Shut Up & Drive

Relax.

Unwind.

Rejuvenate.

Breathe easy.

Loosen up.

Whatever you call, you need it. I need it. Your mom needs it. Your boss needs it. Everybody needs to do that one thing that allows the stress(es) of the day/week/month/year/life just melt away. It is critical to the health of every single human.

The end result is paramount to living and loving a well-balanced life. How do you get there? Depends on you. Each person has their own way of slipping away.

In college, I would run. I would pound that pavement with my tennis shoes and let everything slip away like the sweat off my brow. I still employ this tactic for the most brutal of days.

But since then, I've developed a new one. Sometimes I get this sudden urge to just get behind the wheel of my car and drive. Just drive. Put that car in gear and go. Not around the block or down I-5. But open road. I need an open road. I crave it. I find it cathartic to have the miles of pavement pass under my wheels. I always feel better after a good long drive. It's as if the passing scenery, the passing mile markers can be likened to the things in my life that I get hung up on or the problem I'm facing. On the open road, I just blow by them in my Ford Escape. And my mind follows suit.

What types of things do you do to unwind and reach your point of balance?

Bloody Brie-lliant

(Apologies for my belatedness!)

The thing I am most thankful for these days besides all the really important stuff is... British telly! It’s true. I could not live without my programmes from across the pond.

Britcoms. Where would I be without you? Whenever I am down I can count you to instantly cheer me up. Here are some of my absolute favorites:

This show is a relatively new discovery for me, but it is easily one of my all-time favorite British shows. A combination of dry wit and slapstick comedy, The IT Crowd chronicles the lives of IT professionals working in the basement of a large corporation filled with unappreciative n00bs. Laugh-out-loud hilarious. All your base are belong to Maurice Moss.

Irish comic Dylan Moran and British comedy writer Graham Linehan (also known for The IT Crowd) team up to create a show about crazy, drunk, curmudgeonly bookstore owner Bernard Black and the only two people in the universe willing to put up with him (played by Bill Bailey and Tamsin Greig). The writing is genius – snappy one-liners abound in every episode – and the characters are unforgettable. (Yeah, I’m starting to think I have a thing for Graham Linehan...)

It’s hard to explain how or why this show works, but for some reason it’s just freakin amazing. Set in a hospital, this absurdist series tells the story of Dr. Caroline Todd and the insane surgeons, doctors, and administrators at East Hampton Hospital Trust. The show is pure comedy, though – nothing medical actually ever happens, except incidentally. But it is a complete riot, and incidentally available for viewing on Hulu! This show was a standard marathon series for me in college on long weekends.

The good one! *wink wink* The original and best Office, this show's characters are nuts but endearing and even though David Brent is more offensive than Michael Scott could ever dream to be, he still manages to touch you (no, not in that way - cheeky!) in the end. This one’s definitely a classic.

Now on to the dramas! I’m always amazed at the quality writing and acting talent present in British drama television. I thought American primetime soaps brought the angst, but these babies really corner the market on heartstring tugging:

Actually a sequel to a previous show with a similar concept, in my opinion the better of the two, Ashes to Ashes begins when Detective Inspector Alex Drake is shot and somehow sent back to the 1980s as a result. A mix of sci fi and historical fiction that’s heavier on the historical elements, this show is both gripping and amusing in its throwbacks to the era of hot pants, big hair, faux fur and heavy blue eyeshadow. The imposing character of Chief Inspector Gene Hunt, a bold and brazen man still living in the sexist past, but with a secret heart of gold, is reason enough to tune in. I love this show and can’t wait for the next season to air on BBC America.

When I first heard about this show I swore never to watch it. No lie. It sounded offensive and disgusting and I didn’t want any part of it. Well, it’s true – it’s offensive and disgusting and gritty and wrong and crazy and you wonder how much of it reflects real life but damn if it isn’t addicting as all hell! I started watching when it came to BBC America and was immediately hooked. The show follows a groups of teenagers from diverse backgrounds all living, working and/or studying in Bristol, UK. There’s drugs, sex, parties and alcohol... and heart. It’s been described as “the rich man’s Gossip Girl,” and I think that’s as accurate a description as any!

