Livin' a TV Dream

It's summertime, which means at this point, almost all my favorite shows have gone into hiatus (True Blood excluded, which just started up a few weeks ago). I usually take this opportunity to tackle a TV series that I've been meaning to get into for a while or just want to revisit.

Alex and I have been steadily making our way through (rewatching) Battlestar Galactica over the past several months, which we've both watched before but is good to revisit. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, so you notice so many little things that you missed before that makes the second (or third or fourth) viewing totally worthwhile. If you haven't seen the show, don't let the name or fact that it's set in space and there are robots scare you away (the same way you wouldn't/shouldn't look down your nose at Game of Thrones for being all medieval [kinda?] and having dragons), it's highly recommended, damn good TV. Whether you've watched the series before or not, both are currently available for streaming on Netflix & Hulu.

GPOme+Alex

Secondly, on the recommendation of basically everyone on the planet, I've finally watched (most of) The Wire. I know, I'm like, 5+ years too late but please, for the love of all that is good in the world, WATCH THIS SHOW. I've just started Season 5 so I'm sad that it's almost over but I'm too obsessed to slow down. It's in a league of it's own, I can't think of any show like it (or if another one could even be done), which makes it hard to describe to other people wondering what all the hype is about, so I just end up blabbering something about drugs and politics and murder and law enforcement and and and JUST WATCH IT OKAY.

Bodie Broadus, let me love you.

But on that note, I'm almost done with this series so I'll need something else to watch between now and September, help a sister out with suggestions! As you can probably see from this post and past blog posts about TV, I'm pretty much an equal opportunity television viewer. But I think I'll want to dive into somewhat lighthearted series, in light of The Wire breaking my heart on a consistent basis lately.

All Hail West Texas, Pt. 2 (More Pictures)

When I left off the last post, we had just started (full) Day 2 at Big Bend. We ate breakfast and packed up the camp since it was to be our last night there and hit the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive through the park. We stopped along the way and hiked the Mule Ears Point Trail, which I found more forgiving than the Window trail, despite the lack of shade. We hiked all the way down to Mule Ears Spring, which was all dried up, despite all the rain we got the previous night and back to the car, about 3 miles round-trip. From the trailhead, it was back on the road with stops at Tuff Canyon for some pretty scenic views.

See the "mule ears" in the distance?

Tuff Canyon

Cerro Castellan as seen from Tuff Canyon

When I Grow Up

The question of what I want to do when I grow up has been looming large in my life lately. A forum that I frequent just had a discussion about quarter-life crises this morning. I had a job interview last week that asked me what my dream job was. A couple weeks ago, I took a psychology test that is supposed to overlap your skills, interests and aptitudes and suggest areas of development. As my 27th birthday approaches (June 22, for those keeping score and/or watching my Amazon wish list), I think I can't help but feel a little anxious over here. Aren't I supposed to know by now? Why haven't I figured everything out? How is grownup formed?

All Hail West Texas, Pt. 1 (Picture Heavy)

I just got back from the most amazing Memorial Day Weekend, I hope all you Americans enjoyed yours, as well. And the non-Americans, I hope you enjoyed your non-Memorial Day weekend, too!

My boyfriend has been trying to get me out to Big Bend National Park in West Texas basically since we started dating a few years ago. I was a Girl Scout for ten years but with my mom being the leader, we were more Troop Beverly Hills than Red Feathers* types. I am also blessed with biology that causes me to be swarmed by mosquitos and other insects that want my blood within mere minutes of being outside, making me not a prime camping candidate. When we first got together, I wasn't as Outdoor Afro** as I am now so he had to ease me into the idea with short hikes and picnics around Austin to longer day trips and camping overnights at state parks in our area. After a successful 3 day/2 night stay at Rocky Mountain National Park last summer during which I wasn't eaten by any bears or cougars, I finally relented to the Big Bend trip last fall.

