Something I Like: A City Home Companion Edition

The months between posting are because I've lost the joys of Photoshop since moving to the salty city. I rather miss doing this blog, and feel the need to post something I fell in love with just today: IKEA!!!!!!!!!!!
Consider me one of the converted, because I think there is no better place in the world. I've never wanted to live in a cramped apartment more in my life. How great would it be to have a bed, couch, TV, kitchen, and bathroom, all fully equipped, in under 250 square feet? I'm completely fascinated by the concept and want to move into a wee flat to test the Ikea way of life.
Also, Ikea is great because it makes me seriously consider things I'd never thought of before. For instance, what if I decided to have a murder-mystery party one day? Surely, such a party requires ice cubes in the shape of puzzle pieces. Ikea, among many other awesome things, has my back on puzzle piece-shaped ice cube trays. Also, what if I needed to attend a mask ball? Where would I turn for such a gala event? Ikea, again, offers me all I need, providing me with all the goofy insect and animals masks required for a gala masked ball.
Ikea's final degree of awesomeness comes from the service it extends to the world's young, broke, and stylish: Ikea offers ownership in the adult world. No longer an owner of only clothing and the odd electronic device, I now own a lamp. A lamp of my very own, a lamp which symbolizes a passage into a new world full of nine-to-five jobs, tiny apartments begging to be filled with stylish, yet practical furnishing, and murder mystery parties which need planning.

Stuff I Like: Sunday Evening Edition

1. Peach cobbler: the penultimate Sunday night dessert.
2. Life With Derek: Another Canadian kids show I like - seriously, Canada, what's going on with you? First Metric and Broken Social Scene take over my music, now Degrassi and Life With Derek take over my TV. I'd be slightly weary if I didn't love it all so much.
3. Debussey: I'm trying to perfect Clair de Lune. It's so pretty, but I'm so rusty...
4. Phase 10: My family's current Sunday Night Game - it was Yahtzee, but I brought in Phase 10 a few months ago. I kind of rock at it.
5. Singin' In the Rain: My parents always put an older film in on Sundays - Singin' In the Rain is a perennial favorite. "People? I ain't people!" never gets old.

Stuff I Like: Pass the Clean and Clear Edition

1. The O.C. : There are so many things I love about this show: the soundtrack, Ryan punching people (in Season One, mostly), Taylor Townsend, Julie Cooper - Nichols - Roberts, and the zombie/ninja references that set The O.C. apart from other teen dramas.
2. Degrassi: The Next Generation : Oh, Canada, you did good by Degrassi. Not only does Degrassi feature the words "aboot" and "sore-y," but it features every single Issue Facing Today's Youth. Teen pregnancy is nothing compared to coke addiction, stripping to pay your mother's rent, school shootings, perscription drug dealing, female and male eating disorders, living in the boiler room because you're bipolar, gambling addiction, and becoming the school slut by wearing low-rise jeans and a thong. I love Degrassi.
3. The Best Years: A fab new Canadian teen melodrama about an orphaned girl who earns a full-ride scholarship to a fictional Ivy League university. It's great so far, very Degrassi-sort-of-grows-up.
4. Forever 21: Maybe one of the defining marks of our generation - a clothing store built around the same concept as faux-designer handbag kiosks. The prices are so cheap that it doesn't matter when the hem comes unstitched or the necklace tarnishes after a week. *Love*
5. High School Musical: OMG, I so loved HSM b4 every-1 else did!!!1!!1! Actually, I tried really hard to hate it and claimed I was watching it again because I loved MST3k-ing it. After my fourth viewing, I gave up that position and asked for the Remix Edition DVD for Christmas. BONUS: my Disney-Channel-extra neighbor got me a poster signed by all of the main cast members - Corbin Bleu even wrote "To Maren Love, Corbin Bleu." That's right - High School Musical loves me back.

Stuff I Like: I'm Hungry Edition

1. Gummi bears: That I love gummi bears is a point I can't emphasize enough.
2. Bruschetta with tomato and basil: It's so simple and tastes like summer.
3. Izze pear soda: A recent discovery - sparkling water and fruit juice combined into one seriously refreshing beverage. And apparently Izze is one of those do-good companies who support independent fruit growers and all of that warm-fuzzy stuff. So it's good all-round!
4. Happy Meal : double cheeseburger, no pickles, Diet Coke, and a girl toy. It's only pathetic because I worked there.
5. Top Chef: I love watching the chefs plate their food - it always looks amazing, even when it sounds disgusting (mustard-seared alligator tail and monkfish liver braised with apple hash).

Stuff I Dig: Insomniac's Theatre Edition

1. Ambien : Makes me sleeeeeeeeeeeepyyyyyy. .....
2. Hello Kitty pajamas: so comfy cute
3. Neko Case: perfect "past midnight and I'm still awake" music
4. Re-reading all those essays I wrote last semester: I was wondering if I really am smart.
5. Red toenail polish: Pedicures are a fantastic late-night activity.

Stuff I Like: When I'm Sad Edition

1. My dog: Even though she is the Replacement Dog and isn't as sensitive to tears as Toffee was, Darcy does a pretty good job of cheering me up.
2. My blanket: Linus and I share the same soul. Having a blankey is like having a ready-made hug whenever you need it.
3. Pretty in Pink: My number one, all-time favorite movie always renews my hope that a sensitive rich boy will love me if only I wear enough beautiful vintage clothing.
4. Elliott Smith: Yeah. He knew.
5. Gummi bears: Total comfort food - I'm thinking of editing a collection of triumph-over-upper-middle-class-boredom type essays and calling it Gummi Bears for the Suburbean Soul. Send me your experiences, kids!

Stuff I Like: Day Tripper Edition

1. Ciara and Maria (or Maria and Ciara) : I always have fun with them - watching Little Britain or The Life Aquatic, midnight Wal-Mart fashion shoots, crushing grapes at the Juicing Party, laughing at strange periodicals from the Writer's Market . . . always super-fun.
2. Books on Tape : Although I love music (love music!), I am beginning to prefer audio books for car trips of any considerable length. Last time I went to Salt Lake, I listened to a fabulous Julie Garwood romance novel, Prince Charming, in which a young girl must escape her opressive uncle by marrying a Western cowboy and sailing to America. It's all very wonderful. This time, I went the more intellectual route and listened to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, which I haven't yet finished, but has been wonderful thus far.
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix : Yay for the best Harry Potter movie yet! As a freakish fan, it was all I could ask for.
4. Rupert Grint : He drives an ice cream truck when he's not being Ron Weasley. Combined with his red hair and ratty-sweater boyishness, I believe this makes him the perfect man.
5. Super Hot Tamales : A very tricky trick to staying awake while driving past ten o'clock in the evening. They don't taste good at all, but they do their job well.

Music I Like: iTunes Play Count Edition

1. "To Go Home" - M. Ward : Matt Ward has a beautiful, not-too-polished voice - "Handle With Care" from Jenny Lewis' album shows how uniquely appealing M. Ward's voice is when stacked next to more commercial dudes like Ben Gibbard and Conor Oberst. "To Go Home" is one of my favorites from his Post-War album - I love this song so very much that I want to share it with everyone. Here's the link to download this lovely, lovely Daniel Johnston cover.

2. "Go It Alone" - Beck : BECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3. "Damaged Goods" - Gang of Four : Great song, great band. That's all.

4. "Summer's Gone" - Aberfeldy : I'll begin with the obligatory "I want everyone to know that I liked this song two years ago, way before it was on a Coke commercial" statement. However, it's cutesy, catchy '60's organ sound lends itself well to commercials (you can't get it out of your head!), so I still like this song post-"selling out."

5. "My Doorbell" - The White Stripes : I'm not a huge White Stripes fan, but this fab song, with its drum-beats-and-Jack-White-singing makes me want to buy their entire catalogue.

Stuff Ciara Likes: HP Edition

Ciara's Five Favorite Things:

1. that she and Maren agree concerning snape. just finished my rereading and my biggest proof is at the end of six harry calls snape a coward and snape says "DON'T CALL ME COWARD" and as we know on page 405 hagrid says "i jus heard snape sayin' dumbledore took too much fer granted an maybe he snape didnt want ter do it anymore" i believe this to be that snape agreed with dumbledore that he would kill dumbledore and therefore he isn't a coward because he was able to do it.

2. Ron Weasley and he shouldn't die in 7 although bet are that he will. (my other guess is mr. or mrs. weasley bites the dust, we know that at least one of the nine family members has to go)

3. Maren's similar recent obsession with harry potter. my obsession and continuous blabbering about said subject is driving maria mad, so i like knowing that there is someone i can talk to.

4. the suspense for book number seven, because it will make it that much better and i'll have the adrenaline to stay up reading and finish in one day.

5. the speculation of why book seven ends with the word scar, "what could that possibly mean?"

Stuff I Like: I Really Like Ridiculously Long Album and Song Titles Edition

1. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys : It's funny and it's true. And I really love the Arctic Monkeys. Seriously. Listening to them right now, as you should.

2. I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass - Yo La Tengo: I know I lose all credibility in saying this, but I haven't actually listened to the album. I just think the title is super hilarious.

3. When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You'll Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You Know That You're Right. - Fiona Apple : Officially the longest album title EVER, according to the Guiness Book of World Records. It's also a really, really good album (as well as the soundtrack to my high school breakup).

4. "Hail to Whatever You Found in the Sunlight," The Execution of All Things - Rilo Kiley : This song sounds like flecks of dust floating around in that lazy beam of sunlight streaming through the window. And that's a good thing.

5. Of Montreal - The grande champion of long, weird song titles, on any given album . . . Here are a few samples:
"The Couple In Bed Together Under a Warm Blanket Wrapped Up In Each Other's Arms"
"Sadness Creeping Up and Scaring Away the Couple's Happiness"
"It's Easy to Sleep When You're Dead"
"My What a Strange Day With a Swede"
"Dustin Hoffman Thinks About Eating the Soup" (heh. heh heh.)
"Heimsdalgate Like a Promethean Curse"

Stuff I Like: Day Off Edition

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix : I'm preparing for the Deathly Hallows - I am in the "Snape is Loyal" faction of Muggle readers.

2. Sleeping In : Waking up at eleven is one of my favorite things EVER. Best way to use half of a day off.

3. Nylon magazine : If you read the magazine, you can tell that I adore Nylon's art direction, fashion, and music taste. The "Private Icon" feature is the best: it leaves starlet fashion behind and analyzes style sensibilities anywhere from Taxi's Elaine Nardo to the boys in The Outsiders. The magazine loves street style and usually features groovy kids living in cities ranging from Omaha and Portland to Berlin and Stockholm.

4. Swimming : My work out of choice - it's physically demanding, but relaxing as well. Miles better than running, ellipticalling, or yogaing.

5. Au Revoir Simone : A fun little girl band consisting of three friends and their Casio keyboards. It only sounds gimmicky - their music is the kind of sweet, light pop that's perfect on a sunny summer afternoon.

Something I Love: Special Edition

Toffee was my childhood dog. Since I was nine, she's been all of the things a dog should be: energetic, entertaining, loyal, a constant companion, and of course, a best friend. She's been a good dog, sitting at my feet for thirteen years.
At our old house, Toffee would scratch at my basement room window, waking me up at 7 o'clock every morning. After I got out of bed, I opened the window; Toffee treated me like a puppy, cleaning the sleepy bugs out of my eyes.
She got stuck on our swing set when she was a puppy. My mom looked out the window and saw Toffee hanging over a swing, front legs preventing her from sliding off.
The day after we moved to Hyde Park, Toffee attacked our neighbors' rabbit cage. She stuck her nose between the chicken wire at the bottom of the cage and grabbed at the rabbit's legs. I never knew the rabbit's original name because it was called Tripod after that.
Toffee had quirks, most notably her legendary habit of rock-diving. In the canal next to our house, she dove underwater and retrieved rocks the neighborhood kids threw in for her.
There are plenty more doggie-anectdotes about Toffee, but my main point is that I really love my dog; she's been such a good friend.

I'm really going to miss her sleeping at my feet while I'm sitting at the computer.

Stuff I Like: T-Shirt Edition, part one

1. NKOTB Jordan tee : My best friend's older sister told us that Jordan was the hottest New Kid. She had this t-shirt.
2. "Keep the Dream Alive" tee : I tend to love PalmerCash t-shirts - this is one of my favorites. It's so very me.
3. "Paris Je t'aime" shirt : Super-girly, super-cute Top Shop shirt. And now they ship to the US . . . I have to keep reminding myself of the exchange rate because everything seems sooooo inexpensive in pounds.
4. NKOTB Joey tee : Secretly, I knew that Joey was the hottest New Kid. My mom wouldn't let me get a t-shirt, though, because she said I was too young to be interested in teen idols. Thanks to Urban Outfitters, that bastion of ironic screenprints, I can have a do-over on this memory.
5. Hello Kitty England tee : Two of my favorite obsessions, England and Hello Kitty, brought together in harmonious bliss on this t-shirt.

Stuff I Like: T-Shirt Edition, part two

1. The obligatory second-hand local-league baseball tee : All of mine came from my brother's Little League cast-offs.
2. Team Zissou Intern shirt : Best birthday present ever. . . "Don't shoot him - he's an unpaid intern!"
3. "Stay Golden" shirt : The Golden Girls + The Outsiders reference = IT'S FUNNY, okay? And thank you for being a friend.
4. Wink Wink Nudge Nudge Ironic Political t-shirt : I know it's lame to buy new shirts with purposely outdated messages on the front, but this one makes me laugh.
5. Faux vintage D.I. find : As a former McD's employee, this is currently my favorite t-shirt to wear.

Stuff I Like: Dance Movie Edition

1. Center Stage : So great on so many different levels - the acting is awful, but it's only because real dancers star in the movie. This equals hi-larious lines along with some truly awesome dancing. (Sidenote: this is the only dance movie to feature Sandy Cohen as the director of a ballet company. Just something to think about.)
2. Red ballet shoes : The triumphant final dance number in Center Stage features the most beautiful of pointe shoes, the shiny red satin. I covet them. I would wear them in everyday life and dance around en pointe all day. Seriously.
3. Save the Last Dance : The beginning of the hip-hop/ballet movie genre, which is a true achievement. It explores death, ghettos, gang violence, and teenage motherhood, along with an inter-racial relationship and applying to Julliard. That's a lot for ninety minutes.
4. Step Up : A recent addition to the hip-hop/ballet movie genre, but instead of the inter-racial couple storyline, this movie features a white boy from the projects trying to make good by getting into art school. The best part of this movie is that the white boy is played by Channing Tatum, who makes up for his lack of acting ability by dancing and standing around looking very, very pretty.
5. Dirty Dancing : Truly the best dancing movie of all time. Ignore all the social consciousness surrounding the illegal abortion and pay attention to Johnny yelling "You gotta concentrate!" while he and Baby practice the mambo. And the part when Baby carries a watermelon. And the practicing-lifts-in-the-lake part. And the Mickey/Sylvia part. Oh, yeah, and remember that nobody puts Baby in a corner. Not even Jerry Orbach.

Links I Like: Wasting My Time Edition

1. jacksonpollock.org : At first, it seems like nothing is there. But once you start moving your mouse around, you become a post-modern genius. Very meta.
2. Paxon : Way more fun than regular Pac Man.
3. flickr.com : I love the "art" tag - there are tons of great graphic designers that post there.
4. The Huffington Post Entertainment section : Too-smart, pretentious people discussing the intricacies of Paris Hilton's jail sentence and how it brings the human race closer together. It's fantastic.
5. WeeblsStuff : I really want some of my friends to get into Weebl and Bob - that way pie jokes and the phrase "I have become a goths" will be hilarious to more than just me. (Also funny, Magical Trevor and KenyaKenyaKenya!)

Music I Like: Summer Albums Edition

1. Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare : New album from a great band - crazy, fast, crazy-fast, and funny. It's perfect for staying awake while driving (my favorite for steering-wheel drumming).
2. Phoenix It's Never Been Like That : Groovy French import (listening to Phoenix and Air automatically gives you the trans-continental sophistication known as je ne sais quoi). This album came out last summer and I've been dancing to it ever since.
3. The Go! Team Thunder, Lightning, Stike : Bands with exclamation points in the middle of their name are lame, generally. The Go! Team are the exception to the mid-name exclamation point rule - they are so ridiculously awesome that you'll have to listen to them to understand (the website streams most of their songs).
4. Voxtrot Voxtrot : Fan-freaking-tastic band. Daytrotter has a great version of "Steven," which is indie-pop music at its absolute best.
5. Elliott Smith New Moon : It's Elliott Smith. A new 2-disc set of unreleased tracks that are basically beautiful. "Thirteen" is particularly lovely . . .

Stuff I Like: 90s Nostalgia Edition

1. Clarissa Explains It All : Basically, Clarissa inspired me to become the person I am today. Seriously. She was a writer; I am a writer. She had crazy-awesome style; I strive to emulate her crazy-awesome style. She liked They Might Be Giants and I have a little birdhouse in my soul. The only thing problem is I live in a basement, so my BFF Sam can't climb a ladder to get to the window in my room. Dang it.
2. Clueless : I love this movie. Here's some quotes from it:
"Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie."
"I totally paused."
"She's a full-on Monet . . . it's like a painting, see? From far away, it's okay, but up close it's a big old mess!"
"He does dress better than I do. What would I bring to the relationship?"
3. Paula Abdul Forever Your Girl : My best friend and I choreographed dances to every song on this album. I don't remember them now.
4. Boy Meets World : Hmm, a television show about a boy growing from adolescence to adulthood, starring a charming child actor with the last name Savage? So, maybe this version was a bit of a copy, but it didn't stop me from cheering for Corey and Topanga or crushing on Eric and Shawn (and later, Jack, Shawn's half-brother played by the middle Lawrence brother). Plus, it was shown on T.G.I.F., which is a cornerstone of my childhood experience : Dinosaurs, Boy Meets World, Step by Step, and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper. And if I was lucky, I would get to watch half an hour of 20/20 before going to bed, which was thrilling for some reason.
5. The Wonder Years : The original Savage-starring coming-of-age series, awesome in a much different way than it's little brother. It's being shown on this weird, forsaken satellite channel that plays commercials for, um, enhancement medications and goes off the air at 9:00. Whatever, the show is amazing in a million ways and watching it now reminds me of watching it with my parents when I was younger. Aw.

Stuff I Like: First Edition

1. Mates of State Bring It Back - The perfect soundtrack to painting the bathroom on a June afternoon.
2. My awesome b-girl shoes - They are awesome.
3. So You Think You Can Dance? - I love crappy summer shows. This one wins my affection with its overblown sense of its own importance, making each borderline contestant "Dance For Their Life" ("Life" being defined as "spot on a summer television reality show"). Plus, the choreographers come up with some crazy stuff.
4. On Beauty by Zadie Smith - The only book I've read so far this summer that doesn't qualify as "chicklit" or "beach read." It was totally worth the extra brainpower.
5. Online Boggle - My favorite way to waste an hour (or two). This site doesn't use pop-up ads or banners, so it's not annoying, like most game sites.