Yesterday & Today

Day 4 & 5 of 30 Days of Pictures

I took a picture yesterday, but I forgot to post it, so I'm posting two. I'm sure you will enjoy both more than anything else you've enjoyed in your whole life.

Cutting out a top.

Tonight's sky as seen from my constitutional.

Half-hearted

Day 3 of 30 Days of Pictures
A bit boring today. I forgot to take pics when I was out and about. Yay for a half-hearted shot of fabric for two projects I'm working on this weekend! The mustard is a voile and the black and white is a knit.

The Bike

Day 2 of 30 Days of Pictures
My sissy bought a bike today. I went with her because she was nervous to see a stranger about it alone. It turns out that the seller, Frank, was really nice, really good at restoring bikes, and a really good salesperson. He almost had me riding a bike out of his shed, and I certainly ain't in no market for no bike. We chatted a bit, and it turns out Frank used to own a bike and skate shop in Echo Park, California before he moved to Salt Lake City be closer to his kids. Now he restores bikes on the side and sells them through the KSL classifieds. So if you're in the market for a bike or need repairs, I have a feeling that this is your man.

"Ch-ch-ch-changes!" -David Bowie

Hello, hello! It's been a while. I didn't have ideas or motivation to write for a while, but a a change has come to my life, and it feels like it's spurring more changes. And boy am I ready.

As you may know, I was out of regular work since I finished my BA. I've had work here and there come my way, but nothing permanent, and I like a sense of permanence in my job. But yesterday I started a new job—a job filled with the sparkling glow of part-time permanence—for a local news organization. Basically I will be writing, rewriting, and managing a small amount of content (as part of a bigger team) for their website, in a very peon-like manner. But this is much closer to the type of experience I want than what I've been doing, so I'm jazzed.

Then today, as I was making my internet rounds, I saw that a couple of my FB friends had posted a short and sweet TED talk given by Matt Cutts about making changes.

I'm a look-before-you-leap type of gal, so changes for me, especially major ones, move as quickly as molasses on a cold day. But Cutts isn't necessarily talking about big scary changes, and if he is, then his prescribed shortened time commitment of 30 days somehow makes the idea of change more manageable. So while I think of other 30 day change challenges, I'll start with one he mentioned: a picture a day to be posted right here starting today. They probably won't be glorious, and they may not even be mildly interesting, but it's something. And something is something, ya dig?

A view from my first train commute, an old industrial part of town.

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Things that Stress Me Out in Movies

Sometimes my energy is spent on weird things when I watch movies. It's mostly little things—things that perhaps directors and actors don't really think about—and it's more than likely that whatever I'm noticing stresses me out. It's probably a weird branch of anxiety disorder.

1. When women put their purses down I keep track of if they pick them up before they leave. I may have an exaggerated fear of losing my purse, because I have vivid memories of my mother losing her purse or wallet several times.

2. In chase scenes where poor bystanders get their business shot up or destroyed. Now how are they supposed to support themselves and/or their families?

3. I keep track money exchange in restaurants. If characters leave a restaurant in a hurry and don't throw a wad of cash down first, they are dead to me.

4. On a related note, I get antsy when a character orders food, but they take no bites or one or two bites. Such a waste.

5. When characters don't close their blinds at night. I don't care if it's a RomCom or family movie, there are probably weird dudes peeking in their windows.

6. When characters "wash" their hands, but really they just rinse them for one second then dry them off. We all saw that, we all know you're now germ-riddled. Gross.

I'm sure there's more. Do you have any movie stresses, or am I the only one living in Crazy Town?

Project Runway: "Take It All Off!" and "He Said, She Said"

"Take It All Off!"
It worked out that I'm behind on posting, because there is nothing worth posting about from the Thunder from Down Under challenge. I watched it like I watched a scary movie when I was a kid: mostly with my head down and only peeking through my fingers to see what was happening. Nothing good has ever come out of a PR men's challenge. It's always a catastrophe, a tragedy, and a black mark on the show. I imagine the producers think it clever and twisty to do a mens challenge, and while it is twisty, it's not so clever to demand that the designers do something that that have no training or experience to do.

The fact is that there are different branches and sub-branches of fashion, and those branches require different training, knowledge, and experience. While some methods and techniques transfer, each branch is simply a different beast. So to say "do this thing you've never done and don't have the skills for and make sure it's not complete garbage" is one of the most unrealistic demands ever made. It's like asking someone whose food prep training consists of working a fast food grill to make a four star meal for a shi-shi dinner party the next day. You'll get food on the table, but the chances of the meal being four star are virtually nonexistent.

The best part of the episode is when one of the...ahem..."dancers" said in his Australian accent, "They didn't have time for proper stitching." Like all tragedies, there was no winner. Amanda went home, mostly because of team drama.

Side note: One of my pet peeves is when reality show contestants say "I didn't come here to make friends" when they are being nasty, and this week I finally figured why it bothers me so much. Sure, I understand you didn't come to make friends, but did you really come to make enemies? Civility does not equal making friends, and holding grudges only weakens your focus as a competitor.

"He Said, She Said"
It was a relief to have a straight-up challenge this week. The designers had to create a ready-to-wear outfit inspired by the Lord & Taylor rose. No tricks or twists. However, the winner's garment would be produced by Lord & Taylor and sold in their stores. That's a pretty big deal. Yet again there was a new team breakdown, this time chosen by the judges, but each designer was responsible for their own outfit.

