Subject: Chip flavors

...or should I say, crisp flavours...haha.  

Going to the grocery store in London is always an adventure.  I was pleased to see they stocked Mexican food necessities (like tortillas, taco shells, and guacamole).  I was even more excited at all the Indian food options.  I lo~~~~ve good Indian food...so I'll have to try some recipes to see how good I am at cooking it. :)  My greatest thrill was seeing all the grocery stores around where I live stock peanut butter.  I don't know if it's because of all the American students in London, but I fully appreciate it.  Life will be good.

Now if only they stocked Diet Coke with Lime...

...But I digress from the important subject.  The potato chips here come in the swankiest flavors.  Cream cheese and bacon.  Aged cheddar and red onion.  Vinegar with sea salt and cracked pepper.  And my personal favorite, caramelized onion and balsamic vinegar.  Heck.  Yes.  Good thing the Brits have 4 meals a day including tea.  It gives me more time to try all the crazy cool food.

Intro to Living in London

So.  As the title suggests, I am now living in London.  Crazy, but true.  I begin (tomorrow!) classes for my MA in International Studies & Diplomacy at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).  I'm kind of beyond excited to say the least.

I arrived on September 19th with my excellent mother in tow.  For the past week and a half we've shopped, gone sightseeing, ate great (and not so great) food, and basically enjoyed ourselves immensely.

So far I've visited Buckingham, Windsor, and Kensington palaces; I've also been to the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and I've admired Big Ben and the Parliament buildings.  I strolled through exhibits at the Royal Academy museum as well as the Victoria & Albert Museum.  I went shopping in Knightsbridge (Harrod's, mostly) and on Oxford street (my favorite stores: Ted Baker and Selfridge's).  I strolled through Hyde Park.  And that's only the beginning really.  I'm here until June 2013 when I graduate.

This is just the introduction.  More substantive blogs (with some humor hopefully) will be added soon.  I'll write about some of the worst meat I've ever tasted.  I'll write about how my university campus is literally right next door to the British Museum.  I'll write about hilarious British slang I hear.  I'll write about my weekend trips around the UK and Europe.  So yes, rest assured, I've got tons of interesting things to write, and the best is yet to come.

The joke's on me!

So I had the wonderful opportunity of being humiliated in front of strangers this month.  Oh, don't worry, the fact that they were strangers was nice, because I'm sure I'll never see any of them again, but still.


The story you ask?


Well...


Anyone who knows me knows that I secretly (or not so secretly) believe I am a Disney princess.  I mean, I like to sing, I like fabulous dresses, I like playing with small animals, and I like happy endings.  I mean, come on--what's not to love about a classic Disney movie protagonist?


So when I heard about auditions being held in California that were looking for girls with a height between 5'0"-5'3" to work on the Disney Cruise Lines as a princess character-look alike, I thought that here was finally my chance.  Blessed with my great stature of 5'1", you're saying I could sail around the Caribbean dressed as a fictional royal, and get paid for it?  Um, yes please.


Thus it was--very last minute--my kind mother and I made a decision to take a road trip to CA in order to chase my new-found dream.


I arrive at the audition location and look at all the girls around me.  Heh.  Most of them were over 5'3", and as mean as this sounds, many of them were not very thin or very--um--cute?  Anyway, I silently felt I had already triumphed.  Everyone seemed to be looking at me--probably knowing I looked far more the part than they did.  I was going to be a shoe-in.


After I signed in and was measured by the staff, I noticed lots of people wearing dance shoes and stretching.  I saw people practicing dance steps.  How showy, I thought to myself.  That's not even what they're looking for.  I probably should mention that I currently am recovering from a particularly nasty sprained ankle (long story, but let's say that I can walk fine with my brace on if it's not for long distances).  Anyway, due to this I thought it best to just sit quietly reading a book until the organizers finally announced they were ready to start.


The posting of the audition online said there would be a "movement" involved.  Pssh.  I can 'move' with the best of them.  If they wanted to watch me walk across the room like a princess, I can do that no problem.  If they wanted to watch me smile and giggle and wave to crowds, sure.  If they wanted to see me do some basic choreographed steps, fine, I can handle it.


