trial and erin

In hopes of fulfilling my goal to "Learn to knit (and not forget)," I've been working on a small project, which I might share at a later date if it turns out half decent.  I have made many forays into knitting over the years, but have lacked the patience to finish anything worthwhile.  Thanks to my aunt Keli, I am starting fresh with with some new bamboo needles and multicolored yarn (to hide inevitable mistakes).

Today Erin and I made knit cactuses.  Hooray for actually finishing a project!  In two episodes of season 1 Glee, no less.  Props to Erin, who was very patient with me even after I made 9230498 mistakes.  The cup holding the cactus is from an adorable vintage sake set that Domenico gave to me for my birthday years ago.  I think he was under the impression it was a tea set at the time, but that's okay--it's adorable.  I am watching Mad Men at the moment and Don Draper just whipped out some sake.  Of course, Don.  ALSO, Sue made a Mad Men reference during tonight's new Glee episode and I loved that and everything is connected and life is like that.

gleacup

For Christmas, Ted gave me the most adorable tea cup that he custom made through Etsy.  Can you say impressive?  I can't even handle it.  My favorite touch is that when I finished the hot chocolate he poured into it before giving it to me, Darren appeared at the bottom.  I almost spit out hot chocolate everywhere!  Ted's a keeper.

today i am thankful for...30 Rock

This past week has been rough.  Homesick, emotional, and now, sick.  Woo hoo!  Thank goodness for 30 Rock for consistently making me laugh throughout it all.  So happy I decided to start watching it the first week of school when I didn't know what to do with myself yet.  Liz Lemon is officially my spirit animal.  Also, you should Netflix Instant it ASAP.

today i am thankful for...modern family

I have finally caught up since the first three episodes.  Life is good.  (Although I wish I could have watched them with my family.  Sadface.)

And yes.  The above happened when I clicked pause last night.  Too great.

today i am thankful for...tolerant friends

When this flashed on screen after Glee, I screamed, "CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!" in the most embarrassingly loud scream I have ever experienced in my life.

And my friends here still like me.  Enough said.

keep calm and gleek out

ONE WEEK UNTIL FALL BREAK.  Exciting, right?  Well...

I have two papers due before break.  (Well, technically one, but I REALLY do NOT want to spend my Fall break thinking about Greek tragedies.  Zeus no.)

This comes out to 10-11 pages in total.  Welcome to college; I know.

Plus, I really want to see  am going to see the One Acts (student written and directed plays that are, you guessed it!  One act) on this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night because I've been doing weird things for them like making a loin cloth out of pillowcases and giving pink owl slippers snouts so they look like pigs.  I started reading two of them, and literally can not wait to see all the costumes I've been seeing everyday come to life.

I'm not one to stress out, but this is quite the situation, people.  

All I can do is listen to the newest Glee songs and dance a little at my desk as I try to get myself to write about Plato and Greek tragedies.

on my mind

I think the Facebook app "Top Words" (it calculates your most commonly used words in your status updates) sums up the contents of my brain now perfectly.

1. life - used 37 times
2. good - used 30 times
3. happy - used 30 times
4. love - used 29 times
5. yearbook - used 22 times
6. harry - used 17 times
7. glee - used 15 times
8. christmas - used 14 times
9. why - used 14 times
10. potter - used 14 times

Life is good.  Life is also confusing, frustrating, annoying, and sometimes just crazy.  But mostly it's freakin' awesome.  Especially when I get to see my Izzerton.

Good thing I realized what I wanted to do with my life before college began.  That in itself is so relieving and comforting.  I love having a distinct visualization of the goal I am working towards.

Happy Saturday!  I decided that college-wise, Saturdays are my favorite.  I love going downtown for the day. Especially when it involves...

AN AWESOME BOULANGERIE!

It had oodles of breads, desserts, pastries, and arguably my favorite thing in the world, MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO SANDWICHES!  Actually, this one had fancy olives too.  It was tres delicieux.

This is the sandwich, half eaten.

We originally set out to find Trader Joe's, but instead we found Food Front, which was pretty nice and had some of my favorite magazines (Martha Stewart Living, Dwell, Bon Appetit, etc.) including McSweeney's, which I had never seen in the flesh before.

Also, FINGER PUPPETS!

And this is just the slightly terrifying Portlandia statue on top of a building.

