Why Being a Heavy-Weight Rocks

On this glorious [and grossly raining] July 4th weekend, I am going to reacquaint myself with a previous fling, but long-time love: Mario Kart

I have a long lasting love with Daisy, the perky and precocious redhead counterpart to Princess Peach; however, on the new Mario Kart, she's the last person to be unlocked.

In the meantime, I've fallen in love with someone new. Someone bold and brash and blonde...

Someone named Rosalina.



Oh Rosalina, how I love thee, and let me count the ways..

You've got a slight sexy Southern drawl, which appeals to my roots. [I spent half of my life living in the Deep South.]

You're not a medium weight gal; you're a HEAVY WEIGHT woman. In my mind, this means you're not comparable to the size 2 coeds I see all the time, but a fiesty and foxy Amazon at 6' tall and a size 12. And I like a video game making a female a heavy weight, in the likes of Donkey Kong, Bowser, and King Boo.

Not only are you a heavy weight, you can knock the shit out of my arch-nemesis, Bowser. Bowser and I have a long standing rivalry, and with you by my side, he never comes in first.

You look jaunty and cute in your little motorcycle outfit.

With you at the wheels, I am learning to defeat the malicious and fear inspiring Rainbow Road, one lap at a time.



Together, Rosalina, you and I can defeat the game. I will be the King of the Lab! No one will be able to break my high scores [no one being the lovely Boy, who has crushed all of my high scores the Game Cube version of Mario Kart, or any of his friends].

YOU AND I ARE UNSTOPPABLE!

Sorry, Daisy. You may not be worth unlocking afterall.

Squeak! TiLT! [7.3.08]

Yikes, I'm 35 minutes late on Things I Love Thursday! Can you blame me though, for starting my July 4th weekend a wee bit early? (Or leaving work a bit early, too? ;) )

On to the love!
(And there is so much to love this week!)

The Farmer's Market How much do I love it! In Bloomington, it represents the best of the city: buskers, musicians, Amish & Mennonites, fresh tamales, scones, duck eggs, lamb, elk, & buffalo meats, fresh fruits & veggies, home made maple syrup, and amazing coffee. It always smells magical.

Boxer Briefs! I bought these in lieu of my need for bike shorts (as a practical thing to wear under dresses, so as to go sans tights). And would you know, how comfy are these bastards? I don't understand why men complain at all; I'd wear them over tights & hose any day.

Second Interviews Keep your fingers crossed, cheries! (Or give love to your favorite god or goddess.) I am very excited about this job opportunity, and the extra weekend day is driving me insane (one less day I will find out!). So let's send major mojo my way-- it'd be an amazing early birthday present!

Secret Cheats! If you follow my Twitter, you will know that I'm in phase one of the South Beach Diet (which I will discuss more on later). But I have to say, I love the days when I can cheat just a little! Lunch with a friend, a lazy night of pizza, or walking to get an ice cream. I don't mind if I don't lose an extra few pounds, if it means keeping my sanity a bit more!

Green Tea with Jasmine is one of my most favorite teas ever! (Especially delicious with blackberry added in, too.) I've been drinking a glass of this a day, and it is an enjoyable way to start my mornings-- more refreshing than coffee and probably more healthy, too.

Happiness Abounds With the rare exception of a PMS induced Sunday, I have been feeling an abundance of positive and happy energy my way. Is it astronomical? Is it hormonal, or perhaps a reaction to the diet? I'm not sure, but I love having such a nice balance of mind. Now if only I weren't so darn sleepy all of the time!

& the best for last....

La Mamacita! My mother is owed huge amounts of love this week (and every week!). As a single mother, she had to make sacrifices, and I know how she always wanted to give me more than she could. So I always appreciate it, even as an adult, when she manages to provide me with little treats, visits, and signs of her love. I'm especially smitten with the emails she has sent recently telling me how proud she is of me. <3 <3 <3


Is there anything particularly spectacular that you love this week, or any fantastic & fun events going on in your lives? For those in the U.S., have a wonderful (and safe) 4th of July! Happy belated Canada Day to those North of the Border.

