tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81755783596691869532024-02-21T06:47:36.548-05:00What I Like About...A blog about all of the things I enjoy in life.Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-90287970852013844082011-01-16T14:01:00.000-05:002011-01-16T14:01:17.493-05:00AMBIVALENCE: Valencia, SpainSo, I now know the secret. The way to get me to update my blog is to tell me I need to write an assessment report! Brilliant!<br />
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I've been thinking alot over the past few days about how many things I love doing, that make me happy and calm and content, that I have not done much of in the past 6 months or so...one of those things, funnily enough, is blogging. Another is singing. Photography. Cooking. Eating. (Well, that one I've been doing pretty well, actually.) <br />
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And I realized that, in the past 6+ months, there've actually been tons of things that I had something to say about...ugh, bad sentence structure, sorry. Anyway, one of those things is Valencia, Spain, where hubby and I went in late August. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d630b3127ccefa83581c7d7600000040O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d630b3127ccefa83581c7d7600000040O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I think I didn't write about Spain because, overall, the trip was hard. And that sounds ungrateful, I know. But it really was. We went in the week right before I began my internship, and I had a lot of time-sensitive dissertation work to do, and was trying to mentally prepare for a huge change in my life, and the start of something I had been working toward for years. It was also late August, and I learned as we were on our flight there that the worst time to visit Valencia is August. Swell. So, it was <i>extremely </i>hot and made seemingly relaxing things like lying on the beach into exercises in mild torture. <i>Mild</i> torture, but still. Also, the nicer beach, the one that was less crowded and more spacious, looked like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d635b3127ccefa88bd61a66300000030O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d635b3127ccefa88bd61a66300000030O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" width="320" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>That's rock. Hard, pointy rock. So, it was <i>beautiful</i>, and I took lots of great pictures, but you had to wear shoes to keep from cutting your feet, obviously couldn't spread a towel and lay out, and to get into the water, you had to jump into the sea off of a sheer drop off, into the super deep water. All the while timing it properly so that the incoming waves didn't push you immediately into the jagged rock face you just jumped off of. It was terrifying. And really sad, because I didn't <i>want</i> to be terrified, but the power of the ocean is incredible and we are extremely frail in the face of it, and I was all too aware of that and so was too scared most of the time to enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean water. So, I just took lots of pictures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d635b3127ccefa8908a9c62500000030O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d635b3127ccefa8908a9c62500000030O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" width="320" /></a></div>The thing that saved me on this trip was that I had a camera glued to my hand/face the entire time. I borrowed my friend's D90, and without it, I don't know what I would have done. The trip was business/pleasure for hubby, so there were times when he was busy, the family we were staying with was doing family things, everyone was speaking Spanish, I had no clue what was going on, and no real agency to be able to control what was happening, where I was going, or what I was doing (which, needless to say, was <i>extremely</i> difficult for me), and so I took pictures. I <i>looked</i>, I framed shots, I fiddled with f-stops and shutter speeds, I shot. And that's how I didn't go crazy. I also think the camera helped me to see the beauty of where I was, though I was feeling so ambivalent about being there. Valencia is a beautiful place. I was just there at the wrong time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d630b3127ccefa82f4dfdc9f00000060O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0d630b3127ccefa82f4dfdc9f00000060O00EcOGrhq3aMwe3nwY/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=550/ry=400/" width="320" /></a></div>Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-7246735500155535152011-01-15T17:41:00.001-05:002011-01-15T18:25:31.286-05:00agreeing...<span style="font-size: small;">So...I <i>very </i>much need to work on a report for work, but even more so, I need to write some things down...so, dear reader, after almost 8 months of silence, I'm back!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Hi :o)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The first thing I think I need to say is that for the past many months, I have been, and this is a severe understatement, <i>extremely </i>restless.</span> I have been anxious, and angry, and sad, and mad, and confused, and nervous, and happy, and annoyed, and excited, and upset, and, even sometimes, content. I have also been doing what I typically do when I feel restless--trying frantically to figure out what needs to change, what needs to be done, so that I only feel the good emotions listed up there, avoid the bad ones, and don't feel restless anymore. Needless to say, that pursuit has led only to me needing to add "very tired" to that list.<br />
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Then, yesterday, as I'm mentally racing around, trying to figure out what pieces to move so that everything can be "fixed" and "right," something shifted. And I asked myself, "What am I <i>doing</i>?" Over and over again, I asked...<br />
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A few months ago, thanks to a well-timed seminar at work on mindfulness and meditation and the mind/body connection, I heard about and read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Things-Fall-Apart-ebook/dp/B0041VYNW0?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">When Things Fall Apart</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0041VYNW0" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Pema Chodron. Those of you who know me well know that I can exaggerate <i>slightly</i> sometimes :o) but believe me when I say that this book is changing my life. Yesterday, I flipped through the many, many sections that I've highlighted, and a few really touched me, moved me to tears, and helped me to realize that for a long time now, as I keep trying to figure out what to <i>do</i> next, how to change the state of affairs, the internal state of my self, I have been trying really hard to avoid my fear.<br />
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Fear of what? It doesn't even matter, really. As I experience any kind of anxiety or doubt, I try with all my might to dodge out of its path, and become busy with any number of distractions, some beneficial, some not, to keep from feeling fear.<br />
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So many of Chodron's words are powerful for me when thinking about this tendency, which we all, understandably, have. I mean, who wants to feel scared and miserable? Not me! But the thing is, it's unavoidable. It's part of life. And it's so hard to accept that truth, isn't it? I know it is for me.<br />
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But I remembered again yesterday that the irony of it all is that the more we fight against our fear, the less we are actually <i>living our lives</i> and experiencing the present moment. From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-Things-Fall-Apart-ebook/dp/B0041VYNW0?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">When Things Fall Apart</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0041VYNW0" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />:<br />
<blockquote><i>I once asked the Zen master Kobun Chino Roshi how he related with fear, and he said, "I agree. I agree."</i></blockquote>This one small sentence slaps me in the face every time (in a good way!). I mean, read it again. "I agree." Wow. <br />
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It's so simple, and yet is the most complicated thing for me to grasp, I think. To just let myself be scared, sad, upset, thrilled, elated...to just <i>be</i> those things, if that it is where I am...instead of running, running, running to get away from real life, and the pain that is sometimes a part of being real. Being here.<br />
<blockquote><i><span class="highlight">Thinking that we can find some lasting pleasure and avoid pain is what in Buddhism is called samsara, a hopeless cycle that goes round and round endlessly and causes us to suffer greatly. The very first noble truth of the Buddha points out that suffering is inevitable for human beings as long as we believe that things last—that they don’t disintegrate, that they can be counted on to satisfy our hunger for security.</span></i></blockquote>I think the painful truth of this--that nothing lasts, that life is <a href="http://enlighten-upmedia.com/eu/?p=561">groundless</a>-- is what landed on me yesterday. Again. And it hurt. It was heavy.<br />
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And, I agree. Well...I'm trying to, at least.Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-80076201811272368052010-05-25T16:02:00.001-04:002010-05-25T16:03:40.045-04:00OPPOSITE DAY: My hair...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, I hate my hair again. For the past few weeks, I have been yanking and tugging and begging it to look presentable, but all I'm getting is a weirdly shaped helmet-head with fins on the sides. Not pretty. So I think I'm gonna cut it. Which is interesting, since I <i>thought</i> what I wanted was for it to hurry up and grow out of this weird in-between stage it's in, but that takes <i>time</i>, and one thing I am not is patient, so instead of waiting for it to grow out and look normal again, why not just <i>cut</i> into submission? I say, good idea!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At my friend's graduation ceremony, this woman sitting in front of us had an awesome Rihanna-esque hair cut, so Rihanna has become my inspiration for this next drastic hair change. What do you think?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-KzOqo38iQtYz9mhXZSGOctnlzwhrzmhj3pzqkRM21P0QJb2RwFl1-kdf1yP6N0Fb-cTlTC3igZaTaPreMszhL9A7dJxqpF6NZlDyk7km6U1hyphenhyphenGMq7kyyfLVT4TItxBwmaBjrI7oeuon/s1600/rihanna-curly+mohawk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-KzOqo38iQtYz9mhXZSGOctnlzwhrzmhj3pzqkRM21P0QJb2RwFl1-kdf1yP6N0Fb-cTlTC3igZaTaPreMszhL9A7dJxqpF6NZlDyk7km6U1hyphenhyphenGMq7kyyfLVT4TItxBwmaBjrI7oeuon/s320/rihanna-curly+mohawk.jpg" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlYsA_E1k8rNWtHpPRKQTKGhnxqZ-vVx7quTrJ9_A-dRagl3DmsfeN7deXv9oN4ROVcGIKlKRO40XDFH-XP10Wcadg42Vur1Sp9zdASBVH_-Cd2KEcLuAD6M9IJqQJVRiEp6DeTkwSVQe/s1600/rihanna-Pixie-hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlYsA_E1k8rNWtHpPRKQTKGhnxqZ-vVx7quTrJ9_A-dRagl3DmsfeN7deXv9oN4ROVcGIKlKRO40XDFH-XP10Wcadg42Vur1Sp9zdASBVH_-Cd2KEcLuAD6M9IJqQJVRiEp6DeTkwSVQe/s320/rihanna-Pixie-hair.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVXi3EqkD333BRy-ToRAADXR_iNE_tH5Q-yYPm0kxAHHaxGeIrSJkTv5Gf3AXO4k28fY8Pe_TEoQU13buhcHz421s7e5VSKdUyLbs5xf2X4Y0M0swOurlVmNyAPvbFentAiXLGW8_NSCg/s1600/rihanna-LOVE+this.