Bored Not Bored

Boredom is impossible. I've overwhelmed myself. The last thing I should be doing right now is blogging but here I am. Monday is my birthday and with no effort on my part, my week is absolutely FILLED. Tomorrow I'm going to a VHS Swap hosted by a friend, another really good friend I haven't seen in a while will be there so it's a must. I'm not really looking forward to the swap part. I don't have much I want to part with that isn't totally embarrassing. Anyone want my copy of Cruel Intentions? No? GOOD, I'm not bringing it anyway. I'll be sure to post pictures or at least the results. I have a feeling I'll be coming home with nothing but what I came with.

Monday, all kinds of stuff is going on. I have an all day outing and then having company. Which means I have to clean. I have to do that anyway because my Mom will be here in less than two weeks but I'm also on a dead line with this silent horror project. Of course, as these things go, I'm suddenly over-flowing with ideas and inspiration for various projects. Like seriously, I'm coming up with great ideas for jewelry, suddenly caught a whim to paint, my journal keeps speaking to me, all of this editing for the project makes me want to do something more personal, like a new "Tender Moments", I've been wanting to actively take pictures; meaning go out WITH photography in mind not just instagram filler. Weirdest of all I've suddenly got this itch to mess with audio in some kind of DJ-like capacity. I took music lessons for years but abandoned it in my mid-teens, it always seemed like a headache to pick it back up but I don't know, it must be because it's October, my most productive month of the year but I have ideas and it's frustrating that I can't spend time obsessing over each and every one. Amidst all of this I must CLEAN for company. AG-OH-NEE. I don't want to do that. What a waste of time. My place is a wreck. The other day I was hot so I literally plopped myself down on the floor with front door open, sat right in the doorway to make jewelry in the breeze. It was nice but of course I left all that crap there in front of the door because I suck.

All of this is going on and I keep forgetting that at some point I have to eat and then THAT becomes a big ordeal. Last night I was like "omg I want octopus rice", so I made octopus rice but I had to gut and clean them, I busted the ink sack and got it EVERYWHERE. I can't just have a sandwich I have to have Octopus because I am the Queen of Spain or some shit. Eating is a problem. SO many unfinished projects I just want to finish a THING. If I can get the kitchen and closet cleaned AND scan 2 more silent movies tonight I will be so fucking thrilled. I have watched a non-silent movie for days and I'm severely neglecting Atomic Caravan, both my movie blog and Jewelry business.


I moved some stuff around here. I don't know if it's clear to my like, one reader, whoever you are. I was sick of the old layout. Added some links to my other locations, I have an obnoxiously overstated web presence. I also added a last.fm widget so you can see what I'm listening to AS I'M LISTENING, YOU CREEP.

Well I'm going to get back to all the haaaaard work. I might open my last bottle of two buck chuck to make things more interesting, or at least a little more barfy.

Bullshit 2.0

What do you think of my shitty banner 2.0? No applause is necesary. I never graduated from Paint to Photoshop so my blog will forever look like an Angelfire page circa 1997.

New revelations since we last met...

*I have a tv

* I have the internet

*I tried to give Egbert a Mozart haircut. Failed.

*I now eat flamin' hot cheetos at least once a week and curse myself while I shit molten red lava.

That's about it.

I'm going to Amoeba tonight to see Lana Del Rey. I'm more excited about going to Amoeba with a $3 off any dvd coupon than anything else. I'm still on the fence about Del Rey. It's free and I have a ride.

I went to the Egyptian Theater last weekend. It was magical!

I saw the Loved One. Robert Morse, Haskell Wexler and Anjanette Comer were there. We all sang happy birthday to Wexler.

I want to blog but I have less to say than I thought. There are more constant distractions at this point in my life than ever before.

I guess I'm done for now.

Unicorn Destroyer

I want a rainbow cheetah.

I want a pizza.

I want Rosie from the Jetsons to clean my headquarters.

I want to roll around in a field of enchanted flowers.

I want to climb a crystal mountain.

