So Long GT Mountain Bike!

I parted ways with my 17 year-old GT Mountain Bike yesterday when I dropped it off at City Bikes to be donated to the Bikes for the World program. This bike, which brought me so much joy as an adolescent, will now *hopefully* bring excitement to someone in need across the globe.

It also got me thinking about the history of the bike…I remember my Dad taking me to the local Schwinn store in Bowie (yes, an actual Schwinn store!) to find a new bike. We left with this shiny red mountain bike, which at the time felt massive to me. It was my first serious bike and I was very proud to be its new owner. I spent countless hours on this bike exploring and riding around my neighborhood, riding to the pool, and riding to friend’s houses. At my neighborhood park, a group of boys built a BMX course in the woods and I would ride it back there and go over the humps and some of the jumps (ha, I thought I was tough!). If I wasn’t at home, I was on my bike almost every late afternoon after school. This bike was a great source of independence and I loved every minute of it!

I know it will be used mostly as a mode of transportation for its new owner, but I also hope it provides some fun!

http://www.bikesfortheworld.org/

Volunteering

Nothing gives me more pleasure than helping others. I recently became even more involved with volunteering in my community, and I feel great about it!

On Sunday, I put my cooking skills to good use by helping to prepare food for over 200 homeless men and women in my neighborhood. We then served the meals, which allowed us to interact with the guests. I look forward to volunteering with Loaves and Fishes on more Sunday afternoons. Earlier this month, I volunteered with Prevention Works, and helped put together condom kits and medical kits for distribution. Soon I hope to complete the training to be part of the outreach team that distributes the kits at night.

The District not only has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the nation, but also has the highest rate of homelessness.  Non-profits in our Nation’s Capital need help more than ever to curb these staggering rates. It’s our civic duty to give back to the community in which we live – get involved!

http://www.loavesandfishesdc.org/

http://www.preventionworksdc.org/

Parents Renting Drug-Sniffing Dogs?

Really? Is this necessary? The only thing a trained dog would find in my old room is a half-eaten bag of stale cheetos, and maybe some sour patch kids.

http://gawker.com/5670483/company-renting-drug+sniffing-dogs-to-insane-parents

I like Gawker's business proposal:

"So here's a proposal: What if, instead of renting these dogs out to parents, Dogs Finding Drugs rented them out to, say, people who know they bought a dime the other week, and hid it somewhere, and now they can't remember, and their guy isn't picking up the phone, and Jesus, they had such a stressful day at work. How is that not a successful business strategy?"

Edible Blood Slides

I'll be making these Dexter inspired, sugar-based slides for this weekend's pumpkin-carving party.

Sick!

http://forkableblog.com/?p=908

Chainsaws!

I went to a haunted forest attraction on Saturday and totally missed out on hearing Jackyl's, The Lumberjack in the woods. I did however get chased by two men with chainsaws, and one of the chainsaws grazed my inner-thigh! Too bad this song wasn't playing.

Jimmy Fallon's Best Impersonation

http://tv.gawker.com/5663817/watch-jimmy-fallons-spot+on-justin-bieber-impression

This makes me happy...

Banksy meets The Simpsons!

Black Vodka?

Apparently it exists, but is really hard to get from overseas.

I wouldn't mind using this stuff for Halloween inspired drinks!

Blavod:

A turtle and a totee...

...go for a drive in a 70's cutlass convertible along the Eastern Shore, on the way to a boat.

(I forgot my head scarf)

Then we hit a parked car right in front of a karate place that was blasting Michael Jackson with clouds of fog and lasers coming out of the front door. Thats all anyone needs to know.

Why, hello there

Can't wait to cook with this!

Its Official

I am now an adult. I just ordered a full-week subscription to the Washington Post.

You can now find me behind a newspaper.