t(w)o three or not t(w)o three?

i'm still fiddling with my layout. you can probably tell. i am basically happy with it but it's not perfect and i am pedantic about this kind of stuff. you should have seen the uni notes i used to produce. talk about your time-waster.

anyway, there will no doubt be tweaks to come but i wanted your advice on one major thing: two columns or three?

right now, obviously, camelshoes is sporting three columns and i think i have the columns widths just about right. i think.

when it was two columns, the width of the entire blog was quite a bit smaller (ie: on a computer screen the size of mine, there was more white space either side of the 'stuff'), the main column was on the left and there was one sidebar on the right.

which did you prefer?

bon voyage, you gorgeous thing

drum roll please

firstly, apologies to camelshoes. 200 posts and i didn't bat an eyelid. i'm embarrassed to say, just days before posting entry 200, i noticed i was on 199 and vowed to celebrate accordingly when i clocked my double century.

then i forgot. and there's the story of my life.

anyway, i am here now ready to discuss my best of 2009 list. i've shamelessly pinched this idea from snob nicky and altered it to suit. without further ado....

{the year's best stuff, according to me}

best book: yes, i really am going to plug it again. the book thief. read it, read it, read it.

best movie: i'm not big on flicks. i would watch a season of flight of the conchords, scrubs, the office et al before i would commit to a movie. i am actually struggling to think of movies i watched in 2009. as for the best....ummmm, perhaps the reader.

best tv show: it wasn't new to 2009, but it was new to me. the inbetweeners. funny shit. on this topic, i really miss british television. apologies to my beloved australia, but we're really not up to scratch.

best song: london took me out of the music loop a little. seems silly given the plethora of live music at london's fingertips. but i traditionally discover music loves on the radio and i traditionally listen to the radio in the car. no car in london. since returning to oz, triple j has reunited me with fantastic music and right now i cannot get enough of home by edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, little lion man from mumford and sons and dan sultan's letter. and it would be remiss of me not to give boom boom pow a commercial thumbs up. will.i.am drop the beat now.

best album: i was introduced to this album in 2008 so i am totally cheating but i cannot go past girl talk's feed the animals. it was definitely my 2009 soundtrack.

best destination: paris. je t'aime. closely followed by salzburg.

best trend: shoulders. who would have thought?


best story: michael jackson. to clarify, i don't mean to imply the news of his death was the best, just the fascinating way it was covered. i couldn't stop reading about it.

best blog find: i can't really complain about this being too hard because i put it here. it just seems kind of relevant. there were lots of new blogs i took a liking to in 09. a huge kudos to seema for her drive and courage kick-starting side street, sydney. five stars to tavi the style rookie for displaying words and style exceeding her tender years. and eternal gratitude to matthew at fuck you, penguin for his sublime combination of hilarity and originality.

{what about you? any standouts in 2009?}

mandatory christmas photo

A big, fat Merry Christmas readers.

I hope you love it and I hope Santa rocks all of our worlds.

xox

look what i made...

...and i'm giving it to rick.

there are these blog awards which float around the interwebbysphereson. they're just random little blog badges which one blogger passes on to another as a mark of recognition.

i don't know how they start. i don't really know how they work. so it's with an air of 'why not?' that i've created the 'love your words' award.

the 'love your words' award will work on a tag-you're-it basis. i'm tagging rick and i'll tell you why in a minute. once rick finds out he's 'won' (i guess i'll tell him by commenting on his blog - if you know a better way, do tell) he will be completely obligated to post an entry of his own informing his readers of one, the recognition, two, where it came from and three, where he is going to send it next.

yes, it's also a pretty good networking exercise.

because i am really good at googling stuff super technologically advanced, i have created a html code which means rick, and all future victors, can put the above badge on their blog - if they so desire. trophies are so 1990s.

have i covered everything?

it's important to note, i follow and enjoy a lot of blogs. sure, it's a great procrastination tool but i also get a lot out of it. i love good stories. i love amazing words. the combination of both completes me.

rick's blog is the first i ever followed. admission: i know rick and he is a friend. but biased i am not. his writing is utterly fantastic and many, many strangers think so too. he will write a book one day. it will be successful. and i will tell everyone it all started with the 'love your words' award (even though it didn't).

tag. you're it, rick. and i look forward to following the domino effect.

i'm not crying. it's just been raining...on my face

it is with great sadness that i bring to your attention the retirement of flight of the conchords.

here's a little something to remember them by. it's a favourite scene of mine and mike's. we laugh almost daily at the five seconds of deadpan brilliance from 3 mins 38 secs.

"oh no, do you?"

"yes, we do."

giving: it really is a gift

inspired by karls, i am going to tell you all a little christmas tale. a tale of love. a tale of generosity. a tale of what-the-fuck-kind-of-christmas-present-is-this?

disclaimer: i love, respect and very much miss my late grandparents.

moving on.

when i was young, and my sisters were younger, we were the envy of our friends come december. they would come over to play but instead be transfixed by the mountain of presents sitting under our tree.

i couldn't blame them. it was spectacular. the pile was as high as it was wide and it was pretty wide. so many presents.

but while our friends stood in awe, we remained apathetic for we knew what was in store for us come christmas day.

most of the presents were all from our grandparents. our loving, generous grandparents. no, i am serious. but if there was ever a case of quantity, not quality, this is it.

i once got, among other things (many other things), a top which still had the price tag on it. it had been reduced from $49.99 to $39.99. from $39.99 to $29.99. from $29.99 to $19.99. and lastly, from $19.99 to $9.99. talk about your bargain hunters.

but middle sister was the lucky recipient of the most memorable gift. or gifts. again among many other things, she had the thrill of unwrapping...wait for it...waaaaait for it...a packet of 1000 cotton buds.

yes. cotton buds.

even better: for her birthday the next year - which is in JANUARY - she was delighted to score five packets of 100 cotton buds. they were individually wrapped too which just added to the fun.

i can't say i remember her having particularly waxy ears. or a baby with lots of snot. and what the hell else to you do with cotton buds?

oh, now i see.

to be honest, at the time it annoyed us. we were young and we were brats. but as we got older, it got funnier and now i am glad i have such a memory. the bottom line: they cared enough to think of us every single time they spotted a mean deal. it's sweet. and it scored me heaps of electrical tape over the years.

lords-a-leaping

i don't like when the entry proceeding a blogtography monday post is a blogtography monday post. alas, that is the case today. i guess it's been a busy week. december always kicks my arse. with my christmas shopping almost complete, i am going to try to do better this week.

meanwhile, this photo makes me smile. it also makes me want to travel. it also makes me envious of her clothes.

because it's hot. that's all.

all i want for christmas is for no one within ear shot to play mariah carey

dear santa,

i've been heaps good this year. on to a completely non-related matter, i want these things:

{clue: it ain't from kmart}

and:

so i can make lots and lots and lots of:

away from the kitchen, i'm thinking:

that's season two for those playing at home. plus:

because mine is crap.

Merry Christmas xx

ps: i'm out of liquid eyeliner. *ahhhstockingfillerchoo*