A failure to communicate.

Dear Anyone who might read this:

This summer was a fail, in many ways, not least being keeping this blog up. However! School has started again. I'm starting to get back into a schedule. This weekend I'm heading back to California, but after that, I'm certainly, absolutely, going to start posting again, as soon as I get my schedule worked out. Let's see...I have to fit in school, homework, work, learning the harmonica, APO, this blog, taking care of the apartment, spending time with friends, food and sleep.

Hey! Micromanagement...it's possible, right?

A Busted Break

Well, my laptop spontaneously decided that it doesn't like the keyboard anymore. As such, posting is on hold until I get a new keyboard, hopefully not a new laptop, and get everything figured out.

Technology. It's a love-hate thing.

Summertime Movies

I love going to the movie theater. It's film's answer to the stage, and except for the artificial buttery popcorn smell, going to the movies is a great way to beat the heat and go into suspended disbelief.

This summer, there are a ton of movies I want to see. Here are just a few:

First, the serious, The Stoning of Soraya M. I keep reading books about this places we all didn't pay attention to before 9/11 and I have to say, I'm fascinated, and this movie only adds to the fire.



Second, the heartwarming uplifting predictable but love it anyway film: Julie & Julia. I love Meryl Streep and I love Julia Child. I love food and I love sass. Conveniently, someone decided to make a movie combining all of these things.



Finally, the ridiculous: Dead Snow. It is a movie about Nazi zombies. Listen, I'm not going to try and act high-class. I am amused by this to no end, say what you will about my tastes. A good zomcom will always make my night.



There are multiple others I'm excited about, like Away We Go, Paper Heart, Taking Woodstock, The Boat That Rocked, Public Enemies, and Inglourious Basterds. Plus six or seven more. Like I said, I love going to the movies.

Inspiring Wednesday: Wild Things

Sssh! I have a secret to tell you: I did not own a copy of Where the Wild Things Are growing up. I know, I know, sacrilege! I did read it, of course. You can't avoid childhood classics, not with a school library and an addiction to reading. Now, everyone is getting excited about the book again thanks to Spike Jonze's upcoming film.

So, while I admit I didn't have a well-thumbed copy in my library as a kid, I can admit I love the artwork by Maurice Sendak.

Terrible Yellow Eyes is a collection of artwork inspired by Sendak's wonderful book. I highly recommend taking a look - it's convinced me that I must have a copy of Where the Wild Things Are for my children, when I have them. The artwork featured is beautiful, frightening, funny, amazing...so many artists, so much talent, one great inspiration.

Bill Robinson's fine work...it really brings out the characters' personalities, I think.

I adore this pattern by Allie Biondi. I want it on fabric and I want to make it into a quilt that will double as a cape so I can run around yelling I'm a wild thing.

So, as I said, go and check out Terrible Yellow Eyes. You will fall in love with the book all over again (or for the first time, as with me).

California Dreaming

Lately, I've been thinking about California...

Growing up in Fresno, California, I wanted to do nothing but get out of there. Get out of Fresno, get out of California. While I don't regret my decision in the least, being away from California has made me realize how much I do love it.

I love getting dirt cheap strawberries by the flat on sides of the road.
I love being able to drive to the mountains and to the ocean, both in under 2 hours.
I love the Bay Area.
I love fresh citrus, especially lemons, picked right off the tree.
I love sourdough bread (you can't get the good stuff on the East Coast!)
I love Redwood trees that are so old and so big and so tall.
I love fresh, fresh seafood.
I love Yosemite.
I love Disneyland.
I love the Central Coast.
I love delicious Mexican food gotten at taco trucks on construction sites with my dad.
I love foggy mornings.
I love being in the middle of downtown one minute and in the middle of orchards the next.
I love waking up on pristine mornings and being able to see the Sierra Nevada mountains, glorious with snow-peaked caps.
I love sunsets over the ocean. (can't get that on the East Coast)

There are many things I do not like about California (my homestate is going bankrupt. Ridiculous!) but right now, I'm dreaming of the California that will always have a piece of my heart.

California, despite its many faults, will always be my home.


Besides, the people I love are there.

My Weakness

After a week of not posting (my bad, life got crazy for a bit...still is crazy!), I come back with my weakness.

Some people overspend when they go shopping for shoes. Clothes. Jewelry. Furniture. Not me. I rarely go shopping (college student = low on funds) and even when I do, I stay well within my budget. Except!

There is one exception in my shopping world that gets me every time: farmers' markets. It's like going to the grocery store hungry...you go in for one or two items and come out with eight. I can't help myself! I love, absolutely adore farmers' markets. The local, fresh, seasonal food, the people, the animals, the music...it is all wonderful to me.

