Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown...?

 I wouldn't necessarily say I'm a feminist, but I felt outraged for women (and little girls) everywhere while watching Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown last night. All the girls portrayed in the movie are annoying, love sick, and verbally abused by all the boys. They don't have intelligent actions or thoughts and are compelled to constantly spill their hearts out to their crushes (and then subsequently are yelled or laughed at).

Also, Linus appears to have substance abuse issues, which I found very disturbing. The only good heartwarming thing to come out of the movie was Snoopy. And by the way, I really want to get a dog.

Things I've Been Thinking About Lately

[Fall clothes]

French Revolution Fever

It's pretty unthinkable that I haven't mentioned how ecstatic I am about the new Les Miserables in December. I've had an internal countdown since August. CANNOT. WAIT.

FW S/S '13 Recap

If all the world's a runway show, then all the men and women are merely spectators, fighting for front row seats. As crazed as I felt for the seven long days of Fashion Week, I still loved it. Here's what went down on my Instagram...

Reem Acra

 Rebecca Minkoff – Backstage

Band of Outsiders – Backstage

 Thom Browne (probably my favorite show and the hardest to describe)

Mara Hoffman

Rodarte – Backstage

Jen Kao – Backstage

Other shows I saw...
Kimberly Ovitz
Edun – Backstage
Rachel Antonoff – Backstage

MTV Mondays

I know this song has been around for a while, but it's just really good. Happy Monday.

The (Funny) Boys of Summer

I think I got my wires crossed between winter and spring because for whatever reason I've been incredibly stressed this summer. To lighten the mental load, I've become a huge fan of ex-stand-up comedians – as in they used to be on stage but now they're just on television, movies, books, and webisodes.

Here's what I've been ingesting in no particular order:

Every single episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm on hbogo. I could be BFFs with Jeff; I'm creeped out by Richard Lewis (might be the mullet-like hair and shifty eyes); and I'd treat Larry so much better than Cheryl. She just doesn't get him.

Born Standing Up: A Comedian's Life by Steve Martin. Am I still the only one obsessed with him? This was the most melancholy of all the comedy-type books I read (estranged family, broken relationships, panic attacks). But it made me feel closer to someone I don't even know in real life (which is one of the things Steven Martin REALLY hates about being famous).

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld. Honestly, I started watching this because Larry David was in the first video. (Best line: "Me out of control is a half a bag of cashews.") But it's actually incredibly entertaining to watch these old guys crack each other up.

Burning Love: The Most Romantic Web Series That Will Ever Be. I wasn't sure I should mention this since all the actors probably still do stand up. But it's a spot-on spoof of my favorite show The Bachelor, and it's worth a watch.

A Second Opinion

Help! I'm dying ... to buy this wacky-yet-wonderful charm bracelet. It's even 18k gold (plated) since my finicky skin won't stand for anything less. But is $82 too much to spend on something I might not be able to bring myself to look at in a year? Or is $82 mere pennies compared to the joy this one piece of jewelry will bring me for the rest of my life? Really, any advice would be much appreciated.

New Site Alert: Lars Attacks the Movies

I've seen more movies in the last couple weeks than I did in about four years of college thanks to this guy. My bf extrordinaire started a blog cataloging all the movies he watches, written in his signature, no-nonsense style. I definitely have not sat through everything on here (see: Tsotsi, Il Posto, or really any other super-indie foreign film), but we did just get a membership to The Lincoln Center Film Society, so I think my horizons will be expanding very soon.

Bookmark it.

Google Chrome, Relationship Coach

I just saw a commercial about this guy trying to win back this girl after putting her second to his job (although there's always more to a story). I'm sure it was supposed to be heartwarming, but did anyone else find this extremely awkward? I kept imagining her crying and telling him things would never change. Plus, if a guy's going to make a big gesture of love, shouldn't he do it in person? I'm not a fan of winning someone back over Google docs. What did you all think?

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

"I become quite obsessive when I get into something." - Victoria Beckham (via Eva Chen's Tumblr blog, which I read all the time)

More things I've been into lately...

Switched at Birth on ABC Family. (Hands down my new favorite show, has amazing deaf characters, and the first season is on Netflix. What more do you need?)

Opera singer Chris Mann from The Voice. (I think he's a mash up between Josh Groban, Schmidt from New Girl, and Adam Scott.)

Schmidt from New Girl. (Do I sound boy crazy yet? PS. Can you believe he's married?!)

Aedes de Venustas perfume. (Yes, it's incredibly expensive, but listen to this: notes include rhubarb, vetiver, red berries, tomato leaf, incense, green apple, hazelnut, honeysuckle. Plus it smells slightly citrus-like on first spritz. So exotic.)

