miss rikki

the devil's dog treat

2009-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

never. ever. NEVEREVER buy these for your dogs. my dogs have had them twice (i bought them once and my mom bought them once), and each time BOTH dogs writhed in pain as they wretched the remnants of the evil oinkies out. i feel like writing hartz a letter and telling them they can shove their oinkies up their oinkes.

this dude can rock

2009-09-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

over the weekend, the hubs, some friends and i saw this guy in concert.

these folks opened for him, and i was even more excited to see them (little big town) than i was the main show. little big town did not disappoint - i love the way they've fused the fleetwood mac vibe with contemporary country music. awesome.

but keith urban blew me away. i've always liked his music, but he's never entered my list of favs or must-sees . . . until now. the man is a seriously talented musician - he rocked no fewer than a half dozen guitars, and had more energy than the energizer bunny on speed. most of the show, i felt like i was at a rock concert and not a country pop concert because keith and his band kicked some serious ass. if you get a chance to see keith and company - take it - you won't regret it, even if you're not into country.

winter song

2009-09-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

i've had this song on repeat all morning. i love it. i can't remember the last time i heard a song that captured my soul the way this one does. is love alive?

precarious

2009-08-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

i know i haven't been a very good blogger lately.

i guess there are lots of reasons, and no reason at all.

i'm in limbo right now and i'm scared. i want to find an answer but i don't want the answer that i suspect i'm going to get.

image via ffffound.

93 words per minute

2009-08-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

i enter my fair share of blogger contests. but i'm really keeping my fingers crossed for down and out chic's latest contest, which is a giveaway of this shabby apple dress. so friggin' cute. reminds me a bit of mad men's christina hendricks . . . what's not to L-O-V-E??

incidentally, i type 117 words per minute. what about you?

nice = moron

2009-08-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

i heard that according to a recent study, portland has the nicest drivers in the entire country. oh, how i beg to differ. if you substitute any of the following words for "nice," then the study is correct: stupid, air-headed, sunday-driving, spacey, or just plain f*cking retarded. seriously.

one who doesn't live in portland, might think that the driver that just let you merge into traffic is being oh-so-considerate: i assure you, this isn't the case. he's too engrossed in his thoughts about the soil he uses in his vegan garden to notice that a world exists outside of his prius. i, too, made the mistake of thinking portland drivers were supernice when i first got here, but i have learned the truth. a truth that involves daily encounters with lame ass drivers who choose to drive 20 miles under the speedlimit in a 50 zone, come to a complete stop on the freeway to allow another car to enter their lane, put their blinker on for 3 miles, so you have no idea when they actually plan on turning, yielding to cars that don't have the right of way, etc etc.

makes me want to SCREEEEAM and almost makes me miss the aggression of LA drivers. almost.

the definition of courage

2009-08-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

i had a whole list of crap i was going to rant about today to mark the return to regular blogging. but then i read this post. and everything else seems so insignificant and irrelevant. talk about being humbled.

public speaking

2009-08-12T12:03:00.001-07:00

i am ridiculously busy this week taking a class on public speaking for work. two words for you: no likey. tomorrow i get to give a 20 minute presentation in front of the class on a topic of my choice. i chose to speak about the group above . . . should be interesting . . .

are you kidding me?

2009-08-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

didn't like it. not one bit. i do think that gordon-leavitt did a wonderful job, but i was thoroughly bored with zooey's flat performance. i so desperately wanted her to tuck those swarthy sideburns behind her ears but it never happened: muy distracting. the story line was uncomfortably depressing - perhaps reminding me too much of relationships past to appreciate its unconventional approach to the romantic comedy. my final gripe: LA is an awesome city in its own right, so the director's obvious attempt to make it look like NYC pissed me off. sorry folks - i know everyone has ranted and raved, but i want those 2 hours and 500 days of my life back.

be still my colorful heart

2009-08-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

a little surprise arrived in the mail last week. usually i am annoyed when i discover that my information has been sold to some catalog publisher, but when my first boden catalog arrived unsolicited, i was thrilled. i discovered that i love LOVE love their clothes - particularly because of the use of lots of vibrant colors. just take a look at a few of the things i plan on purchasing . . .

it's about time

2009-07-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

i am starting to feel like myself again. halle-freakin-lujah. although i've only seen my new doc twice, she is the best doctor i've ever been to in my entire life. she's identified major issues that i've been struggling with for years and i'm already feeling better. she cares, and that makes all the difference. i'm thrilled, but also furious at all those half-ass doctors that kept brushing me off. i want to send them a scathing letter telling them where they can stick it. damned lazy losers.

i'm also excited because the hubs and i planted the seedlings of a new plan. i will continue working at my hell-hole (but well-paying job) for 6 months to a year: we will pay off all our debt besides our house, and then we'll be set for me to quit and open my own business. i can hardly wait. i know it will be an amazing amount of work, but i can't wait.

photo via ffffound.

living

2009-07-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

sometimes i feel like life is whooshing past me. most of the time i feel like i merely exist, that i don't live, which really bothers me. i don't know how to fix it, though. i don't know if its because i'm not well, or if i'm just going through a phase. how to i get back to living?

image via ffffound.

am i really that boring? really?

2009-07-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

i've got a bone to pick with you. yes, you. although if you're reading this, you're not really my target, but please, read on. if you've read miss rikki for a while, you'll know that i once restricted comments on my blog for fear of the "0 comments" tag at the bottom of each post: did i really want to know if my blog was going unread? then, i decided that i didn't really give a rat's ass if i had comments or not, so comments were allowed. now, i'm somewhere in between, because let's be honest, we put ourselves out there with the hope that we will be received by others in the bloggery, and he recent strain of "0 comments" on this here blog makes me wonder if anyone is out there or if i've been incidentally absorbed by the interweb.

i readily acknowledge that:

- i'm not the best writer;

- my pithy humor doesn't always translate well on the blog;

- i don't have design ideas oozing out of my pores;

- i have a great sense of style but don't spend my life savings on my wardrobe;

- i have a wonderful husband but i live in reality and not romance-la-la-land;

- i don't hate the world and want to drone on about the darkness;

- i have no children.

so maybe my blog goes relatively ignored because i don't fall into one of the prescribed blog categories: the writer/the comedian/the designer/the fashionista/the meg-ryan-love-is-a- real-life-romantic-comedy/the life hater/or the mommy blog. or maybe i don't put myself out there enough (yes, yes, i know you all love the pictures, but i'm not loving my reflection right now). maybe what i have to say is totally irrelevant (although i'd say in the scheme of life, most blog content is relatively irrelevant). maybe my sole follower (thank you, and hugs!) will be the only one to hear this voice, and maybe that fact will prompt me to stop holding back for fear of alienating the blogging masses, which i is realize is silly since they don't read miss rikki anyways.

ahhhh. that feels better, and sometimes all it takes is a nice little case of verbal diarrhea.

