Youth in Revolt: A Review

Joe and I watched Youth in Revolt last night. He had seen it before without me, but as usual the pickings were slim at the old video store, so he was willing to watch it again. Overall, I liked it pretty well. But I had a significant gripe with it that I have had with a few other movies in the past.

I'm not about to launch into a major diatribe about the portrayal of female characters in film, though there are a lot of problems with how Hollywood (and this movie in particular) writes for women. Actually, in this case I think the one short-changed is Michael Cera's character, the nice guy who gets the girl in the end (though he states at the beginning of the movie the nice guy doesn't get the girl, and he is only successful by route of a pretty significant "bad boy" phase). In the end, the movie seems to proselytize that, in order to win one's love, you should just be yourself, yet without the crazy and illegal shenanigans Nick (Cera's character) pulls, the movie makes abundantly clear his "girlfriend" would have lost interest after their first makeout session. 

Which brings us to the biggest issue I have with Youth in Revolt--Nick's interst in Sheeni, the female lead. A throw-away narration shortly after Nick meets Sheeni tries to explain his interest in her (something about being mischievous, interesting...can't really recall all of it), but every bit of storyline supports a very different conclusion. Sheeni is the first girl to ever pay attention to nerdy virgin Nick, and the second day they know each other she has him straddling her and applying sunscreen to her bikini-clad body. (BTW, I just realized how much I hate the phrase "bikini-clad.") She flirts heavily and invites his interest, but as soon as he sweetly tries to hold her hand she acts as if offended that he would be so presumptuous. She promptly imforms him she has a boyfriend, whose many talents and good qualities she lists in a plain attempt to belittle him. But the next thing we know she inexplicably jumps into a fling with him he believes to be genuine and she regards as little more than "having fun." I'll spare you the detailed full-length movie synopsis, as you can pretty much get the dynamic from what I've said so far.

The problem is that Nick's interest in Sheeni is rooted solely in two factors: 1. She is pretty. 2. She pays attention to him once or twice, and makes out with him. Unfortunately, she also toys with his emotions, feigns any true interest, forgetting promptly about him when he moves away from her, strings him along by acting interested when he contacts her but makes no effort to maintain contact or any semblance of a romantic relationship (though he commits numerous criminal acts to try and be close to her). It is a frustrating example that encourages guys to go after girls that treat them like crap, and implies that selfish, manipulative, but pretty girls are what guys really want, so too bad if you're nice and/or only semi-attractive. The whole idea that a male character who finds a woman attractive should hang on and do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get with her no matter how many interesting, also pretty, and compatible prospects he has access to. It's the same problem I have with The Notebook, Crazy/Beautiful, and A Knight's Tale, to give a few examples. It even comes into play in Twilight in a gender-reversal form, (though in Edward and Bella's case they are both inordinately obsessed with each other after negligible time knowing each other), where Bella chooses Edward, though no reason is really ever given besides that he is attractive. When Edward leaves her, she slowly, healthily, and over time, develops a friendship with Jacob that starts to veer toward romantic, which would have resulted in a relationship with a strong foundation based on real compatibility. When Edward returns, she kicks Jacob the the curb without a second thought and goes back to Edward. 

Blech. I can't believe I just ended up talking about Twilight. I tried to read those books and only got through the first two. Please understand that my endorsement of Jacob is tenuous at best, since neither of them should be interested in Bella. If you like those books, I hope you're not offended. I realize I'm treading on dangerous territory criticizing the Stephenie Meyer juggernaut, and if you have a valid reason to disagree with my stance that's fine. More than likely, though, you just enjoy the stories and aren't interested in any kind of cultural or gender-based analysis.

So anyway, back to Youth in Revolt. I don't mean come off as overly-negative in my opinion, since I did enjoy the movie. I just wish that the object of Nick's interest could have been an active participant in his affection, and a co-conspirator in his attempt to make their relationship successful. As written, her commitment to and acceptance of Nick in the end seems completely out of character and unlikely to last instead of the romantic culmination of a genuine love story.

