Life of Lola

This Commercial is Weird... Not Kdding

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Have you seen this commercial? It comes up all the time on Hulu. I think it's supposed to be sexy but I can't help thinking this girl has been kidnapped by a serial killer who forces her to make valentines all day in a dirty abandoned barn that's filled with vintage suitcases and junk. It could happen.

Inconvenient Food

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:24:00 +0000

I had a discussion with the Rockstar the other night about the convenience of food and how we are all victims of it. In general, and I'm not saying this applies to all food, but the more convenient the preparation of your food is, the worse it is for you.
What would be the most convenient food? The kind you don't even have to make, right? Of course if it was made quickly, say "fast" even, and you were able to pick it up through a window of your car, I suppose, it would be just awful for you in most cases. Then there's casual dining, and fine dining. Each a little better for you, but still, not a home cooked meal.
Even things you have at home, all those preservatives, salt, fat, and sugar in your freezer and fridge.
What's the least convenient? The Rockstar's example was that if you had to bake your own bread and smash your own peanut butter. That would be pretty inconvenient. But it would probably be better for you than a frozen diet meal.
I read something once about juice. How eating an orange is better than drinking a glass of orange juice. You miss so many good parts of the orange when you drink it. Also, you have to work harder to peel that orange and get it ready to eat, which is better for your body. Finally, that juice is a straight shot of sugar to your system, and you deprive your stomach of the work it has to do to digest the orange.
Although I also read that raw broccoli is better than cooked. You give your stomach a shortcut to digestion by eating cooked vegetables. If you ask me, raw veggies are more convenient than cooked ones. So there goes my whole theory, I guess. But like I said, it was a general thing, and not all food fits in. Think about it.

Connected

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:42:00 +0000

I've got a Twitter, a Facebook, a blog. An account on Goodreads, Pintrest, a Ping account, Foursquare...
You get where I'm going?
I should be pretty connected to like, everyone, shouldn't I? I really just feel like I'm connected to my phone.
I wonder how much of my day I spend connecting with people I know? Strangers? People in general?
Oh, and I count Words and Hangin' with Friends.
How connected are you?

Uglies etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 11:20:00 +0000

I recently finished reading the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. I waited until I was done to form an educated opinion, but the fact that I held on for four books should say a lot. I found the books terribly exciting. Maybe I've found love for a new genre of storytelling?
However, looking back on the series, I feel like there were so many missed opportunities for lessons and morals. So much so that it's pretty irresponsible. So because I am an adult and I'm not super impressionable anymore, I say thumbs up. But as a teacher knows what horrible things kids will do to themselves to fit in, I say boo.
I'm sure there have been many reviews by others who have said what I'm trying to say, only better, so I'll leave it at that.
Although I can't wait to read more by this author.

Visual

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:47:00 +0000

I would like to think of myself as a visual person, whatever that means. I love to look at beautiful things and dream of being able to create beautiful things of my own. I also think that I see too many flaws in what I do create and therefore don't always share or pursue things that I could. In other words, I'm a visionary, but also a perfectionist, and I don't think those two things go together very well.
But when it comes to photography, I am trying. I want to be able to take beautiful pictures and share them with anyone who will look.
So last year (as in 2010) for Christmas, the Rockstar and I pooled all our Christmas cash to buy a camera. We only had so much, so we had to do a lot of research before we found the right one for our money. We settled on a Sony Alpha 390. We got the 55mm lens that came with it and the 200mm. This little Justin Bieber look-alike at BestBuy got us a great deal.
I actually wanted a camera so I could start posting pictures on this blog. That never happened. What did happen, is I got to take about a gazillion pictures of my new nephew (now almost one year old) and had so much fun doing so. Some other cool events were the Rockstar's gigs and a zoo trip. Also a trip out to North Carolina, Georgia, and back to Chicago. Then a fun day in the city, and of course lots and lots of puppy shots.
With my 2011 Christmas cash, I surprised the Rockstar by dropping it all on a new lens. A 50mm f1.4 SAM to use for even more amazing shots. Mind-blowing.
So here are my TEN favorite shots (in no particular order) from 2011. Hopefully I'll be sharing a lot more in 2012.

