Remember These?!

Oh my goodness, how I adored these commercials. Sarah Jessica Parker is radiant in them.



Love to you all,
Heather

Isn't That the Truth

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."
-Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes

This was my favorite quote when I was at my junior college. It's such a brave truth. I feel that these days, time is seeping faster and faster away from me. Sometimes I lie in bed and grab the bedspread, hoping that time will crawl so that I continue thinking.

Of course that never happens and it's 7:32am and I am running late. Again and again.

Today my Freedom of Communication teacher told our class that we should pursue our dreams. We should go towards them and not let anyone tell us otherwise. She is such a smart, eloquent woman. My girlfriends and I were really touched by how candid she was.

It got me thinking more about my plans post-grad. I really want to move again. But a bigger move this time. I can't go home. Thanksgiving return was a disaster. Less than 5 people from home will talk to me. Aside from my family that is. I felt disconnected and lonely when I was there. It was also really cold and rainy. I don't know why so few people will talk to me from there anymore. I won't be moving back. It wasn't home anymore.

Going overseas to live has got me more driven and motivated for something in a long while. Hmm...

And today, I saw him again. We talked. It was once again, really nice. He's got the most piercing blue eyes. I wonder if mine did anything to him. His made my heart jump. Just a smidge.

I also had a really, really delicious egg sandwich this morning. The bread was perfect. Soft, buttery, sweet. Yummm. With 3 m's. (Igby Goes Down reference anyone?)

Love to you all,
Heather

L-O-V-E

Make 'em laugh! Or hide a little bit from the general scandalous things I say.



I swear, the first man to give me a candy heart with "Maybe Tonight" on it gets my hand in marriage. No joke.



Alright Disney and Pixar, that's enough. I can't keep choking up during your movies.



Ivy and Noah, I am one of the few people I know who liked this movie. Even fewer in the fact that I own the soundtrack.



"Want a fry? They're French."



Seriously too stinkin' cute for words.



Love in the afternoon in Paris.



I just got done watching this one earlier today...simply beautiful.



I cried so much as a child watching this movie. I still do. "I believe that you are and always will be my little princess."



Cinderella was my childhood icon.



The best dressed pair, ever. Thanks Arthur Elgort.

Love to you all,
Heather

A Sorta Fairytale

"In a utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairy tales should be respected."

-Charles Dickens

These are the photos that Dina Goldstein took for her exhibit called "Fallen Princesses" (located at fallenprincesses.com). Goldstein not only respects the fairy tale in these photos but shows the grim reality of being a princess. The meaning behind each one, while easy to see in many, is also up to interpretation by the viewer. Fantastic, thought-provoking, and harrowing are the words I describe this exhibit with.

Above is Cinderella, still looking for her Prince Charming.



Ariel, who longs to be out of this sea.



How some may wrongly stereotype Jasmine to be.



Belle, achieving her "beauty" (one of my favorites)



Rapunzel, Rapunzel, who cannot let down her long hair.



Snow White's unhappy ending.



Sleeping Beauty who slept for a 100 years (it broke my heart to look at).



Red Riding Hood off to Grandmother's for lunch.



Good luck finding that pea, princess.

Love to you all,
Heather

And I Hope You're Satisfied/To See The Wind Blow Over Me

I am used to living an unconventional lifestyle and having weeks filled with events stumbling and tumbling over one another to reach the end result of Sunday evening. I could never have seen this one coming though.

Lights, camera, action. My week was filled with losing people, gaining new ones, growing closer to those I love the most and growing the furthest from others I never imagined I would, beautiful news, ugly news, a touch of booze, aging, and attention I did not expect to receive.



Tomorrow I need to face the demons at the business office. Hopefully I don't return like this (the news is not pretty, folks)...



...I'm aiming for something along the lines of this.

You know what I've discovered? No matter just how awful things can be in my life, no matter just how many times I can stumble and fall, I always find that putting on a fresh coat of lipstick and dressing up will fix it. This can be seen as a temporary illusion but if your outward appearance radiates confidence and you firmly believe and hold true to yourself, I think that there isn't anything you can't do.

