Thursday

So...New Year's Eve.

We're all systems go with this thing at the Ox, and hope to see you there.
Some things:
decorations that we made seemed gigantic in our little house. Like, we couldn't really move around/sit/eat comfortably for a while. We took them over there, to the GIANT warehouse space, and they look teeny-tiny. So it goes.

Before the party starts (at 10pm), there is a show, in the other (middle?) part of the warehouse. It's obviously not my scene, and is all bands I've never heard of, but after perusing the list, I thought to myself, "if I did want to go see bands I've never heard of, and get my ears good and ringing for a few days, I at least like the names of these bands".

Best Friends
Boyfriends
Snowing
Boy Problems
Joint Chiefs of Math
Hop Along
Algernon Cadwallader

If you're that kind of person (who sees bands they've never heard of because that's what you do) (or, twenty), you can go to that show first. It starts at 5 or something. I'll be really busy hanging out with New York and Baltimore (or, The Old Days), so prob just see you at the party part.

Also, I got a new fancy iPod.

Doe, in a sense.

NYE eve decorations on a nameless deer. Accepting applications (for what to call him). Ideas?

peeks

I quit blogging, and hopefully everyone was too busy Christmassing and everything to notice.
Saw Avatar, which was better than I thought it would be. Everything else about it has been talked to death, so I'll just give it a 2 thumbs (of four), and leave it at that.
Also saw Sherlock Holmes, which was fighty and mysterious, as expected.
Indian-Indian Christmas (fusion is so big) was delicious/so fun.
Lost Christmas quizzo, so bad. No big deal.
Boxing day spent in Cherry Hill. Rewarding/exhausting.
A lot of Gossip Girl. A lot of watching the special features, specifically the music video, "Boring".
Spent a lot of time crafting, we're finally getting there,

but "getting" there includes glue gun burns on most fingers.
Three days of work this week, then NYE! Maybe we'll see you that night, or maybe not. My house will be helping throw a shindig across the street, at 2nd and Oxford, so we'll be there, with bells on. Or sparklers on.
Working on resolving.

brr

I really am tired of being cold. It's too cold to bike. It's too cold to scoot. It's too cold to walk from where someone parked their car. Waiting for Septa is like turning into Han Solo.

I used to like it, in a weird pride/snow/Rust-belt kind of way. Like, "Oh, cold? I barely even know what cold is. You think this is cold? This is nothin'."

This year, I'm over that, and I'm just feeling cold. Let's get in a car and drive someplace warm for a week or something. Anyone?

Seriously though, the recent cold raises some questions, like how did people (settlers?) ever think settling here (here = the NorthEast) was a good idea? Why on earth would you choose to brave cold winters when you could just pick ANY PLACE?
And the homeless! It just seems like there's much nicer places to be homeless - places where you don't run the risk of hypothermia.
But I guess the question is just as valid for me/us - we're here too. Do the cultural peculiarities of the region outweigh this bitter cold? At some point, they must have, but on days like this, I don't think so.

All that being said, I don't like being Too Hot either.

-Goldilocks

goodbye stella

This is kind of a downer. But last night I got realistic with myself, and decided I don't really need a scooter. (I probably wouldn't have decided this, if it were summer).

I pro'd and con'd it (in my head), and (mostly due to upcoming Gold Teeth Financial Responsibilities that are ranging in the 10 scooter price range), decided that if I can get enough money for it*, I'm going to sell Stella, and just be a regular, old, bicycle girl.

So...if you know anybody, send them my way.

*and, if I can't get enough money for it, I'm just going to take that as a sign from God and keep my scooter and drive it forever. Good plan, right? I'm going to try out Craigslist and FB, and leave the rest up to fate.

Uncle Dick

My cute (great?) uncle was in the news last weekend.

It's about Pearl Harbor.
Feisty comments too.

scraps

QT

This weekend I went to Lancaster PA, to spend some quality time with Mom. These are things you do if you're not the kind of person to go home at Christmas.
I had just had my surgery on Thursday, so was mostly eating milkshakes and applesauce type things, and had one of those ChickFila peppermint milkshakes, which was a highlight. We saw a play. We shopped outlets. Etc.

