PR: Olympic "Glory"

Double-posting today, yippee!

I really liked the challenge on Project Runway this week, and I liked hearing about the designers more, hearing their stories and inspirations. Certainly, some of them missed the mark, but I actually liked watching this entire show, which I can't say about many because of the drama. This week it kept my attention. I also had a really hard time picking my favorite--and least favorite. I also am really glad we haven't yet had a team challenge, because we have gotten to see a lot of outfits. Finally, has everyone noticed how many designers are doing several pieces, and how many have included a sleeve of some kind?

Blayne: This sort of made me think of something I might see in Victoria's Secret for a new take on workout wear. I think he is the first of several designers to forget that skimpy high heels on athletes during the hours-long Opening Ceremonies would be an exception, not something many would do. The outfit was kind of cute, but not terribly appropriate to the challenge-in-hand. Perhaps if the top had bolder red and white and had been paired with a loose pant that could be worn with different shoes.
Daniel: WTF? Airline stewardess much? The only other thing I will say about Daniel this week is this: Even if you have never seen an Opening Ceremony in your life, you surely have heard about them, and barring that, being told by Tim and Apolo that it involves every country parading in and standing around a lot, with some other countries having designers do their outfits, you could still come up with something better than this.
Jennifer: Poor Jennifer. At times I found her a tad annoying, and at other times I related to her as my ten years ago self. Nina (who repeated herself) did make the point we all were thinking, that she designs for herself...but since I do, too, I can't complain. Her outfit looked like something you might pick up at Target--and that's not an insult. I thought her skirt was very cute. But an Opening Ceremonies outfit for the USA it was not. Her auf'ing this week was also down to her previous troublesome work. Her outfit was not the worst of the bunch, but she hadn't shown as much creativity as others previously.
Jerrell: Once again, WTF? Though I don't like Siriano much, I have to bring in his "hot mess" here. I don't know who on what planet would wear this, let alone when representing one's country in front of lots of other countries. Stretch pants? No fewer than four patterns? A pink shirt? The scarf was endearing for the challenge, and I think that's why Jerrell scraped by. You could see the athletes wearing that, maybe. The rest...*shudder* I was a little surprised he wasn't auf'd, actually.
Joe: Joe got the picture. Kors was right in pointing out the disparate length of the skort--it became a sort of sign instead of a skirt, but that could be considered kitschy in a way, and appropriate to the occasion. It certainly wasn't vulgar. While a bit dated, his design was streamlined and eyecatching and I was glad he was in the top 3, though I would not have picked him as the winner. Holla at your boy, Michigan! (I can't believe I just typed that.)
Keith: Keith's outfit wasn't bad, but I think the design (in different colors, of course) might be better for a country like Italy. I don't know why I feel that way. Maybe because it's not quite as "wholesome" as the Americans tend to wear, whereas Italy can get away with a bit more unusual design. The skirt was just a little too short, though with that shape I don't think it could have been longer. It did at least look modern. So not bad, but not a top 3, either.
Kelli: Oh, Kelli. Your design was cute in a throwback sort of way, as an outfit for a person to wear to church bingo or the club's BBQ, but not for athletes in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. It crossed the line to cute-sy.
Kenley: Kenley's outfit, while sassy, had a similar problem to Kelli's. I can see them being part of the same slightly eclectic closet, this time to wear to the Ladies Afternoon Tea or shopping on the Drive. It had a Pretty Woman thing about it, you know? The skirt wasn't completely out of line for the Opening Ceremonies, but I don't think that top would suit a well muscled athlete--this is something that has to look good on the tiny gymnasts, the shouldery swimmers, the sleek distance runners, and the burly shotputters. I don't see it. (I also don't really follow Tim's comment on this outfit...he seems to be doing a lot of paraphrasing these days.)
Korto: Korto, on the other hand, made an outfit anyone could enjoy. I thought the jacket was a wee bit too boxy/swingy, but I liked her concept and thought it a good update. I think it was she who said "it's 2008. I'm designing for 2008!" and she did. It was wearble, could be dressed up or down (though some might say it was a bit too casual), and utilized a splash of color in just the right place (since during most Opening Ceremonies we're looking down on the athletes first). I thought it said USA without being over-the-top. I never did pick a true favorite, but I'm not sorry she won. (Tim points out something I was thinking, which is that this look could be easily adapted for the men on the team...Tim and I are back on track!)
Leanne: Leanne's design was edited well again this week. I would have placed this fourth, I think. The lower half was a tiny bit frumpy, but I thought she brought her style vision out with the top of the top. Unlike Keith's garment, it was both designed unusually and practical. I never could see what was going on with the stripe on the side of the top and wish I could see it better in the picture. But I could picture athletes wearing this during the walk-in as something a little different but not completely out of whack. (This is the one spot where Tim and I totally disagree this week. I could completely see what Leanne was after, did not think her collar was haphazard, because it was aiming to be scarflike, and thought she was the only one who succeeded at least partially with retro-modern. She was definitely not near the bottom.)
Stella: Yikes. I am impatiently waiting for her to get called out in a big way for her lack of versatility and vision. She has a point of view, yes, but no vision. Really? A belly-bearing black leather top? Why? I could sort of see what she was after, but her attachment to her old ways kept her from reaching it and it ended up looking like a recital costume.
Suede: If Jennifer were going to walk in the Opening Ceremonies, this is what she'd wear. While not completely out of whack, I can't really see this on the athletes. It was pretty, but didn't really have power. It was too little girly. Sueded has seemed very attached to floofy skirts.
Terri: Terri is another one who got it; a bustier might have been pushing it a little, but as someone on the panel pointed out, one could wear her outfit a lot of different ways. It might be just a little too busy, but that isn't unusual in the ceremonies either. It was pratical and classic with a few nice twists, and you could totally see athletes wearing this outfit. Another solid effort from Terri.

Korto and Terri clearly did the best with this challenge; I really liked Terri's take on the scarf, and thought she fully conceptualized the event at stake. Her look was similar to traditional Opening Ceremony wear, though--for some that's a plus and others a minus. Korto's look was a little different--again, for some a plus and others a minus. Her look may have been a little too simple, but as I said I think it was practical and eyecatching. I am glad this wasn't my decision to make because they both had high marks from me. On the bottom, well--it wasn't hard to figure out the bottom three for me, and if I'd had the choice and just based it on this week I would probably have chosen Jerrell to go, even though I really liked his dress last week. His look was just that incomprehensible. I hope he does better in future to redeem himself.

How Much We Move

I may have mentioned this before, but I move a lot during the day; I don't notice, though, until I really can't, much.

As some of you already know, I have 109 different substances adhered to my back. They are on little disks attached to adhesive strips, and they are all taped down with lots of paper tape. I think too much tape, actually, because the strips have a tendency to stick to the tape rather than my skin as I move...the whole thing becomes a shell that shifts a bit too much. I'm trying not to move too much, and not pulling t-shirts and whatnot over my head because I can't really lift my arms too far. I also lean against things to get the tape to stick down properly. This part of the process I find pretty hilarious.

I am hopeful that something will happen, because the specialist dermatologist I saw Wednesday is not. He doesn't believe me that this lip thing is an allergic reaction to my lipstick. As you can imagine, this is infuriating, and I have to confess that I bordered on the rude in a few of my reaction comments...or not rude so much as short. It just didn't feel like he was really listening. His assistant doctor and the nurse, however, were much more my speed. The female doctor was very nice and acknowledged my intense preparations with approval--as she said, I am an educated woman and I want to know what is happening! That's just what I needed to hear.

I told the specialist that I would be putting on the lipstick and topcoat and wearing it for the next few days so he can see (I phrased it almost exactly as a "you'll see"). I am hoping for a big reaction, as painful as it is. I'm already having soreness, tenderness, and little blisters from the experiment. I am going back tomorrow to have the substances removed, and I anticipate being read once tomorrow, and then again at my appointment on Tuesday. I will be, for once, showing this crazy mouth off boldly, and hoping that I finally convince this new set of people that my condition is not so easy as they think.

On a better note, here is a picture of my beauteous morning glories:

They have grown so fast this summer, and I'm delighted they've been flowering so well. I have been worried about not watering them enough because it hasn't rained...like, at all...but I put a jug on them every few days and they're still kicking and trying to climb under the siding and up the eaves.

PR: The Town

Well, Emily is out. I'm sorry to see her go, but I won't miss the same feeling my sister had that she looks like...SOMEONE from SOMETHING. I thought I had it nailed down with Comtesse du Barry from Marie Antoinette, but that's not it either. We're not the only ones trying to figure it out...I've seen message board posts addressing the same issue.
I wasn't super-geeked about the challenge this week. I do like inspiration challenges, but I didn't feel a sense of purpose driving the process. Some designers came up with a story, and I think it would have been appropriate to demand that as part of the parameters--they've asked "who is this person?" before. All in all, it felt like another version of the cocktail dress challenge.

