Currently :: February

I am self-aware enough to know that if I think I could compete with #DressGate and #LlamaGate, I'm more loco than –– OKAY BUT IS IT WHITE AND GOLD OR BLUE AND BLACK. Someone please save us all. Truth is, it changed for me. I saw one, and then hours later, I saw the other.

Dear world, enjoy the little secret that we psychology majors have known since Day 1 of Psychology Major 101: perception is subjective and wacko, and our minds are out to get us.

With that said, the rest of February (February! Say what?!), I've been...

Watching :: my way through FRIENDS. (Am Caroline's real life friends, can confirm. She has not been sighted in a concerning number of days.)
Eating :: a lot of snacks! I'm not typically a snacker, but this month I've been all about the dried mangoes and BBQ chips and Samoas and red velvet AND birthday cake Oreos. BRB, off to do a crunch. One. One crunch.
Chilling :: with a lot of parents! February has been a month of parents (mine, friends', strangers' too I guess) dropping by for visits, and we've been reaping benefits like good food and vacuumed rooms. Of course our dorm room always looks this impeccable, why would you ever question that?
Planning :: my Spring Break in Austin! Plane tickets, check. Friends to hang out with, check. A Google Doc of a million different restaurants I need to try, to be checked!! Any suggestions?
Playing :: beach volleyball. Well, not me personally because beach volleyball is a physical activity, so yeah right. But it's been so warm and sunny here that people spend weekends sprawled out on lawns in their bikinis suntanning, or playing beach volleyball, or sloshball, or makeshift mini-golf, or other A-hole things to do when it's 80 degrees here and only here. (Don't hate me, I'm so sorry.)
Reading :: Yes Please. To which I say, yes please!

Enjoying :: A lot of me-time on weekends. Which is awesome and all – I love my long walks and productivity and making an effort to see friends I don't usually get to see – butttttttttttttttttt, I'm... 
Waiting :: for softball season to end and for all my favorite girlies to do nothing but hang out with me 24/7. 
Needing :: a caffeine fix. I've been an idiot in that I'm trying to cut back on Starbucks recently, and I plead insanity and all, but pleeeeeease someone just end my misery and gimme gimme some espresso, expresso. Teehee.
Wearing :: Leggings more often than not. At least I change out of my pajama shorts, because don't think I haven't thought about what you're thinking I might have thought about. I have.
Feeling :: that senior year, second term stress. Let's not talk about it.
Wishing :: to be in Europe. I hate to beat this to the ground, but I can't believe a year ago, I was half a world away. My roommate and I are in the midst of planning a summer getaway to Europe, and I'm half-wishing time away so we can just be there already, and half-wishing time to stop so I never have to leave this sunny little home of mine. PS. Helene and I teamed up to write The Best Blogging Tips... Ever (or are they? ... wink wink!) – go have a little read, and then try your hand at winning $25 to Target!

19

Treat Yourself

You know how Cosmopolitan and Glamour always tell us ladies to treat ourselves right? Buy the shoes! Splurge on the non-generic version of drugstore face wash! Honey, you spend that extra dollar!

Well. All I really do is treat myself. I turn a blind eye to my itty bitty college student (lack of a) bank account and treat myself to daily cappuccinos – because I need to study – and a-little-too-long pauses at department store makeup counters that result in a pretty, petite goodie bag – because I need to contour and highlight – and a detour into Kate Spade, but I regret not a single second of that because hey, I was carrying around a dead phone for two months because I didn't have a freaking wallet.

Don't think I can afford this kind of lifestyle. I definitely can't. This girl has zero self-restraint whatsoever, and I've simply learned to accept it and deal with it by taking mirror selfies of outfits I like instead of actually purchasing them.

But no matter how much of a rush I get from handing over my credit card to sweet-talkin' sales associates and Starbucks baristas who draw a heart next to my name on the grande cups, there are other ways by which I treat myself that are much more nourishing for my being, chicken soup for the soul if you will.

I'm talking about getting up earlier than my alarm, with enough time to toss my hair into a bun and perch cross-legged on the edge of my bed, browsing blogs on a Monday morning. I'm talking about trying new restaurants with old friends. I'm talking about spending half an hour before bed reading Amy Poehler's Yes Please, and giggling my way through it. I'm talking about extra long walks, not counting calories, driving way too far for frozen yogurt with real cookie dough, taking Tuesday nights off of studying to catch up on New Girl, ordering breakfast foods at dinner, pre-gaming Taco Bell Quesaritos with a couple of Tums, popping in 1989 or a country album the second it starts to drizzle, and closing the blinds on a breezy day to hole in deeper into a self-made blanket bundle.

