Plot, Please?

While out to dinner with some girlfriends a while back, we discussed the need to sometimes watch mindless television to decompress. For me, it is just necessary. Even watching beloved shows like the Daily Show or Colbert Report, funny though they are, isn't stress-relieving because the issues they talk about are real, sad, infuriating, etc. So, when it's just me and baby J, I need something I don't care too much about to be on the TV while I do chores, feed her, stuff diapers and generally multitask. Or sometimes it's nice just to hold her while she sleeps (though she's getting heeeavyy) and watch something mindless. Sometimes there's just nothing else on. Here are some random thoughts on recently (or not so recently) watched shows or movies:

• The Wolverine: A spin off movie in the X-Men series. I loved X-Men as a child and still enjoy seeing them being brought to life in film, corny comic-book-ness and all. However, this movie was only half thought out, as if the plot was constructed by 5th graders. It was layers of rescuing, fighting, fleeing, which in the end just seem like complete nonsense. Why would the evil villain go through all the rigmarole of {Spoiler alert, if you care, but you shouldn't} getting his granddaughter kidnapped just to entrap Wolverine to suck out his self-healing ability? He didn't even have a relationship with her at the beginning. Also, how may times can Wolverine pass out from his heroic fighting?  
• The Red Band Society: Dawson's Creek for sick kids? Something like that. It has all the melodrama of a teen show, though I appreciate that it does explore some very real health issues for kids: bone cancers, eating disorders, cystic fibrosis... I think I keep watching because I want to see what they do with the storyline on the girl with anorexia. So far they've actually done a pretty good job of developing it. But don't get too carried away, it's not a very good show.
• Selfie: Watched on demand just because there was some talk about it being unusual to have a non-typecast Asian male lead, which is great. I was also curious about the play on My Fair Lady. Not so great? The writing. The episodes have silly plots, the dialogue often tries too hard, a lot of the attempts at smart humor just don't work... Don't bother.
• That Awkward Moment: I swore I wouldn't watch this soley because of the horrible title, but I did in a moment of weakness. It was actually okay for a romantic comedy. I think it was a romantic comedy for dudes, a little bit? There wasn't anything particularly special about it, but I did feel like the dialogue felt very authentic to the mid-twenties to mid-thirties crowd. Shrug. It entertained me enough. 
• Girl Meets World: I loved Boy Meets World growing up! Girl Meets World brings back Corey and Topenga as parents of a teenage girl. I know it sounds like fun but it's not. The writing is terrible, the episodes I watched had really lame plots- really it seemed like each episode started with a one sentence idea, like "Daughter wants to be her own person!" and then a bunch of writers threw scenes together around the idea that are uncoordinated and supposed to be funny. Yikes. 

30 + 2

I keep thinking I'm 30, but today I turn 32. So far the thirties just feel like this one general decade of age. The thirties have been pretty good to me, so far. Every now and then my birthday overlaps (or almost overlaps) with Father's Day, which is always a little sad for me. It's been nearly 14 years since my father passed away, even though it doesn't always feel that long ago. Almost half my life has gone by, and along with it, so many milestones I wish I could have shared with him: college graduation, law school graduation, becoming a lawyer, getting married, having a first child... but even so, I'm so thankful that I had a father who loved me and believed in me. I attribute most of the values I hold dear today to his good work as a parent.

Random list of things I've learned on my 31st year:

• Being a parent is harder than you can ever imagine, though it's totally worth it. 
• Having a child changes a lot of relationships (mostly for the better!): the meaning of family first is very different. 
• All moms are champions but moms who nurse are special champions- it is such a commitment and such hard work!
• It's still hard for me to ask for help and to ask for grace. I need lots of grace and have been blessed with lots of it despite having discovered some of my worst this past year.
• I'm in a pretty good place for being my age. :)
• I was way late on the Modern Family bandwagon but it is an awesome show!
• I will not being able to do everything just the way I want it, and that's okay.

Something's gotta give

Where I'm at in list form:

• Went back to work after 6 weeks. Note to self: really should try to take 8 weeks minimum if I ever decide to have another child. 
• Last week I got a breast infection. It did not feel good. 
• I found the best tip ever for pumping: refrigerate the pump parts between pumps and reduce washing! I can't tell you the number of times I've washed pieces in the middle of the night and wanted to just throw them on the ground and go to bed.
• After work yesterday, Jude decided she needed to eat for 2 hours straight.
• Last night, I woke up with some weird form of acid reflux where it felt like I dry-swallowed a horse pill and it was just sitting in the bottom of my throat. 
• Yesterday I reflected on my day when I finally got to bed and realized I spent exactly 30 minutes relaxing/doing something non-essential.
• Today I caught myself standing in the work kitchen eating the leftover veggie tray from last week's office potluck and a bag of croutons. 
• I feel guilty for feeling bad.

