prêt-à-party

New Season, New Tunes

2009-10-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, hello all you non-existent readers! Last night I was playing a new song I'd found (and am now obsessed with) for Kyle. His only response to it was, "Would you just update your blog already?? That way I can know about all the new music you've been listening to lately."

He has a point. I've been slacking - and by "slacking" I mean... not trying in the slightest. But I've been bugged enough by my few (umm 5?) loyal readers to start posting again. So look forward to some new things on this space! And most likely a new layout as well.

To get the ball rolling, I made a new etunes playlist to catch you up on all the music I've been rockin' out to lately. Some songs are new, some have been revived from my old ipod, but they're all pretty awesome.

Happy October, everybody!

This just might possibly be my favorite month of the year. Autumn, pumpkins, cooler weather (well, a little bit cooler at least) and, of course, Halloween!

And, because I think it's silly to wait until Jan 1st to start making resolutions, I've made 2 for this month. (No need to go overboard, I think 2 is all I can handle at at time).

1. Answer or respond to every email/text/voicemail/IM/facebook message I receive this month. Because I do, in fact, love my friends - despite how terrible a communicator I can be.

2. Start blogging regularly again - My goal is 20 posts for this month. I can totally swing that, right?

Woo, already 1 down!

A Day In The Life

2009-06-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

I need this in my life! Time to upgrade from HERO I think.

(Via mindy kaling's tweet)

Question: How long are people usually obsessed with Rock Band before they put it in their closet and forget about it forever? A week? a month? Anyone have it? Let me know! I think I would be hyped up about it for a while if I got The Beatles version....

Coo-coo-ka-choo.

Less Hunky Vampires & Teen Wolf

2009-06-01T10:45:00.001-07:00

If you think I didn't rewind this like 3 times during the MTV movie awards last night... well then you obviously don't know me very well!

I can't describe my tween-like obsession for this saga -- all I can say is YEA Jacob Black! I can't wait!!! ....Okay, I'm done. I've already embarrassed myself enough already with this insane love for all things Cullen.

I also watched the below video 3 times... and I'm not going to lie, I would've been fine if they had just punked us all with this and not shown the real trailer at all. Because really, Andy is right, I need to get a life and not be so Twilight Crazy. Teen Wolf is just as cool sometimes.

MTV Shows

ps - How is Taylor Lautner the only normal person out of this entire crew? Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart seem like they can barely function as human beings let alone speak in public. Wow... can we awkward? and absolutely awesome and HILARIOUS? ok.

pps - Although I would be less likely to stumble through a speech, I'm admitting now, that I would be the one to drop my award as well. Whoops!

Taking Woodstock

2009-04-29T14:52:00.001-07:00

Perhaps I should get some other hobbies besides tv and movies but....i like them the best, so you all will just have to deal with it.

So enjoy yet another trailer of a film that I'm very much looking forward to this summer. Taking Woodstock - I believe it just might become one of my favorites.

+++'s on this flick:

+ emile hirsch! i love himmmm

+ demitri martin looks like he could actually be a good actor that i'd enjoy watching rather than just a kinda-but-not-entirely-funny sketch comedian from comedy central.

+ i love when movies are set around the area that i grew up (So... counting this, that'll be like, what, 2 films now? yea, dirty dancing!)

+ um, it's about woodstock - it has to be good!

Tonight

2009-04-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

A few songs I've been rockin out to today. The first of which I've been playing on serious repeat. Lykke Li is wonderful (thanks, Vijay!)

flickr photos // valkus and .RIOT.

Happy Good Friday!

2009-04-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

I know it's not really friday but I have off from work tomorrow so technically it is! Thus, I thought I'd post a few trailers for you all to enjoy over the weekend.

First, Extract. Have I mentioned my unconditional love for Jason Bateman yet? I think I have.... And, wait. Kristen Wiig is playing something other than the shrewdly sarcastic type? This should be interesting - slash hilariously awesome!

I've also come to the quick realization that JK Simmons is comedy gold.

Then we have Away We Go. I loveee Sam Mendes. And I am SO psyched about this entire cast (with the initial exception of Maya Rudolph). I was never a fan of hers on SNL but she actually looks like she could do really well in this - maybe it just takes the right role.

Oh John Krasinski... I will always love you. And, I think Alexi Murdoch's music would probably make any film look beautiful.

Zooey Love

2009-03-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

I know, I know - I guess it's trailer day here at pret-a-party. Sorry, but I couldn't resist. I just love this girl! Zooey Deschanel has stolen my heart - I want to be her, she's so dang cute. I mean, just look at her bike. Don't you kinda want to be her too?

Here are two trailers for her upcoming flicks. Both of which I've put on my "must see in theaters with my girlfriends" list.

Gigantic

500 Days of Summer

"This is a house of lies!" - Almost Famous

Let The Wild Rumpus Start!

2009-03-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting 2 years for this...

...since I interned at Playtone and saw a cut of the special feature they were making on it. You just really can't go wrong with 1. Spike Jonze, 2. voice over work by James Gandolfini, Forrest Whitaker, and Catherine O'Hara, and 3. Henson puppet work. YES YES YES!

This is gonna be sickkk.

wherethewildthingsare.com

Also, in case anyone's wondering, the song in the trailer is Arcade Fire's Wake Up. After I heard it on the special feature I became absolutely obsessed with this song.

Catalina Wear

2009-03-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to be going on a short little holiday this week. Catalina is calling and I'm hopping on the last ferry to the island this afternoon with my boyfriend and his very fun siblings. The weather has been temperamental this weekend so I've planned for days filled with scattered clouds as well as beautiful sunshine (and by "planned" I mean I threw everything I could possibly stuff into a weekend tote at around midnight last night).

I'm an east coaster and so I stick with the tried and true when it comes to packing - I definitely enjoy the staples. I went with a little nautical theme for this post (I mean when was the last time I was actually on a boat?!) Please see below and don't mind all the stripes - they're just a personal favorite.

Island Vaca - by pret a party on Polyvore.com

Yes, I went totally sailor/gondolier on this. But instead of a red neck scarf I chose a big pink pashmina for some color (and in case it gets chilly on that ferry ride!) I love the look of gold flat sandals, although any severe walking around would require me to change into some sneaks.

All I need for lying on the beach is a cute bikini and some good reading material. I'm bringing my April issue of VF to read all about my #1 crush, Paul Rudd. Also bringing the very last issue of Domino with me :( Just to cruise through one more time... I have my madras tote from j.crew for carrying all my beach essentials. And if I have time, I'd love to make a new sailors bracelet for myself - my one from my Maine trip in '06 has seen better days...

I loveee the look of hard luggage. These sour lemon globe-trotter trunks made me very happy and would keep me in a sunny mood (even thought I"m sure they would be completely impractical to actually carry!)

Here's to an exciting trip with some fantastic people. I'll be sure to take some pictures and find some cute spots to share after my return!

Her Morning Elegance

2009-03-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone and happy beautiful Monday! My boyfriend's sister in law { also a Beth :) } alerted me to this superbly wonderful video this weekend. I can't believe I missed it on pieheaven but I'm so glad she got me all caught up! It's so wonderful, I've watched it twice in the last 5 minutes.

my favorite part is the jellyfish scarf :)

via/pieheaven

We Can Do It!

2009-03-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

I've had friends bugging me to make a new post. I know - I am not a fantastic blogger. I am sporadic and sometimes I'm just lazy. I'll get in a slump for a little and then I'll post five things in one day. I love this little blog and I'd like to be better with it... but I'm not going to kid myself by saying I'll actually be better -since I know I won't... But at least I'm being honest, right?

I found this Iconic Women Throughout History photo series in April's issue of Glamour. I love looking through photos like these because I just imagine the shoots to be a lot of fun. I'd love to be a star for a day just so I could do this. Prancing around like Mary Tyler Moore has always been a goal of mine obviously. And they seemed to have a pretty good roster of current hollywood darlings to portray all of these amazing women!

Alicia Keyes, posing as our new first lady, Michelle Obama.

(And, is that my little Teddy Roo with them??)

Paula Patton as Billie Holiday

Emma Roberts as Audrey Hepburn

(This is my absolute favorite photo. I love love love her pink balloons!)

Hayden Panettierre as Amelia Earheart

Alexis Bledel as "Rosie the Riveter"

Emma Stone as "Carrie" from Sex and the City

All of the photos look fantastic. I just chose a few of my favorites to post here but you can look through the whole series here. Definitely worth a glance or two.

Side Note: I laughed at seeing Lindsay Lohan's portrayal of Madonna. It just seems fitting since I really don't like either of them. Were the 80s really devoid of any other role models? I guess I'm not separating the Madge that once was and the crazy woman Guy Ritchie now refers to as "It" is now...

And Perez's post about how Lindsay thought she'd be on the cover b/c of this also made me laugh. Oh Lilo... what have you done to merit a cover lately? Anything? Please name one thing.

Oscar Icing

2009-02-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Here are the frosted highlights of my Oscar night.

I thought the opening number was pretty funny. Our writer, Dan Harmon, who we're working with on our pilot wrote all of Jackman's stuff so perhaps I'm a little biased. But I thought Hugh did a good job with it.

Really liked the made-in-my-garage-last-night look. Craigslist dancers, "I didn't see The Reader" dance, moveable baby curious Ben hands - All pretty dang funny. You can watch the full opening here.

And despite the fact that I don't always like Anne Hathaway too much, I do think she's a pretty funny woman and did a good job here. I was a fan of her Nixon.... haha, that sounds slightly innapropriate.

Ok... and that's where the musical numbers should've ended. The Baz Luhrman monstrosity was pretty unnecessary. And Hugh's "The musical is BACK!!!" line seemed, eh, not true. What musical? Mamma Mia? And a bunch of old musicals you sang that were made years ago? I didn't get it. And Penelope Cruz didn't either. (They cut to her making a very confused face after Hugh pronounced it the year of musicals).

I think these guys stole the show.

"A great man once said, 'To write is to live forever'. That man is now dead."

"Don't fall in love with me."

PS - Tina Fey looked amazingly awesome! I loved her dress.

Who knew Dustin Lance Black looked like this?! What is he, 16? What a cutie! His acceptance speech for "Milk" as Best Original Screenplay was probably my favorite of the night. (yeah, and he's actually 35).

