Last post of the year, I swear!

I had a very Zen day selling all my possessions, mostly unread books and clothes I've grown to hate. I got about $40 out of it.

Now I'm awaiting the magical phone call with directions to Some Dude's Basement. I didn't realize that I left all my fun clothes at school, but the skirt I thrifted and a belt that arrived fresh off eBay today did pretty well for themselves. (The top's Harajuku Lovers from PacSun last year, the shoes are a Christmas gift, and I got the sweater on clearance. It's ever so-slightly glittery.)



Happy new year! Enjoy the hell out of it, but be safe.

p.s. I never noticed how shitty my doorframe looked!

The Thinking Blogger Awards

I'm so flattered to have recieved a Thinking Blogger Award from Jayne! I want to sing her praises as well, but she's already been tagged. Needless to say, you are too funny, girl, and you have an amazing grip on what's going on in the fashion world.

I may now pass on the honor to a few of the blogs that make me think--of course, every one I read makes me think, but I sadly was limited to five.

Icing: Gala Darling just makes me happy to be alive. I don't just mean in a head-over-heels sunshine and butterflies kind of way--she's got all kinds of honest, no-holds-barred advice that anyone can and should use. It gives you hope for yourself. And, her style is pretty killer as well.

If you can't think of anything nice to say: Emma makes me laugh until I cry, and the one thing I think most when I am reading her blog is, "why did God decide to bestow all this wit and talent upon one girl?" Is it fair? Yes. Just read her stuff, and you'll see.

Liebemarlene Vintage: I discovered this blog before I started my own, and I've always found it an inspiration. Rhiannon is not afraid to share the things which sparked her creativity, which are always interesting on their own, like old magazines and stars from the Golden Era of Hollywood.

Style Snatcher: I love fashion history. So does Suzanna Mars. But the thing about Suzanna is that she manages to post insightful, interesting, and informational pieces on things I want to know more about. Or, that I want to know more about after reading Style Snatcher!

The Church of the Vegimen: Travis does not write a fashion blog, though I've given him clothing advice maybe once or twice ;). He does, however, write about fascinating subjects on his blog, and I am also lucky enough to get to talk to him about them in person.

Well, I'm off to watch Ghosthunters on DVD till I pass out and then go look for some New Year's fun. See you in 2008!

One thing I love: Vintage paper

These decoupaged boxes I saw on Etsy reminded me of what my roommate did to the wall in our old room:

Thrifting/ Indiana

Yesterday morning, I promised my friend Ryeshia an adventure. Of course, I thought it would just involve a good bit of shopping and maybe a run-in with good people as tends to happen on a weekend night.

It did start out that way.

We hit up Nearly New, which is probably my favorite actual thrift store in town. Ryeshia had been before, but had never actually found anything. However, she was on the lookout yesterday for a high-waisted skirt, and I knew there were all kinds to be had for $5 or less, so we searched a little and found a few. She actually got a really awesome outfit, consisting of what we refer to as an old-lady skirt, a t-shirt, and a long button down sweater vest.

I tried on a lot of things but only ended up getting these skirts:


The blue one and green one were my original picks--the blue is some kind of dressy librarian material, and the green is knit and shadow-striped. When we went to the counter, apparently we each had spent enough to get something priced at $3 or less for free, so I grabbed the creme-colored sweater skirt on the left.

After that my friend Steven met us and we hit up Cherry Bomb, a new/vintage boutique where I'd eyed a sweater on Christmas Eve but didn't want to buy it because, well, it was Christmas Eve. So this time I was determined to make it mine:

Ryeshia pointed out to me that it had a small stain on it and we should milk that all we could, so I made her come up to the counter with me because she is a lot braver than I am.

"Is there anything you can do about this stain?" I asked, a little too subtly, I suppose.
"Tonic water and lemon!" the man working the cash register said.

Letdown! Thankfully Ryeshia piped up--"We meant, like, a discount."
The manager was behind the cashier, I believe, because next thing I know I'm getting the sweater half off. I told Ryeshia I'm never going shopping without her again.