Last night we did some Christmas pictures. Some of them are pretty good, most of them involve cats.

I couldn't decide where to post pictures, so a lot are on the Book, and some are on my Flickr, and the rest are just floating in space.

date saving

New Year's Eve.
You've probably been to the New Year's party we (Sarah and I, then Marilyn and I) threw in South Philly.

This one is going to be a way bigger deal. It's at the warehouse across the street from my house, in this giant new space that was just renovated for gallery (or New Year's party) use.

We encourage you to wear the sparkly-est outfit you can get together and come out and countdown with us. It IS five dollars, but that just means you don't have to bring drinks (unless you're set on champagne, which isn't a bad idea, and won't be provided)*.

Music will highlight big hits from 2000-2009. Performances. Surprises. And it's a THURSDAY! WHAT?!

Facebook invite here.

*AND $5 is way less than whatever Making Time is going to cost that night.

M's

(the) movies, milkshakes, mashed potatoes.*


*things I wanted after having this gross surgery. They all happened, and it was really nice.

I'll show you my stitches, they're weird. Also, that question some of you asked me, about "what kind of bone"? Animal. Cow probably. I'm part cow.

shopping

Dear Rander,

You're the easiest person to shop for. I'm not even shopping for you, but stumble upon things you need, almost daily*.

(You're not getting this, but I thought about it.)

Love,
Sue

*also, maybe it's the weird things I'm doing eBay searches for, but almost always, Magic the Gathering cards turn up.

smack

A group of jellyfish is called a smack, smuck, bloom, brood, smuth, or fluther.

(It feels like a lot of things are going on, or will be soon).

chili

I had chili for lunch at Standard Tap on Sunday.
It was pretty good.
Then we made chili at home. So I had chili (but different chili) for dinner.
Then I had (leftover) chili yesterday for lunch. Then (again) for dinner.
Then I had it again for lunch today.
It's so good. But I could go for something else for dinner tonight.

thnx, dad

If you see this outside a place

it means I'm probably inside that place.
It's the Commuter III (do you italicize bike names? ship names?), and it's from some "flea market"/indoor garage sale on Cecile B. Moore, and it was cheap. The boys at Trophy shined it up and stuff. Which is more than I can say for the folks at Vespa, who've had my scooter for ALMOST A MONTH to replace one part that "should take half an hour". Tick-tock, guys.

Also, here's the new deer that lives in our dining room. My grandfather shot it. Like twenty years ago.


(Kim wanted to have the coyote, but my dad couldn't find it, and said it smelled too bad anyway).

puffer

This weekend, WH threw a Thanksgiving 2008/Xmas 2008/27th bday party for Sarah (who missed all that while she was in Korea), and Pops was in town, so minimal netting got done. Which meant, I didn't blog (sorry Amanda), I lost all my eBay auctions (sorry, everyone who was getting eBay xmas), and I probably missed some good stuff on Woot.

The GREAT news is that I have a new bike, with a new basket. It's good enough to ride around (slowly), and crappy enough to not get stolen (hopefully): just like you want a bike to be. And a new toaster oven you can rotisserie a chicken in (if you wanted to). Thanks, Dad.

I also was able to get a surgery date for my latest/greatest minor operation: a sinus lift! Which means eventually, in fall 2010(!), I can start getting implants! (Teeth/mouth news is so boring, huh?).

twentytwenty

Last night we went to Berks warehouse.
The percentage of people there with novelty/oversized/vintage-y glasses was high.

Which reminds me: Sarah is back in town, with her Korean "men-glasses".

And, there might be a new (old/undersized/vintage-y) bike in my future. Stay tuned.

the other JC

(Probably like most people) sometimes when I sleep in longer than usual, I have these vidid dreams. Today's was about Jeanne Claude's death (which is real) and all of us sitting shiva for her (which was not real).


I like them so much, and kind of forgot until she died. Consider these movies about them on my eternal Xmas list.

crafting during tv

Currently working on: NYE decorations. Hopefully it'll be very sparkly. Details are TBA, but party is probably at the warehouse at 2nd and Oxford (it might be called the "Ox", but I'm not sure about that). Start working on a good outfit.

