This work stuff is hard.

No..not really. Yet.
My new job is fantastic, and I'm learning a lot already. Today was day 2. I have tons to learn, but I'm really loving it all. I'm geeking out on the policies and even wanted to bring homework home, but it's not encouraged. Which is rad, because it's the easiest way to avoid burnout.
So I'm sorry there hasn't been my usual amount of fun stuffs...but I promise a good Sunday Shoutout of a place I like to shop. Look for it Sunday night.
Also...maybe Monday you'll get pics of my day at the Gay Pride festival in San Francisco this weekend. I hear there's all manner of silliness going on, and that there's tons of great food.
XOXO

The seed of a blog...

Picture this:
Three beautiful women. stranded for 3 months on a tropical island full of gorgeous Marines...Sounds great, right? That was my life during the summer of '04. I lived and worked on the gorgeous island of Okinawa, being a camp counselor for the military children on base.
That was where I met the love of my life...Patty. She and Megs and I were pretty inseparable the entire summer. We worked all week, played hard on the weekends, and broke as many hearts as we could.
In Patty's case..that was many. That girl has some high standards for men..and you can bet that Marines who haven't talked to a girl in months aren't going to do a good job of meeting those requirements. Poor things. It was like a bug zapper. Some confident young thing would come sauntering over (whoo, that's a good word!) and offer to buy Patty a drink...she'd let him, mostly because we'd yell at her if she turned down a free drink from a hot boy. But then the poor sucker would hang himself with his own rope. He's touch her. That's all it took...our Patty is fiercely protective of her own self, and she was not having this overly familiar touching.
She's level a look at him and say (very calmly) "Why are you touching me?" You can guess that this had the effect of a bucket of ice water on the confidence of the poor boy..and he'd slink off to lick his wounds. Don't get me wrong, she isn't a meanie..she just expects a higher level of courtesy and respect than most girls our age...and it throws the poor boys for a loop.
Anyway...our usual schedule on a weekend was to have dinner in our room Friday night. We all took showers, powdered, lotioned and poofed our hair. This takes Patty a lot longer than the rest of us. We'd head down to the Banyan Tree, which was the enlisted club on base. We called it the Bangin' Tree...and we still think that's super funny. We'd dance all night, usually with the group of Texas boys we met, and sometimes head to all night bowling after. We'd pour ourselves in bed around sunrise, only to crawl back out around noon the next day.
Saturday was 'Gate 2' night. The street just outside the base gate 2 was notorious...for all the reasons you can expect in a tropical island full of young men. We got gorgeous and wandered our way from bar to bar..having a great time, and again pouring ourselves into bed at sunrise. Sunday, around noon, my bedside phone would ring and Patty would say "Champagne brunch." We'd make ourselves barely presentable and head to the officers club, where nothing fun ever happened except champagne brunch. We'd drink, eat too much, and wander home around 2.
This is where the story is going folks. To Sunday afternoon. We'd pick someones room and lay across the beds, chatting, watching Top Gun for the 57th time, and whining about how the weekend was over. It was on one of these occasions that I said..."You guys...Sundays are just shorter days."
Even as I said it, I knew it was the gospel truth. No matter how great your job is, or how well spent the weekend...you'll always hit Sunday night with a touch of regret. Think of the items yet uncrossed off the to-do list. Think of the parties you went to..and the ones you skipped. So now...I expect it. I'm ready for the Sunday lull. I turn and face it with a fly swatter in one hand and a margarita in the other. Bring it on Sunday...I'm already planning the next weekend!

Career Woman!

It's official. I've been sitting on this news for like a week.
I am the new Student Affairs Advocate for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Can you believe it!?!?!
I had such a great interview there on Thursday, and got the unofficial job offer that very day. But you know me, I'm such a superstitious kid that I didn't want to tell a bunch of people until it really happened! If you were among the told, it was likely that I couldn't get away with keeping it from you. Like my mom..there's no lying to Mom. And Patty asked me so many questions about the interview that I would have had to be an expert at surviving pants fires to keep it from her.
I'm sorry to say this means that I will no longer be in the Sarah Parkerson book club. She's going to be pissed. She'll have to carry the discussions herself. Myself, her cousin Amy, and Sarah are the only big talkers in the group. The other ladies will chime in, but they aren't topic starters.
So now I've got many more things to work out..such as--
What will I wear to work?!?!?

Sunday's are longer days

No post this Sunday for 2 reasons:
1. I was working a temp conference this weekend. I registered doctors for symposiums. Sounds great, eh? It actually wasn't bad. I met a group of people from Montreal that were super nice. I swear..those guys should give lessons to the American guys. My chair was pulled out for me, my hands were warmed when I was freezing..and there was not a thing creepy or pick-up-ish about it. It was nice to interact with boys again. lol. It's been a while since I've been able to flirt, even innocently.
But Sunday I was at the convention center from 5:45 am until 5 pm. So no post.

2. I don't think the Shout out is going to work. I sent emails to peeps I liked, and wanted to shout out..and only Bakerella sent it back. I officially have no interview material for you. Perhaps I'll have to give up my dream of knowing who everyone's weird celebrity crush is. It may become a bit more general...next week I'll just review one of my favorite online shopping destinations. Hmm...

