Too early?

Even though the weather has been sort of lame the last couple days, there have been promises of a warmer-than-usual start to May. Also, I picked up some free minor league baseball tickets yesterday at Trader Joe's. What do these things have in common? Welllll...they're among the reasons I'm chomping at the bit (gross expression, I know) for this semester to be over, and for summer to hurry up and get here, already. Every summer, I like to make a list of Things I Must Do, For I Can Only Do Them During the Summer-- like enjoying warm weather (yes, I am extra-picky because it's not like our weather is ever that bad) and the occasional baseball game. Other than these two, I'm looking forward to a trip up to Sonoma with the in-laws in August, and a kayak outing in Monterey for which a Groupon has been purchased but not yet booked.

What are you looking forward to doing during the summer? (Keep in mind that I am incredibly jealous if your weather is nicer than today's cloudy bluster. Sigh.)

Wouldn't trade it

In the scheme of all the weekends in one's life, it's doubtful that this one would stick out. Nothing life-changing happened, no completely new experiences were had. But still, after a Friday in which I not only got to see the friend who was my maid of honor (for the first time since the wedding, nearly six months ago) and meet her boyfriend for the first time, but also have our house's inaugural barbecue with another set of friends, and a Saturday in which we were visited by cross-country friends and did our typical "look how great California is!" tour (wine-tasting on a gloriously sunny day), followed by a barbecue dinner and movie-watching, I have to say: I wouldn't trade it for anything. (You get ten points if you made it through that sentence. I don't think I should be able to write anything before 9 in the morning.) We're calm, we're happy, and we have all that we need. (Don't worry, though, I'll be back to writing unsent scathing letters in short order.)

Oh, and by the way: if you haven't entered the 200th post giveaway extravaganza...you should. Because right now, there are three entries. Three. And, um...that's how many things I'm giving away, and even I can do that math.

Have a wonderful Sunday, internet loves!

Dos mil

In thinking about what I would write in this space for my 200th post, I thought a retrospective of sorts would be in order. As I'm not one for year-end reviews, and as a friend remarked that her "special occasion" posts tended toward the Oscar-speech end of the spectrum, I was determined not to veer too sharply into "You like me, you really like me!" territory. On the other hand...wow. Seriously. I know that I have lately been semi-regular at best about posting and commenting, and I know that I'll never be one of the Really Cool Kids, amassing hordes of blog-friends, but I have to comment on how much I appreciate what blogging and bloggers (two words which, the more I type them, sound sort of gross) have brought to my life. There is a handful of people in my life, a little pocket of my world, that just wouldn't exist without blogging-- and I'm so glad it's there! Not being a Big Deal means that I've never (knock on wood) had to deal with horrible anonymous commenters (Commentors? I can't decide.) the way others have, and the chances of being incriminated at work for something awful I've written about a colleague are slim to none. However, I am happy to know that at least there are the dozens, maybe, of you that care to read and even take the time to comment. Thanks.

Spring break has come a bit early (at least work-wise-- trust me, it's not a very interesting story), and I'm feeling generous. As such, I'm proposing a multi-part giveaway, having to do with things that play a big part in my life: paper (I'm a sucker for pretty paper, and do like a good bit of correspondence!), travel (I take trips, even if a good third of them are Disney-related), and cooking (uh, yeah.) I'll be giving away stuff from each category, so tell me what you'd like most! I'll choose winners at random, and announce them in, say...a week? Yes, on March 29. That's it.

And now, the booty. (Heh.)

Paper
A set of cards (pick your favorite) from Dots and Dahlias Etsy shop. Leave a comment telling me your proudest paper moment-- did you manage to get Christmas cards out on time last year? Remember Grandma's birthday? Carry on correspondence with a far-away love?

Cooking
An assortment of gadgets and goodies from Crate and Barrel and Sur la Table, two of my favorite fancy-supply stores. Tell me which gadgets you wish you had in your kitchen, from a Silpat to a citrus reamer, and they just might be yours.

