I Have a Backlog of Blogging Before Me:

And I can't do it all now. But here's some.

My mother came to visit me this weekend - she brought with her many, many presents. Which will be chronicled in future posts. Quick summary of activities:

Before dinner on Friday, we walked down to Left Bank Books, and this book was purchased:

It's The Glamour Magazine Party Book by Eleanor Elliot, published in 1965, and it was $2. But it wasn't just the pink color that made my mother buy this for me - the text is hysterical. I'm literally going to open up the book at random and read you a paragraph:

At the beginning you, as hostess, do just as you would at any other party: introduce people and see that they have company and refreshments. It is probably better not to dance until almost everyone has arrived; you will have to stop to greet people, for new arrivals mustn't comb the party for the hostess. Later, dance as often as you please.

Seriously. I love it.

Then on Saturday, we headed over to the St. Louis Art Museum, which I'd never been to and rather enjoyed. Where else can you see Tiffany glass, Monet paintings, Egyptian mummies, and Medieval armor? Besides. The gift shop had:

Cute little beaded pom-pom rings in pinks and purples.

Then, we went and drank boots of beer at Kayak's Coffee before dinner.

There should be more beer boots in everyones life. I highly recommend them.

And now. I recieved a package yesterday. I opened it up to see this:



With a note on top not to open until my birthday. People, my birthday is the 23rd. That's more than 2 weeks! I have to sit here with those pretty little pink packages taunting me for 16 days.

And, just at the end of two long days at the office, with thoughts of several more long days ahead of me, a note from another blogger can make me smile.

I Wish I Could Flux You!

This is for Courtney. Brokeback to the Future.

Update: Because Courtney is so damn demanding, here's the other one. Too Close for Missles, I'm Switching to Guns. And yeah, I know, I couldn't think of a funny way to make a quote from either Brokeback or Top Gun work, so I just used my favorite top gun quote. Sue me.

And, yes, Charlize Theron's dress was horrendous. I thought that everyone had seen enough of this, but from the comments, this is what you want:


The top doesn't fit, there's something making her hips look HUGE, and you can't see it, but that really attractive "x" over her crotch turns into little wings over her ass. You know, like those dresses people wore to the prom in 1984. And don't even get me started on that bow on her shoulder. BOW. The size of that dress that J-Ho wore to the Grammys with Diddy back when we didn't hate her because we didn't know who she was. Dior, I don't know what you're doing with John Galliano, but I wish you'd stop it.

Big Bad Oscar Post

so here's the deal - I'll keep updating this as I watch the oscars, and I'll add pictures (which I will be stealing from e!online.com) when I get them...

Amy Adams' brown Caroline Herrera ballroom dress I don't think fit her well, and pockets? Caroline, I usually love your dresses, but seriously. Pockets and a 3 foot train? What were you thinking? Amy Adams is a beautiful girl, and you're ruining her!

And Naomi Watts, besides wearing a dress that's the same sallow color as her skin. It's Givenchy, who I think makes sexy dresses, but... the weird feathery embellishment makes her look flatter than normal. And somehow, she was so idiotic in her interview with Ryan Seacrest that he looked SMART. Plus, E-Liz says, "Is she pregnant? The only reason to look all bunchy like that is if you're pregnant!" (picture from oscars.com)

Can Dolly Parton's boobs get any bigger? Probably. But it looks like she's spending all her money on facelifts, not fashion sense. (picture from oscars.com)

There are no words to describe Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter. They just look WEIRD. Remember when Nick Nolte had that DUI photo? Tim's hair looks like that. Helena almost looks normal next to him. Next to anyone else, she's look crazy. But that doens't make me love them any less. E-liz says, "They're a crazy couple made in heaven, that's for sure." I like having her around. She cracks me up.

What would posses Michelle Williams to wear that color? Seriously. Even if she had a tan, she's look horrendous. But of course, she doesn't have a tan. And you're making Heath look bad because he's next to you. And he's getting all scrubby, and I'm blaming you.

And I'm loving the Jon Stewart (3 minutes into the program). And I'm mad that people aren't laughing more.

