Current Celebrity Infatuation

I've been a fan of Nicole Richie since she was overweight, ridiculous and starring alongside Paris Hilton (not a fan of this one, by the way) in The Simple Life. She's come a loooooong way since those days (phew!), and I like her even more now (a friend of mine even bought me this for my birthday a few years ago.)

I've been following her pregnancy and checking a fan site (that doesn't seem to be working right now, but it's www.nicolerichie.org) daily (yes, I realize that's a bit much.) Yesterday, she gave birth to a baby boy she named . . . get ready for this . . . Sparrow James Midnight Madden. Wowza', that's a mouthful! Now, I'm not knockin' it, by any means. After all, celebrities can get away with blessing their children with ridiculous names (and if you knew what I plan on naming my first son, you'd ask, "What? You think you're a celebrity or something?")

Nicole and her Baby Daddy, Benji Madden, also have a precious little girl named Harlow Winter Kate (I actually really like this name.)

Band Beat

Datarock, a Norwegian duo, is a fun, "indie-pop" (gag at the label) band that consistently puts a smile on my face every time I listen to one of their tunes. At first, though, I vetoed them all the way and was just about to toss 'em to the wind when I started bobbing my head and smiling. So give them a chance.

Fa-Fa-Fa
I need a shot
I need a shot of ambition
I need a hit
I need a hit of nutrition
I need a fix
I need to fix my ignition
If you want to whip me into shape
I need a plan or a mission

Cause I'm gunna ride fast, going nowhere
And I left my brain in the past
I'm gunna ride fast
To where I don't care

Faa Faa Faa FA FA FA FA Faa

Weekend Highlights

I had a great time in Charleston this weekend, minus having a forced conversation Friday night with Thomas' mother. (I really wanted to stay in the car, but didn't want to be a complete heifer). She met us in Columbia to take Thomas for the weekend, and as we were talking, she (very out of the blue) said, "You guys are such a great little makeshift family!" W. T. F.?!?!?! She's so freakin' clueless. Don't even get me started.

Bradford has my laptop, so I'll have to post some Labor Day photos at the end of the week. But here are some highlights:

1. Took some photos with the Polaroid, yay! (Coincidentally, I found this, so if you're a Polaroid film user, get on this action).
2. Had great coffee and bagels at Charleston Bagel Company, where we sat outside, read magazines and enjoyed the breeze.
3. Saw 500 Days of Summer (I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to see this). Loved every minute of it.
4. Drank a couple of pints and ate crab chowder at a proper Irish pub called Madra Rua. Did not think I would enjoy this experience at first, but it grew on me, and I had a really good time. It's definitely not a "Hey, let's bring our wives and girlfriends to watch the game!" kind of pub, though.
5. Walked along the shore at Sullivan's Beach for a good two hours. Talked about life, our future, Thomas, school, dance, my bad eyesight . . . everything. It was my favorite part of the weekend.

UO greatness

If you're near an UO this weekend (like I'll be --- heading to Charleston for Labor Day weekend to see my mans) check out this $39 Denim Sale . . . All together now, "Sweeeeeeeet." It's this weekend only, so take advantage. Here are my favs.

Band Beat

I love a good all-female rock band, and I've been enjoying these French ladies quite a bit, especially this little tune. Check them out!

Barcelona
You can use anyone
But it won’t be long ’til somebody finds
there’s something wrong.
Now, four seasons have passed
Buried at last, and covered in ash
Our love is gone.

Say whatever you want
but the beat goes on
It’s better for us to stay away
Wait, I have enough faith, courage and strength,
just to move on and meditate.

Let’s get down in Barcelona
I like romancing, but I don’t wanna
Let’s get down in Barcelona
tonight we’re dancing like no tomorrow.

Now, just like before
we’re both on the floor
and we will get out of this another time
And, as we’re shaking hands
we understand, you go your way
and I go mine.

Let’s get down in Barcelona
I like romancing, but I don’t wanna
Let’s get down in Barcelona
tonight we’re dancing like no tomorrow.

Falling down, falling down,
touch the ground, touch the ground
Going mad, going mad, not too bad, not too bad

Let’s get down in Barcelona
I like romancing, but I don’t wanna
Let’s get down in Barcelona
tonight we’re dancing like no tomorrow.

