Good Bye Dulles!

This computer is so weird! It took me forever to upload some pictures because the setup is different and the programs are different and I don't know... Oh well, I'm sure I'll get used to it.

I was going to write a post on how to make really good cheesecakes:


But my boss called me and offered me the transfer that I wanted!

Yay!

We're in negotiation for salary increase. I don't think I'll get the raise that I wanted but I'm sure I'll get more than their initial offering.

So, talking to him about the transfer and expectation and all that took a good chunk of my time so no time to talk of cheesecakes.

I will, however, say that this cheesecake is the lightest cheesecake that I've ever had and I have grand designs of baking a new another one, mushing it all up, and using it as a thick icing on a cupcake, that's how light it is.

Ooooh... Chocolate cup cake with cheesecake frosting? I don't think my poor heart could handle so much fat but damn, I bet it would good.

Well, I best be getting ready for work. Yikes... telling Eric that I'm leaving is not going to be fun...

Lesson Learned

Karma is a bitch.

So, remember how my neighbor's magazine was accidentally delivered to me and I kept it?

Well, for my birthday, my brother bought me a laptop. It was supposed to be delivered on Friday. Well, it's Friday afternoon and I see the FedEx truck leave my neighborhood. Yay! I open the door and... hey... wait a minute... no package! Hmmmm... I go on line to check my order and it says the package has been delivered!

!!!

Where's my laptop?!?!?

?!?!?

I walk around, check my neighbor's doorstep, knock on doors, ask around... no lap top. Shit!

I called FedEx and they said that they will investigate. I want my laptop!!

Well, next day, as I was leaving for work, a neighbor comes by, with my laptop, and said it was accidentally delivered to their house.

Lesson learned Karma Police, lesson learned. I will never again keep anything that doesn't belong to me.

Yay, new laptop!

It's like moving into a new place. I have to pack everything up (back it up into an external hard drive) and unpack it all unto my new laptop. Every thing's kind of the same, but different, I'm feeling a bit disoriented, every thing's harder to find, and, of course, it's all very exciting.

Yay, new laptop!

Milk Chocolate Lavender

What's the best dollar you've spent this week? Mine?


Tranquility's Milk Chocolate Lavender mini bar.

Horrifically over priced at a dollar? Yup. The whole thing is probably smaller than half the size of a credit card and about as thick as... 2 quarters stacked together. What do you expect from Nordstrom? Still, it is probably the best chocolate that I have had in a long time. So... I guess it's not over priced since it's worth the dollar.

Horrifically over priced at a dollar? Nope! It's worth every penny!

Who would have thought that a flower could taste so good?! I wish I had a green thumb, I would love to grow lavenders just to eat them.

I wanted to buy this chocolate in bulk but, sadly, Amazon doesn't carry them and they don't seem to be available anywhere else. It's listed, it shows up when you do a search, but the items are currently unavailable. I did find some different brands on-line but it's dark chocolate with lavender. I do love dark chocolate more than milk, but I think it might over power the lavender... or maybe not. Either way, I don't really feel like paying for shipping and handling only to have the mailman leave it outside in the hot sun where it will melt. I'll reconsider when the temperature cools down.

I might just try making my own lavender-chocolate dessert. I found this recipe for like a lavender chocolate brownie thing. The recipe looks easy but coconut oil? Agave syrup? Pass. Besides, it calls for raisins, ew. Can I just buy some lavenders from a florist and throw it in a brownie? What about lavender essential oils? Are those edible?

Book Mark Clean Out!!!

Repent!

I repent!!!

These past few days have been just filled with all kinds of debauchery, let me tell ya!

Okay, no torrid stories to share but I've been spending money like it's going out of style (kind of) and indulging in all kinds of hedonistic stuff like burgers... with fries... and coke! Okay, okay, so so some new clothes and fatty food binges aren't exactly acts debauchery, but, after an ascetic lifestyle of cereal and not buying things, it sure felt like it.

Now that I'm back to normal, guilt is starting to creep in... Did I really need to eat out so much? Did I really need to buy all those stuff? Well, the answer is, of course, "no", but... it was fun. Sigh... How will I save for retirement?! How will I save up for a house?! Oh well.

To add to this whole guilt thing I have going on right now, my brother sent me an email confirmation of the new laptop he bought me for my birthday. He got me a laptop for my birthday I got him some clothes... hardly seems fair. However... if you add up all the money I spend on feeding and clothing him for a year (I'm such a good sis) it probably adds up to a cost of a new laptop. Seems fair, I guess.

While I scrub this laptop of all personal info, photos, and documents, here are some stuff you can read!

Credit Cards: Don't Put These Items on Your Card if You Can Help It- What's wrong with personal pampering? What's wrong with bargain binges? So, you're screwed if you splurge and screwed if you scrimp. Nice.

Cheeseburger Cupcakes- OMG! They do look like cheeseburgers!

Pistachio Asparagus Pesto on Penne- It looks so good and easy! I don't have a food processor... I wonder if I can use a blender instead. More pics here.

