Autumn things

Eli decided to surprise me today.
Something that starts like S he said. "SS."
I couldn't figure it out.
Part of it was melted-work brain, but most of it was this weird lingering sickness I have that I probably spread to him (or maybe he spread to me? Maybe it has to do with being on a chairlift in a rainstorm??) that makes me tired and foggy and nauseous and headached.
I literally fell asleep at my desk for 2 solid minutes yesterday and when I came to I had been typing (of just leaned on the keyboard) and it was this whole string of loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooojjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjkjasdddddddddddd and thank god I didn't accidentally send that email.
Evidence of this:

yes, I meant "repeat." See? I can't type or function.

So I couldn't figure it out and finally he exclaimed "SHOPPING SPREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" gleefully.
Woop de la de da woop woop!
He told me to get started on a list.
Good thing I already began creating said list like 2 months ago.
I'm an autumn girl. I can't help it.

And how about those wedge sneakers?

MAKE IT STOP

source

My co-worker has coined the whole motor-boating into a woman's ass that Miley performed last night:
"MILEY-BOATING."

We have to make this crap stop.  Not just because it is disturbing and shouldn't be broadcast (way to go MTV, censoring her drug reference of "dancing with molly" and then allowing this instead), but because it impacts culture and people on an individual basis in a ways we might not even recognize.

This is not talent.
It's a nationally broadcast train wreck and what's with the tongue, Miley????

“Sexualized portrayals of women have been found to legitimize or exacerbate violence against women and girls, as well as sexual harassment and anti-women attitudes among men and boys.  Such images also have been shown to increase rates of body dissatisfaction and/or eating disorders among men, women and girls; and they have even been shown to decrease sexual satisfaction among both men and women.” -via

"Beyond the internal effects, sexually objectified women are dehumanized by others and seen as lesscompetent and less worthy of empathy by both men and women.  Furthermore, exposure to images of sexually objectified women causes male viewers to be more tolerant of sexual harassment and rape myths."  -via 

WORST ADDICTION

Please do yourself a favor and read this article on The Worst Addiction of Them All (it is an excerpt) from the illustrious Kurt Vonnegut's new work.

via

I JUST WANTED BLUE

Guess what we are up to around these parts...

You have the perfect shade in mind and then you go to the pain sample section and WHAM.

It is like being in a Skittles factory and learning there are 600 flavors instead of the 10 you knew about.  And they are all up in your face, making your head spin.

And who is responsible for coming up with these paint names?

What the ridiculous?
Just because a shade is in the blue-ish family does not mean it can only be named after ocean-related things.
Same goes for green and plants, and yellow and sunshine.
There are only so many things that can be named after sunshine.

My names for these colors would be:

Blue Raspberry Lollipop
2 Day Old Bruise

Undiscovered Planet
1982 Eyeshadow
Bathwater Surprise
Bobby Kennedy's Eyes

I think we can all agree I would ROCK that job.

The Virtues of Key Largo

So the City Library downtown has started this Science Movie Night series and I went to my first one last night.  Brilliant.  They happen on the 2nd Tuesday of each month and apparently this was the 3rd installment, and hopefully not that last (why aren't more listed on the website, City Library??).
They show a film relating to something scientific and then have a lecture/Q+A session following, or show a Hollywood classic and then give a tie-in lecture.  The one we attended was the latter; we watched one of my favorites, Key Largo, and then talked about hurricanes!!

Have you seen Key Largo? Have you been to the Florida Keys or experienced a hurricane?

via

I saw the film when I was younger.  I wonder if that is where my crushes on older (often dead) silver screen legends originated...? [the list includes Bogey, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable...]  Anyhow, I loved those black and white dramatic movies, and they are wonderful because children can watch them (I devoured them like cotton candy), and shortly thereafter we visited the Florida Keys in real life !! And I absolutely loved Key Largo.  I remember the bewildering and thrilling sensation of taking that concrete stretch of road out there, with ocean on either side.  What a unique archipelago it is, and a striking setting for the post-WWII gangster oriented Key Largo.

