Odds and Ends

Some random thoughts I've had in my head:

-I love making .41 in change. One of each coin :)

-I never knew what those 13.1/26.2 stickers on cars were about but now I do! Thanks all you bloggers who run marathons and half-marathons!

-I've been very moody the past few days. I don't know exactly where the anger is coming from but the smallest things are setting me off. I'm getting pretty good at

apologizing to Pants for being grouchy.

-I found out on Tuesday that the temp job I've had for the past 3 months, and I thought was going through the end of the summer, is actually ending on July 9th. This hasn't helped my anger and has thrown a little depression into the mix.

-I've been having weird dreams. One night my dreams were starring Kris Kristofferson. Yes, he is the man who starred in A Star Is Born with Babs. This dream also had Lavar Burton and a crazy elevator. Last night my dream had Eric from True Blood. Or maybe it was Alexandar Skarsgard. Not sure...I wasn't being bitten on the neck or anywhere else for that matter so I don't think he was a vampire.

-I recently found DailySquee.com and signed up for their newsletter. Expect tiny cute baby animals more often. Maybe I will make it a thing! Anyway---excited, get it!

-I want to try macarons! Anyone know a good place near D.C. to eat them?

Photo, Photo, Photo,

Traffic

Traffic.

I could go ON and ON and ON and ON and ON and I think you get the point. Living in the suburbs of a large, metro city, I've dealt with traffic my whole life. It takes 20 minutes minimum to get anywhere. Depending on the time of day a trip that would normally take 20 minutes will take and hour and a half. It is life as I know it. Most days I deal just fine.

When I first had the idea for this post it was supposed to be about how traffic is the time I get my best ideas! How an awful, stressful time can give birth to such creativity! Blah blah blah! Well this morning I had to deal with Douchebag in black truck and Obnoxious Bitch in Mustang. I hate traffic! It makes me sweat (no air conditioning). Every radio station is awful. People are rude, inconsiderate jerks! It takes me an hour to get home. Hate!

I'm done.

I really do get an immense amount of ideas during those interminable drives. Too bad I can't do anything about them since texting is illegal. Blergh!

Now back to your regularly scheduled blog.

photo credit

For all that is holy!

When I saw this I literally gasped out loud:

HAHAHAHA I love it!

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War Wounds

Last week I flaked out a little bit. I wrote my big, LONG, post about needles and giving blood and then never followed through with how it went! Bad Megan!

Honestly, I was so worn out that I took a few days off blogging. Luckily I had a couple scheduled posts (LOVE those) to get me through the weekend and I'm back to feeling like my old self again! However it is that she normally feels :)

All in all the blood donating was not a bad experience! I made sure to drink 3-4 bottles of water and eat breakfast AND lunch before I went down. The only problem here was that I was scheduled to go down at 1:30 and thought I'd have more time for my lunch to digest. Turns out I was needed to cover the front desk during that time! Would've been nice if someone had told me that but such is life.

I gave the phlebotomist full warning that I had bad veins. He kinda laughed it off and said he'd make sure I didn't get stuck with one of the trainees. Reeeeeal funny Dude (we'll call him Dude) but I'm serious here! If you've ever given blood you know about the chairs they make you sit in. They are really tall versions of those cheapo lawn chairs. The ones that can clickety clack up or down at either end depending on how you want to sit? Well I climb up into one and I swear I thought it was about to collapse! Luckily I didn't have a needle in my arm! I felt such vindication as Dude starts trying to find a vein and sees the error of his ways in mocking me. I was squeezing away on that stress ball they make you use to get your blood pumping, (I guess that's what it's for) and he couldn't find a vein in EITHER arm. Dude was pretty convinced I was dead. Mwhahahaha! At this point he called in the big guns. Dude #2 was able to find a vein in my arm fairly quickly. I guess my veins go in different directions then most veins? Finding a vein created a new problem since it was in my RIGHT arm and I was set up in a chair for my LEFT arm. Now I had to wait for the only right arm chair! Blergh!

There's not too much else to say about the process. Dude didn't want to stick me because he was nervous he'd miss and he had one of the other techs do it. She got the needle in in one try but did have to fiddle with it a little. I won't lie and say it was all sunshine and roses because it was extremely uncomfortable. I learned a trick when I got my tattoos...just pretend it's not happening and it makes me less awful. I kept talking to Dude and not looking as the tech fiddled with the needle. I grabbed handfuls of the blanket they gave me to keep warm. It worked. For the most part. Once the needle was in the pressure lessened and I just tried to lay back and relax. Smooth sailing commenced! Dude had to tighten the tourniquet a few times to up the flow but that was it. Overall it was a long but not entirely painful experience.

My pink arm wrap after I was all done.

Lest you think I gave blood like a champ I will tell you of my wimpyness after! A few important facts:

-I had a migraine the day before and woke up with a headache

-I'd been having varying degrees of headaches for a week

-I thought maybe it was allergies so the morning of the the donation I took 2 ibuprofen and 1 generic brand Benedryl (I knew aspirin was a no no since it thins your blood)

-I'd had a hard time sleeping all week and was already tired

By the time I got to work my head still hurt a bit and I was tired.

