Ding, Dong the Red is Dead....

That was the song I was singing in the shower this morning... Ohio - Ohio, people - is a mother-fucking blue state. With a smoking ban & a minimum wage higher than the federal government. Can it be? Hell, yeah. Ohio is making progress.

I feel very invigorated today, not quite satisfied but definitely more hopeful for the future. The House is in the bag & it looks this morning like the Senate is headed that way. If we can make it through a couple of recounts unscathed, the nation has sent a pretty clear message to the president. That being, "You're a twatwaffle." Or maybe that was just the message I was sending. Whatever. I feel happy either way.

Ding, Dong, the red is dead!
Come out to play, look up ahead!
Ding, Dong, the wicked red is dead!

I was trying to write a couple more verses... one about how red likes to think god likes them best, but looks like he took a nap. And one about how, ok maybe they are not dead but it's definitely a massive punture wound and they'll probably bleed out. But I wasn't clever enough to make it happen & I have a meeting to get ready for.

YEA!!!! I live in a BLUE STATE!!!!

SageRock Google Seminar

For anyone who is interested, my company is giving a Google Ranking Seminar on November 16. Here is a link & a little more information:

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It's my birthday and I'll beg if I want to...

Usually, before my birthday, I create an elaborate wish list for anyone who wishes to buy me something. You know, so they dont have to fuss and worry over what to get me (should they choose to gift me anything at all which is certainly not required). But this year I've decided to do things a bit differently.

See, I'm trying to get out of debt which makes the shopaholic in me very sad. And sometimes the devil in me wins and then I feel guilty for spending the money and prolonging the debt. Plus, I have this house I'm trying to decorate on a budget and does anyone know how expensive fucking curtains are? So, if anyone does want to gift me anything this year, may I suggest the gift of shopping? Here are a few suggestions:

Target (of course)
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
West Elm
Joann's
Ikea

I'm sure there are others, but I am quite sleepy...

PeteMoss

The ladies of Go Fug Yourself concerning the future ex-husband of Kate Moss...

He's like the dating equivalent of wearing acid-washed short-shorts to your grandmother's funeral: totally inappropriate to the point that people begin to wonder if you've had a head injury.

Read the rest here, it's fucking hilarious: Fugshambles

There should be a title here but I'm too lazy to think of one...

So, yeah... there's no decoy this year. I figured that out the minute they started showing the preview for last night's episode. But then I thought, "no. they're just tricking me." And so the whole episode last night I was "Uli's out. Michael's out. Laura's out. Jeffrey's out." Until Laura was in and then I went back to my original thought of no decoy.

I was glad Uli won last night. The first half of the episode I was yelling "Make it short!!" And she did and it was a killer little Uli dress. I was not so happy today though when I noticed she uses that same fabric for a long Uli dress in her final collection but whatever. Last night's dress was good... she deserved to win.

I don't think I care too much about the reunion. I hope Alison wins the viewer favorite poll thingy. And I kinda hope someone kicks Keith in the forehead... Oh and I'm also excited to see Robert again. OK, the reunion won't be too bad. As long as they are all drunk. And I'm drunk while watching it.

My second coffee drink of the day has made me suspiciously sleepy... maybe I ordered an ambien latte instead of a vanilla one. Either way it is not helping me cross anything off my list today.

PR3 at Fashion Week

To start with, Project Runway really kind of blows this year. I feel sort of ambivilant about it all at this point but I was excited about the fashion week collections. I feel like you can get a much better sense of the designers than you ever could during the actual show. For instance, before Chloe's runway show, I thought she had talent and now I know better. And I always knew Jay had talent but I was (and still am) blown away by his winning collection. He set the bar high and I doubt any future PR contesant is going to top it.

So, this season, as I suspected it would, has felt rushed and the challenges have been uninspired and mostly farcical (next season on PR, make an elegant evening gown... using only aluminum siding and a roll of floss!) I'm not even sure why they pretend to have judges anymore because - Angela, Vincent and Jeffrey in the top 7? - yeah, producers had nothing to do with that. And I'm still pissed about Alison... let's just get that out there. This week's episode was predictable and pretty much wrapped up the whole season and tied it with a sucky bow. I mean... bringing back Vincent and Angela? Lame. Finally, it's down to the the final four and they are Uli, Michael, Jeffrey and (decoy) Laura. I know Laura isn't officially the decoy but come on, right?

This is the first time Project Runway had their runway show in the fall (which means spring collections). I'm not sure if PR made it a requirement to make a swimsuit but each collection has one (well, except Laura's... but then... decoy). It's probably the last minute "surprise" challenge... "make a bathing suit that fits your collection! You have 5 minutes before your runway show starts!" Anywho - here are the links:

Uli

Michael

Jeffrey

Laura

None of them wowed me. Uli's was very Uli, Jeffrey's was very Jeffrey, Laura's was very Laura. I love Michael on the show but have yet to figure out his "point of view" (as Tim Gunn would call it) so I'm not sure if his collection is him or not.

