In the mail...

So a funny thing happened the other day. (I say that as if what I'm about to tell you is unusual when really it is quite commonplace, but go with me.) I saw the beauty pictured above on Etsy shop Vintage Avacado and fell in love (or lust, whatev) at first sight. Its pretty teal blue hue, random red keys and snap-on case had me at hello.

It was easy falling head over heels though-- I've mentioned my obsession with vintage typewriters before and my desire to have one that I could proudly display on the Parsons desk that I don't have but will someday. Typically, the desktop companions I have gushed over are in the $400 range. Not a splurge that I can even come close to justifying on my reporter's wage. But more than its undeniable gorgeousness, the best part about the Smith-Corona Corsair I am showing you now is its affordable price tag (let's just say it was under $100). Still, I stared longingly at the pictures for two hours (I'm not exaggerating) debating if I should or shouldn't take the plunge.

During this back and forth, the little researcher in me came out as I Googled "Smith-Corona Corsair." Thanks to this website, I learned that in the 1960s a British subsidiary of Smith-Corona made the Skyriter, which was designed for students and people on the go. Later in the decade variants of the machine came out under the labels of Cougar and Corsair.

Due to the sheer number of typewriters produced and sold, Smith-Coronas are not exactly rare; however, they were one of the most popular brands and the company pioneered the portable typewriter. Sounded good to me.

About an hour into all this, the boy realized I was still staring at the photos on Etsy and said to just buy it already (that's always so easy for him to say!). The inner debate continued but in the end my simple want won out. That's right, this pretty baby is in the mail and on its way to me. And with any luck, it will be on my doorstep by the end of the week.

Funny how an old 60s typewriter can make a girl so dang happy.

P.S. Things were made all the more marvelous when my mom and dad said they'd pay for it since the coat I got for Christmas didn't work out. Yippee!

P.P.S. Sorry I haven't popped over to your blogs in awhile to say hey but I am hoping to catch up with ya'll this week!

On funny movies, and funny words

Breaking news. This just in.

Tonight (well, technically last night, but I'm writing this at 1 in the morning) I watched some of the corniest (it's a word, I looked it up) movies known to man.

(To be accurate, I only saw bits and pieces of each film since I was trying my darndest to get work done, but I watched enough to experience each movie's particular brand of ridiculousness.)

(It seems I like parenthesis past midnight.)

Anyway, first I saw the tail end of "PCU"-- a completely random choice that can only be credited to my completely random roommate...

Next up was "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure"-- a classic to be sure. How could I ever doubt Keanu Reeve's acting success? I immediately texted my best friend since it was a perennial favorite at her house growing up.
My text: I'm watching bill and ted's excellent adventure right now. Too funny.
Her response: Lol. It's a great movie :)


Nuff said. Dude. (Cue air guitar rift.)
Oh, and I totally called the boy a "dickweed" tonight. Just for fun. Yes.

At this point, I had to seclude myself in the bedroom to finish writing a story. When I emerged, what else was on the boob tube but "Little Giants." This had to be my favorite of the night. I'm sure I've seen it before, sometime in my youth, but I couldn't remember it-- which made it all the more entertaining. Every other line had me laughing and I found myself rooting (out loud, mind you) for the misfit peewee football team and Becky "Icebox" O'Shea-- remember her? The hardcore cheerleader-turned-linebacker. Total girl power.

Now remember, all this cheesiness happened in one night. But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that last night, the boy made me watch "Smokey and the Bandit." (And I couldn't get over how almost ageless Sally Field is!) But really, what is going on in my apartment? Someone come save me and take me to a chick flick, quick.

I do have to state, for the record, that I did not watch "Groundhog Day" on Groundhog Day (that's yesterday, for those people who, like me, had no idea. I blame my calendar). That movie drives me bonkers.

So tell, me what's the cheesiest movie you've seen lately? It can be old or new but the cheesier/ cornier/ ridonkulous the better.



P.S. I can only imagine what using the words "dickweed" and "boob tube" will do to my blog on Google...

A fleeting moment

Who will tell whether one happy moment of love

or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning
and smelling the fresh air,

is not worth all the suffering
and effort which life implies.

