the search is on...

this post has been sitting here, un-finished for months. here is the first part, pardon the wrong verb tenses as i wrote this before we went to europe...obviously...



kris and i are going to europe this summer. i have been searching for months for shoes that will:

a) provide comfort for my flat and pronated feet
b) provide at least a small amount of fashion so the italians won't judge me
c) along the same lines, still look nice with my dresses/skirts that i plan on wearing

this is turning out to be more difficult than i thought.

i thought birkenstocks were a good option...but the ones that i like provide very little support because it's just one small strap. this means there is nothing to contain my flat feet, so they look kind of like paddles or webbed feet.

i briefly considered crocs, only because amy told me to. there were two that i would have considered because they were wedges, and one was actually made of normal material and not rubber. but i decided that while these shoes are very light and comfortable, the three inch heels may result in me turning an ankle on the cobblestone (whee, real cobblestone!)

i have been to a number of stores and had the salespeople pretty much bring out every style/colour/size/width of birkenstocks, determined to find something.



i eventually settled upon small strap, patent white birkenstocks, but not after great ordeal and inconvenience.

as this happened a long time ago, i will give you the condensed version of what happened: bought black patent birkenstocks because the store forgot to order the white ones for me THREE times, but in the end, it turns out they did order the white ones because after i settled on the black ones and wore them for weeks, they called to tell me the white ones arrived, kris yelled at them, so they let me exchange my black ones for the white ones even though i had wore them and fully broke them in. kris' ability to get what he wants from retail stores is (one of the many reasons) why i married him.

stay tuned for my updates from europe!

people who look like people: "haha!"

i've been wanting to do this for years - evidenced by my first "attempt" sans pictures. as mentioned, back in february 2007, this friend doesn't usually look the same, but he seems to have stayed on this look...

it just so happened that he was in the wedding party, so he had the vest to make the comparison complete. here i present chad, childhood friend:




nelson muntz, neighbourhood billy from the simpsons:

you gotta believe!

this post is about two things.

one. the blue jays. they had their best start since 1992 (or something like that). their bats came alive, their virtually unknown pitching staff pulled off stellar performances, their reliable defense continued to impress...

cue reality check. cue 8 losses in a row. but they will turn this around! you gotta belieeeeeve! i believe so much that i changed my wallpaper on my cell phone from a picture of edward cullen (i tried to hide it when in public) to the old school blue jays logo. i believe.

two. jon & kate plus 8. cutest family ever, so wholesome and innocent, they stumbled onto some good fortune by getting a tv show that documented their life.

cue reality check. cue mrs. fake-ity fake fake and mr. mid-life crisis. cue the stripping of the innocence of eight beautiful children. this story makes me so very sad, and for many reasons, i don't even know where to start. but i believe that they can work things out. i hope they do. and not just for complimentary hair plugs and tummy tucks.

re: here's to future days and re: now or never

how excited was i to see paris geller from gilmore girls (as allison, izzie's cancer friend) and matt saracen from friday night lights (as charlie, the military guy who wanted his leg amputated) guest starring?!?! this is a rhetorical question, but in case you couldn't tell, i was very excited. please note that i didn't make mention of how excited i was to see lindsay gardner from the o.c./trishanne from prison break, mostly because i didn't like her that much in either show. i suppose she was okay in this episode of grey's, but i'm digressing...focus, miko, focus.

i think the writer's are on a crusade to warn viewers about skin cancer. two types of terminal melanoma doesn't seem to be a coincidence. and apparently i haven't been paying attention because i accidentally fell asleep on our patio today and ended up a bit pink...shonda would be so disappointed in me.

in retrospect, it is so obvious that george would join the army. his family doesn't get him or like him, just like charlie. and when you think about it, george is alone. cristina has owen, izzie has alex, lexie has sloan, callie has arizona, mer has der...while george is a proverbial island. and charlie, he would rather cut off his LEG then stay here, all so he can go back. i think this has unintentionally glorified war for george. even if his friends and loved ones think he's going to be the guy that gets killed cleaning his own gun. oh, georgie.

