Sunday, March 27, 2011

Annie Leibovitz for Disney

I finally caught a glimpse of Disney's Ad campaign done with Annie Leibovitz and I am in love.

Maybe everyone and their mom knew about this already; it seems like some of the first photos are from 2008, but no one told me. 

I've always been a giant fan of fairy tales, princesses, and pretty dresses.  And I've never stopped watching Disney movies.  This set of photos now includes my love of celebrity.  Umm, perfect.

(All photos are taken by Annie Leibovitz, duh, and paid for by Disney to promote Disney Parks.)
















Thursday, March 17, 2011

So tired...

I've found myself having absolutely no drive to take picture of what I'm wearing.  I promise.  It's still cute; I love them.  But just haven't felt the urge to take pictures.

So I am going to put a few things I love up here.

Target's Go International dresses (I may have cheated this weekend and bought 2)




Carey Mulligan
She's so beautiful and adorable.  (And I love her haircut.)
Plus, I'm watching "Never Let Me Go" right now.  It's interesting.  Cannot quite decide how I feel yet.  I may need a few days. 



She and I are totally bffs
My Josie and lil sis, Honey


Glee's most recent episode, Original Song. 
http://www.hulu.com/watch/222881/glee-original-song


I also am terribly sad right now.  On my way home from work today, there was a dog roaming the sidewalks.  In this dog friendly city, there are plenty of "off leash" dogs and so I assumed an owner was nearby, but after looking around, I didn't see one.  So I parked and went to hunt the pup down.  I got his attention and he barked at me, but wouldn't come close.  So I retrieved the cheese I had in the car and fed him some.  He'd get close enough for the cheese, but not for me to grab or even pet him.  He had no collar, but was sweet, non-aggressive and totally domesticated.  I spent 45 minutes sitting on the sidewalk and talking trying to get him to trust me.  When I'd stand up, he'd follow me barking, but he still wouldn't get close. 
I finally had to give up.  I didn't know what else I could do short of staying there for hours longer until he may finally trust me enough to let me put him in the car.
It broke my heart to walk away.  I was sobbing by the time I was in the car.  I don't know what will happen to him or how the family that misses him so much will manage.  All I can do is hope and know that I gave him food and a bowl of water and try to believe that was enough to set him on his way home again.
Sometimes life can be so sad...

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Revenge is Best Served in Costume

I try to take my role as older sister very seriously.  My brother and I talk about our parents (to complain), our classes/work (to brag), and occasionally our feelings (cause that's healthy).

However there are some benefits to having siblings.  One such benefit is the fun you get to have at the other's expense.  My best accomplishment, until last night, was when I'd convinced John that at age 11, he too would receive a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  No letter ever came and he was devastated.  I'm not sure my mother has forgiven me for that one yet...
John's got quite a laundry list, himself.  My first viewing of the Sound of Music was ruined by him telling me that the Nazis killed the vonTrapp family in the end.  I spent the entire length of the film waiting for the ax to fall.  Later on, he'd sit on our armchair and cover himself with a blanket and then surprise me.  Most recently, he tried to convince me that daylight savings time works by slowing the rotation of the Earth.  (It does NOT, I confirmed with Dad.) 

So I've felt like I've owed him for some time now.  A comment from mom during the Superbowl/Thriller episode of Glee helped me to form a plan.  When John arrived home from school, late at night and tired after his long week, we'd be outfitted in zombie garb wandering around the house/yard.  Just muttering and stumbling.  John's not the biggest fan of zombies.  (Read: scared of)  Each time I'd think about it for the following 2 months, I'd giggle.  Best plan ever.

So last night, I came to the house prepared with face paint, blood, cauliflower and coffee.  Over the course of the next hour, I made myself and dad up.  Mom took care of her own makeup, even going so far as to cover her hands.  We were holding some cauliflower and had put some on the ground covered in barbecue sauce for the dogs to eat and fight over when John came in.  We'd also turned all the lights out and put on "dungeon" themed music.  It was fantastic.  So amazing. 





Sadly, John was not as terrified as I'd dreamed.  If we'd been in place and ready to go, I think we really could have pulled it off, but we were still getting ready when he pulled up.  But it was cold; I would not have sat out for an hour just to be ready when he got home. That and I don't think zombies are supposed to giggle.  

So much fun though...  May be a tradition for EVERY time John comes home.  SHHHhhhhhh!!!!

Flights of Fancy

In another attempt to wear those items which I do not normally wear, I pulled the following piece out of my closet.  It's a lovely, silk camisole that I found at a charity sale.  It's lavender with white triangular birds. 

It's one more of those pieces that I love and just don't wear.

Perhaps more in the summer...

Friday


Someone sent our department chair a fruit basket with pretty cut up fruit!  It was super yummy.



And some detail on the shirt...



Friday, March 11, 2011

The Main Event!!!

Here it is!  The picture I've been dying to share....


Quite possibly one of the more surreal moments in my life.  Though it seemed pretty normal for Bill.  He acknowledged our presence with a "Hey Ladies" and barely a glance in our direction. 
Still, it was fantastic.

I also think that Meghan and I have officially made the crossover from Trekkers to Trekkies.  There is no more denying the nerdiness...

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Earthy Skirt...

Last week, someone suggested that I try to challenge myself by using the pieces in my closet that I haven't pulled out.  They had a point.  I LOVE the pieces I wear as evidenced over and over.  But I also love the pieces I don't wear.  I just feel less comfortable using them for whatever reason.

