to that point through fairly natural lives (aka the chickens can do what chickens are meant to do). You also discover that this method is not just beneficial from an animal welfare perspective, but also from an environmental and health standpoint.

The chapter on the ethics of meat eating was interesting to me, because it added a few points to the discussion that I have not heard before. Pollan brings up the fact that domestication was never a one-sided deal - it has always been a way to create a symbiotic relationship. Initially it was in the cow's interest (cow as a species) to be raised by humans who could protect it from predators and the like. Of course, our industrial food system has negated the benefit for the cows and now it's purely exploitative. And that made me remember - plants were domesticated too, thanks to the adaptability and cleverness (stretching it?) of the plants which benefit greatly from human cultivation. Now I realize that animal rights activists won't agree with this, but I think it is a perspective that is not often addressed. Certainly today, the way we use animals for the food industry only benefits us to the maximum amount, and so perhaps this argument is no longer even relevant. However, if you look at Polyface, you see that that kind of beneficial relationship can still exist.

Basically, you must read this. I could go on more, but mostly I'm just going to put it in my research paper.

Grade: A+

Brand New and Thrice at the Norva

2009-11-17T23:04:00.004-05:00

Here begins my review of the Brand New/Thrice concert at the Norva in Norfolk, VA. Unfortunately the pictures uploaded backwards so I'll just show those right now...

Brand New's Jesse Lacey on vocals plus check out the tambourine

Brand New performing "Archers Bows Have Broken"

Brand New's Jesse Lacey and drummer Brian Lane

Brand New

Thrice

When Will, Kristin, Jeff Black, and I arrived at the Norva, the opening band (Crime in Stereo I think but I can't quite recall) was on. For the first time I didn't have to get those godawful black permanent marker Xs on my hands which not only smell all night but then refuse to come off later... for several days. Thankfully I'm 21 now! Xs no more! It was pretty crowded and we decided to move to the balcony. We stood at the side that faces the stage (and therefore is furthest from it) and got decent spots with just a couple standing in front of Kristin and I at the railing. I kept my thought beams pointed at them, telling them to GTFO, hoping it would work.

So Crime(s?) in Stereo was/were fine. I wasn't totally into them but they weren't at all bad. The balcony which I have never been to turns out to be a sweet spot because it's less crowded, you can see much better, and they have cleaner bathrooms.

Thrice came on after a record-breaking 15 minute set-up delay (wow! who would have guessed?). They did a really sweet cover of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" and had a few other good songs. I certainly didn't like all of their songs, though... oh well. I was mostly there for Brand New.

Brand New took way more time to set up... as the main act usually does (though my bro claims they were co-headlining with Thrice). My mental energies must have paid off, because the couple in front of us left and so Kristin and I rushed in to fill the space at the railing. Awesomely, we had something to lean against and it made for excellent pictures because you could steady the camera (also I took some pretty decent video clips which maybe I'll get the energy to embed one day after uploading them...). So then Brand New came on. For one thing, they had really cool, dynamic lighting that was different for every song. It went with the music, too, seeming to respond to it all on its own (hooray for the lighting tech!). On some songs they had a pretty backdrop on the screen, or short film clips or pictures. In addition to the visual coolness, they were also incredibly good. They play extremely well live (it sounds a lot like the album but with an added oomph of live energy - just the way I like it) and beyond that their setlist was phenomenal. They played all my favorite songs by them, songs from their last 3 albums (and since many bands just play their newest stuff, this was a great mixture). They played such things as Archers Bows Have Broken, Limousine, Jesus, Degausser, Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't, The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows, Sic Transit Gloria, Play Crack the Sky, and stuff off their new album, Daisy, which I hadn't really heard yet.

Basically Brand New is awesome. See them live. Especially if you were like me and were obsessed with Deja Entendu when you were in high school. YES!!!

a little now and more to come

2009-11-16T23:18:00.002-05:00

So I'm waaaay busy and can't really set aside enough time to do my review of the Brand New concert today. Argh! Between a phone interview which I had to prepare for, the dance performance that took a big chunk out of my evening, my successful efforts at procrastination, and my now-becoming-desperate need to start studying for Pompeii, I really don't have time for much of a post (note though that I'm doing one anyway...).

