Tomorrow Is Another Day...

Workaholic

I've never been much of a go-getter when it comes to career aspirations.  Mainly because I've never quite figured out what sort of career actually appeals to me.  Well, scratch that, I find the prospect of being an author quite appealing, but we can all see how well that's going.

When I've had a job, I've done my best and worked my hardest to do it well, but ultimately, money was the only reason I was working, not any sense of personal satisfaction.  I wanted to have the means to do the things I like to do--go out to incredible restaurants, travel, go shopping, own pets, maintain a home that I love.  When it became apparent that we could afford to do all of those things as well as funnel money into savings and investments, I immediately became much less motivated to spend my days earning a paycheck.  I don't think that made me worthless to society--I diverted the energy I'd spent in a meaningless office job or exhausting myself wrangling kids into a graduate school, keeping our house clean and organized, improving my health through fitness and a better diet with healthier home cooked meals, and appreciated the flexibility I had to spend time with Colby when he was home.

Then came the IVF bomb, and the knowledge that our financial landscape was going to change drastically for the forseeable future.  We created a savings plan, part of which was that I would go back to earning a paycheck to soften the multi-thousand dollar blow.  My foray into babysitting has gone better than I ever could have hoped.  It's been less than three weeks since I started working, and I'm aready about one third of my way to the five month earning goal I set for myself.  I don't think that's an entirely sustainable pace, but I'm excited to be off to a stellar start.

What this is all leading up to is how my attitude toward working has changed.  I am motivated to work, not only for the paycheck, but for what that paycheck represents beyond money in the bank.  Each dollar I earn gets me closer to having a baby.  Each extra dollar that we make over our goal is second or third round of medications, an adorable crib with the perfect bedding, a precious onesie, or maybe even a second crib.

I've become entirely fixated on finding hours to work and cutting costs where ever possible.  If I'm not working, I'm scouring postings to find a job and applying to positions.  In the past, I've jetted off to visit friends or family without much thought to the cost, but when it became evident that one of the trips I had planned for the upcoming months was going to be far outside of our budget, I had to make the incredibly difficult decision to cancel.  It was hard because I am so heartbroken not to be able to visit a friend that I haven't seen in over a year, but I knew in my broken heart that it was ultimately the right decision and will get us that much closer to our goal.

I made plans to go home for three weeks over the holidays, and recently the thought of going three weeks without a job has given me severe anxiety.  But then I was offered an incredible babysitting opportunity in South Carolina for the week of New Year's, and I simply can't pass it up.  The old Angela would never have cut a vacation short and agreed to working over the holidays, but the new Angela sees it as just another step in the right direction.  The opportunity to breathe a little easier, and feel a little more financially stable.

It doesn't hurt that I'm incredibly competitive--even with myself--and when I set a goal, I feel reasonably certain I will die if I don't achieve it.

In other news, I went to see Breaking Dawn on Sunday, and it fulfilled my comedy quotient for the week.  Seriously, those telepathic werewolves.  Doesn't get much funnier than that.  I think the film's greatest achievement was how seamlessly it was able to transition from incredibly cheesy to incredibly boring to incredibly disgusting.  Well done, indeed!  The vampire baby was cute though.  Spoiler alert.

Homecoming Hotness

For those not in the college football know, one of LSU's love him or hate him players, Tyrann Mathieu, was dubbed the honey badger (inspired by this amazing viral video) at the beginning of the season.  He earned this moniker due to his tendency to zip around the field making some pretty sweet plays and, as the video goes, taking what he wants.  Mathieu has had a rocky road the past few weeks and likely destroyed his shot at the Heisman, but when I saw this shirt combining my love for LSU with my love for ridiculous internet memes, I knew I had to have it on my body.

I won't be watching LSU play WKU in our homecoming game tonight 1) because homecoming is traditionally a lame matchup that doesn't air on any of the channels we get and 2) because I'm working.  But you'd better believe I will be representing my team in my rad honey badger shirt.

Thanks for the ball, stupid!

Must See TV

I have such a blog block right now.  Maybe it's because the ONLY thing on my mind is BABYBABYBABY and I'm about as sick of writing about it as you probably are of reading about it.  But in this babyless world of mine, I've been investing a lot of time in the Fall television lineup.  With the way networks run new shows during the summer now, my DVR was never really lacking for fodder, but Fall has brought with it a veritable onslaught of entertainment options, and it's working overtime now.

Favorite New Shows

Terra Nova - Okay, sure, the family drama aspect of it can be a bit eye-rolly at times, but I LOVE the dinosaur part!  And I think if they can realize that we care way less about whether a snotty teenager is going to be grounded this weekend and more about the mysteries of Terra Nova, it has the potential to be really great.

Whitney - Colby and I spend most of our time watching this show, looking at each other and going "OH MY GOD, WERE THEY WATCHING US?!?"

The Secret Circle - It's like Vampire Diaries, but with witches.  What's not to love about that?  Plus it kind of reminds me of my adolescent love for The Craft.

Honorable Mentions - Pan Am (I'm sure I'll love it, I just haven't gotten around to actually watching it yet!), Up All Night (mostly funny, but I think it's still trying to hit its stride), 2 Broke Girls (I hate laugh tracks so much).

Still Watching and Loving

The Office - Last season I was ready to delete the series from my DVR, now it's back and better than ever.  I miss Michael Scott, but his character had run its course, and I'm loving the Andy Bernard, Manager storyline possibilities.  And Robert California slays me!

Glee - This is another show that I was only watching out of duty and honor.  I adored the first season, but the second was undeniably lackluster.  This season?  The bitch is BACK!  I would go so far as to say it's better than ever.  The episode Asian F was my favorite episode ever.  Thank you, new writers!  Thank you!

Community - So absurd, so funny.

Modern Family - Mitchell and Cam make this show for me.  They're another couple that Colby and I feel might have been based on our relationship--I mean, other than the part where they're gay men who have adopted a Vietnamese baby.

Vampire Diaries - It just gets better and better.  I love Ripper Stefan, and am totally Team Damon, so I'm very excited about the romantic possibilities for this season.

On Notice

Project Runway - Talk about watching a show out of a feeling of pure obligation.  I'm this far in, I feel like I should see it out through the end, but I honestly couldn't care less which designer wins and they're all TERRIBLE.  The producer intervention is painfully obvious, the talent level is mediocre at best, and the judges don't make a lick of sense anymore.  Depressing.

How I Met Your Mother - The conceit of this show has worn terribly thin.  It was such an original concept, and I'm still holding out to meet the damn mother, but I'm pretty much over every single storyline.  Robin grates on my nerves to the point where I want to throw things on the tv whenever she's on screen.  I'm so sick of the Ted-Robin-Barney triangle.  And even my beloved Marshall and Lily have been driving me up the wall lately.  Please make it end!

What are your new favorites?  Which old favorites are you sticking with?  Any old shows that you're discarding in favor of the freshman crop?

Like Comparing Apple and Pizzas

(Thanks so much to all of you that offered to guest post!  I'm so excited about the amazing bloggers I'll be sharing with you while I'm on vacation.  There's still room for a few more if anyone didn't get a chance to throw their name in the hat last week.  You're welcome to write about anything your little heart desires, and I just ask that you send me your post by August 10--let me know in the comments if you want to volunteer!)

Is it kind of sad that Colby has been gone so much over the past few months, that I've almost gotten used to him being away?  I feel like I entered deployment mode a long time ago, and the deployment doesn't even begin until October.  Ugh.  Anyway, I spent another weekend without my dearest darling, but it still managed to be an awesomesauce few days.

Friday, I went over to a friend's house for a lovely wine and pizza date, and it was so nice to sit and talk for a few hours.  We had talked about going out to eat somewhere, but I really think we both needed a night in to just hang out, chatting without worrying about whether a restaurant needed to turn a table.  Saturday, I fit in a good run--I finally broke below the 11 minute barrier and ran my 3 miles in about 10:45 per mile.  It's frustrating, because my legs feel like they could go all day, but my stupid lungs just struggle so much to keep up my oxygen supply.  But I'm getting better!  And I rewarded myself for all of the healthy eating and exercise I've been up to lately with a second day in a row of pizza with a friend.  You can never have enough pizza, right?  I also had a scrapbooking date last night to work on my (SO CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED) Ireland scrapbook that has been ten years in the making and watch The Bachelorette: Men Tell All episode.

Sunday, things went a little downhill when I realized that the optical drive in my creaky old Macbook had died.  I don't use cds or dvds in my computer very often, so I don't really now how long it's been broken--I do remember trying to play a music cd in there at the beginning of the year and it didn't work, but I thought it was because it was a burned cd and my old gal was just being finicky.  But a friend let me borrow their copy of the French Rosetta Stone to prepare for my upcoming trip, and after spending about 15 minutes inserting the cd, listening to it whir and click, then ejecting... over and over and over... because I thought maybe if I were just persisistent enough... I admitted defeat.

I think my inverter cable has also been going.  For the past year and a half or so, I've had an issue where the screen has to be in juuuuust the right position for the screen to light up.  Otherwise, it's black and I can just see the faint image of what is on the screen through the black.  I haven't felt like that's a big enough deal to justify getting a new computer since it works perfectly otherwise, but now with the optical drive going, I feel like we're getting closer to having to drop a wad of cash on a new one.  It is almost a four year old computer, so I'm lucky that she's been going as strong as she has for so long now.  For the time being, I ordered an external cd/dvd drive, and hopefully that will do the trick for the few times that I need to use a cd.

