8/10 -- not too shabby!

Smile Politely (another CU food blog) just posted this article...

The Top 10 new restaurants of the decade
10. Taco Loco
9. Escobar's*
8. KoFusion*
7. Xinh Xinh Cafe*
6. Thara Thai
5. Luna*
4. Siam Terrace*
3. Bombay Indian Grill*
2. Farren's*
1. Black Dog Smoke and Ale House*
(* = where swong has eaten)

pretty good list, imo. so glad to see that farrens and black dog are the top two. totes agree with that. but surprised siam terrace is #4. i've gone twice and both times i thought the food was kinda overpriced and bleh (basil thai is muuuuch better!) i'm curious about thara tho. and escobars should be higher than #8. they have delish latin inspired food AND FREE MUFFINS. (one time the free muffins were banana/chocolate/coconut/caramel....just think about that)

anywhoo i have two to still check out -- let's go!!!

finally signed up for the illinois half!

the race is may 1st 2010. my training starts feb... ohhh boy. excited/nervvv!

OMG i love jason segel

found this on tresugar...it's currently my status on the fb

that number actually works! if u click through and read the comments on the vid they're like "awesome dude! spent 10 minutes talking to him. he was super nice" and stuff like that. ashley and i were gonna 3-way call him. but i was downstairs and was too lazy to get my phone. anndd i def am too awkward to be able to carry a 10 minute convo with him. i suck. i know.

anywhooo i decided to look for other vids of jason singing on youtube. found this HILARIOUS clip of him with nph singing le mis.

...total swoon!

food-centric igoogle themes and gadgets...oh my

to paraphrase laura forman -- "great, not that i didn't think about food enough. i'm going to be obese. thanks."

check it out hereeee

list of chi-town restaurants i want to go to during breaks --

i thought a physical list might be a good idea...

1. Edzo's
2. Smoque
3. Xoco
4. Alinea
5. The Publican
6. blackbird
7. avec
   

definitely my winter nail color.

so i'm pretty much one of the most indecisive people ever..duhhh. its just that i'm always afraid of making the wrong choice so it takes me forever to find something and stick with it.

such examples of my indecisiveness include --

• ordering food. i'll change my choice like 4 times before ordering. and i usually ask to change it a bit still. ohhh and i eat off of other people's plates to try what they had. (orrr i'm just being a lazy fatty..)
  
• shopping. uhh how many posts have been devoted to my search for my perfect bootie???
  
• nail color. it took me until i was 19 to find a pink nail polish i was satisfied with....haha

soo what if i were to tell you i found my new favorite winter nail color on a last-minute polish decision??? hellooo russian navy in matte

basically...i was getting a pedi (with midnight in moscow, obvi) and saw the ad for jimmy choo for h&m. the ladies in it had bejeweled dark blue nails. i decided i wanted to try blue. i saw russian navy in matte on the wall and went with it! and now...LOOOOOOOOOVE. for ya'll who know me, this is bit shocking. even changing to a dark color this season was a struggle (i attempted to switch to MinM a week before i actually did but couldn't take its intensity after seeing it on two nails and went back to LTMER) so to switch from my go-to winter color for 3 years to a new one on a snap decision? huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge deal. haha

i actually don't like the matte look and had to put on two coats of top coat to make it shinier. but -- i'm glad i went with the matte because the original one has glitter (grossss). the matte version's also nice because it doesn't show uneven painting/imperfections as much. and i feel like i've seen a lot of bold nail this season (ie chanel's jade, bright reds, and the tzr's suggested white a few weeks back..). for me, russian navy's a nice pop without being too much. the cool, dark blue seems stand out from my colorful tops but still not be (too) clashy.

(i took a pic of my nails and i'll post it once i upload stuff from the cam cam!!)

my never-ending search for my perfect bootie...

i'm liking KC's louboutins here.... so maybe these in all leather. but with a shorter and/or wider ankle??

food network's 30 minute turkey chili

check the recipe out here

doesn't seem too hard....and i can do it in a large skillet! wooooo

i'm thinking bout making this weds night and then watching top chef. maybe with cornbread too!

who's in??

moving to the dark side

i realized it's time to move to dark nail polishes....

so goodbye Let Them Eat Ricecake and hellooooooo Midnight in Moscow.

difficult move for me after being OBSESSEDwith let them eat ricecake for the past four months.

but i'm back in love with midnight in moscow. i started wearing this senior year of high school when i decided that black nails were too intense for me. midnight in moscow is black but with fine red glitter, which makes it a bit more warm and not so goth-like. woooooooo!

soo yeah, i'll be rocking this color till spring. holler

(oh and ashley didn't like the picture of my ninja cuz she said it freaked her out...so i had to change it)

not that i like burgers or anything...

