How Would Carrie Bradshaw Do Yardwork?

When I left to get my hair cut on Saturday, I thought I looked rather fetching in a navy peasant skirt and pale blue top. And I decided to add cute shoes instead of flip-flops, opting for Sam Edelman faux snakeskin t-strap ballet flats.

After my hair cut (and color, where I got re-redded), I went to pick up the giant roll of fabric for recovering my couch. When I arrived at my house to drop it off, I found my parents in the throes of yardwork. Dad's pickup was loaded with bales of pinestraw and bags of mulch for the plant beds scattered around my front yard.

I couldn't let them toil alone. So I found myself spreading mulch in my Sam Edelmans. I imagine that was the most fashionable raking that yard had ever seen. All was well until the threat of mud arrived. And then I just had to go barefoot. Even Carrie would sacrifice a few splinters to save the shoes.

Gratitude: A Letter to the Universe

Dear Universe:
Thank you for the cool water trickling through my veins at last. Thank you for sending me the impulse to buy the Harper's Bazaar Fall Fashion issue so that I could read very nearly the whole four-pound book while waiting for a plane.

Thank you for an old, worn-in and wonderful friendship. For someone who cared enough to track down and drive to the only second-run theater in the St. Louis area still showing Sex & the City so that I could see it on the big screen. Thank you for the release mid-movie where I started to cry - and I so needed to. Thank you for a dream to own the Something Blue Satin Pump.

Thank you for time surrounded by flowers and plants of both the common and exotic variety. For time spent wandering through a woodland garden that transported my spirit to England. For the spontaneity to jump in a fountain and spend the rest of the afternoon slightly damp.

Thank you for chocolate - in martinis and cupcakes and mousse and truffle cake and plain old Hershey's chocolate bars eaten in a dark theater.

Thank you for art. For the burning red intensity of the Rothko. The charred haunting representation of Chernobyl in Burning Rods. For images and lines and color and textures that coalesced into visual emotion.

Thank you for a burst of laughter, for airplaning around a living room singing "That's How You Know" - badly. Thank you for turning laughter into giggles.

Thank you, Universe, for a little break. Thank you for the joy of hugs, the joy of words between friends. The joy of silence between friends. The joy of food shared with friends.

Thank you for friends. And thank you, friend.

Love,
Ashley

Half-Tease

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters later this year (November 21, to be exact). And while I am one of the last in America who has yet to see The Dark Knight and the ONLY one of the female persuasion who missed Sex & the City in the theater and now has to wait for it on DVD (please leave your condolences in the comments section), you can bet your galleons I'll be at the Potter flick. The film's teaser trailer will be in the previews for the third installment of The Mummy series which is debuting this weekend. USA Today published screen caps today of two notable scenes: young Tom Riddle at the orphanage and Dumbledore's ring of fire. Other film stills floating around the internets feature Ron in his quidditch gear and Harry in Slughorn's office, presumably to gather that foggy memory. And while I'm still sad about my BIG S&TC faux-pas, I can at least console myself with the impending next-to-last installment of Potter. Oh, and the full trailer can be viewed here.*



*Um, I posted before watching the trailer. Which is AWESOME. I'm such a dork.

Where Ya Been?

* Driving around town with a combination of saran wrap, masking tap and garbage bags covering my window

* Coordinating, with careful precision and much switch-a-roo of vehicles, the replacement of the window

* Taking pictures

* Worrying through Dillon's trip to the emergency room after a fall

* Being introduced by Anna to free, highly addictive, mindless online games

* Helping Mom take care of the Ranger cat's teeth

* Trying not to read/see/overhear Sex & the City spoilers

* Having two suspicious moles removed from my back and getting a 76th diagnosis on the persistent itchy rash

* Pondering the reality that Usher's new song (which features Young Jeezy) is really called "Love in This Club" and the lyrics do actually say, "I want to make love in this club" and "I'll be like your medicine, you'll take every dose of me." Plus there's the invitation to do it in the club bathroom. Romantical. I thought it was spoof the first time I heard it.