After her ugly (and controversial) dress at the Golden Globes, Reese Witherspoon looks amazing. I love the lipstick, she looks glamourous and calm. She and I could be friends. Seriously, Reese, if you want me to babysit Ava and Deacon, I totally would. I wouldn't even charge you anything.

Alright, these pictures don't show this off as much as I think it's true, but DUDE. Rachel Weisz, who is cute, is wearing basically the same dress that Catherine Zeta-Jones wore to win Best Supporting Actress for Chicago in 2003. Seriously. Someone should spread the word - Best Actress nominees win when they're a) pregnant and b) wearing this strappy dress.

But if no one posts a picture of Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter looking all crazy soon, I'm gonna get angry. And start gesturing crazily with my Chardonnay.

Alright, E-liz has just made my day. More than my day, my week. She just told me that my boobs are better than Ziyi Zhang's (picture from oscars.com). I know it's not much, but I've got to take what I can get. And while we're talking about adorable Ziyi, I've got to say I'm not the biggest fan or her dress. I think that the waist needs to be dropped 5 inches (or there needs to be a sash or something. the waistline is just WAY too abrupt), the neckline needs to be raised 2 inches, and the skirt needs to be more mermaid-y. And yeah, I'm not even going to talk about that gross black ribbon.

OK, last update of the night. I'm sad that Crash won, but I like that button dress of the producer. Brokeback for ever!!! And I still think that Jon Stweart ROCKED.

And I'm going to bed now.

Yes, Jane, I will do an Oscar post...

Jane has asked me if I'm going to be bitingly sarcastic about what horrendous things people wear to the Oscars, and the answer is yes. And I'm having a few people over, people who understand my need to watch award shows with my laptop next to me, people who will ply me with alcohol so I get really really funny.

I was amazingly busy yesterday - I actually worked the entire time I was at work because I had to leave for the airport at 3. I call my mom a minute after her plane lands, and I tell her I'm leaving work now, and it's less than a 10 minute drive, by the time she has her luggage, I'll be outside.

Cue 18-wheeler to dump a load of steel directly between my work and the airport. I sat literally parked on 270 for 45 minutes. But no one wants to hear me talk about getting stuck in traffic.

But then we went to dinner at the fabulous Liluma and had a wonderful time. I think today we're going to be touristy and go to the St. Louis Art Museum.

And yes, my mom brought with her some fun presents (I may have a new pink purse. Seriously, I should call this the Pink Purse because I swear I have 10 of them!) which I'll take pictures of later. And my husband brought home beautiful star gazer lilies, so my house is full of flowers.

My Mother is Coming to Town - I Have to Clean, Not Blog!

But quickly, 2 things.

1. I bought flowers to make the apartment look sunny for my mom. Aren't they gorgeous? And I got that pitcher for the wedding, but I've only used it as a vase.


2. Blackbird wants to see our calendars. I have 2 calendars at work, and I use both of them for decoration, not for, you know, keeping track of thing. The first is pictures of one of the great things about my hometown, the Colorado National Monument. March's picture is of Independence Monument.


My other calendar is a page a day of shoes that my brother gave me. Today's shoes are little Indian sandals with a little button like eye. And I want them.


And now... back to the cleaning!

Speaking of Birthdays:

Today is:

Mikhail Gorbachev’s 75th birthday.

Be sure to wish him a happy one if you see him.

Ask him how that Communism in Russia thing is going.

Attention Party People!

We have now entered the month of my birth. You have 22.5 days to prepare for the festivities, and to shop for an amazing present for me. Because I'm not allowed to shop. So do a damn good job. OK?

Mardi Gras

So, I walk into work today, and I'm handed a Mardi Gras mask and told to wear it. After all, this year St. Louis is the home of the largest Mardi Gras party. And hey, what's work for if not to have fun? Don't we look cute? (And yes, I wore my mask all day. The other two were not as adventurous as I was.)

