The Search is On: Finding Dory

When it comes to dark comedies, it doesn't get much darker than Search Party.  Because unlike this homemade hat from the husband's last birthday, it's no balloons and cake walk.  It's more creepy clown car.  The kind that kills people.  

Search Party first stepped out in 2016 on TBS.  Then in 2020, it moved on to the cool kids of HBO Max.  Which tracks.  Not just because HBO is hipper, but because it's a more fittingly dysfunctional home for a show about a self-destructive anti-hero.  In this case, that hero -- or rather, heroine -- is Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat), a twentysomething New Yorker stuck in the molasses of millennial malaise.  Half-heartedly working as a personal assistant for bored socialite Gail (Christine Taylor), she's going through the motions of life with her equally navel-gazing boyfriend Drew (John Reynolds) and best buds Portia (Meredith Hagner) and Elliot (John Early).  So when she finds out that their mutual college acquaintance Chantal Witherbottom (Clare McNulty) is missing, she makes it her mission to find her.  What begins as a diversion spirals into obsession, and as I watched, I couldn't help but (sort of snarkily) think: How far would you go for a friend (er, acquaintance)?  How well do you know your friends?  And, finally, that eternal head-scratcher: How well do you know yourself?

As Dory, Drew, Elliot, and Portia become more deeply entrenched in what began as the Chantal mystery, their friendship -- and sanity -- are tested.  Just when you think the plot can't get any more twisted, it contorts itself into a whole new pretzel.  

Search Party reveals secrets of the human heart and mind, taking us on a psychological roller coaster that's made marginally easier to ride because it's in a theme park swathed in style and satire.  Danger lurks around every corner -- but it's funny!  Mind control runs amuck -- but check out that faux fur capelet!  It's this tempering of very scary stuff that makes the show not only palatable but, to me, fascinating.  Because even as Search Party tongue-in-cheekily mocks youth and privilege, it shows just how much it means to be seen.

So, if you're looking for something weird to watch and don't mind hanging out in the shadows, then your search is over.  

Search Party returns to HBO Max in January for what promises to be a superbly strange final season.

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet, Give Me Something Good to Tweet

 Fabulous Felt Fright Night Necklace

Sweatshirt: Forever 21

Blouse: Bongo, Sears

Skirt: Bongo, Sears

Bag: Nine West, Marshalls

Shoes: Chinese Laundry, DSW

Sunglasses: Relic, Kohl's

 Fabulous Felt Pumpkin Patch Necklace

Dress: Xhilaration, Target

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Nordstrom

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: JCPenney

Fabulous Felt Black Widow Necklace

Tee: Marshalls

Blouse: Kohl's

Skirt: Mossimo, Target

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Bag: Nine West, ROSS Dress for Less

Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Sunglasses: So, Kohl's

Typed.  Every.  Millennial.  Ever.  On October 31.  Or so this cusp millennial imagines.  So, in an effort to represent, here are my talking (typing?) points:

This week's homegrown regalia is all about bats, pumpkins, and black widows.  That, and a Forever 21 sweatshirt that proudly shouts, "Boo!"  Sure, it's not that kind of "boo." But what better expression for this post than one that's both a hip term of endearment and an onomatopoeia meant to scare the Snickers out of you?

Speaking of treats, here's another (at least in my humble opinion): the husband and I dressed up as Bob Ross and his happy little tree.  Naturally, the husband (who's a painter) came up with the idea.  He was also the one who so expertly constructed my pine tree costume (and good thing, too; if it'd been up to me, then I'd probably end up looking like a roughed-up avocado).  The palette was my contribution.  Not that I cut the wood; surely, you've been reading this blog long enough to know that I keep my distance from power tools.  No, it's the felt I refer to, which made for perfectly textured and pigmented paint splotches.  Is there any feat that that fiber can't conquer?  

My very first Halloween costume was similarly (and surprisingly) outdoorsy.  It was a leopard, which, come to think of it, was spot on in terms of foreshadowing my future enthusiasm for animal prints.  My grandmother, who was an amazing seamstress, made it.  Eleven years later she gamely sewed black feathers to one of my black turtlenecks so I could trick-or-treat as a crow.  An ill-advised costume if ever there was one, it was born solely of my desire to wear a fancy feathered mask and confused nearly everyone who saw me, despite the supposed tell of my bright yellow sneakers.  Oh, the warnings I'd give fifth-grade me.     

