The Tortoise Always Wins in the Long Run

Remember how I was smelling specs and candy once upon a time?  And then I felt quite defeated? 

Well, the day has finally arrived. 

Guess what was on my doorstep.

It was like Christmas in August.

Have you ever seen anything so glorious?

I had five pairs of tortoise shell frames, just calling my name.  They did.  They said "Tommy.  Tommmmm-eeee.  Wear us.  Wear us."

So I did.  Repeatedly.  From the pictures, they may look identical, but I seriously loved 4 of the 5 pairs I picked out to try on.  (Sidenote: You definitely need to get on the wait list at Warby Parker if you're interested.  I signed up a few months ago.)  I discounted one and possibly two frames because they're too similar to what I wear now, but the competition remains fierce. 

And let's just face it.  There's a really good chance I may buy more than one pair, at $95 each, plus a donated pair for each purchase.

My anti-blog friend Emily took several pictures of me in each style, but I couldn't bring myself to post them.  I think maybe it's the demo-only plastic lenses, but my entire eye area looked red.  Like Us Weekly red.  Like drugs.  It wasn't good. 

At any rate, I'm beyond excited.  I have four more days to deliberate, lean waaaay into the mirror (I'm blind), and lust over eyeglasses.  I will almost surely order from Warby Parker.  And I will blog about said purchase.

Thanks for reading, as always.

My, My...So Resourceful

My pal Lexie introduced me to a really cool brand called Resource Furniture.  It's a line of completely multi-functional and ingenious pieces that are sort of like IKEA meets Transformers. 

Are you short on space but long on possessions?  Check out the video below for a demonstration of several products.  The clip is 6 1/2 minutes, but it's neat to watch, even if you're not in the market for new furniture.  Thanks, Lexie!

iLike Byrd & Belle

Although I don't remember where I first saw a mention of these cool products (probably a blog), I'm glad I bookmarked the Etsy site for Byrd & Belle. 

Angie, the super efficient shop owner, makes really awesome tech-friendly cases out of felt and leather for pretty much iAnything, even laptops.  She has a couple of shades of gray felt and then brown or black leather, along with a gray or green lining.

Last week I bought a case just like the ones in the pictures* for my iPod, and I love it!  If you're looking for this type of product for yourself or as a gift for someone else (lucky them), consider this shop, won't you?

*from Etsy site, used with permission

Epic Concert Goodness

Last night I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Ray LaMontagne and David Gray in concert here in Nashville.  My anti-blog* friend Emily took me as a special treat/early birthday present. 

I really don't know what to say about the show.  It was the best concert I've ever seen.  Both performers gave it their all, although Ray is more still overall, and David sort of flails about.  Ray did a few songs from his new album (which I will be picking up shortly) along with favorites like Trouble, Jolene, and You Are The Best Thing.  David sang literally every song that I know of his, including Babylon, Be Mine, and This Year's Love.  It was just epic.  He only did a few of his new songs, but they were also stellar.

And the final encore when they both came out and played together?  Shut.  It.  Down.

The show was originally scheduled for The Grand Ole Opry, but after the flooding that happened here earlier this year, they moved the venue to the Bridgestone Arena.  They also donated 20% of proceeds to the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity.  That was just one more reason to eat it up.

*Emily says that she would rather have the real thing.  I guess she has a point.

If I Wore a Cap...

...it might just have to be this one. 

What is that phrase?  A thing of beauty is a joy forever?  Yes, that's it.  I think that these shoes definitely qualify.  The other day I noticed them in Cole Haan, and the color and cool sole caught my eye.  Then, upon closer inspection, the name of the style had me.  Thomas.  Of course.

A captoe does not usually appeal to me, but these are different.  Plus, they're a little dressier than I usually wear.  (Most of the time it's a smart looking loafer.)

As with most things, I'm going to wait them out and hope they go on sale.  You likey?   

If Ya Want My Blogspot, and Ya Think I'm Specs-y...

...come on, sugar.  Let me know.

Wink! 

I want to thank the awesomeness known as Dapper Paper for working with me to design to a new blog header.  It's something I've had up my sleeve for some time now, and after considering several options, they were head and shoulders above the competition. 

