Tunes Tuesday, "Royals," Lorde

I was just saying that I wanted to do a Tunes Tuesday post but there hadn't been any song this month I'd been wearing out on repeat. Then I heard "Royals" on top 40 radio.  

Have you heard it too? Is it going to become ubiquitous? I would be ok with that. I'm already listening to it over and over again. It's polished to the point of being varnished, but it's got some soul too. And Lorde's voice is cool. She's just 16! 

I'm happy this is on the radio. It's going in the same category as "Safe and Sound" by Capital Cities. I will always crank that up, and I'm stoked those guys have a big hit.

Beyonce's Pixie and a "Cell Phone Mugging"

Hello my lovelies! (TM Cup of Jo)

Am I crazy or did Beyonce get the same haircut as me? Yay pixie cut! Compare for yourself: Queen B's new hair and my Miley-esque cut, which has since grown out a tad. "Maybe she reads Gosh Gee Golly," Joe said. Ha! I'm digging her hair, obviously, since I'm pro-pixie. Anyway, I feel like I'm on the cutting edge today.

Other than that, I've been busy working. And reading crime stats in local blogs, which is one of my more perverse hobbies. I can't find the link, but there was a story recently about a woman who had her bike stolen, then she saw the thief on her bike the next week and took out her cell phone to call the cops and the same guy stole her phone. Maybe that's an urban legend, ha. Just to give you a baseline for my neurosis, when my dad found out that I was moving to Mount Pleasant, he told my mom, "Her chance of survival is slim." 

Yesterday, I sat in the car while Joe ran and grabbed his dry cleaning. It was a nice day and I had the window down while scrolling through Twitter. Sddenly, a hand shot through the window and I heard someone yell, "Give me your phone." I realize now that my reaction time is very,  very slow. It was like being underwater. I found myself screaming "No!" and lunging towards the driver seat. I looked back at my assailant and... it was a friend of mine. It was all a joke. I wasn't going to end up on the pages of a Capitol Hill blog after all. Anyway, my life flashed before my eyes a bit there, but maybe it was a good drill for the real thing. God forbid.

New Apartment: Before Pics

I promised I would post pictures of our new space, and now I'm making good on that promise. Please keep in mind, these are before pictures. Before. That's why it is so messy and haphazard. Yes, that's why. Hopefully it will get better.

When you enter the apartment, the "gear wall" greets you. It's basically a particle board wall and then different hooks and baskets that can be rearranged. I don't know why the management company considers this such a big selling point for the apartment, but they do. Of course, Joe actually does have mountain climbing "gear" but I'm not sure if that's what they had in mind. "Here is our gear wall," I told my friend Haerah when she came to check out our apartment. "Ahh," she said. "It's a really nice stuff board."

Stuff board, gear wall, same difference. The question is, can it be made pretty? I will say it is convenient.

The closet is similar. I loved the concept, and it's pretty spacious. There is storage above the two bars. Joe and I need to work on sharing this space though, since I want to hog it all. Check out those sexy acrylic CB2 bar stools. I got them via Craigslist last weekend from a couple who bought them to stage their home to sell it. So they are practically new. They'll hang out in the closet until I can muster up the funds to buy the matching table.

The kitchen is on the wall with the door, and comes with open shelving and tomato red accent paint. It's pretty cute! I hung up my  Instax photos via the Fred Flare Birds on Wire set that Joe's sister gave me for Christmas. I think I'm going to do a black and white theme in the kitchen area. My plates are ugly, but the glasses are mismatched (all the wine glasses have winery logos), so I don't think I should put them in the open shelves. What do people put in open shelves? Purely decorative items or things they use a lot so they can be lazy and not open doors?

The TV is along the same wall as the kitchen. A coffee table is acting as a makeshift entertainment unit. I don't think there is anywhere else to put the bookshelves, but I'm not sure what should go above the TV and between the bookshelves in terms of wall art. Maybe a gallery wall. Would that look dorky?

