tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79925996070862780682024-03-05T06:45:10.147-06:00Fabled OrxataWhimsy, taste, and just a dash of crazy.Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-91588549949198931752014-10-17T14:24:00.000-05:002014-10-17T14:25:27.803-05:00Five Fandom Friday: Characters I'd Love To Dress Up As For Halloween<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7USdhP4coYxpzE4VbXPNXDE7iPlkeEGw5Xli_p8ECILacVVtNA6LHx2Bnov55OZWsSFZbsvYNTMbhUMMSE3YyYy6d7HZvAdrLscbsn5KC-UVluu0HrVb1M8twanzI7e3GW_G4ZHgoh4/s1600/fandom.5.friday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7USdhP4coYxpzE4VbXPNXDE7iPlkeEGw5Xli_p8ECILacVVtNA6LHx2Bnov55OZWsSFZbsvYNTMbhUMMSE3YyYy6d7HZvAdrLscbsn5KC-UVluu0HrVb1M8twanzI7e3GW_G4ZHgoh4/s1600/fandom.5.friday.jpg" height="320" width="302" /></a></div>
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5 Fandom Friday time, ya'll. This week's is probably my favorite topic to discuss. I love costumes, dress-up, masquerades, etc. I have two boxes (so far) of random costume stuff I've collected and kept. I'm that girl that dresses up for midnight showings, the Renn Faire, Disneybounds, and somehow manages to put together an okay costume with pretty much nothing. So, here are the top five characters I'd love to go as for Halloween but somehow haven't. <i>Images are linked to their sources.</i></div>
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<a href="http://comic-books-in-the-media.wikia.com/wiki/DC_COMICS:_DC_Animated_Universe_Bio_Inque" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8v3K3KLjfWCIARrxvAVIaeUieeEKyZc_L9mvfbIz9HSyKcgHyV25CzJV4PurrTx17uGqPrz6M6c5qsMQ2SOGJpyMm5gdWNAwKASfYPBaxhhbjjwGQS1eWupSBXma1-YyHwPlMGrfUjM/s1600/74px-BB-Inque.png" /></a></div>
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<b>1. Inque from <i>Batman Beyond</i></b><br />
<i>Batman Beyond</i> was a close runner up to <i>Batman the Animated Series</i> in my young life and Inque was one of my absolute favorite characters. This costume would be super easy to do, black body suit with the face circled white, but I've never done it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.oldkingdom.com.au/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimaolbRbafQM3gYRQbOUQB-SrpF9_TgK1_jSbB2h3yoaEOaFPuaiqRI3MK_BFJkN82RRreRbzpeY4-TxktqfnzXpzq25SzLzSSsooZ9EKh2HF9xeMsQEiV1ISv4JrriAa0PMQpPIMeKqM/s1600/NEW_sabriel300pxB.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a><span id="goog_1350588242"></span><span id="goog_1350588243"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<b>2. Sabriel from Garth Nix's <i>Abhorsen</i> series</b></div>
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I fell in love with this series when a friend recommended it to me in junior high. It was dark and Sabriel was a badass and there was still enough romance to make my teenage heart sing. I have wanted to wear that tunic with the keys and a bandoleer of bells since.</div>
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<a href="http://majoh.deviantart.com/art/Uranus-166386512" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOoU4oADoPXZ9lVQtEcAn739MGcJLzCue895pNQGkFCQvSqKGoCgPH8ue6IILbbKXSyXpospQqFxHii0nEmnkuKs7EDSROjyI_1JZ9Oj0MOz6ovhAOImlGq3SdsSK67eBZAOf0AHzvy0/s1600/Uranus_by_Majoh.jpg" height="200" width="123" /></a><a href="http://therese678.deviantart.com/art/Sailor-Pluto-309720751" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFp1ZUb9znk9B-ZOF__PBVv8fLNagDUZ1qp6qOWfVqZ8DrFqY4mHUn8jN6m0GdR7Q5YOSjii7hifg5CY1AbCkdJKouBU3-TdksBLAq04_Fz7Z8C4A-u0GN0_XApfgmvhOGb01cisTXt0/s1600/sailor_pluto_by_therese678-d54ee27.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a><span id="goog_1350588274"></span><span id="goog_1350588275"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><a href="http://www.geeknative.com/43819/x-scouts-sailor-moon-meets-x-men/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5OQN5H-zK7ImpdOgjYxdLikR7AO7jnxNRPRouM6QBIIeeRqIIYFri6l36L9QCQaIarFOgPUjFhaL37amohqOq0QUUbe7kit0iVsXpcvx-Bm4qmMcZWH_HqT-FziDmGJXsjeJXfmTb8c/s1600/Sailor-Shadowcat.jpg" height="200" width="160" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://nijuuni.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Sailor-Jupiter-Designs-400310590" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8It62k_obpppA5S2sVrmi7WTuye0rRw_PPOdHVEsXV5NjazZITJn91qtgVIynEb7P0y3fiA1jT9xqGfdf44l1tlRgbr7pnkd08Z6W5FHE2Z9neHYeB7Ln8tl9jyGEToTvmDScbMPv2A0/s1600/steampunk_sailor_jupiter_designs_by_nijuuni-d6mc1mm.jpg" height="88" width="200" /></a><span id="goog_1350588266"></span><span id="goog_1350588267"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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<b>3. <i>Sailor Senshi </i>Crossovers</b></div>
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This is more of a category because there are too many to choose. I love anything Sailor Moon related but when it comes to costumes, I am enamored of Sailor Senshi crossovers. Xailor Senshi (X-Men in fukus) and Sailor Steampunk are some of my particular favorites. These four are my top picks: Steampunk Sailor Pluto, Xailor Shadowcat, Punk Sailor Uranus (a.k.a. Space Pirate), and Steampunk Sailor Jupiter. I'm actually planning a Xailor Shadowcat costume for next Halloween by modifying a Sailor Uranus costume. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomwatson/3333303883/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUJaxvlN5r91HAdOHtAdFbp3MHIgt0HAGh3gQ6QyZ7WnXCyiJn90knOPJC00TPh8_es6IGMYt3KZ5CxbOT6fh3YhR2q1xosxN14urm1tknVHJBohHbohdPtrtZF1kYNnWzgkB6YuDhj8/s1600/3333303883_5b6b32c7e4.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>4. <i>Haunted Mansion</i> Maid</b></div>
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I'm not sure I can adequately express my love of the Haunted Mansion and Phantom Manor. I've wanted to be a cast member at Haunted Mansion from the age of six. And just look at their winter gear! Bat shawls!!</div>
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<a href="http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/07/today-in-disney-history-the-rocketeer-flies-at-the-walt-disney-world-resort/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWVZGOTN8SBs1TmI17a0fZST8KxM599A6zBu7EAx35vVOo-ZD2lbGHWysE2G8PmAfhNTTmGN4X7AQWOvGngOI1MupPUDG2eYHYghbLf7_DKqEQorX1iCoah587piss4E5nb0BdihyphenhyphenK2s/s1600/RTM421SMALL.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
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<b>5.<i> The Rocketeer</i></b></div>
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I've seen a lot of female Rocketeer cosplays and costumes but I've also noticed a distinct lack of pants involved in them. In my dream Rocketeer costume, riding breeches are included because I like my thighs to be warm. </div>
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<a href="http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-Customized-Movie-Frozen-Cosplay-Costume-Princess-Anna-Coronation-Dress/1907633275.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_WPCkKgcwQyAvn_FsCjNWnOYmbpo7xdiQtL6Os9x4JAcQNXe4JeXBMYJ3nygbBqUvEi6JYD-wLiwFrn4QEqGPdD3ALGkPCL0ijmNhO-7wOYZlOPpzxuO_iMRv-W6RUNguqvXtG0LnEc/s1600/Free-Shipping-Customized-Movie-Frozen-Cosplay-Costume-Princess-Anna-Coronation-Dress.jpg" height="278" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>6. </b>I do things in sixes!! <b>Anna's coronation dress from <i>Frozen</i></b></div>
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That dress. GAH. I love it. I'd just wear it around the house.</div>
Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-32180328115454101262014-10-10T15:23:00.002-05:002014-10-10T15:45:13.811-05:00Five Fandom Friday: Geeky Clothing Items I Need in My Closet Immediately<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7USdhP4coYxpzE4VbXPNXDE7iPlkeEGw5Xli_p8ECILacVVtNA6LHx2Bnov55OZWsSFZbsvYNTMbhUMMSE3YyYy6d7HZvAdrLscbsn5KC-UVluu0HrVb1M8twanzI7e3GW_G4ZHgoh4/s1600/fandom.5.friday.jpg" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; text-align: start;">Week 2 of 5 Fandom Friday from </span><a href="http://www.thenerdygirlie.com/" target="_blank">The Nerdy Girlie</a><span id="goog_958306575"></span><span id="goog_958306576"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; text-align: start;"> and </span><a href="http://superspacechick.com/" target="_blank">Super Space Chick</a><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;">. Geeky clothing is a passion into which I don't invest nearly enough money. I have a lot of freedom in my work wardrobe and I really ought to be taking advantage. In any event, my wishlist is top but these are the 5 I am dying for right out of the gate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;">This <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/123140269/sailor-moon-super-sailor-moon-inspired?image_id=425761557" target="_blank">Sailor scarf</a> from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopOfManyThings" target="_blank">ShopofManyThings</a> on Etsy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/027/1/6707233/il_570xN.547430373_qyxx.jpg" width="224" /><span id="goog_958306476"></span><span id="goog_958306477"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;">There used to be postings for all of the senshi and I am DYING for a Sailor Jupiter or Sailor Pluto scarf.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;">This </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/112992700/haunted-dress?ref=favs_view_24" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;" target="_blank">Haunted Mansion dress</a><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;"> from </span><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lameasaurus" style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;" target="_blank">Lameasaurus </a><span style="font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;">on Etsy.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://img0.etsystatic.com/013/2/7302179/il_570xN.448824696_pu5w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/013/2/7302179/il_570xN.448824696_pu5w.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">GUH! Haunted Mansion is my jam and this dress is just the cutest!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I love ALL of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/RoobyLane" target="_blank">RoobyLane</a>'s skirts but I particularly want this <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/129164163/geek-clothing-geek-skirts-geek-dresses?ref=favs_view_13" target="_blank">book skirt</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://img1.etsystatic.com/010/0/6168553/il_570xN.448080691_3dhm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/010/0/6168553/il_570xN.448080691_3dhm.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ginger Rogers wore a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/103582809/ginger-rogers-never-gonna-dance-dress?ref=favs_view_3" target="_blank">dress like this</a> in <i>Swing Time</i>, one of my favorite movies, and I was over the moon when I saw this replica on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Bbeauty79" target="_blank">Bbeauty79</a>'s Etsy shop. At 2,500 though, it's a little steep for me to manage.</span></div>
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<a href="https://img1.etsystatic.com/003/0/5934283/il_570xN.353476865_8qxv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/003/0/5934283/il_570xN.353476865_8qxv.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Okay, fifth place is a tie...because I NEED both of these...</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.heruniverse.com/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Her Universe</a> sells this amazing <a href="http://www.heruniverse.com/captain-america-cardigan.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Cap cardi</a> and <a href="http://www.trendylegs.com/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Trendy Legs</a> has these <a href="http://www.trendylegs.com/shop/love-text-print-tights-grey-black/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">text tights</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px;">Excuse me while I go drool over all the geek things! </span></div>
Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-10971162857317738862014-10-03T20:58:00.001-05:002014-10-03T21:01:45.558-05:00Five Fandom Friday: Gateway Fandoms That Made Me Who I Am TodaySo, obviously, I've been super active here. I've meant to keep up with posting my Disneybound Fridays but that has just not been feasible. In an effort to bring some life to this arid wilderness of the blogosphere, I've decided to join in <a href="http://www.thenerdygirlie.com/" target="_blank">The Nerdy Girlie</a>'s 5 Fandom Fridays during October. <br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7USdhP4coYxpzE4VbXPNXDE7iPlkeEGw5Xli_p8ECILacVVtNA6LHx2Bnov55OZWsSFZbsvYNTMbhUMMSE3YyYy6d7HZvAdrLscbsn5KC-UVluu0HrVb1M8twanzI7e3GW_G4ZHgoh4/s1600/fandom.5.friday.jpg" height="320" width="302" /> </div>
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Today's five are the five gateway fandoms that made me who I am today.</div>
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<b>1. The Chronicles of Narnia</b></div>
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I can no longer remember which came first, having C.S. Lewis' classic children's series read to me or watching the BBC/Wonderworks mini-series. Regardless, Aslan and the Pevensies have stuck with me to this day and shaped much of who I've become, including majoring in theological studies in undergrad.</div>
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<b>2. White Christmas --> Vintage Everything</b></div>
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This may seem like an odd choice but bear with me. Our family tradition is to watch <i>White Christmas</i> every year on Christmas Eve. I grew up in love with Vera Ellen's full circle skirts, the dancing, the music. I can pinpoint my love of 50's fashion to <i>White Christmas</i> and so I honor it as the gateway to my love of vintage movies, music, and clothes. There are other classics films more dear to my heart but <i>White Christmas</i> is surely the origination. </div>
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<b>3. Mystery Science Theater 3000</b></div>
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This was a family fandom. We watched a lot of geek/nerd/cult classics - <i>Monty Python and the Holy Grail</i>, <i>Spaceballs</i>, <i>The Princess Bride</i> - but MST3K was a thing unto itself and taught me how to properly snark through any film.<b> </b></div>
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<b>4. Sailor Moon</b></div>
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We didn't have cable when I was a kid, so I didn't actually watch an episode of Sailor Moon until I was 13 or 14, when my older brother had mercy on me and recorded a few onto VHS. But at the tender age of 10 or 11, the internet brought unto me images of Sailor Moon, plot synopses, and the strongest gateway drug of them all FANFICTION. Which, of course, led deeper down the rabbit hole to ONLINE RPGS. Sailor Moon is, by far, the fandom that led to the most other fandoms. Sailor Moon taught me that being a girly girl in no way hinders you from being a strong woman.</div>
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<b>5. Disney</b></div>
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Oof, I struggled a lot with this last one. Disney must have its place on this list, though it almost transcends being a fandom for me. There's not a clear Disney beginning that I can delineate. I have the music from the <i>Main Street Electrical Parade</i> imprinted in my blood. My Patronus may or may not be a mouse.</div>
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Fandoms of Honorable Note:</div>
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<i>Bride & Prejudice</i>, which led to my love affair with Bollywood and KDrama. </div>
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The <i>X-Men </i>and <i>Batman</i> animated series, which led to my love of comics and superheroes</div>
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-65842482951411699372014-05-09T11:04:00.001-05:002014-05-09T11:04:12.949-05:00Playing Catch-upWhew, okay. It's been a busy few weeks with Easter and the week after that I was at my brother's wedding in Texas. Miss Right & I have been Disneybounding each Friday but we don't always manage to get pictures, which drives me up the wall. I will shortly be posting the pictures we <i>do</i> have of our Disneybounds from April 18th, 25th, May 2nd, and today.<br />
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I dyed my hair black this past weekend:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWXLzhp9QE9QdNhCSnJO_bGqTplC9Jx2exRl7bXCQmqJnZ887XxCCuF2esbPrI0iFlI1ViICStPoNyfI2Vw7uilPRO624rPD8Y7dPSha5DNT5xoL4yB4YBmxfKXwI-RhVtyVH5kpmsDo/s1600/20140503_175851_20140503231619136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWXLzhp9QE9QdNhCSnJO_bGqTplC9Jx2exRl7bXCQmqJnZ887XxCCuF2esbPrI0iFlI1ViICStPoNyfI2Vw7uilPRO624rPD8Y7dPSha5DNT5xoL4yB4YBmxfKXwI-RhVtyVH5kpmsDo/s1600/20140503_175851_20140503231619136.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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which seems to have had a very strange effect on my personality, as I have felt really content and delighted with most aspects of my life this past week. I haven't been depressed, per se, but if you had asked a few weeks ago how I felt about my life in general, I would have said I was happy <i>but</i> and then there would be a litany of minuscule things I'd like to change. I still have petty things that irk me (have you seen the weeds in my backyard??) but, this week at least, they haven't irked me like they normally do. It's like coming out of a funk. A funk that, when last counted, has been a couple of months in the running. Needless to say, I'm over the moon about it. I feel energized and happy. I like my house, even with its unmown backyard and that dead bush in the front yard and all those wolf spiders I have to kill. I love my Buddy Holly and Peter Cottontail, even though taking care of them means I run my dishwasher every night and currently have no less than three loads of clean laundry piled on the couch, waiting to be folded. I love my job even! And there are some really exciting things going on there in the near future. I have two awesome pen pals, a whole community of fantastic geek women that I'm honored to know on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. I have great friends at work and for DND nights. I get to go to the Renaissance Fair this year! I'm happy.</div>
