Coppolas and shampoo

Well, this is a two-pronged post.
1.  I like to know about the Copollas.  It's not like I'm a FFC fanatic, or memorized the Godfather or something - I'm more interested in knowing "Who Is a Coppola?"*.   This came up recently when we were talking about Rocky, and who played Adrianne?  Oh, Talia Shire, sister of Francis Ford, aunt to Nicky Cage and Sophia Copolla, mother of Jason Schwartzman.
What a bag of tricks.

2.  This girl Angelica from the Netherlands has a blog that I follow.  In it, she championed the use of SLS free shampoos, and my hair is secretly in ruins, so I decided to try some.  I love it, and would recommend it to anyone.  I doubt you could see a difference, but I feel it, totally.  Anyway.  The shampoo?  PETER COPPOLA.
So now everytime I take a shower and am washing my hair, I pick up this bottle of shampoo, and wonder if he (Peter, of the shampoos) and Francis (of the movies and affordable wine) have an invested interest in the same bottling company.

End.
*also "How Can I Be a Coppola?"

camera one, camera two

 
blowin up Sandro's scene.

a chair

Here, a long post about how re-upholstery is good, but ultimately not so rewarding.

Back in high school, I bought this chair at a church rummage sale.  Brought it home, found out my grandmother had donated it.  So:  it's been around for a while, and  has had many incarnations.  Yesterday though, I rescued it from our basement furniture graveyard (that's a whole different story), and decided to reupholster it.  Again.

This is what it looked like.  It had seen one too many wild nights and dirty cats at Oxford.  And at Beulah.

It was pretty gross.

So: I stripped it down. Was a little angry at myself for my thoroughness the first time - it was really hard to retrace my steps. Lots of tool re-appropriation.

Re-covered it (using one of my favorite tools, this old Stanley electric staple/nail gun.  I've gone through so many crappy staple guns - got a good one and haven't looked back.  If you're ever considering upgrading, go electric.  It's so good/easy/worth it.), and some woodland origami fabric.

This is what it looks like. It's not my cleanest best work, but is way way better than before.  I have plans to scotch guard it, but in the meantime, I put a blanket from the thrift store on it (to keep the cats at bay). 

Turns out?  I like the blanket on it way better than anything.  If I would have known this, I could have saved a couple hours, and like a thousand staples.



Synopsis?  Upholstery is only sometimes worth it.  Blanket trials first.

transporter

the El:  every time I get on, there's a small part of me that things maybe, just maybe, I'm going to be in a car that will unwillingly host a Step Up 2 (the Streets) surprise subway dance-off.  I know it won't happen, but it'd be nice.

driving:  whatever neighborhood is between Temple and my house (what is it?  Old Kensington?) makes me hate where I live*.  Not the actual spot where my house is, but the spots around it, and having to get there.

music:  on that one rap station, they have all the weird radio station remixes that feature a lot of air horns and other noises.  Most of it I can handle.  Sirens though?  Freak me out.  Every time, I'm looking in my mirror for those flashing lights.



*the one thing I do like about that neighborhood is the weird Native/African/Southwest/Philly-mosaic sculptures that are in every vacant lot.  They're all big weird, feirce, pointy animals and totems in bright colors with horns and mirrors.

cheapo

I bought this new really cheap lens.  Blonde and I tried it out last night.

Good:  for $9, I had low expectations, and kind of thought it might give a toy camera feel.  It does.  Also it was so cheap and came (from Japan, obv) so so fast.
Bad:  the lens is too long for my flash to reach a person.  So: shadows (and that super serious vignette).  Solution: daylight/no flash?  Buying a weird, tall flash from Japan?  We'll see.
Also bad: the threading doesn't quite match my camera, so it's pretty  hard to get on.

In general though, an pretty okay experiment.  

cross

One of the most important things that happened this week:  X-Files/Law and Order crossover episodes (which might not be news to you, but it sure was for me).  I don't even care about L+O, but it kind of blew my mind, and confused me - like: "wait - I thought I was watching the X-Files!  What!?  Detective Munch?!  What are you doing here?!"

A good comparison would be....seeing one of those twilight kids in a Harry Potter movie?  Oh wait.

upcoming holidays

paint

Today I've been brainstorming some little valentines, trying out colors.

Don't get your hopes up.

do we love colors, really?

Here's kind of a grumpy review:

(Some background)
Every blog-girl in the world seems to just LOVE We Love Colors.  "OMG, got so many great We Love Colors tights in the mail today!"
And yeah.  They have lots of colors.  I thought I was going to love them too.  I wanted to.

But they are the saggiest tights that I own.  I bought some (so long ago.  I've been meaning to write this for a while), size Medium (to be honest, I don't totally believe in tights sizing), in blue, grey, white.  Every pair looks like this after about an hour:

this is Dollar Store saggy.  It's really bad.
Their plain old tights are $8/pair (I've only tried the regular ones, maybe the higher end ones are better?), and for what it's worth, I'll stick with Target/H&M/Hue tights from now on.
I guess I learned my lesson:  not to take advice from girls on the internet who get stockings for free if they recommend them*.  That's the lesson, right?


*for the record, I don't think there's anything morally grey about doing that.  It's just annoying when the product isn't great.

oh yeah, xmas

My favorite earrings that I got for Christmas from Arizona.  Holly: yes, they are catching my dreams.  During the day.  They are not good "sleeping" earrings.

laissez les bons temps rouler

This is not a sponsored post, but it is a post about a sponsored party.

