Birthday List

It's my birthday on Sunday, which means that I'm in full-on greedy, selfish, bratty Birthday Girl mode. It's all prezzies, all the time. Here's what I want but have no expectation of receiving:

Alice +Olivia Ombre Dress, $368
Olice + Olivia always has the cutest party frocks-- fun, a bit frivolous, and always super stylish. I adore the bright flame colors on this skirt, and the ombre is like a classy spin on tie-dye. The empire waist and full skirt is a nice counter to the deep V neck and super sexy cross-strap back.

1928 Gold Pen Necklace, $20
My obsession with Mad Men is well documented, so I feel ashamed that it took me this long to track down a replica of Joan's fabulous pen necklace. 1928 claims that Joan's necklace, a vintage find in an LA flea market, is one of their early designs, and this is the most authentic thing available. They also have gem encrusted version, but I like the classic gold. And such a good price!

Anthropologie Honey Slip, $38
It's getting colder, which means it's slip (under dresses, of course) weather! My very favorite one, from Urban Outfitters, is getting sort of ratty. This Anthro slip would be a total upgrade: it has the essential lace trim, a slit up the side, and quality slinky fabric. I also like this vibrant turquoise color, although I'd probably buy it in black or cream for versatility.

Ped Egg Pedicure Foot File, $8.53
I had this running joke with my roommates that for my birthday I only want things you can buy on infomercials, like Bowflex and a shammy towel and that little plastic triangle that helps you caulk your bathtub. But I'm dead serious about wanting this, because I am sort of obsessed with exfoliating my feet. I have a regular foot file that sort of looks like a cheese grater, but this one is so much better. It catches the dead skin flakes, so not only do you not get gross callus snow all over your bathroom floor, but you can gross out your friends by showing them all the dead skin you've sloughed off!

Crosley Kettle Classic Desk Phone, $59.95
Another Mad Men pick: I may not have a land line in my apartment, but I would get one just to answer this phone with, "Don Draper's Desk?" Of course, the chrome blue isn't very period accurate, but it is damn cute.
Fearless, by Taylor Swift, $9.99
I'm not kidding, when I found out that Taylor Swift's new CD was coming out on November 11th, I said, "Oh, shit, I'm more excited for her CD than I am for my birthday!" And that's just barely an exaggeration, because I LOVE Taylor Swift. I can't even pinpoint what it is about her music that I adore so much: I know she's not the best songwriter, or the best singer. But her songs are like crack for my ears! I spent all of summer 2007 blaring her first CD in my car as I drove to work, and then I spent all of last August listening to "Change" (I mean, it's about the Olympics, of course I'm going to be obsessed with it), all of September listening to "Love Story," and most of October listening to "White Horse" and "Fearless." So this is the one item on this list that I will definitely, no doubt about it buy for myself on Tuesday.
Words in Air: The Complete Correspondence between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, $29.70
Here's someone less embarassing that I love: Elizabeth Bishop. We read some of her poems for my Representations of Women class last week, but when I found out that our incompetent, evil TA was giving the lecture I skipped, because it just wasn't worth having her ruin Elizabeth Bishop for me. But after class she sent an email to everyone of the NYT review of this book, an article that made me love Bishop even more and vow to read this book (the title should make it pretty obvious about what it's about).
Gilmore Girls: The Complete Seventh Season, $22.99
I think I'm the only person who found the final season of GG as good, and maybe even better, than previous seasons, but I do. I bought the first six seasons when Target was selling them for $14.99, and just recently I've ripped off the plastic wrap and watched a bunch of episodes. I watched all of the sixth season, am about a third of the way through the fifth, and craving the seventh (even with the very unfortunate Chris business).
More From Magnolia, Recipes from the World Famous Bakery, $17.92
I mentioned going to Anthropologie on the day before Halloween, but I didn't add that before trying on all those great dresses, I stood in the store for about ten minutes flipping through this dessert cookbook. A new outpost of Magnolia Bakery just opened across the street from where I intern, and I've been so good about not going for lunch everyday... but this yummy looking book isn't helping. This is my sort of cookbook, because there's a delicious photo for each recipe, so I can get inspired while I bake.

Demeter Cinnamon Bun Fragrance, $20
Demeter is famous for its strangely realistic fragrances, like "Grass" and "Sex on the Beach" (the drink... I think). Some of them are definitely strange, but a Cinnamon Bun perfume would make my life complete. The smell of cinnamon is definitely my very favorite-- everytime I bake, if cinnamon's on the recipe I'll generally triple the amount it calls for, and then sprinkle some on top. And what's better than just cinnamon? Cinnamon with frosting! And there's a recipe on the bottle that sounds a lot easier than Alton Brown's 18 hour overnight recipe. And according to the website blurb, "Dr. Hirsch determined that men became sexually stimulated when they smelled the aroma of cinnamon rolls. "