By the time I gave blood my head was fine but I was still very tired.

Two hours after I gave blood I almost fell asleep on the toilet and thought I might throw up at my desk!

I left work an hour early, went home and fell asleep for two hours. I woke up and ate, went back to sleep at my usual time and proceeded to sleep another 10 hours. Did I mention I took the next day off work? I figured when I woke up after my initial two hour nap and Mom commented on how bad I looked and I still felt exhausted that maybe calling in would be a good idea.

I'm happy to report that 12 hours of sleep was all I needed!

What did I get out of donating you ask?

My 'vampire bite'. This is only the beginning of the bruise!

-I found out I'm AB+! (This is exciting, trust me! I've wanted to know my blood type forever!) Turns out that with type AB blood I can receive ANY blood type! Type O is a universal donor but Type AB is a universal recipient! Also my blood can only be used for other Type AB people unlike A or B which can used on a wider variety of blood types.

-I got a sweet bruise that just kept getting bigger and bigger! I think it turned about 6 different colors and still hasn't gone away entirely. A co-worker referred to it as my war wound! People often make disgusted faces when they see it but Pants and I like it :)

-I know that I helped someone, somewhere.

I would love to give blood on a regular basis. I just feel like I might not get so lucky next time when it comes to a tech that can find a vein easily and fairly painlessly. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time and I'm proud that I sucked it up and did it. Everyone should do it at least once in your life.

Netflix Challenge #5 - TiMER

My latest pick for my Netflix Challenge is TiMER. It was a complete unknown to me when it popped up in the suggestions as I was browsing the latest Instant choices. It had a fairly high rating and sounded like an interesting premise. I was in the mood for something a littler lighter and romantic and thought it might fill the bill. I'm extremely glad I decided to watch it!

Here's a little description from Netflix:

In this comedic fantasy, science has facilitated the search for a soul mate via biotechnological implants that count down to the moment one is supposed to meet his or her match. But Oona (Emma Caulfield) is worried: She's nearly 30, and her TiMER isn't ticking yet. Will her dream guy get snatched up by someone else?"

Completely related to nothing I really like the name Oona now :)

The movie takes place in a time that in most every aspect is current day except for the introduction of the TiMER sometime in the last 10 or 20 years. The TiMER tells you to the instant when you'll meet your soul mate or One. My initial reaction is absolute delight. It delved into very true aspects of relationship that everyone deals with and how society portrays this NEED to know who our One is and when they'll show up. There is so much pressure on single women (and men) to wait for The One and that you only get one and how do you know them and on and on and ON! It reminded of Sex and the City episode where they talk about this exact issue at the diner. Do you only get one? What happens if had your one and it doesn't work out? Is that it for you?

The story doesn't follow only Oona but her whole family. Her mom and stepfather, her stepsister Steph and their half brother Jesse. Each of these characters has different experiences with the TiMER. Steph for example isn't supposed to meet her One until she's 43! This brings up the issue of what do you do until your One shows up? Is it cheating if you have another relationship? Oona faces this when she embarks on a relationship with Mikey. I don't want to give too much away but I just loved how everything worked out at the end. The reality is that even if someone isn't your One, those relationships and loves shape you. They scar you and it can be a beautiful thing.

It's currently available on Instant and I highly recommend it.

My Life in France-Julia Child

Here's a little description from Goodreads:

"In her own words, here is the story of Julia Child's years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found her "true calling." Filled with the black-and-white photographs that her husband Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so whole-heartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became."

This book was an eye-opener for me. I'll admit that I knew little to nothing about Julia Child when I started. Well...as much as you learn from watching Julie and Julia, which I had just done. I have vague memories of watching her on tv as a kid. She always seemed a little oblivious to me but I certainly wasn't of an age to care too much about how to bake bread or casseroles. I know regret that I don't have the chance to watch those episodes again!

This book covers the period of time that Julia and her husband Paul Child spent in France during the late forties and into the fifties and sixties. It's always a delight to me to find out about a person you never though much of and discover how interesting they can be! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her lust of life and her desire to never take the easy path. She enjoyed the unvarnished version of Paris and hated the big, glossy hotels and houses. She and Paul travelled all over and found such delight in a picnic on the side of the road. I found myself questioning whether I would ever be able to live the same sort of life. With that must zest and endless appetite! I love the fact that she didn't find her true calling until much later in her life. I felt that there is hope for anyone as long as you keep your eyes open to the possibilities around you.

The relationship between Paul and Julia was one of the best parts of the book. They really worked as a team and supported each others passions. All in all this was an extremely pleasant and informative look into the life of someone I previously knew nothing about but I'm glad I finally do. I only wish there were more!

Netflix Challenge #4- The Remains of the Day

"A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years post World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty has been." ( from imdb.com)

My fourth pick for my Netflix Challenge is another one available on instant. The Remains of the Day came out in theatres in 1993 and is based on the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was nominated for a number of Oscars including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Actor/Actress for Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. I've seen bits and pieces of this movie over the years but never enough to fully understand the plot. I decided now would be a good time to finally see it all the way through!