The miniseries behind the film, Paul Abbott’s original 6-part State of Play miniseries is by far the better of the two. Jam-packed with stars like John Simm, David Morrissey, Bill Nighy, James MacAvoy, and Kelly MacDonald, it is mile-a-minute twists and turns, suspense and intrigue that never fails to keep me on the edge of my seat (and this after I’ve already seen it quite a few times). To me this show is the epitome of the kind of quality television the British can and do produce.

And last but not least...

I would be remiss if I didn’t include this show because ever since I discovered it on BBC America it has brought so much lazy Saturday afternoon joy into my life. The boys – Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond – are witty, car-loving little (or big, in Jeremy’s case) daredevils who go on adventures in the world of transportation – from cars to public transport to rockets. There are competitions and races every week, experiments, celebrity guests, and even some serious car journalism... sort of. I know next to nothing about cars but they make me want to know more. So entertaining, seriously, this show.

-----
TVQOTW
Bernard: (wearing an accordion) Hello! I've come to serenade you. I can't play guitar. I can't play this either, but I thought it would be less obvious. So if you could just kind of stand there and look wistful, and I...
Allison: No thanks, goodbye.
Bernard: Where are you going?
Allison: Somewhere else. I've had enough of this. The flat's small, then it's huge, then it's a closet full of flowers and truffles. I am not interested in you! OK?
Bernard: But... but... (holds up a bunch of flowers)
Allison: Get lost!
Bernard: No, no. You're my summer girlfriend. You don't get angry. You throw your head back and laugh as we bicycle around the Cotswolds in a taxi! You flick the cherry off the pie and only eat the cream because that's what Auntie Nibs used to do!

happy (belated) thanksgiving

this year has been quite a challenge for me. and i am thankful for oh so many things. dr pepper. the little tex-mex place around the corner that delivers tacos in like 5 minutes. q-tips. sephora. finally getting an office at work (i have a door!)

but most of all, i am thankful for public transportation. 

you see, i don't live in nyc because its such a kickass city. with people and food from all over the world. and its just constantly bubbling and bursting with energy. no, i live in nyc mostly because i don't know how to drive. and really, i'd prefer to not learn how to drive if at all possible. 

in most other places, this really limits my ability to get places. but in new york, i can get anywhere i need to go. on my own. without a car.

subways. buses. trains. walking. and i love it all.  

when i was in college, i depended on friends and roommates to give me rides whenever i needed to go somewhere. mostly, this wasn't a problem. but one summer no one was around to take me to the grocery store. and i walked. like 8 thousand blocks. in the 113 degree texas summer. to the nearest (somewhat sketch) grocery store. and i know this is going to sound really silly, but it was one of the proudest moments of my life. i had gone grocery shopping. for the first time in my life. completely by myself. no help from anyone else. 

and for what its worth, i feel that same sense of independence and pride whenever i take public transportation to get someplace new. whether its venturing to brooklyn or visiting a friend in dc. i feel like shouting to everyone, "hey, look what i did!"

ha, i just don't know what i would do without it. 

Simple Pleasures

I too had a difficult time picking just one thing that I'm thankful for on a daily basis. Instead of focusing and really narrowing it down, I'm cheating and picking more than one. Sorry about that.

These things are my simple pleasures and indulgences that offer a brief respite when I'm stressed, tired or just in need of a general pick-me up:

FRIENDS
While I'm definitely thankful for my family and friends, one of the things that I'm definitely the MOST thankful for is my "FRIENDS". I own all 10 seasons on DVD and can literally watch these over and over (my husband is NOT thankful for these DVDs). My favorite season is probably season 5 when Monica & Chandler try to hide their relationship from everyone - but let's be honest, I kind of love them all.

GONZAGA BASKETBALL
I'm not sure that this requires an explanation. I love my Zags and am quite sure I always will. I'm thankful that I got to watch them play for four years and I'm thankful that I live in the Northwest where I get to see their games now that I'm not in Spokane anymore. Also, I'm thankful for gametracker when I can't make it to a tv to watch the game. And for their win last night in the Maui Invitational Championship game. Thankful, thankful, thankful. That was awesome. I love college basketball season. I'm thankful for that too.