Jenn, why are you looking so pained and unhappy? You're presenting at the Oscars!

Oh... Um, perhaps it's because you're standing RIGHT IN FRONT of your ex-husband and the woman he left you for. Eesh. Kind of awkward. And way for ABC to capitalize on it by showing like 4 reaction shots of the Ice Queen in her front row seat while Jenn presented Best Animation. I don't think any of us in my apt said, "OH MY GOD" more than we did during these 5 minutes of the show.

My winner for Cutest Acceptance Speech is definitely Kunio Kato for "La Maison en Petits Cubes" as Best Animated Short.

"'It's so heavy,' said Kato of the award. A native of Japan, he struggled with his English in good humor before a star-studded audience. 'Thank you very much. Thank you, my supporters. Thank you, all my staff. Thank you, academy... Thank you, my company. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.'"

Hahaha, I died laughing. A for adorable.

Winner for Craziest Dude From a Documentary Film - Philippe Petit.

"The shortest speech in Oscar history. Yes! But I always break the rule. I break my own rules very quickly..."—Philippe Petit

I really enjoyed the performances and was happy to see them collaborate the Best Song nominees. You can watch it all here. Feel free to skip the parts with Zak Efron. Jai Ho is sweeeeet.

"You look like you work in a Hasidic meth lab."

– Natalie Portman, to Ben Stiller (dressed as Joaquin Phoenix), while presenting Best Cinematography

Haha, nuff said.

Apparently, you had to bet $2000 to just make $100 off of Heath's win for Best Supporting Actor last night. That's how certain the odds were last night. Did anyone think he wouldn't get it? Let me know if you didn't! I thought the acceptance speech by his family was very heartfelt and is going to be one of those Oscar moments people talk about for the next 10 years.

I was half surprised to see Penn take home Best Actor. I thought his politically-powered speech was appropriate because of the role and liked his opener: "I want to be very clear that I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me, often." But I felt super bad for his wife, Robyn. He didn't thank her and she sat just beaming with joy for her husband, even though it's obvious that she's the last thing on his mind.

Favorite, Albeit, Most Predictable Moment of the Night:

Kate's win - and her line about practicing her Oscar speech in the bathroom with a shampoo bottle when she was 8 years old. Priceless.

Also, you had to love her dad, with his fantastic whistle. :) He had a pretty cool hat on too!

Besides these little highlights, I thought the program was bloated and it kinda dragged. Someone needs to hijack this event and give it the overhaul it so desperately needs. No huge surprises this year and 3 1/2 hours long. Yikes... But you gotta love them for trying - bringing Robert Pattinson on to present definitely got me interested for a hot minute!

Oscar Red Carpet

2009-02-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Obviously, this is all I'm talking about at work today so I might as well blog about it too. I wish I had taken a play-by-play last night but here are the highlights of my Oscar Night. We'll kick it off with the most important part - the red carpet.

Oh, Hi Frieda - I think you're the most gorg woman alive (Jana, you can disagree with me all you want but she is!)

I absolutely loved your dress choice - and think you're the only chick who could pull off the one lace sleeve thing (so pretty).

Also, Dev, let's get married.

I know you're 18 and all but in a few years that won't really matter, right?

It was the freakin year of the cream colored dress, no? But I think Taraji P. Henson won in this category. She looked fantastic and just so happy to be there. I really loved her pairing with the red clutch too.

Coming in a close 2nd is Marisa Tomei with this Versace number that she got shipped to her that day. I would have put her at number one but she just didn't have the same fun exuberance as Taraji - she looked kind of pissed off the whole night.... Probably because she knew she was going to lose to ---

my other beige winner - Penelope and her 60 year old dress.

Other ladies who hit the mark:

Anne Hathaway's fishy number...

And JA who also won for best accessory, JM... Hi, I love you.

Cream puffs who should've changed in the car:

WTF... I'm sorry, what is this? Hideous - Oh, right. My friends and I hated on this dress for about 5 minutes during the pre-show until we realized that it's just her and her horse teeth that we hate...

Well, we still hate the dress too.

But, she's just being Miley.

SJP - Pretty hair... boring dress. You think Pat Field would've helped her out for a big night like this? Especially when she had to present like a gagillion technical awards... I think Pat did give her the idea for the belt though - which I could've lived without.

Eh, go home, Jess. I don't know why you're famous and you look terrible. The black pumps (not shown) didn't help either. KThxBai.

ACK! Scary, hideous, alien monster. Tilda needs to find a new color. One that doesn't match her face and hair...

Boys I squealed for when I saw them on the carpet:

Oh, hey, boyfriend. :) Robert Pattinson. I was pretty pumped they sat him right behind Mickey Rourke. You got him awkwardly trying to hide his face from the camera every time Mickey was on screen.

John Legend looked really good, on the carpet and on stage. I was loving his performance.

Yay, Emile! Always good eye candy.

Other chicks I dug last night:

Alicia Keyes - hit the mark all around. She looks practically perfect.

"Yes, I know, I know. I'm pret-ty amazing." Meryl looked awesome.

I thought Vanessa Hudgens was pretty precious. Age appropriate and very pretty.

Too bad her boyfriend is in love with my boyfriend though... :)

Natalie Portman was looking pretty good too. Although, one of my friends pointed out that she always looks like she's about to cry...

And I kind of have to agree.

And, just one question I had:

Why, Philip... why? I don't understand. Bad hair day? Did someone shave the middle of your head the night before? You look pretty decent otherwise. Why the terrible knit cap?

But I'm going to finish on a high note. And give you my favorite outfit of, maybe, ever.

Oh, Mickey. You're just rockin' out. Doing your thang. And wearing your dog's picture around your neck.

And I freakin' love it.

I've Just Seen A Face

2009-02-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

I saw Across The Universe this weekend and am officially in LOVE with Jim Sturgess. This song from the trailer is one of my favorite Beatles songs & I was stoked to hear it in the film - the musical number was pretty darned cute too. If you're a fan of them (and don't mind all the Broadway-style dancing and such) I highly recommend you see this movie. Even if you hate musicals, but love The Beatles, I'm pretty sure you'll still like this movie.
Guaranteed or your money back!

Rub a Dub-Dub

2009-02-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

Yup, I've been completely M.I.A. and I have no good excuse - other than work has been hectic and we're getting ready for our pilot! - And I'm not even posting something original (totally stealing from my friend, Pete, over at pieheaven.NET. Thanks, Berg!)

Check out this gorgeous video by Keith Loutit. It's pretty incredible.

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

I'm in love with the song ("Clementine", by Megan Washington). I think it's just so pretty. You can check out more about Keith and his work on his Photoblog. And if you're interested, look here to see the effect he used for this video.

I was so worried about the little orange man! If you're like me, read Keith's blurb about the video to calm your nerves.

Courage Campaign

2009-02-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Saw this video today, via capucha's tumbler.

You can check out the site couragecampaign.org to see what they're all about. I read and then signed their petition. In circumstances like these, I don't know if petitions and things of this nature are taken seriously or even looked at by anyone... but I guess it doesn't hurt, right? Especially for a basic human rights issue like this one.

I feel quite helpless with regard to Prop 8. There's nothing you can do but try to let your voice be heard.

So, just thought I'd' highlight one of the outlets that allows people to do that.

I'm On A Boat

2009-02-09T09:39:00.001-08:00

Good Monday Morning, everyone. Instead of spewing out the hatred for this horrible Monday morning, I thought I'd jump off blogging about something a little lighter ... and definitely more humorous.

I resisted posting the other recently famous SNL digital shorts because I was sure my mother would yell at me {i *blank* in my *blank*}, but this latest short is a way less crude and almost as funny.

Enjoy! and I hope you're all having a better morning than I am.

"I never thought I'd be on a boat.... Poseidon!"

Rainy Day Game

2009-02-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

via ffffound

I wish I had remembered to bring one of these to work with me today. It's raining cats and dogs outside here in LA! The Hollywood sign that is usually viewable from my window is covered by thick grey clouds. I knew all the sun in January was too good to last. It's supposed to rain until next week!

This kind of weather doesn't make me want to truck over to the gym after work. I need to go home, snuggle up with some blankets, hot tea, my doggie and a good episode of The Office. Also (although I'm not an avid fan) 30 Rock features Jon Hamm from Mad Men tonight as part of his 3 episode story arc! This is a good thing for my Hamm withdrawal.

via GQ photoshoot

So, what are you guys doing on this rainy day?

Smarty Pants

2009-02-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

haha, wow. this is awesome and precious. Go Lola!

Cuteness Bowl V

2009-02-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

I was pretty sure everyone already knew about this - until my friend, Martha, questioned my Facebook status regarding this fantastic event from yesterday.

PuppyBowl V aired on Animal Planet yesterday during the Super Bowl. 2 amazing hours of insane cuteness. We kept switching back and forth between the game and this puppy play (between good Super Bowl commercials!) Here's a clip from last year's show. (Animal Planet isn't letting me embedding any videos, unfortunately!)

Jana was so against this program at first. "Why would you let dogs just fight each other for 2 hours? This is so creepy!" But after a few puppy plays she totally fell for these little guys as well.

Also, you obviously can't miss the Kitty Half Time Show either!

Stay Bleeping Calm!!

2009-02-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

Hands down... THE best cold open I've seen in a long time from The Office. They aired a new super special sunday episode after the Bowl. I had to watch it 3 times because we were all laughing so hard.

"The fire is shooting at us!"

Boss Super Bowl Slide

2009-02-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

How funny was Bruce's Super Bowl Slide during the half time show? I think he's so cute - and I loveddd this year's halftime show. I'm also definitely convinced this is why his show is already sold out in LA, even though tickets when on sale at 10 am today!

:-( Last year when I wanted to see him, they still had tickets available a week before the show! Argh, I guess with his Golden Globe, I guess he's just too Boss these days to not sell a show within minutes. Yeah... I couldn't resist the pun - and yes, I'm aware I'm lame.

Guess it's time to check craigslist!

Super Sunday

2009-02-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

After a HUGE save on my friends parts, I had an excellent Super Bowl Sunday.

