lola's weekend update

i had a pretty busy weekend of doing nothing.
friday night, Sasha and I went to Tierra for our monthly dinner.
i'd decided at the start of the day to save my calories for dinner, but one of my-coworkers made the most delicious brownies. I couldn't help myself.
Here's the recipe for my coworkers brownies:
You'll need a box of betty crocker chocolate brownie mix. Prepare as instructed for cake-like brownies. Pour half the batter in regular brownie tin, then lay 2 large Hershey's Symphony Almonds & Toffee bars (the big baking ones, not the small ones) across the top of the batter. Pour the rest of the brownie mix on top and bake brownies as instructed. You'll have to keep an eye on it though because the chocolate bars may add some time. Doesn't this sound delicious? Yeah, I had 3.
This didn't stop me from wanting to eat my hand by 6pm and our reservation was at 7pm. Sasha and I decided to go early as most monthly dinners we've been to and made reservations for are empty when we get there. Well, I was the first to arrive and it was empty, so I kind of laughingly went up to the host and was like, "I'm an hour early, but it doesn't look like it matters". He kinda just glared at me and was like "I'll see if I can find you a table." UM REALLY? There was a table of 3 there, me, a waitress, a bus boy, the host and about 30 empty tables.
When Sasha arrived, I ordered us some Cheese Pupusas with curtido. My mom makes these as a special treat. GOSH THEY ARE DELICIOUS! Pupusas are handmade tortillas with cheese in the center. My mother mixes a bunch of cheeses when she makes them and sometimes she'll do some with meat and cheese or just meat. The curtido is like a pickled/vinegary cabage/carrot/turnip slaw (without the mayo). GOOD GOD ITS SO GOOD. The pupusas at Tierra did not disappoint. AWESOME.
Oh yeah, the wine is good and cheap (most bottles are around $25). Sasha ordered the grilled pork medallions with fruit relish and chipotle mashed potatoes and I ordered the beef tenderloin with jalapeno onion cream and platanos fritos. Sasha and I have been doing monthly dinners for about 4 months now and Tierra was by far the best for me. My meal was perfect. Prepared well and in good portion. Needless to say, both Sasha and I did not have enough room for dessert (but I was eyeing that tres leches!).

my friend, Gwenyth Paltrow, recommends:

awhile ago, I signed up for the GOOP newsletter.
GOOP is Gwenyth Paltrow's lifestyle site/newsletter. usually, i skim the newsletter, but the last one i got is full of delicious sounding recipes. Here are a few I'm trying next Thursday:

Greens with Goat Cheese, Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

Endive, arugula and radicchio are easy to get all winter long and make a great combination. The dressing, one of my favorites, has maple syrup which balances the bitterness of the leaves. The dried cranberries, goat cheese and walnuts make it perfect for any festive occasion or any day for a tasty light lunch.

SERVES: 12

TIME: 10 minutes

* 3 small cloves garlic, pushed through a press

* 2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

* 2 tablespoons real Vermont maple syrup

* 1/3 red wine vinegar

* 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

* coarse sea salt

* freshly ground black pepper

* 2 1/2 large heads of endive, washed, chopped

* 1 1/3 large head radicchio, washed, chopped

* 4 large handfuls arugula, washed

* 1 1/3 cup goat cheese

* 3/4 cup walnuts, broken into pieces

* 3/4 cup dried cranberries

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, Dijon, maple syrup and vinegar. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Season the dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Combine the greens in a large salad bowl. Dress with about two thirds of the dressing. Divide the greens on eight plates and scatter over the goat cheese, walnuts and dried cranberries over the greens. Drizzle each salad with a bit of the leftover dressing.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie with Maple Whipped Cream

A cool alternative (literally) to traditional pumpkin pie. If you can find pumpkin ice cream, by all means use that. If not, here’s a quick and easy way to make some using vanilla ice cream, good canned pumpkin and lots of wonderful spices. When you first make the mixture the spices might seem strong, but remember that their flavors get a bit muted when they’re ice cold. If you're doing Thanksgiving for a large crowd, make two of these. One is good for a small crowd and the ice cream alone is a simple, fun desert for a party of two.