I should also give present me a few warnings.  Like, stop procrastinating already.  In my grand tradition of supermarket-themed Andy-Warhol-inspired photography (and by grand tradition I mean that I did this exactly once, last Thanksgiving, when I not-so-surreptitiously photographed a wall of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce in the 10-for-$10 aisle of the Brigantine Acme), I'd planned to photograph a display of Frankenberry.  I've never eaten the cereal (which, honestly, sounds pretty disgusting), but its packaging appealed to my appreciation for campiness.  Unfortunately, by the time I got around to taking the picture, those go-getters at Acme had taken the whole thing down, no doubt to make room for candy canes and Christmas Crunch. 

And now, for the last shot of sugar at the bottom of the Halloween candy bowl, a few words about TBS's new sitcom People of Earth.  Because aliens are scary and Halloween is scary and so is discovering you've run out of chocolate.  Created by the people who brought us The Office and Parks and Recreation and produced by sci-fi geek and quirk master extraordinaire Conan O'Brien, People of Earth is about a support group for people who believe that they've been abducted by aliens.  Through their accounts, we learn that there are three types of aliens: green reptilians; tall, Nordic blonds; and the classic, almond-eyed variety with deep clefts at the backs of their heads that look just like asses -- making them instant buttheads (my observation, not the show's).  They're a weird bunch (the abductees, not the aliens), but I look forward to getting to know them.  Especially Ozzie (Wyatt Cenac), the haunted and somewhat-in-denial journalist assigned to report their unlikely story.  It's eerie, but it's also lighthearted.  

Which is how I like my eeriness.    

On the Topic of Tropics Part Two and the Pull of Papyrus

 Mint Julep Jewel Necklace

Top: Wet Seal

Skirt: Marshalls

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Bueno, Marshalls

Belt: Candie's, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Michaels

 Spangle Tangle Necklace

Top: Merona, Target

Skirt: Marshalls

Shoes: Guess, DSW

Bag: XOXO, ROSS Dress for Less

Belt: Gifted

Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

Pink Prism Necklace

Top: Macy's

Cardigan: Mossimo, Target

Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's

Shoes: Dolce by Mojo Moxy, Shoe Dept.

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Michaels

Big, colorful blooms make great backdrops, as seen with this week's trio of rain florist-flanked rhinestones.  No surprise there.  Exotic flowers have a rep for being the most dramatic, both in appearance and temperament.  We turn to the hibiscus, the orchid, and the bird of paradise when we want to make a splash, whether it's by the pool or for some kind of formal (that is, if we're talking orchids -- and the formal's a luau).  Yet everyday blossoms breed their own brand of intrigue, however seemingly safe behind white picket fences.  Take the dandelion.  It's the Transformer of the weed world, magically morphing from a strong, sunny circle to a cloud of ethereal white fluff.  Or wisteria.  I only recently learned that this pretty purple vine is a ruthless tree strangler, a piece of trivia no doubt horded by horticulturists and "Desperate Housewives" fans. Yep, garden variety flowers have a certain cachet, whatever their super powers.  I'm so taken with them that I've decided, after years of thinking the venture hopeless, to grow a few of my own.       

Fledgling green thumb or not, like most people, I don't like change.  Despite all the conveniences available to help us cope in this cuckoo world, I find myself clinging to stuff that's old school (including the movie Old School, which airs on TBS about once a month).  I write checks instead of using online bill pay, listen to CDs instead of MP3s, take pictures with a camera instead of my phone, and watch TV in real time instead of On Demand.  But of all these outdated rituals, the one I enjoy the most is reading books on paper instead of a screen.  Because I want to experience it all.  Vicariously.  From the comfort of my couch.  And everyone knows that it's just not the same curling up with a Kindle.  So I was particularly pleased to have recently read this nostalgic nod of a passage in Sophie Littlefield's A Bad Day for Scandal: 

"(Stella) Paused at the book aisle.  Cast a sidelong glance down the neat rows of best sellers.  She used to love to read, her bedside table stacked with thrillers and mysteries and historical romances from the library.  Once Ollie was dead, she treated herself to an occasional hardcover - she loved the feel, the smell, the sensation of letting the pages flutter against her fingertips.  Only, ever since she'd taken up the banner in defense of the defenseless, it seemed like her days ended in the kind of exhaustion that didn't do well with reading a chapter or two." (177)

Although many a print book proponent gets all flowery about the feel of the pages, I never tire of hearing it (especially from a vigilante browsing a rural Missouri Walmart).  There's just something special, almost hallowed, about the aura of tangible objects, and that goes double for books.  They seem to have histories and personalities that can't be unlocked by a cold, charmless screen.  Now might be a good time to admit the irony of saying so on a blog (an acknowledgement that I've made at least once before in these some 1,000 posts).  But then again, a collection of ramblings, however colorful, is not the same as a piece of fiction, and so does not demand the same timeless trappings.   

