In Love...

I am borderline obsessed with used bookstores. Not only are they much cheaper than, say, a few chains that start with the letter B, but they also have lots of fabulous finds you might not be able to get elsewhere. I always end up with incredible things at a relatively low price.

Yesterday, I stopped by Mercer Street Books and Records. They had sooooooooooo much great stuff...here's what I picked up.



The BFG - This is one of my favorite childhood stories. We read it out loud in our fourth grade class, which was the year I decided I was going to be a writer. I have great memories of that class, and Roald Dahl is simply amazing. His creativity and wackiness really impresses me.


The Witches - Another classic by Roald Dahl. I'm currently in a phase where I am reliving my childhood through rereading books I loved then, in case you couldn't tell.



Tristan y Iseult - I love mythology and classic tragedies in general, and the fact that James Franco played Tristan in the movie doesn't hurt :)



The Secret Memoirs of Lord Byron - This is the jewel among my purchases. It was written by Byron himself, and edited by Christopher Nicole. The condition of the book wasn't too great, but I can't wait to read about Byron's secret affairs and find out if this is true.

August? Already?

I for one cannot believe it is August already. It seems like just a few short weeks ago the snow was still falling, and now summer is almost OVER :(

Since August is my favorite month of the year (summer vacation + my birthday = fabulousness), I fully intend to update this blog WAAAAAAY more often this month. For real.



To ring in my favorite month, I took my little sister to see (500) Days of Summer. Now, as it turns out, this movie is not about summer at all. It's about Summer, a woman who works as an assistant at a greeting card company, and her relationship with Tom, a greeting card writer who dreams of being an architect. The story is told in a series of vignettes from the days of their relationship, starting with their breakup, and moving on to their childhoods, eventual relationship, and their inevitable reunions in a shuffled but not confusing account of love.

I have always really enjoyed watching both Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and they were fabulous in this movie. The actors and actresses who played the minor characters were perfectly selected for their roles, and the filmography was extraordinary. Overall, I felt that the movie was probably the best one I've seen so far this summer (yes, I went to see Harry Potter and all I can say is "ugh").

And I can't wait for Whip It.

Visitors, Moving and Such

This blog is supposed to be about things I love, in case you couldn't tell by the title :) But let me fill you in on one thing I don't love so much: packing. I'm moving this weekend (don't worry, I'll still be in the city, just changing boroughs) and have barely made a dent in the packing I'm doing. Luckily I have until...2PM tomorrow. Yeah, ok, I'm screwed. Well, I tried. Sort of.

Something I like much more than packing? Visits from lovely friends. It's Restaurant Week in NYC, and my fabulous friend "Jo-B" is here. She's actually visiting another friend of hers, but I'm super thrilled to be doing dinner with her tonight. Then, hopefully, a trip to see "The Ugly Truth," starring Gerard Butler and Katherine Heigl. It looks incredible! I'll let you know if I like it.


And last, but not least, book of the week: My Sergei, by Ekaterina Gordeeva. This is an old favorite. I first read it when it was originally published, as my grandmother was a figure skater who knew the couple. According to her, the book she had was personally given to her by Ekaterina, but she also can't remember how many popsicles she's eaten in a day, so I mean, I'm not necessarily going to take her word for it. Still, this NY Times bestseller is one of the most touching and heartfelt memoirs I've read in quite a while.


Have a great weekend!

Solar Eclipse

Today is the day of the solar eclipse, which happens to coincide with the new moon. Now I'll admit, this didn't really mean much to me yesterday, until my boss explained that for those who believe in feng shui, this is the perfect opportunity to improve your success. I don't really get the why, exactly, so I'll let Master Pun Yin explain it to you. But it's a great time to thank the universe, God, whoever/whatever you believe in for all the wonderful things you have received, and then make requests for the future.

It's really important that this doesn't become a wish list of things you want. Pun Yin suggests that you should offer the universe something in return for your requests that are fulfilled, and to make sure that you don't promise anything that you can't or won't follow through on. One thing we can all agree on is that no matter who or what you believe in, we can't take such blessings for granted.

This is supposed to work best if you're not eating meat today, so it's the perfect time to try out that vegetarian diet you've been considering.

I know this is little different from anything else I've posted, and I'll be honest, I'm a little skeptical. But I like the sentiment that Pun Yin makes at the end of her post. Today is a day to think nice, speak kindly and be respectful of others. And if we work together to do these three things today, maybe we can bring about positive changes to the universe ourselves.

Lost In Austen

I've spent the last 5 days in Maine, doing nothing but reading, sleeping, eating, and looking for moose (I saw a baby mooseling, by the way, very exciting). Now, you should know that as I live not far from The Strand, I have a stack of books about as tall as I am that I got for 48 cents and have not gotten around to reading. So I brought about 15 books with me, and finished about half.

Two of the books that were most interesting to me were Pride and Prescience and The Jane Austen Book Club. They were incredibly different, and I was drawn to aspects of both.



