As promised...

...my favorite hats of the wedding!

Click to enlarge.

The three across the bottom are my top three picks with the others coming in close behind.  You'll notice I did not pick Beatrice and Eugenie, who both looked like they were trying way too hard to me.

xo kate

4:14 PM EDT: Second Dress

I lovelovelove Kate's evening dress, despite it being more formal than I expected.  I love the silhouette (which makes her look tiny!) and the simple lines with the jeweled waistband.  She looks like she was born to be a princess.

Thanks Lydia!

Camilla on the other hand, looks like she's ready for bed.

xo kate

He's high on believing.

I'm really not sure I have any words. Do you?



(this is dfest, not kate -- don't believe the internet tag!)

8:29 AM EDT: The Second Kiss

Give the people what they want!  The look between the two of them was pretty cute before the second kiss.

That concludes my live blogging of the royal wedding.  I'll be back later today with a run down of the best hats. Thanks for joining me and congratulations to the happy couple!

xo kate

8:26 AM EDT: Kiss me Kate

It's the moment we've all been waiting for!  The balcony kiss between Kate and William was tasteful and sweet -- no Al and Tipper moment for these two.  The couple looked nervous again right before it but performed well under pressure.  My unofficial count tallied it at 1.8 seconds on my iPhone but we'll see what the official count comes in as.

xo kate

8:04 AM EDT: Crowds

It's pretty incredible that 800,000 people are calmly and happily marching to see the new Duke and Dutchess (I still don't really understand why they aren't Prince and Princess, but I trust that the queen knows what she's doing on this one.) kiss on the balcony.

I'm not sure that the television commentators are correct in their assertions that this won't happen in the United States.  President Obama's inauguration was an event of this size and scope (bigger, in fact) that went off peacefully.  Probably because everyone was frozen, but, you know, what can you do?

xo kate

7:22 AM EDT: Carriage Rides

I'm totally loving the carriage ride.  If you ask me, this is the best part of the wedding so far: all the trappings of the British monarch, with the people of England so happy and excited and William and Kate finally looking joyful and relaxed.

The greatest subplot of the whole wedding seems to be Harry and Pippa (who would make a lovely couple and have definitely made out before).  Pippa looked phenomenal today.  Her clean, simple white dress was perfect (loved the buttons and short sleeves) and seemed genuinely happy and excited to have Kate be the star.  As a younger sister, it is usually our nature to love attention, so I honor her commitment to her sister.  Harry, as usual, seems to be the clown.  But what I love is that Harry got assigned to the kid's carriage for the ride back to Buckingham Palace.

xo kate

6:57 AM EDT: Sometimes I love the media

I love that the Today show has the good sense to have a lip reader on hand to let us know that what William said to Kate's father when he and Kate arrived at the altar was, "We were suppose to have just a small family affair."

xo kate

6:49 AM EDT: Patriotism

Call me cheesy, but I think it's lovely how the people in the streets and squares around London are singing along and participating in the ceremony.  It almost makes me wish we had a royal family here in America.  You know, besides the Jackson's.

xo kate

6:38 AM EDT: The Sermon

I like the sermon, but William seems bored.  I can only imagine that it's because he's nervous.

I really like that they write a prayer together that is read at the ceremony.  I'm not much of a woman of God, but I think that's a nice tradition.

The music is wonderful, but seems a little somber for a joyful occasion.  I recommend that Wills and Kate take a page from the David and Donna playbook and kick this shit up a notch with some Kool and the Gang.  I think viewers world-wide would appreciate that.

Alternatively, they could pay homage to my favorite British wedding.

xo kate

6:25 AM EDT: The ceremony

A couple notes about the ceremony.  Both the second official (the one who asked Kate and William if they had any reason not to marry) and James Middleton seem to have taken sort of threatening tones.  It's a little off-putting.

Also, it seems unusual that both Kate and William seem to have programs and be reading along with the ceremony.  I feel like at a wedding that cost your country millions of dollars, you should at least be able to sit back and enjoy it.  I hope they can take it all in.

