tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-378187472024-03-12T21:47:32.522-04:00Not a Classic AnecdoteTales of an awkward 12 year old trapped in the body of a 34 year old.alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-2034395876859202472010-01-05T02:56:00.001-05:002010-01-05T03:21:53.039-05:00Down Under Day 1Hello people (Dad and Mackenzie), this is Alisa blogging from Australia. I'm back at my hostel, which is so fancy and nice, thinking that 7:30 is a little too early to go to bed no matter how tired I am. Therefore, I will recount the excitement of the day (which started on Sunday at 3:30 PM--it's now Tuesday at 7:30 PM). Also, I didn't bring my little thing that gets the pictures of my camera so now is the time to dust off that old imagination and work with me here.<br /><br />Yes, it has been a long day. A long day of sitting. I left SFO on Sunday. I hate HATE airports. I've always had rather bad flying/air travel luck to the extent that I am on the TSA watch list for my terrorist tendancies. Plus, the airport is so boring. I'm not fancy with billions of miles so I have to gold member suite to chill out in. I'm forced to mingle with the commoners in uncomfortable chairs. Well, my flight was an international flight sort of. I was flying to LAX then on to Melbourne. They say to be there at two hours early for international flights because of customs and what not. Well, I followed this advice and sat at the airport for two hours bored to death. I played solitaire and wore out the battery on my phone.<br /><br />After my first Virgin America flight I have come to two conclusions. #1: I am not "hip" enough to hang with Richard Branson. #2 I saw nothing that made it better than any other airline, why do they charge so much?<br /><br />Luckily my winning smile got me a free upgrade to an exit row (wouldn't have minded first class, but I enjoyed the leg room for my giant long legs) for the 15 hour+ flight to Melbourne. I took some Tylenol PM and put in a movie. I think I slept for about 3 hours, not bad! At one point in the night, while I wasn't sleeping, one of the flight attendants (who was a huge meat head with his shirt barely containing his arm muscle bulge in a gross way) reached across me to close the window and then turned off my tv. My eyes were open the whole time and I just looked at him with this confused expression. Then he asked if I was watching that....um, yes, seriously, what else would I be doing? The flight was fairly anti-climatic. However, I did request the vegetarian meal when I booked the flight. This means that you get your meal before everyone else because they deliver the special meals first. It was great. The poor schmucks sitting next to me had to wait forever to get both of their meals while I happily ate mine in front of them. Plus, they were really good. (well, mostly good). Must remember this though.<br /><br />Now, I'm here in Australia. It is summer time. The weather in NYC right now is 21 degrees farenheit. The weather here is like 60 degrees or something celsius (I have no idea but it is hot and there is no snow on the ground!)<br /><br />I made it through customs, bought an Australian cell phone, got some Australian cash and jumped in my rental car. In case you didn't know, the driver's seat is on the wrong side of the car because they drive on the wrong side of the road. This is a HUGE adjustment and require a lot of mental repetition: left side, left side, left side. It is especially problematic when turning onto a new road because I get so confused. Fortunately, I quickly drove out of the city into the sticks and haven't had to deal with traffic which would cause me more confusion I'm sure. I fully plan on being an expert on left side of the road driving before heading back to Melbourne. I was also fortunate to have a reminder from the man checking me out of the rental car place that the blinker was where the windshield wipers would be (everything is backwards except the pedals). <br /><br />Things I have seen today:<br />Kangaroos jumping across the road: 0 (but I really want that to happen)<br />Road kill that possibly could have been a kangaroo: 1<br />A car coming up the wrong side of the street toward me while I was on the left side (correct) of the road: 1 <br />Eucalyptus trees: about a million<br />Eucalyptus trees with koala bears in them: 0 (I'm beginning to think that Australia doesn't have cool animals like everyone has been telling us for years)alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-16748574955442316252009-12-25T02:38:00.000-05:002009-12-25T03:10:45.273-05:00Happy Christmas DadIt has been brought to my attention every Sunday evening for the past 10 months or so that my blog needs to be updated. It is brought to my attention by my dad who does not like the flickr representation of his trip to New York City. I therefore decided that the best Christmas gift I could give the man who has it all would be a new blog post.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SzRw-jgSkDI/AAAAAAAAA2E/ZOgwAFqEH8I/s1600-h/mebymark1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SzRw-jgSkDI/AAAAAAAAA2E/ZOgwAFqEH8I/s400/mebymark1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419080471618424882" /></a><br /><br />So, here you go dad. This is a recent picture of me and you are no longer the last post. Have a very happy Christmas!alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-64854464478561576962009-03-02T23:28:00.001-05:002009-03-03T00:37:31.130-05:00Mom and Dad Came to VisitYou read that correctly. My parents came to New York to visit their favorite daughter. It was fantastic. Now, since the batteries in my camera recently died back in November, I was unable to take any pictures. However, you have no need to fear. With the help of flickr, I will be able to photographically represent their entire trip.<br /><br />First my parents:<br />Mom:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say1Lnlf9YI/AAAAAAAAA1E/qiNQpMQiJd8/s1600-h/DSCN0687.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say1Lnlf9YI/AAAAAAAAA1E/qiNQpMQiJd8/s400/DSCN0687.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308817271972427138" /></a><br />Dad:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say1LqEnaQI/AAAAAAAAA08/UddgBmmeT_g/s1600-h/n1646871685_5253.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say1LqEnaQI/AAAAAAAAA08/UddgBmmeT_g/s400/n1646871685_5253.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308817272639809794" /></a><br /><br />They flew in early Thursday morning. That night we ate delicious Italian food (even though they were out of salmon) and saw Lauren Graham and Oliver Platt in "Guys and Dolls."<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say2w10gwEI/AAAAAAAAA1U/uOJDP20uB-o/s1600-h/2456028344_5d81f476ec.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say2w10gwEI/AAAAAAAAA1U/uOJDP20uB-o/s400/2456028344_5d81f476ec.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308819010960277570" /></a><br /><br />Friday, mom and I got facials:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say3_eUlB4I/AAAAAAAAA1c/16oQjVuJSa4/s1600-h/18651298_8710c8ae74.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say3_eUlB4I/AAAAAAAAA1c/16oQjVuJSa4/s400/18651298_8710c8ae74.