Released in 1948, Bogart plays a character that is the shadow of Rick in Casablanca--the disillusioned yet moral individual.  There is even a line in Largo that is the same as Rick's infamous "I stick my neck out for nobody!"  He got a bit typecast I'd say, but it is glorious nonetheless.  Though I would argue that Edward Robinson's Johnny Rocco steals the show, tediously bullying everyone else through the windy, wet night.
Lionel Barrymore's old man Temple, the crippled but scrappy geezer, seems like a hackneyed role but I absolutely adore him in it and I think he helped established that character mold.

via

This was the last film of 4 made between married luminaries Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
John Huston, oh my beloved John Huston who directed several of Bogey's films and starred in many others, took a loosely sketched play and turned it into this wonder.
It put the archipelago of Key Largo on the map and basically created the tourist industry there, ex nihilo.
This is film noir at its best--black and white tension, WWII context, guns and whispers, men being men and women appreciating them for it. 






Claire Trevor's abused lush gangster's moll role is sensational. It is no wonder she claimed the Oscar for it!  

These people are just so fun to watch.  And I love that it feels somewhat like a stage production. I was so engrossed I forgot to take some fun photos of my first time seeing this flick on the actual big screen, and ended up gnawing on my fingernails in anxiety instead, munching on pumpkin seeds.It is taut and suspenseful, and the sweaty restlessness reminds me of another favorite, Twelve Angry Men.

via

The sultry heat that is palpable through the screen, constant background murmur of pouring rain, and shadows that make you squint in apprehension.  All with the backdrop of a howling wind and threatening hurricane to heighten tensions and emphasize the confinement of this unique house (hotel?) arrest.

And the hotel is exactly what a spic-and-span but off-the-beaten-path 1940s deep sea fishing hotel on the coast should be.  That decor!! It made me want to decorate my entire house like that (inspiration post to come!!).

Eli had never seen it before and he absolutely loved it.  As he put it, it is one of the few old movies that he could follow all the way through, whereas others are such low quality/confusing dialogue/slow pacing that he loses interest or doesn't grasp the significance.  I get it.  A lot of old movies can be dull, especially when we're accustomed to random explosions in our modern theaters.

Afterward a severe storm expert from the University of Utah spoke about that true and false representations of hurricanes in the movie and taught us a few things about hurricanes in general.

Then we were bustled out of the library because it was closed.

I love this library.  Especially the glass ceiling.  It feels like a modern version of Alexandria or ancient Rome or something, with those proud stone arcades.  It feels almost open to the elements.  This is the second time I'd been there at night after closing (the first time I dind't take any pictures). I love being in the library after closing.  It feels like that episode of Arthur  where they are locked in the library, and reminds me of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler (remember that book, when that brother and sister are living in the Met??).
Sorry for the low-quality pics, it was dark (obviously) and I had to lighten these.
The hanging sculpture in the center is a human head created out of butterfly-like open texts.

weird and embarrassing moment of the day

my computer screen at work just froze up.  froze up for a solid 4 minutes with my internet open to a page about Raleigh.

you know, Sir Walter Raleigh, just chillin there on my desktop with everyone walking by and staring and laughing and asking pointed questions. just chillin there in all his lacy ruff-necked glory.

source

#historynerdproblems

what i did at work today / start wearing purple

i had some strawberry oatmeal first of all and is it just me or has it always had those neon red chunks in it? i know it had the chunks but they never looked that artificially vibrant until this morning when i was leaning against the concrete wall, hiding in the stairwell, so i could just enjoy a peaceful monday-morning moment and i went "holy crap, batman, my oatmeal looks like a dog chewed up a baby's plastic toy and threw it up in this bowl.'  icky i know. and yet somehow i finished it.

then it was up to the first floor for my morning cup.
well, the kaffeeklatsch has been a bit too preoccupied with stupid stuff (mostly work) to fit my coffe-brewing needs. remember we grind the beans fresh right there! and oh they smell like heaven. so imagine my disappointment, in my disgusted post-neon oatmeal coffee mood, to catch a waft of fresh beans and then see that the first pot of the day had already vanished.
i swear they brewed 3 pots today (mondays people) and i only got my cup from the last pot, and it was the last cup, and it was right before lunch! which is way too late for my first cup of the day.

and then i disclosed on some loans, you know, and explained a high price issue to a cranky loan officer, listened to one guy sitting near me argue on the phone with his mother, and another girl argue with her ex-boyfriend, and i listened to some death cab to block it out.
transatlanticism is still their best record, hands down.

