Sunday, February 28, 2010

a list of some favorites

For some reason my brain just feels completely dead right now. I am entirely drained of anything worthwhile to say, but I really wanted to post some sort of something, so here is a list of various people/places/things that I would label as favorites of mine.

  • My friends Sara and Katie. They are two wonderful humans with whom I spent literally every waking moment all this weekend. They're pretty great. Love you hoes.
  • THIS : I have watched this video more times than I would like to admit, but if features three of my favorite people in the whole world (Sutton Foster, Susan Blackwell, and GROFF of course) It's kind of perfect. Susan licks Jonathan's face and then says that taking a carriage ride in central park with him has been like being a Make-A-Wish kid without the pesky terminal illness. I love it because I find both of those to be fully acceptable.
  • pink nail polish. It just perks up my hands!
  • sweatpants. the most beautiful invention ever. Lately all I want to do is lay around in them. Clearly, college is getting to me.
  • New York City. You are beautiful and my favorite place on Earth. See you in two weeks. Much love, Tess.
  • My Persuasive Writing project on Blood Donor Discrimination. It's gonna be bamf.
  • And on that note, equality for ALL is my favorite <3>
  • GLEEEEEEEEEEE. It's still about a month and a half away, but I'm getting more and more excited by the minute. Besides the joy of just having my wonderful little show back, Groffy is going to be on my tv (and romancing Lea, no less!)...I am not going to be able to handle it.
  • Twizzlers. I'd love some right now.
  • Sleeping is one of my favorite hobbies, and that is what I am about to do right now. Farewell.


this was pointless. whatever, I'll try and write something worthwhile soonish.
listfully yours,
xoxo tess

Friday, February 26, 2010

a list about Spring Awakening

So I saw Spring Awakening at the Bushnell in Hartford last night and, of course, it was incredible. I was genuinely blown away, I thought it was one of the very best productions of the show that I've seen, and of course getting to see my beloved Andy Mientus didn't hurt. This post isn't really going to be about my (amazing) experience last night, though, because it's not like my love for Spring Awakening is any new thing. I have been a raging SA fangirl, a "Guilty One" if you will, for years now, and here are some reasons why.