Also worked on (past tense): cat garlands, for Nikki's surprise cat party, which turned out to mostly be cat poop cake, champagne, masks, "abort!" texts, and a location change.


I'm (obviously) really into making decorations lately. Have an idea? Send it my way.

Also, news:
J* spotted at Cantina, sans all the weight he lost on Celebrity Fit Club. XOXO (Kimmy and I started watching Gossip Girl. So that format-joke might be funny to like two people).

*Jay McCarrol, of ProRun Season 1.

ALSO DID YOU KNOW HOARDERS IS ON HULU?!

ALSO THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX WAS REALLY NICE!

t-gives 09

Thanksgiving is at Oxford this year!

You're invited, and here's what to expect:
a giant turkey!
cats in outfits! (hopefully)
hearing what other people are thankful for!
special guests from Long Island! New York! Baltimore! Washington! (some of them librarians!)
tiramizawesome! (jokes)
hanging out with people who aren't hanging out with their parents!
Ryan's story about a girl!
the DOG SHOW on TV!
parades with balloons!
not knowing where to sit, and not caring!

Now don't forget this thing is potluck. You're supposed to bring a dish, or a bottle of wine. Find the recipe, or buy the wine today - you know that state store will be closed tomorrow, don't be silly. 8pm.

Oh, AND Rob said he's bringing some new board games, and I'd really like to get together a craft so we can all make Thanksgiving headdresses, but no promises.

posta Rica

(Imagine a picture of a sunset over the Pacific here. Palm trees and everything. I didn't have a camera, and none of us did any internetting or anything, so instead, a Post-Costa-Rica update).
a list (of funny things), for old time's sake:

1. Taxi drivers that ROCK OUT to Journey.

2. A certain traveling companion fell hard for a "hot babe" at the hostel. Tiny, cute, Norwegian girl. Who wears her hood up the whole time. Because she has horns. Surprise!

3. Sarah wiping sand from her butt on my leg. Because I "didn't believe her" regarding how much sand was in her bathing suit.

4. Souvenirs from San Salvador. I'll show you someday if you're over. Pretty weird/funny/sexy. I bought two. One for our house (to show you), and one I will probably give to JB, because he has the most potential to feel uncomfortable about it.

5. Monkeys trying to steal a guy's underpants at the beach.

6. Lady wearing children's underpants as a hat, next to us on plane. Underpants featuring a print with a child who had horns.

7. Hotels with elaborate, daily changing towel animals. (Imagine more pictures here. Maybe soon.)

8. Beetlejuice. "Betlegeuce".

9. Getting stung by a jellyfish, and Sarah wanting to pee on my arm.

10. 16:3 (emails waiting when I got home:emails with TOP SECRET in the subject line).

4:2:16:0

(packing ratio)

dresses:sunglasses:granola bars:jeans

emails from my mom

"I think you might like the zip line trip more than volcanoes....lots of lava, black rocks, and maybe orange HOT lava."

b>g

Later tonight (really, it's tomorrow morning, but who's counting?) Ryan and I embark on a series of planes to that most central country of Central America: Costa Rica.

It's about time because things haven't been going super awesome:
I was trying to fix up my haircut. I noticed there was some cat hair in the clippers. I cleaned them. Forgot to put the guard back on, and started shaving my head. Bald. Just one strip.

My favorite best bike (which was really Kimmy's) got stolen Saturday night (after losing probably 3 or 4 serious games of Yahtzee). "Oh, now you can just ride your scooter more now, right?" Wrong. Scooter's in the shop. Same old problem, different diagnosis.

Aside from people making pancakes TWICE this weekend, the bads outweighed the goods. Hopefully the sun is shining at the equator.

news alerts

1. My newest body fail has gone from "probably" to "definitely", but with an A-OK for travel.

2. The Uniform Project had it's first death. My whole take on her is

a. it's kind of awesome that she's raising money for poor school kids
b. it's pretty dumb that she's promoting "sustainable clothing" by wearing only one dress, meanwhile exhausting closetfulls of accessories and shoes
c. she always makes a sideways smirky face

It's not fun and games anymore.

