Chicago Winter

Image by dresmall via Flickr

When I first told people that I planned on movin g to Chicago for school the number one thing people would ask me about was how I was going to handle the winter. My general response was something along the lines of "it can't be that bad." Cue March when I emerged from my cave after two months of self-imposed hibernation swearing that next winter I'd be better prepared. Needless to say I've developed a nice stockpile of winter survival tips over the years and I figured I'd share a few:




Clothing

• Layers are a Chicagoian's best friend.  Not only do they help with the frigid air outside, but they also help with the inevitable overly-heated office or train car
• Waterproof boots are a definite must.  There is nothing worse than feet getting wet due to slush when the temp is in the negatives.  Additionally, boots usually offer more traction for dealing with the occasional icy sidewalk

Beauty

• Despite the cliche-ness of saying 'drink more water' in the case of Chicago winters and warding off dry skin its true. 
• As the unfortunate recipient of naturally dry skin, winter is particularly troublesome.  As a result, I own just about every kind of moisturizer available.  Here are just a few I've found helpful: Aquaphor (aside: CVS makes an excellent equivalent of this) hand cream, Egyptian Magic, Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizer, Oil of Olay's In Shower Body Lotion

Home

• Only recently have I begun to recognize the amazingness of humidifiers, what did I do before I got mine?  Oh wait I know I suffered through static, dry skin, sore throats...you name it.  While no means the miracle cure for winter's ailments, I definitely recommend getting a humidifier for those who (like me) must content with the drying factors associated with some heating units.  I love the one I picked up from Bed Bath and Beyond, it works fantastic and it kind of reminds me of R2D2
• Lastly, I have embraced the old college-standby of using the cellophane-looking like products to seal my drafty windows.  Attractive? no  Beneficial? Definitely

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Being a huge Harry Potter fan, I have a long standing tradition of going opening day to all the movies.  This year was no exception and I was first in line with my friend opening day.  Needless to say I wasn't disappointed... 

Broad Overview:
This movie starts right where the last movie left off.  We rejoin Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they prepare for the final battle against Voldemort for the magical world (geez even as I right this I am cringing at the adolescent geekiness that is Harry Potter).

Review:
I had the chance to read a couple of reviews prior to seeing the movie and found that the majority of complaints with film seemed to be around the lack of development with the plot/characters.  While I can understand the frustration with this I felt that overall the film was generally setting the stage for the final film.  Realistically, any translation from book to film will always leave out some information.  There are few examples where the film is really able to capture everything the book is able to.  As the Harry Potter books are notoriously long, I think it really is a lot to ask of a film to capture everything the book is able. 

Anyone who hasn't read the books is in for a real shock as the latest installment is quite dark (as is the book).  I find it quite refreshing that the tone of the films has changed in accordance with the books and age of the characters.  I am looking forward to the final installment and hope that it leaves this series on a high note as this film in my opinion has left a solid base for a spectacular finish

(picture from wikipedia)

Quote - Gone with the Wind

Cover of Gone with the Wind

No, I don't think I will kiss you — although you need kissing badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how.

- Rhett Butler to Scarlett O'Hara, Gone With the Wind



Heart This - Glee's Teenage Dream

The Liar's Club

Cover of The Liars' Club: A Memoir

I recently had the pleasure of reading Mary Karr's memoir "The Liar's Club."  The book tells the story of Mary Karr's childhood growing up as part of a dysfunctional family in Texas in the 1960's.  Karr's childhood was filled with unstable family dynamics, alcohol, drugs and yet she managed to rise above what most would consider a traumatic filled childhood to become a bestselling author.  In addition "The Liar's Club," Karr has also gone on to write "Cherry" and "Lit" about later portions of her life.

I've basically described this book to just about everyone I've met.  I've described it sort of like watching a beautiful train wreck -  so horrified you want to turn away, but at the same time are increasingly fascinated to watch.  This is probably the easiest way to describe Mary Karr's memoir.  Though short, its not a light read.  I'm sure that as psychology student I read way too deeply into this book, but I promise you it does go deep.  Just when you think it can't possible get any deeper, it does.  As the ending jumped several year ahead in Karr's life, I almost planned on skipping it in case I decided to read her other memoirs, I am so glad I didn't.  I doubt there are many people out there like me who read this sporadically, but in case you do...do not skip the end!  I promise you it will be worth it. 

