these are a few of my favorite things, part one

dear web journal,

in an effort to share the random things i am enjoying as of late, i’ve compiled a short list:

-veronica mars:
after netflixing the first two seasons, this has quickly become one of my favorite shows. when i was younger, i enjoyed "inspector gadget" not for the main character, but for his niece penny, who masterfully solved her uncle’s cases while keeping him out of harm’s way. mix penny with the sometimes snarky wit of a more modern character like daria and you’ve got why i like veronica mars. plus, it is filmed on my old stopping ground in san diego, taking place in the fictitious town of "neptune." season one is better than season two, but both are a lot of fun watch.

-black apple’s felted rabbits:

living with a dude, i have to be careful about the amount of cute "dolls" that occupy our shared space, but i am so tempted to snag one of these up. i am wondering how difficult felting is. keeping in mind, the lady behind black apple makes the beautiful and difficult seem effortless. i could see myself really enjoying this craft.

-alex chilton/big star:
apparently, another one of my favorites, paul westerberg, was influenced by alex chilton (even wrote a song about him). karl introduced me to big star this weekend and i’m totally astounded by how ahead-of their-time their sound is. if you’re not already aware of this memphis power pop goodness, you may unknowingly be familiar with their work by the opening song to "that 70’s show" (covered by cheap trick). i would suggest downloading the song, "the happy song."

-this diesel bikini:

i’m a fan of the semi-boy-short bottoms, the colors, and the fact that it might be a flattering item to wear on the beaches of st. lucia (our honeymoon spot).

-kale:

sometimes produce can be difficult to find, expensive, and cause for guilt when buying it during the winter in the part of the country i now live. while i love nectarines, buying peruvian ones in february for three bucks a pound is ridiculous. so, i am trying to be smart and make winter friendly produce purchases. kale is the perfect solution—tasty and good for you too. karl makes an inexpensive and delicious kale, white bean, and sausage stew.

ferocious feline documentary

here’s a youtube video of our cutie.

rupee nintendo, the kitten

dear web journal,

it has been a whirlwind of emotion around our house. on wednesday afternoon, karl let our cats, rupee (our newest kitten) and foxtrot (our year-old cat), out to play and went to get his hair cut. when he returned, rupee was no where to be found.

so when afternoon turned into night, we became pretty alarmed. she is sociable, but not the kind of cat that would wander off too far and we knew something was wrong when she’d been gone so long. we called and called for her, searching our quiet neighborhood. nothing.

so, i panicked wednesday night, thinking of life without her. it was rough. to most people, even maybe those who have and love cats, this may seem like needless worry. but she’s not only pretty young (5 months), she's also kind of extraordinary. she’s probably the most loving creature i’ve met. she’ll roll around in complete happiness at your voice or touch. she’s also fond of playing hide-and-go-seek and fetch (which she often initiates). and in my biased opinion, i think she’s super cute.

not only that, we saved this cat's life. when we rescued her from the shelter, everyone working there tried to warn us that we were adopting a kitten on its deathbed——frighteningly thin, not eating or drinking, and covered in mucus. karl and i were aware of it, but the connection we felt with her was undeniable. thankfully, my dad has taught me a few things about medicating and healing animals. when we told the vet what we’d do to bring her around, the vet admitted that rupee’s going home with us was her only chance of making it through the night. it was rough, but she made it and now is a chubby little thing.

well, karl ended up finding her in a neighbor’s tree with the help of our dog, holden (she was scared up there by the neighbor’s dogs). this alleviated the worry that she was gone for good, but now presented a whole new thing to worry about. the internet is a wonderful tool for learning things and sometimes those things are horrifyingly scary. according to the websites i found on the subject, kittens have a much harder time climbing back out of trees and will often just fall out and hurt themselves (sometimes fatally). not to mention when they’re small, they’re victim to avian and tree dwelling predators.



she finally jumped out of the tree this morning on her own sometime between 3:00 am and 6:45 am when i checked on her. not finding her was unsettling, because of my fears mentioned above. but when i finally heard her cries, i knew the whole ordeal was finally over, thank god.

needless to say we’re very happy to have her back home and will mind the fayetteville law that requires cats be tethered outdoors or kept inside.

scooter time

dear web journal,

funny how just a few entries ago i was writing about the darned snow. this week promises weather warm enough to start riding my tomos moped to work again. we originally bought it because campus parking is somewhat expensive (with no promise you’ll find a spot) and parking a moped costs nothing. not to mention, it also gets 115/mpg.

so this morning donning my dorky bike helmet, i rode less than a mile and parked right in front of the building i work in. i never really exceed 30/mph so it seems silly to say i enjoy the wind in my face. but it is true. and because it feels like forever since the weather was this nice, i will say it was really hard getting off the thing to sit at a desk playing with numbers all day.

also, happy fat tuesday!

