May 10th 2010 01:58:07 pm

Some insight into my random mind:

playing –> Angry Birds – It is an iPhone game and it is so fun.

wanting –> Midnight Blue Birkenstocks – for walking around the city and Disney World in July!

wishing –> for this lovely Wiliams-Sonoma Home mirror.

practicing –> Sexy beach hair techniques – I am so terrible at hair styles…

watching –> JUSTIFIED!!! Omg, this is my new most favorite show ever! Timothy Olyphant is the best gunslinger in the world!

———-

6 Comments » Categories: Just for Fun, Shoes, Television

Mar 10th 2010 04:02:10 pm

So, I know I am a bit behind on writing about the Oscars…. I actually watched a good amount of the Academy Awards this year and I really thought all of the actresses looked super-great, so I had planned on doing a fairly extensive blog post about my faves. Then, my computer totally died. Magically, Travis was able to revive it and I actually got some work done today! Yay! I was going to forget about my red carpet post all together, but I noticed that many of my picks for best dressed have been landing on the worst dressed lists across the web… so I wanted to show my support! ha!

My favorite dresses from the Academy Awards (that I saw):

I want reiterate that I really thought everyone looked superb – they are movie stars, after all – but I especially loved these dresses. I am drawn to things that are unique… classic is always beautiful, but a little boring.

• The first dress is Givenchy worn by Zoe Saldana. I just think it is awesome. She looks so beautiful in purple and I love that it has sparkle and a lot of flair. This was my very favorite dress!
• The second is Sarah Jessica Parker, of course, in Chanel. Lots of people did not like this dress, but I thought it was unique and pretty. I like that SJP takes risks. Now, her hair, on the other hand, I did not love…
• The third is an Elie Saab dress worn by Rachel McAdams. I think it is so fun and young, but still really elegant. It looks like a dress you would wear to have a good time at the event – not be the very fanciest. It is unpretentious glamour. (Is that an oxymoron?)

What were your favorites of the night? Any red carpet looks you really disliked?

10 Comments » Categories: Clothes, Fashion, Just for Fun, Television

Oct 23rd 2008 04:54:16 pm

1. So, Anna Paquin is cool and all, but I really love all of the characters on HBO’s new show, True Blood. It is about Vampires in Louisiana. It is crazy. It is my favorite television show on right now.
2. I love Michael Moore. That is probably a controversial statement, but I just think he is a true patriot who has the courage to speak freely and stand by his opinions. He recently released his new movie about the 2004 election, Slacker Uprising, for free on the internet. It is sad (if you were rooting for Kerry in 2004), but it is amazing to see all of the work he put into that election and the amazing amount of young people he got fired up about politics. I also just read his 2008 Election Guide. It is an easy and quick read which reinforced my disappointment with the current presidential administration. Many people think he is radical, but if you listen to him speak I don’t think you will get that impression. He is actually quite calm and thoughtful. He is going to be on Larry King tonight and I look forward to hearing his opinion on the current state of the presidential campaign.
3. I have been watching a lot of news, or news-ish, shows lately. What can I say, I am obsessed with our presidential election! My favorite news-ish show is The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Rachel is the bomb! She is super-intelligent (a Rhoades scholar who studied political science at Oxford University and public policy at Stanford) and has civilized, informed conversations with people of varying political views. Pat Buchanan is a frequent guest. Rachel also has a daily Air America radio show which I sometimes catch while at work. If you want to hear someone who is the real deal on the political scene – with well-researched opinions and respectful curiosity – Rachel is the person to check out.
4. Speaking of Rachel Maddow, one of the frequent guests on her tv show is political commentator Ana Marie Cox, a blogger and all-around cool lady. Ana Marie was the founding editor of the DC gossip blog, Wonkette, which gained her some fame. Now she writes for the Time political blog, Swampland, as well as many other websites. She is the type of political commentator that I can relate to. She is smart, wickedly funny, irreverent, and young. The under-50 crowd is into politics, too!
5. One more news commentator: David Gergen. David is a CNN commentator, and even though he is not young and female like my other faves, his opinions are always calm, informed, and helpful. I find myself agreeing with him whenever he is on AC360 (I watch it at the gym). He is objective and bipartisan… and he just seems to have a kind heart. It turns out I am not the only one writing him love letters.
6. Last, but certainly not least, I love Barack Obama. I know I shouldn’t put him on such a high pedestal, but I have never loved a politician before. He impresses me every time he speaks and half of the time I cry tears of happiness. (I am a cheeseball, I know.) I hope and pray that he is our next president. Travis and I have already turned in our Oregon mail-in ballots with his name marked. It felt wonderful to vote wholeheartedly FOR someone rather than just against the other party.

