Little B in the Big D

I ASK YOU TALK: Ho Ho Ho! Some Santas Have Provocative Xmas Wishes This Year

2009-12-14T22:52:00.016-06:00

December 2009 has, so far, been so wonderful and fun! I got to attend my first company holiday party, where I bonded with teammates, drank my fair share of chardonnay, and watched the executives boogie down to the Black Eyed Peas. I also embarked on a challenge with a friend to do "5 cool things in Dallas" before the end of the year. A bit ambitious, but fun to get up off my butt and get out on the town. Please send suggestions my way if you live in Dallas, as the challenge will continue through 2010!

I was, however, super bummed when I missed out on "Photo with Santa" day at work this year. Needless to say, I was pumped when a motley crue of Santas walked into the bar I was in last Saturday!

I think I said "woo!" out loud.

I asked these beer drinking (and slightly pervy) Santas, and other boozy bar goers (including a roller derby diva), about holiday wishes, songs, and mistletoe.

Name: Dirty Santa (right)
What do you want for Xmas? A v*gina. It's gotta be nice, and no VDs.
What is your favorite holiday tune? Silent Night...in German.
Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? The girl from Serendipity! Kate Beckinsale! She is the love of my life.

Name: Flava Flav Santa
What do you want for Xmas? A homeless woman with no clothes. She's gotta be clean. I just want to make her some clothes. OR, a midget with one leg and a good attitude.
What is your favorite holiday tune? Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? Tiger Woods - just a kiss on the forehead. I feel bad for him. I'd give him a bro hug.

Name: Joel
What do you want for Xmas? A sultry, intelligent girlfriend with red hair. (hmmm...see below)
What is your favorite holiday tune? This is the worst question ever! I would have to say I'm Getting Pissed for Christmas by Peter and the Test Tubes.
Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? Blake Lively.

Name: Maggie
What do you want for Xmas? An intelligent, nerdy, sweet and faithful boyfriend with glasses and brown hair.
What is your favorite holiday tune? Nat King Cole's Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? Let's see...Paul Rudd. Or the boyfriend I got for Xmas!

Name: Cruella Bruisille
What do you want for Xmas? A tattoo of a derby girl and a bass guitar.
What is your favorite holiday tune? Mele Kalikimaka
Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? Gene Simmons, for his long tongue.

Name: Phallic Thimble
What do you want for Xmas? For Queen to go on tour again
What is your favorite holiday song? Chiron Beta Prime - Jonathon Coulton. It's nerd folk.
Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? Drew Barrymore. She's someone who can kick my ass!

Hope you got some good ideas for your holiday playlist. Thanks to everyone for reading and sharing this year!! have a happyhappyholidays, and see you again in 2010.

I ASK YOU TALK: The American Rock 'n' Roll RAWKS in Rome

2009-11-30T20:41:00.011-06:00

Hey! It's been a couple of months since a post, but I'm back online and on the street. I had a pretty sour October, which put me in a mini-funk and mostly MIA, but for the most part, it's behind me now. I'm feeling refreshed, after a week + of vacation, parental pampering, and a few gallons of white table wine.

I spent 3 tiny days in breathtaking Rome the early part of last week to burn some vacation days, catch up with the Karmachaya family (whom I hadn't seen since graduation!!), and get into a little bit of trouble with my bestie, A Plus, and her friend, BigBon, from college. While there, I became obsessed with the following:

Pasta, pasta, and more pasta
Nuns, but more so priests (see below)
Cobblestone streets, bridges, and fountains
Ridiculously thin Italians eating extremely carby meals

One night, after a 5 hour dinner and 3 liters of wine, the three of us were ready to turn in when we noticed a smoky crowd loitering outside the "best" rock 'n' roll bar in town, Big Star. Inside was a *super* enthusiastic DJ yelling "I love American Rock N Roll!" so we decided to stay for a beer (and strangely enough they had bottles of Brooklyn Lager for 4 euros).

Thanks to some liquid courage, I attempted to ask the locals some random questions about America using the five words I knew in italiano. It didn't really work, so A Plus and BigBon stepped in as my expert translators.

Name: Emanuele
Age: 28 years
Favorite American Rock 'n' Roll band? System of a Down
Have you ever kissed an American? No, not yet. But I like all girls - Italian, American, Asian (ed: not sure if he said this for me?)
Other interesting facts about him: He doesn't drink that much because he is training for an Ironman, and he likes to take serious photos.

Name: Martina

Age: 24 years

Favorite American Band? Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder is beautiful!

Have you ever kissed an American? One moment please...no, but maybe I would. Wait. I don't know if I would.

Other interesting facts about her: She is friends with Emanuele.

Name: Gabriele

Age: 22 years

Favorite American Band? Red Hot Chili Peppers

Have you ever kissed an American? Si, Lynn Frasier. She lives here, but she might be from Washington D.C.

Other interesting facts about him: His friends were being haters because I kept speaking Spanish.

OK, this wasn't my best effort, but I'm rusty after a 2 month hiatus so cut me some slack. I promise the next one will be better.

I ASK YOU TALK: Crushing on a professor is generally weird

2009-09-28T09:07:00.012-05:00

New Trapper Keeper designs, Obama’s controversial message to the kids of America, and a recruiting trip back to my alma mater put Back to School top of mind this month. I’ll probably never go back to school again, but it doesn’t mean I can’t reminisce about the days of yore. Here are some favorite memories:

Flunking my first midterm (macroeconomics) and my dad was actually pretty cool about it
Hosting a “Kama Sutra” Valentine’s Day educational event as an RA - got a huge turnout and a Best RA nomination that year
Getting asked out by “Derek Jeter” at Nevada Smiths, a bar that allowed any NYU girl with a fake ID. Fortunately, I didn’t know who he was at the time and thought he was creepy, so I didn’t call the number that he gave me (and it most definitely wasn't him)

With trips to DC, NC, and downtown big D this month, I asked the locals some hard hitting questions about their schooling.

Name: Po-Ming
Favorite subject in school: Consistently, math. It came really easily to me.
Did you letter in any sport/activity? No.
Biggest teacher crush? No. All my professors were econ nerds.
Which TV high school would you want to attend - Bayside High (Saved by the Bell), Beverly Hills High (90210), or the High School for Performing Arts (FAME)? Beverly Hills High – I thought David Silver was cute. But actually, I liked Melrose Place.

Name: Daniel
Favorite subject in school: Biology. I like the human body.
Did you letter in any sport/activity? Football, baseball, and basketball. I guess you could say I was a jock.
Biggest teacher crush? Mmm...kinda...well, not really...no, I don't think I had a crush on any teachers.
Which TV high school would you want to attend - Bayside High, Beverly Hills High, or the High School for Performing Arts? Beverly Hills High – It seems much more exciting and edgy than Bayside High and I have never seen Fame.