On to the clothes--
Blayne: I Hated the pink part of that skirt. Hated it. It looked very eighties and sloppy. I was intrigued by the top of the garment and felt that he was sort of doing what Emily wanted to do, a bit better, but the bottom half completely ruined the impression. (Tim called it elegant and sophisticated. Guess what I think of that?) Thus far he has also seemed kind of indolent to me, and I don't like that in the workroom.
Daniel: I was a little bored by Daniel's garment. It was very much in the middle--I didn't love it or hate it. It reminded me, though, of one or two of Jillian's late-season garments, which were inspired by a painting. I would have liked it better had it been, say, an evening gown challenge, with a long and sleek skirt, sort of badass elegance; I think that would have set off that twisted part of the top really well.
Emily: For once I agree with Michael Kors, this time regarding placement of that ruffle. I admired what Emily was going for, and her inspiration, but I don't think she met her goal. She also failed to listen to Tim. I did not, however, think her garment was the worst up there.
Jennifer: Oh, Jennifer. I did not agree that her garment was matronly--all you have to do is pick up a Delia's to see that faux frump is way in with the young (where are these people getting their impressions of "young and hip" anyway?). I think matronly is a fall-back word and it doesn't work here. The construction of this dress had issues, and I didn't think it was genius, but I liked the idea of it and was glad Jennifer wasn't out.
Jerell: Jerell fancied it up this week. I prefered his garment to Daniel's, but it did seem a tiny bit over the top. Despite the smallness of the top (why do people think women want to wear things that almost show their nipples and could fall off at any moment? I don't want to wear anxiety.), I liked something about this garment and haven't quite figured out what it was. Maybe it's the vague resemblance to a cancan or flamenco skirt in a sassy new color. The garment had oomph.
Joe: Once again, I'm kind of ho-hum on Joe. He hasn't really shown me anything I can really get behind, and I'm afraid he's going to get skewered one of these days if he doesn't step it up. I really don't have much to say about his garment. (Neither did Tim, who called it humdrum.)
Keith: My least favorite garment. It looked like a costume in a show, for a tap dance. Had it been more drapey, had the pieces been perhaps more tendrilly or curly, maybe. But it didn't happen, not even as an editorial piece. I wasn't as concerned as the judges about fit and the model's shape, I was more concerned about drape. I'm really not sure why Emily went home and not Keith.
Kelli: While ho-hum on the skirt, I think it was a good choice to balance out the top...I couldn't see the middle very well, so I might like it less, but I really liked the top of the top. If it were on me, I wouldn't have styled it that way, but I like that black webby sort of fabric she used. I'd like a whole top just out of that. (Tim called the look busy and overdesigned, which is probably true, but I'm seduced by that top of the top.)
Kenley: While I was glad Kenley got a win, I wish it hadn't been for this dress. It was well made, and presented a vision that strikes me as very Kenley, but I really didn't care for that print. It's the kind of thing you might see in a dress show and admire, but never conceive of wearing.
Korto: Korto's look was very wearable, but also kind of dull. I've seen similar garments in catalogs and didn't really feel the allure of anything special here.
Leanne: I really loved Leanne's skirt and want it. I was sad she didn't win, because she took exactly what was wrong with her last garment, learned from it, and put out an adorable garment this week. She was true to herself but edited appropriately. Perfect.
Stella: Boring. If I took this correctly, she basically "did what she does." Her top and pants resembled something you could get at Deb--higher quality and better made, perhaps, but not new in any way. Had she made an amazing top with those pants, I could have gone for it, but she didn't. She made a vest that you could see in any bar movie or commercial. Wearable? Yes. But mundane.
Suede: I'm tired of Suede. His garment was wearable and, unlike last week's, probably very marketable. But he seems very self-important and his third-person reference thing is wearing.
Terri: Terri had a vision, and the fact that the judges got it is great. But when they're talking about "I would want to meet this person" I have no idea what they're talking about. I liked the print she chose better than Kenley's, and I'm all about backless, but the cuffs on the garment were just silly, and I was not feeling the style as a whole.

Product Loyalty

I know people have a lot of brand loyalty, especially where cosmetics are concerned. I know there are a lot of ethical considerations involved, as well as simple preference. I, for instance, am a CG girl. I have used Cover Girl products for years, long before America's Next Top Model existed. I have just found them to be the best priced for what I want, and the makeup comfort level is good for me. I've had items from other makers, but the core is CG. I always wore it both in life and on stage.
Despite this problem with my lips, which seems to be related to my CG Outlast lipstick, I hope to continue to use CG, and if possible find a new CG lipstick. Here's why:
I contacted CG in a few different ways over the last few months, starting with a "live beauty chat" with a lady who directed me to the Proctor and Gamble Material Saftey Data Sheets, where I got every ingredient list for my products. The other day, I emailed them asking more specifically about whether there was any chance thimerosal made its way into their lipstick, even though it wasn't indicated on the MSDS. They emailed me back the next day and told me a: they were passing my info along to their health people; b: they would like to follow up with me by postal mail; c: while they couldn't give me further ingredient info personally due to confidentiality, I could have my doctor mail or fax them with the allergies I have and the suspect product. I emailed them back with a few more details, and thanking them for their consideration. They once again emailed back within a day thanking me for the info and restating that they'd be sending me some postal mail--and a check to cover the cost of my suspect product.
Now, I realize companies don't want to get sued, but they didn't have to give me any money and they have been courteous and helpful. I feel that when I do get my allergy straightened out, they'll be glad to know...I also sent them a post from a discussion board I found that described almost the exact same symptoms linked to the lipstick, and I think they'll be interested in that, too. I could be wrong, of course, but it's the fact that I feel they'll care that matters. They have shown solid customer service, and I believe they will be getting my cosmetic dollar for a long time to come.

Another edition of good news/bad news

Good news:
My allergy test had some positive responses.
Bad news:
The responses aren't really anything I'd find in my lipstick.

Good news:
My box of LUSH goodies came in the mail.
Bad news:
There isn't any. It's LUSH.

While researching food allergies...

Treatments

Crab intolerance:
Person should avoid offending crab.

That's good advice.

PR: "Green"

