random round-up!

1. i made a lil' spotify mix for your (and my own) enjoyment.

2. this video is badass:

3. i want to have like 10,000 of shemar moore's babies:

4. i also want to live in this apartment.

5. i walked 7 miles this past weekend on cady way trail and saw a mini-orange tree. a MINI-ORANGE TREE! just fantastic.

campaign to bring anthony bourdain to orlando: a plea

look, i get it. when most people think "orlando", they think of big mouse ears, big-box chain restaurants, big populations of old people, and big dummies like casey anthony. but it's so much more! i'm talking to you, anthony bourdain.

you might have to look a little bit harder for it than in places like, say, new york or san fran, but o-town has a culture all its own that extends beyond boy bands and theme parks. among the hidden gems:

-a burgeoning food truck scene: peddling everything from chicken and waffles to sushi to gator tail and swedish fare, orlando's food trucks are delicious and varied. weekly "food truck bazaars" bring them all together like one big, happy, gas-powered family.

-great dive bars: will's pub, eye spy, bar-b-q bar, underground bluz. to name a few. plenty of places around town to kick back with a few brews and get weird. can't you just see A.B. hanging out at the lodge among the moose heads?

-MEAT: from the freakin' awesome barbeque at four rivers to the perfect roast beef sandwiches and creepy clown decor at beefy king, there are no shortage of places to enjoy some mouth-watering meaty goodness. rumor has it that the cheesesteak at laspada's is better than pat's in philly, tony...

my point? i'm spreading the word about a great campaign to bring anthony bourdain to orlando. the man's been all over the country and world, but has skillfully evaded pretty much everywhere in florida besides miami. join the revolution, "like" the page, and help us get tony down here, will ya?! mickey and i thank you.

love in the idol line: american idol's sexiest performances

it's baaaaaack! well, next week, anyways. as someone who's only voluntarily stopped watching during two seasons (the fantasia fail and the lee dewyze disaster) i will forever love american idol no matter what any haters say, because it's pure entertainment at its best. there are sob stories, success stories, seacrest wearing fake beards, steven tyler making up nonsensical phrases, randy saying "pitchy, dawg" and all sorts of other whimsy and wonder. my previous roommate had never watched before last season, but by the end of it she was proclaiming her love for ryan seacrest and voting feverishly.

forget "glee"...no other show has the power to make me download a clay aiken rendition of "don't let the sun go down on me" and revisit youtube clips years later. speaking of which, there have been some sexified performances that the fangirl within me will never forget (um, not by clay aiken, though). i give you, fine people, the top 3 sexiest idol performances of all time....OF ALL TIME!

3. david cook (season 7) - "daytripper"

i had a mostly hate relationship with david cook, mainly because he seemed super-arrogant during his season. but he brought out the voicebox for this performance and reduced me to a teenybopping mess with his bedroom eyes. ugh.

2. scott dangerfield (season 10) - "dreamin'"

this dude dropped out of the competition before hollywood week because he was a student teacher (aw!) but...DAMN. coulda won the whole thing. this whole clip is fantastic, but steven and randy's reaction at 1:05 is spot-on. love this man.

1. ace young (season 5) - "father figure"

i still remember sitting and watching this with my suitemates during my sophomore year of college. we were chatting and not really paying much attention, but all of a sudden we were all...."whoa. WHOA. why do we feel dirty in a good way?" and proceeded to watch it about 20x on youtube the next day. as someone in the comments section so beautifully summarized: "this song is so bizarre and sexual but hot damn when he sings it.." YEP!

100 things to do in 2011: month (and year) in review!

ok, so i made my list for 2012, but i couldn't let the year pass without figuring out just how many things i actually accomplished in 2011. in december alone, i:

-applied for my passport (1/2 of #4 - but the dept. of state is now giving me the spanish inquisition for reasons unknown)

-volunteered with my mom at an alzheimer's group (#16)

-drank an egg cream (surprisingly not bad - like chocolate milk soda! - #34)

-hung out around a bonfire (#85)

-learned the thriller dance (i'll perform upon request - #98)

-requested ace hood & chris brown's "body 2 body" on jam'n 94.5 (and heard it played! - #99)

i can proudly say that some of the less tangible items, like "improve my posture" and "cultivate a great new friendship", were successful, too.

the grand total? 41.5 (completed items bolded below). seems low, but i'm pretty pleased with the results. if i'd have listed 50 things, i'm sure it would be a lot lower. :) i'm also even more motivated to knock out the items on my list for this year. let's goooo!

1. go to south by southwest

2. visit chicago

3. meet andrew jenks

4. get my passport (counting this as .5 - i applied!)

5. dance on stage

6. host a dinner party

7. take a cooking class

8. go on a picnic

9. complete my book proposal

10. party with celebrities

11. go on a cruise

12. finish the crossword every day for a month

13. see 50 new movies

14. dine at 50 new restaurants

15. sell something on ebay

16. do volunteer work

17. sleep under the stars

18. visit 1 new state

19. win a contest

20. get a tattoo

21. perfect a dish

22. go to the cape

23. visit providence and newport, r.i.

24. see 10 bands live

25. try 5 new foods

26. go to a celtics game

27. skinny dip

28. go hiking

29. take a dance class

30. kiss in the rain

31. go to a drive-in movie

32. try one new recipe a month

33. take a duck tour

34. drink an egg cream

35. bake cupcakes

36. see a stand-up comedian

37. cultivate a great new friendship

38. get 100 blog subscribers

39. get a spray tan

40. visit a local winery/vineyard

41. take a guided tour

42. learn the "single ladies" dance

43. go swimming at night

44. go fruit picking

45. audition/try out for something

46. go out for fondue

47. spend a day in newburyport

48. reconnect with an old friend

49. get a psychic reading

50. yelp about 10 places i've been

51. go to a strip club

52. be on tv

53. win at trivia

54. tailgate

55. eat at pinkberry

56. learn to parallel park

57. lower my cholesterol

58. read one book per month

59. make my bedroom a cozy sanctuary

60. sing karaoke

61. make $1,000 in freelance

62. tone my stomach

63. floss once a week

64. eat at ruth's chris for free

65. hit 4,000 twitter followers

66. improve my posture

67. get a mani/pedi

68. go to a book signing

69. nurture a plant

70. go to a farmer's market

71. go out for tapas

72. visit the isabella stewart gardner museum

73. assume a fake identity for one night

74. play a board game

75. go to a jazz brunch

76. perform a random act of kindness

77. eat breakfast daily

78. take up a new hobby

79. watch an entire tv series on dvd

80. go backstage at a concert

81. whiten my teeth

82. ride in a limo

83. smoke a cigar

84. eat fried pickles

85. hang out around a bonfire

86. go to an art gallery opening

87. organize my itunes

88. write a fan letter and get a response

89. participate in a flashmob

90. kiss a foreigner

91. go on 2 dates with the same person

92. visit a historic landmark

93. donate money to a charity

94. go a month without fast food

95. see a sunrise and sunset in the same day

96. balance my checkbook

97. win money at a slot machine

98. learn the "thriller" dance

99. request a song on the radio

100. make a toast