MichMash

Bali: Hong Kong Layover

2012-01-08T03:12:00.001-08:00

Like an idiot I missed my flight and thus have a bit of a layover in Hong Kong right meow.

It's just me here, but not to worry I'm finding ton of things to keep me busy like:

A mothers day gift I made my mom by recreating a picture of her when she was 20

Awesome view of clear water bay

Why are the left two pictures so close together and slightly offset vertically?

Me as a bebe

... So many piles. My dad may be a hoarder

CC sunset month 4

2012-01-08T03:11:00.001-08:00

Bangin

things that are cute

2012-01-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

1. Asyemetrical corgi

2. Maru in a box

3. Siku the abandoned polar bear's belly

4. Siku the abandoned polar bear ptfo's tongue

5. this puppy who wants to go on a walk

6. these really poofy dogs. poof!

7. poopsie

Emojikelly

2012-01-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

work is fun

2012 calendar coming soon!

I have so many pix of Kelly on my phone now

Fuck Yeah! Ryan Gosling

2012-01-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

this pic is old but ryan gosling is hot. just wanted to start the year off right.

Also notice the firm grip he's got on my shoulder. that's true love right there.

And I mean... hell yeah I touched his abs. His "it's like he's photoshopped" abs.

#bestnightever

2012 Resos

2012-01-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Resolutions!

I only had two in 2011, checked those bad boys off real good

~~Moisturize more~~ (no ashy elbows thankyouverymuch)
~~Move to New York~~ (it's 2 degrees outside so um yeah I'm in NY)
~~Go with the flow~~ (or at least i think i can check this one off...)

I also wanted to do a bunch of LA things as part of my LA bucket list and got through *most* of them!

So 2012. Doing the same thing as last year. Setting goals simple and achievable.

Be nicer/more helpful to people
Drink more water
One art project a month

Honarary goal is to speak more chinese. Already been doing that since my canto friend population has quadrupled since I moved to New York. So this is where they've all been hiding... ni hai peng yous!

Meowy Christmas!

2011-12-25T16:25:00.001-08:00

Have a jingly belly sort of day errbody!

COME VISIT ME!

2011-12-22T10:02:00.001-08:00

Everyone else is doing it. Seriously I've been here a hot second and already have had so many friends come! I love it! I don't even need to make new friends, all yall just end up coming here :)

yay october visitors!

October 7-11
Shay came with Trace, but I dont have a picture so he's represented by Buck Hunter because we played a shit ton of it while he was here.

October 21-23
My cousin Maddy came to visit me and we had an awesome weekend of eating A TON OF FOOD. seriously I think we had 14 meals in a 72 hour period. it was delicious!

October 31-November 1
Then Jen Jay came with the whole antics crew and made me miss my BIG team - honestly Antics Brooklyn was the best one I've been to yet!

November 3-8
Then HL and JLee came for the New York marathon - so awesome to 1. see them and 2. cheer them on! You guys are incredible!

November 12
My other cousin Dominique or as I like to call her Gwun came in town! We were able to grab some tasty lunch at Saam then Milk Bar after... so tasty. We didnt take a picture together, so she's represented with the apple and bacon kim chi we had. Seriously, best meal ever, thanks Gwun! Also I'd like to point out that I haven't gotten visits from Gwun OR Maddy (they're sisters) the whole time I was in LA but then move to NY and 1.5 months later I get both! Awesome!

November 18-21
And then this weekend happened. The trifecta of visitors. Erika, Tasha, and Hoy all were in town! LA friends overload!

SOOO excited to see my lover Erika or as I like to call her Erila. She was in town for work, but then we were able to spend the weekend together. Just me, Erila, and poopsie. Slumber party central. E introduced me to Henri Bendel where we cleaned out the store of anything that had a bow on it. Girlfriend's got an obsession. We met up with Jami at Otto where Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were dining, so you know we cool like that.

I was only able to spend Saturday night with Tasha, but hell if we weren't going to milk the crap out of this night. We had two dinners. Because of course we did. Awesome seafood at Pearl Oyster Bar, then Jamaican chicken at Miss Lilys. And in between we almost fell asleep, as you do when you have 2 dinners, but powered through. Also ended up having such a celeb night - saw Kelly Ripa at a restaurant, ended up meeting up with Tasha's friend and Tasha's friend's boy friend who happens to be Jesse Tyler Ferguson (soooo nice), then went with them to Industry where Jesse ran into Andy Cohen.

Kristen was also in town, but I was only able to meet up with her for a drink and there's no pic :( Still awesome to see her! Saatchi represent!

December 7
Felly in the hizhouse! Saatchi reunion (we have a lot of these apparently) in the west village, which was SO fun but would have been more fun if it wasn't pouring rain.

December 11
Dinner with Dana! We didn't take a pic, so that pic of the phone represents her and her ancient cell. Seriously her phone should be in a museum.

December 16-18
Kid's Table Stretch with Winjy in town! We had ambitious plans to walk across the Brooklyn bridge, but ended up just walking to the pier and taking a picture. Close enough.

December 16
JILL BEAN! ugh I miss this girl so much. Haven't seen her in yeaaaars. YEEEARS. she look good! And apparently Jill and Ana know each other from UCLA too.

moral of the story: move to new york and hang out with me

CC Sunset wk10

2011-12-20T14:18:00.001-08:00

Spiocy

Makein' a Pizza a Pie a

2011-12-20T13:43:00.001-08:00

Pizza a la Michelle

Ana found this class at Pizza a Casa in the LES (http://pizzaacasa.com/Home.html) taught by Mark Bello and two other really nice helpers. Also accompanying us in the student section was another youngish couple, 3 (I'm assuming) retirees form Flo'da, a brother duo, and a pair of middle age Asian ladies aka Ana and I in 25 years.

Ana and I both showed up hungry, which at first seemed like a bad situation because all they to nibble on was yeast and flour, but ended up ok because we left with EIGHT PIZZAS. EIGHT. Like Jon and Kate + 8 EIGHT. Pizza for days.

So basically we did everything from making the dough, to rolling out the crust, to mix and matching our own toppings, to shoving and removing the pizza from the oven. Super fun!

