Rest in peace, dear Friend: For Paul Wildermuth

Spending the day at Paul and Patience's house today, I saw how many people loved Paul. I imagine all the people who loved him is actually 5,000 times that. Everyone who showed up today said they admired his dedication to food, that he was a mentor and the reason they did what they did was because of Paul. And they all said the same thing: I loved him. But it was easy to love Paul.

I first met Paul at Opera, when my then-boyfriend and his best friend who was also a chef, went to try the vegan/vegetarian menu. My then-boyfriend was vegan and I was entertaining the concept of converting to veganism. Opera got a lot of buzz for the vegan offerings and we decided to have a go. The food was delicious and when we met Paul briefly, we told him so. But it was mostly Joshua who spoke with him. I was struck by how friendly and humble Paul was. He thanked us for coming and asked us to come again.

About two years later, I was single and definitely not vegan. I met Paul again through my parents, but not before meeting his "better half" Patience Hayes, a real, honest-to-God Southern Belle. He and Patience had bought a condo in the building my parents lived in. Patience and my mother became immediate friends, bonding over food and cats. At the time, Paul and Patience had just lost a cat - this cat had been Paul’s cat. My mother, a fanatical feline devotee, had traveled back from Michigan with a white and grey kitten especially for Paul. His name was Brutus.

I met Patience in the backyard of the 1434-1436 condo in the middle of summer 2006, a few days after Brutus had been brought home to Paul. Patience came down with Brutus, who was passed around, cuddling with everyone sitting at the table. Patience was long, lean and beautiful; full of laughter and light. I loved her instantly; I could tell she was my tribe. When Paul finally came down, it was late and we'd been drinking wine and smoking cigarettes for hours, talking and enjoying the mid-summer evening. Paul was again warm and kind, and when I told him I’d met him two years before at Opera, he told me, you should come down to the restaurant, I’ll treat you to an amazing dinner. That was the first of many feasts of beautiful food crafted by Paul’s hands.

Over the years, he treated me to some of the MOST amazing dinners I was lucky enough to enjoy, including a Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of nowheresville, MI with my parents and Patience. I was also lucky enough to experience the incredible power of Paul: his kindness, his warmth, and his encouragement.

When I was laid off from my job in December of 2009, Paul took me to cheetah gym and bought me a membership. "You need a hobby like working out to help you figure out what you want to do next." He took me through the weight room, showing me the different contraptions and how to use them. We had a great afternoon together. It was the one of the few times I spent alone with Paul. But his kindness in helping me to see that this "layoff" was the opportunity to re-invent myself was the bigger gift. He made me realize that I needed time to think about what I wanted my next move to be and that I didn't have to hurry. And exercise could help me dig for what that next move would be. Who do you know who takes someone aside and tells them, it's gonna be ok, it's your opportunity to figure it out and I think I know a way to help you focus on that? Paul, that's who.

Paul and I spoke about food. He told me about guys he went to school with, chefs he was lucky to have worked with, and things he wanted to do with food. I trusted Paul implicitly when it came to food. I never told him I didn't like something, I only told him that I disliked something after he'd made me like it. I never liked salmon. As absurd as this sounds, I never liked the way salmon tasted like fish, or what I called, "that ocean taste." Paul knew what I meant when I explained "that ocean taste" to him. He made us poached salmon in olive oil and it was better than butter, simply amazing and incredibly flavorful. He made me believe that salmon could be good, it was just a question of knowing how to draw out the flavors.

Paul and I constantly recommended restaurants to each other. We were culinary adventurers on a constant journey of discovery - I took him to a Pakistani Chinese restaurant and he ordered half the menu, he had to know and I understood that. I dug my heels in and helped eat. He would ask me to come sample new dishes he was working on and asked for my feedback. When I said, “But who am I to judge your food? I’m a professional eater, not a professional chef.” "I trust your palate, you know what you're talking about," he replied.

