HOARDERS!

New thing of today, watched the first episode in the season of Hoarders. I was really excited when I found out it was on our Netflix instant view. I am fascinated and amazed. I think we all have a natural pack-rat tendency to keep things for future use. This is obviously an extreme version.

It's so hard watching people who cannot let things go. There was woman in the first episode who wanted to keep expired food, over a year old. The lady needs a class in nutrition. She wanted to keep frozen ricotta from 2007. She kept eggs in the fridge for a year because they were too pretty to eat. She was once poor and couldn't afford food so she's gone overboard with hoarding food.

Anyone who has moved knows it's hard to sort through things and figure out what needs to stay or go. I get very sentimental and attached to things. We also have a smaller place and need to minimize in order to maximize - less is more. I've travelled and lived with a just a suitcase amount of stuff for about a month. I've gone camping over the summer with one duffel bag. I think I've been lucky enough to have experiences that show me that, stuff isn't needed to survive. These people though, they are emotionally and psychologically connected to their things.

I think it's a shame that the show - at least this episode, doesn't try to deal with this issue more psychologically. Instead they just deal with the organization of it and a crew to come in and move/get rid of things. They document the extreme sad situation the hoarders are in, but not really helping them get a fix on how to prepare their mind for fixing the problem. I think the show Clean Sweep does a better job of helping people deal psychologically with - ok how to keep and what to keep. Keeping half versus all and just moderating and balancing a clutter issue.

The music and tone of the show is incredibly dark and over dramatic as well. I was actually disappointed by the show. I though they would do a better job helping the problem. Instead they sort of just put a band aid on it and just bring trucks and people to help move things out. They don't really help hoarders where they need it, in their habits and mindset. I find they just put the hoarders under an unpleasant humiliating spotlight, rather than focus on helping change them. Maybe in later episodes the tone changes, but not this first one. An overall it gets an "eh" for my rating. Not really worth 40 minutes of time. I could probably clean the house with this in the background as good motivation :) That's probably what I'll do next time.

A friend asked me today - how is the blogging going, one new thing a day? It's been 30 days just about :) Some of it is a chore honestly. I don't always have a "new thing tried or done" by evening time, so I sort of have to come up with something or try something or watch something or eat something. Plus it's a bit of a chore to blog about it too. Although overall I think it hasn't been bad at all. I am thinking/hoping that if I can maintain discipline with this writing blog, I can maintain it with other things like school, cleaning, exercise and other areas of my life.

I've planned out a few new things in advance. I bought a bunch of snacks and drinks to try. I have TV shows and movies queued up on Netflix. I've had some activities in mind. Although I think the biggest change is when it comes to making decisions at that moment. I find myself more willing to try new things and putting my adventure shoes on. I never realized how much I cling to the familiar or get anxiety about trying new things.

I suppose my expectations are overly high in general, so in trying new things I'm overly resistant of being disappointed. Although I'd say 80% of things go well and only 20% are a waste. Plus if they're a waste, I learn from them anyway :)

I suppose the show Hoarders is an apt 30 day post. I'm not hoarding onto old familiar experiences and repeating them. I'm trying new things every day. I suppose I should get more creative with my "new things" posts. That's definitely something new I can work on :) This is definitely going to continue and I've enjoyed it so far!

Crumb Hostess Donuts

New thing of today, Crumb Hostess donuts. Got them off the food truck that stops by our place. So for breakfast, I had a Carnation instant breakfast drink (not new), Cheetos (not new for breakfast either) but the donuts were new. Overall good :) Satisfied the sweet tooth.

Ya it was that kind of day. I don't usually have a sweet tooth, but this time every 30 days I do. Also, we left the air conditioning on all day on accident, that was new, but not on purpose so doesn't really count. At least it was cool when we got home but was very sad we wasted electricity.

That's all I got today folks? :)

First Pick

This was bizarre, but new thing of today, found the perfect greeting card on the first pick. How often do we really find the perfect thing the first time? I know we want to and we wish we did, but how often is the first choice really the best?

Anyway today we were perusing the card section in Target. We have a friend's wedding anniversary and vow renewal in VEGAS this weekend! So excited! Anyway was looking for a nice card to give. Found the anniversary section, looked for cards in their sort of wedding colors. 

Saw a card that looked good, picked it up, opened and read it. Then I just knew, this was perfect. Inside it had the perfect sentiments I wanted to express. No holding on to it and checking other cards to look for better ones. I read it and knew immediately - this is the one. It's a lovely feeling. 

I looked around at other cards just for fun and curiosity while waiting for the husband to be done in the toy section - but overall was amazed and happy that we found a card so quickly :) 

Also saw this at target - so cool! Gift card and wooden plane. Target by far has the coolest gift cards! 

Origami Lily Flower

Today I successfully folded a new Origami Lily Flower! I've been folding origami cranes since I was a kid. A lot of people have seen me turn various pieces of paper into cranes and always asked me about origami. The crane was the only one I remembered and mastered. So this past weekend another coworker had a garage sale and found in their old things, some origami instruction books and paper. Yeay for presents on a Monday!

Had to dig in right away. I failed at a penguin attempt and alternative flower. I tried to do a butterfly but you needed scissors and I didn't want to cut anything. So finally after the 2nd time trying the Lily, I finally got it - here!

The flowers remind me of a Japanese restaurant called Buko we used to go to in Glendale. It was our special occasion and favorite Japanese restaurant. The owner even knew us and paid special attention to all the kids. At the end of the meal we would get a beautiful Japanese origami flower or animal. Being a girl, I usually got flowers.

Anyway folding origami from a book, I remembered how frustrating and confusing it was. The book isn't very clear at times what you're supposed to do with the paper. I struggled with a few diagrams and a coworker suggested "look up a video on the internet". Wow - genius. All that frustration trying to interpret the diagrams could have been saved by just watching someone fold. Anyway I love this new little book and will make sure to try all sorts of new origami figures. I may pair it with a video if and when I get too frustrated. Along with the book I got lots of fun pieces of paper, so I'll have to try it with different designs and such.