I loved the characters in The Jane Austen Book Club. One of the things I found most amusing and enjoyable was the fact that it was written in first person, as though one of the members of the book club was telling the story, although the person mentions every member of the club by first name, seldom revealing who is speaking. Only through a story is the narrator given up, and even then you are left wondering if that's really who narrated the entire novel. It's a very curious thing.

I was pretty unhappy with the ending though. It was definitely an Austen ending, that's for sure, but there's no need to refer to that same point in the course of the book. Any Janeite would pick it up for his or herself. This brings me to my other disappointment. I won't give specifics in case you want to read the book, or even watch the movie, but I was extremely bothered by the way the Sylvia/Daniel and Allegra/Corinne relationships were wrapped up. I felt that it was unrealistic and degrading to the members of the club who were involved in these relationships. Also, there were a few storylines that I felt never fully developed, and felt like hooks thrown in to grab the reader, yet never amounted to anything. It was rather disappointing. However, I loved the change in Prudie's spirits toward the end, and Jocelyn was a mystery I rather enjoyed unraveling. Overall, it was good, but not great. My favorite part was actually after the novel ended, where the author quoted other famed writers' opinions of Jane. Look up Mark Twain's if you get a chance...it's quite deep :)



Carrie Bebris' take on what happened after the Darcy's wedding in Pride and Prejudice was a total beach read, in a good way. It was light, witty, and very quick. Even though it was a mystery, it wasn't supremely out of the realm of my imagination that Elizabeth Bennet (now Darcy) would be curious enough to find herself in the midst of this chaos. I was a little baffled by the sci-fi/fantasy twist it took though. Very un-Jane, but it amused me nonetheless, and I definitely understood how that made it suitable for Tor, and it wasn't as noticeable during my read-through as much as after. Still I can't really recall a Jane Austen novel with supernatural elements. But I'd definitely read the rest of the series.



And I made it through a whole post without referencing vampires :)

Blood Coven Books

As it's been pointed out by my fabulous friend Erin (check out her blog here), I've been doing quite a bit of YA reading recently. This is mostly because YA novels are quick reads, and for the last few months, my attention span has been similar to that of a lawn gnome. As in, nonexistent. Anyway, I've been working my way through the Blood Coven series by Mari Mancusi, and I would definitely recommend it.


Mancusi definitely has a gift for campy horror, and her tone kind of reminds me of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Sunny's quest to find the Holy Grail after she gets vamped (due to a case of mistaken identity - the vampire in question was supposed to bite her twin sister) is sweet, funny and slightly awkward, in a good way. The characters are easy to relate to, and it's an original take on vampiric politics, as opposed to the same old "council that has rules and regulations with the oldest vampires who take out the youngest ones." Do I even have to say who I'm insulting there? I think not.




I may have liked Stake That even more than I liked Boys That Bite. Rayne is a lot more interesting to me as a character. I'm not sure why I like her more than Sunny (yup, their names are Sunshine and Rayne, haha) but it could have something to do with the fact that she has more of an attitude problem and definitely doesn't like being told what to do...I don't know anyone like that :) And she has a way more kick ass boyfriend. Not that the Holy Grail search wasn't romantic, but Jareth's origins are so complex and intriguing. And did we notice that Jareth never accidentally bites the wrong girl?



Girls that Growl was immensely entertaining. Only the goth girl would have an undercover assignment to become a cheerleader and save her arch nemesis/captain of the football team. Let's just talk about creative problem solving strategies for a sec. Rayne's technique for landing a spot on the team was very humorous, especially after she spent, oh, say, 10 whole minutes practicing and fell on her face during her try out. And I loved the development of friendships, especially Cait and Rayne's, and Mandy's admission about why she and Rayne parted ways years ago. The only thing that bothered me about the book was the Rayne/Jareth interaction. If I wanted to list to non-stop bickering, I would watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 or Dr. 90210. It definitely annoyed me a little. But other than that, I really enjoyed it.

The 4th book comes out in January...I'm not very good at this whole waiting patiently thing, but I'm trying, and luckily there are a whole bunch of other exciting things coming out in the meantime *cough Vampire Academy Book 4 cough* so hopefully it will curb my YA appetite until then. It's back to Sunny's POV, and I'm hoping it's just as good as the others.

Also, FYI, if you're interested, Barnes and Noble ordered a whole bunch of these books, so you should definitely pick them up and support Mari! Or, you know, the lib's good too.

Yumi Kim Friends and Family Sale

Great news! Yumi Kim is having a friends and family sale, and you're all invited! Here's the dirt:

Before we host our mega sample sale in a few weeks, we want our Friends & Family to get first dibs on YK's Spring/Summer goodies!

YUMI KIM is offering 50% OFF ALL Spring/Summer goodies online and in our shop!

ONLINE SHOP: www.yumikimshop.com

You must enter at check out discount code: ykfamily

Or you can mention the mailer in our flagship store in order to receive the discount!

YUMI KIM

105 Stanton Street

(corner of Ludlow)

Please pass the great news along to all your Friends & Family!

Post it on Facebook...Twitter it...help get the word out!!!

We have LIMITED stock and it's going FASSSSSST!