Final thoughts: I highly recommend reading this book if you get a chance, its definitely not light reading but its worth reading

City of Bones

Cover via Amazon

My family recently came up for a visit and I was gifted with the first three books in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series.  I just finished the first book, "City of Bones" and needless to say I'm hooked.  I still haven't finished the "Hunger Games" series and I also just obtained the new Nicholas Spark's book ("Safe Haven"), the pile continues to grow...

But back to "City of Bones."  The story is about a girl named Clary who following an incident at a nightclub gets drawn into the world of the Shadowhunters.  This world is populated by vampires, warewolves, fairies, witches, and all sorts of magical creatures.  While the story isn't terribly original (teenager finds out that they are actually a lot cooler than they thought they were and that there is a magical world), the way it is carried out is.  The book is oddly compelling, I find myself extremely happy that I have two more books to go and that Clare just started a new series...

The Hunger Games

Image via Wikipedia

Here is the basic gist of the plot: In the future North America is split up into districts and is ruled over by the Capitol. At some point in time there was a rebellion against the Capitol the resulted in District 13 being decimated. Every year as a reminder that the government controls the people, each district must participate in the hunger games. This basically consists of each district picking 1 boy and 1 girl to participate in a fight till the death show that's broadcast as television entertainment.


Review: The book was entirely engaging. A couldn't-put-it-down, wish-it-didn't-end kind of book. The plot, while grim, was entertaining. The only real criticism I have about the book is the poor editing. There are some basic words missing (think "a," and "the"), as well as some past/present confusion. While I still enjoyed the book it did create a somewhat stunted reading experience as my concentration would be broken occassionally by the poor editing. I've read a few reports that stated that this is a well known problem with the book so I guess I'm not the only one. I'm several chapters into the second book ("Catching Fire") and this does not appear to be a problem.


Bottom line: I highly recommend picking up this book if you get a chance. It's proof that there is actually some great new reading in the young adult section.

Psychology on TV - Dr. Lance Sweets

I wont lie I get somewhat giddy when I see psychology in the popular media, particularly portrayed in television shows.  One my recent favs is Bones' resident psychology aka Dr. Lance Sweets.  Sweets, as he's called in the show, is portrayed by Freaks and Geeks alum John Francis Daley.  His character is described as a sort of early child genius as he graduated high school early and at a young age has a doctorate.  Part dork, part Freudian wizard...I'm hooked. 

Fall TV

Image via Wikipedia

Its somewhat ironic that at the same time that studious minds are bent over school lesson, television releases its best stuff on air.  Thank goodness for Hulu or I'd never catch up.  Here are just a few of my favorites (I swear they just suck you in...)

• Monday: Castle
• Tuesday: Glee, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles
• Thursday: Bones, Grey's Anatomy

One more to add to the list is Sanctuary, which doesn't start its fall run until mid-October (sigh..).  One thing I can say for school work is that it keeps me from being a couch potato...

Success!

Image from CVS 

So after searching and hunting all my surrounding CVS stores I finally managed to locate one (on a recent trip out for work) that had the much talked about Essence of Beauty Crease Brush Duo set.  Needless to say I'm absolutely thrilled.  I've had several Essence of Beauty brushes before and I can honestly say they are absolutely terrific at a fraction of the price of the more expensive brushes (ahem...MAC...ahem). 

Aspirations

Apparently two Chicago folks got MacArthur awards this year. I wont lie, its always been sort of a hope of mine that one day I would be doing work worthy of a MacArthur genius award. Needless to say I'm in awe and congrats to those who won this year!


2010 MacArthur genius grants awarded - chicagotribune.com

GLEE- "Me Against The Music" Sneak Peek

Mail Surprises

 The Search for the Perfect Purple...

There is nothing I like better than opening my mailbox and finding something other than a bill...

Today's shipment was from Glamour Doll Eyes.  While I don't have time to go into detail about the colors (Freud calls me to read...) here are the colors I got (all sample sizes in jars).  All descriptions are from the Glamour Dolls website

• Mood Swing: "This color is a greyish blue with some shimmer."
• Premonition: "This color is a gorgeous dark greyish lavender."
• Shaded Orchid: "...a dark purple color."
• Girlfriend Sweater: "...a gorgeous matte dark purple."