The boys choir is great.  I love a good boys choir.

xo kate

6:17 AM EDT: The vows

The vows really came out of the nowhere!  In an hour long ceremony, I expected them to stretch that out a lot longer.  Isn't this sort of like giving best picture first at the Oscars?

I love the sound of the crowd cheering from outside during the vows.

Also, when William promises to share all his worldly goods with you, that's a pretty exciting moment!

xo kate

6:12 AM EDT: Singing

Is it just me or did everyone in the church seem to get different lyrics sheets?  No ones lips seem to be matching with the song or with each other.

xo kate

6:07 AM EDT: New Wedding Trends

I think that we'll see a bit of a resurgence in trains and sleeves in light of Kate's dress.

But I predict the biggest trend will be trees in churches.

xo kate

6:00 AM EDT: Kate arrives

Kate's Sarah Burton dress is much more formal than I expected with a full skirt and 10-foot train in combination with the long lace sleeves.  Her diamond drop earrings, clean make up and bright smile are what's making the day.  I also absolutely love the cut of the neckline on her -- sort of a long narrow V-neck that is just perfect on her.  She looks in such contrast to Diana, who was equally gorgeous, but young and scared on her wedding day.

xo kate

5:53 AM EDT: Composure

Kate is really holding it together.  If I were her I would almost certainly be throwing up, but she looks beautiful and very calm and excited.

The tiara that Kate is wearing is absolutely beautiful.  I'm excited to see more of the dress.

Note: Can you imagine an American wedding in which the Maid of Honor wore white?  Pippa is wearing a beautiful, simple white dress.

xo kate

5:50 AM EDT: Reinforcements

Almost an hour in and it's time for reinforcements.  English muffin, of course.

And just now Kate is in the car.  Long veil and lace overlay, hair down.

xo kate

5:45 AM EDT: The Queen

I hope I look as good as the Queen when I'm eighty-five years-old.  I love that she's wearing bright yellow and that she loves to wear bright colors because she likes to stand out.  As though being Queen doesn't allow her to stand out.

xo kate

5:39 AM EDT: Price Charles and Camilla

It's sort of amazing how the public perception of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles has changed.  The commentators are discussing how Charles and Camilla are a great love story in the same way that William and Kate are and, specifically how it has spanned 40-plus years.  The open secret of their affair seems now to be a testament to their love and devotion. I can't imagine that being the story the last time the world watched Westminster on television.

Also, it looks like Camilla is wearing cream or white, which seems like it should be frowned upon.

xo kate

5:30 AM EDT: VW Buses

The ladies arriving now on the VW buses are wearing lovely hats and I can't wait for their arrival.

Also, this whole wedding is reigniting my love for Bentleys, first sparked by J.Lo.

Carole Middleton looks fantastic.  Mother of the Bride is a difficult role to play and she'll doing it well in her sky-blue suit.

xo kate

5:19 AM EDT: Nerves and hat head

First of all, I love the story about Harry asking for Diana's ring and then giving it to William went it was time for him to propose to Kate.

I really enjoyed the hats, but would if have been so hard for someone to stick a brush in their purse for the princes?  Hat head at the wedding seems a little low-brow for the future king.

William and Harry both look a little nervous, which is sort of nice.

xo kate

5:13 AM EDT: The Princes!

Whoa!  I did not expect William to be wearing a bright red suit.  I kind of love it.  Both William and Harry look like they are dressed like Disney princes to me.  Or, alternatively, Disney princes are more realistic than I realized.

xo kate

5:09 AM EDT: Hat trends

It seems like a lot of the more fashion-forward guests that the wedding are wearing front-sitting hats.  Although they are visually interesting, I don't think that I like these ones as much as the traditional side-sitting hats.  Victoria Beckham and Tara Palmer-Tomkinson are examples of what I mean.

\

xo kate

5:04 AM EDT: Bummer

The commentators on NBC have just informed us that there will be no flash mobs or dancing down the aisle.  Apparently that's not British.  We think that's just disrespectful to Michael Scott.

xo kate

4:56 AM EDT: Cheerio!

Good morning, wildcats!

