Tunes on Tuesday: I like a lil' bit of everything, or...

...I did it! My little brain figured out how to embed music, yay!

I like all kinds of music. It's probably easier to say what I don't like, death metal, hard-core rap and bluegrass gospel, than what I do. I mostly wake up everyday with a song in my brain (mostly)so I figured I would start sharing with you the music that runs through my head and sometimes heart. Maybe we can all sing together...

1. Elton John


2. Jennifer Paige


3. Genesis


4. and because Picky Pants insisted: Weird Al Yankovic


A little background on #4...I took the girls to go see Weird Al over the summer (my 3rd time!) and that was Picky Pants first concert (Cupcakes too actually) and she fell in love! She wants bugs me to listen to him every chance she gets.

relax,
paulina

ps. I know its not Tuesday but I was so excited I went ahead and posted it

Wednesday's Reads: To be or not to be...a movie that is.

Ever start a book, get disgusted and then give up on it?

It happened to me this week. I struggled through the first 30 pages of "Bone Magic" by Yasmine Galenorn then finally had to slam it down in disgust. Within 30 pages the main character, Camille and one of her lovers, Morio raise zombies, bring them down, go to a crime scene, eat snickers, take a shower/bath, make love, talk to her sisters, and so on and so on.

"What's wrong with that?" you ask. "Sounds action-packed." Yeah, it would be if I didn't get the feeling that the writer was trying way too hard. The characters didn't just walk, they tripped, stumbled, meandered, strolled and ambled. They also didn't just talk, they mumbled, murmured, yelled. You get the point. That thesaurus of hers was getting a workout! I was got the feeling that the writer really wants this series to become a movie, a la Underworld, she even named the alternate universe Otherworld. (hmmmm? <shakes head>). There is just too much packed into this book. There are vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies and even a ghost leopard (what?!) roaming these pages. Even how the good guys and bad guys are set up, there are acronyms for everything. Like FBH, OIA, OW, UAPT, I had to keep referring to the glossary in the back. See what I mean? There's even a glossary for this piece of crap. I think the writer was going "yeah, if I have a bunch of acrynoms and seals that are broken/going to be broken and that if it's a race against time and I make Camille big and brassy Time-Warner is bound to make a movie out of this. Then I'm rich biatch" (side note: do you miss The Dave Chappelle Show too?)

I guess Camille and her family are supposed to be hunting down some seals that the bad guys want too and if the seals get broken then the big big baddie will come. I don't know <shrugs>.  Also, the love scenes (if I can call them that!) made me feel like a dirty fly on the wall. Almost felt like I had to take a shower afterwards... and not a cold one. A hot scalding one that would help burn the images out of my brain.  Call me old-fashioned but I like it when the guy "tenderly brushed her hair back" or "she trembled at his touch". I like romantic love and what the writer described was no way romantic! Maybe she was trying to show the passion between the characters but I think she just went way too far. I could keep going with everything that's wrong with it but... See why I dropped it? All that within 30 pages!

After I threw that piece of crap in the fire returned it to the library, I picked up "The Devotion of Suspect X" by Keigo Higashino. What a beautiful piece of work! I mean that. I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries or romances or thrillers. Compared to the above the writing in this is stark. The writer gets his point across without having to be so descriptive. What happens is that one of the the main characters, Yasuko, gets herself into a bit of a spot and her neighbor, Ishigami, finds out and helps her. Detectives get involved and try to figure out what happened. What follows is simply awesome! This is a book that when I finished I had a tear in my eye and I had to sit there and absorb it for few minutes. I don't want to say too much more because I want you to go out there and read it!

This is a book where the writer put real feeling into it and it comes across to make you feel for the characters. This is a book where afterwards I said "that has got to be a movie" and guess what? It is! Although, boooo, Netflix doesn't carry it. I'm going to have to go hunt this one down. I've gotta have it!

If you have this movie will you send it to me? ;)

relax,
paulina

p.s. see Ms. Galenorn, a writer doesn't think about the movie first...it just happens if the writing is good enough!

Movie Monday: Sometimes love can be crazylike!!

"He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not."