First up - Michael. I did not like this at all. As far as I can tell by his collection, Michael's "point of view" is pointed permanantly toward a Beyonce video. I heard this was the most well received collection of the four so... I guess people like Beyonce? Or maybe people just like Michael (understandable) and hope he wins no matter what he shows. I certainly won't throw anything at my TV if he wins but I would rather he win with a super hot collection that makes us want more. And this just isn't doing that for me.

Next - Uli. OK, I like Uli... I've liked pretty much every outfit she made this season and every outfit she wears. And pretty much all those outfits are in her collection. It also looks to me like Uli became worried half way through designing the collection and ran out and bought some non-print fabric. The collection could easily be cut into two mini collections. I'm not quite sure the two mini collections can pass as one full collection. That said, I like pretty much all her outfits and it's my favorite of the four. But I am in no way wowed or excited about it.

And Jeffrey. The thing I love most about "rock & roll/punk" guys like Jeffrey is how they think everything they wear and do and say is edgy and new and making some sort of statement. In this collection, Jeffrey has discovered stripes. How new! How edgy! How I'm sure I saw most of this collection at H&M last year! But I don't hate all of it. I like more of Jeffrey's collection than Michael's. And by more I mean I like two of Jeffrey's outfits vs one of Michael's. He might have won me over with more outfits if there weren't so many stripes involved. Also, what the fuck is he wearing? Are those manpris? OMG... he's so fucking edgy...

Laura. Classic and elegaZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

I guess Uli should win?

Later this weekend I promise to post about Jay's new collection. Go see it at Getty Images.

Yeah... So...

What the fuck was that, Project Runway? Yeah, I knew I hated that bitch, Angela. I would really love to see that horrible thing (skirt?) she always wears reach up and strangle her. And of course, they had to make me like Malan before they sent him home.

I am really glad that Kayne won though. At first, I was sure he wouldn't win just because it would be to obvious. Then I was going to be pissed because his dress was hot. So, I was excited when he won. I hope Miss what's-her-name actually wears it at her pageant. I also really enjoyed Kayne & Robert being on a team together.

But the best part of the show was... Jay's commercial. I actually clapped during the whole commercial. "Oh my god, it's Jay!" (clap, clap, clap) "Oh my god, it's a hybrid!" (clap, clap, clap) "Oh my god, it's Jay in a hybrid commercial!" (clap, clap, clap).

I'm such a loser.

Catching Up...

I have been a very bad blogger lately. But now I am back and have really nothing interesting to say. Let's see...

I finished 2 more books on my road to my goal of 30 this year. They were Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper & Conscious Eating by Body & Soul Magazine. Both we're quick & enjoyable reads. That puts me at 8 books total.

I'm currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Very good, of course. I'd never read it before but I did see the play in junior high.

Both of my dogs have been sick lately and it's been traumatizing to say the least. The vet discovered that one (Gopher) has an auto-immune disease and the other (Poochie) has chronic hepititis. They both seem to be doing much better now though. Here are a couple of pictures that I took recently... first is Poochie & me:


Next is Gopher, looking like a sick ewok:


They are two very super dogs...

And finally, Project Runway 3 is starting next month. I am over the horror of Season 2's ending and am willing to give it another shot. Last year I hoped (out loud) that they'd design flight attendant uniforms of the future (or even just better ones for the present) and this year (I hear) one of the sponsers is Delta airlines. Hmmmm...

Reading Rainbow

I actually took some real vacation time last week and got lots of reading done. If it were Book Week at school, I'd have earned a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut for my 5 finished books. Real life should work like elementary school sometimes.... anywho, here's what I read:

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
Night by Elie Weisel
Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim by David Sedaris
Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

They are all great books & I'd highly recommend them. "Night" should be required reading along with "The Diary of Anne Frank" in schools.

"Nickel & Dimed" should be required reading for high school students along with a personal finance class. It's weird how we just sweep our poor under the rug in this country... relying on numbers that don't tell even half the story to make the rest of us feel better. Plus, we send our kids out into the "real world" without any sort of tools to avoid high debt & the financial pitfalls. Grrr...

"Julie & Julia" inspired me to challenge myself next time life gets me down. Maybe not by slicing up living lobsters or cracking open bones for the marrow but there are always other creative things for me.

David Sedaris is always a quick & hilarious read and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim" was no exception. And there's always a good life lesson that I wholeheartedly agree with in his books, too. Like, "Either you want a clean floor or you want to use a mop, but you can't have both." That was my favorite.

"Dry" was quite a bit more depressing than I expected from Augusten Burroughs but it was still really good. Just when I started to think he wouldn't relapse, he not only picked up the bottle again but also took up crack. And man, in case you never heard, "crack is whack." And his story does nothing to disprove that theory.