will cristina decide to go into oncology? there has to be a reason that, at the beginning of the season, the residents weren't allowed to specialize anymore...that means that someone has to change their mind, maybe cristina will be that person.

izzie's memory test reminded me of the bomb episode. meredith was wearing the same vest, except this time, she's whole and shiny and new. when derek paralyzed the right side of izzie's brain so she couldn't speak, i couldn't help but think of bella's "acting" in the twilight movie, where she was in the hospital and edward said he was going to leave her and she kept sputtering in protest when it was clear she had forgotten her lines. that made izzie's sputtering inappropriately funny.

when did izzie's hallucinations escalate from just denny to birds flying around other people's heads and eyes turning into sandy beaches??

i'm not sure how i felt about arizona's confrontation with the chief. while there are lots of people out there who cry when they're mad (present company included), it felt like a little much. and arizona really could have explained the story about her brother up front instead making a vague comment, and then letting callie get mad at her. talk about unnecessary drama, omg!

i think it's nice that izzie has brought everyone together because they realize life is short. the fact that meredith actually said "take the time to tell people you love them while they can still hear you" goes to show the impact of izzie's illness, but also how far our meredith has come. go mer!

why didn't george have ID on him? how come none of these accident victims have their wallet with them? i don't leave my house without my hand sanitizer, never mind my wallet and ID. i guess it could have gotten knocked off of him during impact, or maybe it got run over or maybe when he was dragged, it got squished into his body and disappeared, but still. was he hit when he was leaving the hospital? wouldn't he have his hospital ID tags on him? so many questions!

can i just say that meredith's reaction, when she realized john doe was our precious george, that still gives me chills. they've had a few john/jane doe cases in the series, and while we all thought it was devastating at the time, it is SO much more awful when it's someone you KNOW. (let's ignore george is a fictional character that i don't actually know, and let's ignore that i require psychiatric attention). what a terrible, terrible feeling.

and the worst part is, the doctors working on george have no idea that izzie is crashing, and those working on izzie have no idea who john doe really is. that makes the whole thing seem even sadder to me.

on a brighter NOTE (hyuk): wedding vows on a post-it! wedding vows on a post-it! i love it! there were tons of predictions forecasting how mer and der's wedding would be, and none of them were even close. the wedding vows on a post-it was just perfect. on cristina's post-it with cristina's pen. in the resident's lounge. although it should have been done in joe's bar, just like their non-honeymoon was a revisit to the living room floor. symmetry = good, good = symmetry. i thought meredith's coy look when she realized what derek was doing with the post-it was so adorable. and i love that they don't need to do the churchy church and pouffy dress thing in order to declare their love for each other and know it means an eternity of love and commitment. sigh.

okay, so the cliffhanger. the writers aren't even going to blog about the last episodes!!! they don't want to give anything away! argh! well, for what it's worth, i think george is gone. sloan is a good plastic surgeon, but there's no way he can reconstruct george's face to look the same. and izzie will live - she has to, otherwise what will they do with alex? he too, has come so far in this season, and having izzie die would just break him. anyway, final answer is that george will die and izzie will live - that's my prediction, folks. what do YOU think?

re: what a difference a day makes

i did NOT see this coming. did you? did you think mer and der's wedding would turn into izzie and alex's wedding? in hindsight, it makes sense; i even said how cute it was that alex chose the shrimp and how it sounded like they were planning for their own wedding...and how the dress did NOT fit meredith properly...but i still did not seeing this coming. i love you, writers.

the part when izzie stumbled down the aisle, and george jumped to her rescue, and walked her the rest of the way? it made me cry. like a baby. i just loved that scene, and it goes to show that even though they don't show it every episode, the bond that izzie and george once had is still there. and the new-found friendship between alex and george (which started two episodes ago, when the suicidal trauma patient jumped out the window) is further strengthened by alex thanking george with his eyes for supporting his beautiful bride. the fact that alex can even think beyond how much he hates (hated?) george to realize these feelings? amazing. and yes, alex ripped off part of the valedictorian's speech; but that he heard what she was saying? that just goes to show how much he has grown this season. and he unlike our valedictorian friend, he was able to say his speech before it was too late. in front of his friends, to his beloved. sigh. i love you, writers.

