Stoopid

Planet 51 is like a bad bad bad version of Monsters, Inc. And I'm not even that much of a Monsters, Inc. fan! Bleh! Only worthy of a 2 for the music.

Dear Chicago

Loops

Ever so pretty.

Embellished

I kinda love this scarf.

Sing it!

Robot

How to Say Goodbye in Robot is a YA novel that's all over the quirk. It's about the new girl in town who ends up befriending the class outcast. It also involves the extra stange late night radio call-in show. I liked it but a major plot point seemed a bit far fetched (although far fetched is pretty possible anymore). I also liked the ending quite a lot. I give it a 6.

Perfect summer tune

You Are Never Alone by Socalled. Puts me in a backyard hanging out kind of mood.

Tattoo

I love this print from Peggy Wolf Designs.

Irreveverent

Soulless put me in mind of a very irreverent Georgette Heyer novel full of werewolves, vampires, and other strange creatures. The book was fluff - completely full of fun and silliness and a bit of romance. I enjoyed it for exactly what it was and could very well see myself picking up the next in this society piece / steampunk romance series. I give it a 6.

Cantalope

Such pretty pretty colors.

Under

On the Inside makes some hellaciously cute undies. Never considered buying undies on etsy...until now.

Birds

Originally uploaded by greasy chicken face

So colorful and somewhat accusing.

Guilty pleasure

My most-recent guilty pleasure indulgence is netflixing the series La Femme Nikita. It may be a bit hokey and the effects may be nonexistant, but that doesn't mean it isn't addictive. There I admitted it. What's your recent guilty pleasure?

Oooh

I like these quite a bit.

Woodland

Love these antler hair pins.

Languid

Summer Hours is a wonderful way to spend a few hours. It's a look into the life of a French family made up of the aging mother, her three adult children, and their families. The movie revolves around how to handle the estate of the mother after she's gone. It's not at all a plot-driven movie but it's full of interesting characters I liked spending time with and some extraordinarily stunning shots of the house and property. I enjoyed it fully. I give it a 7.

Primary

I really like this necklace.

The littlest birds

Isn't that artwork amazing? Joel Henriques blogs about his art and crafty projects and stuff he makes for his kids. Check it out.

Current

Yellow sandals are my current obsession. I like these ones too.

It just gets better and better

Thanks Laurie!

Just a middle-sized sun

Break your own heart

Cowboy: The Legend of Colton H. Bryant is a spare little read. It's a nonfiction account (with narrative liberties) about a Wyoming boy who grows up to work the oil rigs. Its written in short little chapters and I will it admit that it broke my heart. 8 of 10.

Fronds

So pretty!

Cool sound

Bent

In which I gush about dogs

Susan Sabo Photography offers pictures from her Shelter Dogs series. These three struck me the hardest. According to her site, a portion of her proceeds from picture sales go to animal rescue organizations. Check out her blog or flickr site for lots more fantastic photography.

Don't those shots tug hard at your heart?

Dogs are fantastic additions to the family. My two scruffy pups were rescues - one by Noah's Ark Rescue in Minerva, Ohio and the other by the Jefferson County Pound.

Take a look at our much-loved mutts:

(Appearances are deceiving. The tiny cute thing on the left has grown to be a formidable 45 lb. cute thing that every once in a while reminds me why I need to put cakes and shoes out of her reach). We adore them.

So next time you're thinking of adding a fuzzy new member to your family. Take a look at rescue dogs. Some of my favorite people are rescue dogs. :)

My fave Oscar dresses?

Demi, Kristen, and (the best by far) Anna.

And an honorable mention for Vera whose dress doesn't photograph super well but looked amazing when she moved.


I always always wish that the fashion shows would show the women who nobody has ever heard of but who stop the show on the red carpet cause they look fantastic in their gowns. One day!

Also

I really need a great go-anywhere pair of sandals for this summer. (The bad dog ate the last pair I had.) These might do the job nicely (and totally in yellow. I've sort of sworn off buying brown or black shoes for a while.)

Belts

I've been pondering what my wardrobe lacks recently, and a big gaping lack is belts.

Bird buckle

How cool is this? (Totally not for me but oh so cool).

This one might be perfectly perfect.....if only it came in a slightly larger size. Help me ladies! Who me some adorable workable belts.

Shark in the water

Loving this song.

And another one

And in the long line of collections of short stories that I couldn't be bothered to finish, I must introduce Personal Velocity. I had hope. The author writes about all sorts of women and has interesting premises and clever turns of phrase now and then. But it all goes nowhere. Completely unsatisfying. Gave this one up early too. 3 outta 10.

Not your fault

also



I kinda want to run away with them.

Blech

I feel bad when I post a whole lot of bad reviews in a short while, but sometimes I find a whole lotta bad right in a row. Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors, and I usually love his Newford collections. But Muse and Reverie stunk. It felt like scrapings from the bottom of the barrel. I mad eit halfway through before decing I'd had enough. 2 outta 10.

Aviary

Aviary
Originally uploaded by liza bliss

This is marvelous. Liza Corbett has masses of other very interestng works on her site.

Nature sex ed

Am I the last one to know about the Green Porno series by Isabella Rossellini? It's freaking fantastic!

Wishes

Wishing for

• a pot of blooming parrot tulips or some forced pussywillow sprigs
• longer library hours
• the skillz to make macarons
• tiny bird vases
• more days like today with home progress, swims, and sauna time with a nap in the afternoon

Bang bang

Too cool.

Love it

Old dogs

Good Dog. Stay. is more of a long essay rather than a book. The author reminisces about her old lab and the writing is interspersed with a variety of photos of all kids of dogs. It's sweet an it celebrates one of my favorite things - dear old dogs. I give it a 6 out of 10. (And my god, the title even makes me tear up a little.).

Ideas

I'd love to make a baby quilt for one of my friends. I think it's something i should leap in and try. This quilt from VitalHome rocks my socks off.

When I grow up

Stupid pitchforks!

By this stage in life, I should be aware of what I can and can't take. Sitting through a movie that is brutally violent and gory is one of those things I cannot do (unless its also super witty and wonderful like a Tarantino film of course.) I made it through half an hour of The Crazies before I excused myself to go wash my eyeballs in magazines full of pretty things while the husband finished watching. So if you're at all sensitive, then for fuck's sake stay away from this movie.

Under the ice

We watched Encounters at the End of the World the other day. It's a documentary about filmmaker Werner Herzog's trip to Antarctica. Honestly, I thought it would be much more interesting. Full of characters who spend a good chunk of their life in Antarctica, exploring the landscape, and even showing some of the survival course required of anyone who leaves town. Sounds like great content right? It put me to sleep - literally.

I did like the underwater shots though. I give it a 3.

Fare thee well

Goodbye to the JanuFebs. And good riddance!

Also

Don't be afraid to let them show

Caroline Herring is a revelation.