with a dream and my cardigan...

um, great. guess where i am right now...

the second floor lounge.

guess what i'm doing right now...

staying up all night.

guess what i was excited about earlier this evening...

going to sleep.

guess what i won't be doing until 8am...

going to sleep.

*

i had a great day that quickly turned into a not-so-great night. and now i have to be up until 8am. it's currently 12:49am.

but thanks to all those hard hours put in when i worked in the Airport Lounge, i am pretty good at killing time during the middle of the night. i think we all remember those days where i would blog for three hours straight.

i fondly remember those days.

poor Tuesday. i can hear her running around upstairs. i was really looking forward to cuddling with her tonight. i was away all day. and she was alone all day, and now she has to be alone all night.

SO - let me tell you about my day!!


i woke up at 10am. early. at around 10:30am, right in the middle of my waking up/getting ready routine, the phone rang. it was work. they said that the plow guys were here and i needed to move my car. great. just what i wanted to do. (except for not really).

so, i pull on my boots and put on a sweatshirt and head outside. brush off my car in 5 seconds and pull out onto the street. and then wait for about 25 minutes while they plow and sand and shovel the driveway. it took a long time. and now my "getting up early and getting out the door" plan was not going to happen.

so, i got back upstairs and continued getting ready. i was all set to be out the door by 11:45. i went out to my car, only to find that i was blocked in.

so i went and found the person who was blocking me in and asked her to move her car, please. she was busy and asked if i would do it. i said yes.

then i had to decide where to move her car. there were no other spaces in the driveway that weren't going to be in the way for when the dump truck came. so i decided that i would move her car, move my car, and then move her car into the space where my car was.

and that's what i did. that felt like it took a long time. because it was a lot of getting into cars and getting out of them again. i'm not a good car mover. i could never be a valet attendant.

anyways. THEN i was finally on my way.

and i went to the post office. mailed out a bunch of lovely things. and a bill. which was not so lovely. (but worth it, because it was for the new jeans i got).

THEN, i needed to go get my oil changed and my headlight fixed. so i headed over to Jiffy Lube.

i pulled right in and talked to the guy. told him i needed the headlight fixed and he seemed excited about fixing it.

i sat in the waiting room with everybody else while they worked on my car. i like it because they have a giant glass window in the waiting room that overlooks into the car fixing room, so you can see what they're doing. it's like a huge machine. a well-oiled machine. and also like a ballet. and auto ballet. i really like watching other people do their jobs.

so, Scott checked me all into the system. again, we figured out what i needed. he said that i really needed a transmission flush and a radiator something so the car doesn't freeze up. they were $129 and $79 dollars, and i said that i would have to wait.

then he said i also really needed a new engine filter, or something, and he showed me how dirty it was. i okay'd that one, which only set me back an extra $20.

so, i sat in the waiting room, watching them dance around my car and then Scott finally came out again.

SCOTT: Ok, you're all set.
JULIE: Great!
SCOTT: The only thing we couldn't do was the headlight. It was the only one we had out of stock.
JULIE: ......Really?
SCOTT: Yeah, sorry about that.
JULIE: Ugh, okay.
SCOTT: I'll tell you what - you head down to Advance Auto and tell 'em Scott sent you - they're take care of you down there.
JULIE: Really!? That's great! Thanks so much.

now, i really didn't want to head over to Advance Auto, but i didn't want to get pulled over again. and i was pretty mad that Jiffy Lube didn't have my headlight. the only one that was out of stock? come on.

that's like when i went for my brake job last winter and the guy was like,

MIDAS GUY: On most cars this part costs $20 a piece, but on yours for some reason it's $70 each.

oh, great, thanks for that uplifting info.

geeze. do i not have the cheapest, worst car in the world? yeah. then why does it suck so much to have it fixed???

UGH!

anyways. so, i headed down to Advance Auto. went inside. it's like a store full of car parts and i have no idea what's going on or what anything means. so, i head to the cash register.

AJ: How can I help you?
JULIE: Hi. So, Scott from Jiffy Lube sent me over because I need to have a headlight replaced, but they were all out of stock and he said you would have it.
AJ: Make and model.
JULIE: Hyundai Accent.
AJ: Year?
JULIE: 2001.
AJ: High beam or low beam?
JULIE: ........
AJ: Is it the same?
JULIE: .....Low beam.
AJ: (goes into the shelves and picks out the bulb, brings it back and i buy it for $10.99) Now, is Scott going to put this in for you?
JULIE: Ummm.....I...don't....know.....Can....you....do....it?
AJ: No, we're not allowed to do that kind of stuff.
OTHER EMPLOYEE: What kind of stuff?!?!!?
AJ: Fixing headlights and stuff!
OTHER EMPLOYEE: That's not true! We're allowed to do headlights as long as it's not in back of anything!!!
AJ: I don't think so! That's not what I heard!
OTHER EMPLOYEE: Well, I heard they were losing business down there and now we're allowed to do things like that.
AJ: Are you sure?
OTHER EMPLOYEE: That's what I read!!!!
JULIE: (standing there totally confused)
AJ: Ok, ok, alright, I'll go out and see what I can do.
JULIE: Um, that's great! Thank you!
AJ: (goes to get his coat)

and then we head out to the car.

