In the Summertime: 21 Resolutions

In light of the upcoming summer solstice (OK, I know I'm like a month in advance, but...) I thought up 21 things I want to habitually accomplish over the course of the summer. Most of the items on the list are pretty simple, which hopefully means I'll stick to it (maybe ?) And I figured that I'd kick start the list because the longer I wait, the less likely I am to actually complete anything on there. Plus, I think summer officially starts the second I feel an OUNCE of humidity in the air

1. Take a sewing class

2. Ride my bike

3. Walk

4. Make some $$$

5. Roast some marshmallows (& perhaps a bit of camping)

6. Read (A Natural History of the Senses, My Year of Meats, The Royal Road to Romance, V. Woolf essays & short stories, among other things)

7. Write

8. Picnics & BBQs

10. Frequent neighborhood farmers' markets

11. Stock up on Polaroids

12. Nature hikes

13. FINALLY finish Twin Peaks (I've seen season one and bits of season two)

14. Bake (this also includes Jellies & Popsicles)

-Work out baking club...

15. Set up my fashion theory independent study

16. Practice driving (I HATE it)

17. See the beach? (it's been ages)

18. Play some croquet

19. Visit my friend in Seattle if I can find the time & the money

20. Catch up on movies I've missed in the past couple months

21. Enjoy some contraband fireworks

Mental Cheesecake

Here are two of my favorite quotes to ruminate on:

When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself

-Jacques Yves Cousteau

&

From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity

-Edvard Munch

OM NOM NOM NOM (or, adventures in eating)

I like to think I'm an adventurous person, but my friends usually tell me the only thing I'm adventurous about is my food. Which might be true. Last weekend I went out to dinner with some friends & ordered the crispy pork belly with red cabbage, bacon, black pudding & cider sauce. This was the first time I'd tried pork belly & black pudding and the result was pretty satisfactory, although I'd have to say surprisingly that I enjoyed the black pudding just a little bit more. Honestly, if I didn't already know, I'd never guess that black pudding had blood in it. It had a really pleasant earthy flavor and a firm but crumbly texture. This might have to become a habit... Anyway, that dinner got me thinking about food I'm dying to try

Squid Ink Ice Cream

Ever since I saw this awesome picture of Bjork chowing down on a plateful of squid ink pasta, I've wanted to give squid ink a go. I love calamari, and even though that's totally different from the squid ink itself, I have high hopes for this one. Although, I do wonder what ink would taste like. Certain flavors seem easy to imagine, but I can't conjure up any for ink. But if I ever do get a chance to sample it, I feel like ice cream would probably be the best way, at least the first time around

Donut Upside Down Cake

I covet this cake. Just looking at it gives me diabetes. Cakespy & Serious Eats invent the most creative concoctions and they have several recipes on their site I really want to experiment with (Superbowl Brownies... Peeps Pizza...), but I think I might add pineapple to this recipe. Donut Upside Down Cake sounds AMAZING in and of itself, but Pineapple Donut Upside Down Cake? You can't beat that, man

Frogs' Legs

Apparently these taste like chicken. Or so I've heard. I'm actually cursing myself on this one since I just took a trip to Paris & it didn't even occur to me to hunt these down. At least I had some divine pastries to make up for it. Whoever invented the Religieuse is God

Absinthe

Actually, I have a bottle of this back home, so this might be the first one I tick off my list. And I've technically taken a sip of absinthe before-- it's wonderful; it feels like fire in your chest and nose-- but it won't really count until I drink an entire glass. Plus, I've got to make a 'Death in the Afternoon'. It's a classic but simple cocktail, just absinthe and champagne. Can't beat that as far as I'm concerned

Legit Sushi

I mean like real sushi here. Not the bland, prepackaged California Roll garbage they sell at grocery stores, which is tragically the only kind I've tried. I'm talking about raw fish and salmon roe here, not any of that imitation crab stuff for people too scared of salmonella. People go bananas over good sushi, so I feel slightly out of the loop

And speaking of trying new foods, here's a link to the Omnivore's 100. It's a list compiled by the Very Good Taste blog about the 100 foods everyone should eat before they die, although no. 46 might actually kill you

http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/archives/399

Happy eating!

Girl Crush

She's SO hot. Platonically speaking, of course. The term 'girl crush' is constantly thrown around with little care these days and I happily take part. Crush denotes a kind of instantaneous infatuation, without much rhyme or reason, but it changes when talking about a girl. In this context, and in my experience, girl crushes often occur from lusty adoration of a person or character's style, attitude, intellect & overall conduct. I don't want to get into her pants; I'd rather wear them myself. Girl crushes for me have a slightly sensual tinge, but mostly function as a source of kick-ass sartorial inspiration, and I have countless real and fictional girl crushes

So, here are my top five girl crushes in no particular order:

1. Andie Walsh (Pretty in Pink) Sure, she looked looked like a big old hot mess in the final prom scene, but until that point she had the coolest, edgiest New Wave outfits & wasn't afraid to tell the preppies off. Plus she had three majorly hot guys vying for her affections. I maintain she should have surprised everybody and gone for James Spader... But I think despite the fact she's wearing a heinous Home-Ec crafted sack, she's still adorably cute. She looks like strawberry sundae! And, hey, it was the 80s after all (side note: I covet her red hair)

2. Margot Tenenbaum (The Royal Tenenbaums) Speaking of sundaes, I adore Margot Tenenbaum. She's pretty much a ubiquitous girl crush these days and it's easy to see why. Disaffected, eccentric & enviably stylish, she's basically the epitome of cool even though she spends half of her time locked in a bathroom smoking cigarettes. Like Eli says, "I always wanted to be a Tenenbaum." And so do I

3. Enid Coleslaw (Ghost World) I'm pretty much obsessed with both the graphic novel and the film. Actually, it's one of the few instances where I think the movie adaptation accurately captures the feeling of the book. Thora Birch is insanely awesome as Enid and plays her jaded attitude with complete perfection. Enid's constant cynicism and flair for morbidity makes her the ultimate disdainful outsider. Plus, I love her funky style-- I think she might be the only character I know who can pull off metallic light green lipstick and still look extraordinarily cool

4. Annie Hall (Annie Hall). Diane Keaton represents the classic girl crush here. She's also probably the first incarnation of the infamous manic pixie dream girl: flighty, neurotic & intoxicatingly effervescent. In any case, Diane Keaton plays Annie Hall (or rather Diane Keaton?) with sparkling vivacity, and in the process created her own idiosyncratic, androgynous look, still fashionable today. So, la-di-da

5. Zooey Deschanel Even though she's the product of show-biz nepotism, I can't resist those enormous blue doe eyes. She's relatively new to the mainstream Hollywood scene and has made it big for her charming quirk and her amazing set of pipes. She's distinct from the other ladies on the list since she's a real person. Furthermore, she's demonstrated her duality by establishing herself both in music & movies. Her collaboration with M.Ward in She & Him channels folksy vintage country and I can't stop whistling along