SERVES: 6, very generously

TIME: 20 minutes + at least 3 hours in the freezer

* 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve, ground in the food processor)

* 1 tablespoon sugar

* 5 tablespoons melted butter

* 1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened

* 1 can pureed pumpkin (or 1-3/4 cups fresh)

* 1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves

* Maple Whipped Cream (see recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a pie pan (why bother washing a mixing bowl?). Mix together with your fingers and then press evenly to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. It helps to press the mixture with the bottom of a small measuring cup. Bake for ten minutes or until light brown. Let cool while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, beat together the ice cream, pumpkin and spices. Spread evenly into the cooled pie shell and stick in the freezer for at least three hours before serving. When ready to serve, spread the top with Maple Whipped Cream.

Maple Whipped Cream

Maple syrup is one of the great North American ingredients and is one of the healthiest ways to sweeten things. I put it in nearly everything, including this heavenly whipped cream.

SERVES: enough for one pie

TIME: 5 minutes

* 1 cup heavy cream

* 2-3 tablespoons real Vermont maple syrup

Whip the cream using a standing mixer, handheld mixer or whisk (a bit of a workout!) until stiff peaks form. Whisk in maple syrup to taste.

Continuation

okay, so where did we leave off with the Friday night saga?
The walk home I guess?
Barefoot.
I don't remember so much about the walk home and I definitely don't remember what happened between the time I walked in the door and 9am except for the vomitting.
Yeah, it got ugly.
I'd left my phone at home so I wouldn't drunk dial anyone. I'm fucking 30 and I can't seem to help this. Leaving the phone was a strategic, self-control move. Apparently, when I got home, the first person I called was Bank of America. I somehow managed to cancel my debit card (which I still haven't gotten and they said it would take 3-5 business days). I am sure whoever took my call laughed their ass off after they got off the phone with me. Maybe they laughed their ass off during the call. I wouldn't know. I can't remember shit. Then apparently papa R called me to see that I got home okay. Don't remember that conversation. Then I called Chad. Apparently we spoke for a couple of minutes. Don't remember that either.
When I get drunk, I go home and get into the bathtub. Usually its because I've vomitted on myself and need to clean up, but sometimes I do it because I like the warmth and when I'm drunk I get very cold. I think thats accurate. Ask me when I'm hammered, I may give you a better reason.
So either I got home and talked to all these people then got sick, got into the bathtub, got out, went to bed, vomitted on myself again, and slept the rest of the night/day in the bathtub OR i got home, talked to all these people, got into the bathtub, got out, got sick on myself in bed and then got into the bathtub...either way, i was throwing up a lot and sleeping in the bathtub.
I was useless all day Saturday, vomitting into the night, but by Sunday I somehow managed to man up and go to Target for new sheets since I'd vomitted all over my existing ones.
So the lesson here is know your limits, don't walk home barefoot and contain all vomitting to the toilet.
Ew.

plenty of fish in the sea

about a year ago, i got to talking with a friend about online dating and she told me about OKCupid. She'd been meeting good people from it, so I decided to give it a whirl. I met a really good guy on it but one day he up and fell off the face of the earth. Seriously. We went from talking on the phone for hours to crickets. A week later, I deleted my profile all together.

I'm not online dating's biggest fan, but I do it anyway. I haven't lost faith, especially since everything and everyone is online now. The other night I was bored out of my mind and decided to try a site my aesthetician recommended - PlentyOfFish.com.

the site name itself amuses me. the site? horrifies me. so much going on. the layout is all wrong. you can't tell an ad from an actual link. blah. i set up my profile on a tuesday night at 10 and within the hour i had 5 emails from dudes within a 50 mile radius.

i like online dating because you can be both selective and, um, rejective (i know thats not a word) without hurting anyone's feelings. i've blocked more people than i've written back and already i've gotten a firefighter and a Tony. it makes me laugh.

since i like writing, this is my preferred method of testing the waters. also, it gives you something to look forward to at the end of the day. we all need that these days.

i'll be honest. i've been missing Tony (orginal Tony, not this new one) a lot. i miss talking to him. hanging out watching TV and movies with him. i hope he's well. anyway.

sorry dudes

i haven't blogged recently for 2 reasons:

1) THE ECONOMY! ;) i need to focus at work.
2) I'm sick. Not the flu, but I feel like ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

i want my mango :(

Am I Your Fire? Your One Desire?

