A Few of my Favorite Things: 2012 in Hyperbole

Sometimes I speak in extremes. I can't help it. With that said, I have some utterly LIFE CHANGING favorites to share from 2012.

Life-changing gadget(s): the iPad mini
It's so little! And yet, after a few days, I've started to master typing on it. Yes, I'll most likely get a full-size Bluetooth keyboard to use, but I can easily see this becoming my primary device. I love it so much I'll probably name it. Shush your mouth.
Runner-up: Republic Wireless Motorola little, tiny Droid
Yeah, so I might have also received an iPhone 4S for Christmas, too, but this thing WORKS where I need it to and when I need it to. I'm not really exaggerating when I say this is the first cell phone I've owned that has done just that. Ever. In all my 30 years. I'm so happy with it, I don't want to stop using it.

Life-changing shoes: Steve Madden Saviour riding boots

(image source: http://www1.assets-gap.com/webcontent/0005/178/692/cn5178692.jpg)

Because BootSaga2012 was indeed a saga. I know people complain about finding boots to fit their big calves, but trust me -- it is just as difficult to find boots to fit skinny calves. These aren't perfect, but for the price, they work.

Life-changing Pottery Barn purchase: the tote bag

(image source: http://rk.pbimgs.com/pbimgs/rk/images/dp/wcm/201223/0002/img3b.jpg)

IT FITS AS A CARRY-ON. That's when I knew I loved it. It's super sturdy. And it's all girly and pretty.

Life-changing relaxation: Lush A French Kiss and Lush Dream Time (tie)

(image sources: http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod18/dw/image/v2/AAHL_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-Lush-Site/Sites-lushcosmetics-export/en_US/v1356858154930/images/product/02189.jpg?sw=350&sh=350 and http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod18/dw/image/v2/AAHL_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-Lush-Site/Sites-lushcosmetics-export/en_US/v1356858154930/images/product/00601.jpg?sw=350&sh=350)

My late evening baths become exponentially more enjoyable when I drop pieces of these in. And the smell lingers on my bath towels, which even makes getting ready for work more enjoyable. Remember that Friends episode where Ross and Rachel are breaking up and the other four are locked in Monica's bedroom eating leg wax? And Phoebe says how it actually doesn't taste bad? I imagine I'd have the same reaction if I were forced to eat one of these because they smell GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT.

Life-changing food: my vegetarian quesadillas
What you need: soft taco-sized tortillas, tomatoes (canned will work), mushrooms, chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, shredded cheese (cheddar, taco, Mexican blend -- whatever you like), black beans, and sour cream and fresh salsa for topping
What you do: spray a little olive oil in a pan, lay down the tortilla, fill half of it with above ingredients and fold the other half over. Let it brown nicely on both sides (be careful when flipping) and then top with as much sour cream and salsa as you want. As my father says, "It'll make your tongue want to slap your brains out!"
Runner-up: my charred fresh green beans
These happened by complete accident. I was simply trying to caramelize the onions when they got a little dark and crispy, leaving the pan on too high for too long. Turns out I couldn't have made a better mistake. Season with salt, onion salt, and a little garlic powder. PERFECTION.

Life-changing read: Running Away to Home, by Jennifer Wilson 
It reaffirmed the fact that I NEED to travel to eastern Europe and visit the lands from where my ancestors came. And also that maybe I need to not ignore my family so much (even if they are incredibly nebby and sometimes say rage-inducing comments).

Life-changing habit: Finding a local watering hole
Because Friday afternoons are going to kill my kidneys (therefore, life-changing).
[This is complete hyperbole. Don't drink and drive, kids.]

Life-changing weekend habit: City Market
PRODUCE! HAND-MADE CRAFTY GOODS! ALL THE STUFF YOU NEVER REALIZED YOU NEEDED UNTIL YOU SAW IT!
My only goal for 2013 regarding City Market is to get there every week and at an earlier time to really claim the good stuff. Every time I think of joining a CSA (and how amazeballs it would be), I think about how it would ruin my weekend routine.

Life-changing thing that will make me erupt with uncontrollable rage: 50 Shades of Horrible Crap Gray
Hey, all you who read it? Go home, you're drunk. Book snobbery FTW.

Life-changing dress: JCrew Origami Sheath Dress

(image source: http://cdnb.lystit.com/photos/2011/10/11/jcrew-decadent-red-origami-sheath-dress-in-wool-crepe-product-1-2189929-062658497_large_card.jpeg)

Nothing makes me feel as stylish and confident as Kate Middleton as this dress. It fits like a glove. And with nude pumps? I FEEL like a duchess.

And with that, 2012 is summarized. I can't wait to see what sorts of favorite things next year brings!

