Exciting Hummer News!

OK, even though i haven't done a Hummer count in AGES, I am still so steamed whenever i see them on the road. I also rarely read Salon, but check out the homepage article for today:

The Short, Disgusting Life of the Hummer

A few good nuggets:
1. Cannot believe that 75% of the cost of a Hummer used to be tax deductible.

2. "The H2 uses more energy in its manufacture and for fuel in its first 24,000 miles on the road than the Toyota Prius does in its entire lifetime."

3. "Regis Philbin stars in a commerical for the Hummer H2."

4. "After years of serving as an unofficial spokesperson for the urban assault vehicle, Arnold Schwarzenegger, now governor of California, decries global warming and converts one of his personal fleet of seven Hummers to run on hydrogen. "

Read this article!!

Also, I finally had time to check out the Kitchen Dog Theater, which is a brisk 10 minute walk from my apartment. I went to see Edward Albee's "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia" which is about an architect who decides he's fallen in love with a goat (and has intimate relations with her), and his whole family freaks out. It was very loud - lots of yelling, but surprisingly good! Edward Albee is the dude who also wrote "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", which i saw on Broadway with Kathleen Turner for my 27th birthday!

The Theater was awesome - very indie, and there is even a cool art gallery inside! I am so glad I went to see the play there and just another little gem that I've found in Dallas.

REPOST: A SUPER BAD bicycle company in Dallas and more.

I had to repost this one, because the the ULTRA, SUPER, HORRIBLE bicycle company in Dallas contacted me AGAIN (on thanksgiving weekend, no less), because the URL had the company's name in it. Since i'm not a savvy blogger, i didn't know how to change it and had to just repost it. I reminded them that I only get 3 hits on a good day, so they definitely have cause for concern. I wish i had never bought my bike from them and given them my hard earned cash!!! Anyhow, if anyone wants to know the name of the company and egg their warehouse (just kidding, well, not really), email me!

Here's the post again -

I know that i've talked some about my bicycle riding in Dallas. Well, i bought my bike from a Bad Bicycle Company in Dallas. It was kind of a hassle, but i thought the guy running the show seemed earnest enough. I ordered a bike, and they were out of inventory. Then they thought i wanted a men's bike. Then i chose another, and then another, and finally it was shipped.
I also ordered a basket. Anyhow, it didn't come with the bike. i was told it would come in 2 weeks. i never got it. they said they would send another. I never got it. I inquired again, and stopped getting responses. Then i called a couple of times, and never got my calls returned. So i filed a claim with my credit card company for a credit of $34. I sent all the emails along with my claim.
Anyhow, I got an email from them asking if i had contacted the credit card company and i said yes. Their response was "Why did you call the credit card company if you received the basket?" So i explained that i never received it. The final response to me was:
"Pleeeeez we shipped it twice. Keep the 34.90 and the two baskets just do us a favor and don't do business with us again."WOW. what a lack of professionalism!! So for you 2 people who read my blog, BLACKLIST this Bad Bicycle Company in Dallas (if you want to know the name of the company, you can contact me directly. I recently received an email from them threatening to sue for defamation). And tell all your friends!
I think I might send them the receipt for the bike basket I bought and received from another company.
On a brighter note - I am in the Bay Area visiting my moms for her birthday and i have never seen so many Priuses in my life!!! I must've counted more than 20 in just one day!! i love it!!

Thank Goodness!

Dear turkey that i am going to eat tomorrow,
How are you? Let me tell you what has been going on with me lately.

1. I decided that I LOVE New York. Not the show, even though i loved that too, but i was having a rough week so i made an impromptu trip to New York, and it turns out that i have TONS of friends up there! Friends whom i haven't seen in 3 years, but still wanted to have coffee. Amazing. Also, i love the clothes there. I want to eat them up, but since i have a touchy digestive system, i wear them instead. Lastly, i love the food there. I can have as many onigiris as i want, I can have a mac and cheese lunch when lunch is at 3pm, and of course, i need to give a shout out to my favorite breakfast, the bialy. I had two of them!!

2. I've been sick. A great weekend in NYC resulted in a dirty, nasty cold, the 1st and hopefully last of the season.

3. I had the most delicious steak. My first TX steak. it was super juicy. I ate half of it and the rest was even better the next day. I had a delicious just-the-right amount sour pickle in a jar that was on the table. I also had 2 luscious salty dirty martinis and I couldn't drive home. It was TOTALLY worth it! I spent a lot of money for dinner, but it satisfied my steak craving.