Name: Jose
Favorite subject in school: Math, I guess. It was easy and didn't require much thinking.
Did you letter in any sport/activity? Uh, no.
Biggest teacher crush? None! I swear to god!!
Which TV high school would you want to attend - Bayside High, Beverly Hills High, or the High School for Performing Arts? Bayside High. A.C. Slater, a Latino actor, inspired me. He taught me that there is more to life than roughnecking and working in the sweltering heat in West Texas. A.C. Slater was, and is, my role model!!

Name: Lesley
Favorite subject in school: Beginning Drums class in college.
Did you letter in any sport/activity? I lettered in golf (and eventually turned pro), basketball and badminton.
Biggest teacher crush? None. People who hooked up with professors gave me the creeps.
Which TV high school would you want to attend - Bayside High, Beverly Hills High, or the High School for Performing Arts? I'd rather go to Sweet Valley High. I'd be friends with Elizabeth Wakefield.
Name: Terry
Favorite subject in school: Video production in college.
Did you letter in any sport/activity? Football, weight lifting and track. I ran the 400.
Biggest teacher crush? Every guy had a crush on Ms. Monroe, a math teacher. She was a MILF.
Which TV high school would you want to attend - Bayside High, Beverly Hills High, or the High School for Performing Arts? Beverly Hills High since everyone sleeps around with everyone else.

Name: Stacey
Favorite subject in school: Current events, senior year in high school. It was a constitutional debate class that you had to apply to get in.
Did you letter in any sport/activity? Marching band freshman year. I played the flute.
Biggest teacher crush? I had a crush on my environmental studies professor in college. He had salt & pepper hair, and when he showed his liberal, feminist side...hearts!!
Which TV high school would you want to attend - Bayside High, Beverly Hills High, or the High School for Performing Arts? Bayside High. I wish I could do what Zach Morris did - freeze time and turn to the camera for a monologue.

I, personally, would attend the Fame high school. I can definitely rock a leotard and make Leroy my boyfriend.

I ASK YOU TALK: Love, Gangs and Celebrities in La La Land

2009-09-03T22:50:00.016-05:00

I recently took a quick jaunt to Los Angeles to celebrate the birthday of one of my dearest friends, Jethro. Jethro and I have a lot of history - learning Spanish in Madrid, crashing open bar parties in New York, having Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, and more (my dad fondly remembers Jethro as “Dan”).

His birthday weekend was “wig-alicious” (as in, many wigs were worn), and, surprisingly, I left liking Los Angeles better than I thought I did. I asked current Angelenos and Dallas dwellers about the city and other tangential and need-to-know questions.

Name: Jethro
Years in Los Angeles: 6 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? It's easy to escape. The foodie culture of San Fran is an hour flight away. The excess of Vegas is a four hour drive. My family and the easiness of San Diego is two hours away. And when I'm missing the NYC winter, I can get a cabin in the (probably fake) snowy mountains of Big Bear - just a couple hours away!
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? I actually smoked cigs with Courtney Love during the intermission of Frances Bean's school production of Grease! I was there 'cuz my friend directed the musical. Frances Bean played Rizzo and Courtney thought she was being typecast because her mother was,well, not Sandra Dee.
Bloods or Crips? Shoot, I grew up in South San Diego during the late-80s, early 90s. Ihad cousins on both sides, but I was, and always will, remain neutral.

Name: Kelly
Years in Los Angeles: 2 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? Old hotel neon signs, palm trees, graffiti, burritos, little armenia/thai town w/armenian sausage sandwiches, runyan canyon, the formosa, the wiltern, angeles crest highway, PCH1
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Ringo Starr. I saw him at a meeting.
Bloods or Crips? Neither because they were both set up by the gov't to sell guns and ratchet up profits for the prison industrial complex.

Name: Brian
Years in Los Angeles: On and off for 30 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? (1) unbeatable lifestyle opportunities (2) incredible year round weather (3) amazing ethnic food & culinary scene (4) melting pot of cultures and diversity
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Gwyneth Paltrow at JFK - she asked me if I knew what movie was playing on the flight. I turned and said "I sure do...it's Shallow Hal!" hahaha!
Bloods or Crips? No preference. These gangs are a JV version of what they used to be.

Name: Ayyy (not real name)
Years in Dallas: 5 days
What do you love about Los Angeles? The city’s atmosphere and it’s close to the beach!
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Brad Pitt in Springfield, MO, which is his hometown. This was when he was still married to Jennifer Aniston.
Bloods or Crips? Bloods. I have red hair!

Name: Kayyy (not real name)
Years in Dallas: 4 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? Santa Monica and the culture.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Lyle Lovett in the Austin Airport while waiting for my parents.
Bloods or Crips? Crips – I look better in blue.

Name: Crissy
Years in Dallas: 12 years
What do you love about Los Angeles? The weather – it’s hot but refreshing.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? The Rock! I love the Rock. I saw him at LAX. I didn’t know it was him at first and he walked right by me!
Bloods or Crips? Crips – blue is my favorite color.

Name: Pedro (not real name)
What do you love about Los Angeles? Disneyland. But Los Angeles is a sh*thole.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? Leslie. He wears a thong and a cropped shirt. He’s a local Austin celebrity and he hangs out on 6th Ave.
Bloods or Crips? Not answering because I work in Oak Cliff and there are a lot of gangs there. (Ed: Can someone confirm this?!)

Name: Tom
What do you love about Los Angeles? I’ve never been, but I think of Disneyland.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? I was on a ski lift next to John Travolta in Aspen. I was in high school.
Bloods or Crips? Bloods. I like the Chicago Bulls.

Name: Ebony
Years in Dallas: 1 month
What do you love about Los Angeles? Everyone hates the pretentiousness but I love it! Stay at a millionaire’s house and you’ll love it too.
Best or most recent celebrity sighting? I met a real life “Chuckie” on Hollywood Blvd. He was 3 feet tall – WTF?!
Bloods or Crips? Scared. Just scared.

Now I have a craving for palm trees and a LiLo sighting!! Are you in a gang or have a great celeb sighting you're dying to tell people about? Post it here.

I ASK YOU TALK: Elvis Impersonators talk health care

2009-08-17T18:35:00.004-05:00

This past week, I was able to see some of the best Elvis impersonators in Dallas sing their hearts out for a grand prize of $1,000. It was a great night in Oak Cliff - extreme swooning from ladies who love Elvis, large ectoplasm green margaritas, and a whole lot of sequins. Not to mention a semi-creepy electronic "Bust of Elvis" that was up for raffle. Oh, and did you know that Elvis died with 60 lbs of poop in his intestines?

The performances were extremely passionate - almost as passionate as the town hall meetings that are occuring around the country about health care. So I asked some of the Elvi, as well as some attractive Dallas professionals at happy hour, some important questions about their health.