Life is short, buy the shoes, but be on the lookout for other not so expensive things that could keep your heart just as happy, if not happier. 
How do you treat yourself?

10

Presenting The Bl(Oscars): If Blogland Had An Oscars

Every industry celebrates successes and rewards those who go above and beyond. Sports, academics, fashion, peacemaking, you name it. TV and movies? Well, they have like seven. Hundred. Plus, the rest of the world actually pays attention to their award shows and are even at times emotionally invested in the minutiae (see Exhibit: Those Shoes Personally Offend Me, or Exhibit: If A Jennifer Doesn't Win, I Will Lose All Hope, or Exhibit: Queen Meryl).

What if the blogosphere had its own version of the Oscars for which bloggers starve themselves for months, and then proceed to make a beeline for In-N-Out the second the credits roll? Think about it. Commentary from humor bloggers, venue by interior design bloggers, food catered by the non-healthy food bloggers, looks styled by the fashion bloggers and then prettified by the beauty vloggers. We'll be scoffing at the $168,000 Oscars swag bags and be all like, "oh yeah?! Well, WE are going to wherever there is a local tourism board willing to partner with travel bloggers' management, #sponsored #linkinprofile" – and the best news is, we can all read about it the next day! 

THE HOST

IMHO, we should collectively Tweet at Chrissy Teigen until she agrees to host. One, girl is hilar. We all know that. We all have girl crushes on her, admit it. Two, she's up-for-anything. Modeling, acting, throwing pitches in MLB games drunk. This'll be another check on her resume! Three, she blogs! It's only right the host is one of our own. Bring your best cry face, Chrissy, the games have begun.

THE RED CARPET

Well obviously, the fashion bloggers will be wearing dresses by the designers whose shows they attended at NYFW. So, a lot of Kate Spade, J.Crew. Pretty standard. The rest of us will have to rely on the stylists who work for StitchFix. Or SheInside and Chicwish because hello affordable.

THE OPENING MONOLOGUE

Banking on Chrissy as host, perhaps we can have John Legend play a little jingle and a couple's sing-and-dance. But bringing it back to the bloggy blog world, she'll of course have to mention a few notable things that happened this year: bloggers making it onto the cover of a major fashion magazine, Bloglovin's makeover, that controversial American Blogger documentary, Instagram loop giveaways, Kayla Itsines, books and TV shows and jewelry collections, oh my!

THE NOMINEES

We all remember how unhappy everyone was with how that whole Bloglovin Awards thing went down last year, right? To rectify that situation, I think it'll have to be a combination of an algorithm calculating total followers and engagement rate, a nomination and voting process, and if all else fails, giving away Nominee spots via a Rafflecopter widget.

THE CATEGORIES

Is this blog a Comedy or Drama? Oh wait, I totally meant Lifestyle or An Actual Niche. Mormon Blogger has to be a huge category – Best Director status, perhaps? Are there enough male bloggers to warrant a Best Male Blogger award? Would we have those obligatory categories that no one cares too much about and would play the "hurry up" music for? Ooh, is this where Boyfriend Photographers, Cute Babies, and Blog Dogs get recognized? I want to see Naomi from loveTaza's beautiful babies accepting an award is what I want. Let's nix the "hurry up" music though because I actually care a lot.

THE ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES

I'd like to thank my DSLR, social media, SEO, pumpkin spice lattes, and my mom who posts the funny comments that are the real reason people come to read. And God Steve Jobs. And the Blogcademy.

THE IN MEMORIAM

A sad goodbye to those who have served us well and were steadfastly loyal friends and comrades: donut buns, the bubble necklace, using frames on Instagram, sidebar advertisements, <$100 layout designs, Google Reader, commenting, and every TV show that is not called The Bachelor.

THE AFTER PARTY

Personalized cocktails in mason jars, that is ALL you need to know, blogettes!

---
May the odds of not being Leonardo DiCapriBlog be ever in your favor!

14

A Happy List + $125 Kate Spade Giveaway

– A Happy List –

// Trying out new-to-me restaurants with top notch menus {if you're ever in Palo Alto, Mayfield Bakery & Cafe serves up a finger-lickingly yummy braised short rib Eggs Benedict on a biscuit and an insane smoked salmon carpaccio}.

// Closing tab after tab of study material after a midterm or a paper, until all that's left is a satisfyingly blank space and some Starbucks lovers slate.

