Those Summer Days.

It’s the first Monday of summer break…and I completely forgot to post. Like, didn’t even think of it until 2 pm. Whoops.

And I wish I had a good reason! I mean, if I was out sunning myself or on a road trip, that would be one thing…but no. I was at my archives job and then came home to eat apples and peanut butter while watching a classic 1989 episode of Roseanne (John Goodman is my homeboy). This is real talk, y’all.

So, what are the things that I’m excited to do this summer?

•  Eat my weight in cherries. Immediately regret it.
• Marathon the new season of Arrested Development while eating frozen bananas!
• Outdoor concerts. What up, Hollywood Bowl?! And outdoor movies! Heyyy Hollywood Forever!
• Baseball games! Astros, Dodgers and Angels, at least.
• Lying in the sun at the beach…and somehow managing to avoid a sunburn while I do so.
• Finding more fireflies in Austin! I’ve only seen them once, but they are pure magic.
• Cold smoothies for breakfast on hot mornings.
• Picnics wherever, whenever.
• Road trips, both solo and with friends.
• Celebrating the marriages of some dear friends and family members.
• Fireworks and birthday cake.
• Exploring all the fresh fruit options at the farmers market.
• Daisy dukes (well, as close as I get to Daisy Dukes) and short skirts. It’s summer. I DO WHAT I WANT.

What about you guys? Anything I forgot?

An Introduction.

Hi everyone!

My blog was advertised on Yes and Yes this weekend, meaning I’ve seen a ton of new traffic around here. I figured it’d be a great time to re-introduce myself!

Mandy…in list form

• I’m a student in Austin, Texas. I’m getting my masters degree in Information Studies (library/archive/museum stuff). It’s weird to be a student again. Seriously. I don’t write too much about school here, but feel free to send me any questions you have about it!
• I’m originally from California, and I lived in LA for about nine years before packing it up and heading to Texas. I love LA. LA is the best. That’s why I write about it a lot.
• My old roommate and I shared custody of a little black and white kitten named Trixie. Trix is special. She has sass and a half. I left her behind with the roommate when I moved away, but I still like to post pictures of her.
• I also read all the time, both for school and for pleasure. Sitting on my patio with a good book and a cold lemonade on a summer evening is one of life’s great pleasures.
• I love to travel, and I have lived abroad for two extended periods — both times in the UK. In the UK, I learned how to drink cider like a pro, how to not be hit by a car when they’re coming from the opposite direction than you’re expecting, how to understand some craaaaazy accents (Bristolians…why you sound so cray?!), and how to be an independent person. I miss it all the time.
• The weirdest foods I’ve ever eaten are pork blood soup at a market in Chang Mai, Thailand, and buffalo style pig tails at the restaurant Animal in LA. Neither were that bad.
• My favorite Bill Murray movie is What About Bob? A guy on my program was wearing a t-shirt his wife had made for him with a What About Bob? quote. When I asked him about it, he said I was the first person in the five years he’s had the shirt to recognize the quote. I’m so proud.
• I’m one of those weirdos who love both hip hop and country music. Like, I REALLY love both of them. I think it’s the LA meets Austin thing.
• Over the past year I’ve gotten into running. I just ran my first 10k, and I just started training for a half marathon. Running keeps me calm and strong. Plus, it means I can eat more ice cream than I would be able to otherwise. And I love ice cream.
• I use y’all with the best of the Texans now. I’m such a poser.

What about you guys? I’d love to know more about the people who read my blog. What’s your favorite food? Music? Bill Murray movie? Book? Tell me everything!

What I Want.

There are some nights when, against all better judgment, I start thinking about all the things I want RIGHT THIS MOMENT.

Yes, it is much more zen to focus on what I have already, but let’s be real. I’m not the zennest of folks.

So, as of April 2013, here are the things I’m dying for:

• The power to apparate. I’d visit friends in LA, the UK, NYC…all without going into huge amounts of debt or feeling guilty about my carbon footprint. Also, I’d be able to sleep an extra fifteen minutes every morning. Who doesn’t want that?
• A diet that involves only eating cookies and peanut butter. Oh, and ice cream sometimes. And salami.  And all the cheeses. Yes.
• Jessica Pare’s bone structure…and her ability to pull off the side boob look. Yeah, I can’t do that:

 

• A getaway in the mountains for a week in this A-frame cabin.
• Two-stepping skillz. I feel like I’m at the level where I’m too good for the guys who are literally counting every single step out loud, but I’m not able to keep up with the guys who spin you around the floor like true cowboys. I need to get better to meet the cowboys, gosh darn it!
• This flowery dress. And this polka-dotty dress.  And this picnic-y one!
• A foot and back massage. I ran the 10k route that I’m racing next Saturday, and wow. I’m tired.
• A robot that only has the purpose of putting away my laundry. It’s amazing how much I hate doing it. Why does it take so long? Why do things constantly slip off of hangers? Alright robot engineers, hop to it.
• A pet puppy that always walks itself and cleans up its own messes.

