love hurts

Poor little Bear, we all miss you much. I know your little happy fluffball self wouldn't want us to be sad when thinking of the past ...but it's hard not to feel an ache in the empty parts of our hearts which were once filled by happy memories of you.

Where ever you are (I like to think puppy heaven) I hope there are lots and lots of small squeaky toys for you to squeak and plenty of cat food to steal out of the cat's bowl and lots of fluffy friends to play with.

We love you Bear!!!
xoxo Strawberry and Tater Tot


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county fair heaven!

I really, really like county fairs because I really, really like fried food...and where else but at the county fair will you ever find such a variety of fried goodness??

If you ever find out the answer to that question, please let me know because as far as I know it doesn't exist.

Corn dogs are probably my favorite old-school fried food (none of this fancy, schmancy deep fried chicken fried bacon---yes, it is DOUBLE fried---for me, thanks). Even though I no longer eat meat, I still get to enjoy corn dogs thanks to the meatless ones they sell at Trader Joe's:


Yum!!

Today I stumbled upon this tempting corn dog lip balm. I want it SOOO bad but I'm afraid it will only be mustard flavored and I'll end up being disappointed. I've been burned by so-called "corn dog" scented novelty items in the past.

NOTE TO WHOEVER MAKES FLAVORED/SCENTED ANYTHING: CORN DOGS DO NOT TASTE LIKE MUSTARD. That's like saying iceburg lettuce tastes like ranch dressing.

happy chinese new year/mardi gras/any other international holidays!

It's hard to believe that a year ago today I was coming home to Shanghai after a month-long trip around South East Asia. Oh, how times have changed!

Even though I'm no longer in China anymore, I still feel a deep connection with Chinese culture (as deep as a white girl from Cali can feel, at least) so I was really excited about Chinese New Year! I happened to be in San Francisco over the weekend so I got to see lots of red lanterns up on the streets...but sadly missed all the cool parades.

Anyway, these fortune cookie cupcakes would have been an awesome edition to my Chinese New Year festivities, which mostly included waking up after 10AM, not showering, and watching Hulu all afternoon. DO I KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE, OR WHAT?!


Remember when I blogged about how to make fortune cookies? Ya, I didn't really remember it either...thank gawd for archives!! Here's a shot of a few of my handmade fortune cookies, in all their glory:


These were actually really, really good and as I mentioned in the original post, the almond extract adds a nice flavor that is absent from store-bought/Chinese restaurant fortune cookies. It wasn't a walk in the park making these puppies, but it was totally worth it in the end and I think they make a perfect gift to show someone how much you appreciate them. And they're delicious.

Oh also, it's Mardi Gras which normally would be exciting but sorta just...wasn't this year. Probably because I had a Mardi Dimanche and stuffed my face with--including, but not limited to--3 Anthony's cookies, 1 Sprinkles cupcake, and several slices of cheese pizza, and thus skipped bingeing on junk food for a second day in the same week.

Turns out, without the "Fat", Fat Tuesday is just...Tuesday.

Is anyone giving up anything for lent this year? I'm not because I'm a total badass.

holy inconsistency, batman!

I recently moved (woohoo!) and my building was all whacked out with the internet so I've been sans all things WWW related for the past couple of weeks. Turns out I didn't really miss much other than the B Team puppy cam pups totally growing up since I last saw them. Awwww.

Now that I've been successfully reconnected to the internet I will hopefully start blogging more regularly...or at least more than once a month.

Oh, also, I got a friggin' awesome job and have the best team EVER. Case in point: one of my coworkers sent me this link to Hipster puppies last Friday after a team lunch outing. FOR REALZ??? Why didn't I think of that genius idea for a blog?! So. Amazing.

Yo, check out my walkman. I'm so ironic and cool.

so cute it hurts!

Boop!

I've decided not to post anything legitimate ever again outside of B-Team puppy updates. I'm not sure where I was when the A-Team was born, but my life is definitely more complete now that Puppy Cam is in it.

I feel like opening a Twitter account to tweet minute-by-minute about the puppies...but I think "Puppies are eating!" and "Puppies are sleeping!!" would get sorta repetitive after a while.

I bet you're wondering what could be so exciting about watching 5 squirmy little animals that can't even walk, well, just watch for 15 seconds and I promise you'll be hooked! A NY Times article from last week put it best: I was skeptical. After all, how interesting can a bunch of sleeping puppies be? But I kept watching. They were just so freaking cute, huddled together for warmth, tiny bodies breathing while dreaming their puppy dreams. There’s something reassuring about seeing all five little puppies cuddled against Kika (momma Shiba Inu).

the most productive i've been in months

I haven't been posting much lately because I've been spending every waking moment watching Puppy Cam. I'm only half serious about that (I've had to take a few breaks to y'know, shower or whatever).