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308820361861990274" /></a><br /><br />Dad met up with us and we got pizza and went to Rice to Riches (so delicious). Dad had spent the day walking back and forth from Times Square to Grand Central just to get us tickets to see "In the Heights." Sorry I didn't teach you about the "shuttle" beforehand. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say8k1TIx4I/AAAAAAAAA1k/fCrGNdXaTZ4/s1600-h/1290650622_c55830aa95.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say8k1TIx4I/AAAAAAAAA1k/fCrGNdXaTZ4/s400/1290650622_c55830aa95.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308825401731630978" /></a><br /><br />Saturday we had brunch at Alice's Tea Cup (a place that I'm pretty sure my mom wishes she was at with all of her granddaughters) and then took a nap before having a delicious Valentine's Dinner at Jane. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say-W189VlI/AAAAAAAAA1s/rD3L0nmebjo/s1600-h/2484543297_858b48cdfe.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/Say-W189VlI/AAAAAAAAA1s/rD3L0nmebjo/s400/2484543297_858b48cdfe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308827360412128850" /></a><br /><br />We went to church on Sunday and then had a delicious tuna fish sandwich at Union Square Cafe for lunch. We sat at the bar and were served by a Brigham look-alike. He even gave me free cookies, I'm a fan!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SazAeKZfcvI/AAAAAAAAA10/mbzIqBoRN8w/s1600-h/2409773086_c4a674ab95.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SazAeKZfcvI/AAAAAAAAA10/mbzIqBoRN8w/s400/2409773086_c4a674ab95.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308829685182853874" /></a><br /><br />Monday we went to the Guggenheim and then to Gramercy Tavern for dinner. It was delicious (the restaurant more so than the Gugg). Tuesday I had to abandon them in order to go to school but we met up for lunch and cupcakes before I sent them on their way. Thanks for coming to visit mom and dad. I had a blast!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SazBjlwG42I/AAAAAAAAA18/expSU7QyPWY/s1600-h/1443911318_206b973deb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SazBjlwG42I/AAAAAAAAA18/expSU7QyPWY/s400/1443911318_206b973deb.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308830877936444258" /></a>alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-22064638784577696342009-03-02T23:08:00.000-05:002009-03-02T23:28:05.860-05:00It Kind of Fits Into a ThemeLast Wednesday I realized that it was Ash Wednesday (it helped that there were lots of people that had remembered and had gone to mass thus allowing me to remember) and got excited about Lent. Although I am not a Catholic, I do enjoy "giving something up" for lent. Plus, it fits the theme of my life this year--better myself (yes, quite impossible, I know).<br /><br />Anyway, the difficult part is determining what to give up. For instance, one year it was boys--this was more out of coincidence than self-control, but who's keeping track? Well, this year I wanted to challenge myself even more, so I decided that this year for lent I would give up not blogging. Meaning, I'm going to blog during lent. Now I've left this loosely defined because I don't want to over commit myself and then be disappointed. I always succeed at my lent goals. I figure if I just get one post in during these 40 days, I'm good. For all of your sakes, let's hope I do more though. (Basically I mean dad's sake since I'm pretty sure he's the only one who still checks this thing).<br /><br />Happy Lent!alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-82252539245740903662009-02-10T23:24:00.000-05:002009-02-10T23:29:57.304-05:00The Goal Setting ContinuesIt's important to set goals for yourself and then measure your performance against those goals. Is this not how we grow?<br /><br />I had a goal to be in bed by 11. It's 11:29. In order to be in bed by 11, I had to complete all of my homework and write my Leadership report. I have two sentences done on the Leadership report and none of my corporate finance read. Luckily, the report is only a page, and I think I'm far enough in the corporate finance chapter that he won't lecture past what I've read tomorrow; therefore, I should make it to bed before midnightish. All I want in life is to go to bed before 3 AM just one night. Just one. I feel the waking up at 7 won't be as painful then.<br /><br />That is all...I set goals....I fail....The recession sucks!<br /><br />(yes, I did just blame my inability to achieve goals on the recession. no, it isn't logical. don't worry about it.)alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-47697407205335994382009-02-05T01:00:00.000-05:002009-02-05T01:18:13.198-05:00A Whole New YearI've never been a big New Year's Resolution maker...so why should this year be different? Yes, I'm "goal-oriented" (or so I've told everyone I've interviewed with lately), but I don't think I should only make goals at the beginning of each year.<br /><br />So, as this year began, I decided that I should better myself and the world. The plan was to give up red meat. I had heard how producing one pound of red meat wasted some insane amount of water. Growing up in a desert, I've always found myself sensitive to water conservation. There's also the methane gas situation. And finally, it's not all that good for you. Since I don't typically eat a lot of red meat anyway, I thought this would be a great to help out the environment. In fact, I soon imagined myself turning into a vegetarian and liking it. (I have no idea what drugs I was on when imagining this--I love meat and can't imagine myself as a vegetarian although nothing is wrong with those of you who are) <br /><br />I think I lasted a week before I was forced with my first challenge: restaurant week and the friends got reservations at a steak house. Seriously? I professed that I don't eat red meat and tried to leave it at that. The peer pressure. The internal desire for a giant juicy steak. In the end, success. I was able to pawn my spot in the reservation off of on someone else to eliminate the temptation.<br /><br />The next day, while walking home from school barely breathing due to the freezing cold temperature and bitter wind, I ducked into my favorite coffee shop. Daily special: angus beef chili pot pie with corn bread. Comfort food like that on a freezing cold day when I'm hungry meant there was really no other option. It was delicious!<br /><br />The next day I went to bake with my friend Stephanie...made a delicious dulce de leche bread pudding with chocolate chunks....she made me dinner. I love home made, non-take out food. Spaghetti with buffalo. More red meat. <br /><br />These two set backs only made me more determined to pursue my new non-red meat lifestyle.<br /><br />It didn't last long. My friend Carrie came into town today and took me to dinner, a steak house. Yes, I could have had fish or chicken or pork or lamb or veggies...but no, I had a steak. It was good. Not delicious though. So, it's back on. I don't eat red meat so stop trying to make me!!alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-21187465063228713472008-12-15T22:27:00.000-05:002008-12-16T00:10:51.034-05:00Sometimes New York is CoolToday after taking a horrible accounting midterm and then going to a wildly amusing statistics review session, I walked by this guy on the street.