Happy Birthday lil bro

So my little brother turns 18 today, which is beyond weird for me. Not weird in a bad way, but I just can't believe how old he is! I thought I would share with all of you what I wrote on his facebook wall. The funniest part is that it took three posts to say it all, so I will leave the breaks the way they worked out on facebook.

"how is it that it's almost noon and i am the first person to write on your wall for your b-day? tell your friends i said they were slackers. anyway, lil bro, i cannot believe that you are 18. really, i like literally don't believe it. in fact i think i'm taking back a year, you are not allowed to be 18 yet. why you might ask? well because i'm you're big sister and i say so (remember that one?). i mean i remember when you loved moles, and when you wouldn't wear anything but sweatpants in black or grey, and when you had chubby chubby cheeks. i remember when you still wore diapers, and the dinosaur blanky you used to carry everywhere. i remember the time you stuck the bean up your nose and we were so scared cus we lurved you so much and you were so little. i remember all the cars, and all the legos, and then all the computers, oh wait that's now. i remember the forts we used to build in the back of the minivan on road trips, and how i secretly felt bad when you weren't big enough


(sorry ran out of room on the last one, who knew there was a character limit on facebook wall post, so now i will continue) to go on all the rides with dad and i at disney world, although i never would have admitted it. i remember climbing "the mountain" in our backyard when they were doing the addition, and then when it froze and we just had that much more fun climbing the frozen mountain. i remember when you learned how to drive and i was scared half to death for the rest of the world. and i remember how i would come home form college and all of a sudden you weren't just my baby bro, but you were a real person, and that may have scared me more. i remember the day i realized that you weren't annoying and trying to come into my room anymore, but that you were really cool and fun to hang out with, and that when you came into my room, i actually wanted you there. but despite how growed up you are, you will always be my baby brother and i love you more than you know. hope i didn't

(part 3) embarrass you to much on facebook. oh and sorry i used to poke you when you were trying to take naps."

26. Christmas With You is the Best-The Long Winters

We both hate the holidays
Our parents act crazy
And the mall is insane
Let's skip it all
And have a non-traditional non-denominational celebration

Christmas with you is the best
We'll have no turkey or guest
Sleeping late but before we get dressed
I want to give you a present

It was fun when I was a kid
And then it started getting strange
I got too old for toys and games
And now i have you
And I think we should choose
A non-traditional non-denominational celebration

Christmas with you is the best
We'll have no turkey or guest
Sleeping late but before we get dressed
I want to give you a present

We both hate the holidays
Our parents act crazy
Let's have non-traditional non-denominational celebration

Christmas with you is the best
We'll have no turkey or guest
Sleeping late but before we get dressed
I want to give you a present
I want to give you a present
I want to give you a present
I want to give you a present

Gaucamole

So I have become kind of famous for my gaucamole. In fact I think it is one of the things about my person that is in most high demand. I have a secret suspision that my gaucamole was the real reason Lesley invited me to Chicago, seeing as how all the ingredients were there laid out ready for me when I was there. When I talked to Maria the other day she said "I miss you so much. Especially your gaucamole." I am beginning to wonder if my gaucamole has actually surpassed me in likability, and if therefore I should withhold it from any new firends that I make in the future for fear that they will love me only for my gaucamole. Or maybe it can be used as a tool. Maybe I can lure friends to me with my amazing gaucamole. This is potentially devious and manipulative, as my guacamole is fabulous and also rather addictive.

In truth I am not really sure what makes my gaucamole so good. It's essentially how my Mom makes it, although we do things a little differently. When people hear that I make really good gaucamole they assume I make it totally form scratch chopping up ingredients and all. I don't, I use salsa in my guac instead of fresh vagetables. I've been told this is cheating, but I promise I've never had any complaints. But I'm afraid I'm giving away too many of my secrets. I just sent Maria and email with detailed instructions since she said she had tried but had never been able to make it as well. I felt badly, so I gave her the most help I could. But from now on I'm keeping my secrets safe, since by telling her just how to make my gaucamole I may have released my hold on Maria forever. I will not risk losing more firneds over gaucamole.

27. River- Joni Mitchell

Its coming on christmas
Theyre cutting down trees
Theyre putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it dont snow here
It stays pretty green
Im going to make a lot of money
Then Im going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry

He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
Im so hard to handle
Im selfish and Im sad
Now Ive gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye

Its coming on christmas
Theyre cutting down trees
Theyre putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on

28. Christmas is Going to the Dogs

So yesterday was a kind of weird day and I missed the boat on the whole Countdown thing, so here is yesterdays song one day late:

Get off your sled and go to bed
Don't you ever tire?
Throw a bone, I'm finally home
Curled up by the fire
Snow is falling from the sky like ashes from an urn
Sweet dreams, my little one
Now it's my turn

Well, Christmas is going to the dogs
We'd rather have chew toys than Yule logs
And things aren't looking very good, it's true
So I'll just lay here and chew

Now, when I sleep I like to dream
Of rabbits in the snow
Jumping right into my jaws
From their rabbit hole
Take one home and set him down right next to you shoes
Wake up to a big surprise
My gift to you

And Christmas is going to the dogs
We'd rather have chew toys than Yule logs
And things aren't looking very good, it's true
So I'll just lay here and chew
And Christmas is going to the dogs
We're scarfing down the turkey and egg nog
And things aren't looking very good, it's true
So I'll just lay here and chew
So I'll just stay here and chew...