1. My Dio Smoosh Face - No dog smooshes face like my Dio does. See the little fan of hair between his eyes? We work very hard to train his hair to grow that way. Or not.

2. The Rockstar as he shovels his way to freedom in the Blizzard of '11

3. K.K. of FHOD

4. The Rockstar before a show. I was just learning how to use this thing, and it was my very first time using it at one of his gigs. We were testing out the lighting and I ended up with this. I liked it and decided to keep it.

5. Sandwiches? I know, I know. Food. I was just impressed that I took this one with my kit lens.

6. More food... these are cupcakes I made for my nephew's big "Meet the Family" party.

7. In case you aren't fully aware of how much I love my dogs... take a look at this face and you'll know how much I love them. This is my Jett. Probably a bit more grown up than the last time you saw him.

8. Lieutenant Kijé - That's what I decided to name my new Nutcracker. This was taken with the new lens I bought.

9. Another Jett shot - but this time he's midair!

10. I could look at giraffes all day. Hands down my favorite animal to see at the zoo.

*Just so you know, any pictures of my nephew would dominate this top 10 list, but since I have a strict policy about not posting pictures of children without their parents' permission, I won't be sharing them. But you should know that he is photographic gold.

A House I Could Make My Dream Home

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:59:00 +0000

The Rockstar and I are still stuck out here in Aurora, but we love looking at homes in the neighborhoods we dream of moving to someday.
We would really like to end up somewhere near where we grew up. The Rockstar's parents still live in the area and we would be closer to where my parents moved to as well. I would be minutes away from my new job and close to the highway so the Rockstar could easily get to wherever his work is. His office will be moving sometime in the next couple of years, but we don't know where to. That makes it difficult, but hopefully by the time he knows where he's going, our house will be worth enough to sell and not lose money.
There are a few things keeping us from moving right now and those are a couple of them. So we're playing a waiting game right now.
Having been home owners for the last few years, we've come up with a list of things we'll look for so that we can be sure to do things right next time around.
Here is our short list of demands, but we're willing to compromise on some of them.
1. A yard- preferably fenced in, but it is imperative that we are allowed to fence in the yard if it doesn't already have one. Our pups need room to play. End of story.
2. A garage- at least two car.
3. A basement- preferably unfinished. The Rockstar wants to build a studio and it would be nice to add additional living space if our family ever grows.
4. 3+bedrooms, 2+bathrooms- Right now we have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We have a lot of "stuff," and need room to grow.
5. Outdated- I don't want a house with a new kitchen and bathrooms, I want to update that stuff myself without feeling bad for ripping out someone's bad taste in kitchen remodels.

