Black Friday Adventures and Misadventures

The 3 Sisters joined the ranks a few Black Fridays ago. But we had a plan to avoid the crowds, which we followed every year. That plan involved a small neighborhood mall and the morning sale at H&M. I basically got my entire winter wardrobe there for 25% off. Our Black Fridays were usually laid back, non-hectic, and quiet. It was awesome.

Then this year, H&M changed their sale. Shoppers could still get 25% before 10am but only on ONE friggin' item! Why in the world would anyone wake up that early to save like $5? Are they crazy? There was no way we were going to do that.

On Wednesday, I immediately text Tina and Laura that "Black Friday is officially canceled!" I included a sad face, which meant I was serious. Our tradition was going to be laid to rest. H&M had ruined Black Friday...which is almost like ruining Christmas!

After sending that text off and getting a response of outrage from Laura, I somehow came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea. I found out that the new outlet malls in our area started their sales at midnight. A couple sales were even 25-50% off the entire store. You can't beat that, right? I excitedly told Tina and Laura that Black Friday was back on.

Laura's response was "Do I have to wrestle some bitches?" Haha. I couldn't imagine the place being that crowded at midnight. I was so sure that it was a great idea. I even convinced other members of my family to join us.

Off we went at 11pm on Thanksgiving. I was thinking we'd get there in a half hour, get some Starbucks, wait around until stores opened at midnight and be done at 3am and in bed by 4am...no biggie. It was Black Friday tied in a very neat and pretty bow.

Then a mile from the mall, we hit traffic. Bahh!! That was when I realized that this brilliant idea of mine wasn't very original. Everybody in the friggin' state knew about it and was heading there at the same time.

This was very unlike me. The trip was unplanned, and I was unprepared. Big mistake.

We sat in traffic for a good 45 minutes, moving a foot every few minutes. The place was so crowded that we couldn't even park at the mall. We had to park at some random parking lot a half mile away. After we parked, we had to walk down this dark, unlit road.

While trekking on this scary road where we could barely see in front of us, I exclaimed, "This is like an adventure, guys!" No response. "Right, right?" No response. I guess they agreed with me.

Walking in the freezing cold woke us up, and we were ready to shop. We finally got to the mall around 1am. The place was packed. Hello, masses!

Maybe we did have to wrestle some bitches.

The stores were so crowded. People were elbow to elbow. Clothes were in heaping piles. We had to weave in and out to get anywhere. Afraid we'd lose someone, we adopted the buddy system. Basically, you just heard us screaming, "Where's my partner? Where's my partner?"

Yeah, it wasn't perfect.

If I saw something I liked, I just grabbed it and hoped for the best. There just wasn't any time to try anything on. The lines were super long. For some stores like Coach and Kenneth Cole, we had to wait in line outside only to find more lines in the inside. WTF!

We were practically running from store to store. If everyone in our group were done at a store, we'd scream "Abort, abort!" and run out. Okay, that only happened once.

We cursed H&M randomly throughout the night/morning. Because of H&M, we had to deal with the crowds, long lines, and a giant mall with dozens of stores. Damn H&M! You did this to us!!

We were finally done around 5:30a. Body parts ached. Feet hurt. But we still had to walk a half mile back to our car! The walk back was definitely not as adventurous.

The worst thing is that Laura didn't buy anything at all! She was crying by the end of it. She didn't even get to wrestle some bitches. Poor Laura.

I, on the other hand, bought a handful of things. But it still probably wasn't worth it. After driving everyone home, I finally went to bed at 7:40a. Woke up at 2pm with a pounding headache. Awesome.

Font Spread

In typography, we were given the assignment to create a spread for three fonts of different classes. I chose to do Garamond, Bodoni, and Futura. He gave us the information on each font and we were to take that and make a 6-page spread that organized this information along with the creator's name, the date it was created, and include the entire alphabet in each font in regular, italic, bold, and bold italic. We were to also to create a design that showed the font and the specific characteristics of each, while also adding the folio (or page numbers).

Each of these designs were created to be in a book so they are supposed to be folded down the center. I got an A- I think. I don't exactly remember. :) Enjoy!

