The Spring Thing

I am usually not much a fan of Springing Forward. Every year, I whine and complain about why we still have Daylight Savings and why do they want to take a precious hour of sleep away from meeeeeee???

Like I said, not my fave.

(I do not, however, have these feelings in the fall).

However, now that we live in a more northerly location, it gets dark. Way dark. Dark by 3:45 in the winter kind of dark, which is really pretty depressing. I know there are far darker locations (say, Alaska), but after a dimly-lit winter, when a friend of mine mentioned we'd have an extra hour of light soon -

- it was the best news, ever! Like getting a birthday gift on a day that is nowhere near your birthday, just for being alive. Losing an hour was a completely fair trade - I would give two for the extra daylight.

A Little Romance: The Mechanics of a Love Story

I've been asked to appear as an expert, of sorts, for middle school writers.  The subject? Romance.

Yeah, I know.  I struggle with smooshy, mushy romance.  But they asked for romance, so romance they shall have.  I spent some time thinking on the subject of Romance Theory (which seemed to dovetail with the blog on The Vow, come to think of it).

Good romance is the most character-driven of all genres, so if you're going to do romance (or a believable romance subplot/thread), you've got to know your characters and be able to communicate their essence on the page.

The 2012 Oscar Red Carpet Gown-a-pol-ooza

I had so much fun researching the guild awards and events leading up to the Oscars that I thought it would be fun to review the fashions of the red carpet. Since fashion is ultimately objective and I love a good second opinion, I asked my Mom, Ruyle, and my sister, Susannah, to join me. Ruyle has a special place in her heart for Starbucks, snowmen, quotable movies, kindergarteners and Belknap Springs in winter. She is the happy mom to her three kids, and admits that we do keep her (and my dad) amused on a regular basis. Which means we have succeeded. Susannah is a student at the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. She enjoys all things movie and music related. Susannah especially holds dear the entire Gilmore Girls Canon, and will always find a time to quote it whenever she can. So - let's dive in!

Jessica Chastain, McQueen

Hillary: Chastain Redemption! After an awards season that has been cluttered with Gowns That Should Never Have Been (I'm not even going to link to pictures because several of the truly ought not to have been), Chastain pulls out this little McQueen number, and the world breathes a sigh of relief.

Ruyle:  I love it!

Susannah:The dress compliments her hair and really flatters her in all the right places.  She went for simplicity with earrings and a few bracelets, and I applaud her for that.  My only wish is to have seen those shoes, personally I think some strappy black stilettos would have been perfect.

Rooney Mara, Givenchy

Hillary: It’s....got eyelids. And it doesn’t fit her. And...eyelids.

Ruyle:  At least the eyelids are *happy*  (come on,like the cartoon faces!)

Susannah: I can appreciate what Mara was trying to do. I think it fits her quite well, I love the skirt, but yes the “eyelids” are a tad...um...well to put it simply-unnecessary.
Hillary: I mean, at least it’s not black, you know? I just wish she’d found a seamstress to tailor the bodice, and asked Monsieur Givenchy to sew down the dixie cups. Or something. I like it from the waist down, though.

Octavia Spencer, Tadashi Shoji

Hillary: Octavia is awesome. She can dress herself beautifully, something women half her size can have trouble with. She looks like a million bucks, she deserved the win. I want her to take Christina Hendricks shopping - Christina would go home with clothes that FIT, and they’d have a great time.

Ruyle:  Octavia nailed it here.  Excellent idea to send her shopping with Christina!

Susannah: What I love about this is that it is so flattering on her, and all the lines hit her in all the right places, plus she keeps it light on the accessories letting the dress make the major statement.  Only concern was when she went up to receive her Oscar, she literally wobbled..., but you know what?  I’ll overlook it :)

Emma Stone, Giambatista Valli

Hillary: Oh Emma, the bow.  It takes away your neck. It blocks your airways. It’s the size of your head. It looks like something Nicole Kidman wore once.  I wish you had worn this instead. Or this.  Something that doesn’t look like it could be a hiding place for Voldermort.

Ruyle:  Again, five minutes with a seam ripper and VOILA!

Hillary: No joke! Also, a stronger lip color. I think there needs to be someone at the Oscars, hiding in the restrooms, who removes superfluous dress details. It’s for the greater good.

Danny: “The Greater Good.”

Ruyle:  Pick Me! Pick Me!

Susannah: This dress could have been absolutely perfect without the bow because it looks like she will be swallowed whole by it, and honestly it looks to me as if she needs more support in the bust area.  Other than that, her accessorizing was tasteful and the clutch was very nice, and her hair has the perfect updo.