i have no idea why but i've been obsessed with watching tv on dvd this summer. and by dvd i mean netflix instant play (because our dvd player sucks and where would i even find dvds in the first place? rental shacks are a dying breed.) i'll literally become obsessed with a show, blow off all social engagements, and watch hours upon hours of the show until i'm completely done with the series. it's putting a serious cramp in my productivity as a human being. dishes go unwashed, errands go unrun, and upset mothers go uncalled. because i've become a slave to a new set of characters and i just can't wait to see what happens to my friends. <---makes me sound like a crazy person. anyway, my most recent obsession has been with the short-lived (undeservedly so) abc sitcom
pushing daisies. despite having won several thousand million emmys (7) and having critics gush all over it, it got the boot and left behind a mere 22 episodes. all of which i finished in a matter of two, very unproductive days (productive in the sense that i watched an entire television series, unproductive in the sense that i stayed in my pajamas all day and failed to shower/leave my apartment.) i am so in love with this series, it actually hurt me to finish it. it brought sadness that i felt in a physical way and i actually skipped dinner that night. that kind of intense love.
things i love about this show:
1. the costumes. dear god i swoon. everything is so colorful and floral and retro and if these dresses were actually in my possession they would be covered in drool. i was so in love with chuck's wardrobe that i ended up sewing two floral dresses while watching the show. even the dudes are wearing cool stuff- patterns and purple hues and dreamy suits. siiiggghhhhhhhh.
2. the pies. the main guy, ned, owns a pie shop and dear god are those pies lookin' fine. imma hafta bake me one asap.
3. it's kind of scooby-doo-esque. the gang gets together, there's a suspicious murder, they follow the clues, it's always the shady character who did it and viola! case closed! it appeals to the child in me who loved spending saturday mornings at six am curled on the couch with dad, eating peanut butter and egg sandwiches, and watching scooby. yet, it's gone beyond the basic scooby mold enough to satisfy my adult self. excellent work.
4. the world of the show. critics noted that the show had a tim burton feel and it kind of does- it's incredibly stylized and almost cartoonish at times. it has definite vintage inspiration but is still set in modern times. kind of
amelie-ish but in a less yellow, making-me-want-to-throw-up-adorable kind of way.
5. the chuck and ned love story = adorable. and i'm not really one for mushy stuff but seriously. it's very sweet.
6. chuck's bangs. make me wish for a more angular face and less cowlicks.
7. kristen chenoweth. hilarious. love her character. love all the characters actually- but hers is just so endearing. she breaks out into random songs and is just very human. and hysterical.
8. the bizarre murders. they're almost like theme parties and i'm a sucker for themes. they're very over-the-top and bizarre and just have a circus-y feel to all of them.
9. everything. i am absolutely smitten by this show. makes me want to call my mom and tell her i'm in love.
in an attempt to move on and not sink into a my-new-favorite-show-will-never-be-on-tv-again induced bout of depression, i've started watching
dead like me. it's also written by Bryan Fuller and
pushing daisies was intended to be a spinoff from it. so i figure i'll give it a shot. the worst that could happen is i lose touch with the outside world for another couple of days and forget to brush my teeth.
all of this. pure silliness. all my friends? completely silly. we've been playing a lot of charades and just being goofy all the time. my friends are very bad at charades. and very competitive during scattegories.
took a trip south (maybe? is philly to jersey south? it has to be a little southernly at some point.) to vacay for a bit with the family. in my younger years (high school) the bradleys and weigels took an annual summer beach trip to some spot on the jersey shore- usually sea isle or ocean city and this year the families decided to revive that old tradition in a huge ass house a block away from the beach in sea isle city. seriously- it was a friggin mansion. we had a pool and two decks and the place was decked out in some seriously high-end tacky beach stuff (hula skirt shower curtains, fake palm frond lamps, flamingos everywhere- the works.) we mostly hung around and read and i took a few pretty serious naps. we also worked in a para-sailing adventure (my mom screamed like a crazy person the entire time) and some skee-ballin' and a family clam bake. it was a nice relaxing couple of days full of lounging with the fammmm and eating wayyyy too much (i never buy snacks because they're mad expensive but my mom is a huge snack fan so there were goldfish and swedish fish and salsa and cheese sticks and brownies a plenty.) i forgot how easy it is to live with my family- i could easily live at home forever and eat awesome food and be surrounded by my favorite company in the world. and yet, i think i'll take a pass on that idea.
