Friday, July 29, 2005

Sing the Praises of Paid Vacation

One thing I'll say for being a full-time employed adult - paid vacation is STINKING AWESOME!

Well, I'm currently blogging from the In-laws' house, and in just a few minutes, we'll be off to the races. Or at least Massachusetts. Then, after this weekend's wedding extravaganza, Cape Cod, baby, YEAH! I wonder how C & P are doing as they stare down a wedding that's 26hrs away? Good luck, you love birds!

Blogging will be possible while I'm gone, but it'll be sporadic. Stay tuned. Or as K would say "Watch this space." Hoity McToity-Pants.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Maxi-Idiocy Alert!

I receive catalogs from a clothing/lingerie company a couple of times a week. That's a lot of marketing mumbo-jumbo to sort through, and yesterday, I found one of the most mumbo-y jumbos EVER. Next to an ordinary-looking lip gloss container, a blurb read: "Super-sexy gloss uses Maxi-Lip technology to give you poutier lips in 30 days."

Imagine a scene with me: It's your ten-year class reunion and everyone is mingling during the cocktail hour (more appropriately called that for some than others). You are very glad you grabbed a stiff drink because an old acquantaince, after hearing that you work in IT, announces that she works in MLT. "Oh?" You say, your blood pressure rising as you desperately try to remember if that's a subfield of some kind. Macro-Logic? Mac/Linux? Maddening Logistics? Mild Laxative? What is it? Aaaa!. . . "Yeah," she finally says, "you know, Maxi-Lip Technology? I always DID get A's to your B's! (condescending chuckle)."

Please, people, enough is enough - NO MORE NAMING YOUR INNOVATIONS LIKE THEY'RE ROCKET SCIENCE. It just makes you sound needy and desperate. Also? "Maxi" makes me think of "pads" not "pouts." Not helping your cause.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Listing Tuesday

You know I am literally yanking thoughts out of my head by sheer force when it comes to this:

1. "Planning for vacation makes you need a vacation." If it's not already an established cliche, it should be because seriously? I NEED A VACATION. And saying that makes me think simultaneously of the words "yawn" and "duh." We're skipping town for a family wedding and vacation this weekend and all next week. We've been shopping for the little things we'll need like sunscreen and antacid. (Just kidding, fam! ;) It's exciting, but I want to just go, without all this thinking beforehand.

2. I love sunglasses. Love to try them on, love to wear them (NOT indoors), and love finding that perfect pair. But I also tend to lose them. I know, you would never have thought that I could get distracted enough to leave them at the checkout counter or on that random rack of jeans while hunting for the SHORT length in my size. Sad, but too often true. So In February when I found The Pair for $10 in that peachy taupe gradient all the kids are digging, I bought them! My life was a dream. They outlasted airports, sight-seeing trips, shopping for jeans (fruitless though it was) and everyday life, shielding my eyes and making my face stylish. Then this last Sunday, I went to church on Sunday and when I left, they had snapped in two. Church is the least sunglass-intensive activity I know. WHAT HAPPENED? Yet I cannot weep for you, Aldo eyewear, because last night I found The Next Pair and they are bold, and I LOVE THEM. BRING ON THE VACATION BEACHES. wooooo!

3. A bunch of friends from college are leaving this weekend for Virginia Beach and some good times. But only with each other, obviously, because we're at the wedding. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO PICK THIS WEEKEND? *sigh* We do not begrudge them their ballyhoo, but we will miss them. And we will continue being out of the inside-joke loop for a little while longer. Why is it that no matter how old you get, you still hate being left out?

4. Reading The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett, loving it. Today of the UK said he "does for fantasy what Douglas Adams did for science fiction." *singing, loudly as always* Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my hearts beasts so that I can hardly speak . . .

5. I finished a big project for work AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. Elation and suppressed work ethic are to be expected, I suppose.

6. It is rightly said of marriage that you have phases of closeness and phases in which the "accidental" death of your spouse might/might not be okay, depending on the hour. Right now? AWESOME. As in, "inspiring awe." I read someone's blog entry recently that struck me. She said that she was so glad she'd found the person whom she could strive hard to love and who would strive hard to love her. That's just how I feel. It's a daily challenge, but when I laugh riotously at a joke he just made and I notice his expression when he realizes he made me happy, it's worth it. That kind of closeness doesn't seem possible without our work for each other. My nonsensical attempts to understand it aside, thanks, K.