So this is what I made today :) How fun! For a Monday even!

Salvage

Today, new thing, I saved a pair of scissors from the trash. See, I've had this pair of scissors for, oh... a long time, maybe 10 years or so. It's a really good handy pair of scissors. Recently the handle of it broke and I was holding on to it for awhile because they served me well and I didn't want to put them in the garbage just yet. I can get sentimental. The handle was still hanging on, but overall they were definitely broken. Anyway today I needed some scissors and picked these up, and decided to just fix them rather than throw them out or leave them broken in a pile.

So TGFDT - Thank Goodness For Duct Tape. I decided to cut a few strips and bandage it like a broken arm. After a few rounds, good as new. To think I almost just threw them out and was seriously thinking of getting a new pair. Also - these ones never get lost. They are great scissors and I am very glad I was able to patch it up. Once broken, now salvaged and back up to service. 

Glee - first 4 episodes

Ok, new thing of today watched the first 4 episodes of Glee. Yes I'm behind, but here's why. We don't really have TV, we have Netflix. I find not having TV leads to a slightly more productive life, as I can sit in front of a TV for a very very long time. Anyway I had heard fabulous things about the show. From friends, I heard a few of the songs and loved them. So I got the season 1 and 2 music for me and my sister. Have not yet seen or heard the Madonna songs. I also would catch 20 minutes here and there of various episodes. I thought some snippets were very clever and interesting, and some snippets simply campy and cringe worthy. It's been on my Netflix queue for some time, so the number finally came up.

Yes it's the weekend and maybe in the 100 degree heat we didn't feel like doing homework and instead decided to spend quality time with my mom and sister watching Glee. Terrible isn't it. What a great time we had! Good family fun. I really enjoyed watching it and had fits of laughter over their fast quippy one liners. "Listen here man hands" and "When I was in the Special Forces...". It was new for everyone except my sister - who is caught up and watching Glee as they come out with her friends.

I love how they have inspired a love of song and dance. It's like a revamp of musicals for this century. No longer Grease Lightning but Bust Your Windows. Even the husband was pleasantly surprised and thought it entertaining. Plus I like how fun it feels. Such a nice change from all the serious drama out these days. It's also a great comedy and not a cheesy sitcom.

Favorite characters, well I think they all do fantastic, but I love Jane Lynch as coach Sue of the Cheerleading Cheerios squad. She delivers the most ridiculous and amazing lines so well. All the characters are endearing and I love what they've done so far. I may have inspiration for my Halloween outfit this year, different colored track suits! Ha ha, we will see.

I am a fan now - a late fan, but a fan definitely :) Go Glee!

Limon

Today, tried a new restaurant - Limon Latin Grill. Decided to wander the Simi Valley Town Center and have dinner out. I wanted a place with waiters and nice ambience. We found Limon with a live good band playing bluesy rock.

I took a long time to decide. I get nervous trying anything costing $$ because I want to make sure it's yummy and don't want to regret it. The sampler appetizer looked amazing. It had ceviche, calimari, empanadas and a few other items, but it cost $24.

Decided to go with the lobster ravioli in a chipotle cream clam sauce. Yummy! Was very happy with my choice. At $18, it was pricier than I'm used to but delivered delicious flavor. The sauce had a little kick of heat and the creaminess, cheese and butter, oh I don't want to know how unhealthy it was. I would go back and be willing to try something else.

Husband had the Cajun chicken torta with sweet potato fries $13. It was ok. The meal came with chips, salsa and a chipotle hummus, best was the hummus. The chips were not fresh or that good.

I had a lot of anxiety trying a new pricier restaurant and choosing a dish. I guess I didn't like risking more money for a mediocre meal. After an untasty expensive meal in Santa Barbara last weekend, was a bit gun shy to blow our money again.

I was pleasantly surprised and overall was quite happy with the meal. The band was good and ambiance very very nice. Out waitress was cool too. Had an enjoyable time, good food and hopefully will be less nervous trying something there next time.

Balance

New thing of today, staying in balance with life, versus trying to do everything I want. At work, they were giving away free tickets to an LA King's hockey game, and I declined to enter my name in the ticket raffle. We've been pretty busy lately at home with personal stuff and I've noticed a lack in things I need to do. House needs cleaning, homework needs doing, walks need walking and groceries need buying. Instead of doing these things we've been watching football, movies, TV shows, eating out, blogging and surfing the internet.

There's pressure and time commitment of school, responsibilities of house ownership, attempt at being a good wife, attempt at staying healthy, work responsibilities and play time. I've neglected a few things in the name of play time. Mainly, I've neglected reading my homework and doing my assignments, so I'm nervous for the weekend - I want to enjoy my life but also make the Sunday deadlines. Oh and there was also the plan to paint our master bedroom but that is now out because we don't have time this weekend with school. My health has been neglected as well. I haven't been exercising or eating right. I had a doctor's appointment and physical today. I was reminded that my entire family has all the risk factors of heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, etc. I want to be in better shape.

So because I've replaced my productive activities with fun, I've been out of balance with the other stuff and it's been stressing me out. Fun is fun for now, but the other stuff keeps things even keel. So, I've sort of made a new mantra to live by.

Do what keeps your life in balance.

It came about because, we have so many choices to make every day. What do you do during your work break? Relax and surf the web, or go for a 10 minute walk outside, or read textbook, or catch up on emails and/or chat with a friend? We have way too many things we need and want to do. They ALL need or want doing? So how to choose? Whatever keeps life as much in balance as possible. Perhaps I'll try the metaphor of a multiple seesaw, multiple balance scales or multiple tanks. They are all there and they all need/want filling or piling of stuff. In order for all of it to work, all of them must stay in balance.