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And, there's lots to look forward to this Summer too. Because Miss Right will be moving away in the Fall to begin Post-graduate life, we have a bucket list of things to do. Movie marathons, Pop's soda shop, vintage clothing sales, and the drive-in, to name a few. I don't know what I'll do without her when she's gone but she'll still be sending me her Friday Disneybounds.</div>
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On the way home tonight, I'm thinking it's take-out and maybe a stop at the liquor store for Tea-infused vodka or gin, to make a really good tonic. Buddy Holly and I need to rewatch the X-men Trilogy & First Class before Days of Future Past comes out. And we just started Pushing Daisies. And I need to finish my Sailor Moo rewatch. </div>
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How's your neck o' the woods.</div>
Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-62239205484772683552014-04-11T15:10:00.000-05:002014-04-11T15:10:03.486-05:00Disneybound 4/11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Disneybounding as Nancy from Enchanted. I was planning on wearing a ruffled ivory top and a sage green sweater but it was so hot today I opted for a knit top.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQDbu6IdK_-cPOAxDK3hyphenhyphen7w37UyYtT4vDz9Y0s-D8QnKjYFpR5G-YmHPMF1iMBrIrQPK8kRFDL84wEtLK_qhS3MpNRFkmyR-myMoJpriqim70ZNiPp3fCuJqmd4VQg6oH4-PY6AEVKwY/s1600/20140411_102020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheQDbu6IdK_-cPOAxDK3hyphenhyphen7w37UyYtT4vDz9Y0s-D8QnKjYFpR5G-YmHPMF1iMBrIrQPK8kRFDL84wEtLK_qhS3MpNRFkmyR-myMoJpriqim70ZNiPp3fCuJqmd4VQg6oH4-PY6AEVKwY/s1600/20140411_102020.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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And Stitch! Turns out one of our co-workers has a ukulele in his office but we'd already taken photographs and Miss Right had gone for the day. Bugger!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_C5H21lcrJZpuxonFfaXCDoFBB32qQiu4wEOXqw9qUXEopAMYNFQad0eS77QqqARDUOSYZeeHs6WWXYVC9fDFt_5MVAg0ioIF2G6ezguBNBuAwZq6VOBO3zqlY-ln6zvnUkrZKEwPpk/s1600/20140411_102102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_C5H21lcrJZpuxonFfaXCDoFBB32qQiu4wEOXqw9qUXEopAMYNFQad0eS77QqqARDUOSYZeeHs6WWXYVC9fDFt_5MVAg0ioIF2G6ezguBNBuAwZq6VOBO3zqlY-ln6zvnUkrZKEwPpk/s1600/20140411_102102.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-52472716654786450952014-04-08T16:40:00.000-05:002014-04-08T16:40:05.737-05:00Disneybound 4/3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>The curl of her lips, the ice in her stare.</i></div>
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<i>All innocent children had better beware.</i></div>
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<i>She's like a spider waiting for the kill.</i></div>
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<i>Look out for Cruella de Vil.</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBn-Qxv-142fxRfPBcZwkLpCKFG3drgUWL9-NFouYBCzwJ7USFUJQgLh8cRFqEhvQX863XYr0cq5NLtyFiibRAw7ONuuVEkAFpJlop7jnIdK1fkWzWZCFMC3iJr6YLEkXZn-EAxetKos/s1600/20140404_123927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBn-Qxv-142fxRfPBcZwkLpCKFG3drgUWL9-NFouYBCzwJ7USFUJQgLh8cRFqEhvQX863XYr0cq5NLtyFiibRAw7ONuuVEkAFpJlop7jnIdK1fkWzWZCFMC3iJr6YLEkXZn-EAxetKos/s1600/20140404_123927.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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(Doesn't she look AMAZING?!)</div>
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<i>"But then she's never looked at me that way before."</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDtaLoJJkuIwHrl0KIserDWiTYDe1gkR7YjaYlu0uplzVvei_9J8MD4Xyo65v6bA_UuGkdJhyJkchyGNLeKCeIdKlkYTKaFq5iGjsX3AJsWFGlY4dPflZcFXpcbNkGmPGHZqlboBuszU/s1600/20140404_124001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJDtaLoJJkuIwHrl0KIserDWiTYDe1gkR7YjaYlu0uplzVvei_9J8MD4Xyo65v6bA_UuGkdJhyJkchyGNLeKCeIdKlkYTKaFq5iGjsX3AJsWFGlY4dPflZcFXpcbNkGmPGHZqlboBuszU/s1600/20140404_124001.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-13495728083985512862014-04-08T16:29:00.001-05:002014-04-08T16:29:12.942-05:00Disneybound 3/28<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Spring is finally in the air, so we went outside for pictures again. Our inspirations were Roz from Monsters Inc. and Mushu from Mulan this week. I think my favorite part of Roz was the make-up. I waited to do this Disneybound until I got my new cateye glasses and, though it's hard to tell in this picture, I only did a miniature cupid's bow of lipstick and added a mole to my chin. </div>
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<i>"I'm watching you Wazowski."</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyzh3JeMVF3sMCE-Uo16ngqAvM1Eq-ODo-NPlJWNQAZ07HmfFgsamM96oumLTMcUlVHSwTqF-QjyL3SAftj-J4ZVa4ThPJ0Dqzx-4vT-zdKcNhaPzrB3Jj3FOzZwBk-jgqUnOrj9I2a4/s1600/20140328_085336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpyzh3JeMVF3sMCE-Uo16ngqAvM1Eq-ODo-NPlJWNQAZ07HmfFgsamM96oumLTMcUlVHSwTqF-QjyL3SAftj-J4ZVa4ThPJ0Dqzx-4vT-zdKcNhaPzrB3Jj3FOzZwBk-jgqUnOrj9I2a4/s1600/20140328_085336.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<i>"Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!"</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRpfYIWXMvg59CxgYDuXT0Q4k19m6zspvn5_eNnEVf93o5aPSDa7Mr8AVyAW-470aOY307vikj4RbvCeED815PkqPP7I_aJ4cgvGM6r6-Dx9eqK9DyYHhE97xK1B7rBaLg9eg1_APSMo/s1600/20140328_085307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRpfYIWXMvg59CxgYDuXT0Q4k19m6zspvn5_eNnEVf93o5aPSDa7Mr8AVyAW-470aOY307vikj4RbvCeED815PkqPP7I_aJ4cgvGM6r6-Dx9eqK9DyYHhE97xK1B7rBaLg9eg1_APSMo/s1600/20140328_085307.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-90131064798183029292014-03-21T14:33:00.001-05:002014-03-21T14:33:26.966-05:00Disneybound 3/14 & 3/21So, Miss Right left for Spring Break vacation last week and Disneybounded on her road trip but missed out on today.<br />
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I made the lamest attempt at a Disneybound Violet Parr last Friday and was so disappointed in myself that I didn't even photograph it but am Disneybounding today.<br />
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Together, we've got both Fridays covered.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ37UgMLG7avszwawSot40MNRAwfim9t5fPbSube1dQ0k3T8tJI6OX33YR8xUjxreD2A1zWFPnEQiWOYSsVcN3znt7ydDt8AtQXVLGAUypJuWgFKvkjr2D3BdXWfHD1YnaU7k-uiAdL8/s1600/autocompress1395427169926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ37UgMLG7avszwawSot40MNRAwfim9t5fPbSube1dQ0k3T8tJI6OX33YR8xUjxreD2A1zWFPnEQiWOYSsVcN3znt7ydDt8AtQXVLGAUypJuWgFKvkjr2D3BdXWfHD1YnaU7k-uiAdL8/s1600/autocompress1395427169926.jpg" height="400" width="277" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyC3VHKPwmz2pVYD5eAUxrA1xemjqoaHmce0JS2YKXWCIIzy5sgsQpn4FHGY6QkqS3Nn7j1SyUHzbk6YjcFwsIzxr6qMbjsqWx2irRPmUNt1slx6KqHCQcsJMJPDM5G4O3URjcBfKzds/s1600/Gothel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyC3VHKPwmz2pVYD5eAUxrA1xemjqoaHmce0JS2YKXWCIIzy5sgsQpn4FHGY6QkqS3Nn7j1SyUHzbk6YjcFwsIzxr6qMbjsqWx2irRPmUNt1slx6KqHCQcsJMJPDM5G4O3URjcBfKzds/s1600/Gothel.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ37UgMLG7avszwawSot40MNRAwfim9t5fPbSube1dQ0k3T8tJI6OX33YR8xUjxreD2A1zWFPnEQiWOYSsVcN3znt7ydDt8AtQXVLGAUypJuWgFKvkjr2D3BdXWfHD1YnaU7k-uiAdL8/s1600/autocompress1395427169926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MflNHmiUq1gwJZC-htN_wm3k67jCjWtfDydIWWl9yovvGeahBQz51lfD10DmiCKMYqeYJFJn49Bya3l5d1tJQTDIEzRf4xAhahlN04IXe2-dvgLNeDZJCpBovUWTJPYIUft5uQCW3HY/s1600/THOR.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MflNHmiUq1gwJZC-htN_wm3k67jCjWtfDydIWWl9yovvGeahBQz51lfD10DmiCKMYqeYJFJn49Bya3l5d1tJQTDIEzRf4xAhahlN04IXe2-dvgLNeDZJCpBovUWTJPYIUft5uQCW3HY/s1600/THOR.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MflNHmiUq1gwJZC-htN_wm3k67jCjWtfDydIWWl9yovvGeahBQz51lfD10DmiCKMYqeYJFJn49Bya3l5d1tJQTDIEzRf4xAhahlN04IXe2-dvgLNeDZJCpBovUWTJPYIUft5uQCW3HY/s1600/THOR.1.jpg" height="320" width="314" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Vj9ayolt_F63LPlWM4y24BpBywb6aQNaJbgfl7lXl5sEM3tBZE0H2ImI04YMHC0ofqWuoWG7bi5kngfbnHpBdl3EMQ-X0uar_WjrzS4mVOmPQQa5waco0-EcL6q0eFrJAXLzw5fUfWA/s1600/Thor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Vj9ayolt_F63LPlWM4y24BpBywb6aQNaJbgfl7lXl5sEM3tBZE0H2ImI04YMHC0ofqWuoWG7bi5kngfbnHpBdl3EMQ-X0uar_WjrzS4mVOmPQQa5waco0-EcL6q0eFrJAXLzw5fUfWA/s1600/Thor.jpg" height="400" width="396" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzUFzGZNt0YeVXvgCH1a6H_tQi3G4KZGb_9UEgtT_yqfQlySSQSvjSLvKu5Yt41GZTCuXQrPJfAdE3KtDrwKS2DL4veg0vuiIydunjNF-ZrYnRRZ3lluzJoI_p3QNwi_EaofVCHk2GIQ/s1600/20140307_103838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzUFzGZNt0YeVXvgCH1a6H_tQi3G4KZGb_9UEgtT_yqfQlySSQSvjSLvKu5Yt41GZTCuXQrPJfAdE3KtDrwKS2DL4veg0vuiIydunjNF-ZrYnRRZ3lluzJoI_p3QNwi_EaofVCHk2GIQ/s1600/20140307_103838.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="http://www.empireonline.com/images/features/50-greatest-animated-characters/stills/29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.empireonline.com/images/features/50-greatest-animated-characters/stills/29.jpg" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
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Miss Right has mismatched rose earrings in Ellie colors and made the bow tie herself!</div>
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<a href="http://www.oxfordhadong.edu.vn/images/upload/cinderella-scrubbing.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.oxfordhadong.edu.vn/images/upload/cinderella-scrubbing.png" height="215" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNSwCblaSqLumg407D15AnKYHW143X_VesTn0npQ_p2-7_3IB_XkAj8KAZ3ui4Kee97pGLwF8c_sSHX6tchI9_JOFWepdVkYQ-3tMP9eyWBG1jwECqk7hIi7-7TDjUltQXmE9f-cuPEI/s1600/20140307_104017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaNSwCblaSqLumg407D15AnKYHW143X_VesTn0npQ_p2-7_3IB_XkAj8KAZ3ui4Kee97pGLwF8c_sSHX6tchI9_JOFWepdVkYQ-3tMP9eyWBG1jwECqk7hIi7-7TDjUltQXmE9f-cuPEI/s1600/20140307_104017.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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My hands are in the way but I'm wearing a necklace with a bird charm.Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-29452031611449098712014-02-28T13:01:00.000-06:002014-03-07T13:06:24.994-06:00Disneybound 2/28/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is still freezing cold! So, Disneybounds are currently predicated on warmth above all else. Today was ALL 101 Dalmatians. I <b>love</b> Miss Right's red shoes!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9qjZbGtQZ5k/Tob67NjZp0I/AAAAAAAAHdE/F7bGJ63711k/s1600/101Dalmatians_004Pyxurz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9qjZbGtQZ5k/Tob67NjZp0I/AAAAAAAAHdE/F7bGJ63711k/s1600/101Dalmatians_004Pyxurz.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbIG0Kei8N5ETc-m1DeEhyphenhyphenLZn3A_P35WrKGuCpJfBQxE3-F5b7oR4b5NgIAns5vZvPDV4KWSwOJtQ7kWKbBNi9tg9O5ycXODQCLKxghIX5Dpn9q5ZlUlxo7WFhWSk6PSy5j2OoVJXJ-M/s1600/20140228_121411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbIG0Kei8N5ETc-m1DeEhyphenhyphenLZn3A_P35WrKGuCpJfBQxE3-F5b7oR4b5NgIAns5vZvPDV4KWSwOJtQ7kWKbBNi9tg9O5ycXODQCLKxghIX5Dpn9q5ZlUlxo7WFhWSk6PSy5j2OoVJXJ-M/s1600/20140228_121411.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrBaI0Al-mnfhDCq2Mln7FT2Avl_FsZc60OfBHUhMuxlv_ew3-BxbpKL1IMUQhjfY62TNCyr3rTiwaqyIJLyKapZmHkhI4JSA_TJ8jUrXH2rpoDmpduqTff-xIPgBRzD_bwE_doBPpbc/s1600/tumblr_mpvzv2GBOp1sy5xsno1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrBaI0Al-mnfhDCq2Mln7FT2Avl_FsZc60OfBHUhMuxlv_ew3-BxbpKL1IMUQhjfY62TNCyr3rTiwaqyIJLyKapZmHkhI4JSA_TJ8jUrXH2rpoDmpduqTff-xIPgBRzD_bwE_doBPpbc/s1600/tumblr_mpvzv2GBOp1sy5xsno1_400.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX5Bs8eFJFG_-XddCAi_jPrRtjdyHiwzg2uxSsXhs8fL3cdlq2BNHNedEvq4yn3D8NfDTz2nW861yKSjYwjtzvaL_3wep_z0RA6g-B4nqCU8_EN32Nr0Grad_6qDhvX4cTFm6TRIidaw/s1600/20140223_120233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOX5Bs8eFJFG_-XddCAi_jPrRtjdyHiwzg2uxSsXhs8fL3cdlq2BNHNedEvq4yn3D8NfDTz2nW861yKSjYwjtzvaL_3wep_z0RA6g-B4nqCU8_EN32Nr0Grad_6qDhvX4cTFm6TRIidaw/s1600/20140223_120233.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I have to comment on my boot covers because I am so damn proud of those. They're crocheted and came off a bolero I found at Good Will. I cut the sleeves off the bolero and they're just perfect. I'll be using them for an Angus Disneybound too. Also, my earrings are silver reindeer. :)Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-90153533186291602822014-02-23T20:51:00.003-06:002014-02-23T20:51:27.975-06:00Disneybound 2/14/14Valentine's Edition! We decided we wanted to go as a couple for Valentine's day and were debating between Carl & Ellie, Robin & Maid Marian, and then realized we had Disneybounds for one of our favorite couples ever:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQvMSQ924tdAZ7NmvDZrDD7qC-II9LjBjEAu4VAm47SCaDYlh2qvYcXSUoEK1EPQ5dNM5CpQGibuJxwrlZYn1ZADcXtm3KaOkFXdQ7ki7z7E9qnZfccs1pKBtd84SarRn1Ovs8k37Wl8/s1600/MulanAurora.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQvMSQ924tdAZ7NmvDZrDD7qC-II9LjBjEAu4VAm47SCaDYlh2qvYcXSUoEK1EPQ5dNM5CpQGibuJxwrlZYn1ZADcXtm3KaOkFXdQ7ki7z7E9qnZfccs1pKBtd84SarRn1Ovs8k37Wl8/s1600/MulanAurora.png" height="247" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Mulan and Aurora from Once Upon a Time are one of our favorite couples. These ladies just need to get together and are one of the few reasons I'm still watching that show. I have to stick around long enough to see them make out. Anyhow, Miss Right's Mulan was dead on, especially with that hair. And she wore one rose earring, because Aurora used to be called Briar Rose.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J9mjxr4quvJ2LS9I6Deoh_skTD1L43mvqa6b8DHryM-4xueyRWDABWud4jpaqZuEkydWz_SuuPIAlKYzhyphenhyphen-EZnET3-ul8mGZkMAXykt0O12WhhkiE60Yr6AAfYi9vpF4tG_BonuxQDM/s1600/20140214_091334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J9mjxr4quvJ2LS9I6Deoh_skTD1L43mvqa6b8DHryM-4xueyRWDABWud4jpaqZuEkydWz_SuuPIAlKYzhyphenhyphen-EZnET3-ul8mGZkMAXykt0O12WhhkiE60Yr6AAfYi9vpF4tG_BonuxQDM/s1600/20140214_091334.jpg" height="400" width="300" /> </a></div>
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I'm finding having short hair is really a hamper to Disneybounds. So much can be conveyed with a braid, ponytail, or curls. It's very limiting having the same bob from week to week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A4rpciXcmnuuwaR1pA6JhhKJt5i8ztqjWMpeZIq6tpdU6OyEEw4zRLXfa1icglNt9tlCJFXd1978DgLcAmWUk1XHzFgi9fs17uBAaoubCG_GSy4Cd0pHXjHRvMcRIynggA8Ca20u0rw/s1600/20140214_091439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5A4rpciXcmnuuwaR1pA6JhhKJt5i8ztqjWMpeZIq6tpdU6OyEEw4zRLXfa1icglNt9tlCJFXd1978DgLcAmWUk1XHzFgi9fs17uBAaoubCG_GSy4Cd0pHXjHRvMcRIynggA8Ca20u0rw/s1600/20140214_091439.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-4209972229731217572014-02-23T20:45:00.002-06:002014-02-23T20:45:56.863-06:00Disneybound 2/7/14We both scrambled for our Disneybounds this week but I think they turned out fantastic.<br />
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Miss Right as Nemo:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH5BnMP_dNPzFjRIJqEiw-uNc9Zq25ge0Cwi2eoZ40zJhnvxJwYqhjvfBerLQVUT6HO6N7eAzAETwSl9UtBVlTGPqHvagc5u67EafcnCuBYC_-GdStSUj_TNBDC3jQ6GNBEIhg1pVnEQ/s1600/20140207_122436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA6_hg07AsZ_ZccTg4tQdqvHVD0Ztrrf0r7uc7Ulyyw1w789saB8ZEveWwzZLhqc0I-dS30ycUl87E49S2Bks4srh3wDL14gzyUMci6FMXKZjKj8-JjrH-wKXw0WxkwCbTvyvDqp4mV0/s1600/07ff8e314e2798d32bfc8c39f82a9601677de34c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQA6_hg07AsZ_ZccTg4tQdqvHVD0Ztrrf0r7uc7Ulyyw1w789saB8ZEveWwzZLhqc0I-dS30ycUl87E49S2Bks4srh3wDL14gzyUMci6FMXKZjKj8-JjrH-wKXw0WxkwCbTvyvDqp4mV0/s1600/07ff8e314e2798d32bfc8c39f82a9601677de34c.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbH5BnMP_dNPzFjRIJqEiw-uNc9Zq25ge0Cwi2eoZ40zJhnvxJwYqhjvfBerLQVUT6HO6N7eAzAETwSl9UtBVlTGPqHvagc5u67EafcnCuBYC_-GdStSUj_TNBDC3jQ6GNBEIhg1pVnEQ/s1600/20140207_122436.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></div>
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And myself as Happy the dwarf:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrO41pAVzSIxcpmpKGCugW8wXfmfcXnueP7RFhtdGtI2i9gv-tAWrfw9T1gogl2lGNk-1PFj1QJ908ystc9iAcp4YbSQXzG3Dt0qlR_yV3RV1FsuGcmGoTywb1e8EuuEfU8_0DiYefNhQ/s1600/Happy-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-6199676-255-350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrO41pAVzSIxcpmpKGCugW8wXfmfcXnueP7RFhtdGtI2i9gv-tAWrfw9T1gogl2lGNk-1PFj1QJ908ystc9iAcp4YbSQXzG3Dt0qlR_yV3RV1FsuGcmGoTywb1e8EuuEfU8_0DiYefNhQ/s1600/Happy-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-6199676-255-350.jpg" height="200" width="145" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnc3SDcoEtGYmtC0ijwX3iKJZkqRRRg4__e_GXxvpdgEP2imMxkS3N4rHe8OzQ2uPIJ1SZaWHVRxHZ47Z5ClfBoTy7GFUQTtdmDAvHsGcXk4AIg3jLBce8mT-bCSspTYpB1BP0tb3SuXc/s1600/20140207_122528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnc3SDcoEtGYmtC0ijwX3iKJZkqRRRg4__e_GXxvpdgEP2imMxkS3N4rHe8OzQ2uPIJ1SZaWHVRxHZ47Z5ClfBoTy7GFUQTtdmDAvHsGcXk4AIg3jLBce8mT-bCSspTYpB1BP0tb3SuXc/s1600/20140207_122528.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a>Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-29146870175935996852014-02-02T22:58:00.002-06:002014-02-02T22:58:21.953-06:00Disneybound 1/31/14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Week four featured Sheriff Woody from Toy Story and Merida.</div>
