Things making me happy this week: May 1 -7, 2011

Bossypants on audiobook: Tina Fey making voices and reading this is a gem even more than reading it in your head. I promise. This is how she wanted you toexperience it. What makes it extra special is this free audiobook coupon with a fourteen day trial at audible.com.

Positive, heartwarming comedy: Parks and Recreation and Jimmy Fallon are bringing the cuddly into comedy in the best way. Sure, there was a woman-on-woman fight scene in this week's Parks, but the end scene with Leslie and Ron was sure to make even the most heart-hard (is that even a thing? I might have just made it up) viewer say a silent "aw". And Elmo on Fallon was part precious, part hilarious, and slightly crude in the world of Sesame Street. It was still 100% adorable.

Celebrity fangirls:

I haven't read the Hunger Games trilogy yet, but it's on the top of my summer reading list.

Graduating: Sure it was raining and windy, but four years over in a blink. Now it's time to find a job, both exciting and nervewrecking.

TV in 7 words: May 2 - 6

How I Met Your Mother

COCKAMOUSE MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN, totally called it.

The Good Wife

Frustrating characters make for great complex television.

Modern Family

Perfect show for Mother's Day, just as needed.

Community

It's back to form. I'm loving it.

Parks and Recreation

A break from sexual tension, just as needed.

The Office

Where's Michael Scott? Don't worry, still funny.

30 Rock

Weird show is still weird, that's all.

The Big Bang Theory

Mind-numbing sitcom. Amy is a favorite.

Fringe

What!?! Countdown to fall premiere starts now.

Doctor Who

Never thought pirates could be boring.

Nine years, seven months, and twenty days since nine-eleven

Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

...

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

...

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will — remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own.

Full text

I've been following the news since about 7 pm while I was taking a break from writing one of my last undergrads paper by watching The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon and looking through my twitterfeed that the President was planning to announce... something. And that something turns out to be a something that caused me to stop everything I was doing (like getting my paper done on time, which is a first in my entire education) to sit and read and reflect. My emotions have been on a rollercoaster trying to sort through my overwhelmed state.

I can't celebrate a death. Not even of someone who is responsible for thousands of deaths. I don't think that's where wisdom and truth comes from, so I refrain from it. But I'm relieved and proud of my country and everyone involved in this event. I'm just overwhelmed. It took almost a decade, but we did it. The details are continuing to leak out, and I'm taking a break from looking at them to jot this for posterity sake.

What happens now and what does this mean? I'm not sure anyone can predict. We'll still fight bad guys, try to stay true to our values, make friends and enemies. What does this change? I'm trying to answer, at least partially, and I can't come up with anything. Not that I should, but it would make it feel a little better. American Embassies received a warning about possible retaliation attacks. When does it end?

But really, what a ride this weekend. The jubilant party of last night's Correspondents' Dinner to the capture today of the number one most wanted for almost ten years. I don't think he can beat this weekend for the rest of his life if he tried.

It also reminds me how difficult this job is. That you do so much and can't talk about most of it. That a lot of it doesn't pan out so you can't talk about it. But when it works, it works.

Things That Made Me Happy Last Week: Third Week of April 2011

It's all connected, so I chose three things that made me happy last week.

01. Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. The main reason I chose this is because the panel each choose one thing that made them happy that week to end each show. And I started listening to the podcast again after a few months hiatus.

02. Parks and Recreation! If you've been in my vicinity at all since Thursday, you have heard me talk about this show. It's adorable and smart and you should be watching it. Ben Wyatt, human disaster, does not disappoint, my friends.

03. I've once again been compulsively going through my Tumblr dash and remembering why I love it so much. I often have to rotate my internet time and last week I went through a big Tumblr time, which brilliantly coincided with great Parks and Recreation posts to look through. And Doctor Who is back in action! And in America! Generally I go through three main bursts of interest: television (Tumblr), style/fashion (google reader), and current events/politics (news emails, twitter). Then the cycle starts over again.

I also had a absolute blast in Portland for the #IAMDONALD tour with Donald Glover and his rapper alter ego Childish Gambino on Saturday. I snagged a setlist and all.

