the boob tube: Project Runway s11 e04

hello! i am here and alive, i'm just a little behind. i can go on and on about how lazy i am, because i am, but y'all have heard it before. so let's just get on with the show.

*spoilers!

episode 04 of this week's Project Runway is everyone's favorite, the unconventional challenge, or The Ultimate Hard and Soft challenge. yay! this is the episode where the wacky, way outside of the box crazy designer kick some ass, in theory. this is their time to shine, but for some reason they never do. all i can say is that it was an unexpected elimination. i didn't see it coming, or i saw it coming when the judges were deliberating. but up until then, i didn't see this one coming.

i do feel the need to mention that as of this episode all the designers have been pretty calm and collected. no drama, no cat-fights, no backstabbing; actually that is what i really like about Project Runway, the lack of said drama. i figured that with the added "teams" plot this season, i was expecting some drama. maybe that is what the producers were thinking when they added the "teams." i'm glad the designers haven't stooped to a petty level.

this was an amazingly good week, and i thought the elimination was really hard. no one stuck out as the "awful" designer. i must mention Daniel's pajamas at the beginning of the episode. they were totally kick ass. i love it when people can rock the crazy loud colors. only a certain person can wear what he does because half of fashion is the personality of the wearer. good lord, listen to me. it's like i know something about fashion. i don't, believe me, i really don't.

in this episode we saw some of the designers being moved around. the teams were becoming a little too lopsided, and if they were going to continue this way, the dream team would be done for. like Matthew pointed out, the teams are getting to a point where the judges are going to send home really good designers because they are on the losing team and the mediocre designers will last way too long because they are on the winning team. this was the only concern i had with having teams this year, some designers will last too long because they were lucky enough on being on the winning team. so the teams were reorganized.

the dream team add Stanley & Layana but lost Michelle. it was a good choice for the dream team to take those two because they are very strong designers. i loved Michelle's reaction to joining team keeping it real. i love that she has such a strong distaste for Patricia.

let's talk about the teams and final designs:

the dream team -
finally, they won a challenge. yay! it was about time and they needed it. otherwise i could see a possible mass suicide from them if they lost again. i think a lot of confidence came from adding Stanley and Layana. they were the leadership the team needed.
Benjamin--who had kind of taken the helm in the past--was just drowning, and he really needed to get his shit together before trying to save the team.
Stanley brought a vision and was able to bring the team together under the Dior theme. it was a great idea.
during the work period, i really thought they were screwed with time management issues (i'm looking at you Samantha and Benjamin), but they pulled it together. bravo team!

Matthew - i loved his top. all together it was okay.
Stanley - i loved his dress. it was just pretty. i loved all the green leaves.
Tu - he surprised me with his dress. i really liked it.
Benjamin - he pulled it together, and it was beautiful. the top that he wove was gorgeous.
Samantha - i really liked her skirt but thought the whole design was just okay.
Layana - i loved it. it was so pretty and whimsical, just beautiful. i was my favorite.
and the winner - Samantha - which surprised me and i did not agree with. but what do i know?


team keeping it real -
to me, they started out strong. their brainstorming session seemed to go well. they seemed like they were all on the same page, which is very important. but then they forgot to make sure everything went together. it was not cohesive.
i was loving Richard this episode. when he said he wanted his design to be something like "RuPaul meets Gilligan's Island," i died. i want to see that dress, and i want RuPaul in it.
watching Joseph is always interesting. when Michelle said his dress was like a "sea hag garment," i shouted for joy. i will say this now, Joseph: i do not get your style. i've seen his style plenty. i live in a hipster's paradise, so i know his client base, but it's just not for me. however, he did jump in and save Amanda.
oh Amanda...
this team had no cohesive design. period. and the whole fashion through the decades theme was terrible. ugh. but the dresses were impressive. it was a hard call and a hard elimination.

