Outfits

It has been a while since I have done an outfit post, so I thought I would show you a few I wore this past week.

The weather has been lovely. Not too cold but not hot either. Just a perfect crisp fall breeze.

I wore this upcoming outfit when Kerrie and I had our last shopping day. We had dinner with her Native American grandmother that night so that evening I replaced the moccasins with my brown Tod flats because I didn't want to offend her.


Halogen shirt, Ralph Lauren denim skirt, and Minnetonka woodstock moccasins. Please excuse the strange pose. I think I was about to tell my photographer to pause for a second. Nice.


Close up of the moccasins


The following outfit is one of my favorites. I got this dress at an estate sale of this wealthy little old lady who loved to travel. She had gorgeous insanely expensive pieces of jewelry from all over the world, fabulous furs, and handmade dresses from Africa. This is one of those dresses. I wore this outfit to a poetry reading with Rian earlier this week.

Handmade dress, Banana Republic cashmere cardigan, Target black tights, and Gap shoes.


And finally, I wore this outfit yesterday. I was having a really bad day but when I came home, Rian said I looked beautiful, which made me very happy. I have only worn this beaded skirt twice in the past year because it is so delicate.


Thrifted skirt, cashmere Banana Republic sweater, White House/Black Market necklace, Gap shoes.


A close-up of the skirt.

I hope you all had a lovely week. I took the day off today so I could get all my chores out of the way for Halloween. And then Kerrie is coming over tonight to bake pumpkin cookies and watch movies. Tomorrow we have a busy night planned, with a few Halloween parties to attend. I'm really, really excited!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Awards Again!

Amy from The Bargain Hunter Extraordinaire passed on this lovely award to me:




The rules are simple:
1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award.
2. Copy the award & place it on my blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated me for this award.
4. Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
5. Nominate 7 bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs I nominate.
Ready! Let's Go:

Thank you Amy for this fabulous award!

If any of you are a recessionista like me, you should definitely check out Amy's blog. She finds the cutest and most amazing bargains!

Seven interesting things about me (oh my gosh I have done so many of these):

1. I hate black licorice.
2. I dread holidays more than enjoy them. Something always goes wrong.
3. I miss cheesy half-hour comedy shows like Growing Pains and Full House.
4. Reality television is my frenemy.
5. I own and frequently listen to Les Baxter's greatest hits CD.
6. I grit my teeth all day and all night. So twice a year I get them polished. I'm worried I am going to turn them into dust before I'm 50.
7. I own a brown/orange canary who irritates me as much as I irritate him.

Can you tell I'm not in the best mood right now? Oh, dear. It's been a long day.

Anyway, I am passing this award on to the following seven blogs. They are lovely and quite deserve it. :)

1. OceanDreams
2. The Panty Drawer
3. The Couture Cookie
4. Tia Cherie
5. Audrey Allure
6. Try to Be Stylish
7. The Fashion Fusion


I also recieved the Over the Top award from OceanDreams.



Now, as a part of the Over The Top Award, I need to answer these questions and use one word for my answer!

1. Where is your cell phone? dresser
2. Your hair? messy
3. Your mother? tired
4. Your father? home
5. Your favorite food? hummus
6. Your dream last night? attack
7. Your favorite drink? Coke
8. Your dream/goal? rich
9. What room are you in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? write
11. Your fear? illness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? mansion
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something you aren't? tall
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? camera
17. Where did you grow up? USA
18. Last thing you did? shower
19. What are you wearing? nightgown
20. Your TV? big
21. Your pets? bird
22. Your friends? gone
24. Your mood? irritated
25. Missing someone? mom
26. Vehicle? Toyota
27. Something you're not wearing? shoes
28. Your favorite store? F21
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? dunno
32. Your best friend? sister
33. One place that I go over and over? library
34. One person who emails me regularly? editor
35. Favorite place to eat? Chipotle

Phew. I give ten points to anyone who read through all that. (Side note: the ten points don't count towards anything except being awesome).

I pass this award on to all my readers! Enjoy! xoxo

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week!

"That's right, Annabella. Your mother's a whore."

For the past two weeks, I have spent every single night caught up in hopeless romances, careless murders, and brazen sin.

All of this occurs in my living room.

You see, I have become a bit of a Catherine Cookson movie fanatic. These films, all produced and directed by Ray Marshall, take place from the early 1800s to the mid-1900s. They are based on the genius novels of Cookson, who is one of the UK's most widely read novelists.


Ray Stevenson and Gillian Kearney in "The Tide of Life."

They will literally keep you on the edge of your seat.

