But Hey . . . Pura Vida

2009-04-15T13:14:00.000-04:00

livin' the pura vida life.

Things are looking up, people.

2009-02-16T21:33:00.005-05:00

You guys, let's get serious for one minute. How excited are you for the following . . .

the new Beirut album?

Or maybe you are dying to check this out

Gomorra! Italy's submission for Best Foreign Film! A movie about organized crime? In the authentic setting of Naples? With subtitles? Scorsese endorsed?

Sign me up.

And finally, who doesn't want to read a doctor's poignant story about his experience with AIDS patients in the eighties/nineties? Oh yeah, did I mention he attended the Iowa Writer's Workshop?Ok, maybe I am the only one pumped about the last item.

But I think we can all agree that this is an exciting time.

Barf.

2009-01-28T21:26:00.003-05:00

That's all.

Places I chilled in 2008.

2009-01-04T11:55:00.002-05:00

Richmond, Va.
Austin, Tx.
Winter Haven, Fl.
New York, NY
Southern Shores, NC
San Diego, Ca.
Los Angeles, Ca.
San Fransisco, Ca.
Calistoga, Ca.
Fayetteville, WV
Chicago, Il.
Hong Kong
Farmville, Va.
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Atlantic City, NJ
Deep Creek Lake, Md.

Now this is what I am talkin' about!

2008-11-29T13:13:00.000-05:00

OMFG

2008-10-31T14:48:00.002-04:00

I have four words for you:

Live.

Streaming.

Puppy.

Camera.

This will change your life. If you are me. And you don't have one.

Is it weird that I only post about dogs? I think so.

To all you Crocs Haters out there . . .

2008-10-21T08:47:00.003-04:00

You have clearly never worn Crocs before. Because if you have ever worn them- to work, to chill, post work-out, on a quick bagel run, or whatever- you would know that they are the most convenient, most comfy shoes in the land.

On an unrelated note- plain soy milk is disgusting. Vanilla is much better. I'm just sayin'.

"Now, what we've got here is a failure to communicate."

2008-10-07T10:44:00.004-04:00

Paul Newman was a babe. Even his sketch on my balsamic vinaigrette is smoking hot. And what better way to live the pura vida than to slap your photo on some organic salad dressing? No way at all, I say. Paul Newman was down with la pura vida in major ways. To honor that, I suggest you go Netflix yourself my favorite Paul Newman flick, Cool Hand Luke.

Now there is a guy who knows about la pura vida. I mean, he eats 50 eggs. He speaks in a low, even drawl. He cuts the heads off parking meters. Also, he's a BABE! Sha-wing!

When I was in high school, I loved staying home on a Friday night (popular gal that I was) and watching this movie. It's so good it almost makes you want to be imprisoned with a 1940's southern chain gang, so you can say things like, "Takin' it off here, boss?" Also, so you can, preferably, have inmates that look like him. Pura vida, indeed.

2008-09-08T08:11:00.003-04:00

Chicago 2008. Labor Day Weekend. from Kyle S on Vimeo.

Also, why have I been sitting on this for the past two months? This album is INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dogs: The Perfect Chillin' Accessory for the Modern Woman.

2008-09-06T13:47:00.006-04:00

I have noticed, through astute observation, that many of the posts here on HMPV are seasonal or weather-related. In order to break this trend of ephemerally-relevant topics, I think we need to discuss a universal asset of chillin’ that transcends boundaries of time and space: the dog.

As an example, I will use my dog, Franklin Fachento, to illustrate the finer points of Chillin With The Pooch, although I know many of you can relate to this overlooked topic (insert shout out to Jeffrey here).

Franklin is a great companion for chillaxin, as illustrated below:

Don't have a bed? No problem. Dogs will sleep anywhere.

Don't have a Petsmart within 2,000 miles? That's cool; dogs will chew on palm fronds (or other location-appropriate branch):

Bored? Living in the third world without a television and need some at-home theater entertainment? Dog will help put on a show!

Finally, and most importantly, tired from all that chillin'? It's naptime. With the dog.

Dogs: The Perfect Chillin' Accessory for the Modern Woman.

Toodleloo, summer. It's been real.

2008-08-23T16:46:00.006-04:00

This post is borderline irrelevant, since summer is almost over, but we have at least a month of hot weather left and I'd like to note some ways to stay "chill" (get it?).

1) The city pool. Words can't describe how much time I've spent at the pool this summer. There is something very old-fashioned about a city pool, especially in Pittsburgh. For one, it costs, like, two cents to get in. Once there, it's just you, a snack bar on wheels, a towel, and the lifeguards that range from age 14 to 52 (though all of them will hit on you). It's also great for people-watching. My Pittsburgh BFF Kelly and I have seen all walks of life these last months: a man with elephantiasis, a mother telling her young son, "Fuck you," and a pot-bellied snack bar worker who tried in vain to convince me to buy a funnel cake by saying, "Nice and round, nine inch ones. Good round funnel cakes," as though the roundness was particularly unique and appealing.

2) Popsicles. Need I say more? I mean, I will, but I don't think I need to. Fruit flavored. Icy. Ideally from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Low calorie. All around keep-cool deliciousness.

3) Good tunes are cuh-RUCIAL for summer chilling. I've been going through a Neil Young phase this summer, but other diddies include:

Matt Pond PA - "New Hampshire"
The Microphones - "I Felt Your Shape"
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Bonnie "Prince" Billy (I saw him live with his brother Ned Oldham and they were incredible)
The Four Tops - "Walk Away Renee."

I'm not saying you need these tunes in particular to have a good last month of summer, but I am saying you're probably retarded if you don't like them.

Happy Pura Vida,
Smashleigh

CT, Wheat Tortillas, and 24.

2008-08-21T09:48:00.003-04:00

Times are hard here at HMPV. Nobody blogs anymore. I guess we are all just so busy chilling that we don't have time to blog about chilling. Funny how that happens.

Here is the deal, folks.

I challenge all people that live la pura vida to post a blog. It can be about anything your heart desires. For instance, I love baklava and I ate a ton of it this week. If I wanted to, I could tell you more about it . . . in a post! But I will wait and put baklava in a decadent dessert post- coming soon! Let's talk about my favorite subject:

The Cocteau Twins.

Right now, I am supposed to be working on med school applications. Snoozefest! You know what gets me through it? Elizabeth Fraser's voice. Her ethereal voice and CT's hypnotic melodies are the perfect background music for productivity.

In fact, I have cherry-coloured funk and ella megalast burls forever on my "being productive" mix. Dig it.

Moving on, I just wanted to talk about wheat tortillas. I always eat them! I buy the high fiber ones and lather them with guac or mayo. Then I stuff them with delicious veggies or scrambled eggs. For some reason, I feel like I am being "healthier" by stuffing my face with tortillas instead of pillowy white bread.

Also, I just finished season 1 of 24!! So tight. Except for Terry, she sucks. For anybody who hasn't seen 24, you don't know JACK. For reals, go stream that shizzy off surfthechannel.com.

Yello.

2008-08-05T21:37:00.002-04:00

Dudes,

I don't have cable anymore. Let the blogging begin!

Love,
Kiks

How to Chill:

2008-03-10T23:16:00.009-04:00

1. Fly to Orlando, FL.

2. Rent Ford Focus. Drive Focus to Winter Haven.

3. Chill the eff out at Indians Spring Training.

4. Hit up the Billy Bones attached to the local Ho Jo.

5. Pony keg party in the hotel room for the Duke-UNC game.

6. Get photo with Casey.

Lesson Over.

Hanes My Way

2008-03-03T15:43:00.003-05:00

Many moons ago, I realized that not only are white men's undershirts hot as shit when men wear them, they are hot as shit when WOMEN wear them. But finding the perfectly fitting, snug-but-not-too-tight, not-too-thin (and therefore see-through), not too stretchy-outty white men's t-shirt can put a girl in quite a pickle.

Friends, look no further.

Hanes V-Neck Premium Comfort Soft white t-shirts are the MFing HOLY GRAIL of white t-shirts. Soft. Snug. Well-fitting in the female shoulders, which by nature are, of course, much daintier and delicate than the big strong men usually purchasing things. It's as if these things were made for women, and accidentally marketed for men. Pair them with a cute summery skirt and you'll charm the pants off male babes with your casual "I didn't try too hard and still I'm smoking hot as fuck" look.

Furthermore, I guarantee you wear a size small in these babies (unless you're into over-sized t-shirts, which I am not, and which you shouldn't be, either). Just buying a fresh pack of three (only ten bucks) Target today made me feel like an itsy bitsy little baby girl, the slimmest in the land.

Quick Q.

2008-01-31T09:14:00.000-05:00

Maybe its the kilograms of salt I eat everyday, maybe it is my ability to replace water with soda- whatever the reason, my adorable face is not so adorable in the morning.

Why? Because it is swollen, puffy and beyond recognition.

Usually, I try not to fix the marshmallow on top of my neck and just wait for it to deflate by lunchtime.

But, Time, she is up.

This morning I attempted to treat my face as one would treat a sprained ankle:

RICE. Rest. Ice. Compress. Elevate.

Well, I didn't really elevate my face, but I did lie down on the couch and pressed ziploc bags of ice on my face.

So here is my Q: Does anyone know how to depuff a morning face? In a timely fashion?

Thanks,

Kiks

2008-01-21T22:52:00.000-05:00

So I haven't posted in awhile. Because I have been been so busy. Sike! I have been chillaxing per usual! Regardless, there is some really dope stuff I just have to blog about.

Bread Pudding.

"Ooey Gooey" Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding to be exact. This artery clogging, carb laden treat is perfection in an 8 x 8 pan. Guests will be amazed at the "Artie's" dessert menu taste and melted chocolatey presentation- and surprised when you tell them how easy it is to make! Hopefully, the rich decadence of the pudding won't give them the 'rhea like Artie's desserts.

Here is the recipe:

2 large eggs at room temperature
2 1/4 cups whole milk (I mixed whole, 2% and cream to make 2 &1/4 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
5 cups cubed or torn stale white bread (I used a stale french baguette)
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the bread and stir gently until all of it is fully covered with the egg mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8- by 8-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean and the pudding is lightly browned and puffed up on the edges.

To add a little panache- I served it with freshly whipped cream.

Apes and Androids.

Their album "Blood Moon" is pretty tight. Electronic, rock, pop perfection. To start off, one should listen to "Nights of the Week". "Radio" is great. Listening to the album makes me want to put on a cute-ass outfit, drink some light beer, and dance the night away.

http://apesandandroids.com/

Baby Powder.

