Dear No One in Particular,
I know this blog has been long neglected. I'm afraid that it's going to be neglected a bit longer, since I am indulging my wanderlust again and fleeing the country.
I'm crossing off the #1 item on my Mighty Life List: Go to Australia.
In t-minus 9 days, there will be a check next to that sentence, and I can't be more excited.
Obviously the "stay as long as necessary" bit isn't applicable; I am, however, going to be in Oz for 2 glorious weeks. There's so much to do and see in Down Under, so I'm severely limiting the number of places the Boy and I are visiting. That way, I can cap my spending and really get the feel of a city AND I've given myself an excuse to return.
The Boy and I are only hitting up the major cities, Sydney and Melbourne. I can't tell you how excited I am to visit Melbourne. I've already made birthday dinner reservations -- that's amped I am to be exploring the city.
So far the itinerary includes: Bondi Beach, Queen Victoria Market, a football game at MCG, a looong drive down Great Ocean Road, and cooing over fairy penguins on Phillip Island. I am really looking forward to spending a couple of afternoons picnicking in Melbourne, just people-watching, and soaking up the sun on Bondi and Manly beaches.
Anything we're missing? My cousin (who will serve as tour guide) has also mentioned taking us on wine tastings in Yarra Valley, and I have no doubt she has a ton of fun stuff planned. We have a guidebook, but if you've been and know of something I absolutely MUST SEE, please let me know!
Au revoire!
--amanda
P.S. I have a 14 hour flight ahead of me, so if you have book recommendations, send them my way! Something light and fun, but not totally brainless would be lovely. Thanks!
Showing posts with label brag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brag. Show all posts
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Kindling
Dear No One in Particular,
I was not an early fan of the Amazon Kindle. Honestly, I was pretty darn anti-Kindle up until Christmas Day, when I was lucky enough to receive one from my long-suffering mother.
You see, I live in constant fear that I will be killed by my personal library. I have hundreds of books in dozens of places; I've moved a lot recently, so I not only have over-stuffed bookshelves at my parents' home, groaning and threatening to buckle under the weight, I have bookshelves at my apartment doing the same. Plus, I have boxes of books scattered throughout both locations, the majority of which I can not lift because books are freaking heavy.
Naturally, these books do not just accumulate on shelves. I am rarely without a personal reading book (as opposed to the ones I'm forced to read for school, which I carry around on the regular as well). Like I said, books are heavy, so my left shoulder is permanently higher than the right. No really. It is. Hairdressers and doctors comment on it all the time. I blame carrying around giant, overstuffed purses loaded with books.
So you can see why the Kindle was such a great gift choice for me: it can hold hundreds, thousands of books in a single device. No more bookshelves spewing trade paperbacks! No more hunchbacked daughter whining that her neck hurts!
But I was firmly against the Kindle and its e-book reader brethren.
Books are so much more than a simple vehicle for the written word, as any true bibliophile knows. I love books, I really do. The heft of a well-made hardback sagging in the palm of my hand; the flexibility of a trade paperback, the thin pages bouncing and flapping in the breeze; the smell of paper, glue and imagination -- these are what make a book so wonderful. I love the feel of a page slipping through my fingers as I turn ahead. The deep black ink's stark contrast to the crisp white page. The Kindle can't begin to hope to replicate small moments like these.
And I don't think it means to. In a world that has become increasingly dependent on electronics, the Kindle seeks to do what all extraneous gadgets do: simplify and accelerate.
I keep mentioning that I was not a fan of the Kindle and had no interest in purchasing one. My feet were firmly planted on the side of Team Book. Now ... ? Now, I'm a little bit in love with my Kindle. What changed? I held a Kindle in my hands, downloaded a couple of books, fidgeted with the features, and had my world rocked.
This is not to say that the Kindle is perfect. Far from it, really, and I don't think that it's newest incarnation, Kindle 2, is going to be the e-book reader to convert all of Team Book. But I can not deny its charms.
First of all, it's thin, thinner than most paperbacks, and it's really lightweight. This frees up a ton of space in my bag, which makes my doctors (and mother) rejoice. I'm one of those people who, if I'm nearing the end of a book, will carry an extra so I'm never without reading material. The Kindle simplifies my life by putting both books in a single device.
This is another huge selling point: the capacity, which is easily increased with a memory card. I could hold thousands of books in my little Kindle, something I would never be able to do with real books.
Another feature that's especially appealing for me is the annotations feature. I know some think it's absolutely blasphemous to write in books (my father is one), but I like putting little notes or highlights in the margins. It's something I started with school books and have transferred over to pleasure reading. The Kindle allows you to electronically highlight, bookmark, and annotate your reading; it stores the notes in a separate file, so they're easily accessible -- no flipping through pages in search of that one really awesome quote.
This, with the capacity, could change college textbooks forever. Seriously, publishers: Kindles for university students. It's the wave of the future.
Like I said, the Kindle isn't perfect. It's flaws are many. It can be downright irritating at times.
