happy new year y'all

shhh don't tell alex.

we are santa's elves

happy holidays ho ho ho

sour patch gum is subpar

me right now.

the good news: hbo's family tree, the bad news: merely 8 episodes

if you think you know me very well and you don't know that i am unabashedly obsessed with christopher guest, i have news for you:

you probably don't actually know me very well.

spinal tap, waiting for guffman, best in show, a mighty wind, for your consideration.  i consider these movies basic litmus tests of whether or not you have a good sense of humor.  if you like them, i probably like you.  if you don't.  well, i'm not saying i don't like you, but i'm also not saying i don't judge you harshly and think less of you for it.

so when i discovered, due to the majestic partnership between hbo and amazon prime, that christopher guest was directing/writing/acting in an original tv series, i kind of felt like somebody had told me that hogwarts and narnia were real and also every day from here on out was going to be a combo between christmas and my birthday.

of course all of this elation was tempered by the quick discovery that, despite critical praise, my new favorite television show, family tree, had been canceled after 8 episodes due to lack of viewership.

fortunately, the series coheres and concludes pretty successfully, if heart-wrenchingly early.  the chadwick family blows the bluths out of the water (this coming from a pretty diehard arrested development fan).  it's nearly enough to inspire me to take to the digital streets with a #revivefamilytree campaign, but as i'm skeptical about the viral-potential of a change.org petition for a show nobody watched (a show i would have paid so much money to watch if i'd ever once heard about it prior to it's cancellation) i suppose i'll just blog about it in hopes others can get a chance to laugh at luba and monk.  

family tree is free on amazon prime.

happy new year (OMG we're getting married in 2014)

i promise i will be back with a better post soon.  historically i have always really liked taking advantage of the new year to reflect, regroup, and reassess and i know this year will be no exception.  in the meantime, here's a bit of fun from one of my stocking stuffers: the fortune telling book for brides.

according to this knower-of-all, here's a little bit of what is in store for steve and i based on details of our proposal and our wedding plans:

if your proposal was on bended knee:  "if your husband to be got down on one knee and proposed, it is likely that you will be parents tot three or more children."

if you got engaged by trees:  "trees are symbols of life and the soul.  becoming engaged under a tree symbolizes that you and your future husband will shelter each other all your lives, and serve as a grounding influence for each other."

if your wedding is between september 1-15:  "you will be blessed with many opportunities throughout your life.  don't hesitate: reach out to them as they are offered to you.  chances you pass up may not come again."

aries / sagittarius:  "this high-octane pairing will be full of laughter and adventure."

orchids as your wedding flower:  "you and your husband will always be passionate about each other, and you will live in great luxury."

well fortune-tellers... there's a look into steve's and my future ;)  see you all in 2014!

word count: 36,443

becky's holiday guide to better-than-santa-gift-giving

this is my grandmother (and my uncle) with a twilight poster.  probably one of the most hilarious christmas memories i have.

content recycling disclaimer:  this was a post i published on my other blog last year around christmas time.

Gift-giving is one of my favorite activities.  I am pretty sure I enjoy giving gifts slightly more than receiving them.  This may sound pious and altruistic of me, but be not deceived.  Gift giving is a competitive sport, and one that I have definitely started playing to win.  Few things are more awesome than giving someone the best gift they received that year.  It says to the world, “I am caring, insightful, personal, generous, and quite possibly omniscient.”  Santa?  Who the eff is Santa?  Your gift wasn’t constructed by the slave labor of midgets, it was hand selected by moi.

Clearly nothing can make me sound as self-possessed as I do discussing gift giving.  But in honor of the season I present to you a list of tips on how to up your skillz as a gifter.  Tis the season to get gifty, and all my Christmas shopping is done before black Friday.  Come now, you can’t say you have nothing to learn.

