So! We are up and running and everything seems to be working except I can’t add pictures into posts. (Paul? Gisele? Any Wordpress experts?)

A few months ago, I e-mailed Gisele to see if she was up for a blog layout and was bummed when I found out she was extremely busy. I forgot all about it until this past Sunday, as I sat around doing important things like sipping coffee and blinking at the paint on the wall. I e-mailed Gisele again and lo and behold, she wrote back immediately with an “I’m actually free right now! What were you thinking in terms of design?”

And that’s when I started blinking at the computer monitor because…oh…crap.

I was supposed to have IDEAS? Like, about things? Color schemes and did I want one sidebar or two and what kind of links were going to be put on it and what was my THEME and stuff?

Gisele explained that usually, someone selects an image whether of their own design or an illustration or photo found on iStockPhoto. The photo is purchased and then she designs the blog around it.

OH! GREAT!

Except, what kind of illustration/photo would serve this blog?

What is this blog even ABOUT?!

It’s about acting…but not really. It’s about vegetarianism/eco-friendly things…but not really. It’s about me being a spaz…mostly, yeah. So OKAY! This blog is about ME! And what do I do!?

Wellllll…

I read things.

And I eat.

I fall down.

Hmmm…

I exist I guess. And I exist in NYC! OKAY!

Phew!

I sent a few illustrations over to Gisele from iStockPhoto and she picked this one. I then sent her a photo of myself and she tweaked it to look like me. Voila! Short hair! Blonde! Red shirt! I mentioned that it would be cool to have a little ode to NYC in the template so Gisele designed the city skyline in the back.

I think the only thing I was adamant about during this entire process was PLEASE, NO PINK.

I was disheartened to realize, during my photo search, that all illustrations/cartoons of blondes involve the blonde shopping. Or talking on the phone. Or just…being girly. WITH LOTS OF PINK. I told Gisele that I was down for some cutesy cartoon on top but please for the love of God, let’s stay away from anything that screams TWEE. And that meant, any variation on pink.

I think she did a rockin’ new job.

I will shortly introduce a new feature here at the Spectrum though I have already categorized some past entries with the link and that would be: FLASHBACK FRIDAYS. I think I will post about present happenings every Monday and Wednesday and then Fridays will consist of a flashback. No other theme necessary. Just a reflection on something, big or small, humorous or dramatic or BOTH ‘cuz sometimes I like to keep everyone on their toes. Stay tuned tomorrow for a rather lengthy flashback about a man who looks like Richard Gere and the adventure we took together.

On an unrelated note, I’d also like to state that from now until my birthday, March 29th 2009, I have banned shopping of any kind. I was inspired by Crunchy’s Challenge last year and more recently, Whoorl’s commitment to abstaining from shopping. I’m not really what you’d call a Shopaholic (see also: Me Hating on Blondes-Going-Shopping Cartoons). My bedroom is really small which means consequently, my closet is too.  Having an apartment in NYC will teach you to be a little more picky.

However, I have a terrible habit of impulse spending. I’ll have a few extra dollars in my bank account and suddenly it becomes “HMMM…I wonder what’s on sale at Anthropologie right now…” or “I know what sounds good! A TARGET RUN!” While I’m in line at the supermarket, I suddenly need gum! And a Real Simple magazine! And OMG are those the pre-made Pillsbury sugar cookies with REINDEER ON THEM? HALF OFF!?!?

I bought a new journal recently, a t-shirt at H&M for no reason, some candles that on sale at Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc. etc. and the list goes on and on. So, I am committing here and now to a ban on all luxury items. I’m also banning “buying coffee” when I have about ten thousand canisters of tea at my desk at work and plenty of decaf caramel coffee in my freezer at home. I don’t know what it is about buying coffee that makes me feel special. But, geez. Waste of money. Am going to try to ban it completely but might succumb once a week. This is better than every day though, surely we’re all familiar with the latte factor and how quickly that adds up? (My trips to SubtleTea cannot be banned because they are necessary for my sanity and occur only about once a month.)

Other things you don’t care about include:

* a ban on voice lessons

* a ban on casting seminars

* a ban on classes of any kind unless they are at the gym and therefore, free.

These bans will be lifted when my credit card debt is paid off, whether that happens by my birthday or after.

My exceptions include buying curtains for my room because we are having a severe DRAFT problem, HOLY and also, anything purchased with giftcards. I still have a few leftover from Christmas and I am going to choose very carefully and then spend away!

Tough times, ahead, my friends as I’m not exactly sure how much longer I’m still going to have a job as my company is in the middle of…uh…some stuff. (It is probably no secret where I work at this point considering I mentioned it’s a bigass bank and there aren’t many of us still standing. HA. But you know, no blogging about work and stuff.)

In other news, I received an e-mail from my mother who is currently in Jerusalem. She wanted us all to know that they steered clear of rocket fire in Lebanon but that my dad was taken to the hospital with severe UTI-like symptoms a few nights ago. Turns out he ate some REALLY spicy food and needed medication to relax his bladder and other organs.

My mom was all, DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE ROCKET FIRE NEARBY, IT’S JUST YOUR DAD’S URETHRA.

Title of my memoir, I’m telling you.

Also, you should subscribe to my RSS Feed, whatever that means, so you are instantly notified of any Spectrum updates! FANCY SCHMANCY OVER HERE YOU GUYS! It just took me about ten years to figure this whole blog thing out, it’s fine, no worries. Better late than never. Story of my life.