the vero best

i just got back from a long weekend in vero beach, a quiet little oceanside town that's less than two hours from orlando. i had been last year and fell in love with this hotel, the vero beach hotel and spa, so this year i returned and fell even more in love (if that's possible). it was a great little escape from the daily grind, the weather was perfect, and i enjoyed one of the most fascinating nights of my life there, to boot! highlights:

- the hotel's nightly wine hour. so much wine. fo' free! the first evening, i made the acquaintance of a really sweet british couple who were on "holiday." the next night was like a full-on seinfeld episode, with a possibly insane, fascinating doctor (who has a wikipedia entry and is the subject of a documentary), an awesome older dude from san fran who played guitar, and really some confused canadian couple. at one point, the awesome older dude stood up to make room for another guy. "no no, sit down!" "no, i'm good." "no, sit! i'll bring over a chair." "i'm fine!" "seriously, i'm going to get a chair." "I LIKE STANDING!" this went on for five minutes and i was laughing hysterically. you kind of had to be there. but like i said, seinfeldian. the doctor then told us of how he reversed diseases and how we're supposed to exercise according to lunar cycles and...no idea. but it actually all kind of made sense, at least while i was drunk on chardonnay. he's either the smartest man in the world, or the craziest. or both.

-this adorable restaurant, lemon tree, which has the BEST sandwich i've ever had in my liiiife: sliced chicken breast, bacon, swiss cheese, and guacamole on focaccia...aaaand they serve you complimentary sorbet for dessert! 

-collecting seashells on the beach and bonding with all the other cute seashell-collecting people 

-having mimosas & an amazing blackened mahi mahi sandwich at the hotel brunch on the oceanfront outdoor patio (um, why am i talking about going back to boston again?)

-going to mckee botanical gardens, which was cool as-is, but even cooler because they were showing an exhibit by this glass artist, frabel. pictures below! 

100 things to do in 2012: month in review

it's been quite an eventful month! in the past two weeks, i've attended the orlando film festival, saw emeril cook at macy's, went to halloween horror nights, and secured a sweet spring internship working doing marketing and PR for the enzian theatre and florida film festival. good times, good times.

29. watch 26 new movies, one for each letter of the alphabet: CONTINUED.
at the orlando film festival, i saw a so-so movie called "five hours south" about an italian cop that tries to make it as a breakdancer, and an awesome movie, "the story of luke," about an autistic 25 year-old trying to make it in the world. the best part? lou taylor pucci, who plays the title character, was there to chat about the movie! i'm a longtime fan, as he was in some other good indies like "thumbsucker" and "the chumscrubber," not to mention an episode of HBO's "girls" (he played the hometown pharmacist). when i shook his hand after the movie, i complimented him on his performance in the show and then felt awkward because i realized that half of his on-screen time was an awkward sex scene. oh well! also, i'm watching "rock of ages" right now and as expected, it's HORRIBLE. the musical is still my favorite thing ever though.

31. go to universal studios: COMPLETED.
i attended halloween horror nights for the first time and it was enjoyable, but FAR too crowded, even on a thursday night. we showed up at 7pm, and made it into a grand total of 3 houses by 2am, in addition to seeing a bill-and-ted-themed theatrical performance. i'm happy i was able to check it off the list, though!

59. successfully submit an essay i wrote to another anthology: SUBMITTED TWO.
sent in an essay i wrote about my 2011 experience at south by southwest to an anthology about young travelers, and submitted one about my european travels to a women's travel writing anthology. hoping to hear back by the end of the year!

77. find one new song that i like each week: COMPLETED.
i made a fun fall playlist with some of my recent favorites. dig it!

