Get me out of this damn castle now, Mario

I was talking last night to one of my girl friends about how sometimes Halloweens are more trouble than they’re worth – it takes you forever to pick out a costume, and there doesn’t seem to be a single Halloween party worth going to (or one that you’re invited to at least).

But not this year – this year I had my costume picked out well in advance, and the Halloween parties were lined up left and right. It seems everyone was in the Halloween spirit this year, and my weekend was a tiring, awesomely fun two days filled with keg cups, beer-filled Mario mustaches, pizza, bathroom lines, an itchy wig, wine, dancing, lots and lots of laughter, great costumes and most importantly, great company in my old friends, new friends and lover.

Once again, my dear madre came to my costume rescue, with only a week’s notice this time. The Thursday before Halloween, I spent six hours in my mom’s company, getting fitted and sewn up into the wee hours of the night. (She even cooked me my absolute favorite homemade dish of all time, Hamburger Gravy). Now if that isn’t true motherly love, I don’t know what is… so here I am, Princess Peach with my Mario, finally rescued from the castle.

You can catch full photos and details on my Halloween in my Whrrl story here.

Currently Feeling: A little back ache coming on – what is with desk chairs? I’m switching to a ball.
Currently Anticipating: A week with virtually ZERO events! I need to catch up.
Currently Loving: Catching up with a high school girl friend last night. It was a three hour chat that we desperately needed!

PROST!

Another October, another fall, another Oktoberfest, HOLLA! For those of you who’ve been a long-time reader, you know I’m a HUGE fan of Oktoberfest. We’re lucky enough here in Washington to have TWO of the top 10 celebrations in the nation. One of them in Fremont each year, which is where I ran my first 5K race, and the other one in Leavenworth, which I attended last weekend with the BF and some college friends. I’ve written about my past Oktoberfest’s in Leavenworth here and here, but I thought I’d share it in a new way this year – through WHRRL! You know you love it.

Currently Feeling: A little under the weather, but thankfully I’m kicking this cold rather quickly. I have an immune system of steal!
Currently Anticipating: My little sister’s 21st birthday this weekend! Oh my gosh! I seriously can’t believe she’s going to be 21.
Currently Reading: Rattled, a memoir by Christine Coppa. Freaks the shiz out of me, I tell yah.

St. Patrick’s Day 2009

A little photo album of our night out last night, which included corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot, Irish soda bread, cheesecake and strawberries at one of my best friend’s house, then bar festivities at T.S. McHugh’s in Queen Anne:

Frozen peas blow

We interrupt this regular-scheduled programming to bring to you – in honor of one of the best drinking holidays out there, St. Patrick’s Day – all my favorite things that are GREEN.

• Broccoli! Hmm, mmm, mmm. I love me some broccoli! I think I eat it three times a week. My favorite is tossed with chopped walnuts, a splash of lemon juice and dashes of parmesan cheese. Try it!
• Money! I’m money-hungry bitches! Just jokin. But I do love to shop (just ask the receptionist who alerts me to my online packages being delivered, oh, about twice every week) – only made possible by those beautiful green backs.
• Turtles! My favorite animal! I love their little pin-prick noses!
• Mojitos! (Or the fresh mint in them). By far the best summertime drink ever. Although, if you’re a bartender, you probably hate them. My bartender friends always mean-mug me when I order them. I suppose it’s not fun to muddle.
• Post-It Notes! Those things are amazing, and all over my desk at work – er, they’re often green!
• Grass! Is there any better feeling than squishing your toes between soft green grass in the summertime?
• Frozen Peas! Just joking. Who am I kidding? Peas are disgusting. I just put that there to poke fun at my boyfriend because I think it’s weird that he eats frozen peas with his dinner.
• My Kelly-green pumps that I dropped into Lake Washington last summer! (This really is a story worth reading, I promise). I miss those bad boys every day. I think I now understand the meaning of “an affair with shoes.” Hello, lover.
• The rainforest! No not really; I’ve never been. But I think this blog post about the rainforest is hilarious and right on the money. Why, again, do we need to save the rainforest?
• Green peppers! I love anything spicy – green chilies, peppers, jalapenos – throw em in!
• Green tea! Since I’ve given up drinking coffee, this is my caffeine lifesaver!
• GREEN BEER! And drinking it! Whoop! Whoop!

