I <3 commercials

I was just thinking about it and i love commercials. I don't like cheapo ones that are homemade, but I love clever ones. I love the Geicco Cavemen commercials. I love the berries and cream commercial for starburst berries and cream. That one is halarious. The phone commercials are pretty good too. I really enjoy the one that is two friends and the one friend says, "Best friends don't put their best friends girlfriends on their top five, and they definately don't give them foot massages." The other guy goes, "Dude, you're being totally paranoid." And then his phone rings and the song is, "secret lover..."

Lights on or lights off

Summer is steadily approaching. The weather playfully teases us as we switch from shorts and t-shirts to pants and sweatshirts. School gets out, people get out. I also get bored with myself pretty easily. I am contemplating going back to blonde. Naturally, my hair is a light blonde, but I died it brown because I got bored. Now I want to go back, but the problem is it's going to cost a lot of money. I also can't decide on what salon to go to. I don't want to spend that much, but I don't want to go to a cheap salon and have it not turn out right. It will damage my hair really bad and I can't afford to keep doing it. Also, I get different opinions on if I look better with blonde or brunette hair.

Egg Day

This is Kevin, Me, Joe (my uncles bf), My mom. Below is Jordan, and then my brother and sister. Sunday was Easter. I woke up and felt so bad for all the little kids who were going on Easter egg hunts; it was cold and snowy. Easter Sunday was my first holiday/family even that Mark didn't attend. I was nervous and invited my good friend Jordan to come over, he's funny
and I know he could entertain me. My family is small, 14 people total,
including both my mom's and dad's side of the family. Also, four of them weren't goign to make it. I skipped church, sorry, but wen't over at two to my mom's for visiting and food. I got an Easter basket with candy, flip flops, socks, two pj shorts, $25, and left overs to take home! Yay! I actually had a good day and later that night my friend Dave from work picked me up and went to see Blades of Glory. It was a good movie, not as funny as I had thought it would be, but still, it leaves you in a good mood. All in all it was a happy Easter sunday.

Fun..eh?

Friday night was Mark Fisher's (the guys in pink) birthday celebration in Canada. I really didn't feel like going, but I had made a promise and had to keep it. He just turned 19. My roommate Bridget also wanted to go out, and she never does, so I felt like it was an opportunity I had to take to show her some fun. We end up going there, I end up having to drive (not cool, I definately didn't want to), and we take Mark and his friend Greg in the car with us.

There was a Columbian man there who would not leave me alone. I have never met a more persistant man, especially after getting shot down time, after time, after time. He was nice enough and handsome, but for some reason I was mean to him. He kept asking me to dance, and I lied to him about my name, I told him he would have to go impress me on the dance floor before I would agree to dance with him, and if I liked how he danced, I just might come over there. I would walk away from him,and he wouldstill come back. I don't know why I was acting like this. I just wasn't interested, I won't be interested in anyone for a long time because of Mark, but also, this guy was just too available, too easy. Eventually, I got annoyed and just decided to ignore him. He then sat down next to Bridget and I and was shoving a table into our chairs so that we would look at him. Honestly. Okay, night's over, I haven't had a drink in a while, I'm driving. Greg is drunk, very obnoxiously drunk. I already don't like him sober...double don't like him drunk. He can't find his ID, he isn't even looking for it, he is answering his phone and ignoring me. We are about to cross the border, I just want to get home, I end up getting in a HUGE argument with this kid, I was about to leave him on the side of 75, no guilt. I drop them off and go home. Finally the night is over.

Now this is where the problem is. This kid Mark was super nice to me when me and my old Mark broke up, a friend when he definately didn't have to be, and I really appreciate it that he was there for me. He is obsessive now. I really don't think he likes me in a crush-like way, but he will not leave me alone. He wants to be my bestest friend and calls me all day every day, and if I don't answer, he texts until I do. I don't know what to say to him. I am the type of person who values my alone time and with school and work I just need time for myself right now, to get myself back together and to focus on what I need to focus on. I am not saying I don't want to be his friend, but honestly I can't take it. how do you tell someone to leave you alone without hurting their feelings?

