Draco has arrived!

Picture courtesy of RAYGUN , Facebook

By Draco, I mean Winter Storm Draco, as the Weather Channel so aptly named it. Like Draco Malfoy, Winter Storm Draco sure is a little bitch. It knocked out power to over 30,000 people in the Des Moines Metro area (although somehow my street was spared) and has caused numerous accidents, some ending in fatalities. Please stay off the roads, if you can!

I, fortunately, have been able to watch Draco's wrath from the comfort of my couch. The snow started around 5:30pm yesterday, and stopped sometime early this morning. I've read that Des Moines received around 13 inches of snow, the most we've had in awhile. I ventured out as far as the parking lot earlier today, but only to scrape my car off in preparation for tomorrow, when I'll undoubtably be running late for work. I hope you're all safe and warm and no where near Slytherin! See what I did there? 

Draco last night

Draco's aftermath today 

merry holidays!

Today was my day off. I tried (and was not very successful) to have a photoshoot with Rooney, made a Christmas card out of said photos, bought some cheap Christmas decorations, got a massage, and then decorated mine and Rooney's stockings. Pretty productive day off for me, really (usually I just watch Netflix all day).

bags bags bags

Lately I've been obsessed with finding the perfect (yet affordable) bag. I know, I know, I should be buying presents for other people, but sometimes you just have to treat yo self. And I did, to that lovely Madewell tote in the right hand corner. What are your favorite every day bags/purses?

BAGGU drawstring bag / Shoulder bag / ALDO tote handbag / Madewell tote handbag

happy thanksgiving!

annnnd some updates

Speaking of modeling....here's the final picture from the Salon W shoot I did a few weeks ago

Photo courtesy of Salon W

Also, I did a much needed update to the Blogroll! With a special nod to other Des Moines bloggers! If you wanted to be added to the list/exchange links, let me know.

it's hard being really really ridiculously good looking

Jokes, jokes. I actually don't think I'm all that great looking, tbh. I mean, I don't think I'm a hideous monster or anything, but I've never thought of myself as a beautiful swan. I especially don't think I'm photogenic, and have voiced that opinion many times on here and in real life. Despite all that, my friends asked me to be a part of a photoshoot for a project masterminded by my friend Lucy Shay, and shot by other friends Jen & Tim Mitchard. I haven't seen the photos yet (I get to on Sunday, though, and I'm so excited!), but here's a sneak peek:

Photo: @iamloucee, Hair/makeup: Lindsey Mollenhauer, Stylist: Lucy Shay

you just gotta smize

This past weekend I had the opportunity to be a hair model for the amazing Salon W. It was not something I had planned or sought out (in fact, I was pretty reluctant to do it after I heard there was actually modeling involved), but my coworker/friend convinced me to do it with her. We went straight from work on Friday to the salon, where they worked their hair magic. On Saturday we had to leave work early to get our hair styled, and then we were off to the studio for makeup and the shoot. This was the first time I've ever done any modeling, and I don't think I'm very photogenic, so I was really nervous. I tried to remember everything I've learned from ANTM over the years, but I was so nervous that I think I forgot to smize. I hope they got at least one picture that they can use! Here are some behind the scenes moments:

Photo: Eden , Instagram - edeniowa

Testing the light.
Photo: Salon W, Instagram - salonspaw

Hair aftermath

Photo: Jennifer Mitchard, Instagram - jetimart

DJ John Solarz

P.S. So far I've shampooed my hair twice and conditioned it once, but there's still some hairspray and tangles left.

previously, on lost.....

Ok, this post isn't about LOST. It's about tv in general. For pretty much my whole life, I've lived in a residence that had cable/satellite. I love tv, simple as that. At this point in my life it's become a comfort to me, just having the tv on in the background. I lived with my parents for 19 or so years, where there was free cable. I lived in a dorm for a year, where there was free cable. I then moved in with my boyfriend at the time for about 5 or 6 months, in which time I did not have cable (although I spent most weekends at home, and went to visit my grandma who had cable quite often), so it wasn't too bad. I then moved to various different apartments in Ames, where thanks to college-town living, I enjoyed the luxury of free cable & internet which was undoubtedly added to the price of our rent...but it was nice to not have to deal with setting up different services and paying a million different bills.

