Kiki of Seattle

No Steak Day

2012-01-31T17:30:00.000-08:00

Have you had one of those days? Y'know, one of those days where no matter how hard or fast you work, you still feel like you didn't get anything done? Yep, had one of those today.

My email turnout was pretty slim due to working on some issues with our Amazon seller account, a photoshoot for one of our new products, and other random stuff. All in all, I got plenty done, but it's hard to show it.

But wait, it gets worse. I decided that I wanted steak for lunch.

Fortunately, there is an Outback Steakhouse just down the street. So after coercing my co-workers in joining my steakravaganza and writing down their orders, I check Yelp to find out what time they open and get their phone number. They open at 4pm. For dinner. What the heck, Outback? Why ya gotta play me like that, yo?

Seriously, though. What is the point of having a lunch menu if you don't serve lunch? Ugh.

Steakless in Seattle,

~K

Style of the Sirens: Leslie Caron

2012-01-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

When you think of screen legends, style icons, and sirens of the past, I'm sure you think of Marilyn, Audrey, Bette (either of them), etc. It seems that one of the most gorgeous and elegant ladies to ever show up on film is often forgotten amongst these others. Yes, I speak of the one and only Leslie Caron.

First appearing with Gene Kelly in "An American In Paris", this seductress played the wide-eyed innocent and melted the hearts of men with her sweet French accent. Her credits include hits such as "Gigi", "Daddy Long Legs", and the more recent "Le Divorce". I remember her for the title role in "Lili".

Her style changed over time, but in all her roles and throughout the decades, her bright eyes and fabulous style have remained.

The New Boy - Old Boy Phenomenon

2012-01-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Perhaps there's a different name for it, but I'll call it the "New Boy - Old Boy Phenomenon" or NBOBP for short.

I'm sure for most females who have dated around a bit, they are familiar with the concept: As soon as you start dating or talking to a new guy, suddenly a guy you had dated previously contacts you in some way.

Is he aware of this new guy? Maybe not. Somehow, there's a little tiny chip built into heterosexual males (sorry, these are the only specimens that have been examined) to alert them when a female is connecting with a new male. Once triggered, they feel the obligation to text, call, email, or Facebook said female so that she is still aware of their existence.

It amazes me that I just wrote a post about how my ex's best friend unfriended me on Facebook, and early this morning he randomly decides to comment on my Facebook status. Was it due to the blog? Was it that little chip alerting him to the fact that I've been talking with some other guys?

It will perhaps remain an unsolved mystery.

The next guy's pre-ex girlfriend,

~K

Facebook Friend Etiquette: Friends of your ex

2012-01-16T21:18:00.000-08:00

So a few moments ago, I was playing around on Facebook. I had noticed that my friend number had gone down by 1 or 2, but that happens on occasion. Then I went to type in my friend Liz's name to post something on her wall. That's when I realized...there was another Liz that was suddenly not showing up in the list of options.

I actually typed in her full name, and none of those smiling faces belonged to the girl I was looking for. To further check what happened, I went to my ex's profile (yes, we're still FB friends). There she was.

My ex's best friend un-friended me. Such drama! Such scorn! Such...well, I guess we don't really talk or anything, so I guess it doesn't matter.

So for those of you who have experienced this, what do you do with all of those "friends" that you've made through your now-ex after the breakup? Do you just leave them there? Do you remove them? Do you ::gasp:: block them? I've just kinda left them all there, not really thinking much of it.

Is it sad that you've lost one of your pseudo-friends?

I guess. But at least no real friends were compromised.

Your friend,

~K

500 calories down the drain

2012-01-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

In an effort to get into a shape that is not round, I have been doing a bit of Slim-Fast dieting. I drink two shakes a day, eat three snacks around 100 calories each, then have one regular meal up to 500 calories. With long hours at work, my big meal has been lunch since I'm in a rush in the mornings and I'm not usually that hungry at night.

Today I was excited to try out my Trader Joe's Garlic Noodle Bowl that has been sitting in my cupboard for what seems like an eternity (probably closer to a few weeks). I took out the packets, poured them in, added hot water, and sat down to eat.

Oh my word. So not worth my only decent meal of the day. Moral of the day: If you're on a diet that limits your "full meal" options, go with something you know is going to be yummy. Don't waste calories on crap.

Full but irritated,

~K

Dating in the Technological Age

2012-01-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Once again I found myself searching profiles, looking for keywords that indicated possibilities of that ever-evasive "connection". I signed up for two different sites, have spoken with a number of different men, and feel no closer to love.

Am I once again looking for love in the wrong places? I thought that this is where "young professionals" come to meet their match! Is mine out there? Or will I have to continued weeding through messages from 56-year-old men with creepy pick-up lines, prematurely balding players, occasional women (I don't roll that way, honey), and foreign men who think American women are easy? I sincerely hope not.

Yet that is what I often go through. I have gone out with a few different guys, and have corresponded with a few others. Sometimes they flake out before we ever meet, other times they flake out after.

Then there's a completely different issue: what if I don't find them physically attractive? I'm not saying I'm holding out for Hugh Jackman (unless of course, he's available!), but what happens if I see a picture and I just absolutely cannot imagine myself making out with him? To me, there has to be some level of physical attraction. It isn't everything, but it is something. If I don't find a guy attractive at all, he's getting deleted. I do this just as much for him as for myself. After all, what guy wants to be with a girl who doesn't want to make out with him, or feels like she's merely settling for him?

And there's that label...settling. I want to settle down meaning that I find someone, but I don't want to settle. And I don't want to really settle down. I want to find someone who will take on life with me. I want to have adventures together, even in the mundane. The phrase "settling down" has a trace of dullness to it. That isn't what I want.

What do I want, you ask? Everything: love, loyalty, adoration, etc. Truth be told, it seems like mission: impossible..without Tom Cruise.

Still single, still yours,

~K

A blur called life

2012-01-08T21:54:00.000-08:00

Things go by so quickly, it seems. All year I strive to make sure that on that one special day, everyone is remembered and that they open boxes and bags filled with things that will make them smile.

That day came and went in the blink of an eye. Even faster was the entire weekend in Vegas. Sigh.

As I get older, it seems while minutes still turn into days, and days still turn into weeks, and weeks still turn into years, it all happens at warp speed. One of these days I will need to just hide away somewhere wonderful so that I may have a chance to catch my breath.

So, to catch you up on Vegas...it was amazing!

Liz and I had a blast, though one of the days was a bit sleepy and slow (we'd gotten up early the previous day, stayed out late, and hadn't really recovered). I definitely need to return and do all of the things that we weren't able to do.

And now it is 2012. In a blink of an eye, 2011 is no more and we are in a new year. Did you do everything that you wanted to in 2011? Are there more things left to accomplish?

My goals for 2012 are to save $5000, spend more time with my siblings (my brother is growing up way too fast!), and live life to the fullest. While the latter my conflict with the former, they both need t coincide.

Happy 2012!

~K

Oh honey, don't even start with me, PT 2

2011-12-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

To follow up with my post from yesterday, last night I got on that dating site to show my friend Dick's message and my response. Well, what do you know? He replied, despite the fact that I told him not to:

"Honestly, I don't remember you. I saw a new profile and thought to strike up a conversation with a girl who claimed to be a Christian. I can see that I was mistaken on both points. In the future, stop claiming to be something you have no desire to be."

Yes, he obviously has the ability to judge my soul. Oh wait, that's God.

As my readers know, I am not one to take such things lightly. So what was my response this time?

Silence. Oh, and reporting him to the site. He has since been removed.

All's well that ends well, friends!

~K

Oh honey, don't even start with me

2011-12-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

So I recently signed up on a couple online dating sites. I've been weeding out the creepos and trying to stay positive, but my goodness, it's hard with some of these guys!

One guy messaged me, who we will call Dick. I recognized him as a guy that I had actually gone out with once a few years ago. That date was horrible. We didn't have a conversation, he gave a monologue...about things that you don't really discuss on a first date. He went off on a political rant, then talked about how messed up the Christian church has become. I basically smiled and nodded until I could safely leave.

So when Dick messaged me, I deleted the message. Evidently, that ruffled his feathers, as he sent me the following message:

"I know it can be tempting to simply ignore people; but as Christians, we owe one another better than that.
Whether it leads to conversation or not is an entirely different matter; however, our first obligation is to treat one another with the love of Christ.
I don't claim to have written the most engaging first message. Regardless, it was genuine and it was an appropriate place to open a conversation."

So he's using my faith to guilt-trip me into talking to him, when my desire was to be polite enough to keep my silence. Well, if he's gonna push me to talk, I'm gonna talk. This was my response:

"Evidently it can also be tempting to push people who would rather be left alone. I didn't ignore you; I deleted your message as I had no desire to talk to you. It was a conscious choice based on a previous meeting with you.

Rather than tell you that I found you to be rude and obnoxious, I felt that as a Christian, I owed you better than that. However, as it would seem that you neither agree nor consider the fact that girls may just decide to skip past you, fine. I'll talk.

I don't appreciate your attempt to guilt-trip me into a conversation. That is not what I have experienced from other Christians, and trying to make me out to be a bad person for not talking to you is completely immature.

Let me be very blunt: I do not owe you anything. I am seeking someone who is compatible with me. You are not. Thus, I deleted your message. Being a Christian on a dating site does not require me to respond to every single message that a Christian guy may send me.

To be perfectly honest, you have said that we ought to treat each other with the love of Christ. I agree, and wish that you had done this. You have not been respectful of my boundaries, and harassing me is not acceptable.

I would strongly suggest that you reassess your approach to women, as what you are doing now is obviously not working.

I have said my piece, and I hope that you are satisfied that you have received a response. Now I expect you to leave me be. If you persist in harassing me, I will report you.

Good day."

Tired of the BS,

~K

Dreaming of Vegas

2011-11-27T17:26:00.000-08:00

The lights. The fountain. The vices. The glitz and glamor. Yes, we're talking about Vegas.

The weekend before Christmas will find yours truly (left) and the lovely Liz (right) flying out to the city of sin. We intend to take in all the color and energy and utter awesomeness that we can possibly soak up.

This past Friday, rather than shoving through crowds of crazies, Liz and I met up to plan. We're getting in early Friday morning, and will be leaving late on Sunday. That gives us three FULL days in Vegas. We have decided that we will be using fake names. She keeps going back and forth on hers (maybe Lydia), but I will be known as Vanessa.

I have found the passes that I had ordered off eBay right before my last trip to Vegas, so we will be able to get into several different clubs. However, XS is still a bit elusive. I've contacted the guy in charge of the guestlist, but have not yet heard back. Wish me luck!

We will be purchasing Power Passes for Friday, which offer admission to a ton of exciting attractions, such as Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, Las Vegas Mob Experience, Stratosphere Observation Deck and rides, and Flightlinez. Saturday will be a day we wander around the strip and check out Fremont Street. Sunday will be the day for checking out anything we missed earlier.

One thing that is a bit disappointing is that the Jabbawockeez show is already booked solid. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to introduce my own moves.

Dancing on her own,

~K

An Early End to Budget Week #4

2011-11-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

This morning, I hadn't spent a penny of my $30 for the week, and had a little left over from last week. Then I went to Starbucks, and watched $4 float away. Ok, it's only $4, right?

After work I went grocery shopping. $31 and some change later, I am officially over budget.

The final result? $30/week is hard and NOT fun. If you have any random stuff come up, you'll go over. If I had been including gas, car stuff, prescriptions, etc., then I would never make it.

However, this was a good experience and I look forward to working toward my next goal: $5000 saved by the end of 2012. Hopefully that goal will go better than this one!

Peppermint mocha-ed out,

~K

End of Budget Week #3

2011-11-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

As budget week #3 came to a close, I started realizing that I had finally done the unthinkable; I had come in under budget!

Woo hoo for me! Ok, it was less than $2 under budget, but I'm still pretty happy with myself. The lesson learned so far is that you really can't plan every little thing that may come up, and $30/week will not cover every necessity much less the random things you may want.

When it comes to budgeting, I'm really not that great. However, this experience has changed how I view even simple food purchases. I went with spinach and cheese tortellini over the prosciutto and cheese borsetti because the former was $1 less. Guess what? It was delicious!

This is now the last week of my $30/week budget. Wish me luck!

Happy but not hungry,

~K

The joys of being a CSR: part 2

2011-11-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

So if you read my previous post on the topic, you know that one of my recent experiences with a certain customer was quite interesting. Well, I responded by letting him know UPS hadn't updated the information, and asked if he would like a reshipment or refund. This was his response.

"My Dear K,

What's up G?! Thanks for writing me back and thanks for doing it with such enthusiasm! I know you did not particularly ask for this assignment and for that I must apologize. However, now is a big opportunity for you to step up and make a difference not only in my life but the millions and millions of people affected by this situation. I know, it's a lot to take in... I'll give you a second to take a deep breath and let the gravity of the situation set in....

Good. Now that we are both on the same page it is time to discuss this issue of whether I ask for a refund or for a reshipment of my order. You can understand the position this puts me in. Part of me would like to receive a refund and spend my money elsewhere but there is still a desire for me to actually have the products I ordered. This reminds me of a childhood memory where I was faced with a very similar situation. You see K, when I was the ripe old age of 6 maybe 7, I was quite the backyard Wiffle Ball star of my neighborhood. I believe on this particular day it was Game 5 of our neighborhood World Series and I was glad to be in my backyard and have home field advantage. It was just before the 7th inning stretch and things were really starting to heat up, not only on the field but also in my Incredible Hulk underwear. What I didn't tell you was that I had a terrible addiction to chocolate milk back then and nothing got my poop reactor working overtime like drinking a tall glass of the hard stuff and then hustling around the bases in the warm August sun.

I remember it clearly. I was on deck with one out and it was at this time that I had to make a critical decision. I could either A, run over to the hedges by the back door, pop a squat and make it back just in time to hit the go ahead double into the gap OR I could go with option B and try to hold back the flood gates until the next inning but I would risk destroying my underwear and self esteem on a hard slide into 2nd base... After carefully weighing the pros and cons I went with option A. To this day I think I made the right call but what I failed to realize at the time was that my father had been standing in the kitchen window and witnessed the entire horrifying deuce dropping. He was not pleased. He laid into me so bad with his belt that not only was I unable to finish out the wiffle ball game but I was forever cursed with a fear of belts which now explains my elastic dress pants.

