Don't Hassle Me, I'm Local

Here's a recap of my last 36 hours... (kind of like my Brussels trip)

Utah to Vegas with one of my very bestest friends...Cirque du Soleil...amazing restaurant at Venetian that merits a whole other post...

Vegas to California...Home to an empty house to throw in sister's retainers she forgot and Disney movie classics I haven't seen for years.
(i.e. Parent Trap? Peter Pan? Princess Diaries? Holler!)

Driven to the airport by dear grandpa, who will be joining us in a few weeks for our 'family reunion eternal extravaganza extreme' (F.R.E.E.E.- wow, I'm clever when I'm tired).

Took lots of drowsy meds, but they only gave me a writing itch...12 pages later....touched down at Boston Logan today to meet the fam, who had flown in from Miami for the past half-week or so....snuck up on them in baggage claim looking a tad haggard and wearing socks under my Rainbow flip flops, proclaiming

"Don't hassle me, I'm local."

(Basically our summer theme movie for life)

Now catching up on emails, my online internship, dis blog, plotting my roadtrip to NYC....with some soothing, melancholic Coldplay in the background...


Cheers from the East. I'm so happy to be here. xo

Universal health care will make you taller

Thought of the day:

I KNEW I looooved Deutschland so much...

Because aside from having pink castles that reminded me of my late grandmother Loraine...

(Neues Palais, Sans Sousi Park, Potsdam)

And beautiful countryside in which to ride bikes...

(Frankfurt-Oder near the Polish border)

And delightful, entertaining, very often silly company...

(Berlin Wall- haha my face is so round...this was after Spain, and after Sarah and I had eaten our weight in Belgian lieges just days before hehe)

Germans are the 3rd tallest people in the world!

(Oh, did I mention I'm reading THIS)

It was such a respite from being stared at so much in dwarf-y Spain to pull my shoulders back, and see eye-to-eye with pride amongst those beautiful Germans.

Tallest countries: Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Norway, Denmark

I KNEW I should just move to Europe!

US citizens are not just short, but our heights have actually decreased.

"Americans stopped growing in 1950s and haven't grown taller in almost sixty years...
the average US man is 5'9.2" and woman 5'3.8"...
Women have declined by 0.3 inch over forty years , which is significant," says Cohen.

She says "someone should run for president on the slogan 'Universal health care will make you taller." It's true. Talls are found wherever childhood health care is top notch, mothers get months off after birth, and social services abound."



I KNEW the Obamas were just trying to make everyone as tall as them!!!

(and here's the Romney rebuttal)

Best waffle you'll ever have

After our study abroad, my roommate/friend/esposa Sarah and I went to Brussels for 36 hours en route to Berlin.

Most of the time was spent eating waffles (and chocolate). They are nothing like you've ever had before. They have this certain sweetness in their thick dough-y batter that will blow your mind.

But now, no Belgian trip is needed...

Because now there is an authentic Belgian waffle place in SLC.

They are the best either plain or with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Seriously, no chocolate needed.

There were two waffle places on my NYC street last summer - actually, one was a waffle truck that periodically sat on 14th street...Emily and I would call each other if we spotted it (Gossip Girl style ;) - it was that amazing.
The best was eating one on the steps of Union Square watching the night scene unfold.


Who says America isn't getting better by the day?!

SoCal in a nutshell?

Saw this on dear cousin Marian's blog....




Hahaha...must be from Orange County...;)

Also, should I be proud or ashamed that I understand all the lingo he verbalizes? Thoughts? :)

Rockin' Twitter

Okay, I know Rockin Robin was a Bobby Day original...BUT the Jackson 5 did perform it...




I say this because since his passing, MJ has rocked 15% of Twitter content...(the Iran election controversy barely approached 5%)

....tweedleeedeedeedee....tweet....tweet...tweet, tweet

HYPERVENTILATING

And THIS is why.

