Slumdog Millionaire

I saw this Indian movie with my fam. It's intense, scary, but intriguing. I agree with rottentomatoes and movie buff Justin McCrarey: Slumdog Millionaire is fresh and worth seeing.

Christmas in Austin

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." -Luke 2:10b-11

I had a lovely Christmas in Austin with my family. Marjie and I enjoyed house-decorating, cookie-baking, and present-wrapping. My fave part was church on Christmas Eve- celebrating the birth of Jesus, our good news of great joy!

I think it'll be a white Christmas in NJ...

It snowed this past weekend... 6+ inches! fantastico! The ice accumulated on these branches and looked pretty cool.

Also, put our Christmas tree up a while ago... this is one of my favorite ornaments, a funky looking camel. haha

I'm an Honest Intern!

Great news! I got a spring internship at Honest Tea. Hooray!!! God is so good:)

(the photo is by Fenchurch! via Flickr, using a Creative Commons License.)

O how I love kettle corn

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach...
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

On the farm

My uncle took us to Loblolly Farm to pick herbs for our Thanksgiving meal. We filled our bags with fresh rosemary, tiny red peppers, green onions, and parsley. Robbie and I used small shovels to dig up onions and shake the soil off.

Stinky Cheese Incident

This Thanksgiving, I took a basket of delectable cheeses to my aunt and uncle’s house. After my 7-hour greyhound ride, however, the cheeses did not smell delectable. One smelled "like a sweaty man," according to my cousin Trisha. She was right! I'd been wondering which man was smelling up the Greyhound station in Charlottesville. It was the cheese in my bag. Luckily, the other two cheeses were delicious.

Turkey Day

Here are a few photos from Thanksgiving Day in Roanoke. The weather was gorgeous and the food was marvelous. We even saw a flock of wild turkeys in the woods.

Way to spend copious amounts of free time...

I seem to have more time that I know what to do with this semester, so I've started to reconnect with the part of me that loves to color!

Big Sky Goodness

Montana is one of my favorite places on this earth, and I was so excited to spend Thanksgiving up there! This is a pic taken during a little storm from the front porch...sigh...so amazing. :)

Cousins

I made it all the way to Roanoke today. There was plenty of time for food, games and a very silly photobooth session with Robbie and Bella. Check out our "giraffe" impersonations...

Thing I'm Thankful for #2 & #3

#2: My mother's tarts, a Thanksgiving dessert staple.

#3: My mother.

I should mention this isn't in rank order otherwise my mother will be angry with me..

Thing I'm Thankful for #1...

...I will start with my Mom's Ginger soup. Warms my insides.

Alicia in DC

This weekend, our beloved friend Alicia came into town. Here's a photo from the reunion brunch.

Ever heard of the 30's housewife?

Before the iconic 50's housewife, there was a 30's housewife. Yes, even during the Great Depression, American marketers were trying to figure out the "housewife demographic." One company released this pamphlet in 1934 about "Mrs. Allen," the iconic 30's housewife.

The thesaurus...

...cares about hair. Notice number 8.

Winter skies in the District

The sky tonight is simply gorgeous. Check out these colors

New sheets

These new sheets came in the mail. I'm gearing up to live off campus starting Dec. 1.

The 11th way...

...post to the blog a picture of your roommate taking a picture of how she wasted time during the day.

10 ways to be semi-productive while avoiding papers

1) Use Photobooth to take photos of yourself yawning (see above)
2) Think through each purchase at Whole Foods
3) Redo your calendar with snazzy colors and post-its
4) Brew coffee several times
5) Prepare snacks from scratch
6) Watch the Office, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style and Pushing Daisies
7) Put stuff away. Then, make a mess. Repeat as necessary
8) Go shopping for things you don't need
9) Catch up on e-mail and facebook
10) Rock out to Billy Joel

Bonus: Make plans for tomorrow and the next day so you can continue to avoid writing those papers.

True story: All ten worked for me today.

A new take on blogging...

...called "Bloggingheads" by The New York Times (link). Interesting concept, and discussion (one above is on Clinton serving as Secretary).

Maybe the webcam feel is to play up the idea of citizen journalists even though these guys are from prominent political mags. I guess it's further expansion of news with the web capabilities though.

Maybe I'll do video logs of Florence?

What coffee mugs dream of

Counter Culture coffee is pure deliciousness. No need to trek across town to pick up a bag from an indie coffee house. It's available at Balducci's. Hooray!

Austin, Texas (a poem by Kwame Alexander)

i
would
Climb
The hills of Mt. Bonnell at dawn blindfolded
Swim
the Colorado at noon ..........barebottomed and
Dance
a poet's salsa at midnight ..........barefoot
along the pavement
Of your soul
To get closer to this poem
to that fresh air music
of people coming
and going
in Austin, Texas


Kwame Alexander is a poet who's actually from D.C., not Austin. I heard him at Ebenezer's Poet-a-tete a few months ago. This poem captures a bit of the magic of ATX.

Today in Class...

...while discussing underlying messages and meanings in design and advertising, my professor said the following of the above advertisement for TAG body spray:

Have any of you lost control over yourself because of someone's smell?

I couldn't help but laugh.

Fun way to waste time...

TV on DVD. Also known as the best way to pass the time when there are things that you could be doing, but of course watching one of your favorite shows is so much better! To be able to watch my favorites without incessant commercials but with the occasional commentary is nothing short of extraordinary. But...that's just my heavily biased opinion. :)

The pen is mightier

especially if it's Stabilo. These pens elevate taking notes in class to an art form.

Squeal-worthy TV

So amazing! They are so cute, and this was just too amazing...plus Michael Scott is always an added bonus!

The Rockies

One of the best parts about being in Denver is the mountains. I can look out my window (well part of it...most of it is the ginormous building going up right next to mine) and see the Rockies. Sunset over the mountains is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring things I've ever seen.

Has anyone else had an experience like that, when you're looking out at something and it hits you just how magnificent our Creator is?

A picture that makes you think...

...ever take one? this is mine.

Latte Love

There are several outstanding coffee shops in D.C. I'm a fan of Tryst, Baked & Wired, and Big Bear Cafe (near Howard). Any other faves? recommendations?

The amazingness that is a Bicycle built for 2

Okay...So my mom got a bicycle built for two this summer and let me tell you, riding in the front is TERRIFYING! But the back isn't that bad, its actually pretty amazing, you all should try it some time!

Oh, and btw, thanks for the lovely picture of me on skype Tanya :)

An Italian Discovers the U.S.

"Then there's Thanksgiving Day (we don't say thanks in Italy--if we're satisfied, we merely refrain from complaining)"

I just read this book. It's a light and insanely funny take on life in America. I loved it! I found a copy at a quaint used book shop in Adams Morgan.

What's the last good book you read?

When in France...

...please follow instructions. (hung in the bathroom! courtesy of my brother's travels in Paris with my camera, and not deleting them off it.) haha.

Just kidding

Judy Grimes is stinking hilarious...just kidding, just kidding, just kidding.

Collect your thoughts...

Just paste text into wordle.net to make "word clouds" like this one.

New favorite show

I pretty much love "Pushing Daisies" on abc. It's got a stellar cast, snappy lines, and artsy colors. Has anyone seen it?

It's so cold outside...

...my hair became my scarf.

Skyping with Linds

...and trying to imitate her mom's expressions.

My workspace

Notice what hangs above my desk... an essentials list. haha.

Dorm cooking

Salmon, with garlic and herb seasoning, baked asparagus and brown rice.

The latest fad: apples, lemon juice, coconut & honey.
Healthy and delicious.

Coldplay concert on 10/31

...at the Verizon center. So good.