I want to tug Zeus' beard.

I want a big diamond to descend from the sky and give me a kiss.




Today was almost magickal.

XENOMORPHING!

YAY! I miss my darling Lisa Franklien!

I fart hearts.

New Year, New City, New Life, et cetera...

Have you ever started an epic blog and gotten distracted from it? You say "I'll come back to it after work or school or whatever..." but it never seems to happen. This long blog sits unfinished in "draft" limbo before you finally realize that all it's doing is preventing you from moving forward into future blogdom.

I usually write this grand scale gift blog after Christmas. I've been doing that since the ancient days of Xanga, but this year for some reason the blog just couldn't seem to finish itself. It could be that I'm out of my comfort zone and there are endless distractions around me constantly. This could also be why my movie reviews have come to a screeching hault. I'm doing the best I can to keep myself balanced and unfortunately my blogs seem to be suffering. A pity because writing has always been a pivotal part in what keeps me well adjusted. Since it's a new year I've made a few resolutions I'd like to share here...

1. Write more often. Now that 2010 has passed I can safely say it was a good year. I married my sweetheart, my creativity levels were high and I even made a little money from it, not to mention my movie business which is still doing extremely well paid for MANY supply shopping sprees, birthday presents and even the occasional bill! One constant thing I can say about 2010 is that I kept a good journaling regiment. Whether it was my hand held journal, sketch book or one of my various blogs. Now with all of these distractions I'm going to have to make time for it. That's why I've made it a resolution. To set time aside at least once a week to put some thoughts down on paper or into blogosphere cloud.

2. To bring Endless Fall back. What's Endless Fall you ask? It's this movie marathon me my friend Tony started over 4 years ago! Watch a movie every day. It's as simple as that. Of course life comes up so I changed the rules to a movie for everyday of the month. Meaning, you can skip days, but make up for it on a free day. You'd be amazed how fulfilling it is. I always kept an Endless Fall diary where I logged every movie I'd watch along with any notes I may have. I'd usually make a list of the top 10 at the end of each month. I bought a notebook specifically for this purpose the other day. Now to just start doing it again. It will also motivate me to write reviews again, which will aid resolution #1. It's win/win across the board when Endless Fall is involved!

3. Up the ante with my jewelry making. I love making jewelry. In all reality it's the one creative thing I could see myself doing permanantly for a living. I learned alot this past year and now I'm ready to advance even more. I've just learned some basic wire wrapping techniques and I'd like to get even better at it. Not only that, I also want to start using better materials. I want to graduate from base metals to silver and gold. I want to use stones instead of glass and cheap crystals. Of course I'll still use those things, but I want "Atomic Caravan Studios" to be associated with quality not just pretty costume jewelry. I've been spending all my spare time getting an inventory back up and now I finally feel like I have enough to revive my Etsy. Also thinking about trying out Artfire, just a basic account, since I've heard so many mixed things about it. Eventually I'd like to graduate to really professional jewelry. Real fire tools and metal saws. All in due time! Stay tuned for updates on all of these things.

4. Learn to bake. Thankfully I come from a long line of amazing cooks. Not just cooks, natural chefs. Holiday events in my family are something to be revered. Being the youngest, I'm the last to start exploring this gift that we all have. Yes, I'm using the word gift, because now that I'm seeing what it's like in another family I can appreciate the fact that not everyone can make a meal happen with a magical finesse. I think for the most part I have savory dishes down. A combination of trial, error and Martha Stewart have made me a decent chef. What's standing in my way? Baked goods. Sure, I can make a simple drop cookie, but what about pastries, cakes (and icing), fancy breads, tortes, et cetera. There's this whole world of chef-ing-ton I've yet to explore. Getting a Cuisine Art food processor as a wedding gift will bring good tidings, I'm sure. So by the end of the year, watch out!