  • The score is so breathtaking. Maybe the dark, moody themes aren't your thing, or the rock musical style just doesn't suit your tastes, but anyone who could listen to the score of Spring Awakening and find it to be anything less than gorgeous has a serious problem.
  • I love musical theater A LOT, and I have loads of favorites, but Spring Awakening just really strikes me in a way that nothing ever has before. I don't know why exactly, but I guess it probably has a lot to do with the fact that it arrived on Broadway when I was in the perfect demographic for it.
  • I am obsessed with Jonathan Groff (the original Broadway Melchior) . He is adorable and an amazingly gifted performer. Not only do I love his voice, but even more than that I love the passion and energy that he sings with. You can always see the emotions of the song right on his face and it's usually heartbreaking. Also did I mention that he is adorable? OHMYGOD. like, really, and it's not even a crush, I'm just completely in love with him. I know that he's gay, and that's totally fine. (also OMG he and Gavin Creel dating is probably the best thing that could ever occur. gay Broadway power couple, yesss) I just. ugh, I can't even put his preciousness into words. He is also flawlessly sweet. I've met him and he was absolutely perfect, and anyone else who has met him says the same thing. He is so incredibly nice! Just a genuinely nice person that makes you feel like you are the only person in the room whenever he is talking to you. (to paraphrase his "Taking Woodstock" costar Demitri Martin, who hit the nail right on the head) He is too lovely, and I am going to make this statement right now: when the new episodes of Glee with Jon as a costar premiere everyone and their mother is going to fall in love with him. Guaranteed. But I loved him first.
  • Lea Michele has the voice of an angel. Like, it's not even human. But her acting often left something to be desired...and some of the Wendla's that followed her were actually better...like the girl I saw last night. She was fantastic. It kind of pains me to say it because I looove me some Lea, and I am not at all about to jump on the "hate on Lea now that she's becoming a mainstream success" bandwagon that a lot of other Broadway fans are. I adore Lea and she will always be Wendla in my heart (I am a huge OBC purist) buttt, Christy is really great too. (and so was Krysta Rodriguez. REALLY GOOD. maybe the best. okay there, I said it)
  • And also on that note, Krysta Rodriguez (who was an Original swing, and understudied all the female parts SUPERBLY) is one of my favorite people ever. I saw her in A Chorus Line and almost peed in my pants. She is so fantastic, and I can't wait to see her Wednesday Addams when The Addams Family opens on Broadway.
  • It just moves me. I am not feel particularly eloquent right now and so I don't have anything else to say really.
  • The music isn't typical showtune-style by any means. As a huge broadway fan, I have no problem with showtunes, but for then many, many people who do not like the campy nature of the genre, Spring Awakening offers a change. It's indie rock. Really. A classic play set to indie rock music. And it's fantastic.
  • Steffi D, who was apparently a runner up on Canadian Idol played Ilse in the production I saw last night and she was beyond incredible. God does she have a powerful voice. I really liked her haircut too, she's gorgeous.
  • HANSCHEN HANSCHEN HANSCHEN. He is my favorite character in the entire play, so I have a strong opinion on every actor that has ever taken on the role, and as much as I adore the original, Jonny B Wright, I am OBSESSED with Andy Mientus. He's so so so so good. He just GETS Hanschen. And what a voice! He's just so powerful on stage and I love him. He is also really freakin' cute and very nice :)
  • Also. the. vineyard. scene. Gahhhhhhhhhhh
  • Because rape was never this hot! Kidding, kidding.
  • No one ever told me that Jake Epstein (the kid from Degrassi) was megatalented and really really wonderful. He is, though.
  • "Melchi Gabor...he's such a RADICAL!" best line ever.
  • also, "And so you should" is the best reply when someone says they love you as
  • Because My Junk describes the feeling of having a crush better than anything else I have encountered. And because Hanschen jerks of on stage during it. Rhythmically.
  • Yes, it is melodramatic and dark, but HELLO, so is being 14. Anyone who thinks that this shows macabre view on puberty is over the top clearly has forgotten what their own sexual awakening felt like. Or maybe they haven't had it yet?
  • Those You've Known kills me. Killlllssss meeeee.
  • All shall know the wonder of purple summer <3>

There is a very good chance that none of this will make sense to anyone, let alone anyone who isn't an SA fan, but oh well, I'm too lazy to reread it.

listfully yours,
xoxo tess

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

a list that is really two lists

Hello.