Every ten minutes, someone is brutally murdered or falls in love with someone they shouldn't. The rich girl finds out she's poor. The poor girl finds out she's rich. Hatred, lust, despair ensue.


Emily Mortimer in "The Glass Virgin."

What I love about these films is that they are just really good. That's it. Very simple. Briliant acting. Gorgeous costumes. Lovely scenery. They are just nice old-fashioned films with damn good plots. Plus, there are a lot of really strong female characters, which has helped launch the careers of some pretty well-known actresses.


Catherine Zeta Jones in "The Cinder Path."

My boyfriend actually picked out Cookson's movie collection for me as a gift. Now, even he admits he's hooked. (That's huge). Every night we curl up in blankets, drink hot spiced apple cider, and get lost in a world where everything goes wrong only to end up right.


Clare Higgins in "The Secret."

So if you're bored some evening or want a little pick-me-up, go find one of these films.

I think we all could use a little excitement in our lives, guilt-free. ;)

Updates & Award

Hello to all!

I hope you are having a great weekend!

I just wanted to share a few things with you...

I was featured again in Chicisimo. You can view it here. I'm really glad they chose that outfit because it is one of my favorites!

Also, I was bestowed an award by the uber cool Keith on his blog Sugar & Spice. I was lucky enough to have him stumble upon my blog a little while ago. He has quickly become one of my favorite bloggers. You can also check out his other blog, The Dino Lounge, here.



I am going to pass this award on to the following people:

Life in Quotations
Melanie's Randomness
Minute by Minute
That's All
Extra Dressing On. The. Side


Also, I am looking to make my fab blogs list (on the side) a little longer. If you are interested in exchanging links, please let me know!

Overheard in the Newsroom

I have been swamped at work lately and it's killing me.
But in honor of my busyness here at the newsroom, I thought I would give you taste of what it's like to work here, through quotes.
You see, we have some weird-ass people who work here and often I will hear the strangest things. I always compile them into a notebook.

I thought I would share a few of them with you. Enjoy!

(A fellow reporter talking on the phone)

Reporter: "Hey mayor! How have you been lately? It was great seeing you and your mom at that party last weekend!"
(pause)
Reporter: "That was your wife?!"


(My editor talking to his boss, our publisher, about his favorite film)

Editor: "There's the scene at the end where the sun is setting and she's standing there in her white dress. She knows he's not going to marry her. It's heart breaking. It's one of the only movies where I've actually cried."
Publisher: "It sounds like an amazing film."
Editor: "God yes. It's definitely the best Muppets movies ever made."


(Editor to reporter)

"Get off your lazy ass and sit there like you're supposed to!"


(Our most famous sports columnist, who is also the highest paid employee at my newspaper)

"My biggest sacrifice in life is not being rich."

and

"I don't need to serve in the Army or even be in the Navy. I serve my country by being a great journalist."

(Um, this guy makes close to one million dollars per year just by writing one column per week about sports.)


(Reporters talking to each other)

Reporter 1: "It's a terrible thing when you have to see your father naked."
Reporter 2: "I think it's good for a boy to see his father naked sometimes."


(My editor to the entire newsroom during a meeting)

"If we are going to be hookers, then let's be hookers at a high price...not a $40 trick."


(My editor on a voicemail to my desk phone, which was left at 4 a.m.)

"I growed up on a tree and now it's falled on me. Shit."
(click)


And I literally have hundreds more quotes. I think I need to write a book. Haha.

I hope everyone is having a wonderfully amazing week!

A Wild Weekend

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Mine was extremely busy, but I managed to fit in some fun.

On Friday night, Kerrie and I went downtown to see "Where the Wild Things Are." The film was beautiful, just like the book. It brought back a lot of memories from my childhood.

By accident, both Kerrie and I showed up wearing our leather jackets. Not surprising, because every time we hang out, we always match somehow. That's what happens when you buy the majority of your closet together throughout the years. Haha!





Doesn't Kerrie look chic?


In case you are wondering, my dress is from Urban Outfitters and my jacket is from Pac Sun.

After the movie, we headed to the Oak Room for refreshments. We took photos in the hotel's giant bathroom because we are awesome.









Afterward, we had milkshakes and cheese fries at a local diner. It was a fun night!

On Saturday night, my boyfriend took me to a stand-up comedy show in a nearby town. The comedian was Benjamin Owen. He put on a great show and had some hilarious jokes.



He is actually becoming something of a well-known figure in Hollywood these days. He is engaged to Christina Ricci and will be a in a few movies next year. Plus, he will be performing on the Jay Leno Show tonight, in case you are interested.

