Summer Checklist

Happy 50th post!

Here's to celebrating the rest of the summer! I've made good on my task of creating a Summer Checklist, so here it is:

Sorry for the poor quality; it turns out my markers need replacing! Plus, I only had this large piece of white cardboard to work with. Next time I will definitely use not-white. Maybe green like the original!

My list only has 16, not like the original 20, because it's already almost August anyway and did I mention my markers died? So sad. But I have space at the bottom (and sharpies, which I'm going to use the next time I make this!) in case I think of anything else.

Did you make one?

Cleaning, Packing, Moving, Part III

I can't find my headphones! I have my iPod shuffle in one hand but the corresponding headphones are nowhere to be found. Well, at least I have my laptop, where the world's music and videos are at my fingertips. Can't work on this packing and cleaning stuff without some music!

I usually like to have something upbeat on, like alternative rock, pop/dance, or Disney music. Sometimes I like to put a Disney movie on in the background while I work; it also keeps me on schedule with timely task completion!

What kind of music do you work to?

Amazing Proposal Videos

3 unique proposal videos! May or may not be part of a wedding video series ;-)

Record-Breaking Whisper Chain

(via A Cup of Jo, downstream from Swiss-Miss)

Disneyland Proposal

(via A Dream Wedding by Sharon Cole)

Love Letters - An Animated Proposal

(This was followed up by a video invitation in the same style.)

Goodbye Dinners, Part II

Tonight, I went out with a gaggle I call "the guys" for a goodbye dinner. Simple, low-key Korean BBQ followed by a quick expedition to Mitsuwa for more giant pocky.

Like every time I have hung out with these guys, there wasn't much planning but we always think of something to do. Or we sit around and rib each other. There is only one other girl who hangs around this group of guys in a purely platonic way (any other girls who have entered this circle have joined with the girlfriend tag and have since exited) is also moving out of San Diego at the end of the month.

I've known these guys since my first year of college and the group has grown and ebbed, drama with other people caused splits in what used to be a large group of friends... and through these events, I've learned a lot about the nature of friendship. Through the friendships and the more-than-friendships (or sometimes, I found, less-than-friendships) associated with the extended group, I've learned a lot about myself as an individual and as part of a relationship.

I've learned that no matter how tough I act, or much they insist that I am just one of the guys, there is more to me than what I present in one setting. I will never really be one of the guys, no matter how girly I'm not, just from the sheer fact that I am a girl. It's given me a lot to reflect about regarding platonic male/female relationships, even though by now I'm well aware that same-sex friendships can have the same levels of easiness and difficulty.

Are any of you gals "one of the guys"? Do you really feel like you are treated like one of the guys, or do you think it's an excuse to not be on their best behavior (like they would be around a significant other) around you?

Goodbye Dinners, Part I

Last night, I went out to dinner with my good friend Danette, a sister-in-arms of the San Diego event industry and budding blogger at Bizarre Treasures. It was meant to be a cocktail hour with several girls from our event management program but it is summer (the busiest season for weddings) so things popped up here and there and it wound up just being me and 'Nette.

We went to Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant downtown at the Harbor Drive Marriott (next to the Convention Center). The food was delicious and the drinks were strong, but the service left something to be desired.

Anyway, we complained about not having jobs and about all the difficulties of finding one. We complained about housing/moving and having too much clutter. And we complained about money.

Since we're both unemployed right now, we realized that dinner at a place like Roy's was probably not the wisest financial choice. But since we've been unemployed for some time, we've adjusted our life styles a lot over the months and decided that we deserved a treat. Besides, life is short... do we really want to worry about the price tag for this one dinner when we have no idea when we'll see each other in person again?

So we happily swallowed a totalled $90 dinner and parted ways, wondering what the future will hold for us and hoping that we'll be able to stay close in touch no matter how busy or physically far apart we get.

AEiP Giveaway!

The always inspirational Jasmine, at An Experiment in Poverty, is super excited about her very first giveaway! Your chance to win a gorgeous Tolani scarf is just one comment away; all you have to do is leave a comment saying something you like about yourself. A self-booster and potentially winning an amazing scarf all in one shot!

If I win, I'm picking this one. It was my absolute favorite on the website.

(Hey, maybe if I don't win, I'll try to get chickdowntown to sponsor a giveaway for me ;-)

This Week, I Am...

