I swear it was just the other month that I started this blog, and now – almost four hundred posts and two years later – we’ve really begun to unfold on a beautiful, ever unraveling story together. Just this year alone, I’ve traveled to the better part of the Western United States and seemingly haven’t been home for more than three weeks at a time. Even though I keep protesting that my birthday just happened, I woke up this morning and almost had a heart attack knowing I’ll be 30 in two months. At 29, I fell in love, moved in with my two best friends (and our four cats) and mastered the balancing act of having two full time jobs. There aren’t enough hours in the day to read all the books I want to read, get lost in the back streets of my neighborhood, douse myself in new music and spend time with all of the people I love. Suffice it to say, my breaths of fresh air seem to come few and far between and I’ve frequently found myself quoting a childhood book ‘5 Minutes Peace‘ and lamenting on the basic lack-there-of; but to be honest, I thrive when life is like this and wouldn’t have it any other way.
California Knows How To Purr-ty.
Last weekend, Danny, a few friends and I gallivanted just a few feet down the block to the annual Eagle Rock Music Festival, celebrating the arts and culture of our small – yet awesome – community. For just one day, the streets were transformed into a full fledged fest – fully equipped with 6 different stages lingering to the side streets, boasting a wide menagerie of music 0 from jazz and experimental, to hip-hop, indie, rock and roll and a whole cacophony of world music. Instead of charging entrance fee, there was a $10 suggested donation per person that went to the Center of the Arts in Eagle Rock. Inside the festival you could find a cacophony of creativity and individuality, from families taking their kids out for their first musical experience to the tried and true festies donning their hula-hoops, neon hair and effervescent attitudes. And there really was something for everyone, from food trucks like Kogi and the Grilled Cheese Truck, to a small Farmer’s Market and locally made goods. I managed to snag a shirt from my favorite booth – Arm the Animals; they’re a local non-profit that have dedcicated a portion of their funds to No Kill Animal Shelters around Los Angeles. Not only is the shirt fucking adorable, but it’s comfortable and as far as I can tell – puts a smile on damn near everyone’s face.
Red Bull Does NOT Give You Wings, But it Will Give Refunds
There’s nothing quite as American as a lawsuit based on false advertising – and that’s precisely what’s happening with Red Bull. As of this morning, if you log on on through the link above – you can get $10 back. But, why? Well, as it turns out – beyond the no-wings bit, Red Bull also has no valid claims that it can increase your reaction speed, concentration, or performance abilities. In fact, an 8oz Red Bull could have as little as half as much caffeine inside as compared to a 7oz Coffee from Starbucks.
Get Your Carlton On
80’s Babies, rejoice – the dance move that highlighted our generation is back with a vengeance. Now, I don’t consider myself a DWTS fan; in fact, I didn’t even know what that acronym meant until this article. But I do know that this is all sorts of awesome and it makes my heart happy:
We are taking all the necessary steps we need to alleviate some of the logistical issues we’ve had in the past, especially where traffic is concerned. We’ll be lowering the capacity to create a more comfortable experience so that we ensure that everything about the event runs smoothly, even after the music ends. Our top priority is delivering the highest quality experience possible for all you Headliners. 
I’m a writer – and the great thing about writing, is you have the entire breadth of the English language at your disposal to play with, manipulate and use as you see fit; if I don’t like the way a word works out, I can rearrange my sentence or find a suitable substitute. Unfortunately, this doesn’t translate into speaking prowess very easily – I used to slip a ‘like’ every now and again, but over time and some speech classes, I’ve substituted the ‘like’ for an ‘um’ or solid pause to collect my thoughts and get to the point of what I was actually trying to say. 
I have first hand experience with this one – my boyfriend and I just discovered the Mint Oreos and the package is basically empty. So next time your friends tell you they’re addicted to Oreos, you might want to give them the benefit of the doubt! According to Joseph Schroeder, a neuroscientist at the Connecticut College, and a group of students – these sweet little morsels of heaven are just as addictive as cocaine or morphine (and a lot cheaper, too!). The study, conducted to determine the correlation between high-sugar / high-fat food and addiction, proves that foods high in sugar target the pleasure center of the brain the same way that drugs do. What does this mean for science? Because high sugar foods use the same neurological mechanism as morphine and cocaine, we should be able approach obesity and drug addiction in the same manner.
The Bouncy Kitty 
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