// Super sweet text messages from real life friends about the blog. I always forget that people I know in real life check in every now and then. I should probably restrain myself when it comes to sharing how I haven't showered in X amount of days or whatnot (don't look at me like that, I'm just lucky not to have lost ALL my marbles, it's midterms week!), because these people actually have the potential of catching a sniff if I run into them, but they humor me and tell me nice things and for that I love them. {Shout out to you, Leah!}

// Seeing Stanford and San Francisco flash across the screen during the Mindy Project, and still being a little pissed that I almost could've seen it all happen.

// Carrot cake for dessert. Our chef makes the best one of all time, and when I see it on the menu, I practically pee my pants I'm so excited. I would literally sell my soul for an extra extra extra large slice.

// Getting snapshots from my mom of my family celebrating the Lunar New Year in China, all bundled up in festive coats and waving red envelopes of ca$h$$$$. I'm like, HELLO I EXIST. Over here!! Will beg for European travel funding!

// Teaming up with 9 other amazing bloggers to bring you a chance to win $125 to Kate Spade (or Paypal money if you so choose)! Enter in the Rafflecopter below, you know the drill!

Caroline ~ Perpetually Caroline // Chelsea ~ The New Wifestyle // Mary ~ Uncustomary Art // Lindsay ~ Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilettos // Alex ~ Always, Al 

Aileen ~ Aileen Barker // Alison ~ Puppies & Pretties // Kaelene ~ Unlocking Kiki  // John ~ Shout John // Helene ~ Helene in Between

a Rafflecopter giveaway

1

If You're Quirky And You Know It, Just Blog About It

It's not stress-eating if it isn't covered in orange cheese dust or if it doesn't pair nicely with spinach dip.
So, I'm over here studying for my Abnormal Psychology midterm tomorrow (it seems like all I'm doing anymore is studying, oh who knew going into college...), realizing that I have any one of 132 different disorders. I'm also secretly psychoanalyzing every one of your comments, so be careful. I kid, I kid.
Or am I.
It goes something like this.
Insert Name of Disorder. The presence of symptoms including: hypersomnia (yes, I do take naps frequently, is that so wrong?), overeating – shit, I have been eating a lot of pizza lately. I THINK I HAVE THIS. Indecisiveness. But which disorder do I have?! Loss of energy. Indeed, I have no motivation to do anything after a long day other than heat up an easy Mac and call it a night. That's it, I need to call a therapist.
Until you hit the slides for the next disorder, and you're one hundred percent certain that's describing you.
It's WebMD on steroids. We're living in a world where being normal is the real abnormal, y'all.
Then, I started thinking about some of my quirks. I have a million of them, as I'm sure we all do, but in the interest of time (aka I still need to skim too many presentations before a way too late bedtime and a way too early alarm-snooze-snooze-snooze-okay-I-should-shower-and-study routine), here are three off the top of my head:
// On Wednesday afternoons, I give in to the strong urge to watch Pretty Little Liars. Of course, watching addicting shows in and itself isn't too big of an issue (I hope?), but then I give into the compulsion of reading PLL theories on Tumblr for a good hour. It's crack. 
// I carry around two phones everywhere I go. One, my functional, beautiful, amazing iPhone 6 baby/lifeline. The other, my defunct, completely dead, heavy iPhone 4 because it's attached to a wallet folio that I carry all my cards and cash in. I apparently have not deemed it necessary to simply go out and purchase a real wallet. Quirky, or lazy?
// My new thing has been adopting Chinese babies (totally kidding) pop songs as my study music. Classical music allows my mind to wander too much, and every other kind of music demands my attention to its lyrics. With Chinese pop songs, especially the slower, sad ballads, I'm not actively paying attention to it – even though I'm fluent in Mandarin, my thinking instincts are still in English – but can still let my brain half-listen to the lyrics when it starts getting too bored.
OFF TO BED BEFORE I CRY.
Tell me some of your quirks!

12

A Literal Presidents' Day Weekend, And A Picnic Too

As the rest of the world began swooning over red roses and candy hearts, Stanford campus swarmed with Secret Service, military helicopters, CEO's of banks and technology companies, and President Obama, all here for a cybersecurity summit (which resulted in him signing off on an executive order on the same stage that I've seen less-than-professional shenanigans play out). Valentine's Weekend, Schmalentine's Weekend. It was all about them presidential figures 'round these nerdy parts.