Edzo's. Grass-fed beef. Written about in the New York Times. Meat is ground fresh daily. Everything is cooked-to-order. tonnns of toppings. oh, and its in evanston.

lets go.

WANTED: warm/cozy outfits that are still fab to go out in

it's getting cold out and going out in tanks or skirts isn't really flying anymore. sooo dilemma -- how can i dress for the weather without looking like i'm about to trek the north pole??

i have a couple of ideas in mind. tell me what you think/gimme your suggestions!

1. smart layering. what i mean is that i can still wear some of my warm-weather clothes but maybe throw on a pair of tights or closed-toe shoes (OR FUCKING BOOTIES IF I CAN FIND A PAIR!). last winter i kinda went crazy with tights that were on sale at banana and have amassed quite the collection haha. (so yay for not having to buy them!) i'm hearing that textured tights/leggings are being a big trend. (rzoe had lace leggings in one of her emails last week!) oh and scarves!!!! soo yeah i'll try to work on layering. but this will probs be a bit tricky and require me trying on 2307234234 different outfits...

(selena and taylor in textured tights/booties/closed toe pumps and lace leggings from r.zoe's email)

2. fab outerwear. i have an awesome grey wool blazer that i scored from my grandma last year. it's a bit cropped which works well for me since i'm short haha. and it helps tie in the many oversized tops i have. anddd i JUST bought a super fun faux moto leather jacket from forever and didn't break bank (too much..). YESSSSS

(awk pic of the blazer, my new moto jacket!!)

3. COZY TOPS. well...this will require some shopping. but i'm okay with that! here are some from fabsugar i found that i looooove. but they're expensive aka i'm gonna havta search for cheaper versions of these...

(sequined sweater by joseph $693, sequined stardust sweater by free people $118....sadness)

BUT SOME FUN (and realistic) OPTIONS FROM URBAN---

(these would all work very well with my new bandage skirt! haha)

thoughts/suggestions??

bourbon in the beauty world. holler.

sooo we all know that i'm a boy and love my whiskey, especially jim beam. i just love its vanilla/citrus/woodsy quality. so rich and warm and just awesomeee.

in case you're wondering, bourbon is whiskey made in the bourbon county of kentucky. kind of like how champagne is sparkling wine but made in the champagne region. (ahhhh guess how many times i had to retype that from champaign) jim is a bourbon. jack is not.

so imagine my excitement finding a slideshow of beauty products with scents of my fav alch! woooooo.

Check it out here!

Current Obsessions [november '09]

woooo it's november. fun things to look forward to this month -- parents coming down here, tgiving, shopping, reunited with fun people, and free time in the chi. but ok...what does swong love as of right now??

List of Stuff Swongy loves

1. Adding milk to coffee. now hold up, before you go freak out at me, don't get me wrong i'm a still avid black coffee with splenda girl. howeverrrrr coffee and milk has become my new fav pre work out drank.
   
2. Reading random articles. like REALLY random articles. maybe i'll start posting some of my favs... i just finished reading one in the nytimes about how restaurants are cutting costs. actually...read it here. pretty interesting!
3. Microwaved baked potatoes. it's getting cold out...so ive been craving warm foods more. and in three minutes you get a hot, fluffy and delicious potato. wooooo
4. Kevin Gillespie. Michael V is still a hottie (although I've realized he looks reaaaally awkward when he smiles) but Kevin is just adorrrable. i loved how in last week's episode he was saying how he had to work to get his chub-tastic body. and his cooking is just redonk. he won both the quickfire and elimination challange AGAIN. redonk. and i'm thinking he might win over the V bros. i know, i can't believe i'm saying that myself.
5. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. just started last week, already well into the 2nd season.
6. Yoga videos on demand. so awesome.
7. Roasting chicken....yeahhhhh i've been roasting one every week. oh and saving the carcass to make stock duhhh. and i've taken pics haha. i'll post them up soon.
8. hair products. i think it's because my hair's getting longer...but garnier fructise gel/creme = awesomeeee. oh and big fat hair hairspary.
   

Things i wanna do this month: continue getting back into shape, be more creative with the clothes i have, keep my room clean, not shop till tgiving break, keep an eye out for my booties, finish watching arrested development, clean out my closet, come up with new healthy recipes

some old jm. love.

finding the new lady gaga song on youtube ->making a new playlist of vids -> john mayer songs ->live jm videos -> this amazingness.

and not gonna lie, seeing him wearing the double polos made me really happy. what a great great trend. love love love.

but even with the very uhmmm douche-y attire, homeboy is rocking it. MAJOR.

cant wait to see him live again. always amazing. i'll drive to milwaukee if necessary.

(oh and let's try to bring back dated trends! nylon chokers anyone???)