The button layout on the Kindle 1.0 is maddening. There are very few places one can hold the bare Kindle (sans some sort of hard cover) without pressing some button and thus directing you away from the current screen. 2/3 of the right side is comprised of the "next page" button, while the left side is split between the "next page" and "previous page" buttons. Ok, it's really nice to be able to move forward or back with either hand, but the immense buttons make it difficult to hold the Kindle.
This has been rectified with the Kindle 2.0, which has smaller buttons that are angled inward, supposedly making it harder to accidentally navigate away from the current screen (so says Amazon).
Oh, and before you ask: no, I'm not going to trade up. I have a Kindle and I'm kind of in love with it, remember? We're totally going steady -- why would I cheat on it? But more on that later.
Another feature that the new Kindle supposedly improved upon is the sharper display. This is one of my big beefs with the Kindle: pictures suck on its screen. Covers look really funky, all washed out and blurry; I wanted to read Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking", but after skimming the sample and realising that the book was photo-heavy, and that the Kindle couldn't hack it, I ended up buying the real book. Seriously, the Kindle was like Tom Hanks's character in The Terminal, all awkward and pathetic.
And that right there folks, is the crux of my love affair with the Kindle: it can do some really snazzy things that I simply can't do with regular books (instantly look up words in a dictionary or Wikipedia, for example), but it pales in comparison with good old-fashioned books. I have to admit that being able to carry a 400+ page tome in a skinny handheld device is pretty nifty though, and I do read faster on a Kindle than a traditional book.
Yet the truth remains: I'm not going to stop buying real books, and I'm definitely not going to stop frequenting libraries, or as I call them "magical oases of love and awesome". Sure, e-books, on the whole, are cheaper than regular books (some are free! But then, some are just as pricey), but I can't hand my Kindle to someone and say "here, you HAVE to read this book!" There's no sharing with the Kindle.
They simply lack the tactile greatness of traditional books, and that is something they will never ever be able to replicate.
What I would like to see from future Kindles: back-lit screens, like a computer or cell phone. Those idiotic flashlight-lamp hybrids are ridiculous on books, they're equally (if not more so) as ridiculous for Kindles. I would also love to see a Kindle library. Sure, you can download samples (which are often useless, since publishing info and table of contents tend to take up the majority of a sample), but what I'm talking about is a buy-in service, kind of like a Netflix for e-books. For a set price per month, you can download as many books as you like. At the end of the month, you have the option of either paying for them, or just letting them be deleted from the Kindle memory, easy as pie.
And as for the uproar over the new and improved Kindle 2.0? As a Kindle 1.0 owner, I'm not bothered. Sure, I received mine a mere 2 months before the updated version came out, but I'm not about to write angry letters to Bezos demanding a discount on a Kindle 2 so I can trade in my Kindle 1.0. Technology moves forward, and in doing so, older products become obsolete. If Bezos does Kindle early-adopters a solid a la Apple and the iPhone, that'd be great! I'd love a credit to the Kindle Store as a thank you for drumming up the support necessary for the creation of Kindle 2.0*. If not, oh well. Anything else is just sour grapes.
So do I recommend the Kindle? Yes and no. The Kindle 1.0 has some real flaws and while the Kindle 2.0 seems to have improved on them, the fact remains that the Kindle is no replacement for traditional books. So long as you're cool with that, and you're looking to streamline your life, and you have the cash? Go for it. It's a nifty piece of technology with more pros than cons in my book.**
--amanda
--------------------------------------
*Not that I'm actually in that camp, as this post obviously points out. But it is something that's been kicked around on Amazon forums, and I think it would be a great idea, and not just because I want a credit. Take care of your customers, people!
**Pun absolutely intended.
I was not an early fan of the Amazon Kindle. Honestly, I was pretty darn anti-Kindle up until Christmas Day, when I was lucky enough to receive one from my long-suffering mother.
You see, I live in constant fear that I will be killed by my personal library. I have hundreds of books in dozens of places; I've moved a lot recently, so I not only have over-stuffed bookshelves at my parents' home, groaning and threatening to buckle under the weight, I have bookshelves at my apartment doing the same. Plus, I have boxes of books scattered throughout both locations, the majority of which I can not lift because books are freaking heavy.
Naturally, these books do not just accumulate on shelves. I am rarely without a personal reading book (as opposed to the ones I'm forced to read for school, which I carry around on the regular as well). Like I said, books are heavy, so my left shoulder is permanently higher than the right. No really. It is. Hairdressers and doctors comment on it all the time. I blame carrying around giant, overstuffed purses loaded with books.
So you can see why the Kindle was such a great gift choice for me: it can hold hundreds, thousands of books in a single device. No more bookshelves spewing trade paperbacks! No more hunchbacked daughter whining that her neck hurts!
But I was firmly against the Kindle and its e-book reader brethren.
Books are so much more than a simple vehicle for the written word, as any true bibliophile knows. I love books, I really do. The heft of a well-made hardback sagging in the palm of my hand; the flexibility of a trade paperback, the thin pages bouncing and flapping in the breeze; the smell of paper, glue and imagination -- these are what make a book so wonderful. I love the feel of a page slipping through my fingers as I turn ahead. The deep black ink's stark contrast to the crisp white page. The Kindle can't begin to hope to replicate small moments like these.