4. I went to a happy hour for the "Young Professionals" group at my company. Luckily it was in my neighborhood and not in the freakin suburbs. It was actually fun! It was at a cool bar with a patio. I met a bunch of IT guys who were pretty funny. AND helpful! I was able to call them today with an IT request and they helped me right away. Networking is important! Plus, my friend who does not work at my company got a date out of it. yay!

See you tomorrow, yummy delicious turkey!!

xoxoxoB

Bars in malls, Olafur Eliasson, and sore booty

I had a very eventful weekend. Not only did i run tons of errands and clean my house, I went out about town!

I went to meet my hip hop friend for happy hour at Northpark Mall. I was a little bit skeptical about going to a bar/restaurant in a mall because it just reminded me of the Rockin Robin burger joint at the mall near my house growing up. Not a swanky place where young professionals hang out! It was a little bit cheesy, and there was a cool patio, but it faced a parking lot. However, the happy hour prices were awesome, and there were tons of people (and more kept coming through as the night went on) and it was actually really fun. I got to know my friend better, and we met some interesting male characters (she is on the prowl...mrrrowr!).

On Saturday, I rode my bicycle down to the Dallas Museum of Art (where people turning left onto Woodall Rodgers do no realize that pedestrians/bicyclists have the right of way!) to check out a members only preview of Olafur Eliasson's exhibit "Take Your Time." WOW. I was totally floored. He uses crazy lights and colors and constructs these huge kaleidascope-y structures that are really amazing. There was one room where you step into a circular structure projecting all these really intense colors. One of the colors was this super warm magenta/pink, and while the temperature wasn't changing, I definitely felt some heat. I just wanted to stand there forever. There was also another another room where you walk through a kaleidascope tunnel and end up in a room with piercing yellow light, making turning everyone grayscale. It was totally awesome.

Lastly, with all this bike riding, i had a sore booty the next day! I think i need some of those biker shorts with butt pads.

The alternate universe that is Irving

Irving is a dry town that is just a few miles from my work. I think a lot of young people live there because it is just a few minutes from work, relatively inexpensive, but then have to drive 10 + miles to get liquor.

Tonight, my carpool and I went to Sports Authority because he needed to get his tennis racket restrung. We were in the weirdest, most desolate strip mall with a gigantic parking lot. I think we were the only customers in this huge warehouse of a store.

Afterwards, we were trying to make it back on the highway but the road was leading us away from where we needed to go. Also, we were in an area that was surrounded with mega churches. We couldn't stop driving in circles!

After several attempts, we finally made it on the right road, and all of a sudden, a little boy wearing all black runs across the highway out of nowhere!! That was really freaking weird. He didn't even stop when he saw us - he just kept right on running through. Maybe he was headed to the megachurch for solace.

We were talkiing how f-ing weird that boy was when we drove through this massive puddle (it hadn't rained in weeks) and the water sprayed all over the car. The five minutes in Irving freaked the two of us out and we hoped we would never have to go there again.

************
The USA elected Barack Obama as our new president!!! I could not stop crying (with joy) throughout his acceptance speech. I have never been this emotional about politics in my life!

The downer the following morning was finding out that Prop 8 in CA passed, by quite a large margin. WTF?! even my parents, who are regular church goers, thought this was a ridiculous waste of time and money (mormon churches poured $27 million in advertising in support of the bill because they were afraid of gay teachers corrupting our children).

i love my babies!!!

I am feeling so exhilarated because my babies are not only surviving but growing and flowering!!! And by babies, I mean my jalapeno pepper, arugula, and basil plants. I decided not to give them names because it just made me more attached to them, and more tragic if they died but now that they are healthy and happy, i might be inclined to name them soon.

I've attached some photos. As you can see, the jalapeno pepper plant is actually flowering which means that more peppers are to come! The arugula, even though it looks like one big weed, has some larger leaves (prob not enough for even 1/4 of a salad). The basil has all these new ultra green leaves growing from the top, so that is very very exciting (not like my other basil plant that died a slow death).

In last week's New York magazine, there was this whole article on urban gardens and this Japanese guy grew such amazing produce. I'm inspired to be like him! Next on the list...tomatoes? Squash?

Raclette, show off yogis, and DRAMA!

The last few weeks have been ultra busy with travel, travel and more travel.

