I Can Haz A Happy?

It's kind of been one of *those* days.
By that, I mean that it is 2:45 pm, and I'm already on my third venti black iced tea from Starbucks.

Yesterday, a coworker told me I looked "frumpy."
The conversation went something like this:

Coworker: You look frumpy today.
Me: Excuse me?
Coworker: Frumpy. That's a word, right?
Me: It is. But you clearly don't know what it means.
Coworker: I do, too! It means "casual."
Me: Perhaps you'd better look it up.
Coworker: goes to the computer and uses the magic of Teh Internets to discover the hidden meaning of the word "frumpy"
Me: Well?
Coworker:...yeah. Sorry about that.
Me: I thought so.
Coworker: You usually look really cute. Today is not just one of your best days.
Me: Just stop talking. Please.

Keep digging, buddy. Keep digging.

Primary annoyance in this instance = lack of vocabulary. Or, at the very least, an informed vocabulary.
Secondary annoyance = did I f-ing ask for your opinion? No? Okay then. Move along.
Tertiary annoyance = the fact that I did not, in fact, look frumpy. Casual, maybe. But NOT frumpy.

Moral of the story = don't use words unless you know what they mean. And don't tell girls (or anyone, for that matter) that they look unattractive, whether through the use of that word or any of it's constituents.*

*It should be said that this coworker is, in general, very sweet and complimentary to me. We have a relationship that one might liken to siblings. I think that perhaps it was just a case of not thinking before a mouth was opened. I'm not mad about it currently, but I was quite irked yesterday. It just wasn't one of this particular person's finer moments. Or, rather, one of their "better days."

Also, my boss insists upon using the term "beaver" or "puh-say" when referring to the female genitalia (trust me, in my line of work it's actually something that gets discussed regularly, though not for recreational purposes). I've told her many, MANY times that these words make me uncomfortable in that particular context. I don't understand why she can't simply use the phrase "bikini wax" or "Brazilian." Using those other phrases is a tad unprofessional in my eyes. And, if you KNOW that something makes one of your employees uncomfortable, wouldn't you do your best to make sure that they are comfortable, and therefore happy in their work environment?

Also also, I have a headache.

On the plus side, tomorrow is Saturday.
Which means that the next day is Sunday.
Which means the start of my three-day weekend AND that my sister is coming home.
I like this.

taken from here.
And I like that this is the little guy so cute.
How can you look at this picture and NOT smile?
That's right.
You can't.

I think my day is looking up.

Gather 'Round, Designers

Damn.

Tim Gunn let Team Luxe haaaaaaaave it on tonight's episode.

Dear Timmy,

You are my fave.
Make it work.

PS- Gretchen is a heinous bitch.

We Can Sail the Seven Seas

I've been a little obsessed with navy blue and nautical-themed looks lately.
Perfect for fall, no?

Yellow short trench coat, 38 GBP
MEADOWS Shorts mit Aufschlag in Khaki, 70 EUR
Knitted Pointelle Crop Jumper, $70
John Lewis Women Tracey Tote Handbag, Orange, 29 GBP
Forever21.com - New Arrivals - Accessories, $7.80
Ray-Ban 8041 Aviator Titanium Shiny Gold Polarised > Ray-Ban..., 153 GBP
NARS Lip Lacquer - Baby Doll, $24
OPI Holiday Wishes Collection, Comet Loves Cupid OPI Nail Polish, $7.99
Sperry Top-Sider Angelfish at Zappos.com, $75

Muzak

A'ight.
Remember how I was kinda sorta bitching about the lack of music in my life?
Well, let me say this: I have some pretty awesome friends.

First:
Eric (who doesn't have a blog because he's a Luddite, otherwise I would link him) was kind enough to take me to Lollapalooza a few weekends ago.
One word: EPIC.
The main focus of the trip was Greenday as a headliner (judge all you want...I happen to love them), but we also got to experience some other very cool bands. Observe:

Spoon- which is actually on my iPod, but not something I listen to on a regular basis. I guess I'll have to start because they are most satisfactory as musical entertainment.

Pheonix- they happened to be on almost the same time as Greenday, and while I wasn't about to miss a moment of that for anything other than death or dismemberment, we were able to hear some of their show. If you're not familiar, get acquainted. They do not disappoint.

Social Distortion- not exactly *new*, but new to me, I guess? I would've enjoyed hearing more or their performance, but I was occupied with the task of babysitting drunk people at the particular time of the night.

Slightly Stoopid- kind of Sublime wannabes, I think. But who doesn't likeSublime? That's right. Nobody doesn't like Sublime.

We also had the good fortune to hear Wolfgang Gartner, a DJ who was pretty rockin'. I would've liked to have seen Arcade Fire, MGMT, and Peanut Butter Wolf but I had to work earlier in the day so that didn't happen. At least I've got some good inspiration for some new tunes. Ya dig?


Second:
Speaking of DJs and being awesome, something you may or may not know about me is that I happen to lurve Girl Talk. I'm trying to get away from the trap of Top 40 songs and the crap you have to wade through to find the one decent artist, but Girl Talk makes all that exponentially more tolerable by mixing current, popular songs into one continuous track and meshing them all together to create one gigantic amazing song.
Now that we've taken care of that, I shall move on to the point of Part II of my super-cool music story. A good friend of mine, who is a DJ, gave me a copy of a disc he made using the same concept, only with older hip-hop songs. I'm not too familiar with the hip-hop genre (I grew up on the North Shore, what do you want from me?), but I have to say that I find this CD perfectly incredible. I wish that I had the vision and creative mind to listen to a bunch of songs and then smush them all together to create something...well, something that's even something at all. So, I've been jamming to that a lot lately, too.

