Spin Me A New Song, Mr. DJ.

After being cooped up indoors yesterday, I spent some time at Barnes & Noble in the evening and made two new additions to my music collection:

Andy Davis...piano driven mellow rock. I'm diggin' "Brown Eyes". Great for the listener who just wants a feel-good groove.

And, um, yeah. I'm jumping on the Sara Bareilles bandwagon. With all the hype over "Love Song," I hope the rest of the album can match it. After the first listen-through, I give it a "meh".

Any other new artists you'd recommend to this fabulous blogging community?

Dear Miss P.,

I've been getting a handful of people asking me for advice lately...not sure what propelled me into "Dear Abby"land or whether I'm qualified at all, but I'm always happy to give my two (or three) cents worth. I'm sure it can be attributed, in part, to my former students (6th graders now in college, 2nd graders now entering high school) experiencing relationships. Ah, young love. You remember, right?

This question came to me this morning, and I thought I'd let some of you help me out. The context is: college sophomore, first dating relationship. She comes from a divorced family. Her boyfriend has broken up with her in the past and tends to be fairly argumentative.

So this is where my question lies, the person you love, is it ok for them to treat you bad on occasion? Is it a good thing that he affects me so strongly? I’m lost I know a relationship takes work but if I’m trying so hard to be the best I can be then why do I get hurt? Do married couples or even couples that have been together for a long time still hurt each other? Do they ever worry that the person they love is going to break up with them after an fight or argument? What am I suppose to do with this man? I love him and a lot of his traits and the way he is but he hurts me so bad at times with the few bad traits he has. ?????? Hope you can give me some good advice Miss P. if not then its cool.

What say you, married couples?

When COLD Happens.

Sometimes I can't believe I live here.
Like, when it's almost 40 BELOW zero with windchill.
I've been a champ most of the time.
One night I couldn't get feeling in my toes for quite some time.
I was NOT prepared for the amount of static-electricity now found in my dry, dry hair.

But, in most ways, we work around the cold.
There are coat hangers in restaurants.
I can have my groceries loaded for me at a drive-up.
And I bring gloves EVERYWHERE.

When it gets a little warmer, it's always good for skiing! :)



Or a good, hot meal!

Now, THAT would be a sacrifice.

SO, Ash Wednesday is approaching...February 8th is the beginning of Lent.
I usually choose something to give up until Easter.
In the past, I've thrown down chocolate.
Soda is a given.
Cheese was difficult.
Chocolate, cheese AND soda was terrible.
One year, I threw out using elevators (tough for a college student parking on the top floor of the parking structure, believe me.)

I'm starting to mull over this go-around, and THIS thought made me cringe...

Starbucks. The Bean. Caribou.

Do I dare?

Conductor of the Crazy Train

Ladies and gentlemen, the sweetheart of Scientology is at it again, this time by video...I don't know if he is trying to hypnotize you with his good looks, blurry graphic, or overuse of the word "it" (what IS "it", anyway??) but I DO know that listening to Charlie Brown's mom preach at me for 9 minutes in "wa wa" would be about as productive as listening to this:


(By the way, the term "SP" stands for "Suppressive Person". The term is often applied to those whom the Church of Scientology perceives as its enemies, i.e. those whose "disastrous" and "suppressive" acts are said to impede the progress of individual Scientologists or the Scientology movement.)

If he offers you a glass of kool-aid, don't take it.

Is It Possible To Be In Love

...with a laptop?
In lust, anyway.


Never before has an apple made me drool.

The Juno Report

My boxes here weren't even unpacked before Chris had visitors for the weekend...his sister, Carrie, and two of her girlfriends. They really wanted to go see the late showing of "Juno" that evening, which I've been wanting to see since it opened. Thank goodness these girls breezed through Duluth, because Chris opted out on this chick-flick (I didn't expect any different from someone who fancies The Military Channel and NHL on a regular basis). What he missed was a charmingly unique film with a previously untapped premise. I really enjoyed it, and find the movie's star completely deserved of the Golden Globe nod she received.

Anyone else wishing they had a hamburger phone?

And the Award Goes To...

Becky, for the most creative comment!
(I had to bump it to the main-page so it doesn't get overlooked in comment-land.)


M is for the MOCHAS that you will consume.
I is for the ICE storms that keep you in your room.
N is for the NATURE that I'm sure greatly abounds.
N is for the lack of NOISE and other city sounds.
E is for the ELEMENTS which you must now endure.
S is for the SNOW that makes you say "brr brr."
O is for The OFFICE which needs no explanation.
T is for the TIME it takes to fly across the nation.
And A is for the AMAZING way you keep updating us with blogs and also for the AWESOMENESS that will help you find a job!