(Thanks, Turralurr)

Akin to that time when I walked by myself in the late hours of a sparkling Manhattan evening from a concert in Central Park to the Hearst building at W 57th...and then to Conde Nast in Times Square. Just visualizing, thinking...

Smarter, Richer, Longer, Better

So far, it would be accurate to say that I've been amen-ing every page and paragraph...



Just a couple of choice quotes so far from Arianne:


"Being tall has meaning far beyond just seeing over people's heads. We share the balancing act of being the chosen people, yet we live in a society that is not built for us...it's a ripe paradox."

(Coming from homes custom built with countertops 4" higher than 'standard' and specially ordered handicap toilets (because they rise higher), I understand this. Short people often have trouble in my family's homes, and we find a lot of humor in it.)

"'Power has a way of being re-inforcing...Tall people are perceived as more dominant and often get treated that way, and if people treat you as dominant, then you de facto become more dominant in that group.' It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. And that is the tall advantage."

So awesome, so peculiar and utterly unique the commonality 'talls' feel with each other...



I end this post with a gem from my aunt Lisa:

"Beautifully tall women lend grace to an awkward world."

"Now that's what I call a taco!"

I was up in Idaho this past weekend for my cousin's LDS mission homecoming (from the NY NY North mission aka mostly the Bronx and Manhattan), and part of the cousin festivities included a YouTube-a-thon...

This was one of the best:




"Pizza?! Now that's what I call a taco!" HAHA.

Cough Cough Cough

My psychology teacher (yes, I retook Psych 111 because I got a C in it my freshman year) was so crazy and boring this term, a couple people in our class envisioned a BINGO game to alleviate our boredom...

Tommy and Alyse were the brainchildren of the operation. Then Ashley and I helped fill in the spaces.

So here it is in all its glory.

(You can see how crazy he was just by reading the spaces... )

Yep. We're cool like that.

To signal a BINGO, participants had to cough 3 times. This, combined with making video chat faces at each other, was the highlight of this class.

Princesses' realities

I want to say Happy Fathers' Day to my dad, for always making me feel like a princess, but also putting me in my place when it was needed.

(And also fostering the tomboy-ism of my youth, where we'd spend countless hours watching football, basketball and baseball together.)

Here's some photos from an exhibition called "Fallen Princesses".

Says Goldstein, the photographer:

"I began to imagine Disney's perfect princesses juxtaposed with real issues that were affecting women around me such as illness, addiction and self-image."

(Pictures: Dina Goldstein via Cup of Jo)

Keeping up with the Kiwis

(and Maoris)

Come January I will be here...

Also known as New Zealand also known as a Never Neverland on Earth!

I'm pretty much stoked out of my mind that I'll be getting college credit for taking outdoor recreation courses..... YES....the last time I received school credit to surf was senior year of high school- it's about time my chosen undergraduate university follow suit ;)

(My spiritual bond with the ocean merits volumes of more writing...)

All these Peter Pan themes lately and the fact that I'm finally (after a recommendation six years ago, I'm embarrassed to say) halfway through reading The Alchemist... has me thinking about seeking out the many Neverlands of this life (with the traveling/exploring element serving as both a reality and a metaphor) and finding a Peter to accompany me on the journey.

But Peter Pan or not, it won't hold me down from achieving.

Is it so selfish, grandiose or romantic that I don't want to compromise and actually want to achieve goals, wishes and dreams? Really see them to fruition?

I don't think so. My inner combination of wanderlust and pragmatism realizes that an extraordinary outcome requires an extraordinary effort.

I'm not just 'up for the challenge'... it's been lovingly and tryingly ingrained in me that I will do it.

With love,

Wendy the future Kiwi

A must read for the Tall

...and whoever else wants to get a glimpse of what it's like to be Amazon/intimidatingly/top-shelf-reaching tall...

So....I fell in tall love with Arianne Cohen when I read her article in April's Vogue.