But being that I'm also anxiously, and not at all patiently, awaiting the release of the iPhone 5 so that I can upgrade my dinosaur first gen iPhone, I think Apple is going to really love me over the next few months.

Confessions: Harry Potter Edition

"I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. "I am with you."
~J.K. Rowling

* When the Harry Potter books were still in their early years, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that everyone was fawning over a series that sounded like a stupid children's story.  Wizarding school?  Seriously?  You're a grown person, come on!

* I could have bought Goblet of Fire (it must have been close to the release date, because it was plastered all over the shop windows) or found Platform 9 3/4 when I was in London for my high school graduation trip in 2000, but I was still busy thinking it sounded stupid and being gobsmacked that it was such an international sensation.  Harry Potter?  That's that wizard book, right?  Where's Prince William?

* I didn't start reading the books until after I saw the first movie, and realized, holy shit, this Harry Potter business is SPECTACULAR!  Tell me more, J.K. Rowling.

* I don't care what J.K. says, I will never give up hope that she has more stories to tell about the Potterverse.

"Part of me will be glad when it's over. Family life will become more normal. [But] I'll be so sad to think I'll never write a Harry-Ron-Hermione sentence again."
~J.K. Rowling

* Even though I saw the movie first, I love the books with the fire of a thousand suns.  The movies, maybe only seven hundred and fifty suns.

 * I bought a wand.

* I still really wish Harry and Hermione had ended up together.  I find Ginny to be absolutely insufferable.

* I would make a terrible Gryffindor, but then I figure if Neville Longbottom can do it... even so, I think I'd be much happier in Ravenclaw.

* Some of my happiest hours were the reading marathons that would begin the moment a new Harry Potter was delivered on my doorstep (on the release date natch) and only ending when I read the final words of the book hours later.

"It's just hard," Harry said finally, in a low voice, "to realize he won't write me again."
~J.K. Rowling 

* I cry every time I hear the introductory Harry Potter theme in the theater.

* I am crying while I am writing this.

* I feel that from a pop culture standpoint, I'll be completely lost once I see the seventh movie.  I've devoted the past ten years of my life to these stories and characters, and have yet to find another fictional world that captures my imagination and heart in the same way.  The witches, wizards, and muggles of the Harry Potter series have become real to me in a way that precious few fictional characters ever have before.

* I can't wait to introduce this series to my children someday.

* A long and beautiful chapter in my life is closing, and I wish I knew the spell to bring it all back again.

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” 
~Albus Dumbledore, J.K. Rowling

"When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter, and my family will say to me, 'After all this time?'  And I will say, 'Always.'"
~Attributed to Alan Rickman, source unknown

I'm Baaaaaack!

Not that I actually went anywhere, but we were without internet for much of the weekend and blogging on my iPhone is about my least favorite thing in the world.  However, all is well now as our connection is faster than ever and I talked down our monthly bill through the cunning use of whining.  Huzzah!

It ended up being a splendiferous weekend, though it was certainly touch and go there for a couple of days.  While I was so thrilled that Colby was supposed to be home for two weeks between his spate of trips, the Air Force was doing everything in its power to ruin things.  First, they were going to send him on a five day trip over the weekend.  We were bummed about that, but as soon as we'd accepted it, the schedulers realized that they'd made an error on the length of the trip and Colby wouldn't get back from it in time to leave on his next trip.  So yay!  We had our weekend back!  Then we got the call that Colby would have to stay on base starting on Friday through the weekend until Wednesday.  Much anger and frustration was called forth, the schedulers must have realized they needed to find another pilot to abuse before they lost their go-to guy.  And with that, we decided to run off to Myrtle Beach for the day before they changed their minds again.

Myrtle Beach was... interesting.  We entered the town through a street ornamented wih such entertainment options as The Pink Pussycat (formerly The Bunny Ranch), an assortment of adult oriented shops, and various other "Girls! Girls! Girls!" themed storefronts.  So we were a little leary from the get go, then driving down the main drag we got the feeling that everything needed to be hosed down with chlorine and given a fresh coat of paint.  I've heard that the area a bit north from the main street along the beach is nicer, but we were surrounded by a sea of airbrush t-shirt stalls, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and a surprising variety of pancake houses... and the actual sea.  It was a fun day trip, but we were very happy to return to our own less spring break geared beaches.

On Saturday, we spent the morning with our pal, the Comcast guy, working on repairing our internet, then headed over to a friend's house for her 2-year-old's birthday party. It included pizza, a butter yellow cake with chocolate frosting and watching little kids whaling on a pinata, a few of my favorite things.  Sunday we laid low and saved up our energy for 4th of July excitement, and Monday we scooted over to Sullivan's Island for a beach day with some friends.

We ate at Dunleavy's Pub, which had a wide selection of seafood, pub food, and "American fare" like hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled cheese.  It was definitely a candidate for a return visit in the future.  Once I'd tucked away a chili cheese slaw dog and a couple of hard ciders, we headed down to the beach.  I loved that there was a deep tide pool that we could swim around in and cross to reach a sandbar that led to the open ocean on the other side.  I deluded myself into feeling much safer in the tide pool because only really small sharks could be swimming around in there looking for feet to chew on.  Once we were thoroughly baked, we came back home where we curled up for some Twilight Zone action and watched the amazing fireworks show put on by our neighbors.

It was really the perfect weekend with a very carefully balanced amount of fun and excitement and chilling at home, and I am so, so, so grateful that Colby was able to be home to enjoy it with me.  I hope all of you Yanks had an amazing holiday weekend, and for the rest of you I hope your 4th of July was just as swell as any other Monday!

Things That I Love: Fit For Tenuous Royalty Edition

It has been over a year since I pulled one of these posts out of my trick bag, but I've got some amazing finds that I'm dying to share with you.

L'Oreal Voluminous
The mascara that I return to time and time again.  We've been going strong for almost ten years now, with some bumpy spots in the road where I decided to try out other miracle mascaras including DiorShow, Buxom Lash, and Too Faced Lash Injection as well as some forays into other drug store offerings including the always popular Cover Girl Lashblast. Admittedly, I did fall madly in love with DiorShow, but realized the reason that I liked it so much is because it gives the same dramatic effect as Voluminous, but for almost $20 more per tube.

I also appreciate that Voluminous offer a variety of levels of drama and impact with different formulas.  But my favorite, and the one that I've gotten repeated compliments and inquiries about is the Voluminous in Carbon Black.  What can I say, I am not into subtlety when it comes to my eye makeup!  The one thing you do have to be wary of is clumping.  It's the only downside, but I think that the tendency to clump is only natural when the formula fattens up your lashes so very much.  It's also not much of a lengthener, so if you've already got thick lashes, and are looking to make them longer, it may not be for you.  But if you're like me (a lot of lashes, naturally long, but fine and light) this could be your miracle product as well.

Mario Badescu Skin Care
When I was a youngun, I had pretty decent skin.  I got away with some stridex pads, a little clearasil, and didn't wear anything other than powder until I got to college.  Then I hit 20, and my skin went bat shit crazy.  We're talking every kind of acne imaginable--blackheads, white heads, cystic--everything.  Thus began my near decade long search for the perfect skin care routine.  I have worked my way through so many brands: Proactiv, Philosophy, Murad, everything available at the drugstore, Clinique, Mary Kay, Arbonne.  Basically, if they touted magical skin clearing properties, I gave it a try.  I even attempted the Oil Cleansing Method which worked fine at first until my skin rebelled with a terrifying explosion of pimples.

Then, one happy day in Ulta, I happened upon their Mario Badescu shelf, and was taken with the simple packaging and wide variety of treatment options.  I'd heard good things about the drying lotion, and decided while I was at it, I'd try out the cleanser and toner.  I was shocked at how much my face cleared up, and after the first month of using the cleanser I haven't had a single cystic acne outbreak in five months.  I can't tell you how amazing that is--cystic acne is not only ugly as sin, but it's incredibly painful.  The personal Badescu cocktail I'm currently mixing is the Botanic Facial Gel as my every day cleanser, Glycolic Foaming Cleanser once every other day, Glycolic Grapefruit Cleansing Lotion (toner), and Glycolic Gel after washing and toning at night.  When I have a breakout, I hit it with the Drying Lotion at night and the Drying Cream during the day, and the Buffering Lotion works well for Cystic Acne.  I've also tried some of the masks and exfoliators and really like the Whitening Mask (has lightened some of my slight scarring) and the Kiwi Face Scrub.  There really is something for EVERY skin complaint, and if you're in the market for a new skin care line, I really can't recommend Mario Badescu enough. 

Game of Thrones/ A Song of Ice and Fire
(Can we talk about how gorgeous Emilia Clarke is?  I mean really.)  So, about a year ago, on one of my pilgramages to NYC to visit my sister, she started talking up this Song of Ice and Fire series.  She was really excited about it because it was an upcoming HBO series and it appealed to her fantasy fan sensibiliteis.  But then she made her tragic error--she compared it to The Lord of the Rings.  And I was out.  I tolerate the LOTR movies, and slogged my way through the books, and while they weren't as awful as I thought they'd be, I wasn't overly excited to read or watch anything comparable.  But then people kept talking about how amazing Game of Thrones was.  Someone compared it to The Tudors in scope and sweep.  And then I read that it was loosely based on the War of the Roses, and just like that, I was hooked.  So, I sat down to watch one episode, and then another followed immediately after, then another, and before I knew it, I had inhaled the entire series up to that point (seven episodes at the time) over the course of three days.  And I loved it.