Hope everyone's weekend was great!

Cupcakes

I knew I needed to bake some cupcakes, since I had been slacking on posting any kind of yummies on my blog.
So I got this great idea from Hello, Cupcake. They have sharks that are made of Twinkies, bursting out of oceany cupcakes. I got to thinking...what else can you make from Twinkies. The answer was whales, hippos and airplanes.

I also tried fish, with Necco wafer scales..but it didn't work out to my liking.
For the whales, I used sticks of gum to make the spouts.

Don't they have the sweetest faces?

The airplanes were a ton of work. They have Mike and Ike propellers and chocolate bar wings...but I failed to think of the heat..so the wings fell off shortly after taking the photos. But they really look so cute that I'm going to have to come up with some other solution.

Close up:

And then there were the hippos. I had the best intentions. I gave them m&m eyes, Tic Tac teeth, and little piped purple ears.

It reminds me of these guys:
This dude was cute though:


So now, I am going to eat one. After I have lunch of course! (Maybe) Check back later in the week for the story of how my blog got it's name. For now, here's the cutest thing you'll ever eat in your life:

Sunday Shoutout: Bakerella!

Alright, so it's Sunday night...but it's still Sunday. I know you've all been wondering if I was going to put up or shut up this Sunday, and finally do a Shoutout. Well, to tell you the truth..I almost shut up... it is 9:30 already.

Funny thing is, I almost wrote this post ahead of time and just set it to post this morning. But I was all idealistic about it, arguing with myself that you all deserved a fresh from the brain Sunday post. Hmm, that will teach me to be uppity.

I happen to think I have a legit excuse this time for my distraction....but I'll tell you later.

Now...on to my shoutout!

I have been reading Bakerella's fantastic blog for a while now. She has the best ideas! She's become rather famous lately, having been on the Martha Stewart show during cupcake week. Also, everyone else must be obsessively checking her blog because if I happen to stop over at any of the other cupcake related sites that I read before looking at hers...there it is: a big fat spoiler!

I'm probably the least fancy blog to ever feature her. But that didn't stop her from being super nice and filling out my silly survey!

Anyways, I totally got the inspiration for my hostess cupcakes from her, and she's fantastic. I'd for sure invite her to a cocktail party. Perhaps she'd like to come over and join in this summer's fun plan with Starla and I. We can be found in lawn chairs in her parking lot/backyard area sticking our feet in the kiddie pool while drinking daiquiris. Classy.

Here are some pics of her darling projects this year, followed by the previously mentioned quick-question interview. Go by and check her out. Bakerella. She's inspiring.

Adorable reindeer cupcakes:

Snowmen (actually, Snow-people...) that are way to cute for eating!

The infamous, and much copied, cupcake pops:

These are going to have to be my next project..Oreo truffles! These are her valentine kisses:

And all the fame hasn't even gone to her head! Here's her survey:

Question #1: What made you decide to start blogging?

I wanted somewhere to keep track of my baking as I learn.

Question #2: Describe your perfect Sunday.

Today, I would say, waking up and then laying back down for a long nap.

Question #3: What's your favorite cupcake?

Any as long as they are really moist.

Question #4: What's the best book you've read this year?

Hello, Cupcake!

Question #5: Who is your 'weird celebrity crush?'

Robert Downey, Jr.

(Not so weird..he's kinda hunky. I guess there was that whole addiction thing....which is sadly not weird in Hollywood anymore)

So there's your very first Sunday Shoutout! I hope everyone liked it. If you have any burning questions to add to the survey, please let me know. (I'm personally a fan of the celebrity crush question. It's slightly gossip gathering, don'tcha think?)

Thanks again to Bakerella for humoring me and my tiny blog!

Also....

I love these!

The Cookie Theory

I made some chocolate chip cookies!

Sorry for the blurry picture. I guess I was really excited to eat one.

(Check out my Football Club Kaiserslautern cup! I got it at my first and only German soccer game. They were like baseball cards...full of beer.)

Anyway, so I thought that on the occasion of baking cookies, I should tell you all about the cookie theory.

It all started in college. Honestly, I don't remember the day I first said it, but I instantly knew it was fact. Every woman I shared it with started out laughing, but by the end..it makes perfect sense.

I determined that I like my cookies just like I like my men. Now, before we all get pervy...this is personality we are talking about ladies. Geez, I'm gunna turn the hose on you guys.

Just like with men, a cookie's looks can be deceiving. Who hasn't accepted a beautiful cookie from a fancy plate, only to discover it isn't as tasty as it looks? Or, what about those horrible looking little rock cookies that are delicious?

For my purposes, I like to think of my men as chocolate chip cookies.

• They should be a little crunchy around the edges, but not too hard. That makes it too tough to enjoy them.


• They should be soft in the center, but not all gooey. That will for sure make you sick.

I like to think of the chips as the sweet things they do for you.