Sony requested no embedding on this one. So go here to get that warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feeling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKbUpeQsAXE
I'm hoping that bitch Jocelyn isn't the only one that gets the hilarity in this.

the return of marolina

My friend Caleb named my alternate ego Marolina years ago. The following is Marolina's account of this weekend. Don't look at me. I don't know what the fuck happened.

One Halloween years ago, Chuck and I went out to Halo. You know... I want to say it was Halloween, but I was so messed up back then, it might not have been. I'd thrown on my gold silk halter BCBG formal dress and a pair of elbow-length white gloves and curled my hair. I guess I was supposed to be a latina Marilyn Monroe? Dude, I don't know. I was a disaster back then. Caleb (a bartender at Halo at the time) took one look at me and named me Marolina. The name stuck. Now whenever I'm a disaster, I blame it on Marolina.

By Friday, I was so over the work week all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. Earlier in the week papa R had invited me out to hang with he and his soccer buddies. They are a good group of people, so when mama C called, I asked her if she was going even though she was hungover from the night before. When she said yes, I said "count me in" and waited for them to pick me up.

We drove over to El Taco at around 9 (i think). I walked in and saw my old co-worker, Schmoel. Schmoel tells me he lost his job and is wasted. I kinda laugh at him and laugh at mama C. You crazy kids! One hungover, the other one wasted! So funny! I order a frozen mojito.
Then I order another.
And another.
And another.
And another.
$50 or so dollars later, I remember thinking "whoa these people are all wasted and slurring", when really...it was my mind slurring their words. Oh good God.
At some point, mama C leaves. Bye mama C. I think my maturity left with her.
So we walk from El Taco to Fontaines. This isn't a short walk, but when you're wasted, it feels like a couple of steps.
So we find some seats at Fontaines and apparently I order more drinks. I take some pictures. I begin to panic when I go to pull out my card to order more drinks and can't find the card. Next thing I remember, I'm walking home from Fontaines. Barefoot. Somewhere along the walk I decide I can't stand my feet and proceed to walk barefoot.
Genius.
Ugh.
To Be Continued.....

100 Greatest Singers of All Time

Per Rolling Stone

100 Mary J. Blige
99 Steven Tyler
98 Stevie Nicks
97 Joe Cocker
96 B.B. King
95 Patti LaBelle
94 Karen Carpenter
93 Annie Lennox
92 Morrissey
91 Levon Helm
90 The Everly Brothers
89 Solomon Burke
88 Willie Nelson
87 Don Henley
86 Art Garfunkel
85 Sam Moore
84 Darlene Love
83 Patti Smith
82 Tom Waits
81 John Lee Hooker
80 Frankie Valli
79 Mariah Carey
78 Sly Stone
77 Merle Haggard
76 Steve Perry
75 Iggy Pop
74 James Taylor
73 Dolly Parton
72 John Fogerty
71 Toots Hibbert
70 Gregg Allman
69 Ronnie Spector
68 Wilson Pickett
67 Jerry Lee Lewis
66 Thom Yorke
65 David Ruffin
64 Axl Rose
63 Dion (not Celine)
62 Lou Reed
61 Roger Daltrey
60 Björk
59 Rod Stewart
58 Christina Aguilera
57 Eric Bourdon
56 Mavis Staples
55 Paul Rodgers
54 Luther Vandross
53 Muddy Waters
52 Brian Wilson
51 Gladys Knight
50 Bonnie Raitt
49 Donny Hathaway
48 Buddy Holly
47 Jim Morrison
46 Patsy Cline
45 Kurt Cobain
44 Bobby "Blue" Bland
43 George Jones
42 Joni Mitchell
41 Chuck Berry
40 Curtis Mayfield
39 Jeff Buckley
38 Elton John
37 Neil Young
36 Bruce Springsteen
35 Dusty Sprinfield
34 Whitney Houston
33 Steve Winwood
32 Bono
31 Howlin' Wolf
30 Prince
29 Nina Simone
28 Janis Joplin
27 Hank Williams
26 Jackie Wilson
25 Michael Jackson
24 Van Morrison
23 David Bowie
22 Etta James
21 Johnny Cash
20 Smokey Robinson
19 Bob Marley
18 Freddie Mercury
17 Tina Turner
16 Mick Jagger
15 Robert Plant
14 Al Green
13 Roy Orbison
12 Little Richard
11 Paul McCartney
10 James Brown
09 Stevie Wonder
08 Otis Redding
07 Bob Dylan
06 Marvin Gaye
05 John Lennon
04 Sam Cooke
03 Elvis Presley
02 Ray Charles
01 Aretha Franklin

