Friday Favorites vol. 12

1. Fireflies




2. Suspenders




3. Straight bangs





4. Brightly colored trenches
Because the only thing better than a classic trench might just be a green, yellow, red, blue, or pink one.





5. Polaroids
Thank god all the polaroid people convinced the polaroid makers to keep on making polaroid film, right?

Sometimes I need a pep talk to get out of bed in the morning.

While many pharmaceutical companies might have me believe that I suffer from depression, I know that, like most people, I just sometimes need a little pep talk.

I think we can all learn some things about positive self-talk from Jessica.



Thanks, Jessica!

I feel better.

How can I tell? Well, I'm back to loving coffee more than tea.
Reunited and it feels so goooood.



and right now I'm sipping an ice cold Paulaner Hefeweizen with my leftover Freebirds while we watch Season 2 of The Wire.



And to think, all I needed to do was look at my beverages to see that I'm back to normal! (Next task at hand= getting Nathan back to normal. He's about one or two days behind me, so ought to be back to better just in time for Kathryn and Rami's spectacular Iowa farm wedding this weekend. I can hear myself in the near future saying, "Whew, that was a close one.")

P.S. When I looked up The Wire just now on IMDB, I saw that it has an average of 9.7 stars. That's insane. That's ridiculous. That's totally accurate, but heads and shoulders above the highest rated movies on IMDB, including but not limited to
The Godfather (9.2 stars),
Pulp Fiction (8.9 stars),
Schindler's List (also 8.9)
and freakin Casablanca (8.8 stars).

Jeez, the Wire, I knew I loved you. I just didn't realize everyone else did. Nice work. Now where's my boy Omar?

I'm sickies.

(Not sure what the Quiet Sick Zone is, but I'm probably living in it right now.)

I'm actually feeling better than yesterday. I have just a tiny head-cold hangover, and my throat phlegm is tasting less and less like burned toast-- which must be a good sign, right?
Especially because in four short days, we'll be getting on a plane to shoot Kathryn's fabulous Iowa farm wedding, and I have to be in perfect health since I'm second shooting. Yes, you read that right. It's part of our plan to take over the world. Hope you don't mind?

I might feel like this now,


but by the end of the week, this'll be me:


For now, I'm watching lots of terrible girly movies and eating oranges and drinking tea. What helps you feel better when you're sick?

Summer reading, s'il vous plait.

All right, I realize there are still two weeks of school before summer officially starts, but that hasn't kept me from making (and even starting in on) my summer reading list.

1. Life of Pi, Yann Martel


2. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen


3. What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us,
Laura van den Berg


4. The Help, Kathryn Stockett


5. The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx


6. Running with Scissors, Augusten Burroughs


7. An Abundance of Katherines, John Green


8. Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris


9. The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls


10. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote


11. People Are Unappealing: Even Me, Sara Barron


12. Hole in My Life, Jack Gantos


13. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides


14. The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All,
Alexandra Penney


I must say I'm surprised at how many memoirs made the cut.
Anything you think I ought to add? This is by no means a complete list...

P.S. What are you reading this summer?

Friday Favorites: sparkling things, et al

1. Sparklers





2. Rompers -- not to be confused with jumpers.
It's my understanding that rompers are shorts and jumpers are pants. Anyone know the real difference? Eh.




Oh yeah. I posted a picture of Nicole Richie.

3. Lorina Sparkling Lemonade




4. Grosgrain ribbon




5. Mr. Sketch scented markers



Aren't these things like crack?
I can smell the blueberry one just typing this. Also a big fan of the black licorice.

Did you know that they even have skinny ones? Using these as an adult is just as much fun as using them as a kid, I promise.

Do you remember these dolls?

I had a set when I was little. Wikipedia says they're commonly known as Matryoshka dolls or Babushka dolls, although I'm pretty sure I called mine my little Russian dolls (which perhaps isn't the most politically correct?).

I may have to order these measuring cups, just for nostalgia.



In searching for this old-school Sesame Street video,



I ran across this lesser-known Matryoshka Doll video, featuring Mrs. Tubbypot et al.



I suspect this little videographer was trying her hand on a Flip video camera, and may or may not have gotten permission from her parents to post this video on the internet. It takes a surprising turn around the 58 second mark. I can see a brilliant future cinematographer in the making.