the denny debacle at the beginning of the season was totally redeemed in my eyes once he showed up today. everything came full circle, as usual. shonda said it would all make sense in the end, and we all doubted her. why we did, i don't know. i love you, writers.

how derek's wedding present was a colon? so fantastic, it will match the glowing-kidney-in-a-jar. and the most recent elevator proposal , which chronicling their medical history and otherwise. meredith got to fly solo, even though the chief AND sloan were looking over her shoulder and second-guessing her the whole way; but did you notice, derek wasn't there? maybe he was busy with other patients, but i think it's a symbol of his faith in meredith, that she can do this, and do it well. i love you, derek -- oops, i mean, writers. tee...hee?

i have to admit, i'm glad that mer and der didn't get married today. derek's hair is just too short. i don't think they should get married when derek's hair doesn't look perfect. it's just wrong. so i'm glad it didn't happen today. IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. especially before his epic wedding. leave his hair alone. but...i still love you, writers.

i'm sure there is more, but i'll post this now to make up for the fact that i've been posting very late recently. if i think of more things, i'll add comments...

love. you. writers.

re: no good at saying sorry (one more chance)

i KNEW the wedding website would get a shout-out in this episode! i knew it!

i also knew that thatcher would make a comeback now that lexie and meredith are friends. i should become a psychic and charge $19.99 a minute. i didn't, however, think thatcher would try to make amends to both of them at the same time. so maybe i shouldn't quit my day job. of course meredith doesn't want to forgive her father, he wasn't even part of her life. i know that lexie was hurt by her father's drinking too, but i don't think you can compare the two kinds of hurt.

i don't think i like derek's haircut. i do like him in the morning coat though. hubba hubba!

how can callie not afford rent? i know she was cut out of daddy's trust fund, but she is a doctor, how can't she afford rent? i'd like to see some receipts to see what she spends her money on (can you tell we waited until the last minute and did our taxes last week? i think i'll be dreaming about receipts until the end of time).

sloan and lexie! i love the way sloan looked at her when she asked him to meet her dad - his own version of goopy eyes, but for lexie.

meredith was great. she continues to make strides and faces the monsters in her past. her sticking up for maddy and later standing up to the chief is evidence of that.

i loved the scene when meredith went on a rant just outside the hospital, making ridiculous accusations, and derek was trying to talk sense into her. but in the end, he goes with what she wants - no chief at the wedding. then he goes to reason reason with the chief. he was so good at bridging the two of them together. how he called the chief on giving the chiefdom to burke instead of him because he was dating meredith - amazing!

my absolute favourite was the reconciliation scene between meredith and the chief. finally, after years of feeling guilty, the chief can feel at peace with himself. he's apologized before, but it didn't have any impact because he wasn't apologizing for the right thing. he got it right this time, and now meredith can stop being so bitter at him. beautiful.

"take care now". love it! how cristina hit owen when he went to walk away? love it! and cristina's weepy man voice making a triumphant return! love it! "take care now" reminds me of the secret song in moulin rouge that satine and christian sang to each other, so they could say they loved each other in secret...except that cristina and owen are keeping their love a secret from each other, and not other people.

the end, when alex was describing the food to izzie, it was so cute how he said, "i'd definitely go for the shrimp if we had to choose" - almost as if they're planning their own wedding! he has come so far too.

quotes:

willow to callie after callie stuck up for her:
-how can trees not be your thing?

izzie trying to tell her mom what kind of cancer she had, and her mom not understanding:
-you don't have skin on your organs, hon, that didn't make a whole lot of sense!
that was FANTASTIC!!!!!!

