It's too darn hot.

104 in West Covina right now.

Shoot me.

I don't need it, but I WANT IT! Kenneth Cobonpue furniture

I think I might have posted on this furniture before, but apartment therapy had it up on their site and that same guttural urge returned to me. I really like this furniture!!! I want the bed and couch for the house on my private island.

An addition to our little family

Well...not in the way you'd think. Today, Boyan and I are picking up our new baby!

Boyan needs an alternate mode of transportation now that I'll be commuting to and from Santa Monica for the next few months, and we thought, what could be better than a little scooter to putt putt around town in?

After much research and careful consideration we decided on the Lance Phoenix. It's got a 150CC engine, which means it gets 75 MPG. It also means it goes a max of 60MPH.

Either way, it's super convenient for around-town travel, and I'm sure that when we move back to the west side I'll be getting one for myself.



All we need now is a sidecar for Heidi!

Doctors are slackers

I had scheduled today off six weeks in advance, because I had planned to have two doctors appointments today. Okay, one doctors appointment and one dentist appointment. I got a call at 8:00 a.m. this morning (seriously...wtf, who calls that early?) from my doctors office saying that my doctor had called in sick...

Isn't that the most ridiculous thing you ever heard?

This is a post about shopping

Ruth's wedding is coming up, and I won't lie to you and tell you that I'm going to go pick some old dress out of my closet for the occasion. I will fully admit to my obsession with dresses.

I have more dresses hanging in my closet than anything else (with the exception of coats...more on that later), but I have decided to take this opportunity to buy something new, something fun, something beautiful. To be honest, I'll probably end up with something more like this, because Boyan and I are saving up to buy this...but, anyways I'm sure there will be more posts like this to come. Let me know which dress you like best.

In no particular order:

Big News!

I've been waiting to announce this for a while now (okay, like 3 days but it seemed like a while) but...I got a new job!

Starting June 30th I'll be joining Demand Media as the new Content Editor for livestrong.com!
The site is run by Demand Media, working with Lance Armstrong and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. I'm super duper excited! More updates TK.

I don't need it, but I WANT IT! Chalkboard paint

I really like this chalkboard paint idea. I think it might be my literary spirit. What do you think, tacky or cool? Would you do this in your living room?

One snack at a time

Today's weigh in:

147.5

I hit a huge milestone in my diet today, I weighed in this morning at 147.5! It's the first time I've been under 150 since freshman year of college! I am beyond happy.

I'm telling you guys, The Daily Plate really works...13 pounds down, just 12 pounds to go! 2.5 pounds until my next goal.

Your Dream Wedding

I've been writing Quixotic postings lately haven't I? Oh well...here is another one.

Everyone has a dream wedding. Even if you are married and had a fantastic time at your reception, in the back of your mind since you were young you had an idea of how the perfect evening would go for you. I thought I would share mine.

I'm a big fan of banquet tables and small parties, open spaces and live music. For the reception I'd like a big table, kind of like what they do at the Endless Feast.



I'd also like it to be at night. Lots of small lights would sparkle in the trees around the dinner table. There would be hanging candles, crystals and flowers in them as well.



I'd want good food and dancing. Friends and Family. It sounds perfect.

I've already had two weddings, but I'd love to have a third for my friends and family in the U.S. who couldn't make it to Bulgaria last year. So, maybe sometime in the future. We'll see...

How do you picture your perfect wedding?

Porn for Yuppies

Boyan always gets on my case for looking at Apartments on Craigslist even when we are a. not going to be moving anytime soon and b. could never afford them. I can't help but look and imagine what life would be like in these spaces (as you can see) or the design possibilities not yet explored.

Well, today I found out I'm not the only one. This site, apartmenttherapy.com, which people in the know call "Porn for Yuppies," exhibits all kinds of wonderful places and spaces. Now, I don't know if I consider myself a "yuppie" but this stuff does turn me on. Not in a sexual way--but definitely in a lustful way. Take look for yourself.


Gramercy, New York


(I call this one Britta's room)


This one belonged to a gay couple in Chicago

They also have slideshows of some fab places like this one. And this one.

Furniture really does it for me too. Especially when Britta sends me stuff like this.



Oh fabulous furniture and apartments...why do you torture me so!

Ruth's Bachelorette Weekend!

Julie (Ruth's Maid of Honor) gathered together Ruth's closest friends from past and present to celebrate her impending wedding with a Spa weekend!


Tiffany, Olivia, Ruth and Julie in the Vineyards

Julie reserved two villas at the South Coast Winery in Temecula, and we made the trip down for a weekend of sun bathing, spa treatments and lots and lots of wine.

The venue was extremely picturesque--the winery thrives on the very profitable wedding industry resulting in 360 degrees of photo opportunities.


click to enlarge

Like I said, the venue was manufactured to make money off the wedding industry. Everything ended up feeling very fake--disneylandesque if you will. The food, the spa treatments, the service was all below par. A few of us even got sick from our fancy dinner on Saturday night.