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Currently Feeling: Hyperactive and excited for this work day to be over!
Currently Anticipating: Corned beef and cabbage, and Guinness with Mike, Adam, Kate and Amanda!
Currently Loving: Yoga pants. I wish I could wear them every day of my life.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

This Christmas I wasn’t necessarily as spoiled as last years gone past – chalk it up to the economy and my parents’ paying for my sister’s college. But it was one of the best Christmases I’ve had. I, myself, personally made a decision to purchase really good gifts for an elite group, and not every extended family member. The extendeds received homemade fudge and caramel corn, placed on metallic plates and tied with sparkly ribbon and an ornament. What transpired with my limited gift giving this year was the first Christmas that I’ve felt really into. Perhaps it’s because I wasn’t stressing out about not having money for millions of presents. I just enjoyed the season, the festivities and the traditions. I gave a few great gifts…

…and I received a few great gifts. Here are some of my favorites this year:

A hot pink Chi flat iron (to match my pink Chi blow dryer). Pink, pink and more pink! I can’t get enough! (And my boyfriend is secretly groaning inside). Seriously though, I’ve wanted one of these babies since my receptionist days at the J.C. Penney’s styling salon, and it came out as the new “IT” flat iron. And even more so when I had my hair straightened at a salon last spring. I felt like such a sexy bitch, I tried to do it myself for the first time with my $14.99 Revlon flat iron. FAIL. I looked like I had stood in the rain, gone to the beach, then baked my hair in the oven. See these two pics: they do not match. You might not be able to tell, but the right one is smooth and silky, the left, not so much. Anywho, I tried out my new flat iron this weekend, and it worked like a dream! Finally, at nearly 27, I might learn how to switch up my style a bit since in the past I’ve stuck to being a Curly Headed Woman.

Billabong “Timeless” Jacket, which the punchline for says “plaid is timeless!” I could probably argue with that one. But, Nordstrom did list a plaid jacket as one of their “must haves” for Fall, and I’ve been eying all the cute plaid jackets in stores since; I just haven’t found it very practical. So, leave it to my BF to gift me with a cute splurge. (He did a great job, didn’t he?) I wore it today with my grey calf-length boots. Not only is it WARM, but I think it’s a great replacement for that red Billabong jacket that has graced every pic I’m in for the last three months. I do love me some fur-lined hoods!

Tarte’s Limited Edition Vanity Palette from my fashionista lil’ sis. I am a make-up feign. I have a three-tiered storage drawer set in my room, labeled respectively “Face,” “Eyes” and “Lips.” You can guess what’s in each drawer. But, my collection is getting a little ridiculous. I already cleaned it out last spring, but it’s still overflowing. (Especially the bottom drawer, how many lip glosses can a girl really have? I’ve talked before about my unhealthy obsession with it.) I think I need to put a kibosh a little on makeup gifts and buying, but I just LOVE everything about expensive makeup – the packaging, the smell, the texture, the pigment. This palette is super wonderful. It’s jam-packed with everything you need, and look at these colors. Tell me those aren’t to. die. for!

Hot Pink Cherry Blossom Lights, which appeal to my love for all things pink, as mentioned above. The BF was ecstatic about his find here, “I got the last pink ones; they were the display set!” he exclaimed when I opened them. They are oh so pretty, and whimsical and match my bedroom perfectly, which is decorated in hot pink and orange. Something about Christmas lights just make everything look better…so now I’ll have pretty pink, flower lights year-round to light up my room.

A lifetime supply of AA batteries. (Okay, not really lifetime supply, but a really, really large pack of them!) Read this post, and you’ll understand why I received these…now all my remotes will have batteries once again. A girl’s gotta have priorities!