General observations:
First, I was surprised that none of the models seemed to know anything about fabric. I can understand being nervous and not having much expertise, but seriously--NO one had a gran who sewed, or a sister who taught them to use a machine? Really? They wear clothes...to me that translates into at least a basic understanding, but maybe I take that for granted.
Second, I could not believe how many dresses were super-short and tight. Cocktail length is not really supposed to almost show your crotch. It's traditionally thought of as just above the knee (ie, Terri-length). I think a lot of them blamed fabric quantity, but in some ways that supports an idea I have had for some time that these designers often have a lot of waste fabric. Now, I'm not a designer, and I'm not doing a lot of structural things, but I often cut it pretty close for fabric quantity. I don't like to have a lot of discard because it makes me feel bad. You would also think designers would look at the quantity their models got and plan accordingly...design something that fits the quantity without being vulgar. I think some of them were so thrown by not getting their own fabric that their creativity+common sense shut down.
Third, when Heidi Klum was on some talk show the other day she mentioned the vast amount of crying that went on this season--did you notice we're already seeing that?
Fourth, Tim and I are more in sync this week, particularly about what baffled us. Off in a few of the details, but several of the same things caught our eye.
Fifth, I wondered if any designers, just for a second, thought that "everyone will use green fabrics" meant the color.
Blayne: Blayne redeemed himself this week. When I heard side panels I was nervous, but actually the garment was cute and had structural interest to it, even though it was a mite too short for my tastes.
Daniel: I liked Daniel's garment a lot. It was black, which can be boring, and was also insanely short, but I didn't mind the shortness in his dress so much because it wasn't tight to the leg. It didn't look whorish but sweet and kind of dainty. I think this is one of the two dresses I would actually wear. I am concerned about Daniel's time issues and hope that doesn't get him.
Emily: I was intrigued by the top of Emily's garment at first, but for some reason it didn't come together for me on the runway. Maybe it was just too small. Y'all know I'm not a big fan of braiding usually, but I thought this would work. It wasn't ugly, but the proportions of the whole thing were just too small, like she was wearing a child's dress.
Jennifer: I think the Rate the Runway site has their pictures mixed up...Jennifer's is the orange and grey one, no? I was not a fan of this garment. I'd be interested to see the colors in person--on TV they looked frumpy together. On the whole, the dress confused me.
Jerell: Kudos to Jerell for utilizing the peacock feathers his model brought him, which might have thrown off another designer. I felt like the model's and designer's visions came together on the dress. I didn't care for the fit of the top, and it's not something I'd wear personally, but the dress seemed hip. Very club-oriented.
Joe: When I saw Joe's completed dress I was nervous because it was so simple (or even boring) and not as smooth as I'd like to see. But I really liked that cut-out detail, which is confusing to me because usually I don't care for cut-outs. For some reason, though, that perfectly circular and rhinestoned hole helped.
Keith: Had the bottom of Keith's garment not been bubble-skirtish, maybe more flippy, I might have liked this better. And again---WAY too short. You literally almost can see her business. As a runway statement, fine, but this was supposed to be a wearable cocktail dress, wasn't it? Even for a model that's too short.
Kelli: I didn't care for Kelli's dress this week. It wasn't horrible, but it really didn't complement her model client, and in a way it looked sort of like a flight attendant on The Fifth Element. I liked the way it was constructed in shaping/piecing, though, so I remain interested in what she has to offer.
Kenley: Loved Kenley's dress. Duh. It was tasteful and sassy, it looked great on her model, and along with Daniel this was my other favorite that I would actually wear.
Korto: I could see what she was going for, and it worked in the top of the front, but the shaping of the bottom was incomprehensible. A nice A-line with the same size seam all around would have been better and sleeker.
Leanne: Oh, Leanne. Tim's advice completely washed over you, and since I agreed with him, I didn't have much sympathy with your distress. What Leanne wanted to do was noble, but needed some serious editing in execution. The fabric being what it was, a sleeker and simpler detailing with the loops she's made would have been better. The back of the dress particularly suffered from the "overworking." I want Leanne to do better but like Blayne last week, I questioned her eye this week.
Stella: I am rapidly tiring of Stella. I like her pigtails, but "this isn't what I do" and "I wish I had some leather" are not appropriate attitudes for Project Runway. I mean, have you ever seen this show before? The judges want to see your point of view, yes, but also adaptability. Anyway, her dress reminded me of something and I haven't quite put my finger on it. A dance costume, maybe? On the whole its aesthetic didn't appeal to me.
Suede: I was a bit piqued that Suede won, and it is complicated to explain. When I saw what he was doing on the mannequin, I was baffled. I was interested in what he said about tulle, but those strips were confusing. When it was completed, I understood what he was going for. It's not something I would wear, and I am genuinely bothered by the neckline--maybe a sharper, lower point would have done it there. But, it was interesting and original, which is why I think he won; however, how many people going into a store would actually buy that dress? It seems like more a one-0ff you could sell for lots of money rather than a marketable item to the masses. Perhaps I need to investigate Bluefly, because I may simply misunderstand it. Anyway, I didn't at all mind Suede being in the top two, but I had hoped Kenley would win.
Terri: Terri's dress seemed a little cataloguey to me...that isn't necessarily a bad thing, and it fit the model well. I just wasn't excited by it...but I didn't hate it, either.
Wes: Poor Wes. I was sad to see Wes go because he reminds me of somebody I know, which was entertaining. I also think he has a lot of talent. But it cannot be avoided that he midjudged his material, before and during construction. Ooh, La.

Crazy Girl

I tried to have a nice, easy Saturday out shopping. For some reason, though, the day just wouldn't come together.
For instance, before I managed to get on 75 to go up to Perrysburg, it started raining buckets. I had to pull off the road and wait a bit for it to let up so I could see.
My first task was to take my CD Walkman, which lives in my car, to Best Buy to see why it isn't functioning properly. The answer is I will probably have to get another one because the motor on mine is worn out. However, I did find out (and I honestly don't know why I never thought of this) that I can run my iPod Shuffle through my car's tape deck with the adapter I use on my Walkman. Really, Avacious? Is technology really suddenly so elusive? Anyway, I'd rather have a CD Walkman in there also, because transferring my entire collection of CDs into iPod form is a pain in the butt, and I usually just keep the one full gig of songs on there without changing regularly. But it was a neat thing to find out.
I then tried to go to Bed, Bath, & Beyond, which I thought was right next to Target, but had mistaken its placement for Linens n' Things. Where is B, B, & B, you ask? Yes...right next to Best Buy. I crossed over the busy Pike for nothing. Anyway, I made it, and traipsed about the store putting things into my basket, things that would improve my life, like antibacterial towels and a hanging jewelry caddy (the latter of which has already improved my life and organization). At the checkout, though, I had trouble getting things together, and ended up flustered, which is a feeling I hate. It just makes me feel dumb.
I carried this feeling into Meijer back in BG. I had to go back and forth across the store three times getting stuff (the charcoal, for instance, is on the opposite side of the store as groceries, which I forgot). When a young man asked me if I was finding everything okay, I said, "I'm all thank you." I stopped dead, and enunciated very clearly for him, "That should have been,' I'm all right, thank you.'" It didn't get much better from there.
Eventually, I made it home safely, but honestly I was worried about my sanity. Even my outfit and hair, which I thought looked so hot that morning, was in a state of disarray that just made me look crazier.
I've decided to blame the barometer and also the fact that I took a shower that morning. I usually do so at night, and didn't sleep well because I hadn't. Ultimately, I fixed everything by having a nice cool bubble bath and dreaming about the Lush products that are on their way to my house soon!

PR: Back to the Store

Okay, so maybe last night didn't go exactly as planned...as Steve so aptly put it, longest.room.scan.evah.
For those of you not in BG, the cable froze...like it was on Pause (you should have seen Sally Field's sad face stopped on Steel Magnolias!)...in the middle of Ghosthunters (the plan was to watch GHI at 9 and then PR at 11), and didn't come back on for an hour. At 11, I had to watch PR. So, I will not know for a while if the demonic black dog ever made an appearance. They might put the episode online at some point, which would rock.

Anyway, let's PR it up.
I was excited when they decided to re-do the grocery store challenge, and surprised when one of the designers fessed up that he never thought about what he would do. Are you kidding? How can you not? I also thought it was fun to have the irrepressible Austin Scarlett back. His dandyism was in full foppish glory, and his first outfit was very "The Blue Boy." Sadly, it seemed to me that more of the designers this year had that "I'll play it safe for a while" mentality; they should have known what to expect, but they weren't really aiming for extraordinary. I hope Tim was permanently successful in jolting them out of their creative inertia, so we don't run into that season 2 nonsense where no one embraced the final dress challenge. I also can't believe that the designers were all surprised at how many people picked table cloths. Really, designers? REALLY?
An interesting note on this season--no surprises as to the challenge itself. You can find out what all the challenges for this season are on Bravo's website.

