National Adoption Month

Happy National Adoption Month! In case you didn't know, I am really pro-adoption. I think it is a wonderful way to grow a family. That being said, I am going to use this post to provide a little education. Adoption brings to the surface many different prejudices. For example, did you know that most adoptive parents prefer girls? It's true. Highlighted is an article that I read a few years ago. I found this Slate.com article fascinating and hopefully it will make you think about your attitudes towards gender.

This picture has nothing to do with my post. But isn't my new niece precious? I can't wait to see her next week! (Anna, a restaurant review is next in the queue!)

So funny

Oh dear, the title of this post sounds like a terrible email forward. Whatever, this is actually funny.

The reason some girls stay single - very funny!

This guy is a "class" act!

READ BELOW BEFORE LISTENING

The story is this: a girl was out with friends having drinks on King St (in Toronto ). This guy approaches her and won't leave her alone -saying how cute she is. She finally gives in and hands the guy her business card to get rid of him. The attached is an MP3 file of not one, but TWO voicemails this guy left. This goes down in the history books - especially the second voice mail. After hearing them you can clearly see why she didn't call him back - instead she called in to the Z103.5 morning show & had them play this on the air.

Ladies: He is out there... :)

(download)

Lake Conroe, New Mexico, and Karma

I have recently returned from family vacation. I had so much fun spending loads of time with everyone. This trip was a two parter: Part 1 - Lake Conroe, TX and Part 2 - Red River, NM.  At Lake Conroe there was much Wii tennis, pool time, and grilling. 

Lake Conroe pictures:

An intense tennis match between Roddick and Federer.

Katie playing at the beach. 

Troy and Becky picnicking at Lake Conroe 

Next, Brent, Erin, and Katie went home to Dallas and the rest of flew to New Mexico. Here is where Karma comes into play. Almost everyone I know loves New Mexico. Sadly, I have had some bad experiences there. I had a terrible time at 7th grade church camp because my good friend's grandmother died and when she returned home for the funeral, I was left at camp with zero friends. Then a couple years later, an icy ski trip with my youth group again soured me on the state. Well, instead of keeping my negative thoughts to myself I have bashed New Mexico many times. I have mocked the southwest art, dismissed New Mexico's ski slopes, and called Santa Fe a town full of old hippies. When I returned with my family this month, I really liked everything. Red River was charming, the scenery was beautiful, and I was able to wear long sleeves and shorts (an all time great combo). Well, New Mexico let me enjoy the first two days and then I suffered the worst allergy attack ever. By the end of the trip I had a summer cold (the worst of all colds). Gentle readers, remember if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. There was an upside to the cold. While wallowing on the couch one day, I discovered a Mad Men marathon. Oh my word, that is a GREAT show. It is about a New York advertising agency in the early 1960s. The clothes are amazing and the dialogue is witty.  Season 3 premiers tonight at 10/9 central on AMC.  Check it out, you won't be disappointed. 

Here are some pics from Red River:

Jeep time!

Top of the Fourth of July Trail

Mom cooking dinner

Dad relaxing before dinner

Me and Brooke at the top of the Red River ski lift 

Harry Potter and The Fug Blog

I am very pumped about Harry Potter this week. My tickets for Wednesday are already purchased. To get ready, I have been watching loads of Potter on t.v. as a refresher. I am also loving the Fug's Blog coverage of HP fashion. Lovely Emma Watson gets most of the press, but that makes sense seeing as girls fashion is much more entertaining. Below is a Fug post from a few days ago. So funny! Also, Daniel Radcliffe is super short, who knew.   

JULY 7, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Fug Prince

FUG FILE:

 

• DIALOGUE,
 
• HARRY POTTER,
 
• JUST...WOW,
 
• MAN FUGS

RUPERT GRINT: Dude. Apparently my getting swine flu brought with it a previously unpublicized side effect: I no longer show up to premieres looking like I just rolled out of bed! Now I wish I'd gotten it earlier! 