We were leisurely strolling down Bardstown Road toward who-knows-where when Steven suddenly presented us with a suggestion: "hey, we should go to Indianapolis!"

Well, we'd expected an adventure, so of course we said yes.

Mind you, Indianapolis is two hours or so up I-65, and pretty much no one else in the entire world knew what we were up to. Next thing we know we're in the car, headed on the highway, looking for adventure and whatever comes our way, etc.

After a brief stopover for some food in Taylorsville, Indiana (two words: baby mullet) we were ready to ransack whatever we could of the mall, since it was almost 8 o'clock.

First, we had to hit Tiffany & Co. because Steven had a gift card and decided on this really gorgeous ring:



After that, we checked out the new Anthropologie. We don't have one at home, and I love what I see in the catalog, but aside from the all-encompassing amazingness of the knick-knacks and such, the store itself is rather hit-and-miss. My favorite things were in the pajama department, a nightgown printed with birdcages which would have looked great belted and a shorts-and-tank-top set. I don't know why I didn't get the nightgown, except for the fact that it was nearly $60.

By then the malls were closing, so we lingered over coffee and lemon cookies at an Italian restaurant, and spent the ride home trying to figure out good excuses to tell our parents since we'd been gone pretty much all day.

It was hedging on 2 a.m., so we missed what I was hoping for most: a Love's Truck Stop adventure. (I love that place!)



Here's Steven at a Love's on our last trip North, demonstrating the Cowboy 3000.

I wish I had more pictures, but I thought my camera was broken. It turns out Kodak only takes Kodak batteries. So lame! At least I have one now.

Maybe I just wanted to use the word "Liverpudlian" in a sentence

But nonetheless, here are some of my recent favorites from Hoy Fashion:

Anti-Feminism on Facebook: A Rant

This story starts with Facebook—namely, its “Political Debate of the Day” which I barely noticed in my peripheral vision on the corner of my homepage:

Do you think a woman president can be as effective as a man?

I was taken aback, and immediately followed the link. This ridiculous question has me reeling for several reasons.

1. Why is this even an issue? Last time I checked, it was 2007, almost 2008. Women have worked so hard for decades to try and set the record straight: we are equal to men. Equal in all ways. There are physical differences between men and women. Yes. Duh. But this does not mean that women are unable to do important things in the world. That kind of thinking is ignorant, archaic, and irrelevant. Ask Queen Elizabeth I! Or look at the other countries who have had female leaders. Germany, for example; Britain, India, Switzerland, Ireland. Iceland. Indonesia. Norway.

And just today, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was tragically assassinated. She devoted her life to making her country a better place, and in doing so had to break through even stronger societal barriers.

And here in America, we get, “are women as effective leaders as men?”

2. Some of the answers to this poll were inane, to say the least. The actual results were quite pleasing—as of the time of my original posting, out of 20,000, over 15,000 said “yes.” But there were still the naysayers:

a. Many men answered “no,” as a joke. If you truly believe this, we need to talk. But sarcastically saying “no, women can’t be leaders” just perpetuates the stereotypes. It’s not funny, it’s not cute. If anything, it’s insecurity manifested and completely disregardful of fellow human beings.

Are men afraid women will be better leaders, and they’re just trying to hide it?

b. Some men who answered “no” cited “hormones” and “menstrual cycles” as their reason for thinking women are ineffective politicians. This is even sadder than the ones who jokingly said “no,” because they actually believe this is an intelligent argument. Let’s not even get Freudian on this one and discuss the fear issues. We’ll leave it at the fact that this is a flimsy, ill-educated answer that is completely irrelevant. Was your mother a bad parent because of her menstrual cycle? Then shut up and go clean my kitchen for me, douchebag. I’ve had enough of you.

c. Even women answered "no," some citing "other sexist countries" (see #1), others declaring women "too sexual of creatures."

Have some respect for yourself! There are enough people who already disrespect women purely because of idiotic tradition, insecurity, and ungrounded feelings of superiority. With a statement like that, you are in essence justifying limiting yourself--something even Barbie doesn't condone.

