Growly bear

Magnet #832 - Bear

This mean-looking bear looks like how I feel, like a dead stuffed bear of a girl.

My sister got me this giant bearhead magnet. I both love it, and feel sorry for it.

I love it, cuz it's a huge giant bearhead! It's so big, its snout fits in the palm of my hand!

I feel sorry for it, because as I placed it on the wall, I realized it looks like a stuffed bear head on my wall! Even then, it makes me think of Teddy Roosevelt, the great conservationist president with his stuffed animal collection.

Still, it's awesome, awesome, awesome.

And, it reminds me of how much of a bear I am when I'm on my sickbed. When I woke up this (Friday) morning feeling worse than I have since Tuesday, I was all set to head over to the ER. But then I remembered every late-night phone call that came to the house growing up, rousing everyone out of their beds, and realized that I should just call my mommy instead.

Center of the culinary nation

Magnet #720 - Culinary Institute of America

Nestled upstate in Hyde Park, NY, is the supremely awesome Culinary Institute of America. And not just for the cool student stores there, where they have all this cool CIA swag to buy. Mind you, I never bought anything, lest anyone think that I can actually cook...or, that I'm a spy. Hahaha.

The CIA started out in the 1940s in New Haven, armed with 50 students being taught by a chef, baker and dietician. And now, 40,000+ students later, it's definitely lived up to its goal of being the center of the culinary nation.

What I love about visiting their pretty campus is the fact that you can visit one of the six restaurants to taste the fruits of their students' labor. I've never done dinner, but have heard it's amazing. But no matter, because I love, love, love their Apple Pie Bakery Café - so, so, sooooo good!

I totally want to get my parents to try visit, my mom for the good food, and my dad for the good bread. They'll love it.

Now. If I could only convince my dad that he does want to visit the Roosevelts houses up the street there. He loved Teddy's house at Oyster Bay, but it just so happens that he agrees with Teddy's politics more than FDR.

An accidental presidential side trip

Magnet #248 - Teddy Roosevelt, 150th Birthday

It's TR's birthday today! For a guy people considered an accidental president (because he took over after McKinley was assassinated), he sure became a seminal U.S. President. Bully for you!

A few weeks ago, a friend and I went up to Oyster Bay. It was my second time in (on?) Long Island, the first being just after that European band trip almost 20 years ago. I know, I know. You'd think with all the big deal the Sex and the City and Gossip Girl made about the Hamptons and Sag Harbor, and blahblahblahtoorichformybloodcakes, that I'd have at least gone out there to see what the fuss was. One word: Beach. Here's another: Ugh.

Anyway, so of course, I pick one of the most cerebral things to do on LI, which is visit a presidential house: Teddy's Sagamore Hill.

First and foremost, let me just say that the National Parks Service should give their tour guides a raise. Hands down, the best guides - EVER. They know their sites, they know their history, and for goodness' sake - they CARE. Otherwise, why would they be giving tours to apathetic tourists, instead of earning a cushy salary elsewhere. Seriously. NPS, give the guides their due.

Our guide at Sagamore Hill was no exception. She gave a brilliant house tour.

Sagamore Hill was Teddy's rustic getaway that allowed him to leave the city and get back to nature...without having to go all the way out to North Dakota to do it. Known as the Summer White House while he was president, the house served to entertain industry giants and dignitaries - and he has the hardware to prove it. Seven-feet-tall elephant tusks. Rhino feet inkwells. Samurai swords. He even earned his Nobel Peace Prize (the first awarded to an American) by negotiating the end to the Russo-Japanese War - here at Sagamore Hill.

Like his Birthplace in the city (with possibly my favorite NPS tour guide), Sagamore Hill also houses much of his hunting trophies. It's so odd to think that the walls filled with such game trophies would belong to Teddy, the great conservationist.

Still, it's quite an amazing house. There's so much more to learn about this place, but you really just need to visit. It might be dorky as hell, but I find it's always quite of the awesomest awesome to be able to walk through the front doors of presidential houses to learn about the history of the rooms that lie beyond. Go visit. You won't be sorry.

And, no, pink's not TR's favorite color.