1. I went to Sante Fe, NM to attend a wedding with my oh so special friend. Sante Fe is gorgeous, but a strange life force made me want to buy large pieces of turquoise, dream catchers, and eat a whole lot of chorizo. We went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum, and found her paintings so breathtaking. I was mildly shocked to see a shirtless Native American man put on a leather vest to enter a cafe, and then take it right off upon exit. I guess "No shirt, no service"!

2. I went to sexy Herndon, VA where I met up with my lovely and entertaining friend from business school. We hit up the Applebees by my hotel (twice!) and went into DC to have drinks and rice balls. It was amazing to see her and she reminded me how much i love mozzarella sticks.

3. I went to Nantes, France for just one weekend where i ate some ridiculously amazing food and took at least six trains, round trip to get to and from my friend's house. Oh, and have you ever been on a 9 hour plane ride sitting in the center seat, last row? It's pretty awful. Luckily, I'm a narcoleptic at high altitudes, so i was able to slumber through the flight. Anyhow, my friend and hubby prepared a delicious meal called raclette - french comfort food, if you will.

Let me explain it to you: There is a special hot plate where you can heat little square shovels of pungent raclette cheese. Then you pile baby potatoes and meats on your plate and pour the melted cheese all over it. Then you devour if as if your life depended on it. I love raclette x 10000000000000, and then some.

I also spent a short evening in Paris, which i had forgotten how incredibly gorgeous it is. I went to a bistro for dinner and met an adorable couple who were rendezvous-ing in Paris for the weekend. The guy is from London and the woman was from Sydney and they had both met at his brother's wedding 3 months prior. Talk about a long distance relationship! They recommended me the saumon grille and i LOVED it.

After all these trips, I was pretty stiff from sitting on so many cramped planes. So I went to yoga last night at the gym by my house. I think i've mentioned this before but I love the yoga instructors in Dallas, and especially the two at my gym. Anyhow, I practiced next to an Asian guy who i know lives in my building, and quite possibly my floor (i think i commented on his leather bag this morning). He was actually quite a good yogi, and definitely had a regular practice but he was definitely trying to show off. How did I know? Because he started doing all these aerodynamic moves that were beyond his skill level, his grunting got more laborious, and lots of crashing ensues. If you are really zen, then your practice should be somewhat effortless, albeit sweaty. My own practice has been improving quite a bit, and i could tell he wanted to be my friend after he saw my crow (he tried to strike a conversation right before shivasana - how gauche!!!)

Lastly - DRAMA! who doesn't love drama? Especially if it's work related!! I won't go into detail but let's just say that I've made an enemy in the office. I think someone got upset over having to move a few boxes or something. Anyways, nasty emails were sent, lots of whispering ensued, the silent treatment is definitely on, but i think i've retained my integrity throughout the drama. Basically, she SUCKS. That's right, I said it!

Hummer count: 4

No lectures in dance class please

As a 30 year old "girl" who still takes dance classes, I know that i don't have a future career as a Britney backup dancer. I go to sweat it out and show off some of my skillz and then go home happy and stress free. Tonight, I went to Power House of Dance to take a Thursday night advanced hip hop class. There were only 4 people in the class, including 2 little munchkins. One was 13 and really good! But halfway through the class, our instructor, who is probably frustrated that no one came tonight, meaning he's probably not getting paid, decides to just run his mouth for 10 minutes and tell us how disappointed he is in us for not having more energy, and that no good dancers come from Texas anymore, and how everyone is so lazy and fat, etc. etc. And of course, he tells us we're all getting shown up by this 13 year old girl who just started dancing 2 years ago.

I just wanted my $15 worth of hip hop instruction! Instead, I came out barely breaking a sweat and feeling a little bad that I couldn't really pick up the routine. I guess if I was in Jr. High school right now, and all i had to do was learn pre-algebra and wait for my mom to drive me 45 minutes from Fort Worth to take dance classes, then I might be a tiny bit better.

However, I did have my first k-town karaoke session and it was SO SO fun! Holding a microphone and singing your ass off is totally addictive and after three hours, i was hoarse and tired and ready for a nappy-poo.

Roach Attack!

Dallas has not been treating me well lately. Last week, I experienced a host of transportation related problems such as:

• Getting hit by a car on my bicycle
• Closed ramps on the Tollway, thus not allowing me to get to where i need to go
• A flat tire (of course, at night, on a deserted street, and i'd left my cell phone at home)
• My carpool forgot to pick me up the morning after my flat tire

This week, it's been cockroaches galore! And yes, they are "Texas sized". These are monster cockroaches, and they have nine lives. Here is what went down:

• On Friday night, my boyfriend came to visit and and he encountered one coming out of the bathroom. He said it was a big one, but I didn't see it.
• On Sunday night, I was out on the balcony nursing my new plants and i saw one crawl off the edge.
• On Monday night, after 2 hours of reading on my couch, I get up, turn around and see one crawling right where i was sitting. I beat it with a rolled up newspaper and start crying. I called my parents and my boyfriend in despair. My mom encouraged me to save the roach in a plastic bag to show to my building manager. I refused, but i did take a photo of it to email (i would post it but it is too disgusting). As i was typing up the email to send to the building manager, i turn around and see another roach! I beat it again with said newspaper and thought it was dead. I turned around to finish my email. When i went to clean it up, it had disappeared!! I looked for it, and found it on its back in the bathroom. I beat it again, and it only flipped around and started running. I then beat it one more time, and it seemed to be dead. I tried to scoop it up with a piece of paper, but then it started running AGAIN. Finally, i beat it with all my might without smooshing it into my new bathroom tile. At that point in time, I was crying my eyes out and trying not to throw up. In desperating, I called the only person i know in the building, who is a very sweet 23 year old guy who lives downstairs. It was 12:30am, and he had been sleeping. But he made his way up to my apartment to clean up the guts.
• Tuesday morning, I called the building manager bright and early to make sure she got my email and to ensure that the exterminator was going to come ASAP. They were able to get the exterminator to come that afternoon. whew!
• Because my neighbor cleaned up roach guts at 12:30am, I baked him a few cupcakes from scratch tonight (Thursday). I decided to open the balcony door to get some fresh air in. My neighbor called to let me know that he was home. The minute i answered the phone, I noticed a gigantic roach crawling up the wall near the balcony door. I asked if he could come over instead to not only pick up the cupcakes but also kill a new roach. I was on roach patrol until he got to my apartment and then he made three attempts to smoosh the roach, but it was running around like crazy! It was perfect timing that he was coming up, otherwise, I have no idea what i would do.
• I called my dad, and he said that roaches are harmless, just dirty. That did not make me feel any better.

So tomorrow, I am going to call up the building manager again, because i pay way too much money for this luxury apartment to deal with a roach infestation!!!! I really think that someone is rotting in the apartment below mine, and the roaches have decided to camp out for awhile. I live on the 6th floor - i should not have roaches in my apartment!! Even in 10 whole years in New York City, in the dumpiest of dumps, i never had roaches. I did find 2 dead roaches (two different apartments, 5 years apart), but that was nothing.

Hummer count - more than usual this past week...at least 5-6 a day

my 1st time getting hit by a car and other transportation related events

Today, i was hit by a car while riding my bike to yoga. Definitely not zen-inducing! A woman was at a stop sign and I was crossing the street, and she wasn't looking in the direction she was turning! Of course, I fell off my bike and hit the pavement and my first thought was "OMG, i'm screwed." but then i stood up and everything felt fine. Then i got mad. The woman definitely took a minute to get out of the car and I tried to be mean, but she helped me readjust my bike, and she stood there for quite some time to make sure i was ok. A guy who was working valet parking at a nearby restaurant ran across the street to make sure I was ok. He also said his friend had just hit another bike rider 20 minutes ago on the same corner. A guy in a gigantic SUV stopped and told me he would help me fix my bike. Turns out he didn't have any tools, but he told me i had a cool bike. I appreciated that everyone was so helpful. My left ankle and front wheel are a little mangled, but otherwise ok. I was really shaky though and it took a few minutes to calm down before class.

Luckily, I was GOING to yoga! The yoga really helped me take my mind off it, and i had a great class.

Of course, a few minutes later, a blond bitchy girl in a shiny new Audi zoomed out from a driveway and didn't stop when she saw me, and I had to majorly brake to avoid hitting her. She didn't seem to care.

On the way home, there was a lot of traffic on McKinney for some reason. The weather was amazing today, so everyone was outside eating and drinking. There was some honking and then i saw this girl pull up along side another car and start screaming her head off with both middle fingers in the air. Is it really worth it?!

I also took a long bike ride down to the farmers market this morning, and it was awesome! I had a little bit of anxiety because it was my longest ride in the city yet, but it was amazing.

Hummer count: 7 huge ass gross Hummers!

Do Asians love Tom Jones?

