by New York Artist, Maritza Lugo.

this made me lol today, probably because I relate to it a little to much. :o( 

I caught it on HELLO GIGGLES, a cute/fun/quirky blog by Zoey Deschanel and Co. . If you haven't checked it out, please do <3 Its fab.

iphone friends....

...is my new favorite app for iphone or ipads! Its so much fun! Check it out!

What the Hell? An Avril Analysis...

What am I doing this holiday sunday? Ooooh just shopping for a vintage table cloth on Etsy annnd listening to Avril Lavigne's new single, What the Hell? on repeat. Yeeeeeeah...you heard me right. I am a closet Avril Lavigne fan-----no longer apparently. The very few people I've shared that with in the past, always have the same reaction: squinted eyes in disbelief and ponder. "Seriously??" they ask. But what can I say? She's just so much fun to me. If I were fifteen I would worship her, learn to ride a skateboard and bleach my hair blonde. But I'm thirty-one. Fooey! So I'll just pack on the crayon eyeliner with gloss, blast her tunes and punch the gas while speeding the Hollywood 101. 

Top Ten reasons WHY I heart Avril...

1. She is a songwriter. She writes her own music and plays guitar. I've always appreciated artists who actually create their music and lyrics, nose to tail. It's more personal, relatable and honest IMHO.

2. Her music is fun and some songs are so silly they're stupid. I'm in my head ALL THE TIME. It's nice to just turn off the editor, sing along like a loud fool and have fun...something I need to do more often. Popular music has a valid place in the fabric of life. People get so caught up in "indie, underground, no one knows who they are!" crap. Remember the Beatles? MJ? Dancing in your room and singing into your hairbrush? 

3. She's teeny with a big voice. I've always wanted to be teeny. Everything about me is big, loud and...BIG lol. 

4. I love her style. Not so much the hardware and goth bustiers but that she can be sexy in a tank, shorts and sneaks. Plus I'm a little sick of Katy Perry's boobs already. I hate dressing up and high heels, seriously. No matter what I always feel like a boy in a dress. I would rather have twenty pairs of bitchin chucks, pumas or vans and wear jeans everywhere. 

5. Her videos rock. I love that her videos follow the old Mtv format of actually telling a little three minute story. That's the old fogey in me. 

6. She gave her mom a cameo in her video <3 I would totally do that if I were a pop star. 

7. She's Canadian. It's my general assumption that Canadians are just freakin cool. All the one's I've met have been down-to-earth, stand up peeps. I don't know how to explain it, A!

8. Ok this is a weird one : her teeth. Normally I dislike when folks have very sharp fangs, like fangoria favorite Kirsten Dunst. But Avril's fangs are juuuuust right. Cosmetically I think hers look kinda cool. 

9. Pink. She always rocks the pink yo.

10. Because somewhere in the back of my head I will always be fifteen and a total spaz....and I wouldn't change that for the world. 

We made it....

Yesterday was interesting. In So Cal we had two earthquakes at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon. I of course didn't feel them because I was driving to the bank and grocery store. But just as I walked through the door, Kev calls me and says, " DID YOU FEEL IT???" annnd here we go. An entire afternoon of worrying that not only will there be another earthquake, but it will happen while I'M home alone. And because of their trip to Pechanga the next day, Kev was going to be spending the night at his mom's house. Which of course translates into apocalyptic mayhem and I am most certainly in eminent danger. 

The boy tried to reassure me by suggesting that since the earthquake was a decent size---that meant more pressure was released---and the likely hood of "the big one" happening was significantly low. Insert one brow raised, disbelieving face here. The ridiculous thing is that I'm a So Cal native. Earthquakes are not foreign to me, not even scary most of the time. In fact they're down right mythical...until you're suddenly in the middle of one and the dog is barking, shit is falling and car alarms everywhere are going off. lol But the thought of being alone at home, with the baby (dog) to protect while California slowly shakes itself into the ocean---is disconcerting to say the least. 

Nevertheless, at 8:45pm, I reluctantly kissed the boy goodbye and watched him drive away.  My preplanned evening of brownie making and a Mad Men marathon was slowly starting to look pointless. After all, I had an earthquake kit to prepare, shoes to put at the foot of the bed and flashlight stations to man all throughout the apartment. Luckily I had my trusty partner to help me complete these tasks. Fiona followed me in and out of every room, watching each motion. I looked down at her solid little gaze and I could see the wheels in her head turning. "Ok dad is gone, big bag by the front door, mom has flashlights? WHAT is happening exactly?"

But there were no more quakes, no aftershocks, no burglars, rapists or chupacabras of any kind. I spoke to both my parents on the phone and Kevin called just before bed for a little iPhone facetime. I didn't leave the lights on, there was no clock radio noise to keep me company and when my head finally hit the pillow I decided to just nut up and relax. After all, our building was built in 1955 and its still standing. And as long as I have my twelve inch, Himalayan Salt Lamp night light... I'm in the clear.