Apparently it's hip to be a librarian

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/fashion/08librarian.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&ref=fashion

The things my friends do for me to cheer me up

1. Ask the salesgirl at Bebe to try on the "Tina Turner" dress (complete with butt-fringe) on the mannequin in the window:



2. Pretend the dress is for your bachelorette party in Vegas and put it on hold.

3. Try on bright yellow Crocs:

4. Buy gold sequinned friendship sneakers. (photo coming soon)

Home improvement on a budget

This past weekend Matt and I went to Moab to hang out with my parents and to actually get a glimpse of the sun. In case you didn't know, it's been raining constantly in Salt Lake for the past couple weeks.

On Saturday, while the dudes (Matt and my dad) went to the hardware store and did other manly things, my mom and I stopped by an estate sale in my parents' neighborhood. While I was tempted to get some of the bling-blingy Waterford Crystal, $80 was about $75 past my budget. Instead, my mom generously bought me two barstools for $2 each, since our new apartment has a little bar area.

The stools weren't in the best condition, so I washed off the wooden parts and took the seats off. My mom helped me re-cover the seats with some leftover fabric she used to reupholster her dining room chairs. I feel weird about copying her and using the same fabric, but I liked it a lot and it's treated with Scotch Guard, so it hopefully won't stain when the inevitable spill occurs.

What do you think? Hopefully there will be more home projects in the weeks to come, including a DIY headboard for our bed.

How to make a healthy meal unhealthy

If you know me well, you know that I love meat, especially burgers. I've always been very anti-veggie burger, because I don't think it's right to create substitutes for delicious tasty meat.

But, my opinions on the subject changed during a visit to Costco over the weekend. Matt doesn't usually like to go to the grocery store, but he accompanied his mom and I (and Katie) on a trip to Costco, because he likes to eat the samples. One of the samples that day was of Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers. I reluctantly tasted a bite, and surprisingly LOVED it!

I think the key to a good veggie burger is this: the "burger" has to realize that it is what it is--veggies. Veggie burgers that try to taste like hamburgers are shitty. But, Dr. Praeger's owns up to its veggie ingredients, and just wants to taste like veggies, not burgers.

We ended up buying a big pack of the veggie burgers, because it was about $10 for 16 patties, which are individually wrapped. I like individually wrapped meat (or faux-meat) products because it's helpful when cooking for two people; you don't have to open up a whole pack of something.

I could have served them up on buns, with a healthy side dish. Instead, I melted cheddar cheese on them, and garnished with bacon, tomatoes, and grilled portobello mushrooms, and put them on buttered and toasted buns. They were pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

Misheard Song Lyrics

Surprisingly, this is not my first blog post about a cartoon mascot for cereal.

While driving back from Greenville today, Matt and I were singing along to Elton John. I sang, "Someone saved my life tonight, Shouldn't ya there?" Matt sang, "Someone saved my life tonight, Sugar Bear."
I immediately thought of this dude:

It turns out Matt was right about the lyrics. But the real question is, why was E.J. singing about Super Sugar Crisp, or its more recent incarnation, Golden Crisp, aka MY FAVORITE CEREAL?

According to the sometimes-reliable source Wikipedia, Sugar Bear had some nemeses, the most interesting of which is "Blob" who eats pickles and soda for breakfast. Pickles and soda? That sounds like a delicious breakfast of toxic acid proportions.

Song lyrics are tricky. I remember thinking the lyrics to Creedence Clearwater Revival's song "Bad Moon Rising" were "I see a bathroom on the right hand, I see trouble on the floor." It makes total sense! I know of many public restrooms that fit the bill.

My sister thought the Steve Miller Band's song "Jet Airliner" was about a big fat woman named "Jedda Lina."

What are your favorite misheard lyrics?

everyone can go to hell.

I'm in a bitchy mood, so I am apologizing in advance for this post.

Why is it that when people hear how my life is going to shit and they tell me about how their lives are wonderful? Yeah, it's cool that things are great for you, but keep it to yourself or find someone else to tell.

After hearing about Matt getting laid off, one person told us about his recent raise at work. Another told us about turning down multiple job offers in a week. Why did they find it necessary to share that information? All I want is someone to say "that sucks" or to commiserate.

It's like if someone told me their grandmother died and I said, "Oh, shitty. My grandma's doing great. In fact, she just ran a marathon and then baked me a zillion cookies and told me how much she loved me and how she planned to live forever."

So here's my warning: don't tell me about how wonderful your life is, or you'll get the middle finger.

Reading Rainbow

I was looking at YouTube videos of people reading to kids to get a better idea of how to hold books, since I'm storytelling at a second grade class tomorrow. I came across this video of the Reading Rainbow intro, and Matt said, "Shows like this encouraged kids to do drugs."



And speaking of messed up TV shows from my childhood, does anyone remember Zoobilee Zoo? It was seriously effed up, and I watched it all the time.


I made Matt watch the clip of the show's intro, and he said, "If our kids ever insist on watching shit like this, I'll give them some acid and make them watch NOVA instead."

Won't he make a good father?