I am excited about:
  • The Ladies Figure Skating short program tonight. I geek out over skating so bad, it's just so amazing and beautiful to watch. I always end up really jealous of how wonderful they are and complaining that my mother never cared enough to put me in ice skating lessons, because if she had I would clearly be competing that the Olympic level now.
  • Melissa and I are going to see Spring Awakening at the Bushnell Center in Hartford on Thursday! I am soooo incredibly excited for this. I love this play so much, and GOD do I adore the music, and I'm thrilled to have the privilege of seeing it live.
  • Creative Writing was awesome today. Everyone actually was getting along and laughing and learning from each other the way I have been wishing we would all semester. I don't know what it was, but something just felt different today, like everyone was being more open, and I really hope that it stays this way.
  • When I finish posting this I'm going to go take a walk to return the movies I rented the other day. Sort of a weird thing to be excited about, but I have the strangest love for taking long walks by myself. It's something that I've always liked, I need time to myself to just kinda be alone with my thoughts or whatever other cheesy cliche you want to apply to it, but it is something I've done a lot more since I've been in college. I get like a physical need to just get up and go off somewhere on my own for a while. I'll probably end up getting mugged or something someday, and that will ruin it, but until then I will be going along my merry way taking lots of solitary treks around the city.
  • Watching the Oscars at home with Alyssa! this is kinda far off still, but I can't wait.
Some things that I am annoyed about:
  • Math homework. Yeeaah, about that.
  • Feeling overly attached to someone that you don't really want to have anything to do with anymore. This has been a problem in my life for awhile now, and it's getting old, but for some reason, I guess because I'm a silly teen girl, or probably for more serious, mature reasons that I don't like to dwell on, I can't quite beak the ties.
  • I can't find my nail polish remover (STILL! after a week) and it's killing me slowly.
  • Complainers. I guess I'm complaining right now by including a list of things that are annoying me as a part of this blog post, but whatever, at least I'm not droning on and on about my stupid issues to anyone and everyone who should have the misfortune of having to listen. *
  • Anyone who thinks it is appropriate to own 10 pairs of the same Victoria's Secret yoga pants. Like, what is that?**
*yes, I am a bitch. I know. Whatever.
**Speaking of Victoria's Secret, did you know that every night when they close up their stores the employees have to literally cut up into pieces with scissors any item that is considered "damaged," which can be anything from having one bead missing on a bra, to a scratch on a bottle of lotion, or a pen mark on a tshirt. I mean, they really just cut this perfectly good stuff up into tiny pieces and then throw it away. Does this happen at other retail stores? Was I the only one who didn't know about? A friend who works at a VS store mentioned this in passing the other day and I was horrified. That's such a ridiculous waste. Couldn't they sell it for a reduced price, or even better, donate the items to people who need them? Something. I don't know, maybe I'm being silly but that just really seemd so strange to me. They literally pay girls to sit in the back room and squeeze all of the lotion out of a bottle before throwing it away so that no one will be able to steal the lotion out of the trash once it's thrown away. We can't let hobo's have some freakin' Love Spell body cream? Ugh. Weird.

have a lovely evening kiddos. byebyebyeeee
(nsync referenence unintended but appreciated.)

listfully yours,
xoxo tess

Monday, February 22, 2010

a list of reasons why my math class is awesome

It's only 11 in the morning and I have already had a very eventful day. Katie and I had our "Math for Liberal Arts" (aka Math for People Who Can't Do Math) class at eight thirty this morning. Before the semester started I had been nervous about this class because A) I function at the level of about an eight year old when it comes to all things related to numbers, and B) Eight thirty in the AM seemed WAY too early to even attempt something as puzzling arithmetic, but I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that this class is a complete and utter joke. Really, someone should be filming the things that go on in that room, it could be sold off to become reality TV gold. Today's events were particularly ridiculous.