~Erich Fromm

These photos were snapped late Tuesday afternoon while nuking my Lean Cuisine lunch-- a quick break from unending phone calls for interviews and tirelessly typing away at stories. A look out the window revealed a beautiful show put on by clouds passing by and, though fleeting, the brief moment I spent standing on my balcony, gazing up, simply and surely lifted my spirits.

My own Marley

While eating lunch today, I saw "Marley & Me" on TV for the second time and it made me cry just as much as the first time. A blubbering fool, I was! Such a sweet movie but also the saddest movie, I swear. You know if you've seen it.

When the credits started to roll I grabbed my own little pup for comfort-- a pooch that would be just as much of an adorable terror as Marley if she were 50 (or more) pounds heavier. Luckily, due to her small size, her crazy and her chewing is more easily contained.

After a hug and kissy-face fest with Hazel, I still felt a little bummed-- until I remembered this hilarious picture I took of her over the weekend. Being the pint-sized Marley that she is, Hazel snuck into our bedroom and found the boy's Halloween wig on the floor of the closet, and then proceeded to run around the apartment with it, gnawing as she went.

Once the boy and I got a hold of her, we decided to see what she'd look like with a little more fluff. The result made me LOL.

It's tough going back to work after a long holiday weekend. (So tough!) I hope this pic brings you a little cheer on what I'm sure is also a manic Monday for you.

Back to work,

Smile

Happy Friday everyone! It's been a busy week work-wise so I am ever so glad the weekend is here. I have been super lazy this week when it comes to reading (and commenting on) all your lovely blogs, so I have a lot to catch up on this weekend! Plus, I need to get a Halloween costume. Which is never easy, at least not for me anyway. (I am open to suggestions so if you have any, send them my way.)

In the meantime, I wanted to share the above photo with you. I was playing Hazel's paparazzi the other day, snapping away, and most of the shots came out just as cute as usual, with Hazel happy and looking at the camera. But this one was, well, a little off. And I love it! Cracks me up, I swear. I hope it makes you smile, too.

So, any exciting plans for the weekend? And have you already secured a fantastic costume for Halloween? (Do tell, I may steal your idea!)

Enjoy your weekend!

things that made me smile this week...

We had a pretty good Sunday. It started with sleeping in. Then, I made the boy and I a late breakfast of eggs (scrambled for him, over easy for me), bacon, sourdough toast and banana slices. Which was followed by watching football for a few hours. I really didn't have much of a say in the matter! But did you see the amazing catch and 87-yard touchdown run by Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley? Being in the proverbial "right place, right time" to catch that deflected ball led the Broncos to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 12-7. I'm not exactly a huge football fan, but it was a pretty exciting moment to watch. If you missed it, watch it here.

Anyway, we eventually got off the couch and went to check out Simi Valley Days, our annual hometown fair. I hadn't been in years but I wrote a story about it for the paper last week and felt like I should go make an appearance and see how the new location in the park was working out. But we ended up not staying long. Unfortunately, it wasn't as fun as I remember it being. Granted, it's really aimed more toward young kids. And the boy's stomach can't handle the rides' spins and loop-de-loops, so that was a no-go.

But we did have fun trying to win a goldfish by tossing ping pong balls into tiny fishbowls, which, of course, was impossible. And I had tons of fun beating the boy at the game where you try to pop half-blown-up balloons with darts. Even though I am no good at darts and he is actually pretty good at darts, I kicked his butt! I hit 3 out of 4 and he just got 2. He was shocked and so was I! For my efforts, I took home a "Care Bear" stuffed animal. I use the quotes because it's a knock off-- kind of like a Prado-- but it's cute nonetheless and my symbol of victory.

I then convinced the boy to grab a cup of Tutu's shave ice, which is the real deal, none of this snow cone crunchy ice. This melts in your mouth like shave ice should. We got Tiger's Blood, a mix of fruit punch and coconut. It really hit the spot considering how hot it was outside.

On our way out we went back through merchant alley, where we heard Mishavonna perform an acoustic set. While the band did sound check the boy and I stood off to the side and tried to figure out why she looked so familiar. We soon found out: she was on the last season of American Idol! I actually really liked her voice and music (you can hear her latest single, "My Cowboy," on her myspace), but what I liked even more was her blue acoustic guitar, the sight of which made me green with envy. I have always wanted to learn how to play guitar and I have always wanted a blue guitar! Bestill, my heart.

