Wingardium Leviosa!

Updates....

1) Several months ago, I wrote a post about how I wanted to start writing a YA, (young adult), novel so I could make billions and retire at 27. I am pleased to say that I am trucking along quite nicely on the writing process. As of today, I have written 51,349 words. (Note- J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was about 76,000 words)... I am, therefore, well on my way becoming a world-renowned author. All I have to do is finish writing and get published!... (Hmm, publishing, I should probably look into that...)

2) My 23rd Birthday is in 14 days. AHHH! I freaking love birthdays. They make me feel like a Princess. Everyone HAS to be nice to you on your birthday AND you get cake and presents. I'm so excited! For my party this year, I'm going to invite everyone I know to join me in watching the 7th Harry Potter movie in theaters. I realize that I also took friends to the movies for my 11th birthday, but that's besides the point. It's Harry Potter, baby, WOOO!

3) My parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this past Tuesday! Being the suck-up that I am, I spent endless hours making a scrapbook for them detailing their dating days, wedding, darling children, vacations, etc. I can proudly say that I am the favorite child! (This week, at least...)

Good vs. Bad Geekery

I went out to lunch today at an AWESOME little place in Dupont Circle called "Teaism" w/ my buddy Luna. The place serves a variety of Asian food and is also a tea house.... Asian Food + Tea = Pure Magic!... I had my first ever Bento Box and my own mini-teapot and cup. It was fabulous, here's a picture...

When I got home, I was still super excited about my "Teaism" experience so I went online to shop for my own personal Bento Box and mini Asian teapot. Of course, the first place I looked was Etsy.com. As usual, I got distracted and found a variety of interesting things that I would like to categorize for you now into the categorizes of "Good Geekery" and "Bad Geekery"...

BAD GEEKERY:

                                                

An anatomical crocheted eye-ball... WTF? I would not feel safe with that thing in my house just sitting there, looking at me.

 Pins of animals with mustaches... Why would anyone sport a pin that featured an owl or bunny with a mustache? Animals are cutest when they're babies, not pedophiles.

Fleece Squid Hat.... NOT OK!

GOOD GEEKERY: 

 

 Radish earrings, (exactly like those worn by Luna from Harry Potter!) Anything created with the intention to make the world of Harry Potter a reality is OK by me!

"I Love Apple Pie" stickers for a MacBook. Whoever thought of this is clever and awesome and I love them. I also love apple pie.

"Waffle Mousepad"... Amazing! I am a huge fun of fun mousepads. This one makes me feel all warm inside and makes me want to go hibernate in a log cabin with lots of maple syrup. MMMM...

I hope you enjoyed your lesson in "Good" vs. "Bad" Etsy.com geekery. As always, thanks for stopping by Life's A Musical!

Pumpkin Rum Couscous Cake

Because I was getting a little tired of eating nothing but hummus, peanut butter and soy milk, I bought a new cookbook a few weeks ago called "Vegan Planet"... It's an excellent cookbook with several delicious dishes. (NOTE: The only reason I think it's excellent is because I can actually consume all of its recipes)...

A few days ago, I went ahead and baked one of the recipes from the dessert section. I picked the dessert because I liked everything about its name: "Pumpkin Rum Couscous Cake"... 1) Pumpkin, 2) Rum, 3) Couscous... How could this thing NOT be delicious?

So I did a Whole Foods run to buy the "exotic" ingredients and made the cake. Basically... it tastes like applesauce on steroids...

I was expecting more of a pumpkin-pie dish, but the "cake" tastes like rice-pudding hit by a meteor of Fall spices and flavors. So I guess it's alright. It's better than the grape-cantaloupe smoothie my mom made me when I got my braces on in 4th grade. (She had to bribe me with Beanie Babies to get me to eat it)...

In other news, I'm being Curious George for Halloween! (Sexy Curious George, that is)... and Brian's being the Man in the Yellow Hat! (Pimped-out Man in the Yellow Hat, of course)... Here's the dress I'm wearing...

I know, I know... Monkey's aren't supposed to have leopard skin! (Details, people, details).... It'll look HOT!

My Trip to Paris.... (and literary realities)

Brian and I took a lovely little trip yesterday to PARIS! (Paris, Virginia... of course, obviously!)

We drove to a national park called Sky Meadows, (or something cute like that), and ended up hiking 9 MILES up and down a mountain. I was most amazed by how friendly the mountain people were. Outside of the city, people actually smile and greet you as they walk by. (It took me a few encounters with strangers to realize they were just saying hi and didn't want something haha)... My calves are screaming in pain today, but it was quite a rewarding experience.