This is all totally doable, right? Please don’t leave me feeling like the only selfish lady in the world. What things are you guys hoping for right now?

Petty Fear of the Week: Hills!!!

Way back when I started this blog, I would every so often write about one of my sillier but totally true fears. If you want to look into my psyche, you can see these posts about evil swans and having my workout playlist investigated after I unexpectedly die.

This week….hills.

Dun dun duuuuuuun.

Looks tranquil, right? Peaceful? Lovely?

OH YOU ARE SO WRONG.

Sure, I can admire them from afar, but if you get me driving in a car and then make me stop on one of those hills…no good can come from it. My chest gets tight; I may hyperventilate; and I will definitely hate you. Maybe it comes from having a not particularly powerful car, but I’m always terrified that it’s going to slide backwards, careening into other cars and people and exploding into a ball of fire. IT COULD HAPPEN.

Honestly, this is one of the main reasons why I hate driving in San Francisco. There’s way too much hilliness going on there.

Proof? This is me standing on the street outside the house we stayed at in San Francisco for New Year’s Eve.

I may be smiling, but I’m dying a little bit on the inside.

Even being a passenger in a car that was trying to park on that street made me want to just die. I still don’t understand how the car didn’t roll down the hill. It makes no sense. None.

So the next time you see a girl with panic in her eyes sitting at a stop sign at the top of a steep hill, take pity. It just might be me.

Spring is here.

Amazing photo by Study the Stars on Flickr.

Yesterday I woke up and it was spring. Blue sky, 80 degree weather, low humidity, singing birds, chirping squirrel spring. Yes, I live in Austin where the winter isn’t all that cold, but still. Yesterday was different. It just felt spring-y.

This spring, I can’t wait for…

– Perfect bike riding weather.

– Some crazy Texas rain (goodness, we need it!)

– Reading on the patio, beer in hand.

– Skirts all the time. And sandals.

–Overly complicated braided hairstyles.

– Flowers, flowers, flowers.

What about y’all? And if you’re still snowed in, I’m sorry for all the spring weather teasing. It’ll come to you in time. Promise.

Friday Fun Day – 12/28/12

The view from the Coast Starlight Amtrak. Yes, this is from a train. Not a boat. California is amazing.

What I Learned

• NORAD started tracking Santa after a typo listed their phone number as Santa’s phone number. This may be one of the sweetest holiday stories ever.
• Journaling your emotions after a break-up may make it harder for you to get over it…especially if you tend to overthink things. Whoops.
• Leonardo DiCaprio walked Kate Winslet down the aisle at her wedding this past week. WHAT TITANIC WHAT. Also, her new husband’s last name is “Rocknroll”? Yes.

Links

• For anyone who’s thinking of taking up running in 2013, here are 10 tips that will make you a better runner.
• I went to Budapest for a few days many years ago. I was shocked at just how gorgeous of a city it is! And the Turkish baths! And underground gypsy bars! Ridiculous. These photos are making me want to go back!
• Goat cheese is one of the best things. I would love to make all three of these easy goat cheese apps at my next party!
• My lovely mom gave me a crockpot for Christmas, and I can’t wait to try it out! Some recipes I’m dying to try:  Asian chicken soup, sweet potato soup, BBQ pork with mango slaw, tomato basil soup, pumpkin pie oatmeal, and apricot chicken!
• Oh, this song by song review of the Les Mis movie made me lol. A lot. “Ghost Fantine appears over his shoulder and tells him to come with her to heaven. Even though she’s an angel, she still has to have the shitty, choppy haircut that she died with. Nice one, God.”
• So, Alison Brie may be channeling the sexpot look in this video even as she charlestons, but any Mad Men fan knows that her Trudy/Pete Campbell charleston blows the sexy version out of the water.
• Some gym truth, courtesy of Ron Burgandy.
• Gah, I was such a fan of Animaniacs when I was a kid. This in-depth history of the show reminds me of everything that was good about it. HELLOOOOOO NURSE!
• Blood orange mimosa jello shots served in orange peels. How can I work this in to my New Years celebration…?
• 1912′s perfect woman. 171 pounds. Knows no fear! Means to grow vegetables. Amazing.

Friday Fun Day – 12/7/12

This is pretty much where I lived for a while. Yep. Hey, it’s kind of a nice set-up. Quiet, warm. Yeaaaaah.

 

What I Learned

• It probably doesn’t surprise too many people that when I can write about animals for school, I do. This week my big term paper on the use of live animals in living history museums had me searching all over the place for information on cool, historical breeds of farm animals. Um, can I just say that there are some flipping cute animals out there who need to be preserved? My favorites: the very pretty, blonde Rocky Moutain horse, the Gloucestershire Old Spot pig, the totally adorable Nigerian dwarf goats, and the Poitou ass. Aw. Let’s get to preserving, folks!

