Merry Christmas 2008

I went into work yesterday morning at 9 a.m. and I am just now getting home. It's been nearly a 24-hour workday at this point, and I want nothing more than to sleep, sleep, sleep...

Fortunately, that was my last day of work until Jan. 5, so I plan on doing nothing for the next few weeks except visit with loved ones, read good books, watch good movies, bake yummy treats, knock out several knitting projects and sleep, sleep, sleep...

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Photo by Sway Sovay

Beautiful, Glowing ... Fruit?

Here's an interesting post on how to make a candle from a clementine orange. Perhaps someday I shall try this as a neat party trick. Or you know, just when I'm home alone and bored. Whichever opportunity comes first. In that case, it will probably be the latter.

I Said, "Sit, Fido."

The "BigDog," made by BostonDynamics.

The Twilight Vortex Has a Strong Pull

Damn. I told myself I wasn't going to let this happen, and yet here I sit -- one more individual who has been sucked into the "Twilight Zone." (And even though I have just now typed that cheesy, cliched and overused phrase in order to reference my situation, so help me God, I will never utter it again, nor write it here, nor anywhere. I promise.)

Oh, Stephenie Meyer and Stephenie Meyer's agent and the publishing company and all the marketing departments and all the book stores across the nation... Oh how they have woven a tangled web, and so many of us are falling right into it. Oh, they have been so sneaky.

When I started seeing Meyers' books showing up in every bookstore I visited, it was impossible not to notice. After all, they look so chic, with their glossy black jackets and single-image covers. So sleek, so seductive. Eventually I had to pick one up, read the back, then go "hm" and set it down again. "Sooo..." I thought. "Vampires? Really? Wonder how that's gonna work out for them."

And then, there were even more books -- three more, in fact, and people started calling Meyers the next J.K. Rowling and the Twilight series the next Harry Potter craze.

Despite my admiration for Rowling and my enthusiasm for all things Harry Potter-related, I doubted (and still do) that this vampire series could ever reach the same level of success. However, as time goes by, I have slowly been able to admit that this whole Twilight mania is at least a thing.

So much a thing, that they made the story into a full-blown feature film. (Boy, can I call 'em or what? My bad.)

Let me tell you something about myself. Somewhere, someone decides to take a book and turn it into a movie, so they make the call to the production company, and simultaneously, at that very moment, a little bell goes off in my head, meaning that 1.) I have to see the film. And 2.) I have to read the book before I can allow myself to see said film.

Which brings me to my point.

Yes, I now have the compulsion to see the Twilight movie. And yes, I have to read the damn books first. (Or maybe at least just the first one.)

And yes, I ordered all four of them from Amazon.com a few weeks ago. And yes, they have arrived -- just in time for Christmas break, during which I will be knitting various odds and ends for family and friends, as well as reading like a fiend.

Sigh. I have a problem.

But at least I can admit it, right?

Virtual Christmas

Check out this variation on a Christmas tree, made out of random pretty objects.

Already tired of making/placing decorations this year?

What about virtual ones?

Decorate your very own gingerbread cottage here, thanks to Jennie B. Harris.

My Brain is Melting

This past weekend, my boyfriend's parents were in town from Wednesday through Sunday, which meant absolutely no Christmas shopping was accomplished. And it's not like I'm going to have time to do any this weekend either.

The magazine is in print mode from now until the end of next Tuesday, which means my life is in lockdown. Sooo ... this week, I will be working 'round the clock, and then leaving on Friday morning for Oklahoma City for my friend's wedding (one in which I am a bridesmaid) ... Which means there's the rehearsal dinner Friday night, then the wedding on Saturday night ... Then the drive to Tulsa on Sunday morning and visiting with more friends and family ... Then the flight out of Tulsa back to Phoenix on Monday morning and heading straight from the airport back to work ... And then working for something like close to 48 hours straight as we try to seal the deal on the January issues ... And then BAM, it's Christmas Eve.

And so I am trying to figure out just exactly how and when (and what) I plan on buying Christmas presents for my family (Dad, Mom, sister), a gift exchange present for my coworker (whom I do not know at all), a wedding present for the bride and groom, a gift for my boyfriend's parents, and gifts to mail to my German penpal and her two little girls. Do I dare even open the Pandora's box of buying Christmas presents for any of my girlfriends, lest some discover who and who did not make my list, or should I just nix those gifts this year and give them cards instead?

My brain hurts.

I don't want to think about any of it right now.

Right now I just want to copy edit, drink hot chocolate and every once in a while take breaks to:

Paint like Jackson Pollack.

Work on my eyeballing skills.

Get a hole in one.

Make photos about coworkers and anonymously post them on the community fridge.

Build sand castles.

This is What Happens When I Look at Craft Sites When I Should be Getting Ready for Work

Crafty things:

This chandelier at Apartment Therapy would make me feel less like any room looked artistic and more like I just needed to clean.

This wedding quilt at Purl Bee is so beautiful! (And further proof that it helps to be good with numbers if you sew, knit or crochet.) I want to make it! Of course, I can see a few obstacles standing in my way -- namely, that I don't own a sewing machine, and also, that since it took me a year just to knit my boyfriend's afghan, I don't think the quilt would be finished in my lifetime.

Hmmm... could these make good Christmas presents for all my earring-wearing girlfriends next year? Hey, if they pass them up, then that's just more for me.

Australia

Saw this:


And I already want to see it again. Yes, it's a little bit cheesy on the romance bits, and yes, it's a little bit cliche, but it's also beautiful and Hugh Jackman is beautiful and that is all a girl needs to know in order to want to see it, right? Right.

