O HAI, oh-ten...

In the post-Christmas return from New York (where we spent Christmas with GP's family and my dad), things just sort of...took off. As in, after a leisurely two weeks off work (and still in the midst of my gargantuan winter break from school), we went to Tahoe for the weekend. (Where I was not mocked for wanting to stay at the cabin and read, then cook dinner for six people. Skiing and snowboarding do not work well for me on the effort-to-enjoyment ratio.) The following weekend, we went up to San Francisco to see Wicked. (The verdict: good, with some great songs, but the songs were mostly too thematic and not expository enough for me. That doesn't mean I'm not singing them around the house still, though.) And then the weekend after that? We went down to Disneyland for our annual pilgrimage-- no kidding, we hit a Disney park every year. (Seriously. Remember the Great Disney World Extravaganza of 2009? This particular trip included a delicious visit to the Napa Rose.) Oh, and in the midst of all these weekends? We moved. Out of our crappy, small apartment, and into a lovely, still-pretty-small-but-in-a-charming-way house. 2010 is shaping up to be a busy year so far, and I am thankful that, this weekend, we will have little else to do besides alternating sitting around and hanging things on the walls. Sigh.

Oh, and a bonus of having this cat, which I didn't realize until we moved into a century-old house with one central gas heating unit? He has so many warms. Thanks, kitty.

This counts as the weekend, right?

1. Why do we have to work and go to school during March Madness? It seems that we would all be happier if we were allowed to just sit on the couch in our pajamas, switching between games and episodes of Unwrapped on the DVR. What, just me?

2. Constantly having a hair elastic around my wrist and taking off my ring when I wash my hands are now habits. The elastic thing is immensely helpful when I get impatient with my hair (gah, there is so much of it!), but I am probably going to be sorry about the ring habit. Every time I slip it into my pocket for handwashing time, I can just envision dropping it on the floor of whatever gross public restroom I'm in. But...is that better or worse than having it slip off my finger and go down the drain?

3. I have spring break next week, but it means very little to me-- I still have to go to work and my internship, so really I'm just getting a few free hours. Definitely not as exciting as undergrad spring break.

4. I had never heard the phrase "If you have to eat a frog, don't spend a lot of time looking at it. If you have to eat more than one, eat the big one first," until it came up when I was teaching a Study Skills class last week and it seemed a perfectly apt metaphor for procrastination avoidance. This probably doesn't mean that I am going to become someone who follows through on all the elaborate plans she makes, but at least I have that saying in my head.

5. I currently have five pairs of shoes hanging around the living room, the way I always do. Much to GP's chagrin. What? I'm working on it!

6. How was I to know that baking two dozen of those Guinness cupcakes was a bit of overkill? I got so caught up in the awesomeness of baking (and decorating!) with alcohol that I just kept filling the cups.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a crazy food experiment in which I try to make spaghetti carbonara with no cheese (it might get a little hairy, I'm not going to lie), tomorrow my plans include visiting a couple of wineries with our friends Davemanda and meeting another set of friends' new baby, and Sunday, I want to get some schoolwork done! Ambitious, I know, as there will be basketball on...and I am not so big on eating frogs, though I really enjoy the phrase.

Win/lose

Win: My mood has been fantastic recently, probably because I've been working out regularly. Weird, right? Thanks, endorphins!

Lose: I am convinced that I have some sort of specific social anxiety that rears its head only in my Issues in Academic Libraries class. It might be the combination of "I have no idea what I'm talking about," a professor who is formidable and intimidating, and a few classmates who really, really like to talk. This week will be our third meeting, and I am determined to say something other than "here."

Win: I tried on dresses for the first time with my mom a couple weekends ago, and it turns out I am not a plus-size bride. (They don't vanity-size wedding dresses, folks!) The two dresses that I liked the best were this one and this one (sans flower).

Lose: The dress trying-on expedition for this past weekend was thwarted by a dental emergency that my mom had. Also, I have few local friends who are readily available for such tasks...so I stayed home and watched America's Best Dance Crew at the gym. Not a total wash.

Win: I found a DJ who is also a pianist! And is not crazy-expensive! That means that I may only have to pay and feed one vendor for a couple services. Yay!

Lose: I have realized I would much rather be planning my wedding than doing schoolwork of any kind. This had led to massive amounts of procrastination and stress. Turns out grad school is just allowing me to continue the habits I developed as an undergrad...but if it wasn't constantly rewarded with good grades, I'd stop! Seriously. Life is hard.

Win: My weekend ended really well-- first, I attended Wedding University with my best friend/MoH, then met up with another friend for some PF Chang's. Wedding University is much more fun than graduate school, but I don't know that it will improve my job prospects.

Lose: I have a terrible assignment that is due tonight by 11:59. I have no idea how to go about starting it. Whoops.

Post-Disney Depression

I has it. Pictures are here-- it was so. Magical.