And I don't think it means to. In a world that has become increasingly dependent on electronics, the Kindle seeks to do what all extraneous gadgets do: simplify and accelerate.
I keep mentioning that I was not a fan of the Kindle and had no interest in purchasing one. My feet were firmly planted on the side of Team Book. Now ... ? Now, I'm a little bit in love with my Kindle. What changed? I held a Kindle in my hands, downloaded a couple of books, fidgeted with the features, and had my world rocked.
This is not to say that the Kindle is perfect. Far from it, really, and I don't think that it's newest incarnation, Kindle 2, is going to be the e-book reader to convert all of Team Book. But I can not deny its charms.
First of all, it's thin, thinner than most paperbacks, and it's really lightweight. This frees up a ton of space in my bag, which makes my doctors (and mother) rejoice. I'm one of those people who, if I'm nearing the end of a book, will carry an extra so I'm never without reading material. The Kindle simplifies my life by putting both books in a single device.
This is another huge selling point: the capacity, which is easily increased with a memory card. I could hold thousands of books in my little Kindle, something I would never be able to do with real books.
Another feature that's especially appealing for me is the annotations feature. I know some think it's absolutely blasphemous to write in books (my father is one), but I like putting little notes or highlights in the margins. It's something I started with school books and have transferred over to pleasure reading. The Kindle allows you to electronically highlight, bookmark, and annotate your reading; it stores the notes in a separate file, so they're easily accessible -- no flipping through pages in search of that one really awesome quote.
This, with the capacity, could change college textbooks forever. Seriously, publishers: Kindles for university students. It's the wave of the future.
Like I said, the Kindle isn't perfect. It's flaws are many. It can be downright irritating at times.
The button layout on the Kindle 1.0 is maddening. There are very few places one can hold the bare Kindle (sans some sort of hard cover) without pressing some button and thus directing you away from the current screen. 2/3 of the right side is comprised of the "next page" button, while the left side is split between the "next page" and "previous page" buttons. Ok, it's really nice to be able to move forward or back with either hand, but the immense buttons make it difficult to hold the Kindle.
This has been rectified with the Kindle 2.0, which has smaller buttons that are angled inward, supposedly making it harder to accidentally navigate away from the current screen (so says Amazon).
Oh, and before you ask: no, I'm not going to trade up. I have a Kindle and I'm kind of in love with it, remember? We're totally going steady -- why would I cheat on it? But more on that later.
Another feature that the new Kindle supposedly improved upon is the sharper display. This is one of my big beefs with the Kindle: pictures suck on its screen. Covers look really funky, all washed out and blurry; I wanted to read Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking", but after skimming the sample and realising that the book was photo-heavy, and that the Kindle couldn't hack it, I ended up buying the real book. Seriously, the Kindle was like Tom Hanks's character in The Terminal, all awkward and pathetic.
And that right there folks, is the crux of my love affair with the Kindle: it can do some really snazzy things that I simply can't do with regular books (instantly look up words in a dictionary or Wikipedia, for example), but it pales in comparison with good old-fashioned books. I have to admit that being able to carry a 400+ page tome in a skinny handheld device is pretty nifty though, and I do read faster on a Kindle than a traditional book.
Yet the truth remains: I'm not going to stop buying real books, and I'm definitely not going to stop frequenting libraries, or as I call them "magical oases of love and awesome". Sure, e-books, on the whole, are cheaper than regular books (some are free! But then, some are just as pricey), but I can't hand my Kindle to someone and say "here, you HAVE to read this book!" There's no sharing with the Kindle.
They simply lack the tactile greatness of traditional books, and that is something they will never ever be able to replicate.
What I would like to see from future Kindles: back-lit screens, like a computer or cell phone. Those idiotic flashlight-lamp hybrids are ridiculous on books, they're equally (if not more so) as ridiculous for Kindles. I would also love to see a Kindle library. Sure, you can download samples (which are often useless, since publishing info and table of contents tend to take up the majority of a sample), but what I'm talking about is a buy-in service, kind of like a Netflix for e-books. For a set price per month, you can download as many books as you like. At the end of the month, you have the option of either paying for them, or just letting them be deleted from the Kindle memory, easy as pie.
And as for the uproar over the new and improved Kindle 2.0? As a Kindle 1.0 owner, I'm not bothered. Sure, I received mine a mere 2 months before the updated version came out, but I'm not about to write angry letters to Bezos demanding a discount on a Kindle 2 so I can trade in my Kindle 1.0. Technology moves forward, and in doing so, older products become obsolete. If Bezos does Kindle early-adopters a solid a la Apple and the iPhone, that'd be great! I'd love a credit to the Kindle Store as a thank you for drumming up the support necessary for the creation of Kindle 2.0*. If not, oh well. Anything else is just sour grapes.
So do I recommend the Kindle? Yes and no. The Kindle 1.0 has some real flaws and while the Kindle 2.0 seems to have improved on them, the fact remains that the Kindle is no replacement for traditional books. So long as you're cool with that, and you're looking to streamline your life, and you have the cash? Go for it. It's a nifty piece of technology with more pros than cons in my book.**
--amanda
--------------------------------------
*Not that I'm actually in that camp, as this post obviously points out. But it is something that's been kicked around on Amazon forums, and I think it would be a great idea, and not just because I want a credit. Take care of your customers, people!
