HAPPY CHIPOTLE GAUCAMOLE DAY!

So today Chipotle is donating their proceeds from the sale of guacomole to the Land Institute, an organization which supports sustainable agriculture. For more information click:

http://www.landinstitute.org/vnews/display.v/ART/448a52e41fca2

So Go and Get Your Gauc!!!

And while your at it. . .Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Every time you click it gives a cup of food to a hungry person in need. Happy clicking!

Switchin It Up. . .

I'm really liking this whole 'Blogging for Idiots' idea that Blogger came up with. . . I mean the fact that I can change my entire blog's template in .000000048 seconds is pretty damn cool. I also finally figured out how to add a title to my blog! weeeeee

I hate Rain: A Paradox

One of my favorite positions while sitting at my desk is folding one of my legs under my other thigh [like a half pretzel, except not as delicious]. I'm not quite sure why I do this; inevitably, my leg falls asleep, I get those awful pins and needles, and then move on to hit my foot repeatedly on the floor, while yelping in pain. But I proceed to sit this way anyways.

So, like every other day, I just pulled my leg out from under me, finished jumping around like a crazy lady and realized that my left thigh was sopping because the bottom of my pant leg was wet from walking in the rain. At which point I thought to myself: I hate rain.

At least at this moment. I hate rain because I LOVE slip on shoes. Flip-flop, flats, ballets, LOVE LOVE LOVE them. It makes my day not having to put on real shoes, socks, or tie a lace. However, I can only wear these types of shoes when there is warm weather and when there is warm weather there is rain. You don't have to be a weather man to know when you step outside and feel like you just popped out of the shower [however, not nearly as clean] that the sky is about to open up and monsoon. Unfortunately, rain and slip-on-shoes don't mesh. Which is why today, I hate rain.

However, one of my favorite things EVER is thunderstorms. Whenever I see that thunderbolt on the weather report [even if it's the 10 day forcast] I secretly jump for joy inside my head. I love when it suddenly gets so dark you think the world is going to end and hearing the pittle pattle of rain drops [both big and small] on the roof makes me giddy. These sounds are comforting to me and remind me of home [the rainforest, aka Nashville, TN].

Rainstorms also mean I can't go outside. Don't get my wrong, I enjoy warm, sunny, clear weather like the rest of us, but some of my favorite days are never getting out of my PJS, ordering food in, and watching TV. I label a 'successful indoor day' the ones where the most physical activity I get is moving from my bed, to the couch, to the door to tip my delivery guy. Sometimes, its just way better to stay indoors and I don't want to feel guilty about it. I am somehow comforted in the fact that I can be a lazy bum when its raining without someone saying 'But it's such a beautiful day!'. Beautiful day my ass, if I want to stay inside let.me.be. My friend Vicki claims that this is an 'East Coast' mindset, i.e. California doesn't have ugly days, so they are never guilted into going outside on the beautiful days because everyday is beautiful. [umm wasn't there flooding or something last year??? oh well] This theory does make sense, however, when I lived in Cali [albeit Northern] I do remember there being like 107 consecutive days of rain and lots of fog. Sounds like my idea of heaven.

When I moved from Montreal, people said to me, wow, you must really be glad to get rid of that weather. Initially I agreed, but now, I kinda miss it. Its nice in the winter to super duper cold outside and come home make a cup of hot chocolate and cuddle under a blanket. Yes, it does get tiring, but when Spring [okay canada doesn't really have spring, Winter and Summer] comes and people go CRAZY it's a lot of fun. We're all like little bears coming out from hibernation and the culmination of festivals, people playing sports outside, BBQs and the like is incredible. Yes, I'm sure California has all these things too. However, after a long winter of minus 40 degree weather, nearly getting frostbite LIKE EVERYDAY, and snow on the ground for 6 months I have a hard time believing they appreciate the good weather as much. Or feel the same joy hearing people FINALLY telling them to get outside because "It's a beautiful day."