So here is our current favorite. It has everything we're looking for and then some... but there are a few drawbacks to this house as well. The biggest drawback, besides the insane taxes, is the fact that there are several improvements we would have to make immediately instead of saving up over time and investing at our own pace.
This home is in the neighborhood I have wanted to live in since I was a little kid. It's close to shopping and restaurants, would look awesome all decked out for Christmas, has a huge yard, SIX bedrooms (one of which is an in-law suite with a full bath on the first floor) and TWO full bathrooms upstairs, plus a guest bathroom on the first floor. Other goodies: the kitchen is big, lots of room in the dining room for my prized vintage dining room set, a huge basement (unfinished), with plenty of room for a studio, a living space, and storage. Also, it has a circle driveway (!!!), everything is original down to the pink bathroom off the master bedroom, his and hers closets, a master bedroom sitting room, and the basement has access to the backyard. Plus it's all at a really great price for the size of it. I can see us living here and living well.
Luckily, they were having an open house and we got to go see it up close and personal. That's when the dollar signs started adding up, and fast. It would kind of be our money pit, I guess.
First of all, when you walk in the front door, you are greeted by a staircase that goes both up to the second floor bedrooms and down to the basement. Not that this is a bad thing, the foyer is good sized, but what strikes me as odd is that you can see right down into the basement from the foyer. The unfinished basement. Supposedly this house was built in 1970. You're telling me that 40+ years later, the basement that is visible from the second you walk in the front door is still unfinished?! I'm not just talking about split level, English basement style, I'm talking full on, I-can-see-the-concrete-walls unfinished.This would make finishing that space high on the list of renovations. Normally, finishing a basement would be on our "sometime in the next ten years" list.
The next uh-oh isn't so bad, but it's weird. There are two sets of sliding glass doors on the first level, one in the kitchen and one in the family room. Then there are two sets of sliding glass doors below those, in the basement. The two in the basement go right out into the backyard. The two on the first floor go out to a deck that has no yard access. So it's just a balcony. Weird. I would need to redo that deck so that you could get down to the yard. I'm no Rapunzel.
Thirdly, the yard is only partially fenced off with some decorative fencing. The yard is literally huge and the fence that is there would not contain our dogs. They'd be able to sneak right through it. So we'd have to drop some bills on getting that thing fenced in right (and ripping up the whatever that is there currently).
All this means that the kitchen and bathroom reno's would have to wait. And wait. Aaaand wait. Not that I would care, but the Rockstar would probably get antsy about not having updated rooms. He doesn't see "old" the way I do.
Now, I'm certain this house I could make my dream home won't be for sale anymore by the time we're actually able to get going, but even if we could move today, I would never make an offer on a house this size while it's just the two of us. I mean, what would we do with all those bedrooms? Still... it's fun to dream.

My Job Change- The Full Story

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:24:00 +0000

This is crazy. I can't believe I'm already four months into this new job and this is really the first I'm mentioning of it here. Then again, I've been blog-missing for even longer. Also, I hate posting about work, as I really want by blog to not be about that and I get nervous about who might read this stuff... but I promise nothing about this post is bad!
I'll start at the beginning.
I was a music teacher at an elementary school for seven years. After the first couple of years, we got this huge technology grant and I got a whole ton of tech for my classroom. Most important was the SMART Board (an interactive whiteboard that you project a computer screen onto). There was also a slew of student computers (six, in fact), a teacher workstation computer, a laptop, digital camera, printer, and a scanner. Then I got an interactive response system and an airliner (so I could control the SMART Board from anywhere in the room). I was beyond lucky to be a part of the grant. I got to travel to out of state conferences and learn all kinds of things about technology in education.
Then it was time I start thinking about getting a Master's Degree. Still on a technology high, I decided to go for a Master's of Education in Technology Integration. Whew!
Once that was over, I thought I'd just cruise the job boards and see if there was anything out there that I could do with this new degree. Really, it was just to see. There was nothing about my old job that made me want to leave. It was stressful because I had been traveling my last year there, but I loved my students, faculty, staff, and administration. A lot of changes were happening though, and I wasn't quite sure where I would end up, so again... just to see. After reading a couple of job descriptions, I started to get interested and thought I'd apply. Just to see what happens. Really.
Well, as you can probably figure out, I got offered a job. I'm now an Instructional Technologist. So cool! I love it.
I will always miss teaching music, though.
My job now consists of working with teachers to integrate technology into their lessons. I also get to work with the district on how technology is implemented in the classrooms.
When I interviewed, I was asked how I could want to switch from teaching music to this. I thought at the time, and I am proven right every day, that this job is not about leaving music, it's about expanding my skills in educational technology to all subjects. I can work with music teachers, writing teachers, social studies... the list goes on. This, I truly love.
Since making this change I've met and heard of all these other tech-minded teachers who used to teach music and learned that it's something about our way of teaching and learning that connects these two career paths. Not to mention that the Rockstar is both a musician and a techie too.
So yes, I am blessed.
And that's my story.