Free Furniture

My mom is a real estate agent. I was looking to buy patio furniture. My mom got a house that she was in charge of cleaning out. Just by chance there was brown wicker furniture left there! Honestly it's about a thousand dollars worth of furniture; three chairs, two tables, and a love seat, and a baker's rack, all for free!! I am so excited that my backyard is coming together...it's where I spend my whole summer.

goodbye

This is my ex-boyfriend Mark. A couple weeks ago he went to Scottsdale Arizona with his friends. The whole time I was worried about the trip. Then on the day before he came back, he called me like 3 times all upset, telling me that he missed me and he was homesick and he wanted to come home right then. He said he had a bad dream that I left him and he couldn't change my mind and it really bothered him. I felt better, not that he felt bad, but that he obviously missed me too.

He came home really early and stayed the night,he practically lived at my house since I moved out of his. After that, for the next two weeks, I think we stayed with each other twice. He then decided to go to Chicago, when he came home we broke up. He said he is moving and decided to go to Arizona State University. I lost it. Everything that I have done for the past year, every piece of clothing I have bought, the bed I bought, how I act, where I go, what I do, I have done for him in some way. I have never cared for someone before like I do him. He was my boyfriend and my best friend and I lost both in one day.
I didn't go to work, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't stop crying. It seems like I was being an overly emotional and dramatic girl, but all this came to me unexpected. I felt lost and betrayed and confused and hurt. I didn't want to accept it and it was completely out of my control. I completely put a stop on my life and broke down for 5 days.

Today was beautiful....NOT

So the weather was gorgeous earlier and I could barely contain myself with the excitement I had for the remainder of the day. I went to ACO and purchased a porch swing that has the same idea as a futon. It is the highlight of the year to me. It was on sale for $99.00! I called my friend from work with a pick up and he brought it to my house. My roommate and I successfully put most of it together, but I am tired, we hit a wall in the directions, and gave up for today. We did however make it to step 8 and there are only 11. So, so far we are doing good. Tomorrow I have to try and finish it between school and work. Hopefully it will be done and I will be able to swing when I get home. Yay!!
My favorite thing to do in the summer is swing, read, nap, and repeat.

You have to watch this and be amazed

I know most of you are probably familiar with You Tube and Mad TV. Just check this out, you willl NOT regret it. This is the most awesome thing that I have found on there.
He does LL Cool J, Jay Z, Snoop, and DMX.

Dearborn vs. Detroit: The Battle of Recreation

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan. There are 170,114 children under the age of nine in Detroit. Fifty six city owned parks are scattered about the city. Do we ever stop to think about the difference city up-keep makes to the children? Shouldn't every kid have a place to play?




I guess one out of three isn't bad. Here I'll swing first, and you can watch.







Let's all put our babies in these baby safe swings. I insist, after you.







This swing set, minus the swing part, is the only thing at this park, well besides the creepy man who kept mumbling nonsense to me.







The over abundance of swings, the lack of anything else besides trash and open field. Don't worry about the bent metal, you should still be able to swing safely...I'm pretty sure...at least I think.






This park is caged in. I couldn't find out how to even enter it.








This is the play area for a "child development center". How are these children planning to develop here?







This lonely slide is supported by steep, rusted stairs and graffiti. Wee!







Dearborn is host to 15,585 children under the age of nine. Less kids and more slides. Three times the slide, three times the fun.







Detroit's parks are covered in waste. Dearborn's parks are complete with waste baskets. The difference in cleanliness is remarkable. Oh look! A drinking fountain for thirsty children who have been playing in the hot summer sun.





Do you remember Detroit's "swing sets"? Where would you rather play under dog?







Summer evenings you will find Dearborn residents and their families utilizing these grills and picnic tables. Hot dog anyone? Oh, Detroit doesn't have any grills, but you can look across the street from most parks and see houses that have caught on fire and were never repaired.