I guess what I'm trying to say K is that I'm afraid to make the wrong decision here. I think the best thing to do in this case would be for me to go with option A and B. I would like you to go ahead a process a reshipment of my order but I would also like a refund. And... if you would be a little lamb and throw in one of those alligator skin covers for my iPad I would be forever grateful. I'm glad we were able to work this out K, you're not only a good person.... you are now my friend.

Respectfully,
Stupid Customer"

Dude. Seriously? If he wanted to write a novel, send it to a publisher, not customer service. And no, we did not give him all his heart desired. He received a refund.

The best part of all this? His email address is the same one he uses on Facebook, meaning I could see what he looked like, know his wife's name, and now know where he works. Besides having his home phone number and address.

Wanna go psycho on me? Two can play that game! ...but I won't.

Just a girl doing her job,

~K

End of Budget Week #2

2011-11-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

So week #2 of my $30/week budget is now over. Whew! So how did I do this time around? I went over. Again.

Saturday really got to me again. The Starbucks I could handle, as it only got me up to $33.40 (a dollar less than week #1 total. However, getting ready to go out dancing threw me for a loop. Oh, Kandee Johnson, why did you have to make such a fabulous pin-up makeup tutorial?

Where did the $10 go that brought me up to $43.40? L'Oreal Infallible Lip Color in Beyonce. Well, perhaps I should see it as an investment. I love having red lips, and this stuff does NOT come off. I seriously had to scrub my lips raw with my toothbrush before it would give way.

Back to the budget. I was over by $13.40, and that rolled over into this week. After grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, I am up to $13.58. WHAT?? Yes, that's right. I only spent $0.18 on groceries today. Fabulous couponing? Tons of freebies? Nope. My sister had given me a $20 gift card for part of my birthday present. I didn't realize how much was on it, so it was a pretty pleasant surprise when I only had to dig out a quarter to hand over before receiving my change. So thanks go to my sister for helping me get through this week. I now have yummy food in my fridge, including a block of Italian truffle cheese. Heck yeah, Trader Joe's!

Living it up,

~K

The Rom-Com Lie

2011-11-13T14:13:00.000-08:00

Oh, those romantic comedies! They get you every time, don't they? I've noticed a trend in a lot of them. A fabulous girl has to make a choice between two guys. They're both sweet and care about her, but here are the major differences.

Alpha guy - Usually the guy she meets second in the storyline, he has a lot going for him. He's usually well-off financially, mature, handsome as can be, and over all a great catch.

Beta guy - Typically the first guy the girl meets. Beta will have some other-level connection with the heroine, such as neither can stand kalamata olives on their pizza or they both speak fluent Icelandic. This guy, however, doesn't really have as much going for him but he actually plays up this fact. "Do you really need a nice home with a white picket fence when you have my undying love? So what if I play WoW all night every night and live with my parents? Is that what love is truly about??"

For some reason, the girl always goes for Beta. In real life, the Beta is not the better guy. In real life, Alphas usually can offer just as much of a connection, but they can also keep up their own side of the bargain.

Another way to describe the differences: men vs. boys. All men start out as boys, but some boys grow up to become men. Others just stay overgrown boys their whole lives. And it's ok. Romantic comedies say so.

Waiting for an Alpha,

~K

What if?

2011-11-10T20:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever read a book and wished that you were the heroine? Or perhaps you wish that life were like the soap operas where you have amnesia and wake up with a glamorous life and 5 different men fighting for you? Perhaps you've found yourself paging through celebrity magazines, fixated on the fabulous lives of the beautiful people.

There are so many "what ifs" in life. What if...you woke up one day and realized that you were a queen? What would you do? Well, we all know what Lene Nystrøm would do.

What if you won a lottery and (after taxes) took home $5 million? What would be the first thing you would do?

What if you simply were not you? What if you were that other girl over there? The one who always looks pulled together with perfect makeup, perfect hair, and let's face it - the perfect body. What if you were her? Does she have a boyfriend or does she play the field? Does she have a foreign accent, or is she a midwest girl?

But what if you lived in another country? What if everything you knew about the world and people were different? What if your very existence ran completely opposite to how it is now? Would you notice?

No, because you would be different.

While I may wish to be so many things that I'm not, and sometimes wish to be more beautiful or smarter, or maybe wealthier, I am who I am. That will have to do, since it's all that I am. But I make my storyline. I am the heroine of this novel. I am the leading lady who entrances with a glance and dazzles with a smile. Or if not, I can be that. I just need to find out how...

Ever the same,

~K

The joys of being a CSR

2011-11-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

Going through some emails recently, I came across this gem:

"I swear to f***ing god you losers need to cancel my order and refund my money. You are absof***inglutely pathetic. I have contacted UPS several times and they say they have not received your package that your "supposedly shipped" on 10/21.

You do realize what you are doing is stealing money. I know it is only a $40 order but I am willing to spend $440 on a plane ticket to come physically assault you for being such a sh***y company."

Lovely, yes? The issue was that UPS had not updated the tracking information for this order. Thus, he assumed that the package had never been sent and decided to go on a rant and threaten bodily harm.

Besides being a rude and disgruntled customer, this man also makes a Sex & the City reference. Hmm.

Killing with kindness,

~K

Beautiful moments

2011-11-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

"These moments, as beautiful as they are, are evil when they're gone." ~Ultraviolet

There were two moments that stick in my mind, these beautiful painful moments that remind me of what once was. I knew even in those moments that they were fleeting, and wished with my whole heart that they could last forever.

Once was on the pier looking out over the Seattle waterfront. We had just finished dinner at a local seafood restaurant, and we wanted to walk along the water. The last of the sun's rays fell behind the horizon, and I shivered a bit in the cool of the evening. In the dusk, he wrapped his arms around me, and we gazed out at the water and the colors the sun had left behind. It was magical and over far too soon.

The second time was again on the waterfront, but this time it was the Edmonds waterfront. He wanted to show me how beautiful it was watching the sunset where he lived, so we walked down to the beach. After he took a family picture for some tourists, he leaned against a large rock, pulled me against him, and we took in the breathtaking view. Somehow, despite the beauty all around, I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on what I was feeling, encased safely in his arms. I wanted to make this moment into a memory that would last for some time. I didn't know when I would ever feel this at peace, this content, this happy, or this perfect again.

Dreaming of moments to come,

~K

End of Budget Week #1

2011-11-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the end of my first week on the $30/week budget. How did I do? Not so well. I spent $34.76. I had spent only $13.76 up until Saturday night, but I figured I could spring for Taco Time for my mom, little brother, and I. Yes, it went over, but sometimes that happens.

So what happens this week? I could give up as a complete failure. I could shrug it off and just start over. Or I can do what I am already choosing to do...roll over the amount I spent over my budget to this week's expenses. Today is only Sunday, but between that and a Starbucks run (caffeine was necessary today), I'm up to $11.93 for this week. I think I'll be able to manage. I have food in the fridge as well as some $0.79 pot pies for lunches I bought on Friday.

It's good to know that I can manage well enough, even if I did go a few dollars over. In the scheme of things, it really isn't that much and I'm learning where my money goes.

Saving-challenged in Seattle,

~K

The Budget Begins

2011-11-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

I am on day two of the $30/week budget. So far so good, but I haven't really felt like shopping today or yesterday. I think that as the month moves on, it may become more difficult.

My co-workers and I got together so that Kat could teach Mariko and I how to crochet. Kat suggested grabbing pizza, but as we were all on a budget, I started thinking of cheap options. Then it hit me like a thunderbolt! Little Caesar's has hot $5 pizzas available all day everyday. Split 3 ways with tax, it was only about $2 each. Very nice. Pair that with the soda I already had stocked up on when it went on sale for $0.69/2 liter, and we were set.

My hope is that I will stumble across the secret to truly saving money. It isn't just about cutting back here and there, it's about making changes. It's about giving up on things that really don't matter than much anyway. I don't need new dress shoes, but look at where that $40 could go - toward a trip somewhere exotic! Or perhaps toward an evening out with friends. Either way, if I can go without, I need to do so for right now. This may be a bit trying, but I plan to make it through the month and maybe have a few dollars tucked away.

Saving in Seattle,

~K

Shut up and pass the lard, please

2011-11-01T21:22:00.000-07:00

Evidently, QFC thinks I have a problem. A problem of the eating variety. Today I met my co-worker at the nearby QFC to purchase some goodies for one of our associate's birthday. She bought a box of donuts, I grabbed a box of cupcakes.

As I was checking out, the checker handed me a store coupon that had automatically printed due to my cupcake purchase. What treats would it offer me for a nice low price? Healthy Choice frozen meals. Evidently, QFC thinks my cupcake purchase was a bad decision.

Your favorite oinker,

~K

Halloween weekend

2011-10-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well, despite still being a wee bit sick, I managed to make it out two nights in a row this past Halloween weekend.

Party #1 was Disco Superhero theme at See Sound Lounge in Belltown. My friend Liz dressed up as Jem, and I was Stiletto Girl, a superhero of my own making. As Stiletto Girl, I have the power to kick through brick walls and charm men into doing my bidding with a single glance. The costumes were great, but Liz found out on the drive over that Jem was not really a superhero, though in the 80's cartoon show she could create holograms out of her star earrings.

Upon arrival, the girl signing us in immediately told us that while it was a bit slow at the moment, it would pick up in time. No worries, we understood that the night was still young! We sat down at the bar and got a round of tasty beverages. While drinking away the sound of horrible techno music, a Carey Hart wannabe sat down next to Liz and began flirting away. Unfortunately for him, she was unimpressed by the fact that he was currently on ecstasy or that he was on parole for assaulting his girlfriend. Oh well, better luck next time! As our area was filling up with people standing around awkwardly, we decided to move over to the other room where dancing was supposed to take place. It was pretty much empty...besides the fish tanks. Well, after a bit of this, we realized that we could probably just make it home, change clothes, grab guest passes, and save the night by going to our tried and true dance club, Trinity. We rushed home, changed, I grabbed my passes, and we turned around to head back to Seattle when we realized we wouldn't make it by 12 (when the passes expire). Liz emailed the manager from her phone. As we drove, we kept checking and rechecking her email until voila! We were on the all-night list. Yay!! It would have truly saved the night, except that there was absolutely no parking in the area once we arrived. After 20 minutes of driving around we headed home to sleep.

Party #2 was a masquerade at the Experience Music Project. I spent an hour curling my hair (I have a LOT of hair), then used bright blue eyeliner on my eyes, extending the line almost to my brow line. I added silver shadow to my lids and topped them with silver glitter. Above my brows, I used my blue liner to make little dots. In the middle of each dot, I stuck a body jewel. The effect was perfect, but did not show up in photos very well. Oh well, I was pleased. Liz and I arrived a bit early, so we showed off our beauty at the nearby McDonald's. The scene kids were, as usual, unimpressed. After finishing off our tasty fast food, we headed across the street to the EMP. The line was a bit long, it was quite cold, but at least it moved pretty fast.

Upon arrival, we checked in and let them know that we had a volunteer shift from 10-12 (which is how we received free admission). We had enough time to walk around, get some pictures taken, grab a drink, and check out the facilities before heading back downstairs for our shift. Liz and I were put in charge of checking people in, which was pretty easy work. It went quickly, we got to check out everyone's costumes as they entered, and it was all pretty nice. Until the Drunk Caveman arrived. Evidently, this guy had purchased VIP admission, but had checked in at the general admission door. He had proceeded to get intoxicated, went up to the VIP section, and they wouldn't let him in. Well, Drunk Caveman won't stand for that! He marched himself down to our table and asked why he wasn't being allowed in, and what the heck we were going to do about it. Well, the girl in charge had just gone MIA, so we were clueless and panicking for about 15 minutes until she came and sorted things out. Once our shift ended, Liz and I went upstairs to the main dance floor. It was a lot of fun, but people were getting a bit shovy, which I did not appreciate. After a while, we decided to move things to the third floor. The music was techno-y, but there was plenty of room to move. Definitely enjoyed that! After a while, we went downstairs again for the top-40 music.

All in all, not too bad. However, the real magic is tonight. You see, my dears, tonight is Halloween itself and Liz and I will be heading out to one last party. I will not say that I will be the prettiest girl there, but dagnabbit, I will be the cutest Pokémon in the club!

Pika pika,

~K

How to get non-sick

2011-10-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

What happens when you have a week off, but on the weekend you will be going out several nights in a row and you just happen to get sick mid-week?

Do you: A. Roll over die?
B. Cancel all plans and order pizza from Dominos to have a night watching b-movies from Hulu?
or C. Stuff yourself full of vitamins, drink OJ by the gallon, and stay in bed pretty much all day?

Yes, I answered C. I am doing everything in my power to get better by tonight. I am currently working on a berry blast Naked juice while eating a slice of birthday cake.

I cannot be too sick..not for Halloween weekend! I'm going to three different parties, I'll be wearing three different costumes, and I intend to be fabulous at every single one.

I'll give you details after each party.

Sick but with cake,

~K

My So-called Vacation

2011-10-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

I blame the boy. What boy? The one that invited me a while back to spend this very week with him at a resort with him and his parents. Alas, things ended and now I have a week off from work and no ideas of what to do with it.

On top of that, I'm starting to come down with a cold. I need to be better by this weekend, though, since I'm going to three different Halloween parties.

Ugh. Next vacation I'm going somewhere amazing. Somewhere that has umbrellas in their drinks.

Your sniffly friend,

~K

Saving: Feast before the famine

2011-10-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

In a culture that thrives on immediate gratification, how is a girl living in a material world supposed to forgo that dress that would be so perfect for the girls' night out next weekend or pass up a great deal for a weekend in Vegas?