I also got some magazines in... Elle, Vanity Fair, Living etc., Dwell & Worthwhile. Elle & Vanity Fair had "green issues" focusing a lot of space to environmental issues. I thought Elle's was done much better and was way more informative. But the Vanity Fair green issue had it's moments, too. Now I need to get off my ass and implement some changes in my life.

But first, I'm off to Square for a drink with Joe.

Martha for Me

I got the new Martha Stewart magazine, Blueprint, in the mail yesterday and it's perfect. I love everything about it. It's like Budget Living has been resurrected without the budget part and with a Martha twist (a younger & hipper Martha). A few "Good Things" from Blueprint:

• The FLOR carpet tile bulletin board
  
• The Blueprint Martini
  
• Summer dresses for work & play
• Bottle opener ring
• Gorgeous dance inspired shoes
• Vitamin & supplement ideas from a Integrative Medicine specialist
• Modern ideas for charms
• Party in a box
• Knotty & Nice - cute bags from scarves

AAWWWWW....

Tonight's episode of Lost was not exactly plot-forwarding but it was definitely character-enduring. Is that the right word? Yeah... everybody loves Rose and Bernard. I like that someone else (besides the viewers) knows about Locke's pre-crash paralysis. And look!! Michael's finally back. And Vincent the Shifty Eyed Dog... who's been feeding him since Ana-Lucia plugged Shannon? No one from the looks of it. And dude, that actor, who plays faux Henry Gale has CREEPY down. He should get an emmy. Just one more thought.. if every season of Lost is only about 40 days, then Sun should be pregnant until about the 7th season, right?

Speaking of awww... first episode of Sex and the City is on TBS. I know that show was only on for 6 years but they all look so much younger. Skipper... remember Skipper? And, OMG the TBS Lord of the Rings commercials are fucking hilarious!! Especially the Frodo & Sam ones. Heh...

Germs Suck

Didn't getting sick used to be fun when we were kids? Not so much anymore. I fully admit to being terribly paranoid of germs in certain situations... not enough to not participate in society or anything. But when I'm in a room with a bunch of people and I hear coughing and sneezing and sniffling, I'm pretty much become resigned to getting sick in the next week. This weekend I tempted fate by going to an EXPO and a huge auction in a barn. I'm feeling lucky that I only got a little stomach bug and not some sort of full blown ebola-mad-bird-foot flu. It's that adult ability to think of every possible sick scenerio that makes it suck the most. That and you have to make your own toast. Yeah, not so much fun.

Monday nights are pretty bad for TV to watch... when I remember it's on, I watch "Flip this House" on A&E. I'm pretty much convinced that Ginger must be sleeping with Richard in order to keep her job. Anyway, it's usually an interesting show... except tonight for some reason. Right now, they have a ghost expert in the house they're trying to flip. In fact, this whole episode seems to be focused more on ghosts and the historic town they're in than the actual house. Must have been an easy flip.

At 9:00, I'm gonna watch this week's episode of "Big Love" on HBO. I caught the pilot on HBO on Demand earlier today and now I'm all excited about seeing an HBO series from the beginning. You know, instead of waiting until they come out on DVD. It's a pretty good show. It's like the perfect role for Chloe Sevigny... looks like she gets to wear her own ugly clothes. Heh.

Scarf! Scarf! Scarf!

Look! I finally finished my first scarf...


The picture is another bad camera phone image. I let Sookie (my dress form/art installation) wear it last night but snagged it for myself this morning. It has a few random flaws but I'm pretty proud. I certainly feel very comfortable with the knit stitch now. I managed to do the entire scarf without dropping a stitch. My next project will be... another scarf! But with a little purl stitch thrown in.

I'm going to the Sewing & Quilt Expo at the IX Center on Thursday and Friday. I'm so excited... I will probably take a couple of the classes. But what I'm really hoping for is some good shopping. I'm finding the crafty chain stores a little limiting in the fabric and yarn departments. I'm hoping the Expo will have some options that I don't see everyday.

Armchair Fashion

After much thought and consideration to last night's shocking ending to season 2 of Project Runway, I can only come to one conclusion. Shenanigans!! I'm calling shenanigans. I feel like Daniel was robbed. I feel like Santino was robbed. I also feel like Kara & Nick were robbed.

Don't get me wrong. I like Chloe... she was one of my favorites from the start. She has a very inspiring story and seems really sweet and all the other things I love to root for. And she stayed a favorite all season. I was so expecting to love Chloe's fashion week collection, not recoil in horror. But she made her models look like living room furniture. OK, OK, her entire collection didn't suck. But out of thirteen outfits, there are only four that I can both understand and enjoy as beautiful fashion. A lot of her fabrics were just too heavy. And the f'cking sleeves... and that one pink, flat, shapeless, weird one actually inspires anger in me every time I look at it.

