When keepin' it real goes wrong (just like the 1st time)

I don't like people playin' on my phone!

Xmas eve with the family

My family has a christmas eve tradition of eating amazing homemade Italian food and opening presents from each other. This year my mom, sister, and I learned how to make the family ravioli from scratch - amazing. I fully appreciate all the elbow grease put into preparing this meal.

For Princesses and Disney Freaks Only (you people freak me out)

Finally, a Sears marketing campaign geared for slutty Cinderella/Snow White-types.

Sunday Funday - Boncing back!

Today turned out to be a lot better than I ever expected - miraculously, my acute illness left my lungs and I felt almost back to my normal capacity!  This is good news - there's nothing I loathe more than to be forced to take drugs and sleep off illness - but it's good to know that rest, fluids, fruits, vegetables, and a shit-ton of nyquil & advil will bring me back to functional status!

Today I felt was time well spent, I ventured to the wealthy suburbs with my roommates to carefully hand-select a 9-foot xmas tree in record time - i think it was 90-seconds we had picked our tree out, and found the nearest tree wrapping specialist to haul away our superb selection.  The majority of the 10 minutes we were at the tree farm was spent in line waiting to pay for our sweet tree - by the time we left the barn - the tree was carefully tied to Meghan's car and we were on our merry way back to the girtty city. Also record time - literally 5 minutes to get the tree in its base, straight and no tipping over!  We should go into business - we seriously have the whole process down to a science!

Part 2 of my semi-productive outdoorsy day was spent walking through picturesque christmas festive downtown Boston for 4 hours with my friend who is still learning English language and American customs, like that it is illegal to drive an unregistered vehicle & on separate occasion, running a red light will cost you around $250.  Then there's all the little american idioms that foreigners have no clue exist and do not understand when i start laughing at the simplest sentence it's not because they aren't grammatically correct - it is perfect English - but it's also a sexual innuendo, which they haven't learned in language school.  The humor is endless!

Highlights of my week

Well, this week has been a wash - I worked 2.5 days and spent the other 2.5 days and all of Saturday in bed :(

But I did manage to squeeze in some fun on Wednesday at my department's holiday party & Thursday got to see Ryan Adams acoustic show downtown.

I guess being sick could be seen as a trade-off, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll feel good enough to find some Turkish Delight downtown today. I heard it's the best!

Crazy colorful sunset & all that jazz

I had to stop working yesterday when I saw the glow of the sun setting out of the corner of my eye. I decided I had to go home and do something earthy like eat butternut squash ravioli & learn a foreign language's alphabet.

Hometown upgrade

My inner 14-year old self has the hugest crush on this new place!

Albino squirrel

Beacon hill/west end lunchtime sighting - it's not a myth - here's the proof ALBINO SQUIRREL ALERT! It's adorably chubby and had pristine white coat. Hope it doesn't get hit by an ambulance or picked up by the vultures!

Well-deserved Recline

It's been nice to visit all these places in CT and just chill!

Molester Plates

I think it's really responsible of New Jersey to give customized license plates to registered sex offenders.

Winter gear!!

Love that my roommate & her boyfriend bring home samples for apparel research! Yes, the Hartford Whalers do withstand the uninsulated, cold radiator conditions I sleep in. Thanks C & R!!!

dance hall crashers: basics of hip-hop empowerment

I took my first dance class Saturday, actually it was my first 2 dance classes; I enjoyed the first one so much I toughed out the 2nd class directly after.  I haven't done anything choreographed since I was in a musical when i was 17 and had to sing and dance on command.  This class was great though, given the basics and then the disclaimer that the key to hip-hop dance is really finding your own groove.  I can appreciate that.  The pic above is early Saturday morning proof - I was early and earlier than Valerie and i took a picture as proof I was there before Valerie & it happened to turn out to be a really sweet image.  More dance classes, more sporadic picture-perfect moments are sure to come.

