Wii Will Rock You!

I finished my second yoga class yesterday. I was proud of myself when I saw how many people dropped the class. And you know what? I didn't hurt half as bad this time. In fact, I feel like I might even stretch a little throughout the week. Rob asked me to accompany him to Dick's today, so I picked up some yoga blocks and a yoga strap while I was there. I'm doin' this!

I've been meaning to share something else with you guys. A few weeks ago, Katie from the ridiculously awesome Broken Umbrellas blog (of which I had submitted my own broken umbrella photo to in the past) sent me an email. She was hosting a "Wii Party" for area bloggers and asked if I'd like to join in on the fun. After getting some details, I realized it's a "marketing" party, put on by the fine people representing Nintendo. We get some goodies in exchange for spreading the word about the products.

Well, they picked the right person because I am a Wii proponent! You might remember my post from when we bought our Wii back in January 2008. This is the only system I've owned since the original NES, and I love it.

So I went to the party last weekend, and it was a great time! Great people, great food, great games. And even though I've had my Wii for two years (exactly yesterday), I learned a few things I never knew. First, for some reason, I never downloaded the internet channel. So all these times Rob and I huddled around my 12" iBook to watch a Youtube video, I could have just put it on our tv. Doh!

The second awesome thing are the game demos that they have in the WiiWare store. At the party, they were playing this game called World of Goo. It was way fun! I'm all about puzzle games. Those and music/dance games are all I really play. I'm just not into RPGs. But World of Goo is just building little bridges of goo balls, based on the laws of physics. Kind of reminds me of The Incredible Machine from my days of yore.



Anyway, World of Goo is available as a demo, so you can try it out before buying it, which is always nice. Because really, I'm not going to want to buy a game that I suck at. It can be a little frustrating, but watching those silly little balls of goo get sucked up a pipe makes it all worth it.

The only bummer of the Wii party was that nearly everyone left with a shiny new Wii. I had thought that everyone attending would receive a shiny new Wii (therefore I had planned to "donate" mine to my mother), but unfortunately there was a little miscommunication, and only the people who didn't previously own Wii's got one. Drat! Sorry Mom! But I can't be greedy. I did get a nice little gift pack with an extra controller and 2000 Wii points which I already used to buy the full version of World of Goo. :)

So it's obvious that if I had to officially "review" the Wii, it'd get two thumbs (and both big toes) way up. And this is coming from a girl who is definitely not a typical gamer-type. But I feel like it's not a typical gaming system. I can tell you that my mother wouldn't know what to do with an XBox or Playstation or whatever fancy stuff they have out there. But set up a Wii bowling match in the living room and she's all about it!

I was thinking about getting a yoga game. I have Wii Fit, which I have barely used lately. Then I go and try to use it tonight and I can't find the disc! Dang it! It's gotta be in my house somewhere. Anyway, maybe I'll try Just Dance, the game that makes me break a sweat and look like a total fool. Gotta love it!

Hip Hop Hooray!

First, for those that asked, yoga was awesome and awful at the same time. :) I already knew how inflexible I am, so all the bending was tough. But it was a great, informative 90 minutes. I really loved it! And I left feeling like a bowl of Jell-O. I was loose and warm and stress-free (which was the best part). It was better than my last massage.

Eight hours later and I wasn't exactly feeling the same way. I was HURTING. Bad. My arms and shoulders were very painful. I know that's probably because I stretched those muscles for the first time in my life and they were very angry at me. But I'm starting to feel pain-free again. Right in time for my 2nd class tomorrow! Ha!

In other news, last Saturday we finally had our Hip Hop Holiday party. (We try to have a Christmas party every year, but this year it was cancelled due to a winter storm.) Hip Hop was our theme, which Rob loved. We made a 9 hour-long soundtrack for the event which he's been playing nearly every day since I first made the playlist. My favorite part was dressing up. I love a good theme party, and I take my attire very seriously.

Here are some pictures from the event. The Oriental Trading Company backdrop really made the photos. :)

Class Act

It's a new year and a new Melissa. 2010 is going to be about improving myself, and I'm starting right away. A few weeks ago I signed up for a Book Arts class at the Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia. It starts next Thursday. I've been eyeing up this class for years now. YEARS! So I finally bit the bullet and registered. It's been so long since I crafted out of pure joy, and I think this will help me feel more creative.