XOXO,

YUMI KIM

If you can get it, I recommend the vine floral jumper...totally hot.

Carpe Corpus

Just finished reading Rachel Caine's latest installment in the Morganville Vampires series, Carpe Corpus. It was definitely up there as far as my favorites go. Maybe not first place...I still really have a soft spot in my heart for the first book, but very exciting and well written. Lots of action (including some we've been waiting for the WHOLE FREAKING TIME) and she still managed to surprise me with a couple of wicked twists and turns. And you really can't help but to love Shane <3.

One of my favorite things about Rachel Caine is that she's not afraid to take risks in her writing. A lot of authors have a centralized cast that stays stable from one book to the next, and while Rachel Caine does that also, she's not afraid to take what you know about those characters and tweak it in an unexpected way so that they seem to develop along the way. And unlike some authors, she's not afraid to kill off major players (cough *Stephenie Meyer* cough).

Side Note: For real, that really really bothers me. If there's a war or an epic battle of some sort (you too, JK Rowling), people are going to die. Not just the bad guys. Not just the people who I have to sit there and go "who the hell was that?" until I reread the book 11 times and figure out why they were ever mentioned to begin with. Real, important characters that I am actually attached to.

End Rant.

Anyway, if you haven't checked out any books in the series, I would highly recommend it. Another great thing about them? They are like $6.99, so pretty much fit into every budget out there. And if not, well, there's always the library.

Far From You

Last week, I picked up a bunch of new books from the Strand for 48 cents each. A great investment, if I do say so myself :) I spent this rainy Sunday afternoon reading Far From You by Lisa Schroeder.

This book is amazing! It's a less fantastical, updated version of the Alice in Wonderland tale, and it definitely hits home. This Alice is struggling to find her place in her father's family after her mother loses her battle with cancer. But when a snowstorm strikes while Alice, her stepmother Victoria, and her baby half-sister Ivy are driving home from a family trip, Alice learns that things (and people) aren't always what they seem.

I would highly recommend this book. It's written in verse, and it's got the YA coming of age and self-understanding themes in a funky and uplifting kind of way. It's enough to make you believe in happy endings again...although this ending was happily realistic, my favorite kind. Alice is an incredibly complex character, and so authentic, without being overtly teen-angsty over her struggles. Love it!

Sleep and Such

How many days of no sleep does it take to make you an insomniac? Perhaps I should give up the coffee, tea, Mountain Dew, chocolate, etc, before bed...perhaps. Not likely though. Rereading Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (such a good book!)and trying to do some cleaning.

If the painters who were supposed to arrive at the buttcrack of dawn yesterday show up, I will be seriously pissed. I waited 8 hours for them...the least they can do is allow me to slumber uninterrupted. Thank you :)

LFO

This just in: apparently Rich Cronin of LFO actually wrote Summer Girls himself. Who knew? That explains a lot. Suddenly I understand why Shakespeare, Larry Byrd and Macauley Culkin are all mentioned in the same song. Now if only I could figure out the thing about the marmalade...

PS LFO Reunion show on July 18th at the Highline Ballroom...who's in?

And no, that part wasn't a joke.

Vamped...along with other things

Can I just say, I love the book Vamped by Lucienne Diver. It's spectacularly campy and just a fun read. Check out the author's site here. She's quite entertaining, and I loved the interview I read the other day about the book. If you like Buffy, or if you like teen fiction, you'll love it!

In other news, the new television series Vampire Diaries, based on the books by LJ Smith, starts in Sept. Can't wait! I might actually have to get one of those converter things so I can watch this one...or maybe I'll watch it online, lol.

And third, Jimmy Choo for H&M? Divine!

PS For those of you worried about R-Patz after his taxi issue yesterday, don't worry. He didn't actually get hit, it was just a close call. Newsflash: walking in the street in NYC is always a close call, haha. Could have been worse...it coulda been a bus.

Rain Rain Rain

In NYC, it has rained 13 out of 17 days this month. At this point, I'm doubting the existence of summer, and possibly even New York. I imagine that I am somewhere in London, delusionally believing in a place called America, where there is free speech and a Starbucks on every corner, and my poor imagination is too crippled to come up with something as exciting as Starbucks delivery service.

The idea of this fantasy world in my head and lack of creativity is further proved by the fact that the radio only plays 10 songs a day, even though I know that other songs exist, and somehow I manage to survive for over a month at a time without grocery shopping. My stock of mac and cheese, pizza rolls, pop tarts and cheerios seem to magically replenish.

The only proof I have that I'm not crazy? My suspicion of my own craziness. After all, the insane can't see their insanity, can they?

But if scientists prove that crazy people know it, I'm done for.

Side Note

Side Note: I could totally write a book about awkward moments in my life, I'm realizing.

Dead in the Gym

Damn. I was doing sooooo well with the posting everyday, and then we got to the weekend. It was a pretty busy weekend for me, what with my little sister graduating from high school and some other family stuff going on.

