Rainy Weekend

Yay!  I've been hoping for a rainy weekend because it makes it feel okay to be a lazy bones.

With the exception going for an epic-ly long run (I almost cried at the end, it was so long), after which I met two favorite friends for a fun brunch, I lazy bones-ed it up big times.

Some highlights:

1. Watching two (two!) movies, thanks to screeners my husband had...

Flight
Guys, go see it!  I totally liked it.  With the exception of the really good special effects, this movie totally could have been made in 1996, and I mean that as a compliment.  (Weren't the mid-90s like the Golden Age of Cinema for our generation?)  It was just missing Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

This is 40
"This is 40"?  More like "This is What Happens When You Are Successful And People Don't Say No to You So Can't Evaluate if Your Ideas are Good or Not".  Zing!  (Travis had a better pitch: "This is 40... out of 100")

This is how I think this movie got made: Judd and Leslie were out to dinner with some industry friends, telling a story about their kids being adorable and precocious but also driving them nuts (kids!), and their friends went "OMG, this is SO FUNNY.  Seriously, you guys have to write all this down and turn it into a movie!  I'm so serious!"  And then they did.  Without thinking about how a movie should be, like, interesting and maybe have a point.

To be fair, there were a few things I liked in this movie:

• Performances by Iris Apatow, Charlene Yi and Melissa McCarthy
• The whole thing took place in our neighborhood, so it was fun to see where they shot certain scenes
• A few funny moments that felt authentic

But overall, don't go see this.  I was really excited when we got this screener, but listen to me: you don't need to.  It's not very good, and it's very annoying.

Actually, I hope some of you see this so we can get together and talk about what specifically was so annoying about it.  I have theories.

2. Wearing these Lululemon sweatpants all weekend...

My Christmas wish for all of you is that you could have these pants and wear them all the time.  They are so comfortable and snuggly.  (They are mostly sold out online, but they have a few sizes left.)  Yes, they are a very bizarre cut with a gathered elastic ankle, but that is a huge component of what makes them so fantastic to wear.

3. Four episodes of Law & Order: SVU...

These episodes were all from season 2.  Different characters!  Different Mariska haircuts!  I am so glad I got hooked on this show!

4. Sunday New York Times with some especially ridiculous articles...

This Jude Law feature was my favorite.  The article spent a lot of time talking about how Jude Law is 40 now, and what a relief it is for Jude not to be a young pretty boy anymore... Now his looks are fading (I'm serious; this is the article), and he can really just relax and focus on being an actor without the burden of being handsome and stuff, since now he's old and gross.

And then it goes on to show many different pictures of Jude Law looking very, very handsome, per usual.  Amazing.

How did you spend the first December weekend of the year?

Time Change Bummer

Guys.  I hate standard time.  Can we just all agree to just stay on daylight savings time forever???  Can that be something President Obama does this term?  Please?  Should I tweet that to him?  Will you guys sign a petition?

:: coincidence that it looks like this guy is committing suicide by falling off a building?  i don't think so. ::

When it gets darker earlier, a few things happen:
1.  I want to eat all the time from 4:30pm on -- if it's dark for that many hours, we should be allowed two dinners!
2.  I can't bring myself to exercise after work in the darkness.  (I don't belong to a gym.)
3.  I get super bummed!

I remembered that this same time last year I emailed my brother (who lives in Seattle) and my friend Tara (who lives in Alaska) to be all "OMG I'm dying.  How do you do it in your northern parts???"

If you are feeling like you're about to fall into a pit of darkness-induced depression, here is their wisdom from last year:

My brother said that November's basically the worst month because we haven't yet adjusted to the darkness, and it's getting worse every day.  I think that's a good point.  While it's still getting darker in December, it seems like holiday lights and cheer kind of distract me.  Then after the holidays, it's getting lighter every day -- woohoo!

And this is how Tara started her email to me: "Admittedly, dark places aren't for everyone :)"  Ha.  True dat.  I'm dying here in Los Angeles because it is 60 degrees (brrrrr...) and dark at 5pm.  I couldn't handle Alaska.  Tara recommended going for a walk during the work day to grab lunch or coffee just to remember that there is indeed daylight in the world.  (She also said she went for a run with friends in 7 degree weather.  She is basically an American hero.)

What tips do you have for dealing with the darkness?  Please.  Help me.

Hands Down, Best Kids Halloween Costume. Ever.

Okay, I have an update to my post about kid Halloween costumes.

This has got to take the cake, by far...

These two cuties are Joaquin and Gabriella, my parents' neighbors.  I've met them once in person, but I'm basically obsessed with them, for obvious reasons.

