Resolutions

Honestly, I have none.

I don't have 30 pounds to lose (unless I wanted to be a runway model, one of my few irrational grandiose unhealthy closet dreams),
I don't have quarrels to mend (at least, I don't think),
and I don't have any static ambitions or thoughts that need motivational shove.


I just seek to continue doing what I'm already doing:
a) school
b) planning my immediate, near and distant future and
c) taking care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I honestly don't think 'doing better' is theoretically appropriate all the time, and I certainly don't need a specified day of the year to inspire me to do things differently, because I daily (if not, hourly) reflect on my behavior and that of others.

Call me ego-centric, but I'm allowed.
I'm very content with myself right now in my 21 years of age, thank you very much.

2009, bring it on.
I can't wait to see my plans and imaginations come to fruition.

Perfect Day

I want to tell you about my day today- one that restored my faith in life itself- hope and faith for my life, my goals, my many curiosities and ambitions to make the world a more informed, tolerant and educated place.

After being up until 3 am watching 24 at the neighbors (I slept half the time- I'm just not sold on it haha) prior to a party at a friends house (nothing against the host or my party companions, who would presumably agree with the following statement, read: self-absorbed SoCal-local 20-somethings on college breaks, all self-consciously staring at how skinny everyone was, replete with some half-assed flirtation and semi-genuine 'life catch-up' efforts), today I spent the day with my good friend Sarah.

We did everything we did this past summer in NYC: eating, chatting, walking, museum-visiting.
Minus the world-renowned museums (and walking, for that matter).

And besides the fact that we were driving cars and in an exorbitantly cleaner city than Gotham, it was so refreshing to talk about how excited we were for even what the next 6 months of our lives will bring.

So here's the play-by-play of my perfect today:

We began at noon for a lunch (first meal for both of us) at a local organic cafe in spitting distance of the waves, muching on organic plates of goodness (read golden quinoa, hummus, egg-white omelette, fruit, etc), staring out at the Pacific Ocean, reflecting on how boringly idyllic California is: how though we are eternally grateful to come home to it, we hunger for more.

We discussed scholastic competition and how some peers our age are acting more like adults than ever before, down to wearing pencil skirts for fun and doing things on our summer 'vacations' to give us an edge in the workforce prior to graduation.

Is it eerily socialist that an undergraduate college degree is fast becoming a ubiquitously useless achievement, career-wise?

Or are we experiencing a contemporary renaissance?

Is our society benefiting from all this enlightenment- the fact that a Master's/Ph.D. today is what a simple undergraduate degree was to our parent's generation?

Let's hope: something we can agree on is that our Generation Y is surely one of transition (or maybe our 'revolutionary' spirit is all in our ego-centric minds).


Then we went to a local coffee shop/bookstore and looked for books on Palestinian views regarding the Israeli conflict (hard to come by in Jew-heavy San Diego), instead we found a shrine of pro-Israel literature. Eh, it was worth a try.

Over lattes, we chatted mostly about current gender issues, from hermaphrodites to homosexuals:
a) how it was awkward, frustrating and hard to inevitably support California's Proposition 8
b) abortion and how we just wished people were just more pro-actively responsible about their sexual health.


Then we went to Barnes and Noble in search of a map of metropolitan London, as it is somewhere I want to live within the next 5 years (and where Sarah has lived twice), and as I'm a planner/overthinker extraordinaire, I figure I should start studying its layout and scout for cost-effective, non-dodgy, fun neighborhoods to live.

I also got a hilarious quotebook called The Traveling Curmudgeon, basically a bah-humbug collection of anecdotes and sayings from Shakespeare, Twain and modern comedians on why one shouldn't travel.
I think it was awesomely poignant it was on super clearance for $3.49: to not want to travel is pigheaded, arrogant and ignorant: characteristics that even within the "dude that's so sick" SoCal culture, most people don't subscribe. Although silly and sorta thought-provoking, The Traveling Curmudgeon precisely represents the antithesis of who I am.


Then we went to Golden Spoon, another SoCal locale, where we ended up spending about an hour and a half spontaneously run-in chatting with people from our high school and an older single woman from our church whom we love because she's always traveling to exotic places to go hiking.

(For example, she sponsored herself when she climbed Everest Base Camp, raising $4,000 that built a school in Africa near where she had previously climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Among other things, currently 100 children are receiving an education at the school.)

Before bidding our farewells, she gave us some book and movie recommendations, discussed the importance of literacy and hygiene in developing countries, the sex-trafficking travesty of Southeast Asia, and how it is not just a romantic idea to want to change the world.


I wish more of my days could be like today, but I realize the beauty of it was all about reuniting to reminisce about life travel and experience. I suppose I'll have to get back out to living my life so that reunions and catch-ups will be even more memorably gratifying in the future.
The world truly is a classroom!

Can't wait!

Crooners? More like clowns!

This post is dedicated to Brook, finals-week-sappy-love-song-listener extraordinaire.

We would listen to such kinds of songs during finals and midterms weeks (i.e. Danity Kane, Brian McKnight) to help us empathize with our bleak testing realities (we believe lovesickness and heartache are similar emotions to the anxiety and longing for tests to be over, etc).

Disclaimer: Be warned that listening to songs/crooners of this type (sorry, couldn't embed...and fast forward to 0:45)
ensues in uncontrollable laughter.

The best 12/26 hangover remedy

Shopping!

The sisters and I braved the dizzying parking debacle that is Fashion Valley San Diego (after many parking structure run-throughs, we decisively accosted and followed a kind SDSU co-ed to his car, blinking all the way)...

And scored magnificently...myself, spending <$300 at Saks (they had the best sale - 60% off lowest price), resulting in 6 marvelous new pieces, most notably:

a Marc Jacobs royal blue and turquoise dress (to be accompanied with tights and booties- ooh la la)

and

a Nanette Lepore sexy-modest black satin blouse with black lace fring-ing detail.

The puckered wool, very NY (and of course, Italiano) Fendi skirt was oh-so-sexy-secretary-tempting...

as was the Carlos Falchi python and snakeskin belt...


but I had to hold off.


There will always be a killer sale.

And I can shop 'em well.

Merry Christmas

Silver Bells, Silver Bells,

It's Christmas time in the city.

I bring you a link to NY Magazine's jazzy spectacular "Holidays in the City" Guide.



God bless us, Everyone!