We left out late on Friday night so we didn't arrive at Big Bend until after 1 a.m. As soon as we got there, we staked out an unoccupied campsite at the Chisos Basin campground and Alex quickly set up the tent while I took care of the reservation fees. The night sky was so clear you could see the Milky Way so I begged Alex to take the rain cover off the tent so we could sleep under the stars. The drive in was especially dark and creepy (no lights along the roads) but the campsite was quiet and peaceful, so I really had no idea what to expect when I woke up in the morning.

Reason #147510751071 Why I Need a Dog

My 90s nostalgia kick has officially reached critical mass because I actually spent 99 cents in the App Store for the Hatchi app, which pretty faithfully transfers strangely addictive experience of owning Tamagotchi from cheap plastic to a $500 smartphone. Not I named my first Hatchi Joffrey I guess because for some reason I subconsciously wanted him to be the worst.

Well, mission accomplished... seriously, what kind of monster hates pizza? Pretty much up there with beheading and baby murdering.

It's not quite a substitute for my desire having a furry buddy around (which has also reached critical mass... I actually went to a pet store & hung out with some rats today) but a fun distraction for only a little over a dollar after tax.

Technical Difficulties

For whatever reason, this site has only been available intermittenly by the custom domain www.sevenbrights.com so I just ended up disabling it altogether because I'm lazy. Back to sevenbrights.blogspot.com and your regularly scheduled bullshitting.

Recovering Musicalaholic

I am no stranger to talking about my guilty pleasures on this blog so it should come as no surprise to anyone for me to announce that I LOVE MUSICALS. Some of my fondest memories as a kid are watching and singing along with The Sound of Music (and Mary Poppins and Bedknobs & Broomsticks & The Wiz, et al.) with my mom. To this day, I still think Julie Andrews is the Queen Bee. When I got older, I joined choir and I even dabbled a bit in musical theater (chorus member in high school productions of Fiddler on the Roof and Fame, here) and even got a lead role as Lucy in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown in a community theater production. But by the time I was a sophomore in high school, my interests had shifted from performing to writing so I haven't danced or sang for an audience since (outside of karaoke).

Despite my lack of performing within the last 12 (!) years, musicals still hold a soft spot in my heart. While I am not a big fan of say, Glee (although I can see myself being really into it if it had debuted when I was 14), when I saw the preview to NBC's Smash after last spring's upfronts to say that I was immediately hooked from the first few notes of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" would be an understatement. I knew that this was a guilty pleasure show right up there with True Blood (which thankfully comes back next month) for me, regardless of how bad it turned out... which as it turns out, can be pretty bad sometimes a lot of the time. So maybe Katherine McPhee isn't a good actress and it isn't always believable or even entirely coherent or but when Smash is good, it's really good, which is almost entirely thanks to the original music. The songs are so well-written that I would actually pay to see "Bombshell" (the show within the show based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, for the uninitiated) if it were real. I may or may not have caught myself listening to some of the songs during a Spotify private listening sessions, that's all I'm saying.

(image via.)

But regardless of my feelings about the show, what I really wanted to write about was Karen Cartwright's (Katherine McPhee) dreamy boyfriend black handbag with gold studs that I've been lusting after for the past few episodes. Apparently, I'm not the only one because the first result for my Google search of "karen cartwright purse handbag" came up with a link to the blog Justified Obsession, who tracked it down.

The brand is ROMYGOLD and the Drew Stud Hobo costs $495. Karen's version is black with rose gold studs but it comes in a few other color combinations. But really, Smash? Struggling up and coming performer, $200-a-week-workshop-salary Karen can splurge on a $500 bag? Or was it a gift from her dreamy successful boyfriend or the movie star, Rebecca Duvall? I had at least an inkling of hope it might be the kind of bag that I a girl like Karen could pick up at Macy's or JC Penney or Forever 21, you know, somewhere where poors shop. Way to dash my dreams, television. Truly nothing in the entertainment industry is what is seems.