Snuggling with my baby girl still makes me remember it's all worth it, but oh my am I exhausted. Some days, I just feel defeated.

To new moms out there everywhere, hang in there if you know what I'm talking about. To not-so-new moms out there, hats off to you.

2013 Review, 2014 Adventures

It's Sunday afternoon. The husband is at the Bengals playoff game. Laundry is going. I really need to shake out the tablecloth in the kitchen, which I've been procrastinating from for no good reason. And it's 2014. We're on countdown- 35 days (more or less) until the due date: Baby laundry half done. Cloth diapers in the process of being prepped (so many washes for those damn organic/natural material ones!). People have told me I will start "nesting," and I suppose these activities are "nesting" but for some reason I don't love the term. It sounds so gendered and 50's housewife-esque. All this work is pretty practical preparation for what's to come, and hopefully will make the first few months less insane and stressful.

I'm trying to keep nervousness at bay about labor, and of course the fact that in a short period of time, we're going to be wholly responsible for a new little life. This year is going to be full of new things: parenthood, husband's new job in April, new responsibilities at work, and getting healthcare through the government exchange! I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

The weather so far has not been dropping to subzero temperatures and snowing as predicted. I will never cease to be amused at how people in Cincinnati flood and pillage the grocery stores at the sign of some snow (and ransack the milk aisle, of all things). The likelihood of being snowed or iced in for more than 24-48 hours is so slim here it's laughable, and I promise you, if that did happen, you won't be kicking yourself for not having milk. 

2013 Review: high and lowlights, lessons learned- in List Style, of course:

• Baby miscarriage to start off the year. Hard to believe an entire year has passed. A lesson in grief, loss, keeping faith, and awareness of a hardship that happens to so many mommas.
• Job promotion of sorts.
• Had some actual juvenile cases, and went to trial (and won!).
• Chairing a committee for the local bar association Young Lawyers Section- after pulling back from leadership for a while, I'm back in, for better or for worse.
• Volunteering at the long awaited Citylink Center. 
• Growing baby J. Pregnancy is a weird experience. You have a little alien growing inside of you. Everything feels uncomfortable. You have pregnancy brain (it's a real thing.) Your body stretches more than you thought it ever could. People feel free to talk about your body without invitation. I am not one of those mothers who love pregnancy, and am quite okay with that.
• Finding out my little brother's baby will be due just a month after baby J!
• Two wonderful trips to Colorado (minus the part where we spent 30 some hours between airports). Second trip, baby J came with us, so she's been hiking, already! Hope she'll love outdoors and hiking as much as mom and dad.
• DOMA mostly struck down! Hurray for love!

Oh, it's fall.

St. Mary's Glacier

Fall is the most wonderful season in the Midwest. The air is crisp, it's still warm enough to be comfortable, and it's usually sunny. It feels like the world has finally snapped out of the languid late summer haze and stepped into action. Plus, college football is back!

We had a lovely vacation in Colorado over Labor Day weekend (and then some). It was nice to mosey around our old haunts, see our friends, and to see some mountains. We were even able to hike up to St. Mary's Glacier. While it was a terribly slow hike between me being pregnant and neither of us having our mountain lungs anymore, the view by the lake and glacier was worth it. It's impossible not to feel a sense of renewed wonder when you are in the midst of perfect natural beauty. 

I (we've) made it halfway through this pregnancy! I still have moments when I'm sure something will go wrong and am scared, but really, I've been blessed and I know it. It hasn't been a particularly difficult pregnancy. It's been an interesting challenge to experience this radical change to my body. I'll just be glad to get to the other end and meet- her! 

As I am wont to do- here's a random list of my life, lately:

• In the middle of a great book (on tape) about introverts: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking. Really fascinating. I am realizing more and more that I am an introvert (that loves people).
• Loved this amazing article in the Huffington Post about Generation Y: Why Generation Y Yuppies are Unhappy. It's so on the nose.
• Training mania at work. 
• Made a scrumptious flourless chocolate cake. 
• Enjoyed a small harvest of pretty tomatoes from the garden, and a relatively large harvest of jalepenos and green peppers.  Yum. Meanwhile, the garden has grown rather wild.
• Jumped back into Breaking Bad for second half of the final season. Don't regret at all just reading Wikipedia to catch up from seasons three and four, and glad to catch these very fantastic last episodes.