I'll start by saying the movie is gorgeous! I'd recommend it for the visual aspect alone. The scenes of the English countryside are breathtaking and the interior shots of Darlington Manor are a sight to behold. Especially for an American like me not used to houses of that size and stature.

So much of the story is about restraint and coming to terms with your place in your little corner of the world. The main character played by Hopkins, is Stevens. He's been the butler at Darlington Manor for seemingly his whole adult life and it has completely shaped him and his worldview. He is so wrapped up in his duties and dignity that he doesn't see a lot of what's going on in front of him. Correction: he sees it but basically looks beyond it or pretends he doesn't understand. It was frustrating for me as a viewer because I genuinely thought he would change his ways at many points throughout the movie but he just kept soldiering on. The epitome of the stiff upper lip English people are always accused of having.

Many sites list this movie as a romance but to me isn't a romance in the strictest sense of the word. There is not a happy ending necessarily. I go back to the word restraint here because THAT is what you see. Hopkins and Thompson embody that word so well. The heat in the looks he gives her character of Miss Kenton! The way he stares at her whenever he gets the chance! Unfortunately I kept imagining Hannibal Lector but that was totally my brain and nothing at all in the movie. :)

The Remains of the Day was an extremely well made, well acted, and beautiful movie. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys period pieces, movies set in England or is just a fan of that Merchant/Ivory style of movie. (They did in fact make this one :))

On a side note: I was interested in the author of the book the movie was made from. His name is Kazuo Ishiguro and his two most well known books,(The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go) are both set in England. After perusing his Wikipedia page I learned his family moved to England when he was 6 so that explains the settings. There was one line on the page that I felt described this movie very well.

"Ishiguro's novels often end without any sense of resolution. The issues his characters confront are buried in the past and remain unresolved. Thus Ishiguro ends many of his novels on a note of melancholic resignation. His characters accept their past and who they have become, typically discovering that this realization brings comfort and an ending to mental anguish."

I'm curious to read Never Let Me Go. I've had it on my bookshelves for awhile. I'd heard many good things and when I heard it was being made into a movie, I decided to pick it up. I think I might pick up The Remains of the Day as well.

Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Challenge 3

Guest Post

Today I am guest posting over at Becky's blog Love Everyday Life!

I volunteered to guest post AGES and AGES ago but she didn't need my blog until today! I started the post before I officially began my blog. It was a way for me to talk out whether or not I wanted to even go down this road.

I think my choice was obvious ;)

I hope you enjoy it!

Moms

My mom just responded to something I told her by saying, "Well that is magically delicious!"

Moms--good for so many things, especially one-liners ;)

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Blood Drive

You know how we're all supposed to be good people? Try and do things for our fellow man and help others in need. Well I volunteered for something but I'm not so sure it's gonna be pretty.

You see, I volunteered...to give blood. Cue the mwhahahahahahas!

Seriously. I'm not excited about this. It saves lives blah, blah, blah! It's just that needles and I have a history and it's not pretty.

Like most people my age, I've had my wisdom teeth out. I think three if not ALL of the teeth were impacted which basically means they were growing in sideways. The dentist or oral surgeon or whatever said that he HIGHLY recommended I have anaesthesia. They were going to have to drill my teeth into bits to more easily remove them and according to that guy, I wouldn't want to be awake for it. I'd have to agree. So there I am, sitting in the operating chair, minding my own business, just waiting to get a needle and drip hooked to me.

I tell the nurse, "I have bad veins. Whenever I've had to give a blood sample, they can't get the veins to come up." She assures me that that won't be a problem.

"He's a professional! He always gets the vein."

He's slapping and flicking and hitting my arms. Nothing.

Prick one. Prick two. Prick three! I only wish I was talking about guys here!

"Let's switch to your other arm."

Prick four! Pricks five and six!

"I didn't want to have to do this but I'm going to try and use the vein in your wrist or hand. They are much harder to get to but nothing else is working."

At this point I'm crying or holding back tears. Mom had been called into the room to hold my hand. I'm not afraid of needles or blood but I'd been sitting in this chair for a good 30 minutes to an hour while some guy hits my arms and stabs me with a needle. Repeatedly. I'm starting to bruise. I just wanted those damn teeth out!

As you might've guessed the wrist/hand vein didn't work either. At this point I got some hilarious, (at least to me) news. He's gonna write me a prescription for a Valium. Just one. I'm to take it an hour before my new, rescheduled appointment. Apparently it helps plump up your blood vessels. I'm to wear socks and shoes. (I was in flip-flops. The easier to take off when I was drugged up and trying to go to sleep afterwards.) Warm clothes. I'll be the first appointment. They'll turn the heat up in the operating room. Whatever they can to get those blood veins plumped up!

I come back a week or so later. Valium swallowed down and sweatpants on. Prick one...it goes in! It hurts though, it's very uncomfortable. Actually, it really hurts.

"Ok we'll try again!"

Prick two in the other arm. Success! Thank Jesus because I was seriously about to start crying again!