This is no Lord of the Rings people.  There's so much more passion, and excitement, and adventure, and if you don't like one storyline wait five minutes because another one is coming up.  It's fast paced, even to the point of confusion at times, but the acting, as well as the cinematography, sets, and costumes, is superb.  The last episode of the season is coming up on Sunday, and it has already been picked up for season two and I imagine will go on for at least another couple of years beyond that.  I hesitated at first over whether I wanted to spoil the end of the series by reading the books, but decided I just couldn't wait a year to find out how the story continues, so I've been inhaling the first book in the series over the past few days.  And I'm finding that rather than spoiling the show it is giving me and will give me so much more appreciation for the onscreen translation, as well as so much more depth to all of the character's motivations, histories, and personalites.

(These are all my own thoughts and opinions, I have not been contacted by any companies mentioned in this post.  Just sharing because I heart them!)

An Extroverted Weekend

Based on my weekend, you'd never know what a massive introvert I am--well, except for the fact that I had to spend Sunday in my Fortress of Solitude to recover from all of the socialness.

I began the weekend by meeting up with a friend at a fabulous butcher shop/restaurant downtown, Ted's Butcherblock.  In the first place, I find it absolutely charming that there are still dedicated butchers plying their meaty trade in this day and age.  Ted's offers a vast array of meats, cheeses, gourmet raviolis, and a wide variety of spreads, wines and appetizery delights.  On top of their butchery, they have a sizeable menu of sandwiches, soups, and salads, and every Friday night, they serve a delicious dinner and dessert for $12.  

On Friday, we were treated to a mouth-watering Lemon Garlic pork loin served over an eggplant tapenade and goat cheese couscous, all sprinkled with delicious fresh peas.  For dessert, there was a massive lemon bar--we're talking about 4-5" square--topped with a mango chili granita.  I wasn't sophisticated enough to appreciate the spicy/sweet combination, so I scraped off the granita, but the lemon bar was phenomenal.  They were also having a $5 wine tasting with proceeds supporting charity, so we got to taste four delicious French wines and I found a new favorite: Château de Ségriès Cotes du Rhone.  We wrapped up the evening taking in a stunning performance by the Shen Wei Dance Arts who is in Charleston as a part of the world-famous Spoleto arts festival.

Saturday, I rolled out of bed and headed to a local county park to beat my all-consuming fear of heights into submission at the rock climbing wall.  There was a portable climbing wall that was about 30 feet high and the 50 foot permanent wall with a wide variety of routes at various skill levels.  I started out on the 50 foot wall, and made it a little less than halfway up the first time, before the sweats, nausea and dizziness set in and I had to rappel down.  So, we headed over to the portable wall so I could get a little more comfortable with less height.  I somehow made it to the top of that wall before closing my eyes, dropping downward and landing on the ground in a quivering pile of jelly.  Then it was back over to the 50 foot wall where I made it about 3/4 of the way up before I just couldn't bring myself to go any higher.  We're planning to go back next week to give it another go, and I really want to get to the top of that dang wall.

I wrapped up the day with a first birthday party for an adorable little buddy of mine, and then went to a going-away party for a couple who we first knew in Washington, and is now leaving us for greener pastures in the Northeast.  We've had to say goodbye to so many people over the past couple of months, it's hard to believe that we've already been here for a year and a half, and may only have another year and a half left to go.

Sunday, I settled firmly into my little groove on the couch and became thoroughly obsessed with HBOs Game of Thrones.  I also fit in a run and did a little cleaning because COLBY IS COMING HOME TODAY!!!!  And I always like him to think that I keep the house spotless in his absence so that he is pressured to put his socks in the laundry bin.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Mischief Managed

As incredible as our time in Disney World was, the true highlight of our trip was our visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter on the Universal Studios property.  Our expectations for the park were so high, and there was a pretty sizeable chance of disappointment with reality.  Happily, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were just as fantastically amazing and magical as we had hoped--and more!

There were a lot of people there, but we still found ourselves waiting in very reasonable lines.  The highlight of the Wizarding World is absolutely The Forbidden Journey in Hogwarts.  The other rides are a childrens rollercoaster, Flight of the Hippogriff, and a fantastic rollercoaster for the thrillseekers, Dueling Dragons.
 
I wish I could find the words to fully explain and do justice to The Forbidden Journey.  It is, without a doubt, the most amazing ride I have ever ridden.  You sit in a seat that is a bit similar to the people movers in the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World--so you are fully enclosed with a bar across your lap.  You sit four across, but there are small partitions between each seat, so you can't really see the person next to you.  The idea of the ride is that you are flying around with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and you experience all of the highlights of each book along with them--basilisks, spiders, dementors, a Quidditch game, dragons and more.  There is a combination of IMAX screens and actual set pieces that you "fly" through going backwards, forwards, side-to-side, and the best explanation I can give you is to tell you that yes, you truly do feel as though you are IN the movie.  It's incredible.  And I can't believe we only rode it once.  So much dumb.

The one thing I'd like to see improved is the food options.  We ate at The Three Broomsticks, which is right next door and connected to the Hogshead, and the food was decent, but it's really your only option and the meals are certainly on the level of tv dinners.  The frozen butterbeer on the other hand was delicious!  It's a sort of butterscotch-sasparillaish flavor and I think they put condensed milk on the top to give it a sweet creaminess.  Oh, it was so good.  Pumpkin juice tasted a lot like mulled cider, so if you're into that you'd probably like it--I wasn't a big fan.

All in all, Wizarding World was everything I wanted it to be and more.  We talked to a local while we were there who said that there were plans to expand the area further, and I would love to see what else they could come up with.  We didn't get to spend much time in the shops, and the line just for Ollivanders wand shop looked to be over an hour long.  Of course, I had to buy a wand, but I got mine at the Owl Post where there were fewer crowds.  You can choose from the wands of all the major characters, and I decided on Hermione's after much deliberation between hers, Harry's and Dumbledore's (you can see it in the picture on top with the conductor).  I would love to see another restaurant added--I'm thinking a sit down restaurant themed after the Hogwarts dining hall--and we all agreed that a ride through the Gringott's bank would be a no brainer for the expansion.  

We spent time at Universal as well, but honestly, we weren't that thrilled with the offerings and wished we had just spent more time at Wizarding World.  So that's it, my long winded recap of our time at Disney has reached its end!  It was such a great trip with my family, and I'm already counting down until we make our triumphant return in 2013!

Let's Talk Pop!

Pop culture that is!

Thing the first, remember how I was planning to give American Idol another chance this season after having ditched it for the past two?  Well, I'm still watching, and I've gotta tell you, I like it.  I don't miss Simon at all.  Some people are complaining that the judges are being too nice, which I do agree with to an extent, but surely I was not the only one who felt that frequently Simon was playing to the cameras with his snarkiness and assholery.  Not all the time--he often had very valid critiques, but the past few seasons, it seemed like he was just phoning it in and playing a part.  I am shocked that I'm enjoying Jennifer Lopez, whom I've never really cottoned to, and Steven Tyler is a hoot and a half.  Randy is Randy, but even he seems re-energized by the overhauled judges panel.

As for the contestants, there's no one that I absolutely hate.  I thought that the auditions focused more on the good to great singers than the jokers, which was refreshing.  And in my opinion, everyone who is on that stage right now, deserves to be there.  I do think that Pia and Stefano are beautiful voids of personality--they've got great voices but listening to them sing is equivalent to popping an Ambien.  My favorites so far are Haley (love her bluesy growl), Paul (I want to hug him), Thia (I wish she'd step it up a notch in the performance department, but her voice is lovely), and Scotty (and I don't even like country music--please sing a Johnny Cash song!).

Are you watching?  Who are your favorites?

And of course, the other upcoming pop culture moment that is on the minds of seemingly THE ENTIRE WORLD--the royal wedding.  Can I be honest?  I don't care that much about the wedding anymore.  GASP!  And I blame the media.  Holy carp.
If I have to listen to one more psychic talking about whether Will and Kate's stars are aligned.  What she wore yesterday in Dublin/Cornwall/Neptune.  How she is the second coming of Diana.  I am seriously going to go nuts.  I like Kate--I think she's beautiful and I think it's fantastic that William is living in a century in which he can marry the woman he loves even though she's a commoner.  (A bloody stinking rich commoner...)  But for cripes sake, they're already rolling out a Lifetime Movie about the two of them!  Can't we even wait until something actually dramatic happens??  But do you want to know a secret?

I still am convinced that if Wills ever met me, he'd throw that hottie over and live out the rest of his days pulling out what little hair that he has left in an agony of despair that I am already taken and not available to go live my life with him in his charming Irish village.  Truth.

Food, Fun and Flooring

Oh what a lovely weekend!  It's fitting that Monday dawned with a healthy dose of fog in the air to lend a grey cast to my feelings of mourning now that Colby is back to his long days at work and I... have a house to clean.

