One-Dollar Wonders

I came by to correct the outfit pic for today, and I figure since it's Friday, I might as well do the big reveal while I'm at it!

Hats off to those who guessed the manspiration as "The Princess Bride" Spaniard Inigo Montoya. Inigo's back story is interesting in that he witnessed his father killed by a six-fingered man - and then spent the rest of his life training for revenge. He's also a kindred spirit to the Man in Black (both men start dueling left-handed... because they each think they're giving the other poor sap half a chance) - and any friend of Westley is a friend of mine.

P.S. Although a cult classic film, "The Princess Bride" also made NPR's flowchart of the 100 best sci-fi and fantasy *books*. Yes, I've read it. And yes, it's that good.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archiv.....sff_books/
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:(

I must have rushed out without hitting submit on today's Manspiration post! So Sad! I am wearing the below outfit in #1, but with the cruise Nexx shirt in #2, nude snakeskin pumps, and a mauve hobo. I will replace the pix with the correct outfit when I get home....

BUT... that doesn't mean the game cannot continue! Here's what I'd written for a clue:

Hello! As an Urban Warrior Princess, it's still sometimes hard to believe that I was somebody's bride. Growing up, all I wanted to do was fight boys with swords! But there's so much I will never do in life - I don't speak Spanish, I don't have six fingers, and I'm not left-hande, either - so why prepare to die alone? There are other, giant battles all around, and not even an UWP can fight "twue wuv."

Exciting news! At least for me. ;)

Those who have known me for a while know that my husband and I recently formed a band, Bemular, with another couple. Todd just finished our latest music video and uploaded it today, and we're super tickled to have gotten a link and short review over at On the Level Gaming. The song was called "excellent and catchy" - squee!
http://www.otlgaming.com/post/.....usic-video

Why a gaming blog, you ask? The song was inspired by much-beloved video game "Half-Life 2" - yes, DH and I get our inspiration from all over the place.

The song, "Paging Gordon Freeman," is available for free on our sound cloud (warning: I believe there is one explicit lyric in the song).
http://soundcloud.com/bemular/sets/bemular/

An outfit is the collection of beautiful things. To reveal the person and conceal the clothes is the outfit's aim. The fashion critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.

There is no such thing as a good or an bad outfit. Outfits are well executed, or badly executed. That is all.

This century's dislike of cropped pants is the rage of Caliban seeing his own short legs in a glass.

All outfits are at once surface and symbol.

All outfits are quite useless.

I've been really edgy lately, for a number of reasons, and thus much more likely to "buy to try" - i.e. order things that I'm not certain about to see if they work. I even get a weird enjoyment out of returning the things that didn't work, which isn't always the case.

Now, shopping is my favorite thing, and clothes are my hobby of choice, so I get the usual enjoyment just based on that. But it seems like browsing, inspecting, deciding, rejecting... all these things make me feel extra calm, active, and in control when I'm otherwise a mess. I hate limbo, and I suppose this gives me the illusion of progress when I need it.

The question is: is emotional shopping necessarily a bad thing? I would say yes if I was buying everything just because, but the *decision* to keep or return is an integral part of the process. On one hand, it is a waste of time - "spinning the wheels" a bit. But on the other hand, it's a big comfort when I have to be patient and time other things correctly rather than doing what I want now now now. In that respect, it's not a waste of time but more of a theraputic process.

What do you think? Is emotional shopping always bad? Does it have its place? How is it different from other hobbies like... whittling or... boating... that others use to relieve stress?

Andy Dufresne. The tidy tax man, wrongly convicted, who somehow found a way to keep his spirit alive in - and eventually escape from - Shawshank Prison. No matter what my own personal prison might be, and no matter how long it might take to tunnel out, Andy reminds me that it's worth it. There is light at the end of that tunnel, and my knowledge and abilities can get me there - if only I have a little patience.

Today's outfit is inspired by Andy's prison uniform: chambray shirt and blue jeans. I've buttoned my banker-blue shirt all the way up like the prisoners did in the film, done my best to slouch my blue sloans, and got to thinking about what Mexico means to me. The striped bag represents prison bars, and the red jacket represents Andy's best friend, Red.

