Sayonara 2008!

Can you believe another new year is on the horizon? The year always flies by after Summer. I for one, had a pretty enjoyable year. In 2008, I:

- Got a dog (still adjusting to this one though)
- Lost my “Grammy”
- Vacationed in Hawaii (and got robbed!)
- Celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary
- Paid off all debt! (except my student loan, which I’ll have until 2010)
- Did my first craft show
- Vacationed in France/London
- Expanded my freelance business

Already 2009 is shaping-up to be a great year as well. I have a trip to Greece planned for July, and Hawaii again in October. Can you tell I live to travel? It’s why my savings account is always empty. This year, I definitely plan on hitting the gym regularly. I’d also like to take a French class, or maybe an art class. I’ve totally been neglecting my creativity lately. Hm, maybe I’ll apply to grad school and get my MA in Art/Design. My 10yr high school reunion is coming up as well, which I’ve not yet decided if I’ll attend or not. I’m turning 28 too. ugh. I cringe ever year I get closer to 30.

See you all next year! Be safe!

Skin Issues (Again!)

From reading this blog, you know by now that I have a ‘slight’ obsession with my skin. Since the first cold snap, the skin on my face has been out of control! Spring/Summer are fine, because the moisture in the air keeps my eczema and dry skin at bay. But in the winter, my skin gets extra dry, extra flaky, and totally uncooperative.

I’m happy with my cleanser (Dermalogica), but I think I need a better exfoliant, a vitamin serum, and a more effective SPF sunblock. The problem is, there are so many brands to choose from. I’m at a loss researching the pros and cons of Murad, Kinerase, DDF, SkinCeuticals, Exuviance, etc. I think I need to just pick a brand and run with it. I need something that will combat dryness, decrease wrinkles, even skin tone, and reduce redness/irritation.

I’m thinking of trying the DDF Daily cleansing pads as my exfoliant, and the Exuviance Bionic Serum for my anti-wrinkle treatment.

I swear, I’ve spent so much money in skin care items this year – but it really has paid off. Once the winter is over, I’m thinking of doing a ‘microdermabrasion’ treatment to really get rid of the dry skin. Anyone had one before? Pros? Cons? Can it cause scarring?

Oscar Worthy

Over my relaxing 4-day vacation, I was able to see the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. It was excellent, and for once, well worth all the buzz it has been getting online. Typically, I do not watch films with Brad Pitt. I find him rather cheesy…but he was phenomenal in this movie. It was well written and extremely creative. I do not recommend it for people who are sensitive about the topic of ‘death’, because that’s a recurring theme in the movie. Cate Blanchet was excellent as always. I’d call this film a ‘psychological drama’, because there’s something truly odd about the concept of someone aging backwards. It’s unnatural. And throughout the entire film, that concept ‘plays with your mind’ – especially toward the end. I can’t give a full synopsis, because there’s no way I can summarize without giving away the ending. This one is really worth the hype – a definite must see.

On another note, tomorrow I'm dyeing my hair again. This time, I'm not going to chicken-out with the highlights (I think I said that last time too...hm). I'm going to go red again, but much brighter this time. I hope I don't end up looking like a parrot.

Mental Vacation

Today is one of those days that you think, “Why did I even come to work?!”. It’s dead. Everyone has taken off – except for a few shmucks including myself. I hope we get out early. I guess I can’t complain too much – I am off on Thursday and Friday! And because it’s so quiet, I’m nostalgically listening to Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ CD – quite possibly one of the best CDs of all time.

See you all next Monday! Only 7 days until 2009!

Out with the NEW, In with the Old

There’s an old saying that, ‘the friends that you make in your 20s, are the friends you’ll have for the rest of your life’. I used to be a skeptic, but now I believe this to be true.

When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with meeting new people. I was overly-extroverted, always organizing parties and dinners, and inviting as many new people as possible. It felt great to build new relationships and I always kept in touch with every person I met.

Now, on the verge of 30, I could care less.

I’m perfectly happy with my old friends. And, I’m more interested in continuing to cultivate those relationships. There’s nothing better than a few cocktails, and great conversation with old friends that you’ve known for years. There’s no pretense, there’s no judgment.

These days, I just don’t have the energy to be a 'social butterfly'. Friendships take time. You have to have an interchange of thoughts and experiences, you have to learn about the other person’s family, background, hopes, fears, etc. It can be exhausting!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind meeting new people and I definitely don’t mind catching up with old acquaintances. I just don’t obsess as much about cultivating new friendships like I did in my teens. If I really hit it off with someone, and we become close friends – well and fine. If not, no big deal.

Is that wrong? Maybe the older I get, I’ve just learned to appreciate my old relationships even more. Or, maybe I’ve just turned into a major introvert that makes mostly ‘close acquaintances’ rather than ‘close friends’. Either way, I’m content.

It’s Our Anniversary

Congrats to me and Aaron! This Sunday we celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. Funny how time flies! It seems like just yesterday I was stressing over wedding cake, altering my wedding dress, and making last minute runs to the mall for accessories. Six years ago, we also got married the day after my college graduation – which made for a very stressful semester.

In this day and age when many of our friends’ marriages have ended in divorce, we’re thankful that things have been so smooth for us. Aaron still loves me, even though I hate to cook, I’m almost always late, and I’m allergic to his dog. And I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff, like when Aaron obsesses over ‘Halo’, or when he forgets half the groceries on my grocery list. =)

All in all, its about great communication and compromise. We’re opposites, but it works. I think both of our personalities balance one another, which is great.

This year’s anniversary will be pretty low key, considering we’ve taken two vacations since September. We’ve made reservations at Morton’s in Georgetown. Typically we end up in G’town, which is my favorite spot in the city. It’s best in the spring time, especially near the waterfront. Oddly enough, that’s also where we got engaged.

And, our anniversary wouldn’t be complete without our annual chocolate/coconut cake from Flowers Bakery, which I’m picking up on Saturday.

Xmas Music Driving me to Insanity

I have a colleague that’s obsessed with this one particular Xmas CD. I’m so SICK of hearing him loop this CD over and over again. I want to smash it, then burn it. I can’t type emails or hear myself think because it’s always blasting. Please save me before I go insane. If I hear “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by the Jackson 5 one more time….I think I might snap.
(end of rant)

(By the way, I’ve reached my 100th post! Yay!)

The year 2008 in Photographs

Boston.com is featuring a series of spectacular photographs taken throughout 2008. This is a 3 part series. I’ve only seen the first 40 photos, so I can’t imagine how wonderful the next two sets will be. Click here to view the series.