I also got two free samples of Masquerade ("a very unique blend of black and purple") and Backstabber ("unique bend of black and green").  The package was sent to me in a bubble package and also included some Glamour Doll Eye shadow cards and sticker.  I found shipping to be quite quick (about a week).  Shaded Orchid is described as an "unblended pigment" and I appreciated that this was very clear when I purchased the samples.  Both Premonition and Mood Swing were part of the 'Twi-Shadow' collection, as I can't resist something named for two of my favorite Twilight characters (Alice and Jasper respectfully). 

I also enjoyed the fact that I could purchase an unlimited amount of samples, which I like as I hate committing to a full size unless I can see the color in person.  An example of this is Masquerade whose picture on the website appears more pink to me, while in person it appears to look more like a dark purple. 

While I haven't swatched/used any of the products yet so I can't speak to pigmentation/wear/etc I feel confident that this is a good start to me finding the perfect purple shade. 

The Duchess

So I had the pleasure of recently watching The Duchess, in which Keira Knightley portrayed Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.  While the movie was somewhat sobering (several scenes even cringe worthy due to their content not portrayal), what I was quite taken with were the costumes.  Georgiana was a socialite during her day, known for her fashions, and I felt that this aspect of the film was adequately portrayed.  I particularly loved the earrings shown above (admittedly a bad screen cap of them). 

New Loves - Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco

At the suggestion of my hair stylist I recently began to use Bumble and Bumble's Creme de Coco shampoo and conditioner.  My hair was in dire need of some TLC, specifically some hydration.  This shampoo smells of coconut butters and has helped sooth and hydrate my dry frizzy hair.  I was recently complimented on how shiny my hair looked and I know I owe it to this amazing product (and my hair stylist). 

Blog Love - Makeup

Image via Wikipedia

Autumn is my favorite season.  It brings with it Halloween, sweaters, candy, and my personal favorite...darker makeup.  Now I love Summer and its easy bronze shades, but nothing quite wets my palette like a nice rich plum or a dark burgundy.  There's just something about these colors that screams fall for me.  Thus I began my annual search for the perfect fall colors.  This year rather than scouring Sephora and the like (though I will admit Lancome and MAC's newest collections have more than piqued my interest) I started looking through some blogs for some lesser known makeup collections.  As I type I (according to e-mail invoices) have several makeup orders coming my way.  Here are the blogs I owe homage to in my pursuit of the perfect fall colors...

Glitter is my crack : You know one of those blogs that you find yourself hitting the button "older posts" repeatedly on?  Yeah this is one of those blogs.  Seriously fantastic makeup, not for the faint of heart...think rich colors and lots of sparkle (hence her blog title).


Confessions of a Makeup Addict : I didn't realize until several posts in that I had viewed this blogger's amazing videos on youtube for quite sometime now.  Based across the pond she does a lot of Internet based mineral makeup company reviews/swatches which is fantastic.  It was through her blog that I first heard of Fyrinnae's Pixie Epoxy, which I look forward to receiving soon. 


Pink Sith : I absolutely adore the breadth of information, and reviews on this blogger's website.  As much as I love to read about the newest lines to hit Sephora, its nice to read about other beauty related items out there


And one more for the road...

The Diary of an Indy Grrrl : While not makeup related I did have to show love to this amazing blog that I ran across in the Blogs of Note section.  This is another one of those blogs that I managed to stay on for a good hour or so.  I love movie reviews about lesser known movies, and am secretly a horror movie junkie so I appreciated all the reviews about horror movies. 

I Want It...

So this past year I had the opportunity to go the Printer's Row Festival.  It was there that I noticed a good deal of the vendors there were sporting t-shirts emblazoned with the covers of some of literature's greatest works.  After further searching online at home I came across the website Out of Print Clothing which sells t-shirts featuring classic book covers (many out of print - hence the title).  According to their website for each t-shirt sale one book is donated to the Books for Africa an organization that collects and ships books to children in Africa.  Needless to say I'm hooked.  I particularly want "The Brave New World" (Aldous Huxley), which is one of my favorite books.

Quote

Photo from www.photos8.com

"The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience"

- Emily Dickinson

Wishing I Had HBO

Not that I need another reason not to study this fall, but HBO's Boardwalk Empire looks seriously good...

