Gentlemen, start your ovens

"The only thing I've ever successfully made in the kitchen is a mess. And several small fires." (Carrie Bradshaw)

Tonight for the first time, EVER, I am having a dinner party at my apartment. As I mentioned in blog-postings past, Peaches Wilson and Kate Smiley invited me to join their dinner club last year-and never being one to say no to a club membership, I wholeheartedly accepted.

Over the past month I have diligently scoured the Internet searching for recipes that I couldn’t screw up, and earlier this week I spent a full two hours standing in the supermarket trying to collect all of the necessary elements for my recipes.

For the lay person, two hours might seem like a really long time to be food shopping; and the lay person would be right. But don’t forget, I am not what one would call an “experienced chef.” So I lost a lot of time simply trying to figure out what products the recipes called for and what the hell a “fennel” is anyway.

A frantic call placed to my parent’s house from the vegetable isle solved the “fennel” mystery; and after 15 minutes staring at labels and two well-placed questions with various supermarket shoppers, I was also able to discern the difference between balsamic vinegar and balsamic vinaigrette.

So here are the infamous recipes below-I will let you know how they turn out…

The Menu

Jack Cheese Breadsticks (12 servings (serving size: 1 breadstick))Refrigerated breadstick dough keeps preparation time to a minimum. 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated breadstick dough (such as Pillsbury)Cooking sprayPreheat oven to 375°.
Combine cheese and cumin. Cut dough along perforations to form 12 breadsticks; sprinkle cheese mixture over dough, gently pressing into the dough. Twist each breadstick, and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 375° for 13 minutes or until lightly browned.

Pear, Fennel, and Blue Cheese Salad
Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 13 minutes
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar1/4 cup dry red wine (such as Chianti)1 tablespoon light brown sugar1 medium bulb fennel, trimmed and cored1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1/4 teaspoon kosher salt4 pears, such as Bosc or Anjou, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes3 ounces crumbled blue cheese1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. To make glaze, combine the vinegar, wine, and sugar in a heavy, large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Boil until syrupy and reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 13 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and set aside to cool.
2. Slice the fennel bulb paper thin, using a sharp knife or a food processor fitted with a slicing disk. Toss fennel with olive oil and salt.
3. Combine the fennel mixture, pear, and blue cheese in a large bowl, tossing to mix. Place about 1 cup of salad on each of 6 plates. Sprinkle with black pepper. Drizzle with glaze as desired. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup).

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin
Slice a bunch of zucchini and yellow squash (I used two of each) into 1/4 inch rounds. In batches, sauté in olive oil for a little while until the vegetables soften. Spread the veggies in a casserole dish with a couple of minced and sautéed garlic cloves. Top with some good tomato sauce. I didn't have any sauce so I used halved cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle the whole thing with grated mozzarella--you judge how much is enough--and Parmesan. Bake in a 425-degree oven until the cheese is slightly browned.Appropriate sides are good bread or new potatoes, but I ate this with linguine, pouring the zucchini-olive oil-tomato juices on top.

Hating the job, hate the job.

There are some moments where I hate my job more than others.

This is one of those times.

Yes You Can't!

Hurray! This is really turning out to be my year with the contests.

The other day while I was studying up on important world news (surfing gossip sites), I stumbled upon an Amy Sedaris fan site that was offering fans the chance to win the complete series box set for the Comedy Central show, “Strangers With Candy.”

If you haven't seen it, the now-canceled Strangers With Candy tells the story of Jerri Blank, a 40-something ex-junkie/prostitute who decides to go back to high school after finishing out her prison sentence. The entire show only lasted three seasons, but in that time, we laughed and cried as Jerri tried to navigate her way through the halls of Flatpoint High without slipping back into her old habits (“boozing, using, losing”).

It was a pretty odd show, but deliciously fun-so OF COURSE I wanted to win the box set!

The contest asked fans to either submit an artistic rendering of Jerri OR to submit a question for Amy Sedaris.; and, the best picture/question would each win a brand new Strangers With Candy box set.

I came up with both-but only made the questions deadline; and as you may have guessed, I frickin’ WON!

I really hope this isn’t a scam; but just in case it's not, here was my winning question:

“Fast forward 10 years to Jerri Blank's highschool reunion: where will she be and what has she become?"