Go see it and be mesmerized by that "men of men" routine Jackman plays so well. Nicole Kidman is also stunning, although it was hard to imagine her as a normal person after this incredibly awkward interview with David Letterman:

Part 1:



Part 2:



Can we say, "Awkward?"

Halfway on the Clapotis, Etc.

I am now more than halfway through the Clapotis pattern, and it looks like this:


I know it doesn't look like I'm halfway there, but trust me, I have a notepad full of tick marks to prove it. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to block it so that it lies flat, or just leave it as is, so that it continues to kind of bunch up and curl on its own. Hmm.

More stitchery goodness:


And in other knitting news, I have finally finished (mostly) the afghan I began making for my boyfriend about a year ago. I still have a few loose ends to weave in on the wrong side, but other than that, it is finally, finally done.


The pattern is my own, albeit not a very tricky one, as I'm sure any advanced knitter could look at this photograph and reproduce the exact same blanket. At any rate, if you have any questions regarding the pattern, just e-mail me.

We're so close to Christmas now, that for a moment I considered just wrapping up the afghan and giving it to my boyfriend as his holiday present, but seeing as how he's been waiting a year for it, I figured that might be like cheating, don't you think?

Photos by Sway Sovay

(A Punked-Out) Christmas Came Early

To thank me for some of my recent hard work, my editor in Los Angeles sent me a pair of Hudson jeans (all the way to the right in the photo below).

Me editor also runs a website -- his own, personal venture, which receives, apparently, tons of free samples and other products, clothing among them, in return for endorsements on the site. A lot of these vendors know his shirt size, shoe size, etc., and so they mail him things that they already know will fit him -- they mail him a lot of things, frequently.

After my editor had already sent me my jeans, and also after he discovered that he and my boyfriend are roughly the same size, he told me he was sending another box my way -- a few items he wanted to pass on to us in an effort to free himself of some of these surplus wares. On Monday, a box arrived for me containing all of this:

Again, only the gray-colored jeans on the right are mine. The rest is for my guy. One brown T-shirt with a weird face on it, one black T-shirt with an eyeball wearing a top hat, one short-sleeve button-down collared shirt, one black and white checkered long-sleeve button-down shirt, three pairs of jeans, a hooded denim vest, a denim jacket with black knitted ribbing at the collar and cuffs, and one pair of black fingerless gloves.

My boyfriend and I usually dress in a style that's more closely defined by The Gap than uh, whatever this style is ... But he tried on everything anyway and, surprisingly, said he was keeping it all. I have serious doubts that most of these will ever see much light of day, such as the hooded vest, the fingerless gloves, the denim jacket, and one pair of jeans that was waaaaay too "emo" for his tastes. However, there was one pair of jeans that did look decent on him, and I really liked the black and white checkered shirt after I saw it on him.

Do you see the inside lining of the pair of jeans on top of the three that are stacked? The box also included a bandana with that same print on it, but I stole it from my boyfriend because it's pretty, and I felt like I deserved something out of that huge pile of clothes just for him. Plus, I am far more likely to wear it as a headband than he is to ever wear it as ... anything.

Photo by Sway Sovay

Is This Really Happening?

I'm still no Britney Spears fan, but I have to admit that her "people" have managed to work a miracle.

They helped her get her body back.

They helped her get her kids back.

They helped her get her groove back.

Meanwhile, everyone -- whether a person loves her or can't stand her -- is standing by, asking, "Holy crap, are they really going to pull this off? Are they really going to resurrect this poor girl's doomed career?" So far, the chances appear to be good.

Even so, is it just me, or does Brit still look a little dead in the eyes? Like her passion for performing hasn't fully returned yet? She used to come out on stage in full force, with choreography and everything, and now she just kind of bumbles around and swirls her hips like a robot set to "automatic."

If she and her camp pull this off, I will be seriously impressed. It's going to be less "Oops ... I did it again" and more "I had to have a breakdown and temporarily lose custody of my kids and then start doing 1,000 crunches a day, but finally! ... I did it again!"

Previous (and better) Britney:

New (and lackluster) Britney:



And just gross Britney. Something still isn't quite right. Maybe they need to reboot her. Or at least update her software, I don't know.

Four Christmases

I saw this one with the fam on Thanksgiving Day. My verdict? Eh. If you are the type who goes to the movie theater often, then go, see this one and laugh and be entertained.

However, if you are more like me -- someone who doesn't often spend money on movie tickets unless it's for a film that I've been really, really dying to see, hang on to that cash, because this one is probably more of "a renter."

There are funny moments, but they're too far and few between, and honestly, there's not really much of a plot. But let's face it, we all saw that coming.

From the trailer, viewers can easily understand that the two main characters end up having to go to their four parents' homes for Christmas ... and anyone expecting the storyline to be any more complicated than that should let that hope die now.

Fortunately for the producers, the film's vapor of a plot is supported as much as possible by a very talented cast: Vince Vaughn keeps things interesting because no one ever knows what he'll say or do next; Reese Witherspoon is pretty darn likeable no matter what; Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek are stellar as the parents of Vaughn's character; and Jon Voigt and Mary Steenburgen also deliver as the parents of Witherspoon's character.

The problem is, however, that none of these actors were given much to work with, which is a real shame.

Not exactly a Christmas classic, but an entertaining couple of hours.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving 2008

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I was in charge of the meal this year -- mostly due to the fact that I hate cleaning dishes -- so I made a deal with the rest of my family that if I cooked everything, they would clean up afterward. In addition to the turkey, I made sweet potatoes glazed in maple syrup, cloves and orange zest; green beans with crumbled turkey bacon and slivered almonds; stuffing from scratch; and cranberry chutney from fresh cranberries and boiled sugar and water. Miraculously, everything turned out wonderfully, so I'll definitely be putting these dishes on my list for next year.