Friday, July 22, 2005

Smiling, then crying, then smiling again, then stressing

I got back yesterday evening late. I slept in my own bed, with my own pillow, and my cat occasionally nibbling at my ankles, knees, and toes for sheer amusement. DORK ALERT: The Following is Unjustifiably Smarmy. My hubby must have missed me because I woke up a couple times and he was snuggling me in his sleep. *swoon, thud*

Yesterday was really fun. My company has a suite at their local football stadium and every year, they pick up their tickets and attend a free taste-testing of all the food available to order from the caterers. Unfortunately, my stupid stomach picked THAT MOMENT to shrink to the size of a fist and refuse to let me eat even a normal amount of the LIMITLESS, FREE, GOURMET FOOD. Anyone who knows me can see why this is a catastrophic problem under the circumstances. I guess all the food from the past week caught up with me. Still, WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

After that, boss and I had like three hours to kill before my flight and we couldn't go back to the house because of the airport location so we spent some time shopping. I found Travel Scrabble for $15 at B. Dalton and grabbed it. I feel ALMOST as cool as BL. And boss and I bought matching, incredibly comfortable flip-flops from American Eagle. She is now OFFICIALLY my almost-mom because Mom and I often ended up with the same shoes in our closets. But, Mom, you're still The Capital-M Mom because you endured labor for me, an indelible fact of history (and I'm sure memory for you). Plus there was that whole "raising" me thing in there somewhere. However, I'm feeling generous, so how about a shout-out to both mom & Mom - MUCH LOVE.

Okay, I have WAY too much work to do before vacation next week, SO: bye!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Bananas Foster

It's been a busy, good-food-coma-inducing couple of days. The company cookout meat of choice? Filet, marinated for a couple of days. Lunch today? Lunch steaks with steamed vegetables at Lonestar Steakhouse. Plus - French Onion soup. TWICE TODAY. 'Nuff said.

I went tubing at the cookout. I rode on my stomach so I'm really sore in my back and shoulders from trying to angle the tube to catch air and the like. I got a workout, but at what cost? One must ask oneself when each breath is a wee bit trying. If I'm just sitting and it's achy? PROBLEMS.

Meetings, all the time meetings with work. Most are fruitful, but I get the sneaking suspicion that I won't remember WORD ONE of them when I'm staring at some deadlines. Stupid rebellious brain. Still, more food tomorrow. Maybe the brain will straighten up and fly right with all this delicious sensory experience to sort through rather than just meeting notes.

I had Bananas Foster with the bosses tonight for dessert. Superb dessert when done properly. They cooked it tableside at Eddie Merlot's, and it was amazing. Cinnamon, dark rum, bananas, and vanilla bean ice cream. Paradise on a plate. Or a shallow bowl. I'M TIRED, OKAY?

Oh, and to brighten up your Thursday, I found this at the home of "Open Letters to People or Entities who are Unlikely to Respond," because our bathroom ants must occasionally communicate with this guy's variety.

Monday, July 18, 2005

personal best

This morning I hopped a flight to Indiana for a little company HQ action. I'm meeting the co-worker I haven't yet seen face to face, and I'm working out the kinks for my new position with the person who's leaving it to me. And there's a company cookout, some nights on the town, and a lot of joking around and talking about nerdy scientific, gadgety, or entertainment-related nonsense in there, too.

My flights went fine except that WHEN MY FLIGHT WILL BE DELAYED, IT SCARES ME MORE WHEN YOU DON'T SAY HOW LONG THAN IF YOU WERE TO ADMIT THAT IT WILL BE 30 MINUTES. *breathes out raggedly* Still, it's all worth it because today I purchased a turquoise & white scarf at a boutique in the Pittsburgh Airport (which, PRETTY GOOD SHOPPING) on my two-hour layover for $0.75. I WIN!

