Thank you, Zooey, etc., Will, Christina, and Maya.

I can't say my weekly routine would be the same without these actors gracing my television screen. As pathetic as it may be, two things on the top of my "what to look forward to" list of the week, include the new television shows, 'New Girl,' and 'Up All Night.' Although it helps to watch all the episodes in order, it's not completely necessary (but you will grow to love the characters more if you watch religiously...duh).

Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, and Lamorne Morris are basically my best friends on Wednesday nights. Zooey plays Jess, new roommate to three cute and funny men. Nick is the laid-back bartender, Schmidt is the anal perfectionist, and Winston is the cool ex-NBA playa. The dynamic between them is quite hilarious. I know some people may find Zooey to be a little too quirky at times, which is why I can't 100 percent guarantee you're going to love this show. But personally, I think the occasional, over-the-top quirk factor, is easily overlooked thanks to the remaining brilliance of the show. And I absolutely love Zooey (idol of the year, so far). Watch this short clip. If you're intrigued, I encourage you to block out 30 minutes of your next Wednesday.

Will Arnett, Christiana Applegate and Maya Rudolph are my Thursday night besties in 'Up All Night.' It's on at 8:30 though, so many times my electronics are powered down by then and it's something to save for the weekend. Basically, Will and Christina are new parents, Chris and Reagan, and Maya plays Ava, one of their self-absorbed best friends. Essentially, a comedic dream team if you will. Chris and Reagan go through all the stereotypical "firsts" of parenthood, while Ava does her best to support them. It really didn't take me long to get hooked, as these three actors were already a few of my faves. I can bet you'll want to marry Will after a couple episodes and become BFFs with Reagan and Ava. Love.



Can't help but show you another clip of just Chris and Reagan. Very, very funny. 


I dare you to tell me you didn't giggle.

I'll be needing a bunny.

The thought of having a bunny came up recently through a mixture of pinning and Facebooking. They are just so cute! Look!

I actually used to have a little white bunny named Snowball (clever, I know). But the poor thing only lived for four days after I got it. So I'm hoping if I get a lil' bun one of these days, that it doesn't face a similar fate. 

My friend told me that they make them bigger now and that they can like, hang out and watch movies with you and go on walks. So close to a cat/dog! What? I don't know how accurate this is but let's be honest, it sounds pretty awesome. I'm at a time in my life when I can't reallly have a dog...but I'm kind of thinking a bunny would be the next best thing.

I can't help but make kissy noises when I look at him. Operation Get a Bunny is in now in full force.

Yes to Natural!

I just know you've been on the edge of your seats waiting to hear what natural/organic products I decided to try first and their reviews. Well wait no longer, my friends. I have news about two new products that I've been trying for a couple weeks.

For the past couple months, adult acne has been my Everest. And I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy. Anyway, whenever I can find a product that doesn't result in my face resembling a pepperoni pizza, I've considered my purchase a success. And luckily, both of these products fall under that category.

On the left we have 'Yes to Tomatoes: Repairing Acne Lotion.' I got this at Target and they have a bunch of 'Yes to...' products (I'm really excited to try their body lotion - it smells amazing). It's paraben-free and claimed to be 98% natural, which is pretty good for the price. This lotion has a consistency that I wouldn't really put in the lotion category; it's more of a serum. I use it at night after I cleanse and tone and I really like it. It contains salicylic acid, which is supposed to help with acne. Woo. Definitely recommend trying it if you're looking for a nighttime moisturizer.

On the right is 'Korres Yogurt Cream.' I love this. I got this one at Sephora and although it's a tad pricey, I'm very satisfied and definitely will replenish it when I run out. No parabens, no sulfates, no synthetic dyes, no GMOs...wonderful. It contains Greek yogurt (and lots of other natural yum yums), which is said to provide instant hydration. I wear this in the morning after I cleanse and tone and it's been a great base for my makeup. It's super smooth, rich, and smells great. I was skeptical about it for that reason and thought it would might make me break out or cause my skin to be oily. Thus far, that has not been an issue. Knock on wood.