But dance?


Um...


Anyone who knows me knows that I secretly (or not so secretly) am a horrible dancer.  I mean, I guess I can handle some pretty hardcore line dancing at one of those school-sponsored functions (Electric Slide anyone?), but real true dancing?  If you talk about different spins, kicks, and steps in that French terminology and you might as well be speaking Swahili.  I took some ballet classes when I was five and a jazz class when I was probably nine or ten.  And that's it.  I remember nothing.


And guess what?  The organizers of the audition had decided that a simple 'movement' was going to morph into a full-on choreographed dance.  They said it was going to be fairly simple, but that "probably many of you will feel over your heads.  That's fine.  Just smile and have fun with it!"


I started to get really nervous.


And...well, to make a long story short I was one of those in 'way over my head.'  Let's be clear, if I had known this was going to be an audition for dancers I would never have come.  Ever.  This audition was not posted under the list seeking dancers (there was a separate list I will have you know).  I know what my strengths are and dancing is just not one of them.  It's like showing up for a medical exam when you're a law student and expecting to do well.  Since I had driven all the way to SoCal from Arizona, I wasn't going to walk away before trying, but maybe I should have.  I mean, despite my normally poor dance skills, remember that I also have a sprained ankle to deal with.


As for the dance...there were kicks over your head and tons of spins and turns and jumps and complicated footwork...and I could barely keep up.  We practiced it only a few times before we were called up in small groups to perform in front of judges.


Ugh.  I try to block out unpleasant memories, and this is one of them.  Let's just say I bumbled my way--very ungracefully--through the ordeal, and then practically staggered off the dance floor when it was over.  The other people auditioning turned away from me, embarrassed for me.  And I refused to let myself think.  If I thought at all I knew I would want to die then and there.  And as I don't really want a premature death, I focused solely on the time--when will this be over, when will this be over.


Finally, the day was over and I was allowed to leave while those deemed to be professional dancers stayed to continue the audition process.  I called my mother who was at a hotel, and she came and picked me up, and we drove home to AZ.  That was that.  No cruising the Caribbean as a Disney princess for me.


So the moral of the story?  There could be several.


-When auditioning, be aware that 'movement' could very well equal 'professional level dancing.'
-Be brave and do things that might be over your head.  It builds 'character.'  (?)
-Don't dance on a twisted ankle.  My ankle got a whole lot worse and backtracked in its healing process.
-Real Disney princesses probably don't work on cruise ships.  ;)


Have a great day!

Ah, Autumn is coming...

Aren't you proud of yourself when you eat a healthy late night snack? I just had light vanilla yogurt mixed with Pumpkin spice granola. Besides being a healthier alternative to snacks such as, say, cookies or ice cream, this late night treat also had the added bonus of tasting like fall.

I love autumn. I love the crispness of the air when you step outside. I love cozy-ing up in sweaters because the weather is cool (but not freezing cold). I love fall colors and the changing leaves. But maybe I really love autumn because I love pumpkin.

I love the taste of pumpkin anything--bread, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes, granola, pie, etc. When you add that to the smell of a pumpkin candle or baking pumpkin bread, I could just melt with happiness. There is something so homey about the taste and smell of this fall vegetable. I absolutely love summer, and though I rather dislike winter I look forward to autumn because this transition season is, in my mind, synonymous with comfort and coziness.

So I think the first thing that needs to be done in October is to go out and buy a pumpkin scented candle. Maybe the next is buy ingredients to make pumpkin cupcakes or bread. Then I'll know that fall is really here.

My next post will have details of living in Washington DC. I know you might be curious, and I have been here for almost a month and a half, so I do have some opinions now on this exciting city. Look forward to another post soon.

What time is it? Summertime! It's my vacation...

Yeah, I just went there with that title.

Moving on, can you believe what a crazy year I've had so far? This spring term I finished up my capstone on the Chinese Student Movement of 1935-1936 and also prepared like crazy for the LSAT. In mid-June I finished school and moved back home to AZ for the summer. Yes, that means I am done with Provo and with BYU. And what a relief that is. Most of my high school friends had already graduated and moved on with their lives, so I'd been feeling like I was behind in the game. It feels good to have that part of life behind me.