My weekend was lovely, including one visit to a Marine OCS candidate friend at Quantico, one Smithsonian foray with the unparalleled N&J (National Gallery of Art 19th century French offerings - sheer delight), another good day at church, and some yummy Austin Grill fajitas. Also some really good conversations, especially with K. The running stereotype is that married couples never actually share meaningful conversations as soon as the rings cross your knuckles at the altar (satirized to humorous effect in Mr. and Mrs. Smith). The likelihood is HIGH that we'll end up exclusively discussing how much Windex we have left, what new idea we can try to get Percy to STOP POOPING ON OUR CARPETING EVERY MORNING, FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR TUNA TREATS, or whether buying watermelon with just the two of us is a waste. We have successfully avoided that pitfall thus far, and I am so glad. That's the whole reason I married a thinker! The fact that he gets dimples when he's trying to pull my leg and he knows I'm going to catch him HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, I'M SURE. (Miss you, Hubster!)

Oh, the title references the scarf (although it may not be the best bargain I've ever snagged in percentage points, the price-tag is AWFULLY low.) and my Scrabble game tonight with the bosses. 63 points? Don't mind if I do! I actually won at Scrabble - and won handily. Suitemates - take note: "it CAN happen here!" Man, that's taking me back to watching Elmer Fudd enter WackoLand in the episode in which he hunts the Dodo bird. Good times, great oldies.

And remember, I'm blogging from IN, and I'm on borrowed time and even more borrowed computers. Here's hoping I can keep up the postfulness.

Friday, July 15, 2005

Inconsiderate Talking Man

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: Things This One Girl Sitting Near Me in a Movie Theater Said Out Loud When One of the Characters Was Shown Pulling Into a Gas Station.

Okay, I know I should "Just quit it already with the McSweeney's, lady!" but this reminded me of something. When K took me out to see Revenge of the Sith, we had this talky dork sitting behind us. We were sitting through Padme's birthing scene (which, WHATEVER, I did not pay 10 AMERICAN DOLLARS to watch Natalie Portman PRETEND to experience the pain of childbirth by merely squinting and whimpering just so they could hold up the babies and announce their names clinically. No one holding her hand. No warmth or love. No screaming and squirming even, COME ON! It just made me want to slap George Lucas. HARD.) and when they held up little Leia and announced her name, this idiot actually said, "Oooh. Leia!"

I wanted to slap him, too.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

"Garden Gnome Acting Aloof"

A friend brought some McSweeney's offerings to her blog readers today, and below I bring you two favorites from the Lists. I've been wanting to do yoga a lot lately, so there's a theme:

The Primary Series of Poses in Yoga for Depressives.

Twenty Underused Yoga Positions.

Enjoy your Thursday!

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Not pining - progressing!

I went to a doctor's appointment recently. They always ask you all those questions about your habits so that they can either congratulate you on doing what you should to live as well and long as possible or slap you on the wrists and give you a lecture about diet, exercise, and purple people eaters or something. Anyway, it dawned on me that I've really made some strides in my habits when I, E.A.P, got the congratulatory speech. I used to pine for the day when I could say, "Why yes, sir, I exercise 3-4 times per weak with cardio and stretches and some yoga." I've even been doing this for probably close to 3 months! I know it has to be an ongoing thing for the rest of my life, but at least today I can say that I'm doing it instead of making the goal for tomorrow and curling up in bed the next night without a toe having touched the fitness room.

It's odd because it's become a habit to think of what I'm not doing right, so the overall progress sort of eluded me until that moment. Sure, I was happy I was exercising more, but I hadn't thought about it in terms of big life goals. I'm glad I achieved some success this way rather than the New Year's resolution route for a couple of reasons. First, I tend to get things done by making goals with everyone else and competing to hold out as long as possible, but it's not much fun. I've done that before, and I'm always thisclose to going back on it. It can also be WAY TOO MUCH about what other people think and that's just not going to encourage the right thoughts. Second, I haven't been thinking about how long it's been every single day and how "now it's been 10 days - only 10? AAAA!" I can't pin it down to a specific date. That means I have no guilt associated with breaking a good streak. I just get right back to it the next day.