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Miss Right also wore a snake ring (<i>"There's a snake in my boot"</i>), which I unfortunately forgot to photograph. Who knew she had these boots?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtcyqQaUynkMIbfH1DRrrZnOHXjlT3OaefVO6SOz7ieIQjmKv2HxuDxUAOmArXyBz4opwyPiyp0Ec44mVfPljogZUmJ53teFoUB7ESQHs8xI5CDoEpsBNRFDvHLNPFPziLVmnpFKY5KE/s1600/20140131_123823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCtcyqQaUynkMIbfH1DRrrZnOHXjlT3OaefVO6SOz7ieIQjmKv2HxuDxUAOmArXyBz4opwyPiyp0Ec44mVfPljogZUmJ53teFoUB7ESQHs8xI5CDoEpsBNRFDvHLNPFPziLVmnpFKY5KE/s1600/20140131_123823.jpg" height="400" width="191" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wGj22vFiOww/Uu8fGK3rqpI/AAAAAAAABFQ/qXSuvRK5zHo/s1600/Merida-best-princess-ever-brave-27725992-500-676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wGj22vFiOww/Uu8fGK3rqpI/AAAAAAAABFQ/qXSuvRK5zHo/s1600/Merida-best-princess-ever-brave-27725992-500-676.jpg" height="400" width="295" /></a></div>
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By noon, when we took these pictures, I'd already lost one of my earrings. Well, to be fair, the hook was still in my ear but the arrow had fallen off.<br />
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-1285331655405570082014-01-24T17:14:00.001-06:002014-01-24T17:15:32.658-06:00Disneybound 1/24/14So, the hardest part of Disneybounding is accessories really. A pair of brown leggings, boots, and some kind of green shirt will get you quite far character wise (Pacha, Quasimodo, Robin Hood) but without some kind of accessory to lend character (*zing!*) to the outfit, it's hard to differentiate. We're resorting to making some of our own pieces (thank you, Hobby Lobby) and making them apply to multiple Disneybounds (e.g. an arrow piece works well for Robin Hood, Gaston, and Merida). I'll try to remember to point out some of the items we've specifically made.<br />
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Week three!<br />
With temperatures in the teens this week Miss Bianca was the perfect winter Disneybound.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWdNQWt6IpLg4ydy41MmsVTvD0lYikf4wdM3BA_e6wcX6tclR6QefzdGatze3hLR8lIZHZvtJuFIfxv615MmVzRLa1U3ZHlWurxWd6J2aZiHBi7urUTSOZsJTKXZWqSGgCeBdJNc2kCE/s1600/miss+bianca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWdNQWt6IpLg4ydy41MmsVTvD0lYikf4wdM3BA_e6wcX6tclR6QefzdGatze3hLR8lIZHZvtJuFIfxv615MmVzRLa1U3ZHlWurxWd6J2aZiHBi7urUTSOZsJTKXZWqSGgCeBdJNc2kCE/s1600/miss+bianca.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf18WoPjcXx8F67OyIqQKqgOW7RjkxQQwKOUB1DhfHQKcGg9qNgc-rtQ-jEZKYrfm7a_rUDuscVLuegiDLMX_N3jmXxhmYP2FRhifqV0V1Fv52dXwdiiFe4jJzc3EkpGXmooq6LqHw3M/s1600/1.24Bianca2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf18WoPjcXx8F67OyIqQKqgOW7RjkxQQwKOUB1DhfHQKcGg9qNgc-rtQ-jEZKYrfm7a_rUDuscVLuegiDLMX_N3jmXxhmYP2FRhifqV0V1Fv52dXwdiiFe4jJzc3EkpGXmooq6LqHw3M/s1600/1.24Bianca2.jpg" height="640" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bernard, dahling!"</td></tr>
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And Miss Wright stayed warm as Pip from Enchanted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKYJza97MnDEsGlOu2Vn_b4_cVMxf0N2UKggcJIVN7SldRHp-SocannfEmR3cTs19Xch0cqtdSSjO9J8rola8HpnDivu1PzhvK535nnRJ4zEaA7Lj9qNHKjHUT1U7zGcWEp5k0wf4bs4/s1600/1.24Pip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LE5uM5Dey3oWUsstCKjRovqNp4qL7Ys3RnWLHp0m-ATiG6M2PRtaGppNJcnUGoyQLc8jRC-Pl-ilp-LTP7ej-YNU9vUkv2W4cLJ0cGeKw_uKde73kh1Hhs133oinzdWD60yzroxxYEU/s1600/chipmunk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LE5uM5Dey3oWUsstCKjRovqNp4qL7Ys3RnWLHp0m-ATiG6M2PRtaGppNJcnUGoyQLc8jRC-Pl-ilp-LTP7ej-YNU9vUkv2W4cLJ0cGeKw_uKde73kh1Hhs133oinzdWD60yzroxxYEU/s1600/chipmunk.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKYJza97MnDEsGlOu2Vn_b4_cVMxf0N2UKggcJIVN7SldRHp-SocannfEmR3cTs19Xch0cqtdSSjO9J8rola8HpnDivu1PzhvK535nnRJ4zEaA7Lj9qNHKjHUT1U7zGcWEp5k0wf4bs4/s1600/1.24Pip.jpg" height="640" width="364" /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV-0Hxn3oaqfsL29kmeGaNQXd1HyrpIlmydHAgi515WsnHqBN6zfTR0eUU7J6kmkHOLiXkfi8uqLYJoyfynSbKJg0UMMbUL3RWJMfDJ30_vromIvvlR670sdGPfiCPrkHbWsRqpDke-E/s1600/1.24Pip2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGV-0Hxn3oaqfsL29kmeGaNQXd1HyrpIlmydHAgi515WsnHqBN6zfTR0eUU7J6kmkHOLiXkfi8uqLYJoyfynSbKJg0UMMbUL3RWJMfDJ30_vromIvvlR670sdGPfiCPrkHbWsRqpDke-E/s1600/1.24Pip2.jpg" height="320" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forest friends - ladybug.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicybTHqUv6UreSDIs6TSQIx8lMwxX81oBcxAtS4Z-Mh1ioOMrV8d0OdZSxA_iULj7GTNXRled8EaYXu1SVkqgO8a2zgfRdScIFL7N_3rxEOqBE-OPVr6gEhoEnVzjy1XzT5JjRvZ44BdM/s1600/1.24Pip3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicybTHqUv6UreSDIs6TSQIx8lMwxX81oBcxAtS4Z-Mh1ioOMrV8d0OdZSxA_iULj7GTNXRled8EaYXu1SVkqgO8a2zgfRdScIFL7N_3rxEOqBE-OPVr6gEhoEnVzjy1XzT5JjRvZ44BdM/s1600/1.24Pip3.jpg" height="320" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forest friends - butterfly.</td></tr>
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-24972024966915321982014-01-24T15:51:00.003-06:002014-01-24T17:14:28.152-06:00Disneybound 1/16/14A week late in posting but I come with exciting news. I managed to wrangle Miss Right into joining me on my Disneybound Fridays. And by wrangle I mean I said, "I'm doing this," and she said, "Okay, I'll do it too." Our week two outfits...<br />
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Hades, looking downright intimidating<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYjZFrLQGpQj1yY3F0KbNY9GpdOxio285dgbylYWwBEnQPJMF_KVYP6YdhF0gVm9GIGcsBaPUAk7F56lR8ej-bUc63prgTQe6sy9dqC6ZxxGKl9cnZ97zDM58RwmHmMtLgOvE1h6LjPw/s1600/1.16Hades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbYjZFrLQGpQj1yY3F0KbNY9GpdOxio285dgbylYWwBEnQPJMF_KVYP6YdhF0gVm9GIGcsBaPUAk7F56lR8ej-bUc63prgTQe6sy9dqC6ZxxGKl9cnZ97zDM58RwmHmMtLgOvE1h6LjPw/s1600/1.16Hades.jpg" height="640" width="231" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXktD-MFy-M9gbrb0_D0hC7I0kLvE36BEkY1ET_c-gkRs3wa4ZyPW-d1nN5jUlSrYApitiOrhl9WVL-7ZjVkXyTQGAIcJq9ZfRTbN1BJTJuy985gZg4msOq7XYlpSEO7B51nsXLLzSVEo/s1600/1.16Hades2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXktD-MFy-M9gbrb0_D0hC7I0kLvE36BEkY1ET_c-gkRs3wa4ZyPW-d1nN5jUlSrYApitiOrhl9WVL-7ZjVkXyTQGAIcJq9ZfRTbN1BJTJuy985gZg4msOq7XYlpSEO7B51nsXLLzSVEo/s1600/1.16Hades2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull detail on scarf</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4nNYk-n86l98R7I-rrtmw4Jg1WAourMvLQ_-FzekCCtvDi98KMPp12RFYbc23bai3dlmzwnszTPpT1besBRWXCK7L-zX3QTRxj3KHnkFZAjkPhmUlRfbTFMRblBrXVOHJJ-sUkfTRxU/s1600/tumblr_mdwffpUjRa1qgps5f.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4nNYk-n86l98R7I-rrtmw4Jg1WAourMvLQ_-FzekCCtvDi98KMPp12RFYbc23bai3dlmzwnszTPpT1besBRWXCK7L-zX3QTRxj3KHnkFZAjkPhmUlRfbTFMRblBrXVOHJJ-sUkfTRxU/s1600/tumblr_mdwffpUjRa1qgps5f.gif" height="211" width="400" /></a></div>
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And Anna<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwS61n78whyphenhyphenk5eZ-MgGaZf8Z4dknfe2nEf1uWzwakJHNXZDormYN_AaOUcQPTSQnoMgeHMrKAALpAZ-xKRP8k7dillRixmkSbxv3IsG6ng5B7YkBRGffPcGV5B_VSyA-349P559cds9k/s1600/1.16Anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwS61n78whyphenhyphenk5eZ-MgGaZf8Z4dknfe2nEf1uWzwakJHNXZDormYN_AaOUcQPTSQnoMgeHMrKAALpAZ-xKRP8k7dillRixmkSbxv3IsG6ng5B7YkBRGffPcGV5B_VSyA-349P559cds9k/s1600/1.16Anna.jpg" height="400" width="221" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Y8iLoza0rwe49eO6W-fTjwk3MDp5rCNbhun5Jl4qgbjlfPWgZOPOF1KpusXbQNXXlBnwuy6F7rksBeIoy0Xx4juc6cNaPhZpN70Lz64h7iBWvHJ2LRGHo9b5rel9X5JTvHqxaDnYenE/s1600/calm_down_by_royal_tarts-d71i3bs.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Y8iLoza0rwe49eO6W-fTjwk3MDp5rCNbhun5Jl4qgbjlfPWgZOPOF1KpusXbQNXXlBnwuy6F7rksBeIoy0Xx4juc6cNaPhZpN70Lz64h7iBWvHJ2LRGHo9b5rel9X5JTvHqxaDnYenE/s1600/calm_down_by_royal_tarts-d71i3bs.gif" height="182" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1k5z_tzfHNFOgwIhTh-og6tW3LFf3DNMr02SV5n4g_dr1EaBSCljQigFeSzWZwds0fVhkfSownoHuwybR_Wf_bINXqfDcVztVRo7JU6MaEwKCOt2FzIdR7TW80w8PMOBSmwx9_LXmKc/s1600/1.16Anna2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1k5z_tzfHNFOgwIhTh-og6tW3LFf3DNMr02SV5n4g_dr1EaBSCljQigFeSzWZwds0fVhkfSownoHuwybR_Wf_bINXqfDcVztVRo7JU6MaEwKCOt2FzIdR7TW80w8PMOBSmwx9_LXmKc/s1600/1.16Anna2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beware the frozen heart.<br />
Black shirt came out green in this picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeiGhsn_ulX2-rUUEYig5L6t7EA5_URINgq0J5U1GdWcNT3HVQlvF6P9FlSIrcZj4XHqAj3y1QETZf4j7ElSGp-icTFeVj8WrQ0eC2Ipj4veJK0DReoFrTl6X3z5KABR3BqO510DI6jI/s1600/1.16Anna3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeiGhsn_ulX2-rUUEYig5L6t7EA5_URINgq0J5U1GdWcNT3HVQlvF6P9FlSIrcZj4XHqAj3y1QETZf4j7ElSGp-icTFeVj8WrQ0eC2Ipj4veJK0DReoFrTl6X3z5KABR3BqO510DI6jI/s1600/1.16Anna3.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solje (So-lay) is a traditional Norwegian metalcraft.<br />
One of my prized possessions.</td></tr>
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-22911521271943568352014-01-11T17:07:00.001-06:002014-01-11T17:11:19.111-06:00ResoluteIn 2014, rather than trying to improve my health or personal relationships, I've decided to embark on a series of geek themed resolutions. This past year, thanks to being involved in great communities like <a href="http://www.paperdroids.com/" target="_blank">Paper Droids</a> and the <a href="http://www.geekgirlpenpals.com/" target="_blank">International Geek Girls Pen Pal Club</a>, my roots in the nerd and geek community have become very important to me. I'd like to continue to nurture those connections and further embrace my geek lifestyle in the coming year.<br />
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I have a few concrete resolutions I'll be following in 2014:<br />
<ul>
<li>I will finish rewatching the entire Sailor Moon series by June and wait patiently (LULZ) for the release of the reboot in July.</li>
<ul>
<li>I'm half way through Sailor Moon S. I have Super S, and Stars to get through before July.</li>
</ul>
<li>I will watch Pushing Daisies.</li>
<ul>
<li>I have ALWAYS wanted to watch this series but haven't. Why? </li>
</ul>
<li>I will start and FINISH one of the many geeky TV shows I need to see. I'm debating between Dr. Who and Mystery Science Theater 3000.</li>
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<li>Both are looooong but I know I need to watch them. </li>
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<li>I will purchase four geek themed teas, one for each season.</li>
<ul>
<li>I love tea. I see fandom teas all over the place. I wrote an <a href="http://www.paperdroids.com/2013/03/13/tea-time-geek-style/" target="_blank">article</a> about it. Why haven't I bought any yet? </li>
</ul>
<li>I will be a better pen pal. </li>
<ul>
<li>I have two GREAT pen pals thanks to IGGPPC. 2013 got a little hectic, what with having a baby and all, but I'm going to be a way dedicated pen pal this year. </li>
</ul>
<li>I will <a href="http://disneybound.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Disneybound</a> every Friday in 2014.</li>
<ul>
<li>I love Leslie's Disneybound initiative. I want to be more creative in 2014 and will try to broaden and play with my wardrobe by drawing inspiration from Disney. I'll be blogging my 51 (because I missed the first week) Disneybounds here. This satisfies an unspoken resolution to blog more.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
I missed January 5th for Disneybounding but here's my Prince Eric from the 10th. It was thrown together at the last moment and is, therefore, less than stellar but I'm looking forward to getting more elaborate.<br />
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-53227858174290802612012-11-05T18:10:00.000-06:002012-11-05T18:10:00.808-06:00"Sense will always have attractions for me."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I Netflix'd the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847150/">2008 Masterpiece Theatre</a> adaptation of <i>Sense & Sensibility</i> this weekend. I loved it. Don't get me wrong, I will forever adore <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114388/">Emma Thompson's 1995</a> version but this one was also pretty stellar. I was intrigued by the similarities in casting. I mean, characters of course carry attributes but Austen is not one for much physical description and, between these two films, the physical traits and mannerisms of certain characters were very recognizable. Lucy Steele, in particular, was played almost exactly the same.<br />
<br />
While I was watching this movie though, I had an epiphany that Elinor Dashwood is perhaps Austen's best heroine. Allow me to elaborate on "best." I'm not saying she's everyone's favorite or that she is most wonderful, moral, relateable, anything. By "best" I mean that she strikes me as the summation of the best attributes included in the other Austen heroines. She is incredibly strong and unwilling to be cowed but not in the way that Lizzie's stubbornness and temper becomes rude and divisive. Elinor is patient and allows things to develop in their time but not the way Anne's retiring nature becomes debilitating. She is moral and modest but not as insufferable as Fanny's prudishness. She loves her family, despite their idiosyncrasies and cares for the welfare of her friends, without becoming meddling like Emma. Elinor endures the meanness of her in-laws and friends. She is practical. She admires Edward all the more because he does what is right and honorable, even if it means he will be lost to her forever. She is the best and brightest of all Austen's women. Maybe this makes her the most annoying, too perfect, but I have to say, I find her incredibly human, not a Mary-Sue. She is the Austen heroine I want to be.<br />
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But I still want Henry Tilney.Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-26051392397610192962012-11-04T17:39:00.000-06:002012-11-04T17:39:52.743-06:00Sauced Silverscreen: Gypsy (1962) & the other half-bottle of Lulu B. Pinot NoirI started watching <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056048/">Gypsy</a></i> on Sunday evening a week ago and the first half hour just <i>dragged.</i> But I knew Natalie Wood made an appearance in this film and I was determined to tough it out and see her part. I told Buddy Holly if she showed up and it still dragged, we'd just drop it. So on we went through some more plot exposition and singing, and then Natalie Wood appeared and it was still boring and then, just when I was about to give up hope, she started singing to a lamb wearing a diaper.<br />
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<b>Me:</b> <i>You know what's weird about this movie? All the songs are really specific. Rather than a song about love or a person, it's about what's happening right at that moment. It's like a Taylor Swift song.</i></div>
<b>Buddy Holly:</b> <i>You know what's weird about this movie? She's singing to a lamb wearing a diaper.</i><br />
<b>Me:</b> <i>...Yeah...turn it off, I'm going to have to start it over and blog about it. This is too ridiculous to not have its own entry.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
So, here we are. I knew I'd need alcohol to get through this one, so grab something to drink and come hear the tale of Gypsy Rose Lee.<br />
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For serious this is based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous striptease artist. Artist seems like a generous title. The memoirs focused on her relationship with her mother, Rose, and her sister, June, who would go on to be the somewhat famous actress, June Havoc.<br />
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Our tale begins with Uncle Jocko's Kiddie Kapers. Uncle Jocko, played by Karl Malden is the MC of a children's talent revue and is currently holding auditions.<br />
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He is being hounded by pushy stage mothers all wanting their progeny to have top billing. But none of these mamas hold a candle to Rose, who sweeps in with her act, Baby June and Co., AKA her two daughters, June, the precocious star of the show, and Louise, who has no talent and plays a backup dressed as a boy.<br />
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Baby June embarks on her song and dance number, <i>"Let Me Entertain You"</i>, which will become the running theme song of this musical. She'll do some kicks, a few tap steps, curtsy, and be, in general, nauseating. Louise will attempt to follow her sister's steps, attempt to sing, fail, and is, in general, pitiful. Mama Rose is pushy, manipulative, and has had three husbands. She's been carrying a tiny teacup dog since before you were born and its name is Chowsie, short for Chow Mein. It is painfully obvious that Mama Rose wanted to be on the stage but never got her chance. </div>
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When Mama Rose learns that the audition has been rigged by the management, all hell breaks loose. Jocko refuses to play unfair and quits. Mama Rose storms out with her daughters in tow. And all of this happened in less than ten minutes.<br />
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So, Mama Rose and the girls make their way back to Grandpa's house in Seattle. Along the way, the car breaks down and to pay for repairs they'll need to book a few showings in the nearest town, Klamath Falls.<br />
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<b>Baby June:</b> <i>"Have you got brothers in this town too, Mama?"</i></div>
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<b>Louise:</b> <i>"Practically all men in America are Mama's brothers."</i></div>
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In Klamath Falls, Rose runs across Jocko (he has another name, Herbie, I think). Jocko is now selling candy but helps get her the gig. They take luncheon together. I don't know where June and Louise are, the hotel maybe? Sitting in the car? I hope Rose cracked a window for them. Over lunch, Jocko provides his expert advice on how to better manage the Baby June franchise and offers to use his connections to help them get booked, he knows everyone. They admit to liking one another (all of five minutes later) but she never wants to marry again and he wants nothing to do with show business, both insurmountable barriers. They sing a song and Jocko offers to escort them to Seattle and somehow ends up their manager and Rose's boyfriend anyway.<br />