DBT @ HOB

Went out for fancy hotdogs, bourbon with Jason & Kyle and some southern twang rock - I can't say that I'd go to see DBT again - I think it's because we started talking about Lucero and how I wished they were playing too. But I'm still glad I went last night.

Could use 15 grand for wild aero furniture

Face your fears

What freaks me out? A whole raw chicken that I am in charge of cooking and not inducing salmonella. At the glorious age of twentyniner it's about time I teach myself how to do it and do it well.

Deadborah Harry wishes everyone a Happy Halloween

I love red lights!

Hippies love their Skippy

The Real Housewives of South Boston

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQoTlVgmPK8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sent from my iPhone

Meet the locals: Week 2

Meet Lexi (Aka BlackBear, SkunkFaceKillah, BigBlack, BlackAttack, Blacky, Queen B). Likes: leashes, couches, playing hideandseek on the black skull rug, CharterOak, being diplomatic alphadog. Dislikes: When wrestling gets rowdy, faulty knees, SKUNKS, when others eat from her bowl, when bitches whine.

Although she's a stay-at-home mom Lexi is a true hunter/gatherer/protector. She has the biggest skull ever, can react appropriately to human facial expressions, & imitates a wookie daily. She wins in almost every category of lovable animal traits

Picturesque workspace

My daily million-dollar view & non-profit salary. Surely worth all the aches and pains.

Meet the Locals: week 1

Meet Sophie (on the right), she's one of my roommates. she's pretty shy and drinks like a fish! Likes: long walks, ball point pens, staring off into space, picking up crumbs, and watering the lawn. Dislikes: Men, red things, clunky shoes, Cow bells, and baths. She's a little self conscious about her weight but most say she has curves in all the right places.

My God, who said you can't start a sentence with "and." And they've gone to plaid!

Can spaceballs get old? Absolutely not.  A few weekends ago I watched this movie twice and then a bunch of other mel brooks favs like Robin Hood:Men in Tights.  And then I started thinking about how I have to start studying for higher education exams and thought standardized testing would be so much better if it were like trivial pursuit, or taboo, or "win lose or draw." And then I thought of analogies and how dumb they are, but I'd kill to answer a question like Mel Brooks is to Film as _________ is to Music. And how can a standardized test really predict future success accurately for me? I've never done anything the way i was "supposed to" - especially with school.  And then I thought about how getting a graduate degree can definitely be postponed 'til i'm done making fun of it. 

*I'm all about grammar patrol, but I feel starting a sentence with "and" is a great way to make lists in paragraph form, giving the illusion of an essay ssssh it's really listed.

Honk Fest - yes please

fondness for adult activist marching bands. Davis Sq. A couple weeks ago at the Honk Fest. Brass Galore.

Hearty work lunch: pizza in the north end

Love that I can walk 5-10 minutes in every direction and find cheap eats for lunch....giant slices of crispy greasy delight (and that's a full-sized tray)

Rear apartment does not mean front of house

Common sense: get some

The batcave of crafts....

room after room filled with every type of rock, stone, crystal your undergrad environmental earth studies class taught you and soon forgot and then a whole warehouse of more natural wondrous structures. So earth.

Not recommended.

Well it's been a solid 10 years since I last ventured into this station's ladies room.....

support the arts!

I thought I'd steal this photo from Larkin's tumblr to promote her business and appreciate the craft of her merchandise as well as presentation.  You can find LarkinandLarkin on etsy.com and watch out for long red tresses in the greater providence area.  

Croissants

I appreciate a good piece of layered dough, especially croissants. This 8" croissant is filled with ham & cheese and it's from the non-snoot bakery in my neighborhood. I can't think of anything better to satisfy me that's 8" and only costs $3.79. Yum.

Bowls Deep

Who says new englanders are unfriendly.....aw heck im a kid in a candy store with punny quirk shirts. These dudes loved the attention even when I told them that I only wanted to take a picture with their backs.