The same goes for making better choices. I found this eating profile randomly on the internet and it told me that I was "The Unaware Eater." I make choices about food without thinking too much about them until the entire day has passed and I've eaten a lot of food I didn't need or sometimes even want! Unfortunately after that I started thinking about ALL the food I ate in terms of nutritional value, attempting to make my tastebuds martyrs to the cause of Thinness and Health. HA! That doesn't work with a confirmed gastronome. Good grief, right now I'm reading some Joanne Harris books (she wrote Chocolat the book on which the movie was based) simply because she has all these great descriptions of food and I love reading them! I have been trained to savor my sustenance since I was a child, and my personality naturally lends itself to that since it's just an extension of my visual aesthetic sense anyhow. Thus my diet (as in, system of food I eat, not weight-loss diet) must have good flavors or I won't stick to it, just like I wouldn't paper my home with images I hated to look at it. Yet despite that caveat, I've been learning to eat better. I eat healthy cereals frequently. WILLINGLY even! I chose to drink water at meals instead of carbonated beverages all the time. I don't snack merely to nosh; I wait till I am actually hungry. WHO AM I AND WHAT HAVE I DONE WITH MY COLLEGE DIET?

So that makes me happy, and as I attempt to keep up the momentum I've gained from working through my mental issues, I need to see progress in my life. My counselor told me to write down what I've done to work through things so that when I struggle again, I have a reference for how I got through it. This makes sense to me since it's easy to dismiss someone else's ideas as "not for me" but my ideas, well, they're incriminating. I'll actually have to DO something because I KNOW they work. So there it is, I stopped being afraid of failing at exercise and diet goals and I just started, that very day. I didn't even worry about whether I could keep it up or "oh man, what happens when I get sick or go on vacation, or I get in a car accident and lose the use of my legs or what if purple people eaters I've steadfastly avoided for my health's sake actually catch up with me and then (gulp) . . . "

Speaking of my counselor, I had a really good session yesterday (wow, I feel all grown up having had a "session"). I think I nearly killed him with the shock of actually having done my homework. Yes, we over-achieving Grovers can even pull through psychological problems through sheer force of NOT LETTING PEOPLE DOWN. heh. No, in all honesty I think it just took having someone to talk to and some advice that sounded reasonable. I was ready to hear it and it finally clicked. But self-congratulatory speeches aside, I need to keep it up. That's what he kept saying to me, and I have to keep combatting the self-conciousness and fear of failure that could prevent me from doing it, and KEEP MOVING, DUMB KOPF. Amazingly, I think I can do that. Now THAT'S progress.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

sorry. SORRY!

I know it's been a while since I posted, but I was busy with this:


Every time I look at this, I get the giggles.

Oh, man. Never fails. Objectively, I think my cat is the cutest, funniest thing ever. I mean, LOOK AT THAT EXPRESSION. That is the expression of one who can understand the humor in the situation. Indeed.

Anyhow, our anniversary away was lovely! We stayed near Dupont Circle. We had dinner at i Ricchi - which I HIGHLY recommend. I had the most delicious jumbo shrimp kebob and K had some halibut in white wine & lemon sauce that was amazing. It was a good place for a special night, although it was definitely in the moderately expensive category if you ordered soup and salad (a la carte menus - weeeee), but with the heat, who wants more food weighing them down? Not too shabby for just walking around and winging it! We had white chocolate mousse cake for dessert at the hotel lounge and then enjoyed some smuggled-in champagne we chilled in the ice bucket. The next morning we hit up Starbucks for breakfast (Didn't your mother tell you to eat all your Seven Layer bar so you could grow up healthy and strong? Oh, well mine insisted on it!) and then wandering around Lafayette Park with a view to the White House and the swarm of tourists. It was hot, but we found a shady bench and people-watched for a long time. Then we metroed home just in time to greet Persephone who pulled our favorite move, simultaneously flopping down on the carpet to be petted and squeaking. We've taken to calling it The Flop-Squeak. Here's to many more. Anniversaries, I mean. Aw, heck, we'll more more Flop-Squeaks, too. Why not?


The National Geographic Building works its flowerbeds

Friday, July 08, 2005

(meaningful) miscellany

Making me laugh: Fametracker :: 2 Stars 1 Slot :: Battle of the Diabolical Potential Bonds Who Hide Their Accents Well :: Ioan Gruffudd vs. Julian McMahon

Making me consider my mortality and the fate of our little island Earth: Terrorists Strike in London and G8 Leaders Pledge to Boost Aid to Africa

Making me excited it's the weekend: Downtown DC hotel reservations, restaurants in Dupont, and some champagne for toasting - Happy 1st Anniversary, K!

Making me glad I started this blog: all of you! I'm reading all your comments on my previous post and I'm liking the dialogue. It's definitely helped to clarify some of my thoughts. Perhaps more posts later on the same topic. Keep talking!