After a rather intense search to find the article online to no avail, I have scanned and attached the pages below for your reading pleasure.

Click to enlarge.

(Haha. That was totally me/my sisters in dance classes...it was really awkward-slash-awful back then.)

(The following page was not scanning properly, so I thought drawing a makeshift border would help- please disregard the eyesore...)

also

(an endocrinologist said my mom would be 5'6"....she's actually 6'1"....)

Yep. Nailed it. Awesome.

I have ordered her book for some summer reading.

Rachel and Amy, I'm bringing it to the lake to share.
Get excited.

Viva las altas!

Blue Suit Riot...a preview

To my fans, followers, friends and foes:

I have taken my first step in following Rachael's lead...

(go here for her blog)


...and purchased my very own navy blue suit.

Cougars, Cosmo, and Zoobies beware...this new zentai will be prancing around the hallowed campus of Brigham Young University in the near future.

Stay tuned.


*I need an accompanying photog to help detail my conquests...any gracious volunteers, budding shutterbugs, or recreational Facebook album makers welcome.

Please inquire within the comments below. XO

Twittering Tehran

Regarding the current events of the tainted Iranian elections, I suggest you read this fascinating Q&A on TED of how social media is quite literally, revolutionizing a revolution.

I hopped over to NY Times to get more details, and sure enough, they had an article detailing this very phenomenon happening amidst the Tehran tumult.

Wholly supports my belief that 'journalism is the first draft of history.' Exciting to see it be written in ways that, even a couple years ago, had not been invented.

(Photo via NY Times)

Sandy or Jennie?

I have been very blessed to have spent a lot of time with many of my (many) cousins throughout my life, on both US coasts. A fun thing about my time at BYU has been periodically running into some of them (2nd and 3rd cousins too) on campus and getting to know them better.

That being said, I cannot go another advertisement of The Proposal movie without remembering how much of a spitting image my cousin Jennie is of Sandra Bullock.

When I pointed this out to my aunt in a preview for it (before Angels & Demons- if you have not seen it, go now) last month, she almost screamed in the theater. hehe.

Plus, I think J and Sandy have similar humor styles and they're both ranchers.

As Nancy Pelosi for Halloween. Cousins think alike. (I was a Sarah Palin in pink).

I'm really jealous she and my sis AC get to go to university together. They have a lot of fun.

Then:

Now:

I'm sad I won't be able to see her this summer. She's in Hawaii doing environmental research for her major studies.

Yeah, "research."

How convenient ;)

Cute as a button

Oooh how I loove the Salt Lake City bakery Les Madeleines...

Why?  

The only bakery in SLC that makes authentic French macarons-- known in (dumbed down) English as "button cookies"...

In flavors of hazelnut, mango, strawberry, pistachio, green tea and even 'margarita'...

AND one of only 6 bakeries in the USA to make Kouing-aman... 

a sweet & salty, crunchy & gooey anomaly of a pastry that must be made with sea salt from its birthplace of Brittany, France.

Les Madeleines has not only provided me with loads of epicurean delight, but also shown me that Utah may be a more sophisticated place than previously thought...

this is why food has the ability to affect my life so deeply. hehe.

Photo via Les Madeleines

Death by smoked salmon inhalation

Just kidding. Although, the fact that Costco does not give a single woman the right to choose a preferred quantity is a little overwhelming sometimes...

Needless to say, smoked salmon has been the star of many of my meals lately (hence, the title).

Breakfast: Scrambled egg-whites with smoked samon, goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes and a slice of prosciutto di parma. Plus blueberries and peppermint tea.

The aesthetics of food are just as important as the taste. Smoked salmon is so pretty, I think. How else can one get such a punch of orange on a plate?

Smoked salmon, goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, mesclun greens, olive tapenade. Probably my new favorite salad.

Maybe I should change the title to "Life by cancer-fighting omega 3's??"

Best Faces Forward!

Thank goodness for progressive technology.