But then we eventually felt better.


Better enough to do prompts anyways.





Britta made us these awesome hoodies that had all of our nicknames on them.

The chinese on the back is the date of the wedding. The flowers are calla lilies which are in Ruth's bouquet.

Then of course the theme of the event on the bottom.
















Here are a few more pictures during dinner.


Natasha, Ausra, Ruth, Me and Britta.


The whole group (minus Olivia): Tiffany, Britta, Ausra, Ruth, Tash, Julie and Me.

We ended the weekend with a few more photos.

Nikon vs. Canon



And a few jumping photos because Ruth said it was required.


Pro Gymnastics Skillz...I has them. Amateur Photoshop skillz. I has them too.

The whole weekend was a blast. It was so great to see Ruth again and I can't wait to go to Chicago in August for her wedding!

Dreaming Big

Have you every had a big dream? One that would take a lot of effort (and money) and is probably unrealistic? Of course you have, this is America. Anyways, I've always wanted to move to New York and have a fabulous apartment in Greenwich. I'd spend my mornings in the cafe before heading home to write. I've finally found the perfect apartment to go with that dream. It's $10,000 a month...so yea pretty unrealistic (unless some rich patron of the arts wants to sponsor me).

It's my ideal and I thought I'd share it with you.


This is my building, I live on W. 11th between W. 4th and Bleeker. On a very pretty street.


This is my bedroom, I have another one for guests if you'd like to come and stay. Don't you love my cherry hardwood floors?


A major requirement for any apartment is lots of light. This is where I do most of my work. In the winter I work with my feet pointed towards the fireplace.


I'm big on ceilings with character.


I like to read in that chair by the window.


You can come over during the summer and have wine with my on my patio at night. Boyan and I plan to have lots of plants, including tomatoes. Fresh bruschetta anyone?

Brown paper packages tied up with string

Classical Music
It invokes a picture doesn’t it? Is it almost impossible to imagine a beautiful green field in England with budding spring blossoms on the horizon? Maybe a horse drawn carriage taking some forlorn young maiden away from her summer house and back to the city, where she has to return to living the life of a simpleton. It’s beauty and it’s sadness. But mostly beauty.

Indie folk music, Western music
Any type of music that tells a story, a voice that carries with it the weight of meaning. Whether it’s a song talking about a lost bike or a cowboy asking not to be fenced in. If it can create a story in my head that I can follow, if it talks about the realities of life then I’m sold.

Jane Austen
I think it’s funny I like Jane Austen. Everything about my character and what I know about who I am (how do we really know ourselves, do we ever truly discover our genuine self?) says that I should not like the women in Jane Austen—Women who let societal rules dictate their behavior. I know what part I would play in a Jane Austen novel. I would be Mariah Bertram, I would do what society told me to then I would do whatever the hell I want. Or I would be Lucy Steele, secretly planning and plotting my entrapment of a man who probably didn’t want me. Would I ever be the heroine of these novels? Absolutely not. To be a heroine in a Jane Austen novel (including Elizabeth Bennett) you have to learn to restrain your corporeal desires. You have to have patience and the ability to act on what is best for your family and status rather than doing what you want. I would fail in Jane Austen’s world—or I would end up a spinster like Jane herself. So, in that regard, I guess I would triumph in Jane Austen’s world. Her real world anyways.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels
Oh god knows why I like to escape into a world of make believe. When I was little I loved fantasy. I ate it up like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And now I read and re-read every fantasy and sci-fi book I can get my hands on. Everything from Harry Potter to the world of Vampires to tales about philotic connections with Ender Wiggin, I can’t help myself. The funny thing is nothing truly connects me to the story. I don’t relate to the characters, I read them to know the resolution of the conflicts in the plot. It helps that the landscapes of the stories are so vivid and intriguing. Could it be the desire to imagine these worlds in my head? To escape to the planet of Lusitania and build in my own mind the forest that holds the trees of Human and Rooter? To be sure I don’t imagine what the main character’s faces look like—they’re just faceless, featureless bodies that play out the scene on the stage that is my imagination.

I love all these things but funny enough this is not the stuff I choose to write. Not for lack of trying—my attempt at a children’s fantasy novel seems to be failing miserably. I hope that with the help of my mother (who is far more inventive and creative then me) that we might be able to slop something together that is somewhat digestible.

I almost think it’s unfair of me to write about writing when all I have been doing recently is reading. Consuming stories and books without even the desire (I would say at this point I am more repelled by the idea) to write. I can’t even get myself to write blogs here or at work. I just read and read and watch and consume and my brain lays dormant like a sponge sunk at the bottom of a full bath tub. What’s the use?

These are a few of my favorite things. They beg the question, what do the things I like say about me? I don’t relate to them in that I’m not like any of the books I read or the music I listen to, but something draws me to them. Which means I have to, in some way, be like them right? Is it intrigue with the unknown or sentimentalism?

