Project 365: Overdose of Cuteness

I was flipping through the latest issue of National Geographic when I came across this little guy:

Please tell me that is not the most adorable thing you have ever seen. I literally could not look away from the page, I was so overwhelmed by his cuteness. This overdose of cuteness is exactly what my humdrum Monday needed.

P.S.) I finally got around to seeing "Black Swan" last night with Ricky. If I had to describe this film in three words, they would be: beautiful, disturbing, and unsettling. Yes, I know Natalie Portman received a SAG award last night for this film. Yes, I know she's also nominated for an Oscar. She deserves them both -- here's hoping she gets the latter, too! (I'll be posting an extended review of the film sometime later this week. I'm still letting it digest.)

Project 365: Favorite

Do you have a favorite accessory that you can't leave the house without, something you feel naked without? For me, it's this pair of earrings I got from Fossil last year. I lurve them. I will even coordinate outfits around them.

Oh yeah. I've got it bad.

Project 365: Post

Today I received the sweetest postcard in the mail from Danielle. It made my morning! Thanks, Danielle, for the well wishes. I am feeling a whole lot better now that I'm finally cured of the flu/plague/pharyngitis. And I plan on totally getting back to writing as soon as I finish the book series I'm currently reading, The Mortal Instruments. It has completely sucked me in, so all of my free time (aka, when I'm not grading or spending time with Ricky) has been devoted to it.

Thanks again for the postcard! Garrison Keillor is right -- it's such a nice feeling, getting something in the mail that's not a bill.

Project 365: Profile

It has been like two weeks since I posted my last Project 365 post, so I figured I was due for another. I was having (vain) fun messing around with my iPhone camera and came up with the picture you see below. Normally I don't like how I come out in pictures, but I thought the angle was kind of neat. *shrugs*

What are you doing this weekend? I am just excited that I have no grading to do. Of course, this is because I accidentally left my papers at work, but still. Happy, happy! I have big plans for this weekend that involve: finally seeing "Black Swan," barbecue, working on my novel, sleep, sleep, and more sleep. Oh, and finishing the first book in The Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones.

That is one crazy eyebrow.

Did you check out my favorites post yet?

These are a few of my (current) favorite things...

cat naps.
I am loving cat naps this month, by which I mean both comforting little naps and sleeping with my cat. Not so much when he camps out on my feet though. Ouch. I am trying to perfect the art of sleeping just the right amount of time for a nap, because usually I wake up feeling groggy and headachey, and generally worse than before I took the nap in the first place. (Which defeats the purpose of the nap, if you ask me!) I don't think I've gotten it quite right just yet, but it seems as if I can't sleep more than 30 minutes and wake up feeling good. Anything less than that (within reason) is fine.

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tide stick to go.
I have one of these little babies in my purse and it is so worth it. Every time I forget to take it, like when I'm changing purses and forget or whatever, invariably I will spill something on myself and have to walk around wearing my food all day. This product is a life saver. It removes stains very quickly with minimal effort. One of my favoritest ever things. No lie.

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matched.
I kept hearing good things about this book, so I decided to pick it up. And you know? It didn't disappoint. I agree with the book's detractors that it is a bit reminiscent of the novel The Giver, but while some say this is an outright copy, I see it more as an homage. The author's voice is all her own, and it is very poetic and gripping. I won't say much about it other than it takes place in a dystopian society in which civilians are "matched" to their spouses by the government, as they are also matched to their jobs and so on and so forth. It has a girl and a boy and another boy, and it asks the question, "What if you wanted to decide your own match?" Which is a pretty interesting what if, if you ask me. It's a compelling read. And apparently there's a part two expected. Can't wait! 

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sampar prodigal pen.
I forget where I first heard about this product. All I know is that it is keeping my break outs in check. Two years ago, I suddenly started getting large break outs on my cheeks and chin. I've tried everything from Noxema to Clinique, but nothing worked very well. This is one of the best products I've tried. You can roll it directly on the problem area up to five times a day (any more will unnecessarily dry out your skin), and it helps clear those problem areas right away. Plus it's so small it easily fits inside your purse or pocket. (Just like my beloved Tide stick!)