29. Merry Christmas, Baby- The Beach Boys

My baby she told me
She don't want to hold me (oh, no!)
And kiss my lips anymore (unh-unh!)
She's gonna leave me
And she don't believe me
That I'll be true now

Well maybe she don't love me
And is not thinkin' of me
But why'd she do it this time of year?
She knows that I'll miss her
And I'll want to kiss her
If just for Christmas

Merry Christmas, baby
Merry Christmas, baby
Merry Christmas, baby

Tell me, what did I do
To really convince you
That I'm not the guy anymore?
Take back my ring now
I'll do anything now
But please forgive me

I made my mistake but
I'm willing to wake up
And never mess around anymore
Oh why did we break up?
There's still time to make up
If just for Christmas

Merry Christmas, baby
Merry Christmas, baby
Merry Christmas, baby

I made my mistake but
I'm willing to wake up
And never mess around anymore
Oh why did we break up?
There's still time to make up
If just for Christmas

Merry Christmas, baby
Merry Christmas, baby
Merry Christmas, baby
Merry Christmas, baby

The Squid and The Whale

It’s my day off so I’ve been taking it easy. I slept til one and then got up and made pancakes. While I ate my pancakes I watched The Squid and The Whale. I’d wanted to see it ever since Maria told me about it last Spring, and it finally worked it’s way to the top of my netflix queue. For those of you who haven’t seen it or aren’t familiar with the film at all, it’s about a family, in the eighties, in which the parents get divorced. It deals with the effects on the parents themselves, but the real focus is the effects on the children.

I really enjoyed it. I was pretty much appalled by Bernard (the father) in general. In fact, I was pretty much appalled by half the action in the movie. But in a way that made for a film one could still enjoy. I mean these kids get pretty fucked up by the whole thing, but there’s a lot of truth in that, so even as you’re basically disgusted by their actions, you’re really feeling for them. The situation is just awful, and that manifests in their behaviors. And as an observer you can see that their actions are fueled by their emotional distress. Basically, their lives such badly enough that you just feel bad for them.

It also has a really great ending. Beautiful and non-committal in the best possible way. So if you have patience for movies that aren’t super Hollywood then I would definitely see it if I were you.

30. Little Saint Nick-Hanson

Ok this one gets a little preface about how I obviously don't actually listen to Hanson, but their Christmas album is really fun. So just get over it.

One, two, three, four! Oh!!
Merry Christmas day!
Well a way up North where the air gets cold,
There's a tale about Christmas that we've all been
told
And a real famous cat all dressed up in red,
And spends his whole year workin out on his sled
He's a little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)
He's a little Saint Nick (little Saint Nick)
Oh yeah!
Just a little bobsled, we call it old Saint Nick
And she'll walk the toboggan with a 4-speed stick
She's a candy apple red with a ski for a wheel
And when Santa gives her gas, man, watch her peel!
Run run reindeer, run run reindeer
Run run reindeer, run run reindeer
He don't miss no one
Well hauling through the snow at a frightening speed
And a half a dozen reindeer with a Rudy to lead
Well he's gotta wear shades cuz the snow really flies
Cuz he's cruisin every pad with a little surprise
Run run reindeer, run run reindeer
Run run reindeer, run run reindeer
He don't miss no one
Well hauling through the snow at a frightening speed
And a half a dozen reindeer with a Rudy to lead
Well he's gotta wear shades cuz the snow really flies
Cuz he's cruisin every pad with a little surprise
Oh Merry Christmas!
Christmas comes this time each year, Christmas comes
this time each year!
Ooh! Merry Christmas! Yeah!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Christmas comes this time each year, Merry Christmas
yeah!
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick
Little Saint Nick Yeah!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas

Craft Corner

This summer I dreamed up a project to create a momento from BC. I didn't get a year book because I never set up an appointment to get my picture taken and also it wasn't something that I thought would be a good reminder of my experience at BC. It might have been a perfect one for someone else, but not for me. So I decided to make my own little year book, but a portable version to send across the country to all of my friends for them to sign. I got a small soft covered photo album that would be pretty easy to send and not monumentally expensive to ship to 12 people. I pulled out all my favorite pictures from BC, more form this year than from any other, but a few from the early days, and narrowed them down to 22, because that's the number of pages I had available. I put them all in and left space for people to sign near a picture of them, and then shipped it all over. It still hasn't made it to Carla and Kate yet, since they left the country before I had a chance, but I will figure out a way to make sure they sign it.

I got it back a few days ago and it was so much fun to read all the messages, and to see where people decided to sign. I also had people keep the postmarks so I could paste them in the back, and that was fun to look at too. I love it, and it is a million times more personal than the BC year book. Not only are they all pictures of people I actually know and care about, but they are accompanied with messages from all my favorite people from my time at BC. It turned out so well.

With one big project down I am on to another. Like I said before I have started making my Christmas cards for this year. I have really nice supplies this year, so hopefully they will turn out really well. Maybe I will post some pictures of the most exciting ones once they're finished.

31. Gabriel's Message-Sting

The angel Gabriel from heaven came
His wings as drifted snow
His eyes as flame
"All hail" said he "thou lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favoured maid," Gloria!

"For known a blessed mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emanuel,
By seers foretold
Most highly favoured maid," Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said,
"My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name."
Most highly favoured maid Gloria!

Of her Emanuel, the Christ was born
In Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn
And everyone throughout the world forever saved
Most highly favoured maid Gloria!