AJ: Ok, pop the hood.
JULIE: Ok! Thank you so much for doing this!
AJ: Yep.

and then he proceeds to fiddle around with it for like, 10 minutes. and he finally looks to me and says,

AJ: Yeah, I can't do this, my fingers are too big. I can't get around to unscrew it.
JULIE: Um....oh.
AJ: You'll have to take it back to Scott. I'm sorry.
JULIE: .....Well, thank you so much for trying. I really appreciate it.


and so - i left yet another car place with no headlight fixed. by this time it was like, 1pm. i needed to get on the road and so i decided that i would not go back to see Scott.

TWO CAR PLACES and neither of them could fix a headlight. i was pretty frustrated.

but! i stopped at Jake's and got a coffee and a raspberry muffin and headed on my way to Hudson, NH to see my dad!

it was a good drive. good thing it was daytime and sunny so i didn't need my headlights.

arrived at his house around 2:30ish...maybe. i don't really know. maybe 3ish.

SO, the plan was this: GET A CARDIGAN FOR KARA.

(back story)

(this may seem unrelated, but i promise it's not.)

a couple weekends ago i was on the website for the high-end, Los Angeles boutique clothing store Ten Over Six. now, this was no random act.

Jason Schwartzman's wife Brady (a.k.a. not me), works at this store. it totally looks like a super cute store. a pair of sunglasses costs like, $80. what could be better? but, it's all totally hip and trendy. like, people who wear fancy party dresses with work boots. ya know? yeah.

so, i was on this website and ended up on their blog. i read a headline that said something about Target, and decided to see what it was about.

i click on the link and it takes me to this picture of Brady looking all gorgeous and hip and modeling some clothes for this line called Rodarte, which will be available at Targs.

so then i start looking into this clothing line more by going to target.com. and they are selling the clothes that she's modeling! no way. the clothes are "designer looks, but without the runway price." or some kind of catchy "wow, i can afford this!" slogan. they have some really cute dresses. and all of the dresses are worn with this lacy cardigan over it.

(if you click on that link above, Brady is wearing the lacy cardigan in nude. it also comes in yellow and black.)

it's very pretty.

SO. flash forward to this past weekend when i was home.

Kara had asked me to bring home some dresses that she could possibly wear to a wedding that she's going to this upcoming weekend. i brought home the dress i wore to Kerianne's wedding in Ireland (black) and the dress i wore to Amy's wedding and also the my Oscar/Birthday party (royal blue).

kara and i had a fashion show one night and she modeled the dresses for me.

after long debate, we both decided that the royal blue dress looked better, and worked better. we had to take everything into consideration, the shoes she had, the jewelry she had, etc.

and the hard part, was that it's a strapless dress (sweetheart cut) and it's winter time. so, she needed to wear SOMETHING over the dress, but the question was WHAT.

and then - i thought of it. the picture of Brady wearing the lacy cardigan.

and i was suddenly brilliant:

JULIE: There is a lacy, black cardigan at Targs that you can wear. It's really pretty and you can wear it with a thin belt. And then you can still wear your black flat shoes. And, instead of black nylons, wear black tights. And wear your fancy black jewelry that you wore with that hott pink dress you have. OMG, you'll look amazing.

i semi felt like Stacy London.

so then i went to my computer and immediately looked up the cardigan at Targs and also the picture of Brady to show Kara. she was pleased with the look. and we went to the "search your store" option to see if the cardigan was in the store in somersworth, nh - the one closest to our house.

it wasn't.

in fact, it wasn't anywhere. it seemed that every store in new england was sold out of this cardigan. and there was not a buy it online option. strange.

but then we saw it: 'limited availability' in the targs in Smithfield, RI. kara lives in providence, so it was perf! the store was a short 7 miles away. great.

tension was high. would we be able to get the cardigan? would it still be there when she went back to school on monday? classic suspense story.

now, i had to make this look happen. i had it soooo set in my mind that Kara would look totally perfect at this wedding. we needed to get that cardigan.

so, i went back to my apartment on saturday night. and i continued searching. i entered my zip code and some targs came up that weren't showing up when we entered our maine zip.

NASHUA. nashua, nh also had 'limited availability.' YES.

i told kara this and immediately made plans to meet up with my dad on monday and go to the target.

FOR REALZ - out of new hampshire, massachusetts, and rhode island, the only two targets to have this cardigan were in nashua and smithfield. was it fate? would we be able to get the sweater??!??

continue reading!!!!!!


so, now me and my dad are on our way to the target. anticipation is high.

we pull into the parking lot. out of the car. into the store. cart. women's section. Rodarte section.

my dad spots it first. the black cardigan. not just THE black cardigan, but THE ONLY black cardigan there. and guess what? it's in the right size.

