Simply Breathtaking

**SPOILER ALERT** (kind of)

The only plans I made going into my Christmas vacation home was to go out to Charlie O's for my birthday and see Black Swan with my sister. The first was easily accomplished. Black Swan took some extra work as the snow kept us home-bound for a bit, and then there was Miki. How do you leave a cutie like that home alone?!?!

Well, we finally felt ready to head out for an afternoon showing. Natalie Portman's character, Nina, is emotionally complex. We are quick to see her need for perfection. Nina focuses on her form and movement, leaving the emotion behind the ballet as an afterthought. It is this exact issue that leaves the director hesitant to cast her as the lead in Swan Lake. His version has the lead woman play both white and black swan (I assume this is different from the traditional piece - let's check wikipedia - nope this has been the case since the 1800s), and from a technical perspective knows Nina is the best for the role, but is unsure if she can bring the passion for the seduction needed for the Black Swan.

Obviously she gets the part. If she didn't the movie would just end. For the sake of those who have not seen the film yet, I will skip over all of the crazy things that happen up until the end (but don't worry I am still not revealing anything you don't already know). Throughout the movie, Nina is being asked to prove that she is sexual enough for the part of the Black Swan. I have to admit, I agreed with the douchey ballet director, Nina just didn't have it in her. Her body emaciated body - from what I have read, is pretty accurate for a dancer - did not give off anything close to sexy. The movements did not draw me in.

But then it happens. The final sequence includes a very powerful Black Swan performance. Her movements have so much emotion behind them, that I began to really lose myself in the energy.

Just look at this frame. There is serious power and control being forced through the movement. Once the ballet began my heart started to race. I could feel my breathing slow down. Then after the final moment was over and there is that beat before the credits roll, I slowly took myself out of the reality that was created for me. I notice I have not breathed in and force a breath.

Over the last few years, I have noticed that I can get very invested in movies, tv and literature. Occasionally a piece moves me to the point of breathlessness. Coming out of theaters after this happens is always exhilarating and I can't wait to feel the same way again - kind of junkie behavior. I try not to go into movies expecting this, as to avoid disappointment. Seeing the previews for this movie made me think I would enjoy it, I never thought I would get so enveloped in the visuals, as it is shot completely with a hand-held camera and I tend to dislike that kind of jerky framework. Here it completely complimented the emotions Nina was experiencing, drawing me further and further into the plot.

In the end, go see this movie! I won't promise you will forget to breath, but I can't imagine you will come out disappointed.

Jerry Springer minus Jerry

Due to the intense amount of snow that has been dumped onto RI, my sister, our puppy and I have opted to bunker down in the living room. We each have things to keep us occupied; studying for the GREs, chewing on a bone, and reading magazines, but we all like having some background noise. Sadly, the only thing on this morning was a Bad Girls Club marathon.

Even after hours and hours of having it play in the background, I couldn't tell you the point of the show. There are seven crazy girls who were placed in a house and each is proud to be a vile human being. Stealing, fighting, shouting, bullying, and sleeping around are all activities these individuals love to do and talk about. I assume if you have lost all sense of self-worth and enjoy harming yourself and others, you get to be a "bad girl".

Occasionally one character will mention that another girl isn't "taking advantage of being here". She will continue to claim that she is at the house "to get better". I find this part to be the most confusing aspect as there are no teaching moments, no intervention, no counseling whatsoever. How these train-wrecks are getting anything more than 15 minutes of fame - which really should be downgraded to about 1 minute as I after a day of watching I couldn't tell you any names - is beyond me.

Early on in the season, I noticed that the girls never seemed to be wearing shoes when they fight. It brought me back to the Jerry Springer Show. In one instance, one girl got out of the front see of a car (barefoot) and pulled at the girl in the back until she was forced out to fight at a gas station. The girl from the back also toppled out shoeless, which lead me to believe that this production crew knows this females are the type who have nothing above stabbing one another with a stiletto.

My theory was confirmed when a fight broke out on the street where five ganged up on one and she pulled her shoe off to use as a weapon. She ended up getting beat down to the ground and subsequently kicked, which was horrifying to watch. In the end, this show is really about watching unhinged women attack each other verbally and physically over and over again. While I admit to having the marathon play in our house, I would beg Oxygen to get rid of the series, it is just an awful awful premise.

Hair Tinsel??

Who would have thought I would turn to the Real Housewives franchise for fashion ideas. In my defense, it is a tacky but awesome idea. Silvery tinsel like hair extensions. Adrienne Maloof, who is one of my favorite RHOBH, has been sporting such a do for the last few episodes.


Um, this outfit is amazing. Love it and her. The hair tinsel is just the kind of Christmas flair I need. Subtle bling at its finest. I seems to be on the right side of professional on the potentially tacky scale.

Google is God's way of letting us know where anything and everything we could possibly want is sold and for how much. Bella Via Hair Glitz sells 24" hair tinsel for $14.99 a pack (50 strands). There is a how-to dvd that can be purchased for $4.99. I'm glad there is instruction, but I am a little sad you have to pay for it. Oh well. Let's keep this on the back burner of possible awesomeness that I need to incorporate into my look.

PS - Merry Christmas!