 

Links

• Looking to update your Instagram feed? Joy the Baker did a fantastic round-up of some really talented instagrammers.
• Pizza + kittens= My new favorite GIF.
• How to train for a half marathon and somehow still gain weight
• Were you a Ghostwriter fan? OH I WAS. I wanted one of those pens so bad. And Alex? Total hottie. Buzzfeed did their best to figure out what happened to all those mystery solving kids!
• Very wise words.
• You know, you probably shouldn’t drive in Russia. Your car may get attacked by a tree, a moose, a fighter jet, a helicopter, or a drunk guy who really wants to take a nap. Also, after watching this amazing 13 minute compilation video from start to finish, I’m pretty sure everyone is drunk in Russia ALL THE TIME.
• Um, crazy ultimate ice cream sundae with caramel bourbon sauce? I WILL EAT ALL OF THEM.

Friday Fun Day — 11/30/12

At Jourdan Bachman Pioneer Farms…aka my favorite place in Austin.

I apologize in advance if posting is spotty/uninspired/insane next week. It’s the end of the semester, and I’m feeling the pinch…to say the least. Bring on the caffeine!

What I Learned

• Bill Nye the Science Guy fan fiction exists. Oh Internet. Never change.
• An editor at the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1970′s actually tried to expunge words that were of foreign origin…and succeeded. Yikes.

Links

• I’m so glad Jo rounded up all her awesome hairstyle tutorials in one place!
• The Acro-Cats circus is in San Antonio this weekend! Hmmmm….Is it too crazy cat lady to go?
• These Girls paper dolls make me excited for the next season!
• I love this article that actually takes the Boy Meets World sequel seriously, and I agree with every single one of their suggestions. Please bring Crazy Uncle Eric into the show! Please!
• These tips on how to keep your weight in check over the holidays are doable and super needed in my life right now!
• Nutella cinnamon rolls? Excuse me while I wipe up my drool.
• Ever wonder what C.S. Lewis had in his personal library? Or Emily Dickinson? These Librarything legacy catalogs can tell you!
• Guess which state knows how to party!
• Are you a hipster? Are you wondering which book you should read next? This flow chart will help you out.
• 32 signs you’re dating a keeper. Agreed x1000000.
• And if you want to know what my dating life is actually like right now, this song hits it on the head. ”Cause there’s the right thing to do…then there’s what I’m going to do.”

Friday Fun Day – 11/23/12

Remember the Alamo!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving full of all things delicious and all people awesome! I certainly did, though I’m feeling like I overdid it a bit. Back to eating right and exercising! Aw, man.

What I Learned

• The kid who played Alfalfa in the original Little Rascals died at 31 in a botched hunting dog $50 reward recovery. WHAT.
• I had never heard of the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen dog before, but I’m pretty sold after seeing one on the National Dog Show. How adorable!

Links

• Aw. This little tiger cub playing with the chihuahua makes me think of the baby Trix — “vicious”, ridiculous and so roly poly.
• I never thought how grateful I would be for the ability to feel pain, until I read about this 13 year old who can’t feel it at all.
• As someone who hosted a pretty casual holiday party for a few years in a row (and hopefully continuing the tradition, against all geographic odds, this year!), I totally agree with Jo’s advice on how to throw an easy party. Those pigs in a blanket from Trader Joes are super key!
• Love this collection of gorgeous children’s rooms. It’s nice to imagine a world where rooms wouldn’t be covered in toys, as mine always was (sorry, Mom!).
• Thanksgiving week always brings out the best squash/tuber recipes in the blog world. Here are some of my favorites: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Glazed Butternut Squash with Sage and Pecans, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, and Butternut Squash Salad with Farro and Pepitas.
• And speaking of recipes, here are a few from McSweeneys, including the ever popular “You Didn’t Tell Me Your New Girlfriend was a Fucking Vegan Quick ‘N’ Easy Green Bean Casserole”.

Halloween Costume? Lingerie? WHY NOT BOTH?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve heard all the moaning and hand wringing and fear mongering about the sexification of Halloween. Why do women wear those slutty outfits? What does this say about young folks today? WILL SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?

Listen. You’re all thinking about this the wrong way. You know what’s really expensive? Lingerie. You know what’s really cheap? Halloween costumes. Hmmmm. Interesting.

Ok. Really, I just want an excuse to be a SEXY RAINBOW. What is the sexiest of all weather phenomenon? Obviously the rainbow. The colors! The unexpectedness! And of course, the ridiculous curves. Mmm. Yeah, rainbow. Girl, I’ll let you find my pot of gold ANYTIME. I may be a rainbow, but you’re never getting over me! Unh. Yeah.

Future potential boyfriends who are stalking me before deciding how serious you want us to get: I don’t really have this in my lingerie drawer. That would just be insane.

OR DO I?