put money in your Idaho

Can't Hug Every Cat

2012-01-24T22:30:00.000-05:00

There are two kinds of cat ladies NYC can turn you into:

This:

Or this gem:

With me it could either way.

Fact: Having a 9-5 job leaves no time for blogging

2012-01-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

I got all this for $37. From a shop in Brooklyn. I know. I was only in there for about 20 minutes and didn't even dig around. It's like I stepped into a Twilight Zone episode, either the records are crawling with bed bugs or that Elie Tahari Chanel-ish knock-off jacket (with tags still attached) is haunted — or I wake up and it's all been a 1940s WWII experiment by the government. Anyway, it's Life Thrift on 5th Ave.

And Fis loves the giant bag. Win-win.

Fis Doesn't Care for Dungeons and/or Dragons

2011-09-05T17:50:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing I'm good at, it's terrorizing Fisby with a bendy rubber Deadly Grell.

Today I am held up in my apt spackling and painting a room and in need human interaction. Instead, I am watching Netflix Instantly, downloading other media in not the most honorable fashion, snacking, and ignoring every other thing that is weighing down on me at the moment. Also, there's the filming of my cat reacting to D&D toys.

Speaking of D&D, Patton Oswalt is one of the quest writers on Rookie today along with Joss Whedon, Dan Savage, Fred Armisen, another rad person, some other rad person, Winnie Holzman, and more - check it out. Name drop city!

Slowly Becoming All Cats Now

2011-09-05T12:09:00.001-04:00

It gets better with the Translation. And OMG the cat with the printer translation...

These are like something out of Animals Being Dicks.

Ummm...

2011-08-27T22:26:00.000-04:00

Nice Header, Looks Like Ice Cream Soup

2011-08-27T13:39:00.003-04:00

Slightly tempted to start following them on twitter anyway...

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Got a shout-out from the Cinematic Titanic facebook page – whut whut!

FLD

2011-08-26T20:06:00.001-04:00

First LOL of the Day

Obsessed

2011-08-26T12:45:00.000-04:00

Chu-Chu on the INTERNET

2011-08-21T23:45:00.001-04:00

Fisby got a shout-out on the Julie Klausner podcast and then was featured on her blog! The latest episode features Paul F. Tompkins - another funny person with a podcast. He was also the guest on the most recent episode of the How Did This Get Made podcast where they talked about the Smurfs movie. First off, I have tickets to his sold-out show at the Bell House that I had to get a million months back cos I knew it would sell out. Next off, for the 9-5 job I had to design this online thing (that is as detailed as I'm getting, until like, the next sentence) for that Smurf movie in which I paid $2 to buy a Photoshop filter that looked like the texture of 3D white marshmallows to replicate the look of their little hats and pants. I could've made this filter myself, but only had a day to basically create a mini-website situation. Anyway, Smurfs is a movie. I'd never watch it. I do remember watching the cartoon as a kid and I hated it when the other smurfs would catapult Brainy Smurf into the woods cos he was "too smart". This always happened around the end of the episode when one was left with the parting impression that being smart was not cool and no one will ever love you. Everytime, he would land upside down on his head by the same tree/bushes configuration with his glasses askew or cracked or something. Ugh, smurfy.

Fis has also been having fun and snacking on grass in her fire-escape-garden-backyard when it's not raining too hard.

Here she is hiding/bird-watching/neighbor-cat-spying, you can barely see her tail resting above the top right of the middle orange planter next to the solar light meant for a real yard.

She peeked-out when I called her name.

Oh, Etsy

2011-07-06T21:58:00.000-04:00

But I DO love you!

from here

Black Moon

2011-06-30T01:11:00.001-04:00

Finally came out on DVD for MY REGION yesterday - and it's Criterion! AND the cover is beautiful!

When I had cable TV in a time before antennas were useless, Cinemax showed this one night and I watched it having no idea what it was. ALLEGEDLY I have a problem with TV where I will lay there for hours watching whatever is on and flip around the channels during commercials searching for something better until I fall asleep ignoring everything else in real life, all pre-Tivo style. But this movie stuck with me for days afterwards. It's one of those movies where you think, "I'm watching a movie of a dream I had - or will have" and I am Ok with that. I love it. IT'S MINE. I still rarely meet anyone who has seen it or gives a rat's ass about seeing it / talking about it / listening to me prattle on about it. Here's the thing, I think it's one of those movies where if you stumble upon it by mistake knowing nothing about it, no hype, no expectations, it's the raddest thing ever. BUT if someone is all, YOUHAVETOSEETHIS, then afterwards you're like, "eh, it was Ok...I guess." I remember that happening to me with The Forbidden Zone.

A few Halloweens after I saw Black Moon I debated dressing up as Rex Harrison's daughter's character in the movie. Then, I was like, it's a rust-colored orangey-brown skirt, a white button-up cotton blouse, and a light pink sweater - I'm pretty sure I can wear this all the time and it's no big deal. After all these years, I still cannot find a non-itchy, non-Acrylic pink sweater or that elusive rust-colored skirt that isn't too A-line or suede or wide wale corduroy. It's great how movies can still inspire fashion. I read a few books years ago about fashion designers for Hollywood movies and how influential they were. Edith Head wrote a great one that was also gossipy. My number one takeaway from the book was that Bette Davis never liked wearing bras and had long, big boobz so dresses and neck lines had to be cut special as to not make her bewbs look weird. Now about books, the sad thing is, when you check-out art books from the library, they are usually trashed and the pages that have images on them are suddenly not present. I'm like, where is that photo of the ostrich feather gold inlay gown with the 10 foot train from that obscure, lost 1920s silent film no one will ever see again? Ohhh, right, someone ripped that page out cos they're shitheads and don't believe in Xerox or are from the future just to steer my anger into yet another cauldron of hate.

Anyway, more about Black Moon, it's by Louis Malle, made in the 70s, filmed at some French estate - maybe his?, no plot - make your own kind of thing but not a complete Marienbad, talking animals milling about, donkey with unicorn horn glued to head, men vs women war going on, British accents, annoying old lady, young guy that sorta looks like the young guy from Suspiria, big glasses of milk, a weird sister/bro thing happening, naked kids running around, not much dialogue, kids in make-up at the end, piano playing, bugs, moss, etc... then it just ends and you're like, Ok, fine, whatever. But then you think about it for days afterward. That dream world gets stuck in your head. You want your own French estate in which to traipse around and chase unicorned donkeys...

And I live in a wonderful city where I could've roderidden my bike (pretending it's a unicorned donkey) to see this movie for free (christsakes) at this newish arthouse/food situation in DUMBO called ReRun (yet another new arthouse ~~movie~~ FILM ~~theater~~ THEATRE). This city wears people down in new and exciting ways in exchange for such awesome opportunities as this, yet I did not take advantage. Still, knowing it happened, and that future rad stuff will be happening, makes it seem in my head that I am less of a lazy bundle of my cat's freshly trimmed hair.

Oh yeah! And I can finally get rid of my less than awesome AVI file of Black Moon that I downloaded from magic town internet system land that has a German man voice dubbing all the voices with simultaneous Spanish subtitles at the bottom. Yaaaaaay!

Summer

2011-06-12T15:02:00.002-04:00

Saw the movie, La Rayon vert, this weekend at BAM.

Not sure how I feel about relating to a character so much, or hating that I relate to a character so much. It's was like watching Bridesmaids, and relating to Kristen Wiig's character all over again. When you see your own weaknesses, your own character flaws displayed on the big screen, it's like someone read your diary out loud and you're like, "Arrrgh! Now everyone knows I keep a diary!"

Anyway, Eric Rohmer had the colors red and green playing off each other in this movie, and it was perfect. I love LOVE movies where close attention is paid to details like that and meaning is given to things no one is consciously noticing, but also has dialogue that seems loose and real without coming off as obvious improv. It gives the whole thing a genuine spontaneous feel so that you're not overly aware that you're watching a movie. When I see this, I think – masterpiece.

Things I didn't care for that I had no control over: the audience reaction of smug chortling at the high-waisted tight pants on the French men of the mid-eighties and also laughing at the female character finding lone playing cards on the ground in a "I've seen this plot point before in some other movie" way.

