Scattering Joy.

Stop SOPA

2012-01-18T09:30:00.003-06:00

This just happened:

This is a thing.

2011-12-21T22:33:00.001-06:00

But whyyyy?

I know RIGHT?!

2011-12-20T21:40:00.000-06:00

These are f**king brilliant.

Oh Judith!

2011-11-07T07:01:00.000-06:00

If you tumbl, make sure you're following this one.

It's got it all. Big words, feminist theory, and best of all, the Gos.

Why no...I'm not crying at work!

2011-11-02T14:00:00.003-05:00

LOL J/K! Yes I am! I've seen this reunion before but the soundtrack on this video SLAYS me.

Why haven't you seen this band yet?

2011-10-17T16:45:00.000-05:00

Fitz & The Tantrums are going on tour.

You should cancel whatever plans you have if they are coming to your town and GET THERE. You won't be sorry. The only people who shouldn't go are people who don't like fun and don't like to get down. Hopefully you're not either of those because that doesn't sound like a fun way to be!

Chicago people...we are smart. Both Chicago shows are SOLD OUT. Whoot!

Am I the only one?

2011-09-22T18:17:00.001-05:00

...who is not really that fond of Aveda products? I find the scents overpowering and since my hair is so unruly I always require a lot of product, leaving me smelling like a fresh version of an over-producted hippie.

I am sitting in a brand new (to me) hair salon waiting for a new (to me) stylist to get his hands on my head. You have no idea how much I wish I had the money to fly/transport my Michigan hair stylist back and forth as needed. #firstworldproblems

Srsly.

2011-09-21T17:25:00.003-05:00

How cute is this?

I need to listen to this.

2011-09-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

Source: itsdesigned.tumblr.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Yesterday

2011-09-19T20:29:00.002-05:00

This was me yesterday:

because the NASCAR drivers weren't able to race due to the stupid RAIN that kept acting up all day.

Although I didn't get to hear any engines roaring (other than the engines on the industrial dryers they were using to try to keep the track dry) I was able to:

1. See my favorite driver in the flesh (foxy!)
2. See other drivers in the flesh (they are tiny!)
3. Laugh at the placement of the Hamburger Helper logo.
4. Stand on Pit Road.
5. Watch the Lions game from a fancy motorcoach.
6. Sit in the mini-UPS golf cart. So adorb. Maybe I'll post pictures as some point.

Thanks to Lesley for the pass! I can't wait to go to Daytona next year! :)

What I'll be doing today.

2011-09-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

I will be here, maybe saying this:

My new favorite video.

2011-09-17T10:22:00.000-05:00

Words cannot express how much I absolutely love every second of this video. Ay Ziggy Zoomba!

Silly question.

2011-09-16T10:16:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, September 6, 2011
How do you feel when you return home at the end of the day?

For the past few months, I've had two prominent feelings when I get home at the end of the day. My first thought is usually "THANK GOD I SURVIVED" immediately followed by "I am so tired. And hungry."

It's been an exhausting few months.

Missoni for Target: or the story of how I got out of there alive.

2011-09-13T16:39:00.002-05:00

If you follow me on Twitter (@Kpengell) you may have seen me tweet my excitement about the MISSONI for Target collection. The collection was set to be in stores on September 13, so I had it on my calendar with the intention to arrive at the store when it opened for a fun "before work" field trip.

Big mistake.

Apparently the majority of the women (let's be real, it was all women) in the store when I arrived had been waiting in line since 6 AM! !!! That's ridiculous, no? Many of them said they had also been stalking the website all night (before target.com crashed.)

Some of the women at the store were atrocious, hoarding carts FULL of merchandise, multiples of each design and size, and if you asked "Hey, do you really need three pairs of the size 8 flats?" They'd say "Well, what do you have to trade?" Thankfully I was able to keep my cool and not snap "Well bitch, how can I have anything to trade when you and your two friends have pretty much cleaned out every shelf?" I really, really wanted to. I did shame a woman who was standing in line behind me when she said "I probably won't keep half of this...it's selling on Ebay for three times the price!" I was all "See, I am Irish Catholic, and we are big believers in karma, and I think doing something like that is just asking for it." She double-backed and said "You know, I've been up all night and haven't slept...you're probably right. I don't think I'm thinking straight."

Many people were calmly waiting by the designated MISSONI shelves, however people caught on that when Target team members were rolling merchandise out of the stock room, desperate shoppers were grabbing things off the cart, leaving it bare and sad by the time it reached it's actual stocking location. It was all Lord of the Flies up in there, for realz. When they rolled a cart full of shoes out of the stock room, about ten women LUNGED at the car, throwing elbows, pulling hair, shoving, etc. Some other women tried to take video of it, much to the disdain of the Target team members. I think Target could have benefited from some security detail, no joke.

