The years were flying by, they soared.

Got a few more questions sent to my formspring! -

I love the fact that you love to read, sorry if this has been asked. I've been searching for new books to read...what books would you recommend to read?

I am usually asked this by friends who want to know what to pick up next; I size up their tastes and favourite genres and base my recommendation on that. Since I don't know you, here are the best books I read this year and books I'd recommend  to anyone and everyone (i.e., 2666 simply isn't a book I'd recommend to everyone!) --

The Road, Cormac McCarthy
Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
The Sound of My Voice, Ron Butlin
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion
The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote
Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The World in Half, Cristina Henriquez

Hope that helps!


Also, New York is an amazing place! I'm here on vacation, it's wonderful. Love the vibe you get from here. Different from the west coast where I'm from. Anyways, what do you do during your free time in NY?

My free time in New York is mostly spent with friends. During the week I do a lot of running errands, grabbing after-work dinners or drinks with friends, and occasionally go to a bar if something is especially enticing. Lately, the weekends have been me trying to catch up on household stuff or relaxing due to my sickness (ugh!) but before the holidays I would try to fill my weekends up with stuff that really interests me - a bookstore I read about online, an independent movie getting good reviews and only playing in one theater, a small art gallery I heard about, a vintage store I eye on a walk through SoHo, any restaurant Kells wants to try out (that's been real fun!), and whatever else my friends suggest that interest me, etc. In any other season besides winter I love walking around with no aim, and just finding whatever the streets have in store.

And believe you me, I'm still not done exploring New York. I have future trips to certain museums and galleries and restaurants planned for upcoming winter weekends!

You probably hear this a lot but you are super pretty! I always love your hair and makeup!! :)

Aw, thanks! Secret: I legitimately can't do make-up. I try! I TRY! (And apparently succeed sometimes!) But I really have no idea about how to apply eye shadow, blush, etc. The only thing I really have down is liquid eyeliner and red lipstick. Otherwise, I beg my friend Jiscilla to let me in on her secrets.

I totally see the resemblance with both Lea and Idina. Can you say, Triplets? This isnt a question but I just want to tell you how much I love love love reading your blog and your tumblr. I've been reading your blog ever since you started and may have left you a comment or two on some of your posts. You've inspired me to read more and get my nails done more often (LOL). - Lurker from Seattle :)

Awesome! Thank you, lurker! Glad you're hitting the books. Ha. Also, I just started becoming obsessed with getting myself manicured since moving to New York. Only had had one professional manicure before moving here when I was 23. And ever since finding a couple of cheaper manicure salons, it's become quite a little ritual (especially with my friend Amber). I'm becoming accustomed to nail files - something I wouldn't let near me a year ago. (Seriously, they make me shudder.) Of course, I also spend a lot of time just doing it myself, too!

Let December glow in flames.

What a weekend. December is probably the busiest month ever; each moment of free time as of late is devoted to Christmas shopping or social engagements and, in my case, wedding planning.

Last week, most days after work I was doing one or the other. So when Friday rolled around I was pooped and crashed on the couch. And then Jiscilla showed up! Since moving outside of the city, I've missed that girl and was stoked when I heard she'd be in town! So the couch hangs continued with Jiscilla. Then the boys came over for the now-traditional Friday night poker game and I came in third to break even, but had pretty lousy hands all night.

I cherished my Saturday morning sleep-in, and then Jesse made Jiscilla, Erica, and I bacon-egg-cheese croissant sandwiches after his run (I know, so lucky). Then we took little Keanu for his last booster shot at the vets. We spent the rest of day checking off a lot of wedding planning whatnots, and then we played Jesse's new game obsession, Cribbage, and he taught me Backgammon.

I know. We sound like we're eighty years old. I promise we acted our age on Sunday.

I woke up early on Sunday morning and finished up some projects while letting Jesse sleep. Then I scheduled the rest of our day and promptly woke him up, ha. We got brunch, and then went to a movie, all in time to go to Standings to watch the Patriots game. Except something happened with the theaters and when we arrived at 1:57 for the 1:55 film, there was a huge line outside the theater. Very confusing. The movie (Rachel Getting Married) was running twenty minutes late, which totally irked me and my organized plans. ("A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.") So we didn't sit down in the theater until twenty-five minutes after the thing was supposed to start, thus, we were late to the football game and missed the first quarter. But that doesn't matter because we had a grand time drinking with our friends and watching the Pats WIN. YES!