Travel
Either a set of luggage tags or a passport holder (it says womens, but I think the red, green, and blue are plenty butch, for my male readers) from Flight 001. Describe your most memorable trip, and share your fantasy vacation-- a trek through the rainforest? Meandering through the streets of Prague? Sipping champagne in Champagne?

The bits and the pieces

I've been feeling so scattered recently-- I don't think it's because I've been that busy, exactly, but when I stop to think about it, I guess I have been. So...you get bullets!

• epic amounts of Gilmore Girls-watching. Because the syndication on ABC Family just came back around the horn, I had the strange experience of viewing the final episode and the pilot back-to-back. At this very moment, I'm watching the second episode, where we meet Paris (who I love to little teeny pieces) and also contains the truly awful Chad Michael Murray, calling Rory "Mary." Could definitely do without him.
• does anyone else have a truly evil cat (who is actually usually very sweet and completely lovable) that insists on chewing on the mini-blinds? No? Just me? Gah, this fricking cat.
• spent last weekend in Tahoe, the highlight of which was making food for the six of us that went-- including pizzas, soup, and amazing balls of fried eggplant filled with smoked mozzarella. As I am only a fan of snow that I don't have to interact with (seriously, I am even underwhelmed by sledding), this worked out well.
• next weekend will be full of wine-tasting. Love, love, love.
• I gave up meat for Lent, and so far my only slip has been lox, which I ate by accident (but totally enjoyed, sorry baby Jesus). Giving up meat is way easier than giving up cheese was, but I have come to the conclusion that there is no way that this will end up being a weight-loss experience for me-- I just keep filling the void with more and more cheese and carbs.
  
• velcro rollers. Thoughts? Techniques? I am afraid.

Oh, by the way...the next post will be number 200! As I likely have only about a dozen readers, your chances of winning one of the things I'm thinking of giving away are pretty good.

Today we lunch in the tub!

I've been feeling a bit under the weather, and took to bed immediately upon getting home from my half-day of interning (oh yes, my life is so hard...I had to work for four whole hours today!). The kitty, of course, was a fan of this idea, and I decided to capitalize on my illness and "let's just stay in bed" mood and make the queen-size ground zero for all my afternoon operations. Luckily, this only included a bit of reading, a rousing round of Plants vs. Zombies (hopelessly addicted, sorry), a lunch of Goldfish crackers, and a few hours of Rick Steves' Europe that had built up in the Tivo. Over IM, I had to let GP know that Sydney and I had decided to conduct all of our business henceforth from the bed. He, of course, pointed out difficulties like using the bathroom and going to work. Because he is a curmudgeon.

In potentially exciting news, we're coming up on T&CT's 200th post! I didn't do any celebrating for the 100th, but I was thinking of rewarding one (or a couple, who knows) of my faithful readers (you're still there, right?) with a giveaway of some sort. Ideas? I'm a lady of limited means but solid culinary skills-- maybe some salted caramels? How well would my gougeres ship?

(Did anyone else read this book when they were a kid? It's funny how some things stick in your mind. P.S. The New House doesn't even have a tub, which is sort of a bummer.)

Finding the warmth

"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round, and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies:—God damn it, you've got to be kind."
-Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

I don't know if it's the season (impending holidays of the kith-and-kin variety) or that I'm still in the early phases of Disgustingly Happy Little Married Couple-dom (and, sorry, I know that's gross, but stay with me!), but I have begun to see and experience many more little moments of happiness on a semi-regular basis. Let me elaborate: you know how sometimes, as you're scraping yourself out of bed, trudging through your day, and bemoaning the fact that it is pitch-fricking-black outside by 5:30pm, you get a little flash of "we're all ok"? I seem to be having way more of these than usual these days.