Back To It

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:57:00 +0000

Please forgive me, blog. I've been neglectful. It's been almost a year since my last real post, and honestly, I don't even really know what brought me to sit down and write on you this morning.
It's my last real day of winter break. I go back to work tomorrow and I'm not even sleeping in. Do you think that means something? I mean, I am the typical lazy girl who can't get up early to save her life, and I've already got the coffee brewing. In the past, I've sat down at the computer on these sleepless mornings and churned out some contribution to the blogosphere. So why should this morning be any different?
A lot has happened in the past year. I don't remember where we left off, exactly, and there are at least a dozen things that I am sure are bloggable. That means I could have at least tried for one post a month. I mean come on, I'm pathetic.
Also, I don't even know who reads this blog anymore. Not that I am going to let that get in the way of delivering awesome content if I feel like it, but I apologize for losing touch with anyone who did keep up with my posts.
Maybe this is a January only blog? I hope not.
Well, here are some things I should have been blogging about, but wasn't. Any sound particularly good to you? I'll get started whipping up some recaps right away!

I became an Auntie
I'll be an Auntie x2 this year
Um, hello, Instagram!
New job
The Rockstar joined Twitter
Cake Pops!
My new camera
A weird attempt at starting a business
New job
Master's Degree
iPad 2
New job

Hey, did I mention I got a new job? It's still surreal to me. I think I'll start there.

Accessorizing Our Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:13:00 +0000

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"This morning's craft is hair accessories. #nannygig "

When I nanny and have time with only one of the kids, I try to do something special for just them.
Since the boy had Cub Scout camp this week, I took the girl to Hobby Lobby to get hair clips and fake flowers. We had fun tearing apart the flowers to make these cute barrettes.

Clouds

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:13:00 +0000

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"My first attempt at clouds. #IG"

Trying Something New

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:45:00 +0000

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"One of Grandma Blanche's"

Life

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:38:00 +0000

It's not that bad.

Tea Anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:03:00 +0000

Whenever I'm at a flea market or antique show, I'm always admiring the lovely silver trays and thinking how nice it would be to have a service set. Well, Ma Scola came through and I am now the proud owner of her mother's tea & coffee service piece. We shined it up all nice and pretty before I took it home.

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"Time for Tea!"

Now that I have had it for quite a few months, I can tell you that this thing requires almost constant polishing. Give it about a week and it's already showing spots. Anyone got any tips?

Cookbooks

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 02:31:00 +0000

The Rockstar loves to rearrange our kitchen every now and then. After getting some new kitchen items for Christmas, we started going through our cabinets and finding better places to store things. We got rid of some old, unnecessary items and found some containers to store some things in and we ended up with a bit of extra space. But the one thing we cannot decide on is where to keep our cookbooks. I like having them in the kitchen so they are on hand when we use them, but what's the point of putting them in a cabinet where they're never seen? So here is my question. Where do you keep your cookbooks?

The Post About Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:36:00 +0000

I have seen many people come and go throughout the years, but this year has been especially trying in the category of friendships. Two people in particular, from different backgrounds and different scenes have found themselves on the outside of my inner circle. The dissolution of these friendships has taught me several things.

First off, for some people, the older you get, the harder it is to act your age. In both cases, these former friends were not mature enough to sustain some kind of relationship. Reality is a hard thing to deal with and neither was willing to take that on.

The second thing I learned is that no matter how close you are with someone, no matter how many experiences you share with them, you are not immune to their idiosyncrasies. Whether they're a con artist or a crazy person, you cannot change them and cannot escape the misfortune they bring upon others. The way you see them interact with other people is always the way they will be with you at some point. So take that into consideration the next time you begin a friendship with someone. If they do something horrible to someone else or treat others without compassion, they will do the same to you. It might not be today or even next year, but the demise of your friendship is inevitable unless you're some kind of a masochist.

