Farm Aid!!

I lost a filling on Monday night. So, I went to the dentist today. Turns out...I need about $3500 in dental work. He said he can't re-fill the cavity...it needs a crown. And, another tooth needs a crown. I feel like crying, so instead, I'm going to try really hard to focus on the positive...I'm going to Farm Aid on Saturday!

Since it's so close to my birthday, Jocelyn (my close friend from high school) and I decided to make a whole weekend out of it. She's coming up from Chicago for the weekend and we got a room at the Hyatt Place hotel for Friday and Saturday nights. I'm very excited!

On Saturday, we're going to Farm Aid, which will be awesome! Of course, I really wanted to go because Dave Matthews Band will be there. I can't wait to see them for the second time this year, since they won't be touring next summer, which means there won't be the annual camping trip when they come to Alpine Valley. In addition to DMB, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Kenney Chesney, Norah Jones, Jason Mraz, Jeff Tweedy, Band of Horses, The BoDeans, Amos Lee, Robert Francis, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, The Blackwood Quartet and Randy Rogers Band will be playing. Music starts at noon and lasts for 12 hours. Did I mention that I'm excited?

Along with the music, there will be locally grown and sustainable food from family farms. Honestly, I'm not so sure I buy into the whole "organic food movement". I do, however, support locally grown produce and food. I think it is so vital that we support family farms and provide a competitive market for them.

I've been looking forward to this weekend since Jocelyn and I first planned it. Good food, great music, wonderful friendship...can it get any better?

Always,
Christina

Happy Birthday?

So...my 27th birthday is exactly two weeks away. I usually don't make a big deal about the whole "getting older" thing. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, 27 is pretty young. Yes, it's another year closer to 30 (when life is doomed and you fall off the face of the Earth...or something like that...I never really understood why women made such a big deal about turning 30...), but who cares? I guess maybe, if I turn 30 and have pretty much nothing to show for the 30 years I've been wandering this Earth, then, yeah...maybe I'll be depressed a bit. But, it's not a huge deal.


Although...

A month or so ago, I was standing in the bathroom, brushing my teeth before bed, when I saw something shimmering in my hair. I inspected the situation a little further and sure enough...it was my first gray hair. I yanked it. Everyone says I shouldn't have done that because more will show up. Oops. Good thing there's hair dye. I asked my mom when she started turning gray and she said not until her mid-30s. Yikes...

And today, this little gem showed up in my mailbox:

The final paragraph in their love note reads: "You'll also appreciate AARP's trustworthy information and resources. It can help you protect your health, your money and your career, and make the most of life over 50." If magazines with products catering to post-menopausal women start showing up, then I'll really start to worry...

Always,

Christina

Autumn

After I rolled out of bed this morning, I showered and got ready for the day. I stripped my bed, since I can't remember the last time I washed my sheets (that's kinda gross...). Once I started the laundry, I thought about changing my bedding over to my warmer stuff. I decided against it, figuring that we'll still have nice weather for a few weeks. Although, maybe I'm just trying to be optimistic, because my ankle is feeling rather raw lately. I can't decide if it's because of the humidity the past few days or if the temperature is actually going to drop for good. Like I said, I'm trying to be optimistic, so let's go with humidity.

I can feel the seasons shift. I love fall. I know this sounds a bit contradictory, since I just got done saying how I'm trying to be optimistic about the weather. But, I like cool days. And by "cool", I mean 60-degrees. Not this -10º stuff the winter seems to love. Anyway...I picked up a fun fall shade of nail polish the other day. It's called "Mocha Blast", but there is a deep plummyness about it, too. So, it's not just flat brown. Also, I have finally found pumpkin spice coffee creamer!

I went on a half-hearted search for a new scent for my plug-in scent things (Febreze makes them...I don't remember what they're called...). The only thing I could find was apple-cinnamon and it was just so...abrasive. Like it was trying too hard to be a "fall scent" or something. No thank you. So...the search continues...