Friday fill-ins are baaaack

Now I only have to put actual effort into entertaining y'all six times a week. I'm tearing myself away from a dvr-ed NBC Nightly News to present to you...Friday Fill-ins! Get in on the action!

1. My blueprint for success includes finishing library school in a reasonable amount of time and finding a job that is both fulfilling and better-paying than my last full-time job. (I'd like to think that I have more earning power post-master's degree, right?) Besides that, I am excited for my now-less-than-a-year-away wedding and all that will follow it!
2. A mini Crunch bar was the last candy I ate. Damn you, Halloween!
3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is this Pond's one that I found on a recent Rite-Aid jaunt. The packaging is mostly in Spanish, which is fine for my bilingual self, and a little internets-research told me that there is some awesome "science" behind this overwhelmingly baby-powder-smelling lotion! (Not my favorite frangrance, btw, but I'm willing to deal.
4. Cooking can be good therapy.
5. I'd like to tell you about all the competing color schemes that I have floating around in my head for the wedding. But I won't, because even I am bored by wedding stuff, most of the time.
6. My willingness (nay, compulsion!) to be truthful with everyone (sometimes much to my detriment) is my strongest characteristic.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching this weeks episodes of The Office, 30 Rock, and Grey's, tomorrow my plans include a presentation/class meeting in the morning, work in the afternoon, and a wine/cheese party in the evening, and Sunday, I want to visit another potential wedding place with my mom. So begins the process...

FAIL.

Yep, I managed less than a week of consisted NaBloPoMo. However, I am planning a double-post Friday to make up for it! Seeing as there is no governing body for this "everyone write, every day!" month, I am not afraid of much censure, so let's just move on. I'm sure all eleven of my readers will forgive (right?).

Today is an unofficial day off, as there is no work-work to be done, but a ton of school and a bit of wedding stuff to do. That means I got to sleep in (until 8! Nice!), and watch multiple episodes of Jon and Kate Plus 8...before beginning my prep for a presentation I have to give tomorrow on blogs. Yes, blogs. Specifically, blogs about/by libraries/librarians, which will be a scintillating 7 minutes in Elluminate. Yay, Powerpoint (picture the Michael Scott emphatic pointing here)! Later, my mom and I will check out the house that is a potential wedding venue-- it's in Morgan Hill, and is the home of my former boss's mom and stepdad. GP and I have been there before, but I have to run it by the benefactors before we finally have a venue decision made (this is the other current front runner-- any feedback?).

That extra hour

...totally helped me out, because by the time I BARTed and drove home from the city, it was half past one in the morning, waaaay past my bedtime (yes, shut up, I am old now).

Matturday was awesome, with the concert preceded by dinner at Out the Door in the SF Shopping Center (which I hadn't been to in ages, and is so much nicer than I remember!). We shared a couple tepid (at best! come on) vegetarian steamed buns, then a bottle of white Bordeaux, cellophane noodles with Dungeness crab, and spicy lemongrass chicken. When we were stuffed and lightly sauced, we walked the two blocks to the Warfield, where we proceeded to drink $9 gin and tonics (and I managed to find a bar that demanded a $35 minimum on a credit card...seriously) and enjoy the dulcet tones of whatever band was the opener for the opener, Jessie Baylin. Jessie Baylin is adorable, and was dressed like a blonde Pinky Tuscadero, complete with biker jacket (no word on whether it has ever belonged to Fonzie) and rocker-chick gyrations. If I were in a more music-acquiring mood, she'd definitely be on my list. And then there was Matt! Nathanson! His shows are, as previously mentioned, on the rocking side of awesome, and last night was no exception...the notable sing-along was "Take on Me," truly a test of audience falsetto skills (luckily Andy and I are fantastic singers), a bit of "Jesse's Girl," as well as the perennial favorite of the audience doing the "I can fall alone..." background during the encore of "Answering Machine" (which holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first of Matt's songs I ever heard).

The rain that assaulted my car as I drove up to catch the train had thankfully ceased, and I had that jangly, too-alive feeling that usually follows concerts. Does that make sense? I feel like there's something about all that sensory overload that dulls and sharpens everything at the same time...

Matturday!

I had to do it, you guys... I am so. Freaking. Excited. For tonight! My friend Andy and I are going to see Matt Nathanson at the Warfield, which will be the third time that we've seen him together, and the fourth time that I've seen him in concert. Yes, I realize that that is insane, especially given that I am not an especially frequent concert-goer (I am a grad student with two jobs...and no free time or money. It's all podcasts and NPR for me), but I try to make a point of seeing Matt when I can. His concerts are always really fun, with a sing-along or three (greatest hits include "Livin' on a Prayer," "Starfish and Coffee," and any number of Journey songs-- I'm hoping for "Faithfully" tonight). The opener is Jessie Baylin, who looks pretty groovy on her website, and if MySpace and previous Matt openers (Ingrid Michaelson! Marc Broussard!) are any indication, tonight is going to kick all the ass.

