this stuff is more than two years old, sorry.

but i just discovered the amazingness that is mark ronson! i mean, i knew about mark ronson..but just that he's the brother of samamtha and charlotte ronson. i didn't realize how aweeeesome his music is!

and on top of that he's beautiful -- here's a close up pic.

oh and there's more reasons why i'm in love with him --

• raised an orthodox jew
• grew up spending time between nyc and london aka AWESOMEEE accent
  
• he proposed to rashida jones by making a customized crossword that spelled out "will you marry me?" (they broke up tho)
• he did a line of sneakers with gucci
• plays 23798234 different instruments

anndd he did this song! who knew!?

betsey johnson fall '10 rtw

(from style.com, duh)

uhhh really wtf? i mean, i know betsey johnson does weird things but really...what is going on with the mustaches?

and ohhh my prom dress (which i looooooove) may or may not have been by her..

UPDATE --
ok, now i feel kinda bad. according to the huffington post, she was trying to do a tribute to alexander mcqueen. but ehhh

dvf fall '10 rtw

(photo from style.com)

how fun is that cardi!??!?! WANT WANT WANT.

it's snowing again...

(photo from urlesque via bwe.tv)

amen, pensive snowman, aaaamen.

happy chinese new year!!

Watch CBS News Videos Online

baby tigers and penguins...does it really get any cuter than that??

roasted potatoes

(yay to iphoto for making this a badass pic)

remember when i said i'd post pics of food i made? kinda forgot about that..whooops.

soo here are some roasted potatoes from a while back.

ingredients --
4 or 5 red potatoes
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
3 tbsp evoo
salt and pepper

put a pan in the oven and preheat it to to425 (sounds weird but you do it so the pan's hot when u add the potatoes). wash cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. add chopped garlic, evoo, thyme, salt and pepper to the potatoes and toss. roast for about 40 mins, flipping the potatoes halfway.

and that's it!

team usa olympic hotties

sooo earlier i wrote a response to ashley's DI opinions article about our lack of interest in the olympics that's currently going on. maybe if we knew about this list beauties that huff post has graciously compiled.

(uhhh let's just say i'll def be watching me some cross country skiing..)

altho i don't get why shaun white wasn't in it.

sidenote -- does anyone remember jeremy bloom? ohhh total swoooooon. esp cuz he was an amazing freestyle skiier AND football player.

"the new math on campus"

an article about the dating scene on college campuses was published in the nytimes. the article discusses how the dating scene has changed because there are more girls on campus than boys. it's actually pretty interesting/a bit too honest haha. check it out hereeee

UPDATE -- so i just checked and u of i is actually 53% male. but if you take out the population of enginerds and foreign exchange students then maybe there's still more girls? in any case still very interesting that nytimes has picked up on this.

battle of the white canvas sneakers.

keds champions vs converse chuck taylors.

thoughts??

cute picture.

from boy by band of outsider's blog. they're one of my fav brands (that i can't afford..obvs). in addition to the awesome clothes, look how beautiful dave franco is. and yes, those are boat shoes next to him.

another dress from thread social

it's $185!! so cheaper than the last dres...but still out of my price range :( but how prettyyyyyy

why is this $290??

its not that fancy but totes diggin this dress. sooo me, no? hate/don't understand the price tho.

i hate cristina bontempo

homegirl's currently in NOLA for mardi gras weekend. i got to get these pictures sent to my inbox (since i'm currently phoneless) --

oh, you know -- she's just eating amazing chicken (from a gas station, nonetheless) and world-famous beignets. no biggie. ugh. so jealous.

i don't apologize for liking this.

richie rich is on tv wooo

one of my favorite movies is on abc family right now --

extravagent sets, awesome fictional inventions, and rad mid 90's fashion. oh, and it's filmed in the chi. hollaaa

talk about marketing to young drinkers.

boxed wine...with a "pong hoops" game.
haha but i like!! it'd be funny if they did boxes for other colleges...

jerome dreyfuss billy bag

excuse me as i go insane. this is, as r.zoe would say, BANANAS.

I NEEED THIS. forget the burberry one. hooooly shit. too bad its still like $800 :( :(

one of the greatest people ever, ashley, is an opinions writer for the Daily Illini. wooooo i'm so proud of you!! she just wrote a great article about the olympics in the DI.

but here's my erhm, "late night", response to it --

i have read tons of articles dealing with the upcoming olympics. food blogs have talked about places to eat at in vancouver, fitness blogs have asked their readers about which sport they're interested in, and gossip blogs have showcased individual winter athletes more than before. so there definitely is hype!

anddd -- when i was in vancouver i bought an official canandian olympic team sweatshirt ;)

but i think the whole presumed people-not-caring-so-much about the olympics has to do more with factors other than our country's lack of consideration for other nations.

