leslyeb

2011-05-16T19:17:00.000-04:00

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

S-M-I-T-H!

2011-04-29T20:44:00.003-04:00

In 58 days, I'm going to be marrying this man!

And becoming Mrs. Smith!

(oh, and all my dreams of never having to spell my last name were crushed yesterday when I was on the phone with someone, trying to reserve hotels rooms for the "Smith Wedding-Party")

Hotel: "What is the name of the party?"
Me: "Smith"
Hotel: "Schmitt?"
Me: "No, SMITH!"
Hotel: "Schmitt?"
Me: "No, Smith: S-M-I-T-H!"

(But, I've never been happier to spell a last name.....!!)

taxes!

2011-04-09T12:18:00.004-04:00

Hello tax-season! Hello turbo-tax!
(exclamation-marks do not necessarily denote genuine excitement.)

So, while using the helpful services of TurboTax yesterday...I kept getting barraged by ads to "upgrade" (aka: pay) for these helpful online tools.

Please see below:

and a little closer-up:

Now, I realize that I'm a designer...and I posses a certain amount of artistic skills (and therefore may be a little biased) BUT WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THAT!? Genetically-modified, gray-oval-head cows? And a face-less, umbrella-toting ghost?

TurboTax, you're trying to tell me that it pays to be prepared...?
Well, I'm telling you that it pays to hire....well....people who can actually draw cows.

yikes.

is it wrong...

2011-03-13T19:30:00.004-04:00

....that I think this is genius?

"A guerilla campaign for Superette is leaving quite an impression (haha) on New Zealanders. By putting indented plates across the inner city and fashion district bus stops, mall seats and park benches, those who sat down wearing short shorts or skirts walked away with an ad campaign imprinted on the back of their legs."

Maybe it's because I work in the marketing-world, or maybe it's because I'm sick of swaddling all of my body in multiple layers of stockings and scarves...but this has definitely just made my day.

(And makes me dream of wearing shorts again.)

you call this a THIN?

2011-03-07T21:08:00.005-05:00

I found this in my box of WheatThins.

Let me introduce you to the....

WheatTHICK.

(pictured on the right is a normal cracker. On the left....well...a WheatThick.)

*also, note to self: don't try eating an awkardly-thick WheatThin. It was disgusting.

poor pup

2011-01-25T18:06:00.006-05:00

My dear friend Amy recently wrote about an unfortunate nail-clipping experience she had...which made me immediately cringe with the memory of my own very-similar incident.

Fortunately, mine did not involve a small-human (like her’s did)...
UNfortunately, mine did involve a whole lot more blood...

(if you get queezy reading about the red-stuff...stop reading now.)

So, the story begins with our precious little pup, Piper. (I use the term “our” somewhat loosely here, since the dog is actually my sister’s)....But, we live together- so by default I have kindof adopted the pooch. Maybe this would be considered something along the lines of common-law dog-ownership?

Anyways, this dog (as cute and as well-behaved as she may be) DOES NOT LET YOU CUT HER NAILS!!!!
And if you know anything about dog-ownership (and the coinciding requirements of dog-grooming), you’ll know that nail-cutting is a vital component of dog-maintenance.

So, since Piper has been winning all of our attempted nail-cutting battles lately- I decided to be the nice big-sister/faux-dog-owner...and do a little sneaky snip-snip.

FAIL.

Well, I should clarify: the sneaky-part worked. The snipping-part worked.....a little too well....
(and the fact that Piper was napping smack-dab in the middle of Karen’s white bedspread only compounded the issue)

Soooo....immediately after making the fatal-snip, blood begins to GUSH from this poor little puppy’s paw. (I swear I didn’t hurt her, because she didn’t even make a peep.) However, as I saw a growing puddle of blood on Karen’s bed, I knew that I had to act...fast!

There is no way for me to explain the amount of blood squirting from this dog’s paw...it was everywhere...! Rushing her to the bathroom resulted in a blood-trail through the house, and as I tried to “rinse” her paw...all of her flailing-attempts to escape the water caused blood to splash on the sink, on the mirror, on the walls....(and I kid you not)...the CEILING.

I had to do a quick google search: “how to stop your dog from bleeding to death from nail-clipping”, I was told to put a compress on the paw, and wrap it in ace-bandages, so that it won’t get infected...or start to bleed again. (uhhhm, and maybe normal people have a steady supply of ace-bandages on hand at all times, but not this house.) So, next-best thing? A sock?

So I quarantined bloody-sock-Piper and myself to the bathrooom for almost an hour...(because I wasn't about to let her bloody-up any other part of our house...)

BUT here is your take-away from this potentially tragic-story.
(well, besides not sneaking up on dogs and clipping nails)

This is the magical-solution to get blood out of ANYTHING!!

1 teaspoon dishwashing-soap.
1 cup hydrogen-peroxide.

Mix together and spoon onto surface, pat dry, and continue to apply until stain COMPLETELY DISAPPEARS!
(I kid you not...this formula is pure magic.) *also works on wine-stains.

So, I then proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon with a mug of “magic-clean-up-blood-formula” and a little sponge...dabbing carpets, and couches, and rugs, and bedspreads, and towels, and pretty much everything we own....

And I have sworn off cutting another dog-nail for the rest of my life.
The end.

(best attempt at a sock-bandage?)

(I may have mauled her...but she still loves me.)

sortof.

wish-list:

2011-01-21T21:21:00.002-05:00

I feel like this mug would be super-practical for my lifestyle....

maybe a little creepy?...but hey. I'm all about functionality.

chilly-bird

2011-01-18T20:15:00.003-05:00

one down....51 to go! (pic-a-week)

hello 2011

2011-01-17T20:13:00.003-05:00

2010 was a real doozy of a year.
Bring on 2011...

(also, as annoying as it is to have a birthday smack-dab in the middle of Christmas and NewYears...it does make for a nice start to the new year. You can combine "newyear's resolutions" with "getting-older-resolutions")

errrr...unfortunately, I'm not quite sure what my resolutions are for 25, and 2011? but I think I would at least like to include "making more art" on the list of 2011-self-improvements. Soooo, in the spirit of lofty January-aspirations, we'll shoot for one-piece-a-week. (I'm a sucker for somewhat-uninspiring yet highly-achievable goals.)

oh, also on a mostly-unrelated note: for those of you who have had to endure years of my gasoline-speeches (and the supremacy of Chevron over other gases)...I would just like to point out the first person to congratulate me on my turning a quarter-century:

(that's right: Chevron. Loyalty pays off)

2010-05-11T19:54:00.004-04:00

I'm sorry...but, if you've spent any time at all in the church worship/music-circle....you too will find this movie a bit humorous.

my favorite scene:

"WINNER: Papyrus Font Awards"

a little visual treat.

2010-04-08T11:51:00.004-04:00

this is how Karen and I fished when we lived in Indonesia.

Step #1. snorkle-mask. (best to be worn outside of the water too. Obviously.)
Step #2. obtain smaller trashcan for scooping fish.
Step #3. obtain giant trashcan to hold caught fish.
Steph #4. dive into lake and scoop up fish.

(*surprisingly, our methods were eerily successful?)

too much....

2010-04-05T11:25:00.002-04:00

Sometimes life just gets a little crazy.
(and right now I think life has just dealt me the "lot-of-crazy" hand.)

want to see who I hang out with these days?
little pumpkin.

(*fortunately my studio-window is just her height.)

yiiiiiikes!

2010-03-17T12:05:00.004-04:00

It is exactly for reasons like this that I feel legitimized for my fear of sleeping in houses alone.

um, hello. I don't care if you're cold. STAY OUT OF MY BED!

...unless you look like this little muffin.

(but still...only on special occasions)

ewww.

2010-03-06T10:42:00.004-05:00

Do you know what I was doing exactly one week ago?

Oysters.
I was eating OYSTERS!?
SERIOUSLY...why do people eat those things?

I was emailed this photo by my dear friend Julia, who decided to commemorate the moment with a cellphone picture. (...so that way I could always remember the horrors of my first slurped-up-shellfish.)

*shivers*

Do I look petrified? ...because I am.
And please notice very (non-supportive/smirking) boyfriend in the foreground.

Come on.....if you ate this, you'd be making that face too!

{YIKES!}

Ah HAH!

2010-03-03T15:57:00.002-05:00

My dad works a mysterious rotational job overseas, where he's gone for a month at a time.
My friends hear about this, and usually decide that he works undercover for the CIA.
(I can't say that I can really argue)

Until I was watching TV the other day....

and NOW I know what my father does in his mysterious months "at work"

He's really Anthony Bourdain!!
(agree?)

nana

2010-02-20T13:05:00.004-05:00

if my last post was about babies...obviously the logical thing to write about next would be grandmas.

(*in my case: this would be a nana)

My nana belongs to the part of society that is still a bit skeptical about all this new crazy technology happening everywhere...unfortunately, we have no mercy, and we force it upon her.
A few weeks ago, my parents flew out to see her, bought her a computer, and set her up an email account.

this is an excerpt from the gem of a letter I got from her a few days ago:

Hi Leslye,
I really do not have much to say. I hope you are alright and the snow is not getting you down. I went tochurch today . They were having a pot Luck fund raiser for the choir. I did not want to cook anything ,so I looked at fruit and cakes at the store yesterday. I decided on a carrot cake. There are alot of Philippino people in this church now and I never know what to eat. Any way I had a plate full.It all tasted good. It sure was nice of your Mom and Dad to get me this compute4r, even though I did not want them to. Now your Mom is pushing me to use it. I hope I am not boring you. Even my typing is bad these days. Thank heaven for the spelling check.
Bye for now. I Love You! Happy Valentines Day.
Love, Nana

my favorite part is definitely the philippino food at the potluck.

ooooooh, she's a funny one...

...babies...?

2010-02-16T18:13:00.005-05:00

I'm an aunt.

And don't freak out. Karen's not having a kid.... I'm just a fake-aunt,
(*which is definitely the next-best thing)

and who's made me into such a lucky lady?

....meet Bennett:

Isn't he just a little pumpkin? And he's even wearing the little whale-shirt I made him...!

...

...

(*but, you see: this is what happens when your friends have children, and you have to live vicariously through them with itty-bitty-crafting desires)

{elephants}

{whales}

so...let me know if you want me to be your fake-aunt too. (I'm kindof fan of this auntie-ness!)

wanna be a font-nerd?

2010-02-12T15:04:00.003-05:00

yeah, thought you did.

soooo, you should take this test.

it combines shooting, and typography. what more could a girl want!?

do you see that? they called me a "true font geek". I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me...

snoooowpocalypse!

2010-02-09T09:52:00.006-05:00

(or at least that's what they've been calling the 2 feet of snow that we got hit with on Friday night)
and it seems fitting: snowpocalypse.

But, (instead of hunkering down under blankets and hot cocoa), do you want to see what I was doing friday night during all of this crazy-mad-snowiness?

{this}

...which means i got stuck on the opposite side of pittsburgh for 2 days. (woops!?)

and woke up to a world of this.
...2 feet of snow, in one night? crazy.

and we're supposed to get another 10 inches today.

(they called in the national guard. no joke. because they don't know what to do with all of it....)

oooooh, winter.......

office inventory

2010-01-27T11:15:00.003-05:00

This is what I stare at for approximately 8 hours every day.
(and in case you're wondering: YES that is a picture of a stick in my photoshop window.)
Don't ask...

