And all my instincts, they return The grand facade so soon will burn

 

The world is full of guys. Be a man. Don't be a guy.

**Super-double-bonus post Thursday.**

I was looking around on the greatest website of all for random internet time-suckage : www.etsy.com

They have everything. Jewelry, vintage items, paper goods, everything and it's all handmade by the individual sellers. They also have art. Like this fine print I just found called "Ode to Lloyd Dobler".  I want that. 

All of this seller's stuff is great! She has all the same likes as me. Excellent taste, etsy seller chick! 

ooohhh...yo ..yo...yooooooo

This post his dedicated to my husband who suggested I post this. You're welcome, honey. How could I not post this?

One wonders where one finds something like this. Or where one watches something like this. Or how one knows one can sing like this. There are no words! Dear lord....



I feel this guy might have bodies hidden in his basement. Yeah, bodies.

Yes, I love technology, not as much as you, you see

I'm practicing embedding video. My test will be my favorite youtube video of all time: Kittens Inspired by Kittens!


We're in Hawaii!

All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray...

I went for a walk... on a winter's day
(It is worth watching this video for Mama Cass's footwork alone.**)

You know, I love living somewhere where the seasons change. I love winter. I'm all for cozy sweaters, scarves and coats. Warm fires. Hot chocolate. A cozy blanket. But for the love of god! I'm over it.

The days have been so dismal lately. I wish I was a bear so I could just hibernate.I feel chilled to the bone ALL the time! I looked down at my hands today and they looked like E.T. when he's all pasty and dehydrated and those suited-up guys are coming for him. That's my pallor! Maybe in this rough economy people are trying to save a few bucks on the heat. Really, people. It's winter. Crank up the thermostat. Maybe I have SAD (seasonal affective disorder).I may need one of those light machines. I'm going over to WebMD to self-diagnose. ah-ha! Sounds familiar

This explains so much.  

Because foods high in carbohydrates (chips, pretzels, cookies) boost serotonin, it is thought that they have a calming, soothing affect on the body and mind.

Strange... I don't feel calm.

Spring is within reach though so I'm going to try to shine on through. I'm visualizing sunshine, floaty dresses, blue skies, and apparently... France.

                                                           Sand, surf, balloons

                                           ah, yes... springtime at Versailles.

Sky blue sky

                                                   I love Paris in the springtime...

                                                     Those will calm and soothe




**Also, try to forget that recent revelation about John Phillips.

She used to work in a diner, never saw a woman look finer. I used to order just to watch her float across the floor...

Driving home tonight, my ipod played Neil Young's Unknown Legend. When I heard that first line, I made a little noise out loud. Like a ohhh, a sigh. Because that is a good line. What woman wouldn't want that said about her? (Well, I guess the "just to watch her float across the floor"  part not necessarily the working in the diner part. Listen & watch the somewhat strange video here:
Neil Young - Unknown Legend
Uploaded by LeBalayeur. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

But this sighing at that line, reminded me of something.... or rather someone. My high school English teacher, Mr. Kasper. (I always thought he looked like Wilford Brimley in The Natural and in my mind's eye, that is how I picture him now.** )

He would do this thing when were reading a book and analyzing it in class. If it was a really good line or paragraph, he would read it over again, drawing out every word out loud so you could really mull it over. Then he would lower the book, sigh and say something like, "Guys, I wish I said that" in the most sincere way.  So for example, if he just  happened to be reading a copy of Neil Young's Unknown Legend lyrics, he would've said "I used to order...(pause, pause).. just to watch her... float...(pause, pause) across... the.. floor." Oh, I wish I said that.

Having this weird high school English class flashback made me realize that I do a version of that pause, sigh, mulling over thing. Whether it's something out of a song or movie, or a book or an article, I'm a sucker for a good line. Sometimes, I email ones I really like to myself. Here are my three most recent self-emailed quotes, all from The New York Times:

-"He was the designer wunderkind who went too far, too fast, his sequins falling to the floor like the feathers of Icarus."

-"All my life I have grafted fistfuls of dimly grasped concepts to a series of barely articulate goals."

-"Mr. DiCaprio, having grown perhaps overly fond of his accent from "The Departed", brings it along for the ride, and it spreads through the movie like a contagious disease."

Good stuff.

** I once told Mr. Kasper this, and he said, "Well, thanks."

Publish Post

Blake's Got a New Face

My new nephew is so hip already, he even has a Vampire Weekend song written about him!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAqUNJGKjCQ

After much anticipation, Blake Christopher finally arrived at 7:13 pm on 2-20-2010 (His birthday seems cool. Those numbers together must mean something auspicious. At least I think so.) Weighing in at 7 lbs. 8 ounces, 19 inches long!