Daniel - a lovely dress.
Joseph - when i saw it go down the runway i was shocked because i really liked his dress. i thought it turned out nice. i think his end dress was not what he was going for at all.
Richard & Michelle - okay. very Madonna.
Patricia - another designer who always surprises me. i really liked her dress. but i felt it was very similar to Joseph's dress.
Amanda - an okay dress but i thought it was the weakest. everyone hated her moss and kind of threw her under the buss during the judging.
Kate - it was a pretty dress but i felt it looked like a craft project, just like Tim said. i think it was the hem.
and the loser - Joseph, and this surprised me. i really felt that it should've been Amanda just because it was the weakest. none were bad. but halfway through the judges deliberation the shift went off of Amanda's dress and onto Joseph's. i'm not a big fan of Joseph, but i don't think he should've gone home in this challenge.

this was a good episode and a hard elimination. needless to say, i was shocked.
i hope to have the next episode up tomorrow and then the one that airs on Thursday up on Friday to get caught up. we'll see if that happens though.

Project Runway airs Thursday nights on Lifetime. enjoy. xoxo.

(photos from Project Runway at mylifetime.com)

Beautiful Creatures: book vs film

Beautiful Creatures is one of those books that i decided to read because i saw the movie trailer (the same way i came about reading the Twilight saga). yes, i am one of those people. always late to the party, but who the hell cares? i thought the movie looked great. it was right up my alley. a film adaptation of a YA book, i am so all over this. i decided to check out the book before i saw the film, and this past fall i read Beautiful Creatures. the first book in a series of four. oh good lord.

all i can say is that i like this movie much more than the book. i felt a lot was changed from the book; a lot in a good way. most books that are made into movies fall into the trap of needing to get every last bit of the book. that staying true to the book is a must. don't get me wrong, i think that is a good thing and very important especially for a book of which i am a fan. the filmmakers of Beautiful Creatures gutted this book, and i liked what they showed me.

*spoilers!

i am going to start out with a short like/dislike list of the book (well as short as i can for something that i had a few issues with).

• i really wanted to like this book. i gave it 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads (but have changed it to 2 out of 5 after realizing that i really just thought it was okay).
• i liked that the protagonist was a boy. you don't see that a lot in YA books, and i feel that we need to see more of that.
• i like that it was about Casters (a fancy name for witches). i enjoy the paranormal, but the whole vampire thing is getting stale, and i have a history with witches. hell, i wanted to be one so badly that when i was in high school i was a Wiccan. yes i was one of those girls. we can blame Buffy for that.
• i enjoyed Ethan wanting to leave his hometown and his crappy little life because i was that kid when i was in high school--thinking life was better somewhere else and not enjoying what you have--so i related to that.

now what didn't like about this book.

• i thought this book was just boring and i thought it was too long. it took me a while to read it because i would just get board with it and put it away. i had to force myself to finish this book. (and to think i bought the second book.)
• the ending was all over the place. i just didn't like it. first there was the claiming and then all the kids from the high school showed up for a concert on the same day of the battle reenactment (holy hell). then Ethan's father being forced to commit suicide. then Ethan having to go to the Caster library to get to Ravenwood Manor because it was the fastest (at this point i was like "what the fuck?"). then Ethan dying. then Macon dying. then Lena NOT being claimed (and then i was like "no fucking way. this is how we are setting up the second book. this is bullshit"). ugh.  needless to say, i did not like the ending.
• i thought the whole telepathy between Ethan and Lena was a cop out. if you want to get into the head of more than one character then the story should be told in the third person.
• this leads me to the fact that a lot of weird things would happen between Ethan and Lena but they would never question it or try to figure out why it's happening. (personally, if i could talk to the boy that i liked through telepathy, i would be all over my uncle trying to figure out what the fuck is going on. or the fact that each time we would kiss and make out, said boy would have a hard time breathing or a heart attack. i would want to know what is going on.) but not these kids. it didn't really bother them.

oh good lord i can go on forever.

• when i said that i like that the protagonist was a boy, well it is in theory. the execution did not work in this book. when i started reading this book, i thought Ethan was a girl. i had to go online to double check that he was a boy.

okay. i am going to stop. i feel bad when i don't like a book. the funny thing is i thought i was okay with this book when i finished it. but the more i reflect on it the more i realize that i didn't really like it.

i did like the movie. it was great. it played like Twilight in reverse. and i enjoyed the whole southern gothic thing they were going for.