This is the plight of so many. While we have compassion for those without, it is hard to give up on the endless pleasures and sparkly doo-dads available for us right this minute. Yet give them up I must. Like I said in an earlier post, saving time is going to begin shortly. I will be trying a $30/week challenge in November (excluding Christmas gifts, rent, gas, car insurance, phone bill, and utilities). This will mean any and all meals as well as anything I simply want will have to be taken out of that $30 per week.

In 2012, I will be saving up to have $5000 put aside by the end of the year. Don't ask me how this will take place. Perhaps I'm mad to even think I'd be capable of it, but I have very little in savings (under $1000), and I am growing older. I want to have a retirement, and I want to be able to take care of any emergencies that may come up.

For the rest of this month, though, I am without rules. Today I found a pair of black boots at DSW for around $100 that I absolutely needed to have. The fact is, a huge portion of my wardrobe requires black boots. I'm not sure how it got this way, but I've been unable to wear quite a few pieces for a while. I made use of my $5 DSW voucher, but as I am writing this, it pains me to admit that I had forgotten that I still had a little money left on a gift card that I didn't use. Fooey.

I do not intend to use up the rest of this paycheck and a bit of the next one before November begins, but I am realizing that there are quite a few things that I need and want that cannot be covered by a mere $30/week.

This is going to be an agonizing journey to building up a savings. Please bear with me through my upcoming whininess, my rants, and perhaps my incomprehensible ramblings that I'm sure will occur due to lack of Starbucks.

Your material girl,

~K

Oh honey, you messed with the wrong girl

2011-10-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

"Go shawty, it's your birthday
We gonna party like it's your birthday
We gon' sip Bacardi like it's your birthday
And you know we don't give a f***, it's not your birthday"

Yes, dear readers, this is one of my birthday weekends. One I say, because my birthday falls during the week. Therefore, I feel entitled to considering next weekend my birthday weekend as well.

To celebrate my impending aging, I went out a local dance club with a couple girlfriends. It was a blast, and they refused to let me pay for any beverage.

However, while we were at the bar getting another round, Drunk Skeezball came up behind me and groped my butt.Well, I was having none of that. I immediately turned around, which startled D.S. Imagine his shock when this little 5'2" girl decided to give him a piece of her mind!

"Excuse me!" I began, quite heated. "Did your mama not teach you better manners than that??" Oh, dearest, beloved readers, the look on his face was priceless. He mumbled out an apology. My reply? "I REALLY DON'T CARE!"

Unfortunately, D.S. is not exactly a rarity. There are many more of his kind. On one of our previous outings, I was seated toward the end of a couch talking with my friends. Ugly Grossguy decides to sit down on the couch at my end, which does not have enough space for another person. UG therefore is not merely sitting next to me. No no no, he is partially on top of my thigh. Well, I was not about to let this slide.

I turned to UG and let out my tried-and-true jab, "What the HECK do you think you're doing on top of me?? Did your mother not teach you how to treat women? Get away from me NOW!"

Well, that did the trick. He bolted within seconds.

I think guys need to be reminded every once in a while that we are not just potential lays. We're girls grown into women, just like their mom.

Feisty but tired,

~K

Fabulous freebies 2

2011-10-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

So it has become a bit of a hobby for me to find lots of awesome freebies, as my readers already know. Well, it's been a while, and I've accumulated some pretty sweet deals. Take a ponder below.

What your eyes are beholding is the stuff dreams and cozy nights in are made of! Free large Papa John's 3-topping pizza, vanilla bean Open Nature ice cream, and redbox rental.

And what do we have here? Two sample packs of Spenda essentials, Honey Nut Cheerios, Dial moisturizer, Clinique gift with purchase from Macy's, Head & Shoulders shampoo sample, and Kleenex Cool Touch tissues.

I take pride in my freebies, and the free diner and movie night was a total score. In the upcoming months and year ahead, I will be working diligently to bringing down my overall spending. Does that mean that I can't have fun and enjoy myself? Heck to the no, ladies and gents! I'll just have to work harder to stretch my dollars and save those pennies.

By the end of 2012, it is my goal to have put away $5000. And you, dear readers, will be along for the journey.

Frugally yours,

~K

Ode to 00's Music: Club Music

2011-10-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

I love dancing. A lot. I love listening to the music, and swaying my body in time. Yeah, you get a bit sweaty and your feet may hurt at the end of the night, but oh my word. It is something that I would hate to give up.

Unfortunately, the current music selection is not what it once was. I feel like music of the previous decade (2000-2010) was so far superior to what is currently on rotation with the DJs. Seriously, how can you compare "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO with "Maneater" by Nelly Furtado?

If I were a DJ, the following songs would be on my playlist:

1. "Give It To Me" - Timbaland ft. Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado
2. "Whine Up" - Kat DeLuna
3. "This is Why I'm Hot" - MIMS
4. "Lolli Lolli" - Three 6 Mafia
5. "Bananza" - Akon
6. "Hips Don't Lie" - Shakira
7. "Lean Back" - Terror Squad
8. "Bossy" - Kelis
9. "Don't Cha" - Pussycat Dolls
10. "Fergalicious" - Fergie
11. "Get it Started" - Black Eyed Peas
12. "Party Like a Rockstar" - Shop Boyz
13. "Pon de Replay" - Rihanna
14. "Sexyback" - Justin Timberlake
15. "Gimme More" - Britney Spears

And soooo many more! Sigh...if only I were a DJ!

Musically yours,

~K

Screw you, XOXO!

2011-10-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

In a rather silly and premature attempt to get back into the dating world, I signed up a couple days ago on a dating website. Yesterday I received the following message from one of the male users:

"So its Fall already and a movie night with someone cute over cuddle is so on the cards! You are cute but how good are at cuddles?

Keeping its simpple if you fancy me how about a cooking experiment over a bottle of wine followed by a movie night on my 42 inches cuddled up on my couch."

Please excuse the poor grammar and bad spelling; I quoted.

So to make this more interesting, this guy had actually dated one of my close friends. He is a jerk and treated her like crap.

I immediately messaged said friend and gave her the details. Obviously, the best option would be to ignore him as he is not worthy of a response.

We didn't go with the best option. We went with the "you're a jerk and everyone knows it" option. This was my response:

"Hello,

Hmm, you certainly do seem to like cuddling. Perhaps you weren't held enough as a child? I hear that can cause development issues as children grow older.

That sounds like a lot of fun. Just one problem: after hearing how you treated a close friend of mine, I think you're a jackass and I would rather be impaled through my eyes than meet up with you.

XOXO!"

If I were a bit more southern, I suppose I would have thrown in a "bless your heart" somewhere, but it is what it is and I'm pretty darn proud.

XOXO,

~K

Today's news

2011-09-30T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is what I'm doing on a Friday night. Don't judge me.

With scientific, technological, and medical breakthroughs, you get such heart-warming stories as this one. A 29-year old deaf woman is finally given the opportunity to hear the sounds that you and I take for granted with the help of a cochlear implant.

Unfortunately, for every warm-fuzzy story, there are 15 not-so-great news stories out there. If you were infertile or just wanting another baby, how would it make you feel to know that only 60 babies were adopted in England last year? As far as I know, I don't fall into either of those groups but this tears me to pieces. So many precious children growing a year older without the love parents can offer.

In techie news, Apple may be pulling its iconic iPod classic device as well as the iPod shuffle. Considering that the iPod classic currently boasts the largest amount of storage space amongst Apple's iPod lineup, this seems like a shot in the foot.

There you have it, folks.

You stay classy, World.

~K

Fabulous freebies

2011-09-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

So I've been on a freebies kick. No, I don't take whatever crap people are getting rid of. I spend 20-30 minutes each day going through freebie sites to see what companies are offering and requesting the best samples and goodies available.

Here are some of my recent scores:

Clockwise from top left: makeup bag from Bellevue Collection, panty from VS, sample of Taylor Swift's perfume, coupon for free skittles, and free redbox rental.

See? You don't need to spend a lot to enjoy the better things in life!

Frugally yours,

~K

My kitchen smells of truffley mush

2011-09-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Dear readers, I know that you are all sad puppies when I am away, wondering when you will be reunited with your love. Well here I am!

Today I attempted to make truffle fries for the second time ever. They came out kinda mushy.

Not bad mushy, but not-fries mushy. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Do you remember that post a while back about the boy I dated and ended things with? Well, we got back together and ended things again. Sigh....

I will be on a bit more I hope, so more stuff to come!

Roundabouts are not rocket science

2011-06-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of a rant, so please bear with me.

When I was 16, I took a standard driving course that taught me how to drive. This is typical, and most teenagers take these courses before obtaining their licenses.

Yet somehow my fellow drivers seem to have banded together and collectively decided to ignore the rules of the roundabout.

This is not difficult stuff, really. Any cars coming up to the roundabout are required to yield to the traffic inside the roundabout.

The drivers in my area do not understand this rule. Perhaps they are all driving without having obtained licenses? I doubt it.

Frustrated again,

~K

Response songs

2011-06-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

We all know about wars between rappers and hip hop artists; how they use their lyrics to bash someone else in the industry. However, there are response-type songs that are a bit nicer than these.

One such example is "Then He Kissed Me" by the Crystals:

Perhaps not a direct response, the Beach Boys came up with their own spin on this story with "Then I Kissed Her":

Sweet, no? Wait, it gets even better! Taylor Swift wrote her song "Enchanted" aimed at Adam Young of Owl City Fame.

While Taylor left the song relatively vague, Adam's response/cover was pretty straightforward. In fact, he even wrote out a whole note to Taylor explaining how smitten he was by her.

Sigh. I want someone to write me a song!

~K

Oh, Canada!

2011-06-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my mom finally took me to Victoria, B.C. I say finally due to the fact that she has been talking about taking my sister and I since we were little girls. Well, 30 years after her honeymoon there, she returned with me and my brother. My older sister still doesn't have a passport, so she can go pout in a corner.

We took the Victoria Clipper, which is a quick boat ride from Seattle. Due to an unexpected delay, it was announced that all alcoholic drinks would only be $2.50. Well, this pleased me greatly, so I ordered a mimosa. I received a bottle of orange juice and an individual bottle of champagne with a cup to mix it myself. While the champagne was not that great, $2.50 for a refillable mimosa was a very nice start to the trip.

The real reason for going was Butchart Gardens. It did not disappoint, my friends! Row after row of bright blossoms sprouting up in all directions. Pops of color mingled with more subdued shades filled every inch of ground.

There truly is no proper way of describing this place. Ultimately, you just have to go. It will definitely be worth it.

Your flower girl,

~K

16 Guys Amended to 17: Guy #2

2011-05-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

The time has come to tell the tale of Guy #2. He was my first kiss, my first boyfriend, and my first love.

D had been in my dorm's brother dorm the year before by sophomore year, so he knew most of the guys who came back. I met him in the cafeteria (yes, just like Cody) during lunch. My friend Megan and I sat down with one of our brother dormer Jeff. D was friends with Jeff, so he came and sat down as well. My first impression of D was that he was an obnoxious jerk. He found ways to make fun of me, but I felt that I countered well enough.

Upon leaving the cafeteria and parting from D, Megan told me that she thought that I would date D. I told her she was dumb.

After that day, D began eating lunch with our little group on a regular basis and began joining Megan, Jeff, and I in our biology class. D was not enrolled in this class, but he sat in anyway.

After a while it became somewhat apparent that he was sitting through a class he had already taken not because he enjoyed biology, but rather due to the fact that he liked passing notes with me. In case you were curious, my grade in this class was horrible.

The turning point was when D realized that there was competition for my affection, as Cody was not hiding his attraction. After going out with Cody and being utterly confused, I told both boys that I just wanted to be friends. D asked if he could speak to me in person concerning this decision. Against my better judgement, I agreed.

D picked me up, and we drove to an abandoned parking lot. With 3 Doors Down playing (as it always was in his car), D told me that while he would do his best to pretend to not have feelings for me, they would still be there. For some reason, I began crying. He kept lifting up my head to meet his eyes, and I kept pulling away. Finally, I let him lead my head up and held his gaze. He held my salty tear-strewn face and leaned in to kiss me.

That's where it began. I didn't understand what to do with my feelings, and I told him time and time again that we should be friends only to somehow find myself walking hand-in-hand or making out with him. We finally decided that we should be together, which thrilled me to no end.

Now there is so much more to tell in this story, but it has been told before. There are lies, betrayal, a xanga war, etc. The fact is that while I was broken at the time by everything that was done, it is in the distant past. My hope was and will always be that D becomes the type of man I knew he was capable of being.

XOXO,

~K

GNO in Portlandia

2011-05-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

As they say, "The dream of the 90s is alive in Portland."

Saturday morning found 3 tired Washingtonian girls making their way to Bedlam Coffee in Belltown to grab some much-needed caffeine to fuel the road trip ahead. Koko, Liz and I were making our way south to the foodie paradise of Portland, Oregon.

The car ride was tiring, but it went by quickly and we soon found our way to the lovely (if a bit dated) Mark Spencer Hotel. I'd gotten a groupon a while back, so we had an executive suite at a very affordable price. After unloading our luggage, we wandered up the street to Powell's Books, which is a must for any visit to this fair city. I lost my friends more times than I found them, but we all came out with at least one literary snack.

Unfortunately, our physical hunger now needed abatement, so we trekked up a couple streets to Andina, a lovely Peruvian restaurant.

Mariko soon had to part ways to meet up with her friend, but Liz and I explored Chinatown before attending the hotel's wine hour. It seems Portland hotels all know that this is expected of them, as the Monaco also provides this to its clients.

Following our complimentary libations, Liz and I went up to our room to get ready for what would be an amazing girls' night out. I discovered that night how fabulous well-connected friends can be. My friend Emily, who lives 15 minutes outside Portland, had arranged for us to hand out fliers for a limo service in exchange for use of the limo. Thus we received complimentary luxury transportation, free cover for three different clubs, and some very expensive champagne.

Despite having cover for three clubs, we ended up staying at just one. It was a bit packed, and it would have been a complete wash if we hadn't kept receiving free drinks and then being given free admission to the VIP area. Thankfully, the VIP area provided us with room to breathe as well as seats to rest. Once there, we were again given champagne (evidently people know us girls like our bubbly!).