THE plan

2009-07-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

i've hesitated discussing the plan. somehow, putting the plan into words would mean acknowledging that the plan had ::gasp:: failed, and i wasn't ready for that. but i think i need to say the words - i think i need to let the universe know that i'm open to a new plan . . .

the fear of admitting the plan isn't anything new. how many times as a child were we asked what do you want to be when you grow up? i imagine i was not alone in hesitating to answer that question truthfully for a long, long time. i didn't want to hear the pitied "oh that's so ambitious" or the sarcastic "good luck with that," or even the realistic statistics of my chance for success. so instead, i'd answer with something safely achievable: i want to be an accountant, a lawyer, a teacher.

but my real answer, what i wanted to be, what i planned my life around was becoming an fbi agent. maybe that's anticlimactic to you, but to me, the appeal of being part of the most elite law enforcement agency in the world was unrivaled. i avidly read all the true crime books i could get my hands on as a child. my favorite movie growing up was FEDS (about two women pursuing a career with the fbi). its difficult for me to articulate exactly what sparked this desire: its probably a combination of helping others, feeling powerful, and being part of something so revered. and i was determined to turn this desire into reality through carefully executed planning and preparation.

almost every decision i made from high school on was made after considering will this help me get there? my selection of college courses, my grad school program, my forensics training, my current job: all were strategic choices to help me fulfill my dream, my plan. and i was almost there. i passed the personality and psychology profile. i passed the written exam. i'd aced the interview portion (which some professional recruiters consider the most difficult interview process in existence). i was in the best shape of my life. i was just a step away from heading to the fbi academy when the plan started to crumble.

the specifics of why the plan crumbled will be the subject of another lengthy post on another rainy day. but what started as sore muscles and annoying headaches has turned into knee-buckling migraines and muscle/joing pain so severe that sometimes i cannot walk up stairs. almost two years of exams, mris, xrays, blood tests, biopsies, and more, i'm not much closer to knowing what's wrong. but i do know this: knowing what i know now, i don't think my dream or my plan would have been any different. because its not necessarily the actualization of the dream that fulfills us, but having the dream - having something to hope for and work towards - that keeps us going. and that's where the implosion of the plan has left me feeling lost: i need a dream, and i need a plan. and i'm not quite sure where to find either.

i survived

2009-07-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

forget any previous post where i have declared a show the best on television. i survived, on the biography channel, is the most intensely moving television show i've seen. if you've watched the show, you know exactly what i mean. if you haven't, you're missing some of the best stories demonstrating the will to live and the power of the human mind. the simple technique of filming the victim very close up, as they recount the details of their ordeal, makes the story so personal: you almost feel as if you are in the room with the victim. here are just a few examples, but you can find more here.

wayne and mary, season 1: after a nearby train derailment causes a massive chlorine gas leak, wayne and mary (and three relatives) are trapped in their homes, unable to escape. the chlorine is so strong, it melts their keys, so they cannot go anywhere. the police will not respond, for fear of their own safety, nor will they let volunteers assist those trapped (and even threaten to shoot volunteers with their own chem gear if they try to help). wayne and mary are repeatedly given horrible instructions by the dispatcher, including being told to take showers: combining water with chlorine creates hydrochloric acid . . .

dan and danielle, season 2: while taking an evening walk, dan and danielle are forced into a stranger's truck and gunpoint. both are shot - danielle in the face - and are tossed into a river to drown. they play dead and float down the cold river, while their shooter watches on. afraid to swim to shore for fear that they will be shot again by the shooter, they continue to act dead. when they finally reach the shore, a man flags down a truck to help rescue them. fearful that the truck is the same truck they were forced into earlier, the two jump back in the river. . .

terri, season 3: terri heads to her ex-husband's house to pick up her girls who have been spending time with their dad. when the kids don't come out, terri knocks and the door, and is invited in, despite just wanting to get her girls and leave. her ex-husband savagely attacks her, beating her in the head with a baseball bat: her head swells up to three times its normal size. he then stuffs her into a garbage can, and dumps the can at a remote location, where terri begins to freeze. . .

check it out. you'll be so moved by these stories, and feel that you're life, as crappy as it seems sometimes, really is wonderful. (you'll also be completely horrified by what one human being is capable of doing to another. ::shudder::)

photo from here.

i just can't get enough

2009-07-12T17:51:00.001-07:00

i missed so you think you can dance this week but the hubs tivo-ed for me. i am SO glad he did because i can't stop watching the mia michaels' number that kayla and kupono danced to sara barellesis' gravity (only one of the best songs ever). the judges just seemed lukewarm, but the routine was so visceral, so emotional, i hold my breath every time i watch it. haven't seen it? go HERE.

just listed

2009-07-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

i finally posted some new goodies on etsy tonight. here is my fav of the latest batch of creations: the "clementine" earrings are all sterling, with bright orange chalcedony and aquamarine rondelles. i can't wear these enough!

did you watch?

2009-07-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

i only caught the segment where brooke shields spoke. i thought she was so genuine, providing a look into michael the person and not the superstar. her hands shook as she nervously tucked her hair behind her should every few seconds, trying to hold back the tears. may we all be so lucky to have a friend who really knows us, identifies with our life struggles, and makes us laugh until we cry, as brooke had in michael.

image from the mirror.

salt lake, here i come!