Check out time lapse of pizza making:

Ana and I ended up making a bunch of weird (but tasty) combinations - brussle sprouts with procuitto and balsamic vinegar, potato and mozzerla white pie, ricotta with lemon and sundried tomato. All were weird ameoba shaped.

Here's Ana werkin her first lump of dough. Girlfriend is stoooooked.

Baller shot caller. This is what 5 hours of a pizza class can do for you. But not really because I ended up dropping it on the floor. #behindthescenesinfo

Graduation photo

Although champion eaters, Ana and I are in no position to house 8 pizzas on our own so we brought it over to the Mike/Alex Vessels/Sir Rhodes/ITP work space which is in this awesome SILO! Like a round container thing you usually put wheat (wheat?) in. We figured 3-6 boys would be of great help to consume these things.

In case you ever wondered what 8 pizzas in a silo work space looked like. (This is it)

To the Silo!

Things I Miss About Life in LA: Fall Edition

2011-12-20T13:37:00.000-08:00

Surprise, surprise, things i miss most about LA are food related. I like food ok. Gosh.

Clockwise, the "Things" are:

Slumber parties with Katie and Poe. And Katie's 3D giant TV
Grocery stores. You have no idea.
Din tai fung juicy pork dumplings and Pheonix Bakery mixed fruit tapioca coconut drink. I crave.
Cho Dang! They have soondubu here, but it's not the same. Cho Dang's got the best cucumeber pan chan ever. Ugh lets be honest I miss the whole Torrance lunch circuit. Pho, Asian Food Court, Lisa's Bon Appetit. I work in Soho and there are no lunch options!
My Friends. Although you are all slowly, one by one, coming to New York if not to live forever, to visit. Works for me!
Tender Greens. Best $10 dinner you can get.
The gym inside my old apartment complex. No one ever used it except for me so it was like a private gym. I watched a lot of "Love in the Wild" on the elipitcal in there.
Singing in the car.
Endless office and first aid supplies, sponsored by Saatchi. I miss those mini bandaids. Oh and the joy you would get when you found a rare 5-star spiral pocket notebook in the stash of 99 cent spirals!

That being said, New York has been awesome so far. So excited to be living in this city. I'm sure come 2 months when I've frozen into a popsicle, my tone might be differnet. Which is also why I'm doing these in editions because I'm pretty sure the Winter edition is going to be things like, "Lack of frosbite", "Temps above 3 degrees", "Dry feet".

The Clocktower: Esquire Apartment

2011-12-20T11:11:00.001-08:00

Lovvvvve love love being Lee's date to anything - this time it was for Esquire Magazine's house/apartment party!

It was in this amazing clock-tower inspired space in Dumbo. Seriously the penthouse apt had 5 floors, an elevator, amazing views of Manhattan. AND Sara Barellis performed and it was hosted by Neo (weird pairing much?)

closet the size of my apartment. greeeeeeeeeeat.

View from the third floor down....

and from the bottom floor up!

pent house of the pent house - awesome view of brooklyn bridge.

"woo hoo i'm in nyc!" - lee champion's smile

Video tour of the space:

Esquire • Men's Style and Fashion

Fffffound in NY: The Moleskin

2011-12-20T09:42:00.001-08:00

Ana found a lonely abandoned moleskin in the back of a cab.

So naturally we snooped the crap out of it, cover to cover. Found out it belond to some guy named Nick, who was apparently very excited to own a notebook:

Yesss. Already you know this is going to be good.

Considering I work on 50% of the listed shows, I support this cause.

Oh! A doodle. How lovely. GO. SET. THE WORLD. AFLAME. HOO-RAH!

Buy dad a wii, buy mom... a VACUUM CLEANER?! hello 1963.

And then shit gets real. Admist the to do lists and doodles are 2 page of BREAK UP NOTES. "Did I stop loving you OR DID YOU B ECOME UNLOVEABLE". ugh the pages are probably tear soaked.

I too will start asking myself regularly.

The notebook was like 80% full and had a copy of the guy's passport photo in it too. Luckily he put his email in the front so Ana contacted him and was able to return it. According to Ana he was "kind of cute" but also "23" and "lives in Boston."

But happy ending to this story, boy and moleskin reunited! I wonder what ever happened with his girlfriend...

Holiday Partaaaays

2011-12-19T17:21:00.001-08:00

Tis the season for getting drunk with your coworkers. Another reason why it rocks to work at Comedy Central: 2 holiday parties! Although they were back to back which was pretty brutal.

We had an MTV Entertainment party Tuesday night at the Bowery Hotel and Questlove from the Roots dj'ed. Because of course he would.

Digital Integrated Marketing Managers, unite!

Open bar + photo booth=

found a picture of my face all ripped up! what the heyo.

Then Wednesday night we had the bigger more massive Viacom party at the Roseland Ballroom. It was fun, but weird, and most of the CC friends were too tired from the night before.

that last one is supposed to be a "CC" for Comedy Central, but I did my C backwards and Stacy's C got cut off. #fail.

But upside is they had women dressed in Victorian garb attached to tables with prosecco! (...whaaaaaat)

So to recover from dos fiestas our team had a hangover brunch! Just happened to run into a Walgreens photo shoot in the north pole.

And thennn we had a pot luck white elephant party at work today. Pretty fun, people brought some good gifts including:

Sea monkeys

Lotto tickets

Bumble bee slippers

I made it out with a pair of slippers that double duties as a mop. Shaweet!

Happy Holidays from the Kellts!

cutie pie reindeer cookies the girls made, SO CUTE!

CC Sunset Wk 9

2011-12-09T12:57:00.003-08:00

CC Sunset Wk 8

2011-12-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Year in Nails

2011-11-30T21:48:00.001-08:00

I was apparently very enamored with nail polish this year

BFF's who manicure together...

monochromatic... until the ring finger!

AQUA DUH

What was the world like before Sally Hensen stick on nails. I don't even remember a time. Sweet Tea Vodka and Leopard nails, hands down my fav trashy combo of 2011.

matte top coat and friendship blang with t-cup

attempt at ombre.

leopard nails at work! swapped the vodka for a keyboard

this is what happens when you have to wait for the pharmacy in the nail isle

Matte navy with glossy tips. French mani v 2.0

Holiday Party *SPARKLE*

Christmas mani

color blocking

Which Craft...