So here's what I've got for you:

Absolutely stunning weather photography.

Boing Boing's having a fiction contest.

Essay from NYT on literary vegetarianism.

And yeah, sorry, that's all for you. I promise I'll get to more meaty stuff... eventually?

Review: Fiddler on the Roof

2009-11-15T02:54:00.002-05:00

1971

Directed by: Norman Jewison (seriously that's his name)

Written by: Sholom Aleichem and Joseph Stein

Starring: Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey, Rosalind Harris

This is a classic musical about Jews. It's about changing times in Russia and the struggle between change and tradition. The dad tries to stop his daughters from doing things outside of tradition but loves them too much and fails, and accepts their decisions until finally one of them challenges his faith.

The songs are really catchy, and there are some funny moments. In fact it seems that Gwen Stefani song "Rich Girl" is based on a song from this musical which I think is kind of hilarious. But in the end the story turns rather depressing. However, I still liked it and thought it was quite good.

But I REALLY don't want to know how they made that horse lame...

Grade: B

first off let's lol at this

2009-11-15T02:24:00.003-05:00

Behold, the first time I've ever been drunk facebook chatted:

guy I know from NZ

hey rachel

2:08amRachel

hey there

2:08amguy

how are uu cutie its been too long!

2:08amRachel

I'm great, how are you?

2:08am

guy

good drunk

sry im drunk facebooking lol

2:08amRachel

haha

no worries

2:08am

guy

lolll

i liked ur tattoos tho!

2:09amRachel

well thank you

I like them too

2:09am

guy

i thought u were a cutie too!

2:09amRachel

thanks

2:11amRachel

where is it that you're from again?

2:11am

guy

2:12amRachel

oh right

well i hope life in connecticut is treating you well

2:12am

guy

it is

2:12amRachel

excellent

haha... awesome

Tonight I'm gonna rock you tonight

2009-11-13T15:53:00.002-05:00

WOOO I have no idea what to write a post about. Awesome. Bear with me.

I know fairly few people read this but nevertheless I wanted to alert you to the fact that Doctor Who Seasons 1-4 (2005-7) are on sale for $32 each new on Amazon! GO FORTH AND BUY! Indeed I was going to splurge on them, then thought I am getting ready to move to DC, this is a bad idea... then I cam up with a genius plan. I am notorious in my family for not writing a Christmas list (gosh, isn't that annoying?). Most of the time I legitimately cannot think of a damn thing to ask for (because usually if I want something I buy it). But this year I have a few ideas. And this was one of them. So I called up my mom, and said "I actually know something you could get me for Christmas" and she was like "buy it now and send it to the house." Yeah! So I'm getting seasons 1-3 for Christmas. EXCITING!

In other news, Google Wave is out as a preview! I've been excited for it. I got an invite and am on it now. So far, though, I haven't quite figured it out but I think a good part of it is that a) it's still buggy and b) it's the kind of thing that works better if you have more friends using it, much like Facebook. I think once it's all ironed out and I have people on there I need to collaborate with on, say, projects, plans, trips, etc., it will be pretty cool. I'm trying to build a map of stuff near my new apartment, but it seems like right now you can't actually add a gadget to a wave. As of this point I still have 2 invites left, so hit me up (though bear in mind I've advertised this on a Facebook status which at this point gets much more traffic).

Tonight I'm going to see Brand New and Thrice at the Norva, and potentially stay with Suz, Stan, and Carla afterwards! It's been quite a while since I've been to a concert that wasn't a free one at school. You can bet there'll be a blog about it!

Review: Doctor Who Series 4 (SPOILERS)

2009-11-12T21:53:00.003-05:00

Well hey there, ladies and gents, here at last is my review of the fourth (and as of yet last) season of the new Doctor Who. By the way... the next special, Waters of Mars, is premiering Sunday on BBC! Then there will be two more around Christmas... and then next year the new season will come on.