Take, for instance, a recent account of Nice People on the Internet. I wasn't personally involved in any of these interactions (although, trying-to-be-a-good-blog-citizen that I am, I did comment), but just reading a story of people-- essentially complete strangers-- going out of their way to be helpful and nice, made me think that maybe people aren't that terrible, after all. It seems simple enough, right? You have something, someone needs or wants something, and you give it to them. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Because you want to help them out, to solve a problem of theirs, no matter how small or silly-seeming.

I've been trying to have this same attitude recently; give and help where you can, remember that everyone is dealing with their own bubble of stress/problems/dear-god-who-knows-what, and do more good than harm. Instead of giving the finger to someone who cuts you off in traffic (and y'all know how much I love to do that), give them a thumbs-up and continue singing along to the Glee CD you have blaring in the car. Be patient, and be nice.

And it comes back! Here is my proof. I've needed to replace one of my front turn signals, the one that would be the biggest pain to replace (as it is almost entirely blocked in by the placement of my battery), and had just not "gotten around to it yet." I finally bought the cheapie bulb, resigned myself to the fact that Volkswagen are jerks and will just tell you to go to the dealer for what amounts to a $2 fix, and armed myself with two kinds of screwdrivers (from my very own toolbox, because I am a badass). Sure enough, the Jetta was determined to be a jerk-- I fought little plastic pieces, clawed at the black box that contained the defunct bulb, got my hands dirty, but made very little progress toward my goal. Seeing my struggle, this man-- who I had never seen, met, or interacted with before-- approached and offered to help. "Let me just go get some sockets, and we'll take out the battery and get that bulb in," he told me. He returned with an arsenal of tools (and no fear of my car's battery, which for some reason terrifies me) and, within ten minutes, I had a fully functioning turn signal.

We introduced ourselves, I thanked him profusely, and then we parted. I don't know that I will ever see him again, but I am surprised at how surprised I was that he offered to help. He didn't have to, of course, but he saw me clawing at the insides of my car and knew that he could be of assistance. I may be attributing this too much to the Magic and Wonder of the Human Heart (it's all the dang Christmas commercials...I am terminally sentimental), but come on. Let's be appreciative that not everyone is a jerk all the time. We don't have to hug and share sundaes all the time, but be nice, dammit.

What I'm loving right now...

This is one of those posts that begins composing itself in one's head a good two or three weeks before it finally gets posted. Not to say that the quality of the writing is that greatly improved, but it does mean that I really, truly do love these things...

New Sephora acquisitions: I am always so excited to make my final selections after loading my basket with a ton of "maybe" items. When I get home, I find myself tearing open the (pretty, pretty) packaging and using whatever I have purchased. Case in point-- went with MaGP when they were in town a couple weeks ago for my shower (which, ok, I am lame and haven't talked about or posted pictures...but I'm waiting on our photographer to send me the pictures!), and bought a Jurlique sample pack (am totally in love, convinced that I need to buy products that include a nearly-$70 "herbal recovery gel," oh yes I do) and Laura Mercier Magical Flawless Skin Set (or something like that, seriously, they should let me name their products). Got home and headed straight to the bathroom for face-washing and makeup-putting-on. Pure magic, I tell you.

West Wing. Period. I don't know where the hell I was when this originally aired (high school? Gah, what was I watching instead of this?), but I am so happy to have it in my life now. We have borrowed seasons 1-4 from one of GP's friends, and burned right through them. I'm downloading season 5 right now, and...oh my god, you guys, I am in love with AMERICA! And Josh Lyman, and, yeah, a little bit with Will Bailey. But that might just be residual Jeremy-love from my Sports Night watching (another Sorkin show, quite lovely, really. With Peter Krause, so...bonus!).

String cheese. Where have you been all my life, low moisture, part-skim mozzarella? Never leave me, ok? (Remember that time I gave up cheese for Lent, even though I am not the biggest fan of Jebus? Wasn't that just awful?)