Unit Shredders

2011-06-12T14:02:00.001-04:00

-------------
From fakebands.com
Unit Shredders, The - From the TV show Roseanne (11/25/95). A riot grrl band mentioned in the "The Getaway, Almost" episode. Midway through a roadtrip to an outlet mall, Roseanne and Jackie pick up a hitchhiker (Jenna Elfman) who is in the band. The Unit Shredders' riotous grrlishness may be a matter for debate, though. First off, they are several years late to the riot grrl party (mainstays Heavens to Betsy, Bratmobile, and Huggy Bear were already broken up). Plus, Elfman (who is comically credited as "teenager" in the episode) would have been 25 when the show aired. Perhaps The Unit Shredders could have claimed to have been riot wmmmen. Though it was kind of cool that they played a clip of Bikini Kill on a prime-time show.
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You know how you want to like something, but then the medium gets it wrong. Fine example. To make that female character come off like this clueless, gum-chopping, unaware, man-hating idiot is insulting. It's almost like Roseanne and her writers were secretly jealous that they weren't a part of a "revolution". While association seems cool or whatever by talking about it on mainstream TV, they showed it in this bad light and the overall take-away is not ideal. It feels like a women vs girls thing initially with Roseanne and her sister feeling above what the younger generation are doing. Then they start to feel left out. And it's that feeling of being left out that makes them act out. I don't like that message. Then the argument is, "you should be grateful that Bikini Kill was even mentioned in a mainstream show". No, I shouldn't. And that is what needs to change. Overall there is this weird focus on man hate and it's not about that either. It's about strength and doing what you want.
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Genius use of tumblr.

I think you're grand

2011-06-11T17:24:00.000-04:00

Had to stop the May Shoe Experiment. First off, May is over, but it's not like not finishing something or changing the rules ever stopped me before. Thought about changing it to Shoe Vs Foot since every other pair of shoes ripped up my feet. I found a solution: socks. As long as the shoe is not a heeled slingback, I'm good with wearing socks and walking a lot.

Right now my feet are hell meat of scabs and blisters from this one pair of demon spawns, and I feel like an idiot for liking neato-looking shoes. But whatever, SOCKS TO THE RESCUE.

So, I'm on Sock Dreams, and I see this...

And it makes me hate socks. There is no need for socks to be this complicated. I do, however, like the Wizard of Oz socks.

But I am against Frances Ethel Gumm being 16 and on speed and benzos for the making of that movie back in the late 30s.

Don't want to end on a down note of a drugged-up Dorothy... so, I love this song and the chorus gets stuck in my head every time I get a little boy crazy.

bf/gf

2011-06-11T14:18:00.000-04:00

If they mated:

What is Britney doing right now?

2011-06-05T20:31:00.000-04:00

Just rewatched this old footage of Britney Spears. That guy she was with was such a scrot. He reminds me of my first bf. The part where she says she feels she's missing out – she was missing out. And she thought having kids and a husband would make everything Ok in her life. I still wish I could spend one week with Britney Spears, like have her secretly hang out with me in a disguise and stay at my apt and then spontaneously run around BK and fuck shit up. I'd be like, "read these blogs daily, listen to these bands, check out this art, keep a daily journal, etc... NOW go and make your next album on YOUR terms and write the lyrics and music and do your own thing and express how you REALLY feel as a woman who has been there and done that in our society. You have this power to change things for the better. YOU. DON'T. NEED. A. GUY."

Anyway, why did she want to see Spun? That movie is/was so bad. It had a million people in it and I couldn't wait until it was over. Why do actors love playing drug addicts? It's so boring; and you could tell everyone involved was thinking, "We're so shocking and edgy, we're going to blow minds." All I remember while watching it, is that I cried out of embarrassment for everyone involved.

Also, when did Youtube start showing vaginas without people freaking out?

Hi chief, are you a 10?

2011-06-04T21:01:00.001-04:00

If I had a bf... I would snatch this t-shirt up and force him to wear it so that everytime someone saw him they'd hear Steve Martin's voice in their head...

...ugh, hopefully they would not hear the cringe-worthy humor of "swinging" water balloon boobs on a man in drag, or Death saying, "this sketch is done to Me!"

Sunday Movie Time

2011-06-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

Seeing this tomorrow. I love you, Moss.

Portrait of a Woman

2011-06-04T15:22:00.003-04:00

Last month's theme for Fake Criterions was "a movie within a movie"

There weren't any lady ones really, so I thought about the "film for television" that was being made throughout another film – interspliced* perfectly with the controversial scenes of Maria Schneider and Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris.

The name of of the boring, trite, unromantic TV movie is Portrait of a Girl, and it was filmed by the fiancé/filmmaker of Maria's character. Cos of this I added a lot of fluffy, dated ornamental stuff around the Bookman "every 70s TV show" Swash typeface which was the same used for the Last Tango cover.

The image I used is a movie still I took of the DVD that was magically created with the free image capture programz, Jing. The still is one where the camera crew and the fiancé were shooting her and she's literally holding up a "portrait of a girl". The layout is broken up horizontally: 1/4 - 1/2 - 1/3. Her eyes are amazing.

Maria Schneider died this year and the media makes it out like she died a sad and lonely foreign lesbian who was forever scarred by her Last Tango scenes and, as a result, was never able to shake her perception as a slutactress or had any fun.

I doubt this highly.

{Eva Ionesco, Edwige Belmore, Maria Schneider}

*you can be a word if you want to

AWESOME!

2011-06-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

Just ordered something of Etsy and I noticed that I had two neutral feedbacks – still stuck on this "I hate dealing with giving and receiving feedback on Etsy" thing and completely unaware of there being a second blah feedback left, I went to check it out. Seriously, this woman was a Big C – I remember her. There was a lot of emailing back and forth and I was about to say, NO YOU CAN'T HAVE THESE SHOES I CAN TELL YOU ARE TROUBLESOME!

Cos who leaves a book of feedback like this? Doesn't Etsy have some sort of character limit? Anyway, beholden...

I measure every item every which way. These shoes had the measurements listed and this woman wanted me to measure again, so I did (cos it must suck to have weirdly-shaped feet) and it came out the same width. "This source" says narrow shoes, dude.

I love selling stuff to strangers, taking the time to package everything up nicely, tying bows, writing a lil' note, putting on the stamp logo stickers, writing on the packages to places overseas like Russia and China... but please, I don't ever want to publicly hear from you except for a Thank You. If something goes wrong, you send a private note to work it out like a normal person, and I've taken returns in the past if something didn't fit.

Cos it comes down to this: no one gives a pizza fart about feedback unless every other one is negative – and often the person giving the negative feedback looks like a nutbag. Still, it's annoying. I would never give neutral or negative feedback to someone. They would have to have shit a Greek salad into the box instead of mailing me my BoHo LaCe ViNtAgE Onesie LeoPaRd UniTaRd InDiE Dress XXS.

My Naked Body Is Obscene

2011-05-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

This kind of thinking is expected and accepted in our American society and we're just letting it happen like it's no big deal with views like this being spouted about – and on a women's blog. I love that Rebecca Watson calls out the Jezebel.com writer on her TOTALLY MISSING THE POINT of BnN covering up this photo of Australian male model, Andrej Pejic, styled as a woman on the cover of Brooklyn's Dossier magazine.

Why U No Like Sour?

2011-05-25T00:43:00.001-04:00

I live in a world where it's not polite or right for me to act on my gut feeling, though when I get to do that it's the most amazing feeling. So, I was just refunding some shipping on Etsy, answering an email about a listing, and renewing some expired listings when I decided to check the feedback. I dreaded doing this when I had an eBay shop and I dread it now with Etsy... and so I find this little gem waiting for me:

shipping was slow (2 wks from brooklyn to baltimore) and the price from the thrift store was still written on the bottom (kind of leaves a sour taste :/ ) but i LOVE the shoes; they are just perfect.

"they are just perfect" doesn't make up for you being a shithead.

If I ever mail out a package that is late, WHICH IS RARE, I put in a free gift and apologize like a normal human being.

But anyway, I wanted to send this message below, but I didn't. Why continue flinging their monkey shit back at them? What good would this do? It would only justify their passive aggressiveness towards me in that complaint city testimonial they felt they had to leave to teach me (and anyone that wants to shop at my store) a lesson or whatever. Gah, some people...

Hey, just to clarify, I bought those shoes on Etsy a while back and they had the price on them from that seller - http://www.etsy.com/transaction/14418952 - big fucking deal. And SO WHAT, we all buy stuff from thrift stores, estate sales, yard sales, find stuff in grandma's attic, for next to nothing or for free. IT HAPPENS. I KNOW YOU DO IT TOO FOR YOUR SHOP. Your message was shitty and unnecessary and by doing that, you are what makes Etsy and eBay shitty. I hope this message I am sending you creates a sinking feeling in your chest like your feedback did to mine. And I sent your package out on May 1st, I have no idea what held it up with the post office - check the Priority Mail shipping tracker for proof - did you even bother to do that? I swear, people like you... you get awesome things for next to nothing, and then you nit pick and complain. I can't imagine being you or having to be around you. But I do know this, I am sick of sitting by and letting people like you get away with this kind of bullshit.

It just felt good enough to write it out, to get it out. Now I can move on. But seriously, I am totally prepared to start calling people out on their bullshit. (And maybe prepared for their heated responses?? I AM NOT READY FOR THEIR HEATED RESPONSES.)