2009-07-07T13:36:00.001-07:00

i leave this afternoon for salt lake city . . . i haven't been home in several years. although i'll only be gone for a few days - most of which will be spent working - i'm excited to see family and friends at a big bash tomorrow night. and to see how much the city has grown since i moved away ten years ago. any suggestions on where i should eat while there? i still have my favs, but i know lots of new places have popped up over the last few years . . .

image from destination 360.

new book

2009-07-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

i just spent the last hour perusing this book. although i wish the book offered more unique recipes, i am really excited to try the following yummies:

- snickerdoodle cupcakes

- applesauce spice cupcakes

- strudel cupcakes

sweet tater fries!!

2009-07-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

how delicious does this meal by Sunday Suppers look?? i am in LOVE with sweet potato fries, and this recipe is making my mouth water. we're heading to bend this weekend and if we have a cookout, i'm making the fries fo sho.

photo by karen mordechai.

down the road

2009-07-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

when the hubs and i decide to produce offspring, i want to decorate the bebe's room with olivier tallec prints. the colors, the creativity, the fluidity: amazing, right?

one size fits all?!?

2009-06-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

i am not a skinny girl. but i'm not a fat girl either. i'm somewhat tall, and rather broad. i have a pretty proportional body, and while i'd like to be more toned, i have plenty to love about my body (thanks for the reminder meg).

so, i was incredibly put-off while shopping online last night at nordies. i found this darling top, and when i went to add it to my shopping cart, the only size listed was "one size fits all." strange, i thought, so i clicked the size chart link to learn just what "one size fits all" meant to this designer. the result? one size fits all means all that fall in the sizes 0-6 category. what the f? are you kidding me? not even a quarter of american women are in the 0-6 category. needless to say, i did not buy the top, but it infuriates me that this teensy-tiny construction of the female figure is so prolific. we are NOT all size 0-6. now, if the designer said one size fits all and meant sizes 8-14, then he'd be more on the money, as about 50-60% of women fall in this category. but as it stands, the label is misleading. mistaken. false advertising, really. the label should read "one size fits less than a quarter of american women." hah. i'm sure his line would sell well then.

forget regret, or life is yours to miss

2009-06-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

a few quick notes about RENT, which we saw this weekend:

- the music & lyrics of the show are by far better than the script. hands down. i sang my way through the entire show.

- adam pascal and anthony rapp still rock, even if their performances seemed a little tired.

- the set was utilized brilliantly.

- lexi lawson's understudy, caren tacket, rocked the upbeat tunes, but lacked the control demanded by the slower songs.

- nicolette hart, playing maureen, stole the second act. hands down.

- if jesse l. martin ever reprises his role, i will be there in a flash- mmmmm!

yes, yes, i realize that this is all about a dozen years too late, but if you're planning on seeing the touring show, my vote is GO!

image from here.

gimme more

2009-06-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

i go through these phases where i become obsessed with one food, and i eat it and eat it and eat it until i can eat it no more. i've blogged at length about my recent saint cupcake indulgences: i had to cease my twice-a-week visits after i upchucked from overdoing it.

so cupcakes are out, but peanut butter stuffed pretzel nuggets are SO in! i picked some up for the girls during the getting-ready period for kate's wedding, and now i have to have them. every day. every single day. so good. am i the only one that does this?

image found here.

on the agenda this weekend

2009-06-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

we plan to:

- visit our local farmer's market and stock up on delicious berries and other local goodies.

- see Rent, the broadway tour

- take the quad and motorcycle out and ride, sally, ride

- wash, dry, fold and hang a mountain of laundry

- stay up late AND sleep in

what will you do?

photo via ffffound

i don't exactly have a bikini-worthy body

2009-06-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

but i still think i'm going to buy this suit from jcrew. yay or nay?

burn this disco out

2009-06-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

there are few words. your work was genius, your life was unfinished. my sympathies go out to those you leave behind. and to you - your life was far from perfect: exploited at an early age for a fame that would destroy you. may you find more peace in the afterlife than you did on earth.

photo from here.

my closet

2009-06-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

i love color. i don't believe that a person can have too much color in their wardrobe. this picture accurately represents my closet - every color in the rainbow, arranged in order. now that i'm a brunette, i'm realizing that some of my colors may not work on me anymore, but i'll probably wear them anyway. because i love color. i am color.

photo found via ffffound (but my link is broken).

kate and adam: round 2

2009-06-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

from the top: zipping up the dress; walking down the aisle; first dance (his concentration was adorable); cake (including red velvet tier - YUM!!); candy bar; me attempting to take a picture of my hair-do; finally asking someone else to take the picture. more to come.

4th street stairs

2009-06-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

i hadn't been back for eight months. and how i missed it. i missed the energy. i missed the sunshine. i missed the santa monica pier. i missed my favorite hole-in-the-wall eateries. most of all, i missed my friends. i've been seriously wondering if moving to portland was a mistake.

but then, we landed. and the smog encircled us. the airport passangers pushed and shoved and stampeded by in way you'd never experience at pdx. the car rental was beyond a hassle, and even at 1 a.m., the traffic was crazy and the drivers were evil. very quickly, i was reminded why L.A. drove me away.

i think i'll always miss having to having any item, service, or event at my disposal. i think i'll always miss jogging the 4th street stairs. i think i'll always miss living somewhere so . . . cool. but what i miss most are the amazing experiences, memories, and friends i made in L.A. crepe runs on 3rd street with kate. going on forensic ride-alongs with the l.a. coroner. arguing over where the lunch gang boys and i were going for lunch. singing in the band. the restaurants where i fell in love.

but we all move on. its part of life. things had already begun to change before i left L.A., and now all those things i miss would be no more, even if i still lived there. L.A. is no longer home. i'm not sure that portland is, either, but i'm finally ready to move on. i know that because somehow, the pangs of longing for all that i missed, have turned into feelings of warmth and nostalgia. and that feels really really good.

here comes the bride . . .

