Katie and I ate ourselves a big Italian meal and then decided to look at UCLA's sorority houses.  They all sit on one stretch or road that wraps around UCLA, making it a very convenient place to live, I'm sure.  The sorority houses are huge, decorating the hilltops with their pillars and porches.  Most of them are impressive enough from the front, but combine that with how deep set in the lost they are and these things look like mansions.   Most of their narrow driveways are painted with the house names.  

We landed in front of Katie's house right as the house mom was entering!  The woman with dyed blonde hair moved slowly and blinked heavily.  She was carrying a bouquet of flowers and had a completely unplaceable dialect, some moments it seemed Southern, and others it seemed British, others Northern.  After Katie introduced herself as a Michigan State Sister the woman let out a rehearsed, "Well, I know you wanna see the house.  I'll give you five minutes."

 The main entrance was large but only had one piece of furniture: a glass case full of pictures and achievements of the women in the chapter from over the decades.   The ground floor had many rooms: a huge new kitchen with granite countertops tucked next to two large dining areas connected by french doors.  There were two parlors that were perfectly designed for recruitment, chairs, couches, and tables all in the same light, rustic coloring.  One had a piano in it, the other a large fireplace, table and more french doors that led to the front patio, they both had rugs to warm the hardwood floors.  There was a smaller room opposite the dining rooms decorated in dark colors with a T.V. pinned to the tall walls.  

The upstairs rooms each had their own furniture and sizes, some rooms fit for 2 women, others for 8.  The room for eight people had a room with four bunk beds and chairs around a table, and a second room holding dressers and closets.  The house mom told us that things got "quite full."

Katie was practically drooling over the house, as she said it was way bigger than her house at Michigan state, but we eventually left and continued our walk.

Tuesday rolled around and it was definitely time for a Ralph’s trip.  And unlike Evanston, because the city of Westwood understands college kids and their needs, Ralphs is open 24/7!  After going at 10 p.m though, we have decided never to go so late again.  I wore my yoga shorts a t-shirt, cowgirl boots and a big chunky sweater.  Katie was in shorts and a t-shirt, and apparently it was all just too much for the night crew at Ralph’s to handle.  I walked past a 60 year old black man in a beret. 

“Ohhh  missy.  Those are some nice legs there.”

Answer in my mind: 

They’re not for you. 

Really....really....at a Ralph’s?  

Interesting pick-up strategy.  Just creepily whisper things to young girls as they’re trying to pick some fresh carrots.  What’s your success rate on this one?

Lengthy feminist rant that I won’t put here because I wrote about Brave just a few posts ago.  

Answer that I went with:

Silence.  Hopeful implications of silence: Sir...my general abhorrence for you makes it impossible for me to vocalize in your presence.

I told Katie what had happened and we hurried to a different part of the store.  Some 1950’s classic came on the air and Katie called for a “triple time step!”  Which we both did. Some 20-something year old came up to us. 

“Um, excuse me....do you two know where the salt is?”

Well, I of course didn’t, and said “no” before Katie directed him to the right area of the store.  Damn that girl knows where everything is, everywhere!  We continued our grocery shopping until another guy walked by us, same age as the first guy.  

“Hey.  Excuse me....could you help me find the salt?”  *facepalm* Katie directs him, I roll my eyes.  Right before we can talk about the incident, the black man in the beret passes behind us, “Do you take numbers little missy?” he whispers.  

Interpreted implication of my silence:  You just weren’t loud enough the first time!  Say something else creepy to the girl in the Ralph’s and you’ll have a much better chance!!! 

Well, I ignored him again, and Katie buries herself in the rice dying of laughter. At this point, Katie and I decide to increase our shopping speed, the whole time on the look out for the third guy to ask us where the salt is.  When there is no third guy, we are even further annoyed with them because they can’t even pull off a properly-structured prank.  Idiots.  

That night we made Oreo Balls whilst watching Game of Thrones and eating fresh grapes.  It was an epic combination.  Here’s a more fancy way to make the things we made:

 http://www.food.com/recipe/oreo-balls-52035  We basically just melted chocolate chips, instead of using expensive baker’s bark.  

Game of Thrones took over our lives.  Katie and I would watch an episode, and when the screen would cut to black and  turn to the credits, we both turn to each other, identical helpless grins spreading over our faces: “Another one?”

It’s just one of those shows where everyone is so ridiculously attractive.  Katie and I are constantly IMDBing pictures whilst watching. Best treat yet was finding out the guy who plays Khal Drogo is actually way more attractive in real life than in his make-uped GoT attire.  

 Jason Momoa swoon.

4th of July

In the morning, Katie and I woke up (she slept over, as usual) and she made pancakes!  To make it more patriotic, I played John Phillip Sousa marches from youtube.  We then...watched more Game of Thrones and then showered and went to a nice barbecue with some Northwestern people.  We had a lot of fun, met a new friend, and couldn’t see any fireworks from where we were, but found that we didn’t really care.  We stayed for 5 hours, but the whole time we were thinking about Game of Thrones, and trying not to speak in British accents which would have been a little less than patriotic.  We finished the series that night, and I don’t want to exaggerate too much...but it was a little like that numbing feeling after finishing Harry Potter.  Unlike sitcoms or dramas where you come back for the people and the plots, fantasies have the added excitement of seeing the sets and the costumes.  I find them holistically more engrossing, which is why it’s so disappointing when it ends.   




Random ..... childish Gambino features Tina Fey in a rap!  She's so funny.  She starts at 4:56...the song is kinda crude fyi, until Tina comes in, that is.  

Katie's sister is in town this week, and it's Katie's birthday this Saturday, so I'm sure there are lot more fun things to come :-)  Thanks for reading!