Time to celebrate!

So for those of you who don't already know... I am obsessed with the iPhone. I, of course, wanted the first generation the day it came out, but I couldn't afford it. So I sat patiently (all the while gawking at everyone else who had one) until Christmas for the phone. My dad gave me a gift card to Apple so I could get my phone but my computer, Bulldog - may she rest in peace - malfunctioned and I had to get a new computer. So alas, no iPhone. But guess what! They're coming out with a 3rd generation phone this summer. Well rumor has it they'll announce it at the World Wide Developers conference in June and have it ready for shipment in July. (HOLLAH!) So I am setting my sights (and hopes) on getting the phone sometime this summer. I just read an article that AT&T is going to lower the iPhone price by $200. No need to read that again, I'll tell you. $200 dollars!! The catch is signing a two year contract. Well guess what, Skipper is already an AT&T customer. So what's another two years to get the iPhone at the price point of $199 instead of $399. Ok, let's just say that my obsession just increased by about 980293849408%.

Six degrees of separation

Last night I found out that I have ONE degree of separation to MISS BETTE MIDLER!

Pardon my french, but HOLY SHIT!

My day off

Yesterday, I went to Adamstown, PA to go Antiquing. That's right. I went Antiquing. In Pennsylvania. My friend Gail has recently opened a new pet store called Three Tiny Terriers. All of her displays are antiques. She is a true antique-er. Since I had the day off yesterday, she asked if I would like to join her. I, of course, said YES! So off we went to Adamstown, PA. Me being the geek I am, took photos with my cellphone. Some stores were hard because employees would follow you around and I felt weird trying to take photos. But I took them anyways. Here are the highlights of my first antiquing experience.


I had to take a photo of this for my blog...It seemed so appropriate!



And where would Skipper be without Barbie?



And who didn't have a Cabbage Patch growing up? Now I am jealous that I didn't have this lamp!



Growing up, my favorite toy was my toy cash register. I CONSTANTLY played with it. Don't ask. So I had to take this photo. My mom will appreciate it.



Now. I told my friend that if I were to ever become a collector, I would collect cameras. Here's only one of the beauties I saw.



I just couldn't get over this retro-TV. So, since I don't have money to buy everything I like, I took a photo instead.



I almost didn't take a picture of this. But I was so overwhelmed by seeing it I thought I had to share it.



I had to look twice at this. Then read it's tag. It's a double-seater for an outhouse. BRILLIANT.



This was the very first item I saw that said YOU MUST TAKE MY PHOTO. I was so intrigued by this product. It was then followed by the viewing of the outhouse seats. This store was amazing!



Remember how I said that if I were an antique-er, that I would collect cameras? Well, I found this beauty. And was mesmerized. She is now mine. :) Along with another one from 1910.


I am officially now....an antique-er!

The Marvelous Wonderettes

This past weekend I was in California (where I'm originally from) and I went to the theatre. Well, I am a theatre geek so what would a weekend be without theatre. I saw this show The Marvelous Wonderettes on Friday night and I can't stop thinking about it. If it weren't sold out all weekend, I would have gone again. 11 of us went and we had the greatest time. I really do hope that they record a cast album. I will definitely be the first in line. But I've made my own Marvelous Wonderette's playlist on my iPod to satisfy my obsession for the time being. This really is a superb show. One of the best I've seen in a very very long time. So if you're in the North Hollywood area, I recommend that you RUN to see this show. They've extended 3 times and are now running until late March. So get your tickets now as it's spreadin' like wild fire!

Addiction.

Music is my drug of choice.

I can't go a day without listening to music. It's on a good majority of the time I am awake. I would say most of the memories I have as a child involved a great deal of music. I remember being left alone for hours and hours in my room, playing all my cassette tapes, records, and then CDs over and over again. I knew every word to ever album I owned. I still do. I own hundreds of CDs. It's an addiction really. I just can't stop buying music. I love finding new artists. I don't even want to begin to think how much money I've spent on music alone in my lifetime. It really is a drug. People don't believe me when I say that I have a bagillion cds. Then they see the collection. And now that iTunes exists...fah-getta-bout it!

I really cannot function without music. It's my life. I live it, eat it, breathe it. I'm obsessed. When I buy music, there is not one single grain of guilt that passes through me. I need that fix. I need to have it. No guilt. So I caved yesterday. I bought the new John Mayer album. Continuum. I am really enjoying it. It's very chill. Very John Mayer. I have satisfied my urge for this week. I wonder what album is going to be next. And of course, I'll take any and all music suggestions! So bring 'em on!