The fourth season was, in a word, amazing. I had said before that I didn't like Donna in the Christmas special she appeared in, which is true. But let's just say she's much better in this season (thankfully). Indeed I quite liked her.

I won't do an episode by episode type of thing this time. That's because they are all good, with the one exception of "Midnight." That one was a dud. The library ones and the final three are the best, but they are all very good. There's one about Pompeii which makes me happy as a Classics major despite, well, being incorrect (or maybe not how could we know).

I loved how in "Turn Left" we get a glimpse of how things would have been were the Doctor not there to stop certain events happening, as Donna is pulled into an alternate world. And of course I was extremely happy for the return of Rose Tyler. It was foreshadowed throughout the season and of course I'm too curious for my own good and already knew about it thanks to the internet (though I didn't know any details... I'm not that bad).

The ending of the season was so great, but so bittersweet, I just have to talk about it. First of all we have all the companions that have appeared so far in the new series all converging in this one episode, which is brilliant. Donna gets a bunch of Timelord wisdom which I liked and creates a human/Timelord alternate Doctor as well. In the end the Doctor takes everyone home, and we wonder if Martha's going to join Torchwood (no clue... or even Mickey?). He has to erase Donna's mind so she doesn't go crazy with the Timelord brain and all... which is pretty sad because now she's back to being nothing significant. Worse still, she remembers nothing of her travels with the Doctor. That is so tragic!

My favorite thing that happens (and this is all out of order) is with Rose. So there's still the alternate Doctor and he's killed all the Daleks which the Doctor doesn't like so when he takes Rose and Jackie back to the parallel universe, he leaves the half-human Doctor there. Rose is of course not entirely pleased because, after all, she traveled to another universe to get back to the Doctor. While this half-human Doctor is pretty much the same, the Doctor will still be out there. I love the scene where Rose asks both of them to finish the sentence left hanging at the end of season 2 and the half-human Doctor finally says... whatever he says which prompts Rose to kiss him. So anyway... I imagine that Rose will not be fully pleased with the events at first. She'll think often of what the Doctor is doing and wish she knew. But eventually she'll realize here she has a man who is the Doctor (except that he will age and he's not the only one). He has the same thoughts and memories and looks the same and - most importantly - he is a Doctor who will not be afraid to love her. Sigh. Awwww. Now I know they'll have sex.

Grade: A+++++++++++++

Footnote: I also just watched the two specials since then, "The Next Doctor" and "Planet of the Dead." The second one is definitely better, but I did like them both.

Up too late as usual

2009-11-12T00:53:00.002-05:00

OMG I just finished Doctor Who season 4 OMG. More on it later!!! But anyway... here's some linkies I found just now.

Keyboard designed things. Love those doormats!

Want to know all there is to know about how to eat at a buffet? Here you go.

What could be this serious about macaroni salad?

Tattoos: good and also bad. I like the Tetris one!

Do you like hamburgers? Here's something mouthwatering for you.

These games might be for kids but I personally am obsessed with testing my geography knowledge. Also apparently it is Geography Awareness Week. Please be aware that geography exists!

Happy Veterans' Day/my Dad's Birthday!

2009-11-11T22:27:00.002-05:00

Oh man, it has been raining and windy like crazy today. Apparently Northampton County on the Shore got out early because they were afraid of flooding. It was one of those days where no matter your amount of rain gear, you were gonna get wet.

So a friend of mine contacted me last night and asked to go to lunch with me. I hadn't heard from this friend in a month or more, and I thought perhaps he was avoiding me. Today we went to lunch and I said, "so I thought you were avoiding me" and he was like "what? I thought you were avoiding me." So the moral of that story is, kids, never assume, and instead, just call a person. Maybe it will end up being awkward, but maybe not!

And the moral of this story is never listen to your elders.

Juggling Club is performing at Casino night tomorrow. A chance to show off my skills!