Campus was abuzz (overheard: "––the net worth of everyone sitting in that auditorium, though..."), all was sunny, and so began a long and beautiful weekend of tanning whilst watching softball games, ordering in sushi and making chocolate milkshakes, smuggling Malibu and Cokes into 50 Shades of Grey, In-N-Out runs, pausing Midnight In Paris to make butterscotch mousse and then forgetting to turn it back on at all, consignment shopping and brunching indulgently, aaaaaand, a grand finale of gathering goodies at Trader Joe's for a sunset picnic, complete with mochi ice cream and brie and honeyed chevre and Toblerone and cranberry wine and sparkling pink lemonade, with my favorite 360 view of campus and my very best friend.

AND SO NOW YOU SEE why normal weekends simply don't live up anymore. Give a girl a taste of this long weekend fanciness, and she'll never be happy with simple Sunday night Domino's delivery ever again. Well, false. But something like that.

7

To Me, From Me

To the girl who looks like me and talks like me and smells like me and, okay yeah, is me –
It takes you about 0.436 seconds to come up with a long and detailed list, thirty items long, of things you dislike about yourself. You're too this, you're not enough of that, you should be more like this, you need to do more of that. That's not anything out of the ordinary. I mean, c'mon. People are hard on themselves – that's pretty much one of the first things you'll learn as a psychology major.
But on this day, on this eve of the Lovey Dovey Oh Oopsies Cupid's Going Around Shooting Arrows At People Day, I thought I'd partake in some blatant narcissism and show myself (yourself?) (I knew this would get too confusing) (gah, stop) some love.
So, sweetums, I like how you are so keenly and so clearly aware of who you are and what you like, and you stay true to that always. There's no pretending, there's no hopping on bandwagons (unless it's a bandwagon that you think is quite snazzy, and then you hop on it quicker than a bunny). You know there's no shame in multiple Taco Bell runs a week and staying in, crying over Lifetime movies and having one too many accidental naps. Or maybe there is. But you do it anyway. 
But schmoochie pie, you're always up to have an adventure, and I like that about you too. Even if it's just so that you'll have an interesting story to tell on the blog every once in awhile, you prioritize living a life well lived and will never say no to spontaneously driving down to Disneyland in the middle of Finals Week or planning a whirlwind 24 hour trip to Paris even though it was the furthest thing from practical. You embrace change and you always yearn to learn about the things you don't understand.
After your first cup of coffee, you feel like you can take on the world, and your inbox too. You're inspired, tremendously full of heart, and would never say no to dessert. You're driven and passionate and always, always, always grateful. You value kindness and thoughtfulness and humor above all else.
Honey bunches of oats, sure, there are about thirty things you can and should continue working on about yourself. There is always room for self-improvement. But also, sugar pie, know that you're kinda rad too as you are now. Mostly. Sometimes. Every now and then.
Happy Valentine's Day Weekend, Valentines.

8

#college

This is a story about a girl who rarely dons what some would call acceptable everyday wear. Her uniform of choice includes a somewhat fresh pair of leggings, whatever shirt she slept in the night previous, and a fleece pullover.

So, what happens when all those things are deep in the trenches of the laundry hamper?

This post happens, this barrage of pictures happen, a feeling other than shame happens.

#college
Happy Wednesday, friends!

4

What I Was Doing When I Wasn't Studying

Tomorrow, there's this midterm I have to take. It won't be hard (knock on wood), but there are a million and one different definitions and exceptions I have to go over in the form of ten very information-heavy Powerpoint slideshows. Needless to say, I've been prolonging the act of having to do just that for as long as I can.

How? – you, dear reader. You sweet, dear reader.

WELL.

–By walking to Starbucks in the rain and willingly standing in a twenty minute line.

–Watching a handful of FRIENDS episodes and having a long internal debate about whether or not I'm really ready for that twenties-in-the-city kind of lifestyle.

–Then, somehow, by letting the rain and the wind lull me into a nice, long nap.

–By deciding on a whim that now's a great time to get some laundry done!

–And, uh oh, well it looks like I accidentally put it through another spin cycle. Oopsies.

–Now, I've got to fold my laundry with meticulous care because I want nice creases in them.

–But why don't I go ahead and throw in my linens as well?