Speaking of looking dorky, here is a chair directly in front of a couch. Ha. Our apartment is small and this works for the moment. The orange couch has a place of honor. There's a very Japanese-looking glass wall that can slide back and forth to separate the bedroom from the living room. Here you can see where the kitchen table is currently, not a lot of space for that either. BTW I got a new Air Macbook. That's the reason why I can't afford any furniture. I almost started sobbing when the guy rang my credit card, which is not a normal reaction. But I do love it so far.  When I walked into the Apple store, I thought it smelled like body odor. Maybe it was from the geniuses, or maybe it was the customers' flop sweat when their credit cards are charged.

Oh yeah, and that cool little round grey table is new. I got it at the very inspiring H Street mod vintage furniture store, Hunted House. I was convince to buy it by the proprietor who told me that the coffee table would look at home in Roger's office on Mad Men. Sold! 

He probably says that to everyone. No matter. It is the perfect size and I think it's going to look groovy. 

The bed is squished up against two walls, which doesn't look great, but there's so much more space for my dresser this way. I think it desperately needs a headboard. Remember last time I tried to buy a headboard and gave up? Why are they so expensive?

There are a few interesting other touches, but I'll save them for another day. God willing, it won't still look like this in a year!

Farm City, Farm Farm City

I finished "Farm City" last month and realized I had a book with a very similar title on my bookshelf. You can see where my interests lie.  

I really dug "Farm City."* Novella is just the perfect amount of weird for this kind of memoir. I felt for her neighbors though, especially when she raised pigs in an urban lot. But she's one tough cookie, snapping the necks of rabbits and digging through dumpsters outside of Chinese restaurants for leftovers for her livestock. Novella, write another book and until then I'll keep up with your blog and live vicariously through your urban farming. 

*Weak pun attempt 

Tunes Tuesday, "Stare at the Sun," Eleanor Friedburger

Eleanor Friedburger writes a great summer song, the kind of carefree, jangly tune that makes you want to roll your car window down. In fact, her last album was called "Last Summer," and this summer, she's back with a new record. Here's her catchy first single. I love her lyrics, it feels like you are listening to a friend tell a story. OK, an especially witty friend. But that's the only kind of friend I have anyway.

Listen to Eleanor Friedberger / Stare At The Sun | Explore the largest community of artists, bands, podcasters and creators of music & audio.

I caught her show at U Street Music Hall last month, and she was just hanging out in front of the ticket booth. We thought she might be the person taking our ticket! Gotta love a small venue. 

New Hair

I chopped all my hair off two weeks ago. 

After the cut, I asked Joe, "Is my new hair swaggy?" 

"It's something," he said. Then after my protestations, he demurred. "It is definitely swaggy." 

For your reference: on the left is fresh from my hair stylist and on the right is my subsequent attempt to style it. 

I specifically requested it to not be like Miley Cyrus, but I think it's a little Miley. Whatever. I'm digging it! I was actually inspired to go short by Michelle Williams (Who What Wear just wrote about her undercut ) and also Robin Wright in House of Cards. She rocks that cut. 

It took me three years to grow my hair out and then in an hour, it was all gone. It was the longest it's ever been in my lifetime. You can see it here in the pages of Interior Design magazine (I "modeled" for my company's photoshoot. I haven't mentioned that here, but it was surreal!)

I don't miss the long locks. I think I wrote about the fact that I was freaked out by how much hair fell out daily. Maybe I never noticed it when it was short, but when it was long, it scared the bejeezus out of me. After I went to Iceland and ruined my hair in the Blue Lagoon and it was looking particularly terrible, I googled "women's hair loss" and just cried while reading the stories. Irrational behavior on my part, I know. I actually called up Joe and just scream-cried into the phone. In between sobs, I managed to get out the words, "All my hair is falling out." Joe was so sincere, and took me at face value. "What can I do? Can take you to urgent care?"

That wasn't necessary.

OK, so that's my insane reaction to long hair. I never got used to finding strands everywhere, but I still seem to have the same amount of hair as before so no harm no foul. I was just so sick of it so it's time for something new. I think I need new, edgier clothes (or girlier clothes?) to go with this swaggy hairdo. And fun earrings. I'm thinking statement earrings and ear cuffs. So now you know, I got this haircut to show off trendy ear cuffs. 

Leave me a comment if you love it or hate it, or if you have any suggestions for fun products for punky, edgy short hair.