Stay tuned for more reviews as my chemical-filled drawers diminish!

Best of the 90s.

For some reason, I've lately been thinking about that wonderful decade of the 90s. The primetime of my youth years, I'd venture to say. I was not yet an awkward middle schooler with bad hair and a skewed sense of "fashion," nor was I mixed up in the intricacies of teenage politics and gossip; but instead, a carefree pre-double digit youngster, loving all the offerings of the 90s. And...I miss that.

There are many things that seemed to be solely "90s," that I look back on with such nostalgia. Let's take a gander down memory lane.

• Beanie babies. My obsession with beanie babies was as big as, if not bigger than, my modern day obsession with the color pink. I remember my Mom taking me around to different stores that sold Beanies (JT Puffins, anyone?) to see if they had any new ones I had yet to collect. I dare say she enjoyed it almost as much as I did, wink. I also collected every.single. 'Teeny Beany" from the Golden Arches. More accurately, two of each. One to open and play with, and one to keep safe in the plastic wrap. Psychotic? Perhaps. When I think about it now, these miniature stuffed animals were pretty dumb...I kept them (tags on, of course) under my bed in huge drawers and they were barely cuddleable, as they were the size of my adult hand. An incredibly fond memory, nonetheless. 

• Tamagotchis. Looking back now the idea seems so ridiculous. But this handheld technology was absolutely genius. Feed it, play games with it, clean up it's dumps. How did this not get old? My parents actually gave these to my soccer team in place of a trophy, which was amazing. 
• Saved by the Bell. I longed to be Kelly Kapowski, punch Jessie Spano, be best friends with Lisa Turtle, date Zach Morris & AC Slater, and do some nerdy things with Screech Powers. Remember when Jessie went bat shit cray and took all those caffeine pills and Zach stopped her?! You will now. 

 

• Chat rooms (A/S/L?), IMing, away messages, SHOUT OUTS.
• The Spice Girls. Tell me whatcha want, whatcha really really want. Baby and Ginger were my idols. I dreamed of one day being just like them. I had SG Barbies, SG pencils, SG lollipops, Spice World: The Movie, and they were my first concert. Needless to say, I thought I was the shit when my Mom took to Ragstock to outfit myself for what I will remember as one of the best nights of my life. Don't you just wish platforms and around-the-arm barbed wire tattoos would come back into style? 

• Honorable mention: 
• Are You Afraid of the Dark? 
• Da Bulls (two 3-peat NBA Championships! Cray.)
• Surge
• Fresh Prince/Family Matters
• Starter jackets
• Goosebumps 
• Babysitter's Club

I did my best to recall some great 90s moments and memories. I think it's safe to say it will always be a fun decade to look back on. 

Celebrating my roots with balls.

I hope everyone had a very happy, green, lucky, and crazy cool fun Saint Patrick's Day. In preparation for the holiday and to celebrate my heritage (a.k.a. something do on a Friday night), I decided to make some no-bake cake balls - mmmm! Here comes my first recipe/food post, yay! They were supposed to be minty green in honor of the day, but Rainbow Foods was once again a disappointment to me. Thus, I had to improvise. I should mention right off the bat that I'm pretty crappy in the kitchen. Someone always seems to be able to make a better piece of toast, cut a better slice of cheese (hehe), boil a better pan of water, etc. Needless to say, there came a few times in this process when I ran into a dilemma or two. But did I forge on? YES.

Essentially, this recipe only calls for three ingredients: oreos, Philly cream cheese (I'm with Paula Deen - nonfat cream cheese just ain't right), and white chocolate. And of course, I had to make them green in someway, so I sprinkled them with green...sprinkles.

Next step, put the oreos in a big plastic ziploc and beat the shit out of them. Mash, crunch, mash, into small little crumbs. Then add to a bowl with the cream cheese. Now...wash your hands, take off your rings, and go nuts. Rawr.