That is pretty much my week in a nutshell. I should probably be working harder since it's the last few weeks of my undergraduate life.

March: favorites and finds

Blog Crushes!

Milk Teeths

I've been reading this blog for a while and love her thrifting adventures!

Avalonne Hall

Found this girl last month and am forever delighted by her words, images, and style.

TV

The Good Wife

I watched the first season in a week and I'm in the middle of the second season. I will definitely be caught up by the end of the week, probably by mid-week and it full of glory for me. I love the little politico in-jokes (Rahm! Ben Smith! etc. etc.). I don't love everything (the kids are annoying, I'm already bored with Blake since he's only been a device to further Kalinda's backstory), but overall it's ace. And a character Matt Czuchry plays I can get behind! And I'm a little infatuated (read: completely) with Will Gardner even though I shouldn't be.

Next up: season three Merlin or Twin Peaks. I'm betting the latter will happen. Excited!

And I already posted some of my favorite music as of late, but some new Childish Gambino
never hurt anyone, right? (I still recommend The Head and the Heart and The Lonely Forest wholeheartedly.)

Stores

This is just a cheat because I bought some goodies at the NBC Store. I also got something from Friday Night Lights but forgot to photograph it. :)

No time for sleep: TV and NYC

First off, this week's comedy line-up was superb! I am mostly speaking about How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Community, The Office, and Parks and Rec. All incredibly funny and touching in 22 minutes or less this week.

Next, some photos from New York. I had the most amazing time last week traversing the city. I cannot wait to go back! I stayed at a friend's family friend's condo in midtown, right across the street from the CBS studio by the river. Couldn't have asked for more!

Sunday: Just arrived. Walk through Chelsea with some locals (friend's great-aunt and uncle). Japanese food, then Turkish coffee/tea and dessert. Peruse Times Square. Happythankyoumoreplease at Angelika's Film Center.

Monday: Shopping in Soho. Spring Street Natural for lunch. Japanese erotica for dinner. Drinks and midnight diner food with friends.

Whoops. No photos to post.

Tuesday: Soho, Nolita, and Greenwich trekking (more shopping). Junior's Diner for brunch. Magnolia's in Soho. Meme for early dinner. Memphis on Broadway. Serendipity for night desserts. Bumped into Katie Holmes and Suri. Paparazzi swarm.

Wednesday: 30 Rockefeller Center. NBC Tour [lame]. Magnolia's on 6th. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon taping [awesome]. Amy Poehler and Tiger Woods. Bill Cunningham New York at Film Forum [recommended].

Thursday: Brooklyn. Art museum and botanical garden. Jamaican for lunch. Beacon's Closet in Park Slope. The Chocolate Room. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway [with Dan Radcliffe].

Friday: Lower Eastside [Kat's Deli]. Chinatown. Gremacy Park. Upper Eastside. Bloomingdale's. Goodwill. Dean and Deluca. Metropolitan Museum.

We didn't take as many photos as we should have, but that just shows how much we were enjoying our time, right?

A brief pause

The past few weeks has been a big blur. I went from rushing to get the first draft of my thesis done while studying for midterms (last ones for a while!) to rushing around New York City and having the most amazing time with my friend. Now I'm back to the grind of university and wishing I was still in New York. Look for a recap of my delightful trip later this week.

Today I wanted to express my gratitude for my life. My dad was talking about his upbringing at dinner this weekend. I knew he came from a poor farming family in Vietnam, but he doesn't talk about it much. He talked about not going to school because he was hungry, not wearing shoes except to go to the market or a celebration because they couldn't afford it, and taking a chance to leave his country with only the clothes on his back into an unknown destination. It's inspiring to see how far he's come and only a little bit of pressure to make my own leaps in life.

This leads me to thoughts of those fighting for their voices in the Middle East and North Africa, and the cruel lessons that even in a wealthy country disaster can strike at any moment.

I've also been impressed with all the lovely aesthic projects online whose proceeds go to the Red Cross and other relief organizations. This Colossal has a great archive post of some of them if you want a little something extra to show your support. The poster above is by Linda Yuki Nakaniski.

