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Sep 20 2011
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Food

6 Crisp and Colorful Fall Salads:

By Southern Living, on Fri Sep 16, 2011 6:14am PDT

Tender greens and bold dressings pair the best of summer with the first crisp tastes of fall for a colorful collection of salads.

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

Photo: Jennifer DavickPhoto: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 (16-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 lb. fresh broccoli
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.

Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.

Related: Harvest-Fresh Fall Farmers’ Market Recipes

Grilled Sweet Potato-Poblano Salad

Photo: Jennifer DavickPhoto: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
Vegetable cooking spray
2 1/2 lbs. small sweet potatoes
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
Cilantro Vinaigrette
1 (5 oz.) package fresh mâche
1 cup crumbled queso fresco (fresh Mexican cheese)
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup shelled roasted pumpkin seeds

Cilantro Vinaigrette
Whisk together 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, 2 Tbsp. minced sweet onion, 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger, 2 Tbsp. honey, 2 tsp. orange zest, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, and 1/2 tsp. salt; add 1/2 cup canola oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth.

Preparation
Coat cold cooking grate of grill with cooking spray, and place on grill. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat.

Peel sweet potatoes, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Bring potatoes and water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; cook 5 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Coat potatoes with cooking spray.

Grill potatoes, covered with grill lid, 8 to 10 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Gently toss warm potatoes with poblano and Cilantro Vinaigrette. Arrange mâche on a serving platter, and sprinkle with queso fresco and cranberries. Top with sweet potato mixture, and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Related: 12 Quick & Easy Salad Suppers

Mango Salad

Photo: Jennifer DavickPhoto: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
2 mangoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 1/2 cups halved, seeded, and sliced English cucumber
1 1/2 cups halved baby heirloom tomatoes
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Fresh Lime Vinaigrette
4 cups arugula

Fresh Lime Vinaigrette
Whisk together 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. ground pepper. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup canola oil until smooth.

Preparation
Toss together first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; cover and chill 2 hours. Toss with arugula just before serving.

Related: 33 Perfect Party Appetizers

Cobb Potato Salad

Photo: Jennifer DavickPhoto: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
1 lb. baby red potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 (11.5-oz.) bottle refrigerated blue cheese vinaigrette, divided
2 large avocados
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 pt. grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded white Cheddar cheese
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
6 cooked bacon slices, crumbled

Preparation
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water to cover 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Toss potatoes with green onions and 1/3 cup vinaigrette; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.

Peel and chop avocados; toss with lemon juice. Toss lettuce with avocado mixture, tomatoes, and next 2 ingredients. Arrange lettuce mixture on a large serving platter; top with potato mixture, and sprinkle with bacon. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.

Related: Easy Make-Ahead Casseroles

Grilled Pear Salad

Photo: Jennifer DavickPhoto: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
3 firm ripe Bartlett pears, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 (10-oz.) jar seedless raspberry preserves
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoned pepper
1/3 cup canola oil
1 (5-oz.) package gourmet mixed salad greens
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh raspberries
3/4 cup honey-roasted cashews
4 oz. crumbled coat cheese

Preparation
Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Grill pear wedges, covered with grill lid, 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden.

Whisk together red wine vinegar and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl; add canola oil in a slow, stead stream, whisking constantly until smooth.

Combine salad greens, next 4 ingredients, and pears in a large bowl. Drizzle with desired amount of vinaigrette, and toss to combine. Serve immediately with remaining vinaigrette.

Related: 24 Cozy Soups & Stews

Melon and Plum Salad

Photo: Jennifer DavickPhoto: Jennifer Davick

Ingredients
4 cups seeded and cubed watermelon
4 cups honeydew melon balls
3 red plums, sliced
2 cups torn watercress
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette

Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette
Whisk together 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup hot jalapeño pepper jelly, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint, 1 Tbsp. grated onion, and 1 Tbsp. lime juice. Gradually add 1/4 cup canola oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until smooth.

Preparation
Gently toss together first 5 ingredients, and place on a serving platter. Drizzle with vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Sep 03 2011
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Adventures, Music, Originals, TV/Radio

September RTT Article:

Fresh off the presses, my article about the infamous Chris Payne!

