Updatessssss

I went with the Essie Berry Hard. Also featured in this picture are the Gerber Daisies from Whole Foods, as well as some pink Prosecco for NYE

The black purse from Zara....$20 you guys, I did it! It is black suede with a chain that can be tucked in. I enjoy it...it's sort of boho.

Details from last night to come....for now, out with girlfriend for brunch!


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If things look different....I apologize. I got the crazy idea of trying to mess with the template, and failed miserably.

So Glorious

It's 11:30am. I'm still in bed. Ahhhhh. Relaxation.

I think I epitomized the single city girl last night. I came home from work, checked email + internet shenanigans, then did a treadmill workout and yoga. Then I looked down at my bare feet and realized I needed to do a pedicure. By the time I was all done with that, it was close to 10pm, and the salad greens I purchased for dinner just did not seem appetizing. So I broke out the tortilla chips and salsa and ate that in bed while I watched The Hangover, which I had rented from iTunes. I needed to rest up so I can be out in full force tonight!

I slept until forever this morning and it felt wonderful. I'm drinking tea, and trying to decide what to do with my day. I'm thinking a workout is in order....but no shower. I just can't bring myself to shower twice today. I'll just toss some baby powder in my hair, put on a sweater and some Uggs and go to Lenox mall. I need to get more glue for my false eyelashes. I'm sure the tranny messes at M.A.C. can set me up with that. There's also a Teavana at Lenox, and I'm almost out of my tea blend. I might even be so daring as to try a new blended flavor! I may also pick up some extra gel-padding inserts for my heels tonight. More can never hurt. Ack! I ALSO need a semi-dressy black purse. I've been carrying around my beatup Longchamp when I go out, which is sooo not going to cut it tonight. I have an oversize faux-croc clutch that would be absolute perfection were it not BROWN. As my blog readers as my witness, I will not spend more than $20 on this purse for tonight if I find a suitable one. But ohh....wouldn't the Marc Jabos STAM BAG just be heaven with my outfit? Let's take a moment to mourn......

OKAY-

My current dilemma is nail polish color and eye makeup palette for tonight. My whole outfit is some iteration of black, so black nails are out. My lip color is SUPER red, so classic red nails are out.

Here are some options I've been considering:


The pink is obviously a spring color, but it might offset the vampy-ness of all the black + red lip action.

Anyone have suggestions?

As for eye makeup....the false eyelashes are a definite, but I'm deciding between a subtle charcoal-gray palette or maybe something purple.

Are you going ALL OUT with your NYE look, or is it just another night for you?


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Musings

I've been drinking A LOT of tea lately. I haven't had coffee since I was home a week ago. I have my custom tea blend from Teavana every morning while I do my makeup, and when I get to work, I make myself some Tazo tea instead of coffee. And we even have good coffee at the agency...it's Starbucks packets, but it still tastes bitter to me, and when coffee gets cold it's NASTY and it leave a gross tastes in my mouth, whereas tea does not.

I just felt like sharing.

My study abroad program from junior year sent me a letter asking me to donate money. Sorry, IES....not any time soon.

I need/want to start going to church more often. Or I just need to be Jewish. One of the girls on my team is Jewish and always talks about the fun stuff she does at the Jewish Community Center. Like kickball leagues and parties. Catholic people don't do that. I went to mass in college, but I thought the kids in the Catholic Student Association were kind of weird. In the same vein, I need/want to start volunteering somewhere as well. I would love to do it at the Humane Society, but in order to play with the animals, you probably are required to clean their shit too. Bummer.


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NYE Ensemble

I decided on an outfit for New Years Eve. Uhh which is TOMORROW. I literally just realized that fact this morning, and thought to myself, "I'm going to have to sleep all day tomorrow just to stay up until midnight." It's totally true. But anyway......clothes.

Instead of the gold sequined dress, I'm going to wear that French Connection dress I bought back in August.

With these black sparkle tights from American Apparel (yet to be purchased)

and a pair of black pumps

let me dream, thanks.

