You're the One That I Want

And because nothing in my life is complete without a Glee reference. I also looked for the Short Cuts Ruth - Grease moment for Sonia, and Degrassi Liberty - Grease moment for Rona, but apparently my youtubing skills are not that good.

I've got chiiiilllllssss

This episode was on today. It made me so happy. That 70s Show always did the best spoofs, and who doesn't love Grease? And also, Milla Kunis is so pretty.

I'm all by myself!!!

The NB is away, the mouse will play! Vegas for new years. xx

Christmassy vid of the day

This is from Babes in Toyland and is pretty irresistible. I actually wanted the version from the 1986 film starring Drew Barrymore and Keaunu Reeves, but couldn't find it.

If you haven't seen that fim, you should. Getchoo in the spirit.

xx

Stealing Christmas

The best thing about being an assistant - an assistant to the big boss, too - is being the gatekeeper of the Christmas offerings. So far, I have pilfered:

- Box of peppermint bark

- Bouquet of flowers

- Basket, Rose's sweetened lime juice and bottle of Sour Apple Pucker schnapps

Yes, it is exactly like Devil Wears Prada, but without the designer bags / products.

Nine - Official Trailer [HD]

As mentioned, I love Marion. I also dote on Kate Hudson, even when she's in shitty movies like Raising Helen and How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days. I like Nicole Kidman, pretty much mostly. I didn't used to like Penelope Cruz, because I thought she was a home wrecker (I guess she and Nicole are friends now? Or at least frenemies?) and she kind of grates on my nerves, but I am liking her more and more. And the old ladies are awesome. What movie isn't Judie Dench in? It's like always a toss up between her and Maggie Smith. I guess ol' Judes won this one.

Fergie... just looks like a hot tranny mess. As usual.

But I am so so excited for this. Super so so excited.

I'm not sure if there is a way that this can not win an Oscar. Guessing nominations for: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Directing, Film Editing, Music (score), Music (song), Sound Editing.

Then again, it might disappoint.

Also, read this! Eek, two European thesps conversing is soups cute.

Cap ou pas cap?

Can you guess who this is?

Surprisingly, it's not McDreamy.

Here's a clue:

Yap, it's Marion and Guillaume.

I adore that these two are together. It's terribly romantic. And if you haven't seen Jeux D'enfants (Love Me If You Dare), then you are full of fail. Especially if you are a girl. And you hate love. I love Marion. I love Guillaume.

Out of point, but:

J'adore la robe, aussi.

Also, is anyone not psyched for Nine?

Esoteric Inklings

The words 'esoteric' and 'nefarious' have been floating around the office a lot this week. I know, whaaa? The only reason I even know the word esoteric is because of writing 340.

Anyway, esoteric seems to describe my ultimate Christmas wish. The other stuff is just cuckoo bananas items, business as usual. (Isn't the phrase cuckoo bananas just great? I picked it up from Degrassi a while ago and have only now resurrected it.) This Christmas List was done at the request of my darling Choops, but anyone else who wants to give me presents is welcome to. That's YOU, NB!

(Speaking of NB and presents, he did a wonderful job of getting me the microplane for our 2 year anniversary present. All the TV chefs have one, so of course, I believed that it was the only thing standing between me and great zest.)

The regular stuff first:

1. 2010 planner

I need a planner, because now that I am a grown up, I plan on 'doing drinks' and 'getting together' after 'checking my schedule' . And while the computer is all well and good, it is not as fun. I also associate it too closely with work.

Here are my requirements:

- Small-ish, and light. Must fit in my purse.

- Cute. Must not be embarrassed to take it out in public.

- Of good quality paper. Must be able to withstand personalization with highlighters and other office supplies.

- Must open to the spine (eg. spiral binding). I am left handed and if it doesn't open all the way it's realllly hard to write.

Inspiration: Here, and here, and here, and here. All are somewhat lacking.

(The picture is from Red Velvet Art - their stuff is sooo cute, especially the underpants. But no planners :( )

2. Feather skirt

I know, you are probably like errr... fashion faux pas. But I think they are so cute.

Requirements:

- A wearable colour. There is a hot pink one floating around the internet that I am not digging.

- A fun length. And by fun, I mean short. Not like teeny tiny, but you know, not matronly.

Concessions:

- This would also be acceptable in dress form, if the top of the dress is cute too.

(I am a medium, or size 12 uk, 6 us)

3. Rain boots

Granted, it rains maybe 3 days a year in LA. But boy, on those 3 days, I always wish I had Wish William's Wellingtons.

There was a pair from the Gap that I loooved a couple of years ago, navy with a pink trim. All gone now.

Requirements:

- Cute (duh)

- Not too colourful. I need to be able to wear this with whatever outfits, and probably my polkadot raincoat.

(I am a size 8 1/2 us... 39 eur... I think uk 7 1/2? I used to be 8 but my feet have been shrinking...)

Speaking of boots...