first off -- i kind of blame NBC's advertising. think about it -- they're the only company to bring the games to American TV's. it's not like the other stations that we watch would put up a PSA to tune into a competing station for the sake of "realizing we're like other countries".

also, NBC knows they're losing money on the games. they've predicted this as early as last year. i think it was upwards to about 250 million buckaroos?? aka they've kind of given up and have sold the ad-time to companies rather than using it for the olympic games.

secondly, our perception of the olympic committee, well for chicagoans at least, is another thing. for the bulk of first semester, we kept on getting bombarded with new breaks about chicago's run for the 2016 olympics. through this, we realized how much of a crazy beaurocracy the olympics is instead of a peaceful, world-unifying entity that it's assumed to be. we saw ungodly amounts money and effort being wasted on impressing a small panel of officials. i say wasted because what did we end up with? oh yeah -- the panel choosing rio de janiero (for good/bad).

third --with the improvement of the technology, people have cared less about joining and watching an event together at a single time. what i mean is -- people can find out results right away. there's no need for the public to collectively wait around to see something happen, as they might to figure out what that certain symbol meant on lost (obvs just made up, but seeing as how there were 2347029823 people who were peeing their pants for the lost premiere, i'm gonna say that's a good assumption) with twitter, fbook, and online-video-streaming, people have quick-access to information and can learn about results as they choose. it's not an all-or-nothing sort of deal, as it was in the past. each result is just a line of information rather than a monumental once-every-four-year event. just as easily as i can now find out what john mayer is thinking about, i can find out what olympic event is taking place and who has won what. furthermore, i don't have to worry about missing anything because i can always catch a replay on youtube.

but that's not to say that masses of people can't be unified by sporting events. we just had the super bowl with the highest tv viewership EVER. one simple football game brought together 106 millions viewers from around the world. crizazzyy

new orleans, our little city that was in shambles is now on cloud nine. i just read in a blog that a district judge ordered a continuance because he felt everyone needed to take break to celebrate! and we're all so happy for them...i think? i mean, you can't NOT be happy for a city who was under water only a few years ago and now their team to not only appears, but WINS, the super bowl for the first time.

and i know that people are going apeshit over the world cup this summer. i've seen tons of statuses about scoring tickets...and we're still months away!

hell, look at the haiti crisis! there have been breakfasts/lunch/dinners, parties, bake sales, cup nights, text campaigns, and basically everything else done to raise awareness and money to help out this country. so i don't think our campus or country are THAT self-involved...

so while i agree with you that it's a shame that people aren't really caring too much about the olympics and the athletes' hard work (not to brag or anything..but i was a figure skater..lolz), i don't think it's a horrible reflection about the attitudes of our nation. i just think that NBC has done a shitty job with advertising (among other things..team coco, holla) and that our view of the olympics and its events have changed.

new nail color!

it's suzi skis in the pyrenees. very similar to light my sapphire and dickstein approves too ;). the diff is that it's a bit more matte and grey aka it's good transition to spring! wooooot

why thank you fuck yeah jewish men --

so disgusting yet magical. all at the same time...

top chef masters 2 sneak peak!!

"If anything is certain from the clip below, Bravo's language censor will be just as busy as the sous-vide machine." -- slashfood

from the huffington post in response to this email

J.,

I think we need to talk. You know how much I like you. I did right from the start, ever since "First Look at Fall, 2006." All those plaids and flannels--it was intense! (With $98 cashmere v-necks, how could it not be?) I was young and you taught me a lot--the superiority of flat fronts over pleats, how calling a t-shirt "essential" justifies an extra $38.00, how I don't just like blue, I like aquamarine. I'll always cherish those memories, but...you're moving too fast. It's over.

I mean, you "heart" me? Just because you used "heart" instead of "love" doesn't mean I don't get it. Save that kind of manipulation for selling Secret Wash Polos--I deserve better! And Free Shipping? Thanks, but unlike your Bowery Messenger Bag, I'm not for sale. I told you I needed some time...some space to think, and what did you do? Catalogs twice a week and non-stop e-mails--you're suffocating me! Of course the 20% off orders over $150 is tempting, but I can't keep making the same mistake over and over again. I'm feeling pressured. Did you really think I wouldn't see the link to the "Weddings and Parties" page in your last message? Real subtle!

I just don't "heart" you back, and I don't think it's fair to lead you on. And you might as well know--I've started seeing American Apparel. Yes, I know that may be a little young for me, but I've started to feel things again I never thought I would or could. Things about hoodies.

Unsubscribe,

John

haha hilarious! altho i'm still love.

missed a chili fest, booo :(

i really hate school and how it interferes with my blog reading. look what went down two weeks ago -- chili fest at rockit bar & grill!!!

we all know how much i love chili (7 months till cu's beer and chili fest!)

actually, funny enough, look what i'm currently enjoying for din.