* Drinking beer with management Friday afternoon at 3 during BITF (Beer in the Fridge)

* "Graduating" from leadership class - a bit sad, actually

* Talking to STGD about seeing him this weekend at the lake

* Babysitting the Dilly Monster

* Keeping Anna company after a particularly trying week

* Forgetting to email people

* Getting stuck reading a book I can't seem to finish

* Eating Italian Cream Cake

* Making to-do lists

* Waiting for the Dems to pick a candidate already

* Not blogging. Oops.

Feminist Fatale

Dear Ms. Gerdes,
I read, with great interest, your recent column lambasting the feminist doctrine of Sex & the City. And I must heartily disagree with you that the gals of S&TC are bad for young career women. I'm not sure how you can make that claim when you look at the four women on the show - Carrie, who decided not to give up the career she loved for The Russian; Miranda, who made being a high-powered attorney work with being a mom; Samantha, who's chosen to have neither children nor a husband in lieu of career and a life lived at her whim; and Charlotte, who did give up her career for family - but that's what she wanted to do. And maybe that doesn't qualify for your definition of career woman, but to me, that's the beauty of the show: it's a cross-section of women choosing different careers in ways that work for them.

So why all the bitterness and judgment? Isn't the message there that you can do what you want to do? And isn't that, in and of itself a "feminist" message for women? I think possibly, you should rewatch the episode where Carrie catches Samantha with the Fed-Ex delivery man for a PSA on judgment.

You uphold three people in your column. Gloria Steinham, Hillary Clinton, and Jenna Jamison (really???). While I find Steinham and Clinton inspiring in what they've done making inroads for women everywhere, I don't think they're like me. I don't identify with them. To me, it's taking feminism back to a level that made it hard for a lot of women to swallow by making it radical in its definition. In order to be feminist - and here's where you uphold yourself as "feminist" - you have to renounce marriage and family, devote yourself wholly to your career, and idolize political and social icons. It's taking feminism and limiting it to those who choose this all-or-nothing approach and those who are willing to make a statement with their lives.

That's not me. I don't want to make a statement. Other than that I am a woman and I feel empowered to do what I want to do and that I am still strong and still independent even if that vision of who I am and what I want to be includes marriage and a family. And right now? I am a career woman, but I don't think that's what makes me feminist as much as my belief that women can be whatever they want. I object to the idea that being a wife and mother - whether a SAHM or working mother - is anti-feminist.

Plus, I'd like to remind you that S&TC is entertainment. That's what made it fun. That it wasn't a documentary about Gloria Steinham. That it was about women who had all sorts of insecurities and frailties (not whiny as you suggest) and problems with men and career (I assume you've had these?) and that they looked fabulous while dealing with it.

And lastly, I should probably remind us both that we're talking about a television show. A ground-breaking one. A generation-defining one. A revolutionary one, even. But also one that was written to engage us, make us laugh, make us think. And that in and of itself, should grab it a place in the feminist hall of fame.

So you may be disillusioned by S&TC. But me? I still uphold my pink suede box set with pride.

Viva la Bradshaw!
Ash

Berlin Babes

Now this is a little more like it:


The ladies looked even more fashionable at the big screen debut in Berlin. Kristin Davis rocks the shamrock frock, and I absolutely adore SJP's dress. It reminds me of the Big dress. (The first time?) And her hair looks really elegant, although this shot doesn't really do it. Plus I love her shoes. Cynthia Nixon is still showing that clavicle, but the V cut accentuates her features better and gives the illusion at least that the girls are a bit more perky. And though this shot makes it look like there might be some fit issues, Kim Cattrall's tangerine is a much more daring and interesting choice than the red. Overall, a step fashion forward.

Flower Power

So I'm at work, eating my lunch at my desk (lest you think I'm blogging on company time - I am a good girl) and checking out the latest posts on Perez. The Sex & the City movie premiere was last night in London town (sighs), and the ladies showed up dressed thusly:


Everyone is taking potshots at Sarah Jessica Parker for her over-the-top headgear. But, really? I kind of love it. Isn't that what we all thought was awesome about Carrie Bradshaw? That she wore hot pants, white heels and a gold lame belt pack and somehow made it cool? There are a lot of fashions throughout the six seasons that I personally couldn't pull off, but they dared, and that was what made it wonderful. And honestly? Kristin Davis' dress is a snoozefest, and Kim Cattrall looks like she's wearing a red slinky. I'll give Cynthia Nixon props for her clavicle-bearing black dress, but I'm not sure that it accentuates her best features.