We kicked off the weekend with a Friday out on the town in downtown Charleston.  It has been over a year since the last time I went out to a bar--well, excluding my visits to NYC to visit my sister, because vacations don't count--just to "go out".  And before that, well, it had probably been another year.  We've just definitely left that part of our lives behind us, and we're both pretty okay with that.  But one of our college pals was in town for the week with his squadron, and by gosh and by golly, we were puttin' on our fancy shoes and venturing out into the night.  We started out with a delicious seafood dinner at Hank's Seafood, then headed over to the upstairs deck bar at Henry's on Market Street.

Initially, we felt young and spry with our energetic, going out selves, but as the night wore on, we felt as though we aged with each passing minute.  Evidently, the Charleston bar scene is a little... um... fancier (sluttier?) than the Baton Rouge college town bar scene I cut my teeth on.  The girls were all wearing barely there minis--cut up to here and down to there.  Their hair was teased.  They turned up their shrill giggles to 11, and they skulked among the fighter pilots with talons extended and breasts bared as much as public decency laws will allow.  By the time midnight rolled around, Colby and I were sending emergency eye signals to one another, silently plotting our escape.

Saturday greeted us with a beautiful blue sky and perfect spring temperatures (please, no one tell Charleston that it's still only February), and I managed to drag myself out of bed at a decent hour so that I could meet a friend at an adorable little restaurant/antique shop in historic Summerville, This Whole House.  It was a delicious lunch with great company, and I was glad to squeeze in as much time as possible with her since she'll be leaving me soon for greener Air Force pastures.

When I returned home, our taxes had magically been done, inserting a tidy sum of money back into our pocketbooks.  One of the very few benefits of Colby's job is that tax time is always a very happy one for our little family.  Sunday, we stayed pretty low key, just making a trip out to Lowe's because we cannot go a full month without giving them our money.  We also watched the Oscars and I was very happy about all of the Best Actor/Actress/Movie winners, and lusted very openly over Anne Hathaway's stage looks--more specifically the blue Armani Prive and the red Atelier Versace.  God.  Gorgeous.  

However, the best part of Sunday was when the man of the house entered into a verbal agreement that we need to replace the hideous, crud infested carpet downstairs.  I am pretty sure that was legally binding.  HUZZAH!!!!!  Small victories, people.  Small victories.

Sorry, But It's Over

It is no secret that I am a television watching fiend.  I'm not the biggest movie fan--I'll probably make it to the theater on average once a month, and enjoy a Netflix every now and then, but I just don't typically have the attention span to sit through a 2+ hour movie.  Two hours of television, though?  Sign me up!

As it currently stands, I have 34 different television series scheduled on my DVR--and I'm getting ready to add a few more, including Perfect Couples and Mr. Sunshine.  Not all of the shows on my series manager are actually in the midst of a season--some are summer or mid-season replacements, some are reality shows that I don't know if we'll ever see again--but I would say I have at least 3 or 4 episodes recording every night during the peak television time of year.

That said, I've made the decision to part ways with some of my old stand bys because I just don't have the interest in investing in the storylines any more.  It was surprisingly easy to press "delete" on each of the series I dumped, and I haven't missed them yet.

I actually ditched the drama-filled halls of Seattle Grace last season.  It seemed like the story lines had gone completely off the rails, and while it had always been a nighttime soap, I missed the original core group of characters and the stories just kept getting more and more ridiculous.

This one made me really sad, because I LOVED Chuck for the first three seasons, but the current season has been a complete borefest.  I'm sick of the will they or won't they of Chuck and Sarah--especially after they actually were together for a while.  Casey has become a parody of himself.  And all of the Buy More humor felt completely forced and over the top.  Not to mention, after being a spy for four years, I just don't buy that Chuck would still be a bumbling newbie.  I'll always love Zachary Levi, but I'll just have to love him elsewhere.

Life Unexpected got off to a great start with an interesting premise, and I really wanted it to fill the gaping void left by the end of Gilmore Girls (I still haven't gotten over the loss of Rory and Lorelai).  The first season was pretty cute, but with season 2 the characters became absolutely insufferable, and I wanted to punch my television screen any time Shiri Appleby started whining in her grating harpy voice.

Okay, well, I haven't completely broken it off with this one yet, but it is definitely on notice.  I'll probably give it until the end of the season to see how Michael's replacement pans out, but the past couple of seasons have been lackluster at best.  Jim and Pam are smug marrieds.  I don't even know what is going on with Dwight right now.  The only plot I find moderately amusing is the Erin/Gabe/Andy triangle.

What about you?  Are you a big television watcher?  Have you cleared out any space on your DVR lately?

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

Well, how was your Super Bowl XLV?  Mine was pretty great, mostly because it involved friends, excessive amounts of yummy food, soothing a precious baby to sleep, and playing with my favorite two-year-old.  Just don't ask me anything about the game.  I hear it sucked.  I did watch the half-time show, so I know that sucked.  I was rooting for the Tigers, personally, but evidently they didn't play.  Whole different conference or something.  Who knows.

I avoided writing a post last week, because oh, whiny I was!  If you are unlucky enough to follow me on Twitter, you were exposed to untold amounts of pessimism and negativity.  There were some frustrations that I was dealing with, but over all, upon review, it was a pretty great week.

Colby got home from his first work trip since the deployment ended in early November.  It was a tough adjustment after having him home for a record 2 1/2 months (we're fairly confident that's the longest stretch of time we've spent together since I moved to Washington in March of 2007) and then his return home was delayed by 4 days, but he made it back in one piece, and that's the important part.

I also got in touch with my inner Betty Homemaker, and learned the basics of how to operate my shiny new sewing machine.  I shocked myself by successfully sewing a rather lovely kitchen apron after my second lesson.  I wouldn't recommend inspecting the hemming too closely, but from a distance, it looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself!  (And I don't, because Colby was impressed too.)  I have more classes this week, and I must admit, I'm hooked,  It's not even close to the excrutiating experience of the yarn cross-stitch cat that I worked on from about 4 to 13 and never finished.

I rounded out the week with my first observation at my new volunteer job downtown.  I love, love, love me some history--so much so that I accidentally minored in it in college after taking so many history classes as electives--and I've always thought that being a tour guide would be pretty much the best job in the world.  So, when a friend handed me a clipping from the newspaper advertising a volunteer orientation at one of the beautiful antebellum museum homes on the Battery, I knew it was a match made in heaven.  I still have a few more observations to do, and a qualifying tour, then I'll be Charleston's newest tour guide!

This week, I am determined to be more positive and appreciative of the great things I've got going on in my life and stop focusing so much on the teensy little pits in the road.  And now I'm headed to youtube to look for the best commercials from last night so I can pretend I'm completely up to speed on current pop culture moments.

American Idol! Woo! Right?

I haven't watched a full season of American Idol in... oh, two years if my blog is any indication.  The last contestant I remember getting vaguely excited about was Alexis Grace.  And I'm pretty sure she was kicked off early in the season.  And actually, I think I might have stopped watching at that point.  Who won that year?  Was that David Archuleta?   Clearly he has done well for himself.

Anyway, point being, I was pretty much over it.  Even my love for Ellen couldn't bring me back.  But if there is one thing I love, it is a trainwreck.  If there is another thing I love, it is something awesome.
I figure, with these clowns gracing my screen for the 2011 AI season, I am bound to be treated to a trainwreck.  If by some miniscule chance they bypass trainwreck and stumble headlong into awesome, well, all the better for me!

So, prepare yourself, because I am about to get super pumped about some mediocre singers, vaguely Mormonesque crooners, punk-rock wannabes, and if I am a very, very good girl, maybe a J Lo/Steven Tyler twinsies duet.  Fingers crossed, y'all!  

Anyone else sheepishly returning to the fold now that Snarky Simon and Boring Kara have jumped this sinking ship?

Wicked Casting Couch Take 2

Taking a day off from trip recapping to flip out about some Very Exciting News.

Sources confirm that the actress-producer [Salma Hayek] is teaming with ABC to develop an eight-hour miniseries adaptation of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the Gregory Maguire bestseller that spawned the Broadway phenom. The insider stresses that it would be based on the novel and not the musical.
Via 

I've gotten excited about a Wicked moving pictures treatment before, but that was for a big screen adaptation of the musical, which is amazing in its own right, but a VAST departure from the dark, thought-provoking, more than slightly perverse story told in Gregory Maguire's novel.  The actresses playing the roles of book Elphaba and Galinda have to have very different capabilities than the actresses playing musical Elphaba and Galinda.

My choice for Galinda came instantaneously.  Dianna Agron has the innocent, beautiful look with a proven track record of playing a syrupy sweet bitch.  Exactly what the role calls for.
Elphaba was more of a challenge.  Initially I couldn't think of anyone with the right look or personality.  Of course, it's an actress's job to portray the character appropriately, but still, an undercurrent of snarkiness is necessary.  Then, while watching Pretty Little Liars a television show that is not remotely an embarrassing teen drama, it struck me.  Troian Bellisario.  She definitely has the look, as well as the necessary gravity, maturity and seriousness to play the green girl.So, anyone else out there as excited as me about eight hours of Wicked goodness?  Any other thoughts on casting?  Anybody else ready to start planning a Wicked party?