(yeah yeah i know i'm trying to limit my fast food intake but this bad boy only has about 250 cals and 17 grams of protein!)

i also really like rockit. i think the first time i went was during sophomore year of high school. my friends and i went there for dinner before a concert at the hob. it's dimly lit restaurant with rock music blaring and vintage album covers for menus. this was one of the first nice/trendy restaurant i ate at without my parents and i think that's why i still love it. awww remembering swongy in the early stages of her foodie-ism. i don't remember what i ordered the first time i was there (it was either some salad with salmon or their burger with pretzel bread..), but i can tell you i fell i luuuurve (aka why i went back and tried another dish haha). it has fun environment, good/hearty food, and GREAT bread basket (chocolate/cherry bread and pretzel bread!!) arghh i'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

sooo...rockit AND chili?? kind of awesome in my book.

it's an annual thing so maaybe next year. and/or when i'm cool, living in the city, and doing trendy things all of the time :)

dearest google,
all of your products (?) are pretty schweet and basically run my life. i keep tabs of gmail, google reader, google calendar, and this bloggy thingy open at all times. andd everything is synced to ze blackberry. but uh -- google buzz?? i don't get it. i linked my websites to it but then realized i looked like a complete idiot sharing 20+ blog posts and articles with my gchat buddies so i had to get rid of everything.

how does it work? and what am i supposed to do with it? i really want to like it, i swear!

(if anyone else could explain google buzz to me that'd be cool too.)

for all you beatles fans out there.

a yellow submarine teabag!

movie night anyone??

from unreality mag --

legit a movie. was nominated for two oscars. must see (with dranks?) and laugh.

pretending to be a cool foodie.

anyone in the UK wanna pick this up for me??

cheap eats in the chi!

thank you time out chicago.
there are $2.27 tapas buffet and free wing specials. CRAAAZYY

check it out here. def just bookmarked it :)

pie pops.

yes, these are for reals. they're mini apple pies on a stick from hoosier mama. def need to try these things. ummmmm shoot i'm trying to be healthy! maybe after my half?

thank you nordstrom for giving me an outfit idea.

denim shorts? check. grey wool blazer? check. navy and white striped top? like 4 of them.

adding another place to our 'when we're 21' list

sarahhhh --

the exchange??

EDIT --

oh and fifty/50??

"for $35, you get a BLT salad, an order of skirt steak on garlic bread, a slice of sweet potato pie, and three martinis."

:)

reason #2384023943 why i love tory burch.

...omgeeez.

new heinz ketchup packets -- ohhh boy!

from tastyblogsnack --




SO SO SO COOOL.

a girl can dream, right??

Burberry Tumbled Leather Tote....$995 :(

sooooooo pretty! its perfect in every way....except the price haha.

remember my search for a cute school bag..?

haha that search died wayy last year. i've been using my kipling (which is now like, 7 years old, oyyyy) and backpacks and look SO COOL.

but look what i found --

from j.crew. Removable, adjustable shoulder strap fully extends to 22". 5" handle drop. 13 3/4"H x 15 3/4"W x 4 1/4"D.

it also comes in black. anddd i don't have a black handbag. soo that might be a good poss. thoughts??

i'm kinda worried that the handle would be too short :-/

EDIT --
scratch that. my m by mj bag has a 6" handle drop and that's still a struggle to throw over the shoulder. sooooo NEVERMIND but -- def will be on the lookout!

What I did in lab today. Wuddup

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Early valentines gift from the mama!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Urban Belly

sooo this is a draft from january 7th. aka a month ago. whooops. i totally forgot about finishing this until i was checking out food and wine's website and came across their list of top 1o restaurants in chicago. and urban belly was in it! (so is L2O and my next bday restaurant the publican)

sarah, my fav fellow not-studying-abroad blogger, and i were finally back in the chi together this break and decided to go on a food trip. since xoco was closed for winter break, we went to urban belly instead.

(i appologize for the shady picture quality of my phone. oh, and you can on them to see bigger views)

outside: it's between a laundromat and a dry cleaner's. needless to say, we passed it twice. annd inside: yeahhh we were sitting at by the window. the place was really tiny. the place could hold 30 ppl, tops.

as you can see from the restaurant's location and setting, you totally get the sense that this place is a step down from Bill Kim's high-end restaurant when you come in (altho i've never been to le lan..lol, i'm just hoping/assuming).

but that's only in terms of the the ambiance and prices. the food is still pretty interesting and delicious --

