mmm BEER!

Who wants to be my drinking partner? I'm pretty sure I'll need one for this monster bottle. Well, probably not, but a purple dinosaur once told me that sharing is caring. My little brother brought this down from Portland for me as the Coos doesn't necessarily boast a large beer selection and he says it's pretty freaking good. Can't wait to try it out! 

School Schmool

Holy shit, can't I be done with school yet? Registering for online classes is a royal pain in the ass because the selection is much more limited and some of them sound really retarded. No, I don't want to take a class entitled "ecofeminism" that has a 15 page paper requirement. Jesus Christ.

Jeffery Deaver.

Have you ever seen the movie The Bone Collector with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie? Well, like many movies, it started out as a book. This particular book was written by Jeffery Deaver. There are many subsequent books featuring the characters Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs. My mom subscribes to some crazy mail order book club thing and she needed to order one more book so I ended up getting The Burning Wire as a birthday gift. I've never been much of a mystery reader and I doubt I'd be very into it if I read them continuously but he only writes one Lincoln Rhyme novel every other year which is a pace I can deal with. The stories are fairly quick paced I like the characters, Rhyme is a genius forensic scientist who solves crimes from his wheelchair as he is paralyzed. Sachs is his sidekick/love interest who isn't too shabby herself in the brains department. Anyway, for a nice easy read I would definitely check out some of Deaver's work. Oh, p.s. they're not scary mysteries. 

Cafe Mediterranean

So in North Bend there is a restaurant called Cafe Mediterranean. It is AMAZINGLY yummy and one of my little brother's all time favorites. Their Greek salad is so freaking good I could eat it everyday. The only problem with Cafe Med is that they aren't always open when they say they are going to be. They're my kind of people, they wake up late. Anyway, I'm kind of craving some lentil soup, hummus, and a Greek salad right now. 

Lip.

Dear Good Blog People,

I have a confession to make. I'm pretty sure I forgot to tell you I got my lip pierced. You may have noticed it in that picture of me from my dance recital. I wear clear jewelry in it for work but I tend to fail at keeping the jewelry in. The little washer falls off a lot so sometimes I must resort to other things. Anyway, if you're wondering why I did this the simple answer is that I had been drinking and it sounded like a good idea at the time. Actually, I quite like it, even if my mother detests it. Hmm, sounds like most of the stuff I do. 

Jordan

Sidewalk Art.

It's summer, time to bust out your sidewalk chalks. This guy, Julian Beever, takes it to a whole new level. His drawings are awesome. It's crazy to me that he would take the time to imagine and draw it all out on random sidewalks knowing that it will be destroyed. You can see more here. 

Bukowski

Sometimes a simple gift given without too much thought turns into a cherished possession. For my ex's birthday a few years ago I presented him with my favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. A few months later on my day I was given the two expansions to World of Warcraft and his favorite book, Ham on Rye. I had never heard of the author Charles Bukowski before but as it was my then boyfriend's favorite book I was eager to jump in and see if he had poor taste in authors. I got my iced tea, went to my porch and started reading. As it turned out, he didn't. I immediately fell in love with Bukowski's sentences, his words; they're beautiful. A lot of people may not like his subject matter of alcohol, women and how work is debilitating but you can't deny that he is brilliant. Ham on Rye is about the childhood of Henry Chinaski who you can follow into adult hood in Bukowski's other books. 

I'm not big on poetry. Most of it annoys the shit out of me but Bukowski has some pretty awesome stuff. Check out Betting on the Muse, it's a collections of poems and short stories. 

Papa.

Father's Day is coming up and as I have to work on that day I probably won't get around to posting about my dad so here he is. This is my papa. He's the best. He's just an adorable little old man who doesn't act his age. He loves to ride Harley's and he's a very hard worker. I think my dad is finally having a little fun in life. Anyway, love you Papa! 

Elven Lord Ensemble.

I love waking up to an email from etsy, perusing, and finding a gem. I saw this pic and about died laughing. For those of you going to some type of cosplay thing, you now know where you can get an Elven Lord outfit, from etsy seller LadyFaire. She makes apparel from different "dimensions" to help "facilitate your journey." bahahahaha

I'm Moving!

No, I'm not going to sit here and talk about biomass and alternative energy sources. I just needed a map and this one is much cooler than the one fourth grade classrooms have hanging on their walls. Anyway, I have decided that I'm moving. I haven't figured out where I'm moving to though. Any suggestions? I'm just sick of Coos Bay and how it holds people in place. It's the kind of place that kills your soul and it's time to move on and make a change.

Recital.

So my dance recital was last night. It was really fun. I hadn't been in a recital for years so I was a little nervous but not nearly as much as the younger girls so I mainly just tried to calm them down before the show. One thing that I don't miss about performances is dance makeup. It feels like you cake 15 pounds of crap onto your face. I forgot to get fake eyelashes so I borrowed some from one of the girls; they were bedazzled. That's right, they had rhinestones attached to the top of them. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and there was a nice turnout and all of the little girls were adorable. 

My Abandonment.