Take that, Kindle.  You too, Ollie.  Because the pen is mightier than the sword.  Except when the sword is a Taser or whatever weapon it was that Stella was wielding when she did you in.  If there's a takeaway somewhere in here, then it's this: never cross a woman with a library card.  

Even though I think that libraries smell funny.

They're Not All Pearls

Purple Paradise Necklace

Top: JCPenney

Skirt: Kohl's

Cardigan: Mossimo, Target

Shoes: Candie's, Kohl's

Bag: Krystala Creations, Etsy

Black Cherry Necklace

Top: Candie's, Kohl's

Camisole: Casual Corner

Skirt: Worthington, JCPenney

Shoes: Miss Bisou, JCPenney

Bag: Xhilaration, Target 

Bashful Blossoms Necklace

Top: Marshalls

Skirt: Forever 21

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: B Fabulous

So said Thomas Haden Church's Mr. Griffith (otherwise known as the mechanic from "Wings"), to Emma Stone's Olive in Easy A.  Well, almost.  This is what he actually said, in reference to kids' obsession with social networking: 

"I don't know what your generation's fascination is with documenting your every thought . . . but I can assure you, they're not all diamonds. "Roman is having an OK day, and bought a Coke Zero at the gas station. Raise the roof." Who gives a rat's ass?" '

Predictably, this was Olive's reply: 

"He got a Coke Zero AGAIN? Ah, that Roman. Incorrigible."

I know all this because I was re-watching Easy A on TBS or FX or some such channel recently while crafting.  Unlike the musings of teenagers, these necklaces are all pearls.  Well, all fake pearls.  But they're authentically fun in their fakeness, and when it comes to gemstones, aren't those the best kind?  I was inspired to make the Purple Passion and Bashful Blossoms necklaces by this decorative box that once housed note cards:

That said, I'm getting a real kick out of turning trash into the proverbial treasure.  Today I had a Tastykake lemon pie (top that, Roman!), so you can expect to see a lemon-licious pendant in the near future.

TV Tuesday: Catching Conan's Comic Caramel Wave

I wish I could take credit for the "caramel wave" line, but Conan coined it in one of his recent monologues when making fun of his hair. I was so amused that I scribbled it down for future featuring (good thing, as it comes in handy today.)

It's been almost two years since Conan O'Brien landed on the more forgiving if less glamorous TBS after being unceremoniously booted from NBC's "The Tonight Show." Bolstered by his Basic Cable Band, right-hand man Andy Richter, hip guest list, and unfailingly self-deprecating wit, the ginger jokester is more entertaining than ever.

And I'm not the only one who thinks so. The Team Coco Web site showcases all manner of fan-generated gems, my favorite of which is CocoMoca (The Museum of Conan Art), which features original artwork fashioned from paint, clay, Perler beads, humus, and other madcap media. The bf says I should join in by making a felt necklace in Conan's redheaded likeness, but I passed. Not so much due to copyright issues (I wouldn't sell it anyway - that masterpiece would be mine!) but to a fear of being unable to do Coco's coif justice.

TV Tuesday: Going in With a Bang

My mind is a runaway train of ideas that I (for some reason) feel compelled to chronicle.  And today I got the idea to start a TV Tuesdays column.  Each Tuesday, I'll blog about a TV show.  It may be a general series description, a recap of a new episode, a nostalgic look at a beloved rerun, or even just a tenuously TV-related topic.  I'm keeping the field wide open so as not to stump myself too early on. 

That having been said, let's get started. 

I didn't watch "The Big Bang Theory" when it premiered on CBS five years ago.  I think I thought that it was one of those banal sitcoms that spun on the strength of pitting creepazoids against beautiful women.  (Even now I watch it On Demand instead of in real time.  At 8:00 p.m. on Thursday nights my heart belongs to "Community.")  But when the reruns first aired on TBS this past fall I realized that I'd been too quick to judge, proving once again just how much TBS has enriched my life.  I found offbeat scientists Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj to be oddly endearing, right down to their social ineptitude, unfashionably colorful clothing, and blend of bathroom and brainy humor.  At the nucleus of the hilarity, of course, is Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons).  I have a kind of love-hate relationship with him.  His overbearing control-freak ways are anathema to my live and let live sensibilities, but he's just so funny and idiosyncratic (those Emmys don't lie) that I can't help but be charmed by him.  In my estimation, his stock only rose when his equally brilliant and eccentric girlfriend Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) entered his orbit.  

