saturday sayings

“The sovereignty of the people and the liberty of the press may therefore be regarded as correlative....In order to enjoy the inestimable benefits that the liberty of the press ensures, it is necessary to submit to the inevitable evils that it creates....It is an axiom of political science in that country [America] that the only way to neutralize the effect of the public journals is to multiply their number.”
*Alexis de Tocqueville from Democracy in America*

for some reason this quote had a huge effects on me when i read it ... i guess it just made me realize how lucky we are to have a free press. after studying global media systems last year in a class, i realized how many countries there are that are so limited in what the press is allowed to say and print ... america is truly lucky to have the freedoms that we do. but guess what? according to reporters without borders, the U.S. ranks 36th on a survey of worldwide press freedom. #1? iceland. guess we've got some catching up to do.

i'm fluent in engrish

you know those ads (or "web clips") that pop up in gmail above your inbox?

example:




well, i finally found one i liked. or so i thought. i saw one of these advertising a full 28-piece MAC brush set for only $28! i was in the market for some new makeup brushes, so i clicked to check it out.

it seemed legit enough, and i started looking at the site some more. i was almost convinced, until i saw this:














i think i should submit it to engrish.com. thoughts?

if you want some more LOL's, just go to brush111.com. tell me if you think those brushes are legit. because even with the engrish, i still may be interested...

check out alex's post for some more engrish encounters.

NyQuil: The stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine

hola bloggy bears.

put me in quarantine: i have a head cold.

sometime between 5pm sunday and 6am this morning, i developed a full-on, why can't i just die now kind of cold. you know, where your head feels beaten by a hammer, your throat is so sore you can feel your vocal cords rubbing together, and your nose is so stuffy if feels like a rock is blocking your nasal passages.

i guess it was inevitable. i thought i was going to be able to avoid getting sick this season, as i haven't been sick in a really long time, but my immune system had other ideas. all the (immunity boosting) water, airborne and dayquil can't help me now. i've just got to ride it out.

so i apoligize in advance if i'm a little sporadic in my posting this week. i promise, i've got lots of ideas in store for future posts. the writers block is gone, woot.

chi-riffic

it's amazing what root lifter and a round brush can do for your hair:

it's also amazing what a flat iron can do to help. 10 minutes and 1 flat iron later:




product: paul mitchell extra body root lifter. works like a charm.

celebrities are people too

following up to a previous post:

i found more celebz doing real people things. it's so awesome. because now i can say,
"oh hey, i'm totes bffs with britney spears on twitter!"

what i've found:
lily allen, rainn wilson/dwight k. shrute and britney spears on twitter


i'm also friends with RW: Brooklyn's Chet on facebook and read his blog

jealous?

my mom thinks i'm sad.
i think i'm awesome.

ugh, now i'm off to watch the conclusion of this trainwreck crossover of grey's and private practice. seriously, this show has gone so downhill.

ps: 53 days till britney. but who's counting?

VLOG DAY!!!

ahhh i've been waiting to post this forever.

today is the 20sb vlog day, and the theme is to vlog about something you love.

my video has a few somethings i love, namely my friends, dancing, the song, britney spears, and the single ladies dance.

enjoy! i had so much fun making it!


just dance from tara lane on Vimeo.

must...make...blog...post

from wikipedia:

"Writer's block is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity. Writer's block can also be a hindrance even when the writer feels that they already have a story in mind but can get no further than part of that story."

PEHNOMENON= extraordinary event

writer's block is a phenomenon?

this is why wikipedia is dangerous sometimes.

......

so in case you didn't catch on, i'm having a bit of writers block. i can't think of anything witty to write or something funny to share to anything to complain about. i had the day off of school and work today, so i slept in, went to lunch, did my econ homework 3 days ahead of schedule, listened to some mozart for an assignment and got a 10/10 on a quiz, and dominated at catch phrase.

oh yes, i found something.

as we all know, i'm obsessed with celebrities. i also love LOST. one of my favorite characters is hurley. so how happy was i when i found out that the guy who plays hurley (jorge garcia) and a blog!! i've been perusing it all day and have already added it to my reader.

http://dispatchesfromtheisland.blogspot.com/

he writes about his life in hawaii and funny things he finds there. sometimes he talks about being on set and the other actors--i feel so much closer to the cast!! ahhhh i love when celebs to real people things. it makes them even more likeable.

if you know of any other celebrity blogs...let me know (and yes i already know about coco rocha's!)

be mine

happy valentine's day!!!

