mushaboom

Red mushrooms with white spots. We saw these babies on a hike. They don't just exist in Super Mario Bros.

top secret camping

We packed our packs and took a long drive up the coast to Big Sur where we camped, hiked and communed with nature. On one of our last hikes we discovered a top secret campsite beneath a few redwoods, nestled atop a cliff that overlooks the ocean. If you glimpse the photo seen here, the campsite was hidden away in the trees on the cliff above the waterfall. It looked pretty perfect as it was complete with a glorious vista and the accompanying soundtrack of crashing waves, which we decided will either sing us to sleep or keep us awake, but either way, we plan to make a reservation in the near future for this super exclusive campsite. Want to come?

umbrella

RIP hansel & gretel

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

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.

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?

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.