With a bold red lip, and some false eyelashes.

It's a little more subtle than the gold sequin frock (as for the makeup....different story), but the dress is fantastic. I actually wore it for Christmas Eve mass and quite enjoyed the dress with tights and heels.

UPDATE: went to Little Five Points at lunch got a parking spot right in front of American Apparel....bought aforementioned sparkley tights. I broke my own Rule of Tights....$20+, but it is NYE after all, and I'm re-wearing an already-in-my-closet dress. So I feel this is allowed. Plus, I'm a grown ass woman, I Do What I Want.


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Expletive!!!

Yesterday afternoon, I cruised over to Whole Foods to grab lunch. I did not have any food in my apartment to pull together an actual MEAL that I could bring in the morning. I have eggs....salad which is probably bad, and some grapes which are probably bad as well. But you don't want to know about the boring ins and outs of my cupboard. Whole Foods, in case you're not aware, has a faaaaabulous salad bar and hot meal bar, as well as pizza by the slice. So I grabbed a spanakopita slice of pizza (feta and spinach) and then made myself a nice little salad. I decided I would go back that evening after work because it's actually on my way home, and damnit I just LOVE Whole Foods. So much great produce and organic dairy and cute guys in beards and its just a granola love-fest.

I leave work, complete my Whole Foods excursion, and I'm walking out to my car feeling pretty content. I had a good day at my big girl job, I bought groceries and I was going to go back to my big girl apartment and workout then make dinner. "I'm such an adult!" I said to myself. Then I sit down in my car, turn the key in the ignition, and all I hear is "clickclickclickclick." Hmm, weird. Again. "Clickclickclickclick." Lights flash on and off, and more weird noises.

GODDAMNIT my battery is dead. So I call Saab Roadside Assistance, get someone out to help me and finally they jumpstart my battery. My car was bought new in 2005, and hasn't had the battery replaced since then, so my dad suggested I just go buy a new battery immediately. "They're only like $75, it's fine." So I call PepBoys, and Bon QuiQui on the other line says she can't get me in tonight, it's "too busy." I called at 6:30....they close at 9. This was kind of an almost emergency. So I call around to other auto places, finally found one that could install a battery and drive over. Meanwhile, my car is making screaming noises. It literally sounds like little gnomes are inside my console screaming. My uncle calls and tells me it could be my alternator (wtf) and that I really need to get the battery replaced like ASAP. Well Advanced Auto Parts is basically in the ghetto...like approximately 76% of Atlanta (seriously...you can be on any street, and two blocks in either direction, there are probably homeless people and guns. I digress). It was like 8pm, DARK and I was so mad I couldn't even be scared. The battery came to $160, and the guy took forever to install it, and made a lot of clinking and clanking noises I wasn't too secure about. I was so afraid to start my car this morning, I was afraid it was going to blow up. But it didn't.

BUT SERIOUSLY. It has not been one month since everything has been in my name, and I took over paying for shit. And in this month, I've had to have my power steering fluid container cap replaced ($800+) and now a new battery. This all really could not have happened when my parents were still paying for everything? Like last month? Like remember when that girl backed in to my car and my parents said "put the repairs on our card."? Can we go back there please?

UGH so today I thought it was going to be a better night, but I came home and was suddenly overcome with the urge to label a file folder with all my bills and file away bills and mail that had come over the week. And attempt to pay my internet bill online which was a huge disaster. Then I said, out loud, "okay, even being an adult today." And watched Superbad while I worked out. WOW I'm soo over everything being so DIFFICULT. I know it's life and I have to pay bills and stuff like that, but I'm just so tired of everything being such a process and production. GAH.

Sorry I'm complaining so much....I know you don't come to OMGOpinions to read my whining.

At Whole Foods yesterday, I bought these oranges called Cara Cara Pink Navels

Look you guys! That's an orange not a grapefruit....it's pink on the inside!! It was super delicious and made me really extremely happy. I don't care that they're like $3.00/lb or something exorbitant like that....I will buy these as long as they are sold as WF.