shortest entry ever

dear web journal,

i finally finshed our charity based wedding website. i'm not so keen on the web design, but for what it is, i don't care. anyway, please take a look:

http://www.idofoundation.org/melissandkarl

the shriners loaned us cars

dear web journal,

we bought the honda fit because we wanted a new and reliable car, but we also wanted something that would get us better gas mileage. everything i’ve read says most of the hybrid models still have kinks to work out (like very expensive, not-so-eco-friendly, and sometimes dangerous batteries that die and have to be disposed of). and because even the super-fuel-efficient, less expensive models are still out of our range, we decided to look at the non-hybrids. the only other non-hybrids within our $$$ range on the “top ten most fuel efficient cars of 2007” were the toyota yaris (only two door) and the scion xa (which also looked great). the consumer rating for the honda fit was still better than both of those. so, we decided to test drive a fit and we fell instantly in love.

even after buying my cute eco-friendly car, i can’t help but continue my research on the subject. while some dudes get excited about the detriot car show (ew, dirty american car companies), i’m finding myself drooling over the japanese cars of the future. they sometimes border on the ridiculously space-agey-side, but they also boast 150+/mpg. even the modest mpg of honda fit, while a new model to the american market, is old news to most of europe and asia. here are a few of the concept cars that i am excited about:


honda wow concept, a car designed specifically for dog lovers (notice the dog cubby compartment)


suzuki lc concept, a model designed for fans of euro classics like the austin mini


daihastu ufe-iii concept, boasts a 170/mpg and the 1+2 seating is kind of a neat idea


honda fcx, a second-generation, fuel cell hydrogen-powered zero-emission vehicle, already used in big cities like LA as employee cars (i want one!)

talk of the weather will do

dear web journal,

it’s another snow day here in fayetteville, arkansas. mild, of course, in comparison to the amounts that up-state NY has been blanketed with. yet, karl and i are still getting used to it, as this is our second real winter.

growing up, i’ve lived in about every county in southern california. though i’ve seen snow on rare occasions stick for a few hours, it certainly did not prepare me for weather like this. and karl grew up in san diego, where we both met. so, it should come at little surprise that this year’s snow has taught us some hard lessons about driving in inclement weather.

our brand new honda fit suffered its first blemish early this month when karl lost control and rear-ended another car. the damages were minor (and cosmetic); yet being a brand new model means the repairs are not going to be so minor. it’s a great car and i am anxious to have it back to its original silver finery.

despite my sobering lessons with snow, i have a difficult time holding a grudge when looking out my window watching the snowflakes fall. who knew that they looked so pretty when looking at them close-up?



plus, isn’t even the icy cold pretty?:


photo, taken by karl, of the train tracks south of the UA campus

it’s a free country

dear web journal,

the latest issue of real simple magazine features an article on how to get some free stuff. and in the spirit of purchase-less deals, i decided to share the wealth (with commentary).

-start sampling: (www.startsampling.com) this is a third party site that connects manufacturers with cheapskates like me who want free stuff.

-kiehl’s: (1-800-543-4572 or www.kiehls.com) call this number and get up to three samples sent to your door. or instead, see stores locations for more goodies.

-programs from american consumer opinion and e-poll: (www.acop.com and www.epoll.com) you can earn cash, points, or free products in exchange of your consumer soul. ok, not that serious, but fill out some surveys and you’ve got yourself some great deals.

-oil of olay sample program: (www.olay.com) as new olay products come out, you’re due to receive samples of them if you sign up.

-sephora (www.sephora.com): just ask a salesperson and they’ll hand you a package sample or fill jars of requested products for free. naturally, to keep it free, this requires your strictest willpower and ability to say “no” to persistent salespersons. but it is probably worth it, right?

-procter and gable’s home made simple and tide e-newsletters: (www.homemadesimple.com and www.tide.com) this is probably the best freebee site for samples of and coupons for everyday items.

-e-cards that don’t suck: (www.hipstercards.com, www.cardcow.com, and ecard.digiart.ee) there are way too many corny e-cards out there. here are some good looking, sometimes funny e-cards to send your friends when you’ve realized you waited too long to send the real thing.

-free education: (www.ocw.mit.edu and www.bbc.co.uk/languages, www.frenchpodclass.com) ever want to take classes from a prestigious university like MIT? well, if you’re ok with not receiving a degree for your hard earned erudition, you can take nearly all the courses they offer for free online. the latter links are pod-language-classes you can stream and download. merci!

-free ice cream: (www.benandgerry.com) april 17th is the day for 2007! see link for store locations.