Trading 212 for 202

So, this summer I will be in our newly minted Obama-ized nation's capital interning for NOT a senator NOR 'someone on the Hill' NOR some non-profit saving the world.....


but....


ah yes.....

a MAGAZINE (or another communications medium of choice)!!!



Which one, you ask?

Well, since I'm paranoid about disclosure on this public forum, this blog will never see the name printed of the publication for which I end up working (but friends, please refer to my Facebook or email me to get your answer).

Don't worry, I will tell plenty of stories about the goings-on (as I did with my NY magazine experience- do you want more? please do ask me! I love memory jogging!) but never refer to what the magazine prints or such that one could ever find out.


But riddle me this comparative ratio:

I sent out roughly 35 resumes to NYC magazines/PR firms/agencies, only to receive about 5 offers.

That's 1:7


Compare that ratio to the fact I have selected roughly 12 DC places where I would like to intern.
My internship advisor said I seriously needn't think of more (as I bit my nails recalling my NY resume sending process and begged to differ).

So...
I have sent just one resume out so far, and....received a prompt response that they'd like to interview.

And because, (ego alert), I'm 100% in my life-long interview track record...




That means I'm 1:1 in DC.



I'll always love 212, but I'm starting to like this 202 town....

The Taintorettes

Yes, I know I'm on a blogging streak today.
It's what Christmas Break means to an un-relaxable college journalist.
Sue me.

Anne Taintor, the Original Vintage Humor Company, creator of a calendar and coasters that strike up grandly awkward tongue-in-cheek conversations in the hormone-bridled town of Provo, UT, in which I elected to spend my undergraduate years....

with designs like unto the following....






has a section of her Website dedicated to the models of her creations, now graying grandmothers.

All the stories are just. so. adorable!!!

Brains and Faith

Day of Faith: Personal Quests for a Purpose - 3. Rachel Esplin from Harvard Hillel on Vimeo.



Coupled with this interesting NY Times blog I read a while ago that compares a country's wealth with religiosity, we have ourselves an interesting discussion...

Just call me Perez

So I'm onto Perez Hilton's amateur celeb picture doctoring
(read: lame white scribbly titles and added junk that looks more like 'Kid Pix' (remember that computer program from the 90s?) than Photoshop)


....so I tried my hand at my own.


Since the background was white, MK looks like she's back on crack, and 'tis the season,
I had to use green.

(original picture courtesy of People Startracks)


Hopefully, this won't be the extent of my Photoshop skills.

Rucky: Part II

Presumably since becoming one of Coco Rocha's blog followers, thanks to Google Analytics I am now proud to announce I have officially permeated the INTERNATIONAL blogosphere (although Tara still wins), with visitors from:

Sweden,
Canada and
Argentina!

HEJ!

HELLO/BONJOUR!

HOLA!



I think anyone new to my blog would catch on slowly to my weird complex going on:

SoCal-raised, wannabe (more like "determined to be") East Coaster with all my musings on NYC, Utah-irked with all my commentary on how perverted a place it is....then throw the fact that I am a devout Mormon in the mix (questions? please DO ask!) and it can get a 'lil crazy here on the burnt mustard.




In other news,

On Saturday, I got this fabu earthy necklace on-sale at Anthropologie ($9.99).

Just a 'lil tribal-chic going on.

Thank goodness for Anthro sales- where would I/we be??
Fashion destitute, that's what.

And JOHANNA WON STYLISTA!!!! I'm so excited because she was always my favorite (her blog is at the end of my blog list- "A serious job is no excuse"- she hasn't updated it for 9 months but whatevs).
Even though I don't seek a career in fashion (but editorial: yes), I see so much of myself in her: her intellect, her style, her meticulously relentless drive to become what she wants to be. Watch the last episode here.

(Johanna is the one on the far left- and she wore that dress in the final episode too- she's too fabulous for words)

Also, THIS little number will be arriving soon via the 50 Rockefeller Center Anthropologie (Leifsdottir runs small and I underestimated). Apparently, two holiday hasty NY'ers were clamoring for it as the cute sales assistant fetched it for ME....
across the country....
in the boring warmth of Southern California.

Sigh.

I'm a lucky girl, she said twice.

Rucky, I think, would be the term for it.

New York, I Love You

So you better believe when this comes out I will be camped out in front of a movie theater like your average paranormal Edward Cullen-obsessed-tween.

Not to mention, like, EVERYONE is in it.

Well, it is NYC. Who wouldn't want to be in it?

It's all the ironies, all the paradoxes, all the extremities that coexist (and all somehow fit) on that 9 square mile strip of island that intrigue me like nothing else.

Confessions of movies not seen

So I have been IN a movie.

And this Christmas Break, I will pretty much be at the movie theater daily (Australia!!! Valkyrie!!! Doubt!!! Benjamin Button!!!)



BUT... I have not seen the following:


CLUELESS. It is a crying shame. It's due to the fact that, as an oldest child, I wasn't even allowed to see PG-13 movies until I was probably 15.
Somebody, please rectify this.

TITANIC- (story warranted) I went through the ringer as a deprived 6th grader of the blockbuster hit Titanic- even though I admit the movie is pathetic, I endured enough playground mockery and snickering to last me a lifetime of therapy. When I finally saw it via my LDS friend's tech-savvy and also Kate-Winslet-boob-alert mom who edited out THAT one scene, I could finally have a clear conscience when I told people, yes, I really am not as lame as my parents are trying to make me: I SAW THE FREAKING MOVIE TITANIC.

Others:
Dirty Dancing
Harry Potter 4 (nor read the books 5, 6, or 7- Harry lives).
10 Things I Hate About You
Goonies (fell asleep in the first 2 minutes)
E.T.
Grease

and, gasp...

TWILIGHT. Nor read the book.

I'm forgetting some, I'm sure. But just thought I would shock you.

A proud Coco follower

In case you were wondering or worried...

I am now the 107th follower of Coco Rocha's blog.

(Annie Leibovitz is extraordinary)

See her in this darling video, set at the NY Botanical Garden.

xoxo,

Alex

Craigslist-slash-Christie's

Of all places, I found out about this on NPR.....

While I think the Web site needs an overhaul, the concept is genius.


www.ExBoyfriendJewelry.com


Name says it all.

It's like a Craigslist (because its for the everyman...er, woman) -

slash -

Christie's (because it reminds me of when I read in the NY Post in Summer 06 (when it was still 25 cents) that Ellen Barkin was selling all the baubles she had accumulated from her ex-husband).