I had a great time being around my mom and dad and my sister and my boyfriend. It was certainly a day to celebrate all the love in my life.

No Rest for the Weary

I did not sleep well last night.

I was awakened at about 3:15 a.m. and not allowed to fall back asleep for almost a full hour. And now I do not know how I'm going to make it through the last day of print week (today) at the magazine.

I do know that our neighbor has a new lady friend.

And that they are persistent when it comes to showing affection toward each other.

And also that his bed is outrageously squeaky.

And also that our apartment complex's walls are apparently very thin.

Beginning the Clapotis, Etc.

I've been underground for the past week for good reasons.

1. I've been writing an article on this film, which has turned out to be a very fascinating subject matter. I wrapped up the article yesterday, though, so that is finally done and done.

And...

2. I'm a bridesmaid in a wedding that will be taking place in Oklahoma City on December 20, so I had to fly back to Oklahoma last weekend for bridal shower and bachelorette party activities. Amazingly enough, although the bride lives in OKC, none of the bridesmaids live in Oklahoma, so pulling off the parties required major coordination on our parts, but it was absolutely worth the work.

In other news, I've been working on a knitting project for myself. I know every online knitter and her sister has already knit a Clapotis by now, but I can't help it, I want one, too, and so I'm going to follow the crowd.


This is the current state of mine -- after several dozen attempts that had to be destroyed and reworked. (I thought I understood what an SSK was, but I didn't. I also thought I understood what a KFB and a PFB was, but I didn't. Fortunately, now I finally do.)

I haven't gotten to the unraveling stages yet, but I think the colorway and dropped ladders of stitches will complement each other well.

The yarn is Patons' SWS (Soy Wool Stripes) (70% Wool, 30% Soy) in the "Geranium" color, and the pattern is very fun. (Once a person knows what she's doing, obviously...) It's repetitive enough that I can zone out for a while, but also just tricky enough that I don't get completely bored. If this one turns out well, I may consider making more Clapotises (Clapoti?) as gifts in the future.

I'll post updated photos as my work progresses.

Photo: Sway Sovay

All Made Up

I put in another order at Alima Pure last week and look at all the goodies that arrived.


I pretty much swear by this brand of makeup. And here's why:

(Because you know how I am, and how I can can never pass up the opportunity to create a list...)

1. All the products are mineral-based and free of chemicals, so it's light and I don't feel like I have a ton of crap all over my face.

2. They have an almost overwhelming number of color choices.

3. They ship fast. (I ordered last Wednesday morning and received everything on Friday.) And even though this seems kind of silly, I thought it was cool that there was a handwritten "Thank you, Sway!" written on the receipt included with my order. They're an online shop that still tries to give customers some kind of personal touch, which I appreciate.

4. A little bit goes a looong way. I think the technical explanation is that the minerals have such a high concentration of pigment, but the point is -- a little jar of the stuff can last forever.

5. And to me, this is the best part: In addition to full-size jars of their products, they also sell smaller trial sizes for $1-$1.50 each, which is awesome, because who can really accurately determine their color of foundation via photos on the internet? Not me.

And, like I said, the stuff lasts forever, so sometimes all I really want or need is a trial size. It cuts down on a lot of wasted product. Because honestly, show me a woman who always finishes her makeup products before moving on to the next one. (I know you have that basket under the sink filled with random polishes and lipsticks and old eyeliners and blushes. Don't pretend like you don't. We all do.)

So the photo above is of 10 samples I ordered. Grand total = $12 + shipping = $16. The three packets came complimentary and are two eyeshadows and a finishing powder. My summer tan is gone now, so I need a lighter foundation color, plus I wanted some darker blushes and eye shadows for fall and winter. And even though they're small, these samples will probably get me through the end of the year.

Very awesome.

Photo: Sway Sovay

Scottsdale Fashion Week '08: Saturday Night

On Saturday I took one of my gal friends to the SFW Marciano fashion show at 3 p.m. She was dressed so cute (short black skirt, sapphire blouse and black flowers and feathers in her hair) that people kept asking her if she was one of the models.

Above: The tented runway during the Marciano show.

And then later, my boyfriend and I went back to the event to see the evening's closing show: Zang Toi, whose fashions are seriously statement-making. Sorry for the lack of photos. I didn't get to bring my camera to that one.

Above: Our media passes, aka Golden Tickets. It was fun to feel like a V.I.P. for one weekend. Now, back to the far-less-glamorous grindstone. This month I'm writing an article about a movie that was produced here in Phoenix. More on that later.

All Photos: Sway Sovay

Monifa, the Baby Pygmy Hippo

I saw this on the morning news and just about snorted my coffee, that's how cute it is.

Scottsdale Fashion Week '08: Friday Night

Last night I attended two SFW runway shows, including the Dillard's fashion show, which consisted of styles presented by Emmy Award-winner Rebecca Weinberg, former stylist for Sex and the City, and also, whom I interviewed for my article.

I wanted to share a few videos that I took ... and I also want to take this opportunity to admit that I now know I suck as a videographer. I apologize for the flaws in quality, etc. Nonetheless, maybe these will interest you.









Videos: Sway Sovay

Scottsdale Fashion Week '08 Kicks Off

SFW kicks off today and runs through the end of Saturday night.

Tonight is the Wearable ArtWalk, which I'm not sure I'll be able to make. But regardless, that's not what I'm most excited about. What I'm really looking forward to are the runway shows tomorrow and Saturday night.