Turkey Lurkey

So yesterday was Thanksgiving, and I hope you all enjoyed yours as much I enjoyed mine. It was out usual deal, multi-family dinner, followed by a game and way to much pie (no really I had 5 pieces). Because my family is not near our extended family and we have given up on travelling for holidays (I think the last year we went to my grandparents was the year that 8 different meal attendees got the stomach flu and took shifts over bent over the toilet), we always have dinner with Liz's family and usually a few others. It is so wonderful. There are always so many people, and they're almost always all people I really want to be around. The food was, as always, awesome. Liz and I contributed a pumpkin pie and the mashed potatoes. After dinner we played a marathon game of Apples to Apples, which if you've never played you must go out and buy it immediately.

As of today (Black Friday) I am pretty much in full on holiday mode. I purchased my Christmas Card making supplies from Paper-Source this morning, and followed that up with an eggnog latte (although I must admit it was an iced one, since it was about 65 in DC today). I was accompanied by my Mom and my brother on these outtings and then was dropped off at work, where I would listen to Christmas music if I felt like it was appropriate, but I don't , so I'm holding back. The ipod has pretty much gone full time Christmas as of a few days ago, but I'm secretly kind of worried that people can here and will think I'm a huge tool. Though really, it's not like my love of Christmas is a secret. And it's not like I've ever really been embaressed about it before. I really need to work on the whole apartment decoration thing though because I haven't put anything up yet. I want to try and get a wire cone and then wrap a real garland around it to look kinda like a tree. Mostly because I love the smell of real evergreen, and (not surprisingly) associate that smell wih Christmas. Anyone with any extra suggestions for how to increase my holiday cheer lemme know, because I am always interested in getting as into the spirit as humanly possible. And remember, he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice, so dont' say I didn't warn you.

32. Merry Christmas Everybody-Rooney

Are you hanging up your stockings on a wall ?
It's the time that every centre has a ball
Does he ride a red nosed reindeer ?
Do a 'ton up' on a sleigh
Do the fairies keep him sober for a day ?

So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

Are you waiting for your family to arrive ?
Are you sure you got the room to spare inside ?
Does your granny always tell ya that the old songs are the best ?
She'll be up and rock 'n' rollin' with the rest

So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

What will your daddy do
If he catches mama kissin' Santa ?
Ah ah

Are you hanging up your stockings on a wall ?
Are you hoping that the snow will start to fall ?
Do you ride on down the hillside in a buggy you have made ?
When you land upon your ass then you've been slayed

So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

So here it is merry Christmas
Everybody's having fun
Look to the future now
It's only just begun

33. Christmas-Leona Naess

Words are falling form your lips like
Christmas to my hips
So dangerous the strangest feeling of being
I want willow trees and melodies and flowers counting
Hours till he's breathing leaving the rest behind

Cause i am full of love
I want kisses and dresses
A late night message that cradles, halos me to sleep
Cause i am full of love
Yes i am full of the above

So cover me but lover be patient
Loves ancient but not for me

Cause i am full of love
I am full of the above
Like Christmas stays with you
Walk through darkened streets as we lay true
Lights from your heart lead me to you

34. For Unto Us a Child Is Born- The Roches

for unto us a child is born
unto us a son is given
unto us a son is given
for unto us a child is born
for unto us a child is born
unto us a son is given
unto us a son is given
for unto us a child is born
for unto us a child is born
unto us a son is given
unto us a son is given
unto us unto us
a son is given a son is given
and the government shall be upon his shoulders
and the government shall be upon his shoulders
and the government shall be upon his shoulders
and his name shall be calleth
wonderful councilor
the might god
the everlasting father
the prince of peace
for unto us a child is born
for unto us a child is born
unto us a son is given
unto us a child is born
unto us a son is given
and the government shall be upon his shoulders
and the government shall be upon his shoulders
and his name
and his name shall be calleth
wonderful councilor
the mighty god
the everlasting father
the prince of peace

Christi's Christmas Countdown Kickoff

So every year, I do this thing I like to call "Christi's Christmas Song of the Day", where in my profile I put lyrics from a Christmas song I like. It is great fun and enjoyed by all (and by all I mean everyone who likes Christmas almost as much as I do [you see how I put almost there, well it's because there are few who actually like Christmas as much as I do, in fact the only people I can think of who really come close, are Lesley, Jules and Ashley, maybe that's why I like them so much, and who wins, well that's a long argument for another day, or actually preferably a long argument never to be had since it would probably be divisive and painful]). But this year I have decided to do things a little differently. For starters I will be posting not just the lyrics, but also the name of the song and the artist who performs the song or the version I prefer. I'm also going to be posting them here as well as in my profile. And the biggest change is that, I have made a list in order (or at least pretty much in order, it was kinda hard) and I am going to do an actual countdown, with my favorite Christmas song being featured on Christmas day. I usually start after Thanksgiving, but having seen the lights on Michigan Avenue I really can't wait anymore, and there are exactly 35 days to Christmas. So I picked my top 35 Christmas songs, except I couldn't and picked 36 which means Just Like Christmas by Low gets an honorable mention, because it's not even a real Christmas song anyway. So here it goes, the first post of Christi's Christmas Countdown:

35. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas-Gayla Peevey

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door,
that's the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning,
creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too

Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegetarian

There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage

I can see me now on Christmas morning,
creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise
when I open up my eyes
to see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses
I only like hippopotamuseses
And hippopotamuses like me too!

Honorable Mention: Just Like Christmas-Low

On our way from Stockholm
It started to snow
And you said it was like Christmas
But you were wrong
It wasn't like Christmas at all

By the time we got to Oslo
Snow was gone
And we got lost
The beds were small
But we felt so young
It was just like Christmas
It was just like Christmas
It was just like Christmas
It was just like Christmas
It was just like Christmas
It was just like Christmas

Chicago!