So now, the strategy is, to do the thing that needs the most attention or that hasn't been done in awhile. For example, homework is very much in the red danger zone of getting out of control, so I'll do that first. I guess it will be a game of, fill the line to satisfactory, instead of fill just one to the line to full or "exceptional". Perhaps it is mastery of average versus mastery of one. Jane of all trades, in life. I won't be the best friend in the world, but you'll get the call from me once a month versus once every few months. The house won't be immaculate, but it'll be relatively clean. The workout won't be the best one ever, but it will get me out of the house. The reading won't be absorbed completely and the essay won't be brilliant, but it'll take care of itself. I think I really need to stop being the overachiever in what I do. Stop spending the extra hour making things "perfect", and just do it. How insane is that? How do I learn to walk away with "just ok"?

Right now I'm definitely not in balance. The seesaw is out of whack but it's also been a lot of fun :)

So yes, I definitely need to focus more on the balance part. Just doing things and then moving on to the next thing that needs doing versus overdoing one thing. Seesaw is good once in awhile, but balance is key to keeping everything in order. We'll try the balance trick and see if it works. If not, it'll be fun on the seesaw as I try and work it all out.

Aloe Vera Blueberry Drink

New thing, an Aloe Vera Blueberry Drink. It looked interesting so why not? It is tasty, but I freaked out at first because it has this pulpy boba seedy stuff inside that kind of freaked me out.

I checked with the food truck that sold it to us, and he said ya that's normal. He's legit and was like, ya it was crazy at first but all the drinks are like that and they're good. I guess it's the aloe vera. After I stopped thinking the worst, it was very tasty.

Sometimes when you drink the pulpy stuff stays on your lips, but overall it was good. It almost went in the trash, but it didn't. I will get it again :)

Interviewed a Librarian

I've started my Master in Library Science, and today interviewed a librarian - a first. She was fabulous and fantastic. I'm not going to give away too many details about the library or the librarian, for privacy sake, but let's just say, this was a great interview and reaffirmed my choice that Library school and entering the profession as a Librarian, will be faced with challenges, but ones that are worth it.

It was supposed to be 30-45 minutes long, and ended up lasting about 3 hours. Thank goodness I had food before the interview. I got a full on tour of the library, very modern, evolving and embracing new ways to help the public. She was there from the beginnings of that library, and was obviously very enthusiastic and had a lot of knowledge about what made it work. Best thing is it was a smaller system so they focused on displaying materials easily and making it very user friendly. They also integrated a lot of technology, a lot of great audio books, foreign language books and a great selection of donated books as well.

I asked my questions based on my class, and chatted with her more about the library but also trying to get a better sense of the behind the scenes stuff and issues with the library. Great thing is, her enthusiasm was contagious and I could see how much she loved her job, despite the difficulties. She also loved explaining things and showing me all the capabilities and possibilities and improvements they made in the library.

The thing I was most impressed about, was her own personal attitude towards libraries and technology. She found technology "cool" and a lot of the features and possibilities were appealing to her. She was not negative about the future of libraries, or overly frustrated with budget cuts or bureaucracy. Instead she was like me, you could see her mind ticking trying to solve puzzles of how to make things work. Also she had a inclusive, evolving, integrative and progressive attitude to technology and the library system. It was fabulous and a joy to talk with her. She's the type of lady you could just chatter away with easily for an hour.

She was incredibly generous with her time, energy and information, so I'm looking for a great Thank You that I can give. Probably a fabulously worded letter, and perhaps, oh I don't know, I want to give a little something extra. She was pretty high up in the Librarian ladder in the Library system, and she took 3 hours to explain things to me. It was possible she preferred talking to me over doing her work, but she was very very busy, had tons of papers on her desk and emails unread and lots of projects she could have worked on. Instead she decided to help out a student, which is a very generous use of her time. Anyway - just trying to come up with a way to say - Thank you I really appreciated that and you are an awesome awesome lady, without coming off like a kiss-ass.

So, next time you're feeling bored, please don't turn on the TV or go to the internet, you do that every day. Seriously, check out your local library. They have some fabulous resources and every librarian I've ever talked to has been super nice and eager to help. Of course there are exceptions, so try to pick the person you ask, but also, don't be afraid to ask more than one person. Eventually you'll find someone who is eager to help and show you all the cool resources the Library has. If you're shy, just say you've recently moved into the area and would like to know what services and collection the library has to offer. You might just find someone who is passionate about what the library offers. Also you may get an inside scoop into all the neat features that you wouldn't find on your own. Believe me, there are some really cool resources on there. Below is a list of JUST SOME of the new resources I found at some libraries and I'm sure there are many other resources and many other libraries with various services. So CHECK IT OUT!

- Online book club: Makes so much more sense with the digital age and time constraints.
- Ebooks: Download audio books onto your ipod or mp3 player and regular books onto your e-reader or iPad.
- Updated search formats: like a word cloud search or more Google like format.
- Instant Play Books: check out a small phone sized device and plug in your headphones - listen to a book. No CD player required.
- Real time online expert help: for students who need homework help or job hunters who need resume reviews. All free if you're a patron of the library - instant online access to experts and resources. Chat, email and live online feedback. Library pays, you get quality service for free.
- Special locked up collections of valuable or restricted access books - very interesting and controversial at times. Just ask about it, it's curious to see what's inside. Also it may just house some valuable cool books that need special care.
- Reserve and check out Puppets: For kids and learning! How frickin cool is that. Not all libraries have this of course, but it's so cute.
- Self check-out stands
- Cheap used books: ranging from 50 cents to $2 - what a deal!

And much much more, but I couldn't tell you all of it - you have to ask your Librarian :) Try to go on a week night too - they get really busy on weekends. Publicly - support your library, donate, volunteer and convince all public figures how important this institution is!