How little time there is until The Wedding. Ha, you thought you'd be able to get through a single post without me mentioning it? You, my friend, are a fool. Because I have only one month and three days left, and I. Am. Ready for this thing. I am tired of making decisions, and already of chasing down the seven delinquent RSVPs, and tired in advance when I think about how ridiculous all the little things that we have to do before we can just Be Married are. But that's why we do them, right? Because we are convinced that, at the end of the day, it will be worth it. And I know it will.

Um, not to go back to something as silly as television, but I am more than reasonably excited for all my shows to start! I am filling the void with Bravo reality programming (I am more of a fan of old raisin-faced Rachel Zoe than I thought, though I want to throw Taylor straight into a swimming pool, Melrose Place-style) and new Project Runway (my favorite so far? Shirin.), but I have already re-watched the Glee pilot once (and am not above watching it again), and can't wait for new seasons of 30 Rock and The Office. Too bad we have to wait until January for more Lost...

Twitter! I am so late to the party on this one that it's a little silly to be so up in arms about it, but...I am. In my boss's absence, I am co-manning the library's Twitter account, and let me tell you, organizational Twitter accounts, especially in our field, are fricking boring. Mine, I promise, is much more entertaining. It is much as I thought, very similar to my Facebook status updates, but more conversational. I still can't believe that there aren't more younger Twitter users--I believe there was a quote in the NYT article about Twitter where a teenager said that Twitter seemed "more, like, professional," and I say to this teenager...what? I am sort of living in fear of any potential future employers (who we will assume lack much of a sense of humor, for the sake of argument) discovering my tweets. Professional, my ass.

Also. Get excited, friends! I took GP out for dinner last night to mark a birthday that officially means he is in his Late Twenties, and the blog came up...and he offered to do a guest post. So. Get! Excited! It is likely to be wedding-or-mawwage related, but will be completely different from my constant oh-my-god-I'm-going-to-kill-someone wedding rantiness. Anyone have a question or two for him? I'm sure he will be happy to oblige...

Faux-late-night thoughts

Yes, 10:47 qualifies as the middle of the night around here. GP is snoring away, earplugs crammed firmly into his ears, able to block out the sounds (and, yes, smells-- they smoke) of our neighbors...while I am not. I had in mind a list, but that dissolved when I began to write what I could remember of it. So, rather than anything coherent, I give you the following.

• Kevin Smith should stop "acting" and stick to writing. One thing at a time, sir.

• I think Jennifer Garner and I should be friends. I have thought this since I read that she has a yellow lab named Martha Stewart.

• That's enough, Juliette Lewis.
  

• I know I am not ready for kids because when I see pictures of the children and dogs of high school friends on Facebook, I am way more excited about the dogs.

• Kate Spade shipping > Amazon shipping. Witness: yesterday, I bought all of my books for this semester (which, ok, started yesterday) from Amazon, and they have yet to ship...and I just got an email from the Kate Spade website saying my (on super-sale!) passport case and wallet have shipped! Too bad I cannot post on my class discussion boards about newly-acquired leather goods.

• How is it possible to dislike actual birds so much and still really like them as a design element (jewelry and t-shirt motifs, for instance)? I don't know, but I can tell you that it is.

• I am always, always signed out of chat when I am signed in to Facebook. I am definitely past the point where I am ok with random IMs. Mostly, this is because I am a jerk, but it is also partly because I never feel like I can commit to a conversation with about 80% of my Facebook friends (who I just know are yearning to talk to me).

• "Is there anything sadder than homeless robots at Xmas? Only drowning puppies, and there would have to be a lot of them."

• There is a Love List in the works, but who can say when that will be done.
  

Just another commute...

"...you know, drivin' back over the hill from Santa Cruz. Man, these winding mountain roads are so relaxing. Not at all treacherous or anything! And I'm sure none of the other drivers mind me swerving into their lanes-- it's like I'm just swinging by to say hello! Ahh, nothing like putting my foot out the window on a sunny summer Thursday to dial down that work-week stress..."

You guys. This moron nearly killed me today. Please keep both feet in your car when you're driving, even if you're driving an automatic and technically only need one.