**Pun absolutely intended.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Mele Kalikimaka
Dear No One in Particular,
Merry Christmas*, one and all! I hope you're enjoying the holiday season, and nothing but love to you and yours.
Well, I'm finally back in California and am freezing my booty off. Yes, I know that there are parts of the country blanketed in snow, but it's damn cold for someone who lives in a tropical climate! Which leads me to why I'm posting on Christmas night. I should be spending time with my family, roasting chestnuts and singing carols or some Hallmark nonsense. Well, my parents arrived about 2 days ago from their vacation in the Philippines (can you tell we don't like to be cold?) and they're jetlagged out of their minds. They're both passed out on the couch right now, snoring up some very festive harmonies. I'm stuck in the dining room listening to them because I, uh, blew a fuse that blacked out half the house. In my quest to warm up my icebox/bedroom, I plugged in two space heaters and set them to "Death Valley in July". This, coupled with the TV, clocks, cellphone charger and laptop is probably what did the fuse in. Fun part is, no one can get to the fuse box; it's in the garage, which is in the half of the house that lost power. So, no lights until the morning.
Quick change of subject: not that I'm one to brag about my presents, or anything, but my mother, in her infinite wisdom gave me a Kindle for Christmas! I've been on the fence about the Kindle and it's electronic book reader bretheren for a while now: I really like the tactile pleasure of books: the way they smell, the feel of turning pages, the glossy covers. Also, I read so often that I rarely purchase books; I'm a frequent visitor to my local libraries, and harbour dreams of one day being a librarian myself. But, like I said, I read a lot. I'm rarely without a book, which really weighs down my purse and puts limits on which books I can tote around. The Kindle really frees up space in my bag and is light enough to be a non-issue, so I'm psyched out of my mind. I just purchased a couple of books, so a real, in-depth review will be up shortly.
First impressions: it's quick and light, which is great, but the layout of the page-buttons is maddeningly terrible.
So, I hope your holidays were bright and merry and full of food and love, blogosphere. If you're somewhat lonely and have a spare moment, come share a story with me!
--amanda
---------------------------------------------------
*Also: Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and/or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate.
Merry Christmas*, one and all! I hope you're enjoying the holiday season, and nothing but love to you and yours.
Well, I'm finally back in California and am freezing my booty off. Yes, I know that there are parts of the country blanketed in snow, but it's damn cold for someone who lives in a tropical climate! Which leads me to why I'm posting on Christmas night. I should be spending time with my family, roasting chestnuts and singing carols or some Hallmark nonsense. Well, my parents arrived about 2 days ago from their vacation in the Philippines (can you tell we don't like to be cold?) and they're jetlagged out of their minds. They're both passed out on the couch right now, snoring up some very festive harmonies. I'm stuck in the dining room listening to them because I, uh, blew a fuse that blacked out half the house. In my quest to warm up my icebox/bedroom, I plugged in two space heaters and set them to "Death Valley in July". This, coupled with the TV, clocks, cellphone charger and laptop is probably what did the fuse in. Fun part is, no one can get to the fuse box; it's in the garage, which is in the half of the house that lost power. So, no lights until the morning.
Quick change of subject: not that I'm one to brag about my presents, or anything, but my mother, in her infinite wisdom gave me a Kindle for Christmas! I've been on the fence about the Kindle and it's electronic book reader bretheren for a while now: I really like the tactile pleasure of books: the way they smell, the feel of turning pages, the glossy covers. Also, I read so often that I rarely purchase books; I'm a frequent visitor to my local libraries, and harbour dreams of one day being a librarian myself. But, like I said, I read a lot. I'm rarely without a book, which really weighs down my purse and puts limits on which books I can tote around. The Kindle really frees up space in my bag and is light enough to be a non-issue, so I'm psyched out of my mind. I just purchased a couple of books, so a real, in-depth review will be up shortly.
First impressions: it's quick and light, which is great, but the layout of the page-buttons is maddeningly terrible.
So, I hope your holidays were bright and merry and full of food and love, blogosphere. If you're somewhat lonely and have a spare moment, come share a story with me!
--amanda
---------------------------------------------------
*Also: Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and/or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Everybody's Working for the Weekend
Dear No One in Particular,
Is there anything better than a long weekend? Yes. A long weekend-and-a-half. I have no class tomorrow, since one of my teachers didn't want to come in on a Friday, and my earliest class on Monday is cancelled. Sure, I have a major presentation due on Monday, but I've been going more than a little bit batty, so I'm looking forward to my extended weekend.
The Boy and I have been living on Oahu for nearly 2 years now, and we feel as though we know nothing about the island. We live on the outskirts of Honolulu, so "going into town" tends to be a hassle, since traffic here rivals L.A. Naturally, this avoidance of driving too far in any direction means that our island fever has been greatly exacerbated, and is keeping us from truly enjoying our living situation.