This article from the Boston Herald, Dao sews up victory on ‘Project Runway,’ claims this:

Chloe’s triumph was not her collection, which showed little range. Six-foot-tall models paraded down the catwalk in evening gowns topped with matching caplets, less than exciting stuff. But it was her business sense and aptitude for understanding women’s desires in clothing that sealed the deal.

All this talk about how she "knows women and what women want?" Yeah, Chloe? Women do not want to look like armchairs:


I want Jay back... Jay is inspiring, funny and real and the more I see of him, the more I want to see of him. And I really I want to see more and more of his designs. Bravo can just skip Project Chloe and have a few full seasons of Project Jay instead. That's the only chance they have for forgiveness from me... at this point I feel like it's doubtful I'll watch season 3. But we'll see, that's a year away and maybe Chloe can make a come back with a better collection and the universe can heal itself. I don't know...

What? No really, WHAT?

What the mother fuck was that? Chloe won?

I'm gonna beat someone... or four people. I feel like I just wasted my time watching that whole second season now. How could they reward that awful collection. Gah. Someone give me a drink.

A Bit Evil... I'd Say

The whole 13 outfit thing was a nice twist... one that I called 5 seconds into the show when Hoedi told them to create a 12 piece collection. We've all seen the pictures and there were 13 outfits for each designer. Still, I have to give it to TPTB for putting that evil little twist in. I liked that they got to choose an axed designer to help them out. Yea! Diana & Nick at Fashion Week... just like I wanted from day 1. Unfortunately, I don't get to see what they can do. But I'll take the extra time with them anyway.

Meanwhile, Santino's seeming very likable & Daniel is looking like a douchebag. Take it down a notch, Danny V. He's definitely buying into the hype that he's unbeatable.

I'm super excited about next week's episode and to see the collections moving down the runway. I think we'll all see details that we didn't notice from the pictures. At this point... I'd say Daniel & Santino have about the same chance of winning. Chloe... I'm still stunned by her stuff. And still not in a good way.

Also, I can't help but see Hoidi as a little evil since Project Jay... and I was just starting to like her before that. Now, I'm going back to my first season preference of replacing her with Kate Moss... yeah, that would be sweet.

Martini Glow Stick

Martini Glow Stick

This glowiness was in my "Hip Smurf" martini last night at Bricco. I was a little worried when I first saw it in there that I'd be dying of some sort of radiation posioning later in the evening... but it all turned out OK. I felt I had to take a picture of it before it faded away and I thought I share it with you. As expected, it didn't make it to see the morning light...

The Late Great Don Knotts

When I was a youngster, I use to have one mission in my daily life. Watch as much Scooby Doo as possible. My earliest use of time management was planning my daily nap around Scooby's start time. And as much as I loved any old episode of Scooby Doo, I loved "Special Guest Star" episodes the most. The Harlem Globe Trotters, Batman & Robin, Josie & the Pussycats, Phyllis Diller, Laurel & Hardy, etc. But the best of the best was Special Guest Star Don Knotts.


When I was kid, it seemed like Don Knotts would pop up on every TV show that I watched. I think the late 70's & early 80's were all about the Special Guest Stars. And of course, there was the Andy Griffith show but I shunned black & white in my early years. Three's Company would be daily after school viewing for years and years. And Mr. Furley? He was awesome. Way better than the Ropers, in my opinion. But that's probably because the Ropers were never on Scooby Doo.

Daytime TV

I have about 2 1/2 weeks of vacation left to use before May and so I took a random day off today. I ended up sleeping in really, really late but now I'm awake and fed and watching TV while I work on my scarf. And man, does daytime TV suck. Of course, there are still soap operas but I haven't watched those in a long time (or a year. whatever). So what's left? HBO on Demand isn't working. The news channels apparently can't find any real news to report (Wiretapping, treason, South Dakota sucking? No? Didn't think so. OK, now they are talking about Iraq, at least. HAHAHA, the President's approval rating has dropped another 8% in the last month. Sweet).

Oh. Anyway, I ended up watching a very special episode of The Cosby Show. It was probably the most low-key very special episode ever. The Huxtable's find a joint in Theo's school book. And so they have a talk about it with Theo, who insists it isn't his. And they believe him and just let him know how much it would disappoint them if it was. Meanwhile, IMAN is having a baby and visiting Dr. Huxtable and she cannot stop laughing during her entire scene. And it really cold outside, so Rudy has to wear 100 layers of clothes. And it all made me kinda miss the Cosby Show...

OK, I've gotta find something else to watch.