Love to you all,
Heather

The Prettiest

This was such a gorgeous spread in InStyle. I love Zooey and Joseph very much.







Love to you all,
Heather

From Russia With Love

Vlada Roslyakova caught my eye with her pretty red hair today. I kind of forgot that she's been in a couple of my favorite spreads from some really old entries on here.



There is something about her face that captures my attention immediately. No wonder she was Christian Lacroix's muse.



It's about 2am and I've still got loads of homework to complete...story of every night of my life. How do I ever let myself get so buried like this and somehow manage to dig my way out? Wish I hadn't of missed "Glee" tonight, completed a Photoshop project in the library instead, an advertisement for a brand of bread I invented (oh yes indeed). Mad Men has made me more and more aware of the advertising world and should I pursue it as a profession (likely), I can always look back and remember that Don Draper got the ball rolling for me.


Love to you all,
Heather

Left My Name with the Boarding Guards/ A Name That I Don't Need

Mulligan flew to Los Angeles to do the rounds of agents and casting directors, taking the bus all around the city because she doesn't drive. "I didn't mind it. Just sitting on the bus, you can watch the most amazing people. Really, from all sides of the spectrum -- from really kind of smart people to some people wearing no clothes and carrying bird cages."

-Carey Mulligan Gets 'An Education' LA Times 10/8/09

I already liked Carey but after hearing that she doesn't drive and takes buses everywhere? Adoration. She's such a smart, grounded girl. I know that she will be a big success. I hope I can see An Education soon though I have no idea when I would have the time to plan it.



Miss Bradshaw in Paris. I love this episode, I keep it on my iPod to have handy.

Today I was asked to be a model for my school's upcoming 50th Anniversary. We get to wear clothing from the various eras of the school's history and I think there is a fashion show included. The woman in charge of the event, Lolita, is very sweet and kind. I had her for a costume course last year and learned how to sew on a sewing machine. It's very exciting, I wonder what era they will put me in...

This week started out very trying indeed but has since stitched itself right up. All of my important documents I recently lost are being mailed directly to me as I type this, I've been homeworking like a nut, the cell phone and I are reunited again, and with the help of a wonderful friend, recently figured out how to solve a transportation crisis within my near future.

I stay optimistic because when the chips are down, the only way you can go is up.
And keep going up.

On a weird side note, Journey has also been doing wonders. Yes, you heard that right. That band is getting me through life's issues. Also copious amounts of my old stand-by Arcade Fire. They're perfect for fall.

Love to you all,
Heather

You Are the Move You Make

I like dresses and these are a few of my favorites from this season.

Rue du Mail



Dolce and Gabbana, "Monroe" dress



Monique Lhuillier

It's a short one today thanks to my soul-crushing homework pile...ick.

Love to you all,
Heather

Straw Spun From Gold/She Craves a Tortured Soul

The last few days have been oddly chilly and foggy outside. I've actually taken to sleeping in a jacket with several blankets. In August, in SoCal, and not exactly within the foggy haze of San Francisco. Not that I totally mind this. I just really really want a rainy day. That way, I would have a legit reason to take off from work (insert excuse about stomachache/cramps/fever here) and sit in my room, watching Flight of the Conchords and eating Mac and Cheese with the window open.

Next week, I get to go on that lovely little Peer Advisor retreat. DEAR GOD NO. I wish I could say that I'm being a tad overdramatic about this but I'm really not. I'm going to be trapped with a group of overenthusiastic future soccer moms (and dads) in training for the better part of the weekday. The kind of annoying teenagers who run around crying out "Best friend!" to one another and randomly breaking into group hugs and plugging "That's what she said" jokes every five goddamn seconds.

In order to avoid my head exploding, I'm going to have to count to fifty in three to five minute intervals (more or less depending on the circumstances) and stick a little bit of glue in my ears so my iPod's earbuds stay nice and anchored.

