Yogging

I made homemade yogurt today. Several discussions over the past week or so surrounding store-purchased yogurt led to the conclusion that there is entirely too much sugar in the stuff. I had a roommate in college whose parents made their own, so I knew it was possible. A quick Google search yielded a recipe, and after assembling the necessary ingredients I found it was easy and cheap to make my own delicious yogurt. If you're going to do this on your own, I recommend it. Its simple and very good. My tips would be to use whole milk (might as well) and after you "yog" the milk and starter yogurt, allow it to strain and thicken for about an hour (if you leave it thickening overnight, you get a really thick, creamy cheese. Also well worth it.)

On Saturday, I went to the beach. I remembered the sunblock on my back, but forgot that the backs of my legs have skin too. Skin that isn't usually exposed to the sun. And now it suddenly was. And it doesn't matter if its August or October, the sunlight in California knows no season. Its my own fault...I was more concerned about watching the boats, spelling words with seashells, and spending time with my companion. But come ON, it was a gorgeous October Saturday, with bright clear sunlight, a gentle breeze, and just a warmth that doesn't touch my skin so often. Just perfect. It was a bit too perfect I think...with all the beauty in the air, my friend and I became a little overwhelmed. While watching a wedding take place in an oceanfront gazebo, we decided to just get married to each other. We figured the guests, the band, the minister and everything were already setup so why not just take advantage of it? So yeah. Now I'm married. Ha. Thats what a beautiful day can do to you.

Last Wednesday I went speed-dating. Yeah, it exists in real life, and I did it. I had 17 4-minute "dates" with various LA gentlemen. The basic setup is that you get a nametag with a number, a "scorecard" with corresponding numbers, and as the men rotate around sitting with you, you write in their names on their number on the card. After the 4 minutes is up, you check "yes" or "no" for someone you might want to spend more than 4 minutes with (And they do the same for the girls). Out of the 17, I checked 10 I thought were a "yes" and 7 that were a "no". The "No" folks were so for a reason, and of the "Yes" men, only about half really did something to catch my eye. With all said and done, I now have a few matches that I will be seeing again this coming week. Its a little startling having a suddenly full social calendar, but that's OK. I'm glad I'm getting out and meeting some new people; this was kind of a random and adventurous way of doing so. I'm not really married, just so you know.

Its also startling how easy it is to spend $300 in Ikea on a Sunday afternoon, but my apartment looks FABULOUS I tell ya. Its amazing what a new chair, a new rug, and a few pillowcases will do to a room. Its lovely.