Thank you, Becky!
Your procrastination warms my heart.
And any warmth right now is welcomed. :)

Why Does Japan get to have all the Fun?

JUST because I feel like throwing a little randomness into your day...


Thanks, Rob.

Dorothy, You're Not In L.A. Anymore.

I'm HERE! And I apologize for making you faithful readers look at that yellow California map for so long...but, I know you'll extend to me a little bit of grace as I get settled in to my new life! There is SO much to chronicle- most WITH pictures, though I haven't figured out how to upload them from my camera yet- so I'll be letting my dreams of chronologically-ordered updates slide for the time being.

The big question lately seems to be, "How do you like Minnesota?!"
So...here is the official initial report!

What I'm looking at:
*the snow outside my dining room window. It's really beautiful when the trees are white, however the current "heat-wave" has melted all the pretty off.
*Our furnished house! (I'm blogging from Chris' place since internet at the lake is tragically slow).
*Yesterday I came across a man, sitting on a roof with a snowball in his hand. There were 2 officers approaching him on the roof and 4 officers on the ground. Three squad cars were at the scene. I can't imagine what scenario would warrant this police response, but I know I'm not in L.A. anymore.

What I'm learning:
*My coche is a champ in the snow.
*It's not as cold here as "they" say.
*How to cook. I've had a couple successful attempts already...and I'm not talking about Mac'n'cheese.
*Don't be fooled by it's pristine whiteness...snow is DIRTY!

What I'm wearing:
*Lots of Columbia jackets.
*BOOTS...all the time.
*Long underwear. I'm such a wimp.

What I'm DOING:
*Trying to get a job...more on that front later.
*Watching T.V. My new favorite show..."Intervention" on A&E. (Roxeanne, I miss you!)
*Organizing. Unpacking is done...time to whip out the label-maker!
*Tomorrow I'm going skiing for the first time in YEARS.
*Planning a wedding (I forget about that one from time to time. Yipes)

What I'm enjoying:
*The "warm" weather! I survived the -15 degree weather last week...so this week's 40 degree forecast is like paradise. I might even leave my coat at home today.
*Campfire Mochas at Caribou Coffee.
*Having my clothing and furniture back!
*Spending time with Chris.

I hope that is sufficient for the time being- there are many more stories to be told, so please check back often! It's good to have friends around...even if it has to be "virtually". Be sure to leave some love below!

Checking Out of the Hotel California

After months of planning, moving day is FINALLY here! My heart is a jumble of emotions, as I say good-bye to friends and family (and temperate climate) and welcome a whole new adventure in my life. Don't think I won't keep you updated...I hear I'll be inside a LOT this winter in Duluth! Some good stories are sure to come...

If you have a couple extra ticks, please pray for me in the next few days as my friend, Suzanne, and I weather some less-than-lovely road conditions on our LONG trek to Minnesota.

I'll be catching you on the flipside...

Christmas Means God Understands.

Bye------iola.

Today my career as a Credential Analyst and Academic Advisor comes to a close.
My time at Biola University has given me wonderful opportunities.
-Meeting and praying with college students on a regular basis
-Travelling to and teaching in Morocco
-Leading trips to the capitol in Sacramento
-Stopping for hazelnut blended mochas in the middle of the afternoon
-Working on a project for the American Institute of Research
-Gaining graduate units in a Masters program
-Listening to amazing speakers at chapel
-Acquiring insight into teacher credentialing
-Worshiping with a different generation
-Enjoying the fine cuisine of the "caf"
-Meeting great friends and working with super people


Blessings on the Journey, Biolans.
Thank you for being a part of my life.

Things are About to Get Loco.

18 girls.
8 different wines from Europe.
5 types of cheese.
4 unspeakable words.
3 wacky games.
2 panty-pops.
1 wine expert striking a remarkable resemblence to Matt Schartz.
Countless inappropriate comments.

Mix it all up for one hootenanny of a going-away fiesta!




And then there were sad moments...

I'm going to miss these girls.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

-2 degrees when I stepped off the plane in Duluth.
I survived my first Wind Chill advisory.
And it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be (gasp!).

I went back to Minnesota for a couple days last week, and caught my first taste of winter, Northland-style. Ahhhh, yeah. Some highlights from the weekend:
-Seeing what will be my new home come April 26th! Chris was excited to show me around his recently purchased home. And, yes, it has a heater.