Retreats have never been my strong suit. In middle school, I went on these confirmation retreats at the private school I attended. The first one was in seventh grade and it actually turned out on a positive note. We stayed at a big house conveniently located in the middle of woods and our then-pastor decided that rather than coop us up inside watching religious documentaries, we would spend the entire day outside, exploring (in groups) the woods, the trails, the creeks and having big volleyball tournaments together. I wish I still remembered his name because that pastor pretty much let me do my own thing, be it in a paper or voicing an outside opinion in class, and would actually encourage it. Solid, man.

On the retreat, I had to walk down this huge sloped hill filled with sticks and rocks and basically everything you can think of that would be the scapegoat for a twisted or broken ankle. My friends just ran down it like it was no big deal. As usual, I was on my princess behavior (I think it was during my 'how to be a proper lady' phase) and put my hand on a tree trunk, debating about whether running down the hill and rewarding myself with a pair of shiny new crutches was a good idea. Along came this huge spider (the size of your fist) right above my resting hand and I bolted down the hill screaming, "SHHHITTTT!!!!"

Once I got to the bottom, everyone was cracking up including the pastor. Then we all went inside the cabin and watched "Wild America", a Jonathan Taylor Thomas classic.

Eighth grade rolled around and that pastor left and in his place, a new one came in. This one I had issues with. We went on our retreat, back to the same house as the year prior and this time around, got to watch movies about the various people heading to hell especially any and all people who believed in reincarnation. This bullshit went on for the next four hours and I seemed to be the only person in the room itching to go outside. By the time we finished the movies, we had about two hours total to play outdoors and I went to sleep that night, dreaming myself in a better place. Because the next two days would be filled with more movies and a disastrous ecosystem science project. That's right, homework on a goddamn retreat. Homework that was going to be graded that very day. My best friend and I did ours and spent the whole time cracking up and putting in extra shopping malls but paying little attention to the agricultural awareness necessary to live in a fictional utopian bubble. I would just like to point out that at least the state of the economy and spending would have been excellent and that I really don't mind living off of Pop Tarts for the rest of my life.

Then there was a high school retreat. God that was a nightmare. There were 2 specified retreats for the seniors at my school. Kairos and Mac. Who knows where they came up with these absurd names. Kairos was a week long and was notorious for brainwashing its participants. Everyone who went on it and came back returned with sudden newfound love for his/her fellow classmate, wrote letters to people they had wronged and remained mute about what really went down there. From what I heard, people got really emotional on that retreat and would break down in tears in front of the very people they despised/feared. I can't say I'm surprised at some of the criers but the unfortunate aspect is that most of them didn't have actual problems. Nobody (as far as I am aware) had ever been homeless, starving, unemployed or dealt with a severe disease or medical condition. They never had to fight or struggle in life. A boyfriend breaking up with you is not life threatening. Your parents not understanding you is no reason to write them off as "impossible."

The kids cried and came back wearing hideous wooden crosses on ropes around their neck. That's when they should have been crying, in my opinion.

I went on Mac, where all of the skeptics went. This retreat was so dull that most of my classmates sat outside smoking or talking on their phones. My retreat leader tried to coax some tears out of my group by name-dropping "Iraq War" and "9/11" in the same sentence but it wasn't happening for us. Then she went on to tell us that when she was in high school her nickname was "Puff" as in, the Magic Dragon. I smell a 420 reference. That nickname was given to her because she claims she once saw Puff and said that she was beautiful, all pink and sparkly with wings.

Oh honey. And did you live by the sea with Peter, Paul and Mary? Of course you did.

During our free time, I went back to my room and tried to read a little bit but instead napped, dreaming myself to a better place. That seems to be my quickest escape in any situation. I was destined to be a Lane (Daria characters Jane and Trent who are seldom awake before 4 in the afternoon).

Summing up that retreat briefly...I woke up and stumbled in late for a group activity, got ostracized for not wanting to participate in the late at night praying around the stones to Mary ritual (a very surreal and upsetting experience), had to write notes to members in my group and exchange them only to discover that two guys in that group wanted to get to know me better and asked me to hang out at their lockers with them (no, no and no thank you, I was too busy crushing on various other guys at that point).

It was only when I got off the bus and went home and then went to work at Subway that night that I realized that simply by being back at work, I was happier than I had been since starting that retreat.