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVXi3EqkD333BRy-ToRAADXR_iNE_tH5Q-yYPm0kxAHHaxGeIrSJkTv5Gf3AXO4k28fY8Pe_TEoQU13buhcHz421s7e5VSKdUyLbs5xf2X4Y0M0swOurlVmNyAPvbFentAiXLGW8_NSCg/s320/rihanna-LOVE+this.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd_8Xwry-khfnHg76mXLoSoLFxQ6IRolk7iFL_ictpt5qtvefYVYxDfHQuZ5SnFadhGr6PkDMmp4YGkS7jWut2zsMdTZllmAE0Gkby1EPltGp87Dcz5w1oeuw-JdfjbSFs-trOmrSi2Yr/s1600/curly+on+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd_8Xwry-khfnHg76mXLoSoLFxQ6IRolk7iFL_ictpt5qtvefYVYxDfHQuZ5SnFadhGr6PkDMmp4YGkS7jWut2zsMdTZllmAE0Gkby1EPltGp87Dcz5w1oeuw-JdfjbSFs-trOmrSi2Yr/s320/curly+on+top.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3MJhr9KxPb7h40O9bwnSqdwiEdkpvycPiaqezCmm44d1aWqmFCrpI5p72xjyHkUmrxXWPOlmt4I3CXYua2LLZvn4DSqPSsUVIkOB5L1mcrzxpx3d4fuD6b506OjlDm_2HvHCtLmJjScY/s1600/rihanna+big+poof+on+top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3MJhr9KxPb7h40O9bwnSqdwiEdkpvycPiaqezCmm44d1aWqmFCrpI5p72xjyHkUmrxXWPOlmt4I3CXYua2LLZvn4DSqPSsUVIkOB5L1mcrzxpx3d4fuD6b506OjlDm_2HvHCtLmJjScY/s320/rihanna+big+poof+on+top.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4EhXMnWTgotKfAMoegmdH0-tF3ZF2aS29K_PWGUxHYwGukJJ2Lx70wjKJRVSopgRLyyujvirVmlRV1DB5N8B2gPuN-HttnAVe43oyrA6Lbfz24A69iGODZgd8XLn7vM6PeG8kSLYv_Fn/s1600/rihanna+long+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4EhXMnWTgotKfAMoegmdH0-tF3ZF2aS29K_PWGUxHYwGukJJ2Lx70wjKJRVSopgRLyyujvirVmlRV1DB5N8B2gPuN-HttnAVe43oyrA6Lbfz24A69iGODZgd8XLn7vM6PeG8kSLYv_Fn/s320/rihanna+long+front.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpxIAMmOUvRbdywpCRSo_Pzb1EOl6q9jEEq8LC-ZvDT2fsP7a7LrJkGJgawxn6KJpMhu8XmuB1gYW9o6RBhXoh6E1WHzEQNZP-wygP9tM7ZHbgvIqniahkPWdE1LwMZHRrqa6UAPda8fV/s1600/curly+top+with+emo+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmpxIAMmOUvRbdywpCRSo_Pzb1EOl6q9jEEq8LC-ZvDT2fsP7a7LrJkGJgawxn6KJpMhu8XmuB1gYW9o6RBhXoh6E1WHzEQNZP-wygP9tM7ZHbgvIqniahkPWdE1LwMZHRrqa6UAPda8fV/s320/curly+top+with+emo+color.jpg" /></a></div>I think the pixie cut (2nd and next to last picture) is the "safest", and probably the easiest to make look okay every day, but I'm REALLY loving the "long only on top" look, just not sure if I can actually pull that off. I mean, Rihanna has a skinny head. I do not. :o) So what do you guys think? What should I try? Also, how pretty is Rihanna!? OMG.<br />
Comments appreciated!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-1472718885335181502010-05-21T18:22:00.002-04:002010-05-21T18:25:46.624-04:00OPPOSITE DAY: Kelly Bensimon on The Real Housewives of NYCAny of you who don't watch The Real Housewives of NYC on Bravo, and more specifically, have not seen the most recent episode (from May 20, 2010) will probably not be at all interested in this post, so feel free to ignore it. You won't hurt my feelings :o)<br />
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However, for those of you who did see last night's train wreck--let's dish.<br />
<br />
This episode bothered me sooooooo much. It pretty immediately made me uncomfortable, as it picked up right where Kelly's craziness had left off the week before, with several of the housewives vacationing in USVI and gradually becoming more and more aware that something's seriously wrong with Kelly. And throughout yesterday's entire episode, she continued to be completely incoherent, had drastic mood swings, was paranoid, aggressive, deluded, engaging in what I can only describe as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_salad_%28mental_health%29">word salad</a>, and overall behaving like she has some sort of <i>severe </i>mental disorder. <i>Very </i>disturbing, am I right?<br />
<br />
I really think Kelly's reaction in this picture says it all:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2010/05/20100521_rh2_560x315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2010/05/20100521_rh2_560x315.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Kelly has always been a completely wacky and ridiculous character on the show, I think most notably when she took her afternoon jog on the streets of Manhattan in the midst of rush hour traffic, and when , when told she looked pretty at an event, she replied "I'm always pretty." Okay, wacky, but still kind of funny, because you're not laughing at a crazy person. But I think after yesterday's episode, it is crystal clear, at least to this advanced doctoral student in clinical psychology (and I mention that not to toot my own horn, but just to emphasize that I <i>do </i>know from crazy), that it is no longer funny, because people who have going on whatever Kelly has going on are some kinda sick. There's no two-ways about it, in my opinion.<br />
<br />
Over at <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/real_housewives_of_new_york_ci_4.html">Nymag.com</a>, Chris Rovzar (a fellow Yalie) and Jessica Pressler recap the Housewives episodes every week, and if you haven't watched the episode but made it this far in this post, I recommend reading their recap--it gives a good flavor of what's going on, but you really have to see it to believe it!! (Interestingly, in the comments over there, several people are wondering if Kelly's in withdrawal from prescription meds, or is a meth or cocaine addict, and though I haven't seen first hand what meth and coke do to a person, I would not be surprised. However, I really don't think drugs are involved. I don't think she's on drugs, I think she's mentally ill).<br />
<br />
As I write this, I'm realizing I might be coming across kind of harsh, and that's really not my intention, at least not toward Kelly. I <i>am </i>feeling a bit judgmental toward Bravo, though, for possibly using this woman's craziness for good TV. I mean, watching grossly rich women bicker and gossip and behave like fools is one thing, but watching someone having some kind of psychotic break just should not be considered good TV. And it wasn't. It was scary TV. And speaking of scary, <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city/blogs/bethenny-frankel-ny/a-scary-dramatic-turn">Bethenny wrote about the episode</a> on her Bravo blog, and says that the craziness that went down was even more disturbing than what the cameras showed! Ack!!<br />
<br />
<br />
Also, NYMag.com interviewed Kelly to get her side of the story and, not at all surprisingly, she didn't make any sense, really. Read Kelly's pretty nonsensical "rationale" <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/kelly_bensimon_tells_her_side.html">here</a>. <br />
<br />
Finally, this clip demonstrates <i>perfectly</i> how bizarre and unattached from reality Kelly is. In it, Kelly has just discovered the personalized gift bag that Bethenny has left for her and each other woman on the trip, and Kelly's response is to get freaked out and start crying. It is one of the strangest reactions I've ever seen. Seriously, somebody needs to do a Rorschach on her, stat.<br />
<br />
<object height="270" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/COo7g3BSanvsWK6B2OieTA/i32"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/COo7g3BSanvsWK6B2OieTA/i32" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="270" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-31181787158106536182010-05-20T13:34:00.000-04:002011-01-16T15:12:11.422-05:00Overheard in NYC...Long ago, back when I had my <a href="http://lavendermusings.blogspot.com/">other blog</a>, I was a big fan of <a href="http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/">Overheard in NYC</a>, an occasionally hilarious website that is only a collection of funny things that people hear and overhear as they go about their daily lives in the city. I'm sure that some of my interest in this website is that I'm jealous of all the people who actually live their daily lives in Manhattan, and therefore want to live vicariously through them, but also, some of the stuff is pretty damn funny. Take for example, this gem:<br />
<blockquote><br />
<i><span class="speakerline"><b><span class="speakerlabel">Suit on cell</span></b>: What do you mean I'm being ridiculous? He's a foot doctor... He's not licensed to give rectal exams, Floyd!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="location">--Q Train</span><br />
<br />
<span class="overheard_by">Overheard by: EKavet</span></i></blockquote><br />
I mean, come <i>on! </i>Priceless. Another good one:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><i><span class="speakerline"><b><span class="speakerlabel">Man on cell</span></b>: Elvis made ten million dollars last year and he's dead. There's no reason I can't make a thousand.</span><br />
<br />
--Park Slope</i></blockquote><br />
Way to think positively, likely Brooklyn hipster!<br />
<br />
There are many, many more where that came from, so if you're trying desperately to avoid doing anything productive (how do you think I stumbled upon it again? :o) click on through (<a href="http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/">overheardinnewyork.com</a>) and have a laugh.<br />
<br />
Happy Thursday!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-41952922079795947012010-05-18T16:51:00.001-04:002011-01-16T15:14:35.122-05:00Buffy...Alright everyone. Excuse me while I geek the hell out for a moment.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sci-fi.lovetoknow.com/wiki/images/Sci-Fi/thumb/0/0a/Buffycast.jpg/300px-Buffycast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://sci-fi.lovetoknow.com/wiki/images/Sci-Fi/thumb/0/0a/Buffycast.jpg/300px-Buffycast.jpg" width="363" /></a></div><br />
Those of you who see me often/are my facebook friends know that hubby and I recently watched all 7 seasons of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" over the course of about a year, churning through seasons 5-7 in <i>maybe </i>two months, but probably less time, because we were <i>obsessed </i>with it. So, I figure I have to give Buffy some love, since I adored the show and am still mourning the fact that we've now seen every episode.<br />
<br />
For those of you who are thinking, "What the hell? That show sounds super dumb!" I completely understand where you're coming from, because I thought the same thing, back when it was on in the late 90s-early 2000s, and what I still thought when one of our good friends (shout out to Shawn!) suggested that we watch it, courtesy of his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buffy-Vampire-Slayer-Collectors-discs/dp/B000AQ68RI?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">DVD sets</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000AQ68RI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. I was....reluctant. Especially since the first season is pretty bad. But we hung in there, and by season 2, I was completely enamored by every character, was loving the ones I started out hating (Cordelia) and hating the ones I would later have a huge crush on (i.e. Spike. *swoon*) And by the end of the show, I was/am a HUGE fan and want to know everything there is to know about this show, and want to tell everyone to watch it, because it is AMAZING.<br />
<br />
It makes sense that I would love Buffy, because it was created by Joss Whedon, who is one of my favorite people on the planet, both because he is the creator of Buffy, Firefly, Dollhouse, and <a href="http://www.drhorrible.com/">Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog</a> (if you haven't watched Dr. Horrible yet, stop reading this and follow that link and watch it right now!), and because he is just awesome. So it stands to reason that I would love the creation that started it all, and is full of the kind of humor and drama and sarcasm and wit that, in my opinion, makes for damn fine entertainment.<br />
<br />
