Heal the World, Make it a Better Place

Seriously sad about Michael Jackson.

Why I Love Summer

So back a couple of weeks ago, when I posted about Jenny Han's haiku contest celebrating the release of The Summer I Turned Pretty, I had no idea that I would win it!

The theme of the contest was "your favorite things about summer." This is what I wrote:

long bike rides with friends
bugs a-glow in clear glass jars
slurping otter pops

But if I were you, I'd be more interested in the prizes! Miss Jenny sent me a signed copy of the book (which I plan to read and booktalk for my YA lit class), plus this really cool USB mixtape thingy with songs by Beck, Band of Horses, Jenny Lewis, The Smiths, and many others including my favorites, Camera Obscura. Thank you, Jenny!

Summer I Turned Pretty Contest

Super special prize alert: Jenny Han, author of Shug, has just announced a contest to win a signed copy of her new book, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and a USB mix tape of the music that inspired it! All you have to do is write a haiku about your favorite summery things and mention the contest on your own blog/journal/what-have-you.

I'm mentioning it on my blog. Right now. All that's left to do is write three lines of poetry. The deadline is April 20. More details are on Jenny Han's livejournal. Go!

Where the Hipsters Are & Other Stories

I'm on semi-vacation this week, but I do have a few odds and ends to share.

Movies I'm excited about



Spike Jonze's version of Where the Wild Things Are looks ah-mazing. I'm skeptical of picture books being stretched into feature-length films, but I think they may be able to pull this one off.



I'm sold on 500 Days of Summer for the following reasons: The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Zooey Deschanel, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who was so cute in 10 Things I Hate About You and has aged quite well over the past decade). Also, I think the geeky chic guy from Criminal Minds is in it, and I'm pretty sure that's a scene of them frolicking in IKEA. Just like my boyfriend and I always do when we go there.

Other flicks on the ol' radar: Away We Go and Coco Avant Chanel.

Miss Porter's School

This NY Times article is a few days old but worth checking out if you are interested in or mildly obsessed with boarding school drama and secret societies. Bonus: the girl in the article is named Tatum T. Bass. Any relation to Chuck?

It's That Time Again

Happy Pi(e) Day! Take a look at these beauties from the RIVET Fair back in '07.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today marks the one-year anniversary of this little blog. Thanks so much to the two or three of you who actually read it! And in case you haven't been following from the beginning, here's a look back at the very first post. xoxo

Good Trash

Just wanted to share this VC Andrews reader challenge from Reviewer X (a pretty neat blog I just discovered) and The Chick Manifesto. I don't think I'll have the time to participate—it involves reading 11 VC Andrews books in '09, which is a lot to add to my already busy reading schedule—but I fully support the promotion of these guilty pleasures. Go join the club! Just be wary of anyone who offers powdered sugar donuts.

A Heart that Works

Juliana Hatfield is in treatment for an eating disorder, and today she blogged about it. ("This is me being modern," she says.)

Juliana is 41. We often hear about teenage girls suffering through anorexia but not grown women. It's really brave of her to be open about her experience, and I hope she's back to her healthy, singing self before too long.

Yes He Can

Photo: Vibe

Now that the election is over, can I just say that we have a new president who I find quite attractive?

People in my neighborhood came outside to bang pots and pans, sing and dance in the street tonight.

Mythbusters

Via Feministing: This provocative Scottish ad campaign is causing quite a stir. Personally, I think it's great.

Frosty Reception

"Are you a guard dog?" No kidding, some guy asked me this at my receptionist job recently when I had the nerve to call a colleague and alert him to the visitor's presence.

Back in my temp days, I filled in at the front desk of an ad agency and found the job ridiculously easy— perhaps because the young man I was subbing for, during my training, showed me how basically all he did was answer the phone and play Scrabulous. I can now say that the life of a receptionist is not usually so simple. This week the Times looks at the plight of the "gallerina." Wish my post had such a cute nickname.

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.