Click HERE to find out more!

More About Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine:

Reno Tahoe Tonight is the independent alternative. We are bold, uncensored and free. With 96 pages of local color and coverage, no other publication keeps readers in better touch with their peers, their interests and their lifestyles.

People are responding strongly to Reno Tahoe Tonight because it has moxie, is physically gorgeous to look at and celebrates the people, places, hidden treasures and small businesses that make this region one of the most beautiful and creative places in the country. Our features and photo journals, shot by award-winning photographers and industry veteran Jamie Kingham (British Vogue, Marie Claire), reflect the essence of the creative resurgence happening in the Truckee Meadows.

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Sep 02 2011
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Places to Go, Travel

Ghost Hotel:

I just found out that the hotel I’m staying at had the worst hotel fire in US History. I guess that’s why the ghost tour starts out front. :-/

Here is the Wikipedia Article:

Winecoff Hotel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Jump to: navigation, search

The Winecoff Hotel, today the Ellis Hotel, is located at 176 Peachtree Street NW, in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Designed by William Lee Stoddart, the 15-story building opened in 1913.[1] It is located next to the former Macy’s (at 180 Peachtree Street), which was built as the flagship Davison’s, and just south from the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel (easily identifiable by its cylindrical glass design). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 31, 2009.

Fire

Historical marker

The Winecoff is best known for a fire that occurred there on December 7, 1946, in which 119 people died. It remains the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history,[2] and prompted many changes in building codes. Guests at the hotel that night included teenagers attending a Tri-Y Youth Conference, Christmas shoppers, and people in town to see Song of the South. Arnold Hardy, a 26-year-old graduate student at Georgia Tech, became the first amateur to win a Pulitzer Prize in photography for his snapshot of a woman in mid-air after jumping from the 11th floor of the hotel during the fire.[3] The jumper, who survived, Daisy B. McCumber, was born October 9, 1905 and died in Florida on August 12, 1992 at the age of 86. From her jump she sustained a broken back, pelvis and both legs. Over a ten year period of time she underwent seven surgeries and lost a leg. Under these circumstances, she still worked until her retirement.

Reopenings

In April 1951, the hotel reopened as the Peachtree Hotel on Peachtree, and was now equipped with both fire alarms and fire escapes. In 1967, it was donated to the Georgia Baptist Convention for housing the elderly, and then repeatedly sold to a series of potential developers.

After over two decades of vacancy, a $23 million renovation project began in April 2006. The project restored the building into a boutique luxury hotel, called the Ellis Hotel after the street that runs along the north side of the building. It was reopened on October 1, 2007.

See also

References

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Sep 02 2011
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Food

The 1,690 calorie mac n’ cheeseburger: delicious or disgusting?

By Piper Weiss, Shine Staff, 21 hours ago

(photo: Denny's)

(photo: Denny’s)

Denny’s dastardly minds have done it again. The restaurant chain that fries mozzarella sticks between pieces of bread, have rolled out more gluttonously cheesy menu items.  

The most notable is the Mac n’ Cheese Big Daddy Patty Melt: A burger patty layered with slices of cheese, macaroni and cheese, another layer of cheese, some kind of tomato-based “frisco” sauce and two pieces of buttered-up potato bread. Still hungry? It comes with a side of fries. 

The 1,690 calorie count makes a lot more sense when you consider the sandwich is breakfast, lunch and dinner stacked on top of each other. It makes absolutely zero sense when you consider that it’s got 500 more calories than a Carl’s Jr. burger with fries, and large coke. It’s about three times the calories of a KFC Double Down sandwich. And about 200 calories more than five (count ‘em, five) Boston Market Mac and Cheese sides. 

That’s without the super-size cheese option. Seriously, if your melt isn’t ooze-y enough, you can pay Denny’s 69 cents extra for more cheese. A better use of that 69 cents: pay the guy in the next booth to be your sober cheese counselor.

Denny’s joined Burger King and more than a dozen chains on a health initiative recently, offering more veggie and fruit options for kids. Adults? They can go to you know where…by way of the cheese menu. Direct quote from the company’s press release: “With America consuming around 8.8 billion pounds of cheese annually, Denny’s is answering to the appetites of the nation by introducing a dedicated menu that celebrates all things cheesy.” Other items on their new cheese menu include a strawberry cheesecake milkshake and a cheese-filled omelette drizzled in cheese sauce.