Anyway, Smash just wrapped up for the season so now most shows are going on summer hiatus, you can probably catch up on Hulu or NBC.com, if you're so inclined. And what the hell, this post also gives me an excuse to post a picture of Raza Jaffery, who plays Karen's boyfriend, Dev, on the show. I forgive him for that embarrassing Bollywood number because he looks really good a suit.

Lately I'm Into...

Flipboard for iPad + the whole Internet

I got an iPad earlier this year and this is definitely my favorite app. Flipboard's primary function is as a news reader but I think it's best way to view almost any content on the web. When you first sign up, you get to pick feeds from sites that are relevant to your interests from several outlets, whether it's news, tech, entertainment or fashion and it's delivered to you in a pretty, easy to digest format. However, my favorite feature is the ability to import my personal feeds from other services. It's not secret that I'm a Google Reader junkie (although I am really sad about them doing away with the social aspects of the service earlier this year) and I love that I can sign in and view all my feeds (200+) and folders (22) are organized and ready to flip through in a gorgeous-magazine style UI. In fact, I actually prefer catching up on my unread blog posts this way (curled up in bed or on the couch with iPad, flipping through) instead of the Google site on my laptop or the mobile version of the Reader, which leaves something to be desired. I can quickly save an article to Pocket* for later reading or share a blog post directly from Flipboard to my Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.

I also love viewing my Instagram feed via Flipboard (I actually prefer it over the Instagram iPhone app interface, which is already pretty much perfect). You can view photos in your feed at full-size, comment and like friends' photos as much as you want and view the "popular" feed - everything you need, just short of actually being able to take photos, edit and upload them from within the app. It's like getting to flip through a magazine with fresh daily content curated just for you. And it's freeeee!

Ming Doyle's Girl Reporter Print Set

I ordered these little prints months ago but they've sat collecting dust until recently because I was convinced I had accidentally thrown away Girl Reporter Friday & couldn't bear the thought of displaying an incomplete set. She turned up when I cleaned my room but I haven't figured out how I'll put them up yet. Ming Doyle is exceptionally talented (check out her other work)! I love these sassy ladies and at $12 for the whole set, they're a steal.

This ring.

Y'all know how I love my jewelry, the bigger the better. I seem to have misplaced** my favorite ring - doubly sad for the facts that 1) I bought it last year so it's probably no longer in stores and 2) I bought it at H&M which until recently has eluded the state of Texas but hell if I'm driving to Dallas to find out. On the plus side, I found a ridiculous suitable replacement at Forever 21 yesterday. I love it but I do not love retailers being so unimaginative and lazy the last few seasons that they slap the label of "tribal" or "ethnic" on just about everything.

Finally mastering cat-eye eyeliner after forever.

People keep asking me for tips or pointers but really all I can say is gel eyeliner (I used e.l.f. cream eyeliner - no particular reason other than because it's $3) + an angled brush + a lot of practice. I DON'T KNOW, GUYS, IT'S MAGIC.

* Another free app that I love!
** There seems to be a pattern here...

Ahem.

I think that's enough radio silence for now.

Hi, remember me? I think I might actually be ready to start writing again. I'm still working a ridiculous amount between jobs uno y dos but why not pile on more to my sense of responsibility and obligation, right?

In the meantime, I'm going to update the lazy man's way: things I bought fairly recently, c/o Instagram.

Jason Wu for Target dress, 50% off! I still haven't had the occasion to wear it yet, though.

Banana Puddin' cupcake from Sugar Mama's Bakeshop. Only on the menu on Wednesdays, highly recommended.

Labradorite crystal necklace from Mana Culture. It came with a helpful card of the "properties" of the crystal. I may not buy into all that, but I liked the way it sparkled and I'll take whatever good juju I can get.

Gold Chrome Slider iPhone case from Incase. Gold on the outside, pink on the inside, makes a decent mirror in a pinch.

Pigasus bank from Open Sky. Because why not?