i trolled my news sites and did a little spazzy jig in my chair every time i saw mention of the new breaking bad episode that came out last night and had to put my left hand over my right hand on the mouse to steer it away from clicking on those articles!!

and i planned what i am going to eat tonight. i kept drawing it out in my mind. "okay, we will leave on time, and maybe even a few minutes early, and then we jet home, and make the quickest supper ever, and put on the last 2 episodes of breaking bad for a refresher before we watch the new one! but we need to go grocery shopping and i don't want to cook up anything... maybe we should stop at panda express and just grab some delicious din-din there, and then we can be eating yummy chinese food and watching breaking bad super duper fast!"
i do so want to try their new shanghai angus steak and grilled teriyaki chicken... but being the good kids we are, the hubby and i vow to only eat out once a week and we would be wasting our eat-out on monday! the very first day! plus, have you seen how much panda's prices have gone up? i know it is a long shot from when they first opened up in my mall and you could get a 2 entree meal for $5 something... nowadays you're dropping $20 for 2 people to eat and for that we could go to a nice sit down restaurant and get some decent soup. aaaah well... does panda tempt you like that?
it is such good, sticky comfort food.  it makes me salivate.

so then i had a frozen teriyaki rice bowl for lunch and it did not satisfy me, what with all that talk about panda express. eli and i planned out the trip we are taking to san diego this autumn...so excited! i get to show him my favorite haunts...mission beach, the tide pools, la jolla, coronado island....

then i disclosed on a ton more loans--i am working quick today! and then the hubby told me that he found out he has to stay late to replace some blade thing for the company server.
there goes my dream of skidding out of here a few minutes before 5 and eating supper in front of breaking bad by 5:30...

i listened to gogol bordello and when "start wearing purple" came on i realized i AM wearing my purple button down today and i was holding a purple highlighter! so i took this photo to document the moment. if only my eyes were that twinkling violet like liz taylor's. that has always been a fascination of mine.

i read a few more news articles, thought about why alfred hitchcock movies are so freaking bomb and how sad it is we don't have films like that anymore. then i thought about how scary the conjuring was. and how much my ankle hurts since i twisted it yesterday doing yard work and where on earth could my ankle brace be? packed up somewhere no doubt. and wrapping it would shore it up and also cover it up since those bruises and swollen patches look icky with my black high heels.

then i read the lackluster review my boss gave me. she said it is my year review and wrote that on the document but i have not been here a year...? and it had some funny typos in it.  clearly she cares.

then i daydreamed about breaking bad and how it could possibly end.
and wondered if i should dip my fingers in that stuff they put on kids to keep them from sucking their thumbs (i can't stop gnawing on my hangnails).
then i listened to the commencement speech robert redford (oh, bob, you luscious old hippie) gave at my alma mater and remembered how pissed i am that i missed it to help my father-in-law move. and i remembered how much i miss my college and higher education and intellectual conversation in general... and yearned to go back to school. i want to be a teacher, and need to look into online courses to get certified so i can get my butt in gear and start on it while i am still working.

then i figured while i am getting my mental butt in gear i should get my physical butt in gear and googled exercises you can do at your desk while working and let me tell you they are weird and impractical, unless your office finds it totally normal to sit on an exercise ball in your pencil skirt.

so here i am, pining to escape in about 20 minutes, but knowing it could actually be two hours more, wanting panda express so desperately, and getting all worked up to see breaking bad.
but a blt will make a good sandwich if i can't have panda, and the anticipation will make finally sitting down to breaking bad all the better. now if i could just stop biting my hangnails in impatience i would be on the right track!

which is better "breaking bad is back and there are only 5 episodes left" food?
panda express or blt?

Youth is in a grand flush, like the hot days of ending summer...