I'm awake and tuned into NBC's coverage of The Royal Wedding.  I chose NBC not only because of my small crush on Matt Lauer, but also because they are the station that seems to have the most people with British accents offering commentary.  The British accents let me feel more like I'm there.

I've had the pleasure of visiting London, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey on several occasions, and I have to say that it's never looked better.  I love the trees inside the wedding, but maybe it's because I'm a country girl at heart.

Thus far, my favorite hat is the red floral one worn by the date of the deputy prime minister.  I'll try to find a picture to post.

xo kate

Need More Mullins...

Tonight is Steve Carrell's last episode of The Office.  It's a sad night, and I'm thankful that I have the upcoming royal wedding to distract me (live blogging starts at 5:00am EST).  The sappy part of me is really glad that Michael found Holly, but the part of me that likes funny things really doesn't want him to leave the show.  Through the years he's given us laugher and tears (well, probably not real tears, but, you know, choked up), classic lines and more vicarious embarrassment than we'd ever imagined possible.  But, above all, he's been a teacher.  Teaching us the ways of the world and the ways of The Office.

Here are my favorite lessons:

Where to shop




The dangerous legacy of historic racism in America

How to Succeed in Business




Propriety






Good luck in Colorado, Michael!  We'll miss you!

xo kate

The Italian American Identity

The Italian-American identity is one full of both tragedy and triumph - the struggle of proud, religious, life-loving, (not to mention attractive) people stained by an unjust curse of criminality--invariably perpetuated today by crime writers, TV shows (both reality and fictional) and movies.

My dad Vincent, a very proud Italian American, banned The Sopranos from our home--rightfully so. We also never watched The Godfather, or Goodfellas.

Of course, curiosity eventually killed the proverbial gatto, and I snuck Tony, Carmella and the entire Corleone clan (yes--even Sophia) into my bedroom's cheap Target dvd player.

Sitting in my bedroom, full of guilt and fear of being caught by dad, I saw the appeal: the glamour and the family ties. The rules, passion, tragedy, and ruthlessness.  And the blood; all that blood. I understand that this combination is very...compelling.

What I still do not understand: why it is always Italian? Can't we write screenplays about some other race of people picking up the racketeering slack?  In reality, Italians are not dominating the American mob scene--although no one seems to believe otherwise.

Despite our successes in academia, government, entertainment and industry, one survey showed that 78% of teens and 74% of adults in America still identify Italians with blue-collar jobs or organized crime; the U.S. Justice Department says 67% are white collar workers and executives, and only .075% are mobsters.

Let's see this statistic again: .075!

And yet, the fascination with the Italian mafia lives on, and the Italian American identity continues to suffer. Last week, VH1 premiered Mob Wives--yet another show that indirectly perpetuates this stigma. A rep from UNICO National (an Italian-American interest group) said about the VH1 reality tv show, "we were mobsters and mafiosos with 'The Sopranos,' bimbos and buffoons with 'Jersey Shore,' and now we're back where we started. It's a disgrace."

I'll admit it, I saw the first episode of Mob Wives. Did you? Like most trash reality television, it was horribly, atrociously, appalling compelling. Although I was fascinated by the train-wreck lives these women are leading, I'm not going to let myself watch it again. I'm taking a stand--Vinnie Festino style--and staging a one-woman protest.  Join me, won't you?

The one part of Mob Wives that I am not ignoring is the fantastic theme song...sang, ironically enough, by a band called Rock Mafia.

Sidenote: do you know where the word Mafia comes from? Some sources say it is an acroynm coined during a time when Italy was at war with France: Morte Alla Francia Italia Anela! (Death to France, cries Italy!)

And then it got awkward.

I love a skinny tie.  I love purple.
But I really love this voice.

I am, of course, talking about my totally inappropriate crush on Darren Criss.