The PR contact who provided me with an overwhelming amount of information for my article (which is in the issue that came out on Monday! I'm relieved, because it turned out so well!) was kind enough to offer me complimentary tickets to some of the shows on the main runway.

I've never been to a fashion show before, let alone a fashion week, so I'm pretty curious and therefore do plan on attending. I know they're expecting more than 30,000 people to show up, which means there's no doubt it's going to be a dazzling production.

I've heard a lot about this tented, climate-controlled runway (like the one in New York City) that they've added this year. There's going to be drinks and light shows and music and projections ... I will probably go into sensory-overload.

Oh geez ... what am I going to wear?

You would think I would have begun considering this long ago, but for some reason it didn't occur to me until now. What's the word for that? Irony?

It Followed Me Home. Can I Keep It?

I have bought my first car.

Holy crap.

I have bought my first car.

I picked it up last Saturday, actually, but it's just now sinking in, I think. Anyway, it's a red 2009 Toyota Corolla S, and it looks just like this:

I am going to take such good care of it, too. And I know that I can say that and it will actually come to pass, because I tend to be pretty anal about keeping my stuff in excellent condition. (Yes, I am the person who loans you a book and then scowls at you when you return it with the cover and pages bent and the spine broken. Yes, I am that person.)

You know, I remember the days when I believed that it would be forever until I was in a place where I'd be able to afford my own car. Well, it looks like that time has arrived. Kind of makes me feel old.

I feel like the car I eventually decided on is a pretty good compromise of everything I'm looking for at this stage in my life -- a little sporty yet still responsible. And although buying a brand new car has been expensive, I'm confident that, because Toyotas are so reliable long-term, the true cost to own will be much less than if I had bought, say, another Ford Explorer. (E-gad.)

Another thing that I am going to love? The gas mileage. It's amazing how long it takes before that little dial even thinks about moving off the 'F.'

Other bonuses include the fact that I now have a working stereo again. Oh, and also that I no longer have to worry about the bottom dropping out of my Explorer mid-cruise.

Presidential Election '08

This is a great day.

TGIED

Thank God It's Election Day.

Get out there and vote already!

Happy Halloween!

In celebration of the holiday...



(Also, what to do if you are being "constantly harassed" by a vampire. Bonus tip in the video: "Try searching your phone book for a good local sword dealer.")

Jack-O-Lanterns '08

The boyfriend and I carved pumpkins on Sunday.

This one is his:


And this one is mine:


His owl is more elaborate than mine (show-off), but here its face looks a wee bit smooshed ... All right, all right, I know I should have taken these photos on Sunday when the pumpkins were much "fresher." Oh well. I promise to get my butt in gear next year.

Happy Halloween!

Photos: Sway Sovay

R=4r

This is the fabric hanging on one of the walls in my apartment.

I'm aware it might look a little crazy taken out of the context of the rest of my apartment, but I like to think it goes well with the rest of the interior decorating.

But anyway, to the point of my story ...

Remember the friends with whom my boyfriend and I went camping at the Grand Canyon? While they were here, they stayed with us. Stayed, in fact, in very close proximity to this wall hanging.

While they were here, it somehow came up that my friend's husband, who is a geologist, had been going nuts staring at this thing. Why?

Because it irked him that the black circles do not continue in straight lines, but instead curve in toward the center.

When he brought this up, my boyfriend quickly chimed in, "I know! It's been driving me crazy for months, too!" And then the two of them frenetically began discussing the geometrical shapes' finer points. "I know, and you see how that line should be here..." "And the radius there..." "I'd say it's a parabola..." "Yeah, that's what it is..."

Meanwhile, my friend and I are looking at each other like, "Aren't boys such special creatures?"

Especially ones who are obsessed with math.


My friend and her husband eventually had to return home. A week or two went by. And then, one day, I walked into that same room and my boyfriend had taped this next to the fabric.

Me: "Um, what is this?"

Boyfriend: "Oh. I had to find the radius of the big red circle."

Me: "You what?" Pause. "Why?"

Boyfriend: [Jumps off the couch, runs over and points at his calculations.] "Look! Can you believe that the radius of this big circle is four times the radius of the little black circle? This is great. I figured it out. Man, that was gonna bother me."

Talk about a piece of home decor that's a conversation-starter ...

Photos: Sway Sovay

At This Point it's Mostly Machine Anyway

My car has a terminal illness and it's trying to tell me that it's time for it to go.

I will be getting a new one. Soon. If the stress involved doesn't kill me first.

That's All She Wrote

Ask me anything about Scottsdale Fashion Week and I can tell you the answer because I finished my article!

I handed it over at exactly 5:59 p.m. yesterday, one minute away from my 6 p.m. deadline.

Funny thing about my article -- my editor asked me for three pages; I gave him seven.

(I was eventually able to cut it down to five. By the way, it is so depressing to spend over 30 hours to write this kind of a sprawling article -- that number doesn't even factor in interviews,
transcribing, e-mails, phone calls and research -- and then have to cut it down by about 2,500 words.)

What can I say, I got really into the subject and uncovered a lot of interesting things to include.

Although I'm sure there will still be images coming in over the next week and other various tidbits of information that may have to be added, I am so glad it's (pretty much) finished.

I will be celebrating this weekend by doing nothing that requires writing.

Except for this.

Art Made by the Heavens, Experienced Under a Volcano

There's an interesting post on this site about James Turrell, an artist who is doing major renovation work underneath a 400,000-year-old volcano, Roden Crater, near Flagstaff, Ariz. The project is expected to be completed in 2012.

OK, so the volcano is supposedly dormant. Which is good, considering the size and complexity of Turrell's underground tunnels and light chambers that would be blown up if the volcano were active.