Here’s one of the most amazing images – photo #40. Good thing that surfer never looked at that wall of water behind him!

Feather Headbands @ Etsy

Yesterday, I bought two really awesome ‘feather headbands’ at Esty.com. I know I know, I’m not supposed to be spending any unnecessary money – but these headbands are too cute to pass up.

I’ve been looking for something to dress up my plain ol’ outfits when I have a night out on the town. The headbands should arrive soon. They’re beautiful (see pics below)! This seller comes highly recommended, and already I’ve noticed that she’s very responsive to questions/inquires.

Featherbrain @ Etsy

27 is Old

I have forehead wrinkles. At 27!
Last night, as I was applying my moisturizer I noticed 3 forehead wrinkles. This is totally unfair. I take care of my skin, I use fancy cleansers/moisturizers…I was even an avid Oil of Olay Wrinkle Cream user when I was 16.

I really hate getting older. I can’t lose weight as fast as when I was 18, and I can’t function unless I have at least 7hrs sleep a night. In college, I could function on only 4hrs per night. Never had wrinkles or dark under-eye circles.

My worst fear has always been that I would not age gracefully. I know that’s really vain, but all the women in my family look awesome for their age. I don’t want to be the young “old hag”! Today, I think I’m going to start using the Murad line of anti-aging cream. It’s pretty expensive, but I’ve read some great things about it.

Overall, I know that nothing is going to ‘reverse’ my wrinkles completely. But I want to prevent more wrinkles from surfacing. And if I have to, I am not opposed to Botox!

Yay for Friday!

This morning, my coworker told me she was selling her barely used 1GB iPod shuffle for $40. I bought that sucker in a heartbeat. She still has all the original packaging and everything. Nothing wrong with the item – she just doesn’t have a need for a mp3 player. Woohoo! I know I already have an iPod classic, but I couldn’t pass up this deal.

Then, during lunch, I find out that a new restaurant near my job called “Organic to Go” was offering FREE salad, soup, wraps and sandwiches in honor of their Grand Opening. Sweet! I had already bought my lunch today when I found out, but my free Greek pita wrap will be great for dinner.

Now all I need is to score free Starbucks, and I’ll be set!

Random News, Brought to you by Stephy404

For some odd reason, I really pride myself on knowing loads of pointless/useless facts – most of which I find by reading various news sites online. Here are a few items I found today. It’s my job to educate my readers on relevant local and international news. =)
(News article links included on each item)

1. The Dark Knight sells 3 million DVDs in ONE DAY. That 3mil doesn’t include my money though.
2. Recession woes have lead a poor DJ in England to sell all his teeth.
3. Singer, Usher and wife named their kid Naviyd Ely. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it!
4. Are you cool enough to snag a Flip video? Educate yourself on the top newest pocket-sized digital camcorders.
5. Two KFC employees take a bath in a KFC sink – and post their pics on MySpace.
6. Apparently Lex Luthor (Smallville) and Sylar (Heroes) have the same dad.
7. TV show ‘Mr. Belvedere’ is coming to DVD! I used to love that show, and I still know the theme song (dork, dork, dork)
8. Apparently Metro has too much money on their hands. They are giving us new wool seat covers for our already funky trains. Hey..Thanks Metro! *sarcasm*
9. James Franco might win an ‘Oscar’ for a film about pot?! I love JF, but that’s sad.
10. Use this ‘photo-booth’ to superimpose your head in an 80s style portrait. Use it as your new 'avatar'.
11. If you’re a wannabe paparazzi like I am, you’ll want to arrive at the Harman Center for the Arts by 8:30pm sharp on Tues. 1/20 to snap pics of Sting, Anna Hathaway, Ron Howard, Susan Sarandon, and others.

Friend or Felon?

I found yet another site that violates privacy – and this one is a ‘doosie’. Have you ever gotten a divorce? Filed for bankruptcy? Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony? White collar crimes?

If so, the Maryland State Government doesn’t have a problem with making your court records available to the public.

Take a look at this site. Click the ‘Case Search’ link at the top. Type in your name (or any name you wish) and be prepared to be shocked and surprised at the court records of some of your family and friends.

I searched a few people that I know, and it was quite funny to see what some have been busted for. And I don’t mean speeding tickets or traffic violations either. This site only applies to court cases in the state of Maryland. I’m sure other states have a similar way to embarrass their occupants.

This information is public, and it is legal to search – but be warned – you might look at some of your family/friends differently afterwards.

No Anonymity on the Internet

Have any of you ever heard of a site called :123people.com?

My sister heard about it on the radio. Apparently it is yet another site that displays personal information about you on the web. But no only will it give your address and phone number, it also displays:

- any of your uploaded photos online
- your email addresses
- any web links associated with your name
- any web sites associated with your name
- your Amazon.com screen name
- other screen names you have available, like on AOL
- your blog web addresses
- videos you've uploaded to the web
- any news articles that include your name
- any documents with your name in it (i.e., uploaded work documents/articles)
- your facebook or myspace pages

I’ve always felt that this sort of thing is a major violation of privacy. I’m not even sure how this information becomes public – especially when you’re classified as ‘unlisted’. I searched my name, and some of my information does come up. I set up some major restrictions on my Facebook page, so at least that is not searchable to the public. I would hate for photos of my family/friends to be floating around for public view. I’ve set similar restrictions to my Flickr and LinkedIn pages.

I understand that when you put something on the web, you run the risk of everyone somehow seeing it. But, seriously, do random people need to know my address and phone number?

Be careful what you upload online. You even have to be careful what you post on online forums. Those messages are also searchable on Google.

Thievery Corporation in DC!

I just found out Thievery Corporation has a couple tour dates in our area. They will be at Ram’s Head Live (Baltimore) in February and 9:30 Club for three dates in January. I opt for Ram’s Head as that area of Baltimore is way safer than U Street.

It looks like tickets are general admission, which most likely means ‘standing room only’. I guess I better get my tix soon before they sell out! Two of the 9:30 club dates have already sold out!

I've posted their songs on this blog before, but here's one of their more popular ones.
Lebanese Blonde - Thievery Corporation

Lazy Friday

Today is so quiet at work. It always gets like this around the holidays. Not to mention the office holiday party is tonight, so people are leaving early to get all dressed up. I’m not complaining though – because once the new year rolls around, so do new projects. And I’m sure I’ll be swamped.

During lunch I thought I’d take advantage of some of the sweet sales going on at Banana Republic. All sweaters are 40% for 3 days only! I didn’t do much damage though – I only bought a brown turtleneck. I’m on total spending ‘lock-down’ right now, because of a trip I’m planning for next summer.

