A New Beginning

What can I say that hasn't already been said in the last week? Things have gotten so bad under the current administration that I vowed to move out of the country if we had to endure four more years of Republican rule. It's not even that I am so liberal that I would be upset if a Republican won- what upsets me is what the party has become. They seem to have lost focus of their core values and are more interested in doing whatever is necessary to gain power. I sincerely do hope they take this opportunity as a time of reflection to remind themselves of what is important to them and find the conviction in their beliefs that they seem to have lost along the way.

As far as the history that occurred last Tuesday, well it just tickles me pink. I feel like I just breathed a sigh of relief that I have been holding in for the last eight years. How refreshing and invigorating to have a new president, one that holds the same ideals I do. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like he genuinely has the good of the country in mind. I truly believe in him and I am so happy to be an American. I haven't been able to say that for a while.

My First Online Baby

I have always been a print designer. I took a couple of web design classes in school, but I had horrible teachers that forced me to have a bad impression of it. For the past couple of years, I have tried to pick it up here or there, knowing that it would be essential knowledge to continue in my profession. I would start reading a book, but always found an excuse and put it down. Well, the company I work for has made a huge shift towards web. We've always had multiple websites, but our focus was always primarily on direct mail, magazines, and other stuff print. So now our graphic design team and web team have merged into one and I was FORCED to learn web design. Guess what? I love it! It's so different from print, but the gratification you get from seeing your work in front of you and being able to interact with it is something I really enjoy. I even like the code part of it. So I am taking full advantage of having these knowledgeable web people around me and letting the company foot the bill on a couple of online classes. The way technology is taking over, I HAVE to know this stuff. But now I know, I WANT to learn this stuff. So without further adieu, my first online baby.

We went!

The Obama/Biden rally was a very interesting experience. I was immediately awe-struck by how organized everything was. Everyone at work was telling me I was crazy for going, that it was going to be a zoo, that I probably wasn't even going to get in. I was imaging massive crowds of people pushing their way in, knocking others to the ground in order to get a good seat. Instead, we waited barely 20 minutes before we got in. There were volunteers everywhere that couldn't have been nicer and even the people attending the rally were incredibly nice. We got our seats fairly easily and it started right on time. Joe spoke for only about 20 minutes and then Obama came on.
I know they do these things all of time, but I still have a great apreciation for all of the planning that goes into each and every last one of them. From the design to the crowd control to the media to the lighting. Running for president is a lot like running a business. You have to surround yourself with people you trust to do their job. When you think about it, the same goes to whoever ends up with the position. I'm crossing my fingers that it's Obama.

Might Get to See Some History

A while back Chris recommended we go see Obama "when he comes on tour". (Can you tell we are music people?) Well, we found out that both Obama and Biden will be right around the corner tomorrow. That's the one great thing about living in a mostly republican state- you can always count on the democrats spending alot of time here in the final days leading up to the election. The rally starts at 7:30, but the doors open at 4:30. We won't be able to make it until about 6 so I'm not sure if we will make it there in time. I found out that you can pick up "preferred entry passes" at certain libraries until 6 tonight. I don't know what they are, but I am hoping that it will give us a better opportunity of making it inside. Also, a friend gave me a tip on how to take advantage of having a baby. She suggested I bring the stroller because they always let the stroller people in first. Well, Chris is on his way to find out what these tickets mean... if anything.

Mmmm

I love that my husband bakes. I mean I LOVE it. For his birthday, he got a bunch of gift cards to Sur la Table. One of the things he got with the gift certificates was their new book, "The Art and Soul of Baking". Just this week, he has made Cappuccino Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti and Sweet Potato Biscuits.

The Biscotti are amazing. They were my pick. We started a new tradition where every week one of us picks a recipe. Last week, Chris picked Roasted Red Pepper, Basil, and Feta Muffins and today Nancy was looking over the book to choose her pick. The Sweet Potato Biscuits are good regardless of their striking resemblance to dog poop (Sorry babe, but it's true). The best part about all of this is that Chris is on a sweets strike for the month, so the sweets are mine... All MINE, I TELL YOU... muahahaha....

