Monday, August 31, 2009

ideas

so, of course i am already looking forward to what self-improvement i can strive for in september. i already know i want to take my fitness concept seriously. i gained 7 lbs in two weeks (thank you reece's, sun chips, and all pastry makers this side of the mississippi)! i think i am going to keep up with writing down everything (other than bills and necessary items) that i spend money on. it helped keep me more mindful of what i was doing; and helped in fighting that urge to buy buy BUY!
i think another thing i will add to the list for my ninth new year of 2009, is to "take time". i often find that i won't do something i need to do because it "takes too much time". even if it is just going down to my car to get something out of the trunk, it takes too long, so i won't do it. do you know what that translates into? growing chaos, stress and all because of flat-out laziness.
how humiliating. i am too lazy to take the time to put my shoes up. instead i trip over them constantly. or i won't sweep my balcony etc. too lazy to hand wash the stack of dishes, so i put them in the dishwasher. it is going to take concerted effort this "taking time" thing. but i think i could use the lesson.
i am so impatient. every lesson i am trying to teach myself inevitably concerns patience in some form or another. ugh. it is one of the hardest things in the world for me to just wait for something.
wish me luck!
lu

around the corner


good morning world! i cannot believe how fast august has gone by. the temperature here in tally has effectively dropped 1-2 degrees so we can almost pretend it is autumn.


all the kids are back to school. the traffic has gotten absolutely insane. the restaurant and bars are bustling once again. the sound of mediocre cover bands wafts through the humidity on friday nights. it is rather nice, our make-believe fall.


we dream about sweaters and coats and opaque tights, though we know we won't be able to wear them until at least halloween. even then there is always a warm spell in november, december, and january to remind us that yes, we live in florida.


there is still an energy in the air that could only mean autumn is on its way. huzzah!


xo

lu

final august $$$ update

alright, so basically the lessons i have gleaned from this financial experiment are these:
1. i spend 97% of my superfluous money on food, drinks, and movies.
2. i believe that this is because of a lack of organization on my part.

i would love for my whopping $35-$40 every two weeks to be going to more amusing things. though the odd cocktail and sweet treat are just fine, 97% of my spending money should not be going to that when it could be going toward a concert or a fun afternoon in apalachicola or thomasville.

so while i mull over possible solutions to this issue today, here is the last excerpt of the lulu carpenter financial pages for august 2009.


8/22/2009 $10 (canopy roads for yet another cabo blt...that is a little embarrassing).
8/22/2009 $22.47 (amazon.com for flight of the conchords season 2. this came out of the fun money i had allotted myself from my paycheck, this is what fun money is for!!)
8/22/2009 $2.00 (had to pay my etsy fees, took it out of fun money too)
8/22/2009 $0.80 (the beginning of pms lemon filled donut. it was almost worth it).
8/23/2009 $19.79 (fresh market flowers and a card for my great-grandmother's 91st birthday. expensive, but worth more than what i spent, to hang out with her and hear some stories i hadn't heard her tell before).
8/24/2009 $9.00 (saw the movie, postgrad with senor mas and ate a lot of reece's pieces and popcorn by myself-which is a little embarrassing).
8/25/2009 $1.28 (candy. plain and simple. i am not immune to the untouchable forces that are pms).
8/25/2009 $1.00 (uncontrollable need for bbq chips from hopkins).
8/27/2009 $1.00 (i told you it was uncontrollable)
8/29/2009 $8.59 (a treat for myself on a working saturday. brown rice sushi and sparkling water from fresh market).
8/29/2009 $1.75 (reece's crispy crunchy bar. sent employee out for it because we were both needing chocolate).
i'm going to cut it off there. i didn't spend any money yesterday and will do everything in my power not to spend anything today. therefore, august is complete. i spent a total of $77.68, which i will round up to $78 to pay on my credit card.
wow. so, aside from the $200 i budgeted to pay on my card this month, i also paid an extra $296. dear lord. i paid $496 on my card this month?! that seems almost insane to me. it pains me to know i spent $296 willy-nilly this month. having to double it was a real lesson (and punched my savings account in the groin).
alas, a new budget is in the works for the remaining months of the year, in which i will only be able to pay $100 on my card per month. but, i intend to keep the credit card "frozen" so to speak, in case of emergency. it should be paid off by june/july at the latest. but hopefully sooner. i am glad to have a credit card for emergency things and buying concert tickets online etc. but, i am rather peeved with the way spending is "sold" to americans. buying things is fun when you have the money for it, but putting it all on cards seems so easy and hits you like a drug. then you have the hangover. i couldn't tell you how many times this month i thought, i NEED that. i had to talk myself down from the credit card ledge so many times. i am rather proud of myself for not giving in.
well, adieu for now friends!
lu

Saturday, August 29, 2009

stitching the silver

i am in a place today which is free from panic.

however, this place, is a very small space with lucite walls and the panic is flying all around me, bumping into them. this hidey hole is hanging by a long, thin piece of fishing line above a vast abyss filled with whirling, ardent, spinning, vehement stressors.
pray, dear friends, that this fishing line holds until i get myself safely home. it is far too pretty of a day to let panic and stress into my space.

things you could write a term paper about for the film Gigantic


1. why do you think brian weathersby has always wanted to adopt a chinese baby?