Gargyles?

gargoyles dressed in argyle?



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Awesome.

Also, I hate Ann Curry.

good thing red is my favorite crayon!

Want to attract guys? Wear red
Color increases attractiveness; reaction may be biological, study suggests
Reuters
updated 9:24 a.m. ET, Tues., Oct. 28, 2008

If a woman wants to drive the men wild, she might want to dress in red.
Men rated a woman shown in photographs as more sexually attractive if she was wearing red clothing or if she was shown in an image framed by a red border rather than some other color, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
The study led by psychology professor Andrew Elliot of the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., seemed to confirm red as the color of romance — as so many Valentine's Day card makers and lipstick sellers have believed for years.
Although this "red alert" may be a product of human society associating red with love for eons, it also may arise from more primitive biological roots, Elliot said.
Noting the genetic similarity of humans to higher primates, he said scientists have shown that certain male primates are especially attracted to females of their species displaying red. For example, female baboons and chimpanzees show red coloring when nearing ovulation, sending a sexual signal that the males apparently find irresistible.
"It could be this very deep, biologically based automatic tendency to respond to red as an attraction cue given our evolutionary heritage," Elliot, whose findings appear in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, said in a telephone interview.
No effect on likabilityThe study involved more than 100 men, mostly college undergraduates, who were shown pictures of women and asked to rate how pretty they were, how much the men would like to kiss them and how much the men would like to have sex with them.
Men were shown a woman, with some of the pictures bordered in red and some bordered in white, gray or green. Even though it was the same picture of the same woman, when she was framed in red the men rated her as more attractive than when she was bordered by another color.
Men were then shown photographs of a woman that were identical except that the researchers digitally made her shirt red in some versions or blue in others. And once again, the men strongly favored the woman in red.
The men also were asked, "Imagine that you are going on a date with this person and have $100 in your wallet. How much money would you be willing to spend on your date?" When she was clad in red, the men said they would spend more money on her.
The researchers noted that the color red did not alter how men rated the women in the photographs in terms of likability, intelligence or kindness — only attractiveness.
The researchers then had a group of young women rate whether the pictured woman was pretty. Red had no impact on whether women rated other women as pretty, they found.
Gay men and color blind men were excluded from the study.
Copyright 2008 Reuters. URL: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/27417084/

it escapes me

I had a blog planned out and all of a sudden I forgot it. Shit.

lola has changed

I've never liked leftovers. Ever.

This pretty much blows because when I make food, I inadvertantly make it for a family of 10. I've never been able to cook for 1. This is God's way of telling me I won't be single for the rest of my life. My family of 9 should be coming any day now.

The past two days have kinda sucked for me. I don't really want to get into it. All you need to know to understand the story I'm about to tell is that when I'm sad, I cook. It distracts me. Yesterday, I decided to take on a full-fledged Sunday dinner. The menu? Pork tenderloin, homemade macaroni and cheese and roasted potatoes. All for me, mama C and papa R.

I went to the grocery store around 4pm and didn't leave until around 5pm. There were certain things in the recipes that Publix didn't have, so I had to improvise. I also didn't know what "basics" C&R had in their house (butter? milk? eggs? herbs?). I didn't want to buy a thing of paprika if they had it, so I took my chances on all the herbs. Luckily they had all of them. Oh yeah, did I mention I cooked this all in their house? Well! They have a nicer kitchen. I like their house better. Mainly because there are no mountains of junk every 5 feet. Meh.