I’m going to Berlin, Germany in July, and would also like go head to Greece while I’m already in Europe. The trip is organized by a tour group. I’ve already submitted my deposit, but I need to pay for the trip in full by March 9, 2009. So from here in, no shopping, no eating out, no weekend fun, and absolutely no use of the credit card.

Maybe I should post this photo of Greece as my desktop wallpaper to keep me on track in my times of weakness.

Zakynthos (Greece)

Independent Film Festivals in 2009

The Sundance Film Festival starts on January 15th. I had a blast at the 2007 Sundance Film Fest, and would love to go back. If you book it far enough in advance, it’s rather inexpensive. The hard part is getting tickets for the premieres. The more stars in a cast, the harder it is to get tickets. I remember when I went to the festival, tickets for “The Waitress”, “Year of the Dog”, and “Grace is Gone” were nearly impossible to find. One tip: If you’re dying to see a certain premiere, there are loads of tickets being sold on Craigslist.

Here's the Sundance film list for 2009. Some of the movies look pretty cool. Remember to also support independent film in your own area. The Washington DC Film Festival runs from April 16 – 26, 2009. The Tribeca Film Festival in New York runs from April 22 – May 3, 2009. Mark your calendars!

Here’s a pic with me and Adam Brody (from the OC/Mr. and Mrs. Smith) at Sundance 2007. (This had to do since I couldn’t score a pic with James Franco that year. lol)

Inauguration Week Headache

If you live in the DC area, then you know there’s plenty of buzz surrounding Inauguration Day – Jan. 20th.

I’m not sure if this is a national holiday, but government agencies in DC will be closed. And since my job follows the government leave schedule, our offices will be closed as well. Good thing too – the District is expecting a record breaking number of people in the area for Obama’s induction. I’m sure it will total in the millions. Already area hotels are fully booked for that week, and on the news, many people have said they are opting to camp outside on the street or nearby camp sights in order to be part of the Inauguration – despite the 40 degree temps.

I for one, wish I could avoid DC all together that week. Traffic will be a mess, because I’m sure numerous DC roads will be closed. Metro will most likely be overloaded. And, it doesn’t help that I’m only 3 blocks from the White House.

To make matters worse – Oprah is going to be doing her show in DC for the entire week, which will add to the congestion and crowds. Maybe I should take another vacation, and rent our house out for $5,000 during Inauguration.

(Oprah in DC for Inauguration Week)

Films on my List

I think the last movie I saw at the theatre was The Dark Knight. Sad, I know. I’ve hardly had any free time on my weekends.

Right now, there are actually a few films I’d like to see before the year’s end. I’ve yet to see the new James Bond - and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Transporter 3, Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, Doubt, and The Day the Earth Stood Still are also on my list.

One movie not on my list: Twilight. What is the big deal about this movie?! I’m not into vampire flicks, but the PR person for this film is working double-time. Ads for this movie are everywhere! I took this shot in Borders bookstore today. A bit much, right? This was one of 4 booths full of Twilight items, two of which were swarmed with teenie-boppers.

Paris/London: Nov. 21 – 29

First I must say, I’m totally missing Paris today. The week went by so fast. There were 6 of us total that went on the trip, and we all had a fabulous time. Unfortunately, I will not be able to post all of my photos on this blog. You’ll have to view the rest of the photos and video on Facebook.

There are a few observations I made about Paris. First, everyone is thin - which is mind boggling because they mostly eat pastries and bread, and dinner is usually around 9pm. I know Parisians walk a lot, but it’s still quite amazing. Also, they don’t dress that differently than Americans (we saw plenty of knee-high boots and skinny jeans), but I think the difference is, they can really vamp up color combinations and layers. Finally, Parisian women are beautiful! And not the ‘wearing tons of make-up and botox’ beautiful…they’re very ‘natural’. I know it was weird, but I stared at some of the girls on the metro. I noticed the women are all very well groomed…perfect eyebrows and perfect skin. They don’t wear a lot of foundation, but only very little mascara, eyeliner, and subtle lipstick. I wish I could find whatever miracle cream they’re all using.

Besides staring at Parisian men and women on the train, we did fit in some touring. Here was our itinerary: (Day 1) Notre Dame, Champs Elysee, Arc du Triumphe, Eiffel Tower; (Day 2) the Louvre, Arc du Triumphe and Champs Elysee at night; (Day 3) Versaille, including Marie Antoinette’s hamlet; (Day 4) Day trip to London (the Queen was home that day as well); (Day 5) Catacombs, Musee de Orsay, Musee de Eugene Delacroix, walk through St. Germaine dse Pres; (Day 6) Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, Les Invalides, walk through Montmare. Please excuse my misspellings – I took Spanish in school, not French.

We stayed in the Montmare district, not too far from Pigalle or the Sacre Coeur. The area was more residential, so we got a chance to see ‘daily’ Parisian life since we weren’t in the touristy city center. We found a nice little café called “Le Select” where we ate breakfast practically every day. We stayed at the “Hotel France Albion” – and even though it was a two star, it was quite nice. The only ‘con’ was that were next to a bar that was pretty noisy at night. Parisians take their wine seriously, and many drank until this bar closed at 3am. We ate countless pastries at nearly every “Patasserie” in the area. One of my favs were ‘La Bonbonniere de Buci” in St. Germaine des Pres.

Two major highlights of the week: (1) Touring Marie Antoinette’s hamlet in Versaille; and (2) Seeing an exclusive Eugene Delacroix gallery show in the artist’s old apartment in St. Germaine Des Pres. I also discovered my new favorite painter: Etienne Dinet – and I have a newly rekindled fondness for the works of Jacques-Louis David. The man truly was a genius, and painted some of the most historically significant works of French history.

The next time I go back to Paris, I plan on taking more walking tours of the unique neighborhoods in the city. I also plan to spend more time immersing myself in the art and architecture (which is hard to do when you travel with a group of non-artists). Great trip overall - must save up more $ next time.

Click here to view a few of my photos on Flikr.

( Me at Versaille)

Back from Paris!

Hello all! Miss me? Sorry I forgot to do a final post before we left for Paris. I'm so tired today, as I'm still adjusting to east coast time. I'll have a full 'Paris post' for all of you this week, as well as a few photos. For the record though, we did everything! We sacrified some major sleep. Some of our tour included (excuse my missspellings) the Eiffel Tower, Arc du Triumph, Champs Elysee, Catacombs, Musee de Orsay, Louvre, Les Invalides, Montmare...and we even fit in a day trip to London to meet up with friends.