1. Doing a top-to-bottom cleaning of the apartment (or rather, mostly my master bedroom), including bathtub/shower scrubbing, and moving out everything by Sunday at the latest.

I picked up some multi-surface cleaner (and will maybe need some Soft Scubber) and just plan on going at everything with a sponge, paper towels, and an old toothbrush. If you have any tips on cleaning bathtub grime, faucets, blinds, or pseudo-stucco walls (I know, I hate apartment living), let me know!

2. Making one of these for the rest of the summer:

I'll post the picture of my own after it's done.

(via JesW's tumblr, downstream from The Inspired Room)

3. Trying my best to pick the healthiest take-out food, as all my kitchen stuff is packed up.

4. Having goodbye lunches/dinners with San Diego friends

5. Going to blog about the Vitamin String Quartet

Alice in Wonderland Trailer

I've shared the pictures but did you see the trailer yet?

HD version here.

Charcoal Skies

Dear San Diego weather,

It is no longer May or June, so why so gray and gloom?

But a break from the heat is nice, thanks.

Love,

P.S. Rockin' my new Levi's today!

Like Mad Libs for Bloggers

I am very amused by The Lazy Blogger Post Generator. Fill in blank spots from a drop down menu! Here is mine:

"Holy Blog Of Doom, Batman! I just got slapped with a wet salmon - really - I have not updated this since they invented sliced bread... You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. I hope they bring chocolate!.

I am lost in a sea of pseudo-olde-english with only your readership as life preserver, a ticking crocodile, just generally being Snow White to the secret service, my day starts with the dawn patrol from the second I am woken by murderous Teletubbies to till I fall into bed at midnight. I am wearing my budgie smugglers. it will be fun fun fun till they take my TBird away.

I go, my lords and ladies; just think of me as I battle mine enemies. You wanna test me? Don't hold your breath though, you're likely to turn blue.."

Your turn!

(via the Twitter of Ted Fu, of Wong Fu Productions)

Commercial Appeal

Have you heard of Mozy? It's an online data backup program.

I recently skimmed by it on a Web application article and immediately recognized the name. But not because of the reviews or its service.

I remembered it from the commercials.

Mozy was advertising on Hulu for some time. I don't know if the ads are still going on Hulu because I haven't seen one in a while, but that is where I first saw it. The commercials usually featured someone using their computer in an average, everyday way and then something completely bizarre happens, like a stove falls out of the sky and directly on your laptop. Take home message: you never know what can happen to your computer.

But my favorite commercial was this guy who was clearly in a rush and accidently puts his laptop into the microwave instead of his frozen dinner. Yeah, I really felt for the guy too.

Here's the ad on YouTube:

I don't know if this was really the intent but this particular commercial really appealed to me, not because they were selling a useful or novel service, but simply because they essentially saying, "We understand that you are human and everyone has "OH %$&#!" moments in their lives."

"By the way, we have a service that can help you."

Saying Goodbye to San Diego

I went on a late-night drive around the areas I've lived near UCSD and went around the campus loop one time. As I drove, I thought and I reminisced.

Like high school, college held a lot of good memories mixed in with regrets and mistakes. But in college, I felt like I had made every single one of my own decisions, good or bad. And that sense of independence, the freedom to make my own mistakes, is what kept me here after graduation despite having no income.

I realized that I had a quite a bit of regrets about my college years but that I also couldn't keep those thoughts from escalating into regrets I have had throughout my life. Maybe, I thought as I drove, I could visit those memories - fond and otherwise - one last time and put all of them away. Like my regrets, I think about the what-ifs and the woulda-shoulda-couldas. But, at the risk of sounding cheesy, I wouldn't be who I am today or where I am today. I can never go back and all my hypothetical futures are just that -- hypothetical. Why think about the then and there when there is plenty in the here and now?

So, I'm coming to terms with leaving San Diego. There is a Chinese proverb about how not moving forward is the same as moving backward. There is no such thing as standing still. We are innately afraid of change but it is exactly that change that keeps us going. When nothing is changing, nothing is happening.

I'm trying to make arrangements to see as many of my San Diego friends as possible before I go, but time is short and they are busy people. I'm going to miss them, the city, the campus atmosphere, all the perks of a college town, and -- most of all -- the person I got to be when I was on my own in college. But that person is only a part of who I'm going to be.

