NPR

You all need to watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxRgNnue-zk

Fun Fun

Watch this, I thought it was funny.

Cherpumple Cake

We were merely freshmen...

One million years ago, we became friends. Then this transpired...






We were merely freshmen.

It's Like I'm Not Alone In the World

Guess what Judd Apatow (Director of Knocked Up and other similar "bromances") is doing? Producing a new HBO show along with Lena Dunham of Tiny Furniture (which I want to see but don't know how I will) about QUOTE: "A group of women [...] in their mid-twenties, in those years after college when you're not really sure what you're going to do, and you make an enormous amount of mistakes."

It sounds just like me!

I can't wait!

Article c/o Jezebel

so, ive never seen a theses before, so i thought id stop by the lib and check one out. low and behold, the first mph thesis i pick off the shelf from 2009 is by an Earlham biology grad!!! in 1981, but still! How cool is that!

All Hallow's Eve

I miss all of you regularly, but Halloween compounds these feelings.

I wonder to myself why that is.

Then, I remember.


2005:
2006:
2007:
2008:
Sweet, sweet memories.

Check it Out!!!!!

Everyone will enjoy and get great use out of this NYT article on sinless cupcakes. I think I may try out the Orange Cardamom Cupcakes with Orange Yogurt Frosting first...

New Fun Game!

Let's play What Wine are You Drinking???

Over the summer I was really enjoying vinho verdes (apparently there are both white AND red varieties, but only the whites are imported to the USA because our palettes aren't refined enough for the reds). A nice amount of sweetness, very bubbly, tangy... perfect for a hot summer afternoon! I like a lot of different labels. There was one I bought in Maine a lot with blue vines on the label... unfortunately I can't remember the name.

Of course, now I'm looking for something a bit hardier... any suggestions?

(I'd ask about beers too, but I assume we're all drinking our own delicious local specialties.)

Save the wildebeest

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8014941/Tanzanias-Serengeti-National-Park-facing-collapse-due-to-highway-plans.html

This is terrible. If earlham taught me anything, it's to value the quiet majesty and subtle beauty of the wildebeest. This has got to stop!

Top Chef

Umm... Top Chef All Stars? Featuring Fabio and Carla?

I'm heartbroken we won't be together to indulge in this.

I got new rims!

omg

GUESS WHO THIS IS UNDER THE SEA!?!?!?!!?!?!?! NONE OTHER THAN MUTHERFUCKING HIDEYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. SHE WAS THE 3RD BEST ROOMIE I EVER HAD IN COLLEG>E

Surprise

Did you know that Katie Carter (of Edwards House) is writing a really amazing food blog? I did not know until today! And now, I am very impressed! And ready to cook!

Thyme and Reason

New Music?

Friends!

I feel like I'm stuck in a musical rut. I've been listening to the same 8 songs on repeat every morning when I get ready for school (some old favorites, some new) and I need some freshening up. Here's my AM playlist, in case you're curious.

The King of Carrot Flowers pt. 1- Neutral Milk Hotel (reminds me of you)
Honey I Been Thinking About You- Jackie Greene
Remember the Mountain Bed- Billy Bragg and Wilco
The Temptation of Adam- Josh Ritter
Home- She & Him
CHBB- Speechwriters Ltd.
Gives You Hell- Glee
Bad Romance- Lady Gaga

(Clearly, the mix wakes up as I do).


Thoughts, suggestions? Throw a little love on it!

Oh Yes Please!

New Season of DWTS!!!!!!!

This should be VERY interesting...

People we went to college with...

This website reminds me of them

Hipster Dinosaurs

Also

For those of you planning my (never to happen) Commitment Ceremony:

IF this ceremony were to happen (which it is definitely NOT), "Let's Stay Together" by the One & Only Mr. Al Green would have to be a main player in said ceremony.

Perhaps it could just play on repeat throughout the ceremony, so as to drown out whatever "vow" rubbish must be said?

Suggestions

So I just finished watching the first season of Nurse Jackie with Hester, and I liked it quite a lot. If you are in the mood for a fun half hour dramady (surprisingly and refreshingly light on the medical stories) I would recommend this. There's only one season out on DVD, but I bet you could find the second online.

Also, I heard about this new book "Barefoot in Baghdad" on NPR the other day. It's a memoir written by a woman who worked to restore women's rights in Iraq after the US invasion. I haven't had a chance to get it yet, but it sounds great and I would love to read it with whoever will join me!

