Cover of Single Ladies

Alex Trebek - Jeopardy!

These are some of the pictures, just enhanced via iPhoto. I forgot to mention in the previous post that the above picture works really well with the shakiness because the idea of the flags already represent something that is otherwise spooky, so the shakiness just adds to the eeriness of the picture.

Beanie Siegal - In The Air

Alright, so this roll was pretty shitty. There are a few I like, and then the rest are just shaky shaky shaky. Which sucks. It's either my very unsteady hand or lack of flash. Either way, I'm fairly disappointed. Anyway, let's narrate. So the above picture was taken on a diving board at Lake Wallkill somewhere in Northern NJ. That was a great day full of cliff jumping, swimming in smelly lakes and hanging out with old friends. The one below me is just an old buggy near Joe's apartment building.

This is Joe's grandpa's living/dining room. It's so awesome, if you can't already tell. So old school Italian decor, that hard as a rock couch and green throwback rug. I'm in love with all of it and will hopefully live in the third-floor apartment overlooking NYC sooner than soon!

Joey picking out cereal at Shoprite.

Pretty Good Nick, Joe Diminguez, Tattooes Paulie, Shirtless As Always Mark and Big Tone killin' it on the mini. I miss nights like these.

Practically my backyard.

A blurry tree. Damnnniiiitttttt. At least the vignetting is cool.

A couple minutes later and this picture would have been full of pinks and purples.

Probably my favorite of the bunch. On Sept 11 Tempe Town Lake had all these flags up, so Margaret and I got curious and checked it out. Every flag represented a person who died that day in 2001 and there was a short bio attached to each flag. Each story kind of gave you this lump-in-your-throat kind of feeling, especially when you saw how young all those people were. And the children they left behind. I have more pictures on my digital camera that I have yet to upload, but I will eventually.

No Music, Just Words

Two days ago, September 26, started Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read, which goes until October 3. "Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States" (from American Library Association website).

I got curious as to what books were on the list, and found this list, which shows that at least 42 of the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century have been challenged (the ones in bold are the challenged ones):
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses by James Joyce
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
23. Their Eyes are Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37. The World According to Garp by John Irving
38. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
39. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
40. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
41. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
51. My Antonia by Willa Cather
52. Howards End by E. M. Forster
53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
56. Jazz by Toni Morrison
57. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
59. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
61. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
62. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
64. Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
66. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
68. Light in August by William Faulkner
69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
72. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
82. White Noise by Don DeLillo
83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
85. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
87. The Bostonians by Henry James
88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
89. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
93. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
100. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

After finishing a book and looking at my bookshelf, I feel like I read so much, then I look at a list like this and I'm overwhelmed with how many I still have to read. The ones in that blue-ish tone are ones I still need to get my hands on. Right now it's The Winter of Our Discontent by Steinbeck. Then Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I'm pretty excited. Go out and read!

"It's a dangerous thing, being born."
The Kite Runner

The David Letterman Show - Bruce Willis

I finally watched Manhattan tonight! It's so funny how they were discussing things like homosexuality and divorce back then when it was pushed to the side and now it's all in the news and divorce rates are crazy ridiculous. Moving on, Diane Keaton played an unexpected role. I guess I'll never lose that image/idea of her in First Wive's Club. She's like a cute little psychotic nerd. Actually, that's starting to sound like her character in Manhattan. Anyway, Hemingway's granddaughter was so over the top beautiful and simple and talented. Meryl Streep - my god was she a hot piece. Beautiful blonde babe. But in all seriousness, the director of photography did an AWESOME job. And the music was so perfectly nostalgic. All in all, it's my new favorite.

I love that she's dating Justin Bartha, which is definitely old news but yeah.

I would like these very much. And a cup of hot chocolate.

For Joe

Awareness Test

by Rune Guneriussen. The one that originally intrigued me was found on the Urban Outfitters blog. Every picture seems like a dreamland that would be simply wonderful to spend a day in.

Why did my jaw drop when I saw these Nicolas Kirkwood beauties? How can you even ask such a question. Of course, I saw them on Mary-Kate Olsen. She totally rocked them with a tutu and Alexander Wang long sleeve tee (PS - I'm feeling the whole breast pocket thing, but I think it only looks good with slouchy shirts; you'll get 'em next time Hollister....er, or whatever store like that) for Fashion's Night Out. That bottom piece (not very good with the technicalities when it comes to shoes, bare with me) looks awkward and uncomfortable but fashion over function OBVI I'd practice walking in them around the house for weeks until I got it down just right. If you'd like to purchase them for me, be my guest. I hope you have a spare $1700! :) Thanks boo.

Ozomatli - Cumbia De Los Muertos

Meant to include this in the last post - TAVI - She's the luckiest, coolest and most sophisticated 13 y/o. First read that article. Then read her blog. Then look at her flickr, if you're really interested.

I haven't decided yet if this means I should just give up orrrrrr it's a sign of hope? Yeah yeah yeah, I don't know.