J.K. ROWLING: I'm a gazillionaire. And this color looks great on me. AND I'm not working on a crazy deadline anymore. How awesome are things for me right now? Pretty awesome.

EMMA WATSON: I am ALSO pretty. Tonight is going SO WELL! What a relief!

DAN RADCLIFFE: Oh god. Am I....wearing a suit that closes with a TOGGLE?

RUPERT: I look charming and Dan's suit closes with a toggle! AT LAST RON WEASLEY COMES OUT ON TOP! Come on, everyone! How about a rousing round of "Weasley Is Our King!"

JO: I wonder who talked Dan into that toggle-closure.  Was he Confunded in his dressing room? I mean, if that were real. 

EMMA: Poor Dan. Someone's going to need to buy that boy a drink. He looks so alarmed. I told him not to go for the toggle. Why doesn't he listen to me? What HAPPENED with him?

DAN: What HAPPENED to me? Is there any way I can blame this on dark magic? Think, Radcliffe! THINK!

POSTED BY JESSICA AT 01:27 PM IN EMMA WATSON | PERMALINK | E-MAIL THIS FUG

Are you there blog world? It's me, Brooke

I think that one of the most unoriginal things a person can say is that they were nerd in middle school/jr. high/high school. News flash, everyone goes through an awkward stage. While I try my best not to roll my eyes when someone says, "Trust me, I was a huge dork in high school," I do I love the stories that follow that line. Over dinner tonight, my friend and I shared some particularly horrible middle school memories. However, I have little sympathy for my friend because she rebounded early and went on to be a cheerleader and homecoming queen in high school. Her suffering was minimal at best. I thought it might be fun to share a dorky junior high story on the blog. Enjoy!

There is so much about my junior high school experience that is comical. I attended John H. Glenn Junior High 7th - 9th grade in San Angelo, TX. The school is now called John H. Glenn Middle School and serves students 6th - 8th grade. The fact that the school isn't named after a Texan or Southern Civil War hero is shocking. However, an astronaut is cool, so I guess the school district thought it was ok to break tradition. The school's space theme boldly goes where no school has gone before. Glenn was built in the 1960s, and San Angelo must have been experimenting with some crazy, new age ideas because the school is shaped like an actual spaceship. It is comprised of three round buildings that resemble the Star Trek Enterprise. I wish I had a good picture to show you, but the best I have this school map. It kind of shows what I am talking about. Also, the mascot: Space Raiders.

August 1994 was a busy time for my family. We were moving from San Angelo, TX to Phoenix, AZ. The move came at such at a terrible time. I spent the first few weeks of school at Glenn and then transferred to a new school in Phoenix. My parents mandatory trip to Phoenix to buy a new house fell during the first week of school in San Angelo. My older brother was starting 11th grade and able to fend for himself for a week. But the thought of getting a 12 year-old ready for her first day of junior high was a bit much. Also, my little sister was only going into the 4th grade. So, Becky and I went to stay with my best friend Jamie, who lived a few blocks over. Planning for the move and everything that entailed made my introduction to junior high a minor event for the family. Oh the woes of being a middle child :)

When I attended Glenn, the vast majority of students were in Athletics. General Physical Ed. was available, but really only weird kids were in PE. Becky and Jamie will back me up on this one. I may have been clueless socially, but I knew enough to know that it was much better to run laps in off season Athletics, than go slumming in PE.