But, Mardi Gras, for Catholics (and frankly, it's our damn holiday! We just let you come party with us because you're funny when you're drunk.), it's the beginning of Lent, the season of atonement. Which brings about the hardest question Catholics ever have to answer: What are you going to give up?

For the next 40 days and 40 nights until Easter, what am I going to do without?

Things I’m not giving up:

Swearing (It’s too important to my everyday existence)
Meat (I’ve already given that up on a more permenant basis)
Caffeine (It’s one of the only painkillers I’m not allergic to)
Chocolate (I'm not that masochistic)

When I asked my team at work (two of which are the people on the left in the picture above) what I should do for lent, they all unanimously said, "FILE!" (one of my jobs at work. Which I haven't done for 6 months), but we all know that that's not going to happen. So let's stop deluding ourselves.

But. I think I'm going to give up shopping.

Stop laughing. It's not nice.

But I've been doing a lot of shopping lately. I just bought two pairs of Antik Denim jeans on ebay. I'm obsessed. (Yes, you can see the jeans. No, they haven't come yet, but I got this plain pair, and this fabulous flowered pair. And I got them for MUCH less than their $300 retail... ) And, besides the jeans, well, you've seen my shoe glut of late.

Besides, if I take 40 days off, I'll have more focused, intelligent shopping when I'm done, right?

What Literature Classic Are You?

V at film literate and Lisa at Lam(b) both posted this fabulous quiz, which is, as V rightly said, is the greatest Quizilla Quiz of all time.

And it turns out that I am:

Oscar Wilde: The Portrait of Dorian Gray. You are a horror novel from the world of dandies, rich pretty boys, art and aesthetics, and intellectual debates between ethical people and decadent pleasure-seekers. You value beauty and pleasure but realize their dangers, as well.

Which literature classic are you?

And we could chat for a while about how this is like me and how it's not, but I'll spare you. I have mad love for Oscar Wilde (sometime I'll tell you about the time I got drunk and went to Lady Windermere's Fan in London), so I'm happy.

Apparently, I Think It's Funny When Celebrities Get Busted:

Or maybe it's just celebrities that have George as part of their names. But I think it's hysterical that George Michael was found slumped over the wheel of his car and was arrested for drug possession.

Let's revisit that. Slumped over the wheel of his car. Not crashing, not driving dangerously, or swerving, or not using his lights, but for passing out before he could get out of the car.

George Michael can be my father figure any day of the week. Hahaha.

Inwhich I Kind of Suck:

After last night's brilliant repeat of theBrazilian Shrimp Stew, I've fallen horrendously on my ass in the culinary department. The Barefoot Contessa made an elegant Mac and Cheese on her show this morning, and I, being the sucker that I am, thought I could make it. And bring the leftovers to work all week.

And we had 2 bites, and then my husband made us soup. Though, in my defense, the Mac and Cheese was very soupy, so if soup was what we wanted, we could have just stuck with that.

Oh well. I'm headed out the door to go see the French film Cache with friends. It should be fun.

And. Just a side note. This blog is not great literature. It's fun, it's mostly about shoes, I'm funny, not deep, and if you don't like it, don't read it. Nasty comments are unwelcome and will be deleted.

I Feel Like Such a Loser

I'm so sad - I just broken a piece of our everyday wedding china.

It was the gravy boat. I'd never had a gravy boat before, and I rather liked this one. And no, the handle is not reattachable, it's in about 500 pieces. I would have taken a picture of that, too, but I cleaned it up before I thought about it.

But a new one was only $35 online.

I Work Well On the Reward System.

I had to run errands today, and there was one that I didn't want to do: go to Home Depot and find Teflon Tape to fix the seal on the mini-dishwasher so that if we use it it doesn't spew water all over the floor. See, I hate going to places like Home Depot because people assume I don't know what I'm doing and I DO. I'm actually pretty damn handy. But with the expensive jeans, 4 inch heels, and slightly lowcut shirt, I don't exactly look the part.