A little baby Schnauzer came in to work today. His name is Baxter. And I love him. I will try to take a creepy picture of him next time he comes.

I'm going to leave you all with a little pretty pretty, because I need it today, and some pretty pretty never hurt. Enjoy.

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Confession

I hardly ever wear this beautiful bracelet. My mom bought it for me one summer when we were in Paris. I need to get motivated to wear it, because it is so pretty and it's HERMÈS, you guys. It's so good looking, the only thing that bothers me is that little gold turn lock sticks out fairly far, and it's hard to wear with long sleeves, because they get caught.

But I need to quit my whining. It's HERMÈS.

(I saw the bracelet on a blogger's gift list for the holidays, and I reminded of that fact I actually own it.)

Clients from Hell

Thanks to L. for showing me this. I don't work in the creative department of my agency, but I'm sure they get quite a few ridiculous requests. This is a site full of crazy client requests for digital designers. Here are some favorites:

“Can you change the paperclip in Word to a cat?"

“Is there a font that’s even more whimsical than Comic Sans?"

“We really don’t like web as a medium. Can you please force our sites visitors to print out a copy of every page? We want our page to be more tangible."

“Can you make my business card less gay looking?"

“… and by the way, I can’t afford to pay you for this job, but you will be paid in karma — which is so much better and more permanent anyway."

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my little puppy dog and her stuffed lamb, Lambie, which is as big as she is. Zuzu was trying very hard to look serious in this picture.

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Big Paper Packages Tied Up With String

What did Santa bring all you little elves?

Growing older means getting practical gifts, I think. In that vein......

Hello, pretty. Santa (a.k.a. my dad) bought me the MacBook Pro, because my dear, sad little IBM notebook was holding on to life with one little claw. It made motorcycle noises when it tried to do something too hard. So sad. My dad was soooo excited to get this for me, he could barely contain himself. I like it a lot. A lot. A lot. It took me about 4 hours to figure out how to transfer my iTunes WITH all the playcounts (its called metadata, FYI). I wanted to keep all that junk because I like it, okay? But it has like 3 times the storage capacity (I think thats called memory, or hard drive...whatevs) of my old notebook, so I never have to choose between downloading an episode of Gossip Girl or keeping old terms papers from college again. (That was a true story, you guys.)

My mom got me this because...well, she's a mom and this is a mom type of gift to give. Seriously though, I LOVE Mark Bittman. I read his columns in the NYTimes, and his recipes are easy, simple and flavorful. See how I said that like I actually cook them? I don't. I just read them and assume that's how they really are. But really though, I am excited to sit down and learn how to cook more than grilled cheese and sauteed spinach. I'll report back.

And that was it! My parent's Christmas gift to me was helping me set up my apartment in a financial capacity...and I still owe them cash money. Does that make sense to anyone else? No one? Okay good I'm not the only one. My parents are so silly.

Share your Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Festivus presents with me! I want to know what was under everyone's tree/menorah/pole. I Googles Kwanzaa and was not able to find a suitable symbol of the holiday. Apologies.

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Getting ready for mass, dinner and decorating the tree.

Merry Christmas everyone!



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Photographes de la Mode, et des petites choses a partager

Les photographes du Sartorialist qui j'aime...



le chemise ecossaise et le veste bleu, comme le veste d'un uniforme d'ecole.



l'echappe chameau! ja'doooooore



ahhhh cette femme est trop trop TROP mince, mais le couleur blue en deux ombres....genie. et aussi son collier avec des rossettes do toile, je l'aime.




la combinaison des couleurs est magnifique a cette femme...le gris en deux ombres avec le rose pâle.



aloooooooors c'est bien avec le francias.

Some fun blogs I've been exploring recently:

A Cup of Jo

Elle Shoe Diary

Erie Basin vintage jewelry

not a blog, but Vogue Paris for you Frenchies.

Flying off to a magical land tonight! I wish...it's just theMidwest, don't get excited.