However, Friday night was incredibly fun. It was the night of my sister's graduation, and someone made the mistake of allowing my brother and I to sit together. This would have been fine, except for 2 things:

1. My brother and I are supremely loud and obnoxious when we get together.
2. We've only seen each other twice this year, making us even louder and more obnoxious than usual.

Even so, I felt that we were very well behaved until they got to the awards announcements. My sister won an athletic achievement award, which came with a small scholarship named for the school's former athletic director. Having attended the same school, I knew the story behind the scholarship and turned to my brother.

"He died in the gym, you know." I whispered.
"You're making that up." He said.

Another kid got a scholarship named for Mr. Mac, another man who died in the gym. This one I didn't know about, but it was ok, because the principal announced it.

"The last two scholarships have been in memory of two members of our beloved faculty. Actually, here's an interesting fact for you. Did you know that they both died in the gym?" She asked, as though she was saying that corn grows on farms or something equally obvious and unimportant. "I will always remember that day...and then the other day. They will both live on in my memory forever."

Are you serious?! What a way to end the graduation ceremony.

Shortly after, we were waiting outside for my sister to be done with the yearbook signing and the hugs and photos, and I saw a familiar face. It was Mr. Mac!!

"OMG," I whispered to my brother, "isn't he supposed to be dead?"

Luckily, one of my former teachers overheard and corrected me. It was a different Mr. Mac that died in the gym...apparently there are quite a few Mr. Mac's around here. Either way, I wasn't the kid from the Sixth Sense.

And that's the end of that chapter.

Feeling Blonde

Yesterday, before my trek home, I stopped by the library. Now let me preface this story by saying that in NYC, if you reserve a library book, the magical library elves shelve it next to the front desk based on the final four digits of your library card. So I went to the shelves, took out my keys (as I have a library card attached to my keys), and went looking for my books.

When I got to where my library books were supposed to be, there was...nothing. A gaping hole between the number before and the one about 50 after me. Surely the magical library elves didn't get it wrong, I thought to myself. Damn them! They should go back to making shoes for that man in that story! I could use some beautiful shoes (but that is another story entirely).

Nevertheless, I scanned and scoured the shelves, sure that I was making some critical error, and that the book was really and truly there. I stood watching, trying to ESP the book out of it's position slightly so I would notice it. Finally, the ever so helpful librarian lady asks me if I need any assistance.

Why yes, I said. I have requested a book and it is not here...I received the email and everything. The email fairy told me that the book would be here until June 13th (Mary Kate and Ashley's birthday), but it's only the 11th and it is already gone. It's like it disappeared.

The librarian gave me that patronizing smile of hers and said, we sort the library books by the last four digits of your library card. I was momentarily taken aback...was she in cahoots with the elves? Were they really not elves at all, but hobbit-like faux humans intent on educating the masses? And why was she telling me this when she could clearly see that I was looking at my library card?

I refrained from the first two questions, but I told her that I already knew the way books were sorted. However, I was looking at my library card, and I still could not find the book. Could she be of some assistance?

It turns out she could. She looks at me and says, that's not your library card.

I roll my eyes. How could she possibly be so stu-...oh. She's right. It's not my library card. It's my gym membership card.

Trying to recover my wits, I say, sorry, it's Friday.

She gives me the patronizing smile again, but says nothing.

I realize that it's only Thursday. Damn. Why don't the voices in my head ever say anything when I need them to?

Laughing it off, I say, it just goes to show how often I use my gym membership. She laughs too, but I feel like she is laughing at me. I wonder if it's against the law to smack a hobbit upside the head for pissing you off. Are there laws against assaulting fictional characters? Probably not.

She checks out my book, and I exit the library, feeling impossibly small and infinitely stupider than when I arrived.

The end

***Disclaimer: No animals, hobbits, elves or librarians were harmed in the making of this blog.

Wither's Rain

I just read this absolutely fabulous book called Wither's Rain. It's the sequel to Wither, by John Passarella. I never read the first one: as a matter of fact, I never even really intended to read the second one. I just happened to be passing through the Strand and it was on sale for 48 cents, so I bought it. One of the best investments of the spring, I'll tell you that.

While it was an incredible book, it left me wondering something. Why is it, in every sci-fi/fantasy/horror novel that has a body snatching beast, does the person whose body is snatched have to be killed in order to defeat the monster? It hardly seems fair. Nobody asked the black slime creature to climb up into their nose or in their eye sockets and other facial orifices and take over their every thought, motion, their entire being. Yet there's hardly a story where the snatched recovers her body and moves on with her life. She's just trapped in her body, unable to take control...to move, to breathe, to even think in some cases. Kinda sucks, right?

But you know what? It's almost better than if you were the heroine. You know what I mean. If you're the one whose body is taken over, or possessed if you will, you don't have to fight. No one around you gets hurt or killed because they care about you. And even if they do, you don't know. It doesn't matter. You've ceased to exist, while the heroine crawls into a corner to cry over her losses. She's left putting back together the pieces of her shattered life and you are...nothing.

Plus evil always has the sexy boyfriend.

Umm, say what?

Fergie's snakeskin is peeling off!

Oh wait, she looks like that on purpose? Could have fooled me. I do love those shoes though.