One more THANK YOU

My birthday was super fun. I completely appreciated all of the shout-outs I received via twitter, facebook, and texts. One of my best friends from home and I went out for drinks at Charlie-Os, which has become somewhat of a tradition at this point. There is honestly nothing better than getting a pint of vodka soda for $5. We were able to enjoy about 3 or so before continuing our adventures, again, a $31 tab is really hard to beat when you know it covered 3 rounds of good drinks. :) Gotta love coming home.

Just as we were finishing up round 3, we ran into some people from school who lead us to new bars and more fun. It seems that every year we run into different people from the past, I view it as fate's birthday gift to me. I can't wait for the 10 year reunion, since we missed the 5-er, it would be nice to see how everyone is doing.

At this point my birthday is finally over and it is time to focus on Jesus. Christmas Eve mass, here I come.

Happy Birthday to Me

The December issue of Vogue UK featured a beautiful editorial entitled "Star Signs" which was photographed by Tim Gutt. As a Capricorn, (Dec 22 - Jan 18) I figured I should feature my sign. If there is some chance you haven't seen the entire spread, please indulge yourself in some beauty.

Best tape ever

The Christmas gifts I was so proud to have purchased so early into the Christmas season have been sitting in the corner of my bedroom for about 2.5 weeks. It is now my Birthday-Eve, which is Christmas Eve cubed (the 22nd for you lay people) and at this rate, I will most likely end up wrapping gifts at 11 pm on the 24th. I think part of my procrastination is that I want the wrapping to look awesome. I want to have embellishments like ribbons or bows, but don't have the goods on hand or the confidence that I will pull it off.

While surfing the web for wrapping ideas - time that could have been used for actual wrapping - I found a site for happytape! which might be the best tape ever.

At first, one might get some sticker shock for a $36 pack of ribbon tape. But just think about it. Imagine purchasing nice thick ribbon and rolls of tape, you so pay more than this. Trust me, I frequent craft stores enough to know that ribbon is not as cheap as you may wish to believe.

If I had to time to wait for the shipping, which clearly I don't, I would make the purchase - maybe another time...

30 seconds of fun

I have been told that I am a prime target for most commercials. I will laugh at almost any corny joke and love pop culture references. Recently I found myself ignoring the large number of recorded movies and shows in my DVR and begun surfing live tv. I stumbled upon a few great commercials which reminded me how much I love this medium and am so happy the CLIO Awards exist. Here are a few that I found to be particularly amusing:




As much as I was over the Jersey Shore once they hit Miami and lost some of their tacky charm. I do enjoy Snooki's pistachio ad. Great use of the tanning bed, now that she has to revert to spray tans to keep that natural orange glow. I don't understand how one of the pickle companies didn't think to snatch her up for an ad campaign with them.

What is even better than a Snooki commercial? One featuring Kevin Bacon! I have probably watched this commercial 10 or so times, and will admit that the first time I saw it, it didn't register that it was actually Kevin. Yup, sometimes I am a little slow.



Finally, the last commercial worth noting comes from Healthy Choice lunches. Really the best part is the beginning when the guy just makes the woman wait because he can. Part of my job requires me to work at a counter and there are days that I get annoyed at my clientele and will make people wait just because I find them irritating. Oh the joys of customer service...

Marc Jacobs Wake Up

Ok, here goes, let's get some blogging done. While fishing through all the websites, articles, and pictures I have bookmarked over the last week, I figured why not start with something super colorful and easy.


Marc Jacob's 2011 spring collection was presented recently, I like it a lot. For some reason when I watch this show, the models look to be even taller than usual. I don't know if it has to do with the proportions or what, but seriously, they look like they could be pushing 7 feet!

In case you were unaware, boobs are in this season. Shear tops have been popping up more and more this season. It's a shame these clothes are just impractical for the real world because they are breath-taking.

Love the palette and that the show didn't go full force with the neons, but had some beautiful chocolate pieces mixed in.

GAAHHHHHH

Hit the "skip to :47 seconds" image in the video to get to the trailer. But I just saw the Pirates of the Caribbean 4 trailer for the first time and I am beyond excited. Penelope Cruz looks amazing, Keira who???




This past weekend was amazing, I will be posting about the Snowball Gala, SSR, betteroffbowling, and Christmas shopping later this week. Ok, probably not until Friday as I have a major amount of Economics to do by Thursday. Tootles!

Christmas Classic

I remember the first time I heard this song I was dishdogging it for the catering company I worked at during the summer. We were back at the shop late at night washing up all the pots and knives. Scalding water is much more bearable if you are also listening to a rad mix-cd. Intertwined with the latest summer jams, crazy techno and classic songs was Dominick the Donkey. Honestly the hee-haws are my favorite part. Hope you enjoyed

Welcome Christmas Glee style

"A Very Glee Christmas" was on this week. It was quite possibly my favorite Christmas episode that I have seen on tv. The episode touched on the classic Christmas videos with music from Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer and The How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and themes from the latter. Brittney made a fantastic Cindy Lou Who, this was the best image I could find of her.

The whole episode brought me tons of joy as they cast constantly broke out in the Christmas songs I love, starting with "The Island of Misfit Toys" and ending with my all time favorite "Welcome Christmas".

Seriously, I get goosebumps whenever I hear this play. It is also one of those things that I don't really think Christmas is coming until this song plays - similar to how I don't acknowledge that I am home in RI until I see the Brooks (or Rite Aid now) that is 2 miles from my parents house. Those Whos really know the meaning of the holiday. Just thinking about the song and my arm hair is sticking up again!