Streaming live video by Ustream

There's nothing more riveting than 5 little roly poly puppies!

k thx lolz

I have a feeling that if Tater Tot were an actual person he would be insanely annoying...but as it is, Tater is an adorable little ball of fluff so he RULES.

>_<

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but really I'm team jacob

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

seriously lacking beauty sleep

I generally can sleep pretty much anywhere (except in a car, for some reason) but the past few years I've gone through sporadic phases of very erratic sleep. I'll get a full 8 hours one night, but for the next three days won't be able to manage more than a cat nap.

I think perhaps I blogged about this back in 2008 when it was happening then? I thought I was going crazy. I'm generally a very logical and sane person, but in this instance I really felt like I was losing my mind. I remember having a breakdown on the 4th or 5th sleepless night, crying so hard because all I wanted to do was sleep...but couldn't.

After self-diagnosing insomnia, I thought I should finally seek medical intervention and when I presented my case to my doctor he suggested I "get more exercise". Really? That's your solution? I mean, I didn't go to medical school or anything, but I don't think going to the gym is going to solve sleep deprivation.


"May cause drowsiness...use caution when operating a car or dangerous machinery." Ok, so, running on a treadmill isn't the same game as operating a car, but it's definitely in the same ballpark...and I'm DROWSY all. the. time. I don't think physical exertion is the answer, unfortunately I have yet to really find the answer other than waiting it out.



Maybe I should start going to testicular cancer support groups? Meh, I don't want to end up punching myself in the neck at 3AM in the parking lot of some shady bar.

because i miss college

For the record, the speaker at my commencement was the head of "one of the most innovative zoos in the world," whatever THAT means.

Oh wait, schnap, I found a copy of my graduation program and it has some info about the dude...apparently he transformed the Atlanta Zoo from being one of the ten worst ranked zoos in the U.S. to one of the best. And it also is one of only three zoos in America that has Giant Pandas. Exciting, I know.

Anyway, I think James Franco would have rocked it better.

James Franco's Rejected UCLA Commencement Speech from James Franco

"So, what do we now? What do we, what do WE do now? We have all this knowledge, and we know...everything. What's there left to do? Go out...and make babies. Thank you."

new year's resolutions!

What's your New Year's resolution???

good riddance

I hope you can see this 2009, because I'm doing it as hard as I can.

merry christmas!

martha stewart & snoop dogg make "green brownies"

Ok dude I've always loved Martha Stewart, even before her little stint behind bars when she was pretty bitchy (I think prison softened her up a bit). But if I hadn't loved Martha already, last week's episode with guest Snoop Dogg would have made me love her fo' sho'.

Martha is all about rappers and has admitted to having a huge crush on Eminem...she is so friggin' bomb! TICK TICK.


Anyway, Snoop Dogg came on the show and they made brownies together and the segment was HILARIOUS. If for some reason you can't watch the embedded video, check it out on her website: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/baking-and-rapping-with-snoop-dogg



Highlights: Martha asks Snoop to rap while they mix the ingredients and he busts out with: "Trying to bake some brownies but we missing the most important part of the brownies...no sticks, no seeds, no stems" and Martha replies, "Oh, you want green brownies? Brownish-green brownies?" Snoop Dogg: "The greener the better." and then he sorta starts talking about something else and Martha keeps trying to get him to talk about weed brownies some more! Seriously, LOLz all around.

Oh also...if ya'll didn't understand the take home message from yesterday's post it was to NEVER send nude photos to anyone unless you want them to eventually be shared...because it will happen at some point.

life lesson #3

Relationships come and go, but nude pictures of your EX are forever.

not the best day ever

little bear, you'll be in our hearts always

Life is so, so unfair.



All Little Bear wanted to do was love and be loved. He was the happiest, most playful puppy I have ever met in my life. He wasn't just a pet, he was a member of my family and his loss has left holes in all of our hearts. He brought so much joy not just to my sister and family, but to everyone he ever met. I feel lucky that I was able to love him, even though it was so brief.


We held a memorial service today to honor Little Bear's memory. My father dug a huge hole behind a large Oak tree on the walking trail and we put Bear in a casket with his blanket and favorite toys and took turns telling Bear how much we love him and will miss him. Tater Tot and my family's other dog Panda came along as well...and Tater even helped at the conclusion of our little family ceremony by kicking dirt into the hole (though I doubt he was aware he was helping).

