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.