Another Audrey Tatou movie, she stars as Angelique an art student in love with a cardiologist. Remember "He Said, She Said" (with Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins) and how it was from two different perspectives? This movie has that same theme-it changes perspective halfway through. But, really I can't say much more than that as I don't want to give anything away. This movie does leave an impression (at least for a day) as one mulls it over. I saw a different side of Audrey than from her vapid, scheming character in "Priceless" and I liked it! She is a pretty good actress and I was impressed. I saw that "A Very Long Engagement" has come up on Netflix. It's a movie about a woman (played by Audrey) whose fiancé disappeared during WWI. It came out in 2004 and has been hailed as a masterpiece. I look forward to watching it. Possibly this week?  -- (as I was watching the trailer for "He Loves Me..." I saw that it was a Samuel Goldwyn film! Princess Bride fans take note. hmmm..maybe that's also why I liked it ;) )

Truth: I like cartoons. I like adventure/hero/magical type of cartoons, like Spider-man, The X-men, Hellboy, Adventure Time, Jackie Chan Adventures, etc... One year for The Hubs birthday we went and saw "Yu-Gi-Oh, The Movie". The Hubs likes 'toons too and that was one of his favorites.  I still quote my fave line from it..."Nobody but nobody calls me a nobody, you bunch of nobodies!" (said by Joey) My kids like that I like cartoons, sometimes on Saturdays we'll curl up and watch all morning. Before you say anything, yes I do watch Adult Swim too! One of my faves was "The Mighty Boosh". It's not a cartoon but it has a swami with a talking baboon, a man who talks to animals who wants to be a singer, a man who cleans up after the animals who wants to a writer/poet/jazz musician (they work at a zoo - at least in the beginning) Sounds silly? It is! And hilarious.

So..why bring up cartoons? Okay, I'm getting to that. I happened to watch an episode of Spider-man called "Head Over Heals". It's about a girl who is obsessed with Spider-man and thinks they are soulmates. I happened to watch this one about two days after the movie. I was like "Woah, that's a trip, but now I have a theme for Movie Monday! Thanks Universe!" And, no, I didn't go through the list and pick that one; we had been watching them in order.

Love can be extremely crazylike. Have you ever felt that you and someone else were meant to be together, if only they would realize it too? It can be innocent like falling in love with one of your best friends (a la Peter Parker) or not so innocent like falling for a married man (a la Angelique). I have. I've always known that Dan Ackroyd and I were meant to be together!*

Speaking of cartoons I also watched "Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms" which takes place in Japan. And speaking of Japan....

relax,
paulina 

*haha j/k...its really Harrison Ford...

Fashion Cent$ Sunday: Take the decision out of my hands

Remember the closet Cher had in Clueless? I really wish I had that.

But since I can't fit electronic racks into my closet can I at least get that program? I would love to wake up and click "dress me" and voila! my lil comp comes up with the perfect outfit! yay! No thinking on my part! Does anyone know if there really is a program like that? If not, can you make one for me? ;)

THE 'FITS:
Mon: pants: Cherokee: thrift: $5
sweater: Mossimo: MIL: free
tank: route 66: very old: ?
shoes: not rated: CIL (cousin): free
total: $5 (?)



holding up the walls

 

sucking it in..sucking it in...hurry..



Tues: pants: tahari arthurs.levine: AIL: free
tank: mossimo: AIL (aunt inlaw): free (just got two big bags from her and MIL--be prepared)
sweater: ?: AIL: free
shoes: flings: MIL: free
total: FREE



when coming across a fence, one must pose



unless one steps in something questionable

Wed: pants: new york & company: ross: $10
tunic: ?: AIL: free
shoes: to the max: walmart: 10
total: $20

running out of ideas



"let me think" click "well..that'll work"



oooo....sparkles...

Thur: pants: Harve Benard: thrift: $4
sweater set: colour works: AIL: free
shoes: bijou: chadwicks: 9
total: $13

jazz hands

bop bop sh'bop

making the fish face

Fri: skirt: prague: AIL: free

sweater: talbots: thrift: $1
t-shirt: FOTL: the hubs: (borrowed)
shoes: ? :thrift: 5
total: $6

eewwww...muddy..

my walking-away-but-looking-back look

peek a boo


relax,
paulina

Fashion Cent$ Sunday: This is my first time...

...putting pictures of outfits in my blog. I'm a little nervous maybe that's why I've waited to post this. But here goes. I'm going to take this as an opportunity to see what works and what doesn't and to see how, hopefully, my style changes. I have decided that I am finally a grown-up and that I need to dress accordingly, no more just throwing on something. I am going to start taking care of my clothes more and pay attention to classic pieces. Thanks to my mother-in-law I have been introduced to three labels that I am all about now: Rayure, Prague and Moschino. Believe me, I went straight to ebay and put down three bids!! I figure I can build up my wardrobe a bit at a time without breaking the bank. It'll be fun to focus on some new brands and be able to incorporate them in.

