A Different Look for Ricky

You all know how I feel about North and South (or you should by now). Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton, the stern, extremely handsome, highly moral, hard-working mill owner is enough to make your heart melt. In other words, Richard Armitage is super awesome and smoking hot, especially in a cravat and fancy suits.

So imagine how excited I was to find out he was in the BBC TV series "Robin Hood." I was told of this series by both my mom and Rachel K., so I knew I'd like it, especially if it had hot Mr. Thornton in it. Guess what? He's not Robin Hood. He's not even Will Scarlet. He's Sir Guy of Gisborne. That's right. Slimy, creepy, evil Guy. And he is absolutely brilliant. You North and South fans out there, picture this: leather pants, mulletish greasy hair, shiny sword, and evil smirk on our beloved Mr. Thornton. Hey, let's not even use our imaginations. Here he is:

Yummy, right? In a totally different way than the other hot version of Richard Armitage. I watched seasons 1 and 2 on DVD because I wasn't fortunate enough to have BBC America until now. Season 3 just started, and his hair is longer and he's more evil and tormented than ever! He is, by far, the most complicated and interesting character in this show. Of course, this show is along the lines of Xena and Hercules in its ridiculousness, especially in season 1. But Guy is torn between ambition, greed, and a desire to please Maid Marian. And the Sheriff of Nottingham is hilarious and slightly effeminate. Robin Hood and his gang are great, of course, but I think I've spent time on what really matters. Netflix has it. I recommend it, if only to enjoy a little more of Richard Armitage.

Sidenote: I noticed on imdb that he is also a fighter pilot in Star Wars: Episode I, but after pausing and searching I still haven't identified him. He probably got killed in the first scene.

A little wound up

I have 3 BYU t-shirts. I have a BYU sweatshirt. My cell phone has a BYU cover on it. I have a BYU flag on my front porch, and both cars have BYU stickers on the rear windshield. Do you think that just maybe I'm a teensy weensy bit excited?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know Oklahoma's Heisman trophy winning quarterback got leveled at the end of the first half. I know Oklahoma's fans will be using that as an excuse for the Sooners' loss. But let's face it. BYU's defense showed up to play. Don't you think that maybe precious Bradford wouldn't have gotten injured if our defense was subpar? That wasn't the first hit he took. It wasn't even the second. BYU was just playing really really well. I won't be naive and say that it didn't help BYU in the second half to have Oklahoma's best weapon gone. I'm sure it helped. But let's give a hand to Max Hall for thinking on his feet. That quick play on a 4th and long was beautiful. To #33, whose name escapes me right now, high five for being super tough and breaking through Oklahoma's offensive line again and again. And how about #99 for that fantastic punt. And thank you, Pitta, for distracting the defenders so Jacobsen could stand calmly in the endzone and catch an easy touchdown. And to the entire BYU defense, you deserve a Caribbean cruise for your excellent red zone defense. When you stuffed the Sooners on the 1 yard line and stopped them from scoring, I had tears in my eyes.

It is going to be a good year. I need to go do some yoga or something to unwind before bed.

'Tis the Season

It's that time again. The calendar is marked, the DVR is set, and my afternoons are filling up! That's right, folks. It's time for new episodes of my favorite shows! And, although I don't really have time to watch even more, I'm adding a few more. Here's the rundown on my faves:


The Office: If you're not watching this show yet, what is wrong with you? I know it's not everyone's type of humor, but if you've ever worked in an office, there are things that should strike you as at least a little funny. I know a few people who started Season One and couldn't finish because they felt so uncomfortable after watching Michael be Michael. If you can get through Season One you will be greatly rewarded. A few of my favorite episodes: "The Injury," the bat one, just because of Kevin running into the camera and Dwight falling off the counter, the one where Ray gets pepper spray to the face, and the one with the carnival. I can't remember the names of most of the episodes, but I've seen all of them. A lot of times, the first 5 minutes is the best part of the episode ("Future Dwight."). This is a show we actually buy when it comes out on DVD because it meets my requirement that I can watch it, knowing exactly what's going to happen, and it still makes me laugh my head off.

30 Rock: Every once in a while, magic happens with a TV show, and the cast and writing combines into something special. When you get Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, and that chick that was on Ally McBeal, and give them intelligent dialogue and almost painfully real situations, you get that kind of magic. Granted, there are times that are a bit on the inappropriate side (Tracy Morgan's character, a lot of the time), but overall, it's just hilarious. I think Alec Baldwin was meant to do comedy. If all you've seen him in is the Hunt for Red October, you need to see him do funny. Because he is funny.