2011-11-30T21:12:00.001-08:00

...should I do next. You know how I love a good craft.

my apartment is coming along, but not really done at all. and by not really done at all, i mean i cant say i'm not using a paper bed bath and beyond box as a coffee table. found this craft project for fluffy paper lanterns and they look amaaaaaazing so it's next on the list. thanks martha stewart!

Winter is Upon Us

2011-11-30T20:59:00.001-08:00

It's getting cold outside and I'm still on a Californian wardrobe. I don't know how to dress in this weather! It's come to my attention that I dont have many items of clothing that have sleeves. Definitely a problem when it's 30 degrees outside.More weather appropriate looks I'm hoping to achieve...

you know i love a good gray

i'm really into these mullet dresses but haven't figured out a way to wear them during the winter - this totes works!

also really loving midi dress and skirts. and this one has SLEEVES!

Here's to avoiding turning into a popsicle.

CC Sunset Wk 7

2011-11-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

Um hello most bangin sunset I've ever seen ever. Went for a post-turkey day run and was rewarded with this awesomeness (and then pwned by losing my $20 bill wah wah)

Gobble

2011-11-28T09:07:00.001-08:00

Post-thanksgiving cat is fullllll

CC Sunset wk 6

2011-11-22T10:45:00.001-08:00

CC Sunset Week 5

2011-11-11T13:43:00.001-08:00

an awesome sunset to round out the end of my 5th week in NY and to top it off, found out my little lettuce cup is moving to NY!! Can't wait for Thomas to move here ahhhh!

Now if only I could regain function of my left nostril id be set. Stupid cold.

Trip(lets) to the Zoo

2011-11-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Well if this isn't the freaking cutest thing I've ever seen. My cousin Denise and her hubby Brent just had triplets earlier this year. Amazing costumes. The little burritos are so cute! But they could look more impressed ha.

RUN JLEE RUN HL RUNNNN!

2011-11-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

HL and Jess came into town this week to eat and run. Literally, eat and run. I joined for the eating portion, but not the running portion.

Got to meet up with them their first night here to eat at Momofuku Ma Peche - SO delicious, SO indulgent. Then we had brunch with Mariana at LandMarc at Time Warner Building. And then Hl and Jess ran 26.2 miles. And then we had some mediocre burgers and awesome chili cheese fries.

But YES HL and Jess both ran their first marathons! So proud of both of them for finishing and in crazy awesome time.

Can't believe they're still standing after 5 hours of continuous running!

Mariana and I went to meet HL and Jess at the finish line and seriously it was such a cluster, but in an awesome way! It was like the Halloween parade, but way more sporty spice and with 25% less body fat.

We were able to catch the last couple of meters of Jessica's run! Good thing she was wearing those hot pink ear muffs.

Get it girl, you finish that marathon!!

HL KILLED that run. boom.

Check out this fat cat

2011-11-08T19:48:00.001-08:00

He be large and in charge. Apparently there are not one but TWO of these man-sized turkey cats at bleeker st records. I've only seen one... Maybe he ate the other one.

Look At Me

2011-11-08T19:42:00.001-08:00

I'm totes Comedy Central

So this is fall in new york...

2011-11-08T19:40:00.001-08:00

it's pretty good, i'll take it

purple nerple socks

CC Sunset Week 4

2011-11-08T19:39:00.003-08:00

Another week, another bomb sunset

An Accurate Review of This Blog

2011-11-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

NYC Update as told through Papa Chan 1-liners

2011-11-04T11:03:00.001-07:00

Recently had a gchat session with my dad. He wanted an update of me and moving to NYC. I'd post the whole conversation, but it's funnier if you only see my dad's half of the conversation. Get ready for some Papa Chan words of wisdom...

TOYOTA ANTICS: BROOKLYN DISCO

2011-11-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

The BIG team's Toyota Antics party came to Brooklyn Nov 2! Ya know what that means?! Reunion with Jen Jay! So excited to see her and also total hit of nostalgia.

Miss Jennifer Jay

The event was in this really cool space owned by Vans (yeah those shoes you wore in 7th grade, same Vans), had an indoor and outdoor area, food trucks, DISCO ball - honestly it was the best Antics party I've been to so far. Take into consideration that the other Antics event I went to was in Salt Lake City, wah wah. But really, it was SO much fun, DJ set from the LCD soundsystem guys, hung out with some of the BAs I met at the Dew Tour event, and got Mike, Ana and friends on the VIP list! Really made me miss you Saatchilians though xo

How many greasynoses those glasses must've touched before they landed on our faces...

disco ball. shit just got real.

Hallowinteryween

2011-10-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

My first Halloween In NYC! That's totally a lie, I've flown in to NY for Halloween the past 3 years. (Still surprised I moved to NY...).

This was a weird one because it SNOWED! Apparently this is the first time it's snowed in October since the Civil War. This is not a good sign for the winter to come.

As ya'll know I like to make my costume. Given I just moved to New York, started a new job, and am still using a paper box as a kitchen table, I haven't had much time to figure out a costume. Good thing I came across the Chelsea street market and found oversized hoodies for $7! Turned a blue one into a bird costume.

Also big thanks to Liz for packing a hot glue gun for me! When I was unpacking the boxes she did, I'll be honest, I was pretty confused by some of the things she deemed packing worthy (piano sheet music book? really? what am i going to do with that here liz...). I thought the glue gun was another one of the items to fall under the useless category until I made my WHOLE COSTUME out of said glue gun + mini sewing kit! boom. like a boss.

I went with Ana and her coworkers to Canal Room for an 80s dance party.

Red Bull, Blue Bird, and an Ear of Corn. SOOOOOO 80s

Just met these guys 15 minutes ago, but we look like BFFs ammiright?! #instantfriendship

Ana doesn't like this picture, but it's better than the others. come on girl, keep your eyes open!

The dedicated party monsters who braved the snow to shake some bootay

This one's for smeggs

My First SNOW!

2011-10-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

It was SNOW problemo

Bear was ready!

CC Sunset Week 3

2011-10-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

Made it through another week without burning the building down! Celebrate with a gorge sunset...