Dress Code: Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall 2010- It reminds me of that race track scene from My Fair Lady, only more colorful.

Evolution: Cute Baby Photos Can Help Retrieve Lost Wallet- Note to self, print out cute pictures of The Baby.

Ebola Virus Found in Pigs, Infects Farm Workers- Oh man, I read Hot Zone, I did a paper on Ebola. It is a scary, scary disease.

Hate Speech Against Malia Obama on Conservative Blogs- Oh my goodness, people are dumb jerks! Fucked up.

Jon Gosseling Ensures that Ed Hardy Will Forever be Known as the Axe Body Spray of Clothing- Gah! I hate Ed Hardy and Affliction shirts!

Is Scooter, the Tea Cup Maltese Terrier the Smallest Dog in the World?- Why not just get a hamster?

Junk: Don't Buy These Pieces of Junk... Or Should You?- I like my rice cooker and books, thank you.

Charlotte Russe Launch Event Fall 2009- I saw these pics and got excited. I then went into to Charlotte Russe and was quickly disappointed. I'm sure with better merchandising and increase in visual standards, the store, and the merch, will be a lot more appealing. More pics here, here and here.

He Had a Piercing Stare- Valentino told me about this. Hearing about it and actually seeing it are two different things. One questions: Why?

Fettuccine Alfredo- My goodness, I think I just got a heart attack reading this. Still, I love me some alfredo.

Guinea Hens- I normally don't find birds of any kind to be cute but awwwwww... these are so cute!

Cheesy Corkscrews with Crunchy Bacon Topping- Wait, wait, wait... Cheese, bacon, and potato chips?!

What is Your Interior Style?- Mine is "Sophisticated Retro".

Love em Anyway- Not sure why, but this made me very sad.

The Power of Daria

Years ago, after work, Daria and I would make the 20+ drive to Milwaukee's Best Frozen Custard in Chantilly. It was an enjoyable summer tradition and it taught me to appreciate fine ice cream. And yes, frozen custard is not ice cream, but you know what I mean. That summer I learned to appreciate quality creamy frozen milk based dessert.

The interior is filled with pictures of famous frozen custard joints in mid west, one of the most famous being:
Leons!

A few years later Daria and I drove all the way to Wisconsin to get some authentic Milwaukee frozen custard (while we were in the city, we also had some authentic Milwaukee beer). We were fortunate enough to find Leon's and, let me tell you, their frozen custard is amazing!

Daria actually called Milwaukee's Best Frozen Custard to tell the manager that we were eating frozen custard outside of Leon's and that their sign is misleading because they're not Milwaukee's best, Leon's is the best. The manager, to her credit, was pretty cool and agreed that Leon's is indeed, a fine establishment.

I can't believe she actually did that, the Daria now would never be so rude.

Milwaukee Frozen Custard franchises has been opening up quite a few stores in the past few years and now there's even one in Ashburn. The Ashburn location, however, is missing that certain magic.


For one, it is dirty as all hell. The store was empty, there were three people behind the counter, just talking, and the floor and all the tables were covered in crumbs and melted custard. Gross. And, for whatever reason, they decided to put a circus mirror by the bathroom. Yes... a mirror that shows you what you would look like if you gained 300 pounds... not exactly a wise choice for a place that sells high calorie desserts.

The ambiance and service sucks but the custards are still good. I got my usual:


chocolate with strawberry!

Michael got:


vanilla with raspberry!

Originally, he wanted it in a cone. I told him that there's no way you can get fruit topping on a cone, he was all, pish posh! I'm sure there's a way. Turns out there isn't. Well, there actually is a way. I told him to get the cup, with the topping, and a cone on the side.


It's like his own little Coldstone.

Oh, and I noticed that they are now "Milwaukee Frozen Custard" not "Milwaukee's Best Frozen Custard". Maybe Daria's phone call had something to do with the name change.

It's 70 Degrees Somewhere

I'm a fan of the whole "boyfriend" look. I like the boyfriend cardigan, the slouchy, slightly baggy shirts and sweaters, etc. However, I can't really get into the whole boyfriend jean trend. I don't know... It's just not my thing. I can see the appeal of a loose, slightly baggy jeans, I just don't understand why you have to roll them up to manpris lenghts.

Recently, I bought some socks that... quel supris... does not have any cats on them. I know! But, at like a buck (Target clearance), they were such a good deal. And you know, feline free as they may be, they're pretty rad. I got some knee highs, thigh highs, and these:


I wanted to show off the frilly bits, but I didn't want to wear a skirt so, boyfriend jean it is:


I'm not saying I loved the look, but it wasn't as weird as I thought it would be. I did feel a bit self conscious, like people would think I was wearing manpris because it's the thing right now and I'm trying to be trendy, and not, you know, to show off my frilly socks. Oh well, who cares, my socks were rad. And, since we're on the whole boyfriend theme, why not a boyfriend cardigan to go with it?