See what I mean? How can you not love that guitar?

While listening to her play, I browsed a nearby merchant booth selling books for $5 and came across a table filled with old, beautiful hardcover books. I fell in love instantly and scooped up four within the course of probably two songs (I think I am realizing why I am broke!). I couldn't resist though, and this was a case where I definitely judged the book by its cover. To be honest, I don't even really know what some of these books are about, but their covers were just so gorgeous and special and they just don't make them like this anymore, you know? The spines are fragile, the paper is browned with age and they smell dusty, like a library. I kind of feel like I bought art... for $5 each no less. I am sure once you look at the photos below you will understand.

The Poems of Edmund Spenser [Selected]. This one is my favorite. I adore the birds in the illustration and the gold behind the poet's name. It was published in 1886 by Walter Scott. It's funny, there is a "List of New Books" in the back and one ad reads "The Canterbury Poets, NOW READY, PRICE ONE SHILLING, SONNETS OF THIS CENTURY," which includes sonnets by Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning and "all the Best Writers of the Century."

Here's the other three. I haven't explored them much yet. The titles (top to bottom) are: Little Classics, Volume 5, Laughter (published in 1875, this includes A Christmas Carol); The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow: A Book for an Idle Holiday by Jerome K. Jerome (there's a really funny dedication to the author's "very dear and well-beloved friend," his "oldest and strongest Pipe"); and Camille by Alexandre Dumas, Jr. (the book features a few illustrations as well as a a black-and-white photo of the mustached author himself).

After swiping my card, the boy dragged me out of the fair so I couldn't do anymore damage to my bank account and, most importantly, he was hungry. We had a yummy lunch at BJ's in Westlake Village and then stopped by the Cost Plus World Market across the street where I became enamored with the Italian food aisle. After filling a shopping basket with squash ravioli, sun-dried tomato and oregano tortellonis, pesto-filled mezzalunas and two kinds of gnocchi (among other things, like red raspberry scone mix--luckily the boy paid for all this), we finally made the drive back home, where little Hazel was waiting for a walk.

So, like I said, it was a good Sunday.

Here's a few other things that made me smile this week:

• Compliments on my necklace from a stranger and a co-worker.
  
• Spending a little time with my mom, pop and brother.
  
• Talking on the phone to my Uncle Lars, Aunt Jan and cousin Kai-- family that I haven't spoken to in far too long but still love dearly. Side note: I may be visiting them in Loomis (near Sacramento) for Thanksgiving. We'll see!
  
• Lindt hazelnut chocolate.
  
• Your super sweet feedback on my blog's new look. Thank you, thank you!
  

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend too! Tell me, what little thing made you smile this week?

Mishavonna and her guitar image via myspace

things that made me smile this week... the late late edition

I know it's Monday and I know it's almost midnight, but I am still calling it the weekend. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and for those of you in the U.S., a great long Labor Day weekend!

Here's some things that made me smile this week:

1. Making this sandwich

I took the leftover chicken breast in our fridge, chopped it up, mixed in some salt, pepper, mayo and a handful of dried cranberries, and wa-la! A delicious lunch! I added some fresh greens, a drizzle of mustard and I even toasted the bread. I felt so chef-tastic. I even texted the boy to let him know. He responded with "Julia Childs." Haha, yes, I was very proud of my culinary endeavor that afternoon.

2. Catching up on all the blog posts I missed while on my vay-cay.

3. Browsing the fabulous jewelry in Rachel's newly reopened Etsy shop, Elephantine.

"the lightness" is my fave.

 

4. Eating banana fro yo, twice this week. Yum yum.

5. Taking Hazel to the dog park, also twice. That place is like Disneyland for her! She is so funny when she chases other pups too. She tries so hard!

This obviously isn't at the dog park, this is just Hazel with her beloved Kong. But isn't she cute?

6. Eggs for breakfast. Also twice this week! Eek, is that bad? The first time, I tried making a fried egg. It went pretty well for my first attempt. I unskillfully but still successfully flipped it over—I guess that means they were over easy. Anyhow, it was good. The second time was regular old scrambled because I was sharing with the boy and that's the only way he likes his eggs. But that's fine with me. I love breakfast. This recipe for sweet potato hash looks especially good.