Nerd Alert! MTVN Halloween Party

2011-10-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

Halloween Costume party my second week at work can only mean good things. The marketing girls + Brian decided to go as a super sweet posse of nerds. Didn't take much costuming, we are all pretty nerdy to begin with:

And that's PRE costume. #justplayin

I'm wearing my Dad's Caltech sweater. Crew Neck. And must've been a crop top, it was even short on me!

Stacy, me, and Justine, the Nerd dream team

He's the bomb. Best Costume Ever.

The MTV Entertainment Group party was at this really awesome bar/club in Chelsea. Open bar means SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS!

Mid-shelf Tequila = Instant Friendship

Had an awesome time partying with my coworkers on a school night!

Spotted: Bill Cunningham!

2011-10-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

In the w village!

He's a fashion photog for the NYT. Cute lil old man who rides his bicycle around town capturing fashionistas. They made a doc about him earlier this year (it was awesome - worth watching).

Poopsie Impersonates a Rock

2011-10-20T20:05:00.001-07:00

Recycling Comedy Central style

2011-10-20T14:01:00.001-07:00

Respect. My. Authorit-tah!

Challenge: Accepted

2011-10-19T12:39:00.001-07:00

The building across the street (Saatchi NY ironically) challenged us to a game of hangman. So here we are.

(work is fun so far!)

East coast sunset

2011-10-19T12:37:00.001-07:00

Almost as good as a Cali sunset! Almost.

Better Being Underground

2011-10-19T10:41:00.001-07:00

Lunch from this little place around the corner that's tucked into a basement unit- so tasty!

Kale | butternut squash | sprouts | walnuts | shallot vinaigrette

Wild mushroom soup

Inception Cat

2011-10-18T07:45:00.001-07:00

Cat within a box within a box.

And yes, that box is my makeshift table. I'm fancy.

Poopsie x 2

2011-10-15T16:12:00.001-07:00

If there was a thought bubble it'd be something like "... What the!"

Brekkie, Get. In. Mah. Belleh.

2011-10-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Trying to figure out some savory breakfast options I can either make or take to work. I was doing the whole stop-at-starbucks-on-the-walk-to-work thing, but I don't want to end up fat and broke. Hopefully going to try these recipes out soon! But gotta get groceries first. I dont even have salt and pepper.

I don't really lovvvvve zucchinis, but this looks pretty tasty:

Zucchini Potato Fritatatatatatat

This has bacon in it, so it looks promising:

Breakfast Casserole

Lale found this one - looks AWESOME. Can't think of a better use for a microwave. But there's no toaster at the office so I dont really know what I'd put said poached egg on.

Poached Egg a la Microwave

I like anything that involves a muffin tin:

Breakfast Cups

What to be, What to be...

2011-10-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

For halloween I apparently want to be something awkward. How cool is his penguin suit?!

I'm in New York, trick | Werkin' it

2011-10-14T22:21:00.000-07:00

So in the chaos of moving, kiiinnnda forgot about the whole I'm-starting-a-new-job thing. Worked out for the best, because if I wasn't so distracted with the other million things going on I'd probably just fixate on how unprepared I am for this. I've only ever had one other first day, at Saatchi, and that was light years ago.

First day was a 9-5 day of orientation, but it was at the main office so I got to do this commute:

o hai timesquare

Learned about benefits, vacation days, and got myself an ID badge. Totes official now.

if only my high school class photos looked like this

Day 2 was at my office, which is in Soho. It's actually literally next door from Saatchi New York and there's a lot of neon orange in CC so I really couldn't get too far away from Saatch!

Was greeted by South Park, so I knew everything was going to be ok. Like a good new employee I got to work at what I thought was on time (9am), but apparently MTV doesn't get cracking until 9:30-10. I live 8 blocks away. Quick math tells me I can sleep in until 9 and still be at work on time. yesyseysyeyesyesyes

I'd like to point out we (Katie Jenna Liz and I) named Poopsie after Cartman. My life has come full circle.

It's no kid's table, but I have some fantastic cubemates - the other manager on my team and 2 creatives.

New Jersey sunset from my cube. I think I can see Snooks from here.

End of my first week! The walk home in fall rain while listening to This American Life. And yes that's a fitness umbrella. Gotta hang on to those media goodies, I don't get them anymore!

Speaking of, had to run out and get some rainboots. When it rains, it pours here. It's some crazy heavy flow. Like at the end of a football game and the team is doing that thing where they dump gatorade onto the coach - that kind of precipitation. None of this LA "rain" which packs as much moisture as those misters in line at Universal Studios.

Had a great first week! Lucky for me, MTV/Comedy Central is a lot like Saatchi - young/fun people and a casual environment (flip flops in the office are legit style). Already feeling at home with the team, and although I'm still trying to figure out what's going on, the projects that I'll be working on seem really great. I turned in my first assignment and got a shout out from the VP so, you know, YAY! Now gotta not mess up week 2 and I'll be good.

I'm in New York, trick | Departure

2011-10-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

It happened! One way ticket to New York. Tingles of excitement.

I've spent the past couple of weeks frantically packing, so haven't even begun to think about the significance of leaving LA. Also when I say "packing" I really mean "getting too frustrated with sorting everything out so just trashing it instead". Apparently living in the same city for 22 years turns you into a hoarder.

This pretty much sums up my experience packing: uncovering items I didn't even know I had (floppy disk? really? really. this should be in a museum) and bear playing in boxes.

mustn't forget to pack the cat!

Speaking of the Bear Taking Flight saga, it actually went ok! There was one part of having to pull her out of the carrier and physically hold her through the x-ray machine that was slightly traumatizing, but overall it went scratch-free.

Here we are chillin in the lounge before the flight:

wine, cheese, and watermelon. you fancy huh

Here we are settling in to first class (baller shot caller, thanks for the miles dad!)

I'm still slightly perplexed as to how airlines allow pets on flights (what if you have allergies? or cat scratch fever?) so I packed some benadryl and prepared a "sorry about the dander" speech. But the people around me had screaming kids so I quickly became anti-apologetic.

ptfo for about 3 hours and woke up in new york!

let it begin!

First Night in New York

2011-10-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

official new yorkers. do we look different?!

I'm in New York, trick | Setting Up Camp

2011-10-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

My new home! Totally lucked out and found a super cute (super tiny) place in the West Village.

