technological gadgets galore...

so i took a survey for blockbuster the other day, because tim and i quit using their on-line delivery service and switched to netflix and they therefore had to ask me a zillion questions as to why i left, what i liked, what i didn't like, why netflix is better than them, etc. it said it would take no more than 30 minutes, so i figured that was an overestimate and it would take maybe 10 minutes tops. boy was i wrong. it sure did take 25 minutes. anyway, while taking it i was asked to select the technological products i own. i included tim's belongings too, since we do live under the same roof, and was baffled at how much we own. check it out:

is it just me, or is owning this many technological gadgets crazy?! maybe it's just our day and age...

project runway...

okay, so seeing the anger and confusion on morning posts today i realize that this needs to be addressed. jeffery won. not uli, not laura, and clearly not michael. jeffery. why? because he deserved to.

now before you go pulling your hair out and yelling at your monitor (shh! coworkers will know you're not working), hear me out. i realize i am no fashion guru, but i do have years of experience in the clothing world - i've spent nearly every morning of my time here on earth analyzing what to wear. so that's gotta count for something.

so, sure, jeffery went about $200 over budget. but it was because of wigs. WIGS PEOPLE! it's not like he bought too much fabric or paid anybody to do work he was required to do - he bought something extra that he thought would add a little pizzaze to his runway show. and once they were gone, he was $400 under!

and sure, his craftsmanship was very advanced (maybe suspiciously so), but did it ever occur to anybody that maybe he's good at what he does? so good that the demand for his clothes led to him hiring people to help him keep his line going. and come on, how can you doubt tim - he said that they checked receipts. and even when they pulled the piece he couldn't produce a receipt for, look how prepared he was! he was already starting something just in case. tell me which other finalist would have done the same thing. this man clearly knows what it takes to be in the fashion industry.

to those of you who thought michael even had a chance: wtf? really? his stuff, with the exception of that hot pink outfit, was always crap. he forced explanations of his work ("sexy, seductive, sultry") and he made some of his models looks like prostitutes with poor taste in fashion. so yah, he never had a chance. plus, he totally stole uli's print ideas.

and as for laura? she didn't need to win - i bet people are knocking on her door as you read this, asking to have her make them a dress. they are beautiful and glamorous. and everyone knows that. she'd be on the racks with or without P.R. - so she didn't need the title, and i think she knew that.

i will admit i was a bit disappointed uli didn't win. i like her stuff. but like somebody (can't remember who) said last night: "she makes clothes that women will wear." so it's like laura, all uli needs to do is pitch her line to somebody and she'll be selling in a heartbeat.

but jeffery - they knew he deserved the title b/c while he does own his own company or whatnot, he was the only one that truly created a runway show. his stuff had the edge that you always see on the runway - stuff you'd never actually wear, but you can still see a wearable style on a tone-downed level. so yah, uli and laura's stuff was beautiful, no doubt, but i see it more of a line in a department store, not a line on the runways of paris.

and that's why jeffery should have, and did, win project runway. discuss.

changing seasons...

fall is here. i know because walking the dog this morning could be described as "crunchy." and i don't know if it's the crispness in the air or the changing angle of the sun or the fiery colored trees, but i think it's brought me a creative itch. i really haven't had the desire to get into something creative since my senior year - when i took both drawing and ceramics - so this could lead to several things. it might be through writing; i might pick my sketch book back up; i might get back into music again and go on a mad hunt for new bands and songs to make soundtracks of my life from.

i think fall is brining a lot of me out that's been hiding for a while. it's like part of me goes into hibernation in the summer - which is backwards in so many ways - but somehow both the fall and spring seasons have been a time of change for me. i guess they are my "transitional seasons" and tend to host many of the major events in my life, so i see them as periods of time in which it is appropriate to shift.

i don't mean to make it sound as if i'm altering into this new person, it's just that sometimes one can tell that a new phase is coming. and it shows in many ways, a simple one being clothing. fall and spring are the times that you bring out those in-between clothes - you don't need a jacket, but you need something a little heavier than a t-shirt. in spring, jackets are gone, but you're not always ready for shorts and bathing suits. but of course, the shift also comes in other ways, and for (at least this year) it seems to revolve around my creative side.

so who knows what will come of this itch - whether i will find something to satisfy the creative hunger in me, or whether i will fail to have the time to nourish it. either way, i think it needs to be noted and recognized.

am i crazy, or is there somebody out there who might get this too?

picturesque...

so instead of attempting to put this past weekends tales into words i'm going to opt for the more visually pleasing picture-book. enjoy!

tiki tom's on friday night. i didn't want my picture taken.

amanda & tony

me and tim

van ride home after day 1

everyone

glen ellen market

tree

tony and the door to nowhere

mini-foods at a food & wine pairing

rex and tim

cruisin'...

apologies to those of you who have been nearly broken to tears each time you’ve visited my site and find no update (cough erin cough). life has taken a turn onto busy street and i'm driving at the wheel half asleep.

last thursday tim and i went to new mexico to visit my dad and attend his wedding. the dry heat and vast amounts of stars at night were a much-needed vacation from the impending fall in the bay area (i.e. clouds and rain with scattered sunshine). it was also fantastic getting to see so many family members - it was the first time that that many of the crew were together in one place for more than 30 minutes. as "the cousins" all grew up and went their own ways christmas and thanksgiving have become a road rally of trying to see how many meals you can stuff yourself with in one day. so extended quality time with my aunts, uncles, and cousins was much appreciated - although, the “quality time” accompanied by 5 shots of tequila it's not always the easiest thing to recall.

after returning from the southwestern festivities we were greeted with the smell of 2 un-cleaned litter boxes and a lot of kisses from bandit, our dog. (tim: can i call bandit "ours" now?) so the next few days were spent either working or cleaning the crap out of our little home. you see, busy street is a long, windy road and once you're on it you must expect to stay there for several miles. the reason cleaning was a necessity is because last night 4 of the 10 people coming to visit us (and wine country) arrived.

tomorrow and sunday we will all be piling into a 15 passenger van and cruising around napa and sonoma counties. yah, i know what you're thinking: "doesn't she go there like every week?" so no, i don't. it's more like once a month. but this time is different because this time, for the first time ever, nobody has to worry about being a d.d. or getting lost. we're handing over the cash to make somebody else do it for us. and split between 12 people, a large van like that comes out pretty cheap. so cheers to us this weekend!

i always have trouble wrapping up a post. part of me just wants to stop there, with a cute little exclamation. but then i think that might be lame and i should end on some profound, though provoking note. and sometimes i want to just delete everything and start over. today, i have decided to close with my inner monologue.