7. Finally seeing Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince. I know, I'm like the last one. But there were some other people in the theater, really!

They all looked so grown up in the movie! So much "snogging" going on too :) Doesn't Emma Watson look gorgeous in this photo?

8. A lazy three-day weekend. Which also means, sleeping in really late.

9. The very sweet Tiffany over at Confessions of a Chicago Girl for giving me the Over The Top blog award but more importantly, for her kind and encouraging words. It amazes me how wonderfully supportive complete strangers can be. But then again, for many of the bloggers I tune into, I don't feel like we really are complete strangers. Know what I mean?

With the award comes this Q&A. Here's the rules: USE ONLY ONE WORD! It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? brownish

3. Your mother? loving

4. Your father? supportive

5. Your favorite food? Italian

6. Your dream last night? craziness!

7. Your favorite drink? lemonade

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. What room are you in? living

10. Your hobby? blogging? :)

11. Your fear? loneliness

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? fulfilled

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren’t? assertive

15. Muffins? banana nut!

16. Wish list item? genie in a bottle, bottomless bank account (oops, I cheated)

17. Where did you grow up? Simi

18. Last thing you did? blog!

19. What are you wearing? boy's pjs

20. Your TV? big and expensive! (I don't really get this question though...)

21. Your pets? Hazel

22. Friends? smiles

23. Your life? complicated

24. Your mood? stressed/tired

25. Missing someone? Marielle

26. Vehicle? Chevy

27. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

28. Your favorite store? Anthropologie

29. Your favorite color? yellow

30. When was the last time you laughed? tonight

31. Last time you cried? can't remember

32. Your best friend? Marielle

33. One place that I go to over and over? starbucks :)

34. One person who emails me regularly? editor

35. Favorite place to eat? Cheesecake Factory (this answer changes by the minute though!)

I tried my best to only use one word but it really was hard for some questions! But now for the really difficult part. Passing it on. I am going to give this award to three lovely bloggers that have become daily reads for me because of their candor and humor and... because they make me smile!

1. Bethany, of Rinse. Repeat.

2. the cute and happy couple, Jonathan & Tiffany

3. Liz, of It's Unbeweavable!

Oh, it really is so hard to choose just three. You guys don't even know how long that took me. Really, I heart everyone on my blog roll! So if you're bored and need a meme, feel free to grab the one above. I won't tell :)

I wish everyone a fabulous week ahead!

Edit: I had to add the Harry Potter photo because I forget to upload it last night and it has been sitting on my desktop for, like, a month. And I love Emma Watson's outfit too much not to share it. The image is from one of the film's premieres. Credit is via Yahoo! Movies but the link to the story it is from doesn't work anymore...

things that made me smile this week...

After a bit of a hiatus, the happy list is back! Without further ado... Things that made me smile this week:

1. Interviewing a sweet Filipino mother who spent more than 30 years working the system (and simply waiting) to legally immigrate her children to the U.S. Her 55-year-old son, the last of her children to leave the Philippines for America, finally made it to So Cal two weeks ago. Even though I put a lot of pressure on myself to do a great job with these kinds of feature articles, I really enjoyed working on it and telling the family's story.

2. My editor telling me, via text, that he thought I did an "awesome job" on that story (when he assigned it to me, he said he expected me to write a "kick ass story," so I guess I pulled through).

3. Discovering this blog of sketches by Melissa Morris Ivone, a graphic designer as well as the promoter-of-kindness behind Operation Nice. I wish I could draw as wonderfully as she can. Unfortunately, I didn't get that creative gene.

This is one of my faves:

4. Finding out that there is such a thing as Nutella to-go. I have no idea where you can buy it, but I am overjoyed to simply know that it is out there. 

(Oh, and have you seen the Nutella commercial? My bestie facebooked me to tell me she saw the commercial and it made her think of me. I'm not sure that is a good thing . . . but I can't deny my obsession with the creamy, chocolaty hazelnut spread!)

5. This little pup peeking out from a line up of shoes, spotted on Oh Joy! Too cute, right?

6. Viewing the portfolio of colorful illustrations on Antoinette-Fleur. I cannot for the life of me remember how I came across the site, but I'm glad I did. The images are fun, whimsical, girly and I adore them.