It's SNOWing at BYU

There are new Buswrap advertisements rolling around Provo.
Feel blessed if you haven't seen them, because I was outraged when I did:



'It's SNOWing at BYU!
Start your education at Snow College and finish at BYU'



This makes me irate like nothing else.

Unlike any Snow College JC'er who albeit, has to put forth the effort to make good grades to 'finish at the Y,' he/she did not work their ass off like I did in high school with 16-hour days, days that started at 5:30 AM and ended at around 10 PM after seminary, school, sports and hours of homework were finally complete.

Day after day after day.
(If I weren't efficient or hadn't been good at time management, I would have had 1AM bedtimes).


Have we no faith in doing well, putting forth the required effort the FIRST time?



And about the Independent Study billboards on I-15 that read "Finish at home what you started at BYU".... Have we no faith or value in starting what we finish?


I suppose both of these examples exemplify the 2nd-chance-giving mentality. Merciful- just like the Gospel.

But for goodness sakes, I don't want someone flighty enough to drop out of BYU to be able to claim the same degree as me with independent study courses! (It's a different case if you are moving away for a job, and have to finish a GE or two...but the fact the courses are advertised on 1-15 in Utah County make me believe BYU is pandering to the bored degree-less UV housewife).

And I don't want a billboard to provoke someone to get back and finish their education- I would hope the desire came from within, that they had to soul search enough to seek it out on their own with dozens of phone calls and research to figure out what it would take.

Why are we ('they') advertising the 'easiness' of something so sacred as education?

Despicable.


Is that a sweeping, harsh generalization?
GOOD.
I invite you to be disgusted with me (double entendre...if you didn't catch it).

Singles Wards: Corrals of marriage-hungry co-eds

I posted this for some obvious reasons.

A) It's set in Manhattan- 66th and Columbus to be exact.

B) I think I know the girl in the pink coat...

C) I supported Prop 8 for moral, fiscal and democratic reasons.

D) I feel like singles ward bishops are marriage "pushers" just like Tina Fey was allegedly a "drug pusher" in Mean Girls.

E) My roommate (The ZARA addict) opts out of FHE and other such ward activities, because her almost-engaged status exempts her from the purpose of singles ward. At ward prayer ("stare") the other week when our apartment was being lame-ly 'introduced' and she, of course, was not present, I told the crowd to not worry about getting to know her as she is off the market. However, I refrained from saying "and we know that's what these things are all about anyway," then promptly left.
She told me I should have said that last bit.
I agreed.
And then we both laughed out loud.

Victoria's Secret admits they've become "too sexy"

I received this in my inbox this morning, and thought I'd share...

Lingerie Giant Feels Strain of National Boycott—Local Residents Joining In

CEO of Victoria's Secret Confesses They’ve Become ‘Too Sexy.’

For Immediate Release: December 11, 2008

(Press Release) - Millions of American children are exposed to Victoria’s Secret’s highly sexualized advertisements each day. From commercials during family prime time television to mall displays across America, the ads are no doubt provocative.

“We have pictures as big as walls with women wearing underwear, sometimes even just an arm for cover up. As a mother of a young son,” commented Rebecca Anderson from Orem, UT, “I’m disgusted with all these sexual images he’s being exposed to. I hope others will see how twisted this is and what it’s doing to not just children, but men & women of all ages.”

“For me, it really brings back my insecurities about being a woman,” said 26-year-old Sarah Ann of Loma Linda, CA. “I immediately start to compare myself to the ads I see.” Some scholars feel these ads contribute to the sexual objectification of women by advertising their bras in surreal proportions with larger than life photographs.

Many people feel these ads too often toe the line from appealing to appalling & are unsolicited. Parents often feel that when corporations like Victoria’s Secret push the envelope in their public advertising, it is a betrayal of public trust.

The top executive of Victoria's Secret, Sharen Turney, admitted in a recent press release that the lingerie giant has indeed become "too sexy" for its own good. Ironically, she recalled how the lingerie chain was started in San Francisco in 1977 by Roy Raymond because he felt embarrassed trying to buy lingerie for his wife and hoped to provide a comfortable place to shop.“[W]e've so much gotten off our heritage,” Turney confessed. “I feel so strongly about us getting back to our heritage and really thinking in terms of ultra feminine.”

While families nationwide were thrilled with these comments made by Victoria’s CEO- Feb ‘08 this year, many now see it was an empty promise— possibly a publicity ploy to boost sales—citing no change in the risqué nature of their ads. In a recent poll, most mothers agreed that the outside store displays at Victoria’s Secret are no more family-appropriate than before. As Sarah Whitaker from Pleasant Grove, UT remarked, “Victoria’s Secret’s images are so embarrassing to walk by, especially for families with kids. Sure, lingerie needs to be advertised, but why can’t displays aimed at the public be more child-appropriate?”

Families nationwide are banding together in a valiant effort to reclaim the public domain. They are simply asking for more child-appropriate ads, both on the public airwaves and in public mall displays. Groups are staging “Pro-Family Demonstrations” across the U.S. until Victoria’s Secret- the lingerie leader- follows through on their promise to tone down & return to their heritage.

Until that time, citizens and pro-family groups nationwide are saying “enough is enough.” So far, a number of prominent pro-family organizations have joined the national boycott, with more in quick succession. Soon over one million of their total members will be alerted, to join the largest boycott of its kind. The groups wish the public to know the boycott is not about protesting lingerie or Victoria’s Secret’s products. The boycott is simply about asking for public ads that are more respectful of women & child and family appropriate.

Throughout Utah Valley citizens are beginning to mobilize. Many are expected to attend the “Pro-Family” demonstrations each week from 1-3 pm on the corner of Univ. Pkwy & State St. in Orem, UT. This past Saturday was a success as hundreds of cars honked in support. The local store manager even came out to the street corner upset about the boycott. When prompted, she agreed that their public ads are not child-appropriate, but tried to justify that other stores show similar ads. She complained this would hurt sales and walked off.

In Michigan, the American Decency Association has already campaigned against Victoria’s Secret & seen noticeable ad improvements. There the corporation did agree to make local concessions. Nationwide, many citizens see this as evidence it is possible to make a difference in their hometown & everywhere are encouraging friends & family to join the boycott. And it’s taking off. These groups are determined to make a difference & have agreed not to stop until Victoria’s ads change. Millions of Americans are being asked to sign the petition found at www.BoycottVS.com

All I Want for Christmas is Water

I'm spreading the love, originating from my childhood twinner Al's blog.

'Tis the season for access to clean water!