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics nail polish in Chimera. (The name says it all. Also, the formula literally lasts for 5-6 days without chipping – and without a top coat!)

The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. (I'm on book #8 and I can't stop. They're certainly not rocket science, but so entertaining. I'm dreading the day when I finish them all.)

Sunset Boulevard. (Not new by any standards, but it has popped up in many of my conversations since first seeing it a month ago. Trivia time: My college bf copied this famous photo of Gloria Swanson using me as the model, and it now hangs in my parents' home.)

Also, could this photo of Clemence Poesy and a lamb (above) be any sweeter? I mean, her last name literally means "poetry."

That's all folks!

We Are Young

This song by Fun. (terrible name) has been stuck in my head for five days, which means it's officially time I shared my silent obsession. Two things to notice:

1. The lead singer (formerly of The Format – what?!) looks like he's old enough to have toured with Mick Jagger. Yet, his Wikipedia page says he's my exact same age. Ouch.

2. Janelle Monae is in possession of the world's most perfect skin. There. I said it.



(If you want to see the "official" music video, here you go. I just like the acoustic version better.)

Timer

My friend Stephanie has been telling me to watch this movie for about a year, and I'm not even sure how I happened to stumble across it on Netflix tonight (maybe it was just the right time). But I need more people to watch it so we can discuss!

The premise is this: Scientists have invented a timer that goes off once you meet your soul mate. Both parties must be in possession of said timer or you never know if you've met "the one." The main character – who has a timer that's never started counting down – is looking for a nice gentleman who isn't wearing his timer yet. In the meantime, she ends up meeting a wildcard romantic who could be an imperfectly perfect match.

Of course, it brings up a lot of questions like, would you want to know when you'll meet your soul mate and give up on the journey? Or do you just go with your gut and take a leap with the one you love?

I was slightly upset with the end, but I suppose it's better to be left pondering a movie rather than dismiss it as boring and predictable. So when you have the time, watch it and let me know what you think.

Animation Station

To take full advantage of my three-day weekend (and celebrate MLK Jr.), I visited the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens and realized a new passion in life: stop-motion animation. I'm happy to present my first two masterpieces (don't sneeze or you'll miss them).

 Werewolf Problems (inspired by The Vampire Diaries)



Swirl (inspired by real life events)

Card Catalog Roulette

Two weeks into January and I've only kept one resolution: read more. It could be my new Kindle Fire or the incredibly mindless quality of the books I'm reading, but I've already tucked four books under my belt. Here's the long and short of it:

The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion (Book 4), by L. J. Smith
I know I should be ashamed, BUT I'M NOT. I started watching the series around November, and it became my #1 obsession of year. Hence, I'm reading the original source material as an auspicious start to 2012. The first two books are pretty simpleminded, but the story gets better as it moves along. And this fourth book has been the best by far. The characters and plot lines are barely similar to the TV show, so if you haven't seen one or the other, I'd start with the show. In this rare instance, it is way better than the book. Grade: B

The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune (Book 2), by Rick Riordan
Ah, another book I should be ashamed to read. After the initial Percy Jackson series ended, I was excited for the next Greek-demigod anthology. Then I read the first book. Disappointing. I didn't have high expectations for this one, so maybe that's why I loved it SO MUCH. Seriously, I never wanted it to end, but of course it did right at a place where I'm dying to know what comes next. If you haven't read Percy Jackson, be thankful that you have until Fall 2012 to catch up on your ancient mythology. Grade: A-

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, by Mindy Kaling
Counting this book is kind of a cheat because I started then abandoned it in 2011 while in the midst of vampire madness. But I just finished it last week, so I'll still give you two thoughts: (1.) Bad title. (2.) Mindy Kaling is cute and pretty funny and I liked getting into her head a little bit. But it's unfortunate her book came out the same year as Tina Fey's because that one was a lot better, and I kept comparing the two the entire time. Grade: B+

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
Wow. After I read Hunger Games, everyone said I should read this, but I kept postponing it. I don't know why because Ender is 100x smarter than Katniss and he doesn't let love-type feelings cloud his judgement in situations of planetary domination and death. Grade: A+

Any other YA Fiction I should read, book lovers?

I've been searching for a good resolution this year, and after seeing this photo on The Selby I think I need to organize my wardrobe, get rid of things I don't wear, and display the things I want to wear more often. Other ideas floating around in my head: read more (let's be friends on Goodreads!), drink more water, perfect the smokey eye, find my black boot sole mate.