5. Explore LA. Ok, so since I've been here so far I've spent my "spare time", job hunting, then jumping right into a full time job. A shitty retail one at that. Now January is underway and I'm still working 5 days a week. I'm not complaining, the cash flow is good and in a place like LA you really need it. But I still don't feel like I've had the full LA experience. I know, that takes years, right? Even a partial LA experience. I'd at least like to put a dent in it. So to remind myself why I moved here I'm making it apart of my New Years resolution to do the following....

• Have one day a week where I venture out of my city. Living in SGV can be a little boring. Sure, I love the Asian markets but I can only buy so many herbal teas and encounter oh so many pissed off Chinese people. There is more to the area than this. There are over 200 cities in Los Angeles County and I'm going to have to make an effort to pursue these little adventures. I'll try and take pictures to commemorate these events.
• On a smaller scale, something I can do around my neighborhood to get the full experience is try a new restaurant every week. Let's face it, we eat out a lot. There are too many people in this house eating any groceries we may be bringing in to rely solely on that.  Besides, eating out is cheap here and there are a lot more healthy options (one good thing about all the Asian food) than most places. So rather than getting pigeon holed into the same greasy spoon I'm making a point to be bold and experiment with the varieties of culture I'm surrounded by.

So there you have it. Not too bad, eh? Nothing too difficult to accomplish, but small things I can do to ensure a good year. And just so I don't completely break tradition here are my top five favorite Christmas presents...

FINALLY!  Thanks to my Aunt Regina I can retire my crappy German bootleg of my FAVORITE movie! I think this calls for a revised review on Atomic Caravan!

I LOVE Finders Keepers, even more so if it's under the "B-Music" cannon. This was from my awesome hubby. The description says it all, "Imagine Melody Nelson taking a trip to La Planete Sauvage with a synth, a drum kit and some herbal french cigarettes."

Since my discovery of it a few months ago, Mystic Topaz is my very favorite stone. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that my Mother in-law got me these GORGEOUS earrings!

Through out the month of October when we were doing some serious job hunting I really just wanted to curl up into the fetal position and watch Powerpuff Girls non-stop. I'm not sure what brought that urge on but being out of my comfort zone and having to branch out into a brave new world made me want to retreat to something safe and familiar in my spare time. I made several passing comments about wanting to watching some Powerpuff, so what does my husband do? Gets me the ENTIRE series! What a sweet heart! It's even better than I remembered. Fan fo' life.

Oh, Grandma. You spoil me so. I got this awwwesome espresso machine from my Grandma. I use it every day. I suppose that technically makes it my favorite gift? BEST EVER.

<3

On that note I shall depart. I have more jewelry picture to edit and I have to go to work soon. Sucks. Until next time...

So it's my wedding day...

I can't believe it. So effing surreal. I'm the most absent minded bride ever. I decided to make a necklace to wear tomorrow. Maybe shoulda started that earlier but things have been so crazy. Arthur's Dad arrived today from LA. We still have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow, and then of course there's the party on Saturday. I better finish this necklace so I can get some sleep. Next time I update I'll be a wife!

Let's try this again...

I've been in lame mode all day. For the past couple of weeks really. My priorities are all out of whack right now. I think it's because I'm usually relatively carefree and as irresponsible as one can be within the confines of adulthood and with everything that's going on it's just not possible right now. I feel out of sorts when movies or crafting aren't my sole existence. It's like I feel an even stronger urge to goof off.

I want to get lost in a hobby but it's not an option right now, though I'm inadvertently fighting it. I gotta admit though, being a bride has given me an excuse to get some nice things that I normally deny myself because I spend every penny on media and art supplies. I bought some Benefit and Urban Decay make-up today when we went to get Arthur's shoes. I'm especially happy about this purchase...