Another lesson learned is that it is easy to mistake commonalities with a lack of originality. While imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery, it can also be highly annoying. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your friend just has the same taste as you. If you notice they buy the T-shirt you said you liked, or try to start a business making something you almost bought from someone else, they're probably not normal in the first place, but in fact quite desperate and totally off their rocker. In these cases, even calling dibs on something won't work because they just cannot see past their own selves. There is nothing more annoying than having to keep your thoughts to yourself around your friends just so that they don't steal your ideas.

www.nataliedee.com

Finally, don't fall into the one-sided trap of the fair-weather friend. Don't do favors and make offers to people who are constantly turning you down. They are USING you. It hurts to be used. I draw the line now on freebies. If we're talking about lending some sugar, you get three chances. If you are talking about borrowing money, maybe twice. If you're talking about living in my basement- you only get to do that once. I will not lie for you. I will not cheat for you. So don't even ask. You get three free favors from me and if I see you favoring everyone else and not returning my favors, I will be done with you. If I see other people giving you favors and you're not returning them, as stated above, I know that you will do the same to me and therefore, I will not be giving you any chances.
It hurts me to think about the amount of lying and scheming that was done this year. It makes me sad to think that someone would ask so much of someone who has never been anything but giving to them. It shames me to think that we were so taken advantage of. It disgusts me to think about how much of our life was shared with someone like this and how memories of the most happy days of our life together are tainted with the image of a less-than-true person.

I know this whole post sounds extremely pessimistic, but it's not meant to be. I think my life is better off without these personalities in it. In retrospect, I've learned more about warning signs I should pay attention to and how to prevent these types of personalities from entering my life again.

I've seen friends come and go, and seen many come back again. A fight, a misunderstanding- I'm no stranger to those, but they are things that can be fixed. Sometimes friends just grow apart, but it doesn't make them any less of a friend. The best friends are the ones you can go a while without seeing and when you do see them again, you can pick up where you left off. So I've seen all kinds and I'm sane enough to know that when someone treats you so badly that they couldn't have been your friend in the first place or it's obvious they didn't know you very well if they think you purposely did something so bad that they would never talk to you again (not even to tell you what it is you did)- those are the kind that are lost forever.

I don't take this stuff lightly. You have to do something really, really bad to be erased from my history and there is only one person who has ever gotten there. It was a very long time ago. But you never know what the future might hold. To see someone write me off recently seemed devastating at first, but ensured me that whatever it was- it couldn't have been me. It's not like I stole money, slept with her husband, or burned her house down, so what could I have done that would make her be so cruel. Some people walk out because they know they are wrong. Some leave because it's easier for them than apologizing or going back to fix things. Some just don't want to face the music. And the sad fact is, some people are simply wacko.
I'm hoping next year is better in terms of friendships and I plan to surround myself with those who I know care about me and value the companionship I have to offer.The tried-and-true friends. The ones who know your moods and know when to take you seriously. The ones who forgive you for being cross and pretend to forget the embarrassing moments. The ones you know will always be there. The ones who are willing to talk no matter what. The ones you love like family. I'd like to send a special Cheers! to all those friends I've loved and lost and loved again. Whether we grew apart or fought it out, you know who you are and I want you to know that I love you and your friendship always.

This next one...

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:28:00 +0000

is going to be a doozey. Let's hope I make it out alive.

Coming Back Around

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:47:00 +0000

When I was little, I was in a children's choir called The Carol Stream Singers. We did some recording work for a local composer of kids' songs and musicals. One of those songs was called Child of the Universe. It may have been the first song we recorded, actually.
Years later, when I'd grown up and become a music teacher, I opened up the fifth grade textbook and found Child of the Universe among its pages. I got out the CD and it was the very same recording. The same exact recording that I had done with the choir so many years ago.
Sometimes it's so clear that we're on the right path that it's scary.
Have you ever felt something so deep and meaningful that it assured you that you were headed in the right direction?