I wore it with my boyfriend cardigan... never mind that it's, you know, August. I'm so sick of summer. The way I see it, if the temperature is in the low 80's, it's cardigan weather. People may think I'm odd but I miss wearing cardigans and I'm tired of trying to scrounge up summer outfits.

I Ignored the Sign

I need a new purse. I set mine down at a restaurant and now it has some kind of grease like stain that won't come off. Michael disagrees but I think it's a sign from God that I need to buy a new bag, here's why.

In order to get to the restaurant, Neisha Thai in Tyson's Corner, you have to go through Lord & Taylor. As we were walking through the department store I saw this super cute bag.



It's THE SAK's "Silverlake" Convertible Flap Bag- Retail price of $199.

Awesome leather, great neutral color, super cute design, right size, and on sale. I saw one, with a small make up stain, marked down to the low $100 (forget the exact figure). I wanted it. I really, really wanted it. However, the sensible, frugal side of me couldn't really justify spending $130-ish on a new bag (esp. a damaged one) when I have a perfectly okay old bag, you know? So, I didn't, and we went to lunch.

And, since we ate at a Thai place, I had...


... the drunken noodles.

At first, I was a bit panicked because I didn't see "drunken noodles" on the menu. Oh no! WTF! What am I suppose to eat now?! Confusion ensued for a few minutes until I noticed they serve pad see ew. Oh, well if they have that, they must have drunken noodles, right? And they do, only they call it "kee mao kai".

Much like Busara, the sauce was watery and splashy but the dish, as a whole, was very flavorful and awesome- full of wok hay.

Michael had the...


... green curry chicken. He's been ordering that a lot lately, maybe he should start his own quest, one for the best green curry dish.

I must admit, green curry is starting to change my opinion of curry. I'm sorry, curry, for thinking you were all alike. I now see that there are sweet, creamy, mild, yummy curry and then there are Indian and Japanese curry.

After the meal, I stopped by the bag section of Lord and Taylor again and... hello! The exact same bag, minus the make up stains in the 60% off bin?! That's what... $80! So worth it, right?!

Well, I won't bore you with the flip-flopping of my mind but, needless to say, no new bags for me... poo. According to Lord & Taylor's website, the bag is still full price. That might explain why the one in the 60% bin didn't have a markdown sticker like the stained one. Maybe it was there by mistake.

So, after leaving Lord & Taylor, I noticed the grease like stain on my bag. I think that was God's sign to buy that bag. However, I had already kind of made up my mind that I wasn't going to get it so...

I consoled myself with an orange chocolate cupcake from Cake Love.


Too bad the cupcake was dry as cardboard.

Oh well...

I think I'll check out the Lord & Taylor at my mall this weekend.

Love at Fist Site!

I am in LOVE!

It was totally love at first site! I was walking around in the mall today and saw...


I'm not even into blonds but, my goodness, that is one fine looking fella.

Dude, check out his nose, super fab. I wonder what H&M does with their store displays once they're done with the campaign.

More pictures of anonymous super hot dude can be found here. I totally dig all the outfits except for the beret. The beret's pretty dumb. Okay, I'm also not a big fan of the red stripe down the pants outfit, a bit too marching band-ish, in a bad way.

Since I am in an androgynous phase, I would totally wear all those outfits ('cept the marching band outfit and minus the beret... and the suits). I especially like:


I don't think that I could pull off the tie, and the last plaid pants I owned made me look like I was wearing pajama bottoms, but this outfit's pretty rad.


A car length velvet jacket? So want!

It's like, "Hello, my name is Edward Rochester and even though I am a huge douche, girls, for generations to come, will find me irresistible and fall madly in love with me. Darcy? Heathcliff? I put them to shame. And yes, I know I'm suppose to be old, craggy and ugly but come on, isn't this more like how you pictured me?"


Okay, if I saw someone wear this in real life, outside of a show, I would think it's a bit much. But, I really like that sweater. I think I will hunt it down, I'm sure a small with fit me.

This outfit is all kinds of awesome. Oooh, is that a chain belt?

Maybe I'll take Michael shopping, make him buy a whole bunch of stuff, and secretly hope it shrinks in the wash. "Oh, be sure to wash everything in hot water... Really, no trust me on this... Dude, my parents own a dry cleaner, I think I know what I'm talking about! Yeah, and be sure to dry it on high heat!"

Book Mark Clean Out!!!

Well, it turns out my neighbor didn't steal my Marie Claire, it came in the mail the other day. I would accuse her of having read it and put it back but it came sealed in plastic so... oops. I still have her Elle and I think it would be too awkward to give it to her. What if she catches me putting it back?

Oh well. While I read my magazine, here're some things that you can read.

Can't Afford a Home Alarm System? You Probably Already Have One- This is a good idea- not enough for me to do it, but a good idea nonetheless.

