an open letter to don mckellar

Dear Mr. McKellar,

Thank you for your existence. You are a funny, funny man. Also, Canadian.

Thanks also for your contributions to television and film and theatre, particularly your role as Darren Nichols in the brilliant Slings & Arrows; that film you wrote that I had to watch twice in TMA 114 which was actually quite beautiful, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould; and any/all participation in the conception and creation of The Drowsy Chaperone.

Word on the street is you're directing a film version of The Drowsy Chaperone, perhaps starring Geoffry Rush? Is this true? If this is true, please take into consideration my suggestion for your title character:

Love,

Emily

thoughts

I've had a lot of important things on my mind lately.

Like how I possess the ability to "lose" within a few days what I spend the rest of the week "gaining," which probably explains the plateau I've maintained for the last three months. Sometimes I think about how losing these last 20 lbs would be so simple if I'd just stick to plan! And that's when I dive head first into the seven layer dip.

I've also been thinking about this notion of "dry shampoo," which is why I bought some the other day and tested it this morning. So far, not dreadfully impressed. I'm kind of disappointed that this product won't help me transcend another level of laziness.

And then there's that show Sister Wives which tempted me with two new episodes last night, only to inform me that the season finale is next week. After six episodes? I mean, I know that's how long season one of The Office was, but I didn't get into The Office till season two so it didn't sting like Sister Wives is stinging. It fascinates me. And makes me want to stalk polygs all over Lehi and American Fork.

Also, it's freezing cold in my office and I need some kind of serious space heater STAT or my fingers may fall off from frostbite.

And moreover, rather than planning for months in advance what I will be for Halloween, we kind of realized a few days ago that it's quickly approaching and WHAT WILL WE BE?! We've got at least the UVU theatre club party to go to (and Ames won the costume contest last year, keep in mind, so we've got to live up to last year's standard [I didn't qualify to win with him in spite of our coordinating costumes because I was/am not a student sniff sniff I don't care it's fine whatever]), and we seriously need to impress the 7-year olds in our Sunday School class at the church party.

So WHAT WILL WE BE? Right now we're thinking...

Choice A:(this is how I hug Ames all the time. I don't know if his face is filled with dismay because my eyes are closed blissfully as I spin him around)

OR

Choice B:

Thoughts?

happy wednesday

With all the whirlwind blustering around this place, with all LE DRAMA! and work work work, I almost forgot that it's

~*~*~*happy wednesday*~*~*~

I am happy that Ames's show opens tonight and he looks like Pince Eric:And rollerskates while blind-folded.I'm happy about the steady stream of friends I've had through my office today. It's so nice to like others and be liked.

I'm happy about this scarf thing I'm going to make for me and Julie and maybe other people, if they're lucky.
I'm happy about the crocheted headband and legitimate "fall clothes" I'm wearing, and about the rain.

I'm happy about the Zupas I had for lunch, in spite of the complete destruction I've had with Weight Watchers this week. I'm happy about new-friend-Lisa's assertion that a nutritional Bermuda Triangle is A-OK.

I'm happy about two paychecks coming in next payday instead of one.

I'm happy about the things on sale at Urban Outfitters, even though I can't have them. I'm also happy about the perfume friend-Emily got at Urban Outfitters a few weeks ago and how very lush it is, even though I don't/can't have it.

I'm happy that my neck/throat tension is easing up a little.

I'm happy about auditioning for Tale of Two Cities in a few months. I'm happy that I don't care that I'm already posting about an audition that isn't for a few more months.

I'm happy that I'm addicted to crocheting. I'm happy that sometimes (almost always) clothes don't get folded or dishes don't get washed or whatever because I'd rather just crochet for a few more minutes. I'm happy that I'm kind of pretty good at it, or at least getting there.

Fall! Fall! Fall!

I'm happy about the autumn decorations I put up in my living room, and about all the candles, and about the fact that I'm kind of okay at decorating so maybe I should do it more.

I'm happy about tomorrow being Thursday for all the television showwwwwwwwwws.

And maybe while I'm not exactly happy about it, I'm at least grateful for continued opportunity and experience to grow up just a little more and learn to be selflessly, genuinely happy for other people.

collecting is not the same as hoarding

As mentioned previously, I've been watching a lot of that show Hoarders on A&E thanks to some good friends who are as fascinated/disgusted by other people as I am. I've since introduced it to a few select friends, and I delighted in their reactions as we gathered in my apartment to watch as a house was futilely disposed of three feet of cat poo, cat skeletons, 10 YEARS worth of HUMAN POO in garbage bags, and piles of larvae-encrusted sundry. They were as horrified as I had been the first time I watched it. Rightfully so.

Since beginning a viewership with Hoarders, I've become self-conscious (paranoid) about my delight in shopping and having pretty things and all the stuff in the back room that needs to be organized and put away but we just haven't done it yet.

Sounds like classic hoarder justification, right?

But we haven't! We just combined two half-households with our shared new household and all our storage stuff just needs going through. I promise. I have Plans for that back room.

