For-arrgh

The title is my attempt at a pirate-golf pun.

Why?

Because friends Katie and Emily took me to Glowing Greens, a pirate themed mini-golf joint in downtown. Don't worry, copious amounts of rum were consumed before our athletic competition took place (I totally won, btw). I can't really even explain how amazing and perfectly "Lara" this place is. First of all, when you go to the door, there is a pirate greeting you. Don't worry, I took lots of pictures with him. You enter and walk downstairs, and all the sudden you are in a black-lit, under-the-sea world of enchantment. It's Pirates of the Caribbean without Keira Knightly fugging it up. The dudes who run the ticket counter were super hot, despite their jobs as employees of a pirate mini-golf green, and were generous with the compliments and eye-winks. They were kind of bros, but I'm pretty sure they had been those boys from 6th grade with crewcuts* and orange Gap hoodies who grow up to be nice, athletic gents who sometimes make my heart go pitter patter. ANYWAY, I digress.

Glowing Greens is pretty cheap at $7, and if you're willing to shell out an extra $1, you get 3D glasses that make the entire place even more magical, if that's possible. Fish swim off the walls! Treasure chests spill out coins and jewels! Marine plants shimmer in the waves! Kraken's threaten to pull you to the briny depths! I've never heard of black light golf, nor pirate golf, but the combo of the two AND 3D???? OUT OF THIS WORLD! Cheesiness at its best. It was like being on a ride at Disneyland, except you get to touch all the scenery. There is a series of photos of me with a shark that are best left undeveloped. Sorry that all the other, more appropriate, pics aren't available for viewing; it was Katie's camera and she is notoriously slow about posting pics to facebook.

*Yes, I still love Paul Walker. What? Like you don't??

Celebrity Children Update

If you're one of the 3 avid readers of Team Lara, you might remember that one of the Things I Like is Celebrity Babies. I love them a lot, and will even scan the pages of US Weekly while in line at the grocery store to see new pics of the Brangelina brood or, better yet, Jen and Ben's adorable little creatures, Violet and Seraphina. My fascination with them boils down to this: they wear better clothes than me, they have better hair than me, and they are extra beautiful because they are usually the product of two celebs who are extra beautiful to begin with (see spawn of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe). However, I'm not so obsessed that I'd have a whole blog dedicated to these pint-sized celebs, which is what this person has done: http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/. While I wouldn't create this blog myself, per se, I am guilty of browsing it from time to time. Don't judge too hard! Anyway, they have a list of all these celebrities and celebrity children, so you can just click on the name and see lots of pics of parent and child; a modern day Holy Family portrait, if you will.

I totes recommend the site for your daily dose of cuteness, especially for those of you who are sick of cute kitties and puppies and koalas and all those other furry creatures

Global Warming Alert

It's like 60 degrees outside and sunny, and it's only Feb. 5th. It would be concerning if it wasn't so radical. Today I've run outside, sat in the backyard and read while my dogs gnawed on rhododendrons, and almost fell asleep during my hair cut because the sun was so warm on my back. Hasta la vista, polar bears, let's keep this sunshine streaming!

Even Rodents Need Love

this is not my photo

Punxsutawney Phil, aka the Groundhog Day groundhog, is a very special furry creature. Besides being America's best loved weatherman (actually he's in a dead-heat with Al Roker), he's a fan of reading, a great friend, and a devoted husband.

Yes, that's right, Phil is a family man with a wife named...Phyllis. They live together with about 30 other groundhogs in a "zoo" outside of the children's section of the Punxsutawney Memorial Library.

However, all might not be well in groundhog paradise; a few years back, Ol' Philly tried to escape, and his handlers had to wrangle him back to his abode. Perhaps he and Phyllis had a fight over who got to chew on the returned copy of See Spot Run.

If you're as fascinated by this unique American celebrity as I am, visit his website. Fantastic! I wonder when he'll start his descent into LiLo-dom.