Celebrity Twinsies

It's a well known fact that I watch a lot of television.  And even some movies from time to time.  And when I watch a television show or a movie, I inevitably spend a great deal of time on IMDB working out where I've seen an actor or actress before.  But sometimes, those actors and actresses are tricksy hobbitses. Because you see, there are some celebrities who like to trick me by looking EXACTLY LIKE other celebrities.

 

These boys are both just ridiculously beautiful, and if it turned out that Chace Crawford and Ian Somerhalder share a great-great-great uncle twice removed, I would not be the least bit surprised.

I think Ed Helms joined The Office and Jason Sudeikis joined Saturday Night Live around the same time, but I remember being really confused as to how this one guy could possibly have enough time to be in both shows simultaneously.  Then I realized they were different guys and figured they must be brothers.  Wrong again.  But uncanny resemblance, down to their speaking patterns.

Okay, yes, SNL kind of scooped me on the resemblance between these husky-voiced red heads, but in my defense I thought Emma Stone was Lindsay Lohan's doppelganger when I watched House Bunny many moons ago.  There, two embarrassing confessions.  I get these girls mixed up and I watched House Bunny.

 

Well, Vivien Leigh has been dead for a long time, so I've never actually gotten these two confused for one another, but when Natalie Dormer played Anne Boleyn in The Tudors, I couldn't help but feel like I was watching the reincarnation of Scarlett O'Hara.

I'm sure I've missed some others.  Any celebrity look-alikes you can think of?

Workshops and Shopping and Aliens, OH MY!

... Took part in a writing workshop at the center for women, and despite the fact that I already knew about the topics they covered, it gave me the opportunity to connect with some local women writers and I'll also get to have conversations with a marketing expert and the author of five novels to get some tips and tricks about the industry.  It got me pretty inspired to start writing again if I can ever finish my dern master's classes and spend some writing time on something other than case studies and examinations of the difference between management and discipline.

... Spent a lovely afternoon walking around downtown on my own, and then met some friends for lunch at a new favorite restaurant, Gaulart-Maliclet--or as it is better known round these parts--Fast & French.  And it was fast, French, and delicious!  I stayed virtuous with a fruit and goat cheese plate, then went completely off the rails with the most decadent chocolate croissant I have ever stuffed in my face.  Heavenly.

 

... Stimulated the economy with a little credit card use on King Street.  Fall has been in the air lately, and I know I'm fully back to my old self, as I am no longer dreading the Fall season, but looking forward to it with great anticipation of pulling out my sweaters and boots.  In honor of the crisp breeze that has been blowing here in the mornings, I shelled out the dough for these gorgeous over the knee boots.  I really was going to hold off, but then the shop girls offered me 15% off the listed price, and honestly, how could I say no to that?  I don't care how hot it still is next month, come October 1st, all bets are off and the Fall clothes are coming out of the closet!

... Worked my way through season 2 of The X-Files.  I've talked before about my obsession with The X-Files, so imagine my surprise when I found that there were multiple episodes season 2 that I'd never seen.  It was also funny seeing some future famous faces doing guest spots--including Terry O'Quinn (John Locke, Lost) and Tony Shalhoub (Monk).  I'm so happy that the show has really held up over time, and with the exception of a couple cheesy special effects and Scully's HORRIBLE 90s power suits, it's just as good now as it ever was.  I can't wait to start on season 3!

An Unexpected Weekend

I had plans to leave town on Wednesday, so when my Washington plans fell through due to one canceled Space A flight after another, I was faced with a pretty quiet weekend.  I did manage to have a rather lovely few days at home though!  To recap...

via longhorndave

Friday night, I met some friends at a newish restaurant in town, Bistro 536, for a four course dinner with wine pairings.  I was a little apprehensive as it was a white wine flight, and I am a staunch red wine drinker, but I was actually very impressed with all of the chardonnays served.  We went on a "trip around the world" trying chardonnays from Italy, New Zealand, Chile and finally a sparkling chardonnay from California.  I was thrilled that none of them were sweet, and I'd even go so far as to say I enjoyed the one from New Zealand immensely.  Shame I drank four glasses of wine and promptly forgot its name.

Saturday, I did a little prep work in the yard seeing as a lawn service representative is coming to give me a quote for... lawn service.  I recognize that this is about as ridiculous as cleaning before the maid comes over, but seriously, our yard is embarrassing right now.  That night I stayed in with some tortellini, Cupcake cabernet sauvignon, and my very favorite new guilty pleasure, Pretty Little Liars.  Oh my God, this show is full of everything that is perfect in pop culture--beautiful people, murder mysteries, and epic teenage drama.  I highly recommend it if you're in the market for some brain rot.

 

Sunday, I finally unwrapped the Insanity DVD workout that I got off Craigslist last week, read through the included instructions and... put it away.  Okay, in my defense, the fancy little wall calendar I'm supposed to used to "track my progress" has the workouts starting on Monday, but I've got to be honest, I am terrified!  I've read all the reviews and have been thinking about this program for a long time, and there's a part of me that's excited, but every single person I've told about this workout plan o'mine, has reacted with fear and horror.  Even the P90Xers look at me with sympathy in their eyes, though it's always followed up with a "but I've heard it really works...".  So, um, yeah, I'm starting this sucker today, and holy crackers, I am scared.  Does anyone out there have anything more motivating to add aside from a cheerful, "Hope you don't drop dead!"

Musical Theater Geekery

This has been my week, in a nutshell (Help!  Help!  I'm in a nutshell!)

Dryer begins flashing mysterious code.

Angela:  Hello, some shit is wrong with my dryer.

Dryer Phone Lady:  Hello, have you tried unplugging your dryer and plugging it back in?

Angela: ...

Dryer Phone Lady: ...

Angela: No.  (Unplugs and re-plugs in dryer.)

Dryer Phone Lady: ...

Angela: Some shit is still wrong with my dryer.

Dryer Phone Lady: Okay, we will fix it for you!

Many days later...

Dryer Repair Man:  I hear some shit is wrong with your dryer.

Angela: Yes.

Dryer Repair Man:  I will fix your shit.

Angela: ...

Dryer Repair Man: ...

Dryer Repair Man: I do not have the appropriate shit to fix your dryer.  Will order it!

Angela:  ...

Many days later...

Dryer Repair Man: Hello, I am here to fix your dryer with the appropriate dryer shit!

Angela:  Good.

Dryer Repair Man: ...

Angela: ...

Dryer Repair Man: I do not have the appropriate shit to fix your dryer.  Again.  In the meantime, here is some useless dryer shit.

Angela:  ...

MEANWHILE!

Upstairs air conditioning ceases to function, Angela moves downstairs.

Angela: Hello, I would like to file a service request for my air conditioner.

Air Conditioner Service People:  Okay, we will have someone contact you!

People Who Are Meant to Contact Me:  It seems we do not exist and you will never again have air conditioning upstairs.  We hope you enjoy the lasting physical benefits of having your own personal 1000 square foot sauna.  We hear you can sweat out lots of toxins that way!

Angela:  *Head Explodes*

Basically, it's hot and all of my clothes stink.  But I am STILL excited about life because of the two following pieces of news.

1)  GLEE karaoke is coming to the Wii!  Yes, it is true!  I wish I could remember the person to whom I said, "Man, wouldn't it be a good idea to have Glee Karaoke instead of Rock Band?" because then I could call that person up and be like "OH MY GOD!  Am Glee prophet!  They totally stole my idea that no one else ever had before me and was definitely not the only next logical marketing step!"  Except I'd probably email them.  Because I don't really make phone calls, except in cases of dryer and air conditioning emergencies.

AND... drumroll please...

2) It seems as though Wicked, the movie, is finally going to happen!  And that it will be the musical version.  I got all excited about this news way back in July of 2008, but now rumblings are surfacing again, and this time they sound much more official.

"The hugely successful musical "Wicked" is on its way to becoming a feature film, and that news has already attracted the interest of several high-profile directors.

Although the project is in its very early stages of development, "Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy and "Star Trek" and "Alias" helmer J.J. Abrams have already expressed interest. So have Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Nine") and James Mangold ("Knight and Day", "Walk the Line")."
from Zap2News&Buzz

I think either Ryan Murphy or Rob Marshall could do an amazing job directing, but what do we think about casting?  In years past, I would have loved to have seen Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth reprise their roles as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, but sad as it is to say, I think they're too old for the parts now.  They have to play teenagers convincingly for a good portion of the story, and it just wouldn't work for me.

Elphaba is easy in my opinion, especially if Ryan Murphy really does end up attached.  Lea Michele has the pipes, the acting ability, and the quirky look that the role calls for.  But what about Glinda?  I honestly can't think of a single person who could play her sympathetically and pull off the operatic segments, and I absolutely hate the thought of dubbing.  I think this part calls for an unknown, much like Emmy Rossum in Phantom of the Opera (but NOT Emmy!).  As for Fiyero, this may be controversial, but I really like the idea of Corbin Bleu.  He's grown up into a handsome, talented young man who would bring with him a huge fan base from High School Musical.

Any other Wicked fans out there?  Who would you cast as Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero?

