happy holidays

Greetings from the cold right coast. It's always nice to cozy up in front of a fire and glowing lights over the holidays, rather than see the L.A. sun beat through our windows, slowly drying up our Christmas tree. Christmas was lovely this year and I was spoiled as usual. We got a gorgeous homemade rocking chair (not sure how to get it back to California), a couple of books, a custom G.I. Joe Baroness shirt, and an iPhone for my husband so we can be a pair of nerds.
Pennsylvania has provided me with the usual quality sightings. Signs for "Armed Guard Dogs" (are the guns mounted on their collars?), girls in tank tops, mini-skirts, and scarves waiting in line outside the downtown club, elk meatballs and deer bologna, and no salads in sight. The more things are different though, the more they are the same. The new strip mall with a Target, Best Buy, Panera Bread, and Bed Bath and Beyond (I felt like I was in Burbank), the crowded movie theater, and the ol' stand-by, Bacardi and Diet Coke with two straws. Ah, heaven. I have seen some movies (Sweeney Todd, Juno, Charlie Wilson's War) but I think I'll save those reviews for my year-end lists.

Happy Holidays!

lake powell 2006

i adore lake powell. no one i know has been there so they can't share the joy and excitement with me, but, trust me, it's amazing. a gorgeous huge lake north of the grand canyon that straddles arizona and utah.


the best thing about lake powell is the total relaxation. there are no phones, no clocks, no mirrors, no makeup...just a bathing suit, shorts, and all the time in the world. you go to sleep after dark and you wake up with the sun. it's hot but when you get hot you dive in the lake and you're cool again. at night you sleep on the upper deck and look at the billions of stars.

here's us exploring tiny canyons and passageways with our jetskis. the rock walls would rise hundreds of feet above us and we'd be in a tiny passageway only as wide as our jetski.

i'm not a water skiier but i do love jet skiing. LOVE it. maybe it's because i'm so not a risk taker and would never do extreme sports...so this is about as extreme as i get. but let me tell you, there's nothing as exhilarating as going 50 mph over glassy smooth water. or going 50 mph over huge waves and having the entire jet ski fly through the air. i love it in an embarassingly huge way. the kind of way that when i'm flying i get this huge grin on my face and can't help but think that life is amazing.

of course, the week was also great because i got to spend time with my cousins. if this picture isn't the raddest thing you see all day, i don't know what would be.

how much do you love my facial expression?

pennsylvania dreamin'

pennsylvania is different than california. very different. though i think i should clarify and say that i'm talking about harrisburg, pa which is in central pennsylvania. i'm sure philly and pittsburgh are much different. but harrisburg sure does offer some interesting local color. i love to make fun of it and yet i also love it. here are some things that may be different from where you live...

people hunt. a lot.

i thought this sign was amazing and insisted that john pose with it. it's a sign outside a bass pro shop (apparently very big in places like central pa). keep in mind that this store was inside a mall with regular stores like victoria's secret and the limited. weird.

another insane store...

this photo is inside the cabela's store which is INSANE. seriously as much parking as disneyland and the store is enormous. the centerpiece of the store is this huge nature setup in which they've placed hundreds of stuffed deer. awesome. there's also a section with polar bears and of course the biggest aquarium with live fish that you've ever seen. those pennsylvanians love their outdoors.

mexican or hispanic people? i don't think so.

i also found this to be amazing so i took a picture. you may be familiar with a delicious minty and refreshing alcoholic beverage called a mojito. that's right. mojito with a "j". and, granted, if you are not familiar with the spanish language, you may pronounce it wrong. but pennsylvania solved that problem by just changing the "j" to an "h". genius.

would you like some salad with your carrots?

this is the best but i don't think the photo does it justice. when you're lucky enough to find a salad without french fries on top, this may be what you'll get. sadly, i despise carrots so i don't really enjoy having five carrots shredded on top of my sad iceberg lettuce and weird tomato wedge.

ahh, but i truly LOVE my time in pennsylvania over the holidays. it's so peaceful and relaxing and we have a great time. and there's lots of things to love. check it out...

red

we don't get trees like this with winter berries in southern california. so pretty!

family

check out this cool family. they're rad and they're sort of mine so you can't have them.