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SUc1R5ryCgI/AAAAAAAAA0s/kUsQJ08Ig6s/s1600-h/James_Franco.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SUc1R5ryCgI/AAAAAAAAA0s/kUsQJ08Ig6s/s400/James_Franco.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280247669773699586" /></a><br /><br />There I was walking home from school, thinking of how much I don't want to study statistics only to look up and see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0290556/">Mr. James Franco</a>. Before you all ask, no, I didn't pretend to trip and fall or do anything else to get his attention. I didn't even make eye contact. I looked up, watched him walk past me and then looked away. In hindsight, I wish I would have quoted Freaks and Geeks to him or said, "Hi, I know Vicky. You went to high school with her." As quick and clever as I am, none of this came to me when I saw him today. However, next time I am prepared. And yes, there will be a next time.<br /><br />According to the Fresh Air interview, he goes to NYU Tisch to study directing--which is right next to my school--and Columbia to study writing and some other community school here in NY to study something else. Three schools! Can you believe it? Plus, he just got nominated for a Golden Globe and has been promoting his new film Milk. How on earth does he do it all? I thought I was busy. That's not all either. As a public service, he teaches <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f12ee4dfcf/acting-with-james-franco-episode-1-sense-memory-from-james-franco-judd-apatow-dave-franco-and-cohenobrien">acting classes online. </a> Check it out, I know I sure will.<br /><br />And for the record, I am not obsessed with James Franco. Reason #1: He was just a much cooler star sighting than my neighbor, Katie Holmes. Reason #2: I really didn't want to study statistics today and found myself doing some web-based research. Reason #3: And finally, I'm white, <a href="http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/31/44-public-radio/">I have to listen to NPR.</a>alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-53364889228386935662008-11-17T23:29:00.001-05:002008-11-17T23:32:05.163-05:00To Whom It Might Also ConcernDears Bars, Pubs and Food Establishments of the Northeastern Seaboard:<br /><br />When a patron asks for a Coca Cola Classic, that patron actually wants a Coca Cola Classic. If you only have Pepsi, do not assume that the patron is indifferent. The patron is tired of accidentally having a sip of that nasty stuff when really wanting a Coca Cola Classic. Simply inform that patron that you have Pepsi products, and then the patron can order a water with lemon.<br /><br />There is a difference, and yes, I can tell!<br /><br />Kind Regards,<br />alisaalisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-70480404282064107342008-11-08T00:46:00.000-05:002008-11-08T00:48:19.306-05:00To Whom It May ConcernDear Ladies of New York,<br /><br />I just thought I should let you know that leggings are not pants. Please stop assuming that they are interchangeable. I no longer want to see your butt jiggle as I walk behind you down the street.<br /><br />Thank you and with all due respect,<br />alisaalisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-78049846972496376862008-09-28T15:42:00.000-04:002008-09-28T16:06:01.702-04:00I heart blog tagI'm not positive I actually was blog tagged, but I just don't care. It's always fun talking about myself. So, in response to the ever darling <a href="http://bedinz.blogspot.com/">Mackenzie</a>, I give you:<br /><br />Alisa's Blog Tag--I kind of wish she had come up with a better name.<br /><br />10 Years Ago I:<br />Was a sophomore at Utah State University in the beautiful metropolis of Logan, UT. Man, I love that place. I was a Resident Assistant in Snow Hall. This means I probably had a crush on a few of the freshman boys on my floor. I was also discovering how awesome not going to class was while preparing for the bitter winter ahead. I've reflected upon my college days a lot lately, especially now that I'm a student again. Some things I've outgrown: wearing pajamas to school (this is how you spot the freshman), never studying and doing homework (core classes in undergrad much easier than grad school), staying up for days at a time (how can anyone stay awake after 11?), ramen and cereal (okay, i still survive on cereal), the list goes on...<br /><br />5 Things on Today's To Do List:<br />1. Strategy Homework<br />2. Accounting Homework<br />3. Finance Homework<br />4. Statistics Homework<br />5. Economics Homework<br /><br />5 Snacks I Enjoy:<br />1. Apples<br />2. String Cheese<br />3. Cookies<br />4. Pudding Snack Packs<br />5. Raw Cashews<br /><br />5 Things I Would Do if I were a Millionaire:<br />1. Pay for school<br />2. Buy fancy shoes<br />3. Buy an apartment in the West Village<br />4. Buy a house north of Grand/west of Central on Alameda<br />5. Take pastry chef classes<br /><br />5 Places I Have Lived:<br />1. Sandy, UT<br />2. Greeley, PA<br />3. New York, NY<br />4. Alameda, CA<br />5. Seoul, South Korea<br /><br />5 Jobs I Have Had:<br />1. Holiday Gift Wrapper<br />2. Waitress<br />3. Bar Tender<br />4. Temp<br />5. Babysitter<br /><br />I Tag:<br /><a href="http://get-weird.blogspot.com/">Gnu and Whitney</a>--I want a post from each of you<br /><a href="http://lifeispeachey.blogspot.com/">Ms. Peachey</a><br /><a href="http://www.melanieunplugged.blogspot.com/">Melanie</a><br />and Ashley--I swear she said she was going to start a blog--now's her chance!<br /><br />Rules:<br />Each of you need to answer these same questions. Mackenzie said that she would leave a comment on my blog letting me know I'd been tagged, but she didn't (thus I may have not been tagged but hate to be left out therefore pretended like I had been)...I don't think I will do that either, I don't want you to hate me or anything. Anyway, then you are supposed to post the blog and let me know. I religiously check all of your blogs so you don't have to let me know if you don't want. It's basically like the blog version of awesome chain mails. Have fun!alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-81039992212494751282008-09-13T20:07:00.000-04:002008-09-13T23:29:43.838-04:00Treat Tour Stop #3<a href="http://www.littlepiecompany.com/">The Little Pie Company</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyApxx_U0I/AAAAAAAAAks/wSRSivIFnkI/s1600-h/DSCN9056.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyApxx_U0I/AAAAAAAAAks/wSRSivIFnkI/s400/DSCN9056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245709121205785410" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyAphheyBI/AAAAAAAAAkk/Nhsqg4EKYpg/s1600-h/DSCN9055.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyAphheyBI/AAAAAAAAAkk/Nhsqg4EKYpg/s400/DSCN9055.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245709116841576466" /></a><br /><br />Today on the tour I headed up to the area between Chelsea and Times Square. It was an adorable street. I enlisted the help of a fellow Berkeley-ian. Meet Laura:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyCRHoDnsI/AAAAAAAAAlE/JZWMoev6orc/s1600-h/DSCN9054.