Go on, tease me

I come from a teasing family...and it wasn't until I came to college that I realized that I probably tease people the most of anyone I know.

Anyway, this very interesting article talks about teasing as a form of communication.


Sorry that's all I have for you right now.

I'm stressed beyond belief, got shot in the face with 6 needles today, a professor thinks my InDesigning is pitiful and lets me know it to my needle-stricken face, I don't know what I'm doing for my final photo essay, I need to study for a test and finish 5 projects. Eek.

I should probably tell these professors that I have been to hell and back (actually, I'm quite certain I'm not 'back' yet) with my health this semester: received more needle shots/withdrawals than I have ever had in my life put together in the last 3 months, gone through bottle after bottle of ibuprofen, acetaminophen and other narcotics, frequented the ER one weekend for a lovely shot that put me to sleep for a good two days, even prompted a visit from my mother to help me....

but I'm not a whiner.

I'm a teaser.

Blogosphering Betty!

Blogosphere, be extremely excited.

My food writing teacher of this past summer, Betty Liu, has a blog!!!

She is one of the most wonderful, real, and passionate people I have met, and equally so as an educator:

I miss her wisdom, insight, stories, humor, and grit every day...

(Not to mention her "yoga moments" where she would kick-off class reading us a food writing vignette with the lights off, then 'chime' us back to the present.
With a real miniature chinese chimer thingy.
When Arthur Schwartz came to visit us one day and arrived in the middle of the meditation, he teased her about the 'serenity,' to which we all had a laugh as hearty as the soup she was probably reading about.)

Everytime I read her blog I get so ramped up on wit and good writing, I want to dance.
I read it with her voice in my ear and my memories of the class and the city on my mind.

Yesterday, I read her blog before getting up out of bed. Somewhere in the middle of shampoo and soap in the shower, I maniacally pumped my fists and audibly proclaimed "I'm so freaking inspired!".... in an 'I'm a writer- bring on the day and the crappy pay!' kind of way.

Yeah, I literally did that. It was one of the lamer and more enlightened moments of my life.


Anyway, you should read her blog and I hope she touches you because everyone could learn a lot from her.


She's a woman who speaks somberly of her declining mother, one who shares her determined get-hired tips...

and is not above talking pleather.

I think my heart may Tha-KOON!

As chic Chantelle Elise often exclaims, "I think my heart may explode!" I will have to follow suit.

Thakoon, one of my favorite high-fashion labels, sounds like onomatopoeia for 'Ka-boom' (I spelled that correctly without any spell-check help, thank you very much).

It's an ethnic name, but really ironic that it's designs mimic what "kaboom" personifies for the English language in their bold prints and feminine tailoring that doesn't take itself too seriously.




Anyway, I am telling you this because THAKOON is doing a GO Int'l line at TARGET!



AND



B) HOW stunning is Katie Holmes in NYTimes Magazine?! Love it!

The Elephant in the Room

Weight issues. We all deal with them. For some, it's hell.

Last week on Stylista, the elephant in the room showed itself. Now that is a double entendre- one entendre of which is very harsh, but I don't mean it to be harsh. It's just irony it has to be this way.

Anyway, the contestant Danielle from Long Island (or Jersey, I can't remember which) was noticeably, if not, significantly heavier than the rest of the contestants. I wondered when the whole weight issue would blow up on the show- it was just a matter of time, it seemed.
To be overweight in the fashion industry I imagine would be like walking on nails over hot coals, so I seriously applauded this girl for her confidence to even desire an ounce of Elle's vicinity.
Even if I secretly thought in a very mean way that the fashion industry took her on the show to prove they were politically correct. Which of course they're not (another elephant in the room), so they did it to make a statement. And granted, the girl did have good fashion sense. But you knew it wasn't going to work.

But ooh! It was so hard to watch Anne Slowey tell her she wasn't the "right fit" (the Stylista version of "You're fired"/"You're out") for so many reasons on so many levels.

Danielle is an example of why I love the east coast so much. Had she grown up in California, she would have been a homebody loner with no friends and definitely no confidence. High school in California is all about how hot you are, how buff you are in a bikini, how blonde, how tan, etc etc.
Blech.
I hated the whole scene and was way over it before it even started, actually.

Danielle hypothetically questioned why being overweight is any different from being gay or having poor hygiene.
It's just a characteristic, she said.
She said she didn't want or feel the need to change herself.
She said she didn't want the industry to push their perception of beauty on her.
She never broke down about her weight, she was mad at the fact that no one could understand her conviction that the fashion industry is not just for the size 2.

"I'm okay with me and to hell with them!" she exclaimed.

I applaud her.


I have struggled with body image issues my entire life, ever since first grade when I distinctly remember comparing the size of my thighs to the girl I was sitting next to on the school bus (discerning that mine were bigger).

Granted, being tall gets better with time.

It was awful in 5th grade when you were taller than everyone, including most of the school's teachers. It was awkward in high school, when even being lean and healthy, I didn't have the "model" physique when everyone else had teensy teenage bodies.
And fellow classmates showed up in Pac Sun ads in Cosmo.
Or dabbled in Hollywood etc...

Anyway, Danielle on Stylista. You knew she wasn't going to win. It was inevitable. There are some with better talent, there were some with worse.

But I sincerely admire her level of confidence.

Watch the episode HERE.

And I'm convinced they put Kate on the show to show how ditzy and dumb L.A. is to New Yorkers. It's kind of funny.

My favorite competitor is Joanna. She is smart, savvy and sophisticated.
I love her style.
It's less hard edged than bitchy Megan, more feminine with lots of ruffles, skirts and tops that show off her sculpted shoulders in a high-fashion yet non-flashy way.
And she's mildly uptight and takes the competition seriously. It especially touched me in the contest to create a birthday party for Slowey's niece (which she won), when Joanna expressed she was having a hard time creating a concept because she never felt like she was ever a kid anyway. I totally agree.
I have always been about age 26 mentally. Sometimes 38. Sometimes 66. But never really under age 20.

Go Joanna!

Thanks a lot feminist movement...

Just like my friend Brook, I'm NOT UNHAPPY because I have not "nailed a man."

I'm secretly grateful every day I don't have a boyfriend. Shocking for a Provo-dweller, I know.

I actually hope at this point in my life, 'the one' doesn't enter the picture yet because it would distract me, potentially ruining my plans for the next 5 years.


Granted, the feminist movement has empowered me, given me the imagination to dream, and endowed a hope within that my destiny can involve more or something completely different than ironing my husband's shirts (not that there's anything wrong with that if that's your prerogative!)