Are women supposed to marry, “settle down” and raise a man’s kids for him while he bitches about her spending all his “hard-earned money” on making sure the family is clothed and fed? Are we supposed to all crowd around the glass ceiling and wait for those privileged with a Y chromosome to wise up (which they will refuse to as long as they’re the ones at the pinnacle of the power structure)?

Why are people afraid of feminism? I can’t see not being one in an era where people still feel the need to ask if a woman could be as effective a leader as a man.

The attitude I’ve had toward style from the beginning is it’s all about personality and dressing for yourself and not men, so it can't be argued that I’m just a frivolous fashion blogger and I’m being a hypocrite. And if anything, this post really doesn't convey my frustration nearly as much as I feel it. I strongly suggest you follow the link; reading back on it, I just feel everything I wrote there is even more relevant.

Dan Zanes' House Party

I still believe to this day that members of my generation, when young, were either Disney kids or Nickelodeon kids (Yeah, it's really sad that we can be categorized by our television habits. Whatever). It was a simple division, black and white: Nickelodeon kids were easy to be friends with. Disney kids kind of sucked. No offense if you watched Disney, obviously you're here so you don't suck (any more).

So anyway, I came downstairs this morning and my brother was doing his morning TV thing--Disney programming, but there's this kids' show called Charlie and Lola that my mom thinks is really cute, so she basically forces him to watch it while he'd prefer anything with helicopters or volcanoes. I have to admit, Charlie and Lola is really cute. Maybe I'll have to rethink my beliefs.

But better yet was this music short I saw, since Disney apparently makes so much money that they don't need to promote anything but themselves during breaks. It was called Dan Zanes' House Party, and it was set in New York, but like, Brooklyn, and the music was for the kids, of course. But the clothes were crazy! In a completely good way. Everyone was in ship-shape vintage, colored tights and 70s dresses, singing Spanish twee to the cute little kids in Brooklyn.

"I knew you'd think this was cool," my mom said. "I always think they dress like you do."

These kind of things give me faith in our future. Check them out:

Thoughts?

[source]

UPDATE: Turns out the place where I found the picture was phrased too vaguely, or I didn't read it carefully enough, but I'm blushing anyway! Thanks to everyone who pointed it out and sorry for the slip-up. In the future, I will do my research much more painstakingly!

No suede shoes

I'd been wearing the same shoes over and over, many of them a couple of years old. So I was pretty excited to find myself gifted with some new ones!

Merry Christmas!

Finally, a digital camera! This is my holiday sweater and my probably-never-will-be-unpacked room:



What an awkward smile.

Have the greatest of great holidays, anyway!

Tag Tag

Thanks to a tagging by Jello On Springs, I bring you my humble beginnings.


(I don't know, I just like the picture.)

1. What's the story behind the name of your blog and your nickname?

Once upon a time, I stole some Tango Pirates and Absinthe lettuce from an evil witch's garden. She caught me and threatened me with a terrible fate unless I named the little idea of a blog inside me after the lettuce. So here's to you, Brunhilda.

Actually, I had the idea to start this blog long before I had an actual name for it. I'd been reading a few fashion blogs I'd discovered during a bout of mono, and I always had this nebulous idea of starting one of my own in my head. Finally one afternoon, I decided, why not? So I had my post idea, and the whole theme and everything, but no idea what to call it. So finally I opened this book I was reading, Flapper by Joshua Zeitz, and I figured I'd find something interesting in there. The first chapter was called "Tango Pirates and Absinthe," and I thought it had a nice ring to it, so I went with it. I like it because the flapper attitude sums up my philosophy on style: it's liberating, empowering, and self-expression at its most tangible.

"Heather" is my real name. Boring!

2. Why did you start blogging in the first place?
a. I found blogs very inspiring and I wanted to add my own contribution.
b. I've always loved writing. I used to write commentary for a high-school radio show in Louisville, and the joy of sharing my scathing wit over the airwaves was never really matched until I found my little niche here.
c. My friend Michael started this amazing online magazine, Rise Over Run. I cornered him at a party and told him I was writing a blog and it would be totally awesome if he gave it a little look-see and he said he'd check it out. We've been together ever since.

