Friday, October 23, 2009

Updatesssss

So, I haven't updated in a verrrrry long time. But today I decided to check how many hits I've been getting and was surprised to see I've been consistently getting like 30-40 hits per day. Then I saw that they were ALL from foreign countries. Then I remembered my friend in Spain mentioning that 500 Days of Summer was coming out over there. So I put two and two together and realized that this influx is coming from European readers who have just seen the movie.

So hello, European readers!

As for the reason I haven't updated in a verrrry long time. I changed my major to film and media arts and my production classes are TAKING OVER MY LIFE. I was just out this morning shooting interviews for my final documentary project.

This weekend I'll be shooting some footage for my autobiographical short film. It's due in a week but I dreamed about it the other night and woke up at about 2AM and started frantically scribbling out the storyboard. So I'm hoping my dream-vision for this project actually turns out to be as great as I dreamed it was.

I'm actually planning on starting up a little blog/etsy store/production company enterprise in the next couple of months, so be on the lookout for that. Expect some great posts/accessories/short films as a result of that (hopefully).

Also, just to put it out there, if anyone out there has any screenplays or film ideas that they'd like to see produced, I'm looking for a project for my honors thesis so send them my way!

My life has also been consumed by apartment hunting. By some divine stroke of luck, I'm getting out of my on campus housing agreement and moving off campus with my best friend. However, she is in Spain for the semester so I've been apartment hunting alone. And guess what? RENT IN DC IS SUPERRR EXPENSIVE. It hurts a little bit. But we're having fun brainstorming decor ideas. Be on the lookout for some FANTASTIC thrift store furniture makeovers.

Well, I think thats about it for right now, readers.

Over and out.

<3tracy

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

is this the end or just the start?


Sometimes, something feels too right to give up on. Maybe I'm a hopeless romantic. Or maybe some things really are meant to be.

Monday, August 3, 2009

and while you've got us on the ropes we plan to play the mess around

Today my boss told me to make some spreadsheets.

And I was secretly annoyed that I had to do actual work.

Then I realized I needed to gain some perspective. Haha.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup

This may be my proudest moment ever. I played that word AFTER the word vexed was played. 29 points!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Staggering through premonitions of my death

As the new school year draws closer (1 week until I move! 3 weeks until my roommate returns to the district! 4 weeks until classes start!) things are getting crazy! I spent most of this past week working on the selection committee for the leadership program I'm in and I'm so glad the selection process is finished!

To celebrate, I'm coming out of hiding to bring you this BRILLIANT cover of Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song by First Aid Kit.





I can't wait to get home today because these beauties are waiting for me at the front desk!!


Annnnnnnnnndddddddd MY TURNTABLE IS ON IT'S WAY!! I'M SO EXCITED!

Bring the jamzzz!!

Monday, July 20, 2009

NOTE TO SELF

Tracy:

Next time you meet a cute congressional intern do not embarrass yourself by fangirling the congressman he works for.

Love,
Tracy

CONVERSATION REPLAY:

Me: Who do you intern for?
Intern: Dennis Kucinich.
Me: OMG I LOVE HIM!!!
Me: OMG HAVE YOU MET HIM????
Me: OMG HIS WIFE IS SO HOT!!!
Me: OMGOMGOMGOMG.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Bikram Yoga

So a friend of mine from work talked me into trying Bikram Yoga. Basically it's a series of 26 poses that you run through twice in 90 minutes. Doesn't seem too crazy right? Oh, I forgot to mention that you do it in a room heated to 105 degrees with 50% humidity.

My mom has a friend that SWEARS by Bikram Yoga. So when Jen suggested it I agreed to give it a try. We went today and it was probably the most intense thing I've ever experienced in my life. I really thought it was going to kill me, but when we finished I felt really really good.

It was definitely a challenge but we're going back tomorrow and I'm really excited!

Friday, July 17, 2009

Color My Life

So I've had an influx of visitors to my blog today. Like way more than usual. And most of them found me by Googling "color my life with the chaos of trouble." This is my FAVORITE song lyric from my FAVORITE SONG by my FAVORITE band. It's from the song "Boy with the Arab Strap" by Belle & Sebastian and I think a ton of people are Googling it because in the new movie 500 Days of Summer, Summer uses this line as her quote in her senior yearbook.

Though I haven't seen the movie I know that there are a ton of indie music references in it like this one. It's one of the reasons I'm so excited to see it!