Why do dudes watch porn??? i see a women with cum on their face and their bald genitals and get really really sad! how is it that that is exciting for some people?? what is the deal??

My new crib.

I MOVED! AND I LOVE IT! AND I WISH YOU WERE HERE! but youre not... so i'm giving you a virtual tour.my bedroom. and dog.
The view from the balcony. picturesque hey?
our living room with the one piece of furniture we own. Aimee and i picked it up off the street yesterday.
door way. notice my cool 1984 Schwinn ten speed.

farrahs baby daddy died?? tragic! this explains so much!

Some Highlights

Apes, Cougs, and El had a pretty epic weekend. The only thing that could have made it more sexy and vivacious is the one and only booby (april even tried calling cougs "cougy" which sounds kind of like booby, but we all agreed that was a no go). We did no shortage of pining after you, tho boobs and we will reunite soon!

Here are a few keepers caught on my iphone. I apologize for the poor quality, but really, it's probably better we don't see these things too clearly. Also, the fuzziness is kind of how I remember all this happening anyway, so it's fitting.

Moving

Driving myself crazy moving right now. I'll be very glad when it's over.

I find relief however, when in packing an unpacking I stumble on the many, many things that remind me of you (all).

The rug from Catie's and my freshman dorm room. Oats in a mason jar. Penzey's sandwich sprinkle. The salad tossers April brought me from South Africa. Letters we've exchanged (none particularly recently, let's work on this too, eh?). A framed picture from graduation. Etc. Etc. Etc.


For the record, my new address:

2304 E. 4th St.
Bloomington, IN 47408


I look forward to all of your visits!

Shame!

We've let ourselves go. Well okay, just our blog. Let's try to make August better, okay?

(I know this is a bit hypocritical coming from the girl who makes phone calls once a month if you're lucky, but... listen, if I'm not talking to you on the phone I need the blog to know what's going on!)

So I'm celebrating the end of a 4-hour, 21 page Arabic exam (plus 30 minute oral exam) with the newest Project Runway! Anyone else watching? Thoughts? I hate that foreign guy. Gustavo or whatever. But I like the Cuban girl.

With Child

I need to get pregnant, and quick!

Sexo em o cidade (translation: sex in the city in portuguese)

So as some of you may have heard (Booby), I've been totally living it up as a single twenty something in the big city. Last night, I went on my second date with a hot sexy brazilian chef who looks a little like this:





His name is Paolo and I'm only assuming if I saw him with his shirt off, crawling around on the beaches of Rio de Janiero, his nipple too would be glistening in the sunlight and dripping water droplets of love onto the shore. So, he was quite good looking and all cocky and like "hey i'm a top chef. i will be on top chef." And I just sort of went along with it because he was funny and a little goofy and hot. He asked me if he was being too weird and I said "no! you're not too weird! i hate boring people!" or something along those lines which I guess encouraged him to get REAL weird. I think the highlight (lowlight?) of the conversation was when he just randomly interupted the flow of conversation to ask me what my craziest fantasy was. At first, I thought maybe this was a language thing and he meant a far-fetched dream I have -- so I started talking about how I think it would be incredible to be a foreign correspondent or a travel documentarian going to untouched lands. But then he clarified his question -- "no no no...sexual fantasy! you can tell me!" I almost broke out my yazi with da bang bang penis so long it has to enter through the nose thing, but i didn't want to get him too excited.

SO. Needles to say, I probably won't be seeing Paolo again.

It's like college all over again...

Bloomington just got a Fam. Vid.
Whenever I think college was more fun than my life now (which, obvs, it was), I remind myself of the countless desperate hours we spent trolling the aisels of this hell-hole, praying that something had changed since we did the same thing the weekemd before.

Highs: The time we rented "The Erotic Misadventures of the Invisible Man"

Lows: Every other time we went there.

What I'm Watching

For father's day/ to give my restless dad something to do on the plane on my parent's recent trip, my mom bought him the whole series of The West Wing on DVD.


I'm obsessed. I never watched the show when it was on originally (did any of you?), but man oh man is it good! I think that it is especially resonant in the wake of the Obama presidency and I would highly recommend it to any of you who are looking for some summer TV ideas. I love that it's captivating and personal, but not vapid... even bordering on educational.


Anyone else into any new movies/books/TV shows/blogs/ recipes/ etc.?

Everywhere you look there's a heart, a hand to hold on to....