NOW... After about two hours of hiking, something magical happened...

NOTE TO READERS: (if you are not a Twilight fan, please stop reading this post immediately!)

Brian and I were walking along the trail, holding hands and greeting all of the other mountain people, when we reached the top of the mountain and came across a large open meadow. Well, OBVIOUSLY, Bella and Edward's meadow immediately popped into my mind. I looked over at Brian and saw sweat glistening, almost sparkling on his skin. He was... my vampire! We'd found our special field where we could talk about being one anothers "personal brand of heroine."

As if the Twilight series becoming reality wasn't enough excitement... I went to buy new running shoes today and the sales woman asked if I wanted to try on a pair called the Brooks "Nimbus"... like Harry Potter's broomstick! Even before trying them on, I knew they had to be MINE.

SO... My weekend in summary: I found a secret meadow like Bella and Edward and now own sneakers that will make me fly like Harry Potter. Can't get much better than that...

The Thrills of Hills: "Drama Circle"

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of "The Thrills of Hills: Drama Circle." A friend of mine recently came to me with a story so sitcom-appropriate that I feel a compulsive need to share it...

Jake lives down the street from me. He's tall, lanky, and friendly, the typical neighborhood dude. His best friend, Chris, lives across the street from him and they've been best friends for quite some time.

Several weeks ago, Chris' cousin, Brianna from NYC, moved in with him after landing a job in DC. She lives in Chris' basement and is apparently a very attractive, smart, and funny young lady. WELL- much to Jake's pleasure, Brianna has showed interest in many of Jake's attempts to win her heart. HOWEVER- Over the past few weeks, Jake and Brianna have had to sneak around Chris because he definitely does NOT, does NOT approve of their budding romance, (for reasons he won't disclose).

Jake and Brianna have had to arrange late-night meetings when Chris is asleep or else get together when he's away from home. They've developed strong feelings for one another and truly enjoy their time together. But they are constantly nervous about Chris' reaction to their relationship. (Are we already feeling the next Nicholas Sparks film?)

Anyways- Chris recently found out about the intensity of Jake and Brianna's romance because he walked in on them "canoodling" in Jake's basement. (GASP!)... Chris has been very mean to Jake because of this and they ended up having an enormous, foul-mouthed fight about it this past weekend... in front of Brianna! After the fight, Brianna got on her computer and starting sending messages back and forth with Jake. Jake told Brianna that he thought they should stop their romance because it was hurting Chris and he didn't want a relationship to ruin their treasured friendship. Brianna told Jake that she understood and went to bed.

The next morning at 7 am, Jake received a call from Chris on his cell phone, (who usually would never call at such an early hour). Chris said that Brianna had had heart palpitations similar to a heart attack earlier that morning and that an ambulance had had to come to their house and taken her to the hospital. The palpitations, as they later found out, were stress-induced.

Jake, feeling like he LITERALLY gave Brianna a heart attack, is now feeling like a very sad and guilty panda. Will Brianna move back to NYC because she can't stand living across the street from the unavailable Jake? Will Chris help stop Brianna's stress by giving his blessing to Jake and Brianna's relationship? Or will Jake start dating someone else and rub it in Brianna's face? Stay tuned for more...

My Visit from The Virgin Mary

One summer day when I was 2 years old, I was in the backyard of my family's house in New Jersey picking raspberries off the raspberry bush that grew along our fence... (Why my mother let me outside alone at the age of 2, I have no idea)... Anyway- Mom was doing the dishes at the time and just happened to peer out the back window while scrubbing. She saw me sitting next to the bush, red berries smeared across my face, having a full-on conversation with absolutely no one. She figured I'd invented an imaginary friend or something... which would be the excuse for any NORMAL child in this situation.

That night as she put me to bed, Mom asked who I had been talking to earlier that day in the backyard. Apparently, (and I honestly don't remember any of this), I told Mom that Mary, Jesus' mother, came to visit me and that she was beautiful. As she started freaking out, Mom asked me what Mary had said to me during our conversation. I apparently told her that Mary said I was a very, very special girl and that she loved me very much.