They have great style and an excellent blog as well.  (The first link for them will take you to their well curated Etsy shop.)  Check them out the next time you need some graphics in your life.

Thanks, Elizabeth and Chris!

And bear with me as I tweak my layout.  I'm not the most tech savvy person ever, but I'm still having fun.

It's In The Bag

I need another bag like I need a hole in the head.  I have two overnight bags and a couple of tote bags and a work bag and some reusable grocery bags and probably some bags under my eyes soon, if work doesn't change.

However....I saw this bag a few days ago

over at Manifold Destiny.  (That's a really cool blog that features a sort of best-of the interweb for style, generally geared toward the menfolk.  It's a nice change from the norm of makeup brushes and whatnot.  No offense, ladies.)

This bag is seriously in line with my aesthetic, and it looks massive and durable.  Plus, it retails for $135, which is not unreasonable.  My guess is that it will go on sale eventually, too.  Won't someone please talk me off the ledge when that day comes?

(Remember how I blogged about LL Bean Signature a while ago?  I knew it would come back around to haunt me.)

You Can Dust It Off and Try Again (Try Again)

Where have I been?  I meant to post about this a while back, sort of.  Here's the story.  A month or so ago, I was in my local mall and saw an empty storefront with the following sign above it:

Maybe you're now thinking what I did.  Ummm...WHAT?! 

I went shopping again this past weekend, on the prowl for some clothes (tax-free no less), and I noticed that this store is now open.  From the cool logo, I had really high hopes.  And the salesperson named Kathie was nice and definitely had a unique style.  I was the only shopper in the store, so she sort of pounced and started picking out things for me.  You should know that this is not my ideal situation.

She pulled a few pairs very similar to what I wear now.  Then she had me try on a round pair and a dip-dyed pair and a sort of cat eye pair.  I tried to have a few mini-heart-to-hearts with Kathie, but she was either seeing a makeover or dollar signs, so it was time to make an exit.

There were no Armani frames to be had.  Le sigh.  Remember how I had my heart set on Warby Parker?  They're so buzz-worthy that they've pretty much run out of everything for trying on at home, so that idea is on hold.  Lens Crafters was a bust, too.  Kathie said she's going to pull a few more options for me as they receive new stock over the next few weeks.  We'll see.  Ha.

My Always List: Tea Tree Oil

I have normal to oily skin.  Yes, it's true.  The cheeks?  Dry as a bone.  The T-zone?  Let's just say it could fund a ce-ment pond if needed.

Despite my best efforts, I do get the occasional blemish.  And my favorite treatment is The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil.

It's a teensy bottle, but it lasts a long time.  Back when I started using this (probably high school), it was $6 a bottle.  Inflation, being the biz-nitch that it is (sorry, Mrs. J), the price has gone up to $9.  Still worth it.

I know it sounds counterintuitive to use oil on...well...oil, but it works.  Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, and it usually clears up what ails my dermis.  Plus, I really like the earthy smell. 

...And...You're Welcome...

Inception (C+) Upon reflection, this is the movie Brian DePalma should've made instead of Christopher Nolan. Not that Nolan's a bad filmmaker, but he's more of a clockmaker who happens to work in film than a filmmaker. His films tend to set up a Big Idea, then follow the implications of the Big Idea. In the case of Inception, the Big Idea is that the technology exists to enter into other people's dreams,and interact in such a way with their dream state as to take secrets out of their heads. And then we get the premise that if one can take an idea from a person in such a way, it should be possible to implant an idea in a person's head. With me?

It's a Heist Movie, as well. Now, the standard trope of the Heist Movie is that the Heist itself takes place about halfway/2/3rds into the picture. The Heist is shown to be meticulously plotted, brilliantly and professionally executed...and then one of the robbers involved gets greedy or careless and the whole enterprise falls apart after the fact. Inception is not that type of Heist movie. The main pleasure in Inception is in learning about the premise, buying the premise, and watching the burglars carry out the Heist-in-Reverse. Some of the set pieces, such as the shifting Paris landscape and the battle in the rotating hallway, are truly thrilling.