This is Sean. Sean plays basketball everyday after school with his younger brother. I wonder if there is a little boy in Detroit who would play basketball with his younger brother, that is if there were hoops available for them.

I hope the children appreciate these playground kingdoms they are accustom to.















Dearborn is home to parks suitable for grilling, supervised recreation, baseball fields, swing sets, ginormous playscapes, and multiple pools. It's upsetting to see how deprived the young children of Detroit are of these childhood luxuries.

My <3

This is Mark. We will have been dating for a year in the beginning of May. Although it seems like not that long of a time span, we have had a very intense relationship and have been through a lot together. We work together, we have the same friends, we lived together for 6 months unexpected, his parents are dead, he helped me leave my house and deal with a lot of problems I was facing. We are both very comfortable around one another, he is my best friend, he is my closest family. He is 24, I am 19. It seems silly to be so serious at such a young age, but there is something different about him, he has some sort of power over me that blurs my normally level headed, rational way of thinking. He has taken care of me in certain situations and cared for me, when I really had no where else to go and no one else to turn to. I still get butterflies when he calls on the phone. I don't care at all when other guys try to talk to me, I only want him.

I am not sure if it is the winter blues that have me in a huff or what it is, but I am really confused about us right now. When we lived together, it was an unplanned move, and turned out to not be the best one for us, or me. We came very close to breaking up and things were NOT going well near the end. Now that I have moved out, things are better, but this kid is by far one of the most confusing people I have ever dated. I am partially to blame because I over analyze, a lot. But to me, it seems like one day he is all about me, like I am every single Victoria's Secret model blended into one and he can't get enough, the next day I'm wondering if we are doing okay or not. He went to visit Scottsdale Arizona this past weekend and got home yesterday at 5. I was nervous about him going, he was going down there with his friends, who are all single, and going to a wedding. I have seen the movie wedding crashers ya know? They all aren't bad looking guys either. This is just a short into of what I am really concerned about, but i am already tired of writing this and I'm pretty sure no one will read it this far, so I am goign to stop. I just kinda wanted to get some stuff out, even though I really didn't get to the stuff that's bothering me...

Is Graffiti Art?

Vs.

Graffiti is art in it's own way. There is such a wide variety of what is to be considered graffiti; everything from carving "Jane love's Bobby" into a tree, to territorial gang symbols, to murals, to notification of secret meeting places for christians back when, ">()". It's art taht uses an inappropriate canvas, but because of this it is more outspoken, also more of local art. it's like someone speaking out with picutres of decorative words. Graffiti is a comment box, an anonymous address to current problems or viewpoints. I agreed a lot with Kriegel on how graffiti isn't the biggest problem our cities face, but it's a red flag to the issues taht lye underneath. Bottom line, unless it's a mural that is supposed to be there, graffiti is destruction of property. Although interesting to look at, at times, wrong and disrespectful. What parent doesn't yell at their kids for drawing on the walls? Why shouldn't people be punnished for drawing on the cities walls?

Baloney Sandwiches

Meet Natalie. She is 23 and I have worked with her for over a year. She is a server, same as me. I like her. She's fun to go out with, she is selfish. It has been getting to me lately a lot, the selfish things she does that is. I don't know if it's just hard for me to understand because I try to go out of my way to help people when they need it, and even when they don't, and I constantly put others before myself. Natalie is the first one to call you and ask if you will work for her because she has something that is more important. Stupidly, I always cover her shift if I can. I have picked her up and helped her with things outside of work. But anytime at all, that anyone needs anything from her, she does not hesitate to say no. Immediately it's a no. I am scheduled to work tonight and I have a lot of things I need to get done. I didn't even ask her if she would cover, I just asked her to switch me a day. I also know for a fact that she is available to work and just won't. And btw I have picked up her last two monday shifts.