When we visited Kauai, we had great success with the Lonely Planet Kauai guidebook. We found amazing beaches and fantastic food that we would never would have happened upon, had we not had such guidance. Inspired, we promptly bought the Oahu version, hoping it would give us some insight into what there is to do and to eat here.
So far, Lonely Planet has lead us to some tasty local restaurants (hello, Anna Miller's). We decided to put our long weekend to good use and set aside a couple of days to really take in the glory of Honolulu.
We're planning on visiting a highly recommended Contemporary Museum and dim sum restaurant. I love me some dim sum, and I haven't had any in .... years, really.
I'm far too excited about this.
--amanda
P.S. The world economy is bananas. The Boy and I tried to book flights back to California last night and I pretty much had a heart attack when I saw the prices. $750+, ya'll. Before this, the most expensive tickets we'd purchased were somewhere around $450 -- a $300 increase! And we're booking over a month in advance. I shudder to think what the prices would be had I insisted on procrastinating.
P.P.S. We totes scored, though -- a local travel agent hooked us up with non-stop round trip tickets for $600 each.
P.P.P.S. I just acknowledged that $600 airfare was a steal. Kill me now.
Is there anything better than a long weekend? Yes. A long weekend-and-a-half. I have no class tomorrow, since one of my teachers didn't want to come in on a Friday, and my earliest class on Monday is cancelled. Sure, I have a major presentation due on Monday, but I've been going more than a little bit batty, so I'm looking forward to my extended weekend.
The Boy and I have been living on Oahu for nearly 2 years now, and we feel as though we know nothing about the island. We live on the outskirts of Honolulu, so "going into town" tends to be a hassle, since traffic here rivals L.A. Naturally, this avoidance of driving too far in any direction means that our island fever has been greatly exacerbated, and is keeping us from truly enjoying our living situation.
When we visited Kauai, we had great success with the Lonely Planet Kauai guidebook. We found amazing beaches and fantastic food that we would never would have happened upon, had we not had such guidance. Inspired, we promptly bought the Oahu version, hoping it would give us some insight into what there is to do and to eat here.
So far, Lonely Planet has lead us to some tasty local restaurants (hello, Anna Miller's). We decided to put our long weekend to good use and set aside a couple of days to really take in the glory of Honolulu.
We're planning on visiting a highly recommended Contemporary Museum and dim sum restaurant. I love me some dim sum, and I haven't had any in .... years, really.
I'm far too excited about this.
--amanda
P.S. The world economy is bananas. The Boy and I tried to book flights back to California last night and I pretty much had a heart attack when I saw the prices. $750+, ya'll. Before this, the most expensive tickets we'd purchased were somewhere around $450 -- a $300 increase! And we're booking over a month in advance. I shudder to think what the prices would be had I insisted on procrastinating.
P.P.S. We totes scored, though -- a local travel agent hooked us up with non-stop round trip tickets for $600 each.
P.P.P.S. I just acknowledged that $600 airfare was a steal. Kill me now.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Terrorising my soul like Bin Laden
Dear No One in Particular,
Things are gearing up for FINALS WEEK (always in caps-lock, to mimic the terrified sound people make when speaking of finals), so I'm freaking out a bit. I've been doing really well so far, and there aren't many super-scary classes this semestre, so I'm not really too-too worried about the tests. It's the lack of time that's really killing me.
Quite a few interesting events have transpired here at the Casa de Amanda y the Boy:
-- The Boy's birthday was on Friday, and boy, was it a doozy. He wasn't feeling well, and we had to go to school, so he wasn't too happy about that. We did get to see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, which was pretty darn funny, even though it didn't stand up to the original. We had a nice dinner, and he had a delicious cheesecake as his birthday dessert, so those were also nice. The bad part? None of his friends called. NONE. I was so livid, I sent an angry letter to one of his friends, demanding that he give the Boy an explanation. He's still a little pissy , but he's getting over it.
-- On a happier note that I had meant to mention earlier: do you know about Mario Badescu's sample program? All you do is fill out the questionnaire I've linked to, and a couple of days later, they shoot off an email, asking if you would like samples of your recommended products. A few days after that, free samples appear in your mailbox! I usually believe that nothing's free, but man if that isn't the greatest marketing ploy ever. They sent me about 10 products to try; I've yet to test any of them, since my current skin care regimen is working so well. I am planning on giving my skin a breather soon, and slowly integrating the Mario Badescu products.
-- Also: my shoes came today! They're wonderful, and a tiny bit tight. They definitely need to be broken in -- they're the only shoes I've ever needed to use a shoehorn with. Regardless, they look great, and there's a nice walkable heel. I can't wait to put together a million outfits to wear them with.
-- I feel as though I'm about 4 years late to the party, but I finally understand the glory of Ebay. This may sound completely ridiculous, but I've purposefully avoided Ebay auctions. I may or may not have a shopping addiction that would only be exacerbated by something as exciting as Ebay. Also, I'm a very high strung lap dog, and if I were to lose an auction, I'd probably whimper until I won something else. That said, the Boy and I bought season 3 of The Greatest Show Ever aka Las Vegas. He taught me how to watch the last minute of the auction like a freakin' hawk so we were sure to win that precious box set for a measly $15. Fabulous.