Now here's two pictures of me:

The Lazy Gourmet

My roommate and most of my friends are out of town this week leading a middle school/high school retreat for my church. Meaning, I have the house totally to myself and can do whatever I want. So what have I done in the first six hours of freedom?

1. Urlesque

2. Watch Tom Bergeron-hosted episode of AFHV with guest Bob Sagat (bow to the master, Tom).

3. Make these:

I like to think I'm a little more open-minded these days to various foods, but as a child I was probably the pickiest eater ever. I have also always been skinny...like SKINNY skinny. Naturally, this alternately worried and frustrated my mom, and she was always trying to figure out things I would eat and enjoy. Enter Triscuit pizzas. Triscuit + piece of cheese + pepperoni = best fast yummy snack. For those with more sophisticated tastes, they can be remixed with the many flavors of Triscuit currently available such as Garden Herb or Roasted Garlic. Also, swiss or provolone goes great with deli ham in place of pepperoni. Stick them in the oven on 350 for ten minutes, and prepare for deliciousness.

And if you're in the mood for dessert, The Lazy Gourmet suggests mini Nilla Wafers dipped in chocolate frosting. TRUST ME.

Yesterday I wore this:

Friday I wore this:

                                               

Any questions?

Living with a Roommate Tip #1

Delegate responsibilities.

Beware! Untanned Legs Ahead.

Tuesday was basically the first nice day of the summer that I didn't have to work. Instead of celebrating with a cute summer dress or skirt, I went immediately to a summer guilty pleasure--the short shorts. I don't wear them much if I'm going to be seen in public, since I think way too many girls parade around in them with ulterior attention-seeking motives. But for a lazy sunny day spent mostly at home, I go right for them. Gotta give those white legs some air! And also sunscreen, I'm prone to burns and have a high risk of skin cancer.

Joe and I ended up walking downtown for lunch with our friend Robert. On the way home they were fantasy-casting the movie version of their life, and Robert came up with the best title in the history of titles: The Night Before You Said Hello.

In other good title news, I'm always suggesting really awesome names for when Joe gets his music stuff together enough to start a new band. Awesome meaning really bad. Unfortunately, I can't remember any of them right now, but in the process I came up with a song title I will definitely be using when I record my EP. Joe has always wanted to do a song called Seth Rogan's Laugh, and stemming from that I came up with Matthew Fox's Bad Acting. (Seriously, have you seen Lost? I only watched the finale, but Joe shows me clips and it's pretty lame.) I've already got it half written. Also, my EP is going to be called Yeah! Awww... after all those situations when you think something cool is happening and you get super excited, but then it turns out to be not what you thought. Like you turn the channel on TV and a movie you love is on, but then it turns out to be a commercial for it. Or you find a coupon or discount card, but then you realize it's expired. And you're like "Yeah, this is so cool! Awww, man, never mind." Though I hope people don't have that same reaction to my songs. Maybe I should reconsider...

Here's me in short shorts again on Wednesday, and then in a short dress on Thursday.

                                                

I promise to put the legs away for awhile now. The glare from their whiteness has surely burned your retinas.

Something Else that's Overrated

Laugh tracks.

Actually, I don't even know if laugh tracks can qualify as overrated, since I don't think anyone likes them or believes they serve any purpose. (Except, apparently, TV executives, who continue to plug them into most new sitcoms.) Maybe it's because basically every show I watch doesn't use a laugh track, but I can't abide them anymore. Often, when I am online I have the tv playing in the background, and I don't notice what's on until it's something really weird or annoying. Case in point: there is some new Friends-wannabe atrocity called 100 Questions (I think), and it employs copious amounts of canned laughter after, oh, EVERY SINGLE LINE SPOKEN. I wish I was exaggerating. I resent being told what is funny and when to laugh, and even more so I resent having to endure uproarious prerecorded laughing at overwhelmingly mediocre dialog.

BOTHERED!

Here's where I put up my outfits.