One night, my partner Michael and I invited Paul and Patience for dinner. Michael’s specialty is Greek Christmas leg of lamb and potatoes. Michael also served saganaki, something he devised that day and then taught Paul. When the lamb came out of the oven, Paul was IN LOVE with it. I remember how enamored with the juice he was; how he fawned over the potatoes' velvet consistency. Paul was proud and approving of Michael’s reverence in explaining the details of preparation, how he mixed the herbs and spices, the slits filled with garlic, how he roasted it with the lid on and then off. He couldn't believe his eyes when we pulled that leg out of the huge pan. He taught Michael how to cut the meat off the bone and how to best slice it. We enjoyed ourselves that night, drinking too much and sitting with engorged bellies. It was an evening of reveling in what bonded us: the love of good food.

It’s cool. Paul said that a lot. It must’ve been the Hawaii surfer boy in him - he was chill, laid back and chose to concentrate on positives, not negatives. And he encouraged that in everyone around him. The people who loved him, looked up to him, worked alongside him, called him friend, business partner or boss; they all feel he was a gift to their lives.

He was a gift. Not just to us but to Patience as well. Our friend lost her best friend and husband last night. It made me cry to listen to her describe her last moments with him: "I held his hand, kissed his face and he was so beautiful." That's more than love, that’s devotion.

To know Paul and Patience was to know how devoted they were to each other. They were both so INTO each other. Paul was head over heels in love with Patience. It was evident in his words, behavior and actions how much he loved her and how much his world to revolved around her.

Essentially Paul had two passions: cooking and Patience. And then maybe cars. He created beautiful food every day, for everyone around him, it was his gift and talent. But his greatest masterpiece was his love with Patience. His dedication to Patience was amazing and enviable. Most women can only dream of a husband as attentive, indulgent and dedicated as Paul was to Patience. Their love for one another wrapped them together in a way where everyone knew it, "That's REAL love." They rejoiced in each other's glow and acted as a constant reminder to me that while relationships are hard and require a lot more effort than most of us know, if your partner is your best friend and makes up the center of your being, then everything else falls in line.

It’s wild that this is real. But this is life and life is wild. We must continue with the business of life. We must help Patience get on with the business of life. The most shocking thing about Death is the gaping hole left when he snatches someone we love away from us. And as cliché as this is, it is Time who smooths out those edges and heals the pain of absence.

So let's remember to always carry a piece of Paul with us every day. Today, from this very point on, promise to be like Paul Wildermuth: devoted, kind, caring, loving, doting, positive, a dreamer and a doer, offering help. And always laughing.

Watch this video. The last 10 seconds is Paul, laughing.

i suck at this posting thing

the summer flew by without one post from me. but it speaks to how how busy i've been.

here's a recap of my summer:
sharepoint. innovation and ideation. sexy brochure design for boring non-profit that became a whole branding strategy. the yoga studio and building up a client base. learning more about yoga and studying new methodologies. enjoying the lakefront with the dog. two dog injuries (a burnt pawpad from some dolts who left live embers by the foot of a tree and over exerting himself at the doggie beach). parties with tavo, barb and mike and then a few weddings. discovering the purple pig and girl & the goat. having kai and kevin spend a week with us, eating, talking and watching the world cup. watching my team win the world cup - forza roja! welcoming tammy and rose for a lakefront weekend. so many babies born this summer: giuliana, wesley, abigail and a few others whom i can't remember at this very moment. my birthday followed by a four year anniversary celebration with my partner, michael: we are blessed to be together. successfully playing cupid and joining two hearts with love's arrow. my lil' sister's engagement means saving my pennies for a month in Australia in OCT 2011. the loss of the loveliest of ginger tabbies, meepers: R.I.P. getting my dream kitchen by moving down one flight. picking out paint for the new home. shopping for the right couch and coffee table. getting my AIGA membership. getting CS5. considering a new macbook pro. or is it a desktop? hmmm.

but the best part in all of this: being told by two different people that i've helped them change their lives. this made me feel like i have done something good. i also realised that i changed my life, which was my nye resolution. i've never actually realised a nye resolution so i'm feeling pretty grown up about all of this. the point is, really, that if i can do this, so can you.

see, technology can be good sometimes

do you know what an Info-Lady is? find out here.

genius. entrepreneurial but in the name of helping others, not self-interest.

and all that vajazzle!