WANT

I'd probably sell my soul for this vintage dress I saw on lookbook.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

costume ridiculousness

So after that last post I figured you guys would probably want to see those crazy halloween costumes. Unfortunately I didn't dress up this past year and I only have pictures of 3 of the years before that.
Halloween 2007. Mailbox.
My friend Nicole dressed up as a mailwoman and my friend Dave dressed up as a package. We went trick or treating on embassy row (oh, the joys of living in DC!) and two mailmen drove by us and honked at us. At one point we decided to put on a little show for the passers-by so I stood next to a row of mailboxes and Nicole walked up like she was going to put something in my mailbox and I took off running and she chased me. The idea of a mailwoman chasing a mailbox seemed really funny at the time.

Halloween 2006. Butcher Fun Barbie.
This is probably my favorite costume ever. My dad and I had to go dumpster diving all over the place to find a box big enough. When I wore it to school I realized that with that plastic in the front, it got really really hot in there so in the middle of the day I had to cut a hole in the top just so I could breathe. Twist tied behind me are some plastic cuts of meat and some knives. The sticker on the front says "Now with glow in the dark knives!" The back of the costume is my favorite but I unfortunately don't have any pictures of it. There's a barcode sticker and a bunch of crazy slogans like:
"Barbie's bringing home the bacon!"
and
"Grade-A fun for everyone!"
and
"USDA approved!"


Halloween 2005. Rapunzel.
My dad built the tower and my mom sewed the dress. I made the wig. We searched high and low for a prince charming Ken doll. This costume was really hard to get in and out of.

In 2004 I was a woman sitting in a beauty chair. It had fake legs and everything. Really kind of hard to explain, you have to see it. In 2003 I was a jack-in-the-box and my sister was a picnic (again, you really have to see it to get it).

But the costume that started this family tradition of really elaborate costumes was in 2002 when my sister was a junior in high school. Her friend jokingly suggested she be a hillbilly in an outhouse. So she did it. She was like a legend at our school after that. Too bad for the rest of high school everyone knew her as "the outhouse girl." Haha.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Story of My Life (abridged version)

Sometimes when I'm alone I sit on park benches and imagine the details of the lives of passers-by. I speculate about their childhood, their careers, their love lives. I imagine their lives like books. It's an odd practice, I'll admit, but it's a good distraction from my own life.

Sometimes.Other times, times like today, it makes me think about what my life would be like as a book. Unlike the biographies I imagine for strangers, which tend to be a good mixture of joy, grief, love, and loss, my life story seems to be nothing more than a long, incoherent stream of odd memories and truly pointless anecdotes.

When I think back on most of these memories, I still laugh. So I present for your entertainment, the (seriously) abridged Story of My Life.

I was born in Riverside, CA, in 1989 with a sizeable hole in my head. Upon seeing said hole, my mother asked the nurse why it was there. The nurse calmly explained it was from the internal baby moniter. My mother, with panic in her voice, told the nurses she hadn't had an internal baby moniter. She then began frantically yelling to my father, 'Is this the one that came out of me?' Long story short: My father claims I am the one that came out of her, but sometimes I still suspect I was switched at birth.

As a baby my mom left my grandma to babysit me on a fairly regular basis. One day, under her not-so watchful eye, I ended up eating a dime. When my mom picked me up my grandma said she'd noticed a little change in me. Long story short: my mom still has the dime and my grandma still loves puns.

I remember another time, I must have been about 4, I was playing with my sister at my grandparents' house. We got in a fight and she pulled out a fistfull of my hair. I walked into the kitchen with my hair in my hand. My mom thought it was doll hair and dismissed the matter. That is, until she saw the huge bald spot on my head. Long story short: I'm still plotting my revenge.

One of my earliest memories is the time I was 5 and decided my mother was the stupidest woman on the earth for naming me Tracy, because clearly, it isn't spelled the way it sounds. Long story short: For about a year I spelled my name Chracy.

When I was little, oh man, could I scream. I'd scream about anything and everything. I used to scream anytime my mother wasn't there to answer to my every need. To get away from me, she used to mow the lawn. The lawn mower was the only thing loud enough to cover up my screams. I used to stand on the porch with my dad and scream while I watched her mow the lawn. Long story short: If I knew how to work a lawn mower, I'm pretty sure that now I'd be mowing the lawn to get away from her.

My middle school years were pretty awkward. I don't remember very much. Just that I was sort of a bitch and Thomas Miller once threw a chicken burger at me. In retrospect the two might be related and I probably deserved that chicken burger.

As a freshman I befriended a lot of Mormons. In retrospect, they were probably trying to convert me.