Kinda scared of her

I know this is totally old news by now. The VP debate was about 2 weeks ago or something, but I still thought this was pretty funny and pretty accurate. It struck me as odd that everyone was so impressed with Palin's debate. It seemed pretty void of any real information. And it really bugged me that she answered every question with whatever she wanted to talk about regardless with what was being asked. I would love to be a fly on the wall of the McCain/Palin camp these days. I wonder if he regrets picking her...

Helmets

I think I love these hats. Obviously, we have no need for them here with the warm weather, but I think kids would be more likely to suit up for the cold if the get to look a giraffe or bug. They are a little quirky, but I'm all for that. You can see them all here.

Funny Photography

This guy has some crazy photography on his flickr site. He uses his daughters as his subjects. Some are funny, some are beautiful, some are just weird, but they are all worth checking out.... sisters photography

My lovely ladies

I have never really put anything too personal on this blog. No pictures or stories. But I just had to say something about my two best friends. We had a dinner at Athena's house last night (the one in the middle) and the normal crowd was there. It's just so nice to have people in your life that know you so well and are so easy to "be" with... just "be"... I never have to worry about how I am gonna look or what I am gonna say. We are all way passed that stage. It's these laid back gatherings that make me sane. The daily grind of life can get to be a bit much sometimes so when we have these little dinner parties where we all just get together and relax, it reminds of how important it is to have fun and keep those people who mean so much to you close. I don't know what I would do without these ladies. I love you Sofia and Athena.. "your friendship means the world to me" -that one's for you Sof ;)

Political Design

The American Institute of Graphic Arts has designed 24 posters with a "vote" theme. In an effort to get more people to vote in November, they have made it possible to download the files so you can print them out and put them up in your offices, stores, schools, etc... Check it out here

David is coming

I was so excited when I saw that David Sedaris was coming to Miami in October. Nancy, Chris, and I went to see him about 5 years ago and he was sooo funny. I haven't had the chance to read his last book, but that only makes me want to see him more. Maybe he will read from it and it will be like hearing it for the first time.... because I would.... be hearing it for the first time. So I went online to find out how much the tickets would be and I was sorely disappointed. The nosebleeds were $45 before taxes and astronomical fees. And then you had to pay an additional $15 to reserve parking. I know it probably wasn't any cheaper the last time we went, but the last time we went we didn't have a baby or a budget. Those two circumstances make a big difference when things like this come around. So it seems like I will just have to read the book myself or maybe I will get the audio book and close my eyes and imagine that he was standing on a stage in front of me.

He hoped she wouldn't noice

Nothingbutnets.net

The founder of www.nothingbutnets.net appeared on the Colbert Report last night and talked about how little it takes to prevent families in Africa from getting malaria. All they need to dramatically reduce the risk of malaria is a mosquito net- that's it. I had heard of this in the past, but never knew of a tangible way that I could make a contribution.

The entire process of purchasing and distributing insecticide-treated bed nets to children under the age of five, as well as providing education and follow-up surveying on their use, is accomplished at the cost of just $10 per bed net. Studies show that use of insecticide-treated bed nets can reduce transmission as much as 90% in areas with high coverage rates. Bed nets prevent malaria transmission by creating a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when the vast majority of transmissions occur.

Can you believe that? How often do we hear about the awful conditions in third world countries just to shrug it off because there is nothing we can do to help. I don't want to to start sounding like Sally Struthers or anything so I will stop here. But just think how little $10 is to you and how much it could mean to someone else... that's all I am gonna say about that.... www.nothingbutnets.net...

For those of you who missed it.

