Friday, June 29, 2007

My latest Obsessions!

It occurred to me that recently I've become enthralled with some new things and I haven't taken the time to share them with the blog-o-sphere. How can I expect to dominate the world if I can't suck you into my addictions? Crazy! So here goes!

Queen Triggerfish

A couple weeks ago Dad and I went to Denver for a conference. We were looking a place for dinner that ideally would be located near something that would provide us entertainment after dinner. The girl at the front desk recommended the Downtown Aquarium. In the restaurant, an entire wall, floor to ceiling, is an aquarium including sharks and puffer fish. Sweet! (though i find it a little cruel that the restaurant specialized in seafood). In addition to the restaurant there is a pretty decent size aquarium that you can go through. Being that I kinda wish I could just live underwater and I positively adore going to aquariums, and oh yeah, dad's a biologist, it seemed perfect.

We sat down for dinner and our waiter came over and rattled off a bunch of info about the 150,00 gallon aquarium in front of us. And then he made his fatal mistake... he said if we had any questions about the aquarium, just to ask. STUPID! The evening goes on and I have to know.... do they name the fish? If I worked there I would name the fish. I mean obviously not all of them, but unique and easily identifiable ones. So he starts to tell us what they have named some of the fish. He said there was one named Molly and she was the most expensive in the tank. $9000 to be exact! I was fascinated! I needed to know what a $9000 fish looked like. So our waiter took me on a walk to find her. She was really pretty. I didn't get a good shot of her, but here's what her breed looks like (is it breed if it's a fish? i'm such a dog person)


So, where does the obsession part come in? Well, it occurred to me why not make a $18,000 investment, and buy 2 Queen Triggerfish and breed them. Ok, I understand that it'll be more than 18k because there will be the purchase of a huge ass salt water tank and all... but seriously... $9000/fish. That's some bank! Of course dad and the Doctor have both tried to steal my thunder by pointing out that these fish don't breed in captivity... WHATEVER!

Obsession # 2 - Ok, I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I'm totally addicted to :

So You Think You Can Dance

I LOVE this show. Can't get enough. Mad that I only get one regular show and one results show/ week. Oh and since it's a holiday week... I get NONE this week. This show is basically American Idol for dancers. I never really got into American Idol (though I do thank them for giving us Kelly Clarkson... and a few others, but mostly Kelly) First of all, I love dance. If i believed in reincarnation, part of me would want to come back as a dancer. The show is especially enticing because I love watching a ball room dancer paired with Hip Hop dancer, told to do a contemporary dance. And more specifically, watch them TEAR IT UP! The choreographer obviously gets a lot of the credit for this dance... but check out this video of Kameron and Lacey. I LOVE THEM! Keep in mind this is a contemporary dance so it is a little weird at first but stick with it, it's only about 2 minutes and it's AWESOME! Also I'm now addicted to the song as well. Enjoy!

For anyone who is actually watching the show regularly... here's my short version of my thoughts so far. Kameron and Lacey are obviously my favorite couple. Pasha is DEFINITELY my favorite guy. Shauna and Lacey are probably my favorite girls. And Jessi did NOT deserve to be sent home last week.

Third and Final Obsession

Mac Cosmetics Pro Longwear Lip Colour

My lips have found their match. I've been tirelessly searching Clinique Counters, Sephoras, and Ultas for the perfect lip color. I just want something that I can put on once in the morning and not have to mess with it the rest of the day. Is that too much to ask for? It seemed as though it was. See, I'm addicted to chapstick but I still wanted some color. So I needed something I could put on and then continue to use my chapstick throughout the day without losing the color. This may seem picky, but I assure you I'm not the only girl who knows what she wants for her lips and searches endlessly. Case #1: The Quitter. Case #2: The Quitter again (this girl's persistent). I have finally found it. Mac Cosmetics Pro Longwear Lip Colour. It goes on like a gloss and you let it dry for a couple minutes. It becomes kinda sticky and then you know the color has set. After that you can put on gloss (which comes with it) or if you're a chapstick addict like me just use that. The color lasts all day! It made it through my diet coke sipping and lunch! Yesterday I put it on right before church. After church we went to a cook out - hot dogs, macaroni salad, chips, the works. Later that night we had pizza for dinner and when I went to get ready for bed you could still see the color (it had faded, but it was still there). I LOVE this stuff. My color is "Legendary" but they have lots to choose from. Lip Color from Mac: $20. Not having to reapply every time you take a sip of coffee: Priceless!

Alright, I shared my obsessions. Your turn. What should I obsess over next?

Monday, June 11, 2007

Bar Hopping with the Boss

Ok, this past weekend was supposed to be my weekend off. Long story short, instead of laying around watching movies I went to Boise Idaho for work. Now, I could write a blog about the bad parts, long delayed flights, forgetting my sunglasses in the rental car, thinking I lost my keys, an incredibly BORING conference, etc. But instead I'm gonna focus on the good.... I went bar hopping with my boss!!!!!!!

Apparently, Boise has the largest Basque (look 'em up I'm too lazy to explain) community in the U.S. So The Doctor and I decided we should check it out and definitely partake in the unique Basque food. So we headed to downtown Boise where we parked the car and walked through the Basque District to Bar De Ney. The food was incredible! I had a black bean an sweet potato chimichanga with chipotle sauce and mango salsa and a side of apricot almond couscous. AWESOME!