AND NOW TO GO FINISH DOCTOR WHO SEASON 4 no matter how late that means I stay up. Ha! Sleep. Who needs it? (ME).

Review: Peyton Place (novel)

2009-11-10T17:26:00.002-05:00

1956

By Grace Metalious

We had to read Peyton Place for my Sexuality in America class. And you know how that usually goes: you hate the fact that you must read said book and so you dislike the book and desire to throw it in a fire. Well as it turns out Peyton Place is actually quite good.

As you may or may not know, it was really scandalous when it came out but nevertheless extremely popular. I thought, scandalous in the 50s, probably not so shocking now. But actually, it's quite shocking indeed. There are in fact pretty explicit sex parts, and pretty explicit violence, but most of all just the things that happen are kind of disturbing and for me unexpected. You've got a 16 year old girl raped by her step-father (apparently Metalious originally wrote it as her real father but her publisher made her change it) and then getting an abortion, and a couple people dying in gruesome ways.

The favorite quotes of the 50s and 60s were as follows:

Rod, the rich playboy, takes Allison (a "nice girl") to the school party, but goes for a make-out session with mill girl Betty in his car - until Betty says: "Is it up, Rod? Is it good and hard? Then go and shove it into Allison McKenzie!"

and

Connie, the sexually repressed dress shop owner (Allison's mother) goes for a midnight swim with Tom, the virile high school principal, who tells her, "Untie the top of your bathing suit, I want to feel your breasts against me when I kiss you."

Now, which one do you think was popular among young men, and which among young women? The class was split evenly in its guessing, but there is a correct answer.

The scene with Connie and Tom having sex for the first time seemed to me to be bordering on date rape, and I was really uncomfortable with it. He's supposed to be getting her over her false repression when he knows she really wants sex/love but... it wasn't cool.

Basically the novel is lashing out against the norms of the time. Funny how some of those are trying to make a comeback.

Grade: B

New Apartment!

2009-11-09T01:21:00.002-05:00

above: the loft

above: view from our balcony

above: the bathroom

above: stairs to the loft, below: bed alcove

Oh man, I was doing so well on a post a day until this weekend. Let's just say it was a good weekend but rather tiring and with little down time to spare for blogging. Friday I went to my job interview (mixed) and recently my friend Sarah told me the company is going bankrupt, so... I suppose it's okay that I probably didn't do very well in the interview (I hate job interviews...).

After that and the horrors of driving back to Jeff's house (thanks to the GPS telling me to go all the way back on 50, the worst possible route, and me not knowing the area well enough to go a different way - so I'm not sure how I feel about my first time using a GPS while driving), Jeff and I got bagels at Einstein's and then headed into DC to check out some apartments. The first we went to was in the same house Jeff had looked at a room in before, but that room had been taken but it just so happened that two other rooms in the house were vacated at the same time. So we took a look at both of them, shown to us by Tia, the girl who was moving out of the first room Jeff looked at (who is totally awesome by the way). The first room we say was #4. It was on the 3rd floor right at the top of the stairs. Both Jeff and I were instantly taken by it. It has a loft and a balcony, and is lovely. We also saw #5 which was much smaller. Tia had said the landlord was awesome, and the house itself was very nice, too. More on that later.

We then left and checked out the nearby organic market and also the hip bar/restaurant/bookstore Busboys and Poets. We had another apartment to view at 7, and this one was really close by, too. It was sort of a condo but mostly an efficiency apartment. You open the door and there is the tiny room, with a bathroom, closet, and kitchen. That's it. Though the kitchen had brand new appliances (the fridge was HUGE) and was really nice (the one in the other house is pretty small, well about the same size but shared).

After that we actually ate at Busboys and Poets which is rather delicious. I had a poached pear salad because my toothache is coming back (although at this point potentially receding again). We talked about how much we liked the first room and how much we were going to call the landlord immediately and try to sign the lease. After dinner we went outside and both called our respective moms. Then Jeff called the landlord and we set up an appointment for the next day at 7 to sign the lease.