Mash everything up together with your hands until it's the consistency of well, something that looks like poop.

Now it's time to roll up some balls! Yee! I made mine about an inch in diameter (?) and it was a good size. It was helpful to kind of roll them up between the palms. They weren't perfect, but hey, that's life for you. No balls are perfect, eh? Throw them in the fridge to harden for about an hour and prepare to dip. 

I thought I was home free and was going to have some really successful cake balls. A kitchen success on the way?! Nope. Who knew white chocolate chips would have the consistency of mashed cauliflowers once melted? Not I.

After a trip to Target to get "Bakers White Chocolate," the shtuff that is made specifically for melting, I finally found success. Kind of..

Melt the chocolate, dip the balls, add the sprinkles, and put back in the fridge to harden for another hour or so. Ze end.

In my head I imagined ma bawls to be fully and evenly covered with white chocolate; a golf ball, if you will. Par for the course, I couldn't make this happen. Twas quite the catastrophe. BUT, even though the appearance of the cake balls was not exactly not at all perfect, they turned out to be verrrry tasty, if I do say so myself. Happy Saint Patrick's day, everyone! Get your balls while they last.

Save the otters.

It's that time of week again...animals, woohoo! I was perusing the internet looking for pictures of sea otters because one of the kids I work with wanted to draw one (add this to the perks of my job). In my investigation for pics, I stumbled upon this article in the L.A. Times about sea otters that I found super interesting and cool!

Basically, two lawmakers in California wanted more money to try and end the struggle for survival for the sea otters in the state. So in 2006, they added a box to tax return forms that taxpayers are able to check; indicating they want to make a donation to this "otter fund". From what I gathered elsewhere, this box is still on the form and they have continued to raise over $250,000 each year to put towards this cause (sweeeet!). The article doesn't really elaborate too much on what implications this initiative has had, aside from there being more research on the diseases that kill these otters and law enforcement actions against fisherman who are mistreating (a.k.a. shooting - sad face) them.

You'd think it would be easy to just add a checkable box to a tax return form, but I'm guessing there's a lot more to it than my simple mind can imagine. However, it seems like this type of effort really pays off and could be implemented elsewhere to help save more endangered animals...maybe? Hopefully? Imagine a world without these adorable little guys.

He must have just heard about all the betches who didn't check the box. 

Ze bebe sea otter! Holy cuteness. 

A Pink Beetle? Yes.

A minor detail about me that I wanted to drop one of these days, is to express my love for the color pink. If you take a quick look around my room, you can't help but notice that about 87 percent of it is pink. Ok...perhaps that's an exaggeration. Really though, I have a deep and somewhat crazy obsession with pink. In fact, I'm surprised I didn't just call my blog, 'I Love Pink.' The point of my story is that I have found my dream car. Along with piercing my nose, going bungee jumping, and having a [pink] cast on my arm or lower leg, owning a pink car has been in the back of my mind for years now.

I can't tell you when I will be cruising around in these wheels (sooner rather than later would be my obvious preference), but I think it's safe to guarantee you it's one of my greater life ambitions that will come true someday. Can't you see it? Ohmygosh I'm just so excited.

Tying the Knot

Ever since I was a little girl, I've thought, dare I say dreamed, about my wedding day. Beautiful white dress, a rock of an engagement ring, gorgeous flowers, one hell of a reception (cough, open bar, cough). I've thought about what comes after...being married, having a family, and loving someone for the rest of my life. I've never questioned whether it can happen or not. I've never given thought to whether my family would qualify for "family" health insurance, or if I would be allowed to visit my partner in the hospital, or if I'd have to worry about inheritance rights. But that's because for me, it's a man I'm envisioning at that alter, and not a woman.