Now that we've finished the series proper, Shawn swears that we have to watch all 5 seasons of Angel now, to get the full experience, but I think that also means that I can't continue the Buffy story (which is now continued in comic book form over at <a href="http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-115/Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer-Season-8-Volume-1-The-Long-Way-Home-TPB">Dark Horse Comics</a>) until we do that, which is pretty annoying, since, so far, I find Angel to be loud and not as good, and kind of stressful. So, to tide me over until I can get my hands on the comics (wow, I never thought I would say anything close to that sentence ever in my life!) I found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bite-Me-Unofficial-Vampire-Seasons/dp/1550228072?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">this book</a> on Amazon.com<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1550228072" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which I am now fanatically enjoying on my Kindle. (I'll just let you click through to see how obsessed I really am. Why spoil the surprise? :p)<br />
<br />
Below is one of my favorite episodes, from Season 3, called "Doppelgangland".<br />
<br />
<br />
<object height="270" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/BcNN1gEZ-X5jfu1Udknybw"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/BcNN1gEZ-X5jfu1Udknybw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="270" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-58907599837401332732010-03-18T17:42:00.001-04:002010-03-18T17:44:31.296-04:00Awesome Kindle recommendations...Everyday at the Kindle Store, Amazon gives recommendations of books I might like, and also, shows me the top selling books for the day. Yesterday, this was the top-selling book in Romance and Genre Fiction:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOe5YE1P-29HmLp97dkG9nv9qzaMufzZHfa-WPi8wi1rt3RZR8GODVhgEPYgM1rDY9cbinEwzfLF3NHeJ42PAkRQDI2-gf3b7AWLcQaDkEdhs0NUlovjZJ313oQqTuHDR5uH8d0Xv2lJw/s1600-h/male+call.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOe5YE1P-29HmLp97dkG9nv9qzaMufzZHfa-WPi8wi1rt3RZR8GODVhgEPYgM1rDY9cbinEwzfLF3NHeJ42PAkRQDI2-gf3b7AWLcQaDkEdhs0NUlovjZJ313oQqTuHDR5uH8d0Xv2lJw/s320/male+call.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This is probably why:<br />
<table class="product"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 30px;"><td class="productLabel" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;">Digital List Price:</td> <td class="digitalListPrice"><span class="listprice">$3.50</span> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SRGF2W?ref=myk_orders_title#" id="popsource" style="text-decoration: none;"> <span class="tiny" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(153, 153, 153); color: black; font-size: 11px;">What's this?</span> <img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/carrot._V47081519_.gif" style="border: medium none;" /> </a> </td> </tr>
<script type="text/javascript">
amznJQ.onReady('popover', function() {
jQuery('#popsource').amazonPopoverTrigger({
showOnHover: true,
showCloseButton: false,
width: 246,
literalContent: "<div style='font-size:11px'>
<b>Digital List Price</b> is the suggested retail price set by the publisher</div>",
openEventInclude:"CLICK_TRIGGER"
});
});
</script>
<tr><td class="productLabel" style="background-color: yellow;">Kindle Price:</td><td style="background-color: yellow;"><b class="price"> $0.00</b> & includes wireless delivery via <b><i>Amazon Whispernet</i></b></td></tr>
<tr><td class="productLabel">You Save:</td><td><b class="price">$3.50 (100%) </b></td><td><br />
</td><td><br />
</td><td><br />
</td><td><br />
</td><td><br />
</td><td><br />
</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Also, this is the tagline: <b><i>Her sexy letters are his only lifeline in his dangerous world...</i></b><br />
<br />
I of course downloaded it immediately. I'll let you know how it is! ;)Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-35028885033196066962010-03-18T17:17:00.000-04:002011-01-16T15:14:23.429-05:00a breather...oops! I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've posted! My bad. This week I'm back at my parents house, visiting with my mom who's recovering from back surgery, which mostly consists of sitting around with her and watching movies (and becoming obsessed with Ancestry.com, which I'll most likely post about later), so I have no excuse not to do an update!<br />
<br />
The biggest news is that internship hell is over, and has ended wonderfully for me, as, after much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, I got my first choice (yipeeeeee!) and will be working at an awesome site in Manhattan starting in September. Woot! I am <i>thrilled</i>. And not just because getting that placement meant that I could....<br />
<br />
...buy my Kindle!!! That's right, I am now a proud, completely infatuated owner of a Kindle 2 and she is glorious. And very pretty. See?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBjB_UBptMGcfOMy1Zf51nst_zjDZpgW1-kiqG46yvYEaGkOkDTXBu7ePmxwfD3RYLKJNBmOUUJFdyV0GdtB3zy1vY3ZNkQ8N_xm3mp1972nMQCeiWra9tSKI_ZwCvSxTScpUausBjAh2/s1600-h/IMG_2697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBjB_UBptMGcfOMy1Zf51nst_zjDZpgW1-kiqG46yvYEaGkOkDTXBu7ePmxwfD3RYLKJNBmOUUJFdyV0GdtB3zy1vY3ZNkQ8N_xm3mp1972nMQCeiWra9tSKI_ZwCvSxTScpUausBjAh2/s320/IMG_2697.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdX_GsGEwyPOI69-QyH67L74Sya3IB5hvXB-qFaZ0Q5KkriSfMkZ5gnYZnrp_VokIeM29CTNwpahcM9J6rymx-BaSBR-K8TkChufbj0zJAobhErHOgj8d2FTzI3rTzK7MmC107SVhoUoI/s1600-h/IMG_2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdX_GsGEwyPOI69-QyH67L74Sya3IB5hvXB-qFaZ0Q5KkriSfMkZ5gnYZnrp_VokIeM29CTNwpahcM9J6rymx-BaSBR-K8TkChufbj0zJAobhErHOgj8d2FTzI3rTzK7MmC107SVhoUoI/s320/IMG_2692.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I'll save my excessive gushing about the Kindle for a later post...<br />
<br />
So, the timing of my trip home was both good and bad, as two days before I left, our basement flooded, knocking out both our furnace and our water heater for several days, which was, in a word, <i>miserable</i>. So, it was good that I got to escape our freezing cold house and the need to go to a friend's house to shower, but bad in that I had to leave hubby to deal with cleaning up the mess on his own. :( I felt bad about that. But he took care of it like a champ, and now everything's dry and working again. *whew* We thought we would have to buy a new water heater, and had already started researching tankless water heaters (which you mount on the wall and are therefore impervious to flooding, for the most part), but luckily we don't have to deal with that. Awesome.<br />
<br />
Now, if you will allow me to be dorky for a moment, I'm also really happy because the afore-mentioned friend who lent me her shower <i>also</i> <i>gave me her old iPod</i>! A 30GB video iPod to be exact! I know! Sooooooo awesome. And not because otherwise I would probably never ever <i>ever </i>own an iPod, but because (**warning: supreme geekery ahead!**) now I can listen to/watch my favorite podcast, '<a href="http://www.jayandjack.com/">The Lost Podcast with Jay and Jack</a>' complete with easter egg photos! (For the non-initiated, "easter eggs" are little details and clues that show up in each episode of Lost that you can usually only catch if you have a DVR and are obsessive.)<br />
<br />
That's it. That's why I'm so excited about this iPod. I know....I can feel you shaking your head :o)Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-49354453309672061772010-02-24T14:07:00.000-05:002010-02-24T14:07:14.371-05:00"Carry Out"...For at least the past week, I've been hearing a song on Z100 that immediately makes me want to dance and wiggle around and generally make a fool of myself. I had no clue what it was called or who sang it, but was inherently drawn to it and completely loved it. Like a moth to a flame, if you will.<br />
<br />
Today, I finally decided to do a little research, and now completely understand why I immediately loved this song. See if you can guess :o)<br />
<br />
<object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NRdHsuuXxfk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NRdHsuuXxfk&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br />
<br />
*sigh* It's as if my subconscious perked up and was screaming "It's Justin! You love him!" before I had any clue what was going on. I am powerless to his charms. :o)Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-74699984523482561482010-02-18T14:33:00.001-05:002010-02-18T14:40:55.039-05:00myshape.com...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This post is for the ladies!<br />
<br />
Allow me to introduce you to one of the most fantastic websites I have ever discovered, <a href="http://www.myshape.com/">myshape.com</a>. This website is great to me because it allows me to avoid one of my least favorite things: spending hours in the fitting room under unflattering lights, and faced with too many mirrors, constantly guessing at sizes and having to get undressed and re-dressed countless times as you try to figure out what size you are that day, and in that store. As we all know, each designer cuts their sizes differently, so an 8 at one place is a 6 at another, and a 10 at another. Ugh. It. Is. The. Worst.<br />
<br />
Enter <a href="http://www.myshape.com/">myshape.com</a>. Enter your measurements, <i>all</i> of them, and <i>honestly </i>(which is a bit painful, I'll admit), and myshape.com will make the sizing decisions for you. If you don't have a tape measure, they'll send you one for free, and they have handy little videos on the site that tell you exactly how to take the measurements, and constantly reminds you not to cheat about while you measure your waist and hips and thigh circumference (sigh) b/c if you cheat, the clothes won't fit! But, once you get through that first painful process, and then tell myshape your fit and style preferences, the pay off is huge, because you then have a personal shop full of clothes that you like, that flatter your shape, and will fit like a glove. Heavenly! Plus, free shipping.<br />
<br />
The first dress I bought from myshape.com was a funky strapless dress that I have gotten more compliments on than any other item of clothing I have ever owned. Seriously. And I never would have bought it if myshape hadn't suggested it, and I got it for like $40 because of the awesome sales that myshape has every few months. And it fit me <i>amazingly</i>. I've never had a strapless dress that I didn't have to yank up every five minutes, until this one. And from that point on, I was in love. (Of course, I no longer fit into that dress, and have had to update my measurements, emphasis on <i>up</i>, this year, but....let's move on. :o)<br />
<br />