78. go completely soda-free for a month: COMPLETED.
this one wasn't extremely hard, since i don't drink soda unless i'm dining out. easy-peasy!

essay: mustard meltdown

“No mustard on it? Does that mean you want mayonnaise?” the mystified sandwich slinger offers, holding up my roast beef sub like a newly baptized child, the slightest bit of drool gathering in the right corner of his mouth. “Nope! No mustard, no mayo. No...sauce,” I politely call back to him over the counter, as I begin to actually consider the reasons for my apparently peculiar response. For most people, condiments don’t necessarily inspire a reaction akin to someone offering them a sweat-soaked sock on a plate, but I’m truly disgusted by most sandwich toppings, with the exception of barbecue sauce and ketchup. Even then, I’ll usually order them on the side; I’m not so comfortable as to allow anyone to douse my deli meats. I’m not scared of condiments, like the chick on Maury who ran away sobbing as the producers taunted her with a heaping plate of mustard. This is no phobia, to be sure. Just pure and utter revulsion.

A summer of pool parties at Mrs. Husted’s house in the summer of ’91 meant a good two months of Miracle Whip-laden sandwiches for lunch. Since then, I’ve forever associated mayonnaise with bathing suit wedgies, mosquito bites, soggy turkey-on-wheats, and water trapped in my ear. Over the years, I’ve become skilled at recognizing the whipped abomination under all of its aliases and in all of its incarnations, including “aioli” and “remoulade.” As far as I’m concerned, you can put the mayo in the gourmet kitchen, but you can’t put the gourmet kitchen in the mayo (actually, I don’t even know what that means). 

The mustard? Well, that was a bit more traumatic. While I can’t recall the occasion—perhaps a christening or birthday party—I’ll never forget the sheer embarrassment that haunted me for years after the incident. My entire family was gathered at my aunt’s house in Syracuse, New York. Ever the weirdo that lurks around the buffet table to get the first of the lasagna at a catered event, or stalks the waiters for a fifth serving of stuffed mushrooms at a wedding, I snuck away from my happily socializing relatives and onto the enclosed front patio, towards the holy grail. I could see it from afar. A beautiful basket of chips and nacho cheese sat, untouched and uncorrupted. Mine, all mine! My six year-old eyes lit up, and I dove in, grabbing the biggest Tostito and claiming it as my own. I scooped a heaping portion of the dip, preparing myself for pure hedonistic indulgence. What I received instead was a mouthful of dijon-flavored disaster. This ain’t no velveeta, my suddenly southern mind concluded. So naturally, I reacted in the only manner that a first-grader who just had her taste buds and sensibilities assaulted by spicy mustard could.

I opened my mouth and let forth a yellow-tinged fountain of drool onto the porch. 

I looked around feverishly for napkins or paper towels. Nothing. Alone, confused, and still drooling, I suddenly heard footsteps and froze. Paralyzed with fear and rendered mute by the mustard, I slowly turned around to find myself face-to-face with a family friend/handyman/all-around random dude that had likely just wanted to enjoy some chips and was unprepared to encounter a small child that was frothing at the mouth.  His eyes widened as he took stock of the scenario before him. “We’ve got a mustard meltdown,” he shouted, to no one in particular. Curious family members began to gather, wincing and cringing as if they were watching a UFC fight. After what seemed like hours of humiliation, my mother got wind of the situation and rushed to my aid with an industrial-strength paper towel. “Oh, sweetie,” she shook her head, liberally swiping the sheet across my lemon-colored lips. “Nacho cheese,” I sputtered. She nodded towards the crowd, repeating “nacho cheese,” as if that somehow explained why her child was spewing hot mustard onto the floor. No, it certainly wasn’t my cheese. Or anyone else’s for that matter. And people wonder why I still dip my chicken nuggets in honey.

The sandwich artiste’s voice snaps me back to reality.  “...So, no horseradish?”

100 things to do in 2012: month in review

happy fall! i swear, it seems like just yesterday that i was ringing in 2012 on a cramped boston apartment couch, sandwiched in between one of my best friends and a semi-creepy guy trying to get me to cook dinner for him. but i digress! despite my gallbladder debacle, i still managed to make progress on my list this month. who wants to go to halloween horror nights at universal in october to help me check that one off?!