4. Motorcycle boots

So, my beloved brown Payless boots have a hole in the zip from four years of loving, a million spilt drinks and one winter of sledding (Yes, I went sledding in heels. The were wonderful ice picks). These Pradas would be an excellent replacement. (I also have my over the knee black Victoria's secret boots, but they are pretty whorish and not entirely work appropriate, and also, they make my feet feel a 19th C Chinese woman with bound feet... and a computer...)

Requirements:

- None, kind of. I mean, black or brown. Heel, or none. Knee-high or mid-calf. (Er, not ankle though. And mid-calf might look cankly, but I am open to your good taste).

5. Rolling pin

It's just one of those things that I really need but have never bought. I have been using a wine bottle (always available in my apartment) covered in clingfilm. It does the job, just not as well.

Other things that are always welcome:

Costume jewelry (or real, that's cool too), accessories (hats, scarves, gloves, over-the-knee socks, leggings, arm warmers, sunnies, umbrellas, weird hair things), clothing basics (cardigans, basic tees and tanks), kitchen things (fun cookie cutters, cook books, pie tins, weird shaped cake pans, holiday sprinkles, pretty jars for sugars and flours, cake stands).

Isn't this necklace sooo cute? From here!

And now, it's time for... the Ultimate Christmas Wish:

To be a Portland Housewife.

Let me explain. Portland housewives don't have to be from Portland, but they generally are, because that's where all the cool kids are from. They stay at home all day and bake and craft with their young children, then blog about it. They crochet and make cute stuffed animals out of felt and play dress up and have herb gardens. They shop at farmer's markets. They buy handmade. They go thrifting. They loiter around Etsy.

My first experience with the Portland Housewife was Amy Karol, and I believe she is actually a Portland Housewife. Then the Bluebird Vintage girl, who has a child and is crafty cool so qualifies, then the Red Velvet Girls and now I am just swamped with blogs to envy and projects to wish I was doing.

Anyway, seeing as I actually like my job (other than the whole waking up and having to work thing), and really only want to dabble in Portland Housewivery for now (although, in 5 years, I will be all over that shizz), I would like to craft more.

So what I need for that is: Patterns. A sewing machine. Books. Someone to teach me to knit. Someone to teach me to crochet. Cool wools. Cool fabrics. Needles. Buttons. Stamps. Inks. Funny-shaped hole punchers. Ribbons. Cute papers. A wicker basket to keep them all in.

Any contributions would be welcome.

HOW CUTE ARE THESE BOOTS?

In the famous words of xmas years past, Peace Love The Gap.

xx

86 the rules

This is why you shouldn't always fast forward the ads on the DVR.

Olivander Padfoot

Meet the puppy!

This is Ollie's bed. He likes to pee in it.

This is Ollie's friend Luna. They aren't really friends, Ollie growled at her a lot. He laugh's in the face of danger - Luna is part Husky (and part Cayote, if you believe the fools in my 'hood...)

Ollie spends a lot of time asleep on the couch. So he fits in pretty well with our house.

Ollie's bear. Used to be Luna's bear for when she came to visit. He likes to bite bear's nose.

Prezzies for Ollie!

1. Snowman chew toy. Screams when squeezed.

2. Chew stick. Ollie has smelly breath, the lady at the shop told me this would help.

3. Mini harness. For when Ollie wants to go rappeling. J/K, he's just too little for his collar.

4. Dinosaur butt chew toy. Could not afford head.

The best thing about Hollywood is that there are a million couture dog shops.

Kid From Glee Totally Wearing Twilight Shirt

Look out towards the end of the vid. Uh, Forks Spartans? Don't pretend like you didn't get that in a swag bag.

Also, I looove that his house sucks. That's the realilty of Hollywood. Your house sucks until you marry up.

<3

Spot on?

Aaron Karo's Ruminations:

-Recently I’ve been running into a perplexing breed – girls still dating their boyfriends from college. You know how this generally works: they’ve been dating on again off again since sophomore year, he cheated on her, she takes him back, they took some time off after graduation but now they’re back together because she can’t be alone, it’ll never work out long-term but it’s convenient for now, blah, blah, blah. Ladies, guys, it’s time to move on – free up some ass for the rest of us.

-Another strain of female I have learned to be wary of is the girl who has no girl friends. Advantages: tends to party harder than your standard chick, more likely to let you spend time doing guy things (i.e. playing video games and watching PTI on ESPN). Disadvantages: doesn’t bring out other hot chicks for your friends, more likely to be surrounded by dudes at all times. Conclusion: definitely a keeper, just watch out for that old college boyfriend of hers.

Crutchfield Electronics

Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Here is an update on my life through iPhone pictures:

My first peppermint mocha of the season. Nom nom nom.

Also, 99c Advent Calendars from Trader Joes! Whee!

(I don't know why it comes up sideways. It's fine on my computer. Stupid)

Here is my HouseElf, aka NB, leaving photos of himself on my phone.