And when I finally graduated and moved to Des Moines to work at my first full-time job.....the free cable era of my life ended. I am now faced with the tough decision: cable or internet? Or cable or less money to spend on food/clothing? Since my apartment building has a contract with one internet and cable company, I cannot look for cheaper solutions. I can have $40/mo internet, $40/mo cable, or $80/mo for both. So I chose internet, where I can find most of the shows that I watch easily, and stream them on my tv.

So what's the big deal? Well, a few of the shows I love are on the precipice of cancellation because the Nielsen ratings are too low. This is absurd! In this day and age, Nielsen is obviously outdated. So many people who used to watch tv are now opting to cut out the cable bill and watch all their favorite shows online. There is this huge demographic of people that ARE watching said shows (Parks & Rec, anyone?), but can't afford to watch them on tv as they air. And before you tell me that NBC is available for free if you have an antenna, I know, and I do, but it only tunes into ABC, FOX, and a few other weird local stations. I can't get NBC, which I religiously used to watch on Thursday and Saturday nights, and I can't get the CW, which I realize is targeted to a younger age group, but I don't care, I need to watch The Vampire Diaries!

In conclusion, I miss having cable, I miss watching commercials (yeah, really), I hate bills, and Nielsen needs to get with the 21st century! If they counted how many times I've watched (and rewatched) all the seasons of Parks & Rec, there's no way it would be doing so poorly in the ratings.

scenic views

Although my trip to Charleston wasn't really about seeing Charleston, I still managed to do a little sight seeing while I was there. We spent a day at the Magnolia Plantation, and another day at the beach. I took about a thousand pictures, but I managed to narrow it down to a few....

charleston chew

The last time I was in Charleston my stomach was acting up, and I didn't get the chance to experience some of the great food that the city has to offer. This time I let loose a little (as much as you can when you have IBS) and ate some delicious food. Charleston has so many great restaurants, from French to Korean to Mediterranean and everything in between, but what I was really interested in was the Southern low country cooking. We went to the famous Hominy Grill (as seen on No Reservations & Man vs Food) and I had the hard decision of choosing between shrimp and grits and the Big Nasty biscuit w/ fried chicken breast, cheddar cheese and sausage gravy, but ultimately I chose the Big Nasty, since I saw Anthony Bourdain eat it once. Before they brought out our food, they gave us a little basket of boiled peanuts. I've never heard of boiled peanuts, but this was the 2nd place that I had been in Charleston where they served free boiled peanuts. The first time I ate one, I accidentally squirted water/peanut juice all over one of Ryan's coworkers. Since they were boiled, the nuts were soft instead of crunchy, almost like a bean. They were alright, but I definitely prefer plain ol' crunchy peanuts. 

Along with eating out, we decided we'd try to cook something Charleston-esque. Crab cakes! I love me some crab cakes.  I found a recipe on Foodnetwork.com by one of my other favorite tv chefs, Robert Irvine I'm still praying for the return of Dinner: Impossible. I forgot to take a picture of the outcome, which makes me sad, because they were beautiful and tasty. Here is the recipe, if any of you want to try it at home!  

 

stay tuned...

For the past 5 days I've been in Charleston visiting the boyfriend, but I will be back in good ol' Des Moines at 10pm tonight. Here's a preview of what's to come in my next post[s]:

west end

It was a beautiful, sunny day here in Iowa today! I had originally planned on going to the Des Moines Renaissance Faire, but the $16 entrance fee kept me home. Instead, I took my bike out and headed down to West End Architectural Salvage. I've never been there before, so I was excited to explore the many floors of antique odds and ends that they have!

can't stop, won't stop

This week...let me tell you....

Yesterday I got a raise.

Today Adam Scott and Rashida Jones came into Raygun and bought some shirts. I talked to them and tried my best to keep it cool, but really I just wanted to scream and take a million pictures of/with them! This is how I felt when I first saw that they were in the store:

And this is how I was after they left: 

Also today, the Cyclones beat the Hawkeyes, in the infamous CyHawk showdown! So proud to be a Cyclone!

exiled

I finally got the chance to experience Exile Brewing Co. tonight, and since it's still fresh in my mind, I thought I'd share my experience!

source: www.exilebrewing.com

We got there around 7pm and it was pretty busy. Apparently one side was rented out, so there was a 20-30 minute wait if we wanted to sit inside. We sat at the bar for a little bit to get a beer and wait for a table, but it was taking awhile to get served, so we decided to try our luck on the patio. We had to ask 2 gentlemen if they minded sharing their picnic table with us, which they kindly agreed to. The servers out on the patio seemed a little out of sorts, but I don't blame them, because there was no structure to the way people were being "seated" (which really was just a free for all). We got our food and drinks in a timely manner, though. I ordered the Hannah, which is Exile's first brew. The server described it as "similar to Blue Moon", and I agree with him. It was tasty and it came in a nice 1/2 liter mug, although I would have enjoyed a lemon or orange slice in it (I probably could have gotten one if I asked, but he didn't even offer or suggest it).