So, let's talk about the <i>sales</i>. I think that at least once/month I get an email from "Sarah at myshape" giving me 40% off of all sale and clearance items. This is the only time I usually buy, because a lot of the clothes on myshape are a little pricey, from higher-end designers, which I love, but can't justify buying just yet. But I can when they're on sale! Here's some stuff I'm close to clicking "buy" on:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1NN1DYiiZ_rNUHpeep9M5LvKhbMGirHewr7zF9Fcu41CYXxFOoi0MFfcZiG2dh0DfT1tcAaNnbhFaTk1ieks_NqRJX6GAA4HGiX-8K8AaQl0aD2iKa8U8g7Fbxuue0U1lgqu9o12BtZC/s320/plum+sweater.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HtjXZlu3lEUTIy_mQ7pWIHJrd_5PNka9Va8ZelLWmk3a2KR9Vh5jJ2FJm46JO9wjGPkD6vVvZf0EBr69QZ-0b-FWQz0yN_CJiuEzdG9AYNujmcvp-gQdASEJjf7ARkiA8B8kkTO719q-/s1600-h/calvinkleinboucle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HtjXZlu3lEUTIy_mQ7pWIHJrd_5PNka9Va8ZelLWmk3a2KR9Vh5jJ2FJm46JO9wjGPkD6vVvZf0EBr69QZ-0b-FWQz0yN_CJiuEzdG9AYNujmcvp-gQdASEJjf7ARkiA8B8kkTO719q-/s320/calvinkleinboucle.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRg4vyTTt3gggMuc6NawhsfWmYgQmDt-G_0p_GQumSmkbmTVp_0ilTSfqE2LDCwqu6_1x7qAfkRqGyljiR3NU-VYb2NdVLgQxIEHiV5cxkvUeG69ph30iPSOst4iTTR2iDl81w5SPe3lXh/s1600-h/gabardinetrouser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRg4vyTTt3gggMuc6NawhsfWmYgQmDt-G_0p_GQumSmkbmTVp_0ilTSfqE2LDCwqu6_1x7qAfkRqGyljiR3NU-VYb2NdVLgQxIEHiV5cxkvUeG69ph30iPSOst4iTTR2iDl81w5SPe3lXh/s320/gabardinetrouser.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w6dz6-w98rKSKHEr7YDMWPfx_U6xb320yeL7qASJrc3a-5mdGXYJH1HXTz_wnICrP595a2GlBUiByJY0SVtse72qX806-Eunc8qB1Ly4PywEaOpuS1guHiAmwgz8ESsW5zDm9K9bASPn/s1600-h/korspaisley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3w6dz6-w98rKSKHEr7YDMWPfx_U6xb320yeL7qASJrc3a-5mdGXYJH1HXTz_wnICrP595a2GlBUiByJY0SVtse72qX806-Eunc8qB1Ly4PywEaOpuS1guHiAmwgz8ESsW5zDm9K9bASPn/s320/korspaisley.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuvVi7KVfmz0er1JKJI9Uhvhvne1NaFJ3RG80zDKeRAxpbzCEBiLfU4IMd_YRQRcr-tGN3Gg38ylQ6OCe-4G6-3YHodRVBYPopQu59Rg_LhtBa8kqWZQj8l1MbV8VZ1biPQgaPBWwukTU/s1600-h/redkennethcole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuvVi7KVfmz0er1JKJI9Uhvhvne1NaFJ3RG80zDKeRAxpbzCEBiLfU4IMd_YRQRcr-tGN3Gg38ylQ6OCe-4G6-3YHodRVBYPopQu59Rg_LhtBa8kqWZQj8l1MbV8VZ1biPQgaPBWwukTU/s320/redkennethcole.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwztoetJK9xMAfMiHWdRCtOnFTLCHe-hrbA0x41p-cPM6P0ZW5BwQHrPQY1OZu63ayOkV-oMId2NJVCB722HyAzXuU1Nf1TkGTORcol6C3znLrZaQRth9KjRgiNtFxpaueNJD12t7cdU2/s1600-h/dknyjeans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwztoetJK9xMAfMiHWdRCtOnFTLCHe-hrbA0x41p-cPM6P0ZW5BwQHrPQY1OZu63ayOkV-oMId2NJVCB722HyAzXuU1Nf1TkGTORcol6C3znLrZaQRth9KjRgiNtFxpaueNJD12t7cdU2/s320/dknyjeans.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Some nice classic pieces, as I try to start building a more adult wardrobe. (Sorry the pictures are so small, it's all they have on the website!) With the sale and an extra 40% off, I'll get each of these items for about $23, and there's Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Kenneth Cole in there! Yaaaaaaaaaaaay sale prices!!!<br />
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Last, but not least, one of the <i>best </i>things about myshape is "SIZELESS dressing." This means that I say I want the item, and they send me the size that is best for me. No stressing about the numbers, no sadness when those numbers have increased! Awesome.<br />
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Happy shopping, ladies!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-37095607462658475712010-02-12T03:34:00.000-05:002010-02-12T03:34:51.255-05:00the right shade...so, <i>this</i> is what my pink highlights should have looked like all along:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJhkrWF0J6yPnRvjgwP5kqjqbyGXsh_0J3qwC5u8qBQFBdJDzKito9UXg1-H8UBDFqrGkjEpL0Um8TDbslouGxuwC3UF-ulVMIGzoAv4EEPB-ZS77mIRxVKQlWFquDMhNSOwlBWpw5o7A/s1600-h/IMG_2675+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJhkrWF0J6yPnRvjgwP5kqjqbyGXsh_0J3qwC5u8qBQFBdJDzKito9UXg1-H8UBDFqrGkjEpL0Um8TDbslouGxuwC3UF-ulVMIGzoAv4EEPB-ZS77mIRxVKQlWFquDMhNSOwlBWpw5o7A/s320/IMG_2675+crop.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDv9jXY05Ja2sVCF_OlpKyvEow8mJB2ASqaoinHTrt5YjDoaLJKaOduS2sJEBY3-3mYjMMa5jL8ZpQLrin26cgnWAG2yfGsm0G_BH-Y8mQ1jAzMwONFyoRLiPPK1G1jj6vF8v285le2sx/s1600-h/IMG_2663+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDv9jXY05Ja2sVCF_OlpKyvEow8mJB2ASqaoinHTrt5YjDoaLJKaOduS2sJEBY3-3mYjMMa5jL8ZpQLrin26cgnWAG2yfGsm0G_BH-Y8mQ1jAzMwONFyoRLiPPK1G1jj6vF8v285le2sx/s320/IMG_2663+crop.jpg" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I know, right?! Sooooo much better.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Last weekend, two days after getting my highlights done, which admittedly were pretty light and tame to begin with, I went on a spa weekend with hubby, which was wonderful and deserves it's own post, but also resulted in me washing my hair many times over the span of two days. When I got back from the spa, relaxed and exfoliated, my highlights were no longer anywhere <i>close </i>to pink. They were orange-y, coppery, brassy, and not the slightest bit cute. Not cool. So I called Diane, and she fixed it for me, and didn't even charge me again for having to re-do it, even though it was at least partially my fault! I do think that she didn't really believe me about how bold I wanted the color the first time, and this time she added a lot more red to the mix, and this time it's exactly as loud as I want it to be. :) Aren't I such a rebel? (I know...not really.) Also, when I showed it to hubby, his response was only this: "Oh, it's...kinda purple. Oh, and a little pink, too, I guess." That's it. Whatever, I think it's awesome.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Now I just need to find some emo kids who need a lead singer.</div>Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-40774459162652778622010-02-12T03:04:00.000-05:002010-02-12T03:04:30.045-05:00Kindle...It is 2:22 am.<br />
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For some inexplicable reason, I can't sleep/have not been moved to turn off the computer and go to bed. This doesn't make any sense, since today has been long and physically tiring, what with the snow shoveling and the meetings and the therapy-ing. My back has been in excrutiating pain since about 9:20 this morning, when I did something really bad to it while trying to help hubby un-stick his car from the snow/the middle of the street, where it had become...stuck. :( And yet, for the past hour I have been alternately playing Bejeweled Blitz (badly) and drooling over the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Device-Display/dp/B00154JDAI?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Amazon Kindle 2</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00154JDAI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, which I have coveted since it came out last year. So, now I blog about it.<br />
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My obsession with the Kindle makes sense, I think, as I have always been "a reader". I have many, <i>many</i> memories of trailing behind my mother as she would go about various errands after picking me up from school, all the while holding a book in front of face while I walked, somehow managing to keep my eye on her and not run into things while devouring whatever book I was into at the time. I would read at the dinner table, holding the open book in one hand, be it hardcover or paperback (no easy feat, actually), while I ate. (For some reason my parents allowed this, though I think it was actually very rude of me, but...thanks parents, for letting me read!). I would usually be in the middle of 3 or 4 books at once, and always knew what page I was on in each one, without any bookmarks. I just kept the page numbers in my head. All of them. I'd have various books scattered throughout the house so that I could pick something up to read in every room...I still do that, now that I think about it.<br />
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Anyway, as I've gotten older, I've had to let go of my tendency to walk-and-read :o), and as I've muddled through college and grad school have often been so bogged down in academic reading that pleasure reading didn't seem so pleasurable anymore, which always made me sad. But now that my course work is over, I've been getting into reading for myself again, and I'm again in the middle of at least...5 different books, if you count the many audiobooks I'm also listening to right now. And it feels so good.<br />
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And so, all of this, and my return to my former, constantly-wanting-to-be-reading-a-book roots, makes me actually kind of excited about the fact that I will most likely spend many hours a week for the next year on a train, traveling to and from my internship (hopefully!). Rather than be annoyed about all that wasted time, I've only really been able to think of those hours of commuting as a wonderful gift of time to read. How awesome! How dorky! But, I don't, of course, want to have to lug heavy books around with me everyday (especially since now I'm more interested in reading newly released, hardcover fiction), and so... the Kindle is calling my name.<br />
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Have you seen the Kindle? It's sexy. See?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-whxbPolMgwL3acYT0rmHcPywp_r5t7xORn-4X99CiXgj7Tm8QwNEEzYQw0G1mO1dHryg0zdwOM3Sgdw1kG411cPUf197lPkDuEiRh8EPg2cX2cp1C68tC8o-uCBVRRQjdrLNZhyT7r4X/s1600-h/Amazon-Kindle-2-Pictures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-whxbPolMgwL3acYT0rmHcPywp_r5t7xORn-4X99CiXgj7Tm8QwNEEzYQw0G1mO1dHryg0zdwOM3Sgdw1kG411cPUf197lPkDuEiRh8EPg2cX2cp1C68tC8o-uCBVRRQjdrLNZhyT7r4X/s320/Amazon-Kindle-2-Pictures.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So pretty! And small. And this little beauty can hold up to 1500 books. 1500! Ridiculous and wonderful.<br />
It also, of course, is crazy expensive, which is why I am at this point only drooling and not buying, but I <i>have</i> picked out all of my accessories for the Kindle that I will someday have. Would you like to see? No? Too bad! :p<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">First up is the all important case. My obsessive reading of all the customer reviews tells me that the Kindle is kind of slippery, not to mention very valuable and something that you maybe don't want to slide out of your hands or get dinged up in your bag. And of course, any case of mine must be some shade of pink, so here's what I'm liking:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w1EbLcttLsF1-P3F9SWfshdQgTCAI68VXRQlsPXE4gQopi4ZZRkLXAf6xMta9sQAx8-E8IDIXWszBjIvm859iMeVzWWPCw7nKnHVc0EV2IXPhNx15csU-Mm7ZVF53pXpSdkpmy0maWTC/s1600-h/pink+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5w1EbLcttLsF1-P3F9SWfshdQgTCAI68VXRQlsPXE4gQopi4ZZRkLXAf6xMta9sQAx8-E8IDIXWszBjIvm859iMeVzWWPCw7nKnHVc0EV2IXPhNx15csU-Mm7ZVF53pXpSdkpmy0maWTC/s200/pink+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyfGbuM1SMnkyakNMHRFdcOnKL9H3d6O3zz_UrLAbejBuC3Pob2pVskOEHY_lPCPMZRi7Sk2L4fn-xIP_6jhmcLxN1cKJXcvka1TziZT_VwN5zA8QHwTy0zN3YHDm0O8ZpZIzK75QY653/s1600-h/lite+pink+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjyfGbuM1SMnkyakNMHRFdcOnKL9H3d6O3zz_UrLAbejBuC3Pob2pVskOEHY_lPCPMZRi7Sk2L4fn-xIP_6jhmcLxN1cKJXcvka1TziZT_VwN5zA8QHwTy0zN3YHDm0O8ZpZIzK75QY653/s200/lite+pink+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> And then of course I have to get some sort of girly decal for my Kindle, in a coordinating shade, like one of these:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyfU_NgzESI1wg0FnfWujfaLS-3GwR5QPgkZozGq7-VYx9v8nVCWkZDfAlE5CSXJKmuwZ1sjkp1kZPFWt90rSL-syH-XS7qaH00Mffwv3ltQYmhwP59-RQiDznSYYC6Fs_Ixtp_nFrJu3/s1600-h/pink+decal+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyfU_NgzESI1wg0FnfWujfaLS-3GwR5QPgkZozGq7-VYx9v8nVCWkZDfAlE5CSXJKmuwZ1sjkp1kZPFWt90rSL-syH-XS7qaH00Mffwv3ltQYmhwP59-RQiDznSYYC6Fs_Ixtp_nFrJu3/s200/pink+decal+2.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPj-GlOAnuiskNg6LBXFUjcdObjwWQwhbypsQ3kAi4-JR1o3txqxq43mhsg_uhrA5H8qkKl80M75SQIwVmVG2Xl8WjqMJBfv-vfietMU9CMtcsNV8HsSYRUxC47YVv9efWX5Z-HDBLgzaB/s1600-h/pink+decal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPj-GlOAnuiskNg6LBXFUjcdObjwWQwhbypsQ3kAi4-JR1o3txqxq43mhsg_uhrA5H8qkKl80M75SQIwVmVG2Xl8WjqMJBfv-vfietMU9CMtcsNV8HsSYRUxC47YVv9efWX5Z-HDBLgzaB/s200/pink+decal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Or maybe I should get a silicone sleeve, like everyone has on their phones? Like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1_pQyLCjhffQ99sXg44yxMvwInST6bbBhQ-76sJJwVQUMxVTisA2GIDTiegdWPTyJHVTbjfN6qDu8QuyJaT9NcueAgKOfKrwQHLTGe8TFurRke5syHvEKa4JhLw1BTH7FCeCbai8KNw4/s1600-h/silicone+skin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC1_pQyLCjhffQ99sXg44yxMvwInST6bbBhQ-76sJJwVQUMxVTisA2GIDTiegdWPTyJHVTbjfN6qDu8QuyJaT9NcueAgKOfKrwQHLTGe8TFurRke5syHvEKa4JhLw1BTH7FCeCbai8KNw4/s320/silicone+skin.jpg" /></a></div><br />