My school required that all girls wear a uniform to Athletics. The uniform consisted of green shorts and a gray t-shirt that said "Glenn Girls Athletics" on the front, and on the back it had your first initial and last name. This shirt could only be purchased from a few stores in town. Well, the night before my parents were to leave for Phoenix and a few days before school started, I realized that I did not have the mandatory gym uniform. I panicked because 7th Grade Girls Athletics was 1st Period. We were required to come to school in our Athletics uniform, even on the first day of class. The thought of facing every girl in school wearing something different was unbearable. At first, when I notified my parents of the problem, my mother said that I would go without for the first week of school and when they returned, the gym uniform would be purchased. Well, I freaked out. Glenn had this crazy policy that if you didn't have the athletics uniform by the 3rd day of school, then you were forced to take PE. My parents did not return until the 2nd week of school, so social suicide loomed on the horizon. My parents were dubious of this policy and didn't see the big deal with being in PE instead of Althletics. After much whining, my father went to the store late at night to buy the goods.

Now readers, if you are ever in the situation where the father of your soon-to-be 13 year-old daughter is sent on a mission to buy her clothes, please give him VERY specific instructions. Sadly for me, my father received no such instructions. My fathered returned with 2 size XL shirts. At 12 years-old, I weighed about 90lbs sopping wet. My father wears an XL shirt. Why he thought that his much smaller daughter could fit into an XL shirt is beyond me. However, my father's error could not be corrected before they left town. It was humiliating walking into school the first day of class wearing a gym uniform two sizes too large. Well, my parents are practical people and they saw no point in buying me a new gym shirt because I attended Glenn for less than a month. When I went to Phoenix, I intentionally left those shirts in my gym locker.

Little did I know that a year later my father would be transferred back to San Angelo. When I returned to Glenn Girls Athletics, I made sure that my parents bought me gym shirts that fit. I never really forgot the 7th grade shirts because if a student forgot their uniform, then they had to borrow a discarded shirt. Well, my old XL shirts ended-up in the bucket of discarded uniforms. All of the discarded shirts were from girls who left their shirts behind when they moved, went onto high school, etc. You knew someone was wearing a discarded uniform because the name on the back of shirts was crossed-out with a permanent marker. Girls rarely wore my shirts because they were enormous.

I almost forgot about this entire disaster, but then I started high school. Somehow one of my old shirts made it's way into the wardrobe of a cool, senior boy. He thought it was ironic and funny to wear a Glenn Girls Athletics t-shirt. I am assuming he chose my shirt because it was big enough to fit him. Needless to say, my name was sprawled across the back of the shirt and this caused everyone to have a good laugh at my expense. Looking back, I think it's kind funny how those drama-filled shirts would just not go away.

4th of July

Greetings from Long Island! I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. My weekend started off pretty perfect because Friday was a holiday :) My co-worker/friend Lindsye and I ventured into Manhattan for a little shopping. Since I have been to New York a number of times, I took the lead navigating our trip. Disaster. Why is it that when I am alone, I am able to accomplish amazingly difficult trips? But put me in charge of other people, and everything falls apart? Poor Lindsye. I was able to get us to Soho, but that was about it. Google led me astray with a wrong address, I got turned around after exiting the subway...nothing went right. Anyways, shopping was a success and lunch was very tasty (we ate at Jane on Houston Street - good food, mostly reasonable prices). I met up with my friend Melody after shopping. For personal growth, we went to the MOMA (free on Friday's from 4 to 8) and ate dinner at Rosa Mexicana. 

The next day I took the train to Washington D.C. to celebrate the 4th of July with my parents and Becky and Troy. Guys, Amtrak is great! The seats are very comfortable and it is so nice not having to mess with TSA. I wish that Texas would invest a high speed rail service. I think that it would do really well. We went to the Mall to watch fireworks and the Capitol delivered. My family tried to get as close to the symphony as possible, but the only thing that we could hear were the cannons during the the 1812 Overture. Becky, Troy, and I took the Bolt Bus back to the city. While the bus was not as spacious as the train, the price was considerably cheaper, $24 vs. $72. Here are a few pics: 

I was a tad bored waiting for the train to leave.

My family in matching Old Navy shirts - I know that everyone envies our swagger!

Becky and Troy

Killing time while Becky was looking for a D.C. Christmas ornament 

Waiting for the big fireworks show

Happy Independence Day!