I don't really think that he's that cute, (If you ask me, Mark Salling is the only Glee guy worth writing home about.) and he's not particularly smooth or a great dancer.  But his voice is absolutely what keeps me watching Glee.  In my opinion, the introduction of the Warblers is the only thing that got Glee through this season at all.  For me, I was pre-destined to be a Warblers fan because I've been a huge fan of the Tufts Beelzebubs since my first year of college.  (If you don't know, the Bubs are an all-male acapella group at Tufts University.  They appeared on the first season of NBC's The Sing Off and are the real voices -- besides Blaine and Kurt -- of the Warblers.  They also arrange most of the songs.) I knew I'd like the Warblers and then I heard Teenage Dream.  I was hooked.  They took that song to a whole new level, and I loved it. Loved it, loved it.  I thought that my love peaked with When I Get You Alone.  (Which I listened to on repeat for approximately three weeks.)  But I was so very wrong.

I bought the Warblers Glee album last week (well, I completed the album for $3 since I already owned most of the songs) and I've pretty much been listening to it non-stop since then.  Which is a little bit strange, since it's only about an hour long, and I have a desk job.  But it's absolutely phenomenal.  I tried for a long time to come up with a metaphor for the Darren's voice.  But I couldn't.  So this is the best I can do: Darren's voice is like ice cream; sweet and smooth and full.  I don't know if that makes sense, but I mean it as a compliment.  He has single-handedly made me like three songs that I previously hated:  Hey Soul Sister, Raise Your Glass and Teenage Dream.  This is particularly impressive because Katy Perry and Pink are in my artists-I-hate pantheon.  (I'm actually a closet Train fan, I just think that song was horrible.  But For Me, It's You and Get to Me are two of my favorites.)

At any rate, last week it got awkward because I heard Darren's Glee cover of Keane's Somewhere Only We Know and my obsession went to a whole new level.  Suddenly, I was following him on Facebook and trying to log into "live chats" with him in the middle of the work day. (And I'm going to be honest with you, I don't even actually know what a live chat is.  And I never found out because of "unexpectedly high traffic."  Apparently I'm not the only one with a Darren Criss problem.)  I watched him on Ellen.  I awkwardly googled him to find out his age (24), whether he's really gay (no) and if he has a solo album (EP only, available on iTunes).  I watched him on MTV. I listened to his top five indie bands on Spin.com.  I watched him on The Today Show.

And it was all because of this:



So there you have it, wildcats.  I'm officially a Gleek.  And, apparently, a stalker.

xo kate

Jersey Shore Gone Wilde

It's not GTL Thursday, but I can't help myself.  These are too funny.  I hope that Jersey Shore-related humor never gets old.

This five-part video series features Santino Fontana and David Furr, who currently star in The Roundhouse Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest, delivering classic Jersey Shore lines in the style of Oscar Wilde.  Part 3 is my favorite.  I love all the raised eyebrows.

xo kate

The scars of your love they leave me breathless...

I love Britney.  I love Adele.  And I lovelovelove this mash up of Rolling in the Deep and Till the World Ends.  Seriously.  According to YouTube, it has 113,707 views.  It's possible that 112,000 of those have been me.  That's a little bit awkward, but I'm not even embarrassed about it.  Once you listen you'll know why.



I am, however, just the tiniest bit embarrassed about my obsession with Lauren Conrad.  I mean, I'm not a stalker or anything -- this isn't a hint that you should call the authorities -- but it is a little bit weird how much I like her.  You guys have probably noticed but you've been too polite to say anything about it to my face, right?  I admire your propriety -- I sure raised you right, wildcats. 

Incidently, this is exactly what I look
like when I'm getting ready in the morning.

Despite my sheepishness, I'm still super-excited about LC's new blog, The Beauty Department, which is exactly what you would expect from a beauty blog run by Ms. Laguna Beach and her make-up and hair team.  That statement is intended to be both a warning and a promise. My favorite part is the hair tutorials, since I pretty much wear the same make-up every single day no matter where I'm going.  But I'm really excited to wear an LC-signature ballerina bun with my Lauren Conrad dress and my black-winged eye liner.

Seriously, please don't call the cops.

xo kate



Tuesday Loseday:How to Write Good.

1. Avoid Alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren’t necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

By: Frank L. Visco

via modernhepburn.tumblr

Smokin

Our wolfpack is hot. Savvy?

(images via whereisthecool?)

Working on this...

xo kate

Dfest: What's new pussycat?

I hate puss n boots. Always have. Always will.

I hated him before he made his appearence in the Shrek film series. And his latin flair in the animated feature only fueled my fiery loathing.

He's a cat. And he wears boots. And he walks upright. And his name is Puss. What is not to hate?

I can't even talk about it. I hate him that much.

Kate: The Crag

I need to own a piece of the Aggro Crag.  Not a want, but a need.

That's right, the Aggro Crag.  As in the "Aggro meaning AGGRESSIVE and crag meaning ROCK" Aggro Crag.  Also known as the Mega Crag or, in some circles, the Super Crag.

The Crag.

For those of you who didn't grow up in the early nineties, or who lived in a hole, the Aggro Crag is the final competitive event on Nickelodeon's sports-theme kids game show, GUTS, hosted by Mike O'Malley, now of Glee fame and Moira "Mo" Quirk, now a head referee in the WNBA. (Okay, I made that up. I don't think Mo did anything after GUTS.)  The three contestants race up the mountain, battling blinding glitter blizzards, avalanches of foam rocks and something called nuclear flying crystals.  The thing was also in a constant cloud of dry ice and seemingly only lit by strobe lights.  Basically it was like a Seaside Heights nightclub.  The Aggro Crag climb was the fifth and final event and worth the most points in the GUTS, serving as the crown jewel in the competition.  As such, the GUTS winner (allegedly) got a glowing trophy designed to look like a piece of the mountain.

Where's this girl now and why isn't
she selling me her piece of the Crag?

Since college, I have been scouring the internet searching for a piece of the Crag.  I'd like it mostly as a conversation piece, you know, something for the coffee table.  I'm not going to lie to you, though, I think it would help with getting dates as well.  Who wouldn't go out with someone who actually owned a piece of the Crag?  Who wouldn't go home with them to see it?  Is this just me?

At any rate, I've spent more hours than I care to admit on eBay searching for someone selling a genuine Crag trophy.  I figured that since GUTS was on for a long time there would be lots of 20-somethings looking to unload their piece of the GUTS empire for some quick cash.  No such luck.  I once saw someone claiming to be selling theirs for $35,000, but that seemed like it must be some sort of trick. (Also, I'm pretty desperate to use genuine Crag-related pick-up lines, but not $35,000 desperate.) Another time I stumble upon (read: search aggressively for) a blog that claimed the contestants on the show did not actually get to keep their piece of the Crag, it was just the same trophy with a different kid holding it every week.  This was a huge disappointment, but I'm not entirely willing to believe it's true.  If anyone has a primary source who has been on GUTS and knows for sure, please, please please tell me.  Until then, I will still search, perhaps in vain, but I will search.

xo kate

Dfest: I've fallen and I can't get up.

I have dislocated my knee seven times. Yep. Seven.

The first time it happened I was a junior in high school. Hair straighteners had not yet reached Stoneham and I was suffering from chronic frizzy hair. This is relevant. I promise.

That fateful day of my dislocation I tried citre shine for the first time. I took a shower, spritzed my whole head, and carefully and slowly blew out my hair. The result was miraculous. My hair was shiny and bouncy and awesome. So bouncy in fact that I couldn't help but jump up and down repeatedly, demonstrating to my sister how amazing my new do was.


Up and down and up down on the recently cleaned hardware floors. And that is when it happened.

I went down. And the knee went out. And the pain shot through my body. And I started screaming.

I went to physical therapy after that, but the knee was never the same.

The last time I dislocated my knee was in September of 2005. It was the first week at my new job. I was getting on the orange line T at Oak Grove and the bell rang and someone came running in behind me and knocked me down. I spilled my coffee, ripped my sweater, and you guessed it, dislocated my knee.

I lay splayed out on the floor of the MBTA car. One leg hanging out by the door. The doors trying to close, but hitting my ankle instead.


Some kind soul hit the emergency button and a female T worker came to my aid.

First, she thoughtfully asked me if I tripped "in my little shoes".

I was wearing flip flops. So I immediately took issue with her tone and insinuation that I was a dumb girl commuting with inappropriate shoes. My flip flops were exceedingly comfortable and practical.