So I walk into the store, go directly to the plumbing department, grab a roll of the Teflon tape, and head straight to the checkout counter. I give them my $2 and get out of there. The whole thing took about 10 minutes. And I was asked 4 times if I needed any help! I mean, it's nice that they're helpful, but damn. They wouldn't have asked a man in jeans and workboots if he needed help 4 times. It was annoying.

So, because I'd gotten the Teflon Tape, I allowed myself to go get Steve Madden rust-colored cowgirl boots at DSW for $27.

And yeah, I'm lazy, and I couldn't get a good picture of the boots on my feet easily, so I stole this from stevemadden.com.

Now I'm going to go make that fantastic Brazilian Shrimp Stew again, because my husband actually requested it again! And that's exactly what makes me feel like a good cook - my husband requesting meals that he loved.

I'm Sorry (But Not Really)

I'm watching Wedding Crashers with my husband and drinking red wine. There will be no blogging tonight.

I Just Remembered This:

On Tuesday, my team at work went out to lunch at CPK. We'd all ordered, and were talking, and my boss asked us all a question: What was your worst job ever?

Just then, the waiter, who had come by to refill our drinks said, loudly, "This one."

Dilemma:

The free skate of the woman's figure skating is going on RIGHT NOW. And the results are here.

But I have a dilemma - I don't want to know if Sasha Cohen falls. But I do. I'm not sure. I want her to win! I've been checking the results obsessively, but now it's starting to be the important skaters. And I'm scared to check it.

What about you? Are you checking? Or are you waiting to see it "live" tonight in prime time?

Or do you not care?

What Am I Reading?

I'll be the first to admit that I've been remiss in my Blog Book Club posts. But I've got a lot to catch you up on now. These are all books that are on my bedside table - I read a lot of books at once. Let's go across the two rows like we're reading, left to right, ok?

Jesse Kellerman: Sunstroke. I went to brunch with the author at this place at 80th and Amsterdam that had dog pictures all over. I'm more than halfway through it right now, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a mystery and I can't wait to finish it. My husband and I are passing it back and forth and fighting over who gets to read next.

Matthew Pearl: The Dante Club. I finished this last week - Longfellow and friends (in the mid-1800's) try to solve a series of murders that seem to be based on Dante's Inferno. Some REALLY gross death scenes. And it keeps you guessing. I thought I knew who the murderer was, but I had no idea... I really liked it. Made me feel like an intellectual, and seriously, what more in life do you want than that?

Dalton Trumbo: Eclipse. Dalton Trumbo was the blacklisted (and award winning) novelist and screenwriter (Spartacus, Roman Holiday, Johnny Got His Gun), and he's from my home town. And this is the book he wrote about my home town after he left it, and... he's a bit snarky. People in my home town have very strong feelings about this book, but I'm enjoying recognizing places and families that I know.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life. A fabulously fun book. She's telling the memories of her life in alphabetical order, like a dictionary. Some are funny, some are poignant, it's perfectly postmodern. For the entry, "Anxious, Things That Make Me," she's got a list of things that make her anxious that I completely identify with. And this is proceeded by a very short entry on "Answering Machines." While you read this book, you feel like you know her, because instead of a story, it's more like a conversation. She says she was influenced by Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book, which I studied in college and LOVED, and I'm, frankly, upset that she's written this books so that now I can't.

Zadie Smith: On Beauty. This is my failure. I started this on the plane home from France, and I read about 200 pages. And then I woke up from jetlag, and I didn't remember any of it. And it's so hard to reread a book when you just read it but you don't remember it. BUT. I've heard fabulous things about it. And I remember liking what I did read. And I fully intend to read it again when I've forgotten just a bit more...

Audrey Niffenegger: The Time Traveler's Wife. A GORGEOUS book. Such a fantastic writer. I read this in Paris, and she made me want to stay in my hotel room and read, and I was in Paris! I'm making my husband read it. And yes, it's about a time traveler. And his wife. And it makes sense. And it's not science fiction. Seriously. Read it. I'll lend it to you (well, it's not mine, it's E-Liz's. But she'd lend it to you.).

So there. I've not been an intellectual dumbass. I've been reading. What have you been reading?

Let's Not Call Me Weird. Let's Just Say Quirky.