Turrell has constructed the rooms and "windows" below the crater to capture the light of celestial occurrences that can only be seen from Roden Crater, among a few other locations on Earth. I'll admit that I don't really understand the entire concept, but I understand enough to imagine that this project is colossal in proportions. This is a creation that future civilizations will find and view as another Stonehenge.

Oh and get this: Turrell has owned the volcano and its surrounding land since 1979. The man owns a volcano. I want to own a volcano. Do you think any are still up for grabs?

Anyway, check out that article because you're going to want to see those photos.

DIY: Jewelry Board

Today I made a jewelry board in order to remedy my long-standing storage issue when it came to my earrings and necklaces. (Tangled chains are such timekillers.)


I'm really happy with how it turned out, and it was quite easy -- it only took me about an hour from start to finish.

Make your own using this tutorial at Joyful Abode.

Photo: Sway Sovay

The Incredible Library

If you are a history buff, Jay Walker's amazing library will have you giddy happy.

And even if you're not a history enthusiast, this is still probably the most impressive library you'll ever see.

Zack + Kelly 4 Ever

I almost didn't work out this morning because when I turned on the TV an episode of Saved by the Bell was on.

Whatever, don't deny it. You watched it, too, back in the day. In fact, you think you're over it, but you're not. I bet you're running to YouTube right now to watch more clips. Like this one. Or this one. Or maybe even this one.

There Have Been So Many Red Flags Along the Way

This short article is both funny and absolutely true.

Remember this moment, because if one day I end up being unemployed for longer than six consecutive months, we will all look back at this post and I will have to admit that our beloved Gawker (oh, and also the New York Times, have you heard of it?) forewarned me of the bleak future to come.

My Coworker Keeps Asking Me to Pass it to the Left

In sticking with today's theme of "shoes" ...

Yesterday our Editor in Chief sent a pair of shoes to each graphic designer and each copy editor (including me) in gratitude of all our hard work last month.

Here is a photo of my pair. They are by the brand Cre8tive Recreation. (If you know me in "real life," you know that these are so not me, but since they were a gift, I'm going to try to figure out how to make them work ...)


Any suggestions?

Photo: Sway Sovay

Wear Your Pride on Your Feet

Am strongly considering ordering a pair of these from Piperlime:


Not ordering these:

The Grand Canyon

One of my very best friends from Oklahoma, her husband, my boyfriend and I camped at the Grand Canyon this past weekend.

We had so much fun, but I was disappointed that my friend and her husband didn't get to see the canyon on a day with brighter sunlight, fewer clouds and better visibility.

Oh well, I guess this just means they'll just have to come visit Arizona again!







This elk was one of many we saw near our campsite. Isn't he beautiful?

Photos: Sway Sovay

Paper Candidates

Don't like how the debates are turning out?

Make your own candidate and then hold your own debates.

Twofer

Someone has finally done it. Created a low-heeled shoe that can transform into a high-heeled shoe and vice versa.



Are they convenient, though, or just novel and expensive?

But with price tags for the Camileon Heels ranging between $200 and $300, I can't help but think about how I could buy half a dozen shoes with that money instead of just one pair that is kinda like two.

I'll tell you who is doing women everywhere a favor, though, and that's Victoria's Secret. Those people over there are working wonders, aren't they? With their "bra technology." Their revolutionary "bust-firming" techniques.

In fact, Victoria's Secret has a dress that you can wear seven different ways ($108 last I checked) and a magical "100-way" bra ($50 last I checked) that can yes, be worn 100 different ways, including as a strapless, a racerback, a criss-cross, a low-back, a one-shoulder ... and I hear it can also make your coffee, do the New York Times crossword, balance your checkbook and do laundry.

I'm making a prediction. Soon to hit stores (and then 'net, and YouTube) will be dress pants that can transform into dresses -- you know, to take all those executive types from the office straight to the after-hour parties.

Optical Illusions

Optical illusions are fun and fascinating.

You've probably already seen ones where there are two interpretations for a single image, such as this one, which could be interpreted as either a vase (or candlestick) or two faces:


Or maybe you've seen ones like this, where your peripheral vision gives movement to a repeated pattern:

There are also the ones that play tricks on your perception of length or distance.

And, of course, the ones that seem to do impossible things with shading or shadows. (This one will blow your mind!)

But this is one I haven't seen before, and maybe you haven't either:


This tiny dancer can indicate whether your Right Brain or Left Brain is dominant. Look at the dancer again -- which direction does she appear to be spinning? Clockwise or to the counter-clockwise?

If she's spinning clockwise, your Right Brain, the "creative" side of the mind, is dominating. If she's spinning counter-clockwise, your Left Brain, the "logical" side of the mind, is dominating.

Something interesting... When I look at her, she is spinning clockwise. Until I begin reading or typing, and then if I notice her using my peripheral vision she begins spinning counter-clockwise.

Which way is she spinning for you? Can you see her spin both directions, too?

P.S. Um, no idea why she's in the buff. Sorry about the nudity.

Worrying About How this Article Will Turn Out Keeps Me Up at Night

Little stressed out right now.

Last week the magazines went to print, which meant I was working 'round the clock all week, not only copy editing but also worrying over my own article I was writing, and then on Friday I ended up working from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.

There is good news, though. The good news is that I'm taking this Friday off. (I'm going to the Grand Canyon!) The bad news is that this week I've jumped right into writing another article and there are probably up to a dozen people I will need to contact before I can put this baby to bed. Logistical nightmare.

My article will focus on the upcoming Scottsdale Fashion Week (Nov. 6-9), and although I'm excited to have the opportunity to take on this article, I'm also dreading it, too. There is so much to organize on the page and like I said, so many people to interview.

