2010: Upcoming Adventures

So, I can't say that 2009 was my favorite year. Aside from my amazing trip to South America, there weren't too many high points. So instead of reflecting on 2009, I will instead share with you some plans I have for 2010.

Vancouver, B.C. - I was fortunate enough to make a very good friend in Chile who just happens to live in the Vancouver area which is so close!! Lucky me. I'm hoping that I can take a little trip up there in February to witness the epic Olympic fiestas. Even if I can't make it into an event, it would be fun to experience it. I mean, the best part about the Olympics is the after parties anyways right? But if I can't make it up there for the Olympics, I'd head up there anyways. To see my Canadian. Obviopo. :)

Washington, D.C. - So one of my best friends from college has lived over there for about a year and a half now (right?) and I have not been to visit. What is my problem? I've never been to Washington, D.C. ever so it would be fun to experience all the first-timer stuff while also experiencing the secrets with a resident that tourists may not know about. Also, thanks again to my SA trip, I know a couple more people over there as well and it would be fun to see them again. I love knowing people in different places!

Las Vegas - Can you believe that I am 24 and have not yet been to Vegas? Shame on me. However, that is definitely going to change this year. Just gotta get some more of my girls on board. Not to mention, my trip will be on my parent's dime. I chose it for my college graduation present. Again, I graduated over a year ago and haven't gone yet. 2010. It's happening. Watch out!

Honolulu, HI - Again, I am lucky enough to know people in lots of places. Another good friend of mine from college just moved to Hawaii and happens to have a fabulous home with a guest room. Yay! I haven't been to Hawaii for a couple years now so I'm starting to miss it a little. I never complain about being warm and spending the day in my bikini. And being tan.

Sooooo, these are my trip goals for 2010. Looks like I'll need to score me a good job so I can afford to go everywhere. But I have high hopes for this coming year. It'll be great!

Book Review: I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell

Oh man, this book was AWFUL. And by awful, I mean completely degrading, disgusting and HILARIOUS!! Even though some terrible stories were told, I honestly enjoyed every single one. I mean, I grew up hanging out with my older brother and all of his friends, I lived in three different frats during college and worked construction for a summer so there are not a lot of things that shock me. I think that's why I enjoyed this book so much. It took gross, but entertaining stories to a new level. Sometimes it's unbelievable to imagine that these types of things happen to people. It definitely made me miss college and all those nights out a lot. But I would recommend this read to...well pretty much anyone that wouldn't be offended by extreme stories of sex and alcohol. The one thing I didn't understand about the book was the number of seemingly idiotic girls in this book who threw themselves at this guy while completely in the know that he sleeps with multiple women a day (not to mention the multiple ways he does it). A little bit weird, a little bit skanky, but made for more laughs. Just read it.

Music Monday

I received a $15 iTunes gift card for Christmas...didn't take long for me to blow through that. Really, $15 does not make any sort of significant dent in the amount of music I want to purchase. However, I did make a purchase that I should have made a long time ago. I finally added "Everlong" by Foo Fighters to my collection, but the acoustic one. It's more romantic and meaningful that way. I remember saying to my friend in Chile how I needed to add more of them to my iPod and I wanted to buy more of them, but my credit ran out quickly. Sad day. But this song will for sure keep me occupied until I can make further purchases.

P.S. Yes, I am a good citizen. Since receiving an iPod and using iTunes, I have purchased all of my music legally. I don't need any "Oh, just download them on Limewire" suggestions. Thanks though.

Book Review: The Art of Racing in the Rain

I remembered reading about this book in Barnes & Noble probably a year ago, but just got around to reading it this month. It is recommended for those who liked "Marley & Me" (and I definitely did) so I thought it would be another touching dog story. This one, however, was written from the point of view of the dog, Enzo, which gave it an interesting twist. I can't say that I liked is as much as "Marley & Me", but it was still cute. I guess I didn't get as attached to the characters and I felt the people in the story were not quite as attached to dog. Also, the story would throw in a lot of facts and history about car racing which I'm just not into. But it is a very quick read (only took me 2 days) and well written. Definitely one I would recommend for a day when you don't have a whole lot else to do. Enjoy!