-free books: (www.paperbackswap.com and www.titletrader.com) this easy exchange program works like this: post used books; wait until one is chosen; mail it off; get credit for it; and choose something you like with credit; wait for it at your mailbox. smart recycling, eh? i love it.

and i should say that as much as i love real simple magazine, i got my subscription for free too by buying a few inexpensive work-attire sweaters from www.delias.com. since then, i’ve been wild about free magazines. for those magazine publishers who offer a number of free issues that you must cancel before they start charging you, you have to remember to actually meet the deadline. want a good (and free) way to remember to keep magazine subscription offers free? go to www.memotome.com and sign up for free email reminders.

good, good, good (magazine)

dear web journal,

this is the perfect funny shirt to balance out my last post. and a cute stab at consumerism like this also helps me introduce an emerging concept growing out of fundraising for a good cause: when more, more, more can actually equal good, good, good.

for christmas, i got my future sister-in-law a subscription to good magazine and they accidentally sent the first issue to my house. i was already really impressed with the magazine from the advertisements i saw randomly popping up on tv, the internet, and radio. but i can’t stress enough how important their work is, especially after reading an issue. first and foremost, 100% of your subscription payment ($20) goes to a charity of your choosing (out of their somewhat limited, but excellent list of organizations). you get a really awesome publication out of it and you can feel good knowing the purchase supports a worthy cause. and it is chock-full of really informative pieces.

i have to admit that i am really excited about consumerist giving including programs like this and (product)red. forget kant; giving should include all kinds of personal incentives. the moral imperative creates a totally unrealistic and unsustainable expectation of human beings. why not (literally) capitalize on what is good about our nature to want to be recognized and reciprocated for our good deeds? and our generation is ripe for this kind of giving—we want accountability and we want to receive something for our investments. if that produces desired results with little cost, i’m all for it. naturally, i am not including some of the self-important waste that sometimes occurs in ridiculously pampered gala fundraising. but when people are already buying ipods, t-shirts, and magazine entertainment, all the better to have that include a greater good as well. think of it as a necessary mitigation for consumer waste, if you must. and frankly, i don’t think we have the time to wait for the purity of soul that kant expected of human beings. things like AIDS, sudanese conflicts, global warming, and mid-east instability don’t warrant the luxury of time.

an outdoor event

dear web journal,

i warned yesterday that i would write about the wedding and here i go (it’s a long one). as my favorite part, i should begin with the dress. i purchased the ivory emily silk chiffon gown from jcrew on sale a month or so ago, which is featured below. i had previously purchased an ivory vera wang gown online for a total steal, but found it unflattering on me. so, i am due to resell that soon. i honestly never saw myself being the kind of bride that has more than one dress (or being that picky), but i guess i am subject to that sort of thing.



the outdoor wedding will take place in the cuyamaca mountains in the quaint town of julian (just outside of san diego) at angel’s landing and resort. karl and i spend a good amount of time hiking and on one particular hike through william heise county park we decided before any kind of proposal that we’d someday return to this area to be married. and it’s proven to be a lovely place for an afternoon ceremony and reception. our theme colors are brown and green, keeping with the surroundings.



the lovely insurgentmuse has designed and printed the stationary (and i couldn’t be more pleased).

i am all about keeping costs low (and having tons of fun) by keeping the event DIY. the site itself, the food, and cake are the only things i didn't budget closely, because i felt those were the most important parts. i found green glass mosaic vases at the dollar store, which will hold white carnations. to complement the carnations, i will make tissue paper pom-poms (along with purchased paper lanterns) to hang in the trees above the reception area. i came up with the idea of using brown tulle as inexpensive table runners to add color to our no-cost white table linens.



my ladies will wear brown cocktail length dresses of their own choice. i found a picture of someone else’s wedding with brown mismatched bridesmaid dresses that i thought was very flattering.


(sorry i forgot who this belongs to)

karl and his guys will wear khaki pants, brown corduroy sports coats, and green ties. i very much like the idea of keeping an outdoor wedding as casual as possible and i think they’ll all look really nice (and be comfortable too).

i’m making my own jewelry for the day and recently picked up some green turquoise to put together a necklace and earrings. i purchased my ivory birdcage veil, which is gorgeous from georgie peach at a remarkable price.



a good friend of mine, kelly, is going to laptop DJ the event. his taste in music is perfect and i think this will be the most fun part of the day. i would love suggestions for good songs to play during the wedding. i also found a wedding photographer that’s just starting out and looking to create a portfolio. he’s doing my wedding pro bono. and another locally famous art photographer friend of mine, geoffry uhl, will also supplement the wedding photo documentation with some less cheesy, candid shots.

ok, that’s what i’ve got planned for now. i’m always open for suggestions.

tazón de fuente estupendo

dear web journal,

today is super bowl sunday, which marks the joyous occasion in which i may prepare atomic buffalo turds and eat them on the couch as my boyfriend, karl, explains the american football point system to me for the millionth time (and only because it is the millionth time i've asked).

we're tired because we spent the weekend painting the adjoining duplex apartment for our landlady, who kindly promised to pay us by cutting the price of our rent next month. this helps because we're also planning a wedding during may of this year and we've found the event can be a real money pit. despite how expensive the event is, i've found a new hobby in searching for great deals on wedding dresses, invitations, decorations, catering, and gifts. of which, i'll probably boringly and painstakingly detail here. i think karl is beginning to worry (and yet, also rejoice) that i'll suffer a post-matrimonial depression when my favorite activity becomes obsolete. i'll be ok. i'll get back to doing a little more reading, studying again for the LSAT, and returning to crafts and mail art as a hobby.