Reality-a-palooza: I am aware that when reality TV started getting big, I swore I would never get into it. I lied. I am addicted. My favorites: So You Think You Can Dance, America's Next Top Model, Dancing with the Stars, The Biggest Loser and Project Runway. As you know, I just added Project Runway, for reasons I listed in previous posts. There's an episode sitting on my DVR, screaming at me to watch, and I'm trying to be patient and wait until Jacob's at preschool so I can indulge. Dancing with the Stars has Donny Osmond on this season. Obviously, I'll be watching. The Biggest Loser inspires me to be healthier, so it's a good thing there's a new season next week. What I'm looking forward to more than any other reality show, though, is America's Next Top Model. It's always a train wreck waiting to happen, and Tyra is always totally bonkers, but this season, they have read my mind, and are having short models! Way to break the rules, Tyra. Everyone has to be under 5'7". You know I'd be on there if I weren't so dang old. Because I can smile with my eyes.

Glee: My friend recommended that I give this show a try. Now, I love all my friends, and I am willing to give their faves a try, but I always always always listen to Jenny. Always. She got me started on The Office. She recommended Freaks and Geeks. She and I share the same opinions about the Twilight books. So I know, when she says I'll like Glee, that I'll like Glee. I just watched the pilot yesterday, and I really don't know how I'll make it to next week. I am so excited. It's the perfect show for me. Combine music geeks, Journey, and high school into one show, and it's a winner. Plus, it has that lady that's in all those movies (A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, Best of Show). The one with the short, blond hair. She's hilarious. I think it has the potential to be both heart-warming and hilarious, and that is exactly what TV needs these days. (The heart-warming part.) There are so many crime dramas and hospital dramas and overall trashy dramas, that it's nice to have something that is a little on the more cheerful side. It's going to be a good one, I think.

So, as you can see, I'll be busy. For the benefit of my mother, if she is reading this post, you should know that while I watch TV I actually get a lot done. It's the perfect time to do laundry, do the dishes, clean the living room, and work on craft projects. Today, while I watch Project Runway, I'll be folding the loads of whites sitting in baskets in my room. I may also mop the kitchen. Of course, when it's time for the runway show, I'll be sitting at attention.

A clarification

After thinking about my last post, I have begun to worry a little. First of all, it wasn't meant to be a complaint AT ALL. I loved high school, and I only loved it because of my awesome friends:So, friends from high school, please please don't be offended when I say I wanted to be popular. I think you know which football player I was referring to, and it was my mad crush on him that made me want him to notice me and ask me out. I think what I really wanted was for it to be Cool to be in band and take AP classes and want to do well in school. Every time I played a flute solo I secretly hoped that if I played well, and said football player happened to walk by and hear me, he'd think I was Super Cool. Yeah, silly, I know. I also harbored a secret desire to try out for cheer, because it looked fun, but I had more fun in pep band than I possibly could have had in a little skirt. Besides, think of the broken bones I would have had.

Second, I promise I wasn't begging for compliments at church. I was just pointing out how silly it was that I was depending on others' opinions of my outfit to feel good about it. I liked it, and that's all that really matters! And I also promise that "so-and-so" was more of a vague idea of people I try to impress that I don't even really know. So it isn't you, any of you. And RaeAnne, I'm totally wearing the hat tomorrow to drop off Jacob for preschool. And I'm going to wear it with total confidence.

Okay, now that I've had my neurotic little rant, I'm off to eat a brownie. Ah.

The Wish

I had a bit of an epiphany this past weekend. It may be a little late in coming, but there you have it. This realization came due to a few factors, which I will now list:

1. I just reread "The Wish," by Gail Carson Levine (she wrote "Ella Enchanted"). It's about an eighth-grade girl who is not only not popular, but is UNpopular. She suffers horrible embarrassment after an insensitive teacher reads her essay aloud, which involves her pretending to be a dog and sniffing other dogs bottoms. One day, she gives up her seat on the train to an old lady, and the old lady grants her a wish. Her wish is that she will be the most popular girl at her school. I think most 8th graders wish that at some point, but when you fit into the "unpopular" category, and have been referred to as a dog by the cutest boys in school, I think it's probably what's on your mind most of the time. Her wish is granted, and she gets everyone's attention. The point of the book was that the best friends you can have are the ones who love you for who you are.

2. I got some birthday money last week, and I immediately cashed the check and went straight to the store to get some new clothes. I think I probably tried on 20 shirts and 15 pairs of jeans, and left with 2 shirts that I really, truly felt good about. I went again a few days later and, again, tried on a gazillion things and found a skirt, a shirt and a pair of jeans that I was satisfied with. The next day was Sunday, so I wore one of my new shirts and my new skirt to church, expecting to be complimented and gushed over because my outfit was so cute. I sure felt like it was cute. By the end of church, not a single compliment had come my way and I left feeling like my outfit must have looked ridiculous.

