thirtyone flavors for thirtyone cents

last night was 31¢ scoop night at baskin robin's, and how could i pass that up? it's all for the sake of the firemen... and my belly. three scoops of goldmedal ribon, please & thank you!

"isle be seeing you"

did you know that i'm studying abroad this summer in the british isles? well, if you didn't before, now you do. i'm off to ireland, scotland, and britain in just twenty days! to keep up with me and my travels before, during, and after the trip, check out my "isle be seeing you" blog.

"love and a question"
by robert frost

a stranger came to the door at eve,

and he spoke the bridegroom fair.
he bore a green-white stick in his hand,
and, for all burden, care.
he asked with the eyes more than the lips
for a shelter for the night,
and he turned and looked at the road afar
without a window light.

the bridegroom came forth into the porch
with, 'let us look at the sky,
and question what of the night to be,
stranger, you and i.'
the woodbine leaves littered the yard,
the woodbine berries were blue,
autumn, yes, winter was in the wind;
'stranger, i wish i knew.'

within, the bride in the dusk alone
bent over the open fire,
her face rose-red with the glowing coal
and the thought of the heart's desire.

the bridegroom looked at the weary road,
yet saw but her within,
and wished her heart in a case of gold
and pinned with a silver pin.

the bridegroom thought it little to give
a dole of bread, a purse,
a heartfelt prayer for the poor of god,
or for the rich a curse;

but whether or not a man was asked
to mar the love of two
by harboring woe in the bridal house,
the bridegroom wished he knew.


[my sophomore year of high school i read this poem for the first time, and it was love at first sight...or well, read. now, in my sophomore year of college, i reread it and fell in love with every line all over again. it very well may be my very favorite poem of all time. it's just perfect. so, so perfect.]

for it's root, root, root for the home team

now that i live in san diego, i feel almost obliged to be a padre's fan (though my heart will always lie first and foremost with the angels). and tonight marked opening day at petco park, giving me the perfect opportunity to try out my new fandom. we got great tickets through point loma for a fifth of the price they sell for, and spent the four fifths we saved on cotton candy, peanuts, pizza, and popcorn. the game started out slow, but ended with a bang--literally! we were down by three, and caught up in the last inning, finishing it all off with a three-run homerun. and after the game there was a firework show in honor of opening day. so it look s like being a padres fan isn't too shabby after all. i'll be rooting for my new home teem and sporting blue & beige this baseball season.

the GET in get-a-day

remember the whole "give a day, get a day" thing? well this past weekend i got my free day at disneyland, along with my three mousekateers: claudia, tori, and jess. this has been the first year in very long while that i haven't had an annual pass to the happiest place on earth, and boy have i missed it. i'm almost certian that i could live at disneyland--preferably in the castle, or maybe they could build me a nice little place on tom sawyer's island--and never get tired or bored of it. there are just so many things that i love about the place. i love how everywhere you turn, a different disney song is playing, each one bringing back some cherished childhood memory; i love the anticipation of getting soaked on splash mountain, followed by my even greater love of the laughter that insues after actually getting soaked; i love the freezer-burnt chocolate-covered bananas; i love taking astro-blasters way too seriously; i love watching the leashed children try with all their might to break free and run rampant; i love looking for hidden mickeys, even though i can never seem to find any; i love the fireworks, the ridiculously long lines, and the relief of resting my aching feet on the tram ride back to my pinochio parking spot. really, i just love it all. and i was so glad to experience it all again, even if just for a day. the girls and i had a great time, spending a fantastic fifteen hours riding rides, taking pictures, and channeling our inner child. and i hope with all of my heart that disney does the whole "give a day, get a day" diddy again next year.

one day without shoes

once a year TOMS shoes encourages people around the world to take part in "one day without shoes," a day in which you kick off your heels, flip-flops, or flats and spread awareness for those who go every day without shoes. so i did just that, baring my feet for the day. at times it was liberating; there's something freeing about unfettering your feet. i loved feeling the warmth of the sidewalks and the squish of dampish grass. there are so many sensations that shoes prevent your feet from feeling. and feeling those feelings was what i enjoyed most about today. it also felt good to walk around with the knowledge of what my bare feet stood for. but to be honest, there were times that i found myself a bit self conscious, as some people looked at me with disdain rather than interest. at the beginning of the day, before the word got out and the shoelessness caught on, people were giving me glances that screamed, "ew. where are that girl's shoes?" and instead of asking me about my bare feet, they just walked on by, likely thinking i was some sort of unsanitary hippie. by the time someone stopped and asked, i was more than happy to finally share the purpose behind my day without shoes. but as glad as i was to spread awareness to others, it was my own awareness that really grew today. i mentioned before that today was liberating. but there were also times that it was hard. crossing the occasional unpaved road or path shoved sharp rocks in my uncalloused souls, and the hot asphault of the parking lots burned the bottoms of my feet. i couldn't help but imagine those who have to cross much more difficult terrain and travel much longer distances. my heart goes out to those people and their feet. and so i have gained a new understanding and a fresh sense of gratitude. i am so thankful for my heels, flip-flops, and flats. i am so thankful for this one day i spent without shoes.

two broken airplanes & twenty-four hours later

it just took me twenty-four hours to get home from oregon. two canceled flights. one delayed. a free meal and a free hotel room. i could have driven home faster. phew. i may or may not blog about my trip later. for now, i'm just glad to be back.