What I've Been Up To- Because I'm in a book hoarding mode right now (it's currently my main motivation for going to thrift stores, not clothes or jewelries) this would be my dream. However, I don't doubt that soon I will pine for a simple floating shelf containing maybe ten or twelve of the essentials.

Fancy Fast Food- It looks like it would taste really gross but it looks very good.

Hair Hair- I'd like to think that I'm pretty open minded and respectful of other's fashion choices but this is just disgusting.

Top 10 Ironic Ads From History- 50 years from now, what will they think of our ignorance and bad science?

Cheap, Cheaper, Cheapest- Delia's DM told me that they are the industry's top dog when it comes to women's novelty shirts. You'd think such a powerhouse would've been able to secure exclusive rights to designs.

DIY Plastic Surgery: This is Not a Hoax- AUGH! That lady is foul looking! How could anyone have thought that injecting cooking oil into your face would be a good idea.

Alice by Annie- My favorite is Karl Lagerfield's version.

Fish With Human Teeth- Creepy!

Mini Jello Watermelon- So cute! If I liked jellos (or if I were into jello shots) I would so try this!

What Rap Videos Would Look Like if They Objectified Men- AAAAAHHHH!!! Fucking Millionaires! I saw them live and I swear this was one of their songs:

Let's get fucked up!
Go buy me some alcohol!
Let's get fucked up!
A-L-C-O-H-O-L!

This crunk trend needs to go away, fast.

Kansas: Need an Ambulance Ride? If You're Overweight It's Going to Cost an Extra $543- I read a lot of fat blogs. They were all up in arms about Delta charging extra for fat people but none of them ever addressed this. Odd.

Now in Farmed Fish: Mad Cow Disease?!- Who knew that they fed cow to fish? I didn't.

Billie's Italian Cream Cake Recipe- I don't have one cake pan, let alone three (or do I... wait, I think I do... or am I thinking of my pie pan...) I wonder if I can use my lasagna pan and make it into a sheet cake...

Puss N' Socks- Awwww... he died? Sad.

In Scorn (and Praise) of Cats- Oh my! Who knew cats were so smart? I knew there's a reason I liked them so much!

Is that a Child or a Dog on a Leash- Maybe it's because I work retail but... I don't see a problem with parents leashing their child. It's a better alternative to letting them run around like a crazy little hurricane hopped up on sugar. I've found that the leashed kids are generally the well behaved kids.

6 Items You Touch Everyday That Are Filthier Than a Toilet Seat- The first one disturbs me, a lot. Note to self: Fuck nature. On the next supply order, only order the soaps that comes in it's own pump and get more alcohol wipes and disinfectant sprays.

Birthday Feast

Traditionally, Koreans eat seaweed soup on their birthday.


It's our version of the birthday cake. If it's your birthday, you're having it. I never questioned it until a few years ago. My mom explained that Korean women eat seaweed soup after giving birth to regain their strength. I see... Well, if that's the case, shouldn't my mom eat this soup on my birthday not me? Maybe this tradition is to remind people that their mom went through hell to pop them out.

Nothing says "Happy Birthday!!!" like a bit of passive-aggressive guilt.

I kid, I kid. Nothing says "I love you!" like seaweed soup. It's so closely tied with the whole, "I gave birth to you, I love you, you're a part of me" feeling, it just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.

What does it taste like? Umm... It's a hearty chicken stock with seaweeds, flavored with a bit of garlic. The seaweed tastes like... Well, you know the seaweed wrapping used in sushi rolls (nori)? Well, it's kind of like that, only a lot thicker and wet.

I'm going to start a new birthday tradition:


The birthday taco!

Nothing says happy birthday like a confetti of lettuce and cheese strewn on top of a yummy yummy taco.


Michael enjoyed the biggest burrito I've ever seen. It's almost disgusting how big that thing was.

Asphyxia

I love lipsticks and lip gloss but I'm don't really like wearing them. They're so high maintenance- you have to reapply it all the time! They leave their marks on everything your lip touches and I'm not a fan of how I look in lip goop. I don't know, I'm just not used to seeing myself with different colored lips. Every time I see myself with painted lips I just feel... fake.

Still... the packaging, the color... so pretty. And, since I like pretty things, I have waaaaaaaay too much lip stuff. So, I'm doing the responsible thing and working my way through it all. I figure I'll be done in about... well, a lot of years.

The one I'm wearing in this pic is Urban Decay's Asphyxia. It's very violet but goes on pretty sheer.

My Go Bag

Awhile back, Lifehacker had a segment where they asked readers to show off their "go bag". Being Lifehacker, it was mostly tech geeks showing off their tech gear, but, I found it interesting. I like looking at what other people carry inside their purse, and, every once in awhile, a blogger will post the content of their purse, like this blogger, this blogger, and this one. With the exception of some loose receipts and a few other things, here's what's inside my go bag!

The Bag:

I bought this bag in January at TJ Maxx and I'm not sure of the brand, but a cute leather bag for $35? Who cares about brands. I had a problem with the stitching on the strap coming loose but I got it fixed and now, it's good as new!