Guava

New thing today, Kern's Guava drink. This was yummy. Not too sweet. Tasty & good :)

Santa Barbara Art Walk & One Year Wedding Anniversary

New thing of today. Every Sunday Santa Barbara has an artist exhibition along the beach. It is a feast for the eyes. Fantastic quality selection. So much I wanted to get, for myself and others. I plan on coming back nearer Christmas to do some shopping. It's also just fun to walk and enjoy.

We talked to a few artists & they said you have to pay a fee to the city to exhibit, but you have to live in the area and make everything yourself. Compared to other festivals & meets, there really isn't any junk or crap. Most everything is made with love, art and passion and you see a good variety of things. It's not all just one style of modern or my classification of "huh?". There are some great unique things I really haven't seen anywhere else.

We bought a few prints from various artists & photographers. A lot of places sold smaller affordable prints, and I would buy more if we could. Special mention to the wind art pieces and the artists we bought from, Lorie Jean Morris and David M. Schrader.

Lorie J. Morris was super friendly and nice. She does old style darkroom prints and also uses digital. There were a few great turtle photos she had that looked like watercolor paintings. They turned out to be photos. Because of the way the water caught the light, the turtles looked like a watercolor, but it was a straight photo, no filters and no photoshop. We ended up buying an adirondack in winter photo called "Winter Vista". It was really an amazing shot and with great contrast, and we loved it.

My favorite was David M. Schrader. He was selling some tiny versions of his paintings for very cheap so we could get two. One was an amazing and very beautiful almost surreal print called "Fly me to the moon" with an egret and the moon in a night sky. I'm a bit sad we didn't get the bigger one, but we may go back and get it one day. Also I got another print called "Wonderland". It's very mystical looking with a purple ruin wall with a doorway leading to a very lush green garden. Just some very cool paintings and hard to describe.

Some art just speaks to me, and husband and I found a few at this exhibit that did just that. Lucky us :)

Support your local artists! I highly recommend this outing if you're ever in Santa Barbara on a Sunday.

Websites for
Lorie Jean Morris: SB Art Walk, Gemini Photo
David M. Schrader: Main Website, Shuttershock - I love his stuff - I may follow this artist.

I may start following artists as well. We also saw these exhibits at the Santa Barbara Art Museum.

Chasing Moby-Dick: Selected Works by Tony de los Reyes: I loved this exhibit. Very cool stuff. I loved how dark and realistic it was, and how he paired american figures with Moby-Dick symbolism. The paintings are dark but struck me. I want to read Moby-Dick now. He's showing until January 2, 2011 at SBAM so check it out if you get a chance :)

Chaotic Harmony: Contemporary Korean Photography: This had some great photos as well. These were interesting, thought provoking, and were the types to make you stare and think about it. One was a group of teenagers all looking very serious and wearing all Burberry. There were great photos of kids in a fantasy land, and also one called Blue Things Pink Things with kids surrounded by their toys. Very interesting. This weekend was the last at SBMA but it was a great exhibition.

Also, today is our one year wedding anniversary :) That's a big first! Not too many details I want to post as I want to keep things private for now. Although here's a little artistic rendition for my blog, to commemorate the anniversary :) It's our wedding topper, family artist made wedding vase, the original bromeliad plant we had in our wedding vase, a plate we requested from our registry and our wedding cake - a Filipino mini cake called Puto from the store Goldilocks.

He's a wonderful husband by the way. I got him a little magic kit from Borders, because "he makes my life magical".

Also on the way back from our weekend, I heard this song for the first time, and fell in love with it and the lyrics. Also appropriate for the weekend. Everclear's "The Good Witch of the North". Check out the lyrics too :)

It's been a very eventful first year, and looking forward to many more!

Bicycle built for two

New thing of the day, rode one of those beach cruiser quadricycles. Husband surprised me for our upcoming one year wedding anniversary with a trip to Santa Barbara! Very sweet of him!

Anyway this was what he wanted to try out. We spent most of the day doing my requested activities; visiting the Mission, Art Museum & shopping. Although I have to admit, his activity was the most fun. Even though I think the things are a bit silly, ala Flintstones car, and the seats were not super comfy, it ended up being pretty fun.

We witnessed a foggy beachside wedding, biked by a lake & bird sanctuary and had fun watching other couples & families going wild on the cruisers. We even saw a Segway tour which is next on husband's list.

I know it looks silly, but try it! It wasn't too tiring and had us smiling & laughing most of the way through. Plus it's good exercise, mainly him peddling.

The Lost Room - Episode 3 - The Eye and the Prime Object

The big finale of "The Lost Room". I should never ever trust shows with the word "LOST" in them. It reminds me of another show that runs around in circles and doesn't answer any questions.

I think this was just a 6 hour pilot. At the end, there are so many open ends, that it really leaves you wanting more episodes, which I believe is the point. Damn television and its incessant need to keep you watching like a crack addict or inserting money endlessly like a gambling casino. Why can't you tell a normal story like a novel, with a beginning, middle and end? Have you heard of a resolution or end?

Anyway, if this were a 6 hour pilot, awesome. It leaves it so open for some great plots and TV series gold. Since this is the end of a miniseries with no continuing story line, I was very disappointed. It left too many open ends and too many unanswered questions. If you are baited into believing that all will be revealed in the last hour or so, you would be wrong. Nothing essentially is answered.

Although, surprise, our main character gets what he wants. He does the unthinkable twice during the story and we're just not sure where that leaves him. I was very upset at the end of this. I want answers. Instead we're left scratching our heads and the ideas are "left open to interpretation" like some hack writer didn't know how to come up with the answer themselves. My husband liked it. He also liked LOST which I ultimately was annoyed with but followed along because I wanted to see what would happen. Ultimately nothing really happened but OK whatever I gave up a long time ago and was just along for the ride.

In the end, I feel like this photo. Sitting next to a blank TV thinking, what the hell just happened and what did I get myself into? Confusion, disappointment and left all alone in an empty room. If the series continued, I might watch out of curiosity like I did with LOST. Although, just like LOST, I'll just be along for the ride without my head or heart invested in it. Thanks for disappointing me and making me feel lost, Lost Room.

