fun

middle school throwdown.

Tess friends, fun 3 Comments

Tesni, Julia, and Kelsey’s birthday party this weekend was seriously one of the greatest parties of all time.  The theme was to come dressed as yourself in 7th grade.  Decorations, favors, and music were all coordinated with this theme, and it was simply perfect.  I was so impressed by all the effort they put into the party, from the zine-like invitations to the period-accurate party favors.  And it’s amazing how much fun you can have when you go to a party or dance night where you actually know the music.  You know: real, actual songs from your past instead of a DJ trying to look cool by mashing up who-knows-what.  Oh, what a pleasure.  PLUS Nicole was down from DC, so that was an awesome surprise as well.

photo from Nicole.

 

photo from Tesni.

photo from Tesni.

I may have enjoyed it so much I had to sit the rest of the weekend out, but it was worth it.

I’m thankful for my friends.  I love you guys.

of parties and purple.

Tess diy, fun, what's up Leave a comment

The big surprise party for Hugel, which Kelsey and Virginia have been orchestrating for months, finally took place this weekend.  Was he surprised?  Heck yes.  Did Julia and I win at badminton?  Also heck yes.  It was a leisurely afternoon, spent catching up with lots of people and just enjoying a big backyard.

Later we went to Beth’s birthday costume party, dressed as song titles.  This was a great idea.  I think everybody there had a good time trying to guess which songs people had dressed up as.  I went as “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me,” which nobody got.  Come on, it’s not that obscure.  Dan went as “Cornflake Girl,” which was a bit more recognizable.  Met several new people there, talked too much, walked home with a blue Jello shooter in my hand.

I accomplished several things this weekend, the most tangible of those things being the shoe clips I made.  I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but haven’t had two seconds to do it.  I’m really excited about the prospect of making these and selling them for Always Midnight, and I love that they’re removable and can be clipped onto most shoes, or into your hair.  Double duty!  And since I don’t have much of a shoe budget, I like that switching them out can be a way to make old, boring shoes look new.

cinco success.

Tess friends, fun 2 Comments

Last night we threw our annual Cinco de Mayo party.  Spending hours making Dan’s trademark taco shells, “meat,” and all the fixings was rewarded by getting to watch our friends plow through it all.  For the rest of the night I was surrounded by laughter and warmth and the people I love.  It was truly one of the best parties we’ve ever hosted.  I feel like the summer has officially started.

Thanks to the folks who showed up early and got the party started.  Thanks to the folks who showed up late and kept the party going.  Thanks to those who brought extra treats, and to those who brought their appetites.  Thanks to the people I never see, who caught me up on their lives.  Thanks to the people I see all the time, who caught me up on their days.  And last but not least, thanks to the beetle who ate too many chips and died a happy death in the chip bowl.

About 120 tacos were eaten by the end of the night.  Good game!

adventures in skymall.

Tess fun 6 Comments

On our recent honeymoon we spent a lot of hours on airplanes, and that means I got a chance to look over one of my favorite amusements — the in-flight catalog of curiosities, Skymall.

While Skymall is great for some things, and is the first place a lot of great ideas are aired (including the kitty washroom, which I’ve been the proud owner of for a long time now, and which really is the best litter box ever), it is also the showplace for all manner of ridiculous gadgets and tomfoolery.  Are you ready to take a tour of some good old-fashioned Skymall excess with me?  Dare you continue?  Here are a few of my favorites.

  • Video Recording Sunglasses.  According to the catalog, these “allow you to discreetly record all that you see.”  I don’t even want to think about why those would be necessary.  There should be a banner that reads “For the person on your holiday list who’s watched a little too much ALIAS!”

  • The Telekinetic Obstacle Course.  This device is apparently for playing games WITH YOUR MIND.  No touching! as they say on Arrested Development.  And you can look great doing it!

  • Electronic Feng Shui Compass.  “Working with electromagnetic energy, this handheld feng shui compass helps you support favorable conditions at home or in a hotel room. Operating with the same technology used in aerospace guidance systems, it locates and calculates energy fields so quickly, you align your physical surroundings to match your intentions.”  Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about simplifying the home and making it as relaxing as possible.  But a gadget that allows you to take your hippie design principles with you, rearranging furniture everywhere?  Now that’s just pure evil.

  • The Thomas Kinkade Carol Clock.  “Portions of 12 carols play clearly from the built-in speaker, reminding you at every hour that the holiday season abounds.  Depicting a snowy winter landscape at dusk, the face evokes the festive mood of a small down’s inhabitants after an evening of merry-making.”  Because the “Painter of Light” is oh-so-wholesome, we need to be reminded of it every hour on the hour. Ugh.

  • Relaxing MagicShowerhead.  I couldn’t have thought of a better product name myself.  “By using only the pressure of the water, the MagicShowerhead illuminates the shower water producing a variety of changing colors.”  Now you can take your daily shower experience from comforting and cleanly to psychedelic and Skittles.