Phoenix - 1901

Please watch:

http://www.dolcegabbana.it/deg/sfilata/uomo/video_sfilata

PROS:
boots
jackets over unbuttoned denim shirts & graphic tee's
the fit of the jeans
bow-ties!
the song
making me think of the Fonz
the bags
that scarf
that plaid shirt
jackets over frayed jeans (probably my ultimate favorite look on a guy which is odd because it's also my mom's favorite look on a guy)

CONS:
embellishments on jackets and jeans
cheap looking leather ? I'm not very good when it comes to fabrics.
boots that are half rain boots half cowboy boots
rolled up jeans right over the 1/2 and 1/2 boots

_____________________________________________________

I'M VERY EXCITED FOR THIS:

Especially for Olivia Thirlby. And the song in the trailer is also the song I'm listening to right now, so if you're into it, check out Phoenix. They're awesome.

_____________________________________________________

And this is just funny:


On a silly side note, I've been spitting up blood for the past 12 hours and it's kind of freaking me out, especially when my dad's best advice is to gargle with peroxide. Awesome.

Grace Potter & Bethany Joy Galeotti - I Want Something That I Want

I've been listening to Bethany Joy Galeotti a LOT lately. Now, I've never really enjoyed songs from musicals and Broadway things. I guess I just don't have the ear for it. But this beautiful One Tree Hill star has done quite a bit on the theater stage and has a lot more ideas for Broadway (ahem, "The Notebook" on Broadway just to drop a huge hint), and has made me rethink my feelings towards the genre. All of the music she makes isn't so totally theatrical or anything, but her voice is reminiscent of it and some songs are, especially "Karen's Cafe".

Since being back at school I've already read three books, which is impressive for me considering I'm so buried in studying, work and having a social life. So the first was Skinema and I agree with Joe that it should have been spent reading on la toilette every once in a while but every story was just so great that I couldn't stop reading it like it was a classic novel. Now it's sitting on our coffee table and the roommates occasionally pick it up for a quick, funny story.

The second was Of Mice and Men which was incredible. My dad has been urging me to read it since junior year I want to say. After reading Siddhartha which was also recommended by him, it was just a matter of time until I picked this gem up. It really is such an emotional rollercoaster of a story, you gotta read it.

And the book I just finished last night was Fahrenheit 451. I don't tell you the plot or any kind of story line of these books because I really hope you (whoever "you" are) go out and buy them appreciate them as much as I do. There were so many quotes in this book I planned on putting in this here blog, but I only remember the page number to one which goes like this:

"There was a silly little bird called a phoenix back before Christ, every few hundred years he built a pyre and burnt himself up. He must have been first cousin to Man. But every time he burnt himself up he sprang from the ashes, he got himself born all over again. And it looks like we're doing the same thing, over and over, but we've got one damn thing the phoenix never had. We know the damn sill thing we just did. We know all the damn silly things we've done for a thousand years and as long as we know that and always have it around where we can see it, someday we'll stop making the goddamn funeral pyres and jumping in the middle of them. We pick up a few more people that remember every generation."

Joe snagged this picture of me this morning dripping toothpaste out of my mouth. Sexy, I know. That black jumper was $15 at the tent outside Hayden Library. I think her last day set up there is tomorrow and then she comes back November 10th (just in case any girlies on campus wanna get a good deal). I also got a sweet pair of sandals for only $14! I'd include a picture but I'm on the verge of death and I have work early tomorrow.

--Sidenote-- The new feature in iTunes 9, "Genius Mixes", is the best fucking feature they could have given the human race. --End of Sidenote--

Bethany Joy Galeotti - Feel This

This is fantastic.

Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind

LET'S HERE IT FOR NEW YORK NEW YORK NEW YORK

Bethany Joy Galeotti - Quicksand

"Every D-level celebrity who thought they could make a quick buck by designing a handbag or whatever is going to disappear. And I think that's a good thing." - Anna Wintor.


Awesome.

Slick Rick and Doug E Fresh - La Di Da Di

Last night American Apparel was having another sale like the one I went to in the city, only it was at the student center at my school! It was so much fun, especially since all the girls showed up - Emma, Steph, Margaret, Kristin, Shannan and Christina! Needless to say, I was late for Spanish. Today after work I went to Papago Park with Margaret to help her take pictures for her photo class. It felt good to have a camera in my hands again. Only one more picture until I develop my third roll from the Holga! Tonight I went out to dinner with Shannan, Margaret and Rachel to Ruby Tuesday and I think we laughed the whole time. Then we saw 500 Days of Summer (finally) and I thought it was really good, but the whole jumping from day to day thing bothered me. Oh, and the fact that it was depressing as fuck in the end. Of course I forgot to take a picture of all of us in our outfits - we all really enjoyed our outfits - but I did grab this shot in the morning. It's just what I wore to work, nothing fancy. But they expect jeans and a T-shirt so for them this was dressed up. I'll never get rid of that shirt. Every time I put it in I'm reminded of wearing it to a club in Florence and having one of the best nights of my life.