Ok, the runway rundown.
Blayne--Yikes. Making some hot shorts for the bottom with some weaving for the top might have worked...but somehow the weaving ended up with the bottom of the onepiece. I could see the shape he was going for, but the garment was hideous. He seems incapable of seeing flaws--as further evidenced by his addiction to tanning. You look like a carrot, dude. Not cool, or good for you. (Tim's Take seems to see the materials more than the final look also, which is irritating--yes, he met the parameters of the challenge, but his product was awful!)
Daniel--I was worried about Daniel's cup plan, but impressed when he carried it out. He created a confection more than fashion, but I agreed with his placement in the top 3. The design was vivid and sassy...and probably intensely difficult to produce.
Emily--I liked the asymmetrical line of the bottom of her skirt, and her idea for the big scarf thing, though I was not in fact that interested in the "Scarf" itself. Without it, though, the dress would have been too dull. Ultimately, execution just wasn't there.
Jennifer--She seems like a sweet girl, but the dress was boring. It looked exactly like a dress. I know it was made out of paper towels and that's great, but she was missing that oomph that the winning dress had.
Jerrell--I would have liked this design better without the fringed sleeve and the neckline parasols in front. I liked the print of the bodice, but it might have been nice to have that parasol detail in the back, maybe right at the seamline in a little arrangement. I might have even been able to deal with it in front sans sleeve.
Jerry--I didn't agree that the look was creepy per se (though the yellow gloves were a definite cry for editing). I think the raincoat would have been nice...but the look all together was too busy and bushy. I think a more fitted duster-style coat would have been perfect, and then he could have skipped the dress, which added unncessary bulk.
Joe--Joe is from Troy, MI, which is cool. His garment was summery, but I didn't care for the top (Tim, on the other hand, liked it). If he could have made a whole dress with more of that print of oven mitts, with some kind of pasta creation as trim, then I would have been more satisfied. As it is, it screamed clash to me, in a bad way.
Keith--"I added some netting so it would look less like a tablecloth"? Oh dear. Points for being structural and wearable, but if netting is his version of taking something out of the box, I'm concerned. His design looked complete ultimately, though.
Kelli--I didn't care for the "top," but I loved the skirt and I loved the idea of the chemical dye. Kelli was thinking about material, but also about the extra cut above everyone else--actually changing the material and imposing her own aesthetic on its basic self. The outfit wasn't the prettiest, but it showed a depth of quick thinking that no one else showed. I wish I'd gotten a look at this spiral binding closure she did. Also, she's from Columbus.
Kenley--Again, l like the print, this time in the skirt. I am actually kind of intrigued by Kenley as a designer...the outfits they showed when introducing her looked like smashing Chloe and Austin together--whimisical, but also sleek and wearable. Anyway, her skirt had an interesting shape.
Korto--I don't usually completely agree with Michael Kors, but his comments about Korto's dress were dead on. It was the right styling on the right girl. Yes, she used an easy fabric substitute. But the dress was amazing! It had structure and flair and was totally wearble. If it wasn't yellow, I would buy it and wear it around. I also liked her vegetables--good use of kale as frills. The whole thing looked suitable for a fashion shoot (except that Tim found it enormously boring--I am concerned that this season Tim and I are going to be at odds, but after his Guide to Style show, I'm not sure I care. Sorry, Tim).
Leanne--This was a little too Playboy candy-striper for me. (Guess who liked it? Tim.)
Stella--For such a hard rocker chick, with such high-profile clients, I was surprised when Stella had a meltdown so early. She didn't even bother to hide it. I hope these self-confidence whinges aren't going to be a regular feature. Anyway, Stella suffered from trying to cheap this challenge out, I think--she got the wrong trash bags. Given her goal, I think a safer bet would have been buying four boxes ($75 bucks goes a long way!), maybe some white and some black, but making sure they are the good kind. Go for the sturdiest kinds you can find. But if all else fails, geez, just adapt already! Make something poofy if your bags are poofy.
Suede--Kind of blah, though I like that the dress matched his hair.
Terri--Not a huge fan of this outfit, because while I respect the mopheads usage, the result almost looked too normal. I didn't not like it, I was just ambivalent.
Wesley--This dress didn't do it for me. It met the challenge requirements and wasn't ugly, but I wasn't interested in it. I thought at first it was because it was yellow, but really it's the severe shape of it. Again, Tim loved it. Oh, Tim Gunn. How we have fallen out.

So that's it! We'll see how this Tim Gunn vs. Avacious thing plays out this season. I'm anxious to see the next few designs from everybody, and which time I can be more secure in my favorites, but I'm rooting for Kelli and Kenley right now.

"It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to decorum"

Recently I've read several articles on being, as Bridget Jones would call it, a singleton, most particularly in reference to eating out alone, traveling alone, and going to weddings alone. The consensus seems to be that in spite of all evidence that suggests things should be different--the sheer volume of single people, and their disposble income, for instance--individuals and businesses are rude to single people, treating them as diseased or mentally unfit, looking down on them as lesser citizens. The words of Miss Bingley in Pride and Prejudice that begin this entry are no less prevalent as a mindset today than they were then, which is a pity.
As a single lady for most of my life, I obviously object to the treatment some receive for this status, and can identify with the condescending or pitying behavior frequently put forth by friends in efforts to show they care. Fortunately, I've been blessed with friends and experiences that generally avoid some of the more painful possibilities. I would like a quality relationship, but my friends who know me well know that I have certain ways of doing things, and also that I do very well independently--really, I've made being on my own an art form and often relish in the comforts and convenience it brings.
With all of this in mind, I think I want to write some essays about being independent, perhaps reflective, sharing experiences, perhaps giving advice, but mostly treating singlehood as a perfectly normal state of being. I think that, having traveled alone quite a bit, I can offer some good tips to short-circuit problems people might encounter, women in particular. I think I can also offer some help to people who genuinely aren't comfortable being on their own; I've met many people who are like this, some of whom end up in one bad relationship after another just because they can't spend time by themselves, and don't know how, for whatever reason. I invariably find it sad; how awful to feel you must avoid hearing yourself think!
I don't know what kind of forum I'm thinking for this, or how much of it will pan out, but I'm going to put my best efforts into it. If anyone has read anything about being single, would you give me a head's up? I'd like to do some research.

Retro LUSH!

Avacious admits she made some unflattering and excitable noises whilst bouncing up and down in her chair when she found out that LUSH brought back (for a limited time?) a whole pack of old stuff as part of "retro Lush." Among them, Ginger lotion and perfume, along with about a zillion other intriguing goodies.
Guess who will be, in the next week, placing an order online? A large one? Once she's balanced her checkbook?
Avacious, that's who.

Cloaking Technology

I was talking about this whilst out the other night, and understandably met with some incredulity.
Read it!

From the land of weird but cool...
Sometimes during church...especially when in the summer they sneak a contemporary service in to the traditional lineup...I read the hymnal, looking up hymns I like and singing them in my head. I can usually pay at least three-quarters attention to the service while I do this.
So, imagine my sense of "I've been caught out" when I was reading through "Marching to Zion" and all of a sudden the "Gospel Medley" for the Offertory unexpectedly starts out with..."Marching to Zion."
Thus, by the time the offering plates made their way back to my pew, the usher next to me (who was softly singing along) saw my hymnal open and probably assumed that I had looked up the hymn because it was the offertory.
Thanks for the cover, God! You rock.

Albums for every year I've been alive

First, two notes from the world of d'oh!

1. I realized that yes, PR is starting next week, but it is also starting at 9 pm, which is the time that Ghosthunters is on. Crap.

2. I had great plans Wednesday to follow through with a recipe from Cook's Illustrated for grilling Cornish game hens. The hens were thawed, brined, and ready to be butterflied and rubbed with spices, only then...

I couldn't light the grill.

My Matchlight was a bit damp from the rain (I know...keeping it outside is dumb, but it always dries out a few days later), and my Kingsford, which lives inside, needs lighter fluid, which I didn't know until I called my mother for help. No amount of crumpled puzzle-book pages (since I don't get any newspapers) would get the coals to light, and I went through an entire cheap book of matches before I quit in disgust. I roasted the hens in the oven instead, and they were delicious, but now I'm going to have to do the whole thing all over again to prove that I can.



Anyway, I'm copying this from Carrie, except in some cases to pick albums I had to do the "if I had to take one album from this year to a desert island" game...whether because there were too many albums or, more likely, too few. I really don't have much music knowledge, you know.
I starred the biggest years.
1978 Dream Dancing - Ella Fitzgerald (because I know some of the songs)
1979Greatest Hits Volume 2 - ABBA (for one song)
1980Fame - Original Soundtrack
1981Speak & Spell - Depeche Mode
*1982Thriller – Michael Jackson
1983Madonna - Madonna (couldn't find anything else)
1984Some Great Reward - Depeche Mode
1985Songs from the Big Chair - Tears for Fears (ditto 1983)
1986Licensed to Ill - The Beastie Boys
1987 Heaven on Earth Belinda Carlisle (runner-up is Faith, George Michael, but Joshua Tree, Out of the Blue, Dirty Dancing, and Solitude Standing all came out this year, among others...I must have watched a lot of MTV this year)
*1988Forever Your Girl Paula Abdul

1989Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ Peter Gabriel

*1990The Immaculate Collection Madonna (also a hard year...lots of music appealing to a 12-year-old girl)
*1991Metallica ("The Black Album") Metallica
*1992Little Earthquakes Tori Amos
1993Tuesday Night Music Club Sheryl Crow (runner-up Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan)
1994Cracked Rear View Hootie & the Blowfish (runner-up Big Ones, Aerosmith)
*1995Pieces Of You Jewel and Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette, and I refuse to choose between them. Garbage and Poe also had albums this year, among others.
*1996 Boys for Pele Tori Amos and Tidal Fiona Apple, straight tie, though Tidal probably has an edge. I have no fewer than 7 albums from this year, including Beck, Cake, Dave Matthews, Marilyn Manson, and Sheryl Crow. So when future kids say, "your music taste is stuck in..." we will know it's 1996.
1997Savage Garden Savage Garden (runner-up Surfacing Sarah McLachlan)
*1998Ray of Light Madonna (lot of albums from female singers I like this year)
*1999When the Pawn... Fiona Apple (close runner-up Affirmation, Savage Garden, especially now)
*2000You Were Here Sarah Harmer (though Poe had an album this year also)
*2001Laundry Service Shakira (close runner-up Exciter, Depeche Mode)
2002Under Rug Swept Alanis Morissette, I guess.
2003 I'm going with No Doubt's singles album here
2004Breakaway Kelly Clarkson
2005 maybe Johnny Cash to represent? Artists put out albums, but I didn't seek them out.
2006Begin to Hope Regina Spektor (though I honestly don't know the album well, I have it)
*2007The Reminder Feist
2008 I got nothing
If I could do trade-ins, I'd let '78, '79, '80, '83, '85, and maybe '02, '03, '05, and pick something more from the heavy years. In all, this wa a difficult task for me because I don't have a whole lot of albums and don't listen to the radio much anymore.