I read somewhere that those who say high school or college was the best four years of their lives led very sad lives. We should always look up and forward, for we never know what the future has in store for us.

Goodbye, San Diego. I'll miss you but I won't be sorry for leaving. Thanks for the memories.

Weekend Finds

Fleur Avenue shared these fabulous closets to die for. (My favorite is Mariah Carey's... it looks just like a store!)

Unique laptop bags and covers, via Mental Floss, downstream from Funky Trend. (My favorite is the My Document one picture below.)

I also looked through the hilarious and ingenious (and sometimes just wrong) archives of There, I Fixed It, a tribute to DIY gone wrong. I actually recognized many of the photos from Fail Blog.

Did you know about Habitat for Humanity ReStores?? Verbatim from their website, they are

"retail outlets where used and surplus building materials are sold at a fraction of normal prices. Proceeds from ReStores help local affiliates fund the construction of Habitat houses within their communities." (Found out about these stores from the Fierce Beagle.)

I'm addicted to SNL Digital Shorts (Andy Samberg is a riot and a half). From the minds that brought you the infamous D**k in a Box, comes Like A Boss andand Iran So Far Away. But I think I'm On A Boat and Natalie Raps are my favorites. (Mostly because I have the biggest crush on Natalie Portman.) The lyrics, despite the crude cursing, are the cleverest SNL has had in some time and the mockery of entire genres of music amuses me to no end.

(Note - all link are the censored versions but NSFW nonetheless.)

Oh, I'm also addicted to the Vitamin String Quartet but they are worth their own post. Coming soon.

Beat the Heat with LifeHacker Tips

Every DIY junkie should give LifeHacker a thorough browsing. Now that it's the dead center of summer, they have been sharing a lot of information about beating the heat.

1. Give your AC a check-up

Don't forget that you probably haven't really used it since last summer. Like any other machine, sometimes a really simple cleaning to remove dust and dirt will do wonders for efficiency.

2. Hang a damp towel over a window

Water from the damp towel evaporates as the hot air moves through it, making the air cooler as it enters your house.

3. Use the Egyptian method to keep cool while you sleep

Dampen a sheet (wet it and wring it, or spritz it with a bottle) and use it as your blanket.

4. Know which foods cool you down and which don't

Have lots of fruits and veggies with high water content like leafy lettuces, corn on the cob, cucumbers, watermelon, and summer squash.

As for not actually cooling you down, ice cream and ice-cold beer are on the list. (I know, I'm shocked too.) Apparently, "anything ingested that is lower than actual body temperature will initially produce a cooling effect systemically," according to Gerard E. Mullin, the director of gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins Hospital, so these foods don't do much in the way of cooling your body past the 5 mins you take eating it.

Check out more in LifeHacker's Beat the Heat feature!

Got your own tried-and-true beat the heat tips? Share them below!

Toy Story 3

Have I mentioned I love this blog, Children of the 90s? The well-researched posts feed my Wikipedia-addicted hunger for knowledge while the content bring back fond memories of things I grew up with.

So, yeah, the long-awaited triquel to Pixar's breakthrough computer animated film (now a classic) is scheduled for release June 18, 2010.

The plot, from what I've heard, is going to revolve around a college-bound Andy who decides that the best new home for his old friends is a day care center. Hilarious results ensue, I'm sure.

I gotta tell ya, between Toy Story 3 and Burton's Alice in Wonderland, 2010 is shaping up to be an amazing year for movies.

One in Two

Funny story - this morning, I open up my new bottles of shampoo and conditioner and proceeded to take a shower and wash my hair. Wondering why my shampoo wasn't lathering, I checked the label. It turns out that I had mistakenly purchased two bottles of conditioner instead of one shampoo and one conditioner. Go me. Total fail moment.

On the bright side, I have an excuse to make a Target run now. =)

The Good Girl/Bad Girl Approach

I usually avoid the “relationship questions from readers” sections in magazines because I almost always completely disagree with the response. Mainstream mags directed at teenage audience are particularly guilty of encouraging girls to ease off their stances, over-justify their reactions, and employ short-term solutions to their relationship problems. In other words, we’re building a new generation of Stepford wives who are falsely empowered by what they think they are doing to manipulate men.