I am the best friend you wished you had,
that helped you be a better person by making you rad.
And this seller lives in Baltimore, now I feel bad,
Cos their life must really be sad.

cough

2011-05-24T17:52:00.000-04:00

I've been sick for too long. First, it was problems with allergies, probably the worst I've ever experienced that lasted a rough two weeks. Now, it's strep throat. Why do I live in this world that my body can't seem to handle? At least I feel good enough to go back to work. But don't touch me.

Green Eyes Pink Nose!

2011-05-18T19:30:00.000-04:00

First Week

2011-05-16T07:38:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday I attended a work function (Scavenger Hunt around NYC*) that involved constant FREAKOUT RUNNING AROUND all day and I don't own "real" running shoes/trainers/in-elementary-school-it-was-not-cool-to-call-them-sneakers-so-you-called-them-tennis shoes (no one played tennis). Point is, NO SNEAKERS. So I wore Converse low tops with cushiony insoles. That was not enough, and for a week I complained to anyone that my feet and legs hurt and I turned my trashcan under my desk upside down - instant ottoman. Also, I didn't keep my shoes on my feet while they were hanging out under my desk.

So here are bunch of photos of mostly flats that I wore all week due to constant feet pain. I'm keeping them all until they fall apart, but I seriously thought of burning the Converse in some sort of healing ritual - as a promise to my feet to never put them through that again. I'm sorry, feet.
*my team did not win - though we had a lot of fun and thought for sure we would at least place - we were POSITIVE then that we came in 4th (delusional).

Monday
Vintage Sperry Top-Siders loafers - Etsy shop: Put On That Dress

Tuesday
Converse

Wednesday
Thrift store lace-ups with cat socks

Thursday
Vintage navy slingbacks from eBay many years ago

Friiiday, Friiiday
Vintage leather lace-ups - Etsy shop, Lucille's Attic

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Now that the weather is nice and it's warm enough to open windows, THIS is happening again, "weekly staring Chu"

NOT CREEPY AT ALL

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Found this pic of something I ate back in April: Steak tartare with quail egg. Yum.*

*kind of looks like brains.

May's Shoe Experiment 2011

2011-05-08T20:00:00.001-04:00

I've been to a lot of good shows lately, I have pics, I wrote some stuff about the shows and my experiences, but instead I'm going to get rid of some shoes through a little experiment and document it here.

I have roughly 100+ pairs of shoes. 80% of them are from thrift stores and I paid on average about $4 a pair. But one time I paid around $400 for a pair of strappy sandal boots by Surface To Air (only to see Forever21 and ASOS rip off the same style about 6 months later, $20) but who cares, I still love these shoes.

So, for the rest of the month of May, I'm going to wear a different pair of shoes each day and at the end of the experiment decide which shoes to keep and which to toss (Beacon's Closet) or sell in the shop (if vintage).

Blah, blah, shoes... so typical, you're just materialistic and pathetic.

Fuck you. I'm materialistic and feminine and awesome.

We didn't read it in a big book

2011-05-01T22:21:00.000-04:00

The Day I Met Pearl Forrester

2011-04-18T07:30:00.027-04:00

Here is my slideshow of Saturday in which a trip to Princeton, NJ, was made to see the
Cinematic Titanic Live Tour.

Meandering around the campus of Princeton University.

1922! Ivy! Puddles! Eating Clubs!

We ate a lot of fries at a nearby diner.

Here is Stephen taking in the Collegiate Gothic style architecture.

Wind and rain and me.

About to take on that sidewalk pond in the background – it's not going to wade itself.

Met and chatted with Mary Jo Pehl (and her funny husband, Ronald) before the show.

View from our great seats. The movie was The Alien Factor. One of the feature-length cheesefests that was chosen online by the New Jersey audience. We all got to experience TRACE BEAULIEU (Crow, Dr. Forrester), J. ELVIS WEINSTEIN (Tom Servo, Dr. Erhardt), FRANK CONNIFF (TV's Frank), MARY JO PEHL (Pearl Forrester), and JOEL HODGSON riff on this movie that was 70% long scenes of people walking around in the woods during winter.

Laughed till I had tears streaming down my face.

There were so many more jokes than a typical episode of MST3K. And I thought the monsters/aliens in this movie were actually frightening. If I had a dream and saw any of this, I would be freaking out for months.

!!!

This rust-colored alien monster's feet situation reminded me of a cross between the Noritaka Tatehana shoes that Lady Gaga is always wearing and those four-pronged walker things.

And here's a gif of three of the coolest / most easily entertained by a ball kids from the '70s.

AAAAAND, a submission to Fake Criterions

Best Saturday in a long time.

#winning

2011-04-13T08:00:00.002-04:00

Courtney Love is selling some of her stuff on eBay. And I love that she's doing this instead of bagging her stuff up and carting it off to INA's or Goodwill or whathaveyou. I wish more celebs did this with their fancy free shit that they no longer care about. It's publicity for them, they get their name out there, the media has another reason to mention them, write an article, etc. Anyway, I hope she sells more of her kooky Etsy and/or vintage stuff she was notorious for collecting.

Being no stranger to re-selling other people's expensive clothing and accessories on eBay due to a strange job I had a year ago, that lasted a year, that felt like infinityears where I put graphic design and everything else I loved doing on hold to sit in a warehouse in Queens and take photos, measure, research, write descriptions for, and, the fun part - collecting the items from wealthy people's closets (and getting to chat and meet with the lady clients) - it is no wonder then why I am so curious as to who is doing all that work for Courtney, and how a part of me would love to see her closets and take a month off my 9-to-5 (TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE - probably) and do this work for her - or maybe as a weekend job?

I just made a run-on single sentence paragraph, a sintegraph (or paratence). Anyway...sorry?

So I had been watching a few of the auctions as the prices seemed reasonable and reflect the consignment prices of Eva Gentry in Boreum Hill (which is a gem of a place to get designer, quality items that originally cost thousands for only a couple hundred or less - all while shopping in a beautiful boutique setting). This place makes you want to go to brunch with some lady friends, get drunk at brunch, then make with the loud, drunk, post brunch regret shopping. Of which I'm guilty of, but I end up at Target or CVS and leave with light bulbs, pet odor Fabreeze, orange blush, and seed packets for the kind of plants that would never grow on a fire escape in tiny plastic pots.

Back to Courtney Love Couture - I actually won an auction. I jokingly put in a bid and won the Givenchy shoes. And here's the thing, not a few hours after I won, I wanted to know which season they were from exactly, instead I find many photos of Kim Kardashian wearing them (one photo from two days ago was on Go Fug Yourself.) Also, this caged boot design was a popular style that got ripped-off. Not once or twice – but six known times. Ugh. I love the look, I love strappy heels. I think shoes with a lot of business going on are great to wear with a basic, one color, jersey dress. I really like that look. But now I feel I have a challenge with these shoes, like I won't want to wear them. Instead of thinking of Courtney Love, it'll be thoughts of, "these were It Shoes from a few years back, they were worn by the kind of celebs who try too hard, which equals tacky, which is probably why CL was getting rid of them."

Or the reality is that they're probably hard to walk in. Or not her size.

According to Courtney Love's blog she's been hanging out with Michael Pitt, so I'm going to imagine he has rubbed these shoes all over his junk. Or at least licked the heels. Or touched them. Or smoked all over them.

Or looked at them and agreed that she should rid herself of their heavy burden, for he is a handsome gentleman and I need a somewhat plausible fantareality dreamfever to not think of these KK images when I look at and/or wear the hell out of these Givenchy black ankle boot open toe caged sandal leather heels.

:( There is no clutch large enough to hide an ill-fitting pants situation.

Speaking of Courtney Love, my friend's fake TV show pilot, Saving Love, that aired a couple of times on Channel 101 got picked up by Atom.com. It's an original premise that pokes fun of CL and music and Seattle. I doubt she'll ever see it, but I'd like to think she could laugh at herself.

Atom Originals Channel
Tags: Atom.com | Funny Videos | Tournament | Upload

Hole's Live Through This is one of my all time favorite complete listen albums. Whenever an ipod breaks and I have to get a new one and fill it again with music, Hole is always on there.

April 11th - 15th

2011-04-11T08:06:00.001-04:00

This week is my own personal (Jesus) DOCUMENTARY WEEK 2011. In celebration of nothing, I'm seeing a documentary every evening this week after work (except for one night, I got the ticket to Blow Out before I realized I wanted to do Documentary Week 2011). But whatever, this is my thing and I make the rules and who cares anyway.

Monday . IFC Center . Bill Cunningham New York . 2010 . Directed by Richard Press

Tuesday . IFC Center . Blank City . 2010 . Directed by Celine Danhier

Wednesday . BAM . Blow Out . 1981 . Directed by Brain De Palma (the one not-a-doc)

Thursday . Cinema Village . American: The Bill Hicks Story . 2010 . Directed by: Matt Harlock, Paul Thomas

Friday . MoMA . America Becoming . 1991 . Directed by Charles Burnett

Number #98408 of why I live in NYC. I can do something like this – on a whim. And I hope all of these theaters still don't smell like feet or are teeming with bedbugz.