OMG, Spring, you guys!

I Didn't Say It, I Declared It.

I declare blog bankruptcy. I just deleted a whole mess of posts (only 15/96 remain) because I want to take things in a different direction, both in real life and online. I had an inkling to start doing outfit posts but I am just not cut out for fashion blogging - more disposable income would be required, I'm kind of restricted about what I can wear at work and plus I've come to the realization that I just don't care about fashion that much. Don't get me wrong, I love cute clothes and outfits that are put together well. I just don't get caught up the excitement of Fashion Week or the latest designer collections. But what I'm really into: handbags, scarves and wearing as much jewelry as humanly possible (as I type this, I have five huge ass rings on) and my preliminary market research (aka like three of my friends on Twitter) shows that it's that's the kind of niche that people would like to read about.

That said, I want to put more effort into Beyond 6th, I've been taking classes to brush up on my HTML & CSS skills (through Girl Develop It, which I'd highly recommend!), I just started a new job that I absolutely love and I'm back in college so things are in a weird transitional phase right now. So what, who cares? 

Anyone else on Pinterest? This is the Internet thing that I'm all about at the moment. Click the picture to peep my boards & follow me.

Endless Summer (Reading)

I'm just going to accept that I'm terrible at blogging but still update this thing when I feel like it, for some reason. Is my web presence spread too thin and that fact the reason why I can't keep up with this thing? Probably. I have an irrational impulse to sign up for every social network/Internet thing ever. Speaking of which, I'm on Pintrest, follow me if you're into that sort of thing!

(via... yes, that's me.)

Summer may technically still be a month away but it's already started in Texas. I had my first swim of the year last weekend, which was oddly, my very first visit to Barton Springs Pool, even though I've lived in Austin during and toughed out four blazing summers before. I know, it even shocks me. I anticipate several trips back as the oppressive heat continues to terrorize us (just checked the forecast and it's supposed to get up to 100 today... and it's only May).


Because I work a weird schedule that makes it pretty much impossible to be social during the week, I end up spending the bulk of my free time consuming various forms of media (a LOT of podcasts, Hulu, Netflix, etc.). Now that most of my TV obligations have closed out their seasons for the summer (my favorites, of course, being Parks & Recreation and Community and my guilty pleasures, Grey's Anatomy* and Private Practice), I'll have more time for other stuff, like my ever-growing Summer Reading List AKA books on my Kindle that I'm ""getting around to"" reading (in no particular order):

• Currently Reading: How Did You Get This Number? by Sloane Crosley
• Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith
• We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gillian Gill
• Strange Fruit: Billie Holiday, Cafe Society, and An Early Cry for Civil Rights by David Margolick
• Decoded by Jay-Z
• The Commitment by Dan Savage
• The Kid by Dan Savage
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
• No Turning Back by Estelle Freedman
• Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape by Jaclyn Friedman and Jessica Valenti
• Spook by Mary Roach
• Undoing Gender by Judith Butler
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Tales of the Beetle Bard by J.K. Rowling
• Goat Girls by Francesca Lia Block
• Necklace of Kisses by Francesca Lia Block
• Help! a Bear Is Eating Me! by Mykle Hansen
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
• John Dies at the End by David Wong
• All of the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris
• Black No More by George Schuyler

Here's hoping to make a dent in it, at least until True Blood, The Walking Dead and Louie come back.


* I swear I had kicked the habit several years ago because it was so bad but within the last two seasons, I've somehow gotten sucked back in. It's still bad, over the top and ridiculous but entertaining.

I Guess We're Kinda Legit Now

Wade got us these awesome shirts for the Beyond 6th podcast to wear around during SX (or whenever)! They came out awesome, I'm really pleased!

I'm going to start using this shirt in lieu of showing actual ID at bars. "Hello, I'm right here on this shirt and I'm holding a glass of sangria, of course I'm 21!"