Die, Chivalry, Die!

Something happened not too long ago, and it's been bugging me. I've debated it with Huz. And I've concluded that either way, I'm a bitch.

At a recent get-together at my friend's house, I was trying to open a wine bottle with one of those fancy openers. I'm no expert, but I know how to open a bottle of wine. I've done it many times. I just don't use the fancy ones often. We only have the cheap kind at home.

Anyway, I was working at uncorking the wine bottle when this guy (friend of a friend) practically runs up to me and asks me if he can open it for me. I was totally offended. My reaction then and still is that he thought I was incompetent. And that he felt he had to rescue a dumb girl. I was kinda pissed and still am.

I told Huz my feeling about this when we got home. He didn't agree with my response. He said the guy was just trying to be nice. But I don't think so! Maybe it was the way the guy asked me. The look on his face that said "You're an idiot." Or how he swooped in to save the day. Puhlease. I didn't need his help. I would have appreciated it more if he just gave me a helpful tip, like I should take the foil off first or hold onto the wine opener a certain way. I didn't appreciate that this stranger just assumed that I needed him to take over.

I didn't. I had it!

Huz is so sure that he was trying to be chivalrous. I don't agree. To make his point, Huz asked me if I'll be angry if a guy tried to hold the door for me. I said of course not. The difference is that this hypothetical guy isn't holding the door for me because he thinks it's too heavy and I can't do it myself. He's just trying to be nice. I hold the door for people all the time.

So it's not the same! I'm not trying to kill chivalry. I just don't like a man assuming a woman can't do something. If I were a man, would that guy jump in and try to do it? Or would he leave me alone and let me handle it? I am guessing the latter.

So in conclusion, I'm a feminist bitch. But still I'm right.

When You Know You've Been Designing Too Long

Recently, I've been doing an excessive amount of design work for my classes and I've gone a little nuts. What drove me to write this post was something that happened not 5 minutes ago. I was surfing the web and I accidentally clicked something weird in my web browser, so I wanted to go back and I automatically hit Control+Z... This, sadly, was not the beginning of my craziness.

Last week, I got the most challenging assignment I ever got in the history of my college career. I had to make logo designs– 20 of them. I worked for hours and hours on that project and soon, it began to haunt me. I was trying to sleep one night, and I was having a little trouble. I wasn't fully conscious but I couldn't fall completely into sleep. It took me a little to realize it was because I was dreaming about fonts. Fonts, for goodness sake! I felt like I was tripping on acid. Fonts (particularly Helvetica) were swirling around in that noggin of mine. As I was falling asleep, I felt like I was a font. My eyes were half open and I compared the shape of my arm to the shape of Helvetica Rounded. This odd thought was so jarring, it woke me up and I was so weirded out! Plus, why in the world did I have to be some boring font like Helvetica anyway! Gawd!

Another time, not too long ago, (I was fully awake this time) I found myself designing in my head. It's like if you play Tetris or Sims too long, you start playing it in your head subconciously. Well I was friggin' designing in my head! I saw the mouse and I was drawing things with it and moving things around and using various tools. Weird, huh?

And that's a trip into the crazy mind of Laura. Hope you enjoyed!

P.S. I will post the fruits of my labor (my 20 logo designs) soon after this post.

Would You Date You?

I was listening to my usual morning show on the radio when the question "Would you date you?" came up. I thought that was an interesting question. So let's tackle that, people. Gimme your answers.

My answer is a resounding NO. Generally, I don't think two people who are exactly alike should be together. I just don't think it would work out. So me and me would not make a good couple. Here is what would happen:

Tara would meet Tara. She'll think "Wow, Tara is awesome. She's funny, outgoing, and HOT!" Then, Tara would ask Tara out on a date. Naturally, Tara would accept. Then months later, Tara's "good" qualities would become completely grating. Tara is too talkative and wouldn't shut up. Tara would become too smothery. They would fight constantly and try to yell over the other. Then they'd break up. Tara would never in her lifetime get over Tara because Tara is awesome!