So I start with the Roasted Potoates, Carrots, Parsnips and Brussel Sprouts:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 medium carrots (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick circles
• 1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts (about 1/2 pound), halved
• 4 cups red bliss potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3 medium parsnips (about1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 cup sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Place vegetables in baking sheet and add the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry

Spread the vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

* You should omit the brussel sprouts becuase they are gross. I didn't omit from the beginning, I actually made the dish with the brussel sprouts, but even in this great seasoning, the brussel sprouts were GROSS.
*I couldn't find parsnips at Publix. Actually, I didn't know what they looked like because I'd never had one before. I had to Google the image. Yeah, you're definitely not going to find parsnips at Publix.
* As a general rule of thumb, cook like your mom would, meaning, don't measure. You know how much of whatever you're trying to put in is going to taste good. Just go with it. Be liberal.
* This dish was in the oven way longer than 40 minutes. Probably just over an hour. Then again, I was cooking 2 other dishes that had to be in at a much lower temperature, so as I put dishes in, I'd adjust the temp.

Next was the Baked Macaroni and Cheese:

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

*I took a chance that C&R would have a bay leaf and powdered mustard. They didn't. So I didn't use it. It turned out awesome without.
*When I went to add the macaroni to the boiling water, I dropped the entire box on the floor. Luckily, there was backup macaroni, but not a lot of it, so I ended up using penne too. Maca-Penne!
*You really don't need to fry up your panko breadcrumbs. You've already got enough grease with the cheese.
*Make sure you dice your onion really well. The size makes a difference. You'll either be like "I don't even taste the onion!" or "Whats that crunch coming from?"
*Um, this was delicious. For real.

I found a pre-seasoned (roast flavor) pork tenderloin for 2 (mama C is veggie) in the meat aisle. I had some extra butter and onions from making the mac, so I threw it into the pork tenderloin.

I must say I was EXTREMELY impressed with myself after cooking this meal last night. I even managed to pick up apple pie for dessert. Not so impressive? The onion smell on my hands. Yuck. We ate about half of everything. I halved all the leftovers and distributed it to the three of us. I just ate my leftovers. I'm a convert. Shit is TASTY!

the hunchback of notre dame

the hell?

I watch America's Next Top Model. Don't judge.
I'm sitting here watching the encore of Wednesday night's episode. And I still hate Marjorie.
I'm over her "shy", hunchback bullshit. I want to shake the shit out of her.

MBP

I must clarify something.
I have wanted the calfskin Christian Louboutin booties for at least a year now if not more. I have never been able to pull the trigger on purchasing them. They are $745. That's more than my rent, not to mention I'm hard on my shoes, so they'd never be worth the money. I will probably always covet them and be jealous when I see them on someone else. At the same time, I realize we're (all us Americans, collectively) never going to dig ourselves out of this economic crisis (and it is truly a crisis. I'm not trying to scare you, but it is and I encourage you to educate yourself on it) if we don't spend money, so what did I do to stimulate the economy? I bought a new MacBook Pro.
I have been needing a laptop for a variety of reasons:
1) S took my Toshiba to the fire station one time and gave it back to me with the memory missing. Not kidding. A big chunk of hardware was missing. It won't even turn on now. That is what I get for lending my laptop.
2) When I've been without a job, I've had to use my friends' PCs, which is inconvenient for everybody.
3) Should I lose my job again (please, God, don't let this happen. I promise to do my best!), I'll have a computer of my own to do my aggressive job hunt.
4) I have a passion for writing. I need a place of my own to house my thoughts.

My MBP was around $2,500. I've done my part.

bite it.

pffft! not in this economy, christian!

...what's been going on since Wednesday hmm...

I find myself making really stupid mistakes at work and I am really gutted about it since I've also been complaining recently that I'm bored. Well, I definitely haven't been bored since Wednesday what with fixing or at last taking control of my stupid mistakes...Anyways, we won't dwell on that too much because I'm also the same girl that worries about the economy and how it will affect my job. You know, because fucking up at work usually leads to losing your job...so yeah, taking control. Moving on.