Six South By Pro Tips

I wanted to run down a list of SXSW tips on the latest episode of that podcast thing I do, Beyond 6th, but as I am wont to do, go distracted talking about other things. This post kind of elaborates upon what I wanted to say (and borrows a bit from the segment). I've been putting off making this post (or you know, blogging in general) for a while, to a point that I realize this post is almost too late. But for out-of-towners not arriving in Austin until next week, this might actually be helpful! Or at the least, someone can refer to it next year...

(Baby me on 6th Street, St. Patrick's Day, during my 2nd SXSW in 2006. This guy was just hanging out, sitting on the curb and I asked for a picture. Keep Austin Weird, indeed. By the same time a year later, I would be an Austinite myself!)

I like to joke that South By is my favorite holiday. Despite the traffic and noise, to me it's always been the most wonderful time of the year. While I won't pretend to be an expert at all, I've got a total of six years of SXSW under my belt (two as a visitor and four as an Austin resident) and I think I've picked up a few things along the way.

An Illustrated View of Austin Through the Eyes of a Transplant

I don't remember how I discovered or how long I've been reading comic artist Melinda Boyce's blog of adorable diary comics but I've been fan of her work for at least a year. Her drawings aren't (usually) meant to be funny as much snapshots of her life and adventures with her friends, family and boyfriend, Aaron (who she also does a collaborative comic with and is one of the main featured players). I loved her cozy portraits of her life in Portland and definitely missed them when they disappeared from my RSS feed for a while.

So imagine my surprise when she resurfaced and announce that she had been absent because she had moved to Austin (apparently a city she'd never even visited!) along with Aaron and three other friends! Hey, wait a minute - that's my city! While getting settled in, she is making up for her hiatus with a new series called "Falling in Love with Austin." One of my favorite things about living here is when I get to share the great Austin-y places and things I've discovered and this is such a fresh take on the concept. So far there's only four in the series but I've already fallen in love and definitely look forward to seeing more.

(click the picture to check out Melinda's blog and portfolio)

Everything You Do Be Buggin' Me.

via.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog hiatus to point out three things:

1. BEYONCE IS IN THE BACK.

2. I miss when Mama Tina created these hideous matching outfits.

3. The lyrics to "Bug-A-Boo" are so funny now. ~technology~

You make me wanna 
throw my pager out the window
Tell MCI to cut the phone poles
Break my lease so I can move
Cause you a bug a boo, a bug a boo
I wanna put your number on the call block
Have AOL make my emails stop
Cause you a bug a boo
You buggin what? you buggin who?
You buggin me!
And dont you see it ain't cool

MCI! PAGERS! AOL!

How I stopped trying to be a "music critic" & learned to love lame music.

Dear Readers, once upon a time, in a state far away, I was a high school kid full of ambition. I discovered that I loved to write at early age but I didn't really get into journalism until the summer after eighth grade. I was encouraged by my mother to submit an application to the now-defunct Teen Star, the weekly section of The Kansas City Star written for teens, by teens. I didn't really think I had a shot because I knew they would be receiving applications for all over the metropolitan area and surely there would be older, more experienced writers who would be chosen over me. I hadn't even finished high school! I wrote a short piece in which I interviewed my three best friends about our hopes and fears for starting high school as freshmen in the coming fall and mailed it in. To my surprise, I got the call a few weeks later and I was on the advisory board! The first time the group get together, I was given my first assignment: I was to review a Goo Goo Dolls concert* (opening acts: Sugar Ray and Fastball). Obviously, 13-year-old me was stoked.