Funny Friday

Here are a couple of things that made me laugh today... Joe & I found this link (via Dan Vera) soooo f'in hilarious:

Hung Up Parody

And we feel loving it in no way diminishes our love of Madonna. Right? Heh... and then this (which I think is from MSNBC's five link friday):

Star Wars Cake Topper

Also available with... Luke? Gross. Now Han & Luke would make sense. But Princess Leia & Luke is just wrong.

Happy Weekend!

Jay Love

I sooooo enjoyed watching Project Jay last night... so much so that I was very sad that they cut the original 8 episodes into just one hour. One hour of Jay is not enough to satisfy me. More Jay! More Jay! Lucky for me... mr. boyfriend hasn't watched it yet so I get to watch it again tonight.

Hee. This is Awesome.

I remember last season being a little disappointed in the Project Runway reunion show... but not this year. I like that it started out with everyone calling Santino, actually everyone, out on their bullshit. Sweet. The clips are great, too.

They should put more of this stuff on the DVD... more Project Runway: The Musical, please!! Man, I'm like crying from laughing so much. This rocks. I'm glad I'm TVRing it.

I never liked the phrase "They're selling like hotcakes" anyway... bagels are much better. Boy, a bagel would be nice right now actually.

And next is Project Jay!!!! YEA!!! I can not even express how happy watching Jay makes me.

Creative Distractions

So, when I'm really stressed as I am right now in life... I prefer to distract myself. Shopping works the best but I'm on a mission to get out of debt so that's not really an option right now. And that's why I have a studio anyway. Luckily, lately I've been on a creative kick. I'm starting to check things off my yearly big list in the process.

I now know the basics of knitting and have about half a scarf to prove it. I like to knit while watching the Olympics or anything else that's on & not overly important. Also, this week I've started making a purse, playing with a mixed media piece, carving a little stamp and sketching. All of these things are helping me relax a little and are a great outlet. There are about a billionty creative endeavors that I'd like to try in the future... so I feel good that I can always find something to do.

I always thought it would be cool to design rugs. I'm not much of a carpet person but rugs are cool because they are easier to switch out when your style changes. The problem with rugs is that they are mostly expensive. At Goodwill this weekend I picked up a book, Step-by-Step Rugmaking. So, that book & Joe's latching knowledge will help bring this dream to reality. I'll be starting on that process next week, I think. Here's what's on list for the rest of this week.

1. cut & piece together my purse
   
2. carve a bigger stamp
   
3. finish my scarf
4. start putting together a necklace
5. work on mixed media piece

Oh, and when I have extra time (ha ha), sketch out some designs for the awesome rug I'm going to make. I'm also going to buy a bluetooth thingy to transfer my camera phone pictures to my computer and start uploading some of them.

Exhaustified

I'm exhausted today... actually I'm EXHAUSTED today. It deserves all caps, the kind of exhaustion I'm experiencing. I feel like I got 2 minutes of sleep last night. I've been very stressed lately and I'm just about to blow, I think. Being stressed just erases all the effects of sleep for me. It takes hours for me to get to sleep and if I wake up at 3am, my very first thoughts will be about what I'm most stressed about and it's all over then.

People, in general, can do no right these days and I'm sorry that I feel that way but I just do. I do my very best to let people be who they want to be but then I feel like they're attacking who I am. Like the things I choose for myself are offending them. And I feel like they're throwing out double standards all over... and aiming them right at me. The things they say are not being backed up by their actions. And these are some of the people who (I feel) I make the most sacrifices for out of my own life... quite a lot of my stress is because I care so much about them... not hurting them, not disappointing them, etc. And all I want from these people is a little bit of credit or respect or consideration or aknowledgement. I don't need anyone to hold my hand to get through life... I just need to be able to trust that they aren't completely going to turn on me someday. And right now, I feel the exact opposite is true. Like no matter what, it will never be good in enough.

Maybe that is just too much to ask. Or maybe it's all just my problem. Maybe this is all just me not considering/respecting myself. Maybe I'm making myself the victim by letting other people put all of their issues on me without insisting they consider mine every once in awhile. Maybe I need to stop doing the best I can for other people and do the best I can for myself. I don't know. I'm just trying to deal and get over it. If I had it all figured out... I wouldn't be stressed, would I? Being stressed about not wanted to feel this way is only causing MORE stress. So, it really never ends.

Wouldn't it be great if you could take a vacation from life? Like a real vacation from life... just get beamed into a quiet dimension all alone for a day or two and when you come back you are just refreshed & re-energized but you didn't miss anything. Sometimes, it makes perfect sense to me why my dad lives alone on a mountain with just his dogs to keep him company. But that's probably a bit extreme at this point. I'm sure I just need a little fucking vacation or break or something. Before I start throwing things...

Dream Couch of Yesterday

My first dream couch was the one in Holly GoLightly's apartment in Breakfast at Tiffany's:



Oddly, It was only after 10 or 20 viewings that I realized the true awesomeness of the couch. That it was a claw-foot tub couch. No kidding. In my defense, that movie has a lot of things you can't take you eyes off of and the couch isn't this obvious in the movie.