  • Our professor started off the class by interrogating a student about why he had not been to class in a few weeks...when he actually HAD been in class. The student was one of only two boys in this class, and a senior who only needs to pass this one class to graduate. His name is Bill, and because Katie and I are incredibly mature, we are somewhat obsessed with him. Not in a like crush-y type way, but because Professor Yoshi (not exactly his real name, but more appropriate) has clearly deemed Bill to be his favorite, and the two have countless amusing exchanges. Today's debate over whether or not Bill had been at the past several classes went on for quite a few minutes and left us openly laughing and on the road to being fully unable to do any type of math work.
  • Next came the word problems. I won't go into any detail about what kind of math we were doing because I don't really know what it is we were doing, and anyway it's stupid and can barely be called math. But these words problems were outstanding. Our book was published very recently and it has lots of modern pop culture references, I guess to get student's more interested in the material. (It fails on that effort, but does serve to make us laugh quite a bit.) One problem was about how many children had seen certain movies, The Lion King, Shrek, and Finding Nemo. The data in the book said that only 2 out of 53 children had seen all of these movies which is completely preposterous. This sent me off on a tangent about how I would eat my own hand if anyone could produce for me a group of 51 American children that had not seen these movies. Ridiculous.
  • Another word problem talked about what kind of drinks people at a frat party liked. Dead serious...this book is something else. Once I read that one of the choices was Boone's Farm Apple Wine I could simply not go on with the work for various reasons, the largest of which being Joseph Birdsong's (youtube.com/disneykid1) recent obsession with regularly consuming very large amounts of the wonderfully disgusting excuse for wine that Boone's is. Being an obsessive DK1/5awesomegays fan, I had to immediately send Joe at @reply on twitter informing him of my discovery. Fingers crossed that he'll see it and reply. I'd probably pee in my pants.
  • No one is learning anything. Like, not possible.
  • Homophobia, racism, and whores are just a few of the topics Yoshi covered today.
  • "If you go to party and someone asks you what the value of zero is, you will be able to tell them." -Professor Yosh. THANK GOD!
  • He asks of "did you succeed?" when he wants the answer to the problem, meaning I am marked as a failure every time I shake my head, no, I did not succeed because I have been doodling in the margin the entire time we were meant to be working.
  • Bill, of the needing this credit to graduate and being accused of missing weeks worth of class, left the room midway through the class and did not return for about ten minutes. A girl who sits near him in the back of the room left just after he did, returned just after he did. I mean...I'm not suggesting anything per say, but we have our theories. She did look particularly redfaced and rumpled when she got back...I'm just sayin'. SCANDAL! loves it!
  • A problem involving country music stated that all country music revolves around one or more of three themes: Love, prison, and pickup trucks. Ahh, don't you just love a good politically incorrect stereotype in the morning?
That's all I have for right now. I need to do all the homework I didn't do this weekend before my Persuasive Writing class at two thirty. I also need to watch this video ---as many times as humanly possible. (you should probably watch it too.)

Oh, also, Katie and I have been spending a lot of time to planning out our dorm room situation for next year. Along with dedicating an entire closet to booze (classaay!) we will most certainly have this amazing poster on our wall. It changes from one image to another! Gagalicious.

I am also really hungry. I wish I could walk to Chipotle, because I was craving it all weekend, but alas I think due to time (and budget) constraints the caf salad bar will have to do.

listfully yours,
xoxo tess

a list of ways to waste a perfectly good sunday

I woke up early this morning, well, early for a Sunday, and had so much hope for the day...
and then I sat in bed watching old 5awesomegays videos for a good two hours and suddenly it was almost noon. After a groggy brunch with Katie I returned to my cave and made a detailed To-do list for my day. The fact that I only accomplished one item on the list should be ignored for the sake of my dignity. Ugh. I am an embarrassment.

  • I gave so many hours of my life to watching the Kardashian family on television today that it should actually be a criminal offense.
  • I ate three huge bowls of Special K for dinner, fully aware of the fact that the "special K diet" is not effective when you are eating about eight times the recommended portion.
  • I glanced at my Persuasive Writing homework, pondered doing it, and then moaned dramatically, dropped the books onto the floor and curled up under my comforter.
  • Finished off the bag of Cool Ranch Doritos that my sister and I bought when she slept over at school the other day. Felt gross. Drank a lot of diet coke. Still felt gross.
  • Spent way too much time facebook creeping like a pro. What else is effing new?
  • Skyped with some cuties. That was the only time of my day that was well spent.
  • I read through entirely too many of those 25 greatest/worst/craziest/dumbest etc. countdowns on the Entertainment Weekly website. As much as I love those things I am well aware of how much time they merit in any given day, and I over did it.
  • Didn't go to the gym.
  • Didn't dye my hair.
  • Couldn't even be bothered to repaint my toe nails. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?
  • Basically I felt useless and gross and lazy all day and I hate it. And I feel like this is becoming something of a pattern in my life, which is not going to work. I need to change things up...I say that a lot but it needs to actually be true one of these days. Is this a college thing or is it just me?
  • I also watched Ice Dancing. That was fun but Tanith Belbin is too skinny and pretty. It hurt my soul today.

Yuck. Welp, I am cleansing myself of this day and going to sleep. Tomorrow will be better.