2009-06-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

i spent a gorgeous weekend in los angeles at the wedding of these two. as beautiful as they look in this engagement photo, they were a million times more beautiful on their wedding day. i loved being a bridesmaid - kate was a calm, cool, collected bride. very unlike me on my day. :P more pictures to follow!!

photo by next exit photography.

never a bridesmaid

2009-06-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

i'm off to L.A. for the weekend. i'm a bridesmaid in k's wedding, and i can't wait. it's my first time being a bridesmaid, and the weekend is full of girly girl activities. yipper!! pictures to come . . .

photo via ffffound.

i'm making these tonight

2009-06-18T14:05:00.001-07:00

how phenomenal do these biscuits and flavored butters look? i can't wait! thank you for the recipe sunday suppers!

photo by karen mordechi.

muscians i love: ben folds

2009-06-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

i've liked ben folds since i was 16 years old, but it wasn't until i was in college that i truly fell in the with the man who rocks the suburbs. i'm quite sure my deepening affection for mr. folds was largely influenced by a certain former boyfriend, but my love for mr. folds has sustained the test of time that the former bf did not.

ben folds music is truly artistic. original. sarcastic. sad. beautiful. i can't think of a single song written by mr. folds that i do not enjoy listening to. but my all-time-favorite-ben-folds-song has to be the luckiest:

I don't get many things right the first time

In fact, I am told that a lot

Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls

Brought me here

And where was I before the day

That I first saw your lovely face?

Now I see it everyday

And I know

That I am I am I am

The luckiest

What if I'd been born fifty years before you

In a house on a street where you lived?

Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike

Would I know?

And in a white sea of eyes

I see one pair that I recognize

And I know

That I am I am I am

The luckiest

I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you

Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties

And one day passed away in his sleep

And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days

And passed away

I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that

I know we belong

That I know

That I am I am I am

The luckiest

picture from here.

to the love of my life (you know who you are)...

2009-06-17T18:49:00.001-07:00

love, me

photo via ffffound

numb tongue

2009-06-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

try saying that three times quickly. :P so, the past several days have not been good for me health-wise. i'm sure i'll post at length about my health drama later, but not today. anyhow, my doctor prescribed some muscle relaxants for me to help me sleep at night. the i took the first dose on monday night and was a complete noodle on tuesday. thus, on tuesday night, i decided to just take half of a pill. i bit the pill in half, swallowed it, and put the other half back in the drawer. not five minutes later, i turned to the hubs to say "i love you, goodnight," and my tongue was completely numb. it came out like "i lub you, goothiiight." apparently, some of the muscle relaxant dissolved on my tongue, numbing it. sometimes, i amaze myself at how smart i am.
photo found here.

as promised

2009-06-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

before . . . after. . .

which do you like better?

by the time you read this . . .

2009-06-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

i will no longer be blonde. i've been blonde most of my life - for the first half of my life it was natural, and then, not-so-natural. i've been wondering how i would look with my natural brunette hair color, but have been too nervous to try it out. but today, i am taking the plunge-i will post a photo of the results.

thanks, heisschic, for the inspiration.

photo via ffffound.

mr. pink arrived!

2009-06-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

and i could not be more excited to get out and play with my new toy. i think its going to be a match made in heaven. because i am in love.

image via ffffound.

new math

2009-06-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

have you seen this site? i think it is, in one simple word, rad.

letter to nie

2009-06-10T08:40:00.001-07:00

dear stephanie,

thank you for your moving post on monday. my heart wrenched deeply as i read your post - not only because i feel so horrible that you have to endure so much physical and emotional pain, but also because i empathize. i really do.

i have never suffered something as catastrophic as an airplane crash, but i have been in life-altering amounts of physical pain for the past year and a half that i am no longer to be the rikki i used to be. nor am i able to be the rikki i want to be, and that is actually harder for me to deal with than the pain itself. the doctors have inaccurately diagnosed me with about six different autoimmune disorders, put me through a million tests, mris, scans, etc. and they still don't have an answer. they all agree - i have something, but what that something is, they just aren't sure. the latest suspected culprit is mastocytosis. we'll see. can't say i'm optimistic at this point about them ever finding out what is wrong.

but enough about me. back to you. thank you for being an inspiration to us all. your faith, strength, and love shine through every word you write. when you said "i get to change the way i look at life and how i can help someone else in need," just know this: you have already helped at least one person. you've helped me change the way i look at my life.

much love and admiration,
rikki

image via ffffound

i envy you if . . .

2009-06-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

i'm always on the hunt for new blogs to follow (if you have any suggestions, please let me have them!!), and recently found this blog. i loved the "i envy you if . . ." post so much that i decided to write my own.

i envy you if . . .

- you are skinny. you skinny bitch, you.

- you never get sick.

- you run marathons.

- you live within walking distance to a fab cucpake joint.

- your dogs don't bark at every moving object in the universe.

- you don't have to wash your hair every day.

- you have naturally beautiful fingernails which you never bite.

- you have no trouble sleeping.

i know, i know. envy is a sin. but i can't help it. so join me and tell me what you envy.

my first crush

2009-06-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

i remember the first time i saw him. i was in fifth grade, and was starting a new elementary school. he wasn't in my class, but i saw him in the lunch line and *swooned.* he had the bluest eyes i'd ever seen - years later, my girlfriend and i would refer to him as "obe" for ocean blue eyes.

the crush lasted five years. you read that right. five long years. he was a jock, and a i was a nerd of the nerdliest kind, so there was never a chance that my affections would be returned. it didn't keep this girl from pining, though.

then i met nick, who became my first boyfriend, and it was obe? obe who?? in retrospect, i am pretty embarrassed that i crushed on ocean blue eyes for so long: we had nothing in common. zip. zero. zilch. he was the quarterback, i was the president of national honor society. he was a party boy. i was a good girl. his future was college football. my future was the world.

i don't know what obe is doing with his life. after finding this picture, i know he went on an LDS mission (he's on the left), but i can tell you that if our paths crossed now, i don't know that i'd even look twice (and not just because i'm married). but because i'm not the same person i was in junior high, and although its presumptuous of me to say this - i suspect he is.