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I Took The Camembert

....from one of the 8,000 gift baskets the media department has received in the past week. I took in it the vain of "putting it in the fridge," but then I just stuck it in my lunch bag and brought it home with me. For the past week, there has been a constant and steady stream of cookies, gourmet cupcakes and Harry & David gift baskets coming to our team and the rest of the media department. I had my first sugar crash in probably 15 years on Friday afternoon. One minute I was buzzing around, getting work done, answering emails and sending shit, then next thing I know I'm dragging myself to the kitchen to make coffee at 4pm. Sad story.

In addition to calorie-laden gifts, we also get cool stuff! One of the vendors we work with gave everyone Snuggies, and a few others have sent wine and champagne. But I didn't get the fun stuff, because a lot of our reps don't even know I'm new to the account. Next year, though, guys. Next year I will be sitting in my Snuggie drinking my own bottle of champagne. Just you see.

I'm also writing this post from a desk! Sitting in a chair! As opposed to writing crossed legged in my bed like usual when I lived at my aunt & uncle's. Is this growing up?

I did the treadmill + yoga thing tonight, and made a salad for dinner. I just finished up packing, and my whole suitcase is a wardrobe of black. I own other stuff...but I own black so much, I sometimes don't even realize. In the winter it's just so easy to put on a black dress, tights, a cardigan and a scarf and not bother with anything else. But don't worry.....come spring I bust out the hot pink shirtdresses and florals. I love me some floral print dresses.

I'm thinking about painting an abstract piece......ON MY KITCHEN WALL. Oh girl YES I jus' did. It's so white, and I have to paint over it when I move anyway... so why not be all artsy and go to town? I really might do it. Saturday afternoon project when I return from Christmas for sure.

Where is Gossip Girl? It has been 2 weeks. Was there a hiatus of which I was not aware? ....see how I didn't end that sentence in a preposition, but sounded like a pretentious snot? Grammar is for lewsers.

This is really all I have for now. I won't go in to detail of how I was at the car repair shop for 3 hours Saturday, because I don't want to relive it. All I want is my old dealership back. From Ohio. Move to Atlanta, please.

Au revior, mes cheries!!


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Would It Be Bad...

To recycle a dress I've worn for 2 New Years Eve's.....again? For a 3rd year?

This is the dress in question:

I've had it since Junior year of college, and I wore it both Junior year NYE and Senior year NYE.

I will be in Atlanta (with a different crowd obviously). And my pictures on Facebook aren't public, so no one would really know but me. And you all. But I trust you not to tell. And it's old and I got it on super clearance from Macys, so no one is EVER wearing the same thing as me.

I was thinking about having it altered, maybe making the scoopneck a little bit lower, but I don't think I have enough time to accomplish that now. Damnit procrastination!

Or I could pull a Serena a la Season 1 of GG and do opaque black tights, a dark scarf and a black jacket and cardigan.

OR what I've done in the past (on admitedly not-so-festive occassions) is wear the dress with a black turtleneck over it, so it's like a sparkley skirt, like this:

Or I can always just bite the metaphorical/financial bullet and go buy a new one from H&M or Urban or something. But I am trying to save the monies, you guys.

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Design, Both Home and Self

I never thought I'd see the day when I was interested in home design. I don't watch HGTV, my mom always wants my opinion on her home decor decisions, and I tried my best to feign interest.

But now that I have my own little space to decoration....OMG I'm obsessed.

I've been reading Elements of Style blog a lot. This girl is such a genius. She's a decorator who takes inspiration from fashion trends sometimes, and just has really super good taste. I'm finding myself actually WANTING to try some DIY projects....and that is SO not usually me.

I've also been browsing through The Sartorialist and Garance Dore (en francais, bien sur!) and I'm missing Paris sooo badly right now. My little apartment reminds me of Paris, and how antiquated and vintage everything felt. Here are some pictures I've saved from The Sartorialist that I find a lot of inspiration in...