WELL- Mom instantly went and called my uber Catholic grandma who she thought must have put crazy ideas into my head about holy transcendentalism. Grandma told my Mom that she had said nothing of the sort to me and that I must just be a very, very special child. (Needless to say- I've been Grandma's favorite ever since)... My crazy uncle suggested we make our raspberry bush a place of holy visitation and start a businesses getting Catholic tourists to pay to see where the Virgin Mother descended.

The point of my story is this... If there really is a Virgin Mary and she really DID come and visit me that day, what was her purpose in telling me that I was so special?  Henry David Thoreau once said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation"... According to Mary, I am NOT one of the masses. (Which is reassuring, because I've never been a fan of quiet desperation)

August...

HHEEELLLOOO Blogger friends! What a hectic month it's been. Here are a few highlights...

1) I took a trip to the Jersey Shore w/ my mom's side of the family. Brian came along too for a few days! Every relative under 25 was thrown into a room of single beds and we were forced to sleep like we were at summer camp or in an orphanage... it was awkward. Anyways- some of my cousins actually saw a few members of the Jersey Shore cast walking down the boardwalk where the show's filmed in Seaside Heights! I missed out on Snooki and The Situation, but did get to meet a new friend playing mini-golf...

2) I started working at my first big-girl job 2 weeks ago! I'm doing some administration & HR at a big dental practice in Virginia. But I'm not going to say anything else about it because I don't want all my crazy internet fans coming to stalk me at work. Seriously, a girl can only sign so many autographs!

3) My novel, (which I described in a recent posted), is well on its way to being the greatest teen fiction success of the decade! I may be posting teasers here in the near future, so keep your eye out for some exciting spoilers!

Teaser #1: The protagonist is Allie Hanson, a fifteen year-old girl and freshman in high school who has a miniature dachshund named Unagi! Allie's a ridiculously fast swimmer and loves sugary foods. When she was five years-old, Allie's mother left her family... and no one's heard from her since. 

Real Housewives of DC

Did anyone catch the new Real Housewives of DC last night? If you didn't, I ENVY you!

WOW- what a horrible reality show. I'd never seen any of the Real Housewives seasons before, but wanted to check this one out because it takes place in my 'hood. After watching the show, I have less respect for the people running this city, have an increased desire to move to the west coast, and am even more ashamed of growing up in this suburb, (one of the housewives lives in my hometown... UGH!)

Each of the woman on this show is more vapid and vomit-inducing than the next. It was painful watching people whose only life goal is to climb Washington's social ladder, all without having a single real friend in the process. I haven't seen females gossip so much about each others weight, appearances, and flamboyant attitudes since high school! (Indirect quote from one housewife- "I'm sorry, but why would I ever go to a party with second tier people when I could be spending time with the elite?")

In conclusion, the Real Housewives of DC made me feel disgusted and embarrassed for growing up around such elitist, snooty, back-stabbing whores. I will not be watching it again. THE END!

Vegetable Picking & Indian Cuisine

Yesterday was a super fun day! After waking up ridiculously early and working a quick shift at the gym, I came home, realized I had no homework to do, (b/c I'm done with school FOREVER), and decided to fill my day with adventure by calling up the studly Brian!

Because it was such a beautiful day, the two of us drove down 66W to Markham, Virginia, (18 miles from West Virginia)... where there are actual fields and mountains and shit. We went to a pick-your-own vegetable/fruit farm, grabbed ourselves a cute little basket, and went a-pickin'!

One of the veggies we collected was a weird looking squash, (see picture), which after research I've discovered to be Green Tint Scallop Squash. (Or possibly an Early White Bush Scallop Squash... but who really cares?)... We then drove down an incredibly sketchy road towards the peach trees where we used a gigantic killer claw to pick the fruits off the trees. We're going to use the peaches to bake a kick-ass pie later this week!

After driving home, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some ingredients and embarked on a strange, scary, and foreign task... we cooked, AHHH!... Don't worry, everything went fine. More than fine, actually! Because of a sudden stroke of genius I had, we created an Indian dish called Chana Masala. Basically- chickpeas in homemade tomato sauce with a million spices. It-was-delicious! (see picture)... But then I accidentally drank too much wine and ended up passing out by 10:30. The wine glass just magically kept refilling, I swear! (haha)... Thank you for reading about my special adventures!

My Inevitably Successful Future

As you all know from my last post, I've officially graduated college... WOOO!

So with that privilege comes the societal expectation of "finding a job" or whatever. In additional to the amazing 40 hr/week occupation that I expect to land, (unwarranted proud smirk), I plan on making the big bucks by becoming the next J.K. Rowling! I'm going to write a book series so captivating that people will be asking, "Harry Who?" and "Dumble-bore?"