Music Monday

Ok, I know it probably says Tuesday at the top of the page, but to me it's still Monday. So last week, I wrote in anticipation of Deck the Hall Ball, now I'm writing my review. This concert was truly one of the greatest I have been to. There was not a bad band in the bunch. I really appreciate bands and singers that sound just as good live as they do on their albums, and all of these bands passed the test. Vampire Weekend was super cute and really fun to listen to and Phoenix added more fun and definitely got us dancing. Metric seemed like maybe they started off a little shaky, but as they continued, they definitely proved me wrong. Maybe it just wasn't the best song. Hey, I don't like every song that everyone has written. But when they performed "Help! I'm Alive" I for sure got the goosebumps. 30 Seconds to Mars was really good musically, my only wish was that Jared Leto sang more instead of F-bombing and talking to the audience. I think they played five songs, but he only sang two. However we still had a good time with it.

Finally, Muse takes the cake and definitely earns their title as the #1 performing band in the world. I honestly can't believe that much sound and power can come from only three people. It was insane. After hanging out in the bar area, my friend and I went into the crowd for their performance and had a great time throwing our hands in the air and rocking out. I cannot wait to see them again when they return to Seattle in April. Since this was such a big show, I don't think they played quite a full set, so I look forward to a show that is more focused on them and they can play more songs. Also, the April show is being opened by Silversun Pickups who I have been raving about, so I think it will absolutely blow me away. So excited!

Superbowl 2010 Prediction

I'm still sticking with it. Both teams are going 16-0 into the Superbowl, but only one will remain undefeated!!! It's gonna be a battle. :)

Music Monday

So tomorrow night is 107.7 The End's Deck the Hall Ball concert and I am so psyched to go! I FINALLY, FINALLY get to see one of my most favorite bands of all time, Muse, in concert. And I have a feeling it's going to be so sick. I have been waiting to see them pretty much since I was 16 years old. It just hasn't worked out since then, but it came together for tomorrow! Obviously, they are going to be the highlight of my evening, but let's also look at some of the other bands playing, who I am also looking forward to.

30 Seconds to Mars: Okay, I will admit, I still listen to "The Kill" and still love it. It is a great song to work out to and one that grabs at my core a little. The lyrics speak to me and the harmonies are fantastic. I haven't listened to much of their other stuff, but part of me is kind of excited to see what Jared Leto is like on stage rather than the screen.

Metric: So, their song "Help! I'm Alive" came out while I was in South America, but when I got back, the radio station was playing it over and over and I completely fell in love with it. It's very haunting and I don't normally tend to like bands with girl singers, but this one I'm pretty excited to see more of.

Phoenix: Their song "1901" would be on my current playlist right now if I wasn't broke and had money to purchase their album. I think I am looking forward to seeing them the most after Muse. I feel like they're going to be really fun to watch.

Vampire Weekend: This band has a very eccentric, almost garage band sound to it. Their song "Cousins" is climbing charts and pretty soon they probably wont be an opener. I bet they'll be really fun to see live as well.

Now, we'll see which one(s) of these bands I really fall in love with tomorrow night. I have to say, I am quite the critic when it comes to live music. But I am excited for a really bangin' show and will definitely take lots of pictures and write an extreme review soon after

Book Review: Bright Shiny Morning

James Frey, the writer of the best-seller "A Million Little Pieces", writes another great novel about the people and places of Los Angeles. I found this book to be very interesting, both in writing style and stories. First off, Frey does not use quotation marks, or really much punctuation at all. For some, it might be difficult, but for me I feel like it makes for a more interesting read. Secondly, this book is written with a few reoccurring stories, a few one timers, a few fun (and not so fun) facts and historical data all about the growing city of Los Angeles. He doesn't write for the faint-hearted and has no problems being blunt or vulgar, but hey, that's kind of the stuff I like to read. Breaking up the whole book into stories makes it a very exciting read because it is constantly changing. It's very hard to get bored. I really enjoyed this book and all of its characters and would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy similar styles.

Top Chef Season 6 Winner

Congratulations MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO for winning season 6 of Top Chef!!! Your creativity and consistence in awesome dishes puts you at the top of the pack. I will make it a goal to try your food some day. :)

Music Monday

Ok so really, music Monday is a Twitter discussion thing, but I think I might steal it from now on and talk about music on my blog on Mondays! Never too late to adopt trends right? I'm kind of excited, because I already planned on blogging about these guys earlier today after hearing (again) their song "Audience". (I just checked and the song is not even on iTunes yet...whaaat?) Anyways, they are the Cold War Kids and keep an eye on them. They're going to blow up. And it will be me who told you. Check them out! In the mean time, listen to "Hang Me Up To Dry".