Smarty Pants

Want to put your intelligence to good use? Click here and play Free Rice, a game that gives food to the hungry with every question you get right. And even if you're not a vocab whiz, you can do some good. Go to subjects and you can choose from chemistry, languages, art, math, english, and geography.

So quit reading and go learn something :)

If I Fail

These are the some of the words to a beautiful song by Cartel. I love their music, especially this song, aptly entitled "If I Fail."

If you feel the same way,
Then how can we be friends?
He's right you know, we can't go on like this.
And oh I'd try to give you everything
And if I fail, well then I fail, but at least I gave you something

I could put my trust in.
Giving up the heart - it makes the difference,
And how can you afford to settle down?
When I, I would promise to love you now,
but I would lovingly let you down...

I'll be honest with you here for a minute. I believe that this is my outlook on life, and relationships in general. I'm not saying that I believe that I'm going to let everyone I've ever met down, but I don't feel like it's a bad thing to try something, even if you don't succeed. We may have tried to be friends and it didn't really work out...that's ok. If we tried to date and that didn't work out, that's ok too. I'm not stressing it.

Hear me out. I'm not talking about half-assing it and being all "oh, guess it just wasn't meant to be," but if you seriously put your best into something and it doesn't work out, then how can you hold it against yourself? You probably learned some valuable lessons, and you had some good times. Maybe it's a little cold or callous to say that when you're talking about someone who once meant a lot to you, but it's the truth. At least for me.

The other part, the part about lovingly letting you down, that part's true for me too, at least as far as dating relationships go. I'm not much for commitment. Commitment is too much like parole for me. There is no reason for me to check in and let you know what I'm doing and where I'm going on a regular basis. I didn't do anything wrong, so you should trust me to be out without you or you knowing my schedule 24/7. Sorry, that's just not me.

But that's a whole 'nother story. So for now, I leave you with this: good times are never wasted times.









For a good time, click here.

I Get That a Lot

For fans of Jeff Probst, click here.

For fans of Leann Rimes, click here.

For fans of Heidi Klum, click here.

For fans of Ice-T, click here.

For fans of Mario Lopez, click here.

For fans of none of the above, you lose.

Like A Waterfall

When it rains, it pours, or so they say. I'm not sure who this "they" is, but the saying seems to be correct nonetheless.

Today was one of those crazy days that happen only in New York, and only to spastic people like me. It started off simply enough. I woke up, showered, ate some lunch (since I slept past noon - it's the weekend, c'mon) read a little bit. Then I decided that my routine was way too boring for a Saturday, especially a beautiful Saturday in the city.

Let me preface this story with some background information. Last week, my boss asked me to proofread her blog about design week. She'd attended some event at the Javits Center. In proofreading, I googled the Javits Center to make sure she spelled the name right (she didn't) and found myself on the page for Fangocon NYC, hosted by Fangoria. Among those participating in the festivities was James Marsters, best known for his role as Spike on Buffy.

I will be perfectly frank with you right now: I love this man. I mean, not love him for real, I understand he plays a fictional character on television, and he's probably twice my age. But I have a lot of respect for him. He was in 3 of my favorite TV shows, had a band I obsessed over, and is just so damn cute. I'm not saying I think I'm the next Mrs. Marsters, because hey, never met the guy and usually that's a prerequisite for true love, but when it comes to him, I do tend to get a little fangirly. Must be the hair :)

Anyway, other than Buffy and Angel, I'm not that big into horror. I like the Twilight series and most vampire stuff in general, but the whole Freddy Kruegger thing (if I even spelled that right) scares the hell out of me...in a not so good way. I try to avoid it for the most part. But I was willing to go anyway, if only to catch a glimpse of the illustrious former vamp. And I was willing to pay the relatively cheap conference price for the day in order to attend his concert.

But as luck would have it, I didn't have to! The concert was not part of the event, so you didn't need to have a convention ticket to go, meaning that I was able to skip the scariness in full AND save money. Go me.

The concert was incredible! James sang a bunch of awesome songs, including one that he'd only performed in public once before, based on a movie he was in. He interacted with the crowd too. At the very beginning, he told us all that we seemed so far away and asked us to move our seats closer to him. There was a little bit of an issue with the speakers and some feedback, but it was an all-around amazing experience.

The best part was right after the speakers failed the second time. James was taking a break from playing while some guy tried to fix it, and a member of the audience asked what kind of guitar he had. He took a minute to explain that his Gibson had been drop-kicked by accident or something like that, and mentioned that a fan had given him this guitar and that he took it all over the world. At this point, a lady in the front row started sobbing. It turns out she'd given it to him, and he thanked her again and told her how much he loved it. It's always nice when a fan gets to talk to someone they like so much, isn't it? The rest of his performance was very smooth and I bought his CD, Like A Waterfall. I'm not disappointed :)

After the event (and a phone call to my mother letting her know she is now forgiven from banning me from going to London to see him in concert while I was still in high school) I hit up Starbucks and started to walk home. I wasn't planning to walk the whole way, but I always enjoy mocking tourists at Times Square for not knowing how to avoid the comedy club promoters, so I thought it would be amusing. On my way, I saw a woman driving a jeep. But not just any jeep. This was the BARBIE jeep. I kid you not, it was bright pink with the BARBIE logo on the side. I only wish I had managed to get a pic before she barrelled through the light.