Also, I swear it's like Panic! at the Disco hides in the corners of New York bars - Spencer, the drummer, was at Standings watching football. Or just talking to his managers, whatever. I highly doubt any football patronage from the likes of him. He wasn't wearing a jersey like the rest of us!

Afterwards, we wanted to continue our victory celebrations, and our reign of complete fun, that Erica, Jesse, Sean and I headed with Katie and Perry to their place a couple of blocks away. Now, pay attention here, cause Sean ran into a restaurant on the way and asked for a plastic fork, and Jesse picked up a discarded pizza box lying on the street. And then when we got to the apartment, Jesse made this:

What is this, you might ask?

This is a cribbage board Jesse constructed with promises of endless entertainment, that became less promising while Perry, Katie, Erica, and I began sipping sake and watching the Ravens game. The night continued with laughs and jests (seriously, I'm so eighty!) and then we went home to a couple of more games and glorious, glorious sleep.

Now it is Monday and it's a little less fun. How was your weekend?

I ain't freakin', I ain't fakin' this.

(Katie Brown, me, Gaby!)

Yay Trainwreck Winter Formal! Yay awkward! I had tons of fun! Each week I feel so proud of Erica (& Rob, whatevs) for putting together a smashing party. Those two really do work hard to provide a) jams b) drinks c) hilarity and d) the ocassional semi-famous guest star. I also call Perry their Partner in Crime - she supplies the hour-long open bar every Tuesday as part of her job.

And so, I had one gripe on Tuesday that had to do with the fact that some of the people there were total rudemeisters. In one instance, two girls were talking to each other in the VERY crowded bar and I politely said, "excuse me" as I tried making my way from the bar to my friends. She looked at me and rolled her eyes as I stood there with drinks and smiling. Then I said it louder and she moved about 2 centimeters. I said it a third time, and with no response I shoved past her and they began muttering under their breath. Now, honestly, who cares, right? It was like two seconds of my life, some people suck, and WHO CARES.

When I got to my friends, I was talking to Perry about the rude interchange and she said that her and Erica had just been handed the stink treatment from those same two. They were elbowing and pushing Erica and Perry repeatedly. When Erica and Perry moved, they even had the gall to walk up to them and say, "Are you talking shit about us?" Erica and Perry obviously were a bit shocked, because they acutally weren't talking about the girls. They just said no and turned away.

Here's what I would have said if I had been standing there.

"Oh, hi. Do you realize just how pathetically rude you're being and to whom? This is Erica, she's Rob Hitt's right hand gal and co-chair of this here party. In fact, she's up to DJ next. The reason Brendan Urie is here and why, I'm guessing, you are, is because of her and Rob. And that drink you have in your hand? Yeah, that was provided to you by my friend here, Perry. She's here every week, as well, making fun happen. So, sorry Brendan is most assuredly going home with that peroxide blond tonight, but at least you have these two girls here making sure your night is full of music and booze - for free."

GAR! I hate rude people! Especially when my lovely friends get the brunt of it. Manners, people, c'mon. Everybody's just trying to have fun and you're stankin' (skankin'?) up the place!

Okay, I feel better now. Back to the regularly-scheduled festivities.

Do not cross my friends.

Love.

Meik! took the two pics above and this one here of Jesse and Sean talking...or something.

Mike & I! You can see the sequin-age!

And now in color!
Hey...cool, I don't look that awkward. Just a little squinty.

Oh, wait, there it is. AWKWARD TOWN.

I mean, I believe I said, "let's take an awks prom picture!"
I just didn't think we'd be so accurate in my direction.
Stiff arms (check!), weird hand positions (check!), messed up hair (check!), hints of an ill-fitting dress (check!), wan facial expressions (check!) and mysterious shadows (check!)
Done and DONE.