smoothie of champions

for a few years now, thanks to my old room mate sandra, i picked up the habit of making fruit smoothies for breakfast when i have the right ingredients around. a great smoothie for me includes kefir because it has calcium, active cultures and it's easier to control sugar intake with kefir rather than fruit juice. in my case, i prefer plain kefir because i like to limit my sugar intake but i don't always stick to plain when there are so many wonderful kefir flavours like blueberry, peach, strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, açai and pomegranate.

this morning, i made the best, most amazing smoothie of my life:

strawberry mango smoothie (for two)
one mango (i prefer the philippine mango variety)
8-10 small strawberries; or, 5-6 jumbo strawberries (just remember, the smaller, the more flavour)
2 bananas
4-5 ice cubes
1.5 cups of kefir. (i used blueberry!)

place everything in a blender and alternate between chop ice and puree. when everything's blended, pour into a glass and enjoy. it's a great way to get your calcium, fiber, tons of vitamin C and potassium. it takes less than five minutes to make. plus it's a great breakfast to tide you over until lunch.

flattery spam

I received this email this morning:
You were recently chosen as a potential candidate to represent your professional community in the 2010 Edition of Presidential Who's Who.

We are please to inform you that your candidacy was formally approved April 15th, 2010. Congratulations.

The Publishing Committee selected you as a potential candidate based not only upon your current standing, but focusing as well on criteria from executive and professional directories, associations, and trade journals. Given your background, the Director believes your profile makes a fitting addition to our publication.

There is no fee nor obligation to be listed. As we are working off of secondary sources, we must receive verification from you that your profile is accurate. After receiving verification, we will validate your registry listing within seven business days.

Once finalized, your listing will share prominent registry space with thousands of fellow accomplished individuals across the globe, each representing accomplishment within their own geographical area.

To verify your profile and accept the candidacy, please visit here. Our registration deadline for this year's candidates is May 30th, 2010. To ensure you are included, we must receive your verification on or before this date. On behalf of our Committee I salute your achievement and welcome you to our association.

Sincerely,
MarkAnthony McGuiness
Chief Operations Officer

Presidential Who's Who
134 Rockaway Ave
Valley Stream, NY 11590, USA

my first thought, of course, was, umm, i'm awesome and all that but not a lot of people know it. so, all of you who know me know that while i've achieved some great things, i have not achieved feats worthy of being included in a Presidential Who's Who. so i did some research, only to find it's spam (not that this surprised me, i mean really, me? as a presidential who's who? i don't kiss THAT much ass, if any for that matter.).

i didn't click on the link to the site. instead, the first thing i did, like i always do, is go to google and start typing the name of the organization. google finished the job for me by suggesting i add scam to it. the search results are here and it's pretty funny to read some of these reviews of others who have received this email. i especially like that there are blogs out there dedicated to spam emails. i tell ya, there's always a good idea behind every shitty thing.

so you know, if you receive this weird, 'you've been approved to be included in the Presidential Who's Who' and you know haven't done anything remotely worthy of a nomination like that and they want your money, you've been warned.

pure awesome

attack of the pixels by patrick jean:

drank, the phenomenon of branding pseudo-drug culture

so i was reading the rolling stone issue with lil' wayne on the cover, reading about how weezy constantly quaffs down drank. the article goes into detail about what exactly makes up drank (promethazine-codeine cough syrup with 7up! IN. SANE.) and i think, wow, that's just... a great way to kill your brain cells and body REALLY fast.

the next day, serendipity makes it so i come across an ad for drank, the extreme relaxation beverage. it's a relaxation beverage, counter to energy drinks. made with valerian root, rosehips and some other natural herb to help calm frayed nerves, it's branded as being LIKE lil' wayne's drank but all natural. their slogan: slow your roll! i laughed at the sheer inanity of it all and ponder the effects of this pseudo-drug culture.

the VERY NEXT day, i'm hosting at mary's and the phone rings. it's a young woman asking if we have something called drank, she says it's purple. i reply, uh, do you mean the slow your roll drank or lil' wayne's drank? she says, uh... lil' wayne's drank? i giggle and say, no, it would be illegal for us to serve that kinda drank, baby girl. she then asks why it's illegal. i reply, well, either way, we don't carry it here, sorry.

i don't think she KNEW that drank and lil' wayne's drank are two completely different beasts.