Thursday morning I pulled on a pair of khaki colored cords I bought at Old Navy last Sunday and they were too long (I bought the regular versus the short, mistake 2 since mistake 1 was wasting money on clothes I probably don't need anyway), so I dug deep into my closet and pulled out my brown pointy toe shoes from Aldo. I hadn't worn them in at least a year (if not more). Once I slipped on my first pair of Tory Burch's, I haven't really wasted time on stilettos. I used to wear heels all the time and I'm not talking the thicker/modern heel. I'm talking stilettos you teeter in. Since converting over to flats, I've noticed my legs aren't as nice as they used to be (I've said something about this in an earlier blog). Maybe because of that, I decided I would spare the bottoms of my new cheapy pants and wear the stilettos. Mistake. Total mistake.

I walk from my apartment to my car thinking "okay, these feel okay".

I park my car in the lot and walk across the street to my building thinking "Good thing I don't walk all day".

I walk into the building and make my way to the stairs because you wouldn't believe the looks I get taking the elevator to the second floor even though I didn't choose my second floor office. I think "My quads are going to get a good workout".

I walk up the stairs thinking "feel the burn".

I sit at my desk until lunch and think nothing because my feet are at rest.

At lunchtime, my boss and one of my coworkers somehow convince me to walk with them at least 6 blocks to Front Page News. It's a pretty day they say, which it is, the walk will be quick. As I'm walking to the elevator I realize I'm going to have to suck it up and keep pace so I don't look like one of these ghettofabulous women who can't walk in their expensive heels. I tell myself "You used to walk in these bitches all the time. MAN UP!". The elevator takes me, my boss, my coworker and two ladies about to do their lunchtime workout in their suits and white tennis shoes, to the lobby.
I step off the elevator...now here is the part where I want to say I slipped on "something". I didn't fucking slip on something. My feet were tired and I hadn't stood on stilts in a long time. I fell. I fell on all fours, but my knees took the force of the fall. It was awful. I could hear my knees knock the lobby marble. It hurt bad. I wasn't fixated on the pain though, I was so embarrassed. I'd fallen in front of all these people and the people waiting to get on the elevator. I was mortified. I wanted to go back up to my desk and eat my Lean Cuisine in shame, but I decided I was already in the lobby and I'd already fallen. What the hell else could go wrong?
While walking the 6 blocks to Front Page News I realized I wasn't going to fall again, but I would probably want to shoot my feet off. Well! Dudes walk fast. I have short legs to start with and I'm walking in stilts. Fuck.
This reminds me of my first day working retail at BCBG. I decided I needed to look fabulous, so I had my newly purchased, stylish outfit on and my stiletto pointy toe black heels. I worked 4 hours that day and by the end of my shift I was leaning on the racks for support. I wanted to die.
I learned that day that fashion isn't pain. If it's pain, you probably look ridiculous. Needless to say, I threw away Thursday's shoes. Never again.

A Class Act

McCain really moved me with this one.

I voted.

lola plays flag football

instead of dedicating my evening to laying around, eating pizza and watching Gossip Girl, i accepted a last minute invitation to play flag football with Sasha (haha you like that, K?). Sasha had told me before she was playing flag football. i always thought it was really cool but i had no idea it was such a workout. when i got to the field and before we started tossing around the football, she told me to stretch. i kinda laughed at her until i realized she was serious. "oh, okay yeah i'll stretch". this was my first clue that flag football is SERIOUS.
so we started throwing and not only do i "throw like a girl", i may actually throw like an infant. i also catch like a dumbass. the dudes on my team can catch the football mid air with one hand. my catch? not pretty. basically i let my gut catch it.
i also learned that when you're playing defense, the girls are the rushers. so i did a lot of sprinting. when i say a lot i mean my thighs are on fire. i'm not kidding. i swear i've been running. it has not been a lie! but my thighs feel like they're back on the high school track team. hurts so good, but shew! i'm 30! i ain't no spring chicken! the quarterback i was rushing was also lightning fast. he'd go left and i'd follow and in the time it took for me to blink, he'd go the other way. since i'm not superhuman, i ended up following the back of his ass a lot.
i did manage to catch one. GO ME!
thanks Sasha for inviting me. i had an awesome time. my thighs will thank you later after they've stopped screaming in pain. :)

you know you want to get up and dance

i was cruising through my old blogs and noticed i'd written about a justin timberlake performance and never posted it. here it is. i dare you to sit in your chair motionless while watching this. you can't do it. i know you.


justin timberlake's rendition of marvin gaye's "got to give it up"

Our Story

I met Chad Norris in the summer of 1998. That was the summer Andy Johnson broke my heart. Andy was my first love. He broke up with me late freshman year, but like all of my relationships, Andy never truly went away. We hung out a lot my sophomore year, but when he started seeing the girl living next door - a girl I'd confided my feelings about him to, it was too much for me. I went a little nuts. I will always remember that year, but thats another story.

