Smoothbeautifully Folded

I still can't write. My mind is muddled mixing, mashed mirth and mourning, a mire of muffled musings.

I feel dried up. But I'd like to believe there is still beauty in this world. In honor of beauty, I give you this.

Pied Beauty

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

-Gerard Manley Hopkins

Eye See

Punny, isn't it? No, seriously, I could go off on a small apologetic rant about how I've been unable to write anything lately (why my grades are probably suffering) to try and make up for that title. But instead I will try to conquer my mental block by forcing myself to write, and focus on the story at hand.

Last Saturday I helped out my friend Andrea with a photo shoot. It was my first time officially being shot, and it's a little bit intimidating. You'd think someone as vain as I am would enjoy flaunting my stuff for the camera, but instead of improving my vanity it made me feel very self-conscious. Mostly because she decided to shoot me from the nose down. It had something to do with conveying a sense of anonymity or something really cool and artistic. But for me, something felt a little strange in how I was being portrayed.

I didn't realize until that exact moment how much I rely on my eyes.


It's no secret that I consider them my best feature (a belief built up over the years by multiple compliments).

Here's just a few of my favorite descriptions:
"She had the eyes of a Thundercats character."
"You have Gooch eyes, but not crazy."
"You're eyes are like Milky Ways."

Yeah. I'm kind of a fan. Needless to say.

So during the photo shoot, as I stood there trying to manipulate my mouth into interesting poses, it hit me how much I missed using my eyes. They're how I communicate, how I share emotions. And without them I feel useless, a dumb creature unable to get my point across. And it's infinitely frustrating. It bothers me when I can't get my point across, or when people refuse to understand what I'm saying. Being stripped of my expressions completely robbed me of the ability to connect, left me alone in the universe.

That's a little dramatic. I apologize.

I think the photos turned out pretty sweet though.

"I couldn't even begin to think about knowing how to answer that question"

Why do I like Wes Anderson?

Is it because he uses Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and the Wilson brothers as regulars? And they are all favorites, especially Murray? Is it because I secretly love the uber-hip playlists that expose a new generation to John Lennon and the Velvet Underground? Or is it the enduring color scheme of yellows, oranges and green that permeate his films? And that all of these elements give his movies a distinct style that is simultaneously comforting AND oh-so-easy to mockingly imitate (a respectful homage, of course)?



I guess it's a mystery.

Style Maven

I couldn't really think of a creative title, and I think the word "maven" is cool, so there you go.

So I shouldn't be writing right now, because I'm trying this new thing called "being efficient and finishing schoolwork earlier than three hours before class". Right now I'm attempting to trick myself into believing a paper is due tomorrow, instead of Thursday. Sadly, I'm not buying it. Why can't I be more gullible?

That was a very long-winded way of saying that while I was slacking off (typical paper-writing process), I found something most excellent.


Tavi is thirteen and blogs about fashion. I know what you are thinking. Why would Cat be interested in fashion? This girl who wears nothing but Converse, jeans, t-shirts and cardigans?

Don't fret, I am still as fashion oblivious as the next person. More so, probably. But Tavi is blowing my mind! At points I can't believe she is that young, because she's so hip and intelligent. Forget fashion, her blog is delightful to read. It's witty, colorful, and peppered with references to some of my favorite things (30 Rock and Freaks and Geeks! Let's be friends). I also like the beautiful images she posts. And the way she dresses is truly outrageous. I LOVE it. It's how I would dress if I had A) guts, and B) siblings that didn't make fun of me when I wear their super cool over-sized flannel shirts, John.

I'm probably breaking some law by posting that picture and linking to her blog, but until I get caught I ain't gonna stop.

Sidenote: I would probably be a successful rapper. Right? Right?

A Cautionary Tale

Seriously, that is all this story is.

But somehow, people just focus on the supposed "romance" of the plot and completely forget the "cautionary" part of the tale! For shame, general public.

I could rag on Romeo & Juliet for countless hours, for a limitless amount of time, but that would be far too much effort to spend right now. Instead, I will simply state that it is among the worst of Shakespeare's plays, that the characters and situations are (for the most part) forced and stilted, and that any ideals of love or destiny are so incredibly false that they should be stoned for preaching idolatrous truths.