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Democratizing Beauty

A while back, I wrote a post on my own conflicting opinions about our culture's images of beauty. Since then I've heard some really good comments from people, one from a male friend who said that even if our culture only displayed one idea of what was beautiful, men in general had a much broader definition of a beautiful-looking woman which includes proportion not just slimness and a sense of personality shining through the exterior.

This past week on the internet, in a magazine, papering bus stops and I think on TV once, I've been seeing ads for Dove lotion featuring six average women and NO retouching. When I went to the website they reference, called Campaign For Real Beauty, I found a document with the results of a study on contemporary women's perceptions of beauty in 8 countries. The results aren't a brief read at 48 pages, but the opening remarks, and some of the insights were interesting. I particularly liked these words from Dr. Susie Orbach of the London School of Economics (pp.5-6):

"The last fifty years have witnessed an interesting paradox. Beauty - as an idea and an ideal - has moved away from being the exclusive province of the Hollywood dream factory, of fashion models and the young bride, to become an essential attribute to which women of all ages need to pay heed. But at the same time that women of all ages and classes want to claim beauty for themselves, there has been an insidious narrowing of the beauty aesthetic to a limited physical type - thin, tall - which inevitably excludes millions and millions of women. The conjunction between democratizing the idea of beauty and the limiting of what constitutes the ideal of beauty has caused considerable anguish to women - young and old - who strive to find in themselves the means to meet those aesthetic values which have come to make up what we regard as beautiful.
. . .
"What women in this study tell us is that a sense of legitimacy and respect is wrapped up with beauty in today's world. Whether this sentiment dismays or delights us, it poses a serious challenge. And it is this in the first instance: For the idea of beauty to become truly democratic and inclusive, then beauty itself must be revitalized to reflect women in their beauty as they really are rather than as portrayed in the current fictions that dominate our visual culture. With such fictions removed, the many hours of anguish, spent in self criticism, or in the attempt to reshape themselves so that they do in some way resemble the ideal, have a chance to be freed up and find expression in the many other desires and ambitions that women hold."


I guess that encapsulates what I've been thinking - this drive for beauty, for self esteem through bodily and facial perfection, is distracting us. Hey, I'm not gonna stop highlighting my hair or wearing make-up when I feel like it. The point is not that it's ALL a waste, I think, but that we tend to spend TOO MUCH money, waste TOO MUCH frustration, and TOO MANY hours of our lives on pursuing it. Health is more vital, serving others more important, and achieving some of our goals will contribute more to our well-being. One of the things that hurts me most is watching my mother's peers be ashamed of their age, attempt to fit into fashions that don't flatter them, submit to torturous beauty regimens, and feel worthless when they are in fact wise, witty, and BEAUTIFUL women even if they don't fit the 23-year-old supermodel ideal. As Dr. Nancy Etcoff of Harvard University said (p.4): "Let the discussions and debates begin and let us reclaim and rejoice in authentic, diverse human beauty once again."

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Independence Day

In the tradition of democratic republicanism, a selection of images and descriptions to represent my very full 4th of July, 2005.

We stayed up too late talking and watching Down With Love the night before, so we took it easy in the morning. We got ready and headed for the Metro and lunch with B's relatives. We waited forever for the bus, but the food was scrumptious (+ free) and the company was sweet. Once lunch was over, we traveled to the Metro Center area for some bookstore browsing and coffee drinking. Mmm, the finest of afternoon activities. Then we got the bright idea to hit THE NATIONAL ZOO. Behold one of our favs, an adolescent pachyderm, hamming it up for the eternally-childlike, easily-amused humans:


Dude, he's totally adorable.

We had so much fun at the Zoo! We saw a tenacious beaver clawing at one of his water tunnels that was closed off (actually, that was sad), but then we saw preening pelicans, an otter who was happy to do laps for our amusement, and lots of beautiful flowers on the grounds. I got some great photos, too. This is one of the best:


JB, BL, and NM, wondering why there are no Golden Lion Tamarins who will come out to play. Or, more likely, throw feces on them

Plus, that whole side-trip meant we got a chance to ride this thing:


It's no "longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere" like the Wheaton station, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're afeared o' heights.