I was in severe danger of spending the game at home with my sports-obsessed guy. We were running late to a Bowl gathering and he was not a fan of missing kick off, so we ditched the party and decided to just stay at his place. Not that being at home is the worst thing in the world, I just really love the parties on SBS - I mean it's like a celebration of the end of Sundays spent inside, watching hours upon hours of huge men hitting each other. Not quite the definition that most people have for the Super Bowl... but I think many women of SG's will side with me, and rejoice in the same fashion.

So, as I resigned myself to sitting on the couch, playing with Kyle's iphone for 3 hours while he watched the game of two teams I've never cared about, I got a phone call. Rach and Jana surprised us by coming over the hill to watch with us - and, to our delight, they brought TONS of frozen Super Bowl goodies with them! Pizza, wings, mozz. sticks, french fries, taquitos galore! Yeah, I really do think they cleared out the freezer section of Ralph's. They brought their party to Kyle's place and for that I will be ETERNALLY grateful.

Kyle was happy too... he loves taquitos. We were SAVED! We had a awesome time - watching for the good commercials, cheering for AZ in the 4th quarter and literally eating our faces off.

There were a couple great ads this year - ones that made me laugh out loud and such (PEPSUBER! - oh, so bad). But the one that stuck with me the most was Pepsi's Refresh Anthem.

Towards the end, Kyle looked at me and gasped, "Beth... um, are you crying?!" to which I quickly replied "NOOO..." and blinked back my over-emotional tears. Guys... I wasn't crying. REALLY. I just had something in my eye(s).

Yeah, okay, I don't really know what's wrong with me. I cry at Kay Jeweler commercials too. The music just gets to me! (damn that Vanessa Carlton, lol). I know, I deserved to get made fun of.

The other ad I was Super pumped to see was the trailer for YEAR ONE.

Haha, looks so terrible... and yet SO gooddd. Can't wait for my little Michael Cera!

Hope all your Sundays were just as Super!

Coachella

2009-01-30T14:27:00.000-08:00

excitement is in the air - as i've realized that my friend has a house in palm springs and i could possibly go to this without having to camp and be smelly for 3 days. yesssss.

KILLERS! :)

by Mick O

Tweet, Tweet

2009-01-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

So I feel a little old writing about this... but whatever, I never claimed to be cool... or young. Ok, I've definitely heard of Twitter.com and I do understand the basic concept. For those of you who have absolutely no idea what the eff I'm talking about, let me give you the basics.

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. People write short updates, often called "tweets" of 140 characters or fewer. These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.

Eh, to sum up, it's similar to facebook status updates but published to the masses from either your comp or phone.

The reason I decided to look into twitter today (the thought had never crossed my mind until this morning) was because of my drive to work with Ryan Seacrest. He was talking on his show about the website and how celebrities like himself are twittering around the interwebs. People follow celebs like Ashton Kutcher who dispense their twitter vomit every 5 minutes. Today's exploit? Ashton's neighbors are doing construction at 7am and Ashton is not a happy camper!

aplusk Jack ass 7am building a god damn fort next to my house f'in up my view and noise polluting the entire f'in nieghborhood with pounding steal about 9 hours ago from web

aplusk watch this sh*T http://qik.com/ashton about 8 hours agofrom web

Oh, Ashton - you crazy guy. (the link is a vid of him complaining about his neighbs.)

So back to my technological handicaps - I've figured out how to post... and obviously how to "follow" Ashton's day to day exploits (duh, that was the first thing I looked into) but... that's about it. I still don't get how to merge these comments with facebook. I don't understand how to use my phone with this silly updater. And I really don't get why I'm friends with MYSELF 10x! It makes me look a wee bit desperate and I don't know how to change it.

Here's my latest "tweet" as they call them:

BethMaurer i still have no idea what this is...i needs HALP! about 2 hours ago from web in reply to bandergrove

But at least I now have yet ANOTHER way to let people in this world know what I'm doing at any given point in the day. Because, really, I know you all care SO much...

Ugh. But, hey, at least there's now a new way to stalk celebs on a minute by minute basis... at least the ones who are bored enough to twitter constantly. I mean... really, Demi & Ashton? I think it's time for us all to find new hobbies.

any of you guys twittering or tweeting these days? let me know!

Etsy Love

2009-01-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

by pixelimpress

I couldn't be more in love with letterpress and printed cards. I really like the feel of letterpress paper and I love sending a card that looks polished and is made with care. I am going to try and take a class this summer that will teach me how to do some of the beautious things that are exhibited below. Valentine's Day is just around the corner (it IS, Kyle, so stop denying it! ;) ) - so here are a few Etsy cards that would be perf and lovely to send to the special people in your life.

by SugarStreetCafe

by DoALittleDesign

(a more literal version of the mushy sentiment)

by twinravenspress

(although... we all know, "robots don't have feelings")

by lizardnotes

("He's her lobster!" - they mate for life!)

by albertinepress

(the last duck is always doing something different!)

by chewingthecud

(come on, gotta love the puns for vday!)

by messengerbirdpress

by greenporchelights

by linocutboy

(You know the way to my heart)

by rarrarpress

(you can put the heart stamps where ever you want - good for a west coast transfer like me)

by SarahMarieDesigns

by maydaystudio

Yup, all cheesy and delicious!

Beets. Bears. Battlestar Galactica.

2009-01-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

Michael Scott: Okay, you know what? I will not donate my winnings to Comic Relief, since apparently, it doesn't exist. I am going to donate to Afghanistanis with AIDS.

Jim Halpert: The aid to Afghanistan?
Michael Scott: No, I mean Afghanistanis with AIDS.
Phyllis: Afghani.
Michael Scott: What?
Phyllis: Afghani.
Michael Scott: That's a dog.
Pam Beesley: No, that's "afghan."
Michael Scott: No, that's a shawl.
Dwight Schrute: Canine AIDS?
Michael Scott: No...
Creed: Who has AIDS?
Jim Halpert: Guys, the Afghanistanannis.
Michael Scott: Okay, you know what? No. No. AIDS is not funny... Believe me, I have tried.

I ALWAYS laugh out loud when I read this exchange from The Office's "Casino Night" - one of my most fave of fave episodes. I thought this would put a cherry on anyone's Friday. Even with MLK day off, it's been a LONG week for me!

I got this Fun Run box set for my brother, Jon, this past Christmas... which he absolutely loved - or maybe I just loved it?

Inside the funny mini-bankers box was the Season 4 DVD, a Michael Scott Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For The Cure shirt, a matching water bottle, a full script for the Dinner Party episode, and finally, a Support The Rabid rubber {Livestrong-esque} bracelet. I don't think Jon has taken the bracelet off since.

I think The Office has done a great job with their merchandizing - this whole box, which I found at Best Buy, was a mere $10 more than the DVD box set alone - nice score for me. {that's what she said?}

And because I'm such a sucker for it all, I was just browsing through NBC's merch site, hovering my mouse over everything, trying not to add EVERY item to my shopping cart. But here's what I'd get for everyone I know if I had the $$!

For My Brother:

Some more Tees for my bro, since I'm sure he'd rather get new shirts than do his laundry at school. Both Dwight-related, and I think he'd really appreciate the music/vegetable homophone.

For My Dad:

Haha, because he so is the best boss, and also because Dwight annoys the crap out of him, yet I'm sure he'd enjoy a bobblehead for his desk. {I think he just knows too many people at work who are actually like Dwight.}

For my Mom:

Serenity candles by Jan, because I'm sure it would help soothe her after a long day :)

For my friend, Rachel:

Angela's baby poster, because I'm sure it would totally freak her out. But I think she'd still put it up in her office at work in spite of that fact. YANKEE SWAP!

For Kyle:

Some more tee's - "You can't fire me. I don't work work in this van". And "Free Ryan". Because there is a definite lack of cool t-shirts in his closet.

A Kelly-homemade party gift for Creed - because he is Kyle's fave and who could resist that face? And an office sign, which I'm sure he'd put on his bathroom door or something.

And For ME!

An I Heart Jim Post-it Cube.... um, for obvious reasons.

Because I'm obviously a little obsessed - A Dunderize Your Cube Kit - complete with Mini Paper Shredder, Set of 4 Push Pins, Set of 4 Paper Clips, Mini Blue Stapler, Dual Memo Cube Holder, Pen.

And a 2009 Day-to-Day calendar, so I can enjoy quotes like the one above all year round :)

Martin the Puppetmaster

2009-01-22T18:04:00.000-08:00

I just found Coldplay's latest music video {on popbytes}, life in technicolor - made in a typical English fashion - with punch and judy marionettes! Very cute. I definitely had these for my own 6th birthday party, but looking back, I wish Coldplay had made an appearance as well. I would've been a way cooler kid.

Chris Martin's dance moves aren't true to form - there's way more rolling around on the ground during his shows - but I guess being a marionette has its physical limitations.

side note: This song is my ringtone. :) It's one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Party of Statues

2009-01-22T16:47:00.000-08:00

Is it that time of year again... already? I feel like I just did this.

Anyway, it's officially one month until the Oscars and the nominations are out people! Here are my picks - although this year's lot seems a little predictable - so I'm not really jumping for joy this time round. My equivalent is less like the superbowl this year and more like a re-run of real world: brooklyn that I was happy to catch.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

*Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor" (Overature Films)

*Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon" (Universal)

*Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)

*Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount/WB)

*Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)

Maybe it's because he won the GG, or maybe it's because Kyle CAN'T stop talking about this movie, or maybe it's because he's just so darn cute?... but I really think Mickey will take the win in this. Sean Penn is a close 2nd, but you can't deny that Hollywood lovesss a comeback story & Mickey's definitely got that locked up. Everyone I talk to has loved him in this and said he was incredible... but he's essentially playing himself so would I hope he'd do a good job of that?

Performance by an actress in a leading role

*Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" (Sony)

*Angelina Jolie in "Changeling" (Universal)

*Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" (Sony)

*Meryl Streep in "Doubt" (Miramax)

*Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (Weinstein)

It's just time... Winslet has been waiting for this for too long. There's no doubt in my mind that she won't win this year. Plus, Gervais always said this was the way to grab an Oscar. Never bet against the Holocaust. "We get it, it was grim... move on."

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in "Milk" (Focus Features)

*Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (Dreamworks/Paramount)

*Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt (Miramax)

*Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (WB)

*Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks/Paramount Vantage)

Another lock up, in my opinion. Don't bet against a dead man either. Especially when this character gave me nightmares for a month... and a nom exactly one year after his death? Wow, can't beat it.

side note: RDJ?? ...REALLY? haha, ok sure, why not. moving on...