This is what I drink for approximately 8 hours every day.
(decaf. don't worry.... I try to stay away from the office-caffine-jitters)
So, nothing too interesting or out of the ordinary, right?
Well....we haven't hit the drawers yet.

...

...

...let me show you mine:

{Drawer #1}

Drawer #1 isn't too odd...I mean, sure there's enough tea in there to supply an average american family for a year.. (and a coupon for more tea) ..but, that's not too embarrassing, right?

{Drawer #2}

shameful: two potatoes and a gift certificate for an hour-long massage.

WHO AM I!??!?!?!?.........

just call me ms. handy!

2010-01-23T16:09:00.005-05:00

Ever wondered how to attach a lamp to the ceiling?
(without using the "normal" supplies?)

Well, all you really need are three nails, one thumbtack, and a twisty-tie.

See?......{don't worry: it may not look secure, but I promise...it is...mostly}

And tadaaa!!!
The previously dark corner of my studio has light! (*optimal for some late-night-futon-reading)

ingenuity? skill? (or just laziness?...and not wanting to drive to HomeDepot?)
to all of the above, the answer is: yes.

creeped and wooed.

2010-01-21T16:02:00.003-05:00

want to be thoroughly creeped out?

...

yes?

ok, here it is:

this is a vase...for your wall...(obviously)...but WHO in their right mind would want a creepy dead-looking hand holding flowers?

um, not I.
please...no.

So to make up for the fact that I just made all of you look at a creepy hand-vase....
I will share with you my new favorite illustrator. Stuart Kolakovic. I am so wooed by all of those pictures right now.

(I hope you can enjoy them as much as I am....)

*and the phrase "wooed by" should be interpreted very loosely in this context.

it's all a matter of perspective.

2010-01-17T12:27:00.004-05:00

I love living in a place where 40-degree days feel warm.
(*honestly: there was no sass or sarcasm in that statement.)

Yesterday was a 40-degree day, which meant most of the snow in our yard began to melt (or at least turn into very slushy piles of mush).
But 40-degree days most importantly mean:
EVERYONE (at least on Lowland Dr.) washes their car.

I don't know what kind of crazy pittsburghers have...but, I've caught it.
Because I thought it was a good idea too.

So, surrounded by snow (and armed with a hose and a bucket of suds) I washed the volvo.

*it was only semi-painful when I plunged my hand into the VERY cold bucket of soapy water.

But, the volvo is now salt-free.
And I am one winter-car-wash closer to being a genuine Pittsburgher.

?

2010-01-15T15:23:00.002-05:00

humor me for just a second, and please admit that this is one of the most adorable logos you've seen in a while.

(no, I cannot take credit- but I wish I could)

ooooh...dear....Mama B

2010-01-14T14:35:00.005-05:00

Mama B is just...well...full of highly quotable statements. (like this one...with the pitchfork)

Most of the time I am the only one around to enjoy her little conversational gems, however- every once in a while there are a few other fortunate people around to witness and enjoy the words and wisdom of Mama B.

Soooo...mom was in town the other weekend, and her visit happened to coincide with an evening of dinner and entertainment Karen and I had planned for some male friends. (*disclaimer: no romantical attachment to either)

And, not only was Mama B in town...she also brought The Other Child with her.

{The Other Child}

The Other Child has been around for a solid decade now...which means she's reaching "aged-dog" syndrome.
(*aged-dog syndrome consists of highly-sensitive needs and dietary requests, such as a pillow and blanket at night, placed on top of her memory phone mattress...and she literally refuses to eat anything unless it is organic. How does she know if it is or isn't? ...it's a mystery to me. But I swear: she is her mother's dog...)

Anyways, The Other Child has recently been developing a big of a pooch. (you know...that porkiness that settles around the middle of a dog and causes a bit of a waddle, and a pooch of belly when she lays down?)

MamaB doesn't believe that she's getting fat...even though child #1 and child #2 try to tell her.

However, during this evening of entertainment and food, The Other Child is laying on the floor (in full porky/waddle/belly-pooch-ness) and Mama B finally admits that she has gotten a bit plump.

the ensuing conversation goes somewhat like this:

leslye: "SEE! We told you she was getting bigger"
Mama B: "well, she's just getting her old-lady love handles?"
leslye: "no, it's because you feed her too many treats!"
Mama B: "but she loves them so much, it's ok if she's a little bigger..."
leslye: "mom, you wouldn't ever let us get that plump!"
mom: "well................that's because angel doesn't need to find a husband"

(and so goes the logic of Mama B)

...and our male houseguests found this a bit hilarious.

on a scale of 1 to 10....

2010-01-13T17:16:00.004-05:00

how nerdy am I?

I'm really not sure...especially when it comes to the typography category of nerdiness...but I think it would be safe to say I'm close to a 9. (shameful!)

and that is why this little typographical-personality test just made my day.

and the verdict? (*which is straight from Pentagram, so you know it's going to be legit.)

I am a Baskerville Italic:

Rational
Understated
Traditional
Relaxed

Isn't it a beauty? (just look at that ampersand.....mmmmm....)

ok. maybe the nerd-o-meter just went up to a 9.5.

2010-01-06T12:31:00.002-05:00

I've never lost a camera, but I still think this is the most brilliantly-clever idea, ever...

(how to remedy camera-loss)

happy birthday....(to me?)

2009-12-29T22:33:00.006-05:00

I was going through boxes of old photos today, found these, and felt it would be appropriate to share (since it is my birthday tomorrow...and these are birthday photos)

the infamous home-made cake (with a giant-candle in the middle)(my mother still apologizes for this cake.
What you can't see is the sad sloping of a very concaved-center.
And pretty weak vanilla frosting.)

Oh well...I loved it.

And what can i say? my parents were poor and resourceful!?

aaaaand, upgrading to the 8th-birthday cake.

(obviously I was pretty psyched about this one)

And hopefully birthday cakes aren't a symbol of my life-progress...because if so: I believe I'm in a bit of a regression:

(notice anything eerily similar to birthday cake #23 and birthday cake #1?)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-28T09:50:00.002-05:00

Let me share with you a fool-proof recipe for holiday success:

Two people
+ One dog
+ 20-pound turkey
________________
a very merry christmas

Dear Sarah M. Slagle.

2009-12-20T19:39:00.005-05:00

I believe you ordered this:

...and this:

unfortunately I did not.

I wanted a sweater.
A big, fluffy, white, swaddle-up-in-warmness sort of sweater.

(and instead I received your XS-hot-pink lingerie.)

and do you see the scarf I am wearing? (INDOORS?) Yep. XS-hot-pink lingerie does not appeal to me. Ever. And especially not now.

I hope you didn't receive my sweater, and discover its superiority over your hot-pink lingerie.
(because it is superior: trust me)
And once discovering this fact, you'd probably never give it back....

Get ready...(for cuteness)

2009-12-19T14:44:00.005-05:00

Piper experienced her first snow this morning.

And Karen and I (like all good puppy-mothers) photodocumented the event:

She was a little bit confused at first about all the fluff....

But, then she got into it....(see that tail?--full speed ahead!)

(*and please don't make fun of her dog-jacket. She's small, and gets cold...and she needs it!!)

You can't really tell...but she is fully airborne in this picture.

Look at that little puppy-tooshy!

All covered in snow!

(she was TOTALLY covered in snow-clumps and crystals when she got back inside...
so we had to give her a hot bath to defrost them all...)

isn't she just the cutest little pumpkin?

(*and like I said about the jacket: I usually am not a fan of dog-apparel...but it is NECESSARY, people: INSULATION!)

Oh, and do you see this weather report? Snow EVERY DAY.....for the ENTIRE WEEK.

we REALLY need to purchase a snow shovel.
ASAP.

Friday Date

2009-12-18T15:10:00.003-05:00

Honestly, sometimes the best kinds of friday nights are the ones spent snuggled up on the couch with a steamy mug of cocoa and a large stack of movies.

and that's exactly what's waiting for me when I get home.

(well, the stack isn't exactly waiting there...I have to venture to TWO different redboxes to pick up all my videos (bad planning on my part) but, within the next 4 hours I FULLY intend to be swaddled in pjs and enjoying the first of a long night of movies...)

and all with one of my favorite people in the world:

(*and yes. we will probably look like this too....due to the fact that our living room is like a giant IGLOO....brrr.)

pile on the blankets.

and pour me some cocoa....

hello, weekend.

Let me change your life.

2009-12-16T16:51:00.004-05:00

(in just one bite)

introducing.......

Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's

um....hello, just a little bit of heaven-on-earth.

(and do you see the part that says "Real candy cane pieces and rich cocoa in every bite"?...ummm....yeaaah, it's most definitely true. These things leave normal oreos in the dust.)

Oh, and Mrs. Donley, if you're reading this...thankyou for the JoeJoes.

Christmas Miracles

2009-12-03T10:52:00.004-05:00

most recent and highly-entertaining assignment at work:
Fix the family-christmas photo.

Obviously grandma is a little picky about her christmas photos....and my boss graciously passed the job along to me this year. (thanks Brian)

So...let me take you through the steps on how to botch/fix your annual christmas-card-photo-shoot:

Step #1:
(assess problems with photo: grandson #5 isn't in the frame?...no problem.)

Step #2:
Clone grandson #5 into frame. (maybe a little fuzzy? ehhh....no one's looking that closely.)

Step #3: Grandma wants a red vest on grandson #5. (sheesh. this little kid causes a lot of trouble)

Step #4: Add a vignette. (to help distract from all the fuzzy/botched cloning happening to grandson #5)

Step #5: Granddaughter #3 looks sedated? No problem...

Step #6: Final product:

- you can see grandson #5
- the reflections in the door are gone
- the bruise on baby Liam's head is gone
- boys now have matching red vests
- granddaughter #3 is perky
- aaaaand, hopefully no one on this card's distribution list has 20/20 vision?!

see....magic does happen at christmastime.

happy Thanksmas! (or Christgiving?)

2009-11-25T13:45:00.004-05:00

So, in approximately 3 hours, little sis and I will be driving out of the 'burgh and back home to Virginia. (downsizing from a city of 350,000 people....to a little town of about...ooooh.... 10,000?)

And the Bourquin family will commence celebration of Thanksmas.
(this is due to the fact that Dad will once again be MIA, overseas for Christmas this year....So, we're just getting in ALL the goodness this weekend.)

therefore:
Thanksgiving + Christmas(early) = a weekend of Thanksmas/Christgiving SHENANIGANS!

and have I mentioned how happy I am to be spending it with these three?

*(except, not in swimsuits. of course....)

honest.

2009-11-20T13:22:00.003-05:00

So, I'm not exactly positive how this is supposed to work, but wendy and steph have nominated me to "honesty-scrap" (or something like that?) So, I'm supposed to give you a list of 10 things about myself.

not too hard, right?

Welllll.....here it goes:

1. I've been to 20 countries. (well...21, if you can count a layover in japan?) I've had four different passports...but my current one only has two stamps in it (which i find rather depressing)

2. um....on the topic of passports: somehow things got a little confusing during the manufacturing process of my third passport, and the US government decided i should be.... a man.
(unfortunately, i didn't discover this until i was halfway through a multi-country tour of europe.) soooo- everytime i went into a new country i just assumed that the passport-checker must think i was a cross-dresser. (very awkward)

3. I have an unhealthy love of diet rootbeer...and i have been known to consume an entire 2 liter in one sitting. (with very unfortunate results...as you can imagine: that much carbonation cannot be consumed without negative side effects.)