So today is my first day back at work after my lovely weekend away. Lesley and I spent the weekend checking out Chicago and doing plenty of "research" (basically, shopping). I ended up spending tons of money, but I actually bought the things that I had on my list as needing to buy, so that was awesome, and ultimately I'm pretty proud of myself. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the logic and rationalization of someone who is addicted to shopping, that is what we do. We find ways to make the fact that we spent way more money than we should have seem ok. It helps us sleep better at night. So I rationalize the money I spent by being proud that I stuck to my list, and also by the fact that I got basically all my Christmas shopping done, which means that while I may be SUPER broke right now, I don't have to shell out a lot more money in December. I can just be good until January, when I might actually have some money again.

As far as the research goes, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite shops that we visited just in case you ever want to check them out. My favorite of the clothing shops we visited was Penelope's in Wicker Park. It's where I got the fabulous coat, you can see in the picture down below. It's not surprising that I liked it, since they carry some of the same lines as Nana. I also got a B-day present for my bro there, but I'm not gonna say what, since I know he reads this sometimes. They had a lot of stuff, which was a little bit overwhelming, but since it was the first store we went in, we really had the energy to look through everything, and they had a great selection. The girls who worked there were also really nice, which makes a big difference to me, working in shops and all. Paper Doll, also in Wicker Park, is probably one of the best paper goods and stationary stores I've ever been in. The selection was fantastic. They actually have everything I had picked out from various websites and had been eyeing for ages, so I could get it all in one place without paying for shipping, which was amazing. The atmosphere is also incredibly pleasant, and they gave us awesome hot cider. The shop dog Maude is also a highlight, which made me decide that I want a shop dog for my store (eventually), or maybe two. The other shop I really adored, was the one where I did all my Christmas shopping, Art Effect in Lincoln Park. They had tons of fun stuff. the website describes it as a modern day general store, and I can't think of anyway to describe it, but it is definitely a great place to buy gifts. Lelsey did mention that after the first time the novelty kind of wears off though, which I could definitely see. Either way I'm glad to be done with my Christmas shopping so early!

Since it's me and Lesley, we also did a lot of eating. The most memorable and different place we got food was Baladoche, a place in Lakeview that has authentic Belgian Zucker waffles. Really all I can say here is that they were amazing, totally different form anything else I'd ever eaten, and if you're in Chicago now or you ever go visit, you absolutely have to go. It was awesome. I also made guacamole for Lesley, Kourtney and I. Kourt had never had my guacamole before, so this of course further spread my fame. In case you don't know (and then you are obviously oblivious) I make awesome guacamole. It is especially popular as a drunk snack, and in those circumstances it gets referred to as "drunk guacamole". If you're interested, liquor up and come find me, I'm always happy to make guac for my friends.

The other note worthy thing we did was check out the lights on Michigan Avenue. They just had the lighting ceremony Saturday and we showed up just afterwords. It was fun and super pretty. It also lead to some ridiculous pictures. Those lead to the people around us thinking we were intoxicated,which we weren't but people seem to think that about me a lot, especially when Lesley is around. One of the pictures is posted below, but I really put it up to satisfy Lesley's demand that the fur trapper hat be featured randomly and frequently on the blog.



All in all it was an awesome weekend. Lesley kept tyring to encourage me to move to Chicago and I have to tell you, I was pretty tempted. It is an awesome city. And I actually have about as many friends there as I do here, which is pretty funny. But I have to stay here definitely until my lease is up and I'm pretty sure I will be staying for good. As much fun as it is to see other places and explore other cities, I do love it here, and I want this to be my home for good. But I do forget how much fun trips are when I haven't been on one in awhile. My everyday life pales in comparison, but of course that is normal, so I can deal.

Address Guide:
Penelope's: 1913 W Division St
Paper Doll: 2048 W Division St
Art Effect: 934 Armitage Ave
Baladoche: 2905 N Clark St

Caved

So pretty much since I got my Sidekick, my ringtone has been SexyBack. Fun for like five minutes, and then after that kind of annoying. I pretty much have had my phone of vibrate for the last 3 months because I was tired of it, but hated all the other options there were (sadly tmobile offers a limited selection of ringtones for the Sidekick and you can't get them form anywhere else or make them yourself). I mean the fact that don't have even one single song by the Clash really bugs me. But whatever. Today I got Bones by the Killers which is a reasonable choice. I am just so glad to have something different that I am rejoicing.

I'm sure this blog post is not especially interesting to anyone else, but not much is going on. But never fear! I leave for Chicago tomorrow in the am and come Monday or Tuesday I'm sure I will have much to share. Until then you'll just have to try and be excited about my new ringtone.

Life ain't easy, and thank Bowie for that

I spent most of today reading a blog, which may sound pretty mindless. But the reason I kept reading for hour after hour was that it was actually incredibly challenging, and it has been awhile since I was really challenged like that. In fact, it may have been since before graduation that I was last I was challenged like that. No matter how progressive I think I am, every now and then I am confronted by ways of understanding that really force me to be truthful with myself about the way I view the world. Bitch Ph.D. has made me do that today. If you're interested in having your ways of understanding and your assumptions about how life is lived challenged I suggest you check it out, especially the back posts under the Some of My Better Bitching section. There are a lot of things she believes that I am totally on board with, a lot of ideas where we're totally on the same page, and then there are others which she is super truthful an open about (for which I applaud her) that really push me in terms of being open to ways of understanding other than just my own.

