and again ...

Okay, one of these days I promise I will have something more interesting to write about than the status of Project Runway (actually, I probably already do if I really sat down to think about it ...). But right now, this is it, so here goes ...

Last night, the contestants got to go to Paris!!! So lucky! However, for one very UNLUCKY (not to mention untalented) individual, the trip was too short to even unpack a suitcase. Poor poor Angela. Well, not really. Her elimination was a long time coming. Their challenge this episode was to create an outfit for a famous jet-setter, which turned out to be ... themselves! They designed the outfits (Angela admitted to having no idea what a jet-setter would wear), modeled them, and then had it sprung on them that their outfits would actually be tested for how well they travel ... on their way to Paris! I'm kinda jealous, but hey, whatever. Anyhoo, they weren't told who won and who was eliminated until they actually GOT to Paris. As for me, I really liked Michael's outfit, and Jeffrey's outfit was definitely in his signature style, which was pretty cool. I liked Uli's dress even though the judges didn't really seem to. And I actually thought Laura's was kind of boring, and not what I would imagine a jet-setter to wear at all. That's pretty much how I felt about Vincent's blah on blah ensemble as well. Jet-setter? More like couch-sitter-onner. And then there was Kayne. Poor, clueless, tasteless Kayne, who dressed himself as Elvis. Or maybe Wayne Newton. I was quite surprised he didn't get the boot this round, but I have to give mad props (there is a reason I never use that phrase) to the French lady who had the guts to tell him he looked ridiculous. Maybe he'll learn from this experience? Prolly not. AND French lady told Angela flat out that she was NOT a jet-setter. Sweet. And congrats to Jeffrey for winning this one!! He deserved it. I might as well throw this out there while I'm at it ... my prediction for the top three is Jeffrey, Uli, and Michael. I think that would be a great competition. So, here is my analysis now:

People I like:
Uli - An all-around favorite, she's consistently good.
Kayne - he was SO EXCITED to design for Miss USA - he hasn't been so good lately, he'll have to prove himself worthy of the "like" category next episode. - Yeeeeah, he's moving to "ambivalent." Really not liking his stuff much anymore, but he's too nice and clueless to bump all the way down to "dislike."
Michael - I'm diggin his designs still - Loved the all white ensemble this week - the pants rocked!!
Jeffrey - I'm moving him to the like category because of how well he worked with Allison after Keith left - they both did a really good job!! - loved his recycling outfit, hated his average woman dress. I still think he's cool though. - Total rock star!

People I don't like:
Vincent - annoys the crap outta me, doesn't play well with others and designs ugly clothes over and over again.
Angela - kind of incompetent but keeps getting through by the skin of her teeth - Not anymore!!! Buh-bye!! If I never see another rosette, puffy skirt, or pair of pants with the wierd butt panel, it will be too soon!!
Laura - I think she's getting tired of this competition, she's losing her energy. Also, I don't think she has the range to really be a good designer.

People I am ambivalent about:
No one at the moment

And there you have it. Until next week!!

I am a bad blogger

My poor blog. It is neglected so. I'm a bad blog mommy.

But I have to say, I do have an excuse for the week of Aug 12-21, being that I was out of town and (far far) away from computers. So nyeh (that's me sticking out my tongue an you, the proverbial blog-reader who is upset at me for not writing).

But hey, though I do not have an excuse for the rest of last week when I was perfectly capable of writing, but just chose not to do so, I am finally back in service. So the wait is over. You can breathe now. :)

Just a quick Project Runway update before I move on to more important matters. During the week I was gone, we said goodbye to Allison. She had been a favorite of mine, but I'm not sure if that was because I liked her designs, or because I liked her own personal style. Either way, the pressure finally got to her and she designed something that looked like it was made out of paper. Oh wait, it WAS made out of paper. Recycleable paper! And even though I detested Vincent's design (as I usually do), I understand why the judges chose to let Allison go. She's probably better off anyway - much like Bradley, she's much too easy-going for this competition. We'll miss your pleasant personality, Allison!! I think Uli and Michael are maybe the only ones left in the competition who I can safely call "pleasant" now. And then there was last week's competition. This one seemed like the hardest challenge for the designers thus far. Not because of the materials (which is usually the challenging part), but because of who they were designing for! They've gotten used to designing for these beautiful models with flawless figures, but this week, nuh-uh. They designed for the average woman - their mothers (and sisters)!! I can't remember who won this challenge (I think it was Vincent? Blech!), but the biggest conflict in the episode was the argument between Jeffrey and his model, who happened to be Angela's mother. He can't stand Angela, and evidently can't stand her mother either. He ended up designing a dress for her that was absolutely hideous (she didn't like it either), but just barely eked by with the judges. He was lucky that Robert designed something so blah and boring, otherwise Jeffrey might have been the one Auf'd. But yeah, Robert has not been so impressive lately (none of his designs resemble ANYTHING Barbie! :) ), so I'm kind of glad he's gone. He's bo-ring. Bye bye Robert! Oh yeah, and congrats to Michael for winning the recycling challenge - his second win in a row! He has a good chance of winning this season I think. Oh, and apparently I missed writing up another episode where Bradley got kicked off (why did I feel like I wrote about that one already??) for designing a "tinker toy." :) But anyway. Here is how things stand thus far:

