Today it's been raining, and I've been downloading country songs for my brother, and I miss home ( Read more... )

The past odd month, I've gone into hibernation mode. It's a strange feeling. I think it's due in part to the unrelenting cloudiness that's hung over Santa Barbara; I've seen the sun intermittently and I only vaguely remember what the mountains look like. During this time, I've been staying mostly indoors, reading a huge host of books, eating, and ( Read more... )

I'm going to give myself props for a short moment ( Read more... )

I've come to the conclusion that I was not properly socialized. The notion has occurred to me before, but has crystallized as I just finished reading "Self-Made Man" by Norah Vincent. Succinctly, it's the true story of a woman journalist who cross-dressed and lived as a man for eighteen months. As a sort of Tiresias, she takes on everything from ( Read more... )

What is it about some people that they feel like they have to save you from yourself? I'm working this morning at the yoga center, which means I've dragged myself out of bed to get there at 8:30am (I know, for most people that's normal. Give me some slack...I'm a grad student). On my way out the door, I grab a nice cold Diet Coke. Yum ( Read more... )

You want to hear what depresses me? I can't write on a chalkboard to save my life. I, a budding academic scholar, with completely legible and (some would say) beautiful penmanship, and my chalkboard skills are just nil. Every week when I work at the yoga center I have to update the chalkboard with yoga teacher substitutions. And I dread it. Usually ( Read more... )

Since I've contracted yet another head cold which will inevitably turn into a sinus infection, your rant today is brought to you by the letter N. N for neti pot. My mother, who has been in public health for all of her adult life and is rarely taken in by scheming healthcare professionals (even that appealing "Eat only chocolate and lose ten pounds ( Read more... )

I can't tell you how much sleep I've been getting in the past week. Something about being back from LA and being done with exams and maybe just my body relaxing after about a month of stress....man....it's not really normal at all. Today, after sleeping a decent six hours last night, I took a five hour nap ( Read more... )

I've discovered that I live roughly an hour and a half from Rome. Or maybe it's Babylon. Regardless, I have to say Los Angeles is a pretty interesting city to visit and somewhere I'd never want to live ( Read more... )

While cooking a chocolate chess pie tonight, I had several revelations. First, after scouring the aisles of the grocery story in vain for unsweetened baker's chocolate, I had the brilliant idea to look at the tin of cocoa that was innocently sitting in my cabinet. And there was a handy formula. Who the hell knew that you can combine cocoa powder ( Read more... )