What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been

Today has been so weird that it's actually kind of comical.

1.) Had to reset my alarm clock last night. Thought I was setting for AM. Apparently I sat it for PM, as I startled awake to a morning-lit room thirty minutes late on my own. Dangit. Got ready for work in a tornadic fashion and made it here near enough "on-time" to call it good.

2.) This morning as I was getting ready to walk out the door I heard this dragging, thumping, scratching noise...from inside my place. I figure that the cat must be wrestling a toy somewhere. I finally spotted her, sitting completely still and staring at the ceiling. From a hole (drilled at some point, I assume, for wiring) in the ceiling, little bits of wood shavings and chunks were being dropped. The noise continued (**scraatch, scratch, scritch, thump, THUMP**). By the sound of it, there is something significantly larger than a mouse living amongst the rafters, above my ceiling, but below the floor of the level above. A squirrel possibly, a LARGE one, maybe the king of squirrels cracking boulders of walnuts on my ceiling. Fab. (*Thump, THUMP*)

3.) I chose a pair of white pants with pinstripes this morning. I hadn't worn them literally all winter, but for some reason they seemed like a good idea. Post squirrel invasion, but still running unnervingly late, I rushed out the door to realize that it was raining. I was wearing white pants, had no umbrella, and it was raining. No time to change. FAB.

4.) The best of all. As it has been a pretty hectic week, I rushed home at lunch to try to catch up a little bit on housekeeping that's been neglected. Vacuuming seemed a good, minimally dirty task to do, in my ill-chosen white pants. Started vacuuming, and soon discovered that the filter was clogged. Took said filter out on the back porch to be shaken off my second story balcony.

In the midst of shaking, thought to myself, "You'd better get a good grip on that filter so you don't drop it." Readjusted grip and continued shaking. Paper filter then fell two stories to the ground below, after detaching itself from the vacuum lid that I was still tightly gripping. Note: My apartment complex has completely fenced off the area behind our apartments with six foot privacy fencing to prevent animals/intruders/etc. from getting to our patios. This would prove problematic if there were ever a fire, as that is also where our fire escapes are... nonetheless ...back to the story.

If I left the paper filter on the ground until later it would surely have been ruined in the rain. I decided that the best course of action was to climb down the fire escape onto my lower neighbor's balcony, climb over the railing, grab the filter, and get the heck out of there before he opened his door with a shotgun in hand thinking someone was trying to break in. I did so, in my white pants, not realizing how grimy my neighbor's railing I had to scale would be. After making it back inside, and cleaning my pants up, I reattached the filter and began vacuuming again.

Immediately the vaccum started to make this horrible grinding noise and smelled hot. Apparently in the shaking/dropping fiasco a small plastic tab that holds the filter on, broke off, leaving my vacuum BROKEN AND USELESS. Now I wasted my entire lunch break, am dusty, and still have a dirty apartment. FAAAAAAAAB.

There is still quite a bit of day left. I am more than mildly concerned.

(Photo courtesy Darragh Sherwin)

Etsy Love

I've said it before but I loooooove Etsy. There's so much great stuff on there and I often find myself thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?" But, I didn't. I'm just glad that some fab artists did so that the rest of us can enjoy some amazing things.

Currently I am loving:

Tees from rose la biche. They're made of American Apparel tees, which makes them surely fantastically comfy. The detailing makes them pretty and feminine. The perfect thing to wear on days that you want to feel fabulous without trying too hard.

Sea urchin rings from Star of the East. The makers find the shells on the abandoned beaches near their home in Turkey. (Doesn't that just sound amazing?!) They're unique, and though some are quite large, have a delicate quality about them.

A dreamy little terrarium from Gnome Homes. I think I'd like to live there.

A sunny yellow purse for summer from Handbags by Daphne. If you're like me and constantly forgetting where you sat your purse around the house, this color will surely be easy to spot.

This sweet, sweet Steve Zissou print from Autumn & Eve Illustration. This is pretty much just too cool for words.

"If There's a Camel Up a Hill..."

The BF and I laughed our heads off at this silly thing all weekend. WARNING: You will be singing these messed up lyrics for at least a day.

Young Love

"We wanted to take the train to the airport, and then catch a plane. Then we would unpack, and get married once we arrived. Then we wanted to go for a little holiday." --Mika, age 6

This was the explanation given by Mika, when he, Anna Bell (7) and Anna Bell's sister, Anna-Lena (5) were caught at a German train station on the morning of January 1st. Mika and Anna Bell planned to travel to Africa, with Anna-Lena in tow, to get married. (*Awww!*)

The cuteness continues: apparently train station noticed something was up when they saw the kiddos carrying lots of swim gear in the dead of winter. They had packed food, swimsuits, sunglasses, and an inflated pool float!

After convincing them that they wouldn't get far without money or travel tickets, police reunited the young lovebirds (and sister) with their parents.

View a video of the cuties here.

(Photo courtesy eyliam)

Reach for the Sun

One of my favorite clips from a fantastic show. Perfect for brightening a somewhat overcast February day.

Only 28 days until Spring!

On the Road...Again...