People I like:
Robert - He used to design for Barbie!! - if he screws up again, though, I'm moving him down in the ranks! - he screwed up again and now he's gone. Latah!
Uli - An all-around favorite, she's consistently good.
Kayne - he was SO EXCITED to design for Miss USA - he hasn't been so good lately, he'll have to prove himself worthy of the "like" category next episode.
Allison - I like her personal style and want to see what she can do - she did a good job in a difficult situation - unfortunately, she has cracked under the pressure and is now gone. We'll miss you!!
Michael - I'm diggin his designs still.
Jeffrey - I'm moving him to the like category because of how well he worked with Allison after Keith left - they both did a really good job!! - loved his recycling outfit, hated his average woman dress. I still think he's cool though.

People I don't like:
Vincent - annoys the crap outta me, doesn't play well with others and designs ugly clothes
Angela - kind of incompetent but keeps getting through by the skin of her teeth - I kinda dug her recycling outfit, but didn't care for her average woman outfit, though I didn't think it was as bad as the judges thought.

People I am ambivalent about:
Bradley - seems sweet, but I HATED his design in ep. 1 ... and ep. 3 - a belated bye bye to Bradley!
Laura - A very classy lady, but she's turning out to be kind of a one-trick-pony - yeah, that sums it up for Laura. She designs the same stuff over and over again, and she's kind of a bitch. Not so classy anymore. Moving to "dislike."

Ha ha! Apparently I like a lot of people, dislike only a few, and after this week, there's nobody I am ambivalent about. Hm. Oh well.

Oh yeah, and I was just kidding earlier about there being "more important matters" to write about. This is it!!! :)

Ha ha ha ha!

Peace.

grace

I don't consider myself a religious person, and my family has never really been prone to saying grace, except on holidays (especially when my Grandma is present). So when I was in Baltimore having lunch at a restaurant with some coworkers, I was a bit taken aback when one of them stopped us before we started eating and "forced" us to say grace with him. Not that I really mind - the guy was also a minister of some sort - but I thought it was a bit presumptuous of him to assume we'd be willing to join him in his prayer. Wouldn't it have been a bit more politically correct (though that's kind of a bad word these days) if he'd just quietly sat there and said it to himself? Which brings me to my other point: There's something comforting about seeing someone sitting down at a table in the cafeteria at work, closing their eyes, folding their hands and silently saying grace to themselves before eating their meal. Is this a contradiction to my first statement? Perhaps. But hey, blame the latter point on my religious upbringing, and the former on my rebellious streak. I embody contradiction.

my oh my

I am BEAT today! When you're running around like a maniac for three days straight, and then you finally slow back down to normal speed, your flurry of activity finally catches up to you and you realize just how exhausted you really are! Maybe I'm just getting old, but man, this weekend kicked me in the ass!

If you weren't already aware, I went to Lollapalooza this weekend - all three days of it. TONS of fun and TONS of great music, but I am glad it's over and I can finally relax!!

So here's the rundown:

Friday:
I arrived at about 2:15 with Jillybean and the roomie (a work friend of Jilly's met us as we got there), and we went straight to see The M's play (which would be the last time all weekend I'd see Jillybean's work friend), who were quite fun and entertaining, especially the drummer, who was a riot to watch. We didn't stay for that whole set because the roomie wanted to see Panic! at the Disco. So the two of us went over to the AT&T stage to see them. They were pretty good as well - I may be purchasing something of theirs in the near future. I enjoyed their wierd cabaret/vaudeville/clown dancers, especially when they interacted with the singer fellow (don't know any names), and even had a little choreographed dance number with him. After that, we met back up with Jilly and two of her friends, Steve and George, and just hung out for a while, enjoying the weather. Steve wanted to try and find another friend of his, so we ventured to the other side of Buckingham Fountain to try and locate her, only to realize that she was closer to where we had just been. So we got a little bit of exercise in the process and explored the festival grounds a bit. No biggie. We eventually found her and chilled for a while in her cool spot in the shade, then got some yummy food, and eventually went back for another round of music. Jillybean, the roomie and I went to see Secret Machines, who were great as usual (though their recent Metro performance was much better, IMO). We caught up with my friend Adam from work during that show, and randomly ran into Julie, another work friend, and her roommate Jeff. Small world!! Well, not really. I knew they were going to be there. :) Julie and Jeff were already SM fans (they were with me at the Metro show), so they enjoyed their performance, and I believe the SM virgins enjoyed themselves as well ... at least that's what they told me. :) After that, the work friends, the roomie and I went across the field to see The Raconteurs, while Jillybean met back up with Steve etc. for My Morning Jacket. At the moment, I am really really in love with The Raconteurs. I think this was one of the highlights for me. Jack White is a wierdo, but a musical genius. I like The Raconteurs much better than The White Stripes, though, I must say. After the work friend and the roomie all ditched me in favor of The Violent Femmes, I made my way to the other side of the park for Sleater-Kinney. I'm not too familiar with their stuff, but I know they're kind of like indie legends, and chick-rock is always fun, so I decided I'd check them out. They were pretty decent I must say. Plus, I was glad to get to see them since this was their very last Chicago show and one of their last shows entirely before they disband. (Ha ha, "disband.") I was able to find Jillybean and the boys again at this show, though we would soon part ways again while they went to VHS or Beta, and I opted to see Death Cab for Cutie as the closing act of my evening. I know these guys get a lot of flack for being too sell-out-y or whatever, but hey, I like 'em. And I enjoyed their set, though I couldn't see for crap. I was TOTALLY excited when they ended up playing my favorite song as the last song in their "encore." (I use quotes because the supposed encore was still within the time limits of their set, so it wasn't like they were giving us anything additional, or special. They were actually cheating us a bit by taking a little breaky and passing it off as an encore.) I had lost the roomie at this point, but figured he could fend for himself, so I met back up with Jillybean and the boys at Bucky Fountain, and we headed to Streeter's for some libations (though I did not partake). I guess I just wasn't feeling the scene or something because it became tedious to just BE there, so I took off early. Plus I was bushed, and had to get my beauty sleep in preparation for Day 2!!

Saturday:
Saturday ended up being a day I spent mostly by myself, so it was an entirely different experience from Friday. I left the apartment by myself because the roomie was still sleeping, and I hadn't heard from Jilly yet and assumed she was still in bed or running late or whatever. And I wanted to get there by 2:30 for Coheed and Cambria. I got there in time, and they were just eh. I didn't bother getting up close, and what I heard was just so-so. Unfortunatly though, I had to leave in the middle of their set and make a stop at the Medical tent to bandage up my poor footsies! I made the mistake of wearing a pair of shoes that I hadn't worn in a while and had forgotten the reason WHY I hadn't worn them. They cut me bad. So I got some lovely gauze taped across the tops of my feet and was nice and comfy again, though my feet looked kind of ridiculous. Oh well. Instead of going back to Coheed, I went to the stage across the field where Wolfmother would be playing and tried to get a semi-decent spot for them. I could still hear the rest of Coheed's set from where I was, and I must admit, it got better towards the end. All in all, I guess they weren't too bad, but not a favorite. Wolfmother, however, rocked the house. Me likey. Adam was supposed to be there to see them, but he didn't show until there was about 2 minutes left in their set. Too bad for him. So I got to chat with him for about 30 seconds before we parted ways again. He wanted to see Gnarls Barkley, but I was more interested in checking out Chicagoans, Kill Hannah. And they were pretty cool. I really loved the stage they were on! It was one of the smaller ones on the north side of the park, and was hidden away in a little nook surrounded by trees. That was the only band I saw on that stage, but it was my favorite spot in the park. After them, I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to Dresden Dolls on the adidas-Champs Stage (the converted Petrillo (sp?) Music Shell) - which was my fave of the larger stages because you could see well from practically anywhere. Dresden Dolls were definitely entertaining. I have their most recent album, but haven't given it much listening time, so I didn't know their stuff too well. I particularly enjoyed a song about a "coin-operated boy." :) Oh, and there was the time that the woman flashed the entire audience. That was wierd. :) The roomie managed to find me in the crowd during that show, and then accompanied me to The Flaming Lips across at the Bud Light stage. They were great! They just seem to be having a big fun party on stage, which I have a tremendous amount of respect for. The roomie left before their set was over so he could make it to The New Pornographers, and meet up with Shannon and Ronak, but I stayed where I was for Thievery Corporation, and I'm soooo glad I did. They were amazing!! Love them! I hadn't heard too much of their stuff before, though I have a couple discs I got from my brother, but I can guarantee I'll be giving that sh*t a listen or two or twenty in the very near future. Another highlight of the weekend for sure. I ended up leaving on a high note that night and after Thievery, I made my way back home so I could shower and go over to Adam's new place for a party (a story for another time). After the party, I think I went to bed at 4 that night?? Bummer.