Tina Fey is one of my most favorite people in the world. She did a special cameo for the opening of the season premiere of SNL as Sarah Palin and it was scary to see how much they look alike. Barack Obama was supposed to be in this sketch too, but canceled because he thought it would be inapproriate to do while Ike was going on. Honestly, I love you Mr Obama but I can't see how this sketch could have possibly been any funnier. Nancy and I were laughing so hard we woke Liam up from his nap.

New iPod Touch

The new iPod Touch was released yesterday. It is a sleeker design, has built in speakers, and a longer battery life. While I love everything apple, this information would not usually warrant a blog post. Except to say that Chris bought one 16 days ago and you can only exchange the old one for the new one within 14 days. Of course, he has no complaints about his Touch. He adores it. But knowing that if you waited just a couple of more days, you could have gotten the new and improved version is kinda annoying. A day late and a dollar short! Well, actually it was $70 more, but whatever...

On a side note, one thing I really like about the new iPod is that they are more environmentally-friendly, and are constructed with arsenic-free glass and BFR-free, mercury-free, PVC-free, and highly-recyclable components.

If you are ever homesick...

... go here and make sure you have the sound on

http://www.helpineedhelp.com/help-i-am-home-sick/

Nick and Norah

A new Michael Cera movie is coming out in October called "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist". We don't make it to the movies too often, but I think this may warrant a special date night. Not only am I a huge Michael Cera fan, but Mark Mothersbaugh is doing the music. He did the soundtracks for all of the Wes Anderson films (not too mention a million other movies and kids' shows... and Devo songs). You can see a preview for the film here... www.nickandnorah.com

I am soooo gonna try this

I found this recipe online at eatingoutloud.com and it seems like it would be fantastic. I love figs, but I never know what to do with them so I never buy them. I am gonna post the recipe here and if there is anyone who would like to try it with me- feel free and I can post your pics on here with mine...

Cinnamon Fig Jam
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 lb. mission figs (about 10-12 figs)
1 3″ strip lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 lemon juiced

Add water and sugar to a pan and place on a medium heat to dissolve.

Remove the stems from the figs and cut into quarters. Add to the sugar mixture along with lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and lemon juice. Bring the mix to a light simmer and leave the pan uncovered. Cook for about 1 hour or until the mix thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

They try to make me go to rehab...

... but I say no, no, no... Does anyone have any ideas on how do get this song out of my head? Going on 3 days now and I can't take it much longer....

NKOTB

I couldn't help, but start to reminisce about my elementary school years when I heard that New Kids On The Block was back on tour and apparently a pretty big tour. They were the Hannah Montana of my youth. I can just picture the pins with Jordan's face and the book cover with the whole band posing nonchalantly on the street. I went to a Christian school so we weren't really allowed to display our love of the band so openly, but that just made it cooler to love them. Although, I have to say that I never really did love the band. This is extremely embarrassing to admit, but I pretended to like NKOTB. I was actually the only person my age in America that reverted to listening to records of The Beatles. Although now I think that I was actually very cool, I doubt the 12 year old me would agree. I would actually bring home the tape and listen to it like I was studying a test so that when I went back to school the next day I would be able to sing along to "The Right Stuff" with my friends in the bathroom. Oh the humility! In spite of all that, I still think fondly of NKOTB and remember all of the words... uh uh ooooh uh uh ooh uh uh ooooh... The Right Stuff (you know you are singing along in your head).

Memory Revisited

I love being a designer, but sometimes it is bittersweet. While I can appreciate good design, I can't afford it. Just look at this too cute memory set. I love, love, love it, but it costs $40. Are you kidding me? I know I am a cheapskate, but I think we can all agree that $40 for a memory game (no matter how cute) is a bit ridiculous! So for now I will love it from afar.

Pretty much sums up how I feel

We all know by now that John McCain has picked a (seemingly random) woman to be his vice presidential nominee. I am finding it hard to find the words to best describe how this makes me feel so I am posting this clip from The Daily Show that pretty much sums it up.

So Great

I saw this online and it made me chuckle...