(don't worry...it was diet)

4. When i was in highschool, we all had to take the ASVAB test (It's pretty much like the SAT for Armed Forces/Military) I got a perfect score on the battery/electronic section. (do NOT ask me how)....and the US Military called my house every day for a month trying to recruit me. (i tried to explain to them i just wanted to go to college to be an art major...I didn't like batteries. or electricity. or fixing thing....but they still wouldn't leave me alone.)

5. I love listening to classical music on the radio when i'm driving...(but i always change the channel before i turn off my car) I'm always afraid that if someone gets in the car with me later, they'll find out what a music-nerd i am.

6. I took gymnastics as a child. (until my parents realized that: A) i will never be coordinated enough to do anything but a somersault B) the average size for a gymnast is about 5 ft.....

(you could tell from about...oooooh....day 1, that i was going to be a wee bit over 5 ft.)

7. I played the bass drum in our highschool band. (yes. they were desperate)

8. When I was in first grade, I wanted to be an actress. I would spend hours in front of the mirror practicing facial-expressions. I even developed a facial "exercise-routine." (I guess it never occurred to me that acting required more than making faces...)

9. I was on the swim team when i was 9-10(ish). I was never very good...with the exception of the breaststroke---and nobody could beat me. (it was my one and only year of athleticism)

10. I started playing the violin when i was 3. Sometimes i feel like it's my 3rd arm. Two decades is a long time...

Sometimes I have dreams, and my violin takes a leading role. Is that something I should look into? (dream interpretation? help?)

the rest of the rules....
1. Must thank the person who gave you the award and list their blog and link it.

(thanks steph and wendy!....)

2. share 10 honest things about yourself...

(did that)

3. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.

(oooh....I'm never very good at this part. But, if you feel like listing 10 random facts about yourself, I'd love to read them!?)

a few thoughts about animals, and pets...

2009-11-18T10:05:00.006-05:00

Facebook has recently begun alerting all of its users not only about potential new-friends (and people you may know), but also of old friends that they think you should "reconnect" with...

why is it that (in my case at least) these all seem to be animals....?

in ONE day alone, this is what FB had to say to me:

make friends with Moko, the dolphin....

suggest friends for Bear, the dog....

Oh, and don't forget to send Coco, the monkey, a message...

really? REALLY? ...I mean it was weird enough when FB was taken over by middle-schoolers and people's parents. But now? I'm cyber-stalking PETS?!

Oh, and on the topic of pets.
(and since I have one of those now)
Can I just share a quick story about this little pumpkin?

She got her first haircut+bath this past weekend.
(Karen and I were feeling ambitious. So, we got out the snippers, and went for it.)

*(actually Karen just held little Piper. I was the one doing all the snipping....and it turned out pretty well!? Even though I may have cut off a few of her wiskers. woops? Dogs don't really need those anyways, right?)

So, post-haircut, it was BATHtime.
We've never given her a bath before. (yep: adventure.)
So, we filled up my tub with warm water, lathered her up with puppy-shampoo, and scrubbed away....

she was not thrilled

at all.

But, we finally finished and removed our shaking, wet-rat-looking-puppy from the tub and dried her off...

and she was still not thrilled.

in fact, she kindof hated us for the next hour.

(fast forward a day)

I was taking a shower on Monday night, and Piper starts FREAKING out as soon as I close the shower-curtain. (She's never had a problem with me showering before) ...But, she was LITERALLY going crazy: whining and whimpering and all those sad puppy noises that just break your heart.

She thought I was getting a sudsy-puppy-bath.

And she was VERY concerned.

So, I ended up having to take a shower with the very end of the curtain open (so Piper could rest her little paws on the edge of the tub and make sure I wasn't dying).

But that wasn't enough...

nope.

I had to let her lick my toes during this entire showering process (as she continued to whimper and wine) so that she would be assured that I was not suffering from traumatic bathtime.

(we have a very sensitive and thoughtful puppy)

my tragic lovestory:

2009-11-09T11:09:00.008-05:00

I love autumn.
I LOVE it.
The leaves, the crisp-weather, the impending scarves and boots and sweaters (and cardigans!)...
The pumpkin-flavored breads and muffins and lattes...

I love it.

Unfortunately, I think that this lovestory may have a tragic ending...because it seems that I am allergic to fall.

{fall+me=not so good}

I woke up on saturday morning, and couldn't really see out of my right eye. I looked in the mirror, and discovered that I looked something like this:

(just add about two decades to this little kid...and maybe swap out her overalls for a pair of pj's and THAT is what I looked like. No exaggeration.)

PUFFY

very,
very,
very puffy.

The weirdest part? (the SAME THING happened to me last fall!) I woke up one morning, and SHABANG! (one eye was out of commission. Huge, puffy, and definitely out of commission...)

I blame fall.

And below is the picture I texted to Karen (who was away for the weekend) in an attempt to gain sisterly sympathy for my puffy-plight. Do I look pathetic?...because I felt it.

(*oh, and this is about 3 hours after I woke up...and after I convinced my eyeball to de-puff enough to open...after lots of ice, and benadryl, and other de-puffing activites.)

however, as I look at this picture now...I'm beginning to think that my whole HEAD was a little puffy.
oh dear.

And no worries, I wore my glasses for two days in order to disguise the cyclops-ness of my head, and this morning I woke up and it's almost all normal-looking again! (hurray!) It's just a little puffy...and every once in a while I can see part of my puffy-under-eye in my peripheral vision.

(awkward)

and so goes my unhappy tragic lovestory of Fall.....

*disclaimer: this was NOT pinkeye. It didn't hurt. Didn't itch. Didn't do ANYTHING except PUFF.

LOOOOOST!?!?

2009-11-07T13:00:00.003-05:00

what: string cheese
where: somewhere in my house
why: ....it's saturday? and I obviously become forgetful when it comes to my snack-food-placement.

oooooh dear.....I'm having awful visions of finding stinky cheese months from now....(or maybe I accidentally added it to the load of laundry I just did?) yikes.

telephone poles.

2009-11-04T11:49:00.004-05:00

So, I was driving to work this morning- and suddenly was just really weirded out by the thought of telephone poles. (I know, random...but, it's Wednesday morning? What do you expect?)

I think it all started when I passed a big tractor-trailer, who was carring (one) very very very long wooden pole. (You know how people carry extraordinarily-long pieces of plywood? or hardware? or Lowes/HomeDepot-esque supplies in their trunk or truckbed, and tie little orange flags to the end?...so you won't run into them?) Well, just imagine that, but on a much larger scale. (a very very very long wooden pole hanging off the end of a tractor-trailer truckbed, with a HUGE orange flag attached to the end.)

And I thought to myself...(in normal Wednesday-morning fashion)...What in the world is this huge wooden pole for? Wouldn't it be easier to just chop it up? And it seems like a bit of a waste to have a HUGE tractor-trailer transporting just one pole.

And then I had my Wednesday-morning epiphany. (it was a telephone pole)

But, then I started thinking about it...and telephone poles are really just odd. And archaic. (archaic would be the right word, right?) I mean, the world is full of so much ridiculously-unbelievable technology. And we STILL stick big wooden poles in the ground?

And where do you find trees for telephone poles? I mean, they're huge. and perfectly straight.
Do they have special telephone-pole-breeding-forests? Where only ridiculously tall&straight trees grow? I mean, have you ever really looked at a telephone pole? And really thought about how many hundreds of thousands of billions of those things there are around the word?

(where are all these tall skinny trees coming from?)

anyways. those are my mid-week ponderings.
(and bless you all for reading this much about telephone poles)

ooooh, it happened.

2009-11-02T09:17:00.002-05:00

technically, i'm not a puppy-mama. (since this is karen's dog) ...buuut, I would like to say I'm at least one step above just an "aunt"...right?

and the belly says: HELP!!!

2009-10-29T16:39:00.005-04:00

I love it when we get little freebies here at the office! (and since I work at a branding/design firm, usually our freebies consist of paper samples, or print samples, etc)...

BUT TODAY!?

(COOKIES! and FRENCH-PAPER-COMPANY SAMPLES!)

*it's like two jackpots!? in one day?! (maybe I am lucky....)

so, I've already embezzled some paper-co. postcards to help add flair to my little corner

And check out these Halloween cookies we got from one of our Printers! (creepy sugar-cookie-hands?)
*but look at that icing job? wow. detail: warts, creepy black nails, spiders, webs,....uh?? gross.

(the bad news it that I think these cookies were poisonous, or else I should have known better than to try to eat the whole thing. EVERYONE in the office agreed that after finishing theirs they felt like a bomb had exploded in their bellies. a sugar-cookie-green-creepy-hand-bomb.)

unpleasant.

DISCLAIMERS:
I did not finish the cookie. I only ate off all the fingers. (and then discovered the bomb-effect)
Also, the menacing photobooth-picture is in honor of the creepy hand..I'm not in a bad mood today or anything.
(just felt the need to clarify)

so, does this mean I'm lucky...?

2009-10-28T10:59:00.006-04:00

So, while eating my lunch-salad...I found a clover? in my spinach-leaves?

I realize that lucky-clovers need to have four-leaves (and my clover only has three). BUT- doesn't the fact that there was a clover in my salad just make it intrinsically lucky? (by some sort of luck-default?)

oooooh, also-
does anyone have thoughts about morkies?
(and for those of you who have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about- don't feel bad. Up until this past saturday, I too had no clue what a morkie was.) Buuuut, in the world of small-dog-ness, a morkie is a mix between a yorkie and a maltese (and little sis is currently OBSESSED).

We were walking downtown when she spotted a (very cute) little dog, being walked by a (not quite as adorable?) little old man...and we literally CHASED him down the street, so we could ask what kind of dog it was...
(*and when I say "we" chased him so that "we" could ask him---what I really mean is "karen" chased him (while I was chasing after her, yelling: "really? Karen! this is so embarrassing?!")

and ever since then?
she's been on the Morkie-hunt.

but, I'm not gonna lie: if she brought home a little pumpkin that looked like this? I would love it.

I wish I had thought of it first...

2009-10-21T15:38:00.003-04:00

Seeking Girl Who Bit Me TWICE Last Night While We Were Dancing

Saturday, June 6, 2009
- m4w - 27 (42nd St and 5th Ave)
So yea...um, looking for the girl who I was dancing with last night, she bit me twice. I forget her name.

Sophie Blackwall is the most ingenious illustrator....ever.
She has illustrated a collection of random "missed connections" from Craigslist....and this is what she has to say about her work says:

"Messages in bottles, smoke signals, letters written in the sand; the modern equivalents are the funny, sad, beautiful, hopeful, hopeless, poetic posts on Missed Connections websites. Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I'm trying to pin a few of them down."

I have a secret fettish with Craigslist's Missed Connections.
At work, we went through a very short stint where we created MCs...and had contests to see which ad would elicit the most return emails. (believe it or not- Whole Foods seems to be the haven for love....even more so than Kennywood....or the dance clubs...) And please don't think we're evil for creating fictional MCs. They were very specific, and ridiculous, and anyone who replied to them...well...I won't cast judgements--but, lets just say: a wee bit desperate(?)

Anyways, Sophie is my new hero. (and honestly, you really should look at some of her brilliant illustrations here.)

CAPES!

