Moving ... Yet Again

Hi! I've moved my blog to http://academicdrone.wordpress.com. Please continue to read me there.

Friday Night Lite

So, it's a lovely Friday evening in the Commonwealth, and what do you think Maya is doing?

Catching a movie?
Going to a club?
Checking out the newest and hippest restaurant in the Capital City?
Going to a friend's house for some laughs and maybe a DVD or two?

If you thought it was one of those, you haven't caught up with Maya recently, have you? No, tonight she is excited about inventorying her cosmetics. Yes. Inventory.

Sigh.

Jena 6 National Week of Solidarity & Action -- Sept. 16-21, 2007

Remember to wear black today in support of the Jena 6!

Homicide's Seventh Season

People who know me very well know that I love my Homicide: Life on the Street. Last year when they finally released the entire series in a single set, I pre-ordered. And those who know me well know that I don't pre-order jack! Since that beautiful autumn day when the kind delivery man brought my beloved DVDs to my doorstep, I have been slighting season seven, refering to it in my mind as "The Homicide Spin-off."

But this week I started watching that spin-off. In some ways, I still feel that it lacks some of what I loved about the preceding seasons: that perfect blend of color-drained melancholy and droll humor. And the absence of Andre Braugher is tough on me, even to this day. But this week I have been developing a new appreciation for this least-loved season.

Last night I watched "The Twenty Percent Solution," directed by Clark Johnson. I had dismissed this light-hearted (well, as light-hearted as a show called Homicide gets) episode. But last night I laughed openly and gleefully at many points. The episode begins with my one of my favorite Homicide scenes ever: the making of the definitive list of hip Jews. When Sammy Davis, Jr. comes up, he's rejected because, as Sheppard and Mike Giardello argue, black is hip. Falsone protests:

Falsone: So you're saying all black people are hip?
Lewis: Name one who ain't.
Falsone: George Washington Carver.
Mike Giardello: Please. How many things can a white man do with a peanut?
Munch: Shelled or unshelled?
Falsone: I got one. Meldrick Lewis.
Munch: Well, he is black.
Bayliss: Yep.
Mike Giardello: But not particularly hip.
Bayliss: Nope.
Lewis: What you talkin' about Willis?
Sheppard: Point taken.

That's a great scene that you just have to see for yourself. Plus, the episode stands alone, which I just love. Anyway, "The Twenty Percent Solution" has made me want to take another look at season seven, which I shall! :)

Maya's Fall 2007 LookBook

Last night, for the first time since spring, I needed to sleep under the comforter. Fall is really coming. And fall doesn't just mean going back to school or tromping across crisp fallen leaves. Fall means new fashions. So I want to share with you some of the looks that are inspiring my shopping (or, more likely, my fantasy shopping) this fall/winter.

Pants

I have been combing through mags (namely O, Marie Claire, Lucky, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar) for Fall 2007 looks. And this is my favorite one. I just love love love the wide leg pants that I'm seeing everywhere, and the casually loose shirt and sweater paradoxically make everything very chic, very I-just-threw-this-on-but-that's-okay-because-every-piece-I-own-is-fabulous. Plus, I love the colors because they are very fall but not at all reminiscent of 1990s soccer mom seasonal theme dressing.


Pants are varied this season. And, while some skinny fits are still about, I prefer wide, straight legs this year (and pretty much every year). Here are some of the slimmer fits in that category:


There are flared legs:


And then there are the fancifully wide legged ones:



Skirts

Unfortunately, I have not been as inspired by the skirt looks I've seen. But here are a few that gave me hope.







Coats

I love a good coat, and here are a couple for which I would love to find affordable alternatives.

Feeling Good?

I've had a rough couple of days. I feel anxious. Thursday night I decided to calm that feeling by joining facebook and finding friends I haven't spoken to in a while. That has helped some.
But what about later tonight? And tomorrow? What if I don't feel better? How do make myself feel better?

Earlier this week, I was feeling good. I went to a friend's birthday celebration and for the first time since I left DC, I felt like an absolutely free human being, like I could be myself and be happy at the same time. The problem is that I don't know how to create that feeling when I want to. So I'm just at the will of brain chemicals, apparently.

There is thin silver lining, though. I got some cosmetics day before yesterday. Yayyyyyy! From MAC: another Moonbathe lipglass (mine from the summer is just about gone, and it was just perfect perfect perfect) and Smut eyeshadow. From Ulta: L'Oreal Voluminous eyeliner, HIP Shocking Shadow Pigment in Intrepid (looks like the result of a mating between MAC's Club eyeshadow and Blue Brown pigment), HIP Brilliant Shine Lipgloss in Enticing, NYX lip pencil in Auburn, and Sally Hansen Salon Nail Lacquer in Baroque Bronze.

File this under WTF

http://swaft.info/plays.html

Some Buffy related silliness

Which Buffy the Vampire Slayer character are you?

You are Anya Jenkins! Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Together at last!

Welcome to my new blog. I've been at it for some months on MySpace, but I decided to broaden my blogly horizons. So, here I am.

Years ago I maintained a website, first hosted by my school (George Mason University, home of the Patriots!!!) and then on geocities. I tried -- successfully, more often than not -- to update it monthly, offering bits of my own writings, favorite passages from others' writing, fashion forecasts ... you name it. It was fun. But it was also time-consuming. I was hoping -- have been hoping since I started graduate school -- that I would once again have the patience and energy to do all the planning and designing for a new layout each month like I did back then; but it just hasn't happened. That leaves me here at a blogging crossroads. I'm determined to make it work.