Loves It

2011-03-31T23:43:00.000-04:00

If this city had less potholes, infinity handrails, no stairs, no ramps, no creepy dudes, and "sidewalk pillows" I would go so far as to learn how to bike in these Finsk wedges.

Architectural Digest

2011-03-28T08:03:00.002-04:00

Mara Katrantzou is available on Net-a-Porter and Far Fetch. Can't afford it now, but one day I'd like to have one of her pieces.

Foot binding

2011-03-27T16:26:00.001-04:00

Thanks, Etsy! This is horrible!

Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat Cover

2011-03-27T02:12:00.002-04:00

Found this record on Etsy. I liked it cos there's a cat on the cover. Thanks to Youtube I can check out what this band sounds like... and they sound like pretty good '70s heavy metal. They're a Welsh band, and it seems like Metallica and Maiden have ripped them off / were heavily influenced as Budgie formed in 1967.

Breadfan is so good. It sounds like he's singing "Red Vine" though.

Title Line

2011-03-19T19:18:00.001-04:00

LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE

2011-03-16T22:48:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this?!?!

I've never experienced anything that CLEARLY did not want the viewer to keep watching quite like this movie did. I felt as if Battlefield Earth was going out of it's way to never have female viewers, or anyone who gives a shit about movies in any capacity. At first it was challenging, being so boring and inconsistent and insulting and unbelievably bad, so I went along for the ride cos it's known for being one of the worst movies ever, but I experienced so many wtf moments that my mind stopped working and the idea of cleaning my apt seemed awesome. CLEANING MY APT WAS MORE APPEALING.

This movie obviously rips off Blade Runner and Star Wars. One could be half asleep and contemplating how they always end up sweeping their apt floors first, then start dusting the surfaces, and still notice the blatant ripping-off.

1. The ICONIC scene in Blade Runner where the stripper replicant is chased and then shot by Harrison Ford and falls through glass wall after glass wall in slow motion (in an awesome clear trench coat)... is sadly reimagined in all it's slow-motion glory.

2. The final battle scenes are a complete ripoff of the ICONIC Trench Run of Star Wars... but without the force or a real understanding of why the battle is happening in the first place, and the whole time you're enraged by the fact that grunting, pelt-wearing cavemen learned in a week to fly planes that have been sitting unused and rusting and needing fuel and maintenance in hangers for a thousand years.

3. The main glass building had the same exact look and feel of the ICONIC Tyrell Corporation building from Blade Runner. My brain actually shut off in anger due to this particular unoriginality.

Anyway, this movie has one positive thing going for it – it would make a great drinking game for anytime you see a side swipe, Dutch angle, pointless slow motion, a character says "man animal" "leverage" "rat brain" or John Travolta maniacally laughs.

So, basically, with all it's faults, it's the most brilliant piece of shit ever.

It was hard to decide on which layout, but I think for Fake Criterions, simpler is usually better. I found all the images and background texture with google image search and the fonts are Dodger (free sci-fi font) and either Arial or Helvetica Neue that I had to stretch out to vertically to resemble Dodger.

Also, Battlefield Earth is the subject of this week's episode of How Did This Get Made. I don't think they've freaked out more over a movie. With all the abundance of wrong there is to talk about concerning this movie's existence, they could have easily had an extended "overdrive" episode.

The overuse of the word LEVERAGE halfway through this movie came out of nowhere and by that time I had already realized I was out of toilet bowl cleaner AND I had no new sponges to clean the sink full of dirty dishes, so I *kinda* cared, but not really. The leveragenation reminded me of this KITH sketch...

Wasted Words - Overrated

2011-03-12T22:49:00.000-05:00

New episode of Wasted Words is up - and we're going back to a weekly schedule. The topic was the use (or misuse) of the word "overrated". I had the word of the week! Which makes me feel important!

Something that is underrated:
Living in NYC

Something that is overrated:
Living in NYC

Something that is gross:
Domino's Breadbowl Pasta™

For this episode I was drinking white wine and eating tiny oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from Trader Joe's, they come about 50 or so to a clear plastic tub. For future episodes, I plan to step up the creativity of my consumption and make some cocktails. I should get a beginners barware set with a cocktail shaker and strainer. I used to walk past those sets in stores and think to myself, "now there is something I'd never ever buy..."

So, here's to never ever!

{photos: I dunno, some old lady having a good time back when one could smoke on a plane, everyone wore glasses, planes had curtains, and photobombing wasn't called photobombing, The Black Cat 1966, and Old Acquaintance 1943}

OMG I LOVE HORROR MOVIES WITH BRICKED UP WALLS!

Stumbled upon this movie blog - I love it - True Classics: The ABCs of Classic Film

Yep.

2011-03-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

Vivre Sa Vie

2011-02-27T10:30:00.004-05:00

Got my ticket to see Craft Spells (with Cloud Nothings) in April. Yaaaaay.

Professional Wrestling Is REAL

2011-02-27T08:08:00.001-05:00

This is my favorite Saturday Night Live sketch that no one quotes or mentions or has ever brought up in conversation ever.
It's from 1987 and now finally on youtube. I think it's great. I wonder whose idea it was? I guess heaven has the answer...

milk / seltzer / pickles

2011-02-26T15:50:00.003-05:00

Created a Drive Angry 3D cover for Fake Criterions. Also, it's the next movie that the good people at one of my new favorite podcasts is about to review / make fun of - How Did This Get Made?. If you don't have friends that take great pleasure and delight in seeing awesomely bad movies with you, then listen to this podcast. If you do have friends like these, listen to this podcast. Paul Scheer, who was just in Piranha 3D – which is a really great remake (something I rarely get to say) and who's character inexplicitly vanishes midway through the film – is the host of the podcast. The original Piranha (1978) is still not available through Netflix. It's so weird, this movie was shown on TV constantly in the 80s/90s. I know it by heart, it's truly terrifying and wonderful and funny. I want the VHS!

Anyway, I kind of wish this podcast focused more on Netflix Watch Instantly movies, but Drive Angry 3D, jeeez, heard Nic Cage has back taxes to pay, so Season of the Witch, Ghost Rider 2, it's just the beginning.... Someone should start a new podcast just to review his future stinkers. Also, his son, black metal or goth?

Here is the creative process. I kept pretty close to the original idea. And I'm about to head out to the grocery...

Yes, I Look at F21 Online - I Look at a Lot of Things!

2011-02-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

Dear Forever21,
Why won't you just let me hate you? This is hilarious.

Also, 100% silk at F21? And I checked, it's not "silque" or whatever they tend to call non-things, it's the real deal and it's $25 - granted it's the consistency of onion skin and needs another top underneath (kind of missing the point of wearing cool-to-the-skin silk for hot summers in the first place). BABY STEPS. Interesting print though, Vogue-like illustrations of late 1940s - early 1950s fashions.

Cute Stuff, Indeed

2011-02-19T22:20:00.002-05:00

I live in a time and place where the First Lady wears H&M. I really feel like we're all in this alternate universe. Things are so different from a few years ago. When you're not ashamed of your country's leaders, and you feel they are making the right choices on behalf of a nation AND the tiny ones they make for themselves, it's like someone telling you, "it's going to be Ok". Michelle Obama wearing H&M when she can wear any designer ever in the whole wide world every day is Ok. The message she sends out by doing that is extraordinary and it's not like she's disingenuously making some noble statement cos people were giving her shit over "only wearing non-American designers". What? That doesn't even make sense, she wears whatever she wants. What does makes sense is that she wears Alexander McQueen and other European designers of high fashion to fancy, white tie events cos they make clothing that is more avant garde and suited for that. For the most part, US designers make clothing that will sell in department stores and it's overall not so groundbreaking. Also, if she was pandering to the critics, then she would've worn something obvious like Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein on the Today Show.

"This is my philosophy. I hope that women learn to wear what they love... like to patronize American designers, and the vast majority of the clothes that I wear are. But there are a lot of other designers that have cute stuff, too." –Michelle Obama

A part of me wishes her shoes were vintage. Nevertheless, here are some rad yellow leather ones currently available on Etsy that range around $30.

Heels by Proxy . 1980s . Size 8 Narrow . $28 . shop {Vintage Shop 11}

Heels by Martinelli for Elegarrs . 1970s . Size 7 1/2 . $26 . shop {Olivia's Vice} - haha

Lace-up Flats . 1970s . size 7 1/2 . $32 . shop {Gypsy and Company}

Strappy Flats . 1990s . size 8 1/2 . $45 . shop {Reanimated Rags}

Also, these handrawn letters from '70s horror comics on Etsy are making my day {the illustrations, eh, not so much...}

UPDATE: WTF - Apparently, people are freaking out to get their hands on this dress and maybe the fact that she wore this dress on TV made H&M's stock rise?!

Happy Valentines...

2011-02-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

I hate love!

@!#?@!