Sorry for the lapse in postings this week. I've started my spring career fair circuit and have been preparing for and on the road a ton.

It's nice to be out of the office for a bit, but the Missouri highways can get a little dull after the first hour in the car alone. I've been using a ton of cell phone minutes, singing along to some sweet tunes, and honking my horn just to hear it on deserted strips of highway. (*MEEEEEP!*)

Can I also just say, thank goodness for iTunes movie rentals and my sweet, sweet iPod. Plug in and listen...it's like having a little surround sound theater in my car.

My first career fair was a little bittersweet this round, though. Most events I attend are sponsored by universities, and I love working with college students. They're always so excited and kind of sweetly naiive about the working world. They're about to get a degree and have all the options in the world spread out before them.

In light of the recent economic situation, however, you can see something else that I haven't seen before...worry, concern, doubt. It would be really scary to be trying to get your very first real job when all you hear about every day are how few jobs are available, and they're getting less and less every day.

On a different note, apparently I need to take lessons from the military recruiters. I always watch them snag people right and left and wonder how they do it. I sat right across from the Marine guys yesterday and still couldn't figure out their secret.

(Photo courtesy idealist.org)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I plan on being out and about and enjoying myself on this fabulous three day weekend.

Happy Love Day to all my lovelies!!

(Photo courtesy Swamibu)

Pomegranate Phone

So I found the KING of all phones today. The Pomegranate Phone is probably the coolest thing ever. It's a phone, a camera, an internet browser, a GPS, an Mp3 player, a video projector, a translator, an electric razor, makes a great cup of coffee, and a harmonica! Waiiit.....

I was almost with them until the business guys ordered fries, and the woman started shaving her legs in her office....and the harmonica....

Apparently this whole thing is an elaborate marketing plan for Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia?? Wow...I bet those taxpayers are happy.

Valentine '09

Valentine's Day is almost upon us! For those of you who aren't exactly on top of things and still need something sweet for your sweetie, check out some of my Valentine's Day '09 picks:

1.) A tiny Valentine from World's Smallest Postal Service.

2.) A customized guitar pick from JcJeweleryDesign

3.) Some Christopher Elbow Chocolates (the first time I got some I almost couldn't eat them because they are so pretty!)

4.) This sweet poster from ReForm School

5.) This envelope secret necklace from Zare

6.) "Friday I'm In Love" tee from Threadless

(** Note to the BF: This does not mean that you are getting any of this stuff so stop trying to guess, mister!**)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Could I BE more excited about this?!?

A Match Made At Merge Records

I'm a little late, but I think my heart grew two sizes yesterday when I heard about a match made in indie-rock heaven.

Sometime in late 2008 one of my faves, actress/songstress Zooey Deschanel, got engaged to another of my faves, Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard.

Everyone together now... AWWWW!!

(Photos courtesy Dese'Rae L. Stage and gussifer)

Let's Hear It for the Boyz

The web is buzzing this morning over last night's 51st Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony. There are about a gazillion posts covering ladies fashion at last night's events, but I'd like to give the guys a little love with my very own Adult Life: Take Two's Men of the Grammys 2009.

**Disclaimer: This is but a small blog and I'm going to have to link to everything since it is all copyrighted...deal**

Coldplay: I love you guys, and I loved these Sgt. Pepperesque outfits for the tour, but for the red carpet?? I would have really liked to see them in suits, but they're so rad they can almost pull it off.

L.L. Cool J: Ladies may love you, but are you working your golf caddy gig after the show?

T-Pain: One word--FAIL!

Death Cab for Cutie: You have totally pulled off the "indie band at an awards show" with excellence. You are not color coordinated or too matchy, you look hip, but not disrespectful, with just a tinge of rumpledness and slightly messy-but-done hair. Perfect!

John Mayer: I usually love your fashion choices, but tonight's outfit screams anime hero to me. Too shiny, too dark, and the mandarin collar is goofy.

The Jonas Brothers: You all look a little silly to me at 26, but if I was 15 I would love you.

Dave Grohl: I don't know what exactly the motivation was, but you are Dave Grohl and you could look cool in a plastic sack.

Jason Mraz: I like that you broke out of the "black" box with your grey suit, and added a little color with the shirt and tie, but did you really have to wear the woven hat?

Ne-Yo: You on the other hand pulled the hat off completely. I love the ascot tie.

Robert Plant: You are a rock icon and you swept the awards, so you can pretty much get away with anything. This is one instance that the tshirt/jacket combo actually seems to work.

And my best dressed male pick, Jay-Z: Everything about this is good. Classic black and white, it all fits perfectly, and he looks overall super-polished.

(Photo courtesy ericrichardson)

"Dude, it's called a wall..."

Heard a hilarious interview with comedian Demetri Martin, of The Daily Show, on Friday's NPR Fresh Air.

"I wonder if there were any goths in gothic times? They'd be like 'You look completely appropriate. You don't look stupid or lonely at all'."

Listen here.

(Photo courtesy Tammylo)

Caution Zombies Ahead!

Good thing the BF got a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide for Christmas so he knows how to keep us safe!