And that's my retreat history in a long, long nutshell. I know it must sound apathetic and antisocial but ehh, I never did care much for the smell of teen spirit.

If you did though, I would love to hear about it! Good stories, shitty ones, nonexistent ideals of what you think a retreat is all about.

Love to you all,
Heather

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Long Hair

As I have been very wrapped up in Summer mania, I cannot forget another young lady whom I'm looking forward to seeing her debut in 2010. Disney's Rapunzel (once tentatively titled Rapunzel: Unbraided which was unbelievably silly and I'm glad they changed the name) will release. I think it's part of Disney's attempt to return to the second (maybe push for a third but I think Pixar has already claimed that spot) Golden Age a la The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King era.
She certainly is cute! Kristin Chenowith will be lending her vocal support so I think that a musical side number would probably be mandatory.



A comparison of Fragonard's The Swing vs. Rapunzel

"The original version was that a girl got pulled from the modern world and replaced Rapunzel and Rapunzel got turned into a squirrel. But we’re on a clearer, more classic fairy-tale sort of track right now with Dean Wellins as co-director... It really plays on the mystery of the girl in the tower."
-Doeri Welch-Greiner

Uh yeah. Disney, with regards to that prior plot, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? A squirrel? A squirrel??!! Neither I nor the 9 year old version of myself would dare spend ten dollars on something with that ridiculous of a premise. And if we must follow along with the Disney food chain of modern girl=Rapunzel=squirrel, then where exactly would the squirrel go? He (I would assume) would be a sassy sidekick with some kind of personality in order to hang around the leading lady (Rapunzel) so I assume that the squirrel would wind up in the body of the modern world girl which would elicit some nibbling and squirrely noise jokes, maybe even a fart joke or two.
Ring, ring. Hello, Rob Schneider? Remember when you did The Hot Chick? Well, we here at Disney have something almost like that for ya, but with a twist!
Well, at least Disney got an attitude adjustment. They didn't call it the Golden Age for nothing.



As you can see, the animation has also changed. It is much darker, a little more on the sinister side which I always like to see Disney do (though not necessarily on the level of Hunchback). They have another movie releasing this December The Princess and the Frog and lordy, this one has been plagued with issues (offending those in the French and African American communities with everything from the original title to the leading princess name).

I'll let you watch and see for yourself what you think.


What comes to my mind:
1) Why must every Disney film trailer post the '90's start off with an introduction of all of the past greats?
2) The frog reminds me alarmingly of Jean-Bob from The Swan Princess. Google it. Even the same damn French accent. And the whole "ya gotta kiss me" storyline. Seriously, is that all male frogs can think about?

Love to you all,
Heather

Liquid Dress

What a fabulous texture.
Photographed by Guy Aroch.

Love to you all,
Heather

Literary Heroines (Spoiler: If You Expect to See Any Bella Swans Here, This is So Not Your Place)

I'm sure I'll think of some later on today that I left off the list but for now...my top literary ladies.