The Lost Room - Episode 2 - The Comb and the Box

So I found out this is only a mini-series of 6 one hour episodes. This is the middle part and there is one more finale. So far it's looking really really cool.

This second episode about "the comb and the box" was going more into depth about all the objects and people involved in the story. It's a definite transition piece. On the quest to find his daughter, Joe finds a guy who has a comb that can stop time. He also finds another piece of history regarding the objects and someone who was lost in the room. We get a glimpse into a cult that collects objects to meet God, and also see a deck of cards that freaks people out. It sets up fantastic ideas of how people use their objects and their dependence on them. It also introduces a person as part of the room, an "object" with special powers.

This was a more in-depth look into the world of the Lost Room. Some great ideas and seeds are planted. Can't wait to see what happens next :)

Granola

Today, in a conversation I was described as "granola". That is a first. My coworkers and I were discussing looks, make-up and clothes and I mentioned that it might be easier for women to dress up and look better because we have the option of using make-up. Some girls dress up and wear lots of make-up, and some are more natural, laid back and casual. Then one of my coworkers said in a very positive way, "you're very granola".

I was like, so... "What's granola?" He said "well it means you're kind of a down to earth natural type person, low maintenance and not fussy". Sure I'll take that. I don't consider myself trendy or "pretty" in the whole high maintenance way. So I looked it up on Urban Dictionary - Granola, and it translates to pretty much hippi, perhaps bohemian? Although I eat meat and I'm not completely earth friendly. I'll eat at the evil McDonalds and not recycle everything.

Lately though, I wouldn't mind having a fashion upgrade. For awhile now, my clothes need some weeding and my style needs a few touches of fabulous. So, although I take no offense to granola, perhaps a more fabulous granola is in order.

Although I'm surprised they figured me hippi/bohemian at work. We always dress a little differently at work than we would on the weekends, so the fact that I was called granola, well - cool.

LeSportSac bag

New thing of today, bought a LeSportSac bag. I'm a bit of a bag lady. This is the first time I've ever bought a real LeSportSac regular size bag. Mostly I find the designs gaudy and awful, but I've admired their lightweight travel look, and the fun, albeit obnoxious colors and designs. 

Wandering the mall, this one caught my eye and it was love at first sight. Whether it lasts, I do not know. There's a strong possibility I may return it later this week. It was the last one in the store, and I liked it, so I thought better to buy and return later, then go back for it and find it gone. I like how the design fits on this one. Below is the bag from both sides. 

    

I love shopping and I love bags, so I hope I really like this one and it ends up being "a keeper". How does it look?

Also, can I just say, that Marty McFly might have been correct in prediction fashion in 2010. Some shoes I saw at Hot Topic in the mall.

* Update as of Sept 17 - I returned this. Just couldn't keep it. Felt like it was impulsive and a waste of money. Oh well, will save it for another day. It was nice for a little while. 

I love lamp

Lamp, you light up my life! Yesterday we went to Ikea and I got a little desk lamp. Today I assembled my first lamp. I've assembled furniture before. Never assembled a desk lamp. It was super easy.

Notice the paint job in the background :) Per previous post on painting a room. This little lamp is so cute. It almost makes me want to do homework and read at my desk. It's inspiring. I don't usually like desk lamps, but I saw this one and well, fell in love a little. Thank you little lamp for lighting up my life, and my room.

Ikea Spinach and Cheese Crepes

So yes, I often forget to take photos of my food before eating it, so this had to come off the internet. New thing of today, I tried an Ikea spinach and cheese crepe. We love Ikea. They have great food, furniture and housewares at great bargains. We go there maybe one or two times a month.

The crepe was ok. I found it rather oily, I suppose from the frying and the cheese. I thought it might be healthy, but it probably wasn't. It was good and surprisingly filling. Although every bite tasted the same. I like a lot more variety in my meals so it got a little boring. I got garlic bread and an almond cake to go with it, since I thought it wouldn't fill me up, but it did so I just felt stuffed at the end of the meal.

I'd give the crepe maybe a 7 out of 10. I wouldn't have ordered the crepe, but they changed up the menu and no longer have my favorite - the pasta with cream sauce and veggies. I found myself jealous of my husband's chicken tenders and bomb mac and cheese. Also their meatballs, lingonberry jam and potatoes meal is delicious. I'm not sure if I'd ever crave the crepes.

Fed 3 people at Ikea for less than $16, not bad. The crepe was a great deal at $2.99, and a complete meal quite filling at that. I just won't order the extras next time.

Beer Wars

New thing today, watched a documentary called "Beer Wars". It's a really fun and interesting documentary on the craftsmanship and passion of small beer brewers, in comparison to the Big 3 brewers - Anheuser Busch, Miller and Coors. Husband and I are naturally attracted to things that are different. We like to like things not everyone else likes, so this totally appealed to us.

It's interesting to see how home brewers were aching for better tasting beer, and some of them grew to develop their own like Samuel Adams, Moonshot and DogFish Head. A lot of these brewers are putting their lives on the line for their beers. They risk their own credit, their homes and put themselves behind their brews.

The host and style of the documentary is very amusing and interesting. She takes non-scientific surveys, talks to people in bars and does a man on the street type interviews. In this way, you get some very candid and unusual responses.

It's interesting to see how much independent brewers fear the Big 3, to see how they will push them out of the market. It was interesting to see that you can't get a lot of smaller craftsman beers because of the way the distributor system and alcohol laws are set-up. You see a lot of the difficulties the smaller brewers have in the business. One even goes to the Big 3 in hopes of growing their business.

I really enjoyed the documentary and because of this will add these craftsmen beers to my list of new things to try daily. It's a slightly political statement against big bad industry and for the promotion of the individual, quality of brew, supporting an artist's passion and democracy.