Guess what I did today. That's right, read another book. This particular book was My Abandonment by Peter Rock. It's not a true story but the idea came to him from one. He saw a brief article in the Oregonian about a 53 year old man and his 13 year old daughter found living in Forest Park, which is a huge nature preserve in Portland, Oregon. The girl tested above where she was supposed to be for her age level on all of the tests the state gave her as her dad had been "homeschooling" her in the park. There were then two brief updates about the two in the newspaper. Rock took these brief little clips and flushed them out into a very engrossing book. 

It was a quick read, perfect for a flight as it only took me a couple hours to finish. It's told from the viewpoint of the young girl, Caroline. The first 3/4 of the book was completely engrossing but somewhere near the end it started to get weird and I felt like the author was losing me. Also, I'm not really sure he was particularly successful in making me feel like it was a young girl telling the story, the narration was great, but not necessarily believable from a little girl. There was a very unsuspected twist near the end which I loved because it took the book in a completely different direction. Overall though it was an interesting story and I definitely wanted to know how it ended. 

Dance.

Hey people, I have a dance recital on the 5th of June at 7pm. Yes, I dance. No, I'm not as clumsy as you thought I was. I started dancing in high school for my school's dance team. We were pretty awesome. Before that I did gymnastics as a kid. I'm not going to pretend like I'm athletic, I'm definitely not. I do really love to dance though. I used to do lots of different types of dance but have decided that tap is really annoying when everyone is not together, it sounds like crap and hurts my head and that white girls look retarded trying to do hip hop. Anyway, I've reduced my dancing down to only jazz which just happens to be, for me, the most fun. 

The Secret Life of Bees.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd was a New York Times bestseller and has been made into a movie. I've never seen the movie but I quite liked the book. It's one of those books that you know will have a happy ending and everything will work out okay but that doesn't take away any of the enjoyment. The protagonist is a young white girl living in South Carolina in the '60s who runs away with her black maid, Rosaleen, from her asshole father and ends up living with three black women in a pink house, one of whom owns a honey business. The story is of the girl, Lily Owens, coming to terms with her past (she may have accidentally killed her mother at the age of 4) and working through her struggles. It's your basic, generic, feel good novel but I enjoyed it as the story is interesting and paints a picture of life and the changes that were taking place when the Civil Rights Act was put into effect. 

Beer.

Today I tried the beer my little brother got me for my birthday. I had never had a braggot before and neither had my friend so we were curious to try it. At first I was really unsure, it wasn't as sweet as I had thought it would be considering it's made with honey. However, after I let it sit for awhile it got better and better as it neared room temperature and I found myself really enjoying it. 
After that we had some Rogue Double Dead Guy Ale. Rogue Ale Brewery was founded in Ashland but their headquarters is now located in Newport, Oregon. They make all kinds of different beers but regular Dead Guy Ale is one of their most popular. This is the more intense version. It is really flavorful and definitely tastes like beer. While drinking we ordered some Domino's Pizza which has all new sauce and crust, it doesn't taste like cardboard anymore!  We also watched Three Sheets which is a hilariously fun drinking show which is complete with its own drinking game. Fun times!
Of course she goes for my glass. I've heard that dogs have really clean mouths but I'm not convinced. 

Applesauce.

I'm cat sitting for my friend Buzzy who used to be a librarian but who is now apparently a comedian. It's common knowledge in my circle of friends that I detest cooking and once subsisted on dinners of applesauce for two weeks. Last time I watched the cats I complained to Buzzy that he had no food in his house. It was really warm and he had no popsicles, no chocolate, nothing yummy. This is what I get for whining, a fridge full of applesauce. 

I'm going to eat all of the cherry flavored ones and leave only the orange and grape behind. Nobody likes those flavors anyway, I don't understand why they even put them in the box. 

The Handmaid's Tale

Recently I read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. If you haven't read this, go pick it up from your library right now. It was written in 1986 but felt like it could take place today; which is very scary. The U.S. government has been overthrown by the Sons of Jacob which is a society run by males where women are severely oppressed and they create the Republic of Gilead. After the war many people are not able to reproduce because of the atomic bombs and other toxins that were used to win the war. Because of this, any young, fertile woman is turned into a housemaid, placed into a married commander's home where she serves as a type of concubine in a very strange and strict ritual to try and further the human race. 

This is the story of Offred (not her real name, but is derived from the name of her commander, of Fred) who is a handmaid and it tells the story of her previous life as a wife and mother, and then of the attempts of the Sons of Jacob to brainwash the young women, and of her commander's dissatisfaction with his marriage and of his breaking the rules by engaging in intellectual pursuits with Offred. It's a very interesting novel and slightly scary because I can almost envision this craziness happening. 

This was such a good book I would highly recommend reading it. 

Agave

While you're in Ashland at the Shakespeare Festival you should probably hit up Agave for the best chips and guacamole ever! I used to work at a hotel right next to Agave and I would get the chips and guac and green chile & cheese tamale for lunch almost every single day and it never failed to be amazingly delicious. 

You really could take a vacation to Ashland just to eat, there are so many great restaurants. Just watch out for the city tax on prepared food. 