What do you think? Is that enough pink? Mmmm, I don't think so. I need some lighting, since the Kindle is not backlit, and I do like to read in bed (and those trains can be, um, dark?):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkl23xRvkZ0MJgk_S1kquZ3m1ZpSrVfQO0S-BolHW2EV0ij300h2JEt5CibwwJiQeLZ90HFiByEjIUEaJhVXJ7f_5eVdOLsNee1RmRxft_ciacd-VdH_YTcHGu7bjfasOyQ5LJUoja5mcZ/s1600-h/pink+light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkl23xRvkZ0MJgk_S1kquZ3m1ZpSrVfQO0S-BolHW2EV0ij300h2JEt5CibwwJiQeLZ90HFiByEjIUEaJhVXJ7f_5eVdOLsNee1RmRxft_ciacd-VdH_YTcHGu7bjfasOyQ5LJUoja5mcZ/s320/pink+light.jpg" /></a></div>Ta-da! And that, my friends, is what I just spent waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time, in the middle of the night, doing. Researching my Kindle accessories. For the Kindle that I do not own.<br />
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Thank you, and good night!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002XBY30C" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></div><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002QTO2BG" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-19493344360675065542010-02-04T17:57:00.001-05:002010-02-04T17:58:30.708-05:00pink hair!Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Finally!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlgV0T99AnAXqrD0aYoP7yfoAh4WliTFkPEw0LIr88UThod5RYuGjedGuVkwSy9JCY50Q1PfFWYmLL6xDegbeJdmXu0QPeB7FSgfBWNS0J5eiEAylADji1kIcbxMlVJJLyhHAjGvgEcCy/s1600-h/IMG_2663+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlgV0T99AnAXqrD0aYoP7yfoAh4WliTFkPEw0LIr88UThod5RYuGjedGuVkwSy9JCY50Q1PfFWYmLL6xDegbeJdmXu0QPeB7FSgfBWNS0J5eiEAylADji1kIcbxMlVJJLyhHAjGvgEcCy/s400/IMG_2663+crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>After many years of being a wuss, 4 months of internship hell, and two weeks of having to "wait for my hair to recover", it's finally happened! I have pink highlights! And it feels so good. Amazingly, I think it could be a little brighter, but I think Diane (my stylist soul mate) didn't quite believe me/didn't think I really understood how bright it could've been/how ridiculous I may have looked if she had completely listened to me, so she made it a little more subdued than I probably would have voted for. But! I did tell her what my ideas were and that she then could make the decisions that she thought would look best on me, so that's what she did, and I <i>do </i>love it.<br />
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She also gave me a little "peek-a-boo" of color behind my ear. Super cute:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HxWMC9q8cu0blithAibN16HdeAy-tdpJQKGaIABKAwzjlFEv9kYSmv1GleTpx_Upt_kmCD5Ja2ycoBR7uwvR6G-LYJ3QVWTVXU204VPy3MCCgmUYHLOT9hGxkwBa-alQ47fQW-hxR01s/s1600-h/IMG_2666+crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-HxWMC9q8cu0blithAibN16HdeAy-tdpJQKGaIABKAwzjlFEv9kYSmv1GleTpx_Upt_kmCD5Ja2ycoBR7uwvR6G-LYJ3QVWTVXU204VPy3MCCgmUYHLOT9hGxkwBa-alQ47fQW-hxR01s/s400/IMG_2666+crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I left the salon armed with several new hair care products, a "color lock" spray and something that will, in theory, allow me to get away with "wash and wear" (something that I have <i>never</i> gotten away with, btw) while I'm luxuriating in the many pools, saunas, and jacuzzis of my impending spa weekend (a post on that later!), so we'll see how that goes...But anyway, I love my hair!!<br />
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What do <i>you </i>think?Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-8700714049538057282010-02-01T15:50:00.001-05:002010-02-01T15:55:51.009-05:00OPPOSITE DAY: Grammy looks...I completely missed the Grammys last night. I knew that they were on, but the idea of watching them seemed tedious to me, so I passed. From the headlines I've read, it seems that Lady Gaga/Elton John and Pink gave good performances, and that Beyonce's performance was weird. <i>Meh</i>...whatever.<br />
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I do, however, <i>need</i> to share some of the pictures that I came upon as I looked at the red carpet arrival shots (which actually interest me more than the actual Grammys).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNenQ9I_Y287MWFvy0r7b1-D_yIzCOBqsA1TgzoFUgQgaOV1jdZU815IPi3PUd3Y4x4AFsSg4-0-zUt6NLfzAi8XJwisLoSxECSQig2MC_oybt1zGpNz_JpWx8lgd2MKcxPK19MPi8sQUM/s1600-h/Lady+Gaga+Gramys-JohnShearerWireImageCom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNenQ9I_Y287MWFvy0r7b1-D_yIzCOBqsA1TgzoFUgQgaOV1jdZU815IPi3PUd3Y4x4AFsSg4-0-zUt6NLfzAi8XJwisLoSxECSQig2MC_oybt1zGpNz_JpWx8lgd2MKcxPK19MPi8sQUM/s640/Lady+Gaga+Gramys-JohnShearerWireImageCom.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br />
Reasons why this picture bothers me:<br />
<ol><li>Whose face is that? It doesn't look like Lady Gaga, does it?? It looks like...Cher dressed up as Lady Gaga. And/or, a drag queen dressed up like Lady Gaga. Which I guess is nothing new.</li>
<li><i>Look </i>at the shoes: </li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwcB-BD6P8TDAO86xsrDyKWDO3f8HxWWF50rrb41o833Pu4HplheVWpgDtnNXO34myCT9SLjO5y9ObfMh_NT0TKtbwz2R5GQVvoZxev6-UAiIg-iYfrGJymOriCIQwdAX_XYOVok8wqm1/s1600-h/shoes_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwcB-BD6P8TDAO86xsrDyKWDO3f8HxWWF50rrb41o833Pu4HplheVWpgDtnNXO34myCT9SLjO5y9ObfMh_NT0TKtbwz2R5GQVvoZxev6-UAiIg-iYfrGJymOriCIQwdAX_XYOVok8wqm1/s200/shoes_2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> Are these not the most absurd things you've ever seen?? They just seem unsafe. And clearly uncomfortable. Which really seem to be the only two things Gaga's ever going for with her looks (see: <a href="http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/awards__1/awards-606873673-1264995312.jpg?ymw_9mCDgLARc2_2">the outfit she wore after her performance</a>. Ouch). As a woman who has recently embraced the low heel/flat shoe, I really just cannot get over these.<br />
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3. Giorgio Armani designed the dress. <a href="http://www.giorgioarmani.com/index.jsp?language=EN&site=AC&movieSession=armani_collezioni.swf&audio=acceso">This </a>Giorgio Armani.<br />
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Another picture that completely frightens me is this one of Nicole Kidman:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjan_FWxR7GEEDaPZXQ3FQUj699C61IfBrCQPHPYD85iUyc9dtb5-NJqvuQicnQn3uVdutYNdr2DYgJHRFC5FJntEe_0b_iGlrJRJ_n6jiPSGqBwTM3Pq7t-V286QremrulM82cyBjyUbyN/s1600-h/nicole+kidman+lestercohenwireimagecom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjan_FWxR7GEEDaPZXQ3FQUj699C61IfBrCQPHPYD85iUyc9dtb5-NJqvuQicnQn3uVdutYNdr2DYgJHRFC5FJntEe_0b_iGlrJRJ_n6jiPSGqBwTM3Pq7t-V286QremrulM82cyBjyUbyN/s640/nicole+kidman+lestercohenwireimagecom.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><br />
<i>Look how big her head is!!!!!</i> <i>Look how skinny her body is!!!!!! </i> I've often heard Kathy Griffin (my favorite comedienne) talk about how Nicole Kidman is really just a hangar with a head, and I always thought she was being a little harsh, but <i>now I get it</i>! There is something very unnatural about her, at least in this picture. I cannot stop staring at it and being freaked out.<br />
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And this is just sad. What happened to her? Or, perhaps more to the point, what happened to her stylists? Nothing about this outfit makes one lick of sense. Poor Britney. At least she looks happy.<br />
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Photo credits: John Shearer/WireImages.com (Lady Gaga); Lester Cohen/WireImages.com (Kidman); Christopher Polk/Getty Images (Spears)Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-46827446710691241532010-02-01T11:59:00.000-05:002010-02-01T11:59:35.546-05:00Music widgets...As I was doing some of my best procrastination to date this morning, I discovered Amazon.com's MP3 widget, which you can now find at the top of my sidebar, dear reader :o). The widget lets me add songs that I like, and then you can click and enjoy, and/or judge and look unfavorably upon my song choices. The choice is yours!<br />
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I'll try my best to keep it up-to-date with songs that I'm currently enjoying/obsessed with (see: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Romance/dp/B002X07TQ8?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Bad Romance</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002X07TQ8" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, by Lady Gaga)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Romance/dp/B002X07TQ8?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a>, but I also would very much appreciate song recommendations in the comments! I tend to be really slow on the uptake with new music, and, if I had my druthers (did I just say "<i>druthers</i>"? Yes, yes I did.), would just listen to N'Sync CDs until I'm old and gray. So, as you can see, I need your help :)<br />
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My first selections are a bit all over the place, but they're the songs that popped into my head that I wanted to hear and share, so...Enjoy!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-70257133622532995532010-01-31T23:20:00.001-05:002010-01-31T23:20:44.906-05:00OPPOSITE DAY: Losing my mind...So...<br /><br />My part in the whole ridiculously hellish internship process is pretty much over. I've done all my interviews, I've submitted my rankings. And I guess you could say I've been "recovering" from the 4-month+ process this past week, but I think it would be more accurate to say that I have been not so much <span style="font-style: italic;">recovering </span>as I've been letting all of the repressed stress, anxiety, frustration, exhaustion and anger that comes with being forced by the psychology "man" to beg and plead and jump through flaming hoops in an attempt to be "awarded" the opportunity to be paid a pittance for doing a year of very hard, emotionally grueling work finally come out of me. And by "letting" I don't mean allowing so much as I mean that, by no choice of my own, I turned into a completely irrational, irritable, bat-shit crazy lunatic this week, and have barely been able to hide that fact from those unfortunate souls who've had to interact with me.<br /><br />Yeah...<br /><br />It hasn't been pretty.<br /><br />How to describe...well, we could start with how I've been wanting to sleep for 10 hours every day, and then am still tired and cranky by the time I get home after a day of various meetings/errands/clients. And how I've had a maximum of about 5 seconds of patience for <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span> that doesn't just go the way I think it should go, <span style="font-style: italic;">right now</span>. This lack of patience extends to all things: the gas station attendant, all traffic lights, the weather, pretty much any person, place, or thing that I've been in contact with. I've been clutzy, too. On the same day, I both banged my head getting out of my car, and managed to lean over the stair railing while vacuuming the stairs and hit my head on the corner of the <span style="font-style: italic;">ceiling</span>. Now, that takes skill, people. I also managed to poke myself in the eye while fumbling around at a meeting that I was supposed to be in charge of, though I could barely wrap my mind around what the hell I was supposed to telling those poor, unsuspecting undergrads to be doing. And I've been late for absolutely everything, <span style="font-style: italic;">everything, </span>all freakin' week. *sigh*<br /><br />And then there is the pain that my poor husband and dog have had to endure, as I have been moved to yell and complain about <span style="font-style: italic;">something</span> every day this week. The puppy has taken to burying his face in some dark crevice as I begin my freak-out, and the hubby has for the most part just been waiting for my insanity to pass. As am I. It's really no fun to be constantly annoyed with <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span>. Not enjoyable at all.