Return of Materialism!

Hello good readers! As I've brought my fingers back to the worn down keyboard on my laptop, I have decided to also bring back an old feature of this blog: Wish List Wednesday. Partially because, why not? Also, on July 5th I start my first day of work at a real big-person job. Health Benefits? Salary! GASP!

In that light, I have to somehow figure out somewhere to live in Madison, Wisconsin and how to get all of my stuff there. While this task is daunting to say the least, the opportunity to decorate is delightful. The next few weeks of Wish List Wednesday are thus dedicated to frivolous home goods that I won'be be able to afford for a while, but heck, we could all use some pretty wishful thinking.

This week, I give you.....(drum roll).......

CHANDELIERS!

For some silly reason, ever since I was a little girl, even in my tom-boy stages, I wanted some form of chandelier in my room. While lighting is practical, chandeliers certaintly aren't. You've got to admit, they are pretty though. Below are two ones I've been lusting over from Pottery Barn.

First one: flowers are pretty.



Secondly, I think I have a thing for nature inspired pieces



Stay tuned for next week's dose of silly materialism!

Look How Far We've Come

When I was a little kid, I wanted to grow up to be an artist and a painter. I was going to have a studio house on top of one of the hills in Southern California, overlooking the beach. My days would consist of sketching, drinking iced tea, writing, playing with my dog, and throwing paint onto canvases.

Where did that childhood dream go?

While We're At It...

While on the subject of alcohol, I'd like to mention one of my better culinary explorations. As I was going through my camera's memory card, I came upon these:



Over Spring Break, I went skiing in Vermont, with my roommate Sandy. Being the conscientious college students we are, we chose to bring some of our beverages with us instead of spending more money. This resulted in me transporting Bailey's in a water bottle. Turns out, having Bailey's in a water bottle makes it much easier to have fun pouring into cookies.

Above are my concoction of dark chocolate Bailey's cookies. Take a basic cookie dough base, add in smashed Dove dark chocolate squares, squirt a very (read very very) generous amount of Bailey's, stir, bake and enjoy. To quote my friend Steph, the result is delicious and "BAM! Bailey's!"

Can one ever have too much Bailey's?

There's a First Time for Everything

Apologies aside for my lack of blogging, I do want to admit that I have been pretty busy with life, learning and the general disappointment that is Lenovo. That being said, I would like to talk to you today, boys and girls, about a beer. This beer, is not my favorite beer, possibly not the best beer, but is certainly a decent special case because it is an India Pale Ale.

For those of you who do not know me well, or we simply haven't had the pleasure of jointly knocking back a few cold ones, you should know this: I do not like IPA's. I love a good hefeweizen, stout, porter, lager, you name it, however, I really don't like IPAs. It boils down to the hops. The favor simply isn't my cup of tea--or glass of beer. It is surprising then, particularly to myself that I found one I could palate. Granted, it's a "pitch black IPA", but we all have to start somewhere don't we?

The beer that finally got me is Widmer Brothers Brewing's Pitch Black IPA, part of the 924 Series. 924 Russell Street back in Portland is the home of Widmer Brothers. Anywho, this IPA "takes you to the dark side". My approval of it comes from the black malt flavor to give a certain richness I don't normally find in pale ales. Smooth, dark, and hoppy, this brew certainly surprised me. Priced around $9.95 for a four pack at Hoosick Beverage, it didn't pack a punch to my wallet like hops normally do to my mouth.



While I was not converted, I'm more hesitant to give other IPAs a try, but don't expect me to still not make a face when confronted with hops. Baby steps my friends, baby steps.

Nighttime

There are some times in life when the best course of action is to put on an oversize sweatshirt, cuddle up with your stuffed moose, and go to bed.

AAAAAH!

AH! Why is Senior year so busy?!?! More details later tonight!