The final murder mystery

Last spring, I discovered a website dedicated to murder mystery parties and went crazy for it mostly because I love games and themes and dressing up. I daydreamed about it a lot, and when I saw friends, I discussed how I wanted to have a murder mystery party and wouldn't that be fun and they all agreed: yes it would.

But murder mystery parties are small and intimate so one party would not do. So I planned three with three different casts (with some minor overlapping). Tomorrow is the last and final 2010 murder mystery party. It was planned this summer when I had my busy friends Karen (fabulous, abstract-expressionist artist and gallery owner and business what-not doer) and Sarah Paris (rougeneck-blogging, sparkly-eyeshadow-wearing, on-the-go driven diva) over to my house for Thai food (cause I cook now, what what?) and catching up and I opened up the murder mystery website and asked: "Which mystery on what date? Because this *must* happen."

And so plans were made for a Nov. 13 celebration of "The Waskers" a post-Oscar party filled with mystery and MURDER.

I was originally planning to simply host and not play, but some people could not come (Not Sarah P. and Karen of course. They've had it on their calendars since August.) and so I took on the role of "the strange diva," which, quite honestly, I was coveting back when I offered it to someone else.

A year ago, I bought a giant, wide-brimmed black hat and swore I would wear it and then never wore it. I think I will wear it tomorrow. With pearls. Or maybe a thrift store prom dress. We shall see.

And while this is the last 2010 murder mystery party hosted at the Grano-Miller household, it will not be the last murder mystery party ever. Robert and I already have grand plans of writing our own murder mysteries with parts tailored to our friends. The theme possibilities are endless! Thinking about it makes my head explode! With joy! And firecrackers! When will it take place? The 1980s? The Great Depression? The future? Where will it take place? A luxury train? A haunted castle? The bottom of the sea? Who will it star? Divas? Gangsters? Yo mama?

Terribly exciting, I tell you.

ee cummings: I love you much when you write about love

i love you much(most beautiful darling)

more than anyone on the earth and i
like you better than everything in the sky

-sunlight and singing welcome your coming

although winter may be everywhere
with such a silence and such a darkness
noone can quite begin to guess

(except my life)the true time of year-

and if what calls itself a world should have
the luck to hear such singing(or glimpse such
sunlight as will leap higher than high
through gayer than gayest someone's heart at your each

nearness)everyone certainly would(my
most beautiful darling)believe in nothing but love

-- ee cummings

redonkulous sunglasses

I've been told these sunglasses are redonkulous and too much, and I've bought other sunglasses to wear when I don't feel like being a spectacle, but... I still think they're pretty cute in a child of an '80s Ray Ban and a '50s cateye kind of way.

Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish was an odd-duck sort of beauty. My high school history teacher hit on her great-granddaughter. He got turned down. He enjoyed this story. I enjoy Lillian Gish's strange silent movie star beauty.

Miss Adelaide, style icon

I am all about Hollywood musicals and my very favorite Hollywood musical character is poor Miss Adelaide from "Guys and Dolls." She's a sweet, ditsy, burlesque dancer with blond hair who just wants to settle down with notorious Nathan Detroit and have lots of babies. She's tired of getting the fish-eye from the hotel clerk! She's developing psychosomatic symptoms! Something must be done. Poor thing. And she wears fab '50s outfits and barely there get ups. My first introduction to Miss Adelaide was the movie. There's Vivian Blaine playing her above. Frank Sinatra is the charming Nathan Detroit. "So sue me," he tells her. "I love you." And she's like "Your promise me this, you promise me that..." They fight a lot. But they do eventually get hitched.

A couple years ago, Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame starred in a Guys and Dolls revival. I could die, I tell you. I could honestly die. Who is a bigger Lauren Graham/Adelaide fan than I am? How did I not go? How did I not *know*? At least we have photographs. And let me tell you, Lauren Graham's Adelaide is the most fabulous incarnation yet. Let us all stare:

It's a miracle!

My road trip necklace is no longer dead. Robert brought it back to life. Above, Sunshine is reluctantly rocking it. All is well.

What a hoot

Isn't he cute? He's an owl! With glasses! And he reads! He's like me, but an owl! I found him at an antique/ consignment store where I also bought a $3 book that will allegedly turn me into a wine connoisseur/ expert/ snob. He came with cooking utensils I didn't necessarily need but am keeping anyway. My current plan is to fill him up with more utensils and make his home our kitchen counter top. Or maybe he will go in the guest room as a plant holder. Sadly, whenever I put plants in the guest room I forget about them and they die a sad, dehydrated death. I am a bad plant mommy. But, anyway, he will be used. He will be adorable. He is such a hoot. Hardy-har-har. (Hoot jokes will be made every time I buy/ consider buying anything owl-esque.)