I've really been needing something foundation-esque and this is exactly my skin color and it blends perfectly. Not greasy but it doesn't dry me out either. It's pretty much perfect. I've always have a hard time with foundation because I'm really fair and I need very light coverage. Nothing too thick, nothing too cakey or wet, pastey is bad. Basically when I put something all over my face I usually don't like it. It shouldn't be a problem but it always is for me. I have pretty good skin and really just need something sheer to smooth my face out. I usually default to just using powder because it's easier to find light translucent powder. It can be kind of drying though. There's so much room for error with liquid foundation. I've never been able to do drugstore foundation. It's always either too this or too that. And unlike high end brands crap like Maybeline and even Loreal will make my ass break out (my face, not my ass).  Last time I bought foundation my town didn't have an Ulta, which is pretty much life changing when I can afford to shop there. I LOVE Benefit. I haven't tried everything, but every product that I've used, I've loved. Somehow I've made the Benetint I bought when I was 17 years old last all this time! I STILL use it!! The bottle is down to the last quarter, SHIT, that's seven years! I don't use it every day but I use it more often than any other lip color (which I rarely wear anyway). THIS is perfect and I love it. I read mixed reviews for it but I think it's light and basic, which is exactly what I need from a foundation.

I also got Urban Decay's Eden Primer Potion which I was told by a trusted friend that it will make even cheap eyeshadow stay on vibrantly like the good stuff. I'm pretty much in love with it already.

Ghod I'm so boring these days. Don't worry, I'm about 10 pounds away from being obsessed with clothes again. Then another 10 from being a complete vapid egomaniac. Quitting dairy was the best thing that ever happened to me (and worst).

Seriously though, if I don't watch a fucked up movie soon I may lose it. Spermula anyone?? I can't wait until I get Haseena Atom Bomb! I'm semi-freaking-out about that. I still can't quite believe it. I've been searching for it for YEARS. So yeah, at some point in the hopefully near future you'll be seeing a review for this on my other blog...

Until then I guess I'll just keep being lame.

Do you prefer Fashion Victim or Ensembley challenged?

I always felt a kinship towards Phyllis Diller, like we're somehow the same on some basic obnoxious female level. I have every intention of being like her when I'm a little old lady.

Last night I dreamt that I got a job working with Klasky Csupo. Pretty much the great dream in the history of ever. All morning I've been wondering how impossible this dream may actually be to make a reality. I know exactly where the Klasky Csupo studios are, it's not far from where I'll be living. Surely they have some grunt work for a girl who's spent her whole life drawing monsters inspired by them.

I've been looking at a lot of fashion blogs lately. Some are so great like White Lightning, who mixes amazing thrift store finds, cool records and videos with a big helping of humor. There are some other I'm coming across though that get on my nerves. Most of the posts aren't even about fashion just repetive pictures of the blogger. You can see a lot of ego in these types of blogs. I just want to look at fun clothes and fun-other-stuff.  Faces aren't fun unless they belong to Phyllis Diller.

I watched Clueless last week for a long time in WAY-TOO-FUCKING-LONG. In fact that's part of what inspired my last post. I haven't been able to stop thinking about a few things...

*the line when Elton (Jeremy Sisto) raises his hand in class and says "I can't find my Cranberries cd!"

*How cute Brittany Murphy was when she had boobs.

* And just in general, Ambular.

What an underrated charcter. I'm so glad Elisa Donovan got to explore her a little more in the tv series. She did NOT get enough screen time in the movie. She had the funnest clothes and she was a great counterpart for Cher. I always felt like they really kind if liked eachother deep down but in that "Mean Girls" kind of way.


Just because I can't think about anything else here's an obligatory wedding update:

Spent ALLLL yesterday at my Mom's painting. I painted the rafters of the loft while watching "The Pregnancy Pact" a wonderfully awful Lifetime movie about teenage girls making an agreement to all get pregnant at the same time. How HORRIBLE! Umm...I still need shoes and some make-up from Ulta. We also need to finish our wedding playlist/mix. Things are coming along though. I'm only mildly freaked out.

That's all I got.

