thoughts zig-zagged

What a weird summer. I think it all started when I decided I have a thing for Jewish actors. Hard to explain but all my favorite TV personalities all happen to be pictured below.


Then the outbreak of protest in Tehran. It's hard not to feel enraged with the unfair outcome, the rights and freedoms that have been suppressed, brutality on the streets, imprisonment, and innocent lives that have been taken in effort to reclaim democracy. If I could, I would spend my summer rallying the streets. I'm not much of a protester, but my heart goes out to those who are fighting the good fight. If I could do more, I would.

Next, my favorite gossip blogger who I have been following for years now, Perez Hilton, got clocked in the eye, or something. I'm actually not at all surprised he got attacked, I'm shocked with the words he used.

Finally, two celebrity deaths in one day. It's all over the internet and I don't want to contribute to the influx when I didn't really grow up with them. I do have a special place in my heart for Michael and I feel for him. Something that sticks out to me is his love for llamas.


So, on a personal note, nothing new or exciting has developed other than feeling peaceful on a consistent basis. It could be attributed to the wringing out of emotions in the last five weeks; crying, along with sun bathing, has not only been therapeutic, but healing. I'm learning to sit and read without stopping. I just finished Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise. Now I'm conquering Main Street by Sinclair Lewis. So far, a good read.

On a livelier note, I've decided to be a vegetarian for a while. I don't even really like meat, especially cheap meat like ground beef and chicken breasts. However, on cheat days, if I decide I want a steak or lamb chop with chutney dressing or A1 sauce, I'm all over it.

How not to make cookies.

I've baked cookies maybe a million times. Today I decided to make chocolate chip cookies, but with a twist. Maren has an America's Test Kitchen chocolate chip cookie recipe that is to die for. ~
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So I attempted to recreate those cookies without the actual recipe. For some reason I thought Maren said she melted the brown sugar and butter together until it comes to a boil. So I added it to the egg/sugar mixture, then added the flour mixture. So far, not too bad. Then I added the chocolate chips, but only half the bag because I prefer cookies without too much chocolate.
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Suddenly the chips disappeared and the dough became dark brown with a fudge-like consistency. So I thought I'd let it cool down and proceed from there. Twenty minutes later, I added the second half of the bag to the already cholately mixture and continued to roll and dot the cookie sheet with it. I baked them and they turned out kinda normal looking.
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As they cooled they totally fell flat as a pancake and the middles were gooey with burnt edges. Oh and they tasted like crap. There goes my cookie stand business idea.

good morning.

I had a dream that I got a random phone call from a lady that wanted to consider me as a contestant for some sort of Jr. Miss pageant, but for older women. Kind of like a second chance for those who finally have their act together and want to compete for a tiara. I tried to think of what I had to contribute and the only thing I could think was the one time I won Queen for a solo long ago. She sounded excited and told me to prepare a talent. I decided I would sing and play the piano, and I decided I wanted a song that was simple, easy, tasteful, unforgettable. So I decided to go with "Unforgettable." But after I rehearsed for a day, she called me back to tell me she decided to go with someone else who was more qualified. The winner was 42 and raised pigs. I can't compete with that.

objects of my affection

I promise I'm not obsessed with my dogs. I am just their mouthpiece and this blog is their platform of choice to display their cuteness. Hirschi is currently in Pocatello being watched by Taylor's cousin (thank you Berrett!) and Jonas (aka snuggles) is lodging with us. We got an email labeled "bloodbath" with about ten pictures of Hirschi soaking wet covered in tomato sauce, but no explanation. Must have been her first skunk encounter. And the video is Jonas pretending he is a cat. Meowww... Ignore my annoying voice in the back ground.

Musical gems

It's impossible to expect people to find the same kind of meaning behind my blog music as I do because I'll confess, I usually hit pause or mute when I'm reading other people's blogs. Music can be a bit distracting and I debate back and forth whether it's really necessary on my blog. It's not but I compromise by only choosing songs that really truly have significance in my life, and still affects me even if I play it over and over and over.......

That being said, here's why these ones have stuck.

Endlessly~I read my first Twilight book recently, New Moon, and Rachel mentioned that the Muse had a role in the process of writing the Twilight series. One of the best underrated bands ever.

The Dance~After watching So You Think You Can Dance, I youtube-ed Mia Michaels and she had choreographed a piece to this song. It took me a few times to get into this song, but the words stuck out to me so I added it anyway. Charlotte Martin's voice is so perfect sometimes I could cry.

Missed the boat~ I'm a huge Modest Mouse lover. Such clever lyrics and intrument collaborations. It played at the end of a Scrubs episode, which I've been watching lots of lately.

Lump Sum~ Breakout artist of the YEAR for me, Bon Iver. I love a man that can sing high like that with that much passion. When I die, I want this song to be played when I travel to the other side.

Use Somebody~I just randomly downloaded it on ITunes before we road tripped here. I would play it over and over in the car.

Strawberry Swing~From Coldplay's latest album. OKay I actually fell in love with it last summer, but everytime I hear it boosts my spirits and reminds me of the summertime.

Tell Me How- Kind of personal, but Sara Lov's lyrics and voice represent exactly how I feel sometimes when I feel like when there's dissonance in a relationship.

Gravity~Bic Runga is probably someone I would be best friends with. I tend to play her music when I spend Friday nights alone. She got me through highschool. I forget myself when I'm with you...

Oh No~ Another summer favorite. Reminds me of my last trip to Seattle when I was trying to get over a guy who had no idea how I felt about him. Surprise there. The lyrics are really simple, but the harmonies are amazing. I just like how it repeats "oh no!" over and over in a really mellow voice and the piano solo is exactly how my dad plays. Pound Pound Pound.

The Fight Song~ Ane Brun's voice is simple yet haunting at the same time. This song doesn't really have a signficance other than the fact that I put it on repeat for hours on those days when I feel like I've hit a wall. This doesn't do even touch the surface of her amazing talent. She's just that good.

Closer~Travis to me is like maybe Jack Johnson to others, but nothing like Jack Johnson. Maybe that was a crap comparison but I could listen to Travis all day, every season of the year. I like this song because A-it's mellow, which is my favorite, and B-I picture Fran Healy smiling during the entire song.

My playlist is always evolving and so in a month probably this post will mean nothing to you. But for now, hope it pleases you to know their influences on my life.

naked eye

ok this is kind of personal but lately I'm all about not wearing underwear. To be specific, a bra. Once you turn 24 and are married, you can do whatever you want with little to zero negative consequences. I could sit around naked and watch Twilight all day if I wanted. It's perfectly healthy behavior in my book.