Style Watch - shoulder pads!

Has anyone else been noticing the influx of over sized shoulders on the runways lately? I have been seeing this style more and more on the racks. I think we are all in for a nasty shock if shoulder pads really come back for women. They seem to be better designed than the bulky, sewn-in 80's style pads but I just don't know about this trend. I say let the shoulder pads stay on the football field and off of me!

Stars

I love this band.

Awesome music - check.
Awesome video - check.
Awesome concert - check, check!

(and if there are any other indie music fans out there, ben gibbard does a cover of this song that is way cute.)

grapefruit + avacado = love

This is my favorite salad of all time! It's so easy to make.

What you need:
2 medium or large red or pink grapefruit
2 ripe avocados
6 cups salad (I prefer arugula or spring mix)

-Peel the grapefruit, removing the white membrane. (Cut between the inner membranes to remove the segments of the fruit.)
-Peel and pit avocados; cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices.
-Divide salad mix between four plates; arrange an equal amount of grapefruit and avocado on each plate.
-Top with your favorite vinaigrette.

For a wonderful homemade vinaigrette, try this:
Juice 2 limes. Whisk juice from lime with 1 tbs fresh mint leaves, 2 tsp honey, 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil), 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp ground pepper.

Our greeting: A double thumbs-up.

Our credo: "Be More Awesome."

Our lifestyle: "Maximum Fun."

Throw caution to the wind, friend, and live -

The New Sincerity

Happy Cesar Chavez Day

Take work off. It's a holiday!

The Geeks Were Right??

Fire and Ice - Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
___________________________________________________

"Predator skills, chemical wars, plastic islands at sea
watch what the humans ruin with machines...
...when I saw the future, the Geeks were right." - The Faint


Who is right? The Geeks or Robert Frost? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both. You decide. Either way, I've decided this for you: it is a great poem and a great song.

Today I decided 5 things:

I want to own a Cherry Blossom Tree.
I want to make my own wind chime.
I want to learn how to makes shoes.
I want to marry Chef Gordon Ramsey.
The song "Girls & Boys" by Blur is unbelievably awkward...in a strangely wonderful way.

"Girls who are boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love"

What? Those lyrics can't be right...and yet...they are.

Beauty Icon?

According to Vogue, Boy George is a beauty icon for this years hot new designs. Click for story.

Do what you want with this information (and maybe you too will dye your hair fire red. hot.) and while you mull it over...enjoy these lyrics.


"Give me time
To realize my crime
Let me love and steal
I have danced
Inside your eyes
How can I be real?
Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry
Precious kisses, words that burn me
Lovers never ask you why
In my heart the fire's burning
Choose my colour, find a star
Precious people always tell me
That's a step, a step too far
Do you really want to hurt me
Do you really want to make me cry...
...I could waste a thousand years
Wrapped in sorrow, words are token
Come inside and catch my tears
You've been talking but believe me
If it's true you do not know
That this boy loves without a reason
I'm prepared to let you go
If it's love you want from me
Then take it away
Everything's not what you see
It's over again..."

Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? - Culture Club

Dear Diary,

Today a stranger kicked me and I apologized to her. She looked at me like I was the crazy one. Maybe I am.

Love,
Cyndi

Movies I Loved

The list goes on and on, but here are 5 movies that I really enjoyed last year. Click on the title for the IMDB link.

Planet B-boy (2007)

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Son of Rambow (2007)

Young at Heart (2007)

Man on Wire (2008)

"Sometimes I get so lonely I forget what day it is, and how to spell my name." -Dagman, Lars and the Real Girl

The Harem Pant

Raise your hand if you want me to buy these pants. **Raises hand**

I love random trendy fashion and I love comfort. I also love genies. Could any pant be more perfect? I think not.

"Pull the blindfold down
So your eyes can’t see
Now run as fast as you can
Through this field of trees"
(In your harem pants.)

Song - Smokers Outside The Hospital Door by Editors

I Love Craigslist

Sometimes when I am bored I go to Best of Craigslist. It is amazing what people post. If you have not been there before, I would say it is worth checking out. Beware, however, of the adult content in a lot of the posts, especially the dating ones. Here is a little taste of the action:

"Vintage British 3 Speed Bicycle, Very Nice! - $30 (Dover)

Perfect for commuting and just leaving outdoors. Great for everyday use. Great "Winter bike"
I cant remember if it is a Mens or a Womens, but I know its a 3 Speed. Pick up only. Bring a shovel. "

And if that doesn't get you smiling, maybe some of these other ones will (click on title for link):
Thumb tack "Push Pin" Wonderful Item !!! $0.32
Dear Mr Scammer, I am sorry
I want some orange juice
Wanting to borrow a cat for a few days

Recipes of the Week

Here are some recipes I want to try but probably never will. If any of you try them (or have before), please comment!!

South-of-the-Border Chorizo Burger Wrap

• 2 dried chorizo sausages (4 oz total), halved lengthwise, removed from casings and cut in small chunks
  
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 large scallions, cut in 2-in. pieces
• 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and cut in large pieces
• 1 clove garlic, smashed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2lb 90% lean ground beef
  
• 6 burrito-size (8-in.) flour tortillas, stacked and wrapped in foil
• Nonstick spray
• 6 slices (1 oz each) Montery Jack cheesewith jalapeño peppers
• 6 lettuce leaves
• 3/4 cup each guacamole, purchased or homemade, and salsa
  

Preparation

1. Burgers: Put all ingredients except beef in a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped and blended. Scrape into a large bowl; add beef and gently mix to combine. Shape into 6 oval burgers, about 5 in. long and 3/4 in. thick.