You know how artists tend to have a love/hate relationship with their art -- meaning they're passionate about it, but they're also their own harshest critics? Writers are like that, too. Fear of sucking is usually great motivation to procrastinate.

Right now I'm probably at 40% procrastination and 60% I just don't know where to start. No matter what, though, this article has to go to print on Halloween, which means it's due around the 15th, so let's hope I get a lot ironed out in a short time.

Hey You. Green Face.

The first month I worked at my current magazine we put out the "green" issue.

Because the topics of recycling, environment-friendly products and sustainability were everywhere I turned for 30 days straight, I couldn't help but get bit by the "green bug."

There are a few things that I was already doing that might fall into these categories, such as buying organic produce and recycling paper and magazines, but I decided there were more changes I could make.

Some others I've added this year: Cutting down my commute to work by 18 miles, carrying my own shopping bag to some stores, buying music online (means one less plastic CD case to eventually throw out); replacing all the bulbs in my apartment with LED and/or compact fluorescent bulbs; using a drying rack more often than the dryer; and replacing as many of my toiletries as possible with chemical-free ones.

My shopping bag is from Envirosax, but if I had to do it over again, I kind of like the snarky sayings on the bags at BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) ...

My soaps and my lip balm now come from Lush. (I am completely addicted, in fact, to the Honey Trap lip balm and the Cocktail, Ice Blue, Honey I Washed the Kids and Icon soaps, among many, many other products ... Yes, I admit that I have a problem ... Do they have a rehab for soap?)

And I'm trying to phase out my chemical-filled cosmetics by purchasing purer, "cleaner" ones as the need arises. By now there are dozens of chemical free makeup lines on the market, but two inexpensive ones I really like are Alima and Physician's Formula.

Alima is particularly awesome because they have like, a gazillion gorgeous colors to choose from, and you can get little sample jars for only $1.50! (I can never seem to choose the right foundation color on the first try, so I thought this was great! Thankfully, they also have a page on their site that walks shoppers through the process of finding the right shade.)

And also, good ol' Target now carries a surprisingly high number of chemical-free cleaning products, cosmetics, soaps and bath and body products, such as the Green by Nature line.

If you, too, feel like you're putting too much "gunk" on your face these days and want to make a change but don't know where to start, I can recommend a few sites.

Ecostiletto.com offers tips, advice and information on products in the areas of green beauty and fashion, among others.

Click here to download a PDF from the Teens for Safe Cosmetics site, which lists companies offering greener alternatives. (Regardless of whether or not you're in your teen years, this site has some good info!)

There's also Ecofabulous.com for sexy, sustainable style.

And Vital Juice Daily is pretty much the motherload.

I know that I'm not going to save the world by buying "green" cosmetics, but the number of cleaner, safer products will never go up  unless we start increasing the demand for them, and we have to start somewhere, right?

Where are you going to start? Do you already know what your carbon footprint is? Do you want to find out? Click here.

I Already Know What One of My New Year's Resolutions Will Be

Ask me how many books I've read this year.

The answer is two.

Two?!?!

Two.

That's like one every six months!

Hard for me to admit, but it's true. I've always been a self-proclaimed bibliophile, and I believe I still am, but now it appears to be more in spirit than in practice.

In 2007, I didn't do any better -- that year I finished two as well. The year 2006 was at least somewhat better for me, because I made it to seven.

I know I can't be too hard on myself, because there are reasonable factors that have contributed to the drop-off in numbers, including the fact that my current and most recent job have required so much reading that it's sometimes hard to make my eyes focus in my free time.

I have a notebook in which I keep track of what I've read and when (usually just the title, author and the date I begin and finish). I'll probably never give up that habit, but I'm considering trying out Goodreads.com. You can sign up there for free and create virtual "bookshelves," where you can "shelf" books you're reading, books you've already read and books you want to read. Even better, you can view the bookshelves of other users, so you can read their reviews and discover which users have your same tastes in literature.

The site could be a handy tool for deciding what you want to read next -- or, if you're like me -- a handy way to keep the hundreds of books you want to read in queue.

I remember reading a few years ago on Nicholas Sparks' website that he finishes one book approximately every three days. That's over one hundred books per year!

I don't think I'll ever want to reach that level of reading intensity, but still -- two? I can do better than two books a year. And I can do better than seven.

There are still three months left in 2008, so let's see what I can do.

Wordle

Via a post on the How About Orange blog, I discovered Wordle, a Web site that will randomize selections of text into something of an artistic display that it calls "word clouds." Then users can change the colors and fonts.

Be sure to view the gallery of word clouds that others have made and saved. Some are funny; some are intriguing.

This is the Wordle I just made. It's the lyrics from Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark."



(Click the image to see a larger version.)

It occurred to me that Wordle could also be a useful tool for writers who sometimes find inspiration through word association exercises.

Maybe there's a Wordle out there that will inspire my next short story, who knows!

Link Me Up!

Disapproving rabbits.

ColorFlip. (You will figure it out.)

Big Red Button.

Popcorn popped via cell phones. (...)

Six years of Noah. And here, too.

The Evolution Ad

I first saw this video a few years ago. It's an ad called "Evolution" that was a part of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. It shows time-lapse footage of a woman going from "ordinary" to "billboard-ready" in under a minute, including all the makeup, styling and digital retouching involved.

Although I've seen the ad many times, it continues to fascinate me ... especially now that I have had the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes at a "fashion" publication and have witnessed firsthand what kind of manipulation images can undergo.