I can't believe my brother is a Dad! And I'm an Aunt!

A new life. A little fresh start. We are all thrilled to add him to the family.
Congrats to Drew and Audrey, proud new parents !

Won't you tell me what you're thinking of, would you be an outlaw for my love?

This week I read the book, "Love is a Mix Tape" by Rob Sheffield. He's a music writer and if you saw him, you'd swear he looks familiar. You might remember him as one of the many commentators on VH1's "I Love the..." (insert decade here. Oh that guy...)

Anyways, he wrote "Love is a Mix Tape", I think in 2007. It's about his relationship with his wife, who died suddenly of an pulmonary embolism. He explains their story...from their courtship to their untimely end and beyond through the mix tapes they both made over the years. The songs document the time and mood in their lives. (They danced to Big Star's "Thirteen" at their wedding. I love that. Hear below...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pte3Jg-2Ax4

I completely wept throughout this whole book. It really touched me because I related to it so much. It reminded me of my relationship with my husband. I started thinking about how certain songs become part of memories, like your own little soundtrack. They say smell is the strongest sense linked to memory? I don't know. I think hearing something can instantly take you back.

It also got me thinking about mix tapes (or now mix CD's). There's a few memorable ones that instantly popped into my head.

1) A mix CD from husband, pre-dating, when we were just "friends" entitled, "Mix CD for My Lady?" (from a line from Jack Black in the movie "Saving Silverman" where he says "Beer bong for my lady?" We found that amusing.) One of my favorite mixes of all time**. It starts with These Days by Nico and ends with What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone. Perfect.

2) A mix tape from a high school boyfriend, who also wrote a note, spritzed it with his cologne and put it inside the case. At the time, a swoon-worthy move. I remember it had Tiny Dancer and it also had Radar Love. I wonder if I still have that one.

3) Another mix I remember in heavy rotation home from college, between freshman and sophomore year. It had Smashing Pumpkins 1979 and Prince's Little Red Corvette. Once I was getting an oil change and I heard the mechanics blasting it in my tape deck in the garage.

4) The mix CD we made for our wedding favors. Nearly five years later, people still tell me they keep it in rotation! A classic! Success! Includes our first dance, God Only Knows by the Beach Boys and what's really "our" song, Beast of Burden by the Rolling Stones. (You can't sway to Mick singing "all I'm asking is for you to make love to me" in front of your whole family.)

**I just dug it out of a box. Sigh.

My Baby Takes the Morning Train

I heard this song recently in Meijer. I was disturbed to know all the words. I think Linda Ronstadt sings it...(I don't know if that is how you spell her name.) I love singing along to random songs. Sometimes I try to test my knowledge by scanning the radio stations and belting out as many songs as I can.

My sister-in-law always makes fun of me. She says,"You always know all the words!" I like being a girl that knows all the words. It is one of the simple pleasures in life.
Like being in Meijer, and singing (albeit quietly to one's self)... my baby takes the morning train, he works from 9 to 5 and then, he takes another home again, to.. find.. me.. waitin' for him....

**a little Youtube research revealed.. it is NOT Linda Ronstadt, but Sheena Easton!
Enjoy this Solid Gold dancer moment below. Awesome choreography.

You and I, we might be strangers

I was driving home tonight and I thought, you know what? I want to start a blog. So I did. Thus far, it is not very exciting and I'm not sure who will end up reading it. I had a lot of ideas about what I'd post, etc. But now I'm here and it's writer's block. Oh well. I will improve.

I named my blog Dilly Dally, cause that's what I always do. I'm chronically late. It's a horrible habit and one I always try break, but alas I haven't yet. For whatever reason, it's always 15 minutes. 15 minutes late. What do I do? I dilly dally. Ask anyone. People who haven't seen me in years would remember this about me and laugh that it is still true. Things like cleaning my jewelry, searching for a magazine article I recently read, suddenly becomes important. Or if you ask my husband, I always under estimate how long it will take me to get ready. 30 minutes? No problem. I can sit here and finish this cup of coffee and watch one more segment of the Today Show that isn't relevant to me. And that's what's happening in your neck of the woods.

Suddenly, panic. Out the door. Rushing like a maniac, swearing at other drivers. Maybe I should start wearing a watch.** Oh well. I will improve.

 ** I'll take a Cartier tank watch, like Jackie's. Thank you.