End-of-semester grace

All right, it's not technically the end of the semester just yet, but I have definitely hit The Wall. You know, where an entire semester seems interminable, and you're exceptionally grateful that the school you attended for undergrad was on the ten-week quarter system? Yeah, that Wall. I have hit it, and I still have about 30 pages worth of papers to write. But...I was an English major, and am fluent in b.s. Time to power through!

As the semester winds down and spring is just beginning (complete with entirely inappropriate 90-degree weather), I'm finding it easier and easier to find those bits of Grace in Small Things. Take, for example...
This is Fluffy. He lives on our bed, and is almost as old as I am. I think GP's mom was kidding when she asked child-GP if he was going to take Fluffy to college and then make his wife sleep with Fluffy, too...however, even as a kid, GP was not joking around when he said "yes." He may be annoyed at me for putting Fluffy on the internets, but I think it is cute and awesome that at least one dog gets to sleep in our bed. (For those of you keeping score at home, Fluffy is currently our only dog. Sigh.) He is a good companion, especially when certain fiances are on multi-day business trips.

I like writing thank-you notes much more than I like writing papers for school, perhaps because they rarely fall into the "10+ pages" category. Short and sweet, with the bonus of getting to use the rest of my "stock" thank-you cards before we break into the supply of wedding-specific thank-yous (which, you guys, match our save-the-dates...and are completely awesome). Few things are as satisfying as slipping a couple of these into the mailbox.

Nothing says spring like some pretty tulips, unless said pretty tulips are brought back from the store by a certain fiance after a lengthy-ish business trip (along with-- you have to squint to make it out-- a case of Diet Mountain Dew Code Red, because the man consumes soda as if his life depended on it). You know...I think I'll keep him. As long as he keeps up this bringing-me-flowers-as-a-Saturday-morning-surprise thing... (Sorry if you just threw up in your mouth a little-- we're getting married, I have to do things like that sometimes.)

Bonus grace: downloaded seasons of How I Met Your Mother! Alyson Hannigan's occasional over-acting aside, I am completely smitten. I know most of you probably already watch this, but if you don't...you should! Though it is weird to watch a show with a laugh track after years of Lost,HBO series, and cooking shows being my regular television diet.

Lunch of champions

On a normal day at the internship, I am ravenous for lunch by about 10:45. However, today-- and of course today is the day that I come prepared with delicious leftover minestrone, lovingly prepared for me by mom-- I was either so full of my apple-and-sharp-white-cheddar breakfast, or so anxious about this case study I have to write that I didn't get hungry until about 3. And when that happened, did I go heat up the soup? Nope. I took my $2 up to the cafeteria and bought a Diet Coke and peanut M&M's. Lunch fail.

On being a bad blogger, or why I haven't posted in about a month

Sorry, friends, I don't really have an excuse or apology for you...I was busy, and when I was not busy, I was...not in the mood? Oh well. The point is, I'm back(ish)! How about a little recap? In the past month, I have:

attended a wedding in New York



attended a wedding much closer to home (only 20 minutes away, a new record!)

concocted a watermelon, feta, and mint salad (and not posted an official Whip It Up! entry, sorry)



gone on a small field trip with GP and his parents to the CIA in Hyde Park, for a delicious Italian dinner



...and another field trip to the place on the Hudson where our Big Fat Engagement Party is going to be, next Memorial Day (GP's mom is a planning powerhouse, people, and I totally fail so far at wedding-planning)



had Engagement Party #1, a much smaller affair hosted by my mom and stepdad. The first attempt at getting various friend-groups together, as well as the first "All About Us" activity, and it went pretty well. Cupcakes were involved, so what else would we expect? (Note to self: write those thank-yous NOW!!!)



worked diligently and for very little money at my internship and at the tutoring place

started library school, in which I am taking three classes. I am told that this is an "intense" course load...and so far am not convinced. UCLA's quarter system prepared me pretty well for intense educational experiences, so there.

watched my Bruins beat #18 Tennessee at football. I began watching the game fully expecting us to lose, and was pushed further into the doom-and-gloom category by the (under)performance of our new quarterback (who I still might like to punch, despite the victory)...and then lost my mind when we finally beat them. Yay, college sports!

vowed repeatedly that I would be more diligent in blogging and commenting. With as much attention as all this blog/wiki/Web 2.0 (bleah) stuff is getting in all of my classes, I feel like I should do it, if only to stay on the forefront of the field...you know, because my personal blog has so much to do with library business.