HOWEVER, Brook and I came to the conclusion via endless G-chats at our respective internships across the country this summer, that the feminist movement has shattered the confidence of men and molded them into pathetic pansies, afraid of commitment, waiting for an aggressive girl to come along and do all the work for them.

But for us old-fashioned types, and frankly, universally, this is NOT the way it should be.

HERE, she talks about what we talked about. Read it. Don't weep. Just pray there can be some kind of confidence movement for men. And soon.

Because females who woo never get in relationships with men who really want to commit.




Now to cheer yourself up, go laugh your face off at THIS.

xo

I'm dreaming of a White City

I'm dreaming of a white ......city of New York!!!

AKA My Promised Land.

One because, a) I love the Nutcracker... and SJP's bun when she attended the NYC Ballet's premiere Monday night.


b) Just like SJP said, "How great it is to be single in the city, because the city is your date." Amen.

c) Ever since I was about 4 years old I've dreamt of the image of myself being 26 all wrapped up in fall fashion hailing a cab, off to take my fabulous self somewhere equally as fabulous.
Kind of like Jennifer Garner's young character in 13 Going On 30...("I want to be 30! Thirty and flirty and thriving...")

Never have I yearned to be in such a place during the holiday season as NYC (except for home, of course!)


Until next summer, and next Thanksgiving vacation,

NYC please keep coming home to me in my thoughts, this interim period without you is misery.

Love, Alex


PS: Sundance opens in 2 days. Hallelujah.

and PSS: Does ANYONE remember this??!
I'm pretty sure when I was little I would watch the Sesame Street Christmas video (that includes this most memorable clip) even when it wasn't Christmas time.

Goodies of religious nature

A great L.A. Times op-ed piece expressing the irony of how generally, the 'tolerant' liberal left-wingers intolerantly attacked Mormons for Prop 8.




A reason to be proud of BYU:
Randy Bott is the #1 ranked professor.

BYU is rated #7 in overall highest rated professors.




Brother Wirthlin, you will be missed.

Another Way to Die!

The Quantum of Solace's (aka new Bond 007 movie) opening sequence song....

KILLER! (pun intended)

Another Way To Die @ Yahoo! Video

Gmail:Capacity = Economy:Status

I was never good at analogies. I recall those SAT prep courses where they taught you to 'make a little sentence' to figure it out?

Well I would conjure really over-thought sentences in my head and get the 'correct' analogy match wrong.

like...

BIRD : NEST ::

(A) dog : doghouse (Well a dog only sleeps in the doghouse or if it is scolded, unless it's the huge dog in The Sandlot and then it DOES in fact live in a dog house...until the end, of course...)
(B) squirrel : tree (A squirrel may live in a tree if it is running for refuge from a larger animal, trying to cheat Darwinism)

(C) beaver : dam (A beaver makes a dam, and lives nearby, I presume- you'd want to live by something you've taken time and pride in building?)

(D) cat : litter box (Well, this is where the cat does it's duty and I'm not sure how a bird's intestinal system works, sooo.....)
(E) book : library (Library books have transient existences, like birds that come and go?...)

So is it the fact that the bird lives in a nest like a dog in a doghouse, creates a nest like a beaver a dam, retreats to the nest like a squirrel a tree, does it's duty like a cat in a litterbox, or are they trying to make you think along the lines of how birds live transient lives, going and returning like books at a library?!?!

See, I'm confused!!!

Anyway....

Nowadays, everyone and their dog (or bird, squirrel, cat, beaver...) has a Google mail email account.

I am pretty prolific with the G: people will walk past me and laugh at my octopus-like capabilities to compose an email, a new blogger post all while balancing 4 open g-chats (usually one NYC, one Ogden, one SLC, and one in the same room just for giggles).

But I have a problem with the Gmail homepage claims that one never has to delete anything.

Just archive away. Make your life easier. Make the email experience 'fun' ...it claims.
(I wish I could do that with other things in my life- just archive them away...and forget)

The problem is when you archive then remember too late when the issues at hand are no longer timely... Whoops...

Gmail Labels have changed my life by compartmentalizing and color-coding my archived items, but it occurred to me recently that perhaps I need to exercise a little discernment when archiving:

My Gmail capacity is now 24% full!

What the heck, Gmail?

Why does your little "counter" keep going up when, like the US economy, I feel as if I'm nearing the brink of disaster over no remaining space?

So I wanted to know, do any of you actually have to delete stuff in your Gmail like me, as opposed to Google's claim that you should/can/are able to archive everything??

In Honor of Black Friday

In honor of Black Friday, I bring you some items worthy of the Recessionista in all of us!

First, Michelle O. budget style, courtesy of the Huffington Post (thanks Kate!):


I would argue she is even more style savvy than Jackie O., because according to a Vogue article I read last year, Jackie was ALL Valentino's creation. Can't find the original article, but here's a Wiki link that begins to prove my point.


Now, three NY Times articles on a 5AM stampede earlier this morning, death of a Wal-Mart worker (I hate Wal-Mart but this is sad), and of course, the obvious article about Americans losing their spending appetite. I'm out in rural Wyoming where the closest mall is no less than 5 hours away, but the urbanite has to stay connected somehow, be it Nytimes online on a sketchy Wi-fi system....

So before my connection to the outside world dies on me, and in honor of the fact that I have not seen High School Musical 3 yet (should I?), I bring you this.

Wyoming Wonderland

I find it no ironic coincidence that "Native New Yorker" (yes the retro song by Odyssey) came on my iPod, quite literally, as we touched down at the Yellowstone Wyoming Airport yesterday.

Yes the city girl herself is currently located in the least populated state in the United States, a population at least 1/4 the size of Queens (a borough of NYC).

I was preparing myself for a bleak, sad, melancholy time but all this Buffalo Bill/Indian lore is growing on me...in a funny way: I take respite in family chats framed by historical discussions of Custer's legacy, the former WY Japanese internment camps of WWII, a proposal if smallpox really gave the US victory in the Wild West, and hallmarked with updates on each cousin's current academic achievements.

And as long as I can snuggle up in bed with NY Magazine, in which I read this article on a "New Deal" proposal (Did I call it or DID I CALL IT!), this picturesque barrenness is not too bad at all.

(PS: I saw that slanted white Calatrava bridge in Seville, and wondered what that modernity meant in the middle of Andalucia until I read the sidebar to the above linked article.
Thanks NY Mag!)

