Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend!

The weekends have just been flying by! I suppose that's just what happens when you start working, even if you don't have hectic social schedules. Paradoxically, time spent relaxing moves at a faster pace. Another thing that happens when you start working...you start spending more money! My resolve to save half of my salary has been worn down. The past two weekends Daniel and I have gone, with the rest of Gaithersburg, to that very special type of consumerist heaven that could only be borne in America: Target. Groceries, DVD's, diapers, electronics, cosmetics, and pretty much anything else, all housed in one large echoing, vacuous space. Last weekend I was overwhelmed by it all, but today I decided to focus on a few things and was much more successful.

One thing that always gets me a little excited is when high-end designers decide to produce a line of clothing for the masses and sell their specific looks at much lower prices. It can, however, go dreadfully sour. Case in point: Vera Wang for Kohls. In 2007 I was disappointed when I found that the season's baggy shirts and fitted leggings were so poorly constructed that l looked like a bag lady. Her usually pretty shirts and dressed adorned with feminine bows and jewels looked cheap. I think since the fit and aesthetic of her designs rely heavily on quality fabrics they just didn't work when made en mass with cheaper materials. Even considering the "bargain," the clothes didn't seem worth the price.

This is not the case with Zac Posen's new line for Target. They didn't have everything shown in the link, but overall I was quite impressed. I got a cute dress that I really didn't need but just couldn't pass up.

I didn't try this one on, but if you have somewhere fancy to go, the fabric and cut of this dress look rich and glamorous in person. (It looks more gold than flowery.)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Wikus Van de Merwe

This is by far the funniest things I have seen in a long time. The guy, "Wikus Van de Merwe", was the main character in Peter Jackson's District 9. What is amazing is that he is actually an English South African and sounds nothing like this in reality. He captures his Afrikaans character so well--the likable but self-satisfied Afrikaans bureaucrat. I think he should have been nominated for an Oscar for his role in District 9, but it may be something that only those familiar with the subtleties of "this type" of South African would appreciate.

Anyway, this sketch was an introduction for the South African Music Awards. He tries to find Charlize Theron to present the award with him. My family knew an interesting story behind her discovery. Here it is:
She started out as a model and was trying to cash a check in in a bank in Hollywood. When the teller wouldn't cash her check she made a huge scene and threw such a fit that the Hollywood producer standing next to her in line took notice of her theatrical skills (and probably her long, stunning gams as well.). "Wikus Van de Merwe" tries to go to that same bank in this sketch.

Funny Skit

this and that

Last week I went to my first two water aerobics classes of the Spring. In the winter water aerobics is a miserable experience, coming out all wet and cold with your muscles aching for the rest of the day. In the summer, however, it relieves my allergies to swim. I plop my sore body into the soothing water; happily looking around at the funny old ladies with shower caps over the hair, I try to ignore the hearty swimming coaches yelling at poor, awkward adolescents in the swimming lanes, and delight in the ease with which my body moves in the water.

I have temporarily lost daniel to Little Big Planet. Leaving me to wax poetic. Frodo keeps on making vicious attacks on Sam over a tiny piece of rawhide and small spaces of territory on their daybed. I desparately need to find a new book to read. I am bored and sore but don't want to go back to work tomorrow.

I hope that the two weeks of testing ahead go quickly but will find relaxation in my evening sessions at the pool.