It was no surprise that Richard, Samantha, and Layana were the losing team. Because of last week's ridiculous drama, Richard wouldn't even talk to Layana, so of course they had nothing constructive happen as a team.

Layana was safe because the judges thought her silhouette was perfect, but her fabric choice was terrible. I don't necessarily disagree, but even if she didn't have that dated floral, I don't think the dress would've been anything new or special.

Richard made a dress that is not only similar to one he already produced this season, but one that I could easily see as a $29.99 Target special. While there's nothing wrong with Target clothes per se (I've purchased many an item there myself), it's not something you want to try and sell to Lord & Taylor.

Samantha went home this week with her effort at making a younger look, but walking straight over the junior line. The biggest mistake was the heart cutout in the back. With all the ruffles and color blocking, the heart became too much. It's also very difficult to make a clean-looking cutout that is properly stabilized. I actually liked the idea of Samantha's dress, but as I've seen throughout the season, she clearly needs to up her construction skills and hone her editing skills. I would love to see her on PR after a few years of experience.

Team Stanley and Patricia were safe this week. It was weird, because Stanley continually harassed and bullied Patricia, which of course made her mad, but in the long run it totally helped her. While I still didn't like her design, it was much more current and salable than anything she's made, and it still totally looked like Patricia.

I can't say that I liked Stanley's dress either. If you're going to make a basic, that thing better be the most well-constructed, well-proportioned, and well-fitting garment on that stage. While it was mostly okay, those front darts were so distractingly low, that I can't believe the judges didn't say anything about it. Stanley chose the length for "appeal to more than one market," but I can't imagine that many people want a mid-calf skirt.

After a little drama that I still don't understand, team Daniel and Michelle were declared the winners! I know just how Daniel felt as he burst into tears when he talked about ripping his jacket apart. When you make something, especially something you believe in, it is a heartbreak to have it not work out. (I have certainly mourned more than one project.) Since he used up so much time on that jacket, his dress was basic and not so great construction-wise. But past challenges have certainly showed that Daniel has great construction skills, so I was glad that he was safe under the umbrella of Michelle's win. The thing that's so great about Daniel is that he is amazingly positive, and 99% of the time he has the true gift of taking criticism gracefully and internalizing it to his benefit. All he needs to do is figure out how to make his aesthetic more current and he's golden. Either way he is the dearest, tenderest heart.

Michelle won the challenge, and her design was certainly the best of the lot. It was simple enough, but the layering details, colors, and fabric combinations made it a current and young winning look.

I've had a few discussions with friends, and this season really doesn't have a stand-out talent. But we have what we have so I'm predicting for the final three Michelle, Layana (even though I don't like her), and a toss up between Daniel and Stanley. I keep thinking that Stanley will be this dark horse that suddenly starts showing us amazing things. I'm not sure why I keep having these thoughts, so we'll see if they come true.

Project Runway Teams: A Sticky Situation

I haven't posted about last week's episode, but I haven't watched this week's episode, so I'll just pretend that last week's is this week's and that y'all haven't already moved on. (I hope I reminded you of this clip.)

This was one of my favorite unconventional challenges. Partly because I've actually seen and heard about people doing this in the real world, and partly because some really interesting things came out of the challenge. In teams of two, the designers made one prom dress out of Duck brand duct tape in less than 24 hours.

There were three bad and two good dresses. First, out with the bad.

Even though it was one of the best for the judges, Patricia and Samantha's dress was the worst for me. What the judges found charming in it's insect-like or alien-like qualities, I found off-putting. I didn't like the jittery way the dress walked, I didn't like the colors, and I didn't think it was special. I will admit that Patricia's cutouts were neat, but we already know that she creates mostly good fabrics and mostly bad designs.

I had hope that Richard and Daniel would come up with something fabulously crazy between them, but I was frankly not surprised by their 80s space foil number. It wasn't the worst dress ever, but I feel that's how all Barbies were dressed in the 80s. Their one good idea, that was only slightly successful, was making a corsage. Of course the ladies need a corsage!

After last week's rip about putting denim skirts on the red carpet, Kate and Tu went ahead and used "denim" tape for their prom dress. But that wasn't their only mistake. Kate kept insisting that a long dress was young, and I kept screaming at the TV that they weren't. Especially a mermaid cut that would inhibit dancing. At prom. I admit that some girls probably want a long dress to appear older or because they fantasize about being grown up, but they always look a bit ridiculous. Kate went home for bulldozing over Tu (which she happily admitted during interview sections), and I'm sure Tu will soon follow since he has few construction skills.

In with the good. Stanley and Layana did a decent job. I almost always love a vintage silhouette, because in this day an age it tends to connote young without any hint of trashy. The armor-like style lines in the bodice were a great foil to the exaggerated hot pink bow, and making a petticoat was that extra touch that raised it from good to great. I personally would have put the bow in the back because 1) it wouldn't be in the way, and 2) I always love a good exit dress.

My favorite design, and the winner, was Michelle and Amanda's exaggerated houndstooth dress. It wasn't perfect, but it was young and fresh with that mix of soft and hard that I'm continually drawn to. Is it a dress that every girl would wear to prom? Certainly not, but their challenge wasn't to dress the "norm," and both Michelle and Amanda serviced their own aesthetics. The silhouette overall had great proportions, and I especially loved the cut and lay of the skirt. I didn't love the exaggerated bodice, because I think the dress is strong enough without it, but it didn't ruin the dress either. Michelle was declared the winner, which I was very pleased with. I mean, at this point she's basically held on with her fingernails through a lot of bad luck.