-- Finally, my vision is getting worse as I get older. I can't even watch TV without wearing glasses anymore. I predict that if this continues, I'll be wearing bifocals by the time I turn 25. Which is in 3 years. Holy jumping Jesus.
--amanda
Things are gearing up for FINALS WEEK (always in caps-lock, to mimic the terrified sound people make when speaking of finals), so I'm freaking out a bit. I've been doing really well so far, and there aren't many super-scary classes this semestre, so I'm not really too-too worried about the tests. It's the lack of time that's really killing me.
Quite a few interesting events have transpired here at the Casa de Amanda y the Boy:
-- The Boy's birthday was on Friday, and boy, was it a doozy. He wasn't feeling well, and we had to go to school, so he wasn't too happy about that. We did get to see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, which was pretty darn funny, even though it didn't stand up to the original. We had a nice dinner, and he had a delicious cheesecake as his birthday dessert, so those were also nice. The bad part? None of his friends called. NONE. I was so livid, I sent an angry letter to one of his friends, demanding that he give the Boy an explanation. He's still a little pissy , but he's getting over it.
-- On a happier note that I had meant to mention earlier: do you know about Mario Badescu's sample program? All you do is fill out the questionnaire I've linked to, and a couple of days later, they shoot off an email, asking if you would like samples of your recommended products. A few days after that, free samples appear in your mailbox! I usually believe that nothing's free, but man if that isn't the greatest marketing ploy ever. They sent me about 10 products to try; I've yet to test any of them, since my current skin care regimen is working so well. I am planning on giving my skin a breather soon, and slowly integrating the Mario Badescu products.
-- Also: my shoes came today! They're wonderful, and a tiny bit tight. They definitely need to be broken in -- they're the only shoes I've ever needed to use a shoehorn with. Regardless, they look great, and there's a nice walkable heel. I can't wait to put together a million outfits to wear them with.
-- I feel as though I'm about 4 years late to the party, but I finally understand the glory of Ebay. This may sound completely ridiculous, but I've purposefully avoided Ebay auctions. I may or may not have a shopping addiction that would only be exacerbated by something as exciting as Ebay. Also, I'm a very high strung lap dog, and if I were to lose an auction, I'd probably whimper until I won something else. That said, the Boy and I bought season 3 of The Greatest Show Ever aka Las Vegas. He taught me how to watch the last minute of the auction like a freakin' hawk so we were sure to win that precious box set for a measly $15. Fabulous.
-- Finally, my vision is getting worse as I get older. I can't even watch TV without wearing glasses anymore. I predict that if this continues, I'll be wearing bifocals by the time I turn 25. Which is in 3 years. Holy jumping Jesus.
--amanda
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Happy, happy birthday
Dear No One in Particular,
Yesterday was my 22nd birthday. I strongly believe that I've already passed up all the "good" birthdays, and have nothing but blah and/or scary birthdays ahead of me. There's something inherently worrying about that sentiment, and I know I'm far too young to be fretting about my age, but if I'm not anxiety-ridden over something stupid, I wouldn't be me, now would I?
Anyway, my Irresponsible Cousin called me at about 11 pm my time, and I spent a good hour talking to her about my birthday plans -- well, the lack thereof, to be completely honest. This was the first birthday I've spent away from home, so I was a little sad, but mostly nonchalant. Like I said, all the good birthdays are done and I really wanted something quiet. She convinced me to go to the beach instead of class, so that's what I ended up doing.
My mom called and woke me and the Boy up at about 6:30 in the damn morning to wish me happy birthday. After I hung up, we slept until about 10:30, which was soooo nice. I love sleep.
We made it to Ala Moana Park -- which, if you're ever in Honolulu and want to go to the beach, skip Waikiki and head to Ala Moana: it's always almost empty and so beautiful -- and spent a couple of hours there. I loved it. I'm not really a big beach person, but the weather was so magnificent, I couldn't help but be thankful for such a great day. It was about 82 degrees, with not a cloud in the sky, and the slightest breeze. I even got in the water! Which is huge for me, since usually it's too cold, and I have a minor fear of deep water. It was kind of neat, actually; it stormed a lot last week, so the beach was a little rocky, but there were little fish and tadpoles that swum really close to the shore.
When we got home, I picked up a package from my parents. Apparently, they sent me a huge gift basket like the one that Michael Scott gave to his former clients. I took a million photos of everything in the basket: caviar, coffee, caramels, truffles, 2 sparkling ciders, brie ... a ton of really yummy food. I've already eaten the caramels; they were perhaps the best caramel candies I've ever had. So. GOOD.
My mom also sent me a really beautiful bouquet Flowers are a huge tradition in my family; my dad sends my mom flowers for her birthday and their anniversary, and my mom has a history of giving me flowers on my birthday. Apparently, the bouquet was supposed to look like a cake with candles, but, uh, it just looked like a really pretty bouquet. Whatever, it was a nice gesture.
