March Madness

Something that many people don't know about me is that I love College Basketball. Specifically, regional tournaments and the NCAA tournament. This may come as a surprise to people, seeing as I normally do not follow athletics. There are several factors that have contributed to my march madness.

I grew up in the triangle (click the link for more information) which means that I was nestled between Duke, UNC, NC State, and fairly close to Wake Forest. In other words, people are crazy about college basketball there. I definitely remember the ACC tournament being on in the background of classes when I was in middle school and there was more than one occasion where bracketology was part of a class (just a note: you didn't get graded on how well you predicted the outcome).

So I was basically surrounded by college basketball fanatics. There was one problem: I didn't feel particularly connected to any team. I had been told from birth that Duke was, as the mascot implies, the devil and that UNC was equally beastly. My father actually emailed me a Basketball Manifesto my freshman year of college explaining the ABD and ABC policies of our family (anyone but Duke/anyone but Carolina). My parents got their MBA's from Wake Forest so they are Demon Deacon fans, but I felt a disconnect with the team (especially after I went to NCSA and had to witness the douchebags that went there prancing around Winston-Salem). NC State would have been an ok choice, but I had no connection with State other than being from Raleigh.
Then I went to college and my wishes were finally fulfilled. I was finally able to cheer for a non-ACC team! Imagine my glee in 2005 when we beat Duke in the Sweet Sixteen! Oh it was glorious! Shortly afterwards we lost to Carolina in the Final Four though, which resulted in me receiving several gloating voicemails from Carolina fans.

Needless to say, our recent advance to the Elite Eight has made me very happy!

Ear Training Disasters

In Theory Ped. tonight I was supposed to do a teaching demonstration with a melody from the Berkowitz. However, I had chosen the same melody as someone else in the class so at the last second I picked a random example and decided to teach it instead- with no preparation. The result equals hilarity.


Highlights
Opening = Taggart reference
4:30 Hand motion extravaganza
5:35 More hand motions
8:13 I seem totally drunk (Especially at 8:33)
12:58 Cheerful reaches its peak- someone says holla- people are full of glee.

My Bed

I started writing this post two days ago, but I was very sick and ended up passing out before I could finish it. I think that this story makes my argument even more valid.

My bed is amazing. Behold its wonder, BEHOLD IT!

Note the decorative pillows, the bedskirt, and the splendor. This is actually an outdated picture of my bed. It currently has a fluffy down comforter perched on the end and a matching window treatment. I decided that it wasn't worth it to take another picture.

There are many reasons that my bed is awesome, most of which can be put into three categories: thrift, comfort, and elegance.

1. Thrift.

My parents gave me the bed frame and then I bought my mattress and box spring off of Craig's list. Some might find this sketchy, but the lady I bought it from was very NOT sketchy so I am pretty pleased with the purchase. Furthermore, between sales/clearance/Belk discount/Belk bucks I ended up saving $600.00 on my bedding/decorative pillows!

2. Comfort.

One of the benefits of having extremely nice bedding is that it is incredibly soft. I also have some sort of mattress pad that has something special going on. Anyone who has slept in my bed (which is quite a few people thanks to my many visitors- I just realized that could be interpreted incorrectly but I meant FRIENDS- no that still sounds weird... well whatever) agrees that it is quite comfortable. Sometimes I just relax and clear my head on my bed. Or watch a movie, propped up on the pillows. It's probably the most comfortable place in my apartment.

3. Elegance.

I have a golden bedskirt. I think that pretty much sums it up. (Plus this ended up being a really long post so I wanted to wrap it up.)

In sum, my bed = awesome.

New York Metro Transit Authority

The New York MTA and I have a very dark past... but I will get to that later. You see, when I say that I like them I mean that I actually don't like them at all. In fact, I think they can be downright silly sometimes; to my chagrin, today was indeed one of those times.