Blog Love

Photo from www.photos8.com

Cupcakes and Cashmere
Just an absolutely beautiful blog and one of my favorite sources for fashion inspiration, as well as a good escape read.

Smitten Kitchen
It was through the aforementioned blog that I discovered this little gem of a food blog.  This blog is full of great recipes and tons of mouth watering pictures.  While I admit that I don't cook, this website gives me hope that one day I will...

Musings of a Muse
When I first started really getting into makeup blogs this was one of the first blogs I loved.  Full of great makeup reviews, this blog has it all.  What I love is that the range of makeup reviewed here is wide (drugstore, international brands, high end, etc.), which is great.  I also love that the reviews are surprisingly honest (not something you always find), giving both the good and bad of each product.

Flipped

I recently had a chance to check out Rob Reiner's latest movie Flipped.  The movie is based on Wendelin Van Draanen's book of the same name.  It follows two kids, Julie and Bryce, as they navigate the ups and downs of first love. 

Overall I found the movie quite enjoyable.  The ending was fairly predictable (I've never read the book), but as with most good movies, it's not so much the ending as the journey toward the ending that makes the movie worthwhile.  I particularly liked how the audience was given the chance to view events in the movie from each of the main characters' points of view.  This element not only added more depth to the film, but also made for some humorous (and sometimes scarily true to life) points in the movie.  While the middle seemed to drag a bit and at times seemed a bit repetitive overall I liked this film.  If  you like Reiner's past films, or are looking for some nostalgic romantic dramedy I highly recommend seeing Flipped.

Urban Decay

Its been ages since I've written, but here goes nothing...

 
So I've been updating my makeup recently and have become completely smitten by the makeup line Urban Decay.  As I love to share things I'm absolutely crazy about, here are my favorite Urban Decay products:


Eye Shadow Primer Potion
This is by far my favorite eye shadow primer.  The colors look fantastic after applying, and they last all day.  While my only complaint about this product in the past has been the bottle (as has been the complaint of many a user), Urban Decay has recently remedied this by coming out with the Professional Size Primer Potion. 

Naked Palette
I was fortunate enough to pick up this palette at my local Ulta.  It's my first Urban Decay palette and possible one of the best palettes I've ever bought.  As a lover of neutral shadows it can be quite frustrating to find good quality, highly pigmented neutrals.  It can even be more frustrating to find these shades in work-appropriate matte colors.  In the past I've had to hunt for individual shadows, sometimes buying quads or whole palettes to get 1 or 2 shades I've liked.  Needless to say I'm in love with the Naked Palette.  The quality is great, the range is awesome, and it has a nice mix of matte and shimmery shadows.  I love that the palette is sleek, easily portable, and has a large amount of each shade.  If my raves aren't enough just type in "Naked Palette" in any search engine for any number of reviews, swatches, and tutorials that have stormed the Internet over the past month. 


All-Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
This was bought after reading multiple reviews during a particularly humid filled summer in Chicago.  Not only does this spray keep my makeup from melting off my face, but it also helps give it that "just applied" look. 

Urban Decay Naked Palette

School Finals - Time for a Brain Break

I have been bombarded with work this past week with finals and feel the need to take a bit of a break from it all. And what better way to take a break than to watch my favorite eye candy of the moment...Joseph Gordon -Levitt

Things I'm Loving Right Now

Here are a few of the things I am loving right now...


The Twilight Sage: Eclipse
I finally got around to seeing this the other day and was pleasantly surprised. Eclipse is my favorite out of the series and I thought David Slade (the director) did an excellent job portraying a fairly chaotic book plot. What I particularly loved about this film was the soundtrack. While watching the film I caught myself thinking several times how I should definitely download the music (which I did). One particular song I absolutely adore is Beck and Bats for Lashes's "Lets Get Lost."











"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" by Mark Haddon











I'd been meaning to write a review of this for a while now, but haven't just gotten around to it. Needless to say I absolutely loved this book, and managed to finish it in a night. It is about a boy named Christopher who investigates the killing of their neighbor's dog. What makes the story so interesting is that Christopher has Asperger Syndrome and he is the one narrating the story. The story itself is completely engrossing, but having Christopher for a narrator makes it all that more interesting. I highly recommend reading it if you get a chance





Prestige Cosmetics Lipstick in Beautifully Buff

Absolutely my favorite new lipstick. While I am a hard core lip gloss devotee, I occasionally test the waters in a new lipstick. I picked this up at Ulta a few days ago and have fallen in love. Its creamy, and is just slightly darker than my natural lips.