He's like wine

Monday night I saw The Departed. I was very excited about this movie. All I have to say is BRILLIANT. This movie was of the utmost brilliance. The writing, the direction, the acting. Let's just talk about Leonardo DiCaprio for a moment. I like him, I always have. But this man has gotten so .....amazing (not to mention, is absolutely STUNNING). I'm still processing the movie and it's genius. Please, RUN don't walk to see this movie. You won't be let down! Leonardo DiCaprio gets my gold star! I vow that I will go see every movie that man makes. He's like wine, he gets better with age.

Coming soon to a theatre near you

I think it's funny that I have such a fear of clowns yet I have an obsession with horror/thriller/suspense films. I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am that SAW 3 is out in theatres today. I saw the first movie and was blown away. It was such a creative movie to me. And I was captivated from the moment it started. (which is highly unusual for me) So I won't get to see Saw 3 today but will hopefully get to see it in the theatres. I am so into this trilogy that I can't even describe it. They are beyond gruesome but I still leap to my feet when I hear they're coming out with another one. So if you like horror and you haven't seen SAW and SAW 2....RENT THEM. Then run, don't walk to the theatres to see SAW 3! And if you're in the neighborhood and need a date to see the 3rd one...I'm all yours!

Rain rain DON'T go away...

A friend of mine wrote a blog about simple pleasures. She wrote a few of her own and asked her readers what their simple pleasures were. I got really upset when I read this blog because I couldn't think of any. I thought it would be a easy thing to do. To say, oh yeah, here are my simple pleasures. I thought and I thought about this and the only thing I could come up with was ladybugs. Now, I never really knew that this was a simple pleasure of mine. But they just kept appearing in my head. Ladybugs. Ladybugs. Ladybugs. So I decided to go with it. A simple pleasure of mine is a ladybug. :)

When I was in France, I was shocked. I saw ladybugs EVERYWHERE. They were on everything. My great aunts had them on things in their homes, I saw them in shops. I couldn't get away from them. So I got one. I have a little ladybug magnet that I got in Paris while Mom and I were out and about. Her name is Twiggy. (The ladybug, not my mom! HA!) I carry Twiggy with me everywhere. She's my good luck charm. Where ever I go, Twiggy goes. This morning I got something that made me so very happy....

Another simple pleasure of mine....rain. I can't wait to wear my LADYBUG rain boots in the RAIN! :)

I get the chills every time

Yes. I admit it. I'm hooked. This show is ruling my life right now. I live, eat, breathe So You Think You Can Dance. Ok, that's exaggerating a little. But honestly, I can't stop watching this show. EVERY Wednesday and Thursday I run home after work to get to my Tivo-ed episodes. Sparky and I chat online every time and talk about the dancers, the choreography, the judges, the costumes, EVERYTHING. ADDICTED. I just can't get enough of it. I've even saved a couple episodes on my tivo. I never do that! I've been so moved by some of the dances, that I had to keep that show so that I can watch these dances whenever I so chose.

I have found the wonderful world of YOUTUBE and will search on a weekly basis for So You Think You Can Dance videos. I am beyond thrilled to tell you that one of my favorite routines made it on there. It's a contemporary piece between Ivan and Alison. Watch it and tell me what you think! Now, unfortunately after the routine, they don't keep the tape rolling so you can see the judges reaction to this piece. One of the judges was brought to TEARS. This piece has moved me beyond words. I was covered head to toe in chills the first time I saw it and my mouth was to the floor. I still watch it and am stunned speechless. It is truly a brilliant piece. I hope you enjoy it!

Despite the cheesy "reality" tv show part of it all...these dancers are really amazing. It's phenomenal to watch a dancer "grow" and be able to manipulate and adapt to all styles of dance. Not something you can see on other reality tv shows.

I crown thee, So You Think You Can Dance, Skipper's favorite reality tv show.

Buying stock in purell...