2. why do brian and his family ritually do mushrooms together?


3. why does brian never tell anyone about his stalker/would-be assassin?


4. what is/are harriett's condition(s)? what is she toiling with mentally/emotionally?


5. what is the significance of brian's brothers careers by the time they were 28?


6. what is the significance of the massage parlour scene?


7. what is the significance of the many references to french chefs?


8. how does the rat experiment tie into the rest of the film?


9. what is the significance of the role of the scientist? comic relief?


10. what is the significance behind john goodman's (absolutely amazing) role in this film?


bet it makes you want to watch it, eh? knowing my timing, everyone probably already has. but it's awesome. it's one of my new favourite films.


a few sidenotes about the actors in Gigantic:


i always dig zooey deschenal.

this film has put paul dano on my list of actors of whom i'll watch anything they make from here on out.

i loved john goodman so much in this film he will be getting his own post soon.
ed asner. what a "marvelous man" in the role as brian's father.


now, off to work!
lu

Friday, August 28, 2009

daily grind haiku


eating leftovers

while i enter invoices

buzz worker bee, buzz

staying in the moment

good morning, friends. 'tis friday. it is wonderfully dark outside this morning, thunder is rolling somewhere off in the not-so-distant...distance.

i have been reflecting on my august project as the month draws to a close. how quickly it has gone by!

i have done rather well with the removing of expletives from my vocabulary. a few slip-ups, but i won't beat myself up over that. plus, i am rather looking forward to allowing myself a well-placed expletive when the situation calls for it.

i have kept up with every superfluous dollar i have spent and my final ledger exposure will be on the 31st.

as for the working out on odd-numbered days. that went buh-bye by mid-month. i am carrying that goal over into september because, well, i need to. the amount of twix bars i have consumed in the past week are reason enough.

despite all of the things and ideas rumbling around in my brain (or perhaps because of them) i am very quiet today.

i want to work from home; make a grilled cheese english muffin and dunk it into a bowl of tomato & goat cheese soup. i want to snuggle with the pup. i want to do yoga for like an hour.

i want to keep the complacent mood i find myself in, knowing that in an hour and a half, it will be tested and possibly diminished.

ssssshhhhhhhh. quiet time before work and maybe another cup of coffee to get me going.

adieu for now lovelies!
lu
p.s. can you tell seven is in the same kind of mood as i am? could he get any cuter? it is almost painful to me the amount of cute that happens with this kid. i am a little biased though.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

loretta lynn haiku


fist city. the pill.

just a girl from the holler.

darlin' loretta.



pumpkin.

right, so i'm still in halloween mode. don't be hatin'. these look so fabulously delicious. pumpkin and chocolate truffles. $10 http://www.janeofalltrades.etsy.com/



i love how sparse this pumpkin print is. you can almost feel a chill in the air. $24 http://www.warmwhispers.etsy.com/



last but not least today, something that made me smile. mini fuzzy monster pumpkin. i would name him Sal or Zeke. does anyone else remember that episode of Salute Your Shorts about Zeke the killer with no sense of smell? $30 http://www.mintconspiracy.etsy.com/


she dreamt of jewelry


i had some odd dreams last night once again. aside from the fact that i was at work for part of it, in a recentlly burned house in another, and seven was a really fluffy white cat in yet another part; i dreamed about this ring that i have had favourited on etsy for like a month now.
alas, i checked on it this morning, and it has since sold for several hundred dollars. but isn't it cool? it's called the jagger rockwell ring in silver & gold. the artist takes empty ring settings and fills them with rough-hewn chunks of silver and gold cut to fit inside the prongs of the setting. check her out, she's based out of london. http://www.thebeside.etsy.com/

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

have some sweet dreams with this under your pillow...

*if you know what movie that line is from then you know what movie i watched tonight.*

so, experiment "blueberry delight" is a smash success. doesn't it look...well, edible?!

i now have something that, as a southern woman, has been very much lacking from my repertoire. my very own cobbler/dessert casserole recipe!

i'm so proud of myself for not ruining it, that i may even let you in on the secret ingredient. or maybe i won't! hahaha!

so, y'all better be real nice to me so you can have some. i think i'll rename it luberry delight.

oh! and i also made a great batch of fried eggplant. lord help us all there's a hurricane of comfort foods brewing in the gulf! it seems my genetic makup plus pms equals cooking delicious southern food. can you say score?!?!?

goodnight, friends!
lu

blueberry dessert haiku

the night draws closer
soon i will be heading home
to eat some dessert

7 random things

1. i want a compass. a magical compass like in pirates of the caribbean.

2. i absolutely do not like the song "somewhere over the rainbow". never have. don't think i ever will.

3. however, i really like marilyn monroe's version of "diamonds are a girl's best friend", her voice does some interesting things; and the music is odd and cool.

4. sometimes my ocd isn't that noticeable. other times, like today, it's full-throttle and very challenging to work with. i think it's because i'm tired but, i went on to disabled-world.com (that's right) to find celebrities who share my affliction: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/famous-ocd.shtml . it makes me feel a little bit better.

5. i love french onion sun chips with disturbing zeal.

6. i don't really know how to make desserts. they aren't a comfort food for me, so i've not had much practice. nonetheless, i am attempting to make "blueberry delight" this week to use up all my blueberries before they go bad. wish me luck!