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyCRHoDnsI/AAAAAAAAAlE/JZWMoev6orc/s400/DSCN9054.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245710896596229826" /></a><br /><br />Brother Marostica was quite excited when he learned I was moving out to New York...I do love all of the Marosticas. Laura and I enjoyed our delicious pie.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyAqZX8uoI/AAAAAAAAAk8/5Aysd7IgQFE/s1600-h/DSCN9053.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMyAqZX8uoI/AAAAAAAAAk8/5Aysd7IgQFE/s400/DSCN9053.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245709131833981570" /></a><br /><br />The conversation focused on how much Berkeley kicks New York's butt. To be fair, New York totally kicks Berkeley's butt in many other aspects that we also discussed. However, it was nice to get someone to sympathize with me on the lack of space everywhere--people are always in your face and touching you. We also greatly miss the Berkeley ward.<br /><br />On to more important things. The pie was delicious. Mark's list included recommendations at all locations. So, according to the list, I tried the Sour Cream Apple Walnut. Very tasty. Laura and the Mudslide pie which was super rich. I want to go back again and try the key lime and Southern pecan. I guess I'll have to wait for visitors!alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-75634963481691252882008-09-12T12:56:00.000-04:002008-09-12T13:04:23.934-04:00My First VisitorIt's official. I've had a visitor. <a href="http://nat-the-brat.blogspot.com/">Natalie</a>, from such fame as being my life coach, came to New York for business. I remember when I used to have a job. Business travel was great when you weren't somewhere cool (New York) and got to visit friends (me) for free! Unfortunately, Natalie is so super busy that I got to spend a total of 1 hour with her. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMqgsyQnrkI/AAAAAAAAAkc/3ptyU413eio/s1600-h/DSCN9052.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMqgsyQnrkI/AAAAAAAAAkc/3ptyU413eio/s400/DSCN9052.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245181407292534338" /></a><br /><br />Here she is standing in my apartment, which she said was surprisingly larger than her hotel room. I doubt it. She did laugh at all of my space. We then took a walk around union square, down to campus and Washington Square Park and then back up to 14th Street through the Village. Of course we stopped at Mrs. Fields on the way back. (We met working at Mrs. Fields way before the bankruptcy thing). <br /><br />We strolled, talked about boys and had a lovely hour together. Then she caught a cab and went back to her hotel to work. I went back to my apartment to do more homework. Hope you enjoyed your stay Natalie!alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-35950742008031269572008-09-11T23:19:00.000-04:002008-09-11T23:20:04.584-04:00I Still Love It!!<embed FlashVars='videoId=118571' src='http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml' quality='high' bgcolor='#cccccc' width='332' height='316' name='comedy_central_player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='always' allownetworking='external' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer'></embed>alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-17139767813210567352008-09-10T22:28:00.001-04:002008-09-10T22:53:14.236-04:00A Case of Mistaken IdentityAs you all know, I often get mistaken for someone younger than I am. I've noticed that as I get older, the bottom age gets a bit older as well. For instance, it's been about 2 years since I was asked if I was old enough to sit in an exit row. And it's been about 4 years since I was mistaken for an unaccompanied minor. (Not all cases of mistaken identity have occurred while traveling--these are just the two examples I thought of quickly).<br /><br />I can never really expect this phenomenon to end. I'm sure I'll always be mistaken for much younger than I am. First of all, I've got those Lloyd genes that keep me looking young. Second, the chubby cheeks. Third, the youthful personality (read: immaturity). The list goes on. <br /><br />However, I may have secretly hoped that starting business school would eliminate these instances. Business students are professional and respected, etc, etc. Unfortunately, not everyone got the memo.<br /><br />I was unaware that you have to be 18 to by Nyquil. I bought some at Walgreens yesterday. The cashier rang me up and looked at my kind of funny. The she said, "You're 18, right?" I replied, "Yes." She kept looking at me funny so I then said, "Do you need to see my ID?" I took it out of my wallet and handed it to her. She looked at it and a look of shock and embarrassment crossed her face. I'm probably the oldest person she's ever carded.<br /><br />And no, this isn't the first time I've been mistaken for someone much younger in the last three weeks since my move to New York. And yes, I know I will be grateful when I'm old....everyone tells me this. I have my suspicions though. Honestly, I'm not complaining, just sharing the funniness that is my life.alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-3630702760103997342008-09-06T20:18:00.000-04:002008-09-06T21:32:31.192-04:00In Other Food Scouting News...New York is definitely lacking in the delicious Mexican food; however, it tries to overcompensate for it in the fine, delicious cupcake (and bakery goods) segment. I heart cupcakes and am living in the mecca land for cupcakes. To aid in my cupcake tour of New York, my dear friend Mark gave me a list of places to check out. I've decided to visit each location on the list. Every Saturday I will go to a new place. (every Saturday may be defined loosely as Saturdays that I actually get around to waking up and leaving my apartment). Look out for future posts with other tales of cupcakes and treats.<br /><br />Treat Tour Stop #1: <a href="http://www.twolittleredhens.com/">Two Little Red Hens</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMnzomGc9I/AAAAAAAAAj8/zb1zawYRtKM/s1600-h/DSCN9043.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMnzomGc9I/AAAAAAAAAj8/zb1zawYRtKM/s400/DSCN9043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243078159213425618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMn0FK5n0I/AAAAAAAAAkE/wGMcisXF0LY/s1600-h/DSCN9041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMn0FK5n0I/AAAAAAAAAkE/wGMcisXF0LY/s400/DSCN9041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243078166883966786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMn0pupgmI/AAAAAAAAAkM/JYd0dQwPZ9c/s1600-h/DSCN9042.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMn0pupgmI/AAAAAAAAAkM/JYd0dQwPZ9c/s400/DSCN9042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243078176697582178" /></a><br /><br />It was a sunny Saturday afternoon (note this was last Saturday since this week's Saturday was rainy as you will read later on), we ventured up to the Upper East Side and quickly found the shop.