I love the layers in her look

You had me at hello with the lip color and sunnies

I wear a lot of black, and I love how chic she looks

More black, and j'adoooore the ruffles, and OF COURSE the patterned tights! This is in the Tuileries garden, before a fashion show, FYI.

I want to try a skinny belt with a few of my jersey dresses, like this

Of course I love me a well dressed Parisian man, too.

I also think I need to wear my heels more often. I'm 23 years old....I just need to buckle up and do it. I have so many great, fierce heels I never wear because they make me 6ft tall and hurt my feet. I'm going out tonight to a jazz club (oh la la!!) and I think I might debut a pair of heels. Maybe. But it IS raining. I'll consider it, okay?

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I've Been Playing House

If you're wondering where I've been.....I've been busy growing up! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates......my life has been bananas since about last Thursday. Friday night my parents arrived to help me move, and bright and early Saturday morning the process began. And it is still not done! I'll spare you the moving drama....I'm sure you all know how stressful it is. But this was probably the best move my parents and I have had to date. Minimal arguments. And no stairs, which was a blessing. It did start to rain later in the afternoon, but the majority of the heavy lifting was finished by then. I'm still waiting for the treadmill to get here. I made my aunt & uncle an offer on their treadmill since I was the only one using it. A gym membership is $45/month, and I can't fit that in my budget right now. So buying the treadmill from them was definitely the best decision. Now I can work out whenever I want and watch my own tv!!

Okay...enough talk...I know you all want pictures!

This is my "living room," excuse the mess. I haven't finalized picture hanging placement or bookshelf decoration coordination yet, hence the chaos and clutter. That door leads to a screened in porch which is as long as that back wall. The walls were ALL stark white, but I painted that right wall a canary yellow. And by "I painted" I mean my mom and aunt.


This is my "bedroom," which again is messier than it hopefully will ever be. I also painted the wall behind my bed yellow. And there is a door in the middle of my room which does not open. Once upon a time it lead to the hallway, but for what purpose I am not sure. Just tonight I hung a picture to the left of my bed and also over the head of it. I don't have a headboard yet, just the same bed frame I used in college.



Kitchen, obviously. For some perspective, the kitchen is to the right of my "bedroom." So to take this picture I am standing in front of my desk in the picture above this one. I'm not wild about the kitchen....I want to change it somehow. It's just so damn white! I put a Paris poster on that left wall, but it is still too institutional to me. See that kitchen cart next to the oven? I put that bad boy together. And the oven is gas. Lord help me. I'm afraid I'm going to poison myself or blow up the building. So far I've only ventured to boil water for tea, and every morning it makes me anxious.



This is a pile of VOGUEs on my side table next to my couch. I have been collecting VOGUE since high school, and have been envisioning decorating with them since then. I even have a few from my various stints in France. My stack is probably 3ft tall. This stack has a lamp on top of them, and I am still trying to find places for the others. Maybe on my vanity to boost up my table lights?


This is my little Christmas tree, and Russian doll "nativity." The tree is an old American Girl doll tree, if any of you girls remember having those. Most of the ornaments are from the American Girl stuff, but the turtle and the little fairy are from a handmade ornament store where my parents live, and we buy a few ornaments from them every season. Next to the tree is ANOTHER stack of VOGUEs and stuff on top of it.

So that was a photographic tour of my little studio. It's cozy, but very roomy for a studio. My mom pointed out that she thinks I like it so much because it reminds me of Paris and she's totally right. The only thing I could complain about is I don't have my own washer/dryer. There's a laundry room on the first floor, and I feel like I'm living in the dorms again, having to bring down quarters and haul my dirty laundry all over the place. Living in an apartment with a W/D my senior year was definitely a luxury. Other than that, this little apartment is great!

In other news, work is good. and BUSY. I'm starting to get the hang of things, so I'm getting more responsibility with the clients and vendors. I'm also responsible for setting up meetings for the whole media department, not just my client team, so I spend a lot of time responding to emails from sales people trying to get us to advertise on their site.

I hope you all are fabulous and enjoying your holiday season!