7. sometimes i have to hold a puppy. it doesn't matter that i have one of my own whom i insanely love. but, holding a little wiggly nugget of a baby dog with sweet puppy breath does absolute wonders for my blood pressure.

66 days...

okay...so i can't stop looking at halloween and fall stuff. come to find out it's not too early to have halloween stuff for sale, but it is for fall stuff. bummer. anyway, i have once again found some silly halloween stuff to share with you this fine august morning (sheeeesh): this is an art print named "raccoon costume" from http://www.hisss.etsy.com/ for only $12! i find this very amusing. partially because it looks like seven pretending to be a raccoon.


now, i'm not the biggest True Blood fan, but i know folks who are. sookie is one of my favourite names so when i saw this i liked it. plus, the inside has drops of "blood" in it which i think is funny. unfortunately it is $32 for a coffee mug, but it is handmade. http://www.madeofclay.etsy.com/
this i would never pay $245 for but i just thought it was cool little kid's costume for someone with a disposable income. p.s. i'm so flippin' excited about where the wild things are coming out in october! http://www.ellenindustries.etsy.com/ (she's out of pensacola, yay florida!!)




this last one is so bizarre and funny to me. i have not-so-secretly wanted to be a My Little Pony for halloween, and these legwarmer/boot covers could very possibly be my ticket to magical rainbow-decal-on-my-hind-quartersland! or i could be a clydesdale. http://www.alternativeemporium.etsy.com/ $25 p.s. they make furry chaps. i literally let out a "bwhahahahahaha!" when i saw them.
adieu for now,

lu

dream weaver


good morning world! 'tis wednesday and part of me wants to enjoy this morning the way i usually do, then pull the blinds and sleep for several more hours.
as most of you know, i have very vivid and strange epic dreams. so much so, that some mornings i wake up more tired than when i went to bed. that is the case today.
in 98% of every dream i can recall there is always a house and a body of water; i often fly as well.
if it's a particularly stressful dream there are alligators in the water and/or there is a rickety bridge i have to cross. last night was no different. there was a cool, old house and it was filled with old hollywood movie stuff cataloged on shelves. at one point i was holding a gold glittery tiara that had apparantly been used in a dream sequence with glenda the good witch in the wizard of oz. it had a hand-written tag and a brown photograph from the scene.
it was cool to go through all of the old things. silver hand mirrors, papers, photographs etc. all of it seemed to be from the 30's specifically, as if it all belonged to one person from the height of their career in hollywood. i don't remember much else other than there being a storm at some point and big, dangerous waves outside of the house.
dream dictionaries often say that dreaming of houses represent our image of ourselves in the form of the house. wonder what that says about me?
do you guys ever have recurring things in your dreams?
lu

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

halloween in 67 days...

no surprise here, i love autumn. i know i have mentioned it countless times on my blog. well, i'm getting the seasonal vibe again and am just flat-out giddy about halloween and fall decorations right now. what i've learned over the years is that i'm rather picky about holiday decor in general. there is a specific combo of seriousness/humour, morbidity, price and quality that make it hard to find good stuff for reasonable prices.


thank you etsy, for solving this issue for me.


por ejemplo this ouija board clock. it's only $29!! so reasonable for holiday decor, in my opinion. plus, it's funny and perfect for the spooky girls and boys. http://www.imotime.etsy.com/


i also love these party decorations. so cute and simple and $16.50 for the set. http://www.pampermeplease.etsy.com/


this last one is a little more than i would usually pay for something small, but it's so cute i had to throw it in here. i collect day of the dead figurines and this is a part of that tradition, a calavera ornament, $28. http://www.chickory.etsy.com/ plain ole awesome autumn stuff to come too!

lovely morning


i love mornings in my apartment. after seven and i take our walk, i cozy back up into bed in front of my picture window with a big cup coffee. i read the news, write a blog, catch up on emails while seven runs around playing with his tennis ball.
it is so happy and cozy and peaceful. it is calming to watch the light change as the morning unfurls; like a fiddlehead fern in one of those time-lapse nature programs stretching up in funny fast-forwarded juts.
it feels so decadent to lounge away like this. i'm glad that is the most decadent thing in my life. it is quite the reward for hard work. the time does go by too fast though, and every other time of day fails to initiate the same feeling inside. that same energetic hopefulness of the possibility of a good day. the peacefulness of a blank canvas, so to speak.
there is something in the air this morning. it is wonderfully strange and radiating some very cool energy. i like it.
adieu for now,
lu

Monday, August 24, 2009

postgrad


sometimes i enjoy a good cheesy movie. some would say i enjoy them too much. i'm one of those uber-sensitive types that can be totally wrecked by a bittersweet or sad movie. i have to gauge what mood i'm in before i go to a movie etc. if i feel like i may be teetering toward emotional, then it's slapstick and mindless action films for me.

so tonight, senor mas put on his good boyfriend hat and took me to go see Postgrad with alexis bledel. the clincher for me for actually wanting to see what i could already tell was a formulaic girl-finding-her-way ro-co was the cast. michael keaton and jane lynch play alexis' (ryden malby) parents. carol burnett plays her loopy grandmother who sews money into her pantyhose (her own pantyhose by the way, not ryden's). guest appearances by demitri martin, snl cast members, as well as the hilarious guy from pineapple express. you'll know him when you see him.