Sunday:
I met up with Ms. Jilly Sunday (yesterday!!) afternoon and we got to the park in time to see Andrew Bird at 3:30. He was pretty darn good. And what a talented whistler!! :) I was happy that he played a lot of stuff from his newest album, because that is the one I have and those were the only songs I knew. So pretty. The Shins were next, and though they were a tiny bit anti-climactic, they did not disappoint. We found Adam in the crowd, so he shared in our enjoyment of The Shins as well. And there were dancing noodles!! (Don't ask.) We had a free hour after that, so we made our way over to the AT&T stage where Steve and George had been staking out a spot for Queens of the Stone age since 12:30 (they went on at 6:30)!!! Took a while for us to find them, but we did ... and they were close!! We were on the left side of the stage, maybe 20 feet from the speakers. Be afraid. Be very afraid. I certainly was. When the set started, it didn't seem to be as bad as I thought it was going to be (sound levels, crowd rowdiness), but it got worse. As the band and the crowd got warmed up, the crowd surfing got started, and at one point, there were people passing overhead, like every two minutes. It was nuts! After a while, people started to get a little rough, so I decided to back up a bit, still staying close to the stage. It was a little better there for a while, until a guy fell on my head. So I moved back a little bit more, and found a happy little hippy commune that was more than welcoming, so I stood in that little pocket, safe from people falling on me and crazy moshers. But yeah, the music was awesome, and there was no doubt that we were at a rock show at that point. I love the Queens. Love them! After that craziness was over, I was considering going to see Blues Traveller, but they were all the way on the other side of the park, and my feet were already killing me, so I decided to just hang out for a while, and then call it a day. I didn't stay for the Chili Peppers because I had seen them once before and didn't really need to see them again. I'm sure they were great (and from what I heard as I was leaving, they sounded great), but I put priority on going home and getting a decent amount of sleep in preparation to go back to work today. I did stop at an ice cream truck for a chocolate chip cookie sandwich on my way home, though. :)

So today, all this fun has finally caught up with me and I feel like death. I woke up this morning out of a deep sleep, completely disoriented (but NOT disorientated). I'm sore all over and struggling to keep my eyes open. It was a goooood weekend, but I am so looking forward to going to bed tonight! :)

Latah!

two for the price of one!!

Apparently all I have time for these days, blog-wise, is to update on the current Project Runway status! I's a busy lady. :)

So here's what went down this week ... Keith is gone!!! Woo hoo!! Bonnie is gone!! Meh.

The big scandal that they aluded to last week wasn't really as big or scandalous as they made it seem. Basically, Keith was a cheater who violated the terms of the contract by having pattern books with him, so he was kicked off. Kind of a sucky reason to have to leave the show, but hey, you break the rules, you pay for it! Serves him right. He was a bit too overconfident anyway. Maybe he'll learn his lesson.

And then Bonnie was the one to be Auf'd in the traditional manner. Personally, I thought Robert's design was worse, but I didn't want to see him leave, so I'm happy with the outcome. Bonnie just never really stood out to me, so I'm not surprised that she is gone, and not too sad about it either.

Here is my assessment of the remaining players (updates in red):

People I like:
Robert - He used to design for Barbie!! - Didn't like his design this week, but I still think he has potential and I'd like to see what he can do - if he screws up again, though, I'm moving him down in the ranks!
Uli - I loved her designs in ep. 1 and ep. 3
Kayne - he was SO EXCITED to design for Miss USA
Allison - I like her personal style and want to see what she can do - she did a good job in a difficult situation - she and Jeffrey stayed true to Keith's design even after he got kicked off, and they had fewer people than the other groups
Michael - I'm diggin his designs

People I don't like:
Vincent - annoys the crap outta me, doesn't play well with others and designs ugly clothes
Angela - kind of incompetent but keeps getting through by the skin of her teeth - let's hope that doesn't last much longer - have to give her credit here, I really liked her outfit this week - more than all the others - if she continues this trend, maybe she'll move to ambivalent category??
Keith - he's a little (a LOT) full of himself after his win in ep. 1 - and nothing has changed here - Buh Bye!! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

People I am ambivalent about:
Bonnie - don't know much about her - and never will. Buh bye!
Bradley - seems sweet, but I HATED his design in ep. 1 ... and ep. 3 - if he doesn't prove himself worthy soon, he's moving to my dislike category - his pants this week sucked, but I need to see another of his own designs to know how I really feel about his stuff
Jeffrey - his tattoos are a little wierd - jury's still out - I'm moving him to the like category because of how well he worked with Allison after Keith left - they both did a really good job!!
Laura - A very classy lady, but she's turning out to be kind of a one-trick-pony - her design in ep. 2 was a bit too similar in style to her ep. 1 design