I wish I knew about the multiple uses of this sweet smelling powder in college. I would have saved myself from ugly hair, smokey smelling clothes, and un-presentable days.

I live by the "only wash your hair every other day" motto. This means my hair is sometimes slick with a day 2 sheen. Enter baby powder. Just throw a handful on your scalp and let the powder get to work. Before you know it your hair will look as fresh as day 1 and NOT GREASY. Seriously, I should have been doing this in high school- when a good day was throwing on sweats and a colorful kerchief to cover my oily rat's nest of a scalp. Also, it miraculously blends well with my mousy brown hair.

Note: Blonde hair is still the easiest color to work with when you feel like powdering the wig.

You can also sprinkle BP on smokey clothes for a quick fix before a night on the town. This function also works when you apply it to the whole body. Basically, BP is never a bad idea before going out- whether it is hair, clothes, or bod.

Okay, I am off to bed- but plz plz plz at least listen to "Nights of the Week" and eat bread pudding. I understand if you don't want to powder your wig. The Apes and Androids stuff is really great and accessible. It isn't at all like the Cocteau Twins which I usually shove down my friends' throats.

A real bad case of Scrabs.

2007-12-29T00:05:00.001-05:00

After years of flirting and the occasional half-hearted hook-up, I am finally fucking the shit out of this game.

Our relationship began when I was a kid and forced to play with various older and smarter family members, and then went on through college, when I'd play with my genius--seriously, he really is a genius--friend Miles, who scored over 300 ever fucking time.

The hot and heavy stuff started only this last week, after I started a Facebook account for the sole purpose of playing Scrabulous, Facebook's online version of Scrabble.

First of all, I started this account with much kicking and screaming. "I already have MySpace," I told a friend, the one who was pushing for me to join Facebook just to play him in this game. "Fuck no," I said.

But then...I joined.

And I looked up like 9 million old friends that aren't on MySpace and creepily checked out all their current photos and profile information and all that sort of stalkerish stuff the internet so awesomely allows.

Only 15 of those 9 million are now my actual Facebook friends. But moving on.

The point is Scrabulous. You can play like 10 games at once. You can get online at the same time as your opponent and just fucking go, or you can take your sweet time and sign on whenever you want. You can use the internet to look up 2-letter words nobody really knows the meaning of.

It's fabulous. Ha! It is so fantabulous (HA!!!) it prompts me to make stupid fucking jokes that only I laugh at! It is so scrabtastical that I am not only posting this blog right this very minute, but also clicking over to a different window just to see if any of my opponents have made a move yet! On a Friday night! All alone.

But this is what this game is good for. People who take shame in their weekend night reclusiveness and seek distraction from it. People who have a lot of work to do but don't want to do any of it. Also, there is a built-in instant messager thing that allows you to put down your opponent as often as you like and without the fear of bodily harm that real-life Scrabble-dissing might warrant. I prefer the old, "I'll kill you," or, if they're going too slow, "Zzzzzz."

I'm all in a tizzy, just typing about it! I'm going to go click "refresh" once or twice or maybe more.

Snow!

2007-12-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

It snowed today in Pittsburgh, and I wore one damn cute hodgepodge of a winter outfit. This made me consider winter essentials. What are winter essentials? Where can one find them? How should one go about properly layering such essentials?

Seriously, answer me.

I'm kidding. I'll do the answering here.

Crucial Winter Stuff:

1) Gloves, people. This is crucial if you walk to campus like I do and, say, sometimes talk on your cell phone as you walk, or else stick your hands in a not-as-warm-as-you-would-like coat, and find your poor little paws still chilly. Today, I bought a perfectly toasty pair of gloves at Rite Aid for $9.99. They're bright blue.

2) Hats! Who doesn't love a cute and ridiculously warm winter hat? You can go old-timey, kids-from-A Christmas Story-style (see below), or get a nice wooly beanie. I prefer a red wool hat with a fleece lining that my sister got in Norway. It's so awesome and original, I couldn't find a picture of it anywhere on the internet.

3) A cute coat. This is crucial. You don't want to freeze your titties off. Wool is the best way to go, in my opinion, and preferably with some sort of toasty lining. I got a new black one from Target. Sixty bones. Not the warmest EVER (not a toasty lining, but a silk one, and the wool is some sort of blend, which isn't as warm as I initially hoped). But it is much better than H&M's version, which I wore all last year and now regret. H&M coats are basically a bunch of threadbare cotton strung together with buttons. What a waste.

4) Waterproof boots. Here in P-burgh, it rains. A lot. Biblical type raining. It also snows, as aforementioned. I prefer my Target brand (here I go again--but Target has some really great apparel) rain boots. I have a pair in both black and army green. They make me want to go for a jaunt across some wild England moor. Also, they are wicked cheap.

5) Long underwear. I LIVE in my long underwear whilst lounging in my apartment. Truly can't recommend it enough--comfortable, durable, and warm as shit. I own a North Face brand but I am sure any thermalware will do.

I'd like to include more fun pictures to supplement my crucial winter elements, but, frankly, am too lazy. Also, mid-way through writing this blog I went out and had three beers, and now I'm both lazy and tipsy and tired to boot.

Fall, Chillin', etc.

2007-11-16T19:41:00.000-05:00

Dear HMPV readers,

Look you don't even have to say it. I know what is on everyone's minds. Where the hell has the ol' kikster been? Well, my friends, I can tell you one thing- I have not been doing what I do best- chilling. Instead, I have been super busy. Sigh. That said, I needed to take a despy time out and chill aka blog about a few things.

Fall is finally here. Huzzah. I have been celebrating fall with tons of cute new outfits and wearing my hair down. Here are a couple of fun fall items:

Old Navy Toggle Hoodie. So I am a total copy-cat. I went up to visit Smash this fall and she was rocking this adorable little number. It is the perfect combination of a sweatshirt hoodie and a jacket. It also helps me accomplish the Joey Potter girl-next-door look that I sometimes attempt to emulate. Also, it is only 35 dollars!

My working girl woe? Dry hands. My hands are so red and chapped from excessive hand washing/sanitizing that when I showed them to my mom- she lost a night's sleep worrying about my skin. True story!Enter Eucerin. Don't be swayed by the ugly utilitarian container. This stuff is amazing. Within days of slathering its creamy goodness on my hands, the redness was gone and my skin returned to its girly softness.

Another essential element to fall wardrobes are boots. And lots of them. I love slouchy suede boots. They aren't overly warm like UGGs. They also tend to look good on calves and ankles of all sizes. Trust me, a sturdy leather boot and a wicked muscular calf- Not a good combo. Slouch is the best. These boots are from Steve Madden and only a hundred bucks! I wear them with tights, leggings, and skinny jeans!

The new Sigur Ros CD/DVD. Nothing suits a dreamy fall day more than beautifully orchestrated music with undecipherable lyrics. The new Sigur Ros provides that and more. The "Heima" DVD is a documentary that follows the band performing all over Iceland. The cinematography alone will put you in a good mood. Sometimes, when I watch the trailer, my eyes tear up. Because it is so beautiful.

More tidbits to come!

Love,

Kiks

Toot toot!

2007-10-21T21:09:00.001-04:00

All aboard at Procrastination Station!

Every now and then, whether in emails to friends or in my MySpace blog (once alive, now dead) I like to list my latest methods of procrastinating. It's fun. Also, it's just one more way of procrastinating. (Hannah, your lizard post inspired this list format--it's easy and fast. Funny and smart. I'm smitten.)

1) Eating. This is a recurring theme in many blogs here at But Hey...Pura Vida, perhaps because eating good food is so essential to living the pura vida. When procrastinating, I like to make fun snacks that remind me of my childhood. Like peanut butter smeared on celery sticks. Yum! Or, brownies.

2) Drinking. My first preference is alcohol, but if it's before 4pm I recommend Starbucks nonfat lattes. Low cal. Smooth flavor. Caffeinated. All around delicious.

3) Watching Flight of the Conchords videos via YouTube.

4) Lurking around on the MySpace pages of friends, family, musicians, strangers, celebrities, and hot dudes alike.

5) Online shopping. There's nothing quite like virtually shopping with some virtual money.

6) Real shopping. But only if you've just been paid. And actually, I don't highly recommend this one because when you use it too often as a form of procrastinating, you find yourself stuck with #5, which isn't that great of a suggestion on my part anyway. #5 is actually really depressing, when you think about it. Because that's what happens when you're fucking poor. You get depressed about it. Because as everyone knows, money equals true happiness.

7) Ogling/dissing celebrities.

8) Decorating. While procrastinating this last month, I have repainted our dining room (adorable and chipper pale pale pink), our dining room table (black), and our living room (light green with one darker green wall). This is an incredibly productive way of procrastinating and requires a keen eye (if I may say), a roommate's indifference, and loads of caffeine-induced energy.

9) More YouTubing. I've discovered a love for the new musical Spring Awakening, and rediscovered my love for Les Miserables, and also watched inane clips of things I shouldn't care about, like that model who fell through a runway floor, Britney's VMA letdown, and Beyonce EATING it (head over heels, face to the floor) during some performance.

10) Craigslist. But let me warn you: If you find something you want to purchase/take via Craigslist, jump on that thing like a ravenous motherfreaking wildebeest. You have to move at cheetah speed. It took me a month to find a couch only because within, like, 30 seconds of a Craigslist posting, some Olympian track star or someone already managed to get to the location of said sofa, pay for it, and haul it away. But also, the Missed Connection section is an endless guilty pleasure. I love reading stuff like, "To the blue-eyed beauty at the bus stop on Monday. We made eye contact twice. Up for more?"

May your procrastination endeavors be fruitful. Go forth! Godspeed!

Lizards: Pura Vida of Nicaraguan Living

2007-10-11T17:16:00.001-04:00

Reasons Why I Heart Lizards:

1. Adorable. Undeniably.
2. They devour bugs that sting, i.e. mosquitoes.
3. They just chill.
4. No animosity towards me (unlike Scary Wasp).
5. The noise they make is cool.
6. They can squeeze through walls.
7. They let me take pictures of them.
8. Fun to draw.
9. I have no friends.

Friday Night Lights.

2007-10-01T11:23:00.000-04:00

I am so hooked. Has everyone seen this show? It almost got cancelled this year, but luckily some NBC bigwig saved it because it is amazing.