2009-10-16T10:17:00.004-04:00

(*post dedicated to Emily Pritz, who had a problem with all the dead flies...)

ok, "capes" probably doesn't need an exclamation mark with it...BUT, I did get the best junk-email the other day-- (and I have been saving it for a cold, dreary, rainy day...just like this)

and what was this little email all about?

CAPES!
*There it goes again. (sneaky little exclamation mark...)

Anyways, Real Simple believes it has a very serious relationship with me. (and therefore delivers emails to my inbox at least 2 times, daily.) And last week?---they hit the jackpot with their "Cape-Update"

Maybe I'm just behind the times...a little late on the fashion-memo....or so deeply in love with my collection of cardigans that I failed to realize that capes are apparently the "in-thing" this season.
...
(yeah, news-flash. right?)

However-
After perusing through their cape-photo-montage....
I knew that I had to share this little collection of cold-weather-goodness.

*oh, and I apologize to any cape-wearers out there who may be insulted by my cape assessment...
buuut, here it goes:

opening up the season of cape-ness, we have the gray little-bo-peep cape.
(I believe the model is attempting the "sexy-pose"....buuuut, we all know this is nearly impossible in a cape.)

cape #2...(the buttons are somewhat redeeming?) But, when you try to slather yourself with a knitted sheet--there comes a point when not even buttons are going to help out.

um. this is an unfortunate turtleneck sweater, that was de-limbed...and then sold as a cape.
(I don't care what you say. this is NOT natural looking)
I mean- think about this...really think about this:
How in the world are you supposed to look even somewhat attractive in something like that?

Oh, and now for the all-time favorite:
THE CARDIGAN-CAPE.
(yeah...no words are really needed to explain why this is hideous)
--it looks like she literally just laid a sweater on top of her frontside.
awkward
awkward
awkward...

(oh, and continuing on in the pumpkin-ness....) Carlyn brought me a pumpkin-latte at work today...to bring the total to THREE LATTES in ONE WEEK!

I'm currently in a bit of Autumn-heaven...

oh my....oh MY!?

2009-10-14T13:34:00.003-04:00

apparently dead flies are good for something?

this guy (Magnus Muhr) has managed to make them into art.
(and sadly...I kindof think they're cute......*in a very-disguistingly dead-way, of course!)

{dead flies need to pee...?}

{and, of course, can ride horses}

{see...aren't they just a little cute?}

{you eventually forget that they're dead...right?}

{you've at least give the guy props for creativity.....}

oh, aaaaaand (accountability)

remember how I said I had my first pupkin-spice-latte yesterday?
weeeelllll....
latte #2 happened today.
AND I made pumpkin soup for dinner.

yeah.
it's that bad.

too much..???

2009-10-13T14:42:00.004-04:00

I'll be the first to admit: I'm a fan of fonts.
Good typography can make me swoon...(it's true)

and yes, I also sometimes feel married to CS3. (And although my current job requires the use of QUARK (*aka: spawn of satan) --back in the day, InDesign was probably my biggest love.

but, this man?....THIS man??.....has taken it just a little too far.

(*those would be his initials, tatooed with InDesign prepress marks. yeaaaah.)

don't believe me? ...read about it here.

...oooooh, and speaking of "too much"
(*that would be the title of this blogpost...in case you have already forgotten)
is there such a thing as too much pumpkin consumption?

• it started with the DQ Pumpkin blizzard....

• continued with pumpkin bread...

• and then some pumpkin pie...

• and then this MORNING, I had my VERY-first-ever pumpkin spice latte.

(*everyone always raves about them: and by "everyone" and "raves" --what I really mean is that about 50% of my Facebook friend-population has mentioned them in their status updates in the past week.)
REALLY people....isn't that just a bit excessive?

...but I finally broke down and got one.

and now I understand why they are FB-status worthy.

it's like putting a piece of pumpkin-pie in a percolater.
(amazing)

...but, seriously: is there such a thing as too much pumpkin?
because, if so....I'm getting DANGEROUSLY close

(and I haven't even started with the pumpkin-soups yet)

um, ...hello life-changing treat?!

2009-10-02T14:15:00.003-04:00

.
.
.
see that?
.
.
.
.
SEE THAT?

{pumpkin DQ Blizzard}

until this afternoon, I don't think I'd even heard of a pumpkin blizzard before...

BUT THIS THING IS INCREDIBLE.

LIFE-CHANGINGLY-INCREDIBLE.

(*I don't care what measures you have to take...but i STRONGLY suggest sprinting to your nearest Dairy Queen and consuming one of these little lovelies as fast as humanly possible.)

brrrrr

2009-09-30T15:46:00.004-04:00

i scavanged through the attic last night and (successfully) found my down comforter.
....and last night i remembered another reason why i love fall so much.

piles of soft (downy) blankets

...honestly, there is nothing better than falling asleep in freshly-washed sheets, a pile of warm (feather!) blankets, and a stack of pillows.

*(it's really a wonder I managed to peel myself out of there this morning....)

oh, and in other news, fall-critters are really the best to doodle.
(because you can bundle them up in winter-wear.)

faaaaallllll.....

2009-09-29T15:25:00.002-04:00

today is definitely a fall-day.

cold.
dreary.
(etc.)

and don't get me wrong- i love the fall. (even the dreary-fall days)

unfortunately, I think fall makes me want to do this all day:

(*fall-naps are the best naps.)

please?

2009-09-28T22:46:00.003-04:00

can i just keep this little pumpkin forever?

....and we can take naps on the couch?

...and chase each other around the house?

...and eat snacks?

(*coming home to a lovable bundle of fuzz and fur is highly underrated)

ever heard of the G20..?

2009-09-25T09:31:00.006-04:00

well, maybe I'm just a bit sheltered/non-cultured...But, before it decided to come to Pittsburgh this September,
I had never heard of the G20 before...

(don't judge)

BUT- trust me: the G20 is just about all I hear about anymore.
Fortunately, they have a pretty nice logo...(agreed?)

Unfortunately, it makes life in Pittsburgh....well,....can we a say, a weeee-bit chaotic?

riots...

tear gas...

demonstrations....

so far i think the general favorite was the group who hung themselves off of one of the bridges (along with a large sign about CO2...)

Anyways, due to an overabundance of people...and dignitaries...and demonstrators.... most of the downtown businesses have shut down for a long weekend, and everyone is either working from home...or getting a nice little G20-vacation.

*(little sis would fall into the category of a downtown employee getting a long-weekend...so she left me and went home to virginia.) grrrr.r.r..r

soooo, that means I'm home alone for the weekend-- (and despite the fact that I had lived by myself for almost a year)- I got spoiled after the little sis moved in with me...and now??--I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself...

LUCKILY-
this little pumpkin is going to be keeping me company this weekend:

*(is he not just the most precious little fuzz-ball you've ever seen?)
and i get to be surrogate-puppy-mama while his real family is away.

don't worry...you'll probably be seeing lots more pictures of him after we've had our weekend of bonding...

(and don't worry: I'll keep him far away from the G20- so he won't get trampled...)

pittsburgh epiphany

2009-09-24T13:11:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm not entirely sure if you are all aware or not of the fact that Mr. Rodgers (*yes: everyone's favorite neighbor) is from Pittsburgh.

(You wonder why I moved here?...well, if it's good enough for an adventuring, singing, old-man, cardigan-wearing Fred?---it's good enough for me.)

But, back to my epiphany:

So, they have these cute (and very old) little trolleys that go up the side of Mt. Washington. Once you're up there you get a lovely view of the city...the opportunity to enjoy good (but pricey) restaurants...and just soak up the general ambiance of the infamous steel city...

now, let me show you the view from Mt. Washington (with one of the infamous Duquesne-Incline-Trolleys)

aaaand, now let me show you a picture of the little trolly Mr. Rodgers used to get to the "Neighborhood of Makebelieve" (*and please tell me you all watched this show enough to know what I'm talking about. otherwise?...well, you just tragically missed out on a golden part of childhood)

now, is it just me? or is there something strangely similar......

something seems fishy...

2009-09-22T13:03:00.003-04:00

I'm not exactly sure what it is...but something is definitely wrong with all of the below images:

first of all, mini-meatloaf in MUFFIN-tins??? (ugh.)
seriously, they even give you the recipe for "marvelous-mini-meatloafs" here.

next would be this little contraption....
(I don't even know what it would be called...except an awkward-banana-thing)

and finally.....
BEARDS.

(this man's beard has been dubbed "the hair-pretzel" by some people over at NPR).
*and no...the fact that i may religiously listen to NPR on my way to work has nothing to do with this beard-discovery.....

and if you want some more awkward beardage to admire, just go here. (the world beard and moustache championships)

...although, for all their awkardnes...they did come up with a pretty sweet poster.

(I guess you can find a little bit of good in everything after all....)

it's that time....

2009-09-18T14:05:00.008-04:00

yessssss, i know i probably refer to it far too often.

(" it " being my insatiable love of all-things-cardigans)

and i believe that I have previously discussed some of my feelings about these buttonable-sweater-wonders: here.
But, autumn is upon us- and I really just can't resist the urge to share........

{oh...why, hello there little sweater-buttons!!}

oh, and don't think that i normally stalk the men's-cardigan-section of the j.crew website.
(these images were collected PURELY for defense purposes....in a valiant effort to convince a friend (of the male-sex) that cardigans were in fact both stylish, and swoon-able.)

(I am not sure of the success of my photo-enhanced argument)...but I did appreciate the sweaters.

oh, and speaking of appreciation, and autumn....
look at this little lovely greeting I found in my inbox.

gosh. i really just love autumn. for so so so so so many reasons.

(but, let's be honest: mostly just for the cardigans)

love.

2009-09-17T13:27:00.007-04:00

it's true. I'm not a musical aficionado.

and oddly enough, most people expect me to be (it must have to do with the fact that I play the violin, and am usually pretty informed and (i think?) generally well-cultured)...

buuut, somehow or another, the musical-ness just slipped through the cracks.
(although I think a lot of that could be blamed on that fact that up until highschool (aaaand, maybe all the way through highschool?) my musical repertoire consisted mostly of bands like....point of grace, and plusone (?)
oh. don't judge my shameful confessions.
*and...can we really even call those bands?

yeah, not a big fan of those years. (or the random collection of resulting cds)...

but, college was good to me. (and a big thankyou all of my musical-enlightening friends: you know who you are) Because now I can listen to music, (and even though I still may not know a lot of band-names, or genre-jargon) i DO know what I like. and what I don't like.

(I consider this a major accomplishment)

and my friends will tell you that I enjoy soft, slow, acoustic, (semi-catchy), beautiful music. (*preferably string-infused....and bordering dangerously close to folksy.).
In fact, people have started burning me cds or recommending bands based on: "I think you would like this."

(ok, this might not sound like a big deal to you, but trust me: it's huge.)

and not only is my personal musical-taste continuing to progress...my musical responsibilities are too.

let me explain:
in college, I was really at the mercy of my various roommates, classmates, mac-lab-mates, etc for music. I was never the one who pushed play. (and I liked it that way)....it still kindof stresses me out to put new cds in my car, or pick a jogging-playlist on my ipod. I think it's the vast expanse of options. it's really just quite overwhelming...

but, anyways...I was never the "DJ friend." (which was probably a good idea)...except at Christmas, maybe.
*I mean- anyone could pick between 5 different holiday CDs, right? ...not too hard

and now...NOW: i'm all grown up, and picking my own playlists. I (very rarely...but, still...sometimes) even suggest music to other people(!)

aaaaand I'm not sure why or how...but I've even taken over at work as Pandora-DJ.
yep. whatever comes out of my computer becomes the office-soundtrack.
*talk about pressure?!?!

oh, but carlyn: if you're reading this. feel free to take over the playlist at anytime.
(I know that acoustic, folksy, beautiful music is really hard to stay awake to...especially around the 3:00pm heat-waves...)