Who Makes Up "National ______ Day?"

Today is National Book Lovers Day. I often wonder who comes up with these days and how it is that some mechanism out there wastes time on propagating "National" days. Not that I'm opposed to celebrating the love of books, since I love books. 

In honor of the day, I thought I'd list my top reads/recommended fiction from the last year, in no particular order.

1. The Cove, by Ron Rash
2. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler
3. Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple
4. Wonder, R.J. Palacio (Young Adult)
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky (Young Adult)
6. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (Young Adult)
7. Winter's Bone, Daniel Woodrell
8. This is Where I Leave You, Jonathan Tropper
9. This is How You Lose Her, Junot Diaz

In other news, I think I finally feel safe enough to type the words: I'm pregnant (again). 14 weeks tomorrow. Took us about 3 months again. It's been going pretty well, though I still feel like I'm holding my breath a little (or a lot). It's a little scary, and a lot is changing already. I'm happy but scared to be too happy. So many of our friends have had heartbreak after heartbreak. Then again, I feel guilty to be less excited than I should, because if this kiddo makes it to birth, we're pretty damn lucky. For those of you out there that are trying, so much love to you.

Deep breath. Here we go....

Rhythm, Rest, Movies

listening to: Teagan and Sara (coming to Cincy this July for Bunbury Music Festival!)

I've been totally out of the church loop the past few weeks, though I still manage to catch up on the service messages. The series has been focusing on life rhythms, which I think has a really nice applicability no matter what you believe in. It's too easy to fall out of rhythms, and so much harder to get into to them. The principle of building in rhythms in your life makes a lot of sense: you want to rest when it's time to rest so you can work when it's time to work. I'm terrible at resting/playing in a focused way. So I thought I'd spend a little time thinking of activities that feel restful to me:

1. Dancing
2. Reading
3. Writing
4. Hiking/Walking in the park
5. Walking around a city with no agenda
6. Findlay Market trips!
7. Savoring delicious food

Here's to hoping I will build this into my weekend rountine. I've been feeling pretty tired.

In other news, I went to see Girl Rising last night. This is probably best described by some reviewers as a "PSA" about the education of girls across the world. The concept of the film was great: each young girl from developing countries was paired with a woman writer from their country to write their stories about how they  fought to receive education. The stories are interspersed with sobering statistics of the inequity of education between girls and boys globally, as well as statistics making a case for the great return on investment from education girls. It isn't exactly a documentary, since the stories are reenacted/reimagined by the girls and their writers. The stories seemed to end abruptly with a call to action, which is to say, a screen with a number to text donations. Something in the end left me a little wanting, though in the end, this is a great way to raise awareness to an important issue. I think it would be a great film for young women to watch and discuss, and certainly is a great reminder to Americans of the privilege we have to be afforded the right to free and appropriate education in our country. Worth a watch- you can request a screening in your community through Gathr. 

30 Things I have learned in 30 years

Oh, it's true- I'm thirty. Three decades. Older and wiser? Who knows! Here's a random list of things I have learned:

On style:
1. Blow drying my hair in the morning makes my hair look way better.
2. Fashion that did not work for me: baggy clothes, midriff hugging or midriff baring shirts, too much pattern, too trendy, long skirts, open button downs with a shirt underneath.
3. How to apply make-up to my Asian eyes. (At least, I think I can)
4. Burt's Bees chapstick is the best chapstick ever.
5. I love A-line skirts and sheath dresses.
6. You can't go wrong with a pretty string of pearls.

On self:
7. I am a very hands-on person.
8. I must study in silence and in a cubicle so I can't people-watch.
9. I'm an extroverted introvert: I need my alone time.
10. I prefer small groups of people, or being alone in a crowd.
11. I am at my best when I feel I am being useful to someone.
12. I have a need for what I do to be taken seriously.

On relationships:
13. I'd rather invest in a small number of life-long friendships rather than many surface level friends.
14. In love, I need and have found a true partner who respects me and lets me be who I am, and is my best friend.
15. There might be no sweeter feeling than laying in bed laughing about something stupid with my husband.
16. You can't change someone who doesn't want to change.
17. You have to be able to take care of yourself to take care of others. Learn to set boundaries.
18. I like bonding with people by doing activities together. Or eating.