Pranksters across the country have posted various "creative" warning messages on DOT roadsigns, following a post on Jalopnik called How to Hack An Electronic Road Sign. The site says "DO NOT under any circumstances run around hacking into electronic road signs using the information contained in this step-by-step guide of how to transmit hilarious messages to passing motorists." ...right before giving explicit instructions on how to do so.

Jalopnik followed up with We Told You Not To Hack the Electronic Road Signs, Didn't We? a day later with a link to some Today Show footage showing the carnage of roadsigns in several states.

So far these warning messages have showed up in Collinsville Ill., Austin, and Indianapolis, with I'm sure more to follow until the DOT makes signs less hacker-friendly.

Listen to a clip on this from NPR's Morning Edition here.

(photo via NY Daily News)

Blast from the Sesame Street Past

Sometimes when I'm bored or down I surf YouTube for some lighthearted videos. I got so excited when I rediscovered these guys recently! They were some of my favorites.

I Can't Quite Put My Nose On It

I noticed that I was down to the last few squirts of my favorite perfume, Lovely by SJP. Thinking it may be time for a change, I've had my eye out for my new signature fragrance. I'm into clean scents and light florals, but loathe anything that smells too strongly of baby powder, musk, or patchouli. I'm also a fan of unique scents, because I'd like to think that I smell different (and maybe better :) ) than the masses. In my search I've definitely run across a few that are more unique than I'd expected.

You've probably heard by now, but Burger King has a fragrance called Flame out. Apparently it smells like "seduction, with a hint of flame broiled meat." Gross.

Demeter also has some pretty unique options in their fragrance library. Two of my most surprising finds for the kid in you: Play-doh and Crayon. Then again, they also have fragrances that smell like various cocktails and desserts, dust, mushroom, lobster, grass, sushi, and even...cannabis. Classy :).

My favorite unconventional scent maker so far is CB: I Hate Perfume. Christopher Brosius creates natural, alcohol free scents that often correspond with his memories of certain places. Gathering Apples is "thousands of ripe, red MacIntosh apples with a bit of old weathered wood from the bushel baskets." Winter 1972 smells like "a field of untouched newfallen snow, handknit woolen mittens covered with frost, a hint of frozen forest and sleeping earth." I'm most curious about In the Library which is described as "english novel taken from a signed first edition copy of one of my favorite novels, Russian and Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish." I'm totally intrigued and would love to visit his shop in Brooklyn. He'll even whip up a custom scent for you!

This past weekend, the BF and I were at Sephora and he offered to help me narrow down some choices from their massive wall of perfume. We both sniffed and spritzed for a while, and eventually I'd narrowed it to two. While he was across the store I spritzed a test strip with each of the finalists and approached him for a blind sniff test. May I just say, he is such a good sport :). He gave each serious consideration and finally said "I like the first one, but I just think the second one is it." The second one, and ultimately the winner, was....drumroll please.........Lovely. Ha ha ha. At least I know what works!

(Photo courtesy Ms. Tina)

Q: What's Black and White and Red All Over?

A: Me, in my work clothes, covered in the milk I just dumped all over myself in the grocery store checkout lane...humiliated.


Yeah...this was me today. Stopped by the grocery store after work, list in hand. I breezed through and made my way to the self-checkout. I sat my basket on the platform and started scanning my stuff. Then, in slow-mo, I realized just too late that I'd upset the balance of the basket. My half-gallon bottle, GLASS BOTTLE, of milk is on the outside edge of the basket. The basket, the milk, two limes, and my shampoo all crashed to the floor. Of course the glass shattered and the milk exploded all over the floor, the basket, and my shoes. I literally had milk IN my shoes...my WORK SHOES. GAH!! Sometimes, I am such a nerd.

To make matters worse, it was a frosty, half-gallon of Shatto 1%....my favorite. What a waste!! Uggggh!

I must have been five shades of red. At least no one taunted me...


Ok, it's true, I just put that in there to distract you. What? You still remember that I completely embarrassed myself...in public...? Yeah me too.

(Photo courtesy zoomar)

Almost Sprung

The groundhog saw his shadow today...sadly :(. Oh well, the end is in sight.

In my family, quirky as this is, one of the surest signs spring was on it's way is that you start noticing that the skunks are emerging from hibernation (usually seen in the form of roadkill, yuck!). Laugh if you will, but it's always true!

Anyway, Spring hasn't quite sprung yet as the skunks are still napping, however I noticed another promising (and less stinky) sign of it's approach this weekend in the form of SANDALS DISPLAYS AT NORDSTROMS!! I nearly swooned.

Having the promise of those pretty, strappy shoes makes it a lot easier to hear that after being 60 degrees on Saturday, we're looking at another week in the teens. Blech! So for a brief but therapeutic time, I parked myself in the women's shoes, peeled off my leather boots and fuzzy winter socks, tried fairly unsuccessfully to hide my gross non-pedicured winter toes, and ogled (and even tried on) some of these:

Steve Madden: "Lukas"

Linea Paolo: "Angelique"

Eric Michael: "Helen"

Born: "Begonia"

Kate Spade: "Grace"