Anyway. I came home only to start being a counselor for a special all-girls conference/camp called Time to Blossom...for two weeks. Each week, I was in charge of 10 girls from the ages of 11-13. Wow. The girls were adorable, but I forgot about what drama there is at that age! Yikes. In any case, I was exhausted in mind, body, and spirit after the crazy past few months I've had.

Which leads me to this evening...I am getting on a plane with my family and we are going on vacation. I will freely admit that I NEED THIS VACATION. Seriously. I feel so worn out. Hopefully half a month in the Caribbean and Florida will restore my well-being.

In August, I start a four month internship with Congressman Jeff Flake back in Washington, D.C. I am honestly thrilled at the prospect. I've heard such great things about D.C., and plus there is so much to do (for free no less!) in our nation's capitol. I think most of my weekends will be full of me being a tourist. :)

Anyway, there is an update on my life. It's been a while since I've written anything, so there you have it.

Have a splendid day!

--Kyra

A New Year, Another Post

Hello hello! It's been a while. No fashion rants today, but I thought I'd write about some of my current obsessions to start off a new year of posts right.

So I am currently watching the British mini-series Downton Abbey. The show is amazing! Beautiful costumes, gorgeous sets, a juicy scandal-filled story, and a phenomenal cast of British actors make this an addictive ride. You can watch it online at the PBS Masterpiece website here. The second season will be filmed later this year, but for now I am loving the first season. Anyway, I highly recommend it!

I haven't seen a lot of new movies lately, but I did see the film Tangled twice over the holiday season. This is by far the best film that Disney has put out in quite a while. It was witty and genuinely funny without resorting to cheap bathroom humor. Can I describe how visually stunning it is? The lantern scene blew my mind--I saw it first in regular theaters, and it was gorgeous, but the second time I saw it in 3D and I almost forgot I was looking at a screen. Honestly, Tangled is so enjoyable. I will own it on DVD as soon as it comes out, but in the meantime, if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing it, go to the dollar theater and enjoy it!

Hmm. What else. Books! I read recently some fun YA fiction. Yes, I know, not very sophisticated, but nevertheless fun. First on the list is Matched by Ally Condie. It's kind of like The Giver meets The Hunger Games. It was a fun, easy read, but also made me stop and think. I'd give it a 7 or 8 out of 10--very enjoyable!

The next book is Pegasus by one of my favorite authors, Robin McKinley. I love fantasy books, and award-winning author Robin McKinley is a master storyteller. The story revolves around two races, humans and pegasi, who cannot communicate with each other without the aid of magicians. That is, until a certain princess finds she can speak with her assigned Pegasus companion. Their friendship is beautiful, and McKinley's world building is impeccable. The story ends rather abruptly, but Pegasus II comes out in 2012.

The final book I'll post about has been out for a while, but I finally got around to reading it. I'd been missing out! Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith is just what I like--swashbuckling fantasy, beautiful clothes, and a touch of romance. Could life get any better? The main character, Countess Meliara Tlanth, is a feisty young woman who despite her title was raised poor and ignorant. She has a mulish sense of standing up for what she believes to be right--the only problem is she isn't often right. She embroils herself in a scheme to overtake the throne of her kingdom, and finally is forced to leave the battlefield to battle it out in the kingdom's royal court. A bit fluffy at times, but enough action and intrigue to make a delightful read.

Okay, that's a really long post...I apologize. In the meantime, watch this YouTube video that cracks me up every time.

Have a great day!

No love in this post

So I have a bone to pick with footwear fashion.

This morning, in the 30-something degree weather, I saw a girl wearing the worst of all footwear trends--crocs. Hers were bright red, as if screaming "NOTICE ME!" while white socks peeped out of the holes.

Um. No. Just no. That is inexcusable. Don't give me that 'they're comfortable!" excuse. They are not comfortable enough to wear when it is near freezing temperatures outside. They are not comfortable enough to excuse clashing red with the mainly brown/tan outfit you were pairing them with. They are not comfortable enough to excuse the plastic monstrosity on your feet.

Crocs = worst footwear idea EVER. Don't wear them in front of me. I probably won't forgive you.