The Boy had taken me out the day before to get my birthday presents: new bras! I hadn't been fitted for a bra in about, oh, 2 years. I've gained and lost a lot of weight in that amount of time; plus, my normal bras were in really bad shape -- they were losing a lot of elasticity and were just awful. We went to Nordstrom's and I got fitted. Um, apparently, I was wayyy off ... about 2 cups off. Holy hell, I had no idea how great wearing a bra could be. Really, head to your nearest Nordies and get fitted. They have an amazing selection (Betsy Johnson's are the cutest damn things in the world) and fabulous customer service. Miles ahead of Victoria's Secret in terms of selection and service, Iamtellingyou.
We had a nice late dinner at Buca di Beppo. I'm always a little surprised at how amazing Buca's is; it's a chain restaurant, and a little schlocky, to be 100% honest, but the food there is amazing. We had chopped antipasto salad and chicken saltimbocca for dinner and apple crostini for dessert. Normally, I wouldn't pick out either antipasto salad and chicken saltimbocca -- they both contain ingredients that I wouldn't normally eat, but oh, are they heavenly. The chicken was so perfect ... delicate, perfectly balanced flavours. I dream of entrees so well executed. The apple dessert was not so delicious; the caramel sauce was terribly off, and it completely ruined the dish. The almond crust, though, was delish.
I had a great birthday, all things considered. It was nice and quiet, and I got to spend some quality time relaxing and just enjoying my time here in Hawaii -- something I don't get to do, since I'm always in school.
The downside: the Boy and I are painfully sunburnt. I normally don't burn, but in the past few years, I've been burning like nobody's business. The Boy looks terrible: his shoulders are lobster red. Just looking at him makes me hurt. I, on the other hand, have the strangest sunburn I've ever encountered. I thought I had tanned my stomach and legs nicely; but as the night went on, my skin started to burn and itch like it had been burnt. My skin is pretty tan-looking, although it's starting to get redder. The itch is unbearable, though; every time I scratch, though, it gets red and begins to burn like hellfire.
Ah well. I had a great birthday, and don't regret a thing! I will however, invest in self-tanners from now on.
Pictures are coming soon. There aren't many, but I had a wonderful day, and would like to post photos of the fantabulous basket and dinner I had. In the meantime, enjoy Bud Light's Real Men of Genius. My favourite is Mr. 80 SPF Wearer, but they're all winners.
--amanda
Yesterday was my 22nd birthday. I strongly believe that I've already passed up all the "good" birthdays, and have nothing but blah and/or scary birthdays ahead of me. There's something inherently worrying about that sentiment, and I know I'm far too young to be fretting about my age, but if I'm not anxiety-ridden over something stupid, I wouldn't be me, now would I?
Anyway, my Irresponsible Cousin called me at about 11 pm my time, and I spent a good hour talking to her about my birthday plans -- well, the lack thereof, to be completely honest. This was the first birthday I've spent away from home, so I was a little sad, but mostly nonchalant. Like I said, all the good birthdays are done and I really wanted something quiet. She convinced me to go to the beach instead of class, so that's what I ended up doing.
My mom called and woke me and the Boy up at about 6:30 in the damn morning to wish me happy birthday. After I hung up, we slept until about 10:30, which was soooo nice. I love sleep.
We made it to Ala Moana Park -- which, if you're ever in Honolulu and want to go to the beach, skip Waikiki and head to Ala Moana: it's always almost empty and so beautiful -- and spent a couple of hours there. I loved it. I'm not really a big beach person, but the weather was so magnificent, I couldn't help but be thankful for such a great day. It was about 82 degrees, with not a cloud in the sky, and the slightest breeze. I even got in the water! Which is huge for me, since usually it's too cold, and I have a minor fear of deep water. It was kind of neat, actually; it stormed a lot last week, so the beach was a little rocky, but there were little fish and tadpoles that swum really close to the shore.
When we got home, I picked up a package from my parents. Apparently, they sent me a huge gift basket like the one that Michael Scott gave to his former clients. I took a million photos of everything in the basket: caviar, coffee, caramels, truffles, 2 sparkling ciders, brie ... a ton of really yummy food. I've already eaten the caramels; they were perhaps the best caramel candies I've ever had. So. GOOD.
My mom also sent me a really beautiful bouquet Flowers are a huge tradition in my family; my dad sends my mom flowers for her birthday and their anniversary, and my mom has a history of giving me flowers on my birthday. Apparently, the bouquet was supposed to look like a cake with candles, but, uh, it just looked like a really pretty bouquet. Whatever, it was a nice gesture.
The Boy had taken me out the day before to get my birthday presents: new bras! I hadn't been fitted for a bra in about, oh, 2 years. I've gained and lost a lot of weight in that amount of time; plus, my normal bras were in really bad shape -- they were losing a lot of elasticity and were just awful. We went to Nordstrom's and I got fitted. Um, apparently, I was wayyy off ... about 2 cups off. Holy hell, I had no idea how great wearing a bra could be. Really, head to your nearest Nordies and get fitted. They have an amazing selection (Betsy Johnson's are the cutest damn things in the world) and fabulous customer service. Miles ahead of Victoria's Secret in terms of selection and service, Iamtellingyou.