Shut the front door. Here comes uncle Jesse!

Cat massage

Beign that our group is comprised of 75% dog people, I though we could all use a reminder on how to treat our feline friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnZhi5gaX8g

Yes, Please

Gin and Tonic Sorbet

1/2 cup sugar
1 large or 2 medium limes, zested and juiced
2 1/2 cups tonic water
3 fl. oz. shot gin

In a saucepan, make simple syrup by heating 1/2 cup water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat and add lime zest and juice. Let cool. Once cooled, add tonic water and gin. Taste it and make any adjustments according to taste. Let everything cool in the refrigerator, then strain into the bowl of your ice cream machine. Follow your machine’s directions to freeze the sorbet. Store in a freezer-proof container in the freezer to allow it to harden some more.

Serve in pretty little glasses garnished with more lime zest, thin little slices of lime, or rim the glass with lime sugar (a mix of lime zest and sugar pulsed together in the food processor).

Daily Affirmation

I think we could all stand to be a lil more like Jessica.

Dalai Lama

So, last week, the Dalai Lama came to Bloomington. Major news, regardless of your beliefs, right? Not so, according to Christians in the next town over...

Front-page coverage

To the editor:

Hey, Herald-Times, how about putting a picture of Jesus Christ on the front page of your newspaper? He’s the one we need to worship, give praise to, glorify and adore. This world would be a better place if we started giving him the attention that he deserves. The Dalai Lama did not die for our sins, and he sure didn’t rise again. God has a bigger impact on us than any man on this earth.

Christians, Bloomington needs our prayers.

Amy Moran and Rita Tipton, Spencer

Some people are totally fucked-up.

Hey Hey Haay

Kyle showed this to me last night. I likey. You will too. Or maybe you've all already heard her.

I feel like farming put me a good 5 months behind everyone else music, celebrity, and fashion-wise. Like, I just got the Lady Gaga CD last week. I like it. In fact, if you've only heard her on the radio, check this song out--it'll never make top 40 but it's my fav.

my hydroponic grass growing neighbors just caught our building on fire.

how exciting!

Ha ha ha FUCK YEA!

It's all the fun of a shopping spree!

Everyone I Know

I don't really join groups on facebook that have nothing to do today, but I really appreciate this sentiment this morning...

Everyone I know is getting married or pregnant, I'm just getting drunk.

Amen, my friends. Amen.

My Summer Plans

Lots of this:


















And then a WHOLE LOT OF THIS:

Summer/Update

Summer is fast approaching. I just finished my last class and my last assignment. Whoa, buddy!

Since I was 15, I've spent every summer working at least full time. I have either attended or worked at some form of summer camp (frequently more than one) since I was about three.

This year, my summer job is:

Working at the store
Substitute Teaching
Catering
Tutoring
Housesitting
Babysitting
Pet Sitting

Whoa buddy! Starting at the end of July, I will also spend a couple of hours every day preparing for my student teaching. In Mid-August, I start my 5th grade placement.

Luckily, I have sometime big planned for the beginning of every month.

May- Atlanta to see April
June- Chicago to see Hannah (and Catie?)
July- Omaha for Megan and Alec's Wedding
August- Mooooooving (three whole blocks)

What about you, ladies? Of course, i've talked to all of you and vaguely know of your plans, but what else? Any trips? Anyone going to take up cross stitching? Dirt biking? Entomology?

I'm still trying to think of something productive to fill my free-time with. I'll let you know what I come up with.

XOXO
Booby

A Yummy Recipe!

Hannah will especially appreciate this, but we all enjoy good food, right?

I found a delicious recipe for Mercimek çorbasi (Turkish Red Lentil Soup) that's almost as good as the çorba we'd eat every day in Istanbul! The only change I made to the recipe was to purée it at the very end with an immersion blender. I think it'd taste just as good without puréeing it, but I wanted to stay true to the çorba I remember from Turkey.

Also, the sumac and yogurt garnishes are essential! (Or I guess if you can't find sumac an extra plop of yogurt or squeeze of lemon should do the trick.) It really cuts the sweetness of the tomatoes and makes the soup go from good to great.

Babies R Cute

Okay, I promise I'll post some things that aren't about babies soon, but... look at this baby! Isn't she cute?

That's CeCe, btdubs.

Also, I went to the movie theatre to see The Ghost Writer and there was a big poster in the lobby about Babies with a little bio about each wee babe. I can't wait.