–You know, it's technically almost Spring. So, how 'bout some Spring cleaning. It's definitely the right time to tidy up every nook and cranny and color-code my drawer of tops:

–But then I had to do another load of laundry thanks to the whole new pile of clothes that had fallen behind my bed that I found when I was cleaning every nook and cranny. Every nook and cranny, I tell you.
–So then I started following my roommate's and friends' softball game(s) through the online game trackers and Googling the softball terms that I didn't know. What's a pop-up. Where does a ball fly.
–By realizing I still needed to listen to Serial.
–Then I finished Serial. (I only had three episodes left okay who do you think I am.)
–By watching The Riot Club and then looking up the actors and drooling over them (it makes sense because they're all listed as model/actors they're so beautiful).
–Job application, done!
–By inviting my bestie over for take-out sushi and Eat, Pray, Love Notting Hill.

Notice the "Just Do It... Later" sign. It's a lifestyle, you know.
(Addendum: my friend Nick and I were on the tour bus taking us back to London from the Harry Potter Studio Tour last year, and these two American girls sitting at the front of the bus had this fifteen minute long (loud) argument with the bus driver about whether or not Hugh Grant should be as loved as he is. It eventually went on the loudspeaker so the rest of the bus could play judge. The bus driver insisted "Why does every American think the movie Notting Hill is an accurate depiction of the British?!" Because Hugh Grant's devastatingly beautiful blue eyes, that's why, bus driver man.)
-Proceeding to walk to the local campus eatery for dessert to share.
-By washing my dishes.
-And then by washing the rest of the house's dishes.
-Reading a chapter of Wild.
-This little thing called Instagram, followed by these other little things called Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Flipboard, Yik Yak, Google+. LOL, not Google+ though. Never Google+.
-By being a good offspring and FaceTimeing my mother.
-And finally, by writing this blog post.
Well, whadaya know. I guess it's time to crack open that textbook now.

13

Is This A Problem?

My catchphrase of late has been, "is this a problem?!" I say it in reference to the pile of clothes strewn all over my floor, I say it in reference to when the frats are blasting music and people are partying while I'm snuggled deep inside a cocoon of peace and warmth. I say it when I reach for a second helping of dessert and when I'm falling asleep at 9pm.

What I'm trying to say is, I think my subconscious is telling me that my life in itself is a bit of a problem.

Is It A Problem If ...
// I found the "Will & Kate" Lifetime movie on Netflix and said 'peace!' to studying for the midterm I had the next day?
// And, is it a problem that I searched maniacally for "Magic Beyond Words: JK Rowling's Story" right afterwards? (It was on Netflix.) And cried at the end? Me and my Brits, what can I say.
// I order Huevos Rancheros whether it's at brunch with friends or dinner with my pops or late night dinner with my roommate at a diner?
// My ToDoist emails me every morning telling me that my laundry is X days overdue. Not telling you what the number actually is, I don't need no judgment on this Friday.
// Can't seem to locate my camera charger, my Clarisonic, my favorite gray T-shirt, my razor, or my soul. #midterms
// I now go to Starbucks more than one time a day. Every day. (Can't help that it's a two minute walk from my house.)
// Cassandra and I heat up some microwave taquitos for weekend dinners and stare the people next to us down who dared to spend an hour crafting up a gourmet meal.
// We pop cheap champagne, drizzle in some expensive St. Germain, and cheers to celebrating successes ... of friends? I mean, yes, we're quite accomplished at getting through a season of Buffy in record time, but our friends have been accomplishing tasks equal in caliber such as getting into law school and other adult things.
So, friends, are you more put together than me? (The answer should be an easy yes.)

9

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things: January

I hate to parrot this and all, but how in the hell is it four days into February? Here I am thinking it's still the beginning of fall, and everyone's going ga ga for pumpkin spice everything still. To get over my January blues and all that jazz, I found myself accidentally punching in credit card number after credit card number and yes even though seeing the Discover statement tomorrow will most definitely NOT curb my January (February?) blues, these items proved so, so worth the imminent pain.

(I hope.)

(Otherwise, I'm really freakin' screwed.)

1 // Um, these over-the-knee boots though. Trust me, I'm not sending you over to the Stuart Weitzman version that every fashion blogger and their mother and their personal photographers have. The ones I'm sending you over to are by DSW, under $50, and every bit as spectacular. They are comfortable as heck, super flattering, and addicting to wear. Highly recommend!

2 // This shirt + sparkly necklace combo that was last month's Love, Yellow package. What can I say about this. Nothing adequate enough to describe how amazing I think they are – upon opening the box, I literally said "but do you feel how soft this is?!" just about thirty times. So soft, so comfortable, so go-with-anything. It's most definitely my favorite item of clothing at the moment, and this necklace ups it instantly to chic wear! (For this month's Love, Yellow package.)