Music: the Formative Years

I'm sitting here drinking Turkish coffee dreading a certain visitor who'll be arriving today. I don't have to worry about him seeing this because he's way too self involved to read anyone's blogs. He's one of Arthur's "friends" from back home. I try not to be mean to him but he's a conversation hog, an attention whore and a general social retard. He seeks approval but when he gets it, he abuses it by acting out like a fool. His idea of "charm" is to be loud and flamboyant. He staggers around with no real direction flopping into total strangers. It can be pretty embarrassing to be in public with him, especially if he decides to start dancing for no reason. He claims to be interested in film and "music" but that's pretty much limited to his Tom Cruise blu-ray collection, U2 and Lady Gaga (sorry, I've got no love for her, but that's another blog), and of course the Beatles and Bob Dylan because that's like hipster 101. You can't be christened into an edgy persona before you've passed that milestone. See, I can't help but feel a little ruthless when it comes to this guy. I also feel like he's gay for Arthur and see's me as some kind of eminent threat to his "friendship". There has been more than one time he'll stick his neck in between me and Arthur if one of us is saying something to the other quietly. I can't believe he actually is coming to my territory. We're going to be back in California in a month and then I'll never be able to get rid of him. This Florida visit seems somewhat unnecessary.

ANYWAYS. That little vent should probably be under lock and key in my private journal but I just couldn't resist. These are stressful days leading up to the wedding. No, he's not staying for the wedding, he just came to distract us from everything. I told Arthur that if things get hairy I won't hesitate to leave and go shopping. He laughed and said "fair enough".

Ok, back to what's happening in Nowsville. On facebook someone tagged me in a note where they list the 15 albums that have stuck with them the most. In turn, I make a similar list with my choices. So naturally I start this epic list of all of these albums I love and have loved for years. It was hard to eliminate to a measly 15. Summing up 24 years of music listening into something like 20 hours of music. That's not even an hour for every year of my life!! It was really difficult and I felt guilty leaving some important albums off, so I decided to apply this same thing to a much more elaborate blog (or blogs, rather). Also, I think it will help get my mind off of all the stress. I'm not going to limit myself to a certain number. But I am going to break this up into eras. For this entry, I'm going to focus on everything pre-highschool. Omg, this might be a little embarrassing but here it goes in semi-chronological-order-to-when-I-discovered-it.....

This was officially the first piece of music that was "mine". I'll never forget Christmas morning when I was SIX YEARS OLD opening a big present. It turned out to be a GIANT purple Caboodle!! Remember those??? I'm pretty sure they still make them but as far as I'm concerned they belong to the 1990's. My Mom was so sneaky! She put the Roxette CASSETTE TAPE inside the Caboodle so it would be a surprise when I explored all of the compartments. And it was a wonderful surprise! One I still remember 18 years later! I really don't remember what this album sounds like at all though, I should download it!

Oooooh! How do you say Deee-lovely? Deee-vine? How do you say Deee-lite! Naturally being like 6/7 I was taken in by the amazing catchy-ness of Groove is in the Heart. I wanted the whole album but my Mom got me this Cassette single. Which was still fine! I played it until it warbled and warped. Now I've several of their albums on cd and pop them in any time I need to put on my platform shoes and go-go dance with Miss Lady Kier...which is all the time, by the way.

I believe this was my very first cd! I think I was ashamed of that for years but now looking back I'm kind of proud! En Vogue was pretty fucking hip. They got a little modernized with their late 90's albums but this one was a lot fun. Kind of Pointer Sisters-esque. I always thought they were GORGEOUS too, all of them! OMG...I need to download this or something.


...are you noticing a trend of female vocaled groups?? Make note of it.

I'm not sure where but somewhere along the line I heard "Sugar, Sugar". Maybe on the radio, maybe in a movie. I can't remember, but I thought it was the cutest song ever. I asked my Dad who it was and he said "the Archies"...I said "WHAT?? Like...my favorite comic???" I had NO idea that the Archie Digest books I'd been hoarding for years had anything to do with music. This was when I was given a brief lesson in the whole Archies sensation in the 60's. Not long after this my Dad came home with two records in hand, making this my very first LP. Isn't that cute?? I still have it :-)

Don't ask me why Dad chose this as my OTHER first record. I'd never seen this movie but I think he thought I'd enjoy the disco tunes. He was pretty much RIGHT! I LURVED this! Oh God. I'll never forget my Beegees phase. It's sort of like the Big Chill soundtrack though. The movie isn't good, you see it EVERYWHERE, you want to deny that you like it but somehow it's just a staple of it's time.