<br /><br />Per the recommendation, here I am with my friend Young enjoying a Lemon something--Lemon Cloud was recommended but the only lemon cupcake was named something else. A delicious lemon cupcake with lemon curd filling. The second recommendation: Brooklyn Blackout. A chocolate cupcake filled with chocolate pudding. Very delicious and very rich. I'm pretty sure both Young and I were unable to finish both halfs of cupcakes before getting sick.<br /><br />Treat Tour Stop #2: <a href="http://www.levainbakery.com/">Levain Bakery</a><br /><br />I realized that I forgot my camera when I was already in the subway. So, rather than spending $2 to leave and re-enter, I decided to take mental pictures and bring cookies home to take pictures of later.<br /><br />I ventured up to the Upper West Side this time. Rain was in the forecast which meant that the weather was balmy hot and humid. It was gross. Growing up in the dry west, I really can't do humid well. I've spent a fair amount of time over on the Upper East Side, but not the West. It's adorable. At least the few blocks I saw along 74th. Again, I quickly found the bakery. <br /><br />Already a small line was forming, good sign. I got in line and wished that they had air conditioning inside their little bakery. It was hot. I tried to look over shoulders and between people to make sure I knew what I wanted by the time I got to the counter. I hate being that guy who holds up the line festering on the decision at hand, especially when there is a line. I hate the people at Ici (in Berkeley) who wait in line for an hour just to get to the front and have to taste every single flavor of ice cream before taking another 10 minutes deciding. Take a chance, man! Anyway, after looking at the options, I knew I'd have to get multiple cookies. They have four flavors: chocolate chip walnut, double chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and chocolate peanut butter. Since I'm against all shriveled grapes, I chose one each of the other three and was on my way. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMtv-L_cjI/AAAAAAAAAkU/P2WQ6f1ulKE/s1600-h/DSCN9050.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SMMtv-L_cjI/AAAAAAAAAkU/P2WQ6f1ulKE/s400/DSCN9050.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243084693359784498" /></a><br /><br />Since it wasn't raining yet, I decided a stroll through the park would be very New Yorkey of me. It was. In fact, some out-of-towners who spoke Spanish asked me if I was American and if I lived here. I replied with a nod. Then they said I should be really proud to live somewhere so beautiful. I am proud to live here. However, I don't really think that I can take credit for the beauty. Oh well, guess they think I can. So, I'm just letting you all know, I'm the reason New York is so great!<br /><br />The rain started slowly so I headed to the subway. Humidity picked up and I wanted to pass out while waiting for the super late subway. I got to my stop and did a mad dash to my building. It's like 50 feet away and I was drenched. Yay torrential rain!<br /><br />I got home, took pictures and have been snacking on the chocolate chip cookie. It's pretty amazing.alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-22483120878191637882008-09-03T21:37:00.000-04:002008-09-03T22:15:53.625-04:00I miss you Romero and SonsOh, how I miss you Romero and Sons. I miss you so much. So, so much. For those of you non-Alamedians, let me explain. Romero and Sons is the local taqueria on the island. I have no idea what else is on the menu besides the chile verde super burrito (a large feat for anyone to master) and the child's chile verde burrito (the perfect size to avoid the 'i hate myself' stuffed feeling). This is not all folks. Amigo (the guy who works there and has a crush on Mackenzie) not only knows us, but he knows what we order. It's wonderful not having to repeat back the same order every week. Yes, every week. And finally, it is so h-ing delicious is going to make me cry right now just thinking about it. Yummmmm. So delicious. <br /><br />Enter New York City. The city that never sleeps. The center of the universe. One (myself) who think that finding equally amazing burritos for the same affordable price would be no big deal. I was wrong. I've yet to scour the entire city, but to date my research has come up short. First of all, finding a dive taqueria is not easy. Luckily, I received two menus under my door from "local" tex-mex joints. Tonight I decided to check one out. I google mapped them both and chose the closer of the two. I live on 14th Street. The restaurant was on 24th Street. This should have tipped me off. 10 blocks is not worth it--unless it was Romero and Sons. Second, I walked in and it smelled like Chinese food. Again, I should have just turned around. Third, everyone there was Asian. Now, I have nothing against Asians--I love them, truly I do. But my concern lies in the fact that they may not be the best resource to make my Mexican burrito. With all of these red flags starring me in the face, I walked up to the counter and ordered a chicken burrito with no guacamole or tomatoes--yes, that is correct I hate both of these things yet love Mexican food. I gave the lady $5.85 and waited. She put food in a bag and set it on the counter in front of me. I asked, is this mine? She replied with a grunt. Assuming this was yes, I picked it up. Then they all yelled at me for taking somebody else's food. This would never have happened at Romero and Sons. Only Mackenzie gets embarrassed there when Amigo flirts with her. (Sorry Mackenize, I love you!!) Honestly, I was relieved because what was put in the bag was tiny. Two bites would have completed that meal. I'm not a big eater, but I can do more than two bites. I wait another minute and a large burrito is wrapped in foil and given to me.<br /><br />I get home and ride the elevator up with a fellow Californian who is on a similar quest to find good Mexican. He too has been unsuccessful to date. I get to my apartment, poor myself a glass of water and open the burrito. It's wrapped like a taco. That's right, stuff is spilling out the sides. I have to eat over the sink to avoid sleeping with my food later (it's a tiny apartment where the bed functions as all furniture--see the pictures from the previous post). Needless to say, I will not be trekking the 10 blocks north again to enjoy that burrito again. I wonder if I'll even finish the second half now residing in my fridge. <br /><br />Well, congratulations on surviving the long post with no pictures. For your efforts, I give you this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SL9DwaMs9dI/AAAAAAAAAj0/PgPCnAJv1v0/s1600-h/DSCN9049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SL9DwaMs9dI/AAAAAAAAAj0/PgPCnAJv1v0/s400/DSCN9049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241982990227928530" /></a><br /><br />Look at me and that 'go get 'em' attitude. I'm off to my first day of school. Yesterday was my first day of school. Luckily I only had two classes. Today I was not so lucky as I had three classes. Monday will be even worse with three classes and one of them being like 3 hours long....yuck! <br /><br />For some reason, I hate myself. In registering for classes, I consciously decided to get all of the "hard" classes out of the way first semester to be able to therefore enjoy the rest of time at school. How did I ever think this was a good idea? Usually, I'm one for ignoring the "hard" situations in hopes that they go away. Could it be that I'm growing? Doubtful.