3. What's been your best blogging experience? What about the worst?
Blogging is definitely a labor of love. I like the interaction and the ideas to steal from my fellow fashionistas, and I love the warm community that fashion blogging presents. Having an excuse to write everyday is great, and having people actually read it is better! I've liked guest blogging too--I was so excited, because Painfully Hip was one of the first blogs I ever read, and when Amber emailed me about blogging for them, I felt like the head cheerleader was asking me to sit at her lunch table, but of course without the cattiness and backstabbing that those kind of scenarios present in real life and Mean Girls. I plan to do a lot more!

I haven't had too many bad experiences, but one time, I did a post which I worded very carefully so as not to offend anyone, I just wanted to present a really interesting editorial I found. But someone misinterpreted me and took offense anyway.

4. What do you think will happen to your blog in 2008?
I'm definitely going to post more of my outfits and pictures I've taken since I now have the means! I also want to expand the blog's consciousness, do more thoughtful pieces, and focus more on personal style and self-empowerment. I want to be less consumerist, as well. Sometimes all you need is an imagination!

Once again, I cop out because I don't know who has and hasn't been gotten! But I'd love to hear about all of your experiences, fashion blogger or otherwise. So please share!

Karma Exists

I flipped off an old lady today because she was honking at me to go at a red light and the mall had me frustrated anyway.

And then, later, my car wouldn't start.

It's all right now. But lesson learned: keep your cool! I've been trying to do good deeds to make up for it all day.

Style is Genetic.

I wish I could share all the awesome family photos that I saw tonight. My aunt has these amazing books she's compiled--albums, really--one of my grandmother's side of the family, and one of my grandfather's, which has photos, letters, and poems dating back to the 1860s--including a Christmas card from the Civil War frontlines.

The Iron Chic has some inspiring photos along the family lines, and probably no baby brother who can't be trusted with heirloom documents. Maybe if my aunt gets a scanner!

Until then. And if Santa manages to gift me with a life between now and Sunday, I'll be wishing you happy forthcoming and belated holidays!

I don't know how they do it, but...

Notcouture.com keeps a running list of the adorable, the enviable, and the interesting. It's internet one-stop window shopping at its finest.



This kind of looks like my prom dress senior year!



Vest of amazingness by Alexander McQueen.



From NightingaleJewlery.com:

This piece was inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi.

Wabi-Sabi is the beauty of things imperfect...it is a beauty of things modest and humble...it is a beauty of things unconventional.

Wabi-Sabi reflects the natural beauty of things found in Nature; simple, imperfect, incomplete things.

Each necklace or bracelet is made with a piece of free form sterling silver, created by dropping pure molten silver into water. Like things in nature, no two are alike. The Wabi-Sabi piece is strung on a highly durable red cord. The red string borrows from Buddist and Kabalistic traditions, and will bring the wearer good luck and protection.



Lingerie without bows! And I love the hardware details. Featured in "Santa Baby '07," the new single off my latest album.



At first, I thought this was a belt. And I was going to make a joke about vanity sizing. But it's a bracelet.

I really feel the need to stop browsing the 'Net and go do something unselfish now. By the way, anyone got any good recipes they want to share? I'm baking my Christmas gifts. I guess I'd better get to work, too!

Mr. Moustache

What if I were the subject of a new Christmas movie, except this one would take place in real life: The Girl Who Delayed Christmas?

It would only be because I found the perfect gift for the man in my life, and I need shipping time!



I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't want a stuffed moustache this cute for Christmas. I mean, tell me. Then look into the moustache's little beaded eyes and tell it you don't like it. No, I mean, really look into its eyes. Have you ever made a stuffed moustache cry?

And anyway, I know it's the perfect gift because the model looks just like my boyfriend. He was actually the one who pointed it out to me. (Sorry for putting your photo online, darlin'.)

Am I a hypocrite?