1) Jessica Darling

She always, always gets number one on my list because she is just about the most self-actualized, intelligent and unbelievably witty female protagonist I've really had the pleasure of reading from the perspective of.
I posted the picture of Second Helpings because even though it is the sequel to Sloppy Firsts, it was the first of the Megan McCafferty series that I read. On the day that I bought Second Helpings, I was at the local Borders with some old girlfriends of mine. We had previously been in a fight that lasted 15 months-one composed entirely of pretending the other was dead to the world. Anyway, we all made up and attempted to return to the normal and went to the bookstore as we all pretty much lived there anyway.
I found Second Helpings on the shelf and I remember seeing it on Amazon and being curious. The plot seemed tailor made for me, as Jessica in that point in the book was a senior in high school ready to take the next step...and I was also a senior in high school " "
The semi-rekindled friendship between the girls and me burned really fast back into ignoring one another but I didn't give a damn. I had Jessica Darling to read about and for the better part of my senior year of high school, I was happier than a million clams, reading about Jessica and her family, her friends, her classmates and the always entertaining and enigmatic Marcus Flutie.
I bought the rest of the books and devoured all of them.
Jessica is one of those very rare girls in society who speaks her mind and does not side in with the cool crowd, rather she despises her popular friends who are similar to the Blythe dolls in the fact that they have huge vapid minded heads and itty bitty bodies.
She is also very intelligent, not only academically but topically. The amount of pop culture references in these novels are not only alarming in the fact that they are funny and well-phrased but they will stay relevant for years to come. Very few writers can pull that off.
I also cared deeply for Jessica. This was highly unlike the Gossip Girl series where by the end of the day, I didn't care what happened with Serena and whathisface and whosthatbitch and the never ending name dropping of DiorKiehlsGucci that decided that since the story lines were pretty flat and stupid, by dropping in some expensive designer names you can at least give the illusion that there was substance to the dramatic lives of others.
Jessica influenced me on the essay I wrote as part of my college application to the school I currently attend. The question of choice was to discuss in two pages a piece of art/movie/book that highly influenced who I was today.
1) I don't have any art that radically changed me as a person. I have a few photographers I like but no artwork of the oils and pastels variety.
2) I've only had a strong reaction to about three movies ever and I wasn't about to write about them because aside from reaction I got and how well made the movies were, they all had morose themes. Reading my paper would compel the reader to put his/her head down and give up on humanity or at least feel upset.
The movies, by the way, were:
4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days (the scene with the aborted fetus was harrowing)
Requiem For a Dream (Jesus Christ, I watched this when I was 14. Not only did it make damn sure I would never be a crack addict but I felt like throwing up after I watched it. Getting a vomit reaction is rare for a movie to do.)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Beautiful and it made me really appreciate my life. That sounds like a nice paper, huh? No, I would go off into a tangent on how the rest of society was too spoiled and self-centered to care about anyone else...etc)
3) You know where I'm going with this one.

Four pages of writing later, Jessica, my transcripts, and a portfolio of all of my other writing went to the university. I was accepted. I like to hope that whoever read the essay enjoyed it and maybe they decided to go out and read one of the books.

In short, Jessica Darling is like the amazing big sister I never had. Throughout the years, I've been with some girls who have reminded me in small doses of Jessica but only in small doses.

I've never had 'heroines' before but Jessica is probably the girl I most aspire to be like.



2) Cyd Charisse

8th grade. 13 year old Heather is pissed off at EVERYTHING you can think of. She does not want to wear pink or any other color expect red and black. She will not do that homework assignment and will instead turn in something else. She won't pay attention in class or listen to her parents or hang out with her brothers or be civil to her classmates. She is uprising and having her rebellion earlier than planned, if it was planned at all.

The only thing I wasn't mad about was the bookstore and the library, my lifelong saviors. They understood me totally. And so the day came to pass that I checked out Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn, drawn simply to the cover jacket of the girl who also seemed mad like me.

Okay, so Cyd isn't mad. She's just misunderstood. She's got an awesome surfer boyfriend named Shrimp, a best friend in Sugar Pie, Shrimp's grandma, and her other BFF, a rag doll named Gingerbread. Her mother Nancy and the rest of the household in Pacific Heights can't deal with the 16 year old's antics anymore so they send her out to her dad Frank's in NYC. Along the way, Cyd learns about her family, herself, and all of the little life lessons you can unexpectedly be handed.

A big thing that reasonated with me picking Cyd was the fact that she had a stuffed doll that even at 16 (and later on in the series as she grows older) that she didn't quite put down. When I was 16, I had a stuffed Pillsbury Doughboy ('Bobo') which I had since I was 10. Cyd mentions in the novel that Gingerbread and herself have a connection of sorts where they can just look at each other and know what the other is thinking. ESP via stuffing. Likewise with me and Bobo. I still have him today. I know there's like a time when you're supposed to grow out of stuffies but I never envisioned that happening with me. I still don't ever see it happening. He makes up a huge portion of who I am and there are tons of memories and people associated with him that makes me very valuable to me.
And that's the end of that chapter.