The Essentials:

My Sony Cybershot DSC-W120

Despite my poor camera skills, it's actually a pretty good camera. I'm not thrilled that it's pink (it was on sale) and, at times, I dream of upgrading to a newer, slimmer one. However, it has served me faithfully and it does what I need it to do.

$10 sunglasses

Oh my goodness, my hair was that light! Oh yeah, forgot to tell you, I dyed my hair again. Anyway, I love these glasses. I love them so much, I bought 3 of them. Unfortunately, I lost one, gave the other to my mom, so now I just have one pair. Scary.

iPod- 30 gig

Sometimes, I forget to put my iPod back in my purse and I have to drive to work listening to the radio. It makes me sad.

LG Rumor

It's the best free phone I've gotten so far. The qwerty keyboard is pretty rad and I don't think I can go back to regular phones anymore. I was always a piss poor, slow as hell texter and this makes it so much easier.

Wet Wipes

I used to use the Target brand which were $1 for 20 count, but I can't find them anymore so I have to use these, which are $1 for 15. I prefer these over the gels because I feel like the wipes actually wipes away the dead germs whereas the gels just kills them and leave you with a battlefield of dead germs on your hand. I'm probably wrong, but I still prefer the wipes.

Perk Up Your Trek Mix from Trader Joe's

I'm not a fan of trail mix but I get hungry and a handful of nuts does a good job of tiding me over until I get a chance to eat. I like this one because it comes with chocolate covered espresso beans!

Coach wristlet with Andy Warhol knives card holder and Chococat change purse.

For awhile I thought about buying a new wristlet. I do have some birthday money so maybe I'll buy a new one. I figure if I don't use it buy something big, I'll squander it on lots of little things like coffee and socks.

I like that if I'm just running a quick errand or taking a break at work, I can just take my wristlet instead of my entire purse. Inside, I have my card holder, membership cards, receipts, and such. The few times that I switch to a smaller purse, I just take the card holder. The Andy Warhol card case was originally $14.99- overpriced, but, due to a ticket misprint, I got it for $4.99!

Stuff I Don't Need But Carry Because I Can:

Mints, Advil, lip gloss, and lotion

I lied, the Advils and mints (inside the oval tin) are pretty essential, especially since I eat cereal for lunch and I would rather not gross anyone out with milk breath. The lip gloss is Tutti Dolci Creme Brulee, which was a gift from Jamie. And, despite my frighteningly dry hands, I don't use lotion all that much. The lotion is wild Honeysuckle from Bath and Bodyworks. Every time I put it on, someone compliments me on my "perfume" so, if you like to smell nice, I suggest this lotion.

A pair of black socks

Sometimes, I discover that wearing certain shoes sans socks is not a good idea. That's when I'm really glad that I carry around a spare pair of socks.

Ashburn Brick Oven Pizza

If you haven't revisited a nearby restaurant in a few years, chances are that restaurant was never that good.

We decided to eat at the Ashburn Brick Oven Pizza since it's been about 2 years since we last ate there. I knew it wouldn't be as good as Don's Fire Brick (aka Don Corleone), and I couldn't remember if I liked the place. But, we decided to revisit because it was something different. Why not, right?

...

We started off with our favorite appetizer, calamari.


It wasn't horrible but I did regret the $7 we spent.


Yeah, I know, the pizza looks great, right? If only it had tasted as good as it looked. Again, not horrible, but very mediocre and incredibly salty. A big disappointment overall.

It's pretty hard to fuck up pizza (unless you're the Loudoun County School Board person in charge of lunch) and the pizza wasn't bad, just not good. We expect a lot out of any pizzeria that uses "brick oven" in it's name and we sorely regretted the money we spent on this mediocrity. You won't hear me bitch about Jerry's $5.99 Monday Special pizza because, well, it's pretty good pizza for $5.99. If I'm spending pizzeria prices, however, oh it better be good.

This wasn't.

Note to self: Stick with a sure thing.

Chicken Piccata-ish but Still Good!

Ever since I made my Lemon Shrimp Pasta I've been quite partial towards lemon-y entrees. I was thrilled to see a recipe for Chicken Piccata on Closet Cooking (probably my favorite food blog).

Normally, Closet Cooking recipes are a bit over my head in terms of ingredients, skills, and budget, but this one was delightful cheap and easy. Mine didn't turn out as pretty as Kevin's, but it was gosh darn good!


I added the asparagus because, well, who doesn't love asparagus (besides Michael- weirdo). They were a bit droopy and overcooked but still good!

I also used red wine instead of white since that's all I had. I'm sure it changed the flavor of the sauce but, again, still good!

(500) Days of Summer

Even though I made it very clear that I have ZERO desire to see (500) Days of Summer, Michael wouldn't stop whining about it so I finally gave in and we saw it yesterday.