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Jocko goes ahead to Chicago and sends word when he's arranged for an audition. They'll need at least four boys for the act and some money for costumes and sets. Rose, reading the letter, is already wheedling her father for the rest of the bank. But Grandpa refuses. He's spent a lot of money on this show business drain and he's had enough. It's time for Rose to get married, settle down, and give her daughters a life. The fruits of his steady, mundane life are evidenced in his home and a solid gold plaque, earned from working for the railroad. Rose sings a song about never settling down and boring people and at the end of it steals her father's plaque to pawn it. What a great daughter.<br />
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In Chicago, their act follows some unknown comic, Jack Benny, who'll never amount to a thing. And pretty soon they're on the Vaudeville circuit. We watch Baby June and Her Newsboys, consisting of six boys and Louise (who is still not very good - can't keep up, doesn't know the words) singing "Let Me Entertain You" (the Robbie Williams' version it is not). In a montage, all of these kids mature into young adulthood. Baby June matures into Dainty June. Louise matures into Natalie Wood. Louise is the Neville of this group.<br />
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We filter back into the flow of time to catch Dainty June's show in Newark. The entire cast, except Jocko, is living in a two room apartment; Mama Rose and June in one room and Louise shacking up with the six boys in the other. So much for decorum! This day also happens to be Louise's birthday and the family has planned a surprise party for her. Her birthday cake only has ten candles and there has only been ten candles for a number of years because, in this act, no one is over twelve. (Psst! Half of them are <b>totes</b> over twelve.) Even though they <i>still</i> aren't making a salary, the boys and June have all gotten gifts for Louise. Tulsa, Louise's crush, nicked her a music box shaped like a rooster. Mama Rose gives Louise a pet lamb. Like a live one and it's wearing a diaper... They're having Chow Mein for breakfast. Uh...actual Chow Mein, not the dog. As they settle over the food, Mama Rose tells them about a dream she had (Mama is always having dreams) for a new act. A barnyard act with a dancing cow. They'll call it Dainty June and Her Farm Boys.<br />
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Their celebration is doubled by the arrival of Jocko with Mr. Goldstone, a big name in show biz, who can get them a great audition. They cajole him with song and Chinese food. Meanwhile, Louise has disappeared with her lamb and birthday presents. She sings to them.<br />
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<b>Buddy Holly:</b> <i>This song should never have made the final cut.</i><br />
<b>Me:</b> <i>For having six boys to keep her company, she seems to have some debilitating anti-social tendencies. Preferring to make friends with inanimate objects.</i><br />
Please note that Louise does not know how old she is, because she's been ten for years. So healthy!<br />
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On the road again, we see them struggle. They've made coats out of a blanket, they save all of the leftovers to take home, Mama Rose tosses the silverware into her purse. Mama Rose wants to escort the girl's back to the hotel, which is two doors down. Jocko berates her for treating the girls like babies and refusing to let them grow up. He berates her for not seeing the inevitable downfall of Vaudeville with the arrival of the talkies. He berates her for not paying the boys a salary. He berates her for not marrying him. Mama Rose promises Jocko that once they make the Orpheum Circuit, she'll marry him.<br />
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(Psst! She's <b>totes</b> stringing him along.)</div>
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So, they audition the new act for an Orpheum Theatre. P.S. despite now being farm hands, the boy still open the show with "Extra! Extra! Look at the Headlines!" from their Newsies days. Louise is the front of the dancing cow. She gets to moo. She is still talentless. Throughout the audition Mama Rose is on stage, silently reciting along with June. The theatre offers a contract but is for a backwater, no-account stage a few streets down and only for a week's booking. Mama Rose refuses this piddling offer. They counter with an offer for June. She could be a great actress in musical comedy, maybe on Broadway, but the rest of the act has to drop and Mama Rose would have to relinquish the reins. WOAH! No way! That would mean Mama Rose and Louise would have to be normal people. Mama Rose might have to <i>gasp</i> get a <b>job</b>. Or worse, marry Jocko. Louise would go to school. Ew. It would all be <b>so</b> mundane. Everyone thinks this is a good idea because it is. But Mama Rose is one of the original hipsters and she wants nothing to do with the mainstream lifestyle. She will cling to Vaudeville in its dying in days, in fact, you know what? Vaudeville isn't even dying. It's going to make a comeback, it will<b> </b><i>trounce</i> film, and Mama Rose will be there when it does.<br />
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So they open at Backwater Orpheum Theatre. The boys are grumbling about not making a paycheck and Jocko is grumbling for them. Tulsa is secretly rehearsing a new dance routine, for a team dance. All he needs is the girl and he describes to Louise exactly the kind of girl she'll be:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Pretty, because that's what people look at in a team act</li>
<li>Not necessarily that great of a dancer or singer, because he'll be doing that part</li>
<li>More than just a dance partner</li>
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And Louise melts, totally ready to be his partner. Instead, she offers to make their costumes. Oh, Louise, you have no game.</div>
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Getting gigs is harder and harder, even on the Orpheum circuit. In Nebraska, the boys quit. They're too old, they want to be paid, they're leaving. Tulsa and Louise share a sweet goodbye, as he, blissfully unaware of her feelings, tells Louise that he wanted June to be his partner and that Louise was "always one of the boys." Then, waiting for the train, comes the real blow, a letter from June. She has run off with one of the other boys and is going to be a real actress. She's only thirteen but, in Pioneer country, it's legal for her to marry the seventeen year old. Mama Rose is grief stricken and Jocko and Louise try to make her see sense. The show is done. They should get married and settle down.<br />
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Rose refuses. It wasn't June who made the act but Rose. She made it once and she'll do it again, this time with Louise. She sings "Everything's Coming Up Roses," which is the <b>only</b> reason this musical is known, I'd wager.<br />
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Mama Rose has a dream about a new act, the Toreadorables. The dancing cow will become a bull, they'll get six little girls to be senoritas, and Louise will be a toreador. They're back on the road as soon as Jocko gets them the back-up girls. P.S. despite being dressed as senoritas, they are still singing the Newsboys' "Extra, Extra! Look at the headlines!" song. During their rehearsals, Louise is stiff, unconvincing. She can't dance, she can't sing, and she can't do the splits. Worse, Mama Rose is still trying to make Louise into June, even going so far as to have Louise wear a blonde wig. Louise fights against it, trying to make her mother see sense. She's no good and no amount of rehearsing is going to make her better. Louise, Mama Rose, and Jocko brainstorm.<br />
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Maybe they could get a bucket of peroxide and make all the girls blonde. They'll call it "Madam Rose and Her Hollywood Blondes." Except Louise, who will stay a brunette because she's the star, says Mama. Well, Louise argues, if she's the star, shouldn't it be "Louise and her Hollywood Blondes?" They finally agree on "Rose Louise and her Hollywood Blondes."<br />
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They get a two week booking at the Wichita Opera House but when the girls arrive, ahead of Mama and Jocko, they discover that this is a burlesque house and "Rose Louise and her Hollywood Blondes" are only here to add an air of respectability and keep the cops off the theatre's back. The moment Mama Rose arrives, she has a conniption. Are the minds of these girls to be thus polluted?! They will never work with such filth and Jocko is in <b>big</b> trouble for even thinking of getting this booking. Pack it up! They're leaving! But Louise puts her foot down. They need work and they have to take what they can get. When a Vaudeville act is booked for Burlesque, it's all washed up. This is the end of the line and they might as well make it good while they can. And when this booking is done, they break up the act and send the other girls on their way.<br />
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Louise starts taking side work wherever she can get it, sewing costumes for the other burlesque dancers, taking on stock bits in the comic acts, etc. The other dancers start calling her Gypsy Rose because she's traveled all over. Like Louise, they were all in theatre or vaudeville, not talent ballerinas and stage girls who ended up strippers. But they have the most important thing to succeed in burlesque. A gimmick. One is dressed as a centurion and blows on a bugle horn while she undulates, another is dressed as a Christmas tree and lights up as she shakes her moneymaker, and, the one time ballerina, exudes grace and plies as she strips.<br />
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Right about <b>here</b> is where the length of this movie really starts to hit.<br />
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Mama Rose & Jocko are set to marry the day they close at the burlesque. Jocko is so <b>freaking</b> excited. Mama Rose is...not. Overhearing that one of the strippers has been arrested and won't make the show, Mama Rose rushes to offer Louise. Without consulting Louise, of course. Louise can do it, it doesn't require any talent, she just walks around in time to the music, maybe show a shoulder or a knee. She can still be a real lady and doesn't even need to <i>actually</i> strip. They can walk away proud, they won't have to quit. It is a sad and pathetic last ditch effort to stay in the limelight. Jocko and Louise are both so disappointed and Jocko looks positively disgusted that Rose would serve her daughter up this way. But Louise does it, for her Mama. As Mama digs up June's old "Let Me Entertain You" song, Jocko leaves quietly, and Louise changes into a gown.<br />
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Louise has upgraded to star level Natalie Wood, a real lady, except for the part where she's about to go out and degrade herself for a bunch of drunk and desperate men. She is announced as Gypsy Rose Lee (mispronouncing Louise) and shimmies out. Well, not really, she kind of stiltedly teeters out. She's so nervous, doesn't know what to do with her arms, and still can't sing. It is horribly, horribly awkward.<br />
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<i>"Oh yeah, yeah, sassy. Sass it up. Wave to a friend. Wave like a human being. </i></div>
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<i>You remember waving?"</i></div>
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And yet they seem to love her. So, on she goes to Chicago, Philadelphia, etc., and, with each show, the act gets just a little bit racier. Her confidence begins to grow and it is not too long before she is the incomparable Gypsy Rose Lee, <b>the</b> star of New York Burlesque, the highest paid stripper in the business.<br />
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<b>Me:</b> <i>I wonder when Tulsa is going to make his grand re-entrance and win her back.</i></div>
<b>Buddy Holly:</b> <i>Hopefully never. I mean, not because I don't think they shouldn't be together but because this movie has already been three hours long. Three hours that has felt closer to twenty-four hours.</i><br />
<br />
Instead of Tulsa, Mama Rose shows up. She's obviously jealous of Louise's wealth and fame. She wants to remind Louise of where she came from and that she could still become an actress yet. Louise shakes her mother off - June is the actress, Louise is proud of what she does and is in charge of her own life, at long last. It kills Mama to not be charge, to no longer have a place in the family biz.<br />
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P.S. Natalie Wood is the Queen of the crazy, impassioned, yelling at her mother monologue. See <i><a href="http://fabledhorchata.blogspot.com/2012/02/splendor-in-grass-1961.html">Splendor in the Grass</a></i>.<br />
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P.P.S. Natalie Wood, what is that hat you're wearing? Ew.<br />
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Mama sings to the empty theatre while Louise finishes a photo shoot for a magazine. Louise catches the end of her song, they make up, and go to a party together.<br />
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The end.<br />
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Wait, what? The end? What the hell kind of end was that? I mean, thank God, because this movie was RIDICULOUSLY long but that's it?<br />
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DAFUQ?</div>
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Tell you what, save some time and listen to this Tony Olando song. It's pretty much the same.<br />
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-34847290246218798572012-10-13T01:21:00.000-05:002012-10-13T01:22:54.014-05:00Sauced Silverscreen: Girl Vs. Monster (2012) & Lulu B. Pinot NoirBuddy Holly's youngest brother (he's 12) is spending the night with us and plead a desperate case to watch a movie he'd seen promos for all week. He was very excited about this movie and assured us that it was a "mature, Halloween film." <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2326087/">Girl Vs. Monster</a></i>, a Disney Channel Monstober special. Obviously, a mature film. But, being the loving siblings we are, Buddy Holly and I agreed to watch. And I immediately went out and bought an emergency bottle of wine.<br />
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We meet our heroine, Skylar, at that day-before preparations for this year's awesome Halloween party. Skylar is Lizzie McGuire for the 20teens, a confident blonde with rock star potential. Best friends, Henry and Sadie, are boring back-up sidekicks.<br />
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And then, there's boy band cutie, Ryan Dean, who Skylar obviously has a crush on but is trying to not own. Within the first few minutes, it is firmly impressed upon us that Skylar is fierce and fearless and has some kick-ass moves. Slightly crooked banners hanging from the ceiling are no match for Skylar. With a springboard from Henry, Skylar launches into full on Buffy the Vampire Slayer mode and slays that banner like <i>whhaaaattt!</i><br />
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Okay, okay, we are not even five minutes into this movie and there is singing. No one told me there would be singing. I am already on my second glass of wine.<br />
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Oh good, here comes the nemesis, Myra, a tall, twiggy redhead who wears a ton of blazers. Are blazers back? Do teenagers really wear blazers? What are the kids doing these days? Myra is the singer of Ryan's band and they have had an on and off again relationship. Word from Sadie is that they've recently broken up again and Ryan has his eye on Skylar. Skylar refuses to believe it.<br />
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This year's Halloween party is taking place at the creepy old McSomethingsomething mansion. We'll learn more about that later. As Skylar and Sadie head home from the Halloween preparations, passing through the McSomethingsomething private cemetery, we are given omniscient knowledge of the lurking gargoyles coming to life. But the girls pass on safely and it's not until they have gone that two figures, wearing welding masks, arrive and trap the gargoyle. Spoiler, they're Skylar's parents. Skylar's parents are Ghostbusters. They even have the monster sucking machine and everything.<br />
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The next morning at breakfast, Skylar is putting out feelers with Mom about getting an extended curfew on the Halloween party. But, oh noes! Skylar won't be able to go because tonight is the annual symposium for Mom & Dad's Toxic Mold business. Toxic mold? Really? That's your cover story? Sheesh.<br />
<i>Me (as Skylar in a valley-girl voice): But <b>Mooom</b>, this is like Ryan's big important Halloween party. I just <b>have</b> to go.</i><br />
<i>Buddy Holly (as Skylar in a valley-girl voice): Breakfast? <b>Ew.</b> I'm way too cool for breakfast.</i><br />
But Mom insists that Skylar won't be able to go out on Halloween until she's 16.<br />
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That day at school everyone is dressed up for Halloween and a festive spirit is in the air.<br />
<i>Buddy Holly (as Skylar in a valley-girl voice): Costumes? <b>Ew.</b> I'm way too cool for costumes.</i><br />
<i>Me (as Skylar in a valley-girl voice): It is just so hard being pretty and popular. I <b>hate</b> my life. </i><br />
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Blahblah, Henry gets threatened by over-sized bullies (Are these kids on steroids??) and, at lunch, Sadie is freaking out about a presentation she has to give tomorrow.<br />
<i>Buddy Holly: Oh, so Sadie is Hermione.</i><br />
<i>Sadie (paraphrased): I'm so worried about this presentation.</i><br />