Amy's Kitchen As a person's whose diet largely consists of prepacked or microwavable meals, I have developed a list of reliable titles who I continue to frequent. Amy's is one of those lines. Largely organic, Amy's foods are absolutely delicious and make me feel less bad about rummaging through the freezer for tonight's meal.

Timer

Imagine a society in which a gadget had been invented that would tell you the precise time you would run into your soul mate? Impossible you say, well not in the movie Timer. The movie starts out by explaining that just such a device has been invented. While people are initially hesitant to implant this device into their arms, it soon becomes common place. The story revolves around a woman named Oona (Emma Caulfield), who nearing thirty is obsessed with her timer. Oona's timer does not read a specific date as her "one" has not gotten a timer yet. We are first introduced to Oona as she takes her current boyfriend in to get a timer to determine if they each other's "ones." It is clearly implied that this is not the first time she has done this. As the movie progresses she goes on to meet a young man named Mikey (John Patrick Amedori), who tries to teach her that sometimes its not all about guarantees in life.

Needless to say I loved this movie. The plot was insanely intriguing. I found myself, long after the credits rolled, wondering who I would be if a device such as the Timer actually existed. Would I get it? Would I want to know? What would happen if my timer didn't read anything, or read that I'd be 105 when I met my "one"? Along with the plot the dialogue itself never felt forced. Somehow even in this bizarre environment you could see people reacting just as these characters did. I highly recommend seeing this film if you haven't gotten around to yet.

Sometimes You Just Need To Smile

As I post this I reluctantly lie in my bed, a position that unfortunately is due to hurting my back again...sigh. Needless to say I have spent plenty of time surfing the Internet over the weekend. One video that made me smile was this one of a photo shoot with Glee's Harry Shum Jr., whose moves inspire the makeup artist's poodle to join in as well. Too cute...

J'Adore Paris Necklace

I am one of those people who finds a necklace and wears it literally until it falls apart. Lately I've been in a Paris-themed mood and have been searching for a necklace with a similar feel. As I was perusing Etsy the other day (http://www.etsy.com/) I came across ChristineWDesigns (www.etsy.com/shop/ChristineWDesigns) and fell in love with her J'Adore Paris Necklace. As you can see from the picture, on the necklace was a little Eiffel Tower and crystal pearl. So gorgeous, I can't wait to purchase more items!

(image is from Etsy website)

Blog Love

It is widely known amongst my friends how much I surf the Internet, and how often I turn up odd little websites or videos. What is not widely known is how many blogs I happen to read during any given week. Every once in a while I happen to run across a few blogs that I literally read from first post to latest post. These get filed in my "Blogs I love" favorites section of my computer. As my list gets longer and longer I figured that it might be worthwhile sharing a few of these blogs every once in a while. To start off here are two that I recently read cover-to-cover, so to speak:

1. Unruly things (www.unruly-things.com): as I type this I currently have a tab opened to this blog. I typically like blogs that are full of pictures and have links to sites/shops/etc. of interest...this blog has both. Easy to navigate and read this, blog is truly an enjoyable rainy day splurge to sift through.


2. The Kind Life (www.thekindlife.com): this is Alicia Silverstone's (aka Cher from Clueless) blog. Spinning off of her book, "The Kind Diet," Silverstone talks about everything from animal rights to great vegan recipes on her blog. I particularly like how when she discusses organic foods or eco-friendly fashions she mentions affordable or budget friendly options.

So those are just two of several of the blogs I have fallen in love with over the past few months. I know I'll be posting again soon with many more!

Twilight

As a 24 year old graduated student I have for years tried to justify my liking for Harry Potter.

- When the books/movies started I was in middle school so technically I grew up on them

- I've been going to the movies opening night since they first started, it would be a shame to break tradition...



I unfortunately have no such justifications for Twilight. For awhile I resisted the Twilight universe, adamantly refusing to read the books or even to see the movies. Then, slowly but surely I started to drift over to the dark side. And surprisingly enough found I liked it. Now I know I'm not alone in this...that is to say I'm not the only one who is addicted to these books/movies who is clearly over the age bracket that these books were intended for. And I know I'm not alone in devouring all the media frenzy around the movies. And I just got my friend addicted to the movies as well, isn't that how it always starts?