By the end of the night, we were quite ready for bed and the limo came around to take us back to the hotel.

All in all, the entire trip was a blast. The only truly unfortunate event was the next day when Liz and I made our way to Voodoo Donuts. These donuts are sought out by locals and tourists alike, and there is always a line out the door with at least a 30 minute wait. We showed up, noticed that there wasn't a line (hooray!), and quickly walked up to the door. That is when we began crying like babies...or at least we wanted to. The sign posted on the door stated that Voodoo was currently closed for construction until June. Sigh.

And so I remain donutless in Seattle.

~K

MIA again

2011-05-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, beloved readers. Please believe me when I say that it has been difficult being away from here for so long. Unfortunately, my computer decided to go to an early grave and I cannot post properly from my new smart phone. It may be a while before I can properly update y'all on my life, but I hope it will be sooner rather than later.

To give a very brief overview that I hope to expand upon:

I took a two week vacation, one week in Mexico
I dated a wonderful boy, but as of yesterday "we" are no more
I decided to leave the stone age, and swapped my flip phone for a Droid Pro

There you have it. Details will come, but I cannot promise a timeframe.

Take care and lots of love!

~K

Mardi Gras in Seattle

2011-03-10T21:25:00.000-08:00

2011 marked the return of Mardi Gras to Seattle. Back in 2001, everything got out of hand with violence, cars being turned over, and at least one death. The city put a moratorium on the celebration, which ended with this year's celebrations. My mom, being a mother and all, warned me that there may be riots.

There wasn't. In fact, the streets seemed pretty tame. Of course, Mardis Gras has the misfortune of falling on a Tuesday, so the majority of the city was in bed.

My friend Liz and I were not in bed that night. We attended the Seattle Erotic Ball, which was a masquerade. My mom had helped me in putting together my corset, which I paired with a full white skirt for more of an angelic look. I kinda stood out from the girls passing pasties off as tops and the guys walking around in thongs.

Despite this, we had a lot of fun dancing the night away and watching the burlesque acts. Our friend Kirk gave us passes into a neighboring club where we enjoyed some delicious libations. While there, we were given several sets of beads, including one that had a flashing Jager bottle.

We then returned to the Ball, where we danced some more, received more beads (for being awesome, not showing anything!), and had our pictures taken over and over. We did, in fact, end up as the second picture featured in The Stranger.

10 years after the violence, Seattle has redeemed itself.

~K

16 Guys: Date #1

2011-02-26T23:07:00.000-08:00

Thursday night my roomie and I went out to karaoke in Bellevue. It was an ok night with several really good singers. However, as often happens, I grew a bit tired and decided to make a note. I wrote down all of the guys I've ever gone out with, including just single dates. If I am correct (which I'm pretty sure I am since I racked my brain all evening), I have gone out with exactly 16 guys in my life. Yes, this is a tiny number, but keep in mind that I didn't date until college. So I've decided that I will (briefly) chronicle these guys for my adoring readers. They may occasionally be out of order, but I'm sure you'll be ok.

You're welcome!

My very first date was with a boy named Cody first semester of my sophomore year at college. He was in my dorm's brother dorm, and I remember the first day I met him. It was orientation week for freshmen and I was in hall leadership so I was there as well. There was a long line in the cafeteria for the soda machine, so when I reached the cups, I grabbed an extra one and passed it to the person behind me. Cody was surprised, smiled, and said thank you. I then went to sit down with a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, and had barely managed a spoonful before I was approached by said brother dormer. Grinning sheepishly, he came up to me and asked where I had found cereal. I pointed him in the right direction and went back to my Cheerios.

We saw each other often due to brother/sister dorm stuff, and at one point he asked me out. I was a bit perplexed since I really only saw him as a friend, and let him down gently.

A month or so went by and he kept up his attention to me, as did another boy (we'll get to him later). It was weird for me to have two different guys into me at the same time, so I got a bit flustered. However, Cody was a nice guy and he was kinda cute. So when he finally got up the nerve to ask me out again, I said yes.

He gave me a couple different options, but we ended up going out to eat and seeing a movie. It was a wonderful first date, and he was a complete gentleman. But my initial feeling for him held up; he was definitely the sort of guy that is better as a friend.

To wrap this up, Cody is now married to a lovely girl and is a youth pastor in Virginia.

I know I don't have a lot of dating experience, but every day is a new one and I have hope that I will find love somewhere and sometime in this world.

Goodnight!

~K

Baby-sitting a sloppy drunk

2011-02-21T21:37:00.000-08:00

There are mainly three kinds of drunks; the mean drunks, the fun drunks, and the sloppy drunks. Sometimes the fun drunks become the sloppy drunks.

Have you ever had to baby-sit one of these people? I have. This past weekend.

How was it, you ask sweetly? Oh, honey...

I suppose that it would be unfair to omit the fact that the sloppy drunk in question was assisted to this state by yours truly. She only noticed me refilling her drink once. The other times I totally got away with it. But it was her birthday, I reason to myself. Despite it being her birthday, and despite the fact that she was truly hilarious, I should have done something.

That is my story. There are others. Sloppy drunks are kinda like zombies. You don't know what they are until it's too late. Oh yeah, they may look like you and me, but deep down their liver tells a different story...

Goodnight!

~K

When Troubleshooting Goes Wrong

2011-02-16T20:16:00.000-08:00

I recently came across an email thread that one of my co-workers had been following up on in regards to an issue with one of our products. It amazes me how simple troubleshooting can be so...wrong.

Customer: The small connector (male piece) seems to have been not molded large enough to hold the case closed when produced at the factory. This is a great example of when size matters, because without a large enough male piece, this does not provide me satisfaction I so truly deserve and desire.

Co-worker: I'm sorry to hear you are having problems with the size of your male piece. I will be glad to assist you in making an exchange for a fully functioning unit.

Customer: Thanks for your understanding about my too-small non-functioning male piece. Take my word for it, this has never happened before.

Co-worker: I hope this male unit is big enough to satisfy and to be fully functional.

Sigh. I love my job!

~K

My dating life

2011-02-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Happy February, dear ones! It has been quite chilly lately, though I've heard it's worse on the other side of the country. If you are over there and reading this, you certainly have my sympathy.

Once again (or still), I am completely single. B and I were never in a relationship, so I can't say that I was ever taken, but once we started dating I was less on the market. Today Koko and I were discussing ways to meet guys and discussing whether online dating is now necessary or if one can still meet a good guy through friends.

Well, meeting guys through friends isn't always that easy. My social circle has decreased since moving back to Washington, and of those that I see on a regular basis, male friends hardly make an appearance.

There's also the fact that I have tried dating friends of friends. Neither time worked out, though it had nothing to do with my friends. The Double J's were both looking for other things; one wanted me as a rebound and the other was wanting to get physical faster than was comfortable.

To the people who want me to just live up being single, I say this to you: I have been single for 25 years (minus 5 months). I've enjoyed it, certainly. It's been just swell and peachy but I do want to be with someone. And I want that to happen soon.

To all my dear readers, I say this: I will seek out love, not in desperation or envy. If it gets to that, I will stop looking. I will seek love purely because I want to love and be loved. Wish me luck!

With love,

~K

Here We Go Again

2011-01-31T16:59:00.000-08:00

So I've told you all about B, the most recent guy. Well, this is the message that I received from him today on Facebook:

Hey, so I've been thinking lately about you and I. To be honest I'm not really feeling a strong connection between us. It sucks because you are an amazing girl and a LOT of fun to hang out with. I know any guy would be very lucky to have you. I just think its fair to tell you this so I'm not wasting your time at all. If you still want to be friends then that would be awesome, but if not I completely understand. Also, sorry I sent this to you on facebook, I didn't really know how to say it in person. Let me know what you think whenever you get a chance, talk to you later.

Sigh. The old "it's not you, it's me" line, brought to you by Facebook!

Oh well. If the feeling isn't there, I'm not gonna push it. I did tell him I intend to get my Freaks & Geeks collection.

Alone again,

~K

It isn't all relative

2011-01-13T21:50:00.000-08:00

So, as Stacia pointed out in her comment, I am still seeing B...or "Pond Cracker" as Koko calls him. What changed? I have no idea. I just know that I no longer see him in the same light as I do my relative.

We've gone out a few more times, and I'm really liking this one. Tomorrow I will be meeting some of his friends, so wish me luck!

In other news, I have once again noticed this strange dating phenomenon; whenever one guy is pursuing you, suddenly more come out of the woodwork. Last night I got a random text from a guy I had briefly dated in 2008 asking if I wanted to get together for drinks. Seriously? What the heck??

Confused once again,

~K

Dating Dilemma - Letting Him Down

2010-12-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

I suppose that it was bound to happen eventually. A nice, fun guy is finally really into me, and I am not that into him.

I've gone out three times with B, and he really is a cool guy and I do enjoy being around him. With that said, I'm just not feeling the chemistry. Date #1 was conversation over drinks, then we headed over to karaoke. We even did a suicide round where he picked a song for me and I picked one for him. So enjoyable, but not really into him.

Date #2 was watching movies and TV at his place. It was nice enough, bantering over the finer points of South Park and catching the discrepancies in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Unfortunately, there was no spark on my end. He leaned in for a kiss, and wow...nothing.

Since he is such a cool guy, I wanted to try one last time. Date #3 we went out for dinner, walked around the mall for a bit while dinner digested, then went to see a movie. Once again, it was all quite pleasant. However (and this is a BIG however), at one point during the movie, I had kinda zoned out and just seeing him next to me thought that it was a male relative. The fact is, he reminds me of one of my relatives a bit too much. Kissing him at the end of the night was a bit uncomfortable, but I don't think he picked up on it.

I don't really enjoy being on either side of the "dumping" (though it's not really dumping since we aren't in a relationship). I've been hurt when guys have ended things, and I certainly don't want to add to the number of wounded hearts in this world. At this point, I'm not sure how to end things in a kind and caring manner. I don't want to lead him on at all, and I know he wasn't looking for new friends.

Sigh. Does dating ever get easier?

Your favorite dating disaster,

~K

Christmas playlist

2010-12-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

For those unfortunate souls that have no sense of time and are confused as to what a calendar is, today is Christmas eve. It is the night before we celebrate the birth of the one who came as an atoning sacrifice for all the badness and evil both in our hearts and in our deeds. Christmas has become commercialized over the years, and its celebration is no longer just for the faithful. Those of other religions accept it almost as their own.

One of my favorite aspects of Christmas is the music. I can turn on the radio and hear the sweet words of Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby reminding me how lovely this season truly is. However, there are times that I need to move beyond the classics and listen to Christmas music that doesn't get as much airtime or that you don't hear quite as often.

Thus, my Christmas playlist!

1. "Celebrate the Day" - Relient K
2. "Do They Know it's Christmas" - Band Aid (1984)
3. "Santa Baby" - Eartha Kitt
4. "Mary's Boy Child" - Boney M
5. "It's Christmas Time" - City on a Hill
6. "Punk Rawk Christmas" - MxPx
7. "Breath of Heaven" - Amy Grant
8. "Six White Boomers" - Rolf Harris
9. "Little Drummer Boy" - Jars of Clay
10. "Christmas is All in the Heart" - Steven Curtis Chapman
11. "I'm Getting Nuttin For Christmas" - Relient K
12. "Oh Santa" - Mariah Carey
13. "My Christmas List" - Simple Plan

...and this list would not be complete without one of my new favorites:

Merry Christmas!

~K

Dating is hard!

2010-12-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

When you feel that "click" with someone, that mutual attraction and butterflies begin to fill your stomach, you think that it's all sunshine and roses, right? Well, sometimes dating doesn't go like that. Sometimes along the journey you take a few wrong turns, get bad directions, and feel a few rocks in your shoe.

The last two guys I went out with were very different. The first guy came on to me pretty hard, and my goodness was he hot! This is not subjective, he was in fact so universally attractive that he was chosen for the local firemens' calendar. Unfortunately, things did not go well with him and his personality never really matched his looks.

Guy #2 was cute and sweet. We went out several times, and it definitely seemed like things were going somewhere. It has now been 4 days since I last heard from him.

So, back to my point: dating is hard! First semester of my sophomore year of college, I was in a difficult, while perhaps a bit enviable position. Two guys wanted to date me. I didn't really care to be in that sort of situation, and I floundered a bit before choosing. In the end, neither were the right one for me.

Dating situations and circumstances change along the way, but all in all I am still single. I go back and forth on what could be so horribly wrong with me that no one wants me. Am I truly unlovable?

I wish that I knew what I've been doing wrong or what I could possibly do differently. But then there is something to be said for the life experiences gained on this bumpy road of dating

Yours with love,

~K

Making New Friends

2010-11-19T19:09:00.000-08:00

When I was in Girl Scouts, my mom was the leader and she taught us the following song:

Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
and the other's gold.

A circle is round
It has no end
That's how long
I'm gonna be your friend.

That's all fine and dandy, but what about making those new, silver friends? While I mentioned in my last post that it's difficult to meet guys, it's just as difficult to make new friends as a young adult. Since moving back from Virginia, I've become friends with my roomie, my co-worker, a photographer at a club I frequent, a girl I met at karaoke, and a girl I met through a friend from VA.

My friend Caitlin (who I met at karaoke) just attended a local networking event. I haven't heard her full report on it, but I'm wondering if this may be a fun way to meet new people.

While I do enjoy blogging, sitting home alone on a Friday night is not my idea of a fun time. Perhaps this is another things that I will work on this upcoming year. Goal? Maybe make 5 new friends? We'll see.

Your friend,

~K

A Dating Drought

2010-11-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

It seems like most girls begin dating in highschool. I didn't. I didn't think I was allowed to, but it was a moot point since I wasn't asked out. To be fair to all the awkward homeschool and youth group boys of my acquaintance, I was quite an ugly duckling. I had acne, braces then a retainer then braces again, I had no idea how to do my hair, and my fashion sense was a bit off.

College brought more dating opportunities, but I still didn't go out that much. Since moving back to Washington, I've gone out with a few guys here and there, but nothing of substance.

At the age of 25, I have had one boyfriend. Will there be a second? Hopefully.