Today we're totally missing the bread and pastries. I will never understand how Paris has such fattening foods, but the people are super skinny. I swear we saw no overweight people the entire trip, and when we did, they were either American or German.

Well, I'm off to get yet more sleep and dream of more pastries. Be back tomorrow!

Craft Fair is Over

The craft fair was today. I toiled to design cards and have them printed – within a one week deadline. I assembled each card pack, tied with ribbon, hole punched business cards for attachment, and sealed in protective plastic bags with custom sticker seals.

The Good: Loads of people came by my table and took business cards. Everyone complimented my items and said the cards were beautiful. Some said they would contact me for a few custom wedding invitations, holiday cards, etc.

The Bad: I only sold 6 cards (wamp, wamp). I didn’t break even with what I spent in printing.

Despite the dismal sales, I’m glad I did the show. I’m actually happy I opted for this small venue for my first show – vs. a large venue with hundreds of people. I think about 80-90 people came, as the craft show was only 2hrs long. It was kind of awkward sitting at my table, and watching as people prowled over my work.

Here are a couple photos for you. They’re pretty bad because I had to use my camera phone. I felt really pretentious standing back and taking photos of my own table, as if to say, “Hey look at me, my table is so wonderful…”.

To my credit though, not many people bought much anyways. The event was cash only, and most people these days do not readily have cash on hand. The ones that sold the most worked for specific jewelry or scrapbook companies, so they had credit card machines.

Overall, great experience. Considering the amount of work involved, I may not do this again for some time.

At the Home-stretch Now...

The tail end of last week, I got food poisoning from Chipotle. It totally derailed some of my craft fair planning. So, this weekend, I worked double time. Finally - I'm finished. I only have a couple CD covers to cut, and I need to price my items. Other than that, now I just have to wait and set up my table at the fair. I'll probably start that on Tuesday evening. I even bought a zillion bags of candy to try and lure people to my table. You think maybe I should get some cupcakes to?

This project also made me realize - I need a new computer! My computer at home is slow as molasses. Ever since I installed Microsoft Office 2007 and Adobe CS3, many of the programs will not run at the same time, Illustrator takes 15min to load up, and Acrobat crashes. Ugh. I guess now I need to save up for a more powerful machine. There's no way I can do freelance on what I have now.

I could probably get a good deal on one since the economy is going to the crapper. Electronics are on extremely discounted at the moment.

I’m Stressed!

Scrambling for this craft show this week makes me feel like I’m in college again. I finally finished the last bit of designs last night. I had to severely edit the amount of designs for some of the cards due to my time constraints. I just could not design fast enough to get the items to the print vendor in time.

For the show, I’m going to have: a 5 pack of greeting cards a 10 pack of note cards, gift tags, and an interactive CD with various invitation templates. I’ve gotten no sleep – but I’m actually quite excited now.

I still have to pick up table cloths, table easels, envelopes, etc. Trust me, I have already coordinated a very extensive list of tasks I have to complete before the show.

I’ll be sure to post photos. The craft fair is next Wednesday. In the meantime, here are a couple of my designs = my note card sample, and my greeting card sample. I took this opportunity to use some very vibrant/tropical colors. Since the designs are very straight forward, I wanted to play with use of color. Let me know what you think (if you don’t like them, too bad…).

I Must Be Nutz

Last minute, I've decided to participate in my job's Craft Fair. I'm going to be displaying greeting cards, thank you cards, gift tags, and CDs with MS Word/PDF party invitation templates. Oh, and I only have a week and a half (Nov. 18th). The show is on Nov. 19th. I've just bombarded my favorite print vendor with estimate requests. I hope he doesn't kill me, or charge me a fortune.

This is my first show, and I'm a complete novice. I have so many items to buy for my display table. Since I'm the 'resident' graphic designer, I know I'll be ridiculed by my work colleagues if my table looks like crap.

It looks like I'll have to get all of my designs to my printer by Tuesday. So, I have about 4 days to come up with 20 card designs, 3 gift tag designs, 3 party invitation templates, and 1 CD cover. But, I think it'll be ok. I work well under pressure. I'm going to need a LOT of Starbucks.

Countdown to Paris Begins!

Two weeks from today, I’ll be in Paris! I can’t wait! I’ve been accomplishing some things on my pre-vacation checklist. One item accomplished today = pick up a new novel to read on the plane.

I’m really picky when it comes to novels. I love memoirs and historical fiction – but I hate the unnecessary gratuitous violence and sex in most books.

I purchased ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife”. It seems interesting. And I found out this too is going to be a movie with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana! Glad I’ll be reading the book before the movie gets a ton of buzz. Anyone read this one? Will I be disappointed?

A "Design" Blast from the Past

When I have downtime, I like to read some of the publications on NIH’s National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) site. They have information on various diseases – some of which I find pretty fascinating.

Years ago, I worked for a company that had a design contract to manage some of NIAMS publications. As a Jr. Designer at the time, they enlisted me to design the template for their Spanish language publication series. It was one of my first big projects. I designed 3 templates. Each one was distributed to various panels of Hispanic nationals, and they chose which layout best represented the Spanish language community. I was so honored when one of my templates were chosen, and a Spanish language publication series was created using my template. The design was nothing ‘over the top’. After all – government agencies are quite conservative when it comes to design.

To my surprise, NIAMS still uses my design! I found their Spanish language publication series the other day, and felt a little honored that my template is still being used. I don’t mean to ‘toot my own horn’ or anything – but it definitely brightened my day.

(NIAMS Publications - Spanish) / (NIAMS Publications – English)

Corcoran Lecture Reminder!

Mark your calendars! There are a couple great Corcoran Lectures coming up. Celebrity Photographer Annie Leibovitz is coming to town for a book signing, as well as Project Runway alum/fashion designer Daniel Vosovic. Oh if only they could secure a lecture with Christian Siriano as well!

Weekend: Accomplished

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Life took a busy turn last week.

Hey, at least I got to relax a little over the weekend. Saturday I went to Neyla’s in Georgetown to help one of my friends celebrate her new job. Since I hadn’t been to G’town in ages, I went a little early so that I could look around the shops.

After going in about 5 stores that only carried sizes 0 – 2 (namely, Miss Sixty & Cusp) I ventured over to my favorite M Street shop – The Paper Source! I could have spent all night in there. Here’s a couple items I just had to pick up:

Oh, and the ‘cherry’ on top of my wonderful weekend – mom made me a sweet potato pie, my newly engraved iPod arrived in the mail, and I found some awesome jeans at ShopBop.com.