This is what I wore:


Blazer, Target; sweater and pants, Express; shoes, Gap; necklace, The Limited.

On Sunday, my parents and I went to a pumpkin patch. Naturally, I was mostly interested in the animals. I headed straight to the petting zoo.


Do not let this sweet, innocent photo fool you. As you can see, this goat is actually biting a hole into my black Kate Spade bag. I was devestated when I found out. Fortunately, my mom said she might be able to fix it. So I'm feeling slightly better.

My favorite part of the day was going to Rabbit Village. Rabbits are my favorite animal.


Anyway, that was my weekend. Not included: household chores, work assignments, and errands.

And now I'm tired and want to sleep, but I have to go to work. Grrr. Haha.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Hot stuff

I'm sorry I have been MIA lately. This week and this weekend have been insanely busy. I am lucky to get five minutes on the computer these days.

But all should be settled by Monday and I will get a chance to catch up on your blogs. I have missed them and feel so out of the loop. :(

I wanted to quickly let you know about two exciting things.

First, I have been featured on the awesome fashion website Chicisimo. They posted one of my outfits. You can find it here. I am extremely flattered and want to thank them for being so sweet! Oh, and definitely check out their site. If you want ideas for outfits or simply want to be inspired, it is definitely the place to go!


And secondly, one of my favorite bloggers, Melanie, gave me the Kreativ Blogger award.

I think it requires me to list seven fabulous not-so-well-known facts about myself, so here goes:

1. I am allergic to cats.

2. My favorite candy bar is Snickers.

3. My nose is pierced.

4. I secretly love the music of singer-songwriter James Taylor.

5. I smashed my knee while walking up a staircase two weeks ago.

6. I tend to be a messy eater, no matter how lady-like I try to be.

7. I hate sports.

I hope you all are having a great weekend! I will be back soon, I promise. ;)

I facebooked your ex last night

Before online social networking came about, it was easy to forget your ex. Perhaps, a few years later, you would run into them at the supermarket and it would be awkward and nostalgic, but then away they would go, off into the frozen food aisle.

Well, our generation is different and it sucks.

On Facebook, I am only friends with one ex. His name is Jeff and we dated in high school. I was very much in love. We went shopping together and took dance lessons together. We would drive through the ritzy part of town and dream about one day when we would marry and live in a big mansion. And Jeff would even fantasize about how he would decorate each room. Well, a few years after graduation, Jeff came out of the closet. I put my heartache aside and we remained good friends.

But that is it. He is the exception.

Unfortunately, I am still unwillingly connected to every other ex on Facebook. We have mutual friends.

So once in a while information about an ex will pop up in my facebook news feed and spark my interest.

And no matter how OVER my ex I am, bitter feelings and hurt still arises, especially if the relationship ended on bad terms (they all did). Whenever I see them with their new beautiful girlfriends, happy and beaming, I get a little pissed.

After all, I’d always had this fantasy that each ex was sitting alone in his living room every Saturday night, pining for me, knowing he could never love again. So it is always a huge shock to see that my fantasy is not true. They are dating other girls. They are in love with other girls. I am all but forgotten.

And then I have to prevent myself from facebooking each new girlfriend to warn her about the asshole.
“Don’t date him girl! Jake’s mother is a complete nightmare and will ruin your life!”
“I’m so sorry, sweetie, you don’t know me, but I just needed to tell you that Don is in an abusive relationship with himself. Don’t let him near any pills.”
“If you want to protect your heart, stay away from Chris. He cheats.”

All the things I want to say, but of course, do not.

And Facebook makes it SO easy to find your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. So, so devilishly easy, especially if her profile is on public view. 597 photos? Don’t mind if I do!

And that’s when the fun starts. Your self-esteem takes a series of beatings when you find out his ex is gorgeous and rich and brilliant in every way. Oh, she plays the guitar? How bloody fabulous. Oh, she got accepted into Harvard Law without even studying? Lucky bitch! Oh, she went mountain climbing last year just for the hell of it? Jesus. What is my boyfriend doing with me? Clearly I suck in comparison.

And so forth.

So thank you, Facebook. Thank you for not letting me forget my exes. Thank you for letting me compare every detail of myself to every girl who dated my boyfriend.

Thank you for wasting my time.

Nostalgia of a mid-90s tween

Lately I was thinking about old friends from elementary school and middle school, which led to remembering other less important things.