6 Comments » Categories: Favorites, Just for Fun, Television, politics

Sep 20th 2008 11:37:40 am

I tried really hard to stay open-minded and neutral as the presidential campaign started, but it has gotten near-impossible. I have become obsessed with following every headline and commentary. (This article describes my addiction perfectly: “We’re so addicted to the rush of this election, it probably won’t be long until we’re attempting to melt down Wolf Blitzer and shoot him into our veins.”) I listen to NPR all day at work and come home just to turn on CNN. I felt like if I stuck to those two news outlets I would receive a relatively unbiased view… but it has become too difficult to play fair. I am not strong enough to remain unbiased. I have succumb to the temptation of MSNBC and I check the Huffington Post multiple times per day. Travis and I have resorted to recording Olberman daily and we stay up late to be soothed by the brilliance of Jon Stewart. I am afraid my brain may explode before November 4th due to an overload of political commentary! How can I cure this addiction?

UPDATE: I forgot that I had wanted to post this cute political cartoon. I love Obama!

10 Comments » Categories: Television, politics

Aug 15th 2008 09:24:26 pm

Things have seemed completely out of my control lately. In a desperate attempt to feel like I am in charge, I went on a crazy, lunch-time shopping spree at my favorite local shop. I bought a turquoise Latico bag (not the one pictured above, but close), a Paddywax Raw Honey candle that smells like sugar and summer and deliciousness, and a glass bottle that looks like a plastic bottle. The things did make me feel better, but sadly, did not solve my “issues.” The good news: I have found the motivation to create the life I want. No one else is going to create it for me, right?

I really don’t want to become one of those people (really, almost everyone) who thinks their stresses and/or problems are the absolute most important thing in the world, so I am trying to chill out and stay calm. It is not working. Chilling is not on the itinerary. Eugene is super-hot right now and without air conditioning our house is a sweaty mess. Oh well. At least we have the Olympics. Michael Phelps can save us!

btw: Crusher is loving the Olympics. His favorite sport is synchro (that’s short for synchronized diving for those of you who have not been watching five hours of Olympic coverage each night).

2 Comments » Categories: Accessories, Crusher, Lovely Things, Television

Jul 27th 2008 10:09:01 pm

To be totally honest, I have not been feeling very perky this month. I have been feeling discouraged and down on myself… not exactly fantastic blog fodder. Luckily, I have also had lots of distractions to keep me busy:

• Dexter, Season 2 – Oh, baby! Hanging out with a sociopath serial killer is so much fun! I am actually disappointed that we finished the series because it was so suspenseful and entertaining – I really looked forward to watching it each night. It is definitely a very adult program (blood, nudity, f-word, you know, the works), but the plot twists are so insane that I actually was yelling at the tv at multiple times. Love it. Definitely recommend it. (Siidenote: Travis downloaded the whole series from iTunes and we watched it via the AppleTV. Success!)
• The Assault – My mom sent me this book by Harry Mulisch, which is apparently THE ultimate Dutch literary classic. I didn’t realize that fact until after I completed the book and was reading online reviews. The novel is a concise, beautiful account of the effect of WWII on an ordinary, young man. The events in the story are profound, but the characters are extremely easy to relate to – and that is saying a lot because no matter how many things I learn and read about WWII it still manages to seem like a quaint, old-timey event that never feels totally real. Maybe that is disrespectful, but I don’t think it is possible for those who have only lived in the changed world to ever really know what the world-changing event was like to experience. Anyhoo, I marked a random favorite quote:
  

  “Time passed. His hair turned gray prematurely, but he did not grow bald like his father. As the proletariat was vanishing, the appearance of people all around him grew more proletarian, but he himself continued to wear English tweed jackets and checkered shirts with a tie. Gradually he reached the time of life when he met old people whom he had known at the age he was now. This was a strange experience. It made him look differently at both old and young, and himself as well.”

