May you never steal, lie, or cheat. But if you must steal
Steal away my sorrows
If you must lie
Lie beside me all the days of my life
And if you must cheat
Cheat Death
Because i could not live a single day without you.


-Kind of a cheesy wedding toast i first heard from the movie Leap Year which was a critical disaster, btw. (but i like Matthew Goode). You could definitely eat some crackers with this toast. Nonetheless, i still kind of love it.

B's in Town!

Last night was the most fun i've had in awhile. I think it's because it felt like the good old days, when my best friend Bunnie used to live in Atlanta and we used to paint the town GLITTER & GOLD and go buckwild like we're a coupla popstars and it's all about excess. Those days were our heyday. I think the craziest year of my life was the Summer of 2006, when B lived on Pleasant Hill and i split my time between Athens and Atlanta. Wasabi House was our second home and we'd go there to meet Mitchy, E, Karl, Ira, Hanna, Soy, and a few others. Those were wild times. We loveloveloved Blue Olive, the Jewish yuppie mecca, where we'd always enter with the bravado of musketeers flinging back capes because we'd always enter after a few shots of 151 taken in our car. (i used to leave a bottle of that or Jack Daniels in my glove compartment). OW! Those were the times i'd black out and act possessed and pass out on my driveway and wake up in the sun next to a pile of throw up. Classay. We were 23 and free.

I don't do that anymore.

Nowadays, when i see serious clinical blacked-outness, it frightens me. Like, i really get disturbed. I think when you hit my age, we veteran partygirls 86 the psychotic style of blacking out (the skanktacity, the screaming, the falling flat on the dirty dance floor) and we hit a gentle plateau where we black out and STILL successfully carry on totally coherent and intelligent conversations in calm indoor voices and continue drinking shot after shot after shot with our pinkies out. Yes, in short, we become graceful lushes. We may still wake up on the cold tiles of our bathroom floors with no recollection of the night before, but we never display or give away the extent of our drunkenness. It's a weakness. It's a flaw. We ask everyone in our phones what happened and if we said or did anything stupid, but we never did. We never do. We are 27 and such smooth criminals it's a sin.

So last night we opted for Prime Hof and a laid-back night with only one casual bottle of Crown split amongst 4 or 5 girls. Nars brought red velvet cupcakes for B and we ordered fried chicken, ddukboki, queso dip, and sprites. We caught up on things and socialized and everything felt much calmer like 4 years ago on xanax. Sometimes i get really sad thinking about how B won't be in Atlanta for much longer before she has to go back to Connecticunt, but i know that things are so different now and we're all growing up. Who knows what else the future will bring? You just roll with the punches. In less than 10 days, i'll be 27 and i'm realizing i'm not a spring chick anymore. It's scary! I remember distinctly when i turned 23 and i got depressed because i felt so old. Now i don't get depressed because i'm so overwhelmed with my old age that denial creeps in and numbs it all out. It's like post traumatic stress or something. GAH. Anyways, i am so full right now because of all the mewoontang i ate (korean seafood gumbo...err.. somethin..) and the food coma is sweeping over me. Food coma is a much healthier alternative to xanax.

Kisses,
Lizcifer.

Currently playing the Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album by Phoenix!

So on Thursday night, Nars and i went to Intermezzo and it was one of those wanna-get-buzzed-but-can't sorta nights so i ended up drinking like 4 Ketel Redbulls in the span of like ten minutes and a whole slew of shots. And of course, Nars joined in and got drunk with me! Cuz that's what friends are for. I decided to feed before she left just in case, so i frantically drunk dialed my sister at 2am to cook us food. She groggily hung up on me. Then i proceeded to call my guy friends to see if they wanted to eat (aka buy me food) but they were sloshed on the other side of town. Losers. Who hangs out in the Northside anyway? CHHH~!

Since we're both trying to diet, we opted for IHOP instead of Waffle House. On Friday my sis and i went to see if Sonia Rykiel was released at H&M but it's actually today that it comes out. Afterwards, we drove through traffic to get pho. We were stuck in rush hour traffic. Did you know that Atlanta is #3 in worst commutes in the United States? We beat L.A. Yep. We also have zebras on our highways. Afterwards we went back to Perimeter and watched Breakfast at Tiffanys and searched for YSL clutches. They tend to be more simple and chic and less obvious and that's why i like them. I dislike status bags. Except birkins. I would love a birkin. But it'd have to be special, like crocodile. PETA EAT YOUR HEART OUT! I and my entire stratosphere of friends HATE PETA. Frickin get a less annoying hobby! I wish i had a bag named after me. hmm.... *daydream bubbles*

Anyways, so we watched Breakfast at Tiffanys for the thousandth time and i mean, can she be anymore anorexic? it's so beautiful. I decided that my default cup for drinking any beverage alcoholic or non, shall henceforth be a crystal martini glass. I will buy my starbucks and pour it into my default cup and drink my hazelnut americano in a martini glass.