I love this idea of trying new things daily and expanding my horizons for better things. Sometimes I get tired or lazy and want to just do the same old thing. Although through this short time of forcing myself to try new things regularly, I'm finding how much I cling to the familiar, and also how much the world has to offer of new and interesting things. I've had bad experiences trying new things, but the majority has been good. Lucky me, I suppose the risk is worth the reward.

I highly highly recommend this documentary. Beer is lovely. The beers I have enjoyed thus far have been Guinness, Miller Lite and Kirin. Guinness is my first love and the king of beers in my opinion. We bought a case of Miller Lite the other day and I feel a little dirty drinking it now, but we'll finish it off, keep our loyalty to flavor, but try other beers more openly as well. Drink up and watch this documentary!

Independent Lens: Between the Folds

I watched a documentary called "Independent Lents: Between the Folds" about origami, the art of folding paper. Unfortunately I don't think it was very good, but it had a lot of potential. On quite a few topics, there could have been a more in depth study or interview about that person, that item, that thing. Instead, it gives us the general idea and moves on to the next thing.

Oddly enough, the documentary only covers western folding or art, and does not really interview eastern or asian paper folders. It doesn't even really give a historic account of the art but briefly touches on one man who is the father of modern origami. 

There were some interesting topics, such as the science and math behind paper folding and the "choreographer" who learns to fold paper in a way that you can move it and make it dance. There were also amazing structures that were folded or planned, but we never got more in-depth detail about the projects. At only one time, did we see how much time a folding took. With all the origami in the film, so much of it was not delved into. Very few details and facts about the art. 

So many interesting topics that were glazed over. I was a honestly a bit bored by it all. I also did not like the narrator.

I've been folding origami paper cranes since I was a kid so I hoped this documentary would be at least informative on the history of origami or give a better account of the art. Instead, just a lot of philosophical artsy ideas and generalities about paper folding. It doesn't even make me want to learn more origami. It really is "Between the Folds". 

Might be worth seeing if you're on something, or if you're working out or doing something else in the background. But I wouldn't really recommend using up 1-2 hours of your day on this. Oh well? 

Commemorate the beginning of Football Season

Today, I thought it might be fun to commemorate the beginning of Football Season by intentionally going to a sports bar and watching the first game of the season. Now, mind you, I've never much cared for or paid attention to Football or Football Season. It usually comes and goes like the weather and I notice a slight change because of other people. This year, it was different.


I have coworkers who have been actively looking forward and gearing up for Football Season. I had an idea when pre-season started, and the guys all got their Fantasy Football Drafts up. Today there was a special buzz and electricity in the air. The excitement and anticipation of football season was to begin today. Also today is 9-9-10. The number 9 for me is a special and favorite number, so it might be an auspicious day to start paying attention to football.


On a whim, decided to go to our local Yankee Doodles Sports Bar, get some greasy burgers, a few beers and actively celebrate the start of Football Season. My husband is a New Orleans Saints fan and I became one as well. We were absolutely thrilled they won the Superbowl last year, and it was a real pleasure to watch them win the first game of the season this year. For the first time ever, I have a football team allegiance and I am paying attention and actually celebrating the first game of Football Season (I capitalize because, let's face it, it's an official title). 


The first game was good. It was made more fun by the beers, the food and the atmosphere of other fans. We missed the first Saints touchdown but saw the non-touchdown in the 3rd quarter. Overall I think they were doing ok, but like I said I don't watch a lot of football so I didn't really know for sure. In the last quarter the Vikings were doing well and I really thought they would score and beat out New Orleans for the first game. No luck there :) 


We were thrilled, committed, excited and a little buzzed. I really like the sports bar atmosphere, without the obnoxious drunk football fans. We love hearing cheers and excitement from other fans and just being part of the whole communal experience of watching football. I don't know a whole lot about the game and don't plan on becoming an obnoxious fan, but I really enjoy the excitement of it all and how attuned so many people can be to their players, their teams and the game.


I might actually call myself a fan if I earn the right after being faithful and paying attention during the season. I've never been a fan before. Never set my heart on a team. This is definitely a first. I'm going to bank on New Orleans Saints for the season. We'll see how I do. Not that I'm unfaithful, but like I said, I've never been a fan and am not sure how to be one. 


I think I have trouble allying myself with something that is completely out of my power to control or influence. It's different if you're invested in say, your weight loss goals or your car, but to be invested in a sports team whose players and outcome have nothing to do with your input, just odd. Not sure how to defend or celebrate in "my" team's wins and losses, when really, how much of it do you identify with? Plus it's a whole team, not a player, so how can you like or dis-like a whole group of people you don't know that much about. Anyway that's my philosophical rant. I'll probably do more research into "The Saints" to see how much of a fan I can become. 


Here's one thing I am a fan of, the city of New Orleans. Before Katrina, I had a long distance love affair with the city of New Orleans. Creole and Cajun food, Mardi Gras and all that Jazz intrigued me and New Orleans is my dream city. Part of my affection for New Orleans has more to do with the spirit of the people and the city. It's a little gritty, dark, roguish, colorful, fun-loving, artistic, lively and soulful. Most of all, New Orleans is recovering with a fighting spirit. The Saints have that spirit of New Orleans and that is something I am a fan of.


So, that is my new thing of the day. I've paid respect to the football gods by choosing a team to support and commemorating and celebrating the first game of the season. This first was definitely a whole lot of fun and I'm looking forward to future games. Woooooo! Go Saints!

The Lost Room - Episode 1 - The Key and The Clock

Ok, so here's a journey we can take together. I am a bit of a Sci-Fi fan, and love the supernatural or mind bending shows, so I got a recommendation from Netflix and a co-worker to try the tv show "The Lost Room". At first glance it seemed pretty cheesy, about a room that goes nowhere that takes you everywhere. I wasn't really sold on the concept, but today I watched the first episode and it looks really interesting. As one of the characters says before he hands over the key "it opens every door".

