words:day

what i'm having right now:

beer

spanish: cerveza (ser-veh-sa)

french: bière (byer)

german: bier (bee-r)

chinese: 啤酒 (tzee-kyo)

hindi: बियर (bdeerd)

views:day

seattle, queen anne hill

music monday: muse

are you coming back to seattle anytime soon!? 

have a rockin' week everyone! here's another amazing one from these guys.

fun:day - my fisrt 5K

it's officially official! last night i registered to run my first 5K ever! seattle is hosting the aflac iron girl on september 12th at greenlake so a couple friends and i have decided to take the challenge and go for it! i'm not much of a runner, i can usually do about 20-30 minutes on the treadmill at a slower pace, so this has been a goal of mine and i'm glad i finally committed to it! i've been using a training plan i found online (here) and i'm proud of myself that i've kept to it. mostly. ok, so there was a week in there that i slacked off a bit, but i'm still powering through. hopefully by the time september rolls around i'll be ready to go!

is anyone else out there doing this? it's going to be fun! not only is it a nice challenge, but the registration fee includes a t-shirt, catered breakfast and an aflac plush duck! sold.

snack:urday - a girl's night in

thursday nights are project runway nights for us chicas, and this past thursday we were able to get five of us in the same location at once. incredible! so we decided to have a little italian potluck. pasta and sauce is such a comfort food and if it pairs with wine, well that's just great. i decided to step up and make some bread and there happened to be a recipe in my rocco book for "gooey cheesy garlic bread". win! it turned out to be really yummy, but next time i make it i'm going to alter it a little bit. it's super easy to make:

-cut a baguette in half lengthwise and width wise to make four pieces
-rub garlic over bread and cook for 8 minutes @ 450 degrees
-remove from oven and dip each piece in chicken broth
-sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, salt and crushed red pepper
-broil until cheese melts

turns out to be super delicious! the only thing i would change is instead of dousing the bread in chicken broth, i would only dip the top part (where you would normally spread the butter). if the whole piece is submersed, the bread comes out a little soggy, but still tasty. i am loving this book. it was definitely a good investment.

as far as project runway goes, this season has definitely been interesting so far. there were some surprises and the group of designers is very talented. it'll be a good one! i really want nina garcia's wardrobe...

flashback friday

oh august 20th, how eventful you were...

     1896: dial telephone patented (beep-boop sounds added later)
     1915: italy declares war on turkey (they needed some for sandwiches)
     1965: rolling stones release "satisfaction", their first #1 u.s. hit (clearly, we were all satisfied)
     1970: front man fred durst born (making all of our biscuits limp)
     1990: george steinbrenner steps down as new york yankee owner (r.i.p. george)
    

top three thursday: hair

 top three worst (men's) hairdos:

1. mullet

2. ponytail

3. mullet/ponytail combo (mulletail?)

and yes, this is a real photo. of people. in seattle. tragic.

words:day

reading is fundamental.

book

spanish: libro (lee-bro)

french: livre (lee-vruh)

german: buch (boo-ck)

chinese: 書 (shu)

hindi: पुस्तक (gi-tab)

views:day

port of seattle via alaska way viaduct

music monday: workout playlist

i don't understand people who don't listen to music while they work out. me, i need it, otherwise it's agonizing. thanks to my gym, i'm sometimes able to see what others are listening to if they plug their ipod into the machine they're using. (although, let's be honest, why would you do that? why would you plug your ipod into the machine and then your headphones into the machine when you could just place your ipod into the cup holder. sorry, tangent.) i've seen people listening to the shins or broken bells while they work out. those are good bands, but for me, that's walking music. if i'm going to be running or pumping iron like schwarzeneggar, i need music with intensity and power that sounds good turned up real loud. my playlist changes from time to time, but here are a few staples that always make it onto the list.

the lonely island - i'm on a boat
silversun pickups - the royal we
muse - hysteria
k'naan - wavin' flag
gorilla zoe - echo
incubus - under my umbrella
t.i. - what you know?
rise against - the good left undone
silversun pickups - growing old is getting old
chevelle - still running
flo rida - right round
jay-z f/ alicia keys - empire state of mind
the lonely island - space olympics
muse - stockholm syndrome
taking back sunday - makedamnsure
europe - the final countdown

am i missing any epic songs that are good? what do you all listen to when you work out?



on another note: i was hoping to catch up today, but i'm house sitting and i keep forgetting my camera cord! i'll be back on track soon. i'm just being spacey. :)

fun:day - fall preview

it's not often that i want to fast forward through summer, but this fall is about to be so epic that i wouldn't mind skipping ahead a little.

1. husky football: starting september 4th, all my saturdays will be spent in my purple and gold cheering on my dawgs. this year is going to be a big one for them with jake locker as a senior and possible heisman candidate, some awesome new recruits...i feel a bowl game coming folks. not to mention the tailgating menus and games have been upped and those will be legen...wait for it...dary as well. man! i can't wait.

2. washington d.c. round 2: officially purchased some tickets for me and a friend to go visit ms ramey over in washington d.c. again! i'm super excited to go back and see some of the things and taste some of the foods i missed last time. and we'll be attending an awesome event that is highlighted below in excitement point #3.

