It's official.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Writing's on the Door
Photo found hereSince I live in a graduate housing apartment on the DU campus, my building has a community adviser (also known as a CA; the slightly more grown up version of a dormitory RA). Since the apartment is all one-bedroom units inhabited by graduate students there is rarely, if ever, anything rowdy going on that needs dealing with. As a result, our CA's main purpose is to make different name plates (door decs in CA/RA-speak) for each resident's door each quarter.
Well this morning as I left home, turning to lock the door, something new caught my eye. There, below the hand-holding, banana-eating monkey cutouts that proudly proclaim "Paige" lives here in fading forest green magic marker, stood a freshly adhered picture of a snowy mountain peak rising atop a lush Colorado valley. My initial reaction was to go knock on "David" (or so claim's his own name plate) the CA's door and let him know that I appreciated his craftsmanship but that I indeed would be moving out on Saturday. As I began to stroll the hallway, however, I realized that the black type hovering just above the mountain's peak didn't resemble the characters of Paige Doster after all. Nope this plate was not made for me, but for "Nicole" someoneorother. There it is. The writing's on the door, and it's almost time to go.
Well this morning as I left home, turning to lock the door, something new caught my eye. There, below the hand-holding, banana-eating monkey cutouts that proudly proclaim "Paige" lives here in fading forest green magic marker, stood a freshly adhered picture of a snowy mountain peak rising atop a lush Colorado valley. My initial reaction was to go knock on "David" (or so claim's his own name plate) the CA's door and let him know that I appreciated his craftsmanship but that I indeed would be moving out on Saturday. As I began to stroll the hallway, however, I realized that the black type hovering just above the mountain's peak didn't resemble the characters of Paige Doster after all. Nope this plate was not made for me, but for "Nicole" someoneorother. There it is. The writing's on the door, and it's almost time to go.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Moving Day Dress
Can you tell where my mind is today? I won't be moving for another week but I am anxious to have everything packed up and ready to go. As a result, Apartment 303 is looking pretty bare these days. Studying is not going quite as planned - my "work 50 minutes break for 10" plan has reversed itself and it turns out working in 10 minute chunks does not a final paper make. Earlier I went to vigorously shake a nearly-full bottle of soy milk only to discover I hadn't closed the cap first. So I'm off to delay my scholarly productivity even longer and clean drying white puddles from the floor, the counter, the stove-top, the cabinet doors, the fridge, my shirt, my hair...
Friday, August 7, 2009
Finals Week
Hello everyone! Blog posts may become a bit sporadic this week as it is my last week of school - ever! Final papers, presentations, studying, and packing have sucked up every last bit of free time I once had. I hope to get fresh content up shortly - but in the mean time why not have something pretty to look at? Enjoy these photos - taken by yours truly - from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sites Worth Surfing
This week I added a few new websites to my bookmarks and thought you might find some of them helpful too. Happy surfing!
Perfect for: Getting some background information about Mediterranean or Asian cuisines and finding good stater recipes to get your feet wet.
Mint
Click here to visit the site
Perfect for: Tracking your entire financial portfolio on one, easy to use web interface. Setting budgets and sticking to them.
Why it made the cut: As I prepare for life P.C. (post college) I have been trying to track my spending, savings, credit, and loans more closely. This is especially important for me since I do not have a job yet and need to move my money wisely to be sure I can cover my expenses. It can get tricky to do, however, when you consider that my savings, checking, Roth IRA, loan, and credit card information are all contained on separate websites with different companies. So how's a girl supposed to track each and every transaction and financial goal at once? Mint.com! Essentially, Mint will pull all of your updated financial account information (everything from mortgages to basic checking accounts) into one place. For example, on Mint I have monthly budgets for groceries, gas, and other major expenses which are automatically updated for me each time I spend money at Safeway or Conoco. The site lets me know by email if I'm getting close to my predetermined budget for a particular item. It also provides me with graphs, charts, and other visuals of my debt to cash ratios, where I spend my money, monthly expense comparisons, and more. Ready to get started? Click here to visit a great article by finance buff Eric of personal finance blog Narrow Bridge Adventures about getting started on Mint.
Etsy
Click Here to visit the site
Perfect for: Finding the perfect homemade gift for a deserving recipient (yes, you can be a deserving recipient yourself!). Discovering some crafting inspiration.
Why it made the cut: Especially in today's economy, I like to know that I'm voting for a better future with each dollar that I spend. To me, this means supporting creative artisans who produce quality products that are built to last (not obsolete themselves or break just after the warranty runs out). Etsy is the perfect place to find such people. Think of this website as a digital crafts fair where you can quickly search through thousands of artisans and products to find just the right miniature narwhal crochet pattern or squid themed greeting cards. You can even search artisans by location to support those in your own neighborhood. Take a look at some of the best Etsy finds on the Editors' Picks page.
Perfect for: Getting some background information about Mediterranean or Asian cuisines and finding good stater recipes to get your feet wet.
Why it made the cut: Lately I've been craving the foods I had while studying in Greece - fresh horiatiki (Greek salad), crusty pastry breads, pure olive oil from the laiki, and those savory fava bean dishes. So as I searched the web for fava bean recipes to experiment with I came across the MediterrAsian website. Chock full of healthful Mediterranean and Asian recipes as well as nutritional and lifestyle information, this site had just what I was looking for. I especially like this page where you can learn about what distinguishes many of the featured cuisines (Thai versus Indonesian?).