Thinking that would be the most exciting thing on my walk, I put away my camera and headed uptown. I'd made it to about 43rd when I saw a familiar face attached to a freakishly tall and thin body. Yup, it was definitely Paris Hilton, sans any BFF. She should really give that show a third try. I know the second one's not over yet, but they're probably done taping it right? So wouldn't you think she'd have some BFF arm candy or something? She was with another girl, but it seemed more follower than friendship. Perhaps another "hungry tiger" on the loose. And may I just say, if you have to make a TV show to find a BFF, maybe you should be eaten by a hungry tiger? Just a thought.

I ended up walking to Columbus Circle, where I took some fabulous pics of the fountains. I love those fountains, with the steps and the lights. So beautiful. It was the perfect way to end the perfect night.

Rainy Days and Laziness

Normally, I am a big fan of rain. I love rain. I love the smell of it, the fresh clean feeling of being washed clean, the sound of it falling on the roof. I love the fact that it makes the grass grow, and it allows flowers to blossom, and that we can now eat amazing fruits and vegetables (preferably in ice cream sundaes and burritos) because of it. What can I say, it's the farmgirl in me.

Because of this, I am usually pretty forgiving of the bad things that come along with rain. The squishy shoes, the people who don't know how to walk without hitting someone in the face with the edge of their umbrella, it's all not a big deal. But you know what is a big deal? Having a melting wall! Yes, that's right, my room has a leak. And now the paint is slowly sliding down the wall, my bed is in the center of my room, and my mattress is finally dry after about 30 minutes of blow-drying it. For real, my wall is drooping more than Hillary Clinton's face. Gotta call the landlord this weekend.

In slightly more exciting news, my boss took us to the movies during work today to see Valentino: The Last Emperor. Despite my career in fashion, I really know nothing about haute couture, so I had no idea what the movie was about until we got there. It was surprisingly good, although I do have to admit that my favorite part was the Fandango bag commercial. But Valentino is the most divalicious man on the face of the planet. He pays someone to brush his dogs' teeth. You can tell it's going to be a good movie when his lover Giancarlo asks him who should be watching him and Valentino responds "Everyone!" And the most priceless line ever: "Those bannisters are terrible. They remind me of Macy's." Epic Win.

I only hope that someday I will be rich enough to threaten not to come to my own party if someone doesn't move the bathrooms. Yeah, right.

Cabs in NYC

The only thing worse then having to take the subway at 1 in the morning when you are just leaving work is leaving something in a cab in NYC.

I somehow managed to lose both my cell and my shades in a cab last night after Gen Art, a huge sample sale that took place at 7W. Go me.

Luckily, the cab driver answered my phone and told my friend I could get it tonight at 8, which explains why I am still at work, waiting for the phone to ring.

It looks like Perez and snack food at the office tonight. Super exciting :)

Fashion Forward

Tips for the summer:

In
plaid
metallic sandals
hot pink nail polish
neons in any form
maxi dresses
jumpers

Out
leggings without long shirts, giving everyone full view of your camel toe
black nail polish (sorry Glambert)
sleeves
denim minis (this year is all about the shorts, ladies - bermudas, short shorts, etc.)
tranny makeup
and, for those of us who live in the city, clothing in general is out, as it is already like a million degrees

Summer Mix Tape

After my wonderful roadtrip, I took a few minutes to compile a mix tape for the next time (hopefully this summer)...here's how it goes.

1. The Best of Me - The Starting Line
2. When the Day Met the Night - Panic at the Disco
3. Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground
4. Church of Hot Addiction - Cobra Starship
5. If You Seek Amy - Britney Spears
6. Rumored Nights - The Academy Is...
7. Does Your Cat Have a Mustache - The Format
8. Lovesong - The Cure
9. Make Out Kids - Motion City Soundtrack
10. X-Ray - Black Lab
11. Ok, I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't - Brand New
12. We Both Go Down Together - The Decemberists
13. Don't Push Love Away - The Juliana Theory
14. Mistakes We Knew We Were Making - Mae
15. I Remember Me - This Day and Age
16. Perfect Sonnet - Bright Eyes
17. This Aint A Surfin Movie - Minus the Bear
18. Hey Baby - No Doubt
19. Break it Off - Sean Paul
20. Our Time Now - Plain White T's
21. The Richest Kids in Town - This is Ivy League
22. Echo - Trapt
23. Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard
24. That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) - Panic at the Disco
25. 7 Weeks - Gym Class Heroes

Fire Drill

So apparently at my office building, when they have a fire drill, you are supposed to wait by the elevators and listen to a lecture about how to exit the building safely. Some of us (I won't name any names...cough *me* cough) thought that the people waiting by the elevators were really dumb, because aren't you supposed to take the stairs in case of a fire?