I was able to score some pieces in the store, mostly due to kind shoppers who realized they weren't going to buy everything in their cart. My morning haul:

The cardigan...full outfit is a bit much!

Pumps!

The turtleneck seen on Ms. Missoni herself (on the left).

I was also able to score four plastic drinking tumblers, which is good because my Liberty of London for Target cups are a little worse for wear, and a pink cardigan that I can't seem to find on the Lookbook (and ALAS, the target.com site is down AGAIN!)

You might think "Wow Kristen, nice job! Some people weren't able to get anything!" But alas. I am not done. I also purchased some things during a rare moment of the website being up, and my dear mother went to my hometown Target and got this haul (yes, the flats are there in the middle...sqqquuuueeeelllll!)

Will I keep everything? No, not a chance. I will NOT, however, be a mean, heartless person and sell it on Ebay for five TIMES the price tag. That's just rude. I might sell on Ebay at regular price but I'm really more likely to return it to the store.

Would really like a throw blanket, but we can't always get what we want, can we?!

Goalz.

2011-09-12T17:49:00.001-05:00

I want my dancer pose to look like this.

Possible? Maybe.

MILFS?

2011-09-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

Have Holland Taylor and Susan Sullivan been every actor/actresses mom/mother-in-law at least once?

Me being lazy.

2011-09-10T10:49:00.000-05:00

Prompt asks "What is the first thing you see when you walk in your house?"

My answer:

And I will cherish it every day of my life.

Found me by...

2011-09-09T10:55:00.000-05:00

Someone found my blog by searching "how much to tip usher "seat upgrade"". I imagine I should have quantified this post, but I didn't want people to judge. Did we give too much? Did we give too little? We'll never know.

Random Musings.

2011-09-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

1. I wore this shirt (in navy) and necklace to the first day of school and they made me feel pretty hip. Especially since I didn't pay that much for either of them.
2. Apparently stripes are really hot right now with the college set, as evidenced by the 300 people I saw wearing them.
3. Buttons are totally back in. I asked my boss if I can buy a button maker.
4. If you MUST wear UGGS with leggings, please make sure the leggings go ALL THE WAY DOWN and are covered by the UGGS, otherwise your legs just look awkward.

What I did today.

2011-09-07T22:28:00.002-05:00

I know almost all the words to this song and DEFINITELY know all the words to the Pink Lady Pledge. True story.

Shoooot.

2011-09-07T00:39:00.001-05:00

Totally lost track of time tonight. Does it count as posting on Tuesday since I haven't gone to sleep yet!?

Books and Boxes

2011-09-05T17:51:00.003-05:00

In a desperate attempt to get ahead on posts for the NaBloPoMo challenge, I thought I'd look at some past prompts to see if any jumped out at me saying "YES! I want to know your thoughts on this!"

I saw this "Do you prefer to own books or borrow them from a friend or the library?" on the list and felt like I had to weigh in.

I love books. My love affair with books can be traced to my early years, when I would demand my mother or father read my favorite childhood book over and over. When I was old enough to participate in the library's summer reading program, I would check out as many books as allowed, read them in a hurry, repeat, time and time again. In junior high, one of my friends and I were obsessed with several series, and when we'd get dropped off to hang at the mall, we would often spend time in the bookstore, reading the latest installment.

About seven years ago, when I moved from a rental house with friends into my first solo apartment, I remember one of the movers saying I was a "good packer" because I had everything in boxes. Apparently a lot of people just put their things in plastic garbage bags? I found this a little surprising, as I had completely procrastinated on my packing and felt like a hot mess, and was also baffled that people just throw things into plastic bags to move? The mover also complimented me on not "loading one full box of books, making it too heavy to lift painlessly." This stuck with me, as my procrastination and marathon packing session the night before the movers arrived made me unable to stand up straight on the day of the move. I had wacked out my back and paid for it, as my parents were not pleased that I had procrastinated (although I very honestly inherited the trait from both of them) and that I was injured and slow-moving all day.

While I'm not really as much of a gypsy as I should be (currently living in an apartment I have grown to detest, with plans to move in the next two months) in the past seven years I've given up on buying books. Sure, I've bought some books, but only if they are books that I know I'll want to take notes in or books that will be useful for reference. I've boxed up books and given them to book drives and veteran's hospitals. With all this talk, you'd think I didn't have a single book in my apartment, but I actually possess about five full shelves of books (sigh.) Most of the books are either for teaching, are books I love and can't bear to part with, or books given as gifts. I love the library like mad and use my card on at least a monthly basis.