Stella’s Gift, came from not me, oh no, my BF. He really does know the path straight to my heart – through my cat. He bought her a hot pink feathered catnip bird, because I had mentioned that I thought she’d love a feathered toy when we were at a pet store. It’s just so dang thoughtful; it melts my heart. The only thing Stella cares about though is that she’s gettin’ her druuugs. Am I the only one who thinks it seems greatly wrong to get your cat stoned against its will and laugh at it?! Either way, she’s been enjoying getting high, and has carried it around in her mouth – taking it with her on the couch and my bed – not letting her stash out of her site. I guess every junkie needs a fix sometime.

And that wraps up the top gifts of 08… what were some of your favorite gifts this Christmas?!

Currently Feeling: Like Monday I’m going to want to kill myself for all this slacking.
Currently Anticipating: Dinner tonight with Bestie Amanda, and the rest of the week off!
Currently Needing: A majah diet and exercise overhaul plan for the new year.

Eat, Eat and Be Merry

Welcome back, Interneters. I know you’re all coming down from your sugar plum dreams and chocolate kisses. I know I’m coming down – or should I say coming UP – from a lot of horizontalness the past week and food hangovers like you would not believe. I’m pretty sure all I can think about right now is how I want my NYE resolution to be NEVER EAT AGAIN. (I write as I eat Fritos’ Honey BBQ Flavor Twists for breakfast).

My Christmas week was pretty standard, (minus the snow totally blowing my usual drive south to my grandmother’s house on Christmas day). I took a mini vaca from work, starting Tuesday with Christmas candy making. I whipped up this wonderful confection:

Let me tell you – this recipe is amazing. If you don’t care that it consists solely of butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and theatre popcorn, then you must try it. I think it’ll be my future Super Bowl party staple.

Christmas Eve my parents have a party every year that always promises lots of laughter. I’m not sure if it’s because of my whacky Magda aunt, or the never-ending supply of Cosmo Chi Chis my dad pours (a Cosmo made with coconut cream and simple syrup). But my Martha Stewartesque mother always whips up a dream Christmas dinner with my favorite thing ever as a centerpiece – a ham from the HoneyBaked Ham Company.

My sister and I then slept in our old upstairs bedrooms like we were 10 and 3 again, waking up to open presents on Christmas morning. Except now there isn’t quite the rush like when we were young. My family started Christmas morning with a new tradition – ebelskivers. Ever heard of them?! I hadn’t. Apparently they make them at a European breakfast place in my sister’s college town that she’s crazy about, so my mom surprised her by buying a special ebelskiver pan and can of mix. Basically, they’re round pancake balls that you can stuff anything into. We got pretty creative, making blueberry, chocolate, marshmallow and even sweet potato ebelskivers (that was my idea, of course), topping them with powder sugar and whipped cream. Mmmm.

Somewhere around 2:30 – all of us still in pajamas – we opened presents and then lounged around until we met my grandmother at China Harbor in the International District for a classic Chinese Christmas evening dinner. Ring a ding a ding dong.

And then, because the snow melted just enough, I redeemed my previously canceled trip to my other grandmother’s house where I continued to eat myself silly and lie horizontally. (Thank god for What Not to Wear marathons. Stacey and Clinton are my best lazy friends.) And of course, no Christmas is complete without my thoughtful gifts from that side of my family – bubble bath, shower gel, body spray, lotion, more shower gel, a candle, some bath beads and bath gel. And now I’m good for another year.

Hope you all had a very merry, horizontally stuffed Christmas.

Currently Feeling: Ready to take the new year by storm.
Currently Anticipating: Finally seeing my BF and celebrating our Christmas together.
Currently Hating: Food.

I’m dreaming of a NON white Christmas

Okay, okay, I don’t really need to say it – but Seattle is covered in snow; it’s totally nutso. Apparently we’re drowning in the worst sea of white since 1998. The headlines shout “Worst Snowstorm in 10 Years!” but I don’t remember anything like this when I was 16… I have no memory whatsoever of there ever being this much snow in Seattle. It’s crazy.

I know that those reading in outlying cities probably think we’re total pansies. But cut us some slack – we’re not used to this! We’re equipped with extra strength windshield wipers, galoshes, extra large umbrellas and waterproof jackets, but all for the RAIN not a foot of SNOW.