So right now I'm in a drought...and a funk. Oh, guys will hit on me when I go dancing with my friends and I did have dinner with an adorable firefighter. But I am still single.

In the past, I have taken what I could get. That doesn't really work anymore. I don't want to be a doormat. What do I want? Nothing exceptional; I simply want to be adored. It is my belief that a lot of insecurities that arise in young women regarding their relationships are caused by the fact that they are not given any reason to feel secure.

I live in a land known for its lack of connection. We have what is known as The Seattle Freeze. It's just difficult to meet new people!

Any tips for my dating journey?

Single in Seattle,

~K

In the Past

2010-11-14T11:48:00.000-08:00

Last night I went out dancing, and started chatting with one of my guy friends who had come out. He brought up a recent Facebook status that I'd put up for Veteran's Day. It said that I'm "so thankful to the veterans. During WWII, you saved my grandfather, and thus I am alive. Thank you!"

My friend informed me that he had deleted that from his minifeed since it wasn't relevant. "It's in the past!" he exclaimed. "Regardless of what happened in World War II, you would still be alive in some form."

Seriously? Are you kidding me?? My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who had everyone in his family except his brother die at the hands of a popular madman and his sick ideals. History by its definition is in the past. That's a given. But to say that it isn't relevant and that it doesn't matter since I'd be here anyway? Not acceptable.

There is no guarantee that I would be here in some other form. The fact is that I am alive because America decided to step up and sent their soldiers to stop a hideous war and free prisoners being kept in horrible death camps. Considering the millions of lives lost, I refuse to take my own for granted.

If my life now is relevant, then the circumstances that allowed me to exist are relevant and always will be.

~K

October wrap-up

2010-10-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

As I have been remiss in my blogging duties, I felt compelled to fill my readers in on the recent goings-on of your favorite Kiki.

October is one of my favorite months. The leaves change their colors, pumpkin pie abounds, and I get presents just for existing! How cool is that?

Mid-October saw a very excited Kiki and roomie flying away to Sin City.

Vegas welcomed us with open arms in return for open wallets. We were both disappointed. My roomie and I don't gamble, so the real draw of the casinos were the shops, restaurants, and in a couple, dance clubs. We stayed at the magnificent MGM Grand, chosen specifically for its pools. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to swim in those coveted pools.

We really ought to have researched a bit better, as the food options were not that great. Next time, we should definitely go outside our hotel for all of our meals!

The first night we showed off our moves at Studio 54 located within the MGM. It was certainly disappointing after all of the hype about Vegas clubs. Frankly, I think I would have preferred the club I frequented in central Virginia. The music was okay, but there weren't really any cute guys. Definitely not worth the $20 cover and $20 drinks.

The second night, at my cousin's suggestion (as a Vegas resident, I respected his opinion), we went to Vanity at the Hard Rock. This time around, a promoter met us as soon as we entered the Hard Rock and gave us wrist bands for free admission. Score! However, being snubbed by the manager (even if he was hot), and waiting in line forever was not all that great. We entered, hoping that things would get better. They got worse. The club was very pretty, and there was plenty of seating. But it seems that the designers forgot to put in a dance floor, so people were stuck dancing between two bar areas. Oh, and we still had $20 drinks.

So to Vegas I say BOO! I believe in second chances, but my forgiveness will take time. See you in another year or so.

As I mentioned earlier, October is when people give me gifts just for being alive. That's right, it's birthday month! I am now a quarter century old, and I feel every day of it. It seems like moments turn into days, and days turn into decades. Everything has gone by so quickly, but I have felt it all. Sigh.

Happy Halloween everyone and let's get ready for November!

~K

A Sunday at Starbucks

2010-10-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the silence is broken. I do apologize, once again, to my readers who were hungrily awaiting the next installment from their favorite Seattleite.

Unfortunately, my roommate and I do not currently have internet at our new place, so blog updates may be sporadic for a while. Please do your best not to weep, as I am sure it will be less than becoming to have mascara streaming down your cheeks.

Yours truly is currently sick with a cold, which is most inconvenient as my trip to Vegas is coming up. I need to be healthy and beautiful for this trip, and at the moment I have frizzy hair and my nose rivals Rudolph's. Sigh. It will be all right. I have a little bit longer to make myself well, and I have a jar of matzo ball soup in the fridge to aid my plight.

Yes, as mentioned, we are moved into the new place. It is a condo townhome, and I absolutely love it! So much soft carpeting that my feet are in absolute paradise, and it feels like a real grown-up living situation. My room, however, still feels like that of a 9-year-old girl. I have my twin size Ikea bed in the corner, two clashing dressers (one white plastic Ikea dresser, and one beige wooden one), a stack of Rubbermaid containers for little items, and quite a few garbage bags littering my floor full of books and random articles whose place I still cannot find. What I need is an interior designer and endless money. I have neither, so my room may stay this way for a while.

All in all, life is good and I have just finished a delicious raspberry hot chocolate. Once I leave, I plan to spend the rest of the day in bed watching movies I have already seen half a dozen times and trying to force my body into recovery.

Wish me luck!

~K

Style of the Sirens: Katharine Hepburn

2010-09-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, we all know how beautiful, classic, and fresh-faced the other Hepburn girl was. However, it ought to be noted that Katharine Hepburn was more than just a pretty face. She always seemed pulled together with her wits about her.

Whether rolling down the river in a wide-brimmed hat with Humphrey Bogart, or sporting chic cigarette pants while beaus Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart fought over her, Katharine Hepburn always brought class and sophistication to her roles.

Enjoy this youtube tribute from delanoca.

XOXO!

~K

Playing House

2010-09-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

While I don't want to jinx it, my roommate and I may just be getting into a DREAM condo. Sigh. It is in an extremely convenient location, it's 2 bed 2 1/2 bath, and is absolutely amazing. Already I have visions of how I'm going to furnish "my" living room. Yes, there are two living areas, so we will each get to figure out our own.

I'm thinking that I will want to save up a bit and maybe get a synthetic leather sofa or microfiber couch. I already have a coffee table, but it will be so lonely without a couch...poor thing.

It's just wonderful thinking that I may be moving into such a grown-up place! Sigh.

Happy Friday!

~K

Things to do on Oahu

2010-09-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Having visited the island of Oahu twice, I will admit that I am not quite an expert. However, everyone has a different experience and I would like to think that mine may help someone else in conquering that eternal question of "what is there to do here?" These suggestions are from things I did, as well as things that I didn't do and may one day get to do!

1. Stock up on 100% Kona coffee. This stuff is amazing, smooth, and goes great with chocolate. You can find quite a few different kinds at the ABC stores, and it's usually cheaper than the $30 bags you get on the mainland.

2. Go to a luau at the Polynesia Cultural Center. These sound amazing, but the luaus can be a bit pricy.

3. Shop at Ala Moana Shopping Center, the world's largest outdoor mall. You may need a couple days to do this if you want to visit every store.

4. Go on a kayak tour of the island. I saw some ads for at least one kayak tour company that would take you into little inlets and lead you over to some sea turtles.

5. I may get a bit of crap for mentioning this one, but you need to try Gyu-Kaku Japanese (but really Korean) BBQ. You get your own little fire pit to cook your meat on, and it's all very affordable. Be ready to wait in line! While we waited, Meng pointed out that, of a group of drunk men getting off a party bus in front of the restaurant, was Jason Acuna. Not sure if it was actually him.

6. Most obvious thing to do: Sunbathe! Lay out on the beach and work on that melanin! Try to keep the pigeons off your towel, as I learned the hard way that they do not know where their restroom is located.

7. Browse the shops along Kalakaua Avenue. You can find anything from a ukulele to designer shoes.

8. If you don't feel like Japanese/Korean food, head to Chinatown for some authentic dim sum. I have been informed by my favorite Chinese girl that Chinatown has some of the best dim sum ever eaten.

9. Tour the rainforest. Lyon Arboretum is approximately 200 acres of greenery, and is a relatively cheap spot to visit.

If you've been to Oahu, what have you done?

~K

Labor Day in Paradise

2010-09-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my best friend and I decided that the distance between us was just too much. There was, of course, only one thing to be done.

I needed to fly out to Honolulu for Labor Day weekend.

This was not my first time to Hawaii; I did have a nice little visit for Meng's wedding last October. Now I was going back to see Meng in her new neighborhood. Definitely a step up from Spokane, but I miss the convenience of being able to drive a few hours to see her. Now I have to plan, pay over $500 for a ticket, and stay in a hotel. Oh well, it was worth it.

We didn't really do much touristy stuff (like visit 'Iolani Palace or take a kayaking tour), but we had a lot of fun doing other things.

Ala Moana Shopping Center offered a real shopping adventure as the largest open-air mall in the world. While there, I had one of the best food court lunches I have ever experienced. Meng and I found the Aldo shop where they put all of their sale items, and we bought matching "friendship purses."

Waikiki beach is beautiful and so warm. I could have laid there forever if my skin hadn't begun reddening. Sigh. The shops along the main strip in Waikiki are cute, with ABC stores popping up every few feet. Down a side street was a duty-free shop where Meng and I purchased new lipsticks.

Saturday night we went dancing at Zanzabar in the Waikiki Trade Center. No sign of cute boys, and one ugly had the audacity to tell me "You're beautiful, but your outfit's ugly!" To this I simply replied "At least my face isn't ugly like yours!"

Sunday night we walked around trying to decide where to eat. It turned out that the Ruth's Chris location in Waikiki doesn't have the late night prime hour, so we ended up at Senor Frog's. Oh my word! This place was amazing. The food was really good, our drinks were fabulous (except for some random tequila a waiter gave us), and we were immediately pulled up to the stage to dance in a conga line. After we finished our meal, we walked around a bit, played around in their foam party, and watched some Capoeira up on stage in honor of Brazilian Independence Day.

All in all, this was definitely the best Labor Day weekend I've ever had.

Aloha!

~K

Evenings out in Seattle

2010-08-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

As we tend to do, this past weekend my roommate Stacy and I went out dancing. Friday night we joined our friend Liz at Trinity. The radio station was doing their thing in the red room, and DJ Kazan was mixing Bollywood with some house and hip hop in the blue room. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell all of the other attractive people in Seattle about this event, as there were mostly Creepers and Butterfaces. Sad times. Oh well, we looked good and had fun.

After visiting with my family for a bit on Saturday, I came home to Stacy telling me that she wanted to go out again. I was up for it, especially when she suggested we get out of our Trinity rut and try a new place. "I did put our names on the guestlist at Trinity," she mentioned while blow-drying her hair. Well, it's good to have a back-up plan.

We went out to Amber, a bar/lounge in Belltown. While I loved the drinks we had, and there were definitely a good mix of people, it didn't really seem like anyone was branching out of their own little groups. So, we threw back the rest of our drinks and headed to our back-up. And it was like night and day!

Suddenly Trinity was reliving its former glory! The girls were few and far between (but more attractive), and the men were gorgeous! This is what should happen every time girls go out. A good ratio (80% men), attractive members of the opposite sex (hubba hubba!), and a good friend looking out for you.

Stacy and I may just have to do more exploration throughout the Seattle nightlife. I will be sure to update y'all on this amazing quest.

Back to work!

~K

Another blow to the fairy tale

2010-08-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful peasant girl named K. Her head was filled with notions of romance, a charming prince, and happily ever after.

Upon reaching young adulthood, K was going about her merry way when Reality showed up out of nowhere and slapped her in the face.

"Ouch!" the startled girl cried. But it came again. "AUGH! What was that for?"

"That," Reality replied, "is what you get for walking around with your head in the clouds."

The truth of it is, life doesn't always live up to the expectations. My little-girl dreams are not the same as my big-girl dreams.While I am a hopeful romantic, my optimism is constantly being chipped away by the cruel beast of Cynicism. Perhaps my happily ever after will come in a different form than in the fairy tales.

May the adventure begin.

~K

Stagnancy

2010-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in my life, I get so caught up in the cycle of life. Day after day I find myself going to the same places, doing the same things, and never stopping to enjoy the life that keeps speeding by. Once in this rut, it is such a tricky thing to get out. I've done it before, and I sincerely hope that I can do it again.

Just a few short months away, I will have been on this earth and out of the womb for a quarter of a century. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, it isn't that long, but it sure seems like a lot of time to have so little accomplished. Every passing moment reminds me of the things that I still have yet to do. My passport remains empty, and I have the last name that I've always had.

Facebook constantly reminds me of all the fabulous things that those around me are doing. I suppose that it's only makes sense to highlight all of the wonderful things you do for the world to see, rather than the dull day-to-day activities (though some people post those, too).

I want to do so much, but I hate facing my own disappointment when I don't make my goals. While the lack of a degree may not change the way my family and friends see me, I see it as a failure. Meeting up with old friends or out-of-town family members and one of the first topics of discussion is the love life. In my case, it is a lack of one. One boyfriend in my entire life, with the relationship only lasting 5 months, seems a bit sad. I've dated on and off since, but it's mostly off. At 24, I still have no idea of "what I want to be when I grow up."

As my life changes, it also stays very much the same. The seasons change around me as I stay still.

Right now I need a jump start.

~K

When Your Spirit Gets Too Weak

2010-07-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

I love this song, and there have definitely been some times when I've been weak. Sometimes people will say something they don't mean, and sometimes people say things..that they do mean. Both can hurt deeply.

Friends and family can encourage, and uplift tremendously, but there will still be those occasions when I want to just run far far away, stop in the middle of nowhere, and scream. And cry. It doesn't always make sense, and sometimes it's been a long time coming. Every so often you just need to know it's ok to be weak.

You will get through it.

~K

Summer Plans

2010-06-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

It has still been pretty gray and rainy here in Seattle, but that doesn't keep summer away. Oh, no, Seattleites love summer! We start getting out our shorts and flip flops when it hits 60 degrees. I actually hit the beach this past weekend and got a tiny bit of sun.

Now that the overcast skies appear to be clearing, it's a good time to start planning my summer. I'm still not sure how many things I can actually manage to do, but here are some things that I plan or hope to do.

