Friday, July 20, 2012

freaking. out.

"And as someone who writes about movies, and who cares about the big, flawed thing we call fandom, I’m saddened by someone turning that shared enthusiasm into a weapon. And even if this tragedy hadn’t happened at the premiere of one of a dwindling number of genuinely mass cultural events, I hate the idea of using an audience’s suspension of disbelief, their openness to and absorption in the spectacle unfolding before them, as cover—the gunman reportedly started shooting during a sequence involving gunfire, meaning the audience was slower to react. We are vulnerable when we go to the movies, open to fear, and love, and disgust, and rapture, surrendering our brains and hearts to someone else’s vision of the world. We don’t expect to surrender our bodies, too." ~ Alyssa Rosenberg


and

"We act out because, ironically, we think it will bring us some relief. We equate it with happiness. Often there is some relief, for the moment. When you have an addiction and you fulfill that addiction, there is a moment in which you feel some relief. Then the nightmare gets worse. So it is with aggression. When you get to tell someone off, you might feel pretty good for a while, but somehow the sense of righteous indignation and hatred grows, and it hurts you. It's as if you pick up hot coals with your bare hands and throw them at your enemy. If the coals happen to hit him he will be hurt. But in the meantime, you are guaranteed to be burned." ~ Pema Chodron

but let's not forget

‎"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world." ~ Fred Rogers (aka Mr. Rogers)

With love and deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the Aurora, CO victims.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Where's the Orla love??

Correspondent Jen G is on the Orla scene in Detroit!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am an Orla Kiely addict--3 purses, 1 wallet, coffee mugs, bowls, the whole cheapie Target line of melamine bowls and trays from a few years back. So when I first learned about Orla (as I call her, since we are so close) coming to Bed, Bath, & Beyond in March and nearly peed myself. I began picking out paint colors for my bedroom to coordinate with her classic stem pattern.

When the day finally came along that BB&B was carrying Orla's stuff, I nearly peed myself again. I log onto to the BB&B website, surprised to see that Orla's magnificence wasn't plastered over the banner or even on the front page. Okay, so designer sheets aren't for everyone, I get it. I type Orla's name into the little search box, and what do I find?

2 comforters and 3 types of sheets, and 1 pathetic throw pillow.

Commence the freak out.

WHAT? THAT'S IT? WHERE ARE THE LAMP SHADES? THROW PILLOWS? BLANKETS? AREA RUGS? CAN'T YOU EVEN THROW A GIRL A LUGGAGE TAG OR COFFEE MUG FOR FUCK'S SAKE? COME ON!

BB&B is calling the line “Orla Kiely House.” House to me, means more than sheets and comforters. My house does not consist of bedroom. On Orla’s website, if you pull down the little tabby thingy labeled “HOUSE,” there are three choices: Bath, Kitchen, Living. So, BB&B, where’s the bathroom stuff? Kitchen? Living? Maybe it should be renamed “Orla Kiely Rented Studio with Shared Kitchen and Bath” or “Orla Kiely Room.”

May I also remind you that BB&B stands for Bed, Bath & BEYOND! Not only have your forgotten the Bath of this so-called-line, but you haven’t even REMEMBERED the BEYOND! Come on, BB&B! Why have you given Orla such a half-hearted commitment?

On Orla’s website, there are FOUR bedding collections, which are available in the UK only:

Notice the canisters on the bedside table? Yes, you could purchase those too if you wanted: if you live in the UK.

Here is a teeny, tiny sampling of her kitchen lines (note the plural):

Here is what BB&B offers:


Granted, I do appreciate that this is the only bedding that Orla offers us in the U.S. However, this is not a line. This isn't even a mini-line. It's a stretch to call it a sampling. It's 2 comforters and a few sheets. It sucks. And the prints aren’t even that interesting! The comforters are too loud and the sheets are too muted!

And have you see the pricing? $200 for a king-sized comforter? One can buy a designer named comforter at a large department store for that or less! Okay, so it’s Orla and she’s a designer. I just added all the bedding and shams for a Queen/Full, mind you, that are shown in that first picture. Total? $469.93! And you KNOW those 20% coupons will not be honored because it’s a designer brand!