Afterward we headed down to dinner at Five Brother's Restaurant (mmm, burger) and then the Mall to get through security and see some sweet fireworks. N and B left early because they had long drives home and weren't that dedicated to crowds and things going boom. At first I felt like I should have gone with them. Feral children were throwing frisbees, hitting unsuspecting people, and the sheer volume of humanity (not to mention the noise) wore you down after a while. Plus, obnoxious, barely-dressed high schoolers and their flirty cackles. Please, girls, save the hyena shtick for prom! Eventually, however, it got darker and the footballs were put away in favor of quieter talking until BOOOM . . . booom, boom, BOOOOOOOOOM (that one smacked you in the sternum).

I didn't think it was going to be all that much better than anywhere else, but it was. At first we were saddened that our view was blocked by the Washington Memorial, but it was actually nice to see how it framed the explosions, and it definitely gave you a reference point for understanding how HUGE the blasts were. A few to spanned from close to the ground to the top of the monument. That's 500+ feet of dazzling light. What a way to celebrate!


Washington gets its 4th on.

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Suitemate Scrabble Remix - with BOYS this time!

I'm sitting in my office chair in very different circumstances than usual. BL and NM are hanging out, watching K torment Persephone by making her chase a random extension cord. NOT plugged in, OF COURSE. WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE DO YOU THINK WE ARE? It's all "string" to her.

We just had a (if I do say so myself) delicious paella dinner with white zinfandel and chocolate for dessert. What a good time we had chatting and reminiscing, quoting Arrested Development with people who are as obsessed as we. Afternoon delight! Then we busted out B's travel Scrabble board (in a binder - sa-weet!) and N totally kicked our butts. Yay for Scrabble!

Tomorrow we've hatched a plan to spend the entire day in DC, and I can't wait. Let's hope preparations for tomorrow are less . . . uh, "complicated" than my preparations pictured below:


Laundry, Interrupted

Friday, July 01, 2005

"Oh, see, it's a cake. And it's on fire."

Today, I took most of the day off and enjoyed some time with HF. We met at college because her suitemate was my best friend, because she was in all my Spanish classes, and because we are obsessive about Latin American/European culture, food, artsiness, and being *elegantly* different. Plus she gave me her kick-butt Ann Taylor hand-me-downs. [singing, rather loudly] Who could ask for anything more?

She's leaving for a missions trip soon, and I needed to get out o' dodge for my therapy homework (as I've now taken to calling it, because I'm still thinking like a student, one entire year after graduation). We decided to head into Baltimore and hit up the MICA (Maryland Institute College of Arts) Graduate Thesis Projects Exhibition.


Who are those hot girls in front of that "elliptical non-literal narrative?"

The projects themselves varied. One woman worked in textiles, creating a three-panel 8"-tall composition with concentric circles and other shapes called something like "It began to rain." It's hard to describe it verbally (a good sign) but it surprised me how vivid it was. Another woman painted amazing scenes of her MD hometown's farms. Another stitched messages on baby's onesies (like "Angel" and "Vessel of Our Hopes and Dreams") and alternated them with circular displays of doilies crocheted by her grandmother during her battle with Alzheimer's. In one spectacular display, a a woman took pictures of people reflected off a mirrored switchplate. The painting showcased above was from a woman whose work was described in the program like so: "Ober's oil paintings juxtapose domestic patterns and common objects into elliptical, non-literal narratives." She seemed to incorporate lots of stacks of colored lines, one of which inspired HF to explain them to me with the quote in the subject. She's brilliant.

We also enjoyed a wee bit of walking, even in the heat. We discovered Corpus Christi, a Catholic Church right on the grounds of the college, the lovely original 1830s building of the college, and these brownstones, in which I would love to live because OH MY GOSH, the exterior wall undulates like some sweet, transplanted dream of Gaudí.


In an alternate universe, art-majoring Erica LOVES her home!

OF COURSE only grad students and faculty at MICA can live there. Speaking of things I can't do, here's an image of HF getting WITHIN 20 MINUTES OF ARRIVAL/INTRODUCTION Persephone to curl up on her lap and purr like mad. She didn't even have to set down her mate (MAH-te), Percy was just glad to bask in her affection. Yes, I'm turning faintly green, but who could really be jealous of such a great friend?


I, who have been trained never to do so, COVET THE CURLS.