• the movie didn't play as depressing as i had read it in the book: with Ethan being depressed about his mother's death and father turning into a shut-in; and Lena just being an annoying depressed teen with "something greater" going on with her and no one understands her. whatever! i liked Ethan and Lena better on the big screen. Lena wasn't as angsty as i read her in the book and the same goes for Ethan.
• at times Ethan (played by Alden Ehrenreich) was a bit too hammy for me, and i did find this southern accent a bit much, but i got used to it.
• Emma Thompson who played Mrs. Lincoln was just great. she was beautiful and flawless. i was just taken by surprise by her in this film. bravo Emma.
• the relationship between Ethan and Lena (played by Alice Englert) was more believable in the film for me than in the book.

some big changes from the book was:

• Ethan and Lena's relationship. in the film she had to give him up for the curse/claiming. that didn't happen in the book. so Ethan goes for some time in the film thinking that he and Lena never had a relationship. but of course at the end of the film he finely remembers because their love is so strong. 
• Lena's claiming/birthday/battle reenactment scene where Ethan/Macon die is toned down to where it's manageable and believable.

i do feel that Macon had better lines in the book, but i still liked him in the film. as my friend said after we say the movie, Jeremy Irons played Macon like a Coronal Sanders meets Liberace. she hit it right on the head with that statement.

okay, okay. i am done. good lord it is a lot to take in. but the big question is, "would i recommend the book or the film to anyone?" i would say you can pass on the book but the film is fun. but be warned, it is a teenage angst film. i will more than likely read the second book in the series to see if it goes anywhere (i am a masochist for heaven sake. y'all should know this by now). xoxo.

a picture a day!

good lord!
i cannot get my shit together (i think we may have heard that statement many times before). this month is turning out to being my laziest month ever. EVER!

February, i hate you.

i know that my picture a day posts are kind of fillers (gasp), but i don't care. i really thought that after the holiday week that was Valentine's Day i would be on top of this blog and my life again. but i was wrong.

and, AND i hardly have read anything. i am so not cool with that.

so here are some pictures. i hope you enjoy. like i declare with every picture post, i will state that i am trying to post my pictures more frequently. but at this point who am i kidding?

46/365

bedroom.

47/365

movie theater. had to see Beautiful Creatures.

48/365

front door. beautiful day.

49/365

cooking.

50/365

liquor shopping. (a vodka from Minnesota?)

51/365

kitchen.

52/365

new books. (yes that is the 2nd book in the Bared to You series.)

the boob tube: Project Runway s11 e03

hello all. i know i am a week late on this post. i have no excuses. i'm just lazy. better late than never, right? well this week was a pretty good one. here we go.

*spoiler! you've been warned.

this week was the "design something for Heidi" challenge. last year for this challenge, the contestants had to design a look for Heidi's Babies 'R Us collection Truly Scrumptious. designing for babies is so not cool; and if my memory serves me correctly, the contestants weren't happy about the challenge. boo to babies because who needs them? this year's challenge was much better: to design a look for Heidi to wear while promoting her new perfume Surprise. oo la la.

we also saw the break down of three of the designers; Benjamin, Matthew and Daniel. i was surprised by Daniel's little breakdown at the end of the episode during his interview. he seemed all calm and collected during the challenge, and during the design process and dress-making he was spot on. but i can see how this is the time where the contestants start to get really emotional and whatnot. now it's getting real. they've been at this for about 3 weeks now, so a lot can happen emotionally and physically. i am guessing really, but it sounds like it should be about right.

but good lord Benjamin and Matthew, what is going on? Benjamin was doing pretty well, his design was beautiful. the idea was there, he just lost sight of the prize. he needed a good slap. i just wanted to say, "guy, get your shit together. your abusive relationship is over. we get it. if your professional life suffered from it don't let this competition suffer also. ugh." (actually i yelled that at my tv.)

what about Matthew? i don't know what to say about him. he just phoned in this one, and it looked like he was board with the challenge. how the hell is this challenge boring? how hard can it be to dress Heidi? dressing Heidi isn't supposed to be boring. she wanted a dress that was sexy, short, feminine, and hard. any designers dream, right? oh boys!