To the MOON

December is my birthday month. Due to my own stubborn behavior, my birthday is just 2 days shy of Christmas (I was due on the 8th!), which means celebrating on my actual birthday is pretty much off the table. Instead, I try and go out with as many friends as possible throughout the month of December. This morning, I realized that with school, intramural, and the holidays, there weren't many days left open to do just this, so I sent out an email to my 3 closest friends to see if we could do our annual Margaritas and Me dinner.

One friend said she had another birthday that night at Howl at the Moon but she should be able to go to dinner first and then meet up with the other party after. Being the awesome friend she is, she invited me to come along with her and I figured, why not. I immediately opened up my Google Calendar to put this new event in. I just made the event the quick way, where you click on the time slot and just add the title, in this case "Howl at the Moon". After, I realized that I haven't been to Howl at the Moon and should edit the event with more details to include the address. When I opened the event I saw this:



Google Calendar tried to be so helpful by adding in an address based on the title of the event! Since there was a link to click on map I had to see if Google Earth has become Google Universe. Sadly, no. As far as Google is concerned, "the moon" is in Lexington, KY. Nice try Google, you aren't as perfect as I thought.

Stop Trying to Make a Sequel Happen

I would say it is a bad sign if the trailer of a sequel starts with scenes from the original flick. Unfortunately for ABCFamily, the only way anyone would know that this was Mean Girls 2 is to do just that. The cast is completely redone (with exception of Tim Meadows) and there are new writers, which pretty much guarantees this will be horrible.



Lindsay might have turned into a train wreck, but there is no denying that Mean Girls is one of the best films around.

Tacky has no religion

My mom totally has a kit to turn her car into a reindeer. I love it. It is super tacky.

I have seen the reindeer get up on a number of cars and even some Mack trucks. But prior to this morning, I have never seen a car topped with a Menorah. It was a relief to know that tacky has no religious barriers. Seeing a gigantic menorah speeding towards me made me smile this morning, which I greatly appreciated, since it is Monday.

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Repeal Day!

Google Speaks My Language

I use Google Chrome at work because I find the tabs and search features superior to other browsers. Often I keep my gmail going on one of the tabs. This morning I went to go check my email and instead of my ninja themed mail box I saw this:

Aw snap! The webpage was missing. I like that this folder is letting me know about the state of my webpage rather than that boring white page that says "Server not found". Way to be hip Google.

Donut mind if you got me this

Sunbeam makes a Donut Maker! In minutes you can go from no donuts in the house to FIVE fresh and warm circles of love!


The ad doesn't indicate if a recipe book comes with the machine itself, but I am sure Sunbeam wouldn't leave me hanging. Either way, I would have no issue researching the best way to create delicious donuts.

While this phenomenal machine is being sold for the low low price of $39.99. Normally, I would have no problem pulling out the credit card for this purchase, but it is the Christmas season. Therefore, not a ton of discretionary income laying around to provide myself with silly do-dads.

Maybe there are some Christmas (and birthday) elves (there are totally birthday elves out there don't try and argue me on that one) and I, too, can be a proud owner of a donut making machine.

Hell has no fury like a City Scorned

Tonight is the Heat/Cavs game in Cleveland. LeBron is making his return to the city he b*tch slapped on national television. I feel as if I have been reading about this game since the season began, and finally it is hear. The countdown has been almost as exciting as counting down for Christmas!

For the last hour, I have perused a number of online publications which focus on this event. (Note: at 10 am I googled LeBron James returns to Cleveland and got 4,995 news hits) I have to admit, Cleveland is as creative as it is bitter. The best video would go to the group that spoofed Lebron's recent Nike ad.



Even though I will be in my Economics class during most of the game, I will be silently chanting along with the Clevelanders(?), or is it Clevelandites (?), hh we will just go with Cavs fans. The third quarter song is quite brilliant if you ask me. I truly hope that this song happens and can be heard on tv.

I could have cared less about LeBron when he was at Cleveland, but after he made a spectacle of himself with "The Decision" I have grown to love rooting against him. Let's hear it for Cleveland!

Christmas is getting expensive

The 12 Days of Christmas is by no means a favorite Christmas carol of mine. It takes about three and a half minutes to sing, which gets exhausting, and the tune doesn't make me want to dance around the tree. Imagine getting all those gifts! Personally, I don't have the space for the 50 extra people in my apartment (12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing and 8 maids a-milking) and my lease only allows for 1 cat, not 23 birds (partridge, 2 turtle doves, 3 french hens, 4 calling birds, 6 geese a-laying, 7 swans a-swimming).

Additionally, I would feel bad for my true love as he would have to spend $23,439.38 to purchase the final round of the song. A group of people have been tracking the cost of the gifts since 1984 and just so you know, total costs have increased 9.2% since last year. Eeeep.

I went to see if I could find an enjoyable version of the song on youtube, and well, this is amazing. There is a gem of a moment around 1:30, I hope you enjoy it!



I mean who doesn't think of Toto when they think of Christmas?

A Greater Power Doesn't Want Me to Diet

After chowing down Thanksgiving weekend, I thought it might be in my best interest to go on a diet until the Santa Speedo Run. The run is on December 11th and I would rather look as fit as possible when running around Boston in a bathing suit. Last night I made a declarative statement on twitter that it would be salad and pilates for the next two weeks. I find that if I don't let a large group know about my intentions, I don't go through with them.

