I think I'm in Love

With Josh Turner. I know he's been around for a while, but his voice just make me want to follow him anywhere. I am the rat to his Pied Piper. Can I please meet my own sexy and sweet and southern Josh Turner next year? Yes. Yes, please. Am I the only one that feels this way?

I know this video is made of cheese balls, but just for the sake of argument, pretend that the special affects don't suck and that the old man at the end isn't, in fact, a pedophile.

Let's walk here!

I am obsessed with all things Iceland, and the country really does feel magical. This teeny house is perched on a cliff on Elliðaey, a southern island in Iceland. How amazing does it look? I'd love to ride a bike down that hill or lie in the grass at midnight.

Cupcakes, Brownies, Cakes, Cookies, More, More, MORE!

Right now, the only thing that can satisfy me is an outstandingly made baked good. I'm sick today and I hate it when you get sick and you know you're not deathly ill or even mildly flu-ish, but you just don't feel good. Back to the baked goods: Ever since I started this whole lent thing, all I've wanted to do is go out to eat. It seems to be one of these "Don't touch this plate. It's very hot." "OUCH!" kind of situations. For example, this past week, my mind has been transfixed on the thought of Ho Sum's amazing Won Ton soup, that actually has nothing like won tons in it. It's lovely and soothing combination of chicken broth, various vegetables and large dumplings has sounded so delicious. Or lately, all I've wanted to do is drive, walk or bike over to Suzy Cakes and pick up one of there perfect brownies. So the other day to quench my sugary thirst, I attempted to make my own Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes-- not bad, not good, just ehh. I want Sprinkles. But, alas, I will not have the satisfaction of these treats in my belly until April 3-- a whopping 39 days from now. Other than the pre-natal like cravings, Lent has been going quite well. Last night I made home-made spaghetti and meatballs with red sauce and I thought it went pretty well! Even if it was a little more sweet than I may have liked, the process was so fun and satisfying. It's been a challenge, but something that I'm looking forward to accomplishing. You might have picked up on the mention of biking just a few short sentences ago. Well, that was no typing error on my part, friends. I have noticed, in my many reflections of last summer's life changing month in New York, that one of my favorite things about my stay there was the walking. There is something about walking every where that just makes thing seem more meaningful or thought out. It allows you to really take in wherever you are going and, in New York especially, soak up your surroundings. I love the invention of the car and I'm not one to knock the mobilization of America, but I think that I need to start walking or biking more places. Practically speaking, it may not work out as well as New York, simply because of the poor public transportation system, the way our fair Orange County is geographically laid out, and or the time limits that are put on the travel time it takes to get from one place to another, but this will not stop me from trying. Who wants to commit to walking more with me? By the way, you know what I'm really sick of? Walking around Balboa Island. Yes, it's beautiful and yes, it's a nice sized walk (just enough for exercise, but not too much to take up your whole day), but I just feel like what you are essentially doing is walking in a large circle for no apparent reason. It's not like the beautiful homes that we are walking in front of are doing anything super entertaining to look at anyway. Call it a case of the Lazies, but I'm boycotting Balboa Island. From now on, it's Crystal Cove hike or bust.

"Thank you, mood"

more details to come later.

I am all covered in Lent

So, as many of you know, this last Wednesday marked the beginning of the Catholic tradition known as Lent. Lent, by definition, is "the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ." (thank you, wikipedia). Many believers during this time give up something that is meaningful or important in their lives to emulate the sacrifice Jesus gave up for us. Being that I am not Catholic, I have never given anything up for the 45 day period in which Lent takes place, but this year I have decided to participate. I chose to do this not only for the spiritual significance, but also for a challenge. Frankly, this spring semester of school is ridiculous. Most of you may be extremely surprised to hear that I am not a huge fan of school. Shocking, I know. And I, more than probably any student in the United States, or globally for that matter, am so looking forward to graduating this spring and moving on from high school to the, in my opinion, greater stages in my life. By cunning design, I planned for this last portion of high school to be the easiest of my life. And I succeeded. Not only am I only taking 2 academic classes this semester, but I am only actually in school for a paltry hours of 8-11. With this being said, my life now consists of so much extra time that the most exciting part of my day is when Golden Girls comes on Lifetime at 1:00. I need something to distract me and to fill my time with meaning and significance. What am I giving up, you may ask? Drumroll....I AM GIVING UP EATING AT RESTAURANTS! Deciding was the easy part. I just tried to think of my favorite thing. Okay, that's food. But obviously giving up food is impossible so, I figured with the ease of restaurants and take-out being removed from my life, not only will I make healthier food choices, but cooking all of my own meals will take up time of consideration and preparation. I am actually very much looking forward to cooking more often and making some things that I have wanted to try and cook for a long time (I will definitely keep you updated in that department). So, far it has been pretty easy to stay committed, but I know it will probably get harder. I think the greatest challenge will be finding a way to get around going out with my friends after school or on weekend.
Right now our fridge is stocked with plenty of food to munch on and experiment with.



What do you guys think? -- and remember, cynicism helps no one.

And this is why happy things are so much better than sad things:

Artist Pete Dungey plants gardens in the potholes on British roads. "If we planted one of these in every hole," he says, "it would be a like forest in the road."
How great is that? These are the kinds of things that just bring sunshine to someone's day and lift you up.

"Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain"

What I'm Obsessed with Today

So, now that I know I’m headed down south for the next four years, I have been doing some major damage in the google search department of Savannah, Georgia. Things like where to eat, where to shop, where to live are all big questions that I feel more comfortable being an expert on before I move myself and all my priceless belongings down. A major question, of course, is what to listen to. The trigger answer would obviously be country, which I am not apposed to one bit due to the fact that most of my ipod is already screaming anything Tim Mcgraw. But you may be surprised to hear that Savannah is fast becoming a music capitol for smaller alternative bands. With all of that being said, please enjoy the free musical experience that is www.scadradio.org. These mellow tunes are perfect for studying, surfing the web or enjoying whatever life has to offer you everyday. Happy Wednesday, lovies!

I wish I could like Valentines Day. I really do, but right now, I just can’t. With all the chocolates, balloons, and flowers I feel that there are enough people celebrating and not enough boycotting. Although I could join the group who celebrate “Singles Awareness Day” (ironically shortened to S.A.D.) I feel that that is too cynical. Among other changes in 2010, I have decided that being cynical is just a pure waste of time. So I’m trying to be po….ppp…po-s-s…..positive (it’s still hard for me to say it). So, here is a list of other landmarks on February 14th that we can recognize and enjoy without the terrible and inevitable loneliness of Valentines Day…and you can avoid the emotional eating binge that comes with all the excess candy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_14
My personal favorite is Oregon’s admittance as the 33rd state. Where in the world would we be without Oregon?
Look forward to my next post when reveal for the first time on the world wide web my Senior Project! More to come.

I come to you now with shorter hair and a scattered brain. It has been 7 months since my last post. Never did I give you the finale post that was promised. I am sorry. Much has happened and I feel that it is now time to revive the blog. It has been cryogenically frozen only to be thawed out with the spring like Walt Disney (google it). I hope that not all of my loyal readers have jumped ship, but i totally understand…it’s “my bad.” anywho— let’s see if this gets rolling again.