My patterned blouse from the last post was a big hit, apparently. I post on the wardrobe remix at flikr, and that outfit got about a hundred more views than anything else I've ever worn. It just goes to show, even though I have very specific ideas about what's good in fashion, I can't predict what will be popular. It also goes to show you don't have to spend a lot to be cute. That shirt is from Ross, and though I don't remember how much it was, it would likely have been around ten to fifteen bucks. Here's me very excited about the summer weather wearing a perhaps too-short skirt to work on Saturday:

That day our work email account had a reminder to wear professional, appropriate clothing despite the warm weather. Oh, well, I was wearing shorts under it, and the timing was probably a coincidence.

This is a clothing-heavy post. Here's what I wore the next day, which was of course cloudy and cold, since I didn't have to work:

And another example of an item being much complimented, though I almost didn't buy it when I tried it on:

I literally cannot wear this shirt without getting at least one compliment. 

Smiley Face, Apple Sauce/Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Yay Friday means I can wear jeans to work! I did some braids on one side so I wouldn't have the same lazy wet-hair-thrown-back-in-a-bun look I often resort too when I don't have time to blowdry.

I'm reading the Percy Jackson series right now. I'm almost to the end of the second book, and enjoying it a lot. I only wish the weather would was a little nicer. There's something about summer and reading fluff that goes oh so well together. I think it stems from my tendency to reread the Harry Potter series every summer after I hopped on the bandwagon (around the time the fourth book came out), finishing with the newest book. Unfortunately, the warm weather is incredibly elusive and sporadic so far this year. Yesterday I actually turned the heat on upon arriving home to find Tori wearing a sweatshirt and wrapped in three blankets.

I just had to take a break to smoosh a little spider chilling next to my power chord on the floor next to me. I don't like spiders, and am getting pretty adept at killing them. My preferred method is with a shoe, Tori's if possible, but if I have to use one of my it has to be little-worn and sturdy like my camo keds slipons. I strike fast and firm, usually three times to ensure victory. But one thing I can't bring myself to get used to is picking up the carcass. Most of the the time I just leave it, and wait until it's really shriveled. Then I try to get someone else to dispose of it. One tricky little minx that managed to get on the side of my mattress one night got smashed on the floor under my bed, and I'm gonna level with you, it's still there. It's been there for probably close to a month now.

Movin' on Up...or a title that's actually good

Sooo...something went wonky with my memory card or something and this was my best outfit shot from Tuesday. 

The weather has been super meh lately and my outfits are kind of reflecting that. I forced myself to put on color this morning:

This was kind of the best I could do. It was also too cold to wear a skirt but seriously, I'm sick of having to go out in long pants and coats after the midpoint of June.

I went to the 8th grade moving up ceremony tonight because my dear friend and former babysitting charge was "graduating" to high school. I'm not sure why we have moving up ceremonies for 8th graders, and in my day it was pretty informal, but it's gotten to the point now where girls basically wear prom dresses and heels. I  can just see how that would have gone when I was that age. "Hey mom, I need a fancy dress to sit in a hot gym for two hours and then go to an awkward dance." Yeah, right. I wore khakis and, like, an awful denim button-up shirt. 

Here are some of my observations about the whole event:

1. It's been a long time since I was part of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

2. I cannot be around middle schoolers without flashing back to all the awkwardness and turmoil of my own 7th and 8th grade experience. I find myself comparing myself to them and trying to come off fashionably and emotionally superior. All this after a good thirteen years after getting out of middle school. Oh, how much I would have done differently.

3. Speaking of fashion, the girls were very cute and dressed up and more fashion conscious than my friends and I ever were at that age. But it's a very "I just got this at the mall" kind of fashion. Not a lot of style standouts. It's all about the right brand, the right store for them still.

A few other notable parts of the night: a guy I assume was the principal kept talking too much and making the ceremony overly long (it lasted a good 2 hours, longer than the high school graduation the night before from what I hear). At one point he kept having groups of kids stand to be recognized. As in, if you played soccer, please stand. If you were in track and field, please stand. If you were in choir or band, please stand. And on and on for about ten minutes. Then after that he started talking about how emotionally difficult middle school can be, and I turned to Tori and wondered if he was about to ask anyone who had ever been tossed in a trash can or otherewise psychologically scarred to please stand up. There was also a slideshow of photos that went on for 3 1/2 SONGS. By the end no one was looking at the photos, and many of the group I had come with had started singing along to the songs, playing air guitar and generally drawing attention to ourselves by being disruptive.