And The Ghost Writer was really good too, you should definitely check it out. Or netflix it, since I think it's leaving the theatres imminently.

I'm on a roll today

For April, and the creative benefit of all:

The Grilled Cheese Academy

I know you're being a vegan again, but know that this gem is out there waiting for you when you come to your senses.

Happy Easter

In honor of the ascension of the Lord, I found this funny blog (that has nothing to do with the lord) to share with you.

Sleep Talkin' Man

Oh! I want to play.

I like blogs a lot. Not all blogs can be as great as this one, with its strange, slightly off color palate and sparce random postage, but hey, not everyone can get down like us savages do. But, I've learned to adjust my expectations and discovered some ones that I enjoy checking in on from time to time.

Booby's selections were all strong. I love Smitten Kitchen and have even been known to hit up Pioneer Woman every once in a while, but I have to admit, sometime the amount of butter and cheese she uses strikes fear in my heart.

Jezebel is one of my go to reads for both guilty pleasure celeb gossip/fashion news and thoughtful and witty feminist tinted writings. Their writers post like a million times a day, so it's the kind of the site you can check regularly and always find something new.

I LOVE design sponge. It is kind of like etsy: the blog. They have visually luscious and creative posts ranging from flower arranging to reader submitted DIY projects to yummy seasonal recipes. The editors and regular readers seem to be a really great community of creative entrepreneurial women busting into the business world one adorable organic cupcake boutique at a time.

There's also this weird group of bloggers who photograph their outfits every freaking day and post them and I guess we're supposed to be really interested in that. In general, I think that kind of over-sharing is one of the most annoying parts of the internet...we get to act TOTALLY narcissistic and for some reason, other people like you for it! But this girl actually has cute style and seems nice -- when she's not trying to crack too many jokes.

This one is kind of weird and maybe dorky, but sometimes really cool. I feel like this is the kind of thing a history major would be really in to. I mean, just look at all the strange maps!


On an unrelated note, what would you guys think about doing a mix cd swap? I've discovered some fun new tunes since we all separated and I'm sure y'all have too, so how bout it?

Blogs

I was talking to Hannah tonight and recommended a blog to her, which got me wondering:

What (if any) blogs do you ladies read on a regular basis? I'll share my list if you share yours!

Double X
Thanks to Catie, this feminist blog division of Slate has joined the ranks of my regularly read material. Some of the authors drive me crazy, but I really like the news stories I find out about here (and not elsewhere).

The Pioneer Woman
As popular as it has become, this site always makes me smile. Definitely not deep, but I really like the writing. When she's talking about different ways you might vary a recipe, she frequently says "Whatever makes your skirt fly up"... I like that.

Smitten Kitchen
This food blog is by far one of my favorites. Not only do I find the recipes and photography beautiful, but the writing is really excellent. I also really like how she talks about wanting to eat her baby because of his cinnamon swirl hair and sausage legs.

David Lebovitz
Paris, food, and wry humor-- what could be better?

Oh Joy
I love this design blog! It features all things visually appealing including fashion and interiors, but also the occasional cupcake or stationary!

Year of Giving
This guy lost his job, so everyday, he takes 10 dollars out of his savings and gives it to someone random then writes about it. When you go up to random people and learn more about them, the results can be really interesting!

Not So Humble Pie
This lady is meticulous in her baking. I could never, ever be so patient, but her results are beautiful!



Just for fun... Usually I just look at these if I'm working with my co-worker Jill... she's really into humor blogs

Cake Wrecks
Awkward Family Photos
There I Fixed It
Stuff White People Like

In other baby news!

DID YALL HEAR THAT BEYONCE IS PREG WITH JAY Z'S BABY? HOW AWESOME IS THIS NEWS???

Advice

Hey ladies,

What do you think of these shoes?

Could they be cute law office shoes?

Are they worth $50?

BTW'z Here is the newest Bowen!

Quick Question

Morning everyone! I just finished a whole pot of coffee... and really had to poop. So I did. And now I have a question...

Can eating beets turn your poop pink??

Hope ya'll are doing well, popping out of bed like new spring blossoms.

Have a sunshiny day!

-Aprilious

Review: Ben and Jerry's One Cheesecake Brownie

Had this for the first time tonight. I was skeptical, but, umm... it's really fucking good.

Babies!

A'ight, here's a picture of Cecily Rosemary, fo' real this time. Isn't she a cutie?!?!