Makeover, Inside and Out

So, six days ago (by the way I've gotten on here everyday for the past week and rewritten this same sentence over and over again) was Monday faves and I had no time to get on so I'll post them real quick and then get to everything else. I've decided I would like to do things related to your overall "look". These items will vary from make-up products to exercise videos to self-help facts. I'm also trying to set up a video blog but that would require a lot more time and effort than I think I can expend right now, especially with finals coming up soon but maybe tomorrow I can post one to help show how to apply some of the products that I've selected. We'll see.

1. My first piece is L'oreal volume shocking mascara, and Maybelline stiletto mascara in black. I don't actually like the stick they use for the L'oreal black side so when applying these two you have to use both products. First you're going to want to run a tissue lightly over your eyelashes. This helps you get rid of any excess moisture that might cause your mascara to clump. Then, using the white side of the L'oreal mascara, apply lightly over the upper and bottom eye lashes, sliding back and forth from top to bottom. Next, use the Maybelline mascara to apply over the top of the white mascara, applying it in a similar fashion. This works great for me and makes my eyelashes look about 50% longer!

2. This eye shadow is listed as: beach, plum and it is a clinique product that you can find at Macy's. I have blue eyes and I know that this particular shade is usually recommended for brown eyes but it looks fantastic with blue eyes as well. I apply the purple to the lids and use the brown (which has a slight golden tint) up near my eyebrows.

3. My third item is a workout video for you legs. It's part of cosmopolitan's tonetics series and it's the one for hips and thighs. This is, by far, the best leg workout video I have found. My legs were shaking by the time I was done with this video and I saw real results within about 1-2 weeks of doing it about every other day.

4. Apples. This wonderful fruit is high in fiber, naturally sweet, and low in calories. They make you feel good which motivates you to lead a happier life.


5. Music. It's amazing how music can make you feel. I found that listening to it between classes made me feel about ten times better than I did. I suggest creating a playlist on your ipod/ itouch/ etc. of your favorite songs that you can listen to in your car, while walking somewhere, etc. because it really does improve your mood.



This past weekend I went to the mall and picked up Christmas presents for my family and then bought a new top and shawl for myself (see to the right and the left). What I love and what I hate about Charlotte Russe is that they don't let you know when they're going to have sales because they don't find out themselves until a little thing comes in their email that day. What's nice about that, is then if you happen to walk in that day, you're excited by all the 50% off signs that adorn the store. What's not so nice about it, is that I'm attacked by this shopping high that demands that since everything is so cheap I need to get every single thing I happen to have a momentary whim for. Speaking of my visit to that store there is something, especially around now, that people need to watch out for and that is.... Charity Traps! Charity Traps, as I call them, are where the cashier doesn't give you enough information, and what might have been a generous gesture on your part, turns into you regretting wanting to help people! That's not how things should be. If the cashier asks if you would like to donate a dollar or so to some charity a lot of people, especially during the holidays, tend to say sure and hand over a dollar. Well if you don't pay close enough attention or ask some questions, the things left unsaid can make you regret having donated. When I was in Charlotte Russe the other day the cashier told me that if I donated a dollar I would receive a ten dollar of coupon next time I purchased something in that store. Thinking this sounded great I said sure and handed her an extra dollar. Then as she was handing me my receipt she pulled out my coupon and stuffed it in the bag. Not until I left the store did I look at the coupon and realize that what it said was: $10 of your next $50 purchase. It may sound selfish that I'm upset about this when the whole point was to make a donation to help others, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and makes me wary of donating again. I don't know, I just don't like how they conveniently leave out certain details.

Also last weekend I went to a party of my friends and then was tree selling (cruel irony, I think, given the circumstances) the rest of the day for community service hours. And when I got home, lo and behold, my first issue of Vogue was here! Of course it seems whenever I'm excited about something I get bombarded with chores, so I had to do the dishes, the laundry, and clean my room before I finally got to sit down with it. I think I'll be posting comments on it tomorrow if I have time. I've got another Christmas party today, and another on Tuesday which means I have to bake and clean all day tomorrow and Wednesday if we want to be prepared for my grandparents who are coming the twenty-third. Then there is Christmas eve and then Christmas! With the exception of tomorrow I probably won't be on for about a week so I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

French word of the day: Magasin which means mall/ store.

Au Revoir!

