The Secret of Kells

For St. Patrick's Day, Hulu has The Secret of Kells available to watch. I had been wanting to see it since it's about an illuminated manuscript/book that is real, the Book of Kells (largely considered Ireland's greatest national treasure, according to Wikipedia), and I heard the animation was amazing. I am so glad I finally got to watch it. It has pretty much everything I love: illuminated manuscripts, books, medieval stuff, mythology, early Christianity, gorgeous art, nature and forests, the triumph of light over darkness... I could go on and on. It's now one of my favorite movies ever. I haven't see anything this lovely and wondrous since the Morris Lessmore film. I love it so much.

Chi Ro monogram from the actual Book of Kells. [source] Chi and Ro are the first two letters of "Christ" in Greek, so it's basically a symbol for Jesus.

Clothes I have lost or at least I think so because I have no idea where they could have gone

• a paisley-print flared elastic-waist skirt that I bought at The Buffalo Exchange (formerly of Westwood, RIP) for crazy cheap. Last worn to my BFF's baby's shower. Said baby is now 2 years old.
• blue Old Navy cotton sundress. I loved this sundress so freaking much. It was slightly prone to wrinkling, but besides that it wasn't too short or low and it had POCKETS. I am doubly bummed now because it would be perfect to Disneybound as Belle in. :(((
• 'dressy' denim jean flares. I wish I had these to wear to work. I remember them being among the clothes I brought home after finishing grad school and I swear I saw them in the garage with my other clothes but I have no idea where they are now. I don't know why.
• white long-sleeved shirt. I may have given this away.
• my favorite grey A-line denim skirt. I used to wear this all the time. I'm pretty sure I had it here at home.

Smash

This hot mess of a show. Like a grown-up Glee, but on Broadway and the plotlines are slightly more straightforward and believable.

Best parts of Smash:
1) Tom and his zingers and general existence. Christian Borle's delivery of his lines gives me life.
2) the singing. Everyone is so talented. The dancing is great too.
3) uhhh, idk, I guess Derek. I mean his character is such a sleazeball but the actor (the same one who played the Commodore in Pirates of the Caribbean) plays him so sardonically and great. Also, Megan Hilty is fantastic. It's pretty laughable that they'd pick Kat McPhee over her for Marilyn. I mean really.
4) the girls' clothes. I want almost everything. Also hot guyz although currently I am hard-pressed to name one. Oh I guess that fixer guy.
5) Anjelica Huston throwing martinis in her ex-husband's face. This does not happen enough, imo.

Anyway, since I began working at my new job I have way less free time so I'm considering stopping keeping up with this one until the end of the season or w/e and then just watching all the episodes at once. Something's got to give.

Two things I am worried about

• I got my wisdom teeth out Friday and while I've had zero pain or swelling I'm worried I'll give myself dry socket(s?) from eating normally.
• My hard drive, which I use to back up my laptop and save extra files, suddenly for no reason (maybe I stepped on or dropped it one too many times? Never that hard!) became read-only and won't back anything up. My life is in that thing. I need it to work and store things like before! DDDDDDDDD:

The family that lives on the corner across the street always has a yard sale every 6 months or so, and I usually walk down there and buy a classic book (this time it was the Barnes & Noble A Tale of Two Cities. 50 cents!). Well, the neighbor lady noticed my Pride & Prejudice sweatshirt and said she loves the story, that she's seen all the movies. I told her about The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and she said she'll check them out! :DDD

Obligatory New Year's post

Tentative/vague list of New Year's Resolutions:
-lose weight/work out/be healthier/eat right etc. Because I am boring and just like everybody else, but mainly because I want to look good for my sister's wedding in May. Never let it be said I wasn't shallow!
-write more. I have a book of poetic forms that I've been meaning to go through and try to write each one. And I have a short story I've only written one sentence of, as well as other ideas I just think about and never write down. Maybe even try to publish something
-read the C.S. Lewis devotional my parents bought me as well as my Bible every day. I had been reading my Bible every day for several years, but all the grad school stuff just brought that to a creaking halt. But I will start up again.
-crochet/knit more. I have so much yarn and needles it isn't even funny
-use the craft stuff I have kicking around in storage containers/boxes
-make a sizeable dent in my to-read pile
-try to spend more time with my friends
-drive more so I'm not so bad at it

Anyway, here is an animated short of The Little Match Girl, set in Russia. I read it was made for a Fantastia movie they were making for 2006 but never finished. It's terribly sad but I always saw it as a New Year's story.

Blackout Poetry 2

See previous post. Pages from paperback book that was already falling apart, black colored pencil, black crayon.

My shortest iTunes playlist

Books
-"B*tches in Bookshops" by Annabelle Quezada & La Shea Delaney [better than the original (Jay-Z & Kanye West's N****s in Paris) imho. Lyrics at the above link]

-"Book People Unite" by The Roots & friends for Reading is Fundamental