let's talk about the teams and the final designs:

team keeping it real - 
they have their shit together. they work well together, they listen to each other and they are a good group of designers. i really think they are just a team of better designers.
watching Joseph and Amanda design together was fun because they were total opposites, always a crowd pleaser. they got their shit together. but when Joseph said that he would love to have his designs on What Not to Wear, i was like "oh good lord. i'm sure your cat sweater will end up on that show." (i wonder if that show is still on?)
Patricia's design was crazy, like always. she definitely thinks outside of the box.
and why the fuck was Layana freaking out? she needed to calm down. the pink fabric wasn't that bad. it was actually nice. that's what happens when you work with someone and she had immunity. a little over dramatic, weren't we?

*Daniel - very beautiful. when she walked the dress just flowed. well done.
*Patricia - i didn't like it at all. but the judges did. what do i know?
Joseph & Amanda - it was nice and short. they did well together.
Richard - this was a hot mess. when Zac said the dress took a shit of ruffles, i died. because she was shitting ruffles.
*Kate & Layana - gorgeous. the pink and black together brought the hard and soft together, just how Heidi wanted it to be. and it flowed so beautifully.
Stanley - i loved his fabric. i also liked this dress, but the judges didn't care for it much. i thought it was better than Patricia's, but it was over-styled. less could've been more.
(*) - indicates the top three.
and the winner - Kate and Daniel.

the dream team - 
this team is anything but a dream team, i am sorry to say. two of their members just broke down. and i could say that they are a team of weak designers. at this point, they have lost so many people that each member was able to work on their own design. and they weren't looking good.
at this point i really think Cindy's work is not good. i hate to say it, but her stuff just looks old. it seems like that even though she just went to design school she is just very new to design. she just doesn't have it yet. it's like with everything, practice makes perfect and she is not there yet.

Michelle - her dress was cute and short and had a great back. too bad she is always on the losing team.
*Matthew - this dress was a disaster. at least he knew it was bad, so there is some hope.
*Cindy - it looked dated. the fabric reminded me of the fabric of bad prom dresses from 15 years ago (when i went to prom). ugh.
Samantha - it was a nice dress. she is just always lost being on this team.
*Benjamin - oh good lord. this dress was a hot mess. the design was beautiful, he just couldn't execute it at all. and the bodice... the model's poor boobs. it was just sad.
Tu - it looked like two dresses in one to me. i really like the top, but the bottom just didn't seem right. he was just lost amongst the three really really bad dresses.
(*) - indicates the bottom three.
and the loser - Cindy.

it was Cindy's time to go. it was a good choice by the judges. if they had sent Matthew or Benjamin home instead of her, then i think i would've been upset. i just see more from them than her.

Project Runway airs Thursdays nights on Lifetime. enjoy. xoxo.

(photos from Project Runway at mylifetime.com)

st. valentine's day & other disasters

(zombie strawberry)

good fucking lord!

this has been the longest week of my life. well, not including the week before thanksgiving, but this was a very close second. it wasn't just work's fault. i just got lazy (lazier than usual - and i didn't think that was possible), and i got very behind with my life.

working in the food service industry didn't help this week either, especially working in a bakery. this was the week of anything and everything made with chocolate, including chocolate dipped strawberries. boooo! for the past week, i've been covered in chocolate from head to toe. i am so happy that this week has ended.

happy fucking valentine's day!
so, what are y'all doing for valentine's day? i am forcing myself to smile right now, i'm sure you can tell by the tone of my typing. me and my valentine aren't big celebrators of this hallmark holiday. we'll do something every once in a while, but for the most part it's just another day. sometimes i'll buy the boy some chocolate-candy-heart crap, but let's be honest, i buy it because i know that i will end up eating it. i love candy! when i asked the boy what he wanted to do this valentine's day, he was like "Die Hard baby!" so this might be A Good Day to Die Hard kind of night, and i'm okay with that. who wouldn't want to spend this night with John McClane and his son Jack?

a picture a day!

38/365

leggings and socks (my uniform aka giving up on life).

39/365

tiny clementine sitting on my knee.