But nothing outdoes the cheese pasta/cheeseburger/buttered toast combo, both in calories and in creativity. Be honest, on the gross food scale, does the Mac and Cheese melt look deliciously gross, curiously gross, or just plain gross?

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Aug 31 2011
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Adventures, TV/Radio

Worst Little Podcast

Yesterday I got to co-host Worst Little Podcast with good ole Rev. Rory. What a great show, make sure to download it on Wednesday!

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Aug 20 2011
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Matters of Life & Advice

Dating Dilemma: Is It Okay to Check Your Partner’s Phone?

By StyleCaster, 17 hours ago

 


Want a friend on the inside? Add us on Facebook to always stay in touch.

One night after a lovely evening my date and I retired home. As we snuggled on the couch chatting his phone rang. He looked at the screen, sent the call to voicemail and placed the phone face down on the table.

I thought about asking who was calling at 2:00 AM but I resisted. Then the phone rang again, and again. I began to laugh and asked if it was his friend who we had seen earlier in the evening. “No,” he answered meekly, “that was Alexa.”

I soon learned this was the girl he had been sleeping with prior to meeting me. And although he did not have interest in sleeping with her again he had since the time we met-once. Awesome.

Here I was naively thinking after forging such a connection, we were exclusive. Not because we had had “the conversation” but because we liked each other. Apparently men can multi-task – just in this one area though.

After a LONG conversation we mended this small rift but from that moment on that phone became my worst enemy. I considered checking it several times. And soon we stopped seeing each other.

To be perfectly honest I have done some things I’m not proud of, by way of checking a partner’s device(s). I became frighteningly good at it. I ended my 7+ year relationship after checking my boyfriend’s phone. That was the very first time I had EVER invaded his privacy and the trauma of what I found made trust my biggest challenge to this day.

So this is my advice when it comes to snooping (take it from someone who has made all the mistakes): trust is THE make-it-or-break-it key to a lasting relationship. Sleuthing about in your partner’s email, voicemail, Skype, IM ect is a clear sign of distrust. Take a look at why you are feeling this way. If necessary speak to your partner about it. It helps. But checking for yourself is a slippery slope of masochism.

One of two things is going to happen:

1) You will be wrong; making yourself look like a total fool and sabotaging the relationship because the person will have every right to call you crazy and dump you. This is not fun – I speak from experience.

2) You will be right. This hurts beyond words. And 9 times out of 10 if you’re looking it’s because you already know what you will find. So before you become culpable for having violated trust ask your partner if they have violated yours. Honesty begets honesty. And the truth always comes to light. Trust your instincts but keep your hands clean.

Think about this one last thing a friend of mine recently told me: “Unconditional love is about freedom. If your partner feels free to love you or love another and they choose you? Well then…you know.”

So TRUST. Trust your worth, trust your partner and trust your relationship. Let them be free and they will always fly home to you.


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Aug 16 2011
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Matters of Life & Advice

10 Signs You’re Borderline Obsessed With Your Crush:

I’m guilty of all 10 of these at some point or another…. but then again I’m not obsessive…. I’m a girl. We are wired that way, right? heh.
By HowAboutWe, on Fri Aug 12, 2011 1:47pm PDT

By Chiara Atik for HowAboutWe.com

1) You find yourself casually clicking over to his or her Facebook page or Twitter account, and then before you know it, you’re at their very first entry and there’s nothing more to read. Because you clicked through the entire thing.

2) You’re happy to talk to anyone about your crush. Like anyone. Like that co-worker you randomly ran an errand with. Like your Grandma’s sister at a Family Reunion. Like the ONE person who happens to be on Gchat when you get a cryptic text that you immediately need help decoding.

Related:10 Things You Shouldn’t Do Until You’re Exclusive

3) You make plans with any mutual acquaintances you may have, in the hope that maybe, just maybe, your crush will come up in casual conversation. And if they don’t, you will bring them up. And sometimes you suffer through long evenings with people you don’t even like that much, just so at the end you can casually let your crush know that you “hung out with [MUTUAL FRIEND] the other night.”