The problem is, as I mentioned earlier, is that Nolan is more of a clockmaker than a film-maker. Compare Inception with DePalma's 'Femme Fatale', which has a heist as it's bookend and a dream taking up the majority of the movie. I wouldn't call 'Femme Fatale' a great movie, but it evokes a dream state far more successfully than Inception did. Part of the problem Nolan has is that a film has a limited time to tell a story, and for this type of story, he has to spend most of his time selling the premise and how it works to his audience, so the characters get short shrift. Ellen Page, in particular, may as well have been called, "Miss Exposition". My point being, if you can't buy the setup as Nolan sells it, the movie falls apart. His use of how dream logic worked really bugged me, if I may cite 'Fridge Logic'. Why, given the history of dreams in cinema, from Bunuel to Jodrowsky to Tarsem, does Nolan go for the simplest and easiest ways to depict a world of dreaming?

(P.S. Here's a link to a website comparing 'Inception' to a Don Rosa 'Scrooge McDuck' comic with essentially the same storyline...) You're welcome.





Kick-Ass (The movie, not the comic) (B) After I thoroughly bad-mouthed the comic last time, I entirely expected to hate the movie as well. (Yeah, and I like to drink expired milk and complain about how sour it is. Wanna make something of it? Huh? Let's you and me wrassle!) Well, guess what, this movie is really, surprisingly enjoyable! Mainly because director/co-writer Matthew Vaughn isn't looking down on his characters (and the audience) as much as Mark Millar was. For instance, when Millar answers the question, "Why aren't there superheroes in real-life?", he says, "Because you losers reading this comic fantasizing about being super-heroes need a wake-up call and I'm just the guy to do it!" Vaughn's answer, on the other hand, is, "Because real-life is far more interesting than any comic book."
The story isn't hampered by an Idiot Plot, the characters are funny and likable, (I love Nicholas Cage's Adam West accent) and the action is over-the-top without condemning the viewer for getting off on it. As for the issue of Hit-Girl and watching an eleven-year old girl cuss like a sailor and kill bad guys, it didn't bother me at all. (Again, unlike the comic, her dad had a legitimate reason for going up against the bad guys.) Plus, I've always wanted to see a kid call someone a 'cunt' in a movie. Comic gold, that is. Seriously.



Blacksad (A) I love this series. Not because it sells me, an avowed hater of 'mature' anthropomorphic animal comics on it's premise-a cat detective goes a-sleuthing. Not because Juanjo Guarnido's watercolours are so detailed, precise, and beautifully rendered. And not because Juan Diaz Canales' scripts are so well-plotted. (He's like a Spanish Patrica Highstreet.) It's because...

Ok, that's entirely why I love this series. Look at this page here...

You're welcome.

Lottery

The last book I read was good, but this one was so much better. 

This is the story of Perry L. Crandall.  Age?  32.  IQ?  76.  Family situation?  Not ideal.

Net worth?  $12 Million.

Perry is quick to tell you that he's not retarded.  He's slow.  Retarded means an IQ of 75.  His is 76.  He is the narrator and main character in this really engrossing novel about people with special needs as well as the effects of money on people.  Although he has several relatives, no one really wanted Perry as a child.  His grandparents, however, jumped at the chance to raise him.  Of course everyone comes out of the woodwork when Perry gets his novelty-sized check and lands in the headlines.

His Gram always told him that words were the key, and she set him on a schedule of learning all the words in the dictionary.  One of my favorite things about the book is that Perry often explains what a word or phrase means.  Example: Convenient means that other people do not have to work so hard.  I found this link that scrolls through some of these gems.

I can't really say too much else about the book without giving away the story, except that it is really great.  Like many of my favorite books, movies, and TV shows, this one strikes a nice balance between being funny and poignant.  Plus, you should be able to find it at your local library for free.

Wishing for Au-gust of Wind

Hardy har har.  Maybe my calendar post titles are getting progressively worse as the heat gets oppressively...umm...worse.  Whew.  I think I'm delirious.

It's August.

My friend Paige is visiting toward the end of this month, and Lexie and James may stop by a weekend or so prior to that.  Other than looking forward to these visitors, I'm just going to try to chill for the next four weeks.  School will be back in session, which means that the morning commute (however short it may be, distance-wise) just got a little trickier.  That crossing guard watches me like a hawk.

Last month I was obsessed with popsicles.  This month?  A/C.