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

*Amy Adams in "Doubt" (Miramax)

*Penelope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (Weinstein)

*Viola David in "Doubt" (Miramax)

*Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount/WB)

*Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)

Alright... I'm not gonna lie. I don't have any basis for judging this category. I have not seen any one of these films. BUT, based on hollywood buzz and studio lot speculation, I'm going to have to go with Taraji - give her some love, since I don't see Ben Button winning much else. My 2nd choice would be Marisa but I don't want to pick her for some reason. Perhaps I'll change my mind after I see The Wrestler tonight. I'll give y'all an update.

Adapted Screenplay

*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth & Robin Swicord

* Doubt, John Patrick Stanely

*Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan

*The Reader, David Hare

*Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

I finally saw this flick last weekend and WOW. It was so, so incredible. Everyone is talking about it, and with good reason. If you haven't seen it, you need to step away from your computer right now and go to your nearest movie theater. I fell head over heels in love with goofy looking Jamal and I think any other smart girl would as well.

Original Screenplay

*Frozen River, Courtney Hunt

*Happy-Go-Lucky (Miramax), Mike Leigh

*In Bruges (Focus), Martin McDonagh

*Milk, Lance Black

*Wall-E (Disney), Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon

Another amazing film. I saw this on a Friday and was still thinking about it on Monday morning... actually I'm still thinking about it now. This movie is incredible and I would've given it more props within these nom picks if it weren't pitted against so many other tough competitors (apparently it's hard to compete with dead people, drug addicts and underdog indian flicks). I cried during and after this film and can't wait to see it again.

Achievement in Directing

*Ben Button, David Fincher

*Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard

*Milk, Gus Van Sant

*The Reader, Stephen Daldry

*Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

Ok, I have a secret to share with you all. I really think Danny Boyle will actually win this category. But I want Gus to get this one. I think all the actors did such a terrific job and this is a movie that stayed with me for a long time - and I think both have a lot to do with this guy right here. Plus I had to break up the triple word score of screenplay/director/picture in my picks. What fun is there in having all 3 be the same?

Best Picture of the year

*Ben Button

*Frost/Nixon

*The Reader

*Milk

*Slumdog Millionaire

Despite all the hype of big productions like Ben Button or long-time directors like Ron Howard, there's no doubt in my mind that this underdog will win Best Picture. It's just too dang good to pass up. Jamal and Latika are my new Romeo & Juliet.

All in all, no huge surprises. I'm not upset about anything getting passed up. There have been a lottt of wonderful movies out this season and most of them all got nods in some form or another. These picks are what I'll be rooting for come Feb. 22nd and we'll see if there are upsets... but I'd be surprised.

At Last

2009-01-21T11:43:00.000-08:00

Oh... COME ON! Thanksss A LOT, Obamas. Way to shatter any dreams I had of using this as my first dance song for my {future and still very obscure - fyi, mom} wedding. Guess I'll cross that one off the top of my list. Fall in with tradition and use one of the most popular songs of the century for a wedding? sure, but now no one is gonna want to try to repeat a moment from one of the most televised and highly rated events in recent history. You've ruined it for everybody, guys. Although, just so y'all know, for my version, I wouldn't have used little Beyonce over there, I'd have invited this single lady for my reception...

...and I would've told her to bring her gray hat.

happy {new} year :)

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts...

2009-01-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

I'm dancing in my swivel chair.... It's finally here, people!!

Season 3 of Friday Night Lights premieres tonight on NBC at 9PM (EST). So get your butts to your television sets.

Here's the DirecTV promo for FNL's newest season. Fantastic!

The song is Tony Lucca's "Devil Town". I wish I knew who shot and dressed this - I love it!

Also, here's one more with Coach Taylor's speech - I dare you to not get chills.

Kyle and I listened to Bill Simmon's podcast (1/14) last night - He talked to FNL creator Peter Berg. If you're a fan, I'd definitely suggest taking a listen. They talk about how Taylor Kitsch is far too pretty.... um, I think he's just pretty enough. haha, yup. definitely.

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Wait!

NBC's Next Hit: The Store

2009-01-15T17:36:00.000-08:00

In celebration of The Office's return tonight, I thought I'd post this...

After I get ridiculously rich(ha), I will totally do things like this. I'll have random acquisitions all around the country, from little towns I've visited and stayed in throughout my life - stores, restaurants, whatever! It's all about saving the mom and pop joints.

Steve Carell just bought a locally historic general store in Marshfield, MA, a little beach village just south of Boston, which also happens to be Kyle's hometown. Steve is married to the quietly humorous Nancy Walls, whose family currently resides in Marshfield. Kyle would tell me about the times he'd seen Carell on the beaches... and I think Martha saw him at the hardware store once - apparently, Mr. Scott actually enjoys his summers in Massachusetts - not Sandals, Jamaica as previously believed.

Steve actually saved the store from closing down and now his sister-in-law, Tish, is running the joint (pictured above). He still plans to come back to Marshfield for the warmer months on the east coast and help out with the day-to-day. "I will be manning the cash register, and stocking the shelves as time permits!" he wrote. I think he'll need to bring Dwight along to give his expertise on sales. This store is probably in need of a good beet farmer's background and experience. Another future Office spinoff perhaps?

It just seems like such a cool thing for Carell to do. He just wants to give it a little update and have a place within the community that his family is connected to. He's not gonna swoop in and call it The Steve Carell Store and market his famous name all over it. He doesn't even live there. He's just saving a place from destruction, which will help preserve a small town's individuality. I'm totally on board and hope others follow his good example. George Clooney, feel free to buy the local granary of Gardiner, NY. My mother would surely approve.

You can read more about Carell's recent purchase here.

Edurelief in Mongolia

2009-01-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

My new little French friend, Capucine, is selling her adorable t-shirts to help benefit Edurelief in Mongolia. You can read all about the cause here or watch Capucine's video here. <--- a way cute explanation.

If you want to help Capucine help her Mongolian friends, so they can buy their books for school and have their own library, you should think about buying one of the really cute t-shirts she created! They are her one-of-a-kind drawings accompanied by some quotes from her fairytale.

I've looked through all the choices - I think there are 9 different shirts, in French and English - and these are my favorites.

"The crocodile ate the babies"

"The problem is, I love you"

Aw man, I wish they made the baseball tees in a womens cut too. Another great thing about these shirts is that they're American Apparel (translation - really comfy, soft cotton). They also sell the designs on buttons, magnets, totes and baby onesies.

So look into helping Capucine and her friends from Mongolia. I can't wait to get mine!

Ma Petite Capucine

2009-01-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

I've found a new adorable friend!!!

Perusing through Bliss' blog (see below post) I found an entry about Capucine. This little girl is one of the cutest I've ever seen - and her mother (along with everyone else who's happened upon her vimeo blog) has fallen completely in love with her. I've spent the entire afternoon watching all her videos. Best of all, she's French! Just a little French girl chatting on about her little French life - there just couldn't be anything more precious.

Also, it's sad to think that after 7 years of language classes, a 4 year old's French is far superior to mine... I'm taking lessons from these videos. Luckily there are subtitles! Check out some of her adventures below. I trust that you'll fall for her as quickly as everyone else has.

Meet Little Miss Capucine - She and her mother have eaten more candy than they were supposed to. Capucine tries to get them out of trouble before her Dad finds out about it. Watching this little kid trying to keep her mom out of trouble is the cutest thing I've ever seen. "D'accord?"

And here is a bonus video to Capucine's candy plan.

Once Upon A Time... Miss Capucine told the best story there ever was. Full of lions, Tiggers, witches, crocodiles and something called a "popotamus"... I was literally laughing out loud at this fantastic tale. "Le crocodile mangeait les bebes!"

I love how she talks about things going "amiss" - haha, what?

Apparently the phenomenon of internet dating is shifting towards the younger set - Here's the story...

Capucine's mother's friend, Nabil, has a little brother named Alex. Nabil wants Alex to marry Capucine. So he made two audition videos for Capucine to watch.

After showing Capucine the first audition, she said she was too young to marry Alex, so her mom gave it another try. Capucine's reactions to the video are what's captured below. Her first look is the absolute best! Her mom thinks they will be great friends.

Arranged marriage of 4 year olds has really stepped up with today's technology. "Encore!!"

PS - It's now a necessity that my future daughter speaks French.

Blissful Images

2009-01-14T14:08:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do (since my current job gives me non-stop access to the internet) is to find talented photographers and gorgeous images from around the globe. My latest find is Mrs. French. She has a blog, Bliss, that showcases her loves of photography, fashion and design. She also has an Etsy shop, blissfulimages, of some of her own prints. Browsing through her photos just made me so happy that I had to share some of my favorites with you guys. Everything is light and airy and the color contrast in her work is really, really delightful.

Enjoy!

I remember taking photos of cherry blossom trees for a photography class I took in college. Mine didn't turn out nearly as well as her set...

This is a photo of hers that was printed on canvas. I would love to see the original.

I gasped when I saw this photo - the texture in it is fantastic!

see the tiny moon in this photo? :)

To see even more fantastic photos by Mrs. French, she also has a flickr account here.

2008 Music Mash

2009-01-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm always so behind on these types of things... (I typically avoid morning radio... I prefer the ipod) but I thought I'd pass this along anyway. This is a sweet mix of all the hits of 2008 - *I Heart You* posted it and I couldn't help but snag it from her. Radio stations have been playing this mashup by DJEarworm. Take a listen to the music of '08 all remixed - the video is pretty fun too - and, of course, Coldplay would be rockin' the beat for the year. Woo!

Music Funk

2009-01-13T18:23:00.000-08:00

Alright, I know that these posts usually just invite a lot of criticism - look, I really can't help it if you've chosen the totally lame path of not being insanely obsessed with Twilight (Martha & Kelso - get on it!) - but I'm going to indulge in one last post that revolves around my favorite vampires.

I know, I know - my brother and some others will scream hypocrite! at this post. My former, (way less cool) pre-Twilight self would be mocking this post endlessly... But I've seen my evil ways and succumbed to the amazingness of these novels - it's my friends Jana's and ECB's fault really. I blame you!

