Tangerine Tango: 2012 Color of the Year

Now I know 2012 is going to be an amazing year! Why you ask? Well, the Pantone Color Institute, the world renowned authority on color that inspires design professionals around the world, has chosen Tangerine Tango as the 2012 color of the year. One headline read "Orange you glad Tangerine Tango is the color of 2012?". You can imagine it took but a second for me to click on that article!! Described as warm, uplifting and energizing, this reddish orange color is sure to lead us through a dramatic year.

For those of you who know me (and for those of you who don't, check out my blog name!), ever since I was 14 years old (I am now 27), orange has been a defining element of my existence: from my undergarments, clothes and accessories, even to my kitchen appliances. I remember when I first became obsessed with orange, it wasn't the easiest color to find in stores. I wanted my prom dress to be orange, but that was next to impossible, short of having is custom made. But in recent years, it's as though an orange starburst has exploded on the planet and now EVERYTHING is made in orange. I own just about everything in orange, but there remain two big ticket items on my orange wishlist: a Storm Orange Range Rover and a Viking Kitchen in Tangerine.

I must admit that Tangerine Tango isn't my favorite shade of orange. I prefer a more smooth pumpkin orange myself, but don't get me wrong, to some degree orange is orange and I won't discriminate! For me, orange is epitome of happiness, never failing to bring a smile to my face.

11.11.11 Photo Challenge

What a fun way to remember 11.11.11



My view today at 11:11a on 11/11/11...University of New Mexico's campus:



Check out more photos from the photo challenge here : http://elizabethkartchner.blogspot.com/

I hope it's not too early: my Christmas wish list

Until Christmas, this is going to be my new obsession...YourChristmasList.com. Tell me this situation doesn't sound familiar: people ask you what you want for Christmas, and because you haven't written anything down, you forget. So you tell them that you don't want anything (this is a LIE!!). Well, to resolve this issue, I decided to make my own Christmas Wish List and in the process, I found this amazing website where you can consolidate all of your "I want" items into one convenient list for your friends and family. And if that wasn't good enough, the site magically searches the internet to find the best price for your loved ones. What's there not to love!? So, here it is, my Christmas wish list. Not to worry, I'll be sure to update it regularly; we're still 45 days away! And please don't feel obligated, but I do hope this encourages you to make a wish list of your own!! Happy Holidays!!

what will YOU be for Halloween!?

Halloween 2010

Halloween is a mere week away and as I prepare for this year's annual bash (decorating the house, prepping the cemetery, last minute costume details, practice makeup run, etc), I can't help but get excited for the best holiday ever (yes! It's a holiday in my world). I live for Halloween and get so giddy anticipating all the haunting goodness. So what are you going to be for Halloween this year!?

P.S. I'm dressing up as Cleopatra!!

Feliz Cumple, Lourdes

Momma momma, also Lala,
I learned your tricks bien y mala.
Your blood born in Venezuela,
Jerry makes the best arepa.

You always take good care of me,
y mi hermano loco Crossby.
And now we add the number three,
Vennie, Crossby and Andy.

Even though I'm on my own,
with all the love that you have shown,
there's blessings in the noon sun rays,
wishing you the best birthday.

Oh, How I Miss San Diego

One of the many reasons I miss San Diego...

Strangers to the rescue

Despite all of the grim national and international news that dominates today's headlines, it's comforting to know that people, complete strangers, will come to the rescue. Check out the shocking video of a young man trapped under a burning car being rescued by a group of bystanders...it's pretty incredible.

Casey Anthony: Murderer or Victim?

“Justice: the quality of being just…guided by truth, reason and fairness” (Collins English Dictionary). The Casey Anthony trial, a case that has intrigued the nation since 2-year old Caylee Anthony went missing in 2008, came to a close today after a six-week stint in court. After deliberating for less than eleven hours, the seven women and five men jury found Casey Anthony not guilty on first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. Within minutes of the verdict announcement, my Facebook news feed read as follows:

“Really? Not guilty?”

“Unbelievable! Not guilty.”

“What really happened? No justice for Caylee.”

“It’s nice to know you can still get away with murder in America…”

Now, I didn’t follow the trial very closely, but I am familiar with the evidence: Casey’s chloroform-soaked trunk, Caylee’s skeletal remains found with duct tape attached to her skull, and a web of lies to local law enforcement regarding Caylee’s disappearance and Casey’s whereabouts for a mysterious 31-day period. This evidence and 400-plus more pieces of evidence left the jurors pondering whether the bizarre life Casey Anthony led and the “dysfunctional” family life she lived was just that: bizarre and dysfunctional or murderous?