So, why all this talk about music?

well...let me tell you:

...actually, on second thought- just listen. to this man: {click here}

and if you need more convincing, just look at this:

i mean...how could you NOT want to listen to a man singing
(when he is smooshed between a violin and a cello?)

uuuuughghghghgh.....melt me.

king of the hill...

2009-09-15T22:42:00.005-04:00

I know the target audience is probably not 23-year old female/ non-texan/ artsy-craftsy/ tea-drinking/ muffin-baking types. (but, it's been about 7 years now, and I still love that show...)

I think Karen and I started watching it in middle school (because we didn't have cable, and the afternoon "after-school" options were: King of the Hill, Wishbone, the local news, or PBS-opera hour...(?)

we picked the obvious choice.

and it's been a love of mine ever since.

(ask me if I even own a season of k.o.t.h. on DVD)
because I do....

{oooh....shameful.}

notice anything different?

2009-09-15T20:51:00.003-04:00

(yep. i just got spiffified.)

*spiffified: what happens when blogs get a new look.

good to know:

2009-09-14T13:38:00.005-04:00

so, today is the last week of summer.
(or, at least I'm pretty sure it's the last week...)

in any case: I've pulled out the scarves, cardigans, and other fall favorites.
(have i ever mentioned how much I love autumn? yes: LOVE)

*on a list of life-favorites, autumn+scarves+cardigans are definitely very high-up on the "greatest-loves" list...(probably sharing a three-way tie).

**oh, along with hot tea.....(so, make that a four-way tie?)

and pittsburgh is most definitely getting in the autumn-mood.
brisk mornings...and a few leaves are starting to change colors...and people are beginning to look a little more sweater-swaddled... (love. love. love. love.)

anyways, i occasionally enjoy adding some more random (potentially-semi-useless) information to my brain stash...which is why i find this website both informative and amusing.

(and today i learned a little bit about tea-consumption)--which i should probably keep in mind as we venture deeper into autumn-weather-ness.... and my daily hot-tea consumption exponentially increases.

{don't worry...i'll stay away from lethal-doses}

aaaand, more of the same:

2009-09-10T10:31:00.003-04:00

ok. i promise i am not obsessed with the parental-units...

but, seriously: ... my mom sent me an email this morning, with a picture of her playing her banjo at some festival thing from this past weekend. (how cute is she!?) mama's been playing the banjo for...ooooooh...about 35 years now(?) And she still has the same one (that she MADE herself in highschool).

one day i'll sit her down and make her teach me some sweet banjo skills.

but until then,
i'll just gawk and swoon.

the parentals...

2009-09-08T11:28:00.004-04:00

have i ever mentioned how ridiculously-adorable my parents are?

yep. how could you not love that. (well...mabye minus the smoochy....)

(aaand, yes... we may or may not have been attempting to kill several hours at the beginning of our recent family vaca... waiting for all vacation-members to arrive at the airport.)

but is there really a better way to kill time than photobooth?
nope. not really.

2009-09-01T16:02:00.002-04:00

note to self:
only purchase dogs that will fit in hotdog buns....

(is he not the most adorable thing you've ever seen?!)

momquote:

2009-08-18T12:48:00.003-04:00

my mother is probably one of the most unintentionally hilarious people I know...(and today is no exception)

I was talking to her on the phone this morning, when suddenly she gets cut off mid-sentence and hangs up on me.

...I wait for her to call back...

and her opening line:
"I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened... but I'm in the backyard, and somehow my phone got caught on my pitchfork."

yes: you heard that right....
pitchfork

(*i love my mother.)

roomie....is getting married!

2009-08-07T09:42:00.006-04:00

i really don't have words for this, just a little photomontage of why i love stephanie galbo....and am SOOO ridiculously excited for this weekend:

(also. i don't really have the time or patience to organize these in any type of chronological order....so, bare with me. and the spastic-captions.)

{smart girls}
...this is how steph and i first met. as seniors in highschool....during scholarship weekend.
(what else can you call it but destiny, that two 5'12" girls would be there at the same time. and want to see if we could wear the same pants.)

{FLAIR!}
yep....gradumacation came with style.

{trips!}
...we took our fair share of roatrips and adventures....

{haloween?}

....aaaaand, came up with last-minute/low-budget haloween costumes....that no one really understood (or thought was funny).
*we liked them, though.

{snuggle-time?!}

i believe it's thanks to me that steph doesn't mind snuggle-time.
(although i really don't advise doing it under random boy's armpit hair.)

{FITNESS!}

well...it was our best attempt to combat the "winter-pudge"
yoga? pilates? ....but we were mostly best at wearing lots of layers and consuming carbs.
(yay)

{granola.}
yep. we even managed to do the outdoorsy-campy thing.
(well...except i still don't think you've ever spent the night in a tent, steph.)

{munch}
...we like eating exorbant amounts of healthy foods.
(like rice-cakes!?)

...then again, we do ok with the non-healthy foods too.
(CHOCOLATE-TORT-CAKE?)
*fortunately, there's no photographic evidence of that.

{ethnic?}
...yep. (despite the fact that i was the one who lived overseas for 4 years)...steph has introduced me to a world of culture.
(which means...ethnic food, too?)

{models?}
yeah...don't be confused. we had a short-stint in the backyard-modeling circle.

{ooooh, yeah- HOT!}
and then there was that time that we modeled those wedding dresses...
and had makeup plastered to our faces...
to the extent that we were barely recognizable....

buuut, tomorrow: THIS girl is going to be the only one wearing the dress.

and i couldn't be happier.

(love you roomie.)

if you like things hot and steamy.

2009-08-03T13:36:00.005-04:00

(i know, i know....scandalous blog-title)
BUT- i'm referring to beverages here, people.....BEVERAGES!

and if you know me very well...(or even barely at all) It's highly probable that you know that the preferred consumption-temperature of my hot-drinks is the level right below scalding. (you think i'm kidding? ...i'm not)

i'm that girl:
• the one who goes to starbucks and orders her latte "extra hot"
• the one who burns off most of her tastebuds in the winter months when hot drink are vital to arctic pennsylvanian survival.
• the one who adds milk and cream to my coffee or tea, and then has to reheat it--because the itty bitty addition of cold milk cools it off too much.
*i've even rubbed off on my friends enough that they too have been known to reheat mugs of coffee and cocoa halfway through consumption, just so that it can retain optimal almost-scalding heat for as long as possible.

soooo, let me introduce you to my new best friend:

{yep. that is one shiny pillar of vacuum-sealed HOTness!!}

This mug is vacuum insulated and vacuum sealed and will keep your drink hot or cold for MORE THAN FOUR HOURS!
(and when i say hot? i mean HOT !)

so, if you're wanting to plan ahead for some toasty-drinks during the winter months ...(or, if you're like me...and enjoy a scalding beverage year-round)

look no further!!!! it's here!

*available at your local targets...

remember this little guy?

2009-07-28T11:53:00.005-04:00

{back when he was just a wee little sprout in a bitty-pot}

*sorry. obviously this plant was somehow gender-ized...due to the fact i am referring to it as a "he"

{and then he got bigger. and grew real-plant leaves!}

...aaaand then he went through what i would call the:
"difficult-officeplant-stage" :
(where he refused to bloom.)

he grew about two-freaking-feet.
required a repotting.
demanded to be put outside for "optimal-full-sunlight."
and then tried to scare me when he attempted plant-suicide during a particularly wicked rainstorm...

{but we've made it through three months of ups and downs...}
and he finally grew me a flower.

*carlyn has also had a bit of trouble with her zenia...but, her plant-baby has given her much less trouble that mine has.

{plant lineup}
*left: my very-troubled little guy.
*middle: carlyn's less-troubled little guy.

*right: brian's short, stumpy, and well-behaved flowering marigold.

oh, and all those giant sticks and rubberbands are there because our plants INSISTED on growing at least 2 feet before even thinking about flowering.
(great, guys. really nice of you.)

{and this would be carlyn...and her OTHER office-flowers}

{the occasion...?}

oooooh...maybe a recent engagement...or something like that.

plant babies

2009-07-23T18:30:00.007-04:00

(yes. this would be my obligatory boring yard-update)

buuuut...it seemed like only yesterday, that the plant-babies were just wee-bitty-sprouts:

{so little. so manageable. so well-weeded...}

and, like all good little plants should do,
they kept growing...and growing...and growing

until they they grew into an uncontrollable mass of squash
(and weeds?)
*i started slacking in my plant-motherhood....

but LOOK squash-blossoms!!
(*this is a good sign: my plant-mothering is obviously not as bad as i thought)

aaaand, squash-blossoms turn into little squash...

{baby-squash-butt? ...i think so.}

However, it's been about two weeks...AAAaaaaaand. the blossoms are STILL THERE. (how slow can squash grow?) i have three rows that should be budding into tasty-edibleness. but, the above-pictured squash-butt would be the ONLY thing that is actually growing.

{ugh.}

and speaking of plants/gardens/yards....um:

i think SOMEONE MOWED MY YARD!?
(i came home from work on tuesday. and it was short--which was definitely not the way that i left it.)

but who randomly mows lawns?!!?

and trust me: i'm very happy about this mysterious do-gooder... (because lets be honest: mowing is not one of my top 5 favs.)

...but, who do i thank?
...and why did they do it?

(does someone not approve my mowing jobs? is one of my neighbors fed up with staring at my uneven mower-lines?...i mean, i can't help it that I have lawn-mowing-dyslexia. and i spastically feel like mowing certain parts horizontal, and other parts vertical...or other parts a bit more...circular(?)

but, just in case you may believe that i am a total gardening and lawn-mowing failure...

i leave you with this:

*i have discovered that i am quite successful in the flower-department.
too bad they aren't very practical.
or edible...

sisters...sisters...

2009-06-29T21:51:00.001-04:00

can i just say how much i LOVE this girl?

(happy late-birthday pookie)

the everlasting kiwi....

2009-06-23T10:18:00.005-04:00

all my life- i have witnessed the amazing phenomenon of ripening fruit.
(because that's what fruit does: it gets ripe...until it hits a certain point...and then it just gets rotten.)

well, please let me introduce you to

THE EVERLASTING KIWI:

i have been letting this poor little kiwi ripen for FOUR WEEKS...!
(and by now it should be soft/squishy/and pretty much inedible.)

well....
it was almost inedible.
(but only because it was still crunchy and green!!!)

and yes, i realize that there are probably much more interesting things that i could be talking about (besides crunchy-green-unripened-kiwis.)
*but, this thing was a freak of nature. and i just had to share...

in other news:
i am suffering from "working-woman's-tan."
(definition: "a tan that does not exist, due to the working-woman's indoor habitat during all the hours of the day that the sun actually makes you non-ghostly-white)

I knew i wasn't a beach-babe or anything, but i think i had been denying the fact that i GLOW(with whiteness)....
unless i went running last night...
(and a lovely little group of teenage boys decided to participate in some lovely little catcalls...)
and their phrase of choice...?