The Arts: Culinary and Otherwise

As terrible as this past weekend was for my diet, it was absolutely amazing for my palate.  One of my only regrets about moving down here, was leaving behind the wide variety of restaurants the the Seattle area had to offer.  Let me tell you, I need not have worried.  I have found more favorite restaurants in the six months since we moved here than I found in the entire time we were in Washington.  I'm still on the lookout for a great hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint and some Greek, but I have a couple of contenders on my list that I'm hoping to check out in the next few weeks.

But as far as just downright delicious food, Charleston has that in SPADES, and we hit three of the creme-de-la-creme this weekend.

Red's Ice House has a couple of locations, but the one we went to is located on Shem Creek, a fun collection of restaurants and bars with a casual, island feel overlooking the water.  We've also been to and loved Vickery's, but Red's had such a cool, laid back atmosphere and the food was downright delicious.  I started with a fishbowl of a pina colada, then had some of Laura's Sexy Salsa, and finished the evening with shrimp tacos.  Yum!  As the perfect ending to a lowcountry evening, we stood out on the deck for a while, watching a pod of dolphins frolicking in the creek.

The Mustard Seed, located in Mt Pleasant, has become a staple in my entertainment routine when guests come in town.  I have never had a single, solitary piece of food that I did not enjoy with the whole of my being and to the best of my knowledge, neither has anyone who has come with me.  My go to entree is the pecan encrusted goat cheese cakes on mixed greens with a raspberry vinaigrette (I generally request the balsamic instead) and there is the perfect amount of goat cheese to go with each delicious bite of salad.  This weekend Colby got the pad thai and our guest got some sort of intriguing concoction including beef tips, and we were all in hog heaven.  I haven't tried any of their baked goods yet, but believe me, as soon as this diet ends, that's at the top of my list!

Oh 17 North, how I love you with all of my being!  We've driven past this place a number of times, and it's pretty unassuming from the exterior.  However, once you're seated out on the lovely patio surrounded by their vegetable and herb garden, you completely forget the busy highway nearby.  And the food... oh, the FOOD!  To begin with, the cheese and herb biscuits we started with were heavenly.  Then came the delicious salad with spinach, blue cheese, bacon, apples and strawberries.  And then, the melt in your mouth flank steak with the most decadent pomme frites.  My stomach is grumbling just thinking of it.  Best of all, we learned that if you go early, there's a special from 4-6 where you get an appetizer, entree and dessert for twenty dollars.  Sign!  Me!  Up!!

Aside from stuffing our faces at any available moment, we also took in a couple of Piccolo Spoleto events.  On Thursday night we went to see {title of show} at an adorable local theater.  The house was filled with tables and chairs, much like a dinner theater, and there was a bar in the back where you could buy drinks throughout the show.  Perfection, my friends!  The show was pretty funny too and really well performed, for a local theater.  On Saturday we went down to a sandcastle competition at the Isle of Palms and the Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square.  I was also thrilled to discover that Broadway shows do in fact tour through the local area, which was another experience I thought we'd left behind when we moved here.  Legally Blonde and Spamalot, here I come!

Have I mentioned lately how absolutely in love with Charleston I am?

I Heart BBC

If April showers bring May flowers, May is going to sadly lacking in floral abundance.  I know that I've fully recovered from my rain-phobia that developed while living in Washington.  I still love my sunshine, but I've gotten to the point where I get a little excited about thunderstorms again, and we were supposed to have a whopper of one yesterday.  Things started off well with deep, rumbly thunder in the distance, but it just never really panned out.  The morning was pretty grey and rainy, but by afternoon, the sun was beaming down again.  Not a single streak of lightning!

I felt robbed.

But still, with the promise of a rainy day and Colby out of town on another trip, I had already given myself permission to have a lazy dreary day with some of my old friends from Victorian England.  You see, I have become utterly obsessed with BBC costume dramas.  I've always loved them, but over the past year I've expanded my horizons beyond the commonly watched Jane Austen adaptations, and I've found so many more wonderful productions from that little island across the pond.

They're just so much better than anything made in Hollywood.  Don't get me wrong, I love pretty much any period piece I can get my hands on, but most everything in Hollywood has that shiny, hardness to it that is pure American.  In the BBC productions, the men are still handsome and the women are lovely, but they look like real people.  They wear the same dresses throughout the movie, the sets are all actual mansions or bustling English streets.  Obviously, the accents are much more authentic (unless they're trying to be American) and the writers tend to stick to the original stories so much more closely.  I also love that the same actors tend to pop up again and again, and I enjoy spending my time playing "Spot the Character Actor".

If you're a fan of Pride & Prejudice, here are some other BBC productions I think you'll love just as much--or, dare I say it, even more!

North & South

I love this movie SO MUCH.  As soon as I finished it, I instantly bough my own copy.  It has a lot in common with Pride & Prejudice, but the subject matter feels a bit more serious and I think the two leads have even more chemistry and spark that Lizzie and Darcy.  Oh, I want to watch this again right now!

Wives & Daughters

This has one of the sweetest love stories I've ever watched, and I fell a little bit in love with "Molly" (played by Justine Waddell) myself.

Lost in Austen

This is the perfect movie for the Austen freak in all of us.  It follows the adventures of Amanda, who after a break-up with her boyfriend finds herself lost in the world of Elizabeth Bennet's life and times.  It's hilarious watchng her muddle up Austen's story left and right and struggling not to fall in love with Darcy so that Lizzie can still end up with him.

Our Mutual Friend

This is the movie that brought me back to Dickens after a particularly nasty break up in college.  It's a fast moving story about how the death of one man affects a number of different people of varying levels of income and respectability.  Plus it has Chuck from Pushing Daisies--bonus!

Bleak House

Full disclosure, I'm only a few episodes into this one, but I'm already completely riveted, and I'm pretty sure it's going to rank right up there with North & South by the time I'm done with it.  I love that it has Gillian Anderson in a role that is the polar opposite of my beloved Dana Scully, and Carey Mulligan also plays a main character in her "pre-It Girl" days.

So, there you go, that should keep you busy for many hours of rainy day viewing!  There are of course a number of other great productions, these are just my favorites of what I've seen so far.  Have you seen any of these and loved them or hated them?  Any suggestions for me?

The Last of the Boobless Wonders

Today is a day of great sadness and mourning as those flat-chested ladies among us have lost one of our most valiant heroes in the fight for acceptance and appreciation of our more small-figured lady lumps.

Kate Hudson has always been the one actress I look to when I feel most insecure about my ability to fill out a bra cup, for a boost of self-esteem and a reminder that boobs ≠ beauty.  Now she has allegedly (and I think fairly obviously based on this photograph) gone under the knife.

Though for anyone who is wondering about my most fervent boob desires--that second picture is exactly what I would get should I ever decide to have a doctor slice open my chest and shove plastic baggies full of liquid inside my body.

Editing to say, yes, it's absolutely possible that Kate's extra cup sizes are due to pregnancy, but these pictures taken last weekend show off her tight tummy.  She may have gained a little weight, but being a fellow small chested girl, I know that unless you are VERY LUCKY, all of the weight doesn't go to your chest.  From my experience, she would have had to gain much more weight than what is shown here to increase her chest size that much!  Either way, she's rocking it and looking amazing--no hate here!

 

Fantasy Fashions

I've been reading a lot of historical fiction and watching a lot of period pieces of late, and it's gotten me thinking about a topic to which I frequently return when I get into these phases.

I love clothes.  That's not really much of a secret.  I get terribly excited when my Lucky magazine arrives and I can pore through it looking for new outfit inspiration.  I love watching shows like Project Runway and What Not to Wear to get my fashion fix.  I'm pretty choosy about which trends I'll jump on board with--it took me a couple of years to come around to the skinny jeans phenomenon and even now I can only bring myself to wear them tucked into boots--but I like to think that's because I have gotten wise in my later 20s as to what trends actually work on my body and what just looks interesting on the pages of a magazine or walking a runway on a human insect hybrid.

But deep down inside, I've never felt the passion for modern day clothes that I do for the fashions of eras gone by.  I secretly wish that I was bold enough to be a Steampunk gal just so I could wear a bustle and veiled top hat.  I think that over the last half of the 20th century fashion became primarily about comfort and utility, which I suppose is fine in of itself, but I often find myself yearning for the glamour of eras gone by--corsets and all.

 

Well, okay, so I don't really want to wear a corset everyday, but you must admit, the idea of taking a few inches off the size of your waist without resorting to strenuous exercise is a little appealing, isn't it?  And with the voluminous skirts of the antebellum period, you'd never know just how thunderous anyone's thighs are.  And parasols!  Le sigh.

From a purely aesthetic point of view. I think the era of the Gibson Girls was the heyday of women's fashion through the ages.  And the ruffled bosoms, enhanced bottoms, and cinched waists that signified the late 1800s/early 1900s would suit my body shape ideally.  In fact, now that I think about it, I think that's what drew me so much to the silhouette of my wedding dress.  Yes, it all sounds perfectly dreamy until you read about the rib-removal surgeries women would undergo for the sake of their fashion.  Um, yikes.

The 1940s definitely takes us to a complete departure from the voluminous skirts with which I'm so enamored, but I've always been a fan of a perfectly tailored suit.  Not to mention, the 1940s were all about phenomenal hats.  If there's one thing I think could really be a practical come-back from fashions of the past, it's the hat.  Think of it, any bad hair day could be immediately remedied with a molded felt hat or a fascinator.  Who's with me on this?

