les miserables trailer ▲

[via]

OK, alternate titles for this blog post could include:

"i died about 7 times while watching this"

"what if i sob through this whole movie? so what if i do??"

"excuse my extreme emotions while this is playing"

or simply,

"squueeeEEEEE!!!"

kids, i'm in love with this musical.

grew up watching it.

have seen it on stage 4 times.

must see it again.

and remember how i couldn't fully love Newsies because i was so attached to the original?

let's just say, the stakes are about 10 times higher for this film.

but the trailer...

oh the trailer!

it has pleased me.

...i know some people are not loving on anne hathaway's vocals.

i was the first to be skeptical that they cast a hollywood crew to sing such epic numbers that should generally be left to trained vocalists, but...

i kinda dig her sound.

it's got this haunting, raw quality to it.

what do you think?

in a castle on a cloud,

katilda

writing: mistakes

mistakes are pencil eraser smudges.

the colored eraser seemed like a good idea.

until it turned the paper green.

mistakes are white-out.

lumpy and aromatic.

and not so hidden, when it comes down to it.

pretty obvious, really.

mistakes are an ink stain on the hem of yet another shirt when i gestured too wildly while talking on the phone.

and i really should just learn to put a lid on the pen.

or maybe put the pen down.

or maybe stop gesturing on the phone to people who can't see me.

or maybe only wear dark shirts.

mistakes are that one time i went too long without changing the oil in my car.

like, a couple years too long.

oops.

mistakes are those orange stains at the corners of my lips whenever i eat spaghetti, because i never did figure out how to eat it like a lady.

mistakes are regret.

mistakes are i'm sorry.

and what was i thinking.

and that was a bad idea.

and let's pretend it didn't happen.

and, sometimes, let's try again later.

for the record,

do me a favor.

don't call me your mistake.

because,

i am not a bad idea.

guest blog: Imma Hoarder?

hey kiddos!

i've got a guest blogger up in the hizzle today.

her name is elisabeth & she blogs over at imma walking fashion crime.

and, i like her.

and, turns out we both might have the same problem...

...which we are blogging about today.

so read her post below, 

then check out my own thoughts on hoarding over at her blog.

ready...go!

Hmm..hoarding? That's such a negative word. I like to call it storing.

I don't store just any old stuff either.

It's the good stuff.

(Okay. We all know that's a lie, but I like to think that I hoard store good stuff.)

I store letters.

Nothing else. Just letters.

The old birthday cards from grandma & grandpa. 

The thank you notes & the I love you notes.

I have them tucked away in a GIGANTIC shoe box.

(A size 17 in men's shoe box probably...)

When I moved away to go to college, my parents were astounded by my "collection" of letters. 

Seriously.

I've kept everything. (including some stuff that I probably shouldn't keep...oh well).


Storing is just second nature.


I think I keep the letters because they mean so much to me.


The little notes of admiration keep me going & help me realize that there are people out there that love me.


Yay for love! :)


Shout-out to the amazing katilda! She rocks! If she gave me a letter, I'd totally hoard it.

...um, trust me that i have my own box of letters.

and that i now feel really inclined to write elisabeth a letter.

so she can hoard it.

i mean savor it in a totally healthy way.

ok now go read about my own potential problems.
then confess your hoarding tendencies in the comment box below.
yep, i'm looking at you.

cleopatra in da-nile,

katilda

hostess and not the chocolate kind.

all you need to know is....

my two bestie-college-roommates are in a car right now.

driving away from utah...

...toward arizona.

i...

i just...

i have no words to express my sheer, passionate excitement.

so what if we just lie on the floor all weekend due to our overwhelming giddiness about all being in the same place again, muttering unintelligible inside jokes and sporadically kicking our feet with spasms of joy?

i mean...

"they complete me."

which is totally a quote from some famous movie.