2011-02-11T10:26:00.002-05:00

{UPDATE: seems I am not the only one to see this obvious connection! great, I am not some weirdo.}

Song Stuck in Head

2011-02-08T20:43:00.002-05:00

{aaaaand the ~~Lego~~ Playmobil version - but why is he wearing a suit jacket and tie??}

{the making of – now I feel bad for nitpicking about the suit...}

YAY! Indeed

2011-02-03T16:30:00.002-05:00

Roundup of current tangible media that is making me happy in life

{The latest issue of Yeti with CD - cat themed!, Cloud Nothings "Should Have" picture disc,
Catwalk "Past Afar" and "(Please) Don't Break Me}" - from Captured Tracks}

Chewbacca Feet

2011-02-02T18:41:00.002-05:00

If this wasn't Groundhog Day, and instead April 1st, I would think this was a really great joke by the Jeffrey Campbell camp. You'd think they were totally kidding to be offering up this "Shag" pair of heels at Solestruck. But it's not, and they ain't. As if the completely ugly Lita shoe series could not get any worse...

This shit is getting real.

Also, I think Solestruck.com needs to change their current tagline of, "To rid the world of ugly shoes one pair at a time," to "You'll like it if we put a platform on it."

Morning Ice in the Fire Escape Garden

2011-02-02T17:09:00.000-05:00

{Fisby sleeps in}

Functional hat for warm ears

2011-02-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

Rad hat dates back to the '50s / early '60s, but I first noticed this turban style (with the attached over-the-ears scarf) from a photo in a vintage fashion book that was showcasing the looks of the '80s - either Norma Kamali or Sonia Rykiel, some female designer. Ugh, I can't remember, I'm useless on this...

pink long cardigan - H&M
orange turban hat scarf wrap thing - by vintage couture millner, Anita Pineault from Hellcat Vintage
vintage Motels and The Buzzcocks 1" buttons - Undertow Fun
jeans - Imitation of Christ, '06

Woven Bones - Creepy Bone

Early Thursday snow pics 1AM-10AM Brooklyn

2011-01-31T06:53:00.001-05:00

{flash, no flash gif!}

{fuck god believe in yourself. amen.}

More pics here.

Insert joke about how I braved the yucky weather to see the band Yuck

2011-01-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

So many good shows coming up in February and March, makes up for all this miserable cold weather and wanting to stay inside hermit-style. Missed out on getting a ticket for one of the two Wild Flag shows at The Rock Shop though, I'll be checking Craigslist during the days / weeks before with high apple pie in the sky hopes.

Braved the stinging, sideways snow Wednesday night to check out Yuck at Glasslands. The Mercury show the night before was canceled due to visa issues in the UK apparently. They landed in Newark (according to twitter) hours before they took the stage. Also, I heard they were scheduled during CMJ last year, but didn't make it, again with the visa issues. Someone needs to get on that shit.

Notoriously hated Total Slacker went on before, they always opening for bands and they always get bad reviews, "they could be so much better, but it's like the choose not to". They were fine, definitely not hatable though. See, that's the thing, they incite no strong emotion either way for me, and therefore, I guess that's a big fail? I dunno, who cares. They made me smile though. At the end the guitarist jumped into the crowd and started smashing his guitar to bits on the ground. It seemed out of place since their songs are not really punk or aggressive, so the display appeared disingenuous. It was weird, out-of-place, and entertaining, like the movie Showgirls. Anyway, missed the other openers - Fergus & Geronimo and Darlings. So crickets about what they are like live.

On to the main show... Yuck were polite and cool and sounded great. Their set didn't seem as '90s College Radio as I thought AND for good reason, it was like an updated take on that, expanding upon what I grew up loving in a perfect way. As a result, I really want them to stick around, keep evolving, and continue making great music. The singer said how grateful they were to finally be in NYC. And how venues in Brooklyn are pretty cool cos they put "coral" all over the ceiling. Ha. Cute. I love this band. I love their name. I love their 7" art. I'm really glad I left the warmth and comfort of my apt and blanket fort that isn't full of knee-deep snow to attend this show in the far off and mostly annoying world that is North Brooklyn.

Anyway, here's a photo I took where the drummer (and his epic hair) is being obscured behind the main singer. Much better, more professional photos that I didn't take can be found here. And really really great footage of three songs from their set including "Get Away" can be found here where the guitarist (doing his best J Mascis, and I mean this in the best way) had some complications, got another guitar, and kept right on going. Yes. Great live, great album. I am all for Yuck.

Green-Wood

2011-01-28T07:51:00.001-05:00

{close up textures}

Two Songs

2011-01-25T13:13:00.001-05:00

Thanks KEXP for perfectly playing these two songs this morning at just the right time when I came to a certain realization. No guessing anymore, it's very clear. Feel like a big dummy though. But what can you do. I love these two songs though.

Moving on...

You'll Always Give Me...

2011-01-25T10:42:00.000-05:00

Can't wait for the new R.E.M. album Collapse into Now. I still think Reveal (2001) is underrated. I listened to that over and over right before I moved here along with about 10 other albums from that year - Bjork's Vespertine. Those albums make me think of Alabama, my first office job, and 9/11. It also marked the last time I really bought albums, like from a store on a CD and not digitally (mp3s from iTunes and/or directly from the artist's site) or free online (Napster, Limewire, torrents, Mediafire, etc).

Anyway, the new REM song "It Happened Today" reminds me of The State's "Boner Song". Bad thing? No way!!

ne fumant pas

2011-01-25T07:56:00.002-05:00

{Kristen Wiig . 2009}

Been thinking about the Fall 2011 Men's Collections on style.com, then I randomly found this image tucked away in an inspiration folder... It literally epitomizes how I feel about fashion. When it comes down to it, I can't take it all that seriously. I have to be having fun with it. Also, I really like paying $3 for boots at thrift stores, and using "it" five times in two seconds.

{Le Smoking, Yves Saint Laurent . photographed by Helmut Newton . 1975}

Speaking of YSL, I got some great floral tapestry lace-up flats from Forever21 a while back for $18. Planning on wearing them with short skirts and black dresses, sexy on top / grandma on bottom. Anyway, the logo on the box is a direct rip-off of the YSL logo. Hilarious. Does this bother anyone? It doesn't? We should all just have a laugh then? Ok.

Reason #3205983 why Twitter is so entertaining

2011-01-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

More sNOw in Expected This Week

2011-01-24T08:18:00.002-05:00

Freakout!

We Are Were - New Editions To The Shop

2011-01-23T23:10:00.001-05:00

Crunchies and Crossfire

2011-01-21T23:32:00.000-05:00

Here are two songs I got stuck in my head today.
Thanks internet cat memes and repetitive toy commercials during Saturday morning cartoons in the 80s.

{You have no idea how bad I wanted to hate everything about this}

{I never even played Crossfire, no one I knew had this game, or if they did it sucked and they never brought it out.}

Speaking of games, Harry Crane is a board gamer aficionado in real life.

Madonna, Miaow, Morrissey, and Marx

2011-01-21T02:36:00.000-05:00

For $17 you can get giant heads or giant cats on a dress. Thanks, Etsy.

{red lips placement!}

{mew mew}

{I like the Morrissey one - it looks like he's hugging you}

{No Karl Marx hugs, though...}

...And Video Art!

2011-01-17T11:05:00.001-05:00

I can't believe people don't talk about (or even mention) Night Flight and it's influence on most kids throughout the '80s and how that has affected current music / art / movies - and how we use media? But maybe it was still too obscure to make any real measurable impact... It did come on TV at about midnight on the weekends. Anyway, it was great. It filled in the gaps of what your older siblings / cousins / neighbors only hinted at what was cool...

Central Park

2011-01-15T19:19:00.001-05:00

{Sheep Meadow looking out on Central Park South}
{Mom's old faux beaver long coat from the '60s}
{Strawberry Fields looking out on Central Park West
The Dakota, The Langham, and The San Remo}

{bird feet textured snow}
{near the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain}

{lunch at Picholine - tuna napoleon and olive oil ice cream - yuuuum}

{lunch in Central Park - hawk eats squirrel - yuuuum}

More pics in the flickr set HERE

silk white and black dress - thrifted in Alabama
leopard fur collar - Etsy {June and Ward}

Before Today

2011-01-13T12:06:00.003-05:00

This was probably my favorite of last year. I listened to it often straight through which I've never done with an Ariel Pink album before. AND this album was well liked by others too, I noticed it's inclusion on most End of the Year lists. COS OF THAT, I've had to look at this cover more than I intended – which is strange, I honestly rarely pay attention to an album's design or even see most covers anymore. This fact is made extra sad due to the idea of designing album covers (and/or drawing illustrations for music magazines) was something that initially steered me into graphic design and not fine art. Anyway, I started thinking about Before Today and how it felt like a mash-up of several album covers I have stored in the old brain bank...

I'm sure I'm not the first to make these connections. There's probably even an album with glowing little priest figures out there that could be included in this too.