"When in doubt, wear red."- Bill Blass.

Traditions

Last night I volunteered at our local elementary school's Christmas Movie Night where they watched the human version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. And it reminded me of a Christmas tradition we do every year that, for some reason, this year, I had totally forgotten about. Every day beginning in December we watch a Christmas movie leading up until Christmas eve. Today I thought I'd post some of our traditions and welcome you to post some of yours in the comments below.

As I already said one of our traditions is watching a Christmas movie every day until Christmas. My favorites are probably How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon), Santa Claus, and Home Alone 1 & 2.

Another  tradition of ours is that we usually stay at home each Christmas and on Christmas eve make enchiladas for dinner and on Christmas day we make lasagna. We've done this every year for as long as I can remember and it's one of the things that makes me most think of Christmas.

Usually we also get a tree every year and sometime in December get together to decorate it. We play Christmas music and it usually takes us about one or two hours to finish the tree. It's one of my favorite aspects of Christmas but as I said in another post, we couldn't do it this year because of our three kittens. Hopefully by next year they will be old enough that they won't be thinking of attacking everything in sight.

My parents just put out a bunch of presents so I'm going to go investigate!


French word of the day: Samedi which means Saturday.

Au Revoir!

"I wanted this, I wanted to do this, but my work is me, and it has to be done right."- Oscar de la Renta.

FIDM

Today at school a representative from FIDM came to speak to my marketing class. I had arranged it a couple months back so I was really excited to meet her. She was very nice and had a great presentation, even though, due to the class dynamic she didn't get to present about fashion but instead about body language and dress, and I got to talk to her afterwards. The school, which I've been looking into for the past three or four years is one of my top picks for college. I am also looking into two European schools but I'm not sure yet.

Today sucked for the most part. I feel like I'm floating and not really concentrating on anything. It's very weird. I feel better now that I'm home but school was not fun. And besides that my Starbucks coffee mug cracked when I dropped it by accident today and though it's not leaking, it has a HUGE crack all along the side of it. Ugh.

Besides that I really have had a boring couple of days. I have a lot of work left to do though tonight before I can go to bed.

French word of the day: café which means coffee.

Au Revoir!

"Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are."- Quentin Crisp.

Ways to get through a hard week

I was thinking today about how much I'm dreading these next two weeks. We have ten days (count it!) until we get off for Christmas break, and it is dragging on! I realized today that it is only Wednesday and that we not only have to get through this incredibly boring and long week but then do it again next week! I feel like our break time is shorter or something this year too. It just doesn't feel right. Therefore, in preparation for these next two weeks I have come up with a couple of ways to help get through them quickly and painlessly:

First, if you are in school you're going to want to set a time that you have to finish your homework by. Say to yourself, "I'm going to finish everything by four o'clock." If you are dedicated and can get down to work then you will be able to complete everything quickly.

Second, set some sort of thing to look forward to each night. Such as, tonight I'm taking a bubble bath, tomorrow we're watching my favorite movie, Thursday I'm making my favorite dinner, etc. If you get excited about something then the day will seem to go by faster as long as the thing you are excited for is in the short term.

Third thing is to get a lot of sleep. Not to mention the fact that people who get more sleep are happier, it will also make time feel like it's going by faster.

Final thing is to smile. That sounds dumb but scientists have done a study that people who force themselves to smile always end up feeling better. If you're feeling good then you won't be thinking glumly about the next two weeks you have to survive.

I have yet another french test tomorrow that I have to prepare for. Not to mention all the reading I need to catch up with for AP World.

Also Happy 20th Birthday to my sister! Love you!

French word of the day: amuser which means amuse.

Au Revoir!

"Fashion is not just beauty, it's about good attitude."- Adriana Lima

Christmas time!

In about two weeks it will be Christmas time. Yay! I know for a lot of people, though, it's not time for yaying. Christmas can be stressful when you're trying to find a gift for someone and you have no idea what to get them. So this week's favorites are some pretty safe gifts that you can get for anyone and they will be happy and more importantly won't break the bank!

1. Jewelry. If you know who you're shopping for then it is easy to pick out something they would like and doesn't have to be expensive. Depending on if you want to spend a lot of money on them or not, jewelry offers a wide range of prices and types.