I love the look of personal libraries, but I personally decided this was the easiest area for me to minimize, and I wouldn't have to carry as many heavy boxes during my next move.

How about you? Are you a book buyer or a book borrower?

Sunday Funday

2011-09-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

Whoa! Almost failed at my brand new September goal!
Today, in a move totally out of character to me and my friend Liz, we ditched our to-do lists and went to the Cubs game. It was GORGEOUS and after a productive morning I felt I deserved it. Was a fun day, the Cubs won, and the day ended with the Tigers demolishing the White Sox. Brilliant!

Magical Creatures

2011-09-03T12:09:00.000-05:00

The prompt for September 1 was "What magical creature would you love to meet?" My mind immediately turned to the Harry Potter series and I thought about Hedwig, Harry's owl, or Dobby, the loyal house elf. If you've read the series, you know what happens to both of them...and if you haven't read the series, I understand your apprehension, as I was initially all "WTF? Sci-fi? That's weird. I'm not reading those stupid books!" but then I read the first one and COULD NOT GET ENOUGH. So good.

I always loved seeing both of them appear on the page or screen. Their loyalty, determination, and bravery always warmed my heart. Hedwig might not really be "magical", as I'm not sure what powers that pretty white owl possessed, but flying around delivering mail is pretty cool, right?

A cool magical creature to meet would be the one that could serve as a personal assistant. That'd be cool. Maybe I'll have to write a short story and include one!

Per usual, my goal is only to blog every day...asking me to blog something interesting/insightful is just asking a lot, okay?

Holey Hell.

2011-09-02T22:21:00.003-05:00

The start of September is a great time of reflection. I start to think about my upcoming birthday and think about what I have (or have not) accomplished since the last one. I reminisce on past birthday's and it is astonishing how little I can remember about most of them. Historically, I've never been a huge "birthday celebrater" and don't normally rally friends for a huge gathering or do anything out of the ordinary. There have been years when I've whooped it up more than usual, but I feel like I don't automatically remember "For my 26th birthday I remember doing..." Generally I have to spend time counting back, looking at ticket stubs, etc.

When I was on my east coast vacation I met up with a high school classmate. I hadn't seen her in more years than I'd like to type, as typing them would make me truly realize how long ago it was that I graduated from high school, and I had a great time learning what she's been up to (all these years!) and gossiping about life in general. After brunch we window-shopped and browsed along Newbury Street and for a few minutes we talked earrings. She has multiple piercings (three) in both ears, and seeing them reminded me that I never wear earrings in my second holes. Why, I'm not sure, because I remember how excited I was to get second holes.

I got my first holes pierced when I was in kindergarten and can't conjure up a memory about the experience. Was I scared? Probably. Did I throw a fit? Not sure. Were there tears? Maybe. I'll have to consult with my mother for the details. I remember the studs from my first piercing: fake sapphires (my birthstone) in gold. I do not remember any troubles with my first holes, other than having to cover them with athletic tape before soccer games.

In high school I told my mom I was going to get second holes, very nonchalantly, and was taken aback when she firmly stated "No you are not. Not until you're 18." I obviously thought this was cruel and unusual, but since my parents were otherwise really chill about a lot of stuff (not tattoos, as we've discussed) I decided "Okay...it'll be an 18th birthday treat to myself!"

In school I was always considerably (a few months feels "considerably" when everyone has their drivers license and you have to wait six more months) younger than the other people in my grade. Because of this, I didn't turn 18 until five weeks after shipping off to college. Consequently, the only time I EVER used someone's ID was to be 18. The people on my floor were going to Uptown, an 18+ dance "bar", and I borrowed an ID so I could get in. I never used someone's ID to be 21, probably because we were masterful at sneaking me into 21+ bars until I was legal.

As my 18th birthday approached, I recall mentioning my desire to get my ears double-pierced as a birthday treat to my roommate and the women who lived in the room next to us. My roommate, a sweet woman who grew up in a town with literally only one streetlight, was supportive of my desire to accomplish my wish but said she was NOT able to accompany me for fear of passing out, because the idea of getting holes put in her ears was apparently one of the most horrible and painful things she'd ever heard. A quick look flip through her Facebook albums and it appears as though she still has not pierced her ears, but she has had four kids (!!!!)

With full support and a cheery farewell from my roommate, the neighbor gals and I headed to Franklin Park Mall in Toledo, the metropolis of Northwest Ohio. I was nervous, but personally the thought of showing pain/weakness in public is worse than the thought of actual pain, so I knew I'd come through all right. I actually can't remember what I picked out as studs. I'm sure if I were to flip through an old jewelry box I would come across a lone earring that might trigger a memory, but at the time I'm drawing a blank. I've lost touch with the two women who were with me for this memorable occasion, but I hope they know that they've made an impact on my life.