If it wasn't enough to have Wi-Fi in class, now muted video chat to make funny faces appears to be the new wave of the internet.

So Tommy and I had our computers and his fiance Alyse was sitting next to him trying not to keel over as she Sudoku'ed.

Warming up...

And we're off...

Taking a turn looking invested in the lecture.

Self-zoom

Pictured below wins the award of: "I-had-to-turn-my-face-into-a-convincing-fake yawn-because-the-professor-turned-around-too-soon"

Kudos to Tommy for screen-capturing the pre-yawn face.

Too bad those weren't even the best faces made.
A 'you had to be there' thing.

Ambient like Ambien

One of the greatest things in the world is iTunes Radio...

I've decided listening to Ambient music as you fall asleep is like being on an acid trip - minus the 70s technicolor - as you do your final rounds of late night Facebook chat and get warm and snuggly...


It will soothe your little troubles away into the abyss of the night as you melt into your sheets.

Sia- Breathe Me came on and it took me back to when I used to live with Aly, Cara and Becky and we would lay on the ground, wallow in our worries, then proclaim that we were strong and could get through any gnarly test, boy drama or internship interview...

It's awesome. Try it.

I D.A.R.E. you.

"The Neck's Best Things"

Wouldn't these necklaces be pretty chic for the draping?

...a girl can dream, right?

There are no words

Hilarious would not begin to describe THIS.

My friend Rachael made a profile on blackplanet.com of Laquisha Jones from the Bronx...and well, go visit the link to see more of what ensued.
Be sure you watch the videos...

But now, we didn't expect anything less from a girl who wore a blue suit around campus during finals, now did we?

If a picture's worth a thousand words, a photo essay is worth a million

For those who may have thought my obsession was waning....think again.

(Photo via Time)

'Michelle greets students from Public School 176 in Queens during the Met opening.

Understanding that it can be intimidating to meet the First Lady, she gets "touchy with kids, because I think if I touch them and I hug them, that they'll see that it's real, and then they'll relax and breathe and actually kind of enjoy the time and make use of it."'


Full Photo Essay: "Behind the Scenes with Michelle Obama"

The Miracle of Life Part II

...Because maybe unloading these is therapeutic and shows how ridiculous a child I was.

A) One day as my mom was collecting items to donate to "the poor people" of Mexico, she told me to gather things that maybe had sentimental value but that I didn't need anymore.

I was about 4: old enough to see right through all the hogwash and glory of being a fairly new big sister to what it really was = attention redistribution.

Apparently, my eyes got wide and excited, and I said
"I know! We can give Anne Carroll [my sister] to the poor people!"

I'm so glad my mom overrode my judgment.



B) I once went through a phase of demanding people call me Wendy.

As in, Wendy from Peter Pan.

Demanding manifested in there being "Wendy" written atop many a Pre-K art piece (in both my handwriting and my teacher's- I can only imagine what they were thinking).
But among other things, it came back to me remembering how I thought Wendy really had it all:

i) a guy who knew how to fly,
ii) who taught her how to fly, and
iii) who flew her to a place of tree forts and forests to explore.

(My future husband has some large shoes to fill...(wings to spread?))


C) I was a very curious child. One day as a 7 year old, I was totally flummoxed for how "it" happened and straight-up asked my mom how A got to B (a term later learned as "conception" in middle school science class).

The best part is that AC happened to be in the room too, approximately age 3, and as soon as my mom opened up the peanut gallery for questions, AC ever so inquisitively asked...

(I can just see her head tilted and brow furrowed)

"Even....camels?!"

So yes, I brought on the sex talk at age 7.


I can only wait to be on the receiving end of questions like these of my own, because as you have just witnessed, I know I really have it coming...

Love,
Wendy

The Miracle of Life Part I

I had to stop babysitting when I was 16, because as my mom said,
"You're not going to want to have kids if you continue."

Thank goodness for my niece and nephew.