One particular website, which I won’t name, was answering reader questions with topics like “I’m upset that my boyfriend has all these ‘just friends’ girls writing flirty messages on his FaceBook page” and “I like this girl at work but I might become her supervisor soon, can I still go for it?” And as I was reading it, I couldn’t help thinking about how I would answer questions like that. But as I continued reading, I realized that I probably would have two answers to every single topic.

See, here’s my secret – I’ve got the Good Girl/Bad Girl Approach.

The Good Girl, like the good cop, always tries to make nice and work things out. The Good Girl is the sweet, understanding relationship-type that always stands firmly but calmly on her stance. If you can’t articulate your feelings about a situation in a cool, collected manner then you are probably overreacting to something. Of course it’s fair to get caught up in the moment but if you can’t say what’s at the root of the problem then there is no point in addressing the surface of it. Tell him that it bothers you that he appears to be flirting online because he’s giving off the wrong impression. If you’re going to be together (always work the "we" angle), then his behavior in all respects should reflect how he feels about you.

But the Bad Girl, she wants to play the game too. She doesn’t care how it hurts the relationship, or lack thereof, in the long run because the battle is more important than the war. She can react however she wants because it’s simply how she feels and why should she have to compromise for him? Play his game in your court, don’t give him the advantage. He flirts online with others, you flirt in person with others. “That’s just how you are. It doesn’t mean anything.” See how he likes that.

The compromise. It is almost always a compromise between the two above extremes. Let me tell you, that FaceBook question – I think it was ridiculous to begin with and poorly answered to end with. Yes, she had the right to be upset but no, demanding his login name and password is not the way to “prove” that it was harmless flirting. Yes, she should state her opinion calmly instead of screaming but no, giving him a taste of his own medicine is not going to change his mind or behavior, at least not in a healthy and productive way.

I'm really both the Good Girl and the Bad Girl. I commit myself wholely to making a relationship fully long-term functional but I also did the full dating scene. Plus, I'm a huge Sex and the City fan. You don't watch that show without developing a lot of opinions about dating, relationships, and sex.

I’ve always wanted to answer relationship questions, but I think most people find me to be entirely too blunt. What do you think? Should I pull some questions from dating websites and give the answers a Good Girl/Bad Girl revamp? Answer them my own way? If you'd like to see it, leave a comment and I'll review the responses!

In A Tin Box

My Favourite Things from kidswithcrayons on Vimeo.

(via {Bits of Beauty}, downstream from Fleur Avenue)

(also, I am fascinated with the idea of an grown-up version of this as an engagement video. can you imagine?)

One Hand

(by Meredith, via icanread)

Napping Alone

This afternoon, I had a headache and felt tired so I laid down for a bit and wound up falling asleep. But the strange things is, I never nap alone.

In fact, I now have the hardest time sleeping alone. I don't know what it is about sleeping with CL that puts me out like a light, but it never fails.

I used to be the last person to fall asleep and the first person awake at any type of sleepover. I always supposed that it was just due to unfamiliarity with the environment or situation, or that simply wasn't that comfortable. Even with (now) ex's, it was never easy to get a really good night's sleep.

But things changed with CL. We're so comfortable with each other that we frequently accidently fall asleep together, even if we weren't tired to begin with. Nothing helps settle my mind and allows me to relax like being in his arms.

And now, not sleeping with him is proving to be incredibly difficult for me. I find it difficult to go to bed at a reasonable hour, because I haven't been convinced physically or mentally that I was tired enough to go to bed. I've laid for hours before sleep would find me. I have restless dreams.

Is it all in my head? Or do I have something I just can't do without anymore?

When I woke up from my nap, I still had the headache.

Like Lavender Fairie Slippers

This one is for Brenda.

(via {Bits of Beauty})

Not Quite A Woman...

I don't know how I feel about all those FaceBook quizzes... I'm slightly annoyed at how often they take over my entire Newsfeed page but otherwise, I find them kind of amusing... until tonight.

I just took one of the FaceBook quizzes to see how "girly" I was. Here is the result:

Shanna took the How GIRLY Are You? quiz and got the result: 0% Girly..

0% Girly: You are all man and no girl."

Um.... what? Did a quiz just tell me that I'm not much of a girl?? I know I'm not much of a "girly girl" but I still wasn't expecting to get a score of zero! Apparently, I am kind of manly?