I hope you made better use of your day today than I did.

listfully yours,
xoxo tess

Sunday, February 14, 2010

a list about Valentine's Day

Before I get into my Valentine's Day blog I just wanted to tie up some loose ends from last post...so...I didn't do so great with my list of goals for Thursday, but it's all right, because today is the beginning of a brand new PRODUCTIVE week! I hope!

  • I don't have a Valentine, and I don't mind? I feel like I should but I just...don't. That's not to say that I would be against having some sort of significant other, quite the opposite, really, but I'm not desperately seeking one either. I'm just having fun being me right now. And I had an awesome weekend.
  • I did eat 3 Reeses Hearts today though. Which is like 500 calories in peanut butter cups alone...so gross, and yet so, so, so delicious. I'm thoroughly disgusted with myself, but don't regret the decision.
  • I have been listening to Adam Lambert allllll day. I know that he is not everyone's cup of tea but I LOVE him. Love him, love him, love him. And his album is good. Like, really really good. I'm obsessed with it. (I also just bought Allison Iraheta's cd--loving it!) But really, I am genuinely, and deeply in love with this man. I know he's gay, but HA like that has stopped me before. I'm just completely fascinated and enthralled by everything about him. It's a little ridiculous. Oh, Glammy.
  • My sister and I watched the Princess Diaries tonight :) Probably one of my all time favorite movies. Fact. And that says A LOT coming from someone who is so deeply in love with that book series, but I just think Anne Hathaway made the most perfect possible Mia, who is one of my favorite fictional heroines. I adore her (and Anne!). And Julie Andrews!! Ah, you can't go wrong there! "Why me?" "Because you saw me when I was invisible." AHHH, GETS ME EVERY TIME <3
  • As predicted, I'm excited to get back to school tomorrow. It's not that I'm sick of being home though, not at all, actually, but I have a lot of homework to do and I can't really get anything done here. Plus I miss my fraaanss.
  • I rewatched the film Little Children last night at like 2 in the morning because I couldn't fall asleep. I will never be able to comprehend how Kate Winslet did not win the Oscar for that performance. It is so, so incredible. It's definitely a very disturbing movie, I could never call it a "favorite," but it is so masterfully created, and there is something grotesquely beautiful about the whole thing. I really admire it as a piece of art. And again, Kate is so phenomenal in it. LOVE HER.
  • Apparently this blog post is just going to be me spewing about various people that I love. Oh well, it is Valentine's Day after all.
  • Hung out with my best friends this weekend. <3>
  • My kitty is curled up at my feet as I write this. Aw. He's my real Valentine. (yes...I realize how sad and pathetic that statement is.)
  • As I sit here trying to think about what to write I'm realizing how very little I actually did this weekend, and I'm really okay with that, and really happy with myself for being okay with it haha.
  • I think I'm going to watch some LOST now and then call it a night. Happy!

I hope everyone had a great V-day, and if you didn't I hope you are happy to know that you don't have to think about it again for a whole year.

Currently listening to: (I'm trying to make this a regular inclusion) If I Had You- Adam Lambert

listfully yours,

xoxo tess


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

a list of ways I intend to make tomorrow productive

I spent most of today curled under my covers alternately watching episode after episode of LOST and napping, and as enjoyable as it was, it's left me feeling utterly lazy and useless as I wind down to go to bed for the night (isn't it weird to get in bed to go to sleep when you've basically been in bed all day? it always weirds me out) In order to snap myself out of this lethargic funk, I am planning on tomorrow being a very productive day for myself. This is a risky thing to do, since I will feel like even more of a disgusting excuse for a human if I do not succeed in being useful tomorrow, but it's a risk I am willing to take. Here's my Thursday plan:

  • Wake up at eight thirty. Well, actually I just want my alarm to wake me up at eight thirty, and then I will proceed to laze around until about nine, at which point I will get up.
  • GO TO THE GYM. I am vile and nasty and should move into the gym. If I had an readers, I would ask them to leave rude comments that will motivate me to work out more but... I guess that's not gonna work.
  • Eat breakfast. This should happen around ten thirty AM.
  • Go back to the room, shower, get my computer and my book, notebook & folder for Creative Writing.
  • Head to the library.
  • Hide out in my little sneaky nook and glare sinisterly at anyone who dares to try and sit near me. (this portion of the plan is optional, but I'd like to carry it out.)
  • Finish my Bertuccis application and send it out. I don't even want to work there at all, I've had my fill of being a restaurant employee, but I'm brrrroke and any job is better than none.
  • Do my Creative Writing homework. I have to write two more poems. Mehhhh
  • Go to Creative Writing. Be witty and charming and say smart things.
  • Dinner. Yumz. Use someone's phone to call my mommy. (/find payphone earlier in the day?)
  • Back to the room, LAUNDRY TIME. yucky, but necessary.
  • Check up on youtube for Joe and Hayley's Thursday videos.
  • NBC comedy Thursdays! Yay! I don't know who's going out tomorrow night and who isn't at this point, but regardless, I'm staying in. I've been really tired lately, and I really just want to focus on laying low and getting all my work done for school. (plus I kind of get the feeling I've been uninvited...how tragic ;) )
  • Read for history!
  • Bed at a reasonable hour...okay probably after some LOST, so maybe not hat reasonable but we'll see.

I promise to report back on the success to failure ratio of my day.

Good luck with any Thursday plans of your own!

listfully yours,
xo tess

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

a list of sleepy time thoughts

I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so tired. This will be short, but I wanted to post something.

  • I lost my phone today. It sucks a lot and I'm pretty upset about it. Ugh, whatever...
  • They served mini egg rolls at dinner. Delish.
  • Spin class was really awesome today, I definitely felt like I got a great work out, although I wasn't loving the music choice. Kinda loaded with downers, and there was a noticeable and unacceptable lack of Gaga.
  • I repainted my nails in the same shade today because it was all sloppy looking. The color is "Absolutely Alice" from the OPI collection inspired by the new Alice in Wonderland movie. Which I am SUPER excited for!
  • My LOST watching has slowed the reading kick that I was on, but I did read a bit this afternoon, and I'm almost done with The Best of Everything, which I'm really enjoying.
  • I had god awful cramps for the majority of today. Sometimes it really blows to be a girl.
  • I am wearing yellow polka dot boxers.
  • I miss my cat.
  • I'm getting more and more eager to get home.
  • I really really really hope I find my phone tomorrow.
  • I am literally about to pass out so I apologize wholeheartedly for being so boring and promise to be much better next time!! <3
Current music: "Left Behind" - Spring Awakening Original Broadway Cast Recording

listfully yours,
xo tess

Monday, February 8, 2010

a list of women I admire

These are some chicks that I like a lot.

  • Kate Winslet
Kate is beautiful and wonderful and talented and just...I have the biggest girl crush on her, I can't possibly deny it. I've loved her ever since I saw Titanic for the first time on my sixth birthday. I just think she's the most charming, sensational actress I've ever seen, as well as appearing to be a just generally fantastic human being. I love her for having been an ugly duckling who blossomed into a gorgeous and universally acclaimed actress, and for being confidently herself, not some stick thin, bleached, botoxed Hollywood mess. She's naturally beautiful and such an amazing actor and woman. I could go on and on, I just think she is fantastic!

  • J.K. Rowling
    There are no words to fully describe my love and adoration for this woman. Jo has given me the gift of Harry Potter, and for that I will always feel unbelievably indebted to her. I can not even begin to imagine my life without the HP series. I am a different person because of the beautiful world that Jo created, the stories that she shared with us, and the fandom that her books inspired. Harry Potter is a really important part of my life (I don't care one tiny bit if you think that's weird :) ) She is an amazing woman, and I admire her talent and imagination so very much.