I was prompted to write all this because yesterday, on the first day of September, I wore earrings in my second holes.

Back in the Saddle!

2011-09-01T10:20:00.004-05:00

WOW! Where has the YEAR gone, much less the summer? Yesterday was the last meteorological day of summer and Mother Nature is celebrating by making it one zillion degrees in Chicago today. Hmpf. I have books, boots, cable knit, corduroy, trench coats, and scarves on the brain. It's hard to get fall off my mind when Starbuck's has Pumpkin Spice lattes and Walgreens is pushing candy corn down my throat. Easy fella's!

Fall brings a lot of activity to my world, with the start of school (I work in higher ed, so my life is planned around quarters/semesters), football, the winding down of the baseball season, honey crisp apples (what?) and my birthday (24 days from today!)

In an effort to provide myself with a creative outlet I've signed up to blog ev'ryday with NaBloPoMo. This months theme is "Return." Some thoughts from the organizers:

"Returning -- or turning again -- is about reflection, about going backwards, about revisiting a spot or memory. Sometimes people think that it can be a negative thing to live too much in the past, drowning in nostalgia. But a lot can be learned by mentally returning to a moment, replaying what happened in your mind, especially if lessons are learned in the process."

I'm going to be serious this time and am going to 1) follow prompts at least 15 out of 30 days, and 2) enter to win the blogging contest. Why the hell not, right?

Writing idea.

2011-08-15T14:47:00.000-05:00

Someone found my blog after searching "How to start a real life conversation."

What a great post that would be, right?! I can talk to pretty much ANYONE*, so I'm sure I have expertise to share that would be helpful to someone who is shy and who struggles with making everyday conversation.

*have a real hard time talking to men I am attracted to. Perhaps someone else has written an instructional post about that.

So ferosh.

2011-08-03T13:40:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit buried in life and work and papers and emails and plans and music festivals (Lolla this weekend!) but feel obligated to bring a smile to your face.

Yes, it's three minutes long, but you're worth it. Take a three minute break from whatever you're doing to watch this. It'll lower your blood pressure!

Real Life Conversation.

2011-07-21T15:06:00.000-05:00

...I engaged in this weekend at Pitchfork Music Festival:

Platonic guy pal 1: "So should we pack it up?"

Platonic guy pal 2: "Pack it in?"

Platonic guy pal 1: "Let me begin?"

Platonic guy pal 2: "I came to win?"

Me: "Battle me? That's a sin."

2011-07-20T09:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks Chris Osgood, for all the years you've spent as a Red Wing, and especially for this:

Best rivalry ever.

Moving on...

2011-07-18T09:40:00.003-05:00

If there's anything I've become good as I age, it's moving on. If one thing ends, remember it fondly, and then move the F*** ONTO SOMETHING ELSE. Life's too short for prolonged melancholy. AMIRITE?

With the news of Rilo Kiley's unfortunate end, one I knew was coming, I'm moving on to supporting other bands. Don't think I'm fickle, I'll still listen to their albums Execution of All Things, Science Vs. Romance, More Adventurous, and Under the Blacklight with regular frequency (read: almost daily) but I realized I had to identify a functioning band to be fanatical about.

Any guesses?

If you've been reading for a while, you know that my mind was BLOWN in February by Fitz & The Tantrums. With my recent (7/14) acceptance onto their Street Team, I am officially a FATT-head. (OMG, can we really call the fans that?!)

Please enjoy: Dont Gotta Work It Out (Live) by Fitz and The Tantrums

SIGH

2011-07-14T17:37:00.000-05:00

Well, the inevitable happened.

Rilo Kiley is officially OVER.

I'm not surprised at this, as I paid careful attention to the lyrics on Jenny & Johnny's track "My Pet Snakes". Some telling parts:

And I don't believe in sucking your way to the top
Fingers crossed, you're flipping me off
No, I don't need your supervision
I'll sink this ship if I want

And I don't believe that paradise is lost
I say this with my fingers crossed

Thankfully, they apparently are contractually required to release one more album, so there's talk of a 40-track, 2-disk set. Okay...I can handle that.

I thought Pollstar's email alert was a little callous, don't you think?

Greetings kristen_pengelly, we have just updated our listings.

Rilo Kiley Is Over

Rilo Kiley guitarist and co-founder Blake Sennett revealed in a recent interview that the indie rock band has broken up.
Rilo Kiley, Johnathan Rice, The Elected, Jenny Lewis, Jason Boesel, Jenny And Johnny