And then earlier this week, I did something crazy. Something atypical. Something that makes the people who actually know me gasp in shock. I signed up for yoga. It's true. A new yoga studio opened last week down the street from me, and it just looked so cute. And I figured I could use some peace in my life, so why not. Sure, I can't touch my toes. In fact, I can barely reach my ankles. And yeah, I get winded climbing a flight of stairs. But it's the year of the new Melissa! Plus it was a good opportunity to buy a cute yoga mat, bag, and outfit. :) I got this mat shown here in purple. I signed up for a five class beginner's series. It starts tomorrow at 11:30, and I'm super nervous. I'm optimistically hoping that I love it, and it becomes a new hobby of mine. I'll let you know if I feel the same way on Sunday.

2010? WTF?

Where did 2010 come from?? I swore it was mid-2009 the last time I checked. But look, here we are, starting a brand new year. Dang it. I didn't even get on Oprah like I had resolved.

Well, this year started off kind of insane for me. It was like a good film, filled with lies, betrayal, drama. I'm hoping that since 2010 went in like a lion, it'll go out like a lamb.

I have a bajillion goals/resolutions this year. Typical stuff like eat healthier (it wouldn't take much), be a better wife, get my crap organized, end world hunger. But I need to really spend some time working on my creativity. Okay okay, so the 160 Pages project didn't turn out so great. I gave up after 43 pages. That's barely 25%. Well, this year, I need to get back into it. But I'll put less pressure on myself, hopefully drawing here and there when I have some extra time. I might even forego a nap occasionally. (Side note: Is it bad that I want to spend all my free time napping? Rob seems to think it isn't, but I worry.)

Anyway, even though I wanted to go to sleep, I knocked out a sketch the other night, and oh man am I rusty! I felt like I had to learn how to hold a pen again! Well, I'll keep chugging along. And maybe I'll even eventually fill a sketchbook one of these days.

I spy...

...myself in this video. You can see a photo of me as well as "real-life" me (and Rob) in this video. This is from the look book launch party where I "modeled" for my stylist.



Kind of bizarre to see yourself projected onto a big ole screen.

More Best of 2009

It's hard enough keeping up with one blog. So this one doesn't get my love. But since I'm determined to answer all of Gwen's Best of 2009 prompts, I have to keep chugging along.

December 4: Best Book
Secrets of Simplicity - I didn't actually finish the entire book/workbook, but the chapters I read were thought-provoking. It makes me realize how complicated I make my own life. I should probably pick it up again!

December 5: Best Night Out
I have two. The first was my quintessential girls' night out. I don't get too many of those, usually only when I visit Arizona, which is when this one took place. We got dolled up, had our makeup done, and went dancing. I wish these girls' nights could be monthly instead of annually, but I'll take what I can get.



And when I was in Austin, I went out on a gay pub crawl, where I joined a group on a tour of the city's best gay night spots. I was dressed like this, and had an absolute blast! I ended up giving parts of my outfit to random gay men all night! The last one, who took my suspenders, was especially appreciative!

December 6: Best Workshop or Conference
I only went to one this year, and that was the HOW Design Conference in Austin, where the above photo was taken. Thanks to a kind group of designers that took me in as one of their own, I had a fantastic time! It was a great mix of education, inspiration, and recreation!

December 7: Best Blog Find of the Year
I also have two answers for this one. When I started sketching again back in the summer, I came across the blogs of these two artists, and they amaze me. I'm always excited when I see a new post by either one of them in my Google Reader.
Three Letter Word for Art
Pete Scully

Best Article of 2009

December 3: Best Article

I admit I'm not a big reader, so this was a tough category for me. Luckily I've documented a few of my favorite articles on Operation NICE. This particular article had me weeping instantly.



And my first runner up, out of complete vanity, is the The New York Times article that discusses Operation NICE. That was pretty dang awesome.

Best of 2009 Blog Challenge!!!

I haven't been blogging much lately, so when I found Gwen Bell's blog challenge via Twitter, I knew it would be a great opportunity!

Here are the deets.

I missed yesterday, so I'm going to answer both BESTS today.

December 1: Best Trip
I had a lot of great trips this year, actually. My weekend trip to NYC. My recent trip to Arizona. My trip to the HOW Conference in Austin. But I'd have to say my favorite of the year was my vacation in San Francisco. After years of "long weekends," I felt like this trip west was a REAL vacation. We did so much and saw so much. It was a wonderful (and exhausting) experience!


Created with flickr slideshow.

December 2: Best Restaurant Moment
This was hard. Of course I've had great meals with great friends over the last 11 months. So picking one that was especially memorable was tough. My mind went to a little spot in Brooklyn where Rob and I had his birthday lunch. Now, we ended up enjoying a fabulously fancy sushi dinner at Megu in Tribeca that night, but this casual little restaurant was by far one of my favorite places of the year.



It's the Dumont Restaurant, and I found it via Design*Sponge, I think. I researched a ton of places and settled on this one for its outdoor garden. We had never spent time wandering around Brooklyn, so I mapped out our course, hopped the subway over there, and brought Rob right to the Dumont. After a morning full of travel, it was the perfect spot to relax with a great meal.



The weather was perfect, the food was delicious. I would relive that lunch daily if I could.

Thanksgiving Karaoke!

I know that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is always a good night to go out. No work the next day, just pigging out. And I've been wanting to try out Yakitori Boy, a karaoke bar in Philadelphia. Since private rooms are half price Sunday through Thursday, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.

I had a blast! Karaoke is always at the top of my "most fun" list, and my cohorts just made it that much more hilarious! I made a little video montage of our experience.



And here's the full version of myself performing Superfreak, by Rick James. One of my better karaoke performances. Enjoy!

Potato wave! For real this time!

I gotta give them credit. Pearl Jam was actually really good. I had low expectations. I mean, I only knew their radio songs. And depending on my mood, sometimes I'd leave it on and sometimes I'd change the station. But I actually had a great time at the show last night!

Eddie Vedder seems like a cool dude. Like he actually cares about his fans. And speaking of the fans, they are certainly dedicated. Singing along to every song. Taking breaks only to inhale from their pipes. I only had an incident with one drunk girl who, I guess, wanted to give me a free lap dance. Luckily the seats behind me were empty so I was able to escape.

Because the first World Series game was also last night, they had a chick in a showgirl outfit carry around a sign with the score between some songs. The entire place erupted in cheers each time because, thankfully, the Phillies were up the whole night.

I can safely say I wasn't bored once. There's just something about an entire stadium singing along (even if I can't participate) that makes me happy. You don't get that kind of stuff at the tiny shows I usually attend. So that was a nice treat. They played the final song with the house lights on. I had to take a little bit of iPhone video. Potato wave, everybody. Potato wave.

Grown-up Furniture

After years of living without a dresser or night stands, and basically sleeping in a room with only a mattress on a box spring, Rob and I finally bought ourselves some grown-up furniture. It all matches! Incredible.

When we went furniture shopping yesterday, we didn't think there was any way we'd make the decision to buy, but thanks to a little haggling, we got a great price on this set from Raymour & Flanigan and couldn't pass it up. It comes on Saturday, which means I have four days to paint the bedroom! I put it off for a year, but now that the furniture is on its way, I have no choice. I have to get it done.

I'm black and blue!

So I went to get my hair done on Saturday! Between all of the processes and treatments necessary for my hair and the cut and trying on outfits for the photo shoot, I was there for over six hours. It was a LONG day. But I left with an amazing cut, and as promised, blue streaks! For free, no less!

When I'm not out in sunlight, the blue pretty much blends into the black. My boss came in to chat this morning and didn't even notice that my hair was blue until I mentioned it. So I suppose that's good. I do kind of feel like a comic book character, sporting my Wiggy McBob look. It's so shiny and feels really healthy compared to how my hair was.

Now I can cross "blue hair" off of my "things I've always wanted to try" list!

Clothes Galore!

So I mentioned briefly how my stylist asked me to pose for her salon's look book. The big "shoot" is on October 19th, but I go for my cut and color tomorrow. And she wanted to do a "dress rehearsal" of sorts. So this week I had to go through my closet and pull some outfits that might work for the shoot.

This was much harder than I thought it would be! But it was also kind of fun. I have to be fairly conservative at work. Can't wear jeans, except on Fridays. And even then, we have to wear "work appropriate" tops, meaning no tees or tanks. And I once got reprimanded for wearing the little green number below. Makes me yearn for the luxury of wearing whatever the heck I feel like wearing!

Just a note. These were taken after two very long, very anxiety-filled days at work, which might explain the bags under my eyes. :) Also, I have no idea how to pose, so I'm going to need to study up with some episodes of America's Next Top Model before the 19th!

My Socks Have Been Rocked

Saw Phoenix at the Electric Factory last night. Tickets were a birthday present from Rob. To be honest, my expectations were low. I mean, I like their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. But I hadn't given it much of a listen, and I didn't know anything about them, other than the fact that they are French.

We got to the Factory and scoped out a spot. Since Rob hates people, we tend to end up away from the crowds, but I prefer to be right in the middle of it all. It's a better experience. Plus I can dance without looking foolish. So we started out near the bar, in a big ole space. But Rob scoped out a spot on the end of the front railing. So we held our position and enjoyed a great view of the show.

(crummy iPhone photo)

Those boys rocked the eff out! I danced. I clapped. I stared with wide eyes. And I left with a greater appreciation for this band. Best recent show I've attended, by far.

(crummy iPhone video)

Keeping Busy

You know how I love a packed schedule. Who needs relaxation?? There's too much to see any do! And yeah, maybe I have ten pairs of shoes sitting in our foyer because I can't find time to clean up, but who cares? We had this past weekend open on our calendar, so we decided to spend it in NYC. I swear, every time I leave, I dream about how amazing it would be to live there. It just feels like home. Well, at least I can visit when I want.

The last few weeks at work have been a bit insane due to a big conference this week. But I made all my deadlines, which is what matters, I suppose. Tonight we have dinner at 10 Arts. Tomorrow night is a Sufjan Stevens show at Johnny Brenda's. Wednesday night we're going to see Marjane-Satrapi, the author of Persepolis, speak at the library. I think Thursday is going to be a perfect candidate for a sick day.

The following week I'm seeing Phoenix on Monday and Ra Ra Riot on Friday. Then we also have tickets to see Built to Spill, Pearl Jam, Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, and the Monsters of Folk throughout the next few months, along with some authors and other random events.

Plus, I get to pretend to be a model, which will be super fun! My hair stylist asked if I would model for her salon's look book! I get a free cut and color, which is so neat. And at the launch party there will be blow ups of the model pictures! How hilarious is that?

I haven't gone through all my San Francisco photos yet, but here's a few, if you're interested.


Created with flickr slideshow.

San Francisco Recap - Take 1

This was the most exhausting trip I've ever taken. I filled out itineraries to the brim and we even had to weed out a few things because there just wasn't time. Or because I was too exhausted by the end of each day. I have a million photos that I'll share as the days go by. We're still weeding them out. But here's a quick recap of how our trip went down.

Day #1 - Flew to San Francisco; went to a food festival and didn’t eat anything; ate at a taqueria in the Mission; watched Rob get shoved by a crazy homeless guy in Starbucks; walked Union Square and Chinatown

Day #2 - Walked the Mission; ate crepes; had drinks with internet friends; bought a pair of TOMS; shopped; took photos; visited a street fair; had really good sushi

Day #3 - Walked around Chinatown; struggled to get up some steep hills; visited City Lights Bookstore; saw the street from the opening credits of Monk; took photos; went to Coit Tower; walked to Fisherman’s Wharf; ate lunch at Pier 39; saw the sea lions; visited Lombard Street; did the nighttime tour of freezing cold Alcatraz

Day #4 - Went to SFMOMA and the Cartoon Art Museum while Rob wandered the city; rode inside a crowded trolley; had ice cream at Ghirardelli Square; watched the Giants beat the Diamondbacks; tried to figure out public transportation

Day #5 - Went to Golden Gate Park; walked through the Conservatory of Flowers; saw the Japanese Tea Garden, but only from the outside; saw the De Young Museum and the Academy of Sciences, but only from the outside; had lunch in the Haight; shopped; took photos; visited Alamo Square; went to Japantown and had terrible sushi