Again, if you'd like to donate to the Bear Claw Memorial Fund just click the donate button below (you'll need to click through to my website if you follow me on GoogleReader) to help Twin defer some of the costs of the burial.

I know that no one ever knows what to say to someone who has gone through a tragic loss, but I promise you that all kind words are much appreciated and have really help me and the rest of my family in the grieving process.

for all the kind-hearted pet lovers out there

I have some terrible, terrible news. I actually don't even think I ever had the opportunity to introduce Bear Claw to you all. Bear Claw was born almost four months ago, he was the son of my Pomeranian Tater Tot and Mia, a Pomchi mix owned by a wonderful woman who happened to approach Twin about breeding the two when she was out for a walk with Tater.

Twin was there from the day Bear Claw was born, true she did not physically give birth to him, but for all intents and purposes Bear Claw was her child. She loved him just as much as any mother loves their child, perhaps even more. He was a truly wonderful puppy. He was so full of life and energy that people would literally swarm over to see him when Twin brought him out in public for a walk or a trip to the store.

Tragically, Bear Claw was taken away from her and the rest of my family far too soon. In a dreadful accident, Bear Claw drowned in the pool at my parent's house. I should have been watching him the entire time he was outside but I let him play with the other dogs and checked on him every couple of minutes. I didn't even think the pool was a danger because he never went near it when I was watching him. Anyway, I found him in the pool and jumped in and preformed CPR (they call it "mouth to snout" with dogs). My parents rushed home and my mom continued CPR on the way to the emergency veterinary clinic but he was announced dead on arrival.


Obviously, this is an incredibly sad time for my family, but especially for Twin. For the pet owners/animal lovers out there, I'm sure you know how difficult it is when a pet passes away and this passing is especially difficult because we were given such a short time with Bear Claw. I hope that you all will keep Twin in your thoughts and prayers over the holidays because I know it will be especially difficult without Bear Claw on Christmas, New Year's, and our birthday on the 2nd of January.

My family is completely heartbroken over such a tragic loss of an amazing animal, pet, and friend. Because Bear Claw was like a son to her, Twin plans to have a small memorial service and wants to purchase a small casket as a way of honoring his short time here on earth. He will be buried on my Grammy's ranch. To some, that might seem like an extravagance, but I think it's a beautiful way to honor his memory and I think it will help us all through the grieving process.

If you would like to donate a small amount (.50, $1) to help defer the costs for my sister it would be incredibly appreciated and kind. I've set up a Bear Claw Memorial Fund on Pay Pal and will be accepting donations all week long (and will be mentioning them in each of my posts this week, which will include some of my favorite Bear Claw memories). Of course, any form of support would be amazing, even if it is simply in the form of a kind thought or prayer sent our way.

I hope none of my readers take this as being greedy. I don't expect donations from anyone, I just wanted people to know that if they could spare even a small amount of change to go towards The Bear Claw Memorial Fund it would mean the world to my sister and to me. Thank you all in advance.

do I even need a computer anymore?

Since getting my iPhone I rarely do anything on my actual computer because duh, why would I? Now that I can even blog mobiley...I don't think I'll ever need to leave the couch.

Anyway, this is mostly just to test my handy dandy blogger app and also to share a picture of Tater Tot looking sad and pathetic:

I was gone for six hours and came back to find the little guy stranded on the patio table. Apparently he was brave enough to jump up there, but not brave enough to jump down.

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thx. srsly.

In regards to my last post (and subsequent lack of posting), a Delta Gamma sorority sister lost her fiance in a tragic motorcycle accident last week. Her fiance was a wonderful man and though I didn't know him well, I have many memories of him being around the DG house at Pacific and he was always full of laughs and smiles.

So remember this Thanksgiving to be thankful for the people/things in your life and not just gorge yourself on turnkey. Tater, for instance, is thankful for popcorn. But then again, aren't we all?


Things I'm thankful for (other than popcorn): my mom & dad, the Santinis, family in general, Tater Tot, my BFF, my Jeep Wrangler, Trader Joe's, Bandera's banana cream pie, non-stop flights, Dave Matthews, my great-grandma's quilt, hand written letters, my B in Kentucky, my friends in SF, massages, Matt Damon & Leonardo DiCaprio, my iPhone, the farmer's market, blue skies, and pizza.

What are YOU thankful for?