it indeed has it's predictability but at the same time has a freshness and sarcasm that made it quite bearable.

i do wish ryden had shown more love and respect for her insane but loving family than she did, but you take what you get with films like these. her clothes were cute, the boys were cute, the family was funny.

save it for a guilty pleasure movie night when it comes out on video (before you watch 13 going on 30 and the sweetest thing...again).

viva la motivacion!

something about having your teeth cleaned at the dentist makes you feel more with-it and motivated. i have the day off, and instead of dropping my car off to get new brakes and tires as i had originally planned (i'm saving it for when i'm at work and won't miss it as much), i'm planning, organizing, maybe doing a little cleaning, and all-in-all using every single ounce of this inspired motivation to get things done that make me feel sane and happy.
i have neglected to mention the past couple of posts that the weather in tally is absolutely marvelous right now. sixty-eight degrees and sunny! oh, it's fabulous!
i get to pretend that autumn is just around the corner (instead of two months away). the kids have all gone back to school to today and there is so much excitement in the air! makes me want to go out and buy some new school supplies, just because!
today is monday, i have a sweet little birthday boy lounging around in the living room (protecting his favourite stuffed animal, Duckers, from would-be snatchers), i have clean teeth, a decadent cup of coffee and a balcony over-looking lush green foliage on this delightful morning.
hope there is beauty in it for all of my friends and loved ones!
xo
lu

happy birfday lil man!


just want to take a minute to wish my little man a happy birthday! he's five years old today and the brightest, sweetest ray of sunshine! it seems like just yesterday he was a little fluffy baby i could zip up in my hoodie and carry around like a papoose. so small he could get washed in the kitchen sink. he is a big boy now. he's lost all his dark hair and drags me all over the place on our walks.

alas, he hasn't learned how to use the computer yet, so he won't see this; but i still wanted to world to know that seven carpenter is five!!! yay!

adieu from a silly and proud little puppy mama,
lu

Sunday, August 23, 2009

coming soon...maybe even to tally

since i have been on a movie kick lately, i will suggest a couple of films soon-to-be-released, if not released already (just not playing in tallahassee).


the first is gentlemen broncos. it's from the director of napolean dynamite and features jennifer coolidge (who i love love love). it also stars jemaine clement as an author who steals a book idea from a young guy at writer's camp. it looks ridiculously entertaining. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810007691/trailer


the second is whip it. starring ellen page as a girl in bodine (texas?) who discovers the roller derby. the girls on the roller derby range from that chick from snl and knocked up (but i can never remember her name) to drew barrymore (directorial debut, btw) and eve (the rapper, not the girl from adam's rib).

anyway, check out the trailers for them.
later!
lu

Saturday, August 22, 2009

the rage in placid lake


i heart ben lee. always have. netflix recommended a movie for me because i liked king of california. the rage in placid lake was it.

this film came out 6 years ago (i'm so current) and stars a myriad of excellent and comically-gifted actors. ben lee plays placid lake. a guy who just is...himself, austrailian, replete with flaws and all, and failed efforts at trying to "fit in". as with my reaction/review of the price of milk, i won't give away any plots lines. but, it is well-written, enriched with nuanced performances; and many very beautiful things about this film.

watch it. love it.

any scene with gemma and a martini is a fave; and one of my favourite lines is "it isn't all beer and skittles, placid" but there are dozens to choose from. it also presents an intriguing angle of young man's existence.

adieu for now, compatriates.
lu

saturday sidenote


i also finally changed the pictures on my etsy shop last night; and i added two new things this morning! i'm hoping to be better at making myself work on it every day. i'm usually so tired when i get home, but obviously- after looking at my financial pages- i have enough time to go out with a lady friend or two, i have enough time to keep my shop updated and promoted. check it out, friends!

xo
lu

cheerth!


and now for the third installment of the financial pages for august. warning: it's a little monotonous and repetitive:

8/14/09: $8.55 wine bar because i needed to get out the house after watching movie that put me in a weird place. it was henry poole is here, btw.

8/15/09: $17.00 wine bar with the lady friends. oi. nearly $30 bucks spent in two days on wine?! at least it was good wine.

8/15/09: $3.00 waterworks for a beer and ginger ale. still ladies night. starting to get a little embarrassing, the way i spend my money.

8/17/09: $3.00 black dog for coffee. delicious, and beautiful coffee.

8/17/09: $19.32 borders. i found two giant art books about american musicians on sale! had to get them!

8/18/09: $8.59 wine for dinner with a lady friend. subsequently this is the wine that gave me the horrible headache the next day.