When I wasn't working this weekend, I was curled up on the couch watching this show on DVD.

I felt it was really important to let you all know about FNL so that you all will also check it out, watch it, and make sure it doesn't ever get cancelled!

OK- let's get down to business. You may be asking- kiks- why do you think this show is amazing? You also like One Tree Hill. Why should we trust you?

My answer to this is as follows:

So I may like the occasional soapy WB teen show (read: DC, OTH, GG) but this doesn't prevent me from watching universally awesome shows like Six Feet Under, Veronica Mars, and Dexter. In order to recognize quality TV, you must first have something to compare it to- ergo, I check out tons of shows.

Getting back to the important stuff . . . FNL is tight. Really tight. Here is why.

1. The show is not about football. It is a drama about the everyday lives in small town Texas. So girls, don't worry about the occasional football scene. With all the romantic sub-plots and family struggles to watch, you will not be worried about what is going on with Dillon Panther Football.
2. The plethora of hot guys. This show has more hotties on it than any other television show I have ever seen. No joke.

Zach Gilford. It is hard not to immediately fall in love with the awkward secondstring quarterback, Matt Saracen. He takes care of his dementia-ridden grandma while working at a local ice cream shop to make ends meet and on top of all of that, he is thrust into the spotlight as the new QB after the first episode! He also has the sweetest love story of the whole show with . . the coach's daughter! Effing adorable.

Tim Riggins. Ok, first of all his name- it is a sexy football player name. It goes perfectly with his brooding, self destructive personality. For all you VM fans out there, I think I can safely say that he is the "Logan Echolls" of this show, but I don't want to pigeonhole him. I don't really think I need to tell you too much about his character because really- look at his picture. Then watch the show and constantly change your opinion of him. Why? Because he is so complex.

Gaius Charles plays "Smash" Williams. In addition to being the star running back on the Panthers, Smash talks about himself in third person and has tons of personal turmoil. He also has an adorable love interest on the show. He is cute and I love his name- Gaius.

Kyle Chandler. I love him. He plays the inspirational Coach Taylor. Besides having the perfect southern drawl, Kyle Chandler is an amazing actor. The on-screen dynamic between Chandler and Connie Britton, who plays his wife, is incredible. Not to mention that the scenes between Coach Taylor and the players bring me to tears. Total DILF.

Anyways, there are actually more adorable boys on the show I could blog about, but I have to get to other blog-worthy things about FNL.

3. The cinemaotography/ direction/ music choices for the show.

The other awesome thing about FNL is the way it is filmed. After memorizing their lines, the actors shoot the scene. The thing is- the directors shoot the scenes with steady cam and the actors have no idea where the cameras are while they are filming. So even though it is scripted, the show presents itself as a documentary.The music choices for the show are also great. First of all, the opening credits song is by a band called "Explosions in the Sky". When I heard the name of the band, I was immediately repulsed. It sounds like some alterna-Christian band. Good thing I effing love the song in the credits. The instrumental rock song's crescendo parallels the build up of angst for all the characters. The show also uses Iron & Wine, Ryan Adams, and Spoon.

4. The show is about football. Yes, this is also a reason to watch the show. You can't help but root for the Dillon Panthers after watching their hot Coach give inspirational speeches and act as a father figure for all the messed-up, cute high school boys.

The second season premiere is on Friday, October 5th. I am DVR-ing it. All day on Friday, Bravo is playing season 1 beginning at 8AM. Check that shizzy out. You won't regret it.

Hoodies.

2007-09-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

You know what I love about autumn?

I love walking outside to check the weather.

After I feel a slight chill in the air, I turn right back around and go inside. Why? SO I CAN GO GRAB A CUTE HOODIE. They are the best! Once I have my hoodie on, I am ready to face the day and look cute doing whatever fall-y thing I want to do. Hoodies rule for tons of reasons.

1. They keep you warm and cozy. When it is windy or rainy, don't worry about messing up your hair! Just pull that hood on.

2. In the spirit of the blog, I have to say that hoodies are great to chill in. If you want to just curl up and watch some TV to DVD, you can wear a big baggy "boyfriend" hoodie. I am jumping ahead of myself here, but I have to say guys love chicks in hoodies. This is undeniably true. Especially when the girl is wearing his hoodie. Getting back to my point, I am chilling, blogging, and wearing my favorite hoodie.

3. Anyways, you can also make fashion statements with hoodies. When I was on a tour bus in Scotland, I saw the jazziest hoodie ever. A Canadian girl on our tour was wearing a fitted army green hoodie with a diagonal zipper. She bought it in London. To this day, whenever I am in a trendy shop, I always look for cute diagonal zip hoodies.

4. I can't think of anything more adorable on a guy than a worn-in hoodie. How cute is it when a boy stuffs his hands in the lil' pocket in front?

My best friend bought me a great hoodie. It is just the right size and super soft on the inside. It is also navy blue- one of my favorite colors to wear. This is kind of what it looks like. I luv it.

I love blogging about food.

2007-09-09T12:37:00.001-04:00

Guys. I have discovered a breakfast cereal that will make you swoon. It's called Puffins. Isn't that a cute name for a box of cereal?

The thing is, I love cereal. It is cold and delicious and just the right amount of filling. But often times, cereal is loaded with calories and massive amounts of sugar that I fear will land unflatteringly on various appendages.

Not so with Puffins.

It's filled with low-calorie deliciousness. It also has a ton of fiber, which is good for 1) pooping (I'm sorry, but it's true), and 2) staying a slender little hot ass. I'm not sure a nutritionist would put it in these exact terms, but fiber is to your body what adorable orphaned children are to Brangelina: The more you have, the better you look.

Puffins, with their slightly sweet flavor and crunchy bite-sized shapes, are truly the perfect breakfast cereal. (I'm sorry, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but you are junk food, not healthy, slenderizing breakfast food. You seductive, beautiful bitch.)

I feel like I've come to the end of a long search for buried treasure, and Puffins are what I found in the treasure box. Also, they sell them at regular grocery stories and at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, so you can feel all hippy-crunchy-Gwyneth-ish.

Don't let the packaging fool you. That puffin only looks all militant and refined.

What's Going On?

2007-08-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

What a great Marvin Gaye song. While Marvin was questioning war and whatnot, I'm here to see what is up with all my fellow HMPV blogsters.

As for me, I have been busy with non-stop chilling- with no time to post! I know what you thinking- blogging=chilling. Sorry!

So, in true Kiki-fashion, I'm just gonna go ahead and do what I do best- list things that have been keeping me chilling all August long.

1. Robins egg meets Tiffany's box blue.

I painted my new room this color and I cannot even begin to tell you about how chill my new room is- and I think it is mostly due to the color palette. The bright color serves as a great background for all of Smash's artwork as well as my cute new UO duvet cover! Now that my room is painted an inviting blue, all I ever want to do in lounge in bed and straight chill.

2. Ryan Adams-"Easy Tiger"

Okay, so it is no "Cold Roses", but I think this is a pretty enjoyable album. Ryan definitely does what he does best- singing about broken hearts with his falsetto country voice hitting the high notes. So far I have listened to this album on road trips, drinking on the porch, and unpacking my new room. My favorite song is "Two Hearts".

3. Not Working.

This should actually be listed as #1 if we were listing in order of importance. It is really hard to chill . . . at work.

4. Vimeo

Vimeo is the facebook version of youtube. It has a clean design and all kinds of privacy settings when you post your video. You can also do "credits" for the videos you post (if your friends are on vimeo). I love chilling on this site and watching videos. Also, most of these videos are made by the people that post them. For instance, on vimeo, you can't really find Rihanna's "Umbrella" video.

See: http://vimeo.com

5. The Pool.

Even though the docs tell me I shouldn't leave the house without SPF 50 because my skin is so fair, I love to go to the pool and tan. My skin just looks so much better slightly tan instead of the wintery ghost white. In addition to reading mags and catching rays, I also love to go to the snack bar at the pool and get chicken salad wraps. Delish! Going to the pool is a great chilling activity because you can be very independent about it and just go by yourself or you can invite all your friends to chill with you. When in doubt of how to chill in the summertime, just head to a pool.

Question: When will I get sick . . .

2007-08-02T13:15:00.000-04:00

of listening to the Cocteau Twins while chilling?

A: Probs never.

Major Problem.

2007-07-26T22:13:00.000-04:00

What is my problem?

Turkey Hill Extreme Cookies 'N Cream Light Recipe Ice Cream!

It is too freaking delicious. So I go to Ukrops yesterday to buy a 1.75 qt tub and here I am-- 24 hours later scraping the melted chocolately liquid off the bottom of the container.

Srsly. Buy this stuff if you don't suffer from ice cream binging and you crave a cold creamy treat that isn't too unhealthy.

Here is the description of the ice cream and some nutritional facts.

"Chocolate light ice cream with chocolate cookies and crunchy chocolate cookie swirl"

Per 1/2 cup: 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 22 grams of carbohydrates.

So basically in the past day I ate 2000 calories of 'scream. Embarrassing!

Oh yeah, and all that cookie mumbo jumbo in the description is ALL TRUE. There are tons of big oreo like cookies in the ice cream. You know what is the worst? When ice cream doesn't live up to its description. Ben and Jerry's is notorious for that.

Superdickery.com

2007-07-24T12:10:00.000-04:00

This site is awesome. Check the image galleries for examples of Superman being a dick, or just for ridiculous comic book covers. Click the picture for reading ease.

http://www.superdickery.com/

I want to work in advertising

2007-07-24T11:49:00.000-04:00

I hear VCU has the nation's best program. Thoughts, countless VCU alumni?

A girl who knows how to chill.

2007-07-21T11:12:00.000-04:00

Iced Caffeinated Beverages

2007-07-20T13:43:00.000-04:00

Aren't they great?

Lately I have been a bit of a cheapskate and only buying iced coffees as opposed to the fancier iced latte or mocha.

Also, for a quick drink on the go- Starbucks makes a creamy light iced coffee IN A CAN.

Check it:

Just a nug.

2007-07-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

I'm sure everyone's seen this, because I'm not half as hip as you 'sheds, but here is something that I obsess over. The Asian characters, the venetian blind sunglasses, and the DAFT PUNK ROBOTS. Kanye knows how to chill like whoa.

so urban.

2007-07-16T15:04:00.000-04:00

urban dictionary's definition of "straight chillin'":

1. straight chillin

hanging out around the house in just your underwear.