7. The "Pet of the Week" we featured in the latest edition of the paper. Isn't Ariel just the sweetest little thing? Seriously, this photo prompted me to look at the animals for adoption at the local shelter for oh, about an hour and a half, at least. Eventually I came to my senses—I can't afford to take in another cutie pie and I can barely handle Hazel!

Photo by Jann Hendry

8. Listening to "old school" Michelle Branch while getting ready this morning. I love The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper. It's like I am in high school all over again when I hear her songs. I found out she performed a free concert at The Grove in L.A. last week and I am so bummed I missed it! (Click the video to be transported back in musical time to 2001.)

9. Learning that a bunny has better fashion sense than I do. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the glamorous Fifi Lapin, of course. I clicked on over to Fifi's very fun blog after seeing a post on another new-to-me site: Antler Mag. (Which is also definitely worth a look.)

10. Spending the afternoon with my dad at the Camarillo air show. (more photos to come...)

So what little things made you smile this week?

Be Happy image via i can read

Oversized glasses make me smile

Aren't these girls just adorable in their big, black, oversized glasses?

Now if only I looked that cute in my glasses...

Hope everyone is having a happy Tuesday!

Top image via i can read, by margie brighton

Bottom image via naturally nina, by pola_life

things that made me smile this week...

1. This movie:

The Hangover

2. Being complimented on my hair twice this week. Though, for full disclosure’s sake, each time was by a coworker who started by saying, “I’ve never seen your hair down…” Granted, I’m only in the office once a week, but I think that is a sign to stop being so lazy and actually do my hair more often! What do you think?

3. Getting an overall positive review from my editor during my one-year evaluation. No raise but at least he is happy with my work. And, I still have a job, so no complaints here. (Not today, at least!)

4. Another work related item: I got to do a ride-along this week with the cops during a Click It or Ticket sting for seat belt enforcement. It was pretty fun pulling people over and then interviewing them! Ha! Although I would never want that to happen to me. Plus, my article pleasantly surprised my editor—who was a little skeptical if it would turn in to a good story— and he said it actually made him laugh! Bonus points for me. (P.S. My photographer on that story took a photo of me in the cop car, without me knowing, but I don't have it so I can't post it. Maybe I will get it from her, it's kind of funny.)

5. Opening a never-tasted-before bottle of wine and loving it. It’s always a gamble when you pick up a new brand, especially when you base your decisions on the label, like I do. But in this case, judging a bottle by its cover paid off.

Firefly Ridge Pinot Grigio

6. Pulling the sparkly sandals I bought last summer out of the back of my closet and slipping them on. I had pretty much forgotten about them until Friday morning when it hit me that they would go perfectly with my outfit! Love these Nine West beauties.

I desperately need a pedicure! My tootsies need some polish!

7. An afternoon of catching up with old friends at a bridal shower. (More on that later.)

8. My incredibly-difficult-to-shop-for friend loving her birthday gift. I got her a cute picture frame and notebook, which coincidentally matched (see below), and a fig and vanilla scented candle. All items were from Anthropologie… what’s not to love?

9. This candle cave from Ikea. The picture doesn’t do it justice, so click here.
Btw, I sooo want to go spend a day perusing the aisles at Ikea. That store is like Disneyland for me—with Swedish meatballs! But I know I would walk out with tons of home accessories that I don’t really need along with at least $100 less in my checking account. At least.

10. Friendly people at the dog park. Does it seem like people are nicer when they are around their dogs?

Plus…

11. Hearing Michael Jackson on the radio non-stop. This is, of course, a bittersweet memory from this past week. But it is just amazing how much MJ affected the whole world with his music and hearing his tunes every time I got in the car just reaffirmed for me what an incredible musician he was. I mean, every song the radio would play was one I knew the lyrics to and they made me wanna dance; all his songs were hits! A few times I was sitting in my apartment and I would hear a car drive by blasting “Billy Jean” or “Rock With You” and I would just smile. Without a doubt, his music will live on forever. R.I.P Michael Jackson.

By Brad Elterman/ Buzz Foto

By Christina House/ Los Angeles Times

By Jay L. Clendenin/ Los Angeles Times

Hangover image via filmofilia

Michael Jackson memorial pictures via the Los Angeles Times, here, here and here.