___________________________


Oh , and just to make you feel better about tomorrow:
This little ditty on Models' holiday eating confessions.

(Hint: The best part is the comments at the bottom.)

Fueling the Fire

To my readers:

I want to give a cheery hello and just clear the air that yeah, ok, maybe I offend you or you may not agree with things I say, but I thank you for reading my blog. Sincerely.

That being said, to respond to all the out-of-the-woodwork anonymous hatred expressed towards my opinions lately, I recall the NBC Bob Costas interview with Michael Phelps, fresh from winning his 8th gold medal. Along with being congratulated by Mark Spitzer (former record holder), Costas was asking Phelps about what he did to realize this dream, even in the face of opposition (for example, Ian Thorpe and Cavic had mocked the idea he could achieve the feat of an 8 gold medal sweep).
As oaf-y and dull and a little unintelligent I think Phelps comes across in the media (please do flame away at that opinion of mine if you are so inclined or know him to be otherwise), he responded with a pearl of wisdom that has stuck with me, along the lines of "I openly welcome comments from dissenters because it only motivates me to work harder and prove them wrong."

Now, in relation to this blog, my goal is not to really "win someone over" or "prove someone wrong" with my opinions, I really just want to be a good writer and entertain and highlight truths, as I see them (however funny or awful or wrong you think them to be), about my current circumstances and living situation.

And that being said, it is a huge source of flattery to know you tuned in to burntmustard, and my words were compelling enough to make you all comment, positively or negatively.

I appreciate your readership, even if you now somehow hate me or think I give BYU a bad rap, et al...

To my friends, you are some of the most intelligent jewels I've met in my life that I wouldn't trade for anything.

And to all, don't worry, there will be a tell-all (eh, tell-some) book published within the next ten years that you will all be able to read.


That being said, who's ready for Thanksgiving?
Now thats something we can ALL agree on.


In other news:

I went to the COLDPLAY concert at Energy Solutions this past Saturday, and now my voice is hoarse from screaming all of the songs. From "Fix You" to "The Hardest Part" to "Viva la Vida" to an encore performance of "Yellow," it was amazing. I have even more respect for Chris Martin and clan- they are really talented.


Ashlee Simpson's new baby boy's name takes THE CAKE in all time worst baby names:
You thought "Apple," "Honor" or "Suri" were weird...
how about Bronx Mowgli Wentz.
Wow.


I've also been listening to the new Britney Spears 'CIRCUS' album
(thanks to my loyal Free Swag Queen who never lets me down),
and I just have one conclusion:
B. Spears is definitely THE queen of comeback.


And....
I bring you another Michelle Obama article (really cannot get enough of that woman), with sprinklings of advice from Cherie Blair (wife of Tony).
Enjoy.

On Self-Worth

I feel a word on self-worth is necessary.

I believe that every woman or man has the same amount of worth, and that doesn't change. Period.

However, respect is a different thing- a relative concept to each and every person- that can fluctuate based on perception, interaction, living with someone, etc.

I will admit I feel like a fish out of water in this destitute cultural wasteland that tries daily to thwart creative ambition.

This town has thrown me for a huge loop- one that I've tried to deal with rationally, one I've tried to accept for its many quirks and perversions, but the only way it seems I can vent is on a blog, of which I have the free agency to post, and you have the free agency to comment.

So thanks for your anonymous comments.

And though I earnestly try to see your point of view, I really can't justify changing my opinion at this time, because my own experiences with said people have been disappointing, strange or just plain awful. I wish they weren't or hadn't been. I really do.

That being said, I also wish I had more of a reason to 'bleed blue'.
But I just don't.
Never really did.
Never really will.
I tried really hard- there have been some great highs, really just pertaining to university schooling and some great friendships I've made along the way.
But again, I've been disappointed in more ways than one.

So I have 5 months until I'm out, and then you won't have to deal with people "like me" anymore.
And vice-versa.

The New New Deal

Have you seen the new Podcast on iTunes of President-elect Obama's
"Videos from the President Elect: Obama-Biden Transition Project"?

It's like the 21st century version of FDR's Fireside Chats like...Podcast Chats!

And if you didn't see this ingenious photo illustration on the cover of TIME Magazine, it sheds more light.


Yay Barack. Put people back to work.
I'm curious to see what the 21st century version of the WPA will be.

Angelina Jolie's Carefully Orchestrated Image

Whoever is not obsessed, or at least intrigued, with Angelina Jolie, is a martian.

The media's coverage of her, Brad and their brood is incessantly never ending.
Especially the coverage of Shiloh and the twins as if they were the Messiah.

Dabbling in PR in NYC this summer, this NY Times article makes a lot of sense.
I have no doubt she does a lot of good in the world, but this is just interesting.

Mitt mixes 'n mingles with the NY Times!

Okay, maybe I really am partial to the free market... Or maybe I just love Mitt...

In any case, I can't believe the NY Times ran his anti-bailout op-ed piece!

But as my dad says, he does have "serious street cred" with this stuff...

Here's the official link.


Let Detroit Go Bankrupt

By Mitt Romney

Published Nov. 18, 2008

IF General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler get the bailout that their chief executives asked for yesterday, you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye. It won’t go overnight, but its demise will be virtually guaranteed.

Without that bailout, Detroit will need to drastically restructure itself. With it, the automakers will stay the course — the suicidal course of declining market shares, insurmountable labor and retiree burdens, technology atrophy, product inferiority and never-ending job losses. Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.

I love cars, American cars. I was born in Detroit, the son of an auto chief executive. In 1954, my dad, George Romney, was tapped to run American Motors when its president suddenly died. The company itself was on life support — banks were threatening to deal it a death blow. The stock collapsed. I watched Dad work to turn the company around — and years later at business school, they were still talking about it. From the lessons of that turnaround, and from my own experiences, I have several prescriptions for Detroit’s automakers.

First, their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers.

That extra burden is estimated to be more than $2,000 per car. Think what that means: Ford, for example, needs to cut $2,000 worth of features and quality out of its Taurus to compete with Toyota’s Avalon. Of course the Avalon feels like a better product — it has $2,000 more put into it. Considering this disadvantage, Detroit has done a remarkable job of designing and engineering its cars. But if this cost penalty persists, any bailout will only delay the inevitable.

Second, management as is must go. New faces should be recruited from unrelated industries — from companies widely respected for excellence in marketing, innovation, creativity and labor relations.