Hair, Nails, Half Cat Baths

2011-01-13T10:41:00.001-05:00

{with my hair like this I feel like Gwyneth Paltrow in A Perfect Murder}

{or it's a cross between Julian Assange and "Ashley" from Fifteen}

{And when I curl my hair I feel like Ashley's nemesis, Brooke. Oh that Brooke! While searching for Fifteen screengrabs, I ran across this pretty great post about the Canadian teen drama that I eventually got tired of cos it was shown on Nickelodeon constantly – even though no one seems to remember it? Anyway, It still holds a place in my pre-teen heart.}

---------

{Chu can't stare from outside anymore, so she's all in my face and half cat baths}

{still obsessed with the fake nails...}

Kiss Kiss Mars Spiders Shoes

2011-01-13T06:38:00.001-05:00

Vintage shoes and boots added to the shop! BrandoBowieGIF!

{click on it!}

A Brief Moment in the Early 1990s

2011-01-12T23:56:00.005-05:00

Terriers, now not on TV, but all over Hulu and Pirate Bay.

Two Kims wearing two blazers.
Also, I have two vintage navy blazers in the shop now.
While I'm not into the Nautical / French inspired striped shirt look, I am all for just striped sleeves. JSS 4 Ever – thanks Kelley Deal.

Skin Knockout

2011-01-10T07:22:00.001-05:00

Went to Green-Wood about a week after the big blizzard. More pics here. Got the see-through '90s boots from James Roland Shop on Etsy a while back. I cut out the tongue due to the boots being too noisy when I walked, total George Costanza pants situation. Also, the bottoms glow in the dark. ajflsjflks!

What is happening right this second

2011-01-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

Watching Fisby watch the snow. The flakes are hoooooge and falling heavy...

You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada

2011-01-07T08:31:00.029-05:00

This is one of my favorite shirts.

I got it some time back when I first moved to NYC in exchange for doing some modeling for the creator of the deconstructed vintage t-shirt line, Vintage Rescue by Meredith Fleischer. Seems like she's not making these cool shirts anymore though. I could only find this and that about them from 2005 online. I did find her photo portfolio blog which is currently being updated, but no mention of the shirt line.

This is such a great idea to make use of old t-shirts that one doesn't / can't wear anymore {besides the t-shirt quilt idea} and I'm going to try my hand at making something similar but with a more seamless look and wider neck. Inspiration!

Anyway, the front is made up of a t-shirt from the 1984 movie, The Last Starfighter, the back is a tour shirt from R.E.M.'s 1994 Monster tour. Awesome. The two halves are then stitched with blue embroidery thread on the sides.

Catwalk

2011-01-06T15:39:00.002-05:00

Fairly bummed out today, received news I knew was coming, but now it's officially official. BUT then I get a link to this fabulous song on twitter and things seem not so bad.

Snipped directly from the Captured Tracks review: with influences including (Phil Spector, Alex Chilton, Creation Records..) plus something modern and unique.

I am all for every bit of this. Get inside my brain and stay there, I will need these tunes for when I am walking down the street without music and need a song in my sad head and heart.

Catwalk // (Please) Don't Break Me from Wooden Lens on Vimeo.

More tunes on Catwalk's Facebook page that are for listen and sale...

Getting the 7" from Captured Tracks right after I type this sentence, end sentence! END!

Enjoy the Silence

2011-01-05T08:34:00.000-05:00

Saw this dress at the F21 website.
Listened to this album in high school.

Put Some Stank On It

2011-01-04T08:35:00.001-05:00

Found out last week that Haas Unica is this rare font that is awesome and the perfect alternative to using the ubiquitous Helvetica yet no one can get it anymore due to copyright issues.

Anyway, I have it. And I really like it, but is this affinity mostly based on the fact that I'm obsessed with having what I'm not supposed to have?

The original KG approves.

Just goes to show that one {Andre Gurtler specifically} just needed a little Inspirado from a not so greatly designed font to conceive a better one. One that no one can get legally anymore :(

Real Life Fonts in Action!

2011-01-04T02:50:00.002-05:00

Found this site, Fonts In Use. Such a great idea, started by people who know their stuff, this is for anyone who's into typefaces and intelligently discussing their use in our everyday world within a variety of formats.

The site design is beautiful with no ads, and it incorporates navigation that makes sense and makes one want to stick around.

Oh, and the main header is Relay Condensed which evokes European art deco and finds influences with lettering in old comic books and diners. I am ok with every subject in that sentence.

And Fisby digs it too. No. She is sleeping.

Angry Birds

2011-01-04T01:23:00.002-05:00

Anytime I read a well-written article online that I randomly get linked to by someone's twitter or facebook blurb, I go up to the title bar and delete that specific article's address up to the point of the home page, then tap the enter key. Yes, there is an easier way to do this, but clicking command and the the up button, then trying to figure out what is an ad and what is the home page area usually takes too long. Anyway, once I'm on that home page I look for more information on the site to see if it's worth bookmarking and coming back to for future great content.

I just discovered Techi.com this way.

I also just read that David Lynch doesn’t allow cooking to take place in his home because he can’t stand the smell. Brilliant.

And this was the article I read on techi.com concerning negativity and the effectiveness of evoking emotions with social media titled, Why The Bad Guys Win In Social Media, and the main pic is a cat...of course. Hiss.

Snacks for Nail Biters

2011-01-03T22:51:00.000-05:00

Eh, the whole "a thing every day thing" — I'm not really feeling it this year. How about I just wake up every day and make something awesome happen and I don't necessarily keep track of it here? Yaaaay.

Every now and then I chew my nails, and if I want to stop, a good way to help with that is to hide my nails from my face. Enter cheap-ass glue-on nails. I bought these silver ones a while back for $5 from Sonia Beauty Supply or Grand Beauty (depending on how old the neon orange sticker on the product is and what it says) located on 5th Ave in Brooklyn. The nails were initially crazy long like Corn Chip Nail Tips, so I filed them down to a length more manageable.

Corn Chip Nail Tip
Sorry for the crappy 30 second ad one has to watch :( but it's mutable :)

So far, I feel like a robot Hajime Sorayama illustration come to life with moments of Sailor Moon transformation nail power. It's awesome.

And here's Fis wearing the silver stretchy bow string.

Now here she is eating it.

Outfit #1

2011-01-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

Everyday outfit post with the cat for 2011?? Can I keep this up again? For a while?
{my heart's in the right place}

pea-colored winter pea coat - vintage
70s sweater dress - vintage
black scarf and crocheted beret - Uniqlo and UO
shiny faux leather leggings - AA
black leather platform wedge boots - Jeffrey Campbell from Solestuck
staring at your soul with that one eye in the last pic - Fisby

More Favorite Music of 2010

2010-12-31T19:44:00.004-05:00

Best tapes and 7 inches of 2010

Ancient Crux/Weed Diamond split 7"
My favorite song of 2009, finally on vinyl in 2010 and in my hands:
In Teen Dreams by Ancient Crux{download and listen}

And I got these tapes:
Runners - Demo CS
Ancient Crux / Ouija Split
Consignment - Laundry Room
Mikura Suzuki - Punished By The Nina
from Brent at Hi Shadow Records in CA. He even made me a special mixtape
(with my choice of theme)...

...CATS of course!

detail of the Ancient Crux tape from Hi Shadow Records.
Also, Family Time is really great for tapes too.

Other favorite 7 inches of 2010:

Leave You Forever by Cloud Nothings Talk to Me (b side){download and listen}

Shake the Shackles by Crystal StiltsMagnetic Moon (b-side)
{download and listen}

Favorite Week of 2010

2010-12-31T18:40:00.001-05:00

Had a friend from Liverpool that I've internetly known since 2004 FINALLY come visit New York City in 2010 for a little over a week. It was a lot of fun. I got out and did loads of touristy things I had yet to do after living here for almost 9 years. Also, having great conversation with an intelligent, funny, cool guy —that never gets old.

looking down on two people looking out on the Central Park Reservoir at sunset

northern view of NYC from the Empire State Building at night

very very very windy! and with the Chrysler Building lit up in the background

He made scouse.
It was really good. Brommate and I ate on this for a week.

Favorite Music of 2010

2010-12-31T13:03:00.002-05:00

Made the music DVDs this year. Best Songs and Best Albums. The criteria is stuff I listened to the most combined with some things I just discovered from other end of the year lists from mp3 blogs that I follow. Here are the best complete albums, meaning, you can listen to these albums completely and not have to skip any songs. If anyone reading this wants one, just let me know. I have extras...

Favorite Fashion Moment of 2010

2010-12-30T14:52:00.001-05:00

Back in September, Hillary Clinton was at the United Nations and wore one of the tackiest things a woman can put in her hair besides a scrunchie.

dlisted.com summed it up best:
Hillary was there to meet about what's going on in Pakistan and Haiti, but instead all eyes were focused on the hair clip she fished out of a swap meet discount bin circa 1988. Some moaned that it's very unprofessional-like for an important politician to wear her hair like my mom about to clean her oven. And others said that she's the Secretary of State so she can do whatever the hell she wants with her hair.