That being said, I kind of love Baz Luhrmann's version. Yes, the one with Leonardo DiCaprio. I admit it! I am very entertained by this movie.


I love the frenetic pacing. I love how it begins with almost over-stimulating visuals punctuated by quick cuts. I love how the lines are delivered so earnestly it border on cheesiness. I absolutely love all the lush details-- Tybalt's cat boots, the 9mm "swords", the huge statue of Christ and the achingly beautiful deserted Sycamore Grove stage. Which brings us to the soundtrack. Like him or leave him, the first shot of Leo brooding on the beach with "Talk Show Host" in the background is perfect. Anything that uses Radiohead is tops in my book.


But the main reason to watch? Mercutio! Talk about your fictional crushes. Mercutio is the lone grace in Romeo & Juliet. It doesn't matter what version you are watching, he steals the show every stinkin' time. And I love how Luhrmann goes for a character that is seriously unhinged. One that is capable of switching emotions as quickly as a wave crashing on the shore. This guy experiences the highest highs and the most biting anger within seconds. Now that's just fun to watch!

Besides, I can't help but picture how awesome Michael on Lost would have been if he'd busted out his Mercutio cross-dressing moves. So much better than always screaming WWWWWWWAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLTTTTTTTT!

Dreamin' the Night Away

There are so many theories on what dreams really are. A random firing of synapses? Or a deeper portal into subconscious desires? Like the eternally frustrating question of just how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, it's one of those things the world may never know.

But regardless of how you interpret dreams, you can't deny that they effect us. A dream can set the mood for an entire day. It can make you wake up feeling unsettled, or laughing at how ridiculous it was. They enable you to conquer fears, experience new worlds, and create impossible landscapes. So yes, I'd say they are pretty necessary.

The past two nights, I have had crazy, CRAZY dreams. They've been vivid, intricately detailed, and completely ludicrous. Here's a list of some of the dream topics, to whet your curiosity.

Dream #1:
-Avatar
-James Cameron
-A punch in the face (see: a very deserving James Cameron)
-Robots
-Washington D.C.
-Booth and Brennan from the TV show Bones
-Disguises
-Jon Hamm

Dream #2:
-Bicycles
-Ashley
-Feasting
-Roast turkey and stuffing
-Lobster
-Lobster flavored apples
-My old house in Farmington

One of my co-workers was kind enough to show me dreammoods.com, a website that claims to decipher dreams. She said it was eerily accurate. Eerily vague is more like it, but it still kills an hour or so. I was pretty surprised that there was an entire category for Lobsters.

Lobster: To see a lobster in your dream represents strength and persistence. You will hold your own ground and overcome minor difficulties and problems. To dream that you are eating lobster indicates that you will regain your confidence.

See? Infinitely useful. I had no idea I had lost confidence, but now I know I will regain it! There's hope for me yet!

No, I kid. But seriously, there is something comforting in thinking that I will have the ability to overcome difficulties. Sure, I'm not buying the whole that's-what-the-lobster-signifies angle, but I will take some measure of solace in my dreams. Even if it's just that they make me believe my imagination isn't dead yet, and I have some spark of creativity in me. At least subconsciously.

The Dude Abides

In the movie Garden State, Natalie Portman's character, Sam, says that when she feels completely unoriginal she has to do something completely "her". Like doing a crazy dance that hasn't ever been done in that exact spot. I don't know exactly how this ties in, but it somehow reminds me of my sweater of happiness. Maybe because when I am feeling weary or down, I turn to a certain sweater I own. A sweater that is full of magic and wonder. A sweater that can take any mood or method, and make it awesome.

You see, I own a sweater that is almost identical to the one worn by Jeff "the Dude" Bridges, when he portrayed Jeff "the Dude" Lebowski in the classic Cohen Film The Big Lebowski.

Observe. Here is the Dude, showing off his sweatered goodness:


And here am I. As you might be able to guess, this particular modeling of the sweater is from Halloween:


All I have to do is don this knitted wonder, and immediately any funk is gone. I'm telling you, it's a modern marvel!

OK, here is the random question to end this random post. I want you, yes you, my darling followers, to answer the classic question posed by When Harry Met Sally. Is it possible for a man and a woman to be friends? More specifically, do you think that two people who have had a romantic history can put that behind them and still be incredibly tight? Please tally your opinions in the comments section, and thank you for participating.