During a particularly boring trailer, Michael burst out snickering.
"What?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha haha ha ahaha hah!"
"What?!"
:snicker sniker: "It's like all girls here except for me and those two old dudes down there with their wife! :snicker snicker: And they probably think you dragged me to watch this movie."

I'm not much of a movie person. Why is it that anytime I say, "I'm not much of a movie person" people give me that judgmental look? Like, "Whoa... what kind of a weird, boring freak are you? Who doesn't like movies?!?!?" I enjoy movies but, most of the time, I can leave it or take it and, if it means I have to pay $10, I'd rather leave it.

Even knowing that this movie was directed by the same dude who directed afi videos, even knowing that Jade loved it, even that didn't pique my interest in this movie.

Off topic: What kind of parents name their son "Jade"? Is that his real name? It is! They're lucky he grew up to be a rock star and not a male stripper.

Back on topic: The movie was good but it left me very sad. Very sad. It's not a sad movie but the main character reminded me a lot of Michael and I think that just gave the movie a sadder angle for me. It is, however, a beautifully shot movie and very well acted. It is interesting, cute, sad, "indie" and "hip" but not in a way that makes you want to roll your eyes and gag. It does a very good job of portraying that feeling of love. Not LOVE, like running towards each other's arm LOVE, or rushing to the airport to say, "No! I was wrong! I do love you!!!" LOVE but real life love, you know?

Here's what I liked/didn't like.

1) Didn't Like: The movie made me feel a bit like a pedophile. The movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, aka Tommy Solomon from Third Rock From the Sun. This was me during the movie, "Dude's pretty hot... EWE! What am I saying? That's Tommy!"

I know he's all grown up and whatever, but still, as I'm watching this movie, in the back of mind I'm just thinking:


It didn't help that he the main character's name in this movie is Tom. I half way expected the end scene to be Tom, in a red convertible, with Dick, Harry, and Sally, talking about the lessons he learned of love.

2) Liked: Tom's outfits! Swoon! Personally, I think every guy should walk around wearing cardigans (or sweater vests), button downs, and ties. On weekends, they should wear vintage band tees, skinny jeans, and a jacket.


I really liked how Tom wore the same clothes over and over and over again, but in different combination, like a real person! Maybe it was a deliberate decision to add some realism, maybe it was because this was an indie film with a small budget... either way, awesome.

3) Didn't Like: Dude! Zoey so looks like the mom from Home Improvement! No, really! Look!


That is so the Jill Taylor, "Oh Tim, what you did was really stupid but sweet" look!

Still don't see it?



I was already having a hard time disassociating Tom from Tommy. The younger Jill Taylor doppelganger made it all the more distracting. Was Wilson going to pop out from somewhere and dispense some wise advice on commitment and knowing when someone is "the one"?

4) Did Like: There were a lot of little, minor, subtle, real life details, quirks, and mannerism that just made the movie seem more beautiful.

5) Didn't Like: It made me really sad, even though it had a very hopeful ending.

6) Did Like: I really liked Summer's hair.

If you like movies, I definitely recommend spending $10 to watch it in theaters or the $15 to buy it on DVD. If you're like me, I would highly recommend catching it on cable late one night.

It's, You Know, Whatever

Well, I did it. I finally baked a zucchini bread.


Think me foolish, if you will, but I really though zucchini breads would taste zucchini-ish. When I found out that it's more of a spiced cake, well, it kind of broke my heart a little. I boycotted the recipe for awhile, on principal. Why waste a zucchini on a dish that will only mask it with foul cinnamon, blerch.

Then, I found myself with a crap high pile of zucchinis. Lord knows I love fritters and temperas but one can only eat but so much fried zucchinis. Eeep! Did I just say that?

So, how was the bread? Meh, it was okay. I'm sure it was pretty bad ass but it's hard for me to be objective since I'm not a fan of spiced cakes. I think the zucchini is just used as kind of a moisture bomb and not for any taste or texture. If that's the case, I can probably put zucchinis in pretty much any kind of moist baked goods.

Like chocolate cake...
Like chocolate cupcakes!

Now that is a worthy use of a zucchini.

I wonder if you can make a zucchini frosting...

Don't Mess With Nature

You know, I don't like seeds but this just seems... wrong.


It looks so alien and artificial. This is what a watermelon should look like:


Come to think of it, I can't think of the last time I had watermelons with seeds. How will future flute players learn how to flute? That's how we were taught, "Pretend you're spitting out watermelon seeds!" Of course, that wasn't much help because we usually spat out the seeds onto a napkin or our hands. Maybe that's why I had a bit of a hard time.

Hmmm... I wonder if I still remember how to play...

Cheese is Not Retarded

When I was a kid, I wanted to get into cheese. I think there was a part of me that yearned to be pretentious and, really, what's the perfect stereotype for pretentiousness? Cheese. Well, cheese and wine, but wine was out of the question.