I love patterned tights, but not on Paris Hilton, for some reason I haven't figured out. I mean, it's good that she's trying to dress halfway decently, right? Why am I so annoyed with her demure fashion-forwardness?



Well, houndstooth-on-houndstooth is a pretty good reason. I mean, there's not-leaving-your-house-for-3-days-except-to-go-to-the-library too much of a good thing and then there's houndstooth-on-houndstooth too much of a good thing. One of which I'm actually living, and I don't think mind-boggling graphic patterns from head to toe is quite the existence I want to lead right now.

And these tights closely resemble tourniquets, or something snagged at the last minute from the Hustler store clearance rack:



But even this look, which I would love on anyone else in the world, grates my nerves, and makes me grind my still-painful teeth:



I mean, the dress is adorable, and the tights are unexpected (one of my favorite style terms, I know). But why Paris, of all people?

I must consider this while I leisurely sip my too-strong hazelnut coffee and half-pay attention to The Year of Living Biblically.

Is it that I am such a creature of habit that I don't even like my celebrities to change? I went backpacking in Red River Gorge, though, for Godssake. Creatures of habit don't sleep on cliffs and break their veg and not bathe for four days, right? Though I admit I loved every minute of putting on my roommates pajamas after a hot shower and lying on the couch watching Walk the Line.

Hmm.

(Oh yeah, and my mom got really mad because my first--and hopefully only--credit card bill came in the mail today. She said, "that thing better only be for emergencies!" I mean, winning Cheap Monday jeans on eBay is an emergency! )

What leather and canvas do on their day off

I love things that come in unexpected materials, like these canvas boots from Urban Outfitters:



Or, more appropriately, these leather men's shoes by Penguin (since I need to be shopping for others!):

On being warm

I'm pretty sure this post is going to mess up at some point because, while their hazelnut cream cheese is divine (why do I keep mentioning food in this blog?), Panera's internet really kind of sucks.

But I am in my new cold-weather uniform today, inspired in part by LC's recent American Apparel find, and also one of my own finds when I was moving all my necessary stuff out of my room yesterday: a bright red crew-neck men's sweatshirt behind my-- well, I want to call it an armoire, but it's a laquered plywood piece of dorm-room cheapness, so I'll stick with "cabinet." Anyway, it, combined with black skinny jeans, kind of looks like something my dad would wear, minus the ballet flats, but it's ultra warm, and I feel kind of attractive, and I didn't even really need a coat during my mad dash from my car to my cream cheese. Oh, and read this month's Vogue--or is it Vanity Fair?--well, one of those Conde Nast magazines. Because apparently this is what Nicolas Ghesquiere wears while he's dreaming up Balenciaga masterpieces. MENSWEAR IS A TREND PEOPLE.

This guy knows what's up!


I'm happy because it used to be that I really had to slum it when I wanted to be warm enough because my "cute" uniform usually consists of a cardigan, a t-shirt and skinny jeans or something high-waisted, and the kind of shoes that only look good on bare feet or, if wearing a skirt, tights. Although I do double up on the tights sometimes. Now, I feel like I don't even need to wear glasses to justify my comfortableness.
Which leads me to an overwhelming question, posed to me by a member of the male species the other day: why is it that no one makes warm women's clothes anymore?

Thought of the Day

Why is it that, just when you're getting pumped for the holidays, bookstores are like, "No, sorry, it's January time?" I mean, I understand it when it's November and you just really really can't wait to see what Vogue has suggested for you to buy for your mere acquaintances who are only really worth $250 and Cosmo's naughty-elf role-playing costume ideas, and to appease you the Christmas issues are out early. But when it's December 15 and I want to hang out at Barnes & Noble and drink coffee and read some thick-ass December issues, there they are, the slim, sickly January issues. Such a dissappointment. At least Vanity Fair is good this--I mean, next month.