Side note: I have never written my name that many times in one paragraph before. My name is starting to look and sound weird.

There are just things I do that would irritate even me. I can be really honest...okay, blunt. I can be whiny as hell. I can be really ADD...in middle of conversations. I can be excessively mushy to a point that make people want to vomit. So yeah, I don't think I can date me. There can only be one Tara in my life.

I don't know how Huz puts up with it. Hehe. He is a good man.

Yesterday, I asked Huz in all seriousness, "isn't it cute how obsessed I am with you?" He said, "Uh-huh." He loves it!!

Blah Blah Blah

I had an interesting conversation with Laura the other day. She was telling me a story about something that happened between her friend and her. This is how it went, almost word for word:

Laura: Then she said blah blah blah. Then I said blah blah blah And blah blah blah!!

Tara: Okay, then what happened.

Laura: Then she said blah blah blah!!

Tara: Wow.

Laura: Yeah, then I was like blah blah blah!!!

Tara: Tell me more.

Laura: I said blah blah blah!

Isn't she the best story teller ever?

She's told me other stories in this same fashion. I'm not even kidding. I have to guess what each "blah blah blah" really means. After these conversations, I'm like can't you give me actual details. Argh!

I have to guess from her tone whether I should be appalled, angry, shocked, sad, happy or whatever. Haha.

I always look forward to these conversations. They are so blah blah blah!! You know what I mean?

I'm a Purist

I don't like ketchup. There, I said it. It's not that I dislike the taste of ketchup. I just prefer not to add it to everything I eat. I always tell people that I'm a purist. Well, only when it comes to food anyway.

I don't put ketchup on my fries or burgers or fried chicken or anything really. Okay, I make an exception once in a while, but not often. I know, I'm a big weirdo. But I like food the way it was intended. I want to taste my food, not the ketchup slathered on top. I am actually disgusted when people put ketchup on their cheesesteaks. They are good as is. How can you ruin it with ketchup? Patooey.

Wikipedia describes a purist as "one who desires that an item remain true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences." That's me...a purist. I like the essence of my food untainted, thank you very much.

Essence...yum. Can't get enough essence, ya know what I mean?

Artie from Glee

Kevin McHale who plays Artie in Glee initially auditioned for the role of Finn. I was surprised when I heard that because I didn't think he had the look. He fit perfectly as Artie--a nerdy, skinny kid who happens to be in a wheelchair. I couldn't imagine him as a football jock and the most popular guy in school. Then I found out the awesomest thing ever!

McHale used to be in a boy band called NLT (Not Like Them). Bahhhhh!!

Holy crap! He has the mangs (man bangs), tight shirt, skinny jeans. Definitely boy band material. And can I say, he looks pretty darn cute too. I mean he is adorable as Artie. But still! He looks totally different. It's so weird! He doesn't look skinny at all. He actually looks kinda buff. I was so surprised when I saw pictures of him in NLT.

So I can see now why he auditioned for Finn's role. Makes sense.P.S. I do realize that he is only 21, okay? I'm just making an observation. ;)

P.P.S. Loved Artie's solo, Dancing with Myself. His voice was surprising...in a good way.

The Uggs Controversy

When Uggs first became popular, I didn't get it. Uggs are hideous boots. They are these giant, odd-shaped things. I didn't see their appeal. It was made worse by the fact that little teeny boppers everywhere were wearing them. They wore Ugg boots all year round, sometimes with tiny shorts or miniskirts in the summer. Why, I don't know.

I had no desire to buy a pair of Ugg boots. I viewed them as a young fad. I openly judged people who wore them. Ack, I thought. Laura completely agreed with me on this. She doesn't like Ugg boots either.

Then something changed. I think I've changed my mind. I'm a big ol' hypocrite!!

My one friend has been trying to convince me that Uggs are great, not for fashion but for comfort. I voiced my skepticism, but the stubborn woman won't be deterred. She told me that I should try them.