...loosely.

but like a good hostess,

i made them a welcome gift...

yeah, it's those microsoft paint skills again.

oh uncle jesse!

and now i'm going to disappear for the weekend.

much feet kicking and squealing is on the docket.

peace out, blogtown!

and to all a marvelous memorial weekend,

katilda

the chair whisperer.

been doing some bedazzling up in here!

i scored all four of these chairs from...the dumpster!

like a champ.

you know what they say about one man's trash...

for my living room:

and for my porch:

...yes, my newly "power washed" porch.

one small leap toward my own TLC show,

katilda

first time frapper

so, homegirl loves her some breakfast.

and homegirl loves her a good morning beverage.

also, homegirl doesn't drink coffee.

and by homegirl i mean...me.

and by coffee i mean...yeah, i mean coffee.

so this morning i decided i needed to visit the ol' starbucksy for some kind of liquid deliciousness.

now, my roommate swears by non-coffee frappuccinos.

also, that is a hard word to spell.

frap-uh-chee-no.

frap-uh....cheetos?

the point is.

i had me one of the caramel variety this morning.

like unto this:

[via]

my thoughts?

well, it was like a vanilla-caramel milkshake, with delightful chunks of ice.

am i crazy bout it?

meh.

i could do with more flavor.

plus, i missed the healthy feeling of my usual favorite splurge:

[via]

...nom nom nom.

what about you kiddos?

favorite morning beverage?

back to my oatmeal,

katilda

p.s.

yes that's an updated blog header.

as per usual, i made it me-self in microsoft paint.

can't touch this, da da da da...

if i was your roommate...

...you might get epic texts like this, on occasion.

Dearest roommates, as i sit here in spandex shorts with mud smeared on my legs and dead leaves in my hair, i reflect on my evening of "don't be cranky" distraction techniques. It began with spaghetti, from which i moved on to the gym and a step/abs class that made my arms and legs jello. Then my lungs didn't feel tired, so i thought, let's run a mile on the treadmill. After which i headed home and thought, chairs! Chairs everywhere! And thus i attempted to sweep the porch, and discovered that 3+ years of tree remnants were hiding a thick layer of concrete-dirt and several stray pieces of junk mail. Many moons and trash bags later, i discovered a hose in the shed and decided to "power wash" said concrete-dirt, which resulted in an epic tidal wave battle with only the broom on my side. The broom may have been a martyr, in the end. And then i thought, TOO MANY chairs! And thus i took two unwanteds to the dumpster from which they originally joined our lives and bade them adieu. And then i finished the last of my chair remodels and placed two by the fireplace and two on the freshly "power washed" porch. And thus i sit here, in spandex and mud stains, too tired to feel cranky and channeling any and all angst into appropriate grief for the dear departed broom. (Also, why is no one else home.)

...yes that was all one lengthy text.

arguably irrelevant picture break:

[via]

and unfortunately for you, i am not currently accepting applications for new roommates, as my condo is quite full and i am quite pleased with the current occupants.

also, i learned two lessons last night:
1. i shouldn't be left alone for so many hours
2. or maybe i've finally discovered the key to rampant productivity

power washing like a boss,

katilda

p.s.

the broom may have survived after all.

it was touch and go for awhile there.

my review: newsies the musical

and the world will know!

da da da da da da da!

ok kids.

ok.

here is my thorough review of a certain broadway show...

so if you're like me, you grew up with newsies in your blood.

you know every word to every song.

you've at least attempted to reenact those killer dance moves.

you've daydreamed at least once about marrying christian bale.

well, i guess that last one depends on your gender.

and your orientation.

moving on...

when i heard that newsies was playing in new york,

and it so happened that i wanted to go to new york this year,

you better believe i planned my trip purposely around it.

in good news...

the singing was amazing.

the dancing was amazing.

the lead actor, jeremy jordan, was amazing.

oh look, there he is now...

getting his autograph was a feat of strength, and involved almost getting eaten by a subway grate and having to be rescued by my friend amy, but the result was...you guessed it...amazing.

in bad news...

new songs?

changed story line?

denton is a woman??

...and pulitzer? he sings??
and jack is an artist??
and why no "high times, hard times"??

and denton is a woman???

i mean...what the hezz, broadway?

as i said when the atrocious karate kid remake came out...

if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it.

i tried to set aside my childhood and be impartial, 

but i just couldn't do it.

neither could this random girl sitting next to me, and we bonded,

and i liked her more every time she muttered profanity under her breath in her strong NYC accent every time something was different from the movie,

and then i liked her most when the actors all came on stage at the end and everyone was cheering and she yelled "CHRISTIAN BALE?!" 

