5 Things That I Love, And You Should Too.

In no particular order.

1. Greek Yogurt. Mmmm. How is it different from regular yogurt, you ask? It's BETTER. And according to Heath and Aunnee's friend Duncan, it shouts "Opa!" when you open it. Ok ok - really, it's more thoroughly strained than regular yogurt, which makes it a much thicker consistency. More like cheesecake than pudding. It's also a bit tangier and has way more protein than regular yogurt. Buy some plain greek yogurt (Fage, Oikos, Trader Joe's, etc.) and mix in fresh cherry preserves and TaDa! You've just created heaven in a bowl. The power is oddly unsettling. And delicious.

2. Wacom Tablet. I've forgotten how I ever drew on the computer without it. It took me a good long while to come around to the idea of using one, but halfway through my first semester of grad school I finally gave it a try and never looked back. It makes my job so much simpler. And while sometimes I do miss the days of starting every illustration with a pencil sketch, mostly I just love the seamless flow from the beginning of an illustration to the end. And it makes those times I do draw with a pencil/pen (cover illustrations, portraits, line art, etc.) a little more... special, I guess. One of these days I'm going to get a Cintiq and it's going to rock. my. face off.

3. Aveda Hair Products. THE best smelling hair products on the market. Bar none. Sure they're pricey, but a little goes a looong way, so they last for-ev-VUR. And they're awesome for your hair. And you get a free hand and neck massage every time you go into their store. However, avoid the free spritz of perfume - it's usually a little...earthy. I'd stick with the hair products.

4. Green. Probably my favorite restaurant in the Valley. (Although True Food, which I went to for the first time on Wednesday, ranks pretty high up there now.) They have an entirely vegetarian menu and, while I do love me some meat, it is amazingly delicious. I've never taken anyone there who didn't like it. My dad included. Granted it wasn't his favorite, but, when I asked him where he wanted to eat during his visit here last week, he said "Anyplace is fine by me. Even that weird place [Green]." High praise from Pops.

5. Emma. Because OMG how cute is she? She and my brother visited my parents a couple weekends ago. She's been picking up a lot of words lately and my dad was trying to get her to say "Grandpa." Her version? "Munchuck." Sure. So he tried "Opa," which is Grandpa in German. That one came out Pop-Pop, so I guess they're going with that for now. :) However, she can say "Where's Klaus?" (my mom and dad's dog) clear as day. Priorities, people.