On career:
19. The bar exam is really as miserable as everyone says it is.
20. Going above and beyond what is required in a job will always be appreciated.
21. Too many adult professionals don't actually know how to be adult and professional.
22. I'm a pretty good networker.
23. I love being a lawyer.
24. I have to work for a cause I believe in.

On life:
25. You have to accept and let go of what you cannot control, or you will make yourself crazy.
26. Whatever it is, I can survive it.
27. Being 30 is pretty awesome. I know myself and can love myself better than I ever have before.
28. A nice raincoat is a really great investment.
29. Remembering to stop and be grateful is good for your health.
30. Try to take yourself less seriously.

A Tiny Bucket List

Do you like my revamped blog? I've decided that I want to commit to writing more, among other things. It didn't feel like the blog had a theme or focus, exactly, in the name, and I wanted to give it more meaning. I was reminded of a conversation I just had with my best friend about how I once thought being 30 would seem old or less exciting, but now it seems just the opposite. 30 is not to be feared! For me and many of the women I know, 30 has meant that I know myself better, am more comfortable with myself, love myself better, and am much more self aware. All in all, this decade seems much better than the last.

So along with my little makeover of this blog, I want to share my tiny bucket list. One of the hardest parts about the loss we've experienced, for me, is how I am still tracking my weeks. I think about how I would be so far along, that I would be seeing the first ultrasound, be starting to show. I still catch myself thinking about how different the next few months will now look. I catch myself thinking that the three months we have to wait to try again seems so long. In an effort to try and move away from this thought process, I've made a list of things I will do for myself in the next three months:

• Go to the gym or an exercise class at least twice a week.
• Journal, write posts, write poetry.
• Consider my own Happiness Project.
• Finally schedule a visit to the acupuncturist to deal with my shoulder pain. 
• Eat lots of sushi and drink red wine. 
• Plan at least one out of town trip.
• Organize at least one closet in the house.

Television Loves

A little reprieve from moody posts. I suppose having some angst in my life always makes it easier for me to write. Despite my ongoing hatred of Time Warner Cable, the husband and I are hopelessly hooked on cable television. I'm not saying that TV is all that we do- in fact we read a lot of books and do a lot of fun things- but we do enjoy a good show. Here are my recent favorites and some critiques:

• The Walking Dead: If you love zombie movies, you will love this show. If you are like me and hate zombie movies, you will probably still love this show. It is highly entertaining, great acting, and interesting take on post-zombie apocalypse life. Yes, there are gory, creepy zombies, but what really keeps you glued are the interactions between the survivors and the slow unraveling of the humanity and morality that the characters thought they had. The downside is you will need wind-down time before going to bed because your adrenaline will be off the charts.
• Boardwalk Empire: This has been a solidly and beautifully written and directed series based on the gangsters in Atlantic City (and other major cities) during the prohibition era. Steve Buschemi is brilliant, as are many of the support cast and characters. An added plus: awesome costuming and incorporation of real historical characters. Unlike a lot of series, Boardwalk has managed to stay consistently strong through the seasons. 
• Girls: I don't care what critics might say about this show, but I think Lena Dunham is remarkable. As her character proclaims to her parents in the pilot episode, Lena Dunham is "a voice of a generation." Girls is funny, poignant, brave, and smart. The characters are flawed but lovable, and the actors are beautiful, but not in the sense that they are remarkably fit, thin, or have faces built for modeling. 
• Downton Abbey: Who would have thought that a series about British aristocracy in the World War I era could be so captivating? Though there are a few characters and bits of plot that I could do without, this show has a great cast of characters and really is a fascinating portrayal of the decline of class system. I'm enjoying the tongue in cheek British humor quite a lot. 
• The Mindy Project: I love Mindy Kaling. She is a funny woman. In her show, she's a OB/GYN, which her late mother was in real life, who is great at her job but struggling a little with life. If you enjoyed Kelly Kapoor humor in The Office, you'll enjoy this show. I just love seeing an Asian American woman doing comedy! And being the star of a show!