I think I'm posting about this now partially because of my post from last night. My love for vh1 really isn't a secret, and I'm not trying to make it one, but I also think it's important for me to make sure you all know that I am more than that. I, like everyone of you, am a complex individual with a very wide range of tastes and interests. One of my interests is TV, watching TV I enjoy is really a very relaxing thing for me, and you can feel about that how you will, but it is, which is why I love it so much. But I also don't attempt to be relaxed 100% of the time and one of my interests is being mentally and emotionally challenged. This is because I believe if you don't live a life where you are challenged on a regular basis you are not growing, and to me growth is an essential part of living. Truthfully, lately I have not been living a life where I have been challenged all that regularly (at least in terms of other ways of understanding), and it may that at this point in my life I need to work to find ways to be challenged, which is not really something I'm used to. So I am grateful do Dr. B for reminding me how much I enjoy being challenged and also that it is a neccessity in becoming the kind of person I want to be.

P.S. If you don't get the Bowie thing, which you probably won't unless you were around me a lot last year, you can ask, or you can just take it for what it is and move on. I am open to either.

My favorite new show

So my love for vh1 isn't exactly a secret, but they have recently reached a new level of genius. Celebrity Paranormal Project, is possibly these best idea in reality TV ever. I've long been a fan of the Celebreality shows on vh1, but let's face it, watching celebrities lose weight was getting kind of old. I also have a soft spot for bad shows about haunted places. It's a holdout from my days of reading ghost stories and being obsessed with the paranormal. This is pretty much the best combination ever. What could be better than watching celebrities freak out while using paranormal monitoring eqipment? let me answer that for you, NOTHING! So check your local listings and tune in.

Thoughts on Morris Louis

So by now I'm sure you all know how obsessed I am with Morris Louis, and you're probably tired of hearing about it, but it's my blog, so you'll have to bear with me a bit longer. You may not really be familiar with his work. As I have found in the months since my obsession began, it seems Morris Louis has kind of fallen out of vogue. You don't hear much about him in general. I wouldn't say he's a particularly big name, he definitely does not rival the popularity of Pollock and the other Abstract Expressionist megaliths. Single artist shows of Morris Louis, are at this point in time, pretty much unheard of. There is only one book on Morris Louis currently in print. The Hirschhorn owns more of his work than any other art museum, but still doesn't list him under featured artists on their website. They also only display four or five of his pieces at a time.

But things may be changing, or at least a girl can hope. I know I mentioned before that there are plans for a big exhibition on DC color field for next spring, of which Louis was a key player. And the first single artist show in ages on Morris Louis is currently up in Atlanta at the High Museum as of last weekend (the one book currently in print is the exhibition catalog). It will go through January 24 and then move to San Diego. Maybe I will make it down there. Probably not. But since Morris Louis was from DC, there was a great article in the Sunday Post about the exhibit, his work and his life.

To me art is not something that is supposed to be understood, but something that is supposed to be appreciated on it's own terms. I know this isn't how everyone sees it, but I do and it is why I like abstract art so much. Because it demands to be dealt with in that manner. Some arts of the article assert that Louis' work is especially hard, if not near impossible to understand. The circumstances under which his work was done are to this day somewhat unclear. There is an ongoing debate about whether it was all done through folding the canvas and poring the paint, or if for some works (especially the stripes) if tools were used. There are other aspects of his work that make it hard to conceive of clearly in the mind. The article makes me wonder if this is exactly the reason I am drawn so strongly to his work.
It would be silly for me to deny however that, although I find his work visually amazing, and really enjoy it for it's own sake, a part of the appeal is that he is some kind of forgotten hometown hero. Since my obsession with DC rivals my obsession with Morris Louis, I will not try to pretend that has nothing to do with it. And since I found out from the article that Morris Louis did his work in his Dining Room in his home in Chevy Chase, well let's just say it seems somehow like a match made in heaven (if you can call it a match, when half the equation is a dead man you've never met).

I am currently contemplating that somehow the day that slide flashed up in my Art Since 1945 class, that it was in fact fate. Sure Prof. Cernuschi probably teaches the same syllabus every year, and all the other students were there, and I was only taking the class pass/fail, but maybe, just maybe that slide was really for me. That it was the beginning of the kind of life long friendship that you can only have with people you don't actually know. The kind of friendship that is based on the appreciation of and fascination with something that someone has put out into the world. And for those of you that don't believe in that kind of friendship, I will say that it is real and it is one of my favorite kinds.

I'm optimistic

Last week was kind of a strange week for me, and I know it was for a few others who I talked to as well. I don't know if it was some weird DC phenomenon, but I felt like the whole city, and consequently my whole life, had a weird aura about it last week. You heard about my lovely Saturday, which was the highlight of my week, and not especially strange, but the rest of the week felt weird. There were a number of small events that contributed to this sensation, none of them really worthy of mentioning here, but when all put together they seemed to have a pretty sizable effect on the color of my week. And also lead to an uncharacteristic level exhaustion which caused me to go to bed before 11:00 twice in one week.

However, upon waking this morning, for the start of a new week (Monday is my day off, so my week starts on Tuesday) I found that the feeling had faded. Things seemed pretty much normal. And so far it's been a pretty good day. Nothing especially great has happened. It's been a pretty typical Tuesday, but so far it has been a pretty good Tuesday. And more importantly it has been a Tuesday thus far devoid of any eerie feelings or moderately strange occurrences. So I am optimistic that this week will be good in a normal kind of way, because right now that is just what I need. Also, since the culminating event at the end of the week will be a trip to Chicago, the week seems bound to be filled with pleasant anticipation. And oh yes, there is a marathon of baking ahead of me on Wednesday evening, which I'm sure you'll hear more about later.