1. I can't sleep with my knees touching. I don't know why. It's always been this way.

2. I own about 15 black skirts. And they're all diffrent and necessary in their own way.

3. I love cooking and finding new recipies. And I like making things that are hard. But I really like making things that are easy but people think are hard. Basically, I like to impress, but not work to hard while I do it.

4. Grey days make me sad. And unproductive. Which is why winter in Missouri is NO GOOD for me.

5. I am the clumsiest person out there. Right now, I have a bad cut on my left pointer finger, a bruise on my left shin, a bruise on my right calf, a cut on my left thumb, an almost healed bad scrape on my right middle finger knuckle, and about 300 million scars. And I only know how I got the first two (cutting onions on friday and getting out of the shower on saturday).

6. I tell people that I'm going to name my children after drinks, and the children's sole function in life will be to make me that drink when I call their name. And my first child will be named Mojito.

Reasons Not To Drink Scotch:

The possibility of hearing this phrase: Honey, I'm not going to kiss you. You smell like a Scottish Barrister!

Purple Potato Eaters

Just after the wedding, my parents went to Italy with my husband's parents. This was the cause of great consternation in the Pink Shoe Small Family Unit, as our parents were in a farmhouse alone together in rural Italy. For a week.

Fortunately, things turned out fabulously, and now our concern is our parents (all four of them) wanting to go on some sort of large "all the families together" vacation. So far, they've not asked us. But it's only been a couple of months. There is still an air of dread around my house, but we've learned to deal with it.

One of the fabulous things to come out of the trip to Italy (besides my new Gucci purse and gorgeous scarf) was this:

Yes, it's what you think it is. It's the elusive White Truffle Oil. (Pink Oil? No, it's kind of yellow). Tonight, in a special dinner, I used it in fabulous purple mashed potatoes. Purple mashed potatoes are fun:


First of all, they're purple.



And when you cut them open, they're still purple.


And when you make them into mashed potatoes with white truffle oil, they're delicious.

It's Monday, We Need a Little Pick Me Up:

And my company is open on President's Day for the first time in approximately 451 years. No one's happy about it, and my boss isn't even going to be there.

Enjoy!

PS - the little pink chicks might be my favorite muppets EVER.

There Has Been A Major Reorganization:

It's fabulous. One of my friends says it's like a bowling alley, but the shoes are designer and the cocktails are good.

Marital Bliss:

The scene: My husband and I are both sitting in the living room, using our laptops, and chatting. He starts making weird noises. Like, raspberries and that sound like a missle's coming towards you.

Me: Ha. You're funny.
Him: (fart noise)
Me: Honey, no more weird noises.
Him: (begins to hold breath loudly, and with many handmotions)
Me: What are you doing?
Him: (continues to hold breath)
Me: You're so weird.
Him: (continues to hold breath, and begins typing on his laptop)

An instant message pops up on my computer from him: It's a protest against you.

I burst out laughing, and we're friends again.

Inwhich I'm Not That Girly

Now, this comes as a surprise to most, but, I'm not that girly. Ok, well, I AM. I do wear skirts on an almost constant basis, my average shoe heel is 3 inches, my outfits are always cute and I've taken some time to pull them together. Hell, I even switch between my 600 purses like I'm changing socks.

BUT. I don't wear make-up. Or do much with my hair. Last month I had an extra minute before work, and I threw on some navy blue eyeliner (blue liner brings out brown eyes. I do know what I'm doing with make-up, I just... Don't.) and E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E. mentioned it to me. It was like the news of the day, "Marcia's wearing eyeliner today!" I do wear lipstick or lipgloss at least everyother day, but that's the extent. I don't even think I own foundation anymore.

On to what inspired this story. My hair is long and black and straight. There's approximately zero body in it, and it's easy to deal with. Most of the time it's back in what Vogue would call a "chic chignon" - except Vogue probably would frown on the fact that the chignon is held up with a pencil. Yesterday after work I took a shower and was about to go out to dinner with my husband, and he forced me to go back and dry my hair (as the temperature outside was below freezing), and I realized it was the first time in over a year that I'd used my hair dryer. And that I'm not exactly sure where my curling iron is right now.