Also, we had a guest performer at work Karl Wolf on Saturday for St. Patrick's Day. Only two people were allowed to have the day off. I have worked every single holiday, weekend day, birthday, any special day of any kind since I have worked there. I requested Saturday off, and got it. Yay I'm excited right. No, another person at work requested it off but didn't get it because they were too late but decided to just take the consequences and go on his weekend trip anyways. that's fine with me, i still get it off, i requested it off and got it. Natalie goes to the manager and makes up a story so taht he puts me back on schedule! and takes the kid off and switches her to his time to come in(at four). Now this is a huge deal, because the two people who come in at four get to leave earlier than everyone else. She had my manager take the kid off, put her in at four instead of six and have me come in at six. Now if she has me come in at six, there is one extra person which means she can phase out even earlier. I just thought that was really rude of her and i'm upset with it. why are people like that

Flickr Photos Detroit

Let's start the day by promoting drugs to children.

Preciously Disgusting.
















I would rather take pride in my city by keeping it clean, what about you?

Graffitit here is minimal, but largely impacts the view of this photo. Without the scribbled nonsense you would appreciate the beauty in the ruins of the architecture; the photo is romanticized. With the graffiti, this scene sends out a warning signal that this isn't a nice place to be. Graffiti adds to the increase in abandoned buildings.














Idiocracy.














Tell me how this is something you could avoid, or deter your eyes from walking upstairs, at night, as a child? The word in itself, graffiti, has a negative tone to it for a reason. It's eerie, it's wrong, it's volatile, it's destructive, and at the root, the majority, evil.

Analysis of Graffiti: Tunnel Notes of a New Yorker

I really enjoyed reading Leonard Kriegel's story. I thought it was very well written and had a different perspective of an overlooked issue. His writing included great vivid imagery. My favorite sentence is, "At the core of graffitit's spread lurks teh dangerously romantic notion that the city is a place of such overwhelming evil that it must be torn apart, savaged into it's own death, it's residents given a "voice" in the irrational hope that in this way it's more urbane voices will be stilled." I like the point he adressed about graffiti not being dangerous, but that it represents all of the city's problems. I also liked how he said he would run down to the park with his friends carefree, but alone, the graffiti transformed into a monsterous and fearful decor of ruins. This photo reminds me of something that could appear harmless in the daylight with friends, but really eerie alone in the dark.