2012 In Retrospect

"I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me, but it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. Then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain, and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life." - American Beauty

I love those final lines in American Beauty- perhaps because I treasure those moments where I feel exactly as Lester Burnham describes. So much gratitude. Not because life is perfect, but because even in the midst of family strife, national tragedy, and international horrors, I am still blessed with wonderful moments and people in my life. Because even in the midst of the ugliness of American politics, I might still manage to hear about a moving story of people helping each other. I think I might be getting better at holding on to the good things and letting go of the bad. 

Blah blah blah.. anyway, a quick list for my 2012 highlights:

• Brought in 2012 on the beautiful beach of Samara, Costa Rica
• Became a first time homeowner
• Saw my friends in Colorado
• Planted my first vegetable garden
• Became an aunt
• Visited Asheville, NC
• Drove from California back to Ohio with my two best friends
• My best friend moved back to Cincinnati!
• Witnessed Cincinnati become even more beautiful and vibrant: Washington Park, Smale Park and the riverfront, OTR's many new restaurants and stores... 

I'm now 30 years old and it's 2013. I can't say I have any earth shattering wisdom, which I'm sure the me a decade ago would have expected, but I do think the past year has taught me to practice gratitude, to provide empathy without being drained or co-dependent, and to accept that each person in my life will make choices for themselves and the best thing I can do is to love but to set boundaries. That seems pretty great, actually.

Good Reads- Fall 2012

When I was a kid, I read voraciously. I would read a book under my desk during class in grade school or read while walking in single-file line. (Do they still make kids do that?)  In high school I would get busted for staying up late into the night reading, when blocking the light in the door crack didn't work so well. Fiction is and has always been an escape for me. A good story might be the only place my singular attention can be captured, and I can be fully absorbed. Since moving back to Cincinnati, I've had the luxury to have more time and more brain energy left to read on a consistent basis, and a kindle that makes it possible for me to get a book while sitting on the couch. I've also had some family drama that probably contributed to my desire to block out and escape. Plus the Cincinnati Public Library system is the bomb. It seems silly that I would make lists and not include one about books. So here it is, my current top book recommendations in no particular order, with a short description, to answer the commonly seen Facebook post: "Any book recommendations?" Enjoy!

1. Last Night in Twisted River, John Irving: A dense, richly detailed novel about a cook and his son, who at the age of 12 mistakenly thought the local constable's wife was a bear. The two become fugitives, and the story tracks their progression from town to town and city to city. One of my favorite Irving books.
2. American Salvage, Bonnie Jo Campbell. Gritty meth country short stories.
3. The Devil all the Time, Donald Ray Pollack. A dark look into the lives of rural Ohio serial killers...
4. Chemistry and Other Stories, Ron Rash. Great short story collection, very poignant. 
5. The Art of Fielding, Char Harbach
6. In One Person, John Irving. A book about sexuality: transgender transformations, bi-sexuality, and relationships. 
7. Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern. Very beautiful and imaginative book about magic and the circus. 
8. Waiting, Ha Jin. A Chinese doctor caught between his wife and another woman, who exist in vastly different worlds- painfully beautiful book about betrayal, action and inaction... 
9. Lowboy, John Wray. A story following the journey of a mentally ill teenaged boy in New York. 
10. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Eagan. Collection of intersecting short stories of characters in the music industry.
11. 1Q84, Haruki Murakami. Bizzarely wonderful Japanese crime/mystery novel. Worth the long read.
12. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz. Another book that is worth the long read- rich in Dominican political history- follows the life of poor, overweight, hapless Oscar Wao. One of my favorite contemporary authors. 
13. The Bayou Trilogy, Daniel Woodrell. Amazing writing, amazing stories. Think The Wire set in Louisiana. 

Summer Love- Cincinnati

The few brief rains this weekend has brought a steamy sort of relief to the hot Midwest summer. It's cooler than our week of 100+ heat, but the rain has just evaporated into the trademark Ohio humidity. Sticky.

Despite the heat, the summer has deepened my love for Cincinnati. So many amazing things going on in the city: reopening of Washington Park, Bunbury Music Festival, the World Choir Games, and on and on. Beyond the bigger events, you have baseball, the river for boating, and the many neighborhood monthly activities like the Hyde Park Farmer's Market, Oakley After Hours, Second Sundays on Main, Final Fridays in OTR, and City Flea. Hey, Cincinnatians, did you know that your urban core is this vibrant and beautiful? I hope so. Before I became a Cincinnatian, I took those who called this city the "Nasty Nati" at their word, but the city as I know it now is nothing of the sort. From the beautiful hills, gorgeous historic architecture, and distinct history and culture, this is a unique city. Yes, there is a certain uber-conservative, anti-progressive contingency here that turns me off and scares me, but honestly, it seems these days that you'd be hard pressed to find a city that does not have that element when the country has become this polarized. (Not to say there isn't a difference in concentration.) This is all to say, I love this city and I love showing it off to people and changing their minds about it. It's not Denver or San Francisco or NYC, but it's home and it's special.