29. watch 26 new movies, one for each letter of the alphabet: CONTINUED.

i did see "celeste & jesse forever," which was great, but i'd already crossed off "C" with chronicle earlier in the year. however, i went to "pitch perfect" last night-HILARIOUS, btw- so i'm one letter closer. on a sidenote, people were like, clapping randomly after performances in the movie? which i thought was really odd.

76. win a trip: WON A HOTEL STAY!

so close! i entered an instagram photo from my summer travels into a sweepstakes doubletree was running and was one of the winners! i got a sweet prize pack with certificates for a 2-night stay, plus a beach towel, luggage tag, tote bag, computer screen cleaners, baseball cap and tin of their signature chocolate chip cookies! if i somehow win a flight by the end of the year i'll count this one as complete.

87. take a spontaneous day trip: COMPLETED.

last sunday, my roommate and i decided to head to downtown disney for the day - i know many people think i live like, in the magic kingdom, but i'm actually about 40ish minutes away, so this totally counts as a day trip. we enjoyed a lovely lunch on the water at fulton's crab house, wandered in and out of the shops among the tourists, and topped it off with some legit hot fudge sundaes at ghirardelli's. a perfect sunday!

emmys fashion 2012: the good...& the ugly

oh hey, guys! haven't updated in a while - blame it on my no-good gallbladder, which led to 2 surgeries, 2 days in a row. it's been almost 2 weeks now, the GB is gone, and i'm pretty much back to my old self. all is well!

anyways, did y'all watch the emmys? i was overall sort of unimpressed with the fashion statements, though i was happy that aside from the sea foam green and oranges, there wasn't one dominating color like usual. after some careful consideration, i've picked out my favorite & least favorite red carpet looks.


BEST-DRESSED:

padma lakshmi

you know that phrase, "there's always someone prettier than you"? i think padma is that person. for like, everyone.

amy poehler





















simple, gorgeous, elegant. love it!

heidi klum

a little split from seal did her good, i guess!


WORST-DRESSED:

lena dunham

















don't get me wrong. i love, love, love lena and "girls." but this frock is just not a good look.

elisabeth moss

this one reminded me of a brat pack movie prom dress. vintage in the worst sense.

portia de rossi

no words. girl looks like she's going to try and hide in the desert.

what were your picks and pans?!

100 things to do in 2012: month in review

i'm slackin'! i blame it on the fact that i started my second (and final!) year of grad school on august 21st, so much of this month was spent running around and getting ready for the craziness. hopefully i'll make up for it in september!

16. go to the icebar in orlando: BOUGHT A GROUPON FOR IT.

i got really excited when i saw an offer for discounted admission for 2 to the icebar in my inbox and jumped on it. now i just need to, um, actually go.

29. watch 26 new movies, one for each letter of the alphabet: CONTINUED.

watched "youth in revolt" with michael cera, which was pretty terrible, and an old one called "a lot like love" with amanda peet and ashton kutcher. kind of cute.

61. watch one of the harry potter movies: ATTEMPTED.

ugh, i really tried to stay focused when one of them was on TV recently (the 2nd one? actually i have no idea), but i found myself muting it so i could listen to music, and i'd be lying if i said i was paying attention at all. i don't know if this one's possible, guys. just no interest.

77. find one new song that i like each week: COMPLETED.

found a bunch of goodies & i'm working on a fall playlist with some of them, including this motion city soundtrack tune. apparently they're still doing things and this video is one of the best i've seen in a while. i'm still not sure i get it.

others!

the static jacks - "parties and friends (and bullshit)"

the maine- "my heroine"

eddy current suppression ring - "memory lane"

karmin - "hello"

gak city: an ode to '90s nickelodeon

the result of boredom on 2 transatlantic and 4 domestic flights this summer...i present to you: GAK CITY: a parody of tyga's "rack city" and an ode to '90s nickelodeon! the shows included, in order, are: double dare, 100 deeds for eddie mcdowd, hey dude, are you afraid of the dark?, wild 'n crazy kids, clarissa explains it all, doug, rugrats, the adventures of pete & pete, legends of the hidden temple, salute your shorts, the secret life of alex mack, GUTS, and all that...plus a bunch of fads.

can someone help me make a super-awesome youtube video for this? until then, you'll just have to rap along. if you know me IRL, i'll gladly do it live.