So what you say brings about this little rant about Twilight?

1. I just picked up the last book, "Breaking Dawn" (*tear*) I hate ending series


2. I just found out that I can read the little novella, "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" online for free at http://www.breetanner.com/ now until July 5
3. Alice is my absolute favorite character in the book and I love her fashion in the movies. Check out this fan made video called "How to dress like Alice Cullen" which I am loving right now:





4. I have found my favorite Eclipse website: http://www.eclipsemovie.org/, seriously addictive

And most importantly... Eclipse (my favorite of the book series) comes out June 30th

Zooey Deschanel

So I'll admit it, I have a bit of a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel. Her fashion sense, her movies, her music...love it all. So I was a little bummed on missing She & Him (the band she's in) come play in Chicago. That being said I thought I'd just throw out one of the cutest videos ever starring Zooey and another fav...Joseph Gordon-Levitt dancing to She & Him's "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

Urban Explorers

I recently watched the documentary Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness, and was pleasantly surprised. The film follows several individuals who consider themselves urban explorers, or people who explore abandoned buildings, old subway tunnels, etc. as a means of adventure. The film does not make light of the real dangers that these individuals face in the pursuit of finding the forgotten. There are several brushes with the law, and a sobering tribute to some explorers who died during their adventures.

That being said I must admit feeling quite adventurous along with the camera men who followed these modern day explorers through abandoned seminaries and in underground sewers. Particularly fascinating were the breathtaking photographs taken during these explorations. While I don't think I'll be donning any spelunking gear to go explore old Chicago anytime soon I did enjoy this documentary.

Below is a trailer for the documentary:

First Day of Summer Classes

Sometimes all a girl can do is dance...

Playlist for First Day of Summer Classes

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” - Whitney Houston
“Bulletproof” - La Roux
“Heaven is a Place on Earth” - Belinda Carlisle
“Love is a Battlefield” - Pat Benatar
“I Wanna be Sedated” - Ramones
“Better Than Her” - Matisse
“Good” - Better Than Ezra
“Send Me on My Way” - Rusted Root
“History Repeating” - Propellerheads & Shirley Bassey
“1901”- Phoenix
“Black and Gold” - Sam Sparro
“Forever Young” - Bob Dylan

Sex and the City 2

I'll admit, I went into Sex and the City 2 with little hope for the movie. The result? My expectations were not only proven correct, I had severally underestimated.

Now I must mention that I was not a huge fan of the first movie. Now on to the plot: we revisit the girls 2 years after the first movie. Carrie: is married to Big and living the typical married life (i.e. boring), Charlotte: is an overstressed mother of two with a very well endowed nanny; Samantha: is going through menopause and has found every possible "natural" means of stopping the change; and finally Miranda: is dealing with work related stress issues. The majority of the second half of this lengthy film, takes place in Abu Dhabi, where the four-some go for some much needed relaxation time. There the girls take in the scenery (and some men), clash with the culture, and (as the trailer hints at) Carrie runs into her ex Aidan Shaw (who I may add was looking particularly yummy in this film).

Review:

My biggest problem with the movie was how over the top it was. The dialogue seemed too cheesy, with sex filled one liners thrown in by the characters just for laughs. The trip to Abu Dhabi, while absolutely gorgeous, seemed like a failed attempt at creating a plot for the film rather than building a plot around it. The whole movie felt so far removed from the characters we had grown to love through the series. An additional comment that was echoed by a few of my friends were some of the cultural comments made by the characters, which were at times cringe-worthy.

I will note that while I am not often a fan of the clothing, both in the show and in the movies, I absolutely love, love, loved the clothes in this movie. From Miranda's plunging neckline dress to Carrie's billowing white dress at the end I must admit Patricia Field nailed this one.

Final thoughts: unless your a die hard Sex and the City fan I'd say skip it and rent it later

"literary crack"

So I've become absolutely addicted to the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, like completely addicted. So it was no surprise to me that when I picked up the next in the series that I hadn't devoured yet the sale's lady referred to the books as "literary crack." I just had to use that line somewhere, as it was not only the perfect sentiment toward these books, but also just a great line...