Being in the arts and crafts business, I got a kick out of the episode where Penny (Kaley Cuoco) starts making flower barrettes called Penny Blossoms to sell online.  Her excitement at landing a huge order quickly dissolves when she realizes that she mistakenly promised next-day shipping.  The guys soon exchange their equations for rhinestones, diving into an all-night craft-a-thon.  Surprisingly, it's the acerbic Sheldon, Penny's toughest critic, who encourages her to embrace entrepreneurship when things seem bleakest.  In the end, another comedic calamity explodes, putting the kibosh on the blossoms and sealing Penny's fate as a Cheesecake Factory waitress.  A fitting microcosm of the creative life if ever there was one.             

As for the current season, I'm still an episode behind.  Which means that Stephen Hawking will be joining my next pizza night.

Something New and Sparkly: Chaos and Color

Crazy for Kawaii Lemon Fun Stuff Bib Necklace

Dress: Rampage, Macy's
Shoes: Material Girl, Macy's
Bag: Gifted

Crazy for Kawaii Lime Fun Stuff Bib Necklace

Dress: XOXO
Shoes: Paris Hilton, Marshalls
Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Crazy for Kawaii Citrus Sensation Bib Necklace

Dress: Macy's
Shoes: MetroStyle
Bag: XOXO, ROSS Dress for Less 

I've had these plastic fruit slices for awhile. I thought I knew what I was going to do with them, but then some unforeseen technical difficulties killed that dream. At first I was annoyed. But them I thought, fruit slices, you were meant for more. A few cabochons, rhinestones, and some industrial-strength glue later, and I had a trio of neckpieces worthy of a carnival outing.

Speaking of carnivals, I was watching TBS as I made these (as always) and that Amanda Bynes movie She's the Man was on. For those of you who've seen it, there's that scene where they're at the carnival (for those of you who haven't, don't worry; it's not that important). Everything was nice and clean and cheerful and candy-coated (well, everything except for the creepy kissing booth), and I thought, hey, this is the kind of carnival I'd want to go to, the kind I'm always alluding to in my blog and jewelry listings, as opposed to the dirty, seedy, nightmare-inducing kind that exists in real life.

But enough about the empty promises of movie magic. I'm really liking these necklaces. Especially because they gave me an excuse to pull out my bubble dresses.

Movie Moment: How Do You Know

Today I dragged the bf to see How Do You Know. I figured anything starring Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd had to be good, right?

Not quite.

The heroine of How Do You Know is Lisa (Witherspoon), a world-class softball player who is unexpectedly cut from the U. S. woman's team, a disappointment so crushing that it throws her alternately into the arms of pro pitcher Matty (Owen Wilson), a self-absorbed good-timer with a bathroom full of toothbrushes and identical pink sweatsuits at the ready for female overnight guests, and George (Rudd), a self-deprecating good guy who runs his father's (Jack Nicholson's) corporation and is in danger of being indicted for some murky white collar crime or other that he presumably didn't commit.

I usually love Witherspoon. But I didn't find the indecisive, whiny career softball player Lisa to be sympathetic (to her credit, Lisa admits to the whiny part during a breakthrough discussion with George). She agrees to move in with Matty just weeks after they meet, only to become embroiled in a series of volatile arguments with him. Although her chemistry with George is more convincing, it sometimes seems like she's taking advantage of this overeager Baxter who just happens to be facing serious jail time. By comparison, Lisa's most pressing worry is that she "doesn't have what it takes for everyone else's normal plan" (ie, marriage and babies).

I think that most of these issues could have been masked, if not remedied, by a hefty dose of humor. But on the whole, the movie isn't funny, its few zingers having been spoiled by the trailers.

How Do You Know has its moments. The scene in which George's secretary's boyfriend proposes in the hospital room after she gives birth to their baby is particularly touching, especially because said boyfriend is presented as a commitmentphobic tool earlier in the film (happily, we learn that he's anything but). Lisa witnesses it all and is terribly moved. You can almost see the cartoon light bulb go on over her head to signal that she's thinking, hey, maybe marriage and babies aren't so bad after all.

