I can't get that song out of my head...

I'd like to introduce a very gratuitous new feature here at Tenacious Dee. Once a week, I will share with you a song that has been stuck in my head and give you as much background on it as I know, as much as Wikipedia provides or as much as I think anyone would care about. First up:


Helpless- Kim Weston. Let me warn you right now, most of the songs I feature will most likely be Motown songs. I'm a diehard Motown fan-it's the Chicago influence.

You may recognize Miss Weston's voice as the one that duets with Marvin Gaye in "It Takes Two." They actually recorded an entire album together, "Take Two."

Listen to this song and I guarantee the delightful and catchy hook will be going through your head for days.

Get your nerd on...

It's always nice to see other proud "nerds" especially ones as cool and creative and of course gorgeous as Kate Miss. She brought to my attention some very neat vintage science and tech ads that blew my socks off. Check them out!

Again, I am a proud nerd but it is sometimes hard when on a phone call with my sister I mention my excitement over Battlestar Galactica being on Hulu now or how my recent squeeze and I are putting some serious thought over which movie theater we will choose to watch the new Star Trek movie and she just laughs and I imagine there is some eye-rolling involved.

It was recently that a friend of mine made this statement after I did his taxes, "It is the nerds that rule the world, the cool kids become janitors." Very profound I know. But I do hope it holds some truth, at least the first part.

Also make sure you check out Kate's blog if you haven't yet, or her weekend stint over at Truant Magazine.

Shout out to the Second City...

Are any of you obsessed about the city where you either reside or where you grew up? Its history, culture and roots? For some reason, I am as are a couple of my friends. It's not enough to know about all our local celebrities (ie, The Cusacks, The Pivens, Gary Sinise, and many more), we pore through our local bookstores seeking old Chicago books. We quiz ourselves on obscure facts and important dates that encompass Chicago history.

A couple of weeks ago, I was delighted to see the cover of the NYT Mag featuring Chicago as the future of fashion. It's true. More and more, Chicago is becoming a go-to place for fashion. And I'm not simply talking about Michigan Avenue shops, I'm talking smaller boutiques such as the eco-conscious Pivot and the ultra-chic and feminine brand, Eskell.

Sure, Chicago is getting a lot of negative press lately due to a ridiculously high sales tax and the indictment of our state's former governor (who by the way, doesn't live too far from me). It's nice to see a reputable magazine give us some props for something positive for a change.

(images via Chicago Magazine and Chicago Reader)

From the garbage...

Do you know what I love about my guy friends? Most are older than me but they have the minds and hearts of 12 year olds and it's awesome!

I was hanging with one said friend and after throwing back a few, devouring some delicious hot dogs and attempting to organize a yoga party, he busted out his album full of his Garbage Pail Kids trading card collection. Yes!

I spotted the Garbage Pail Kid that I associated with growing up, Dee Faced. Check her out:


She's pretty awesome and I love how her hair color changes. Did any of you have a Garbage Pail Kid with your name or a version of it?

Guess where I'm headed...

Beautiful New Orleans! I will be there next week and I'm so thrilled to finally be taking a little vacation from the craziness that has been my life lately. Funny thing, I was in New Orleans around this time last year and they were filming two movies while I was there: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (beautiful movie) and the craptasic 12 Rounds (starring wrestler John Cena-enough said). Of course with my luck, I had a chance to see a couple of scenes of 12 Rounds being filmed and even spotted John Cena but no Brad Pitt/Angelina/kids sighting. Oh well. You can't win 'em all!

{top photo by musicmuse_ca, middle photo by remuz [Jack the Ripper] via flickr}

Nuptials-The Tenacious Dee way...

When I turned 25, I knew there would be some inevitable events such as a mini-meltdown, otherwise known as the quarter-life crisis, the itch to do something epic before I turn 30 hence my applying to join the Peace Corps and of course the inundation of my mailbox with save-the-dates and wedding invitations. Everyone around me seems to be getting hitched! Don't get me wrong I'm super happy for all my schoolmates, co-workers, fellow bloggers, friends, etc. who are tying the knot, I'm just surprised at how it all happens at once.

One of my favorite pals, the beautiful Mallory, seen in the image below with the mustard top, is going to be her best friend's maid-of-honor in October and she is pretty much planning the entire thing. Mal is so creative and super organized so it only makes sense to have her as your wedding consultant.


Mal is also super detail-oriented and after spending some time with her and the future bride I deduced that this wedding is going to kick ass! As a joke, I told Mal that I was gonna pick up a stranger on the train and ask him to marry me just so she could plan an equally kick-ass wedding for me. Yesterday morning I received an e-mail from her and she included her plans for a wedding that she thinks would suit me well. Hilarious! The best part is that I would totally dig all of this at any event of mine, it truly fits my personality.

A lot of these are Chicago inside jokes such as the hot dog and corn (Mexican elote) as food, the dress being a Chicago Bulls jersey and the budget being a Jewel (one of our prominent supermarkets) preferred card.

Mini-me...

Did you like the image I included in my last post of the lovesick tomatoes? Well, there are more adorable images from whence that one came. Flickr user JooJoo has an entire set of "Mini sculptures" and they are adorable! It includes three of my favorite things, photography+anything miniature+animals/food. Check out the entire set!

{Images via JooJoo via flickr}