Happy Humpday!

In honor of being half way through the week, I thought I'd do a post with ideas for relaxation.

1. Treat yourself to one of those head massages they do in hair salons by taking time to really rub in shampoo and conditioner in the shower. Make firm circles on your temples with your thumbs, and make sure to work on the place where your neck and skull meet.

2. Take a luxurious bubble bath, with candles, music, and anything else that makes you happy. No phones allowed in the bathroom.

3. Bake a cake - with friends, or by yourself. Go crazy with the decorations (I was once responsible for a yellow brick road from hell cake... yeah, try and picture that one).

4. Take a tip from the new movie Julie and Julia, and ENJOY eating! The more butter the better! I am a firm believer in the notion that food only sticks as fat in your body if you feel horrible about eating it. My love handles are, at the moment, for example, made up of a huge grilled cheese that I knew I shouldn't have been eating. Live a little. Savour all the tastes. Have it with a glass of wine.

5. Snuggle with someone. This can be done by force if necessary, and it is where dogs are sometimes handier than cats. Curl up together and sicnronize your breathing. Do a long dog sigh.

Only two more days until the weekend!

"Inappropriate" Movie Attire

Unfortunately, I can't remember who to credit, because almost everyone has now done this, but I saw someone's blog yesterday where they had Mad Men-ed themselves!  Now I can't say this is my favorite show... I watched it a couple of months back when I was procrastinating studying for finals, and I wasn't at all pleased.  I know, I know, how could I possible say this, right?  It's just that I don't really emphasize with any of the characters.  I suppose Joan would be my favorite as she at least has a back bone.

But the costumes!  Oh my!  I could watch this show muted and be as happy as a clam!  My normal style deviates between Betty and Joan (two extremes, huh?), but yesterday I was feeling more of the second.

 

Because Betty is my second favorite (although I feel the story-line is a bit cliche), I made sure she was in the image.  And no, I don't smoke... I just liked that mouth the best.  Having gotten caught up in all this Mad Men-ing, I decided to channel Joan last night when I went out to the movies.  But, alas, my camera failed me, and I didn't have the batteries to take a picture!  And I was so proud of it too!

Here's the dress and the shoes though (with lots of credit to SKM, for her tutorials):

 

"Opera gloves? To the movies? Really?"  "Well where else am I suppose to wear them?"

Christmas in July: Amusing Musings from a Tired Brain

So last week I decided that I would make this blog a Sunday adventure, writing up the events of the past week.  As you can see, that worked out wonderfully (not).  I suppose my main problem is that I'm a perfectionist, and the more inspiring blogs I read, the more I feel mine cannot possible compete.  So I put it off, for a stroke of genius to appear at a later date.  I still feel a bit lacking in the genius department, but oh well.  Better late than never, right?

This blog was created to catalogue my achievements/adventures, as well as things that make me happy.  While I do not want to fill this with pages of my emotional writings (I found my old middle school LiveJournal, and I do not know why I ever thought anyone would ever me interested in that... slightly "emo"), hopefully this will be a place I can record my journey of "self-re-discovery".  Last summer, I ended (sort of) a six year romantic relationship.  To make matters worse, it was with my best friend, so there wasn't anyone to "take care" of me.  The best way I can describe what happened after that is simply that I shut down.  However, now I feel somewhat ready to try to reanimate myself, and come back into the real world.  Yet, having been one half of something for so long, I now have to find out who I am on my own.

I figure that this can be a place that I use to remind myself of the little things that bring a smile to my face (vintage shoes, for example).  Plus it will give me a weekly activity to add to my schedule, as, being slightly OCD, I LOVE making lists... always starting with "make list".  ;)

So, after a lengthy explanatory intro, this belated post:

1. (<-- notice it's a list!) My older sister just got an apartment in Hollywood, and we've been helping her move in.  This meant a trip to ikea, and way too much time salivating over everything.  I love housing stores (especially Potterybarn), but without a house of my own, I constantly have to be reminded that I do not own my own kitchen (*tear*).  Yet, I am somehow not drawn to the bathroom sets... I think when I have my own house, I will have a library, kitchen, and bedroom, but forget the bathroom.  The apartment, however, is fantastic; it's in an old 1920s/1930's building, with Jacaranda trees outside.  The only problem is that it is incredibly hot over there.

2). Speaking of heat... I'm melting!  I feel like the wicked witch when dorothy attacked her

with the water.  It's far too hot here, even though I'm close to the sea. You'd think, after spending more than half the year in Scotland, I'd appreciate this weather more.  But I'm a fan of the cold (and lovely vintage coats, mittens, boots, etc.).  I always get this problem in July, where I think it must be Christmas soon, right?  It's the problem of growing up in a city lacking extreme season changes.  I had my first snowy winter last year, and all I want, sweltering by my pool right now, is for it to be that time of year again.... "Santa baby, hurry down the chimney tonight..."

3). I re-watched The Big Sleep last night, which probably counts as my favorite movie of all time.  I'm not sure if it was the first Bogie and Bacall movie, but they are absolutely fantastic together!  It was also one of the first movies that used overlapping dialogue, which Lauren Bacall is particularly wonderful at.  He is, of course, amazing at everything he does (I would love to marry a Bogie of my own).  I think Bacall gets a lot less recognition than other women of her era, because not only is she a great actress (holding her own against the much older and experienced Bogart), I think she's gorgeous! 

4). Lastly, I have been hunting for a store in LA that sells pretty reproduction vintage lingerie, like some of the things from What Katie Did, but I can't find one.  I'm not fond of places like Victoria Secret or Frederick's of Hollywood, as they're not all that classy.  Does anyone know of any good shops?