3. We're having Thanksgiving, if you want to come: wine, potluck.

4. There are no colones in Philadelphia. Tried to exchange money today, no dice.

5. (Not for the feint of heart) Swiss Cheese Man has a name, and it's Chris.

chandedeer

So, this idea developed yesterday, about making a chandelier out of baby deer: a chandedeer.*

(Imagine a tiered cake, covered with tiny deer cupcake toppers, but then flipped upside down, hanging from the ceiling, and with a light inside instead of cake).

So, I've posed the question to the aforementioned Internet Librarians, about a good source for LOTS of deer. We'll see if they can do better than Etsy. I'm looking for quantity, bang for buck**. I want a thousand deer for ten dollars or something. The impossible dream? We'll see.

*depending on how this turns out...it might up an "upstairs hallway" or "craft room" type lighting fixture.
**pun not intended, but good.

IPL

If you don't know about Cha-Cha, it's this website/text message service, where you just ask a question, then someone looks it up and gets back to you.
A year or two ago, we were really into Cha-Cha. They'd answer any question, send you a recipe, whatever. Some of us (Ryan, myself, maybe Sarah?) even worked for Cha-Cha, learning their guidelines, answering people's questions.
Then it got really dumb.
They started paying a lot less, sending stupid jokey answers, and ADVERTISING to your phone, which was the worst.

[End Cha-Cha era.]

Last week, I needed a picture of a girl from Project Runway season 1, and all of us had kind of a hard time finding the perfect picture (thanks for your efforts Kim, Kelly, others).
Then Holly drops this bombshell: The Internet Public Library. You just ask a question, and little Amanda McKnight's are working all the time, just looking up answers for you! For free! For real! They have to give sources (that aren't wikipedia) and everything! How many good questions can we ask them? THE INTERNET IS AWESOME.

[Enter IPL era.]

cuts, aliens, perscriptions

On Friday, Kimmy and Lulu and I went and got fancy lady haircuts at Toppers Salon. Long story short - they were free haircuts.
Bryce cut my hair. I like it fine, and it's more sticky-uppy than before. He got Project Runway and ANTM confused, which was...confusing.
Here's what my hair looks like (kind of) after a daytime nap.

Mostly it was really nice to have somebody shampoo my hair.

We also might get our eyebrows did there sometime soon. Again, free. I'm not sure if these are services I'd pay for, but I will tip for them.

This weekend, we went and saw The Fourth Kind. Which was kind of X-filesy, a tiny bit Blair Witchy, and presented as a docudrama. I yelled at some girls in the theatre for talking/texting too much (and probably saved their life.)
Movie? Pretty bad. A lot of spinning. A character in this movie directed AND wrote it. Sounds unbiased and true...

I also found out this week that I might/probably have MRSA. I've been a carrier (incubator) for it since brain surgery, but now it looks like it's in me for real. I'm on 3 different meds for it (one goes up my nose!), and if I DO have the MRSA, I'll be better next week. In the meantime, I can't have prolonged skin-to-skin contact with you.
While I was at the doctors, I read the new issue of Cosmo, which has a lot of tips about avoiding H1N1. Like (for instance), the least-likely-to-get-the-swine-flu sex positions, greetings, and kisses.
Thanks, Cosmopolitan.

locks

Today is Kimmy's birthday.

The plan is Yakitori Boy. Kelly wants to wear a pink wig, and maybe someone else (JB? Greg?) will wear that orange camo shirt, so they can pretend they're Coppola-ing. I don't sing at Karaoke, cause I'm too scaredy cat, but we've got a few superstars in the ranks.

Also, here's a (birthday) picture of Booger wearing MLB's new hair.

As far as 'activity parties' go, there was also a killer roller skating party this weekend. (I fell on my head, pretty hard, but that was bc we were trying to show off.)
In life? More themes and rentals, please.