Over the course of my four years at the Star, I carved out a niche for myself as a music/entertainment writer, penning album and concert reviews and interviewing bands. I aggressively sought out The Next Big thing in music and this was before there were an myriad of music blogs to peruse. I subscribed to several music magazines, consumed an ungodly amount of MTV and VH1; thankfully, this was when they were known for actually playing music (and awesome animation, but I digress) and listened to recommendations of and traded mix CDs with my way hipper friends. I became "that person" (there's one in every group) who always knew what song was on the radio and could rattle off obscure music trivia. I accumulated free records, got talk and hang out with to some of my favorite artists (at the time... how else would I explain an autographed photo of myself with John Mayer?) and attend shows (and in one instance eight haunted houses over the course of two nights) - and people were actually paying me for this (this was back when newspapers were still making money and people actually read them)! I thought 'This is it! I've found my calling! I'm moving to New York and writing for SPIN or Rolling Stone!'

And then, of course, life happened. After high school graduation, ended up at a state school in the Midwest instead of prestigious private school in NYC or LA. I still pursued that journalism degree and was going to take on the world on the world as soon as got my B.A. but then I had to drop out. I had started making trips to SXSW as a tourist every year, thinking maybe some of the magic would rub off on me and I'd be inspired to return to school and live out my Almost Famous fantasy. But slowly my interest in always knowing what the latest indie band on the verge of blowing up waned, moreso after I moved to Austin. I started attending SXSW more for the experience with friends (not to mention the free swag and drinks) than discovering new music. I watched as magazines struggled and folded as music blogs started to take off. MTV and VH1 quietly phased out the music portions of their programming. There were too many genres and subgenres to decipher and too many side projects and solo projects to keep up with. I stopped caring if it was cool to listen to what was on my iPod and just listened to what I liked. It wasn't fun anymore, it just got to be exhausting.

These days, while music festivals are fun and I am still interested in journalism as a career, I think I will leave the rock & roll lifestyle for some young whippersnapper who has more energy and a higher bullshit tolerance than I do (although I will miss advance albums and comped concert tickets, for sure). But all of that said, every now and then I hear new music that reminds me why I once wanted follow that path. So now I'll share with you some music I think is going to my soundtrack to Summer 2010:

Librarians: Secret Ninjas

I love this quote, especially as someone who once had aspirations to go to library school (I still might, but baby steps - I have to finish my undergrad first) and believes they are some of the coolest people on the planet:

"They are silent warriors, librarians! They are like ninjas! When someone tries to ban a book—librarians are there! When someone tries to take away YOUR right to read something—librarians are there! Librarians protect books and knowledge, ensuring that it is passed along to future generations—not burned up or destroyed by the flavor-of-the-week political group.


It’s because of these MAD NINJA LIBRARIANS that most of the knowledge of the ancient world was protected and passed to us. Librarians of the past have put it all on the line. They have defied dictators, protected books from fire and thieves
Is it any wonder that in ancient times, librarians had titles like “Scribes of the Double House of Life,” “Learned Men of the Magic Library,” and “Ordaniers of the Universe.”


No, really. They did. I think we should go back to one of these titles, because they are kind of awesome. And I think they should maybe dress like ninjas." - Maureen Johnson

via my lovely friend Sheena's tumblr (I love it so much, she's always posting really great, thought-provoking material - follow if you're not already).

We'll still be friends when all turns to dust.

Yours Truly Presents: The Morning Benders "Excuses" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Glenda shared this video and I immediately fell in love with the song and have pretty much been listening to this album, Big Echo, non-stop all weekend. They're actually playing a few shows during SXSW but I don't know if I'll get around to seeing them, depending on whether or not I am (hopefully) employed by then. Anyway, I just love songs with simple melodies and kind of an old-timey feel. EPIC ORCHESTRATION & HARMONIES, AHOY!

Doppelgänger Week.

I maintained that I didn't have a doppelgänger all last week until it hit me this morning:

 

We have the same beauty mark in the same place, IT'S UNCANNY Y'ALL.

All Things In Place.

 

My mom had a Q&A feature on organization in the House & Home section of the Kansas City Star on Sunday. I'm super proud and hope it leads to her getting her name out there and more business... I know she'd love to be able to quit her day job and do organizing full-time! Check it out for some everyday organization tips, she won't steer you wrong.