Now a claw-foot tub couch can present a hundred of different problems. First, how do you find one? There's probably not a surplus of them laying around. And, is it just a couch made to look like a claw-foot tub or is it an actual converted tub? Because I own a claw-foot tub and those things are the heaviest things ever. So the biggest problem of all would be, how do you get someone (or 6 someones) to help you move that thing?! You have to have a party every time you wanted to rearrange your living room.

These days, it's no longer my dream couch (the Petrie Sofa from Crate & Barrel gets that honor {this week}) but it's still pretty fucking cool. So I had to post this when I saw it this morning:


Found on Everything And Nothing via Apartment Therapy

When Design Met Safety

I always love it when safety and good design merge. The Target medicine bottles are a prime example... and the Target emergency kit.

This isn't the first time I've heard of someone trying to spice up the old medical alert bracelet (and I hope it won't be the last) but these are definitely worth a mention. Hope Paige Designs has medical emergency bracelets in mesh, hemp & leather. I'll edit this and post pictures tomorrow. Too tired right now... but if you can't wait, go and check them out yourself:

Hope Paige Designs

Twizzle me This

Thanks to the Olympics, I have a new favorite word. Twizzle. I can't be sure if that is the correct spelling... but it works for me. Adam is wondering.. if the ice dancers are twizzling, does that make them Twizzlers?

Simple Sundays...

In the absence of much to do today, I've found myself watching Romeo & Juliet on HBO. I unapologetically love this movie... the imagery & color & music & even the acting. I remember Shani & I saw it in the theater... and the two girls in front of us were hysterical at the end. They were seriously shocked that ROMEO & JULIET really died. Heh. I hope they didn't see Titanic because that ending was really shocking.

Remember when Leo was on Growing Pains? No? Nobody does but me because I'm pretty sure nobody watched the last season but me. Mike was suddenly a teacher & Leo was some student living in a closet at the school and so the Seavers took him in. And then there was the "very special episode" where Luke (Leo's character) poured all of the Seavers' booze down the kitchen sink and they all thought he was a little alcoholic. But of course, he wasn't. He just didn't want them to be alcoholics like his parents!! Boy, we all learned a great lesson with that episode... I... guess. Anywho - Leonardo DiCaprio is now one of those actors who I don't really like but I end up enjoying most of his movies. Like Kevin Costner.

But Claire Danes remains a favorite. Whether she's Angela Chase or Sookie Sapperstein, hanging out with Zac Posen or stealing Billy Crudup away from Mary Loiuse Parker... she's always OK in my book.

And, yeah... this was clearly a boredom-induced post.

Bye, Bye Kara...

Yeah, Kara was out on Project Runway... but luckily she still got to show at fashion week. I loved her runway show and now have way more respect for her as a designer. The judges were right though, she should have made something more like the beautiful dress she was wearing. Something that gave them an idea of what she would show at fashion week. Something like this...

Nice One, Bravo

So, 10 minutes before the end of this episode of Project Runway and Bravo already has the winner & loser up on the website. At least I know I was right...

I'm Off to See the World...

No, not really. I'm just here at home watching the "anniversary edition" of Breakfast at Tiffany's. So, I'm singing along to Moon River. This edition has actual special features... right now I'm watching "It's so Audrey: A Style Icon." She is certainly my favorite style icon.

In addition, I also bought another Audrey movie tonight... Two for the Road. I have been waiting for this movie to come out on DVD for as long as I've had a DVD player. It's one of my "Essential Audrey" movies... the other two being Breakfast at Tiffany's and Funny Face. That's not to say I don't love, love, love Roman Holiday & Sabrina & My Fair Lady, because I most definitely do. But these three movies are my favorites.

OK, the movie is starting. I'm going to practice my knitting while watching. It is, after all, the movie that made me want to learn how to knit. It only took me 15 years to start.

Project Runway @ Fashion Week

Well, today was the big day. The final fashion show for Project Runway. I've already poored over the pictures at Getty Images and I definitely have some thoughts going on in my head now... all 4 collections were so complete that it's pretty hard to tell who was the decoy (but my bet is still on Kara).

Starting with Santino:

Dude, what have you been doing this whole time!? This is gorgeous and finished and flattering and gorgeous. There was one outfit I hated. But that was it... crazy. He did great. I wish he'd been doing this all along.

Next up is Kara:

Very fun, very young collection. Another surprise. This outfit I love... until you get below the knees. I would have liked to see full length pants. I loved what she did with the layering in many of her outfits. Some of her dresses were just so-so. But a very nice showing overall, I'd say.