Okay, so I don’t know for certain that the quality is less but this is usually how the designer at the big box discount store often works (and the online reviews state so). So I shall head to one of the BB&B stores to find out for myself, right? I am a fairly low maintenance girl (really I am); I don’t need the 2 milllion thread count sheets. So I typed in my zip code, a zillion stores in the Metro Detroit area popped up. However, upon closer inspection, I found this right above the store listings:

We were unable to locate a store with availability within 50 miles. You may enter different search criteria or please order online or call 1-800-GO BEYOND to place an order.

WHAT???? I CANNOT EVEN WALK INTO MY LOCAL BB&B STORE TO OGLE AND FONDLE MY DEAR ORLA? I CAN”T EVEN DRIVE WITHIN 50 MILES TO FONDLE? Do you mean to tell me that BB&B could not clear out a few of their Nautica / Laura Ashley outdated 80’s bedding in order to a few NEW items on a shelf? These stores are stocked to the RAFTERS! I concede that I live in the Midwest, but we have a Neiman Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom, Tiffany’s, Ferragamo, Louis Vitton, 2 (!) Georgio Armani, Lacoste, Burberry, and Lily Pulitzer just a mere 10 minutes away from the nearest BB&B! We are not total slouches here!

Is this how an American company treats our dear Orla? It's just like back in the 1800 and 1900's: "Irish Need NOT Apply."

And to add insult to injury, look closely at this photo:


Is that an Orla lampshade I see? A LAMPSHADE? Why BB&B, WHY would you place that in the photo if you have no intention of selling it?!? Is it just to torture me? Yes, just march me up to the top of the mountain to see the views, then march me back down and tell me, sorry, loser, NOT FOR YOU!

I would also like to add that if you wanted to replicate this exact bedding for your room, it would cost a FORTUNE!

I thought the point of offering Orla in BB&B to make it widely available AND affordable to us common, lowly, poor fashionistas who shop at places like BB&B and Target? If you are going to bring it to the masses, then BRING IT! If that Brita Wottle Bottle were available at BB&B, I would have stockpiled 5+ (so I could take a few with me in the rapture, you know) and written a Lynne-styled positive “freak out” post at how cute and fashionable my water bottle is! I would be the envy of my house (since all my neighbors and friends would have one too)!

I know I could turn this as a paranoid conspiracy of Orla’s anti-American leanings, but that is something that I am making up, and I much prefer to blame the big corporate American machine instead. SO SCREW YOU BB&B, you big box store who doesn't know taste and refined style when you see it! Go back to selling your ShamWOWs and Tervis Tumblers! I will be shopping Orla's summer sale on her US website and dream of the day when I, a lowly housewife from the Midwest, can ensconce myself in Orla for 7 hours of blissful sleep.

UPDATE: I just bought myself another purse to drag around all my kids' shit. And at 50% off!

Apologies for my SHOUTY CAPS, but when a girls needs to freak out, she needs to freak out.




Friday, July 13, 2012

while you were not freaking out

So there have been some kick ass things to posted to the Molly and Lynne Freak Out Over Shit facebook page that we are long overdue in posting here. You should probably take this moment to fan us over there so you don't miss out on all the good stuff. And so you too can be a rock star like Jennifer Z and Ralph John R and post some of this awesome business!

Come on back here when you're done, we'll wait.

All done? Ok so here are some highlights of what you may have missed before you joined the party:

Snuggly friends on a swing!!!!


Snuggly puppies!!!!


Bed Bath and Beyond is carrying Orla Kiely!!!!!


Weird hedgehog cake that is somehow still adorable!!!!


Edible Totoros!!!!


And DIGGER THE BABY KANGAROOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Look at the wee hole in his wee diaper for his tail! Look at him do a wee somersault!!!!!!! OH MY GOD I LOVE HIM!!!


So come on back y'all, and FREAK ON!!!!






Thursday, July 12, 2012

How is that HELPFUL?

So, for the millionth time, my kid was sick & I needed to talk to a nurse. I felt like he was getting worse, and it was really freaking me out. So I called the office of our pediatrician, only to get the message: "Hello, you have reached (name of dr's office). We are closed for lunch. We will re-open at 1:30. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 911." 