My dad is a huge fan of Tom Jones. That struck me as weird when he told me because i thought older women liked Tom Jones and thought he was foxy. And maybe Europeans because i saw his music video playing over and over at a cafe in Auxerre, France in 2000. Today, I was watching "The Cho Show" on VH1, and Margaret Cho's parents are ALSO huge fans of Tom Jones.

Hurricane IKE hasn't really affected Dallas yet. It's windy and overcast but no major issues yet.

Hummer count: 4

Recycling Rules! and the Samosa Sale Farce

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! Recycling of everything but glass is starting in my building on Monday, Sept 15th. This is a major breakthrough and now, I am finally and completely happy with my Dallas life.

Yesterday, I saw all these flyers around the office for a Samosa Sale...right on my floor! I was so pumped and was prepared to have a delicious greasy spicy samosa with my lunch. At 12:30pm, I walked over to the room and it was empty. I thought maybe i had the wrong room so i circled the area. Then i circled the area AGAIN. No Samosa Sale. I went downstairs to eat lunch and saw more flyers. I double checked and confirmed the times of the sales, and afterwards, I went back up to the fourth floor to try and find it. No dice. My appetite was totally unfufilled and i was cranky for the rest of the afternoon.

This morning, I spoke with someone in my department and she said that they had sold out. She went at 11:40am (the sale started at 11:30), and most of the samosas were already gone. Also, there was only one tray being sold. 1 tray a samosa sale does not make!!!

RIP but great weekend

So i think i've officially killed my babies. Last week, i returned from my long weekend and found Bammy, my arugula sprouts keeled over. Tonight, I got back from my weekend and found Gennifer brown and crusty. I don't understand how it dried up considering how much i watered her! I am distressed, and I'm not sure what to do. I replanted the arugula, and i have some baby sprouts again, but not as many as the first time around. I'm worried to say the least.

I just got back from an amazing weekend NYC! I went straight to the city on Friday night for mac and cheese and sangria from the airport with my sassy uptown friend and her friends. I saw my ex-roommate, who is dating a really cute girl. I almost fell out of my chair when i realized that he was almost 36 years old. It was awesome to see him and i want him to be friends with my b-school friends who had a housewarming party this weekend in Park Slope. These friends found an awesome apartment and had a cute party where we (I) drank lots of vodka and wine. Of course, i stayed with my favorite bestest friend, A-plus, in Carroll Gardens, and we brunched it up, shopped, and boogied in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and back in Brooklyn. Here are some highlights:

1. We witnessed, in Williamsburg, lots of hipster boys dancing solo to 60s soul, shimmying up a storm. I know my bestest friend doesn't think it's that big of a deal, but she danced with a guy with a humongous beard!!!!

2. She convinced me to buy a pair of butt-hugging overalls (on sale), and I had to get up the nerve to wear them out Saturday night. No one batted an eye in NYC, but not sure if they will be appropriate in Dallas. Also, am i too old to be wearing booty shorts?

3. Drunk hipsters grinding to slow jams is not a pretty sight.

4. My hair embraces humidity.

5. I had the most amazing iced coffee at Gorilla Coffee in Park Slope, and bought the cuuuuuutest coffee mug for work.

6. I LOVED seeing 2 of my favorite MBA friends living in Park Slope. It's as if they were born there.

7. It's still possible to look cute after standing in the middle of Hurricane Hanna, waiting for a cab.

I feel amazing after the best weekend in NYC, and am ready for Monday.

my first whataburger

I was fortunate to share a very intimate meal with a very very special friend of mine at restaurant called Whataburger. I know it sounds like a fancy place, maybe too fancy for me, but we decided that we deserved it after a few hours of travel, and a few more to come.

Apparently, Whataburger is a TX establishment, and is making enough money to advertise during the Olympics (at least in the Dallas market). Many of these restaurants are right off the highway, and I pass at least 20 of them on my way to work.

I was determined to have Whataburger, especially since my friend only had a 45 minute (we missed our skytrain stop, and then circled the highways for 20+ minutes trying to find the right exit) layover, and I needed to get this particular Texas experience out of the way. A) i was very impressed with the cleanliness of the place B), they bring your order to your table, like a real restaurant C), they bring you a well organized platter of condiments and mints with your meal.

Overall, I had a great experience! It helped that I had low expectations to begin with. I will definitely consider patronizing a Whataburger again.

My babies

So I have two babies. One is a little lemon basil plant named Gennifer (for Gennifer Flowers, Bill Clinton's ex-lovah) that was born with a crooked back. She has always been sickly, and I'm not sure why. I've been feeding her a diet of water and eggshells, which means she should be pretty healthy. There are fewer and fewer green leaves on her and it worries me.

The newest addition is an arugula plant named Bammy because it started sprouting on the day Obama officially became the Democratic presidential candidate. I am so excited about my newborn because i just planted the seeds on Saturday, and 3 days later, I have sprouts!!

Although, i have been this excited before. 2 years ago, i decided to start an herb garden, and i did get sprouts, but then everything molded over a few weeks later. I'm not sure what went wrong. If all goes smoothly, I'll plant a second arugula baby next month. This is special because neither Albertson's (although no surprise) or the Farmers' Market sells arugula.

Here is a photo. Isn't he cuuuuuute?

Don't worry, I'm back

I know all of you have been wondering where I've been. And by all of you, I mean the one person who asked me about the blog this past weekend. Anyhow, lots of happy Dallas things have happened in the last week.

1. While recycling my paper products, a car pulled up and a guy got out with tons of cardboard boxes. I felt a kinship with this guy because we both had one goal in mind - saving the earth!!! We exchanged smiles and it made me feel like there are people who care about the environment here in the Big D.

2. My friend from NYC came to visit and we had the BEST BEST BEST weekend! We had lots of drinks and caught up on the last 6 months of our lives, hung out by the pool and drank free beer, went to the rodeo and honky tonk in Ft. Worth, watched the new Woody Allen movie, and made a totally fresh and yummy meal made from ingredients from the farmers market.

3. The rodeo and honky tonk was so amazing! OK, not totally true, but totally ridiculous. The rodeo was a little bit shocking because there was quite a bit of calf torture. Then there was the part where 50+ little kids got to run out in the middle of the ring, and chase a sheep that was scared sh*tless. There were way too many guys wearing Wranglers and cowboy hats.

4. My Ft. Worth rodeo outfit was very appropo. I channeled Daisy Duke and wore a vintage plaid shirt tied at the waist and denim booty shorts. No cowboys asked me to dance though :(. My friend from work took pity on me and *kinda* taught me how to two step. We ended up elbowing a lot of people in the face.

5. OK, this is not a great thing, but while driving home from Ft. Worth, I encountered a car driving on the wrong side of the road while a train came rolling towards me. Freaky, especially with a car full of people, but glad it wasn't my fault!

Hummer count: waaaaaaaaaay too many to count. The best place to see a Hummer line-up is valet parking at the mall. I saw four in a row! Incredible and barfy!

What do I do with all my plastics?!

Being from California, recycling is in my blood. I've been recycling since the womb. These days, every household is given a composting bin to reuse food waste. The City actually picks up your compost bins weekly, along with your other garbage and recyclables.

When I moved to NYC, every apartment building had recycling bins. When I lived in the dorms, every FLOOR had recycling bins. In one apartment building, I put some recyclables in the wrong bin and the super actually knocked on my door and reprimanded me (i have no idea how he found out it was me).

When I moved to Carrboro, NC, I was annoyed that there weren't recycling bins next to every garbage bin. I had to carry (or drive if i had just had a party) my recyclables to the middle of the complex to dispose of them. But at least there were bins, so i dealt with the inconvenience.

When was in Cincinnati for 3 months last year, I was SHOCKED to find that the apartment complex I lived in did not do recycling. However, there were easy to find drop off centers that accepted glass, plastic, and paper. I simply saved up all my recyclables for the summer and on the last weekend, drove everything over and dropped it off.

Now that I'm in Dallas, I am struggling to recycle anything!!! The city really makes it difficult to do so. My apartment building claims it is trying to work with the city to offer recycling here. I read on the Dallas City Hall site that recycling is only offered to residential homes, and not offered at apartment complexes as of yet, and that they understand that 60% of people here live in apartment complexes. I don't understand why it is currently not feasible for the city to pick up recyclables from apartment buildings - they just need bigger bins!

I searched online for a list of recycling drop off points. I went to one yesterday - about 2 miles away, but they only take "brown glass", "clear glass", and "aluminum cans". I did more research and found that there is a paper recycling bin at a high school half a mile away. That leaves me with my plastics. What do i do with them?! I've searched and searched and searched, and i cannot find one location that will take my plastics within a 20 mile radius!!! There is a location 20 miles away with a plastics recycling "igloo" but is it worth the gas and fumes that I emit driving there and back?

The Albertsons across the street only recycles plastic bags. The church down the street takes newspapers, but not cardboard or books. Why is it so hard to recycle around here?! I think I might just take plastics to work, where there are recycling bins in the cafeteria. People will start calling me the crazy lady who brings her trash to work.

Making friends

This is my first real weekend here in the city as I was in Chapel Hill 2 weekends ago, and Jim was here last weekend. I was a little anxious on Monday because i didn't want to be a total loser and watch 48 hours of Olympics this coming weekend because i didn't know anyone. SO, I made a point to contact everyone I knew in Dallas.

Monday: emailed 3 people from the MBA class at the company that I had met last week who live in Uptown Dallas (the other ~25 live in the suburbs. boo!) to hang out this weekend. Got one response and we set up happy hour for Friday after work.

Tuesday: Called up the girl from hip hop class last week and invited her to brunch this weekend. She accepted, and we confirmed 11am at La Duni.

Wednesday: Facebooked a guy that I met recruiting for another company in Dallas who had invited me to play beach volleyball the previous week. He sent me another invitation to play volleyball this coming weekend in Addison. I RSVP'd yes!

Thursday: Texted the one guy I know in my building who is also new to the area to grab a drink after work. He texted back that he had a biz dinner but could meet later. I texted back that was an Olympics junkie and asked about Friday after work. He texted to say yes and ask if it was a date or just friends. I texted back to say I had a boyfriend and that we're just friends. He texted back to say it was cool. I texted back to say we were meeting up with new people at work that I didn't really know but they were nice. He didn't text back.

So, now it turns out i have a pretty full weekend and I am looking forward to getting to know some new people! I am relieved and glad that people like me!! At least enough to spend a couple hours with me this weekend.

I guess when it rains it pours - this week, a woman at work approached me in the cafeteria saying she had never seen me before in the building. She was Asian, and I think it was an Asian connection thing. She emailed me later and invited me to lunch. Then I had lunch with someone who happened to sit next to the guy who interviewed me last year! The guy who interviewed me then emailed me to invite me to lunch in the near future. It looks like I am going to lunch it up!

Some finer moments

So i've had quite a few successes in recent days.

1. I took a hip hop class from Dallas Power House of Dance, which is the studio where the Dallas Maverick dancers do their training. Not only did I meet a very sweet girl who just moved here from Houston, and is a really good hip hop-er (we exchanged numbers!), but I had such a good time learning a routine to Estelle and Kanye's new song "American Boy". Also, the students were young, but they weren't in high school, so I didn't look like Sharon Stone among a class full of Mylie Cyruses. I am so excited to take classes in the fall because they have an advanced class and I am ready for the video vixen in me to come out.


2. My special male friend came to watch the Olympics with me this weekend, and during a break, we ventured out to Plano to the Asia World Market, supposedly the mecca of all sorts of Asian groceries in the DFW area. Woo - it sure was! I stocked up on noodles (ramen, egg, rice, thin, wide and flat, and more), cans of Mr. Brown coffees, frozen dumplings, pickled veggies, chili sauce and more. It's kind of further than I'd like to travel for grocery shopping, but I'll allow a big trip once in awhile. It was very nice to be among Asian people again and smell a whole lot of soy sauce everywhere.


3. I know it's cliche, but I am really feeling Taco Diner as my local place! It is such a scene-y place, especially on the weekends, but the tacos (corn tortillas, very important) and margs are very yummy and affordable, and it's just an easy place to go for a bite.


I also got my Texas drivers license and look at how ridiculous i look in the photo! I look ridiculously tan, and I have a huge stripe down the middle of the forehead like a skunk. I'm sure my parents would die of embarrassment if they knew I was posting this photo (as you know, snowy white skin is preferred in Asian cultures).

Hummer count: 2

The most beautiful woman in Dallas

I purchased a copy of D Magazine at the airport because it was the annual "Best of" issue. I have a friend from NYC coming towards the end of the Aug, and I wanted some good restaurants and bars to take her to. I'm also considering a subscription - I think it's the New York Magazine of Dallas - kind of quirky, high brow, and practical for the Dallas-er. (for some reason, that doesn't sound right).

On the inside cover of the magazine was a full page ad that whispered, "The Choice is Yours...the 10 most beautiful women in Dallas 2008" with a photo of Hilary Kennedy, the 2007 winner of the Most Beautiful Woman in Dallas competition.