Oh, Clueless. How you changed my life. Being an impressionable FOURTH GRADER I pretty much made a conscious decision to become a character in this movie. My back to school clothes for the following year consisted of brightly colored mini skirts and knee socks. Yes, I was like 11 and dressing like Cher Horowitz. My Mom thought it was adorable, I got made fun of by the rednecks at my lame Christian school, but I didn't care. They were a bunch of "Barneys". This soundtrack made a HUGE impact on me. Discovering bands like Luscious Jackson and the Muffs lead me to riot grrl and that would of course become one of the most character defining aspects of my teenage self.

Say what you will about the Spice Girls. They're loud, obnoxious, garishly dressed and put together by a studio. It's apart of Pop Music history that most people try to forget. I remember the first time I heard "Wannabe"! I was in my room, my Mom was having a dinner party downstairs and it came on the radio! I turned it up so loud that she came and yelled at my to turn it down :-).  I was already inspired by the bold fashion statements of Miss Lady Kier and Cher Horowitz, the Spice Girls were the proverbial nail in the coffin of my day-glo freak-fest attire. And yes, "Girl Power" totally attributed to what would later become my riot grrl obsession, although I've read it was supposed to be a sell-out cash-in on the growing trend of grrrl bands. Ha! What 5th grader cares about those kind of politics though?

Did anyone out there ever read Twist magazine? It's a teen magazine from England that I bought because the Spice Girls were on it and it became my staple teen-mag for years. I was sad to see a copy the other day at Books-a-million with Justin Bieber and a bunch of other retards plastered all over it. It now looks like Tiger Beat or something. Kinda sad, I thought it was so cool! The fashion and articles were a little different from other teen-mags like Seventeen and YM since it was published in Europe.

holy shit....this is ALL really bringing me back.

omg. this album is SO good. I actually rebought it this past Christmas. She samples Donovan and a bunch of other great stuff. She has this kitschy sound that I love. The ENTIRE album is good. I farking love it!

Wow, so the Cardigans were pretty much just amazing. I'm sure I wasn't alone in totally falling into the "Lovefool" obsession. I think they may be considered one hit wonders but this WHOLE album is good! Although I don't remember the cover being this "blah".

Another one that was considered one hit wonders, again I say, this whole album is worth a look. And I had the biggest crush on the lead singer!

My first Beck cd! That's kind of a milestone! I remember being disappointed because I wanted Odelay, but naturally ended up loving this one. I don't think I could pick which one I like better!

Discovering the Monkees is an important part of a young girls life. They make the Arches look like popcorn. The Monkees defined everything I wanted from the 60's. Their music is fucking amazing, ALL OF IT, and they're ADORABLE. They would remain of my all time favorite bands FOREVER.

If Clueless gave me the itch for girl bands, Jawbreaker pushed me over the edge. It's basically Clueless
with murder so it opened up a whole new world for me. Discovering bands like Letters to Cleo, Shampoo and the-fucking-Donnas was like tapping into a goldmine!! I listened to this cd every day on my way to school on my discman :-)

Indeed, Letter to Cleo is necessary part of 1990's sanity. This has always been my favorite of their
albums.

SHIT! Where is my head?? This should have gone like 5 albums ago. Ok, so the Weezer Blue Album isn't really anything to be proud of. It's really just a staple and I'd be lying to myself if I didn't include it because there was a time I was OBSESSED with Weezer Blue, Pinkerton and Green (nothing after green though, and that wouldn't be until 9th grade)...there are worse things a pre-teen could be obsessed with? Look at what teens have to deal with now!