have i mentioned there's a pool table in the basement?

you may recognize sydney second from the right as our all-star wedding attendee. quality.

check out my aunt's farm.

it's gorgeous, has lots of horses, has great sledding, and you can explore the 50 acres on a rad 4 wheel drive little tractor vehicle.

of course, the BEST reason to go to pennsylvania is obviously the boys (and their significant others). they are so incredibly rad that they got me this t-shirt.

pq posse, i know you may feel abandoned but don't. there's enough of me to go around...i can handle two posses.

thankful

yeah, it was thanksgiving so it's around the time where you're supposed to say what you are thankful for. a week ago i almost posted a list of things that suck. it was that type of week. and it would have been a long list but i held off. who needs to hear that crap anyways? now this week i get to do a list of things that are good. which is much nicer i think.

things that are good

1. one of the most vivacious, happy, awesome couples around was finally united and i got to bask in some of their glow.



2. my parents made one of my favorite meals on sunday for my early birthday. it was prime rib and yes i love meat and no that is not gross.

3. the chargers won their game in overtime and i got to see it in a crowded san diego bar. moondoggies in P.B, but still.

4. see number one.



5. christmas music is all over the radio. l.a. kost 103.5 is in full effect and i was happy to hear that san diego had a radio station dedicated to christmas music as well.

6. yogurt shoppe in pq. always thankful for that.

7. lots of card playing with my family. not a lot of winning but a lot of playing.

8. a few good movies... FINALLY. ones i can recommend? "pride and prejudice", "jarhead", "good night and good luck", "capote" and "walk the line".

9. four words... PUMPKIN. CHOCOLATE. CHIP. MUFFINS. they seriously might be one of my favorite desserts of all time.

10. this lady. this lady right here. she'll hate this picture but it's an awful picture of me too. i made it all "artsy" which i think forgives the ugliness of the picture.



11. booty basement.

matchmaker part II - an update

thursday, 7:15pm:
get a call from my sister on her cell phone. she's driving to san diego because she has a job in SD the next day. she thanks me for giving the intern the day off work so that they could hang out for one last day. she again laments the fact that he doesn't live in LA.

thursday, 9:30pm:
see that my sister is calling my cell phone again though this time the caller id says she's calling from our apartment. in LA. not SD. her message says that her job for tomorrow got rescheduled so she turned around and headed back to LA. she just was calling to let me know that intern was coming over to watch a movie.

friday, 7:03am:
i drive back to my apartment from john's house in the morning to get ready for work. the first thing i see when i open the door is a pair of flip flops i don't recognize. men's flip flops.

friday, 7:04am
i spy an odd set of keys as well as a men's wallet on the coffee table. see where i'm going with this? i dart to my room and shut the door.

friday, 8:05am
i cautiously emerge from my room because i sure as hell don't want to run into Intern in the hallway or anything. i see that his keys and shoes are still in the living room. i run out the front door to drive to the office. i think, 'he better not be late to work.'

scandalous.

matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match

yup, that's me. matchmaker. now, i know you're not interested but i had to express my delight to someone, and you're that someone.

my current introduction is going very well. i've only facilitated one other "introduction" in my life and i must say that went pretty damn well. if i remember correctly there might have been a little 'tonsil hockey' that first night. not that i'm going to talk about that. don't worry.

but most recently, i arranged for my sister to go out with my intern. i wouldn't usually do this and have never set up my sister with anyone, but this kid is pretty cool. very smart, her same age, went to the same college, they know a lot of the same people, cute guy, athletic...all signs pointed in her direction.

i've been trying to get leslie to take him out and show him LA all summer. but things have been busy and she just got around to it last saturday night. her sunday morning review, "man, i wish i would have met him at the beginning of the summer when you asked me to." yeah. that's right. i think she was shocked that he was cool because i apparently only hang out with dorks. which may or may not be true.

anyways, here's the breakdown. date one on saturday night a huge success. they hang out all night. they decide to do date 2 on sunday night. date 3 has to start at 11pm on monday after her acting class. date 4, last night, was a nice rock show at a club. tonight may or may not be date 5 after her acting class. thursday will be date 6 when he takes off work and goes to the beach with her. of course, the sad part is that he's leaving on saturday to go back to colorado. that's where he's in law school. so so sad. sad because my sister finally likes a quality guy! ahhh, tragedy.