DBeauty, the beauty/fashion arm of DMagazine, is the sponsor of this competition and there is an open nomination process! There is a questionnaire to fill out, including the following:

1. Please tell us about the candidate’s charitable contributions or community activism:
2. Please tell us about the candidate’s hobbies:
3. Please describe the candidate’s personality:
4. Please tell us why this person loves living in Dallas:
5. Please tell us why this person is beautiful:
6. Attach 3 photos of the candidate.

Voting begins on September 1st, 2008, but all nominations had to be in by July 31st. The winners will be featured in the Winter issue of DBeauty AND the January 2009 issue of DMagazine.

Miss Hilary is an attractive and well spoken woman, but not overly young, gorgeous, or big breasted (see her video here). So, I came to the conclusion that I could be one of the most beautiful women in Dallas for 2009!! I don't know why I love living in Dallas (yet), but I'm sure I could come up with a very compelling answer. Also, I haven't done any community service in the area, but because it is a requirement for the competition, I would be motivated engage in it over the next year. Plus, I think I need some time to do a little bit of body sculpting for the photos that need to be submitted.

It would also be awesome to be the 1st Asian winner!! I think it would be monumental, and maybe I would be casted to be in some local tv commercials, or be on the billboard for the Texas lottery (for education!). I would also be a role model to all young women in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and I have always wanted to be a role model.

Here is the link to see the winners from 2007. I think if I put my mind to it, I can definitely crack the top 10 for 2009. I'll send you all reminders to nominate me next summer!

Hummer Count: 2

God's Social Network

On my horrible commute home this evening, a huge monster truck cut in front of me without signaling. I was kind of mad (because i was running late to my first Texas Rangers game) until I saw a huge sticker of the following URL on the back window: www.godssocialnetwork.com.

I just checked it out, and it is a Myspace/Facebook/LinkedIn for super devout Christians! The site encourages you to join God's network, but you can't actually invite God to be your friend. I think the site is trying to build traffic, and they've even created a widget for Facebook.

Hummer count: 3

Not an instant connection

You know how sometimes you go somewhere and you think "OMG, i could totally live here!" even though you've only walked down the street, or had a really good sandwich or something like that? So I don't feel that way about Dallas, and it's been 2 weeks.

I feel like there is potential, however, so I'm going to remain optimistic.

So today was a day of firsts.
1. I got Texas plates today (!!!!), and i put them on my car MYSELF. this is the first time i've ever done this.
2. I took my bike for my first ride around town. The first 10 minutes was really cool, but i thought my wheels were kind of flat. On the ride home, my seat started twisting and turning and it kind of freaked me out. It was totally what i thought would happen - my bike would just fall apart as I was riding down the street. I was DYING to get home so i could readjust, but I'll try again tomorrow.
3. I went to my first independent coffee shop! True to Dallas, the A/C was blazing. It was still cute, and I got some reading done.
4. Hummer count - zero!

I've also noticed that I have been tearing up a lot during reality TV shows. I shed some tears watching Made on MTV. A teen performed a hip hop dance at her talent show, and i don't know what came over me. I've totally become a Carebear.

my very first post...please be nice

I just moved to Dallas -aka "The Big D"- and because it is soooooo different from anywhere I've ever lived, I thought I would chronicle some of my (mis)adventures, observations, and general thoughts.

I googled "Dallas stereotypes" and this is what I found: big boobied cheerleaders, big cars, cowboys, blond teased hair, ladies who lunch, the sitcom "Dallas", George Bush (both of them) and JFK.

Based on the 1.5 weeks that I've been here so far, I'm going to say "yes". Here are some other observations I've made so far:

• 100+ degree weather EVERY SINGLE day. Although there are sidewalks galore, the only pedestrians you'll see are homeless people and...me. And I'll have heat rash.
• Hummers EVERYWHERE. Gross, especially when they only get 8 MPG.
• There is actually an abundance of public transportation here. It's not super convenient, but it's on time, comfortable, and inexpensive. There is even a McKinney trolley in my area that is FREE! People actually stare when they see me standing at a bus stop.
• The yogis here are HARD CORE. They have amazing bodies, are super spiritual, and have great taste in music.
• Alcohol is served at movie theaters! Well, at least the independent theaters, which is awesome. The Magnolia is just a block away, and has a very nice lounge, and the Angelika is one DART stop from Cityplace station.
• Dallas does not recycle. My building doesn't recycle. I think I found a recycling station near me, but not sure how often the recycling is collected.

ok, enough rambling for now. I'll have more dedicated posts in the future.

Today's Hummer count: 3