"Mix your freshest, finest, clearest tints..." Jane Eyre

Mixing and matching can be exciting at times. While I am usually a woman who wears solid colors and tend to enjoy aspects in life that are uniform, I still love a good mix-up. This evening I am thinking about all things I love that are mixed and matched.

Pasta: There is nothing I love more than having almost-empty boxes of pasta in my pantry and combining the various shapes to form one big pasta dish for dinner. It adds texture and excitement to the pasta bowl, and eating it is fun because of the way the various shapes roll around in your mouth. It is also a novelty because its something you usually prepare in your own kitchen on a night of leftovers. I have yet to eat in an Italian restaurant that serves pasta combined! My favorite combination in my kitchen? Rotelli and linguini: curly cue pasta balances out flat linguini.

Red and Pink: I think many fashionistas say that pink and red together are a no-no on pre and post Valentine's Day, but on occasion I love this mix of colors on days that are not February 14th. The two-piece I bought for swimming this summer is a brown base with a burberryesque plaid pattern of white, brown, red, and pink. The colors work for me, people.

James Carville and Mary Matalin: I absolutely love that these two are married with children. I don't understand how they are married, but I love that they are. I can see a Republican and Democrat together under normal circumstances, but these two are not normal. They are both strong figures in D.C., and their book All's Fair In Love, War, and Running for President kept me in awe after each page. They were literally against each other in the Clinton/Bush campaigns. Personally, I have quite the crush on the bleeding heart liberal, Carville. Serpenthead or not, that man has charisma and a sweet southern drawl. I never miss a chance to see him on television. Some of his quotes are for the books: In the Clinton administration we worried the president would open his zipper. In the Bush administration, they worry the president will open his mouth.

Soaps: I have a bowl of soaps in my bathroom that contains a mix and match of soaps. It smells so good, and its enjoyable having a collection of soaps that I picked up from various vacations. I remember that J.Sarah had an amazing mix of little soaps growing up, and she inspired me back then to purchase a mix of different-shaped soaps. They were sold in Cederhurst Paper, of all places. They were all different colors and had shapes like butterflies and flowers and frogs. I still have my chocolate soap in my bowl from the Hershey Spa trip this past January. I need to go back there and get more. I really do.

Wine: Lately there is a trend of mixing various grape varieties into one wine, and I have enjoyed the ones I have tasted. Sometimes blends are looked down upon, but I tend to find a mixture of cabernet and merlot delicious with a nice body.

The All-Star Game: I always look forward to the all-star game in baseball; this year it is 7/11. I cheer for the American League, of course (there is an eight year winning streak at the moment). I am never surprised that there is at least one of my Yankees starting the game. This year it is A-Rod and Derek Jeter. Rivera was chosen to help relief, and Cano is in the reserves. I admit that it is extremely odd to see Ortiz and Jeter out on the same field, but I can deal with it for one evening.

Sushi: The best part about eating sushi is the freedom you get as you order. Anything you want, any combination. I tend to order a mix of a roll and then some sushi pieces. My favorite rolls are eel and avocado, yellowtail and scallion, and, ironically, a Boston roll. My favorite pieces include salmon, tuna, and yellowtail. Yellowtail is my favorite, chopsticks down. There is something about the buttery texture and mellow taste that is just delectable. I could write more, but sushi deserves its own post. As does sake. When I drink sake, I tend to feel just a little mixed-up...but in a good way.