Of course, George doesn't go to jail, which is fortunate, as Rudd is easily the best part of the movie, effortlessly delivering his signature dry wit (not that I'm a bit biased, what with him being my favorite actor.) And of course, he gets Lisa. Which is good. I'm just not so crazy about the way he gets her, or at least, about the way the movie ends. Lisa's just returned Matty's birthday gift of a diamond watch and ditched his party to meet George. And George says that just maybe she did it because she realized she loves him too.

This is the sort of behavior that gives romantic comedies a bad name. Lisa and George have only just decided to start dating, and already George is professing his love. It's not even clear why they're attracted to each other, aside from the vague common ground of their desperate situations. Everyone knows that the love part comes much later, and that sensible people don't utter a word about it until a) one person has at least a pair of emergency underwear at the other person's place, b) it no longer sounds creepy, and c) they're fairly certain the other person will say it back.

As the bf and I filed out of the theater, he turned to me and said, "That was two hours of my life that I'll never get back." I agreed that the movie had been kind of weak. It certainly rates a rent, though. Years from now, when it's being rerun on TBS, I'm sure I'll be knee-deep in felt or sequins or something, watching it as I craft.

Fish and Sweets

Medium Undersea Tote

Tiny Cherry Pie Tote

Small Undersea Tote

Tiny Banana Split Tote

Here are some of my most recent creations, freshly added to my Etsy shop. You'll notice a couple more sugary tiny totes mixed in with our larger fish friends here. Once thing I've learned from doing market research (er, product giveaways) is that people like fish designs, especially in the summer. Luckily I like fish too, so you'll probably be seeing more of them. I finished these up while watching the eerie yet elegant American Beauty on (what else?) TBS this weekend. I'd seen it only once before, in high school because I had to write a paper about it. (Yep, I had a pretty progressive English teacher. Ms. Volpe, if you're out there, then I hope you caught that.) Come to think of it, I wish I still had that paper so I could post part of it here instead of struggling to be profound. As it is, I'll just say that American Beauty is one of those movies that makes you question things. A bit of a cliché, I know, but then my mind has deteriorated some since twelfth grade English.

Make and Tell Challenge, Day 166: Outlining and Thoughts on the Truman Show

I anticipated outlining eight tiny totes this afternoon. This did not happen; I outlined two. But two is better than none, right? Plus, I also retagged the rest of my medium totes, which is time consuming.

I painted in front of the TV again, TBS blaring as always. One of today's movies was The Truman Show, which I've seen many times. It never fails to give me the creeps. I can't help but think the story of Truman unknowingly living in a controlled environment (a TV show) is a metaphor for life. As in, we think we have choices but are really limited by the choices that society makes for us. Christophe (creator of the Truman show, played by Ed Harris) himself says, "We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented." Christophe also says that the world he's created for Truman is safe and secure, unlike the real world. Yet it's this very "safety" that is so dangerous because it symbolizes the absence of freedom and original thought. Of course, Truman figures it all out and escapes in the end. Which is a nice message to end on.

That's all for deep thoughts today. I'm off to Valentine's dinner with the bf.

Make and Tell Challenge, Day 75: Totes in Bloom Continued

I was my own assembly line today. I completed the first coats of my violet, goldenrod, and tangerine Fierce Flowers totes. I think I want to do dark pink, ruby, and hot pink backgrounds next before doing the second coats en masse. I was so excited about my progress that I took this shot of the whole series so far. Then I went ahead and took one of my brush rag because I thought it looked cool, all multi-colored and faded.

Today's background music movies included Practical Magic, Uptown Girls, and Something to Talk About, all on Lifetime (Turner and Hooch was playing on my standby, TBS, and much as I like Tom Hanks, I just couldn't abide by that.) Apparently, Lifetime has come a long way from those dreary made-for-TV movies. Good to know.

Now it's out with the bf for dinner and Couples Retreat. As always, I'll be sure to deliver my most discerning review tomorrow. :)

Make and Tell Challenge: Day 57, Part 2

Earlier tonight, while I was painting, I was watching reruns of The Office on TBS, as per usual for a Tuesday night. In one episode, they were making a commercial, and Pam decided to stay at the office until 2:45 a.m. to work on graphic art for Michaels version. (This was right before that period when she went to art school.) I thought, I'm in my own home and I don't even stay up that late crafting anymore. Maybe I should make more of an effort. I was all painted out, so I made this Green Goddess Ribbon Necklace instead. I like the combination of ribbon colors. They're subtle and elegant and make a nice complement to the more ornate pendant. Like all my jewelry, (and my totes too, now that I think of it), it looks much better in person. I must get on the ball with this whole photography thing.