Name: Roger

What was the worst illness or injury you've had? Pneumonia when I was little.

What is your medication of choice? Antibiotics, especially Z-pac. I had bronchitis recently.

Do you have health insurance? Yes.

Name: Aaron
What was the worst illness or injury you've had? Busting my chin open in a fight over a girl.
What is your medication of choice? Tums - I take them all the time.

Do you have health insurance? No.

Name: Danny
What was the worst illness or injury you've had? A boxer's fracture - I had a fight with the wall. It took 5 weeks to heal.

What is your medication of choice? Adaptex - it's an appetite suppressant and I take it once a day. I'm not into hardcore drugs.

Do you have health insurance? Yes.

Name: Katy
What was the worst illness or injury you've had? 1. C-section - knocked me on my ass for weeks. 2. Freshman year in college - the doctor misdiagnosed me as having strep throat, but it was really tonsilitis.

What is your medication of choice? Alka Seltzer - for so many things - sore throat, upset stomach, hangover!
Do you have health insurance? Yes.

Name: Scott
What was the worst illness or injury you've had? Arthroscopic surgery on my ankle. It was a basketball injury.

What is your medication of choice? Mushrooms, under the right circumstances.

Do you have health insurance? Yes. Thanks to the government, my COBRA is now being subsidized!

Name: Bobby
What was the worst illness or injury you've had? I broke my ankle wrestling in high school. I was in the 108 lb weight class sophomore year, 135 lb weight class senior year.

What is your medication of choice? Vodka.

Do you have health insurance? Yes.

Name: Michael
What was the worst illness or injury you've had? Last year, I fell down the stairs and cracked my head. I got three staples, a major concussion and minor brain trauma.

What is your medication of choice? Vicodin. It makes me relax.

Do you have health insurance? Yes.

Luckily, the worst illness I had involved a tainted chicken pizza from UNOS and some puking at a hipster club and on subway later that night. It was more embarrassing than anything.

Post your worst illness/injury or medication of choice here.

I ASK YOU TALK: What should I name my first child?

2009-08-10T22:46:00.016-05:00

For those of you in marketing (like myself), there’s a hot new trend called crowdsourcing and everyone is doing it. The best definition I found for crowdsourcing was “consumers as creators” – consumers offer companies their ideas in hopes for some recognition and a prize, the companies hope the consumers are more engaged with their brands than they were before.

Examples:

Netflix is offering a million dollars to team with the best algorithm that predicts what films members will like.
American Airlines is offering 25,000 miles to the person who comes up with the best name for their new Facebook app.
Threadless.com, a hipster t-shirt company, solicits designs and the highest rated ones get printed and sold.

Since I aspire to be on the cutting edge of marketing, I decided to test drive this concept (at my friend Rachel's birthday party) and crowdsource some important questions that I need answered in my life.

Name: Christina
Years in Dallas: 9 years
FroYo stores are all the rage. What should I name my first franchise? Fruity – it sounds healthy!
Where should I go on my next vacation? Thailand – for the fabulous beaches, great food, and it’s very affordable.
What should I name my first child? Alexander. You can call him Xander for short, which I think is so cool.

Name: Troy
Years in Dallas: 1 year
FroYo stores are all the rage. What should I name my first franchise? Betty’s – I like personalization
Where should I go on my next vacation? British Virgin Islands – you can go island hopping by sailboat.
What should I name my first child? Rachel – after the birthday girl, and only if she is born on August 7th

Name: Carrie
Years in Dallas: 1 year
FroYo stores are all the rage. What should I name my first franchise? Frozen Yogurt Store

Where should I got on my next vacation? Spain, Italy and Greece – my faves!
What should I name my first child? Carrie. It’s a good name.

Name: Gustavo, aka “Chino”
Years in Dallas: 4.5 years
FroYo stores are all the rage. What should I name my first franchise? FREEZE – because frozen yogurt is frozen.
Where should I go on my next vacation? Argentina – the exchange rate is 3 to 1 right now, and there are three distinct climates – hot, mild, and cold. The mild section has lots of nice wineries and it's where I'm from.
What should I name my first child? Facundo – it’s a sexy Argentinean name for a guy.

Four is not a crowd, so I also crowdsourced from this thing called the internets. Here are the best answers:

1. FroYo stores are all the rage. What should I name my first franchise?

Fro Yo Sto!
The Cream Pump
Brrrrrr
A Little Culture
Sour Milk

2. Where should I go on my next vacation?

Maui - so you can say Maui Wowee! (ed. note: Maui got multiple votes, but i've already been 2xs)
Vancouver - a lot of history and the Olympics will be there next winter
Ireland
Pick a region of the country and drive to it - enjoy the journey, not just destination (ed. note: very deep!)
St. Vincent - black sand beaches make for amazing sand castles

3. What should I name my first child?

Lucas
Roger
Betty Jr.
Brett Chung
Barnaby
意
Carvin Stone

The winners get a dinette set, and their answers posted on my blog! This crowdsourcing experiment was a success!

I ASK YOU TALK: We All Have "More to Love" So Love Us More

2009-08-03T21:56:00.002-05:00

This edition is an interesting edition because:

1. It's "Virtual" - I simply didn't have the energy to accost strangers this week in Dallas.

2. I am personally connected to each of these people - read further.

3. The show "More to Love" debuted last week and OMG OMG OMG!!!! Did they really need to display the weight of each woman everytime they featured her? Side note: does Antonio Sabato Jr. *really* need a dating show?

Anyhow, I wanted the world to learn more about some of my friends, their wonderful "More to Love" body parts and how they keep themselves the gorgeous and fit beings that they are.

Name: Debbie
Betty Connection: We eat mac ‘n’ cheese everytime we see each other
What part of your body would you consider “More to Love”? My big hair which gets really curly and poofy in the summer and my large personality.
What is your workout regime like? Squat and lunges 3 times a week and 1-2 day of cardio. I should do more cardio but oh well!
Do you have any workout advice for my readers? Mix up your workout and do as much cardio as you can tolerate.

Name: Sid
Betty Connection: We are email pen pals/fiends and friends from high school.
What part of your body would you consider “More to Love”? 1. My pecs. I like to do a lot of pushups. Women should love my pecs. 2. My passion. I get excited talking about things that probably bore other people. I don't care. I love what I love and you should love that I do.
What is your workout regime like? I've had to get back to basics so I focus on pushups, sit-ups, and other body-weight exercises daily. I try to follow Jason Statham's advice to explode in the gym for 40 minutes max, so you can get out there and live a real life.
Do you have any workout advice for my readers? Don’t set unrealistic and unreasonable goals. Set a very small goal, attain that, and then make another small goal.
Check out Sid's musings about life, law and media at siduberoi.com

Name: Betsy
Betty Connection: We make fun of boys at bars
What part of your body would you consider “More to Love”? I would say my demanding personality. It makes me feel like a real woman.
What is your workout regime like? I was able to drop about 20 pounds in a few months sticking to a strict cigarette and coffee diet.
Do you have any workout advice for my readers? Smoking is totally underrated as a weight loss tool.