2. Fragrance or other bath products (probably for her). This can be tricky but if you know, for example, what specific fragrance they like, it can be a fantastic gift. Perfume is a very intimate gift which would show you know who you're shopping for if you get the right one. I recommend only doing this though if they have expressed that they want a certain one. It would not be fun for you to spend forty-eighty dollars on perfume and then they not like it. Bath products, on the other hand, are a little more flexible. Since they are also cheaper, you can get more of a variety.

3. Men, for me, are always much harder to shop for. They can't be easily pleased with things, it's always specific. Girls (for the most part) are always happy with chocolate, jewelry, clothes, etc. . Men are different. They tend to want particular things that they've been looking at for months and, unlike women, have not simply run out to buy them. So when it comes to guys that you don't know that well, possibly the only safe item would be tickets of some sort (or gift cards, see below). Concert tickets, movie tickets, sports tickets, etc. . They also let you be a part of it, which is always fun.

4. A coffee table book or a mini replica of a painting you might find in an art museum gift shop. You might be wondering how these two have anything in common and what it is, is that they both are pleasing visuals that someone you might not know very well would still get use out of. Whether it be as a decorative piece or something that they would enjoy reading, it is an item that people are always pleased to get and relatively inexpensive.

5. And, finally, gift cards. Ok, admittedly this isn't probably the most personal gift but as long as it's for a store they like, then they will be happy. In fact some people like it better simply for the shopping experience. It's an easy pickup for you and you get to decide how much money goes on it!

Tip: If you ever feel like you should add just one more thing but don't want to spend a lot of money on it, buy a king size candy bar that you know they like. It's affordable and the perfect top-off to a present.

French word of the day: Cadeau which means gift.

Au Revoir!

"If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?"- Unknown.

Model Behavior

God, I wish I could go meet with our local modeling agency now instead of having to wait another month! I just want to know if they will sign me or not. I want work and I want it now. This is something that I've become very serious about. It started as a, "You really think I could be a model?" to I want to do this right now. The problem is because I have more of the figure shape you would find on a Victoria Secret's model my dreams of walking for Gucci or Dolce and Gabbana are pretty much not going to happen but I still want what I can get in that industry. I'll post when I find out!

I started reading Sense and Sensibility yesterday and, unlike three years ago when I attempted to read it, I'm actually enjoying it. I'm to the part where Willoughby has made an appearance and him and Marianne are scorning poor old Colonel Brandon. Now, being much alike Marianne in personality, although hopefully not quite as annoying, I definitely see where she's coming from. With Willougby she has passion, excitement, and commonality while with the Colonel she is faced with a huge age difference (although in that time period it wasn't as big of a deal), a subtle personality, and a generally boring man ( at least at this point in the book). Now I know that Jane Austen has set up Brandon to appear this way at this point and that he becomes much more amiable later on, but I can't get over the giddy, head over heels kind of love that Marianne and Willoughby have (at least until he breaks her heart to marry someone richer). Anyways, can't wait to finish it. I've already seen the movie so there won't be any surprises but it's always exciting to experience the written version.

Today has been pretty boring, actually so I think I'm going to do some yoga and then go to bed.

French word of the day: Décembre which means December (wa-duh)

Au Revoir!

“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”- Oscar Wilde.

December at last!

Happy December 1st everybody! Today I've started a new schedule for myself. My family and I are preparing for a trip next summer and it requires a lot of walking, therefore we have decided that starting now I have to hang out at my school (for an HOUR!) and then when everyone can get to my school, we go walking. I will be running and then heading home to ride on our mechanical bike before doing my leg workout video (I will be talking about that in next week's Monday must haves), homework, blog, shower, and then yoga. Hopefully by being more structured like this I will be able to fit everything I want to in as long as I get through things fast and efficiently. We'll see how it goes.

Anyways, it's that time of year when it seems there are a million birthdays to celebrate. Three of my good friends just had their birthdays, one of which was yesterday. If you're reading this right now, Happy Birthday! I know that the holiday seasons are also just about upon us so within the next week or so I will be posting some wonderful (but cheap!) gifts to look/ make for your loved ones this year. I know that the economic times are hard right now and you shouldn't have to feel guilty for not being able to buy expensive gifts for people.

