Monday, March 30, 2009

Flickr

So, I basically LOVE flickr, it's so fun just looking and other peoples photos, and uploading your own, just like twitter, it makes you feel as though you're part of something bigger than yourself, which seems to be a theme lately. Therefore, I bring you some photos I've recently uploaded to my flickr, I use mostly a canon film camera, however I'm way too lazy to get you the specs since my cam's up on the shelf right now. My other camera is a crappy Olympus digital thing, but I'm jonesing for a Nikon. Check out my profile here. Note the sexy photo of Carolyn below.

 
  
 

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Post Secret Sunday


Twitter Troubles

They make some good points and it's pretty funny. FAIL WHALE.



Don't worry. I won't stop twittering.
p.s. ..just found a parking space

I am robot

Greetings Earthlings. Just kidding, I haven't turned into that kind of robot. But I feel like some sort of programmed being, forced to finish task after task after task.

Thus far, my sensational weekend has included work, followed by work, and then after a brief break for some food, even more work.

Last night, I did two chapters of AP US history notes, and for those of you who have read American History by Alan Brinkley, those chapters aren't short. And today, I did 3 sections of math homework. So now, I am working on my English project due Monday. It's only worth about half of this quarter's grade. Not a big deal or anything. Did you catch my sarcasm? And after I do my project, I have to write my US thesis paper for Tuesday. And after that is done, I still have about 2348 other things left to do.

So, despite the fact that I sound as though I'm bemoaning my current work situation, I'm really just here to enlighten you. To me, these ridiculous amounts of work given that merit two weekend evenings given up, and suck up entire days seem unnecessary. Do you think that my parents were doing this much when they were in high school? I already know the answer. No. Way.

And this leads me to wonder, how did we enter this world where I will have done so much work by college, that I'll have burnt out? When did our society deem it acceptable to overload the current student so much? And, Why have mental, physical and emotional health been allowed to fall by the wayside the way they have?

This isn't just a rant from another tired, stressed student (although I am). This is a cry of concern. Sometimes I really do worry if I'll even have the energy or drive left to take on another four years of education. And what about grad school after that?

Students are being turned into robotic creatures as a result of what's loaded down on us. We have no choice but to shut down all other passions, and talents for our school work. It's all about getting that A, which, because of all the work, inevitably won't always be attained, but that we all strive for in vain anyway.

The days of becoming your own person are long gone. We've all been programmed by our environments to become toy action figures in the world's game of Risk, and there's little that we can do except suck it up, and accept that if we want to be successful, then being cast in plastic for a few years really isn't that bad.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Black Tights Are a Girl's Best Friend

Not a fan of acid wash? Well, you'll have to pry Lily's acid wash cutoffs from her cold, dead hands before she'll give them up from the looks of it. 

I'm just assuming she's wearing them in the following pic, but in any case, the black tights and Uggs are still a go.



For the record, I love Lily Allen. Really, I do.

Etsy Addiction

I hope you're currently in the search for a good sachet. Because that's all I've got for you this week. I know, it's pretty lame. I promise a mid-week etsy addiction to make up for it.









  1. migotochou
  2. bluesaffron
  3. birdofafeather
  4. allisajacobs
  5. veronicasun
  6. girlontherocks
  7. shamsandcoverups
  8. sewfragrant
  9. lapomme
  10. sadieandoliver

Friday, March 27, 2009

Wow Update

A while ago we wrote this post about Alfie Patten, the young young father. Well, here's an update, because apparently a DNA test was done, and he's not. Before the DNA test was done, Alfie said the following, according to The Telegraph:

"Other stupid boys are lying, saying bad things, like they have slept with Chantelle too," Patten says, "But I am the only boyfriend she has had and we've been together for two years, so I must be the dad. When she found out she was having a baby, I asked her 'Am I the dad?' and she went 'Yeah' so I believe her. I didn't know about DNA tests before, but Mum explained it's when they do a swab in your mouth and it tells you if you're the dad. So, if I have that, they can all shut up. But I don't really care what people say. And I don't like them being bad about Chantelle."

So, they did a DNA test, and The Mirror is now reporting that Alfie is not the father. One of those "other stupid boys" probably is. But they're also probably 14 or 15, and too young to be a father. 

While none of these sources are particularly reliable, the story itself is just sad and has prompted many British politicians to speak out on the "nation's declining moral standards." Glad we live on the other side of the Atlantic, where we have so much integrity. Oh wait.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The epic excuse

"I'm washing my hair this Friday, sorry." It always seemed like a strange excuse in modern times, seeing as most of us wash our hair nearly every day, during our regular showers, but the times of scheduled hair washing are making a comeback. The wave of washing less is gaining momentum, as strange as it may seem to us.

Well, I have an admission. I stopped showering. Every day that is. It's bad for you! The hot water dries out your skin, and your hair.
NPR recently had an article about the damage shampooing every day can cause to your hair. And I believe them. All those chemicals all up in your hair? Every day? Not good.

This is not to say that you should stop showering, but if you're looking to cut down on hot water usage every other day showering is a good idea. And cutting down on shampoo and plastic consumption would be fab.

Also, there's plenty of shampoo substitutes that don't come in plastic containers, like shampoo bars or baking soda (who knew, right?)

And, I could never part with my fruity deodorant, but apparently baking soda and cornstarch mixed make a great replacement, without any irritation. Huh.

While we're on the topic of reducing our environmental footprints, here's an idea out of Michigan. Boxed water. Boxed Water Is Better is a water company who boxes their water in containers made primarily from responsibly harvested trees. The containers are less harmful to the Earth than plastic, and are recyclable. Also, once the company gets going, they plan to donate 10% of profits to world water relief foundations. For now, they appear to only be in MI, but hopefully we'll be seeing this idea take hold and spread to the east coast. I bet it would be really popular too. Not that there's anything wrong with tap water, but if you like it bottled, boxed is still better than plastic. 

