Are there Margaret? it's me Sue.

I don't think I can ever forgive Canada for giving us Loverboy, Alanis Morrisette and back bacon. It's ham for god sakes! But I can give our neighbors to the north a big break when it comes to my favourite author, Margaret Atwood.

How do I love Margaret, let me count the ways:

1. She's a raging feminist, always writing provocative tales of no nonsense women who are smart, creative and sexual.

2. She's freakin' brilliant! Ms. Atwood has a background in biology, she's been speaking for the environment long before the immediate crisis has slapped the world in the face.

3. It's all in the title and she is the master of great book titles. As long as I have been writing, I've always struggled with titling my pieces. I had a writing instructor once told me the title sums up your story in concise way. Oh the pressure!

For a good time, check out Oryx & Crake, The Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye, The Robber Bride and The Blind Assassin. Watch out for her cryptic endings, they make you crave her writing more.

The Big Mango

On Friday I had the good fortune (sorta) to go to NYC w/ a client for an appointment at Mt. Sinai.

I live in upstate NY and was pleasantly surprised to find that taking the train in from Croton-on-Hudson was fairly easy..... and cheap! It was only $7.50 to get to Grand Central Station and 6 measly bucks to park all day at the station lot.

Oh the sightseeing! First there was the NY Public Library and my long time obsession of Library Hotel, an unusual hotel that arranges their rooms by the Dewey Decimal System. In my fantasies I pretend I live at Library.

Then the cab cut through Central Park, you couldn't ask for better people watching on such a beautiful summer day.

Next up Madison Ave. and every store I cannot afford to even window shop at, squee Betsy Johnson!

Finally a nice walk up 5th Ave outside Central Park and down Museum Mile. It took every ounce of strength I have not to go rushing into the Guggenheim.

Hmmm...... I have a whole weekend free in August and I never did get to check out The Pink Pussycat.

Go Tag Yourself!

My lovely friend Lydia at www.kiss-and-makeup.blogspot.com and ohmygodgirl.blogpsot.com was too lazy to tag me and honestly my brain is little frazzled to think up anything to write about. Here goes.


5 Things I have in my bag:

1. 50 Thousand lip glosses from Burt's Bees, Sexy Motherpucker, Boots and Flirt!
2. A tampon, it's that time of the month
3. My work ID, I think it's hideous but my co-worker Rigo said I looked joyful. Who can say?
4. Tweezers, hey you never know.
5. Condoms, I don't use them and they end up in the weirdest places.

5 Things in my room:

Sheesh what a loaded question! I live in the loft of my parents' house, so it's not really my room per se.

1. My grammy's bed, she passed away and I bequeathed it to myself.
2.My futon, which in short time will no longer have a mattress. Long story.
3. My CD's, yes yes I am big technophobe and will be switching over to MP3's soon but for now I embrace the old way.
4. My beautiful walnut book case chock full of varied pieces of literature.
5. A gigantic pile of shoes for all four seasons.

5 Things I want to do:

1. Become a published successful writer.
2. Spend a month in Milan.
3. Buy more CD's
4. Learn to speak German.
5. Make the perfect Mojito.

5 Things I'm into:

1. Vietnamese food, it's spicy, light, crispy, yum
2. Joe Strummer, RIP Joe.
3. Mr. Men and Little Miss, great British books and a funny cartoon and they are on suggestive T-shirts for 30-somethings that refuse to grow up.
4. Writing, my short story will be done by Aug. 1
5. That 80's song "Whisper to a Scream" by Icicle Works. It's fun to sing along to!

I won't be passing this along to anyone else. I can't be hemmed in by rules.

swoon

Like a hundred billion other people, I saw The Dark Knight this weekend. wow! It was dark and powerful and lushly directed. Big thumbs up to Christopher Nolan of Memento fame.

Of course there's been the buzzing of the killer bees around Heath Ledger, posthumous Oscar winner anyone?