Growing up, cheese was a foreign concept to me. Back then, to me, cheese was those flat, orange slices of Kraft Singles. I thought Daria was so cool and grown up 'cause she could name like more than ten different types of cheese. Ten! Who knew there were so many! I sure didn't (back then)! One day, determined to be a self taught cheese connoisseur, I went to the cheese aisle at the grocery store. I remember there were little signs with brief descriptions filled with cheese jargon that didn't make any sense to me. So, I just picked the one that sounded most French, Port Salut.

It was good, but my goal of becoming the cheese master was soon abandoned, probably because I wanted to spend my money on something else, like Frappacinos and foreign fashion magazines.

Recently, all grown up and not at all pretentious (I hope), I decided to revisit an old friend.


Bonjour! Comment-allez vous? Bien!

It has a nice, mild, smooth, generic cheese taste. Poor Port, it never seems to get a lot of attention. Shame. Port Salut is a very comforting cheese, very simple, easy, the perfect gateway cheese.

Speaking of Cheese...


He's probably my favorite Foster's character.

Some one once told me that Cartoon Network was under attack because some viewers felt that Cheese was an unflattering characterization of the mentally handicapped. Sigh, people... Cheese is just Cheese. Don't ruin a good thing.

Copy Cat!

I love finding songs that copy other songs, it makes me feel musically smart. My latest find?

You're Going Down by the Sick Puppies.



Do you hear it? Does it sound familiar? Hint: Those who came before me, lived through their vocations, from the past until their completion...

Yup! Blue Monday, by New Order. As a new New Order fan, I am quite offended.

Actually, they didn't rip off New Order's Blue Monday they ripped off Orgy's Blue Monday.



Know what's sadder than ripping off a super famous song? Ripping off a cover of a famous song.

Not only did they copy Blue Monday for their single but they even their name is a rip off. Sick Puppy? Have they never heard of Skinny Puppy? You know, Skinny Puppy, one of the most famous industrial bands ever? Were they hoping to get some fans by confusing fans of Skinny Puppy?

Actually, that might work because when I first heard the song, I checked to see who it was and I thought I read Skinny Puppy. I thought it was kind of weird 'cause it didn't really sound like a Skinny Puppy song but, then again, I'm not that familiar with the band so, who knows. It wasn't until I did a YouTube search that I found out it was Sick Puppy.

Skinny Puppy, in case you're wondering, sounds like this.



Okay, this video is seriously awesome!

IT'S A DANCE BATTLE!

B-Boys vs. Industrials!

OMG do I love dancing. I don't love to dance, but I do love dancing. At first I thought it was kind of weird to have industrial kids dancing. I mean, it makes sense 'cause it's Skinny Puppy but I thought they had them dancing in a street battle for you know, irony or something. But then I recalled that in the opening dance battle scene of Stomp the Yard, there was this random goth/industrial dude watching the battle so... maybe it's a legit trend amongst the scene.

Pitango Gelato

Have you ever had something so good, so absolutely fantastic that it haunts your mind for days on end?


Hazelnut/pistachio gelato from Pitango Gelato in Reston Town Center.

Okay, wait, we need the appropriate music so play this while reading this post:



It melts your inside and you start to dematerialize. Reality becomes unstable and your mind just starts to flicker because, really, how can anything be this good?

Afterwards you're haunted by gelatos, you crave it, you need it. But, a quick gelato fix isn't an option. Any other gelato would just be an insult to the pure, beautiful, intimate moment you spent with the Pitango gelato.

I miss you!

DMV Fail

Driving home one day, I saw this:


Isn't there suppose to be like a Board of Advisers or someone or a program of some sort that's suppose to make sure that offensive license plates don't get approved? I'm pretty sure there is. That the VA DMV doesn't find the term "Chinky" to be offensive offends me.

For fun I decided to see what else the DMV doesn't find offensive. If you hate Koreans, Hispanics, and Poles, then you're in luck! You can get all kinds of offensive tags to advertise your hatred and ignorance. If you hate African Americans and Jews, you're out of luck the VA DMV actually cares about those races.

There might be more protected races but my knowledge of racists terms doesn't extend much beyond the one Boy Meets World episode. You know, the one where Cory's brother dates a Japanese cheerleader who ends up crying 'cause someone called her a chink. So then Cory makes a speech in his class about how racists terms are not cool. His classmates are all, "Whatever!" Cory then angers the entire class by calling out the minorities and calling them the appropriate racist terms. The whole class then is all like, "Dude, not cool!" and he's all, "See, you don't like it either so STFU!"

Okay, he didn't really say "STFU" but he did really use racists terms... and it aired... on prime time... on network TV! It was a simpler time back then, I suppose.

Book Mark Clean Out!!!

Need to wake up early(ish) tomorrow and I am determined to go to bed early(ish) today! So, while I sleep (SLEEEEEEEP!!!) here are some articles you can read.

Coffee & Cream- I would be too weirded out to use this everyday but I think it's cool.

Appreciation Post 101- Oooooh, I like this room. Oh, that's not a real bookcase? No way!

