Tune of thought

Excuse me if I'm not myself today, but I recently found out that Beck is a Scientologist, and I need some time to take it in.

In other music news, Mr. Dub recently introduced me to Blonde Redhead, and there is no turning back. Bliss in melodic form, my friends.

Finally, in self-congratulatory non-news, remember Eliza? Well, my quarterly column is getting rave reviews from up to five people. Want to make it 10? Go here and find a place to buy the summer issue, which - according to mass amounts of emails I've received - is Eliza's best yet. Do it.

Or you could live life like Kenny Rogers and post a comment about why you should receive a free Eliza subscription. Leave your remarks by midnight Sunday (CST), and you might be a winner.

Now, what's on your mind?

Sneak peek at Eliza

A little birdie - who drives a dragon red Vespa and once carried a Macauley Culkin doll wherever she went ... in college - recently sent me some advance copies of Eliza's debut issue.

First, what I loOove-

I did NOT want this magazine to come across as Mormon. Because even though I am a proud member of the LDS Church, I do not think that the only way to "be in the world but not of the world" is to watch "Singles Ward" ad naseum, purchase hymns set to hip-hop beats and wear 18 layers of tank tops to accommodate a scanty top. Also, sometimes Mormons can be cheesy. (I plead the fifth.) And I did not want this magazine to be cheesy. I wanted it to be hip, fresh and modest for a mass audience.

I'm happy to report that it is. The images are great. The clothing is classy couture. And the articles are good. For a first issue, it's pretty amazing.

I was not thrilled to discover, however, that there are no bylines for my stories, even though I am credited for two of them on the contributor page. Really long story short, it's a first issue so there were a few mistakes. But in case you're curious, I penned the following pages:
* 12 - Wedding 911: Your fashion first-aid kit
* 13 - Tradition: Classic wedding traditions and how to give them your own spin
* 26 - Body: Get Your Om on - finding the yoga that's right for you
* 33 - We've got Issues: Child bride or old maid?
* 36 - One Last Thing: Why fashion matters

Also, I'm not a big fan of the column layout. While the magazine's overall design is really cool, the columns are about an ant's-width apart, which makes the stories hard to read. Looks cool but not practical. Also, there is a major shortage of advertising, which is understandable for a starter mag - and much the relief of most of us who are sick of seeing ads with gaunt models making out with alligators - but a good portion of the ads are for Sorella Bellesa, which is a .... ? Um .... Well ... Since there's no additional information besides the company name - no website, no contact info, no explanation - I want to say it's a modest clothing line. (Apparently, there's not enough of those coming out of American Fork on a daily basis.) But I honestly have no clue, though I do think it might be connected to the Editor-in-Chief, whose last name is Bellessa. Maybe she's double-dipping into the Eliza pool?

Anyway, I don't mean to rain on Eliza's parade since I'm certainly a big fan and major contributor. But I'm a journalist so I'm pretty keen on objectivity. Also, I'm a blogger so I'm pretty keen on being blunt.

Overall, I'd give it a B. And since it's the first issue, I think you could expect A+ material in a year ... if the mag makes it since it's not the easiest industry to break into. But I wish them the best of luck.

Let me know what you think when you get your copy. Mine still hasn't arrived in the mail, but I hear they're coming.

Speaking of mags, what's your favorite magazine?

I'll never turn down a People mag, but I really enjoy Real Simple, Domino, In Style, Marie Claire and Cookie, which I just bought for the first time. Honestly, I wouldn't turn down most magazines.

But what gets your reading glasses on?

Do tell.

In other news

The happy couple in the early stages of their courtship

I’ve got some big news, peoples!

Despite owning the domain for some time now, you can officially access my musings and occasional misadventure at www.musingsandmisadventures.com. I realize that while your weary digits will be spared the additional “blogspot,” my blog title and URL is still ridiculously long. But I had a sneaking suspicion that http://www.m-ms.com/ would be taken.

Of course, the blogspot URL will still be active so my purchase was mostly in vain. And remember to type the “www” first when accessing my new URL because Blogger isn’t totally tech-savvy. And neither am I, which is why we’re a good fit.