I'm making a pot of beef stew for dinner tonight. It'll be great to have warm, comfort food with this cooler, crisp weather today. I've noticed that the leaves have begun their colorful decent into winter's frigid grasp. Nature has a beautiful way of dying. It's like she's celebrating on the way down.

I have the windows cracked to let in the cool, fresh air. I can hear geese honking their good-byes as they fly away in droves to warmer weather. Sometimes, I wish I could migrate to Mexico for months at a time, too.

Always,
Christina

Re-Vamp

I was looking at my comforter today and realized it's seen better days. Some of the threads have come loose due to my cat's pre-declawed days (yes...I'm cruel...I declawed him). For the most part, it's in good shape...but...I get sick of things after awhile and besides...tastes change. I have a different comforter set that I use during the cooler months. But...I don't know...I feel like a change. I was thinking about these shams and duvet cover. I already have these luxurious 1,000-thread count, white, Egyptian cotton sheets that I love, so...it'd match. Then, I'd just get some cutesy throw-pillows and voila! New look for not alotta cash, which these days, I'm all about. Considering this bedding is from Pottery Barn, I think it's nearly a steal. And for some inexplicable reason, I love yellow right now. I doubt I'll actually make this purchase, but...I needed to get my ideas down somewhere. Anyway...I think it's about time for all good girls to go to bed.

Always,
Stina

Every morning, I have a wake-up routine of sorts...make coffee and check my Google newsfeed. For the past month, several articles have stood out to me, but today, one in particular caught my attention. After reading about Teresa Lewis' death sentence, I immediately thought of Siddiqa in Afghanistan, though the parallel may not be immediately clear.

Killing someone is obviously illegal. Teresa Lewis arranged for her husband and step-son to be murdered. Siddiqa was a willing participant in an "illegal sexual relationship". Teresa Lewis is to die by lethal injection on Thursday (and will be the first woman executed in Virginia since 1912). On August 15, Siddiqa and her lover, Khayyam, were stoned to death by their fathers, brothers, cousins, uncles and neighbors (the first Taliban-ordered stoning in nine years). Both were cases of breaking the law. Both were or will be public executions.

Exodus 21:23 states, "But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." Mahatma Ghandi said, "An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind." The Bible goes on further to say in Matthew 5, "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also...You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." I don't know that any of the parties involved in these cases "deserved" their punishments, necessarily. As an American citizen, I look at what happened with the couple in Afghanistan and I hardly think that eloping is a crime. Especially not one worth torture and death. Maybe citizens of Afghanistan see what happened with Teresa Lewis and feel that hers is not a case worthy of capital punishment (not to say that I do). I don't understand the legal system in America, let alone the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan. I do know that both of these stories made me sad.

Always,
Stina

Olfactory High

I wore Clinique Happy for the first time in months today. The smell nearly immediately took me back to the first time I ever came across that perfume.

We had just landed in Frankfurt, Germany and decided to waste some time in the airport. The airport there was unlike anything I had seen before. I had really only been in small-town airports prior. I was used to seeing the usual over-priced newsstands and eateries as well as tourist-y shops. But in Frankfurt, this airport practically had a mall inside it. Even better, everything was duty-free. I walked into a large store, which honestly just looked like a Macy's. I slowly walked around the perfume counters and came to the Clinique scents. I remember the warm lights, illuminating even the darkest corners. I took the tester from the shelf and spritzed it on the inside of my wrist. The smell was intoxicating to me. I grabbed the box and, along with some incredible, blow-your-mind German chocolate, checked out at the counter.

From that moment on, Clinique Happy sort of became my "signature scent". My friends even called it "the Stina scent". I don't really know why I stopped wearing it...maybe I just wanted a change or something. I was going through some boxes the other day and I came across a full bottle of Clinique Happy. Smelling it took me back to that very specific moment in time when I had taken my first few steps on German soil.