Here's what I got so far... 1) The series has to be fiction, 2) There has to be a character who in one's mind looks like Zac Efron, 3) The series has to be fiction, 4) There has to be a talking fish named Betacus who thinks he's a shark, & 5) Three words... Oprah's book club!

So if any of you have any great ideas that aren't completely stupid and/or a waste of my time, please share them here and I promise to include you in the book's acknowledgments. Start churning those noggins, readers. Let's make some $$!

No more teachers! No more books!

Exactly 17 seconds ago, I sent my professor an email with my final exam attached to it. This act may seem ordinary for a college student, but it is extraordinary today because it means that I AM DONE WITH COLLEGE!!

Four years of the hardest work of my life are behind me. I can proudly say that I graduated with a kick-ass GPA and a degree that will land me the greatest job in the UNIVERSE!... (or at least one I really like, haha)... I have degree! I be educated! I am learned! I full of knowledges!

And now, how to celebrate? Should I throw a little party and get tipsy with my homies? Should I burn everything I own with the American University logo on it? Should I have my parents buy me an exceptionally expensive gift, or better yet- buy myself an exceptionally expensive gift with their money!? Oh, the possibilities are endless!

For the time being, I am going to go and watch "glee" on Neflix because the mail just arrived and that little red packet excites me. But after that... the world awaits!

Birthday Festivities! (not mine, sadly... only 3.5 more months!)

This past weekend was Brian's 24th birthday... WOOO!!

We started the celebration early Friday night by going out to dinner with his mom, dad, brother, & brother's girlfriend at a Thai restaurant in Bethesda. It was a very authentic little place- lots of animal figurines and other classy decorations all over the room. What made it especially awesome was the fact that it was 105 degrees outside and I was sweating profusely the entire night. Always a plus!

On his actual birthday, (Saturday), I went to work. HAHA, yes- this is sadly true, I'm a horrible girlfriend. But then after work I took him to Chipotle and into DC to a museum... which I had to go to for class... again, horrible girlfriend. For his birthday dinner, we went to a restaurant in Reston called "Passion Fish," (best name ever), drunk some wine and dined on delicious food. We then went back to his place and I made him dessert, (chocolate pudding garnished with Swedish fish... long story...), and gave him his PRESENTS!!

One of the gifts I got him was a manly L.L. Bean toiletry case. He travels a lot for his job and always throws his toothbrush & such in old Pepperidge Farm or Ziploc bags, so I wanted to upgrade him to less disposable carry-ons. I also bought him a ROADid bracelet b/c he's running a 10k this October and wanted him to be properly identified in case he got hit by an idiot driver or mauled by a bear or something. I also got his band's website engraved on the bracelet so they could get free promotion if he was knocked unconscious somehow. As I said earlier, I'm a great girlfriend! I got my man's safety in mind :)

Happy Birthday, babe!

The Impulse Purchase

While most college classes ask you to buy insanely expensive textbooks, I got off easy this summer with a class that only amounted to about $35 in material fees. WIN FOR ME! To make-up for the lack of money I was spending, I bought this cute little journal at Borders. It was a total impulse buy and I realize now that it looks like a table-cloth with a charm bracelet on it. Curse you, Borders, for putting things like this at the register where naive marketing victims like myself are maliciously lured and overtaken! You should be ashamed.

WELLLLL... Now I'm stuck with this empty lined journal and, as a journalist, it would be an absolute sin not to utilize it. But what to do with it? I've tried keeping "diaries" in the past and every experiment ultimately failed because I was either too lazy to write in them or completely forgot to. I also tried keeping a recipe book once, but seeing as I almost never cook, that was a pretty pointless endeavor. I'm not much of a poet and personally find the whole "poetry writing" process pretty stupid. So basically- If any of you readers have ideas as to what I should do with this impulsively purchased piece of picnic blanket, let me know!

Total ECLIPSE of the Heart!

Hey, Strangers! How's it going? Working hard? Hardly working?... My summer's flying by quickly. I'm taking my final class as an undergrad, working part-time at my school gym, not getting tan, and embracing my inner-tween. A few weeks back I saw the Back Street Boys live in concert and shrieked with joy that my pre-pubescent fantasies were finally  fulfilled. Earlier this week, I went to see the latest installment of the Twilight series, Eclipse.