The story pretty much ends there. I had my teeth out, slept for hours on end intermittently being woken up by my mother to take my pain pills. (I had Vicodin that time! I have a story about that too ;).)

My long and winding and winded point is: my veins hate needles. And I'm giving blood tomorrow afternoon.

I just keep telling myself: It saves lives It saves lives It saves lives AND you'll be able to finally find out your blood type!

Wish me luck!

Netflix Challenge #3- Mystery Team

I'm on a roll with my Netflix Challenge! As you may have noticed, I've been posting my recaps/reviews on every Monday and Friday but in reality I watched these first three movies all in the same day! It was an extravaganza!

Choice #3 was Mystery Team and to be honest, Pants picked this one. I can't even TELL you how many months ago he showed me the trailer for this movie on YouTube. We weren't living together yet so it was AT LEAST a year ago. The movie was produced/written/acted by the members of the Derrick Comedy group. It didn't get a very wide release at all but got a lot of indie/underground attention. As soon as Netflix had it available it went to the top spot of the queue! I myself am not familiar with Derrick Comedy but I still recognized a lot of actors who currently are part of much of NBC's Thursday night line-up.

The story revolves around 3 best friends who are....naive to say the least. Jason, Charlie, and Duncan created a Scooby-Doo type Mystery Team when they were kids and came to some acclaim in their neighborhood for their skills. Only problem...their 18 now and are still looking for missing bikes. A real mystery falls into their laps by way of a double murder. The victims youngest daughter asks the Mystery Team to find out who killed her parents. Hilarity ensues!

What basically happens from here on out pokes fun at all the kid detective movies/tv shows. Only raunchy. They read an article in the newspaper that basically solves the crime if you have half a brain cell but lucky for us, they might not. The three guys go all over town using 'disguises' to get into a strip club, lumber yard, and to get in good with a 'hobo'. The disguises were probably my favorite part of the movie because of the sheer ridiculousness of each one. The hobo scene made me snort. Duncan has a book about the history of hobos that was easily 50 years out of date. Their hobo is actually a homeless drug addict but the Team seems blissfully unaware of this.

By the end of the movie it comes out that everyone but Jason is ready to grow up and move on. They know they aren't taken seriously and have made plans for college. They manage to solve their last mystery although I think everyone comes out a little worse for wear.

I'd recommend this movie because while it doesn't break any new ground, it recycles old jokes in a fresh way with some new faces. There's a lot of funny people in this movie and I expect to be seeing a lot more from all of them. Also hearing Donald Glover scream like a girl is hilarious.

It's the little things

I'm sitting at work in front of my new computer monitor.

"So what?", you may ask. Well not 20 minutes ago I was sitting in front of a behemoth. A monitor so large I felt like I was in 5th grade again. I'd gotten accustomed to it and didn't expect an upgrade. I am just a temp after all and the monitor worked fine. One of the IT guys was upgrading a co-workers computer and walked by and literally said, "Whoa! You need a flat screen!"

So now I have a flat screen. It's glorious! Technology! Win! I feel like I have a second desk, there is so much room now! The screen is bigger too. I find this hilarious since my previous monitor itself was a good foot long but the actual screen was puny. Amazing what a little change can do :) Especially when it's unexpected!

Here's another hydrangea for your weekend! Hopefully I'll have some more of my Netflix Challenge to share with you!

Netflix Challenge #2- Julie and Julia

The second choice in my Netflix challenge was the Julie and Julia based on the book by the same name. When this movie came out I had no overwhelming desire to see it in theatres and even poked fun at Pants because he did! He watched it illegally online somewhere and loved it and I poked fun AGAIN. Now I'll have to eat my words!

The movie follows the lives of both Julia Child and Julie Powell. It's supposedly based on the book 'Julie and Julia' by Powell but I know that for much of the Child scenes they used Julia Child's book 'My Life in France' as a reference. For the most part I enjoyed both sides of the story but Meryl Streep as Child is so memorable. Stanley Tucci as her husband Paul tips the story in their favor. It didn't feel like two actors portraying a couple in love. Tucci and Streep had a wonderful chemistry and came across so comfortably in the characters skin.

One thing I liked about the Julie side of the story was the conversations between she and her husband about her blog. She questions whether anyone actually reads numerous times. When she gets her first comment she is overjoyed only to find out it's from her mother so "it doesn't count". I empathize with that SO much! One thing that especially hit home for me was when she was trying to explain to her mother why she kept doing it. She tells her it's good to have short term goals and that it basically sets a regimen for her, something she has to do everyday. It helps keep her on the path forward. This pretty much sums up why I started blogging. I wanted to see if I could do it. If I'd be any good or anyone would care. Since I started only about a month ago, projects have been accomplished, books have been finished, movies watched...all things I meant to do but haven't found the time for. As her husband accuses in the movie, blogging is a very personal almost vain/selfish thing to do but I think it can also help make you a better person. I hope that ramble made sense!

I highly recommend Julie and Julia. It's not often you get a movie that features two strong female leads and is centered around their story. The acting is terrific and it made me laugh and cry and want to learn to cook!

Oh! I had 'My Life in France' on the bookshelf so I'll be starting that next I think :)

I LOVE hydrangeas.