Later: movie review (spoiler: bad), first haircuts, more.

half tricks

You might remember such lessons from my archives as "how to set the table" (fork goes on the left - 4 letters each, spoon and knife, on the right - five letters around).

Today, another lesson:

WhiskEy? (from) UnitEd StatEs, IrEland.
Whisky? (from) Japan, Scotland, Canada.

Get it? The "E"s?

This one's just about spelling, or about spelling things that are from different places. Stole from the Kitchn. I also really like using stock images lately. Makes me feel like a copy writer. JK.

can't get enough

of Google analytics.



Also, internet challenge:
Anybody out there who's really good at the internet? I need a largish picture of Nora Caliguri. With short hair. By 4:30. Just so you know, it's impossible.

on the SEPTA strike

I'm gonna come out and say it: I don't mind the SEPTA strike.
So far, it hasn't inconvenienced me at all. Now I always bike to work (because the traffic is kind of bananas, even if you're on a scooter) and back, even up the 5th street tunnel!
While biking, there's no need to worry about a bus running you over - so those giant "bus/bike" lanes are huge and safe.
I've also been doing tons of pilates and yoga (okay, pilates and yogilates) this week, which, while it doesn't seem directly related, has suspiciously coincided with the strike.
So, to me...I'm pretty sure it's fine. Until I have to get somewhere and it's pouring or something. Then I'll be mad.

loads

Good news: the strongest, most manly men we know took broken washing machine out of our basement last night AND some weirdo (probably) from Craigslist took it from the curb.

Since there's no Sports tonight (sorry everybody), doesn't someone want to invite me over to your house to watch a movie or a hundred episodes of television while I do my laundry? We'll only pause so I can switch loads. I'll buy Mexican food.

Seriously. My room is starting to smell. Like a boy's room.

crack

This is kind of weird.

I recently realized, that I have kind of a favorite thing? (Besides popcorn, going to the movies, MLB, haircuts, etc). This is ever since I was a little kid, but I just realized that I always do it, and it might not be totally normal.

Say I'm making something. Baking. Well, fake-baking, like from a box? Brownies or muffins or something? The BEST PART is putting the eggshells in the empty box (because the garbage is so far away, the box is right there, and I'm just not used to garbage disposals) and then squeezing the box so the eggshells crack like crazy.
It's so satisfying. Little things.

to-do, soon!

double last weeks pilates time of 8 minutes
finish inventing portfolio, just in case
eat so much Texas Toast
finding a day my library is actually open*
probably some sort of sports-viewing, right*?
haircuts (real ones!)
rollerskating parties*!?

*maybe more on these subjects later.

people look bad when they're sleeping

I had one of those really dreamy nights. And woke up with this AWESOME idea of taking my picture everyday when I woke up. Something about seeing a progression of haircuts or something, kind of like those girls that do "This is what I wore today" blogs. Anyway, I woke up (a little), did this, and then went back to sleep. Eventually got my act together, got to work, remembered to look through my phone, and found this:

I have the best ideas in my sleep (not). Like the "coke habit" costume, and that note I once wrote to Melissa.
I wasn't even able to lift my head up, or open my eyes (but somehow did get a light on?). Do not expect this to be a daily feature.

ASD

It's been a while since I went to the movies. This will be short (unlike the movie).

If you really liked Boondocks Saints, you'll probably really like Bookdocks Saints II: All Saints Day. See? That was like a Netflix recommendation, but for the future, because you can't get that second one on Netflix yet.

If you didn't care about the first one, you probably won't care about the second one either.

There was a lot of cheering though. From the audience. At the Riverview.

we did Halloween

we did it so many nights in a row.

First this geekadelphia.com party at SugarMom's. There was a lot of good costumes there. People who really like video-games really know how to do it, I guess. Also really good nachos.
The next night was Twin Peaks party, again with lots of outfits/participation/appropriate foods. Marilyn and I were Johnny and Audrey Horne.

Outfit changes, hurrying in case Septa striked (struck?), etc.
The last night (actual Halloween) was pretty good too. My mummy costume got another wear, we all got to wear face paint, and my giesha outfit got really filthy, which means it was probably really fun too.