If you are a 90s child or someone who was simply childlike in the 90s, you might remember these:

Now & Then

This movie ruled my school when I was 12-years-old. It was a movie about life, death, love, and most importantly, friendship. After school, my friends and I would hang out at each other's houses and talk about the movie way more in-depth than it probably deserved. We would also role-play. I always designated myself as Sam (the writer) and my best friend Megan, the prettiest girl in school, was always Teeny (the actress). We let our other friends fight over who was Roberta and Chrissy.


Degrassi Jr. High

My sixth grade teacher forced us to watch this young adult soap opera every morning. Each day at this doomed junior high school was filled with unfortunate events. Rape, unplanned pregnancy, AIDS, and racism. At eleven years old, I might not have known algebra very well or world history, but I knew one thing for sure: junior high school was to eat me alive. (It didn't).


The Best Friend necklaces

Ahh yes, the status symbol of pre-teen girls everywhere, showing that they were the most important friend in another person's life. These necklaces were the most popular item at our local mall's Claires boutique. They were so popular, my cousin Bryant even bought us a set. Guys wore them too!
But, alas, the necklace came with its social complications. Friendship was not meant to have the equivalency of a class ring. In middle school, girls are competitive and clingy. Those necklaces often led to disaster.
Overheard in my sixth grade English class: "Um, Susan, we need to talk. I, uh, kind of want the other half of our best friends necklace back. I, um, want to give to to Jessica now."



The fashion of 1995

Believe it or not, I used to dress like this. It was cheesy as hell and we loved it. I also wore scrunchies, baby-doll dresses, and toted around mini-backpacks like the one Cher has in Clueless. I will most likely not be participating in the 90s fashion revival of this style that occurs in the future.


Teen Beat hotties
Before Robert Pattinson and Zac Efron, there were a few teenage boy celebrities that stole the hearts of middle-school girls everywhere.
Warning: these hotties might induce drool. Ha.









Okay, now looking back I am slightly horrified by all my celebrity crushes.
And I feel really, really old...

What are some of your favorite pop-culture memories from middle school?

Random Schmandom

Three Things That Took Me By Surprise This Week

Tobasco
I saw the new Tabasco commercial yesterday and it terrified me. Has anyone else seen this thing? It has men's faces coming out of pepperoni, singing. I'm too scared to eat pizza ever again now.



The last time a commercial gave me nightmares was when Burger King came up with its plastic-faced king mascot who pops into people's bedrooms unexpectedly.



Barbra
My best friend Jonny (who left me for Dallas) is the biggest Barbra Streisand fan in the entire world. He sits front row at her concerts in NYC and Washington D.C. every times she tours. He knows every song by heart. For the past five years, I have had the privilege to be his audience while he belts out her tunes. Sometimes I even chimed in.


(Barbra)


(Jonny)

Well, I was missing him so much this morning that I put on one of her CDs he gave me and I actually got goosebumps. Apparently after all these years I have become a fan of her myself without even realizing it. Songs I recommend: Someday and Evergreen. Both of those songs should give you goosebumps too. Unless you are a zombie.


Makeup
I never wear it, but lately I've been wanting to. Which is strange, but I think it would be fun for a change. I always look so plain. The problem is, I don't know how to apply it at all.

Also, some of the stuff scares me. Like, what is an eye lash curler? Why do people need one? Do people still wear blush?
If anyone knows of really good makeup books or youtube tutorials I could watch, let me know! If I do it blindly, I will look like a clown. Sigh.

Well, that's my random post for today. What stuff surprised you this week?

Tag & a Red Dress

The lovely Melanie tagged me to do this quiz. It was fun because I like to talk about myself.

1. What books are on your favorite shelf?
All the Shopaholics books, Harry Potter books, Jane Austen books

2. What DVD's are on your favorite shelf?
Brideshead Revisited, Mean Girls, The Devil Wears Prada, Amelie, The Office television series, The Simpsons television series

3. What are your two favorite cookbooks?
French Women Don't Get Fat and its sequel

4. Select 1-3 recipes you would cook for guests.
I make a pretty good hobo chili, fluffy pink cupcakes, and hummus

5. What will we be drinking that's available.
Red wine, rum, pineapple juice, vodka, gin, champagne, bottled water or chocolate milk. (That's all I have at home).

And 10 Secrets just because:

1. When I first started my job at the newspaper three years ago, I was 93 pounds.

2. I am afraid of butterflies.

3. The first boy I ever fell in love with turned out to be gay. Very gay.

4. I see having children as an obligation rather than something I want to do.

5. I have a soft spot for pink fluffy cupcakes.

6. The only two serious boyfriends I have ever had have been to jail on drug-related incidents. One for stealing drug money; the other for dealing. Ironically, I have never done drugs.

