Friday, April 29, 2011

Quick Friday Thought: Princesses

If I had time, I'd post pictures of the Royal Wedding and comment on how much I would have loved to be there (or live there really), how beautiful Kate's dress was, how amazing it would be to live in a palace. However, I'll just post this little thought.

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that?" --The Little Princess.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

How Is NASCAR Still Around?

Shhhhh . . . Don't let my hardcore Southern acquaintances know I said this. I just might get lynched for saying this.

NASCAR is definitely on my list of the top ten dumbest, most wasteful forms of entertainment in America today. 

I don't see why NASCAR has fans or how it is fun or enjoyable. Honestly, after watching Olympic runners turn about four laps around the track, I start to get bored, and with runners I can see their inspiring perseverance in their faces. There is human drama and personal determination in those races. How can people sit and watch 35+ cars drive 500 laps around a track? We can't see the drivers. We just see crashes, cars getting lapped and never getting even close to the top ten spots, and wasted gas and tires. Maybe driving around the track is more fun than watching it, but even then after probably 10 laps, I would get tired of the repetitive scenery.

As in other sports, if NASCAR should even be considered a sport, the 'athletes' are overpaid. Having no power steering certainly can be challenging, but when they have crew chiefs to give them strategies, do we really need to pay the talented drivers roughly $3.5 million annually to steer a car in one direction? I'd like to see if or how uneven the drivers' arm sizes and strength are.

I can see the entertainment in racing in the old days when cars were new or started to become more classy and chic in addition to more powerful. I admit I liked watching the Love Bug when I was a kid (but even Herbie raced on roads, not a bland track). These days, we all know how to drive, and I don't know anyone who wants to have Wonderbread stickers plastered all over their car. Let's face it--racing has become trashy and is logically outdated. I don't see why people keep wasting their money to see it.

I realize that in a year NASCAR doesn't use even one-tenth of the gas consumed by the nation every day. However, aren't we encouraged to carpool, to ride our bikes, to walk, to use public transportation more often to conserve energy resources and reduce cost? Aren't we told that we each should do our part to protect our planet? Well, I wonder what NASCAR is contributing to social responsibility. They supply 500 laps around an oval in 40 races a year. And don't even get me started on the fans who travel hundreds of miles to get to these races. Brilliant.

I understand that NASCAR is a profitable industry (although I'll never understand why). I understand that as long as people are willing to pay for tickets, NASCAR will continue to provide races. But couldn't we push drivers to use more urgent strategic methods in 250 laps or, heaven forbid, 100 laps? Couldn't we save some X number of tires and gallons of gas per race if we reduce the number of laps? Couldn't we limit the number of cars in each race to ensure that those in the race will actually have a chance to possibly win the race?

I'll let you know if I find the word "Yankee" graffiti-ed on the outside of my apartment. 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

My Favorite Kind of Weather

Most people love the summer sun. I'm a fair-skinned redhead. The sun and I have a delicate relationship.

Don't get me wrong; I like the bright, warm sun, but I like a partly or mostly cloudy day just as much as I like a sunny day. Plus, I'm more of a temperate weather girl. I can't seem to escape hellish hot summers, much to my dismay. What makes it a good day weatherwise? Wind! (Maybe I like italics because they look like they are being blown . . .)

Most people don't like wind. If you have about two minutes, watch this. It makes me so sorry for him and yet giggle shamelessly at the same time.

I love wind. I love a cool breeze on a toasty summer day. I love a crisp fall wind that spins leaves in the air.

Besides, that messy hairstyle is what people are going for these days anyway, right?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

My First Repurposing Project

I love websites like Etsy, Make It and Love It, and my cousin's blog, where they give ideas to repurpose old clothes into new ones.

I probably will copy their ideas eventually, and might have already with this one unknowingly, but I came up with this idea all by myself. I'm so big!

Please excuse the crudity of this project. My sewing skills are pretty elementary. I gotta start somewhere!
I started out with this shirt with really long, obnoxious sleeves. So I cut them off!
They have this fun striped pattern on them, and I thought of making a baby girl skirt.

I cut a strip out of the sleeve to make the belt loops. I have only one button at the top to allow the baby to still move around her little legs and show off the striped pattern on the inside.

A ribbon or an actual belt completes this skirt. Not bad, eh? (Note: there is a reason I haven't shown the back. But the front looks pretty cute!!) Like I said, I've got to start somewhere!