Betsy bought me the soundtrack to the Twilight movie for Christmas. I got to see Twilight early last week and I popped in my new CD for the ride home from the theater. Unless you're a fan and have seen the movie, you may not get or um, really care about this post, but let me just say that it was an excellent drive home. The soundtrack is perfect. I sped home on the LA freeways, feeling a little high off of Edward's immortality, with the music blaring.

Before this great trip back to my valley home, I had been in a complete music funk for a while. Anyone ever go through this? You look at your ipod and you can't find a SINGLE song you want to listen to? I considered deleting my itunes completely and starting from scratch - everything was old, entirely overplayed and boring. I'm sure I'll come around to it all again, but I needed some life in my music; A reason to get out of bed every morning. (Jack Johnson's sleepy tunes weren't really cutting it - I'd just turn away from the alarm clock and go back to bed).

Now, I think having seen the film helped me get into a different frame of mind. If I had heard the soundtrack's collection of songs without being in that darkish, dangerous kind of mood because of Twilight, I would have written them off as lamer rock Linkin Park songs that I would never want to listen to.

Instead, I was loving them all -- and Linkin Park even has a song on the CD so I guess I should just shut my mouth! Here are a few highlights from the soundtrack, although I highly recommend the whole thing. I've become a fan of a bunch of these artists now, I'm completely out of my funk and it's all thanks to my silly obsession.

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

This has become my new fast car/work out song; My immortal Edward song.

Full Moon - The Black Ghosts

This guitar riff is just pretty - and I like when the beat kicks in too.

Spotlight (Twilight Mix) - Mutemath

The clapping is very reminiscent of The Shins... and the chorus break makes me want to fly through trees like Edward... yes i know, so cheezy.

Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine

This is just a supremely sweet song... I can't get rid of that Jack Johnson side completely. But it's refreshing and new at least.

FUN EDIT/ADDITION: If you're loving the phenomenon as much as I am... or are just interested in some new vampiric tunes, I would highly recommend checking out Stephanie Meyer's play lists. She has said that she can't write without listening to music and has created a playlist for each of her novels. The songs are stuff she was listening to at the time or things that inspired her during the writing process. Check them out below.

Here are the author's mixes for Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

Ok, I promise I'm done now. I swear...

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it)

2009-01-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

I knew Amanda from college. Like me, (and I'm assuming most other girls?), she's not the biggest fan of Star Wars. It doesn't appeal to me in the slightest - the only part I like about the whole trilogy is Harrison Ford and those cute ewok guys. The first three hold even less appeal - that young Vader can't act (not as cute either), and there aren't any furry, little muppets to keep me entertained.

Recently, Amanda was asked if she would watch the movies. she obliged but said that she already knows what happens. The video is of her response.... I'm pretty sure I'd have a similar response - although I'd talk more about Jabba. His ugly blobbiness left a very scary impression on me as a 5 year old.

Bad Movies I'll Probably End Up Seeing...

2009-01-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

This post is spurred by Bride Wars and Confessions of a Shopaholic - both of which, I'll probably end up seeing in theaters. The problem with this time of year is that it's Award season -- which, lucidly translates to a basic crying, draining, depression. Revolutionary Road? Seven Pounds? Doubt? Even Marley and Me! All movies you'll end up crying in.

So, to take a break from the doom and gloom that usually snags a golden statue, I'm looking forward to seeing the above titles which are a little bit lighter. It got me looking through trailers for other upcoming baddies and here's what I like so far.

17 again

Betsy could not possibly be more excited for this movie. Her obsession with Zac Efron is definitely on par with most 12 year old girls. She made me watch the trailer last night and, I'm not gonna lie, he looks like he could be kind of funny in this role. Zac playing Matthew Perry? Comedy Gold! But really I'm just excited to watch Leslie Mann (one of the funniest women on screen these days) and Thomas Lennon - my hero from Reno.

adventureland

This movie is just too much like the lives of friends I had growing up so I have to see it. Bill Hader/Kristin Wiig = insane winning combo. Hader's mustache alone is enough reason to see this movie. Although Ryan Reynolds :) and Kristen Stewart up the ante too. Yeah, I have a slight girl crush on her since she played Bella in Twilight - I can't help it!

new in town

I have a lukewarm-like/hate relationship with Renee Zellweger. I find her kind of endearing which is why I still sit through her movies but I can't handle her squintiness - which seems to just get worse with age. It's obvious now that your face can really freeze like that, lady! Cut it out! But I like Harry Connick Jr. and who doesn't love a Minnesota accent?

So who's with me on these? Popcorn's on me. But don't touch my milk duds - they're my signature movie treat.

Fine in '09

2009-01-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

And a New Year Rises Like a Red Balloon

photo by Star_Guitar

Happy 2009 everyone!

I'm back in LA (after a nice extended vacation with my family in New York) and I'm back to work. Yes, I miss the holidays already, but it was comforting to be home with the snow, the cold and the family at least for a little bit. Now I'm back to the sun and the palm trees - not too bad a trade for January, I guess.

I've determined that 2009 will be a great year (despite my aversion to the number 9 - yeah, I don't know why...). Resolutions have been made (and already broken) but try, try again... ehhh, right?

Anyway, here's something I totally stole from here (love her blog) by popwaffle but I thought it capped off '08 really nicely. Pop Culture of '08 at its best... and worst. ("What if I'm the bad guy?" - going to see this TONIGHT.)

(and yay for waldorf headbands!) I also uploaded a new playlist for '09 on my sidebar so y'all can check that out if you want.

happy '09 guys! excited to be back... & in full force for sure!

ps - i miss kinda miss crazy britney, don't you? and my friend with the iphone is kyle (he hates that i am constantly stealing it. i can't help it, it's so useful!)

Pie Heaven

2008-12-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

Plugging my friend's stuff... because I can....

My friend, Pete, has an awesome site that is one of my daily bookmarks. His PieHeaven.net is described as such:

Pie Heaven is a compendium of the best viral videos on the Internet! Whenever my friends and I come across a hilarious or interesting video, we post it here. It’s the best (and worst) of online videos, in one convenient place.

Pie Heaven’s name comes from a Deep Thought by Jack Handey:

When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it’s not, mmmmmmm, boy!

Instead of it always having the most popular or overplayed viral videos on the net, pie heaven searches out the best of the best... haha, well... most of the time anyway. Check it out... I promise you could spend hours on here. Below is a mix of the best vids of '08... Is it bad that I don't even know a lot of these? Wow, I need to catch up my youtubin'! I feel so behind! Enjoy!

Busy Bee

2008-12-16T17:47:00.000-08:00

My blogging has been pretty spotty as of late... but it's this busy time of year! Changing jobs, birthdays, holidays and all the parties associated with the season... it all affects my internet use. It's amazing how fast this month is flying!

Here are two quick things that have also kept me from blogging lately.

Yup, I finally caved. I know this is probably nothing new and exciting to offer any of you but I wanted to note that I'm now into Twilight too... After months of all my girlfriends chattering on without me and giving great praise to this book... And then freaking out about the release of the film, I finally decided to give the cult obsession a try. I thought it was unfair of me to judge before I read it myself... even though I've been making fun of it for the last 2 to 3 months now. I bought it at The Grove on Saturday night and I'm almost done with it already (It's very rare that I read a book that quickly).

So, it's true, I've been converted. Edward Cullen can come save me any time. I guess you can't judge a cult until you've had a trial run with it...?

Kyle and I rented this from Netflix this week. My mother had seen it earlier and wants to give a copy to everyone for Christmas. I loved it. So heartwarming and funny... and so sad as well. Get out the tissues for this one. These are not your typical grandparents... although they are a bit more like the ones I have! Oh, and if you like Coldplay, just wait until you hear Fred sing it.

I promise my posts will get more exciting soon. Fingers Crossed?

Oh, Gnome You Didn't!

2008-12-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the day of decorating. Betsy and I spent the afternoon... as well as going on way into the night, purchasing and then displaying our Christmas spirit. Our first stop was the tree farm in search of the perfect Christmas tree... which we found by the way.

After posing for pictures (of course?)

And then, after a big spree at Target for misc. Christmas things, we rushed home, mixed up some holiday chocolatinis, put on Christmas Vacation and began our whirlwind decorating. After hauling out 3 boxes of christmas stuff from under the stairs, we managed to make the place look pretty decent!

This is our final product with regard to the tree. The tinsel is my favorite part to do - I feel like it finalizes the tree. :) Betsy and I started collecting our ornaments last year during our first Christmas together as roommates. We're happy to say that pretty much each one we picked out has a special story or memory attached to it. Yup, we're that dorky. Yesterday, I came home with a new ornament to put on the tree...

Betsy said, "Oh hang on, I bought an ornament for you today too!" As she came downstairs, she screamed when we realized....

she had bought me the exact same ornament... on the SAME day. We have obviously known each other for way too long. And are equally lame.... (aka AWESOME). So now we have 2 on our tree. :)

Teddy was so ready for this day! He's got his lumberjack hat on (it's plaid! with earflaps!!) and his "Merry Christmas" coat. He was so excited to have a tree in the house. He couldn't stop racing around the furniture, while periodically stopping to sniff this big green thing in our living room.

Here it is, in all it's glory. I think it needs more lights... (I always want more lights). And if you noticed from the better lit picture above, we have learned only to put cheap balls on the bottom of the tree - not our nice ornaments we intend on keeping for years and years. Teddy likes to chomp on anything within reach when we're not home.

But I've got to say, without a doubt, that my favorite new addition to our little home for Christmas is my new friend, Frank.

Hahahaha, isn't he great?! I found him at Target. I picked him up, squealing with glee, but Betsy gave me a death stare and told me to put him back. "Beth, that is the ugliest thing I have ever seen."

What, what, WHAT?! How could you even SAY that? I mean... just look at him!! He's grrrr8! Ha, and despite Betsy's best efforts, Frank somehow managed to sneak his way back into the cart right before check out. So my little gnome-y friend got to come home with us :)

I know, he's not cute. He's actually a little scary looking... But I think there's something really funny about having one kitschy thing out around Christmas time. It makes me laugh... especially because it annoys Betsy to no end to have him in our otherwise cute winter wonderland. But his candle lights up and he has made a home on the bottom of our staircase. He's the best little nightlight ever.

...And, no, you can't make me return him.