Current Celebrity Infatuation

Alexander Skarsgard

Soooo, I can't get enough of this dude. Seriously. He plays Eric Northman in True Blood (Bradford and I are all up on this show --- we can't get enough). The villainous Eric, my Current Celebrity Infatuation (CCI), is the vampire sheriff of Bon Temps, La., and he's rude, crude . . . and quite frankly, I like it. And anyone who knows me KNOWS I prefer a dark-haired, dark-eyed guy any day. Which is why when I first said something to Bradford about how the sight of him makes my knees tremble, he was a little confused . . . and a little annoyed, for that matter. And rightly so. When we're watching the show and Eric comes onscreen, I immediately start fidgeting. I sit up a little straighter in bed. And without thinking, I'm all like, "Look how tall he is!" or "Monkey, seriously! He's got to be what? 7'2"? He's so tall!" Yep. Way to figuratively gut punch your boyfriend, Amy. Your dear boyfriend, who, bless him, is pushing 5'7".

Ladies, if you're with a vertically-challenged man, the number one rule is to NEVER talk about height. It's a huge self-esteem downer, and I know better. And no matter how much you say, "I don't love you because of your height!" it doesn't matter. It's a big ol' deal to them.

So now, I can never talk about Alexander Skarsgard again . . . to Bradford, anyway.

Rummaging is hard to do.

I spent most of the day Saturday rummaging through my Grandma's house. She passed away in May, and my dad has been asking me for weeks to come "see what I want." I've been putting it off like crazy because . . . well, I just don't feel right about this sort of thing. And bless my dad's heart. He doesn't know what he's doing. He's an only child. He was super close to her, so I know it must be hard figuring out what to keep, what to toss and what to give to his children.

Not gonna' lie. It felt really weird going through her dresser drawers, closet bins and pretty much any nook and cranny we could find. I was intrigued at the same time, though. I actually learned a couple of things about the woman I was never really close to, but spent a lot of time with. For instance, Grandma loved a scarf. Neeeever saw her wear one, but boy did she have drawers and drawers full of 'em. Presents she could never bring herself to re-gift? Yeah, I think so too. Grandma also loved silverware. Yes, silverware. I found boxes and boxes (and boxes) of silverware. I even found a random spoon or fork in a couple of dresser drawers. Maybe she believed in some weird superstition that if you put silverware in your sock drawer, you'll be protected from vampires? (Yes, I totally just made a reference to True Blood --- addicted to that show, by the way).

In all seriousness, although I felt weird, it made me see her in a different light. And I found myself having to fight back tears throughout the day. Sometimes, I'd look over at Dad . . . and I could see he was fighting 'em back too.

Here are a few things Pops gave me, plus lots of cool pictures, figurines and blankets.

How sweet is this Polaroid? It even had some film in it . . . ahhhhh.

He also gave me one similar to the Polaroid on the left.

I also found a vintage green cosmetic case with her initials on the front, similar to this one. (Photo via Fairytale Wishes & Dreams)

Reading Rainbow . . . and a gift

This morning, Paula informed me that after today, Reading Rainbow will be no more. Of course, my reaction to this piece of 4-1-1 was, "WHAT?!?" I. Can't. Believe. It. I loved RR when I was little. I can remember watching it in daycare . . . No more LeVar? No more "Butterfly in the sky/I can go twice as high/Take a look/It's in a book/A reading rainbow" Man - it was such a huge part of my childhood. To reminisce like I did immediately after hearing the news, watch this.

On a different, happier note, my sister gave me this unexpected, kick-ass present on Wednesday. It's a Hawkeye Kodak Instamatic! Isn't she beautiful?! I can't wait to get it cleaned, order film and use it!!! I was thinking about my camera collection last night . . . I REALLY need to devote more time to using them. I love photography so much, but I rarely have time to use my cameras other than my point-and-shoot (I do love you, Canon Elph!) This is definitely something I need to concentrate on.

Pretty pieces

I have a thing for jewelry. My family sometimes jokes about the "gypsy" in me (and I don't take offense to this - I love all my jewelry. I love mixin' and matchin'. It can be overkill sometimes, I admit. But I just love it all). Check out these jewels from KJ's Laundry. Not cheap, but hey, it's always nice to look!And I love the clothes, too!

Listen up!

Here's a tiny sampling of what I've been listening to lately, in addition to NPR and (shamelessly) Kidd Kraddick in the Morning (I can't help it).

*Side Note: It's been only a few days since B and T moved, and I miss 'em something terrible. It's going to be "a tough row to hoe," as B's mama says. Makes me laugh when she says it. And the convo below between my co-worker, Paula, and me does, too.

me: how do you spell "hoe?" (see quote above).
her: like a' ho-bag? H-O.
me: no, no. like "hoe the dirt."
her: oh. H-O-E then.
me: (chuckling).
A couple of minutes later . . .
her: why are you writing about a hoe?
me: i'm bloggin' about it.
her: about a dirt hoe?
me: (chuckling again).

It should be noted that periodically throughout the day, I blurt out random questions like this to Paula. Thanks for puttin' up with my silly questions and shenanigans, Boo!!!

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

Neyo - Closer

Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One Cat Stevens - Wild World
Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel
KOL - Fans