Lately: talking about which iPod to get (Nano? Touch?), going back and forth about haircuts (as usual), wearing moccasins, making bad and good decisions, annoying people about shared-art-project due dates, etc.

I stole all these pictures from Marilyn's bookFace and Leslie's. Thanks for taking having cameras, taking pictures.

ISO

Anyone interesting in being a haircut accountability partner? This is kind of serious, and I'd like to go a couple months or something without cutting my hair.

sports section

Phillies fever (phever?) is happening and people keep talking about Ryan Howard.

And every time, I think they're talking about him.

shearling

I've been buying moccasins like crazy.
Shouldn't you hold back on moccasins, because you already have a hundred pair? , you ask.

Yes, I should. Regardless, I just got these Minnetonka guys, and another pair, that's pretty much the same (but black) from Steve Madden via South Philly Marshall's.

The good news is that I really like "out with the old"ing when I get a new pair of shoes (or anything), which actually confirms that I'm not a hoarder.

fish in the percalator

I'm trying to decide if it's too late to try to throw in an additional Halloween costume this year.

Is it too late to whip up a Josie Packard by Friday? There's this really specific theme party, and I can't even really remember what she's supposed to wear.

olds

Went through some photographs last night, because I'm trying to invent a portfolio, in case I decide to go back to school.
Found some old favorites. Specifically this brother/sister team:

(Brian with Matt leBlanc)

(Sarah having a water skiing lesson, in my mom's pool)

It's hard picking things that "define me as an artist". I don't think of myself as an artist, and wouldn't begin to know how to define anyone. Yikes.

analyze

Sometimes I really like to check what Google searches are sending people to my blog.
Recently: "ballet foot boot crutches" and "ballard of the nightman".
So...those are pretty good.

Invite me to some more Halloween parties. Really.

something's really happening

'Member a while ago, there was talk about a teepee, for rest, relaxation, reflection, etc, that would be built in my yard?
It seemed impossible.
We needed giant bamboo poles. We needed the skins of 50 plains buffalo (or a lot of cotton canvas).
You know when you see that Craigslist ad that's just meant for you? Well, Josh found it, sent to to Ry and I.

Long story short, we now have a bunch of 20'(?) bamboo stalks in the side yard. Just waiting to be made into the best urban teepee you've ever been in.
Maybe Spring 2k10.

back

Some reflections after many days as a surrogate Stay at Home Mom
Wed night-Sunday night, I was babysitting. One long shot. Here's my take:

Over all, it's not a bad job. Sure, I had to get up early (6:30?!) and make breakfast (cold cereal) and get them ready for school, but after they got picked up? I had the whole day to myself. Except for the day when the maid came, and I felt uncomfortable, and walked to Target. But usually a surprisingly good amount of sleeping in, lounging around, watching Weeds, Dexter, Sunny.
I learned that if your only friends are 4 and 8, you can go to bed super early and not worry that you're missing anything more fun someplace else.
We also experienced a lot of wildlife. Some very lethargic wasps at their house, a dying rat at my house. I learned a lot of facts about both animals "wasps have a stinger on their forehead and on their butt" and "that rat has a snake tail". Oh.
The main lesson I learned is that I'd pretty much only want to do it with an unlimited budget, all the shopping and cleaning already done for me, and only if I'm getting paid. That being said, it was kind of a nice break from real life and late nights and everything.

sports

This is what "go phils" looks like.


(I could use a new camera phone. Or a new phone and a new camera).

pills

Macy's makeup counter girl: "Can I ask you a question? What do you use to wash your face?"
me: "Aspirin."
her: "Aspirin?"
me: "Aspirin."
(She let me leave without trying to sell me product).

I've started washing my face using aspirin. I wear long earrings now. I wear mascara sometimes. Kimmy and Marilyn are nothing but good influences.

A lot of blog down-time lately, take that as an indicator. Coming up? A Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday glimpse into the life of a stay-at-home-mom. Maybe I'll update while I'm catching up on my programs while the girls are at school.

dessert

Last night we went out to JB's house in East Falls for dinner. That's practically outside the city! Yeah.
Anyway, good night, good dinner, and got to see Joel and Kate (who make tons of giant sculpture stuff, but more recently make teeth and other things out of chocolate and sell them in their Etsy shop).