Well today is a devastatingly gorgeous day in chilly downtown Atlanta and once again, i am in the school libeary. My stomach is keeling me, but no, it's not like that, i don't have to use the bathroom. It's just hurting sooo bad. It might be the Yoforia i ate at 9:00pm last night at Perimeter. I am so classically lactose but i choose the ignore now/suffer later method. Always. With everthang. Tonight i think we're going to hit up Tongue&Groove for some cockatiels and that's all. Contrary to popular opinion, it's not always a cocktiel & coke party. Jack and coke...coke and more coke... and coke. UMMMMMM, NO. It is a travesty how many times i get asked for drugs when i'm out and about. Dude. It's gotten to the point where i don't even have to be at the club... it can be at a Korean Karaoke and i still get asked. HA! It doesn't really bother me at the time because i'm knackered, but later i'm forced to reevaluate myself and my persona. Maybe i should lay off the going out and frequenting the bathrooms? Hmmm... what a revolutionary idea... elementary my dear Watson! Everybody has a persona whether they know it or not. A lot of girls in Atlanta are easily recognized as whore du jours, easy lays, bitches, crackheads, friendless crew jumpers, undercover freakaleeks, cheaters, psychos, gold diggers, and pathological liars. And i feel kinda bad for them...that guys talk about them in such an all-knowing, "DUHH!-everybody-knows" kind of way. I want to do everything correctly so that i never get discussed in this manner! Cuz it's terrible, seriously! I probably already do, but once again ignore now suffer later. So obviously, how you present yourself really, really has a HUGE effect on how people perceive you. I always try to put my best foot forward. And to be honest. And not be an undercover anything. And most importantly, to be a nice person. Also, i think the best lesson i've learned is to never judge. That's harrrrd to do, not judge. I always judge in my head. Bad habit. My dad used to tell me as a little girl, "treat others how you want to be treated." I always ignored him and now i'm like WOW, that's such a valuable fohchan cookie ... Wow, you see how jumbled my thoughts are? I took xanies last night and i'm still all groggy at school. BOOOOO.

bonJORNo my puppies.

It's been a while since i've last let in you into my Peaworld (that is far more exciting than my sister's cute little life)
and let me just say, 2010 has been a whirlwind. I've been allowing my balloon bouquet carry me: wherever, whenever. So far, so good. i feel like i've traveled a lot this year. haven't i? and next month, i plan on having my birthday in Vegas. my sister likes to roll her eyes at me and say "STOP IT. ENOUGH ALREADY!" but it's never enough. nothing is ever enough. i need to gather a whole motley crew of girlfriends to come with me! I know Nars is a lock!

I feel like i've been constantly moving at the speed of light. I haven't even had time to update my moleskine yet with all of my adventures...thoughts, memories, boarding passes, & scraps of paper all jumbled together in a file cabinet in my brain labeled "Catch-22". One minute i have my nose stuck in a book, the next minute, i have a substance stuck up my nose. I'll be walking to the Aderhold building one afternoon in a heavy winter coat and walking down West Broadway in a fur coat the next day. wake up in fleece PJs one morning and the next in a different city in a nighty. What a beautiful disaster. As Jay-Z says, on to the next one.

**Right now, i'm curled up in a ball, listening to cake and bbming Nars. We're trying to find some grass for my brother but neither of us are down with the cheeba lingo. Arg. I think we're making this waaay more complicated than need be.**

As you already may know, I love looking into people's worlds. I adore picking up on their little idiosyncrasies and imagining what it would be like to walk in their shoes for a day. It's amazing how many different personalities are out there. It's amazing how time and just growing older can open your eyes to something you never saw or noticed before.

I'm looking forward to turning 26 next month. I'm not afraid of getting older. I always catch myself daydreaming about my life in the next couple of years...career woman? mum? america's most wanted?!! The possibilities are limitless. I want everything and nothing. It's not just about the destination...more importantly, it's about the journey. And i'm in for one helluva ride!! *HIGH FIVE*

xx,Astrid

Woodfire Grill

I'll give you the quick rundown of what we had. Everything was everything you'd imagine Padma Lakshmi to put into her mouth and moan over. Seriously. But warning. Everything is teeeeny like tapas. Zoolander would totally slam the plate down and implore, "IS THIS A MEAL... FOR ANTS??!!!" A meal a fat person or a regular joe would be pissed over--inotherwords i'd love--i had a lovely time. Not pictured: 4 glasses of their house cabernet sauvignon and the roasted local baby root vegetables with fresh dill and lemon.