3. I bought a new hat that is a little on the trendy side so I can wear it golfing and on bad hair days, but don't feel cool enough to wear it, so I've only worn it once in public. This is partly because I was told it didn't look quite right on me.

So, what was this great realization I had? I realized that I still care about being popular, and that it's ridiculous and MUST GO. While I was reading "The Wish" I thought back to how much I wanted to be popular in high school, even though I had an amazing group of friends that not only liked me for who I was, but inspired me to become better. I always loved those friends, and I still do, but a part of me really, truly wanted that cute football player to notice me and ask me to hang out with him and the cool kids. That was when I was young and stupid. But now I'm the ripe old age of 32. I spent my birthday money on clothes that made me feel great, but when I wore them in public I still hoped the cool kids would notice them and tell me how great they were. It's ridiculous to wear something for the express purpose of getting compliments, and then letting the result determine your self worth. Yet, I do that on a regular basis. I have great friends now, just like I did in high school. We share common interests, our kids get along, we enjoy each other's company, yet I still find myself getting dressed with the thought lurking, "What will so-and-so think of this outfit?" Even though so-and-so doesn't care. Even though so-and-so has spoken maybe 3 words to me in my time here.

So, what do I do now? I can get dressed with the thought, "How does this outfit make ME feel?" I can go to church to focus on things like how I can help others and what I can learn, and not "How do I look?" I can relish the great friends I have, and spend time with people who inspire me to be better, instead of leaving me feeling bad about myself. I can care more about what my husband and kids think than about virtual strangers. I can be my best self and love who I am. Remember that thing moms say, "If they don't like you then they don't deserve you." I don't think the "deserve" part is quite right, but maybe my attitude should be, "If they can't see past your quirks then you guys probably wouldn't have that much fun together anyway."

Nothing but good dreams tonight (and maybe one involving being dressed as an egg)

As promised, here's my take on this week's episode of Project Runway (if it's sitting unwatched on your DVR, WAIT TO READ THIS!!!):

First of all, it's about time someone did some decent maternity evening wear! I mean, really. I could have used a ballgown when I was pregnant with Tyler. And a nice pair of super short shorts and a little sweater for trips to the store. In all seriousness, how awesome to make the designers sweat over a product that tends to get ignored in fashion. I loved how freaked out they all were, when really, they were designing "maternity" clothes for models that were still a size zero, but with a ginormous fake belly. Unless you're super lucky, your hips do NOT stay slim, your chesty business gets a bit on the bigger side, and everything tends to get a little swollen by the end. The designers just had to add a little extra fabric in the middle. But the sentiment was nice.

I think I knew Malvin was doomed the second he mentioned his concept of an egg in a nest as an outfit for a woman having twins. I figured he was being vague about his concept, and it would turn into a lovely brown and cream swirly cocktail dress. A woman expecting twins doesn't exactly want to have her enormous belly draped in white fabric while wearing skin tight black leggings. I did like the feathers, though.

Some other favorites: the bowling ball dress (listen to Tim Gunn!!!), Mitchell having a meltdown with the voluminous pants at the last minute (next week he's a goner for sure), the fact that Rebecca Romijn (is that spelled right?) looks like a normal pregnant lady, and she was a supermodel, and, of course, Tim Gunn. Always.

On another subject, if you're home alone and have mountains of laundry to fold, I would recommend watching Hairspray. Here are some reasons I am glad I watched it tonight: 1) John Travolta in drag in a fat suit, dancing and singing with Christopher Walken. 2) Super catchy music that insists that you at the very least do a shimmy or two. 3) Zac Efron is so cute! I admit, I have a little bit of a crush on him, which I know is totally inappropriate. It's kind of like my grandma having a thing for Hugh Jackman. But he's so sparkly and pretty! 4) The cast is loaded with super stars, like Queen Latifah and Michelle Pfeifer and Alison Janney (who I absolutely love! 5) Fabulous singing. Amazing, really. I love seeing James Marsden singing. He usually gets the shaft in his movies, but in this one he just gets to dance and sing and be sparkly and shiny. 6) There's nothing scary about it, which is good if you're me and have to be alone tonight and scare easily. Instead I'll be going to bed with visions of Zac Efron and John Travolta dancing in my head. Speaking of which, the piles of laundry are folded, the movie is over, and my eyes are growing heavy. Good night!

