Sweatpants on Saturday

For the first time in my college career, I spent my Saturday night in sweatpants, in front of my computer, alongside Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Despite a serious case of senioritis, I've been tackling my busiest semester yet with as much time management as possible, which unfortunately led to the dreaded sacrifice of a weekend evening. With now only SIX COLLEGE WEEKENDS LEFT, Friday and Saturday nights are incredibly precious, so I hope work will not spoil play to such a disappointing degree again!

On the upside, though, the night off probably served me well: with just six days to go before countless Stonehill co-eds embark for the Bahamas, rest and relaxation is imperative to my cruise ship survival. Keep your fingers crosses for some high temperatures -- I could really use a "tan." Ha.

Shining, gleaming, streaming

Maybe it was the recent discussion I had with ML regarding the Broadway revival of "Hair" (and by "discussion," I mean that I was very curious to hear what it was like to watch the musical's infamous nude scene from the 4th row of the center orchestra), but I've grown quite bored with my own coif and am contemplating some drastic measures. Shall I go bald a la Britney circa her post-rehab days? Shall I bleach it blonde and dip the tips in pink a la Gwen circa No Doubt's "Return to Saturn" (Granted, I was more of a "Tragic Kingdom" kind of gal.)? Shall I toy with asymmetry a la Posh circa her and Beck's relocation to the US of A?

Hey, I'm not in that much of a quarter-life crisis! I'm just looking for some extra spice! We'll have to see how brave I get...

In other exciting news, tomorrow marks the ONE WEEK countdown to my spring break cruise through the Bahamas! I can't wait for some sun, shopping, pool-side margaritas, and straw hats. What makes me even more excited, though, is that, since I'll be at home a few days before hopping the boat, I'll get to celebrate the big 2-2 with my friends from home! Our fabulous plans include a tapas dinner at Pipa and continued celebrations atop 230 5th! Happy Friday, everyone! Be careful in the snow!

There's something about crush

Back when JT and I first became roommates, we bonded over a mutual love of the Disney-Pixar masterpiece, Finding Nemo. First off, only miracles happen when Disney and Pixar join forces, so it almost makes too much sense that an animated form of entertainment will be utter perfection when you combine those talents with an endearing story of father-son love. Add in some snappy sea turtles, fish-friending sharks, and the charm of Ellen Degeneres, and you've got a movie that can't be topped. While it's no longer on our weekly viewing repertoire, it's still a frequent DVD that's popped into the player we pilfered from DG after ours broke, from perhaps too many Nemo viewings! When you're in over your head with presentations and papers, nothing beats a quick trip back to childhood!

Toy Story (obviously), Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid also do the trick for me. Oh, life!

My Stonehill Sanity

From left to right: the yoga-loving, athletic trainer in-training; the marathon-running, hair-highlighting Bostonian; the picture-taking, country-obsessed roommate/social worker/professional intern; the over-involved recessionista with really awesome shoes (ha.); the J.Crew-working Jersey girl with perfect hair; the brownie-baking, soldier's bride-to-be; the library-living, Long Island lady; and the blondie accountant who is celebrating tax season.

Unfortunately, the final rock of my Stonehill Sanity was at a conference in Amherst, but if KA were pictured, no description would fit better than "the well-traveled, Connecticut cutie with a love for cutting her hair, dancing to reggae, and wearing cardigans." So that's my little ode to my amazing housemates. I hope you enjoyed it. :-)

Rakin' in the Bread

Alright. So it's probably no secret that possessions make me pretty freaking happy. (Obviously, Madonna's power pop tune about turning away men who can't raise her interest is by far my second favorite Madge hit...Nothing tops her Marlon Brando rap in "Vogue.") Anyhow, as a college student with a pathetic income (giving campus tours and tutoring freshman on the merits of punctuation and parallel sentence structure can only go so far), I've decided to supplement some of my "income," since no matter how hard I try, eBay always beckons, Amazon always calls, and Sephora keeps singing. And this "income supplementation" is something you can all do, too. Listen carefully, because I just made the easiest $60 of my life and I want to share my secret. Aren't I so kind?!

(Also, if anyone is jumping to some very "Law & Order: SVU" type conclusions right about now, get your mind out of the gutter. I acted in a completely legal -- and informatively noble, I might add! -- kind of fashion.)

For those of you who have taken Marketing classes, you've probably heard professors sing the praises of research. From focus groups to surveys, researchers are all over, looking for viable individuals to add to their samples. Tonight, I was one of them. In a two hour survey that involved me listening to and rating over 500 Top 40 Rock, Pop, Rap, Hip-Hop, and R & B chart-toppers, I provided Advanced Focus with the information they needed as they work for their client. Click the link, create a profile, and start raking in the dough!