Saturday we helped Greg and Steph move into their new apartment (also it turns out Suz was moving in that day too). We left to go into DC at 4:15. We had dinner at Love Cafe (which is affiliated with Cake Love). My black bean quesadilla was delicious. Then we shared a cupcake. The icing: awesome. The cake part: highly disappointing. Sad face. After that we made our way to 13th and Fairmont which is where the house is. We met with Ernest, the landlord, at a little after 7 and went over the lease and signed it! It is going to be so awesome. Jeff is moving in December 1st and I am moving in after exams are done (the 15th perhaps). Other tidbits: a maid comes every other week to clean the common spaces (but you have to do your own dishes - it's an added bit actually in the lease which I am very pleased about), we have a little atticy type space up in the loft, there's already a dresser in there (and a bed which we'll probably replace though), and did I mention we have our own bathroom? Also we got the keys already and the landlord is fine with us moving stuff in early. Though we need to copy the keys for me.

In our boundless excitement we went to Ikea on Sunday and several furniture stores in Potomac Mills. We weren't actually ready to buy anything - but also I'd never been to Ikea. So it was fun! Now I can't even concentrate on school a little bit!

kind of stressed

2009-11-04T22:18:00.003-05:00

I am kind of stressed right now because I have a job interview Friday. I'm going up to Jeff's tomorrow night but I have to wait to leave until 8 because I have rehearsal then I am taking Tal. I am too nice to ever say no. Also I have to finish Peyton Place for Tuesday and make progress on Omnivore's Dilemma as well. I have a response paper due Tuesday and a bibliography for Anthro due Wednesday. I went to Swem to get some books today. But I also have to look at them. Argh. Let me give you some links real quick like.

Tips for learning a second language.

Christopher Walken reading Poker Face dramatically. Awesome.

8 recent racist ads via Cracked. I love Cracked, btw.

Sometimes the CIA is silly.

Also, my acquaintance Leigh has started a baking business. I haven't tried it but I'm sure the stuff is delish.

I have some things to say about obentos, but I'll save that for later.

Meanwhile, you can see the crest I made for Minda and Amanda's castle on Facebook.

Review: A Beautiful Mind

2009-11-03T23:46:00.003-05:00

2001

Directed by: Ron Howard

Written by: Akiva Goldsman, based on the book by Sylvia Nasar

Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Paul Bettany

This was a lovely, I might even say beautiful, movie with fantastic acting. I didn't expect the thing about the roommate despite knowing it was about John Nash's craziness. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly are fantastic (who am I kidding, Connelly is always good).

I have little to say except to confirm that yes, it's really as good as they say. Also yay for a movie about economics (despite it being often talked about as mathematics in the movie)!

Grade: A

moar links

2009-11-02T20:50:00.002-05:00

Sorry I don't have anything substantial to say. I've been marathoning Doctor Who, starting research on my anthropology project, limping around due to a pulled muscle, and awesome Halloweening lately. I has for you more links. Halloween-related ones. Because I still am looking at people's awesome costumes.

Awesome homemade costumes from Mental Floss.

Weird ones.

Yeah let's dress the dog up sexy! Just what we need!

Continuing the dog spirit, 10 reasons dogs hate Halloween.

I saw a dog dressed as a pumpkin on Halloween in Colonial Williamsburg. It was pretty cute.

Halloween Link-o-rama

2009-11-01T01:22:00.002-04:00

What did I go as for Halloween, you ask? A fangbanger, that's what!

And now some links for your enjoyment:

Inappropriate costumes for kids! Oh yes, let's dress the baby sexy this year.

These are WAY COOL - comic book bento! Holy crap, you talented Japanese people!

A tiny model train! Oh how I love miniatures.

It turns out the guy whose name really is Harry Potter is even more emo than the fictional wizard. Wow!

These are some wicked awesome clouds.