but i'm a good matchmaker. know it. love it.

father's day

father's day meant that this weekend was all about big john d. in san diego. so after i took him and my family out to dinner on saturday, naturally we all were willing to go along with what he wanted to do afterwards. well, maybe not "willing" but since we didn't have a second car, we had to.

one of his employees was apparently in a band that was playing in a club on saturday night. the minute i heard this, i knew it was a bad idea. my family? in a club? in ocean beach? to see an 'alterna-reggae' (aka sublime worshippers) band? such a bad idea. my dad claimed we were just going to drive by. so we pulled up to the dreamstreet club and were slowly driving by in our big ol' honda van when some young girl smoking in front yells out, "oh my god! is that john?!" so we were caught. we had to get out. we had to walk in. my poor mom in her cute little mervyn's outfit with embroidered flowers on it had to go in. then there was me, john, and johnny. good times. i think it's safe to say that we looked out of place. i immediately made a bee line for the bar so i could drown my sorrows and keep my fidgeting hands from going crazy. but I gotta say, the fam did fine. after a while, i realized that my family was no where near as embarassing as the band. if you can believe it, a very amateur alterna-reggae, rock band with an overzealous guitar player is not that cool. i guess the only good thing to come out of it was that my brother kept getting hit on by skanks in tank tops and short skirts. but, then again, that wasn't so pleasant to watch either.

the days and lives of artists

i am, by no means, an artist. let's be clear about that. i'm horrible at art. not creative. can't draw. etc. you get the idea. but i do enjoy art. i do like museums. but after this weekend, i may have to conclude that i do not like modern art.

my future sister-in-law was in town with her fellow art grad students and we all headed off to a converted plane hangar in pasadena. there was a huge show there featuring the work of all of the graduating art students in southern california. sounds cool, right? well, one of the art kids said they heard that there would be 10,000 people there. i've come to find out that art kids sometimes exaggerate.

the show was interesting. but really, who are these people kidding? okay, i don't say that in a mean way. but my main grudge against some modern art is that if i could do it, it shouldn't be hanging on a wall. period. some of my favorite pieces included the requisite black canvas, a pile of socks, four plain snapshot photographs of friends entitled 'comraderie' (no touch-ups, no effects), almost a room full of cardboard boxes with paint splashed on them, and a corner of a hallway covered in drooping silly string. that's the best they could come up with after spending 60 or 90 grand on graduate school and having year to think of a thesis project? a blank canvas with one line on it that they call "untitled"? i don't think so. at least it was free.

party like it's 1999

i haven't blogged in a while but it's only because i've been at the number one party school in the nation. or one of the top five. i can't keep track because they switch back and forth every year. but university of colorado is way up there. i was there for my brother's graduation and, let me tell you, boulder is absolutely beautiful. if you want to see some of the photos i took, i posted them here. but the one time that i really needed a camera, of course i didn't have one. isn't that my luck? graduation night there were a TON of parties and i knew that the recent graduates were all out getting hammered. i could practically hear them from my hotel room. well, the next morning my sister and i decided to go on an early morning hike around campus and around town. we came to university avenue...a street lined with hundreds and hundreds of houses that students rent out. it's pretty cool because they've all got patios and little front lawns. as we were walking we had to kick aside the cases of bud light and red plastic cups. the streets were a mess. then we came to a front lawn that would have been the most hysterical picture. two guys (frat-looking) sitting, or should i say, slumped in folding chairs. totally passed out. and baking in the morning sun. mouths wide open. one of the guys was still managing to hold the beer bong in his hand. the other was just about buried in budweiser cans. i think one of them may have been drooling too. the sweetest thing is that one of their girlfriends was out in her pj's snapping pictures of them. ahh, college. just a tad different from stanford of course. where all we did was sip tea and debate international politics.