The Pianoforte

For those of you who have not experienced the piano version of Ke$ha's "Tik Tok," I suggest you do so -- and do so fast. Yesterday's "100 Days" event was literally the most fun I have ever had in college. A night that began with primping along to the Glee soundtrack, and culminated with an inevitable circle-sway to Green Day's anthem of turning points, yesterday reminded me why Stonehill is so amazing. Not to sound overly sappy, but there really was so much happiness present as we rocked out with Sir Elton John and Sir Mix-a-lot!

As for my killer shoes, by some stroke of miracle, they made it past midnight. While I had to ditch them for my post-party walk home, they were glued to the dance floor the entire evening!

The Straws

I think the pink and green straws really upped the fabulous factor during my first Scorpion Bowl experience. A cocktail as delicious as it is lethal, the punchy treat served as the start to my graduation-countdown weekend. Happy Friday!

THEY ARRIVED

Five minutes and five inches later, I'm still in one piece after my practice laps throughout the hallway. They're borderline comfy!

If your "girls" are itty bitty...

...or even if if you rival the Dolly herself, READ THIS BOOK! Barbara Corcoran's first novel has been my bedtime perusal for the past week. As a chick lit enthusiast -- and I'm not ashamed to say the trashier, the better! -- I have never been one for non-fiction... until now! This hilarious and informative book draws connections between Corcoran's past and present, highlighting how her business and real estate savvy -- and multi-million fortune, for that matter! -- are a complete product of her mother's childhood lessons. Give it a go. I promise you'll enjoy it.

But enough about books, though. Let's talk fashion! In positive news, the shoes than have caused Mamaduke to refer to me as nothing but "GaGa" were UPS-scanned in Warwick, RI this evening, which means they'll complete my ensemble in time for Friday night, THANK GOD. I was getting nervous. Mamaduke also suggested investing in a ladder to get into the shoes. What a pip. =)

In other news, in honor of Fashion Week, I've started reading a few new blogs to spark my spring into spring clothes. Some favorites include Kendi Everyday (think small town charm with a flair for color), This Time Tomorrow (mismatching prints and neutral tones have never looked so original), and The Vintage Valley (Australian perfection). This one is also great for those of you frugal fashionistas out there.

Below is a picture of Ally from The Vintage Valley wearing an outfit I plan on emulating very, very soon. I can't say no to a nice blazer. Happy [window] shopping!

ZARIN ZARIN ZARIN

MARCH 4th. 10 PM. BRAVO. THEY'RE BACK. While the wild thangs of the dirty jerz still hold a place in my heart as my FAVORITE hunk of "real" housewives, the catty and fabulous New York crew never fail to amuse me. They had me at Halloween: only Jill Zarin could pull off such a perfect replica of my other idol, Elle Woods. This season, which I expect to be as drama-potent as a SkinnyGirl Margarita, is featuring two new socialistas, ready to brave Bravo's biggest hit with the "charm" that no one but the ex-wife of the J.P. Morgan fortune -- if it still exists, thankyouverymuch, recession! -- heir could muster.

As you might remember, I had the pleasure of spying Zarin Fabrics' famous redhead out on the streets of the concrete jungle this past summer. Here's hoping that it happens again. In the meantime, though, I'll be glued to my TV every Thursday at 10... quite possibly with a Bethenny-brewed cocktail in hand!

Christmas is on Friday

The one non-Christmas-ey aspect of Friday's fabulous festivity is that it marks the dreaded home stretch to college graduation. However, Stonehill's traditional "100 Days" event is something I've been looking forward to ever since I heard the term "dueling pianos." While Boston's famous bar, Jake Ivory's, has since closed, the pianists have not shed their ability to make musical magic with their fancy finger work. Besides the fact that I have a pretty ferocious outfit planned (assuming my don't-mess-with-me, Lady GaGa-esque, five-inch, oh so killer heels make it to me in time... and that I can actually walk, let alone dance, in them!), I can't wait to kick it to the keyboard without even having to leave campus. And of course, I plan to harass the entertainment with more Billy Joel requests than they've probably ever heard. When you're surrounded by Bostonians, pride for New York and its Long Island sister is more important than ever!

Speaking of the Piano Man, click here for a VERY vintage post (we're talking 2008!) about my first Billy Joel concert. Yikes. My blog's so old, it could use some Botox! And speaking of old, yesterday marked the one-month countdown to my TWENTY-SECOND BIRTHDAY. Maybe I need some wrinkle reducing, too...

Quote of the Week

My Valentine's Day Love Affair

They might not send me flowers, candy, or a card, but these purple, ruffly, and seriously stacked four-inch babies re-define the meaning of love. As one of Rachel Zoe's picks on Piperlime, I think it's appropriate to say that they lit-trally make me die. I hope your Valentine's Day Love Affair(s) brings you just as much joy!