Valeria Script @ MyFonts.com

Valeria Script is a wonderful font for special event design - specifically for engagement and wedding invitation suites. This font family can be purchased at MyFonts.com. And, you can’t beat the price tag either – its only $20!

Michael Murphy: The Ultimate InDesigner

My two day InDesign training was phenominal. Michael Murphy is an exceptional instructor. I honestly do not know why this man is not on Adobe’s direct payroll. His knowledge of InDesign surpasses expert levels. He’s more than an InDesign professional – he’s an InDesign genius. And this is no exaggeration. For both days, his instruction was consistently engaging. I could listen to him teach InDesign for hours, and the time did go by quickly. Nothing about this training was boring or drone.

First off, this course was not for InDesign beginners. The class was called, “Master Class for Designers (CS3)”, and it was mostly for designers who are proficient in software, but have missed the more advanced features.

Many advanced features were discussed – here area few: GREP, Nested Styles, Snippets, new Effects features (ex. Feathering), Effective use of Anchored Objects, Text Variables, and Scripts (under Automation).

As I practice some of these on my own, I’ll post some cool tips for the designers that read this blog. I’ll tell you this though – if you can master the GREP features (under Edit à Find/Change), you can literally cut your document production time by 80%.

If you want more info about Michael Murphy – check out his site (The InDesigner). His podcasts are priceless.

My Kid Could Paint That

Tonight I watched the documentary “My Kid Could Paint That” filmed by director Amir Bar Lev. Overall it was a great film, and I highly recommend it - especially for artists or art enthusiasts. I feel awful that I passed up this film in 2007 when I attended the Sundance Film Festival. For those of you who haven’t seen it, ‘spoiler alert’ ahead.

The film is about a little girl named Marla Olmstead who is seemingly an abstract art prodigy. She rises to fame with her abstract paintings (selling some for a whopping $5,000+), but soon after is the subject of criticism and skepticism when Mark, her father, is accused of either ‘doctoring’ or ‘coaching’ her paintings. This little four year old girl is scrutinized by the fine art community and is even subjected to a severely negative critique by CBS' ’60-minutes”.

I have mixed feelings about the Olmstead family’s predicament. In the end, I feel bad for Marla. She’s so innocent to everything going on around her. For the most part in the film, Marla seems very indifferent, uncomfortable, and even withdrawn from all the attention she receives from her paintings. I think her mother, Laura, was a very genuine person, who was manipulated into making her daughter a spectacle. The father on the other hand, in my opinion, is one of the main offenders. It’s clear he liked the attention that his family received from Marla’s paintings. In a way, he seemed to be living vicariously through Marla, as he himself was an aspiring painter. I found it odd that, in the end, the mother was so tired of all the accusations that she offered to take a polygraph. The dad sat silent. He didn’t make any convincing argument that he was innocent of being overly involved in Marla’s paintings. The directors of the documentary even went so far as to videotape Marla’s paintings while she went through the artistic process. I think it was evident that the painting they recorded on video was definitely ‘elementary’ compared to the untapped ‘polished’ pieces that hung in local art galleries.

Honestly, we really have no real proof if Marla did her paintings herself, or if her dad coached/directed her. Only the family knows the truth. But considering the documentary as a whole, I don’t think Marla is a ‘painting prodigy’. I think she’s a little girl that loves to paint. I don't think she chooses her color palettes, but rather they are given to her. I believe she's being exploited for the financial gain of her parents and artistic promoters. And I think her parents have gotten used to the elevated lifestyle attributed her paintings. Her poor little brother Zane is going to grow up with an inferiority complex. He’s almost the ‘forgotten’ one in the family. Even Marla tried to give him some artistic credit, stating to the dad in the film that he paints too.

I have to say, even though I too am an artist (with a background in fine art), I don’t totally understand abstract art at times. I appreciate the colors. I acknowledge it as an artform. But I don’t initially see the symbolism. I don’t think all abstract paintings are calculated. And I do think some elements of abstract art are accidental.

Marla is in a serious situation. As stated at the end of the film, what does happen to her at age 12? Will she still be hailed or forgotten? I guess Marla could be considered an artist in her own right, but should she be acclaimed as an artistic abstract painting prodigy?…I personally don’t think so.

Anyone else see the film? What did you think?

InDesign Training

Today and tomorrow is the second leg of my external designing training, which was FINALLY approved by my employer. The last training session I took in the summer was lackluster to say the least. The class was full of people who were not designers, and had no idea what "Adobe" was. This time, I signed up for "Adobe InDesign CS3: Master Class for Designers". This is a special course instructed by Michael Murphy, who also has a popular InDesign podcast. I have a feeling I'll be learning a lot in the next two days, especially about CS3 (it's so sad that CS4 is already being shipped-I feel so behind).

I'm self taught in InDesign, and have always wondered if there was something that I missed in my personal tutorials. So, I'm totally grateful to my employers for allowing me to take this course.

Hopefully when I return on Friday, I'll be able to share some interesting InDesign tips with you all.

Have You Seen [FPO] Magazine?

As a designer, I find that some graphic design magazines are rather boring. Some repeat the same information in others (Sorry, CommArts and Print), and then some gravely lack beneficial content (you listening, Graphic Design USA?). Because of this trend, I’ve narrowed down my design magazine subscription substantially. I now only receive HOW Design and Dynamic Graphics.

But recently, a new magazine has grabbed my attention. It’s called FPO (For Publications Only). I received a free promotionally issue a few weeks ago, and recently had the time to review it. I was surprised at the wealth of information included in this mag. It focuses largely on publication design, which is great for me. Sometimes I get ‘designer’s block’ when thinking up new and creative ideas for large editorial pieces or page design for lengthy documents.

If you’re in the industry, I highly recommend that you check out the magazine. I’m not sure how long it’s been in circulation, but for now, it’s my ‘go-to’ source for publication design inspiration and tips.

A Weekend Alone

What a relaxing weekend I had. The husband went on a fishing trip with buddies, so I had the house to myself. It was a weekend free from snoring, dirty dishes, and barking (our dog went to my brother in law's house). People often ask me if I'm scared at home alone. Why would I be?! I get the best sleep, it's quiet, and the house stays clean.

Friday, I went to see the Secret Life of Bees, which was by far the best film of the year. Warning though, this one is a major tear-jerker - so bring the tissues. They changed some major elements from the novel, but it was still good none-the-less. Saturday night, we went to see Sinbad. He was just as funny as he was in the early nineties - and also skinner to boot. And no, he did not wear those strange multi-colored 'genie' pants.

The husband came back home today, and I'm glad he had a fun and safe trip. Here's a photo of him fishing. Isn't he cute? =)

Got Craft?