"Hey white-girl!"

(*which i wouldn't really think anything of....except for the fact that they were VERY VERY VERY caucasian.)

oh.
blasted working-woman's tan.

stanleycup & beans...

2009-06-15T10:58:00.007-04:00

so....before moving to pittsburgh, i didn't really know much about hockey. (actually- i don't even know if i ever realized that it was a professional sport?...well, except maybe every 4 years, when the olympics would roll around)

but, thankyou pittsburgh.
(*and your overly-enthused-sports-fans)
because now: i am a lover...of hockey.

(*who would have guessed?)

aaaand, for those of you who have yet to cross over to the hockey-enlightened side of life, this is what happened in pittsburgh this weekend:

{the stanley-cup}

Aaaaand, happiness is abounding in the steel city.

how much happiness?
(well, let me give you an example)....

on sunday -(keep in mind...almost 48 hours after the triumphal-victory)- i'm at the grocery store. on the canned-goods aisle...in the bean section (*and really...does it get any lamer than the bean section?) and while trying to simultaneous juggle about 6 cans of assorted bean varieties and scope out the sale-beans-- random man approaches...aaaand, ...well- i'm going to do my best to re-create our dialogue:

Random Man: "AWSOME!"
Me: (thinking) ...he is also a fan of beans?
R.M: "Just, INCREDIBLE! INCREDIBLE! I LOVE IT!"
Me: (thinking) ...can't be beans....
R.M: "I mean- did you see it!? FLEURY!? (at this point begins impersonating hockey-moves? i am assuming?) He was all over the place!...and CROSBY! WE JUST WENT ON FIRE WHEN HE LEFT!!!
Me: (holding extravagant quantity of beans) "yep. pretty amazing...." (feeling (comparatively) extraordinarily-unenthusiastic at this point. and very laden-down with beans)
R.M: (shaking head, VEHEMENTLY) "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS! PITTSBURGH IS UNSTOPPABLE!"
Me: (still bean-laden) "yep."
R.M: (although unaffected by my comparative lack of enthusiasm, decides he will find a more energetic fan to reminisce with.)

---2 minutes later--- (in the cereal-aisle)

R.M: (shaking head) "STILL AMAZING!!"
Me: (this time sans-beans) "yep"
R.M: "I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT!!!"
Me: (schlinking-away....silently making mental notes to work on my sports-fan-enthusiasm.....)

my little corner of love.

2009-06-12T13:36:00.004-04:00

this would be the little corner-plot about 2 weeks ago:

and now there are actual SPROUTS in it! like...LEGIT-SPROUTS!!!!!

*and as soon as i remember to take pictures (instead of just swooning over my little plants) --i will post photographic evidence of my little plant-babies.

miss american...pie?

2009-06-07T23:11:00.004-04:00

so...i was cleaning out my fridge a little while ago. (which -(i know, i know!)- is a fairly lame sunday-evening activity.) but, you have to do it at some point...you know: inventory fridge contents. assess what is lacking. etc...

and during fridge cleaning/inventory/assessment, i discovered that i have a ridiculous quantity of apples...(*but, unfortunately- they were the sort of apples that had passed up the preferable "crispy" stage...and had gone on to the "mealy" stage....but, not quite mealy enough to justify throwing them away.)

so what do you do with a fridgefull of mealy-apples?
(bake them!)
*baked apples make a great snack: very healthy. and pretty tasty ...?

and i've discovered apple-peeling/slicing/dicing is a very mindless and theraputic activity....(because before i knew it--i was standing above a PILE of apples.) I don't know how it got so big...or how many apples went in there, but i knew that this was way too much for just plain old plain baked-apples....

and that is how the late-night-apple-pie-baking-adventure began.

aaaand...being so late...and me feeling so spontaneously-bakingly-adventurous...i decided to bake the pie sans-recipe. (which, actually turned out really good!)
*for some reason, i always have this feeling of very-smug-satisfaction when i can cook something without a recipe (and it actually works)

the only unfortunate parts of this pie-baking-adventure would be my definite lack of a pie-pan. woops(?)

so- i substituted a bread-pan. (which works...but, is a lot trickier....a LOT trickier....)

oh, and since my camera happened to be in the kitchen, and i was feeling rather proud of my spontaneous-inspirational-baking, you get to see my proud little pie-photos:

step 1:
apples (slightly pre-baked in microwave. with cinnamon, nutmeg, molassas, tapioca, cornstarch, and a dash of splenda)

step 2:
(cheater-(pre-made)-pie-crust) cut for bread-pan dimensions....with a little lovin' in the middle.

step 3:
apples meet crust. (and yes- this was a bottomless-pie....so, i guess kindof a cobbler-pie? ish?

step 4:
bake and take out when golden brown!

step 5:
(what you do with the awkward-ends of a circular pie-crust when baking in a rectangular-dish. (make apple-filled-....things.)

*and though they may look like little apple-poops...don't be fooled they were TASTY. (and are at this moment currently being consumed: hot. and full of late-night-apple-glory.)

rockstaaaaaaaaar! {um. or not...}

2009-06-02T16:48:00.007-04:00

so, one of my favorite people came to see me this weekend:

(GERDIN!) :)

aaaand, poor thing had to be dragged around to band rehersals/ hospital-visits/ and just general-leslye-life-craziness. but....she was a trooper, and we had some pretty great adventures.

example#1 : (*sighting of man with barbie-doll in back pocket.)

example#2 : (*choreographed water/lights/music show on the waterfront.)

example#3 : (*juuuust a little show at the HardRock)

{legit}

{this girl is awsome}

{look familiar?}

{yep. people even came to see us....}

...and in other recent life-adventures...i have hit a new level of home-domestication, with a newfound love for yardwork. (this includes weeding/mowing/planting/watering...) i don't know if i've hit "green-thumb" status yet. (especially since my tomato-plant keeps trying to die on me.) BUT- garden pictures will be coming soon....

she's baaaack!

2009-06-01T10:36:00.003-04:00

(*and no...i'm not referring to my posting-hiatus)

it's the little SIS! (finally home from the hospital...after ELEVEN DAYS.)

geeeze.

*if she doesn't want to be my roommate: really, there are easier ways to get out of living with me.

but...we found out she has ulcerative colitis. (which is kindof like crohn's disease? and essentially...her colon slowly destroys itself? or, at least that's about as much as i could figure out) so- they pumped her full of all kinds of crazy pills/treatments/steroids...and finally a minor form of chemotherapy--and i think her colon is finally deciding to not hate her anymore (and cooperate a bit).

so (in summation) the last week and 1/2 have been preeeettty crappy. (and i have cried more than i have in...well...years) it's an awful feeling to see your little sister hallucinating from fevers, bruised from IVs, shaking from steroids, and skeleton-skinny....and feeling like you can't do anything about it.

and i am just really really glad it's over...

the little pookie.

2009-05-23T10:39:00.002-04:00

that's right, the little sis graduated last weekend. (and MOVED IN with me!) Roomies+sisters=good times.

but- roommate-ness has been put on hold, because she's gotten really sick...and we had to take her to the ER yesterday. (so, keep the little pooksters in your prayers.) She's staying in the hospital until her fever goes down (a lot) and she can stay hydrated without her IV.

to all the starving rabbits:

2009-05-18T13:58:00.005-04:00

today's lunch hit a new all-time low in the fresh-produce-dept.
(*and not "low" as in "lack-of"...) it was more of a "low" = "OVERABUNDANCE-of"...

this would be due to the fact that my mother was here this past weekend. (and the amount of time mama-bourquin spends in my house is directly proportional to the amount of fresh produce that i find in my refrigerator when she leaves.)

and this weekend was no exception.

sooooo...this morning, when packing my lunch, i was faced with a fridge-full of spinach and cauliflower. (*which unfortunately was turned into the largest spinach/cauliflower salad that has ever been known to man.)

(this picture was taken half-way through the salad-consumption....about the time that i realized i was consuming an obese-rabbit amount of spinach and raw cauliflower.)

*i don't even like raw cauliflower....

{shameful}

{this is who should have eaten my salad}

make me a vegan.

2009-05-14T09:21:00.003-04:00

alright...
sooo, a few months ago - (in the height of my "coupon-craze") - i signed up for some "Kraft-Kitchen"-something-or-other (in order to get a coupon, for cheese(?) maybe...) Anyways, now i'm on the Kraft-Kitchen's weekly mailing-list (blast. because I forgot to sign up using my specially created "coupon-junk-mail-address")

so- last week, Kraft sent me some little treasures: "A dozen ways to make a ground-beef dinner." (Or something like that?) And of course I was absolutely thrilled...(because, we all know I tend to eat an exorbant amount of ground beef.) *not.

but, out of curiousity? or boredom? (or both) I decided to click through their little slideshow....(who knows? i may have a sudden change of heart and begin consuming ravinously carnivorous amounts of ground beef)....and i was APPALLED.

(and felt forced to share)

so, please meet some of the highlights of Kraft's 2009 Ground-Beef Brigade:

{opening slide}
*great shot. raw. meat. bloody. perfectly-rounded-rectangle.
also. doesn't Kraft know you should not be combining raw meet with fresh produce?
(PEOPLE: this is how mad-cow happens....)

{first temptrous-meal}
*maybe it's just me...but, this looks a bit too much like something just up and died (in chunky-crumbles) on a bun. and then slathered itself in melted american-cheese. (out of those individually-wrapped plastic sleeves.)
shudder....

{it gets better}
*as if just meatloaf weren't enough...lets swaddle it in bacon (and pretend not to notice the definite yellow-undertones of the loaf)

{grand finale}
*just in case you're not thinking it yet, i'm gonna say it:
poo. carrots. wrapped in lettuce.

Operation P.L.H.I.T.S

2009-05-11T15:02:00.005-04:00

(hopefully i didn't just accidentally spell something profane or awkward with that abbreviation....) *i tend to do that a lot, i think.

BUT- "Operation Put Leslye's Handwriting in the Sky" = SUCCESS!
(and is only further proof why i really am not yet mature enough to be holding a "real" job...)

So, a few weeks ago- I had to design some billboards...and as I was considering different styles/layouts/etc....it suddenly occured to me that this was potentially the only opportunity i will ever have to make my handwriting *famous.

*disclaimer: "famous," in this instance, (unfortunately) is actually only a very small-scale usage.

So, here they are: a sampling of some billboards currently up and around pittsburgh.
(please note handwriting)

ALSO- if you notice two boards WITHOUT a leslye-font-addition.....(well, it's still kindof a sensitive subject...but, obviously the client didn't like my handwriting on these two.) ....still trying not to take that personally...

and no...i can't take credit for taking these pictures. (they were sent to me in an email this morning)....along with the following explanation about the last photo:

"...poster location #2633...whew! I was flying down 51 toward the Elizabeth Bridge with lots of traffic so I shot it from my moving car. If you click on it and make it full size, then pan left, you will see it next to Edgar Snyder. I would have been calling Edgar to see if he really can "get money for you" if I had slowed down and tried to take the shot. (I was rear-ended coming home from a funeral in February...just got a new rear bumper...don't need to go through that again right now!) Anyway, they are taken from either a moving vehicle, a slow moving vehicle (can you hear the car horns blaring at me???), or pulled over illegally on the berm, or in the gravel pit of an abandoned building."

I've decided I really love getting descriptively adventures emails from clients.....

say no to deportation!