….and for posterity, here is my never-seen artistic rendering:

Public Service Announcement

I think it would be fair to say that most people (singles and committed people alike) have secret “check lists” about the kinds of things they are looking for in a significant other.

There are the things you definitely need in order for the relationship to even make it out of the gate (must understand my sense of humor and laugh often); then there are those attributes that you would REALLY prefer (have college education, and no prison record); and finally, there are those things that you cannot, will not, REFUSE to put up with. I call this last category, your “deal breakers.”

Last night I was talking with best pal Peppermint Patty about the kinds of things I look for in a boyfriend (don’t worry, I won’t list them all out here, because that would be boring, and frankly, it would take too long) and, per usual, the conversation eventually came around to the topic of my crushes of yore...and yesteryear. You know, the guys who I have been obsessing over (sometimes on this blog) but that never really materialized into anything more than a crush, because they were just-not-good-enough-for -me (translation: they were not interested in me and/or they did not respond positively when I told them I liked them).

It’s just as well though, those relationships probably wouldn’t have lasted anyway, because I am fairly certain that none of the guys religiously read this blog; and, as I have now determined, NOT reading Super Secret Rantings in an official Little Miss Westchester DEALBREAKER.

I spend a lot of time on this blog. It is my pride and joy! And if someone wants to date me, they had better be up on my latest postings and be prepared to ask me questions. In addition to reading it, they must also compliment the blog often, to me and to others while I am around.

I don’t care how “busy” you are, or that you are stationed in Africa and don’t have a computer. “Illiteracy” is also not an option.

This may sound ridiculous, but that is just how it has to be.

Nacho Libre: not the worst movie ever.

Speaking of movies, I completely forgot to mention that I went to see Nacho Libre this weekend with my mom and brother ….which probably gives you a pretty good idea of what I am about to say about the film overall.

As you may have read in other reviews, the film was kind of slow, and by no means did it “bring it” like the director’s first film, Napoleon Dynamite. Admittedly, there were some goofy moments that made me laugh and the cinematography was quirky and colorful; however, I would recommend NOT spending the $10 to see it in the theatre, because it just wasn’t a show stopper. Jack Black is funny I guess, but there were other things I would rather have been doing with my Sunday afternoon than watching him prance around in spandex.

But I wasn’t the only one there, so let me clue you in to my mom and brother’s reactions.

Upon leaving the theatre, my mom proclaimed Nacho as “the worst movie that she has EVER seen in her LIFE,” before going on to say that at least she “got a great nap out of it.”

(Disclaimer: You should know that my mom has a flair for the dramatic; i.e. the time she accused me of “killing my father” when I asked to go to a restaurant downtown for my birthday rather than a tried and true place in the suburbs. In other words, Nacho Libre wasn’t the WORST movie I have ever seen-nor do I think it was the worst movie my mother has ever seen; although I did see her napping, so that probably wasn’t an exaggeration.)

When asked what he thought of Nacho Libre, my brother simply said that it was, “alright.”

So there you go folks. Nacho Libre: not as good as Napoleon, but not the worst movie ever.

Monday...

Monday mornings bring constant reminders of how little patience I really have.

Coincidence? Maybe. But more likely, I am just tired from the weekend and wishing to God I had another, better-paying job.

This weekend was fairly uneventful, although I did get the opportunity to take in lots of movies and hang out with Hope Valentine’s family at her sister’s bridal shower. Hope kept checking with me to make sure I wasn’t bored; however, as I kept assuring her, any party where the booze and snacks will get an automatic "Little Miss Westchester Seal of Approval" (which looks a little something like THIS, in case you were wondering).

I would also like this opportunity to briefly review some of the movies I watched this weekend. (NOTE: while this is not a good representation of my overall movie-taste, I thought it might be a helpful tool for you next time you are at the video store.) So here they are, in no particular order:

Hoodwinked-Animated Shrek-like fairy tale with the voice talents of Glenn Close, Anne Hathaway, Andy Dick and that big-guy from Seinfeld…Puddy I think his name was. This is a cute little movie that made me laugh a couple of times. It was not, by far, as good as Shrek, both in script and animation-but I might watch it again if it ever comes out on TBS. I guess what I am saying is, I wouldn’t spend money on it, but it is not that bad, and this was probably the only time where I EVER found Andy Dick to be funny….well that and in Old School.

