Tag, I'm it!

Me and the cheese to my macaroni, Fabian riding around San Francisco in style

The lovely Sarah of jeune marié tagged me a little while ago, so this is long overdue. She blogs about planning her upcoming wedding and all of her stylish finds.

The "rules" are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post these six rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them

5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

First off, I have to admit that I am recycling my answers from a survey I did a while ago that was just like this, but called for 7 weird things about me so this may sound familiar to you. I thought it would be difficult to come up with that many weird things, but ha ha...it wasn't!

1. I am a bona fide germophobe. I can't tell you how much Purell I go through every day at work. While I was still teaching, my students were so amused by the fact that I refused to touch the hall pass (God only knows what they do with it when they take it to the bathroom.) and that I would sanitize my hands after touching almost anything! Some of them genuinely worried about me and asked if maybe I should switch brands so that I don't build up an immunity, but I would tell them I'd rather take my chances than know that all of that awful bacteria is on my hands.

2. I have what I like to call "placement issues". Everything in my house, car, or classroom has a designated place and it should be there at all times. If you move something from its place, you are expected to return it to its designated spot once you've finished using it. No one in my life seems to understand how important this is. Instead, they just leave stuff wherever they feel like it and I am constantly having to put stuff where it belongs. I know things like this shouldn't matter and that I should let it go, but I can't. I'm sick, I know.

3. I am also very particular about my bedding. I can only sleep on a down pillow, otherwise my neck and head hurt. Also, the sheets need to be straight at all times. This has been kind of an issue since my husband is the type that likes to wrap himself up in a ball made of the sheets and comforter. First, we did away with a top sheet to alleviate the situation. He has gotten much better, though and no longer pulls the covers up so much that my feet are uncovered and my head is drowning. Now, if I could only get him to stop snoring...

4. I don't eat pork. Sort of. You see, I can eat ham or bacon, but I don' eat either very often. Ham is fine and bacon tastes great, but I always ask for things like sandwiches without bacon since it is so fattening. However, I can't eat things like pork chops or pork tenderloin. I know Anthony Bourdain would surely crucify me for this, but I just don't like the way it tastes. Oh, and I don't do sausage.

5. I pee a lot. I get up several times throughout the night to pee and have been known to go two or three times during a movie.

6. I consider myself a "lyrical genius" (jokingly, of course) because I sing around the house all the time. I like to take well-known songs and give them new lyrics about anything and everything. Call me a modern-day Weird Al Yankovic.

I am not going to tag anyone in particular as I have probably tagged you before and it would be more fun if everyone played along!

Tubesday

Today was supposed to be my first day at my new job, but the office is closed due to Tropical Storm Edouard. At least I'll have time to blog a little today.

My little TiVo will be in overdrive tonight! The season finales of both Flipping Out and Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood air tonight. Plus, Million Dollar Listing's second season will premiere right after Flipping Out. Don't remember the first season? Neither do I, but I am excited to watch this as I am now in real estate and it looks like it will be a drama-filled show.

In the meantime, take a tour of Ryan Brown's personal kitchen.

Image via Bravo TV

This Week's Quote: Quarter-life Crisis?

It seems that too many people feel that change is a bad thing. "I haven't changed at all since..." they say as if it is a good thing to be the same person you have always been. It's not about conforming to what other people want you to be, but rather, evolving as a person. If we are lucky, we grow, change, explore new interests, experience new places, meet new people, embark on new journeys. These things are part of the evolution of oneself. We begin with a foundation: morals, character, personality, these things are usually constant, always there. These are the things that never change, but it is the things that we experience as we grow that help us to evolve into who we will ultimately become.

I feel like I have grown tremendously in the past year, yet as I sit here, typing this I feel very unsure. There are so many things I want to do, places I want to see, experiences yet to be had, but I feel like it is all just out of my grasp. Don't mind me. I'm just thinking out loud.

Gorgeous Granada Tile

Last month, I saw this beautiful Granada tile on Orange Beautiful's blog and was inspired to look into the company's other patterns. My family is Mexican, so I am no stranger to talavera tile and coincidentally saw some beautiful patterns while I was in Spain back in June.

I think what initially appealed to me was the scale of the Granada tiles and the fact that their patterns look so modern and relevant despite the fact that they were probably designed a long time ago. They would just as easily look at home in a modern home as they would in a Spanish villa. The company is based out of Los Angeles and has been featured in several national publications. The company is named after the city of Granada, Nicaragua, where the tiles are made and it takes great strides to manage natural resources responsibly.

Close-up shot of Coleen's (Orange Beautiful's friend) Granada tile used as a backsplash in her kitchen.

I love this beautiful aqua color!

Busy, but beautiful...lots of pretty colors

Bold colors in an outdoor application

This is the same pattern as the aqua colored tile pictured above. I'm such a sucker for grey!

Images via Orange Beautiful and Granada Tiles

Cleaning Out My Closet

I'm finally taking the plunge today! I have been meaning to clean out my closet all summer long and have just put it off. I start my new job on Tuesday and am feeling the pressure to do some of the stuff I've had on my to-do list.

Image via HBO