Name: Aaron
Betty Connection: We both attended a 3 day web analytics training session last fall in Herdon, VA.

What part of your body would you consider “More to Love”? Let's just say that you hate to see me go but you love to watch me leave. My larger than life ass has made pants buying a challenge for years.
What is your workout regime like? I usually spend an hour a day with my Wii Fit. The Hula Hoop game is a gruelly aerobic workout and I'm a much better virtual hula hoop-er than I am a real life one.
Do you have any workout advice for my readers? Workout to stay healthy. My roommate does two-a-day workouts to achieve the perfect body but you only need it if you're in pictures. Your adoring fans are your friends and family and they don't care if you gorgeous - they just want you around for as long as possible.
Get your entertainment fix, all opinionated and stuff, at Entertainment Matters, courtesy of Aaron.

Name: Amreen
Betty Connection: We went to high school together
What part of your body would you consider “More to Love”? I love me my little pot belly... it took years to get comfy with it and realize that the waif look was never gonna be me but now it’s just so fun to rub... specially after a lovely meal!
What is your workout regime like? I don't "work out" per se but i'm pretty active...I ride my bike around a lot and try to do bikram yoga 3 times a week... my new found love is hula hooping... man that whips a tummy in shape!

Do you have any workout advice for my readers? Find something you love doing and stick with that - staying healthy shouldn't be a chore.
Hungry? Salivate over Amreen's yummy-licious blog Comida y Cultura.

Name: Andrew
Betty Connection: My date to the Sadie Hawkins dance sophomore year in high school
What part of your body would you consider “More to Love”? My calf muscles. I have been born with large calf muscle genes that I don't fully utilize.
What is your workout regime like? Jogging/running 3 times a week, abs twice a week, muscle building 3 times a week. Sometimes I go swim, yoga or just do something different.
Do you have any workout advice for my readers? Stay consistent - This is the key to keeping up a healthy lifestyle and exercise routine.

Name: Ben
Betty Connection: My friend A+ and I met him at a bar in Brooklyn, playing Battleship (say that 3x fast!)
What part of your body would you consider “More to Love”? Ever since I can remember, both my thighs and calves were developed and bulbous, making my upper body seem puny in comparison. (However, this provided me with the incentive to get my upper body developed to balance things out.)
What is your workout regime like? It varies - in the winter I go snowboarding every weekend. In warmer weather I go bike riding with friends or play regular and table tennis (hey, I’m Asian!). I also practice jiu-jitsu.
Do you have any workout advice for my readers? Do what you love. You’ll stay with something if you genuinely enjoy it. And make sure you have fun!
Get your booty shake on - Ben spins funky stuff in the NYC area as dj SOUL KOREA. Keep track of his whereabouts at myspace.com/soulkorea and on twitter @soulkorea!

So hula hooping seems to be a new fitness trend, mix that up with some jazz walks and bicep curls and you've got a workout! Remember, you heard it here first @ little b in the big d.

I ASK YOU TALK: The Stuff We Can't Live Without

2009-07-27T20:52:00.013-05:00

A recent study came out claiming 71% of respondents "could not live without Facebook." C'mon, really? I love me some Facebook, but I can stalk ex-boyfriends in other ways on the internet. (just kidding!)

There are quite a few things I can't live without - chapstick and potato chips being tops on the list. No one wants to see me go through chapstick/potato chip withdrawal. I surveyed some happy people, all of whom have spent double digit years in Dallas, to find out the stuff they can't live without, and whether Facebook is one of them.

Name: Mauricio
Years in Dallas: 10 years
What is the one thing you can't live without? TV - The History Channel! OK, the news. I have to know what is going on in the world. I'll watch it on any channel.
Do you have a Facebook account? No, I don't.

Name: Christina
Years in Dallas: 32 years
What is the one thing you can't live without? A navigational device. I've lived in Dallas all my life but I am directionally (and vertically!) challenged.

Do you have a Facebook account? Yes.

How many friends do you have? Sub-200 friends.

Name: John (left)

Years in Dallas: 50 years

What is the one thing you can't live without? Music - I like classical and jazz.

Do you have a Facebook account? Yes.
How often do you go on Facebook? Twice a day.

Name: Mary (right)

Years in Dallas: 26 years

What is the one thing you can't live without? Films, especially ones that take you all over the world. I love international movies!

Do you have a Facebook account? You bet!
How often do you go on Facebook? Every 20 minutes! I'm a concierge and I read the status updates for stuff to do in Dallas.

Name: Kern

Years in Dallas: 20 years
What is the one thing you can't live without? Food. I think about it a lot. I'm not a material person. [ed: What is your favorite food?] I love fruit. And crawfish etoufee.

Do you have a Facebook account? Yes.

How often do you go on Facebook? Once a day.

Name: Joel
Years in Dallas: 28 years

What is the one thing you can't live without? The underground music scene. Through the years, I've been into the Butthole Surfers, but right now I'm into Japanese bands, like Melt Banana.

Do you have a Facebook account? I'm not on Facebook. I'm too old! I had a CB radio in high school!

Name: Phillip
Years in Dallas: 39 years

What is the one thing you can't live without? A proper martini. Gin stirred with cocktail onions. I make my own cocktail onions. It's not that hard.

Do you have a Facebook account? Yes.
How often do you go on Facebook? Almost never. Every living human I like, I see.

Is there anything you absolutely cannot live without? Post it here. Don't be shy!

**Thanks to Tony for taking all these photos for me!

I ASK YOU TALK: Looking Sexy When It's 105 Degrees Out

2009-07-20T23:29:00.000-05:00

Having grown up with the nickname *Sweaty Betty*, I desperately fear summers in Dallas because of the frequency of 100+ degree days. Between the months of May and September, it's not uncommon to see me wearing a big ol' sweat mustache.

How does a girl (or anyone, for that matter) stay even remotely cute when it's 105 degrees out?! I asked the advice of some moviegoers/workers/organizers at the Magnolia Theater, where I volunteered for the Asian Film Festival of Dallas this weekend.

Name: Josh
Years in Dallas: 24 years
On a scale from 1-10 (10 being the max), how sweaty do you get? 7 or 8 - I'm above average sweaty.
How do you stay sexy when sweaty? To stay refreshed, I take showers. I love wearing dark clothes, which isn't good for the summer, so it's tough.
What is your favorite icy treat? Bubble tea!

Name: Nguyen
Years in Dallas: 4 hours (visiting from the Bay Area- holla!)
On a scale from 1-10 (10 being the max), how sweaty do you get? 7 - heavy, but not a 10.

How do you stay sexy when sweaty? I just work the glisten! It's 2009 so matte is out, glow is in.

What is your favorite icy treat? Frozen yogurt from the Pinkberry in Soho. It's the original and has the best customer service, bar none.

Name: Alicia

Years in Dallas: 23 years

On a scale from 1-10 (10 being the max), how sweaty do you get? 6. I'm fairly sweaty, especially when I play tennis.

How do you stay sexy when sweaty? [laughs] Multiple wardrobe changes, showers and good deoderant.
What is your favorite icy treat? Bubble tea.

Name: David

Years in Dallas: 10 years

On a scale from 1-10 (10 being the max), how sweaty do you get? 10! I'm a big guy and I work out a lot, so I get very sweaty. My clothes are always drenched. I can't stand it.

How do you stay sexy when sweaty? I strategically plan my wardrobe - you don't want to wear long sleeves when it's this hot. I minimize my time outdoors.

What is your favorite icy treat? Vodka tonic, with extra lime (ed. note: a man after my own heart!)

Name: Shawn

Years in Dallas: 24 years

On a scale from 1-10 (10 being the max), how sweaty do you get? 10! I get so hot I could cook an egg on my chest.

How do you stay sexy when sweaty? I try to find an air vent and stand on top of it, a la Marilyn Monroe. I also carry a hankerchief.

What is your favorite icy treat? Natsumi's sorbet [plug for a sponsor of the AFFD]. I'm a vegan and sorbet is strictly fruit.

Name: Angie
Years in Dallas: 38 years
On a scale from 1-10 (10 being the max), how sweaty do you get? 7. I'm moderately sweaty.

How do you stay sexy when sweaty? A lot of blotting. Also, wearing things that are cool and catch the breeze. No black because it soaks up heat.

What is your favorite icy treat? Grande green tea lemonade with mango from Starbucks.

When it's 105 degrees out, I don't think any amount of wardrobe preparation will keep me from looking like sweaty pile of poop! But I definitely say yes to the vodka tonic.

I ASK YOU TALK: The Asian Edition

2009-07-13T21:52:00.001-05:00

They exist! I met some DFW Asians this weekend! In honor of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas coming up this weekend, I decided to feature an Asian themed edition. It turns out DFW area Asians (and friends of) are kind of over Hello Kitty, which makes me a little sad, and they sing a lot more than the average American.

Name: Eunice (right)
Years in Dallas: 22 years
Asian Languages spoken: Korean
Who would you rather be: Dragonball Z, Hello Kitty, or Anoop Desai from American Idol? There are just some questions to which there are no good answers, and I def think this is one of them. Hello Kitty wears no bottoms, Dragonball Z has crazy hair, and does Anoop even count?
How often do you karaoke? Once in awhile, when we can get a good group together to karaoke in K-Town. (and yes, it’s Agnes’s favorite napping spot)

Name: Agnes (left)
Years in Dallas: 23 years
Asian Languages spoken: Mandarin Chinese
Who would you rather be: Dragonball Z, Hello Kitty, or Anoop Desai from American Idol? What she said.
How often do you karaoke? Too often. Friends love to karaoke, I see karaoke as a place to nap and eat great late night food.

Name: Lindsay
Years in Dallas: 1 year
Asian Languages spoken: None
Who would you rather be: Dragonball Z, Hello Kitty, or Anoop Desai from American Idol? Anoop Desai, just to see what it's like behind the scenes at American Idol. To see what Paula is like in person, and if there is any interaction between the contestants and the judges.
How often do you karaoke? Not often. Pre-child, at least once a month. Post-child, never.

Name: Kenn
Years in Dallas: 19 years
Asian Languages spoken: Laotian
Who would you rather be: Dragonball Z, Hello Kitty, or Anoop Desai from American Idol? Dragonball Z, because his hair turns blond when he gets mad. If people could tell when I was mad, they wouldn't talk to me.
How often do you karaoke? Every other week. I just started with friends.

Name: Tony
Years in Dallas: 20 years
Asian Languages spoken: Vietnamese
Who would you rather be: Dragonball Z, Hello Kitty, or Anoop Desai from American Idol? Hello Kitty because I'm cuddly and friendly!
How often do you karaoke? Every two weeks. I like to sing the blues.

Name: Juan
Years in Dallas: 7 years
Asian Languages spoken: None
Who would you rather be: Dragonball Z, Hello Kitty, or Anoop Desai from American Idol? Dragonball Z becuase my brother and I grew up on the cartoons. It would be cool to fly around and do acrobatics!
How often do you karaoke? I haven't in a few years, although I used to do a summer program in Arkansas, and karaoke was the only thing to do there.

Name: Khemarak
Years in Dallas: 26 years
Asian Languages spoken: Khmer
Who would you rather be: Dragonball Z, Hello Kitty, or Anoop Desai from American Idol? Dragonball Z because he eats the same foods I do - riceballs and fish.
How often do you karaoke? I sing, but I don't karaoke.

Viva los Asians!!

I ASK YOU TALK: Older Cowboys are Mean

2009-07-06T18:48:00.013-05:00

Last Wednesday, I went TWO-STEPPING. No, really!! It was Ladies Night at Cowboys Arlington, and a co-worker invited me to go out with her and her friend. All I can say is WOW.

A few observations:

1. Older cowboys are mean. I asked a couple of older cowboy-types if I could interview them for my acclaimed Dallas blog. They said "Hell no!" I don't know if this was because they didn't read blogs, or if they were just camera shy. Younger cowboys, however, are very sweet - see "Allen" below for proof!

2. Cowboys are gentlemen. Despite #1, in general, men were very polite and asked girls to dance. They didn't just grind up against them and assume the girls would be ok about it (which is what I'm used to).

3. Ladies Night = Balloon Drop. This is possibly the coolest thing ever. At midnight, all the women get called to the dance floor. They all congregate underneath a huge net with hundreds of balloons (see photo above). The net is released and the women madly fight for the balloons. My balloon had a free drink ticket in it! My friend's balloon had two 1 dollar bills. Another friend's balloon had nothing.

I met some wholesome red-blooded Americans my night out with the ladies, and here's what they had to tell me about their 4th of July plans.

Name: Heather
Years in Dallas/Fort Worth: 20 years
4th of July plans? Cookout, watch fireworks off the lake, and go to the movies
Do you drive an American car? Yes, a Chevy!
Would you wear a stars and stripes bikini? Maybe if I were paid lots of money! But I used to have a stars and stripes leotard for gymnastics.

Name: Steve
Years in Dallas/Fort Worth: 4 years
4th of July plans? Going home to Harlem!
Do you drive an American car? Yes I do. A Lincoln.
Would you wear a stars and stripes speedo? I mean, yeah. I've worn speedos before.