Housewarming/Job Promotion/Non-Hermit Party

Last night I had a few friends over for a housewarming/job promotion/non-hermit party. If you recall this post from April, I promised to update my blog with pictures of my new place after I was all settled in. Well, I live like a lost boy and I needed a party to motivate me to unpack my last box and hang some art on the walls. When I told Anna that I was thinking about hosting a party, she generously offered to bring homemade egg rolls. I then ran with an Asian theme. I served chicken satay with a Thai peanut dipping sauce, edamame, and fruit. Melina brought a heavenly pear pie, Jill treated everyone to her famous mango pie, and Audrey completed the spread with a chocolate cake. 

Here is a photo timeline of the party. Emma took most of the pictures, so the perspective is that of a 7-year-old:

The party started with general milling about. Despite the presence of wine glasses, Melina instinctively went to pour her wine in a red cup :)

Then everyone sampled the food. I was pretty proud of myself for slicing the limes banquet style. 

Can you see the love in these egg rolls? They were sooo good, thanks Anna!

Next, there was pleasant party conversation. Sorry Jill, only Audrey and Bryan made the cut for this picture. I had to crop you out because your eyes were closed. 

Joe and Anna

Super cute Melina and Chris. Middle class white boys everywhere envy Chris' footwear. 

Here are two pictures of the desserts. Katie, Melina's pear pie is a lot like our apple pie. So, if you want to do a fun twist on the pie try substituting pears (I would cut the baking 

time in half if you use canned pears).  

Emma and I being silly after dessert

James and Lindsye 

Finally, my guests started to fall asleep and everyone went home. Overall, everything went pretty well. I was the only one who spilled anything and only Audrey got lost trying to find my apartment. Thanks for coming guys, I hope you enjoy reading this post at work!

Review: It's On with Alexa Chung

A week ago, I had a nasty eye infection that caused me to be home around lunch time. Somehow I stumbled onto MTV's new daytime talk show "It's On with Alexa Chung." The last show I kind of watched on MTV was Laguna Beach. I really have no idea what is going on with the kids these days, so I decided to give MTV a little bit of my time. Well, I must say that this new show (debuted June 15th)  is pretty good for what it is. What makes this show work is the host Alexa Chung. Ms. Chung is a 25 year-old former model from London (her mother is British and father, Chinese).  She also dates someone from the band Arctic Monkey's. Overall, she is pretty likable for an ex-model. Alexa possesses that British charm Americans love and she is refreshingly low-key for a daytime tv personality. She doesn't scream like Trya or annoy me like Kelly Rippa. We get it Kelly, you're a Jersey girl whose wildest dreams came true. Congrats, now please keep it to yourself. Alexa is the kind of celebrity that people think they could be friends with in real life. 

The format of the show is familiar: talk about celebrities, discuss some headlines, make fun of twitter/facebook/youtube, and interview a couple of guests. The stuff I saw regarding twitter and fb wasn't too original, but Alexa was able to keep the show moving forward. Right when I was about to change the channel, adorable Bradley Cooper came on to promote The Hangover. Their rapport was good. Alexa appears very comfortable around celebrities. Actually, she was much more comfortable with Bradley Cooper than when she interacted with her dorky studio audience. 

The purpose of this show is to be the new TRL. However, I think that the time of day this show airs is awkward. Who is MTV marketing to? College girls and hip stay at home moms? TRL worked because it aired when kids were home from school. I don't know how many viewers MTV can steal from Live With Regis and Kelly and Rachel Ray.  I know that MTV wants a new daytime hit, but Alexa's laid back style might be better suited for late night. But that time slot is already crowded with two Late Shows, The Daily Show/Colbert Report, and Chelsea Lately. Really, I don't know where to put this girl.  Anyways, if you are home sick and want something to watch for an hour at 12:00 p.m./11:00 a.m. EST/CST check out "It's On" on MTV. 