what a saint

2009-06-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

saint cupcake is simply amazing. i have never had more delicious cream cheese frosting in my entire life. and the coconut cupcake is to die for. i still need to try their red velvet, but i'm sold. deeeeeelish.

btw - have you seen cuter packaging?

an evening on the water

2009-06-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

i must preface by saying how bummed i am that our camera battery died before we could take any pictures of our friday night adventure . . . thanks for the photos, david b. at yelp.

the hubs arranged an amazing friday night date. we drove out to sauvie island, hopped on a friend's boat, and cruised down the multnomah channel to mark's on the channel. we parked the boat right at the dining pier, and watched the sun set over the water, while dining on amazing saganaki, pasta, and carrot cake. i can't imagine a better way to spend a friday evening. thanks, hubs!!

slate

2009-06-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty sure i NEED this dress. daaaah-ling.

cheeeeeese

2009-05-29T10:50:00.001-07:00

i ordered this today. can't wait for it to get here.

the one. the only.

2009-05-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

dear h.j. heinz -

please allow me to thank you for being a genius. thanking you is simply not enough, but i fear that i do not have to the words to express my gratitude to you for creating the best. ketchup. ever.

although my love handles and thunder thighs might not appreciate my insatiable desire for your perfect condiment, i can't help but often satiate my cravings for your ketchup, most frequently complimented by fries or burgers.

my taste buds owe you a lifetime satisfaction.

always your loyal consumer,

miss rikki

(1957 heniz ad recreated in 2008 by don henderson)

d'oh!

2009-05-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

turns out it really isn't good to drink too much soda.

i want to live . . .

2009-05-26T14:59:00.001-07:00

here. saw this house in bend over the weekend. amazing.

(photos from john l. scott)

yes, more cupcakes . . .

2009-05-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

i spent a good chunk of time yesterday baking cupcakes from scratch. the hubs liked the sweet lemon with raspberry buttercream better, but i liked the red velvet with extra creamy cream cheese frosting. both recipes still need tweaking, though. suggestions?

one sweet day

2009-05-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

i'm feeling a bit nostalgic tonight. the hubs and i are in bend, oregon for the weekend: we're hitting the lake and the trails - what a blast! but the gorgeous mountain surroundings reminds me of lake arrowhead where we got married. here's a picture of us on our big day . . .

i am a chicken shit

2009-05-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

i am so thoroughly disappointed in myself.

despite the incredibly empowering decision i made last month to quit my job, i am staying. inside my head, i'm kicking and screaming, trying to talk my logical self into realizing that this job is absolutely murdering my will to live. with each and every un-stimulating moment i spend glued to the computer, this job is eroding my intelligence. pleeeeeease quit! pleeeeeeeeease!

yet, my logical mind prevails. sure, we can afford for me to not work for a little while, but what if i can't find another job? i have been looking steadily for several months, and haven't had a single nibble. not-a-one. apparently, the portland market is one of the five worst in the nation for finding a job right now. and a job that pays the nearly 80k i make now? yeah, not so much.

i don't want to be this logical person. i want to live carefree. i want to disregard the bills and the loans, and do what makes me happy. isn't that what life is about, after all? not real life. real life sometimes means doing what you don't want to do so that one day, you'll be able to do what you want to do. i'm just tired of waiting for that one day. and scared that it may never get here.

musicians i love: amos lee

2009-05-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

it's been too long since i posted my adoration for musicians.

today's post is about amos lee. you may recognize his song "sweet pea" from those horribly annoying at&t commercials, but don't be fooled: his talent is much deeper than that little ditty demonstrates.

his style can't be defined by a single genre: he's a bit folk, a bit blues, a bit jazz, a bit acoustic rock, and a lot creative. when i'm feeling uninspired, down, unsure - amos is the man i turn to. his lyrics ooze truth and his melodies help me float away.

a few of my favorite lee tunes include:

- southern girl
- love in the lies

and

- arms of a woman

"I am at ease in the arms of a woman

although now most of my days are spent alone

a thousand miles from the place I was born

but when she wakes me she takes me back home

A thousand miles from the place I was born

But when she wakes me she takes me back home"

tasty tasty

2009-05-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

ah yes. my irreverent sense of humor rears its glorious head. so funny to ME!!

america got it wrong

2009-05-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

i want to keep this short, as we all know it was an upset last night on idol. but since i had a bit of insider knowledge this season, i've been asked a zillion times what i think. here's what i think.

this was a bad year for idol (which is ironic since adam lambert is the best contestant the show has ever had).

the production was bad. the new format was bad. the "save" card was bad. kara was bad - worse than bad - she was terrible with all of her "honeys" and "sweeties" and annoying condescension.

i can't help but think that as the show nears its tenth season, it is trying to self-sabotage. sure, it makes a lot of money, but all think all those involved in the idol world are sick and tired of idol. so am i. and so are a lot of people after last nights robbery.

the handey man

2009-05-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

"playing dead not only comes in handy when face to face with a bear, but also at important business meetings." -- jack handey

i don't know why i find jack handey so funny. probably because my high school friends and i liked to quote the handey man to each other in the hallways at s-k-y-l-i-n-e (go EAGLES!). i still roll when i hear a piece of his sage advice.

glee

2009-05-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

watching this made me wish that show choir existed for adults. sigh. sometimes growing up sucks.

tasty treats!

2009-05-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

on my way into work this morning, a couple of radio djs were soliciting calls from listeners about their vices. the most common vices included smoking, and video game playing (really? war of the worlds is THAT interesting to men in their 40s?!?). lucky me that neither of those appeal to me. but i am not vice-free. you know about my addiction to mcdonald's breakfast sandwiches. but i also cannot live without my diet coke. or mini cupcakes. or cheese fries. which makes dieting a bit difficult. :P

(photo credits: photobucket, ohjoy from whiskey bites, and broadstreet cafe)

brinner

2009-05-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

love me some brinner. hubs made scramby eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and sourdough toast for dinners. i didn't eat the bacon or toast, but i did sneak a few taters. so tasty.

photo via amazon

ewwww!