cristina to owen on his new attitude on life:
-what are you, a choke-'em-and-leave-'em kinda guy?
yeowie!

www.theknot.com/mer-and-der

okay, i don't think that is the actual url for the website, but izzie created a website for meredith and derek's wedding! i don't want to say this makes me very happy because they are fictional characters...but i would be lying if i said it didn't make me smile...

it DEFINITELY didn't give me goosebumps as i read the "favourite moments" list...

seriously, though. i love it. and you will too - except you, c-dawg, you're a bit of a grey's-party-pooper. and i will make the nickname stick, you just wait.

to the rest of you: go there. now.

welcome, michal!

kris' brother and his girlfriend had a baby boy weighing 7 pounds and 7 ounces on sunday, april 26. they named him michal (the polish pronunciation is "mee-how"). we went to visit soon after he was born, and he is so beautiful! some babies are a little funny-looking until they're at least a few hours old, but michal was/is perfect. with a good set of lungs, too!

re: sweet surrender

i was so excited to see that dr. wyatt is back! there's something comforting about knowing that, somewhere amid the chaos that is seattle grace (medical and otherwise), she is in her office, with her cheesy cross-stitched pillows, fixing and making people whole. now it's owen's turn. i love it.

izzie's chemo treatment hit close to home. they got it just right...the "comfy" chairs, the sickly people, the little chemo-stands. i wonder why they didn't have to shave her head for the surgery? and i wonder if she is going to eventually lose her hair with the chemo treatments. i know i've said this already, but i'm glad they're making izzie look actually sick. makes it more realistic.

her pretend-coding, though? not cool. yes, i know they're trying to show that she's in denial, and that she thinks she will be fine, but still. not cool.

haha, i love how callie introduced arizona to her father by referring to her as "they" - if i were callie, i would have played that up so he would have been relieved i'm just a lesbian, and not a swinger. since when did callie start swearing in spanish? did this come out when george cheated on her?

jessica, the terminally ill little girl, looked like raven symone...aka olivia from cosby show. her story was so sad! and i love bailey always, but i loved her more this week. how can't you love a person who cares so much for children and is so good at her job?

yay for george for actually being good at something. it makes sense now, that although george crashed and burned as burke's "guy," he was able to save the guy in the elevator back in season one...i love the consistency!

why were all the wedding dresses putridly ugly? i guess because meredith said she didn't want pouffy white dresses, but why couldn't they pick pretty pouffy white dresses? perhaps to add to the chagrin that meredith is feeling, but still. blech. and the dress at the end that everyone liked, it didn't even fit properly. gah! if only i could have been on wardrobe for this episode!

i was so sure that lexie was pregnant. but it turns out, she just eats her emotions. i love that her and meredith are close now, it shows that meredith is continuing to patch herself up (thanks to dr. wyatt), but think they could have done a better job bridging that...meredith wants nothing to do with her, then lexie is living in her attic and now they're BFFs? i guess their whole crusade to bring derek and mark back together sort of bonded them, but i think there could have been more of a progression.

and when meredith was angry at derek for wanting to choose the chief to be his best man...i thought he was going to pull the "mark slept with my wife" card. but he didn't. i wonder if that's because he's already forgiven mark and that didn't even cross his mind, or if it's because he was letting meredith win the fight...either way, it makes derek shepherd one fine speciman of a man. swoon.

london fog love

i've always been curious about starbucks' london fog tea latte. i finally decided to give it a try. i'm wondering if that was a terrible mistake, because now i am addicted. instead of being addicted to extinct-until-next-january $3 cupcakes, now i'm addicted to get-it-anytime-you-want-it $5 tea. it's a wonderful blend of earl grey tea, steamed milk and vanilla syrup.

so i tried making it at home. i figured, i had earl grey tea bags, milk and sugar. but microwaving the crap out of milk just isn't the same as steaming it. and sugar does not = vanilla syrup. my version of the london fog latte was a sad, sad imitation that just left me thirsting for the real thing.

until tomorrow, my london fog latte! until tomorrow!