3. colts game: us ladies are going to trek to fedex field in landover, maryland to go to a redskins game. although, me and my friend are more excited to root for the opposition. they're going to be playing one of our most favoritest teams, the indianapolis colts!! so beware washington fans, we're not rocking the red, we're coming in full on blue and white. go colts!

4. seahawks game: in november i'm finally going to see another seahawks game!! i haven't been to a seahawks game since they played in the kingdome, so it's been awhile and i am so excited! it'll be a tough game because we're playing the new york giants, but i bet with the 12th man on our side, we'll be able to take them. go hawks!!

5. las vegas: probably my most anticipated happening of the fall is for the girls trip to vegas!!!!! i can't believe i'm almost 25 and have never been, so i'm going to make this one count. and i'm real happy that most of my girls are headed down there with me, so it'll be quite the riot. get ready for the invasion...

snack:urday - potbelly

it's official! i will be returning to the district of columbia in october, just a mere six months after i visited the first time. i really loved it over there, but one of the guilty pleasures i am looking forward to having again is a potbelly sandwich. this place had some of the best sandwiches i've ever had, and that's a lot coming from this girl! they had yummy rolls and the perfect amount of sauces and vegetables. mmm, i can't wait to put another one of these into my tummy. so far, they only have stores in the midwest and some east coast states, but i'm anxiously awaiting a store to be opened on the west coast. we're fans of sandwiches over here too!!

flashback friday

august 13th in history was not too exciting of a day...but a couple things happened...

     1889: william gray patents the coin-operated telephone (what are coins?)
     1899: alfred hitchcock is born (king of creepy)
     1961: construction begins on the berlin wall in east germany (heigh-ho, heigh-ho)

top three thursday: celebrities

ok, we all have them. you know what i'm talking about. the list of celebrities you're allowed to sleep with and your significant other can't get mad. usually they are lists of five, but this is not "top five thursday". that wouldn't work. here are my sexy celebs.

1. andy samberg: this guy is clutch. he's hot. he's hilarious. i really don't need much else! he seems like someone who would be so much fun to hang out with and you'd never stop laughing. which would really be perfect for me. and i love his work so much. he's very creative and always brings new things to the table. hopefully he can do that in other places except work. zing!

2. justin timberlake: this guy has been longstanding on this list ever since i was 12. (okay, when i was 12 the list was more like "celebrities you want to marry".) but as he's grown up, he's only gotten better. his solo career is amazing, he's still super spicy and has been able to transition very well into other things besides singing. he's a jack of all trades and can do it all...and more, i bet.

3. jason segel: what a magical man. he writes his own stuff, both movies and musicals, and can make every line sound so funny. plus he likes puppets! i mean c'mon, how fun is that? after seeing him in 'forgetting sarah marshall' and getting into 'how i met your mother', i just can't get enough of this guy. besides, we all already know his other assets are pretty good as well. i'm on it.

so what have we learned here? that i have a celebrity type: hot and hilarious. swish.

words:day

why do most people travel? to go to the beach!! this may be helpful to get you there.

beach

spanish: playa (plah-yah)

french: plage (plah-zj)

german: strand (stran)

chinese: 海灘 (hai-tan)

hindi: समुद्र-किनारा (sa-mun-dra-ki-na-ra)

views:day - archive

maui, waihe'e valley hike, 2008

music monday: bon iver

i'm letting his music speak for itself. it's beautiful.

fun:day - a pondering

is life really just a game of yahtzee? i mean, we're all just rolling these dice in hopes that we get to put it on the board. every category represents a certain aspect of life and we can only hope that the rolls we make (which are all random) lead to us checking off one of these categories. some can't even get get half of the categories checked off due to bad rolling (also known as being dealt a bad hand). others can get some, but not enough for the bonus. then there are the people who can get almost everything, but are left to put a zero in the yahtzee square. and a very lucky few get all the categories plus the coveted yahtzee completing their entire scoreboard. is what we get in life based off of lucky rolling? and if so, can someone manufacture me some of those dice they used in "ocean's 13" because i'd like to have a little more control over mine.

sometimes life can seem difficult. but i guess we just gotta keep on rolling...

snack:urday - two recipes, one book

i can't believe i just referenced one of the world's worst online videos in my post title. what am i thinking?

last saturday, given the extreme amounts of anxiousness pouring from my body and wanting the time to pass quickly before seeing silversun pickups, i decided to make a couple recipes from my new cookbook: "now eat this" by rocco dispirito, a cookbook that takes 150 comfort foods and makes the result under 350 calories! 

the entree i decided to make was paella (pronounced pah-eh-ya because the ll is always pronounces as a y no matter how toby young thinks it should be said). i chose that because it is simple and includes two of my favorite proteins: chorizo and shrimp! it's so simple, in fact, that you can make it in one dish which leaves less clean up afterwards. score! the one downfall? a main ingredient is saffron and if you know anything about spices, this is the most expensive. you get about two teaspoons of threads for around $15. but well worth it, i believe. this paella was quite delicious. the flavors were good, the rice was tender and delicious and, c'mon, it's got chorizo people! how can you go wrong? plus, it looks almost exaclty the same as it does in the photo. that never happens.