Not that I'm a fan or anything! I mean, PLEASE! That stuff is totally for 12 year-olds. Mythological creatures running around at the speed of light, falling in love, reciting horribly cheesy lines with their shirts off. What 22 year-old would enjoy that crap?

OK! OK! YOU CAUGHT ME! I'm totally a fan. I LOVE IT ALL! The movies are alright, but the books- fantastic! I don't know what it is about them that draws me in. I think it might be the awesome love stories, the impossibility of the plot, and the raging jealousy I have towards Bella Swan for having the coolest friends in the world! (Besides mine- of course- love you guys!)

On Tuesday night, me and two lovely ladies arrived at the movie theater at 6:00 pm and started tailgating. Yes- we tailgated the premiere, (see photo above). At 7:00 pm, we walked into the theater and took our seats to watch Twilight, the first film in the series. You see- being the fan that I am- I jumped on the opportunity this theater presented to watch Twilight, New Moon, AND Eclipse all in one night for just $15. One hundred hardcore Twilight girls, (and about 15 miserable guys), all in the same theater watching vampires and werewolves for 8 hours... CLASSIC!

To top it of, the theater handed out free "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" bracelets upon purchasing tickets and encouraged the different groups to sit on opposite side of the theater. How funny is that!? I may or may not have asked every person in the theater what team they were on and handed out high-fives or evil glares accordingly. Don't worry about it...

The next film, the first half of Breaking Dawn, is coming out sometime next year. I'm so excited! In the mean time, I'll just have to count down the days till the release of Harry Potter 7, (this November)... Woohoo!

Wisdom Teeth of DEATH!

I'd like to talk to you all today about wisdom teeth removal...

It's absolutely HORRIBLE! Worst possibly idea anyone ever had. I got my wisdom teeth removed one week ago today, and I'm still in pain. YES, 8 days later and I'm still not functioning. All 4 of my wisdom teeth were incredibly impacted, (see picture above), which is likely the cause of all my suffering...

I took 4 Vicoden and 16 Advil each day for 5 days as my doctor ordered, and was still in pain. All that medicine did was make me high, delusional, dizzy, nauseous, exhausted, moody, and emotionally unstable. Since stopping the Vicoden, I've had terrible headaches. Headaches that make me cry, whine, and not want to do anything but sit on the couch and mope.

On top of all the pain: I can't open my mouth wider than a centimeter, everything I eat gets stuck in my tooth holes, my back gums are detached from my teeth and constantly bleed, and my nasal passage is now somehow connected to my mouth so that when I sneeze, all the snot comes out my mouth! I've been SO MISERABLE!

PHEW, I really needed a good vent. Thanks for reading... In other news: Sex & the City II comes out this Friday! Everyone should go and see it. WOOHOO!

Paul W. Smith

Hey, Strangers! Long time no see. It's been a busy last month of the semester and I forgot to keep you updated, (I sincerely apologize)... Here are a few big milestones that have happened this past month...

1) I'm going to be interning at Northern Virginia magazine this summer as a PR/Editorial intern. I start tomorrow morning, it should be great!

2) I walked at Graduation yesterday! My family was slightly pissed that I took off my robe before they could snap hundreds of pictures, but it was a lovely little ceremony. Now: I just have to take two classes this summer and then I'll be officially done with college!

3) My grandpa died yesterday. We got the news shortly after my Graduation festivities. He had been suffering from cancer for a long time. He was an amazing man. He was lovable, interesting, sarcastic, successful, and incredibly entertaining. I'm really going to miss him.

As the only journalist in the family, I was given the job of writing Papa's obituary. I've pasted it here in recognition of my incredible Papa:

Paul W. Smith, a Cranford, NJ resident for 57 years, died in his home on Saturday morning at the age of 83. Smith was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1926 and served in the south pacific theater as a master sergeant during World War II from 1945-1947. Smith graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY in 1949 and founded the Cranford Recreation Basketball league in 1966. Smith had a long, distinguished career in publication sales. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Jeannette C. Smith (Galvin) of Cranford; four children, Maryellen S. Leister of Virginia, Thomas P. Smith of Ireland, Victoria A. Goski of Cranford, and Paul G. Smith of Cranford; and nine grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. John’s soup kitchen in Newark, NJ or Cranford Family Care. You may pay your respects at Dooley’s Funeral Home on Tuesday, May 11 from 4-8 p.m. A memorial mass will be held at St. Michael’s Parish on Wednesday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m.