 Love Portland.  More and more each day.  I am enamoured with the green & DIY scene.  (Hey, I can rhyme!)

A blurry picture of me NOT in my natural habitat.  This was a trail that Siri and I used a couple of weekends ago to walk to the grocery store near campus.  TO THE GROCERY STORE, GUYS!

My favorite bench for reading and studying.  So. Green.  Just don't wear bright red tights or bees will come to say hi. (True story.)

Yearbook, I miss you so.  Is it lame that I explained the theme of the 2011 book to my friends at dinner tonight?  DON'T EVEN CARE.  I miss it.  So very thankful I have something creative to be a part of here (costume shop), or I would be so very empty.

Harry Potter references.  All day long.  Thank goodness I have friends here that tolerate it and sometimes encourage it.  

Let's just pretend the Manor House is Hogwarts, okay?

GLEE!!!!! It's on my mind 24/7 now that it is back.  Yesterday I received season 2 on DVD in the mail!  It was a delightful surprise.  Thank you, Grandma!

P.S. Amy sent me that cute crane in a lovely package.

Christmas is just around the corner!  I am extremely EXCITED.  I thouroughly enjoyed watching the Glee Christmas episode last night before I went to sleep.  Christmas songs are my drug.  I can't wait to overdose the moment it strikes midnight after Thanksgiving.  Also, the Christmas Glee episode is the happiest situation ever.

LOOK AT THE KLAINE!  Maggie and I give you full permission to watch this even though it's not Christmas song season yet.  I guarantee it will lift your spirits.


Why isn't it holiday season yet?  Also, I am literally daydreaming about winter break already.  Can you say Christmas party?

"CHRISTMAS PARTY!" says You.

first of many rainy days

Today Siri, Regina, and I went downtown to explore and (have the intent to) get some homework done in a cafe.  Well, we explored...and it was wet and cold.

After browsing Nordstrom for a while, we hurried out so that we didn't have to deal with the feelings we were having about every other thing we saw.  Next we went into Cacao, which didn't help much either.  The place was small, but filled with beautifully packaged gourmet chocolates.  I decreed that we come back and buy ourselves fancy chocolates for Valentine's Day.

We had fun looking around the shops in Pioneer Place, like J. Crew, H&M, and KATE SPADE!  Hooray!

Well.  That's me on the sidewalk.  In the rain.  In the cold, wet rain.  This desert dweller is freaking out a little.

Regina understands (she's from CA), but Siri just laughs at us in her one layer of clothes (she's from CO).  Also, she understands the necessity of Chipotle.  Yum!

Being the mature college students we are, we stopped in Finnegan's Toys.

WOO HOO COLLEGE!!!

When we were turning the corner, a wonderful thing occurred.  There on my left was a window that said CRAFTY WONDERLAND.  I skipped a little and squealed in excitement because I have read about this place (Blogz, you guyz. Read them).  I WAS SO HAPPY!  When I went inside, I was not disappointed in the least.

Everything was handcrafted by local artists.  Wonderland, indeed!  I even purchased two adorable Christmas gifts.  Yeah, you better believe I'm already thinking about Christmas.  In this cold weather, you can't blame me!  Also, SO PSYCHED for their Holiday Sale at the Oregon Convention Center!  YESSSS!!!!!

Not too far away, I spotted a store called Button Emporium and Ribbonry.  I flipped out!  Unfortunately it was closed.  Sad news.  However, I did spot a vintage shop called Living Thread Vintage, which was small, but crammed with goodies.  Most of the pieces weren't really my style, because I tend to prefer brighter colors to darker ones, but perhaps that was just because it was the Fall stock.

For a "study" session, we walked to Coffeehouse Northwest which Regina and I had actually passed a couple weeks ago (geez, time goes so fast here) and took a picture of!  It was a great place to hang out, especially because they played the entire Graceland album.

Siri's cappuccino was beautiful.  She even let me have a spoonful of the foam on top!  Now THAT'S a friend.  While at the cafe, we only finished an article from our Greek tragedy book for Theatre & Society.  Thankfully when we got home tonight we read one of the plays out loud to each other, so yes--today was productive!

