love me or hate me

it's been a while, and i apologize for that, but it's high time i update you on what i'm boycotting these days -- and, in the interest of keeping a sunny outlook on life, i like to follow up my hate letters with some big ups to my favorite things.


what i'm boycotting:

1. urban outfitters
okay, i know we all enjoy the store and its fun clothing and gifts, but i've had enough. do you realize how over-priced all their merchandise is? you can get the same shoes online for $45 that urb out sells for $72. WHY!? where's that extra money going? to pay for more tattoos and piercings for the employees?

and did you know that the president of uo, richard hayne, is a terrible, mean, old conservative who supported rick santorum?

well, i have known those things for a long time, and i kept shopping there nonetheless. until now. because uo does not carry the pair of shoes i really want and have been looking for. just every OTHER size. and that just broke the camel's back. the other two points are just to make me feel even stronger about boycotting :-)

2. socks
just for the summer. because this week i realized that i can wear almost all my shoes without socks. and i'm looking for my next pair. and i'd have them if it weren't for the inherent evil at the core of urban outfitters. BOYCOTT!

3. complaining about bar review
this one won't be so easy to boycott, but i'm really going to try. can you imagine if every conversation you had with almost every person you saw almost every day came back to the same negative topic: hating bar review and dreading the bar? imagine how tiring it gets. and how pointless it is.

in fact, i am reminding myself that it is a privilege to spend my days learning and studying and honing my skills for my future profession. you know, in some parts of the world they don't have college or bar review or the beauty of a good education. and i'm not talking about burma! i'm just talking about alabama! so close to home... so sad...

and it is also a privilege to have the means to pay for a very expensive review course that will supposedly teach me everything i need to know. how easy does that sound?! what is there to complain about? i'm through with the bitching. (remind me of this often, k? thanks.)

4. staunch democrats who would rather vote for mcdeath than for obama
even my mom and i are fighting about this one. enough said.

5. smirnoff vodka
blog is it awful! once you spend $2 more and get used to something not quite as cheap (but still cheap! i'm no snob!), you realize that smirnoff tastes just. like. hair spray. i suggest Skyy. especially with lunch.



what i'm into right now

1. new restaurants
i'm not a huge foodie, and i don't flock to new restaurants like some of you do (not that there's anything wrong with that -- i love the recommendations), but last night i just happened to hit up two brand new restaurants/bars in my neighborhood: azul and apothecary.
i have to recommend that you go to both.

and i have to tell you that Azul (or cantina azul) was fantastic. amazing mexican food, strong drinks (that's relative*), great atmosphere, just opened, and given a big thumbs way up by me and my pals. check out a foodie blog post on it here.

then there's Apothecary. fun concept: crazy drink concoctions and random food pairings come together to delight your tastebuds and give you quite a buzz. *the drinks. are. strong. there's nothing else to say about that.

the food was silly and fantastic. and while nobody really neeeeeds a chocolate, marshmallow and olive oil panini at midnight, i can't imagine anyone saying no to a bite or two. it was glorious. somebody back me up. taylor? drew?

sipping the alchemist bartender's crazy concoctions while sitting on a beautiful roof-top deck under a summer night sky... just go already. go tonight. check it out here first, just for fun.

i should mention that A. and i started with happy hour at Raw, which has a fantastic courtyard for summer nights. i recommend that too. sorry for being so damn pushy.

2. cheese with veggies in it
and just cheese in general. but especially havarti with dill, or my current fave: monterey jack with jalapenos. to best enjoy this spicy treat, and in honor of the new mexican cantina in my neighborhood, i made a spicy cheese, black bean, and salsa omelette for lunch today. it's all about the cheese.

also, i'm still eating about 3 string cheeses a day. they're the perfect snack.

3. my catticus
i know he's, like, always on this list. but he's just so funny sometimes, and he can totally be himself around me. i wish you could see it.

the other day week i bought him new food and, to ease his transition, i mixed it in with his old food.
NOTE: the new food: shaped like hearts and little circles. the old food: shaped like plus signs and fish.

today i came home from the gym and he was crying out in extreme hunger. i know his hungry cry. so i go into the kitchen, and what do i see in his bowl? hearts and circles. no plus signs. no fish. the little bitch had picked out all the old food and had eaten around the new stuff.
so i put some old food on top, and he dives in as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. he reminds me of me when i was young and would eat ONLY the curly/folded potato chips.

4. the magic school bus
see previous entry.

5. the spring weather
73 degrees? YES, PLEASE! sunny skies, comfy walks around the hood, and windows wide open!

and when i open these huge windows, its as if i had removed the fourth wall from the room: a lovely breeze floats through the house. too bad the sound of trannies on 12th street floats in along with it, but that doesn't belong on this list, so...

i hope this temperature sticks around for a while. i am not a huge fan of summer, but i am a fan of summer like this!








that's all folks.
what are you guys into?
what are you listening to these days?
what's the cool jams?
what's the 411?

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