Speaking of which, I know that I keep offering excuses, but posting will probably be spotty this weekend because the weather has just turned into bullshit, and I'm going over to my boyfriend's, who thank God lives in town, to wait it out. And at his house they've dismantled the internet on every computer but the ones owned by those who pay rent. So I can use my boyfriend's computer, but it's just weird, like, when instead of "Megaman X8 cheat codes on xbox," his Google toolbar says "Hayden Panittiere only has one facial expression." But when I get back home, it's nothing but free time, except for the one day I promised to spend with this beautiful little boy. I wish I had the chance to read all my usual blogs, but that might have to wait too. But that means I'll have a glorious amount of catching up to do!

No One Belongs Here More Than You.

I'll let these photos speak for themselves, although they do beg a question: Miranda July, why are you so cool?

No more priorities!

(At least until my week of wisdom teeth removal is finally over. I can't even enjoy a tiny free sample of chocolate-chip cookie because my mouth is in the same state as a three-month-old baby's. Now I know why they cry all the time.)

Whew! Finals week is finally over. I do have to hang around town to work, but I was in the stacks and I remembered seeing the new Vogue (American, unfortunately, I want to see Charlotte Gainsbourg's poetry in motion in French), and I thought to myself, "I should really finish The Children's Hospital." Then, immediately after, "No, I shouldn't." And Penelope Cruz is quite stunning, although there is a male model accompanying her whose up-to-the-armpits suspender-ed and embroidered red matador pants are very enviable.

Oh, and isn't "My Insolence" the worst name for a perfume? I mean, if Hilary Duff is trying to play up her stylish-and-sophisticated image, she should probably consider a new moniker for her latest scent. "Insolence." That's better. With the "My" in front of it, it sounds like some soul-searching eighth grader wrote a poem with the help of a thesaurus, something like, "I think of him all the time. My thoughts have no reason or rhyme. My pain is very real and hurts. I cry in gardens within the dirt."

But anyway, it's going to be an awesome rest-of-week. Expect better bloggerings soon, I offer my humblest apologies for the lack of posts while I was struggling to learn my Maths, and writing a 6-page essay on the inverse relationship between the idea of cultural hierarchy and the growth of the middle class (ask me sometime).

Oh, and fashion moment of the week: We were playing an, ahem, card game when I drew a jack, which meant I had to name a category. I was staring at my friend' s ultra-distracting argyle sweater so I said, "sweaters!" What ensued:
Me: Cardigan.
CZ: Striped.
G-tron: V-neck.
J, of the argyle sweater: um, vertical?

But while I am having a great two days, Winona is having an awesome life--I mean, the closest I've ever gotten to Tom Cruise is the Scientology building next door to my favorite restaurant... oh, and while watching Eyes Wide Shut. (Shudders). I needn't say more.

The Year in Review: Clothing Obsessions

It isn't Christmas yet, but it is finals week, the end of the semester, and it's provoking a certain kind of hopeful nostalgia. (And also a full wallet--book buyback is great. Time for a white chocolate milkshake from Steak n' Shake, which I have been craving.) I also saw a post on my friend Hanna's blog which made me feel all reflective as well--you should check it out, but ignore the tall girl in the camping photo. I hadn't had a shower in 3 days y'all. (That was my Britney Spears impression, not my Kentucky accent coming out.)

But without further ado (except a mental drumroll... begin thinking it.... now!), here is 2007: A Style Obsession Odyssey. I decided to do it by seasons, though, because the months totally blend into each other because time flies when you're having fun and getting old.

Winter

Crazy/cozy/cat lady scarves
cute hats
the beatnik look (black turtleneck, black tights, skirt):


Also, an orange H & M dress.

Have you ever noticed how boring that stretch of infinite winter gets when you just want to be warm and you wear the most (both in amount and as an adverb) boring things so you don't freeze? I felt like it took forever for me to recuperate.

Spring

Shirtdresses
Hippie dresses (I was so excited to wear dresses again!)
Heatherette
printed silk scarves--I got one from Urban Outfitters that featured London's landmarks that I wore consistently... it took some getting used to and some learning how to work it, but I love it still.
Keep shoes
a fashion shoot, styled and modeled by me and photographed by the insanely talented and chic Mary--she is seriously so much more stylish than I am:




Summer
High waists--I wanted an acid-washed high-waisted skirt, but all I could find was a vintage Guess? one in stonewash, which still suffices. For my birthday in July I treated myself to the new-at-the-time Stretch Bull Denim high-waist skirt in gray, which I am about to wear out.
skinny belts
sailor skirts
and mostly a work uniform that consisted of rain boots, jogging pants, and a huge waterproof t-shirt. I looked like a 12-year-old anime kid.