Something that's putting me off the holiday mood a little bit is that this year, because of our three wild but irresistibly cute kittens, we can not get a Christmas tree, something that is very important to me. One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is picking out that tree and decorating it with my family. Every year we would congregate in the living room and decorate, with our hundreds of ornaments, together and this year we won't get to do it. There are almost no decorations set up inside because of the cats and now that the snow has evaporated it just doesn't feel like Christmas yet.

I've been reading into this whole airport security frenzy that's been going on. I've gone from not caring, to feeling really irritated, to accepting, to being mad again. I usually could care less if it concerns airport safety. I am usually okay with whatever they want to do at airports in order to keep U.S citizens safe but this is going too far. Not to mention the health effects that this could have on people, (though they claim there are none). To me, any radiation is bad radiation. While it may not have a significant effect alone, combined with other outside forces it could really cause some serious health issues. On top of that there are thousands of people that this is going to negatively effect; rape victims, war veterans who have metal plates in their bodies, etc. . If for some reason these people cannot go through this machine then they are viciously patted down. It has become more than the light patting and is, in fact, very invasive. I found an article about a poor older man and his experience with this new line of airport security.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40291856/ns/travel-news/

I have personally never been on a plane and this summer will be my first time, my brother's as well, and I don't want to have the beginning of our vacation ruined by a horrendous pat down in the middle of the airport.

On a totally different note, I have finally had time to start looking at some more of the fashion shows. I've made my way into the D's (designer's name alphabetically), and have begun to really enjoy what the spring has to offer! My favorites have been Dolce and Gabbana as well as their D&G line. Both their lines were beautiful, although I think I liked the Dolce and Gabbana one better. It had lots of corsets and while the color palette was basically just black and white, I thought that there was enough detail and imagination that it never once got boring!

Better go. I've got a horrendous math test to study for tomorrow.

French word of the day: l'aéroport which means airport.

Au Revoir!

"It's (fashion) really too close to the quick of the soul." -Stella Blum.

Marissa's Monday Must-Haves!

Like I said the day before, I am very excited about this Monday's Must-Haves so I'm going to get right to them. Real quick though, I apologize for the horrible spacing in this post and some of my past ones. The formatting on this thing is flipping out and I just spent the past three hours trying to fix it so I'm a little frustrated right now and have absolutely no energy left to screw with this thing. Therefore I thought it'd be better to post something rather than nothing today. The following are my favorite male actors of this year:

1. Nathan Fillion. Like I said the day before, he is completely adorable, while way out of my age range, and is a wonderfully funny actor on Castle, my favorite TV show. Can't wait to see him again on December 6th when they start airing new episodes again.

2. Brad Pitt. While he may be an outrageous backstabbing scumbag in real life I can't ignore he is a talented actor and oh so gorgeous.

3. Leonardo DiCaprio. A lot of people say that he looks odd but I think he is so cute and has this sort of vulnerability to his eyes that makes him so wonderful to look at, not to mention he is an amazing actor.

4. Orlando Bloom. While I have to admit I've only ever seen him in Pirates of the Caribbean, I think his acting is superb and he is one of the few guys that can pull off long hair.


5. Daniel Radcliffe. Obviously his performances in the Harry Potter movies are proof of his talent, but the British heartthrob is also a hunk here in the U.S. I love his blue eyes and how funny he is in his interviews.

6. Johnny Depp. Ahhhh. He is  so extraordinary. I love how he always goes for the bizarre roles and somehow manages to still be gorgeous whether he is covered in face powder for Alice in Wonderland or wearing dread locks for Pirates of the Caribbean.

7. Gerard Butler. I love Irish guys to begin with and when you find one that looks like Gerard Butler (although he is technically Scottish) you better grab and run. I love how he can make me ball my eyes out in P.S. I Love You and then make me afraid of him in Law Abiding Citizen.

8. Heath Ledger. Heath was by far one of my favorite actors even before his role in Dark Knight. I loved him in Casanova and 10 Things I Hate About You. He had such a contagious smile that was able to come through the TV screen and light up your day and it's sad to think that not only his career but his life was cut so short. May he rest in peace.

9. Zac Efron. While a lot of people don't like him for some reason I can't resist his adorable face and the awesome job he does as an actor.

10. Jake Gyllenhaall. I love his blue eyes and how sincere he seems on screen.

11. Josh Duhamel. I first saw him in the film, When In Rome. While I wasn't a fan of the movie, I sat through it for him. He is so yummy and really, really tall! As someone who is tall this is always a plus. Not to mention his gorgeous brown eyes and lovely abs.