I'm On Twitter!

Surprisingly, employers like it these days if you're up to date on all your social media, so I have officially joined Twitter. My name is c2avery. Follow me!

Because I Feel Like Sharing

For those that know me, they know I'm pretty crazy about music. So for some reason, today, I feel like sharing with you all my Top 25 Most Played playlist from my iTunes. Now, in no way are these my top 25 most favorite songs of all time. Some are a little strange, but keep in mind, I've had iTunes for quite some time and we all have phases. Ha ha. So, as of today, December 1st 2009, the list consists of the following:

1) Incubus - 'Mexico' (ok so this one actually is probably one of my all time favorite songs ever)
2) Death Cab for Cutie - 'Cath...'
3) Band of Horses - 'The Funeral'
4) Timbaland f/ One Republic - 'Apologize'
5) Coldplay - 'The Scientist'
6) Silversun Pickups - 'Growing Old is Getting Old'
7) Coldplay - 'Swallowed in the Sea'
8) Omarion - 'Ice Box'
9) Imogen Heap - 'Hide and Seek'
10) The Airborne Toxic Event - 'Sometime Around Midnight'
11) Incubus - 'Dig'
12) Coldplay - 'Fix You'
13) Coldplay - 'Warning Sign'
14) Panic! at the Disco - 'Time to Dance'
15) Death Cab for Cutie - 'Summer Skin'
16) The Lonely Island f/ T-Pain - 'I'm on a Boat'
17) Muse - 'Supermassive Black Hole'
18) Incubus - 'Anna Molly'
19) Smashing Pumpkins - 'Disarm'
20) String Quartet - 'I Miss You'
21) The National - 'Slow Show'
22) David Cook - 'Light On'
23) Imogen Heap - 'Hallelujah'
24) Incubus - 'I Miss You'
25) Rise Against - 'The Good Left Undone'

So yes, there are some repeats and I definitely have trends. Of course there are some "whaaat?s" like 'Ice Box', which just happened to be a junior year of college theme song that was played a lot, and 'Light On', which was an old boss' favorite song that she demanded I play over and over during an 8 hour work day, and that is how these things climb quickly. However, in a month, I predict some changes. The National will certainly be climbing higher and appearances by Bon Iver and Gorilla Zoe will definitely happen. Anyway, I recommend all songs listed above, so if you need new music check them out! And post your lists so that I can get new music too!

London Logo

The logo for the 2012 London Olympic Games was released today and here it is. I have to say, I'm not too impressed and I'm not the only one. It has actually caused quite a controversy with a lot of people. Although it's the number 2012, most people think the 0 looks like the head of Lisa Simpson. And I'll stop there. Here is a great article if you want to read more about the questions brought up by this logo.

Bored?

Why not cast your votes for the 2010 People's Choice Awards? They air January 6th, so get your votes in soon! There are plenty of categories to vote on including actors, TV and music. So click here and get started! My recommendation: Best Collaboration - "I'm On A Boat" by The Lonely Island ft/ T. Pain. (If you haven't seen/heard it yet, check out their blog under my blog list.)

Pirate Radio

So a friend and I made plans to go see a movie last night, but there weren't very many to pick from. There are some good ones that aren't out yet and to be honest, it's just too early for me to see "A Christmas Carol", so we decided upon "Pirate Radio" and, man, was it a good choice! The story falls in 1966 when rock and roll music was banned from radio airwaves, so a group of crazy guys (and one lesbian) set up a station on a ship and anchored offshore to broadcast anything they wanted. These guys are so hilarious and weird that there is rarely a break in laughter throughout the entire film. As for the music, it is full of great songs and artists. Now, I grew up listening to the music my parents listened to (don't all kids?) so even though the movie took place in the 60s, I was familiar with all the songs being played and it was great! The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, all great artists. So if you're a fan of the rock music of the 60s along with a great story line, I definitely recommend seeing this movie.

I Want A Dog

This is just one of many super cute videos featuring dogs who are welcoming home their owners after they've been away for a long time. It's just too cute. If you think you can handle more, click here!

Missing Chile

So it's been almost three months since I have returned from Chile and I have to say I am uber missing it something fierce. There are many, many things I miss about it since it was a great experience, but here are a few things I miss the most.

