Reading...

I am currently wrapped up in the novel Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore. He's the same guy that wrote Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. Funny guy. He writes absurd fiction, and it is definitely absurd. But you find yourself to be desperately in need of absurd fiction, once you get going. Or maybe not.

It's not everyone's cup of tea. But for someone who enjoys Dexter with a sick obsession, no one is doubting my ability to process morbid humor. Hence Practical Demonkeeping. So if you take your tea with a little bite and can do without the honey, then maybe you'll be interested. Then again, maybe not...

~Ferdinando

Greeting Destiny

"I don't understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little - if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny."

- Coco Chanel

~Ferdinando

Vegas, Baby

After a week vacationing in Vegas, soaking up that hot desert sun and experiencing all the illicit activities that gives the city its persona, I'm back home. No small feat when you consider the temptation that taking a holiday gives you, let alone a holiday in Las Vegas.

I did see a great sight, however.

New York in Nevada.

~Ferdinando

Surprise.

Have you ever decided on a late warm night to do exactly what you never expected to do? I wouldn't say that swimming in a fountain at 1 in the morning was on the "never" list, but it was certainly on the unexpected list. But I should have known when I started the night out with that same group of people that always gets me into some sort of trouble in unexpected ways. You can't prepare yourself for a night with them. Instead you just try not to look surprised when they pull you into an empty parking lot and point to the roof as your destination, or stop the car by a forest road and announce that the best spot to think is "just through the trees." So I follow.
Because, can you really say that you think clearly with the moon hanging above you on a warm night and some good looking guys smiling mischievously at you? No, I don't think you can.

~Ferdinando

Sip of Champagne

I adore the color on this fabulous silk dress from Nasty Gal and have been looking for a dress with both this shape and this color for a while now. Problem is, I can't judge my own opinion on the knot design across the bodice. I think it would be the kind of dress that a girl would feel pretty in. I wonder if I would feel pretty in it.

~Ferdinando

Andrew Bird = Eccentric, Violin-Plucking, Whistling Lyricist

"my skin is
cold as her toes on the bathroom floor
run back to bed and slam the door
oh what a lovely sound
oh how it shakes the ground
oh what a lovely sound"

He writes in a way I can relate to.
Beautiful in the simplicity.
Plus, he's on his summer tour.

check him out

~Ferdinando

Lazy Lazy Summer

Since I started my seemingly-perfect office job, I've really been on a summer kick that's going nowhere. It must have something to do with me being locked inside a coold room with the knowledge that summer is just outside the nearest door. Whatever the reason is doesn't change the topic of choice for today. Summer reading. Now, I looove to read. Have I ever mentioned that? It's an addiction. But what pop culture related item isn't an addiction with me? I began this summer with a lazy list of books that I thought I'd reread now that I've successfully gotten over the obligatory transition from college textbooks to leisurely reading which thankfully reminded me why I love reading so much. I love that summer gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want, sleep in, AND still have time to read.

So the book I am just about to finish is Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. Now, I've heard a lot about this book from various people and apparently it's a classic. When I got started, I didnt understand why it was so good. Well, about 1/3 through you realize that you can't put the book down, but the whole "classic" title you still aren't buying. Then 2/3 through it really starts to get good. Now I can't wait to figure out how this mess of a drama is going to end. This is one of the first books I read that followed the character(s)' life through a long expanse of time. I have come to the conclusion that I really enjoy that. Maybe it has to do with being young and not being able to see to the end of the tunnel type thing, but when i follow a character through his/her life, I find myself watching how the smallest decisions affected things down the line. It makes me consider the realities of my life. Rambling over.

While i only have a few pages left to read, I have already decided on my next book. Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. What do you think? Now, I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Hemingway's style of writing. Don't get me wrong, I grasp the genius that Hemingway's work was when he stripped away the excess and left only the important few, but I like the excess. I enjoy the creativity and the flow. so while his words have never really appealed to me (not as much as the man who wrote the words at least) I simply couldn't pass this book up when I found it in a stack of other classics. Why? Because as my finger traced the binding of the old copy, I opened it up to the first page and read:

"But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky"

I just couldn't leave it on the shelf after that. I was interested.

~Ferdinando

My Favorite Things

Are these not adorable?

I know that fall and the inevitable rainy season are days and nights away, but now that I've laid eyes on them, I can't imagine another rainy day without them. The best thing about these rainboots, dubbed Raindrops on Roses (hence the title of this blog entry), is that the color palette accommodates any of my solid color coats, from the obvious choices in a beige trench or a blue peacoat to the more interesting...aka. a yellow raincoat.

I do question the style of the heel, but on a blustery Manhattan day when the puddles and pollution cover the ground, I'm sure the slightest elevation will be worth my while. Thanks Modcloth, you always know how to introduce a girl to romance.

~ Ferdinando

Bette Davis

Last night was a long night. I spent it with the same old group that I hung out with throughout high school and I didn’t get back home to well after the sun had risen. After a night like that, a girl just needs a day of relaxation. Thankfully, Turner Classic Movies had a great Bette Davis film playing. I love TCM. It’s an addiction, that and the Travel Channel. This was my first time watching Jezebel (1938) and it was an interesting depiction of old customs and pride blinding people’s decisions.

One thing that I have always loved about Bette Davis was her penchant for taking roles that went against the times of women stars being portrayed as beautiful dolls that would be sympathetic to the audience. Bette Davis is quoted as saying, “Hollywood always wanted me to be pretty, but I fought for realism.” Her willingness to step outside of the boundaries of beauty, sometimes depicting women older and less glamorous than herself, allowed her to be a shining guide of acting credibility for women. Bette Davis won an Academy Award for her work in this film. I certainly understand why.

Wasn’t she beautiful? She had the biggest eyes.

~Ferdinando

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."
-John Lubbock





Summer is a time that inspires instant nostalgia for youthful carelessness. Now, nostalgia isn't the easiest thing to inspire in someone as young as I am. You have to take what you're given. So as I sit here, enjoying the way the sun feels and listening to the Decemberists croon through the speakers, I consider that it wasn't that long ago that I was graduating high school with my head spinning about what would happen next.

A lot changed for me those last few weeks of high school and life as I knew it had ended. I was beginning something new and exciting and scary as hell.
Now I've grown up a little, and the future isn't so frightening. I start my first real job (as in, not in a restaurant or another teen job) as an assistant tomorrow. I'm nervous, but I'm excited too. I know I wouldn't have gotten the job if it weren't for my sister, so I really want to work hard and not screw it up. But instead of thinking about it, I am going to get a good book and lay out and enjoy the summer. Because I think Mr. Lubbock was on to something when he said that "rest is not idleness," and I recommend you testing his theory out too.

~Ferdinando