the great easter hike

my calves hurt, my shins hurt, my back hurts, and my ass hurts. yup, it was a durso easter alright. just kidding! but my dad, leslie, and i did do the raddest hike in PQ. well, it will become the raddest hike in PQ now that we've invented it and i'm spreading the word. we hiked from the new durso estate in santaluz to the very very top of black mountain. that's right people. we wanted to hike to the very top of the mountain, where you can see all of the satellite dishes and towers but we started from down here:


and we ended up at the top right here:


it was sweet. and probably only about 10 miles round trip apparently. that's nothing. or is it?

sd updates

the important things first....
my parents' house has some semblance of a pool and jacuzzi. they've got five olive trees, a camp fire pit, and some concrete steps. they've got a patio trellis or something and they've got the beginnings of a fountain. and of course they've got a sport court. some sort of monstrosity on the side of the house where you can play tennis, basketball, volleyball, badminton, etc. the court is huge, the backboard is huge, and the fake weird colored flooring of the court is cool. my dad was ran into someone on the golf course and the person said, 'ohhh...you're the one with the sport court.' apparently it's very "gosh" to have such a thing but then again, my family's pretty much the beverly hillbillies of santaluz.

and on a more trivial note, john and i met with the 'wedding assistant' at the church we want to get married at. we walked thru the sanctuary and dressing rooms and everything else without lightning striking us down. the woman seemed to fall for our 'we're a very nice, wholesome couple' routine. it could have been my nice skirt but more likely it was john's complete transformation as he shaved, wore a button-down shirt, nice dress slacks, and fancy shiny black shoes. of course, after the meeting we drove one block from the church, parked, and changed our clothes in the car like heathens, but i don't think that should affect our getting the church.

ramblings

i feel like i should post because i haven't in awhile. but i've got this huge headache and feel kind of nauseous and dizzy so i can't really organize my thoughts well. everything's a jumble...ideas zipping around in my brain. wanna peek?

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weddings are a weird thing. at the beginning you discover that it's not really about you. it's about your family and your friends and everything else. then you get frustrated and decide that it SHOULD be about you. it's your big day and you should do whatever makes you happy (though i guess i can compromise and not wear flip flops with my wedding dress). and if that means excluding someone from being a bridesmaid because there's just no more damn room, then so be it. i'll just have to suck it up and apologize to her. and if that means choosing the maid of honor that i think can actually help me the most with practical things like organizing showers and going dress shopping, then so be it. it's not a popularity contest. it just means that i can use her and take advantage of her the most. and if i don't want to invite certain people to the wedding, then so be it.
oh, who am i kidding. i will feel so guilty that i'll have to invite those people.

****

when your sister's boyfriend calls you at 10:30pm and says that your sister's missing, don't freak out. and when he calls you at 11:30pm and says that he's really worried and can't find her, don't freak out. when he calls you at 12:30am and says that he's going to drive around and look for her, don't freak out. when it's 1:00am and you can't fall asleep because you're so worried about your sister who you aren't even nice to, don't think of the worst case scenarios. and when your flaky, party-loving sister calls you at 1:30am to say that she's just been out with some friends, don't cry, don't yell at her, and just get the hell to sleep so you're not exhausted at work the next morning.

edited to note: there were strange circumstances regarding my sister's night (that were not mentioned above) which really would have led any sane person to worry.

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i wonder if it's going to rain soon.

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seeing yourself on camera is never good. seeing yourself on a big tv is also never good. seeing yourself on the "matchstick men" dvd standing next to ridley scott is also never good. but kind of cool.

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home sweet home

i'm home now for thanksgiving. and while hanging with the parents can be stressful and bad, here are some things i love about being home in penasquitos (shout out to the pq posse!):

-- the yogurt shoppe's awesome reeses yogurt with almond toppings

-- shopping for christmas decorations with my mom at costco

-- getting "free" gas using my parents' gas card

-- no traffic and no metered parking!

-- finding the KOST of San Diego...yay for 94.1...all christmas music!

-- a big house with a big tv and a big kitchen and a big guest room

-- dsl internet connection

-- free laundry

-- steaks and homemade lasagna and cranberry bread

-- finally having an excuse to see kids movies with my little sister

-- not having to pay for parking at the mall

the durso family party extravaganza

and the top ten awesome things about the d*&^% family party in san diego this past weekend were:

1. The Decorations - Moving out all of the furniture downstairs, hanging grape leaves, twinkling lights, nailing down a new deck, creating patio lighting, setting up an astrojump, etc.