As a sophomore I wrote, produced, and starred in a film called Speed (not to be confused with the box office hit starring Keanu Reeves). This film was produced for my health class. I played a good-girl turned addict by an evil drug dealer (played by Joseph Valadez, oh the irony). The real irony, though, is that while filming, we caught an actual drug deal on tape. Good times.

As a junior I began suffering from a mystery illness that inexplicably caused me to black out in my second period chemistry class. Seeing as I was also nauseous every morning, the receptionist at my doctor's office suggested to my mother that I might be pregnant. A heated argument between the woman and my mother ensued. Long story short: my mom won the argument and I was definitely not with child.

As a senior I spent a lot of time eating Costco churros with Joseph. I also spent a countless number of nights eating chinese food and making up quotes for yearbook pages staff members didn't finish. Each morning for breakfast I ate a string cheese and a quarter cup of granola. I worked on a film loosely based on the book The Shipping News that involved Thomas Miller playing a lesbian woman.

Upon entering college, it didn't take me long to find people who appreciated my kookiness. They seemed prepared to accept my love of secret handshakes, my obsession with hot pink, and even my distaste for brown pants. One thing they weren't prepared for was my elaborate halloween costumes. But despite their doubts about my being a mailbox for halloween, they dutifully helped me shop for packing boxes and spray paint said boxes postal service blue. A couple even jumped in with coordinating costumes. At that moment, I knew these people were true friends.

My life is far from over, but I imagine (and indeed I hope) that it continues to be just as random, kooky, quirky, and unforgivably hilarious as the past 20 years.

Friday, July 10, 2009

SEXY PEOPLE

The time has come, friends, to introduce you to one of my favorite blogs EVER. Now, everybody knows my go-to blog when I'm feeling down is Cute Overload; but SEXY PEOPLE is a very close second.

The premise of the blog is this: post as many hilariously awful professional portraits from by-gone eras as possible.

Here are a few recent faves:

Mad props to this guy for actually submitting this photo of himself. If I had a photo of myself hugging a large plush Pokemon, I'm not sure I'd have the courage to share it with the world.

I really just can't even figure out what this kid's parents were thinking. But it's kind of cute.

This kid looks like he's plotting revenge.

I probably shouldn't say this out loud but, I'm going to make my next boyfriend pose with me for a portrait like this.

Not technically a person, but it definitely bridges the gap between Sexy People and Cute Overload.

These kids appear to be as terrified of their mother's hair as I am.

It's the Ray Ban mystery man!!! Haha, KIDDING.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

history lesson

My brother sent me this short story from McSweeny's. It is quite possibly the most hilarious thing I've ever read. Check out the website for other hilarious stories!


FROM THE DIARYOF JOHN ADAMS.
BY PETER KRINKE
- - - --->
July 3, 1776
Tomorrow the congress shall vote on wording for the Declaration of Our Independence from England. While I shall endorse its passage, I cannot deny my contempt for its author, the foul Virginian, Thomas Jefferson.

Today, as the congress was being called to order, I was heard to remark that I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress. While Delegate Cushing struggled at breath for his chortling, Delegate Jefferson closed his eyes, cocked his head askew (pretending to rest it upon a "pillow" of his hands) and pretended to snore loudly.

"Dear Sir," I responded, hoping to restore a modicum of dignity to the proceedings. "Be-calm yourself."

Jefferson, in what initially seemed an attempt at reconciliation, apologized and told me he'd actually commissioned a large run of my Thoughts on Government from a local printer. He informed me that they were of service to a great number of the congress.
He then extended his hand to me, and, mollified by his contrite demeanor, I reached to shake it. But at the last moment, he jerked his hand away and adjusted his wig, running his hand along the side of it!

Jefferson then called a number of the other delegates over and pretended to study me intently, with and without the aid of Benjamin Franklin's spectacles, while asking in jest, "Is that Benedict Arnold, or is that John Adams?"

"'Tis I, John Adams!" I retorted.

In response, Jefferson informed the congress he was going to pretend to be someone else for their amusement. He then produced a lace handkerchief from his pocket and, holding it between his thumb and forefinger, his wrist cocked at a 90-degree angle, began prancing about in the manner of a fop or dandy, proclaiming, "I'm John Adams! I favor a strong federal government to the detriment of states rights and the sovereignty of the individual."

"I demand you cease these unflattering characterizations of me," I cried.

Resolving to fight fire with fire, I called over the delegation from the Province of New Hampshire and proclaimed loudly, "I, too, would like to slander and ridicule a fellow delegate through a keen approximation of his physical characteristics and mannerisms."