2009-05-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

i am SO grossed out by men in uber-tight pants! ill fitting clothes don't look good on anyone, but men in tight pants - so revolting. i so don't dig the current skinny-jean-for-emo-men look, but at least its not this guy.

(thanks for the photo girlyman1313 from flickr)

rainy day happiness

2009-05-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

have you seen a cuter umbrella? love this brelly by felix ray - AND its on sale on blue fly.

10 things that make me terribly happy

2009-05-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

naomi has been featuring 10 things that make me terribly happy series. i've loved reading the series, and thought i'd post my list.

1) when the husband surprises me by coming home from work early

2) argyle socks

3) watching my puppies dream (they make cutest little sounds and movements)

4) the smell of babies

5) coming down the driveway after work and seeing a package has been left on the porch

6) hosting summer barbecues, full of grilled burgers, corn on the cob, watermelon and bottled sodas chilling over ice in our large galvanized bucket

7) eating TFDs (tin foil dinners) made over the campfire after a long day of outdoor recreation

8) the smile on the face of a little lemonade stand hostess when she realizes you're going to stop and buy a glass of her refreshment

9) talking my way out of a speeding ticket

10) peep toe heels: sweet but sexy at the same time

photo: southern living

bridesmaid's hair-do

2009-05-15T14:37:00.001-07:00

i'm trying to find the right hair accessory for my friend's wedding in june. she wants all of her bridesmaids to wear their hair back, but i'd like to add a little something to spice up the look. our dresses are a dark navy and our shoes are silver, so i have to keep that color scheme in mind. do you think any of these accessories from uo work?

boots

2009-05-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

i'm wearing my boots today. don't know what boots i'm talking about? click here.

with these boots on, i feel:

sexy

powerful

untouchable

amazing what a good pair of shoes can do for you.

i love . . .

2009-05-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

sleeping in. especially when it starts to get warm enough out that you have to keep the window open a bit. the fresh breeze, the sounds of the earth, the tangled sheets, the smell of the hubs freshly washed hair, ths delicate nighty - what's better?

can't. wait. for. saturday morning.

today is the tomorrow

2009-05-14T19:23:00.001-07:00

i haven't been the best blogger lately. i've been busy at work with the rikki road relaunch - still not sure when its going to happen, but i've been a-workin' hard-all-the-livelong-day. :P

i read this quote today and thought it so perfectly described where i am lately . . .

"remember -- today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday"
- dale carnegie

and the cycle continues.

allergies, much?

2009-05-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

today, lucky me got to visit the allergist. they stuck me with a zillion needles to determine what i am allergic to. here is a picture of my arm a few hours after all my tests. i'm allergic, among other things, to grass, weeds, dust and more. the best part - i get to go back in a few weeks and do it all again! woop woop!

new look

2009-05-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

look to your RIGHT. yeah, over there! what do you think of the new logo for my shop? i love it! katie put the design together, and i couldn't be happier. here is another version of the logo.

i also have a new e-mail address: rikkiroadjewelry@gmail.com! send me a shout out anytime!

cupcakes galore!

2009-05-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

the weekend was filled with cupcakes:

these tasty lovelies from the farmer's market.

this adorable metal cupcake stamp from beaducation for new hand-stamped rikki road jewelry.

these dingo mini-cupcake rawhides for the pups.

you can NEVER have too many cupcakes!

happy mommage day

2009-05-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

to my wonderful mommage.

you are so beautiful, inside and out. thank you for showing me the beauty in life.

you are an incredibly hard worker, no matter the task. thank you for teaching me the value of hard work.

you are the most generous soul alive. thank you for giving me the world and more.

i love you. happy mommage day!

we'll be here . . .

2009-05-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

. . . this weekend. i'm excited. and a little scared. have any of you camped in these mini-cabins?

AI on AI

2009-05-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

i'm bummed she was eliminated last night. allison is incredibly talented. and she's super cool in person, too - more so than most of the idol contenders this year. i hope she gets signed quickly.

mid-week weigh in

2009-05-06T08:41:00.000-07:00

well, at least the scale is moving in the right direction. although not by much. this morning i weighed in at 159.6. progress is progress, no matter how slow!

sick day

2009-05-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

i'm home sick today. i slept in until 11. amazing. but being home all day has made me wonder - am i doing the right thing to leave my job? i don't know. i don't think that either answer is the right answer.

i don't have to decide today. all i have to do today is burrow myself under the covers, and listen to the plump rain drops crash against the roof. how wonderful is that?

the photo above was taken by the hubs. he thinks i look beautiful when i sleep.

update

2009-05-04T07:55:00.001-07:00

i didn't realize that my bold new-mind-spirit-body post didn't actually post when i wrote it on friday. i blame our finicky wireless router. and, enabling comments didn't take, so let's see if it does on this post.

anyhow, as a quick update - the weekend went well. the hubs, pups and i went on a nice long hike on saturday - a good part of which we jogged. it felt SO good. sunday i busted out the stair stepper and hiked while watching tivoed episodes of private practice. and i definitely ate better - not perfect, mind you, but better.

only four weeks left of work as of today. i'm thrilled. but terrified, too.

dating genius

2009-05-01T11:24:00.001-07:00

remember when i went on that lengthy diatribe about the kosher-ness of discussing past relationships? well, i'm going to make good on my word, and talk about one of my dating propensities: dating genius.

i'm a smart girl. i did well in school. but i'm no mensa material. i'm not even ivy league material. and i'm okay with that. but in high school, i wasn't. i felt like i'd drawn the short straw because i really wanted to be one of the super-smart kids - one of the kids that didn't have to work at it, like i did. i studied every minute of every day and still got an A- in my first semester calculus class. it killed me. moreover, it killed me that other students who didn't spend a fraction of the time studying as much i did, easily earned an A in calc, or a perfect 1600 on their SATs. you know the kind.

i know the kind. i dated the kind. i dated a literal mensa genius in high school, and another in college. i suspect a third bf was mensa material, too, but he "didn't want to be labeled." some girls go crazy for the bad boys - i went crazy for the nerds.