I had a 12:30 flight out of Laguardia so the Lorax decided to leave Lexi's apartment at 8:30am and get some diner breakfast before taking the train to the bus to the airport. Being the responsible young adult that she is, Lexi checked to see what trains would be running this morning and we learned that our pre-determined route was out of commision because of construction.

The next day we arrived at 42nd street feeling confident and full of delicious diner food only to find that our alternate route had been shut down for the day because of a police investigation. It was noteably only shut down between 42nd street and Queensboro (the stop where we were to the stop we were going to). Needless to say we were starting to get antsy.

So we hopped on another train but as the doors were closing we heard an announcement that said: "If you are going to Laguardia airport take this train and transfer to Queensboro via the Q8 bus." This would have been helpful if we knew which stop had this transfer. We continued to travel farther into the depths of Queens, and further from the Queensboro stop when Lexi finally just said, "Maybe you should just take a cab."

This was a good idea since over an hour had passed and we had no idea what was going on. So I emerged from the Subway to find that we were in an area of Queens with very few taxis. Another issue was that I didn't have ANY cash because I didn't think I needed any because I wasn't taking a cab.

Needless to say, a middle aged woman stopped and I thought I was home free because she had a touch-screen swipe thing for credit cards. However, I quickly found out that her COMPUTER WAS DOWN!! AHHHHH! She suggested that we stop at an ATM, I got cash and I thought that my troubles were over.

Note how I said THOUGHT. Once the payment questions were handled the true awkwardness began. The driver told me that I was her first ride, ever. I obviously looked surprised and she said "Just kidding, I have been doing this for fifteen years." Which if left alone would stand as an awkward but acceptable joke. However, she kept going...."Ever since my husband died and left me to support three kids under the age of five I have been a cab driver. Now the oldest is 19 and the youngest is 15... Life is hard in the city, it's no place to raise kids... I pay $1,700 a month for rent...I still share a room with my 15 year old child..." etc. And then it got MORE AWKWARD.

She looked me over in the rear-view mirror and said, "You look nice..." slightly awkward to get these comments from a cab driver when you are alone with them..."...it must be nice to be skinny. I am going to get gastric bypass surgery next month and maybe I will look like you someday... My kids tell me that if I am not fat anymore people won't get up and let me sit down on the subway (laughs). My 15 year old child who I share a room with doesn't want me to do it because she says that my stomach feels like a teddy bear..."

I ended up getting to the airport in one piece albeit slightly weirded out. I did give her an excellent tip though...

Next post: The story of my dark, dark past with the NYC MTA (hint: It envolves the popo, China town, and the A Train)

Soft swirls of chilly bliss...

... with distinctive pouty peaks...

Pinkberry is officially my new obsession. It is so delicious, so incredibly satisfying AND you can put cereal on it! Yogurt + cereal = all the foods I regularly buy. Therefore by this equation pinkberry = ideal lfd food.

I had original with fruity pebbles yesterday and green tea with capt'n crunch (I am not sure where to put the apostrophe in his name- but why is it necessary? are we incapable as a society to write out captain anymore? on that note why the hell is mountain dew now mt. dew? blasphemy!!) That certainly was a long parenthetical clause.

Anyways, pinkberry is fabulously frozen, tastily tangy, and surprisingly not that bad for your health. Also, the decor of the stores usually includes some sort of fun lamps.

Check out those inviting glowing orbs! So mesmerizing with their frothy swirls. Here is a closeup:

Now doesn't that make you want to eat frozen treats? It certainly makes me want to. Luckily there are several pinkberry or pinkberry subsitutes (red mango, flirt, daydream, yolato, and my favorite- berrywild) on every block in NYC. This may pose a problem when I return to Michigan. But until then- get your yogurt on!

being pregnant...continued.

