scream moon tiara boomerang!

Today is the stateside premier of the new Sailor Moon series, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal. Maybe you didn't know this about me, but I'm a huge fan! It's a beautiful magical show about a charmingly clumsy, hapless teenaged girl who one day is beckoned by a wise and mystical talking cat into the magical parallel universe that exists all around her, one of shadowy figures and apparitions, which she is destined to rule as Princess of the Moon--if she could only find her allies and defeat the villain! It's Just like Harry Potter! 

Celebrating the the 20th anniversary of Naoko Takeuchi's original manga, the series promises to be a more faithful adaptation than the animated version that aired in the 90's (which, as I said before, I loved). I was especially excited to see the new theme song and transformation montages--they didn't disappoint! In particular, the lyrics to the new opening theme, "Moonpride," by Yasuharu Takanashi, were too good to be true… and worth transcribing myself to share with you:

moon pride

I want to support you

the tears rolling down my cheek

my eyes burning scarlet

someone is shouting love outloud

like a flash of lightning

no matter how dark it is

I know I'm not alone

moonlight shines upon us

we all have unshakable wills

we will fight on our own

without leaving our destiny to the prince

shiny make up 

we are gonna shine bright

under the starry sky

we are not helpless girls

who need men's protection

so… 

shiny make up

we are gonna fight

with power from the starry sky

a new legend begins right now

right here

la la pretty guardian

sailor moon!

I'd also recommend watching the Official Extended Trailer:

 I loved the first episode! Apart from the initial clues we are given towards Usagi's ultimate cosmic destiny, it features a classic early-series sailor moon plot line in which an evil, otherworldly vixen comes to steal human energy by brainwashing the people of tokyo with cheap tricks like 95% off jewelry sales, before ultimately crumbling into dust after being hit with one of Sailor Moon's accessories. 

You gotta check it out! And while we wait for the next episode to air, here are some more of my sailor-themed posts from the past, including who I'd cast if I were to produce a live-action adaptation; sailor-scout accessories; and some Usagi-esque fashion on the runway . 

Happy Scouting! 

happy holidays you guys!

So, Thanksgiving went off without a hitch, and now Christmas Season is in full swing! I can't tell if I'm really in to it or if I'm faking it for Felix, but either way, I've got spirit! Christmas carols are on soft rock radio twennyfourseven in the kitchen; I've seen three cars topped with giant plastic menorahs driving down Murray Ave in the past five days; and I can't stop thinking about this blue-eyed beauty, star of Oscar de la Renta's Children's Holiday Collection 

She's the one ♥

That bow is nowhere to be found on the internet, btw. Find it for me!!

tricks, treats, and selfies

Happy November!

First of all, please excuse the selfie--this year, instead of getting ready with a bunch of tipsy twenty-somethings (*sigh*) I prepared for Halloween with a sweetheart of a toddler who, shrewd though he may be, still hasn't mastered the art of smart-phone-photography. As it turns out, I got all dolled up for nothing--we didn't even go trick-or-treating! I think the rain, and a persistent case of the sniffles, had something to do with the decision. Instead, Felix decreed that we indulge in our typical Thursday night ritual: an apple juice at the bar while we wait for daddy to get off work (an extra special treat these days, as we recently put the kaibosh on at-home-juicing, per Doctor Glick's instruction). I'm a little disappointed by the lack of fun-sized snickers around the house, but for the sake of Felix's little baby teeth, it's probably for the best. I'm sure Doctor Glick would agree.

However! I did  discover something thanks to my erroneous 'mommy black cat' costume, which should serve us all well as the weather turns cooler: xhilaration fleece-lined leggings. They're amazing! Somehow, the fleece doesn't add any bulk, so they look just like normal leggings, but so so so much warmer.  At under $10, they're worth every penny. I've been wearing mine all week!

Do yourself a favor, guys! 

happy halloween!

I don't have any be-costumed, trick-or-treat pics to share just yet, as I'm posting In Real Time. But, here are some sweet, silly shots of us dicking around our local pumpkin patch--we didn't even buy one, since felix already imported two from Ohio! Nevertheless, I'm starting to think it's both fun and important to orchestrate this kind of goofy, seasonally-themed photo-op. You know, for posterity!

Have fun out there tonight, you guys!

xo

christopher robin upinhere

When I went to do Felix's laundry recently, a handful of little acorns tumbled out of his pockets! Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard? Autumn is such a magical time to be a little one! 

to oakland, to oakland

I don't know about you guys, but these days we are trying to take advantage of the last warm and sunny weather before it rains for the next four months straight. One of my favorite things to do on a day-date with Felix is to take a trip into Oakland. It's a great place to hang out! There's the Carnegie Library, of course, with its large children's area. It's funny, Felix always gets excited to play with the thomas-the-tank-engine toys they have there, even though we have a million at home! And let's not for get the "big dino" statue, always a hit. The library shares a wall with the natural history museum (hence the statue) and as we recently discovered, you can even look down on some of the dinosaur skeletons from a window upstairs in the stacks. The library has its own cafe, too, so sometimes in the morning we'll get a tasty treat to share, and head outside for a picnic on the Schenley Plaza. This time, it was coffee for me, juice for fe, and a nice piece of almond sprinkle biscotti! 