All in all, even though I might not rock a giant green flower tower on my head, I give SJP credit where credit is due - she takes the risks and she works the carpet. You don't get to be a fashion icon by playing it safe in basic black.

Hump Day Listmania

* I discovered today that our dear intern is an avid S&TC fan and she is willing to include me in her viewing party for the big screen debut if I can't see it with one of my long-time S&TC gals.

* I am working on a skit. Yes, a skit.

* Today was my boss' birthday, so we took his freshman year high school yearbook picture, blew it up to 11 x 17 and created a Warhol wall in the colors of the Mountain Dew label - his drink o' choice - on the outside of the cubes.

* I'm reading a book I don't particularly like but feel compelled to finish anyway.

* One of my clients was reported on by the university's student-run television news program. It wasn't a particularly favorable story, but the dramatic hard-nosed journalism attempt by these fluffy girls is hi-larious.

* Still eating Skittles.

* The Dillman cometh this weekend.

* Is Ashlee Simpson pregnant? Do I care? (Okay...maybe a little...idle curiosity...)

Ready for the Big Time?

Thank you, Tempe, for bringing this to light. I'm giddy. It just makes me giddy. And I watched it...twice.

Such a tease...

Ash's Must-See TV

While I'm not usually one for regularly scheduled programs, particularly the network fare, I find myself parking it in front of the boob tube on a regular basis these days. It's a commentary on the gripping life I lead...but you know, if you're looking for something to watch, and Pen's regularly scheduled programming hasn't let you to what you seek, check out these prime-time gems.

Monday - 8 p.m., GPTV, Antiques Roadshow
Okay, so I know it's kind of lame that I watch Antiques Roadshow with my parents every Monday. But it makes them happy and it appeals to my nerdy love of odd history and such. Plus, it's always a bonus when someone from the bowels of south Georgia comes up with a piece of pottery they bought for a quarter at a garage sale that's worth $20k. I'm getting really good at spotting which ones are going to be big-tickets.

Tuesday - 9 p.m., Fox, House
I love this show. I love this man - this odious, cynical, unjust, brilliant man. I want to be verbally and emotionally abused by Gregory House. I can't get enough of the wicked humor and quirky relationships on this show. (And I missed it tonight because I erroneously thought it was a rerun - egads!)

Wednesday, 10 p.m., Bravo, Project Runway
Tim Gunn alongside a cardboard box would entertain me. The fact that he's surrounded by 15 catty designing divas and the caricature-ish Michael Kors and Nina Garcia really ups the ante for me. Carry on!

Friday, 8 p.m., Men in Trees
Think of this show, now in its second season, as Northern Exposure meets Sex and the City. Other than the fact that I sometimes space out for a second or two thinking about how odd Anne Heche is in real life, I love her character Marin, a relationship coach jilted by her high-profile fiance who then retreats to Alaska. She hosts a radio show, and her monologue is often very Carrie Bradshaw-esque. The scenery is gorgeous and the supporting cast is equally charming - including Orlando Jones as a very persnickety gay man partnered by Mario Cantone of S&TC fame.

Friday, 9 p.m., Women's Murder Club
I know, I know. I virtually just assured myself a spot in the Single Cat Lady Hall of Fame with this admission. And Kim may no longer be my friend because the lead, Angie Harmon, just happens to be the sister of the sinister and much-hated Mark Harmon. (Ask her, she'll tell you the story.) But it's a good show. And it also features Rob Estes, who starred in the USA Network Original Series Silk Stalkings, of which I was a big fan. I never quite got over the death of his character Sgt. Chris Lorenzo, so I'm really just happy to see him alive.

Addendum: After consulting IMDB, I have discovered that Angie Harmon is actually no relation to Mark Harmon. Kim, consider yourself cleared to join the Women's Murder Club.

A Big Problem

After many months and lots of rumors about who and what was slowing the project down, producers finally got the Sex & the City movie taking shape. All four of the show's female leads will be back for the big screen. The film, set for release some time in 2008, is starting to move forward with production.