I finally gave in. I tried them. And I think I am going to buy a pair. They are really comfortable and warm. I can throw them on with leggings, jeans or sweats. I am all about comfort and casual, and these definitely fit the bill. I'm going to the mall on Sunday to try them on again and make my decision. Eek. I have been boycotting them for so long. I don't know what happened. I did the same thing with leggings and now wear them all the time.

Laura doesn't like the turn of events. She's trying to convince me out of them. Hehe. She thinks they are too young for me. She will forever think of me as an old lady. I'll show her. I can't wait to rock my Uggs!

P.S. I should mention that I am always behind the curve when it comes to fashion. I have to let it stew for a while before I jump in. I am weird like that. =p

My Huge Noggin

The other day, I was at the Gap. I saw one of those cute hats with the flappy ears. So I tried it on, but it didn't fit. I thought it might be a size small. I looked at the tag. Turns out it was M/L...for men. Bahhh!!

I have a humongous noggin. I already knew that. Don't know why I was that surprised when I saw the size. I guess I am in denial.

When Huz and I rented mopeds in Oahu, I had to get a helmet. The rental guy was soooo nice because he thought my head was a medium. Why thank you, sir. I gave him a skeptical look. He noticed but told me to try the medium anyway. Of course, it didn't friggin' fit. So he gave me a large. Keep in mind that they don't differentiate between women's and men's.

I put it on. And I was convinced that large was my size because come on, how could I be any bigger than that? So I told the guy it was good. I kept it on while we were filling out paperwork. After wearing it for a few minutes, I turned to Huz and whispered that I may need to try the XL helmet. Huz told me to just change it. So I sheepishly told the guy that I need to go up a size. He gave me this look of "WTF, lady, is your head really THAT big?" So he handed me the XL helmet. Then he said in all seriousness, I don't have anything larger than XL. Really?? I would die if I had to wear an XXL. I'll force my head into that XL even if it kills me.

The XL helmet fit perfectly. I was glad I ended up changing it. It was a lot more comfortable. But I looked silly as hell. Didn't help that the back of the black helmet had a large white tape with the letters XL in bold black letters. How embarrassing. Huz thought it was hilarious though. Hmph.

With that helmet on, my head looked like a grapefruit on a toothpick.

Yeah, I have a giant head. But I need it to fit my enormous brain. =p

For Business, Not Pleasure

I have been a bad blogger this week. Bad blogger bad. Because I have been traveling...and also because I was lazy. Hehe.

I sometimes travel for work. I was in Los Angeles yesterday. But I usually only stay for a day. So I don't really have time to do anything except eat, prepare for hearing, attend hearing, eat some more, and then travel home. I don't mind traveling. As long as it's not like every week. It's nice to get out of the office once in a while.

There are a lot of great things that come with traveling. Such as nice hotels, free food, new cities. But those are not my favorite things about traveling. Don't get me wrong. Those are nice perks. But my favorite thing is something simple. Something probably unexpected. The showers. Nice hotels always have those awesome shower heads that are perfectly pressurized. Taking showers in hotels are relaxing and soothing...kinda like a massage.

I realize just now that that may have sounded dirty. Well, it wasn't! Get your mind out of the gutter!

My second favorite thing is Starbucks Cafe Mocha. Hmmm...yum. They cost about $4.50, which is completely outrageous. But not so bad when I am not paying for it. I have to get it at least once when I am traveling. It completes me.

My mom asked me not too long ago if I've been to every city in the US yet. Uh, Mom, there is like a million cities in the US. Okay, maybe not a million. But there are a lot! It'll be impossible. I've only been to a few. Here is the list of cities I've been to on my travels:

Arlington, VA
Austin, TX
Boston, MA
Bridgeport, CT
Dallas, TX
Freehold, NJ
Los Angeles,CA
Miami, FL
New York, NY
Oakland, CA
Palm Beach, FL
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
Trenton, NJ
Wilmington, DE

See, that's not that many. My favorite place to travel to is San Francisco. That city is great. I usually get a hotel right at Union Square. It's the best. I took Huz with me once. We loved the city and wanted to move there. But then our family may kill us. And I want to live.

It's nice to dream though.

I guess I can settle for one-day trips as long as I can take showers and drink Cafe Mochas. Not at the same time though.