If you haven’t already done so, please take a peek at The Paper Source site – or if you’re in the DC Metro area, stop by their store on M St. NW.

This place is a truly a caft-o-holic’s dream. I’m personally not a particularly crafty person. I’ve never quite been able to master cutting perfect shapes with scissors, nor scrapbooking. However, the Paper Source makes crafting easy by offering a wide array of rubber stamps, stationery, envelopes, paints, embellishments, and the like.

I’ve actually come here for a few pieces when designing wedding invitations or special event invites. My favorite items are the rubber stamps, the pillow box favors, and the brad embellishments. They have some wonderfully handmade papers as well. This place was a gem in college, particularly for times when I needed creative inspiration for my projects.

I think I’m going to go back to creating my own personalized cards vs. giving Hallmark my $2.99 every time I need to say ‘thank you’ or 'happy anniversary'.

Insomnia Strikes Again

Lately my sleep pattern has been really off. Maybe it’s because of the vacation/time change. But that’s been nearly over a week now. All last weekend, I had trouble sleeping. I averaged about 3-4hrs a night. Monday I was so tired, that I slept until nearly 1pm. Last night, I was plagued with insomnia again, and maybe got a total of 2hrs sleep. On top of it all, I also got another ‘visual aura’ yesterday, followed by a very mild migraine. I guess I was mistaken thinking my aura days were over.

I feel totally shattered today. I’m really tired, and unable to focus. I really hope it’s a slow day today at work, because I think I might have trouble comprehending anything complex.

Maybe it’s time I start thinking about taking Lunesta or Ambien. I really hate to medicate myself, but I rarely ever wake up refreshed and well rested. For once I’d like to know what that feels like.

Do Good Movie Posters = Good Films?

Lately, I’ve been pretty impressed by movie posters. They’ve really come a long ways, and some actually display some incredible design elements:

I came across the posters for some movie called “Blindness”. I think the official one is the poster on the right. The poster on the left is pretty uncreative. It’s clearly a blatant rip off of an optometrist Snellen chart. What a typical, and overly realistic interpretation of the movie title! I bet the designer who created this thing made thousands of dollars.

I wonder if movie/production companies realize that a percentage of the population – like myself – may decide to see a movie if they are drawn in by the poster. Personally, I do not always choose to see a film based on storyline and actor/actress selection alone. Despite the great lack of budget for most indie films, it seems they invest more time, effort and creativity to designing a stellar movie poster.

Next indie film on my roster – ‘The Secret Life of Bees’.
Best indie movie of all time – The Waitress

Sinbad at the Warner Theatre

This week has been great so far.

I know it's only Monday - but since today is a holiday, I had the day off. Plus, I'm also off on Friday, which means - 3 day work week! woohoo!

This Saturday, I have tickets to see comedian Sinbad at the Warner theatre. Remember him? There were rumors a while ago that he died - which turned out to be false. I remember him being pretty hilarious back in the early-mid 90s. I hope it'll be fun.

It's usually 'hit or miss' when it comes to comedy shows. Some are really filthy too. I once took a group of friends to see Margaret Cho...it was a bad idea. All of her skits were about, um, the female anatomy. Very graphic I might add.

Another time, I took some friends to see Dave Chappelle. Although he's normally really funny, he was also really 'high' this time. It was clear he was on something. Basically he just stood there laughing, and barely told any jokes. We paid $30 - he was on stage for about 20min.

Corcoran Gallery of Art Lecture Series

One excellent, and sadly, overlooked artistic resource in DC is the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Lecture Series. The gallery coordinates for industry professionals in all genres of art (cake decorating, fine art, graphic design, fashion design, etc.) to engage the public in an artistic forum of sorts. You’re able to meet the featured artists, attend their book signings, and on occasion, drink champagne in the process.

In the past, I’ve had the privilege of meeting photographer Annie Leibovitz – but most recently, they’ve had lectures from fashion design expert Tim Gunn (who is also a DC native), and pastry chef Duff Goldman (of Ace of Cakes fame).

Be sure to bookmark this link for lecture updates, and hopefully I’ll see you soon at the Corcoran! (Corcoran Lectures)

I See London, I See France

You ever notice how after a vacation, you need about a week to adjust back to the ‘real world’? It’s almost as if the body returns, but the mind doesn’t. I’m still so tired adjusting back to east coast time, from pacific time – but as of today, I think I’m finally back in the swing of things.

Even though my Hawaiian vacation was lovely, I’m so excited to be going back to Paris and London next month! We’re staying in Paris, and only going to London for a day trip. I have such fond memories of England – I wish I could afford to do one week in France, and one week in England.

So now, countdown to vacation #2 starts. I guess I need to start practicing my French.

Operation NICE Has Really Taken Off

I’ve mentioned Operation NICE on here before. Fellow designer and blogger Melissa Morris Ivone created Operation NICE as a movement to increase – you’ve guessed it – niceness. Her local paper wrote up an article about her movement, and she recently got some recognition from Good Morning America! (Check out her tv spot).

Congrats to Mel! Next stop…Oprah? Tyra Show maybe?

Finally Found My New Haircut

I'm totally bored of my hair. For most of the summer, I wore it curly because of the extreme humidity. But now that it's getting colder, my hair is more tame and can handle other styles.

I really miss my short pixie cut. But it took forever to grow out. So, I've decided to do a nice mid-length cut, that I can style both curly and straight.

Here are a few of my ideas:
I want a bunch of layers in the back - but no so much that it looks like a bob or a mullet (and I've actually had a bad haircut once that was a mullet…ew). I think I might opt for the Rachel McAdams cut (on the right), but with more layers on top.

I'm also going to do my copper highlights again, but this time, they won't be as subtle as before. I'm not afraid to cut my hair - but I'm always afraid of color. Color is expensive, and if you don’t like it, it’s hard to change because you can damage the hair. But, I promise not to chicken out this time.

Steph vs. Technology

For the first time in my life, I feel old. Not because of wrinkles (which I don’t have). Not because I'm nearly 30 (27 is still young, man!).

The problem is, I’ve realized I'm totally behind in technology! I always swore I would never be one of those people who gets so out of touch with technology that they can't relate to younger generations. I refused to be like some people who have never even heard of a TiVo, Blue Ray, or iPhones.

Sadly, I am beginning to be one of those people.

Since my precious iPod got stolen, I'm desperate for a new one. I’ve avoided the gym because it’s so boring without my music. I went online to see if I could replace my 30BG iPod video, but now the iPod video is called the "iPod Classic". Since when did the iPod video become a 'classic'? iPod Classic comes in a standard 120GB, and eventually Apple has plans to phase out the 'click-wheel' format, and manufacture only the iTouch iPod. What? I've heard of iTouch, but I myself have never even seen one.