the second dish i chose to make was brownies. i am a huge brownie fan. give me these over cookies any day. however, i felt these would be a little strange considering they were to be made out of black beans. no you did not read that wrong. black beans is one of the main ingredients because they're sweet and lower the calorie count considerably. these ones, however, did not turn out just like the picture, but they were still good! the texture turned out to be more along the lines of fudge rather than a brownie and the taste startles you at first, but then you kinda think to yourself "oh, this is alright!" i didn't make them exactly like the recipe (i used real sugar instead of truvia), but i enjoyed the overall flavor. do i prefer them to real brownies? no. but do i prefer a few less calories every now and then? yes.

this book is awesome. i'm going to have to pick my next attempt soon.

flashback friday

ooo, lots of thrilling things happened years ago today. here are some:

     1825: bolivia gains independence from peru (but without beach front properties)
     1928: andy warhol was born (thus eventually making campbell's soup relevant)
     1961: first case of motion sickness in space reported (shortly after, dramamine invented)
     1962: jamaica becomes independent after 300 years of british rule (yah, mon)
     1964: prometheus, a bristlecone pine and the world's oldest tree, is cut down (timbeeeeer)
     1996: nasa announces that life may exist on mars (we come in pieces)

top three thursday: talents

we often wish we could do things and have special talents that we see others have. so what talents do you wish you could magically have without the time and training that it takes to actually acquire them!? here are mine:

1. painting: i can paint. i mean, if you put a brush in someone's hand and paint in front of them anyone can. but i'm so hard on myself when it comes to my art and i want to really be able to know how to paint. i want to paint things that look good and that have dimension and depth and shadows. i want to be able to paint something and say "yes, that is beautiful, i love it" and i haven't yet been able to achieve that with this medium. but first! i need funding... will draw for paint supplies.

2. playing guitar: again, i have a guitar and i can play it. but it takes so much time and practice to be able to get to where you can sit down and just rip on it and play whatever comes to mind. i only know like three songs. i want to be able to play a lot better. guitar is so sexy that any time someone picks one up i melt a little. i want to make others melt. like cheese. mmm, melted cheese.

3. speaking french: i have spent a good 11 years of my life learning spanish, and guess what? i'm not even done! that is a long time to spend on one thing and now that i know one foreign language, i want to learn more! but will it really take 11 more years? i want to just know it! get the words and phrases to somehow leak into my brain at night and i'll be set. do you ever think it would be awesome to suffer a mild head injury and wake up knowing another language? .......yeah, me neither.

what talents would you like to have?

words:day

my mom and dad always taught me to be polite. that still counts in a foreign country.

thank you

spanish: gracias (grah-see-ahs)

french: merci (mer-see)

german: vielen dank (feel-en dahnk)

chinese: 謝謝 (shie-shie)

hindi: धन्यवाद (ah-nee-wah)

views:day

downtown, seattle public library, 10th floor, highest viewing point

music monday: silversun pickups @ the paramount

this has been the most anticipated day for me since the day after i saw them open for muse. well, i saw half of their set, so you can imagine my extreme excitement to see their whole set. i could go on and on about how the night went. blah, blah, blah we missed the first band. blah, blah, blah against me was fun. but nothing, nothing compared to the feeling i got when silversun pickups were on stage.

they opened with 'growing old is getting old' which is one of my favorite (if not the favorite) songs of all time. the performance brought me to tears. and i'm not ashamed to admit it. this is how i feel about music.

the lead guitarist and vocalist, brian, was so amazing. he spoke to us for quite some time and was so apologetic for not coming to seattle sooner and thanked us all for being there and supporting them. their whole show just proved how much the fans meant and it was so powerful. they are truly an amazing live band and great performers. i am already anticipating their return.

best. song. ever.

fun:day - u.s. senior open

today was the final day of the 2010 u.s. senior open out at sahalee country club. despite what people may think, golf is real exciting to watch. so i trekked out to redmond with my dad to watch some of the pros take on the course for the final time this week.

so what did i see today? fred couples having a bit of bad luck on the second hole, but still finishing with much power and dignity in his home town. several other players who also had bad luck on the second hole. tom kite and his awesome straw hat. jay haas who i really just liked because he is named after a brand of avocados. and of course, bernhard langer killing it all day to take the title. and all this with no camera? sometimes i actually wonder why i like golf. it's the one spectator sport where they don't encourage standing, being loud and taking pictures. in the immortal words of seth rogan as officer michaels in 'superbad'..."fuck that!"

ok, seriously though, golf is a really good time. everyone is very friendly and considerate to all viewers, which is more than we can admit at a football game. sometimes things can be enjoyed while still being quiet. i really wonder, though, how they can get 30,000 people to be completely silent. it boggles my mind. but it's so peaceful and pretty and green. goddamn, why don't they let you bring cameras!? sometimes i hate that i'm such a good samaritan and didn't sneak one in. at least you can see what my ticket looked like!