After tweeting, I went the Exercise TV section of my On Demand and found a 21 minute pilates workout. Did the whole thing, felt good, felt positive. My plan began to form. Salads and some pasta for lunch/dinner, maybe some oatmeal for breakfast. Maybe I should do a second workout in the morning. You know, start the day off properly, helping me get some bounce in my step.

Well, all of this has gone up in smoke. Why? Because while I was shopping around the grocery today, after picking out THREE different types of lettuce, I came across this:


You're seeing this right. Cabot is making a Smoky Bacon Cheddar Cheese. And a block of it is sitting in my fridge as we speak. I haven't cut open the packaging yet, but I can't imagine I will make it through another day. Bacon and cheddar cheese can't be good for my diet. A beach body in December is pretty unrealistic, I mean, I can barely handle one during the summer.

Five Pounds of Love

Meet Miki:

He is a Morkie (Maltese and Yorkie mix), was born on July 11th, and has stole the hearts of my mum, dad, sister, and me. This little dude loves darting under our feet and pacing around the house to learn the lay of the land. He has the best fluffy hair-do which flops over his eyes in a "I will cause all the bitches (proper use of this word) in the yard to swoon".

At this point, we know very little about Miki and his interests. What we have determined is that he loves decorating his crate with small items he finds around the house (such as a travel size tissue pack, and a fake cardboard cellphone from a cellphone accessory), and has a thing for all things made of paper. Don't drop a receipt around him, he will pounce.

I can't wait for my next visit back home so I can cuddle up with the ball of fluff. Seriously, try to resist this dude.

Black Friday

Thanksgiving was great. Per usual my family drove up to New York to spend time with my mom's clan. Things were a little different this year, as the main meal was held in a different relative's house. Fortunately it was just as loud and tasty as always.

Now normally, we stay Thursday -Saturday, but this year things were cut short. In and out Thursday and Friday. For a moment I thought that we were going to skip Black Friday shopping. It was quickly determined that we were going to stay up in Troy for dinner so nothing kept the women from heading to the malls.

The sales were great. I managed to get some gifts for the family, and, well, gifts for me. I need new clothes. Anyone crazy enough to pass up deals like this clearly doesn't live on a budget. As mentioned in my previous post, tights can really help stretch a wardrobe. New York & Co had a sale where everything was 60% off before noon. I got 3 pairs of new tights. Go me!



The tan tights actually are glitter tights. Sadly, couldn't capture the amazingness with my driod.

In addition to some new tights, I also managed to score some new underwear (always a plus), a dress, gifts for sister and dad, and a new Lady Gaga MAC lipstick as I have no clue where mine went. All and all, a very successful Friday.

....Oh, and this doesn't include the score I got from Ruelala.

Fancy Feet

In this economy, I can't afford to purchase new clothes as often as I would like. But one way I can spice things up is get a few new accessories to make old outfits pop. What is better than an eye catching accessory? How about a functional one! Socks and stockings are the way to go. They add just a bit of pizazz; maybe a splash of color or some extra texture.

I came across Hansel from Basel and was so impressed with the patterns that the company came up with. They sell socks, tights and bags. The bags I will pass up and ignore. The tights and socks pages, however, have taken up a good chunk of my time.

The Clemence Knee Hi caught my eye immediately. It just makes me smile tons. The price, not so much, but a girl can dream. Turns out that they do occasionally cut prices, I would be more inclined to purchase the Cable Knit Pompom Tights now that they are down from $42 to $26.50. Don't worry, I said more inclined, there is still no way I am jumping at that one.

Squeeeeee! I just noticed that there is a section on the website that lists all stores that have their products in stock. Low and behold, they are in a store on Newbury Street in Boston. Score. I was hoping to stroll down downtown window shopping the first weekend in December, so I might just have to stop by Minilux. Twist my arm.

Local Bacon Treats

The New England Candy Co is diving into the bacon as dessert market. Based on their website (via etsy) there is more than just the basic chocolate bar with some bacon bits. I mean there are reese's cup type treats with bacon. Oh wait, did I say bacon? I meant applewood bacon.

You know, my birthday is coming up and they have a "Bacon Lovers Gift Pack". Hint hint. It might be $45, but it is over 2 pounds of bacon and chocolate. Don't bat an eye, totally worth it.

Just as I get comfortable in skinny jeans

Tom and Lorenzo let me know that wide legged pants are back. I know that fashion is always changing, but I invested in my first pair of skinny jeans only last fall. After falling in love with the way they enhance my butt, my skinny jean collection has multiplied pretty significantly. As long as I am not having a "fat day" I tend to grab one of those bad boys over their more relaxed fit friends. One of the biggest appeals is that they fit so well under my boots which keeps me a bit warmer.

I get that wide pants are fluid and comfortable but in the end, they tend to look a bit messy. When you see starlets sporting them on the red carpet it looks like a mess, the whole time I just stare trying to figure out - awkwardly long skirt, or super ginormous pants?

Oooooophhh. I think I am going to dig my heels in on this one. Especially since I can't afford a new pants wardrobe at this point in time.

Another Fast Food Conquest

I can proudly say, I have eaten a McRib, and it as glorious. Ok ok ok, I ate half a McRib because it was midnight just didn't have it in me to chow down. Either way, it was pretty damn tasty. The pickles were a nice touch, but I would suggest holding the onions, they didn't add anything.