1. The food. I'm so sad that we don't have the same stuff here because Chilean food is so delicious. Lomitos, poroto, escabeche, sopapillas, empanadas and really good bread. Mmmm. I could go for all of those right now.

2. The word "kemchup". Haha! Okay, I miss speaking Spanish in general, but I was having a bad day the other day and remembered the word "kemchup" and it totally cheered me up. The word for "ketchup" in Chile is "ketchup" but my friends and I were out at a restaurant one night and we were discussing that even when you say "ketchup", they don't really understand, but if you say "kemchup" then they understand. It's a funny word...

3. The mountains. I had the most unbelievable view of the Andes from my home town and I miss waking up every day and getting to see the sun shining off the snow. It was so serene and made me happy to be there every day. Yeah, we have mountains here, but I can't see them from my house.

4. Traveling on the weekends. After a long week of teaching, there was nothing more fun than going to different cities or countries during the weekends to see friends or see awesome cites. Believe it or not, the buses in Chile were so comfortable and traveling on them was very calming. I miss being able to just take off on a bus and visit a different city.

5. Everyone I met!!! I seriously met some of the most awesome people on this trip and I miss them all! We are all spread out over the world right now and I only hope there comes a time when we can all come back together and reunite in the future!

Silversun Pickups - Growing Old is Getting Old

So I happened upon this song about 2 weeks ago, downloaded it on iTunes and it is quickly climbing its way into my top 25 most played list. I absolutely love Silversun Pickups and this song is just incredible. I love how it starts out slow and the builds up throughout and has a very powerful ending. I can never explain in words how songs make me feel, but this one definitely makes me feel powerful and gives me major goosebumps. Definitely on my top 10 favorite songs ever (which is a hard feat considering how much I love music).

Tailgate Treats

One of the things I love about tailgating is the delicious food everyone makes and contributes. In the past we have been cooking up French toast, lamb burgers and pulled pork sandwiches. Well, this week I wanted to see if I could recreate my favorite Chilean barbeque classic CHORIPAN! And I have to say, I did a good job! It is super simple to make, all you need is bread, chorizo (best quality can be found at Whole Foods) and pebre. I looked for a few pebre recipes, but I ended up combining a couple to make my own and it was so tasty so I will share it with you below.

Pebre:
1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 diced white onion
2 medium diced tomatos
3 diced jalapenos
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil

I recommend combining all the ingredients, except the olive oil, and putting it in the fridge overnight so all the flavors can combine and then add the olive oil when it's serving time! Just pile loads on top of your chorizo and you're good to go. Enjoy!

Happiest Hour

I was reading the newspaper the other day and saw an article that featured Il Fornaio, a restaurant in downtown Seattle, that was talking about their happy hour. While they do have a happy hour menu, it's apparently usually ignored because of their buffet of food that is FREE!! That's right. They have continuous little appetizers or amuse bouches during happy hour that are all free with a drink. And the drinks are not expensive either! $3 beers, $4 glasses of wine. So my friend and I definitely had to check this out. We expected it to be pretty crowded on a Friday and after the article, but it was a tolerable crowd. And while the food wasn't super incredible, it was definitely delicious and, hey, can't really complain about free food right? Try it out! Happy hour is from 4:30 - 6:30pm.

Another Husky Win!!!

In an incredibly unbelievable ending, the Huskies managed to take down Arizona for their third win this season!! We are now 3-3 and you gotta admit, that's pretty impressive coming off a win-less season last year. Especially considering who we've beat so far. We're halfway to a bowl game!! Keep it up Dawgs!! (P.S. How awesome is this vintage button that I just found? I really like the picture of the KFC Colonel on the top...)

24!

Last Saturday I turned 24 and am very excited about what a new year will bring for me. 23 was a great year, the highlight of course being my trip to Chile, so I only hope 24 comes with some awesome adventures (and amazing people) as well! Here's to the countdown to a quarter-century!