Went bowling FINALLY for Val and Danielle's birthday even though it was their birthdays in February...better late than never. Top score was 104 and a tie between Danielle and myself. Val was in at a close 100. Good job ladies!

the cutest redheaded baby named charlie

I'm not usually psyched about babies - usually because they look like aliens and they don't respond to things you say to them and their soft little baby heads throb because their smooshie brains aren't quite protected by their skull yet. it's almost as serious as owning a houseplant.

But this baby Charlie has really been outstanding exception to the norm - he's expressive, got style (partial thanks to some stylish gift givers), and he's totally missed the awkward baby stage - which statistically means he won't get laid in high school - but will even out get plenty of college tail. Congrats Tina & Evan and their families - this little dude rocks!

He rocks so hard I had to borrow his first hipster photoshoot (i'll be happy to give credit if someone tells me who's responsible for this). 

Nerds

Lab coats: making people look smarter/frumpier since 1857. Is it bad that I have 2? Well there's 2 different styles and weights, I need all the variety I can get if I wear white!

Hurricane party mix

Wide awake at 5am on Sunday is pretty boring - so while I was adding BBQ sauce to my overnight crockpot filled of delicious pig meat, I thought wow here's a good way to entertain myself: I'll challenge myself to my music catalog-of-a-brain and do what I do best - make soundtracks for otherwise insignificant life events! With endless possibilities of storm, rain, destruction, hurricaney music - I settled with a couple dozen that'll fit the bill.

Board up your windows, fill your bathtub with water, and stock your cabinets with non perishables - we gonna get tropical on yo ass!

Hurricane party mix

1. Bad moon rising - CCR

2. Rock you like a hurricane - scorpions

3. Islands in the stream - dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers

4. Black water - doobie brothers

5. Make it rain - fat Joe

6. Hurricane - bob Dylan

7. Like a hurricane - Neil young

8. Umbrella - rhianna

9. Gimme shelter - rolling stones

10. Who'll stop the rain - CCR

11. Have you ever seen the rain? - CCR

12. The wind cries Mary - jimi Hendrix

13. Dont let the sun go down on me - obviously the Elton John/George Michael duet

14. Rainy day woman - Bob Dylan

15. Blackhole Sun - Soundgarden

16. Band on the run - wings

17. Safety dance - men without hats

18. Crying lightning - arctic monkeys

19. White lightning and wine - heart

20. Wild night - John cougar mellancamp

21. Ray of light - Madonna

22. Longshadow- Joe strummer & the Mescaleros

23. City rain, city streets - Ryan Adams

24. Storm coming - gnarles Barkley

25. You wreck me - Tom pretty

Sent from my iPhone

Bitches don't like thunder.

I like storms, they're relaxing and it helps me catch up with Madmen so I can watch the new season. Silly dogs.

2 rules

There are two cardinal rules at my friend's parents house. #1 No shoes on the high pile carpet. #2 no peeing on the sofa.

Oh Connecticut

niagra gothic

 Ha! i just found these pictures from an international roadtrip I went on with Courtney, Meghan, & Valerie last summer. We camped in a mini cabin at this place in upstate nowhere, NY, drank our fair share of yeungling, ate cheddar bratworst like it was going out of style and crossed the Canadian border to that little silly little waterfall. 

Heat casualties? Nah deep summer naps!

the rise of horseradish peroxidase

my neurology-inspired rapper name is Horseradish Peroxidase, a small side project from the Lil'Dupa empire, thank you undergrad education finally coming to use. HRP in the house!

i'm gonna eat your brains and gain your knowledge

wikipedia for some gnarledge!

corndawggin shared an Instagram photo with you

Hi there,

corndawggin just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"NASA's throwback rocket"

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

Hot damn!

95 at 6pm is always promising......looks like a great summer weekend - I will see you at the beach.

Mildly retarded

Thanks new glasses for letting me teeter the fine line of kinda smart/mildly retarded. They are heavy and too big but I like them because I can see again and they're an odd color. Oh and they were pretty cheap. Score!