Oh Goodness. This looks so tacky but the music was so fun! I kind of need this again.

I remember getting this album! I was in 7th grade I think and my Grandma took me to the Commissary. I was looking for something else and then I saw THIS. I didn't know what it sounded like but it was brand new and I remembered several years earlier thinking "stupid girl" was amazing. Soooo, I begged my Grandma for it! She bought it for me and it became one of my most listened to albums of my middle school days. I need this one again too!!

This album mystified me. No one I knew had ever heard of the Eels (I live in a really shitty town), I had it special ordered at Camelot after hearing "Novocaine for the Soul" in a movie. I should really get more of Mr. E's music, it doesn't ever go out of style!

Best for last!! My last musical obsession of my middle school days was the discovery of Cibo Matto.
After hearing "Sci-Fi Wasabi" on my cousin Kat's mix I fellll innnnn looooovvvvvveeeee!!!! It's like all of my music listening had been leading up to that moment and my life would never be the same! Once Cibo Matto came in the picture I wanted to find more like it, and so my high school career became nothing less than a HUNT for the loudest, cutest, scariest, sweetest, weirdest, pop-iest, punk-iest, funn-iest, girl-iest music EVERRRR!!!!

...but that's for another blog.

Maybe not the hippest taste ever, but not bad for a kid stuck in Panama City Florida. I left out some things that I'd rather forget like Bush, Sheryl Crow, No Doubt, TLC...actually, I don't necessarily dislike those now (except Bush maybe), I just didn't want to emblazon them all over my unicorn blog!

I was only supposed to work on this until my coffee cup was empty but that was like an hour ago and I pressed on! Now I'm officially running late, but who cares? This was fun! Now I think I have to grab some middle school era music on my way out the door.

I love you, my baby-corns!!!

WANT. NEED. MUST HAVE.

Dear Mattel,

Are you for real?? You made a Chantal Goya Barbie Doll??? As if you hadn't made most of my hot pink plastic dreams a reality in my baby days. Now as a mature young woman I discover this wonder of the toy world. I HAVE to find this!!!!!

The Art of Being Frivolous

I've found myself interested in beauty and fashion a little more lately. I've been shedding weight pretty rapidly since I found out I'm lactose intolerant which has been kind of a re-awakening of my femininity. I normally can't focus on such frivolities. It's much easier to be a ragamuffin and give it no nevermind. Especially when you're obsessed with movies and culture the way I am. Sometimes I feel like I've immersed myself in boy things for so long that I find myself grasping for girl things that I can also enjoy. I usually default to the things I liked in high school, hell, I still use some of the make-up I bought in high school. 

It's all really just a matter of forming good habits. Making sure I wash and moisturize my face every night. That's not frivolous, that's important. Being confident and well groomed is important! So there you have it. I'm still a girl, go figure? I forget sometimes and then it's like this crazy epiphany.

So here are some of things that have been giving me the gimmie grabs lately...


1. Bust Magazine ♥

I really think that Bust is the greatest women's magazine ever. I used to buy it religiously but over the course of the past few years I've only gotten a few here and there. I should really just think about getting a subscription because they always brighten up my day, give me ideas, remind me that all new music doesn't suck, showcase clothes I would actually wear (and could afford, modeled by women with all body types), they even have a dirty story at the end of each issue! This issue they had a quiz about the late Lena Horne which surprised and delighted my music aficionado fiance (who got almost every question right!). Alongside my all time favorite movie magazine, Shock Cinema, Bust continues to deliver and is definitely an old stand by I'll never stop loving.

2. Sushi!

Guess what! I can always have sushi! No matter what dietary fuckery I must subject myself to, sushi is fair game. Unless it has cream cheese :-( . Yesterday I had the above pictured, sweetheart roll with spicy tuna! I find myself doubling up on ginger with this one. This whole no dairy thing has been tough, but I'm getting used to it. It's easy not to slip up because when you do, you get sick. It's not like normal diets where you're like "oh well, one little slip up is ok". Asian food, especially Japanese, has been a life saver. They hardly put dairy in anything, it's a fucking miracle. Delicious food that doesn't suck.