Yes yes, Ledger was fascinating to watch. But the heart and soul of the movie is Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon. The much beleaguered and put upon Jim Gordon was phenomenal to watch. Gary Oldman is one of my absolute favourite actors and he really brings it home in this film.

Also, should the time ever arise and Gary Oldman wants to marry me and whisk me off to London, my boyfriend is prepared to step aside. He knows he can't compete with a man with an accent!

What did you call me?

BITCH! Hee, it's fun to do that. 'member when bitch was such an offensive word then it became socially acceptable. Well, my favourite independent magazine has fought very hard to reclaim that word.

I heart Bitch magazine with every fiber of my being. The articles are passionate, interesting and provocative. Plus they give the skinny on all the latest koolest bands, books and websites you never get to hear about in mainstream mags.

I also love that Bitch features no fashion spreads. Not that I have anything against clothes ( i'm a major clotheshorse but a bargain hunter) But I do feel irate at Glamour and Elle for showcasing the latest Marc Jacobs ensemble on an anorexic zombie. Sorry I can't fucking afford $200 for a pair of shoes and I certainly don't want to compare myself to a 1000 ft tall 90 lb model staring listlessly from the glossy pages at me.

My only complaint about Bitch is it can take itself a little too seriously sometimes. Lighten up, will ya? I'm allowed to wear makeup and be a feminist at the same time.

With enough readers and support from people like you, one day Bitch will be available monthly instead of quarterly. One day.....

See Spot Save

I just got back from Mecca aka Target. I love Target, their bargain prices, huge Health and Beauty Dept, the smell of the floor.

The best Target I've ever been to was just outside of Seattle, WA. It was 2 whole stories!

This trip proved quite successful for me, i got 3 shirts, an adorable Converse dress, and more Sexy Motherpucker (more on that in an upcoming post)

Right now I'm munching on Monkey Love, Target brand trail mix. And I've also discovered that Kashi is making cereal bars now.

Target: I wish I could live there.

Ugly Day

I've had a long stressful day, so I'm having an ugly day. An ugly day is when a person puts on their most comfy outfit and does fuck all until they feel better. It's the best way to combat my feelings of frustration and hate.

I have slid into my jim-jams (a white tank top w/ a gerber daisy and Hello Kitty pajama bottoms, I look insufferably cute). Have eaten popcorn and ice cream and watched episodes of The Family Guy and The Simpsons.

My grumpiness has more or less subsided, it's a miracle.

Time to do the laundry and wash away this long day for good.

Lincoln Park after Dark

Well it's sandel weather people. That time of year when I like to expose my little piggies. And for the entire glorious summer (and part of spring) I paint my toenails.

I will use only one brand of nailpolish. OPI. It has it all, beautiful colors ranging from pastel pink to neon green, chip resistence and quick drying capabilities, and most important of all, wacky names for the polishes. My favourite monikers are I'm Not a Waitress Red, Aphrodite's Pink Nighty and Mod Hatter.

OPI comes out with new colors for every season with a theme. This summer they are featuring brights. For a more detailed analysis of the freshest bunch of colors please see my awesome friend Lydia's blog www.kiss-and-makeup.blogspot.com.

Time to retouch Blue my Mind. Betcha can't guess what color that is.

Adonde se fue, Phairhead?

It's been painfully obvious that I have not posted anything in a good long while. My real life hampered my wonderfully glamorous on-line writing career.

Last week Boyfriend surprised me by taking me out to dinner. Long story but we unexpectedly ended up at Pancho's. Yes yes I know Mexican food is a dime a dozen. But Holy Frijoles is this place good! I should know, I lived in Mexico for 3 months and Pancho's is family run joint from guess where? Mexico.

Cold Margaritas and hot carne asada with fresh avocado. 50 kinds of mouth watering awesome. I've also had the pleasure of partaking of the chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers!)

Please note, I will not ever dine at such establishments as Chili's, Chi-Chi's or Margarita's. Microwaved bland crap!

Viva la revolucion!