Bacon Egg and Cheese. My hero.

I am not a huge breakfast person. Cereal tends to gross me out. I'm not sure why, I only assume it has something to do with the fact that I like crunch foods. In general, it takes me a while to eat breakfast and the cereal gets soggy. Uck.

Then there is the pancake, waffle, and french toast arena. Again, probably do to texture, I am not a huge fan. I rarely will use maple syrup, and if I do it is sparingly, instead I often go with jams. It might also be the sweetness. Not such a sweet person, well I'm nice and charming, but I prefer tart or salty whenever possible.

This leaves me with eggs. As much as I hate the smell of eggs, they are by far my favorite breakfast main course. All egg dishes must be accompanied by bacon (super crispy) and some sort of potato dish. Breakfast sandwiches and burritos are a personal favorite, as it allows for everything good and yummy to be within a super tasty easily portable setup. Back in college Culpeppers had the ultimate sandwiches. I miss them terribly.

Sigh.

This morning I was having a huge craving for such a sandwich. Last night I had a lot of fun with the second round of kickball playoffs. I needed that bit of grease to get the morning started off on the right foot. Realizing I had no where else to turn, I pulled up to my Dunkin Donuts and went for the Bacon/Egg/Cheese.

Scary enough, I had never purchased a breakfast sandwich from any fast food place before. Something about those premade circles of egg just freak me out. But, damn Gina, it wasn't half bad. I'm pretty sure this delicacy will become a staple in my life. Thanks Dunkins. You never fail me.

Two plus two equals whore

Friday night I was put up as a lot in a date auction hosted by my kickball league. This was a last minute decision and caused all sorts of anxiety. No matter how many times my teammates promised they would bid on me I was still envisioning getting on stage and there being no reaction.

As the auction began, I continued to get nervous, the crowd didn't seem that interested. But when I went up there was some serious interest. There were a number of hands in the air bidding on me that were not my teammates, which made me feel pretty awesome. My fears melted of those crickets, and I decided to be my goofy self and dance around the stage (mind you there was NO music playing).

After the event finished, I came up with the idea that I should rent myself out on dates. I mean, people were interested. Why not make dating profitable? In about 20 seconds, I realized that dates + payment for dates = escort = whore. Oooopsie. Bad plan. Scrapping that one.

Hopefully I can think of another way to make some spare cash. It's the holiday season after all and lots of fun takes lots of disposable cash.

Endless Possibilities

I've done zappos.com, aldoshoes.com and piperlime.gap.com. Shoe shopping online is an addiction and I have it bad. For every pair of shoes I keep from an order, I return at least 2. Just as I was ready to throw in the towel on aggressive online shoe purchasing, I mean how can a size 7 vary so much!, I came across endless.com.

For the last few months, I have been coveting a pair of English Riding Boots. But nothing ever seemed quite right. I scoured websites and stores for the perfect brown boot. Anything good was over $400 and anything under $100 looked cheap.

As I was looking through the endless website (which was somehow emailed to me with an online coupon...I would love to know how they got my email address. damn the man!) I saw Michael Kors riding boot. Immediately I had flashbacks to Lord&Taylor's recent shoe sale where I overheard a salesman talk about a Steve Madden knock-off of this very boot. He told this group of girls, that the Michael Kors boot was unbelievable but the Madden was a decent replicate at about $60 cheaper.

I saw that these boots fell at a price point just below $200. For knee-high leather boots, that is awesome. In general, I try to stay around $150 for boots, but I was willing to go a little more for a quality that would be above anything else I had ever own. Before I could even acknowledge this rationalization for the purchase, my fingers were clicking away and BOOM the boots were ordered.

These bad boys showed up 2 days later. I have to admit, they are a little tight in the toes and the ankles are a little stiff, but I think they just need some time to be broken in. Last year I got a pair of motorcycle boots that had the same issues and now I wear them almost every day. Everyone knows, sometimes fashion requires some suffering.

Can't wait for these to completely mold to my feet. Best guesses, these boots will be perfect in about another month. Yay!

RAWR

Movies that center around women empowerment either come of patronizing or amazing. Made In Dagenham looks phenomenal. It is a film by the BBC based on real events regarding seamstresses fighting for equal pay. The cast looks perfect. Smee from Hook plays the lovable male who secretly or not so secretly supports and encourages the women to rebel.

I watched a few different clips from the film and I have to admit there were a few tears. As much as I hate history, I love history that revolves around feminist movements. Reading or watching events where women fight for equality just warms my heart so much and makes me want to find a cause to rally up behind. I know that the script is based on true events, but I really hope the dialogue at the end of the trailer real...I love me some extra sassy leaders.

Reporter 1: "What if the minister says no deal?"
Reporter 2: "Yeah, how will you cope?"
Woman: "Cope? We are women. Don't ask that stupid question"

It's called the juice aisle

I stumbled upon The Boston Shaker website when I decided I would rather think about Christmas shopping instead of homework. After flipping through the pages, I realize that I have been in the actual store in Davis Square. The owner was super nice, and friendly. Based on the pictures the store has really come together since I last stepped in. (They had opened up for the Midnight Madness Shopping event, they hadn't painted yet, and he was using ladders to make shelves...)