To my knowledge, the magazine I work for has never altered an image of the face or body of a person to this extent, but I've seen enough of the designers' work to know that it's unbelievable what a really excellent graphic designer or Photoshop wizard can do with the right software.

(Now that I think of it, I do recall one particular manipulation, but I think you'll agree that it was all for the best. One of the designers had to Photoshop another finger onto the hand of a girl at a party who had apparently been giving the camera a rude gesture at the time the photo was snapped. Why, I don't know. And why we had to run that photo, I don't know. But now she will be forever giving a peace sign instead.)

The short piece was filmed in one day and was then in post-production for a few weeks while a team of professionals condensed the two-hour makeup application process into 23 seconds, stabilized the woman's head in the center of the screen, added background noise and music and of course, digitally manipulated the image.

The advertisement has won a number of prestigious awards and is estimated to have generated over $150 million worth of exposure for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty and the Dove Self-Esteem Fund.

You can read more about the hows and whys behind the making of the video here.

Here is the ad:

Wrap Me Up

I have this sweater. It's dark green, knitted, 100% cotton. Zippered. Hooded. A size small, with sleeves so long that I've always folded the cuffs back.

I think -- and I can't be certain, but I think -- I've had this sweater since my middle school days. So basically, I've owned and worn it for around a decade. Yikes, right? But even though I wouldn't say it's in absolute, perfect condition, I would argue that it doesn't look all that bad for what it's been through with me. Which, when I think about it, is a veritable ton.

High school. College. Sickness. Books. Movies. Flights. Nasty winters. Road trips. Quarrels with friends and lovers. First dates. Break-ups. Projects and papers. General rule-breaking and mayhem. Parties. Deaths. Photos. Holidays. Concerts. Moves. Vacations. Jobs. Perfect days. Perfectly terrible days. Singing and dancing and laughter.

Maybe it seems silly to go on about a sweater like this, but the thing has been around me for so long now that there's something very comforting about it. When I put it on, it's the next best thing to a hug from any one of my closest friends, all who have experienced so much with me and know me so well, but live so far away. And that is certainly welcome from time to time.

Photo by Sway Sovay

A Visit to the DBG

The boyfriend and I visited Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden a few weekends ago.

Now, normally, I don't show much interest in, nor would I ever recommend, going to an outdoor attraction at the height of day in Arizona during the summer because of all the melting that inevitably takes place; however, this particular weekend we both agreed that the usual routine of hiding indoors all day desperately needed to be interrupted. At least just this once.

Results: I wish I could say I had some beautiful photos to show you, but the truth is that I spent so much time feeling unreasonably hot and disgusting that there were few moments in which I was willing to pause for photo ops. Therefore, I regret to report that I only have one photo of a cactus flower and one photo of a lizard to share.

After maybe a dozen attempts, I did manage to get a fairly clear shot of the lizard. Predictably, there are a lot of these little guys crawling around Arizona, but I have never seen one this big (maybe 8 or 9 inches long).


What I'm really looking forward to is this: Las Noches de las Luminarias, an event that takes place every December when the garden is lit by hundreds and hundreds of white lights and candles in paper bags.

By that time of year, the temperatures have usually turned just the right degree of chilly (well, chilly by AZ standards, anyway), making the atmosphere so cozy and perfect for chai tea, hot cocoa, pumpkin pie and all those other cool weather indulgences.

Not to mention there's also good wine and good music and good dancing. One of my favorite local musical acts are the Sahnas Brothers, who are regulars each year. They are full-blood Greeks who were raised in Mexico and play beautiful Spanish guitar melodies.

Ah, I can't wait until the high temperatures finally drop below 100 degrees.

Photos by Sway Sovay

Not News

Why oh why oh why oh why do local news stations keep reporting on reality TV shows? Unless someone has died or someone or something on the show has crossed legal lines, I really don't believe it counts as "news."

There is speculation that sometimes news stations receive pressure from those higher up to name drop, or even somehow feature, the entertainment programs that air on their own channels. Which is pretty twisted when you think about it.

My Future Children Will One Day Ask Me if I Remember Computers That Sat on Top of Desks

I find this both incredibly cool and incredibly freaky.

I bet you never envisioned your coffee table giving you the blue/black screen of death.

In Which I Finally Jump on the Fitness DVDs Bandwagon

Despite what you may initially think, this really isn't a commercial for fitness dvds, I swear. It's a story. Kind of.

Although I appreciate working out, it still feels like working out. I have never been one of those women who really looked forward to an hour of alone time where I'd strap on the tennies and crank up the iPod and hit the jogging trail or the gym.

It might have helped to have had a regular "exercise buddy," although I doubt it, because time I spend with my friends is usually time where we catch up on one another's lives, and seriously, who still has the breath to chat in between wind sprints or while you're muttering curses at the freakin' elliptical machine? (Oh how it steals my soul ...)

And it's not as though I'm not athletic or a hater of physical activity. On the contrary, I do enjoy playing sports and dancing -- I played soccer for years, even competitively and then for my high school, and I've taken tap classes for a few years. But I just need a reason to move around that much, that's all.

Anyway, for the last several months my desire to/commitment to/time for exercise had fluctuated somewhere between zero and zero.

Until recently, one day, I had a revelation. That being that 1.) Some women are immune to cellulite, but I am not one of them, and 2.) There exist magical exercise routines that accelerate heartbeats, work an impressive number of muscles, burn big globs of calories AND last only 10 minutes. Only 10 minutes! Sign me up!

So it turns out that these days, because life is so fast-paced and people seem to find it increasingly difficult to make time for physical activity, experts have found ways to exercise smarter instead of harder. And studies are showing that even fitness routines that are only 10 minutes long -- if planned appropriately and done frequently and consistently -- can be just as effective, if not more effective, than hour-long routines that involve fewer movements, work fewer muscles, don't burn nearly as many calories or build as much lean muscle.