12. Ryan Reynolds. Being the lead male role in one of my favorite movies (The proposal) not to mention his puppy dog eyes, and super cute smile, Ryan Reynolds is one of my very favorite actors. 



13.  Matt Damon. From Bourne to the Ocean's movies, Matt Damon exceeds expectations in the acting and looks department every time.

14. James Marsden. How cute is he? He looks almost like a Ken doll with his jawline, blue eyes, and brown hair. While I wasn't a fan of one of his recent movies, The Box, I loved him in 27 Dresses with Katherine Heigl, who seems to be scoring jobs with some of the cutest in Hollywood, lucky her.

15. And finally, Chris Pine. I first saw him in Star Trek and couldn't get over how cute he was and how funny his role was. I really hope he does more and soon!

Besides fawning over pictures for this post, I went to see Tangled with my family today. It was really cute and funny and I'm hoping to get it when it comes out. This past year I've developed a kind of fetish for cartoon movies such as Up! and How to Train Your Dragon. I don't know if it's just not much else has been out or that the cartoon styled movies have suddenly gone up in quality but between Megamind and this movie today, I've really come to enjoy them. 

We got our French workbooks today so I've been working out of that since I got home today. Hopefully it will help me with my challenge.

Slept in this morning and barely got to school on time so I'm going to call it a night and go to bed early. Night!

French word of the day: les hommes which means men.

Au Revoir!

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” - Cecil Beaton.

Hating the End of a Long Weekend

I really hate the last day before school, after having been out for, let's see, SIX days! I just want to sleep in late again tomorrow and not worry about tests or all the friggin make up work or anything. Instead I have to get up at six in the morning (gah!), and go to a day of school that I just know is going to be the longest of my life, and then come home and do all the homework they are going to shove onto us because we missed two extra days last week. Not to mention I have to workout, do my yoga, get on here to blog, work on my fashion drawing, do extra work for French to prepare for my challenge, clean, work on my Princeton review guide for AP World, and also make it in time to a movie that my family all wants to go see tomorrow! On top of all that I don't even have my favorite TV show in the world to look forward to that usually airs on Monday nights, Castle, because of that dumbest idea in the world show; Skating with the stars. I cannot even fathom the thought process that went into that show! Whoever thought it would be a good idea to stick a bunch of untrained celebrities into an arena in which it is very likely they could die, was not thinking.


For those of you who have never seen Castle it is led by Nathan Fillion, one of the most adorable, although much older than me, actors. Speaking of actors I'm very excited for tomorrow's favorite things. I will be posting my top favorite male actors and I am very excited!


French word of the day: École which means school.


Au Revoir!


". . . my goal is to constantly move in fashion and move in style without giving up what I am." - Ralph  Lauren.

The Art of Language

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I definitely did! I actually needed to get on and vent about a couple of things so that's why instead of taking a break until Monday I've decided to get on real quick and post.

This challenge I am planning on taking on in January is, in reality, ridiculous. To believe that I, a teenager who barely knows how to conjure up basic words, am believing myself able to create entire pages worth of french is, I know, ludicrous. I can barely write legible English! Therefore, in preparation for this challenge I have been perusing website upon website upon website searching for everything and anything that could possibly help me and I was realizing how absolutely and unbelievably difficult it truly is to understand a language. Let alone that just as a basis you have to learn thousands of words that put together any language, you then have to conjugate most of them because whether or not they are verbs there are always all these exceptions and rules that you have to follow or you will hold no chance of being understood! It is so hard to wrap the mind around and really think about it. I think we just take advantage of the fact that because we have been born surrounded by people who obviously, could talk, we therefore can speak and put together these incredibly complex, when you think about it, sentences and paragraphs of words that as soon as you try to translate into another language become a jumbled mess as you try to figure out, now, how in the Hell to communicate. I always wanted to be one of those people who were fluent in twenty languages but I'm finding I can barely speak my own! Reading about verb conjugation, specifically, since that seems to be my weakest point with French, presents issues simply because I don't even know the English words they are using to describe how to do it in French. It is maddening! This may sound, I don't know, egotistical, but I have often not had a hard time understanding concepts. Unfortunately that meant that all through elementary and middle school and even last year I could breeze through my subjects without really trying and now between Algebra 2 (for some reason I just don't get it!) and French, my brain can't figure out why the Hell I'm not just processing and understanding the content immediately. I'm trying to figure out how I need to organize all this information (I'm kind of an organizational freak when it comes to things like this) and I just can't even begin to condense it in order to get it how I want it and that is driving me insane.

