{ Jeans (similar) | Boots | Hat | Bag | Blouse }

If I could clone this weekend and do it again and again all year long, I totally would.

You may have noticed that we go on what might be considered a bizarre number of day trips, and it's true: I have this thing about getting out of the house on Saturdays and Sundays that verges on the pathological. I used to love just hanging around the house and relaxing on the weekends, but now I actually get depressed if an entire weekend comes to an end and we haven't gone anywhere new. And I think the reason why is that a big part of relaxing is getting away from your workplace, and when you work from home your workplace is...your couch (or theoretically your desk, but I know very few work-from-homers who actually work in the spot they've designated for it, and if we're being honest, I spend most of my workday - including right this very minute - sitting on my bed with my laptop planted on my lap. Which I know you're totally not supposed to do because feng shui and the bedroom should be for sleep, not work and et cetera et cetera but whatever).

 These Democratic Primary candidate Valentine's Day cards are Hillar-ious (hee) and ship for free (!) and will totally get to you on time for V-Day if you order by Feb 8.

 I just picked up my new favorite white button-down at Anthropologie: it's simple and a little flowy and oversized and exactly the refresher my (now extremely pared-down) wardrobe needed.

 It's not perfect (why doesn't curvy Barbie have curvy arms...?), but it's about time. (Will New Body Types Save Barbie? The Evolution of What Used to Be the World's Favorite Doll, via EOnline.)

I went into The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - the New York Times Bestseller that's getting a ton of attention in the press and spawning entire movements - with a healthy dose of skepticism. Partially because...well, "life-changing"? I mean...come on. But mostly because I'm huge on throwing stuff out - it's literally one of my favorite things to do - and I suspected that her tips wouldn't be all that revolutionary to someone who's already drunk the "if you don't use it, get rid of it" kool-aid.

I mean, really: I'm constantly paring down the amount of stuff I have (which is considerable, I admit, in large part because I'm always picking up props and such for shoots). I give things away to friends; I sell them; I donate them to Goodwill. I can't stand having items that I don't use or need laying around. And yet, after maybe three hours of culling through my possessions using the philosophies contained in this book:

(I'm putting the photo after the jump because it's ridiculous and I'm so excited)

XO Pillow

We have a super-romantic Valentine’s Day planned this year. It involves a trip to San Francisco, dim lighting, music, and probably french fries.

That’s right, kids: it’s a four-year-old’s bowling-alley birthday party! Now, if we’re going to be totally honest, this sounds like a pretty spectacular Valentine’s Day to me. I mean, I really like bowling. And kids’ birthday parties (cupcakes! pizza! YES). And I can’t think of any people I’d rather spend the day with than Kendrick, Indy, Goldie, and some of our best friends, whose son we’ll be celebrating.

(me & dad; photo by indy)

A long time ago - a lifetime ago, basically - I graduated from college, bought a little white convertible from my aunt, packed all my possessions into the trunk, and drove across the country with my dad, finally landing at the one-bedroom apartment in West Hollywood where I'd kick off The Actress Years (yeeks). To this day, I consider those two weeks that we spent driving out two of the best of my life; the car is just where we get along. It hasn't always been easy for us to talk, but in the car we can.

This weekend Dad moved out of the little Pasadena apartment he stayed in part-time, so Indy and I drove down to help him pack everything up. The plan was for the three of us to drive back up to my place together, but instead of going the fast (boring) way, we decided to take our time and do a little wandering.

Wandering in some creepy mannequins.

If you're approximately my age and have ever read an US Weekly (or if you were in Los Angeles at any point in the mid-2000s), you definitely remember Kitson. I'm not sure how to describe it, other than "Paris Hilton." It was all Juicy Couture sweatpants and sparkly overpriced everything and paparazzi lurking outside and general moral decrepitude, and it was simultaneously SUPER obnoxious and kind of fun. You had to just dial down the old self-awareness for a second and go browse hot pink dog purses.

But now - like bedazzled tracksuits - Kitson is over. Gone.

on the road again.

Yesterday morning Indy and I got in the car and drove for six hours. We made our way past palm tree fields and green hills and cow pastures and endless Valero stations, all the way down to Pasadena, where we're going to spend the weekend helping my dad move out of his apartment.

So my friend's brother just started dating this girl. And he really likes her. The kind of "likes her" that makes him want to do special things for her: plan cool dates, take her cool places, et cetera. Except - according to him - he has a little problem, which is that in addition to being a romantic and sweet and thoughtful guy (did I mention he's handsome?), he's also a grad student, and thus dead broke.

My opinion about this problem? Not really a problem. Because I have always, always found that the amount of fun you have on a date correlates not at all with (or, if anything, is negatively correlated with) the amount of money that you spend. You know what's not especially fun? Getting all trussed up and sitting in a stuffy restaurant eating, like, French sauces and mousse. Or, okay, maybe that can be fun from time to time, but you know what's more fun?

A DRIVE-IN MOVIE.