When Haunting is Sad Not Scary

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 23:56:00 +0000

You know how when you go somewhere a lot, it's considered a stomping ground or a haunt? I'm definitely getting the reasoning behind calling someplace a haunt. There are a number of places around town that I used to show up at now and then, but it wasn't a lot and it wasn't frequent. Yet I'm still haunted by the experiences I had there and who I shared them with. It's hard to get away from a memory.
Is there anywhere you used to go to that you can't bear to go anymore because it reminds you of someone?

Life

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:05:00 +0000

Lots of life going on around here these days.
We're busy getting ready for the holidays. Almost all of the Christmas shopping is done (online only this year) and the boxes are starting to show up.
I'm working on another blog that I plan to launch soon (I know, I know, I don't even update this one anymore). It's similar to the Lola the Bride blog that I update sporadically as well. I have a feeling the new blog will be taking up most of my free time once it really gets going, but more on that later.
I'm trying to get regimented again with my online updates by posting something each day on Twitter. I'm going with the theme of "What I Learned in 2010" because frankly, I learned lots of new things about the people in my life, the way the world works, and how I got to where I am. So each day in December I will try to post one or more of my new findings.
So that's it. I'm still here. Loving life, happy to be alive.

From the Couch Critic- Weekend Movie Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:45:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emdot/ / CC BY 2.0

I do not go to the movie theater. The Rockstar and I prefer to sit at home and watch movies when they come out on DVD or better yet, cable. I'm not sure if this means we're cheap or lazy, or just turned off by the movie theater antics of teenagers, kids, babies, families or really anyone who is not us. We pay a pretty penny for all of our movie channels that boast a ton of new movies as well as On Demand where we can watch all kinds of television shows and movies. Who needs to go out to the movies?
SPOILER ALERT!
Don't read if you don't want to know details about Pathology, The Last House on the Left or The Proposal
This weekend, we caught not one, not two, but three films we have not watched before on cable.
The first flick was on earlier in the week and the Rockstar pointed out that I might like it so we should set a recording for the next time it was on. I read the description and it seemed like something I would be into. Pathology was described as, "A group of medical students devise a deadly game: to see which one of them can commit the perfect murder." Sounds thrilling. I was also intrigued by the stars of the film: Alyssa Milano, Milo Ventimiglia from Heroes and Michael Weston from House M.D. Here's the trailer:

Seems interesting, right? Not so much. What I thought was going to be a thriller was just a gross-out horror killing-game movie. I was hoping for some intrigue, some mystery. I should have read the reviews first. Oh, and Alyssa Milano is only in it for like a minute and you have to see her naked, but dead, so...
The Last House on the Left was on when we finished watching Pathology and I started watching it. That type of movie isn't really the Rockstar's scene, but he was doing something in the kitchen when it came on and I started watching it. By the time he came back to the living room I was already into it and by the time I told him he could change the channel, he was already into it. I saw the original Wes Craven film and loved it for all its scary goodness. I don't like gore, but I don't mind blood if that makes sense. I don't like to watch a movie about crazed monsters tearing limbs from bodies or guts all over the screen, but if it's a psycho killer on the loose, I'm down. This remake definitely lacked the creepy terror that the first one mastered. I think the movie was attempting to shock me at some points, and at other times, just didn't care if I was scared or not. Plus there was some gross stuff like hands in the garbage disposal and microwaved heads. Kill 'em with a knife and I'm happy, Wes!
Compare for yourselves-
Trailer for the remake:

Trailer for the original:

Maybe it's just scarier because it's older. Funny how we're so desensitized to this newfangled horror movie stuff that the older stuff seems scarier. I blame it on the creep-o factor. Maybe something I made up, maybe not.
So after all that, the Rockstar says on Sunday night that he's not tired yet and runs through the movie listings. He rattles off a list of things he might be interested in. I scoff at most of them and respond, "I'd watch The Proposal." He didn't even know what it was. But he watched it anyway because he's the Rockstar. Yeah, you know you want one.