Based on my background in anthropology and osteology and my little experience with forensic evidence, I’d like to say that I’d find Casey Anthony guilty any day. But the way the United States justice system is set up, you get the prosecution, the defense, 12 jurors and then you trust that the rest will lead to justice. The point is this, unless you’re one of those 12 jurors, you’ll never know what went on behind closed doors, what was going through their heads. Maybe a mom who sympathized and pitied Casey? A daughter who also felt abused and neglected by her family? A father who would do anything for his daughter?

Caylee is still gone but never forgotten, and her murderer is still out there…where is the justice in that?

Win, Place, SHOW!!

In honor of today's Belmont Stakes (I'm rooting for the orange horse #7 Monzon), I just wanted to share with everyone my team's third place win at Geeks Who Drink this week!! Wednesday nights at O'Niell's Irish Pub is trivia night and this Wednesday there were about 14 of us celebrating our friend Corey's birthday (he's the creature on the far left. In case you were curious about the other creature on the far right, that's Tony!). I'd like to say that I contributed to our win, but with title rounds like 'firesongs', 'album titles that could double as porn titles' and 'medieval times', my contribution was minimal, at best!! I did write all the answers down and turn in our sheets, does that count!? Since teams can only be made of up 6 players, were split up into two teams: my team, Happy Birthday, Corey and Ash Wednesday: The Return (many of you know that Arizona is burning and the winds have brought all the smoke and ash into our lovely city. Evenings are the worst!). Ash Wednesday pulled off second place (only because we gave them some of the answers!). You can check out pics of the other teams and read the complete wrap up here. It was a great night filled with many laughs, good food, tasty drinks and useless knowledge!!

PS. my sports bra tan is going to be around FOREVER!

Wear your sunscreen, kids!!

For those of you who know me, I've always been a fan of sun-tanning (laying beachside/poolside in a tiny polka-dot bikini soaking up the sun's rays) and have long appreciated my brown skin (thanks to my black and Venezuelan heritage). As such, I have long believed that I was impervious to sunburns, assuming I am able to produce more melanin which ultimately protects against sunburns. As I reside in the high desert known as Albuquerque (Land of Enchantment to beloved residents like me), the cold and sometimes snow-filled (at least in the eyes of a San Diegan!) winters have contributed to a rather lame basetan. Now, as summer quickly approaches and the hot sun and thin air grace us, I've decided it's the perfect opportunity to get some much needed Vitamin D and color. The result (after 2.5 hrs of gardening) is this:



Don't forget to wear your sunscreen, kids!!

History in the making

It's amazing how quickly things can change, how one event, one moment in time can change the world in which we live. This weekend marks one of those historic moments in time. This historic weekend started with the Royal Wedding, London's biggest wedding in three decades, which marked the nuptials of the second-in line, Prince William, to the throne since Prince Charles famously wed Princess Diana. I have to admit that I suffered from some serious royal fever and woke up at 3am to watch the glamorous nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. It was quite a beautiful ceremony, one fit for a princess for sure!


Then, late this evening, while watching trashy Sunday night television (ie., Real Housewives of Orange County), it was announced that Obama got Osama. Almost 10 years after the 9/11 attacks that killed more than 2,000 people on American soil, we finally got the man responsible for generating so much fear and hatred around the world. I want to take this opportunity to thank our armed forces for the many sacrifices it took to eliminate this being of terror.

God Bless America

Happy Easter

There are no kiddos around to hunt for eggs (the black lab and tuxedo cat don't count here!), but that doesn't mean I can't still dye eggs!! Tie dye egg coloring kit, Martha Stewart glitter, 10 eggs, an hour later and...VOILÀ :




Happy Easter and enjoy the week ahead!

Hello Again, San Diego!

So, I'm in the lovely (and cloudy, for now) San Diego for the weekend. Since San Diego is home and where the fam is, I try to visit every few months. This weekend is also special for two reasons. First, my best friend of 25 years, Danielle, just turned 27 (yes, we're getting old!!) and we're celebrating this weekend. Since I left town for college and graduate school, Danielle and I don't get to hang out very often, and it's been even longer since we've spent either of our birthdays together. So this weekend is a special treat for us! Second, one of my other great friends, Cheyenne, is expecting her first baby girl and her baby shower is this weekend!! I took my mom with me to buy her baby shower gift and it was a lot of fun (overwhelming too, and I'm not even pregnant!). I can't wait to gather around and shower her with great gifts for her and her precious baby!