sooooo this weekend was the xpn xponential music festival, held on the camden waterfront (con: it's camden. pro: beautiful views of philadelphia from across the river! especially at night when it's all lit up. makes me forget ever diaper i've seen in a bush or smashed forty on the street. so beautiful.) the three day festival included performances by grace potter and the nocturnals, big head todd and the monsters, dr. dog, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeroes, the felice brothers, yo la tengo, the walkmen, free energy, bobby long, and a whole bunch more. and since i'm interning with the lovely folks at xpn this summer, i got to help out with the festival. my job was pretty much to babysit bands- to pick them up at one end of the festival, walk them to their green rooms, the stage, their vans, back and forth, etc, etc- just being a task master basically and giving them time checks/being all up in their grills every five minutes. the whole event was broadcast live on the radio so the time element was really important. and while it could have been considered a really stressful event (some of the bands had 80904239048 members not to mention all the people on their guest list we had to keep track of!) but i had a blast. i love being busy and we all got sweeetttt walkie talkies (plus training on walkie etiquette) and all access badges. which reminds me of those sweepstakes where you would get all all access pass to some cool kids award show or slime filled amusement park. it was exciting to actually have one in real life and be able to literally have access to everything. i got to watch the bands from the side of the stage and hang out with them before/after. plus i got to spend some quality time with my fellow interns and internship boss lady all of whom i love. and a bunch of my friends were there volunteering of just enjoying the music (i even used my all access intern power to get my friend on a guest list- sayyy whhaattt). overall, glorious weekend. best internship ever.
i have no idea why but i've been obsessed with watching tv on dvd this summer. and by dvd i mean netflix instant play (because our dvd player sucks and where would i even find dvds in the first place? rental shacks are a dying breed.) i'll literally become obsessed with a show, blow off all social engagements, and watch hours upon hours of the show until i'm completely done with the series. it's putting a serious cramp in my productivity as a human being. dishes go unwashed, errands go unrun, and upset mothers go uncalled. because i've become a slave to a new set of characters and i just can't wait to see what happens to my friends. <---makes me sound like a crazy person. anyway, my most recent obsession has been with the short-lived (undeservedly so) abc sitcom pushing daisies. despite having won several thousand million emmys (7) and having critics gush all over it, it got the boot and left behind a mere 22 episodes. all of which i finished in a matter of two, very unproductive days (productive in the sense that i watched an entire television series, unproductive in the sense that i stayed in my pajamas all day and failed to shower/leave my apartment.) i am so in love with this series, it actually hurt me to finish it. it brought sadness that i felt in a physical way and i actually skipped dinner that night. that kind of intense love.
oh neato burrito. how i've missed you. i can't belive we went four months (maybe longer) without seeing one another. i enjoyed every minute of our time together yesterday. even though it only lasted about ten minutes. i was especially hungry and you, you were especially delicious.
christine, jimmy, and i headed west for a few days to catch up with friends and take in some sights in the steel city. we got cupcakes at dozen with ty jack, hit up bagel factory and avalon exchange, met up with my very pregnant aunt (new cousin in less than a month!), visited with my other aunt and crazy cousins (my seven year old cousin christine told me she wants a boy who is "cute, rich, and pays for things." when i attempted to launch into a speech about how it's better to be an independent woman, paying for your own things, she quickly dismissed me and told me i can be her maid. cooooolllll.), played card games at eric's house, somehow made it through all seven floors of the andy warhol museum (which is awesome but, come on- seven floors?!? exhausting.), ate delicious asian fusion cuisine, went to some funky gallery opening dance party that was full of weird social encounters and me accidentally kicking a giant ball at people's faces, checked out the monongahela incline, got great views of the city, went to secret river spots with eric's roomie juan, scoured the racks at a very nice goodwill, breezed through my mom's old neighborhood, and went home with a cooler full of chipped ham and lemon blend. i really love pittsburgh- so many cute neighborhoods and little shop-lined streets. fingers crossed i make it out there one more time before leaving the country.