Gak, gak, gak city, bitch

Gak, gak, gak city, bitch

Gak, gak, gak, gak city, bitch.

Marc Summers on the beat

Gak city, bitch

Gak, gak city, bitch

Ten, twelve, almost twenty on yo' skip-it, bitch

Hundred deeds for Eddie

Shepherd/husky mix,

H-Hey Dude, you don't know who you ranchin' with

Watchin' all the SNICK,

watchin' watchin' all the SNICK

watchin' all night

The dark? We ain't afraid of it

My troll doll's too dope,

I ain't sellin' it.

Hair's greener than a whole pack of Doublemint.

Wild 'N Crazy Kids,

Clarissa explainin' shit.

Doug Funny, Doug Funny

Patty's hittin' it

We got Sam climbin' up for this

Haha, Ferguson know what it is

Gak city, bitch

Gak, gak city, bitch

Ten, ten, ten, twenty on yo' skip-it, bitch.

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/t/tyga/rack_city.html ]

I'm a T-Rex slayin' star

Lookit, I killed Reptar

Too much cryin' from the rugrats, arrgh

Tell the Petes' dad to chill out about his yard

I need my scrunchie pronto

Twist it in the mornin' like my MONDO, it's day-glo,

Green monkeys at the top, yo. 

If you can't cross the moat, bitch, let Kirk Fogg know.

Head honcho, Ug's got my back.

Pinsky starin' at me, meltin' like Mack.

Got my shorts off, the pole too packed. 

Let's salute, goin' up like a flag. 

God damn, climb up the crag

Mike Mike O'Malley, he knows that rock is rad

All that-that-that, Kenan still doin' shiz

Lori-Beth Denberg,

She knows what it is.

Gak city, bitch

Gak, gak city, bitch

Ten, ten, ten twenty on yo' skip-it, bitch.

Slimin' hundreds, hundreds

hundreds, hundreds

Slimin' hundreds, hundreds

Gak city, bitch

Gak, gak city, bitch

Hundreds, hundreds

Slimin' hundreds, hundreds

Hundreds, hundreds

Gak city, bitch

Gak, gak city, bitch.

today in livejournal history

god, i'm so glad i kept such thorough LJ entries. apparently, nine years ago today, i began my senior year of high school. how did THAT happen? blah blah i'm old whatever. despite my detailed explanation of this day, i am still confused as to 1) why i thought it was okay to call my mom to skip school 2) why my mom aided and abetted my best friend and i in skipping school,  3) why i still have crushes on potheads and 4) why i used PEACE as my sign-off. oh, youth!

SENIORS...what whaaaat!	[27 Aug 2003|03:53pm]
[ mood |  calm ]

So, the summer ended w/ a party at Rachael's (including trips to building 19 and 1/15 and Lorden Plaza), and a nice lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. And today, the first day of senior year, was ironically filled with attempts to escape school. I'm on the freshman orientation committee, and Jen and I were supposed to give tours to the little brats (they're all punk or ghetto sketchies) but ______ stole our tour basically, so that sucked since we had nothing to do! However, I did get to see some of my long-time crushes, sooo cute! though they're all potheads, lol. Since Scotty was patrolling the campus so no one could leave, and Rachael, Jamie, Julie, Laura and Lyndsay had somehow managed to leave already, so I called my mom who took Jen and I to Wal-mart, where we ran into the whole group there (of course) where they told us of their daring escape and we stole some cheese. By that time, I could go back and get my car, so we all reunited at Wendy's and had a good old time, lol. I don't have any special goals this year, really...just to have fun w/ my friends and not procrastinate! Tomorrow's the first real day of classes, i'm not too stressed, it's all about livin' it up! PEACE

5 more things i love right now

1. the winter park farmers' market

arguably the best farmers' market i've ever been to, f'real. it takes place every saturday morning in quaint downtown winter park and has a great selection of fruits, veggies, breads, cheeses, and even random stuff like kettle corn and honey. it's always a great time, with tons of locals coming together and really creating that community "vibe" that can be hard to find. plus, there's tons of cute puppies. always.  i went down yesterday, grabbed a delicious honey nut bagel with cherry-almond cream cheese (!) and a cappuccino from the on-site vendors, and snapped some shots.

