summer loves

Current (and might I point out, super girly) song obsessions:

Disclaimer: I recycle through about 20 songs for months and months, so many of these are old. I just like to listen to a song so many times that I can’t possibly listen to it anymore. Hah. 

  • Carly Rae Jepson - Call Me Maybe…hahahah…of course…
  • Jessie J - Price Tag (f/B.o.B.) I know, it’s pretty old, but I’m super into the beat…
  • Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend Again, awesome beat. Pretty strange lyrics. I guess she was cheating with some guy who had a girlfriend and she wants him to break it to her in a nice way? Okay…
  • Robyn - Dancing on My Own (regular and acoustic) Pretty old song, I know. At first I thought it was so stupidly girly and she was saying “I’m in the courtyard watching you kiss her,” which just sounded super stalker-ish to me. Granted, knowing that it’s actually “corner” instead of “courtyard” doesn’t really help the stalker element, I grew to appreciate this song after watching Lena Dunham’s character dancing to the song at the end of an episode. The pop-ish beat and lyrics are pretty damn appealing now. Oh, and did I mention the acoustic version is amazing too (see video at bottom)? Robyn is my new favorite. 
  • Gorilla Warfare Tactics - Temptations Was obsessed with this song last summer. Still obsessed. 
  • The Daylights - I Hope This Gets To You Yay for Youtube awesomeness. Besides, this song reminds me of someone…..:)
  • The Naked and Famous - Young Blood This song is old too, but something about it just makes me feel really good and happy. Must listen to all songs that put me in a better mood. 
  • Ron Pope - A Drop in the Ocean I don’t watch Vampire Diaries so I didn’t find out about this song from there. I just really like it…K??? Goshhhh
  • 2Pac - Dream Girl (f/Akon) I guess Akon did some sort of remix? Love the beat. I know I say that a lot, but it’s true. 
  • Bon Iver - Skinny Love (Das Kapital Rerub) Hard to believe that an amazing song could actually get even more amazing with a remix, but aHA! The remix is a must. 
  • Maroon 5 - Payphone (f/Wiz Khalifa) Quite popular right now. I am definitely one to listen to lyrics and try to connect to them, so I try to ignore the fact that this song is partly about being at a payphone. I just really love Adam Levine—sexy voice, sexy man. :)

Robyn - Dancing on my Own (Acoustic)

Hirshhorn Museum
Washington, D.C.  

Jefferson MemorialWashington, D.C. 

Jefferson Memorial
Washington, D.C. 

this is not a powerpuff girl

this is not a powerpuff girl

Woes of a Sometimes-Germaphobe


Behold as Sharon writes about her fear of food contamination in third person. Sharon is a freak.
  • Sharon doesn’t share food. 
    My reasoning for this statement is not the same as Joey Tribbiani’s from Friends as it does not arise from selfishness; I am simply not comfortable with my food being touched (and therefore “contaminated”) by foreign mouths, hands, or eating utensils. Therefore, my discomfort does not apply to individually-packaged snacks and such (i.e. cookies, pretzels, etc..). Simply stated, please just don’t lick your spoon and dip it into my soup. This brings me to my next confession…

  • Sharon is a germaphobe—sometimes. 
    Again, I must stress the spoon and dirty hand/utensil situation. Also, drinking directly from a large carton of milk or juice and putting it back into the fridge does not fly with me. In my head, I imagine all the bacteria that starts growing as a result of mouth-to-carton contact. Cups were made for a reason—just saying.
     
  • Sharon doesn’t like it when you breathe on her food.
    Again, this is germ-related. Also, I realize these statements are becoming increasingly neurotic. However, when someone gets really close to my food to smell it, all I can really imagine is little snot molecules or flakes of dead skin and dandruff from said inhaler flying into my food. Granted, I probably inhale little bits of snot, dandruff, and even spiders probably fly into my mouth all the time. I guess I just want to avoid these situations when it comes to food.
     

It seems as though germ theory has been both a blessing and a curse to those of us who have vivid imaginations. Interestingly enough, these germaphobe-induced statements are only applicable to certain situations. 

I am not a stickler for hand-washing—which seems to contradict my “dirty hands” rule. Nor am I terribly afraid of dirty toilet seats. Moreover, I work part-time at a sushi restaurant where I regularly see food being touched and dirty plates being used to serve food—and I’m okay with that. Have you ever wondered how your tempura shrimp got so neatly arranged? Do you think those hands were necessarily washed post-bathroom break? BAM. 

Sometimes it’s best not to think about it.

Instagram it.

Instagram it.

Baked corkscrew pasta with vodka marinara sauce and sweet Italian sausage. (Inspired by: How to: Make Baked Ziti) Made this pasta today in lieu of the upcoming Lunar New Year. Actually, I was mostly just craving some super fattening baked pasta and decided to use Chinese New Years as an excuse for indulging. It’s okay if it’s a holiday, OKAY? The pictures are not fantastic, as I did not take them with my DSLR (nor did I do any editing), but instead used my nifty iPhone—it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of dealio.  Warning: the following recipe contains no measurements of amount or time, as I tend not to measure things when I cook.  Ingredients: corkscrew pasta  sweet Italian sausage (defrosted) one large onion (diced) one large tomato (diced) tomato sauce of your choice cheese Directions: 1. Sautee tomatoes, and onions for a few minutes. Place in a pot with tomato sauce and simmer on medium heat.  2. Meanwhile, boil pasta. When it is al dente, remove and drain and place in a large bowl. Also, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  3. Cook Italian sausage by mashing and removing from casing. It should be mostly cooked and should resemble large chunks of ground beef. Place into sauce mixture and mix well.  4. Combine sauce and pasta. Place entire mixture into an oven-safe pan.  5. Sprinkle pan with cheese (I used Mexican). Be as liberal as you would like—remember, you are the one consuming the calories.  6. When oven is ready, place pasta into oven and bake for ~10 min. The cheese should be melted and a little brown. Top with some Parmesan cheese (optional).  Happy eating and happy new year! Prep Time: ~5-10 minCook Time: ~15-20 min 

Baked corkscrew pasta with vodka marinara sauce and sweet Italian sausage.

(Inspired by: How to: Make Baked Ziti)

Made this pasta today in lieu of the upcoming Lunar New Year. Actually, I was mostly just craving some super fattening baked pasta and decided to use Chinese New Years as an excuse for indulging. It’s okay if it’s a holiday, OKAY?

The pictures are not fantastic, as I did not take them with my DSLR (nor did I do any editing), but instead used my nifty iPhone—it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of dealio. 

Warning: the following recipe contains no measurements of amount or time, as I tend not to measure things when I cook. 

Ingredients:

  • corkscrew pasta 
  • sweet Italian sausage (defrosted)
  • one large onion (diced)
  • one large tomato (diced)
  • tomato sauce of your choice
  • cheese

Directions:

1. Sautee tomatoes, and onions for a few minutes. Place in a pot with tomato sauce and simmer on medium heat. 

2. Meanwhile, boil pasta. When it is al dente, remove and drain and place in a large bowl. Also, preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

3. Cook Italian sausage by mashing and removing from casing. It should be mostly cooked and should resemble large chunks of ground beef. Place into sauce mixture and mix well. 

4. Combine sauce and pasta. Place entire mixture into an oven-safe pan. 

5. Sprinkle pan with cheese (I used Mexican). Be as liberal as you would like—remember, you are the one consuming the calories. 

6. When oven is ready, place pasta into oven and bake for ~10 min. The cheese should be melted and a little brown. Top with some Parmesan cheese (optional). 

Happy eating and happy new year!

Prep Time: ~5-10 min
Cook Time: ~15-20 min