1. Go to Chelan with the roomie
2. Have a wine and chocolate tour day at Chateau Ste Michelle and Boehm's Candies
3. Kayak (back home, and maybe near the Arboretum)
4. Explore more beaches along Lake Washington
5. Take the Underworld 21+ tour through Seattle's historic red light district
6. See Rob Thomas in concert
7. Attend SeaFair
8. Go to the Mercer Island Summer Celebration
9. Watch a movie at Marymoor Park

Ok, can't think of 10 at the moment. Anyone want to contribute some ideas?

~K

The Sailor

2010-06-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I will not go into great details, but the "friend"-ly guy has redeemed himself. I gave him another chance, and he managed to touch my arm, hold my hand, and...hmph! A lady does not kiss and tell...

Hintedy hint hint.

X's and O's!

~K

A "Friend"-ly Guy

2010-05-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

I do believe that a recent date was the first of its kind. I have been on somewhat innocent first dates where the guy will just lightly put his hand on the small of my back and guide me along. I have been on not-so-innocent first dates where the guy has tried to get into my pants (or skirt...whatever).

My most recent first date was a bit different. As far as I remember (and it was only yesterday), this guy didn't try anything. ANYTHING. No reaching for my hand, no guiding me along, no lean-in for a goodnight kiss...or hug, for that matter. Sigh.

Let me be clear: the date was wonderful. He was a perfect gentleman, very courteous, sweet, and fun to be around. It was enjoyable, but low-pressure. We went to a sporting event, then got drinks with his friends, and had a double dinner date with his friend and his friend's girlfriend. All very pleasant.

However, it all seemed a little too "friend"-ly.

At this point I am torn between alternatives; this guy has no game, or he was not attracted to me.

Great.

~K

Luna Halo vs. Taylor Swift

2010-05-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

As the resident DJ at work, I try to mix up the music as opposed to falling into a rut. So a couple days ago, I decided to play some Luna Halo songs that I hadn't heard before. Surprised by the content, I later learned that they had decided to cross over from the Christian music industry to mainstream. Ok, I can handle that. The songs were pretty catchy, and one has been stuck in my head ever since that first play.

"Untouchable" was written by the lead singer of Luna Halo for Taylor Swift. Personally, I think that the Luna Halo rock version beats Taylor's soft and slow version hands down. Tell me what you think!

Luna Halo version:

Taylor Swift version:

Get out in the sun today!

~K

An Interesting CS Moment

2010-05-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

As I may have mentioned before, I work in customer service. The majority of my job is answering emails from customers. Today I was corresponding with a customer regarding the shipping time frame of his order, and letting him know that yes, his order would be able to be delivered to an APO address. Part of my sign-off is "Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!"

After addressing his order issues, the customer replied saying, "Well I have one question...lol". Not sure what to make of this, I told him that I would be happy to address any other questions. Mere moments later, his email response went "Well...any chance that you're single? I know that this is coming out of left field, but I just had to ask."

Please keep in mind that I have never even spoken to this customer on the phone, and there is absolutely nothing flirtatious about order change emails. I kinda chalked it up to the APO issue; he's a lonely soldier currently stationed in Iraq (I checked the zip code).

I replied in the most professional manner possible; "Single, and ready to mingle, baby!"

Okay, that didn't actually happen. I responded by saying that it is against our policy to disclose personal information, and that if he had any order-related questions, to let me know.

TGIF.

~K

Skating back to my youth

2010-04-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's easy to forget our youth and childhood; those wonderful carefree days where the worries were trivial and the styles were frightening. Back in those days, I would take roller-skating lessons with my sister Sunday afternoons, and would attend the homeschool skate session every third Friday of the month. I wasn't cool, and I was quite the ugly duckling. But when I got on the rink, I was like an eagle soaring free! ...in a circle.

Last night Koko and I went to the local skate rink for the 18 and up session. Neither of us fell, and while the music left something to be desired, it was a fabulous, carefree, and somewhat nostalgic night. It helped, of course, that the rink hadn't really changed since junior high. Same gross carpet, same giant shoe car in the corner, same mural of Seattle showing the no-longer-in-existence Kingdome, and the same smell of junior high awkwardness. Compared to everyone else, we were true amateurs. There were people skating backwards, flipping around, and doing little tricks. It was intimidating, but a little inspiring. At the end, I found out that the man who had taught me to skate all those years ago still worked there.

Koko and I decided that this will need to be a regular thing, so we plan to go once a month. We really have no excuse now, since the locker rental guy gave us each a couple of free entrance passes.

May even more memories be made!

~K

The Flying Trapeze

2010-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

My mom seems to have decided that my life has sunk to such a low that she actually offered to pay for what she considers to be exciting - trapeze classes. While this is certainly fun to watch on TV or at the circus, I simply do not have any inclination to fly through the air without superhero abilities. She then suggested scuba diving, to which I also declined.

Is my life so dull that it will take such extreme measures to make it somewhat exciting? I certainly hope not! As a matter of fact, my friend Koko and I are actually going out roller-skating tonight. Last night, we got manicures after work, and I later met up with my friend Kirk for 31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. Tuesday night I met up with my cousin to play pool, then made my way over to Greenlake to have ice cream with my sister and some pilot friends.

Okay, this is not some amazing jet-setting lifestyle, I don't live in an extravagant penthouse overlooking the city, and my wardrobe is not even similar to a Hollywood starlet's. Yet I find my life pleasing and enjoyable. It can seem a bit predictable and stuck-in-a-rut-like, but I'm comfortable and happy.

No trapeze for me, but I will be taking a few quick trips this year. My roommate and I will be going to eastern Washington in July, Koko and I will be visiting Vancouver, B.C. for Memorial Day, and my roomie and I will be taking in all of the wonders of Vegas some time in October.

Plus, at some point this summer I plan to take a weekend to myself, somewhere secret and pretty much removed from everyone. I will explore, contemplate my life, and just breathe. No trapeze required.

XOXO!

~K

On Edge

2010-04-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

So if you're a girl, and you have ever gone out dancing, I'm pretty sure that you can relate to what I'm about to say.

Saturday night, my roommate and I went out to a nearby club, and while the music was not ideal, we kept moving. Soon, more and more people started showing up, which was definitely a good thing. Unfortunately, with more people came The Creepers! You know them; they're the guys who hang around the edge of the dance floor, maybe standing still, maybe doing their awkward little dance by themselves. Well, they kept their eyes on us, as we were relatively close to them, and they kept either trying to force their way into dancing with us, or they'd grab an arm and say something along the lines of "Heyyyy, wanna dance?" with the meaning in their voice indicating that they expected a positive answer.

Let me just put this out there: HECK NO, I DON'T WANT TO DANCE WITH ALL YOU CREEPY GUYS!

I don't know if there is some sort of rule book for clubs, but proper etiquette dictates that you politely ask a girl to dance. You do not grind up on her. You do not assume that she will say 'yes'. Basically, you do not act like a creepy jerk.

Thank you.

~K

Health is Overrated

2010-04-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

So I've realized that I like meat and cheese too much to ever become a vegetarian. I know that my eating habits should change if I ever want to ready myself for bikini season, but it won't happen in such a drastic measure.

On another note, I have noticed a disturbing trend in my spending habits. I eat out or grab snacks out way too often. Despite forgoing coffee, I keep finding things at Starbucks, or I'll grab a pastry at Hoffman's. Perhaps this needs to change in order for my health to change as well.

We will see!

~K

Time to get healthy...ugh.

2010-04-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Those are my feelings at the moment. While I am not fat or even necessarily overweight, like most American women, I see things in myself that I would like to improve...or not see anymore. Since I cannot break every mirror on the planet, it seems that changing my diet is a logical decision.

A little bored and wanting a different type of reading material, I decided to pick up my unread copy of Skinny Bitch. It was enlightening, and it made me want to chuck all of my food out the window. Unfortunately, I do not know how to open any of the windows, and ridding myself of all these things would leave me hungry. So I have decided that I will start adopting things that they suggest, step by step, but also finish out the food I already have.

One of the big things that this book stresses is vegetarianism. And not just standard vegetarianism, but VEGANISM. Ewww. That makes my steak-, cheese-, and all things yummy-loving blood curdle. Like I said, this is gonna be a step by step thing, and I refuse to be so strict as to deprive myself of amazing food. I will not be making any regular meat at home, but may continue indulging in salmon. I figure this should be an easy task since I usually only eat meat when I'm out.

Next up is coffee and soda. While my devotion to Starbucks has wavered, I've remained a coffee lover throughout the years. However, it has recently been upsetting my stomach, so it really hasn't been an issue. Soda will be a bit harder. I grew up guzzling soda, and this stupid book even instructs readers to give up on diet soda. GRRR. As I don't want to waste food, I will be finishing up my 2 liter of Diet Pepsi. Then...done.

Cutting out sugar and sugary-foods is going to trip me up, just as it has my entire life. However, with both parents being diabetic, and knowing that I have a sensitivity to sugar, this is long overdue. Aspartame is not an option, according to Skinny Bitch, as it creates formaldehyde and has a ton of health issues. The list of edible foods continues to shrink.

Next item to be thrown out? Dairy. Sigh. If you know me, you know I love my cheese. I'm not sure if this is gonna work out. Cheese is extremely fattening, so it really makes sense to cut it out, but does it really make sense to cut out delicious garlic and herb chevre? You see my dilemma.

All in all, I want to start eating better without being annoyingly stringent. I never want to be one of those uppity people who looks down on you when your filet mignon is brought out while they are picking away at their salad.

Wish me luck in this new adventure/dietary suicide!

~K

A Good Snip

2010-03-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

So, as I have previously mentioned, I had been growing my hair out for Lock of Love. LoL is an organization that provides wigs for children who have lost their hair through disease and could not otherwise afford them. If you're interested in such an easy way to give to children in need, be sure to check out the Locks of Love website.

So today I was getting kind of antsy, and decided to call the salon I had been to last time I had my hair cut, Seven Salon in Bellevue. They had an appointment open, and the receptionist informed me that if I was donating my hair, the cut would be complimentary. While I was aware that some salons participated in this manner, I had no idea that such a nice (and somewhat pricy) one would.

Well, I went in with hair this long (sorry for the cropping):

My stylist Cassie had me leaving like this:

If your hair is getting to be a bit on the long side, I would definitely recommend checking out Locks of Love. It's a very passive way to do something good for a child who is losing part of their identity.

Goodnight!

~K

I'm back!

2010-03-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

To my loyal readers, I want to thank you for sticking with me through the dried-up desert of a blog that this has been lately.

But now you shall be quenched! In case you were wondering, part of the reason for the lack of bloggage was due to my trip to Lynchburg, Virginia to catch up with some friends. I missed both my friends and Lynchburg like crazy for these past two years and was so thrilled to finally be going back. Some highlights:

1. Adventure in Roanoke with Cindy

2. Having "secret" conversations behind our menus at a diner in downtown Charlottesville with the girls

3. Dropping by Laura's office and not finding her...twice! haha Eventually she showed up and we were able to make plans

4. Introducing Cindy and Sarah to my favorite South Park episodes (the WoW & Scientology ones)

5. Exploring Lynchburg's history in the Old City Cemetery

That will have to do for now, but know that I do love you!

XOXO

~K

Small Accomplishments

2010-03-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

While achieving humongous goals are wonderful and all, there is something to be said for checking off those smaller ones. They bring about quite a bit of joy as well.

This weekend, I can check off a few of those small accomplishments.

1. Try foie gras. Okay, I wasn't exactly sure what this substance was, but now I know; I have eaten duck liver. Yes, it was just a sprinkling of fried foie gras over pecorino gnocchi, but it totally counts.

2. Learn how to apply fake lashes. I have tried this numerous times, all to no avail. Well, Friday night I decided that I wanted to look fierce since I don't go out that often, and Trinity was having a Holi celebration to remember with a performance by Jay Sean. I just grabbed a set of lashes and this time it miraculously worked.

3. Grow my hair at least 10 inches for Locks of Love. I've surpassed that mark, but since the longest layer isn't really that thick, I'm gonna let it keep on growing a bit longer.

Life is full of goals, big and small. Sometimes the big can seem a bit out-of-reach, but the smaller ones can have a significant impact, too.

Happy Sunday!

~K

Giving Up on Love

2010-03-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

I have been told many a time that love find you when you aren't looking for it, and that constantly seeking it out will do nothing.

Lately, my friend Koko and I have noticed a few things. A lot of our friends are coupled up, actually married, and some have started the whole baby-making thing. There are also some who are out partying every moment they get the chance. We fall somewhere in between. It's a sick relationship version of the Twilight Zone.

After discussing the idea that love tends to find you rather than you finding it, and that we are not really wanting to hang out at the bars all the time, we decided to make a change. We realized that we want to focus more on enjoying the life that we have by experiencing new things and places, and basically getting out of the stagnant waters.

My goal right now is to focus on things I want to do, places I want to see, and things I want to try. We discussed going more often to the museums, taking part in the Belltown Art Walk, and today I even had my very first Yellow Leaf Cupcake. For the unimpressed readers, Yellow Leaf is amazing.

So there you have it; I am giving up on love. If it wants me, it knows where to find me.

G'night!

~K

Losing Your Voice

2010-02-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is inevitable that people will get a bit burnt out doing the same thing over and over and over. Such is certainly the case with musicians. When this happens with a lead singer, it seems that most bands just break up. Some, however, seek out a new member. They are the rare ones; it is often too difficult a task to try to replace a lead singer, especially if the band is well-know. This was the task that was presented to the Newsboys, and more famously, Journey.