In the meantime, I'm just so sorely tempted to go through the apartment and throw half of what we own just right in the trash. Or, I mean, take some of it to good will. Duh. We have lots of nice things. I'm just afraid we have too much of it, is all.

Also now that I've settled the fitful appearance, I'm getting super itchy about my house things. After I throw out half of what we've got, I will then replace it (slowly, not hoarderly) with things I l-u-r-v-e (not larvae).

For example,

urban outfitters

urban outfitters

notley upholstery

And luckily, we're not allowed to have pets in our apartment, so we don't run the risk of burying it under three feet of animal feces. Though wouldn't that chair look so much cuter with a puppy named Mops sitting on it?

We might also benefit from the funds to have such things, so I guess this means I'll be making a sacrifice to the thrifting gods and pray to find some gems over the next few weeks/months.

happy wednesday

This is an experiment.

I don't tend to get into blog trends like "flashback friday" or whatever. I mean I appreciate those kinds of prompts for others-- keep writing them. I like reading them sometimes. I just don't tend to write them myself.

But in an effort to post more consistently and maybe look forward to a mid-week slump and even perhaps to enrich this blog with contributions of others, I'd like to start my very own

~*~*~*happy wednesday*~*~*~

On this Wednesday I am happy about my hair. I took a pair of scissors to my bangs on Friday and now I've got a nicely framing fringe again. It's also a very dark brown color, almost black, in an attempt to channel classy ladies like Audrey Hepburn and Krysten Ritter and maybe Katy Perry who makes up with quirk what she lacks in class.

It wasn't quite so hot today as it has been lately, which makes me happy because I think it means autumn is actually on the way.

I started a new baby blanket, which will be darling, using a pattern which I will use in the future on a grown-up blanket, which will also be darling, and the yarn of it makes me so happy.

Yarn in general is just so happy. Especially yellow kind.

I had a visit from Heidi today, which made me happy, and also saw Alexis and Kelly and had lunch with Mr. Ames, and all of those people are very happy, even when we're talking about serious things. Serious does not equal unhappy.

I'm starting some no-joking voice coaching this week, which will improve my skills and make me sing more, and singing always makes me happy.

I read this article today as recommended by my friend Julie, and the article itself isn't very happy, but it is very inspiring. It also made me feel good because I've come to a place in my life where I'm not striving to be quite so perfect. I don't need to be perfect. I'm not perfect. I have faults and quirks, and sometimes they're kind of funny. I'm happy being me, and I really wish everyone could be happy as themselves.

I've started watching Hoarders (which deserves a post of its own) and today, it makes me happy that I have a nice little apartment with nice furniture that is increasingly coordinating, with nice things on the wall, and without a layer (or a foot or three) of filth all over it. I'm happy Ames and I help each other keep it nice.

And as always, I'm happy that Haribo Raspberries exist and that I can eat them.


What are you happy for this Wednesday?

career path

Given my sentiments about lipstick last week, I just wanted to follow up:

I wore lipstick six out of seven days last week. Because I'm not joking around anymore.

[I also finished reading The Hunger Games, which accounts for the fact that I just wrote a sentence followed by a clause. I'm not being a snob when I say that I enjoyed the book well enough, but I don't care to read the other two. My life will not change for better or worse for having not read them.]

You may be wondering how I chose various shades of lipstick to buy, since I'm severely lipstick impaired and terrified to buy something that will look dreadful with my coloring. Well of course I took the easy way out and bought the exact shade Jessica Biel wears in the commercial for the "Just Bitten" line of Revlon lipstain+balm. That's right-- I bought vampire-inspired lipstain. It's called "Passion." It is very pink and beautiful. It also makes me look ethereal and vampireish.
Incidentally, it's also nice and moisturizing, so I bet I'll buy more of this vampire lipstain+balm.

I bought some shirts at Express this week, which was kind of a big deal for me because I tend to feel like Express clothes have very slender cuts, which means things don't fit or flatter me. But I bought two shirts from Express, and they fit, and they're size medium, which is a triumph in the face of my unintentional weight maintenance.

I've been contemplating My Future lately (read: forever) and really trying to determine What Makes Me Happy.

1. Mr. Ames (duh)
2. Television
3. Clothes
4. Performing
5. Writing
6. Shopping
7. Having cool hair
8. Puppies
9. Good food
10. #s 2-9 involving Mr. Ames

Now that I've been graduated and in "the work force" long enough to appreciate that I've graduated and I'm now contributing to "the work force," it's time I start figuring a way to involve these kinds of things into a career. I understand that while it would be ideal to find a job that allows me to buy and wear clothes while having cool hair and then going home to eat good food and snuggle Mr. Ames and a puppy while watching television, I can't count on it.

I mean, in a perfect world...

But okay! Help me get creative, folks! What kinds of careers would allow me to mix-and-match these interests in a financially positive way?

Note: I like dressing myself and having my own cool hair and do not necessarily want to be responsible for the clothing and cool hair of others.


PS. I saw 30 Seconds to Mars on Saturday and Jared Leto tweeted a picture of me. LOOK THERE I AM CAN YOU SEE ME??