<br /><br />Well, because of this moment of insanity here is my schedule: Finance, Accounting, Statistics, Economics, Strategy. Now some would say, that's not bad, you're a wimp. These are the other 50 or so people that have my exact same schedule (yes, we see a lot of each other). To them, I stick out my tongue and say I do marketing. That's usually enough for them to get a knowing look on their faces as they nod in understanding. It's going to be a fun semester!!alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-57107539014099204182008-08-26T00:03:00.001-04:002008-08-26T00:09:41.181-04:00The Before ShotsSo, yes, I'm here in New York City. I live in a closet that was super nasty dirty when I moved in. And it comes complete with its own funky smell (I'm working on that one as well). Anyway, here are the before shots. Stay tuned for me to get some time to put the new IKEA stuff together and to get settled for the after shots. Imagine me here right now as I type this out. I'm lying on the bed.<br /><br />That floor sure looks comfy--it'll soon be all ready for guests. Okay, make that guest.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLOBwRD_O-I/AAAAAAAAAjc/FLAPzQEuH_Y/s1600-h/DSCN9038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLOBwRD_O-I/AAAAAAAAAjc/FLAPzQEuH_Y/s400/DSCN9038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238673457775852514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLOBwxBdrHI/AAAAAAAAAjk/8x1xITq-7Fw/s1600-h/DSCN9039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLOBwxBdrHI/AAAAAAAAAjk/8x1xITq-7Fw/s400/DSCN9039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238673466355199090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLOBxMuigYI/AAAAAAAAAjs/UDRukjb6AfQ/s1600-h/DSCN9040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLOBxMuigYI/AAAAAAAAAjs/UDRukjb6AfQ/s400/DSCN9040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238673473792016770" /></a>alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-72418675241534968352008-08-25T23:09:00.000-04:002008-08-25T23:54:10.125-04:00It's All About MeIt is a well known fact that I love my birthday. All those who know me also know that I continually try to turn the event into multi-day extravaganzas to celebrate my greatness. And finally, I also love cake. <br /><br />This year was no exception. I had been anxiously awaiting my birthday since November when I purchased one special occasion cake at the annual Berkeley University ward's sub-4-santa auction. The lovely Sister Pat Hogan (proud mother of a daughter who recently celebrated her 60th year) makes wedding cakes and donated one. Awesome!!! That's right, I bought my own birthday cake. It was for the children. As the year progressed, my birthday party soon became my going away/birthday party. All the more reason to celebrate.<br /><br />In the two and a half years that we lived together, Courtney and I have thrown several wonderful parties. It was the people that made the parties so spectacular so don't start thinking I'm bragging here. However, one of our finest achievements was the Mackenzie/Alisa birthday party of 2007. It was scary themed so the menu consisted of: questionable cheeses, overly ripe fruit, half-priced sushi, mystery meat, brightly colored mystery drinks, etc. We went so far as to only have used napkins available. It was awesome! I'm pretty sure that no one appreciated our cleverness quite as much as we did. However, we knew it was going to be difficult to beat the ingenuity of the previous year. <br /><br />So, as with any great party, we waited until the Sunday before the date to start making invitations during Sunday School and Relief Society and then distribute them after church. Earlier in the week we decided to do a black and white cocktail party. This would make it easy to decorate the cake as well as be fancy since I'm a fancy gal. I'm not going to lie, there was some concern about people dressing up in cocktail attire. We're mormons. We don't go to cocktail parties. We don't get dressed up. The invitation said cocktail dress strongly encouraged, so we just had to hope for the best. Everyone dressed up!!! (well, except Dustin) I was so happy that everyone dressed up. Truth be told, not everyone wore cocktail attire, but everyone put thought into his/her ensemble to make sure it went with the black and white theme (again, Dustin excluded--please notice he is in purple and blue, like a bruise). <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN6zOUlMgI/AAAAAAAAAis/5j92DuAo97c/s1600-h/DSCN9029.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN6zOUlMgI/AAAAAAAAAis/5j92DuAo97c/s400/DSCN9029.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238665811998355970" /></a><br /><br />I had a lovely time at my birthday party. I'm now officially 29, which is great and weird. Just yesterday I was mistaken for a freshman in college--18 year old--so that is pretty exciting. I didn't have my camera with me for most of the evening because someone else was "taking pictures" for me. I think my battery died or something because I don't have a lot of pictures. If any of you took pictures at my party, please send them to me. Please. Here is what I have:<br /><br />The Bakers! Oh, I do miss living so close to family.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN6zn_8UDI/AAAAAAAAAi0/sAdLnJJo_kk/s1600-h/DSCN9030.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN6zn_8UDI/AAAAAAAAAi0/sAdLnJJo_kk/s400/DSCN9030.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238665818891112498" /></a> <br /><br />Me celebrating my amazing lung capacity. 29 candles. 1 breath.<br />(again, please note that someone else took these pictures. I just discovered them on my camera)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9niA-YCI/AAAAAAAAAi8/C1kl_N6Amac/s1600-h/DSCN9033.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9niA-YCI/AAAAAAAAAi8/C1kl_N6Amac/s400/DSCN9033.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238668909661282338" /></a><br /><br />Courtney at the bar.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9oCSpU1I/AAAAAAAAAjE/AliXtloRYpo/s1600-h/DSCN9022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9oCSpU1I/AAAAAAAAAjE/AliXtloRYpo/s400/DSCN9022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238668918325334866" /></a><br /><br />The spread.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9oQp1s5I/AAAAAAAAAjM/RATVs5_Yjwk/s1600-h/DSCN9017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9oQp1s5I/AAAAAAAAAjM/RATVs5_Yjwk/s400/DSCN9017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238668922180711314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9oocawmI/AAAAAAAAAjU/bgjbn5fPdzA/s1600-h/DSCN9016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SLN9oocawmI/AAAAAAAAAjU/bgjbn5fPdzA/s400/DSCN9016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238668928566870626" /></a>alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-18774974385321781012008-08-07T14:20:00.000-04:002008-08-07T15:02:38.528-04:00A Stolen IdeaThis came from <a href="http://missreneeswildride.blogspot.com/2008/06/game.html">Renee's blog</a> back in June--the lack of structure has gotten me behind in a lot of things. Everyone knows I'm a joiner, so here is my mosaic of me based off of other's pictures.