Anyway, the shop has a section containing gift baskets, and one is called "Mock"-tail Recipe Starter Set. I understand some people don't do booze, or can't - i.e. pregnant women - but let's just be honest. A mock-tail is never as good as the real thing, simply because there is no booze. There is no need to purchase a kit when a smoothie recipe book costs like $10. Oh wait, it comes with some straws. Now it's worth it...

Now I feel bad about this post since I didn't realize that the store was local until after I got ramped up to rant about how unnecessary a mock-tail kit is. Support local!

Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick

"Library Request Pickup Notice"

I opened my gmail yesterday and saw this subject headlining an unopened email. A few months ago I put myself on the wait list for a few books through the Minuteman Library system. I received one of these emails a few weeks ago, and was unable to get to the library within the 2 day window because of classes other after work commitments. This time I was able to stop and pick up the book. Now I hope I can find time to read the 435 pages of "One Day". Considering I have about 3 months worth of magazines sitting in my living room begging to be read, the odds are not in my favor.

Hopefully I can find the time. I think I'll start right now. Green Bay is kicking butts and taking names, so there isn't anything keeping me interested in tv tonight.

Good night!

It's no Law & Order

Based on the preview I saw this afternoon while watching football, CSI Miami will be killing off a set of reality show stars **cough**jersey shore**cough** that are visiting the city. I just set the DVR, I think this will be worth the 44 minutes of my life. I can't wait to see what their fake reality show cast looks like.

Panty Lines for the WIN

Gretchen winning Project Runway Season 8 is soooo last week. I know. Originally I was going to keep with my plan of staying away from that whole mess after I posted up my love for Mondo. There were so many blogs ripping her apart, and as much as I didn't want her to win, I do feel a little bad at all the backlash she is receiving.

For the last few weeks, I have been searching "Mondo Guerra collection" on Google with the hope that he will finally launch a website. Nothing ever seems to materialize. Instead, I end up going into Google News and start reading all that is out there about the finale show. Today I saw something is making me give Gretchen a bit of my blog space. Sorry girl, it what I have to say isn't too great.

I believe it was high school when I first heard about the horror known as panty lines. They were considered one of the absolute worst sins against fashion. Fortunately for me, I never wore tight clothes so my granny panties never were detected. Now that I am an older and more mature individual, I feel confident with my ability to pull off tighter pants which, of course, means that I have to go with the thong. My favorite ones are by Victoria Secret, it has a number of lines that have large elastic lace waste bands. Turns out Gretchen's models also are big fans.

How do I know this? Because in Gretchen's world, panty lines are not only in but she thinks we should be able to see the whole damn thing.

Ridiculous.

November 23rd - Calendar Marked

Lavin announced they are releasing a limited addition line for H&M later this month. There have been a number of designers pairing with H&M and Target. Usually, I know the fashion house, but this was the first time I was at a loss. After checking out their website, I realized that I might have found my new favorite if-I-were-fithy-rich-I-would-own-it-all designer. This stuff is fun, funky, and kind of perfect for my body shape.

As much as I think I love the clothes they have for sale, it might also be that the mannequins have some serious sass. The red lip, black cat eye, and red fingernails are a trip. Honestly, i think it gives the clothing additional appeal, as the forms make me think more of real women than a plastic mold.


















On a price point perspective, purchasing from this fashion house is out of the question. The Fashion Night Out t-shirt is $450.00 and the Jersey-Silk Sequin T-Shirt Dress is $3,550.00. Which brings me back to H&M and November 23rd.

The look book for the H&M line is extremely exciting and wearable. While I would love a good party dress, the item that my eye immediately went to was a fabulous t-shirt dress/tunic piece.
I would love to wear a fishnet type patterned tights and heels just because I think it would be funny. But this would be awesome paired with some regular black leggings or skinny black pants. The clothes are released on a Tuesday. It would a crying shame I got a really bad one day cold that day...

Amy Sedaris is pure joy

My mother sent me a to Amy Sedaris's new book "Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People" asking if I would be interested. The book centers around crafts for people with no money. I am taking this as proof that mother knows me well. She understands that a) I love crafts, especially tacky ones and b) I often tell her that I am poor - mainly due to my life choice of living by myself. I was thinking about posting about the book, even though I don't own it, but had been holding off. I am glad I did, because if this had gone up 3 weeks ago, she would not have yet interviewed with Wendy Williams.

Amy Sedaris is one of those comedians that I love and forget that I love until I see her again. Strangers with Candy was a great show, which, if memory serves me correctly, only lasted a season. Shame. Personally, I think she is the funnier Sedaris.

Anyway, she was on the Wendy Willaims Show. I have only seen clips on The Soup, but Wendy seems like a hoot and a holler. Having a wack-a-doo like Amy had to become entertainment joy. And it was.

The only other interview that I have seen of Amy was a few years ago when her first book came out. She was being interviewed on Chelsea Lately and decided this would be a great forum to discuss female health issues...with homemade props.

Amazon is not so good at being subtle

Work is slow, I don't want to do my homework, so what do I do? I surf amazon.com to figure out what I didn't know I wanted and/or needed. Every so often I will check in and see what amazon recommends for me. As I was scrolling through the page, I noticed that this website seems to think my culinary skills are limited to one particular tasty treat.

Can you pick up on the trend?

I will say, this has inspired me to create a new tasty jiggly treat, as it has been MONTHS since the last batch. First I need to find an occasion that calls for them. Hmmmmm, you know, I am pretty sure playing the wii on a Wednesday night is a pretty special event. Let's go with that!