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Apt. Update

I forgot to take pictures of the apartment, you guys. Someone remind me on Friday night, so I can do it Saturday before the moving shenanigans begin.

I went to see my new apartment today- empty. And dirty! Holy shit, the people living there before did not clean when they left (which is SO gross- PSA), so the landlord's cleaning crew is going to come in and do a full five star cleaning. Let me tell you....if I ever doubted I was my mother's daughter, that doubt was put to rest today. I got in there and pointed out every little thing I wanted done: oven pulled out and cleaned behind, the built-in hutch repainted, the floorboards washed, the screened-in porch cleaned of all leaves & debris, new rods in the closets, etc and so on. And all that will *fingers crossed* be done by D-Day Saturday! I have to show my parents I was able to pick out a decent living space. But hey....silver lining is- if they don't like it, maybe they will pony up some money so I can live somewhere else. Win-Win-Win.

iPhone is beautiful, thanks for asking.

I've started to schedule my workouts around watching Jeopardy. So I'm running on the treadmill, and shouting answers at the television. About 30% are the correct answers.

Okay, this "adult" thing is getting kind of ridiculous. Here's a list of shit I need to do within in the next, oh.....3 weeks:

1. call to get electric service in the apt
2. call to get gas service (gas stove)
3. set up cable/internet
4. MOVE
5. change address for a million things (phone bill, bank, magazines, etc. and so on)
6. find 5, YES 5! separate doctors (dentist/gyn/vision/derm/primary care)- get appts and make sure they are covered by my insurance. GYN is most important. Birth Control must be refilled. Right now it's being used more as an acne remedy (*sigh*), but important nonetheless.

I have such a new respect for my mother. My dad was in the military, and we moved several times when I was younger. She had to do this multiple times! My god.

Everyone in college is stressing over exams. I don't miss that, really. Except for the years when I only had one or two eams, then I could go out the rest of finals week. What I do miss being home for 3 weeks straight with nothing to do but go to yoga classes, bake cookies and visit my parents at work and have them take me to lunch.


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"We definitely got bigger than we wanted to be. You feel like you’ve done something wrong. That woman in mom jeans who’d never let me date her daughter? She likes my music. That’s fucking not cool. You almost start doing damage control: When people ask you to do stuff, you’re like, ‘No, because I can already tell this record is going to get to a level where people will fucking hate us"

-Caleb, Spin Mag Jan/Feb '10

It's funny because there was a mom directly behind us at the concert. In the general admission pit.

It's sad because it's true.


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It's No Big Deal, Don't Worry About It

So much has been happening my little Christmas elves!

Let's start at the beginning....I'm loving my new job! I can tell it's going to be a lot of hard work, but I like the account and my team is super fun. And the perks are redonkulous, you guys. Agency life is fabulous. Lunches are always being brought to the office or we're being taken out. Thursday night, a rep team took us out for drinks & apps, then to see CAVALIA. It's a Cirque du Soleil show that is getting a huge amount of press here in Atlanta. It is Cirque du Soleil, but WITH HORSES, you guys. Amazing. And I absolutely love horses, so this was so great. We were front row, and we went backstage afterwards to see the horses in their stables. We also got tons of concessions and tons of booze during the show. As members of my team were ordering extra large glasses of red wine before the show, I asked, "is this normal?" and my director goes, "totally."

Then Friday we had our department Christmas party at a restaurant in Midtown. The top level of Gordan Biersch was rented out for us for the evening. We had an appetizer buffet, open bar and a White Elephant gift exchange (a.k.a. Yankee Swap, as seen on The Office). The gift I wound up with was 8 episodes of Punky Brewster on DVD. Hysterical.

On to apartment business! Thursday I met with my broker to exchange leases, and he let me know an identical studio was opening up across the hall from mine, and I would be able to move in basically next week. At first I was a little hesitant, because while it is EXACTLY the same, it is a mirror image of the one I had seen and begun planning furniture arrangements. Then I had some friends and family members talk some sense in to me. So barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will be moving into my adorable little apartment next week!