Jessica Darling = incredible big sister I never had
Cyd Charisse = coolest BFF I wish I had at 13

Cyd is not scholarly or academically driven but she is not some stupid girl either. She is intelligent in her own way, with her barista skills and the little ideas and schemes she had conjure up on the spot. She is a whole lot of fun and while she keeps herself focused on her dreams in the future, she is not someone who sits there and constantly thinks about tomorrow and lets the today pass her by. She lives for the moment and is very much a part of the moment.

13 year old sullen Heather liked her very much. As does 21 year old Heather still.




3) Laurel

Jessica Darling = incredible big sister I never had
Cyd Charisse = coolest BFF I wish I had at 13
Laurel= the inspiration behind the lovely tragically fictional girls I think of

You have your ups and downs, heads and tails in life. The ups are Jessica and Cyd. One of the downs is Laurel, the haunting female protagonist in Francesca Lia Block's The Hanged Man.

Block's books are unique in the sense that when you read them, it isn't so much about the specifics of the situation and the visualization that you must get upon the first paragraph. Rather her books are sensationally driven. Each sentence is strung into the page like a pretty necklace, filled with adjectives that can quickly size up if we are in a good or bad place and sometimes, turn those places in the opposite i.e. the most beauitful building in the world can be transformed into a rotting, broken down dive.

I can't write much without spoiling it but Laurel is a girl whose father recently died. She lives with her mother and goes to parties with her best friend, parties that appear innocent but really aren't. In this world, there is a fine line between what's real and what's imaginary. Enter Jack, Laurel's love interest.

A very short read that is heavily reliant on Tarot imagery, Laurel is beautiful to me in a doomed way almost. I don't know any Laurel's in my life (unfortunately?) but there are a few in my head that just kind of walk around, a little on the detached side but still able to jump back into reality and feel things.



4) Astrid Magnussen

I have been reading this book since I was 14 and I have loved it for a really long time.

Jessica Darling = incredible big sister I never had
Cyd Charisse = coolest BFF I wish I had at 13
Laurel= the inspiration behind the lovely tragically fictional girls I think of
Astrid= the girl next door I wouldn't ever want to be in the shoes of

Keeping this brief (as I'm at work and my boss is about to have me do something), Astrid has been carted around to a variety of foster homes ever since her mother killed her (the mother's) boyfriend. These homes range from the good (Claire) to the downright awful (Amelia). Throughout it all, Astrid grows and discovers who she is through experiences that while they may be heinous, are necessary to her character and to who she becomes when she is older.
Experience is the teacher, as they say. But in some cases, it isn't fair to throw such horrific experiences at people.

Love to you all,
Heather

Barbie Made a Comeback for a Minute There...

I guess that opened the door for all old-school nostalgia to come flooding back into pop culture subconscious. I was at fredflare.com and ebay recently and I found out that The Smurfs are back, particularly Smurfette.
Here she is on a coin purse at fredflare...


and on a lunchbox at Loungefly. Is this enough? Oh no. The Smurfs are back to penetrate the pop culture bubble. A true master of marketing knows to expand these products to their extremes.



They got their own makeup collection.
And I would know, having actually sampled the lip gloss (don't buy it) at Sephora.
Question: The only smurf who would get a huge kick out this, why isn't Vanity on the blush pad instead of Smurfette? Yeah I know she's a girl and all but all the mirrors and primping are what we call Vanity's Element.
Well if Barbie got to be on MAC, then The Smurfs get Too Faced. What's next for these cosmetic-cartoon collaborations? My Little Pony goes glam for Urban Decay? Madeleine turns super posh for Christian Dior? Maybe even Sailor Moon will lose the hair buns for Benefit (though I would probably be really excited if that happened!).

There you go. The fifteen minutes of re-fame.

Love to you all,
Heather

Fiveprime.org (You MUST go here!)

Nathan Siemers' site http://fiveprime.org, has some BEAUTIFUL photographs! The creator behind Flickr Hive Mind is used by thousands daily to explore http://www.flickr.com/, the photography database that I know, love, and use just as daily.
Besides this, he also works as a director of research at a pharmaceutical company and is a cellist. Very versatile!
Below (as well as above) are my favorites that members of Flickr have on the fiveprime site.







Love to you all,
Heather