3 // Confession – the leggings pictured aren't the ones I'm about to recite sweet poetry to. But my new loves are currently in the laundry pile and feeling a little shy, so ... I made do. Essentially, Lululemon's High Times Pant are hands down my favorite things ever. They're more high-waisted than the Wunder Unders (my other favorites, the ones pictured), and they reach all the way to the ankles. I couldn't tell you how useful they are for workouts because lol, but they are perfect for everything else on this planet!

Confession dos: my weekend wear for all of January's weekends included some form of those boots, that shirt, these leggings, and a whole lotta "no shame whatsoever."

4 // A magical phone case, that's all there is to say about that.

5 // Foundation is my makeup weakness. I'm forever on the hunt to find the best one out there, and so far, Make Up Forever's HD Foundation has been the one to beat. I've really been loving Tarte's Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation - it's equipped with SPF (always a plus), is a perfect color match for me, and is super light even though it's full coverage. Half the time, I forget I'm wearing makeup! I do, however, wish that it comes in pump bottle form! Anyone else have a foundation favorite?

6 // I'm not one to wear jewelry usually, because I'm forgetful about 1) looking through my jewelry and putting it on in the morning, and 2) keeping close watch on them. I've lost so many rings and studs and bracelets! My sister gave me this delicate Batsu Maru initial necklace for Christmas, and honestly – the first time I've taken it off since then has been tonight, in order to snap these photos. It's simple, unique, and when the clasp slips to the front (another reason I'm not keen on necklaces), there's a cute "XO" pendant that makes it all okay. 

7 // This frozen berries + Greek yogurt + honey + cranberry juice smoothie has been a mainstay. Refreshing, not unhealthy, and the perfect companion to a few episodes of FRIENDS.

8 // The "Hannah" nail polish from the Girls collaboration with Deborah Lippman. The perfect winter nail color, I tell you! Dark gray with a tinge of teal – if this doesn't make me feel all writerly and millennial-esque, I don't know what will.

Cheers!
Postscript. No roommate was hurt in the making of this blog post, but I won't deny that the following quotes were indeed uttered:
"Hey, will you take off your shirt, I need to take a picture of it." – because Cassandra borrowed that heaven-sent top.
"Hey, could you take me to Target so we can get some yogurt for that smoothie."
"So, do you think you could make the smoothie for me, please."
"Can I borrow your bed as a backdrop for these pictures, your comforter is cute."
"You should put Coca Cola as your favorite thing."
As you can see, she's quite the trooper. Thanks, Cassandra!!

7

Gilmore Girls Day

One of the most exciting moments in Gilmore Girls was when (kind of spoiler, not really) Logan tries to convince Rory to move to Palo Alto with him. I get so excited for selfish reasons, really. "We can go hiking the Dish on weekends, and then grab coffee on University Avenue!" Logan says, his gorgeous blue eyes all sweet and puppy dog adorable.

"I volunteer as tribute!!!" I yell at my TV desperately. 

Knowing Rory, she would've hated hiking the Dish. It's this three mile long pathway around this small mountain / big hill. Three quarters of it is uphill. The trick of the whole thing is to start by turning right at the very beginning, because if you start on the left side, you have to survive like four extra steep hills. If you're feeling crazy, you can run the the whole thing. If you're feeling insane, you can run the whole thing starting on the left side.

If you're Rory Gilmore, you'd avoid the whole thing altogether, which is what I usually do. So when I subtly asked Lauren (who runs and SoulCycles and is generally active, much to my dismay and confusion) "hey, wanna hike the Dish this weekend," she looked at me suspiciously and said,

"This is for that whole Logan Huntzberger line, isn't it?"

Girlfriend knows me too well. Guilty as charged.

Want to know a secret? We actually went on two separate adventures over the course of two weekends.

The first weekend, we did the whole Dish thing and then grabbed caramel macchiato's at our campus Starbucks, exhausted from our wee walk.

Then, this weekend, we Uber'ed our way to University Avenue to what used to be our favorite brunch place (University Cafe) – after a summer fiasco of a car ramming straight into the restaurant, it is now under new ownership and called Local Union 271. We had an iced Verve coffee each (staying true to Gilmore rather than testing out the Bloody Mary bar or trying any number of their delicious looking brunch cocktails), breakfast tacos, and an egg scramble. Delicious!

Now, how many times do you think I need to repeat this whole routine before I run into a Logan Huntzberger of my own?!

You're right, I'll just go ahead and ––

6