Sometimes I think that I should change this - that I should spend 5 minutes in the morning on either my hair or makeup, thinking it might give me a more "finished" look, but then I remember that... well, in the mornings, I like my sleep.

Asti and Gilroy

One of the best things about going to visit my in-laws is hanging out with the dogs.


Aren't they cute?


Now, Asti, named, of course, after the champagne (the wine with little bubbles for the dog with little spots), is a very proper dog. She's actually Asti II, because, in the great tradition of the Simpsons, the thought is that once one has a great pet name, one will name all the future pets the same. And it's cold in Ohio! Asti, with her short hair, needs a coat!


But Gilroy is the dog that I know best. Senior year in college, my husband and his roommates decided to get a dog. Now, in an apartment where dogs are against the rules and there's great potential for the dog to be left alone for more than 10 hours a day, this is not a great idea.

But. The four roommates walked into the pound, and this was the first dog they saw. And yes, he came with the name. And... he lasted a full semseter in the apartment before he went to go live with my in-laws. Where he has a huge yard to run around in and a cute little friend to hang out with. And we get to visit him.

My husband hadn't been home in almost 6 months, but when he walked in the door, Gilroy actually cried he was so happy to see him.

Ok, ok, I know what you want. I'll post another picture.


Enjoy!

Beginnings

One of the things I do when I'm fooling around at work at home is to check out the first few posts of blogs I like. It's interesting to see how blogs that I like started out, what they wanted to be at the beginning, how corny they are... (If you want to see corn, check out my first post. Wait. That's embarassing. Never mind. Don't do it. Hold up! What are you doing? Stop clicking!!! Well, if you have to click, at least check out my second post - it's at least readable...)

And so, I was reading Kiki's blog earlier today, and her blog ALWAYS amuses me, and I was struck by how her first posts are similar to her recent posts - the same confident, funny voice, the same voyeuristic glimpses into her life. Seriously, people, if you don't read her, you should.

But in her first post, Kiki links to this "how to blog" busblog entry. Reading this make me feel again the excitement I felt when I first started this blog. Go read his list. It makes me want to post more. It makes me want to write more text-heavy posts and let everyone more into my personal life. I should try not to worry so much if people are going to like my posts. I should post my cheap political shots (I mean, that guy that Cheney shot? I think he's been dead for days, and they're just slowly letting the news out. Plus, if this is how Cheney treats people who give him big donations, I don't even want to know what he'd do if he met someone like me, a person who thinks he's evil). Hell, I should post more from work.

So, I'm going to try. Don't worry, I'm not going in for any drastic changes. Hopefully just more of what you like best about The Pink Shoe.

I don't usually do this, but why do all of you out there in BlogLand blog? Tell me in the comments. Even you people who don't normally comment, I'd love to know.

I'm Not Going To Talk About What Day It Is:

BUT. If you ask for "No Flowers" because flowers are way too expensive on this sort of day, you get:


It's huge, it's exotic, it's almost as tall as me.

Alright, let's get a close up.


Yeah, they're beautiful. And more than I even expected. That man really knows me.

My Brother-in-Law Knows How to Hurt Me:

Brother-In-Law: hey cia
Marcia: hey
BIL: we are in a FIGHT
Marcia: A HUGE FIGHT
Marcia: why?
BIL: ginormous
BIL: you gave me a nuggy
Marcia: hahahahahahaha
Marcia: yeah I did
BIL: damn you
Marcia: I totally rocked you!
BIL: I got poned
Marcia: I'd better watch my back
BIL: yeah
BIL: you never know when ima come out of the dark and dye your pink shoes brown

DAMN. Now that one hurts!

New Shoes: The O'Hare Edition

Well, we had some time this afternoon before leaving for the airport (our flight wasn't until 5:30), and so my mother-in-law decided to take me to Dillard's for their 70% off shoe sale...