Not Child's Play: "I Feel Like I Have a Real Baby"- I must have a woman gene missing. When ever I hold The Baby I don't feel any hormonal, maternal rush. It's more like, "Oh crap, don't drop the baby. Don't drop the baby. Don't drop the baby. Don't drop the baby." Oh, the dolls they talk about in the video? Check them out here.

Black Belt Course- Ha-ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha aha ahahaha ahhahah ha ha aha aha ha ha ha ha ha! Oh my goodness, must... stop... laughing... ha ha ha ha ha ha! Can't... breath! Ha ha ha!

Disabled Stripper Wants Constitutional Right to White Castle Slyders- Oh my goodness. Have you ever had a White Castle Slyder? It is so gross. I really don't understand their popularity.

Spring Rolls With Raw Mango Sauce- Back in high school my mom had a Make Your Own Spring Roll Night! It was a total failure. We were not happy about being served a meatless vegan dish. Now, I would love to give this another go now that my pallet is a bit less closed minded (though, I would throw in some shrimps in there).

45 Ridiculous Pictures of Boy Bands: Pics, Videos, Links, News- Is this what their stylists came up with? Is this what we thought was hot? I will give credit to Boys to Men, their outfit looks pretty awesome.

Singapore Chili Prawns- Some of Closet Cooking's recipes are pretty, but not really workable for me. I either lack the skills, the ingredients, or the money to make his dishes. This one, however, looks easy and pretty affordable.

PETA Asks Phish to Change Name to "Sea Kitten"- Yeah... Okay...

Beware: Pine Nuts May Temporarily Destroy Your Sense of Taste- Oh... but I really like pine nuts. Oh well, they're too expensive anyway.

Bacardi Ad Uses Misogyny to Sell Alcohol to Women- Really? Someone really thought this would be a good marketing campaign?

Speech Accent Archives- It reminds me My Fair Lady.

The Arrow of Time- I think the mom had some work done...

Recession Watch: Farmers Slaughtering Dairy Cows Rather Than Lose Money Producing Milk- Damn, milk and cheese are already expensive as is!

Gross: Your Pet Could Give You MRSA Infection- Oh no! But cats bite me all the time!

Down the Rabbit Hole- Does Tim Burton even make a movie without his baby's mama and Johnny Depp anymore? Oh, and I had no idea the Anne Hathaway was in the movie.

Rockport Black Leather Sandals

You know what never happens to me? I never forget that I own a particular pair of shoes. I wish I could say it is due to my amazing mental health but, it's not. When you own as few shoes as I do, those kind of memory slip does not happen.

Well, never say never, right?

One day, I was going through my shoe boxes, looking for my external hard drive (uh... don't ask). When I found this!


It was a present from Jamie and I totally forgot I had it! Had I known I had this, I would've never bought this. Oh well, everyone needs a cheap pair of flip flops, right?

The Rockport black, leather sandals are great. I like how they are sandals but keep the top of my feet well protected, which means I can wear them to work without worrying about bruising a foot if I drop something. It's made of leather so, hopefully, we can grow old together. I have romantic notions about all the adventures we will share- hiking through the woods, splashing through the streams, walking down the hot pavement of some exotic city... Sounds great... in theory... but I like air conditioning and staying cool so I'll just wear these shoes and live vicariously through Daria. Besides, these sandals have a slight wedged heel so probably not the best foot wear choice for any mountain hiking.

Drunken Noodles: Busara of Reston

I know I said I was done with drunken noodles for now but... We were at Reston, Michael wanted to eat at Busara so...

I remembered eating at Busara in Tysons years back and thinking it was awesome. Maybe the Tysons location had better food? Maybe I just didn't know what awesome was back then? The meal I had at Busara of Reston was very disappointing.

Since I was going to order the drunk noodles, I decided to have something new and exciting as appetizers. I ordered the Curry Chicken Brochette. The menu describes it as: This phyllo dough stuffed with minced chicken, sweet potatoes, onions, light yellow curry and deep fried, served with cucumber relish. It was good, I especially liked the cucumber relish. However, $5.95 for this?


Mmmm... yeah, I felt a bit ripped off, it wasn't that good.

Michael had the Chicken Pad Ginger with Broccoli:


It was good but you can't really mess up chicken and broccoli in oyster sauce.

I had...


How was it? Well... let's see...

I understand that, it order to be more efficient, the kitchen pre-cooks the ingredients and the dish is more assembled then cooked. I get that. However, the chicken was really over cooked, like microwaved left over-over cooked. The pasta was quite flavorless. Michael put a positive spin, "Well... at least you can taste the very subtle flavor of the pasta?" The whole dish just tasted very... boiled. It was obvious that the dish never touched the wok. It was just boiled ingredients thrown together and drowned in watery sauce. Oh, and I do mean drowned. Every time those slippery noodles fell back onto the plate I got splashed with sauce. Actually, it was more of a broth then sauce, very thin and watery.

So, out of all the drunk noodles I've had so far, I think I will have to rate this the 2nd worse. Boo.