<3>


colin, yooms and i celebrated by going to santaquin (pop. 4,800)
to eat the biggest scones ever made.



it was fun.

i'm on a boat

monday night found me on the 2nd floor of the library doing, oddly enough, some genealogy research for FHE. i went with one goal- to discover exactly how i'm related to william bradford, writer of the mayflower compact, among other awesome things.

i didn't end up finding the link because i was too sidetracked by all of the unusual names floating around in my family. i admit, i like to make fun of weird names. utah is prone to them, so it's extra fun (and something i'll definitely miss when i'm gone. seriously...i met someone whose real name is HAPPY).

here are some of the names i found, FIRST names of my actual relatives of whom i am descended.

• abner
• zebulon
• abijah
• loved
• hulda
• dorcas (alex, i think this is where you come in)
• dependance
• mehitable

and no i'm not kidding about any of those. not even mehitable. and that's just the line from one grandparent!

i did find some good names, too. so maybe my children will be cool and named after distant grandparents.

another cool thing about william bradford? he produced some kick-a descendants, like:

• julia child
• christopher reeve
• william rehnquist
• noah webster (of dictionary fame)
• john lithgow
• and me, of course

now i'll have a conversation starter if i ever meet john lithgow.

thank you lily allen

i've recently jumped on the lily allen bandwagon. i got an advance copy of her new album, "it's not me, it's you", (which was released today) and i'm already in love with it. (fyi, i also recently jumped on the lady gaga bandwagon after much resisting, and i must say i'm quite impressed. i listen to the album every morning when i get ready...it's actually really good).

so thank you, lily allen, for writing (or maybe just singing) a great song that perfectly and poignantly expresses what my life feels like right now, and is precisely why i can't wait to bust out of utah.

"22"
When she was 22 the future looked bright
But she's nearly 30 now and she's out every night
I see that look in her face she's got that look in her eye
She's thinking how did I get here and wondering why

It's sad but it's true how society says
Her life is already over
There's nothing to do and there's nothing to say
Til the man of her dreams comes along picks her up and puts her over his shoulder
It seems so unlikely in this day and age...

sigh.

moving on...

people on my crap list:
FOX for making me wait for a new Fringe until april
ABC for taking Ugly Betty off in the middle of the season
CW for no new Gossip Girl for like 5 weeks
Chris Brown for whatever it is he did to Rihanna....dirtbag
Kearl for making my econ homework impossibly hard and almost making me cry in the library

thank goodness for my HOT DATE this weekend and a day off on monday.

love week soundtrack

i forgot to post this yesterday...if anyone who is/was unable to get a copy of the love week soundtrack (or has a copy and wants the tracklisting), here is the list so you can make it yourself.

this post is very interactive.

weekend wrap-up:

• i'm sad kathy griffin didn't win her grammy. oh well, there's always next year kathy!

• i've started a tumblr. it's so i don't clutter my blog with a bunch of junk. check it out here: http://taratumbles.tumblr.com/

• the draper temple was absolutely stunning. such a great experience. i like that they're varying the designs of new temples so they don't all look the same.

• i'm going to enter the 20sb vlog day contest thing and i need your help. film a video of yourself dancing and send it to me: ladyroselane@gmail.com. what i've put together so far is pretty stellar and i can't wait for everyone to see the finished product!

• love week '09 has officially begun! last night's kickoff party was awesome and tons of fun. we had a "paparazzi backdrop" and took pictures in front of it as everyone came in, and lots of dancing was done by all. i love love week! visit my good friends mike and jordan's blog, "The Gripload," to see their take on love week.

HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY LINDSAY HARLINE RAMPTON!!!
without you there would be no love week.

public service announcement.

sometimes i feel like i am the only person in the world (or at least in provo) that seems to notice what the weather is like. take for instance the girl i saw walking up to campus the other day when it was 19 degrees at 8:45am. she was wearing a t-shirt and bermuda shorts with flip flops. ITS FEBRUARY IN UTAH. just because the sun is out does not mean it's warm. and just because we broke 40 this week does not mean it's spring.

i just don't understand why people feel the need to show us that they're "cool" and "tough" by not wearing a coat or practical shoes or any practical clothing at all when it clearly is needed. i see guys walking around in blizzards with shorts and t-shirts on because they think it's funny and want people to notice them. guess what? i do notice you. and i think you're a fool.

i also do not understand people who love getting soaked in the rain and don't use umbrellas. like today, when it was pouring rain and had clearly been raining for a few hours. when i left to walk to work, i only saw a few people with umbrellas. everyone else either had a hood on or was just getting soaked without anything. is it really that hard to look out the window before you leave? could you not hear the rain? i heard it as soon as i woke up (and groaned and groaned about it). when you stepped outside, were you really too lazy to turn around, go back inside and grab your umbrella?

dear people,
you live in utah. it rains and snows a lot here. the first thing you should buy when you get here (and i can't believe you don't already have one) is an umbrella. because guess what? you'll need it. it is not a fashion statement, and nobody will think you're stupid for having one.
love, tara.

this is not an issue of vanity. yes, i use my umbrella to keep my hair dry (and avoid a monica gellar-bing incident that may occur because of humidity/moisture), but really i just like to stay dry all over. is it really that much of a statement to show up to class soaking wet, just to prove to people that you are above the weather and It can't touch you? seriously?

i guess i really can't put my frustrations into words. it's just that every day i see people dressed so ridiculously and i don't understand why. i feel like, i don't know, wearing a COAT when it's snowing is just common sense.

but i guess it's just me.

liz lemon is awesome

let's all take a minute to celebrate the awesomeness that is liz lemon, and the genius of tina fey.
.
.
.
.
done celebrating?

i love 30 rock. i got season 1 for christmas and finished it in about 4 days. then i watched season 2 online, and i've been keeping up with it ever since. i know it's not a huge viewer favorite (it was in danger of being canceled a little while ago), but after the stellar showing during this awards season, i think it'll be just fine.

i feel like 30 rock is only for...a certain type of viewer. those of us who appreciate the humor in the office and arrested development. it definitely takes some getting used to, but once you get, boy is it great.

if i'm half as awesome at 37 like liz lemon is, i'll be happy.

EDIT: OMG I TOTALLY FORGOT THAT DON DRAPER/JON HAMM WAS GOING TO BE ON TONIGHT'S EPISODE. I AM DYINGGGGG.

british invasion

as you may have noticed, i have a new header. i'm very proud of it because i made it myself (thanks, illustrator!). i will probably be fooling around with illustrator a lot more in the future so the header might change a few times. don't be alarmed! it's still me :)

if you know me well, to say that i like music is an understatement. i LOVE music. all kinds. yes, even classical. before stella, the majority of my hard drive was taken up by music files. lately i've been willing to give anything a try, and it's really turned me on to some great stuff out there.

but today i would like to give credit to some british babes who are making it big here in the u.s. namely, duffy and adele. maybe amy, but she's got issues, so we'll see.

duffy's first single, "Mercy," came out last march or april-ish, i can't remember. i got it for free because it was free on itunes and the preivew sounded decent enough. after a few listens i figured i'd give the whole album a go, and i'm so glad i did. the album, "Rockferry," is one of those albums you can listen to without skipping a single song. it really is just good music, and an album i highly recommend! hopefully she's not a one-hit wonder, because i'd love to hear more from her. (also, heads up, mercy is on the LW09 soundtrack!)

adele is a more recent discovery, thanks to kevin, who kept raving about her. i finally downloaded the album and was blown away! she's amazing! the album, "19," is a good mix of slow and upbeat songs, the standout being "chasing pavements," which i've decided is my audition song if i ever decided to lose my mind and try out for american idol. adele is also going to be in vogue! go adele! i will obviously buy the issue (but then again, i buy every issue. can't wait to live somewhere for more than a year so i can actually get a subscription...)