I heard somewhere that scent is the last of your senses to go during your final days. I don't doubt it...

Always,
Stina

Not Your Average Sidewalk Chalk

I know things similar to this have been done before, but I feel like Edgar Mueller is the first artist in a while to get noticed. Watch his process.

His chalk paintings are pretty amazing, to say the least. Passersby are even leery to walk across streets they've traversed multiple times before, scared they'll fall into the Earth. From Ireland to Canada, London to Germany, Mueller's 3-D creations have been changing the face of towns, literally. Check it out...

The Crevasse--Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

London

Geldern, Germany

Pretty amazing...

Always,

Christina

Et Cetera

I won't miss days like today, that is for certain. An extremely intense headache woke me up early this morning. I could feel my heartbeat radiating through my eyes! I took some Excedrin and tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't--the pain kept me awake. It was centering right above my eyes and I knew it was from the Lyrica I take every day...my body's built up a tolerance. Normally in this situation, I have my dosage increased. However, not so this time...I take the maximum dose every day. My pain management doctor prescribed fiorinal for the headaches. Yet, another controlled substance. This is like...#5 or something. I sure hope my doctors are talking to each other...I do not want to look like a seeker (although, they're the ones who are being loose with the prescription pad, not me, so...) That's alright...I hope this works.

Days like today, do, however, remind me that soon, I'll be titrated off Lyrica because...drumroll please...I will be getting a neurostimulator implanted in my back! Hooray! I am very excited about this! A neurostimulator is a device that delivers electrical signals to the epidural space near the spine through leads. The electrical stimulation intercepts the pain signal before it reaches the brain and masks the signal of pain. The neurostimulator is controlled by remote, so I really am going to become the Bionic Woman! Hopefully, I won't have problems with neuropathy any longer. The process to have this (installed?) implanted is kind of lengthy. First, I have to have a psych. eval. done...I guess some people have freaked out about having a foreign body implanted in the past, so now, it's just standard-issue to be evaluated. I can't wait for this neuropathy business to be (semi-) laid to rest.

On a completely separate note...I thought I'd post some fun links. I only have a few...I've been kind of pre-occupied with grad school stuff and medical transcription stuff. Anyway, here we go...

• Finally! The age-old question has been answered! What the fuck should you make for dinner tonight? Well, why don't you fucking ask? No, really, ask WhatTheFuckShouldIMakeForDinner.com. Click on the suggestion for the recipe, or if it doesn't sound appetizing, keep scrolling through.
• Ahhh...a website after my own heart! Freerice.com kills two birds with one stone by helping to improve your vocab skills while also donating 10 grains of rice to World Food Programme with each correct answer. Very cool.
• This one is probably not very much fun for guys, but I like it. OPI.com has a fun simulator that allows you to try on its full spectrum of colors. I really like wearing odd and unexpected shades on my toenails (Teal the Cows Come Home, for instance) and this site helps me decide on my next fun bottle.

I'm making some strong headway on my statement of purpose. Hooray! The light at the end of the tunnel!

Always,

Stina

When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie, That's Amore.

Today, I want to talk about something near and dear to my heart. Something I am passionate about. Something I just don't think I could give up for any significant amount of time (maybe a month, tops). Something deserving of its very own blog entry! Pizza. Delectable, delightful, delicious pizza.

My favorite pizza is a thin crust with pepperoni, green peppers, onions and mushrooms for toppings. I have experienced a true Chicago-style deep-dish pizza while in Chicago with my bff, Karina (yes, I really did just say bff). It was delicious, don't get me wrong. It's just so heavy (not that pizza is necessarily something you eat if you want to eat light). One piece and I had to tap out. I just prefer a nice, crispy crust. On occasion, if I want to go the cheap route  (the brain-child of Ryan and I), I'll get a pepperoni Home Run Inn frozen pizza and add fresh onions, green peppers and mushrooms. It hits the spot every time.

