Oops...

I guess I accidentally forgot to post anything for over a month. Fear not, this month will be different (probably). I promise.

Dessert Kebabs and BBQs

Hello!

Last night I went to my friend Cynthia's house for a barbecue. It was great fun and I met tons of lovely new people. Everyone brought a food or beverage to share and I was on desserts. Of course, I frantically called my mom an hour and a half before the shindig, on my way to the grocery store with nothing in mind for what to make. At her (brilliant) recommendation, I was able to whip up some easy dessert kebabs and I think they were a hit! With the 4th of July just around the corner, I thought I'd share this super easy recipe so you might be able to make them for your next cookout.

A Cheap and Easy DIY...

Heyo!

It's time for a DIY project! Now, if you know me at all in real life, you know that I love crafts and projects (I have a knitting basket under my coffee table. I promise I'm only 23.) and that I also love to decorate (and redecorate) my house. DIY home decor projects? BEST THING EVER. Most recently, I did a makeover with an old canvas I had hanging in my hall.  

For a full how-to (with pictures!), read on...

In which I have a severe panic attack on an airplane...

I know it seems like a LOT of people say they suffer from an anxiety disorder of some kind. (Fun fact: it's not all THAT uncommon.) If you have it, anxiety can be a horribly crippling mental illness that seriously affects your everyday life. Unluckily, I suffer with anxiety to varying degrees. Luckily, it's usually not too bad. I spent two years on medication though and through that and assorted other things (yoga, changing my diet, meditation, etc.*) it pretty much stays in check. Sometimes though... Sometimes it really sucks. Today was one of those days.

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I have felt so many feelings today.

My mother and I just checked into a hotel after spending eleven hours at the airport. Right now, the main thing I'm feeling is tired, but I've felt a lot of different things today.

Frustration, because the nice lady mopping the floor probably doesn't know anything more about your delayed and/or cancelled flight than you do, asshole. Now let her clean up the mess your kid made in peace.

Disgust, because, sir, you just dropped that on the floor... and you're really going to eat it?

Giddiness... Skittles for dinner? Skittles for dinner? SKITTLES FOR DINNER!*

Astonishment at how few toddler meltdowns I saw. (It was zero. These kids were amazing.)

Serenity, because when you realize you're going to be in an airport for a while and all you can do is read and look at the internet, it's kind of relaxing in a weird way.

Curiosity, because, ma'am, why are you wearing blue camouflage overalls? And why are they rolled up to your knees? And where are your shoes?

Fellowship, because there is nothing quite like the camaraderie felt by a group of people stuck in an unpleasant but not unbearable situation for hours on end.

Relief, because I'm not in that airport anymore.


Anyhow, this has been a little glimpse into the roller coaster ride that has been my day. And by "roller coaster ride," I mean "moving from chair-to-chair in an airport cafeteria". Tune in next time (hopefully) for "Steph and Mom return to Iowa easily and quickly, with no flight complications and a very smooth airplane ride." It should be a doozy.

*I do realize, of course, that as a fully-grown human capable of independent thought and also feeding myself, I could have Skittles for dinner every night, but there's something magical about when it's your only option. (I am being dramatic.)

P.S. I just watched a video of a small turtle eating a raspberry and it was the highlight of my day, so, there's that.

Sometimes all you need is a makeover

Well, I've been playing around with the idea of getting [another] new blog recently. I decided that there isn't really anything wrong with this one, that it just needed a new coat of paint. Anyhow, I've had this background image on my computer for ages (I got it off Pinterest) and decided to put it to good use. The only downside: the link on Pinterest is gone now, so I can't attribute it... SOOOOO... I'm going to keep it up and if anyone knows who made it, let me in on the secret. If you made it and you want me to take it down, I'd be happy to. Or, you know, just tell me who you are so I can give you credit. So, that's that.

Anyhow, I'm sitting at the St. Pete/Clearwater airport in Florida right now... it's storming out and our flight doesn't leave for another three hours. This blog should be AWESOME by the time I get back to Iowa.

The New Girl phenomenon... and other related thoughts.