Now I am going to get ready for bed, read, and anxiously await Tuesday for GLEEEEEEEE!

moving here in 30 hours

This past couple of weeks have made me feel quite emotional, sentimental, and all those other "al"s associated with moving away from everything you've ever known ("Magical" being just another).  I'm extremely excited, but slightly upset that I have decided to leave such a wonderful group of family and friends, even though I know I would be even more upset if I wasn't following my dream to live in a new city.  And then I remind myself it's only for a portion of the year, and I will be back plenty.  Plus, I need some good new stories to tell anyway!

Nevertheless, I have turned to extensive reading as a coping mechanism.  After finishing The Help, I have started reading Bossypants, Tina Fey's autobiography, which is a great book for me right now because it is hilarious and reminds me things like, Successful People Take Chances!  Successful People Moved From Their Hometowns To Pursue Their Careers!  For some reason, this is wildly comforting.  I am also resuming One Day, which I was openly cheating on The Help with before I finished it on Friday prior to seeing the movie (which I quite enjoyed along with approximately 25 other gray-haired ladies including Dahlya.  They repeated lines as they hysterically laughed and clapped inspirationally).

Between goodbye(for now)s, the craziest finale of The Glee Project imaginable (Rachel and I went NUTS while Erin probably questioned why she was friends with such freaks), copious episodes of House Hunters International with my parents (my dad is addicted) and without, and Glee jam sessions/forced cuddle sessions with Izzy (I refuse to leave that poor dog alone), I am doing my best to remain as normal as possible in these last days (now hours, eek!) before my Big Adventure begins.

Until then!  Xoxo

betty draper

betty draper by kayliemarissahatos featuring pearl jewelry

summer anecdote #3

(picture)

Babysat some cool kiddos.  We listened to the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack on loop.  Let me tell you, I have been subjected to listen to several things on repeat in my many years of babysitting, but this was my favorite by far!  It went perfectly with the unusually cloudy weather.

Decided to go to the library for the second time in a day.  Why do I need to be reminded that such magic as a public library exists?  Oh well; this happens every summer.

Drove home with the Spring Awakening soundtrack blasting.  I felt so content!  Don't you love moments like that?

Got home.  Started reading A Streetcar Named Desire.  Closed my eyes to picture the scene.  Fell asleep for over an hour.  THAT'S HOW I ROLL.

Woke up, made a tomato, mozzarella, and basil panini.  I literally eat tomato, mozzarella, and basil in some form every day.  Mostly sandwich.  Sometimes pasta.  Just add some carbs and I'm the happiest camper you ever saw.  Don't worry about it...

Decided to make cupcakes while watching Coupling on Netflix Instant (think a British version of How I Met Your Mother minus the meeting your mother part and more inappropriate--It's pretty hilarious).  We didn't have any milk, so I had to use soy milk.  They turned out alright, so I'm thinking I should go all vegan next time?  Okay!

Watched Pretty Little Liars/blogged with Melanie.  I couldn't stop laughing hysterically during this part where the "yearbook staff" was working on the "yearbook" with REAL PHOTOGRAPHS.  They were literally sorting through them saying things like, "Put that one over there with the other Drama Club pictures."  What?  Computers...exist.  I lost it.  And fell over.

Laughed just as much the second time I watched it later at Dahlya's with Erin, Melanie (again. We're cool), and the gang.  To add to my binge of cupcake frosting and cupcakes, I ate two cake pops.  I was so hyper...  Whoops.

summer television

Summer television gets pretty cheesy.  I will admit it; I watch The Bachelorette and Pretty Little Liars.  And yes, I get a laugh out of the occasional Secret Life of the American Teenager (such realism!), but when I really want to laugh, I usually turn to Netflix or the Internet.  Here are my picks:

How I Met Your Mother
HIMYM is always a good idea.  End of story.

Portlandia
I love this show.  Each episode is a combination of bits about Portland and the characters that Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein create are hilarious and everything IS SO TRUE IT HURTS.  I need to rewatch these, like, now.

Arrested Development  (Watch on Hulu or Netflix Instant)
This show is genius.  If you haven't seen it, you are seriously lacking.

Stella
Kate told me about this short-lived show.  It. is. so. ridiculous.  It takes a couple of episodes to get used to the humor, but once it hits you how brilliantly stupid the jokes are, you will never look back.

Ctrl   (Watch online at NBC)
My friend Domenico told me and Erin about this web series last summer and we died laughing while watching all the episodes in one sitting.  Very clever!