When I moved to New York City, I became a bookworm. I was never that kid who would read for hours or would be found with a book in hand. But when I moved to NYC, I found the wonderful world of books. I couldn't stop reading. All I wanted to do was BUY BUY BUY! When I moved to my current apartment, my mom had the joy of buying me a bookshelf! I had that many books. I would never have thought to have been the one to own a bookshelf and use it for books. Because I now had this weakness, I was told by my friends to go to the library. Free books. Tons of them. But I saw it as a limitation. That I had to check out the book and then return it by a certain date. Well you can renew it they would say. I kept buying books despite the fact that I had gotten myself a library card. My friend Catherine (who I loving call Kiki) told me about this book called The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I think you will really like it! She says. Being that Kiki is a librarian, she tells me that there's a library across the street from where I work. Seriously!? Oh, this is exciting. I'm going to activate my library card and check out my first book! I go there, they don't have the book in stock. "We can put it on hold for you. You'll receive an email when it's ready." Well, being that I am a New Yorker, I wanted the book now. We are firm believers of instant gratification here in this city. So I go to Barnes and Noble. They don't have it. "The minute we get this book in, it just flies off the shelves." A few days go by, I see another B&N and I go in. They don't have it. Go back to the original Barnes and Noble to see if they've restocked. They still don't have it. I FINALLY get an email "You're book is ready to be picked up." WOOHOOO! The next time I am scheduled to work, I leave my house a little early so I can make a stop at the library. I get my book. I have this massive thing sitting in my hands and I can barely hold myself together. I'm just dying to tear into it. I sit it down on my desk when I get work and I examine this thing. Its a hardcover (Paperback comes out in Oct of 2006) so it's wrapped in plastic and my OCD kicks in and I suddenly feel dirty and want to wash my hands after every time I turn the page. If I want to become a hardcore bookworm, I have to get over this quickly. So I keep my purell close at hand. There's a little slip of paper that they've put inside when I checked it out that said "checked out on June 21st - due by July 12th". OH MY. I have 3 weeks to read a 642 page book? Now, this is not something I can't do. The matter of the fact is that my subconscious now has a deadline. The ENTIRE time I was reading this book, I kept thinking "Ok, page 234 - due by July 12th." "Ok, page 386 - due by July 12th" You get the idea... I WAS FREAKING OUT. "But you can renew the book if there are no holds on it." "Just check it out again and then you can finish it then." "Don't worry about it. If you don't finish it, you can borrow my copy." Ummm....HELLO!? Do you not know me? Do you not know about my OCD...Now that I have the deadline I HAVE TO FINISH IT. I can't return it unfinished. ARE YOU CRAZY!?!

OHMIGOD, it's July 11th and I still have over 200 pages left. See, this is why I didn't want to become that person who checked out books from the library. I don't like deadlines on things I'm supposed to enjoy! Oh and look at that, the original B&N I went to in search of the book with all intentions of buying it now had a plethora of copies. Bastards. BUT...I did it. I finished the book at 12.41am July 12th. Woohooo GOOOO ME! So I have returned The Historian and of course, while I was in there, I had to see if there was anything else I liked. There was. I have checked out another book. 4th of July by James Patterson. (DUE BACK AUG 2nd, oh dear another deadline.) I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... So I think I'm going to like this whole library idea. It might be something I can get used to.

OH! And The Historian is REALLY good....especially if you have a thing for Vampires! :)

What is that smell??

Ok. I've done something last night that I've never done before. I went to the very first showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Dead Man's Chest. The showing was at 12:01am and I went alone. Something I do often...go to the movies alone. Well I'm never really alone, Donna is always with me. Though sometimes she falls asleep. Anyhoo, back to my story. So I get to theatre about 40 minutes prior to the movie. The line to get inside is already WRAPPED AROUND THE CORNER of the block. Now in New York City, seeing this many people in a concentrated area isn't a shocking thing to witness. It's the fact that I was at the VERY FIRST SHOWING of Pirates. Do you even know how long I've been waiting for this film to come out and I would be one of the very first people to see it?! Knowing this made me very warm inside. When I got inside the actual theatre, I was a little disappointed to not see more people dressed up. Though there were some festive outfits happening. If I only had the guts to ask them to take a picture with me....
Two girls sat down in front of me with red bandanas and felt eye patches attached with fishing line. Very creative. But eye patches are not GREEN. They're BLACK! They are truly not REAL pirates as I am. Right as the house lights went out I hear a thunk/crash sound. The (non) pirate girls sitting in front of me had clearly dropped something. A bottle of beer. Cute that you tried to be big kids (I don't know how old they were) and sneak in bottles of beer. Not so cute that you DROPPED it and now I have to smell the foul stench of Heineken for the next 2 hours and 31 minutes.
Aside from the fact that I was getting drunk off the smell of beer, the movie is great! Absolutely hysterical and Johnny Depp is just a dream! I WILL marry him. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who has a soul. (Just be careful not to barter it to serve Mr. Davey Jones for eternity!) When you go to the movie, stay till the very end of the credits. :) You won't be disappointed. So go, NOW. Stop reading and goooo! RUN...DON'T WALK!