For Halloween last year, Gabriella was Frida Kahlo, and Joaquin was "a Mariachi guy."  I love her unibrow and his black moustache with his white-blond hair.  Too flippin' cute.

:: yes, they often holds hand like that. ::

Because I often like to end with a question, I'll ask one I'm sure you can all relate to: Do your parents have neighborhood kids that you are totally obsessed with? :)

Fabulous Fall Friend Getaway: San Luis Obispo

Last weekend was a super-fun girlfriend road trip up the coast to San Luis Obispo.  Jessie and I were headed up to run a half marathon, but then decided to make a central coast weekend of it, and bring along another friend (and a dog!).  I'd never been to SLO before (except for a quick stop at the Madonna Inn, en route to NorCal), so I was very excited for our adventure.

Although it involved a lot of amazing things, like jamming to 90s mixes in the car, eating BBQ, drinking wine by a creek, a yummy spaghetti feed, watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and a Santa Barbara stop with lunch, fro yo and Lululemon (I know, I know... I just outdid myself), the highlight was Cider Fest at SLO Creek Farms. 

There was live music, apple picking, a pumpkin patch, wildflower fields, and, duh, an apple pie contest.  (After the judging was done, you could just grab a fork and taste the pies.  Sort of gross in concept, but delicious in practice.)

 

:: amazing fresh cider by donation.  in a mason jar, obviously. ::

 

:: just some dudes pressing cider :: 

:: hella pastoral ::

 :: fun bluegrass band, with lots of hula hoops out for kids to go crazy ::

:: had no idea there were this many apples on a tree at a time! ::

:: classic fall farm, guys ::

 

:: "havin' a blast at cider fest!  wish you were here!  -- me" ::

:: lady scarecrow... girl power! ::

And then we had (got to?) run 13 miles the next day, which was so pretty... and an amazing surprise was that the route went right past SLO Creek Farms!  Well hello, old friend!

   

:: friends finishing races together! ::

Any California road trip suggestions?

Quintessentially October: 3 Great October-y Things

As is well established this time of year, every year, fall is the sh*t.

Here are 3 great October-y things:

1.  Baseball!  (Go Giants)
My favorite part of watching sports is developing an emotional connection with the players and the team.  So when a friend drew my attention to this blog, I basically lost my mind.

Um, you guys, it's not just any old player blog.  It's "Brandon and Brandon: A Season with Belt and Crawford" -- Giants Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford's blog.  Love.

And they talk about the game, but also about team friendships and locker room dynamics (The real scoop on Pence's Friday Night Lights-esque pep talks!), hanging out with their wives, and going to Chipotle on the road so they don't need to take forever at a restaurant.  (Seriously, Chipotle is mentioned multiple times.  I love it so much!)

:: first baseman Brandon Belt and wife!! ::

:: shortstop Brandon Crawford and pregnant wife and puppies!!! ::

 2.  Kid Halloween Costumes
It's no secret: I'm obsessed with kids and babies in costumes.  Lucky for me, Jordan at Oh Happy Day has been doing a series on the cutest kid costumes, like, ever.  Check out the whole Homemade Halloween Series here, but here are some of the absolute cutest:

 

Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Me, dying of the cuteness.)

3.  Seasonal Decorating

Pumpkins 'n gourds.  Gourds 'n pumpkins.  Ain't it all just grand?

Emily Henderson did a great roundup of 22 New and Creative Ways to DIY Your Pumpkins.  Check it out.  Here's just a tiny preview (there are 17 other really cool ideas too):

And, while we're talking about gourds, please laugh out loud while you read (or, for most of you, re-read) this hilarious McSweeneys piece.

What's your favorite October-y thing?

Navajo-Inspired Fall Fashion

It looks like it's finally starting to cool down a bit, so it's time for the obligatory "Yay, fall!" moment. 

Yay, fall!

Since LA autumns are still warm enough to go around without socks, I am excited to start wearing my newest fall shoe purchase:

:: Minnetonka Thunderbird II ::

 
Will my husband probably make fun of me for wearing shoes that look like slippers out in public?  Yes, probably.  Do I care?  Not right now, no.  Will I ever care?  If the teasing starts to feel excessive, yeah.  But will I probably ever care?  No, because I'm obsessed with my new moccasins. 


After spending a weekend in Oregon recently, I've started dreaming about having some crazy-lady big Pendleton-y Navajo-y sweater/pancho/cardigan/jacket type thing that has total throw-back style but with a nice modern fit.  I played in the Pendleton store at the Portland airport, and there were some cute things in the Portland Collection, which is basically classic Pendleton style, only with more contemporary, sleek cuts and hipper styles... and also about 75-100% more than Pendleton's normal (and already expensive) prices.  Sad.  But check out how cute the stuff is!