Surf's Up

2008-12-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

Is it maybe a little cliche that I want a surfboard just because I live in California? I mean I'd use it... I think. I've gone surfing before (semi-successfully). Maybe I'd go more often (um or ever?) if I had my own board?

Practical? No. Fun? Heck yes!

These seem like just my style too. London L Surf makes these perfect boards in Costa Mesa and I could totally see myself riding on (ok, more likely just standing next to) one of them. At the very least, it will be a VERY pretty addition to the decor of my beachy apartment.

They personalize them with monograms too! Loveee it. I'm a big fan of the chandelier print as well. They're fun and pretty and totally the kind of board for lame girls like me who just want one because it looks cute - not because I can actually surf. But I equate it to buying new workout clothes so you get excited to work out. Same type of deal...right? Okay, so this is a tad more expensive than a new yoga top.

Holiday Party Attire

2008-12-05T16:06:00.000-08:00

Ughh... Ever have one of those work days when, from the moment you walk in the office, you wished you had just stayed home? I've wanted to crawl into a ball under my desk and cry since 10 this morning. It would beat trying to fight back the tears in front of my co-workers - LAME. Blech - It's just been one of those REALLY crappy work days... and the worst part is that it's all due to circumstances that are out of my control. Ain't that always the way?

So, anyway, because of my super bad mood, I haven't felt very bloggy today. I also don't want to vent on here any more than I just have - people tend to get fired that way!

-------------------

But here's something I was working on earlier that I can post - December is the season of too many holiday parties. And that inevitably means shopping for holiday party ensembles. I have three events to go to this weekend and need a to search through my closet and figure out what I haven't worn yet to these yearly functions. But today, while I was going through my wardrobe in my head, my mind started to wander. What would I wear if I could spend the extra cash on a great party outfit?

A-List Holiday Party Ensemble by pret a party

I love red party dresses - especially during the holiday season. You need to avoid certain things though (like white or buckles, lol) so you don't end up looking like Santa Claus... but red lets you stand out and show off your festive side.

Also, living in LA in December allows you to get away with things like wearing incredibly short dresses and open-toed shoes in "winter". I usually go a little more modest for holiday parties but some of the ones that I'm invited to this year allow a sexier kind of dress like this one from Forever21.

I added some bow details to the outfit which gives the ensemble a holiday present kind of feel - you are your very own x-mas present! And an expensive one at that! The shoes are Stuart Weitzman and the clutch is Valentino. I kept jewelry to a minimum, just a few diamonds you know, which make a clean and put together statement. Perfect for the A-list event or red carpet.

Enjoy your weekends everybody. I'll definitely be grabbing a drink... or three... after this work day is over!!

eTunes Ultimate Christmas Mix

2008-12-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

I may make another one of these - I am overly obsessed, let's remember - but I whipped up some of my favorite Christmas Tunes to share with everyone for this month of Holly, Jolliness.

They are in no particular order but I've listed them below as well - in case anyone wanted to read about my attachments to each song! :)

Merry, Merry Christmas!

1. Christmas In Dixie - Alabama

When I was younger, my dad had to stay in Alabama for quite sometime for work. He'd stay in Montgomery for the week and then fly back to New York to see us on the weekends. Now, I don't even remember if he was there during the holiday season, but this song always reminded me of him.

2. Celebrate Me Home - Kenny Loggins

And on the other side, my mom lovesss Kenny Loggins. We grew up listening to Return To Pooh Corner, shuttling me to and from dance classes. So this song has always made me think of coming home to her for Christmas.

3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland

I have an obsession with Judy Garland and I think this may be my most favorite Christmas song. It's so sad, but she sings it so beautifully and watching her sing as Margaret O'Brien cries in Meet Me In St. Louis always pulls at my heartstrings.

4. Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg

Another sad Christmas song... jeez, I need to lighten up! I don't really know why I like this song, it's depressing, but I think it reminds you of first loves and that feeling you had as a crazy teenager - when you thought everything would turn out differently.

5. Carol Of The Bells - Transiberian Orchestra

Well who doesn't love this rockin' xmas song? It's badass for Christmas (haha). It gets you all pumped up when you have to brave the holiday crowds at the malls.

6. Home Alone Main Title - John Williams

Um, JW is a genius and I love all his film scores. Betsy and I love to watch this movie during the holidays and the light, tinkly music gets me all excited - it's all mysterious-y and fun.

7. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole

This may be like my 2nd favorite - I love a lot of the Classics, can you tell? - because it says that you can be a kid at 92 and I definitely subscribe to that theory.

8. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting

I didn't really think much about this song until I saw this scene in Elf - Will Ferrell's performance in this is the cutest. Now I always smile when this song comes on.

9. Sleigh Ride - Boston Pops

Speaking of smile, I always get a super happy GRIN when this one gets played. In high school, we would play this during every Christmas concert we ever had. I played the alto sax and I remember getting so happy when we'd play this together - it was always the finale and a crowd favorite. We even had the whip at the end - haha, it was my favorite part of band I think!

10. White Christmas - Bing Crosby

My mom bought the 2 disc set of Time Life Treasury of Christmas sometime in the 80s - anyone remember these? - and this was song number 1 on disc 1. It was one of the only Christmas CDs we owned for a long time and at the beginning of December I would love to take this out of the back of our console to play for the holidays. Bing Crosby is my Christmas childhood, basically.

11. Twelve Pains of Christmas - Bob Rivers

I remember playing this cassette tape of Twisted Christmas every year when we put up the tree - obviously a Dad purchase! When I found it on CD years and years later I gave it to my dad for Christmas and we had a resurgence of this awesome comedy album. The Jack Nicholson version of The Night before Christmas is pretty great too.

12. There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays - Perry Como

When I lived in D.C., I would play this song while on my way home for winter break. I just liked the literalness of it all - from atlantic to pacific - gee the traffic is terrific.

13. Believe - Josh Groban

Oh Joshy - my loveee. I adore the Polar Express and the music throughout the film is awesome. But this song just makes me really sentimental -- sooo corny, I know! But it makes me think about my time working for Tom Hanks and I was just so delighted that he was as nice and sweet in real life as he is on screen.

14. Mele Kalikimaka - Jimmy Buffett

Betsy and I went to Hawaii during the holidays when we were in high school and ever since then her mother would wake us up with this song during the holiday season when I slept over. Plus, this is a good song for my SoCal self this year.

15. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Michael Buble

Bubble! Another faveee guy of mine :) This is another sad song... but still a classic and deserving of a spot on my top 20.

16. Christmas Through Your Eyes - Gloria Estefan

I don't even know why I love this song so much... I don't even think it's a very well known Christmas song. But I become overly emotional when I listen to it so I guess it should be on here!

17. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas - Johnny Mathis

This song reminds me of a commercial for a store - like Kmart or Target or something... and it was this dad riding around and dancing with a shopping cart in front of an aisle of school supplies while this song played in the background. The kids stood there depressed because it was back to school time while their dad rejoiced. It always made me laugh... why are these random memories eternally engraved in my brain?

EDIT: I was wrong! I got my memories confused. No wonder this song/description didn't make sense. The song playing in the commercial is "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year..." That makes a little more sense, right? Another good one :)

18. Frosty The Snowman - Jimmy Durante

I would make my mother sing this to me every single night when she put me to bed as a child. It did not matter what time of year it was - it could be July - I still wanted to hear the Frosty song. Probably because I liked to yell STOP after she'd sing "when they heard him holler - "

19. Let It Snow - Frank Sinatra

You can't have a top 20 without a little Sinatra! That'd be crazy... We had a lotttt of snow up in Ithaca where I went to college. This song makes me think off our sledding days and snow forts.

20. Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental) - Vince Guaraldi Trio

Of course I'm going to end my Christmas Mix with a little Vince. This song is one of my most listened to on my itunes. It's the ultimate classic for me.

And, I know Martha will kill me for not having Bruce up there - I just couldn't fit it! So here it is, just for her. :)

Santa Claus Is Comin To Town - Bruce Springsteen

PS - You may notice that Mariah Carey is NOT on this list. This is not a mistake. Everyone loves that song....

....except me. I really dislike it - except when it's in Love Actually - then it's ok.

One for the Dogs

2008-12-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas and puppies just go together too well. Even though Betsy got our little Teddy man just before the holidays last year, I'm already jonezin' for him to have a little sister this Christmas. I know, I know, I'm crazy - but I just go nuts for these little guys!

Someone sent me a link the other day that has become a daily bookmark -- The Daily Puppy has provided me with tons of entertainment during work. I mean look at some of these!

Douglas, the Frechie

Winston, the Boston Terrier

This tough, little dachshund's name is Tank!

Come on, wouldn't you just loveee to find one of them under your tree this year? I would! Don't you just wanna smush em?!? Even Martha is getting into the puppy spirit this year! The post on her blog today is about the new chow chow in her life, little Kahn.

That's it, I need a chow pronto! All I want for Christmas is you.

Santa?

2008-12-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

I saw this Beard Cap on DailyCandy today and immediately linked it to Kyle. Now he can have the luxury of having a beard without all the annoying itching and constant trimming. Somebody's next Christmas present??? He loved it, but was appalled by the hefty price tag ($135 is sort of extravagant for a beard, don't you think?)

Chicago Dream Home

2008-12-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

My friend Chris and I are guilty of being pretty big real estalkers. We realized a while ago that one of our fave pastimes is finding great photos of homes in magazines or the Times and dreaming up ways to decorate or expand upon them. Chris and I have very similar tastes and when he sent me this link to a Chicago townhouse today I pretty much died. Here's the link to the entire gallery of photos but I wanted to share a couple on here as well.

I love the stone detailing against the red brick. I'd give anything to have a brick home... there is too much stucco in california... And the black window detailing ties it all together.

I had deja vu when I looked at this photo - it feels like Jack Nicholson's townhome in Something's Gotta Give or As Good As It Gets or whatever. It's got that sort of look to it. I really loveeee the dark wood mixed with the white banister.

Sigh, can I have a living room that sweeps out on to this beautiful rooftop terrace? The ceiling may be my favorite part of this photo.

This is so old world. Who has just a tub anymore? I want to go back to that now that it's seen as an extravagance.

The chandelier in the kitchen makes everything so fancy. Really adore the farmers sink and the window pane cabinetry. The wood detailing of the entire house is amazing as well.