8/18/09: $4.00 waterworks for a beer and a ginger ale.

the only thing i seem to be buying in bulk is food, drink, and art. i'm so european!
anyway, i spent $66.75 and applied another $67 to my credit card.
adieu for now saturdayers!
lu



Friday, August 21, 2009

the price of milk

a good friend of mine upon reading my response to Eagle vs. Shark about two weeks ago, recommended another movie from new zealand called The Price of Milk. seeing as i'm oddly obsessed with kiwi film and humour, i instantly added it to my netflix queue.

i just finished watching it about five minutes ago. this film is so visually interesting. it is a surreal, magical realism-type faerie tale and love story along the lines of monty python + antonias line + like water for chocolate put into a michel gondry microwave.

the scenery is beautiful. the humour is dry, and quirky, but still very sexy. i love love loved it. i don't want to give away anything about the plot, so i'll just say watch it!!!

okay, well i will say nigel the cardboard box dog was awesome. now you are hooked, right?

thanks k for the awesome recommendation, you have turned me on to another classic to add to the arsenal of favourites!
adieu for now!
lu

sun dials

there are so many things about ageing that seem to have rallied together this year to pluck me straight in the heartstrings (in good and startling ways).
the death and the dying of loved ones is prominent of course. seeing your parents evolve after the death of their mothers is another. seeing what we cling to in dark hours. learning that the comforts of yesteryears must evolve; and that everything must. admitting you have no idea who some of these new celebrities are. realizing our many faults and trying to make amends for it. crow's feet and those bizarre wrinkles around the mouth. the concept of having energy. calculating just how many years it's actually been since {insert memory of choice here}. the glorious enlightenment that comes the first time you break the cycle of a repeated mistake. friends getting hitched. friends getting knocked up. families. responsibility. peaceful mornings. teetering balances.
in my little corner of the world, life is light & gauzy, rich & heavy, and full of the bittersweet. it is also flying by. it further fans the flame of evolution.
good morning friends. the world is ours.
lu

Thursday, August 20, 2009

brow envy


now, i know i said i would write something of substance, but oh well. i just finished watching the cotton club with the folks for family night. now, despite the hilarious use of on-screen texture (shadows of lace, motorized simulated "rain" machines that just look like a lava lamp was projected on the window) there are numerous gems that have endeared this film as a classic in my book.

1. gregory hines.

2. the clothes! the shoes! the headpieces! the red lipstick!

3. herman munster.

4. the jazz and the dancing.

5. pencil moustaches.

6. diane lane being painfully beautiful.

7. divine eyebrows.


i've always leaned a bit more toward the frida kahlo/brook shields bastard offspring eyebrows. partially because of genetically blessed full eyebrows, and partially because i'm lazy and not fabulous at being girly yet. *note the optimism that one day i will be*

i would love to be able to pull off that kind of look. sculpted, gracefully arching brows that make me seem mysterious, seductive, and slightly bored despite my extremely animated and revealing expressions that betray the myriad of other emotions i find toying with me at any given moment. i honestly believe that if i had those eyebrows, that run-on sentence would never have existed.

i am aware there is no magic bullet for nonning the chalant. but a dame can dream, right?

squatter


as much as i love housesitting for a dear friend of mine, and as much as i need the extra money; housesitting can be rather stressful. take for example one of her dogs got out this morning and was in the front yard by the extremely busy road she lives on. the other dog seems to delight in peeing on the expensive rugs the moment i let her in from outside. this dog happens to have the same name as me so i'm running around yelling "stop peeing on the carpet, lulu!!!!!!"

then i burned something i was cooking last night and the whole house smells like burnt bacon. at my house, it's no biggie if i burn something. so the house smells like bacon for a few hours- big whoop. but someone else's house, with expensive curtains smelling like smoke, and expensive pots & pans i could possibly destroy...and i'm stressed.

that and half my clothes are at my house still and i had to sneak over to my apartment in my pjs and no shoes to get something remotely appropriate for work today. oddly, the cut-off jean shorts won.

alas, leave it to me to make something stressful out of something that others would view as a "vacation" of sorts from ridiculous boozehound 20 year-old neighbours. it used to be so much fun. now for some reason, i just want to go home and putter around.

but, i digress, dear friends. because life is good and i am good. the extra money will be good (though sadly already allotted to necessary expenses, not shoes). the weekend is almost here and i'm very much looking forward to having 3 days off in a row!

so this is me this morning. housesitter extraordinaire. more items of interest and maybe even substance to come later!

lu

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

oiling the gears

ugh. what part of cheap wine don't i understand?
i spent time with a lady friend of mine last night and had a few breakthroughs in regard to all the things i want to do with my life. that vague and overwhelming concept of progression. being a fish with feet and what-not.
the thing is, i have no excuses. i could conceivably just pack up and leave and not even care if i saw 80% of the people i know in this town again. but, being a good ole southern girl, all i can think is what if "you never can go home again" is accurate; and everything i love and grew up with will never be the same again.
i do understand that it's probably just fear talking; and my friend made a good point: you never know, things could actually get better if you move.
novel concept isn't it? that it may be the butterfly effect that sets into motion things that have been on the back burner of other people's lives. i know i've been inspired by those who have done the things i dream of. i've never thought about things being better for my friends and my parents, if i weren't living in this town. i always try to be everything to everyone.
if i weren't here, they'd have an excuse to travel somewhere new and exciting. yadda yadda yadda. and isn't it funny that when my friend needs encouragement about moving away, i'm steadfast and supportive. when it comes to my life, i'm a limp rag and she's the steadfast and supportive one for me. we can't seem to do it ourselves. it's actually comforting. that's what a chosen family is for, right?
regardless of a new angle on viewing things, i'm brainstorming, making lists in my head, and looking forward to the fruits of this mental labour. perhaps something cool will emerge.
adieu for now, friends.
lu