The Newsboys have had a few singers over the years; John James at the beginning, Peter Furler as his replacement, and guitarist Phil Joel would occasionally lend his vocals on songs like "Entertaining Angels". Peter Furler became the sound of the Newsboys, but he, too became burnt out from so much time in the studio and touring all over the world. In their song "RSL 1984" you can hear his gentle goodbye and his yearning to return home to Australia. Furler's replacement came in the form of Michael Tait, former member of DC Talk. While I loved DC Talk (they all attended my college, p.s.), the Newsboys are Australian and New Zealander. Michael Tait is American, and his voice is nothing like what the Newsboys are known for. Below are the original and Tait versions of the Newsboys hit "Something Beautiful":

Original with Peter Furler

Michael Tait version

Journey had a similar dilemma when Steve Perry left quite a while ago. Rather than turning to an established singer, they decided to check youtube. They ran across a Filipino singer named Arnel Pineda, and they were hooked. It was quite fortunate for them that there happen to be two people in the world with identical voices. Compare them for yourself with these versions of "Don't Stop Believing":

Original with Steve Perry

Arnel Pineda version

Sometimes differences are not for the best, and sometimes they save a truly epic band.

Rock On!

~K

Dishwasher Disaster

2010-02-23T21:18:00.000-08:00

It was the type of situation that you would see on "I Love Lucy" or some other comedy. Of course, when it's you it doesn't always seem as amusing.

As often happens, some dishes got a bit dirty. So I put a little bit of detergent into the dishwasher, and turned it on. Easy peasy, no? I grew up without a dishwasher, so I'm not especially accustomed to this magnificent machine.

As I was sitting in my bedroom watching "Millionaire Matchmaker" online after having finished leftover quesadilla, my roommate yells across the house "What did you put in the dishwasher???" I come out, stating that I had put in some dishes and dish soap.

Upon reaching the kitchen, my jaw drops as I take in the sea of foam that used to be our kitchen.

Moral of the story: detergent used for handwashing does not work for a dishwasher. Be warned!

~K

Style of the Sirens: Doris Day

2010-02-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

Growing up, I didn't keep up with all the current movie releases. Instead, I watched what my parents allowed me to watch, and I fell for some of the classic movies. I remember rejoicing the first time that we watched AMC. I was in heaven! My sister and I would get up early to watch episodes of "Laurel and Hardy", and after our schoolwork, we would often turn on films from the 50's and 60's.

One of my favorite leading ladies was (and still is) Doris Day. Whether she's playing a country bumpkin from the depths of Louisiana, or the witty housewife of a hypochondriac, she always pulled off her roles with style and grace.

For your viewing and listening pleasure, this is a clip from "The Man Who Knew Too Much" with Jimmy Stewart.

Too bad I couldn't find a "Tammy" clip. Oh well. Que sera sera!

~K

Valentine's Day in Review

2010-02-15T21:40:00.000-08:00

As we all know, yesterday was Valentine's Day. What exciting things did I do? Well, let me tell you! I woke up a bit earlier than intended, went to a new church where they were doing a series on relationships. Yesterday's topic was dating. Very appropriate.

Later on, I went into the kitchen and began a labor of love making what would become an utterly delicious prosciutto garlic mac & cheese. Mmm, so glad I still have leftovers!

Upon finishing that, I got dressed for the girls' get-together at Koko's. After much deliberation, I finally settled on a white eyelet strapless dress, a Forever 21 red and black cardigan, and my beloved Guess Carrie pumps. Oooh la la! Humor me, it's one of the few outfits where I can actually make references that readers will be able to check out.

Koko and I watched a movie while waiting for our other friend, then ate my lovely creation, and headed out to Bathtub Gin & Co., a local hard-to find, back-alley speakeasy. I felt so utterly cool just being in there. Unfortunately, my drink started off well and ended like cough syrup. We left a wee bit early since Koko was a bit nauseated.

All in all, it was a lovely evening with the girls and I don't feel quite so single when I'm amongst friends.

Lots of love!

~K

Google and McQueen

2010-02-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

I simply cannot keep track of all of the different social networking sites that are up-and-coming all the time. It seems that foursquare has taken off, and now we have another Google entity vying for attention. Google Buzz seems to be a bit Twitter, and a bit Facebook. Yet, this is not the only network-y tool that Google has marketed. It seems like just yesterday that Facebook statuses were all screaming out for invitations to try Google Wave. Just a bit further back, one of my friends tried to entice me into joining orkut, Google's main social networking site. Note to Google: too much already!

In other news, Alexander McQueen was found dead in what seems to be a suicide. The fashion world will be a bit lonelier today.

Those are my thoughts and tidbits for today, folks!

~K

Results of the Hottie Awards

2010-02-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

I was surprised by the lackluster response, but such is life, no? So, after tabulating the votes, the Female Hottie Award hereby goes to Zooey Deschanel. Gorgeous, funny, and has an amazing set of lungs on her. For your viewing and listening pleasure, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him:

The Male Hottie Award is a tie between Zac Efron and Robert Schwartzman. As I do not consider Zac Efron a dream boat (sorry Jamie!), here is a Rooney (Shwartzman's band) video of "I Should've Been After You":

Congratulations to the utter hottness, and thanks for voting!

~K

The Hottie Awards 2010

2010-02-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

I know that there isn't really any such award show, or even award, but if there were, it would be a must-watch with all that hotness going around. So now I want your vote. Who out of the following (I'm a little biased, so I may not include everyone you would) would you vote for at the Hottie Awards? If you aren't familiar with some of the names, be sure to google them. You may end up with a new crush!

Male:

1. Hugh Jackman
2. Jared Leto
3. Orlando Bloom
4. Christian Bale
5. Hrithik Roshan
6. Johnny Depp
7. Channing Tatum

Female:

1. Megan Fox
2. Aishwarya Rai
3. Scarlett Johansson
4. Jessica Biel
5. Miranda Kerr
6. Beyonce
7. Natalie Portman

If you have ones that aren't listed, be sure to let me know about them as well for your write-in vote, and give a reason why they're the hottest. All votes must be in by Saturday at noon PST to be counted. Of course, you can still tell us why you think whoever is hot after Saturday, too.

Happy voting!

~K

I Want You Bad - Creepy Love Songs!

2010-02-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

The Offspring inspired me. I realized that sane people are not the only ones who fall in love. There are psycho stalker creepy people who do as well. So, as Valentine's Day approaches, I wanted to create a playlist just for the creepos out there, and songs of love gone wrong/weird. Here you go...please excuse the language on a couple. I wanted to give you the real names of the songs.

1. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

2. Every Breath You Take - Police (obvious)

3. I Used to Love Her - Guns N' Roses

4. Crazy Bitch - Buckcherry

5. I Wanna Fuck You - Akon & Snoop Dogg (have you heard the original version? Eww.)

6. Creep - Radiohead

7. Please Don't Leave Me - Pink (seriously, watch the video)

8. One Way or Another - Blondie

9. I Knew I Loved You - Savage Garden (still love it!)

10. Possession - Sarah McLachlan

Sarah McLachlan's is extra creepy; she drew some of her lyrics directly from a letter from a stalker...who sued her for plagiarism. This is kinda the antithesis of all that is Valentine's Day, but we don't want to get too mushy, do we? I think not.

XOXO

~K

MIA?

2010-01-31T21:49:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been posting regularly, and I do sincerely apologize. You see, I eloped. No no no...I took a safari deep into the jungles of the Amazon. Wait, that's been done. Um...some guy walked up to me and asked me if I wanted to be a supermodel and the next thing I know I'm on the cover of Vogue. Yeah.

So you can see why I haven't been able to keep up on here! Please don't give up on me, as I will try to put out a few more posts this week.

Love ya!

~K

My first award!

2010-01-27T21:59:00.000-08:00

Today, Aspiring Fashionista was kind enough to tag me for the Beautiful Blogger Award. I know, I know, whodathunk it??? So now I must offer up my acceptance speech. AHEM!

When I was a little girl growing up in cow-town, I remember creating my very first blog. It was also on blogspot. It didn't last long, as all of my friends decided to move to xanga. Well, look where I ended up! It feels good to be back, and I'm sure it wouldn't have been possible without the help of the following people: Christina, my sister who inspired me with her writings and had a stint with celebrity gossip blogging. Cindy, who had a comment war with my ex on xanga. All of my current readers; it is for you that I write. ::sniff sniffle sniff::

Okay, so, the rule of being tagged is that I now get to share 7 facts about myself.

1. My first date took place my sophomore year of college, when I was nearly 20.

2. I take great enjoyment in spelling and grammatical errors when being insulted. They show me that I truly am superior.

3. Needles are one of my greatest phobias. When my mom took me in to get a shot, I would whine that I needed to use the restroom, then lock myself in until my mom started pulling out the threats. On another occasion, I ran into the back office and had to be restrained for my shot...screaming bloody murder the entire time.

4. I have a love-hate relationship with horror movies. Sometimes I love them, other times I don't have any desire for them.

5. Back when he was THE heartthrob, I gushed and drooled over Jonathan Taylor Thomas. I had a poster of him over my bed.

6. I am hooked on V: The Reimagined Series. It's kinda nerdy, but I bought the original miniseries and will probably buy The Final Battle and the series that was spawned back in the 80's.

7. I may act a bit cynical, but deep down I am a hopeful romantic. I'm holding out for Mr. Darcy!

So, just as I was tagged, I get to tag seven others. Aspiring Fashionista already took two of my picks (Cafe Fashionista and Too Pretty For This), so here are mine: Wrecked Stellar, Kajal Couture, Daydream Lily, City of Dionne, Chard Intimate, Cafe Couture, and The Budget Babe.

There you are, friends!

~K

How to (momentarily) Forget a Boy

2010-01-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

Last week I went on a date. It was a very pleasant date. I have not heard from the boy now for one week. Thus, when my friend Mariko suggested that we have a sleepover for last night, I was happy to have a distraction.It worked quite well, and I want to offer up my experience to any girls out there wanting to (at least for the moment) forget about a boy.

Friends are always a good distraction. When they know you need to get your mind off something, whether it be a boy or the death of a loved one, they will be there to help you out.

We drove to her place from work, took her dog out for a quick walk, then headed out for a cocktail and appetizers at Spur. If you're ever in Belltown, I highly recommend the Antionette (delicious lemony big-girl drink) and the parmesan gnochi. We also tried smoked salmon crostinis, but I had assumed that by "smoked" it meant "non-raw". I was mistaken...ick. The ambiance was nice and dim, and while a bit loud, we could still hear each other if we leaned in a bit.

Still quite hungry, we headed over to Via Tribunali for some delicious thin-crust pizza. Unfortunately, when I left this morning, I failed to get my leftovers out of the fridge. Sad times.

Following the food, we stopped by Belltown Video and headed upstairs for movie night. I am not typically creeped out by slashers or blood and gore scary movies, but when you get into the spiritual realm like in Paranormal Activity, it takes a little time to recover. Fortunately, as soon as that was over, we popped in 500 Days of Summer for a sweet and stylish end to the night.

This morning, we woke up at the ungodly hour of 8am to fill up the meter where my car was parked. Once we were fully alive and properly clothed, we made our way to Macrina's Bakery for a yummy brunch of brioche french toast. So good!!

And there you have it; a wonderfully laid-back evening with a good friend full of laughter and amazing food is the perfect way to forget about...wait...what? Oh, and I guess buying a new pair of Guess pumps, five DVDs, a modern classic book, and two strapless dresses didn't hurt either.

Happy Saturday!

~K

Playing DJ

2010-01-20T11:42:00.000-08:00

As I am at the end of my lunch break, this post will not be especially long. Sorry, babes!

In our little office, I pride myself on being the resident DJ. I take requests, and try to fill the air with various musical sensations. Here are some of the songs currently in rotation:

"Enter Sandman" by Metallica
"Blame It On the Girls" by Mika
"Left Outside Alone" by Anastacia
"Hot Mess" by Cobra Starship
"Bette Davis Eyes" by Gwyneth Paltrow
"Tricky" by Prozzak
"Oh Boy" by Buddy Holly
"I Want You To" by Weezer
"Kiss the Girl" by Colbie Caillat
"Defying Gravity" from Wicked
"Slow Me Down" by Emmy Rossum (yes, the one featured in a previous post)
"Cupid" by Sam Cooke
"Low" by Flo Rida, Travis Barker remix

What, if anything, do y'all listen to at work?

Happy Hump Day!

~K

Virginia To-do List

2010-01-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

For one of my Christmas gifts, my parents paid for my trip to Virginia in March to visit my friends. This trip has been in the works for nearly two years (since I moved back home to Washington), and I am thrilled. So now it's planning time. I can't waste one precious Virginian moment, since I will only be there for a few days! Here's what I want to do:

Eat my weight in parmesan garlic wings at Buffalo Wild Wings
Trick Sarah into going dancing at Corned Beef
Take a road trip to Charlottesville with Cindy to pretend we're UVA students, get nutella mochas at HotCakes, and check out all the little book stores downtown
Visit Thai '99 with Sarah, since evidently she will die if we don't
Drive over to the Old City Cemetery, one of my favorite places in the South
Grab a burger (not a cheesy western, I'm sorry!) at the Texas Inn
Wander around Riverside Park and take in the exquisite views of the James River down below
If we're feeling really adventurous, maybe go dancing at Cattle Annie's. That's the epitome of Lynchburg nightlife - sad and stinky
Meet up with Carmen
Hang out with Laura P.
Get together with Glory
If I'm ready to be insulted for my height, visit with Laura & Hunter

All in all, I expect that it will be fun, eventful, and full of picture opportunities.

TTYL

~K

Joys in the Mundane

2010-01-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, everyone! Lately I've noticed myself living "for" something. Living for the weekend. Living for my next karaoke outing. Living for this, living for that, instead of living in the moment.I want to slow down a bit so that I can truly appreciate the individual moments of each day.

So here are some little things that I have enjoyed lately.

Last night while grocery shopping at WinCo, I discovered Roasted Chicken flavor ramen, which is much tastier than regular chicken ramen. I had previously rejoiced in the discovery of kosher chicken ramen, which is also better than regular chicken ramen.
While shopping for some easy-peasy Indian food at Cost Plus, I was happy to find that they were on sale! 2/$4. Bringing up my 6 boxes (I had to stock up!) to the register, they had my favorite wine on sale, so I also grabbed a bottle of that. At the checkout, they randomly decided to give me a free tote bag. Win!

Those are some lovely (shopping) moments that I've had lately. Hope that your moments go well, too.

XOXO

~K

Mission: Cowboy boots

2010-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my co-worker came into work and told me about her dream that she was needing to shop for cowboy boots. She took it as a hint that she needed to do that. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I would love to have a pair myself!