I want a yard full of them.

Photo, Photo, Photo, Photo, Wedding photo is mine---the green bits are hydrangea :)

Hollywood Love

This really has nothing to do with anything but I saw this picture on Jezebel and it made me smile. :) The actors are Michael Emerson (Ben Linus from Lost) and Carrie Preston (Arlene on True Blood). I remember randomly finding out they were married a little bit ago and find it absolutely charming. They play such loud/obnoxious/deviant characters on TV and they play them so well, that's it jarring to think of them as real people.

And can you imagine Arlene and Ben Linus married to each other!? Married for 11 years to boot! Love it!

Is it worth it?

Part of the reason I started this blog was because I had been reading other blogs and was so amazed by them and they got all the idea juices flowing in my brain with what I would do I if had my own.

Everything is always better in your head.

In reality I feel like I'm failing on the blog front! I keep finding new blogs and they are so fantastic. Well written with a cohesive style and point of view. Did I mention well written. I always had illusions of grandeur when it came to writing. In my head, (there I go with that pesky head again) I sounded intelligent and had plots and characters and stories! On paper I was long-winded, blabbering on and on with no definitive point. Very discouraging. Writing got lumped into being crafty for me. (see a story about that here.) It was something that I wanted to be good at but wasn't. So why would I decide to start doing something where I have to write everyday?

Maybe I would feel more confident if I had a sort of schtick. I watched Julie and Julia over the weekend, (post coming Friday) and it's really got me thinking. I don't have a purpose with my blog.

I'm not cooking my way through The Art of French Cooking.

I'm not running a marathon.

I'm not renovating my house.

I'm not pregnant.

I'm not planning a wedding.

In short, I'm not doing anything exciting! It's just me. Is that enough for people? I don't plan on quitting, not just yet. It's like Becky and her running. I don't hate blogging. I just need to work myself up to feeling like I'm doing a good job. Whenever you start anything new it's like that, right? You have to start somewhere and if nothing else I'm becoming a more focused person.

Someday I'll have a house to redo.

And be pregnant.

Then have a baby.

Not so sure about the marathon and the wedding.

When all those things happen I'll have the perfect platform to share my experiences with the world!

Whether it cares or not!

Plans

This is so beautiful

Today is Tuesday. I wish is was Thursday. Then I'd have my paycheck and could mark some things off my list. For instance:

-buy more Huggable Hangers

-buy a rake

-buy a shovel

-buy some spraypaint that's formulated for plastic (this goes with the rake/shovel, you'll hear more about this later)

-pay my phone bill :x

-get my car inspected!

-get my oil changed

I'm pretty sure the list could go on but those are the most pressing things. All kind of boring but still...they are on a list! A list people! Which means they must get crossed off! I can't do that until I get paid SO...I wish it was Thursday.

Anyone have a suggestion of the best place to buy a rake/shovel? I know Home Depot, Lowe's, etc but is one place cheaper then another? Also, a good brand or make you prefer? It doesn't need to be fancy but I've never bought any outdoor equipment before! It will be an adventure in lawncare! :)

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Netflix Challenge #1- The September Issue

Fascinating.

That's the first word that comes to mind after finishing The September Issue. This is a documentary about the creation of the September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine. It's an in-depth look at what goes into creating the magazine and the people behind the curtain. It's currently available instantly on Netflix and I highly recommend queuing that sucker up!

I have so many thoughts and I don't know where to start! I think Grace Coddington is my hero now. I was familiar with the fashion director before this but didn't honestly know much about her. She has such spirit! She truly loves what she does and says herself that she wouldn't still be doing it if she didn't. I can't imagine putting so much of yourself and your time and creativity into a photo spread just to have someone come and slash half of it away. What you found beautiful, they find "toothy" or "too dark" or say it doesn't fit in with the story of the spread. Direct quotes from Anna Wintour there. The two woman have a relationship that can only be shared by people that have worked together in a very tough industry for decades. They seem to share this antagonism toward the other but then go on to call the other a genius or a visionary. I didn't realize Coddington had been a model herself and worked at British Vogue for 20 years before coming to American Vogue. She and Wintour even started on the same day! I would love to be a fly on the wall in those offices.

Anna Wintour herself is character that is hard to define. I realize she is a real person but I think she, like most famous people, put on an act in public. Seeing her interact with her daughter or talk about her father/family was very telling. It was obvious how much she loves her daughter. I also detected a tear in her eye when she was talking about her siblings and how they were 'amused' by what she did for a living. Her daughter even went so far as to say she respects her mother but finds the fashion industry laughable and the people in it ridiculous. I'm paraphrasing there but she certainly wasn't singing it's praises. I can't imagine how that affects Wintour. During the day she has people cowering in fear of her, kowtowing to her every idea and whim, claiming she is the most influential woman in America! Only to have her family basically laughing at it.

I recently watched the documentary about Valentino called The Last Emperor and I highly recommend both movies. They show a side of the fashion industry that is not widely publicized. I honestly feel anyone would enjoy these movies, not just Vogue subscribers. Having a love of fashion only enhances the experience.

