Stuff I Like: I'm Hungry Edition

1. Gummi bears: That I love gummi bears is a point I can't emphasize enough.
2. Bruschetta with tomato and basil: It's so simple and tastes like summer.
3. Izze pear soda: A recent discovery - sparkling water and fruit juice combined into one seriously refreshing beverage. And apparently Izze is one of those do-good companies who support independent fruit growers and all of that warm-fuzzy stuff. So it's good all-round!
4. Happy Meal : double cheeseburger, no pickles, Diet Coke, and a girl toy. It's only pathetic because I worked there.
5. Top Chef: I love watching the chefs plate their food - it always looks amazing, even when it sounds disgusting (mustard-seared alligator tail and monkfish liver braised with apple hash).

Stuff I Dig: Insomniac's Theatre Edition

1. Ambien : Makes me sleeeeeeeeeeeepyyyyyy. .....
2. Hello Kitty pajamas: so comfy cute
3. Neko Case: perfect "past midnight and I'm still awake" music
4. Re-reading all those essays I wrote last semester: I was wondering if I really am smart.
5. Red toenail polish: Pedicures are a fantastic late-night activity.

Stuff I Like: When I'm Sad Edition

1. My dog: Even though she is the Replacement Dog and isn't as sensitive to tears as Toffee was, Darcy does a pretty good job of cheering me up.
2. My blanket: Linus and I share the same soul. Having a blankey is like having a ready-made hug whenever you need it.
3. Pretty in Pink: My number one, all-time favorite movie always renews my hope that a sensitive rich boy will love me if only I wear enough beautiful vintage clothing.
4. Elliott Smith: Yeah. He knew.
5. Gummi bears: Total comfort food - I'm thinking of editing a collection of triumph-over-upper-middle-class-boredom type essays and calling it Gummi Bears for the Suburbean Soul. Send me your experiences, kids!

Stuff I Like: Day Tripper Edition

1. Ciara and Maria (or Maria and Ciara) : I always have fun with them - watching Little Britain or The Life Aquatic, midnight Wal-Mart fashion shoots, crushing grapes at the Juicing Party, laughing at strange periodicals from the Writer's Market . . . always super-fun.
2. Books on Tape : Although I love music (love music!), I am beginning to prefer audio books for car trips of any considerable length. Last time I went to Salt Lake, I listened to a fabulous Julie Garwood romance novel, Prince Charming, in which a young girl must escape her opressive uncle by marrying a Western cowboy and sailing to America. It's all very wonderful. This time, I went the more intellectual route and listened to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, which I haven't yet finished, but has been wonderful thus far.
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix : Yay for the best Harry Potter movie yet! As a freakish fan, it was all I could ask for.
4. Rupert Grint : He drives an ice cream truck when he's not being Ron Weasley. Combined with his red hair and ratty-sweater boyishness, I believe this makes him the perfect man.
5. Super Hot Tamales : A very tricky trick to staying awake while driving past ten o'clock in the evening. They don't taste good at all, but they do their job well.

Music I Like: iTunes Play Count Edition

1. "To Go Home" - M. Ward : Matt Ward has a beautiful, not-too-polished voice - "Handle With Care" from Jenny Lewis' album shows how uniquely appealing M. Ward's voice is when stacked next to more commercial dudes like Ben Gibbard and Conor Oberst. "To Go Home" is one of my favorites from his Post-War album - I love this song so very much that I want to share it with everyone. Here's the link to download this lovely, lovely Daniel Johnston cover.

2. "Go It Alone" - Beck : BECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3. "Damaged Goods" - Gang of Four : Great song, great band. That's all.

4. "Summer's Gone" - Aberfeldy : I'll begin with the obligatory "I want everyone to know that I liked this song two years ago, way before it was on a Coke commercial" statement. However, it's cutesy, catchy '60's organ sound lends itself well to commercials (you can't get it out of your head!), so I still like this song post-"selling out."

5. "My Doorbell" - The White Stripes : I'm not a huge White Stripes fan, but this fab song, with its drum-beats-and-Jack-White-singing makes me want to buy their entire catalogue.