Me too, Me too!

My contribution to the recent camera-in-nature prettiness.

Also, remember Project Runway starts next week, evidently at a new time, 9 pm.

On TV....

"ABC Family salutes America with...
its Harry Potter weekend!"

Um. What?

Is that like, "Ha ha, we're independent of you, England! We'll show you by offering everyone some movies about English kids, starring English actors, based on English books that have us Americans completely bewitched!"?

Today, I'm just posting a picture, because I think it's adorable, and it really shows my niece's genetics:

Throwing Poems and Seeing What Sticks

Hi, y'all.
I'm glad to report that for the moment I look normal. And I'm wearing a bit of lipstick for the third day in a row, over some cooling lip balm. Let us just say that the situation is being monitored closely, especially as I also had the worst face breakout I think I've ever had on Sunday/Monday. That, too, is diminishing, however, and I am guardedly optimistic.
I am also wet, because it is raining. Hard. Don't you hate that feeling when the bottoms of your pantlegs and the top of your socks get wet and you just have to deal with it? Fortunately I have some slippers in the office that are like booties, and they will help me be cozy. I think I might drink a hot chai today, too.

Currently, I am preparing to be productive and send poems to magazines. I figured out what is going where, and all I need is to get packets together...and attachments. Since I last sent work out, a bunch of magazines have gone to online submission systems and email. No doubt they think this is easier, but to be frank it's frustrating, because all of them are different. Some want all poems in one attachment. Some are okay with multiple attachments. Some want poems pasted into the message (which is begging for trouble). Some have their own submission systems. And then you have the ones who still take snail mail. I am a little disappointed in all of this; it shows disorganization and, in an attempt to get more "tech-savvy" it is actually more difficult for submitters. And what about poets who don't have access to the internet on a regular basis, or at all? I like to think of poetry as a democratic institution, but some of these places have become too restrictive simply by their submission process. The best are the ones who will take snail mail or online stuff...that seems more understanding to me.
So, I'll be toeing all of their individual lines, but with more than my usual deflation at how complicated it is when you are uber-detail-oriented and finding it more difficult to make sure records and packets are just so.
The good news is that getting packets together encouraged me to "finish" up a few new pieces so I could send them out. We'll see what happens.

Attack!

For the last month or so, I've felt a little sensitivity around my lips. Couldn't figure it out, and just applied more topcoat or gloss or chapstick to soothe the area, thinking it was too dry. The area particularly under my bottom lip would get red and a little swollen. This happened off and on for a few days at a time. Sometimes the lips would also look chapped, or felt sunburnt. The Whitestrips I was wearing aggravated the feeling, So I quit using them. I worried a little about the wedding I was in, but when I wore chapstick to bed and lipstick the next day you couldn't really tell anything was going on.
This changed dramatically Monday night. That curious itchy, tingly feeling was back, and by the evening I had tiny blisters, of which I will spare you the icky details. My lips were sore and I looked awful.
Fortunately, I got into the doctor the next morning, because my lips were now cracked in the corners and looking like I'd been punched in the mouth. My doctor has a tendency to be sold on one thing, which can be both comforting and disconcerting. He decided within a minute that it was an allergic reaction to something, possibly parabens, because his friend had the exact same appearance once, and that's what she had. He gave me a scrip for oral steroids and a referral to the dermatologist across the hall...only it transpires that they couldn't get me in until August...and the second doctor I tried couldn't until September. They didn't even look at my referral form. I cried most of Tuesday, which was not helped by the two Lifetime movies I watched while I was hiding my hideous face from the world (I know---my melodramatic side was kicking in).
Wednesday, I was angry, sore, and still looked like a victim of violence. When I called the dermatologist (when I was calmer) to ask some questions, and to establish a better appointment time (July 25) she said, "Oh, well the doctor will take a look at the symptoms, and then if he thinks it's called for he'll do the test right away, with a followup Monday or Tuesday.
Excuse me? A-baking powder? You honestly expect me to look like this still in July? I'm so glad I decided to take pictures of this whole process (again, which I will spare you...they're gross) because I do not plan to look like this for another month.
To make a long story short (Too late) it's been a depressing week, and I've spent not a little time frustrated with the medical establishment. The good news is, my lips seem to be healing up, only this involves pretty much all of the skin on them flaking off little by little, and was told not to put anything on them at all. Not even chapstick. It's infuriating. I've stopped jogging because the wind aggravates them. I have to eat little bites of food. I am currently being proactive, printing off lists of ingredients and doing skin tests of a few lipsticks and topcoats for lipsticks on the inside of my arms. It looks silly but I honestly don't care. If this does turn out to be my favorite lipstick I'm going to pitch a fit, so I'm rooting for a reaction in the one I got recently, which has a different formula. When my lips have healed, I'll cautiously try a product or two. Hopefully, I'll have the answer in July. Through all of this, my mother has been a champ, fielding phone calls and emails and looking stuff up for me.
All of this is just to say that I am kind of embarassed about my appearance right now and might not see you for some time over the next month or so, but I'm hoping to look normal next week.

Culinary Adventures: A Terrine Story

I am now quite convinced that my oven needs to have its jets cleaned, which my landlady does for me, but due to circumstances I can't officially relate yet, that is going to have to wait, so this will probably be my last oven-related adventure for a while.

Anyway, the terrine. There was quite a lot of prep involved with this recipe, like cutting and cooking the asparagus (Michigan asparagus, which I get as often as possible, purchased at Meijer on sale) and getting all the ingredients together. I did something I should probably always do with fussy recipes, but which I don't do all the way generally, and got nearly all my chopping and gathering done in advance. For instance, while the asparagus was cooking I had time to chop the dill and chives, separate the eggs, and portion out flour, cream cheese, and the other dairy items. Especially with a gas stove like mine this is a good idea, because when you have butter that pretty much melts on its own from a warm pan, then add flour over a low heat, it's going to turn into "a thick paste" pretty darn quickly. Like, immediately. I think, really for the first time, I appreciated the role of a sous chef in the kitchen. It also gave me a festive cooking show feeling to have my little cups and bowls all arranged with stuff in them.

Things came together fairly well after that. The egg mixture, when completed, was maybe a little thicker than it ought to be, before the egg whites were added, but I think in the end this worked in my favor.

Also as an experiment in willpower, I beat the egg whites by hand. There were only two, and it made me very tired...it took forever, but they came out all right. I still favor my mixer for this job, but I was glad I did it myself this once.

Anyway, the terrine process (you can also use a loaf pan, but I heart my terrine) involves layering asparagus, then egg mixture, asparagus, egg, and asparagus. Then, foil over the top, put the terrine in a roasting pan half full of hot water (mistake 1--water not hot but merely lukewarm), and put in the oven at 350 degrees ("mistake" 2--I actually bumped the temp up to 355, but I'm still pretty sure it didn't keep that temperature long during the ensuing time) for 45 minutes, then ten more, then ten more...because, you see, the terrine wasn't quite done. It's supposed to stay in until it's just firm to the touch. Eventually, the edges seemed firm enough, and it had really been in the oven for a long time, so I took it out.

You're supposed to let the terrine cool, then chill it. I did this and then made the sauce...it's an "orange sauce" which weirded me out, but actually there is very little orange and mostly butter. I'm really bad at making hollandaise sauces usually, or sauces of any kind, but this one went pretty well. I used white cooking wine instead of white wine vinegar because I really do not have that much kitchen room and you have to choose what you keep on hand wisely. The best part about the sauce is that it used up the two extra egg yolks left over from the souffles, which I had under cold water in the fridge.

I wasn't patient enough to chill the terrine all the way, because I wanted to taste it. You're supposed to turn the terrine out and slice it from there, but my terrine dish is very pretty and also convenient for the fridge. I also have my doubts as to whether it would stay in terrine form, because while the first slice never comes out easily, the terrine ended up being almost mousselike around the asparagus. Not as firm as a terrine should be. You can see the messy "slice" I made:

Fortunately, it tastes good. Today, I tried again with the slicing and had little more success. It simply isn't firm enough. But that's okay. As I said, it's a bit like egg mousse, and it's for me to eat, and I know what to improve for next time: Firmer cream cheese (I used tub cheese because the recipe calls for herbed cream cheese and it only comes in tubs), a hotter and less temperamental oven, a tiny bit more egg white whisking, and warmer water in the hot water bath.