So, I've searched Target, Amazon, Google shopping, Nordstrom, Zappos, and Newport News in my quest to find the perfect boot. Unfortunately, none so far have fit my criteria. I want a pair that is between camel and brown in color, has that perfect rounded slightly-pointy toe, comes up mid-calf, and has an agreeable price tag. Page after page produces heartache upon heartache. When will I ever find my dream boots?

Perhaps it is not meant to be. Perhaps I am meant to settle for Target's biker boots. Sigh.

Disappointed but hopefully yours,

K

Things to Do on the Eastside

2010-01-11T18:47:00.000-08:00

Seattle has a lot to offer, and in comparison, the Eastside may seem a bit dull. Do not worry, however, if this is your destination for a day of fun! I have a list! Oh yes, a list. A list of things one can do to have hours of immense fun on this side of Lake Washington.

1. Start off an Almond Joy (it's a coffee drink) at Victor's in Redmond. If you feel up for it, play cards or a board game - they have them!

2. Stop to smell the roses - or whatever is in bloom - at Bellevue Botanical Gardens. While it isn't especially easy to find, it's gorgeous and perfect for picture days!

3. Take a stroll around Bellevue Downtown Park, located right next to Bellevue Square Mall. At the moment, they have an ice rink set up. Besides that, it's just a lovely little getaway in the heart of the city.

4. Speaking of Bellevue Square, if you have the urge to shop, be sure to hit up the Bellevue Collection, which includes Bellevue Square, Lincoln Center, and Bellevue Place.

5. If you're interested in learning a bit about your local history in a beautiful setting, stop by Clise Mansion inside Marymoor Park in Redmond. You'll learn about James Clise and his Willowmoor Farm.

6. Having a sweet tooth attack? Definitely check out Boehm's Candies in Issaquah. If possible, plan ahead of time to take a tour. They make their own chocolate in a little chalet, and have the cutest bavarian-style grounds.

7. Want the ultimate experience in move-going? Try Big Picture Cinema in Redmond Town Center. Order some drinks to have delivered to you while you watch your movie!

8. If the weather's nice, bring a ball and play volleyball at one of several beaches lining the Kirkland waterfront.

9. While in Kirkland, don't forget to grab a dozen or so delicious wheat-free creamsicle cupcakes from SweetCakes Bakery.

10. If you're ready to put your dancing shoes on, you've got a few options. My favorite on the Eastside is in..Kirkland again! Check out Lake Street Bar on a Saturday night and have the pleasure of shakin' that booty to the sounds of DJ Kazan.

Ten is typical for a list, but I have a bonus for you!

11. As my beloved readers know, I adore karaoke. Maple Leaf Chinese Restaurant in Bellevue has karaoke Wednesday-Saturday nights, and offers an enormous variety of songs.

Have fun!

~K

Let's have fun, shall we?

2010-01-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

So Aspiring Fashionista tagged me in her survey thingy, so now it's my turn to answer the questions. Enjoy!

1. Your hair? Curly dark brown with black grow-out. I'm growing it as long as possible for Locks of Love.

2. Your favorite food? Indian food, definitely. Serve me up some paneer tikka masala on some rice with some warm naan and a fresh glass of mango lassi and I will be in heaven!

3. Your favorite drink? Hmm. Gonna go with mango lassi for right now.

4. Your dream/goal? To touch others' lives and leave them better than before having met me.

5. Your hobby? Karaoke, dancing, blogging.

6. Your fear? Needles and people in those big mascot suits.

7. Where were you last night? Eating yummy bacon ranch fried chicken sandwiches at Sport with my friend, then a sleepover at her place.

8. Something you say all the time? GRRRR.

9. Something that you’re not? Tall

10. Wishlist item? More wishes! Mwa ha ha

11. Last thing you did? Ate lunch.

12. What are you wearing? Jeans, black flats, black v-neck with a t-shirt weight short-sleeved cardigan over it.

13. Your pets? A cat that lives with my parents.

14. Friends? Fabulous show! ..oh, I get it. lol I love my friends :o)

15. Missing someone? My college friends.

16. Something you’re not wearing? Stirrup pants and shoulder pads. ::shudder::

17. Your favorite store? Fireworks. Local and international artisans, and everything is beautiful!

18. Your favorite color? Pink.

19. The last time you cried? Not sure, actually.

20. When's the last time you laughed? Earlier today at work. My co-workers are awesome!

21. One place that I go to over and over? My apartment??

22. Where do you eat? Lots of places, but I love Mehfil in Redmond Town Center!

Okay, I guess it's my turn to tag. Budget Babe, City of Dionne, and Cafe Couture, it's your turn!

Love and kisses!

~K

Making do with what I have: White Polo Shirt

2010-01-04T20:20:00.000-08:00

You don't have to be super preppy to have one of these in your wardrobe. In fact, they're wonderfully versatile and very comfortable! It would kinda be silly to not have a white polo.

While it may not be October, no closet should be completely empty of costume idea pieces. Like I said, a white polo shirt is extremely versatile. Throw on a high-waisted pencil skirt, a pair of short white socks, black flats, pull your hair up into a quintessential ponytail with a scarf, and perfect the look with a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Oh...and bright red lipstick doesn't hurt. Voila! Emergency costume for your friend's 50's-themed party.

This next look is wishful thinking for most of the country. However, for those lucky Floridians, Hawaiians, and Californians (or Virginians on those weird-weather days), this one you can have now. I love this look for a spring or summer date. I pulled on a floral-print miniskirt, slipped into white peep-toe flats, added a pearl necklace and a flower for my hair, and I managed to remember a gold clutch purse.

This last one took me forever to shoot! Every 20-something needs a good interview outfit, and I think this works. It's stylish, professional, and pulled-together...without being a suit! I topped the polo with a purple button-front blouse, but left it open and wound a black leather belt around it. Those cigarette pants made a comeback, and a pair of black patent pumps, dangly gold and black earrings, and a headband to keep my bun tight completed the look.

There you have them! Any other ideas for white polos?

Night night!

~K

Hello Rodarte!

2010-01-02T14:59:00.000-08:00

One of my friends is in love with Rodarte, and was thrilled to hear that they would be coming out with a Target line. Up until that point, I had never heard of the brand. By the time the line was released, she had heard some negative feedback, and it sounded like it wasn't going to be the dream-come-true that she had envisioned.

While running errands earlier today, I stopped at Target and decided to take a stroll past the clothing section. I saw a sign indicating that the pieces below were from the infamous Rodarte line. Well, it couldn't possibly hurt to take a look. I saw the pale blue dress that I'd admired on Target.com, but it wasn't in my size.

I walked around, and caught sight of the perfect dress to welcome Spring! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!! They even had my size! I grabbed the utterly fabulous dress, and rushed off to the fitting rooms thinking of how my dress would make me the envy of every girl. At first I was a bit scared, thinking that perhaps the reviews were correct and the dress wouldn't work on a person as well as it did on the hanger.

Nope, it was even better! While I had been attempting to avoid impulse clothing purchases, this was a necessity.

Sigh. I'm in love...with a dress.

Kiss kiss!

~K

Getting Hit On

2010-01-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

So as I was comfortably lounging around my room on this lazy Saturday morning, I came across a hilarious website called "I hit on you". Lots of anecdotes of lame pick-up lines and ugly drunks. Ah, the memories it brought up. Okay, okay, twist my arm why don't you? Here are some of the memorable "hits" that I've taken.

While I was walking back to my car with some friends after a night of dancing, this Mexican guy walks by, then kinda turns and looks back at me and says "Oooh, you've got the body of a Mexican!" Umm...thanks?

This guy at my school and I had chit-chatted a bit off and on, and I thought he was kinda cute (even if a bit short). One day he bravely approaches the table in the cafeteria where my dorm (of girls) sits. He says 'hello' and sheepishly says something that I interpret as "do you have a phone?" I reply that I do. He then asks if he can have it. I say "NOO!" and laugh, thinking how odd a request it is. Then I notice his dejected face, and ask him to repeat his original question. Yeah...he'd asked for my phone number, not my phone. End of story: gave him my number, but the jerk never called.

My roomie and I decided to pop by a burger place near our school for lunch. While getting my soda, this kinda weird-looking guy comes up and asks me if I know some random guy. I had never heard of him, so I say no, and that I'm sorry. I sit down, explain what happened to my friend, and we see out of our peripheral vision that creepo sat down at a table right behind us. For his enjoyment, we start speaking as loudly as possible about boyfriends and different sexual things we enjoyed (we were Cosmo-reading virgins!). Unfortunately, this did not deter him from coming up to our table while we were eating, look me in the eye and ask if I have a boyfriend. I didn't, but I needed to for the purpose of this conversation, so I said yes. He stares at me for a second, then says "REALLY?" At that, I get a bit huffy and say, "Yes, actually I do!" He apologizes and leaves. Praise God!

Those were some of the more interesting ones. Hope you enjoyed!

Buenos tardes!

~K

Playing with Makeup

2010-01-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

So, despite tons of eye looks posted on various beauty blogs, I decided to play around with my brand new Coastal Scents 88 Piece Makeup Palette. A lot of the youtube makeup tutorials use this palette, so it was on my Christmas wish list. My mom came through on that one. :o)

Frankly, I kinda wish that I'd gone for Stacie Orrico's "Stuck" music video prom look, which has been recreated below.

One day I want to figure out how to do this look with my palette and/or with other things I already have in my possession.

Hope all my readers looked fabulous last night, and happy 2010!

~K

A Year in Photos

2009-12-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

A lot happened this year, and much of it was forgettable. However, there are always certain moments that last in my memory.

Earlier this year, my cousin got married in New York. Thus, our family had an excuse to stay in a tiny hotel room watching TV for several days. We had fits with each other, we went out for ice cream and manicures, but all in all, it wasn't so bad.

In February, I took a huge step; I moved out of my parents' house. I'd moved back to Washington and lived with them while getting my feet on the ground, but it felt so good to get out on my own (with a roomie). This right here is the emptiness that would become my room.

I discovered a new love with the help of my roommate, Stacy: karaoke! We took a trip down to Canon Beach for Memorial Day weekend, and randomly ended up at a bar running karaoke. We each only got one song in, but only a couple moments into "You Don't Own Me", I was hooked.

Anyone who knows me is quite aware of how much I love going out dancing. Yeah, there's the guys and fun drinks, but the real excitement is putting together the perfect outfit and swaying to the music. From L-R: Ronnie, Sachin, me, and Jenn. It was a Bollywood night, and what better way to celebrate double birthdays for Sachin and Jenn?

While visiting my best friend in Spokane during the summer, we decided to make Sangria. Unfortunately, neither of us had a corkscrew. This would have proven difficult for anyone less than brilliant. Well, brilliant we were, since we knew how to google! Thus we removed the cork using a screw and a pair of pliers. Believe me, that sangria was worth it!

My first trip to Hawaii was made in October so that I might stand by the side of my best friend as she took vows before her friends, family, and God to love, honor, and cherish a man who loves her dearly. This view, all the views, and especially my gorgeous friend, were breathtaking and totally worth the trip.

These are the stockings that my mom made for each family member. As cheesy as they may be, the took time, energy, and love, and they are one of the things that make Christmas with the family so special.

I hope that you made wonderful memories this year as well!

Living the Dream

2009-12-28T19:46:00.000-08:00

Just a few moments ago, I was sitting on my couch drinking some Lambrusco, eating some after-Christmas-sale chocolates, and thinking to myself, yeah, keep living the dream! I nearly dropped my delicious french truffle (ok, not on sale, but rather in my stocking) when I realized that I was, in fact, living the dream. Or at least my dream.

Okay, my life dreams are usually more like fantasies where I'm kinda similar to Eva Longoria in Desperate Housewives; a gorgeous trophy wife married to an equally gorgeous hunk-of-man billionaire. That, however, is not the dream I am referring to.

Right now, I am living in a decent apartment (and will moving on up come February), I make enough to support myself, my wardrobe is relatively current and cute, and I have friends both here and across the country. My life isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn good...especially with lots of chocolate.

Dream on, friends!

~K

Making do with what I have: Cigarette pants

2009-12-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Shopping in my own wardrobe is not as easy as I could hope for, but I suppose it isn't as difficult as it could be. I am blessed with more than enough clothes, and most are even cute! So, without further ado, here is my in-closet makeover.

I began with a pair of cigarette pants that I had picked up earlier this year after watching "The Philadelphia Story" and admiring Katharine Hepburn's style. They weren't especially easy to find, but Banana Republic came through for me with this would-be wardrobe staple.

My first look is for New Year's, as most people need to get a bit more dressed up for the NYE parties. I took a lime green (kinda) halter-neck top, left my hair down and flowing, added some low-heeled pewter dress sandals and a statement bracelet and voila!

I don't think cigarette pants would be such a potential wardrobe staple if they couldn't be worn to the office. Therefore, I knew I needed a work-appropriate look for this collection. I pulled my hair into a loose bun, threw on a fuchsia long-sleeved tee, a grommeted belt, a pair of black flats, and added hoop earrings and a black pearl necklace with invisible wire (it's kinda like fishing wire). Here's the work look:

My last look is for my love; karaoke. I think every girl needs to make sure that she has a fabulous outfit for a night out belting the lyrics of classic favorites and new hits. For my karaoke look, I pulled my bangs back and left the rest of my hair down, slipped into a pair of black patent heels, threw on a 3/4 sleeve purplish v-neck topped with a t-shirt weight dark gray shawl (or whatever you'd call it), added a couple bangles, hoop earrings and a multi-strand silver chain necklace and called it a day.

Hope you like!

Style of the Sirens: Jane Russell

2009-12-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

After a fabulous day of shopping, my friend Mariko and I sat down to watch "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", one of the most well-known Marilyn Monroe movies out there. While Marilyn is a gorgeous knockout, Jane Russell is no plain Jane.

It's amazing that such gorgeous styles have gone out of fashion. They're so beautiful and timeless. Well, on that note I will leave you with a clip showing Jane Russell at her finest; surrounded by men.