Ever watch Sailor Moon and wish you could look like those “hot anime babes that make me think the wrong thing”? (Barenaked Ladies’ words, not mine!) Or maybe just wonder what you’d look like as a Japanese cartoon? Then check out Face Your Manga!

This is me and Andy, manga-style:

I also made a version of Andy for when he dresses up a bit. (Me, I always look nice. ;P)

Silly, but way fun.

(And yes, it’s rather like making a Mii for the Wii.)

Can I just say that these LL Bean Comfort Mocs are amazing for cold/rainy weather?

I know I know, you’re thinking I’m crazy. You’re thinking they don’t look like much, especially in comparison with the kinds of things we usually post. But honestly? They’re pretty attractive when being worn. They even look good under pants and jeans, and give the same impression as boots when covered.

Andy’s mom gave him a pair last Christmas and I’ve been coveting them ever since. Sometimes I even wore his (for short trips out with the dog) even though there was practically room for a whole other foot!

This year Andy’s mom gave me a pair of my own. Okay, I admit, I cheated and not only picked them out but also opened them early… But it’s cold and rainy! And I have a puppy to walk!

Believe it or not, at age 23, I have never once gone shopping on Black Friday. Not until today, that is.

My boyfriend, lover of all things on sale, decided that Black Friday was an American tradition I needed to experience at least once. So this morning we braved the crowds at Greece Ridge Mall in his hometown of Rochester, NY, to see what awesome deals we could find.

(In the spirit of full disclosure, we also did some pre-Black Friday research and shopping online last night.)

In addition to some fancy schmany pots and pans that Andy has been craving for years — have I mentioned how WONDERFUL it is to have a boyfriend who loves to cook? — and new bedsheets as an early Xmas present from my mother, I splurged on these fun little items.

green and black bustier dress from Charlotte Russe

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Okay, usually I leave this fashion biz to Angie, but since Andy’s on a business trip in Mexico, I’m at home with the pup watching late night television. And last night I happened to catch Project Runway, which I have NEVER seen before, but I kind of… enjoyed?

Now, I was flipping back and forth between PR and Hannah Montana, but I skipped out on the Jackson/Rico parts of HM and even the very ending (when it was obvious what was going to happen) to see the catwalk and voting portions of PR. And I was very, very pleased that I did, because I got to see Leanne’s gorgeous collection, inspired by waves:

(Photos from NYMag)

Also, Heidi Klum is beautiful. But that’s a duh.

One of the hardest things to do after you leave school is keep in touch with your friends. You no longer get to see them every day in class or at lunch. You no longer call each other to solve calculus problems or chat about the Homecoming game. In some cases, like ours, you no longer even live in the same state. So what’s the secret to our success?

Effort.

We chat online several times a week, and we talk on the phone once or twice a month. Actually one of our favorite ways to keep in touch is to write letters, usually on goofy stationery we forgot we had. (Yes, people do still use pen and paper and the US Postal Service.) But even though we tend to rely on hightech methods of communication, the best way to keep in touch is lowest on the tech scale: seeing each face to face and hanging out in person.

That’s exactly what we did last month when Angie came to Cincinnati.

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