My Teenage 4-Year-Old

The other night as my daughters and I were lying in bed. Carmen, my first born, was reading us a story. My younger vicarious daughter, Rachel, says, "Mommy." (Pausing like she wanted to announce something and wanted my full attention.) I say, "Yes, Rachel." She announces, "My name is Macy. For real, my name is Macy." Appalled I say, "Okay...what does that mean?" Rachel says, "You can call me Macy." She left me sputtering, but I counter with, "No, your name is Rachel." And fortunately that was that.

But it left me wondering what will she be like when she's older and a difficult teenager, because mark my words, I know without a doubt she will be a difficult teenager. One day, she'll come home outfitted in black, in her usual gothwear, and she'll announce with all seriousness, "Tina...(because by this time, she'll no longer acknowledge me as a maternal figure)...I will no longer answer to the common name Rachel. From now on I am reborn in darkness as Achlys. I expect you to honor my wishes." And again she'll leave me sputtering, but my words will go unheeded. Sigh... If only I were kidding...

Update: Rachel just told me again, "My name is Macy. No seriously, my name is Macy." I am so awestruck. First that she even remembered and that...that...what is up with that?!? She's only four!!!

Bad Boys with Layers

I was watching Glee a couple weeks ago--the episode where Noah sang "Sweet Caroline."


After watching his solo, I immediately texted Laura, "I am in love with the mohawk dude on Glee." She responded, "You love bad boys with layers." OMG, I totally do! She knows me so well. There's something about a bad boy. But give me a complicated bad boy, and I am there.

When I was watching Veronica Mars, I was completely enamored with Logan Echolls even before there was LoVe. At first I hated him because he was just plain mean. And then I learned more about him--that there was more to him than meets the eye. I began to soften but didn't know why. Then when I saw them kiss, I was practically giddy from excitement. He is the quintessential bad boy with layers. Love him.

On the other hand, I don't like pretty boys at all. Do you know what I mean by a "pretty boy"? Finn in Glee is a pretty boy and kinda looks like Chris Klein who is definitely a pretty boy. Duncan from Veronica Mars was more pretty than cute. Meh and meh. I just don't see it. The mohawk dude is way cuter. He just has to fix the hair. Who's with me? Anyone?

I made a comment to Huz that I don't like pretty boys. He feigned shock and said, "But I'm a pretty boy." Right, honey, right.

So what do you think? Bad boys or pretty boys?

Asian Slaw

Every time I discover and cook something new that turns out delish, I can't help feeling proud of myself. Like I did it! I am awesome. I am a good wife. Huz actually ate something different and healthy today. Rejoice!

I made this yummy Asian-y coleslaw for dinner yesterday, which I found on allrecipes.com and tweaked a bit. And like I said, I was all proud of myself. Tehe. Go me.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 package ramen noodles, crushed
10 ounces cashew or almond pieces (I used raw almonds, which gave it more crunch.)
1 (16 ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:
1. In a preheated 350-degree oven, toast the crushed noodles and nuts for 10-15 minutes (stirring twice) until golden brown.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coleslaw, green onions, toasted ramen noodles and nuts.
3. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the sugar, oil, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss and serve.

Please Do Not Pet the Turtles

I was at an aquarium once and saw cute little turtles swimming in a small pool. I reached in to touch them. I looked up to see an employee giving me a stern look. Then I immediately noticed the sign next to the pool "Please Do Not Pet the Turtles." Oopsy. Well, don't be like me! Heed my warning. See how I segued there. Clever, I know.

As some of you may know, I am a turtle lover and owner. I love my turtle, Wasabi, and he loves me too. ;) But I DO NOT recommend keeping turtles as pets, especially the small ones.

You can buy cute tiny red-ear sliders in any chinatown for a couple dollars. But do not be fooled into buying one!

First of all, selling turtles less than four inches in diameter is illegal. The ban was enacted in 1975 because apparently kids were putting the tiny turtles in their mouths. You may not know this but turtles carry salmonella. Yum.

