crazy '80s

It's probably pretty obvious, based on the clothing that I tend to choose for Ninja Vintage, that I love fun and colorful prints. So when I found this 1980s fashion print book at a local bookstore, I had to get it. The fact that it was only $6 was just a bonus. The book features pages and pages of print images, categorized by the major style trends that dominated the decade. There are 1950s and 1960s editions as well (sadly, no 1970s). I'm sure those editions are even better, but as a child of the '80s, I'm pretty partial to this one. Below are just a few of my favorite prints from the book.

better late than never

Working on that long-delayed Etsy shop update. Soon soon soon!

cheer up, charlie

Charlie Bucket in his favorite napping spot on top of my bookshelf

top 5

Jon Hamm had to do last-minute reshoots for Mad Men on Sunday and couldn't make it to the Tootsie screening. What. A. Bummer. I went to Disneyland and watched Kick-Ass with my friend instead. I thoroughly enjoyed Kick-Ass. It was very violent and very entertaining.

Anyway, I haven't done one of these lists in a long, long time. Here are five people/places/things that I've been enjoying lately:

1. Beach House's latest album, Teen Dream. I love love love this band.

2. Donald Glover. He used to write for 30 Rock, and now stars in Community, a show that's only in its first season, but is already one of the funniest and most creative comedies on television. My friend and I saw him do stand-up at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood last month, and he had us laughing non-stop. Donald also blogs about cool stuff and writes and performs intricately worded rap songs with indie/geek leanings under the pseudonym Childish Gambino. He's a modern-day Renaissance man. I have a huge crush on him.

3. Party Down is another one of my favorite shows at the moment. It's about a bunch of failed actors and writers working at a catering company. The spot-on cast includes Adam Scott, Lizzie Caplan, and Martin Starr (of my all-time favorite Freaks and Geeks). The show just entered into its second season on the Starz network. The incomparable Jane Lynch was part of the cast in season 1, but left to be on Glee. Megan Mullally is taking her place this season. Her character is funny, but I still miss Jane. All episodes are available for instant viewing on Netflix, and you can also watch a few episodes on the official website.

4. Marias USA, a cool little independent shoe line that pairs simple shapes with interesting details. Their designs are fun, classic, and effortlessly stylish. Affordable, too! The Low Top and the Two-toned Flat are my current favorites.

5. Cute boys with cats on tumblr. What a genius idea for a blog. This cat totally looks like Tiger from An American Tail.

kittens!

So, the kittens have pretty much taken over. I don't really mind. The little one has had a few name changes since the last time I posted about him. Right now it's a toss-up between Charlie (as in Bucket) and Nibbler (as in Leela's pet from Futurama). Nibbler is a very appropriate name, since this little dude loves chewing on anything and everything, both edible and non. I was eating a bowl of cereal the other day and he literally tried to climb into the bowl while it was in my hands. The only thing is, I've always given actual names to my pets, not pet names. So that's why I'm leaning toward Charlie. Maybe Nibbler can be his alias, in case he decides he wants to join the mob or be a paid assassin when he grows up.

Anyway, I've been sick for the past week. Being sick + 90-degree weather = not cool. Not cool at all. But I'm on my way to recovery. Hopefully this bug will be gone by tomorrow.

I'll be adding some things to the shop in the next few days. A pair of boots are already up. I know that the shop's been pretty bare lately. A lot has been going on since summer started (the new kitten, lots of family activities, and an impending move - just to name a few). There might be some new and exciting changes coming up soon, but I'll post about it when the time comes.

checking in

Apologies for my extended absence from the blog. The reasons for the hiatus are as follows: a Memorial Day weekend trip to Seattle, working on final projects for Spring semester, and my very recent acquisition of this little guy:

His (tentative) name is Tobias, and his meow is ridiculously loud.

I expect things to settle down as soon as my summer officially begins in about two weeks. I'll try to post photos from my Seattle trip this week. It's such a beautiful city.

spectacular views

Hello there! I just got back from a week-long vacation to Catalina, Mexico, and San Diego. I was so busy preparing for the trip that I completely forgot to mention it on the blog - sorry! I had an amazing time, especially in Mexico, despite the somewhat gloomy weather. Horseback riding was my favorite part of the trip. My horse, Morito, was small and fat and had an awesome mohawk. He would try to eat every flowery plant that we passed (he was particularly partial to the purple ones), and when I tried to steer him away, he made a frustrated noise and took a huge chomp out of the next plant that he saw. Stubborn with a big appetite, just like me! Back at the ranch, I met two little cats named Tigre and Pantera (the latter is pictured above). They were so relaxed and friendly. I had a very strong urge to smuggle them back home with me, but I controlled myself.

This weekend will be spent unpacking, unwinding, and catching up on all the luxuries of home that I've been missing all week (i.e., DVR and interweb). Regular scheduled blogging should resume very soon.

happy holidays

Here is an obnoxious holiday graphic that I made, starring my cat.

cats on treadmills

Need I say more?

jury duty

Jury duty will be taking up my afternoons for the next week or so (hopefully not "or so," but things aren't looking very promising right now). I was planning on having a site update ready by tomorrow, but that will have to be postponed for a bit. Lots of appointments and planned trips have been dotting my schedule this summer, and having jury duty thrown into the mix has given me very little time to get anything done. I might be able to add a couple of things next week, but as of right now I'm kind of swamped. In the meantime, here is a hilarious cat video for you to enjoy: