mapache

Whilst reading PerezHilton the other day
I came across one of the headlines of the week
and it read "Raccoon bites off rapist's penis"

Weird story yes, but there was a picture of a raccoon
and it reminded me how cute they are, and of
this video that I love of a family of raccoons
begging for ice cream.

I went on a hunt for raccoon videos and came up with these.
They both made me laugh.






They are adorable and yet potentially dangerous creatures,
most widely known for being rabies carriers and distributors.
On the wikipedia page it said that pet raccoons can live up to
20 years, while wild ones only have a life expectancy of
1.5-3 years. Crazy.
Judging from some of the videos Ive seen they are
pretty sweet when kept as pets.

But I'm sure that they could go from this














to this. fairly quickly.















I totally love that last picture.
It's the typical face that serg makes when
we travel to new jersey.
Though sergie's teeth are definitely not that
white. This raccoon wins the clean teeth award.
I love this picture so much I've made it my desktop
background. I'm a dork. I know.

This made me cry

Tears of joy.
There are few things that make me happier
than hearing stories of 2 best friends
that are different species.

It just makes my heart do a
fred astaire style tap dance.
oh I love this.

Just Another Lovely Sunday.

OK so I'm a liar.
I promised a post yesterday and i didn't deliver,
winter depression knocked me out.
As it tends to do this time of year.

Today was a better day,
we hung around Sunnyside,
watched Control (more on that later)
and had dinner at Mara's,
our favorite Sunday night spot.

I really love Sunday's,
they are always relaxing.


So, we had been waiting for Control to
get to the top of our Netflix list, and
it definitely did not disappoint.
It tells the tragic story of Ian Curtis,
his personal life, rise to fame with
Joy Division, struggle with epilepsy,
and affair with Annik Honore.

here is the movie trailer and below is
a video of Joy Division playing live.
and P.S pandora listeners, put Joy Division
as your playlist and get ready to hear the best
mix of music ever. fact.










Right now I'm watching the end of this weeks
rock of love bus. Eliminations are going down-
and it is Marcia whose tour has ended.
I kinda wish he sent Mindy home, she is a crybaby.
Oh man, I love rock of love. guilty guilty pleasures.

Stuff

Apologies for my posting laziness.
As you are aware, it is January,
the month of deep depression
and general unmotivated-ness.

I wish I could hibernate,
and wake up in March.
-sigh-

Anyways...

Last night when the bf was walking Serg,
some girl said " look! a baby huskie!"
We laughed at what a fool she was.
These are baby huskies....















And this is Serg....















Silly girl...

Blahhhh, I promise that I will have a worthwhile
post tomorrow.

A New Day

Today is the inauguration of Obama,
and it's pretty exciting.
The news guy said that something like 2 million
people came out to D.C for it.
And unlike the Bush inauguration 4 years ago,



















everyone at this event seems so happy,
quiet, and content.
It's pretty amazing, but not at all surprising.


In other news, yesterday was an excellent day.
The bf and I walked around Soho for awhile
running errands and finding treasures.
At HousingWorks I found another
fantastic book for super cheap!

The Shark: Splendid Savage of the Sea
by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Philippe Cousteau.
and it was $4.00. Jackpot.
While flipping through it I realized that Life Aquatic
was definitely based off of this book series.
I thought that was pretty cool.
There is an octopus and squid volume floating around
somewhere, and I plan on making it mine as well.

Super Post

After weeks of wondering where my camera
plug had disappeared to, the bf finally found it.
In his drawer...
The only place that I didn't look, gaaah,
well the important thing is that it is
no longer missing.

I've finally uploaded some Christmas photos



























































and have completed new Valentines.
Which were posted on etsy today,













along with some oldies but goodies.
check them out here.

Ah! in other really exciting nerd news,
I received my juicer! yesssss
It's awesome, and thankfully easy to use.
The bf and I have been juicin' like crazy!
We love it, and it's going to save me money
since I buy juice on a pretty regular basis.

Lets see... what else...
oh! You can find our happy tail on the BARC website,
I had sent them an update on Serg, and a totally
adorable new photo. He is such a sweet man.
Currently all snuggled up napping on his blanket.

Today is going to be a nice relaxing day,
we're going to be cooking up some dinner later,
and I will be camped out in front of the tv for
ROCK OF LOVE BUS. best show ever.
bridezilla's runs a close second.
The bf will cringe upon reading that-
he hates bridezilla's. But I can never get enough.
I think my next post will be dedicated completely
to the rock of love bus. so stay tuned.

xo

Blame it on the Rain

Yeah, it's raining.
it sucks.
Serg hates it too- he gets
all grumpy and refuses to walk.

Anyway, a few days ago I was
hunting around for squid news,
and I found a squid that is actually
terrifying. Not just scary and mysterious
like the Giant Squid- just pure cephalopod evil.

Meet the magnapinna squid. aka:
the squid with elbows.
He was filmed in the Gulf of Mexico,
just kind of hanging out...probably waiting
for his next victim.





Is it just me or is this reminiscent of
the alien from Independence Day....
and yes I did just make a reference
to Independence Day. If they did an autopsy
on Scary Squid, I bet it would go something
like this

Mass Hysteria.

I don't really like to talk about this
Magnapinna dude, I much prefer to pretend
that he doesn't exist. But Nationalgeographic.com
has a story on him if you are so curious.

I'll end on a light note.
Ladies and Gentlemen- the faux vocal stylings
of Milli Vanilli and their awful video
for "Blame it on the Rain"

My Quest to be Green

For awhile now, I have been trying to
green myself and my household.

I'm always looking for new ideas
to try, which is why I love
National Geographics Green Guide.
A small magazine that focuses on
environmentally friendly alternatives
to normal items, and how to slowly
change your life for the greener.

There were a couple things this issue that
I thought were worth mentioning.

1.) You've got two empty halves of coconuts and you're
bangin' 'em together! I couldn't resist.


















These utensils come from the Padang Coconut co-op,
which is on the border between Thailand and
Malaysia, and they are upcycled from discarded coconut shells.
There are many bonuses with these, first they are
supporting villages, these are fair trade green utensils,
and they are all around 10$ each.

2.) FACT!
Even if a dish product is labeled antibacterial,
it may not kill germs. The active ingredients
in those products are triclosan and tricloban, and
according to a study at the Tufts University School
of Medicine, people would have to soak their dishes
in 100 degree water with anti bacterial liquids for up
to 2 hours in order for these soaps to kill most of the bacteria.

3.)Soles 4 Souls is a charity that is worth looking into.


Another really great item that wasn't in the magazine,
but I found at Sustainable NYC ,is the biodegradable doggie bags
from EcoChoices.











Anything that avoids more plastic sounds
just fine to Serg and I. Well I bet he doesn't really care
as much as I do. But we can pretend he is a green dog.

Sweet Relief

I love New Years Day way more than
New Years Eve. It is a day of nothing.

A day to think about the coming year,
take naps, and detox from last night.
Work was surprisingly slow, but it was
nice to ring in the new year with friends.

Now its mid afternoon, and I'm lounging
on the couch, browsing through compost bins
and giving the man lovins.
This is a good day.

Hopes

Last year my list looked like this:
*Stop purchasing plastic water bottles
*switch my cleaning supplies to planet friendly types
*walking the shelter dogs more
*using products that were not animal tested
*making sure I ALWAYS have my chicobag on me

Looking back I'd say I did a pretty good job of accomplishing
those things. my cleaners are greener, I very rarely take bags
from stores, I ended up actually adopting a shelter dog
that I had been walking, and I did have a Sigg bottle-
I just dont know where it has gone to....time to buy a new one.

My hopes and mini- goals for 2009 are as follows:

*stay on top of creating new things for etsy
(at the least once a month)
*send out cards for necessary holidays and birthdays
*put all of my recipes onto cards
*volunteer or support a new charity
*take Italian classes
*really start the correspondence society
*be the best doggie mom possible
*to battle through my bad moods instead of gettings stuck in them

There you have it.
Some are small and some will take some doing,
but all are within reach.

Happy New Year readers! xo

Year In Retrospect.

It's December 30th.
2008 is almost at it's end.

So today will be a list of 5 events that stood out
from 2008, and tomorrow will be my
5 hopes or resolutions (whichever you prefer)
for the coming year.

These are in no particular order.

5.)NOLA
Last May the bf and I ventured down to New Orleans
for the first time, and now we can't wait to go back!
It introduced us to Abita beer, the Bourbon House,
and so much delicious food! If you haven't been,
it is so worth going down to explore.
There is so much history, beautiful architecture,
and culture you will have a hard time deciding what
to do first!! We had such a great time on that trip,
I can't even say enough about it.

















4.) The House.
The bf moved into our dream apartment in early October,
and it is really coming together as a home.
It's been a lovely living situation, and I'm looking forward
to the summer so that we can have BBQ's on our patio
and planters full of herbs and small veggies.
It's also been nice to have a house that is
truly my own, instead of moving into a home
that someone else had already created.




















3.)The Wine Bar
After getting fired from 2 jobs in 2008,
my employment anywhere was looking bleak.
The economy was tanking, other people were
losing their jobs, and if it weren't for this hostess job
I found on craigslist I wouldn't be at the only
job that I haven't started to hate after a couple months.
Yes, like anyone I still don't feel like going to work,
but I actually love the people that I work with and for,
and I've learned a lot about wine.
I've even started drinking red wine- how about that!
All around it's been a great -albeit sometimes frustrating- experience
(as waiting tables can be) but it marks another year of
avoiding the corporate monster and bringing in
enough money to afford a great home,
a furry friend, and creature comforts.
















2.)The Man
I met Sergio in April when I was volunteer dog walking
at BARC, and he wasn't the most likable or quick moving dog,
but we got to know eachother and have been attached ever since.
I adopted him in October, right after we moved, and he has proven
to be a wonderful dog. (when he isn't in new jersey
showing his teeth or stealing pierogies) He is ridiculously loyal,
energetic, and just all around a funny little dog. I don't think that
I could have ever imagined a dog like him,
but I can't imagine myself without him. I love my mans.















1.) Joelie Bear.
Joelie is my new nephew that decided that he wanted
to be born in May instead of August.
He has survived heart surgery, eye surgery, kidney failure,
and grown from this fragile little preemie (sp?)

















to this sturdy 15lb 8oz handsome bear



















This recent photo was taken around Halloween,
so just imagine how much chubbier his cheeks have gotten
in 2 months. He is the sweetest thing in the world and we are
ridiculously lucky to have him. I can't wait for two things with him,
the first is when he is able to come visit the bf and I in queens, and the
second is when our whole family can take him to Disney World.

Home Sweet Home

It's nice to be back in Queens.
Serg gets so crazy in new jersey,
it's so wonderful to have him back to normal
and not showing his teeth every 5 minutes.
(exaggeration, but he showed them a lot)

Christmas was great though.
Family, food and lots of champagne,
perhaps even too much.

Sadly I still cannot find my camera cord,
so all of these pictures are just going to be trapped
inside until I do.

North Pole aka: New Jersey

It's freezing!!

It hasn't even been this cold in NY

and it already snowed there!

eek.

Today I'm hanging around the house

making potato leek soup for whomever cares to try, 

and my sister and I will be baking cookies.

She has already started with chocolate chip.

Once I find some kind of cord to upload photos

you'll be able to view a bunch.

The Case of the Missing...Things.

This morning the bf couldn't find a piece
to his computer charger, now I cannot find my
camera cable to upload photos.

Which bothers me because I have pretty snow pictures
to post! grrrr. I checked Serg's bed to see if he was hoarding
any weird items, and he isn't.

So here i sit, stuffing my face with cinnamon oatmeal
and bananas, wearing my giant hat that makes me
feel like Cindy Lou-Who. And wondering what happened
to these things.














I'm also extra scatterbrained today because
I'm leaving for NJ tomorrow.
Last chance to get everything done,
and with a sizeable list, I have no idea where
to begin.

Maybe I'll start with a shower and then go from there,
but I'll leave you with a picture of a very handsome man.
and you are a fool if you think I'm talking about Dennis Quaid.

december 17th?

Seems like I say this all the time,
but the year is just flying by.
I think that everyone will agree
that it is hard to believe that 2008
is almost over.

My Christmas shopping is not yet finished
and probably won't be until I get paid on Friday.
Though I love the holidays, I'm looking forward
to saying goodbye to holiday spending.

In other news, my CakeWrecks obsession continues
and in keeping with the holiday spirit, I think that
it is only right to post these photos of Christmas cakewrecks.













































What were the decorators thinking!?
I love it.

etc.

First and foremost a very large thank you
to my parents who have sent the bf and I
a very wonderful and beautiful christmas gift.

Check out this sweet entertainment center from
Pottery Barn. It's from the Rhys collection, and it
fits the feel of our place perfectly.
Just one more step on the path
to making this house, a home.















Last night the bf and I decided to go ice skating
at the museum of natural history. We arrived to find
that the "ice" was actually a recyclable synthetic surface
-which we though was great (at first),
we are all for eco-friendly anything.

We got there a bit early so we grabbed a cup of hot chocolate,
which was so delicious! and watched as everyone that was out
on the "ice" seemed to be falling . This rink was mostly kids
so we just figured that it was their first time skating.

Well, as soon as we set foot on the rink, we found out
why no one was actually skating. The "ice" was awful,
basically cold, slick plastic. Impossible to skate on
and completely disappointing, which was a shame because
it was such a beautiful space and such delicious hot chocolate.

We ended up asking for a refund, because we made it
(with much difficulty) around the rink just once.
And decided that this was not fun, or worth it.
We didn't get the refund but we did get 2 vouchers to
the museum, which was totally fine with us.

After that we went down to Mara's for some
delicious food and Abita beer.
I'm newly obsessed with the fried okra.
soooo good.

The Greatest (greatest greatest greatest)

RIP Bettie Page.

Late Night Gluing

Since I botched the gocco cards
that I had planned to send,
my options were either to
make replacements or buy them.

Since money is tight right now,
I broke out my glue sticks and scissors
and got to work.
I'm pretty pleased with these results.
I've always been a fan of cutting and pasting,
it has much less room for error than printing.
















Thanks to a 2 hour nap that I took this afternoon
I am feeling so much better.
Tomorrow will be back to work,
and getting stuff done.

goodnight!

Success!

Our party was great!

Everyone had a great time,
and we managed to raise $87
for the BARC Shelter too!

And believe it or not Sergio was a perfect angel,
I had told everyone to avoid petting him when they came in.
This allowed him to get used to the crowd of people
without feeling threatened.
By the end of the night he was letting anyone pet him,
and was even looking for the affection.
The bf and I were and are so proud of him!

We also received some excellent housewarming gifts
Rebecca gave me a very special apron, Meghan got us a
pancake, crepe and waffle cookbook, and a dog whisperer book.
Shawna brought us a tealight fountain, Jamie and Steve
picked up a big box of dog treats for the man, and Carly
has added another ornament to our tree.
Captain Hook.




















Thanks to everyone who came out,
we're lucky to have such a great group of friends.

(I'll post more photos once i get my hands on them!)

Like Mother Like Daughter.

I'm in "Mom-party-mode" right now,
trying to get everything cleaned,
cooked, and in order for the party tomorrow.

Which is exactly what my mom does before she
has to entertain people in her home.
Everything gets a scrub down, as much of the food
is made as possible, the drink station was set up
over the washer and dryer.

Sadly, this is New York and washers and dryers
are for the upper class, or just the lucky ones.
So our counter top will be the bar station,
and the other counter will be for all the food.

I'm hoping everything turns out ok,
and that Serg doesn't bite anyone.
I'll be giving verbal warnings at the door.

xo