Now (oh my)... Chloe:

The most surprising of all (and not in a good way) was Chloe's collection. This dress? Stunning. This dress? The only thing in her entire collection that I loved. I couldn't even bare to post some of the other pictures here... you'll have to go see them for yourself. It was just... not good. 80's prom not good.

Finally, Daniel:

What can I say... I'm a simple girl. And this ENTIRE collection made me gasp with delight. Especially this dress and the gorgeous white coat. His collection was, by far, my favorite. Everything was beautiful and wearable. This collection looks like a winner to me. Daniel V gets my vote.

Horoscope

I used to check my horoscope everyday (for amusement only, of course)... it's been a long time, but since I was already at Elle.com, I decided to click to see what today would bring. Best. Horoscope. Ever.

Daily Horoscope:

For February 9: Today puts a big smile on your face because as usual, you’re proven to be right. It does your heart a lot of good when others have to admit that you were right all along – and they weren’t. Eventually, others will shut up and listen to your words of wit and wisdom, instead of waste gobs of time arguing. Your biggest challenge today will be to not gloat.

Heehee... hehehehe. I love it. You can't believe how much this happens to me. I hope "eventually" get here soon. I should clearly start practicing the not gloating part. Heh.

Must Buy Magazine

I haven't been to interested in Architectual Digest for a long time. But I will most definitely buy the new issue. Why?


Because I am a sucker for Audrey...

Found via Apartment Therapy LA

Good Luck, Nick...

Wow. Project Runway... you are disappointing me this season. Just stupid. I mean...come on. Dumb producers. This is totally their fault. This is worse than when Austin was sent home.

I feel so sad for Nick right now. He was my favorite from day 1. In fact, he's still my favorite... he's someone we'll see more of in the future (Photo from Queerty)...

NOOOOOOOO!

I am going to cry if they send Nick home.... f'in ridiculous if Santino gets away with an outfit that is falling apart. AGAIN. Gah.

Nice F#@king Twist

I didn't see that coming. I take back my Sawyer insult... that was a good con and he got everyone who needed to be taken down a notch. Except Sun, of course. I really liked that Charlie twist, too. Locke deserves worse than that for being such a douchebag. And next week's episode looks awesome!! Especially if they really do let that stupid clock hit zero. OMG, what if the island blows up! Hee.

Yeah, and I'm sure Meredith GREY's gonna blow up on Grey's Anatomy next week. Heh.

Locke is Evil

I think it was Locke who attacked Sun... just a mid-Lost thought. It seems to obvious for it to be Ana-Lucia. I guess we'll see in another few minutes. Another thought about Lost is, Sawyer? Worst con man ever.

Meanwhile... some commercial thoughts. Teri Hatcher looks like she's decomposing. And the Kermit the Frog/Ford Hybrid commercial makes me tear up a little.

Other TV predictions: Nick's gonna win tonight on Project Runway and Kara is going home.

Now back to the show...

Blurry Dog...

Gopher

This blurry little dude is one of my dogs, Gopher. This is my first successful attempt and third overall attempt at moblogging with my cute new camera phone. Apparently, the downside to having such a nice camera phone (1.3 megapixels) is that all of the really nice pictures it takes are to big to moblog. I guess I'll just have to learn how to take better low resolution pics. I can still send the really nice pictures to myself and upload them the old fashioned way... but that kinda defeats the purpose of moblogging, now doesn't it?

Stop! For the Love of Walt

I just saw a commercial for Bambi 2... mother f'er. Does Disney have no shame. Now, I have no doubt that they sell these insta-sequels but it's just getting ridiculous. It's bad enough when they do them for newer movies like The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast but when they start messing with Cinderella, Bambi & Lady and the Tramp... that's when I get pissed. Just stop!!!!

Yea! Jay!

I was so happy to see Jay on last night's episode of Project Runway. And SOOOOOOOO glad that Zulema was sent packing. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And Andrae was totally robbed. Hey judges, you know how you're always saying... it's not flattering, no woman would wear that, etc, etc? Well, this is not flattering and no woman (in her right mind) would wear this:



Is it beautiful? Maybe. But my first thought when it came down the runway was, "OMG, that's horrifying." And, why pick that outfit when Andrae's dress was both beautiful and wearable?

But my most favorite part in last night episode was all the yelling at my TV at Sanitino, "That's Austin's fabric, dude." And the end result was Austin's grammy dress after being put through a shredder. Heh. But I have to say, I do find Santino very entertaining. Those impressions are dead-on.

Overall, I'm feeling pretty disappointed with a lot of the designers this season. There were only two nice complete outfits last night, Andrae's & Chloe's. I'll give Daniel credit, because his outfit was inspired and that was the theme. But 3 out of 7 is not that good. Nick needs to stop with those skirts... but he's still my favorite.

Memoirs of a Supermodel

Sweet. Kate Moss is rumored to have signed a deal to write her autobiography.