<br /><br />I'm strongly considering a solo vacation, something I have never, ever understood the appeal of before, but I'm starting to get it now. I think for the sake of us all I should remove myself for a few days and do some unwinding <span style="font-style: italic;">as soon as possible</span>. Some friends have recommended an awesome spa getaway that I will start researching as soon as I hit publish. <br /><br />Tranquility, here I come...Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-42050398434931493862010-01-18T14:01:00.004-05:002010-01-18T14:16:18.289-05:00pink!So, I've decided I'm going for the pink (!!!) If I don't do it know, then when the hell will I?? And I know that if I leave the salon on Thursday with red, I'll be annoyed that I didn't have the guts to do what I've been wanting to do for <span style="font-style: italic;">years</span>, so--I'm doing it.<br /><br />But, with that said, I'm still confused about <span style="font-style: italic;">how</span> I should do it, and what kind of pink I should go for. Bright? Dark? Soft and light? Who knows!? Should I just do a few touches of pink on the ends, should I do one bold streak at the front? Should I have highlights everywhere? Gah! Here are some more pictures--opinions again, please!!<br /><br />This first one is a dark pink that I think I like:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOc-5yM3VLs_klNXRxIQVlAg8mDCJENFWEImioqg7YFC_tuD6G-XSjbepuFDwwVenId07QyD8hfhHPl-HeAPCWKRFoC2R85YC1I7zvkGTKqGxp5EbkakJ4rVGcbHtqpNlTvM7g4V_5Ahh/s1600-h/dark+pinkish+red.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOc-5yM3VLs_klNXRxIQVlAg8mDCJENFWEImioqg7YFC_tuD6G-XSjbepuFDwwVenId07QyD8hfhHPl-HeAPCWKRFoC2R85YC1I7zvkGTKqGxp5EbkakJ4rVGcbHtqpNlTvM7g4V_5Ahh/s400/dark+pinkish+red.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158915665906178" border="0" /></a>Here's the subtle pink again, because this is still a strong contender:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAFWya4brD3JPqE956bWYLFwUGRS4BSI_DBEya2u2Sr3bu1DqMUDt1I75ORSP2Xl-U4tUpoPDqpY9s-t_Aa45f1xO0SCqFJLNU4FN763rjIcHtGoTnSJm7-QKVrOiUQS1yK39Xeq82v9-/s1600-h/pink+hints+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAFWya4brD3JPqE956bWYLFwUGRS4BSI_DBEya2u2Sr3bu1DqMUDt1I75ORSP2Xl-U4tUpoPDqpY9s-t_Aa45f1xO0SCqFJLNU4FN763rjIcHtGoTnSJm7-QKVrOiUQS1yK39Xeq82v9-/s400/pink+hints+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158914590093250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4tTc5eiWW8k-xzOE12Kr9vZROHALqmSPDAyRUauS0NmXOFsCJPHEuz87rRGL6fwXjoenIsyFabSOfwdUocb1aIJ8UI5Cdt1bBu3EaJoOBKKNmKugJi-DAPfUn2Q0e003aZMKVqfCe0OW/s1600-h/pink+hints.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4tTc5eiWW8k-xzOE12Kr9vZROHALqmSPDAyRUauS0NmXOFsCJPHEuz87rRGL6fwXjoenIsyFabSOfwdUocb1aIJ8UI5Cdt1bBu3EaJoOBKKNmKugJi-DAPfUn2Q0e003aZMKVqfCe0OW/s400/pink+hints.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158908521906674" border="0" /></a>These are shots from an episode of Conan from last week that I was watching on Hulu this morning. I like her streak of color in the front! (please excuse Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcChB51dV_OJNBIJapudnq56v7XWImzawNOnJDuQ5DSIBrXxJgqM7sKWuaj-1tAMfc-f7JajmU5Y9O2IVCOvJLOz7EVS-hyIrfo-ujB6zmfUHNFdK8AEBB6S30JOj0Yev55K-YEwutltj/s1600-h/IMG_2635.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcChB51dV_OJNBIJapudnq56v7XWImzawNOnJDuQ5DSIBrXxJgqM7sKWuaj-1tAMfc-f7JajmU5Y9O2IVCOvJLOz7EVS-hyIrfo-ujB6zmfUHNFdK8AEBB6S30JOj0Yev55K-YEwutltj/s400/IMG_2635.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158903787105010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3dWexplELFUEwIpnlQc_-bAhFJCCQXSFw4OKkfEsl5D-cMTiDVSygwElLaEjn7GJ1ki0sGxRcCNnAnJFZyw90v0NqRWxax78mtTVlQbbAWSZ_T0LAO6fYyK7oUMRAvLYd-02aDsMOj1t/s1600-h/IMG_2634.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3dWexplELFUEwIpnlQc_-bAhFJCCQXSFw4OKkfEsl5D-cMTiDVSygwElLaEjn7GJ1ki0sGxRcCNnAnJFZyw90v0NqRWxax78mtTVlQbbAWSZ_T0LAO6fYyK7oUMRAvLYd-02aDsMOj1t/s400/IMG_2634.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158648189421538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE88PY10_KF4oCwE27t98_FxWRipF_nWwuS8SOK2zWCYsOfI3zdGURr-1t9uNdlZgxC7bODvdbQK5_ygHUhLpXd7hZlgh54rRk6HQkTQpHzV_UA4t4LSSQ16r9rf3b3GDw9clQr71y2bne/s1600-h/IMG_2633.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE88PY10_KF4oCwE27t98_FxWRipF_nWwuS8SOK2zWCYsOfI3zdGURr-1t9uNdlZgxC7bODvdbQK5_ygHUhLpXd7hZlgh54rRk6HQkTQpHzV_UA4t4LSSQ16r9rf3b3GDw9clQr71y2bne/s400/IMG_2633.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158641377570082" border="0" /></a>This is a crazy bright pink that I think I'd only do if I did the tips only, but I like it:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHFJd-2tMvUCOlpjRW90YaLgSEWKQFlaYsWHZ8CSl9v5itWixafwx-BEyWjKLnoJFVChl6WwA63aS5NLbyh54Rr2-DA30n_xuYi9VP30qb95dvkTnRY0OblGPqu-TbVArIEDnZ0dDtW2m/s1600-h/nice+pink.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHFJd-2tMvUCOlpjRW90YaLgSEWKQFlaYsWHZ8CSl9v5itWixafwx-BEyWjKLnoJFVChl6WwA63aS5NLbyh54Rr2-DA30n_xuYi9VP30qb95dvkTnRY0OblGPqu-TbVArIEDnZ0dDtW2m/s400/nice+pink.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158637271210738" border="0" /></a>This is Joss Stone with a more all-over pink thing going on. Too much, perhaps??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrKXC3mhV71VYnqC2jZae4oUYV1YV9WGWVz8qBuUfgzr-HETe3HKWdvzjVj4R1N3BPR_kyTnE-2Hl9vhhoDkNVzj-xVfVv-nC4RnHBPPc4tjHK0ONcE2a1WSouzQD7TJ5Or5HXILW926c/s1600-h/joss+with+pink.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrKXC3mhV71VYnqC2jZae4oUYV1YV9WGWVz8qBuUfgzr-HETe3HKWdvzjVj4R1N3BPR_kyTnE-2Hl9vhhoDkNVzj-xVfVv-nC4RnHBPPc4tjHK0ONcE2a1WSouzQD7TJ5Or5HXILW926c/s400/joss+with+pink.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158628175364434" border="0" /></a>And finally, here's a very soft, bright pink that I like, but think would probably be too emo for me to pull off.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWBUTta5o1OMYvG4uVP3ScZuotU-asrPLNdkuELN9iSHWyo4v_2KuA-NA11PwfKRxRmON_xug1hWfghrHFRzqU6pTw7r1i56TNlCjxS-E8vmaLdz84p2ZETKkPGtXEWaaZpg6A18tHnLE/s1600-h/light+pink+color+option.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 291px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWBUTta5o1OMYvG4uVP3ScZuotU-asrPLNdkuELN9iSHWyo4v_2KuA-NA11PwfKRxRmON_xug1hWfghrHFRzqU6pTw7r1i56TNlCjxS-E8vmaLdz84p2ZETKkPGtXEWaaZpg6A18tHnLE/s400/light+pink+color+option.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428158624438600754" border="0" /></a><br />Okay! Cast your votes! What color, what kind of highlights (tips only, all over, bold streak at the front?) Thanks guys!!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-24129455661434137092010-01-14T18:07:00.009-05:002010-01-14T18:39:18.406-05:00Asking the Audience...(or, What Should I Do to My Hair!?)I'm nearing the end of my 2nd grueling week of interviews (I drove to the Philly/Camden area <span style="font-style: italic;">twice</span> this week, and have another interview tomorrow in Manhattan) and am feeling very, very brain-dead. So, when I got home today, after doing <span style="font-style: italic;">one </span>thing on my to-do list (small victories!), I continued my most recent "I'm not doing <span style="font-style: italic;">anything </span>else today!", zen-state activity: scouring Google images for hair pictures. And now, I am very confused, and need some other opinions.<br /><br />My color appointment is scheduled for next Thursday, at which time I will have <span style="font-style: italic;">no more interviews </span>and will finally stop letting my career choice restrict me from expressing myself a little more than I tend to/ever feel it's okay for me to. Yay! Down with the man! Or...whatever.<br /><br />The point is, I'm getting either red or pink highlights, and am trying to figure out which I'd like to go for. So, what do you think?<br /><br />I <span style="font-style: italic;">could</span> go for your basic, bold red, with highlights everywhere, like this (note: I'm not cutting it that short, this is just for the color):<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBingwAi5bqFMrhlL_HlSuYFemRS0FHBTIf8_3gByviNvVLNYjG-D_HfZQ_lrvOOpB4dXHzHrVAlQXwMPxtZ2yqvX0Plf5DqVjedU0Hx2f9aEmPqkm58B1rV_qZdSiL-0-E-w0iEOlMpjX/s1600-h/color+like+this.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 380px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBingwAi5bqFMrhlL_HlSuYFemRS0FHBTIf8_3gByviNvVLNYjG-D_HfZQ_lrvOOpB4dXHzHrVAlQXwMPxtZ2yqvX0Plf5DqVjedU0Hx2f9aEmPqkm58B1rV_qZdSiL-0-E-w0iEOlMpjX/s400/color+like+this.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426738609542515666" border="0" /></a><br />I also like the style of these highlights, wide and kind of chunky, though I'd get them in red, not blonde:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAsTfDjzxC8lWZa2-a08ne0JI0n0R6SAzE-4gTk5P98S8XvHI2ZkoVeF0yFCqu-07gu8eVNRC7uvy8yuj5qgb-4sEmSKclwtPidKvnzq35yUtUdehknxNE6LpUfXsUYop5xDpyQXWdEwI/s1600-h/chunky+highlighting+like+this.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAsTfDjzxC8lWZa2-a08ne0JI0n0R6SAzE-4gTk5P98S8XvHI2ZkoVeF0yFCqu-07gu8eVNRC7uvy8yuj5qgb-4sEmSKclwtPidKvnzq35yUtUdehknxNE6LpUfXsUYop5xDpyQXWdEwI/s400/chunky+highlighting+like+this.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426740506747071554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Or</span>, I could do something like this. More subtle. (btw, I am aware of the absurdity of this picture!):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj9mTcssU5fd6Yww_k1c5cHm-Jef1szMwAuptEBd08uWOT37JiXUTB0tbDhSaG-MQIs2hTb5U1gkNvqroy6E1J42AmaD9C0OQiJN3WGE66B7Wics9kE-cOP3PSURdoJLi-Vnxfi5Ia5Z2/s1600-h/hairhighlights08.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSj9mTcssU5fd6Yww_k1c5cHm-Jef1szMwAuptEBd08uWOT37JiXUTB0tbDhSaG-MQIs2hTb5U1gkNvqroy6E1J42AmaD9C0OQiJN3WGE66B7Wics9kE-cOP3PSURdoJLi-Vnxfi5Ia5Z2/s400/hairhighlights08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426740868061335282" border="0" /></a><br />So, those are my options for red. And until today, I had decided that I just couldn't pull of pink. I'm too old, it's too...emo. But then, I found this picture, of someone who was apparently on American Idol at some point:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg702_8gUFtWqjG3teCX2wkDUxJRlh9KJOjNXb2ajj5pfq7xheMExb6LyQesBrLCgGmR_Yckrvugrr6fJ_MIklVGl5eQcut3wnsnTHr0AKXlMxlhxJVp6VO9M3Om7E7IQKvAyrPBxCxgbkS/s1600-h/pink+hints.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg702_8gUFtWqjG3teCX2wkDUxJRlh9KJOjNXb2ajj5pfq7xheMExb6LyQesBrLCgGmR_Yckrvugrr6fJ_MIklVGl5eQcut3wnsnTHr0AKXlMxlhxJVp6VO9M3Om7E7IQKvAyrPBxCxgbkS/s400/pink+hints.