I now feel better about Akron after this:














And this:














And this:















And then, because I was only in Toledo for a weekend trip, and had practically no luggage with me, I needed something to carry the shoes home in. This was purely a practical purchase.


Even though this looks ridiculously pink, I promise it's a shockingly bright purple. And yes, all of these pictures were taken at O'Hare Airport during my layover. I mean, well, I SHOULD have called Lizzle and the Librarian Pirate and gone and had drinks, but then I probably would have missed my flight, and well, missing work because you missed your flight because you were drinking in Chicago is frowned upon by those that are uncool...

Back from The Kron

And yes, The Kron is what we're now officially calling Akron.

And surprisingly, I went in with an upbeat attitude - we had some areas of Akron to check out that sounded fun and exciting. I thought it was going to be fine. I kept telling myself it was going to be fine.

And, predictably, I HATED it. Seriously, I cried. I am a pathetic girl.

But, looking back, I think it was more of a reaction to the stress I'm feeling about finding a job for one year, the thought of uprooting my life, basically putting my plans on hold for a year, so my husband can take this fabulously exciting, important, logical-to-his-career, ridiculously prestigious job. One of the areas we looked at was really cute, and I'm excited to find a cute little apartment there. But... I'm still nervous. I mean, the people in Akron could hate me, and I'd have no friends for a year.

On a good note, though, while flipping radio stations on the way back to Toledo today, I stopped on what I thought was Baby Got Back. But NO. It was.... Baby Got Book.

OK, Ohio Might Not Be That Boring

I'm at my in-law's today. The big trip over to my home-for-one-year is tomorrow, and I know it's going to be fine, even though I complain.

Besides hang out with the fabulous dogs (a dalmation and a beagle, pictures when I get home) my husband and I stopped by the Toledo Museum of Art this afternoon. Not only is it one of the top ten art museums in the country (filled with amazingly famous paintings that you see and say, "Really? This is in Toledo? Ohio?? I thought it would be in New York, or Europe, or California, not.... Ohio."), but right now there's a beautiful exhibition on Louis Comfort Tiffany that seriously blew my mind. If you're anywhere in the vicinity, GO! Seriously. There's no way that any picture book can show you how awesome his stained glass panels and lamps are. There are no words. Go now. (And the museum itself is free. The exhibition is about $5, but on Fridays, students are free. I knew there was a reason I keep my college ID in my wallet still...)

And yes, I'll tell you the big story about why I'm in Akron for One Year when I get home. And Pookie, in 18 months I'm headed to Manhattan, and we can be BOTS together. Or at least go out for drinks.

And, for your entertainment, while I'm gone:

Seriously, my friend making the movie, visit him, the stuff is so interesting! He's talking about the process of color correcting and transfering his film, and there's all sorts of pictures. And Brian, if SWERVE wins any awards, or goes to any festivals, I want an invite.

And check this girl out. All of her entries are hysterical. Especially this one, read the conversation between the donkey and the elephant. I laughed so hard I spit. And check out this one, too.

Oh, and I sat down on the plane wearing my new pink shoes (with a black skirt and top... Court may be right, I might be Stevie Nicks and no, not that same skirt and top. Completely different. I own a lot of black.), and the middle aged man sitting next to me says, "For a second I thought that you had tissue stuffed between your toes, and I wanted nothing to do with you, but now I see it's a flower, and that's ok." It made me laugh.

Even My Vacations Are Boring:

I'm headed to the airport with The Husband to go check out Akron, Ohio, as it's soon to be my Home for One Year (which reminds me, has anyone read A Widow for One Year? AMAZING book.). And hang out in the greater Ohio area. And I'll probably blog from Ohio - I mean, I've got 2 plane rides tonight, someone's got to do something worth talking about either on the plane or in the airport, right?

And I keep telling myself that Akron won't be bad. Akron won't be bad. Akron won't be bad....

Winter Wonderland

I know I've complained about this before, but people in this town SUCK at driving in any sort of weather.

This morning was the first snow of 2006 in St. Louis. Not much, it just made the trees look pretty. It didn't even stick. But as soon as I saw the snow outside, I knew I had to leave for work early. I gave myself 40 minutes to drive the usual 25 minute route.