The Family Stone- Sarah Jessica Parker plays the uptight girlfriend of a dreamy Dermot Mulroney. Dermot brings Sarah home for the holidays to meet his crazy family who (big surprise) ends up hating Sarah. I rented the movie thinking it was going to be a funny fish-out-of water type movie; so imagine my surprise when I started crying a half-hour in and didn’t stop for the rest of the movie. I don’t think I would recommend this movie to anyone because Dermot’s family was kind of mean-and I found the whole plot just a little trite and hard to believe. I really wanted to like this movie, but it just didn’t connect.

Copycat- This is an oldie buy goodie thriller about a famous psychologist (Sigourney Weaver) who is tormented by an obsessed serial killed. Holly Hunter and (sigh) Dermot Mulroney play the cops trying to protect her. I like this movie for a few reasons. 1. I love Siugorney Weaver and I think she is an awesome actress. 2. It is smart and scary. I would recommend this movie to anyone seeking a smart scare without all of the Seven-style gore of some other popular crime thrillers.

Ordinary People- This is a very good movie; but it made me cry. Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland play the dysfunctional mother and father to a grief-stricken Timothy Hutton. Basically, everything in the family is going fine until the oldest son dies in a freak boat accident-then it all goes to pot. This is not the uplifting family-film of the year and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you want a good cry…or to feel a little better about your family life.

Blade: Trinity- Starring a gruff Wesley Snipes as a hybrid vampire who fights, wait for it, other vampires (deep I know), this film was not nearly as good as Blade or Blade II; but was, overall entertaining eye candy. In an effort to shake some life into the third installment of the Blade franchise, the director added Parker Posey, Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds to the cast; and pitted Blade against, who else, Dracula. I guess Ryan Reynolds was funny in this, but I am just so sick of his routine. It’s the same Van Wilder shtick every time, and I have bored of him.

Sleepover- This movie was stupid and I only watched it because there was nothing else on. I realize I am not the target audience for this anyway, but it just sucked. The acting was bad, the plot was asinine, and I can’t help but feel like kids should ingnore this slop and stick to Sixteen Candles. Ug.

Anyway, hope you all are resisting the oxymoron, and having a very happy Monday.

Congratulations to my man, Rivers Cuomo!

Not that Rivers Cuomo ever reads Super Secret Rantings, BUT I would be seriously remiss in my duties as a major Weezer fan if I didn't wish him a huge congratulations on all of his recent accomplishments! A college graduate and newly-wed all in the same month! Way to go buddy!

Congratulations on you wedding and college gratuation!

Walking the walk

Last night I had a lot of things on my mind. So, rather than sit in my apartment and stew about the negatives, I decided to take a nice, long walk through the city in an attempt to gather my thoughts and/ or to escape them.

There are many reasons I love downtown living; there is the social aspect, of course, but moreover, the downtown area is relatively safe and is such a fun place to be. So when the summer months finally arrive, I try to exercise outside as much as I can, rather than spending the precious post-work daylight hours trapped in some sweaty gym.

As I was alone, I let my feet take me where ever they wanted to go, taking in all of the sights along the way. I walked down by the lake, marveling at the ducks and sail boats floating by. I went past the art museum, stopping several times to peer into the fountains and to feel sprays of water on my cheeks whenever there was a strong enough breeze; next, I walked through the business district (Being careful to avoid the hobos, sorry guys!), and then it was onto the cobblestone streets and German-style buildings of Old World Third Street. Finally, I walked up through Water Street, carefully observing all of the bustling beer gardens and happy hour participants.

Yes, it was a great night for a walk; and as I made my way home I managed to forget all of the things that have been bothering me; instead focusing on all of the people and places that have made my life so incredibly rich.

Thanks Milwaukee, you're quite a town.

Call me crazy...

...but there is something that I find very appealing about this necklace.

Peacock-ulous

I guess it's true what they say, "some days you're the Peacock and other days you're the pump."

*Thanks to Peaches Wilson for the tip on this one.

Smooth Move Westchester, smooth move indeed.