Culinary Adventures: Crab Souffle

I've had some cream in my fridge that is a few days shy of going off probably, and have been trying to figure out what to do with it. Likewise, I have a new terrine dish that I got for Christmas and have wanted to play with. So, I pulled a cookbook my aunt gave me off the shelf--it's the one with fancy meal elements that might work particularly for guests, like several types of deviled eggs, a beautiful potato and leek pie with phyllo dough, a whole chapter on brunches and fork lunches...you get the idea.
My notion was that I wanted to do the egg and asparagus terrine, so I looked it up and copied out the ingredients I didn't have onto my shopping list. I'll do it as soon as I have the asparagus and fresh herbs. But, flipping around, I ran straight into crab souffles. And I think for the first time with this book I had every ingredient already in the house, including the cream and crab meat (canned).
So, this afternoon I made some souffles. I only had four ramekins rather than six, but I found two small cake tins and used those for the extra. The mixing and cooking went okay. There was quite a lot of prep involved, but not terrible. I had trouble with burning the scallions, but simply picked them out again. I don't think I put quite enough curry powder in, either. I also think I did not quite whip the egg whites up enough. I used my hand mixer since I suck at whisking eggs (and cream. I use a whisk only for things that won't matter if I don't whisk properly). I got them pretty near, but I suspect maybe not quite, and I overfolded the whites into the sauce a bit. However, it looked all right and smelled awesome.
My oven has been kind of temperamental again lately, not keeping the proper temperature, and after the eight minutes baking time, the souffle tops were not brown. I had to leave them in longer, so the souffles got a bit overdone, I'm sure. Nevertheless, I pulled them out when they were golden and poofy, and they looked exactly like the picture. I know they were overcooked because they fell faster than they ought to have done...my sources tell me that 3-5 minutes is all you can expect from a hot souffle, and I think we made it about 2, maybe 2 and a half. Anyway, the picture above is post-fall. The good news is, I had one for my lunch and it tasted very nice. Obviously you're supposed to eat souffles right away, but the rest had to go in the fridge.
All in all, it was a noble experiment and for my first time making a proper souffle, I think it went rather well. I shall need to practice, but I was pretty pleased. It's sort of like the first time I made crepes...possibly it will never go so well again, but at least I had a good go.
Tomorrow I shall probably do the terrine.

Crash and Burn

I feel special hearts toward this video, and as it's on the mix tape I'm currently rocking out to in the car...

Why TV Sometimes Depresses Me Regarding Our Culture

American Gladiators and Circus of the Stars.

You may remember old-school American Gladiators--big, tan people in red, white, and blue costumes, with fabulously feathered hair and big smiles. They sometimes answered viewer mail and always did so with compassion and encouraging voices. The contenders were generally very earnest people, strong and fast and forever giving messages of love to their families. They had steady jobs and smiled almost as much as the gladiators. The announcers were dressed like ESPN guys, in suits and neat haircuts. They were nice people, and the theme of the show was to do your best, and stay positive. You got the feeling that you should stay in school and work hard, and be nice to people. You should be a good sport.

I find the current American Gladiators completely unwatchable.

Everyone looks so angry. It's all about power and performance, about winning and looking mean. These people look scary, not like people I'd want to hang out with at my local public house. On the old AG, if someone lost his or her temper, that person would take a minute, shake it off, and then shake someone's hand. I get the feeling that if anyone now lost his or her temper, a joke would be made and no effort would erase hard feelings. I could be wrong about that--as I said, I find it unwatchable, but it's just a feeling, and that is more important to me that what actually happens. It's the attitude of meanness and punishment over clean fun that bothers me the most, and I find that change both epidemic in our culture and disheartening. I don't want to watch a show where I'm just being yelled at for an hour.

Then there's Circus of the Stars. I don't know if anyone else will remember this. In the past, it was a two-hour circus made up of celebrities past and present, all learning interesting and artistic or funny circus acts. The fun of it was watching these actors and musicians learn the type of thing you'd see at Barnum and Bailey, watching them adapt and put their own spin on it. The show would often show clips of the stars learning their act, with all the spills and chills and injuries resulting from the process, but they would always work hard and put forth an optimistic effort. And they were glamorous and excited in the show, much like a kid at a dance recital. I will never forget the "listo" (ready) call of Mario Lopez and Jennie Garth on the trapeze, or Karen Black's dynamic elephant act. It was good TV, and I looked forward to it every year.

So, I was excited when I saw ads for what looked like a resurgence of the show. Imagine my irritation and frustration when I found out that it's actually a reality competition. Why must there be judgment involved?Why can't it just be fun to watch people do something fun? I hate the idea of competition leaking into everything we do or enjoy. This is part of the reason I don't watch dance reality shows, and certainly not these God-awful pick-a-Broadway-star competitions. I want to enjoy an art, not have that gnawing feeling of "who will win?" and "someone will feel like less of a person after this" lurking in my gut. There is enough angst and worry in the world without trying to prove you're better than someone else. And I say that as a competitive person, but one who is tired--tired of watching everyone have to get mean or antagonistic before anything gets done.

The Wedding: How it happened version

I haven't posted in a while, and it's unfortunate that I'm having a day full of aggravations and concerns, but I wanted to do a write up of the wedding I was in this weekend.

As many of you know, I'd been worried about the dress fitting. Fortunately, my "diet" leading up to the weekend worked and the dress was fine. Snug during dinner, but fine for dancing. I did unzip it for the drive back to the bride's house after, and changed before eating again. Also, the hemming issue became a non-issue...our dresses all ended up pretty close in length, and I didn't do mine at all, so that worry was gone.

Anyway. Rehearsal was on Friday at the Henry Ford Museum's Lovett Hall Ginger Meyer Sculpture Garden. I was there first, and was able to answer a few questions and names for the coordinator, Carol, and officiant, Fred while we waited for the party to come from the tux place, where the fitting ran late. The rehearsal went really well, though, and we ran through things twice in the hot sun. I got to know my fellow wedding party members, and they are all exceedingly nice people. I was looking forward to hanging out at dinner with them.

Obsessive as I am, I printed out scads of directions for the whole weekend, so I was followed by several cars to Musashi in Southfield. Now, it transpires that in addition to doing the flowers for the wedding, since she has floral experience, the groom's mother also owns a popular restaurant, and since she is Japanese, she knows a heck of a lot about food. Having looked at the menu I wasn't sure if we were having a served dinner or picking stuff ourselves. Then plates started coming. This is what we had, though not completely in order and I might be forgetting some...really, I had no idea what I was eating much of the time:
Asparagus "amuse bouche," with cream and roe
Sashimi, with two slices each of three fish
A tuna cube in a fish broth
Salad of greens and lobster or crab pieces in raspberry vinaigrette
Several pieces of sushi--two lobster/avocado rolls, and two other pieces I couldn't identify
Tenpura--giant shrimp, a slice each of sweet potato, Japanese pumpkin, and Spanish onion (my favorite dish)
A slice of Sable fish wrapped in a banana leaf or something (my least favorite dish, but also one of the prettiest)
A giant cake each...seriously, only three people of thirty-some finished theirs.
There were also a few leftover non-sushi plates that were spread around, like chicken on a stick and some steak, which we shared. There was also sake and beer, though I stuck with water.
Needless to say I was pretty full, and I didn't eat everything in the later part of the meal but did taste everything. Then I drove home to BG.
Saturday, I drove back up, dropped my stuff off at Mila's (Mila is a cousin of the bride's, and all three of us went to Italy in 2001...she invited me to stay with her and her fiance, and better hosts you couldn't find. They are amazing), and headed up to Rochester Hills to a luncheon party/open house that some aunts/cousins were giving. I had some food and hung out with the bridesmaids, groomsman's wife, and bridesmaid's sister for a bit, and then we six went to see Sex & the City. I'll save my commentary about that for another time. After that we went to the bride's parents' house in Sterling Heights area, hung out for a bit, and then snuck upstairs to look at the dress. It was the first time I'd seen it, and it was exactly the kind of gown I thought Jelena would like...strapless satin, no beading or lace, but lots of pickups in the big skirt. It was HEAVY. We girls consulted about jewellry and hair and shoes, just like you'd expect. Then, I left to get back to Mila's, and we stayed up chatting for quite a while, and I finally met her finace.
Sunday, I was running late. I was alone in the house, which is probably good, because I was tearing around in hot rollers and had to do my foundation twice. By the time I got to the venue, I was definitely on time, but later than I wanted to me...and I was still in rollers. I'm afraid a lot of the prep time was me finishing my hair and makeup. Not good for the Maid of Honor. I never did get my hair to where I wanted it, but at least it was acceptable. Fortunately, the lengthy list of things we had to make sure were done were already being done by the excellent staff at the venue, and Dina the aforementioned groomsman's wife was amazing at checking up on things.
At last, we were all ready. And I lost my phone. Show must go on, though, so I put it out of my mind and the wedding began.
It was a short service, but the officiant did a great job, I read a poem, another bridesmaid sang Ave Maria, and it was a beautiful day in the garden. The bride and groom looked perfect. As we proceeded out after the ceremony, the Best Man informed me that we were not required in the receiving line, so he loaned me his phone and I went out to my car to call myself...sure enough, it had fallen under the passenger seat. At that point, I felt amazingly relaxed. Everything was finished! We did pictures, which was fun, especially since I think my smile during the ceremony was ridiculous. I hope the pics turn out and I can get some prints, especially of the "high fashion" one we did...the Best Man and I were clowning around and the photographer said, "When we take the shot in a few minutes, I want you to do that exactly." I don't know if anyone else did it, but the photographers were trying to get them to copy us. It was hilarious. Can't wait to see it.
The pictures took place during the cocktail hour (I had root beer). Then we went up to the ballroom for dinner--a lovely salad, a duet plate of chicken and beef with rolls, and of course some wedding cake, all served. During dinner, the band played, but then some Serbian dancers came out and danced for, like, fifteen minutes. They were all teenagers, and were very fun to watch. Then we had the real dancing, and of course as a member of the wedding party I danced and tried to get others involved. Not too many people danced, but as half the guests were Japanese, and the Best Man informed me that most wouldn't dance, I think we did pretty well.
We closed up the reception early and headed over to the bride's parents' house...I fulfilled my last MOH duty by helping the bride change and zipping her voluminous dress into its bag. Jel's parents had a tent set up in their yard and at the open house offered roast pig and lamb, a groaning table of salads and bread, and another groaning table of desserts, all handmade by the aunts. There was also a Serbian quartet (which Mila's dad is in) playing and singing in blue vests and red bow ties. It was peaceful to sit with the wedding party, chatting to them and the cousins, and when it got dark they turned golden lights on in the tent. It was a beautiful night and, even though I felt like I'd never eat again, I felt really good about life and the state of love.
I ended up back at Mila's sometime between midnight and one, I think. The next day, I had the morning to slowly wake up, again alone in the house, get ready to go, and then head to Somerset mall to go to Lush. I walked the whole mall, bought some fun stuff, and decided to end the adventure.
It was a pretty great weekend. My least favorite part was probably driving around Detroit, especially since there are some parts of 75 closed, but I managed with my directions, and kind of got the hang of it.
Hopefully I'll have some time to post pictures soon, but if you're on Facebook, you can also go there.