Last night I was wearing this dress:As you can see it is tight in the boob area and then kind of poofs out. No big deal right? Well apparently it is a big deal. Last night when we were on the dance floor a guy came up to me and asked me what my name was. It was the sort of situation where I didn't know if I even wanted this dude to know my real name but I said Laura. Then he asked me when I was due. I responded by waving my beer in his face. Then he proceeded to recover by telling me that I was fucking hott and it was ok that I had a little something extra because there was more to love, and then he offered me weed. I told him I was incredibly insulted by his presence and that he should immediately leave me alone. Now that I am reflecting on the situation, I don't really know what to think. Do I look pregnant? Do I look like someone who would be at a bar drinking a beer while pregnant? And on top of that buying weed from a stranger at a bar where I am allegidly pregnant and drinking? So many questions, but no good answers. We ended up going to another bar where a beer somehow appeared amoungst our beers. We decided it probably had roofies in it and I poured it into a potted plant. I roofied a plant last night and I'm not sorry!

being pregnant...

...not really. However, seveal events of this eve have seriously disturbed me. I had pinkberry for the first time this afternoon and it was not disturbing at all. I had the original flavor with almonds and crunchberries. It was enjoyable. Then later Lexi and I went to this delicious asian food place with cheap pints of mixed drinks. That is where the problems began. We had dinner and multiple drinks, and Charlotte her roomate joined us and then we moved on to a place called beauty bar.

Beauty bar was a special place. I returned from the bathroom to find that lexi had bought me a beer already, which was nice but not entirely necessary. then were was a dance off which I really wanted to participate in but then i didn't. I told lexi that i had to get into a dance off tomorrow night. we will see where that leads. then we decided to dance and this guy came up to me and things started to get really weird. however, I would rather explain things tomorrow.

the lorax

Although the Dr. Seuss book by the same name is rather nice, I am referring to the union of lor(laura) and ax(alex). The name was awkwardly given to us by a friends parents. We try to not remember this part but it is important to trace the etymology of these phrases so I said it and I'm not apologizing!

People often ask us how we know each other, but that is far too long of a story for this blog. The important part is that the summer between freshman and sophomore years of college we lived completely out of control lives. So much so that it is a miracle that neither one of us got arrested/killed at any point.At first glance this seems like a nice picture. Then you notice the details. Burberry flask, check. BCBG cocktail dresses, check. Tomfoolery about to insue, check. This was actually the first time that we hung out with our dear friend Alex, who later introduced us to Murr, which is another story. (that gets into loraxmurrderrerr territoire)

In sum, the Lorax is all about family values. Like spitting out water from the Old Well on UNC's campus, getting awkwardly nice presents from mutual friends, wearing Juicy velour tracksuits in public, champong, shopping for 15 hours straight, wearing bcbg clothing, and throwing parties that people leave to go to the emergency room after getting sliced with a katana.
You can't tell from his silly grin, but the kid holding his hands together is desperately trying to stop the bleeding of a katana wound. He ended up getting a handful of stitches (no pun intended).

Edit: I realize that this post doesn't really do the lorax justice, so I will have to periodically ad entries that address different stories. I am off to NYC now to be reunited with ax.

BLING BLING

(from Urban Dictionary)	bling bling
	n. synonym for expensive, often flashy jewelry sported mostly by African American hip-hop artists and middle class Caucasian adolescents. v. to "bling-bling;" the act of sporting jewelry of a highly extravagant gaudy nature. n. "Man, I gots tha bling-bling, yo." v. "Damn Johnny, you sure be bling-blinging it tonight!"

Behold the power of my new watch. A watch only worthy of a rappers wife! Donna Karan knows how to bling it out, swarovski style!

My interest in all things bling-related began in middle school. One of my classmates wrote a short story for our advanced english class called "Bling Bling" and I remember thinking "Man, that guy is so much cooler than me, because I wrote a real story instead of just making up a funny title and modeling the story around that." While I cannot remember the plot of "Bling Bling," I knew that there was something special about those words. This was the same year that a girl in my class named Jamecia taught me that the word ice also meant diamonds.

Nowadays I like anything that involves crystals, sparkles, shiny fabric, or is otherwise bejeweled.