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SJtECMb2sEI/AAAAAAAAAig/g6KdwKzPkW0/s1600-h/mosaic3097309.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SJtECMb2sEI/AAAAAAAAAig/g6KdwKzPkW0/s400/mosaic3097309.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231850196609445954" /></a><br /><br />If you would like to create your own, here are the rules:<br />1. Type your answer to each of the following questions in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/">Flickr Search</a><br />2. Pick an image from the first page.<br />3. Copy and past each image's URL into <a href="http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php">fd's mosaic maker</a>.<br /><br />The Questions:<br />1. What is your first name?<br />2. What is your favorite food?<br />3. What high school did you go to?<br />4. What is your favorite color?<br />5. Who is your celebrity crush?<br />6. Favorite drink?<br />7. Dream vacation?<br />8. Favorite dessert?<br />9. What you want to be when you grow up?<br />10. What do you love most in life?<br />11. One word to describe you.<br />12. Your flickr name. (Kid version: favorite animal)<br /><br />Now, when you copy the pictures in to the mosaic maker it will create the credits portion so you don't need to add that extra step into the copy/pasting mantra--learned that lesson the hard way. <br /><br /><br />Photo Credits:<br />1. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikitushka/1305586988/">Alisa the sniper</a> 2. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwhammer/2248986558/">improvised bread pudding</a> 3. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diamondduste/1421145520/"> Week 4: Tuscaloosa County vs. Hillcrest</a> 4. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/omnia/233811902/">purple sea snails</a> 5. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorimarsha/2560326257/">Celebrity sighting #2- Aaron Eckhart</a> 6. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ace587/484487412/">Coca Cola Classic</a> 7. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44548980@N00/488261769/">Evening Rain at the Duomo</a> 8. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/evinrude/2475484173/">bread pudding</a> 9. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/barca-q8/2243167438/">She's Happy</a> 10. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/prettypony/2515744288/">My friends......ROCK</a> 11. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jc_iverson/212284037/">Hilarious</a> 12. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/altamar/2301676250/">Caro y la llamo</a>alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-66648386349768143992008-08-06T20:02:00.000-04:002008-08-07T00:01:08.218-04:00Wikihow, I'm a Fan<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eCqqtjNQhD0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eCqqtjNQhD0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />I'm also a fan of iGoogle and the fact that it gives me new Wikihows everyday. So, yesterday, I was minding my own business reading my Google horoscope (also located on the iGoogle page right next to the countdown until school starts) when I noticed that the Wikihow for the day was doing a running front flip. Awesome.<br /><br />I read the <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Running-Front-Flip">article</a> and then proceeded to watch the instructional video. While doing this I had two thoughts come to me.<br /><br />#1: I'm pretty sure that I would pop my air mattress that is currently my bed if I were to try this. Must find a gym to pratice.<br /><br />#2: I could make an instructional Wikihow video.<br /><br />Mid-instructional video my mind began to wander. What skills could I teach via video via youtube? I was therefore no longer paying attention to the instructional video and will therefore not need a gym to practice in since I only know the first two steps which I can do in my own living room sans mats. I've been pondering what instructional wikihow I should create. These are my ideas:<br /><br />#1: Pretending you aren't singing at the top of your lungs in the car when in fact you are singing at the top of your lungs in the car.<br /><br />#2: Kicking an attacker in the shins.<br /><br />#3: Launching candy necklace candies at the unsuspecting.<br /><br />What do my two readers think? Who is willing to help? I need a video camera because my camera only does short film and I'd like this to be top quality. I'll also need some actors and stunt doubles. Let me know who wants to help. Or share you own wikihow instructional video ideas here.alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-36935783999724150872008-08-04T22:36:00.000-04:002008-08-04T23:12:41.084-04:00I do not apologizeThat's right! I'm not sorry that I've abandoned this little blog or my two readers. I have no excuses. I've just not blogged. That's it. Stuff has happened that I could easily share. More importantly, stuff is going to happen that I will have to share. Big stuff. <br /><br />Where I've been:<br /><br />So, since I last blogged I have learned to love the life of the unemployed. Seriously, why did I ever think having a job would be a good idea? The life of leisure is fantastic! FANTASTIC!! I highly recommend it to all if circumstance permits. Plus, the last 3 or 4 months haven't even been enough time to do all that I could have done as an unemployed menace to society. Just keep that in mind as you all plan future bouts of unemployment ahead of you. I forsee no more of this wonderful life in my future; and therefore, I mourn. <br /><br />No, I haven't spent this non-blogging time mourning. I've spent it sleeping, watching Buffy, visiting family, visiting friends, hanging with the sticky and the noisy generation (neices and nephews), preparing for the move, touristing all around San Francisco and the beautiful bay area. I've lost all routine and structure, and I love it. I sleep as late as I want. I jog along the beach whenever I want. I go to movies in the middle of the day, by myself. I'm not restricted by deadlines and duties. Anyway, no one feels bad for me or my circumstance. They therefore cannot comprehend why I do not blog. No one realizes that this loss of structure is the reason that I have been unable to blog. Time? Yes, I've plenty of it. Routine? Gone. I don't even read the blogs of those I love anymore. Or the blogs that are funny and provide me with hours and hours of wild entertainment. These were where the ideas and the need to blog came from. Without them, there were no blog entries. Do you see, dear reader? I needed the structure in my life. I need you all and your blogs, your wit, your anecdotes to make mine happen. So there it is. I left the world of the weberspace and the blogosphere during my unemployment months because my world did not have blogs.<br /><br />Where I'm going:<br /><br />Now, I'm on the cusp of re-entering civility. I shall gain structure and deadlines and routine in my life. And with that, I plan on re-entering the blogging world. I've got adventures to tell you. At least, I hope I will have adventures to tell you.