Justin’s “little” brother did The Bernie on the news. I say “little” because he’s the 9-ft. guy in the blue shirt at :51.
Honestly, this video is full of a million priceless drunk moments (:20, :29, :40, 1:10. 1:18). If someone gets me a GIF of his friends at :53-:54, I will be forever grateful.
I asked him if this was a student news station, and he said that because his dad’s town gets all the Indianapolis channels, they only have one local channel and no one really watches it even though it’s clearly amazing.
At the risk of sounding like my East Coast ex, when I visit small-town Indiana, I’m pretty amazed that Justin is from there. How did he get so effortlessly cool and adorable? Where did his love of film and aesthetic come from? Usually, the only Hoosier attributes he exhibits are broad shoulders, saying “cheese toasties” and acting as smiley and sweet as Leslie Knope.
I should also note that Justin’s brother has been on the news before: his senior year of high school, when he pulled a Corey Delaney and threw the biggest party the town has ever seen. I love that kid.
Well, Taylor Swift plus a temporary crick in my neck. That girl is like 5 inches shorter than Justin, whereas I am wearing 3 inch heels in that picture and still look ridiculous. She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts, etc. etc.
Photo by TV Time cohort and fellow Squid Ann Hubbard.
I’ll write about the Jersey Boys, The Spot, and the marriage my boyfriend performed in a little bit. But, my stats have been blowing up so I felt a little obligated to post something:
Gray Nail Polish
Usually when I see a seasonal trend, I’m either impartial to it (like ruffles) or I immediately accept that it will never look good on me and need to pass (skinny jeans). But when I saw gray nail polish, I knew I had to have it. Essie Power Clutch looks dark at first, but I adjusted quickly and I think it’s gorgeous. Plus, from the steering wheel of my car to my water bottle at the Y, it matches everything I touch and you know how much that excites me. It used to match my favorite gray city flats, but I ripped them yesterday and am still kind of hurting (RIP).
TOMS (maybe)
When I was whining about my first world problems like tearing my favorite shoes, I threw out a joke about TOMS … and then realized TOMS are kind of awesome? They come in the colors I want, are affordable and philanthropic, and the reviews are 99% positive. Plus, they will be 6,000 times more durable than my City Flats. So I caved and bought a gray pair. I’m a little afraid they’ll look like socks on me, but we’ll see.
Anthropologie Sweaters
Despite my cyst-induced poorness, I took my seasonal trip to Anthropologie and bought some sweaters that I absolutely adore. As Ginger says: clothes from Anthropologie aren’t just garments, they are an investment. I would go one step further and say that they’re an investment in confidence, because every single time I wear something from Anthropologie, I get at least 5 compliments. I shopped from the sale rack like a poor lady so I could buy three, so I can’t show you pictures. But trust me, they’re super cute.
The Cardinals
World Series, baby! Justin and I have been walking down to the stadium just to hang around outside during the games. If you’ve ever seen the seamless design of Busch Stadium, you know why. We took Frank down there during a game and he was pretty blown away. Sometimes we even luck out–two weeks ago, we were handed tickets during the 8th inning of game 4, round 1, and we got to watch the Cards win from the bleachers! Justin and I are walking down early to join the party for Game One of the World Series tonight. It’s going to be insane. Oh, and my b-fry Peter picked up a bouncer job at Mike Shannon’s, so we get to stop and hang out with him on our walks.
Baked Brie
The wedding favor for Brent and Sarah’s wedding (which I’ll write about once Ann posts our Photómaton pictures) was homemade jam, and I managed to snag a few jars of her apricot Riesling. This week the weather finally turned chilly, and while this is usually grilled cheese and tomato soup weather, the jam inspired me to make some baked brie. Most people wrap it in dough, but I just do straight-up brie coated with jam. There’s nothing like taking a chilly walk to Culinaria to choose from a million different brie varieties and then coming home to a toasty loft to work on my night cheese. Amazing.
Running
You might remember that I tried to run 100 miles in 3 weeks. Well, work got a little insane and I needed to clean and prep for my guests, so I ran short on time and decided to not kill myself over a dumb goal that I set for myself. But still: I got to 90! Not bad for a first try, right? Now that life has slowed down a bit, I’m going to try again. I started yesterday and plan to be a little smarter about my pacing. 7 down, 93 to go!
On Beauty
I’ve been meaning to read White Teeth for about a million years, and I was thisclose to borrowing it from Sarah, but she told me she practically started a religion about On Beauty and wanted me to read it first. I still have 50 or so pages left, but it’s fantastic and I highly recommend it.
REVENGE
I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF THIS SHOW. It’s everything Ringer was supposed to be (though, there’s hope for Ringer now that Logan from Veronica Mars just showed up). I love this show so much, I don’t even care that the dog is like 200 years old. Is it the class war vengeance? The clothes? Scary Madeline Stowe? The reincarnation of Steff from Pretty in Pink? Whatever; it’s all good. I don’t think the name of the show is officially in caps, but that’s the way all the fans say it in their head. REVENGE. I LOVE YOU.
In less than 48 hours, my loft will be invaded by two of my favorite people in the world:
Yup, the Jersey Boys are coming for our 75th Annual 10th Anniversary Extravaganza. I haven’t seen these guys in four years! Jen and I are beyond pumped.
Justin and I have decided to use Frank’s cat allergy as an excuse to clean the hell out of our loft. (My cat allergy wasn’t deemed important enough, I guess. I just take meds.) Justin is actually up in the treehouse as we speak, attempting to vacuum out some of the cat hair.
It’s silly to clean so much, since we’re only spending half our time here. The rest of the time, we’ll be at a massive farm party at Moondance Farm.
I love these dudes.
OH! The Jersey Boys legacy has stretched all the way to Moondance already: remember their last visit when we went to IHOP* and I told Jen that she should name her new cow Pancakes? Well, Jane loved it so much that now all the cows are named after food. *curtsey*
Pancakes and baby Meatloaf.
EDITED TO ADD: Just found out Erin named one “Lobster Thermidor”! Haha.
This song makes me wish every ex-boyfriend I’ve ever had would call me.* Even the gross ones! Even the ones I dumped! Even though I have the best boyfriend in the world! THAT’S HOW GREAT THIS IS.
I wasn’t lying about living on the best street–it was just named one of the Top 10 Streets in America!
The characteristics tab in that article was really interesting to me–I had no idea that the brick median that runs down the center of our street is a zipper/stitch pattern, as a nod to my neighborhood’s history as the Garment District. I love it!
(This is the only picture of my street that I have. It was the day of the “Great” “Blizzard”; usually there are people and stuff.)
This weekend, Erin moved into a dope house in a part of the city that doesn’t play “Knockout King”. And if she’s reading this, it means she survived over 48 hours without the Internet.
I can’t get her a gift because I’m poor at the moment (or rather, I’m saving surgery money to prevent poorness) so I thought I’d get her the next best thing: the opportunity to laugh at me.
Guess what, Erin?
I had a super shitty day at work, so I walked to my favorite deli to get a sandwich and the chunky teen guy who always flirts with me was working.
While I was patiently waiting for Kate to make my Veggie so I could go home and drink daytime beer like a lady, this dude was lingering at the register and eyeing me.
Don’t talk to me, I prayed as I intently (and sincerely) studied the cheeses behind the counter, just don’t.
“Do you…” he started, and glanced at a quarter in his hand.
Oh no.
“… like…”
nooooooooooo
“… magic tricks?”
Yup. Bad day, hungry, tired–and now forced to weakly “ooh” and “aah” for five minutes as homeboy bends the quarter with his mind and irresistible swag.
Secretly Stephie 