Loves it.

The Dog Sit Blizzard of 2010

2010-12-29T04:37:00.001-05:00

Currently I'm dog-sitting in Park Slope.
This is what little dogs do. They jump around. They look up at you.

They have to wear sweaters when it snows.

--------
My bike on the day of the blizzard

Oh, perfect, the next day...

--------
My Shadow!

My Shadow!

So many more snow pics on flickr
They were mostly taken while walking from Park Slope to Cobble Hill the day after, and then Park Slope to Sunset Park the day after that.

The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors Even

2010-12-29T00:40:00.000-05:00

=^.^= Me and Chu Chu =^.^=

I got this sweater a few months back from Guvnors on 5th Ave in Park Slope. They have a great selection of vintage items and it's all reasonably priced. They're better than Odd Twin and the other shops in the area - even Beacon's. Also, the sales staff is rad - one time they were drinking PBR and offered me some, but I was riding my bike and probably would've stuck around for more than my share of watered down beer. They're on Facebook too - Guvnor's Vintage and Thrift - and were open the day after the blizzard when it was nothing but infinity bodegas. I would've definitely gone in if I had the money. They need to be on twitter!

Anyway, I like the sweater, but I'm currently obsessed with anything that has wider necks so I'm going to add it to the Etsy shop next week - yaaaaaaay! - along with some great '80s leather spectator ankle boots and other clothing items.

Speaking of the vintage shop on Etsy, I wish the name of it was the title of this post :) What am I saying, We Are Were is awesome ;)

Life is so hard!!

2010-12-28T18:35:00.000-05:00

Infomercial Hell - watch more funny videos

{thanks to fellow cat-lover Dustin for showing me why I should just give up}

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley

2010-12-25T10:47:00.001-05:00

Happy Merry!

J.T. (1969)

2010-12-24T20:26:00.001-05:00

There are many classic Xmas movies to watch on TV every year — Scrooged, A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, DieHard, something with muppets, etc...

But how about watching something different. It's not on TV (anymore). It's free on youtube in five parts and it's pretty great. A boy in Harlem, a cat, a radio, and Xmas. You're welcome.

The Stork from Devonshire

2010-12-23T15:39:00.000-05:00

Last night I ate a relaxation cookie and watched Disney's Robin Hood (1973) for probably the 70th time. I like how the fox couple look exactly alike but the female has more eyelashes. Nowadays in a cartoon, the female of an animal couple would be a lighter color, much more petite, rounder face with larger eyes, and have lipstick on. Blaaaaaaah.

I can basically recite/act out this movie from heart. It was/is one of my Disney favorites. But maybe this is due to it being one of the only Disney cartoons that was around the house when I was a kid. The songs are pretty good - the country rooster is great - voiced by Roger "Dang Me" Miller. I like the music in Sleeping Beauty too. I was fairly fascinated in Snow White also - basically anything where a woman went out to live in the woods on her own (sort of on her own). It's like going out into the world by yourself for the first time. Maybe comparable now to when you're in your late teens/early 20s and going off to college, moving to a big city. Eh, maybe not. But people love to bash Disney princesses/fairy tale story lines and I'm right there with them for some stuff, but it's not all bad. Having a prince save you in the end all of the time is bs though. But having woodland creatures to talk to, help you do chores, and even make you a surprise dress – that's kind of neat.

Memories:
I grew up in a neighborhood called Sherwood Knolls, lived on Nottingham Road. There was a road called Ivanhoe Lane, it was where our neighborhood cat lady lived – she was typically mean and incoherent, I tried to be her friend once, she wasn't having it. I stole a bowling pin out of her yard. It smelled like cat pee. Also, the FBI man lived on that street for a while (we rolled his yard), and every house was occupied by grandparent types. It was like some rule.

Anyway, LOVE this song. It always gets stuck in my head out of nowhere. On a monthly basis. More than the oo-de-lally/hamster dance one.

About the end of this youtube clip...
The reveal of the laundry and cooking area - it gives the impression that fox Robin Hood is showing vixen Maid Marian "her duties" now as his wife. Ugh. Hope not!

The stain of Gallagher is still there

2010-12-22T15:32:00.002-05:00

I have a problem with the comedy podcasts I listen to. Here it is. Right here.
They (the comedians who are around my age) never mention how when they were kids they watched the Gallagher specials. See, there had to be about 7 of those specials. They were on Showtime in the 80s. Comedy Central showed them again when we were in high school/college - and yeah, we THEN realized how bad/annoying/unrelatable/mediocre they were. Point is, you couldn't have missed them.

When comedians are on podcasts they love to mention how when they were small children they listened to all these comedy records. Also, that their parents let them watch the specials of Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks, George Carlin, Steve Martin, and anyone else who is still cool these days - and they NEVER mention Gallagher and you know they saw that too. And you know they liked it and it inspired them to do comedy as well. Everyone liked Gallagher back in the day. He was so huge. He had all those specials with observational humor, thinking about things differently, fun props, the watermelons, are you fucking kidding me?! That was so cool as a kid to see this guy splash all this food on his crowd - like he's saying, "fuck you for supporting me!" It was so different and interesting and "of it's time".

But now, no one dares utter the name Gallagher for fear of seeming uncool. That is bs. It's like some embarrassing comedy stain on US history that everyone wants to think never happened. Book publishers in the US can rewrite history so that kids don't learn how their European ancestors raped and ravaged this country's land and native people, but you can't forget that Gallagher had 10 (I just looked on wiki) fucking specials in the 80s that played on TV constantly - and he toured constantly. That had to have some impact on the comedians of my generation. He was a prop comic, his material was basic, and kids got it. End of story. What is there to really be embarrassed about?

You know, whatever, who cares really... but I bet pretty soon some comic will not want to be like everyone else and will take a stand and admit that they actually watched and liked Gallagher as a kid. BUT it will be an annoying and too self-aware stand where they think by admitting their liking of Gallagher will blow people's minds. Ugh.

Also, painful memory #349: One time my parents had a lot of adult friends over at the apt in Spring Lake Lodge when we first moved to Alabama for some party/bday/whatever. I got to stick around and remember looking up at all these tall adults I'd never seen before. They started watching one of Gallagher's specials on Showtime and were drinking alcohol and laughing along. I started laughing too. Then someone angrily turned around and stared at me and said, "Why are you laughing at that?!? There is no way you could of gotten that!" I almost peed my pants out of fear and slinked out of the room quietly. Why are some adults so shitty to children. I was just trying to fit in. Anyway, what a bunch of dopes for being so into Gallagher as adults.

When I was a kid, this blew my mind. How could a young child's brain not be influenced by this in some way? I still think about the "tome-tomb" thing...

I'm not saying people need to be singing the praises of Gallagher, but NO ONE mentions him. At all. Like he never existed. Not even to make fun of anymore. I dunno, maybe that's really good thing after watching these video clips? He's kind of annoying on that giant couch.

When's this rad new movie coming out?

2010-12-12T13:45:00.000-05:00

Showgirls | Black Swan Trailer MASH UP from Jeffrey McHale on Vimeo.
{thanks dlisted}

Does anyone want to have Double Feature Theater Day 2010 consisting of movies about dancing women pitted against each other? We can go to Times Square and pay for Burlesque then sneak into a showing of Black Swan. Last time I did this was six years ago with Napoleon Dynamite and Fahrenheit 9/11 at the "feety smell" Pavilion in Park Slope. I think it's appropriate to see movies featuring dancing and singing in a movie complex on Broadway and 42nd. Am I right?

Less is More

2010-12-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

I like the simplicity of the new Comedy Central logo.

However, this Flash promotional bit made me hate the fact that I have eyes:

Comedy Central Press

Comedy Central: Refreshed and Rededicated

www.comedycentral.com

Funny Jokes

Ugly Americans

The Benson Interruption

First they giveth, then they taketh away.

Oh wait, or do I only really like it cos of the similarity to the Apple power button?

Eh, who cares...I haven't listened to Queens of the Stone Age in forever...

Ghost on the Highway

2010-12-10T12:16:00.008-05:00

Moar of Karla Spetic's photo realistic prints!
{as seen at Facehunter recently...}

I love these pics by Yvan Rodic. I love this skirt. And the back - all black - perfect.

{full set of images here.} Ladies:
Gents:

18-2120

2010-12-10T09:04:00.029-05:00

The PANTONE color of the year for 2011 is...

I am used to seeing wild honeysuckle around Green-Wood every summer, but it's never magenta-pink-red. I've only ever seen it white-yellow my entire life — and this yellowy color is closer to 2009's pick, PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa.