For some reason the left ear-speaker on my head phones only works when it is held above my head; so, being too lazy to go out and buy new head phones like a normal person, I have taped the wire to the headband, in order to makes these suckers last.

Yes it looks lame, and no I won’t be scoring any dates from the move; but I am saving money and isn’t that the point?

( If MacGyver could see me now. )

Potent Potables.

Last night as I was driving home from work, I noticed a man clad entirely in doctor scrubs quickly weaving through traffic on a very small, but fast motorcycle; and all, without a helmet.

What we have here is either a unique case of irony, or a very special episode of "ER" in the making.

Meanwhile, click here to read about what the kooky black bears in New Jersey are up to.

OnMil...WHAT!

If you are from Wisconsin, you are probably aware of a little website called OnMilwaukee.com; however, if not, here is a little information to bring you up to speed. OnMilwaukee.com is an entertainment website devoted to the goings on in and around Milwaukee; since approximately 2003, it has been quite popular with the folks because of its music, movie and restaurant reviews in addition to some fun articles about Milwaukee happenings.

Recently, OnMilwaukee.com published a two-part list comprised of the 200 Milwaukeeans (they deemed) you need to know (Part 1 and Part 2); now assuming, for a minute that Super Secret Rantings’ Little Miss Westchester was ONLY left off the list due to some sort of rash clerical error, I would like to take this opportunity to respond to their choices...with dignity and reserve.

I would also like to state that while I did feel significant pain from this bullshit slight, all can be remedied next year when Little Miss Westchester takes her rightful place at the masthead of "100 Milwaukeeans you need to know, part three."

Moving on, maturely.

First of all, while I recognized the names of many of this year’s honorees, the majority of the list had a bunch of old people that I have never heard of. There were random lawyers and a couple of aldermen-with only a few big names peppered in between. So really, how is this a diverse representation of the people of Milwaukee? I am not trying to say that their contributions were not valid, but there needs to be a little bit more variety-perhaps a Milwaukee Buck or a... prominent BLOGGER here or there.

Second, and most importantly, how many of these list "honorees" are semifinalists for MKEOnline’s Blog of the Year competition? The answer: NONE.

Think about THAT OnMilwaukee.com. Just THINK about it.

Flair for the melodramatic...

Is it just me, or is Rihanna’s newest hit, “Unfaithful” just a little over the top?

If you haven't heard it yet, here are a few choice excerpts from this uncomfortably-melodramatic ditty:

“And I know that he knows I'm unfaithful and it kills him inside, to know that I am happy with some other guy. I can see him dying...”

OR

“Everytime I walk out the door I see him die a little more inside. I don't wanna hurt him anymore, I don't wanna take away his life, I don't wanna be...a murderer”

AND the coup de grace:

“I might as well take a gun and put it to his head, get it over with.”

Hmmm.

I mean, I realize this song is about Rihanna having an affair with someone other than her live-in boyfriend, and that it is a serious issue; but seriously. “I don’t want to be a murderer!”

Perhaps, “I don’t want to be viewed as a slut by my peers” would have been a safer bet.

It was only a matter of time....

In a landslide victory never before seen by the hard-working team at MKE Online (I actually don't have any stats to back up this claim), Super Secret Rantings took home the gold last night on the Semifinals Round 2 of MKE Online's Blog of the Week competition.

Super Secret Rantings will now advance to the finals in December, with the winner being crowned "Blog of the Year." HURRAY, it could be me!

After learning of my completely-deserved, yet amazingly unexpected victory I immediately felt the urge to go out there and celebrate; and so I did at Jazz in the Park, Cubanitos...and then The Milwaukee Ale House. As you can imagine, I am thrilled to be back in the office.Which reminds me, I should work.

But before I go, I would like to once again offer my sincerest thanks for absolutely everyone who voted....even if it wasn't for my blog-although shows how much good that did, HA! Seven loyal fans (it would be 8 if my mother would just learn how to use a computer) you are the best in the world-and I hope you will keep checking back here for continued updates on the crazy antics of Milwaukee's own, Little Miss Westchester.

Dream a little dreamcatcher

As I was taking one of the day's many walks to and from Department X’s one, unnecessarily- inconvenient printer, I was shocked/awed to see the tattoo of a dreamcatcher on one of my coworker’s ankles.


