i prefer this song to the term 'bitch.' more nuanced.

She can ask for the truth
But she'll never believe you
And she'll take what you give her, as long as it's free
Yeah, she steals like a thief
But she's always a woman to me
- Always A Woman, Billy Joel.




(My favorite part is when he hums at the end, mhmmm)

pie in the sky.

It's 4th of July tradition that my sisters and I each compete in a pie making contest with our parents (who are way too partial to offer any real criticism) as judges, rating the pies according to crust, filling and overall presentation.
I always choke on the overwhelming what-to-make decision, because the possibilities are endless:

mint chocolate pie.

rhubarb pie.

traditional, can't-go-wrong with apple pie.

lemon meringue pie.

chocolate cream pie.

peach. my favorite and a past winner. but you really aren't supposed to repeat.

top with chocolate cinnamon whipped cream.

key lime pie.

my blackberry cobbler. a recipe i've been trying to perfect lately.

sweet potato pie.

lemon buttermilk pie. i think i attempted this before and failed.


(Call it cheating if you must, but I always get the pre-made pie crust instead of making it from scratch as it is always far superior to anything I attempt. Seriously, really good pie crust in an art form unto itself).



Hopefully my 4th will also include a national anthem, a rootbeer float, sparklers, fried okra and a Bruce Springsteen background.

bleachingyourteethsmilingflashtalkingtrashunderyourbreath.

Yup. This is Canadian perfection and a summer night.

an always like.

I've always really liked David Yurman ads.
Yes, it's giant billboard ubiquitous and the actual jewelry is coveted by every other sorority girl, but somehow it's always a breath of fresh air sandwiched between magazine ads: simple, beautiful, recognizable and very Peter Lindbergh.

p.s. One of my favorite quotes comes from a piece on Kate Moss in Vanity Fair from a few years ago: Everyone wants to be Kate Moss. Well, you really want to be Kate Moss? Than be yourself. There is nothing more Kate Moss than being totally and unapologetically yourself.

summertime clothes.

images via we live young.

Meg and I (okay, mostly Meg) sanded down and re-painted my Grandmother's vanity that has been sitting in our garage forever. Currently searching for the local version of these coveted Anthropologie knobs to be the cherry on top.

Meg, Casey and I explored THE RINK in Bethany recently which was as awesome as we'd been imagining it since seeing all the treasures Jane Hosman found there for her house in Norman.

Finally ate the famous Oklahoma City Vietnamese pho. So delicate and yummy. And I am improving on my chopstick usage, utensils I find highly intimidating yet am determined to master before summer's end.

Frank Rich on the good journalism being done at Rolling Stone, aka the General Stanley McChrystal scoop.

Every time my mom gets a snocone, she orders diet banana. I find this hilarious.

Saw Toy Story 3. Pretty much laughed like a little girl. I'm not big on animated movies, but Pixar gets things so pitch perfect it's hard not to leave a movie feeling one hundred percent wonderful.

A malt and burger at the Nichols Hills Drugstore. A summer goal come true.
Also, if you ever get the chance to wander around the tiny grocery store right beside it, please do. We're talking plush green carpets, family crests, Grandma's house, suits of armor...












Animal Collective's Summertime Clothes is so perfectly
restlessOklahomasummerIlovemyboyfriendanditfeelslikeBonTempsoutside that I can't help but post them a second time.