Growing up in Racine, there were really only two places you would go for Italian food. That's not to say there were only two options, because that is definitely not the case. But true Racinians knew if you wanted pasta and other Italian dishes, you'd go to Infusino's. If you wanted pizza, you'd go to DeRango's (although, the pizza at Infusino's isn't bad, either).

DeRango's is the diviest dive of all dives. I remember going there when I was younger...the same barstools at the counter today were there when they opened the place. I would go there with my parents to pick up the pizza and while we waited, I would have a Coke at the counter. Cesar, one of the brothers who owns the place (and is straight off the boat) would talk to me and I would watch in wonder as the guys would do magic behind the counter, feeding dough through rollers, then cutting it into a large disc freehand, without tracing it or anything (and to my seven-year-old astonishment, every time, it came out perfectly). They'd swirl big ladlefuls of crimson sauce onto the pale, alabaster crust, pile heaping handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese on top, then dole out the toppings faster than a Blackjack dealer in Vegas. Once it was prepared to your specifications, they'd take an over-sized, wooden pizza paddle and transfer your pie to the biggest oven I had ever seen.

Not much has changed at DeRango's since its inception. They still use the same to-go packaging for take-out orders (large, white, envelope-like bags emblazoned with the colors of the Italian flag and stapled shut) that inevitably gets stained with large grease spots, making the paper nearly translucent, but that's part of the charm. Cesar is still there, and yes, he actually still remembers me from my days of hammin' it up with a Coke at the counter.

Funny how certain things (food, music, places, etc.) can take you back to very specific memories...the smell, the noises, images that flash through your mind...all very palpable moments in our lives.

Always,
Stina

Bon Appetit!

For the longest time (mostly my pre-undergrad years), I thought I wanted to go to culinary school. Today, I know better. I think culinary school would ruin my love for cooking. I don't care that I'm not voiced in molecular gastronomy or that I don't chiffonade basil onto a plate before serving. So what if I'll never have a single Michelin star? Who cares if I don't prepare sweet breads in my kitchen on a regular basis? I do, however, know how to make good food. I delight in creating meals for my friends and family.

I started to really get into cooking during college, when I moved into my own apartment. Being away from home, I longed for the comfort foods with which I was raised. Family recipes. My mom's family didn't have a lot of money when she was growing up, so my grandma did what she could with what they had. As it turned out, her recipes quickly became some of my favorites.

Now, I would much rather go out to eat at some local, hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop restaurant than experience "fine dining". It's overpriced, so contrived and extremely pretentious. All I want are fresh ingredients, seasoned properly. I don't believe that eating well should be reserved for the elite.

I would hardly consider myself a "foodie"...I'm just a girl who uses cooking as a medium to show my love.

Always,
Stina

Random Musings...

Has anyone else seen the recent commercial for McDonald's featuring Donald Driver? I can't find it online anywhere, but basically, it's a commercial for their new Angus Snack Wraps. Driver gives people weird clay creations and then the video cuts to him sitting at a pottery wheel, Snack Wrap in one hand, clay in the other. He's so focused on his Snack Wrap (I think it may start to fall out of his hand or something...but don't quote me), the clay turns into this lopsided mess. Then the commercial states how the Snack Wraps are so delicious, you can't let go of them (or something along those lines). Let's think about this for a second. Donald Driver. Wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers. Football. Can't let go. Am I the only one who sees the connection here? Donald Driver making pottery was the best they could come up with? I know I'm just an unemployed nobody, but...wouldn't it make more sense to have a commercial that went something like this: Final play of the game. Driver's in the end zone, open all day. Packers are down by five. Driver misses the pass because he doesn't want to let go of his Snack Wrap. Packers lose. I mean...come on... And yet...I can't find a job to save my life...

I came across this video this morning. It is definitely hilarious and that guy is out of control. Now, watch this video. Notice any similarities?

Always,
Stina

Today Was a Waste of Makeup...