i won't even bother to post a picture of amy winehouse because there are no decent ones of her. poor amy. i wish she would just get her life back together and make some more music, because when she's good, she's really good. she should be the poster child for the D.A.R.E. program or something, f'real.

ahhhh and as i am writing this, i just got notification that i was accepted to 20somethingbloggers! i'm so excited.

i'm a lemming

i was officially "tagged" to do this on facebook a few days ago by alex, but didn't get around to doing this until now.

25 random things about me.

1. I name my electronics the names I would never have the courage to name my children (i.e. Stella the MacBook)

2. I keep a running list of expensive things I want to get when I have an actual career

3. I took piano lessons for 7 years and can still play moderately well

4. For a while I was really into ska music. That period of my life still embarrasses me.

5. I didn't get my license until I was 17 because I was too lazy to go to the rec center and take the 5 hour. I had my permit for a little less than a year and it almost expired. (That said, I passed my driving test on the first try).

6. When I was in kindergarten I wanted to be a doctor. That dream was quickly crushed when I passed out getting my ears pierced and at subsequent doctors visits that involved anything resembling a needle.

6a. Because of my needle phobia (belonephobia), I've never given blood. I also don't get Novocain at the dentist (usually).

7. I was in girl scouts through 9^th grade and earned my silver award (a pretty big deal).

8. I've never owned a video game system, but I still rock at MarioKart and play it every chance I get.

9. I love chocolate but I don't really like chocolate cake.

10. In addition to my interning activities this past summer, I was also on a quest to find the perfect cupcake. (Note: It still hasn't been found.)

11. Red robin fries and campfire sauce are all I need to survive.

12. I have déjà vu. A LOT. I have really weird dreams that sometimes end up coming true. I'm trying to figure out a way to harness this ability and use it to my advantage.

13. As an only child, I was forced to play on my own a lot. My toys of choice were Barbies, and I had my own little world for them. In my mind there were roads mapped out on the carpet when I would drive the Barbie car, and I could play like that for HOURS.

14. I discovered ABBA at the ripe age of 7 (or 8) when I found an old cassette tape in my parent's collection and started listening to it (only because it was colorful and had a song called Dancing Queen). I've loved them ever since.

15. I can't draw, paint or do anything artsy to save my life. I jumped for joy walking out of my last required art class in 8^th grade (that is, until i discovered adobe illustrator).

16. I'm really good at math but I don't know calculus because I took AP Stats instead. I love algebra and trig and am jealous kevin gets to teach math to middle schoolers for 2 years!!

17. I dislike the taste (or lack thereof) of regular water and always have a crystal light on-the-go packet handy (I drink 2-3 bottles of water a day).

18. In addition to flavored water, I love diet coke a lot more than I should.

19. I was one of the first 3 people from my graduating class to get facebook.

20. I met O-Town (boyband) in a mall right before my 16th birthday and one of them sang happy birthday to me. Best day of my life?

21. I've never been overseas. Only to Canada, and now I can't even go there! No passport :(

22. I still sleep with a stuffed animal. It's not so much a comfort thing as an I-Don't-Want-To-Suffocate-In-My-Sleep kind of thing (it keeps me propped up).

23. Up until December 20th, 2008, I had never lost luggage or had any major problems with an airline/flight. NEVER. On that day, I was stranded at JFK airport for 10 hours, finally flew home to a different city than I was supposed to, and received my luggage 3 days later.

24. I had knee surgery in 9th grade to take out a piece of excess bone resulting from a bike accident when piece of cartilage broke off of my knee cap (I was 8).

25. According to deathclock.com, I'm going to die on February 23rd, 2066. This date has not changed for like, 10 years. Plan accordingly.

Sorry I'm not weirder. It's the best I could do.

polaroids make everything look better

my new favorite program:
POLADROID!

make any picture look like a polaroid!

shake it, shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture...