halloween 2010

so four different ideas for halloween costumes finally hit me...two days before i needed a costume. it was too late, and i didn't have time to put my ideas together [most of the ideas required me to draft patterns and sew]. i'm pretty pissed i didn't get these ideas sooner, but on the bright side, i have options for next year.

without time to make a costume, i broke down and bought one. i didn't really choose the costume, it was pretty much just chosen out of convenience. my friend bought two different sizes of a costume, unsure of what her size would be, and i just bought the one she had left from her.

it was cute and involved a whip. haha. i was the ring leader of a circus. my favorite part of the costume was the little hat, that i spray glittered to give a little more pizzaz. not very creative, but at least i had a costume...

p.s. ignore my lovely dressform in the background. aka miss thang

clear lake, ca

this weekend i had my trip up to clear lake, california to visit some family. clear lake is about two hours from sacramento. we flew into sacramento and then rented a car to drive the rest of the way.

the weekend was short, but nice. it rained all weekend, which i loved. if it rained, pretty much nonstop, for three days here we'd be flooded beyond recognition! the only time i saw the sun was in the plane, when we got above the clouds.

clear lake is surrounded by several cute little towns and is the largest natural lake in the united states. every where we went was lake front, and it was all so beautiful. my dads sisters house sits on a hill above the lake and has a gorgeous view, from both the front and back of the house, of the lake. there is a little trail that leads down to the lake and boat launches behind the house. one day i decided to hike it. ouch. the trail is extremely steep and gave me a workout! but the view was worth it. all the wildlife was nice too!

it was great to visit and have a little, mellow vacation.

in the airport baggage claim

on the drive

view from the back of the house

a warning about the trail down to the lake

the lake and boat launches

phantom of the opera

my mom is a die-hard phantom of the opera fan. she loves it, it's her favorite play. she's lost track of how many times she's seen it, but it's in the double digits. because of her love for it i've seen it six or seven times throughout my life and could sing every word of every song.

for mothers day me and my sister bought my mom a ticket to see it at the pantages theatre in hollywood. my mom, myself, my sister and her husband went to see it yesterday. the play has been traveling for about thirteen years now and is supposedly in its final tour and retirement from travel.

if you haven't had a chance to see it, try to go. it's a magnificent play. i never get bored of seeing it. if you can't make it to the play, the movie does a pretty decent job of portraying the story [i won't tell you how many times i went to see the movie with my mom so she wouldn't have to go alone when it was in theaters].

the pantages is a beautiful theatre. one thing i always remember about it is the heavy, red velvet curtains. i always loved the way they draped and gathered as they rose. i also really love the elaborate designs on the ceiling.

the play was fantastic, as usual. the voices of the phantom and raoul were so powerful and amazing. it didn't hurt that raoul was played by an adorable, and straight, guy. he came out after the play, so me and my sister took a picture with him. yeah, lame, i know. haha. my sister made me crop her out of the picture, she said she looked like a toad. i thought she looked fine, but i cropped her out anyways because facing her wrath wasn't something i really wanted to do. and a side note: i have a HORRIBLE habit of hunching in pictures because i'm tall and i try to make myself the same height as the person i'm taking the picture with. i was in heels, and hunched a lot in the picture, succeeding in making myself look yucky. i'm still working on embracing my height and standing up straight in pictures.

i don't like pumpkin

halloween is approaching fast, and i have NO idea what to be! i usually have my costume thought up and picked out long before october even rolls around. this year i'm drawing a blank. i like to be something creative and usually make my costume or put it together myself. i can't remember the last time i bought a pre-made costume.

last year i was abby sciuto, the gothic lab tech from the tv show ncis. it was a hit and i was surprised by how many people recognized my costume!

i did have one idea for this years costume. i was thinking the stig from the british car show top gear. the only problem is that i'd have to find a white motorcycle helmet with a blacked out visor and i wouldn't be able to talk or take the helmet off all night, so i scratched that.

maybe it'll hit me...hopefully soon...

part of it all

sometimes realizing certain things can shatter your vision of reality. it makes you see a person, thing, or time differently. it can be for better, or for worse.

sometimes you see these things, but continue not to acknowledge them how they truly are. when the realization hits you, and you're ready to accept it, it can hurt. or it can be liberating.

right now it might hurt, but i knew it was like this the whole time. i just didn't want to see it.

i think i'm ready for change and i think a string of experiences has prepared me for this. as horrible as that second might have been, it prepared me for something bigger, and better.

i guess it's all part of growing and changing.

"don't kill yourself to raise the dead. it never works, you'll only end up joining them."

some of my favorite lyrics. it makes perfect sense and is some of the greatest advice, in my book anyway...

biffy clyro

while i was in idaho i entered an online contest to win biffy clyro tickets to their los angeles show (which was last night) and, to my complete surprise, i actually won. i got two free tickets to their show at the fold in bootleg theatre. i invited my sister and brother-in-law. again to my surprise, they said yes.

i haven't ever been to a show with my sister and wasn't sure how it would be, we have pretty different tastes in music. my sister said just as long as it's not yelling or screaming she'd go. ha ha. it ended up being a really good show and lots of fun. i even got a shout out on the biffy clyro facebook.

biffy clyro is a band from scotland that i discovered when they toured with manchester orchestra. they were awesome live, so i bought their cd at the show and later picked up a couple more of their albums. they are very well known throughout europe and other parts of the world. winning award after award for their albums and singles. it's a taste of something a little different. their accents don't come through too much when they sing, which is a little bit of a bummer. but to make up for it there is a whole lot of ginger going on. twin ginger, might i add. the bassist and drummer, james and ben johnston, are red headed twins. the band is headed by simon neil who plays guitar and sings.

the venue was small and hot, but i love intimate shows so the heat was worth it. sadly, my phone wouldn't zoom so my pictures aren't too terribly clear, but i did get a couple good ones when i braved it and pushed to the front during the last song. biffy clyro is a great live band with a good energy that gets a venue singing along at the top of their lungs.