"Statistics show that there are more women in the world than anything else

...except insects"

I'm free! As of Saturday evening at 18:00 hours, I have submitted all my graduate school applications! This means I am free to return to the world..real and virtual.

Throughout the madness of the last few months, I had very few days of fun or interest. The most memorable had to have been film noir photoshoot night involving my friend Katie as photographer, my roommate, Jamie, as the hardboiled P.I., Katie's little sister Hope as the ingenue, and me as the femme fatale.

I've always loved the femme fatale. In the code era, her wiles were obvious and er devious deeds only hinted toward. She served as a warning to men and women alike of the danger of female cleverness and power. Despite this, they remain the most memorable and glamorous characters, perhaps even vague role models of independence and rebellion, and reminders of the historical sequestering of the fairer sex. Who hasn't want to emulate Gilda? Or Kittie Collins?

Anyway, here's our story. We had such a great time hamming it up and making up silly plots and motivations. The final product we called, "As the Cat Meows."

(apologies in advance for the long photo post, but the story deserves its full arc)

Meet my roommate the P.I. Why he owns a prop pistol, I do not know, but I love it.

Danger! Danger! Enter the dame...

Classic emulation of Bacall/Bogart: "Got a match?"

"Who's that at the door?"

"Who cares...look at those pins!"

Enter the young contender

Trouble ahead

Interrupting the cat fight

The tables turn...

Trying to escape

The P.I. won't let them get away this time

Where did they go?

Perhaps the boiler room?

She's after me! Down this sketchy shaft

Done away with the girl. Now to sneak free...

Curses! The jewels and/or secrets are locked away and unobtainable

Caught! The shakedown

...and back to normality

Of course, we did come up with an alternate ending, in which the ingenue and the femme fatale kill the P.I. and run away to slay the world with feminine wiles. The femme fatale teaches her young protege the tricks of the trade...