Poor US :-(

p.s. I'm still angry about the US-Ghana game and am not in an OK emotional state to blog about it yet. I'm afraid the entry would not be PG13.

Andrew Hearts Nelly Furtado

Andrew: I'm buying the new Nelly Furtado CD.

Lindsay: You're what?

Andrew: Yeah, Timbaland did the beats.

Lindsay: Justin Timberlake?

Andrew: No stupid, Timbaland. But he also did Justin's beats. I must admit I like him too.

Lindsay: We're breaking up.

Welcome to Brooklyn Suburban White Girl. . .

I wouldn't by any means say I am a cultured individual, but I wouldn't describe myself as un-cultured either. Having lived in 4 different parts of the country and 1 in Canada, you could say "I've been around." But living in the suburbs of San Fran and Nashville, and essentially a glorified burb in Minneapolis and Montreal is 180 degrees, 100%, not even close to the diversity and the urban life I am living in now.

Enter Williamsburg. Artists originally migrated here for the cheap [ok cheaper] rent and big lofts so that they could easily throw their paint around and not bother their neighbors. Now, hipsters flock to this Brooklyn niche for cool restaurants, a great vibe, and easy access to Manhattan. Rent has risen and condos are going up like spring flowers. What makes Williamsburg so interesting is that the hipsters are in the middle of this well founded community--Andrew calls them [i guess ourselves included] interlopers. In North Williamsburg, are the Polish. In the South, the Puerto Ricans. In the way South, the Hasidic Jews. And dabbled all in between are hipsters taking advantage of cheaper rents. I reside in the New Puerto Rico, or as I call it 'West Side Story.' I frickin love it [the musical and the place I live]. I dont' mean to swear here, but I'm serious, it's awesome. I absolutely love living in a area where I can't understand what 75% of the people are saying. [I mean, who needs to communicate?] And since I'm anti-US these days, I like to feel as if I am living in a foreign country.

I think the most educational part of living in Williamsburg is taking the JMZ subway. I despise the L [see below] so the JMZ is my subway of choice 90% of the time. The people on here are amazing. For instance: I constantly see people reading 'urban novels.' Have you ever heard of an urban novel? Maybe I'm an idiot, but I hadn't. My favorite is Eve. I haven't read it, but the amazon.com description is below:

"In this juicy, hard-hitting hip-hop romp, K'wan (Hoodlum) paints an almost too raw, black-and-white portrait of Eve Panelli, a banging little Harlem outlaw who's had to grow up fast since the murder of her parents—Joe-Joe, her Italian-Irish dad, a "soldier" in an Italian mob family, and Shanice, her black mother. At 17, Eve feels like a $5 whore when she gets out of juvenile detention after taking the heat for two fellow Harlem gangstas, Felon, whom she's secretly sweet on, and Butter, his closest road dawg. Felon loves Eve, but he's also a hustler who'd "rather be cold and rich than warm and broke" when he begins dealing with Carlo DeNardi, the degenerate son of the mobster who offed Eve's parents. Aside from her cool Uncle Bobby, a vet in a wheelchair, Eve's true "fam" becomes the Twenty-Gang sistaz. The brutal murder of Cassidy, Eve's best home girl and crime partner, leads to Eve's heart-stopping opportunity for revenge and a thrilling conclusion. "

MOBSTERS? JUVEY? HARLEM? Incredible. This is a far cry from the coming of age babysitters club books I read--the closest I ever got to diverse reading was Maya Angelou. And there are loads of these 'urban novels'. When I click on Eve, lovely Amazon.com reccommends that I buy: Payback is Mutha, Bitch, and Riding Dirty on I-95. You just don't get this kind of stuff in Nashville. *

I think the point to which I knew this urbanism was wearing off on me was when I saw a Coors light commercial during the World Cup. First of all, I am watching the World Cup. 90% of Suburban America doesn't give two shits about Soccer. Anywho, the commercial was on an urban street, similar to one on brooklyn, and people were blasting their boom boxes and having BBQs right on the sidewalk. 3 months ago, I would not have believed it. [I mean, who has boom boxes anymore, and a BBQ on the street? blasphemy]. But it happens. On My street. Almost every day. And it's awesome. I can now almost relate to that Coors commercial and welcome that Soul train coming down the street to cool me off on a hot summer day [I am sooo urban. ok almost].