Having a HouseElf is useful because they do things like:

Laundry/Making the bed

(Uh, yes, my room is a hot mess)

Putting up pictures on wall.

As you can see, my HouseElf is not trained in uncrookeding pictures, so he artfully decided to stagger them.

He also does dishes and bathrooms.

The End.

Happy Songs

Remember this? Awww. Watched Juno with NB again last night. I forgot how amazing Ellen Page is.

Incidentally, do you remember this part:

Juno?
No it's Morgan Freeman, got any bones that need collecting?

I always thought that was hilarious, so it just about broke my heart when I discovered that Morgan Freeman wasn't in the bone collector!! It was Denzel, y'all!

Turkeys go in and (apple) pies come out.

Let me start this by saying that my pies were not inedible. But they were not awesome. Sad face. Why yes, that is a sense of foreboding you are getting.

I got the bright idea (no sarcasm, it really is a good idea) from some blog or site to use turkey leftovers to make turkey pot pie. Nom nom nom.

I found these adorable little disposable pot pie pots, so I could make individual servings and bring a couple to work for the boys that drive me around (long story resulting in no car this week) and feed the roommies. And I used kind of a hodge-podge of recipes, because I figured it was a left over pie, you don't need to follow rules!

What I did (makes 6):

The innards:

Made turkey stock with my carcass, 2 onions, a bag of carrots and a bunch of celery. Also added thyme, oregano, salt n pepper.

Made a roux with 2 tbsp of butter and 3 tbsp flour. Added some roasted garlic, courtesy of thxgiving*. Added 3 cups of stock, with as many carrots as I could gather and as few celery bits as I could (I don't like the idea of celery in my pie. Peas and carrots only please). 1 cup of milk. Seasoned. Added 7 chopped up white potatoes. A cup of frozen peas. 2 cups of chopped up left-over white meat turkey. Simmer until potatoes are tender.

I found that the sauce was too thin so I took all the bits out after and reduced the sauce til it was thicker.

The Outards:

I had a big debate with myself whether to make a regular pie crust or use pre-made puff pastry. Puff pastry won. There's just something so enticing about a puff pastry top. I used one package of puff pastry, but then I threw away one sixth of it because I didn't flour the board the first time and then it stuck to everything and was a giant faily fail. Laziness really kills. I then had to streetch my other pastry out to make it fit 6 pies.

Got the pie crust in, tried to distribute the insides as evenly as possible, covered them up. Dabbed some eggwash (one beaten egg) on each top. Baked for 25 min at 350F.

Here are my results:

I know. Pretty failyfail. Especially when all viewed together. I was a little embarrassed about bringing them to work to give to people, but then I remembered they are boys and thus not picky.

Ah well, learn from my mistakes...

Lessons learned:

- NEVER STRETCH PUFF PASTRY - it shrivels back to size, or doesn't rise and is just generally depressing. It also gets holes in it really easily and then the sauce gets under the pastry and then the pastry shell is all goopey. So use flour aplenty to stop it from sticking and getting thrown away. I would also advise cutting the dough before rolling - a pack of puff pastry usually comes in 2 sheets which are folded in 3, which is pretty perfect. Cut each strip into 2 (one side slightly bigger than the other) and use the bigger for a base and the smaller for the lid. Roll the bigger one so that it is about 3/4 of an inch more in radius for the rim of the pie. Throw it in the pie tin as a square, fit it properly (without STRETCHING!) and then trim whatever falls over the edge.

- I believe you are also meant to cut a little slit in the top to let the steam out.

- Use a brush to do the egg wash. I used my fingers, and it was not even, so my pies were not beautiful and brown and shiny, they were just even more sad.

- For the insides, the biggest piece of advice I can give: cut the carrots and potatoes up, steam all the things separately and put them in the shells, then add the sauce. Why? Well. To ensure perfect cooking of each element. My peas were kind of an olive green by the time all the potatoes were cooked, and my carrots were not so vibrant. My turkey was also kind of dry by the time it had stewed... This also ensures that you get the desired amount of each food, not say one piece of turkey and 9 potatoes.

- Chopping: It really helps to cut things pretty small here. I am a lazy and there were giant chunks of potato and turkey and carrots... which was fine, but would have been better small.

- Aluminum pots are not so great to bring to offices that only have microwaves, because then you have to take the pie out and put it on a paper plate and then the crust gets even soggier.

Back pats:

+ The stock: My soups are generally delicious, and this was no different. Although one roommate has voiced complaint that even our bathroom smells like turkey now.

+ The potato: Using a waxy variety is a good plan because then it doesn't disintegrate in the sauce.

So. Go forth and prosper, children.

In other news, I slept with wet hair and am now experiencing a truly horrible hair day that even a hat couldn't fix. My bangs look like a mullet.

* I have noticed a lot of faux-hip mom-aged peeps throwing this little gem around the emails. They think they are sooo with-it.