Two Book Reviews

So with all the flying I was doing, I've read quite a few books in the past months, but these two definitely deserve kudos in my blog.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
So this book can seem a little intimidating when you pick it up, but don't let that stop you. Even though it is written at over 1000 pages at probably around an 8pt font, it is definitely worth taking the time to read every page and every word. It's a great story that keeps you interested the entire length. When people ask me what it's about, it's definitely hard to explain. More or less, it's about the lives, choices and corruptions of company big wigs. If you like philosophical books, check this one out.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
I could not read this book fast enough. I LOVED it. I am pretty sure it now tops my list of favorite books. I heard about it last year and read that it won the Pulitzer Prize so I had it on my "To Read" list, but I met a guy on the bus who was reading it and he said it took awhile to get into. We must have very different taste because I was pulled into this book immediately and could not put it down until I was finished. The story follows the life of a boy named Oscar and his family who are from the Dominican Republic. One thing I absolutely loved about it (aside from the story) is that it throws in a lot of Spanish words and phrases that reminded me of being in South America. It is a story full of ups and downs, but it definitely gets two thumbs way up from me. READ IT!!

My Life Update In One Blog

Yeah, it has been awhile, but I'm back to the blog! I took a little September sabbatical from writing to concentrate on some other things, so here is what I've been up to since being back from South America.

Almost immediately upon my arrival back home, I attended the wedding of a very good friend of mine. The wedding was so beautiful and I only wish I was a little less jet-lagged and could have enjoyed it a bit more! I didn't think the time difference was that big of an issue, but I guess after two days of traveling, I hadn't quite caught up yet. But it was a wonderful week, especially because some of my friends who I hadn't seen in a long time were in town and we were able to enjoy dinners out.

In the first week of September, I started looking at concerts that were coming to the Seattle area and seeing what the line-ups were for this fall. I noticed that one of my favorite bands, Band of Horses, was going to Spokane, WA and then Vancouver, BC but not Seattle! But since I had some spare time on my hands, I decided to make the trek to Spokane to see them and, more importantly, see my best friend who I hadn't seen in 9 months! We had a great time at the concert and it was so nice to see her again, FINALLY!

After hearing (a lot) about the passing of MJ while I was in Chile, I came back home to find out that a couple of his famous outfit pieces were featured at the EMP. A few of us took advantage of Free Thursday, a program that allows all visitors to go to museums free on the first Thursday of the month, and decided to go check out his sparkley coat and of course, the glove.

And of course, my most favorite part about the fall, FOOTBALL SEASON!!! That has definitely been taking up my weekends and I am so happy to have the Huskies back in my life. They have begun their season with a great start so far including a win against USC which was the most amazing game I think I have ever seen. Plus, the vibe at the tailgates has been incredible since we have won a couple games and we've been stepping up our culinary skills and included French toast one morning! The next game is tomorrow and I am stoked! I feel another win coming!

Goodbye Chile

After leaving San Felipe (with a few tears), I returned back to Santiago to spend the last few days in Chile with my amazing friends from the program. We had an amazing time, but it was also quite sad as we had to say goodbye to another group every day. But we definitely used our time well, visiting the Santa Lucia market (every day) for shopping, visiting a huge cemetery that was absolutely beautiful and, of course, enjoying to great length the nightlife of Chile before we all departed. Now we're all back in the states or off on new adventures and I miss everyone and I miss Chile! There is still so much in South America that I haven't seen yet and I cannot wait to go back and see more. I hope I can return soon. I definitely recommend it to anyone that has interest in traveling, South America is amazing and now my second home!

Cropping!

Before I took off back to Santiago, one of the professors from my school called one of her friends to take us up the the fruit and vegetable crops in the mountains just outside of San Felipe. This is a main location where fruits and vegetables are grown to ship out to the United States. Although most of them bloom in the spring, I did get to see bundles of clementine crops and was able to pick a ton of them and take them home to eat. They are even better off the tree! It was such a beautiful sight to see San Felipe from afar, I couldn't believe I was leaving so soon! It was definitely an adventure, at times rather off road in our truck, but I was glad I got to see it before I left.

San Felipe Celebration

San Felipe was a cute little town to live in during my time in Chile. The view of the Andes from my street was so amazing, it looked like it was painted on the sky. The buildings were all so colorful and cute and the church was stunning. My last weekend there was the celebration of 100 years since the founding of the city! I was so lucky to be there during that time because there was a parade and an "artesania" which is basically a market that sells all types of souvenirs and artifacts from all over South America and beyond! Boy, was I in heaven. I think I went to the market three or four times before I was finally satisfied with all my purchases. It was real fun to walk around the market and see all the homemade things that people make in Chile. Although the parade was hard to see, I managed to find my school and take pictures of them as they began marching. It was fun to spend time with the kids outside of school for a bit and I felt proud to be part of the group! A great last week in my Chilean home town!