by the way, this drinking of cough syrup to get a buzz isn't new. i remember my senior year in college, to robo, aka drinking a whole bottle of robotussin to get high, was the new hot drug (next to crank, later to become known as meth. it was the cheerleaders, ironically, who were doing the crank. i remember being taken aback with surprise that the cheerleaders were into speed. looking back on it, it makes perfect sense. i mean, how else do you settle for cottage cheese and lettuce for every meal otherwise?).

robo-ing was something that some jocks from california used to indulge in. i remember thinking that was probably the stupidest thing in the world to do. i mean, why not just NOT get high then?

also, i was an R.A. in college. R.A.'s always know what's going on behind those closed doors with towels at the bottom of the door. TRUST.

your core in yoga

this is sadie nardini, a yoga teacher and creator of core strength vinyasa yoga. she's also posting daily on yoga journal's diary. yesterday's posting really resonated with me because i'm teaching beginners the basics of yoga. and the most important pose to master in the learning stages starts with the core.

http://blogs.yogajournal.com/yogadiary/2010/02/whats-your-core-strength.html

she talks about core strength in context of alignment. remember all that "suck in your belly, tuck in your tail bone, chest lifted, active legs, etc" that i always go on about when we're going into poses? when practicing yoga, whatever the pose, instead of being hell bent on getting INTO the pose, remember your core.

inspiration in quotes

i've been going through some major changes these last six month. most of them have been excruciatingly painful but necessary. i wouldn't change a thing; in fact, i'd even say i'm thankful for these experiences. they are waking me up, bringing me back to myself to realise what i am (or not) doing to get where i want and need to be.

i've had quite a few dark hours where the negative got to me, scaring me into submisssion by way of doing nothing. during those moments of weakness, i actually turned to something: quotes. quotes from famous people, unknown people, business gurus, doctors and anonymous people. here is a collection of a few that have helped to make that dark brighten just a little.

i'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. i make mistakes, i'm out of control and at times, hard to handle. but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.
-marilyn monroe

most people aim at nothing and hit it with incredible accuracy.
-anonymous

through our voice, the world will know it has no choice.
-curtis mayfield

if you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.
― mark twain

always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.
-judy garland

a sunrise has no stage fright so why would you?
-anonymous

your best friend is he or she who helps you bring out of yourself the best that is in you.
-henry ford

don't talk about it, be about it.
-mos def

your greatness is not what you have, its what you have to give.
-yogi bhajan

be happy so long as breath is in you.
-yogi bhajan

some days you can't save the whole world. some days you just have to try to get your own house in order.
-yoga dork

blasphemy

repost from the blog, rhymes with snitch:

"Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s chief Egyptologist, called Beyonce a 'stupid person' while speaking to journalists about Beyonce's recent tour of the Giza pyramids near Cairo. Hawass said, 'I showed her the Sphinx and I gave her a book on King Tutankhamen. She’s a stupid person and she doesn’t understand a thing and she doesn’t want to understand... She’s coming here to take pictures and that’s it.'"

hahahahahah. in this country, that's like, sacrilegious and shit!

wheatards are doin' it for themselves!

so it's always nice to see more people discussing gluten allergies and celiac's disease in the media. even the trashiest online newsite of england talks about it!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1222667/How-coeliac-disease-left-Hotel-Babylon-star-Michael-Obiora-slurring-speech.html

have no idea who this guy is, what shows he's on or how famous he is in the U.K. but he's now famous to me as a fellow wheatard!

Shan's Foods: a gem in the middle of uptown

not too long ago, i sat on a southbound 151 bus, staring through the window feeling depleted and exhausted. lost in my day dream of getting home, after we passed foster, i noticed a sign that read "100% halal zabiha". i perked up.

reason being, indian/pakistani cuisine is one of my all time favourites. mostly because i'm a spice addict and really, no one does spice better than the south asians, but also because as a gluten free wheatard, part of re-learning how to cook for myself involved learning about indian and pakistani food (millet and chick pea flour as well as the myriad of dishes involving lentils are a wheatard's best friend).