  • Beyonce
    Beautiful, talented, classy, charming, and FIERCE. B is the total package. I just love her. I think everyone in the world should try to be a little more like Beyonce. Plus, she's married to Jay Z. That alone is admirable in my book.

  • Idina Menzel
    Idina is simply amazing. On top of being a mega talented Broadway star she is also really sweet and friendly and funny. Plus the lucky girl is married to and has an adorable baby boy with Taye Diggs (swooon.) Oh and did I mention her being a mega talented Broadway star? Did I? gahhhh, I just like to bask in the glory of her amazing singing and performing. And then on top of all that amaziness she produces quotes like this that make me think just maybe she's just a normal girl:
"Sometimes you don't know how you're going to make it through, and you need some Twizzlers."
Yes. You know it, guurl.

  • Tina Fey
    I want to be her. Like, I'm at wear her skin to my birthday party levels of creepy adoration with this woman. Is that too much? You think it's too much, right? I have been madly obsessed with her since I was about ten years old and she was just a run of the mill scrub over at SNL. Watching her rise to such huge and deserved success has been amazing, and there is no one who I have more career envy for. (Except Michael Aussiello, maybe.) Every word out of this woman's mouth and mind is perfection. AND, she's on the cover of VOGUE MAGAZINE this month. HELLO, can you say win for all the nerd girls?!?!! RIGHT?! High five?! Anyone? Okay, moving on...

  • Sylvia Plath
    Disturbed, yes, but so, so, so incredibly brilliant. I have a lot to thank this woman for, really. I don't have anything cutesy to say about Sylvia. She was talented and troubled. and I only wish she could have gotten from her own writing the same strength and courage that it's beauty gives to me.

  • Jenny Lewis
    She's just a bamf. Anyone disagree? Well, you're stupid.

  • Eleanor Roosevelt
    I have had a rather bizarre fascination with Eleanor since I was a very small child. (Did I ever mentioned that I spent the greater part of my youth completely obsessed with US History? yeah...I had a lot of friends...) She was just smart, confident, brave, and good. Just so genuinely GOOD.

  • Julia Roberts
    It would be impossible to have grown up in my house and not come away with a giant soft spot for the girl with the smile almost as big as her charm. (CORNY) My mother had me on a steady stream of all Julia's best romantic comedies before I was old enough to have any kind of opinions about love and romance beyond what I had learned in fairy tales. To me, Julia is sweet and fun and lovable, and usually a little scattered and complicated but always with the best intentions. She has become for me an extension of the many characters I have watched her play in my favorite romcom's. I'm older now and I know that she is an actress and an entirely separate entity for those fictitious women, but it doesn't change a thing. I see her on the red carpet, or in a poster for a new movie and I can't help but smile, and that means something to me.

  • Maureen Johnson
    Maureen is awesome. She writes excellent young adult novels, one of my favorite blogs, and many, many, many fantastic tweets (she is the best twitter-er. no disputes) I love her almost as much as she loves Abba.

  • Kathryn Bigelow
    Before I talk about how much of a Kathryn Bigelow fangirl I am, I want to please implore anyone who happens to see this blogpost to go out and rent The Hurt Locker because I think that it is the most important work of cinema in a very long time, on top of being of great artistic merit. It really means something, but you'll still enjoy the movie watching experience. All of that being said, I just think that Kathryn is a really awesome human. She's brilliant. She is a smart, cool, pretty lady who makes really awesome movies that I enjoy a lot such as The Weight of Water, Near Darkness, Strange Days, and obviously, the Hurt Locker. She is also kind of a mega talented visionary of a director. I liked her work a lot previous to The Hurt Locker, and all of the attention and buzz she has been getting because of this fantastic movie has only led me to see that she is even more awesome than I had realized. She is probably (fingers crossed!!) going too become the first woman to ever win an Oscar for Best Director and I will certainly cry if she does. It's just such a big moment for women in film, and as giant cinephile and nerd, I could not be happier about it.