Men I Have TV Crushes On

George Stroumboulopoulos
Jesse Spencer
The Winchesters
Andy Hillstrand

Things that turn 30 this year

1. Several friends, and of course myself.
2. Garfield the Cat
3. Arby's Beef n Cheddar (coincidentally my favorite sandwich there, and the thing that inspired this post, since I got a coupon in the mail)
4. Louise Brown, the first IVF, or "test tube" baby

Oh, Indy!

For some reason, this makes me happy. I guess it's that, even though this is a marketing opportunity, it's a marketing opportunity that calls attention to the power of fans, no matter where those fans are or how much money they have in their pockets.

In which she returns from the Badger State.

Well, I'm back in BG after a most successful trip to Wisconsin. The occasion was a celebration of the first birthday of my niece, and since I hadn't seen her or my sister and brother-in-law since December, it was, to say the least, kind of a big deal.

I decided to speed things up this trip by getting an I-Pass for the tolls; I got Illinois' I-Pass rather than an I-Zoom (Indiana's version) because the I-Zoom wouldn't work in Illinois for three days after getting it supposedly, and I'd much rather zip through Illinois tolls than the one in Indiana anyway (although Indiana's toll is huge now, at $6.75 on 80/90). It would have been speedier going out to Wisconsin except that the guy who sold it to me talked to me about poetry for about ten-fifteen minutes, as a result of me saying I was a poet after he complimented my name. Anyway, I made it.

The party was Fairy Princess themed, and on Friday evening and Saturday morning we spent some time getting everything ready and taking pictures. There were festive silver strings hanging from the big pine tree, which sits right over the awesome sandbox my brother-in-law had finished the day before. There were stars hanging from the patio table. There was princessy music playing from a hidden stereo, bouncy balls and bubbles and sidewalk chalk for the kids to play with, and a whole line of party bags along the stone wall. My bro would be at the grill cooking brats, and there were lots of sandwiches, salads, and cookies indoors. And Baby Ruths scattered over the tables, in honor of the Baby's name.

The Baby, I think, had a wonderful time, greeting her guests, smiling, and playing with the kids who helped her open her presents. She also had a great time smashing her piece of cake to crumbs and getting frosting all over herself and her sippy cup, with of course the requisite chorus of flashbulbs from the adults.

As for me, well, I ate too much and enjoyed the merriment.

For the remainder of my stay, I hung out with my family, played with the baby a lot, particularly her new set of musical instruments, and also had the chance to go shopping with my sister a few times, at the mall and at Kohl's. This was particularly enjoyable because we don't get to hang out much as sisters, and it kind of reminded me of when we used to go to the mall ages ago, in high school. We had trouble with jeans, but found some nice tops and skirts in Kohl's, on sale. It was awesome to get that chance to chat and laugh, and thanks to my big brother for supervising the baby's naps so we could slip out.

On the baby's actual birthday, I went with sis, bro, and baby to the NEW Zoo north of Green Bay, and had fun showing her the animals and watching her stare at them. She particularly liked the emus, and waved to the giraffes as they came just feet away from where we stood. My sister even got to pet a giraffe. The zoo is small, but the perfect size for a family with small children, with big animals like lions and a bear and more unusual zoo animals like bobcats and some truly massive bison.

It was hard to leave, especially with my niece smiling away with her four teeth, and crinkling her nose when she laughs. Even Poe, the cat who is my archnemesis, was friendly to me, since I bribed him and Topaz (who loves me) with Pounce treats whenever he was feeling prickly. It was a great trip!

Updates!

Update 1: The dog.
So, here is the plan I formulated, after reading everyone's input (and thanks, by the way. I needed your indignation and facts to spur me on!):
At Meijer the other day, I was intrigued by a sale on an item called Poop Patrol. Poop Patrol is a black and purple plastic pooper scooper, and it was on sale for 9 dollars. After consulting with my neighbors during a lasagna dinner (Laura and Ashley, it was awesome), I purchased said item, dolled it up with a bow (white ribbon with gold trim and purple butterflies, naturally), typed up a letter and put it in a card envelope, and on Sunday placed the gift on my neighbors' porch addressed "M's owner, roommates, and residents of 334." The letter touched on the issue of poop in the yard, this being illegal, and our desire simply to have this cleaned up, rather than getting the law or landlords involved (though I did email my landlady and tell her what I did). I peeped at the porch periodically, and by yesterday it had been taken in. The poop is still in our yard (and fortunately, no fresh piles, only decaying old ones), but I feel that I have done my best, in a classy fashion, to help get our yard cleaned up. I thought it was pretty clever, actually. Fingers crossed. Beyond this, I think the landlady is simply going to have to clean it up, or get Greenbriar to do it.

Update 2: The Mist
So, I wrote a while ago about how I was disappointed by The Mist. I read the trivia on imdb about it, and learned that the ending was made up by the director, and that Stephen King wished he had thought of it. I checked out the ending in an anthology entitled Dark Forces today, and I will say (particularly to Mrs. White) that it is worth reading the last six to ten pages or so to see the original ending, the ambiguity of which I enjoyed much better than the pointlessness of the current ending.

Dog Poop Dilemma

I've been puzzling this over in my mind for a bit, and I've decided I'd like some input.
I mentioned in the Fire post that I had a chance to speak to my neighbors about their dog pooping in our yard. These are the neighbors who have friends in the house on the other side of us, so they are often traipsing through our driveway/yard, are responsible for the demise of the back fence, and are loud from time to time, though not as bad as others who have been next door.
My house's yard is not big, and especially when the grass was not growing it was glaringly obvious that the dog (Maui, I think) NEVER went in her own yard, always in ours. I've seen people waiting on their front porch for her to do our business in our yard, and they see me and don't seem to care a whit that our yard is now the one with little piles all over (for of course they would never think to pick up their dog's poop). I know this has happened to the others that live in my house, too. It's like they think our yard is also theirs, when it clearly is not, and they also do not care that they have essentially destroyed the yard.
Last night, it happened again, around 11 - midnight. Dude in a bathrobe was standing on the front porch, and Maui was squatting in our yard. I went out and called to him and asked him not to let her go in our yard. He said it was his roommate's dog and he would let the guy know (which is exactly what the other guys said last time I asked, at the scene of the Fire). I really have no idea how many people live in that building, but find it annoying that so many people take the dog out so I don't know who the owner is, and that the message has not seemed to filtrate through their collective brain stems.
So...what do I do? Our yard really has too much poop in it. I am afraid to walk out there, which is irritating because come outside season, I like to sit in my skychair, which hangs from a tree on the front lawn. Even if they finally make Maui poop in her own yard, we still have her collective poop from before to deal with. I was going to content myself with the idea that the next time they traipse through our yard, someone is going to step in poop, but I don't think that's enough. If I catch the dog out there yet again, what recourse do I have? And would it be reasonable for me to ask them to clean up the poop that is there? How?
As an addition problem, it would be nice if I could just ask my landlady to talk to their landlord about it, but I'm pretty sure the dog is not supposed to be there at all. I have nothing against the dog, but I am sick of this problem.
I need some suggestions on how to handle this. The hot season is fast approaching, and I cannot deal with a stench in my own yard. I refuse.
Help.