In other news, I have decided to crash back into the blogging world by doing NaBloPoMo. Yep, I have joined the group and everything...but I am warning you, some of it is going to be boring. So don't say I didn't tell you, okay?

...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?

Best day I've had in awhile, actually

(Not that my life is that terrible, I swear! Today was pretty great, though-- I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.)

1. Idle hands are either baked goods, or a good, long Girls Next Door mini-marathon on Tivo (Bridget is my favorite-- don't judge me!) waiting to happen,
2. I love exfoliating and singing in the shower.
3. My favorite time of the day is when I first get home from work and pour the first glass of wine, feeling the weight of the day slide off my back. (Feeling so weighty today, aren't I?)
4. The last tea I drank was some Breakfast Americana that I had this morning. Coffee has been making my stomach angry recently, and tea never does, so it is my morning beverage of choice these days.
5. I like to read outside on our balcony, slathered with SPF 45 in the Summer. Yes, I am pale and nerdy in all seasons!
6. My mother always said, "Beauty is not quick, easy, or painless." And you know what? She was right. My mom is one smart lady.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to getting creative with dinner (we are out of obvious meal makings, and I am refusing to grocery shop before we leave town) and buying a brand new suitcase (!!!), tomorrow my plans include a trip up to the City to visit some friends and do some drinking, and Sunday, I want to laugh until I hurt as I watch America's Funniest Videos. Now you know my secret shame, internets.

Oh, and to clarify the travel plans in the preceding post-- we are going to NY strictly for GP's sister's Big Fat Armenian Wedding and related festivities (into EWR on the day of the rehearsal, hanging out with family, then doing the whole wedding thing), and then heading to Paris a day or so later. NYC activities, I'm afraid, are out. But-- if you have a good response to the "So when are you guys getting married?" question, fire away. I don't want to have one too many drinks and end up punching some defenseless aunt.

(Post) Weekend Update

While I can't claim to have been overwhelmingly busy last weekend, I still managed to be occupied enough not to blog. This, then, is what you are left with: bullets! What I managed to do in two days, aside from blog avoidance...

- entertain! Technically this was Friday, but I am including it because I am amazed that I was able to stay up past 10pm. I have been falling into the "in bed by 9:30" routine, which, while not bad in itself, sort of hampers one's social life. Oh, and I made a very popular (what? There were three other people eating it!) avocado mango shrimp salad (even though I ended up using papaya instead-- result of a very boring grocery-store tale). No heat required, and very refreshing. You have to try it!

- finish two library books! I am terrible, generally, at getting through books that I check out before they are (over)due, which is pretty shameful considering I am going to library school in the fall. This time, however, was different! I managed to finish Heat and One Perfect Day, both of which I highly recommend, especially the former, as I am food and cooking-obsessed these days.

- do a Major Apartment Clean-Up! We are not categorically messy people, GP and I, but we tend to have a bit of clutter in key places, including leaving drinking glasses (him) and shoes (me) in our wake as we go about our apartment business. I managed, through the weekend, to tackle the kitchen floor (thanks, Method O-Mop!), vacuuming with out teeny-tiny vacuum cleaner, dual bathroom cleanup, and balcony organization. Since the balcony (re) construction, there has been a ton of debris and whatnot due to further roof construction. It is a regular three-ring circus of construction crap and noise in our complex! If only we could...you know, enjoy it being done.

- get through two loads of laundry! Well...one and a half? We have big dryers, and each load is $1 wash and $1 dry. We are not Rockefeller, you know.

- spend less than $100 at Target! This is a big deal, folks. I finished birthday shopping for my mom, snagged some Jergens Natural Glow for me, and grabbed a full-length mirror so I have nothing holding me back from participating in Mission: Put Together but my own morning indecision and subsequent donning of jeans and a sweater. (Why yes, it is upwards of 80 degrees outside. I am completely insane.)

- was able to watch live television again! So, remember that week where the DirecTV tripod lived in our living room? Yeah, that week ended, and we were able to have it re-erected...only to have the dish knocked out of alignment by a wayward roofer. They said that they "might" be able to pay for the realignment, and I think I "might" kill them if we end up having to pay for something that we did not do (!!!!!). Anyway, the DirecTV contractor showed up a good 90 minutes after the 4-hour window during which he was supposed to arrive had elapsed, but at least he fixed our tv. To celebrate, I went home for lunch today and watched Access Hollywood and felt some of my brain disintegrating.

- hopped back on the Lost bandwagon! GP and I watched "The Shape of Things to Come" last night, and I am conscientiously avoiding spoilers so that he doesn't kill me during any of the ensuing four episodes we have to watch so that we're caught up. While we are obsessed with television, we manage to be obsessed on our own terms.

How was your weekend, internets?

