witches & pagans & cookies

Hello crazy kids... Get out there and live it up this Halloweekend! After all, you get an extra hour on Saturday. See you soon with more photos and fun!

well well, wellington

So let me take this opportunity enlighten you about the many delights of the magical land of Wellington, New Zealand.... *cue music*


1. WELLIES
Thanks to the First Duke of Wellington, these timeless rubber boots exist! From Australian fisherman to Kate Moss and that guy from The Kills, everyone loves 'em!


2. LADYHAWKE
Grungy rocker Pip Brown, aka Ladyhawke, lived here throughout her humble music beginnings!


3. BROOKE FRASER
Ah, sweet lil Brookie. She has an absolutely lovely singing voice and is one of my favorite songwriters evarrr. She grew up here!


4. FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
Bret and Jemaine are the comedic musician duo known as Flight of the Conchords. They met while they were roommates at the University of Wellington and have been spreading joy and cheer ever since.


Well, I hope you have enjoyed your scenic tour of Wellington. Exits are located on the sides and near the back. See you again soon!

bloody good show

It is official. Mike and I have procured tickets to the Lady Gaga concert in January at the Fox Theater in Detroit, which is awesome because it basically sold out in one day. Gaga's been rockin my ipod for awhile, but I'm telling you, she won me over as a live act with the bleeding stunt at the MTV Video Music Awards. I can't wait to see what kind of freak show antics she pulls out for this show!

the best break up album ever

Attention Twilight haters and scoffers,
I understand. You definitely have a point. Twilight is an overhyped book and film (if you can even call it a "film") series full of melodrama and teen angst aplenty. After all, this is the book that originated such stellar dialogue as "So the lion fell in love with the lamb" "What a stupid lamb" "What a sick, masochistic lion" *commence gazing into each other's eyes in the meadow*


But all that aside, you need to know that the soundtrack for New Moon, the Twilight sequel, is awesome. Thom Yorke, Lykke Li, Grizzly Bear, a Bon Iver/St. Vincent collabo, Muse, Death Cab and others round out this totally addictive album. Since in New Moon Bella gets majorly dumped by her dreamboat Edward Cullen, she needs to rock some serious tunes during all those lonely nights crying herself to sleep... and then she needs to bust out more jams as she gets over it by spending all those afternoons in the garage watching Jake fix his car and motorcycles as he gets huge muscles.


So give it a chance, haters. You can always edit the name of the album in iTunes, and no one will ever know!

girl time

Me and my fav kitty Zoobilee Zoo** like to hang out on the couch quite a bit. Zooey asked if she could take a few photos because she wanted a new myspace profile pic that would impress those online boy cats.



**

memories.

send out a search party

Attention Upper East siders, Gossip Girl here. Little J has gone missing. We've seen a serious lack of Jenny plot lines in this season of Gossip Girl, and I take it as a personal offense that even guest star Hilary Duff has seen much more screen time.

Well hello my name is Jenny and my legs are 3 times as long as yours kthxbye.

i'm so whipped

So I have been hearing about this movie for quite some time now, on account of the fact that most of it was filmed in Michigan very close to where I live. There were several Drew and Ellen sightings around town in the summer of 2008 which had the kids abuzz.

Anywho, I wasn't thinking much about it until I saw the trailer which made me go HEY this actually looks pretty Karen-y. So Mike and I checked it out a few days ago and it so totes Karen-y it was ridiculous. Yeah yeah, it's been getting kinda crap reviews, but I don't care. I really liked it!

I also learned that the term "whip it" refers to when you're skating around the sharpest curve of the rink and you hold someone's hand and use the force of going around the curve to fling them forward so they're going super fast. I never knew there was a phrase for that... Let me just say that it was a popular move back in the elementary school skating parties at Riverside Arena.

Sidenote: I always see people doing this in movies. Do people do this in real life? I feel like I would dent my car and that it wouldn't be very comfortable.

instant gratification

Imagine the music to my ears when I heard that Polaroid film will be coming back for one last run next year! I better stock up while I can. Meanwhile, I think this necklace is like totally adorable and I want it bad.

two years

she's up to something

So what do you do with the leftover balloons from a photoshoot? Well, after trying to capture a shot of a balloon being popped (FYI it is impossible apparently), you bring them home... and then a similar photo shoot with cat ensues, of course.

And she's spent.

one last look

I sure loves me some fall, but I need one last long look at my lovely summer flowers. This summer I had a better idea of what would work on our balcony and porch, so we had pretty blooms for months!

please more paramore

Oh my goodness I was so excited for the Paramore show! Hayley's voice is incrediblezzz and I have been rockin the new record like crazy.

Mike and I went with our friends Andrew and McLaine. This is right before we got inside after waiting at the end of a SIX BLOCK LONG line.

I was bouncing around with glee when they took the stage! We totally look farther away than we were. Silly camera phone.

Sure it's not the real thing, but those Sonic Booms sure know how to rock a Paramore cover...

checked out

I have been a busy girl and I have been neglecting you a little. Please accept this photo of my purple tights and checkered dress and shoes as a humble peace offering. I am recovering from Rocktober October, which is quite something when October isn't even half over yet. The word "October" sounds really weird in my mind when I repeat it multiple times...

soundtrack to my week

All I Wanted - Paramore
Misguided Ghosts - Paramore
Ignorance - Paramore
Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Moon and Man - Bat For Lashes
Help I'm Alive - Metric
Foxy Boxer - Bearsuit
Cheap and Cheerful - The Kills
Back of the Van - Ladyhawke
Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
Diamond Dave - The Bird and the Bee

I am totes gearing up for the Paramore/Swellers show this Sunday in Detroit. Now if only I could find a way to tell the emo Hot Topic crowd to stay home...

she kills it

Alison Mosshart of The Kills and The Dead Weather is really cool. Need proof? Look and listen. (I wish my bangs looked that rad when they grew out all long and shaggy...)

up up & away again

you've been chopped

I love the Food Network show Chopped! Each episode starts with four competing chefs who each get a basket of "mystery ingredients". They always are seemingly completely unrelated things, like lobster, bananas, and chestnuts. They have 20 minutes to whip up an appetizer using everything to create a cohesive dish. Then the judges chop one person who does the worst.

The process continues with three chefs as they make an entree in 30 minutes, then two chefs compete for the win by making a dessert in 30 minutes. Each time they get more crazy mystery ingredients! The winner receives $10 grand and everyone else gets to hear the dreaded words "You've been chopped!" from Ted Allen of former Queer Eye fame.

I love the judges' (who are also chefs) vernacular. They are always saying things about this flavor being too salty/dull/spicy "for my palate". During the last episode I watched, this guy said he was getting a "full frontal assault" of flavor!

I have also learned that you can always get by with an arugula salad, impress them by slicing your ingredients julienne style, or make something completely normal but class it up by calling it a "compote" or "reduction" or something like that. Oh Food Network, you are educational AND entertaining!