40/365

Austin after the rain.

41/365

ceiling fan.

42/365

self portrait.

43/365
none. lazy.

44/365

Book People book store (my special place).

45/365

the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

again, each week when i try to post my pictures more frequently i tend to do the opposite. i really need to get my shit together. like i always say, it's just a picture.
so, i will say it again. i am trying to post my pictures more often. i hope the more i say it one of these days something will just click and i will finally do what i say i'm going to do. until then, here is a photo dump. enjoy. xoxo.

a picture a day!

here we go. more pictures!
i made it through the month of january. yay! i didn't think i could do it, but i did. (i'm giving myself a pat on the back.)
as for the beginning of february, not so good. i missed two days, TWO! boo. i just need to get my shit together, it's just pictures y'all.

30/365

out to dinner with friends. italian, of course.

31/365

beer with a friend.

32/365

self portrait.

33/365
none. boo.

34/365

the view from the computer.

35/365
none. boo.

36/365

walking home from work. what a beautiful day. winter in texas.

37/365

laundry with coffee. it needed to be done. it was getting pretty bad. i hate doing laundry!

again i am going to try and do this post more often so i'm not dumping a ton of pictures every once in a while. but i'm not promising anything! because let's be realistic, i have a hard time getting my shit together. we'll see. xoxo.

the boob tube: Project Runway s11 e02

good lord. what an episode. i am really liking these teams.

*spoilers!

this week was the sports wear challenge or the challenge the designers usually hate the most because they are all "artists" and can't be bothered to design sports wear. i do have to say there wasn't much complaining from the designers on this being the sports wear challenge, and i think it has to do with the fact that they're still hung up on the teams. they just need to embrace the teams and move on; i'm looking at you, dream team.

but really, a ping-pong club/bar? really? and i can't believe that Susan Sarandon owns it. oh boy! so this challenge had the teams/designers design new uniforms for SPiN New York. the uniforms have to be sporty and functional (ah functional, a word the designers do not understand very well), and the uniforms have to be for guys and gals. oh boy!

i love watching the teams brainstorm and come up with ideas. when Joseph suggested harem pants, i wanted to die. no boy in the "real" world would want to wear harem pants; when he was talking about his cat sweaters, i was like "no fucking way." i can't believe thousands of people are buying this sweater, well actually i can. i can see them on half the population here in Austin. i guess if you're ingenious enough to come up with the cat sweater, then you know what's going on. but still, $78 for that sweater, really?

watching Cindy and Benjamin working together was enjoyable. she was getting all sassy and shit. Benjamin was just trying to help her, and he's worked in this business, so i would listen to him a bit. but Benjamin should've been watching James. James is weak, and maybe the team is just letting him kill himself off. that's kind of what James did to himself.  

let's talk about the teams:
the dream team - they are so afraid to lose again. they just didn't have their crap together.
Michelle - her dress was cute and very sporty.
Samanatha and Tu - ok.
*James- i liked the pants, but the judges hated them. the logo on the back pockets were tacky. but the t-shirt was god-awful. he just can't construct a shirt.
*Benjamin and Cindy - just boring. when they said they wanted to dress up a sporty place, i was like "what?"
*Matthew and Benjamin - i liked the kilt, but i can see how it wouldn't fly with most men.

team keeping it real - at the beginning of the episode, they were a hot mess. they just were working on their own designs, but they came together and seemed to work very well together. it showed, and they won the challenge.
*Layana and Daniel - it was very cute, and i liked how it was a skort.
*Stanley - it was a nice design. very strong and masculine.
Kate and Patricia - it was cute. i liked the shirt, especially its back.
Amanda - it was ok. very short.
*Joseph and Richard - i did not like the pants. drop crotch are not my favorite. but the judges liked it.

i'm glad Layana won, and that Daniel said he thought she should win the challenge over him because he already won the first one. what a gentleman.
and i'm very glad that James was sent home. i didn't mind his taste, but in the two challenges they were just boring and poorly constructed. and he wasn't a team player at all. he needed to go.

Project Runway airs Thursdays nights on Lifetime. enjoy. xoxo

(photos from Project Runway at mylifetime.com)