“Hey Scott, me and the girls are gonna be there in ten minutes.”

“Nah, man. I’m straight chillin and I don’t wanna put on pants right now.”

tags straight chillin straight chillin straight chillin' chillin'

bwahahahaha... works for me.

Mr. Brooks

2007-07-09T13:24:00.000-04:00

This weekend I saw "Mr. Brooks", a bizarro movie about a serial killer. Rottentomatoes gave it a 52% cream of the crop rating, but I would give it a sound 70%. So, if you are into pseudo campy movies about serial killers that will at times make you jump out of your seat- check it out. Also, you can see Dane Cook in a scary serious role.

Also, don't you guys think Costner look freakishly like Alan Rickman in this shot? Weird!

LIST TIME!!!!!!!!!

2007-07-05T19:07:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,

Before I get into all this list-y fun, let me just say that I am so glad everyone is keeping up with HMPV!! Anyways, back to the good stuff. Here is the dealio- some of the stressin' is over with- I mean, sure, there is always stuff to worry over, but now it is time to CHILL. Here are some things I have been obsessing over while I work, drive, and just plain ol' chill.

1. Cocteau Twins.

So it took me a while to really understand my friend yourinator's obsession. However, this past year, everything became crystal clear. The Cocteau Twins with all their dreamy, ethereal pop goodness are about as close to perfect as music can be. They go perfectly with everything- except I guess, dancing at a club. Working on your thesis? "Lazy Calm" or "Athol-Brose" will serve as perfect background music with enough melody to please the ear without distracting you with crazy loud beats. Driving in the car? Just listen to all of Heaven or Las Vegas (minus "Road, River, and Rail"). You can pretend you understand Elizabeth Fraser's vocals enough to sing along or you can just lean back and lose yourself in the dreaminess. This is a little embarrassing, but sometimes I just lie down in bed and listen to them! Okay, I have probably said enough- considering I am a rookie fan- but they are just so GREAT.

2. Fruit Tarts.

They are so delicious. I ate two last night! Personally, I like the ones at Whole Foods, but most bakeries make a pretty decent tart.

3. Bikini bottoms that are termed "ring hipsters"

I just bought a bikini bottom made by Perry Ellis. Normally that would be kind of embarrassing to admit, considering the fact that I am only 24 and shouldn't be wearing "Mom" swimsuits, but these bottoms are so CUTE. They don't ride really low like all the other bikini bottoms out there and they have these cute little rings on either side of your pelvis bone that give your boring bikini bottom edge. I also like the tiny "reveal" of skin that isn't usually shown. This picture isn't the bikini bottom I bought- but you get the idea.

4. Short stories.

As everyone here at HMPV knows, I have been stressing- which means I haven't been able to keep up with "Bestseller weekend"- my lofty attempt to read a bestseller in a weekend. Every week. So, instead, I just curl up with short stories at night! A short story can be great because you can enjoy the writing and get a sense of accomplishment before bed by finishing a story. The book pictured has a bunch of really tight short stories. I bought it at a thrift store a few years ago for like, a dollar.

I guess that is it for now. There are tons more things that are keeping me chillin', but I would be blogging about them till the sun comes up!

Stressin' vs. chillin'

2007-06-19T13:57:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

Although this blog is primarily about chilling, sometimes one just has to blog about the complete opposite of all things "pura vida"- and that, of course, is STRESSING. I mean- I would love to say that my vida is totally pura all the time, but that would be a lie. For instance, right now- I am totally stressed out. In true kiki-fashion I have developed a list *gasp* about the ultimate dilemma: to stress or to chill?

To Stress: Ok guys, like the girl in this photo, sometimes stressing involves being hunched over a laptop worrying about all the schoolwork you have to do. Usually- being surrounded by modes of work (read: laptop) tends to initiate some form of productivity. So I guess my point is this- if one is stressed out in a work environment- it makes them more productive in the end. This, ultimately, alleviates the initial stress!

Counseling sessions are also great outlets for stress. As many of you contributors know, the ol' kikster can definitely have a stress fest during supposed "chillfests". The thing is- sometimes talking about (insert worries here) with a good friend or family member can help relieve the stress. If you let stress bottle up, something horrible could happen- like a "meltdown". So the occasional stressfest is absolutely warranted.

Stressed out? Eating helps. I love to use "stress" as an excuse to eat two boxes of Green Giant Creamed Spinach in a row and THEN some chocolate ice cream! Eating makes people happy- it also makes them forget about their problems. Instead of worrying about our life and other people's lives, we can just think about how delicious french fries are or how it is seemingly impossible to eat them without a side of mayo. Stress is a great justification for a midnight trip to Wendy's or eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's. This is undoubtedly the best side effect of stress.

To Chill:

I think this dog might have it all figured out. Chillin' is all about being comfortable, wearing shades, and lounging in the sun. Chilling is so so so great. We all know this, but we aren't dogs. We can't just sit in the sun where our biggest worries are getting dinner and going to the bathroom in the grass. So- we have to face facts- we can't chill ALL the time.

It is imperative that when you are chilling- you aren't stressing. Sometimes, it is good to distract yourself while chilling- like maybe watching TV or reading a book. When you chill, you can focus on everything but your problems. Chilling involves lounging and practicing the art of "pura vida"- unfortunately this doesn't really help better any possible stressful situations that build up while you are busy chilling.

Here is the thing, when all is said and done, chilling is also about eating. Sometimes a chillfest is eating nachos with two of your best friends. Stress should never enter as a topic of conversation when there are nachos! I love nachos. I also love my two best friends. There is absolutely no way to argue those two facts.

Well, I guess the solution is pretty clear. When faced with the option of chillin' or stressin'- I always try to aim for chillin'. And yes, sometimes I sucker out and take the stress route- but either way I am going to be eating.

Sources of pics:www.malehealth.co.uk/,http://www.furallover.com/,photo.net, girlslife.com,photos.themezz.com

My Nephew, the Reggae Star

2007-06-10T15:28:00.001-04:00

Turns out he's a natural

Perry White-ing It

2007-06-08T17:27:00.000-04:00

The newspaper has a long and illustrious history in the United States. A lot of the Founding Fathers were involved in the newspaper business, as financiers and printers. Thomas Jefferson supported entire newspapers for the sole purpose of talking shit on Alexander Hamilton.

Newspapers appeared on the scene in 1605. For reference, Andy Rooney started doing those monologues on 60 minutes in 1453. His first one was about the fall of Constantinople, I think.

Since 1605, newspapers have changed a lot and now there are basically two kinds of papers. The middle fold is the separating line.

There are a lot of reasons the two types of newspapers are different but the most important one is the headlines. If you're working at a newspaper right now and you're unsure what kind, imagine you're working at your newspaper in 1998, and the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal has just broken. Your news editor asks you to write a headline for the next day.

Ok, now you go and write a list of headlines. Do you produce this one:

1-President Embroiled In Affair over Sexual Liasions

2-President and Staffer Acted Inappropriately Towards Each Other

3-Corn Prices Rise as Tech Stocks Soar

Or this One:

1-President Abuses Power, Slaps That Ass

2-She Wore a Raspberry Beret

3-Bill Plants Seeds of Change...In Intern's Mouth

4-Bill Jefferson Clinton: B.J., the President

5-American (Wet) Dream

6-Foreignication Policy? Clinton Gets an A

7-Clinton: Vote With Your Mouth, America!

8-Hold On Sadaam; I'm Getting Blown

9-Paris Hilton Sluts It Up Starting In A Few Years

If you wrote the first list, you work at the New York Times.

If you wrote the second list, you work at the New York Post or maybe Hustler.

Cute. Cute. Cute.

2007-06-04T21:43:00.001-04:00

So I am a couple years late on this trend- but whatevs, a cute dog is a cute dog- even if it was the "it" designer dog of 2k5. I am talking about Puggles here. Listen, I don't know who initially decided to mate a pug with a beagle, but I do know that he or she was, in a word, a genius. A puggle combines the adorable ugliness of a pug with the snout and build of beagle. No breathing problems! Anyways, I could go on and on about how freakin' cute these munchkins are, but just go ahead and see for yourselves:

Okay, if those pics haven't won you over let me just say this-

1.What is wrong with you? How can you not love a puggle with a gift wrap bow atop his/her wee lil' head? It is a PUGGLE as a PRESENT.

2.Jake Gyllenhall has one. Hot manly celeb with little puggle!

Btw, when I get my puggle- which will happen within the year- I am naming her Eleanor.

Summer Chillin'

2007-05-25T14:03:00.000-04:00

Ok guys- summer is here! I can tell by the 90 degree high today. In honor of summer's arrival, I think it is imperative that we all talk about our favorite ways to just CHILL OUT in the summer. Naturally, I will start and I cannot wait for the comments/posts to follow!

1. Crepe Myrtles.

The flower of the south. When the crepe myrtles bloom, you know summer is here! They come in all shades of purple and pink. (Two of my favorite colors) There are also some boring white ones. Crepe myrtles stay in bloom ALL SUMMER. Permanent flower-y beauty that easily identifies a region? LOVE IT. There are tons of these guys all over Richmond- especially in the fan. Nothing is chiller than checking out the crepe myrtles on a late afternoon walk through the fan with a friend and/or dog.

2. Ryan Adams and The Cardinals- Cold Roses
Ok, so maybe just "alt-country" in general is really summer-y- with all the acoustic guitar and sad lyrics. But I just happened to fall in love with this cd . . . in the summer. Whether you are in the mood for singing along all honky tonky like (listen: "Cherry Lane") or just listening to something as you fall asleep (listen: "Friends")- this album has it all. Personally, I have found it to be particularly great for roadtrips in the south. Favorite song: "Meadowlake Street"

3. Road Trips.

Well, given #2 on the list, this one seems pretty obvious. It is pretty simple- driving=chilling. Also, you can only really drive with the windows down in the summer- so road trippin' is really at its best then. Road trips are a great way to catch up with friends, stop for delicious coffee drinks/fast food, and listen to albums from start to finish. Shockingly enough, I love to drive south, listening to ryan adams, and observe . . . crepe myrtles. Driving north has its good points too. The NJ Turnpike is so fun and the signs are all old-timey. There are lots of WaWa's and Full Service gas! However, when I drive north, I get more frustrated by TOLLS.

There are lots of other things about the summer that get me pumped up. Some of them are really predictably girly like: getting a tan! wearing dresses! drinking frozen margaritas! I just thought I would get the ball rolling and get ready to chillax.