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
I've posted about this before so I won't go into details but will just send you here instead. If you're ever in town, let me know and we'll go visit. I'm thankful this is on my bus route, I'm thankful for their ridiculously high checkout limit and their extensive catalog. I'm specifying Seattle in general, but can we please take a minute to be thankful for libraries (and librarians) everywhere? They deserve it and don't get nearly enough credit or thanks.


I'm lucky to have a lot to be thankful for this year. These are some of the sillier highlights, but sometimes that's what makes life just a little bit more fun. Don't you think??

Happy Thanksgiving all!


Currently Reading: The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underworld, by Christine Wiltz [an awesomely scandalous biography]

Things That Are Fuzzy

I’m not going to lie. Picking something I’m thankful for to fit this week’s theme was much harder than I anticipated. So far everyone’s answers are all so good-- I am thankful for all of those things too! Internet on my cell phone, um, hello, where have you been all my life? A heating pad? Brilliant. I can’t believe I don’t own one of those. My house is an icebox. Boots, oh let me tell you about my love affair with boots. Actually, no, I’ll save that for another day. Target? Fred Meyer? Food carts? Gchat? Check. Gossip Girl? Okay, no. But I’ll look into it.
I really was torn. My camera, obviously, I am completely thankful for. My sewing machine. My feet. (I was going somewhere with that one, really, I swear.)

Anyway in the end I decided that the thing I am thankful for, especially this time of year is:
THINGS THAT ARE FUZZY.

I have to warn you, I never really post photos of myself online but for the sake of this post, it’s going to look like I absolutely adore myself. Sorry about that. There’s just no way to show off the fuzzy without a hundred pictures of my silly mug. So here are a ahandful of photos I dug up to illustrate my case.

I pretty much am a sucker for anything that has a fur-lined hood. I just bought this new vest, for the sole reason that it has a fur lined hood. I have already worn it to work like 10 times in the last 2 weeks that I bought it. And you know what? I don’t even care. If anyone said something to me, I would just say, “yeah, well my vest has a fur-lined hood.”


But the vest is not the only thing. I also have a coat, also known as the warmest and most awesome coat of all time, which has, you guessed it... a fur-lined hood.

I even have a sweater with a fur-lined hood! This is the only winter-themed style sweater that I own, and I never would have bought it if it weren’t for the hood. It’s a silly sweater and I love it.



Oh in finding photos for my case I also found another fur-lined sweater! A photographer came out to my house and took photos of me for a project and it turns out that I apparently thought a white furry sweater would be the best thing to wear that day. Um, so yeah. Here’s that picture.



But there’s more than things with fuzzy hoods. I pretty much love all things that are fuzzy. Take, for example, these amazing socks. I wear them all the time. I wear them under boots. I wear them around the house. I wear them to work and then take my shoes off at my desk and relish in their fuzziness.



Speaking of fuzzy feet and boots. I am sure you saw this coming, but... I have fuzzy boots! I bought them for eight dollars at a shop in Philadelphia and I’ve pretty much worn them way more than they were built to be worn. I have lots of boots so I don’t need to wear them very often, but when given the opportunity to combine fuzzy things with boots, um yeah, I’m on that train.
Note the fur-lined coat.



So this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for many, many things. But when I sit back and think about all those blessings in my life, you better believe... I'll be wearing something fuzzy.

eat, chat, love

i surely couldn't pick just ONE thing that i am thankful for on the daily. (although, boots is certainly a good one. :)) i chose three.


daily, i am thankful for:

1) gchat
2) the taco truck near my house
3) gossip girl

i'll break these down a bit, and then you can scorn me for being silly. sound good? okay, go!

gchat

along the line of cell phones, the internet, and pixi stix, i KNOW people lived for years, maybe generations, without gchat. but HOW did they do it? and for god's sake, how did i get so close to almost not making the cut off. i mean, most people only started getting gmail upwards of... 3 years ago? if that?