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

crazy big slideshow

i've been dabbling with a concept today which has me in such an odd head space so, bear with me.
i think about other people a lot. i don't mean that in a generous way. i mean that in the sense that someone will pop into my mind out of nowhere and i'll see slideshows in my head of everything i can remember about them.
sometimes i'll remember actual things like things i've said to them that still embarrass me or random snippets of conversation or the specific way they laugh. regardless, it's like time-travel for me and is a little exhausting when, on a day like today, my head is like an 12-lane interstate in L.A.
every five seconds someone random will pop into my head. like a girl i was in 4th grade with. i can't get her carol brady haircut out of my head. now she's married with a daughter and another on the way. she used to sit on one side of me and my 5th grade (eventual) boyfriend sat on the other which reminds me of when he farted in my face in class.
then a friend of mine who i haven't seen in a while. about the last time i saw him was back in may when he threw a party; and that makes me think of this painting he did that hangs on my fridge and how i felt when he gave it to me. it was something i needed. that remains a poignant and important memory to me.
or i think of this random person i used to always see at Railroad Square every first friday. he always wore denim cut-off shorts. couldn't tell you his name to save my life. but it makes me laugh to remember.
people from high school i haven't seen in years, old crushes, people i've lost, mean bosses, random cool people, best friends, boyfriends, my grandmother, etc. it's like watching a thousand home movies at once. it is almost information overload and yet, there are so many things i cannot remember over the years.
it makes me wonder if i ever pop into someone's mind like that; and how it is they remember me (good and a lot of bad i'm sure). some i could ask but probably won't. others i never will be able to ask no matter how much i would want to.
that's where my head is today.

marina and the diamonds




a pal of mine, colleen, posted this video to her facebook page the other day and i absolutely fell in love with it. i've watched it about six times now and i'm about to watch it again. there is a peter gabriel, annie lennox, and feist combo-quality about her. it's artistic and refreshingly different than this vapid and soulless "popular" music world i try to avoid as much as possible.
i've heard tell this single can be found on vinyl. i love that the generation behind mine is bringing back vinyl so deliberately. i've listened to several songs by her upon finding this video, and there is a techno/electronica vibe in her music which usually would horrify me to some extent. techno/electronica is a fickle concept. but it works for a song about being human, not a robot.
it's a rather lovely track and am looking forward to hearing more from her.
tell me what you think!

p.s. favourite lyric: "you are so magnetic, you pick up all the pins."

see also:
edward sharpe & the magnetic zeroes
a.c. newman
eef barzelay
gemma hayes
brandi carlile
the yeah yeah yeahs

Monday, August 17, 2009

project planning



okay, so i'm in project mode. well, i'm in project planning mode. i have an end result i want to produce which are bowls made out of recycled paper, basically homemade papier mache. i haven't done a craft like this since i was probably four, but i found it in green crafts magazine and have a sneaking suspicion that i'm going to need practice, and a lot of paper.

which brings me to the series of projects at hand:

project number1: go through all ma junk and put all papers that need to be sifted through and sorted into one place. knowing me, upon doing this, i'll be fed up with the project because this will have taken up to 3 consecutive days...so i'm allowing this concept to be project number1 so that i'll stay interested and not totally bail.

project number2: divide the inevitably gigantic pile of papers into two categories. file, shred. again, to keep me from totally bailing because my concept of "overwhelmed" is so easily magnified, that's all i have to do. this will take me an entire day btw.

project number3: file all the things that need to be filed. shred all the things that need to be shredded.

project number4: begin reusing all of the shredded paper bits to make homemade papier mache bowls to hold the goodies i'm planning for christmas/hannukah/solstice presents for all of my friends!

i'm excited and busy hidey-holeing all the paper in my house that isn't a bill or a poem or invitation of some sort.

daydreamer


good morning world! 'tis monday and i'm in the funniest way today. it's my favourite weather (rainy pre-tropical storm weather), everything is cast in a diffused green light and eventually the wind will pick up. the live oak branches are a-swayin'. it makes me a happy girl!

i've been super reflective lately and doing a lot of stream of consciousness writing. more like a river. said writing exercises have been enlightening, frightening, hilarious, and ridiculous all on one little raft with huck & jim.

i'm super day-dreamy today, if you can't tell; wanting to revel in this mood 'til my fingers get all pruney. yes i did just reference the movie French Kiss with meg ryan and kevin kline. don't judge.

now is the time that i want to go to a meeting, write, clean, organize, write some more, somehow magically be able to play my guitar, all the while sitting on a porch i do not yet possess as i watch seven run around in circles in a yard i do not yet have at my disposal.

*sigh* life is good, if not ever-fluctuating and evolving into something new that science has no name for.

adieu for now, sweet friends.

lu

Sunday, August 16, 2009

and the chicks for free

okay, so here are the financial pages of the life & times of lu:
8/7/09: $4.92 at books-a-million for the uber-unhealthy sour jelly beans and a frozen cappuccino which is basically frozen sugar water. not my finest moment but it was delicious.
8/9/09: $23.10 at target. a magazine and hair clippers for seven because senor mas and i wanted to give him a haircut and i refuse to pay $38 for it right now. pretty funny.
8/10/09: $10.59 at canopy roads. i am aware that i have a problem. but it's not every monday in which my lady friend can meet me for lunch!
8/10/09: $12.75 expensive snacks for me and mama to go see harry potter.
8/12/09: 27.93 coffee.org. i should have ordered it sooner. me without coffee is so ridiculous.
8/12/09: $1.00 hopkins. they gave me free chips so the dollar went in the karma bank tip jar.
8/13/09: $2.79 books-a-million. coffee.
8/14/09: $3.21 books-a-million. bigger coffee.
so, for week two i spent $86.29 and applied $87 to my credit card. it's pitiful how much money i spend on random kind of useless things. i know the clippers and the online coffee order were kind of in the necessity column, but now that i've spent almost all of my spending money getting wine last night, i wish i had refrained from the extraneous spending the week before. i would love to put $87 toward some new clothes and shoes...maybe a lesson is being learned here?