The Sane(-ish) Side of Fashion

You readers all know by now that I love America's Next Top Model. The things I love about it (the crazy photo shoots and the whole "what will Tyra do next" anticipation) keep me watching. The absurd amount of drama that takes place in the model's house, on the other hand, I do NOT love. It's just mean girls that don't know how to get along, fighting for an hour every Wednesday. But I watch anyway, because of the reasons I mentioned above. So when I heard all the buzz about Project Runway, I ignored it because I figured it would be like ANTM, only without the crazy. Boring. But, after seeing it mentioned a few times in both Rachel K. and Angela's blogs, I decided it was worth a try, since we seem to have the exact same taste in TV shows. I took advantage of the Project Runway season 4 marathon the Oxygen channel was having last week, and now I'm addicted for life.

Here are the reasons I like the show:

1. Tim Gunn Have you ever seen him interact with other people? He is a fantastic man. His title on the show is "Mentor." He takes that responsibility to heart, and makes everyone around him feel better about themselves. He gives gentle advice to the designers on how their horrible design could improve. (He's always right, by the way. The ones that ignore him get shredded by the judges for the very problems he's pointed out, while the ones that take his advice usually end up in the top 3.) I love it when he steps back from the design, puts his hand on his chin, and just clucks at it for a few seconds. He went on Biggest Loser for a few seasons and helped the contestants find a good look after losing all that weight. He has a gift for helping people look great and feel fabulous.

2. What Could They Possibly Come Up With Next? Now, I've only seen one season, but in that season, they managed to have the designers come up with appropriate clothing for WWE Divas (meaning, very scanty clothes that can be used in a wrestling match--not easy), Prom at a Catholic school, while dealing with the 17-year-old girls that have very strong opinions on the matter, wearable couture made from items chosen at the Hershey's store in Times Square (some of them were quite fabulous), and clothes made from old clothing chosen by women who had lost a lot of weight. One guy had to make everyday wear from a ginormous tacky wedding dress. I think that was his last day on the show. The element of crazy is there, but on a calmer level. And the crazy comes from the contestants while they are all together in a room, sewing like mad and trying to figure out how to get twizzlers to stick on a skirt. It's not the "I'm skinnier than you and my boyfriend is hotter, and who dumped out my Red Bulls" kind of drama. I think this is partly due to the fact that all the contestants are grown-ups.

3. The Sewing Angela, here is my tragic story. When I was 11, I was in 4H sewing. We were supposed to make an item of clothing for the fair. I decided to keep it simple and make an elastic-banded skirt. There is very little you can do to mess up something that has only 2 pieces to it. Somehow, I failed tragically. It was a combination of not being able to sew in a straight line on a machine and putting enough elastic in the waistband to fit a baby elephant. So I ended up with a crooked skirt that fell right off. Oh, and did I mention that we had to model these skirts? Yeah. So when I watch this show and see these people come up with a design, a pattern, and a perfectly sewn item with 24 hours of work total, it's a miracle. Especially when those items have multiple parts to them, or are made out of candy bar wrappers and rolos. Amazing!

4. The Calm Okay. I know I watch ANTM because of Tyra's crazy unpredictability, but I admit, it's refreshing to watch the judges be calm and rational. They sit in their directors chairs, marking their scorecards, and discuss with the designers what went wrong with their designs before they get the boot. Case in point: Rami from season 4 made beautiful dresses, but they were all the same kind of dresses. You could count on him to drape fabric in a Roman toga fashion, whether it be for Prom or for everyday wear. And so, when he did that for the 8th time, and it was coming down to his future at Fashion Week, they told him exactly why they weren't sure he deserved to be there. They were clear, and he took the advice and did an amazing collection for Fashion Week. (I actually liked it better than the winner's.) So there's something to be said for sanity.

As for this season, they are now in LA instead of New York. They had to come up with a red carpet look, whether it be for the VMAs or the Oscars. One poor designer had a complete meltdown, but ended up being a favorite at the end of the day. Another spent hours smocking a dress, and when his model showed up, the measurements she had given him were 6 inches off, and he was stuck with nothing but a collar. (It's nice to know that even models lie a little about their size.) He ended up sewing a piece of almost completely transparent fabric onto the collar, and then onto the model. So basically, she was naked. It was good for him that there was another designer that made a tiny spacesuit dress that was a little on the crazy side. Actually, it looked like something Miss J would wear, so maybe we'll see it in a few weeks when America's Next Short Top Model airs. That designer got the boot instead. I honestly can't remember their names yet. Give me a few weeks and I'll know them. But there you have it. My new favorite obsession.