Sexy Costumes

Since we are on the topic of sexy Halloween costumes, I wanted to throw my arms up one last time in response to the styling of costumes that are made for women. Even when the costume refrains from using "sexy" in its title, the female version is far more form fitting than its male counterpoint.

I have not seen the movie Avatar, so I don't know the habits of the blue people. Based on the costumes, it would appear that the males get to wear clothes, and the women don't.

Heavens to Betsy. Would it kill the manufacture to give the female population a break. Spandex is not particularly forgiving. These costumes are not made for the masses. The dude version gets not just a pair of pants and a shirt, but a jacket on top of that. Think of the layers he is getting. She will be shivering like crazy with her barely there blue skin. He doesn't even consider grabbing a coat, it comes in the kit.

Okokok. I am done. Just needed to throw that out there.

Happy Halloween

This year I decided to do Lady Gaga. It might have been done to death, but whatever, how often do you get the opportunity to go out in public without pants. While I realize that the lack of pants should put in the trampy category of costumes, but I would like believe that I still haven't gone the way of "sexy _____". After careful consideration, I decided to go with Poker Face Lady Gaga:


Per usual, I did keep with my personal life view of "go big or go home" and committed to leotard and hood only. Let me tell you, walking down the street to the house party I went to was a bit chilly to say the least. The costume was well received, and I even won "best celebrity look-a-like". Here are two pictures I took on my computer before I headed out, I figured I would spare the internet a picture that would include my bum.

Sad way to wake up

My midterm was last night. I have been somewhat dreading this particular exam for about a week. This dread upped dramatically after I attended the review session, that lasted 3 hours, on a Sunday morning. The one silver lining about it, was that I knew after it was over, I would head home and watch the season finale of Project Runway. I wanted to see Mondo win. During NY fashion week, I had seen some images of the runway shows via @tomandlorenzo who the authors of one of my favorite blogs. From what I saw, I was banking on the win going to the little guy, and this was when there was still 10 contestants competing on the show.

As soon as I got home, I settled down on the couch and pulled up the tapping on the DVR. As the show progressed, I began checking twitter, and all of a sudden my stomach dropped. The worst feeling came over me, and that was the idea that Gretchen pulled off the win. After the runway shows, I just had to fast forward to the end, because I just couldn't believe it, and didn't want to hear any of the judging blather. I was speechless. The judges were clearly on crack. They gave the win to Gretchen's ugly unfashionable dresses. Many out there in the internets have stated that she belongs as a designer for Urban Outfitters. Maybe I have just grown up in my taste, or maybe U.O. has changed its direction, but I used to shop often at those stores, and never once would I have considered these garments.

I think Jessica Simpson made the best point. If you were in a department store and there was a rack full of Gretchen's garments, you would walk right by, but if there was another rack full of Mondo's you would totally stop, pause, and consider. The line was described by the judges as too youthful. I was unaware that now that I am a grown woman, I should hate bright prints, fun fabric pairings, and general bounce. It was a real downer for me to climb into bed after I processed what I just witnessed. I had opted to stay up, not catch up on sleep, just to see what I would consider extremely boring clothes win a design competition.

When I woke up this morning, I was convinced it was all a dream, I didn't actually see the show and instead had some weird economics inspired nightmare. Nope. Sadly Gretchen still has the win. All I can say, is that 6 months from now, I will still remember the polka dot dress that finished Mondo's show which Nina and Michael hated for God knows what reason. My only complaint about the garment is that I would have a hard time adjusting my long gait to wear it. But I would totally get over that little problem, as the thing is absolutely gorgeous.

In the background I also loved the square dress. I think playing with dress shapes like that is brilliant and totally "in"

I think the other favorite, for me, was the plaid dress with bubblish skirt. This is something I would 100% kill to own and totally find any and every excuse to wear.

Yes, the head pieces were a little silly, but hey, even they were more memorable than anything Gretchen produced. The judges loved the jewelry she had FORGED but I thought it was heavy looking, awkward, and too big. I can say that I do remember those weird pendant things, but couldn't even tell about a single outfit they were paired with.

I send out my love of Mondo with this post, and hope to find his website online soon. For the last week or so, I have been googling him, but cannot seem to find his site. I would buy his stuff, I would even consider giving up booze and shoes for 6 months to save up for it. Just saying.

1, 2, 3 and to the 4... wives

On Sunday, TLC put on a Sisterwives marathon. Over the course of the last few weeks I have read a number of blog posts about this show and vowed never to watch it. But, like my Jersey Shore vow, I completely crumbled and gave the show about 3 hours of my tv's life. My only defense is that I was doing homework and so it was just on in the background. At the same time, I cannot deny the fact there were times I paused my work so I could rewind a bit to make sure what I thought I heard was accurate.

There are a number of reasons I would not want to be any of those women.Well there is the obvious, the 16 children - oh did you think I was going to say 3 other wives? - imagine being in a house where there is always at least one toddler!

After the kids, would be the wives. I mean, the kids come first, because I imagine the other wives wouldn't like it if I said, nope, not touching those brats, you deal with them. Because of this attitude, I think I would make a terrible candidate as a sisterwife. Dang.