I packed a bikini so hopefully the sun and its warmth make an appearance so I can tan this pale body of mine! I also plan on walking everywhere since gas is over $4 a gallon ( I'm on a diet too, so the exercise can't hurt!). Oh, how I've missed San Diego...

Happy Birthmonth!!

In this family, we don't just celebrate birthdays, we celebrate birthmonths!! March marks Andrew's birthmonth and this year we celebrated with a lot food and libations. I surprised him by taking him out for drinks at Seasons and dinner at The Melting Pot, one of our favorite dining experiences in town. Later in the month, we dined at Tropical Grill and Sushi Bar, a local spot serving South Pacific deliciousness that is literally a hop, skip and a jump away from the house. The husband closed out his birthmonth with a week of spring snowboarding in Telluride, CO. I'd say he was happy with this year's birthmonth festivities, and I bet he's looking forward to next year's! Happy Birthday, Husband!!

All But Dissertation, Baby!!

Yesterday, I successfully defended my dissertation proposal and I am now officially a Ph.D. Candidate!! Or, as Wikipedia so eloquently describes that..."at this stage the student (yours truly!) has completed the prepatory coursework, qualifying examinations, comprehensive examinations, and defended her (that's me again!) dissertation proposal. To complete the degree, the student must carry out the proposed research which must be original research and write the dissertation that defines the Ph.D. or equivalent research doctorate." All I can say is that I am relieved beyond belief that it's over. As suggested in the comic above, this proposal defense brought me to tears, nightmares, anxiety, nausea, irritability, and delirium. And while the defense is now behind me, I must now tend to all of the things that I abandoned in it's wake: laundry, bills, cleaning, grocery shopping, grading, car washes, and showers (just kidding!).

My dad flew in from San Diego to see my presentation and it's been great hanging out with him, considering that I don't get to see him very often these days. He and Andrew have been undertaking several home improvement projects and it's really nice to see them bonding together.

I also have to thank my friends/colleagues in my department at UNM for being so incredibly supportive throughout this whole process. We are so lucky to have each other as friends, colleagues and distractions!

Cell Phone Picture Purge

Unfortunately, I don't always carry my fancy Nikon on me to ensure that I capture life's greatest moments @ high digital quality. Not to worry...that's what cell phone cameras are for. Here are some priceless pictures we just have to share with the world.

The Joys of Cooking

The outcomes of having a big kitchen, lots of great cooking gadgets (thanks to all of our friends and family for the wedding gifts!), the Joy of Cooking cookbook (thanks to my advisor, Heather!), and many bouts of procrastination:

Homemade, fresh carrot juice!

Ol' fashioned oatmeal cookies

Mac n' Cheese (PS. Andrew may be holding the pan, but he didn't cook it!)

Scalloped potatoes

Beef and buffalo jerky

Stay tuned for more cooking adventures!

Grading has never been so much fun!

So we're in Taos this weekend following a big winter storm that dropped lots of snow all over New Mexico. As I type, Andrew is on the mountain boarding, and I am in our adorable room at the Austing Haus B&B. As many of you know, I'm not the biggest fant of snowsports, so I'm chilling in our room grading!! If only grading could always be this peaceful!




My fire



















The view from my "office"



















Our lovely B&B

















Stay tuned for more from our weekend getaway!

Hello February!

Per a severe weather alert, with bitterly cold temperatures (tomorrow's high is 14 and the low is -1 degrees!!) and snow showers throughout much of the day...the University of New Mexico declared a snow day and closed the campus. After sending in Andrew's graduate school application (WOOHOO!!), we took to the park for some fun in the snow!! Then we were off to happy hour at our favorite local spot, Savoy Bar and Grill, and took a few cool pictures around town while we were out.

Andrew sends in his application!

The Heights got some snow!

When I don't miss, this is how I entertain Leila

I'm getting better at my snow angels

Yay, snow day!

Peek-a-boo!!

That would be Andrew's celebratory cigar

Our neighborhood hangout, Quigley Park

Andrew doesn't look awkward with a bat at all

Leila LOVES the snow