Braid it Up

2007-05-21T00:09:00.000-04:00

Living in the real world isn’t easy. I should know. I’ve been a graduate for over twenty-four hours now. The world of working women offers many an unforeseen dilemma, many an unanticipated choice. The majority of these I would say have to deal directly with appearance.

In this crazy cosmos, your physiognomy could potentially define your career, your group of friends, where you live, who invites you to their Sweet 16, and who you get to second base with in the alley behind Tiki Bob’s. In a worst case scenario, an unsightly visage could mean you don’t get the job you want.

We've all been the sucker sitting in that interview chair getting checked out by the big man who wants some little hottie with glistening rows of white teeth bringing him his coffee in the morning and xeroxing his papers. Got snaggle teeth? We… uh… found someone else for the job. Yes, while we were interviewing you. Yeah right before you smiled. We just remembered.

Worse than the snaggle hag over there, are you actually missing some teeth? Wow. Hi. Nice to meet you I got to you know go uh talk to that man yeah over there something important be back sorry later when I uh can I’ll call yeah interview you some other time uh huh yeah ok that’s good bye then yup next time!

Ladies, I want to let you in on a little secret. It don’t make no nevermind to nobody how bad those cracked, caffeine-stained, nicotine smudged chips of wood you got for teeth are long as you got a redeeming hairdo. It’s all about the hair. Look at these smiles. These would put a British street urchin circa 1835 to utter shame. Their hair though—it’s not so bad.

My personal recommendation for a successful career if you have snaggle teeth, no teeth, extra fat around your jowls, a unibrow, terrible skin, or those earlobes that aren’t really earlobes but just kind of slide into your head leaving no distinct line between earlobe and cheek is to find a braid that works for you, and work it. A simple braid is the loudest way you can announce to the world that you are ready to work and that you're a confident fun-loving chick. You see a braid on a gal, you probably think to yourself right off the bat, Now THERE’S a gal who can rear up some cattle, or go weave a carpet, or maybe get all those files in order! And she'll probably STILL go to the saloon after all that to guzzle a brewsky!

I’m talking about the working woman’s braid: her key to success when her face isn’t enough. I would choose something light and loose, something that says, Yeah, I took the time to get ready for this job by braiding my hair, but see how loose it is? That means I’m nonchalant. But it’s also a braid, which means I work hard. So there. You could even intertwine some rope into it to increase the hardcore worker factor. Think: Idgie Threadgoode, before the social demands of Whistle Stop forced her to chop her hair off and become slightly more feminine looking.

Anyhoo, this is all just food for thought. Clearly, I am no expert on preparing for a life as a working woman, but I have shared with you what I know, and hope to see more women up and down the eastern seaboard sporting the working woman’s braid with pride. Because so what if your face got mauled by a bear so you’re missing an eye and all your teeth got chipped so they look like little uneven spikes so nobody wants to give you a job now, plus you're obese? Pura vida, man. You can still slap a braid on the back of that shit. Unless the bear took your scalp too.

Love in the Early 1900s

2007-05-18T14:30:00.000-04:00

GIRL: Let's run away together!

BOY: Oh! How nice that would be! But wherever would we go?

GIRL: Oh, I don't know! Somewhere large, urban, urbane, a place where they can't stop us from, from...

BOY: From holding hands and riding together!

GIRL: Yes! Oh, how nice it would be to just be somewhere big, where things were happening where the future was growing. Like Buffalo or Grand Rapids!

BOY: How wonderful it would be! To finally just be young and alive! To just be with you, dear!

GIRL: *Titters*

BOY: What is it?

GIRL: You called me "dear"! You've never done that before-

BOY: Oh, I apologize, truly. I didn't mean to be so presumptio-

GIRL: No. No. I liked it. It felt nice.

BOY: *Titters*

GIRL: *Blushes*

BOY: Oh, but how will we get to one of these places? How can we escape so quickly, like the night through a sieve or a thief through the wickets and high grass?

GIRL: Why, we'll take your father's yacht, of course!

BOY: *Blushes*

GIRL: What, what is it?

BOY: Oh, phoo! I'm afraid I can't really sail, this is just a silly outfit!

GIRL: Phoo!

BOY: Oh, how embarrassing this is! To think of me, parading like some captain when the first time I wore this hat I had to be reminded which end was front! I wish someone would just invent an autocar! How much easier running away will be then!

GIRL: Oh! Well, we can't go far together. Then let's just get lost! Somewhere nearby but not too far, just long enough to hold hands and titter and blush! Please, please! I promise I'll let you call me dear and perhaps I'll even take my coat off for a spell!

BOY: Oh, how nice it will be!

LITTLE BROTHER THE CORNPICKER: Hey!

GIRL: GASP!

LITTLE BROTHER THE CORNPICKER: You two aren't going nowheres!

GIRL: I thought your little brother the cornpicker was to be picking till nightfall!

BOY: Why, I thought, oh, I knew, oh-

LITTLE BROTHER THE CORNPICKER: I already met my quota for the day, riffraff! I was allowed to leave the cornfields! But I'll be goddamned if I let you two fanny about town sullying my good family name!

BOY: Oh little brother but to love, to be in love, it's like nothing I've ever-

LITTLE BROTHER THE CORNPICKER: Don't tell me about no love!

BOY: Phoo!

GIRL: Phoo!

*LITTLE BROTHER THE CORNPICKER takes bite of raw corn and undoes one strap of overalls*

FIN.

Sad News.

2007-05-17T23:04:00.000-04:00

R.I.P. Veronica Mars.

EXPERIMENT

2007-05-09T19:45:00.001-04:00

Here's a song I made. Im really just trying to figure out how to blog music - I may try to creat a blog to post a song a day as a summer project. Blog, blog blog

Running with Dogs

2007-05-08T01:28:00.000-04:00

I live in a city, a big city, with people jogging everywhere. There are even people on in-line skates. I'm here to talk about running with your dog.

If you know me, you can probably anticipate that I think running with a dog on a leash is real dumb.

If you are running with your dog, your dog is probably thinking:

1-OMG OMG WHERE IS THE ANIMAL I AM CHASING OMG OMG I AM GOING TO CATCH AN ANIMAL SOON WTF THERE IS NO ANIMAL WTF I WANT TO LIE DOWN OR EAT THIS GARBAGE I JUST RAN BY

2-WTF THIS CONCRETE IS HARD WTF WHY DONT I HAVE SPECIAL SHOES LIKE YOU HEY DOG I JUST RAN BY A/S/L WTF I WANT TO WEAR SOME NEW BALANCES OR AT LEAST SOME ETONICS MY PAWS ARE BLEEDING

3-I BET THIS IS WHAT HAVING SEX WITH ANOTHER DOG IS LIKE IF I HAD NOT BEEN FIXED EXCEPT AT THE END SOMETHING GOOD WOULD HAPPEN INSTEAD OF YOU DUMPING SOME WATER INTO MY MOUTH WHICH I CAN'T DRINK BECAUSE MY MOUTH IS SO DAMN LONG AND WATER COMES OUT THE SIDES SRSLY

4-I WONDER WHERE I BURIED MY BONE? ARE WE RUNNING TO THERE? WE SHOULD JUST TAKE THE CAR I COULD PUT MY HEAD OUT THE WINDOW AND GET A DUM-DUM AT THE BANK

Chillin' Vices

2007-05-07T21:37:00.000-04:00

I used to be quasi-productive at nighttime. In college I would go to the gym, eat fro yo with my friends, instant message some peeps, all kinds of stuff!

However, lately, my nights have become a little embarrassing. They revolve around the following:

Eating low sugar vanilla yogurt mixed with granola. Sounds healthy right? Not really. Tonight I reached an all time low where I crumbled up Atkins brand chocolately chip granola bars into the yogurt. I had two servings.

Brothers and Sisters. This show is so great. I watch it all the time on abc.com. The storylines are so soapy and over the top- I can't get enough. Also, the gay brother is HOT. When I am not busy streaming this online, I am downloading episodes of the office or watching LOST online.

Another new vice are the crossword puzzles on washingtonpost.com. All you have to do is sign up for access to washingtonpost.com and it is free! You can then choose from a wise variety of puzzles online! Even those pesky sodoku puzzles-which I hate by the way. Also, you can check to see if you are right about a word or "reveal" words to help you out!

I guess that is it.

In conclusion, I need to nip these vices in the bud and return to the productivity of yore. On the other hand, if anyone is looking for some fun new ways to avoid doing important stuff- check out abc.com, washingtonpost.com, and go buy some yogurt/granola.

Anticipation!

2007-05-04T10:57:00.000-04:00

Everybody!

What songs do you hope AF plays this weekend?

My dream set-list would include the following:

Rebellion (lies)
Neighborhood 3 (Power Out)
The Well and the Lighthouse
Headlights Look Like Diamonds
Black Mirror
And of course, Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels)

I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh, britney.

2007-05-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

you should have stuck with "email my heart."

Only 28 more hours.

2007-05-03T14:57:00.000-04:00

I think my hand will be over my heart the whole night. Not for like pledging allegiance or anything, just because it might beat too fast from excitement! Who is with me?

2007-05-03T09:40:00.000-04:00

thoughts?

Personal Chillfest: A Picture Post

2007-05-02T21:40:00.000-04:00

After a relatively hectic weekend/beginning of the week, I desperately needed to chill out.

The activites and items listed below greatly contributed to my chillfest.

First, I hit up plan 9 for a little retail therapy. Thank goodness they had the two cds I wanted!

Afterwards, I drove-(yes! drove!) one block to Bev's for some delicious espresso oreo ice cream.

Finally, I came home to curl up with my laptop, listen to my new music, eat my ice cream, and read . . .articles in Science mag.

Who doesn't love to read about the inflammatory pathway while they are chillin'?

Just kidding guys! But I really did come home and read science articles online.

Hope everyone else had a chillaxing Wednesday!

Oh yeah, I also stayed updated on my new favorite baseball team, the Cleveland Indians via espn "gamecast".

2007-05-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?

i knew i shouldnt have googled this - these movies suck

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?

id wanna eat all of that - but i guess if i have to choose one, chips and salsa (guacamole in addition preferable)

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?

i could not tell you, i guess mainly making sh*tty movies. i inadvertantly went to music and lyrics recently on a date. wow.

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,or Ouiser (weezer)?

its too hard for me to pick one!

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?

i think i saw twin peaks, once?