I don't know how much longer I can take being unemployed. Therefore, I've enlisted the help of a temp agency. I never thought it would come to this. But...desperate times call for desperate measures, right? So...today, I "interviewed" with Seek. I put that in quotations because it was so not the kind of interview I was expecting. I showered and got ready and drove down to Milwaukee. Once there, I realized I could have shown up in jeans and a T-shirt and it wouldn't have made one bit of difference. I guess I was expecting that they'd place me in a specific job for 90 days and then it'd be up to the employer if they wanted to hire me on or not. Not so. After filling out some paperwork...checking some boxes...going over some addresses, the woman gave me a booklet and told me to call the number on the front once a week to find out if they had work for me. That's it. Totally not what I had expected...

Anyway...

I've been working on my graduate statement of purpose and I just feel so hopeless! In my head, I know why I want to go to graduate school, so to me, what I have written makes sense. But...when I ask my friend to look it over, it comes back with half the salvageable content. My friend has been amazing throughout this whole process, though. He's in graduate school at Stanford, so he knows what it takes to get in, having written two previously. I will have Ryan look at it as well, but I don't want him to see it until I've gotten it perfect. Pretty sure he's going to be my toughest critic...

When I was wasting time online, I found a fantastic Web site...1000 Awesome Things. I've been tackling it a little at a time. It really is, in fact, full of awesome things! Take a gander...

Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely adore penguins! I truly believe that you can't be mad or sad if you're looking at a penguin. Lately, this guy is my favorite:

How can you not love him? He's an adelie...I wish I could keep him...

Always,

Stina

What I Love Right Now...

To make it easier on the eyes, I think I will bullet-point this post...

• Fall clothing lines!
• I get super excited for fall every year, and this year is no exception! I don't really have a "style" per se...I just wear what I like...which usually means jeans and a cute top. I'm also very much a sweater-person. In fact, I just went through my sweaters and weeded-out ones I no longer wish to keep and I am very sad to report that one of my favorite sweaters is ruined and will be headed to the trash can. I packed it away with a tomato stain on it last year! Who does that?! So...that stain is now a year old and despite my best efforts, I could not get it out. You failed me, Billy Mays. Oxi Clean did NOT put its maximum oxygenated effort to full use! I even tried to bleach it...it looked exactly the same coming out of the washer as it did going in (I know what you're thinking...why am I putting a sweater in the washing machine and not getting it dry cleaned? Certain sweaters, I'm fine with putting them in the wash...). I had expected that it would at least change to some other tone of green, but it didn't even do that! I digress...
• Pumpkin spice lattes!
• Starbucks, you are my hero. LOVE the pumpkin spice...

• Yankee Candle's Farmer's Market scent!
• This candle smells just like fall to me! Slightly sweet and fruity, slightly spicy from nutmeg and cinnamon goodness, it is just awesome! I'm pretty sure it's a new scent...but...maybe not.

• Keeping my bedroom window open at night!
• I sleep best when I'm cold. In fact, I was gassing-up my car one day and the John Tesch Radio Show was on over the loud speakers and he said that 68-degrees is the ideal temperature for the bedroom. So...not "cold" by any means, but cool.
• Salsa jack cheese!
• I am just enamored with this stuff. I hate that it's so expensive, though. For one pound, it's about $4 or so. I have re-claimed my love for spicy food now that I've got my acid reflux under control and salsa jack cheese is spicier than pepper jack and also, I think it has more flavor. Another thing I love about it...it's made in Brownsville, WI, which is awesome, considering we're "America's Dairyland" and everything. And as far as I can tell, happy cows live here, too. If you can get your hands on some, DO IT!

Well, that is all for now from this girl. It's time for me to pop a movie in and get to bed.

Always,

Stina

New Home!

I've decided I needed to re-vamp my blog...the old one was a few years old and the tone/content just wasn't relevant for me anymore. The old blog may still be accessed at: http://tinsel-tiara.livejournal.com.

So...to new beginnings! Kampai!

Always,
Stina