Clark & Michael (Watch on YouTube)
I watched this web series a few years ago and really enjoyed it.  Micheal Cera humor is always a nice Summer thing.  True fact.

The IT Crowd  (Watch online at Channel 4 or Netflix Instant)
When I saw Bridesmaids, I fell in love with Chris O'Dowd and subsequently stalked him on IMDB.  Last night I searched "The IT Crowd" on Netflix and proceeded to watch two episodes.  It's British and a little off-beat, but I'll be watching the rest of the episodes over the next few months.  Chris O'Dowd is adorkable.

What are your favorite funny shows for lazy summer afternoons?

favorite tv costume design

Glee - Lou Eyrich (2010 Emmy nominee)

Boardwalk Empire - John Dunn

Gossip Girl - Eric Daman

Sex & the City - Patricia Field (2000-2004 Emmy nominee, 2002 Emmy winner)

The wonderful thing about television costume design is that it follows the transformation of the characters in a way that is more in-depth and gradual.  In movies, a character's style usually remains stagnant or is sped up to signify a passage of time, but in television each season gradually brings something new to a character depending on the character's progression.  Someone like Carrie Bradshaw, for instance, is known for her madcap style.  However, her unique brand of fashion certainly evolved and matured over six seasons of Sex & the City as she evolved and matured.  The cool thing is that throughout this change, the essence of Carrie is always evident.  Much like a cartoon character wears the same thing every single day, a TV character develops an everyday style that is unique to them.  My favorite thing in the world is to be out shopping and pick up a piece of clothing and say with confidence, "This is so Blair!" or "I could totally see Santana wearing this."  Even if the item is something I wouldn't dream of wearing myself, it awes me to think how much thought is put into these characters' wardrobe to express their personalities week after week.  How magical is that?  Not to mention that shows like Sex & the City, Gossip Girl, and Mad Men inspire new trends in fashion.  (Disclaimer:  Mad Men would certainly be on this list if I watched it.  I need to start season one ASAP.)  Don't even get me started on period dramas!  HBO gives me such heartache with its epic TV shows and miniseries.  I love Boardwalk Empire, but it leaves a hole in my heart that only the twenties sending me its wardrobe can fill...

Forever in lust, 

Kaylie

gleek out

 Ms. Pillsbury & Mr. Shuester

 Ms. Pillsbury & Blaine

 Sam & Sue

 Rachel & Blaine

 Sam & Puck

 The Mr. Shues

 Jordan (as himself) & Mike

 Sue & Rachel

 Sue & Brittany

The Kurt to my Blaine

The first half of Glee finale felt like a dream.  Literally, I felt like everything that happened was really unrealistic, even for Glee.  It was still a whole lot of fun though!  I can't complain when I get to see Kurt and Rachel so blissfully happy singing at the Gershwin Theatre (the Wicked set was so awesome...  Also, I am officially personally insulted I have never seen Wicked).  That was precious.  One of my favorite parts:  When Kurt wakes Rachel up to have breakfast at Tiffany's and tells her that him and Blaine plan to move to NYC for college too.  OMGLEE.  LET THIS HAPPEN.

Nationals was a let down, but it wasn't like I expected them to win.  What I did expect was something CRAZY to happen.  The Finchel kiss was pretty crazy, but not as crazy as it could have been.  Also, what ever happened to Quinn's mischievous "You'll see"??!  What was Quinn’s scheme?  Did she put Finn up to have him and Rachel to sing a duet that he wrote so they would make out and ruin their chance at Top 10?  (Most awkward thing of my life, by the way.)  Did she want to get a haircut but needed it to look like someone else’s idea?  WHAT IS UP.

What really did it for me was the last ten minutes.  KLAINE.  SAMCEDES.  "I LOVE YOU" "I LOVE YOU TOO."  sklfjas;lkjd;LKJ;slakjf;lskdjf;sdlkf  I am a muddle of giddiness and love.  Also, Brittany is outsmarting 75% of the cast at this point.  Love her.

Any thoughts, fellow gleeks?


P.S.  I found my Warbler tie at Goodwill for fifty cents, I think it was...  I literally went to Goodwill to look for a blue and red tie for my Blaine costume AND THEY HAD ONE.  It was a magical moment.