Awesome thing about the apt #1: 8 blocks from work. It takes me 10 minutes to walk there. awesome.

Awesome thing about the apt #2: around the corner from the apt the used in friends! some may not think this warrants to be the second best thing about the apartment. those people obviously do not know me and my priorities. this is definitely awesome.

Awesome thing about the apt #3: Near a bunch of tasty restaurants and fun bars, like the Spotted Pig (Shayan's fav), Mamouns (my fav), Fat Cat (basement bar that has cheap beer, live music, and GAMES! Scrabble, ping pong, chess, shuffle board, you name it. Plus it's called Fat Cat). Awesome.

Awesome thing about the apt #4: I actually got the apartment. I came out last week to apartment hunt and woo wee, there were slim pickings. One of the apartments had the shower in the kitchen. And it had a glass door! At least opaque that ish if your'e going to put it by the refrigerator. Another had the wonkiest flooring, it was like a carnival fun house. And pretty sure one of them was a crack house. There was a good one I applied for and didn't get and with one day to spare I started to sweat. That, and it was like 90 degrees out. So the fact I got a cute apartment is awesome.

NOT at all awesome thing about the apt: it was filthy and totally not ready for me when I showed up. the door wouldn't lock, there was wet paint which inevitably ended up on my jeans, broken glass on the floor, stupid stuff like they left the wrapping on the brand new fridge, but then wedged it up agains the wall so you couldnt take the wrapping off (like. why.), and gum stuck to the floor - it was a hot mess.

Called the super and this magical Puerto Rican guy came over and fixed all my problems. He was amazing, super friendly, and like a ninja warrior with his fix it skillz, but I couldn't understand 90% of what he was saying. Something about waking up at 5am and being 45.

And although Bear did great on the flight, she did not enjoy the cab ride into the city. at. all. Yall know nyc cab drivers drive as though they think they're in Fast Five (awesome movie, top 10 movies of 2011 for sure) so she got all shaken up and then proceeded to hide behind the toilet for 6 hours. She did this when we first adopted her too, behind the toilet is her jam.

After her half a day in hiding, she eventually came out and went back to her typical cat doings, sitting and looking fat.

sup.

Spent 2 (pathetic) days in the apartment with only 1 piece of furniture (Jami's twin sized air mattress - thanks gf!) and then recruited Ana for a trip to Ikea. It started out awesome with $5.99 ribs and Swedish meatballs (NOMS!) but ended up baaaaaad. We ended up being there for 7 hours and by the time we got to the self service bins, we realized there were only 2 of us and 3 carts we had to push. And I don't know if you've noticed, but I am NOT a yoked person. I somehow pulled out some super woman shit and was able to drag boxes 4x my weight and balance a mattress on a rickety Ikea cart. It was not a pretty sight. Awkward city.

Anyway, as much as it sucked I ended up with a real bed and apartment full of furniture so it actually feels like home now! It's not done yet, so consider this photo tour a work in progress...

Narrow kitchen. Not meant for fat people.

Fireplace! It probably works but I'm not going to risk setting the place on fire - Luckett and I have bad experiences with fireplaces. Almost smoked out Shutters.

candle cluster. attempt at ambiance.

bed. with drawers. even though I threw out 80% of the stuff I had in LA, i still have kind of a lot of stuff. paintings, including Kevin Best's Poopsie In Outer Space piece to be hung soon. I need nails.

There's a loft that I guess I could technically sleep in, but it's such a hassle so for now it's storage space. Hallway leads to the bathroom, closet, and front door.

Not pictured:

Cardboard box I'm currently using as a table until Ikea's Utby is back in stock
Corner bumpers I'll have to put on the edge of the counter above my bed as to avoid inevitable concussion
Monster pile of paper boxes I have yet to figure out what to do with them. NY has all these confusing trash rules that I haven't figured out yet. Yeah, I know, I can't figure out the trash. Dumb.
Closet - it's darker than a cave. Gotta figure out some sort of lighting solution. Tap lights?
Bathroom. I mean. It's a pretty run of the mill bathroom and it's also a hot mess. I gotta make a trip to the container store. I'm currently using shoeboxes. Not cute/no need to put that on the internet

Architectural Digest spread coming soon.

Miche's 2011 PCD

2011-09-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

i smell some pcd in the air. you down with pcd, yea you know me. personal cd season!

here's mine: a playlist of all the songs (old, new, weird, french and all) that i've been obsessed with the past 12 months. definitely 50+ plays on the itunes counter. seen 4 of the bands in concert too. it's been a good music year!

http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Mich+2011+Pcd/57959224

1. Houdini - Foster the People
2. Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys
3. 40 Day Dream - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
4. Cosmic Love - Florence and the Machine
5. The Suburbs - Mr. Little Jeans
6. Jackson Pit - Xaphoon Jones
7. Touches you - MIKA
8. Bourgeois Shangri-La - Miss Li & Amanda Jenssen
9. Sprawl of Glass - Arcade Fire v. Blondie (Hood Internet)
10. The Golden Age - Asteroids Galaxy Tour
11. Wake Up - Arcade Fire
12. Janglin - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
13. Breakfast - Chiddy Bang
14. Go Outside - The Cults
15. Come Closer Together - The Beatles v. Nine Inch Nails (Hood Internet)
16. Sleepykids - Passion Pit v. MGMT (Hood Internet)
17. The Way You Look Tonight - Maroon 5
18. Aux Champs Elysees - Joe Dassin

happy wednesday | superwoman

2011-05-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

love this. thanks to nicky for sharing.

http://megarinri.tumblr.com/post/4196850142/wonder-woman-inspi-fashion-sketch-sweet-and

1. would totally wear this. 2. could probably make (a bootleg) version of this. craft project to come!??!

happy tuesday | GLEE!