In this time of job searches between research papers and trying to enjoy the last few weeks with the people I've met in the last three years, it's easy to forget about where I've come from and what that means. It's easy to forget how blesssed a life I lead and it's important to take a few moments to recognize the sacrifices that created this journey for me to enjoy.

And some gifts for you, highly recommended new music from Seattle-area bands!

The Head and the Heart, "Cats and Dogs" and "Coeur D'Alene"

The Lonely Forest, "Live There" (new album out today!)

A Belated NPR Valentine's!

To celebrate turning in my NPR internship application today, have some delightful Valentines from NPR!

More at NPR. You really can't get better than public radio.

Seven years bad luck...

My poor mirror fell face first from my vanity set-up [pool cue rack with drawer and mirror]. Not a great way to start my [lunar] new year or my 22nd year of life! It's worse feeling like I could have stopped it. It's been two days [well, a day and a half], and I still haven't cleaned it up yet.

Super Sunday!

First, Happy Lunar New Year! For the Vietnamese, the New Year lasts several days and we're still in the middle of celebrating! Do some good. Visit some friends. Start the year off right!

Next, I'm not viewer (or player) of sports, but I did manage a semi-Superbowl oriented dunch today (between lunch and dinner).

Grilled cheese with onions and guacamole (always homemade); side of refried beans, two olives, chips and guac, grapefruit to end; Dr. Pepper instead of beer because I need not be drowsy before bedtime tonight - too much to do!

Lastly, I bought this little number over the weekend and am currently wearing it under my robe. So cute, so vintage. Not very practical winterwear, but I'm indoors the rest of the day.

Until later! [I'm in the midst of thinking of a good end phrase - please see How I Met Your Mother 4.14 - "The Possimpible".]

February 2011: New Month, New Favorites.

TV

I haven't shared this before, so I will say: I love Parks and Recreation. It's cute, it's funny, and it's a love letter to local government. A delightful little show that had a really rocky start, but grew into itself in its second season and is blooming in its third season [which started up in January]. If you haven't seen it, go watch it! If Amy Poehler is not enough to make you watch, I am now in love with Adam Scott [not the first time] and Aziz brings a necessary kick - but let's face it, this is an ensemble show that makes great use of all its characters. It's beat Community as my favorite comedy this season. [Bored to Death is now my number two.]

As an ode to my favorite drama for the past five years - Friday Night Lights will be a beacon to me for network drama. It gets a lot of flack for being "a show about football", but as a non-sports fan, I still love this show to pieces. It's about family, growing up, and making the right choices. Brilliant acting, brilliant writing, brilliant cinematography. This show is my heart. It also might be an unpopular opinion, but I like the new cast better than the old.

Style

My go-to winter wear has been oversized sweaters and wool in general. Especially Ann Taylor Loft cape. The cape I bought last winter at a ridiculous sale price. It was the last one in the store and it was in my size [and an extra 50% off because it was in the sale section!]. I was wanting it the entire winter, and found it. I went off to Vietnam a few weeks after I bought it, so it has only this year gotten a lot of wear.

Thanks to their half of sale sales, Ann Taylor Loft and GAP have made a nice home in my wardrobe as of late, and growing.

Blog

The Coveted [edited: it is now The Coveteur] is my favorite January find. Click on a post, scroll to the bottom, click on a picture, and you have a wonderful slideshow of a fashion industry-er's favorite items and some stories behind them. An absolute thrill, and great photography! It deserves a post of its own, but because I am a horrible blogger, it gets this mention. Not only does it have amazing photography and fashion, the design of the site is unique and fresh. The front page is a collection of posts, in each post is a blurb about a fashion insider, some of their favorite inspiration from the web. Scroll down and there's a series of pictures of their things in their home. Hover over a photo and you get a blurb about the image. Click on the image and you have a sildeshow with the blurbs and images that you can control with your keyboard or by clicking! I'm in love.

Event

Uprisings in MENA [Middle East, Northern Africa] has made me glued to my twitter and grown my instaread by leaps and bounds. I'm pretty flexible about government styles, but I do believe in a responsive government. Historic moment right now. Let's let their voices heard.

This was fun! New plan: favorites post about whatever tickles my fancy. Hopefully I will be posting again soon!