2. The conversations about Sundance Elementary school and the general radness of pq. With so many pq posse members in the house (Stacey, Carolyn, Brian, Chachi, Don Rogers, etc) there was some awesome reminiscing. This was capped off by Carolyn’s Sundance Wildcats t-shirt.

3. The karaoke stylings of Mr. John D. Damn, he’s good. Of course, the runner-up in the karaoke category would have to be the amazing trio of Carolyn, Stacey, and myself.

4. Carolyn busting a move like only she can with her special date for the evening, 10 year-old Zach.

5. Some pretty sweet Italian food. Yummy.

6. Captain and cokes. And more captain and cokes. Perhaps one too many?

7. The late night Jacuzzi dip with John, Stacey, and Carolyn. With the inebriated Stacey insisting on diving for rings in the pool and the even more hammered Carolyn nodding off in the spa.

8. Teasing Chachi about his “Purify” tattoo for hours.

9. Some major drunk talk about how awesome Orlando, Dan, and John are, talk of engagements (Carolyn?), and talk of bridesmaids and weddings. Just drunk talk mind you.

10. At last, but not least, has to be my brother Johnny KILLING with Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” on the mic while we all danced like crazed club kids.

no more traveling with my sister

i just can't do it anymore. in new york as we're walking down the street, all i got to listen to was men of every age and size, whistling at her and saying hello and staring at her. in littly italy it was 'ciao bellisima' and at our friend's house it was, 'oh my gosh, you're so beautiful.' between that and the constant comments about how she's an 'actress' and hangs around with famous people, i felt like i was going to puke. if only they knew the truth. if they knew that she rarely earns money as an actress they might stop with the comments. or if they knew that when she says that she's 'friends' with vince vaughan and luke wilson it means she's met them once, they wouldn't be so impressed. but i suppose that the whistles and stares from strangers wouldn't stop. at least in LA, tall leggy blondes are a dime a dozen. i guess i just can't go back to new york with her again.

god bless america

so for the glorious fourth of july week, i was in new york. well, to be exact, i was in new jersey, connecticut, new york city, and long island. we ran from place to place and from house to house. it wasn't the most relaxing vacation but we did pack a lot in. the highlight was probably hanging at my relatives' beach house in the hamptons. of course, they have the one shack that's sort of a dump in southhampton, but that's how i like it. at least it was walking distance to the beach. but do you know why the east coast sucks compared to california? i'll tell you....Bugs, Weather, Traffic, and Toll booths. the mosquitos were heinous and the weather was unbearable for a couple of days. give me LA with it's obnoxious people and bling bling anyday.

partying like an east coast girl...part 1

Alright, reason #1 why I’ve been away for so long. South Carolina. Or, to be more accurate, the east coast. My two week vacation was awesome. One of my best vacations ever. It started when John and I flew to Maryland and arrived at his family’s beach house in Ocean City. The days were sunny and hot and spent sitting on the beach. This is evidenced by my extremely blonde hair and dark tan. Yay for me! (skin cancer is just a myth, right?) The nights were filled with Maryland crab cakes, shrimp, and boardwalk fries. Of course, we were lucky enough to be in Ocean City during ‘senior week’. Let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve been surrounded by thousands of 17 year-olds, intent on getting drunk and getting laid. And if you ever wanted to buy a beer bong or lewd t-shirt, senior week in Ocean City is the time. But Maryland was fun. Good times. I’m making it a priority to have at least one vacation home when I’m older. It’s so nice.

my LA lifestyle

my sister works at aveda. it's a store. they sell make-up, lotions, shampoo, gels, candles, etc. it's expensive shit. and they serve free tea. well, free tea when you're expected to buy a 30 dollar tiny tube of eye cream. i went in today and she gave me a makeover. or, i should say, she put make-up on me. i now feel like a hooker. is that wrong? i guess i probably look good. yeah, it does look good actually. she's good at that stuff. but is it wrong that i think i look like a prostitute every time i put lipstick on? how do other girls pull this off everyday?