la cucina.

This was my kitchen before I laid hands on it. (Hint: The word you're looking for is "unappealing.") Kinda makes you want to squirt lemon juice into your eyes, huh?



















And here it is after:
























Although, it's a little different now because there's a backsplash and other accoutrements behind the sink area, not to mention the wall by the dishwasher and fridge is fixed after the installers took their sweet time destroying it. And the cabinets are espresso, however black they may look in the photos. These pictures are old and I don't feel like taking new ones. I rather like my little modern kitchen. It's fun to cook in, especially with the gas stove. Sigh. C'est parfait, n'est pas? Le mot est oui.

Is it even so? then I defy you, stars!

I've been reading a lot of Shakespeare lately, mostly because I feel like even my college classes only skimmed the surface. And mostly because I don't have cable yet. Cough.

Many of his plays deal with fate and the role it plays in the lives of the characters. Which has led me to conclude that fate is a funny notion. (e.g. Romeo and Juliet--they were fated to be lovers and they relish that, but at the same time, Romeo doesn't want to accept the fact that Juliet was fated to die.) I find that if something good happens, it's easy to accept that it was "meant to be." But the same doesn't hold true for the opposite. When things don't go my way, it's harder to believe that it's supposed to happen that way. I believe that each person has things they were meant to do because of the talents and personality traits they were given. At the same time, though, I think it's dangerous to let a notion such as a single "destiny" drive your life and make you blind to what's real.

The analytical (read: dominant) side of me would enjoy sitting and dissecting everyday occurrences to decipher meaning and hidden bits of truth. And I could probably make meaning out of my life that way. Yet I've found that being lost in your own mind and inner "life" causes you to miss out on reality and life going on around you. And doing the above would make me a really boring and selfish person because I'd only be trying to discover what everything means for me. Real life doesn't happen that way and I'm now content to believe "Que sera, sera" and trust that it's for the better, no matter what.

i read too much poetry.

It is love that I am seeking for,
But of a beautiful, unheard-of kind
That is not in the world.


WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, The Shadowy Waters

so, so tired.

that's all.

One random thing about me you may not know.

I love westerns. I really, truly do. Tonight I watched For A Few Dollars More. It didn't have the same impact on me as A Fistful of Dollars did, but it was still great--same director, same Ennio Morricone shenans, so it had that going for it. It's still one of the better spaghetti westerns. Um. Huh. K I'm bored now bye. Hope your 4th was wonderful!

(no subject)

Venus

Throat aching from the sight of you.

A city in the distance
domed, fluted, incoherent blur
of muted light from detached stars
whose glow approaches the edge of darkness
As if to dip their feet in the cold
silence before withdrawing,
shuddering into flinty discontent.

If only
I could map out the lines of your jaw with my finger
I would finger the short hair behind your ear
I should know how to say

the light is you.

room by room--living room.

Here are the befores of my living room:







And here are the afters:


















And that's all I'm doing for now because I'm tired.

J'aime ma maison. (Beaucoup.)

This weekend I *finally* moved into my house. I own a house. It's crazed. Ok, it's a condo. But still. Ownership. Mortgage payment less than rent. Yes.

The move went really well, mostly because I'd been moving little things here and there once the carpet was installed in the master bedroom and office, and also mostly because I have an awesome moving squadron called my family (and two of Derek's friends). Really the only problem that presented itself (for me anyway, who had to move them by myself) was my gajillion books. If I ever talk to you about wanting to buy a book again, just say "15 boxes of just books" and that'll cure me right quick.

But it's been a dream. The two months I spent renovating were really worth it. Especially when you look at the before pictures. The only thing we didn't touch in the condo was the flooring in the living room/dining room, which is a new laminate. Everything else changed in some or many ways. Everything. It was that kind of project. So I'm realizing now that this post is going to be a small intro post to when I post the pictures. I don't have the befores yet, so I don't want to post the afters until then. Here's a teaser picture of after the renovation:



K, talk soon, bye!

Fresh pasta, yum yum!