i'm not trying to imply that i sit at my desk all day with absolutely nothing to do. far from it. but what gmail gives is the kind of reprieve you need every now and then, especially when things are busy. a link here, an anecdote there, some venting here, some gushing there. if you work and don't spend your day logged into gmail, i'd be curious how you do it. my brain is all kind of wired, so i think it's just natural for me to be drawn to it like a taco addict to a taco truck, but i am alway amazed when people only log on once or twice during the day and have no desire otherwise to join the partytrain that is gchat.

the taco truck near my house

i will challenge anyone to challenge my taco truck. it is the kind of fresh fresh warm warm meaty cilantroy oniony mess of deliciousness that i swear will haunt my dreams long after i've left my neighborhood. for now, i don't want to think of the day i do leave, because that day will involve me being in thousands of dollars of debt to return from whatever corner of the country or world i am in on monthly pilgrimage to this taco truck.

it's that good. and i'll tell you right now, the taco truck has swiftly replaced my "feel good" food of mcdonald's cheeseburgers (which lasted 20 years!) with chicken tacos from the taco truck. the service is usually way nicer, too. if i'm having a bad day, i tell myself that if i can make it off the subway and half a block, i'll make it through to another day. the promise of taco taco taco taco taco not only gets me home quicker, but then the actual tacos not only metaphorically fill up my energy bar at the top of the screen, but make me want to dance and have me licking my plate.

gossip girl

i know the stigma that comes with this show. i get it. i certainly don't agree with it, but i can understand why people have the impression that they do about the show. advertisements make it seem serious. scandalous. trashy. stupid.

what gossip girl is is the most ridiculous, furthest-thing-from-serious, deliciously wittily packed satire i've ever seen. you've never seen a show so lovingly mock its characters while facilitating the ability for them to lovingly mock themselves.

the one liners, the wordplay, the back-and-forth... lit nerds be damned, because i *am* one, but i would liken some of the best parts of the show to some of the best scenes in "pride and prejudice". that's right, i SAID it! curse me with all your lit nerd curse-ry, but i'm not taking it back!

my point being, i don't watch an ounce of tv, but i watch gossip girl. i devour gossip girl. i dive into bed and eat tacos and watch it on my laptop and don't want to be ANYWHERE else in the world. (especially because i'm already set up to gchat about it after.)

and it's that feeling, right there, those blissful silly delicious moments, that i am truly thankful for.

Here's Lookin at You, Boots

I have never owned a pair of leather boots.

I know. Have I been living under a rock?

Not exactly, but until recently, I've never been able to pull off the ultra cute skinny jeans and riding boots look. There are a couple reasons for this. One is that I've never had one or two hundred dollars to devote to such an endeavor. The second is that I've always been under the impression that an hourglass figure disqualifies one from wearing cute boots--however wrong I may have been about that. But then two wonderful things happened this summer. I got my first paid, full-time internship, which gave me money to spend on things like boots, and the second is that I lost weight, shrunk my waist and hips, and finally felt ready to show off my gams in some adorable boots.

So, at the beginning of the fall, my gorgeous leather Bandolino Castalina riding boots entered my life.


And they are the non-essential thing in my life that I've been thankful for every single day. I'm only partially exaggerating. They have done wonders for my wardrobe, self-esteem, and life. The compliments I get, both on them and how I look in them, would be enough. But they've also allowed me to get away with wearing skinny jeans to work--they class everything up. And they make me taller (!), which in and of itself is probably their biggest boost (pun intended). Anyone who knows me knows that I have this complex about being 5'4, and am convinced that if I could only just be 5'6 or 5'7 life as I know it would be revolutionized. It's actually a problem, my tallness fixation--every guy I've dated has been from 6'0 to 6'4...yup...a full foot taller than me.

But...I digress. The boots. I was talking about the boots. They, themselves, as compared to others of their kind, are superior. The color is gorgeous. The brass buckle is adorable and not too shiny/fake looking. They have gussets on the calf to accommodate different sizes of calves.

So this Thanksgiving, when I'm giving thanks for all the blessings in my life, you can bet I'll be sneaking a peek under the table to acknowledge my boots on that list.