here's my dime-store psychology take on why i dated genius: i was looking for something in someone else that i had insecurities about in myself. i was insecure about my intelligence. sure, i was smart. but i wasn't the smartest. and none of us like to settle for second best, but by dating the smartest, somehow i was part of the club.

turns out, though, that dating an intellectual genius equates to dating an emotional retard. while these boys excelled academically, they had the emotional depth of my neighbor's kiddie pool. when interacting with acquaintances, those shallow social skills performed just fine. but when it came to an actual relationship, where you have to give of yourself, learn from your partner, be a team: big fat failures.

i don't want to make it sound like these guys are bad guys: they are good people. they are just not good partners (for me, at least). i prefer a man to tell me i look "pretty" instead of "healthy." i prefer a man who would rather spend some of his free time with me, rather than reading the latest publication on quantum physics or post-cold war political analysis. i prefer a man who understands non-verbal cues and doesn't say "what a perfect day" to a family who has just lost their grandmother. i prefer a man who knows that there is more to life than knowing facts.

i guess emotional intelligence, like intellectual intelligence, is something you have or you don't. you can work at it all you want, but eventually you're going to reach your god-given limit. my god-given intellectual limit was an A- minus in calculus. and the boy geniuses' limit in the emotional department: a D+, at best.
i think i'm the one that drew the long straw, after all.

will you see miss saigon?

2009-04-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

if i still lived in salt lake, i would most definitely go see natalie hill in miss saigon.

natalie - if you're reading this - we're meant to be friends. i'm sure of it. :P

incidentally, i've followed her blog for a while now, and watched her interview for good things utah on her blog this morning. you know when you read a book and you imagine the characters a certain way? then, they make the movie and its not at all like what you imagined? that's kind of how it was watching natalie be interviewed - i've imagined her in a certain way and seeing her in action was totally different than what my mind created. how funny. she's even more captivating live.

photo by candice stringham

wish we were

2009-04-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

visiting the hubs' home town.

riding the kamehameha highway through haleiwa and waialua, and stopping to get a bite to eat.

looking over kahana bay.

hubs - let's make it happen this summer!

my favorite things: alicia bock photos

2009-04-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

the guest bedroom is almost finished. we need to put a few more finishing touches on the room, and then i'll put before and after photos up. in the interim, i want to praise photographer alicia bock. her "through the viewfinder" images inspired my design for the redecoration. if you haven't seen alicia's work, you must. and her printed images are even more phenomenal than you can imagine - the four we bought bought (different from those above) have almost a metallic sheen to them.

you know how i said that i didn't get all the hype about professional photos? i was soooo wrong. these are amazing. i wish i had ten more rooms to decorate with alicia's photos.

book worm

2009-04-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

#21 on my 30-before-30 list is d-o-n-e. i finished reading vince flynn's mitch rapp series, the hubs' favorite. i thoroughly enjoyed all the clandestine action presented by flynn in these quick reads. the main character, mitch rapp, is a little too macho and a little too cowboy at times, but he's a very likable character.

the hubs just started a new series by brad thor, and thinks that this series might actually be his favorite, so i'm right behind him in reading each of thor's novels. i find the killing to be gratuitous at times, but for the action-spy-thriller genre, i'm satisfied.

in the works

2009-04-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

i'm a little preoccupied right now . . . i have a couple of things in the works.

i'm planning on putting myself out there on friday . . . i'm also in the process of updating the business side of the house . . . stay tuned.

bj's

2009-04-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

when the hubs and i first started dating, we both worked very long hours. when we got off work, the last thing we wanted to do was cook dinner - we just wanted to eat and crash. bj's restaurant and brewhouse was just a few blocks away from our office, so we ate there at least once every week. we fell in love over those dinners at bj's.

after our move to the northwest, we were bummed to learn that bj's didn't have any nearby locations. we learned to deal with the loss, and found other places to ingest an indulgent amount of calories, but bj's remained a nostalgic memory for us.

today, on the way home from visiting the sis-in-law, we saw a bj's. and we stopped. and we ate. and ate. and ate.

bj's has the best:

berry cider

wedge salad

deep dish pizza

pizookie (cookie baked in a deep dish pizza pan topped with vanilla ice cream!!!)

sis-in-law's new home

2009-04-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

last night, our hilarious friend v was supposed to fly in from LA to visit us for the weekend. sadly, her aunt passed away just hours before she planned to leave, so she cancelled her visit. since the hubs and i had already taken today off, we took advantage of the sunny, crisp weather and made the two hour drive up to visit the hubs' sister. we wanted to see her new digs: she just bought her first house!! i sure wished my first place was this amazing!!

panic. attack.

2009-04-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

i had a panic attack today. not the i-locked-my-keys-in-the-car freak out that most would chalk up to a panic attack. a tried and true panic attack. full of the oh-my-lord-i-can't breathe. i'm-about-to-throw-up. i-am-so-dizzy-i-might-fall-into-a-well. someone-please-stop-the-shaking. is-this-what-a-heart-attack-feels-like? (can you tell i'm hyphen happy today?)

i've been having panic attacks since junior high, but wasn't diagnosed until college. i thought it was normal to shake, have cold sweats, breath super fast, and melt down when you didn't know the answer to a question on your ap calc test. turns out, its not normal. who knew?? my attacks are much less frequent now that i get a little Rx help, but they do occur every so often. for oh-so-ridiculous reasons.

today, i had a very important meeting. very. very. VERY. important meeting. i put the address in my gps the night before and left extra early to make my appointment. but the gps routed me through the entire city, telling me to turn where there were no turn signs, and directing me the wrong way down one way streets. i finally arrived at my appointment, but couldn't find parking. anywhere. i circled and circled. i feverishly hunted for a spot. just one little spot. but every parking garage was "temporarily full." every prospect i stalked to their car just fed the meter. what gluttons.

that's when it happened. i started to shake. i couldn't breathe. i called the hubs, who immediately recognized my incoherent-attempts-at-forming-words, and came to my rescue. he's so wonderful that way.

i made my meeting. 40 minutes late. and it didn't go well. it has been a very. very. VERY. rough week, both personally and professionally. but the panic attack reminded me, as it always does, that stupid shit isn't worth falling into a frenzy over. and that no matter how frenzied i do get, i have a man who loves me and stands by my side.

k & a

2009-04-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

#18 on my 30-before-30 journey will be fulfilled this june, when i will have the honor of being a bridesmaid for this beautiful couple. congrats, k & a. can't wait.

oh, i wish i was an oscar meyer weiner!

