Awww

I realize I am a bit late on getting the scoop on this story as about 10million people have already viewed the video on youtube. The video, of course, is of Cristian the lion. A lion purchased as a pet, set free, and then gloriously reunited with his owners. I wanted to include the video but I can't because youtube is blocked (and I don't know how to put videos into posts). The video's heartwarming qualities should have been mitigated by the Whitney Houston soundtrack that plays...but they were not. at all. In fact, I seemed to really let the water works flow, in step, with that crackhead's crescendo. and IIIIIIIIIIIIII ey I will always love youuuuuuuuuuuu.

I was really touched and happy, then enter my ever sympathetic roommate who approaches the scene, sees me crying and then begins cackling wildly (as he is known to do) and proclaiming the video a fraud. I now have proof that Roommate's heart is black and shriveled. This story and video are amazing.

I have long worried because I just do not think babies are as cute as animals and this video did nothing to assuage those worries. mannnn, do I want a lion.

Mad Men and Mad Cool

Unaware that the series is available On Demand, I filled up my Netflix queue with the first season of the AMC series Mad Men. Even if you had never heard of or seen this show in the last year, you have undoubtedly been hit with the recent deluge of praise being lavished on it everywhere. The style! the characters! The accuracy! Everyone it seems thinks this show is great. I hate missing out on stuff like that, so with no delay, I started watching last night. I made it through the first two episodes (which right there says a lot) and it is good. Not glued to the television like The Wire good, but still really good.

The overt sexism, racism, anti-semitism, adultery, smoking, and day drinking make it a real pleasure to watch. The working world before PC entered the lexicon and HR manuals everywhere. I can't claim to love going to work everyday but at least sexist comments are, for the most part, made behind closed doors.

In my continuing quest to discover emerging blog talent I bring to you If You Got It, Flaunt It
very smart and funny, and the author throws around words like "mad" and "hype" which I really like and would do on this blog if I wouldn't seem like a supreme d-bag for doing so. The blogger also knows how to do cool techie stuff like putting captions under pictures and placing pictures in locations other than the top let hand corner. It's pretty dope.

Go Fish

Today's post comes at the suggestion of a faithful blog reader from Colorado. I am struggling here for a segue into this topic....As if it wasn't uncomfortable enough having non-english speakers spend an hour handling your feet during a pedicure the awkward and frankly strange factor appears to have increased dramatically.

The picture shows a fish pedicure being offered in the DC metro area (kitten, were you aware of this)??. The deal is you plunge your tootsies into the foot bath as normal except, in this instance, it is filled with tons of little carp fish that nibble at your toes and soles, snacking on your dead, rough, callused skin. totally f-ing disgusting. They say this has been done as an alternative because the razors once used for this purpose are now considered un-hygienic by many health boards. I remain skeptical that this is a better alternative! PETA should stop whining about my eating meat and rally around putting an end to this inhumane fish slave labor!

Springrolls Are for Suckas

My culinary reputation suffered a major setback last night. I attempted to make a healthy version of the spring rolls offered by a neighborhood bar...with little success. They were pretty repulsive to look at and did not taste much better. They came up short in the categories of form (totally unappealing), function (gaping holes on the bottom causing contents to cascade out when picked up), and taste (ick). I view this as a lesson better learned in close company than in front of my live studio audience (seats still available, by the way, for the first taping).

In any event, the foulness of my dinner became a distant memory when I checked out this site: www.puslovers.com totally and unbelievably foul. There must be a real sick-o behind this pus-fest.

I'm Back

After a week of sun soaked activities I am BACK!!! (sigh). The shore was great and I was able to darken my skin color by a few shades while my roommate conquered the mighty waves of the atlantic in a kayak. A week of beach, swimming, tennis, reading, and ice cream achieved its goal of fun and relaxation.

A note about the reading part: instead of reading Not Well Advised for school I read The Sex Lives of Cannibals which was far more entertaining albeit slightly less helpful in writing this week's assignment for class. I think travel writing could be my new calling so stay tuned for the carly-pumpkin world tour.

Upon my return from the land of sun and sea breezes I found myself back in may apartment with plenty of the former and NONE of the latter. Our AC is really not up to the task of keeping our place cool when the temperature is 8,000 degrees. So I spent the day as motionless as possible (save for the energy required to fruitlessly call Comcast to get the Tennis Channel added to our package). In the evening, my roommate and I found sweet relief inside the movie theater to watch the Dark Knight. As you know, action films are not really my thing as they tend to be awfully short on choreographed dance routines and Julia Roberts has yet to really break into the genre. The movie was also off to a bad start with a running time of about 2.5 hours. WAY over my typical attention span. At best I was hoping to not be bored. I was not bored. I was captivated, totally mesmerized by the duel for Gotham between Batman and the Joker. Followed it up with Batman Begins last night on TV.

So, that's all for now.

I'm Outta Here

A Convert

I tend to be anti-clothes for dogs. I am a recent convert to being a little-dog fan but have not gone fully to the dark side and embraced canine couture. This aversion is largely attributable to the fact that the dogs I grew up in were too big for my clothes and therefore not candidates for little shrunk down puppy outfits.

This has started to change. Of the many great finds that Target's dollar shelves have to offer (the makings of Fiesta in a Box for example), we found a truly spectacular treasure there over the weekend. A puppy parka. Parker DESPISES the rain. He sits down and refuses to budge (not much of a fight given his small stature) but mentally he is fighting all the way. For a pooch who tiptoes around puddles, he would certainly risk the pain of holding it rather than being drenched on a walk. It could be his fear of being wet or he might know that he looks more rodent than canine when wet and his vanity gets the best of him. Either way, the parka we found has a hood and a clear visor and everything. We need some velcro and bungee cords to make it stay but I know it is going to be a hit!

