Saturday, December 13, 2008

RIP hansel & gretel



In my version, they die in an earthquake. So sad. Look at the devastation.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

not your average bored game

This is my homage to Balderdash, my favorite game in all the land. It trumps Settlers (I'm not big on intense competition), Scrabble, Signs, etc. I think I'm going to lug it around with me wherever I go and attempt to make people play with me as often as possible until I get sick of it.

With the right group of people, you can have yourselves hours upon hours of stomach-toning fun. And who doesn't want to play a game that will simultaneously work out your ab muscles? It brings out the wit in your friends, giving you reason to love them all the more and has the potential to boost your self-concept and make you feel funny.

Kiffy thinks this last reason is why I love it so much, and he's right.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

nostalgia


Is it possible to have nostalgia for a past you've never lived through?
I'm sitting in a Starbucks trying to study, but they're playing a bunch of oldies and my mind is wandering. For instance, right now they're playing "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and I feel like I should be in a poodle skirt. Not that I particularly have a desire to live in the 1950s. I don't dig containment culture, cold war and the fear-mongering that went along with it. But there are some things I get nostalgic about. Lounge music does the same thing for me. Strange, I know. "The Girl from Ipanema" can be playing and forget it--I feel like I belong in the 50s hosting a cocktail party. I don't particularly associate these times with happiness or traditional values once had. Or do I?

Thursday, November 6, 2008

the world feels a little bit different


I'd like to extend a virtual "Obama pound" to everyone out there in cyberspace. Personally, I'm thrilled the White House will be home to the sharp looking Obama family. We're living in a world where one no longer has to be rich, white, and male to become the president. The world feels different to me.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

listen up, Mr. T has something very important to say

I know their day has come and gone, but in anticipation of the next day of mothers, let us consider this very educational/inspirational video. Perhaps we'll take away something very important and be sure to always treat our mothers right! Treat Your Mother Right

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

summertime in Yosemite





Saturday, July 26, 2008

OC fair

I'm a sucker when it comes to the fair. I love the over-stimulating environment it offers my eyes, ears,
nose, etc--the aesthetically pleasing bright colors, the obnoxious pumping of techno beats, the smell of deep-fried everything, heart-attack-inducing everything, and the opportunity to indulge in a few fair sweets. I'll even risk my life and the life of my beloved husband on an extra-wobbly and sketchy fair ride for the sake of a thrill and a good time. And although I've already been--twice--I'll probably go again with you if you ask me to. County fairs are just so "American" and definitely sites to be seen, heard, smelled, and tasted. Plus, the people watching is top-notch.




This is Bailey, a little beggar child we happened upon at the fair. Bailey was starving. For only 14 cents a day, we could have fed her a well balanced meal for up to 5 months. Instead, we opted to feed her funnel cake.



Anne, bothered by the surplus of attention a starving Bailey was receiving, claimed she, too, was starving and needed funnel cake to suffice.


Kiffy, however, swiped Anne's funnel cake and crafted it into a makeshift mustachio!


And Callie, in a fit of sibling rivalry, just smiled . . . As of now, Callie and Anne are no longer on speaking terms. It is terrible! It's terrible.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

oh, the anticipation!

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorite American novels and it comes highly recommended by yours truly. It tells the tale of a man and his young son in a post-apocalyptic world in which they attempt to survive. Among other things, it tells of the good and evil in people and the lingering presence of hope in even the worst of situations. I hope this film is faithful to the novel it's based on. Either way, I'll definitely be seeing this one when it finally comes out. Read The Road, tell me what you think, and then see the film, maybe.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

yippeeee!

This is the latest! I was accepted to graduate school at Cal State University, Long Beach for my master's in English Literature and I'm feeling pretty pleased as punch and very relieved! I've had a few very brilliant English professors at CSULB over the years and I feel privileged to get the chance to study with them again. This is something I've always wanted and I'm excited that I get the chance to make a dream come true for myself. It will definitely be tough trying to balance work, endless writing, and a life, but I'm confident I'll make it all work. Besides, Kiffy's schoolwork ethic helps to keep me from straying from what I need to get done. He's a maniac when it comes to school, but in the good maniac sort of way.

I begin this fall. Wish me your best!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

salton seagoers

Strange things take place in small towns. My cousins and I took a trip to the Salton Sea and stopped off at some pretty amazing and strange places along the way.

THE SALTON SEA
What was once a happening seaside resort town is now a ghost town with a few strange residents still living amidst the stinky sea.



SALVATION MOUNTAIN
This was our strangest stop and my favorite. Salvation Mountain appeared in the Oscar-nominated film, Into the Wild, and so did its maker, Leonard Knight. He is a strange old man, yet also very sweet and especially determined. He's been working on this piece of art for 24 years and living in a very small trailer, without electricity, on the grounds. I don't know how he stands it out there in the summertime, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees (it was about 120 degrees when we visited). He was really excited when we showed up and asked if he could show us around. This man just wants to share his mountain and his message of love with as many people as he can.

He builds his mountain from hay bales and adobe and adorns it with objects he finds in the desert like tires, tree branches, car parts, and other junk. His mountain includes a "museum" with pictures and news clippings of the mountain plastered to the colorful walls. People bring him paint and help him out as he's in his 70s. This man is awesome. If you're up for something wacky, I recommend checking Salvation Mountain out.


Saturday, May 31, 2008

andy's BBQ birthday!











complete with hamburger art





























and creepy faces




james, kiffy
















mom, daniel















colie, christopher
















ashley, stella
















toni, mia












daniel, micheal










so, who wins for best "creepiest" face?

Monday, May 19, 2008

the ranch

We took a short trip to the ranch (June Mountain) this weekend with Mark and Kate Lockhart and Kate's pregnant belly to celebrate our freedom from school for the summer. We were there for about 24 hours and had lots of fun. I followed Kate's lead and ate like a pregnant woman. We stopped by Denny's on the road there and ate heart-attack-inducing grand slam's for breakfast, and Connie made us some A-mazing potatoes, creamed corn and ribs for dinner that night. We also ate delicious gas station candy. It snowed. The boys fished. I snapped what few photos I could without my fingers going numb. Oh, and we sat in the spa. Lovely.









Sunday, May 18, 2008

misery

This is how I feel about finals:
(That's yours truly on the bottom right)

milhouse van houten



Monday, May 12, 2008

tristan & isolde

Honestly, need I say more? Yeow ...

meet barkley, the 13 inch beagle

She enjoys tug-o-war, sunbathing, fetch, and cuddling. Though she doesn't belong to us per se, she probably should. My parents are her rightful owners, but Kiffy and I probably love and play with her much more and are therefore her better friends. Seriously, who needs human babies when you can have doggy babies?




The dogs as children bit is a joke. Relax. We'll have babies, just not for 15 years.