<i>Buddy Holly (in a British accent): It's presenta-SHION, not presenta-SHUN.</i><br />
Ryan Dean arrives to reestablish himself as a character and provide plot exposition The McSomethingsomething mansion, tonight's party locale, is maybe haunted and has stood empty since Old Man McSomethingsomething died.<br />
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Oh thank God, slapstick. Nemesis Myra, tries to pull a Skylar in order to fix a banner at the school. Except, she launches herself down a set of stairs and, surprisingly, does not snap her spine. She only needs a neck brace but, oh noes!, the band doesn't have a lead singer. Oh, but Skylar could sing for us! Ryan smiles and leans and adorbs Skylar into agreeing to sing with them at the party. Skylar decides she'll just have to disobey her parents and sneak out.<br />
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Throughout the day, we learn more about Mom & Dad's work. They are Ghostbusters, I mean, Monster Hunters, and they drive a Mystery Machine, I mean,...mold van.<br />
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Dad is a poor man's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005278/">Jerry O'Connell</a> (which is saying something, because I'm pretty sure Jerry O'Connell is a poor man's someone else). Mom & Dad have a lab in the basement for all their monster hunting, *ahem*, I mean "toxic mold" research. They also keep a twenty-something lab technician, who is training in the monster hunting field with them. After trapping a monster, they return the traps to LabTech (God, I cannot be bothered to learn or remember his name) and the monsters are then stored in a bathysphere, which they keep in the closet. There are a lot of monsters in the bathysphere but everything is extra special wonky this year. There seem to be more monsters than ever and the monsters have been manifesting for days, when they usually only happen on Halloween (symposium!), and are manifesting during daylight, when they are normally restricted to the dark. This is an especially scary year (this will never be explained) and Mom & Dad are worried about their widdle Skylar-kins. So, they set LabTech as babysitter and set the house alarm to deter her from sneaking out.<br />
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Skylar, determined to live a little (she is 15, I mean, come on), decides there's only one thing to do. Cut the power. But oh noes!, the bathysphere runs on electricity and cutting the power means Skylar has just released all the monsters inside! Good job, <i>Skylar</i>.<br />
<br />
The monsters come swooping out deatheater style. Three monsters in particular, a lady in red, a black-cowled Schoolmarm, and a Scarecrow, taunt and frighten.<br />
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Oh, and the lady in red, wants to possess Skylar's soul and live for ETERNITY. But first, she must deal with the hunters, Skylar's parents. So, she'll be back. How...convenient?<br />
<br />
<br />
LabTech explains to Skylar, Henry, and Sadie (I don't know when the latter two arrived) that the monsters are astral projections of people's fear. Usually, the monsters only exist in our dreams but, at Halloween, fear is strong enough for the monsters to manifest physically. Each monster attaches to the fear of one person in particular. Voldemort, I mean, the lady in red, (I guess her name is Deimata) is an ancient one (one what?) and was Skylar's grandfather's (also a monster hunter) fear monster. At the end of his life, he was too weak to fight her and, when he died, Deimata sought out the next strongest host, baby Harry, I mean, baby Skylar. Skylar's parents, learned from Granddad and modified his weapons to form stun guns, traps, and the bathysphere. They caught Voldemort, I mean, Deimata, while Skylar was still an infant and she has been trapped ever since. This is why Skylar is so fearless, her fear monster has been locked away, until now. But now, she's experiencing weird stomach pains and she doesn't feel too good. What is it? Oh! It's fear!<br />
<br />
LabTech sends Skylar to Ryan's party at the potentially haunted house to keep her safe. No one will look for her at a party where all her peers are congregating? LabTech loads Skylar, Henry, and Sadie up with steampunk-Granddad, monster hunting weapons and sends them on their way.<br />
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<br />
Meanwhile, Mom & Dad, tricked out in Firefly regalia, are led into and easily caught in a trap by Deimata and her two cronies.<br />
<br />
The trio sets off for McSomethingsomething mansion. It turns out Deimata's two cronies are the manifestations of Henry and Sadie's fears. Henry's Scarecrow, stems from a field behind his house. Sadie's Schoolmarm is rooted in a traumatizing loss at the school spelling bee, when she forgot how to spell 'goat.' Both comment that, even if they can't see their monster, they can feel them. Despite their growing fear, the three friends agree to remain together and not allow themselves to be split up. The moment monster apparitions attack, they are split like a log. Henry, coming face to face with the Scarecrow, stares down his monster and loses. He is petrified, literally, by fear. LabTech fetches him back to the lab in a wheelbarrow while Skylar and Sadie carry on to the mansion.<br />
<br />
Deimata and the cronies, discussing their plans for the evening, decide that the only suitable way to kill the hunters is to scare them to death. But they're so desensitized to fear. They'll have to scare Mom & Dad by hurting Skylar-kins. But Deimata is not a full strength, she needs to feed on more fear. Thankfully, there's a Halloween party just nearby, but she'll need a costume. She decides to possess Nemesis-Myra.<br />
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When Skylar and Sadie arrive at the mansion, Ryan is obviously happy to have his lead singer in the house. Oh. Oooohhhh. Skylar's face falls as she faces a crowd for the first time with fear. And not just fear, 15 years of fear and no experience in how to deal with or control it. Ryan's encouraging smile and the beat are enough to help Skylar lose herself in the music. Just as she's hitting her stride and losing her fear, Nemesis-Myra-Deimata steals the show and Skylar is crushed. She runs from the room and hides by the buffet table to eat away her troubles in snickerdoodles. Sadie comes to her, trying to help Skylar understand how to deal with the fear.<br />
<i>Buddy Holly: Ew! Don't eat half a cookie and then put the rest back on the tray!</i><br />
<i>Skylar (paraphrased): What do I do, Sadie? How do you deal with fear?</i><br />
<i>Me (as Sadie): Uhm...you live with it, like the rest of us. Everyday.</i><br />
<br />
Skylar, still wimping it up, examines the photographs on the fireplace mantel. What the what?! That's my mom in this picture! With Old Man McSomethingsomething. My mom lived here? Old Man McSomethingsomething is my grandfather?! The revelation is interrupted by an apparition and the girls take out and trap their first monster and then they start going through the house, taking out the monsters as they go. But they're running out of traps and call LabTech to bring them more. Henry, facing his fears, offers to take the traps to the girls. On the way, he meets the Scarecrow again but, this time, he calls down the monster and, as he yells 'I'm not afraid of you!', the Scarecrow disintegrates.<br />
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Skylar's monster hunting does not sit will with Deimata. Skylar is gaining confidence.<br />
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<br />
Well, it's time to up the ante. There are plenty of school kids upstairs to torment. She deatheaters her way upstairs and starts manifesting all the kids' worst nightmares. Clowns are prevalent. Horror and fear run rampant! Everyone is running out into the cemetery! Sadie is losing to the schoolmarm! Skylar is weakening to Deimata! Henry bursts in! Just do whatever scares you! It weakens them! Skylar's eyes fly to the microphone!<br />
<i><b>Buddy Holly:</b> The shards of your microphone, Narsil, have been reforged!</i><br />
<i><b>Me:</b> Skylar! Sing a ballad of your bravery!</i><br />
Everyone stands up to their fears. Sadie stands up to the Schoolmarm and correctly spells 'goat'. Skylar sings! In a last ditch effort, Deimata possesses Ryan and says mean things to Skylar. Skylar tells Ryan to fight her, tells him to do whatever scares him. Ryan-Deimata struggles with himself, writhing in inner turmoil, until, at last, Ryan yells out, asking Skylar to go out with him! She says yes! He triumphs! The band is suddenly together again, with all of their instruments magically outside, in the cemetery, and, apparently, all wireless, because where is there an electrical outlet in a cemetery? Skylar takes up her song again and an impromptu dance party breaks out. P.S. These kids costumes are so lame.<br />
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It's not until Deimata interrupts that Skylar remembers that her parents are in danger and are now being precariously dangled from the roof of the McSomethingsomething mansion. Skylar's fear for her parents and her parents fear for her, are feeding Deimata, making her stronger. Skylar conquers her own tremulations but her parents will need to trust their baby girl to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I mean, The-Ancient-One. Which, obviously, she does with the help of her friends and everything is returned to joy and happiness.<br />
<br />
We leave our new friends in the garage of Ryan's band. Ryan and Skylar are singing a beautiful duet. Oh! And we can be friends with our Nemesis-Myra, making a trio.<br />
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So in conclusion, <i>Girl Vs. Monster</i>:<br />
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Oh my God, this was two hours of my life I will <b>NEVER</b> get back.<br />
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-57474547524568799562012-09-29T14:12:00.001-05:002012-09-29T14:24:46.945-05:00Sauced Silverscreen: Show Boat (1951) & Guinness DraughtOkay, this is becoming a thing, so I'm just going to make it an official feature. Welcome to Sauced Silverscreen. This is where I watch a movie, usually made prior to 1990 (not always), while drinking and provide you a synopsis, usually snarky. Tonight's feature is the 1951 musical,<strong> </strong><em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044030/">Show Boat</a></em>. <br />
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Funny story. I recorded the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028249/">1936</a> version of this movie (which is based on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_Boat">stage production</a>) and then erased it when it was not the 1951 version I was expecting. As it turns out, these two versions are incredibly different. The 1936 film is closer to the stage, darker, but certain roles are expanded in the 1951 production. So, now that I've erased it, I have to go back and find it to compare the two. So, this will be the first installment of <em>Showboat</em>.<br />
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I knew almost entirely nothing about this film going in. I knew it included an Antebellum Mississippi river boat, named the Cotton Blossom, the song <em>Ol' Man River</em>, and an opening scene with the chorus all decked out on the front of the boat as it pulls into port. Beyond that, such as characters or plot, not a clue. I figured there'd probably be racism. It is the South before...well, now. <br />
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The film opens with a little boy, fishing on the Missassippi, spotting the Cotton Blossom in the distance. He runs to tell the workers in the field, who then tell the people in the river town, who then tell the women of ill-repute in the whore house, who then tell the fancy folk at the plantation and <strong>everyone</strong> comes running to the docks to meet the show boat. There's calliope music, so we're off to a good start. As the Cotton Blossom pulls into port, we're treated to the iconic scene mentioned earier, the whole chorus ranged across the front of the boat in bright colors, singing and playing tambourines. Check that ya'll, I am immediatly ready to run away and join this floating carnival. Pretty colorful dresses AND tambourines? I'm in!<br />
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Captain Trumpet (AKA <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0113873/">Osgood</a> from <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291/">Some Like it Hot</a></em>) (the actual name is Captain Andy Hawks, but we're sticking with Captain Trumpet) is the owner/operator of the Cotton Blossom and introduces us to our main characters:<br />
Miss Ellie and her beau Frank, who are obviously only here to provide the dancing. <br />
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And lead dramatic actress, Julie (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001257/">Ava Gardner</a>) and her lead dramatic actor husband, Steve, who isn't actually important. <br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001547/">Agnes Moorehead</a> plays Captain Trumpet's spinstery and exacting wife, as she is so good at doing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That sneer is the happiest Agnes Moorehead will be in this film.</td></tr>
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As the show boat is giving a taste of their wares, a dirty Deck Hand makes a pass at Julie. Deck Hand and Steve get into a skirmish, which is passed off as part of the show, and the Deck Hand heads off to town grumbling and malcontent.<br />
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And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, our real hero, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0444476/">Howard Keel</a>, in the role of Gaylord Ravenal, a traveling gambler currently down on his luck. <br />
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Gaylord is stuck in podunkville and is trying to make his way to New Orleans. He inquires at the Cotton Blossom if he can hitch a ride but the cast are all in town passing out handbills. While he waits, Gaylord comes upon his leading lady and love interest, Magnolia (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0337113/">Kathryn Grayson</a>).<br />
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The daughter of Captain Trumpet and Agnes Moorehead, Magnolia wants to be an actress and is in the midst of a soliloquy when Gaylord meets her. They immediately fall in love and sing a song about pretending to be in love, <em>Make Believe</em>. I do love me some Howard Keel singing, his voice is rich and resonant but Kathryn Grayson <strong>wince</strong>. She's so...trilly. Ah geez, this is a classic example of what Spamalot means by <em>The Song That Goes Like This</em>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are singing at each other so <strong>hard</strong>. </td></tr>
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Anyway, when Captain Trumpet gets back, Gaylord asks to join the company but is told they have no parts available and he goes on his way. Meanwhile, we learn that the trouble between Steve and Deck Hand is not new but Juie insists Steve let it rest, especially in this town. Something is afoot. We also learn that Magnolia totally worships Julie, looking up to her as an older sister.<br />
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I've never really seen Ava Gardner in action. I know her best as long time mistress of Frank Sinatra and the reason Peter Lawford was kicked out of the Rat Pack. So, I was eager to see her in an actual film. She is stunning. Not only is she obviously gorgeous and downright sexy, but she just has a beautiful, velvety voice. This white girl has soul. We'll find out later that she can act too, not just carry off a part but really elicit emotion. I loved one of her warnings for Magnolia: <em>"River dandies are thick as locusts, Angel."</em><br />
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Throughout this day, yes, it's still that same day, we're given little hints that not everything is Kosher with Julie. Everyone starts that infamous sentence, "She's just a..." but never finishes. Hussy? Whore? No one's saying.<br />
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Opening night, Ellie and Frank are on stage, dancing. The rest of the troupe is waiting in the wings, clearly visible to the audience and talking in normal voices. Wow, for people in show business you all have terrible stage presence. Look, if you can see the audience, they can see you. And they can, sure as hell, hear you talking. Back stage, Julie has been warned that Deck Hand (remember him from this morning?) has brought the Sheriff to arrest her. In the brief moments before his arrival, Steve takes Julie's brooch, pricks her finger, and drinks her blood. It's weird and I was horrified but it'll make sense in a minute. It turns out Julie is half black, her father was white and her mother was black. Seeing as she is married to Steve, a white man, the crime of miscegenation has been propogated. (<em>Me: Well, no wonder Julie can sing such soul.)</em> Steve asks the Sheriff is he would call a man 'white' who had mixed blood and the Sheriff responds no, in this county, one drop of black blood constitues being all black. Steve, having drank Julie's blood, says with perfect honesty that he has black blood in him, more than a drop, and everyone in the room can testify. Deck Hand and the Sheriff, not privy to the vampiric moment, are left without a leg to stand on. Well done, Steve. Clever. <br />
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Captain Trumpet fires Deck Hand and the Sheriff, though he cannot fault Steve and Julie for being married, orders the show closed down and to move on. Miscegenation may not have been committed, as far as the Sheriff knows, but it will be a scandal for two white-looking, black actors to be the leads of the production. Captain Trumpet decides they'll sail but, before they do, Steve & Julie decide to disembark. I actually am not sure why they leave. Captain Trumpet does not fire them. Maybe this isn't the first town where this has been a problem. Anyhow, in the misty midnight hours, Steve & Julie bid sad farewells to their show boat family and depart. In lament, Joe, one of the black deck hands (who has a much bigger role in the other adaptations I understand), sings<em> Ol' Man River</em>. As the boat is pulling away, Gaylord arrives on the shore, having heard that there may be an opening for a male lead. He is welcomed aboard.<br />