Officially a wino

Better late than never, right? As you know (or should, at least, because I couldn't shut up about it), we went to Sonoma last weekend for Mother's Day with my mom and stepdad, my brother, and GP's parents. We had been planning a fun weekend full of wine tasting and delicious food, and that is exactly what we got! Oh, and all my worrying about mom competitions? Certainly for naught. I don't think that our parents are going to be forming drum circles or anything, but having them get along for a period longer than, say, a meal (which was the length of their previous exposure to each other), was encouraging.


Saturday began early, as we wanted to get on the road by 8 in order to make it to our northernmost winery destination by 10, which is when they open. After picking up GP's parents at their hotel, we made our way up the East Bay, past Berkeley and Oakland, and then over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge into the North Bay. As we got closer to the wineries, my brother called and told me that they were two cars behind us, so our planning worked out really well. The first winery we went to was St. Francis, which had a beautiful backyard-type area behind it, as well as a pretty gorgeous main building. Their wines were all right, but the girl who was pouring was basically ignoring us. If you haven't been tasting, you need to know that it isn't like going to a bar; of course, you are drinking, and have the potential to be quite smashed by about noon, but the people pouring are supposed to interact with you, as it is their job to make you want to buy the wine.

Winery number two was the polar opposite, though. We got there right at the time that they were beginning their cave tour, so we got to see the caves where they keep their barrels, which are really cool. It didn't hurt that it had started to heat up and the caves were at least 10 degrees cooler than outside. Going into their tasting room, we noticed that they had a specific area for a VIP-style tasting, and being the snobs (and cheese enthusiasts!) that we are, we seated ourselves on their classy leather sofas and sipped our four tastes (for a fairly-steep $20, but come on! There was cheese involved!). This was when the buying started, too. When GP and I go tasting in Napa, we might come home with half a case or so, total, of wines that we tried and liked. When we go to Amador County wine events, we might bring home a bit more than a case, because it is cheaper there (but still good wine!). When we were there this weekend, we came away with three cases of wine. I blame the parents-- my parents are huuuuge wine collectors (we're talking hundreds of bottles here, multiple winery memberships), and his parents are members of a couple Sonoma wineries, even though they live in New York.

We stopped at a cute Italian deli/cafe place for something to soak up all the wine we'd consumed (we are not apt to pour anything out unless it is pretty gross), and then headed off to another winery, where I got to hang out with the Official Winery Dog while we tasted. Being the smart animal that he is, he had decided to take a nap on the cool, tiled tasting room floor to escape the heat...right on one of my feet. Thanks, dog.


The families split after this, because my parents wanted to visit just one more place and then go to the hotel to rest before dinner, so GP and I and his parents headed, ambitiously, to three more places.

Pretty exhausted, we tucked into dinner at a place I had been eager to try, and made the (totally too-long) drive back to our hotel, where I am proud to say I passed out before 9pm. It had been a loooooong day.

The next morning, after having presented both moms with presents and spending some time hanging out at the hotel bar for mimosas and Bloody Marys, we made our way to , where GP's parents are members. We skipped the tour, having chosen some morning drinking instead, but got there in time to sample some Blanc de Noirs before we were seated for brunch. The brunch was surprising-- I had expected maybe a buffet or a range of options, but we all ended up with the same salad with bay shrimp, lamb, and fresh fruit trifle (no beef sauteed with peas and onions, sorry!). Other than the lamb being so rare it was near-bleating (woo, homonyms! Get it?), everything was very delicious. After our meal, we sat outside and tasted while enjoying a great view of the entire valley.

All in all, a successful weekend. Carrying the wine from the car to the apartment was a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty certain we won't need to buy anything until we go back to Amador for their Fall Crush event. The only problem now is that we have all these nice wines and only a couple "occasions" coming up... I'm sure we'll manage, though.

About damn time

It's Friday! How can I resist...

1. Two of my favorite ingredients in a drink are gin and tonic! (Duh)
2. That the work week can seem so simultaneously long and brief often amazes me.
3. You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to learn to mix a dry martini.
4. Pull marginally clean jeans from the closet, add a shirt without checking to see what color it is, add some reliable shoes and jewelry, mix it all together and voila! You have my outfit today! (Honestly, for having such a lackadaisical approach to dressing myself today, I think I did fairly well)
5. If I had a yard with a garden, I would love to grow lemons, limes, and an obscene amount of brightly-colored dahlias.
6. Lip balm is best au naturel. I am so bad about constantly licking it off that I worry about all those parabens floating around in my body. Is that a thing, parabens?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading for pleasure and catching up with Tivo, tomorrow my plans include a good long grocery-shop and a bit more reading (I've been craving a great book recently), and Sunday, I want to eat something delicious for dinner with my family! I am willing to provide dessert, of course.

Running faster and jumping higher than ever before!

With these!



Actually, very little running and jumping was done today, but I like to think the pink stripes would enable a little extra physical prowess.