The Surprise Visitor...

I was walking up to my apartment the other day when I noticed my door was open. I started freaking out! Next to the open door were six boxes full of rags, paint, brushes, cement, and random tools...

Just then, our crazy Turkish landlord came out of our bathroom and screamed, "Oh Hello, Beautiful Girl! I'm glad you're here. I'm fixing your apartment because of the letter!" (You see: Our apartment is very old and full of chipped paint, mold, cracks, and broken windows. After we asked the landlord to come over and fix these things about 7 times, with no response from him, we asked the DC housing inspector to come over and investigate. The housing inspector threatened to fine our landlord if he didn't act immediately)...

Our landlord is legally allowed to enter our apartment and make repairs without telling us. BUT: Is it not common courtesy to call before coming over to completely tear the place up? He almost gave me a heart attack! PLUS- he was working in the bathroom, so I couldn't shower that day, (I apologize to anyone who saw me)... He had moved all of our belongings out of the bathroom, left cement in the kitchen sink on our dishes, had random tools scattered everywhere... It was not a pretty sight.

Mr. Landlord tried to make the excuse that he jumped off a bridge to save a little boy, lost his fingers, and that's why he couldn't respond to our emails or come over sooner. First of all- his wife manages their email account, so she should have responded to us. Second of all- my roommate Googled this guy to check if he was mentioned in any news story about jumping off a bridge... NOTHING came up. How stupid does he think we are? He also started blabbering about how he wanted to end things on good terms in case we needed each other for recommendations or government clearances... umm, WHAT?

SO: the repairs.... To fix the mold that was all over our bathroom and in my roommate's closet, all he did was put drywall on top of the mold and seal it over. I'm not going to lie, it looks a lot better. But the problem isn't solved! There's is STILL mold growing underneath the drywall! How gross is THAT?... In spots with lesser mold, all the guy did was paint over it, in a different shade of paint than the walls, (see photos)...

Here's the new drywall ceiling in the bathroom. (Notice the "awesome" paint job above the window?)

 Notice how two walls are tan and one is white?  (This isn't because of the light!)

Just another example of the multi-colored paint job...

Lucky for us: We'll be out of here in a month! I hope the next tenants don't die of mold exposure, and they better appreciate color varieties!

My Heart "Yarns" For You!

Hey friends! I just wanted to drop by real quickly today to show you a little something Brian sent me this afternoon. I've been incredibly stressed and busy this week with an insane, and I mean INSANE amount of school work, so Brian sent me this cute little picture text to make me feel better...

Text: "You are so......."

HAHAHAHA! How cute/corny/adorable is that? He used leftover string from his kick-ass Halloween costume to write me a secret message. He's so clever and crafty :) ....(be jealous)

Whole Foods Bitchery & Moldy Walls

Two things I'd like to cover today...

1) My insane loyalty to the glorious Whole Foods was challenged earlier today. Standing in the check-out line with my groceries in hand, the female clerk at the register turned to me and asked, "Umm, do you need something," in quite possibly the rudest and sassiest tone I've ever heard. Instead of screaming, "Yes, bitch, please use your 'mad skills' to bag my pricey dinner," I smiled and said, "Umm, yes, I need to be checked out," at which point the lovely register lady, (named Carmen), rolled her eyes and silently began scanning my food, huge frown on her face. I'm sorry: but WTF, Whole Foods!? If you're gonna charge me $5.00 for a piece of lettuce, hire some decent service to smile at me while you steal my money. JEEZ!

2) Something has been looming in my apartment, almost since I moved in last July. The unwanted loomer: MOLD! Yes, it's disgusting. My roommate has it growing in her closet, it's clearly growing on the walls in our bathroom, and the musty smell is overwhelming when you walk through the front door. Recently, the smell has been worse. I try to keep the windows open as much as possible, especially after I've taken a warm steamy shower, but it's really starting to bother me. I'm actually getting quite nervous for my health, and I'm seriously considering moving-out early and moving back w/ my parents to avoid the unsanitary conditions. What do YOU think I should do?

"Remember Me"...(will do!)

I haven't seen a good chick-flick in years... Seriously! Who can honestly say there's been a memorable girl's-night movie since "How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days," "Center Stage," and "The Notebook"?... (The Twilight and High School Musical films don't count. Those are in their own separate category of amazingness)...