And it took 50.

Frankly, I wanted to ram every car on the road going 10 mph (especially those with big W stickers on them). Which was most of them - well, some of the dare devils were going 15. And... visibility was NOT impaired, there was no snow on the road, there was no ice, the road was just wet.

But the best surprise waited for me at work - why do people feel the need to wear their lovely 80s snowflake themed sweaters on days that it snows? Seriously, in the workplace, are we supposed to think that it's cute? Are we supposed to believe that it was just up in the rotation? I would have more sympathy for the sweater if it was worn on a non-snow day. But I'd have the most sympathy for the sweater if it was given to those starving children in Africa.

My Lame Attempt at a Mastercard Commercial:

Nine West Skimmers: $9.98


Anne Klein strappy sandals: $29.98


Seeing this at the bottom of your credit card slip:

Priceless.

Overcompensating With Accessories:

In MarciaLand, when one feels not quite up to the tasks at hand, one acccesorizes. Fabulously.



Have a really bad cold? Wear these earrings, and no one will notice!



This little pink Coach wristlet covers up for the fact that you don't know what you're doing... as long as you don't have much to carry with you while you fake it...


Been puking your guts out all morning? This necklace will distract people!


Feeling lost? Wrap a decorative scarf around your neck, waist, back, or even tie it in your hair...

(I can't decide which of these is my favorite... my first dangly earrings, the wristlet my husband gave me, the necklace I've worn regularly for 4 years, or the scarf I bought at a botique in Telluride when I was 11...)

What Not To Do:

I've just seen an ad on tv for "Little Women: The Musical."

Does anyone else think that this is a HORRENDOUS idea?

Sesto Meucci, How Do I Love You?

I wore these to work with jeans and a red sweater... Once upon a time, I bought these to wear to a big thing with a sexy little black dress and a Burberry tote. I don't wear them enough, though - 4 times in 2 years? I really need to organize my shoe collection better so that I don't neglect fabulous shoes like this!

UPDATE: Liz, as requested....

The classic looking down on my toes view...


And the closeup of the detailing. It's actually miniscule little cut outs!

I Am L.A.Z.Y.

I should say something about the State of the Union address, but instead, I'll just link to Blogography.

I should tell you about the job I want, but instead I'll just link to Kat.

There are 2 blogs to tell you about - and I will do that, because if I'm not going to entertain you, I'm at least going to tell you who will:

The Lieutenant Years (she's a friend, she's military, she's in London. There are pictures of her with Drag Queens. Why are you not clicking? CLICK!)

Slowly Boiling Frog (This has been on my blogroll for forever, but I don't know how many of you check it out - he does recaps of 24 and Lost. We would be lost without his sarcasm and his witty observations. And of course, his running tally of both people killed this season on 24 and of how many times Jack says "There's no time." And the comments get pretty heated.)

And now, I should say goodbye, but I'll just link to The Grumpy Owl.

The "What Shall We Have For Dinner?" Game, and Why I Will Always Win.

Alright, so we all know that I'm Martha Stewart (minus the jail time and bitchiness, plus youth, beauty, and black hair).

But even Martha Stewart occasionally needs ideas for what to cook for dinner. So, she looks around the internet, through her vast collection of cook books, watches the food network on tv... but then, still without inspiration, Martha occasionally has to ask her husband for ideas.

"Honey, what do you want for dinner?" I ask. "Oh, I don't know, sweetie. Everything you make is good." And we wonder why the real Martha Stewart is divorced. "Well, honey, I'm out of ideas. You have to give me either a kind of meat or a type of cuisine." My husband is barely looking up from his video game. His NCAA Football dynasty is in it's 4th season. "Hmmm... What about Brazilian?" This is not a real suggestion. I know that. He knows that. But I also know that I can win at this game.

I found this recipe for a Brazilian Shrimp Stew. It was easy and made the house smell fantastic. My husband asked for seconds. I am literally a goddess in the kitchen.