Then, hunching over and placing a finger in my nose while adopting the tone and register of Jefferson's peculiar Virginian vocal timbre, I proclaimed, "I'm Tom-E Jefferson! The delegate from Virgin-I-a!"

While the majority of the congress looked away from my ill-advised impersonation, Jefferson began to clap loudly, pretending to congratulate me.

Feigning enthusiasm for my performance, he slapped me on the back, proclaiming, "An excellent characterization!" Then turning to the congress and placing his hand next to his mouth in order to shield his words from me, but still speaking with a volume intended to be audible to everyone present, continued, "It was as if your mother were in the room with us, dressed in your clothing."

"How dare you?" I screamed. "My mother is dead."

Jefferson looked genuinely surprised and, turning again to address the congress, proclaimed, "She seemed animated enough last night!"

So filled with rage was I that I retired to the lavatory in order to regain my composure. Upon entering the privy I noticed a stack of my Thoughts on Government, resting next to the seat, with a sign beside it in Jefferson's hand, penned, "Not for reading!" and an arrow pointing to my texts!

On several occasions Delegate Jefferson has smelled of hemp and mead before the noon meal. He also frequently retires to an antechamber with his servant Sally Hemings, proclaiming they are off to "a different kind of congress." He says this while winking!

When pressed as to the infrequency of his visits to the bedchamber of his wife, Jefferson recites the crude maxim, "Once a quill is dipped in black ink, it forever favors that hue."

But enough of Jefferson and his clownish antics; I must rest. Tomorrow I shall help birth a republic.

Ah, what's this? I hear a knock upon my door! And quick footfalls! What could it be? A gift from an admirer? A note of great import? I'll just have a quick look...
Indignity! The indignity of indignities!

Upon opening the door, I observed a sack upon my stoop, and it was a-flame! I quickly moved to smother the inferno by stomping upon it soundly, only to discover the contents: horse void! From a sick horse!

As I recoiled in horror from my investigative sniff, the sound of Jefferson and his cohorts' cackles resounded down the cobblestone streets.

My only solace comes from my steely belief in the providential certainty that history will reveal Jefferson as the base and immoral cad he truly is.

Friday, July 3, 2009

the future

I saw this church marquee near my school today.
I like it.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

SPOTTED: the Ray Ban mystery man

Yes, I saw him again. And yes, once again, could not work up the nerve to introduce myself. I need to go to Oz to get some courage, apparently.

I have now gotten THREE false leads from my missed connections post. I had googled one of them (a guy that goes to Georgetown) and found a picture of him. Oddly enough, I SAW HIM ON THE METRO THE NEXT DAY. I would have said hello, but then he would have known I google-stalked him and I generally don't like to advertise what a creep I am, haha.

Nevertheless, it was a really really strange coincidence.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

the Ray Ban mystery man


Confession: I'm obsessed with craigslist's missed connections.

I read them at home. I read them at work. I tell people about them after I read them. And now, I'm blogging about them.

The obsession started about five months ago and only intensified when someone posted one for me. I didn't respond to it and never dreamed I'd ever be posting a missed connection myself. BUT, that's all changing now.

That's right. I posted a missed connection.

It was a Monday morning like any other. But then, my train stopped at Van Ness and all of the sudden, there he was: THE RAY BAN MYSTERY MAN. I felt my heartbeat increase ten fold. Then, he caught me checking him out and he smiled at me and my legs just BUCKLED. No man has EVER made me weak in the knees but every time the Ray Ban mystery man smiled at me, I thought I was going to collapse right there on the metro.

A few stops later he got off and I when I regained my composure I was kicking myself for not talking to him. I couldn't get him out of my head all day so I decided I couldn't leave things to fate. So I posted a missed connection. I got two responses, neither of which was my Ray Ban mystery man. But I'm convinced that this very moment is what my craigslist obsesssion has been leading up to.

I hereby pledge to find the Ray Ban mystery man if it's the last thing I do.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

clearly i was born in the wrong decade

I have recently become obsessed with the idea of having a record collection. And with having this beauty to play those vinyl gems on.

Crosley AV Room Portable USB Turntable

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

dreaming of far-away places...

This little film makes me want to hop on the first plane to Groningen, Netherlands.

Come on, feel the Groningen! from MUZIEKTELEVISIE.NL on Vimeo.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

hear the wolves howl

I love finding humor in unexpected places. Case in point: Amazon customer reviews. Click on the pictures of the reviews to enlarge them enough to read.

