self-promoting reminder…

You can still vote!!  You can still vote daily even!!

Some have asked me why i am continuing on when the lead spots currently have about 650,000 votes.

It doesn’t deter me.

’cause Mad Men spot or not -  i’m in it to do the best i can and get as many votes as possible!

I mean- what if Rocky Balboa had given up in the face of Apollo’s reputation?

Fine.  Not exactly the same thing, but I’m in it all the way!

Dearest Friends, Acquaintances, and Readers I’ve never met but love no less…

You can help make my sweetest dream come true.

You see – this alabaster skin and raven-black hair never had much of a chance  in 1982, 83, 84……2007,08,09..…  But through The 60s in 2010…  It just might be my year!!

And so I ask…no, I PLEAD (i’m not beyond it).  Vote for me Today and Every Day! So I can take my advertising agency role on-screen and play the siren i’ve always known was somewhere there inside me…stuck in 50+ years past.  And tomorrow, vote again.  And the next day, again. Seriously, all it takes a quick click of the mouse.  That’s it!

And if any other bloggers want to come on my side and endorse me to your own readers, well, i will have a special thanks reserved for you in my Emmy acceptance speech.

Thank you all for making my dream come true!

Love,

Wren

(from the view of my parent’s screen.  thump-THUmp-THUMP)

I don’t know if you’d ever be seeing Peggy, Joan, or any sassy secretaries in their Sunday casual at Sterling Cooper (Draper Price), but it’s certainly one 2010 ad agency convenience i’ll be taking advantage of.

(I can’t BELIEVE i’m actually putting a picture of myself on here.  Well, you can trust that I made her take it at more than one angle before being “ok” with it)

In honor of this Sunday’s premiere, i thought i’d go on and live it up a bit (as if i don’t actually do this normally).  I’ll also be participating in a Mad Men-themed webinar this afternoon.  I mean -it’s totally for work!! Perfect

I always tell people that even if they come in mid-season or don’t find themselves thrilled with the story-lines… (well, after i tell them they might be kinda lame)… they can still enjoy the Eye Candy.  Particularly in costume and set design.  You can find some fun behind-the-scenes videos here.  The one below is a particular favorite… preview of Season 4 wear-and-tear (you know exactly what i mean)

image via weheartit

If you follow us on Twitter (and if you don’t, what are you thinking?! go do it now) you’ll know that I, Wren, went to Deam’s lake last weekend to celebrate my friend Tyler’s birthday.

It was so nice to get away in our cut-off jeans and straw hats even if the water wasn’t much cooler than it was outside.

Here are some pics.  Is it the weekend again yet??

The Birthday Boy and his new flask.  He’s rather bright don’t you think?  (hahaha get it??)  btw- if you’ve never checked out this boy’s design skillz, DO IT NOW.

Although I spent a week working as a counselor at a Christian camp two summers in a row during college, I never had the opportunity to “go away to camp,” like you see in movies.  If I had it to do over, I think I would like to spend my summers on one of the Pali Overnight Adventures. This company offers 16 specialty camps at their facility in California for kids ages 9-16.

Campers can choose from:

Extreme Action Adventure
Girl Power Extreme
Hollywood Stunt Camp
Motorsports Extravaganza
Secret Agent Camp
Watersports Extravaganza
Acting Academy
Broadcast Journalism
Dance Academy
Rock Star Camp
Culinary Institute
Fashion Design Institute
Film Institute
Magazine Publishing Camp
Movie Makeup Academy
Counselor in Training
Leadership

Hollywood Stunt Camp?! Movie Makeup Academy?!  Secret Agent Camp?!

My only questions are: “Where do I sign up?” and “Do you think I can pass as a 16-year old?”

I am not ashamed to admit… I am one of those “Jane Austen freaks”.

And we live in maybe the best  town for fanciful imitation of her most loved classics.  Probably the absolute best spot for that is at the historic Locust Grove.

(Quick History Lesson:  On November 8, 1806, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived home to Locust Grove.  It became the only residence still in existence west of Appalachia to have sheltered the famous explorers.  George Rogers Clark lived at the site in the final years of his life, from 1809 to 1818, and the property was adjacent to the home of Colonel Richard Taylor and his son, future U.S. President Zachary Taylor. (via wikipedia))

Locust Grove is just one of the gems of Kentucky and the Ohio River (and a PERFECT spot for weddings i might add) and it just happens to host an annual Jane Austen Festival.  Like how I brought that right back around?  Alas- I have not been able to attend the festival yet – for one reason or another.  But I always hear wonderful things about it and I look forward to the year that I do.

Our dear friend, Hayley, actually inspired this post by describing her adventure there with her sweet daughter Anna.  I would recommend going to see her first as her account is much better than my hearsay images.  But when you get back, here are some more images for your perusing.

I’m not sure i could do the dressing-up thing.  Simply because of the blazing heat!!   I’m all about modesty but Goodness Gracious how did they do it?  Have you ever attended an event such as this, and did you don the garb?

I had to steal some of Hayley’s darling pictures…especially of Anna Scout seeing one of her new favorite movies (Sense & Sensibility) in person… sorta.  This is just a teaser.  Again- check out her account for more.  Too Cute!!! I can’t wait to hear her imitating the accents and romantic language.

Aparat is a  prop styling/event design business… serving the theater, magazines, advertising, etc….founded by Olga Naiman – former stylist for my favorite late mag Domino.

And friends, I think I have found the perfect collection of things I love to do and see and invent.  This is pretty much exactly what I want my life-long self-conducted job to be.

I LOVE watching Wimbledon.  But with regular daytime work-hours, i only get to listen to it through RadioWimbledon (which i highly recommend as those Brit commentators are quite hilarious).

Someday, I will go.  For now I will just dream, as i do with most things these days.

This year has been quite the year for surprises  – Venus beat by Pirankova, Roddick outted by Yen-Hsun Lu, Clijsters dominated by Vera Z*&$^@@.  This must be the year for hard-to-pronounce names.  In fact-his very moment #1 Federer is engaged in quite a struggle against his #12 competitor.

So who are you rooting for?  What was your biggest disappointment?  Have you ever been to Wimbledon?

What to do in-between matches… or sights for those non-tennis months…

Starling’s Picks:

For the dad who likes to cook:
The BBQ Sword

For the music lovin’ dad:
Giant earbud iPod speakers

For the dad who like to try new things:
Beer of the Month Club membership

For the dad seeking wisdom from more experienced fathers:
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

And finally, for the dad who’s a total bada$$ and needs a place to keep his ax, and by ax, I don’t mean guitar:
Ax Sling

Wren’s Picks:

For the hip modern city-dweller who needs something to allow him to use his cool new bbq sword

FRYKAT Picnic Charcoal Grill

For the Hipster whose gal pleads for more unique and romantic date ideas (and for something to sit on after spearing veggie burgers with your bbq sword on your picnic grill)

Buffalo Plaid Picnic Blanket

For “the man’s man” who just might give up his favorite recliner for a chance to see it live

Sports tickets

For the stylishly preppy man who values good quality (and a good quality woman)

j.crew leather messenger bag