I'll give some spoilers here, but I'll try to save the best stuff for your enjoyment. After all, you may want to watch along too.

Basically the premise is a cop stumbles upon this magical object, a key that opens any door he wants or can think of. Sort of a really cool concept. He has some fun with it but doesn't abuse it. Then these people start chasing him for it and you're not sure if they're good guys or bad guys. He finds people with other "objects" with weird magical powers that can't be explained why or how. There's a pen that sends electrical shocks through people or a letter opener that puts people to sleep. All these objects come from a random motel room, the Lost Room that his key opens to before it opens to any door in the world.

Anyway, no one knows why or how the objects exist, but they use them and there is plot and intrigue and mysteriousness. Overall the cop ends up being chased and loses his daughter "in the room" and his goal is to find her again. Because she disappeared in the mystical room, he's on a quest to find an object or someone who knows how to use objects to retrieve what is lost in the Lost Room. So therein lies the basis of the series/show.

I think the first episode lays a good groundwork for the series. Mysterious objects that do cool things and people connected with them. The mysterious people and organizations that know about the objects and collect them or use them for good or bad. Plus the protagonist with the sole mission of finding his daughter. Surprisingly the daughter character is good/cute. She's not obnoxious or annoying, but someone you want the dad to find in the end. I like the main character as well. He's smart, a detective character and uses the rules of the room and objects in a smart way. Plus his object seems to be the most useful - a door that opens all doors. It leaves you curious to see what the other objects do and what the intentions are of the other characters in the series. It has some great actors and characters. It's a good combination and mix of factors.

I really thought I wouldn't like this. It sounds dumb from the cover, but as you watch, it develops the characters and plot pretty well. Plus, it features Kevin Pollak! It's a neat series and I like it so far. So I'll be posting all my thoughts on the shows as I watch them.

For the record, here are some of my other more recent favorite Sci-Fi TV shows, so you can get a better picture into my tastes. I really enjoy the shows Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Dollhouse, Charmed and various seasons/episodes of Smallville and not sure if this qualifies but Avatar the Last Airbender, The shows Charmed and Smallville are sort of OK, but the other shows I absolutely love. Not sure how I'll feel about The Lost Room, but it will be interesting to find out :)

Dark Chocolate Dreams

So God woke up one morning and said "ya I can make that happen". I was on the way to buying a jar of regular peanut butter, when I saw this hanging out nearby. Had to try it, for the sake of the blog. If you can't see the photo, it's called "Dark Chocolate Dreams" from Peanut Butter & Co. It's a mix of peanut butter and dark chocolate. Also I love that the website for this company is ilovepeanutbutter.com. 

Opening up the jar, I was a little perplexed at the texture. I expected a more creamy or sticky peanut buttery texture, or a Nuttella hazelnut spread texture. Instead it's a bit pasty, chalky and fluffier, almost like dense frosting. It doesn't stick or spread. It sort of just sits there. It tasted a lot more like dark chocolate than peanut butter. I had it on a Ritz cracker and overall was a bit disappointed. It tasted ok, but I was looking for and expecting a sweeter taste and creamier texture. I thought maybe it needed to be combined with fruit or with something more complimentary than a cracker. Overall I thought it was just a good 7 out of 10.

I kept tasting it, and it had this really weird familiar flavor. It was good, familiar, but not super sweet and then it hit me. It's a spreadable version of a Filipino snack I've loved since I was a kid. It's called "Choc-Nut". 

Because of the nostalgia factor, my rating went up to a 10. So cool, to discover a new item, and it reminds you of an old love. Until we meet again....

Herb and Dorothy Vogel

New thing of today, watched the documentary "Herb and Dorothy". It's a fabulous look into these extraordinary art collectors in New York. Herb was a postal worker and Dorothy was a librarian. They both studied art and loved to collect works and get to know artists. They lived off of Dorothy's salary and bought art off of Herb's. Their rule was to buy art that they liked, could afford and would fit in their one bedroom apartment.

Because of their great taste and keen insight into art and artists they have one of the most significant collections of American Modern Art. They collected and bought from major artists before they became famous. They also became a sort of staple in the art community and are very well respected by artists. 

The great thing is they collected out of love, and simply felt they were stewards to the collection they built. According to the documentary, they have over 4,000 works of art over the 45 years. Their collection borders on hoarding, and it seems they were obsessed, but they had amazing taste. 

The Vogels refuse to sell any of their pieces for profit, even though today various pieces of the collection are valued to be worth millions of dollars. Instead they donate their work to the National Gallery of art and various museums in the United States.

It's a very interesting documentary. It's quite refreshing to see people who really follow their love, and live for something other than money. I'm not a fan of modern art, and some of the pieces in their collection, honestly I don't get it. Although it's interesting to see how many people relate to the art and see something other than, a red square or a teal Tetris piece. I suppose this demonstrates that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. 

I highly recommend watching it if you're interested. See more at PBS - Herb and Dorothy Vogel. 

Painting a room

Never painted a room before, so today is a first. With labor day weekend without major plans, finally decided to suck it up and paint the rooms we've been wanting to.

This project took a lot of time mainly deciding on color. We moved into our condo in April, and didn't decide on room color until September. Ya. I think that is the toughest part. You're putting it on in an entire room, so it's hard to visualize until it's actually up.

We were pretty sure we wanted green, just not sure the shade. We finally chose Valspar Lyndhurst Celadon Green with an eggshell finish. It looked good on a sample square on the wall, so we sucked it up and said "GO". Now that the first coat is up, I'm thinking it would have been ok to go darker with the whole room, but it looks good for now.

The second part was buying the paint supplies. We were pretty loyal to our tools once we started painting, so I don't think it's necessary to buy a whole bunch of different type brushes. Husband uses the foam brush. I used an angled brush. We both wielded the large roller. Although my favorite tool is the mini roller. So easy to use and so effective. That was all we needed really.

