not dead yet.

dear blog,

a few items for your consideration today:

1. today i saw an army of indies crawl out of a vw bus into the 7-11 and buy slurpees. they had beautiful tattoos (the indies, not the slurpees), and i realized that i was probably staring. then i realized that in looking at them intently, i shouldn’t feel bad because people get tattoos for visual interest and they’re meant to be looked at and that if someone doesn’t want to be looked at they probably should have thought about that before they got 7 visible tattoos. just saying.

2. it’s a question as old as time: if an exchange of words occurs and they are not documented on facebook, did the conversation ever take place? i saw a someecard that apologized for only wishing someone happy birthday in person and not on their facebook wall, and it got me thinking just how pervasive this technology has become in our lives. everything we do is so public, so visible, so easily scrutinized. have people become so obsessed with it that the omissions have also become scrutinized? if this keeps going, each individual on facebook is going to need private pr counsel to strategize their facebook engagement.

3. i am now providing pr counsel for those concerned with how they are perceived within social networking websites. you may think you can’t afford it, but really, when you think about how facebook is in your daily life, what you can’t afford is to damage your internet image. just saying.

4. i miss gossip girl.

xoxo,
hollylynn

put your hands in the air and step away from the boots.

Today while I was staycationing at DSW Shoes, a torrential downpour of rain ensued, leaving me with no choice but to take shelter within the store until the danger was over.

*Talkaholics Anonymous-style Tangent*
By the way, why do they call it DSW Shoes? Since I can only assume that DSW stands for Discount Shoe Warehouse, that would mean DSW Shoes is really "Discount Shoe Warehouse Shoes." This reminds me of an ATM machine or TCBY Yogurt. Someone call the the department of redundancy department. We've got a doosy on our hands.
*End Talkaholics Anonymous-style Tangent*

While I was there, I met a beautiful new friend. Her name is Cowboy Boots Marked Down 50% In The Perfect Shade Of Cool Brown That Goes With Anything, Scuffed and Aged To Perfection With Sturdy Leather Soles and Subtle, Feminine Detailing.

But I just call her, Boots, for short.

Since I had nothing else to do (you remember the rain I told you about), I proceeded to try her on.

I took note of her beauty and obviously fine craftsmanship.
I took note of her "50% off the discounted price" sticker.
I took note of how cute I thought she looked on me.
I took note of the fact that buying off-season was a totally smart thing to do, and that if I bought her now, I would technically be buying off-season, even though I am no respecter of seasons when it comes to a good pair of boots.

But then the rain stopped, and I remembered that I had a very special O Canada party to get to. I lovingly placed Boots back in her box, remembering that just because something is a good deal, doesn't mean I should buy it. I slid back into the shoes I'd come in, shuffled quietly through the store, got in my car and drove away.

And thus we see, that sometimes you want to buy a beautiful pair of boots, and it is really hard to pass them up.

They say that "this too shall pass," but when it comes to being tempted with beautiful shoes...I've got to say, I'm just not sure that's true.

story time.

This experience is from the 2009 archive of the life of Holly.

If would make a cute scene for a Nora Ephron movie.

Nora.

Nora, can you hear me? I'm giving you a cute meet. Or is it meet cute? I need to watch The Holiday again, apparently.

Anyway, so I just got out of Kathleen's wedding luncheon. I, wanting to look sassy that day, decided to wear my high-heeled peep toes that remind me of Serena van der Woodsen and a high-waist tulip skirt. Made of silk.

Of course it is raining cats and dogs.

Of course I parked 2 city blocks away to get free parking.

Of course my umbrella is in my car.

So I am run-walking in my tall shoes, trying to avoid the deeper puddles in hopes of salvaging the shoes (yeah, I know). I am also holding my purse over my head, hoping this will prevent my hair from going limp and also, inexplicably, even miraculously, prevent my skirt from becoming a rain-stained mess (yeah, I know). I am also doing all this while trying to look confident and pulled together as to not attract sexual predators (yeah, I know).

I finally make it to the home stretch, off the main road and onto the steep tree-lined street of super-vintage apartment buildings that are all at once grand, quaint and bursting with class. I can see my car.

I can also see a man out for a stroll (?!!) In the lovely weather, wearing levis, a hoodie and sneakers. The juxtaposition of attire is ripe for romantic comedy.

“Excuse me!” he calls.

I give him the “you’re seriously talking to me right now?!” look.

“Excuse me, Miss, I have a question.”

I thought this might be an opportunity to either serve my fellow men or participate in some sort of market research/focus group. Coming from a wedding, I should be in the mood for that kind of happy thing.

So I keep giving him the look, but pause.

“What would you say if a total stranger asked for your number?” he asked.

“I would say no thanks,” I replied, scampering off to my vehicle and sinking into the driver’s seat.

And then I found $5.

Advice Needed:

What makes a successful staycation?

Please tell me you know what a staycation is.

sta-CA-shun, n. A vacation that is spent at one's home enjoying all that home and one's home environs have to offer.

To answer my own question, a successful staycation includes staying close to home and doing “whatever I FEEL like I wanna do. GOSH!”

I think it will include:

freshening up hair color
working out
checking out a local museum i’ve always been curious about
mani-pedi
visits to the grandparents
cooking real dinners
doing art projects while listening to indie pop music
tanning, using the actual sun
perusing thrift stores, icy diet coke in hand

Mind you, that’s just a guestimation. I could be way off. But I will report later (if I want to). Because as of close of business today, I am officially on staycation till Monday.

Don’t hate me because I’m schedule-free.

I think the most any of us can hope...

...is to be considered delicate, sparkling and bursting with class.

shall we recap?

let's.

first of all, just because you park right between two cars along the sidewalk doesn't mean it's a legal space and doesn't mean you won't get slapped with a parking ticket if you are on the phone/singing at the top of your lungs to "don't stop till you get enough" in memory of mj while you select a parking space. moral of the story: you may THINK you read the posted signage, but...you could be wrong.

seconduvly, just because you whine a lot doesn't mean you won't summit squaw peak, doesn't mean you'll miss out on spectacular views including utah lake and lavell edwards stadium, and doesn't mean you'll go without seeing some rather impressive flora and fauna including fields of big yellow flowers and massive butterflies (and beetles). moral of the story: try harder to commune with nature and whatnot. after a while you don't notice the bugs.

and c, just because summer finally arrives, doesn't mean you will decide to quit whining about the weather, because once the snow melts, it will be 90*F in your bedroom at all times, forcing you to rig up an elaborate system of levers and pulleys and oscillating fans to help you sleep at night. moral of the story: weather almost always sucks and you should learn to deal with it.

did you learn anything important this weekend?

i'm a little concerned

that blake has had a little somethin-somethin done to her face.

lip injections?

just making a weird face in this pic?

help me out here.