A few of my favorite men

Unlike my dear Sister, who only watched Criterion DVDs, I have no standards when it comes to movies. I love them all. Bad or good, I'll probably still watch it. Which justifies, hopefully, my unmitigated excitement over this 2010 coming attraction:

Overload of action? Check
Ridiculous plot? Check
Jason Statham and his saucy Britishness? Check
Sylvester Stallone and his guyliner? Check
Evil dictator aided by Stone Cold Steve Austin? Check
Rumored cameo by Ahhhnold Schwarzenegger? Check

Me with my Diet Coke and soft pretzel on opening day? Check!!

Princess Power

So I'll cop to the fact that when I was but a wee girl I liked the Disney princess movies. I watched the Sleeping Beauty, the Cinderella, the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. My hands-down favorite "princess" was Belle, though, from Beauty and the Beast. She's wicked smart, a brunette, loves to read, doesn't give in to social pressure, has a good relationship with her Dad, and let's be honest, truly saves the day.

However, I'm slightly terrified of the turn the "Disney Princesses" have taken in the past several years. Disney has grouped them altogether in a pastel pink world where little girls can wile away their days with fancy dresses and dreams of a Prince Charming. Barf. And what about the non-princess heroines like Pocahontas, Mulan, or Esmerelda? Are we stashing them away so Disney can subtly indoctrine young girls with a belief in the class system?

I mean, seriously.

However, recently I stumbled across some artwork that warms my heart that is two sizes too small. While spending sometime on Total Film, I read an article about "6 Dark Remakes Starring Disney Princesses." My hope upon hope that Rob Zombie had somehow gotten the rights to The Little Mermaid turned out to be false, but I was introduced to some amazing artwork that meshes my past-love of Disney and my current love of horror films. All thanks to DeviantArt and DeviantArt regular Jeffrey Thomas. And again, my favorite is Belle - now a more feral version with a badder beast (awesome).

A close second? Sleeping Beauty - now as a vampire (brilliant).

You can see TotalFilm's article here and the rest of the princesses here. Enjoy!

Mon film favorite

Best. film. ever.

Seriously, if you haven't seen The Day of the Jackal, you haven't lived. This has been mon film favorite for years after being introduced to it by my Dad. With a great story line covering the attempted assassination of de Gaulle, an unlikely detective/hero, the French countryside, and a stone cold (Edward) Fox, this movie is nothing short of brilliant. And while I enjoy the Jason Bournes of the world, I relish this film for the sparse calculated violence, longer screenshots, and main characters that aren't all cookie-cutter good looking.

Why is this coming up now, you say? Well, because I just discovered that IMDB has posted the trailer for it! How cool is that? I love seeing these old trailers. I think you all should watch it here. Augh, they just don't make 'em like they use to.

Another reason to see the movie? Well, let's just say it involves a "cha" and a "cal."

Play me a Melody

I'm am obsessed with a new singer that I just discovered on Friday. Roaming around Borders, I was looking for some good new music and saw a cd poster for a singer, Melody Gardot. I loved the cover art, and went to look up where to find the cd. Lo and behold, it was in the jazz section. This resulted in a momentary pause on my part. While I appreciate jazz, it is not usually my chosen genre of music. I'm more likely to be found in the hard/goth rock section...or classical...or international. Yet, I continued to be intrigued and bought the cd sight unheard.

And boy, I am thrilled that I did! While she's a little more Norah Jones than straight jazz, her vocals are gorgeous and the music behind her top rate. I always like to know about the musicians and googled her upon returning home, and I now appreciate her fabulous cd even more. And here's why.

Almost six years ago, at the age of 19, Melody was struck by a car while riding her bike and suffered a fractured pelvis, spine damage, and some trauma to her brain. Essentially a vegetable, physically unable but mentally sound, she began the long road to a partial recovery. She suffered from aphasia, an inability to form words, and until two years ago could only speak with difficulty - the barrier from brain to mouth had been broken. Her doctors recommended music therapy. She had played in piano bars before to help pay for college, and they believed it could help break down the barriers. The rest, as they say, is history.

However, even now she is still burdened with a misaligned pelvis, uses a cane to walk, and continues to suffer neuralgic pain. She also has a autonomic nervous system disfunction which makes her super sensitive to noise and sound and is also the reason for the dark glasses she is seen wearing in all of her pictures. Yet, she credits music for helping her to continue to deal with these difficulties.

Amazing story, right? Never should anyone doubt the power of music, and not just from an audience perpsective - a laissez-faire approach to music - but also as having an active role in the improvement in the quality of life. I think this story is a perfect example of that.

I bought her second album, My One and Only Thrill, and it's so good!! You can hear a song from this album here.

Je me chausse

Or literally, I shoe myself en francais. But it really means more of "I wear these shoes." And, oh yes, I do... I love the shoes, although I've gotten rid of several in the past months, and I think I'm down to only about 50 pairs. Sad, I know. And while I wish I could say Je me chausse avec chez Louboutin, it's more like Je me chausse avec chez Payless. Oh well, c'est la vie. However, Payless has had some kickin' shoes lately and I am enamoured of their Alice + Olivia for Payless line. And, since I don't have the paycheck that allows me to buy the real A + O stuff, for now I'll stick with the low-end.