From their website: Bright, bubbly and unfiltered, Hannah tells it like it is. Subtle yet lasting, her clove and bubble gum aroma pulls you in. Once she has you she dances softly on your palate then leaves you with a mouth watering citrus finish. $6.00 for a 1/2 liter.

I also ordered their "simple bag of chips" ($5.00) secret house seasoning, fried yukon potato and their "American fries" ($9.00) herbs, shaved parmesan, truffled “dunk-dunk”, which were both very good (I definitely recommend the fries, if you don't mind the price!), but were a little overpriced, in my opinion. I originally just ordered the chips, which came in a brown paper bag, as the name suggested, but there weren't that many in there, so I decided to also get the french fries. The menu on the table and the amounts that were on my receipt were off, though, because the fries were more expensive than I thought they were, and the chips were cheaper. My bill came out to $21.21, which kind of gave me a heart attack (I mean, all I got were potatoes!), but I am cheap and still live by the financial rules of a college student, so maybe that bill wouldn't surprise normal folk.

All in all, I had a good time and the food and beer were good. They just opened last month, so I can forgive them for any grievances I had, because they are obviously still trying to work the kinks out. I would suggest this restaurant/brewery to anyone, and am excited to go back to try one of their main dishes (and new brews, if they are done)!

Visit their Facebook and website, Exile Brewing Co.

"work"

This is what I get to do at work.

Yes, I do love working at Raygun.

help me, i'm poor

This morning I had a bit of a meltdown, some of which had to do with some things I have to do/get as a bridesmaid in my friend Niccole's wedding (but don't get me wrong, I'm so happy and excited to be a part of it!). My coworkers and I have recently been on a Bridesmaids kick, so of course during my meltdown I was picturing Annie, drugged up on the plane, trying to pass herself off as Mrs. Iglesias so she could sit in First Class (see: below)

 To help cheer myself up, I've been looking through the "Bridesmaids" tag on Tumblr. If you're having a bad day also, I hope this helps!

GPOY, most days.

favorite scene

lazy sunday

But actually, it was so lazy. I woke up & went for brunch with Amy at Centro, came home and debated on whether or not to go for a bike ride for like an hour, and then finally went on one. It was short (it looked like it was going to rain, and also I'm out of shape), but it was a nice first ride to test out my new bike. The screw that holds part of the rack down/holds the tire cover up off the tire fell out at some point towards the end of my ride, so I'm glad I didn't venture off too far.

Really, though, the point of this post was to show my Lazy Sunday brunch outfit. It wasn't exciting (and actually came off once I got home, in favor of shorts & a t-shirt), but I haven't posted an outfit in awhile.Also, the light made my eyes look really pretty (just keepin it real, folks).

My I just got out of bed & would rather wear pajamas but I'm going to brunch in 10 minutes look.
Raglan sweatshirt: American Apparel. Skirt: Target. Leopard print loafers: Famous Footwear. Necklace: MBMJ

I have yet to find the perfect place to take outfit pictures in my apartment. There's just no free wall space for a nice, plain background! I guess I may just start moving my couch to get a more fashionable, less junk in the background type of picture.

weekend(s) update

Guess what, everyone? I've been venturing out of my apartment on occasion! And spending money while I was at it. I've had a lovely past few weekends, attending the Badowers web store launch party at Wooly's with my friend Chelsea, watching some talented local bands at The Gas Lamp (Dylan Sires & Neighbors, Frontier Ruckus who are actually from Michigan, I believe..., and Bright Giant )with my friend Lauren, and going out for dinner and drinks and brunch with my far-away-but-soon-to-be-returning bff Amy. These things were fun, but they also reminded me of how much money I save by sitting at home with my Netflix every night. Ah, well, what's that saying? Oh yeah....

Thanks, HBIC Kourtney, for reminding me what's important in life.

Here are a few photos from said experiences:

They had apparel magazines all over the tables, including WWD (not pictured) & Esquire.

The view from me & Amy's table at the downtown Mickey's patio.