At that point we were only at hour one of two hours total.

But good times were had, everyone was proud, and after two hours sitting on bleachers I became extremely weirdly hyper. Be glad you were not present to witness my antics, part of which involved walking to 7-11 with Tori to get Slurpees dressed like this:

Notice I'm wearing purple tights under my pants. As for my face, I don't even know. And that's Tori's room, not mine.

What's next, Kotex dresses?

Is there any item of clothing more unfortunately named than the maxi dress?

I know a lot of people really disagree with me on this point, but maxi dresses are a maxi mistake. First of all, it's named after unfortunate feminine hygiene item. In fact, I think I might be able to stomach the whole concept of the long summer dress if it was called, like, a beach dress or a fun times dress or  magic happy dress. I'm not completely opposed to long dresses, after all, and their ubiquity might eventually convince me (despite all other red flags) that they're cool and casual and will make me more awesome. But the name is really only one of the major problems I have.

Another difficulty I have with maxi dresses is the length. To look decent, the hem has to fall PERFECTLY at the ground. Too high, it floats awkwardly around your ankles. Too long, and you're swimming and tripping. I remember when they were cropping up everywhere a few years ago, and being petite every single one I held up to myself had about nine feet of extra fabric dragging along the ground. Hemming is an option, sure, but I wasn't inclined to make the effort for a trend-based item I might not end up liking by the end of the summer.

Third, they really only look good on models. Any other body type need not apply. Models look chic and statuesque in maxi dresses. Everyone else looks sloppy and stumpy and like they didn't change on the way home from the beach.

Maybe I just have a short person complex about not wanting to feel dwarfed by my clothing. It's so hard for me to find dresses that hit at a good length and don't make me look even shorter, so having a skirt that goes all the way to my feet causes an instinctual negative reaction in my fashion receptors. So if any of you out there have a good maxi dress experience, I'd like to know about it. But please, if you're thinking about buying one, consider it carefully please. Easy and trendy does NOT always equal flattering.

6-14-10

I never got to take dance lessons when I was younger. Sometimes I think I am dressing to compensate for that.

Are you sick of Labels yet?

Last Labels post for now:

LOOK AT MY CUTE $3 LABELS SAFARI SHIRT DRESS.

That is all.

Finally some summer weather...kind of

This picture is an example of why I don't often dress in just jeans and a t-shirt. I'm 27 and I look approximately fourteen.  Also, my crazy bow-leggedness is really obvious. I guess some people with bow legs are self-conscious, but honestly I don't even think about it.

In reference to the title of my post, it was super sunny out, as you can see, and I put on this outfit to go for a walk, but it was not very enjoyable because the wind was pretty much gale-force. Ah, how I love living in a ocean-front town.

Here's a couple of quotes from Joe later on that night.

Me: "Why is the couch moved over so far?"
Joe: "Oh, cause earlier I was going to do a cartwheel."

(Discussing his new linen shorts with our friend)
"Dude, you've gotta get some of these. They've improved my life by like, 8%."

Going to a movie

I'm going to see Prince of Persia, which will likely be bad. I've heard from some people it's good, but that's what they said about Iron Man, which was bad. Here's a list of movies that are overrated.

1. Iron Man

Know what's not overrated? My 7 for All Mankind jeans. They are super comfy and good but a tiny tad too big. Commence getting fat to fit in jeans.

UDATE:  I somehow disabled comments on this and the previous few posts, but they are back now, so comment away!

UPDATE 2: THE PRINCE OF PERSIA SAGA: Since CJ and I didn't want to see Prince of Persia that bad, we went with Tori to Cosmic Bingo at the casino. I have previously mocked her quite a bit for going, but we had a ton of fun. We are going back this weekend for her birthday with a ton of people and glowsticks. Because Cosmic Bingo has blacklights. How lame does that sound? SO LAME BUT I PROMISE IT'S WAY FUN.