(top to bottom: Pork Belly and Pinapple Rice Bowl, Squash and Bacon Dumplings, Soba Noodle Soup with scallops and mustard greens)

well actually, i hated the dumplings. i was expecting hearty and savory when i heard squash and bacon. legit, no?? but oh noo there was this weird citrus-y and minty sauce that went with it. and orange slices on maybe shizo leaves (?) garnished on top. i was also pissed when i found out we passed up on foi gras dumplings. arghhh. but -- these did have garlic chips so good job with that??

the pork belly bowl was good but the whole pork belly-ness seemed kinda gimmicky. because the meat was diced, you ended up with disproportionate mouthfuls of all-fat or all-meat. and while it was still pretty good, i couldn't help but be reminded by joy yee's pineapple chicken fried rice (which is probs a much larger portion for the same price).

i might feel this way because i had pork belly dishes at graham elliot and blackbird before coming here..my bad. actually :) i don't apologize for eating at those places haha.

anywho i have no complaints about the noodle soup tho. and it def made up for the faults of the other two dishes. the broth was very interesting and had a seafoody/pickled radish flavor. woww i'm clearly doing this broth justice. i mean that sounds extremely unappetizing but it was delishhh. it was served with soba noodles, fried fish cakes, and scallops and greens. yummyy.

and the service was awesome. there's only one girl working the counter/floor who managed to bring out our food, come back with bowls (mult times -- we wanted them for our soup and rice bowls...we're difficult like that), and also keep our water cups full. aaaand she even split up our leftovers when we were finished into cute take-out bags with extra chopsticks and ginger candy :)

oook i may have sounded pretty negative about the food but i def would go back. it was a really great meal (esp at like 15/person...WITH leftovers!) but i think the dumpling just put me in a bad funk. i'll probs try other things on the menu.

ohhh and i found out it's byob?! HOLLER.

Linebacker Limeade

ohh good job rachael ray. this sounds tasty and a good alternative to margaritas (which i sadly dislike because of my current hate relationship with tequila). who's up to try it this weekend??

from fabsugar --

Ingredients

Six 12-ounce bottles light-flavored beer, such as Corona
One 12-ounce can frozen limeade concentrate
Half a lime

Directions

1. In a large pitcher, combine the frozen limeade concentrate and beer.
2. Allow the foam to settle, then squeeze the lime half into the pitcher and stir. Pour into chilled glasses.

coconut water is the new "it" thing???

kinda sad because my mom told me this one over winter break.

in anycase, madonna is apparently a huge fan of this stuff and just invested 1.5 mil into vita coco, according to nytimes.

nancy bought four bottles of this stuff for me after hearing it was the latest trend. according to her, it was the biggest-selling item in the sports drink market. orr something like that.

how sweet of her.

too bad that shit tastes like sweat. and not in the "ohh gatorade kinda tastes likes sweat" sort of way. take a rag, wipe your body with it after a good work out, wring it into a cup, and drink. cuz that's what it tastes like.

i felt bad that my mom had bought 4 bottles! soi just poured it over ice and chugged it before work outs. altho it did work well as a pre-workout drank. so hmm...

BUT WHAAAT. 1.5 MILLION?! REALLY MADONNA?! weird and lame.

but kombucha on the other hand...if it wasn't so expensive i'd drink that sweet/apple cider-y stuff all day.

bacon fat popcorn.

at the revolution brewing company. ohhh my geeez

other things that sound utterly amazing

• Gorgonzola, cremni mushroom, crispy shallot Farm Burger
• Cherry Bourbon Cake
• Goat cheese béchamel, tarragon, truffle oil Italian Seitan (altho i don't understand why seitan and not real meat is used)
• Applewood Smoked Wings
• Aged Wisconsin cheddar, golden ale, thyme & sour cream Sweet Potato Cakes

ughhhhh cant wait to finally turn 21 and enjoy all of these gastropubs poppin' up in the chi. ONLY 5 MONTHS AND 26 DAYS. WOOOO.

i don't think anything can be more random than crocheted food.

absolutely love.

from the sartorialist --


there are too many things i love to even start listing.

20% off card at urban = gotta shop, duh.

so when i got my blazer at urban over break, i got a card for 20% off regular priced items starting feb 1st. so of course i had to use it....

bummer is that the girl said i was only allowed to use it once and took it away. NOT COOL. but -- i wrote down the online code before i turned it in.

THINKSPRING <-you're welcome!!

sooo i bought a new pair of skinnies and this top --

the color's actually more vibrant in person and the shirt fits bit shorter on me (idk how that happened...) i looove the blue and i think it'll be really fun to tuck into skirts or wear with skinnies.

buttt -- i also loved this print.

the print is fun for spring/summer and would work more for casual things. like i def would wear it for diff occasions than the blue top. but...it's the exact same top. should i get it? or just save that money for something more diff/i love more???

urban prankster = great site.

found these pics from urban prankster. thank youuu google reader for introducing me to this hilarious site. sooo clever/funny/random --