And finally, the decade I most frequently turn to for fashion inspiration, the 1950s.  I love the simple A-line dresses and the full circle skirts that women returned to once the war ended and they were tucked away back into their pre-war roles as domestic engineers.  I don't agree with the sentiment, but how can you argue with the gauzy romance of those gowns?

So, what about you?  Is there a fashion epoch you wish you could bring back to the future, or are you perfectly content with our jeans and t-shirt generation?  How do you think our fashions of today will be remembered in years to come?

Alice in Wonderland

"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ~The White Queen (Lewis Carroll)

I don't generally consider myself much of a movie buff, and so I don't dedicate much time or effort to reviewing movies here on the blog or elsewhere.  But for the recent release of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, I feel as thought my entire life leading up to this point has prepared me for reviewing this movie.  From the time I was a small child, I've loved Alice.  It started with the Disney animated film which led to my love of the Lewis Carroll books from Alice in Wonderland to Alice Through the Looking Glass and leading all the way to Gilbert Adair's 1984 addition to the Alice canon, Alice Through the Eye of the Needle.  So, those are my credentials, now, what did I think about the film?

I loved it.  I went in with my expectations lowered due to a few mediocre reviews I had read, but still looking forward to the visual treat I knew Burton had bestowed upon us.  Perhaps those lowered expectations led to my dazzlement, but I truly have very little to complain about.

The movie centers around Alice as a young adult at a crossroads in her life.  Should she do the right thing and marry for money and status as everyone around her seems to think is the only option, or should she pursue the impossible--a life of freedom and adventure?  As she takes a moment to ponder these thoughts, who should she see dashing through the garden, but a certain White Rabbit in a waistcoat, dangling a pocket watch meaningfully in her direction.

What ensues is a return to Wonderland, where Alice is reintroduced to the cast of characters she met long ago.  The twist is that Alice has no real memory of her visit to Wonderland aside from a string of frightening dreams she had as a child.  Mia Wasikowska does an impressive job portraying an Alice whose curiosity and blind acceptance of the bizarre circumstances she finds herself in have been tempered by a Victorian upbringing, but whose sense of wonder and belief in herself is built up again throughout the film.

The Mad Hatter is charmingly portrayed by Johnny Depp who swings back and forth with ease between a dark, menacing madness and the more batty, amusing madness seen in the book and previous films.  My favorite part of the movie was the Hatter's interactions with Alice, as he took her under his wing and a loving, father/daughter relationship seemed to evolve.

Helena Bonham Carter was fairly good as the Red Queen, (Queen of Hearts actually, but I'm trying not to get too nitpicky) as she flew into rages and ordered "off with her head" at the least provocation.  However, in typical Burtonesque style, these murderous rages gained a much darker tone as we actually saw heads bobbing in the moat outside her castle.

I wanted very much to like Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, but to me she was the one downfall of the film.  Her mannerisms were extremely affected and over the top, which is quite a feat in an already about as high over the top as you can get film.  When she toned down the airy gestures, she was much more likeable as a Queen in search of her champion, but I wasn't terribly disappointed by the fact that she didn't get too much airtime.

The assorted inhabitants of Wonderland were all perfectly Wonderful, with the standouts for me being Stephen Fry as the deliciously sly Cheshire Cat and Alan Rickman as the abrasive, hookah-puffing Caterpillar, Absolem.

Overall, I thought the tone of the film perfectly captured the manic, zany feel of the books that the original 1951 Disney effort lacked.  The visuals were absolutely stunning, the depictions of all the characters was superb, and I felt that the story ended on the perfect note.  While this Alice may not be suitable for young children, I appreciate that Disney and Burton saw the adult qualities and messages in the story and let those moments shine.  Let the kids visit Wonderland, I'll spend my time dreaming of a visit to Underland.

So Cultured I Should Be in a Petrie Dish

Current count of Washington days remaining?  Forty-three.  And nine of those will be spent house hunting in South Carolina.  So, I've been a bit busy to say the least.  I've been working regularly.  We've been working to keep the house presentable on a regular basis should any prospective renters want to check it out.  And of course we've been doing all of those fun Washington things that we won't be able to do in a month and a half. 

Over the course of two weeks I went with friends to see Pink Martini in Tacoma, with my opera pal to see La Traviata at the Seattle Opera, and then on a double date to see A Streetcar Named Desire at the Theatre on the Square in Tacoma.  Pink Martini put on an incredible show and reminded me of a band that would have played at The Tropicana with Ricky Ricardo.  La Traviata was absolutely gorgeous and deliciously tragic, and Streetcar was thoroughly depressing but surprisingly well performed for a community theater presentation.

Aside from that we've just been continuously freaking out about the move.  We leave on Monday to spend a little over a week getting to know the Charleston area.  We're going armed with an army of worksheets, an extensive spreadsheet of houses we've been tracking, a preapproval letter, and the knowledge that the government is completely unsympathetic to our flight. 

When we bemoan the state of our mortgage situation, helpful folks tend to remind us of the house-buying program for mlitary members who are being made to move during the current housing crisis.  Bummer for us, we bought our house two months too early to qualify for that program.  Then when the internet made me aware of the fact that the home-buyers tax credit has been extended through 2010 and is now available to current home owners, I actually got my hopes up for a moment before finding the fine print specifiying that eligibility is restricted to people who have owned their homes for more than five years.  We're hovering right around three.  You know, it's not that I expect the government to bail me out, and I fully appreciate the fact that there are people who are in far worse situations than I, but it's still a little disheartening every time you realize that some people are eligible for handouts and you aren't.  But still, I'm a firm believer is smaller government anyway, so whatever, I DON'T WANT YOUR NONEXISTANT MONOPOLY MONEY ANYWAY, AMERICA!!

So, that's pretty much that.  I'm excited about Halloween this weekend and the chance to spend a whole day thinking about something OTHER than the jumble of debt to income ratio, neighborhood crime statistics, and the vast difference a 5.0% interest rate can make on your mortgage payment as opposed to 5.25%...  Sigh.  In the words of Alice, it would be so nice if something made sense for a change.

Fallness

I don't think that Washington is aware of the fact that it is now Fall.  Shhhh.  Let's just keep that fact between you and me.  I remember once upon a time in a land of endless summer, wishing desperately for just one day below 70 degrees so that I could wear my sweaters, jackets and boots at least a couple of times over the course of the year.  Oh, how the tables have turned!  I'm sure by next year I'll be back to praying for a couple of cold snaps around September.  But for now, I am perfectly happy with our sunny 80 degree Washington days

Would you like to know what else I am happy with?  All of those other lovely Fall events.  School is back in session which means I am making money.  With that money, I can once more afford new sweaters!  With those sweaters, I can go to exciting Fall festivals, like Oktoberfest in a tiny, Bavarian-themed Oregon town.  At that Oktoberfest I can drink overpriced wine and learn to polka!

Yes folks, I have learned to polka and I nearly died trying.  You try hopping from foot to foot at a frantic pace as a German gent in leiderhosen flings you around a dance floor.  You will probably die trying too.  But at least it would be a pretty enjoyable way to go.  Seriously, how did the polka go out of fashion, let's bring it back!  And the Charleston too while we're at it--I think it would be rather precious to dance the Charleston in Charleston, don't you?

Oh, and also, Fall television?  I welcome you back with open arms.  There are so many shows that I am L-O-V-I-N-G right now.  I'll have to do a run down once I get my schedule fully set.  I'm still on a trial period with some of the newer shows, but let's just say that Glee and Community have nothing to worry about.

This is kind of all over the place, isn't it?  I'll be honest, I'm blogging because I can't think of a concluding paragraph for a paper that I have to turn in tonight.  And next I'll probably watch Glee, then sometime around 11:30 pm, I'll bang out 75-100 words in random order and call it a day.  Hey, at least it wasn't another Hawaii post, right?

This Isn't Productive, It's Procrastination

We are more than halfway through July right now.  In fact, we're pretty close to what could be considered the end of July.  I've been on my summer break for more than a month now.  It's times like these when I would give anything for a Time Turner.  The summer is just flying by far too quickly, and there is not time enough in the day for me to get anything accomplished AND be a disgusting couch potato all at the same time.

This past weekend, I spent some time helping a friend pack up her apartment as she is leaving us for greener pastures--or at least pastures where she was offered a pretty job offer.  That, combined with a news article I read got me thinking some kind of deep thoughts about best friends that I'll be writing about at some point when my brain feels like cooperating.

We've got just a little over two weeks left until we leave for Hawaii.  I can't remember what I've talked about here as opposed to Facebook and Twitter, but we are leaving on August 6 for six days in Kauai and five in Oahu.  I'm trying desperately not to over-plan the trip, and instead only book in advance the activities that tend to fill up, and then just go with a list of things we'd like to do.  I have this idea that vacation spontaneity will be more relaxing, but honestly, I'm just feeling a bit stressed that we don't have an itinerary.  We do, however, have rental cars!  I was gasping in horror at the price of a rental car on the islands until I found a most magical website that cut the cost in two, and now we have the cars for the full time that we'll be there for a bit under the price that expedia was quoting for the first week in Kauai.  Of course, we'll probably show up at the airport and they'll be like, "rental car, wha?" but I feel that the price makes it worth the risk.