i scanned the sad little strip mall of windows and realised that Shan Foods perhaps wasn't a crappy chinese restaurant, but possibly a chinese-pakistani restaurant! after discovering usmania chinese on devon, the silk road style of cuisine has become a bit of an obsession for me. either way, if it was pakistani or chinese-pakistani, the prospect of having a pakistani restaurant - period - within 6 blocks from my house got me excited.

i came home and told the boyfriend about my possible discovery. we promised each other we'd go check it out. and 3 weeks or so flew by.

last week, my friend anthony posted a facebook update about having eaten there. i commented by asking if it was any good. he replied yes, and cheap too. oh man, things are getting good and looking up for food-crazed sunny!

tonight, when i got home to find lucy canceled yoga due to her friend going into labour, the boyfriend brought up going for mexican. while i love me some al pastor tacos and guacamole, i was in the mood to cook. however, after realising it was close to 8pm and i'd be cooking for an hour before food would be ready, i threw out, "what about that Shan restaurant down the street?" i was curious to find out if it was chinese-pakistani or just pakistani anyway.

so in the miserable rain, we trudged down sheridan to Shan's. i cannot stress how well rewarded we were for that soggy and chilly 6 block walk. turns out, Shan's Foods is mostly pakistani cuisine. we ordered shami kabobs, samosas (for the non-wheatard), masoor dahl, lamb biryani and keema aloo. of course, i had to have a lassi - salty for me, thank you - and we gobbled up just about everything. the food was nicely spiced, the service fast and friendly and the bill was cheap! the bill total was all of 26 smackeroos.

also surprising were the grocery aisles stocked with indian curries, various spices, a nice array of lentils and remarkably, ground millet and teff flours! Shan's Foods also happens to carry a fresh selection of injera (ethiopian bread to accompany those amazing curried wat and lentil stews they make, but that's another story) as well as fresh produce staples like red onions, garlic, cilantro, chilies, curry leaves and ginger. i can't tell you how thrilled i am to know i can run there for my last minute cooking needs.

also, there is a sweets counter full of halwa, ras malai, galub jamun and barfi, among other things. i was too stuffed to even contemplate sweets after all that food. it's just another reason to return.

uh, hello, pakistani gem of uptown? where have you been all my life? actually, that life would only be the two months i've been living in crazy crackhead uptown. and who'da thunk there'd be other perks to crazy crackhead uptown besides cheap rent and proximity to the lake?

a geriatric feline interrupting a radio spot

so sandra works for Green$ense Radio as a producer. she was working on a radio spot this afternoon but her cat, meepers, who is old and very spoiled, kept interrupting her.

heene's balloon

if anything, this heene family saga is indicative of the direction of our culture: people want to be on TV and will do whatever they can to get on it. this is an aspiration for most people and it's so depressing.

also symptomatic of this aspiration, people want to be told what to think and feel. i think we're so jaded and desensitized, most of us don't know what to feel anymore. the malaise of the modern man has killed our ability to feel. so we follow stories like "the boy in the balloon." we now take our cues from popular culture. the story of flacon heene captured america's attention because it told us how to feel with hourly updates: the anguish of a missing child, the terror of thinking the poor child was hanging on for dear life in that ballon... it's all very morose and morbid. but people watched it, following it fervently until the final climax.

sigh. and it turns out heene did this "for the show." and now we're mad, disgusted, feeling duped and ready to crucify the heene family.

what happened to making a mark with talent and knowledge? for what you can do as opposed to displaying the mundane inanity of every day humanity, replete with insecurities, stupidity and herd mentality, of which we are all guilty, in ill-advised reality tv shows?

chekhov once wrote to his brother, who made a self-deprecating comment in a sign off of a letter:
"do you know where you should be conscious of your worthlessness? before god, if you please, before the human intellect, beauty, and nature, but not before people. among people one must be conscious of one's human dignity."

more genius street art, but with cardboard

check out sjors vervoot's graduation project:


very similar to BLU's Muto:

a non sequitor celebrity rant!

i can't stand the gosselins. they're a waste of america's time. yet, i still feel a tiny bit of shame for them: for being jerks, for being so public about what should be so private, for being so shallow and grabbing for the money while saying it's "for the good of our children."

i can't stand taylor momsen. she's a lindsay lohan disaster waiting to happen. i mean, have you seen pictures of this girl?! she looks like a hooker on heroin! and the clothing she wears are not appropriate for her age! i don't care if she's an actress and "surrounded by adults all the time since the age of 3." i predict she'll have another upskirt fiasco but this time while wearing no underwear. what's worse is most likely, it will be allowed by her mother in order to help her achieve more fame. my question is what kind of parents does she have? who is ok with her 16 year old daughter looking like a cheap skeez on national television? i don't care how much money gets dumped at my door, no child of mine will be whored out to live a life based on the most inane things like sexiness, wealth and designer clothes.

