LORD

Oh, Thomas. There is so much wrong going on with your look right now. The hair, the ginormous boutonniere you've taken to wearing everywhere... but I am very, very, very excited about the new album, darling.

And isn't this a lovely review?

5 stars from The Guardian for 'It's Not Me, It's You.'

The best thing about It's Not Me, It's You, though, is Allen's voice. Frankly, I don't give a damn if she learnt cockney at the feet of Dick Van bloomin' Dyke, because it's the balance between the earthiness of her accent and the creaminess of her tone that is the killer element in her pop arsenal; the natural sad smile in her voice lends sincerity to sentiments both cruel and kind. And when our obsession with the aspirational looks increasingly like a global joke, a voice that sounds like we really talk and feel, and makes that sound beautiful, is just the ticket. Lily Allen is the perfect pop star for these crumbling times, and this album is the proof.

Oh, this is great

Diamond Lil's video for 'The Fear.' Love the eyeliner and hairdo, honey!

Lyrics are superb as well-

But it doesn't matter because I'm packing plastic
And that's what makes my life so fucking fantastic

Random ten

Sweet!

1. Plastic Tramp- Arctic Monkeys
2. Up the Morning- BabyShambles
3. Stronger Than Me- Amy Winehouse
4. (There Is) No Greater Love- Amy Winehouse
5. Guns Of Brixton- The Clash
6. Don't Look Back Into the Sun- The Libertines
7. Nowhere Man- The Beatles
8. Let's Get It On- Marvin Gaye
9. Losing My Religion- Nina Perrson
10. A Girl Like You- Edwyn Collins

Bonus-
11. Dry Town- Miranda Lambert
12. Cinnamon Girl- Neil Young

I don't think

"Queen Of Soul" should be in quotation marks.

Miz Franklin IS the Queen Of Soul.

Full stop.

And my, wasn't she looking fierce at the inauguration?

Random ten

1. Joy to the World- Three Dog Night
2. Beyond the Sea- Robbie Williams
3. Wreckless Love- Alicia Keys
4. Come Pick Me Up- Ryan Adams
5. Bank Holiday Monday- Stereophonics
6. Goody Two Shoes- Adam and the Ants
7. I Heard It Through the Grapevine- Paul Weller and Amy Winehouse
8. Always On My Mind- Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
9. A Dream Reprise- Paul Weller
10. Sound and Vision- Franz Ferdinand feat. Girls Aloud

Bonus-
11. Skin and Bones- Jet
12. Crocodile Tears- Girls Aloud

Impossible

There is no freaking way that the Obama girls could be any cuter.

Okay, MAYBE if they carried baby pandas or baskets of kittens with them constantly, but I'm not sure about that.

Well, did my people ever do well!

My favs did rather well with the Brit Award nominations! I'm wondering if Girls Aloud will be performing as part of the Pet Shop Boys lifetime achievement bit (they wrote GA's latest single, 'The Loving Kind.')

Also, Bernard Butler should be a lock for Best Producer for his work on 'Rockferry.'

MasterCard British Album
Coldplay – 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends'
Duffy – 'Rockferry'
Elbow – 'The Seldom Seen Kid'
Radiohead – 'In Rainbows'
The Ting Tings – 'We Started Nothing'

British Group
Coldplay
Elbow
Girls Aloud
Radiohead
Take That

British Single
Adele – 'Chasing Pavements’
Alexandra Burke – 'Hallelujah'
Coldplay – 'Viva La Vida'
Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome – 'Dance Wiv Me'
Duffy – 'Mercy'
Estelle ft Kanye West – 'American Boy'
Girls Aloud – 'The Promise'
Leona Lewis – 'Better in Time'
Scouting for Girls – 'Heartbeat'
'The X Factor' Finalists – 'Hero'

British Male Solo Artist
Ian Brown
James Morrison
Paul Weller
The Streets
Will Young

British Female Solo Artist
Adele
Beth Rowley
Duffy
Estelle
M.I.A.

British Breakthrough Act
Adele
Duffy
The Last Shadow Puppets
Scouting For Girls
The Ting Tings

British Live Act
Coldplay
Elbow
Iron Maiden
Scouting For Girls
The Verve

International Album
AC/DC – 'Black Ice'
Fleet Foxes – 'Fleet Foxes'
The Killers – 'Day & Age'
Kings of Leon – 'Only By The Night'
MGMT – 'Oracular Spectacular'

International Group
AC/DC
Fleet Foxes
The Killers
Kings Of Leon
MGMT

International Male Solo Artist
Beck
Neil Diamond
Jay-Z
Kanye West
Seasick Steve

International Female Solo Artist
Beyonce
Gabriella Cilmi
Katy Perry
Pink
Santogold

British Producer of the Year
Bernard Butler
Brian Eno
Steve Mac

Outstanding Contribution
Award
Pet Shop Boys

So...

I've been sans regular computer access for a bit now, but vow to do better at buckling down and writing a bit.

We went to Chicago for gift show last weekend, and I couldn't be more pleased with what we bought for the shop.


Also, I miss traveling with non-hearing impaired, menopausal people. Read- my girl, Jen.


No particular reason for that comment, I swear.


We ordered Lollia, an impossibly posh bath and beauty line, used by the Queen of All Media, Ms. Oprah Winfrey.