But in other news, we had the local Mormon missionaries over for dinner last night. We’ve had bad luck with them in this ward - stood up twice, one bad response to Mexican meatloaf and a pizza to go - but our evening was quite nice and classic Italian-themed. The only odd spot was when we ask Elder Just-Out-Two-Weeks to say the dinner prayer. He proceeded to pray in the softest whisper imaginable. I actually have no idea if the food was blessed, or if he invoked some sort of wrath on our household. Although, a little wrath adds some spice on occasion. But I’ve been noticing that whisper prayers are somewhat common in the LDS culture. Not that I don’t appreciate some reverence in such sacred matters, it’s just that I also like to hear the prayer. Also, I don’t like to have to spend the entire prayer resisting laughter, as I was last night. I mean, if he had been out for a few months I might have given into the urge, but I didn’t want to make him feel bad. That’s how kind I am.

In other news, this week’s posts are starting to sound like Mormon Week.

In other news, having themed weeks are all the rage in the blogosphere – Father’s Week, Apron Week, Corrugated Aluminum Week. So I’m either super cool or a total poser. And, yes, aprons are really that big in the blogosphere. And while I do find them oddly appealing, I have to admit I wasn’t aware of their popularity and passionate following prior to all this apron-palozza-ing. And I don’t own one. Because I’m much more likely to spill on myself while eating than cooking. Therefore, I hereby declare this week, “Adult Bib Week.” Send your pictures accordingly.

In other news, Eliza magazine is about to debut, which is very, very, very exciting for several reasons. One, it is going to be a fashion magazine with fashion you wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear in front of your boss. Two, it will have articles that won’t cause you to blush, unless of course the article is about blush. And three, I may have written a few of these articles, though none about blush. Though I have been working a free Clinique blush for, like, two years now, which is pretty much disgusting. But my articles aren’t. You should read them and pretend to loOove them. Subscribe here.

In other news, we had the great fortune of having Mrs. Jay and her family to dinner the other night during their Illinois travels. It was way too short, but my recent Arizona trip salved my sadness. And I won’t say which of the boys I think is going to marry my Miss Dub, but it’s the middle one. The same one who begged to play outside for “82 minutes.” And, really, isn’t 81 minutes just too little and 83 minutes just too long? This is why he and Miss Dub will make such a great match: They’re both practical. I mean, Miss Dub likes to mess her diaper in spurts so that I use the maximum possible number of diapers a day. Practical that one!

In other news, we’ve been swimming.

In other news, I haven’t used a single parenthesis in this entire post, which is a true miracle for me. I’m obsessive about additional insights. (And who isn’t?)

In other news, I’m a liar.

My kind of mag

Heaven for me would be a beach, my family and a good magazine. Scratch that -- lots of good magazines. (And maybe some flautas.)

I love magazines. Like, I have to start with the letters to the editor and not come up for air until I finish with the horoscope page. (Which I don't believe in but read out of sheer obligation.)

I skip no pages in the process, even to finish an article. I just work my way to the end and continue where I left off.

That's how much I love magazines.

Did I mention I love magazines?

The only catch is that I can hardly read one these days without feeling embarassed, ashamed, disturbed or just plain stupid.

(They're just like US? Seriously? I didn't need a pic to know that Jessica Alba squeezes her fruit just like me.)

Even the mags known for tasteful content, such as In Style, are full of questionable and bizarre ads. (Why is that naked model making out with a crocodile?) And much of the fashion is unwearable by someone who believes in a little something I like to call modesty. (And did I mention how much I hate the ankle boot?)

So it is with great elation that I announce the debut of a new magazine that caters to "women who are stylish, sexy and maintain high standards in dress, entertainment and lifestyle." So basically they're talking about me, except for the entertainment part. I have been known to indulge in some "America's Next Top Model" on occassion, which isn't immoral but really, really wrong.

The mag is called Eliza and you can subscribe here.

Did I mention it's only $10.97 for four quarterly issues?

You simply must do it. Now.

Take it from me -- I love magazines.