Friday Night Movie

So, I made a mistake last night.
I was tired, and looking to relax, but I also wanted to rent a dvd. Unfortunately, all the movies I have wanted to see recently but haven't yet are depressing or dark: The Mist, Sweeny Todd, and I Am Legend are examples.
I went with The Mist in keeping with my tradition of Friday-night horror. Dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.
I thought, hey, it's a supernatural flick with critters in it. I knew it was a smarter-than-average horror flick, but hoped it wouldn't bum me out. Anyone seen it? Yeah, well you know where I'm going with this.
Imagine my distress when it turns out actually to be intellectual in nature; crittery, certainly, but with the character sketches including a hyper-religious nut (and those terms are mutually exclusive, please don't get me wrong) and the "shocking ending" being hopelessness, well...I wasn't best pleased. Every time Marcia Gay Harden's character was talking, I kept coming up with reasonble and Christian responses to her, like "Why doesn't somebody point out how satanic she's being, with all of her self-pride?" Fight zeal with counter-zeal, you know? Or, "First pull the plank out of your own eye, before you try to help your brother with the speck in his eye," which is a paraphrase of Luke 6. No one even tried that approach.
I was also left sort of wondering what the point was, and after a moment early on in the movie when I said to myself, "There was a transition just now where I was supposed to suspend my disbelief and I didn't" I hoped for a bigger payoff. I don't even remember that moment clearly, just that this is what I thought. I found the crucible compelling, and if I were in the mood for this kind of film I might have been all over it (Crash comes to mind as another example of story-of-human-condition that leaves me deflated, except that it's also offering redemption, which The Mist doesn't. Schindler's List is another example.). I think, anyway--I don't know if "look how awful we all are" is really sufficient justification for a movie. But still, I label this my mistake. Combine that with the fact that I didn't watch it until LATE, after a whole string of Comedy Central Presents and Whose Line Is It Anyway? and you know I went to bed annoyed.
So, The Mist, I was hoping for something else from you, and I'm not sure how I feel about you, but I do know I won't buy you, no matter how cool your creatures were, because I just don't see myself watching you again.

5 Random Friday thoughts

I bought some Moonflower and Morning Glory seeds and a Clematis a week ago. I can't wait to get them in the boxes on my porch, but it's possibly going to be 43 degrees at some point next week and I am thus nervous.

Last night's Supernatural: Hilarious. Ghost--FACERS!
My two favorite shows right now smashed into one. How I love the spooftacular vision of Supernatural.

I went to Beckett's last night post-show. Good times were had by all. I had a beer and a cherry coke, because that's how I roll.

I just bought a plant from the Society of Entrepreneurs. I asked what they entrepreneur and no one answered. I decided against asking them if they knew how to spell entrepreneur. The plant has a butterfly in it.

My niece is going to turn 1 in just over two weeks. I can't wait to see her and give her a big auntie hug. I had lipstick on my teeth today, so I am well on my way to being her crazy aunt Avacious.

Putting out Fires

I'm double-posting this here and on facebook. Enjoy.

As I mentioned the other day, we had a fire next door Friday night/Saturday morning. First, a digression. Last week, this happened:

You can tell we're close to the end of the year when people do dumb things like this; if you can't tell what's happening, it's a car parked straight in front of our driveway. My theory is drunkenness--you'd have to be drunk to be so dumb as to leave your car parked where it is obviously blocking a driveway. As someone pointed out, it's a good thing it got towed, because the owner was not likely to return in a better state than when he left.This weekend, our neighbors were having a party. They are sometimes loud, but at least their parties usually end around 2 or 2:30. It does still irritate me, because there are children living across the street and in other near areas, and a once quietish residential section is kind of ruined, but they're not the worst neighbors I've ever had so I deal as best I can, even with them traipsing across our lawn, knocking down our fence, and smoking in our driveway.

Then, about 5:30 am, I woke up to some strange noises. I thought it was someone who lived in my house at first, then figured out it was outside. Given my paranoia for my car, I got up to investigate, and found this scene in the street:

I came out on my front steps and craned around the side of the house to see this:

The excitement, evidently, was ending with firemen hacking off the siding from the neighbors' outbuilding. I didn't wake up to the trucks, the men, or the hoses. It took the axes. Given that I am a light sleeper, that was pretty stupefying, and when the police and head fireman came to talk to me, I told them the must have been pretty sneaky.

"It's a new program, to get involved with the community," said one. "We were in stealth mode."

They were kidding of course, but I complimented the fire department on its quiet work. The head man asked if I'd seen anyone around in that area, and of course I'd seen guys out smoking around 3 (I woke up to that, but not fire trucks), but then all was quiet. Evidently, the idea of arson was being bandied around.The next morning, I went out to survey the damage, as did my neighbors both in my own house and the houses on either side. A very focused line of charred earth under the fence which held our trumpet vine was the most obvious evidence of the fire:

As you can see, any further one way and it probably would have set their house on fire. Any further the other way and our garage would have been touched. The guys mentioned the i-beam cross (a common formation for vine growth), as being a potential dumbass magnet to set on fire, except the fire was mostly away from the cross. One also said the fire department had mentioned gasoline. In any case, we're all a little baffled and hopeful that nothing else weird is going to happen.

The experience did give me the chance to ask the neighbor guys to quit letting their dog poop in our yard, which was positive, and I met a few of my own house-neighbors I didn't yet know (which seems weird, but there are a bunch of different entrances to our house, so we don't have much interaction). I'm also hoping it gives these guys more reason to monitor their parties more closely and take things more seriously. No one got hurt and the damage was minimal, but it's still pretty scary...and I didn't get much sleep.

Word, Y'all

So, I just gave my workshop on rhythm in poetry, which means there is now one less thing on my plate. It went pretty well; I did that thing where what you're saying is important but you don't treat it quite like that, at first, but I kind of got into my rhythm (ha ha) and started tying loose ends together, and it went better. I worked Rudolf Laban's effort principles in and that always makes me feel better about stuff.
I have to admit, I've been kind of angry this week, and also unfocused. During the faculty meeting yesterday afternoon, while we were being asked how everything was going and (I think) sympathized with that there was so much to do right now and this really is a bad time of the semester, I really almost lost it and walked out. I'm behind. I have a lot to do. And I was sitting in a faculty meeting that repeatedly got off track or that went over things that were really very concisely and completely written up on the agenda. I appreciate the sympathy, I really do, but as Eliza Doolittle says so eloquently, please don't exPLAIN, SHOW me. At literally the busiest point in the semester, let me have my time to do my work. My sense of duty helped me keep it together, but it was really sort of dodgy there for a while.

Anyway, this is just a note to let you know that I'm thinking about you all, that my health is improved quite a bit, and even though it is spitting rain right now, the sun will be out before too long. Hopefully my mood will brighten in direct relation.

Avacious is...

reeling from one of those middle-of-the-night, wake-you-out-of-a-sound-sleep leg cramps that seemed to go on forever. Does anyone else ever think that they're never going to be able to walk again when that's happening?

about 90 % healthy

glad Supernatural is coming back. It may be a rerun Thursday, but I have sorely missed my Sam and Dean.

looking forward to the rest of Sense and Sensibility, but was surprised that it opened with a love scene featuring ragged breathing. I was kind of glad I wasn't watching it with my parents.

contemplating what she would sing if she ever did karaoke. This will be a facebook note shortly.

really enjoying the Lite Brite's presence in her office. Even if it does stay on for only 3 minutes and then shut itself off to conserve batteries. Times have changed!

out of many important staples of life, like milk, Dr. Pepper, lettuce, and Strawberry mini-wheats. And mustard. Who runs out of mustard?

beginning to catch Spring Fever, but is also suffering from hockey withdrawal. Very confusing.