Name: Aaron
Years in Dallas/Fort Worth: 6 years
4th of July plans? Sitting at the house. Don't have no plans.
Do you drive an American car? Yes, a Ford.
Would you wear a stars and stripes speedo? I don't know. It's going to be an instant reaction if I do or not.

Name: Brian [ed. note: he gave me a two step lesson!]
Years in Dallas/Fort Worth: 31 years
4th of July plans? Going to the lake, watch fireworks or something like that. Maybe go to a bar.
Do you drive an American car? No, I drive a Honda Accord.
Would you wear a stars and stripes Speedo? Not really into speedos. Maybe a stars & stripes bodysuit for surfing. I was in the Marine Corp Infantry. Our dress blues were very patriotic.

Name: Shawn
Years in Dallas/Fort Worth: 3 years
4th of July plans? Probably working. I work at IHOP.
Do you drive an American car? No, a BMW.
Would you wear a stars and stripes Speedo? No, I don't wear speedos. Also, I wear stripes, not stars.

Name: Allen
Years in Dallas/Fort Worth: 8 years
4th of July plans? Going to team roping and bull riding [ed. note: he's a real life cowboy, certified and everything!!]
Do you drive an American car? Yes, an American truck - Dodge Ram 1500.
Would you wear a stars and stripes Speedo? For girls as pretty as you, yes.

Awwwwww...needless to say, Allen totally made my night.

I ASK YOU TALK: 100% of New Yorkers would date a Texan

2009-06-29T18:39:00.018-05:00

I will admit that when I lived in NYC, it was the center of my universe and no other place even mattered. I realized that I should probably learn more about the rest of the country. I found myself relocating to Dallas, TX for a job.

I definitely had my stereotypes about Texas (and I've found many proven to be true), and call me ultra-ignorant (but only once please), but I didn't really know where Oklahoma was. I only found out after I insulted someone from Kansas, which is a moment I'd like to forget. I still don't know where the "panhandle" is, but now I realize that Dallas and TX are pretty cool and I'm embracing my new life here.

I wanted to find out how other New Yorkers truly felt about Texas and its surrounding areas, so I accosted some friends, and some randoms who became friends at my bestie's birthday party and show at Don Pedro's this past weekend.

Name: Anna
Years in NYC: 30
What comes to mind when I say TX? Big hair and BBQ.
Would you ever date a Texan? I'd date a Texan, but not a Republican Texan.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? YES.

Name: Dee
Years in NYC: 12
What comes to mind when I say TX? A**holes.
Would you ever date a Texan? 4 dates, max.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? It's Texas' hat. I kinda like Oklahoma City. I spent a nice afternoon there doing laundry.

Name: Ricardo
Years in NYC: 35
What comes to mind when I say TX? The Bible and oil.
Would you ever date a Texan? Yes, as long as she is not into The Bible and oil.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? Yes, I do! It's above TX, and the home of the Sooners!

Name: Jerome
Years in NYC: 10
What comes to mind when I say TX? BBQ. Good food.
Would you ever date a Texan? Yeah!
Do you know where Oklahoma is? Northwest border of TX, near the panhandle.

Name: Lauren
Years in NYC: 1
What comes to mind when I say TX? BBQ? I don't know why but BBQ is very hot in NYC right now.
Would you ever date a Texan? I'm married but I wouldn't rule it out, especially if he looks like the guys from Friday Night Lights.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? Is it above Kansas?

Name: Jim
Years in NYC: 2
What comes to mind when I say TX? Oil, yeah.
Would you ever date a Texan? I HAVE dated a Texan, from Austin. She's now a lesbian.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? Yes, just north of Texas.

Name: Steve
Years in NYC: 47
What comes to mind when I say TX? 6th St. in Austin
Would you ever date a Texan? I'm married to a Texan! We met @ Rodeo Bar when I played there 20 years ago.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? North of TX, west of Arkansas. I've been there a few times.

Name: Joseph
Years in NYC: 3
What comes to mind when I say TX? Lots of cool things in Dallas. Also a lot of oilmen and cattle raisers.
Would you ever date a Texan? Yes, for that wild frontier spirit.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? Panhandle.

Name: Peter
Years in NYC: 13
What comes to mind when I say TX? Tumbleweeds and revolvers (like the gun).
Would you ever date a Texan? If she was slammin'.
Do you know where Oklahoma is? *no comment* and I stand by that.

There you have it. 100% of New Yorkers who took this poll would date a Texan*. Yeehaw!

*certain restrictions apply, obviously.

I ASK YOU TALK: The Drink You Draaaaaaaaaank At 21

2009-06-22T19:56:00.001-05:00

What is it? It was your ol' standby at the bar, what you brought to parties and draaaaaaaaaaaank a lot of to have fun. At 21, I draaaaaaaaaank a lot of vodka gimlets, a favorite of grandmothers who play bridge. It was served in a martini glass, which was fancy to me at the time, green - a good conversation starter with greasy guys at the club, and a popular girl at school once told me it was cool. However, I haven't ordered one since!

After a HUGE win over 2nd place team "I'd Hit That", I asked my softball teammates, the Bayside Tigers, what they draaaaaank at 21.

Name: Rachel

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Profession: Marketing

Drink she draaaaank: Vodka martini, straight up.

Why? Because it got me drunk really fast.

Would you drink it now? No, I'd barf!

Name: Mike
Hometown: Ramsey, NJ

Profession: Selling Slurpies/Real Estate
Drink he draaaaank: Guinness

Why? 2 weeks after I turned 21, I studied abroad in Dublin for 6 months.
Would you drink it now? Oh yeah.

Name: Chris
Hometown: Schnenctady, NY

Profession: Account Manager

Drink he draaaaank: Stoli O & 7up

Why? I worked at a bar at the time, and we all drank it.

Would you drink it now? Yes!

Name: Kathleen
Hometown: Dallas, TX

Profession: Marketing
Drink she draaaaank: Strawberry Hill Wine Coolers

Why? It tasted like fruit juice and it's what people bought me.
Would you drink it now? Hell no!

Name: Aaron

Hometown: Chicago, IL
Profession: Auditor

Drink he draaaaank: A tie - PBR and Olde Style

Why? PBR - cheap. Olde Style - cheap and a Chicago thang.
Would you drink it now? Yes, and yes in Chicago.

Name: Randy
Hometown: Detroit, MI

Profession: Executive Cashier
Drink he draaaaank: A shitload of Red Dog

Why? Cheap, cool branding (ed: executive material at such a young age!), and readily available.

Would you drink it now? I think so.

Name: Katy

Hometown: New York, NY

Profession: Marketing

Drink he draaaaank: Single Malt Scotch
Why? Because I dated a Scotsman and became a fiend. Also, it tasted like bacon.
Would you drink it now? Yes.