And here we have the back terrace. Add a fire pit and some slingback chairs, a grill and some black iron patio furniture and you could have quite a fantastic BBQ.

And all for the reasonable price of $4,750,000. Perf.

"BE BETR"

2008-12-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

I groaned... and whined... and sulked to a ridiculous degree at 6:50 this morning.

"ughhh... it's too (expletive) early. I'm going to call and cancel my personal training session today. Reschedule or something..."

Yeah, as I've said before - NOT a morning person. It doesn't take much for me to give up if the sun hasn't risen yet. I have one day of physical activity and I'm already trying to throw in the towel less than 24 hours later. Luckily, I have a very supportive guy in my life who practically forced me out of bed this morning. "No, Beth. You can't prove yourself right - you said you'd do this. What would your bloggers think?" Well, frankly, bloggers, at 6:50 in the AM, I don't really care much about what you think at all! But the guilt from Kyle was enough to get me in my gym clothes and back into traffic once again.

Oh yes, by the way, traffic is NOT any better at 7 in the morning so my commute time is still the same. Ughhhh.... My morning drive consists of my little car inching along over the hill, through the canyon, with an severely frustrated scream emitting from me about every 5 minutes.

my favorite part of my drive is being able to crawl by this lookout

But towards the end of my drive, I found some unlikely inspiration - and on a license plate of all places! I pulled up behind a white Lexus who's plates read "BE BETR". Now, on any other day I'd probably take this plate's message to mean "Be better (in the LA way) and have more money, a better job, a nicer house, in a better area like the Hills of Beverly that you're surrounded by right now so you can drive a fancy Lexus like I do!"

But today I decided to skip the cynicism and take this as a positive and much less shallow statement - STRIVE TO BE BETTER - mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Challenge yourself to do more, go that extra mile, etc. And do it for yourself - not for anyone else. Do it so you can feel better about doing better. And "doing better" is all encompassing, really. You could apply it to anything - Like doing better at work by really staying on top of all your tasks or assignments for the day and completing every single thing early or right on time. Or take some time to call some friends and family you haven't spoken with in a while to catch up - I love out of the blue phone calls, even if it's just to say hi for 5 minutes. Or take your dog out for a longer walk than usual and enjoy the day outside - even if it's cold, snowy/rainy, enjoy it! Rain can be soothing :) (And then go inside and make yourself a hot chocolate to warm up).

For me, going that extra step this morning was looking forward to my FREE training session and getting the most out of it as I could. I walked into the gym a much more positive person than when I awoke this morning.... All thanks to a silly license plate.

December Loves

2008-12-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Happy December, dear readers :) My favorite month - the one with all my favorite festivities. I thought I'd just let you know now that this is a holiday post (of course) so bare with me. We've got a month more of these to go! Here are some of my festive favorites of this month.

1. I'll be Home for Christmas

My very favorite thing about the holiday season is buying gifts for people. It always feels so good when you find that perfect gift for somebody. Another good thing about this season is that stores will help you find that perfect something by sending tons of catalogues! Over the break last week I spent an entire morning looking through all the new catalogs from my mailbox. And this one (above and below) had to be my favorite. I love the feeling I get from these photos - homey and warm. I wouldn't necessarily want my home to look exactly like a Pottery Barn catalogue but a cozy country base would be a nice place to start and then branch off of with more modern touches. All the pages in this month's PB were gorgeous and made me want to purchase a ski home or something.

2. Voices Singing Let's Be Jolly

I've been resisting playing Christmas music since October but now that it's officially post-Thanksgiving the holly, jolly tunes are blaring constantly. At work, I have my AOL radio window open for the day. As a member (from back in like 7th grade) I get to enjoy AOL/CBS national radio stations and it has its very own Christmas genre! AND there are twelve stations of Christmas tunes. So instead of getting a little bored with 103.5FM's 20 Christmas songs on repeat, I have 12 places to go to for my Christmas fix. I know this is a little overboard and probably NOT normal, but if you are even at all interested in listening to some festive tunes, I suggest giving AOL radio a try. It's easy to sign up (costs nothing) and there's a lot of variety (meaning a lot BESIDES holiday music to listen to.) I also like AOL radio because it has regional channels I can listen to like my faves from New York, Boston or DC.

3. Walkin In a Winter Wonderland

I have been enjoying Alicia Bock's photos for quite some time now. But I thought that now would be a perfect time to showcase her wintery work. Her photos are amazing and you really should go check out all of them here, here, or here! But her snowy photos really hit home with me and make me miss the colder side of winter. Sigh...SNOW! :)

4. Nice and Rosy and Comfy Cozy Are We

One thing I miss dearly about the east coast is getting to wear winter clothes. I have a huge sweater addiction that I haven't gotten to exhibit in this palm tree-infested climate. They're not too necessary over here except for maybe 1 month during the year. But something I have gotten to take with me from the northeast to the southwest are my slippers. My go to slippers are Uggs - there's just nothing better than that sheepskin on your cold toes. But instead of showing slippers you've probably all seen a million times, here are some other faves I've been eyeing this season.

J.Crew Misty Cashmere Slipper

These look pretty silly without a foot in them but hopefully no foot is shaped like Ronald McDonald's... I would love to curl up by a fire with some of these on my feet to keep them nice and toasty

The North Face NSE Tent Mule Slipper

If you love the feel of NF's down jackets during the cold months, just imagine how cozy your feet would be with these guys! They come in pink, black, green and blue. They're like pillows for your feet!

Haflinger Slippers

in Sheep - ack! My favorite!

...and Doggie! - ack, Kyle's favorite! They're just so cute I can't handle it. I see a set of these in our future.

Kate Spade zzee Knitted Bootie

KS is the best with festive colors for the holidays. They come in a basic gray and a creamsicle orange too!

5. Let's Run And We'll Have Some Fun

Today was my first session at Bally Fitness. Wow... I've got a long road ahead of me. I got a free personal training session with my membership and it just showed how much I need to improve. My PT, Alex, was very patient with me as I huffed and whined, "I haven't done this in months, give me a sec!" I was really against the session in the beginning because I've always enjoyed my gym time solo. But Alex was very helpful and I'm actually considering becoming a client of his (I won't speak too soon though, we'll see how my session tomorrow goes).

I'd never thought about it before today, but a gym membership or personal training sessions would be a great Christmas gift (for anyone who's a glutton for punishment and is actually asking for them!). I'm wondering if maybe I could get a Bally's personal trainer certificate in my stocking this year? A plus about Bally's as well (although I commend anyone joining any type of fitness center) is that if you refer some friends and then they join, your membership is free for like a year! It's also a great New Year's Resolution gift too ;-)

And here is an extra special....
#6: My Friend, Martha.

Martha demanded she be one of my favorite things last month and I forgot to put her on the list! Martha and I are friends from college. When each and every one of us in our group of friends decided that we would move out to California after graduation, Martha packed her bags and headed to Boston instead to go to NE School of Law. Sigh... she couldn't be further away from us and we all miss her dearly, but she seems to be doing ridiculously well - studying, kicking ass in courts and wearing nice suits while she does it! Haha... I'm laughing just thinking about Martha - in a suit. weird...

The Battle Rages On

2008-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have been telling myself for months (years, even) that I need to jump into my "new" routine. As a tried and true Gemini, I have two very distinct sides to me. One is diligent - a list maker, a planner, a motivated and dedicated worker. The other revels in free time - can watch hours of television in her pjs, avoiding all tasks at hand, and would rather buy new underwear than do her laundry.

My diligent side wins out in the workplace. I have systems in place; files, folders, lists, calendars, etc., to keep me in line. Unfortunately, I think that because I use all my organized energy during work hours, by the time I get home, lazy Beth has kicked in to high gear. I find the nearest leftover take-out in the fridge, turn on the TV, and veg out after a long day.

This makes my personal life/environment very... messy, to say the least. My roommate and I have discussed our humorous Oscar/Felix situation. She is compulsively neat at home and I'm continually the guilty party if there's dishes in the sink or opened mail all over the dining room. If you stand in the hallway between our bedrooms, you can clearly see who's room is whose - one looks like a showroom in a model home, and the other looks like a storage closet.... no, seriously.

Sigh.

I hate lazy Beth. She's the worst. But for some reason she's uncontrollable. Lazy Beth is just so sly and manipulative that she'll reason with my brain, saying, "You've had such a long day. You really do deserve some rest. Just give yourself a break for a little bit." And inevitably Diligent Beth will concede and then sit back to watch Gossip Girls and eat ice cream out of the carton.

So my "new" routine... simply means starting some sort of routine in my life. Unfortunately, I am NOT a morning person - no matter how hard I try to be. I always have the best intentions but when that alarm clock goes off at 7 AM I just can't seem to move my feet onto that floor until 7:35. My routine involves being more of a morning person, but I have no clue as to how I'm to actually accomplish this on a daily basis.

However, at least for TODAY, this is my routine - hopefully to be implemented regularly.

Begrudgingly wake up at 6:50 AM
Throw on gym sweats and sneakers
Grab my nalgene, gym bag and hop in the car at 7 AM
Avoid all morning traffic down to Culver City by driving at 7 in the morning
Arrive at Bally's by Sony studios to work out
Shower and such afterwards; change into work clothes
Walk over to Starbucks to purchase my holiday drink of choice: NF Grande Peppermint Mocha
If time permits, accomplish any other errands before heading into work at 9:30AM

If my mornings were more scheduled, I would accomplish so much more and become a more balanced person. I am so jealous of friends that do this on a daily basis (Elizabeth, Martha, Betsy) I don't know how they're so good at scheduling their personal lives! But if my work self can be this way, so can my non-work self. I just need to get moving.

So who thinks I can keep this up more than a day?

Christmas Time Is Here

2008-12-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

Oh it's time - My most favoritest, loveliest most wonderful time of year. Although, being a truly seasonal person, it's always a bit weird when there's no sign of snow... or even cold weather... by December. But that's supposed to be a positive thing about living Los Angeles, right? 80 and sunny all year round!

Yeah I guess it's okay, but I miss all the seasonal implications of this holiday - warm mittens, hot chocolate, and fresh snow. So like many other Los Angelenos, I need to learn to get over these aspects of the holiday and learn to enjoy it from a West Coast point of view. Otherwise, you'll be walking around with this music following you for the entire season...