2009-04-23T08:12:00.001-07:00

i have visceral hatred for bridges. the fear stems from my childhood: i vividly remember footage of people trapped on the bay bridge as it collapsed following the loma prieta quake of 1989 in northern california. 20 years later, i'm still incredibly uneasy each time i have to cross over any body of water. but yesterday, as i held my breath and drove over one on the city's many bridges, i saw the oscar meyer weiner mobile cruising along in front of me. its the first time i've seen the weiner mobile on the road, and although i can't say that i was overly excited by the site of a giant hot dog on wheels, i was momentarily distracted from the fact that i was on the bridge. instead, i found myself smiling and anticipating the barbecues we'll host this summer. i could almost smell the smoke wafting from the grill, and taste the fresh corn-on-the-cob. before i knew it, i'd completed my journey across the bridge: it turns out that oscar meyer really does have a way . . .

leave the past in the past?

2009-04-22T11:11:00.001-07:00

i'm not sure where i stand on the issue of discussing past relationships with your current one. part of me feels like its a giant no-no: after all, who wants to hear all about how wonderful meg was? or how jake was so much better at this or that? yet, part of me realizes that, as much as we may not want to admit it, our previous relationships effect us and change who we are. maybe its just in small ways - like knowing that certain habits that ex #3 had will not be tolerated in any future relationships. or maybe its in big ways - maybe you are divorced and have his children. sometimes talking about the past just can't be avoided, but what about when it can . . .

i've been pondering this topic quite a bit lately because i have stories from my previous relationships that i would like to share on this blog. i don't want to be insensitive to the hubs, but our past is part of who we are. and its silly to pretend that that past doesn't exist. it certainly does no good to get caught up in the past, or to discuss past relationships to be hurtful. but the hubs knows i love him, and knows that he is my life, my family, my future. telling stories about the path that brought me to him - even if it evolves other men i encountered along the way - is just a way for me to reflect on how glad i am to be where i am.

so, stories to come . . .

hungry hungry hippo

2009-04-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

i am ravenously hungry right now. and for no reason. i had my traditional two-eggo-waffle breakfast (i've been off the mickey d's for a week or so now), and some strawberries for a snack. i had a filling dinner last night. yet, my tummy rumbles loudly.

i think i'm going to ask the hubs to pick up some p.f. chang's tonight. maybe a little honey chicken, spicy green beans, and pot stickers . . . yes, that sounds marvelous (said in a mr. burns-like-voice).

good eats

2009-04-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

while in san fran, we hit some restaurants worth writing about: va de vi, and the san franciscan. of the two, the san franciscan was better - in taste, value, and service. i had a wonderful spring salad (with pears, walnuts, and tangy dressing) and a blue cheese-coated flank steak with fluffy, mouthwatering mashed potatoes. of course, i forgot my camera, so i have no pictures to show you from the san franciscan.

va de vi had fabulous small-portion dishes, which are meant to be shared. the service was uppity and the atmosphere a bit stuck-up for my liking, but the food (and wine, from what the hubs tells me) was really amazing. pictures are a few of the dishes we tried including ahi, pepper-flaked pasta, jerk chicken, asparagus and fries. i'm getting hungry just thinking of the dishes!

afternoon on the river

2009-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

on sunday, after the hubs and i returned from the bay area, we grabbed the puppies and headed to the river. it was sunny, 75 degrees, and beautiful. i am so grateful for the simple pleasures in life.

spring from a moving vehicle

2009-04-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

glorious.

in the kitchen

2009-04-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

this afternoon, i'm going to make this (chinese chicken salad - yummm),

and put my slow-cooker to use for tomorrow's din-din of these (french dips).

bugger

2009-04-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

well, i didn't get the new job. i'm bummed, but i think i'd prepared myself for it because i hadn't heard from the company at all. its a little scary, given that i'm down to a matter of weeks at the current job, but its all going to work out. right?

m.i.a.

2009-04-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

no posting for almost two days -- shame on me! the hubs and i are in the bay area visiting my 'rents. lots of good photos to come. not to mention details of the drama that ensued when mom decided that we had to get family photos done yesterday. i. hate. family. pictures.

rikki's ride

2009-04-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

all my life, i drove hondas. my most recent a honda, a 2005 fully-loaded accord, was very reliable and got great gas mileage. but once the puppies came into our lives, the accord had to go. the pups liked to chew on the leather seats, and restraining them was pretty much impossible. so, the hubs and i went car shopping. i was dead set on getting a honda pilot, but after terrible customer service and consistently above-blue-book price tags, i expanded my scope. that's when i found the jeep commander. hell yeah, baby. not only does it look tough, it is perfect for my needs. three rows of seats (the back of which we converted into a kennel space), 4 wheel drive, comfortable seating for those in the back, three moon roofs, and more. i so dig it, and as a bonus, is american made. let the road trips begin!!

spring = allergies = heLL

2009-04-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

does anyone else think this allergy season is getting to a particularly early, ramped-up start? i think i'm going to insert an intravenous drip of zyrtec into my arm. yikes.

musicians i love: bonnie raitt

2009-04-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

the sister can groove. with her unrivaled alto melodies, and rockin' guitar skills, bonnie plays the blues like few others can.

most know her for songs like "i can't make you love me," "nick of time," and "something to talk about," but my favorite is "you."

nobody else can make me happy

no one can hurt me like you do

you were the only one that mattered

then, you were gone, love had moved on

left me alone think of . . . you.

i did it.

2009-04-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

i gave notice yesterday. as of june 1st, i will no longer be working for the man. it was a daunting letter to write, but one that had to be written. wish me luck.