Placed a HUGE ribbon order at my own personal crack den, May Arts. I turned about a million shades of red when our salesperson looked at me fawning over double-faced lavender satin ribbon and said:

"You're a ribbon junkie, aren't you?"

Speaking of junkies (and crack), I was rummaging, as I am wont to do, through Borders on Michigan Avenue, when I saw it.

Beg, Steal or Borrow: The Official BabyShambles Story























I may have possibly squealed and nearly trampled a small child in my rush to grab the book. And then stayed up most of the night reading it. I didn't think it was possible, but Drew is even lovelier than my girls and I previously thought. Also, my tendency to want to either slap or cuddle Peter continues.


On a completely unrelated note, Chicago was rather festive last weekend for some reason. Something about an inauguration?

Gorgeous

Leona Lewis's cover of Snow Patrol's 'Run'- live on X-Factor.

Happy birthday, Mr. Salinger!

Reeling from the success of The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger withdrew from public view in the mid-1950s. He published Franny and Zooey in 1961, a collection of novellas (Raise High the Room Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction) in 1963 and then bowed out with a New Yorker short story in 1965. Since then he has spoken only fitfully via his lawyers or been snapped in furious, cowering poses on the roads around his home. And woe betide any of those misguided fans who track him down to explain that they, like, totally love him and can so relate to his retreat from a world of phony bastards. "No you don't," he reportedly told one such visitor. "Or you wouldn't be here."

Resolutions

1. Increase self confidence through natural or artificial means. Whatever it takes.

2. Worry less (quit laughing, Jen)

3. Get into enough shape to run the Bix this year, rather than jog it. Er, walk it briskly.

4. Develop some money management skills



We shall see...

Random ten

1. Valerie- Mark Ronson

2. The Delaney- The Libertines

3. Smack My Bitch Up- The Prodigy

4. Chasing Pavements- Adele

5. Don't Stop Believin'- Journey

6. Make It Wit Chu- Queens Of the Stone Age

7. Made Of Stone- The Stone Roses

8. Happy Together- The Turtles

9. Bring It On Down- Oasis

10. Charmless Man- Blur

Maldives wallpaper 4 u

Maldives wallpaper 4 u, originally uploaded by maapu.

Wow

We now know the identity of one of the boogeymen from my childhood...

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A serial killer who died more than a decade ago is the person who decapitated the 6-year-old son of "America's Most Wanted" host John Walsh in 1981, police in Florida said Tuesday. The announcement brought to a close a case that has vexed the Walsh family for more than two decades, launched the television show about the nation's most notorious criminals and inspired changes in how authorities search for missing children.

Awful

Since dying is one thing that we all must do, sympathy work is inevitable in the floral business. However, there are degrees of sadness associated with funerals.

You have the ones where the person was very old or very ill, and they're no longer miserable/suffering. Sad, but not completely awful for the friends and family.

Then there's the unexpected deaths- very upsetting for the loved ones, and from a professional standpoint, more difficult to keep your composure when assisting those associated with the deceased.

The most horrid, the absolute worst- a child's funeral. Nothing worse. Nothing.

We've one tomorrow.

I've done many consults for funeral flowers, and I must say, I've never started bawling during one. Till yesterday. I pulled myself together pretty quickly, but... my God.

The utter, utter devastation on the faces of the parents... I couldn't sleep last night. The mom's face kept popping up in my dreams.

She just stood there, tears pouring down her face. The dad cried like a baby.

I've no words. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. But you know, I know that making things special for them might, MIGHT make the day slightly less horrendous.

No, nothing will. They're forever changed.

And since we're in a small town, we know everyone involved, which makes it so much worse. One of my best friends was his preschool teacher. His dad was on the fire department with mine. His mom is a very good customer at the shop. His sister just applied for a job here.

I don't know how we flower girls are going to get through tomorrow. I can't even comprehend what his family is going through. But still, we must go on.

Random ten

1. Atmosphere- Joy Division
2. Brianstorm- Arctic Monkeys
3. Gunpowder and Lead- Miranda Lambert
4. Outversion- Mark Ronson
5. Kiss You Off- Scissor Sisters
6. Brass In Pocket- The Pretenders
7. Shine Like Stars- Primal Scream
8. Ray Of Light- Natasha Bedingfield
9. One Love- The Stone Roses
10. She's My Man- Scissor Sisters

Bonus-

11. Real Real Gone- Van Morrison
12. Know You Now- Amy Winehouse

Girls Aloud- 'The Loving Kind'

Radio1 is trying to kill me

No regular Internet access, and this is the time that Zane picks to play 'The Stone Roses' for his Masterpieces series.

GAH.

Does anyone else have conversations like these with their mother?

Working closely with ones parent... not exactly an ideal job situ. But you know, I'm pretty lucky. Mom and I get along very well, actually like gangbusters.

It's not always perfect- I'm a bit morose occasionally, she can be overly ADHD around holidays. But we generally work very companionably together.

Our conversations do tend to be, um, ATYPICAL for a mother and daughter.

For example, take today. We discussed-

1. How the hell People magazine could have overlooked the cast of 'Skins' in the photo spread on the hottest whippersnappers under 25 in the annual 'Sexiest Man Alive' issue.

2. Who would we rather hang out with- R. Kelly or Prince. We decided (if in a controlled environment), definitely R. Kelly. He may be an abhorrent human being, but we think Prince might be a bit of a prick.

Seriously, it's completely hilarious.