...and we're back?

I know, I know...I still have to bring the Whip It Up goodness to blog-town, but believe me when I say that this week has been just short of madness. Apparently, I find sending out 25 engagement party invitations very, very overwhelming. Oh, and I am working two jobs. So shut up. Now, for the comeback of the Friday Fill-Ins:

1. I believe whatever doesn't kill you makes for great cocktail party stories. As long as it's that kind of party.

2. If you're good at something, let it show! For instance, I am good at procrastinating, making little comments, baking, and playing FreeCell. You're welcome, world.

3. Why so many people in California use the left lane for driving rather than passing is beyond me. Being that my longer of the two job commutes is along a mountainous, two-lane highway, this drives me completely insane.

4. Something is out there, it's that gardenia that I bought before we went to Paris and has since withered. I'm convinced I can somehow resurrect it, though! Any advice? It's so sad and yellow right now...

5. If my life were a sitcom, it would be titled Tea and Cake Time. I realize this sounds more like a talk show, but I am feeling lazy and, hello, it's my blog name! What is not to love about that? Oh, and if my life were a sitcom, there would be nary a laugh track, and we would have to think long and hard before any spinoffs occurred.

6. Sitting on my back porch I see my sad little gardenia, my more-thriving palm tree and star jasmine, our complex's pool, and some screamy kids playing outside. What, still summer vacation?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to arriving in Roseville at the home of GP's friend (mostly due to the fabulous Peju we'll be drinking), tomorrow my plans include hanging out at the pool of the aforementioned friend and not thinking/worrying too much about upcoming wedding/school madness, and Sunday, I want to see my uncles on the way home. Rumor has it that there will be ribs and corn on the cob!

What are you up to this weekend, internets?

The swing of things

My three-day weekend begins now, with a cranberry, lime, and vodka, and a pledge that I will get to the following in the next 48 hours:

1) my WIU report for this week. Spoiler alert: it was delicious!

2) doing a meme that Gretchen tagged me for. I do love the summertime!

3) Friday Fill-ins. Remember those?

4) rehash of what the heck I've been doing the last two weeks. Not being on vacation is haaaard.

In the meantime, my lovelies, I have finally gotten all the Paris pics into Flickr. For your viewing pleasure, I present pictures taken by me, those taken by GP's dad, and even some of My Precious. Ask and you shall receive, right?

Window-licking

(The title comes from my first day-trip to Paris, when I was 12. My uncles took me on a Eurostar/bus tour of Paris, and as we drove past the many, many drool-worthy shops, our native French speaker of a guide talked about "window licking," as opposed to "window shopping." Because I was 12 and a little dense at the time, I swear she said "window leaking." I did not get it.) Long intro, I know. So, without further ado, I present to you...things that I would love to own and sport in Paris, but am too depressed about the dollar/Euro exchange rate to actually purchase, courtesy of Shop It To Me.

First, the dresses. A DVF, from Nordstrom, a steal at $171 (that's half off, folks!).I am loving the bateau neck and the chic ponytail, both of which I can pull off for much cheaper. Sorry, Diane. I still think you're lovely.


Now, a great, summery Lilly Pulitzer. Not the trademark Lilly pink and green (love! Drool!), but a yellow that I know everyone is digging right now. Available from Bloomingdales, $195.


One last DVF, a bit on the safari side. I can't decide what I think about the neckline, but I am leaning towards affection. dvf.com, $207 (Yikes)



Now, the shoes! Just one today-- a Steve Madden wedge that I envision would be either on the "horribly uncomfortable" or "like a dream" end of the comfort spectrum...what do you think? $60 on shoes.com


Finally, just for comparison sake-- I give you these, which look suspiciously like a pair I got at Target for about, oh...$6. So there. I win shopping!

The countdown

It has officially begun-- well, that's a lie. It began officially about a week ago, when I realized that the date of our departure for our New York/Paris odyssey was just over three weeks away. Officially, it is time to completely freak out about my Big Summer Trip, which marks more than a passport stamp for me.

I am entering the last days of my employment at Current Job, which is just fine with me. For what it's worth, I learned a lot here, and we all know I love to learn. Coming in, I knew that this wouldn't be my career, but I never suspected I would have as much trouble with the structure, expectations, and communication here. Since my previous job had been so structured and choked with bureaucracy, I looked forward to working for a small company, one in which there was "no hierarchy," and one in which everyone worked so closely together. What I found was a bit different, and I will be leaving having made some great personal friendships, but feeling like a big disappointment because I couldn't meet "goals" that had no business even being on my plate. I don't want this to be about work, though-- frankly, not enough exciting bad stuff happens here for it to be a compelling read, and I want you people to be entertained.

So, on to the entertainment! Friends, I am leaving for New York (GP's sister's Big Fat Armenian Wedding) and Paris (GP's parents' and our Big Parisian Non-Honeymoon) in two short weeks. I am losing hair over how excited I am. Have you any suggestions for things I Simply Must Do while I'm there? I have only ever been before on day trips when I was visiting London, so really have only covered going up the Eiffel Tower and walking on the Champs Elysees... Oh, and if you want a postcard, I may be able to arrange that. Just give me your address, and I will try my best to find something appropriately cheesy.

Also entertaining? What I get to do when I get back! This is more nerd-entertaining than actually entertaining, but I will be starting my internship (woo, libraries!) and back at Previous Employer, only this time as an instructor. I will have so many exciting and weird kid stories for you!

Now, if only "two weeks from now" would just hurry up and get here...

My favorite kind of Monday

...is one on which I don't have to work. Instead, there may be some wine tasting. Go check out my guest post on Life in Pink if you need a break from all the sunshine and barbecuing. I'll be back tomorrow, with a recap of all the graduation and family activity that has filled my weekend!

Coming up!

What you have to look forward to, when I get to it:

-rehash of the wine-tasting/brunch weekend (preview: it was so great!)

-recap of last weekend's SNL, hosted by Shia LaBoeuf and featuring My Morning Jacket (a band that I have never heard of, because I am hopelessly uncool)

-review of all the things that I have to look forward to in the coming month and a half

For now, though, I leave you with a link to one of the funnier things I've discovered on the internets in recent days...ladies and gents, I give you Rap Graphs.

Twu wuv

So, there has been this thing going around, and I want to play, too! Previous participants include the lovely Tipp, Michelle, Brandy, Brooke, and MissK, so you know this was a boat that I had to get on. If you haven't already, you definitely need to do this-- having just finished mine, I was pleasantly surprised at how much my mood had improved. So nice to remind oneself of how much there is to be thankful for, you know, in a way that does not make others want to gag or anything. Oh! And don't forget: this puppy has to be about you, not a single person you know-- no husbands, daughters, pets, or moms. The point is to write about how you define the things you love, not how they define you. (Although I suppose ultimately that is also what ends up happening. Anyway.)

I love being a girl. I love that I have the power to choose the way I want to live my life, to change my haircolor on a whim, and to constantly surprise myself and others with what I am capable of. I love not feeling guilty for loving my eyelash curler, and I love knowing how to successfully use a hammer and a level. I love Philosophy Falling In Love perfume, Ponds moisturizer, and DuWop Lip Venom. I love deciding to scrap the beauty routine on a Sunday and sit on the couch with a ponytail and sweatpants (American Apparel, if I must). I love that I have a very particular routine during which everything is scrubbed, moisturized, brushed, and treated before I can begin a normal day—it helps me get through the first part of my morning and out of the apartment at a reasonable time.