Usually, I don’t mind the snow – when I choose to travel to it in the mountains to snowboard. I don’t love to live my every day life in it. Everything that last couple days has been f@*ked. The buses aren’t running. It takes me an hour to get to work, and this morning I trudged a mile to a main bus stop in my neighborhood, to wait with 50+ other people. When a bus finally pulled up, it was packed and only had room for five people… And driving is out of the question. My little red VW beetle is buried in the back parking lot of my building, and the only exit route is down a huge iced hill with stranded SUVs. You think my car’s going to make it if their car didn’t?! Plus, my tires are bald. I’m terrible at car maintenance unless my dad sits me down and reams me for an hour about the importance of simple procedures such as changing my oil or buying new tires… then eventually gives up, does it for me and then adds it to my long running list of IOUs. So yeah, bald tires dad. Help?

The worst part about it – I’ve had so many fun social engagements canceled the last couple days because no one can drive anywhere… a Christmas party with friends from San Fran who I never get to see, decorating the Christmas tree with my family, a college reunion party with a friend who’s only in town for a week. Insult to injury, my boyfriend lives 30 minutes (no traffic, driving 70mph) outside of Seattle. So yeah, that’s keeping us apart. I’m literally going stark raving mad. If I don’t get OUT. of. the. HOUSE. tonight and do some freakin’ drinking and socializing, or at least get a piece of ass, then you might as well count this as my last blog entry because I’ll be spending the rest of the year down the bunny hole with Alice and the White Rabbit.

Eff you snow.

Currently Feeling: Like I don’t really need two weeks of vacation after all this time snowed in, watching TV and reading.
Currently Anticipating: CHRISTMAS!
Currently Reading: “Saving Fish From Drowning” by Amy Tan

Holiday gift shopping – for myself – again

It’s hard to do all this holiday gift shopping and not pick up a few items for yourself – I don’t really have the budget for it, but I can’t pass up the deals; oh the deals! (Yesterday I scored black Express dress pants for $25, which are normally $80-$100!)

So, I was just reading through Dooce’s Gift Guide 2008 today, and was reminded of these neat little Ork city neighborhood posters, which I had spotted (and loved!) on Pretty in the City last March. At the time, they didn’t make Seattle. But, when I looked again today – there was my beloved city in all her glory. So without hesitation, I purchased the gold screen print on charcoal brown, 100% recycled paper:
I’m really excited to hang it in my front hallway, next to the door, where there’s a big ole space and some empty nails from a key holder that Sarah took when she moved out. What I love the most about it, is how all the neighborhoods of Seattle are included, in all the right spots. (Hello Queen Anne! You’re so cute and little!) The founder and artist, Jenny Beorkrem, even donates 2 percent of all sales to River Action and HEAL Africa.

It’s a really cool item if any of you are looking for gifts! *Wink*

Deck the halls with thriftstore trinkets, fa la la la la, la la la la

I don’t know what the hec is going on, but I am super into the holiday season this year. For the past couple years, Christmas has snuck up on me, and the season passes with me feeling like I didn’t even enjoy it, like it or care to see it go.

Not this year. Uh uh. I’m some crazy mutated version of a Christmas elf.

What is with me!?

Do you get Christmassy when you’re pregnant? I feel like my sudden onset of manic Christmas spirit is some abnormal sign or symptom that I should be reading into, stressing and freaking, and peeing on sticks.

First off, there’s the Christmas movies – I’ve been watching every bad movie that comes on cable) – and the music – I’ve been listening to it a couple hours each morning to start my day, humming along to my hand-picked Christmas station (thanks once again, Pandora). I even nearly bought (I’ve gone batty), the Sufjan Stevens Christmas CD off Amazon.com, I liked it so much.

I can’t get enough of all the sparkly Christmas lights and decorations either. It’s like my work building, downtown Seattle and my neighborhood have all come alive. I want everywhere I go and everything I see to be sparkling and twinkling in red, white and gold! So, I’ve been dying to get a Christmas tree and decorate my home for the first time since senior year of college. Last night, I was determined to find a tree (even though I have zero money to spend on one since I’m saving all my pennies for the holiday wine party I’m hosting this weekend. Throwing a party is expensive.)

