my new favorite things

Despite generally hating on-screen violence, I think HBO's Rome is fantastic. I started watching it when Gary came home with me last week. It began as me humoring his interest in the show, mostly because costumed actors are usually not that cool to me. Within 48 hours, though, we sat through episodes 1-10, neglecting the remaining two episodes simply because of a lack of time. Procrastinating my fellowship application, I watched those episodes last night, and I found it very difficult to tear my eyes away from the brutal yet fascinating violence in the gladiator arena. Heads were decapitated and legs sliced at the knees -- and I loved it. Adding to the show's charm is the "Roman" vernacular, which includes sayings like, "Soldiers like us make girls wet as October" and "Her majesty requests that you enter her." No wonder it's up for so many Emmys!

Outranking Rome, however, is the Hotel Monaco in Denver. Gary's probably sick of me talking about it, but it was simply the best hotel I've ever been in. The exterior was nothing to brag about, but when you step inside -- oh! the inside! -- you're magically transported into this French whimiscal, Alice-in-Wonderland-type place. The motif of the room was stripes of every shade and width, drawing attention to the high ceilings and large windows. The hotel also had a six-year-old Jack Russell Terrier named Lily as its mascot, and Lily would play in the lobby and let everyone pet her. And the ultimate best part was that the hotel provides goldfish for your room upon request to "cure loneliness." (yes, there was free Starbucks and New York Times in the morning and free wine and appetizer at night and they let you bring pets, but it was all about the goldfish). I could have stayed there forever.

My last favorite item is Clif ZBars. I like Clif Bars once in a while, but they always leave this slightly-artificial taste in my mouth and a lumpy feeling in my stomach. Whereas Clif Bars are for adults, Clif ZBars are for kids, which means that they taste (and settle in your stomach) better than the regular bars. They also comply with California's recently-enacted school nutrition law, which imposed strict rules on the nutritional content of food served in public schools. In other words, they're not fatty, sugary, or salty, and they still manage to taste really good and satisfy my cravings.

I hope you get to try at least one of my favorite things!