Being Middle Aged

Contrary to popular belief, I am actually a middle-aged woman. My middle-aged tendencies began several years ago when the Lorax grew fond of looking at real estate in its spare time. Things have escalated in more recent years. Most notably, my growing affinity for the clothing at Anne Taylor.

This top was one of my purchases today at the Anne Taylor in Cameron Village. I couldn't stop myself!

In addition, I love blinged-out watches and today mine broke!! NOOOO!!!! I was shopping in Anne Taylor (thus the post above) and the faceplate flew off. The sales woman found it for me, but at that point I didn't want it due to my extreme embarrasment. Thanks a lot New York & Co. I knew that this would eventually happen, but things had been going so well. Oh well this just means that tomorrow I can buy a new watch!

Sharing Medical Experiences

This is a bizarre post. However, I believe it is necessary. So last night my dear friend, lovingly referred to as Murr, sent Lexi a text explaining that he was in the emergency room with a potentially broken ankle. It should be noted that Murr was supposed to meet the Lorax in New York for a weekend of mayhem. In spite of my concern for Murr's well being, I couldn't get over the fact that I was going to the orthopedist the next day and Lexi had an ortho appointment as well. The idea of the three of us going to the orthopedist at the same time in three different places struck me as rather humorous- however unfortunate. Well it turns out that Lexi's appointment isn't until NEXT Tuesday, which kind of ruined my idea but it made me think- I really do seem to delight in the sharing of medical experiences.

For example, two (or three) summers ago both of the Lorax members made trips to the emergency room in close time proximity to each other. Also, two (or one) summers ago the Lorax was prescribed percocet (exhibit 1 above). Speaking of prescription painkillers, the doctors only gave Murr ibuprofen! Jerks!
These shared medical experiences provided future laughs, regardless of how NOT funny there were when the events actually happened. I think anything that provides future laughs is ok in my book, unless it is one of those things that you can't laugh about until many many years later and still feel uncomfortable about... not that I have any of those stories...

No thank YOU bergamot orange...

...because oil made from your rind is the source of the distinctive flavor (or should I say flavour) of Earl Grey tea. Earl Grey is pretty much the most superior of all teas.

When I had tea at the Willard over break I enjoyed their special blend of Earl Grey:

Mmmmm delicious place settings... yes that is a chocolate sleigh if you were wondering.

Since British things have been pleasing me lately, it is rather fitting that I booked my flight to Paris last night with British Airways. I ended up getting a pretty good price but there is little time to think about that since now I have to find a place to stay. Although looking for apartments in Paris is a hell of a lot easier than looking for places to stay in Guadeloupe, they seem to be either EXTREMELY expensive or EXTREMELY small. I am going to keep looking though and hope for the best. I have decided that the best Arrondissement to live in would be either the 5th or 6th (the 5th being the Latin Quarter), so that is exciting. Back to the apartment search!

On the front of music

I have been listening to a lot of music lately that I have really liked. This is in part because of Pandora, which is absolutely amazing; however, in my music since WWII grad section we decided it wasn't marketed to be a legit music research tool (pairing Boulez, Berio, and Babbitt in the same radio station- heaven forbid!!!).

I have been really digging Kanye West lately. I know that this seems like old news because I have always liked Mr. West's musical stylings, but my appreciation has risen to the next level as of late. Particularly his new album 808s and Heartbreaks and his song "Flashing Lights" from Graduation. I guess I have been on an electronic kick.

Video for Heartless:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWzlD7Lc6w8&NR=1

Video for Flashing Lights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEccxPPwXmI

Online radio is amazing in my opinion. I have also been enjoying Guadeloupean Radio, where I heard a song called "La Baraque d'Obama."

Shoes!

This is my attempt at making a blog. I wanted to make a blog of things that I like, which would clearly include the fruit of my shoe binge today. However, I was unable to ge
t images for all but two of the pairs I purchased today.Cole Haan flats- ever so soft leather!

Juicy Couture sandals. Mine are pink and the bottom is gold and says "Smells like Couture"