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426741469085065282" border="0" /></a>OMG! Adorable, right!? So now I'm thinking that maybe I want some pink, like that. And with my natural color as the base, obvs. I'm loving it! Just some hints, fun, but not crazy looking, AND, it can still look totally classy. Observe:<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB3h42tkzqpLGJEln6cmTK0wEiSXCb3BCVJ2u4h8nihlDyksmva0cOowyKlGmL1T0yxVAv-DN7m3zvR0MMqTnRQOd61UJYjgOEeIr0T9gYCKI67P_8bdJj98HyuC5yUaAjppJQx09ZDJC/s1600-h/pink+hints+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 375px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbB3h42tkzqpLGJEln6cmTK0wEiSXCb3BCVJ2u4h8nihlDyksmva0cOowyKlGmL1T0yxVAv-DN7m3zvR0MMqTnRQOd61UJYjgOEeIr0T9gYCKI67P_8bdJj98HyuC5yUaAjppJQx09ZDJC/s400/pink+hints+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426742056085862306" border="0" /></a><br />So cute! So this is what I'm leaning toward, which I think is a good combo of the craziness that's clearly trying to get out of me and the responsible side of me that knows I can't see my clients looking like I just left my punk band waiting for me to come back to rehearsal.<br /><br />So, what do you think? <a href="http://icanhascheezburger.com/2010/01/14/funny-pictures-so-i-eated-dem/">I can haz emo hair?</a> Please cast your vote for how my transformation should commence in the comments!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Merci</span>!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-88831439219093321562010-01-10T12:16:00.002-05:002010-01-10T12:19:33.694-05:00Thai Pumpkin and Seafood Curry recipe...There's some interest in the specifics of the recipe I used to make my (Nigella's) delectable curry, so here's a link to the recipe on foodnetwork.com.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/thai-yellow-pumpkin-and-seafood-curry-recipe/index.html">Nigella Lawson's Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry</a><br /><br />Enjoy! And please let me know if you try it yourself, I'd love to know that I've successfully passed on a delicious meal to friends and readers!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-22507224389109980112010-01-09T15:21:00.004-05:002010-01-09T15:29:10.835-05:00emo hair...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCdcr_SMjVz0PioHHshbXpvMrvwvif9k9FrpPS468zA3f7wKUolElwmNyGWtsPPYi6XjpgQ13S_QUJK5sOYcJ93372Jf4Zhaq60EjJe6xgBv4dpZjXENfiKQ2aP4asXfw93WF9g7VGK1k/s1600-h/Emo+hair+crop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 293px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCdcr_SMjVz0PioHHshbXpvMrvwvif9k9FrpPS468zA3f7wKUolElwmNyGWtsPPYi6XjpgQ13S_QUJK5sOYcJ93372Jf4Zhaq60EjJe6xgBv4dpZjXENfiKQ2aP4asXfw93WF9g7VGK1k/s400/Emo+hair+crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424838398554878770" border="0" /></a><br />I have no clue who this girl is, but I freakin' love her hair.<br /><br />I'm gearing up to get bright red streaks in my hair after my last interview in two weeks, and i've been scouring the internet looking at various shades and cuts and styles of doing the highlights. I keep coming across this picture, and even though I'd never have the guts to go that far with color, I wish I did! I think it's fantastic. Apparently, I have an inner desire to wear a lot of eyeliner, and be kind of fringe and, well...emotional. Go figure.<br /><br />So, the way that I've found the best examples of the kind of hair cut and color I want have been by searching "emo hairstyles for girls." I guess I'm entering my quarter-life crisis. Bring it. :o)Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-27441712119506341692010-01-09T15:03:00.005-05:002010-01-09T15:21:39.587-05:00Nigella's Curry!The topic of this post is a few weeks old, but I wanted to make sure to give Nigella Lawson credit where it's due, and I have time to blog today, so...I backtrack.<br /><br />Alright, so a few weeks ago, by dearest best-est friend Po came to visit!! It was very unexpected, and due to very sad circumstances, but I got to see her, for 1.5 whole days, and it was great. I miss her so much, but hopefully she'll be back on the east coast soon!<br /><br />Anyway, I wanted to cook for her since now I, you know, <span style="font-style: italic;">can</span>, when in the early years of our friendship, I was completely clueless in the kitchen and hated to cook--meanwhile, Po can whip up something suberb out of random stuff she finds in her (or my) kitchen in about 30 minutes (black beans stuffed with french fries, anyone?) <--- this is a very inside joke, which, if anyone cares, I will totally explain, but I won't waste space on it here!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Anyway</span>, Po is a vegetarian who also eats seafood, so I flipped through Nigella's book and found her "Thai Seafood Curry" and gave it a whirl. I had to make some substitutions (the recipe calls for lemongrass stalks and fish buillon, which, believe me when I tell you, are not find-able in this next of the woods), but, OMG, my curry was <span style="font-style: italic;">bangin'</span>. Mmmmmmm, soooooooooo good. So good in fact, that the next morning, I ate a way-too-large portion of it, and kept eating even though I was full, and couldn't put the spoon down until it was gone. And then felt sick for the rest of the day. But it was totally worth it. That's how freakin' good this curry is.<br /><br />In case you're curious, the curry has a butternut squash base, with bok choy, salmon and shrimp. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hea-ven-ly! (</span><span>Note: </span>please sing that word as you read it, b/c that's how I'm thinking it as I write this...Kind of like how Oprah scream/sings people's names when they come on her show? Like that. Except about curry.)<br /><br />Picture:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2n-5PtW9RGXdPz9BabUIzFfErSxMVcEpYQTIuGh1MGrEy-v9g4YxFfrXK4_iDnCaF0SWK1LH4r7kNVM3tGynG3diIgPLgRh08omBfT_nLTxwIAI_rOjFRV4JQwm9mhVZCsarEX6HEKDV/s1600-h/IMG_2598.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2n-5PtW9RGXdPz9BabUIzFfErSxMVcEpYQTIuGh1MGrEy-v9g4YxFfrXK4_iDnCaF0SWK1LH4r7kNVM3tGynG3diIgPLgRh08omBfT_nLTxwIAI_rOjFRV4JQwm9mhVZCsarEX6HEKDV/s400/IMG_2598.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424837104984680514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Conclusion:<br />We can all relax, Nigella's alright after all! (I know, you were worried...)<br /><br />I also used our breadmaker for the first time to make a Cottage Cheese and Chives bread to accompany the curry, and it went great with it. Yay, yummy food!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-47630072646279886112009-12-29T01:00:00.004-05:002009-12-29T01:31:02.690-05:00MIXED FEELINGS DAY: Lemon Risotto and Salmon Cakes...So, I did what I set out to do today: went to the gym and cooked 2 new recipes. Of course, I didn't actually make it to the gym until around 4, and then it took me <span style="font-style: italic;">forever </span>to find everything I needed at the Pathmark (I swear, that store is organized in a <span style="font-style: italic;">perfectly </span>non-sensical way. No matter how many times I shop there, I still can't figure out where anything is...*sigh*). So, <span style="font-style: italic;">quelle surprise</span>, dinner wasn't ready until 8, though I started cooking around 6...oh, how I've missed you, complex recipes!<br /><br />I was really excited to try out some things out of <span style="font-style: italic;">Nigella Bites</span>, which I poured through last night before bed, and I picked 'Lemon Risotto' and 'Salmon Fish Cakes' as my first forays. They both turned out...okay.<br /><br />I should have known what I was getting into with the risotto, as Nigella includes the recipe in the "Comfort Food" chapter, partly because preparing it involves a "mindless repetitive activity" that she feels helps her to relax when she's stressed out. Now, according to Nigella, this repetitive activity (i.e. constantly stirring arborio while slowly adding hot broth) is only necessary for 20 minutes to make nice, creamy, al dente risotto. Lies!! I stood at the stove for 40 minutes, willing that rock hard rice to throw me a freakin' bone. It took foreeeeeeeeeeever. Not relaxing, especially when you're hungry, and have salmon cakes to fry. I also dearly missed my Julia as I was making this risotto, as Nigella is very sparing with her instructions. This is a big shock, and completely confusing, after the obsessively precise directions of MAFC, which I apparently had gotten much more used to then I realized. For example, Nigella never specifies the level of the flame under the saucepan as you stir the rice and add the broth. Should it be low, medium, high? Who knows!? This bothered me for the whole 40 minutes I was stirring. But, I can also understand how Nigella wrote her book. It's very casual, full of pretty pictures and funny little stories about why she included the recipes that she did. She often says that the way she cooks something at home, in real life, is actually different than the recipe in the book, and she encourages us all to use her recipes as guidelines, and to tweak things where we want to tweak them. Great, Nigella, thanks for the freedom, but can I learn how to do it the "right" way first? Please?<br />Alright, enough of my ranting...the risotto turned out pretty well in the end, not uber lemony, though cheesier than I thought it would be (Parmesan is added at the end, in a cream/lemon juice mixture). All in all, very tasty, but NOT worth the time. I won't be making lemon risotto again for a while.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7hhALV8eNkhAVjAhnm2QY1AKumBCczlsiubptlfqkiYW64e_spnkzkRwVdIzA_fDls1dxZ137THlxwGNfCuoO0kvon9WAuIBbT8JThfH4F4JW2TVDL053vsJk3W3yFR3eBLOMfeQ-AG-/s1600-h/IMG_2589.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7hhALV8eNkhAVjAhnm2QY1AKumBCczlsiubptlfqkiYW64e_spnkzkRwVdIzA_fDls1dxZ137THlxwGNfCuoO0kvon9WAuIBbT8JThfH4F4JW2TVDL053vsJk3W3yFR3eBLOMfeQ-AG-/s400/IMG_2589.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420534966027766018" border="0" /></a><br />I also made Nigella's Salmon Fish Cakes, which did not go well at all, and there are many potential reasons why. 1) I was supposed to use cold (i.e. left over) mashed potatoes, made of real potatoes. I didn't. I made 2 cups of instant potatoes in the microwave, then stuck them in the freezer for 20 minutes to make them cold. As evidenced by my ridiculously squishy fish cakes, I doubt that this is what Nigella had in mind. 2) Nigella says to make the patties, then chill them for 20 minutes or "considerably longer if that helps." Now, I thought she meant that they can stay in the fridge for however you need them to stay in there before you're ready to fry them, but what I think she really means is that they <span style="font-style: italic;">need</span> to stay in the fridge for several hours if you don't want them to fall apart when you try to bread and fry them. Oh, <span style="font-style: italic;">now</span> you tell me! I had poor hubby dealing with the mushy fish cakes while I labored over my slow-cooking arborio, and the experience left him...miffed, to say the least. Here's what the cakes looked like before frying (please note the mess they made all over the table!):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpwxYEvuaWj4n0N-UnDcPVB3kIartOYa2Grv_TcmSIjMQrbFknRHhRPIFQTmXlfoJecklegzTMLK2GDDpGjlCIJzoaTP2jJhlTx6cudfadRMuIhyphenhyphenlkxgd2E_xI4OiZBQ3irvxTeKKK6K2/s1600-h/IMG_2593.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqpwxYEvuaWj4n0N-UnDcPVB3kIartOYa2Grv_TcmSIjMQrbFknRHhRPIFQTmXlfoJecklegzTMLK2GDDpGjlCIJzoaTP2jJhlTx6cudfadRMuIhyphenhyphenlkxgd2E_xI4OiZBQ3irvxTeKKK6K2/s400/IMG_2593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420534361378745458" border="0" /></a>Very noticeably different than my beloved Julia, Nigella does not tell you when it's best to put something into a pan of hot butter and oil, nor does she tell you how long to cook something in a frying pan, not even an estimate! How rude. So, the fish cakes took a long time, and I didn't know if the inside was supposed to be firm or if just the outside needed to be crunchy, and the things kept falling apart while I flipped them anyway, so it really didn't matter. Blerg. But, ultimately, they were fried, and we ate, and this is what the plate looked like.