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But who will play Gaylord's leading lady? They're <em>miles</em> from New Orleans and it would be such a shame to miss all those opportunities to make money in the river towns. Well, what about Magnolia? Sure, she's green and her mother is opposed but it's just until they get to New Olreans and can hire a new songstress. Gaylord and Magnolia are a smash together but their acting requires them to kiss. Agnes Moorehead, prickly and pedantic, sees to it that it is a mere peck, no need for funny business. Until one night, Oh noes! Ellie's costume has ripped and she goes on just after Magnolia and Gaylord's scene! It has to be fixed, right away! Gaylord thanks Ellie for her invervention and takes the opportunity.<br />
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They kiss on stage and then they kiss off stage and then, one night, Mom and Dad catch them kissing and Gaylord proposes. Agnes Moorehead is entirely opposed, and she's all "He's a low and common gambler." And Gaylord's like 'Yes, Ma'am, I am but I love her." And Agnes Moorehead is all, "And what about you? Do you want to be with him?" And then Magnolia's like, "Hells to the yes." And then Agnes Moorehead is like "Well fine! But I never want to see you again!" And then Captain Trumpet is like, <em>"Son, I hope it's not just Saturday night and a cold Monday morning to follow."</em> Which is like, the best line of the movie.<br />
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Aw crap, Grayson is singing again. I'm going for popcorn. Let me know when she's done.<br />
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<strong>Magnolia hits a high note. </strong></div>
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And I'm back. Oh, and now we're in Chicago. The newlyweds are puttin' on the ritz. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell they're rich because they're wearing white.</td></tr>
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They gamble, live at a fancy hotel, and buy pricey jewels. Then Gaylord starts losing. At first, it seems okay. They're losing but they're still happy and in love. Magnolia is a total sport, she keeps his spirits up when he loses and protects his image when they have to start selling things, like their hansom cab. But there's only so much one can do to sweeten a sour brew. They need money and badly. They're about to be evicted from their fancy hotel and are six weeks behind in rent. Magnolia tells Gaylord to pawn her jewels but he refuses. He'll be lucky again. Because that's totally how luck works, it comes exactly when you need it. So, Gaylord trots off to win money to pay their debts and ends up losing more. <strong>Shocker.</strong> In the end, he has to sell her jewels anyway to pay the debt that was supposed to pay the debt. They sneak out of the hotel in the early morning hours and take up residence in small, sparse rooms of greatly diminished means.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEFtUHVQYExvF84bDQkbWt_710Tqv5ehi-W3jRt6K_jEC53ui3uwSzSb_dWDYC5xkoALClG3zJqPGiV-dEHFZyDH9dbuD-GDgY6L7HI9Qv0XiXgVHYV9DiMcSODhlXdFicOXjYSAme_Y/s1600/65tbnjxyq66pyx6b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHEFtUHVQYExvF84bDQkbWt_710Tqv5ehi-W3jRt6K_jEC53ui3uwSzSb_dWDYC5xkoALClG3zJqPGiV-dEHFZyDH9dbuD-GDgY6L7HI9Qv0XiXgVHYV9DiMcSODhlXdFicOXjYSAme_Y/s400/65tbnjxyq66pyx6b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell they're poor because they're wearing brown.</td></tr>
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One night when Gaylord comes home from gambling, he finds Magnolia is distant and angry. She can't compete with Lady Luck. She'd know how to fight if it were another woman but she can't fight a phantom. Their fight is just a few days before Christmas and, when it's over, Magnolia goes out to pawn her fur coat. With the money from that she buys back Gaylord's lucky walking stick (he has one, just go with it) and a few other Christmas things. She goes home to find that the landlady is showing their rooms to a young couple just arrived in Chicago, Ellie and Frank, who have come to join a new show. But, while Magnolia was out, Gaylord has packed up and left, leaving a note and money to get her back to the Cotton Blossom. I felt for Magnolia so much in this moment. First her embarrassment at having Frank & Ellie see her in such a low state, when they were expecting to meet her again at fancy hotel, then to have them witness to her husband's abandonment. <em>Blerg</em>.<br />
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Unbeknownst to Ellie & Frank but knownst to us, it turns out the company Ellie & Frank are joining is also the company Julie is currently singing for. Since leaving the Cotton Blossom, Steve has left her and Julie has taken to drinking in response. Even singing "drunk", Gardner's voice is so much more pleasant than Grayson's. <br />
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Ellie and Frank drag Magnolia along to the show to have her try out. As Magnolia auditions with a song from the Cotton Blossom, Julie hears from her dressing room and recognizes her voice. Julie learns from a passing stragehand (wow, word travels fast) that this new girl needs a job because her two-bit, ne'er-do-well, gambling husband ran off and left her. Julie takes a stiffening drink and leaves the show; apparently just runs out into the street, laughing, and telling them to hire Magnolia instead (we don't get to see this moment dramatised, about which I am very miffed). <br />
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At New Year, Captain Trumpet arrives in Chicago to visit Magnolia and Gaylord, despite having never had a letter from them. We come upon Captain Trumpet drunk off his ass and escorting a handful of young women to Ellie & Frank's show. He looked for Magnolia at fancy hotel but they had gone and so he hopes Ellie &Frank will be able to tell him where Magnolia & Gaylord are staying. Poor Agnes Moorehead was left a home.<br />
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We get to enjoy another of Ellie & Frank's routines, this time <em>Life Upon the Wicked Stage</em>, which, while having absolutely <strong>nothing</strong> to do with the storyline, was my favorite number. Ellie reminds me of Frenchy from <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077631/">Grease</a></em>. <br />
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Ellie & Frank are followed by the debut act of Magnolia Ravenal. She's nervous and meek and sucks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLarSXj1SsiA30r22IKvKWzEq_8ck9BONrf-v30pytiIyCXRzbiEJ68kKFZlK5CdqsRcwn8gJtryhBqtzRjQJBs76fDDZN3EB-gmF-0aSzjcke3bRnc36na8SwqGAkYCNgTvfvLKyStk/s1600/65te8lb47bosb7sl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzLarSXj1SsiA30r22IKvKWzEq_8ck9BONrf-v30pytiIyCXRzbiEJ68kKFZlK5CdqsRcwn8gJtryhBqtzRjQJBs76fDDZN3EB-gmF-0aSzjcke3bRnc36na8SwqGAkYCNgTvfvLKyStk/s400/65te8lb47bosb7sl.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And really, who wouldn't be nervous, dressed like that?</td></tr>
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But Daddy, rapt with love, gets the crowded club to shush up long enough for Magnolia to get her feet and pull herself together. And, of course, the minute they hear her voice, they love her. God knows why. Captain Trumpet and Magnolia ring in the new year waltzing across the stage and afterward, in her dressing room, she tells Daddy that she's pregnant. She never told Gaylord, always waiting for things to get better, but he left thinking it would be better for her to go back to her family, since he couldn't care for her. And that's what she does; Magnolia goes back to the Cotton Blossom and gives birth to a baby girl, Kim, named so because she was born on the river, between Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. At this point, I wanted the movie to end. If it were a modern film, I imagine it would have but our heroine is not yet restored to her husband, so on we trudge for another half hour or so. <br />
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We're given snippets of alternating scenes from Gaylord and Kim's lives. Kim's first birthday (despite the fact that their child actor was definitely closer to three or four). Gaylord losing money, looking forlorn. Kim, a few years later, surrounded by family and friends on the Cotton Blossom. Gaylord winning money, looking forlorn. Kim learning to dance with her grandfather and holding her father's lucky cane. Gaylord drinking on a riverboat, looking forlorn. But! On this same riverboat is Julie, now a complete drunk and keeping ill company. She looks very much not together. <br />
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When she gives lip to her current sugar daddy, he slaps her and Gaylord knocks the lout out. Oh, I forgot though, they've never actually met, so it takes a bit of sleuthing for Julie to figure out that this is Magnolia's no-good, no-account husband. She goes to confront Gaylord and lets slip that Magnolia has a daughter. Gaylord is shocked and Julie's anger lessens when she realizes he didn't know Kim existed. Julie shows him a news clipping with a recent photo of Captain Trumpet, Magnolia, and Kim. Then Julie leaves, telling Gaylord that, if he sees Magnolia, not to tell her that he saw Julie like this. <br />
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This is where Gardner's acting really shone. I was delightfully surprised by the role of Julie, which is, I understand, expanded in this 1951 adaptation. She's complex and incredibly tragic. Gardner does an amazing job at capturing her sensuality, her earthiness, and her despair. Perhaps it is only in contrast to what might otherwise be a rather light and fluffy Hammerstein (minus Rodgers) musical but the poignancy of Julie's situation was very moving. <br />
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Gaylord catches up with the Cotton Blossom in Natchez and seeks out Kim. Together they <em>Make Believe</em> he's her father. It's a touching scene, I guess or, rather, is meant to be. I couldn't help thinking how it would be considered creepy and potentially dangerous in today's culture to approach a child and ask them to pretend you are their father, then sing to them. Even if they are, in fact, your estranged child. <br />
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Magnolia comes to collect Kim, tells her to run along, and shares a stilted (but lots of eye emotion) conversation with Gaylord. And then Gaylord is half stumbling over an apology and then suddenly they're hugging and kissing. And then it's Saturday forever, with no more cold Monday mornings to follow. They'll be together forever and they don't need to talk about their years of separation, or how to explain his sudden presence to their daughter, or his obviously problematic gambling addiction. Really, I think the moral of this story is that it's okay to gamble, just so long as you succeed. What's the line from <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048140/">Guys and Dolls</a></em>? <em>"Is it wrong to gamble, or only to lose?" </em></div>
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As the Cotton Blossom sails off into the sunset, happy family happily together, a cloaked figure steps from the sadows and blows a kiss goodbye. Julie has somehow turned into a crazy, gypsy woman and I totally love her.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnumhr5YlSxbPCY62XbPvhbOLhEdqsH08hyWcDXwf4eEAjShcDdpn0e8HRET7v49_z3qJqIDXQO_WIvQBxRCgSxNMscqHxM9hD7wl_BEm4gWP8rhPwoytaNscQGgeYJ5Tz8LUbdFC_NZ4/s1600/660xeng452dh66x2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnumhr5YlSxbPCY62XbPvhbOLhEdqsH08hyWcDXwf4eEAjShcDdpn0e8HRET7v49_z3qJqIDXQO_WIvQBxRCgSxNMscqHxM9hD7wl_BEm4gWP8rhPwoytaNscQGgeYJ5Tz8LUbdFC_NZ4/s400/660xeng452dh66x2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, in conclusion, <em>Showboat</em>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wWg_t_IwV1_tBOUpH171yaI2VXc62svPxIMu9TZ9BC_005nkcBYIDphEZhizku9MArgAlhx298OPo5Jx5ywiU1yqS_Yr26qX1vwscNrxaQPIn_AV6Qik8jfcxo1cXYVazs200CFbtVE/s1600/65t3pbkunthnnuhp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" kea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2wWg_t_IwV1_tBOUpH171yaI2VXc62svPxIMu9TZ9BC_005nkcBYIDphEZhizku9MArgAlhx298OPo5Jx5ywiU1yqS_Yr26qX1vwscNrxaQPIn_AV6Qik8jfcxo1cXYVazs200CFbtVE/s400/65t3pbkunthnnuhp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Depending on the day, you'll have one of these two reactions.</div>
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-15490684166305732452012-09-24T17:30:00.000-05:002012-09-29T14:16:14.520-05:00Lolita (1962)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have a series of books and films saved on Goodreads and Netflix, respectively, that, while not exactly my cup of tea, are listed because you're supposed to see them. For whatever reason, these pieces of work have been added to the echelons of "must experience." I just recently watched <i>A Streetcar Named Desire</i> and, one day in the near future, I'm going to read some Hemingway. <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056193/">Lolita</a></i> is one of these "musts". I watched the 1962 Stanley Kubrick production, considered, I believe, the best adaptation of the 1955 novel of the same name. And, while I can't say I was eager to watch a movie about a middle-aged professor's obsession for a teenage girl, it was on the list and it wasn't as terrible as I was fearing. </div>
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Some immediate differences between the novel and film. It is my understanding that the novel is better and worse. It is better because motivations are more clearly defined but Lolita herself is twelve in the novel (ewww....) and less is left up to the imagination. In the film, Lolita is in high school, with fourteen being the accepted but never mentioned age (sooo much better! Sarcasm!). Apparently, Sue Lyons was chosen, in part, based on her bust size; censors felt a more physically developed fourteen year old would be easier to stomach. And, because they are dealing with 1960s censorship, a lot is suggested and implied without being directly shown. I was surprised that this film was in black and white. Certainly it was cheaper and I'm sure a film major would tell me the use of black and white is a comment on the stark mores of the world or a unique use of shadow to invoke our sympathies or hatred for particular characters. Anyway, it's black and white, FYI.<br />
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Our film opens with the dramatic ending of the film. We watch our hero (??) enter a derelict house and confront a very inebriated Peter Sellers. Oh, Stanley Kubrick and your love of using Sellers in films. Oh, Peter Sellers without a Clouseau 'stache, I don't know what to do with you. We are then rewound four years to the arrival of Professor Humbert Humbert (yes.) in Ramsdale, NH, where he will Summer before taking a position at Beardley College in Ohio. Humbert (first name or last name?!) is looking for a room to let and is shown around the house of Charlotte Haze, a sexually frustrated widow. She is wearing balloon pants, a picture of which I cannot find. Mrs. Haze is assuring Humbert of the finer qualities of the area, how well appointed the room is (I half expected her to point out shelves in the closet), and how progressive everyone is in Ramsdale. Also, everyone is of good Anglo-Dutch and Anglo-Scotch stock. Stock? Really? How progressive of you to be determining your quality by your bloodlines.<br />
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I was immediately amazed at just how much innuendo Kubrick manages to slip into this movie. It is placed throughout, but, in these opening scenes alone, we watch Humbert Humbert subtly rub the tip of an urn and Mrs. Haze suggestively eat a hot dog.<br />
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As Mrs. Haze simultaneously shows Humbert the house and throws herself at him, we watch his interest ebb. But she insists he see the garden before he goes and in the garden is Lolita.<br />
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Suddenly, Humbert Humbert finds the house infinitely more appealing and perfectly situated to his needs.<br />
<b>Charlotte: </b><i>"What was the decisive factor? My garden?"</i><br />
<b>Humbert: </b><i>"I think it was your cherry pies."</i><br />
<b>Me (as Humbert): </b><i>And by "cherry pies" I mean that young bit of eye-candy lounging on the lawn.</i><br />
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A few quick side notes. Firstly, apparently Hayley Mills turned down the role, purportedly because of her contract with Disney. But they did a great job of finding someone who looks <i>exactly</i> like her. Seriously...<br />
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Secondly, the infamous bikini is the most we will see Lolita unclothed. And, to be frank, she is dressed quite conservatively throughout the rest of the film. Thirdly, none of the women chosen to act as "mothers" are old enough to be mothers. I'm not buying it, Charlotte and Mrs. Lolita's-Best-Friend's-Mom. Fourthly, every woman in this town is desperate for a lay and just <b>falling</b> all over themselves for this European Romeo. Another ladies' man-about-town is Clare Quilty, a playwright, currently keeping company with Vampira. <br />
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Unfortunately for all of these in-heat cougars, both men are only interested in their young daughters.<br />
<br />