2011-05-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

jonathan groff on glee tonight. can. not. wait. LOVE HIM!

happy tuesday | bootiela

2011-05-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

bootiela with the lovely lady lumps

katie is the prettiest! (or as liz would call her: the grenade)

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 30: Your Favorite Song This TIme Last Year

2011-05-08T10:03:00.000-07:00

total eclipse of the heart (and other glee covers) - glee

and then i was on a mission to figure out how to do that flippy-over-the-shoulder-thing that rachel and jesse do... with lee.

and then i went to glee live in concert... with lee.

and then i met puck at the maxim hot 100 party... with lee.

and then i hung out with cory monteith and a vocal adrenaline dancer... with annie! AT annie's apt, to be more specific. unreal. bananas

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 29: A Song From Your Childhood

2011-05-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

my dad used to sing this song to me before i went to bed:

beatles - michelle

and also:

reading rainbow theme song :)

but also:
the macarena :(

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 27: A Song That You Wish You Could Play

2011-05-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

anything ben folds. and believe me i've tried:

ben folds - philosophy

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 26: A Song You Can Play On An Instrument

2011-05-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

like a good tiger cub, i started playing piano when i was 3 and violin when i was in third grade. thus, i ended up being pretty musical..

piano:

your song a la moulin rouge

particularly proud of this one because figured this one out without sheet music. baller shot caller:

ben kweller - in other words

la valse d'amelie- amelie

(well. work in progress anywho)

guitar:

eric clapton - tears in heaven

violin:

well. i'd need orchestra back up but-
beethoven - symphony 7, allegretto 2nd movement

...now only if i could sing.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 25: A Song That Makes You Laugh

2011-05-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

"Asian Baby" - a Justin Bibeer cover by a bad lip reader.

burma... is heaven... for bieber!

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 24: A Song You Want to Play At Your Funeral

2011-05-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

black bird

oh my love

...apparently it will be a bealtes bonanza at my funeral

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 23 - A Song You Want To Play At Your Wedding

2011-05-01T00:38:00.000-07:00

slow:
i can't believe you're in love with me - billie holliday

fast:
aint no mountain high enough - marvin gaye & tammi terrell

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 22: A Song You Listen To When You're Sad

2011-04-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

i had to section this off into categories:

breakup sad
allure ft 112 - all cried out. gets you so good, especially when you break up on a sunday morning, and it's raining.

overwhelmed sad
give me novacaine - green day (via american idiot broadway cast)

a mellow sad

you want to get sadder sad
those you've known - spring awkening

a pretty kind of sad
sarah mclachlan - blackbird

an upbeat sad

it's alright to be sad
regina spektor - hero

an angry sad

and then of course you can just listen to adele's 21.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 21: A Song You Listen To You're Happy

2011-04-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

hall and oates - you make my dreams come true

i mean. so totally appropriate.

FUN FRIDAY! | marcel the shell with shoes on

2011-04-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

forever in debt to chels for bringing this awesomeness into my life

guess what i wear as a hat. (what.) a lentil!

guess what my skiis are. (what.) toenails from a man.

hellloOOOoo, this is me.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 20: A Song You Listen To When You're Mad

2011-04-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

NIN - only

happy wednesday | honey badger is badass

2011-04-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

everyone should be required to watch honey badger video once a month to keep morale up. still one of the funniest things on the internet.

WATCH OUT says that bird. you think the honey badger cares? he dont give a shit.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 19: Song From Your Favorite Album

2011-04-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

I feel compelled to list out my Top 5 Favorite Albums (in no real particular order):
5. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
4. Phantom Planet - The Guest
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows
2. Guster - Lost and Gone Forever

one of those bands you become obsessed with before they get big, and then 4 years later they're playing the staples center and the lead singer is on some dumpy show called The Voice (i lie, it looks interesting and i want to see it) so you really want to be too cool to like them but can't help it:

1. Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane. And It Won't Be Soon Before Long. And The Fourth World (when they were Kara's Flowers)

and let's just be clear, this doesn't include musicals. because then RENT and Spring Awakening would have to bump someone off of there.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 18: A Song You Wish You Heard On The Radio

2011-04-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

mulan - i'll make a man out of you

soooo know ALL the words to this song. it's amazing.

also someone needs to be playing girltalk on the radio. and while you're at it a broadway showtunes station. i mean really.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 17: A Song You Hear Often On The Radio

2011-04-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

MGMT - kids

it's been on the radio for like 5 years. and i still love it!

30 Day Song Challenge| Day 16: A Song That You Used To Love But Now Hate

2011-04-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

one republic - apologize

i really did like this song at some point. is this a good song? i cant remember but either way here i am hating it. the lead singer looks like spencer from the hills and this bid is overplayed it on the radio like woah.

also every time i think if this song i think of ebee going "it's tooo late to nanannaaah something something schmuh schmuh"

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 15: A Song That Describes You

2011-04-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Way to get super deep, 30 Day Song Challenge.

jimmy eat world - a praise chorus

arcade fire - wake up

TGIF | TGIF

2011-04-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

speaking of, boy meets world is coming out on dvd!

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 14: A Song That No One Would Expect You To Love

2011-04-22T01:15:00.000-07:00

beethoven symphony 7, second movement (allegretto)

i loveeeee this song. top 3 all time favorites (after everlong and tiny dancer). i guess the only reason it's unexpected is because no one really listens to classical music anymore. my orchestra teacher in 10th grade had us play it (we didnt sound very good). violins had like a 42 bar rest after the first note.

love how they used it in kings speech too.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 13: A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure

2011-04-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

most anything ke$ha, but in particular: d.i.n.o.s.a.u.r

eee. it's so bad. BUT SO GOOD!

and yeah.... you can definitely also you can lump day 08 and day 09 in this category too. man my music tastes are all over the place

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 12: A Song From A Band You Hate

2011-04-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

ugh. i do not like her. go squint at someone else. and while you're squinting, learn how to sing. kthanks.

seriously this is worse than me singing karaoke.

top of the tuesday mornin | what did you expect

2011-04-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

i feel like this guy and i would be great friends.

middle cat is my fav

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 11: A Song From Your Favorite Band

2011-04-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

i have to change this day's challenge subject to "A Song From One Of Your Favorite Bands". and one of my favorite bands is:

the beatles - a day in the life

the tuesday twist | awesome kid apple store dance party

2011-04-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

i know what this kids' day 09 of the 30 day challenge would be...