Fashion Week thus far and my thoughts:
Vena Cava. I didn't really like this whole show. Sorry to start off negatively! But I did really like these 3 pieces. To be a badass, or come off as one, I always think you gotta be wearing black to pull it off, but this first piece totally proved me wrong. The collar on the second is very interesting. And the third dress reminds me of that polka dot dress Julia Roberts wears in Pretty Woman, don't ask me why, I know there's barely any resemblance.




Helmut Lang. Overall, I was very excited to see more denim (duh) and more tulip skirts (yay!) but NOT harem pants. Anyway, Helmut Lang did amazing things with denim and I can basically put the vest, jacket and entire third ensemble on my WishList. That model with the tulip skirt scares me.




Ports 1961. So I'm not as excited as the people at Style.com are about this collection, but what the hell do I know? Whatever it is, I do know that I really like all three of these. This first dress reminds me of a dress I bought at Buffalo Exchange from theory. Well, the fabric anyway.. I think it looks really classic. I love the play on tie-dye in the second. And that sweater/jacket thing. And the third, I was going to say I like the shape of it but now that I look at it I think I mean the lack of shape and yet it still looks so feminine. PS- see those shoes sticking out from the left side of the shot in the second picture? Yeah, buy me those.



Rachel Comey. I like that she had this on a rooftop. I would love that coat, that off-white dress and that cute strapless number that for some reason reminds me of the Wild Wild West, aka a cowgirl.



Organic by John Patrick. Never heard of this before but I was really intrigued. This first picture isn't my favorite but so many things about it I was drawn to, i.e. the rolled up pants, blazer, and of course, the bow-tie. The second picture is such a fantastic I-just-rolled-out-of-bed-and-look-this-good-What-do-you-want? look. And here are more examples of the high socks! I really wasn't into the flowery printed stuff, but I really like it in the third look because it's so subtle.



L.A.M.B. .. .. .. Oh, how I fell in love with Gwen Stefani this time around. The white tights, eh, but the shoes, how I love the shoes. And the hair! Anyway, this first little item is dreamy. I've been really diggin' the jumper scene and this is right up my alley. Yes, I see the knot, so not really shorts, I know. But a girl can dream. The jacket is AMAZING and that's all I can say to describe it. And the third picture is, well, perfect. It just seems so effortless. Tonight I went out with the girls and wore any outfit I'd wear to class and just threw heels on and it reminded me of that outfit and it makes me happy that something so casual can be so chic.



BCBG. Two beautiful dresses. This first one is so amazing, I wish more of their pieces looked like it, but I really loved the whole collection (minus the black mesh, not so much). The second one has really interesting details and I usually HATE pink, but this dress just made me melt if that's even possible?



This was supposed to be short, sorry! Shannan asked me what Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was yesterday after I was basically greeting everyone with "Happy Mercedes....". You get the idea. I was way excited to talk to her about it, and well, it gets me excited.

My Morning Jacket - Off the Record

HAPPY MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK BOYS AND GIRLS.

What a wonderful time of year. So if I lived the life I would have chosen for myself, I'd be showing my shit with the Academy of Art University buuuuuut I'm not, and that's cool. This is the first time I'm not pumping my fist up the sky screaming "why?!" (not that I actually do). Instead I'm just looking forward to when I can join in on the fashion fun. Obviously, I'm very jealous of everyone and anyone who is going into the city today and yadda yadda yadda, but I know there will be a time and I'll just have to be patient.

But in light of this fabulous week, I decided I'd actually try to look nice everyday (just for this week of course). So here's my outfit from today.

SKIRT: Walgreens, $2; SHIRT: Forever 21, $2.50; SCARF: AEO, $6.99

apatchofskye.com

Unknown - Track 7

Just a few observations from the past couple days...

- A girl in my Human Sexual Behavior class had two seizures. It was one of the scariest things I've ever seen and just another example of how my muscles just stop when something like that occurs. It's like every sense is magnified but I can't move or think. Anyway, I won't go into detail about the whole scene because it's not necessary but it was another moment where you just go Wow, it could happen at any moment. I wonder what the procedures are when something like that happens on an Express Subway.
- I saw SIX girls wearing the same shirt today. I think it's from American Eagle Outfitters. Ridiculous.
- There are too many girls on campus walking to class in high heels and umbrellas. It's over 100 degrees every day. A black umbrella will not save you. You have blisters all over your feet! For what?

Sage Francis - Cafe Girl

That polaroid up there is from 1979. So this guy Hugh Crawford took a polaroid EVERY DAY until he died, which was in 1997. I'm pretty sure he first started in '79 but don't quote me on that. He's pretty fantastic.

The "23" was a 'Shut the fuck up' moment.

This was taken on August 1, 1990.

This was taken November 9, 1989.

I watched The Secret Life of Bees this afternoon which was pretty awesome since I've been wanting to see it all because of Hilarie Burton. Any words I could say to describe it wouldn't be enough. I think I cried 70% of the movie.