And finally, a very Nedroid Comics Halloween! I LOVE pumpkin Beartato! And lookit Reginald's little fangs! :D

Total Win for Iceland

2009-10-31T01:11:00.002-04:00

So McDonald's is closing all its locations in Iceland (all three of them). Iceland, as you may know, is very small. It's very small and also very far from everything else. Therefore it was costing them too much to import ingredients to the Iceland stores. And now Iceland is McDonald's free! Just another reason to go there: escape the ubiquitous fast-food mega-chain. The owners are replacing the locations with restaurants with similar but local products. Good for them, I say!

Totally unrelated, there was a petting zoo in the Sunken Gardens today! I petted a goat, miniature horse, miniature donkey, alpaca, lamb, rabbit, duck, and chicken! SO adorable. In addition I watched A Beautiful Mind (review to come later) and decided on my costume for tomorrow. I am going as a fangbanger, a la True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse novels. I've looked up ways to make realistic looking vampire bites with makeup and I found a tank top that says "bite me." Yay!

The Best Facebook Applications

2009-10-29T15:57:00.002-04:00

According to me, at least...

First you have, of course, Photos, followed by Notes. The ability to tag people in both is great. I love that I can see photos of me and my friends beyond just the ones I take. Brilliant! Events, too, is a huge part of life now. If you want to know what's happening, where do you go? Facebook Events, of course (I also use Yelp when I'm in cities to find food-related public events).

My favorite games are Bejeweled Blitz, Mafia Wars, Dolphin Olympics, Word Challenge, and Geo Challenge. I also enjoy keeping track of Where I've Been with that application. I've found a downloadable photo uploader which is much more functional than the one in browser for Facebook.

Now go forth and play some flash games! Instead of researching for a 20-page paper. Yes, that's the spirit!

My foray into evangelism

2009-10-28T19:23:00.005-04:00

This post is in response to reading The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose, and is at this point therefore quite overdue. Reading the book really helped me come to terms with something that happened in my past, which I want to share now.

In middle school (7th or 8th grade) our new neighbors the Gibsons started holding a youth group at their house. My friend Bridget from school went and that plus the fact that it was across the street convinced me to attend. There were lots of new friends to be met there, and the games and refreshments and people were a whole lot of fun. It didn't matter to me that the lessons made me a little uncomfortable, I just went for the friends. I continued to go and eventually had to start attending the high school version, which was held half an hour away in Machipongo. Again, it was the games and fun stuff (and cute boys that I would crush on) that brought me back every week.

A preface: I was raised Methodist. So that meant I considered myself Christian; however, Methodism is a far cry from evangelical Christianity. This youth group termed itself 'nondenominational' so I didn't see it for what it was, nor did my parents. It was only once I started telling my parents what they were teaching in the lessons that they got a little uneasy about me going. But they didn't stop me, because I did have a lot of friends there.

I found myself, however, believing what they told me, mostly I think to fit in. That the Bible is unfailingly true and mostly literal, that homosexuality is wrong, and that I should try to witness to my friends, among other things. I became for the most part an evangelical Christian myself, though not without a heavy dose of doubt and a bit of squirming on many of the social issues. For instance it was during this time that I met my first gay friend. I refused to believe that he was destined for hell based solely on the fact that he was different. And so there were parts of me that didn't fully embrace what I thought I believed.

I met my first and second boyfriends through the youth group. After the first one I really started questioning most of the things I had been taught in this youth group. It wasn't too long after that that the youth group began meeting at a Baptist church. I had pretended nondenominational meant whatever I believed, but I couldn't pretend I agreed with Baptist teachings. And the leaders of the youth group began belittling Methodists specifically, saying they weren't really Christians and that they were liars. Did they not know I was in their midst (as well as my brother)? I should have stood up to them. I should have said something. But I simply stopped going.

I rejected everything about organized religion, and felt a great amount of shame at who it had made me - that girl who tries to ask you if you're saved instead of being a good friend. I couldn't understand how it came over me. I rebelled against the possibility of a God, and basically just shut down any thoughts about religion or spirituality, until college. In college religion was a hot topic for intellectual conversations. But I still had little to say, mostly because then I would have to think about it.