Here's a pic and video of Alexa Chung. She really looks so familiar. I must have seen her in some ad campaign/trashy celebrity magazine or something. 

MTV Shows

Dinner, globe trotting, midgets, and vampires

Last night, my friend Jill hosted dinner at her new house. Jill and Emma, Jennifer and Matt, and yours truly all enjoyed each other's company and Jill's delicious vegetarian lasagna, a summer salad, cheesy garlic bread, and homemade frozen yogurt. It was all excellent. By the end of the evening, I was dating a vampire named Sean. Here are a few pics:

The lovely hostesses, Emma and Jill

My new favorite couple, Matt and Jennifer

Globe Trotting

After dinner Emma brought out her globe. Since she styled Matt's hair with numerous bows and headbands during cocktails, this was obviously the ideal post-dessert activity. The kid loves geography and it makes sense seeing how most of the adults she knows are always traveling and talking about different countries. 

My new beau Sean, his sister Emily, and cousin Rose (yes, he wears after six attire daily and sparkles like diamonds in the sun)

I have been very bad about pictures lately, so I will reward my readers with a video of Emma. I cannot remember what we were talking about, but at some point during dinner Emma shouted at the top of her lungs, "I know a midget! I know a midget!" I busted out the video camera to see what the heck she was talking about. What follows is me asking questions that Emma finds pointless. Also, I have a wicked hick accent in the video, please accept my apologies. 

Sea World

This past weekend my parents, brother's family, and I all put on some sunscreen and headed to Sea World. I was 9 years-old the last time I toured Sea World, so it was good to see my old friend Shamu again. Katie had tons of fun watching the shows. She really loved the sea lions and was making the hand sign for Shamu to do a big splash all weekend. Sadly, my family did poorly in the pictures department. I forgot my camera, Erin failed to charge her camera, and my parent's memory card was full. Ugg. Here are a few of the photos we did manage to take. These were all taken after lunch, so it was a little hot!

Me and Katie watching the water ski show

Katie feeding the ducks some snacks

Family photo. This was taken right before we exited the park, little Katie was all tuckered out

Restaurant Review: Fig and Olive

Once again, I am traveling for work. So, this week I am posting from Denver, CO. I am so sad that Continental is no longer my work's contract carrier. US Airways never seems to get it right. Monday's flight was super delayed and PACKED. 

I am going to take a stab at writing a restaurant review. Last weekend, I was in NYC visiting my sister and brother-in-law. On Saturday night, Becky made dinner reservations at Fig & Olive Kitchen and Tasting Bar. Fig & Olive has several NYC locations. We dined at the Fig & Olive in the Meatpacking District. This is where Samantha moved to in Season 3 of Sex and the City. The Meatpacking District has numerous hip restaurants, cobblestone streets, and rooftop bars. Often in NYC, the restaurants are small and cozy. However, the warehouses of the Meatpacking District allow for more space than average. Here is how Fig & Olive took advantage of the extra room (gentle readers, you will have to make do with stolen internet images because I forgot my camera): 

Main Dining Room

In my opinion, the decor evokes a Mediterranean vibe without being overly cheesy. I particularly liked the large wicker light fixtures. Our reservations were for 7:00 p.m., early by any big city standards. This fact allowed our waiter Jonah to be extra attentive. We started with cocktails and a sampled 3 kinds of olive oil. Fig & Olive keeps in stock over 30 different kinds of olive oil. My olive oil pallet is not very refined, so I couldn't tell that big of a difference between the three. My White Sangria cocktail is something that I would recommend to anyone. It was packed with tons of different kinds of fruit - yum! Troy enjoyed his Red Sangria and Becky had a Pomegranate Martini. She is such a sucker for anything with Pomegranate :)

Most of the dishes contained olives and figs served in a clever way. I started with a chilled avocado soup. The portion was too large and I was overwhelmed. However, the flavor was nice and creamy. 

