Bigger Things

Ever feel like you're a big fish in a small pond? A small fish in a big pond, perhaps?

(It's okay to feel both.)

Life is extremely interesting because you never know where it's going to take you.

More than ever I feel like I'm at a crossroads, and am ready for where life will take me next. I'm anxious for the next step.

Do you embrace these changes, or do they terrify you? Sometimes people embrace change, and sometimes people resist it. Which category do you fall under?

Auto Trading: Let's Talk Cars

When do you decide that it's time to buy a new car? In my opinion there are two trains of thought: (1) get a new car every few years or (2) get a reliable car that you can drive until it dies. I tend to lean towards the latter.

I have this strange attachment to inanimate objects: my car is my baby. When I turned 16, my dad graced me with a gently used steel blue BMW 325i that I have treated like my own child ever since I got it. Recently, we had a scare and my coolant tank exploded - but I sucked it up and paid the bill, resisting to trade her in for a newer model.

Now here's the dilemma: the BMW is the ultimate driving machine (they don't lie when they say that). With my salary, there is no way that I'll be able to afford another BMW, so I'm thinking maybe a cute little Prius C (with a sunroof) or a Civic Hybrid since gas mileage will have to be the kicker that pushes me to make this decision. However, despite the mileage, these cars do not have the love and affection and years of maintenance that my first car has... but I am getting older and it may be time to bite the bullet... but do I have to?

So here's where I'm stuck: since my car is 10 years old and running on over 100,000 miles, do I stick with it until it dies? Or do I trade it in while it still is worth enough for a car payment on a new car? I'm leaning towards keeping it around for another year (or two) because I love it, and I love the way it drives. But the allure of a new (gas-efficient) car is tempting. What would you do?

{Her name is Betty - oddly I named her before Betty Draper came into our lives}

Flashback: Celebrating Mother's Day Two Decades Ago

{At the petting zoo, 1990}

This weekend we celebrated Mother's Day. While I was unsure if I could visit the family down in San Diego for this holiday, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to go down for brunch with my mom and my grandma. We enjoyed quiche and Bloody Marys mixed with great conversation and the occasional quip or dirty joke made by my grandma.

Here are some old photos of my mom and I (and of my younger sister). It's always fun to reminisce on the past and look at how much we've all changed throughout the years.

{The day my younger sister was born, 10-Sept 1991}

{Belle and the tooth fairy (?) for Halloween, 1992}

{Easter egg hunting, bonnet and matching outfits included, 1993}

Whiskey Business

{Whiskey business}

Let's face it: the college years are behind me and it's time to focus on grown up drinks (not Tang concentrate mixed with well liquor or shots of tequila from a sketchy plastic bottle chased with lemons stolen from the dining hall). I've recently shared my love for the classic martini (gin only, amateurs), but overall I really have grown an appreciation and a taste for whiskey - Irish whiskey, Canadian whiskey, Kentucky bourbon, Tennessee bourbon, Scotch... you name it.

So here's the rub - whiskey isn't necessarily the most "lady-like" drink. Yeah it will raise a few eyebrows, turn a few heads, and give you a few "guy points" when you order it at the bar instead of the standard Grey Goose and tonic, but how can you make this scrumptious liquor more suited for the our gender?

Robin from How I Met Your Mother drinks scotch (which makes her incredibly bad-ass) and Don Draper drinks whiskey (Old-Fashioneds to be exact). Since two of the coolest television characters ever drink whiskey, we, as the social feminine breed we are, need to find drinks that are acceptable - whiskeptable.

From my experience the standard Jameson and soda with a wedge of lemon is pretty awesome (more awesome if you order some obscure whiskey on the rocks or straight). I also have experienced the eye-roll from the bartender when ordering a whiskey tonic (so what if it kills the flavor of the whiskey? I feel like it tastes like cranberry juice!). Bourbon and diet coke is also a good one... mix it up. Whiskey goes well in sweet, sour, etc. And if you cough up a little extra cash to avoid the well whiskeys, it won't even have a bite - trust me... Unless you want it to?

{Real men (and women) drink whiskey}

{I even heard it cures cancer - conspiracy.}

Slutty Brownies

{Slutty brownies and Essie "As gold as it gets"}

I know. I know... The title of this post sounds like a horrible frat party... but bare with me.

Two things: (1) I am starting to be able to drink martinis like water - delicious olive water. This may or may not be good. (2) I forgot how much I love Oreos (sometimes with peanut butter, like LiLo in The Parent Trap)... but I digress.

This weekend in lieu of a cake for my Dad's 55th birthday, my sister (our little baker) decided to make "Slutty Brownies." This is how it works in our family in terms of preparing holiday meals: I am a competent baker and she is a more-than-competent cook, but she is definitely the baker extraordinaire in terms of creativity while I like to "wing it" with savory dishes. Together, we'd make a perfect team on Top Chef... or Chopped... or The Next Food Network Star... but I digress, again.

Funny side note: my dad used to get my sister and I to drink our milk by feeding us cookies. So cool but it's amazing neither of us is obese.

Here's why these brownies are slutty (according to my soon-to-be-21-year-old sister): they're super easy to make, and you can shove a lot of stuff in them. Appropriate for our father's birthday? Absolutely. Here's how you make them:

Give a Hand to Wild Life (a favorite from the archives)

{Give a Hand to Wild Life}

Have you ever seen this ad? This morning I was browsing twitter and saw this link that listed ideas that changed graphic design. I scrolled through the article and was reminded of one of my favorite PSAs of all time - the World Wildlife Fund's "Give a Hand to Wile Life" campaign (2008) by Saatchi & Saatchi Simko agency in Geneva.

Body painter Guido Daniele transformed hands into recognizable animals playing into the literal and figurative meaning of the slogan. This ad campaign hits extremely close to home not only because I am obsessed with tigers, but also because it hits the perfect balance between artistry and sentiment. There are so many animals from our lifetime that will not exist to see another generation (I mean, we already lost the black rhino).

What are your favorite ad campaigns of all time? The best ones are the campaigns that don't even make you realize that it's an ad campaign (like this one).