Okay, off my soapbox. To make up for my crimes of listening to terrible pop, here are my more recent real musical finds:

1. Bad Veins: A band of Cincinnati natives, Bad Veins has really captured my interest with their two-man show and the fact that they play off a tape deck. And the lead singer sings into a phone sometimes. Lead Benjamin Davis has a nicely unique voice and the latest album, "The Mess We've Made" is a great mixture of drama and upbeat melodies. Look, I'm not a music writer, so just try it out if you like indie rock. They were super endearing at the Bunbury Festival, too.
2. Regina Spektor: I love her. Her new album, "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats," doesn't disappoint. Always quirky but never failing to deliver in her powerful, tremendous voice and classical piano prowess. 
3. Belle Histoire: Another Cincinnati band that is creeping into the scene! They just released their latest album, "Dreamers," on July 17.  I'm not sure if this will become a favorite, but the vocals are good and it's easy to listen to.
4. The Deep Dark Woods: I am a sucker for deep male vocals. The lead singer of this band has a voice reminiscent of one of my favorites, the National. The instrumentals and beat tend to have a bit of a country twang, but much more folky and a little haunting.
5. Of Monsters and Men: Reminiscent of Stars, I first saw this Icelandic band playing "Little Talks" randomly on a music video channel. There is a lead male/female duo: male vocalist think cross between the Weakerthan's, Decemberists and Ben Gibbard. Female vocalist: Feist/Regina Spektor/Bjork. 

instagram taken on stage by bad veins (I'm way up in the back)

I Might Never Not Be Sore Again

June marked my 30th birthday. I don't feel particularly different; really 29 almost seemed less interesting. I will say that one marked difference between being say, 26, and 30 is it seems like no matter how much I work out, I will feel sore. That, and it takes longer to get back into shape when it's so easy to fall out of it.

It's my second summer back in Cincinnati, which means it's the time of nearly suffocating, heavy, hot air. You can't be outside for a few minutes without breaking a sweat. Disgusting, but I suppose I chose to move back here. The husband and I have love-hated having a yard for the first time. During the spring we played the weed or plant game (definitely weeded non-weeds and left real weeds a few times) with the landscaping that was left by our predecessor. We are learning all sorts of things: pruning rosebushes, that hostas need to be separated when spanning 4 feet in diameter, vines are annoying parasites... We also have our first vegetable garden, which is slowly growing in this oppressive Midwest heat. I'll have to post a picture soon. We're also getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. These little jerks in our back yard are savages, truly. I once ran out fully clothed in the heat with a hoodie and pants on to water the garden and got bit square on my neck. Bastards!

Aaand because I love me some lists, here are a few...

Summer highlights 2012 in the 'Nati:

1. Loveland Bike Trail- This is a great trail that is fairly flat, protected, and mostly shaded. It's great to stop in Loveland for lunch and browse around, or do Newtown to Milford, etc. 
2. Lunken Bike Trail- A (much) less shaded and shorter option, you might catch a glimpse of some old-school planes around the airport.
3. Bunbury Festival- I'm really excited about this. Great line-up and I love the park.
4. Washington Park- Opens today! And Over the Rhine, one of my all time favorites, is performing for the grand opening on July 22, and I am crying inside because we are out of town that week and can't see it.
5. Smale Riverfront Park- Just another beautiful new piece to the downtown scene. See the pretty lights and water?

Guilty pleasures.. for my workouts... right... 

1. Boyfriend, Justin Bieber. Every time I acknowledge that I find this song catchy, I die a little bit inside. So wrong. But so catchy.
2. Payphone, Maroon 5. The music video is stupid. It makes no sense. Why did he save the girl and run out and then become the fugitive? What about the real robbers? Were they actually in a relationship before? IT MAKES NO SENSE. But I love belting out this song in the privacy of my own car. I love that it's jaded.
3. Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepson. This is a vapidly silly song. I blame Jimmy Fallon for getting it in my head by creating this video with her and his band. They are having so much fun cheesing it up. $#%^#&.
4. Pause, Pitbull. Tell me this doesn't make you want to stop drop and pause.
5. Wild Ones, Flo-Rida feat Sia. I love Sia. Also, I kept listening to this because it sounded to me like she was singing "Running with Wilson, I'm on the prowl." Which made no sense. Wilson? Like the volleyball in Castaway? No, it's wolves. Which actually makes sense. I just love fist pumping after the opening riff and the beat comes in. 