In other big girl announcements....I would like to welcome the newest addition to my technical family.......little iPhone!
Yes, in a snap -but well researched- decision, I purchased an iPhone this afternoon. I don't know what got into me last night, but I was just researched some plan options, and when it came down to what I wanted a phone to be able to handle (lots of texting, email, Google maps and general Google-ing), the difference between purchasing a smartphone and a "normal" phone in terms of price was just too low to NOT get the smartphone I've been wanting for years. Then is was just a matter of researching the differences between iPhone and Blackberry, and in terms of user interface, usability, web browsing capabilities and overall sex appeal, the iPhone was totally IT. So I pranced on into the AT&T store this afternoon and had a blast picking it out. The sales guy was TOTALLY adorable and he uses the exact same phone I just bought, so it just cemented the fact I'm making the right decision. PLUS, I'm getting cable + internet throughh AT&T, so I can bundle my bill and save some money. I feel good that I treated myself to the phone I really wanted, but this wasn't a rash decision. It was well researched and very logical I feel.

We discovered baby squirrels living on the back deck! They're so cute, and keep scratching on the glass, because they want to come inside and live with us!

Besides the excitement of the iPhone, I haven't done much today. Worked out, helped my aunt put up Christmas decorations, that's about it. It is SO cold in Georgia today! There were snow flurries this morning. Uhhh, no. I don't like this. I want to go buy groceries and make a salad, but I don't feel like venturing into the Tundra. Frozen steamed peas and green beans will have to suffice for tonight's veggie consumption.



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Use Somebody Nominated for 4 Grammys

1. Record of the Year
2. Song of the Year
3. Best Rock Song
4. Best Rock Performance by a duo or group with vocals
   

coooool.

But, can someone explain how an album released in 2008 can win a 2010 Grammy? "Sex on Fire" won Best Rock Performance blah blah blah in 2009. Same. Album. Confused, but happy nonetheless.


Edit: I may have just answered my own question. "Use Somebody? was released as a single in 2009. This makes sense now. NVM.

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45 lessons of life

[written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio]

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.”

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now… Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life… Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

It's Back

Back by the popular demand (...of one person) it's my Gossip Girl recap!

Once again, this is a live-recap, meaning I am watching the episode as I write down commentary. Thank yooooou, iTunes!

oohhhh J. I love the boots. Red and suede and knee high? Can't go wrong.

"What are you then, an eighteen year old blonde coincidence?" Precisely Blaire. And why does Serena's mouth hang open like a trout gasping for air after she says, "wanna go for a....walk?"

Vanessa is wearing a rug. With buttons.

Grandma CeCe is back! What a conniving, gin drinking, old bitch! Love it.

Mariage Freres is a famous tea salon in Paris. Nice name dropping, Eleanor. And her bag looks like a Valentino, but I can't find it in the current collection. Can anyone else pinpoint it?
I also don't feel like Eleanor would change her will, especially not to exclude Blaire. She's selfish, so she's not giving it all to poor children or people with diseases, and Cyrus has his own money.

Oh, that's nice. Vanessa's black mom is back, and she's wearing a rug as a coat too. They are giving hippie, crunchy granola people everywhere a very bad reputation among the nation's 15-28 year old girls and gay men.

Ahh so Eleanor is knocked up! But by Cyrus, ew. Negate all happiness.

I love Blaire's definition of a sibling: "someone's who's sole purpose in life is to compete for your parents' love and attention." Such an only child thing to think.....I would know.

What would Thanksgiving be without some familial and marital tension? It's like a Gossip Girl tradition, now basically.

HOLY GOD Serena is wearing a PANTSUIT. A PANTSUIT. I wasnt even going to be snarky about the lace see-through panel, because I thought it was a pretty and conservative dress for Miss Van der Woodsen. But now that I see it's a pantsuit?

okay my pretties, I start work tomorrow, so this is all I have. If anything else comes to mind, you'll be posted! But I toooootally cannot wait to find out what kind of good dirt was in that letter from Serena's dad.


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