Saturday, August 15, 2009

noir/shoe fetish addendum

in honour of mademoiselle noir from last night's post...more delightful gal friday shoes.


these tribeca better knot heels are rad. i would need some fabulous tweed ensemble to pull it off methinks. $70


these come in purple too. i can't decide which i like more. these are like punk rock newslady shoes. gabriella rocha axel heels $99what femme fatale doesn't have vicious little stilettos? these make me wish i could wear skin-tight cigarrette pants with little zippers on the ankles. oh! to die for! charles by charles david- marss $115. meowr.

Friday, August 14, 2009

mademoiselle noir

she sat at her typewriter with a half-eaten bowl of warmed, salted carrots next to her. the ceramic dish heated the skin on her right arm while she leaned over the desk to read the page she had just finished. ruth...too biblical. rita...too mean. roxanne...too camp. rachel...again with the biblical! ronnie. yeah, maybe ronnie.


perhaps she should make R light a cigarrette at the end of her monologue. wait, did she ever put her gloves back on? she took them off when she went into mr. vanlandingham's office at the beginning of the scene.


gloves. gloves. i know i mentioned the gloves. there they are. oh, and all of the characters smoke. perhaps it's too cliche. too expected. R already talks fast and wears eccentric hats, if she smoked she'd end up like every other dame imprinted on celluloid. it's too "the maltese falcon". on the other hand, she is a broad. broad's smoke...hmmm...


she sat back down in her seat, scooped a tiny circular slice of carrot from the rim of the bowl. she licked her thumb and forefinger as she tapped the typewriter with her fingernails. she could kill someone for a cigarrette.


written by: lindsey anders carpenter

randomness at its finest

things on my mind today:
1. i need to get jane honda new tires and brakes before september. goodbye $500! i'll miss you!
2. it's a happy talent, to know how to play. -ralph waldo emerson; how do emerson's quotes always find me and fit just right into my world?
3. how delicious the balsamic vinegar drizzled pizza was that senor mas made for dinner last night. i'm super hungry and can't stop thinking about it.
4. bon iver. something about his music, particularly Skinny Love that just settles into my bones. senor mas and i found a band called edward sharpe & the magnetic zeroes and they do the same kind of thing to me. he also has been playing grizzly bear for me lately too and it has the same sort of resonance. perhaps it's me who is more open to resonance these days as opposed to the music. hmmm. philosophizin' on a friday!
5. shoes. lots of shoes. don't you love the switch-up from depth to shoppiness? i spent an hour on zappos.com yesterday and picked out tons of shoes. i could have an I Covet These Shoes blog and post several new pair a day. here are a few for your enjoyment this fine friday!


nothing quite as cool as a pair of wedges. especially in tobacco suede. these are mia lourdes $66! i haven't a clue what i would wear with them but i wants them.
steve madden hopperr boots. $107. these are the most "me" other than my boots from sick boy here in tally. if i'm not careful though, i can get too "theme" with my ensembles. pretty soon i'll be wearing motorcycle chaps around and leather vests...well, i do really like vests.



chinese laundry- excess $85. and yes, i would wear these whenever an opportunity arose. my feet are schizophrenic and these are fabulous.adieu for now!

lu

Thursday, August 13, 2009

a little bit more


oh! what a delight to be surrounded by excellent music (thanks to meg and senor mas for great mix cd's btw) on a peaceful yet still successful day at work! i'm so happy to be happy today that i wanted to share some good karma quotes about kindness with you, invisible friends, who have graced me with tus ojos this fine thursday afternoon.
kindness is something i always thought was an easy thing to grasp, but it turns out, is often confused with flattery (amongst other things); and genuine kindness takes a little effort to truly get a hold of. at least, it has been that way for me in the past. but once you get it, you got it and the difference between kindness and all the other things out there becomes glaringly apparant. yay evolution!

kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless. -mother theresa

you cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. -ralph waldo emerson

compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves. -pema chodron

kindness in words creates confidence. kindness in thinking creates profoundness. kindness in giving creates love. -lao tzu

my religion is simple. my religion is kindness. -the dalai lama

and i want a cinnabon too!