4) You can’t help but thoroughly research anyone who tweets to your crush, or writes on their wall.

5) You give your crush their own separate ringtone, and whenever you hear any tune that is even remotely similar to it, your heart skips a beat.

6) You wouldn’t say you have unrealistic expectations about this relationship, but when pressed, you admit you’ve thought about where you’ll retire, and what activities you’ll do with your eventual grandchildren.

Related: 5 Things Women Say That Make Men Crazy

7) The most played song on your iPod is the one that played at the bar on your first date.

8) You absolutely refuse to make any plans for the weekend UNTIL you’ve made plans with your crush. And if you don’t hear from him or her, you still keep the weekend open, just in case they call.

9) It’s so weird, but, you can relate almost any conversation to one you were just having with your crush! You’re constantly telling your friends what your crush thinks about, oh, anything.

10) In between dates, you find yourself renting movies he/she mentioned, reading their favorite book, idly wikipedia’ing any anecdote they mentioned, and looking up flights to where he/she said they’d most like to go on vacation.

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Aug 15 2011
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Matters of Life & Advice

Women’s Equality Leads to More Sex for Everyone, Study Says:

Next time you hear a man complain about sex, tell him it’s simple — he just needs to ensure that his female counterparts have fulfilling jobs, equal chances for advancement, and receive equal pay for equal work, and his gripes will be answered.

A new study from the American Psychological Association says people have more sex in countries where there is a greater degree of gender equality. The study, conducted in thirty-seven countries using over 300,000 couples, is based on a theory of “sexual economics.” Essentially, it treats sex like currency and breaks it down into supply and demand.

Since men desire sex, on average, more than women do, sex is a more valuable asset for a woman than it is for a man. In other words, a woman can use sex to get ahead in way that men can’t. In a repressive society, sex is a woman’s only asset, and so it becomes “expensive.” However, when she has lots of different ways to get ahead (like going to college or starting a rock band), sex becomes “cheaper.”
As the study’s author says: “If women don’t have many opportunities to make money on their own, they need the value of sex to be as high as possible… When women don’t have other opportunities, sex is the main thing she has to offer.”

It’s a clever — if not exactly sexy — way of looking at global sexual politics. Feminism: it’s win/win for everyone.

This post was written by Ben Reininga for Nerve.com.
Like Nerve on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for exclusive content.

More stories:
Street Style in pictures: Women with very short hair
Advice Column: I’m tired of being a virgin. Can I just have a one-night stand?
Helen Mirren, 66, wins “Body of the Year” contest
Five Problems With the Feminism of Facebook’s New Top Executive

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Aug 15 2011
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Adventures, Originals, TV/Radio

Weekend Recap:

It’s time for a nostaligic look back on my weekend… now if I could only remember what I did… oh yeah:

FRIDAY: Amazing

I had 4 events I said I would go to…. but I didn’t have that much time. So I had to make choices.

  • Corey’s 30th B-Day at Famous Dave’s
  • Pick up my custom art from Aric Shapiro at The Salvagery Artist Collective
  • Hangout with my boss and friends for drinks at the Stonehouse
  • Go to AWOLnation and hangout with radio friends

So priorities…. MUSIC and ART….check. I cancelled on Corey to go hangout with my boss. Then my boss cancelled, so 2 out of 4 events down the hole.

So I went to go visit Aric at the Salvagery to pick up my art. He was leaving the next day for the Playa to build The Temple for Burning Man. It’s amazing to me that people would donate a month of their time to build The Temple, just to watch it blow up. Just amazing.

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I met a whole gaggle of crazy New Zealanders… shouting and drinking PBR…(I think its the official drink of Reno). Overall it was a great time.

Flashforward to home, getting ready, shower and a shave (Hey I keep it classy)

Then off to go see AWOLnation. I love living downtown because there is always something unexpected going on. I went outside and there was fireworks shooting off the Silver Legacy. I’m assuming for Hot August Nights… it was a good start to the night.

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I met up with new friends at KRZQ as well as members of KDOT. In Reno radio you can’t really afford to make enemies. We are all in this crazy little city trying to survive in the broadcasting industry.