2009-05-05T15:15:00.008-04:00

(and save mar!)

http://www.savemar.org/

...actually, i don't know if deportation is the right word...but, whatever it is that's happening...i know that it's bad.

*and anyways, why would america want to deport such a potentially outstanding citizen?

{he can do the 80's}

{makes a great dance partner}

{or life-partner?}

{definite ladies-man}

{and creates customized wall-art}

(*oh, and i think i forgot to mention he can whip up a mean pot of rice....)

absent(?)

2009-05-03T21:37:00.003-04:00

yes...it's been an ashamedly-long time since the last blog-update. but, i must blame it on the following individuals:

two weekends in a row?!.. of some of my favorite people?!?
*seriously. i'm getting visit-spoiled.

(so, if you care to visit Pittsburgh anytime soon....let me know. I'm kindof on a roll)

*also, lets just be honest: living by yourself is HIGHLY overrated...(so, come visit. for the sake of my social-sanity...and because i've gotten pretty good at creating customized-pittsburgh-tours)

why i love today:

2009-04-21T15:19:00.004-04:00

It’s raining and dreary outside. i haven’t taken a shower in days (yes...personal hygiene: failure) because i went to the doctor yesterday (and after i got sampled and bruised and abused) they told me i couldn’t shower for another 24 hours. (great). I have managed to somehow loose my house keys, office keys, and car keys IN my house. (so, i had to go to work this morning using the spare car-key, and the garage-door opener: classy). My computer ate the files i was working on...and...well...it’s just one of those days.

fortunately, i’ve never been one to dwell too much in the melodramatic...so, i’ve compiled a visual list of reasons today should NOT be one of those days:

1) the plant has GROWN! (you’ve been wondering about him?...maybe forgot about him? *yeah, woops. me too.) I feel like this may be a sign of my future-partenting tendencies (neglect)...hopefully my children will thrive despite me. :)

{hey little zenia! you're gettining so big!}

2) PANCAKES for lunch. (First Watch is the best place for pancakes. Banana-granola crunch, blueberry, cranberry-nut...mmm....goodness.)*yes. above are pictured ACUTAL first-watch pancakes....although i would never advise ordering three. Those things are the size of a small flattened....cat(?) And i can barely make it through 2.

3) this afternoon i randomly decided to look through my coupon collection (*actually, it's more like a coupon-abyss) and found THIS!
(yep. for TODAY! if it weren't for my random-coupon-abyss perusing, i totally would have missed it)

4) And to top it off? ....moments like this:

{i really wish i could add an explanatory caption to this...but i have no clue what's going on.}

update:: the day continues to get better....with the return of boss-brian and his giftings of gourmet-ohmygosh-so-good CARROT-CUPCAKES! (delish.)

should i be concerned?

2009-04-16T13:40:00.002-04:00

so- i was sitting at my desk eating lunch earlier today...munching on a bag of carrots...(*and quick sidenote: i am pretty sure that currently, carrots are comprising at least 75% of my diet...especially after carlyn brought in carrot-muffins this morning...which i followed up with half a bag of baby carrots for lunch.) woops.

ANYWAYS-i'm methodically munching, working, munching, working, (etc.) until i grabbed a particularly hefty carrot and as i attempted to put it in my mouth realized it was FREAKISHLY GINORMOUS. (*please note the picture below, which shows a comparison of baby carrot specimen #1: normal....along with baby carrot specimen #2: FREAK)
but, after this (very necessary) photodocumentation. i ate it.
and, yes: my stomach does feel a little odd...but, i don't know if it's from the freak-carrot...or just the overabundance of carrots partying in my poor little belly.

{sigh+mutter}

2009-04-15T18:44:00.000-04:00

it was just one of those days.

{woops}

2009-04-13T23:24:00.006-04:00

uh....so, i'm hypoglycemic. right? (meaning: i should not eat sugar)

and who just finished off a package of peach rings? ehhhh.....yeah. oopsie.
(but they're just so daggone good...the perfect combo of sweet and sour and chewy and not...) oh dear. oh dear.

i went and saw Observe and Report in lieu of biblestudy tonight. (well...the biblestudy contestants/participants/whatever-we're-called went to see it...so, it was only sortof "in lieu") but...WOW. i mean- i know i'm generally the niave/sheltered/bubble-child -- but so much NAKEDNESS. and OLD-MAN nakedness. and FAT-OLD-MAN runing- around nakedness. (*the whole moving-viewing experience may be required to fall into the "woops" category)

but the biggest woops:
i have a SCREW in my tire.
(yep. true story: somehow a screw managed to lodge/screw itself into my back tire...and i noticed it when i was driving down one of pittsburghs lovely(but annoying) cobblestone streets on saturday. (and yes, you can compliment my incredible auditory-skills. because honestly...I was pretty amazed i could hear a screw on cobblestones.)

so.....does anyone have tips? (what to do when your tire gets screwed?) pun. mmm. nice.

on a non-woops note:
the adorable little laura chinchilla got married to phil on saturday. they were beautiful. the ceremony was beautiful. and, well, it was just a beautiful day. (i love weddings)

I also love photoshop...and pretending that i'm a wedding photographer. (ehh...fail?)

(oh, and any type of scattered/randomness in this post will be blamed ENTIRELY on the peach-rings)

*ps. just looked at sugar-content for above-mentioned peach-rings: 32 grams. wow. (that means i'd better get to bed ASAP--because i'm going to be crashing...soon.)

*pss. you know how they have those cellphone/emergency-necklaces for old people? (remember the infomercials where they fall down and can't get up? but the little 911-call-necklace saves their life?) well. i think i need one of those...for my post-sugar-coma-crashes...

(like right now)

good friday?

2009-04-10T10:23:00.003-04:00

yep. it certainly is.

...the best text message i've received all week:
"good morning! It's good friday--take the day off and have a nice Easter."

UUUUUhhh...could this day get much better?

{leslye's current life status: flannel. couch. coffee. hulu.com}

the BIBLIOchase...

2009-04-09T14:25:00.003-04:00

so, is it just me? or does this seem a bit overkill?{the bibliochase}

i mean- i consider myself a fairly-avid reader. ("avid" meaning: i have been known to complete 500-page novels in one sitting.)
But--this? according to the website it: "Contains 5 metres of books." Why would you POSSIBLY need 5-metres of books surrounding your body? Wouldn't you just feel a bit smothered by information? and options? ...and where would i set my mug of coffee*? and mini-muffin* plate? (*necessary for good-book-reads)

plus...i feel like i am already a beacon of "borderline-nerdy"...and if someone came over and saw this in my livingroom? psht. say goodbye to any hopes of social acceptance and cool-status.

let's reiterate:

2009-04-07T10:08:00.004-04:00

i know that this has been mentioned already on here: (the lack of...ooooh...about 8 inches of hair that USED to hang out on my head) But, seriously. people. i have short hair. BLONDER-SHORT HAIR. *both the blonde-ness and the shortness continue to be a bit of a novelty to me. (and honestly- i wouldn't have mentioned it again, except for the fact that most of you readers are: A) far away. and B) if/when you will ever see me again...there is the good possibility that the short-blonder-hair will have morphed back into its intristically-more-lame state of longer and mousey-colored. buuuut- this post has been mostly inspired by C) ---THERE IS A SONG NAMED AFTER ME!

ok. not really...but, when your name is spelled as weirdly as mine is "leslYe" (?) i feel that i have some kind of unspoken-ownership over anything "leslye"-related.

so, please see the album-below...LEGITIMATE-SONG-TITLE!? (and so appropriately-named...)
now...the bad news: if you actually youtube/googled/etc this band--you would discover their musical taste/talent/abilities to be a bit.....oooooh, could we say "sub-par"?

but- here we have it. yes. photobooth. (classic)
please live vicariously through my computer, and absorb all that is leslye, blonde, and short-haired.

(also a new discovery on photobooth: CUSTOMIZABLE-backgrounds.) i believe this is my early-morning attempt to be as cuddly, cute, and adorable as the birds...

(fail)

sweater love (or crushes)

2009-04-02T15:28:00.007-04:00

i've already mentioned my love of sweaters, right?
(well...more specifically: the oldman & sweater combo.)

and despite GORGEOUS temperatures outside (70 degrees? in pittsburgh?) i'm just sitting here and thinking about sweaters.

actually. i think it was started by these sweater lamps that i found online.
(um...can we say: adorable?)
and sweaters lamps (combined with a conversation i had earlier today about "practical-crushes") of course got me thinking about my all-time favorite combo: (oldmen & sweaters)....which i feel the need to elaborate upon.

the oldman & sweater combo is generally an all-inclusive endearment. (although, it is preferable for the old man to have a bit of a belly...) Mr. Rodgers never achieved ultimate-oldman & sweater status due to his thin frame. (but, the fact that he would change between two different sweaters during the course of his show (*while singing) helped to make up for his lack of the belly-pooch.)

{love him}

unfortunately- the sweater combo is best pulled off by the elderly generation. (i'm not saying that it can't be pulled off by younger men...just that it becomes much more difficult.)
Maybe i should explain....

Exhibit A:
this youngman & sweater combo has the potential to veer into one of the pretentious, overly-swaddled combos. He obviously is unaware of the fact that he is indoors (maybe confused by the pile of wood he is lounging on?) because he still has on his scarf...and he definitely has the look of the self-absorbed/ pretentious-sweater-wearer. He knows he's swaddled in sweaterness, and is a beacon of coziness to all sweaterly-prone-females (like myself)...and he is making a (very sad) attempt to abuse that power
(um, and did i already mention he sitting on a pile of very-uncomfortable-looking lumber? indoors?...)

Exhibit B:

(obviously younger sweater-wearing men tend to be oblivious to their surroundings.) fortunately, Exhibit B is not double-swaddling indoors like Exhibit A was...but, i am a bit concerned that he is combining sweaters with camo-pants(?) and that he is in a location tropical enough to condone grass-huts. Once again: Exibit B is very aware of his sweater-wooing powers, yet dumb enough to wear a henley-button-down-rib sweater to what i can only assume to be a war-zone/sunny-beach venue.

Exibit C) I am not sensing that Exhibit C is suffering from self-absorbed over-swaddling (like Exhibit A). However- he is definitely leaning towards the heavily over-swaddled. Unfortunately- it's the kind of overswaddling that screams: "my mother knitted my multi-colored scarf and still gets me dressed every morning" while simultaneously giving out the "senior-photo" vibe. (but it's ok kid... you've got a great smile.)

That was only a three-man critique...(and really: i could go on and on and on)...but i'll spare you any more sweater-wearing-analyses.

but- if i could end up like this one day, i would be perfectly happy:

(and NO: this is not a metaphorical illustration of my desire to morph into a headless-wicker-torso...or to marry a wooden-headed and feature-less man.)

come on, people. don't take everything so literally.

{rainy. dark. cold}

2009-04-01T10:00:00.005-04:00

ugh.
today is a definite-hump day:
wednesday. rainy. dark. cold. (with a can of semi-unexciting chicken soup on my desk waiting to be opened and heated at noon.)

but...i guess there are a few things to be excited about:

1) we have new flavored coffee at the office (english-butter-toffee-something?)...*verdict: very tasty. (although, our lack of milk/soy/cream/half&half has forced me to use the sketchy "spoon&stir" powdered-creamer...which smells a bit like fishfood to me...
2) it's april 1st. (? new months are always fun.)
3) pandora has been making exceptionally- stellar playlists all morning. (*Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova: i've been thumb-upping and thumb-downing this station for months. and i think it has finally achieved (what i believe to be) ultimate-pandora-station-ness.)
4) my mini-office-flowers are blooming quite nicely....(despite the cold, dark, rainy-ness) *included below is gratuitous flower-progress photo.