Caffeinated and Eco-Friendly

So I recently purchased this coffee travel mug so I don't have to keep throwing away all those Styrofoam cups for my coffee (so not earth friendly...). I found this one one ThinkGeek, a website that sells really cool stuff like caffeine molecule travel mugs to geeks like me (seriously though the site has a lot of really cool products that I highly recommend checking out). I can't wait to get it in the mail!

Hephaestus

I had the opportunity last week to catch the play Hephaestus, now showing at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. As a fairly recent Chicago resident, I hadn't had the pleasure of seeing this performance when they were last in the windy city. Needless to say I was impressed...


The full title of this amazing play is Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale, the title of which pretty much sums up the entire performance. Think traditional Greek mythology tale combined with the Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil. The performance was breathtaking, from the actors, to the circus acts, to the music...it was absolutely beautiful. I cannot rave about/recommend going to see this if you haven't already.

For more information check out the Goodman Theatre website at http://www.goodmantheatre.org/


Next on my list of plays I want to see is Fuerza Bruta: Look Up, check out the trailer for it below along with the trailer for Hephaestus.

Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale


Fuerza Bruta

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

I feel like I haven't written in ages...I love writing for the pure joy of putting words on paper (or on the screen) even if no one reads it there is still something so satisfying for me about doing it. That being said on to my actual post...

Summer's here and though I am an adult I still get a thrill out of going to my local book shop and seeing the section of books marked off as "Summer Reading." I know it sounds dorky, but despite a hectic schedule I still somehow manage to read more books during the summer than any other time of year. One of the books I happened to read (at the suggestion of my mom) was "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave. The book tells the stories of two women in parallel. One is a white woman living in England, who is struggling with personal problems. Another is a woman named Little Bee, a refugee who fled from Niger following the oil conflicts. The novel is laid out so that the chapters alternate between the perspectives of both women. As their stories unfold you discover how their lives came to be entangled.

I found that for me, half the intrigue was discovering just exactly what had caused these two seemingly completely different women's lives to intertwine. The novel definitely touches upon some heavy issues within its pages and is not for the person who is looking for an easy beach read by any means. That being said I finished the novel within two days as I simply couldn't put it down. While initially I'd be hesitant about a book that changed narrative perspectives (past experience has made me wary of books that make use of this technique), I found that it was quite easy to follow and enhanced the pleasure of reading the book immensely. I highly recommend reading this novel for those who are interested.

Image from Chris Cleave's website, check it out at www.chriscleave.com to learn more about his books.

Glee

I'm so excited for the return of Glee and I'm loving the promo for their Madonna episode. "Like a Prayer" is one of my favorite Madonna songs, and their cover sounds great.

Can't wait for April 13!

Cherrybomb

Below is the trailer for Rupert Grint's newest movie Cherrybomb, needless to say Ron has definitely grown up!

Lush Newbie (and Convert)

So I finally broke down and jumped on the Lush band wagon....

Massage Therapy Bar ($8.75)

I'd heard so many raves about this bar and its moisturizing properties I decided I just had to get one. The smell (which reminds me of chocolate) took a little getting but I must admit I'm now in love with it. The bar itself literally melts in your hands without leaving an oily/greasy residue, which is always a huge plus in my book. I highly recommend picking up one if you get the chance.

Emotibomb - Sex in the Shower ($3.95)

Unfortunately I am the owner of a shower only bathroom. Yes that's right folks, no creamy dreamy bubble baths for this girl...Figuring that Lush only had bath type products for in shower use I was pleasantly surprised to find this little gem. I'll admit I bought it for a few reasons: (a) its for shower use; (b) it smelled wonderful; (c) its called Sex in the Shower...hello?! I couldn't resist and will hopefully be using this in the next week as my work load increases two-fold

Lastly as my friendly cashier was ringing up my items she kindly slipped a sample (which is apparently typical, but as a Lush newbie I was floored) of Happy Hippy Shower Gel, which smells of grapefruit.

Verdict on Lush: will definitely be going back!

Next purchase(s): Emotibomb - Too Drunk and Honey I Washed the Kids Soap

(images from Lush website)

Micmacs

I am a huge fan of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, Delicatessen, A Very Long Engagement, The City of Lost Children, etc.) and really want to see his latest film Micmacs

*sigh* loving the visuals...

