from raleighwood to hollywood

the TEAPOT is back!

occasionally i like to change it up with different blog posts, but don't worry--things will always come back around to the TEAPOT. it's kind of my signature move--you know, like the big mac is for mcdonald's.

great.

now i want a big mac.

for those of you new followers who have no idea what the hell i'm talking about: TEAPOT stands for three extremely awesome parts of today. however, today's teatpot doesn't exactly cover the events of today. that being said, i'd like to formally say a big F you to whatever google cloud picker is for giving me error messages and not letting me update my blog for the past few days. i'm not exactly sure if it's fixed, or if i just got lucky today--but keep your fingers crossed that things are back to normal. as for the teapot above, there's a very specific reason why the reference is a disney movie. i guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out!

1. take a hike

without a job and a lot of structure in my life, i've been looking for things to keep me busy (other than job hunting) and keep me on somewhat of a schedule. for the past three mornings in a row, olive and i have stuck to a very consistent pattern. we wake up, brush our teeth, eat a little breakfast...

her: salmon

me: a protein bar and some orange juice

and then we get to our business.

her:

me:

i know what you're thinking.

"wait...YOU voluntarily put yourself out into nature? YOU who would rather be watching reruns of wife swap and getting your hand stuck in a box of granola?"

you're right. i'm generally not the outdoorsy type.

okay, that's putting it lightly.

when my family travels to hawaii year every year to visit my sister, at some point in the vacation, they stick me on the side of some tropical mountain. i then spend the remainder of the hike texting my best friend and asking everyone how much longer until lunch. sometimes i don't even participate. i just stand around and ask what the hell i'm doing there.

however, seeing as i've been looking for some new activites recently, i decided to branch out (dad, i know there's a pun in there with the word branch but i'm going to pretend like i don't know that). the truth is that while i love a good long day of lifetime movies and pajamas, lately i've been feeling like some fresh air would do me good. it IS 72 degrees and sunny here every single day. i've done the uphill walk in my neighborhood more times than i can count, so i felt like i needed a change of scenery. through hiking, i've found that i like the kind of exercise that happens when you don't really realize that you're doing it. case and point: when i go out for a run, i'm pushing myself to do the actual running.

i'd rather be driving.

to taco bell.

when i'm hiking, i'm basically just walking up a hill looking at pretty views. i'm still a novice so right now i'm just sticking to the trail, but hopefully soon enough i'll move up to being chased by mountain lions.

no really.

the hike to the griffith park observatory is pretty simple. except for the fact that it's about twenty five minutes...uphill. but that's what makes it such a good workout after all.

my very first time on this hike, i was walking along looking for rattlesnakes--which isn't funny any more now that i saw a snake yesterday--and minding my own business when i saw what appeared to be aladdin's palace on the top of the mountain. it suddenly occured to me that this very building was the end point of my journey. i then wondered how the hell i would actually arrive at my fancy destination. would a mountain lion appear and ask if i'd like a ride on his back? would the genie and his magic lamp grant me the wish of motorized rollerblades?

nope.

you literally just have to walk.

turns out, the view from the top is worth every step.

but aside from the beautiful views, the cool air, and the amazing workout--on top of EVERYTHING, i'm so grateful that i saw this sign.

how else would i have known that it was illegal to share my ritz crackers with a coyote.

2. ebony gets a bath!

it's been a LONG time since i've washed my car. okay i lied, i've never washed my car. i've occasionally tidied up the inside and wiped off the north carolina pollen, but as for a full on scrub down, it just hasn't happened. i believe it was at the point when i realized that the amount of crackers and granola between my seats could feed every homeless man on sunset boulevard, that i knew it was time.