Today I pulled out a skirt I've had for many years.  I haggled with my mom for this one.  We were buying a few nice outfits for high school graduation and she was not a believer in this skirt.  I had to have it.  It had gold sequins, trim, and so much character.  I wore it at least once a week for the months following.  Since then, I've pulled it out of the closet a handful of times.  I love it, but it's hard to match and the cotton-y layers stick to each other.  (Super annoying!)

So, here goes.

Thursday



I may have a Starbucks problem...  In my defense, they were offering free treats.







The skirt has some pretty awesome detail.  There are wooden beads, sequins, AND ruffles.  Amazing!

All in all, I regret not wearing this skirt more.  I received compliments all through the day.  I loved how full and fun it was.  And with the proper precautions, cotton sticking together wasn't an issue.
Possibly a good risk to take...

Also, for those who are interested, Starbucks is offering a free sample of their new goodies from 2-5 tomorrow, March 11th.  So far, I've tried the birthday cake pop (delicious!), the red velvet whoopie pie (meh), and the salted caramel square (uber rich).
Worth looking into.
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/catalog/product?food=petites#view_control=product

Night!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

So Ready for Spring

I thought one of the benefits of this project would be that I'd be so busy coming up with new outfits, that I wouldn't notice the longer days and slightly less freezing weather.  Which would mean that come May when it starts to actually turn to spring, I'd be pleasantly surprised. 
As it would seem, though, that's not the case.  I'm grabbing onto spring with everything I've got.  All my color is coming back out.  Sadly, the sun has gone back away so who knows how long til I'm back in boots and sweaters...

Monday
This is my favorite sweater ever.  I'm terrified for the one day it finally falls apart.  And I'm also super scared to get it cleaned for fear of the beading coming undone.  It's so beautiful and the colors are fantastic.



Tuesday
Starting to get more winter-y colors back, but I tried to add some color and sunshine with the jewelry!


For the record, I was reaching for the chemical shower pull that UW has every 10 yards.  They are SO tempting...


The jewelry accidentally went together.  The bracelet is from Mom a few years ago.  Most likely when she upgraded to a beautifully handmade one (by herself, of course) and gave me the store bought one.  The earrings were from prom.  I love the way coral and gold look together.

Wednesday
Yeah, I got lazy today.  So what?!  It was warm and comfortable and I LOVE the necklace.  So there.


And a charming picture of me, without a coat, being a cold spaz.


Yes, I realize that at my age, I should be responsible for bringing the correct clothing when it's 45 degrees outside.  I'll try better tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Emerald City Comicon


This past weekend, I attended my first SciFi convention.  Though a fan of Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Star Wars for many years, and a costume owner for almost as many, I'd always edged away because I never felt hardcore enough.  This year however, I've up-ed my Star Trek (TNG) consumption and become even more of a fan.  When I discovered Bruce Boxleitner would be there, it was simply a matter of talking Meghan into it.  Like me, I think she'd been interested, but never quite ready to "go" there.

Not ones to do something halfheartedly, we went ahead and got 3 day passes.  It allowed us time to see the various panels and get in photo ops and signings.

One of the most impressive sightings was that of the Star Wars Group.  I'm not sure of their name, but they have various appearances around Seattle.  As far as I can tell, it's just a group of people who have a blast dressing up in costume.
What amazed me was the accuracy and detail.  Where do they get the supplies?!  Especially in the case of the harder plastic pieces?!  Are they created specifically by them, bought from a movie supplier?  I don't even know...


Naturally Meghan and I had to bring our own costumes.  Quite possibly the nerdiest conversation she and I have had was the decision over which of our costumes to bring.  We have more than one series worth...


These costumes were perfect for our first photo op.  But since I'm still waiting on the jpg, I'll try not the spoil the surprise...

We got to see a few panels.

The funniest, by far, was Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner.  They joked with each other and were complete clowns.  At least 10 minutes were spent doing impersonations.  Another 10 went to discuss colonoscopies...


Following that, we got to see the one and only, William Shatner!  He's such an iconic figure within the genre.  Of course, he knows that and so milks it for everything it's worth.  He had a few amusing stories, but overall, it wasn't the best.


Lastly, and most importantly, I got to see Bruce Boxleitner speak.  It was delightful.  He was funny and managed to talk both about Tron and Babylon 5 as well as hint towards a re-release of the series...



Possibly the most exciting part of the weekend was getting to meet Bruce and have my picture taken with him.  He was one of my first celebrity crushes.  And it turns out that kind of puppy love doesn't die easily.  At age 60, he's still insanely handsome and fit.  It was fantastic.  Of course, I spent a week planning outfits, another week picking out memorabilia to sign, and then 48 hours shaking in my pumps before the actual event.  I'm still waiting to come down from the excitement.  At least the nervous shaking part is over.  Now it's just the emotional part.  Goodness...

These are pictures of his signing table.   I was first in line.  Duh.


Sadly my hopes of true love were vanquished after he saw this photo and commented on how cute I looked standing with my "dad".  I guess the age difference WILL be keeping us apart...  Sigh.

For the record, he looks WAY older than my dad.  So there, Bruce!

Lastly, a funny picture of Brent Spiner stopping by Bruce's booth to give him a hard time.  It was fun getting to see him up close and he gave us a hard time about Bruce.


All in all, the weekend was a blast and as soon as I get that last picture, I'll put it up!