:: Knockabout Cardigan ::

:: Dolman Overcoat ::

:: Coos Curry Cardigan ::

:: Ochoco Pack ::

Sigh.  Something like those sweaters plus the moccasins would be a great fall Farmers Market look, right?

What are you excited to wear in fall?  Any ideas on where I can get my crazy-lady Navajo sweater for not $400?

Fall Books! Yay!

Flavorwire had a fun article this week about the most anticipated fall books. 

I'm particularly excited about these two:

Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon (September 11, 2012)

I've always found my Michal Chabon reading experiences to be fat and meaty, emotionally stirring, but moving at a nice clip.

 

From Flavorwire: In another sweeping-but-specific American epic (think High Fidelity mixed with Middlemarch), Chabon tells the story of two families in Oakland — Archy Stallings and Nat Jaffe are clinging to a failing record store, and their wives, Gwen and Aviva, scrambling to keep their midwifery practice together. Enter ex–NFL quarterback Gibson Goode, the fifth-richest black man in America, and Luther Stallings, one-time blaxploitation action star, and a pair of teenagers variously in love and not in love, and blood, inevitably, begins to boil.

 

 The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (September 27, 2012)

J.K.!  I've got to say that I'm pretty nervous for this one.  I don't know a ton about J.K., but I love Harry Potter and wish her continued success.  I hope this is a lot of fun, but I don't have the highest expectations.

From Flavorwire: J.K. Rowling’s first book for grown ups (well, it depends on who you’re asking — we know a lot of adult Harry Potter devotees) is a black comedy about a seemingly idyllic British town in turmoil. And if there’s anything Rowling excels at, it’s British people in turmoil.

 

An aside: I used to never consider buying books in hardcover, but now that I have a Kindle, the price difference isn't as significant, and I don't need to lug around a monster-sized book, so I'm much more open to jumping straight into new releases now.  It's fun to be in on the literary dialogue early on!

 

Which books are you most excited about?  

Pumpkins!!!

Usually I will try my darnedest to get out of theme parties, especially if it involves costumes or a mandatory craft.  (Like, can’t we just hang out normal-style?)  But when our buddies Pete and Ali invited us over to carve pumpkins on Sunday, I couldn’t say no.  

1. They are literally the most adorable people in the world.

2. It was last minute, so I had no time to get nervous about it.

3. It was their baby’s due date, so they wanted to keep busy while Ali wasn’t going into labor… how can you say no to that?!

Guys, spoiler alert: carving pumpkins is seriously, seriously fun.  

Travis and I were nervous because two of these friends are artists for a living.  I don’t want to be carving no pumpkin around people who make a living off of visual art!  So I made a rule that we all seriously had to try our hardest so I wouldn’t cop out and make a garbage pumpkin.

Travis and I both got very, very secretive about our pumpkin plans and didn’t want anyone to see what either of us was working on.

When it came time for the big reveal, mine was an epic dedication to our love (1 month married!):

And Travis’s was… well… Travis’s

I’m going to go ahead and classify this as an epic dedication to our love as well, because I really, really, really liked this movie.

All of our masterpieces:

Our darling hosts, with a full baked baby.  (Full of baby and Ali had a chili and cornbread feast with pumpkin spice cupcakes for dessert.  Too cute.)

I hope you all get to experience the unbridled joy that is pumpkin carving with your pals… it’s a spooktacular treat!!!

Bye!

Halloween: I hope I see baby lions!

Even though it is mid-October, it is fully one million degrees in LA.  So warm, that I almost forgot it’s nearly Halloween, which means nearly time to see babies dressed up as things!  Personally, I think if you don’t dress your baby up as a lion, you’ve wasted your baby’s Halloween.

I know, I know.  It’s the best.

What’s your favorite baby costume?

Also, a lovely autumnal feast for the eyes:

via old chum

Bye!

The Ultimate Opaque Tights Roundup

New York Magazine... what a mind reader!  Just as I was about to conduct some research on my own to find some affordable tights that weren't terrible (yay, fall!), NYMag did the hard work for me!  Thanks!

Looks like I'll be grabbing some from Urban Outfitters.  At $12 a pop, it sits just about at my willingness to pay, and I feel moderately confident after reading this review that they'll last at least for one season of tights wearing.  


Insider tip...
If you are usually pairing basic black tights with boots (like me), I have a suggestion: buy some footless dance tights.  They are very durable and I often prefer to wear socks with boots rather than thin tights that do strange things to my toes around the toe-seam.  I've had a couple of pairs I picked up at a dance-wear outlet-y place several years ago, and they don't disappoint.


Bye!