Nothing much of note today-- though I did try on my several dress options for the wedding we'll be going to in Charleston next weekend, narrowed down because there are a few that are fitting a little strangely. As in...not. Maybe it's time for the gym, in between glasses of wine and smears of goat cheese. Just maybe. The dress, in case you are wondering (and I know you are!), is a black Calvin Klein that I found at Marshall's for super-cheap, because that is how I roll. A bit of pleating in the front, with a modified halter neck, and the bonus is that I will get to wear a regular bra. Score! There will be gold shoes, of course.

Oh! Speaking of this upcoming vacation/trip/out-of-town-being, I was thinking of potentially having some guest bloggers do some posts, so that I don't have to be all anti-social while I am soaking up the charms of the South. Any volunteers? I may be able to sweeten the deal with some souvenirs...

Los fill-ins del viernes

Yeah, I just rocked your face off with my Spanish skills. Let's move on, shall we?

1. The last time I lost my temper, I was probably annoyed with GP for not doing something for me. Wait, that makes me sound like a crazy person; let me amend this to say that he either left the toothpaste in the wrong bathroom or refused to clean up
something that was "mine," even though it was part of a chore he was doing. Truthfully, I do not really "lose my temper"...ever. There is usually only glaring and maybe some degree of slamming around, then we're back to normals after about four minutes.

2. Passive-aggressive management is what I'm fed up with! See: earlier posts from this week. We will not be talking about it anymore, because it makes me pensive in a bad way.

3. The next book I'd like to read is Proust and the Squid. Although this is a cheating-answer, because I started it about two months ago, and just haven't found my way back into it yet. So, officially, it is the book I'd like to finish next. I am also welcoming any book suggestions. Oh! Has anyone read I Was Told There Would Be Cake? I am hearing good-ish things about it.

4. My two-day work week next week, and Odyssey to the South are what I'm looking forward to. Cannot wait! We leave Wednesday for Atlanta, drive to Charleston on Friday, and then are back to Atlanta on Saturday...with a baseball game, trip to the aquarium, and wedding in between! I cannot promise any great blog action, but will probably bring my computer, so we'll see what happens.

5. If you can't get rid of the skeleton[s] in your closet, buy them funny wigs and put them in your living room! That way, you will have a couple great conversation pieces that you can discuss before things get too awkward with houseguests. Really, having a sense of humor about the skeletons is the best way to go.

6. The best thing I got in the mail recently was a magazine trifecta today! I am a compulsive magazine-subscriber, and today, Allure, Real Simple, and Self arrived. Looks like my weekend is booked!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to making Cook's Country beef teriyaki and watching a movie with GP, tomorrow my plans include going to my mom and stepdad's house to wash my car and weed through some stuff I have there, and bring back an amount small enough that GP will let me bring it into the apartment (I think he is hoping for an amount like "nothing"), and Sunday, I want to go to a Bridal Fair/Extravaganza with a friend! Yes, it's true, I have engagement/wedding envy. I get to pretend to be her maid of honor, and there will be a fashion show (but probably not at lunch).

What are you up to this weekend, internets?

Heat wave!

One day of warmth does not a heat wave make, but the temperature today is enough to warrant the miraculous rediscovery of the following footwear:


Yes, welcome to my toes, webosphere! I've decided you're ready, and it's not like this pedicure is going to get any better, right? I'll try not to subject you to any dirty-toe moments, if it can be helped. So, when I mentioned the "miraculous rediscovery," I was not kidding: I thought that this pair of flip-flops was lost and gone forever until I discovered one of them under the couch. Very suspicious, especially since I had no clue where the other one was-- it certainly was nowhere near its mate, since I had thoroughly searched the area. As I am a big believer in the principle of "out of sight, out of mind," I decided to shove that single sandal back under the couch, so that I didn't have to deal with the nagging worry of its presence in my closet (this, of course, was in no way a GP-sanctioned plan, but I am not sure he was aware of the single-shoe conundrum). Months go by, summer goes into fall goes into winter, and I am rarely in need of these flip-flops. I hardly notice when I see my little, lonely friend peeking out from under the couch; I just give it a little nudge with my toe, pushing it back under there where it can't haunt me with its solitariness.

But lo! Spring is officially back, and the weather is downright summery. I, of course, have dozens (I am not kidding, it's like a sickness, and the only cure is more footwear) of pairs of flip-flips, each a unique snowflake in its own way, but I have a hankering for this particular pair of Reefs. Way more expensive than any pair of shoes that are held onto ones foot through a between-the-toes thong and a couple "leather" straps should be, they found their way into my life one summer before returning to college from summer break, an item on the Official Sorority Recruitment Clothing List. (You guys, I am not kidding. There was a list, and there were clothing checks, as well as conversation workshops. But that's another post.) They represent the upper limit of the height range that I allow my sandal soles to be (because I am not a fan of the stumpy-leg look), and are responsible for a nasty spill due to their slippery soles and my overall clumsiness. At any rate, a miracle occurred today-- I found the mate! And you know where it was? Right there on the other end of the couch! This proves several things: first, I am an idiot. Additionally, I clearly did not go as thoroughly about my search as I previously thought. Ultimately, however, my idiocy is beside the point-- the point is, I get to clomp around in these babies for many summer weeks to come! Clearly, the day is mine!