Fascinating.

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman

I've been trying with VERY little success, (none in fact) to be a part of a bookclub. For various reasons, many being that I have to work, I have YET to attend a meeting. The latest selection is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and I'm happy to report I JUST finished it! Now, if I can just attend the meeting...

It's always interesting to me when I read a children's book or young adult title. I find myself having to reconcile the fact that it's a story meant for young people when I myself no longer fit into that category. A quote at the end of the book helps to put into words this feeling:

" You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it" ( page 325)

Neil Gaiman has a vast backlist of books that I have not gotten around to yet. There are a few in my pile, (Sandman, Good Omens, Coraline) and I have no doubt that I'll enjoy them as much as this one. I read Stardust a few years ago and had the same reaction when it was done. I didn't feel immediately in love with the story but found it very satisfying. His books seem to be filled with other worldliness and magic and when your main book of choice tends to have a half-naked couple clutching on the cover, it takes some brain rearranging to appreciate a story that does not focus on romantic love.

The Graveyard Book follows Nobody Owens through his young life starting with the gruesome death of his family, his adoption by a new ghostly family and eventually into his young adulthood when he must finally go out onto his own. One complaint that I had while reading was the lack of sufficient backstory or explanation. I realize that with this being a children's book, Gaiman might not have felt the need to delve so deeply into the why-fors. Having a little more explanation as to why his entire family had to be killed as opposed to just him would've been nice. Finding out more about the Jacks of all Trades was something I was hoping for too. Maybe Gaiman could write an adult title that delves into the society a little more. These were my only real complaints with the tale. I felt there was so much potential that went untapped. It certainly didn't make the story less though. You are equipped with all the important information you need to understand what's going on and why.

My favorite parts of the story were when Bod was with his family in the graveyard. He had such a vast array of people to interact with and teach him. I loved how his schooling consisted of learning how to Fade and Dreamwalk and HE had to be the one to ask to go to real school with books and papers and libraries.

It was sad how at the end it felt as if Bod was going out into the world with no one. He'd in essence lost any and all families he'd ever had. He didn't see it that way though. He learned so much and was ready to just go out and experience life, clean slate and completely on his own terms. Once the story ended I found myself imagining what his world would be like. Where would he go? Who would he meet? Would he see Silas again? Would he eventually be buried in his graveyard and be reunited with his family there? (Seriously Neil Gaiman, write Bod's story as an adult!) In my mind he lived a full, exciting life only enhanced by the way he was brought into the world.

Odds and Ends

I've decided to make the Odds and Ends post a recurring one. It will be my chance to cover any little tidbits that need some screen time!

-New layout! Blogger got fancy overnight it seems :) I'm working with a friend to make the blog a little more personalized but I like having the option to spruce it up a bit before then! I hope the layout works. I like the 3 column set-up but feel that now the middle is a little too scrunched :/ Any opinions? I'm sure I'll keep fiddling with it!

-I've recently found quite a few crafty sites and they've inspired me! I don't know what I'll work on next but here are the links so you can check them out for yourself! Once I make a choice, I'll be sure to post all the gory details.

-Dollar Store Crafts

-P.S. I Made This

-Can I just say how ready I am for the weekend? The sad thing is, I don't even look forward to it since I work 6 days a week. (One day at the bookstore and 5 at my temp job.) This weekend I have Sunday off so I'm looking forward to just staying home and not spending any money!

-I am desperate for a good source of pictures! Beautiful, fun, quirky, any and all kinds. I want to make each post a little more interesting and have the darnedest time finding anything good when I do a Google search! You'd think typing in, "child looking at night sky" would get you something good but NO! Any resources would be greatly appreciated and I'll make sure and add photo credits!

This is what I got with 'child looking at night sky'. Not awful just kind science musuemy. Bleh.

Photo credit

Forgetfulness

I had this whole post started in my head about traffic and time to think, blah blah blah. I was working on it when I realized my direct deposit wasn't showing up.

Cut to me realizing I never submitted my time sheet last week!

You see, I've been working with a temp agency in the hopes of finding a permanent job. They've placed me at a longish term position. It is lasting for 12 weeks and I love it here! I'm required to submit my time sheet electronically every week for the previous weeks work and then I get paid the following Thursday.

The worst part is...I've done this before! I even wrote myself a note to remind me NOT to forget!

Last Friday I had to cover at the front desk so I wasn't at my computer to SEEEE my note. It's nice having consistency and work week in and week out but I HATE having to remember the time sheet! You plan on that money, you count on it being there. You tell people you can help them. Not to mention bills! I'm all out of whack now.

I'm trying to see the silver lining. Next Friday I'll get TWO paychecks! Now I just need to make it through to NEXT Friday.

Oh and don't worry your pretty little heads...that traffic post is still happening!

Part Two: The Sequel

If you thought Part One: The Beginning was super duper awesome, then just wait for this! I've finally caught up and I'm about to impart my TV watching wisdom to you. You're welcome.

