My brain just can't make sense of this. Yes, this is Harry Potter....and he looks hot...but he's Harry Potter.....but he's hot...but he's Harry Potter....etc, etc, etc.....

It just seems wrong, doesn't it?

Wish list: baby polar bear

I'm usually the last person to get all gushy about animals and/or babies, but how damn cute is this baby polar bear that was just born in Germany?

From Gridskipper: Hot Shots of Two Cute German Bears

New house shit Sunday

I finally got some shelves. These were an impulse buy and will clearly not hold all my books, but they're a start.

Also, I got a new bedroom set (the Revelle collection by Zocalo) about a month ago and forgot to put pictures up. The nightstand is on backorder, but once that gets in, I'll get a picture of my actual new improved bedroom up.

Philly

I spent last Thursday night/Friday doing the tourist thing in Philadelphia. Check out Flickr for my photos from all the historic sites. If you're in Philly anytime soon, I recommend Monk's Cafe for yummy, unique beers.

Smokin'

The JT show was nearly perfect. If only he had sung "Dick in a Box."

Between him & Paulo it was most definitely a red letter concert weekend.

B & T

Laura, Julie and I agreed that bridge & tunnel is an acceptable way to describe someone even when not in the NY metropolitan area. Feel free to throw it out...even though the only tunnel in your hood is the Lowry.

"4 for 4" and other tales of shopping

Tonight I made shopping history. I tried on four items at H&M, all of which fit and were flattering and I purchased them all. Considering my typical hit rate at H&M is one for ten, this was amazing - especially considering one of the items was a dress...and anyone who's been shopping with me can tell you how well dresses usually fit my large-chested, short self.

Along with discovering the MOA is not annoying if you go on a Tuesday night at 7.30, I discovered a fantastic new shoe store, Staccato. I bought the Lucia platform shoe in brown. Take a gander if you check out the website. I also made my first visit to For Love 21, the Forever 21 accessories store that Laura has raved about. I was not disappointed.

Who would have guessed MOA on Tuesday night would prove more fruitful than the afternoon Roxie and I spent in Soho? Not this girl...

Theory

Somewhere along the evolutionary chain, most people lost the ability to taste celery. These people add celery freely to dishes, claiming celery doesn't have a taste, just a texture. Meanwhile, a few genetic mutants, like myself, claim that celery does have a taste and that taste is gross and overpowering and so I have to stand in the kitchen and pick all the celery out of my Ming Tsai Kung Pao chicken like some crazy lady because if I don't, by lunch time tomorrow, the celery taste will have taken over all the spicy goodness and ruined all those hours (ok, minutes) I spent slaving over a hot stove.

Shakedown

Right now I wish there were some sort of Rent-a-Pimp/Mobster service, so I could hire someone to get me the money owed to me by Time Warner and my former rental company. Remember how I moved almost 3 months ago? I am still owed my cable refund and rent deposit. Does anyone else think this is ridiculous?

Technically, the rental co. had until Dec. 21 to mail my check, so I thought it'd just show up while I was on my latest trip out of town. No such luck. I've got a very clear law on my side in this one, so getting that check shouldn't be a problem....but after three months and approx. six phone calls, I fear Time Warner may only respond to physical violence. Does anyone have a cousin in Brooklyn that could take care of this?

Guess which stayed on my hand longer...

a. The stamp from the bar I went to on Friday night
b. The nail polish from the manicure I got Sunday morning

If you answered a., you are correct. WTF?

Recap

Had a wonderful weekend in New York. Highlights of the touristy things I did...
I popped into the Guggenheim, which is still under renovation. I really enjoyed the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. I was surprised to find my company mentioned in one of the museum's displays on the X-43A Scramjet . Mentioned at the Air & Space Museum? Makes sense. The National Design Museum? I'm impressed.
On Laura's recommendation, I toured the UN. I'm sort of embarrassed I never did this before, but it's taken care of now.
I heart the Chrysler building.
Roxie and I visited the Brooklyn Brewery.

On top of this, I got to see some friends, have good food and beer, do some (somewhat disappointing) shopping. A whole weekend in New York and all I have to show for it is one pair of shoes....and they're cute, but they definitely aren't an amazing pair on supersale from Bergdorf Goodman that would have made my entire weekend.

Thanks Rox for letting me bunk with you in yet another city. Glad to hear you're staying in NYC for a while.

How could I forget?

Apartment Therapy asked if New Yorkers Remember Last January ?

Last year at this time, I was in NYC when the "Blizzard of '06" hit. I don't think I'll ever forget how quiet and deserted the city was...or the fact that even though the plows hadn't made it out yet, the local Chinese restaurant could get my egg drop soup to me. You better believe they got a huge tip.

Hopefully my trip this weekend will go more smoothly...the forecast doesn't show any chance of snow, much less a massive blizzard.

I heart excessive Christmas lights

Since high school, my sister and I have been going on the White Trash Tour of Lights each Christmas season. Here's a highlight from this year's tour we took with Della and Matt. My dad took me to see a house that was much more impressive than this, but I didn't have my camera along, unfortunately.

I could never be the excessive Christmas light putter-upper myself, but I'm damn glad other people do it.

$10

...it's all yours if you can explain to me why anyone thinks Dane Cook is funny.

Dane Cook Craig Kilburn

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He should get his ass kicked for this outfit alone.

PS - The misspelling of Craig Kilborn's name was not my doing. You know I love my Craigers.

Hot Tip

Go see Paolo Nutini at Rossi's on Jan. 26th. It's free, which is amazing considering he's selling out at places like Brixton Academy, where people actually pay for tickets.

See the video to Paolo's New Shoes here. (Sorry I can't just put it in my blog - no embedding allowed.) You may have already heard the song if you're my MySpace friend.

"Hello new shoes, bye bye blues"....pure genius.

I'll see you there.

Inappropriate? I think so...

I periodically read Generation Why, the blog of two twenty-something reporters for the Sioux City Journal. I checked it out today, and approx. 75% of the entries written since the last time I visited are about one of the reporter's new boyfriend. The posts are not exactly entertaining dating column material - so no journalistic purpose there - and neither of the girls have written about dating before.

Am I wrong for thinking this is highly inappropriate? I'm not personally offended by it, but I question the judgment of throwing details of your personal life out on a blog you write FOR YOUR JOB.

Am I wrong again, like my siteseeing mistake?

I object

Spellcheck is trying to tell me the word is sightseeing, not siteseeing. In Alicialand, I go siteseeing. Which do you prefer?

New house shit Christmastime

My extremely generous Uncle Tom got me Oneida's Buffalo China for a housewarming gift - 8 full place settings and serving bowls/plates to boot. You can't tell it from this picture, but Buffalo China is "Cool. Contemporary. Classic. Enjoy retro styled dinnerware specifically designed for today's casual lifestyle. This mod tableware from Oneida celebrates bold, geometric shapes and refreshing colors."

What, you couldn't tell that from the picture?

I think a full matching set of nice dishes is the most adult thing I've gotten for my house so far. If I didn't like it so much, it might make me uncomfortable.

For Drew

...and anyone else who's interested - here's a link to Michael Birawer's website. Above is the first MB print I owned - and my personal favorite - the Monte Carlo.