Sweet summer night and I'm stripped to my sheets
Forehead is leaking, my AC squeaks and
A voice from the clock says, "You're not gonna get tired"
My bed is a pool and the walls are on fire
Soak my head in the sink for a while
Chills on my neck and it makes me smile but
My bones have to move and my skin's gotta breathe
You pick up the phone and I'm so relieved
You slide down your stairs to the heated street
And the sun has left us with slippery feet
And I want to walk around with you
And I want to walk around with you
And be here with you, we're goin'

It doesn't really matter, I'll go where you feel
Hunt for the breeze, get a midnight meal
I point in the windows, you point out the parks
Rip off your sleeves and I'll ditch my socks
We'll dance to the songs from the cars as they pass
Weave through the cardboard, smell that trash
Walking around in our summertime clothes,
Nowhere to go while our bodies glow
And we'll greet the dawn in its morning blues
With purple yawn, you'll be sleeping soon
And I want to walk around with you
And I want to walk around with you

When the sun goes down, we'll go out again
Don't cool off, I like your warmth

Let's leave the sound of the heat for the sound of the rain
It's easy to sleep when it wets my brain
It covers my rest with a saccharine sheen
Kissing the wind through my window screen
The restlessness calls us, that I cannot hide
So much on my mind that it spills outside
Do you want to go stroll down the financial street?
Our clothes might get soaked, but the buildings sleep
And there's no one pushing for a place
As we end up at an easy pace
And I want to walk around with you
And I want to walk around with you
I want to walk around with you
Just you, just you, just you...

boyband.

This trailer looks so good (seen at A Cup of Jo)! Mostly because I love family dynamics, but also because I've had a huge thing for Mark Ruffalo since my beloved 13 Going On 30.
Recently watched him in Shutter Island.
And also, I think Walker looks like him. Wink, wink.

I would also list Lee Pace as a current celeb crush - from Pushing Daisies and, especially, The Fall. There's just something about his face and the eyebrows and his quiet, subtle acting ability.



Past celebrity crushes have included:
Robert Pattinson. Especially from when he played Cedric in the 4th Harry Potter movie. Yup.
Jim Halpert. I'm sure this one wouldn't be pushed into the past except I haven't watched The Office in forever.
Dean from Gilmore Girls.
Followed by Jess from Gilmore Girls.
Christian Bale. Circa Little Women.
Gael García Bernal.
Heath Ledger. Circa A Knight's Tale.
Prince William. Yes, I even proudly pranced around in an overpriced shirt from Juicy Couture that read Prince William Is A Fox. So embarrassing. But even now, when it was announced he would be marrying a girl named Kate, I sheepishly thought, there's no way that's a coincidence.

And I definitely liked N'SYNC - but I literally remember having heart palpitations over Taylor Hanson. And the thing is, this kind of love felt so real to me back then.
Which makes me wonder if they've ever really studied the anatomy of the preteen celeb crush psychology that keeps "musicians" like The Jonas Brothers and Justin Beiber a consistent entertainment recurrence.
And it really comes at such a clearly definable moment in a girl's life, because now, that type of intense boyband crush seems so far away from me, impossible to understand, bizarre and completely unrealistic.
I mean, the celeb in question really doesn't even need to be empirically good looking or talented. It's more like a freak lightning strike in a bottle , a combination of pushy stage parents and the female hormones of middle school girls going haywire and a quirky haircut or outfit.

Preteen boys go through the same thing, right? Except they don't really uniformally choose a young icon on which to pin their hormones on. It's more like an array of adult swimsuit models kinda thing.
The Miley Cyrus phenomenon was pretty much fueled by preteen girls, not boys...

So.
Clearly I'm fascinated by this topic.

itty bitty pretty one.

The Inspired Life.
Jenna in Oklahoma for a few days.
Meg in Oklahoma.
True Blood.
Michelle & Chris' wedding.
William & Rachel's wedding.
Beyonce, Get Me Bodied.
Unsweetened green tea lemonade from Starbucks.
Grizzly Bear, Two Weeks.
Go Celtics.
A little sick.
Classic movie cravings.
Reading Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. The movie trailer looks so good.
Top Chef D.C. - can't wait for restaurant wars.
Oh, and Work of Art.
Madewell.
Experiencing The Flood in the best way possible, trapped indoors and snuggled on the couch watching Gary England and the ensuing car-to-water carnage.
Pinch me, I can't believe it's already June 17th.