So it's only been 2 months. So I don't speak spanish nor own a boom box. But I am lovin livin the urban life. Peace Out.

*Please note I am in no way making fun of these books or the people who read these books. I think this kind of stuff is great, and I love learning about new things. Also, I admire that they are reading books, for I myself, have not finished a book in ages. I dont' know if this * is necessary, but I just wanted to make sure.

Oh US. . .

So, the US tied against Italy on Saturday [Yes TIED, which is good for the US but pisses me off. please see point b on Friday's post]. They played marginally better than they did against the Czech's. But, I don't eat my words quite yet.

Watch out for the Ghana game on thursday!

Why is the US not "into" the world cup? It's quite simple really.

Here is My Hypothesis [based mainly on me and my observations]:

a. I am very competitive. I like to win. I am American. By the commutative property, Americans are competitive and Americans like to Win.

Things the US win at:
1. Baseball [sometimes--more than not]
2. Tennis [atleast womens]
3. Golf
4. Football [ok so no one else plays, but we're still really good]
5. Skiing, Snowboarding, Ice Skating [We Rock the Winter Olympics]
6. Swimming, Running [And we rock the summer olympics ]
7. War [or atleast we spin the media to look like we did]

But soccer, we're not quite there. So until we are, It's just not that enjoyable.

b. I believe in games there should be a winner and a loser. In soccer [atleast in the first rounds] you can tie. TIE. You can go an ENTIRE 90 Minutes and feel like you are no better or no worse than you started. That bothers me.

3. I can't get into the other teams/countries--I like rooting for the US. I would never call myself overly nationalistic, but I like the US and I like it when they win. [Maybe it's because we have cool colors?]

I must admit, when I watch a medal ceremony [we had 25 to be exact in the last Olympics-but who's counting?] and the US flag goes up, I feel proud to be an American. By the way, I'm not quoting Lee Greenwood's song here [p.s. i had to look up who sang that song] but i do feel like I get a teensy bit more patriotic every time I watch a US sporting event. Atleast the ones we win.

But back to soccer. We suck. The last game against the Czech Republic was one of the most frustrating and uninspiring games I've ever watched. We got our asses kicked, and none of the US players seemed to care. No, I did not talk to any of them, and Yes, I do believe they cared, but they certainly didn't show it in their play. Now a team like Trinidad and Tobago kickin it against England yesterday, that's a team that has heart. Trinidad's population is about 1 Million [yes I had to look that up too] and their tiny little country has more heart in in their goalie's pinky finger than our entire US team. Quite impressive.

So why doesn't the US soccer team have heart? Maybe it's a classic chicken and the egg story. For a team to have heart and start winning, does it need a fan base with heart? But to get a fan base with heart, do you have to win? One thing to note: there are some hotties on the US team--but they're kind of few and far between. Maybe there's a correlation between ratings and hot guys on teams? I'm just saying. Might mention it to the coaches when they are doing try outs next time round. Nice food for thought on a Friday.

Happy weekend!

The L: The Worst Subway Line in NYC?

I am going to go out on a limb and say that the Bedford L is probably one of the worst subways in NYC, at least in rush hour traffic in the morning. I do realize that the subway gods are going to frown down upon me now and my subway karma is probably shot to hell, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.

I just don't understand it. It's a seemingly simple business model: Lots and lots of people take the train in the morning, so add more trains. Let me try to make you comprehend how crowded the train is in the morning, keeping in mind that I've been on my fair share of crowded trains--all over the boroughs of New York. First off, the wait for a Rush Hour train should be no more than 2 minutes. The average train on the L is probably 5-10, which doesn't seem like a lot but for a morning train it is. I could handle waiting the 5-10 minutes, if I was gauranteed to get on the train. However, 5-10 minutes is enough time for seemingly thousands of people to congregate on the tiny platform that is the Bedford L. Which means, if the train decides to stop {many trains are so full that they go express to Manhattan}, I can't get on. Which means average wait per train: 5-10 minutes, average trains go by I can't get on: 2. Which means I wait an average of 20-30 minutes for the bedford L in the morning, which is why I usually take the JMZ. Ridiculous. But there is one reason that I am starting to smile upon the Bedford L. . .

