If you're gonna clean, you might as well clean in style. Visit Casabella.com for fancy and fun cleaning supplies. Accessorize your pink leopard duster and broom with a pink bucket, a pink caddy, pink sponges, and pink microfiber cleaning cloths. Suddenly, cleaning is not a chore, it's an opportunity to show off your impeccable taste!

I am 56% Snob. Find out how snobby you are on the Snob-O-Meter.

Yes, but is it art?

One of my two undergraduate theses was on the exhibit Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years, an exhibit I worked on as an intern at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC. The lines were around the block to see this dazzling show, but the critics were condeming it as a non-art, money-making maneuver by the museum. I'll post my thesis soon, if anyone is interested (it earned an "A"!).

Blockbuster exhibitions, whether appropriate in an art museum or not, seem to be of enormous interest to the public. Admittedly, even as an Art History major who should be critical of these types of exhibits, I love them! Here are a few:

The Art of the Motorcycle at the Guggenheim
AUTObodies: Speed, Sport, Transport at MOMA
Fashioning Art: Handbags by Judith Leiber also at the Corcoran

Also, read the article Are blockbuster exhibitions killing art? from the BBC for more info.

Will and I went to the Rose Bowl on Saturday to see UCLA beat Arizona State! It was fun to see the Bruins play and even more fun to eat all the concession food! We also were invited to attend the Chancellor's Pregame Party--free tacos, enchiladas, beer, and kettle korn! Does it get any better than this?

Will and I loved Peanut Butter and Co. in Greenwich Village, a "cozy little sandwich shop" with everything revolving around their homemade peanut butter. I ordered The Elvis (peanut butter, bananas, and honey) and Will ordered a Peanut Butter BLT. The drinks come with Krazy Straws and they will cut off the crusts for you!

They have a fun online store, too, complete with 6 flavors of peanut butter, Marshmallow Fluff, peanut butter jelly beans, and those Krazy Straws!

It is the largest museum complex and research institution in the world. Consisting of 16 museums, a zoo, and 142 million objects, The Smithsonian Institute is a true American gem.

While living in Washington DC, I spent countless hours roaming the Smithsonian's exhibits; especially on rainy days, the museums were an excellent way to spend an entire Saturday.

Back in California, I still get my Smithsonain fix by visiting their excellent websites. I recently stumbled over a wonderful SI site: HistoryWired: A few of our favorite things which allows you to take a virtual tour through the Institute's storage areas. Of the museum's 142 million artifacts less than five percent are on display for public viewing! Peek into the Smithsonian's storage shed to learn about such fun and unusual items as Fiestaware, the Lone Ranger's Mask, the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, and a Babe Ruth autographed baseball.

I love to read. As a child I read relentlessly--the entire Babysitter's Club Collection, the Encycolpedia Brown: Boy Detective Series, and the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Collection were among my favorites.

At 23 years old I still love those books, although I have added some new favorites to my list. Here are a few on the top of my list, most of which have fun and interesting websites to browse:

The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Book lovers will also appreciate these two wonderful sites:
Whichbook.net which will help you choose a book based on specific criteria and Bookcrossing.com which is a fun global book club endeavoring to make the world one big library.

An interseting fact: some birds, reptiles, and aquatic mammals are capable of letting one half of the brain sleep while the other half stays alert.

Researchers lined up four groups of four mallard ducks and videotaped them while they slept. The ducks on the edge of a group were two and a half times as likely as the birds on the inside to keep one eye open--usually the outward-facing eye.

The bottlenose dolphin shuts down half its brain along with the opposite eye while sleeping. This allows the dolphin to rise to the surface to breathe while it is sleeping.

It's called unihemispheric sleep. If only I could do it at work, what a wonderful world this would be!

Okay, the hardest thing about being a newlywed is keeping the dang house clean! How in the world are we supposed to keep up with all of the vacuuming, dishes, laundry, trash, and, worst of all, the cat box. Ick.

The problem is: all of these things STINK. Literally. One plate of leftover buffalo wings left out overnight can funk up an entire apartment. One piece of old fruit tossed into the trash can will begin to emit rotton smells in 6 hours flat.

Because I am super sensitive to the way our house smells and looks, I am trying to adopt new and better habits: clean the kitchen every night, take the trash out daily (we use a small Ikea trash can which fills up fast!), and clean the kitty box often!

I've also learned the importance of shining the sink! Keeping the sink shiny really works in helping to keep the rest of the house spic n' span and smelling fresh. Take flylady's advice and shine your sink today!

Talk about creepy Halloween candy! These sweets are a Trick and a Treat rolled into one.

Peppermint Ant Lollypop
Toffee Scorpion
Barbecue Worms

All brought to you by Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly, London. If the idea of eating insects *bugs* you, they have many wonderful and lovely gift items without the creepy crawlers.

The latest news is:

A monkey moved a robot with his mind.

A Scottish Church will teach the Gospel according to the Simpsons.

A man dresses up as a lobster to face drug charges at a Massachusetts court.

And, a pair of dentures helps to solve a crime.

Speaking of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Tweezerman will donate a portion of the proceeds from their Pink Ribbon Slant Tweezers to CancerCare.

Don't know what-in-the-world-to-do with a good pair of tweezers? Click here.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we've got a lot to do to help find a cure!

First, Fund a Mammogram with just a click of the mouse!

You will be doubly beautiful when you purchase pretty new cosmetics with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Breast Cancer Foundations. Estee Lauder, Clinique, Stila, and Philosophy all have fabulous products that support Breast Cancer prevention, awareness, and detection.

And, for goodness sake, do a self exam today!

Tonight Will and I are planning on attending an AVHS Football Game. I am not a big football fan, but I am a huge Pepper Belly fan! Fritos heaping with chili and cheese. A true nutritional nightmare, but who's complaining? I love a couple o' chili boats and a Dr. Pepper while sardined on the sidelines.

I plan to use this Blog as a kind of "Catch All" spot--a place for fabulous links, photos, daily notes, what's for dinner, things I love, amusing articles, pertinent political commentary.

Anytime something strikes my fancy, I'll post it. So, check back often!

Will says that Blogging is the wave of the future, and any wave of the future is a wave I want to ride (It's the Aquarius in me). Surf's Up!

As this is my first entry, I should introduce myself:

I'm recently married, a UCSB grad, and a district aide for Assemblywoman Sharon Runner. Click here and see Sharon and me on my wedding day!