Decades ago our country faced social justice issues like whether or not women were allowed to vote, whether or not blacks and whites could attend the same school, and whether or not marriage was allowed between a biracial couple. Looking back on that, I think many of us would agree that that type of inequality, not to mention blatant crime against humanity, is almost laughable. Blacks and whites weren't allowed to get married...what?? But here's the thing. It's now 2012 and virtually the same human rights issue faces us. How have the citizens and our government not learned?

After watching the documentary, "Tying the Knot," I've become significantly more enraged by the fact that most states will not recognize a marriage between two people of the same sex. In an attempt to get my point across in an organized fashion, I'd like to turn it to the bullets to get my thoughts across in a simple manner.

• People have different beliefs, and I'm cool with that. Whether it stems from religion, personal values, whatever, I respect (can't say I understand) that some people just don't agree with equal marriage rights. So here's a simple solution for you: don't marry someone of the same sex. But don't make it your mission to deny others the basic human right to happiness and equality. How would you feel if you were told you didn't have the freedom to marry the person you love?
• The documentary showed many struggles but highlighted those of two couples. One women lost her wife when she was shot in the line of duty. And because Florida does not recognize their marriage, the surviving partner did not receive any pension benefits. The other couple's story was similar. When Sam lost his husband, Earl, after 22 years of marriage, Earl's family attempted to take from him their estate and property, even though it was all explicitly left to Sam in the will. Until seeing this, I really didn't think too much about all these crucial details that come hand in hand with marriage. Losing a spouse must be hard enough as it is. It's appalling to me that these individuals had to lose so much more all because the person they loved was the same sex.
• The argument that the traditional institution of marriage is best for society and families makes me somewhat nauseous. It is not necessary for a successful parental team to be man and woman. The only true necessity within a family is love. Period.
• Check out the YouTube below. Which, in a nutshell is Mitt Romney expressing to a war veteran, who is gay, that he will not support any motion to grant marriage equality if elected. Personally, after seeing this, there's no way this candidate can get in my good graces nor will he ever receive my vote (plus he just comes off as a pompous d-bag). I want a president that understands that things have changed since the Constitution was adapted back in 1787. 

Of all the issues being discussed out there, I think this one deserves a lot of attention. Loving someone shouldn't come with a price; if I were gay, I shouldn't have to give up the right to declare that love, or my rights to the benefits of marriage. I don't think the freedom to marry the person you love is too much to ask. I probably won't stop thinking about the day I get married...and no one should have to.

A connection like none other.

Some may wonder why I'm so insanely obsessed and crazy in love with animals. It's been this way from a young age. I was the rare child who shed tears at the zoo because I hated seeing the animals in cages, and scowled at those for pounding on the glass. When people tell me they're not a fan of dogs, I can't help but secretly think they are maybe, just maybe, missing a teensy part of their heart. The secret's out now I guess. The connection you can have with an animal is one that's hard to explain. No, they don't really know what you're saying to them, nor can they relate to your emotions, but I honestly think they can somehow understand how you're feeling, and act accordingly. 

I stand by the fact that my dog, Ireland, knows when I'm down and is just there by my side. Once when my little brother was around 2 or 3, he managed to escape from our yard. For at least half an hour my Mom and neighbors were searching...if my memory is correct, even the cops were involved. Finally, Zach comes walking around the corner of our street (dur-da-durrr) and Ireland was right there with him. And it's not as if he had a leash or was demanding her to stay. She knew she needed to stay with him and keep him safe. Look at this picture for example...the unconditional love speaks for itself. It's truly special.

And the fact that this tiger isn't eating this human? Can you say, connection? I'm sure you've all seen or heard the Christian the lion story, but in case you haven't, check out this one minute clip to seal the deal.

Here's Ireland on me, Cool Whip on the left, and my little brother, Zach, on the right. Although she may not realize some things, like the fact that she's 50 pounds (and should lay off the Goldfish)...she definitely catches on to what's really important, and I'll be forever thankful for her. 

Sweet home, Chicago.