But for now...you and I are stuck with what I got.  A little background: I like thrift stores (have three favs), rummage sales, clearance racks and don't mind buying second hand shoes (granted they have to be in FAB condition). My fave colors to wear are black, red, grey and white but have started to really like purple lately. Well, anyway...you'll see.  (ps. i try not to take myself too seriously, as will be made clear, very very clear....)

THE 'FITS

Monday= skirt:destiny:BCF:$10
red sweater:evie:thrift:4
white sweater:Designers Original:MIL(motherinlaw):free
shoes:george:walmart:5
white tank:mossimo:target:5
TOTAL:$24


wait..let me ponder on these white legs for a minute...



oh, oh...let me cover these suckers up.

Tuesday: jeans:hydraulic:ross:$12
black t: gap:thrift:3
sweater:worthington:thrift:4
boots:impo:rummage sale:2
TOTAL:$21



hurry it's windy and I gotta go potty

how to look good in a lineup

Wednesday:skirt: AnnTaylor Loft:thrift:3
shirt:secret treasures:?:? (old)
sweater:?:gift:free (also old)
tights:?:walmart:2
shoes:bucco:BCF (burlington coat factory):10
TOTAL:$15 (approximate)

bottom of shoe: right foot



ummm...the sun's in my face...


Thursday:jeans:gap:gap:$20 (sale! yay!)
black tank:danskin:walmart:5
sweater:bcbg max azaria:thrift:4
shoes:nickels:thrift:5
TOTAL:$34

when will that bus get here?

i think your finger is in the way

oooo...cozy...

Friday:skirt:Ann Taylor loft:thrift:5
black shirt:carol rose:ross:5
sweater:mossimo:gift:free
tights:?:walmart:2 (!)
boots:glacee:rummage sale (same one from above):2
TOTAL:$14

i'm either tripping or running, don't really know

life!

i said no more, really!

under my boots...sad, mismatched socks... :

relax,
paulina

Best of Fridays: 13 Sweaters

Best website: http://www.dressingvintage.com/
Awesome vintage clothing site I stumbled across. They have handbags, dresses, scarves, shoes, books, patterns...quite a few things on my wish list already. Like this Chanel jacket here.

Best free clothes: MIL cleaned out her closet and passed these on to me:


never worn Prague dress, slightly worn Fling t-straps & purse. I will be wearing this!


Best freebies of week: I got these freebies in the mail this week. Check out http://www.shop4freebies.com/ everyday for new freebies!!



coffee




lotion


Best deal: My local Thrift-Town had a .99cent sweater sale on Friday and guess how many sweaters I bought?  12 recount: 13! for a grand total of $12.95!! I got two for Little Monster, three for The Hubs, two for Cupcake and the rest are mine..all mine! Believe me I could have kept going everywhere I turned there were more and more racks :)  These sweaters will be definitely be featured on Fashion Cent$ Sunday. My best find of all? This vest that is 100% shetland wool and made in Ireland!! .99cents baby...



see?! (Picky Pants snuck that in as I was snapping)



My finds!!


Best music: Through http://www.theneedledrop.com/ I hear some great and not so great music. This week I found  Útidúr. They are from Iceland. With horns and nice melodic singing it kinda gives me a Cake vibe, kinda folksy.  Here let me share:  Útidúr- Fisherman's Friend.

Best video: This is a new-to-me vid by Timbaland called The Morning After Dark.  I just really like it, I like the faces that Timbaland makes and, girl crush here, So Shy is beautiful!! Here, enjoy:

So, that rounds out my week. How was yours?

relax,
Paulina

Tasty Thursday: I Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday for a Hamburger Today

Hamburgers. mmmm....

I'm an all-american girl when it comes to food. Hot dogs, hamburgers, Hawaiian pizza, french fries, milkshakes. (yes, i eat fruits and veggies too)

With so many burger stands and burger recipes out there my goal for the new year is to try a different stand/restaurant and new recipes (hopefully one a week). I'm tired of the same 'ol, same 'ol. I get scared to try new things, afraid I won't like it. But really there is nothing to be afraid of. The Hubs likes everything so I shouldn't worry about having a couple of bites, hating it, feeling guilty about not eating what I ordered and so on when a doggie bag becomes the perfect midnight snack/breakfast/lunch for my honey.