Do you have a special drink you'd like to share with everyone? Post it here.

I ASK YOU TALK: What is your 2009 Summer Jam?

2009-06-09T22:31:00.001-05:00

I'm starting a new and HIGHLY journalistic venture. It's called I ASK YOU TALK and it's where I ask people I know and don't know random, yet pertinent questions that everyone needs answers to. And I also need a reason to meet interesting people in Dallas.

For once, I'm NOT doing the talking! Don't be shocked. Also, please don't make any comments about the alignment of the content - i just can't get it to work right now. Digest and enjoy.

Vol. 1: "What is your 2009 summer jam?"

Summer is upon us - some of us will do 108 sun salutations to celebrate the solstice...others will sit by the pool and chupan los polos (today was my last day of spanish 1)...but we all need a playlist to chill to. Want some ideas? Here are some suggies from my very best Dallas pals.

1. Name: Whitnee
Hometown: Pittsburg, PA
Profession: Summer Intern
2009 Summer Jam: Christian Baleout
Why? "It's really good for running."

2. Name: Chris
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Profession: Summer Intern
2009 Summer Jam: Rockin That Thang - The Dream
Why? "It's hot."

3. Name: Shana
Hometown: Mansfield, TX
Profession: Producer
2009 Summer Jam: Cool Summer - Bananarama &
Miami - Will Smith
Why? "Four words - Caribbean cruise, underage drinking. Oh yeah and "Sweep the leg"."

4. Name: Brian
Hometown: Austin
Profession: Airline Merchandising
2009 Summer Jams: Word Up - Cameo
My Girl Likes To Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy
Mr. Robato - Styx
Why? "My cousin had a Cameo tape and he played it a lot."

5. Name: Beth
Hometown: Iowa
Profession: Sales
2009 Summer Jam: Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard
Why? "This is what I used to listen to on my way to Wilmington Beach (NC) and it sets the right mood for a day of fun in the sun."

6&7. Name: Matt & Ashley

Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC & Marrietta, GA

Profession: Finance & Real Estate

Matt's 2009 Summer Jam: Roof Gardens - Al Jarreau

Why? "Jazzy and catchy!"

Ashley's 2009 Summer Jam: Letters From Japan - Burts and the Bees & Lovely Day - Bill Withers

Why? "They make me happy!"

8. Name: Randall
Hometown: Jacksonville, AR

Profession: Producer

2009 Summer Jam: Movin On - Gnarles Barkley
Why? "Saw the music video at SXSW."

Was this a success? Who knows. Did it help you get a few minutes closer to happy hour? Maybe. Offended? I don't know how you would be! Have some ideas for my next edition? Comment and maybe I'll use it next.

back in black

2009-05-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

yo. i'm back in black.

i actually don't know if that really means anything. I just thought it sounded right.

OK so here is what is going on in my life.

1. I am totally running out of clothes to wear to work. I have a pants rotation each week, and every Friday, I seem to wear the same pants and shoes combination. I wonder if anyone has noticed at work. This weekend, I am vowing to do some closet organization, and hopefully get my work wardrobe in order. It's just that work clothes are so boring and they make me feel like a fuddy duds.

2. I was in the car with some co-workers going to lunch and waving along side the US and the Texas flags was a HUGE white flag that said simply, "JESUS".

3. I signed up for a massage of the month program at a place in the West Village called Massage Envy. I hope it goes well. My first massage was today and i enjoyed it. My masseuse was kind of a talker though.

4. I am eagerly awaiting some tomatoes to grow on my tomato plants. I think now is the time to plant more veggies...a la Michelle Obama and her plans for the White House Garden. Can't wait for the farmers market this weekend so i can get some!! I need to buy dirt also.

5. Sleeping 8 hours a night makes me feel like a champion in the morning!! I'm going to try to do that more often. Getting woken up at 5am because of thunder, lightning and torrential rains makes me feel very crabby.

6. I put in an order for a new laptop!!! It has THREE gigs of ram!!! WTF?!?! That is so awesome! I can't wait to get it.

7. I realized that I cannot OD on reality TV shows featuring aspiring models. damn.

xoxoxobetty

dude, social networking is tiring

2009-04-01T23:43:00.003-05:00

twitter, blogger, facebook, linked in....i can't keep up. I need a sched.

Healthy Mac N Cheese and Living off the grid

2009-03-15T13:12:00.001-05:00

I tried a new mac n cheese recipe yesterday, claiming to be very healthy, low fat, and delicious.
It came out perfectly, but it didn't taste cheesy at all. One of the main ingredients is pureed carrots. So, it totally looked orange, like mac n cheese should, but with none of the buttery richness. Maybe's it's because there was no butter in it. Oh well. At least I have some guilt-free pasta for the next few days.

Just got back from amazing Caye Caulker, Belize (my 2nd trip) after a week of craziness at work. It was a vacation i DEFINITELY needed! Here is a list of things I did:

Read a book
Got a tan
Snorkeled among sea turtles
Drank a lot of rum/beer
Got food poisoning
Watched several hours of Parental Control on MTV
Had rice and beans for every meal
Went cave tubing
slept close to 12 hours a night

On our cave tubing trip, we met a couple of Belgians who had just moved to Belize last year. They were relatively young (prob late 20s, early 30s), and they had come to open a dive shop, a 3 room guesthouse, and restaurant on Long Caye, a little island near the Blue Hole. It's at least 2 hours by boat from anywhere, there are no land lines, and only 4 people (including themselves) live on this island.

What?!?!

I thought it was so insane that they went from a bustling European region to a tiny island off the grid. Plus, high season in Belize is only about 4-5 months long, so for a big part of the year, they are practically alone. They seem to enjoy the peace and quiet so far, and the first 3 months were difficult without friends and family, but now they've settled in and have no regrets.

It's amazing to hear people who leave everything to open a fledging business in the middle of nowhere.

FIERCE!

2009-02-10T14:26:00.000-06:00

Normally, at work, I spy lots of ladies who would be perfect candidates for "What Not To Wear." The outfits are atrocious, ranging from head to toe fuschia suits, sequinned mohair sweaters, hospital scrubs paired with pumps (seriously), helmet hair, and shoulder pads, shoulder pads, shoulder pads!! Sometimes, I feel like I'm stuck in an episode of Dynasty.

However, as of late, I've seen a few very sassy outfits on women in a range of ages. Not just matchy matchy Banana Republic work separates, but very stylish, almost cutting edge ensembles. Yesterday morning, I saw an older woman with a jet black bob with blunt bangs and Elvis Costello frames. She wore a pencil skirt and a blouse, but with some seriously sexy patent leather stiletto open toed booties. There is also a woman on my floor (and i have no idea what she does), but she has a Pin-up girl vibe to her...flippy shiny blond hair, bright red lipstick, and polka dot vintage dresses. FIERCE!