The third would be Kody himself. What do these women see in him? He is pretty creepy. From what I've read he converted to a religion that allows for polygamy. I know people convert religions all the time, but my gut tells me this guy did it for the extra wives. There is no mention of attending services ever.

I know I have no interest in living this lifestyle. Additionally, I hate the number of people who are getting famous for no reason except they are happy to be a fame whore. I think I could have stepped away after the first episode or two. I had a small interest in the first three wives, but not enough to want to continue watching this feathered hair man court a fourth. No, what kept me watching and invest all this time to the show was a clip that TLC kept showing.

It centered around Kody with all his wives letting out a secret that the newbie wife was appalled and embarrassed about. My money was premarital sex, there was a lot of talk about how wrong it was for her to even kiss him when he proposed, and since she isn't allowed even in the big house until the wedding ceremony, I just felt it had to be something physical. Boy was I wrong. He picked out her stupid wedding dress. Ugh. What a waste of my Sunday. And now it has wasted a post. Shaky fist TLC, shaky fist!

Animal Prints Go!

Just got two new pairs of shoes. One pair is for work, the other for fun. Of course I would rather blog about the fun pair. As you can see I now own some zebra printed heels, and not only do they have an awesome animal print, but there is some awesome lace-up detailing on the back. They aren't as tall as I prefer, however, they aren't too bad. I can't wait to sport them out and about the city. If only I had a night that wasn't devoted to school, work, homework, or kickball.

Girls Night Revamped

I love having Girl Nights. As much as I love going out with a group of guys and girls, there is something about Girl Night Out (or In) that I just love. These nights are always full of lots and lotsof giggling.

Last night I went to a friend's house were we made dinner and watched a movie. The five of us helped to make mac and cheese, scallops, asparagus and apple crisp. Once everything was ready to be plated we snuggled into various couches and chairs to watch Iron Man 2.

The time before, was the BBQ feast and viewing The Town. If I think back one more Girl Night, it consisted of buffalo chicken dip, pizza and chick flicks.

I should hope by now, you have identified a pattern. Each of these nights, consists of food and movies. Alcohol also tends to make an appearance. As much as I enjoy a good dinner and movie, there are times I want a little more. Sometimes a theme is thrown into the mix, like, oh say, Twilight. But that doesn't change the fact that the night falls into the same pattern of food and film.

Fortunately, two girls from Indiana University have created a website devoted to girl night themes. Their nights tend to focus on home made meals (just like us) and crafts! I love the idea of this website and plan to frequent it before the next Girls Night In. I always complain about not having a belt to belt a dress, so maybe I will take a page out of Lazy Thursdays and have everyone make a Fantastic Fabric Belt.

Blogger Fail

Today after work I am scheduled to retake a Economics exam. Have I mentioned I am in grad school before? I'm too lazy to check, but if we are friends in real life, you definitely know this for the following reasons:

1. I haven't been going to Redline on Thursdays on a regular basis
2. I am severely behind in reading my magazines
3. Additionally, my dvr is filling up
4. Finally, I complain about having to do homework/study/attend class
   

Anyway, I can't bring myself to pay attention to supply, demand, or elasticity. I checked out a friend's blog. At this point I need to point out that she also uses google blogger. After catching up her musings, I considered my options; study economics or play blogger roulette by clicking on "next blog".

Of course I went for the next blog. I quickly went through about eight blogs in about 15 seconds. Why? Because it turns out if you decide to be a stay at home mom these days, you are required to create a blog around your child. Eight(!) blogs that center around the daily lives of someone under 2. These blogs were not about parenting, but about daily happenings in the life of a being that cannot speak. I get scrapbooks, photo albums, and home movies. But not these websites. Save the play-by-play crawl across the room to gnaw on some plastic object for your partner. The rest of us just don't care. I know that sentence sounds cruel, but let's face it, none of those women would be reading my blog anyway.

New Robot in the Nursery School

Do you remember Alfie the Playskool robot? I do. He was awesome and soooo hi-tech back in the 80s. There was no reason for me to reminisce about this lovable robot if it weren't for a commercial that I almost fast forwarded through. Turns out that Hasbro has decided to revamp him. I'm not sure how I feel about this new look. In the end, I think I still prefer the old look. But if I had never seen the original, this new round guy is pretty adorable.

Should be called "Overwhelming"

I got a new phone this weekend, since I was due for an upgrade on my verizon plan. This time, I decided to go big and get a smartphone. Before heading to the store, I thought I had prepared myself enough to feel secure in phone shopping, but like always, picking out a phone is more work than you ever expect. In the end I went with the Driod X. The phone is amazing, and very smart, I am not even sure I have begun to understand all that it can do. What I do know, is that these phones shouldn't be called smartphones, but overwhelmingphones.

During the first day, I had fun finding a Lady Gaga ringtone app and checking my email while on the drive to JC Penny's with my mom. But later on messages started coming in, and I wasn't always sure if I was reading an email, text, or direct message from twitter. I just rolled with it all and figured it doesn't matter how I am getting back to everyone, the important thing is replying.

I am still working on figuring out some of the basics, e.g. getting my daily alarm to actually ring. But, overall I am very excited for this new phone and am happy to know I won't have to worry about getting lost while driving in the future, so long as the 3G network is available to connect to.

PS I did get the bundle of accessories that goes with the new phone. My Droid X currently lives happily inside a hot pink skin and matching skullcandy earbuds (with mic) for hands free chit-chatting