My dear female friends, we can finally stop waiting for the next chick-flick classic. IT-HAS-ARRIVED and will be opening in theaters across the US this Friday, March 12. It's called "Remember Me" and stars everyone's favorite pasty vampire, Robert Pattinson. (Pierce Brosnan also plays a major character. And let's not lie- he looks pretty damn good for 57!)...

The film is about a love story between Tyler Hawkins, (Pattinson), and Ally Craig, (the slightly masculine Emilie de Ravin). Ally's father, a cop, busts-up Tyler's face and arrests him after he gets into a bar fight, and Tyler tries to get back at daddy cop by dating his little girl. And then, SHOCKER... Tyler really falls for Ally, and then he tells her the truth about why he asked her out and they get into a fight, but then they make-up, and then... OOO, I can't tell you the rest because I'll start blabbering spoilers. But trust me: it's gooood!

One thing that kind of pissed me off was Pattinson played his awkward Edward Cullen card for most of the film. It was another uncomfortable & emo performance that made you wish for him to stopped grinning like he's constipated. (Don't worry though, he's still totally hot!)

Unfortunately, it's not easy for me to tell you all about the this film without giving away its surprises, plot twists, and knee-slapping jokes. ERGO: You'll have to take my word for it and see it yourselves. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!

Welcome Home, Betacus!

Brian and I took a big step this weekend... (BIG step, people, BIG step).... We went to Pets-mart and bought a beautiful beta fish AHH!

We got to the store and it was SUCH a hard selection process. I wanted to bring ALL the fish home with us, as well as all the dogs at the adoption fair outside, all the guinea pigs, hamsters, emus... (But NOT the birds, gross! Animals that secrete white poop scare me)...

We decided on Betacus because he kept waving his little fins at me saying, "Hi, Hilary! You're so pretty and smart and I'd love for you to bring me home. I'll be the best fish EVER, pllleeeaasseee pick me, PICK ME!"... So of course, we picked-up his little plastic jar and took him home. We also bought a kick-ass turtle figurine, (see picture), so he wouldn't get too lonely.

Isn't he beautiful!? We love him dearly and hope he doesn't die. THE END!

Adventures in... Paint-Balling!

What did I do this weekend? Let me tell you...

Saturday morning I woke up, schmeered Brian and I some bagels, and the two of headed off on a gripping adventure to go PAINT-BALLING!

One of Brian's buddies was turning 24, and what else would a dude want to do to celebrate the year before his quarter-life crisis? DUH... wear bad-ass gear, (like Darth Vader masks), and shoot little balls full of paint at his friends!

SOOO we drove into the paint-balling arena before the rest of the party patrons and started picking up on some tips from the experiences players walking by us. Most of the guys were over 6 feet, over 200 lbs, wore freaky camouflage outfits, and carried their own gear on special ammo belts. (Oh Shit! What were we getting ourselves into?)...

In a nutshell: paint-balling was awesome! (Despite the cold weather, 6 inches of snow, and utter muddiness haha)... True Fact: Brian totally shot me in the leg at the end of the first game! Yes- upper thigh, straight shot, the redness is still there. I got a cute little, "OOO- Sorry, Boo!" after he fired the gun. For the rest of the rounds- we played on the same team (haha)...

Afterwards, we enjoyed some bar action at a cute little place in Columbia, MD called "Pub Dog"... I ordered a blueberry beer which was one of the best alcohol beverages I've ever consumed. It tasted like a light beer and then left a glorious, creamy, blueberry pie-like aftertaste. OMG... mouthgasm!

The Award for the "Worst Dog Alive" goes to....

My older brother, Andrew, has sadly been very sick this week with his Crohn's Disease. ERGO: Mama and Daddy Leister fled to Connecticut to visit the sickly one in the hospital on Thursday and I was asked to take care of the dog.

Becky is her name. My smelly, obnoxious, 11 year-old Border Terrier with tons of attitude. She's a total attention whore. I had to pick her up Thursday and drive her to my apartment so she could spent the night w/ me and my good friend Traci. WELL: taking Becky anywhere in the car is like dealing with a screaming infant. She cries the entire ride and always opens the windows with her paws making me, the driver, a frantic, nervous wreck.

Devil dog whined and barked several times during the night whenever she heard someone outside my apartment door. All the new smells and people made her hyper and antsy as hell. It was a nightmare.

BUT: The worst thing Becky did happened last night. I had driven her back to my parent's house and was eagerly waiting for Brian to come over and keep me company. He got to the house around 9:30 and we hopped onto my family's comfy blue-suede couch to watch a movie. Things went quiet for a few seconds, and then he said... "Umm, is your dog peeing?"