AWOLnation was good, but all their songs relatively sound the same. The thing I love the most is I am finally feeling like I’m well rooted in Reno as well as radio.

I can BS with the big boys about music, industry news, and just plain tell dirty jokes. I love it. It’s been a 5 years in Reno, but I feel like I’m really making it my home.

20110814-045939.jpgAfter the concert the afterparty was at Tonic. I watched Chris Payne spin the night away as well as some cool guy who looked and danced like Andre 3000.

(Always a highlight)

The night was filled with normal drinking/dancing debachuery.

Twas Fun.

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Saturday: Awkward

I woke up in a rush to get to the station. I looked like a hot mess, I didn’t wash off the makeup from the last night, my hair was crusted in hairspray…. it was ugly.

But regardless I had a good airshift from 10am-3pm. Nothing caught on fire… so I was happy.

(Yes, that is my low standard of success)

Afterwards I was inspired to go to Tahoe. One of those random adventures…. apparently I couldn’t inspire anyone else to go with me.I really didn’t want to go to a beautiful lake and sit there by myself. (This has been a theme for me, learning how to be alone… its not working)

So I went to the pool and that was just not as satisfying. 20110814-050028.jpg

I met up with one of my neighbors, I thought he was going to bring all his friends, but it just ended up being me and him… which was fine… just different than I imagined.I like groups, gaggles of people, bringing people together, bbq’s and such.

So one on one is hard for me.

Then we agreed to get a bunch of people to show up together… I knew about 15 people that were going to be out and about downtown. I cancelled on another friend for a house party because I believed in a this new plan… downtown drinking and such. Sorry Drew :(

So we agreed to meet at 9pm…. so at 10:30 we finally got together. I met up with my 2 friends at Imperial Bar. (It was 95 degrees in there, I was sweaty and gross) But I ran into 2 old friends back from my ballroom dancing days…. yeah!20110814-050054.jpg

After $2 Kamikaze shots at Imperial we decided to get some fresh airand head down to the Waterfall.

We enjoyed had some hookah, more drinks and ran into a couple of awkward situations.

For instance it was Reno High’s 10 year reunion so everyone had name tags on and we didn’t know anyone there!

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We enjoyed some more hookah and this amazing drink called a Juicy! Ask West or Brandon (the bartenders) about it next time you are there.

We got tired of being in room full of people that we didn’t know, yet they all knew each other and decided to meander to Brew Bros.

That place is very hit or miss, its either the best night or your life or completely irritating.

(Turned out to be the second one).

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I was surrounded by people having sex on the dancefloor… ok well just about having sex… but its always awkward being surrounded by people getting it on…

I was also hot and sticky and irritated. The band wasn’t that good and I got tired of being pushed around by the tongue jockeys. So we left and ate some food at Cafe Sedona.

{Isn’t the whole point of Reno is to be able to order chinese food at 2am?}

Apparently they only had breakfast food and I WAS PISSED. This night sucked. Good thing I was in good company with friends Corey, Shannon and David.

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So I made it home…. grumpy, but grateful for good friends.

SUNDAY: Lazy

It was so nice sleeping in. Sunday is the only day that I get to sleep for ungodly amounts of time.

So after a 10 hour nap I woke up and ate some leftover chicken soup. It is my Sunday tradition to stay in bed and watch bad TV.

So I watched ‘Switched at Birth‘ on HULU. Wow that stuff is addictive… its got drama, love, a real american family… its an absolute trainwreck. LOVE IT!

I’m currently hanging out till 7pm, playing whatever the hell I feel like on Rock 104.5 .

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After this… not sure.

I’ll probably  go to my BFF’s house and see how that baby is a growing.

(She’s pregnant)

Maybe she’ll feed me…..

Pregnant ladies always have extra food laying around the house.

Over all the weekend was full of ups and downs, good friends, awkward situations and bad tv.

Thanks for reading :)

~Layla

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Aug 13 2011
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Music, Video Blog

Who am I?

If you couldn’t tell, I’m on a music video kick. This is the one song that really makes me feel like me. It’s my quintessential Layla James song. What’s yours?

 

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