I took a cooking class at Harmon's a few weeks ago with some good family friends. Um, hello, why have I not discovered this sooner?? I made pasta with my own little hands (from scratch, with a hand-crank pasta roller.) With sauces. It was probably the best chicken fettuccine I've ever had--made--in my life. We also made cajun chicken spaghetti and tri-colored crab ravioli. I have a gift card to Sur la table, so I'm thinking of buying a pasta machine, stat. Pronto. Tonight.

This might be just too much darn awesomeness for one blog but I'm gonna go for it anyway.

So my coworker Kim and I were driving back to the office after a delicious Moochie's lunch when she reminded me that I still hadn't revealed my announcement to the world which was so titillatingly (hehe) alluded to in my last blog. Well, I've been kind of wrapped up in finalizing said shenanigans and haven't had a chance to blog so much as a word, semicolon, or exclamation point.

I have a couple things to write about in addition to the announcement and it helps me to go chronologically so if you're wanting to skip the rest of this chaff and read it already, I think it's going to be number four on the list of things I discuss.

#1. Brian Regan. In the beginning of March I went and saw him at Abravanel (sp?) Hall and he was HILARIOUS. I was kind of sad that Derek couldn't go because he loves him some Brian Regan more than anyone I know. He had prom that same day and had to do the whole "take your girlfriend or she'll be very put out" thing. Oh well. Those of us who did go went to dinner before at Texas Roadhouse, somewhere I hadn't been in a while. Anyway, the show was great and we had pretty good seats. Luckily they had a screen set up so those of us not sitting in the front could see his facial expressions and gestures in minute detail. They're half the jokes, you know. I'd love to make money for having a funny face like his.

Being at Abravanel Hall made me wish I went to the symphony more. I remember going a lot when I was younger, but not so much anymore. So I should get on that, I think.

#2. Cara's wedding dress. She got one, and it's gorgeous! Yay! We only had to go to two stores! YAYYYY.

#3. Remember Me. Or as Cara and I refer to it, Rob Pattinson's redemption for having done Twilight. My hairdresser actually recommended this movie to me, which I was wary of just based on the previews. But. Gosh darn movie about shocked me out of my skin. If you do see this movie, don't do any research beforehand because the punch (literally, in the gut) comes at the very end and it's better to not have any idea, as was my case. It's probably the best movie I've seen in a long time.

#4. And the big one: I bought a condo. So, yeah...I'm a homeowner. Yikes. It's in Murray and I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm in love with the place. It has a balcony overlooking a creek, it's next to the park that has a huge farmers market in the summer, and it will cut my commute in half. And it's charming and has huge closets and once I'm done remodeling it'll be about the most darling thing you ever saw. Seriously. The mortgage is cheaper than any rent and once again, I love it. Housewarming party planning in the works.

#5. Muse. Freaking amazing show. The words "effing jamfest" come to mind. They played at the E Center Monday and I can unequivocally say that it's the best show I've ever been to. And I say that thinking full well of both MCR shows I've been to. I can't even explain...the stage setup, the lights, the music, just everything. It was a freaking party. They played for an hour and a half, then gave two encores. It doesn't get much better than that. I think my favorite part of any show is when it's been a mindblowing, exhausting, and exhilarating experience the whole time, and then the band comes out and gives a little more, and even though your feet are starting to ache and your throat is sore and you'd really rather sit with a drink, you refuse to do so because the band asks you for just a little more too, so you do, and then everyone's just in it together of being part of something that exists only for that moment. That's why I go to rock shows. You just don't experience that anywhere else. I just decided to draw you a picture in Paint of the stage layout because it was just too awesome. I'll post that later, along with some pictures if I can eke out the desire to download them soon.

Well, that's it for now. Work is going great; I'm really blessed in that arena, I think. More than I expected, anyway.

Hope you're all doing well!

Oh and PS, don't cut jalapenos for guacamole and then take out your contacts. I found this out the hard/painful way this morning when I went to put my contacts in and my eyes felt like grapes peeled with razorblades for the rest of the day. Just FYI. Thanks.