In her attempts to romance Humbert Humbert, Charlotte takes advantage of a night when Lolita is supposed to be out. She insists she'll teach him all the new dance moves and it's oh-so easy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>"You simply vibrate rhythm."</em> Well, most people do. She does not.</span></td></tr>
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She also tells Humbert that he reminds her of her dead husband, Harold. So sexy. Nice moves, Mama. She cannot understand when Humbert does not return her affections.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's just so awkwardly desperate. </td></tr>
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Even as Mama Charlotte is working her "moves", Humbert is thinking of Lolita and insists that Charlotte is being to liberal with Lolita, letting her galavant with boys. Mom laughs it off, until Lolita comes home early from her party, thereby interrupting the hunt. Tempers flare, mother and daughter argue, and Mom looks to have Lolita out of the way. When it turns out Lolita's best friend, Mona, also slipped away from the party <i>and</i> with a boy <i><b>and</b></i> didn't come home till 4? Well, it's off to Summer camp for the both of them! Away from the opposite sex! Mom tells Humbert of her ingenious plan and we have the joy of watching his face fall.<br />
<b>Humbert: </b><i>"How far away is this camp?"</i><br />
<b>Charlotte:</b><i> "Two hundred miles. It was a stroke of genius on Mama's part. Ain't I clever?"</i><br />
<b>Me (as Humbert):</b> <i>No, no, no, no, no! Not what I meant! I could strangle you, you cow!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Though I loathe Humbert, one also understands his detestation for Charlotte. Besides reeking of sexual desperation, she has an insatiable need to make herself seem more exotic. Awed by Humbert's being European, she tries to be European herself.<br />
<i>"Shall we take our coffee out to the piazza?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>"You know, 'monsieur', I believe that it's only in the romance languages that one is able to really relate in a mature fashion."</i><br />
<b><br /></b><b>Charlotte:<i> </i></b><i>"I knew that I've never felt married until I heard myself addressed as 'Senora'."</i><br />
<b>Humbert:<i> </i></b><i>"You were in Spain?"</i><br />
<b>Charlotte:</b><i> "No, Mexico."</i><br />
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Before leaving to take Lolita to camp, Charlotte leaves Humbert a letter telling him she loves him and that he can stay if he'll marry her but otherwise he must leave because it's too hard having him under the same roof. So he marries Mama to stay close to Lolita. In Humbert's own words he goes from <i>"lodger to lover."</i><br />
<br />
We are given a view into their matrimonial life on a rainy day. Charlotte wakes to find that Humbert has locked himself in the bathroom, where he writes in his veryprivatesecretjournal. Mama is <b>very</b> insecure about his habits and former lovers. She whines, whines, whines, like a child. Humbert asks her to make him some coffee, <i>"like a good little wife."</i> (<b>Me: </b><i>God, you pompous ass, I will kill you.</i>) While Charlotte makes coffee and yells to Humbert about how sacred their love his and that he <i>"arouses the pagan"</i> in her, Humbert prepares to do his husbandly duty by drinking, a lot. It was the sixties, I guess. Then comes this really weird conversation where Charlotte asks if Humbert believes in God and, when he prevaricates, insists that if she ever found out he didn't believe in God she would kill herself. I...I don't know why. I don't know why she cares? She doesn't come across as very religious (maybe it's more prevalent in the novel) and it seems like she only married him to get him in her pants. Anyway, she goes on to tell him about the gun she keeps in the bureau. But not to worry, it's not loaded. Right. Foreshadowing! She insists it's a sacred weapon, only for committing suicide. Like a ceremonial Japanese sword? I don't....okay. To make Charlotte feel better/get her to stop talking crazy, Humbert starts making out with her. And...oh, okay, makes sure he's facing the picture of Lolita on the bedside table.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww! </td></tr>
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Charlotte continues to talk throughout their kissy time because apparently she can't shut up. She wants a French maid. But where will we keep her? In Lolita's room, of course. We'll send Lolita straight from camp to boarding school to college. It'll be her and Humbert alone together forever. <b>FOREVER</b>. And then all at once, Humbert's erection is gone. He goes into full-on pout and ominously watches the gun. They drink some more. (<b>Me:</b> <i>God, you haven't even had that coffee yet!</i>) When Charlotte goes to take a bath, Humbert inspects the gun, which, by the way, is <b>totes</b> loaded. We listen as he inner monologues about committing the <i>perfect</i> murder, which is impossible to plan but could happen by accident.<br />
<b>Humbert's VO</b>: <i>"She said it wasn't loaded. It belonged to the late Mr. Haze. She was having her morning tub. We had just finished talking about our plans for the future. I decided to play a practical joke and pretend I was a burglar. We were newlyweds and still did things like that to each other. As soon as it happened I called an ambulance, but it was too late."</i><br />
<b>Me (as Humbert): </b><i>Of course, I just dropped <b>all</b> of the bullets and put them back, so my fingerprints are <b>ALL OVER</b> the bullets I thought weren't there.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Humbert approaches the bathroom but finds he just can't kill <i>"the seal."</i> But then, surprise! She's not in the tub! She's in his office reading his veryprivatesecretjournal! In which he has written all about his love for the nymphet, Lolita, and his loathing for the cow of her mother. Humbert goes into immediate action.<br />
<b>Me (as Humbert, paraphrased):</b> <i>Uhm...you're hallucinating! I'll get you a drink! It's fragments of a novel. I used your names by chance! It was just handy! Uh...uhmm...no! It's just a funny story! Martini on the way!</i><br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Charlotte is languishing to Harold's urn that it's all his fault for dying and leaving her alone with the brat and that it's Lolita's fault that Humbert doesn't love her. And then she starts kissing the urn because that's totally normal. And then she runs out into the street, throws herself in front of a car, and dies. Two minutes after their fight. Obviously, Humbert is <b>very</b> put out:<br />
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But he'll totally get away with it because apparently Charlotte was born with one kidney and it was distressed and she hadn't long to live anyway. Humbert is assured by neighbors and friends that he must think of poor, little Lolita. Oh, trust me, he is but not the way you're thinking.<br />
<br />
So, Humbert goes to pick up Lolita from camp.<br />
<b>Me:</b> <i>Really? <b>Really?! </b>Camp Climax for girls? Camp <b>CLIMAX</b>?!</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best part is I'm not even joking.</td></tr>
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All the perky, young things are walking about in short-shorts and swim suits. Camp Climax has one boy, the son of the owner, who works there all year as a towel boy. Humbert, a grown man, is immediately jealous of him and asks if he spends much time with Lolita. Not that it matters, he's taking Lolita away immediately.<br />
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As they drive off, Humbert explains the whole situation to Lolita and by "explain" I mean lies. He tells Lolita that her mother is sick and has gone to stay in a hospital in the country. He pulls the "Fluffy has gone to live on a big, big farm" line! He insists they just take a little road trip together to bide their time until she's well again. On their first night, they stop at a hotel where Clare Quilty and Vampira just happen to be staying too. As Humbert fills in the guest registry, he learns that the State Police are holding a convention at the hotel. He has the good grace to look concerned and bothers to ask after getting an extra cot for the room. Meanwhile, Quilty and Vampira are keeping close tabs on Humbert and Lolita, being very nosy. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So weird!</td></tr>
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By the time the hotel manages to get an extra bed, Lolita has already fallen asleep, alone, in the room and there's this whole slapstick comedy of the porter and Humbert trying to get the cot in the room without waking Lolita. Despite extra cot, Humbert tries to crawl into bed with Lolita and she cock-blocks him. And this is what I actually find interesting about Lolita, the film and the character. For all of Lolita having come to mean a promiscuous and sexually active young girl, Lolita is not very promiscuous. She knows about the facts of life, she's not blind to Humbert's attentions and she will eventually have a sexual relationship with him but she's not encouraging him either. It's not like Alicia Silverstone in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106627/">The Crush</a></i> chasing after an older man and throwing herself on him. Lolita knows Humbert finds her attractive and she teases him a little bit about it but she's not the main force driving this train.<br />
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The next morning Humbert and Lolita are teasing one another and kind of flirting. She asks him if he'll play a game with her, a particular one she learned at camp with the one boy. I think you know what game it is. Anyway, this is the first time we are led to believe they have intercourse.<br />
<b>Lolita:</b> <i>"Have you ever seen any of those, you know, those foreign films?"</i><br />
<b>Me (as Humbert): </b><i>Yes, frequently. After all, I am foreign.</i><br />
<br />
The very next day the jig is up and Humbert has to confess to Lolita that her mother is dead. I'm not sure why he bothered lying in the first place. Did he really think he'd be able to keep that lie going?<br />
<br />
We flash forward about six months. They're now staying at Beardsley college. Lolita has a new home, a new school, and Daddy issues aplenty. Daddy-Lover is painting her toenails and being jealous of her even looking at high school boys (seriously, so insecure for a grown man). When Lolita tells Humbert she's won the lead in the school play Humbert insists she can't do it. It will only be an opportunity for her to mingle with high school boys and he won't have it. Wow. Just wow.<br />
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To convince Daddy-Lover that Lolita should be the lead, Clare Quilty arrives, dressed as a German psychiatrist from the school. Humbert does not recognize Quilty, even though he's met him on a number of occasions now. It's another awkward scene, as all of the Quilty scenes seem to be. Dr. Quilty convinces Humbert that the school is concerned about Lolita's lack of maturity (HA!) and would like to do a home inspection. Humbert, worried about a bunch of quacks all up in his home situation, goes on the defensive. But maybe they can come to an agreement? She's a young girl, she should be expressing herself. Maybe in the school play? Perhaps going on dates?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a <strong>major </strong>production just to get Lolita in the play.</td></tr>
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Opening night of the play Humbert learns from, yet another, desperate cougar that Lolita has been skipping her piano lessons for weeks and lying as regards her whereabouts. Enraged, Humbert takes Lolita home and refuses to let her go to the cast party. They have a fabulous row that the neighbors can hear but in the end they come to the arrangement that it's all Beardley's fault. They'll leave this city and all of its stupid nosy neighbors. They'll travel <b>all</b> the time, just the two of them. Really this is Humbert's arrangement but that's what they do. Regardless of Lolita's education or well-being (obviously he's concerned about that), they hop into the station wagon and off they go.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the way they notice they are being followed by a strange car. It keeps up with them for days, making Humbert more and more edgy. In his absent-mindedness, they have a blow out. The car stops behind them. Humbert begins to have pains in his left arm. Obviously a heart attack, neither of them are concerned or seem to know that it's a heart attack? Then the strange car turns around and leaves?? And then they make it to the next town and go to the hospital, where Lolita is admitted for a cold and the man who had a heart attack receives no medical care??? And Humbert is jealous of the nurse, the <i>female</i> nurse, because Lolita talks to her???? And is the nurse Eve Arden????? No, it's Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell).<br />
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Anyway, a bunch of stuff that makes no real sense happens and Humbert tells Lolita that, as soon she's well, they'll head for the Mexican border. The row was the beginnings of their discord but it is here that we really begin to see Lolita's growing distaste for Humbert. While he grasps and fawns to try and keep her, we can see that she is bored and irritated by him. I'm pretty sure she's lying when she tells him the Doctor wants her to stay another day or two for observation. And I'm right. After receiving a call from a mysterious and anonymous individual (Quilty), threatening an investigation into the rumors regarding Humbert and his little girl, Humbert freaks and heads for the hospital posthaste - only to find when he gets there that she's been discharged into the care of her "uncle." <br />
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We next see a letter being typed to "Dad", presumably by Lolita. It says that she's married, pregnant, and is in need of money for a number of debts. She asks Humbert to send a check. When Humbert arrives at a run-down house in the slums, he finds a very preggers Lolita.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wRUxE_e6OC-nC0DYzyuvuknYQ3MYfY_v8WokLOGUyiQ5zdziFR5MU1WqGKYFDhNDV_hRUtnJXm7osPocMy2Lh2yh_BHztZd0n5SuyPpKrDXPz9x8bGJ-41Yvm0G7Ce_64yLszzmw0_s/s1600/lolita-escaped.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wRUxE_e6OC-nC0DYzyuvuknYQ3MYfY_v8WokLOGUyiQ5zdziFR5MU1WqGKYFDhNDV_hRUtnJXm7osPocMy2Lh2yh_BHztZd0n5SuyPpKrDXPz9x8bGJ-41Yvm0G7Ce_64yLszzmw0_s/s400/lolita-escaped.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell she's pregnant by her voluminous shirt.</td></tr>
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It's been a few years, we learn, and she's married to Dick, a young man she met while waitressing in Phoenix. Dick does not know about her relationship with Humbert and thinks Humbert is just her step-father. Humbert insists on knowing who it was took her from the hospital. Humbert is incredibly dense. Lolita explains that it was Clare Quilty and that Quilty was the snoop at the hotel, the German psychiatrist, the strange car, and the anonymous caller. She has been in love with Quilty forever, every since Quilty was in Ramsdale the first time. Quilty knew all about her and Humbert and together, she and Quilty, arranged all of these episodes - the play, the hospital escape - in order to be together. She likes Dick okay but Quilty is the only man she's ever really loved. When Quilty took her away they went to stay at his dude ranch in New Mexico and, though she loved him, he kept strange company and wanted her to be in an "art film". So she left.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WK0qwPoGIaXel3KRERn5xOXFKXzRGlwCFVuM97oX3yf0PY67OVCOvCWtZKoszPxwtLdiMOVYX8fN1NL8fvVcbBXMkTSUIkwz0ltBJs6rQ_0U2_tCaOQGMBUG0R9eZkGohyphenhyphenpvity2y94/s1600/PHOTO_4990199_66470_8954968_main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5WK0qwPoGIaXel3KRERn5xOXFKXzRGlwCFVuM97oX3yf0PY67OVCOvCWtZKoszPxwtLdiMOVYX8fN1NL8fvVcbBXMkTSUIkwz0ltBJs6rQ_0U2_tCaOQGMBUG0R9eZkGohyphenhyphenpvity2y94/s400/PHOTO_4990199_66470_8954968_main.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geez, Quilty, she's not one of your vampire women. You can't just expect her to be in an art film.</td></tr>
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During this scene, pregnant Lolita drinks a beer. Fabulous. Humbert tries to get Lolita to go away with him again. And, at this point, I think he needs to take a tip from <a href="http://despair.com/persistence.html">Despair.com</a>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Persistence Demotivator" height="282" src="http://demotivators.despair.com/demotivational/persistencedemotivator.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
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When Lolita refuses, Humbert gives her $400 cash, a check for $2,000, and the deed to the house in Ramsdale.<br />
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We then return to our dramatic opening, where Humbert will kill Quilty for ruining Lolita's childhood and taking away her innocence. Ah, the sweet taste of hypocrisy.<br />
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So, in conclusion, Lolita: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHVx3vMa93ao5oijmFWwDHBF_02x01HqdJ75YqhCmxG0LPoKq6C2_u6jKUSjTTktSTYVc-Ks4vzPbcec3lf1DvCggbIhDfgs2Ktslb8JFN7kt3IraMXCCNxMohJX8hmQtVJAKQZRfN14/s1600/5240038474_6db313bedc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHVx3vMa93ao5oijmFWwDHBF_02x01HqdJ75YqhCmxG0LPoKq6C2_u6jKUSjTTktSTYVc-Ks4vzPbcec3lf1DvCggbIhDfgs2Ktslb8JFN7kt3IraMXCCNxMohJX8hmQtVJAKQZRfN14/s400/5240038474_6db313bedc.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eeewwwwwwwwww!!!!!</td></tr>