Sweet Saturday

Usually it's not very often that I get a Saturday off. November, however, is a bit of a different story than usual. I had last Saturday off, today off and I have all of next weekend off (first one in ages, which is why I'm using it to go to Chicago!). Last Saturday I went to the Phillips, but spent most of the earlier part of the day at home because I was waiting for my Mom who had to push it back like 2 hours. Today, I was set on spending my Saturday doing great Saturday things. Especially since it was 70 degrees and sunny today (so much for fall).

I hadn't been to Lettie Gooch in ages, so after leaving my apartment, that was the first place I headed. I promised myself I was just looking and that I wasn't allowed to buy anything (mostly because I bought a plane ticket yesterday). Of course that obviously didn't happen, because well I am me. But I did get a really cute top/dress, that was relatively inexpensive, so not a tragedy. Then I headed toward 14th St since it had been ages since I had been in any of those shops. At Home Rule I found a fabulous black tea candle and a red dish towel (to replace the one I set on fire). Now I just need some form of fire starter so I can actually light that candle. At Pop I found a Cielo Blu journal. A little surprising considering the studio told me they didn't have anyone who carried them in DC, and I ordered one about a month ago from a shop in Boston. But I had been planning on stockpiling them if I found them from now on anyway, so no harm done. I was also told they were about to get another shipment in, so I will have to head back and check it out one more time. I stopped in to Redeem the new shop at 14th & S. They had nice stuff, but it wasn't really my style and definitely wasn't in my current price range, so I held back. I finally checked out Candida's World of Books. Whoever it was who told me they didn't just have guidebooks was wrong. But they do have a really nice selection of guidebooks, so I bought one for Chicago. So much for not spending money. Now you all know the real reason I spend so much time at home. Because if I actually go anywhere I just can't help myself. I am totally uncontrollable.

After my somewhat unexpected spending spree, I headed down towards the Corcoran. I got off the bus right around the corner from my Dad's office. It being Saturday I figured, pretty good chance he's there, and gave him a call. Since he's my Dad, he was there, so we had a quick lunch. One of the fun things about having moved out is that I get to do a decent amount of stuff with just one member of my family at a time, which is nice. I obviously really enjoy seeing them all together as well, but it's fun to get to spend time with them one on one.

Once lunch was over, I walked to the Corcoran through the seas of tourists threaded to or from the White House. The thing about tourists is that even though I obviously despise them, since I grew up here and we all do, I also kind of love them for reminding me that I really do live here. I know where I am going. I walk faster than a casual stroll. I don't have a camera anywhere on my person. They're being around reminds me that this is my city. That might sound strange, but it's true. They somehow serve to remind me that I love it here.

The Corcoran had a nice exhibit called "redefined: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection". It is apparently the largest exhibition of modern and contemporary art from the museum's permanent collection since it was founded. There were a number of really nice pieces. One by Morris Louis, and we all know I'm obsessed, so no need to say anymore about that. There was a really nice photograph by Cindy Sherman. I knew about her self portraits, but didn't realize she did works that didn't include her. There was a really incredible piece by Maggie Michael, who is local, called Crest.

It's obviously a little hard to see from this tiny picture the real depths of the piece since the original is at least 9 feet wide, but you can at least sort of see it. The art you're really missing form the photo is the intricately drawn lines that interplay with the paint, especially around the bubbles. It's incredibly beautiful in person, and if you have the possibility to go down to the Corcoran and see it before the exhibit ends in January, I would recommend you so. Other pieces I really enjoyed include Salut Tom by Joan Mitchell and Judith #1 by Doug & Mike Starn.

In addition to "redefined", "The Paradise Institute" is up right now. It is a multimedia installation that takes place in a small theater that seats 16. The Paradise Institute is supposed to examine the relationship between reality and fiction. In front of the real seats in the theater, is a miniature model of a theater and a small screen. You don headphones and have the experience of watching a short film, while listening to sounds that might come from the audience of a theater at the same time. There are interesting ways in which the film and the noises not from the film's soundtrack, but from the theater's soundtrack interact. It is really hard to explain it effectively, and I can't even begin to explain the sensation it gives beyond that it is very disorienting at times. Again, this one is worth a visit if you can swing it.

All in all it was a really wonderful day in DC. I love days when I am just out in the city by myself, taking advantage of what it has to offer, and it had been awhile since I had one. So I suppose I was successful in my days mission.