Which Actors Can Sing?

My friend Nick over at http://alienhits.blogspot.com/ put me on his blogreel! Yay! I feel very cool because I sent him my blog and he told me he liked it. Especially since he has a book deal and two (? Please correct me Nick) books coming out and his blog is so well written and people send him music to review and everything. Nick is responsible for introducing me to such bands/artists as Girls Aloud, Mika, The Killers, The Fratellis, and The Ark. Joe would NOT like to thank him for that since he mostly hates all those musicians. But for anyone who likes or loves pop music go to Nick's blog, you will be able to name-drop all these cool bands no one else has heard of and be like, oh they're SO big in Sweden right now, what you haven't heard of them?
True Story: Sometimes I ask Nick about new artists he thinks I should check out, and last year one time we were hanging out and he told me there's this girl that I might like, she's popular in Europe but she could end up getting big here over the summer her name is LADY GAGA. Yeah.

Here's me in a new Labels blouse. I am not going there any more I swear I know you're sick of me wearing something from that place every day. But hang in there I have two more items to debut including the 7 FOR ALL MANKIND JEANS I GOT FOR $30 OH SORRY AM I TALKING IN CAPS I'M JUST KIND OF EXCITED.

At this point in the post, you might be wondering about the title. To be honest, I kind forgot what I was going to talk about for awhile there but I happened to see the title and now I'm back on track.

Tori and I watched Nine today, and let me tell you, it was ok. That's pretty much all I have to say about it. But it brought to mind the idea of actors cast in roles that require them to sing, and how well they pull it off. As far as Nine is concerned, everyone did pretty well, no one I was blown away by. There are a few musical performances that have taken me by surprise. These are my picks for actors who can actually sing, keeping in mind I haven't seen every musical ever made, and all these are pretty recent examples.

Renee Zellweger: Can sing. First on my list, because she was the most surprising. She may not be the world's most proficient singer, but she has style and she uses what she's got. She growls and flirts and uses phrasing and dynamics better than many other singers with better technical vocal performances.

Ewan McGregor: CAN SING. I'm serious. You girls know what I'm talking about.

Zooey Deschanel: Can sing. Some people might say "Of course she can sing, she has a band, duh." But I include her because her vocal performances in movies are above and beyond anything she has ever done with She & Him. See this clip from Elf: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp3UoqOkFJo. And I wish the band in Yes Man was real, the song they play in the end credits is killer. Also, LOOK WHAT I FOUND ON YOUTUBE DOES ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER THIS MOVIE!?!!?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rctEtQoeZ8&feature=related

And here are a couple from the other end. They can carry a tune, sure, but put their voices up against anyone on the above list and it's not so pretty.

Nicole Kidman: Can't sing.

Johnny Depp: Can't sing.

In conclusion, if you want to see a musical, see Once. A movie starring two musicians who have never acted before in their life. Can I express how good they are? Not without typing in all caps. I'll spare you. And if you want to see a movie with the number nine in the title, see District 9. SOO GOOD. Oops I tried not to use caps again but it just happened.

Soooo...that's my opinion. What do you guys think?

So Many Birthdays

June 9 is a big day around here. It's Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox, Johnny Depp, my brother, and my dear friend Alisha's birthday. Alisha and I celebrated with a 40 mile trip to the nearest Sonic, then I introduced her to LABELS! She got a couple of cool things and so did I including $30 7 FOR ALL MANKIND JEANS FOR REAL I R SO CITED! Sorry I lapsed into lolspeak for a minute there. After Labels we hit the mall. Here's me in the Delia's dressing room waiting for Alisha to try on jeans.

 

Happy Birthdays everyone!

Independent bookstores are cool.