Castle- Castle, Castle, Castle. I want to love this show more, I really do. Love Nathan Fillion! Firefly anyone? He's got the charming/funny mixture of a Cary Grant and who wouldn't love that? As for this show though, to me it's the poor man's Bones. Cop and Someone of a profession who would never work with a cop, solve mysteries together, have sexual chemistry, never act on it, have a back-up group who helps solve the murders. Don't get me wrong...LOVE Bones (see next review) but I don't need to watch it twice in one week. I also feel like Castle is missing something. There just isn't that spark. Castle's relationship with his daughter/mother is cute and endearing but there isn't much else I care about. I honestly don't care if Beckett and Castle get together. I think it would be MUCH more interesting to have them find love elsewhere but still keep that partner vibe. To be honest I feel asleep watching the finale! I really don't know if I'll pick it up again in the fall. I feel bad though because of the Nathan Fillion love. I just wish he could be on a show I could really get behind.

Bones- Oh Bones. I love this show. Really I do. It's just...sometimes...meh. It drives me crazy! When it's on fire, all the characters are interesting and you care for them and want for them and are amazed by them. Then sometimes the writers just drop the ball. This season felt like that SO much! It was almost there SO often. All season long it just felt like they were trying to make up for past transgressions (Hodgins and Angela) or keep the cash cow apart so they could keep milking it (Bones and Booth). It was frustrating! But I love it. The finale felt so meh to me but I think it opens up a lot of potential for next season. I think they'll come back and a year will have passed. This will allow for some Lost/Veronica Mars like flashbacks to show what everyone was up to. I think Angela will have a baby! Bones will want Booth but he'll have found someone new. Poor Cam...everyone just up and left her. Which, I'm sorry, but everyone just leaving at once would NOT happen in real life workplace. I'm can suspend belief with the best of them but, really? No. As long as Sweets is there I'll be happy :)

Glee-Last night was the season finale of Glee! This show makes me so happy. I just sit with a stupid grin on my face for 60 minutes. Well, more like 45 once you subtract out commercials. Even when I'm thinking, "They are not seriously doing that, are they?!", I STILL love it. I also don't understand the stigma of the Glee Club. I was in choir from 6th grade to 12th and NEVER, not once EVER got made fun of for it. Granted our football team was awful and my high school eventually became the target school for the arts...but still! I thought last night was a lovely summary of the whole season. We got to see Quinn have to her baby and actually give it up for adoption. I have to admit I was convinced she would end up keeping it. I think it's smart to have her totally on her own now. It's not like baby Beth will be far away either. I'm sure Shelby (!!! loved that twist!!!) will be more then happy to let Quinn be a part of her life if Quinn chooses. People, I've loved Journey looooong time! The New Directions performance made my heart happy. Queen was a tough act to beat though. I thought it was a bit of a cheat because Jesse did all the singing! It was mostly just dance. Seemed a little unfair to me. I kinda love Jesse St. James (or more accurately Jonathan Groff) so I hope he will be back next season. I'm thinking he comes back as the Glee director for Vocal Adrenaline!! He was a senior this year, right? I loved it and I love the weird sexual tension between Shue/Sue. Can't wait for next season!!

Brothers and Sisters- I will fully admit that after the writers strike I never picked this show back up. At one point this past fall, (when I was out of work) I got bored and starting catching up. Unfortunately I still have 4 (5?) episodes on my Hulu queue so no review. Maybe once I actually watch them I'll do a little post. Stay tuned.

Modern Family- This show like many if not all sitcoms doesn't really leave you with a cliff-hanger ending but it doesn't need one either. I was hesitant of the show when it first started. I'm an Arrested Development fan and there have been a few shows since it ended that felt like they were trying to recreate that wacky, family environment and it just never worked. Upon actually watching Modern Family though it's clear that was not their goal. Yes, it features a wacky family but it's got SO much heart as well. I literally laugh out loud every week, (same as 30 Rock) and I love seeing how they interact. I honestly feel like that is my family. We yell and fight and don't like each other sometimes but when it comes down to it, all we have is love. And if you can't laugh at/with your family there is something wrong!

Chuck- Don't tell Pants but I when it comes to Chuck- I Want to go to There. I thought I had outgrown all those Tiger Beat crushes but I have SO got one on Zachery Levi/Chuck Bartowski. They are one in the same for me. This for me is another one of those shows with a lot of heart AND humor. And killer music montages. I wasn't sure I'd really be able to get with Chuck being able to flash legitimate skills but it worked. I was so happy that Ellie FINALLY found out about Chuck's life too! I think that now everyone who SHOULD know about Chuck DOES know. It seems like each season they aren't sure whether there will be a next season of the show and the final episodes reflect that. There is always a little tying together of loose ends so that if that was the end of the show, we as the viewer could be happy. This season definitely ended with us left guessing as to what will happen next! While Chuck isn't a show I obsessively watch each week, I love playing catch-up with it because I forget how much I really do like it.

Mulberry for Target

Can I just preface this post with how excited I am?!!!!