Upon returning from our iced coffee run (isn't that what fire drills are for?), my office-mates and I were stopped in our tracks by the building super, who wanted to know why we skipped out on mandatory fire safety lessons. My excuse? "Oh, that's what that was. I was wondering why nobody was leaving."

The best part? Some guy walks out the door to one of the other offices, walks halfway to the stairs and goes, "Eh, I don't really actually work here," then turns around and goes back to the room he came from.

Way to go, buddy.

An Exercise in Spontaneity

"What are you doing this weekend?" My good friend asked me on Thursday night. I didn't have any plans, so I agreed to go with her to Mountain Jam. Now, let me put it this way. We live in NYC. Mountain Jam, as the name clearly states, is in the mountains. What mountain range is near NYC?

That's right...none. The closest are probably the Peekskills and the Catskills. But neither is exactly right around the corner here. And we both had to work on Friday. So around 7:30, I finished up at work, and we began our long trek toward Albany.

However, in order to go to upstate New York, you apparently have to go into New Jersey. Not just anywhere in New Jersey either, but right near Secaucus, which is the reason that 99.9% of people outside of NJ think it smells like ass.

Thus begins our voyage. After a few tunnels, twists and turns, we make our way to what we assumed would be a fairly short stretch of our trip, taking a road from exit 15 to 20. After about 15 minutes on the road, when we still haven't found exit 16, I take a closer look at the directions. For real? To go 5 exits, it was 70 miles!!! No lie! The only change in scenery the entire time was that at one point, there was a Target truck in front of us and the rest of the time, there was nothing. Or on rare occasions, another car.

But we eventually make it to the end of the road, find our exit and get off the highway. Whew. After a quick stop at McDonalds, we return to what is supposed to be the easy part of our journey. One more quick turn, and then we go straight until we hit it, right?

Wrong. The directions end, leaving us in the middle of nowhere. So we call a friend who was already at Mountain Jam and ask which way we are supposed to go. After several U-turns in people's driveways and a bit of confusion with a lodge sign stating "Mountain Jam" even though it clearly wasn't where we were supposed to be, we finally made it.

In hindsight, it sounds terribly unhappy. But once we parked in the farthest parking spot ever, wandered to the VIP tent for our passes (courtesy of a good friend) and made it into the festival, we realized that Mountain Jam was the greatest idea ever. Now don't get me wrong, I love me some hippies and all that, but I was more excited about being in the mecca of fried foods than the mountain/camping thing.

The first sight I saw after we walked in was a giant sign glistening in the air, screaming my name. Well, it actually said "deep fried oreos," but still...I had to go. After a quick detour to thank my lovely friend who got us passes, I made my way straight over to the most delicious food I've ever tasted and handed over half of what was in my wallet for a slice of fried heaven. Yum!

Shopping was next on the agenda. We showed up to see Eric Krasno and Chapter 2, so we had until approximately 1 in the morning until we had someplace to be. Or 2 in the morning. Whatev, it was late. An old man asked my friend and I to buy our dads little jars to store their drugs in for Father's Day. We both passed.

After shopping, my friend and I worked our way over to the venue where we were going to see Chapter 2. We had these nifty access passes, so we were allowed to enter the venue 2 hours early, and just kind of hang out, ie nap. There isn't really a comfortable way to sleep on a stone floor, but we managed...sort of.

Let me just say, Chapter 2's show was INCREDIBLE! I'd never heard them play before, but they were the highlight of my weekend (sorry, deep fried oreos, you lose). Of course, this could just be because I saw them play not once, but twice (they played Saturday night at Sullivan Hall - phenom!). They even had guest appearances from George Porter, Jr. (premier bass player of New Orleans) and Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band. It was sensational! And it was freaking awesome to see so many people at their show. There was even this girl with no pants that got up and danced onstage, until she was escorted off. Tres amazing!

Since we had to be home early the next (read: that) morning, we headed out shortly after the show ended. Everyone was really tired, so we took a nap in the parking lot of the same McDonalds, and then drove back to NJ to NYC. Aside from some pastries, Red Bull and a close call with the cops, it was a fairly uneventful trip home. We didn't get lost (well, maybe a little) and we made it back in plenty of time. And then we all went to bed.

And that, my friends, is what I'd like to call a "Choose Your Own Adventure."

Starbucks = Love

Today is definitely a day for frappuccinos. It's soooo warm out! Hopefully this means winter will be ending soon.

In other news, I <3 Neil Gaiman. Can't wait to see Coraline! Stardust was pretty great too, although I liked the book a little better...but maybe I'm just a nerd.

Yesterday was the best ever. I was standing in the subway, waiting for my train, when this man who was playing the guitar began to sing Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark." And he was singing and playing WELL, a rare occurrence these days (at least in the subway). I was very excited.

Other happy things: tax refunds, bosses who take week-long vacations, "Does Your Cat Have a Moustache" by the Format and my newest obsession, www.smartprettyandawkward.com. Check it out!

<3 <3 <3

It's Friday the 13th! Yay.