Okay, and I liked it. It was cute. A lot of it took place in Alaska, which was news to me. I think that made it somewhat worthwhile for the Rockstar. After it was over he and I reminisced about our romp through the state a few years ago.

So the romantic comedy won, the horror remake gets a "meh," and the one we thought we'd love gets a woops.

Just Reminded

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:36:00 +0000

I came across this photo this afternoon and I was reminded of how little my Dio was when he was a puppy. This was taken at puppy class at Petsmart. Hi Deb!

Dio has always been good at the down command. Here, though, he's acting more like Jett and doing a scratchy, chase-his-own-tail thing instead of laying down for me. It was the last day of class and he was showing off.

Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Only four more days 'til Spring Break. Oh yeah!

Weekend Finds

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:03:00 +0000

I won't lie, I left the Antique Market yesterday with a couple of bags and a lesson learned. I tried to be conservative in my spending by promising myself a return to a booth after I had completed my rounds, but alas, the purchase I had my eye on had been sold. At least I didn't leave with buyers remorse, though.
However, I did pick up some fun vintage finds!
The first item that not only caught my eye but my pocket book as well was a lovely little old jewelry box. No idea who made it or when, but I loved the color and the design.

My second find was a domino piece that was altered into a charm for a necklace. I was also able to grab a chain to hang it on too. For $6 and change I got this cute bird necklace. It'll look great on and in my new jewelry box, no? I was initially attracted to the bird on the front, but turned it over to discover the domino dots added up to 8, my favorite number. Sold! You can find more of this artist's work at alteredeverafter.com

Just before hitting the road, I decided to take a peek behind a rack of clothes at a booth that seemed to be hiding. There among a collection of stunning glassware and serving pieces was a fabulous set of barware glasses and a pitcher with a swizzle stick. If there is a fancier name for this, please let me know what it is. The seller still had the original box which says 1967 on it. The maker is Javit Crystal and the tag that came in the box says "There's a wonderful selection of JAVIT CRYSTAL in lovely Stemware and Drinkware in matching patterns for every occasion. Patterns are open stock so that you can add matching pieces whenever desired at your favorite gift shop, jewelry or department store. The JAVIT CRSYTAL trademark is your assurance of craftsmanship and quality. Manufactured by JAVIT BADASH, INC., Hollins, N.Y." A little research led me to an article that explains that Javit Crystal is now Badash Crystal. I'll say it's Badash. Ba dum, dum. No really, folks. The company has been around since 1945. Not bad.

The best part is the stunning similarity of these pieces to our Kate Spade Library Lane china. Take a look at one of the glasses next to our sugar bowl. Love it.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Morning all! It's that time of year when the snow melts off the grass and everyone has a sore throat. Leave it to me to find something grumpy to say about Spring. Truly, I love Spring. My SAD starts to go away and I get to hear the chirping birds, wear spring colors and I can pack away my socks until the fall. Ah, Spring.

Today I'm headed off with my girl Shannon to the Randolph Street Market Festival. I got a chance to go last month with the Rockstar but I felt a little guilty dragging him through the aisles of vintage. When we went before, we were looking for a mini bar and/or interesting items to add to it. We went home with zip. This time around I'll be scoping out that vintage costume jewelry. Or the hats. The Rockstar likes it when I wear hats. I like it when I wear jewelry. Cross your fingers that I come home with some great finds!

If you're in the area, it's going on today and tomorrow from 10-5. Click the picture below or go here to get more details.

As the Seasons Change, So Does the Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Atomic Lola) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:30:00 +0000

Time to get the new bag out. I wish this photo did the green more justice.

This post sponsored by Miss Shannon over at You Wish Your Friends Were This Awesome.