But where are these magical routines?!

Well, Amazon.com, of course.

And that is how it happened. That is how I, Sway Sovay, finally jumped on the bandwagon of fitness dvds. Because it's honestly the only thing that has lasted longer than a week since I stopped taking dance classes once a week.

It was so easy to make excuses before ...
I don't want to pay for a gym membership.
My gym clothes are in the laundry.
I don't want to work out alone.
I'm too tired.
I don't have enough time.
It's too hot/cold/rainy outside.

But now all those excuses are invalid. I don't have to pay to go to the gym, because now I can work out in my living room, in 20 minutes, in whatever crappy clothes I can find. And I don't need a friend to work out with me, because frankly, my living room is only big enough for one person to move around that much anyway, and also, the woman on the dvd talks enough as it is. And the "I'm too tired" excuse will hopefully never leave my lips, because it will mean that I am too dang lazy to pop in a dvd and press the Play button.

This is also how that other thing happened, that being how I became so stiff and sore that I now walk around like an automaton most days at work.

I'm Pretty Sure I Won That One

Me: Could you try to wipe off the mirror after you brush your teeth? Sometimes you splash a lot of water around and it leaves spots on the mirror.

Boyfriend: Fine. But you get your makeup all over the sink and the counter.

Me: I clean that stuff off. Probably a lot more often than you clean off the mirror, anyway.

Boyfriend: Hey, I clean! I clean plenty of things around here.

Me: Please. Rinsing toothpaste down the sink?

Boyfriend: I clean all the dishes!

Me: I clean all the laundry!

Boyfriend: I clean out all the trash!

Me: Well I clean the toilet, which probably includes wiping your urine off the toilet seat!

Boyfriend: [Silence + disgusted face.]

Me: What else you got?

Smart People

I recently rented Smart People, starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church and Ellen Page. I thought it was absolutely great, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who also enjoyed movies like Juno and Sideways and Little Miss Sunshine. Totally the same vein of humor.

The main character is a widowed college professor (Quaid) who teaches at Carnegie Mellon University, and who has his driver's license suspended for six months after he's hospitalized for an injury sustained during a somewhat humorous incident. Because he can't drive, he relies on his temporary homeless and mainly unemployed screw-up of an adopted brother (Church) to step in and act as a (ultimately completely irresponsible) cheuffeur.

The professor has a son, who is in college and keeps to himself, and a daughter (Page), who is a rather snarky senior in high school and preparing to go to Stanford next fall. It's clear the daughter has also taken on the role of Woman of the House in order to fill her deceased mother's shoes and so she acts like she's 17 going on 47, making for some great one-liners.

As if this dysfunctional family doesn't have enough to grapple with, the professor finds himself romantically involved with his doctor (Parker) who turns out to be a former student with a once-upon-a-time crush on him.

The main theme of this film -- and the one which gives it its title and many of its most humorous points -- is the fact that all of the characters are so intelligent that it makes it somewhat difficult for them to connect to one another, as well as the world around them.

Anyway, go rent it and let me know what you think.

Food to the Rescue

AOL has posted an article containing "Weird Uses for Food Around the House." Below are a few that relate to housekeeping, but the full article covers a range of categories, including personal health.

If you add a teaspoon of pepper to your wash after you add the detergent and before you put in the clothes, it will prevent colors from fading.

If you use dried orange peels to start the next fire in your fireplace, the fire will burn for longer and (bonus) smell sweeter.

If you have a garment with an ink stain on it and soak the area in milk for up to 24 hours, the dyes will loosen and you can then launder the now stain-free article of clothing.

If you notice ants in your kitchen, sprinkle some flour in any places you've seen them and they will vacate the premises.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

I Just Want to, Like, Work for a Magazine

The following is my paraphrasing of part of an interview between one of my magazine's managing editors and a potential intern, as told to me by one of our graphic designers:

Managing Editor: So, how proficient would you say you are in working with computers?

Intern Candidate: Um, I don't know, I've never been tested.

Managing Editor: Okaaay ... Well, your application says that you'd like to write some articles for us. What kind of topics would you be interested in writing about?

Intern Candidate: Um, I don't know ... I just want to be like, the next Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City, you know?

All I Could Think Of Was Jack Black Saying, "Get Ready to Feel the Thunder!!!"

So I know there are other important things going on in the world, like the fact that Barack Obama just gave his acceptance speech last night, and also, the fact that John McCain has chosen a woman from Alaska that no one has ever heard of before to be his running mate ... but put all those political questions you're mulling over on hold and check out this storm we had last night.

It's still monsoon season in Arizona, and last night Mother Nature reminded us just exactly what that means. Several thunderstorms merged into a single superstorm over the Phoenix metro area and gave locals an incredible light show.

Less like lightning, actually. More like a strobe light. Check it out:

Have you ever seen anything like this in your life?

It's like God was having a disco party or something...

Ladies and gentlemen, proof that it does, indeed, rain in the desert from time to time. And when it rains, it pours.

And then an actual news report covering the storm:

This is the part that's really going to get you, though:

This year, Arizona State University (in Tempe, Ariz., just south of Phoenix) erected what it calls a "bubble dome" on campus for the football team to practice in. The 103,500-square-foot, climate-controlled facility was just completed this month and cost a total $8.4 million to install.

Well guess what. The bubble was not built to withstand 70-100 mph winds. And last night, it deflated.

It used to look like this.

Now it looks like this.

Ready? All together now...

HA!