Anyway, I love thinking about honeysuckle in winter. If I could smell like any flower, it would be HONEYSUCKLE. If I could smell like any tea, it would be EARL GREY. If I could smell like any fruit, it would be STRAWBERRIES. If I could be any tree...duh, OAK.

{jk, I love weeping willows}
I would love to see this color paired up with olive green, moss green, pumpkin, and dark brown.

"I can't see through her hair"

2010-12-09T15:44:00.001-05:00

Currently obsessed with watching European teens "do scene hair" while listening to bad music.

Ratting blonde hair reminds me of Hairspray - it's nothing our society hasn't seen before...

"They put me in Special Ed. cos of my hair!"

Just because...

2010-12-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

...I watched a lot of TV as a kid.

I could've learned another language, but instead I have a myriad of 1980s and 90s commercials tattooed on my brain.

It's winter in NYC (though not officially until the 21st) but there were EXTENDED MOMENTS OF SNOW FALLING that sort of got stuck on cars. And if N-E-S-T-L-E-S still made Alpine White, I'd be all over it like white on Alpine White, even though I normally don't care for almond bark. I also don't care for coffee, but for the holidays I make an exception for egg nog, candy cane, gingerbread, caramel apple, and pumpkin spice artificially flavored and sweetened lattes.

Anyway, I'll always think of first seeing this chocolate bar and humming this tune while wandering the candy isle in that convenience store on the corner of Rainbow Drive and whatever road my elementary and middle school and the softball fields were on. Before practice we'd walk down the long rural road past the horse cemetery in that one house's backyard and load-up on chocolate, Salt & Vinegar chips, Gatorade, and the stinkiest Super Bubble grape and apple gum we could get our hands on.

For more Info / History / Controversy over this video, and a live (better in theory) cover by Faith No More, it's all conveniently located on this one goth blog I just stumbled across.

And speaking of white, I'm finally doing my 3 inch roots so I won't be a two-toned anymore. Maybe if all goes well I'll pull a Terri Nunn and reverse the two-tonedness.

"The part that kills"

2010-11-19T13:24:00.000-05:00

I know... this song is about addiction and drugs and AIDS and dying and not wanting to deal with it all really, but I heard the repetitive line "open the dooooooor, open the door I can't stay here anymore" on a loop in my brain today and I had no problem with that fact. So, I haven't heard this song in years, never really thought about what it was referring to exactly, figured it was probably about a relationship ending. Then I watch this video. Bummmmer. It's so literal with the imagery. It hurts to watch it, not emotionally, but cos it's beyond corny with the portrayals of bummertown scenes. Squish Squish, embarrassment tears.

Anyway, it's still a good song that no one thinks about anymore. I think Magnapop is a good band no one really thinks about anymore. Underrated, maybe? I wasn't so into them back in the day...

More Magnapop. Why not.

I like fashion, I dislike fashion

2010-11-18T08:09:00.001-05:00

I still randomly get clothing catalogs in the mail. Thrown into the bathroom magazine rack, they eventually get looked at and then recycled. I usually enjoy the photography and styling, but I haven't ordered anything from a catalog in ages. Anyway, I flipped through the Free People one (always too gypsy Stevie Nicks for me) in reverse from the back to the front (not how I wipe) so I didn't realize it was blogger themed.

I really liked these two looks:

Natalie Off Duty

But then I realized...
Instead of Free People setting trends and being a strong brand, they hired these fashion bloggers to style and wear their clothes. At first it seems like a good idea, win-win, but it really says to me "We, as a company, have run out of original ideas, what are your ideas you over there with that popular blog? GREAT, we'll go with that! It will represent us too! WE ARE NOT USING YOU TO MAKE US APPEAR RELEVANT NOOOOOOO."

Speaking of mail order clothing catalogs, and I know it's old news, but I think the ironic stretched type in the Urban Outfitters recent "look" and website re-design is their latest attempt at trying to seem DIY and lo-fi and authentic. I mean, their logo looks like Captcha. Instead of testing to see if we're all computer bots, they're testing our tastes. They are a company, not art. I don't understand why they're trying to make an anti-graphic design statement with their brand like that. Again, instead of coming up with new ideas, they're trying to associate themselves with a pre-existing "underground" style. Just offer cute affordable clothes to college kids and the illegible design won't have to be an issue.

Bad brands... They have the power to change things for the better with the young people that look up to them for taste / style / ways to express themselves through clothing, but the brands are merely algae-eating on the aquarium of creativity and originality. But what am I saying? Who cares really. And whatever, these two companies are owned by the same corporation anyway, and they're very successful. So they must know what they're doing...here's a photo of my cat:

And I don't even know how I got off the track

2010-11-17T09:04:00.006-05:00

Pinkerton was just remastered with extra tracks. When this first came out in 1996 I bought it at Camelot for roughly $17 and thought it was subpar, written for dudes only - unrelatable - and not really my thing. I felt ripped off. Then in college 2 years later, I still had the album and popped it in for another listen before possibly selling it to a used CD store. As a result, I kept it, but have since lost the CD with many others in The Great USPS Mail Debacle of 2009. Anyway, throughout college I pretty much listened to the album from beginning to end on a semi-weekly basis and loved it knowing that most everyone and all critics panned it. Like, I loved it basically cos of that. Why not?? Also, it just happens to be a solid, good album. Seems I wasn't the only one who thought this. And who knew Weezer was not going to sound like this anymore resulting in people giving too much credit to The Blue Album and Pinkerton anyway?

ALSKj;ldksjfsdkfkj, here's more Mary Lynn Rajskub, but in now times and in a cool dress...

Here is your meat tuxedo

2010-11-16T09:31:00.083-05:00

Any discussion of whether Lady Gaga is a feminist is a distraction: representing sexual power is not power. Representation is not reality. —Merle Hoffman

Good (but too short) article about how by not defining what being a feminist means IN NOW DAYS is somehow making it come to mean almost nothing, but maybe by just putting this idea out there (short and sweet) it's making the point more sussinct than a four page essay.

Women are not what they wear, who they fuck or what they buy. They are what they think, and what they do about what they think. —Merle Hoffman

HOLY SHIT, YES.

-------

This is a good point too over at the Guardian. I felt better after reading this as I often think about the kind of guys I meet / attract and how they seem so...um...how can I put this without sounding trite and predictable...like they're really really into still being teenagers. And how I have to be ok with this or I'm not cool and "one of the guys" even though I'm a woman and feeling like "one of the gals" is much more important to me, and sadly, harder to actually achieve on some natural level. And maybe it's very female to feel apologetic over the sense of feeling blame for guys being stuck in some unrealistic bro world cos they need to take care of me AND I'M NOT LETTING THEM, IT'S ALL MY FAULT. Like my need to feel human, have choice, and equal independence in my life is resulting in turning men into babies with their new found lack of provider responsibility? Why would I want to take down men? And, better yet, would it really be that easy?? It is a rad sense of power that I would be capable of doing that (according to some) just for my own selfish feminist reasons. Look, I want to be loved and respected in a fulfilling, emotional relationship that isn't needy from either side (don't we all?). And I still own action figures and stuffed animals too.

So, point is, feminism is good for everybody. The more people who understand this, the more "feminism" will not be a dirty word or misused, and anyone who calls themselves a feminist will not be looked at as militant angry lesbian men haters.

Male privilege is not a guarantor of either happiness or health, and trying desperately to play the part of protector and provider has robbed generations of men of both. Feminism offers men a chance to rethink and re-evaluate their worth and their purpose. It offers them an opportunity to be intimate allies with their female partners, to forge relationships based on more than duty and dependency. It gives men a chance to be loved for the wholeness of who they are, rather than solely for what they can provide.

See, win-win, people. MEAT CLOTHES FOR EVERYONE.

And I can't express how badly I wish Lady Gaga would write better music and her next album sounded and had the lyrical power of PJ Harvey or Bikini Kill or anything interesting and REAL. She has this huge following, she could change lives and send out a real message to all the woman and men out there about feminism. Take note, here is how you do the no pants thing:

First video I remember seeing on 120 Minutes

2010-11-15T12:31:00.003-05:00

760 x 100 pixels

2010-11-10T08:41:00.023-05:00

Most banners aren't that great design-wise, or shops don't have them at all. Every now and then there are some good ones. Here are some good ones. These banners are for shops (mostly vintage) that I've noticed recently that really look cute / good / interesting and set the mood for how I feel about the items they have for sale. Usually the beautiful use of text is what catches my eye at first, so most of these feature successful typography.

Without any text, the simplicity is beautiful. Love it.

This is a simple, effective stab at the Netflix brand. Awesome.

Ikhan Vintage went a step further and made their banner background the same color as the little Etsy tab underneath. Great way to be more integrated into the set-in-stone Etsy layout.

This is great, whether it's intentional or not, the heads and shoulders in the banner sort of match with the clothing thumbnails right underneath.

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Perhaps the creepiest Etsy banner I've seen. They've since changed it... yeaaaah, it's suggesting heroin with the needle.