Fall
Sweater tights
colored skinny jeans
a rainbow cummerbund belt
gray everything
cardigans of all shapes and sizes
flat boots

So, what were yours? Any new fashion discoveries this year? Realizations? Patterns? Lessons learned?

I know that I decided that it was important to dress for myself and to wear clothes that made me feel good: confident and comfortable. I also started this blog this year, which opened more inspirational horizons than I could have imagined and helped me think outside the box (as well as directly copycat LOLZ).

When seven powers failed to spin me, I had to get me seven more.

I've been tagged by fellow fashionista Today I Like, so I hereby present you with seven facts that, well, at least I deem interesting about myself!

1. Hands down, my favorite person in the entire world is my little brother Will. I'm sixteen years older than he is and he's three, do the math. Here he is doing his American Apparel model impression from when he participated in a Halloween fashion shoot.

He is not unhip. His favorite bands include Belle & Sebastian and They Might Be Giants and he "wuvs the Highwinns." He also likes sweater vests, like all my favorite men.

2. I. Hate. Numbers. I'm about to finish my last math class ever, two years late, because I could have gotten the chance to get college credit in high school but precal was just too much effort and I found myself copying off of other people's homework. I could not afford to lose those karma points so I dropped out and spent the year having an amazing time in the counseling office hanging out with my friend Fee who was an exchange student from Sommerda, Germany, and Astrid, who is an immensely intelligent, awesome storyteller who used to live in Cuba, and a little girl whose name I forget who was the daughter of one of the counselors. Oh, and I have a friend who's a Civil Engineering major (which is 2 credits away from a math minor) and I have to preface all my stories with, "It's not that I hate you, I just hate numbers...."when I'm around him.

3. My dream job would be some kind of mix of fashion blogger/ lead singer of a band. This would acquire both more web-economics savviness and bravery, because I only sing in the car and apologize profusely to my poor passengers. My boyfriend says I have a beautiful voice, but his band is a noise band and voices just get in the way.

4. When I was little, I was obsessed with the movie Star Wars. I had a spaceship made from a refrigerator box and some markers, which transported me to Muppet Baby-like adventure worlds. (Oh my god, I forgot how great that show was!) In my travels, I was always Princess Leia, while I made my sister be Luke.

5. I have finally done something about my rejection from so many publications. (Self-promo city!)

6. I am obsessed with the color yellow, but only a specific shade which I refer to as Bright-Ass. It's more of a "marigold" shade, but I would be perfectly happy to live in a house with everything painted over in yellow. I don't think I could get tired of it.

7. I also have an obsession with Zelda Fitzgerald. I've read every book written about her, and while I respect what Ernest Hemingway's done for the literary world, I think he's a dick because he didn't like her. I'd like to write a novel loosely based on her life and do her all the respect she deserves.

If you want to be tagged, please say so! I don't know who has and hasn't been, but I know that it's a fun thing to do so totally hit me up.

Fake Ass Glasses (in which I alienate 57% of readers)

This photograph of myself looks like it would capture the absolute essence of me, in all its candidness. But truth be told, it's actually carefully planned out, from a night when my friend Steven and I went out on the town (and to town) with a Polaroid camera. It was more like, "hey, Steven! I'm going to turn my head this way and you're going to snap and I'm going to look super indie all over the interwebs."

(Take 2)

The glasses aren't even real.

Have you ever had a friend who tended to sigh, "oh, I wish I had bad vision like ol' four-eyes over there," (JUST KIDDING!) to which you'd always reply, "well, go get some fake glasses, then, they sell them, I swear"?