It wouldn't be Friday without...

...Friday Fill-Ins! Here you go, internets.

1. I love springtime in Northern California! The trees blossom in huge clouds of pink and white, I get to wear flip-flops with alarming frequency, and can sleep with the windows open. Ambient street and neighbor noise is something that I am willing to tolerate if I get to have the occasional breeze.

2. Toast with peanut butter and plain Greek yogurt are foods I love to eat for breakfast. If it's the weekend, I will have some eggs with Tabasco (which GP absolutely hates-- he won't let me sit near him when I eat them), some waffles, or, if I am feeling saucy, I will go out for eggs benedict. I'm convinced they wouldn't be as tasty if I made them myself, but I'm sure I will someday.

3. It seems I'm always searching for my new favorite restaurant. The standbys that GP and I end up eating in, at least once a month each, include the aforementioned sushi place and a really great Italian-style pizza place. We always end up taking people who are visiting us to either of those places, and also this great barbecue place, and a sometimes-a-tad-too-greasy-but-always-delicious burger place.

4. Clearing all one's work emails is a great way to end the (work) day. Do you know what I mean? Just doing one final scan, making sure that there are no loose ends. That is what allows me to enjoy an evening or a weekend-- no little rough edges clouding my brain. Oh, and in case you were wondering, a glass of wine and an episode of Family Guy are a great end to the (after-work) day. Peter Griffin and pinot, Meg and merlot, Chris and a cab...now I am annoyed at my alliterative self. You get the idea, though.

5. I think I may be well on my way to proving my worth as an employee! (Yippee!)

6. Warmth and sunshine is what I've been craving lately. Fortunately, nature has decided to give in to my demands, and I can spend a good chunk of the weekend laying by our pool-- covered in sunscreen, of course, and reading something wonderful. Any suggestions? I might get started with the second in the His Dark Materials series (I finished The Golden Compass awhile ago, and really liked it).

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to whatever our dinner decision ends up being, tomorrow my plans include the aforementioned poolside lounging, and Sunday, I want to be finished with all this work spreadsheeting that I've brought upon myself! If Excel is the way to worm my way into the heart of my boss, so be it.

What are you doing this weekend, internets?

Wah Waaaaah

No, I don't want to talk about the way the Bruins ended their season today. Needless to say, it was very similar to the previous two seasons, minus a loss to the hideous douchebag Joakim Noah and the nasty Florida Gators. Maybe this will convince K-Love to stay another year to get us a championship, though...? A girl can dream.

Other than basketball, today is a bit of a "nothing" day, with GP hanging out with a friend and me here, watching basketball (I promise I'll still watch, I'll just care a bit less because none of them is My Team) and listening to This American Life while I clean the apartment. Thrilling, I know.

In other news, I got a haircut today! There will be no pictures, however, because the highlight situation has yet to be addressed, and there is a bad root problem happening. Maybe when I get that done next week, I'll document it. I know you all can't wait. Oh, and last but not least...

Yes, I am a badass. A rhinestone-encrusted badass, who will recap SNL tonight because Christopher freaking Walken is hosting (yay)!

Friday fill-ins, part deux

Because on a Friday morning, little is motivating me to do work. That, and I brought my personal laptop to work, and it is sitting on my desk right next to the work one, begging me to play instead of make one more freaking spreadsheet. May I present to you...

1. Some relationships are meant to end badly. This is how one learns
2. Matt Nathanson/Ingrid Michaelson at the Fillmore in SF is the last concert I saw; it was completely awesome! I wish I were able to see more live music (yes, I realize this has little to do with actual ability, and more to do with priorities and motivation, but...I have no defense against that).
3. Spring should be warmer, no? The weather people are saying rain, and I am saying, "NO! This is California! This is why I pay so much to live here, right?"
4. Oh no! I forgot to send my friend with a birthday this week her birthday card! (I am sending as many birthday card as possible this year-- it's sort of a New Year's resolution, but I am afraid that officially calling it that will jinx things. Hopefully the aforementioned friend will accept an apology and belated card.)
5. I've recently started using Google Calendar. I think it's pure genius-- anyone with me?
6. LOLcats never fail to make me smile. What am I, made of stone?
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching some college basketball, tomorrow my plans include a barbecue at The Apartment with my Dad (and yet more basketball) and Sunday, I want to have brunch with the family to celebrate my brother's 21st birthday. (I will actually be going to this brunch-- mostly because I have no intention of going to a bar with a group of his other-21-year-old-dude friends.)

I half-promise there will be real content later today, all concocted by my very own brain. Only half, though, because I am almost too crazy excited not to be sick anymore.