Third:
Some very, very generous soul (you know who you are) found it in their hearts to burn me a few discs (and by a few I mean SIX, plus a copy of the new season of The IT Crowd) of some music they thought I would like:
Yeasayer- "All Hour Symbols" & "Odd Blood"
Hot Chip- "The Warning"
Gorillaz- "Plastic Beach"
LCD Soundsystem- "This is Happening"
Gang of Four- "Solid Gold"
I'll let you know how it all works out, but I've got a good feeling about these.


That's two stagnant areas down, three to go.
Any volunteers for wardrobe advice, artistic inspiration, or nutritional suggestions?
Currently accepting applications.

Bookish Thoughts

Picked up some new reads this weekend:

-The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. This little dude has been all over the place lately; blogs, magazines, conversation. I've heard some people L-O-V-E it, and some people can't get into it. I guess we'll see which category I fall in to when I finish it in a week or two.

-Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen. Apparently, the "clear and precise exposition of Buddhism" has *changed the lives* of some acquaintances, so I figured I'd give it a whirl. Not that my life sucks all that much but improvements are always welcome in any situation, even excellent ones.

-Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. Yeah... I have a not-so-secret undying adoration for David Sedaris. I mean, the man is intelligent and well-traveled and neurotic and high-larious. I fell for him when I was assigned a compilation of short stories that he edited (which, for the life of me I cannot remember the title of) for my creative writing class in college, and I've never looked back. I'm way excited for him to blow my mind. Again.

-Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman. Confession: I heart graphic novels. I'm kind of a nerd that way. Specifically graphic novels that re-create historical events from a different perspective. Not only does a good graphic novel satisfy my love for visual representations, but it also addresses my proclivity for the written word. And, you know, this book (and it's sequel) won the Pulitzer. So...that's pretty badass.

What are you guys reading these days?

Hilarious.

from here.

So, this is what's been happening...

'Round these here parts.

Pride and Prejudice is on television. Hopes of being productive today have been somewhat squelched. I loves me some Mr. Darcy.

There is a fat, lazy gray cat sleeping behind me on the top of the couch. He has one paw covering his eyes and it's really cute and I wish that I had my camera or my phone near me so I could share the adorableness with The Internets. But, alas, I am also fat and lazy (although, not so much gray).

My parents are remodeling the front porch, much to the dismay of some squirrels who have taken residence in the wooden archway above the front door. In an effort to relocate the unwelcome house-guests, my mother set some humane live traps. Well, guess what I woke up to this morning? A terrified squirrel. And guess who had the happy job of relocating the little dude? Yeah. That's right. Me. The vegetarian. So, into the backseat went the trap, complete with squeaking rodent, and away went the car to the forest preserve where our friend was released back into the wild. That was certainly interesting...

I've got some new books and music on the docket. Hopefully, they won't suck too much and maybe I'll get out of my rut?

Hope you had a heck of a weekend.


I know I did.

photo from here.

Today, I Believe

...in dogs sticking their heads out the windows of moving cars in a state of pure ecstasy.

...in the smell of fresh basil.

...that one day, we will live in a peaceful world.

...in yoga.

...that I will never be too old for cartoons.

...in being friends with your mother.

...that The Universe gives us all we need, even if we don't realize that we need it.

...that not eating meat has made me a happier person.

...in bright colors.

What do you believe today?

Dear Friends

I am in a rut.
I'll be the first to admit.
Okay, maybe not the first. But, be that as it may, I am in a rut.

In every sense of the word, and in every sense of my life.

Observe:
Clothing- can a person be arrested or, at the very least, issued a citation for wearing nothing but American Apparel deep v-neck t's, Reef flip-flops, and skinny jeans? If the answer to that question is "yes", consider me screwed. And not in the fun way.

Food- my life is a consistent experiment in diet. Not the kind of diet where you lose weight through extreme measures (though the weight loss thing is certainly part of it). For me, it's more about finding the right combination of magical ingredients that allows my body to operate at it's best capacity. Summertime in Chicago is full of farmer's markets, bursting with beautiful produce that doesn't exist in the frozen tundra of The Midwest Winter. Have I taken advantage of this? Nope. Bananas and peanut butter abound in my culinary repertoire. I've also become quite adept at ordering a brown rice avocado roll with poise and grace.

Health- so, I'm not gonna sugar-coat it here: I've put on a little cushion this summer. Though certain people in my life will vehemently insist otherwise, the truth is that there is a little more than "a little more to love" stationed around my midsection (sidenote: why on earth can't I be one of those people who gains weight in, oh I don't know...MY ASS? Rather than my stomach? Full butt = sexy. Full stomach = not so much). My back hurts. I'm sore. I'm tired. Do we think it's time for an adjustment?

Creativity- As exemplified by the severe lack of posts in the last two months or so. I need more awesome music. I need more awesome books. I need more awesome movies. And maybe, just maybe, a more extensive vocabulary? Meh.

Basically, I need some help.
Suggestions?
I'm looking at you, Molly Elizabeth Page.