I came home from my sophomore year more hurt than I'd ever been in my life. I was not in good shape. I'd mope around, not eat or sleep, generally being miserable. The morning I met Chad, I was hanging out in the living room mindlessly watching TV. I found myself turning up the volume on every few minutes because there was a lot of noise going on outside. I eventualy looked out the living room windows to find what I thought were two extremely good looking movers moving in a family next door. They were young, but older than me at the time (I was 20).

To this day, I can't tell you why I went out to the backyard to "read". I wasn't reading too much back then. I had no time with depression, but I managed to grab an old Englih Lit book I never managed to read and went outside to sit and pretend. I knew they'd be out there. I'm not sure if it was Neil or Chad that poked his head over the fence first, but when I met Chad it was over.

Neil probably only said "hey" to me. He was (and is) the more aloof of the two. Neil was good looking, but his problem was he knew it. He was also an asshole, but you know what they say...no girl can resist one. It's true. Don't even play like its not. So I tried to make conversation with him, but he was playing it coy.

Chad was (and is) the more outgoing of the two and back then he was a lot better looking. Sorry, Chad. He worked out multiple times a day back then. He was rock hard. He's short, probably only my height but back then, oh man, I was crazy about him. Not only about the way he looked, but because he pays attention. When you're talking to Chad, you're the only one he's listening to. This is a big deal to me.

I learned they weren't moving someone in, they were moving Neil in. Neil and two other dudes were going to live in the place next door. Interesting. After a few more minutes of polite over-the-fence conversation I decided I'd completed my task of making nice and went to walk back in, but it was Chad who stopped me.

Chad: "You want to come over?"
Me: "For what?"
Chad: "I dunno. We're having beers, let's hang out"
Me: (hesitation)*
Chad" "C'mon"
Me: "hmmm. ok"

*My hesitation came from being an absolute saint up until this point. I was living with my parents, they would never have suspected I drank and smoked like a fish at school or that I'd ever had sex. What was I going to say? "Later mom, dad. I'm going next door to drink beer with people I've only known 5 minutes" FAIL. but I went anyway.

So I crept next door to join them in the living room. It was us, some boxes and beer. Sweet. It was a little weird, but my attraction to Chad was getting stronger by the second and pretty soon he and I were making out. I should also mention that Chad is the person that taught me how to kiss. I don't know what I was doing before then, but Chad's teachings have gotten high marks since. He is amazing.

I will say that I was a dirty slut that afternoon (yes, it was 2 or 3 in the afternoon on a Saturday) because I ended up sleeping with Chad. On Neil's bare bed. Don't give me that look! It was AWESOME. At that point, I'd only slept with one other person (that mattered or counted, so don't get all technical on me), so I was AWED by Chad. Chad held the distinguished title of "Best Lay" for several years. It wasn't until I moved to Atlanta that he slipped to #2.

Chad and I have had our drama since that day, but we've kept in touch. Its been 10 years. I mentioned before there are some dudes you know you'll never be finished with. Of all the dudes that have come into my life, I know for sure Chad will always be around.

I can only tell you how we met and maybe a few stories about our drama. I'll never be able to communicate our relationship. There is just so much to it. He recently told me he loved me over text message. He's said it to me at 2 in the morning wasted off his ass. I can't say that I take either of these seriously, but it makes me think. Chad has staying power. Does this mean something? I guess I'll have to wait and find out.

AMEN

to the extra hour of sleep!
my sister, J, and my nephew are out in AZ visiting my sister, my brother-in-law and my niece. she sent me some pictures. enjoy :)