1. No gift cards.  Christmas would not be complete without my brother’s annual rant on gift cards, and while I can’t say I relate to his theatrics, I will admit I agree with him.  Unless, of course, the gift card has been requested, or you have an EXTREMELY close relationship with the recipient, and KNOW they will welcome the shopping spree, well, a gift card isn’t the worst gift, but you’re never gonna make it to a final four gift bracket with a little snip of plastic.  At best a gift card is a weak substitute for cash, and at worst you have given someone an errand.  You have said, I didn’t know what to buy you, but I care more about how you spend my money by restricting where you can use it, than I do about giving you what you want.
2. Join private sale websites.  Private sale sites like myhabit.com (owned by amazon) and hautelook.com (owned by Nordstrom) put high quality luxury gifts into a more reasonable price range.  Yes, I know, it’s the thought that counts.  But isn’t it terribly thoughtful of you to willingly endure regular spam email so that your friends and family can have awesome Christmas gifts?  Their sales cycle in and out too so if you don’t see anything Aunt Cindy would like you can always check back the next day and get a good deal on something excellent like this.
3. Choose function over fashion.  Decorative accents or fashion accessories are dangerous territory.  There are only 2 people in the world for whom I would feel confident buying a gift with no function other than looks.  One is my boyfriend of three years (whose need for decorative objects is minimal), and the other is my sister, with whom I share an apartment.  You don’t need to start buying everyone drill bits, but making sure your gift actually DOES something will make up for any discrepancies in what is “cute.”  Odds are good your cousin isn’t going to tell you she thinks your taste is heinous.  Even if she does, she’ll probably still bust out an ugly set of luggage tags in a travel pinch more frequently than she will those hideous throw pillows you bought her.  If you MUST go decorative, stick to holiday themed objects (like tree ornaments, for example).  That way nobody will be scrambling to find those ugly earrings to wear upon your arrival, your gift will be temporarily displayed with all the other junk.
4. Ask yourself if he’d rather buy it for himself.  This question can divert all kinds of gifting missteps.  It can help prevent personal preference problems like the ones I discussed above (for example, she’d probably rather buy her own fragrance than have stinky perfume for free).  Or, perhaps you, like me, are one of the less affluent gifters on your holiday guest list.  This can put a lot of gifts off limits to ensure what you buy isn’t going to serve as junky inspiration for a shopping trip.  Don’t buy a cheap bargain fleece throw that barely covers your recipient’s legs if you know they would prefer to drop the $40 it takes to buy one of these bad boys.  Certainly if they are of the mind that a blanket is a blanket by all means go with the bargain, but if you are worried you are skimping on quality they consider necessary, go a different direction.
5. Tread lightly with DIY.  Some homemade gifts really cannot be beat.  Mrs. DC’s candied pecans, my grandma’s homemade caramels, something hand knitted, crocheted, or intricately sewn.  Others… well… hate to break it to you, pinterest, but nobody wants a mason jar full of sugar and olive oil labeled “body scrub.”  Homemade gifts are fine when the thought really is what counts.  Don’t forget that just because you made it, that doesn’t always make it thoughtful.  Be personal and think about what others genuinely would enjoy receiving, not what you would be easiest and cheapest to give.

happy december everyone!

word count:  35,770

we officially have a macbook

it rules.  in case you need proof, the obligatory photo booth photoshoot is here for your viewing pleasure.

bert and i had to try it out on my lunch break.

then i remembered photo booth had exceptional effects 

word count: 34,149

it's friday friday gotta get down on friday

why are you wondering which seat you can take?  just call shotgun like everyone else.

hello weekend!  i see you outside the window of my office there.  i can't wait to hang out with you in a few hours!

i am now residing in a preposterously humid basement with a broken ping pong table.  bert has come out of hiding twice so far, but i'm not optimistic for his psychological future.  that said, it's a really good feeling to have step one of the move complete.  steps 2 and 3 will be taking place this weekend with a uhaul for furniture and lots of cleaning products.

it is also worth noting that i am finally emotionally prepared to take the plunge and watch the third season of dowton abbey.  i caught on to the awesomeness of downton around the time PBS started airing season 2 here in the states.  naturally i binge watched the first season on netflix in 48 hours, and then immediately began scouring putlocker and sockshare for the second season.  however, when season 3 came out (in the UK that is, there was no way i was waiting until 2013), i watched the first episode and realized i could not deal with a week-long wait for the next piece of drama.  thus, i wrapped up my obsession in a neat little box, and saved it for later, allowing myself to gorge on nonstop marathons of merlin, shameless, and legend of the seeker.  

however, since i can't find easy access to deadwood on netflix or amazon prime, i think it may be time to dust off the box and find out what on earth happens before matthew crawley gets hit by a train.

yes i read spoilers.

i totally flipped to the end of every harry potter book before i finished them.

i live dangerously.

hope everyone has a spectacular weekend!

word count: 14,562

PS snape kills dumbledore.

no time to blog today

so enjoy this blog-related humor.

perhaps it will inspire you to watch party down. (aka the funniest show in the history of shows).

<3

cool alert: david parise's vintage barbie and ken photography

now that steve and i are officially going to be moving in together, it is difficult for me to describe the immensity of my decorating urges.  for now i have been able to resist buying every jamie young lamp and caitlin wilson throw pillow, but once we actually get used to the space all bets are off.

a few of my more loyal readers might remember when i walked you through my little baby collection of fine art.  well yesterday i found an artist whose work i cannot wait to add to my collection.  david parise is a photographer whose vintage barbie and ken prints are adorably humorous and wonderfully creative.

i think i'll have the willpower to wait until we actually move (we will definitely have less wall space than my current place, which means i may not have the room for additional wall art) but if we have the room for barbie and ken i am going to have some tough decision making to do. look at how many amazing shots he has:

check out david parise's portfolio and shop here!

have a lovely hump day!

do you need some chuckles?

i know i do

and because of this, here are some more amusing and topical car-related memes to try and keep us all sane (or insane) on this overwhelming friday.

have a lovely weekend!

consider this a quick hiatus from blogging

i will definitely be back with you next week.  life has just been kinda poopy.  not like please put me in your thoughts poopy, just a kind of general stress and yuck. in fact things are going to be getting really really UNpoopy soon and i will be back to tell you all about it, i promise.  in the meantime:

i'll be back soon!  love and excellence!

happy national sibling day!

in case you didn't know

steve and i have matching tee-shirts.

i had them made for us a while back for our three year anniversary.  they say: steve & becky est. 2009.

the other day we both ended up wearing them without planning it.

needless to say, it was awesome.

i love dis guy.