DAD: The only one in North America.

i quickly inspect it. yep - it's great. so pretty. lacy. black. fancy. chic. in the cart it goes. and i text kara, 'GOT THE CARDIGAN!'

it was a great moment. finding the cardigan. i really felt excited.

this cardigan got 14 5-star reviews on target.com. the people have spoken - and they love it. and walking around with that cardigan in our basket, i felt just a tad cooler than everyone else in the store. (true story)

i also got kara and pair of tights. could not find a belt. or, the best which is also featured in the Rodarte section. the "bow belt." i'm still currently brainstorming ideas about the belt.

but! i will be packing up this cardigan and the tights and mailing them to kara. to arrive in maine on friday. and kara will go to that wedding look super hip and chic and without a doubt the best dressed there. (besides maybe the bride)

what a great story, right! a success story!!! people love those. when the underdog comes out on top. you'll see Cardigan Story turned into a movie one day.

a trying tale of a father and daughter in search of the perfect cardigan. will they find it? or will fate have another path?

(here's a pic of the cardi in black)

i think i would like Harrison Ford to play my dad. i would like Emmy Rossum to play me. i think.

if i knew of a 'paint program for mac' then i'd create a fake movie poster. i enjoy doing those. oh, i guess that would be like, photoshop. hm. which i don't have. and costs like, a lot. ah well.

i picture the black lacy cardigan on a hanger, hanging from a tree, in a corn field. blue skies and a worn, white fence in the background. on the bottom of the poster, a picture of Harrison and Emmy running through Target like someone's chasing them. (because clearly it will be an action movie) and then in some sort of script font, it will say, Cardigan Story.

directed by Michael Bay?

i don't know. sorry. that was LONG story. i think we should move on.

so, we bought some other items at targs. i needed ruby tuesday food. and black eyeliner.

then we left.

i had told my dad all about my headlight fiasco and he said we could stop at the place he takes his car to see if they would put in the headlight.

this would be try #3 to get my headlight fixed. and it was getting dark....

we pull in. talk to the guy. "sure, have a seat in the waiting room and we'll fix that for you."

GREAT. we sit for like, 5 minutes. guy comes in. "all set!" EVEN BETTER. they fixed my headlight. AND didn't charge anything to put it in.

which worked out better than if Jiffy Lube had fixed it. Scott had originally told me that a headlight would be an extra $18.99.

i then ended up buying the headlight at Advance Auto for $10.99.

and then this guy put it in for no charge.

THANK YOU to that guy who put in my headlight. in Hudson, NH. at that car place. you, along with some lucky shopping at targs, have made my day. i truly appreciated you today.

and then we went back to my dad's house. ordered some food. ate supper. my dad was going to go grocery shopping after i left, but i said, "no, let's go now!"

so, we drove over to stop and shop. i took my own car so i could leave right from there. did some shopping. drove across the street to Dunkin. got a coffee for the road. said goodbye to my dad. and was on my way.

i had a great day with him. we always have a lot of fun. <3

my drive home was fine. i was able to take my time a little bit, which was nice. and the road conditions were fine, which was a nice change.

i arrived home around 8:30pm. quickly tried on the cardigan. loves it. it's super cute and nice. fancy, but casual. designer look without the runway price.

fed Tuesday. she was so happy to see me!!!!

hung around online until 9:25pm. then i got the call. "julie, sorry for having to call you....but can you come to work early? we may have a long night ahead of us."

and the rest is history.

2:30am. currently. still in the lounge on the second floor. i'm tired. i drank some coffee. and i'm killing this box of Cheez-its.

i was excited because there is a television with cable in here. and i thought tonight was the night that Julian Casablancas was performing on Letterman. but, i checked his twitter and it's not until wednesday night. i'm still excited! but i will just have to wait until the next day to catch it on youtube.

i brought lots of Entourage with me. the rest of season 2 and all of season 3.

but now, the challenge will be this: making it to the post office. originally my plan was to go before staff meeting at 12:30. but now, since i won't be going to sleep until after 8am, i think the plan might change. the window at the post office doesn't open until like, 10am, i think. and i doubt i'll be able to stay awake just hanging out for two hours after not sleeping all night.

i could go to the post office after staff meeting. or i could just go on wednesday.

i am so excited about buying the cardigan. and now i have to mail it away.

anyways. 2:38am.

i think i might make some itunes playlists. and then watch entourage.

man. i'm really tired. i'm super bummed that i'm not sleeping tonight. i was actually getting on a pretty good sleep schedule. i had been going to bed around 2am or so. that's early.

i really love that i have a cd burner now. or, one that works. i've burned a couple cd's already. super fun. and it takes like, 5 minutes! the one in my old computer would take 20 minutes, and then stop working halfway through the burning process.


ok. here's what i want to do.

take all the pictures i have of the airport lounge. enlarge them to be really big. especially the ones with the gorgeous sunrise. then paste them around me. if i recreate the airport lounge, i think it would be easier to stay awake. or maybe i just need a super cute pub safety officer doing security walk-throughs.

yeah, i think that second one will be enough.

ooooohhhhh. so many heart breaking, bittersweet memories.


i mean, i'm supposed to stay up in this lounge. right? but, what if i need to go downstairs to the kitchen and make a bagel sandwich?!?!?! am i allowed?!?

2:55am.

i think i'll waste some time on youtube.

see you in a little while. have good sleeps.


<3