I managed to huff out, "No I did not trip, somebody pushed me."

Of course, all of the bystanders in car avoided eye contact. No one owed up to it. Bastards.

She then asked me if I wanted to get off and call an ambulance.

I said no, I just need your help popping the knee back into place. Because of some stupid, but probably smart, liability issues, the T woman told me she wasn't allowed to touch me. So I popped it back in myself. Took a seat. And hobbled off to work.

Lesson: beware citre shine and Oak Grove.

I hope my sister meets these marines...

Kate: Hebejebes

Wet paper gives me the hebejebes.  Every single kind of wet paper: magazine pages, printer paper, newspaper, cardstock, post its, construction paper, tissue paper and every other kind of paper you can think of.  I hate the way that it looks and the way that it feels and just generally think that it's completely gross and seriously icky.  Just the mention of a wet piece of paper and I shutter.  Like my sister when someone talks about Robitussin cough syrup. (Danielle does not feel this way about Robitussin.) I don't even like wet paper after it's dried, because that crinkliness just forces me to think about the fact that it was once wet.

My kryptonite.  Just googling this image hurt.

This has been true ever since I was a kid.  I remember in elementary school teachers used to give us single sheets of paper (class newsletters, permission slips, bad kid notes, etc.) to bring home to our parents and the ice pack in my lunch box used to get them wet sometimes.  Ugh.  I literally gag just thinking about having to pull a wet piece of paper out of my backpack.

There are lots of reason to hate working in the summer, but one of my big ones is that during the summer the water bottle that I keep on my desk gets condensation on it and sometimes gets the papers on my desk wet.  And then I have to throw them out.  For real.

I lovelovelove the Metro, the free newspaper that's handed out on the T, because I have a really long commute and it keeps be up to date on the news, celebrity gossip, Boston sports and my horoscope.  It's one of the small joys of spending over an hour on the T each day.  But, on rainy days, sometimes I can't get the Metro because if it gets rain on it not only will I not be able to read it, it will actually ruin my morning.  Wet newspaper is by far the worst kind of wet paper.

This is the kind of thing that makes me believe in reincarnation.  Like, something must have happened to me in a past life that involved wet paper, right?  Perhaps I was buried alive in a pile of wet paper, or got some sort of weird wet paper paper cut... It really makes you think.

xo kate

Dfest: Tastes just like candy

Unlike most, I love the taste of Robitussin DM. It is my favorite part of being sick. I'm struggling with a cold right now, in fact, and I'm loving the regular dose of medicinal-cherry-indescribable-deliciousness known as tussin, as it hits my lips. I'm pretty sure this makes me a freak of nature; the threads that sows the seam of my freak flag. And I'm okay with that.

Kate: The Call of Nature

I'm absolutely obsessed with outdoor showers.  I have been since I was a kid and my family used to rent a house on Cape Cod in the summertime.  It was the perfect experience, coming home from the beach all sandy, sunburnt and sweaty and taking a refreshing shower.  There was also Vidal Sassoon shampoo and conditioner in it and, to this day, that smell reminds me of summers on the Cape.

Perfection.

There's something about showering outside that is just so much better than showering in a house.  I try to recreate the experience in my apartment by opening the window in the shower in the summer.  It's a good substitute when you're unable to get to a real outdoor shower, but I have had a couple unfortunate incidents with bird getting too close for comfort, and once my super, Glenn, was suspended outside fixing something in the apartment above me and inadvertently saw me naked.  It was an awkward moment for both of us but, on the up side, I've gotten great service ever since.

My favorite outdoor showers are those that are enclosed enough for practical use (like you can actually have enough privacy in them that you can really shower and not just practice sexy washing your hair and sucking in in case someone sees you) but are low enough that you could see over it if you tried. About six years ago I went to a friend-of-a-friend's house in Laguna Beach, and the normal shower in their house had a wrap-around cut out at head-height, which gave it the feeling of being an outdoor shower even though it was a part of the normal bathroom.  It's difficult to describe, but it was amazing.  It is one of the only reasons that I'd consider moving to California -- weather that allows for an outdoor/indoor hybrid.