First.
wild steelhead tartare. sambal aioli. red onion. celery. russet potato chips. micro shiso. (that's not my hand, that's Annie's. this was the highlight of my entire meal. i have a severe aversion to raw fish, so my loving this is a testament to how omazing it is. the sturgeon caviar pops in your mouth like the flesh of grapefruit. i dieeeeee.





Second.
pan seared diver scallop. roasted hedgehog mushrooms. baby vidalia soubise. micro buckwheat.





Main.
pan roasted wild sturgeon. foraged mushroom ragout. roasted trumpet royale mushrooms. beurre rouge.





wood grilled local bobwhite quail. roasted turnips and brussel sprouts. local turnip and bosc pear puree. bacon gastrique. bacon brittle.





wood grilled painted hills beef strip loin. smoky collards. sweet potato puree and hash. sherry reduction.





Cheese Course.
Lambchopper. candied dates w/ toasted almonds. (I'm going to go buy this cheese. It's from some small farm in Mendocino, California called Cypress Grove. It tastes like the sharpest cheddar i've ever had and my mother and Astrid would go gaga over it.)





Dessert. (i'm not really into desserts. but i must say everything was ridiculously moist and fluffy, even the cheesecake. i hate dense Cheesecake factory cheesecake, it makes me sick and gassy, truth be told. who eats that? it weighs like 2lbs and ingested, magically makes u gain 10. it's as off-putting as the 52oz soft drink @ QT. is it a soft drink cup or a 2-LITER BOTTLE????!!!!!
maple mascarpone cheesecake. cranberry orange chutney. walnut shortbread. maple reduction. cranberry puree. (good, non-morbidly-obese portion size, bravo.)





honey roasted pear. carrot cake. golden raisin verjus. honey cream cheese. candied carrot.





cocoa nib doughnuts. passion fruit caramel. coconut ice cream. cocoa nib streusel. passion glass.





Well, there you have it! (I feel funny posting pictures of food.... so lame, right? that's why the pix are all blurry, because i refuse to use flash inside a sip-wine restaurant. it's annoying.)




ta daaaaaaaa!

From the Libeary

My first class was cancelled today. Do you know how bbeejed [pouty] i get when i

force myself up early in the morning when its freezing cold outside and i'm all warm under the goose down comforter

throw on layers upon layers of clothes and wrap a scarf around 'n around my neck til my head looks like frozen yogurt

rush to the neighborhood Starbucks and wait in line while i check my watch and pray they don't screw up my coffee (this is stressful for me... i've learned to correct w/out caring)

make it all the way downtown w/out dying (i got lost today because i was texting ppl, bbming ppl, and talking to Bunnie simultaneously... and had to drop the phone on B at one point because i saw a PO leece)

find parking in the spiral deck that goes up and up and up and around around around (like a frozen yogurt) and ends up being FILLED anyway so i end up parking on the roof on the 7th floor (like the cherry on top!)

do a Run Lola Run to my class that's down the street (mad jaywalking time) /in the building (push through large ppl) /on the 3rd floor (no elevators! gotta work out my thighs when i can)....

only to arrive to my class that is locked, lights-off, empty, and SO CANCELLED! i didn't know what to do. I kind of lingered a bit... had a big :-0 on my face and shuffled on over to the libeary from where i am reporting to you on this lovely, icy cold day.

This is a regular day for lotsa peeps... but class cancellation sans warning is such a professor faux pas! GAH! :(

Anyhoos, after classes i'm meeting Bonkey, Astrid, and Bunnie at Perimeter to do some shopping, eat Yoforia my favoritestestest frozen yogurt in the world!, and engage in some long-awaited girltalk. (They have two new flavors, btw. Cookies'ncream and pineapple. Pineapple is DEE VINE.) Astrid & I decided we need to get a special someone some new adidas tortoise shells. is that what they're called? i dunno much about tennis shoes seeing as i don't own any. Friday i have to drop Astrid off at the airport and run a bunch of errands at North Fulton Hospital, and on Saturday night I'm getting together with a whole bunch of bitchez for a big movie date to see Valentines Day and then we're all going to Q100s Bitterball at Primal.