Then I read Kevin Roose's book. Roose was a student at Brown who spent a semester at Liberty and wrote about it. He describes how easy it was and how tempting to adopt these radical beliefs. It's because you're made to feel a part of something, like a big family, and you want to belong, because the people in this family are often genuinely good people. But to belong you have to talk like them, and think like them. They'll let you in if you're different (to some extent) but you have to change to stay in. The fact that Roose struggled just as I once had made me realize that there isn't anything wrong with me. I shouldn't be ashamed that I fell into evangelism, or even too surprised. I can finally now set aside the hang-ups I had about that period in my life. And I can finally think about religion again, and realize that it's really okay that I believe in God. It doesn't have to mean I still have those poisonous ways of thinking deep in me. I know I don't think like that anymore, and so I'm allowed to have parts of that world back - I just don't ever want the whole thing.

Review: Doctor Who Series 1, 2, and 3

2009-10-27T23:21:00.001-04:00

I'm thinking of putting my reviews on this blog since I'm not sure if two blogs are warranted. What do you think?

-------------

I have been putting this off for a long time. It looks like now there's going to be a break between me watching the first three new seasons and the fourth, since I ordered the fourth from Amazon. I had seen one or two episodes of Doctor Who previously, and liked it. But what really got me to watch the whole new series was Jeff showing me "Blink," which is the Steven Moffat episode from Season 3, which focuses on Sally Sparrow and the weeping angels. It was terrifying and well-written, and so so good. After that I decided it was high time to watch Doctor Who. Luckily for me, seasons 1 through 3 were on instant play on Netflix. And so it began.

I was hooked after about, oh, one episode. I COULD NOT STOP watching season one. I loved loved loved Rose, and really liked the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston (who was that invisible guy on Heroes!). I was upset that Eccleston was leaving because I did like him oh so much. But that lasted about five minutes (well, once during the Christmas special the Doctor actually starts doing stuff). And so began my full-blown obsession with David Tennant. And Doctor Who in general. I loved the first season but was completely and irrevocably obsessed by the second one. I cried, hard, at the end of the second season. I loved Rose Tyler. I miss her. The third season Christmas special was ok but I don't like Donna (so... err... hopefully she doesn't suck so bad for the 4th season). I liked Martha, though.

Ok, so a more specific season-by-season review.

Season 1: Best episodes were "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances," the Steven Moffat-penned two-part episode. I have a theory about the dancing metaphor but anyway, ask me about that later if you care. "Dalek," "Father's Day," and "The End of the World" were also good. In addition, I liked the finale, "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways." None of the episodes were particularly bad. I do like Captain Jack Harkness, too.

Season 2: Definitely my favorite season so far. David Tennant, as mentioned, is absolutely brilliant as the Doctor. The Christmas special was great, "The Girl in the Fireplace" was marvelous (Steven Moffat - see the trend?) as was the two-part "The Impossible Planet"/"The Satan Pit." I loved the introduction of K-9 in "School Reunion" and our glimpse of Sarah Jane Smith. The two-part Cybermen episodes were quite good as well. The finale was heartwrenching and great. So basically, no duds. However I must say in the first season and the beginning of the second I hated Mickey Smith. I wanted him to go away. He finally gets less annoying in the second season, though, and by the end of it he's alright by me.

Season 3: Rather hit or miss. I do like Martha, she's pretty much great. But there are definitely duds in this season (notably "The Lazarus Experiment," which was just bad, and the two-part Dalek episodes, which were amusing but not great). "Blink" is by far the best episode in the season. I also enjoyed "The Shakespeare Code," "Gridlock," and "42". The final trio of episodes is good too - especially the last one. I like that they brought back Jack Harkness, and that they hinted that he might be the Face of Boe...

I am looking forward to getting my season four in the mail! There's a Pompeii episode, which will be delightful since I'm a Classics major. hehe.

Doctor Who overall rating: A++++++

Season One: A

Season Two: A+

Season Three: B+