Although it only accounts for about a third of my life, I originated in the Chicago area and have always thought in the back of my mind that I'd be interested in living there someday. My memories of the city are few and far between but I do fondly remember the Lincoln Park Zoo, Shed Aquarium, DA BULLS, and Lou Malnati's Pizza. Not to mention it's the home of some of my very favorite movies: Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, My Best Friend's Wedding, and Primal Fear (check 'em if you haven't already). So it was fun going back this past weekend as an actual adult and being in some familiar places, and some very new ones (including the COOLEST Walgreens in the world).

I think there is a lot to love about Chicago. It's very similar to NYC to me...lots of places to explore, and an energy that's undeniable. Two days was not enough. I was lucky enough to get to see the city from the 80th floor of the Aon building, where one of my friends works. It. Was. Awesome.

 

How can you not love these views? 

 

If you get a chance to go and hang out in Chicago for a day/week/whateva, I highly suggest you jump on the opportunity. I'm already looking forward to my next visit! 

Don't you wanna go?

 

"Is the government trying to kill us?!"

For the most part, I'd say I'm a fairly "healthy" person. The majority of the time, I eat healthy foods, workout regularly, wear sunscreen, and am conscious about things like storing foods in glass instead of plastic, etc. etc. Obviously, there are times when none of this holds true. I'm not going to pretend I never drink, eat crappy food, "forget sunscreen," or simply say eff that to getting in my sweat sessions. I'm human. But I think after graduating especially (why? I don't know), I have become more in tune with the whole idea of, 'what I put into my body is what I'm going to get out/my skin is organic so what I put on it should be too,' mentality. This covers food, the lotions/soaps/hair products I use, etc.

A few difficulties that come with this process:

• It's a real drain on the bank account. My plan to combat this: start phasing my current products out. Unfortunately I don't have the funds to just throw out all my chemical-filled products and start fresh. So I'm going to use what I have and when I need a new lotion for example, try to buy something organic/paraben-free to try out. I have also heard of many DIY products such as a coconut oil based lotion or this apple cider vinegar toner. When I have the time I'd really like to try these as well. Then I can have something to blog about if they work! Yayyy!
• I like my chemical-filled products. What can I say, they work. I have yet to actually try natural shampoo and conditioner, for example, but a few friends I know have and told me it leaves hair feeling waxy and greasy. Yuck, who wants that? So I've come to the inevitable conclusion that I'm going to stick to some of my old ways and probably will never be a full-fledged "organic gal." Gotta pick your battles?
• After watching the video below [science exp't growing regular potatoes/organic/farmers market; conclusion: cancerous chemical called "bud-nip" is in a lot of the produce we buy at the grocery store] and having a conversation with my roommate about all the chemicals we're filling our bodies with, it was like she had an epiphany: is the government trying to kill us. Watch this video and tell me it's not screwed up that we as consumers don't know that this kind of crap is going into our food. Is it weird that just because I choose not to splurge on the organic potato that I should ingest cancer-causing chemicals? I think not. WTF.  
• The evidence behind organic claims/what's healthy/what's not is continuously changing! So frustrating! Take agave, for example. Months ago, I started using agave nectar to sweeten things like plain yogurt and oatmeal because I read many things about it being a healthy alternative to other sweeteners. But I recently read it's very processed and has a high content of high fructose corn syrup. Holy hell. How do we distinguish what the true claims are? 
• As I said, I'm human. I like french fries from the Golden Arches, vodka tonics, and not spending an arm and a leg on a small tube of moisturizer. 

My conclusion is simply that I am going to try my best. A few things on my list of brands to try: Korres, a crap-free (no paraben, GMOs, sulfates, etc.) brand from Sephora that has everything from this toner (that sounds spectacular), to blush and other makeup; the Yes to Carrots brand that is available at Target and has semi-affordable stuff like this moisturizer; and Stevia, which from what I gather, is a natural, and safe, non-caloric sweetener. 

Woof. This will be interesting.