Meet Roxy. Our new kitten. She's about 8 weeks old {they think} and is cute as a button.


Where did I get her? Funny you should ask. I was minding my own business on the Bedford L {which I hate, see above} and this lady sits next to me holding the tiniest, cutest kitten you've ever seen {which I love}. Like a bug to a light, I immediately started petting her and asking questions about her. The lady, who admittedly was a bit skeezy, didn't have much to say about her other than she's trying to find her a home. Next thing I know, the kitten is on my lap and I've agreed to take her. I must give the sketch subway lady a bit of credit here: having me hold her and telling me that she's going to a foster home definitely brought out those motherly kitty emotions making me agree to the take her without fully thinking.

But the funnier part of the story comes with the fact that I am on the subway. Holding a Kitten. In a blanket. And I am supposed to meet my friend. Additionally, it's ironic that I was on the L {did I mention I hate the L?} So, I get off the subway just chillin' like I don't have a live feline in my arms. I guess it's NYC, people {myself included} see crazier things every day. However, I do not like being that quasi-crazy thing people are staring at. But I know they are staring at Roxy because she is cute, and not me because I am crazy {arguable}. Luckily, there's a PetCo in Union Square {I heart NY} and I got all I needed for Roxy {the One stop shop, gotta love Big Box Stores}.

And that's it! Now Andrew {boyfriend} and I are pet owners. Which is a little worrying, seeing as half the time we can't take care of ourselves. But we'll be okay. And now I guess I have a slightly fonder view of the Bedford L. slightly.

And then there was YAHTZEE. . .

Yes, Folks. Yesterday I saw someone on the subway playing Yahtzee. Electronic Yahtzee. I know you're saying, Lindsay, What? I didn't know Electronic Yahtzee existed! It's probably the inspiration for this blog. To let the world know that, Yes, Electronic Yahtzee Exists, and to be honest I'm not sure why.

I like REGULAR Yahtzee for a couple of reasons:
1) You get to throw dice. [Banging those little plastic squares around in a box is good fun. ]
2) You get to play against REAL PEOPLE. [So i'm a teensy bit competitive. Ok. A lot. ]
3) I like Math. [I'm a Math Nerd wannabe. Adding is fun. Put that on a t-shirt.]

Reasons no one should like Electronic Yahtzee:
1) You don't get to throw dice. [Dice in a plastic box is also good anger management!]
2) You don't play against real people. [Being social is good]
3) and you don't get to do Math. [Using your brain is also good]

I am a little worried about people like http://www.epinions.com/content_30070640260. The fact that you could spend THAT LONG writing a review on epinions about electronic yahtzee is beyond me. [hmm the fact that i'm blogging about this? errrrrrrr uhhh]

To entertain myself on the subway, I prefer reading or if it's a particularly crowded subway day, just listening to my iPod. If I had to choose an electronic game of sorts, it would definitely be Tetris. My phone is ghetto so it doesn't have any games, however, my boyfriend just recently purchased the new RAZR phone which has Tetris. He claims he doesn't like his RAZR--Sure, it's super thin, the 'IT' phone, and has Vcast blah blah blah, BUT the RAZR's most redeeming quality is definitely TETRIS. I compare to Tetris to your first love, or that crush that got away. You can pretend you're over him [I swear I'm not addicted] and don't need him anymore [I haven't played in YEARS], but it's purely a case of out of sight out of mind. The second I see those colorful shapes falling from Tetris heaven it's like we were never were apart.

And that my friends, is my first blog entry. Softball game tonight, I'll update you tomorrow.