One of my favorite bookstores now has an "Undead" section. This is only one shelf of it, there's actually a lot of undead stuff out there now. I'm not much for the vampire stuff, though I liked Thirsty by M.T. Anderson and I read The Strain because I wanted to see what Guillermo Del Toro would do with the genre. In related news, if you think you can handle it, please watch Pan's Labyrinth.

Personally, I go more for the zombie end of the undead craze. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a semi-successful and ultimately pretty entertaining experiment, and I hope it ends up being a gateway for a lot of people to read Pride and Prejudice that might not otherwise. World War Z by Max Brooks gets the award for most committed to its own conceit--even the flap copy and author bio are part of the story. I recently saw a glut of zombie movies, of course Dawn of the Dead and 28 Days Later lived up to everything I've heard. And as a bonus, here's one you've probably never heard of. Sample dialogue (Japanese dubbed to English): 

Wife- "There's something wrong. I think it might be zombies."

Husband- "IF IT'S A ZOMBIE I'LL EAT IT!"

Classic.

6-5, 6-7, and 6-8-10

Here's a few outfit pics. Number one, Saturday for work. Hollister sweater from Labels, linen shorts from Kohl's.

Monday, work and hanging out with friends. Billabong dress from Macy's, sweater from Goodwill.

Me watching a Jack-in-the-Box commercial. Piratey shirt people seem to like a lot from Charlotte Russe.

I don't want to be a cowgirl

Here's another post that starts with a drink cup!

Here's the thing about pizza--on the West Coast, we have Pizza Factory. Pizza Factory is the best pizza ever, my long-time favorite. Except that when you get an iced tea with ice, refill it on the way out, and leave it on the floor next to the couch when you get home it will slowly leak and when you look at it for the first time three hours later it will have had an "accident" and you will use two Pizza Factory napkins cleaning it up (luckily you have laminate flooring and not carpet) which is not that big a deal except you purposefully brought home five napkins since you've been out of paper towels and money for like three weeks and now you only have three napkins. And your cup will have to go inside another cup--a cup diaper if you will--to contain the drips because it is pretty good iced tea (see picture above). But the other thing about pizza is, I've never had East Coast pizza. So who am I to judge what is good pizza?

The other day I took Joe home to his apartment (35 miles away from where I live), and we stopped by the mall for some reason. To get a soft pretzel? Yep, it was because he wanted a soft pretzel. But then he got Chinese food instead. Anyway, we stopped at Target to get him an oven mitt, and holy cow did we hit the jackpot because he got a set of two hot pads and an oven mitt for three bucks. And while he was in line buying said items, I wandered over to the clothing section and drooled over these REALLY AWESOME SUNDRESSES AND SOME OF THEM WERE FIFTEEN DOLLARS THAT'S A REALLY GOOD DEAL TARGET GOOD JOB. I even tried to show some to Joe but of course he didn't care so we left and did some other stuff around town and then went back to his apartment and around eight I was all, "I should probably go home now I don't want to get too tired" but really I thought maybe Target closed at nine and I wanted to go there on the way home. So I stopped off for a "quick trip" (45 min) in which I tried on about six dresses, which were cute but none were quite worth an entire fifteen dollars (I've been buying a lot of secondhand stuff lately and fifteen dollars buys at least five things at Labels) BUT I tried on this super cute shirt from the children's section and it was fifteen dollars:

I wore it today and Joe became a boyfriend mushball of compliments about how cute I looked. He seriously loves when I wear button-up shirts. I almost ended up looking like a cowgirl though so I made sure my boots were sort of a chic vibe. GUESS WHAT MY BOOTS ARE ALSO FROM THE CHILDREN'S SECTION AT TARGET. A few years ago a girl I used to babysit had these exact boots in this exact size and I liked them so much I tried them on and then ran out an bought myself a pair the next day. I think she was nine at the time. 

In other news, I just had an epiphany when I realized I needed to take my outfit shot but it's night and artificially-lit inside shots always look kind of yellowy. I realized my bathroom is the perfect spot for taking my pictures! I can set the camera on the stack of Poetry magazines I have on my toilet tank (true story) and it frames the pictures perfectly! And the lighting looks great! And you can see the awesome shower curtain Tori and I got at Ross for eight dollars! In case you're wondering, I'm turning my head so you can see my crappy ponytail and my face looked weird in every shot where I was looking into the camera.