-Enjoying a Campfire Mocha at Caribou Coffee. It may be my new Starbucks.

-Buying some new jackets (on sale!) for the January winter.
-Meeting up with some of Chris' colleagues for dinner and drinks.

-Successfully manuevering around the city in a car.
-Scoping out the home where I'll be staying for the next couple months...it's a sweet upgrade, complete with sauna. And this is what their street looks like...

-Being with Chris...with no attached itinerary for our time together.
-Not being blocked by anyone standing stationary on the MOVING WALKWAYS @ the airport....for once.

Wicked Awesome.

Phil, Roxeanne, Stephen, Steph and I jumped at the chance to see the L.A. Musical performance of "Wicked" last night, and BOY was it worth it! I thought I was the only one in Southern California that hasn't seen this show, until Eric Lapointe informed me that title belonged to him.

Eric...Go see it!

I love live theater. Case in point, a rare occurance during last night's performance- the actress playing Elphaba (the Green Witch) broke character during a humorous dialogue and struggled to contain her giggles! Like a SNL sketch interrupted by laughter, the moment was a crowd-pleaser! The pipes on these people are RIDICULOUS. They are worth every penny they are paid to do this! And, thanks to Phil and Roxeanne, I get to enjoy their songs by way of the soundtrack! : )


If you haven't been to the theater lately (especially if you live in the Metropolis of Los Angeles...talent capitol of the world...) do yourself a favor and make a night of it. It'll give you that goosebumpy, happy feeling- and everyone needs that once in a while.

This is Sure to Make Your Christmas Merry.

Make sure your volume is up.
You're welcome. : )

O Christmas Tree

What up, my festive friends!
I bring you tidings of comfort and joy. It's hard to believe Christmas is already TWO WEEKS away! You should, by now, have a Christmas Tree gracing your living space by this time. I, however, am living the adventurous life of a nomad and, therefore, have no tree to speak of. My gracious hosts last week (Phil and Roxeanne) bought a small tree with bright lights to meet their space challenges. My hosts this week (The Huttons) have a real tree with STARBUCKS ornamentation. My tree will have to wait until next year to be decorated. Boo. Tired of the traditional tree? Looking to get "out of the box"? I offer these creative solutions:

For those of you who REALLY have no room...the bookshelf tree!

Don't know what to do with those empty beer bottles? Here ya go!

Or how about the Australian Christmas tree?


What have you done with YOUR tree??
Extra brownie points for creativity...

Whatever Happened to Conviction?

We all need a little more "umph" behind what we believe.
If you don't have an opinion, get one.

Have You Heard??

Exciting things are going down at Revolution Downey!

How 'bout it?

Why I Won't Be Wearing Flip-Flops Any Time Soon...

This is the nasty outcome of dropping a large curio mirror on your foot.

I can assure you, that was one HECK of a silent scream.
Yowsa.

Only a Phone Call Away

Since I heard about this yesterday, I've been waiting for it to show up on YouTube.
It's nice to know that a dad is a dad...President or not.


Kudos, W.

I Don't Like Vegetables. Musically Speaking, That Is.

If my friends suggested that we do THIS on the weekend...
I would get new friends.

When _____ Gives You Lemons, You Make _________.

When DADDY gives you lemons...


...you make FUNNY FACES.


I kinda feel guilty for laughing.

My Wish List (according to the stars....)

Apparently, you can choose accurate Christmas gifts that your friends will enjoy based on their zodiac sign. I was curious to see if they pegged me correctly (though I think horoscopes are bologna). Here's MY wish list, so the stars say:

Astrological Sign: Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
Present Personality: Geminis love quantity AND quality, so prolong the presents as long as possible with an interesting magazine subscription or a unique program like the Schmerty's Month Featured Cookie Club, which is available in three to 12 month packages. Also, people born under the Gemini sign are very communicative, so this Cordless Skype Dual Phone has the potential to save the recipient a lot of money on phone bills. Another trait of Geminis is that they are extremely inquisitive and love to learn. The Sudoku Wipe Off Game might be a good idea, especially since Geminis also love to be the life of the party, and this will give them yet another reason to be.

For the record, I do not want any of these things.
I'm proven right, again.

Here's what I WOULD like this Christmas:
COATS
BOOTS
SCARVES
CAPS
GLOVES
SOCKS
SWEATERS

...are you getting the idea?