After dinner we decided to walk around and check out the area. We stumbled upon the Basque Cultural Center which was mostly closed, but the front part was open so we went in to check it out. It was basically an American Legion. There was a bar, some tables and chairs and a pool table. I half jokingly suggested we play a game pool and the Doctor replied, "I'd kick your butt at pool." (That is a direct quote, don't try to deny it Doctor) So of course I had to take him up on it. The first game he scratched on the break and then proceeded (about 2 or 3 shots in I think, to hit the 8 ball in.) We were having fun and I felt it only fair to give him another shot so we played again and he won. Now tied 1-1 we had no choice but to play a third game. I thought I was toast. He was stripes and knocked in 2 or 3 balls on his first turn. I followed by completely missing on my turn. Each shot he took after that was started with the phrase, "I might be able to make a shot if there weren't so many solids out here." In the end I made 2 AMAZING (for me) shots and finally sunk the 8 ball to win the game! Take that Dr. "I'd kick your butt in pool."

With him feeling so defeated, and me not wanting to make him feel too humiliated (I can't even type that without laughing) we decided to move on and see what else downtown had to offer. As we were walking I suggested (again half jokingly) that we should find a place to sing Karaoke. We both laugh and keep walking until we hear music coming out of a bar. We look through the big window in the front of the bar and realize it's a live band. The Doctor notices a sign that says, "NO COVER" and says let's go check it out! The bouncer cards both of us and as the Doctor and I start talking about how young he looks the bouncer points out that Idaho state law says EVERYONE must be carded! HAHA! Sorry Doctor.

The band playing had a very Reggae feel which I found interesting given the multitude Guinness banners and the GIANT Irish flag hanging over the stage. Regardless, they were pretty good. We stayed for about 6 or 7 songs before the Doctor leaned over and said, "So, if we go to a Karaoke bar, are you actually going to sing?" Clearly this is first time bar hopping with me. I reply with an enthusiastic "HELL YEAH!" "Let's go" he said. Following the advice of the bouncer we headed to a place that has Karaoke 7 nights/week (just the idea is like a little slice of Heaven for me). We arrived just on time for the DJ to do a sound check and kick things off. Most of the people there were singing songs by bands like Adema, Blue October, and Hatebreed. But if you know the Doctor, you know that didn't stop him from "rocking out" in his own way by singing Neil Diamond's "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show." AWESOME!

I managed to butcher Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." For round 2 the Doctor decided to go from Salvation to the Devil, with "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." As much as I've made fun of him in this post, this is one of my favorite karaoke songs when done well, and he did a great job. I finished up with Kelly Osbourne's version of "Papa Don't Preach" (a karaoke classic for me) and being that it was some time after midnight and my flight was leaving at 5:50am, we decided to call it a night.

Now, having a drink with the boss isn't that unusual. Wine with dinner is almost a must, especially after dealing with homeschoolers all day. But, I actually went bar hopping with my boss. Sweet!

Ok so I did make fun of the Doctor a little bit in this post. So in fairness (and in attempt to keep myself from getting fired) I should also mention that he was officially my "Hero for the Day" 2 days in row. Saturday after the conference the conference organizers wanted to take us out to dinner. Sounds fine.... yeah they wanted to go to Cracker Barrel! Now don't get me wrong, I love me some bacon, eggs and cheesy grits, but I can have that any day of the week. The Doctor got us out of dinner with the organizers because I was excited about checking out the Basque Community. (Also, I don't think he's a fan of Cracker Barrel but whatever.) Hero for the day on Saturday!

Sunday morning my flight leaves earlier than his so he drops me off and goes to drop off the rental car. Of course at 5am the Hertz counter isn't actually open so he slides the keys in the drop box and goes to check himself in for his flight. As a TSA agent is rifling through one of my carry-ons it hits me... CRAP (yeah i said crap out loud, probably not the best thing to do when a TSA agent is searching your stuff but apparently it didn't matter) I left my Maui Jim sunglasses in the rental. The Maui Jim Sunglasses that Will gave me 2 years that while they didn't actually cost him anything, are worth $250. The Maui Jim Sunglasses that Will has threaten to kill me if I ever lose or break. So, seriously, CRAP! I get through security and onto my plane (which was already calling for the final boarding call) and call the Doctor in hopes that he noticed they were there and grabbed them. Yeah that didn't happen. He did however tell me that he thinks he forgot to lock the car so after he gets checked-in he'll go back to the car and see if he can get them. My plane was leaving so it wasn't until i touched down in Minneapolis and could turn my phone back on that I got the voice mail.... He didn't lock the car! He had my sunglasses!!!!!!! Hero for the Day - 2 days in row!

The End!

Friday, June 08, 2007

Conversations with Tajikistan

Ok a normal person would explain, but i prefer randomness... so here are 2 quotes from a conversation with a person in Tajikistan:

1. "So you were grazing with the cows?"
2. "Oh, so it was that kind of toilet."

HAHA! they make me laugh. have a lovely day!