(yea, ok, i have no kids and most likely will never have kids but i understand enough to know that my moral compass would not go to the garbage with the afterbirth either. as for for the wealth, sexiness and designer clothes comments, these are all false aspirations. right?)

in fact, i remember being 15 or and slathering on green eye shadow and red lipstick. i'm sure i looked garrish and cheap, maybe even like the joker. which was why my mother sat me down and asked me take off my makeup before we left the house. when i cried and told her she was stifling my self expression, she explained to me that i'd have all the time in the world to enjoy being an adult. she told me to enjoy my childhood because it's much shorter than adulthood. of course, i didn't understand this at the time and stormed out of the room. today, i understand it perfectly.

i wish someone would explain this to taylor momsen's parents.

a total overshare!

the latest facebook survey. for some reason, my sanity told me it's a good posting. [cringe]

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
a piece of cucumber from my cucumber mojito.

2. Where was your profile picture taken?
at an underground rave location not to be disclosed.

3. Can you play Guitar Hero?
i've never played it. and i suspect i might be ok if i never do.

4. Name someone who made you laugh today?
oliver, as always. he took my banana and sat in the rec room's front window and pretended to be a dutch prostitute. amazingly, no one on the street even STOPPED to see the fuckery he was up to with that banana. it was pretty damned hilarious.

5. How late did you stay up last night and why?
til about 1.33AM watching heros and dexter.

6. If you could move somewhere else, where would it be?
san francisco. new york. france. spain. italy. greece. australia.

7. Ever been kissed under fireworks?
actually, that was my first kiss. his name was alain. he was a french b-boy, adidas, kanjol, breakin' and all.

8. Which of your FB friends lives closest to you?
sandra! yay!

9. Do you believe ex's can be friends?
absolutely.

10. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?
i have no feelings for dr. pepper.

11. When was the last time you cried really hard?
ummm, when mcl and i were having some problems and i thought one of the solutions was breaking up. then again, i'm a drama queen when it comes to that stuff.

12. Who took your profile picture?
dj wak

13. Who was the last person you took a picture of?
emily and foo, kk's daughter and cat.

14. Was today better than yesterday?
well, yesterday was a day off but today i got a lot of stuff done so i'll call it even.

15. Can you live a day without TV?
yes, i can live without a tv, period. sometimes, i get mad at the tv and it's unwieldy power.

16. Are you upset about anything?
nope.

17. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
every relationship is a lesson about yourself as well as an evolution into a better person. so yes.

18. Are you a bad influence?
moi?! [bats eyelashes] pffffft... no!

19. Night out or night in?
both have their charms but i like nights in now that it's freakin' cold.

20. What items could you not go without during the day?
water. my macbook pro. my cell. my glasses. food. oh, and makeup.

21. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
sandy? when she had cancer... like back in 2000. honestly, i can't remember.

22. What does the last text message in your inbox say?
Bijal

23. How do you feel about your life right now?
i'm always looking to make improvements. while i can't say i'm satisfied with my life right now, i am happy. i have good friends, good employers, good co-workers and a wonderful family.

24. Do you hate anyone?
hate... that's a bit strong. i can say i intensely dislike a few people and they shall remain anonymous.

25. If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find?
erm, nothing incriminating. just emails from gradeschool friends.

26. Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
sure.

27. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
no, i get, "you're so cute!" A LOT. i think it has to do with being so small.