Sand castles! Holy moly

Today I went to Revere beach with Courtney (one of my roommates) and we spent a bunch of hours reading in the sun, taking cautious dips into the questionably clean ocean water, and then decided to walk down to the crowded part of the beach cuz we heard people were making huge sand sculptures. They were big and fancy.

Solid Bonds

I've been swimming as far as I can remember. One summer I was probably around 3-4 years old I had been swimming all day and didn't want to leave the pool at my grandparent's house. I had to go to the bathroom real bad and i thought with everyone swimming and splashing around I could get away with letting a little go..... Unfortunately my grandfather figured out what happened and whisked me out of the pool. paraded me to his bathroom and asked me why I was in there. I said because I probably have to go to the bathroom some more, and he was like yes and what else? He proceeded to tell me that he loved having me and my cousins come over and swim, and that's why he had a pool and it would be impossible for his 6-foot self to swim in the toilet. So basically I had to do my business in the toilet and not in the pool, or else I would not be allowed to swim there.  I haven't pooped in a pool since.

It's been a rough year for grandfathers on planet earth, my grandfather joined the list of those who have passed along, and unfortunately it's been quite familiar with my friends within the past year.  Everyone has stories and memories that define a relationship with their grandfather.  I come from a family that has been fortunate to have positive relationships with my entire family, and really little family turmoil. We've had our fair share of stressors, serious illness, natural disasters, scrapes and cuts, but no matter the severity of our negative occurrences, we as a family have persevered.  My mother put it clearly the other day when I was asking my typical million questions making sure each and every person on my family tree was doing "ok" in the sense everyone was accounted for and had someone to be with, and yes, I went through the entire maternal side of my family tree individually. - She said, "Mia, we're all going to be fine and get through, because that's what we know."  I realized that being stubborn and putting up a fight was a familial trait we all learned from Gramps; we don't like being told what we can't do and we will work harder to prove you wrong.  My mother later reminded me how her dad has always defied odds, whether it was earning a silver star and 6 purple hearts in WWII, being a guinea pig for Hodgkins, beating lung cancer and living almost 30 years with one lung. He had reached a great 88 years old with his memory, sense of humor, knowledge and stubbornness still sharper than ever.  Although my family is hurting for the time being, we have been very lucky to have had the influence of someone so unique, creative, thoughtful, strong, and hardworking to look up to and aspire to for many decades.

One of my last memories of Gramps was him telling me that he thought it was great that I moved to Boston and that it was equally great that three of his grandchildren were living and thriving in the city.

here is a link with some cool photos from a million years ago;http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Edward-Sobuta&lc=2487&pid=152418127&mid=4734700&Affiliate=hartfordcourant&PersonID=152418127&FHID=4179

Zombie Dogs!

One night we were all outside grilling and Lexi and Sophie were'nt allowed to come out to play because they are attracted to the hot meat filled grill. Did you know when dogs get pissed they get all weird and shoot green lasers out of their eyes? Now you know.

Recipe for temporary success

This is a staple summer cocktail and also doubles as a quick relaxation fix when your massage-therapist-in-training roommate is outta state, you don't take prescription RXs, and you've received some unpleasant stress.

Non-Violent TaeKwonDo Troopers

I can't even deal. This was the highlight of my week. Thank you PBS.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI6u3w_HOWw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sent from my iPhone

12 dollars!

Been continuously psyched about having a produce market in my neighborhood! I spent 12 bucks on a ton of fruit and veggies which will last me a week or longer.....beats any trip to the supermarket where this amount of food would have easily cost me 30bones! Damn. Buy local, buy fresh, your food will taste better and last longer!

Why public transportation is worth the wait

Say hello to escargot!

I came home from work the other day to find about a dozen crazy snails chilling on my stoop. I was stupefied. Snails, my very own colony of slimy friends? Their just the neighborhood snails that like to come slime around when it's raining or maybe the neighborhood rats have a taste for seafood....either way I'm picking out names for the next time it rains and I will introduce them at a later time.