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Sometimes dressing is a lot like chess... taxing. But with a little help from Rita Hayworth (definitely not my Sisters), I'll find my outfit redemption. If the office is cold, my Red jacket will be my best friend - and if I'm not warm after that, I just might escape down to a hotel in Mexico!

Many rock stars pile on the sequins and fur and silk, opting to rebel against certain social confines with an excessive, wild, frenetic persona. Trent Reznor, on the other hand, chooses clothes as industrially serious as the music he plays - you know the kind that can build from a confidential whisper to a rage-filled scream in the space of a few lines? The kind that, between clanging steel and mechanical who-knows-what, makes you think you could start a revolution with the mess of power tools in your garage? Yeah, Reznor's look is perfect for *that* kind of music.

Tee shirt. Utility jacket. Usually black punctuated by militant greens. He's not here to strut, but to ask some hard questions and point out some painful truths. I femmed and bankered his look up for work today, but I tried to stay true to the vibe. Black. Olive. Nude. Agressive red orange from the NIN album covers. Done.

... now where's my power drill?

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Hank and I both had to trim our nails last night - I'm sure we had.... several inches... between the two of us. It took some industrial strength clippers, and both of us thought we'd get hurt. He meowed so much my head feels like a hole, but I know it's his instinct for survivlaism. I can tell the treats I bribed him with seem like a terrible lie. Still, we're closer for it in the end, and we both know we're in this together now.

Ok, so today's inspiration wasn't so much chosen for his magnetic personality as he was for his ability to wear purple. In fact, Saturday's inspiration wouldn't like him very much at all. He's considered a villain, but his camp has evolved to think humans are the real enemy.

Wearing my home-made fuse necklace... because all villains have a short fuse, right?

(Ok, I'm really reaching with today's inspiration, but it's a perfect cloudy morning to wear this bright trench!)

I don't think my dad wants his picture online, but this outfit is a tribute to him in many ways. Growing up, my dad may not have even known it, but he had a lot of flair. He was the first to suggest pattern mixing to me, his summer shoe wardrobe always contained a pair of woven leather loafers (and yes, he had a pair in white!), and the man did wear a lot of boots. Steel toe, western, beetle boots... some for work, but some for style, too. He also passed on his love of leather goods - he'd had leather jackets, vests, shirts, and pants. He was also a champion of DIY and BBQ long before I knew the acronyms.

Today, I'm wearing some of his favorite things: teal (the color of his bathroom in our old house), woven leather flats, denim, a skull, and a DIY dyed leather bag. :)

Happy Fathers' Day, everyone! I hope you are having a blast with your fabulous dads!

Today's inspiration can be a real card, but he also knows how to turn up the Cajun charm and is sure to have stolen many a comic fangirl's heart. I wouldn't mind having that rogue as an X-boyfriend myself!

Awesome guesses from Friday - I get such a kick out of the coded responses that preserve the game for those guessing later in the day. Love it!

Fantasy Friday's inspiration was none other than Tristan Thorne, the boy-turned-hero of Neil Gaiman's "Stardust." Although Tristan bumbles a *lot* at the start of his story, falling in love with a horrible gold-digger and making a human doormat of himself, his courage and heart of gold lead him on a journey that teaches him many lessons and gains him valuable friends, his mother, and true love. Awwww... I watch the film version all the time, and I still can't handle the epic levels of cute!

Tristan didn't start out with much style, either, but his fashion-loving pirate friend (played by the fabulous Robert De Niro) sets that straight in no time. I love how his white coat and olive shirt make me feel like he's innocent and pure of heart, but still down to earth and capable of much swashbuckling - no gilded Prince Charming doublet for him!

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I'm sorry if I've been too opaque with my recent posts, so here's a more straightforward set of clues instead of a riddle:

Today's inspiration sure has some funny ideas about astronomy - and romance! He doesn't recognize the star he's been searching for even when she's right in front of his face. Still, once he gets past the wall of his own naiveté and discovers his *real* true love, it's like he's become king of a magical land. And he also provides us with an awesome, gender-reversed Cinderella moment by getting a killer makeover at the hands of his own "fairy" godmother.