But I read today that, at this moment, Chris Noth has not agreed to participate. His agent is stating that the "details" are being worked out and that Noth is hoping his schedule (with Law & Order) will allow him to take part in the movie. But on the other side of things, his recent re-up with L & O did not include the 5 percent pay hike he was hoping for, and Noth, like Cattrall before him, is holding out for a Bigger paycheck. Sources say that should Noth not sign, producers will not try to replace him but will instead replace the character.

Come on, Chris. It took you 96 episodes to get a first name and you're not going to come back? And let's face it, the big screen without Big will make the Sex & the City movie a smaller attraction. After all, it took the commitment-phobe six seasons to say "You're the one" and we all know he's the one we want to see opposite Carrie. Here's hoping he gets the "details" worked out.

Separated by A Vile of Angelina's Blood

When I saw the previews for Catch & Release, I thought Johnny Knoxville was in it. But he's not. It's Timothy Olyphant from Deadwood and The Girl Next Door and, believe it or not, from the episode of Sex & the City where Carrie dates the twenty-something Sam. He's Sam. And the Johnny Knoxville thing niggled at me when I saw the movie this weekend...but there was something else. Something in the teeth. And the facial expressions. And the voice. And then it hit me.

Big News: The Girls are Back in Town

Yesterday, while reading an issue of In Touch from a couple of weeks ago (the one with all the details of TomKat's wedding) I found out that Sex & the City executive producer Michael Patrick King is rounding up the ladies for renegotiations on a feature-length film. On the first go-round, there was a lot of discussion about whether it was truly a scheduling conflict or a conflict between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker over being at the forefront. But this time around, it sounds like some plot points are already being revealed - the film will center around Big & Carrie's wedding, bringing all the girls back together for the celebration. No details on when this film will make it to the silver screen, but I'm already tingling with anticipation - and celebrating by watching Season Six.

Spare Me 60 Seconds for Studio 60

Dear NBC Studio Execs:
Please be like Jordan McDeere. Please understand that not all of us want to watch 17 hours straight of reality television - with all due respect to those who do. But please, NBC, I've heard the rumblings. I knows you've been making cuts and that my dear Studio 60 hasn't been holding up in the ratings. But, please, I beg you. Don't axe it.

Take a look around at the brilliant but cancelled shows that litter the past few years - Arrested Development. People wish that was still on TV. They campaign for it to be back on television. There are tshirts for that!! And they'll wish this was on TV if you snatch it away from us all. Because it's smart. It's funny. It's entertainment that isn't spoon-fed drivel.

And Sarah Paulson? She's amazing. She knocks my socks off. The whole cast is fantastic. It's fantastic, thoughtful acting. The way The West Wing portrayed the president we long for, Studio 60 shows a side of Hollywood we hope for - the side with a brain.

I was a little desperate when I heard the rumors, and my friend Kim looked it up and told me it's in the top 20 podcast downloads. See? See there? The rich people with the iPods are loving your show. Then I read an article that suggested people aren't interested because they don't have anything in common with the high-powered studio execs portrayed on the show. Like I've got so much in common with the ladies of Wisteria Lane. Or the detectives on CSI. And frankly, I don't have enough money to buy Manolo Blahniks - probably never will - but I love Sex & the City with all my heart.

The only thing I need to have in common with this show is we need to be together on Monday nights at 10. Seriously. This is my return to network television. Don't let me down. Pretty please? Pretty please with sugar on top?

XO,
Ash

P.S. Did I mention how much I love Bradley Whitford?

Sad Mac

For those of you who are PC/Windows users, you can't possibly know the fear inspired by the appearance of the Sad Mac. The Sad Mac is the agent of ultimate destruction in the Mac universe - the CyberAngel of Death, if you will. And today at work, the Sad Mac descended on my computer in the form of a blank gray screen. Despite attempts to revive from the startup disk, the Sad Mac persisted in the form of a red error message that the Mac Pro told me indicated a hard drive problem.

Unfortunately, our backup system has been down since we've been in the new office. Meaning I've potentially lost everything since May. The Mac Pro told me that data recovery was "ify" but I overnighted my little eMac to him anyway. It was all too reminicent of the Sex & the City episode where Carrie's Mac crashes and the tech guy says, "You saw the Sad Mac? That's bad." And, like me, she had no backup. But unlike me, she had great Manolo Blahnik shoes to ease her pain.