The new management must work with labor leaders to see that the enmity between labor and management comes to an end. This division is a holdover from the early years of the last century, when unions brought workers job security and better wages and benefits. But as Walter Reuther, the former head of the United Automobile Workers, said to my father, “Getting more and more pay for less and less work is a dead-end street.”

You don’t have to look far for industries with unions that went down that road. Companies in the 21st century cannot perpetuate the destructive labor relations of the 20th. This will mean a new direction for the U.A.W., profit sharing or stock grants to all employees and a change in Big Three management culture.

The need for collaboration will mean accepting sanity in salaries and perks. At American Motors, my dad cut his pay and that of his executive team, he bought stock in the company, and he went out to factories to talk to workers directly. Get rid of the planes, the executive dining rooms — all the symbols that breed resentment among the hundreds of thousands who will also be sacrificing to keep the companies afloat.

Investments must be made for the future. No more focus on quarterly earnings or the kind of short-term stock appreciation that means quick riches for executives with options. Manage with an eye on cash flow, balance sheets and long-term appreciation. Invest in truly competitive products and innovative technologies — especially fuel-saving designs — that may not arrive for years. Starving research and development is like eating the seed corn.

Just as important to the future of American carmakers is the sales force. When sales are down, you don’t want to lose the only people who can get them to grow. So don’t fire the best dealers, and don’t crush them with new financial or performance demands they can’t meet.

It is not wrong to ask for government help, but the automakers should come up with a win-win proposition. I believe the federal government should invest substantially more in basic research — on new energy sources, fuel-economy technology, materials science and the like — that will ultimately benefit the automotive industry, along with many others. I believe Washington should raise energy research spending to $20 billion a year, from the $4 billion that is spent today. The research could be done at universities, at research labs and even through public-private collaboration. The federal government should also rectify the imbedded tax penalties that favor foreign carmakers.

But don’t ask Washington to give shareholders and bondholders a free pass — they bet on management and they lost.

The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.

In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, was a candidate for this year’s Republican presidential nomination.

A version of this article appeared in print on November 19, 2008, on page A35 of the New York edition.

University >>> Dental Hygiene > Hair School

That is the most left brained title I have ever posted. Wow.

So you're probably wondering what it all means.

Let's cross over to my right brained monologue where I won't scare you with anything related to pythagorean theorems, or anything like unto that nature...blech...

Among other perturbing things, Provo culture is chalk full of Hair School (Paul Mitchell, Bon Losee, Dallas Roberts...they keep popping out like babies at the Provo Hospital) and Dental Hygiene 'students' who justify their 'schooling' as "an education."

These 'stylists/hygienists' could have done the aforementioned programs ANYWHERE else in the United States, but slyly and strategically chose PROVO for the plethora of fresh RMs, so confused about how to act around girls, on whom to pounce to check off another box on their celestial kingdom list.

And we girls that attend BYU (or dare I mention in the same sentence, UVU), are forced to "compete" with these simple minded airheads,

when. there. should. be. no. competition. at all.

I digress, it's not a 'competition,' it's just the fact that when someone has hours upon hours of the day to be available to a guy and you're spending that time plugging away at homework, well, then that's not equality now, is it.

But again, the plethora of RMs utterly confused about how to act around girls as they've had to be completely completely celibate for the past 2 years (like, no hugging of the opposite sex; handshakes only) doesn't help.

And then, when 5 years down the road and these boys' maturity level finally kicks in, they go through an identity crisis realizing they're waking up every morning with a girl who does not how to turn on an oven or pay a bill (true stories).

But man, can their wives do a good perm and teeth cleaning.

I'll give the stylists and hygienists credit. I am not cavity-free, and still have yet to gain the patience to properly use a blow drier.
(my way: flip the head over, blow-dry the crap out of it, then flip myself rightside up, smooth down ensuing frightfully poofy hair with biosilk and flatiron a little).

But again, it sickens me that I'm even have reason to be concerned about this. Not that I am directly worried, (because someone who is interested in a Paul Mitchell alumna is not going to be interested in me), but I thought Provo, UT, was a place full of boys and girls who would all be so excited about each other's ambitions, goals, hopes and dreams.

I didn't realize there are these interceding cockroaches that enter the equation and mess it up for the rest of us, redefining the definition of female 'accessibility' and 'easiness'...not to mention the standard of 'intelligence.'

And that's a problem.

This is one of the many reasons I'm very eager to leave Provo-- these boys here just can't discern a quality girl if it hit them in the head or invited them to a Coldplay concert because we have an extra ticket.

They're just too interested in one that is easy, accessible, and always available, and ambition-less so they can feel really great about themselves as the smarter one in their marriage completing their 3 remaining years of post-mission schooling and having to take on a part-time job because their wife gets pregnant because she's bored (see the Seriously, So Blessed! blog).

Well, I'd surely be bored if all I did all day was look at teeth and hair.

I want a VF column like Veruca Salt wants a golden egg

I love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
When my study abroad friends and I wanted to save cash in random hotels/hostels on our random European trips (Portugal, Morocco), we would share beds. One time the five of us shared two double beds, alternating head and feet, kind of like Charlie Bucket's grandparents.

I blogged a while ago about my love affair with Vanity Fair, and I've found out that they have an LDS columnist.

Needless to say, I feel like Veruca Salt screaming at her daddy for a golden egg when I say I want a Vanity Fair column too!!!

If Cassandra Handley can do it (and Kristina Stewart Ward at Vogue, and Jane Clayson Johnson for CBS), I'm convinced I can too.


Here Cassandra defends the Church's Prop 8 involvement.

And here's the rest of her stuff.

A little jealous,
Alex

Anderson Cooper. In the flesh.

Best friends and journalists, all together to see the silver fox himself.
We were still screaming/waving our hands/hyperventilating an HOUR after this was taken. Literally.

(I said, "Maddie look at me!"... and Anderson looked over just as I was clicking to shoot the photo. GENIUS.)

I'm literally at a loss for words for how INCREDIBLE he was, so read Kate's post on this expectation-exceeding occasion we experienced last night.

Stuff White People Like

Wow, I am rolling on the floor at these 'racial digs' at myself and my fellow WASP-y caucasians, courtesy of StuffWhitePeopleLike.com

For example:

#115 PROMISING TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

"Throughout history, white people have a pretty poor record when it comes to promises (see Americans, Native for examples). Thankfully, modern white people are trying to erase the shame of the past by making promises to themselves that they will never keep.