When I someday buy a house, one of the number one things on my list is going to be having an outdoor shower or the possibility of building one.  And once I have it, I'm going to keep Vidal Sassoon shampoo and conditioner in it all the time.

xo kate

And the winner is...

Wildcats, we have some exciting news to share with you.  One of our very favorite bloggers, the talented and fabulous Bre, of BreBeauty, has honored us with a Stylish Blogger Award.  To say that we're thrilled would be an epic understatement.  We are beside ourselves.  Probably obnoxiously so. (Do I now sometimes make my friends and family refer to W&W as my award-winning blog?  Sure.  Am I proud of that?  No.  Well, maybe a little bit.)

In order to accept our award, we have to share with you seven random things about ourselves, and pass the award on to some of our favorite blogs.  Throughout the course of the day, we will post random facts about ourselves and at the end of the day, we'll share with you our favorite blogs.  We hope you enjoy!

THANK YOU SO MUCH BRE! We are so honored to be in your company!

I carry your heart with me

Sorry I've been missing in action, wildcats. I was in DC seeing my sister off; as of noon today, Lisa Danger is officially in Afghanistan tracking terrorists and gathering intelligence and generally being awesome.

I know its ridiculous, but I miss her already. I miss her more than I miss new episodes of LOST. I miss her more than I miss eating sugar and ice cream and pizza and Simmental. More than the deserts miss the rain. (Great song, btw)

I am also incredibly proud of her---a kind of pure pride that I have never before felt. Of course, I was proud of Lisa when she graduated college. I was proud of wildcats and wolfpacks when we won the Stylish Blogger award. I've been proud of Brit every single time she has picked herself up off the floor and staged a come-back. Every time. This, however, is a different kind of pride.

My sister is strong and wonderful and funny and sarcastic and beautiful; she is my favorite person on the planet, and my life is constantly made better because she is in it. Like so many others in her field, she is giving up months of her life to work for our safety, and I am so damn proud.

I love her more than anybody, and can't help being uber cheesy and mushy and sharing this ee cummings poem...which has so been on my mind these past few days.

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

She'll be back in September. Until then, your suggestions for creative and fun and useful care-packages are most welcome!

Best Picture Ever.

Danielle and I have both been out of town recently, so that's why the blog has been so quiet lately.  We haven't given up on W&W and will be back to posting regularly by the end of the week.  In the meantime, here's the greatest picture ever of Barack Obama dressed like a pirate.  Enjoy!

President Obama dressed like a pirate!

xo kate

Happy Marathon Monday!

It's the best day of the year in Boston -- hope you're enjoying it with your wolfpack!

xo kate

Correspondence: 5PM EST

Dear Noah,

We could have sworn you said the arc wasn't leaving till 5.

Sincerely,

The Unicorns

(via crushculdesac.tumblr.com)

Practice makes perfect

Powerpoint is soooo 2002. But you already knew that.

Prezi is the tool of 2011.

(Did I really just say that?)

Anyway, Prezi is wicked cool and I'm trying to learn it.

And I put together my first ever prezi just for you wildcats in honor of GTL Thursday. Its silly and rudimentary and pointless. Like so many other aspects of my life.

Check it out:
http://prezi.com/silfyzfcft7m/gtl/


(you don't need a prezi account or software to view this)

Thoughts?

I can do that.

You can make it better...

You all know that I write about The Knocks, New York-based DJs, production duo and artists, a lot.  Because they are crazy-talented and generally awesome.  Now you all can enjoy them even when you aren't perusing your favorite blog, because they are featured in the new Corona Light commercial! 

This commercial is not only a big deal because it features fantastic DJ's at dueling parties (and one of my personal favorites, The Knocks' song Make It Better) but because it is the first Corona ad ever that doesn't feature the beach.  It's all part of Corona's new advertising strategy to make Corona more than just a vacation beer. 

I've certainly never needed a vacation to drink a beer, so I back this strategy.



xo kate

GTL Thursday: Forza Juventus!

Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon Masocco (born 28 January 1978 in Carrara, Italy), is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts (including this girl) to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history.

Buffon was declared by Pelé to be one of the 125 greatest living footballers in the world, and has also been named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record eight times.



Also, please say buongiorno to some of Gigi's teammates.

Some help...

For the record, we're Red Sox fans.  The tried and true, til we die kind of Red Sox fans, not the pink-hat-wearing, our teams in the play offs and we want to go to the bar kind of Red Sox fans.  But, we know that some members of the wolfpack may not like baseball as much as we do.  We think these individuals just haven't found the team that fits them best.

When you have a team that fits you, it becomes like a family.  Sometimes you like them, sometimes you hate them, sometimes they can't get their pitching together and need to cut their losses with the 6-year, $52 million mistake they made in 2007, but in the end, they're the ones you always come home to.  To that end, here's a helpful guide to picking the right team for your personality.

(Click to enlarge.)


Thank you Intepretation by Design.

 Hope that helps.

xo kate

The importance of a true wolfpack

There are three happiness killers:

doing work you do not love and are not passionate about,

surrounding yourself with people who you do not really like

(someone who just fills time),

and living somewhere that does not let you be you.

Just stop it.

Life is far too short.

- Richard Florida

Vote!

Please vote for my look in Jess LC's Design Your Look Competition here.

To vote, all you need to do is leave a comment with my name in it: danielle f of W&W.

xoxo

Ode to Euclid by dfestino featuring patent leather pumps

Tuesday Loseday: I'm a taco walrus

Table For 2 with Whitney Port & Jonathan Daniel Brown from Whitney Port

The Greatest Rivalry

There is nothing that makes Monday easier to face than the Sox beating the Yankees on the Game of the Week. Especially when Beckett pitched a gem. And especially when there's this:



My crush on Jim continues to grow.

xo kate

Mean Disney Girls

Not sure if this is wildly inappropriate or not, but I simply love this.



Who's your favorite Disney princess? I'm partial to Belle, although Jasmine is really a wildcat at heart.

More importantly, if you could be romantical with one disney character who would it be?

My sister and I usually vote for Mufasa--he is so regal and wise and manly--in a lion kind of way. If I were a lioness, I'd be all over that. But Prince Eric is pretty smokin too--let's be honest.

And yes, I say usually, as to imply that I have discussed this many times.

How to feel classy 101

indescribably:

Step 1: Acquire your favorite beverage
Step 2: Make sure your computer sound is on
Step 3: Open the following sites in separate tabs
#1 #2 #3

Step 4: Feel Classy

(via modernhepburn.tumblr)

"Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world." —Marilyn Monroe

xo kate

It's Friday, I'm in love

Well, not really, but I have been doing some serious thinking lately.  Here's where my mind has been.

Between J-Woww, Snooki and DJ Pauly D all having solo projects green-lit for production by MTV, and the entire country of Italy mounting an opposition, I'm starting to get concerned that Jersey Shore: The Italian Years isn't going to happen. 

I just don't understand why Members of Congress still get paid in the event of a government shutdown.  It boggles the mind how jacked up government can get sometimes.  Nicholas Kristof put in much more eloquently than me in his Op-Ed column yesterday.  And by much more eloquently, I mean he doesn't use the term jacked up.

At this point, I'm legitimately worried that the Red Sox aren't going to win a single game this whole season.  Was that whole Best Team Ever stuff meant to be ironic?  I usually have such a finely-honed sense of irony, but I didn't see that coming.  They really should have warned me about that.  In other news, count me among the delighted and terrified that after ninety-nine years, hard liquor is coming to Fenway Park. 

Fenway was peaceful at 5:54am this morning.  But there's nothing that disrupts the peace faster 
than angry Boston fans who now have access toeven more ways to get drunk at a sporting event.

I think the most surprising thing in US Weekly's article about Spencer Pratt's desire to intern for Ryan Seacrest is that VHI is legally allowed to call a show starring Heidi Montag, Jake from The Bachelor and The Real Housewives of New Jersey's Danielle Staub a reality programming.  That show is about as far from reality as things can get.

xo kate