On top of that the proscout event I was hoping to attend in January is now pretty much a bust. While, yes, I received an invitation, the fee to go, a whopping $800 plus getting a proper haircut/ manicure/ pedicure/ outfit/ gas for transportation/ and the additional $65 fee for a parent to come, has discouraged us kind of a lot! One of the cardinal rules of modeling is never ever pay upfront to a modeling agency because the way agencies work they are only supposed to make money when you make money. That is what encourages them to find you work, therefore keeping the system going. While, yes, I understand them asking for the money because they use it to fly out all the agencies that are coming to look for fresh talent, we simply don't have an extra thousand lying around to pay toward this thing and then have four different, rather disappointing, outcomes. First, I don't get signed. This event is not a for sure thing so I could pay all this money to not even come close to getting a contract. Second, I could get signed and then my agent never find me work. These agencies have hundreds to thousands of models signed for them and might not get every one of them jobs especially if they are not already established. Three, I get an agent and then can't work with them because I would have to move in order to have good contact with the agency. Or four, get the agent and get a job and then have to pay for my chaperon (since the job your modeling for often doesn't cover that additional cost) to get us to wherever the job is and end up putting more money out then I would be bringing in. Therefore we have decided to save a lot of money and go get whatever I need to look polished, i.e. the haircut, an outfit, mani/pedi, etc. and then visit local agencies, which would therefore supply mostly local work when starting out, and hopefully move on from there. Frankly it just makes more sense for us to do it this way and on top of that we have been hearing some pretty sketchy reviews about proscout. While some say it's the best thing since peanut butter others are saying that while it is not a scam, it is not worth the money and the odds are not great. Therefore I will be looking locally for now. In a couple of months when they return, if I have the money I will go to another open call, and if invited again, may perhaps look into going should I not have an agent by then. This is kind of off-putting simply because I finally had a set date to look forward to in which all of my modeling dreams could have come true. I'm putting my faith in though, that my local agencies like what they see and will hire me, hopefully jump-starting a career that will lead to bigger things.

Speaking of modeling I found a website that lists the different types of modeling in case you're interested. Not all modeling requires 5 ft. 10'' girls like yours truly. There is all kinds of work available for every size, shape, and height and you can read about it by clicking on the link:

The link!

By the way the picture above I actually found in another blog I was perusing and they listed a website that offers fashion templates for those interested in fashion design. I am personally aspiring to be a fashion designer and I thought that it looked incredibly helpful!

Fashion Templates

Speaking of which I have also found the following two books, one of which I own, and the other I'm pining after since it costs almost a hundred dollars and I can't bring myself to buy it just yet. The first, that I own, is called Contemporary Fashion Illustration Techniques by Naoki Watanabe and the second is called Fashion Illustration for Designers by Kathryn Hagen. The later comes complete with a disc that actually shows you how to recreate the characteristics of fabric on your designs. Here is a sample from youtube.

I'm utterly exhausted now and really need to catch a bubble bath and then some sleep.

French word of the day: fatigue which means tired. ( By the way I can't get the accent thing to work on my computer so some of these words are not exactly right).

Au Revoir!

"A love of fashion makes the economy go round." - Liz Tilberis

Post Lost Stress Disorder

SPOILER ALERT! Ok, having finally finished the show Lost I am left with these constantly revolving questions racing around my head. While I enjoyed the show I almost wish it was just never made simply because, in the end, it was not worth the confusion it had caused. I realize I could have stopped watching anytime I wanted but, like every other lost addict, it drew you in. Hitting you with unanswerable question after unanswerable question and in the end it really didn't answer any of them. Maybe by reading this post you will not subject yourself to the endless torture that is Lost.


Anyways, I wanted to post a couple of videos and tips to get you in the mood for the holidays and here they are:

Tip: Remember, whenever rolling dough with a roller, cover the roller with flour to avoid sticking.


Our family in no way believes in being modest during the holidays so unfortunately I have no "saving calorie" tips but I did find one site that had a couple that you will hopefully find useful: 


http://www.ehow.com/how_5593720_save-calories-holidays.html


*Note: I have not had time to try these videos. I picked them based on comments listed by watchers and how effective I thought the video was. Please use at your own risk.


