RIP Laptop Fabulous

It finally happened. My laptop died today.

The computer staff at Best Buy said the computer cannot be salvaged and they are unsure if they could even save my hard drive. The laptop was pretty old. I got it for my high school graduation, which was seven years ago.

I am very sad and in desperate need of a hug.

Fortunately, Rian is letting me borrow his laptop when he is not using it. But tonight that only means I get it for ten minutes. So this is going to be a quick post.

I cannot afford a new laptop right now. This couldn't have happened at a worst time. It is even more devastating to me because if they can't save my hard drive, that means I lose a lot of valuable files. Family photos, short stories, poems, and even work-related documents.

I hate technology.

Well, I didn't want to end this post on a depressing note, so I'm putting up a photo of two things I am obsessed with: bunny and Coke.



I hope you are all having a better week than I am!

Halloween 2009

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween.

Mine was a lot of fun.

I went as Pocahontas.


(Sorry for my messy apartment!)

Rian and I kicked off the night by attending a seance held at a haunted bookstore near our apartment.



There were two psychics there from New Orleans who told us our future using tarot cards and by reading our palms. We also met a medium from St. Louis who tried to contact the ghost who haunts the bookstore.

I drank a lot of vampire wine there.

Later that night I went to my friend Nadine's Halloween party, which she has every year. She always has the best parties with fun games and delicious food.



My friend Brittany showed up as a Native American to the party as well, except she represented a different tribe. She tried to kill me.



It was a goofy, fun night. I got drunk. That's really all that's left to say about that. Haha.

On a completely different note, my laptop computer is dying a slow death. It now takes me one hour and forty-five minutes to post a blog. It takes 15 minutes for me to post a comment. It takes me 30 minutes to attach something in an e-mail. It takes 20 minutes for every single e-mail to send. It is torture. I can't afford a new laptop so I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

And I have to work the afternoon crime shift today.

Boo!

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!