Hmmm...in a weird way that was just me saying I'm going to EAT NEW FOODS this year!! Did you hear that world? I'm coming out of my shell...but not really out of the hamburger buns. Hey, I gotta start slow and new burger joints are a way for me to put a crack in that bun...errr..shell. It's just the beginning maybe by the end of the year I'll be eating sushi!*

So...today The Hubs and I are trying out a new spot, Lou's Burgers and this weekend I'm The Hubs is going to cook up a new recipe, The Roethlis-Burger that I found through Dee Dee's Delights. (Thank you!) I'll post pics and results...later

Also, found this this week through Flavorful World food and drink blog. What goes better with hamburgers than...chocolate milk!

 "Chocolate milk?" you ask "What about beer?" Yes, chocolate milk, if said drink is 40 proof!! This is definitely NSFW-or-the-kiddies kind of drink. It's from Adult Beverage Company and does it look yuuuummmy, but at 24$ for a liter this is just a once in a while when i we really need a hotel room treat. I will be buying this (a special surprise for The Hubs and me...so...ssshhh). I'll report back how it went tasted!!

so in parting I leave you with this...

relax,

Paulina

*neh, probably not...

Wednesday's Reads: Murder, Mayhem and a Merry Christmas (maybe)

I know what you're saying..."Merry Christmas? Really? Haven't you heard it's like the fifth day of 2011?"

Yes, yes, and yes (wait, really? already?)

Now, the explanation. I have just finished two books that, coincidentally, had to do with murder around Christmas time. (well not a coincidence exactly since one of the books was A Cat on Jingle Bell Rock..but the other..major coincidence...haha) The two books were the aforementioned A Cat on Jingle Bell Rock by Lydia Adamson and The Demon's Parchment by Jeri Westerson.

A Cat on Jingle Bell Rock (how many more times can I say that?) is a short paperback mystery starring Alice Nestleton who is an actress, cat-sitter and unofficial private detective. She is recruited by one of her old friends to figure out what happened when the yearly donation from an anonymous benefactor doesn't come in to the homeless shelter (he helps runs) in time for (here's where the holiday comes in) their annual Christmas goose feast. (whew, that was a mouthful)

This is number 15 in the series which I didn't know until I looked up on Goodreads. From the inside cover I knew that there were others but had no idea that there was such a big collection. But of course, not surprising since I had never heard of these books before last week. This one was published in 1997 and according to Goodreads the author was still cranking them out way back in 2002. Oh by the way, Lydia Adamson is just a pseudonym for Franklin B. King which I didn't know either. Thanks Goodreads!

It's a fast read, witty and if you're smarter than me probably easy to figure out whodunit.

The Demon's Parchment is also a murder mystery set around Advent. The main character, Crispin Guest, is also a private detective of sorts although here he calls himself a "tracker".  This book is number 3 of The Crispin Guest Medieval Noir series. I haven't read the others. I picked this one up because I told myself that (resolution/goal here) I would start reading books from the "NEW" bookshelf at the library and the cover attracted me plus the whole "medieval noir" got my curiosity going.

So, Crispin Guest is recruited by a doctor, who works for the king, to locate some missing parchments. These parchments may or may not have something to do with the Golem that may or may not be loose in the streets of London and they may or may not have something to do with the murder of young boys that have started.  Overall, I liked it...it was a tad gruesome/disturbing but mixed with a bit of humor as Crispin questions his masculinity (you'll see). One ends up liking this hero-of-sorts as he wrestles with his good and bad sides. I also liked his apprentice Jack whom Crispin rescued from the streets. He's a street-smart street-urchin. 

The author did tend to use a lot of similes some of which made me shake my head a little. There is also a "blog" that Crispin Guest is supposed to be "writing" (crispinguest.com). At first, I scoffed and said "well that's a good schtick" but....truth..curiosity got the better of me (again) and I checked it out subscribed to "his" posts. I'll probably end up reading the next book...

relax,
Paulina

disclaimer: I am no way, shape or form a professional book reviewer! stick with me hopefully they will get better. Ha!