Our Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras party will be the first time we're having a real party at Lehigh(!), is on a Tuesday(!), and is now sponsored by Zatarain(?). 
You know, they make dirty rice, jambalaya, and...other Nola foods.  (Including root beer syrup?).  I don't know guys: this is going to be weird, but at least funny.

Anyway, if you come early enough, maybe you'll get some beads before we run out.  Expect a medium amount of details in the future, but for now, set aside Fat Tuesday for a party at our house.

serial cereal regret

There are, in life, a number of things that you can feel great about afterward

going to the doctor when something is wrong (this is never ever a bad idea, but it feels like half the people I know don't do this?)
also: taking medicine
going to bed early and skipping the end of the night
that summer with the pool
setting GMail goggles for midnight
secretly putting money into a savings account
buying something corduroy, or a nice bike

Then, a number of things that seem like a pretty okay idea at the time, but can make you feel terrible after

drinking too much in one night (or specifically, drinking the wrong things involving whipped cream flavored vodka)
most haircuts
committing to the wrong shoes for a long day/night
probably face piercings
making out with the Wrong Person
dogs
wrong clothes in the dryer
getting involved in an eBay bidding war for something you weren't even sure you wanted

More than any of these though, I always regret Peanut Butter Crunch.  (I don't buy it often, and usually the second half sits around and gets stale because we don't have good milk).  After a long/weird night, coming home and having a heaping bowl of the Cap'n sounds great.  Then you eat it.  And it tears up your mouth.

Am I the only person this happens to?  For hours after eating it, my mouth feels like I had a bowl of ninja stars for breakfast.  But it's so good?  This is the realest Catch 22.

re Arcade Fire

All the time that new Arcade Fire song is all the radio. (104.5 is pretty gold lately, for the record). Between that and some clip I saw of them playing SNL wearing LED outfits, I feel like I'm thinking about them often, and specifically I was thinking about them on my way home this Sunday Night.
Here's the things I think about them.

 1. The mostly-singing (head?) guy looks a little or a lot like Michael Pitt. Which makes me just want to watch Boardwalk Empire. And I can't.  So: bummer.  Michael Pitt was also very good in Funny Games.  Add that to your queue.

2. Years ago, I put that song about neighborhoods on a mix cd for Thompson.
"What's a windodeyo?" he asked. "You know, when he's going to dig a tunnel from my windodeyo."

3. I heard an interview with Vincent Moon who made a doc about Arcade Fire. With some amount of emphasis, he said "They're not good people." Moon, I like the way you think. I don't know/don't care about the Arcade Fire specifically, but it was such an elegant kind of way to sum up a group or someone as a moral being. Good, or not good. I see most the people in my life in these categories I guess. When I think about it.

That's kind of it.  Superbowl tonight too, where I spent  most of the time wondering about the players with long hair.

pony box

Japan photo hunt

For Ryan, from Sue and Melissa.  Have fun.  We'll like you more or less than we do now, depending on your score.  Some are either/or, and some you get more points for the more you find.  Here's news JAPAN IS CRAZY!

 1.  a visit to Alcatraz hospital themed restaurant
2.  hanging out with Harajuku, Lolita-goth, or other cos-play girls (flexible) (maid cafe an option) (must have shoes with 5"+ soles)
3.  Rainbow Bridge (but not the one in Buffalo)
4.  looking tall in an elevator of tiny Japanese people
5.  karaoke (okay some of these are pretty Lost in Translation)
6.  Ice bar or cat cafe
7.  Giant robot (any)
8.  Mouth, legs, butt, Mary, or robot shaped urinal
9.  live lobster arcade claw machine or  underwear vending machine
10.  points for each weird flavor of Kit Kat:  Grape, Berry wine, golden peach, custard pudding, Grilled corn, miso, sweet potato, baked potato with butter, Ramune soda, Earl Grey, caramel macchiato, McFlurry, soy sauce, Camembert cheese, pounded soybean paste, lemon vinegar, watermelon and salt, brandy and orange, pumpkin, apple vinegar, grilled corn, etc.

time

I think that maybe this is the month that we actually put together the time capsule we've been talking about since August.

Here's the super duper secret floorboard it's going under.  Because it's painted white (like my floor) it's almost invisible to the naked eye.  It's going to be so awesome in 2021 or whatever.  Archeologists will go nuts for this.

Too bad Kim and Ben drank the end of the world's supply of 4-Loko, that was going to be gold. Also we don't have that many other ideas (for content).

HCNY

Happy Chinese New Year.  Now we're rabbits.

(above, AMcK's entry to Art Fight.  Year of the Bull/1997 Chinese New Year decoration).

blue room

Today was probably the fakest of fake snow days that we've had recently.  We weren't canceled, but both school and work were delayed a few hours, for the "ice".  Which is totally fine with me, no complaints.

I still woke up very early though (probably because I've been going to bed super early), and my room was so blue.

(p.s. that pile on the floor?  It's for a clothes swap.  Trying to put something in the pile every day.  Other girls:  can we soon?)

fifty dollar t-shirts

Dear Mondo,
Why does your new shirt have to look like this?

For you, I'd start wearing t-shirts.  But not that one with a giant belly-heart.  Not this one, Mondo.
Sorry.

Hoping you are well,
SL