Random thoughts for a Friday

I know I haven't been around much. Life's been a little busy cleaning sand out from between my toes. I have a lot of random thoughts bouncing around my head I just need to get out:

• As I sit here watching the NHL Draft, I'm realizing how much I like watching the TSN coverage. Canada does a lot of things right, and TSN is definitely in that group.
• I love a good thunderstorm, and lord knows my grass and garden need it, but I don't love it so much when all I want to do is get in the pool.
• I don't even feel a bit guilty about the amount of fried zucchini I consumed tonight. Hell, I picked six GIANT zucchini this morning. I need to do something with them, right? With that said, in our attempts to be healthy, I will not fry all six. In fact, I already have plans for the other battering rams large ones sitting on my counter.
• Three days at the beach was perfection. Eating delicious crab each night was perfection. I need my seasons and I love winter, but there is something about the ocean that just makes me never want to get out of it.
• I have an incredible amount of love for UVa. This may seem odd since I never attended as an undergrad, but the honor I feel from graduating from there with my masters degree trumps anything I ever did in undergrad. To see the chaos surrounding the coup (yes, I said it) regarding President Sullivan's ouster goes against everything Jefferson stands for. I'm sure he's doing more than simply rolling in his grave at everything. The only way to make this right is to reinstate President Sullivan and for Rector Dragas to honorably step down from her post. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for both early next week.
• I still don't deal well with illness, death, and funerals. Who does? But I think I'm dealing better than I have in the past, and that's a huge step. I still don't cry, though.
• But the post-funeral food in the basement of the church? Took me back to my elementary school days where the little old ladies prepared the food in the cafeteria kitchen. I gorged myself on the best homemade applesauce I've ever had. Don't tell my grandmother.
• I need to read like, four books at once and I don't even know which one to pick up first. Reread Mockingjay? Finish all the essays in The Hunger Games and Philosophy? Plow through At Home (which I want to enjoy more, but Bill Bryson, you are all over the map with this one)? Finish This I Believe essays? I don't know what I want!
• I know you could never, ever pay me all the money in the world to pick up the absolute trash that is Fifty Shades of Horseshit Grey. Grow up, ladies. Find something decent.
• I think before the weekend is over, I need to make this blackberry cheesecake. Because that just looks incredible. Who wants a slice?

Ode to a Saturday

Back when I was in high school, my girlfriends and I took a trip one night to a Mexican restaurant outside of Pittsburgh. This was a huge deal because driving to Pittsburgh from our houses without our parents was a huge deal. We were all babies who led happy (albeit sheltered) lives and we were spreading our delicate little wings. We tested the strength of those wings, were sufficiently happy with the results that night, and had a goofy, enjoyable night as any group of high school best friends could have. Naturally, no night could be complete without an abundance of inside jokes. On the way back home, we forever memorialized those jokes in a poem, titled "Ode to Saturday." I'm not sure my copy still exists, but I've no doubts that somebody has it, tucked in a box with notes and awards and yearbooks we can't bear to part with just yet.

Recalling this makes me not only miss my dears, but is making me think my Saturday 12 years later deserves its own dedication.

Ode to a Saturday

There is something to be said
for sleeping in, then lazily making breakfast,
for tea with honey and a touch of milk,
for pretty skirts purchased with discount codes,
for watching the garden grow,
for tea parties with
fancy dresses, high heels, and hats
and big dogs sniffing tiny babies,
for cooking with a wooden spoon in one hand,
a glass of wine in the other,
for books that should have been read
a long, long time ago
and catalogs fresh out of the mailbox,
for teams celebrating goals
and the roar of the crowd,
for the smell of spring, herbs,
and a hot, soapy shower.
There is something to be said
for love, hope, peace, and joy,
all warmly felt on a Saturday afternoon.

-rlk7m, 5.12.12

Things I Love on a Saturday

I adore weekends. Treasure them, in fact. Good week or bad, it doesn't really matter. And this weekend has been full of good things, including:

• Awesome breakfast: Nothing beats a breakfast you take the time to make. Granted, I usually have eggs and toast a few times during the week, but I added some chicken and apple sausage this morning. Seriously, this stuff is what's keeping me from giving up meat completely.

• Picture Shows: Last night I saw The Iron Lady and tonight I rented The Help ONLY because it was nominated for so many awards. I haven't read the book because I had no desire to, but I'm keeping an open mind. As for last night's show, Meryl Streep was incredible as Margaret Thatcher. What could have been a boring bio pic was a very engaging, beautiful story.

• Feeling Pretty: Saturdays and Sundays are perfect for ungodly long showers and bath bomb-filled tubs (with a book, candle, and alcoholic beverage of choice). Saturdays are all about pampering and pretty things. Today? Lavanila vanilla and grapefruit body butter and Sephora by OPI in Teal We Meet Again. Part of closing in on 30 is the ability to confidently wear nail polish not in varying shades of red.

• Impromptu pit-stops: After my binge shopping at Sephora, I needed a Chick-fil-A chocolate milkshake. NEEDED IT. And it was delicious.

• Curling up with a good book: I am now reading four different books at once, which is something I don't normally do, and they're all so different. Joyce's Ulysses, Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow, This I Believe essays, and Delirium (YA lit). I also downloaded previews for about nine other books on my Nook. If I could get paid to read all day, I would.

• Wine: Do I really need to explain this?

Happy weekend, my pretties! Cheers!