Most of the responses to my posted quiz score registered a lot of H's and A's.

But seriously, who has time to get manicures and pedicures every week?

What Changed?

Yesterday, I went shopping for a new pair of jeans. It's been a while since the last time I bought new jeans so I was really uncertain about my size. I got my second very pleasant surprise when I found out that I was, once again, a size 3. (My first very pleasant surprise came last week while cleaning my closet, where I happily found a pair of size 7 shorts that were now too big for me.)

I excitedly exclaimed to my friend, who had come along for the ride, that it felt good to be a size 3 again. She (mostly jokingly) flipped me off in response.

As I returned to the dressing room to change back into my own clothes, I had to wonder… “What changed?” This friend was a girl from high school who once shared my problem of not being able to find size 0 pants in a sufficiently petite length.

I was one of those people in high school that could eat whatever she wanted and never gained a pound. Once I hit 20, my jet-engine metabolism turned into a little water wheel machine. Everything I ate went straight to my hips. Unwilling to admit defeat to biology, I rejected the ideas of changing my diet and taking up regular exercise on the simple basis of never needing them before. But when I went up yet another size, I realized it wasn’t just me filling out anymore… I was just plain getting fat. I just wasn’t who I used to be and I needed to adapt.

Even though I still don’t exercise as much as I ought to, I’m extremely content with the changes I’ve made to my diet. I rarely eat anything fried, almost never drink soda (usually opting for water), and frequently choose vegetarian options. I cook at home often, using olive oil instead of corn oil and trying to make things from scratch.

A couple months ago, I went to In’N’Out and ordered myself a Double Double with animal-style fries and a vanilla shake, since I so rarely went there to eat. Halfway through my burger, I realized that the milkshake really wasn’t cutting it as far as thirst-quenching went. Then I thought, “I really just want some water to wash this down. Why did I even buy that milkshake?”

That’s when I knew that I had become a changed person.

“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us." -John Dryden

Another Name for Novelty

In both the apartment I am vacating and my old room at home that I am moving back into, I am attempting to clear out as much as possible of what seems to be endless drawers, containers, etc. of just... random stuff. Really random stuff. Novelty items and event exclusive collectables.

I've sort of have a reputation for being fantastic at collecting free stuff. And I am finding all sorts of fun little things that are just really not worth keeping. For the first couple of seconds I see it, I think "oooh, that's neat/cool/awesome/etc." Then I drop it in a bag, take it home, stick in a drawer, and completely forget about it until the next time I've dug it out during a cleaning attempt.

Among the notable "treasures" dug up so far, I've discovered a light-up yo-yo, juggling balls, several frisbees, bottle openers, and about a dozen stress balls (how appropriate).

I am so tired of having so much stuff that I don't use. I really don't know why I have it. One of my solutions was to throw all the stuff in a box and stick it in the hallway of the apartment complex with a sign saying that everything was free and in good working condition. (The free pens all went really fast.)

I've gotten to the point where I would just rather be free of all the stuff than think "what if I need it/want to use it someday" or consider the sunk cost of the item. Those thoughts weight me down. These novelty things are so useless. So I am endeavoring to part ways with all of them.

Happy 4th

Food, friends, family, fireworks, and...

(via Le Love)

Paper Straws

If you're a sucker for drinking through straws, go green with paper straws!

Jordan Ferney at Oh Happy Day featured these lovely paper straws and directed us to Kikkerland to get our own! A box of 50 for only $3? Sold!

(photo: Jordan Ferney)

Don't they kind of look like wafer sticks? Yummy.

Marketing 101

Know your target audience.

Easily in my Top Ten webcomics (and if you know how many I read, that's quite a statement), Girls with Slingshots is written and drawn by the talented Danielle Corsetto!

Burton in Wonderland

Am I the only person who hasn't heard about the Alice in Wonderland movie by Tim Burton, scheduled for release next year?

Ms. Jenn, at {Bits of Beauty}, shared gorgeous pictures of the film yesterday and it was the first I had seen of it.

(More pictures here.)

The movie has an all-star cast including Johnny Depp (par for the course), Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter. It's definitely going on my must-see list!

Instant Karma (Nutty Creme Caramel)

Anyone getting some free Ice Blended Drinks from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf today? Promo is running from 3pm-7pm at participating CA and AZ locations.