the color of money

I hope this upholds.

A recent ruling by a federal court may mandate the creation of currency that is sized to accommodate blind people. I think this is a great idea. Most countries have currency that are different sizes or colors depending on denomination. This makes it easier for people with vision problems or disabilities to distinguish. In the US, our currency is limiting for many people. A change will open the world up to a large population of people who currently have difficulty doing something that we take for granted. With something so easy to fix, why not just fix it? It is sad to me for people to fight something that would greatly improve peoples lives due to nominal cost.

prada

Photo movies.yahoo.com.

A few years ago I walked into a store in Soho. I thought it was a sample sale, although something was a bit odd because there were tables of donuts and people walking around with headsets. I contemplated browsing and looking like I belonged, but I stupidly asked where I was. I was told that it was the wardrobe closet for the coming movie The Devil Wears Prada, which was filming a few blocks away. I left without full comprehension of the clothes that I had missed browsing. This was a potential entree into the world of Vogue, and I hadn't even asked to look around.

A movie! I thought. I had recently read the book and was excited to see how they would interpret it. Meryl Streep. Anne who? Of course, I was one of the first to flock to the theater to see the release. Since then I have seen repeats on HBO. It wasn't what I expected, but it is fun enough to watch.

Recently watching The Devil Wears Prada inspired a second reading of the novel by Lauren Weisenberger. The first time I read it, I wasn't that thrilled, an entertaining read but not as enjoyable as the hype.

Here is one of those few books made better by the movie. I was able to better picture the great descriptions of clothes, shoes, and of course, bags and accessories in the book. I almost got a better picture into this glamorous world than the visuals in the movie would allow. I think the shots of clothes in the film could've been longer, rather than three second snapshots of outfits. The most memorable clothing scene in the movie amounts to a two minute montage with coats and bags being flung onto Andy's desk.

A second reading of the book also allowed me to appreciate the bitter sarcasm in Weisenberger's book. Some of her one liners are downright funny. The bitterness of both the main character and the boss are not conveyed in the movie, which portrays Andy as a chipper, sweet, positive girl with no fashion sense, and Miranda as a possibly tough boss, but not that bad.

The movie is missing any of the edge in the book and I am wondering why they chose to leave out some of the best quirks, like the turnstyle scenes where she sings pop songs to enter the building. Perhaps, song rights? Perhaps casting Andy as a cheery brunette rather than a thin blonde makes her more identifiable to the rest of America.

I would like to see a remake of this movie, one that more accurately represents the book, one that translates the clothes and sharp wit into something screenworthy. I'm waiting for Woody Allen to remake the movie. And believe me, I won't miss the wardrobe closet on that one.

Chanel jellies

Chanel was my first, and still foremost, fashion love. Chanel will always have a special place in my heart. Perhaps these jellies from the 2009 Cruise Collection will have a special place in my closet?

chanelling marilyn monroe

Photo nymag.com

I am so glad that Whitney won ANTM! Finally, a plus sized model makes it big. Since the camera does add ten pounds, I bet she is really a size two, but who cares. It's a great opportunity for women to be more comfortable with their bodies and to see a beautiful woman role model who has a healthy self image and isn't starved. The fashion industry should take note!

As for Anje, I don't really know how she made it to the final two. She looks oddly melanin deprived like she's missing the pigment allele. Thanks Tyra, for making a strong statement for the benefit of women everywhere.

flowers are beautiful

I love this patch of flowers. So beautiful. I feel like there is a blanket of flowers that you simply want to lay in or have a delightful picnic. The light reflecting makes it look a bit like the sea. Very peaceful.

Love Actually: A really bad movie, or the downfall of western civilization?

I recently saw the movie "Love Actually". How do I explain my reaction? Let's just say that I wanted to come up with new ways of regurgitation.

I had many problems with the movie, but for this post I'm going to focus on one: its simplistic portrayal of love, and how it set feminism back 300 years. (Please keep in mind that I have never considered myself a feminist.)

One of my pet peeves with media is when men fall in love with women based solely on looks. Details such as character development, getting to know a person, and developing a real relationship are glossed over or entirely omitted. In real life, when two people share a physical but no emotional attraction, their relationship lasts at most for 3 or 4 awkward dates. (Just look at "Sex and the City" -- I am totally serious.) So why do books and movies repeatedly show a man going gaga for a pretty face? For each relationship in this movie, let's look at how well the man got to know the woman before falling in love.

• Keira Knightly and her husband's best friend. It is not known if they had a conversation.
  
• Hugh Grant and the servant. They had about 2 conversations. Most of their dialog was her saying "Your biscuits, sir".
  
• Alan Rickman and his secretary. They had brief one-sentence exchanges around the office.
• Colin Firth and his Portuguese maid. They had the most dialog before falling in love, but it was in languages the other didn't understand.
• The porn couple. They had the most fulfilling relationship.

The other oddity about the relationships in this movie was how the women were in lower classes. Let's examine.

• Keira Knightly and her husband's best friend. Their occupations are unknown.
  
• Hugh Grant and the servant. A prime minister falls in love with his servant.
  
• Alan Rickman and his secretary. A managing director falls in love with his secretary.
  
• Colin Firth and his Portuguese maid. A wealthy writer falls in love with his maid.
  
• The porn couple. Again, this is the least unflattering relationship -- their social status is approximately the same.
  

What kind of message is this sending to young girls? That in order to marry a successful man, you must first master dictation or biscuit serving?

When one starts to look wistfully back at American romantic comedies because of their character development and strong females, you know you have a problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are some pillows that need fluffing.