That friend is me. And I took your advice. The glasses are a cheapie pair of clearance awesomeness. I wear them all the time, except for when I'm like, what am I doing walking around in fake glasses all the time? And then I hide them for a month.

I even wear them around my house, like it would fool my family, who are proud of me for keeping the optometrist bill low. I feel like it justifies my sitting around in pajamas all the time. (Being stylish in public takes a lot out of you!) It's like, "look at how comfortable I am in my busy lifestyle, and how un-self conscious! I am wearing my faux glasses today because I didn't have time to put in my imaginary contacts! Better go languish by the fire with a copy of Kierkegaard and regroup!"



American Apparel sells fake glasses, and I really like them, even if it's commodifying vintage in a way when a store with a very specific image markets these glasses as geeky-chic... I mean, I love American Apparel. I really do... but I'm also all self-aware and postmodern this week and have been repeating my history teacher's mantra, "everything is a text, everything is a text," well mostly, and postmodernly, because it sounds cool, and even things like glasses are texts but god knows I'd need real glasses to explain why to you.

What I'm trying to say is, I'm wearing a sweatshirt today, and I feel like the glasses merit the slacker fashionista look. And I'm very comfortable. And what I'm also trying to say is that glasses are really cool, but FAKE GLASSES ARE COOL TOO! They are just like sunglasses with clear lenses that you can wear indoors. Now stop making fun of me.

So anyway, I hope you guys have a good Friday, and if you wear glasses, this is not meant to offend you, rather than to celebrate you, because I am seriously very jealous and that is why I wear fake ones. And I'm a bit put off because all my friends are running on less sleep than I am, for better reasons, and not making sense either, and it's really fun.

Obscentities

(Come up with a better scent-related pun and win a prize: my eternal affection)

I think that rose-scented perfume's skipped generation is finally over, because as I was toiling in the stacks today in the library, I noticed someone was wearing rose, and I liked it. Rather than tired and old-ladyish, it was a breath of fresh air (well, in a metaphorical sense) compared to the usual wafting Victoria's Secret Love Spell and Armani Code tickling my (once again metaphorical) nose hairs.

Unfortunately, I don' t know if everyone agrees with me, because a search on Sephora yielded hardly any results--mostly floral perfumes reeking of exotic mimosa, amber, freesia, whatever, with only the barest, most reluctant hint of rose.

Which provides the perfect chance for me to talk about one of my most favorite scent brands ever: Demeter. The online store is referred to as their scent "library." Do you understand? A library!



Of course I found Bulgarian Rose right away, but that doesn't mean I stopped exploring.

You see, the spring of my sixteenth year, right before prom, my friend and I cut school to go on a boutique tour in search of a perfect dress. We ended up at a shop my friend recalled from other school skipping days (hi, Mom!) that wasn't anything special, one of the usual Vegas-grandma places, stocked with maribou sleep masks and notepads shaped like flip-flops.

But in the back was a room of misfit gifts, all marked down because they weren't leopard print, sequinned, or both. And I found a veritable treasure trove of Demeter fragrances, with their simple descriptive labels and rectangular bottles. Dirt? Had it. And it smelled just like outside after a rain storm, earthy in the purest sense. Tomato? Yes. (Bad idea. Unfortunately, it hasn't been discontinued yet.)

The line ranges from $5 for a "cologne mini-splash" to $40 for 4 whole ounces of delight, making it great for all your gag-gifts-that-people-will-end-up-loving or secret-indulgence-in-the-middle-of-your-post-Thanksgiving unselfishness kick. Scents include Crayon, Play-Doh, Clean Windows, Pure Soap, Fiery Curry, Sushi, and Mildew. All strange, yes, but don't tell me you never snuck a whiff of your baby cousin's Play-Doh, salivated when the scent of an Indian restaurant blew your way, or briefly admired the way your friend's Victorian bathroom smelled. Don't lie!

Now, if only they made Glazed Donut. I really see market potential in that. Oh, and Demeter guys? Free stuff would be totally welcome. :)

Film or Facehunter?

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Answers:

Film- #2, 5, 7, 9
Facehunter- #1, 3, 4, 6, 8