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Not my favorite, definitely notable for its controversy, but, otherwise, I'm not sure why it's a classic.Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-73490254613733339842012-09-22T09:00:00.000-05:002012-09-22T09:00:01.396-05:00Book Haul!So, our local used book store had a tent sale this week. Buddy Holly and I didn't have time to go until yesterday, so pickings were kind of slim. There was a lot of Danielle Steel, Tom Clancy, <i>Star Trek</i>, and *shudder* the <i>Left Behind</i> series. But I did find some great books! We had car problems at the beginning of the month, so I had to leave a few behind *weeps* but am delighted with my bounty.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/113333.Bel_Canto" target="_blank">Bel Canto</a> by Ann Patchett<br />
This was on my to-read list. I've never read Patchett but it was recommended by Christina of <a href="http://readeroffictions.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Reader of Fictions</a>, so I bought it.<br />
<img alt="Bel Canto" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266474887l/113333.jpg" />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13549048-the-bean-trees" target="_blank">The Bean Trees</a> by Barbara Kingsolver<br />
I <b>love</b> <i>The Poisonwood Bible</i>, so I was on the lookout for any of Kingsolver's works. So glad I found one!<br />
<img alt="The Bean Trees" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1331915427l/13549048.jpg" width="212" />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/111619.Brideshead_Revisited" target="_blank">Brideshead Revisited</a> by Evelyn Waugh<br />
On my to-read list. I've wanted to watch the movie for a long time but have been waiting to read the book first. I'm uber-excited to have gotten a 1945 Little, Brown and Company edition! U.S. First Edition for a dollar SCORE!<br />
<img alt="Brideshead Revisited" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1245628056l/111619.jpg" />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/399998.Wobegon_Boy" target="_blank">Wobegon Boy</a> by Garrison Keillor<br />
Garrison Keillor and <i>The Prairie Home Companion</i> make me happy but I had no idea he wrote books. I'm hoping this turns out funny ha-ha.<br />
<img alt="Wobegon Boy" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174438827l/399998.jpg" width="213" />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2383981.September" target="_blank">September</a> by Rosamunde Pilcher<br />
I totally chose this book because of it's name. September is my favorite month. I was born in September. September ushers in Autumn, the best of all seasons. As it turns out, this novel is set in Scotland, which is also in its favor. Let's hope it lives up to its name!<br />
<img alt="September" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1284630896l/2383981.jpg" width="205" />
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I had been hoping to find a copy of L.M. Montgomery's <i>The Blue Castle</i>; I've been searching for that book for quite some time. I think eventually I will give up and just order it online but not yet. I have it in my head that there will be this wonderful, meet-cute moment in a little antique shop or quiet, out of the way book store where I'll happen upon the perfect edition for the perfect price. I'm strange.Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-22489026402450018402012-09-21T11:30:00.000-05:002012-09-21T11:30:01.817-05:00A few of my favorite things IIWelcome to the second installment of my favorite things!<br />
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Okay, so it's no secret that I am in love with pretty much anything vintage, uhm, except vintage treatment of women. Ahem, anyway, make-up, hair, clothes, I love, love, <strong>love</strong> historical, vintage, and retro style. There are some especially great retro hairstyles. My hair is too fine and too short to ever pull off a Gibson-girl pompadour but a few styles I can pull off are:<br />
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<ul>
<li>Italian Hair Taping: This <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Loepsie" target="_blank">lady</a> has a fantastic youtube channel. All her hair treatments are natural and no heat, so good for your hair. She does a lot of historical and literature-based styles.</li>
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<li>Anne Boelyn: I love how elegant this looks, while still being super simple. P.S. isn't her accent the darlingest?!</li>
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<li><a href="http://thepapermama.com/2011/07/hair-tutorial-no-heat-curl-html.html" target="_blank">Headband Wrap</a>: This is my go-to when I want my hair to curl. I have very fine, straight, unrelenting hair. I don't use heat on my hair and curlers just never seem to work, my hair falls flat. Somehow, this method seems to stick. I love wrapping my hair up like this in the morning when it's wet - it has a 1920's kind of vibe (especially with a colored or beaded headband) - and I have great curls by lunch.</li>
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I love all things macabre. With Autumn coming on, my heart turns to Daphne Du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, and episodes of Suspense and The Whistler. I love a good chill, not out and out horror and certainly not gore-porn but the kind of suspense that makes you glad you're inside when night begins to fall. But I adore silly scary too. The Haunted Mansion has <strong>always</strong> been my favorite attraction at Disney (followed closely by The Tower of Terror). I can recite the entire monologue of the Ghost Host and it's a dream of mine to one day own this costume via <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/86288263/adult-woman-tight-rope-walker-costume" target="_blank">NeverBugCreations</a> on Etsy:</div>
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I adore the Addams Family and was known as Wednesday to a number of my childhood friends' parents because I looked so much like Christina Ricci's incarnation of her. And, in potentially the darkest expression of my morbid humor, Edward Gorey. I love Edward Gorey. He's so damn dark and it is hilarious. Any man that can create an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gashlycrumb_Tinies" target="_blank">entire alphabet</a> of children's gruesome deaths is okay in my book.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lizziebennet.com/" target="_blank">The Lizzie Bennet Diaries</a>! I only recently came upon this remarkable and totally brilliant modern adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Told through a series of vlogs and twitter/tumblr/pinterest accounts, we're following the classic Austen tale told with new voices and some new twists. So wonderful!</div>
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I saw this today and loved it so:</div>
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Web comics! Egads, I love web comics. My daily feed includes:</div>
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<a href="http://www.thebookofbiff.com/" target="_blank">Book of Biff</a><br />
<a href="http://www.girlswithslingshots.com/" target="_blank">Girls With Slingshots</a><br />
<a href="http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php" target="_blank">Hark! A Vagrant</a><br />
<a href="http://maximumble.thebookofbiff.com/" target="_blank">Maximumble</a><br />
<a href="http://minimumble.thebookofbiff.com/" target="_blank">Minimumble</a><br />
<a href="http://ozyandmillie.org/" target="_blank">Ozy & Millie</a> (even though it's completed)<br />
<a href="http://survivingtheworld.net/" target="_blank">Survivng the World</a><br />
<a href="http://www.xkcd.com/" target="_blank">XKCD</a><br />
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Remember that whole vintage thing we were talking about at the beginning of this post (wow, that was forever ago, huh?)? Well, I love old architecture too, especially art deco. I'm in the midst of a novel and, in my research, learned about the <a href="http://www.theworldtheatre.org/" target="_blank">World Theatre</a> in Kearney, Nebraska. This old theatre sat empty for a number of years, run down and apparently haunted. It has been completely renovated and returned to its former retro glory. Since opening at the beginning of the Summer, their showings have included Grease, The Goonies, and The Princess Bride. I've never wanted to be in Nebraska more.<br />
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I love the Infinity wrap or the Octopus dress. Lots of people make/sell these but I found mine at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CoralieBeatrix" target="_blank">CoralieBeatrix</a> on Etsy. I love having one piece of clothing that can do the work of a hundred plus. So many pretty things can be done with this dress.<br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/104584120/savannah-cranberry-octopus-convertible" target="_blank"><img alt="Savannah Cranberry Octopus Convertible Wrap Dress" border="0" height="320" src="http://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/5822827/il_570xN.275276364.jpg" width="213" /></a><span id="goog_1399194698"></span><span id="goog_1399194699"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
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I love celebrities that aren't too famous for you. This seems to happen a lot in the nerd/fringe genres...or maybe that's just where my attention lies. I keep tabs on the likes of Nathan Fillion (who's big thing is making sure kids read) and Wil Wheaton (who, with his wife, is very active in animal rescue). And, my most recent fangirl moment, Mike Nelson, of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame, wished me a happy birthday!
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I love unique perfumes. I'm not a fan of brand-anything really. I had the pleasure of creating my own perfume at the <a href="http://www.molinard.com/en/" target="_blank">Molinard</a> perfumery in Grasse, France and they keep the recipes on file, so you can have more made at any time. I am hoping to add these two to my collection in the future:</div>
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<a href="http://www.cbihateperfume.com/burning-leaves.html" target="_blank">Burning Leaves</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.incrediblethings.com/web/book-perfume-smells-like-a-book/" target="_blank">Paper Passion</a></div>
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Classic/Folk female vocalists. I like classical music well enough. I don't listen to it regularly but I enjoy some Philip Glass and Eric Copeland when they come around. But there is something about Celtic, folky, classical female vocalists that fill me up with happy. Maybe part of it is that some little dream inside me wants to be doing what they are. Enya's great, Celtic Woman is powerful, and Sarah Brightman has got some pipes but my heart belongs to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciYPI83zAok" target="_blank">Sissel Kyrkjebo</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DsfVXh-H3w&feature=plcp" target="_blank">Hayley Westenra</a>. For serious, these ladies can sing. Sissel is Norwegian and so my love for her is two-fold (I'm a fourth generation Norge) and Hayley is a BAMF kiwi, she gets props.<br />
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I feel like my list of favorite things is pretty girly. I'm going to attempt to make my next installment more manly. It will probably include brownies. </div>
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Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7992599607086278068.post-3889688928626464132012-09-19T18:00:00.000-05:002012-09-19T18:00:00.093-05:00I Hate My JobI work for a church and, for the most part, it's pretty great. I work with and for wonderful people. I can listen to Pandora or old time radio all day. I can check my facebook, email, twitter, and news feeds anytime I want. But I hate my job when:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
....the safety of those I work with and those who use our establishment is threatened.<br />
Our building is home to a senior nutrition site and a daycare, we are not located in the best part of town, and we provide food to those in need in our neighborhood. Those in need sometimes include mentally unstable, under the influence, and desperate individuals. We've never had anyone injured but there have been some frightening and intimidating moments.<br />
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....when I have to live by stereotypes because I'm hand-tied.<br />
Because of said senior site and daycare, the safety of those in our building comes first. All the doors are kept locked and anyone coming in has to be buzzed in by me. As such, I basically have to assume everyone is a rapist. I don't actually think everyone is a rapist but I hate having to treat people like they are an inevitable threat. I understand that just because you are in need of food or help does not mean you are a child-molesting, drug addict. But we have had situations and I have to assume that it's a liability. Sorry.<br />
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....I forget my lunch.<br />
Buddy Holly and I carpool together and he's the one that drops me off. So, if I forget my lunch, I'm reliant upon the good will of my co-workers (who are awesome) or I'm raiding the food pantry for ramen.<br />
<br />
....when Esmeralda and Charlotte aren't here.<br />
Especially for the past year, I am mostly alone in the office upstairs. Esmeralda and Charlotte work in the daycare and share coffee time with me. They are my ray of sunshine as we talk movies, books, liberal politics, and make inappropriate jokes over cups of coffee that are about a 50/50 ratio of coffee to creamer. We are connoisseurs of creamer. There's a seasonal pattern. We're like the three musketeers...only less French...and I don't think any of us know how to fence. It's weird when one of us is gone on vacation or has a doctor's appointment. But the days when both of them are gone? Those are the darkest, longest, dreariest days of my life. No kidding, I love those gals.<br />
<br />
....when I have a long to-do list and everyone else requires my services.<br />
Being the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oracle_(DC_Comics)&redirect=no" target="_blank">Oracle</a> of my church means that I am the main conduit of information. Which means that if a church member wants to know something or wants the church to know something, it goes through me. This also means that when I have a list of twenty, day-filling tasks, I may/will have to drop them. For someone who is list and task oriented this is a special type of hell. <i>"...It's the end of the day, and I only crossed off three items from my list. I am a failure."</i><br />
<br />
....when I have a long to-do list and absolutely no motivation.<br />
Being alone in the office means that there's no one to gripe at me when I just want to read Wikipedia articles during the 2:00pm slump. It's hard to be motivated when you can't get in trouble.<br />
<br />
....when the weather outside is sunshiney.<br />
I don't have windows in the main office. So sunshiney, breezy days go unenjoyed.<br />
<br />
....when the weather outside is rainy.<br />
I love rainy days even more than sunshiney ones. And while the sound and dark of a rainy day makes the office more cozy, I can't go sit down with a cup of tea and watch it fall by my office window, since I don't have one (as aforementioned).<br />
<br />
....when the copier breaks.<br />
There are black scuff marks along the bottom of our big copier. These are from me kicking it.<br />
<br />
....when the copier breaks and it's a Friday.<br />
Sunday bulletins. Every week. If the copier breaks on Friday, I'm making a run to Kinkos.<br />
<br />
....when the copier breaks and it's a Friday and it's a major religious holiday.<br />
FML.<br />
<br />
....when I have a <b>hilarious</b> (sassy, sarcastic, or clever) idea for our curb-side marquee.<br />
No one will get it/ I'll get in trouble. I saw this sign on the interwebs and wanted desperately to put it up.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Funny Church Marquee - Sign Photo" src="http://www.funnysigns.net/files/hipster-jesus-400x300.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: start;">Council said no. They did let me dye part of my hair green though, which is rather radical for a liturgical, predominantly elderly church. So there's that. </span></div>
<br />
...when a church member passes away.<br />
This is so awful. Even if you weren't close, they were part of your church family.<br />
<br />
....when a church member passes away unexpectedly.<br />
It's amazing sometimes how out of the blue a death can be.<br />
<br />
....when I complain about a church member and then they pass away, leaving me in a wallowing pit of guilt.<br />
<i> "She just talks and talks and talks and never about anything meaningful and...what? She's dead? Oh God, I'm going to hell."</i><br />
<br />
....when I complain about a church member and then they pass away and I make it about me.<br />
I'm good at this.<br />
<br />
....when the coffee burns and it smells awful in the office.<br />
This isn't particular to <b>my</b> work, per say, but it is a pretty small office. Smells permeate.<br />
<br />
....when a bird gets into the Bride's room.<br />
We have a fancy little room where the bride's get ready when they're getting married. It has a fireplace, the flue of which is supposed to be stopped up but is not entirely. Every few months a bird will fall down the chimney and get stuck in that room. They make a mess. Once, a baby bird fell and was just dying in the fireplace making the most horrible sounds. That sucked.<br />
<br />
....when a bat gets into the men's room upstairs.<br />
None of us are sure how this happened. Best guess is it came in through the attic. Miss Right called me from her Summer class upstairs and said, "So, there's a bat...on the curtain of the shower in the men's room up here. I closed the door. Just FYI." Awesome.<br />
<br />
So, that's my work life. They may not make sense to the uninitiated but <i><a href="http://everydayimpastoring.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Ev'ry Day I'm Pastorin'</a> </i>has been a source of constant humor in my life. They're funny 'cause they're true.Steenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254893646539431640noreply@blogger.com3