7. My current boyfriend used to be a Hindu monk at a monastery outside San Diego. Which is funny since he is actually Native American (the other Indian).

8. I hate when strangers ask me about India, just based on my skin color and last name. Chances are, they know more than I do. My dad came to the USA 40 years ago and never went back or looked back. It's like, your last name happens to be German. Should I ask you a million questions about Germany?

9. When I was 19 I had such bad acne, I never looked people in the eye or took up offers for dates. I hated myself. But it gradually went away after a year and now I rarely get blemishes and my skin is very clear. I'm not sure what happened.

10. I don't know how to apply makeup properly. I only wear lipstick because it's the only thing I can't screw up. :(

Okay, well that ended up being True Confessions rather than light-hearted secrets. Haha.

I am tagging you all! I am looking forward to seeing your answers!

I'm going to leave you with a goofy picture of me. My friend Nadine sent me this photo from our thrift store shopping extravaganza last weekend. I tried on this crazy red dress for kicks. I didn't buy it. I didn't think it was my style!

Weekend Update

Weekend was kind of crazy, as usual. I don't know why I don't relax during the weekend. I guess I just don't have the opportunity to see friends and family during the week, because of work. So my weekends are always jam-packed and exhausting because I don't get to sleep in, or even really sleep at all for that matter. Sigh.

On Friday night Kerrie and I went to the art district and messed around.

Unfortunately we spent an hour searching for her friend Brandon who was supposed to meet us at a local diner. We didn't have a lot to do while we searched all of downtown for him, so we took pictures.






After finding him and quickly getting bored with him, we had him drive us to this late night art party down in the ghetto.

We met a few interesting people. A 40 year old man chatted me up all night and eventually asked me three times to go to dinner, even though he knew I had a serious boyfriend. Another man followed me all night and kept saying he was going to paint me. He said I didn't even have to pose because he had my face etched into his head already. He has a gallery opening in two weeks, so it will be interesting to go and see if he was true to his word. Although seeing a painting of myself would be a little disturbing...

Kerrie traded pants with a 24-year-old guy who turned out to be the world's greatest asshole. Without going into too many details, let's just say he treated Kerrie with complete disrespect afterward.



I raised so much hell he left us alone. If I ever see that douchebag again, I will kick his ass. And I am totally serious about that. My biggest regret was not unleashing the pepper spray on him.

After the party, Kerrie and I headed over to a local diner for...dinner? It was 2 a.m.

I had a chicken sandwich.



The next day, I went thrift store shopping with my awesome friend Nadine.

This is what a I wore:


(Flannel shirt, Target; cami, Express; skirt, Ralph Lauren; Converse shoes, Target; socks, Rock Socks, which you can find here. I won the socks a while ago courtesy the lovely Dream Sequins.)



Nadine and I have been good friends for ages, but this was the first time we have had a photo taken together in more than three to four years. I think it's because when we're together our awesomeness is simply too much for a camera to handle.

And then on Sunday, my parents and I went to an apple festival two hours out in the country. It was pleasant and I broke my diet by eating fudge and drinking tons of apple cider.



I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend!

Bright Star

Thank you to everyone who left me such a sweet message on my blog this week. It is really comforting to know I have such great friends. :) Your words definitely lifted my spirits.

I have a couple fun things planned for this weekend, so I hope they will take my mind off my troubles...

Last night Rian took me to see "Bright Star," a film about his favorite poet, John Keats. He thought it would be good for me to see a movie that was not a chick flick.



Ironically, the film ended up being something I would have dragged Rian to see anyway. The story focuses on the tortured romance between Keats and his lover, Fanny Brawne, played by Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish, respectively.



I was intrigued with this movie because of the fashion. Fanny is a self-proclaimed fashion lover who designs and sews all her own dresses.



In a way, she kind of reminded me of myself when I first met Rian. She admitted to Keats that she loved fashion but also feigned an interest in learning poetry, to get his attention. Rian is a published poet and when we first met four years ago, I did the exact same thing.

The film also reminded me a lot of my early romance with Rian because he used to write me love poems as well or incorporate me into his other work. Unfortunately he doesn't do that anymore because he has been using all his energy to study for graduate school instead of writing poetry these days...



The costumes in the film were gorgeous. The acting was also very real, which I appreciated. Overall, it was a very enjoyable and lovely film. (Although if you do see it, I recommend tissues because it is a total cry fest).



What I found interesting was seeing photos of the actors in real life. They look so different!



I thought Abbie Cornish was amazing in this film and I look forward to seeing more of her work.



What great movies have you seen lately?