So, I, like the rest of the country, I think, have been watching The New Girl with Zooey Deschanel every week on FOX. And why shouldn't I? Zooey is completely adorable, and those boys... those boys are just fine by me. But here's the thing that's kind of been bothering me... everyone is completely smitten with Z.D.'s character, Jess, but no one is really stopping to realize that she is a total nut job. Really, that girl is completely weird and batshit crazy and I'm sure this isn't a popular opinion, but it's an honest one.

Young women around my age, what I assume to be the target audience for this show, love it because we all feel like we can relate to Jess. Assumed thought process: SHE'S WEIRD! -->AND I'M WEIRD! -->SHE'S JUST LIKE ME! -->AND SHE'S ADORABLE! -->SO I MUST BE ADORABLE!--> YAAAAY! I'M ADORABLE! Hold it right there, sister. That's where things get dicey. See, Jess is adorable because she is played by Zooey Deschanel, who, by her very nature is darling. What you get when you take her out of the equation is an unstable young woman with a very loose grip on reality. It's bad news for girls to start idolizing a character like this. She's naive to the point that it's dangerous. In the pilot episode, Jess excitedly tells her new roommates about a date she'd just made: "You know what? You guys were totally right. I talked in short sentences. I didn't sing. I laughed, I smiled, I said I needed rebound sex and it totally worked! He asked me out! Dinner. With food." Now, I can't deny that that is some charming writing, and don't get me wrong, Deschanel's delivery of the line was flawless, but the content? Not good.

As the season progresses, I'm starting to feel that Jess is less than just a cute and quirky schoolteacher and more of a helpless, naive girl who needs to be taken care of by her manly roommates. Although she does take on a motherly role emotionally for the boys, and babysits a drunken CeCe in the fifth episode, she's awkward to the point of being nonfunctioning in most social situations and even, at times, puts her safety at risk (jumping out of the car to avoid talking to Nick about why she's being weird... telling a random stranger she needs rebound sex...)

I know from the personal experience of being a one-time sixteen-year-old girl that it is easy and even expected to pick TV and book and movie characters that you admire and attempt to emulate them. I just hope that young girls realize as they're watching this show that yes, Zooey Deschanel is a great actress with unfairly good hair, and yes, the writers of The New Girl are clever and refreshing, and yes, it's good to see a lovable female weirdo carry a primetime network series, but that we should appreciate her for what she is: a comedic CHARACTER, not someone after whom to model our behavior. I think it's great that Jess (and the show in general) is all about embracing your weirdness, which is something I think everyone should probably do a little more. I just worry that people will mistake that message for the message of "Be more weird... Like this!"

Anyway, that's my two cents. I'm off to try to get that damn catchy theme song out of my head... Who's that girl?... Who's that girl?... It's Jess!

Beauty Aids

In other news, I got some new mascara today. In case anyone was wondering, I'm a fan of Lancome Hypnose mascara. Do not be fooled by the nice salesladies. Although they will tell you that it will make your lashes miraculously more luscious, thick, and long, Hypnose Drama is not as good (the brush is weird and the mascara is clumpy). Also, the new Hypnose Doll Lashes (which I tried today) has the consistency of almost-dry Elmer's glue. Not a fan. Regular old Hypnose, though... hasn't let me down yet.

I think I might start doing hair and makeup tutorials. Look for them on Tumblr next week. That's all for now, internet.

Oh, life.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." -John Lennon

It's been a while, hasn't it? Quick update: I ended up dating Batman for two months to the day. I don't believe in bashing people (or airing one's dirty laundry) on the internet, but if I did, I'd say that he has a lot of growing up to do. That's all. If you know me in real life, and if your curiosity on the subject is really crippling, I suppose you can ask me about it.

Anyhow, I think I've accidentally become one of those people who doesn't know how to have fun anymore. I work and go to school, and I reserve what little time I have left after those things for sleeping, eating, and showering (not necessarily in that order). This is my first Friday off in quite a while, and sadly, my friends have stopped seeing if I want to hang out on weekends because I'm always working. Even more sadly, it does not seem that they're returning my texts tonight. Oh, well. C'est la vie, I suppose. It's moments like these that make me want to leave Iowa City and everyone here and completely start over. Sigh.