YES, Becky peed on our basement carpet, IN FRONT OF BRIAN! OH-MY-FREAKING-GOD! I could have killed her, I was so embarrassed. Becky really helped set the mood. (Brian was a great sport though, laughing at me as I cleaned it up haha)... But you can BET that animal isn't getting any cookies for weeks!

Also... before I left my apartment, I found this adorable note on the kitchen fridge! (I wonder who it's from?)

Sushi Cupid Day!!

Valentine's Day was LOTS of fun this year! I went over to Brian's place and he answered the door with a beautiful bouquet of red, pink, & white roses as well as some delicious chocolates that were specially designed by marketers for yours truly...

Brian and I decided to make sushi to celebrate the holiday. We bought lots of fish, veggies, rice, seaweed, soy sauce, etc. so that we'd be able to make the best sushi EVER! Our sushi-making methods were way more advanced that the chefs you'll find in restaurants, and we definitely had an awesome time rolling rice in the kitchen...

The finished product was not only delicious, but was pretty and cute and colorful and ooooo so romantic!



Best-Valentines-Day-EVER!

OMG I am SO effing BORED!

Tonight was very exciting... I watched "ADAM," the saddest movie ever about a man with Aspergers syndrome, and various parts of "Richie Rich," "My Best Friend's Wedding," and "Pretty Woman"... I also made this kick-ass video!



I swear I have friends. Happy Valentine's Day EVE!

We're All Gonna DIE!!

Snowpocalypse 2010... WHAT a shitshow!

For those of you living under a rock, the DC area was hit with over 20 inches of snow this past weekend. Because of the insanely large amount of white stuff, DC residents completely lost their minds...

The storm started late Friday morning, so naturally- every grocery store was packed with raging lunatics on Thursday night. My roommate tried going to our neighborhood Whole Foods yesterday (Sunday)... there was nothing left on the shelves and drunk people were running up and down the aisles. MAYHEM!

Some crazy people living near Capitol Hill made a fort out of snow in their front yard and put an ad on Craigslist for a $140/month beautiful snow castle in an unbeatable location. Too freaking funny! (http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/roo/1590447051.html)

School was canceled for me today and I'm praying that I won't have it on Tuesday or Wednesday either. We're expected to get 8-12 inches of additional snow Tuesday night and possibly more accumulation this weekend. OH-EM-GEE!

For those of you trying to stay sane... here are some adorable Google images I downloaded of cute snow puppies! (And who watched the Puppy Bowl this weekend!?)




People, stay warm and dry... and embrace the SNOWPOCALYPSE!

I Capture the Castle...

What wonderful things in my life keep me happy, healthy, and glorious as ever!?

Here are just a few...

Broccoli! (Yum, my favorite vegetable)... Steamed and sprinkled with lemon, salt, and pepper. Delicious!

The beautiful turtle ring that Brian gave me for Christmas. (Turtles are my absolute favorite!)

Sexy werewolves that hang on my bedroom wall... (I don't know HOW New Moon wasn't nominated for any Oscars this year!?)

My abundant earring collection. A girl can never have too many :)

My faux fur snow-leopard mittens. Best-gloves-EVER! I get lots of compliments on these babies haha...

SOOO... What keeps you upbeat, sane, and kicking!?

So Ummm.... Where's Spring!?

1) That stupid groundhog saw his shadow yesterday... 6 more weeks of Winter... FML! One of my favorite things about living in DC is being able to walk & Metro everywhere. I'd willingly spend hours just strolling and shopping and being productive or not being productive and soaking up Vitamin D and releasing endorphins but NO: the cold weather has me locked up inside my crappy little apartment, wasting money on heat and getting horrible cabin fever... BOOO!

2) The vegetarian-eganism is going well! No meat has been consumed and I'm slowly weaning off the dairy day-by-day. I've yet to get a multi-vitamin, but that's this week's goal. My Mom, who was originally strongly against the whole thing, is slowly starting to accept it... (Not agree with it, but accept it. So hell, I'll take it!... Yeah animals, woohoo!)

3) My life is totally awesome, except for the fact that I drove my car into a ditch at the end of my parent's driveway and accidentally made it straddle a small brick wall. AAA was called and successfully lifted the car in about 5 minutes, but this writer has felt like a complete idiot since then haha.

4) Here are some pretty pictures to take us all away from the cold...