As someone who has to think about teeth all the time, I obviously was drawn to this, in the same way that I love most human-tooth-themed jewelry.
Also, it was delicious.

Being around Joel and Kate is great because Joel has a hundred stories involving blowdarts etc, and because they both like what they do. A lot. This feels like a weird advertisement, for a couple. Done.

walls and floors

of new house.



It'll never end I think (and our deposit is daily shrinking).
Next up is Beetlejuice floors, iShark, bonus refrigerators.

mail

Today at work I got a package. It was WAY too heavy to be those earrings I ordered, so I opened it up and found these Creative Recreation guys:

If you can't be the girl who has a boyfriend who buys you really expensive shoes, you can at least be the girl he sends them to when she doesn't really like them.

Thanks. They're officially the most expensive thing I own. Oh, except my scooter.

hollow hair

Today I went to House of Beauty on Chestnut. It's like Sephora, but if Sephora was in the Italian Market or something, and was mostly products for black girls.
Anyway, I talked to the wig girl for a while, and she helped me figure out my Halloween hair ("Hallo-hair"? It's also hollow.)

I ended up with something like this, but bigger than I thought was possible. And in black, obv.
Hair is so cheap, by the way. But comes with a lot of rules, like not to let it dry in sunlight.

Tomorrow night is costume practice!

This weekend I: made up, tried to fix a washing machine(!), helped rip out carpet, and we starting painting the stairs like two different flavors of sherbet melting into each other.

cut

Last night, Cody Kleppertknoop came to our house, and did the Cutco presentation.

He was very charming, and convincing, and of course we bought an ($80!) knife. If you guys want to come over and cut some things (in about a week), please do. We'll also have the shears, in case you want to cut, say, a penny in half.
Rob told us/believes it's a cult, but I have yet to see evidence of this.

If anybody out there needs a knife, I have a salesman recommendation for you.

Halloween face on

This year, I'll probably (again) only be able to go to about half the Halloween parties that I want to be able to go to. Last year, we were Amsterdaming during The Big One, and this year, I'll be working. To make some other things possible.
Anyway: I have my costume pretty much together, (and have for about 10 months now), but I want to do a practice run on face makeup? Anyone else have a whole face full of makeup planned and want to try it out? Maybe we could have a night of it. Halloween practice.
I also don't have the two+ feet of hair I was planning for around this time last year. I'm coming up with some solutions.

teeth

Today I met with my dentist. Yes, the one that said he's grown "very attached" to my teeth. I got a treatment plan. In a year, when you see me, I'll have all my teeth (hopefully/probably).
I got to watch a powerpoint about the plan. A lot of "before" (current) pictures, and oh, for the hopeful outcome? A picture of Jennifer Gardner. Probably that's going to happen.
Next week I meet the guy who'll do my (dental) implants. Part of this procedure will be a sinus lift (?!) and some bone grafting.
"What kind of bone do they use?"
"Either from your hip, from a cow or pig, or from a cadaver". NBD.

benesh

Ben and I.

Jaffe and Carina have a new, giant studio spot. This weekend Amanda took a lot of funny pictures. Their site.

Hot Tub Johnnie

Yesterday, took that trip south and saw Whip It.

So it's Underdog Sports Movie, and Ghost World, and Falling in Love movie, and everything. But with Drew, Juno, and Maybe Funke. Sarah, you'd probably really like it.

I love going to the Riverview though.

roaring

Made a new tiger wall.

Printed out tigers, flowers, cut them out.
Started sticking them to the wall with aerosol starch (which fyi is totally removable, but sticks like glue). Got in trouble for trying to wing the geometry part*, then it was rulers and straight lines and tall people helping.

Then put lots and lots of them up. Then even more flowers. There's orange scraps of paper all over the house, but I like it.

(tiger face)
I have other ideas, for other walls (airplanes? bicycles?) but we're running out (of walls), kind of fast.


*this is why I'm nervous about this GRE thing.