The BF and I stopped off at one of those little parking lot Christmas tree stands last night. I was certain that they’d have little trees for $10 or $20. WRONG. They had crappy, two-foot trees for $25! Yikes. I guess the last time I actually bought a tree was four years ago. Eff inflation. So we continued on to The Goodwill for yet another hunt for an ugly Christmas sweater.

We walked through the front doors and ta da! There was the Christmas tree of my dreams. Ok, maybe not of my dreams. I’ve never really wished for a Goodwill-smelling, leaning tree with ugly, scratched, mismatching ornaments and neon garland, but my imagination could see it taking shape…and the price tag read only $20! The only setback was – it was The Goodwill’s decorated-Christmas-tree centerpiece, and I had to make them take all the ornaments off, so I could load it up in the car.

We were shoving it in my VW Beetle, the metal branches falling off in the parking lot, and the gold tops of ornaments still hanging off the ends of some of the branches, and I totally felt like The Grinch, stealing Whoville’s big Christmas tree the night before Christmas.

“Fah who for-aze! Dah who dor-aze! Welcome Christmas, Christmas Day.”

And here it is in all it’s undecorated glory. I think once I get the white
lights and red bulbs on, it’ll look fab-U-lous. Picture to come.

Currently Feeling: A little wishy washy about what I want to do tonight. Stay home? Go out? Head to my boyfriend’s? Hmmm.
Currently Anticipating: Launching the magazine Web site tomorrow that I’ve been working hardcore on at work. It’s SO pretty!
Currently Loving: Trader Joe’s terriyaki-glazed frozen chicken.

I’m gonna get rich quick, or die glue gunning

For the last two weekends, I’ve gone on FAILED Ugly Christmas Sweater Missions. (I’m into a lot of missions these days. Watch out.) What is it with these things?! It’s all people are talking about – “Do you have an ugly sweater yet for ____’s party?” “Dude, you HAVE TO see this sweater I bought for ___’s party.” Frankly, I’m quite over Ugly Christmas Sweater parties. They were a brilliant idea for whoever started them five or so years ago. But now the idea’s a little stale, and even worse–there’s a serious shortage of ugly Christmas sweaters out there. And did I mention that they’re ugly? There’s nothing flattering about them at all. Call me prissy, but it’s hard for me to get excited about putting on something that smells like my Grandma’s lingerie drawer, and was worn by someone from the Midwest with two chins, a kitchen decorated with ducks and a knackering for scrapbooking. Neva gonna be pretty. Know what I mean?

So, I was talking on the phone last night to Bestie Amanda about what else – ugly Christmas sweaters for a party we have coming up in two weeks, and we were commiserating on how much they suck and how INSANE the ugly Christmas sweater market has become. They’re not available anymore for $5 at The Goodwill. Oh no. I’ve scowered thrift stores the last couple weekends, only to find one lame male Christmas sweater – handmade Norwegian wool with reindeer – for my poor BF who’s probably going to break out in hives from the material. Amanda claims they’re selling for $30 at good ole’ J.C. Penney’s (marked down from $50) and some people are trying to make a killing off eBay, listing them at $50 each. Seriously?!

So, I mentioned something to her about how I’m going to start making my own ugly Christmas sweaters – buy a couple solid colored $2 sweaters from a thrift store, iron on some Christmas patches, add some yarn, sequins and bells – and voila! And she said she’s going to hit up J.C. Penney’s after-Christmas sale and scoop up all their good when they’re super clearanced, which led us to deciding that we’re going into the ugly Christmas sweater business together. We’re gonna call it Sweataz.com with a Z.

*Tony Danza accent* Hey, come get your Sweataz here, kids. We got da best in da city.

Anyway, it’s pretty much genius. Now I don’t have to focus on that 10-year plan anymore. Whew.

Currently Feeling: Super weirded out by my graphic, random dream last night.
Currently Anticipating: Bingo at Jabu’s tomorrow to welcome Adam to the neighborhood?
Currently Loving: The banana chocolate chip bread someone in my office brought in this morning.