French word of the day: dinde which means turkey.

I might be MIA for the next couple of days while I enjoy Thanksgiving with my family so I wish everyone a fantastic Thanksgiving and I will see you next Monday!


Au Revoir!


“I wish I had invented blue jeans. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.”- Yves Saint Laurent

Lost? Me too.

SPOILER ALERT!! Alright now that I've warned you, I have just completed the final episode of  the final season of lost and am feeling distraught, confused, and uncertain. Basically you find out that this odd alternate timeline that's been running for the past season is actually limbo and everyone who eventually dies  either on the island or if they were lucky (i.e Kate, Sawyer, the Captain dude, Miles, Richard, and Claire) off of it, are there waiting as their subconscious builds this situation in which they all remember their life together on the island as they re-meet each other in this universe in which there was no island. Then when everyone is back together they move on into whatever lays "beyond". You can imagine the sob fest. While this is great and all and seems to tie things up pretty neatly, it does leave some pretty huge loose ends. Like what was the point of  the Dharma Initiative? How did Desmond get home? What happened to everyone that eventually got home? So Jack doesn't have a son? Kate and Sawyer never get together most likely which means that Sawyer just goes and lives his sad little life? (By the way I have always been a hardcore Kate-Sawyer fan so I was a little peeved when they introduced Juliet and then made her and Sawyer so wonderful that I actually cried when she died and then when they met back up in "limbo"). There are many other questions that will probably never be answered and I'm pretty confident they are ones that even the writers don't know the answers to. I'm still processing, still thinking, and mulling things over. Hopefully you can find peace with it. I also have to say that my favorite characters were probably Sun and Gin and Sawyer, so you can imagine the sobbing bonanza that went on when Sun and Gin died (probably pissed me off the most). Luckily Sawyer lived (yay!) but, like I said, what exactly happened to him when they got back? Did he just become the friend who would hang out with Kate, Claire, Aaron and Gin and Sun's daughter? Or did he just fade into his past? Or, possibly, did he seek out his daughter and make right with the mother? One other thing that bugged me was, where was Desmond's kid in that little limbo scene? Agh! There are just so many things to try to puzzle and figure out! I think I just need to let it go.


Anyways real quick, Marissa's Monday Must Haves:


I've decided to do thanksgiving themed items for this week for obvious reasons.


1. 7- layer cookies. While technically this is a favorite around here during Christmas, we love to make them during every available holiday!


2. Bread! I have the HUGEST bread fetish. Seriously, when I was little my parents used to call me the bread baby. Fortunately Thanksgiving around her is basically the bread holiday. A couple of my favorites include brioche, french bread, and baguettes.


3. Pie! Specifically chocolate. There is nothing so wonderful as chocolate pie.


4. Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Not being old enough to drink, this is a great substitute and it's healthy! (kind of..)

5. And finally whipped cream. Regardless of its use during Thanksgiving, it is, by far, one of the best food items ever created.






French word of the day: alimentaire which means food.


Au Revoir!


"Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress."- Coca Chanel

The Beginning Of The End

Thursday night I went to the midnight premier of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. Part of a group of eleven, who were all decked out in harry potter gear, we got there early to get good seats, I'm talking three in the afternoon, and we weren't even the first there. I walked out that night feeling confused, sad, and slightly disappointed, I'll admit. But last night, after going to see it again, I have to say that I loved it! This may be my favorite movie thus far. I don't want to give too much away before people go to see it since it just came out but be prepared to be shocked by certain scenes. While there were definitely aspects of the movie that I would've changed I think that overall it was a great movie. I hope you like it and that you get the chance to see it soon!


Besides that, this weekend has been pretty blah. I messed up my wrist somehow on Thursday so it was in a cast all yesterday and the day before. It's feeling much better now but I might have to keep it on for a couple more days. It's extremely difficult, actually, to write with this thing on so I think I'm going to go.


French word of the day: magie which means magic.


Au Revoir!


