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?