Avocado Soup

For dinner I had their signature salad. The salad was packed with baked figs, olives, walnuts, apples, and cheese and then topped with a sweet balsamic vinegar dressing. My favorite part of the salad was the cheese. There was shaved parmesan, manchego, gorgonzola, and goat cheese. It was indulgent and I liked it. I heard no complaints from Becky and Troy regarding their main meals. Becky chose the rotisserie chicken with string beans and mashed potatoes. Her dish was accompanied by a special kind olive oil that she periodically drizzled over her plate. There was enough chicken to feed a family of four, so I added some to my salad. Troy had the salmon, which looked tasty, but the vegetable medley side looked uninspired. 

Overall, Fig & Olive is a restaurant that I would recommend to friends and family. It is especially good if you have a picky eater in the group. The menu is varied, but contains a number of "safe" chicken and pasta dishes. On a final non-food note, I think that Fig and Olive would be cute names for a pair kittens. Can you picture it?

Youtube classic

Just in case you are wondering why I am posting this video, I had a flash back while searching Youtube for my Rudo y Cursi post. I found a video that I watched constantly when I first moved to Houston under Youtube's "Recommended For You" section. Which by the way is not near as accurate as Amazon's "Recommended For You."  Also, all of the tribute montages to celebrities on Youtube are creepy. See, when I first moved to Houston, I knew no one. It was bad, really bad for a few weeks. I was the youngest employee at my office by 25 years. (Note to current co-worker friends who think that I am exaggerating: Jack and April were on vacation. Jessica started 2 weeks after me.) I needed motivation to keep going and Lesley Gore's live performance of "You Don't Own Me" got me through. I have this song on iTunes, but the video worked best during the dark times. I just had to watch the clip again for old times sake. I mean look at her. Lesley is probably about 17 in this video. Her eyes are so sleepy, but you can see how happy she is. This is just how I like my feminist anthems - approachable and joyful.

If I am being honest, there was also an exploding whale video that helped keep my sprits up in Summer 2007.

Rudo y Cursi

On Saturday night, my good pal Melina and I went to see Rudo y Cursi at the Angelika downtown. This drama/comedy is all the rage right now in Mexico. Bless Mexico's heart, that country needs something good. Times are tough with the drug lords, gangs, crushing poverty, and swine flue. The good people of Mexico deserve this movie.

I highly recommend watching a foreign film in the theater because the subtitles are easier to read. However, a fancy, huge flat screen will do if you want to wait for Netflix. The subtitles in this movie are a British-English translation. I found this fact to be hysterical. Who doesn't like statements like, "The tire is in the boot you wanker." Now, I am sure that some of my readers are thinking, "My boyfriend/husband will never want to see a foreign film." I honestly think that this movie is the perfect introduction to foreign films for guys. Rudo y Cursi is the story of half-brothers from the sticks who are discovered by a talent scout and transformed into Mexico City soccer stars (ladies think A League of Their Own). As always with rags-to-riches tales, the brothers faults are magnified because of fame, and this causes conflict. Rudo y Cursi translates to "Tough and Corny."

The stars of this movie are Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. If you saw Y Tu Mama Tambien eight years ago, then you already know these actors. I have not seen Y Tu Mama Tambien, so for me I knew their names, but wasn't really sure who was who. Here are pictures for your foreign film education:

Diego Luna

Gael Garcia Bernal

Fun fact, Diego and Gael grew-up together in Mexico and are real life besties. They both had babies this year too. Isn't that cute? Another fun fact, Gael dated Natalie Portman back in 2003/2004. Diego plays Beto, nickname Rudo. He is a hard headed family man who loves goal keeping and gambling. Gael is Tato, nickname Cursi. He is a talented striker who has delusional dreams about becoming pop star. Basically, this movie is a satire on how Mexican men are big babies who love their mothers. Go see Rudo y Cursi if you want to have a good time at the movies and feel smug and artsy afterwards.