Monday, June 22, 2009

WANTED:

Thrift/vintage store recommendations (for NYC)!
Roxie and I are venturing to the Big Apple this weekend (my first time!) and we're looking to hit up some great thrift/vintage stores while we're there (I'm a little bit of a vintage/thrift whore). So if you have recommendations, we'd love to hear them! We're going to be there for three days and we don't really have any plans so we'd be thrilled with any other kind of recommendation you have--restuaruants, museums, etc. Trust that there will be many, many, many photos of our adventures!

Your favorite (simple! cheap! vegetarian!) recipes!
My sister is in town for some job interviews and I need to feed her. I'm a vegetarian but she's not and she cringed at the mere mention of a tofu stirfry. So I'm taking my search to the interwebs! Does anyone out there have any vegetarian recipes that even a meat-eater couldn't resist?

Four more hours in every day!
There are so many projects I need to complete! Books I need to read! Movies I need to watch! I need more hours in a day! Help!

Oh, and while you're at it, I could really go for some delicious biscotti...

Tropical Biscotti from BocaDulce Chocolate Dipped Almond Pistachio Anise Biscotti from andeverythingspice
Chocolate Chilli Cashew Biscotti from whimsyandspice

Monday, June 15, 2009

I may finally set a world record!

Wow guys, sorry about that long hiatus. My mom and sister have been in town and I've been super busy! One thing I have had time for, however, is to become obsessed with the Universal Record Database.

The creators of the URDB call the website 'a sort of Wikipedia of world records.' People basically set records (really ridiculous records to be precise. Fastest shaving off of one's own mustache? Most giraffe tattoos on a shoulder?), submit them, and the community votes on their validity. There's a great little video about the site here.


I have spent countless hours obsessing over what record I'm going to set/break. I think I can definitely eat six cupcakes in under 11 minutes and 20 seconds. Then again, I've always had a secret crush on John Stamos so maybe I'll try to break the record for most images of 'Uncle Jesse' viewed on a web browser at once. The possibilities really are endless.


I always thought I had to do something extreme to hold a world record, like bake a 2 mile wide chocolate chip cookie. But now that there's the URDB all I have to do is eat 46 M&Ms in under a minute. The sky is the limit for me folks, the sky is the limit.

Monday, June 8, 2009

<3


Dear Asiago Cheese Bagel,

Where have you been all my life? You complete me.

Love,
Tracy

Friday, May 29, 2009

inspiration = dungeons + dragons + dynamite magazine

Check out this ad from a 1980 issue of Dynamite Magazine.
More than anything in the world I want to recreate the outfit of the girl on the right. Very Hermione Granger, right? Or maybe it's just this girl's AWESOME curly hair. Whatever it is, I am LOVING her look.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Man&Dog

So in my last post I was super lazy and didn't really do Man&Dog justice. These boys are PHENOMENAL. You think I was joking when I said I was swooning? WRONG. I was totally serious. Actually, swooning doesn't really even begin to describe my reaction to Man&Dog.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVEloveLOVEloveLOOOOOVVVEEE folk music. What can you expect from a girl who grew up listening to Peter, Paul and Mary, Joni Mitchell, and Cat Stevens. So me saying that these guys are awesome is really saying something, if I do say so myself! So please, check them out. You can listen to two of their songs in my previous post or check out their website for additional tracks. Seriously, you won't be sorry.


And if any of you live in the DC-Baltimore-Metro area, keep an eye out for their live shows.

And above all else: Prepare to swoon.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

(boys + folk music)baltimore = swoon

My weekend in photography and song!

Antiques at Savage Mill.


Ghost hunting at the Patapsco Female Institute.


Backyard show with Man and Dog.

Whistle Dawn - Man and Dog


All Day with No Rest - Man and Dog



BOLT! Dance Party at the Hexagon featuring Ten Elevenths.


Perchance to Dream (Mastered) - Ten Elevenths


The Facts (Mastered) - Ten Elevenths


And of course, Eric's excellent thrift store find.

<3tracy

Friday, May 22, 2009

(me + roxanne + eric)(baltimore + electropop + dancing) = epic memorial day weekend

Today I'm heading off to the beautiful greater Baltimore area to spend some quality time with Roxanne and her boo.

Our agenda includes:

- Eating frozen pizza.
- Dancing.
- Trying to avoid rush hour traffic.
- Bothering Eric at work.
- Dancing.
- Drinking free Starbucks.
- Jamming to some folk tunes.
- Dancing.
- Memorial weekend BBQ.
- Jamming to some electropop.
- Oh, did I mention we'd be dancing?
- Thrifting?
- Ghost hunting?!

And of course there will be extensive photodocumentatation of our shenanigans!

<3tracy