Also, there are rumors floating around that Gambit is going to be in the new Wolverine movie. Hopefully, this time he really will be in it :)

Last One, I Swear

Ok, so one last thing: Red Jumpsuit Apparatus has a new album that should be out on Feb 3rd. So excited! I saw the video for "You Better Pray" last night and it was very enjoyable. Unfortunately, Elias (the guitarist) left the group. Whatev. The song still sounded good to me. Anyway, I can't wait for Lonely Road. Then we've got ComicCon and Bamboozle and all sorts of other great things to look forward to...I'm super thrilled!

Blast from the Past

Just in case you were wondering...

Taran Noah Smith (the youngest kid from Home Improvement) does not in fact own a vegan cart in the streets of New York City. I know, I know, you've probably seen Jared, who works at Barnes and Noble's and totally looks like a grown up version of this kid, who has been spouting this lie, but it's so not true. Nope, this kid is way better off than that. He runs a vegan restaurant in Studio City, that he used to share with his wife, until the divorce. She was about a million years old, he was like 12 when they got married. Ok, total exaggeration. I think he was 17 and she was probably in her mid-thirties. To be honest, I kind of like the idea of him running a falafel stand on 8th street better.

And in case you wanted to know what happened to Jared from Zoom? Don't ask. It's sad. But Zoey goes to NYU, or so I've heard.

Newest Obsession

Yesterday was the Chinese New Year (yay, it is now the year of the Ox!!!) and it's only fitting that my newest obsession is Asian inspired. I rang in the New Year watching the greatest movie ever set in China...that's right, I'm talking about Kung Fu Panda!

For real, not only is Kung Fu Panda funny, with an all-star cast, but what other movie with ever teach you that a duck can have a panda as a biological son? None. Ever. Epic Win.

I'm officially back in NY now :) The Florida weather was nice, and my friend's wedding was beautiful!!! but I'm so glad to be back for good. And I don't have any cavities! Talk about great oral feng shui.

Now all I have to do is clean my room, and all will be right in the world.

Katy Perry?

Or is this better? Click here to see my new favorite Twilight Tee!

Maybe...

I'll write a fanfic about what happened to Deborah and Nick after the books ended. Just maybe.

The Secret Circle

So I just finished reading this series called "The Secret Circle" and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. LJ Smith is probably one of the most underrated YA novelists. I thought the Vampire Diaries were very well written, and that was back before I realized that they came out before the Twilight series, meaning that they were also mostly original (and leading me to believe that Stephenie Meyer is not as ignorant of vampire lore as she says she is...hmm). The Secret Circle series was even better, although I'm a little disappointed about the way it ends. Nick and Deborah are my two favorite characters in this series, and I felt like they could have used some more time in the spotlight. Especially Nick. I also thought that Adam was totally boring and kind of a pansy, whereas Nick was more of a man. But I guess totally boring and pansy-ish is in nowadays. At least in the literary world. In a world where Bella Swan would have picked Edward Cullen over trying for Jasper Hale...yes, boring and pansy-ish is definitely the latest trend.

Please, God, do not let me write about lame boys. Oh, and none of that "the bad guy is your father" crap either. So overdone.

So to recap: my next book is going to be about a girl who dates the dullest guy on the planet and finds out that her dad is evil. Not.

After the last few days...

I believe there is a bottle of Jack Daniel's with my name on it. Seriously. Or at the very least, there should be a flask of something or other in my purse when I wake up. Tomorrow is not going to be good. No no no.

I miss Rachel :(

Shadow Kiss

PS I know, I'm a huge book nerd, but if you are into this whole Twilight obsession, you should check out the Vampire Academy series. I have loved it from the beginning, but book 3 was just released and I may die of curiosity before the next one comes out in July. Shadow Kiss, the third installment, was one of the most masterful YA series novels that I have read in a long time. Everything about it was just spot on. The pacing...the character development was flawless. I won't spoil it for you, but it doesn't look like there is a happy ending in store for ANYONE in the series :( I don't know how Richelle Mead is going to write her way out of this one, and with only 2 books left, but if anyone can do it, it would be her.

Also recommended: The Bean Trees, Ink Exchange and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Time to put that library card to good use (just don't listen to the guy putting away books and put your books on the cart by the door. That is not the RETURNS cart, it's the GIVEAWAY cart. And then you owe the library $90 and your soul. True story.) or even your CC.

2009

It's only been the new year for a few days and already I have this feeling that it will be the best so far. Saved by the Bell Marathons, paid vacation days, cake batter ice cream, and Taylor Lautner has been confirmed for New Moon, lol. Yes, I lead a very shallow existence.

But seriously, things are looking up this year. It'll be my first full year living in NYC and New Year's Eve was certainly done right (pictures to come later). The Blue Note = fabulous. Their french fries = even better. People bringing takeout into a $20-50 a meal restaurant eating out of Styrofoam and getting yelled at by waiters? Awesome. Strangers from Philly coming up and asking to take their picture with your non-famous friend because she is dating the bassist, who is an incredible musician, but also not famous? BEST EVER!

Yup, this is the year...