Below is one of my favorite moments from Rudo y Cursi. If this doesn't make you laugh, then you have no soul.

Maggie

Hi all. Recently, a friend of mine passed away. Maggie fought for life and was a force for good. She will be missed.

Maggie Mae Weaver
Maggie Mae Weaver On May 4, 2009, the world lost a dazzling smile. Cradled in the arms of her husband and surrounded by loved ones, Maggie Mae Weaver peacefully lost her arduous battle with colon cancer. During the 850 day siege, she lived more richly than most do in a lifetime: she graduated from Baylor Law School in 2007, passed the Bar Exam and opened her own law firm; traveled to Greece, Wyoming, Mexico, and Ireland; and hosted a celebrated art show of her own unique, beautiful paintings on April 22. Dancing through her life with the grace reserved for angels, Maggie changed people's lives with her story and charmed everyone she met with her infectious smile and effervescent spirit. She will be remembered by all those she touched. She was born Maggie Mae Pilat in Tennessee on December 9, 1975 but played most of her life in Austin. She graduated from The Science Academy at LBJ High School and subsequently graduated from The University of Texas in 1998 with a Bachelor in Social Work. In February 2004, she married the love of her life, Chris Weaver. Maggie is survived by her loving husband, Chris, who stood steadfastly by her side and now misses her dearly. She is also survived by her mother, Mary Valente-Russin; her sister, Lori Carnaghi; her brother, Virgil Pilat; her precious puppies, Niko and Kali; and many, many, many friends. As Maggie's final gift she donated her body to science in hopes that others will have a longer journey in their lives. A memorial service will be held on the rooftop at Third Base, 1717 W. 6th St. at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, May 10, 2009. Maggie was never afraid of dying -- she just wasn't done living. In lieu of sending flowers, please visit Maggie's website, www.thumpers-hole.net, for information on organizations to make donations to in memory of our Maggie.

Really, Paris again? Really?

I acknowledge that I should no longer blog about Paris, but I am in a rut. I have started and deleted a few posts. Nothing seems quite right. I intend to write more movie, book, and recipe reviews. Alas, I have not done too much of that stuff lately. What I have chosen to do is wallow in existential crises. Who has a career freak out at 27? This girl. Did you know that Barack Obama's head speechwriter Jon Favreau was born in 1981? Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire was born in 1990. All of the hip Hollywood screenwriters are 25. I don't know if these are careers I aspire to, but come on adorable Dev is 19!! Click on Favreau's link, he is worth reading about. 

Alright, back to Paris. I have uploaded a short, homemade video from my vacation. Included are the pictures from our day trip to London that I never blogged about. Make sure that you turn the volume up on your computer, the background song is fun. 

*For some reason the video doesn't fit in the margins of my blog. Simply click the middle of the picture screen twice and your computer will navigate you to Youtube. There, you can view the video full screen or whatever you want. Also, I have no idea why the first few pictures are fuzzy. Please do not give up on the video. The new pictures at the end are clear and crisp. Perhaps the fuzziness is sign that I should upgrade to Mac's new iLife.

Week in Review

Blogland, I am going to be straight with you, this week has been kind of lousy. Luckily, there were some one liners that got me through. Enjoy! 

Brent: That's good parenting right?

Erin: No, that is terrible parenting.

Evil woman at DFW: We cannot help you here. You need to leave.

Angela from The Office: Look, I hate to be "that person," but I just don't like the general spirit of music. 

McDonald's  Employee: We do not serve lunch until 11 o'clock.

Me: It is 10:58.

McDonald's Employee: We are not ready. You can return at 11 o'clock.

Mother: I saw another fat and sassy caterpillar in the garden today. That's a good sign.  

Emma: Brooke, do you want to know how old I am? I am 6 & 11/4. 