Monday is the new Saturday

Cold open: Eliot Spitzer, with his poor wife standing by his side. I can’t say anything about the situation that hasn’t already been said, so I will leave it at seriously, Eliot Spitzer? And, seriously, America? Are we surprised that a politician ended up being a hypocrite? Because certainly this cannot be the first time this has happened. “I am, at this point, incapable of embarrassment.” Probably not far off, or at least one can hope. The premise here is that he is going to become a private-practice lawyer who specializes in particularly “lurid, embarrassing sex scandals,” such as “gay bathhouse slip and fall,” “defective masturbation device,” “customs seizure of German porn,” “botched erotic asphyxiation,” “denial of reach-around,” or the worst-case scenario, the “dead hooker.” Nice open, and for the first time in the last four weeks, not a Barack and/or Hillary-related sketch.

Please, baby Jesus, don’t let Jonah Hill sing during his monologue… Look, I enjoyed Knocked Up (which I saw with a former boss, who was still my boss at the time…it was a fun and strange Friday night) and Super Bad, but not as much as I’m sure many others did, so I’m interested to see what Jonah Hill does within the confines of the show. I know that I express concern over the abilities of comedians to perform in this setting, but the truth is that I feel that many of the show’s best recent hosts have not been comedians. I do firmly believe that it’s a tougher milieu (and that I seem pretentious for using that word, but I assure you I’m doing so correctly) than film or regular television—there’s less time to prepare, less time to react, and you have to possess that sixth sense that allows you to refrain from cracking up or looking into the camera (I’m looking at you, Jimmy Fallon). Anyway. Jonah Hill looks a little stumpy in this getup…jeans, a black t-shirt, an open button-down, and…a suit jacket? Yeah, I don’t know, either. He is cute as he says that he’s so excited to be there, that it’s “literally the most amazing moment in [his] entire life,” which I’ll let slide because it seems genuine. He calls himself a fancy gentleman, and I feel a song coming on. As long as there is a top hat or cane involved, we might be all right. He does say the words “top hat,” but I don’t know how I feel about his “underpantsies.” There are four guys in tops and tails behind him, and the lyrics to the song are pretty hilarious. Well played, Jonah Hill.

MacGruber, a MacGyver takeoff that is hit-or-miss for me. I give this one an A-, mostly because of the wigs and the brevity.

Game show! What’s Your Situation, hosted by Lou Delhomme (JH). Apparently the show’s title comes from the follow-up question asked to every (female) contestant—“What’s your situation? Are you married, single, dating…?” The married contestant is sent packing, and the host is that creepy guy in the bar ordering you a Sex on the Beach when you really want a Jack and Ginger. I’m all for free alcohol, but seriously guys, let the ladies order. This sketch is pretty short, too, and I’m wondering if this will be indicative of the rest of the show—really quick pacing, but I sort of like it because it’s not belaboring any unfunny premises or jokes.

JH in glasses and a clenched fist that looks more ready to knock on a door rather than punch bring us back from commercial, to a Benihana! Which is really just an okay place to eat—the eye contact and shared seating are really off-putting for me, and the last time we went we were seated across from this couple that consisted of a douchebag on his cell phone talking about “cabbing it to San Fran” (ugh, kill me—never call it “San Fran,” or “Frisco,” for that matter) and his poor lady friend. Within Benihana we find a pair of guys and a pair of girls—JH is Bill Heder’s 6-year-old son, trying to get his dad some action and coming across like a sportscaster version of Woody Allen performing at a Catskills resort. Oop, is Jonah going to laugh in this one? Nah, he’s holding it together, and talking crazy loudly…much like an actual 6-year-old, with slightly better comic timing and many more nebbishy tendencies.

Aaand, another damned MacGruber. Boo.

OMG!!!1!!!!!@!@1 April 5th, Christopher Walken and Panic! At The Disco. Love, love, love! Does that mean two weeks off, though? Aw. Totally worth it, though.

Jonah and his so-classy-that-he-got-a-tattoo-of-it-on-his-finger mustache segue into The Suze Orman Show. Bear with me, folks, all I know of Suze Orman is that she is a former Oprah protégé (like Dr. Phil, and we know how well that’s going), and is sometimes on the Today show (from which, you will remember, I am taking a break). Rockin’ some animal prints and a sassy Midwestern accent, along with some weird vocal phrasing. The “Can I afford it?” segment begins, and I guess that we’re supposed to infer that she’s a lesbian…? Huh, ok. She tells a rich guy to go to Epcot rather than Europe, and…meh. Although I will certainly be trying to incorporate the phrase “full-tilt dumbass” into my daily lexicon, for sure.