BTW, Woodfire Grill was delish. Kevin Gillespie, the pork king and bearded runner up from Top Chef Vegas is the Exec Chef there. They close at 10 but we left at half past 11. We are the worst patrons evarrr!! Oops. Such a faux peas, right? I'll post pix of dindin later tonight. ;) Off to class! Ciao!

[EDIT]: McQueen is dead. Long live McQueen.

I Love Girls, Girls, Girls - Girls I Do Adore

OK! Attn class! i'm here i'm here! *furious waving* Astrid is out and about somewhere running errands and i am finally alone to collect my thoughts whilst sipping hot chocolate and listening to Deadmau5 ft. Kaskade - "I Remember". Man, i love this song. You know how certain songs conjure memories of a particular city? This track embodies Miami. Total de ja vu. It's on our playlist: peep it.

GNO / Mon's farewell was funtimes. I like girls. Hanging out with girls is a lot more fun than hanging out with guys. There's this adrenaline-soaked energy and dangerous excitement i feel when i'm around females. It's like a nervous tension; heightened senses, heightened everything. Maybe its the hardwired animal instinct in us b/c we're each others' competition for the male lion or samssing. And maybe that's why girls never roll more than 4 deep, normally. And close-close girlfriends wise, we never have more than 2 or 3 truly good girlfriends. And because those 2 or 3 truly good girlfriends are so effing hard to come by and so special, they become more like family. like sisters. Which is why if we are close girlfriends, we never mate with the same male lion. EVAR. that's just gross.

Not too many things make me nervous. (minus the prospect of the microwave blowing up in my face while i'm peering inside to observe my popcorn popping... or the Pillsbury crescent roll exploding and unleashing shrapnel into my face... or a car rear ending me while i'm least expecting it and plastering my face onto the steering wheel.) Not to freak you out, but these are almost regular daily fears of mine. I use the microwave to make tea or hot chocolate each evening before bed and i know how irrational it is to be afraid to stand near a working nuke, yet i still can't control it. Press time and DASH! it's like a nuclear warhead bout to go off! *cue any scene from The Hurt Locker* Anyways, what the hell was i talking about? Chika chika Reee-wiiii-eend! Not too many things make me nervous. However, girls in large groups make me nervous. Perhaps it's the years of being the outsider, the ostracized ostrich, the lord of the dorks. I was very intimidated going to Nars' big bday bash and likewise for Mon's shindig. I took a xanybar for one and predrank with a quickness for the other. Lols. But you know what? I had such a fabulous time. I want more Girls Nights Out, please!


New York was fun but it doesn't seem like there are too many girls in New York. Particularly Asian females. Or maybe there are, but they're all inside Parsons like little fashion designer keebler elves. There seems to be a vast disparity within the male/female population in the Big Apple. And everyone's Jewish, huh? Every day is a big kosher hotdog pah tee in the city! OW! OWOWWWooooo *howling at moon*

In other news, here are a few pix from our weekend getaway. It was just me, Bonks, and Lindsay Lohan.







btw!!! has anyone ever seen a marmoset? Challs told me to google it and said he wants one to take to the club with him. "i want to name it Bonnie." wow, they're heartbreakingly cute!

Thoughts...

So we're way, wahayyy behind on posting, i know, but the past two weeks or so have been such a X-addled whirlwind! I want to recap New York, but we have so many pictures that must be sifted through first since many shan't see the light of day, lest they somehow get leaked and we have on our hands the requisite CoKate Moss shot from our wayward youth when we were too cool for school--which we are currently living out loud! Woohoo!

All joking aside, I have a bazillion pictures from NY. I swear we will post them soon! (discreetly). Thanks to the folks who partyEDhardy'd with us and led us astray to Chinatown -- run for cover!!! hahaha... and thanks to those who fed us liquor and sweets and the occasional tapa. This is kind of embarrassing, but i sort of died in Topshop. It's so bokjaphae (cuh ray zay) that my eyes suddenly got really bloodshot and i became re-drunk and dizzy. I haven't seen that many cropped tops in my life. How did they know that i am obsessed with cropped everything? The shorter the better, aye say!

Ok anyways, i have zee wirst headache. Last night we had a girls night out bash for Monica who is leaving our humble town of Atlanta for the even humbler setting of Bama. We drank AY LOT. and did a LOT of other stuffs. and i woke up totally stuffy and dizzy. I'll post pics from that night too. Alls i can say is... Atlanta girls know how to party proper. DiscoBalls out, sequins blazing. I'm... so proud. HAAA!

Pix to come.... just bee patient!
Au revoir my playboy bunnies and flashophiles.