Just read this. I can't WAIT for the collaboration between Mulberry and Target to hit the stores! In case you aren't familiar, Mulberry is a British fashion and leather goods company. I'm mostly aware of their leather goods and was hoping that the collection would be a mixture of bags/briefcases and the like. From the picture accompanying the article....it's going to be clothes. Which is still exciting I guess. My problem is that the Target designer collaborations are usually available in juniors sizing and I am most definitely NOT a juniors size anymore.

I'm holding out hope for a version of this bag:

Alexa Bag

I'll just keep my eyes peeled for pictures closer to the release date and have fingers crossed!

Sleep

I need my 8 hours every night. Seriously. I pity any child that I have because they will just have to learn that crying will not entice me out of my bed. I will be a horrible mother.

Last night my sleep was interrupted for what feels like the 5th night in a row. Between being too hot because of the temperature or hearing Pants re-watch Lost, it seems like something is always keeping me up! Hearing the tv is better then having a nightmare where you are trapped in a pitch black room with no doors.

Yes, that was my dream. AND it's the 3rd time I've had a dream like that. I woke up last night pounding on the bedroom door in a cold sweat. Pants opened the door and was completely confused by my explanation of having a dream where I was trying to order a banner with points online but they were all sold out so then I was locked in a dark room! He was confused because it MAKES NO SENSE.

The first time I had a similar dream I woke up on the bedroom floor after having yanked over my shoe rack. I was throwing shoes around because in my dream they were rocks and I was digging myself out of the dark room. ?!?!

Does anybody else have crazy dreams like this? Dreams where you physically get out of your bed and enact what you're dreaming. I feel like they are ripe for psycho-analysis but I have no desire to find out what they mean. The dreams are bad enough!

DIY - Bathroom shelf

A little back story for you. My mother is crafty...or at least she was while I was growing up. And she was one of those crafty types that would've made money off of it if things like Etsy had existed. She is also someone who has control issues with how things need to be done.

For example: We were stenciling flowers onto my bedroom wall and this basically devolved into Mom not liking the practice flowers I did so she stenciled all the flowers herself. That way she knew it was done right, you see! I developed a bit of a complex about things like this. That may sound a little bitter but it's quite funny to me now and I find myself doing those sort of things too. Especially when it comes to making the bed! Pants tries to help out but he doesn't even bother with the bed since he knows I'll just take it all apart and do it myself anyway. I offer up this story to showcase the fact that I am NOT a crafty person. As a kid it was hard for me to care when everything Mom did was so much better. I can't sew or paint very well and don't usually attempt crafty projects.

Well all that changed this weekend! I bought myself a can of glossy white spray paint and got down to business! As previously mentioned, I had a little shelf in my bathroom that was dated and I thought would be an easy update.

Here is where our journey begins:

According to my Mom it's from Home Interiors and was purchased somewhere in the 90's. The bronzed metal finish wasn't the most awful thing I'd ever seen but it most certainly subscribed to a certain design aesthetic that I don't follow.

I started out by ripping some pages out of an old magazine laying around the house. Why yes, yes that IS the issue of US Weekly featuring Sandra Bullock's marital woes. I'm sure she wouldnt've minded me ripping out the pages and spraypainting them ;)

I pretty much just followed the directions on the can. It said to wait a minute between coats but I don't think I was that patient. It supposedly came with some nozzle that could be turned this way and that depending on what you were spraying but I just left it the way it came. From what I could tell, there was pretty good coverage with just a once over but I wanted it to be very white and very glossy so I sprayed it a few times.

Only issue was that everytime I thought I was done and attempted to pick it up to move inside, I would see a new spot that hadn't been hit! With all the scroll-y bits I figured this would happen once but not 3 times! Eventually I just held it by a section that was dry to the touch and went to town on all the parts I couldn't hit before.

Here is the finished product:

Overall I don't know that it made a HUUUUGE difference but it certainly didn't hurt anything. I've already got a couple more projects lined up too! Stay tuned!

Odds and Ends

We'll start out the week with a little update from the weekend, yes? Here goes!

-I set some goals for myself last week and I'm happy to report I accomplished all of them! Stay tuned for a post about my foray into DIY!

-I dropped off 2 trash bags of clothes and a box full of other knickknacks at the Salvation Army before the weekend even started! I also bought some more Huggable Hangers and made Pants clean out his clothes trunk a little...which means we now have two MORE trash bags for the thrift! Ugh, but good :)

-While I wasn't able to get ALL the bags of books out of the house and to the UBS, I managed to haul two of those blue IKEA bags full of books! I think I will take another trip some night this week.

-I also installed SnowLeopard on my computer and am happy to report that everything went off without a hitch! My Magic Mouse now has all the bells and whistles and my computer is as up to date as it can be. Here's hoping it can hold on a few more years for me. We've had a good run so far!

I was very proud of myself for setting goals and then being able to cross each one off the list. In some cases the 'big picture' doesn't need to be quite so BIG. Sometimes cleaning out your closet should be enough.

Also a little update on the second part of my finales post. I finished Castle, Chuck, and Modern Family so all that leaves is the season finale of Glee tomorrow night and I can post! Remember those excited pants I mentioned? They better be washed and ready!

As you can see I had QUITE a full weekend! I even vacuumed and did laundry! Anyone else have such a full weekend?