I really love the Pitt campus, especially around the library. Gazing up at the Cathedral of Learning is humbling, and a little dizzying, too! Did you know it's the tallest educational building in the western hemisphere? I bet you didn't! Walking around its majestic exterior, with its gothic architecture and all that pale, salem limestone, always makes me think of Minas Tirith (as if that's a place I've visited in real life and can remember). Next we usually spend a little time horsing around this sweet, gravel-paved garden just across the street from the cathedral. I like to think of it as Pittsburgh's answer to the Jardin des Tuileries. 

It's even got a carrousel, you guys! Just like Paris! It's pretty much exactly the same!

Here's Felix, pleased as punch to have nabbed his first-choice mount, this questionable-looking piggie. Once we were walking by and he saw another girl ridding it, and burst into tears for the next fifteen minutes. He just loves that thing! I hear they close the carrousel sometime this month--whatever will we do then?! I still have two tokens!

Florentijn Hofman's Giant Rubber Duck

If you live in town, you already know all about this but, if not, guess what?! Florentijn Hofman's giant rubber duck is in Pittsburgh! He set sail from the Roberto Clemente Bridge last Friday, kicking off the International Festival of Firsts. After bobbing briefly down the Allegheny, he landed at Point State Park, where he'll remain moored through October. A thing I'm learning about Pittsburgh is that almost everyone has a two year old, so you can imagine the kind of reception this installation has received. Last sunday, hoping to spy him from afar--and with a mind to avoid downtown parking--we headed up Mount Washington, my new, second-favorite spot in town.

We got some great views of the city; I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking out on Pittsburgh! Luckily, we are also able to catch our first glimpses of the ducky himself. He looked like a toy from so far away!

That's like, five times as crowded as I've ever seen Point State Park (though I've never seen it on the fourth of july). It was still bustling when we went to see the you-know-what in person, earlier this morning. 

I really can't say enough about Point State Park--it's perfect! So grand, so dynamic, so perfect for picnicking. Its sweeping lawns and little wooded areas are perfect for Felix to run about in, and of course, there's that fountain! But what he loves most of all is to play cars along the long stone stairs that face the river. And let's not forget, the duck certainly didn't disappoint! He's just so jolly, after all. 

It's hard to show how big he is in person, so its easier to tell you that he's 40 feet tall--smaller than usual, in fact; the design had to be modified so he could fit under the bridges. He's been all over the world, you know! Sydney, Hong Kong, Amsterdam... read about him in Wired, even! Along with the people, there were a bunch of ducks and geese gathered all around, too, which made me smile. It was like a spin on Ten Little Rubber Ducks, the based-on-a-true story by Eric Carle, which I checked out from the library last week in order to generate some buzz, as it were, before the main attraction. It's a really sweet story, and I highly recommend it--Felix loves the surprise at the end, and I love Carle's bird illustraions, always. 

photos by me (and chase); collage illustrations by eric carle

to market, to market

One of the tricky things about having a pre-pre-school-aged child is that currently, Chase and I are working opposite schedules, so that someone is always home with the BB. I see Chase when he gets off work of course, but thats well after Felix has gone to bed. So its always jolly when we have a little time to spend together, the three of us, as a real family! Now that its so beautiful outside, during that together-time we often take a trip to Donatellis, our preferred local Italian market. Its a nice little walk thats just long enough to feel like an outing, but short enough that Felix can walk the whole way there and back. He likes the fresh air of course, but Im pretty sure his favorite part of these excursions is that I always buy him a babys carton of chocolate milk for 60¢, and let him drink it right  there in the store. Sometimes, his girlfriend--this spunky, probably 17 year old girl who works the register, talks like a sailor, and is completely enamored of Felix--even lets him have it for free! I like it because it keeps his hands off the packages of biscotti and sweets that they place (on purpose, Im sure) right at his littlest eye level, throughout the store. 

But my favorite part is the walk through Friendship Park! Its a nice little park, long and narrow with plenty of little hills to walk up and down and lots benches for sitting. During the winter, I didnt get what was so amazing about it. But now that all the little trees have started to flower, I see it in a new light. Its so springy and sweet now, and once the leaves are all properly out, it will feel more private (its right by the hospital and theres a lot of foot traffic). As its right around the corner from us, I imagine it substituting nicely for our non-existent back yard during the summer. I cant wait to take felix there for leisurely afternoon picnics, once the ground isnt so muddy!

 Felix wanted us to let him carry the gallon of milk home, but it was too heavy, so he took one of the lighter bags. Its so sweet and precious to me how much he likes to help out during these and other little errands. He doesnt like to see people doing work and not help them do it: sweeping, vacuuming, tidying, shopping, doing the laundry--you name it. Its so sweet (and occasionally helpful!) Cynically, I expect it wont last forever... but what if it does!?