Sonoma, here I come!

I think it's kind of funny that one of the best trips I've made this year was to Sedona, AZ, and next weekend I'm heading to Sonoma, CA! They sound pretty similar, if you didn't notice. :) I'm hoping that it will be as fun as my Sedona trip - although this time I'm going with my mom and her friend Vicki. Certainly a different dynamic than 5 twenty-somethings telling fart jokes & texting boys, but I won't hold that against them!

I've never been to California wine country, and I hear that Sonoma is the place to go (rather than Napa). Apparently the people are friendlier, the vineyards are less crowded, and they pour your glasses all the way to the top! Sounds like a winner in my book.

After all the car breakdowns, crazy ex-neighbors, and general stress that has been occuring this month I'm definitely looking forward to a break. And what better way to wind down than with a big ol' glass of wine?

In Defense of Food - AWESOME!

This month for my book club we read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. With the surge of revealing information on the government's role in what American eats (and thinks is healthy), it's awesome to read a book like this. I have yet to see Food, Inc (although I've heard that it's quite an eye-opener) - and although I'm already a vegetarian, I could always stand to eat healthier. This book gave me a whole new perspective on how to look at food, and how to enjoy it.

I would highly recommend it! :)

Gettin' a New Car

I've decided to say goodbye to my beautiful blue Hyundai Accent that has done me 3 years of love, and move on to another car.

I guess now is the time to buy, eh?

Now it's just trying to decide what the heck to get! I'm sure that price & availability will come first here (considering I'm on a serious budget & buying used), but I'd still like to have an idea of what to get. I'm thinking about something a teensy bit bigger than my last car choice, for the sake of space (for snowboarding & camping & driving a car full o' friends around). I don't want a big ol' gas guzzling school bus (ie - SUV) since that would kind of cancel out my efforts to ride my bike as much as possible in the city. But I would like something that will be able to make the trip up to the mountains, and be able to parallel park downtown.

Any thoughts? I like the look of the Pontiac Vibe, and it seems to be a pretty darn decent car. I like Subaru's as well (although I've never owned one before). I have no idea where to start here, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I am also looking for a car that runs on dreams & starlight. If that's at all possible. Sigh, I heart you Maria Bamford!

Comedy Central Presents	Friday 10pm / 9c
Maria Bamford - Cult
www.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

Money, Money, Money... gone yet again!

Sigh, another expense, another day....

My car decided yesterday that it was going to let me know that I couldn't wait any longer to handle the weird sound coming from my clutch. Yah, that means it died. Turns out my clutch EXPLODED (didn't even know that could happen!) and beat the shit out of my transmission at the same time.

So what does that mean for me? A big fat bill in the $2k range. I was thinking of crying, then thinking of barfing, then thinking of drinking myself into a stupor. I will probably end up doing one of those today (most likely the latter).

It's times like these that it's difficult to get my spirits back up. A dark cloud is now hanging over my travel plans for next year, as well as my dreams of being fully out of debt again.

So in an effort to make things happier, here's a Guinea Pig in a bonnet.
(picture from www.cuteoverload.com).

Thinking of happier things...

Sigh... after all the crap I've been through this past weekend with getting a restraining order on a crazy lady that used to live in my apartment building, I'm trying to think happier thoughts. It has been such a stressful mess (she has been harassing us ever since she was kicked out), and I don't like feeling angry! I can't stand that this nutso-lady is taking all my good energy away. So I'm going to try & think of happier things.

In an effort to start laughing and stop stressing, here's one of the videos from the "Drunken History" series. Just because it cracks me up every time I watch it!

March of Dimes - Mudd Volleyball!

We had a BLAST this year at the annual Mudd Volleyball tournament! All proceeds benefit the March of Dimes (http://www.marchofdimes.com/), and our team alone managed to raise over $1,000. I couldn't be more proud of my mud flingin' buddies.

Although we only won 1 game this year (which I think is still 1 game more than we won last year), we laughed a LOT, got ridiculously dirty, and made some new friends. (And drank a lot of beer). Sigh, summertime, I will miss you!

Thanks to all who donated - you rock my world.

I love love LOVE photo booths!!

There's a wonderful little dive bar just down the street from my apartment in Denver called "Sputnik". Not only do they have deeeelicious comfort food, but they have awesome vegan options on their menu, and sweet potato fries that you'll die for. No, really, they're scrumptious. Get 'em with the habanero jelly. YUM!

The other bonus of this wonderful neighborhood hangout? An old-school photo booth. For just 2 buckaroos you can have 1 minute of photographic fun! I have to use it every time I go in there. It takes a good 5 minutes for the photos to come out of the slot (they emerge wet due to the super non-high-tech processing), but the 5 minutes is worth the anticipation.

Gosh, I love photo booths!