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?

this is too hard a question - i love so many fine eating establishments - i guess id say yoko sushi in oakton

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?

big time

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?

youth league sports - ill still play now, just not in a yellow and blue reversible jersey with little kids

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?

chili, cheese, raw onions

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?

probably basketball, but id be up for racquetball too

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?

kyle and ashleigh - itd be the slammenest chill fest ever. im sure theyd hook it up with racy adult films and malt liquor, just the way i like it.

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is more addictive?

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?

mr. littlejeans - best character ever man (i lost my touch!- begoda, i think thats his name in bottle rocket)

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?

my dad did it, negative refund - what a bitch

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?

yes - oddly enough for a brief time i had some weird affinity for the name rick

16. Who is your favorite founding father?

you know, i just took us history for the second time last summer - still cant answer this question.

The moment of truth: honest answers to some tough questions

2007-04-28T18:06:00.000-04:00

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?

Am I supposed to know the answer without looking on the internet movie database? After some detailed research I choose Michael, because an Ephron film unseen by me is better than an Ephron film seen.

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?

Chips/salsa.

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?

She suffered a drug stroke and half her face is paralyzed (watch her mouth when she talks). She also has an unrivaled ability to deliver unforgivable acting performances one film after another (with the exception of Fever Pitch).

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,
or Ouiser (weezer)?

This question was a joke, right?

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?

Ronnie.

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?

Kuba Kuba.

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?

A resounding yay.

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?

Steeling my mom’s Nursing Photo Atlas when I went to sleepovers so me and my friends could look at pictures of penises being operated on, or just dangling off the lap of some anonymous gent under the knife.

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?

A leash.

Get it? GET IT? HA HA!

Wait—no, I got it for real. Air conditioning! AHA!

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?

Who would ever choose racquetball? We aren’t moms from the middle 90s. Or middle aged men. Baseball it is.

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?

Undoubtedly afh4. If anyone else here knows how to save a life, I’ll rethink this answer.

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is more addictive?

Veronica Mars.

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?

Chas Tenenbaum. Tied with Eli Cash.

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?

A. No I didn’t do my own taxes this year.
B. Nobody did.
C. My refund was nothing, because I have yet to do my taxes. This is embarrassing and scary for me to admit. I should go hunt down some tax forms pronto.

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?

Certainly did. I chose many names over the years to replace the all too common Kathryn. During my brief (and I do mean brief) obsession with Casper (the Bill Pullman and Christina Ricci version) I told a Jehovah’s Witness at my front door that my name was Kathryn, but that all my friends called me Kat. A bald-faced lie, indeed.

16. Who is your favorite founding father?

Mr. Hamilton. According to the shot of his mug on the $10 bill he was a major DILF.

omg this is so long aka taylor's questionnaire

2007-04-27T12:10:00.000-04:00

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?

For some reason, I thought Nora Ephron was somehow related to the movie Big. Apparently she's not. So I guess I choose When Harry Met Sally, too.

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?

Salsa, but only really, really hot salsa

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?

I don't think anything's going on with her that's any different from what's been going on with her for her entire life -- i.e. that she's annoying.

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,
or Ouiser (weezer)?

Wait what about M'Lynn? She is the steeliest magnolia of them all. Once, when I was on a teen bus tour across the United States, I met a girl whose house was where they shot the Christmas party scenes.

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?

N/A

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?

In Richmond...Benny’s BBQ or Thai’s Mama (aka Mom’s

Siam

). They are both in the same shopping center; it also includes a Tuesday Morning, a Junior League thrift store, a vacuum cleaner repair shop, a Mexican grocery store, a payday loans place, a bar where people get shot sometimes, and, somehow, a flea market. It is one of my favorite shopping centers of all time..

In Charlottesville...I'm not really that attached to any one place. Wherever is least crowded I guess; also wherever is NOT Sal's Ristorante or whatever on the Downtown Mall. Sal's is my LEAST favorite place to eat in the state/commonwealth of Virginia.

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?

Not for this adult. Or for this adult when she was a child. I can't stand cartoons. UGH cartoons

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?

Um, I was into geneaology for a while, and I guess I wouldn't participate in that now. I literally used to go to a nursing home on Saturday mornings and take classes about geneaology from old people. Yeah, I would never do that now.

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?

I think relish is a pretty fascinating phenomenon.

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?

I don't get this question, or all the references to "chilling." I like to watch baseball games live, and I can beat almost anyone in a game of Horse, which Kyle mentioned below (she mentions the game below, not the fact that I can beat almost anyone at it, though that's still true). I have a signature shot that I can make 9 out of 10 times, which unnerves people and makes them miss theirs.

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?

I don't know any HMPV contributors. Is that like someone who carries an STD? Who are you people?

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is more addictive?

I don't think I'll even dignify this question with an answer, except to say that I think ANTM is more addictive.

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?

Max, Max's dad, and all the male Tenenbaums

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?

No, my dad is an accountant, so he did them. I don't know how much the refund was because he keeps it as his fee. When I start to argue with that, I think about how they say it costs parents a million dollars to raise a kid these days, and I stop talking.

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?

Yes, constantly. It's really logistically confusing to go by your middle name, especially since, back in the day, Taylor was generally a boys' name. I wanted to reclaim my first name (Ann), which I tried to do once, on my first day of Vacation Bible School the year after second grade. I vividly remember writing Ann on my name tag. Only there were two kids from my school in my class, and they wouldn’t call me Ann, so no one else did either. Bastards.

16. Who is your favorite founding father?

I wanted to try to pick someone other than TJ, but I like that bed at Monticello that lifts up into the ceiling too much to pick anyone else

This thing took me forty minutes!

2007-04-27T00:43:00.000-04:00

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?

When Harry Met Sally, or as I like to call it, The Only Movie In Which Meg Ryan is Annoying in An Endearing Way, and Not Just in a Really Fucking Stupid, Trying-too-Hard-to-be-Cute-and-Spunky Kind of Way.

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?

Definitely apples with peanut butter. I love peanut butter almost as much as Jeffrey, KP's "Wonder Pooch."

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?

Besides a voice flatter than a freshly ground tortilla? And acting skills on par with a wood block?

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,
or Ouiser (weezer)?

I don't remember much about that movie despite watching it every day of my girlhood, so I'm going to go with Ouiser (I'm intrigued by the spelling).

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?

VM!

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?

The sandwiches at Take-it-Away haunt my every waking hour...but the best place to sit down and eat is Arties. That chicken paillard! Girl, don't even get me started.

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?

Pura vida.

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?

I used to think it was clever to smash my softball coach's cigarette packs when she wasn't looking. She'd leave them on the bleacher and I'd smash them, as if that would somehow teach her that it would behoove her health to stop smoking. But I stopped after she found a smashed pack on the ground once and yelled out to her daughter, who was playing first base, "You do that again I'll smack you!"

I also used to steal my grandma's cigarette packs and replace the cigarettes with rolled up pieces of paper that said things like, "JUST SAY NO!" or "YOU'LL GET CANCER!" I seriously envisioned us bonding over it, her confessing that she'd been wanting to quit for years and I, her eight year old granddaughter, had finally convinced her to do it, us both crying, etc. But she found them and just looked puzzled, and then took a fresh pack from her purse.

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?

Ketchup.

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?

Dude, who thought of this question? It's not clear at all. Baseball to watch. Basketball to play. Is that what you're asking? COME ON.

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?

Kiks! She'd know to incorporate the necessities: light, entertaining movies/shows on DVD, alchohol, and weird foods like Cheerios cereal bars.

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is more addictive?

Since I've never seen either, I say pura vida.

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?

"Yes that's true--but I've been out to sea for a long time."

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?

My dad. I don't know yet. Probably, like, nine dollars.

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?

No story I could tell beats my friend Carlos's story about his desire to be named Burning Key Car, as in the Hot Wheels mini-car, when he was four.

16. Who is your favorite founding father?

Whoever delivered the hardest spankings.

Kiki's Q+A

2007-04-26T20:06:00.000-04:00

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?

You've Got Mail, obviously. I have a huge old man crush on T.Hanks and I love love love the mid-nineties trends in it- AOL, Starbucks everywhere and of course, the introduction of the megabookstore. Also, I get a huge kick out of Tom deleting his typed words by hitting the delete key over and over again instead of holding it down.

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?

Toss up between chips/salsa. Preferably blue corn chips with mango/peach salsa. For ice cream I would have to say B+J Mint Chocolate Cookie or Starbucks Mudpie.

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?

I don't know! But I love her hair in FeverPitch. And I love FeverPitch, but notsomuch her in it. She is just ok in it.

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,or Ouiser (weezer)?

Ouiser or Miss Truvy. I feel like I am usually more like Miss Truvy minus the DDD chest and tousled blonde hair. Ouiser can be such an ol' coot though!

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?

As awesome as Special Agent Dale Cooper is, everyone who knows me knows that the answer is VERONICA MARS.

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?

By region:
Arlington- Queen Bee (RIP)
The City- Artie's/Dolce Vita
Charlottesville- Take It Away
Richmond- Sticky Rice

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?

Nay. I am a little insecure about my feelings on cartoons. No matter how witty or cutesy they seem to all my friends, I could just care less. The Simpsons. Meh. Family Guy. Snore. I don't even really know what that aqua-teen-something-or-other is- and I feel like I am supposed to!

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?

Soccer. According to a home video, eight year old me LOVED soccer. Like, so much, i wrote about it in my journal and would practice in the back yard. I don't remember anything but hating it!

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?

Catsup.

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?

To play, I guess basketball, but only fun games like HORSE.

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?

Smash. We have been cultivating the act of chilling together since we were fourteen. I imagine her planning one of our "abroad" chillfests. These usually include playing gin (in our hotel room), drinking red wine(in our hotel room), and taking three hour cat naps. A chillfest here in the US of A would most likely involve: drinking red wine (worldly!), watching several episodes of (angsty wb teen show or SWC), and occasionally pausing to chat.

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is more addictive?

ANTM- Cycle 1 only. When it comes to reality TV, I actually prefer celeb based reality more (ie Tori and Dean: Inn Love, Run's House, etc).

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?

No. My Pops. Dunno.

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?

Yes. I was convinced that my name should have been "Samantha". To this day, I still think I look like a Samantha.

16. Who is your favorite founding father?
TJ. Duh.

afh4's survey.

2007-04-26T17:52:00.000-04:00

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?