BeliefNet
Click here to visit the site
Perfect for: Researching that newfangled church your neighbor just joined - or more generally, learning about the endless spectrum of belief systems, faiths, and inspiration sources that people embody all over the world (we're not just talking a few standard religions here folks).
Why it made the cut: This page has actually been bookmarked for a while, ever since my friend Michael introduced me to it. What got me hooked on the site initially is the Belief-O-Matic, a 20 question quiz that tells you what faiths your beliefs most accurately align with. It may sound kind of silly at first, but the quiz is very comprehensive and customizable and is a great way to learn about some new belief systems you may have never learned about otherwise. Click here to go straight to the quiz - I promise it is a great way to reflect on your own beliefs and grow in the process.
Click here to visit the site
Perfect for: Researching that newfangled church your neighbor just joined - or more generally, learning about the endless spectrum of belief systems, faiths, and inspiration sources that people embody all over the world (we're not just talking a few standard religions here folks).
Why it made the cut: This page has actually been bookmarked for a while, ever since my friend Michael introduced me to it. What got me hooked on the site initially is the Belief-O-Matic, a 20 question quiz that tells you what faiths your beliefs most accurately align with. It may sound kind of silly at first, but the quiz is very comprehensive and customizable and is a great way to learn about some new belief systems you may have never learned about otherwise. Click here to go straight to the quiz - I promise it is a great way to reflect on your own beliefs and grow in the process.
Mint Click here to visit the site
Perfect for: Tracking your entire financial portfolio on one, easy to use web interface. Setting budgets and sticking to them.
Why it made the cut: As I prepare for life P.C. (post college) I have been trying to track my spending, savings, credit, and loans more closely. This is especially important for me since I do not have a job yet and need to move my money wisely to be sure I can cover my expenses. It can get tricky to do, however, when you consider that my savings, checking, Roth IRA, loan, and credit card information are all contained on separate websites with different companies. So how's a girl supposed to track each and every transaction and financial goal at once? Mint.com! Essentially, Mint will pull all of your updated financial account information (everything from mortgages to basic checking accounts) into one place. For example, on Mint I have monthly budgets for groceries, gas, and other major expenses which are automatically updated for me each time I spend money at Safeway or Conoco. The site lets me know by email if I'm getting close to my predetermined budget for a particular item. It also provides me with graphs, charts, and other visuals of my debt to cash ratios, where I spend my money, monthly expense comparisons, and more. Ready to get started? Click here to visit a great article by finance buff Eric of personal finance blog Narrow Bridge Adventures about getting started on Mint.
EtsyClick Here to visit the site
Perfect for: Finding the perfect homemade gift for a deserving recipient (yes, you can be a deserving recipient yourself!). Discovering some crafting inspiration.
Why it made the cut: Especially in today's economy, I like to know that I'm voting for a better future with each dollar that I spend. To me, this means supporting creative artisans who produce quality products that are built to last (not obsolete themselves or break just after the warranty runs out). Etsy is the perfect place to find such people. Think of this website as a digital crafts fair where you can quickly search through thousands of artisans and products to find just the right miniature narwhal crochet pattern or squid themed greeting cards. You can even search artisans by location to support those in your own neighborhood. Take a look at some of the best Etsy finds on the Editors' Picks page.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Man on Wire
After Man on Wire won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature earlier this year, I added it to my must see list wondering how a film about a single, hour-long event could be made into a worthwhile feature length film. Well, last week I finally watched the flick and... wow! The way director James Marsh blends historical footage, present-day interviews, and accurate reenactments of tightrope walker Philippe Petit's 1974 NYC Trade Towers stunt is compelling and awe inspiring. The telling of the story is so well done and doesn't follow a chronologically linear time-line, building anticipation throughout the entire 1 hour and 42 minutes. What really made the film for me is the ensnaring story-telling ability of the movie's star, Philippe Petit, whose french accent just added to his eccentricity. On the surface, Philippe's stunt may seem like the product of a crazy young man looking for attention. That may be true, but the film has a way of drawing the viewer into Philippe's dream world where beauty prevails and the seemingly impossible is the only challenge worth facing. If you're a documentary buff, if you're looking for a truly unique film to escape daily malaise, or if you're watching sitcom re-runs - you have got to check out this movie. Find more information about Man on Wire (2008) here, and click the play button below for the official trailer.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Lazy Sunday: Evening Grilling
It has been a 90 degree day in Denver, and apartment 303's clocking in at a rather cozy (ok, stifling) 81 degrees. The thought of turning on the oven is enough to make my toes sweat, so a no-cook dinner is in the works. If I had a grill, though, it would be the perfect evening to fire up some fresh vegetable kabobs and delicious Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage grain sausages (soy free and vegan, because the best grilling is done without cruelty) to accompany a crunchy iceburg salad. Perhaps some watermelon for dessert? Yes please. Dinner would naturally be followed by serious hammock lounging (1 hour minimum) and reading on the porch by candlelight. Ah...
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