And that's exactly what I've been doing lately - sprucing up my spring/summer wardrobe with some fabulous new shoes. I'm proud to say that all of them have been on sale/clearance/BoGo from a few different stores. And I'm also proud to say that the lowest heal is 4 inches, because however tall I am, I can always be taller. I take true joy in new shoes and the act of buying them is just as fun as wearing them. Although the most fun, admittedly, is seeing the reactions of my friends and family.

So, to share with you my terrific new shoes, I attempted to take a picture. Of course, keep in mind that I have a chubby cat with a lifelong shoe obsession himself.

First try:

Second try:

Third try:

Close enough:

Aren't the shoes fabulous, though?

Water & a Flame

So my sis posted this on Facebook a few days ago, but this song is so incredibly beautiful, that I just had to share it myself! I love Adele - the more the world hears her, the better!!

Meet Me at the Auto Show

I could talk about how my parents drove up in crappy weather to meet me in Chicago so we could go to the Auto Show.

I could talk about how we got to McCormick Center in a cab sporting copious amounts of Valentine's Day decorations.

I could talk about how there were a ton of people at the Show and McCormick if frickin' huge.

I could talk about how my Dad continues to only fit in about 14% of the cars he tries to get into.

Or, I could let the Auto Show speak for itself.

Hence, the Chevy Stingray...hotness on wheels and a reason to live.

Top 5 Reasons I need a PA

So, yeah, I probably don't really need a personal assistant - but in the magical world inside my head, it sounds like a brilliant idea. Thus, the Top 5 Reasons I need a PA:

1) When I'm laid low with the worst cold this side of the Mississippi (as I currently am), I can make a list of my most-wanted items and send my PA out in to the 5 inches of snow for me

2) When I feel the need to run to Target, at the snap of my fingers, my PA can rent me a car and chauffeur me there

3) I can finally escape the embarassment of my hideous handwriting and have someone take notes for me, so when I can share info with my coworkers without having to type it first

4) Two words...litter box

5) When things happen like, oh, I don't know, the plate on my electrical pipe on my ceiling falls off and I end up with plaster all over my living room floor, there's someone there to help as my vacuum cleaner merely spreads the mess around.

And yes, in case you're wondering, most "Top" lists have ten reasons, but as I've already used 8 kleenex's during this post, and still can't breathe, I think 5 is my magic number.

Now if I only had a PA to write the rest of it...

Let's spread some Goodwill, shall we?

I'd like to take some time as we begin 2009 to remind everyone that while the new year is bright and shiny, everything that you buy doesn't have to be.

Last night I was chatting with a friend, and he mentioned that he had to peace out in order to get his NYE clothes at Goodwill. I thought that was absolutely brilliant. As my sis, the Goodwill Fashionista, would say - Goodwill has something for everyone. But this entry is not just a promotion of Goodwill, but rather one of the ideals that comes to mind when I think of them - the reuse of goods, instead of the waste of them.

Another friend was over for dinner last night and asked me what my decorating style was (first time she had seen the apartment), and I replied "Used." While I'm not sure that Home & Garden would qualify that as a style technically-speaking, in my case it's very true. My furniture comes from a variety of places: cheap antique shops, garage sales, family members, and in one case, off the side of the road. My pictures in my bedroom are all from Goodwill or garage sales. My flatware is from a CSO catering sale, and the rest of my kitchen stuff is mostly hard-bargained-for antiques. And somehow it all works - I love the way all of the eclectic items fit together. And honestly, nothing says a fantastic Saturday afternoon like a couple of hours at a good used bookstore.

And while I may be up on my soapbox right now, I have to admit - used is the way to go. Everytime I put on my bright orange velvet blazer from Goodill, I think, "Man, you can't find this kind of stuff anywhere else." Especially in a time of recession mixed in with environmental concerns, shopping used is a great way to "Reuse, Reduce, Recycle." Admittedly, buying organic and/or natural can be difficult when one is on a budget, but next time you think of purchasing, make the treck to your local thrift shop and see what magic can happen. I started doing this back in high school and bought both my homecoming dresses for only $10 each.

As the infamous Coco Chanel once said, "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." So consider the way we live next time you shop.

A Brand New Love

I'm just now coming up for air after an insane, emotional roller coaster ride of a week. However, past blogs would demonstrate that I'm not really up on sharing the personal stuff. I'm pretty sure my most emotional blog to date has been a love letter to my old truck. And, as I'm only 1.2 work days until some much needed vacation time, I'll stick to one of my new loves in life.

Now before I share what it is, I have to mention that my inner snob has somehow surfaced and is demanding high end brand names. Nothing I can do about it - except go with it and hope for the best! Because, alas, my new love is Burberry. I know, at times I consider it totes ridiculous, I can't help it! I could blame the children, but I really blame my gorgeous new winter boots. I actually bought them at the Burberry store on Michigan Ave. in Chicago - no Ebay, no discount website - legit brand name purchase. Granted, I'll probably wear them with my Target coat and Goodwill sweater, but the too late - the monster inside me that loves Burberry is like the mythological Cracken - released and hungry.

Downside to this newfound love of the British high-end label? Ah, yes, that would be the fact that I do not work at a profession that results in copious amounts of money allowing me to indulge my need at a whim. And by whim, I mean, maybe once a year I will be able to get something - if I save up.

I can handle it though, I'm a strong girl. Just now a strong girl that covets all things Burberry.