The first time my family got a video camera that took those small tapes (you know, the small ones) we got three free small tape movies with it. There was this big catalog and we had to pick out which small tape movies we wanted and the selection was bizarre. It must've been limited by studio or something, plus by the fact that the movie had to have been published on small tape technology.

Well, I don't remember the other two but one of the small tape movies was the small tape version of My Blue Heaven with Rick Moranis and Steve Martin.

In order to watch this small tape movie, we would have to hook up the small tape camcorder to the regular tape VCR using some kind of cable and then play the small tape movie through the small tape camcorder. Only then could you watch it on television. I did this approximately 100 times before I graduated high school, each time watching the small tape version of My Blue Heaven. I've only met a handful of people who've ever even heard of My Blue Heaven.

So, yeah. My Blue Heaven.

Ahh, fuck it. Who am I trying to kid? When Harry Met Sally.

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?

chips/salsa.

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?

Drew Barrymore irritates me. A lot. She's only famous because she was famous when she was little and because girls think she is cute. I've never met a single guy who thinks Drew Barrymore is attractive yet she keeps getting cast in romantic comedies because girls think she is pretty. F that-if I have to sit through 50 First Dates at least let one of the female contributors from this blog be in it.

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,or Ouiser (weezer)?

Miss Truvy.

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?

Miss Truvy.

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?

Ok, this question was planted for me. It's the Mill Street Grill in Staunton, VA. I probably ate there once a week growing up and I've had nearly everything that was on the menu at that time. Plus, the butter is always a different flavor and there are three different kinds of bread, all baked together in this little bowl.

I am salivating thinking about it; plus, it was one of the only places in town that would hire gay people, so the waitstaff was great.

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?

Nay, nay, nay.

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?

I played that game Magic: The Gathering for about 6 weeks because I have a very nerdy brother who was into it. He got me into it so he could use my best cards (like "Icy Manipulator") to defeat his opponents. Obviously, I would never do that now.

Also, I did actual magic tricks for about 6 weeks when I was about 11. I would never do that now. I hate magic-it infuriates me because I know it's basically a drawn out lie.

I was also in the Boy Scouts and I wouldn't do that now.

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?

Cheese.

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?

To play: Basketball
To watch: Baseball
Court on which to throw a party: Racquetball.

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?

I pick KP and assume that the chillfest will involve Jeffrey the Dog.

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is more addictive?

I've watched some ANTM and none of this Pussycat Doll search. Top Chef and PRunway are both way more addictive and way better.

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?

Tennis Announcer 1: That's 72 unforced errors for Richie Tenebaum. He's playing the worst tennis of his life. What's he feeling right now?

Tennis Announcer 2: I don't know, Jim. There's obviously something wrong with him. He's taken off his shoes and one of his socks and... actually, I think he's crying.

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?

No. My Dad. Like 450 dollars.

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?

Yeah. I wanted a really "cool" name like Spike or Dragon or something. I used to get in these pretty big fights with my mom when I was about 7 or 8 where I would scream at her about not being named like Chain or Flame or something.

16. Who is your favorite founding father?

It's a huge toss-up. I'm a big, big fan of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Hamilton. Ultimately, though, I'm VA bred, so it's TJ.

He was probably the second smartest (behind Hamilton) and probably the tallest (by half an inch over Washington). That's a pretty good combo considering that Hamilton was the shortest and Washington the dumbest.

ahem...

2007-04-26T14:13:00.000-04:00

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?
Because I refuse to be constrained by the distinction of Ms. Ephron as a director, and instead must consider her entire body of work in all of its shining glory, I would have to say that her assistant producing of “When Harry Met Sally” was beyond stellar.
Also, Billy Crystal was in it.

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?
Yes.

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?
When I was twelve, and sneaking into the Fair City Mall movie theater to watch Drew and Chris O’Donnell in “Mad Love,” I had an epiphany: I too wanted to be a free-spirited, confident, sex-obsessed homicidal runaway and cut out thousands of eyes from glossy magazines and plaster them to the walls of my squalid apartment while wearing flowing white sundresses and smoky eyeshadow.
….Wait, what was the question?

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,
or Ouiser (weezer)?
Ihaveneverseenmorethantenminutesofthatmovie
kylepleasedontbreakupwithme.

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?
Mars Bars & Twinkies!

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?
Ok, I need to qualify this—
In Northern Virginia: Artie’s Sunday Brunch
In Charlottesville: The Bistro/Arch’s/Bluegrass Grill/EVERYWHERE

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?
Kyle, if this is another subversive attempt to get me to watch Anime pornography with you, my answer is still no.

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?
I think I have to go with the ol’ classic: séances and Ouija boards and incense-filled sleepovers. Although that sounds kind of fun now… Who’s with me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?
Ew.

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?
To watch on TV? I’d go with… basketball. Or tennis—such cute skirts!

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?
Because sharing is caring, I would like to appeal to the judges for an all-inclusive ChillFest 2K7™, with a diverse and eclectic contribution by all:
Kyle—Free front-row tickets to a Beach Boys concert
Becky—Professional photographic documentation of said event and jealousy-inspiring outfit.
Youri— Jeanette Debrienza and her endless supply of Hostess cupcakes, obvi.
Taylor—Amazing interior decoration of ChillFest™ location; impromptu poetry readings.
Jimmy—Testosterone.
Andrew—Improvisational comedy as entertainment while Hostess cupcakes are consumed.
KP—Jeffrey the Amazing Wonder Pooch.

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is the more addictive?
OMG ASIA DID NOT DESERVE TO WIN!!1111 WTFFFFFFFF

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?
Pelé dos Santos, otherwise known as the Portuguese David Bowie in “Life Aquatic.”

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?
With the trusty help of H&R Block Online, yes! All in all, a good chunk of change--$1,300. TAKE THAT, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?
Um… Yes. Hannah. Suckazzz!

16. Who is your favorite founding father?
My heart belongs to Daddy.

The BHPV Questionnaire

2007-04-26T13:10:00.000-04:00

Okay people, here is the deal- when responding to this questionnaire. Just cut and paste the questions into your post and answer them as you go! This way your questionnaire will be a new, awesome PV post! Please don't answer the questions in the comments section. Let us all read about you with a finale that says "POSTED BY __________ at (insert wrong time here)". Get it? Ok, good. With that settled here are the "But Hey . . .Pura Vida" questions that desperately need answers.

1. What is your all time favorite Nora Ephron film?

2. Suppose you are curled up and just chilling- would you be snacking on: chips/salsa, ice cream, or apples with peanut butter?

3. What is going on with Drew Barrymore?

4. Who do you most identify with in Steel Magnolias? Miss Truvy, Annelle, Clairee, Shelby,
or Ouiser (weezer)?

5. Veronica Mars or Twin Peaks?

6. Favorite place to eat in the state of Virginia?

7. Cartoons for adults- yay or nay?

8. What was one of your favorite hobbies when you were a kid that you would never participate in now?

9. Favorite hot dog condiment?

10. When you aren't chilling, would you choose basketball, baseball, or racquetball?

11. If you had to choose one HMPV contributor to plan a chillfest for you-including the environment, movies/tv, and eats- who would you pick and what type of chillfest do you think they would plan?

12. America's Next Top Model (ANTM) vs. Search for the Next Pussycat Doll- which one is more addictive?

13. Favorite Wes Anderson created character?

14. Did you do your own taxes this year? If not, who did? How much was your refund?

15. Did you want to be named something else when you were younger? What?

16. Who is your favorite founding father?

That is it! Remember to make this a POST and don't respond in the comments!

Kisses,
YFBA

LADIES and MANOREXICS your dreams have been answered!!!

2007-04-25T20:45:00.000-04:00

WHO LOVES TWINKIES (the cake like confection, not the racial slur for americanized koreans like myself)?!

segue

I work at a catering company. I am bombarded by calorie ridden sweets everyday. I love to eat, but I would also like to keep my girlish figure. I also would rather stop conceding to eating yogurts or "fruit" or my viactiv calcium chews for dessert (caramel flavored - will save for next blog entry). ENTER JEANETTE DEBRIENZA, the elderly Avon saleswoman from the shop next door. Jeanette is awesome. She is Brooklyn, born and raised. She organizes ladies trips to Mohegan Sun (indian casino 20 minutes outside of the city) and to Atlantic City on a chartered bus. Usually she is trying to peddle some grody generic frosted oatmeal cookies or like, a tub of whipped cream cheese on me. This time, however, she comes in with these:

I'm all over this shit. She gives me one of the little carrot cakes and I'm in heaven. It tastes nothing like carrot cake but I don't care because it's got that fake, synthetic and alarmingly shiny "creme" in the middle and at a mere 33 calories i can eat like, 17 more. Ladies and manorexics alike, I don't want to get all "Kirstie Alley" on you but now you can have your cake and eat it too! So what if the ingredients don't exist in nature? ITS OK THE POINT IS YOU WON'T GET FAT.

bon apetite!

Serious Preparation

2007-04-23T10:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, as I am sure everyone knows, Foxfields is this Saturday! No doubt it will be a blast- it is always a highlight of my spring. However, this year I am considering changing up a few important elements. They are listed as follows:

1. Drinks.

Last year, we went with a college girl staple, boxed wine. While it goes down rather smoothly, I had a horrendous headache all afternoon while sobering up.

This year I want to try pregaming with some of these adorable cocktails.

A ramos fizz is frothy and fun. My dad made me one once and it was delish. The problem with the drink is that it needs a blender to be super frothy. Maybe we can make a pitcher and drink them before we leave?

Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 oz gin2 tbsp cream1/2 oz fresh lemon juice1 fresh egg white1/4 oz club soda1 tbsp powdered sugar3-4 drops orange flower water1/2 oz fresh lime juice
Add the ingredients except club soda to a chilled mixer and shake for at least one minute. Strain into a thin goblet and top off with chilled club soda, to taste.

2. Dress.

I love Lilly Pulitzer dresses. The prints are bright and girly. Also, I think they have a very flattering cut. Unfortunately, everyone at FF loves Lilly, especially, my favorite style, the "Audrey". The dress issue is going to be decided by the end of the week.

3. Plot Section

This year we are chilling in the swanky alumni section. No more student section with frat boys peeing in troughs! I have no idea what to expect- I am thinking I will see more of this:

And less of this?

I dunno, but I can't wait to find out.

In conclusion, I am taking this week to do some important stuff! Like, maybe buy a new dress and all the ingredients to make my delicious gin drink!