Then night before we prepped the room by washing the walls, taking off the outlet face plate and putting on painter's tape. It comes off a lot so we should have opted for the scotch stuff instead of generic. Then in the morning we put the tarps down and started!

I LOVED painting the sample squares so I thought it would be pretty simple painting the whole room. As cliche as it is, it does take longer than you think. Also me being out of shape, it got pretty tiring. Unfortunately we had to take the curtains down so the sun was beating down on us on one wall while we were painting. Definitely recommend taking that into consideration next time, sun spots.

We're finished the first coat in about two hours with lots of breaks. Second coat still to come. We had lunch and some family obligations, so we may attempt the second coat tonight or tomorrow.

There is one more room to paint, the master, so we're not sure if we'll tackle that this weekend or another. At least we should have 1 room done end of weekend. I'm feeling ambitious and want to do both rooms this weekend. I want to take advantage of our Monday off. We may not get another painting chance until who knows when?

So here's an "in progress" photo. See how light the green looks. It's not that light though. It's a bit darker in person. Anyhow I actually enjoy painting despite how much work it is. Yeay for new things! I just hope we can get it all done soon :)

Kinder Chocolate

New thing of the day, delicious foreign chocolate, Kinder Chocolate. Again this is from the lovely people at Rocket Fizz. I ate it before taking a photo so this is the aftermath.

So I'm not usually a fan of candy because it's too sweet, but I love chocolate. This stuff was not too sweet, and had a milky condensed milk tasting hard center. Sooooo good.

It comes in tiny unusual shape, skinny & long, like the size of two crayons tied together. Sorry that's the best I could come up with.

Overall it's delish, about 3 for $1. Perfectly small snack size. I only bought one because I wasn't sure if I would like it. Next time I'm buying more.

Saranac Shirley Temple

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! We got out of work early - wooo! So I decided to stop over at one of our favorite stores - Rocket Fizz. Nothing like a hot day and a cool drink. I had a bit of anxiety picking out drinks. I'm surprised how difficult it can be to go outside my comfort zone and choose unfamiliar items. It's amazing how much we cling to the familiar.

Anyway the always helpful staff helped me pick out my first drink. It's a Saranac 1888 Shirley Temple. I've never had an alcoholic Shirley Temple, so perhaps I should have waited to try this one, but the cashier said it's absolutely delicious. 

Thank God for twist caps. Anyway this gave me a very shocking jolt of sweet at the first sip, but a good jolt. It's got a cherry on it, which means it's supposed to be a cherry sweet. I usually hate cherry flavored anything because it reminds me of medicine, but this is everything delicious you would want in a sweet cherry soda. Best part is the aroma. I love taking a sniff before I take a swig. For someone who doesn't like super sweet stuff or cherry, that lady was right, this stuff is dynamite. 

All the sweeter, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful weekend.

Spooning Chips

So, I didn't want to get orange fingers while snacking on chips today, so I decided to try something I've only seen my aunt do, eat chips with a spoon.

It's actually quite easy & clever. There's a slight flavor difference because you're eating off a metal spoon instead of your fingers. It's so much neater and easier, and clean up is a breeze :)

There you go folks. Coworkers may look at you funny, but it just might catch on.

Memorial

Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.


So, not to start off morbid, but my new thing of the day was to go to a funeral/memorial. Been to funerals for relatives, but this was a first since it was for an old boss. A former coworker E called last week and told me the big boss B had cancer and died. I was in genuine shock & quite sad. So today was his burial & memorial reception. I felt the need to pay my respects and go, but I also wanted to see some old coworkers and find out how they were doing.

It's amazing how a death can stir up the past, make you reminisce and reflect. It wasn't a heavy memorial for us. We got there late but quickly spotted some familiar faces. It was more of a good natured reunion with sad circumstances. We spent most of the time catching up and reminiscing. I think the Big B would have liked that. 

Anyway that place we all worked was my first job out of college. It was a non-profit economic development organization, and it I remember being idealistic and hopeful of changing the world, truly making a difference and helping people. I left about two years later disillusioned and trying my hand at business at a large corporation you have heard of. 

So this event made me realize that I still have a lot of room to grow and there's a lot of space left to become a better person. It wasn't the death so much that made it evident. It was what I left behind and an old coworkers who inspire me. Big Boss B made me realize that sometimes your work and coworkers are your life, and he always treated it with the upmost importance and respect. Old manager L taught me the value of relationships and friendship, and sometimes it's more important to be a friend than a boss or coworker. Coworker E reminded me to follow my own path, and to not listen so much to negativity and unhappy people in trying to find your way. Coworker V inspires me to be sophisticated and classy, in every non-money related sense of the word. 

Lately, I've been conflicted, with some of the same themes popping up. I feel this was an important evening, a reminder of what is essential. Little signs along the way don't hurt. On the way to the memorial I saw an accident on the freeway and said a little prayer for the people in it instead of being a rubber-neck. The song "Live Like We're Dying" by Kris Allen came on the radio. On the way home I stayed glued to my phone most of the time, but when I looked up and saw a "People Before Profit" pharmacy billboard. We ran into another traffic jam/accident on the freeway so we took a detour through the old neighborhood I used to drive going to my old job. And finally, on the way home I put my head up again away from the phone and see a vanity license plate saying 4FRMGOD. Kind of like 4 people who inspired you tonight, and FORE as in "watch out ahead" from God.

Yes I believe in the supernatural, because I'd like to believe there's just more, even though we might not understand how or why. Plus I'd like to believe there's some magic out there, something mystical and powerful to guide us along. 

So that's my new thing of the day. Sort of, diving into a death and finding a new lease on life. Thanks for the inspiration Big B. Thanks for being a good boss and a good guy and giving us lots to laugh about in remembering you. May you rest in peace and know that you brought us all together and made a positive impact in our lives.