Xmas List #1: Novelty Cameras

All I want for Christmas—and yes, I've already started shopping—is stuff, stuff, stuff! First on my list is any cute little camera from Fred Flare or Urban Outfitters. I already have one LOMO (the Action Sampler), but who wouldn't love a whole shelf full of 'em? The Mr. Pink Diana F+ is super cool-looking and the flash can be set to use colored lights instead of just plain old white. I saw the Fuji Instax on the back of the UO catalog while I was waiting to get my hair cut the other day, and it was "instant" love. Credit card-size pics might just make me forget all that mini-sticker-picture camera I never got back in the day.

Mux Be Love

I made a muxtape! This is a new thing, so the site isn't perfect yet, but you can listen to some of my favorite fun songs at modealapie.muxtape.com.

P.S. Almost forgot to mention—if you know me, you'll know that one of the bands currently on the muxtape is ... mine! But we're such amateurs that I don't feel like this is tacky; I just get a kick out of it.

Nobody Likes You When You're 23

If you happened to catch the network premiere of Quarterlife last week, you might be disappointed to know that NBC has canned it already (and plans to pawn it off on Bravo). But you're probably not surprised. There's no way this show could make sense to anyone over 35—the major plot device is a character vlogging about her friends. Maybe no one wants to watch a show about this generation whose self-absorption is the biggest obstacle to realizing our dreams of "making a difference" and changing the world. The first hour-long episode, strung together from smaller parts that originated on the web, was sloooow. But, I don't know, isn't that like real life?

The thing that bothers me is the website. You can watch episodes of the show on there (although they load way faster on YouTube), but it's also a community thing where anyone can register and post their own photos and blogs and stuff. That's where Dylan posts her vlog on the show, and in a later ep the actress girl uploads some videos, too. So is the show just a really big budget ad for this social network? It would probably make a lot more sense if I were five years younger.

Fierce Fashion Thursday

First of all, Cycle 10. Is America's Next Top Model the poor girl's version of Project Runway? I don't have cable, so Wednesday night means Tyra for me. How did the weird Brooklyn girl—Lauren, I think she's called—make it all the way to Top 14? I love her so far. And I can't wait for Fatima's makeover. That hair has got to go. (By the way, if you want ANTM recaps, go to fourfour and Fred Flare. I could never compete with them, so I'm not even going to try.)

In other news, girls rule the web! So says the New York Times. Not really a surprise. Girls have always been more into keeping diaries, compiling photo albums and alienating friends with the venom of slambooks. The Internet is just another venue for all that, and these creative young girls are so lucky to have it. I would have loved Facebook and blogs and podcasts at that age. Alas, I didn't even have an e-mail address until I was 15 or 16. And when I first logged on to Prodigy at a friend's house in sixth grade, we were totally just looking for boys.