• Black Kids – Their first album, Partie Traumatic, was just released last week and I am in love. I found them originally via The Hype Machine and was really looking forward to a full cd. So fun and talented. The lead singer’s voice totally reminds me of Robert Smith, but the music is not goth. More like dance-pop. They are my second favorite band of the year (next to Vampire Weekend).
• Wow – Mainly just to distract myself from doing much-needed work, I started playing World of Warcraft again. They recently changed the rules so that you could get a mount at level 30. (Mounts make your character run faster.) For some reason I felt driven to finally get a mount. Don’t ask me why. I am weird. I got some sort of bird for my character to ride (see above). Ya, I think that might be as far as I get in that game…
• New “media center” – We need a new fence, but you can’t put a 46″ flat screen tv on a fence. We opted instead for the Rhys Modular Media System from the barn. The tv stand and two bookcases miraculously fit in our living room and it looks much more classy than the old tiny tv stand we were using. The only downside is that we find ourselves with an overabundance of shelf space. There are worse problems… Oh! Have you noticed how the barn is trying to get all mid-century modern?! I will give them credit for trying to update their style, even if I don’t really love any of the new stuff. Maybe that is a good thing…

That is basically what I have been up to. That, and going to work, stressing about Swap-bot, and trying to kick my butt into gear exercise-wise. I have been extremely unmotivated lately, so I am sorry if you are disappointed. I’m just trying to hold it together.

6 Comments » Categories: Books, Home, Just for Fun, Television, music

Apr 7th 2008 10:58:12 pm

• Facebook Flair! Send it to me. Now.
• The Soup with Joel McHale. So funny and you can catch up on all the tv you missed during the week!
• Paul Simon’s Graceland album. Travis just bought it on vinyl and I have been making him play it non-stop.
• Eddie Izzard on The Riches.

and…

• Green & Black’s Caramel chocolate bar. Yum!

3 Comments » Categories: Favorites, Food, Television, music

Jan 16th 2008 03:44:19 pm

watching: 

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles… even though it is on Fox. I love the Terminator movies and I am quite attached to Linda Hamilton, the original Sarah Connor. In fact, I don’t really like this new chick pretending to understand what it is like to be Sarah Connor when she hasn’t lived through all of the tough stuff that Hamilton survived. Maybe I will warm up to her… The show is basically T2 with a little more time travel and a female Termy (that is my own shorthand) mixed in. Basically, it is awesome. Although, I would watch anything that expands on the Terminator story line…

eating:

Raw almonds… because Dr. Oz says to.

reading:

Domino magazine… ick. When I first subscribed I thought this home decorating magazine was right up my alley. Now it seems like everything featured is from France and costs an average of $3,000. Cottage Living is way more my speed.

listening:

To the Juno soundtrack.. and yes, I love it just as much as you do.

6 Comments » Categories: Food, Magazines, Misc, Television, music

Jan 8th 2008 09:51:46 pm

I am sorry to all of my lovely family who also gave me wonderful gifts over the holidays, but I can only choose one favorite gift and it was given by Travis…

Perhaps the greatest gift of all time, Travis gave me the complete seven-season DVD collection of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ST:TNG is my absolute favorite television program… ever. I have been talking about getting it on DVD for years. It just makes me happy to watch it. Not only does it tell the story of a utopian human future, but it shows us how to get there. The story lines are overtly political/moral, with “evolved” human values (tolerance, anti-capital punishment, vegetarianism, the importance of constant learning and discovery…) being expressed in every episode. There is also tons of theoretical physics worked in, which I find fascinating even if it is only theoretical. The characters are all extra-ordinary in some way and completely brilliant. Of course, my favorite is Captain Jean Luc Picard. Kind, yet strong, he always makes the correct decision. You couldn’t ask for a better person to boldly lead you where no one has gone before.

Thank you, Travis. (Part of the gift was that he promised to watch every episode with me!)

3 Comments » Categories: Feeling Happy, Television, Travis, holidays

Nov 20th 2007 08:32:11 pm

I made Travis DVR Oprah’s Favorite Things show for me today and I am watching it right now. You gotta love Oprah for making so many people so happy. The audience is going crazy. She gave away a $3,000 refrigerator to each audience member! So much fun! This yearly Oprah episode is definitely on my list of faves…

If you missed the show, here is the list of all the favorite things featured.

3 Comments » Categories: Christmas, Television