Critters Behind the Curtain and High Time for New Heels

 Unicorn Bow Necklace

Tank: Wet Seal

Skirt: Kohl's

Black T-straps: Payless

Lilac pumps: Chinese Laundry, DSW

Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Belt: B Fabulous

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

Itsy Glitzy Spider Necklace

Dress: Lulus

Cami: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: JCPenney

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: Michaels

 Boho Beetle Necklace

Tee: So, Kohl's

Caftan: JCPenney

Skirt: So, Kohl's

Flip flops: Candie's, Kohl's

Bag: Gifted

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

 Raspberry Mint Gumball Necklace

Top: Wet Seal

Skirt: Stoosh, Macy's

Shoes: Guess, Marshalls

Bag: Nine West, Boscov's

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

 Bird Buddies Necklace

Tee: Merona, Target

Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Belt: Izod, Marshalls

Sunglasses: Michaels

I always think it's weird when dangerous animals are featured as cute, cuddly cartoons.  You know, like the Pink Panther, Tony the Tiger, and even, regrettably, Toucan Sam.  Take the parrot in this Bird Buddies Necklace.  Pretty or not, those things will peck your eyes out. Ditto for spiders (which, although not cuddly, possess a certain dark glamour), only with venomous bites.  Not to mention unicorns.  Sure, they're aren't real, but if they were I think they'd probably be ornery.  Maybe that's why people are always putting all of these critters in ads and on trinkets: they're looking for a way to tame them.

But enough wild kingdom pop psych; let's move on to wardrobe.

This week's looks have a 1950s/1980s vibe (how is it that I've only now noticed the similarities of the aesthetics of those two eras?) except for the renegade caftan, which is pure 1970s.  (Because there's always something celebratory about a caftan, I let it slide.)  Outfit number one is the best example of the hybrid decades thing in this lot, what with the ladylike clutch and the polka dots, and I was in the midst of photographing it when my new lilac Chinese Laundry pumps from DSW arrived on my doorstep.  Despite having spent the better part of my morning snapping away to get just the right angles, I immediately tossed my trusty Payless black patent leather (okay, plastic) T-straps aside in favor of the newcomers.  Partly because I'm a perfectionist, partly because in my illustrious career of shoe collecting, I've never had a pair precisely that shade.  Normally, I'm not one for revealing how the sausage is made, but my excitement got the best of me and I ended up posting the before and after shots.  You'll notice that I took the opportunity to add a pink backdrop, too (perfectionism, will your plague never end?).   

Finally, on an unrelated note, I recently bought a yellow and white polka dot shower curtain on clearance at Bed, Bath & Beyond as a quirky companion to my new fish-print window valance even though it was cotton.  As you may already know, I hate cotton, despite its many commercials, and have long maintained that fade-free, wrinkle-resistant polyester is the fabric of my life.  Anyway, I had the husband hang it without considering that I needed to iron it first.  It was, of course, a wrinkled mess.  "It'll shake out," the husband said, with all the confidence of a man who has never done battle with creases borne of manufacturer packaging.  So I took it down and hauled out the iron only to discover a fortuitously non-cotton, fish print shower curtain that had been hiding out in our linen closet for the last seven years.  At the time we'd already had (another) fish-print shower curtain and ambitiously thought that we'd use the spare to make window curtains.  Needless to say, we didn't, never even giving curtains a thought until just last week.  Which just goes to show that what you're looking for is usually right in front of you -- and also that laziness has its rewards.  Still, the polka dots are nice.  I won't post them, though -- publishing photos of one's bathroom goes beyond the bounds of good taste, even for me.  So, I'll share this shot of my new(ish) laundry room curtains instead:      

As far as I know, there are no wild animals lurking behind them, save for one intrepid, trash-picking squirrel.  And to think that on Rocky and Bullwinkle the squirrel wasn't even the villain.

Movie Moment: The Other Guys

If you like explosions, gunshots, car chases, and Will Ferrell's comic genius for awkward social situations, then you'll like The Other Guys. I picked up the DVD for the bf a couple of days before Christmas because he kept trying to rent it On Demand without success. (I almost blew my cover when he announced that he wanted to try again on Christmas Eve Eve by erupting into helpless giggles, insisting that I'd rather watch a rerun of "The Big Bang Theory.") Anyway, the movie is about two NYPD cops stuck behind the desk. Well, at least Terry (Mark Wahlberg) feels as though he's stuck. Hungry for glory and the chance to "fly like a peacock," he convinces mild-mannered ex-accountant Allen to join him in his quest for greatness. Although initially reluctant, Allen ends up agreeing to the mission, and the two of them climb into Allen's red Prius, which boasts a CD player preloaded with a half dozen Little River Band CDs, much to Terry's disgust. A textbook nerd, Allen makes one annoying observation after another in true Ferrell fashion, prompting Terry to repeatedly lash out that he hates him. Yet just when it seems that the team's odd couple ways will be their undoing, they stumble upon a huge case involving big business, the details of which aren't important. (Hey, we all know these crazy plots are just a vehicle for character development, screwball antics, and good guy-saves-the-day denouements.) The discovery forces them to get along and reinforces their desire to prove themselves to their boss, a TLC-lyrics-spouting-police-captain-slash-Bed-Bath-&-Beyond-manager played by Michael Keaton. Ferrell predictably steals the show, misunderstanding all of Wahlberg's orders and giving way to hilarious scenarios. Perhaps one of the funniest (and most disturbing) parts is when Allen reveals that he was a pimp back in college. Only, he doesn't realize that that's what he was, relaying the incident detail by naïve detail to Terry's horror while a song entitled "Pimps Don't Cry" wails in the background. That's not to say that Wahlberg doesn't have his own shining comic moments. His character becomes a little more complex when we learn that this hard-boiled cop has an artsy-fartsy ex-girlfriend for whom he still carries a torch. As Terry tries to win her back, he unveils unlikely talents for ballet dancing and art interpretation, all the while defending his tough-guy image by claiming that he honed the skills so he could make fun of the nerds on his block growing up.

In the end, Allen and Terry rush in to save the day in classic style, earning the respect they so desperately crave. Is it a little cheesy and predictable? Well, yes. Is it a little raunchy in parts? Again, guilty. But I think I speak for lots of viewers when I say that we'd be disappointed if it were anything but. The Other Guys is a nice diversion punctuated by stretches of subtle humor. I can honestly say I'm glad I made that last mad dash to buy it.