2. Heat outdoor grill. Put tortillas on grill to warm while burgers cook.

3. Coat burgers with nonstick spray. Grill, turning once, 8 to 12 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted from side to middle registers 160°F. Top with cheese; cover grill 45 seconds or until cheese starts to melt.

4. Unwrap tortillas; place a lettuce leaf toward one end of each, lining up edges. Top with a burger; spoon on 2 Tbsp each guacamole and salsa. Fold opposite end of tortilla up and over burger and toppings, then fold in sides.

Mini Apple Charlottes

1⁄2 cup dried cranberries

3 Tbsp rum or water

1 stick (1⁄2 cup) butter

7 Golden Delicious apples (3 1⁄4 lb), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1⁄2 cup sugar

1⁄4 cup orange juice

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp grated orange zest

24 slices very thin sliced firm white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed

1 cup light vanilla ice cream, melted (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. You will need a jumbo muffin tin or six 10-oz ramekins. Toss cranberries and 2 Tbsp rum in small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp butter in a deep 12-in. skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, sugar and orange juice; cook, stirring frequently, 10 minutes or until apples are tender but still maintain their shape. Remove from heat. Stir in 1⁄3 cup of the soaked cranberries, the vanilla and zest.
3. Melt remaining butter in bowl. Using a 3-in. biscuit cutter, cut a circle from 6 bread slices. Brush butter onto one side of each circle and place buttered-side down into each cup or ramekin. Cut remaining bread slices crosswise into thirds; brush with butter. Line each cup with 9 bread rectangles placed vertically, buttered side against cup (bread will extend over top). (For a how-to, see womansday.com/charlottes)
4. Divide apple mixture among cups. Fold bread over filling, gently pressing. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes. Using an offset spatula, lift charlottes from cups.
5. Sprinkle with the remaining soaked cranberries. If using, stir melted ice cream and remaining Tbsp rum, and serve on side.

Cyndi = Typical White Person

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/30/40-indie-music/

"If you want to understand white people, you need to understand indie music. As mentioned before, white people hate anything that’s “mainstream” and are desperate to find things that are more genuine, unique, and reflective of their experiences.

Fortunately, they have independent music.

A white person’s iPod (formerly CD collection) is not merely an assemblage of music that they enjoy. It is what defines them as a person. They are always on the look out for the latest hot band that no one has heard of so that one day, they can hit it just right and be into a band BEFORE they are featured in an Apple commercial. To a white person, being a fan of a band before they get popular is one of the most important things they can do with their life. They can hold it over their friends forever!"

It's so true. I'm guilty of being a typical white person. I'm not only guilty of #41, I'm also guilty of more than half the list of 123 things white people like. But in my defense on #41, I just like good music. I don't like sellouts. Most artists featured on commercials suddenly decided they were making music for the money. Forget the money, make the music because you are passionate about it. I WANT my friends to like my music. I WANT my bands to become popular. I just don't want their next CD to be crap because they sold out or their concerts to get too expensive and showy because they went main stream.

Thank you to Shannon for drawing my absolute whiteness to my attention. Loves.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Ten Saint Patrick's Day Facts

1. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, although he was born in Britain, around 385AD. His parents Calpurnius and Conchessa were Roman citizens living in either Scotland or Wales, according to different versions of his story.

2. As a boy of 14 he was captured and taken to Ireland where he spent six years in slavery herding sheep. He returned to Ireland in his 30s as a missionary among the Celtic pagans.

3. Legend has it that he used the native shamrock as a symbol of the holy trinity when preaching and brought the Latin alphabet to Ireland.

4. Miracles attributed to him include the driving of serpents out of Ireland. However, evidence suggests post-glacial Ireland never had any snakes in the first place.

5. Wearing green, eating green food and even drinking green beer, is said to commemorate St Patrick's use of the shamrock - although blue was the original colour of his vestments.

6. St Patrick was said to have proclaimed that everyone should have a drop of the "hard stuff" on his feast day after chastising an innkeeper who served a short measure of whiskey. In the custom known as "drowning the shamrock", the shamrock that has been worn on a lapel or hat is put in the last drink of the evening.

7. Popular Irish toasts on St Patrick's Day, include: may the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends beneath it never fall out.

8. St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated in America in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Around 34 million modern Americans claim Irish ancestry.

9. It is believed that St Patrick died on March 17 in 461AD. It is a national holiday in Ireland, and on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, which was founded by Irish refugees. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland.

10. Dublin has a parade that attracts hundreds of thousands of people, while in Chicago the river is dyed green for a few hours. The biggest parade is normally held in New York, while the largest celebration in the southern hemisphere is in Sydney, Australia.

Spotlight - JMW Turner

Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 – 19 December 1851) was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker, whose style is said to have laid the foundation for Impressionism.

One of my top 10 favorite painters, hands down. Possibly even top 5.

Flint Castle








The Burning of the Houses of Parliament, 1834
watercolor on paper







Fighting Temeraire

Just A Little Joy

I saw this band play live in Costa Mesa once and I loved them. Now they are considered one of the next LA local up and coming artists. I have no doubt the masses will love them just as much as I do.



"And if we work it out
Chances are bound we'd be standing around
for no one's better sake
Good-bye"

Music: Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

"So I looked for your eyes
And the waves looked like they'd pour right out of them
I'll try hard, I'll try always
But it's a waste of time
It's a waste of time if I can't smile easily
Like in the beginning
In the beginning..."

If you don't know Yo La Tengo, you should.

If you don't know the love a good Autumn sweater brings, you should.

Like this one.










Or perhaps this one? (and I've always wanted that haircut)