I think it's time to visit the Apple store to educate myself.

I guess I do have one thing to be proud of. Last week my brother in law scored me a "Wii"! So now I feel cool again. Anyone care to challenge me in some Guitar Hero?

'Novel' Recommendations

One thing I love about traveling is catching up on good books. I purchased two novels prior to my vacation – Sue Monk Kidd’s “The Secret Life of Bees” and Jane Green’s “Second Chance”.

I highly recommend the Secret Life of Bees. The entire novel is engaging and heartwarming. Here’s the synopsis from Wikipedia:

“Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life is shaped by her blurred memory of the afternoon of her mother's accidental death. When Lily's black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three racists in town, they escape to Tiburon, South Carolina, a town that holds the secret to Lily's mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey.”

I know the synopsis sounds a little silly, but the novel truly is excellent. Be sure to read this book soon. I hear they’ve already made it into a movie featuring Dakota Fanning as Lily. Movies never do a novel justice.

The other novel – Second Chance – was utterly pathetic. Truthfully, I only got through the first chapter before I could no longer take the lackluster writing and shallow characters. The book appears to be about several estranged British schoolmates, who are all rich, successful, and glamorous. They come together to mourn a mutual friend’s death. Blah blah blah…Zzz..who cares. Worst book I ever spent $15 on. Skip it.

Back from Hawaii! Did Ya Miss Me?

Well, after about 19hrs of travel, we've arrived back in Maryland today. I'm going to miss the sunny 85 degree weather, the mai tai's, the blue water, the pineapple, and the odd Japanese tourists. This time around my mother joined us, and it was her first time to Hawaii. So, even though we didn't have an itinerary per se, we did repeat a few things we did two years ago when vacationing.

Almost everyday, we went to Waikiki beaches to enjoy the sand, water and people watching (buff tan guys on surf boards, woohoo!). Last Tuesday, we did our second tour of the Polynesian Cultural Center. I recommend that place for any first timers, because you learn about all of the Polynesian islands and cultures. And bonus, there's a great buffet and concert at the end.

Wednesday, we took a little drive to the North Shore and saw the start of the Billabong women's surfing competition. Those waves were killer. I had to admire the skill and courage those girls had to face some of those gigantic/powerful waves! We also visited Lanakai and Kailua beaches, which were pretty disappointing since there was so much beach run off.

Thursday we did a sunset sail on a catamaran, but unfortunately, some clouds blocked our view of the horizon. But all was good - we had plenty of mai tai's and wine on the boat.

Friday we planned some deep sea snorkeling. I must admit, this wasn't a highlight for me. I already have trouble breathing through my mouth, so when you couple giant turtles, other strange looking undersea creatures and deep water - I totally freak out. I did snorkel a bit while clutching for dear life to the boat's anchor, so I am quite proud of myself.

And Saturday...well...we got robbed. Yes, robbed.

Saturday was our last day, and we had to check out of the hotel at 10am. Unfortunately, our flight didnt leave until 10pm - so we had to leave all of our stuff in the car. We figured we'd be fine as long as we stayed in well lit and well populated areas. Trying to kill the last two hours before heading to the airport, we went to some 'ghetto' mall in Pearl City. Bad idea. We didn't know that Pearl City was a high crime area. In the end, some thugs stole my mother's ENTIRE suitcase with all her clothes, and they also got away with my portable DVD player (brand new I might add), my iPod, and my camera - with all my photos from our trip. So needless to say, I won't be posting any Hawaii vacation pics here on my blog. Sigh.

We had to laugh to keep from crying though. We found it pretty funny while going through baggage checks, because my mom had nothing but her purse. It's very doubtful any of our items will be recovered. All in all, we didn't let that ruin the end of our vacation. At least insurance will cover most of the items stolen. Lesson learned I guess. But we still had a great time and great memories.

Just no souvenirs. (lol)

Bon Voyage

The New Scanner is Awesome

I finally got my new scanner in the mail. Last night, I gave it a little test run by scanning nearly 130 old family photos. This scanner is awesome!

It not only scans photos, but it also has settings for magazines and film slides. It can also copy, scan straight to PDF, and automatically scan documents to email. Plus, its easy to use. I didn’t read the manual, and the main features are self explanatory.

I was able to scan all of my pics in an hour and a half. This scanner is super fast (10 seconds per sheet!), and also includes an auto-scan feature so you can scan your items with one click of the mouse. I was also able to set the preferences to have my scans imported directly into Photoshop for retouching. But, if you don’t have Photoshop, the retouching software that is included in the package works just fine.

I know this isn’t a full detailed review, but I highly recommend this product. It’s a little steep in price for a scanner ($179 at Newegg.com), since most generic scanners are under $100. But this time around, I was happy to invest in a dynamic product that will last me for years to come.

Fall = Great Clothes!

I love fall weather. The air is crisp and cool with no hint humidity. It barely rains and it always seems like the sun is a little brigher. And maybe because I'm a designer, I also adore fall colors. But, another thing I love about fall – the wardrobe!

I'm so tired of tank tops and flip flops - now it's time to bust out the scarves and trench coats. It seems the color ‘du jour’ this season is eggplant. But right now, I'm loving the emerald green and mustard shades. Here are a couple of items I've coveting from afar. I'm totally broke now, because I have two vacations planned for the end of this year - but I can still add these JCrew pieces to my 'wish list', right?

Foodie Review: Urban BBQ

I think I have a problem.

I go through phases where I have obsessions with certain restaurants. For a while, I craved Cuba De Ayer’s garlic shrimp almost everyday, then it was Greek Village’s crab cakes, then Kenny’s Subs fish sub (which is now closed I might add), etc. etc.

My latest obsession – Barbecue! And only from the newly opened venue, Urban BBQ. Urban BBQ is a sister company to Urban Burger

Currently there are only two locations for Urban BBQ (Rockville and Hillendale), but I would not be surprised if they expand very soon. This place has quickly been gaining in popularity. I’ve only been to the Hillendale location, and I’m so happy it’s only 10min from my house. The interior of this location is small - sporting only a few tables, and about 4 flat panel tv screens. I realized last Sunday when I went, that this place is a gathering spot among the local Redskins fans. What’s better than football and beer? Football, beer AND BBQ!