The Good Stuff

After a somewhat scary experience converting to Blogger Beta, I decided to embrace its new qualities. I'm not as daring as Kim, who gave The Unwilling Adult a blog-lift. But I did go through and tag all my posts so that if you likey one you can find the others like it. I realized going through that I had a lot of complaints on the blog. So in an effort to give you something uplifting in lieu of the traditional negative fare, I give you the following list of good things about the weekend:

* New haircut (that I still like today) * Two books read * Much quality time spent with Kudzu (who very much enjoyed having his belly rubbed) * Finished Season 5 of Sex & the City * Did not eat out once but cleaned out some leftovers and saved money * Had a delicious red apple after dinner * Watched less TV this weekend than I can remember in a long time * Had lovely walk to church and back this morning * Enjoyed back porch reading once again * Felt kindly toward neighbor who was also on his back porch and playing classic rock loudly * Wished Mom & Dad happy 39th wedding anniversary * Talked to the parents-to-be about baby books * Vowed to have better attitude about work than in recent days * Laughed out loud at least twice while reading * Took a nap

Thoughts for Saturday

It's almost 7:30...here are the things I've thought about today:

1) Taking a walk (but not taking one)

2) The gay man at the office came out yesterday - and admitted that he doesn't love my haircut. I'm officially growing it out.

3) How long it will take my hair to grow back out

4) Going to the grocery store (but not going)

5) Sadness over the plate I knocked to the floor off the couch arm and broke into several sadly irreparable pieces

6)How everything in my house that is edible seems to be stale

7) Having seen two drunk college students almost have sex on Front Street last night between the post office and a lunch-only cafe called Betty B's

8) Amusement at Kudzu's new habit of laying on the window sill and sleeping with his face smashed up against the pain or the frame

9) How wonderful it is, sometimes, to have not talked to anyone all day

10) Going to the library to get a book on tape to listen to while cleaning (and not doing either)

11) My hair looks best on Saturdays when no one is going to see it

12) That if I put all the things back in the corner where the ceiling leaked, someone will show up to spackle, paint and sand the ceiling - all over my stuff

13) Why the new Killers album isn't coming out until October

14) How to lose 12 pounds before I have to wear a bridesmaid dress without really trying (or giving up chips, cookies and ice cream)

15) Why I can find time to blog, make my way through 96 episdoes of S&TC, eat, drink, sleep, work, and make a gigantic mess of my apartment, but I can't find time to read a book

16) That I kind of missed taking the new car for a drive today while I was busy staying in

17) Sometimes Kudzu knows just when to come and get in my lap

18) Where to get to dinner from (refrigerator not included)

19) Whether or not I should start the 6-hour Pride & Prejudice, which I suddenly have a yen to do

20) The list of things I should be doing is growing longer the longer I sit on this couch and blog

Oh So True

"Oh, please. There's always a contest with an ex. It's called who'll die miserable."

- Samantha Jones, Sex & the City, Season 3, Episode 9

Color Me Fair Orchid

While I was re-watching Sex & the City (Season 2, Disc 3, Episodes 13-18), I was surfing around and found this great little website called Colorstrology. I work with PMS (Pantone Matching System) all the time. PMS colors are essentially pure colors that designers use when creating logos and the like and determine what inks printers use. This website assigns you a PMS color according to your birthday. This is what mine (July 6) had to say:

PMS 15-3508
Fair Orchid

Generous. Organized. Responsible.
Although you are highly sensitive, you know how to get the job done. You have learned how to move around your emotional nature to ensure a life of productivity and stability. You are creative and organized and are usually able to integrate these two qualities. People come to you for advice and support due to your generous and nurturing spirit. Your personal color resonates with detachment and vision.

I tried it for a handful of people whose birthdays I could think of off the top of my head: Mom, Dad, Anna, her husband, Justin and his wife, J., Kim, coworkers whose birthdays I could remember. Most of them were incredibly accurate. (Kim - yours is! And the color that corresponds with yours looks great on you. In fact, come to Wilmington and I'll buy you a shirt that color! ;) ) If you try it, please report on your color and description and whether you think it describes you in the right light.