See more funny videos and TBT at Todays Big Thing.

also, apple store guy. kind of cute. ammiright?!

tuesday-o | bossypants

2011-04-19T00:36:00.000-07:00

from tina fey's new book Bossypants:

Prayer for a Daughter

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

LOVE HER!

monday monday | difara

2011-04-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

apparently i'm starting a new york bucket list.

first up:

difara

The Best Thing I Ever Done HQ from MargaretEmily MacKenzie on Vimeo.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 10: A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

2011-04-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

jose gonzalez - heartbeats

also one of my favorite music videos. top 3 easy

good day | the 100 work out

2011-04-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

challenge accepted.

merry sunday | word search

2011-04-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

i got: men, art, flesh. what the eff, how does that describe me at all.

happy it's-still-not-monday | a story about a girl

2011-04-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

i know. another TED talk. love this one though.

a photographer tells the story of amerasians, the hapa kids spawned while american soilders were stationed in asian countries. there were 40,000 of them during the 70s, and they were all super shunned since it was very visibly obvious who their fathers were and the situations surrounding their conecption. so crazy that there were so many of these kids, just left behind. most of the amerasian kids ended up with corrupted lifestyles since they were so outcasted. rick tells the story of one particular girl... who looks SO western, but later ends up looking a lot like jen from nomnom! anyway. super interesting.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 09: A Song You Can Dance To

2011-04-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

i was trying to think if i had a less embarassing song, but couldn't not land on:
britney - toxic

happy film watching | what's up doc

2011-04-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

A list of some of my favorite documentaries, most which i've stumbled upon thanks to netflix (ohhh netflix. how much time i've spent watching mostly bad movies on you...). i've discovered i really like documentaries. i know some people don't ahemkatieahem, but i like how they let you explore other parts of life, and real life not just movie life. but then again, i also really enjoyed watching "crash of flight 447" on pbs which was complete with computer renderings and reenactments so...

No Impact Man
a writer decides to take his family on a one year challenge to have as little of possible of a carbon footprint. while living in manhattan. with a 3 year old daughter. and no fridge.

The September Issue
how can you not be fascinated with anna wintour

Bill Cunningham New York
and anna wintour is fascinated with bill cunningham

bill cunningham is this feisty street fashion photographer who works for the new york times. he's such a loveable quirky guy, with such a huge presence in the fashion industry and who leads such a weird life (he sleeps on his filing cabinets?!). what an interesting guy. he should give a TED talk.

Picture Me
and bill cunningham is fascinated with models.

a doc following a model as she begins to make it in the industry. so crazy how much money she can make, but how miserable her life can still be. but also good to see how normal some models, like the girl in this doc, are. and of course my friend misa is normal and she's a model :)

Freakonomics
morgan spurlock had a hand in this one too so of course i love it. based on a book about cheating teachers, bizarre baby names, self-dealing Realtors, and crack-selling mama's boys. so obvi awesome

This American Life
oh ira glass <3. also love love love morgan spurlock's tv doc series 30 Days.

one of my favorite moments is in season 2, the episode about 8 different people named john smith. 11 year old john smith decides to be the empire state building for halloween, falls over, and gets stuck. i know, i'm very sophisticated. but it was hilarious

American Teen
this whole thing is just like a crazy sociology case study. and it just makes me happy i'm not in high school anymore.

The Tillman Story
oh so heavy. so heavy. and not as preachy or dramatized as the trailer seems to make it seem.

and then there's these which you prob have already seen...

The Cove - makes you hurt for dolphins. and then never want to eat fish again
FOOD Inc - and then once you're done watching the cove and not eating fish, you can watch food inc and not want to eat any other food because you realize everything you're eating is corn.
Wordplay - this one is about crossword puzzles. you prob havent seen this one cuz it's geeky and i'm pretty sure i'm the only one who'd like it... but it's entertaining! and jon stewart is in it.
Restrepo - oof. just so real.

Looking forward to Morgan Spurlock's new doc The Greatest Movie Ever Sold...

(this is his TED talk, but it's a better trailer than the actual one. or at least i think so)

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 08: A Song You Know All The Words To

2011-04-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

i know the lyrics to a lot of songs, but the most bizarre one i know is:

bsb - the call

seriously. was this even a popular backstreet boys song? why do i know the words? it's been 11 years and literally know every word. even that beginning "skit" part where aj is talking to the girl. that is too much brain space.

it's a proud day for me to share this information with you.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 07: A Song That Reminds You Of A Certain Event

2011-04-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

the song that was playing (via my cd player connected to my car stereo system via tape deck) when i was hit in a head-on collision when i was 16:

weezer- keep fishin'

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 06: A Song That Reminds You Of Somewhere

2011-04-14T07:09:00.000-07:00

matt's cabin in tahoe, where we all literally tried beer and coca cola per:
ben lee - catch my disease

... is steve aioki in this video?

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 05: A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

2011-04-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

there was a 3 week period during college where katie jenna liz and i decided it would be a great idea to learn the routine to this song. katie was the tall one. liz was the little one. we studied it instead of studying for finals. and got the whole thing down! we are soooo cooooool.

anyway, always think of the lovely lady lumps when i hear:

ok go - a million ways

ok also i have randomly been documenting songs that remind me of people. it is as follows:

LIZ: mariah carey - all i want for christmas | elton john - your song
KATIE: madonna - hung up | muse - starlight
VICKI: alicia keys - fallin' | 112 - peaches n cream
MARIANA: girltalk - bounce that | muse - knights of cedonia (... YOU KNOW WHY!)
NICKO: bubba sparx - back in the mud
BSEGS: mia - paper planes (comes with a visual of the dance you made up)
EBEE: charima of the board - give me just a little more time
ADAM: ashlee simpson - lala (this might be the best connotation)
ADRI: dispatch - the general
MYRA: anything john mayer
TRICIA: yea yea yeahs - maps
DECKER: sisquo - thong song (dumps like a truck)
LUCKETT: jason mraz - i'm yours | la roux - bullet proof
LEE: anything american idiot. or spring awakening.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 04: A Song That Makes You Sad

2011-04-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

sia - breathe me.

the last 8 minutes of the six feet under finale got me so hard.

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 03: A Song That Makes You Happy

2011-04-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

mariah carey - all i want for christmas

i mean. come on. happiest song ever!