“Women dress alike all over the world: they dress to be annoying to other women.” - Elsa Schiaparelli

Detail, Depth, Discussion

Yikes I feel like it's been a while since I was last on here. To catch up I'm going to real quick post Marissa's Monday's Faves.:


Before I get to those you need to know that I love books. That tends to sound nerdy nowadays, which I just don't understand. People who don't like books, in my opinion, are usually the type who simply lack the imagination to become involved in something. Games and movies and whatnot are so quick to the point now that people don't take the time to become invested in a story. And I'm not sure when this became such a horrible thing. Authors, (my mother is an author and was telling me about this), are told now that if you don't have your editor's attention within the first paragraph they won't accept it. I understand this but then it goes on further to say that too much detail or description will also usually result in an immediately rejected book unless you happen to be Stephen King. I'm a bit of a hypocrite in scorning others for their lack of patience, since I am, by far, not a very patient person. But I think that books and movies and life have become so non-stop that we aren't stopping to enjoy our lives. We are always trying to get from point A to point B as fast as humanly possible without, excuse the cliche, stopping to smell the roses. It's so hard to find a book that really has depth and dimensional characters. One of my favorite movies of all time is this lasts summer blockbuster, Inception. Before heading out to see it, we of course went online to read the reviews. I was shocked at how many people disliked it simply because it, God forbid, made them think. Therefore the following five items for Marissa's Monday Must-Haves are books and movies that I feel represent what we should all be looking for in entertainment today.

1. Shutter Island (the book) by Martin Scorsese. I was watching trailers for upcoming movies and happened to come across the one advertising Shutter Island. I went out to the library and picked up the book, wanting to know if it was worth going to see the movie. *SPOILER ALERT* While this book had a rather unsettling ending I loved the different levels that this book touched on. As soon as I finished it I wanted to reread it and try to figure out what the Hell had just happened. It was confusing, thought-provoking, emotional, and complex, and I loved it.

*Note: I have not seen the movie production of this book but one of my friends did and said that the ending was not the same as the book (she also read it, after I'd recommended it, and loved it). My views on this title are entirely based on the novel by Martin Scorsese.

2. Inception the movie. This film was completely genius. That they could present to an audience, these entirely different and unknown ideas, whilst making the movie exciting and entertaining was a great feat on their part. There was not one moment that I became bored during the entire film. While I've watched it multiple times and enjoy it every single time, I must warn that if you have a child, friend, sibling, etc. that is easily upset I would not go to see it. The idea presented in this movie is that our world is not real, which to people who perhaps have a fragile or easily swayable frame of mind would upset and possibly cause some problems. This movie does challenge our very own existence. It's a dangerous thing to really sit down and think about. If you ponder it too long it might just drive you insane (excuse the dramatics). Be careful with whom you see this movie with and always remember that it is, in fact, just a movie.





3. Harry Potter Books 1-7 by J.K.Rowling. This may not count as one item but I think everybody at one point or another should read this series. They are not just for kids, they are for every age group whether you be seven or seventy. This phenomenal book series is one of the best written and best plotted stories I have ever read. It has generated discussion, classes, and charities around the world that help make the world a better place. J.K Rowling has reminded us, for I think we have forgotten, what can be accomplished with, simply, the written word.


4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. While I guess this book would definitely be considered a woman's book, I think it's important that guys read it too. It combines the elegance of the language of the early 1800's whilst being easily readable and enjoyable. This is a very personal favorite of mine and I can't wait to read more of Jane Austen.

5. My final choice for this week is the motion picture, The Young Victoria. I'm not exactly sure why but every time I see this movie I cry. It definitely has a happy ending, and while I can be kind of sappy I am usually only provoked into tears during an actual sad scene. I've never in my life cried tears from happiness but for some reason every time I have seen it, I find myself in tears by the end.


Some quick big news and then I have to catch some sleep. Yesterday I attended a proscout open call. Proscout is a company that travels around to different cities across the nation and has open call interviews to help aspiring models and actors make it to the big time. When you attend you are briefly interviewed, and if they like you, you receive a call back card. At the end of the meeting, if you have a call back card, you are told about an event where you will get the chance to present yourself to forty of the best modeling/acting agencies in the country. Last night I was given a call back card and will, hopefully, be attending the event come this January. If all goes well I could possibly walk away that day with an agent and a modeling contract. I'm crossing my fingers and doing everything I can to prepare for it but I am a little nervous. This is kind of my only shot at it. Wish me luck!


French word of the day: mode meaning fashion.


Au Revoir!


"We all look for lost time."- Christian Lacroix