good morning world! it's thursday, i have the whole shop to myself for the day. i have snacks, i have books to read, oh yeah, and a store to run.
i am in a particularly good mood today. no reason in particular. i'm so chipper, in fact, that i have to keep reminding myself not to chatter mindlessly to the people i encounter (which is a tendency of mine when i'm particularly happy &/or relaxed).
i had a good night's sleep last night, interrupted only a couple of times by bizarre dreams. one in which angelica houston was really mad at a dream-friend of mine for painting a nude portrait of her without her permission. she looked like a naked frida kahlo minus the uni-brow. in the painting i mean. she looked normal as a person in my dream. aaaaanyway...
i also dreamed about a teacher of mine from high school, with whom i still talk to via facebook. she's a riot. a very unique woman; and i dreamed last night that she and i were waiting somewhere, like an airport restaurant or something; leaning up against a tall table that didn't have chairs and we were taking turns singing lyrics of erykah badu songs because it made us laugh and we were bored.
seven was particularly rambuctious this morning too. it's rather cute but i feel awful that he doesn't have a yard to play in like we both would prefer. but we are making do by spending quality time on the floor throwing his toys around the house!
as for august in general, i haven't done much with my karma project unfortunately. but i'm still expletive-free, still recording every penny i spend, still attempting my odd-numbered day workouts rather successfully, and on day 60 of no smokeys. that's 16.5% of the year without smokeys!!!!
i'll have more interesting things to say later, i'm sure.
adieu for now!
lu

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

call me dawn.




yeah, so somehow i have been unable to, after all of these years, make it all the way through Welcome to the Dollhouse. as much as i love heather matarazzo, and i do. i had never been able to sit through the unbearable discomfort of dawn weiner's life (no matter how much i love that kitschy poster, and i really do).


well, thank you netflix instant watch for helping me cross this one off the list. i plopped myself into a warm bath tonight and propped up the laptop and let the angst unfurl.


wow. not only do i not miss many parts about the early 90's that i had forgotten about or junior high; but i was that awkward and now i remember why i couldn't make it through the entire film before now.


guess who's going to watch flight of the conchords until she feels a little better? that's right.


just call me dawn.

list additions

things i want/don't want in a new occupation:
4.
i would prefer not to lift anything heavy anymore.
3. ideally, i'd like to be in some sort of business that allows for somewhat flexible hours, weekends off, and vacation time i don't feel guilty about.
2. i want to do something i am proud of. i want to feel like i'm contributing to something other than excess. even if i stayed in retail, i'd want to sell things that people love and cherish. not just crap they buy because they have money and nothing else to do.
1. customer service. i love people and i enjoy talking with them and helping them with things. but after 11 years, i've been talked down to and ignored waaaaaay too many times. perhaps i'd like to do something in which i talk to people but i don't necessarily have to please them.

adding to the list of things i want in a new city of residence:
6.
it would be nice to live in a town that had some sort of employment that kept it's residents solvent despite the changes in trends and the economy. por ejemplo: a strong community of small businesses, or a thriving creative community or agricultural community etc.
5. this may sound silly but, i want to live somewhere that is pedestrian-friendly. it'd be really nice to live somewhere that i wasn't too scared to hop on a bike or walk to brunch on a pretty sunday such as today. in tally, it's unnerving to see people walking and cycling by in pseudo-bike lanes and sidewalks that end randomly while giant trucks and beamers speed by like crazy.
4. a city that's in-tune with healthier lifestyles. sure, i can be healthy anywhere but it's markedly more difficult for me in a city that's main hobbies are poilitical lobbying and pub crawls.
3. college or university nearby (i.w. youth nearby, music, art, museums etc.)
2. a place with history (i.e. interesting architecture and it's own culture).
1. mildish summers.

miercoles felizes

alas, i didn't get anything done last night in regard to my re-eureka. i did, however spend much-needed time with my mother and step-dad. i, unfortunately, also had a wicked allergy attack to the point where my eyes were swollen and on fire. i took medicine that made me drowsy and i slept through my meteor alarm. that's right, i had set my alarm for 3:30 am so that i may go outside and see the meteor shower this morning. i slept right through it. bummer.
life is cheery on all other accounts. i must say i am hoping that tonight will be the evening i get some things done.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

re-eureka's castle

you know what is fascinating to me? that i can have a brainstorm, comprehand said brainstorm, but still have difficulty applying it to my life. por ejemplo: several weeks, if not a month or two ago, i had a "eureka!" moment about life. it takes constant maintenance. every single aspect requires devoted attention.


some people get that. for some people this is not even slightly an issue. just like some people upon coming home from work, immediately take their work clothes off at the end of the day and either put them directly in the hamper or put them away in their designated places; i usually scoot them into a pile to be sorted out during my cleaning time. i do this with papers, jewelry that needs to be detangled, boxes upon boxes of items to be sorted and done away with.


i do plan for maintenance time that i can manage; but, say something throws me off-kilter (which happens regularly); like i start fighting a cold and am feeling lethargic, or i'm having a particularly daunting week at work and can barely muster seven's 30-45 minutes of walking per day let alone devoting more time on my feet hanging things up or moving at all. then what? then that little pile of scooted clothes (or papers) grows and spreads and begins to eat away at the remaining healthy parts of my brain. leaving me more lethargic and more daunted.


alas, i'm having a re-eureka moment. though the amount of energy it takes to light that little bulb above my cranium is dreadfully low and right now is just kind of flickering like those little faux candles that people put in their windows.
therefore, this evening i am sincerely hoping to gather all of the literal and mental piles together and begin newly scheduled maintenance once again. perhaps i can break this cycle and just get in the habit of doing what i need to when i need to do it.
i always think it takes more energy than it truly does.
here's hoping. happy tuesday y'all.
lu