3. Pastel/Spring Nail Color

I love painting my nails. It's kind of relaxing. Although I will admit that I hate Revlon's nail polish. It's more tacky than some of the higher quality lacquer, the brush is crappy, they've been using the same bottle/brush design since the 70's or 80's I think. It's thinner than most and takes FOREVER to fully dry, BUT...look at that color. I'm addicted to their shade "Minted". It's ok though, a few coats and a thick layer of clear makes worth it. Am I seriously blogging about nail polish? What has come over me??

4. STICKERS!

Paperchase's new Dreamland line ♥ How I Love Thee. Borders always has the cutest stationary stuff. Yesterday when I was picking up Bust I noticed they had some EXTRA cute stuff! I'm a sticker FIEND! I'll shout it from the rooftops! I never plan on growing out of stickers. These are some of the cutest I've encountered in a while. though I'm not a fan of the puffy stickers. I usually sue them in journals and collages where puffiness is counterproductive. I'll deal with it though because they're just that cute!

 

5. MUSIC. duh.

I should just face the facts. I can't get enough Japanese music. Lately that is ALL I've wanted to listen to. Shibuya-kei has filled my ears with so much happiness that I just can get enough of these poppy tunes. Here are some things I've been listening to lately...

Maki Nomiya - Pink No Kokoro

Five years before Pizzicato Five would release their first album lead singer Maki Nomiya would release her first solo album. You can totally hear the early stages of what would later become the biggest pop sensation in Japan. It's more raw and unpolished, but still totally great!

Singapore A-Go-Go vol.1. I love all of these Eastern comps of  60's girl garage groups! This one was taken from rare Malaysian 45's, wonderful 60's and 70's surf, psychedeic and girl groups. Chew Yan & the Stylers is my favorite. Their song "Mimi Cat" is sooo adorable!

 

I got volume 1 (3003) for Christmas and have PLAYED-IT-OUT! These Sushi comps are the best introduction to Shibuya-kei music. If you like Pizzicato Five or Cibo Matto (and I know you do) this is a good next step. The first in the series introduced me to artists who are now favorites like Kahimi Karie and Les 5-4-3-2-1. I can already tell the second one will do the same. I'm already semi-obsessed with Oh! Penelope.

 

Not Shibuya-kei at all. eX-Girl is an experimental classically trained girl group that has become one of my favorite things ever! I also got their album for Christmas, Back to the Mono Kero, and it is wildly wonderful. But after downloading Endangered Species I can definitely say I like it better. It's a little less brash and lies more within the realm of J-pop/rock opera, which works really well for them. The first track on this album has been in my head for DAYS!

 

So I discovered a new (to me) genre! Pico Pico Pop! From what I can tell it's basically a new wave of cute kitschy Japanese pop groups who were raised on the shibuya-kei movement and inspired by the various "bloops" and "bleeps" of Nintendo games. This group, Macdonald Duck Eclair, is one of the front runners and one of my favorites so far! It's so chipper and cute you might not even be able to stand it!

 

OMG. I love Marino so much. If this album cover wasn't enough to sell me (check out that purse!), obnoxiously infectious happy fun tunes definitely sealed the deal. Also apart of the Pico Pico cannon, Marino is just as good Macdonald Duck Eclair.

6. Super Sentai!

Now it's past my bedtime and I'm just about to snuggle up in bed and watch some Super Sentai. It's the 25th Anniversary special, I'm especially diggin' J.A.K.Q. Dengekitai. They're so cool looking! Especially Big One and ♥Heart Queen♥. Words cannot express how much I love Toei! Tokusatsu is pretty much the best thing ever and Toei really knows how to deliver.

That's all for me right now. Suddenly I feel the urge to go on a tangent about how much I love Toei Sentai Heroine's like the pretty heart faced Heart Queen above, so I better just quit while I'm ahead.

G'night!