Well, that story about my taking pictures in my bathroom wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be.

The Internets are eating my minutes

There are three things I procrastinated doing today. One: eating. Got home from work, ate, sat on couch, got on internets, ate again a looong time later (I only worked until 3 today). Two: getting a milkshake. I decided I wanted one around six or seven. Just got home from milkshake run to McDonalds. Current time is 10:19. Three: stopping by my parents' house to say hi since they were out of town last week and got home Monday and I haven't seen them yet. And it's Thursday. And I live next door to them.

Bah! I just ejected my memory card from my camera so I could post the picture I just took of my milkshake and it JUMPED OUT OF THE CAMERA AND ATTACKED ME!

My memory card is staging some kind of revolt. It did the same jump attack move when I tried to put it back.

Today started off well enough. I'm still having ear problems, as in I feel like I just got off a plane. When I shower it sounds like someone installed a rain stick in my head. We experienced a brief reprieve today from the major rain deluges that have been going on for a couple of weeks and, according to the weather reports, will continue until beyond reasonable weather-prediction ability. And my legs were recently shaved, so BRING ON THE LEG-BARING ENSEMBLES!

Please ignore the horrendousness of the nineties-tastic loveseat behind me, it was free and it's really comfortable.

After I got home from work I kind of sunk into the internet wasteland and got lazy and sort of depressed and frustrated in a where-is-my-life-going kind of way, and then mentalfloss introduced me to Hyperbole and a Half and that's what happened to my day.

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

P.S. That's The Lightning Thief on the "coffee table" and it was great. I read it in a couple of sittings, and I was into it enough that I would be reading and Joe would say "Hey, we should go to (location) and (do something) and I would be like "Okay, I have eleven pages left in this chapter" and he would be like "Let me know when you're done" and then I would secretly finish the chapter and read two more because they were only like three to five pages. 

6-2-10

I spent today babysitting for my good friends Janin and CJ, and when they got home we all went to dinner and hit the mall. Keira's outfit way outshines mine so I'll post her instead. Here she is trying on shoes at Macy's (I told her to smile, and this was the face she made saying CHEEEEEEESE):

Later when we were at a shoe store that had pink Converse in her size, she became immediately obsessed. I asked her if she was going to buy them, and she said yes. Then I asked if she had $25, and she said yes. Then when we tried to leave the store she refused to let go of the shoes for a couple of solid minutes, much to the amusement/confusion of the very pierced and tattooed teenage guys who worked there. Luckily, she complied in the end and we were able to exit the store peacefully.

On an unrelated note, my ears have been plugged all week. Today in particular I feel as if somebody inserted a balloon into my ear canal and blew it up. Ahhhh why won't it go awaaaaaaaaay? I am super annoyed so here is a soothingly pretty picture of the sunset tonight:

Memorial Day Weekend

Well, I forgot National Dress Day yesterday, but I just wore one on Saturday so I think I get a by (or is it bye? I have no idea. That's what I get for trying to use a sports term). LOOOved my work outfit here, and my hair looks awesome.

Sunday I threw something on with very little time, this shirt was a birthday present from Megan last year, and the sweater is from some stuff she was giving away last week. I didn't realize it at the time, but she was responsible for most of my outfit. Thanks Megan! I wore my teeteringly high Nine West wedges, which made the whole look a lot better, but I almost didn't get a picture and I'm about to change into pajamas here so I didn't feel like hunting down my shoes at that moment.

No shot from Monday or Tuesday but I had some good times. Memorial Day was kinda crappy weather, so Joe and I went to see MacGruber with Kirk. Major disappointment. But the pretzel bites were good. Later we took a bike ride to a nearby playground and I was in my trench coat, a t-shirt, miniskirt and leggings. I felt like one of those sophisticated French or New York girls who often casually ride their bikes in skirts and dresses. I have no photographic evidence, but trust me I was super cute!