One step on the road of learning more about myself. The more I know the more I will be equipped to write I think. I hope.

What is it about today?

Well I shouldn't ask, I know exactly what it is about today that is making me nostalgic. But I'm not sharing =)

What I will share with you is what I've been listening to all morning--a blast from my adolescent past. I felt like watching some music videos this morning, and this is what I stumbled upon. Enjoy!

The Hippy Acid Induced, Cars channeling chaos that is Of Montreal

The unique blend of musical influences that make Of Montreal is quite stunning. You don't know what you are listening to when you first plug in their album "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer," and it might even take you awhile (as it did me) to absorb, understand and appreciate their style of music.

I downloaded the album on my emusic account last month, and have been trying to listen to it for some time. After much trial and tribulation they eventually grew on me and I love it! I can't get enough! Some of my favorites on the album are Gronlandic Edit, Sink the Seine, Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean, A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger, and Bunny Ain't No Kind Of Rider.

You can listen to Gronlandic Edit below. Try not to pay too much attention to the video. It's a Yellow Submarine, LSD inspired, seizure inducing type of music video.

It gave me nightmares.

This is why it seems impossible to make a living working as an editor

via the Ed2010 Email Newsletter this week...the tear inducing factoids are highlighted in red.

************
Whisper Jobs
************
Ed hears ......that a women's romance magazine based in NYC has an opening for its associate editor position. The associate is responsible for reading all incoming manuscripts, contracting stories, managing all correspondence with writers, and doing some light administrative work. This entry-level position involves a lot of copy-editing, so candidate should have an excellent grasp of the English language and an acute eye for detail. Perfect for a recent college graduate with an English or Journalism degree. The starting salary is $25,000, non-negotiable, with dental and health benefits. Please email cover letter and resume as attachments to gportfolio@dorchestermedia.com. (OK to mention Ed)

For even more jobs, go to http://www.ed2010.com/jobs/whisperjobs or click here.

$25,000 for an Associate Editor's position? How is anyone supposed to pay rent let alone eat, drink and buy cigarettes on that salary? Now I understand why people sell out and become Account Executives.

U.S. Passports, Not Made in the U.S.A.?

"The United States has outsourced the manufacturing of its electronic passports to overseas companies — including one in Thailand that was victimized by Chinese espionage — raising concerns that cost savings are being put ahead of national security, an investigation by The Washington Times has found."

Are you serious? They outsource passports to Thailand? Really?

The Washington Post is doing a three part series on the outsourcing of passports.

You can read the whole gag-inducing tale here.

When did Mitch Hedberg die?

Why wasn't I informed? Mitch Hedberg made my sophomore year of college, how could he die without me ever knowing it happened. What kind of fan am I?

I had discovered his demise from a youtube comment of all things. I thought at first, maybe the commenter was being sarcastic because the clip wasn't some of his funniest lines but then just to be sure I checked his wikipedia page. Sure enough it gave a birth date and death date.

But THEN I thought to myself, Wikipedia isn't reliable. What if someone had changed his info to propagate some sort of prank in which everyone thought he was dead (like tupac and elvis, right?)?

So THEN I went to his website to see his "club dates" and noticed that nothing had been updated since 2005.

It was only until I found the article from the Associated Press about his death that I was convinced.

So I guess I have to concede to the fact that Mitch is dead, and it is sad indeed. Can we all just agree that mixing drugs is a bad business and stay far far away from it?

Image of the Day

Although "Nom of the Day" is more like it.

This is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he was in 3rd Rock from the Sun and Brick. I've seen him in westwood a few times. Anyways, this is one hot pic and I had to share. You can click on the image for the super-sized version. Go ahead, you know you want to. Or can also see more of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Claudia Schiffer here.

Oh! Yea, and I also was standing about 2 feet away from James Franco yesterday at Elysee. But that's neither here nor there. Sorry Britta, I didn't give him your phone number.

Au Revoir Stephanie!

So last Friday Boyan and I made the trek all the way to Venice Beach to say goodbye to our dear friend Stephanie, who is moving cross country for bigger and better things in the big apple. Please note that makes 2 friends moving to NYC in one month. No, I'm not bitter. I'm happy for you guys. Really, I am...

We grabbed a drink at James Beach first (I had a Whiskey Highball with Bushmills yum...) and watched UCLA dominate USC in March Madness. Afterwards we headed over to C & O's for some dinner and light political debate (as is always the case with me and Steph). The night ended amicably enough, but Stephanie will be missed.

Now, I know you guys hate my candid photos, but screw you all I think they turned out well.

And Britta, I apologize in advance for the last pic. Love you guys!



Ugg. I take back my previous statement. Britta, could you photoshop my face so that it doesn't look like a pork chop? And maybe paint on a cuter outfit for me?

That's the last time I dress casually to a "dinner-drink" thing for friends. I look like a turd.