Then J.Crew with its crewmuts!! it's ridiculously overpriced and actually costs more than the people version, but if Parker plays his cards right he could end up with a J.Crew wardrobe to match mine. And, NO, i will not be embarrassed or ashamed that my dog wears clothes.

my day off: kitten, meat, and weeds

I'm back. I took the day off yesterday for various reasons, one of which was to rest and under my strict definition of the Sabbath that meant no blog either.

My kitten paid a visit during a stop-over of her old-time rail tour of the keystone state. We went to Lolita and dined from a fixed price menu titled simply: meat. meat. meat. (moo). Delish! We washed it all down with blood orange margaritas. My roommate was there too and he seemed to enjoy the meat but his alcohol-free watermelon margarita almost surely put him off drinking for another 28 years. He actually said the taste of that made him lose respect for all drinkers. harsh, I think.

The evening was followed by a nice day at the pool (i was shocked that I was not the only one there...who are these peeps who get to hang poolside on a tuesday? and what do i need to do to get in that club?) and a dinner prepared using ingredients from my organic vegetable subscription. One of the goals of getting this subscription was to cook and eat new vegetables (you don't get to pick what is in your shipments). Well, this week that meant dandelion. Yes, the weeds that grow in gardens. I followed the cooking directions I found on the internets and the taste was what I imagine poison tastes like. After prolonged gagging with the offending weeds in my mouth i finally made my way to the sink to spit them out and start the painful process of forgetting it ever happened. Those dirty hippies must be REAL high to eat those things.

In other news, I am not even finished the article yet but already this is one of the most disturbing things i have ever read.

I Can't Believe I Did It.

I cheered Rafael Nadal all the way to a Wimbledon Victory. It took me nearly 7 hours but I did it. My throat was hoarse and my head hurt from the sound of my own shrieking voice, but he won and it was all worth it. I screamed "vamos" and threw fist pumps in the living room more times than I am comfortable admitting. My roommate even helped out with shouts of "bailamos" or "let's dance".

Reading the papers this morning people have called the greatest match in Wimbledon history, a classic. For me it was just magic, watching that little monkey scurry, leap, swing, and scream for 5 hours across that court.

Normally, I always feel badly for the losing team, to the point where it measurably detracts from my joy for the winning team. I think about how much it must stink to go home that night and how crabby and unpleasant they must be the next day. I read this quote from Federererererer "Probably my hardest loss, by far; I mean it’s not much harder than this right now...I’m disappointed, and I’m crushed...This is a disaster. Paris was nothing in comparison". I felt nothing but sheer joy that those words were coming out of RF's mouth and not Rafa's. This victory has really changed me. VAMOS!!!

God Bless America and the 4-day workweek

As soon as i put in my obligatory hours at work I will be headed for a long weekend in the country. Going for weekends in the country is like being at summer camp but with wine and better food. This weekend will be no different. My aunt and uncle will be playing host to my roommate,parker, and me as well as a rotating cast of other visitors. We are expecting my sister (her b-day too) her husband, amanda, jordan, brie and rossome...in addition to country residents (various aunts, uncles, cousins, and dogs). Many many campers to play with!!!

Already scheduled are pool time, tennis (no lynnie vs. pumpkin rematch yet...i need to be ready), fireworks, yummy yummy meals, and last but not least Cheetahrita mix-off: take 2. The cheetahrita is perhaps the worlds most delicious and satisfying blended drink. It is refreshing and sweet (in a non stomachache-inducing way) with a sizable punch. So far, this delicious libation has been issued in a very limited release and getting your hands on a glass of one typically required a trip on NJ Transit. So this weekend, with all of the experts in town, we are going to perfect the recipe and make plans for broader distribution.

Google, what??

This day is totally ending on a high note. I just checked my google analytics report (I know I usually check in the morning but I didn't think it was worth it since I hadn't posted yesterday: WRONG).

After parsing the data (I take this very seriously) I noticed a spike in the "referring sites" numbers. Meaning the number of people who have found my blog by searching for it (intentionally or not).

A while back I tried out some techie stuff and did something like "registered" my blog to be searchable on google..turns out it WORKED. unbelievable. I realize you may need a magnifying glass to see the proof, but just trust me...or google it for yourself.

A Change is Gonna Come

Here is a recap of yesterday (since there was no post from me to keep you otherwise informed).

7:30am: Alarm sounds with digital melody of "Big Poppa" from Notorious B.I.G. This actually serves as more of a reminder than a wakeup call as Parker has already sat on my head and licked my eyes at least twice at this point.

7:30am-8am: Breakfast and daily grooming

8:30am-5:00pm: Work and simulated work activities

5:30pm: Walk Parker

6:00pm: manicure

6:30pm: Whole Foods

7:00pm-7:30pm: make dinner

7:31pm-7:34pm eat dinner (I was REAL hungry)

7:35pm-10:00pm: clean apt, do laundry, look at facebook, walk Parker again

10:15ish bed.

Are you still with me? Have you died from boredom? Recounting this day is almost as boring as experiencing it. I write all of this to say: I need to kick things up a notch. Answering the question "what have you been up to lately" with a heart breakingly honest "ehh, not much" is not cool. I have a few things (trips and such) lined up for later this summer. But until then I am going to actively start trying to be more entertaining to myself (and by extension to the blog readers). I don't know that I will start base jumping, smoking crack, or walking through North Phillly on my way home, but there will be more excitement and enthusiasm in the day to day! I will not be 24 forever and so I need to carpe diem while i can!!!

suggestions welcome.