5) and my paper-clip desk pets are keeping me company. (thank you cubarney children. whenever they're in the office i seem to find a new one on my desk. it's kindof precious.) *gratuitous photo also included, since paper-clip pets are a bit difficult to explain...

has it really come to this?

2009-03-27T11:41:00.004-04:00

i'm not really sure what is more pathetic: the fact that home-depot sells "plant-kits" that consist of small watering-can-pots, a mini-pack of seeds, and dirt "pellets"......or......the fact that carlyn and i are both proud owners of afore-mentioned "plant-kits" and are growing desk-zenias/blue-bells/marigolds. (and find the need to photodocument their process, almost to the level of anoyingly-proud mothers.)

so, play-by play of my little zenia:

stage 1:
can. pellets.
(yes, i was being quite literal when i said "dirt-pellets")

stage 2:
after DAYS of waiting...you can see a small speck of green. (not that i'm bitter or anything, but carlyn's zenia had already grown about 1/2 inch by this point....) But, it's ok. i can love a late-bloomer.

stage 3:
(today)
seed #2 is poking its way up! i feel like this is what it feels like to find out you're having twins....

so, yeah....we're pretty cool (cough*lame*cough), aaaaand you should probably check out carlyn's plants too...: click.

nooooooooo...

2009-03-25T13:29:00.003-04:00

if i was forced to choose two food groups that i could not live without, i'd have to say they would be: cereal & salt.

(*and you may want to argue that salt is not a food group...but, trust me--if you've ever seen me with a salt-shaker, you know it most definitely is...)

so, you can imagine my dismay when i received an email this morning with "healthful tips"...and THIS was one of them:

obviously i'm not in the market to cause "excess calcium secretion" (*what the heck is that anyways?) but, really? LIMIT my salt-intake? this is like my one guilty-pleasure. (And before today's email informative- it wasn't even "guilty"...just "pleasure".)

...well, looks like i'm just going to continue secreting calcium at a rapid rate.

sweaters for all.

2009-03-20T13:57:00.003-04:00

today is the birthday of this man:

(do i have have an unhealthy predisposition to love oldmen+sweaters?)
yes.

(is this man potentially to blame?)
i think so.

and, dear pittsburgh has declared today "sweater day"...in his honor. http://kdka.com/local/Fred.Rogers.sweater.2.963813.html
isn't that just the sweetest thing...

*and yes. i am currently wearing a sweater. i should go home and see if they still play reruns of his show. (but, then again- it IS friday night...and i'm not sure where that would fall on the scale of ultimate-lameness.)

sure, you can have my freckle.

2009-03-16T15:24:00.004-04:00

so, i went to the dermatologist last week. i had "the-hiv" above my right eye. (i lovingly refer to "whatever-it-was-i-had" as "the-hiv" for two reasons: A) my boss was convinced i was going to die of it, and B) i didn't really know what else to call it. *not even WebMD could help me...

anyways. i was at the dermatologist (and it had been a week since my first visit with "the-hiv"-->during which multiple doctors/nurses/(i-still-don't-know-what-they-were) came in and "hmmm-ed" and "haaaaa-ed" and took pictures of my sad little eye.) oh- and it did eventually go away, once they gave me pills and had me rub steroids on it daily. But, knowing that they cured me of "the-hiv" was not good enough for them. Nope. they wanted to look at all my freckles. (and when i say "all"...i mean "ALL" my freckles.) And, being a semi-fair-skinned individual, i have quite a little collection...

so- the next thing i know two of the doctors/nurses/(still-don-know-what-they-are)'s were poking around on my back and convincing me that it would be a good idea if they just "scraped" this one suspicious-looking-freckle off of my back. (so, of course i agree- i mean, i can spare a freckle, right?...especially if it's a suspicious-looking one.)

but, let me just clarify: "scraping" has two very different definitions. Leslye's definition: non-abrasive removal of something...such as "scraping" off a sticker(?) Dermatologists definition: GOUGE-IT-OUT!

#1-enter nurse (yes, by this time i had figured out which ones were nurses) with a large needle. (just imagine that i received the back-equivalent of mouth-novacaine.) very weird feeling.
#2-enter doctor with scalpel. (imagine the most horrific scraping you have ever received.) but...keep in mind i was also blessed with back-novacaine.
#3-and then they SHOWED ME MY FRECKLE.

dermatologist-friends. (or friends who one day wish to be dermatologists) note to self: DO NOT show your patient their freckles once they have left the afore-mentioned-patient's body. There is just something fundamentally wrong with a body-less freckle. (ugh)

so, now i am a proud owner of a chasm in my back (currently crudely-covered with a bandaid) and i am one-freckle less than i used to be.
(tragic)
and i cannot get that awful image out of my head of my poor little freckle. laying so helplessly on that doctor's scalpel.

tapping into our adventurous sides...

2009-03-12T11:28:00.003-04:00

so, carlyn and i---(aside from dressing up in snuggies. *see post below)--also have been plotting major life changes.

(*disclaimer: in the mildly-frigid-late-winter months in western pennsylvania, when 80% of your life is spent in front of a computer screen...."major life changes" may take various forms---which, to the untrained observer, may not seem very "major." but trust us: they are.)

so- step 1:
leslye moved into a house. (this really was not part of our office-scheming. but, i'm counting it...because it looks good on the list.)
step 2:
carlyn gets glasses. (and not just "glasses"....moderately funky/artsy glasses.) this is a definitely a big step.
step 3:
leslye gets a haircut. (after a year of cutting my own hair? not only had this become minorly necessary...it was also pretty big.)

now we're wondering what's left to change. (i mean---besides the obvious: world hunger, world peace, and rescuing all distressed pets from the local animal shelters.) or- if you have any other ideas. please let us know.

(photo of major-life-changes steps 2 & 3)

(oh...and a note to carlyn's mom.)

taxes & tornados

2009-03-09T11:10:00.004-04:00

i finished my taxes this weekend....

hmmm. let's rephrase that:

my dad finished my taxes this weekend...while i looked on in bewilderment and overwhelming-confusion.
(partially because i had piles of W2's....and i have technically been a resident in 3 different states in the past year.) yikes.

HOWEVER- thanks to the fact that i lived in a midwestern disaster state, i saved $600 on my taxes. (yes. a tornado went through siloam springs the night before i graduated. and in the eyes of the u.s. government, this constitutes a $600 tax break?)

but, seriously- i think that night will remain my favorite natural disaster of all times. (*and not just because of tax breaks, but because i spent it huddled in the hallway with all my housemates...debating whether or not we actually lived in a trailer, if afore-mentioned trailer would blow away, and if the skylights in the hall in which we were whimpering and huddling in were really the best architectural choice, for a tornado-prone state...)

{ thanks }

just my luck...

2009-03-05T15:42:00.003-05:00

so, i've often said that my dream-life/job would include a career as a children's book-illustrator.

but, knowing the types of random/awkward/ridiculous things that happen to me---i'd probably be stuck illustrating books like this:

{which would NOT be so cool...}

snuggies.

2009-03-03T09:29:00.002-05:00

they happened.
at the office.

(if anyone can rock flannel, it would be the ClearBrands staff....)

{a few pictures}

2009-02-24T12:22:00.004-05:00

well- i've been hoarding a stash of random pictures on my desktop that (individually) do not deserve a post...but, (conglomeratively) they just may be sufficient.
we'll see.

first of all: i looked up the names of the paint that we're using for the livingroom/dining room...(i believe i mentioned painting-adventures and paint-fume-asfixiation earlier)....BUT- here they are, New Penny and New Brick:
(which, on screen look rather tame) unfortunately---on walls, I'm afraid it's going to look a bit more like THIS:

Which could become a bit of a tragedy....
(we're hoping for the best, though. but- i mean, let's be honest here: orange walls are always going to be an adventure.)

alright- NEXT (and no, - sadly this was not a personal-eyewitness-photo) but, still- the fact that GRAVY-DISPENSERS exist? (there is just something very wrong with that) FUNDAMENTALLY wrong.

oh, and here is potentially the most precious little teacup/saucer combo. ever. which just makes me want to morph into some adorable tea-drinking, book-writing, scarf-knitting person...and stay home and drink tea all day. (and get a cat)
*winter is definitely my "hot-drinks" time of year...which is lovely, except that i prefer consuming them at the average temperature of about, oh....BOILING.
(so, that means that some days---like, today---my tongue is left with very-little feeling and angry-tastebuds.)

next:
koala.
(UGH. so cute.)
so, i guess there are lots of fires in australia, currently? (or maybe they're all done now, but i'm just behind...) In any case- this little koala (according to news reports) was so hot from the burning forests, that he climbed into this big bowl of water on someone's back porch.
*note to self: in next life, live somewhere that koalas will randomly appear on my deck.

culture.

2009-02-23T13:25:00.003-05:00

living in PA, you get a lot of funny looks when you tell people you went to college in arkansas...

but really, did this ever happen to me in Siloam?

no. but, it has happened to me here.

*monster-truck-jam. yes. best way to spend valentines-weekend.

one nurdle, please.

2009-02-18T12:30:00.002-05:00

so- the little sis and the boyfriend (*boyfriend: belonging to afore-mentioned little-sis) came down this past weekend to do some home-improvement projects (aka: PAINTING) to the new house. oh yeah, and in case i've failed to mentioned it yet--i moved.

anyways-all of this painting/priming/color-choosing-ness led to a GREAT deal of quality time spent at HomeDepot. (and after our 2.5 hour visit- i have deduced that the time one spends in H.D. is directly related to the amount of handyman-knowledge one learns during afore-mentioned trip.) *and was that really the second time i've used "afore-mentioned" in one post? yikes. new-favorite-word/nerd alert.

so, at some point during the second hour of paint-aisle perusing--(and finally deciding on a "dark/rusty" shade of reddish-orange for wall color #1)--our new best friend (aka: H.D. employee) informed us that in order to paint a dark wall color, it is VITAL to use a tinted primer. (and for all of you out there who are planning on eventually painting a wall anything darker than sunshine yellow or baby-blue --take note: this is very useful information i'm sharing)

and at this point, new-best-friend begins his schpeel on paint-tinting...his experiences with dark wall color, and the CRAFTS & PAINT-CONFERENCE he attended several years ago. (yes. there are conferences dedicated to crafts and paints, and obviously H.D. deems it necessary to send their employees) Well, N.B.F. was saying that we could purchase a small tube of tint, and add it to our own bucket of primer to save some $ (which is always a plus)...and he said that it would only require a nurdle or two....

hold it:

NURDLE?

yes. apparently this i the official term that should be used when referencing a tube of (anything) that can be squeezed. A nurdle is produced when you use two fingers to squeeze the direct center of afore-mentioned tube. (*3rd-time? yes. this is definitely my new word.) Once your two fingers meet, you've got yourself a nurdle. (however, you should be careful where you use this terminology: as it can also be a reference to a sexual term, in Australia.)

so, in conclusion: tinted primer works wonders, "afore-mentioned" is a stellar word, and (in addition to knowing rare-terminology) N.B.F. smelled like cinnamon gum...