Pride & Prejudice at OSF

Yesterday my friend Buzzy and I went to see Pride and Prejudice at OSF in Ashland. OSF is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival which runs from February to October. As it is for many women, Pride and Prejudice is my favorite novel, ever, hands down. I mean, I love 100 Years of Solitude, and many a work by Shakespeare but Pride and Prejudice has always owned my heart. How can you not fall in love with Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy? Anyway, I was curious how they would present the book as a play and it was wonderful, as they always are at OSF. Mr. Bennet was particularly well played as was Mrs. Bennet. 

If you are ever anywhere near Oregon you should travel out of your way to visit Ashland and attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as it is completely worth it. 

Prickly Pear Braggot

My little bro got me this for my birthday. It's Widmer Brothers' Reserve Prickly Pear Braggot. In other words, it's beer, well, supposedly a braggot is something like half mead, half ale. Widmer is a brewery in Portland, Oregon where my little brother lives. I'm so excited to try it! I think you should come down this weekend so we can try it together. Thanks Rouse Rouse. love you!

Al Franken!

Happy Birthday Al Franken! Thank you for not being yet another gigantic douche bag on Capitol Hill. Thank you for all of your hard work, for displaying common sense and for being able to hold logical conversations with your constituents. Please continue to be the man.   

Baby Hippo

Cute now but will kill you when it's older. Have a great day!

Peacocktail Dress

Anyone want to buy me a dress for $399 and then manufacture some sort of event I can wear it to because I'm pretty much in love with this. k thanks! 

It's handmade by Veronica Reis and you can find some more of her other cool dresses in her etsy shop. 

Fringe

My new favorite television show is Fringe. It's sci-fi but not hokey and it has the super hot Joshua Jackson; now I understand why everyone was so obsessed with Dawson's Creek when I was younger. Anyway, you also have the bad ass female FBI agent and the crazy scientist old man and lots of weird pseudo-scientific craziness. You can watch it on Hulu.

World MS Day - May 26th 2010

Beautiful Day - English from MSIF on Vimeo.

World MS Day is coming up on the 26th of May. Multiple Sclerosis is described as, "a chronic, often disabling disease. It is one of the most common disabling neurological conditions amongst young adults in the northern hemisphere. Over 2,000,000 people in the world have MS." The symptoms are unpredictable and different for everyone. There is no cure.

Just like all diseases, MS not only touches those who have it but also the families who are trying to help take care of their loved ones and understand a disease that presents itself in so many ways.

So on the 26th please take time to support those living with MS, even if it's only by thinking a good thought in your head. To find out how to get involved in the global movement to end MS or to donate go to www.nationalmssociety.org or www.worldmsday.org

Judge A Book

Judge a Book by its Cover is an awesome blog that posts book covers of some of the most random and ridiculous books accompanied by funny commentary. This coloring book was one of today's gems. I kind of want it. Here's an example, not so much from the blogger but more from an amazon comment:

"...here's another potentially useful book. Not only can you color in the pictures, but you can learn new hairstyles for your vajayjay. My favorite comment on Amazon.com: "The Big Coloring Book of Vaginas isn't just a coloring book. It's inspiration. When first presented with this, I strummed through it thinking it was a joke. But I soon realized that this is a guidebook for redecorating your vagina, especially if it's been around awhile and you feel like you've run out of new ways to dress it up. I put aside the crayons, except to use to draw in accessories like scarves and snoods, in favor of spray glitter, various stick-on mustaches, mini-flower and seed arrangements. (I didn't like the seeds -- too elementary school, hence, creepy. You don't want a bean and seed turkey down there, believe me!) My current favorite is stick-on beadwork in an ornate Tiffany-esque peacock design. (Tip: surprise your ob/gyn with a beadwork speculum! He'll flip!) Also, if it's your bridal day, try a delicate self-adhesive Velcro surprise for your honeymoon. Your partner will never forget it!""

Yellow Owl Workshop

My friend Buzzy got me some super sweet stamps from Yellow Owl Workshop for my unbirthday. I went ahead and checked out their website and already have my little heart set on the cityscape and seascape stamp sets.  I also received some adorable swallow ornaments that I now must decide just where to hang because they are too cute not to be put up immediately. Thanks Buzzy! 

Daria

Oh Daria Morgendorffer, I've missed you so...

Daria came out on dvd today. I am so happy about this! I'm going to need to buy it asap and relive all of the wonderful episodes. Daria was one of my favorite shows when I was younger. She was so intelligent, bookish, and awesomely snarky, I was in love. The super hot Trent character wasn't bad either. I had a huge crush on a cartoon character. That's slightly embarrassing now. Anyway, Daria was one of Mtv's best, they did have some quality programming 15 years ago. 

Male Choir A Cappella Lady Gaga Awesomness

This is an all male choir called On The Rocks from the University of Oregon singing Bad Romance by Lady Gaga a cappella. It's pretty good and their dancing made me laugh so hard. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers or soon to be mothers like my sister Brooke. Congrats again to you and Raf, I can't wait to meet baby Moon Tiger Grass Blade.

EDIT: Comic from xkcd, of course.