  • My mommy. Should have listed her earlier, but I mean, it's obvious. We rarely see eye to eye (like, never) but she's a good egg. She always means well, she's generous and full of love, and I would like to be more like that.

  • Zadie Smith
    Have you heard of her? If not, go google her RIGHT NOW. Zadie is a fiercely talented young author who on top of being intimidatingly gorgeous and successful, and married to another amazing young author (Nick Laird), is also riotously cool and likable and once toured with They Might Be Giants. She wrote one of my favorite recent novels On Beauty, as well as two other excellent books (White Teeth, The Autograph Man), as well as many essays and articles. She is currently teaching fiction at NYU (read: where I need to be) and every time I think about the fact that I am not there to study under her I die a little inside. Sigh. (stop being a drama queen)

I had more women in mind to list here but now I am so wrapped up in thinking about how wonderful Zadie Smith is that I may just have to leave it at that and go read something of hers. Stupid one track mind, you can't even let me stay on task enough to finish an entry in my own blog.

listfully yours,
xoxo tess

Sunday, February 7, 2010

a list of things I just want to say today, I guess

I really just wanted to blog, but didn't have anything in particular to say, so this will just be a random blurb.

  • I watched Titanic today. Cried like a baby, so the streak of never getting through it without tears lives on. Still probably my favorite movie. It's not the best movie I've ever seen or anything, but I don't know, I just love it so much. Plus, I'm obsessed with Kate Winslet, and Leo certainly isn't so bad either.
  • I ate the grossest dinner tonight. In honor of the Super Bowl the caf was serving up morbid obesity in the form of curly fries, chicken wings, onion rings, and quesadillas. It was tasty and disgusting and I really want to pretend it never happened.
  • I did not watch on single second of the super bowl. I am happy that the Saints one though, because Reggie Bush is really hot. That's all.
  • Katie, Kelly, Elissa, Sara and I went out do dinner at The Cheesecake Factory last night and I had a very tasty grilled chicken club followed by an astonishlingly delicious piece of Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake (or something along those lines) and it was beautiful in every way, even though I felt super sized afterwords. Worth it.
  • I'm already reaaaally tired, but have some more homework to finish, so I know I won't get to sleep for quite awhile.
  • On that note, I'm looking forward to my coffee tomorrow morning. A lot.
  • I have math at eight thirty tomorrow. helllllllllll. Probably gonna take a nap right after though, so can't really complain too much.
  • I feel like I have been being really lethargic and just generally useless lately. I don't know how to explain it, but I just need to kick my life into a faster gear again, this laziness is getting obnoxious.
  • I'm going to go see Crazy Heart this weekend! Excited! :)
  • I REALLLLLLY can't wait to go home, which is kind of unusual for me.
  • I'm very very VERY excited for my trip to NYC in March. I'm seeing Wicked again, which, really is always exciting and never gets old, but it's especially awesome this time because my little sister is going to be seeing it for the first time! <3
  • I had a really cute conversation on skype today. It was so cute that I don't even mind the fact that the person involved in said conversation will almost certainly read this.
  • I'm feeling very annoyed with everything and everyone lately. I don't want it to be like that, but for the past few days it's just how I've felt.
  • Don't watch LOST. this is my advice to anyone who wants to continue to lead a productive life, and have normal social skills. If you start watching Lost, it will very quickly become the only thing in the entire world that matters. Schoolwork will seem like a distraction from watching the show, not the other way around. You'll be putting off plans with friends to watch just one (or five) more episodes. Eating, sleeping...irrelevant. All that matters is what's going on on the island. All of that being said...you should all really watch Lost. It's the best television show I've ever watched. Ever. And that says a lot coming from me. I'M OBSESSED! I just started watching last week and I'm already in the middle of season 2. It's SO good!
Try to have a decent Monday! I intend to write again tomorrow. (we'll see)
I'm gonna go watch Lost until I pass out now. byezzzz <3
listfully yours,
xo tess