Just Take a Look, It's in a Book... [A Reading Rainbow]

The ever vibrant Queen Gilda tagged me in a rare meme, and who am I to say no to such a lovely gal? It helps that I'm in the middle of several great books, so it's another chance to share those as well!

1. pick up nearest book
2. open to page 123
3. find the 5th sentence
4. post the next 3 sentences
5. tag 5 people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

Ian McEwan's Atonement:
Briefly, he closed his eyes. A two-pint jug of custard was placed beside him, and he wondered if he had the strength to lift it.
"I'm sorry, Emily. But she has been quite over the top all day long."
(Admittedly, it's taken me a while to get in to Atonement, mostly because I was so disappointed with the film. However, the book takes care of my main problem with the film, which was I felt that I was missing out on a story. The film is so very pretty and very well shot, but I couldn't help feeling like I had been missing something. There was this feeling that there was a story I wasn't a part of, that I was missing out of it, and my suspicions were right! There is so much more depth to this novel than the film would make you believe.)



Molly Haskell's From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies:
(The offending passages are omitted from his collected reviews.) Actually, that John Ford film was one of her more appealling and forthright vehicles, her Lolita-ish. Generally, her fliratiousness with her daddy figures was outdone, in precociousness, only by the patronizing way in which she treated contemporaries.
(This particular chapter in on women in the 1930s, and this passage talks about Shirley Temple, who is "one of the great vessels of virgin worship in this period." While I am not far in this book, I recommend it if you have an interest in women's studies, film theory, or film history.)




Mineko Iwasaki's Geisha: A Life:
"My what?"
"Your period. You are menstruating. It's perfectly normal. Didn't you learn about this at school?"
"They told us something. But that was a long time ago."
(I picked this up when I spotted it at the bookstore; for a few years I have been interested in the art of geisha, and thought this would be a nice, more autobiographical rendition of the beauty of Memoirs of a Geisha. It has exceeded my expectations; I love the casual, unimposing writing style, her candor for details, and the sense of interest the book creates. While I'm only a quarter in to it, I'd recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about geisha.)



Tag Time! (I don't doubt you ladies have great books by your bedside)
♥ Miss Meg
♥ Chic & Charming
♥ (Into) The Fray
♥ Miss Kori
♥ & you! Please leave me comments with your books, their passages & prose.

And What Good...

Is a Party without Party Frocks?

Arriving at the Tea Party!

As I step through the lovely gate leading to Ms. Valencia's, I am delighted by what a beautiful & charming tea party she has thrown!



What a glorious and delightful event! For all of the hard work, whimsy, and beauty that our hostess provided, I felt it only necessary to bring her one of my most favorite things...

99 Luftballoons!
So many beacons of brightness, our carriage nearly floated away!

And what kind of guest would I be without bringing delightful & tasty treats?


Come, join me in the carriage for some Green tea with Jasmine & fresh Rosebuds and matching cupcakes. I've picked up some sweet kettle corn from some delightful Amish farmers we passed along the way-- it's been infused with the flavor of the circus!

Here-- please have a tamale, too. On the long ride, we passed some side street vendors making them fresh. Goat's cheese, black beans and artichokes, or chicken and chipotles. They are both divine!

Mad Tea Party at A Fanciful Twist!

Today I will be chasing White Rabbits and dining with hares and mice, as I'm off to A Fanciful Twist's [Virtual] Tea Party!

It's a beautiful & sun shining day; the air is sweet and fragrant and the birds are tweeting. I love the rhythmic thump thump of my carriage. There's a dashing fellow leading the way, long and lean, with a tailcoat and top hat (as any carriage rider shoudl be!). He leads the pearly moon colored bunnies so well, with treats of carrots and sugar cubes to guide them straight to Vanessa's charming abode!

My travel companion for the day is the ever precocious Lottie (I know how everyone has missed her!). She simply insisted on coming, as she hopes to see a Dormouse or two...


She insisted on frocking it up a bit as well! She is ever so fond of petticoats.

We are passing the most beautiful and luscious landscapes....






photos by visbeek

Shuz Society

Many, many months ago, Agathe from the now defunct Stylebytes posted about winning the Fab Friday giveaway at Shuz Society.