Love

So the lovely Miss Lesley posted a list of 100 things she loved on her blog, and I loved it so much that I was inspired to do the same. So here they are 100 things I love in no particular order:

-tea
-sleeping in
-being alone in public
-reading
-green tea ice cream
-morris louis
- my mom, my dad and my lil bro
-all my friends, for loving me for who i am, and for letting me love them
-dc
-choice
-cooking (especially for others)
-drinking tea in the shower (only discovered this recently, but it's amazing)
-the list
-jane austen
-my apartment
-boots
-the zone you get in when driving long distances alone w/ music you love
-journaling
-all my random music that i listen to
-wallpaper prints
-chapters
-pancakes
-ian mcewan
-making the "huh huh" noise after "she's got a black belt in karate" in yoshimi battles the pink robots pt. 1
-writing letters
-getting mail
-phone calls w/ liz that neither one of us can seem to end
-hanging out in my underwear
-cuddling
-watching my shows
-watching my shows on dvd for hours on end
-games (especially of the board and card variety)
-talking
-english classes
-sweaters
-my i pod (because i always wanted a soundtrack to my life and now i have one)
-london
-knitting
-the believer
-dancing, anytime anywhere
-crisp, sunny fall days
-starbizzle
-shouting cliche french expressions in bad accents w/ my family
-voting
-chocolate brown & aqua
-being messy, and then organized in unexpected ways
-wearing dresses
-cal tor
-taking road trips with friends
-the harvard bookstore
-my fur trapper hat
-jasmine
-pronouncing words weirdly/inserting extra letters into words
-cakelove cupcakes
-singing/whistling along
-my nerdier aspects
-outerwear
-my bed
-being one of those women who carries her entire life in her purse
-graveyards
-houston's flying chicken
-getting ready slowly in the morning
-politics and prose
-my mac
-tights (patterned or opaque)
-christmas
-christimas
-whole foods
-dinner parties
-going to museums and galleries
-random little reminders that i am loved
-long showers
-crab anything
-wearing something new for the first time
-lilies
-rear window
-spending an entire day vedging every now and then
-bangs
-nana
-finding & giving the perfect gift
-laying out in the summer
-nicknames
-little ones (mostly 5 & under)
-scarves
-camping out all day in a coffee shop w/ good reading material
-traveling
-holidays with liz's family & my family together
-west elm
-the metro
-sushi
-sleeping a cold room w/ a fluffy comforter wrapped all the way around me (sometimes twice)
-netflix
-potatoes
-marie antoinette
-playing dress up w/ lesley
-lying on flokati rugs
-jamie oliver
-cinnamon scones
-frolicking
-being winsexy

A Beautiful Day

While I'm sure many of you are aware that today is looking like a victorious day for Democrats in many ways, you may not be aware that it is a truly great day for Choice politics as well. Yesterday 20 new pro-choice faces were elected into the House. 20! In Ohio pro-choice Sherrod Brown defeated the anti-choice incumbent Mike DeWine, who is often considered one of the Senate's most anti-choice members. Pro-choice Claire McCaskill beat incumbent Jim Talent, who supposrts overturning Roe v. Wade, in Missourri. In a number of dictricts across the US, pro-choice candidates defeated strongly anti-choice candidates and incumbents for seats in the House. And here's a big one: South Dakotans struck down the abortion ban by a 10-point margin! A number of other states struck down pieces of legislation that if ennacted would have limited access to abortions. As always, the fight to keep abortion legal and accessible is not over, but these election results are another sign that with the hard work of pro-choice American it is a right we can preserve. Today is a beautiful day to be a woman. Save Roe!

Overrated

It is not a secret that I am absolutely obsessed with the magazine called The Believer. It's pretty much beyond awesome and super interesting, and also way more intelligent than your typical mag. It also always helps me increase my reading list exponentially. Now that I have a permanent address I have been able to sign up for a subscription. The first issue that the subscription starts with is November and it hasn't showed up, but that's ok because when I ordered the subscription, I also ordered the September and October issues, since I had not managed to track them down. It's actually kinda hard to find in DC. The only two independent book stores that carry it are Politics & Prose and Chapters, but you kind of have to hit them at just the right time, which I never seem to do. But problem solved now.

They showed up Friday. So obviously I have been in Believer heaven the past few days, with so much to read available to me. I have been pouring over the September issue, as I normally do when I get a new issue. The September issue this year was "the Games Issue", a special interest issue all about games (yeah I know, kinda self explanatory, but I enjoy exposition). It includes a surprisingly really interesting article about D&D, which I really enjoyed. It also includes rules for "a potentially awesome new game", Overrated. I think this game sounds more than potentially awesome, and I can't wait to wrangle some unsuspecting friends into playing with me. But I thought I would share it with all of your so you can do the same, and let me know what you think. The rules are as follows:

1. Three plus people make a bunch of cards with people, nouns or gerunds on them. (Think "Led Zeppelin," "one-night stands," "high fiving," etc.)

2. A card is read aloud.

3. Players silently contemplate the item's true worth relative to its perceived worth.

4. Everybody does a kind of rock paper scissors motion (you know, bumping fist against open hand).

5. And then simultaneously makes one of these 3 motions:

*Hand in O-shape held high: OVERRATED
*Hand in -- shape held level: PERFECTLY RATED
*Hand in U-shape held low: UNDERRATED

6. Arguments ensue. Explanations are offered, and players are given an opportunity to change their vote. One point is given to any player who can convince another player to change their vote. Scores are recorded. A new card is drawn.
(game created and rules written by Chris Baty, except the explanation of "a rock paper scissors motion" I added that since it took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about)

The Believer has also been cool enough to create an illustrated set of cards you can print off their website by clicking here. Use these to supplement your home-made ones, not to avoid having to make your own cards, because, well that would make you boring.

Société Anonyme

Yesterday, I went to The Phillips Collection with my mother to see their exhibit on the Société Anonyme. Since many of you may not be familiar with the Société Anonyme, here's some information form the exhibition program: "The Société Anonyme, Inc. was an organization founded in 1920 by the artists Katherine Dreier, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray as America's first 'experimental museum' for contemporary art. While diverse in their goals, the founders agreed that there was a dire need to counter the lack of appreciation of modern art in America and to nuture opportunities for its presentation through innovative exhibitions and related educational programs. They also believed it was important that the history of art be chronicaled not by historians or academics but by artists. The original gallery of the Société Anonyme at 19 East 47th Street in New York City was the site of scholarly porgrams and lighthearted Dada pranks, as well as the first one-person exhibitions in America of artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Fernand Léger, and Paul Klee."