And honestly? I thought I was going to have a fucking heart attack. Because, um, hello? YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE TO HELP ME WHEN MY KID IS SICK. That's why yr a doctor's office & not, say, a pet store. I'm pretty sure the Hippocratic Oath doesn't mention "I'm happy to help unless I'm eating, in which case please just hang on a sec, okay?" And I'm not insane, I knew it wasn't an emergency to call 911 about, but I was honestly freaked out & really needed to talk with a medical professional to know what to do to help my kid. I'd already been there the day before *with* my sick kid; an appointment that was at 9:40, to which I arrived at 9:35 (to be sure I got any check in & payment done before our appointment time), only to be seen by the doctor at 10:07 (that's 27 full minutes after appointment time, in case you thought you misread that). I had been patient & understanding with that, but now my child was getting much sicker & was in real distress, and I needed help. NOW. Not when yr fucking lunch is over!

I will mention this often when I get mad, but I feel it bears repeating. I'm not an unreasonable person. I know that things come up & changes happen, especially in a medical setting. I get that! If I'm feeling upset & then find out that something happened, I will feel badly that I got upset & hope for the best outcome to that situation. I'm nice, goddammit! But seriously, this is RIDICULOUS. Are you really telling me that the ENTIRE OFFICE has lunch at the EXACT SAME TIME? You can't, I don't know, stagger lunches? Maybe have 2 doctors, 2 nurses, & 2 office staff lunch at 11:30, and then the other 2 doctors, 2 nurses, & 2 office staff lunch at 12:30? And this could rotate, so everyone doesn't always have to eat first or second? Is that really too much to ask? Even running at half staff would be better than "Nope, sorry, our lunchtime is way more important than your sick child." 

And no, I'm not a doctor or a nurse, nor have I ever worked in a medical office. But I HAVE worked many, many office jobs, in which people did take lunches. And you know what? I always managed to take my lunch at a different time than other people working on the same project, so that if something came up, the questioner wasn't left high & dry. And I wasn't saving anyone's life, for shit's sake! When I was a receptionist, I had to wait for someone to come cover the front desk until I went to eat (or go to the bathroom, for that matter), and yet an entire DOCTOR'S OFFICE is allowed to just shut down? HOW IS THAT OKAY?

No, I don't hate doctors. I have a lot of respect for the difficult training they go through, the knowledge they possess, and their ability to keep everyone healthy. I mean that! But it really irks me that somehow the idea that doctors have the ability to save lives has become translated to mean they have a more important life than anyone else. As a stay-at-home-mom, I don't get days off. 24/7, I'm Mom. But if my kid gets sick on Saturday at 1:22 pm, I'm out of luck, because the doctors get their weekend off. And again, obviously dr's deserve to have personal lives too, by no means do I think they should be forced to work round the clock all year long; but seriously, you can't shuffle shifts so that one weekend a month a particular doctor is in the office all weekend & then gets Monday & Tuesday off or something? Is that really that complicated a request?

I guess my point is this: being there to help those who become sick isn't something that can or should be done as a 9-5 job. And if that was yr goal, well, maybe you should think again about why you became a doctor in the first place.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Pandas on slides!!!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/jul/06/panda-cubs-play-slide-china-video?CMP=twt_gu

Friday, July 6, 2012

Loooooong distance freak out!!!

[From correspondent Jennifer Z, on location at Lake Michigan:]

So, I try not to use electronics at the michigan house, except the basics, especially in "light " of Armageddon 2012. But loooook what I found in a crawl space 5 minutes ago behind my bed. Behold. It was stuck behind on old timey makeup/hair suitcase you take on a plane with a Bermuda sticker on it with a delta luggage tag circa 1971 . Inside, some hairpieces. And behind it, a pile of vinyl, on top of which was....



Oh yeah. Happy independence day ladies!!!!!! Look closely - they sing hang on sloopy?!?!? I am so finding my record player when I get home and provided that there's power, we are going to PARTY like its 1971. It can be our bday celebration !!!!!!!