Not being one to pass up the opportunity to win free shoes, I signed up, and somewhat forgot about the site.

A Thursday morning, one June 22nd, I woke up to a lovely call from Shuz Society, telling me I have won today's Fab Friday giveaway, and will be the proud owner of a Eileen Shield's Bette Shoe. Not to miss my week of fame, I saved my "interview," which is really from my profile. (And hey! My darling little mug was on the homepage).


I was more excited to have won these when I read an article about their potential to don the feet of Ms. Carrie Bradshaw; Patricia Field had requested them, and had them overnighted to the set of SatC: the Movie. I had hoped they would arrive before the premiere, so I could wear them with the excitement that maybe Carrie & I were Sole Sisters.

They didn't make it for opening night, but a month later (with an inquiry, to make sure the new nasty neighbors hadn't filched my package!) the shoes were in my hands.





Now I'm left to wonder...
do I have to pay taxes on these?

The Dramatis Personae: Iona [Pretty In Pink]

It's been a long time since I have visited the "Dramatis Personae"-- though this one has long been on my mind. And it seems I'm not the only one, as Nylon magazine recently featured this fabulous, funky, and fantastic femme in their "School of Rock" issue (July 2008).

May I present our Dramatis Personae, Iona, from Pretty In Pink!

If there is one character in film culture who I identify with, it's Iona. Iona is one of those rare characters (much like Carrie Bradshaw) who defies time, stereotype, culture, and age. Her wardrobe changes with her moods, and it engulfs wigs, funky sunglasses, vintage clothes, hats, dramatic shoes, and bold brooches. Her style is a product of the time,

There are fewer tragedies in the world than the fate and end of Iona; she gives up her colorful and eccentric wardrobe to don the working girl suits of the 1980s, all for a man.

And to celebrate the fabulous style of Iona, I present one of my favorite movie scenes of all times (Otis Redding + 1940s style; can you go wrong?):



Glorious goods to help you get your own Iona-inspired stye...
Vintage 1940s Pillbox hat with veil (and starting at $5!).
The Party Page Wig from the decadent Fifi Mahoney's (in shocking white, natch).
Trasy Diva's Asia Blouse (on sale for $57!)
1960s pink prom dress (no need to reconstruct this one!);

Etsy Designer: Catherinette Rings

It's been a long time since I have been able to carefully and casually peruse Etsy for fine & fabulous wearings.

And today I was hit like a load of bricks-- brightly colored, shiny, bricks that make me regress to an infantile "Ohhh Shiny!" state.

It could be that I'm already in a color coma from the fabulous and fantastically pink cardigan I'm wearing (with white space-dyed striped tank & starburst necklace); instead of putting away dishes, doing dishes, cooking, etc., I'm dying to share & show off the amazing 12 pages of candy coated jewelry that Catherinette Rings designs.



And maybe candy coated sugary goodness isn't your thing. She's got amazing steampunk inspired pieces as well!

Best of all, her pieces range from $18-24, so it's easy to stock up on the many gorgeous colors frequenting her shop to mix & match with your wardrobe.

25 For 25 [2 of 5]

After a whirlwind of a weekend (I did complete my dress!), I leave you with this quick version of "25 for 25": Back In Black. My parents used to tell me as a child that I needed a sugar daddy; some things never change.



1. Dior Extreme Cutout Shoe, $780.
2. Burnt Ostrich 1940s Pin-Up Hat, $142.00.
3. Delicate 14/17 print, $95.00.
4. Prada Suede Ruffle Sandal, $730.00.

Absolutely Ludicrous!

I leave Thursday for a wedding in New Orleans, and there are still parts of my dress pattern lying on the kitchen table! I'd say I'm approximately 1/4 of the way done (perhaps more, if I'm lucky, though I doubt it!).


In a most luscious shade of orchid purple

Will I make it before the Wednesday night deadline? Will I be finishing hems on the way to the chapel? Or will it end up in a pile of fury and disappointment, and I'll end up wearing the black silk dress my friend made (that I still haven't finished the hem on?)?