This place knows how to do BBQ just right. None of the barbecue items are completely drowned in sauce – there’s just the right amount of seasoning. All of the meat is tender, and never overcooked. Everything is made to order, so all your meals are fresh and hot. I especially love the ribs. They’re so tender, you could eat them with a fork and knife if you wanted! The barbecue chicken, brisket, and pulled pork are delightful. And if the barbecue sauce isn’t spicy enough for you, they also offer 4 homemade sauces that really pack a punch. I happen to love the ‘Carolina’ sauce, which is a mix of vinegar and spices.

This place is sparking a great debate among local BBQ lovers. Some say they rival with Famous Daves. But in my opinion, this place is hands-down MUCH better than Famous Daves, or any other local BBQ joint for that matter.

R.I.P Old Hp Scanner

Lately I've been obsessed with archiving old family photos. I realized about a week ago that not only do I not have any old family photos of my own, but the ones that my mom owns are deteriorating and falling out of their 1970s albums. Some are so old that they HAVE TO be archived at this point. So, as the resident family graphic designer, I am assigned to 'scanning' duties.

Problem...My old crappy Hp scanner kicked the bucket. I did buy it nearly 7yrs ago while in college - so I'm surprised it actually lasted this long. I CAN'T live without a scanner, so I had to buy a new one on Newegg tonight. This CanoScan 8800F got phenominal ratings on PC magazine and Newegg reviews. I'll let you know in a week or so if it actual lives up to its rating.

(photo courtesy of Newegg.com)

Attn Designers: Adobe to Announce CS4

I received this ‘ominous’ message from Adobe today.

It’s official – Adobe’s Creative Suite 4 will be officially announced on Sept. 23.

Adobe seems to have software upgrades every 18months. While I adore the new features and try to apply all upgrades to my home PC – my employer is usually a step behind when it comes to software upgrades. We still have CS2 at work!

It’s becoming increasingly hard for many graphic designers to convince their employers that the upgrades are not only useful, but necessary. The new features of CS3 are quite amazing, and I for one, am looking forward to CS4. I hear most of the new features apply to the web applications, like Dreamweaver and Flash.

So I guess the countdown begins…

Movie Review: The Family that Preys

Yesterday I saw the new Tyler Perry film. I have to admit, I didn’t intend on seeing this film at first. Most of his other ones have been about non-conventional families, with grossly over-exaggerated black stereotypes. While many of them are funny (like, “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”), some of the characters are irritating and embarrassing (i.e., all of the characters of Meet the Browns).

‘The Family that Preys’ was refreshingly different, and completely opposite of Perry’s other films. The movie was well cast (you can’t go wrong with Sanaa Lathan and Kathy Bates!), and the writing was smart, clever and heartwarming. There were some great plot twists – which is why I’m reluctant to do a full movie review.

In gist, two family matriarchs (Alfre Woodard and Kathy Bates), are the best of friends, despite their opposite backgrounds. Kathy is wealthy, and the owner of a very successful construction/building business. Her son, William, is a selfish, money grubbing adulterer – who has little regard for his mother. Alfre is a restaurant owner, with one loving daughter, and one selfish one. Both family’s stories intermingle, creating Tyler Perry’s best movie ever! (Very vague review I know, but you’ll thank me later)

It’s a must see. And best of all, it’s clean! Not one cuss word in the entire film, which is rare these days.

(The Family that Preys - Official Site)

Hawaii, Here I Come

In two more weeks - I'll be here:

Jealous?

I'm in such need of a long vacation - and Hawaii couldn't be a better spot. I don't plan on running myself ragged like I did the last time Aaron and I went there. No island hoping. No rental cars. This time, I only hope to do the following:

1. Drinking MaiTai's at the Royal Hawaiian...every night

2. Lay on Waikiki beach every single day

3. Eat fresh pineapples until I pass out.

Aloha people! I'm already in vacation mode.

One of the Saddest Days of the Year

It’s hard to believe the terrorist attacks in NY and DC happened 7 years ago! I was still in college then. So much time has passed since that day, and going to work on Sept. 11th each year still feels eerie for some reason. Traffic is unusually light, the metro lacks its normal mass of passengers, and ironically….the September sky on the 11th is always clear, bright and sunny.

We always hope that those attacks will not repeat themselves. But sadly, that is wishful thinking. It’s only inevitable in this day and time that something else will happen. When and where, we do not know. So, be careful and be safe as you go along on your day to day business. And try not to take your life, and your family’s lives for granted.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 3)

If you don’t care about being politically correct, and are not easily offended – check out It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This is one of the funniest shows on right now. It comes on FX channel and will premiere next week. The Season 3 DVD was just released yesterday, and is one of the best seasons so far – the episode “SweetD is Dating a Retarded Person” is priceless.

And remember I warned you. This is totally un-PC humor!

Celine Dion Concert @ Verizon Center

Yesterday my cousin, once again, treated my mom and I to concert tickets. I really must get her something nice for all her generosity. She invited us to see Celine Dion at Verizon Center – and, in club level seats no less!

We had an awesome time. I always thought Celine had a wonderful voice, but hearing her on the radio does not do her justice. She is major powerhouse in live venue. I was actually quite surprised that she had such a wide fan base. Verizon Center was packed with fans – from floor seats all the way to 400 level. I really love the center stage format because you basically have great seats at every vantage point. But I must admit, those club level seats are worth the money spent – you can actually see the artists faces! (you can tell I’m normally a 400-level patron).

Now I really wish I hadn't missed the opportunity to see her live show in Vegas.

(Sorry about the poor video quality and the fact that it's sideways. Dee De Dee.)

Boredom Takes a Toll

This stupid tropical storm has me trapped inside today. I’m already bored out of my mind watching movies. The OCD impulse in me figures it’s a great day to organize my closet. YAY! I’ve been sorting through a bunch of old shoes, and most of them need to be donated. Here’s a pic of a pair of cute flip flops I bought about a week ago for only $20 at Bandalino! Summer-end sales are fabulous this year. I also ordered some sale stuff from Banana Republic too. A nice dress to go with my zebra print leggings.

Thievery Corporation

I'm often teased because of my 'kooky' taste in music (some say 'kooky', I say 'eclectic'). I think you all will actually enjoy this track below. It's my current fav by Thievery Corporation called "Pela Janela". Their 'Cosmic Game' CD has a very blues/lounge sound, with a middle eastern and Spanish flare. Enjoy!

Great Inspiration

I recently bought “Design for Special Events” from Amazon.com. I highly recommend it for all graphic designers – especially if you do a lot of invitations and announcement cards. This book is great for design inspiration, as the pieces included are impeccable. Plus, fellow blogger (Sunlit-Letterpress) is featured in there as well. Her work is phenomenal. Check it out.