Now admittedly, it is possible that I zoned out during the “lesson” portion of my 5th grade art class the day we were making dreamcatchers; but, it was my impression that the Native American charm was meant to be hung above your bed at night so as to collect all of the dreams floating around the room. The idea is that it will imprison the bad dreams in it's web, while allowing all of the good dreams to peacefully reach you sleeping mind.

So I ask you, what possible good could a dreamcatcher do on a person’s ankle?!

Actually, maybe it’s better not to answer that one; after all, maybe ignorance IS bliss.

What is the world coming to?

Cooking for Dummies

I’m not what anyone would call “a good cook.” I don’t “know my way around the kitchen,” nor do I “have a good sense when dairy products have gone bad.” I also have a hard time “telling my ass from my elbow” (which doesn’t really have anything to do with cooking, but I wanted to save you the trouble of wondering).

So with all of this kitchen floundering you might be surprised to learn that when Peaches Wilson recently invited me to join her dinner club I answered with an enthusiastic “YES”! It’s not that anything has really changed in terms of my cooking “skilz,” but ever since my failed attempt to form an all girl band called the “Bracelets” in the second grade, I have had a hard time saying “no” to any kind of club that I am invited to join.

Now in my second month of club membership I have finally gotten bitten by the “Cooking is Fun Fairy" and am really excited for my upcoming turn to host and cook for the other members of Dinner Club. In addition to having enough plates and napkins to go around, my hosting duties require me to provide all elements of the meal except the dessert; and since this is the first time that I am making a meal that can’t center around quesadillas or Campbell’s Tomato soup, I have been eagerly scanning recipes online in search of the perfect summer dishes.

I don’t have a menu yet, but I am thinking it will all have something to do with Lettuce.

Any thoughts?

Birthday Wishes and Miller Lite Dreams...

It's my wild and crazy friend, F. Early's birthday today; and since Hallmark hasn't made a card to date that really sums up my friendship with F., I guess I will have to make one myself with, what else, Microsoft Paint.

See below:


Have a snazzy, happy b-day F; and when you're out tonight celebrating without me (boo), please remember that behind that rough, well-oiled exterior, male strippers have feelings too.

All My Love,

Little Miss Westchester

P.S. Thank you for voting for me and for always supporting Super Secret Rantings!

Everything up till now has been but a rehearsal!

Alright everyone, as you may recall from several weeks ago, Super Secret Rantings was nominated for and (thanks to your votes) won MKE Online’s BLOG OF THE WEEK contest.

It’s now time for all of the blog winners over the past few weeks to go head to head in an equally-important Blog of the QUARTER competition.

Please vote for #8, Super Secret Rantings! I don’t really like my job-so this is basically all I’ve got going for me.

TAKE PITY ON ME AND VOTE HERE

Life is like a box of chocolates...

This past weekend my younger brother graduated from high school. So my whole family loaded into the car, and made our way over to the school to attend the very same ceremony that your own Little Miss Westchester also endured almost ten years ago.

Returning to the scene of so many of my adolescent crimes brought on waves of nostalgia; although all of that was quickly squashed once the lengthy ceremony began and not one, but THREE student commencement speakers took to the podium.

I know it was probably immature of me to roll my eyes during their speeches-but I just couldn’t help it! What do these kids know anyway? The first speaker compared life to a “bike ride” while the second likened it to “a journey.” Frankly, the only speaker who DIDN’T make me want to pull out my own fingernails was the third speaker who suggested that life was more along the lines of an Octopus.....I'm not kidding.

But seriously kids, life can’t be summed up by a clichéd comparison to a roller coaster (the first speaker somehow worked this one in as well); and, if these students had ever actually spent any time in the real world, they probably would have approached their speeches from an entirely different angle. As I sat through nearly two hours of diploma presentations, choir performances, and speeches from various school officials I got to thinking about my own post-high school life, and what my commencement speech would be, you know, should anyone ever ask.

The principal was in the process of handling out diplomas to kids with last names beginning with the letter “P” when I got bored with the speech-writing task and decided to count ceiling tiles instead; but, (loosely) here is what I came up with before I quit.