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mint.
One of my friends recommended this iPhone app to me. What does it do? Well, as its website states, "Mint brings all your financial accounts together online, automatically categorizes your transactions, lets you set budgets & helps you achieve your savings goals." Best of all, it will send you alerts via your phone for things like large deposits or withdrawals, so it's a good way to keep an eye on your finances, not to mention identity theft. I've also noticed that my spending has gone down ever since I started using this site/app, which is a big win in my book (not to mention my savings account).
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samosas.
How do I love thee, Samosas? Let me count the ways... I love your chocolaty goodness, the way you melt inside my mouth. I love how you were the only thing my weak stomach could take while I was suffering from the flu/plague. I love your cute packaging. The only thing I don't love? That I have to wait for girl scouts to bring you to me and can't buy you whenever I please. Boo.

What are your favorites this month?
You can check out more of my favorites here.

{all pictures credit of Google images}

An update and stuff. (She's aliiiiiiive!)

So. I'm still alive, somehow. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I have been battling the flu/plague since January 1st. I must have caught it from someone during my New Year's Eve celebrations. I don't know. At first it was a typical cold, with typical cold annoyances: sniffles, coughs, voice coming and going. The usual.

Then suddenly last-last Saturday I came home with a fever and feeling crappier than usual. The sniffling and coughing had somehow gotten worse, and I had body aches to boot. Not. Good. It's funny, I look back at a picture I took of myself that Saturday and I can see how sick I was. It's written all over my face. The following Sunday found me begging for mercy, feeling so sick I stayed in bed all day. Monday night I did not sleep at all, spending the whole night coughing up my lungs (no, not literally, but just because it's metaphorical doesn't mean it wasn't painful). Tuesday found me coughing so hard, I literally coughed up a little blood (scary scary!). So I guess technically, I did cough up my lungs. A little. (Scary scary!)

I wound up missing work on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, staying in bed every single day until Saturday. Even though my munchkins were taking their midterms. Even though grades were due at the end of the week. Fever came and went all week, as did my hacking cough. Finally, my parents convinced me to visit a doctor on Thursday, which is something I generally don't like to do. There I found out my flu/plague was something else, something by the name of pharyngitis, which is basically the inflammation of the throat due to infection. And both of my tonsils were infected as heck. So the doctor prescribed an antibiotic and a cough suppressant and sent me home with the suggestion to drink lots and lots of soup with lemon. Which I did.

Today I went back to work feeling better if not 100% myself yet. But I'm getting there. And I've learned my lesson, damn it. I'm going to do better on my sleeping and eating habits. No more skipping breakfast and/or lunch. No more skimping on sleep. And next year I am getting the flu shot for sure.

So what else was I up to during my time battling the flu/plague/ pharyngitis? Well, I did a lot of reading, polishing off The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, the Fallen series, and my new favorite book, Matched. Today I started reading yet another series, The Mortal Instruments, based on the very high recommendation of one of my students. So many books, so little time...

What have YOU been up to lately? Update me in the comments!

P.S.) You can keep up with my speed-reading here: http://www.goodreads.com/anacristina

P.P.S.) Oh, and give me your book recs in the comments! I could always use more book recs.

P.P.P.S.) You can expect more Project 365 posts soon! :)

P.P.P.P.S.) I just really like post scripts.

Project 365: Bitter & Sweet.

Sorry for the lack of bloggage yesterday -- I fell asleep early and forgot. Yes, I know I'm an old lady, but I have a good excuse. I came home absolutely knackered last night (as my friends across the pond say), plus I'd gone to Happy Hour at a local pub yesterday evening with some friends and the boyf, where I enjoyed a pint or two.

To make up for not blogging, I'm including two pictures in this post.  The first is one of my most favorite beer Guinness (which I enjoyed at The Pub last night). The second is of me, wearing my latest favorite scarf and my latest favorite lip gloss.