Thankfully, DC does have multiple farmers' markets. My favorites are Eastern Market on Capital Hill (it also has a great flea market, plus a delicious Salvadorean restaurant nearby!) and Freshfarm Markets in Dupont Circle.

The other day I went to the Dupont Circle market to pick up some honey...

I got incredibly distracted by the delicious looking strawberries and ideas of French toast with strawberries and strawberries in a spinach salad....then I noticed the asparagus. Then I noticed the empanadas. Then I noticed...well. You get the idea. I did remember to get the honey, though! Farmers' markets are such a great place to people watch and dog watch.

There's even a parrot!

Next weekend I will probably end up back at the market...and once again, try and fail at getting just one or two items (but it's the kind of overspending I love.)

Also, isn't this little girl just adorable looking?

Movie Night

A few years ago my family and I went to New Zealand for Christmas and New Year's. It is often called "God's Own Country" and this statement is no exaggeration. New Zealand, simply, is beautiful. Jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, awe-inspiring, brings-you-to-your-knees beautiful. We hiked Franz Josef glacier while we were there - to get to the glacier though, we had to hike through a rainforest. Like one you'd see in Brazil! In any case, anytime that I hear or see something about New Zealand, I simply must pay attention.

This evening I stumbled upon this little film called Her Majesty.



It is a sweet, family film. It is a bit predictable, yes, but at the end you just feel good. Also, it shows, if only in small part, how beautiful New Zealand is. If you get the chance to watch it, I recommend it immensely.

One day I'll show some pictures of when I went to New Zealand. Even those don't capture it perfectly. What I would give to spend a year there (maybe I will someday!).

Inspiration for the Evening: Clio Chiang

Tonight the wind is howling, the rain is falling and the sky is grumbling: thunderstorm!

I've known about Clio Chiang's work for awhile, but just recently stumbled onto her website. It's filled with beautiful, fantastic illustrations.





I love her use of color, and often her soft, watercolor like artwork. I would certainly recommend checking her out, she has a blog that she updates quite frequently with her sketches and doodles. Her artwork makes me smile!

Good night everyone, it is humid in this apartment and I'm going to go to bed!

For Mom

I had to plans to write about farmers' markets today, but I decided to do something else.

Today I cleaned my apartment. Vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed, dusted - cleaned. I worked for hours cleaning the place. And I don't expect a thank you from any of my roommates when they all get back later tonight. It isn't that I wouldn't like a thank, no, I would quite like one, but I won't get it.

Then I thought about it. My mom has done the same thing day-in, day-out, for years. As a stay at home mom, she cleaned the house, bought the food, did the laundry, did everything to make our house a home. And all without a continual thank you. She was essentially an unpaid servant. Which is horrible to say, and I know she wouldn't think of it like that at all, but basically, that is what it comes down to. My mom did everything for us and never expected anything in return, never got anything in return. I took her for granted.

Mother's Day was a few weeks ago, but I can honestly say that today I feel much more appreciation and respect and admiration for my mom. I will do so every day. My mom is amazing.


I hope one day I can be as fantastic a mother as she has been to me.

Mosquito Love (And Hate)

Hello all, this is what I feel like today:


(via Ann Kelliot)

Mosquitoes love me. I must have sweeter blood than everyone else, because in a room full of people, I will certainly get the most mosquito bites. It's always been like this. Back home, my mosquito bites used to look like cigarette burns. That led to interesting questions in elementary school ("Honey, is there anything going on at home?"). Here, in DC, where it is humid, mosquitoes flourish and thrive on me and it ends up looking like I have bruises all over my body.

Yesterday, I got bit. A lot. I finally was able to do the tally of how many bites today, when I couldn't wear shoes for a long period of time thanks to the 17 bug bites on my feet. Plus the 5 others on my legs and bum (making sitting painful) that's a total of 22 bug bites from yesterday alone! Total summer tally? 35 mosquito bites. Summer has barely started, and I'm sure by the end I'll have lost a significant amount of blood.

Why not wear mosquito repellent, you ask? I do. I also take garlic pills, which supposedly help. I do everything to make sure the bugs don't get me (aside from wearing a mosquito net) and still they chow down.

Scientists has done research to figure out why some people are bit more than others. It all comes down to how we smell. Some people don't smell so hot to mosquitoes. Others, well, if you're me, it's like I'm honey and you're Pooh Bear. Except very, very competent.

I meant to make a post on the meatballs (and subsequent subs) I made tonight, but dang it all if I'm not in too much pain but to sit and veg on TV. And keep putting on anti-itch cream.