Movie Monday: Rome Rome Rome Rome

Last night I revisited Angels and Demons. The Hubs hadn't seen it yet. I had gone by myself the first weekend it came out. And yes, maybe I should have waited for him but...but..I was just really really excited, okay? I had just finished the book and just couldn't wait to see how it translated on the big screen. I was quite happy with the results and pleasantly surprised to see Ewan McGregor in it since I am a fan, especially as Obi-Wan Kenobi....


padawan? or...

master?  mmm...too hard to decide

Of course, I bought it. (yes, also have The DaVinci Code) We finally got around to watching it. Hubs didn't like it as much as DVC. I like this one better. Go figure! I want to go to Rome now and find these statues and follow The Path of the Illuminati. I just found this as I was typing! Cool! You (me) can take a virtual tour of Rome (well...doing a quick click through..it's okay. I'll find some other site to satisfy my wanderlust) while planning the literal trip.

Rome is on my bucket list. Full of history and creepy/fascinating statues (didn't I tell you about my revulsion/attraction to statues? I blame Clash of the Titans I saw it when I was only four really young).

Plus, with my most favorite group having this song....Rome just sounds that much more romantic, no?

Phoenix -Rome

relax,

Paulina

(ps..hmm..i said "just" too much. will have to find another synonym)





Movie Monday: Sorcerers and French Kisses

On Mondays I like to talk about movies. Yeah, yeah I know today is technically Friday Saturday, but I told myself I was going to catch up on this here blog with no more falling behind. So, that means I have a whole week to write about...lucky you!!

First off...Happy New Year!!

I have dubbed this "The Year of Being The Grown-up". I am going to get more financially responsible and take matters into my own hands instead of waiting for something to drop out of the sky. Since October I feel like I have been floundering because I don't have a set schedule or structure (other than taking the kiddies to school and so forth). I had a schedule when I was working, you know the whole 9-5 work week then play with kids on weekends. I even managed to see Phoenix 8 times within a 15 month period since June of 2009. So basically, life was work, kids, concert, work, kids, concert...  Now that Phoenix has stopped touring and I am no longer working I'm like "aaaahhhh!!! Now what?" Yes, I am doing the school thing but I was moving really slow these past few months while I floundered.

So, no more. No more floundering, no more feeling sorry for myself, no more waiting on others. I am going to put on my big girl pants, slap myself in the face and wake up!!

I made some goals for myself and I'd like to share three with you:
1) Save money for my birthday this year so that when it finally rolls around I will have my own money to do with what I like!! I'm thinking Vegas...
2) Buy myself (at least) one Chanel item a year. I'm a grown-up now (i think) and I deserve to celebrate all my hard work at the end of the year. And I just really like Chanel (and Nina Ricci and Ferragamo and Valentino...)
3) Do the week in a day cooking. I would like to take one day and prep for the rest of the week. I think it would really save me time and help me look forward to cooking at night when one is just too pooped.

Not really resolutions more like goals. I have also made this the figurative "Mullet Year". What's that, you ask? It's a year where you do your business in the beginning of the year so that at end you can paaarrrtttyy!! I would like my goals accomplished by September so I can enjoy the end of the year with little stress and worry.

What are your plans and/or goals?
 
Now...on to point of this blog. Movie Mondays. This week I watched The Sorcerer's Apprentice. You know, the one with Nic Cage. It was good (shrugs shoulder), I really don't have anything bad to say about it. The dorky kid is likable and Nicolas Cage is well...Nicolas Cage. I liked that they did an "homage" of sorts to the original Sorcerer's Apprentice (from Fantasia) and the kids liked it so overall a good family movie. It had magical violence and some humor. The only thing is that the dorky kid's love interest had a very Kristen Stewart look to her that was kinda distracting, I kept thinking "Is that KS?" and the whole love thing between the two of them was just kinda thrown in I felt. But still worth renting.

Next movie I watched was Priceless with Audrey Tautou. It was cute. It is French so I watched with the subtitles, natch. (But I was like "yay!" when I could pick out words here and there without the subtitles..I'm learning!) For some reason I had a bug to watch a romantic comedy in french and ended up picking a good one. The character Irene only falls for rich men, a gold-digger if you will, and one day she meets Jean who she thinks is rich...but really...is not! (shocker) I mean, so it is a little predictable but you end up liking Jean from the beginning and kinda hating Irene till near the end when her vulnerability starts to show. Jean even gets himself into a romantic predicament. It's funny, it's cute, the clothes are to die for and Audrey Tautou is sooo waif-like you almost want her to eat more lobster and caviar (here honey, have some bread). I just looked up her other movies, duh..she was the girl in The DaVinci Code (slaps forehead). I ended up liking her and will watch He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not next then Coco Before Chanel. Considering my new Chanel goal I should watch this, no?

Do you guys like Audrey Tautou? Do you watch foreign films for the fun of it?