Cleaning Day

You know how you throw your jacket on a chair at the end of the day? Well, like that, except instead of a chair, it's a pile of garbage. And instead of a jacket, its a pile of garbage. And instead of the end of the day, it's the end of time, and garbage is all that has survived - Ross

Need to clean my apartment and it reminded me of Friends: The One with the Dirty Girl (though not nearly as bad!)

Inspiration

Music inspires me a lot, here's what inspired me today...

The Mystic's Dream by Loreena McKennitt

Book Notes...

I recently finished Lauren Weisberger's latest book "Chasing Harry Winston." Weisberger, who is famously known for writing "The Devil Wears Prada" (and the accompanying movie), where she writes about three long time friends who nearing thirty and not married decide to make a pact concerning men (well to be truthful only two of the women decide to join in on the pact). The book can best be described as light, casual, yet easily addictive reading. The only issue I had with the book was the somewhat one-dimensional characters (the workaholic woman who doesn't like her man, the needy woman who drives away men, and the sultry woman who wont settle with one man). That being said I enjoyed reading it as a nice break from studying. There are also rumors around the web that it will soon be made into a movie...check out the author's website here for more details about her books, movie adatations, upcoming projects, etc.: http://www.laurenweisberger.com/

On another note: After devouring Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants," about a traveling circus I was absolutely thrilled to learn they planned on making the novel into a movie. Shoot to the present with my recent viewing of Reese Witherspoon talking about her involvement in the movie, video included below:




And lastly in my list of great reads turned into moves...Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" whose book I have reccomended to just about everyone, has released the trailer for the movie starring Julia Roberts.



Can't wait to see these movies and be sure to check out the books before they hit the theatres!

(image from www.laurenweisberger.com)

10 Things I Hate About You

In such a girlie mood:

I recently re-watched "10 Things I Hate About You," I had forgotten how much I absolutely love this movie (don't even get me started on the television show). A more modern take of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," the movie plays on every teen stereotype and cliche that seemed to penetrate the late nineties.

What I had mainly forgotten was how funny the movie was and how great of a soundtrack it has. Letters to Cleo's cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me," was in heavy rotation at the time this movie appeared in theaters (and I suppose after tonight's showing it will be again pounding through my headphones at the gym later).

I mainly decided to write this somewhat insomniac-driven post because of one of my favorite scenes. The car scene between Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) and Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, commence swooning...) when he basically calls her spoiled and then lists all the things he's done for her. The scene ends with her cutting him with a kiss, I melt....

The Joneses

Sometimes I feel like I'm getting to preoccupied with trying to obtain the "newest thing," or at least in management of my bank account...coveting the "newest thing."

Demi Moore's latest movie is just about our desire for the newest "it" product. Playing mom to the perfect suburban family in "The Joneses." Turns out the perfect family is actual a fake family used for marketing purposes (I knew it!). Needless to say I'm loving the trailer and the premise of the movie, hopefully its as good as it looks....

Telephone - Lady Gaga & Beyonce

Title says it all, video is complete fabulous-ness:

Is it Spring Yet?

So I managed to make it out to two really cool things in Chicago this past week. One was a performance of "Bye Bye Liver," and the other was the Shedd Aquarium.

Bye Bye Liver
Part sketch comedy, part drinking game, and all alcohol. I went to this as part of a birthday celebration for a friend and ended up having a blast. The premise is that you watch some funny sketch comedy, while interspersed in between are drinking games that involve the entire audience. Its a lot of fun, especially if you get a whole group of people to go. The actors are great and really funny. Be prepared to drink and laugh a ton. You can check out their website here: www.byebyeliver.com

Shedd Aquarium
Completely different experience but also equally as fun. I'm hoping I can post a ton of pictures, as I finally decided to start using my camera. This is your typical really cool city aquarium. Great for little kids, but equally as fun for the kid-at-heart adults who find themselves wandering in on a rainy day. Be warned that the price of admission is quite steep (read: around $23 for general admission), but there are tons of discounts to be had if you ask. Me and a friend easily completed the entire aquarium in a few hours (around 3), but for those who actually read the signs/go to the show/or have small children I would dedicate at least 4 hours to completing the whole place. (www.sheddaquarium.org)

I'm so excited to finally be exploring the city a bit more!