I love organization and office supplies. I love file folders, Post-Its, and Dr. Grip pens. I love the smell of a brand new notebook, waiting to be scribbled into. I love cutting and pasting, writing reminders to myself, and thinking of new ways to arrange things. I love color-coding, cross-indexing, and alphabetizing.

I love food. I love shopping for it, washing, opening, preparing, and creating new things with it. I love that the sum of a recipe is generally greater than its parts, and I love each and every part that goes into my favorite things to eat. I love cooking for myself, and for other people. I love inviting people into my home to feed and entertain them, and I love to bring food places, especially work, where I am convinced that I can continue to curry favor through cupcake-giving. I love always having a snack on hand, because you know what I am like when I don’t eat (that is to say, Crazy Lady From Hell).

I love California in the spring and fall (although I can’t really complain too much about winter and summer). I love the sense of purpose that the fall brings, even though I have been out of school for a couple years and have nothing to do with summer reading lists or new syllabi. I love transitioning from too-warm and sweaty in the summer to just right and crisp in the fall, when I can finally break out sweaters for the aesthetics as opposed to plain old need. I love changing out of those same sweaters in the spring and back to the flip-flops that await me like old friends, their quiet slapping sound following me as I walk to my car and open the sunroof, which I can do because, dammit, I live in California and it’s practically the law. I love to sing along with songs on the radio that I love to pretend were written about me. I love going to the beach before it becomes miserably hot, not to swim (heaven forbid!), but to take a book that I’ve already read and skim through its dog-eared pages while I make sure that my beach snacks are carefully guarded from scheming seagulls. I love reading, becoming so engrossed in the world created in those pages that I can tune out everything around me.

I love nights out with friends almost as much as I love to stay in on Friday nights. I love to talk too loudly because of ambient bar noise, to high-five when they play “Sweet Caroline” and “Livin’ on a Prayer,” to feel the effervescence of my gin and tonic, slightly spiked with lime. I love to wait all week just to have that “night in,” even though the previous four or five nights have also been “in.” I love to scroll through our movie selection and take 40 minutes to choose the perfect one, or cycle through the entire weeks’ episodes of Martha, just because I can.

I love sleep. I love falling asleep, and I love waking up after a full night’s sleep. I love that I rarely need my alarm clock to wake me up, and I love that I don’t have to set my alarm for a crazy-early time. I love taking up too much of the bed, kicking off covers in the middle of the night. I love my seemingly never-ending parade of pajama pants.

I love traveling and being in new places. I love to fly, I love to drive, and I love trains. I love the sense of possibility when I pull my suitcase off the baggage carousel. I love adjusting my schedule to the rhythm of being away from home, to the rhythm that places unknown possess. I love seeing and buying brands of food, clothing, and toiletries that I am completely unfamiliar with, just to make sure that I am fully experiencing everything. I love to people-watch, and to imagine the world that exists in everyone that inhabits this new, strange place.

Ordinary.

Had to get the Daily Shoe in at some point today...just plain old Converse All-Star low-tops (because what am I, 11? Seriously, I did have a sweet denim pair with the Tasmanian Devil on the side when I was about that age). A perfect Monday shoe, really, because you have to have something to build from, and when you're going to work in jeans and a North Face half-zip fleece pullover (see: Stuff White People Like), the Converse call out to you like a siren song from the closet.

Oh, and I am planning on jumping off the proverbial blogger bridge-- I'm working on a "love" list, somewhat inspired by the Converse. Other things I am loving right now include: Papaya Mango Salsa with tortilla chips from Trader Joe's, the fact that we now have a desk in our study, and that I currently have a job to which I can wear Converse, jeans, and a fleece pullover and not get fired.

What do you love today, internets?