Olympic Fever!

My dear pal/hair stylist DG and I have "big plans" to run a 5k in Massachusetts before we graduate. As several of our especially motivated housemates train for half marathons in locations as exciting as New York City and Disney World, we're starting small. And by starting small, I mean we TALK about running the elusive 5k more than we actually pound the pavement for the excruciating 3.1 miles. (I can't even begin to describe how amazed I am by marathon runners.) This afternoon, following a life-changing breakfast, we braved North Easton's judgment-free zone with high hopes of tackling the treadmill for the proposed five kilometers... but our attempt was faltered by some serious Friday night-induced exhaustion. At least we tried, right?!Anyhow, let's talk about THE OLYMPICS! Circa Beijing, I had a love affair with my television. You name the event, I watched it. With a special affinity for Mr. Phelps and his inability to lose, and -- how can I forget! -- my slight obsession with the Chinese child-gymnast controversy, I had what can only be called a complete case of Olympic Fever. While I prefer the summer games, the figure skating brings me back to a time when I used to flit across the ice with just slightly less grace than Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi, and, of course, Tonya Harding. Happy Saturday!

A Snow Day at Stonehill

It's a good thing they canceled classes. The weather is pretty wild out there...

Butterscotch

You can never go wrong with butterscotch. Butterscotch pudding? Yum. Butterscotch schnapps? Yummier. Foley + Corinna's Disco City Tote in "Butterscotch" brown leather? Yummiest. I first spotted this bag on Cupcakes and Cashmere, the go-to blog for all things fashionable in that carefree, west coast kind of way that isn't so easy for us east coast gals to embrace. However, this L.A. lady's style is truly impeccable, and has really inspired me to branch out from the safety of J.Crew and Ralph Lauren.

But who am I kidding? As much as I love my new purchase (thank-you, yet again, eBay!), I'll never stop praising my red corduroys or popping my tie-silk emblazoned collars!

Perfect Guacamole

While this utterly fabulous new show was my favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday (well, that and the deeeeeelish Taquitos and chili KA and I concocted -- a.k.a. microwaved -- for our house's culinary enjoyment), this Bud Light production was definitely my favorite commercial of the evening. Clearly, I'm only in it for the advertisements; I didn't know which teams were playing until yesterday morning, and I am completely fine with that! However, the Saints' victorious finish did spark a discussion of making an impromptu jet-set to the French Quarter for some Bourbon Street debauchery... Can you hear my bank account crying, too?

Cher's Main Thrill in Life

Firstly, by "Cher," I obviously mean Cher Horowitz of Amy Heckerling's 1995 generation- defining film, Clueless, not the one-name wonder who wished to turn back time and believe in life after love. Anyhow, as sidekick Dionne states to the decrepit new girl Tai (RIP) as the trio of California girls lunch in the breeze of Beverly Hills, "Cher's main thrill in life is a make-over. It gives her a sense of control in a world filled with chaos."

As you can tell, The Prose of Krose has undergone a little make-over of her own. While it didn't involve the removal of Kool Aid hair dye or daily sessions with VHS copies of "Buns of Steel," it was the perfect way to procrastinate any and all responsibilities in between grocery shopping for processed foods and Commercial Bowl binge eating.

How do you like the new look?

Dear Birthday Benefactors,

Since I know it's a little over-the-top to ask for this, this, and/or this as a token of celebration for my 22nd birthday, maybe this is a more reasonable request...

I was a huge fan when I became highly acquainted with the bells and whistles of the Flip Video this summer, but now that it comes in a poppy shade of bubblegum pink, I can't resist the potential purchase as I imagine capturing the final moments of my senior year in marvelous motion.

However, if anyone out there is actually willing to charm me with the Burberry trench coat that I've come more than dangerously close to buying on more than one occasion (see Mom, I actually do have some online shopping self-control!), I will certainly not mind if the FlipVideo fails to make an appearance alongside the iconic piece of couture on March 14th.

If that's not perfection, I don't know what is. Here's hoping...

Eternally Optimistic

Ever a non-believer in Murphy's Law and a constant supporter of the glass half-full, I've learned to see the positive side of food poisoning. I'll spare you the details, but just never, ever eat at Chipotle.

PRO: Food poisoning is a better diet than Atkins, South Beach, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, and Weight Watchers combined.

PRO: Food poisoning counts as an excused absence from class.

PRO: Food poisoning makes taking multiple naps in a single day perfectly acceptable.

PRO: Food poisoning makes it completely possible to marathon Mad Men despite academic commitments.

PRO: Food poisoning will save me some serious dough -- Chipotle is an addictive money pit!

If I think of any more, I'll let you know. In the meantime, I'll be reacquainting myself with solid food for the first time in a few days...