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHpmgYys74JcKtZDERWbxSdGmzfwPrP9CQ9Q32jpNqXgodM8EYARUQTCFIT2Ts79oTUdEJd_xgLubd2bI_pWgMEly1Yk1U6RtgHVTxCCLJKHNyVvH4VivmPZ6tEnGUkIveZWGM2fLEH_U/s1600-h/IMG_2591.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeHpmgYys74JcKtZDERWbxSdGmzfwPrP9CQ9Q32jpNqXgodM8EYARUQTCFIT2Ts79oTUdEJd_xgLubd2bI_pWgMEly1Yk1U6RtgHVTxCCLJKHNyVvH4VivmPZ6tEnGUkIveZWGM2fLEH_U/s400/IMG_2591.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420534350651322530" border="0" /></a><br />Whatevs, right? I know. All that work for rice that looks like macaroni and a fish cake. *sigh*<br /><br />...I think this post is being tainted by the fact that I'm completely exhausted at this point, so let me be clear that the food <span style="font-style: italic;">did </span>actually taste good, but the road there was vague and soggy. :o)<br /><br />Tomorrow I'm making Cottage Cheese and Chive bread with our new bread maker, stay tuned!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-71641480045778349312009-12-28T13:10:00.002-05:002009-12-28T13:14:20.779-05:00Vacay week!This week, I am inexplicably and gloriously unburdened by official obligations of any sort, so I've decided that I am going to get back to 1) the gym and 2) the kitchen. The two might cancel each other out, alas, but at least I'll be sweating out some of the deliciousness I put in, for the first time in many, <span style="font-style: italic;">many</span> a month.<br /><br />For Christmas, I received Nigella Lawson's cookbook, "Nigella Bites" from my Dad and a fancy breadmaker from the in-laws (thanks family!), so I intend, today, to try out both of them. My plan is to go the gym, then to the grocery store next to the gym on the way home. Sooooooooo exciting, yes? I know, I can barely contain myself.<br /><br />Stay tuned for pictures and overly detailed documentation of tonight's exploits!Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-40333301363240230772009-11-17T12:21:00.002-05:002009-11-17T12:22:23.299-05:00Defending French Cuisine...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPKCHKs6u3d0JGT4zHBurzgaBpp6xkoZTWDjxXh8_ocFs7TsrD5uMG49iVLeBfgEB1-GLCwpYKD-yzKsgRB1DY8bw-mmcVZO-ZrYubenQzWB9ByB9s2rNwyoxmckkWouHiouBzvKoXRP9/s1600/butter-sizzing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPKCHKs6u3d0JGT4zHBurzgaBpp6xkoZTWDjxXh8_ocFs7TsrD5uMG49iVLeBfgEB1-GLCwpYKD-yzKsgRB1DY8bw-mmcVZO-ZrYubenQzWB9ByB9s2rNwyoxmckkWouHiouBzvKoXRP9/s400/butter-sizzing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405124081851939474" border="0" /></a><br />I've been mulling over this topic for awhile now, but would finally like to address the very common opinion that cooking/eating a lot of French food is categorically a <span style="font-style: italic;">bad idea</span>. I've felt this way at times myself, as I dump tablespoon after tablespoon of butter or cream into some delectable sauce that I then enjoy immensely, and I actually haven't cooked any recipes out of Julia's tome in the past several weeks--partly due to lack of time, but partly due to my slight fear that I really am setting myself up for a heart attack if I keep enjoying my food too much.<br /><br />But then, I did a little research...<br /><br />First thing's first. Julia Child lived to just shy of 92 years old, and plainly stated that her recipes were for those "who can be unconcerned on occasion with . . . waistlines," but she clearly lived by the principle of enjoying all things in moderation. Enjoy fine wines and the decadence of your food, but don't stuff yourself to the point of gluttony, and make sure to eat healthy things too, and get your ass off the couch sometimes. Makes sense, right? And from my experience with French food so far, it's so rich and flavorful that you don't end up eating the huge portions that are, in my opinion, really at the root of the obesity problem in this country. Leah Zerbe, at <a href="http://www.rodale.com/julia-child-cooking?page=0%2C2">Rodale.com</a> (a green website), says it better:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">It’s no secret Julia Child loved butter, and she used it liberally in her meals...But fat, used in the right way and in the right quantity, is a good thing. "Take a tip from the French. The better the food, the less you need to be satisfied," says Judith Hill, food director at <em>Prevention</em> magazine. "If an extra tablespoon of butter makes something so good that a small portion is satisfying, you’re ahead of the game in taste and waist size." And by savoring every bite, you're relishing in one of the joys of life—and you’re avoiding the weight-gain trap of eating so fast that your appetite can’t keep up with the volume of food your eating.</blockquote>Well said.<br /><br />I also appreciate what Jennifer Huget, writing for the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/03/AR2009080300760.html">Washington Post</a>, has to say about this whole thing:<br /><p> </p><blockquote></blockquote><p></p><blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><p>Whether those heavy sauces in fact pose much of a health risk remains uncertain. The "French paradox," in which it was observed in the early 1990s that French people stayed slimmer and were less likely to die of heart disease than Americans, despite the former's high intake of fat, has not turned out to be much of a mystery, Bachmann says. Instead, it's now believed that the French consume fewer calories overall than we do and burn more through greater physical activity such as walking, both of which contribute to their better cardiovascular health. We've also learned that consuming dietary cholesterol (as in egg yolks) in moderation doesn't necessarily elevate levels of "bad" cholesterol in the blood (though saturated fat, as in cream, cheese and many cuts of red meat, clearly does). And many nutrition experts now say that eating small quantities of really satisfying, lightly processed foods (even if that means more fat and calories per bite) may be better for us than pigging out on processed and packaged foods. (Think: a few slices of full-fat cheese instead of a jar of Cheez Whiz.) </p> <p>So what to make of "Mastering the Art"? Well, there's this: At the end of her year-long experiment, Julie Powell noted that she'd gained some weight, but she wasn't willing to attribute that solely to Julia Child's cuisine -- especially since her skinny husband remained skinny throughout, despite eating his wife's French food. </p> <p>As for Julia Child herself, nobody would accuse her of having been skinny (not that she was fat, either). But she lived to within a whisker of her 92nd birthday. And, by all accounts, she enjoyed just about every minute.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Finally, I stumbled upon an article by British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, who I think is kind of the JC for our generation (though I don't really know much about her--I plan to remedy this by getting her first cookbook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786868694?ie=UTF8&tag=whiliab-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0786868694">Nigella Bites</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=whiliab-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0786868694" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" width="1" height="1" />), from the <a href="http://nytimes.com/2002/10/16/dining/16NIGE.html">NY Times</a> in 2002. The article is long, so I'll just include a few snippets here. I suggest reading the whole thing, though, if you're interested--I feel like she hits the nail right on the head, at least from where I'm sitting:</p><p></p><blockquote><p style="font-style: italic;">I have never quite understood why there is among us such disproportionate fear of fat and dairy. For one thing, the jury is still out on whether these foodstuffs are indeed harmful to us. (I rather suspect that if we were such fragile creatures, so minutely susceptible to the fuel we choose to run on, we would have fallen out of the evolutionary loop a long, long time ago.) </p><p style="font-style: italic;">And for another, the crucial element must be portion size. Ever notice how chic Parisiennes eat pastry for dessert and still fit into their size 6 tailleurs?</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">They eat a slice of cake at dinner and that's it. They do not, as many of the rest of us do, skip dessert and then, back at home, mooching about the house at midnight, devour half a cake.</p> <p style="font-style: italic;">Meanwhile, a recipe stipulates a quarter of a cup of heavy cream and every non-Français has a fainting fit. But this recipe may make enough to feed eight ? and really, how much harm could a couple of teaspoonfuls of cream do?</p><p></p></blockquote><p>So, after doing all this reading, and accepting that, damn it, I like good food, I think I'm comfortable with cooking and eating rich foods and enjoying every bite. Besides, I <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> have that gym membership on hand to cancel out some of that butter!</p>What do you think, dear reader? I'm really interested in what people think about this, so please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175578359669186953.post-84231717678995951272009-11-16T15:59:00.002-05:002009-11-16T16:10:20.565-05:00COGNITIVE-DISSONANCE DAY: Bejeweled Blitz on FacebookIf you're my friend on Facebook, which you most likely are if you know about this blog, you know that I have a problem, and that problem is Bejeweled Blitz. I am addicted to it. I love it, and I hate it, and I need to write about it.<br /><br />Alright, so Bejeweled Blitz is this little game exclusive to Facebook in which you race the clock to clear as many sparkly colored gems as you can in 1 minute. Whilst doing this mindless task, a deep-voiced robot man tells you you are "Awesome! Excellent! Spectacular!" and you get to see how much better you are than your internet friends at smashing up little cartoon gems really fast via the handy-dandy scoreboard. That's it. That's the whole game. I have spent many valuable hours of my life, often when I should be advancing toward my degree, playing this game, and have come to the conclusion on various occasions that Bejeweled Blitz is the devil's work.<br /><br />But, on the other hand...it's really fun! I don't know <span style="font-style: italic;">why </span>it's so entertaining, but it really is! And there actually <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>some strategy involved: if I clear this line, what will I be able to clear next? Can I make a line of 5 and create an all-powerful hypercube? How can I clear that glowing blue gem that sends lightening out in every direction and looks really cool? I'm telling you, it takes brain power, not to mention hand-eye coordination. Also, I actually kind of think that breaking up horribly boring, soul-sucking work with a few games of BB here and there has kept me going on long days when I must...keep...writing... Without some brain breaks, I think I'd be much more likely to throw up my hands, slam the laptop closed, and go watch 'Say Yes to the Dress' reruns on TLC. So, really, BB has saved my work ethic...right? <span style="font-style: italic;">Right</span>!?<br /><br />Okay, all of this ambivalence is stressing me out, I need to go play some Bejeweled...Alyciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01599680139498248387noreply@blogger.com0