Day #6 - Walked to the bike rental place because the trolley line was too long; biked with wobbly legs across the Golden Gate Bridge while being tormented by Rob about my lack of fitness; had lunch in Sausalito; took the ferry back while Rob biked back; Rob beat the ferry; ate more ice cream at Ghirardelli Square; waited 40 minutes in line just so we could ride on the outside of the trolley, and it was so worth it; passed the eff out from exhaustion

Day #7 - Had breakfast at a diner; watched a homeless guy get thrown out of the diner; flew home on a very shaky plane

Overall summary: San Francisco is a beautiful city with loads to do. There are tons of crazy homeless people, way more than I anticipated. And they are far more energetic and brazen than the homeless in Philadelphia. The hills are killer, especially for a weakling like myself. And it was COLD. Like three layers of long sleeves and a scarf kind of cold. We'll hopefully go back in a few years to do all of the things that didn't make the cut this time.

The last of my 20's

Today I turned 29. One year until 30. Although I hear from Rob that 31 was tougher than 30. I'm happy with the way I'm aging. I still have that youthful glow. Misery and cynicism hasn't hit me yet. And hopefully they never will.



Here was me last year, if you're curious.

I have a bajillion photos from San Francisco and plenty of stories to tell. Those are to come.

P.S. Rob, achieved a birthday Epic Fail. No gift, no card, no cake, no nothing. He claims that our vacation inhibited his birthday-planning abilities. So I gave him a week long extension. I really don't care, though I admit, I miss the days of my childhood where I was so excited about my birthday that I'd count the days, and it was always filled with joy and surprise. Today was really just another day, but I guess that's how I know I'm an adult.

"The Plan Won't Accomplish Anything"

I hope these Built to Spill lyrics aren't true because I've been planning my butt off for my upcoming San Francisco trip. I want every little thing to be perfect, so I scour the internet for the perfect hotel, flight, restaurants, activities, etc. Yeah, that might seem to take the fun out of exploring, but really, planning is half the fun for me.

First I had to pick a place for our vacation. I looked at London, Seattle, and San Francisco the closest. SF happened to be the most affordable option, and it's been somewhere Rob and I have wanted to visit for years. Picking a hotel is always an issue since Rob is a germaphobe. Cleanliness is very important. So I went with Parc 55, a lovely 4 start hotel right next to Union Square.

Next came the fun part. Researching things to do. I didn't know much about San Francisco. I was visiting my parents when I booked the trip and my dad said, "What are you going to do there?" I had no idea. Rob's only stipulation was a San Francisco Giant's game, and then later he decided he also wanted to visit Alcatraz. Everything else was up to me.

I started putting together a document with my "must see" spots. Attractions, museums, restaurants, shops. All that good stuff. This is the first of ten pages.



Then I mapped out the hot spots, just so I could get an idea of where everything is in relation to each other.




And after that, I put together a rough itinerary, based on which days certain places are closed, etc. I'll run this by Rob, which I'm sure he'll breeze through and agree to.




We leave on Saturday morning! I can't wait!

My Dopplegängers

I look like a lot of people. I always get stopped by strangers who say I look just like their third cousin's best friend's sister or something. Last Friday I was told that I looked like some dude's friend's girlfriend, who happened to be a total bitch. I had to convince him that I was a nice girl.

But I think it's kind of neat. Okay, not when someone tells me I look like Velma from Scooby Doo, but when I see people that kind of look like me, I think it's hilarious, in a very creepy sort of way.

Like when my friend Devon sent me this picture that she found on Design*Sponge from artist Esther Kim.



Or this picture sent to me by Irit, my internet friend from Israel.



Those are both pretty much me. It's freaky. I look more like both of those images than Velma. Right??? (Please say yes, please say yes.)

Sunday Matinee

Rob and I went to the movies this Sunday afternoon and saw Adam. I really enjoyed this movie. It was a little bit girly, which was good for me, and also significantly depressing, which was good for Rob. I suppose it's a love story, but it's pretty darn sad. Empathy was on full blast.

Check out the trailer:



We can't see any movie without Rob feeling like he needs to learn more about something. So now he's on a mission to read about Asperger's syndrome. We always joked in the past the he has a mild case himself, and I chucked a few times when the character in the movie did things that are so Rob-esque.