Youth is in a grand flush, like the hot days of ending summer; and pleasant dreams thrall your spirit, like the smoky atmosphere that bathes the landscape of an August day.
-Donald Mitchell


From this weekend:

this one goes out to the one i love

it's Eli's birthday.

happy birthday honey. i love you, i really do.

it's been a weird morning. not off to a good start. i have some kind of tummy lurgy that is mostly from stress but that doesn't make it any better and i sneezed all over my coral blouse and i think it looks kind of gross, and also smells suspiciously like one of those disgusting tonsil stones.

but this really helped things along, this video here. full of men that i love (Colbert himself, Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, etc.). not to mention he POPS OUT OF Henry Kissinger's closet. what are the psychological implications of that?

and now i suddenly find myself listening to Harry Nilsson, which just doesn't usually happen.

but it makes me feel strangely zen.

this is all to say it has been a rough week and i can't wait for it to end so i can properly celebrate with my husband who i love.

you are smart, funny, adventuresome, caring, ambitious, and handsome.

and many other things.

i love you for so many reasons.

some of them being:

Because you are a Roman God (that tans exceptionally well)

Because you are a marvelous Uncle and will someday be a kickass father

Because you are ever-so stylish. As seen here in my hat...

And here in the infamous wolf shirt.

Because you'll always consent to take photos with me, even if you make this goldfish face that I despise.

Because you take care of me and push me around in my wheelchair.

And don't disparage my "unique" outfit choices.

You are going to be a handsome old man, husband.

Because you can put up with my strange and unpredictable personality.
That sometimes calls for 1am reenactments of Bobby's World in someone's garage in the middle of a lightning storm.

Because you'll blow up my floaty. Even if you have to persuade a friend to help you.

sub·ter·fuge

Word of the day (and usage demonstrated in the USA):  subterfuge

Noun Deceit used in order to achieve one's goal. A statement or action resorted to in order to deceive.

Synonyms evasion - ruse - trick - dodge - artifice

trolololololololo

It's Friday and I can go home in an hour to eat the kielbasa miracle that has been simmering in the crockpot all day. And then a BBQ with friends.

This week has been a tad bit hellish. I get to sleep in tomorrow for the first time ever.
Well, in like a month and a half.

I'm feeling like this.

Fortuitous

A fortunate accident:
I forgot my Spotify was already playing.
And I opened the Priscilla Ahn song "rain" in a window online.
So it was playing over the Parents Choice Players' "you can't always get what you want" and since I had never heard "rain" so I kept thinking holy cracklin oats I LOVE the overlay of the chimes playing Rolling Stones against her singing! 
It was indeed magical.
Until all of a sudden the background chimes ended and the dang Bee Gees came in on Priscilla's song and I was confused for a blink until I realized my Spotify was on.
So I still like "rain" but I recommend you all play it at the same time as the Parents Choice Players' version of "you can't always get what you want." Which by the way is on the "Baby Lullabies 101" album.  Whatever. You like what you like, right?

My Thursday

This is what my morning has consisted of.....

Far too many Hi-Chews!
Have you had these things? They aren't quite gum or quite taffy or quite swallowable candy, but rather a mixture of all of the above that you can't put your finger on. Or say no to.
Sometimes strawberry is my favorite, but I am feeling particularly sassy today, so I'll say GRAPE.

I unknowingly matched my lipstick to my shoes.

Kind of amazing, right?

Admiring my cute new birthday charms.
My bestie got me the birdcage and my dad got me the Harley! Which is not a Pandora charm, but fits perfectly and adds some dirty hellian attitude to my previously-far-too-feminine bracelet!
I love the contrast of the two next to each other.  It sums me up as a person, in microcosmic-charm-bracelet form.  Because don't get me wrong, we are not objects and cannot be captured by them, but it is also kind of the point of a charm bracelet.  And everyone thought I was being weird and old-fashioned when I said I wanted one 2 years ago but now they get it and have really enjoyed picking out fitting charms for me.
I have yet to buy one for myself.  And that is how I like it.

We are leaving the office in an hour or so to go to a wedding luncheon.
One of my oldest good friends, Jeff, is getting married! I can hardly believe it!
I've known him since 6th grade and he was the one that introduced me to my future husband, Eli.
So I am overjoyed and excited that he has found his Person.  They are being sealed in the Temple right now (the Mormon way of marriage, learn more here).  I am bummed that Eli and I are not allowed to attend the ceremony, but respect his and his future wife's beliefs, and we will celebrate with them afterward!
And then back to work for finish out the day, to market to get some fruit and veg, and then chicken pesto pitas for supper.  And.... THE NEW EPISODE OF BREAKING BAD! I am going nuts trying to figure out how this beloved show of mine will end.  Walter will die, clearly, he must... But who will kill him? I doubt it will be the cancer, but that will certainly spur on his bad behavior... Will Jesse do it???