Anyway, I'm not really sad. Just thoughtful right now. Have a lovely weekend. Oh, and in the spirit of tomorrow's homecoming game, go Hawks or something.

Happy July!

It has been a wonderful week.

Is there a way for me to merge my entries on here with my Tumblr? Gee, that would be convenient. I'd like to obtain a camera and learn how to take fancy pictures. I'm going to start with my kind-of-fancy camera to prove to myself that I will, indeed, use said camera if I purchase it.

In other news, I've been spending time with a boy lately. For anonymity's sake, or for no real reason at all, I'll call him Batman. I like Batman a lot. Last night we went out to dinner at Basta, a new Italian restaurant (ristorante) downtown. I don't really recommend it... they sat us at what must have been the kids' table and the food was... fine. After dinner though, we strolled over to TSpoons and got some delicious iced coffee then came back to my apartment and played Scrabble. He absolutely schooled me, but it's fine. I like a man who can beat me in Scrabble; I flatter myself to think that I'm pretty good at it, so he must be pretty sharp if he can beat me. Anyway, tomorrow is Batman's birthday and I have to decide what to get him...

Also coming up on the birthday list is another important dude in my life: my baby broski LittleMatt is turning 19 in just five days!!! I feel a shopping trip coming on...

Daddio is leaving for Greece tomorrow. I'm going to miss him an awful lot. Peter's already there, studying abroad and sailing. Jealous. Anyway, midterms are officially over today, which means there are only four weeks left of summer classes!

Let's live it up while the weather is fine.

Official title of the summer...

So, I think I've decided. This will officially be my summer of living recklessly. Life is funny. Closing doors, opening windows, and whatnot, you know?

So, it's been a while, old friend...

What a weekend this has been...

On Friday night after work, I trekked home to the Quad cities for my good friend Laura's 21st birthday party. That was an adventure... Yesterday, my best friend, Mary, and her wonderful boyfriend, Sam, came to visit from Chicago yesterday. After a series of automobile-related mishaps, a questionable taxi driver from Rock Falls named "Bud", and an impromptu search-and-rescue mission on my part, they arrived largely unscathed to gallivant about town with me for entirely not enough time. We're planning a cross-country road trip for the end of the summer and after last night, I am positively giddy with anticipation. I'm not sure what the rest of this summer will hold for me or for anyone, but I can share with you some things I learned to be absolutely true this weekend:

1. Martini's has, without question, the best patio out of all the bars in Iowa City.

2. You stop drinking UV blue after freshman year for a reason and that reason is this: it's disgusting.

3. Going out in Davenport is weird.

4. Dragon fish are incredibly poisonous.

5. Bluebird Diner on Market St. is charming and has delicious food.

6. It does not matter how hard I try not to, I always forget to take pictures when I go out.

7. I am incredibly lucky to have such amazing friends.

I hope you've enjoyed the "wisdom" I've just imparted... I'm off to work on some Logic homework and then mosey over to Monica's to waitress the night away. Have a wonderful afternoon!

Greener grass or something...

Today's one of those days that I just wish it would rain.

In slightly related news, last night I watched the film Rabbit Hole with my good friend Kelsey. I HIGHLY recommend that you run, don't walk, out to your local video store and rent it. Right now. (Am I perpetuating the idea that I am secretly an old lady by admitting that I still go to a video store and don't have a fancy Netflix account?) Anyway, Rabbit Hole. It's sad and beautiful and so, so honest. I guess it kind of set the tone for my today. My grandfather is back on chemo and my friend's mother passed away yesterday. (I didn't find out until this morning). I guess for the past few days I've just been thinking about how simultaneously incredible and fragile life is.

I'm thinking about getting a tattoo this summer... We'll see...

Anyway, here's hoping for a downpour. I hope you have a beautiful, melancholy night like mine looks to be. Tell someone you love them. It may seem trite, but you really never do know when it might be the last chance you get.