Kate Moss has signed a $1.8m deal for the rights to her autobiography, after Virgin mogul Richard Branson convinced her she should set the record straight on her turbulent 2005.

I can't wait.

Branson convinces Moss to publish autobiography

CB2 Catalog!

Just got the very first CB2 catalog in the mail (CB2 is the hip offspring of Crate & Barrel). YEA!!! Flipped through it in about a second and here's what I want right away:




Spoon Coffee Mug







Punapippuri Bed Linens







Bingo Pillows







Clothespin Chopsticks







Whirly Hanging Candleholder







Union Dining Table

Elle Favorites: February '06

I know that a lot of people already do this but I've always wanted to do it myself. I read a lot of fashion & design magazines - Vogue, Elle, Lucky, Domino, Elle Decor, Living Etc., Teen Vogue, & W - on a regular basis. And sometimes more. I've been re-inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Just My Cup of Tea, to share my favorites from some of them every once in awhile. I probably won't do it every month and certainly not for every magazine just because I'm lazy mcdaisy... also, I have no scanner hooked up right now so this post is lacking pretty pictures (except for the jeans). I'll work on that.

Here are a few my favorite things from February's Elle magazine:

Drew Barrymore in the new Missoni ad. She looks so stunning that I'll forgive her for not wearing a bra under her pretty green dress at the Golden Globes.

These Maxfield jeans:



The creepy but cool bat pins, page 98.

Marc Jacobs band-aids adhesive bandages, page 184.

Ostrich-feather miniskirt, page 241.

Michelle Kwan story... I hope she does great next month in Torino.

And finally, Madonna is on the cover... what else is there to say?

I Need a New Subject

Big changes are coming! Big humongous changes!!! OK, not really that big but I'm hoping that this will be the year where I design myself a fresh, new blog and have it hosted all by it's lonesome. But until then, I'm going to talk about TV some more...

I think I love Love Monkey. It's a really cute show. I can't believe I like a show with Brandon Walsh on it...

BOOOOOOOOOOO!

I'm so sad that Diana was sent home on Project Runway tonight. She was one of my favorites. I felt like Marla brought her down... she acted like a belligerent child for quite a bit of the challenge. She had nothing to contribute but just complained. You know, she didn't even complain she just stood there with that stupid look on her face. I also felt a little Tim Gunn hate this episode. Makes me sad that he never "got" Diana. Usually, I agree with all of his critiques during the design process but this time he just seemed to stifle Diana's creativeness. Some people might think that she is "conceptual" but in reality, I think her designs are very fashion forward. And the fact is, everyone of her designs was beautiful.

Really, I didn't really like anybody's outfit tonight. The winning design was nice but looked to much like many of last year's Banana Republic dresses. Poor Nick got saddled with Santino the Ego and was lucky to get out alive in my opinion. I hated the reversible jacket on Emmett & Chloe's outfit. Emmett is the next to go. I'm really shocked at some of the designer's who are left. Zulema, Kara, Andrae & Emmett have really not impressed much at all. Oh well... there's always next week. Go nick!

Tacky Hilton

I should have known not to go against my first instincts...

From the very first episode of season 2, I've said that Santino's clothes look like something Paris Hilton would wear. So, when I found out that Nicky Hilton was the socialite they had to design for my first thought was that I should pick Santino for this week's winner... but I had a misconception that Nicky was slightly (barely) more classy than Parisite. WRONG! And now the evil Purple Pieman (I knew he looked familiar!) has another win. Booooooooooooo! With, by the way, practically the same f'in Hiltonish dress he made for the first episode.

I really wanted Nick to win. And not just for the points. I'm sticking with my first instincts with him (just like Jay)... he rocks. Overall, it was a good episode. I was more impressed with some designers that I'd already written off... Emmett's dress was actually cute. I didn't like it at first, but on the runway it worked. And Andrae's dress was cool, too. Was kinda disappointed in Chloe's dress... it was cute but resembled her 2nd episode dress a little to much. But I did like Daniel V's (probably don't need the initial anymore... poor Daniel Franco) dress... he made it work. I thought Diana's dress was gorgeous. I little froufy on the bottom but please, as if the Hilton's care about flattering clothes. And it was great to see Dirty Diana... I was reading her blog and thinking that they were portraying her a little to "conceptual geek" so far. She seems much more fun and I really hope her internet show gets off the ground because I really want to learn how to make a purse that lights up when my cell phone rings.

Anywho - my TVR cut off in the middle of next week's preview (grrr) so I'll have to go to the website tomorrow and check it out. Must know what's going to happen. Don't forget to check out the TWOP recap and here's a great blog devoted to Blogging Project Runway (giving her the proper props for the the Purple Pieman reference). Ooooh, just saw a preview that said 2 designers will be out next week... awesome.