I read this article recently titled "Pet Turtles Sickened Children in 34 States." They said that a couple teenagers thought swimming with their pet turtles was a good idea. Really?! Needless to say, they got real sick. So if just for that reason, don't buy turtles as pets.

Additionally, these tiny turtles don't stay tiny. People forget that they grow. And I mean big. Female red-ear sliders can grow up to 13 inches! That is friggin' huge. Lucky for me, I have a male turtle who can only grow up to 9 inches. Yeah, that isn't small either.

I had Wasabi since he was tiny...like maybe an inch and a half big. My friend gave him to me knowing my love for turtles. I readily accepted but did not realize the hassle. He came in this cute little aquarium. Soon he got too big for that. I had to move him to a 2.5-gallon tank and then a 10-gallon tank. Fast forward 9 years and several hundred dollars later. Wasabi is now living in a 25-gallon tank, and that is probably too small for him. But any bigger, and I wouldn't know where to put the tank.

I probably don't have to mention this. But turtles poop. A lot. And you have to clean that crap. Pun intended.

I don't recommend pet turtles because I love turtles. People who don't will undoubtly get sick of the hassle and the poop and get rid of their turtles. That's really why I am so adamant about this! Oh, and of course children are getting sick, people! Save the children!

Mean Dad

For some reason, Huz wants to be a mean dad. I am guessing he thinks it's the only way to prevent wild teenagers. Haha!

Once in a while he would tell me that he wants our future kids to be scared of him. His words, not mine. I usually let it go and just laugh. But when he said it again yesterday, I finally gave it to him straight. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Our kids would more likely crack up than shake in their little booties at Huz.

I'm like when have you yelled at anyone...like ever? He didn't have an answer to that one. He doesn't even yell when we argue. Then I asked him if he's ever even yelled at customer service on the phone. He responded that he never has. That was a revelation! I can't even count how many times I've done it. Hehe. Maybe I'm the bitch. I don't know.

I remember one time I let him call Verizon to correct a billing error. And you know what happened? Huz only got some of our money back! I didn't really think of it at the time. I just chalked it up to Verizon being dicks, but now I know that Huz didn't stick it to them like he should have. I would have given them a piece of my mind, and it wouldn't have been pretty. However, Huz on the other hand is just too nice.

He got the point. But he wouldn't back down from his vision of being a scary dad. So he came up with a plan. He'll jump out of closets to scare them or spook them in other ways. That'll teach them. Ooookkkaayy.

Then Huz thought of an even better idea, or at least he thought so. He'll do what the dad in Arrested Development did and hire a one-armed man to teach his kids a lesson. For example, in the episode, the kids were getting rowdy in the car and won't quiet down. So the one-armed man jumps in front of the car, and his prosthetic arm falls off, completely freaking the kids out who thought it was a real arm. While the kids are screaming in the car, the guy tells them that's what they get for not listening to their father and keeping quiet in the car. Haha! Anyway, Huz said he would do that.

I guess that works...

The Pocahontas Incident of '96

When I was a 2nd grader, something happened to me that affected the rest of my life. When did this happen? Halloween, 1996. I'll never forget it! Never!

Halloween was fast approaching and I was super excited to don my adorable Pocahontas costume for my school's annual costume contest. In the auditorium, the principle was announcing the plans for the blessed event. I heard that we were to wear our costumes on Thursday and we would have pizza on Friday. I wondered why we would have pizza on a different day but I brushed it aside. I was determined to win this year.

So on Thursday, just as the principle asked, I became Pocahontas, the Native American Princess. I stepped onto the bus, proud and mighty, knowing my costume this year was awesome. But something stopped me in my tracks. Everyone on the bus was wearing our regular uniform. Sure, I'm not embarrassed to admit I shed a tear or two just then. Fine, I shed more than that.. Fine! I was balling, okay! An older boy took me to the principle. She called my Mom in right away to drop off my uniform. It was mortifying.

And ever since this traumatic experience, when there's a day that I'm supposed to wear something other than my regular clothes, I ask double if that day is the correct day. Sigh, and that's my telling of 'The Pocahontas Incident of '96.'