Sucky Stock Show

2009-02-09T12:17:00.000-06:00

Argh, I totally got my hopes up about the Fort Worth Stock Show this weekend because people had been telling me how fun it was, and that there were wild mustangs on display and for auction, and all these cool musical acts were going to be there. Anyhow, we got there at 6:30pm on Saturday night, and the first thing we encounter is a sign that said "Very few livestock exhibits on display today."

WHAT?! A livestock show without livestock?! It instantly put me in a bad mood. Not to mention we were starving.

We did end up in the cattle barn and that was pretty cool to see all the award winning cows and the cutie little baby cows. It was shocking to see how many men were wearing cowboy hats and boots (i would say the majority). I can't believe they were selling tractors and other machinery there. And the rodeo was SOLD OUT!

The beer was free flowing, however, so we did enjoy a beer while perusing the exhibit area, and cows. The horses looked so sad though.

I guess the best time to hit the stock show is early, and during the day?

Hops are part of the Cannabis family

2009-02-03T09:03:00.000-06:00

Last night, I went to a beer tasting titled "Hops Heaven" at a bar neear my house. I learned that Hops are a bittering agent/preservative, and that they are part of the Cannabis family. They are used in soups, and smell like feet.

Beers typically have an IBU rating, which stands for International Bitterness Unit. We started out with a beer with a low IBU - around 35, and it was very mild. The last beer we tasted had an IBU of 100+, which was way too insane for me to drink. In fact, it made my eyes water, and it numbed my throat!!

That night, I had crazy dreams about beer drinking and woke up thrashing in my bed.

Hit or Be Hit

2009-02-02T10:45:00.001-06:00

This morning, I almost got hit by a huge Coca-Cola truck entering the highway. Then as I was getting exiting the highway, I almost hit a car (she was in my blind spot).

Blecch. I am not a fan of driving in the morning, pre-coffee, especially after a weekend of excess.

At least the weather is GORGEOUS this week! The ice storm was definitely an experience. Last Wednesday, I took one step onto the sidewalk and fell right on my ass (like a cartoon). Luckily I have plenty of padding, and it didn't even hurt! Then driving on the highway over icy patches was waaaaaaaaay scary.

stupid weather!

2009-01-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

What is up with the extreme weather here in north east texas?!

Because of the weather, all the fun things for the week have been canceled. Like my first spanish class, happy hour, and more. blecch! No one was on the road today, and my MD forced me out of my cube at 5pm. I guess that's a good thing, but i ended up going home and watching a million hours of TV. Every 5 minutes, the weather report is "freezing, icy rain!" and "getting colder by the minute!" Is that BS or what?! There is not a single drop falling outside my window.

Good 1st week of 2009

2009-01-10T19:09:00.001-06:00

* Take spanish classes - registered
* Take a jewelry making class
* Commit to an organization and do volunteer work -volunteered for the Tarrant County Food Bank on Thursday afternoon. It was actually really fun! I and 10+ of my fellow MBAs spent 3 hours packing 40 lb boxes of food. Manual labor can put things in perspective, especially since b-school does not really train you to do that sort of thing. We were responsible for sifting through huge bins of cans, condiments and dry food, sorting out donated food that was expired or dented, and making sure each box had 40+ lbs. It was very satisfying and of course, I found a way to make it competitive (who could find the heaviest items, who could find the best and most useful combinations of food). I felt very good about my efforts after the afternoon was over, and I got to hang out with some people i wouldn't normally see.
* Visit my parents in CA once a quarter

Socially, i thought this week was a success since i had made 3 plans with people and nobody canceled on me!! This is monumental and has never happened to me before in Dallas, so I felt pretty good about that. Even though one or two of them were awkward like first dates, but i am hoping over time that feeling will go away. I went to the Crow Museum of Asian art for the first time with this couple that i love from work and we saw this amazing tiger painting exhibit and had some free wine.

Lastly, I went to a detox yoga workshop this afternoon, and while it ran a little long and was a little too chatty and crunchy for me, I learned a lot about detoxing the body and bought a neti pot!! Also, the yoga practice at the end was amazing. I'll let you know how the nose cleanse goes...

A few things i learned - 1. the flatter the bladder, the better, so go when you need to go!
2. burping and gassy-ness typically means that you have too much waste in your intestine (so poop already!), and there is nowhere for the waste to go but via burping and farting.
3. Sweating is great because it releases toxins, but if you don't rinse it off after 45 minutes, then your skin will reabsorb it.

happy 2009 and to new beginnings

2009-01-07T22:22:00.000-06:00

2008 was kind of a rough year, especially with my move to Dallas and some mishaps with finding a social network and some work troubles. However, I am trying to be optimistic in the new year, trying to keep busy by learning new things, and just taking it one day at a time!

Here are my new year's resolutions:

* Take spanish classes

* Take a jewelry making class

* Commit to an organization and do volunteer work

* Visit my parents in CA once a quarter

So far, I've signed up for spanish classes, and I think i'm on my way to learning more about an organization that sounds interesting, and is in the community where I live.

I have also been making great strides in my yoga practice, surprisingly! I've been doing a little bit more yoga since I've moved to Dallas, and I've mentioned that the instructors here have been awesome. Today, I achieved flying crow pose!! Well, not perfectly, but for the first time, it didn't bruise my upper arms, and i felt really confident and strong doing it. It was an amazing feeling to do something you never thought your body could do. I've been trying to do this pose for years! A photo of what it looks like is above.

I also discovered Sirius Satellite Radio on my TV, and i am currently listening to the Spin Doctors!! Major flashback.

Exciting Hummer News!

2008-12-05T13:27:00.000-06:00

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.

2008-11-30T13:13:00.001-06:00

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!

2008-11-26T19:10:00.000-06:00

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

2008-11-09T20:45:00.000-06:00

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

2008-11-05T22:22:00.001-06:00

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!!!

2008-10-26T22:41:00.000-05:00

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!

2008-10-23T22:49:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-02T22:03:00.001-05:00

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!

2008-09-24T22:51:00.001-05:00

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

2008-09-14T17:51:00.001-05:00

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?

2008-09-13T17:09:00.000-05:00

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

2008-09-10T12:08:00.000-05:00

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

2008-09-07T23:19:00.000-05:00

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

2008-09-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

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

2008-08-27T19:22:00.000-05:00

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

2008-08-25T23:04:00.001-05:00

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?!

2008-08-17T10:40:00.001-05:00

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

2008-08-14T21:43:00.001-05:00

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

2008-08-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

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

2008-08-05T00:13:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-31T23:32:00.001-05:00

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

2008-07-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

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

2008-07-27T18:09:00.000-05:00

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