The exhibition included works by Drier, Duchamp, Man Ray, Kandinsky, Léger, Paul Klee, Brancusi, Joseph Stella, Mondrian, Kurt Schwitters and others, which had been exhibited at the Société Anonyme. It was a very nice exhibit, and the installation was quite good. It was set up in phases, which corresponded to the phases that the gallery went through before it closed in 1950. In the first room about the early days of the gallery, the frames are covered in doily paper. When I first saw it, I thought Ewww, that is in poor taste. And then I saw the board explaining that Marcel Duchamp did just that to the works in the first exhibition. I laughed at myself for being a tad elitest and then laughed because of course Duchamp would do that, it made perfect sense.

I think my favorite works exhibited were a set of three photograms (images made on photgraphic paper without the use of a camera) by Man Ray. He referred to them as Rayographs. They were all nice, but one of them featured the silohuete of a miniature wooden posable artist's model. Those of you who saw my final photo project last year will know how excited I was to see that. They also were very different from anything else on display, which set them apart for me. There were a number of lovely pieces by Kandinsky as well, which I really enjoyed.

We also got a chance to peak around the permanent collection for awhile before we got kicked out at 5. It was great since as many times as I've been to the Phillips, I haven't been in years and so much has changed. I believe the collection has grown, but there has also been a major rennovation, and the installation has changed a great deal. There is a very nice, although small Rothko room now that I really enjoyed.

And a tad on my obsession with Morris Louis: They only had one work by him, but it was quite different from any other I had seen, which made it exciting. It was simple, but beautiful. I would say it was like a toned down version of the veils. One large vertical field of blue, but in varying shades, with little distinction between different shades. I also found out recently that during the artDC festival next spring, there is going to be a collaborative exhibition across a number of DC galleries on the Washington Colorfield movement, called Colorfield.remix . I am obviously really looking forward to it, since I'm a tad obsessed with Colorfield right now, and Morris Louis was one of the movers and shakers (as it were) of the movement in DC. (Depending on who you talk to Colorfield is sometimes seen as a movement exclusive to Washington. It really depends on whether they include Frankenthaler or not.) So I'm sure come April, you will get to here much more about Morris Louis and Colorfield, but until then (or at least for now) art time is over my friends.

TV Talk

Okay, so I promised myself as well as others, that I wouldn't let this blog become too much about TV, but I need to do a little TV talk every now and then since I really love me the television. On a typical Thursday evening I would of course be watching Grey's Anatomy. There is actually a new episode on tonight after last weeks rerun. But tonight I will not be watching Grey's.


I have decided to give The OC one last shot and watch the season premiere this evening (don't worry I will watch Grey's online either at 2 am or tomorrow, depending on whether I can make myself stay up). By the end of the last season, I was totally fed up. Pretty much all of Season 3 was just plain bad. And the finale was awful. I don't know how they think they're going to continue the show with Marissa. Mischa Barton leaving is, I believe, an absolute nightmare for the future of the show. I just don't think they can just kill off Marissa and then go on with everyone else's lives. Caleb, maybe, but Marissa was one of the main characters of the show. But I guess I will find out this evening how that goes. Also I hate Caitlin Cooper, and the idea that she's going to be a main character now is kind of appalling. You may be asking yourself at this point If she thinks it's going to be that bad why is she going to watch it? Well the answer to that question is that I recently got nostalgic and watched Season 1 on DVD. And after being reminded of how great the show was in it's golden days, I decided to give it on last chance. So this is it Fox. If you can't hook me tonight, and show me something I'm impressed with, I will be watching Grey's every Thursday night at 9 for the rest of the season. And yes, that is a threat.




I am however, really looking forward to a new episode of Grey's since I'm in withdrawal now that it's been two weeks. I will probably end up staying up until 2 am, when it gets put on the ABC website to watch it. Either that or I will wake up early tomorrow morning to watch it before go to work. I just love the show so much. I've had many guys ask me why I, and other women, like it so much. I've also had people point out to me that essentially lacks reality from a male perspective. I actually think those two things are related. I don't think it's true that it lacks reality from a male perspective, but I do think that unlike many other television shows, it doesn't operate solely in the realm of male fantasy. Shondra Rhimes does a great job of including things that play with and within female fantasies. And since most television doesn't do that, it fills a gap for many women. Or at least this is what I believe. Otherwise, I don't really know how else to explain it.



My brand new TV obsession is Veronica Mars. I never would have started watching it except that it's on after Gilmore Girls now that they're both on the CW. After watching the season premiere of Gilmore, was tired and just wanted to vedge, so I didn't turn off the TV. On came Veronica Mars, and so I watched. I've been watching ever since. And every time I see it I like it more. So last I decided I wanted to catch up on the seasons I had missed, so netflixed the first season. Last night I watched the entire first disk and half the second disk. I'm totally hooked. I woke up early this morning so could watch another episode. In light of this, and not really wanting to wait for the disks to come in succession (netflix is a tad slower to get to my place than it was when I was at school) I decided to buy them. They were only charging half the list price on Amazon, so I got both seasons and got overnight shipping, because apparently I'm insane and have zero self restraint. So basically if you're looking for me over the next few weeks, I'll be at my place watching Veronica Mars like the giant nerd that I am.