Royal Oak offers a tasty variety of dining options. Sangria Tapas Café has a tantalizing menu that lures you in with promises of authentic Spanish cuisine that will satisfy you beyond hopes. Tapas evolved through influences from various countries and are customarily served with a drink as a free appetizer before dinner. Here in the United States, tapas themselves are turned into a complete meal. 42 small plates of mouth watering descriptions invite you to a theme park of food; excited you want to try every dish. Dishes such as grilled salmon with a creamy Dijon sauce, garlic marinated lamb, swordfish topped with colored peppers, and various chicken combinations fill the Entrée portion of the menu. Black bean soup is offered daily along with a soup of the day. Not including their Ensalada con Queso of goat cheese, dried cherries and apples mixed with greens and a champagne vinaigrette, their salads are less interesting and more basic. I opted to try several of the small plates.
Walking in the host was friendly and eager to seat us, asking how we were she sat us at a table and readily brought over two waters. I’m excited for my meal. The waitress approaches us a few minutes later, not mentioning her name; she asks if we would like anything to drink. We are fine with water for now. Appetizers really don’t have a section on the menu, unless you chose to indulge in a soup, salad, or a small plate before your entrée. I decided to have several small plates for my meal, since this is a tapas restaurant. We tell her we would like to begin with the Champinones Rellenos; mushrooms stuffed with shrimp and garlic butter as we look over the menu and drink options. About five minutes later she sets a basket of fresh French bread and a tasty olive oil whipped butter down on the table, quickly she walks away. Minutes later she arrives with our first dish, she asks us if we are ready to order and we tell her what we would like; she swoops up both the drink and food menus and again quickly leaves the scene. The stuffed mushroom dish came with four mushrooms and appeared unappetizing, and turned out to be just that. The dish was disappointingly dry and the shrimp stuffing had very little if any flavor at all. I am more satisfied with the bread and butter, and push the mushrooms to the end of the table. The person I am accompanied by would like a glass of wine. Our waitress has not been back to check on us, though I have seen her walk across the restaurant doing side work many times. Our bread is gone and she comes over with our next plate, I have to ask her, as she again walked away without saying a word for the drink menu. He orders his wine and she brings it to him, again taking away the drink menu. Our second plate is Verduras Estofada; eggplant and onions with garlic and baked French bread. This dish was better than the first one, but again lacked intensity and presentation. The bread was too hard and the eggplant weak. The waitress comes back with our next two dishes; Bolas de Queso y Patata; parmesan infused mashed potatoes fried and served with sour cream and Queso de Tarragon; garlic soaked goat cheese atop baked French bread. The potato platter comes with six delicate rounded pieces. Each ball has a perfectly thin crisp layer. You can clearly taste the parmesan. This dish is my favorite so far. Next, two pieces of the, again over baked, French bread host a large ball of goat cheese on each. You cannot taste the garlic, and it is a difficult thing to eat, the bread crumbles with the first bite and the cheese should be spread for you, it’s difficult to smear and I give up. We ordered two more dishes; Albondigas; pork meatballs and colored peppers in a tomato sauce and Pincho de Solomillo; marinated beef kabobs, ordered rare to medium rare. The waitress has not been back to check on us, no dirty dishes were cleared, no clean dishes were brought, his wine is empty and I want a soda. It has been about 20 minutes since she has come to the table, she brings us our kabobs. They are tough and dry, cooked close to well done. There is a creamy horse radish and basil sauce sitting center plate. I taste it and it is phenomenal. I am very hungry and still unsatisfied. This sauce is what helps me get the beef down. I have stacked dirty plates conveniently on the edge of the table for her so she could pick them up. I wave her over and ask her for dessert. I tell her the cheesecake would be appreciated. She doesn’t come back to the table until she has the dessert, she did not bring us our pork dish, the dirty dishes are still there as she sets down the dessert and walks away. We have no new utensils but dig in anyways. The cheesecake is the best part of the meal. With a lemon zest baked in, a dollop of swirled whip cream, berries and a raspberry sauce make this dessert almost sinful. The waitress comes back with the bill, she still has not asked us how our meal was, she gave no suggestions, did not clear the dishes or bring new ones, my water is near empty, and the bill has the pork plate on it. I ask her to please remove it from the bill because we didn’t get it; she neither apologizes nor gives me eye contact. Quickly she returns with the correct bill at $44.20. Each small plate averages between five and seven dollars. Salads are $8.95 and entrees don’t exceed $20.00; one can easily over order and spend under one’s budget. Over all we had plenty of food and a wide variety of it. I was only satisfied with the potatoes and dessert. Service was horrendous. The menu is deceivingly playful with promises of flavor and spice. Food is bland. 12 sandwiches at $6.95 each are available during lunch hours.
Parking is not a problem; convenient and plentiful on Sunday, but could be that of a long wait or long walk on a Friday or Saturday night. The restaurant has a simple appeal from the outside with two stories and an upstairs outdoor sky seating area, which makes for a great summer dining location. Walking in the restaurant is colorful but not overwhelming, 3-D art dances along the walls accompanied by jazz influenced festive paintings. The color intensity detracts your eyes from the floor, which is a good idea for a dirty restaurant, but serves no alternate purpose here. Floors are clean and bathrooms are stocked and tidy. A small and simple, but attractive, bar stands center stage. The restaurant appears much larger from the inside and could easily entertain a busy dinner rush. Wooden tables are topped with ruby linens.
Sangria Tapas Café in downtown Royal Oak is located conveniently on the corner of Fourth Street and Lafayette Ave. Closed Mondays, open for lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11:30-4:00, and dinner from 4:00-10:00, Tuesday and Wednesday, 4:00-11:00 Thursday, 4:00-Midnight Friday and Saturday and 4:00-9:00 Sundays. An average place to dine, I recommend Small Plates in downtown Detroit for a better meal of tapas.

In the D