2. this mandy moore song



this song is adorable! it's from her older, *more mature* album, amanda leigh, and i stumbled across it some time last week. though i vaguely remember bopping my head along to it on that day during summer 2007 when i stalked her 2 free concerts in boston (i had off from my restaurant hostess gig, what better way to spend it, right?). it has kind of a power-pop vibe, which makes sense since i guess she wrote this album with mike viola. enjoy!

3. "party of five" on DVD

i will forever be a '90s kid, so when i saw this when scanning the DVD racks at my local library the other day, i was overjoyed. i remember watching an episode or 2 when i was like, 8 or 9, but was too young to really comprehend or care about what was going on. so it's like discovering a whole new show with a fabulous soundtrack, tons of post-grunge hair, and FLANNEL!

4. this letter from a UCF professor to his students that made it onto the huffington post

5. mat devine's blog, the raccoon society

my best friend used to read this guy (the lead singer of new-wavey band kill hannah)'s blog religiously in high school and i became convinced that he was my pale, witty soulmate. while that may not be the case, i was happy to rediscover that he's still blogging and still funny as hell. case in point:

My love affair with NYC continues unabated, though I have to say, the pigeons here are fucking idiots. 

I was enjoying a calm moment yesterday in Christopher Park. (The plaque at the gate tells of the Stonewall Riot that took place here in 1969-- an event widely seen as the birth of the Gay Liberation movement)--

Anyway, this janky-ass bird is hopping around me, missing a toe BTW, (which I can only imagine happened in some filthy ill-fated rat attack)—Now, normally I wouldn’t have cared, but I’m feeling all lovey-dovey in the sun, so I break off a massive corner of my warmed almond brioche, toss it in his path, and await sweet satisfaction.

Cut to 10 MINUTES LATER. I’m rubbing my temples, trying to understand why this maverick is STILL choosing to peck at cold bricks and mortar when he’s clearly within inches of the biggest payday of his life.

At one point, he FINALLY starts bebopping directly towards the brioche (“It’s go time.”) Then, Mom, I-shit-you-not, he steps OVER it (“What!”), scuttles over to the fence and chokes down a random hunk of green glass.

The tipping point came when, after thoroughly exploring a wax Jolly Rancher wrapper, he set his sights on the tampon string under my bench. I stood up and shouted, “ENOUGH!”  Bird Genius took to the air, crooked and erratic- presumably to crash into a parked bus somewhere.  I will never give NYC pigeons another chance. Fuck them all.

the week in photos

spent time with my aunt, uncle & cousins in NY. we ate a lot and watched terrible movies. 

we all cooked dinner (chicken veronica) the first night and danced to the doors. i was assigned the task of sauteeing the eggplant. serious biz.

the next night: got drunk on homemade washington apple cocktails/ate pulled pork sandwiches, fried pickles/beans & bacon

 i took the ombre hair plunge

lost all my $$$ at mohegan sun (basically my second favorite place in the world behind vegas)

had an amazing lunch in mystic, connecticut at my favorite seafood place
(even before it was kardashian-approved!)

view from our table

seafood ambrosia, sauteed swiss chard/green beans/celery & mashed potatoes. i literally said "i want life to be like this. always."

covert shot of the private beach in watch hill, rhode island

best boat name

random-ass seating area at an ice cream place. pianos? butterflies? confusion.

NH league of craftsmen fair, which made me want to buy $1100 wooden lamps & move into a log cabin

so much new hampshire in one photo

dude carving a bear sculpture with a mo-fo-in' CHAINSAW