Katie's Song

To know me is to know that I am crazy about my niece Katie. Last weekend I was up in Dallas visiting and my sister-in-law shared a video of Katie singing songs. It was so cute that I wanted my own version. Alas, two-year-olds do not always perform on command. Below is a short video documenting the failed attempt to capture Katie. It begins with poor lighting, my apologies. 

Paris Day Trips

Blogging on a frequent basis is harder than I thought. I know that my tens of readers have been eagerly awaiting the conclusion post of my Paris trip. So, without further adieu...

Day 3 Day Trip:

After Jamie and I were successfully oriented to the city, we decided to leave and go on some day trips. First, we went to the palace in Versailles. This fixture of Western history is a must see when traveling to Paris. Versailles is super easy to get to because it is in a Paris suburb. Jamie and I took the subway and train. Total travel time was a little over an hour and cost about $3. We arrived at lunch time, so we went to a tasty tapas bar near the train station. What happened next was serendipity. A lovely couple from San Diego could not find the train station and we could not find the palace. We ran into each other, and together we were able re-orient ourselves. The best thing about the encounter was that the couple gave us their all access passes to Versailles. I know that this story sounds lame, but for real it was so awesome. The line to get into Versailles was 2+ hours and the all access tickets cost about $30 each. Here are some Versailles pics:

Versailles, it is too big to get in one photo. 

Me rocking a cool walkman in the famous Hall of Mirrors. Jamie commented that self-guided audio tours are all the rage right now. I have to agree, they are everywhere. While I do like a live tour guide, the freedom of the audio guide is nice. I also think that the audio guides help manage the noisy crowds. 

Me in front of the palace gardens. I was surprised by the lack of flowers.

Day 4 Day Trip:

Our second Day Trip was a Champaign tour. I have done several wine tours, but a Champaign tour was new. We booked our trip through Gray Line. We were surprised to find out that the prices online were more expensive than booking in the actual Paris Gray Line office. The Champaign tour involved a tour of the Reims Cathedral and a tour and tasting at the G.H. Mumm and Moet & Chandon cellars. Here is what I learned from the day trip: 1) Reims is an ancient city that was once larger than Paris.  2) All of the kings in France used to be crowned in the Reims Cathedral. 3) The city and Cathedral were badly damaged during WWI. 4) Making Champaign is a lot like making wine, except that it has about 12 extra steps 5) The Moet & Chandon people have more money than god. Here are the pics from the day:

Good friends toasting to joie de vivre

This is kind of a silly picture, but you can see how cool the cellars are. 

Jamie inside a chalk cellar

Jamie enjoying a chocolate croissant. Doesn't she look great in this picture?

That evening Jamie and I went on a Fat Tire Night Bike Tour. Fat Tire Bikes is a top 5 Paris attraction according to Trip Advisor. The owner is an Aggie who knows that the recipe for success is hiring attractive co-eds to serve as tour guides. Our guide was a bubbly 23-year-old girl from Philly. Her style worked well for our group, but I believe that the lighthearted tour guides of Fat Tire might annoy some people. For example, our guide abused the phrase get excited and her historical narrative was lacking. However, her enthusiasm was genuine and some girls I know might say she has a heart of gold. The bike ride was overall very enjoyable. We went on a Sunday night, so there were few cars/buses/taxis/people to compete with. Granted, a mob of 18 bikes is a force to reckoned with. The city was beautiful at night. The coolest part of the tour was cycling through the courtyard of the Louvre. We took a break about half way through for ice cream. The tour ended with a river cruise and wine. Overall, I would recommend this activity. 

Day 5:

We spent the morning at the Louvre and the afternoon shopping in the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is home to many old universities and it gets its name from the fact that the Latin language was once widely spoken in the area. The evening of Day 5 was spent at a show at the Moulin Rouge. We went to dinner before hand at Un Zebre a Montmart. This place is delicious! The prix fix is about 23 Euros, you can't beat that.

Famous Art at the Louvre

I love this windmill

Baked camembert with honey and pine nuts. Obviously, I am pleased.

Two friends after a show