We had a nice late dinner at Buca di Beppo. I'm always a little surprised at how amazing Buca's is; it's a chain restaurant, and a little schlocky, to be 100% honest, but the food there is amazing. We had chopped antipasto salad and chicken saltimbocca for dinner and apple crostini for dessert. Normally, I wouldn't pick out either antipasto salad and chicken saltimbocca -- they both contain ingredients that I wouldn't normally eat, but oh, are they heavenly. The chicken was so perfect ... delicate, perfectly balanced flavours. I dream of entrees so well executed. The apple dessert was not so delicious; the caramel sauce was terribly off, and it completely ruined the dish. The almond crust, though, was delish.
I had a great birthday, all things considered. It was nice and quiet, and I got to spend some quality time relaxing and just enjoying my time here in Hawaii -- something I don't get to do, since I'm always in school.
The downside: the Boy and I are painfully sunburnt. I normally don't burn, but in the past few years, I've been burning like nobody's business. The Boy looks terrible: his shoulders are lobster red. Just looking at him makes me hurt. I, on the other hand, have the strangest sunburn I've ever encountered. I thought I had tanned my stomach and legs nicely; but as the night went on, my skin started to burn and itch like it had been burnt. My skin is pretty tan-looking, although it's starting to get redder. The itch is unbearable, though; every time I scratch, though, it gets red and begins to burn like hellfire.
Ah well. I had a great birthday, and don't regret a thing! I will however, invest in self-tanners from now on.
Pictures are coming soon. There aren't many, but I had a wonderful day, and would like to post photos of the fantabulous basket and dinner I had. In the meantime, enjoy Bud Light's Real Men of Genius. My favourite is Mr. 80 SPF Wearer, but they're all winners.
--amanda
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
I'm glad it's your birthday!
Dear No One in Particular,
Last year, I had a furious dance-down* with my mom as the clock ticked down to midnight.
This year, I'm sitting in my underwear on my couch, drinking Red Stripe, and watching "The Golden Girls".
God, I'm getting old.
--amanda
*Like a countdown, but with terrible, overly enthusiastic dancing instead of counting -- get it?
Last year, I had a furious dance-down* with my mom as the clock ticked down to midnight.
This year, I'm sitting in my underwear on my couch, drinking Red Stripe, and watching "The Golden Girls".
God, I'm getting old.
--amanda
*Like a countdown, but with terrible, overly enthusiastic dancing instead of counting -- get it?
Monday, April 14, 2008
Rrrrrroomba!
Dear No One in Particular,
The Boy and my birthdays are coming up, and the Boy's parents sent us our present early -- a Roomba! I can't tell you how long we've wanted one; we were just talking about how once we finally get some decent paying-jobs, we would blow some cash on a Roomba. We both stared at the box for a good minute before we said anything. When we did speak, it was high-pitched squeals and "Holy crap!" over and over again.
I'm hella excited about this ridiculous piece of technology. Most vacuum cleaners are too big and bulky for me to handle effectively, and I've been worried about the respiratory diseases the Boy will contract from having to hoover up the dried bird crap on our lanai, so the robot-vacuum is seriously a godsend. Really -- I'm ridiculously pumped about it.
Also: Real Simple magazine is pretty great. I read pretty voraciously, but there's something about magazines that thrills and annoys me. Magazines are like the sitcoms of the literary world: short, punchy, and flashy. They're easily consumed in an hour, and any substance can be filed away for future use. Of course, a lot of magazines can be total crap: really selling the reader short by cutting out substance and condescending to them.
"Real Simple", on the other hand, is substantial without being overly literary, beautifully photographed, and has lots of fun, helpful material. Plus, their stories are applicable to the everyperson's life -- a major beef I have with the Martha Stewart franchise is that no one with any sort of a life has the time, money, or energy for her projects.
If you get a chance, unspoken reader, pick up their special Travel issue -- it's amazing.
--amanda
The Boy and my birthdays are coming up, and the Boy's parents sent us our present early -- a Roomba! I can't tell you how long we've wanted one; we were just talking about how once we finally get some decent paying-jobs, we would blow some cash on a Roomba. We both stared at the box for a good minute before we said anything. When we did speak, it was high-pitched squeals and "Holy crap!" over and over again.
I'm hella excited about this ridiculous piece of technology. Most vacuum cleaners are too big and bulky for me to handle effectively, and I've been worried about the respiratory diseases the Boy will contract from having to hoover up the dried bird crap on our lanai, so the robot-vacuum is seriously a godsend. Really -- I'm ridiculously pumped about it.
Also: Real Simple magazine is pretty great. I read pretty voraciously, but there's something about magazines that thrills and annoys me. Magazines are like the sitcoms of the literary world: short, punchy, and flashy. They're easily consumed in an hour, and any substance can be filed away for future use. Of course, a lot of magazines can be total crap: really selling the reader short by cutting out substance and condescending to them.
"Real Simple", on the other hand, is substantial without being overly literary, beautifully photographed, and has lots of fun, helpful material. Plus, their stories are applicable to the everyperson's life -- a major beef I have with the Martha Stewart franchise is that no one with any sort of a life has the time, money, or energy for her projects.
If you get a chance, unspoken reader, pick up their special Travel issue -- it's amazing.
--amanda
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