...i have a NYC soulmate-bestie out there somewhere, i do!

so my final review?

newsies was great.

it had amazing elements & a talented cast.

but the changes left a sour taste in my mouth.

so yeah, newsies was great.

but it wasn't mind-blowing.

but i'd still recommend seeing it.

if that even makes sense.

maybe you will be less critical than i am...?

ya know how it is!

also, i think karate kid the musical could be a good idea.

but ONLY if ralph macchio signs on.

carrying the banner through it all,

katilda

garage saling & home improving

apparently spell check thinks "saling" is not a verb.

but if i went around spelling it like garage "sailing," that would be a different visual entirely.

probably a visual like unto this one...

moving on.

i hit up miss lauren's garage sale on saturday morning with the meggles and scored the following uber-sexy-black-lace-dress for 5 smackers...

i also obtained a sweet picture frame, which you get to see when i post pics of my newly decorated bedroom wall,

and i got two shirts!

will post pics when i wear them.

go lauren's garage sale go!

also, the following mayyy have happened at 7:30am...

nom nom nom

i then spent the rest of my saturday home improving.

like this guy...

nom nom nom (appropriate reaction again)

i refinished four chairs, which you get to see sooooon,

and i sewed the following throw pillow...

which, btw, the signs at target now refer to such pillows as "toss" pillows.

apparently throwing is now out of style.

i am always so behind.

also, i attempted to make a mickey mouse crepe on sunday morning...

it was all well and good until his ear fell off.

*cue some kind of cheesy van gogh joke*

do your ears hang low,

katilda

ageism, vanilla cone & a pained patella

the last 24 hours of my life have included:

...being asked if i was 18 whilst buying spray paint

...spray painting furniture on my porch, the results of which i will reveal to you in the near future

...running out the door to work this morning and consequently running INTO the door and whining on the floor for awhile with a bruised kneecap

...and this:

...and the joy of that moment was increased tenfold when Total Eclipse of the Heart came on the radio halfway through my cone

...and i get to play sand volleyball tonight

...and i went and did a service project after work last night

...and i've been listening to hippie folk rock since yesterday afternoon

...you can jam with me too,
but i think you need spotify to make the playlist work...
...which, i totally obsessively highly recommend getting spotify...
ees fo' free!

...so really, no complaints, bruised patella or not!

what does YOUR friday hold?

hey mr. tambourine man,

katilda

1.21 jiggawatts

you know i just took like 50 kick-A pictures on my NYC/Boston trip.

and yet, this is what i settled on for my new fbook cover photo:

a girl just can't help herself sometimes.

great scott,

katilda

confessions: i stole a house key

yesterday i remembered something bad i did when i was like 5 years old.

you see, i had two friends named stephanie. one was across the street, and one was in the house behind mine. once we climbed trees and one stephanie fell out of the tree and broke both her arms. she also frequently insisted on being called Barbie so i didn't get the two of them mixed up. shrug.

so, one day i got in a fight with non-Barbie stephanie. i don't remember what we fought about. i think maybe she had taken one of my trolls. anyway, blinded by my 5-year-old rage, i sought retribution by secretly grabbing a nearby house key and stuffing it in my pocket.

side detail: i mayyyy have been wearing an outfit involving matching shorts and tank top with rainbow fishes printed on it.

in any case, i then ran to the other stephanie's house to play, at which point i realized i still had the key in my pocket. and i felt guilty. or worried i'd get caught. those two emotions are blurred when you're 5 years old. SO... i hid that key at stephanie #2's house.

where did i hide it? under her sleeping dog.

...i still can't decide if that was weird or innovative.

luckily for all of us, i did not hang on to any of these klepto tendencies as i grew up. i also don't hide things under sleeping dogs anymore. though, you never know when such a tactic might come in handy.

[via]

glad to finally get that off my chest,

katilda

backstreet's back, and so am i.

well...

goodgollygraciousbiebergosh!

i have returned to the motherland!

and by that i mean...arizona.

did you know it's like 104 here?

but i don't mind,

the east coast gray drizzle was starting to depress me.

in any case,

i'm all busybee trying to jump back into normal life.

so here's a couple last pics from boston...

i think 7 days is a good length of vacation.

just long enough to forget i had a real life,

but i came back right when i hit my "i want to be in my own bed living my normal life and i don't want to eat out anymore" limit.

do you get this way when you travel?

how long is not long enough or too long or just-right long for you?

i will write soon about specific favorites from the trip,

just in case you are planning on heading that way yourself.

sweet vitamin D it is good to be home,

katilda

p.s.

stay tuned for a review on the app i used to edit all those pics i was posting throughout the week.

i have a bigfatcrush on it.

p.p.s.

i take issue with my own blog title, because let's be honest,

backstreet never left.

new yorkshire & bostonville, day 6

new yorkshire & bostonville, days 4 & 5