Writing a novel, going vegan, or sending their future kid to public school are just a few of these great breakable promises. But by far the most common self improvement promise is to learn a new language.

This plan is first formulated when white people realize that two years of college Italian does not confer fluency. For the most part, these classes will only teach a white person how to order food in a restaurant, ask for a train schedule, and over pronounce words when they are mixed into English. Amazingly this small amount of proficiency is more than enough to warrant inclusion on a resume under “spoken languages.”

For many white people the lack of a second language is their greatest secret shame. It fills them with so much shame that they will literally spend the rest of their lives promising to learn a new language, but not so much shame that they will actually do it....."


I AM VICTIM TO THIS. MUST BE WHITE!

Also read:

#8 Barack Obama

and


#105 Unpaid Internships


#112 Hummus

RYANAIR: The Future of Travel

At this point in history, it's pretty accurate to propose that probably only the Amish are unaware of globalization's imminence.

And even amidst a worldwide economic crisis, it is now possible to jump continents for the cost of going out to lunch:

RYANAIR, the once go-to transportation mode for penny pinching student backpackers in Europe, is going TRANSATLANTIC.


True to their low-budget standard, a flight from London to NYC will set a passenger back about 10 Euro (about $14).

So genius, it made the NY Mag's "Brilliant" square on their Nov. 17 Approval Matrix.

If you're not familiar with it, Ryanair is the original low-budget European airline, the one making Europe trains go out of business by offering INSANELY low cost flights while managing to stay totally legit with licensed pilots and aircraft, etc.

Their their trick is no "free" drinks/food (I read something a while ago that "complimentary" beverages on flights actually costs a passenger about $15), no free checked baggage, open seating, hubbing at the less popular of European city airports (which is sometimes a hassle but the Ryanair experience is so no-frills, you don't really care), and more advertising.

For example, I flew round trip to Portugal from Spain for about $20.

And one way from Spain to Brussels for about $8.

After a 16-hour train ride from Florence to Barcelona, I vowed never to train Europe again (although the view coming into Monaco is so breathtaking, I may have to do the Milan to Marseille leg again one day).



I once studied Ryanair in a marketing class. They are so genius- the CEO's ultimate goal is to have passengers fly free by getting others to pay for it- kind of like TV (advertisers, etc).



And if that weren't enough, they publish a totally clever in-flight magazine that even I would be stoked to work for if I ever got offered.




Now that Ryanair is hopping major bodies of ocean...just imagine one day being able to travel the whole world for pocket change.

Amazing.

SNUGGLE BUNNY: FOUND!

BREAKING NEWS:

I FOUND MY SNUGGLE BUNNY!

The Boyfriend Pillow, available on Amazon!

You better believe this is going on my Christmas list
(only half kidding- am I worrying you? because I am laughing harder than I have all week)!


If you are tuning in fresh to burntmustard, let me link to the post where I propose socialized snuggle bunnies and justice for all.



Now, if only a good real one was as easy as $44.95.

Try to make me a STYLISTA, I say NO....NO....NO....

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

I watched the first three episodes of the new CW show "Stylista" last night and it scared the shizz out of me because:


A) I KNOW the challenges are really hard (I'm learning how to do new media page design and can't imagine putting together a feature page in half an hour...),

and B) I KNOW, and was reminded of how the NY fashion world is

REALLY.
THAT.
CUTTHROAT.


Really.


Like Anne Slowey? She's a dime a dozen there. She's a witch in the show, and you can count on the fact she's even more in real life.

So much, Slowey makes Nina Garcia on Project Runway look like Maria von Trapp. The irony is that Slowey actually replaced Garcia as Elle's Fashion Director right before they started filming Stylista (but don't cry for Nina, she's at Marie Claire now).

(Garcia and Slowey)- courtesy of NY Magazine

My Harper's Bazaar intern roommate this summer would tell me some all about the horrid remarks the Marketing Director would make to her colleagues, not just the interns (not to mention the interns slaved away delivering designer clothes via subway all day every day).

After a particularly distressed day, I recall she and I having a talk about basic human decency.

(Although I will say, that is another reason why NYC is so intriguing to me-- how sometimes the most progressively intellectual people in the world can be that inhumane, while sometimes the most decent are the ones on the streets).

Seriously.

Like, I was thinking about if any of my future daughters wanted to go into fashion, I'd say watch Stylista first and then decide.

But I will say, the graphic page design stuff they do on Stylista is pretty close to what I want to be doing, but for sure NOT FASHION.

Because fashion is merciless.

And
really.
that.
cutthroat.

11-11: You are SO Lucky...

Since 11/11 is a star-crossed superstitiously lucky day.....

(my Glamour Mag horoscope predicts many men will be awaiting me under the mistletoe this year. Try to contain your cosmic jealousy)

..... you burntmustard readers are also SO lucky (recall the "Rucky" post of this past summer), because here I am posting TWICE in one day.

I'd like to start by just reiterating how luckily honored I am to have such a loyal fanbase. I realize 97% of you do not comment, and that is fine, though I am a writer so I will openly admit I love affirmation and feedback. I would urge you at least consider commenting sometimes.

Because I know you're out there.

Even a simple "lol" would suffice. Yes, you.

-----------------------

First: Wow, can I just say the fashion industry is really digging deep.....(pun intended)....or something.....


Is it the economy? We can't even afford clothes anymore? Are they feeding models even less than cigarettes and salads?

Or... is it genius?

Because take it or leave it: never have exoskeletons been so chic.




And Second:
Here's another reason to NOT burn Mormon temples.
After the Prop 8 fiasco (in which the under 1% of California's Mormon population is now under huge scrutiny for somehow controlling another 51% to vote Yes on the measure), we know that at least the Irish don't hate us and our baptisms for the dead.

At least this Belfast Telegraph columnist in the article titled
"What if Mormons Are Right and Catholics and Protestants Wrong?"

I don't like his headline because I do not think Catholics and Protestants are straight up wrong...but McCann goes into why it actually makes sense to baptize in proxy for the deceased rather than babies.

Here's the lead:
"Why are the Catholic bishops so concerned about Mormons baptising dead parishioners? The Mormons didn’t invent baptism of the dead. The practice has a significant history within mainstream Christianity..."

I am such a tease....so go read the full article here.

And don't worry, Sir Eamonn McCann, you can eternally "comeupp" with me.

This is just mortal probation. No big if you've forgotten-- the veil is kinda thick sometimes.



Hopefully you won't consider the irony of a a post dedicated to bones on the runway and baptizing for the dead sacrilege.