First of all, I would have told the kids not to worry. I remember being so worried at my own graduation, fretting about what was going to happen to me in college-and whether or not I would make any friends. Certainly college and beyond hasn’t always been a laugh-fest; but THAT’S the way it is. So why waste time coulda, shouda, woulding your time away? You're not going to live forever, and you won't be able to experience emotions anyway once you’ve been cryogenically frozen.

In life, as in high school, there will still be ups and downs. Bullies will still try to rule the roost, and you will still have to go to dances without a date (sigh); but if you’re smart, you won’t make your life about those things. Instead you will focus on doing things that you can be proud of, and creating a story that you would want to read.

Don’t waste your time mourning past hurts, and instead celebrate your chances for a future. (Cue the pyrotechnics and spandex-clad spirit dancers.)

It's about that time

Most days I am a happy-go-lucky kind of girl who views life as an adventure and doesn't sweat the small stuff; but every once and a while (and by "once in a while" what I really mean is "every month for a couple of days"), I start getting a little bit more "introspective" about my life and am suddenly overtaken by a powerful need to eat Mexican food, watch/cry over How Stella Got Her Grove Back and finally, to produce Microsoft Paint-work that looks like this:

But this month, I plan to avoid those urges by throwing myself into my extracurricular activities and posting this picture of a baby sucking on a puppy's head.

There now, isn't that cute?! I feel better already.

Oh the places you'll go...

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” (Semisonic)

In just under a week, my baby brother will graduate from high school; and, as it is a momentous bench-mark in any person’s life, I am sure he is feeling VERY excited to get on with his life and begin his college adventures. But as usual, I am going to make this about me right now, because I am feeling a little emotional and I want to reflect.

I remember my own graduation like it was yesterday; (fade in, theme song from "The Wonder Years") over 375 graduating seniors filled the high school gym, and my friends and I were lined up in the front row -because we were in choir and had to get up to sing. All seemed right with the world that day, and as I solemnly listened to the school principal’s sing-song reading of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” my mind floated off to a happy place where my friends and I always got along and the Care Bears were baking cookies.

At that point I started to tear up, but quickly regained my composure because it was time to receive my diploma. (Little did I know that my very brief showing of overt emotion would so zealously come back to haunt me in the form of a 5 by 7 picture of my breakdown in the following year’s yearbook. Looking back, that picture probably wouldn’t have been so bad, had the people sitting next to me not been pointing and laughing at me in the picture; and, also had they not been some of my closest friends.)

(Pictorial reenactment.)

Now almost ten year’s out, my high school experience has dwindled down to a few choice memories and hundreds of glossy photographs; but on the off chance that my little brother ever reads this post, here are my words of wisdom for him about college and what lies ahead:

* Please remember to shower every day. The ladies like it-and society pretty much demands it.

* That being said, ALWAYS wear flip-flops in the dorm showers.

* Whether you feel like it or not, call your mother every Sunday.

* Go to office hours. The professors will appreciate your interest, and later, if your grade is perilously teetering between an A or a B (cough, C or D) - they will be more likely to bump it up.

* As my good friend once said, “In a bind, just Febreeze that shit.”

* When in doubt, never assume it's a raisin.

And finally: Don’t be afraid to let go of who you thought you were in high school-to become who you are going to be in life.

Best of luck little guy, I love you and can’t wait to see what great things you will do next!

The hills are alive with the sounds of jazz music

It's Friday, thank God, and as usual I am just sitting in my cubi-cell working hard (translation: thinking about the weekend/ gazing into space).

Last night kicked off the first performance of Milwaukee's annual Jazz in the Park Festival; and, for the next few months crowds from all over the area will flock to a small park in the middle of downtown Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square to listen to a live performance from some of the area’s most prolific jazz musicians. I mainly go to drink in public and hang with my friends- but I do think that there are people there that go for the music….

On an entirely unrelated note, I would just like to give a very sincere shout out to some friends of mine who were really there for me when I needed them this week; specifically Hope Valentine and Peaches Wilson.

Girls, you are great friends and I feel so lucky to have you in my corner.

Thank you for being on my side.

What ever happened to the diorama?

Remember back in elementary school when you got to make kick ass art projects like a diorama, along with your book reports? Man, I miss those days.

I guess we can just add that to the seemingly unending list of reasons why it sucks to be an adult. That and the loss of nap time and free chocolate milk.