A Picture's Worth Two Weeks of Blogging...

... or perhaps I'm just too lazy to make faithful entries.

Anyways, here's a photo summary of what I've been doing the past little while.


Mom and Jade at the Rose Garden

My little cousin Jade came up from Arizona to visit for a few weeks, and we all went to Boise one day and had a playdate: shopping, eating out, visiting the Boise Rose Gardens, and riding the Tour Train.


I thought that the train would be dull, but really, I have never learned so much about Boise in one day as I did this day. They tell you all about who started the city and in which houses they lived, which trees had been standing for over 100 years, different architectural designs from different decades, etc. Pretty darn neat.


We had our 5-year high school class reunion about a week ago. We didn't really expect many people to show, since no one wants to come to a reunion unless he or she has something to show off to the former classmates, and no one was ready to show off their achievements after a mere five years. Anyway, we had a ton of fun; we ate Jello jigglers and Chex mix, chatted, and watched our senior class video. It was neat to get together with old friends (even though the majority of attendees went to NNU, and I've seen most of them fairly regularly).


And finally, our Jane Austen book club got together last night to see She Stoops to Conquer at the Shakespeare Festival. Hilarious! I enjoyed myself immensely.

My First Apartment Purchase!

Check it out! I found this great étagère on the holdeverything website for my miniature bathroom, so I will finally have something to use for storage. I feel as though I have taken my first step on a great journey. On to the microwave tables! Hi-ho Silver!

Furniture Concerns

Lately, I have taken to browsing chain stores' websites, looking for furniture to use in my new apartment. While the apartment is very nice, there is very little storage space. There is no storage in the bathroom to speak of. So, I was very excited when I got on the Target website and found a darling collection of bathroom furniture for a very reasonable price. That is, I was excited, until I read the customer reviews. While some loved their new furniture, the majority of the reviews were scathing, ranting about the poor quality of the materials and how difficult the assembly is.

So now, I am again navigating the foray between quality and price. Do I purchase cheap furniture, and make do with much-less-than-perfect quality, hoping that I will be able to afford something better in a couple years? Or, do I fork over a painful amount of money for quality furniture, that might last longer, if it survives several years of grad school trauma?

On a more cheerful note, I'm sitting here at work with a huge bouquet of flowers from Marie's garden beside me. The scent is making me a little giddy, it's so sweet and strong. I love it. I yearn for the day when I can have a little house all to myself, with a little yard that I can cover with flowers, and a little garden in back for all my vegetables. Of course, it would be ideal if this little house were on the south Italian coast, a bicycle's drive away from a wonderful university with a huge library. And a short walk from a picturesque forno, with fresh loaves of bread in the windows every morning. Ah, the future is sweet when you feel optimistic and have a beautiful bouquet of fragrant flowers sitting beside you.

A Fairly Musical Meme

1. The person who passed the baton to you.

Charming Christin

2. Total volume of music files on your computer.

Probably about a GB... -ish. Roughly 400 files.

3. The title and artist of the last CD you bought.

I've always depended on the kindness of strangers - a.k.a. I haven't bought a CD in about five years, and any new artists or genres have to be forced upon me by my friends and family and copied to my darling eMac. My last *ahem* acquisition (which I love) was YoYo Ma's Complete Bach Cello Suites, about two months ago.

4. Song playing at the moment of writing.

Utter silence at the moment, since I'm at work, but I was listening to The Grass Roots' "Midnight Confession" on the way over.

5. Five songs you have been listening to of late (or all-time favorites, or particularly personally meaningful songs.)

I have to say, I'm not a huge music listener. I listen whenever I'm driving or cooking, but usually I find music too distracting when I'm trying to read or study. When I do listen, I usually listen to oldies, classical, opera, and some bluegrass.

6. The five people to whom you will 'pass the musical baton'.

Well, there's the puzzle. Everyone I know has already received the 'musical baton'. I'm afraid it all ends here.



And while I'm posting...

I have again realized the futility of trying to brew a quality tea in a styrofoam cup. It's really not worth it. You end up wasting a perfectly good bag of tea by bringing it to such a mediocre ending. Tea should only be brewed in glass and porcelain, in my personal opinion. Tea just isn't tea otherwise.

Blockbuster Preparation

Summer has definitely arrived - the days are warm, the world it at its loveliest, and everyone feels the Nature-driven inclination to take refuge in the dark, air-conditioned bowels of a gigantic theater complex. To help you prepare for the usual summer cinematic offerings of explosions and women in bathing suits, The Film Crew offers several ways for you to get into the summer blockbuster mood. Enjoy!