SNL Digital Short! Andy Samberg is being measured for a ringmaster’s jacket when Jonah hill enters in a funny little hat (it’s not that funny, but he doesn’t have a “hat” head), inviting Andy Samberg to coffee. JH apparently met Andy’s family after the show “last week” (note to the observant: Andy’s dad is Jack Handey!), and has been seeing Andy’s dad since. They went to grab a beer, got to talking, and then made out, which is about as attractive as you think it might be. Andy is, understandably, “really not cool with this,” but Jonah believes it’s love. There is an implied fellatio at some point. Ben, the dad, enters and kisses cheeks and ruffles hair, and then Bill Hader enters, revealing that he and Andy’s dad have also been “f**king.” Thanks, Lorne Michaels…definitely the best digital short that’s been on in the last three weeks.

Mariah Carey. Bleep-bloop.

Weekend Update! Bwa-hah, the whistle blower was having his whistle blown! Nice. CA passed some new regulations for home schoolers, there are tons of drugs in water, and we get a Really!?! With Seth and Amy segment! Sweet. Probably at least as good as the Michael Vick one. Ugh, would Mitt Romney really run as McCain’s running mate? He seems so…sleazy. I know this seems incongruous, as he is a Mormon and all, but he seems so greasy and disingenuous. China was removed from a Department of State list of human rights abusers, giving me my very own Really!?! moment, and 1 in 4 teenage girls has an STD, which I will choose to blame on abstinence-only sex education and limited safe-sex resources for teenagers. Am I right? Maybe. I know that there are other factors, such as earlier and earlier sexualization of kids and shifts in how families communicate and operate as units, but ultimately someone has to be teaching these kids what to do, and having sex as a teenage doesn’t have to mean anything but a deep sense of regret and some stories about speeding away from one’s boyfriend’s house, clutching one’s bra…not that I know anyone who had to do that or anything. Tracy Morgan comes to talk about Barack Obama being “reminded” that he’s black by Geraldine Ferraro, saying that we are a racist country, which I can’t say I disagree with. It’s not overt, and it’s not everywhere, but it’s there and it’s complicated and Tracy Morgan is much more coherent here than I expected him to be. “Bitch may be the new black, but black is the new president, bitch.” Love it.

Yay! A Target-lady sketch! So, this is only sort of a recurring character for Kristen Wiig, but it’s so bizarre that I love it. Almost as much as I love Target. Target lady has a strange temporary amnesia thing that erases her math skills, and is excited when a customer reminds her that she’s at Target. Kenan Thompson comes by and asks if he can pay for his items, to which she replies, “I don’t know—can you?” If I were a teacher, I would be doing this sort of thing endlessly. This is why it’s probably best that I am going to be a librarian: fewer opportunities to inflict proper grammar on the children. A cardboard cutout of Isaac Mizrahi appears, but only fleetingly, and Will Forte comes by to exchange some sweatpants for 99 cent (!) Nilla Wafers—after KW suggests he take the ill-fitting pants to a tailor. Pure gold, I tell you!

Will Forte is Brian Williams—who played Brian Williams last week? I could have sworn it was someone else. Oh well. We learn that John McCain is old. We know this! Seriously, is he not close to the age Bob Dole was when he ran for president? And everyone was flipping out about Dole’s age! Why the exception here? Not that this is a disqualifier, the fact that he’s old, but I would like some equal treatment. If we want some disqualifiers, I’ll…not be getting into that here or now. Mmm, Megan no likey.

Unrelated, but I feel that it is my duty to share it with the interwebs: a commercial for Old Navy reminded me of my quite-successful trip there yesterday, where I bought, among other things, a new pair of jeans (that is a size smaller than I’ve been wearing recently and reveals no butt-cleavage!), a new bathing suit (a tankini that I didn’t try on until I was home, due to unfortunate lighting conditions in dressing rooms), and this fabulous “bathing suit cover-up” that I will instead be taking many naps in—or at least that’s what happened Sunday afternoon on my couch. At any rate, get thee to Old Navy! At the very least, you’re getting some crazy-cheap tank tops, and god knows every girl needs about forty-seven of those.

Jonah Hill in a bolo tie is an old-timey record producer pimping out country singers…and proceeds to laugh a bit as he discusses the songs. This is pretty bad. Spaceships, toddlers, Model T cars, and jars of beer? Was this a Mad Lib? Do. Not. Want.

Mariah Carey. You know the drill.

Jonah Hill and what’s-her-name are on a date after “talking online for so long,” and right away I am on guard. You must know that GP and I met through the torrid world of the Craigslist personals, he the new guy in town who could spell and punctuate properly, and I the local gal who knew the limits of her nonexistent social circle. Most online dating is ridiculous, but I like to think that it just makes us extra-lucky…also, in his posting, he did mention that if things went well, I had to be willing to lie about how we met. And yet, here I am. Not lying at all. Jonah Hill loves the smell of burnt meat, and had claimed that he was a personal trainer, proving that either this girl was quite the idiot or he was quite the smooth talker/typist. Oh, and he drives a PT Cruiser, which has inspired a new version of the “Slug bug” game between me and GP. Totally fun to play—you have to try it!

Overall? Well-played, Jonah Hill. Let’s have some beers sometime.