<br /><br />I'm moving to New York City!! Yes, I'm trading in my relatively high rent and cost of living in the bay area to move to a closet in Union Square that's more rent and a greater cost of living. Everyone who reads this knows this already. Not a shocker, I get it. However, one (read: me) can hope that she has blog stalkers (read: not the creepy kind) out there who hadn't heard yet and may be interested. I fly out on the red eye on the 17th of August. Take my diagnostic tests on the 18th. Pre-term starts the 19th. And I'm officially a first year MBA student at New York University. A little Felicity-esque, I understand. However, I'm not following a track star out there, and I don't plan on falling in love with my RA. <br /><br />I kind of feel like a grown up. You'd think the full-time job, benefits and a 401K plan would have made me feel like a grown up. But this is more grown up-y. Trust me on that one. New York is a big city. This equates to more grown up-ness. Don't ask me to explain it, it just works that way.<br /><br />So, here it is. A boring return to the blogging world. No pictures. No jokes. And not a classic anecdote. I've missed you little blog.alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-69784427527317794082008-05-05T20:27:00.000-04:002008-05-05T20:29:36.822-04:00Unemployed: Day 2Adorable!!<br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SB-mV4DOK7I/AAAAAAAAAhc/AW65jdZBsO0/s1600-h/priceless.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SB-mV4DOK7I/AAAAAAAAAhc/AW65jdZBsO0/s400/priceless.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197055389762202546" /></a>alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-91274177442684322062008-05-02T14:52:00.001-04:002008-05-02T15:25:46.128-04:00Unemployed: Day 1On my walk to Jay's after the "morning" jog (Read: I woke up at 11 and went for a run.) I passed an elementary school. It was PE time. Standing around a giant brightly colored parachute stood about 25 tiny people and one teacher.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SBtj0YDOK6I/AAAAAAAAAhU/1ujbeK4KcXs/s1600-h/home-burnley-parachute.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_9VF2vve-1dc/SBtj0YDOK6I/AAAAAAAAAhU/1ujbeK4KcXs/s400/home-burnley-parachute.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195856346562309026" /></a><br /><br />My question to you: Where can I get one of those things? That was hands down my most favorite thing to do in elementary school PE (wait, I really loved the scooter things too and crab soccer--crab soccer rocked). How wonderful would it be to play with that everyday while I'm not working?alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-91377484530089912672008-05-01T13:41:00.000-04:002008-05-01T17:14:36.312-04:00I Like Books TooWhile catching up on my blog reading this morning, I got a great idea from <a href="http://melanieunplugged.blogspot.com/2008/04/book-tag.html">Melanie's blog.</a>. She had been book tagged. It was interesting enough. Being the ego-centric person that I am, I felt I could easily participate in this activity even though she hadn't book tagged me or expressed interest in my current reading materials. I began to wonder what a book within close proximity to me would reveal. Working for a legal publisher, there are several boring books on the bookshelf a few feet away that are all written in legalise. This is a foreign language I have yet to master, even after two years. Korean was a breeze compared to this mammoth beast. Anyway, I am now left with two choices (unless you count the <a href="http://anyong-news.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-15-seconds-of-fame.html">February 2008 edition of Spirit Magazine</a>). <br /><br />Choice #1: Angel Customers and Demon Customers. A gift from one of my many CMOs from the last two years. All us marketers received one and I've yet to open it still. Now's a good a chance as any.<br /><br />Page 123, 5th Sentence: Does each group have significantly homogeneous needs to be susceptible to common offers and marketing? (yes, it's a question not a sentence, but I'm sure it still counts.<br /><br />Analysis: The context of this sentence is grouping different target markets by need. The example would be computer companies clumping individuals together and businesses together and targeting the two groups separately. Upon reflection, this is a valid point. Are the needs of the group similar enough that one message will reach them all equally, or do I need to be more specific in my messaging thus dividing each group into more groups? The answer is yes. It is common knowledge that I can come across as rather abrasive upon first introduction. However, this abrasiveness is soon recognized as an expression of my adorableness upon further acquaintance. Nonetheless, I realize that it isn't always the best method to reach new acquaintances. <br /><br />Choice #2: Eat, Pray, Love. Stolen from Amy where it was stolen from Ashley. Great book and I just got to the Bali part this morning and am now contemplating Bali as a great vacation spot during these unemployment months.<br /><br />Page 123, 5th Sentence: Like all great philosophical ideas, this one is simplest to understand but virtually impossible to imbibe.<br /><br />Analysis: I love the word imbibe. I should use it more often. I'm a little annoyed that both of my sentences needed context. Couldn't they be like one of the preceding sentences: But we do have the chance. Or one of the following sentences: No problem. However, today, I must dig deep into my philosophical mind and explore what these books are telling me. Just to spite the cosmic powers I will proceed without context on this sentence. How is it possible to understand something while it is impossible to imbibe? You'd think if you understand something that you can easily absorb it, right? No. Think about how many things you get, but can't explain? Is that not the same thing? Don't most faith-based principles elicit this same paradox? I don't know...just thinking about the illustration of imbibing an idea is interesting contrasted with merely understanding it.<br /><br />So, I guess my self-imposed book tag proved nothing. Although, I did try to use big words to increase the grade-level of the blog. But for the most part I'm the same. I'll continue to be abrasive upon first introduction--it's my thing, I'm good at it. And I will try to use imbibe more in everyday venacular--and not just in reference to when people are actually drinking.alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37818747.post-28890141763741121902008-05-01T12:44:00.000-04:002008-05-01T12:47:52.538-04:00We All Want the Funny BackYes, I have been fighting five-year-olds for a very long time. No one realizes this more than myself. I'm sorry team. I'm sorry. It's just been a difficult month...I got layed off and now I have no job. Oh wait! That's great news. I have all the time in the world to do nothing. Hurray. I will one day blog again. Until then check out this <a href="http://whatmormonslike.blogspot.com/">funny blog</a>.alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13534239658665813686noreply@blogger.com0