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 02: Your Least Favorite Song

2011-04-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

ugh, plain white tees go whine to someone else

30 Day Song Challenge | Day 01: Your Favorite Song

2011-04-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

two way tie (day one and i'm already cheating, great): elton's tiny dancer v foo fighters everlong, the kroq acoustic verison

i cant pick.

happy friday | MORE TED!

2011-04-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

new ted talks posted!!!! here are two of my new favs. i'm so obsessed.

Morgan Spurlock: the greatest ted talk ever sold
reasons this talk is awesome:

Morgan Spurlock is awesome. Supersize me was obvi bangin and loved his tv series 30 days.
the talk ends up being a satellite conversation to the main discussion he has in his upcoming doc, the greatest movie ever sold, both which uncover the hidden and influential world of brand marketing (what i do 9 to 5, so of particular interest to me). love to look at the thing i do 80% of my waking life in a different light. it's probably going to make me depressed about what i do.

Eric Whitacre: a virtual choir
looooove this ted talk. eric talks about his experience being part of a choir of the first time and literally how it takes your breath away, how it makes you feel a part of something bigger - something that you wouldnt ever be able to create on your own, how hearing classical music/opera live is just unreal, etc. totally feel him on this one, this is why i liked being in an orchestra. not because i played the violin well or really liked it all that much, but because it allowed me to be part of a bigger sound, dissonance and harmony, yada yada.

anyway, eric ended up with this awesome idea to conduct a chior based off of youtube videos. he sent out a video of him conducting, and 100 people sent back videos of themselves singing their part.

This is the first video he did, watch out it's flippin amazing:

and here's the ted talk eric did this year where he ends up doing a second virtual chorus of 2000+ people from all over the world:

it's decided. going to ted is officially on my bucket list.

30 Day Song Challenge

2011-04-08T14:23:00.001-07:00

pretty straight forward, here are the rules:

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

Who's in?

LA Bucket List | Updated

2011-04-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

got some things off the list! but also added to the list.

added umami burger and apple pan to the list - a tour d'burgers, if you will. both were delicious - particularly a fan of umami's truffle burgers, because after the truffle fries from wurstkuche, i'm all about truffles. speaking of, j lee introduced me to truffle cheese from trader joes. HELLO so good. we eat it for breakfast, like fatties. i dont even care how obese that sounds, it is delicious. truffle cheese every day all day.

LA Bucket List | Linda Vista Hauntedlikewoah Hospital

2011-03-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

jenna katie and i have been scheming on linda vista hospital for a while. i had stumbled upon a list of abandoned buildings from across the world and noticed that linda vista was conveniently just down the 10 from me. i also found this thing which really got me going - how cool does that file room look!!

our original plan was to sneak in and do an awesome photoshoot, but after some reconnaissance, we realized that the building is super secure, privately owned, guarded by dogs, and haunted. all reasons for making breaking in a bad idea.

turns out that they rent the hospital out as a movie set, so we lazily attempted to work the katie-film school angle. BUT THEN it turns out that there's some nerdy paranormal group that does tours - and voil'a. access.

it wasn't QUITE like we planned it... there were like 300 people there, and it was a guided tour so not much opportunity for photoshoot but it was still super fun! went with jenna, lee and lee's friend matt.

they kill all the lights, and let you wander around with flash lights. they also tell you about the paranormal studies they've done in the building. we pretty much went all over - the psych ward, the morgue, this room that the night stalker used to hide out in, the chapel - but i didnt get to see the file room so I was kind of bummed.

But we did end up taking some awesome photos and got roscoes after, so all in all a win!

LA Bucket List | Wurstkuche

2011-03-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Second one off the list!

Jenna and I went to Wurstkuche before Jerry Beer's comedy show downtown. It was delicious. Definitely worthy of being on the LA Bucket List (I'm not so sure about some other ones I put on there... what is St Vincent's Court. Not sure where I found that one...)

I ended up getting the duck and bacon with jalapeno peppers sausage, with a side of fries with truffle oil. We got a curry ketchup and aoili to go with the fries.
Seriously, I dont know HOW i was living life without truffles in it before, but not to worry, the obsession with truffles has commenced. 2011 will become the year of truffle everything. Also, the curry ketchup was suprisingly delish and not at all weird. well a little weird. but a tasty weird.

It was pretty crowded - the dining area is set up mess hall style, with three huge long wooden tables and benches and a couple of smaller tables off to the side. We ended up sitting next to these friendly german men who assured us that wurstkuche was pretty authentic to his home town. super legit.

LA Bucket List | Eaton Canyon Falls

2011-03-10T14:57:00.000-08:00

FIRST!

first one off the list. w00t. smeggs and i went a trekking out in pasadena. per typical LA crazy weather patterns, it was a spicy 89 degrees the day we went. in January. spicy weather. in January. not ok.

but super ok for hiking! even though brian wore a long sleeve shirt. i'm sure this added to what would be the sleepiest saturday known to our 20-something existence. but more on that later.

eaton canyon was a fun hike. there was definitely a lot of fording rivers. a lot of maneuvering on logs and rocks. like human frogger. it wasn't as green as escondido falls, but i actually found it more interesting - a lot of escondido is walking through residential areas and/or dirt roads. this one got straight to the point.

me, trying not to fall in. it was spicy hot but the water was spicy cold

And then the waterfall at the end!

It was poppin. The cool thing about this hike is that there's a sequel - when you get to the waterfall, you can go all rogue and do this rock scaling hike that leads you to the SECOND waterfall (the one in that spills into a pool in which the above waterfall draws from). but we'll save that for another day. and another list.

after the hike, smeggs and i went over to din tai fung, my favorite dumpling house. they have xiao long baos, juicy pork dumplings which are beyond. and to give you reference on how awesome these things are from particularly this place - DTF is an asian chain - there's only one in north america, and its in arcadia. so super legit. [edit: I think they're opening one up in seattle, so that statement may not be as true as it was a couple months ago...]. It was brian's first time there, so we may have over done it a little on the ordering. which lead to the biggest nap of all time.

we both independently went home, and fell into a coma. Brian immediately passed out at home, only to wake up at 1am and make it out for last call at a bar. I had come back from dinner, decided to take a quick hour power nap and then go out for a friend's birthday. I woke up at 10am instead.

i blame the sun. brian blames the "sleepy soup" in the xiao long baos.