I should announce that Vince Guaraldi Trio's Charlie Brown Christmas is by far my favorite Christmas album.

George Michael in Arrested Development. Don't you love the snoopy dog house in the background?

So I guess it's time to move past it and try and embrace the decorated palm trees.

Vagrant Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

Our 2nd Thanksgiving in Los Angeles proved to be another huge success. Anyone without a home to go to was happily invited to our apartment for tons of food, holiday movies and football, and a festive atmosphere. We cooked for 15 people and stuffed everyone into our small apartment to enjoy the day together. I was so happy at the turnout and was grateful to see so many of my friends on this day. My brother took the train from Stockton and stayed with us for the weekend as well. The house was full of holiday cheer.

I think one of my favorite parts of this time of year is being able to decorate accordingly. Betsy and I really love to dress up the place for the holidays and I think we did a pretty nice job with our Turkey Day decor. I spent last Sunday gathering things from Target and Michael's in order to make our apartment feel warm and cozy for Thursday. Here are a few photos.

This was our festive table before all the food got shoved onto it. We had our traditional Crackers (I was happy to see they made Thanksgiving ones as well!) and I made a cornucopia for the main centerpiece.

This is our leafy stairway - created with some dragonfly lights, a length of gold leaf garland from Michael's, a branch of leaves I bought as well as some real fall leaves sent to me by Kyle's parents from Massachusetts! It was nice to have some authentic Fall in the apartment. We had a fall wreath welcoming everyone on our front door as well (that I forgot to take a picture of!)

My brother, Jon, in his Autumnal best

A slanted shot of all our food. This photo is a good depiction of the craziness of this holiday. We were rushing to get all the food out around the same time and have a warm plate for everybody.

Teddy in a food coma and in his holiday sweater

And even MORE food after all of that. An amazing dessert spread - the caramel apples were my favorite.

Yay, such a good few days off from work as well. And now that it's all done with, we can move on to the more important things... like my favorite holiday of the year - December. ;-)

The iPod Shuffle

2008-11-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

Kyle and I played a fun, little game last night. He was going through my itunes and with every song that he put on we gave one memory or thought that was attached to that particular song. We came up with some fun stories and I suggest to all of you that you do this every once in a while. You may find out some really random things about the other person!

So, because I'm a nostalgic soul, and a firm believer in musical memories, I'm going to do this with you all today. I'm picking 10 songs at random (via shuffling my ipod) and we'll see what I come up with. Plus I've linked all the songs so you can listen along as well! Also, feel free to comment on any of the songs with your own memories/thoughts

Ok, here we go --

1.Strawberry Swing - ColdplayOoo, good 1st pick, ipod! Great song to kick off this game. Strawberry Swing reminds me of my birthday! (Coldplay's album came out on my birthday this year). Also, we played this song while driving around Irvine on the way to the Coldplay concert. It was a gorgeous day in SoCal - the weather was breezy and the sun was shining. I was looking out the window thinking, I want to write a scene in a movie that looks just like this - girl lookin

g out the car window, driving past swaying trees and a glistening sun creeping through the leaves, while "it's such a perfect day..." plays in the background.

2. A Praise Chorus - Jimmy Eat WorldFrom this point on, you can assume that all my explanations start with "This song reminds me of..." or something like that. I think I got this album just as I was getting my license. Maybe not, but I remember being in high school and driving around like was a superstar.... to the outside observer, I'm sure it just looked like a really bad 16 year old driver, who was speeding around recklessly. But I thought I was pretty cool at the time. "I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go..." Such a pump you up kind of line.

3. When I Was a Boy - Dar Williams

My mother got this album as a gift when I was about 11 years old. I absolutely loved it, and like with most of her cooler CDs, I promptly stole it to add to my own CD collection... I should probably give those all back to her now that they've been added to my computer as mp3s - Next time I come home, Mom, I promise! This song was one of my favorites on the album - reminds me of summer nights as a kid, cool breezes and fireflies in our back field behind our house.

4. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer

My friend, Vijay! :) He is not a fan of music like this, and always made fun of musicians like John Mayer, but for some reason he really took to this song. Half of my senior year of college was spent listening to music in his room, and he played this song quite a lot. So this song is college dorm rooms and Vijay.

I had to include the video for this because it explains the memory. I got into this song during my sophomore year in college because my boyfriend at the time was in a fraternity - and for their charity talent show, all the guys in SigEp performed this - spandex included. Every time that song was played at a bar after that night, we all had to dance around and do a shot.... just to try to forget what some of those guys looked like in leotards...

6. Not Your Year - The Weepies

Before The Weepies reminded me of Target, JC Penny and Old Navy commercials, they reminded me of Kyle's sister-in-law, Beth. Yup, we have the same name (and, yes, I actually like that!) When I first started dating Kyle, we went to visit his brother and Beth up in Boston. I remember driving around Beverly, looking through her ipod and trying to remember the names of all the great bands that were playing from her stereo. The Weepies was one of them and after I got back home I downloaded two of their albums. So, Beth, thanks for influencing (and most likely improving!) my taste in music.

7.kanye west-jesus walks - Kanye WestI had this on a summer CD mix after my junior year of college so I always associate this song with driving around my home town while I was home from school. Unfotunately, it also reminds me of Kyle's silly flag football team during college. Our friend, Pete, even made a short documentary about the team (yeah, that didn't feed the guys' egos or anything...) and part of it showed how this song was like their pump up song or something before games? I dunno, but it inevitably reminds me of how legitimately serious they are about a FLAG football championship, :-P

8. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) - Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra will forever remind me of my brother. My brother is the kind of guy who should have been born in the 20s and been friends with the Rat Pack. He wears fedoras, suits and owns more ties than any guy I know. And did I mention that he's 18? He grew up listening to Sinatra and Martin and I thought he was a little odd when we were younger - why wasn't he listening to all the awesome emo/punk music I was into as a teenager? Ha! As I grew up, I wised up too and ultimately realized that he's probably the coolest person I know.

9. Whats Going On - Marvin Gaye

I had a professor in college, Don Lifton, and he taught Organizational Behavior, my 1 business requirement at IC. He was one of my favorite random professors during college, even though I only had him for one class (in which I did TERRIBLE in, because, let's be honest, I had a serious case of Senioritis by then and was already dreaming of my future in sunny California). He was always comparing business models to Marvin Gaye songs - He would write them on the board and then scrawl across it - WHAT'S GOING ON? and then he'd start in with the singing. I think it was meant to be a teaching method - the song should let the student learn the material better - but all I can recall at this point was his humorous voice and dance moves to Marvin's songs.

10. Christmas Song - Dave Matthews & Tim ReynoldsAh, a perfect conclusion to this list, and the beginning of my favorite season! So, I am what you would call a DMB fanatic... and I'll never really forgive myself for what I did one winter night in December of 2005. I was in my first semester at Ithaca (just transferred in from GW) and I went to see a DMB show up in Rochester. I met my friend, Jana, there and was loving the whole thing, until I realized that it was almost midnight, it would take me an hour to get home, we were in the middle of a BLIZZARD, and I had a 7 page Final paper that was due at 9 am the next morning. So I forwent the encore and booked out of the Roc early in order to skip all the concert traffic. I thought this was a pretty great plan until Jana called me from the show and held her phone up to the stage... they were playing this song and I had never heard it live before... and I haven't heard it since. Sad and kicking myself, I slowly drove home through the snow, finished my term paper and got an A... but was it worth it to miss that rare occasion? Eh... definitely not.

It looks like my memories got longer with each song! Now, okay, I cheated a little and skipped some songs, but not ALL songs have distinct memories... I'd rather have a fun and more interesting post than you reading about how this particular song reminds me of general things like "LA" or "Socks".

Had a Great Fall

2008-11-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

I saw Ricky Gervais' latest HBO Comedy stand up special the other night. I was dying laughing for most of it. The best part of this hour of awesomeness was when he read a leaflet that he had saved from the 1980s, which was given out to homosexuals at the time. I thought that was a little too racy for this blog but please go check out his whole show on HBO. I'm sure it's on-demand by now and it's effing hysterical.

The clip above is about the morals of nursery rhymes and how they don't even usually apply to children - Specifically Humpty Dumpty.

Enjoy!

Parka Dreams

2008-11-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

Starbucks has made it official - It's the Holiday Season. Yes, I know there is still 8 days until they release their "Christmas Blend" (SB are the ones counting down...I'm not) but the holiday decorations and Christmas-themed CDs are all out on display. And, yes, I bought the Winter Wonderland CD this morning along with my peppermint mocha... And my itunes is playing Vince Guaraldi Trio's Greensleeves as I type this. AND, I couldn't be happier :)

Anyway, the whole scene got me thinking about what it used to be like around this time of year when I lived on the East Coast. In order to bundle up from the unrelenting cold, all my friends owned coats like these...

North Face - W Metropolis Parka

When I first moved to Ithaca from DC I thought, "You all look CRAZY. These coats are NOT stylish at all." And no, maybe they're not but, come November, I quickly understood that these coats were not meant to be stylish - they were functional. And in an icy climate like Bomber Country, function trumps style every time. The parka became stylish because it was a necessity. Like Crocs or Uggs... (let's be honest, those shoes are not exactly pretty... but I own multiples of both).

The other day, I was shopping in Macy's and I came across this little item that brought up some frost-bitten memories of my Ithaca days. It's called the 3-in-1 Snuggle Wrap (adorable name!) and I want it! It's part coat, part sleeping bag and part down comforter. Stylish, eh...no, not really, but comfortable?? YES!

I think this is perfect for my West Coast winter because I would use it inside as a snuggley blanket while watching movies and, if it gets a little chillier, I can really dive in and zip myself right up inside it.

However, I wouldn't suggest ever wearing it outside in Southern California for fear of looking like a shopping cart lady/Helena Bonham Carter, or my cold friends from the East but I would totally use it to cuddle up with on my couch on a cold day. (Yes, we do get some of those in January!)

So, I'm putting this Snuggle Wrap on my Christmas List for 2008. I'm sure I'll have several posts to come that'll add themselves to this list... But this is number 1 because - as a tried and true Bomber who values necessity- I don't want it because it looks pretty, I want it because I NEED it!