Also, to get everyone excited I am posting a couple old FF pics!

Foxfields 2k3.

Foxfields 2k6.

Coming soon . . .

2007-04-20T11:57:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

Just to give you a heads up- afh4 and I are going to develop a questionnaire for all of us to respond to! That's right. Even though we are all distantly kinda linked to one another, there is going to be a way for us to get, well, closer.

Be on the look out!
Love,
Your favorite blog administrator,
Kiki

Oh yeah, and if you have any awesome question for the questionnaire.- leave them in the comments!

Blogging the BSC

2007-04-20T09:24:00.000-04:00

So, I realize that this may be trespassing across some sort of Line in the Blog Sand by linking another blog in a blog. Blog blog blog.

Where was I? Oh, yes. But, if you have ever found yourself stealing your little sister's Baby Sitter's Club books, reading them late at night by flashlight, and then claiming that you only read them because you wanted to see what literary influences made her "such a stupidhead", then this is for you:

BSC Headquarters

How very meta.

Confict alert!

2007-04-20T00:40:00.000-04:00

Dear Fellow Blogsters,

I'm conflicted. On one hand, Nalgenes are so cool (and in case you've been living in a deep sea bunker for the last decade, they're those fun-colored water bottles you see at REI and hanging from hipster belt loops). They're bright. They're outdoorsy. They supposedly don't ever break, EVER.

This is how excited people get about their Nalgenes:

They decorate them with amphibians, and take fun pictures.

OR

They go hiking and notice their Nalgene sort of matches the point where sky and ocean meet, and take a picture of the three existing harmoniously together, to remind us how the man-made was once a part of nature, too, and, like, so totally one with...with everything. You know, man?

OR

They store pasta in them...?

So the optimistic side of me says, "Buy another Nalgene! They're so cute! So versatile! You should carry a liter of water on you at all times!" Then the cynical, devilish Ashleigh strokes her black mustache and says, "But they sell Aquafina for a buck at Rite Aid, with easy-to-grip features and a small spicket from which to drink."

The thing is, I always get excited about Nalgenes. I really like those turquoise and cobalt ones--aren't they pretty?! But everytime I fall for its good looks, I wind up with my heart in pieces. Nalgenes are heavy. I don't like carrying around a liter of water (or double pint, or third o' gallon, or whatever...I don't really know measurements. But it holds a LOT of water, is my point). What's more, the little meter thing noting how many ounces you're drinking disappears entirely, if you wash it enough--which you need to do, because it looks so grimy and scuffed so quickly. Lastly, those big ones are just plain awful if you are trying to work out and drink from them at the same time. I wind up a mess! And after a while, those mouth guards you can buy also look the kind of filthy that will never really be clean again, and they remind me of the mouth guards we wore playing lacrosse in high school...which reminds me of the time I tried out and didn't make the team, which remains a permanent scar on my self-esteem.....and my life.

Anyway, I ponder all this because I'm debating purchasing another Nalgene, and I wonder, are they overrated? Do I just want to look outdoorsyish or hipsterish? Sort of, yes. Both. But is buying one better than getting an Aquafina from Rite Aid every time I'm on the go? Yes, I think it is most definitely better, at least financially.

What to do?

Yours,
Pensive in PA

Problem?!

2007-04-19T17:38:00.001-04:00

I am addicted to this song. So dreamy and ethereal.

Ms. Grylls at your service.

2007-04-19T11:16:00.000-04:00

I would like to take this opportunity
To announce my engagement.

I have found the man of my dreams.

No mere mortal could ever achieve what my future husband has—especially at the ripe, virile young age of thirty-two.

I would like to introduce you to the future Mr. Rubenstein:

Bear Grylls.

For those of you who have not yet been blessed by knowledge of this man’s glorious existence, I would like to offer, for your enjoyment, a brief outline of my fiancée’s heroic life:

1. At the age of 23, my dumpling entered The Guinness Book of Records by becoming the youngest, and one of only around thirty, British climbers to have successfully climbed Mt. Everest and returned alive.

2. Cupcake was a member of the British Special Air Service. During this time, he suffered a free-fall parachuting accident in Africa where he broke his back in three places. And then recovered to climb Mt. Everest.

3. In 2003, Lovely successfully completed another world breaking expedition, leading a team across the North Atlantic Arctic Ocean in a small open rigid inflatable boat.

4. Two years ago, SmooshyLoveFace broke the world record for the highest ever open air dinner party, slung under a hot air balloon at 25,000 ft.

5. CreamyHappyMuffinBrownie is the current star of The Discovery Channel’s “Man Vs. Wild,” where he is parachuted into some of the most inhospitable deserts, jungles and mountains on earth with only a knife, rippling muscles, and an adorable accent to survive.

6. He has a son named Marmaduke and lives on a boat.

7. He is hot.

Please join us in celebrating this new chapter of our lives.

This is for Taylor.

2007-04-18T15:42:00.001-04:00

Taylor, this is for you.

How To Save A Life

2007-04-18T12:41:00.000-04:00

STEP 1: Find the person that you are trying to save. Say "We need to talk."

STEP 2: When he seems skittish, explain that he should "Relax. It's just a talk."

STEP 3: As they smile politely, stare through them. This detachment will signal that this is serious and you are not confronting your emotions about the gravity.

STEP 4: Make some trite references to the "right" way, meaning both towards the East (if one is facing North) and "correct", "ethical", "conventional", or otherwise "substance-abuse free."

STEP 5: Explain to him that you have all the answers. That you know best; after all, you do. It's this kind of selflessness that appeals to those in the grips of a devestating mental and physical addiction.

STEP 6: He's going to set up walls; it's up to you to get around them. In order to slip past these defenses I suggest either:

A play-action to the halfback, guard pulling, hook/deep post route.

OR:

The cover of night on a bicycle.

STEP 7: Now is when you list out all the grievances you have. Here's an example list you can use as a guide:

1-You ate all the banana nut bread.

2-You scratched my new Gwen CD when you cut cocaine on it using a razor.

3-You don't turn on the fan after you use the bathroom.

4-You crashed my scooter on vacation last fall.

5-There are heroin needles everywhere.

STEP 8: Pray to God he hears you.

STEP 9: Things are probably getting hairy at this point. Your praying has upset him and he's shouting. Speak to him in low tones. Make it clear that you are serious but refuse to play "The Shouting Game."

STEP 10: Grant him one last choice:

"[Insert addict's name], you can either drive until you lose the road or break with the ones you've followed."

STEP 11: When he asks for clarification as to what the choices are, refuse him any. This is his choice. He has to make it, regardless of whether he understands the options. If drugs have sapped him of his ability to comprehend metaphors, so be it. The world weeps for no man who cannot imagine life as a river.

STEP 12a: He admits everything! Success! Give him back his wife and children and expect a particularly nice Christmas card this year.

STEP 12b: He says he's not the same and you begin to wonder why you came. Because he's obviously the same. He's still a drug addict. Look at him. That's a drug addict and until he admits to everything, he can't change. Take away his briefcase and leave the Lincoln Memorial immediately.

Another important food item.

2007-04-18T12:19:00.000-04:00

I feel like a blog hog here but I have to just put in a word about Trader Joe's meringues. Small. Fat free. Low calorie. Sugary, egg-whitey scrumpdiddlyumptiousness. I ate so many the other night I was physically ill the next morning. And then I bought some more, and ate too many again. But I think I'm building a tolerance because I'm not getting sick anymore, just fat. (They ARE low cal but not if you eat them a box at a time, obviously).

Uh, p.s...I CAN.

2007-04-18T00:18:00.000-04:00

Taylor unknowingly challenged me to a duel, and I'm going to shoot her down.

While Hugh Laurie is most definitely hot in a slack-jawed sort of way, he ain't got nothing on:

Wayne Coyne. What can I even say? A girlish singing voice + wild, untamed hair + those Banana Republic-esque suits = one big bowl of middle aged deliciousness. The cherry on top lies in his willingness to so fervantly hug adoring female fans. Google image him and you'll see what I mean. I hope to one day be among them.

The second dude--or proverbial gunshot in Tay Tay's direction--is this ripe old thing:

Just kidding. I'm sure muppet man is still cute underneath that matted fur...but really, I just couldn't think of a second hot old dude. I considered Al Pacino until I googled him and saw he's long-since passed weathered-sexy and flung himself full force into just plain weathered.

Uh which House to Watch?

2007-04-17T22:58:00.000-04:00

This House incorporates an ethnically and internationally diverse cast. Plus, they are hot. Name two old men who are hotter than Hugh Laurie. P.S. You can't. Finally, two of them are having a NSA (no strings attached, it's what the kids are saying) sexual relationship on the show, but are engaged IN REAL LIFE. In my mind, this is the House to beat.

Srsly.

2007-04-17T21:38:00.000-04:00

Mimosas. Just for brunch? I think not. I can't get enough of these little fellas. It is the perfect blend of sweet n' tart.

Basically, heaven. In this picture's case, heaven in a hollyberry painted goblet.

Also, I must give credit where credit is due:

Smash was the initial lover of the mimosa.

Why is she always so right?

Which House to watch?

2007-04-17T00:05:00.000-04:00

KP put this centuries old argument to rest tonight while we were chilling.

Pure as a virgin, thicker 'an thighs.

2007-04-16T11:34:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of straight chillin', girl-style (which in my mind involves eating), I want to rave for a minute about this little baby:

Fage. Pronounced "Fa-yeh!" As in, my heart is on fayeh for this yogurt. (Get it?) But seriously, it's incredible. Imagine a substance with the thick, rich texture of whole whipped cream minus the 900 grams of fat per serving. If you buy the 2% or even the fat free (and I usually hate fat free anything), these little cups of godly deliciousness taste great, fill you up in ways other low-fat yogurts only dream about, and can be eaten plain, with honey, with sugar substitute, or with fruit--a substance with a world of possibilities. Okay, now stop imagining. Imagine never more! Your dreams have already been realized, and can be purchased at most grocery stores (Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and I think, now, most regular old Safeways/Giant Eagles/Krogers/Giants).

Just a Picture Test.

2007-04-16T08:36:00.000-04:00

I love him.

Exciting News!!!

2007-04-16T00:18:00.000-04:00

Ok- a couple things.
1. This is a blog! For my friends! To share, like, fun stuff with me.
2. The National are opening for Arcade Fire. I don't know if I am excited about this or not :/ I kinda hoped the opening act would be jarvis cocker-y Patrick Wolf!