Guilty Pleasures

My Top-Ten Musical Guilty Pleasures of 2011:

I blame Zumba class for getting my endorphines mixed up with pop music. I usually try to avoid pop music. It's increasingly idiotic and performed by talent-deficient individuals. Somehow I end up bopping my head to these tunes despite my disdain...

10. Party Rock Anthem- LMFAO: Despite having a truly ridiculous band name, this song is indeed a party rock anthem. Maybe it was because my zumba class played this song, but it makes me want to jump around every time I hear it. As for the rest of their songs- truly awful, like I-scrunched-up-my-face-in-distaste awful.

9.   Super Bass- Nicki Manaj: I fell for this song mostly because of a little girl, Sophia Grace Brownlee, wearing a pink princess dress and belting it out. Incredible. Also incredible, her little sidekick dancing scarily skanky moves for a small child on the side. Clearly, she's going to be that slutty friend when they grow up.

8.   The One that Got Away- Katy Perry: Make no mistake, there are few current female pop singers that irk me more for lack of talent and brains than Katy. Her songs are horrifically vacuous. So I'm ashamed to admit that this one has made it's way into my head. But it's so cheery and nostalgic. I wonder how Russell feels about this number. 

7.   We Found Love- Rihanna: Oh, Ri-Ri. I hate how you aren't a good singer but magically have taken over the airwaves. Why do I hear your songs every 5 minutes on my XM radio? This song is catchy despite having a total of oh, 20 some words in sum (at best). Why? Why do I listen to it?
6.  Mine- Taylor Swift: I'm totally embarrassed that I like this song. But it's so cute, and she's so sweet and earnest. And it's so catchy. Dammit.
5. Gotta Good Feeling- Flo-Rida: I'll be honest, either the lyrics are nonsensical or I just can catch enough to understand them, but for some reason, this song gives me a good feeling. I'm pretty sure the lyrics don't make a lot of sense. Why does he have a good feeling? What?
4. Give Me Everything- Pitbull: It just sounds so cheery and causes me to bop around. That's all I have to say about it.
3. You Make Me Feel- Cobra Starship: First of all, Cobra Starship?? What does that mean? Why? I'm not sure if the biography on Spotify is supposed to be funny, but it describes the lead singer pondering life and staring at the lights in the night sky until he became catatonic and a cobra come out of nowhere and bit him in the neck. The cobra tells him his purpose in life is to make sure the world goes out in style. WTF. Drugs much? Aside from that weirdness, the female lead is even a step down from Fergie, which is to say, not great. Regardless, in the same way Black Eyed Peas is catchy, this similarly styled group always catches my ear on the radio. In fact, this song is inexplicably in my head as I type. La la lalala.
2. Moves like Jagger- Maroon 5: I've never really been a huge fan of Maroon 5. But the hook to this song with the whistle and guitar riff slays me. And I always love to hear Christina Aguilera rock it.
1. Love You Like a Love Song- Selena Gomez: Oh I have a not-so-secret love of dear Selena. She's just stinkin' adorable and fresh, and she won me over when she played Beezus on Ramona and Beezus. The lyrics to this song are so silly, but are totally something a 17 year old would write for her boyfriend. Even the ridiculous and unnecessary riff in the song doesn't keep me from listening to this song on re-peat-peat-peat-peat.

fall 2011 list

the A-list!

loving this fall:

1. 240sweet: artisan marshmallows! sweet, fun, tasty little gifts...

2. Kindle library books! This makes my dear little Kindle that much more awesome.

3. This week of 70 degree fall weather.

4. Ides of March. Cynical but very thoughtful portrayal of politics. Great acting and amazing filming of Cincinnati.

2011 Summer Favorites

In no particular order, here's what I'm enjoying this summer:

• Good Reads
• Super Sad True Love Story
• Picking Cotton
• Room

• Good Patios in Cincinnati:
• Claddagh @ Newport on the Levee
• MOTR Pub
• Neon's
• Chez Nora (rooftop bar!)
• Good Times
• Hyde Park Blast
• Party in the Park