happy belated birthday to me

if you're still pondering what to get me, here is my second birthday present help post. i would very much like this tshirt please!

really good news....

....not.

i'm scared.

in preparation for the big day...

i thought i'd say happy birthday to those who share the best birthday day ever: november 28. we're a pretty cool crew, so get psyched.

first off: margaret tudor, sister of king henry VIII. i wish i could tell you more about her, but her wikipedia page is putting me to sleep. to find out more, please ask my mom, who is an expert in all things regarding old-timey england.

next: william blake. i think i like him best for illustrating john milton's paradise lost.

also: alfonso XII of spain. ruled as the king of spain from 1875 to 1885. he died in november of 1885, just short of his 28th birthday.

fast forward to 1943 when mr. randy newman was born. he's written the scores for some of my favorite movies, including toy story, meet the parents and monsters inc. he was also featured on family guy, where the griffins run into him during an apocolypse in quahog. you really should see the video to get the song's full, ridiculous effect.

then, paul shaffer, master of song on letterman. apparently, letterman maintains that the show was switched from nbc to cbs because paul was fired for "stealing some pens." um, what??

also born on novemeber 28 is ed harris! he has been in some of my most favorite movies, including the truman show, empire falls, and a beautiful mind. he was also in stepmom, but that one is way too sad to talk about.

another movie man with the same birthday is alfonso curon. i like him best for directing harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban. after that, he went downhill with the pretty-much-terrible children of men.

and, last but not least: jon stewart!!! ever heard of him? wow and wow. i sort of feel like i should let him know we have the same birthday. maybe we can have a party next year, or at least a birthday show together. that would be twelve kinds of fantastic. happy birthday everyone!!!

makeup alert!

love makeup? want to get a ton of great makeup, all for $1? (if you answered no, you are either a guy, or maybe shouldn't be my friend anymore...) the brand e.l.f. was recently bought by nordstroms. because everything needs to be repackaged with the new branding, they are selling every item on their website for $1! ahhhhhhh!! it's a brand i've never used, but on a quick spin through their site, they seem to have really great stuff, good colors, lotions AND cute makeup bags! have i mentioned everything is only $1?! go there now!

the cookie knows all.

fortune cookie from last night's dinner with L: "through greater effort and hard work a precious dream comes true."
... i'm wondering if the fortune cookie people are watching me?

"sir, are we doomed?"

this one is pretty scary stuff. i'm not sure if you've heard of the economic crisis happening in the world right now, but my main main tom friedman is pretty concerned about it. not only in this article does he suggest that we stay home and save our money by eating tuna, he believes that bush should instate obama's secretary of treasury pick tim geithner now. additionally, he suggests that inaguration day should be moved up to thanksgiving. pretty scary stuff, but definitely an important read.

on a bit lighter note (only because it was on the colbert report), friedman discusses his new book "Hot, Flat and Crowded". friedman had recently been on the daily show and was not funny, so i was glad to see him redeem himself here:

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Thomas Friedman

Ron Paul Interview
Bob Barr Interview

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

what were they thinking?

well, here's another one for the bad celebrity baby name file. congrats to proud parents ashlee simpson and pete wentz on their son (drumroll please): bronx mowgli wentz. ummm, what the hell? the mowgli part is kind of cool... at least in the jungle book, he's sort of a fun, rascaly kid. but just think about it: bronx wentz? it's almost too zippy. the experts had a lot to say about it. baby naming expert Maryanna Korwitts said, "Bronx Wentz? Little problem in the flow there in saying the name. ... We've got some problems in that Bronx and Wentz are both one syllable, and it's a very herky-jerky type of thing when you're saying it." Well said, lady.

for more celebrity baby madness, i recently came across the celebrity baby blog where you can read to your hearts content about other peoples' babies whom you will never meet. be sure to read the interview with brad pitt. the title of the article is "Brad Pitt on more kids, 'Why should I stop?'" I'll just leave the rest for you all to read....

what will they think of next?

if you saw the daily show from last night, you already know about this >2008 Presidential Campaign condoms. yes, you heard me correctly. they have obama, mccain and of course, palin condoms. don't forget to click on the links for each individual candidate. the obama and mccain pages have pretty good soundbites, but the palin page is the best by far.

my two loves.

can you tell which one is Kate?

1. Do you like Lost? Let me rephrase. Are you as obsessed with Lost as I am?! (Most likely not possible, but I'm sure you can come close.) Assuming you are counting down the days to January 21 as I am, please read this article. Be sure to watch the embedded, totally nuts video clip!!!

2. All I can say is: Harry Potter trailer. Augfohonadocihhdokphs!!!

pictures of the week.

torch-bearers walk through lewes, england on guy fawkes night


the (super fast) pope arrives at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican

analeigh's picture last week on top model

sunrise over lake michigan... i miss chicago!

a navy midshipman is thrown in the air during an ncaa college football game against notre dame

view from a small German town near bavaria shows an airliner flying over the full moon

bush at the UN conference... neat-o. i think he's trying to wink?

my main man! what a smile.

two mid-monday tidbits.

numero uno - i am equal parts giddy and shocked at the following nytimes article: 12-Year-Old's a Food Critic, and the Chef Loves It. first off, the kid's name is David Fishman. jewish much? if you weren't convinced, he lives on the Upper West Side. the article goes on to explain how his parent's left him alone (wtf?!) and instead of get his usual "hummus take-out dinner" he decided to try out this new, swanky restaurant that he had noticed. i partially want to hang out with him because he seems like a super cool, mature kid. but on the other hand - what kind of kid thinks it's normal to eat by himself at a brand new, hip UWS restaurant?! weirdo. you'll have to read the whole article for the full story, but it's pretty much out of control.

dos: for those of you who don't know, i will be a bridesmaid in a certain person's (ok, two people are getting married. and i think they are both equally superb) wedding next year. instead of the usual tradition of making bridesmaid dresses, we decided to check out what the internet had to offer us. what we found is something you all should see, whether you are in the market for bridesmaid dresses, or just general hilarity. can't wait to wear my mormon dress to a very relig jewish wedding!

i (don't) love jesus.

all i have to say is: wtf?!

dino-mite!

if you have been racking your brain, trying to think of what to get me for my birthday, look no further! i would like the playskool kota my triceratops dinosaur, please!

ok - it's an animatronic, "life-size" (how do they know?), baby dinosaur that stand 3 feet tall! it responds to voice and touch with roaring and laughing sounds, and has expressive tail (?), head, eye, mouth and horn movements. it also comes with 4 adventure-themed tunes, weighs a mere 60 pounds and comes with "leafy snacks" to feed your new friend!

i hope to meet kota in a few weeks on my birthday! thank you in advance, friends!

i think it's pretty sad that, now that i am a businesslady, i find dilbert hilarious. also, the above comic is basically what i do on a daily basis....

make it work!

For all of the Project Runway fans out there, you should definitely watch the ew.com video interview with Tim Gunn, where he discusses, among other things, Kenley's bad-ittude. You know that if Tim Gunn thinks you suck, that means you really, really suck. You rock my socks, Tim.