I was planning on getting a lot of writing done this summer, but so far have spent most of my efforts on editing the steaming pile of mish-mash I've already written.  Then, last night I had a dream about it that is making me want the change EVERYTHING, including the time period it takes place in and a pretty big portion of the back-story.  Sigh.  Writing is frustrating.

So, instead of being productive, I've been watching heaps of BBC period pieces as "research" for my writing.  Let me tell you, if you enjoy Pride & Prejudice, there is a whole world of non-Austen romance out there just waiting for you to discover it.  So far I've quite enjoyed Wives & Daughters, The Buccaneers, and my new all time favorite, with Margaret Hale and John Thornton stealing my heart from Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, North & South.  Not surprisingly, I've been spending a significant portion of time staring off into space, daydreaming of exchanging smoldering, illicit gazes with aloof, yet dashingly handsome young men of means.  I think it is very much past time for my husband to come home.

Back From the Mountains

I'm finally back on the blogging train after a nice long trip to eastern Montana where my parents and I met up to visit my sister at the summer stock theater where she is working.  It was a really great trip, and I enjoyed spending some time in a part of the country that I had never really considered visiting.  Now I can't wait to go back and spend more time hiking in the stunning Glacier National Park.

It was really fun watching my sister perform and getting to appreciate how much she has grown as an actress and singer over the past couple of years.  She made an amazing Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz and Irene Malloy in Hello, Dolly!  The theater itself was beautiful and both of the shows were highly entertaining, though the best part of the trip was just squeezing in as much family time as we could with Brittany's insanely busy schedule.

The other highlight of the trip was the aforementioned Glacier National Park.  I'd really never heard of this park until moving out to this part of of the country, and I can now say with full authority that it is a true hidden gem of the United States.  The park has an amazing array of vistas, from sparkling lakes to craggy mountains, roaring waterfalls to bubbling brooks.  At one moment you feel like your in a near desert environment and the next you're surrounded by lush ferns and towering evergreens.  There are hikes for every level of fitness, and we had a fantastic time exploring without the mad crush of people that we've experienced at other parks.  There were just enough other tourists there to keep you from feeling completely alone, but you could also sit quietly at the edge of a lake and not see another person go by for ages.

We did have one highly dramatic moment as my dad nearly pitched headfirst into Virginia Falls due to a freak bifocal incident.  Sadly his brand new $3 Lewis and Clark baseball cap and my camera weren't so lucky as to avoid a watery grave, but fortunately aside from some extreme bruising and a rather frightening looking cut under the eye, my dad was okay and looked almost as good as new just a few days later.  And I've been wanting a new camera for a while anyway, so thanks for giving me an excuse to get one daddy!  We spent lots of time just driving along desolate highways and back roads and exploring tiny Montana towns, and all in all it was a wonderful and incredibly relaxing vacation.

After a painfully long day of flying which included five takeoffs and landings and two layovers, I got home late Tuesday night to an empty house since Colby was unexpectedly sent off on a long work trip on Sunday and the pups were dropped off at the vet for boarding.  Last night I went with a crew to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and oh my gracious, I laughed, I cried (buckets)!  Of course, the movies never hold a candle to the books, but I think they did a pretty great job capturing the tone of the books and did a decent job of hitting all the highlights.

So, I have the next couple of weeks off from anything pressing aside from school, then we'll be entertaining my in-laws for about a week and the day after they leave jetting off for ten amazing days in Hawaii.  I feel so blessed to be able to spend this summer in such a relaxing way, surrounded by friends and family, traveling and truly getting to enjoy life every day.  Oh summer, please don't ever end!

The Fun, The Funner, and The Unfun

So, yeah, not working pretty much rocks my freaking socks off.  I love being able to keep the house clean.  I love being able to keep up with our laundry--actually folding clothes after washing them, what a novel concept!  I love not being too tired to meet up with friends in the evening and being home when Colby has a short day at work and can leave early.  I love having time to run errands and fit in running and shredding.  I can't tell you how fabulous it is to be able to do my homework during the week so that I have my weekends free, and I've actually been WRITING!  I haven't worked on my book in almost a year, and I've renewed my interest in it and am thinking of it constantly.

I can say with complete honesty that I'm not the least bit bored, I don't feel remotely unfulfilled, and I don't have any weird hangups about being a stay at home wife--at least for the summer.  Plus, Colby still cooks dinner, so what's not to love?

Buuuuuut.  And there's always a but.  Part of the deal when Colby agreed that I wouldn't have to work this summer was that I wouldn't buy any new clothes or shoes until I went back to work.  To tell the truth, I made that promise just as much to break my shopping addiction as I did to save money.  I have more than enough clothes and no one really needs more than sixty pairs of shoes in their closet, so I'm planning to spend the summer rediscovering outfits and shopping in my closet instead of Banana Republic.

When I get bored, instead of pulling up one of my favorite shopping websites, I blog or I write or I take my book outside and read in the absolutely gorgeous weather we've been having lately.  I feel like it's a win-win situation--plus I don't have to buy hangers every time I go to Target anymore!

Tomorrow the fun will be tempered by my very first EVER experience with jury duty.  I guess I didn't really understand how jury duty worked.  I thought you got called for one or two days and that was it, unless you got put on a jury.  But no, in my lovely little town, I've been called for five separate days over the course of July, one of which is a day that I won't even be in town.  I wrote them a letter a couple of weeks ago, requesting to be excused on that day due to my previously made vacation plans, but I haven't heard anything back. I'm going to ask about it tomorrow, but I'm just imagining them issuing a warrant for my arrest while I'm gallivanting around Montana, and a brigade of policemen waiting for my return to Seatac to put me in handcuffs.

But seriously, I paid an arm and a leg for a non-refundable ticket to middle of nowhere Montana before I got my jury duty dates, so they can't really expect me to just not go?  Right?  Right????

And then, you may have noticed that the month of June went by without any word of assingment notifications like we had been previously told to expect.  I'm a little bummed that it's looking like we'll be spending another summer in the great Northwest, but mostly irritated because now who knows how long I have left to wonder about where the future will take us?  I wish I was a more go-with-the-flow kind of person...

Anyway, today I'm gearing up for a four mile run, then meeting Lori for coffee so I can pick up tickets for our really fun 3rd of July event, and then heading over to another friend's house for our weekly So You Think You Can Dance date.  I'm going to try to put all of the stress out of my mind, focus on my fun and relaxing summer that is going by all too quickly, and enjoy the fantastic weather!  Key word there being: "try".

Obligatory 20-Something's Michael Jackson Tribute

A little bit before 3 o'clock on June 25, 2009.  I was sitting on the sofa, tying my shoes, preparing for an afternoon of running errands.  I refreshed Twitter one more time, because it is physically impossible for me to leave the house without first checking Twitter and then checking it once more from the driveway.

From there, followed a flurry of updates as the internet exploded with a confusing mix of rumors, facts, and tasteless jokes.  My first reaction was fairly blase.  I've never been a rabid Michael Jackson fan.  I like his music.  I'm always up for a good MJ joke.  He seemed like a pretty tragic figure.  That was about it.

But still, I found myself glued to the computer, putting off my errands until we knew what was going on.  He was dead.  Then he was just in a coma.  Then he was dead again.  And that time it was real.  I felt a little sad.  The full impact of this huge moment in pop culture history was just beginning to dawn on me.

I left the house, and a few minutes later Man in the Mirror came on the radio.  A few seconds after that, I started to cry.

The thing is, no matter what your personal opinions are on the King of Pop, his music touched quite literally generations of people.  My parents' generation and their parents cooed over him on The Ed Sullivan Show.  People a decade older than me loved him for the way he changed the pop genre forever with his music and groundbreaking moves.  By the time I was old enough to understand his contribution to music, he was already beginning to unravel in frightening ways, and still his music was powerful enough to transcend the insanity.

The fact is, Michael Jackson was the product of an abusive family, he was given a level of fame he was clearly not equipped to deal with at an extremely young age, and I don't believe he ever emotionally stopped being a scared thirteen year old kid.  Was the way that he related to children appropriate?  Probably not.  Does it matter anymore?  No.

I can tell you what I think about when I think of Michael Jackson.  I remember singing ABC in the car with my sister on family road trips.  I remember sitting in a dark bedroom of my grandmother's house when I was about nine-years-old, simultaneously transfixed and terrified by the Thriller video.  I remember learning Black & White in my fifth-grade music class, and begging my parents to change the radio back when they would flip past it in the car so that I could sing along.  I remember trying to moonwalk in the gym of my church with my youth group friends, and listening to Billie Jean on repeat, trying to understand all of the lyrics.

I feel fairly confident in saying that Michael Jackson will be my generation's John Lennon or Elvis Presley.  I think he was a person who wasn't fully able to deal with life in our world, and I think that wherever he is now, he's better off there than here.  I'm sad for the way his life fell apart over the last two decades and that he was never able to stage that big comeback he was preparing for, but I'm grateful that he gave us his music and, perhaps in what was his ultimate undoing, his soul.

"There's a place in your heart and I know that it is love,
And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow.
And if you really try, you'll find there's no need to cry.
In this place you'll feel there's no hurt or sorrow.

"There are ways to get there if you care enough for the living.
Make a little space, make a better place...

"Heal The world, make It a better place.
For you and for me and the entire human race.
There are people dying, if you care enough for the living,
Make a better place for you and for me."
~Heal the World