• Too many sweet bits and it gets a bit overwhelming. I mean, just how much sweet can one woman take?


• Not enough chips makes you feel cheated. Everyone else's cookie seems to have sweet bits...where are yours?

So I suppose this points out that I'm looking for that perfectly balanced man..or cookie.

I think this applies to our behavior with cookies/men also. A girl should not have too many...they lose their excitement and leave you feeling guilty about the number. And I think you shouldn't have too few cookies either. I'm not saying it's not okay to be a one cookie/man kinda girl...but every cookie is different too...

Once you find that perfect cookie/man, you're satisfied, and you couldn't ask for another thing. Then it's your turn to break out the smug and dust the crumbs off your fingers.

Think about it.

Is it Tuesday already?!?

So I have yet to do a Sunday Shoutout. I didn't even do one the Sunday I announced that I'd be doing them. It is one of those situations that I (often) find myself in, where I have envisioned something wonderful, and find myself unable or unwilling to put in the effort. I mean, shouldn't beautiful things just spring into creation once I have thought them up?

Enough of my God complex there, here's the story:

I want to have a really good feature here. I want to find businesses or websites that I love and do a mini interview with the person in charge. So far, I'm stuck trying to write the interview. I have one questions done. NO, I'm not going to tell you what it is. Wait...I just thought of a new one...that makes 2. I'm shooting for 5.

Hey, maybe if I just babble on my blog all day I'll be able to figure out the rest. How boring would that be. Imagine how many paragraphs like this one I'd be able to generate if I sat here all day! Trust me People, you do not want the entirety of my brain barf out there on the Internet.

To wrap up:

1. I refuse to give you substandard Sunday Shoutouts. I will continue to try to be stunningly witty and have wonderful interviews with people.

2. I need to bake some cupcakes. I know I didn't cover that earlier, but I remembered that I wanted to apologize to the few of you that vicariously live through my food porn. I'll make some this week maybe.

3. I'll leave you with the a pic of the cutest kid ever. Starla and RJ's Babycake is so much fun. Unless he's mad..and then watch out.

Why have kids if you can't put socks on their ears and then laugh hysterically while in a sugar induced fit? He doesn't mind, as you can see.

Saturday well spent

I spent my Saturday in Berkeley at the Chocolate and Chalk festival. You could get a free piece of sidewalk to decorate, with chances of winning some money. Or, if you're driven by your stomach, like Starla and I, you'll buy tickets for chocolate tastings, and bother the local business people with your ticket redeeming.
We tasted lots of chocolate. My best guess at the count was mousse, gelato, chocolate bars, a vegan ginger choc. chip cookie, a chocolate covered garlic cluster for Starla and RJ, and this enormous cupcake for brother Jordan:
Isn't family fun? Anyway, we ate too much, enjoyed the artwork. A good time was had by all:

(Especially the 10-month-olds.)


Here are some pics of the sidewalk art. Warning: It's a long post. Sorry, but I couldn't resist posting any of these. They were just so lovely. Some of my favorites didn't even make the cut, since I couldn't get the pictures to do them justice.

Even frogs love cupcakes!

My next vacation destinaton. Maybe if I think real hard, I can jump in there like Mary Poppins.




Cutest Snake in the grass I ever saw--->




This was so detailed and amazing! Chocolate brings everyone together.

I love this one. It's a little dude with a piano underground. I like to think the girl hears him and they fall madly in love. But hopefully they move in to her house, eh?




















The couple in the lotus were just a small 12x12 part of this huge sidewalk statement for the peace walk that happened on Sunday. I just thought they were so lovely.

Who doesn't love the Lorax, eh? All my old school Camp A friends remember Lorax theme week!

These birds had tails that swooped out of the square. The title was "Peace Birds"

Someone wants to go to the movies.

Okay, this next one I have to set you up for. It was amazing. The woman had it stretched out about 8 feet or so, and it was amazingly detailed. The place where the water comes out of the sidewalk looked almost real. Plus, she had some animals in it that were so fantastic. I took close-ups that you'll see under the big one.

























A surly lion.

A few political statements were made. I thought this was very nice:


And we have a winner for Obama's new campaign poster:


There were angry (asian?) guys running out of a store:









And very happy Amish guys having a conversation.




The mars landing was captured by a nice little family. We got the whole story from their 3-4 year old son. He was very excited about all the details.









































There was war:




And peace:




And broccoli.














This was a scene from a children's book. In case you can't read it, it says " And they dreamed of a a green cat dancing with a pink dog til' they dissapeared in a soft grey fog." Cute.

Tough guys:
(If you don't know that's Mr. T, you're too young to be reading my blog. Go myspace or something.)



The guy who drew that one was WAY in his own world. I think he had a good time.


Betty Page was awesome! I almost didn't get a picture of her, because some french dude was in my way. Persistently in my way. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was on purpose.


I call this dude the 'God of Chocolate.' Very cool


And then this guy ate all the chocolate and we had to go home. With stuffed bellies. We couldn't even eat dinner. It was terrible in that great way that only a full stomach can be.
Next year, we decided to enter the art contest. It looked like so much fun.