28. What song is stuck in your head?
oh man... it's this techno track that i have on vinyl somewhere and i have no idea who produced it, what label issued it, what year it came out and if i have it vinyl or cd. it came into my head when gia, steve and lucy picked me up from mary's and we had a drink before we left. it came on over the stereo system in the rec room. at the time, i freaked out and said it was chicken lips and got excited because it'd been ages since i'd heard that track. then i came home and started looking for it, only to find that i really have no idea who it is. IT. IS. DRIVING. ME. INSANE! i've even meditated to try and remember what the record looked like so i could try finding it. i'm going on week four of this shit.

29 . Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be?
optimus prime.

30. Wanna have grandkids by the time your 50?
ummm, no. no thanks. that's means i'd have to have a kid by next year and it would have to start procreating when it's 11. creepy!

31. Name something you are doing tomorrow?
workin' for a livin'.

32. Do you think too much or too little?
TOO. MUCH.

33. Do you smile a lot?
it's my nature, i'm sunshine!

what's with the accent aigu?

have you noticed when you want lend a bit more elegance or class to something, you can throw an accent aigu to it? case in point:
targé (target)
shanté
pussé
see? all of a sudden, lady parts seem really elegant, right?!

recently, i've really been in tune to the accent aigu. what i mean by tuned in is that i've noticed quite a few accent aigus on business names and they make no sense!

there is a building on gunnison, the street i live on, with a sign indicating the management company of the building. it's called pointé building management. in french to say you or i or someone else pointé means you or i or someone else showed up. e.g. elle c'est pointer à 16h. (she showed up at 4pm). i can't help but laugh every time i walk past that building. showed up building management?! well at least you can rest assured they'll show up when the hot water goes out?! ummm...

this weekend, on our little roadtrip to galena, il, we passed a catering company called elegancé catering services. that's not a french word. it's the english word elegance with an accent aigu to make it fancier and convey the gourmet part of the business. the sad thing is that i'm sure the catering business going by the name elegancé catering services doesn't even know the difference between a pasturized or raw pate. well, they might but i'm thinking they're gonna think the use of pate means paté when i mean the pate in cheese. maybe it goes from elegance to elegancé because they add those cute little ruffle anklets to roasted chicken? i don't know.

so, from here on out, my mission will be to take pictures of every misused accent aigu i come across. at any rate, it should make my parents and other francophones/francophiles giggle.

givin' thanks

i feel so lucky to have what i have in my life - my family, my friends, my boyfriend, my job, my animals. maybe because i've had one too many tonight at my birthday party, but i'm feeling the love, ok?!

i love sandra for being my best friend, through thick and thin, through dirty kitchen sinks and steam mops, through moms being crazy and trips through europe.

i love michael for being my partner in this life, for agreeing to settle down with me, for loving me for who i am and never expecting me to be something i'm not, even when i think i should be something i'm not.

i love my parents for giving me everything i ever needed to be successful at being happy. i love my mother for her humour and knowledge of everything. i love my father for his johnny cash rock n'roll lifestyle and spiritual advice. i love my step dad for all his generosity in helping to make me an adult.

i love kate rye for being funny and believing in me when even i don't believe in me.

i love oliver for being my second best friend, through boyfriends, fights, misunderstandings and always forgiveness. also, for leading me to mary's.

i love michael hamm for being my friend after years and years of losing touch, even when i broke his best friend's heart.

i love brandon for always being game for yoga and doing my crazy sequences that i make up on the fly.

i love paulie for his generosity and kindness. and for letting me shack up with his bro in our beautiful new apartment.

love love love to: jenni b, angel, bianca and jonathon, nancy, debbie r, emily & eric, rekha, lucy, tavo, gia and steve, nick shelton, brad akers, elizabeth and doug, felicia and imtiaz, pavi and ani, brenna and scott, marina and dave, patience and paul, tek, anthony jones, barbie, ashley and brandon, the whole crew at hamburger mary's, alexie, julie and lili, sweet john keenoy, sarai, tod smith, maria lia and her friend cindy, james, alice, kathy henrici, sonia, randy and marlee, kai, bill and holly, alfredo, mwelwa, kathy mills, tammi w, adam... this is just scratching the surface, pardon but i'm drunk: there are so many others that i love and i'm sorry if i didn't call you out, just know that i love you and am thankful you are a presence in my life.

xoxo
sunnyb