Skipped a beat

So I know I have a whole day devoted to etsy finds (etsy addiction.. every saturday, if you didn't notice) but this one could not wait. It's from "the love shop" and I am obsessed with it. They have a lot of great prints... All related to love, if you couldn't guess that.
Update via twitter:
postsecret: Pulled from my mailbox today: "I know you think this postcard is for someone else, but it's not, it's for you, believe it - I love you."

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

It's ok to have fun

Dreamer by K'Naan

Wacky Wednesday

Hello All!!
          
I hope your Wednesdays are off to a great start, and for those of you with a short day, I hope it's fantastic.  I am getting a haircut today, which I'm super excited for since my hair really needs it.  So for today, I bring you a few spring-like tutorials, some stuff to grow for those of you with a green thumb, and some cute things you could bring to school, for those of you who still go to school (it feels like it's been forever).
          
First, from Pretty Penny, I bring you the Reusable Lunch Bag, which, if I had even a second of free time, I would be making exuberantly and constantly annoying Carolyn and Lilia by telling them about it hundreds of times.
            
 
                     
Up next we have a make-your-own succulent garden, which reminded me of spring, and just looked really nice in the picture. Yes, I do judge books by their covers.
             
 
                
Since I've alternated between DIY and GIY (Grow it Yourself) I'm going to go back to another great DIY tutorial.  This fabric flower tutorial would look great on any of the options given on the site as well as a barrette, or ring.
                        
 
              
And last, but definitely one of my favorites for this week, I bring you a Fridge Magnet Flower Box, because who doesn't want to grow pretty things on their fridge? I certainly do.  And if you don't have an old credit card to use, consider digging up some of those old gift cards that are gathering dust in the various crevices of your room.
         
 
           
I hope these have brought you some spring inspiration, and that you are well on this sunny day!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Flying I come, flying I go

I love all the bright colors. And his hat. He wears it in a lot of his videos. Oh Manu, you are one badass latin man, who is actually from France.
So, here's the story. Manu Chao's parents were from Spain, but they left and moved to Paris because of Franco's dictatorship, after Manu's grandfather was sentenced to death. He grew up in the suburbs of Paris around lots of "intellectuals" and his music reflects the political turbulence of his youth. 

Chao sings in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, and sometimes other languages. Plus, he's insanely awesome. He has a song called "Bongo Bong," for crying out loud. It is actually really similar to the Mano Negra (he was in Mano Negra) song "King of the Bongo," and "Je Ne T'Aime Plus," all of which rely on the same addictive beat.

If you enjoyed "Desaparecido," (video above) I suggest "Clandestino" and "Mentira." But don't hold your breath for his next US tour. It could be a while.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Quiche Me


I found these beautiful little mini quiches (crust less, I know) on Bread and Honey and I really want to make them right now, but sadly I have no spinach nor cool blue homegrown eggs. Basically, I just wanted to share idea because I think it's one of the better recipes from B&H since one of their contributors (the baker, damn) left the blog. I believe I have written about this before so I won't go on about her new blog.


Also, I found this really sick octopus chandelier whilst browsing through The Cobrasnake's pictures the other day. It's pretty much the coolest light fixture I have ever seen.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

We're cute, but super awkward.

Reese Witherspoon & Seth Rogen

Post Secret Sunday

This one is actually a postcard that didn't make it onto the website, but was posted for twitter followers only. Also from twitter, the question "what would you write on a postcard you could mail to your younger self?" was posed and this was one response: "All this pain will be useful one day. Oh - and don't worry - you'll get to see David Cassidy in concert (but you'll be 39)."

To love and to lose



Aside from my two besties here on this blog, I do have other friends, I'm not gonna lie, and they all do too. Since starting the blog, it's actually brought us much closer, we're more a part of each others lives, and for that I am immensely thankful. But, this isn't a post about how much closer I've grown recently with Lilia and Carolyn. It's a post about how things have gone very awry with another very close friend.

So, this past winter S and I had a bit of a falling out, and I was, am, really upset by the situation. I desperately tried to rectify it, I emailed, I talked to. Nothing was working. Recently, while talking to J, she mentioned having spoken with S. I was told S said she, "Didn't miss our friendship."

When you become the type of friend with someone where you're hanging out with them often, and occasionally, as rude as this may be, ditch your real besties on the weekend for this new person, that's not a silly friendship. It's not fairweather, and they tend to be pretty serious. So my first reaction to hearing that was, how could you say that? If something happened to me and Carolyn, I definitely would miss our friendship, the same goes for Lilia.

While pondering what transpired, all I could think of was how wrong the whole situation felt to me, and how rude this was to someone who tried so hard to fix what was broken. And I finally recalled that age old saying. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Although I lost a friend, at least I had a friend as close as her at some point in my life. And for that I am truly thankful.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Thursday, March 19, 2009

You were hearin wedding bells but...

I am obsessed with the simplicity of this video and I dig the old-school vibe.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

...Awkward

The other day, I was put in a really awkward situation. I was blithely going about my facebook checking when the familiar sound of a chat message sounded. I looked to the bottom corner of the screen to find the name of a guy I had not talked to in several months. Curious, I looked. "Can I ask you a really awkward and potentially friendship-halting question?" (or something like that). Thinking it would be something I could easily squirm my way out of, I responded with a cautious "Um sure i guess" 

I was surprised when the question was "Am I attractive?" It took me a minute to come up with an answer. The truth? Not to me. (sorry, but true) I knew I could never bring myself to tell him this, even online. It struck me as a genuine concern, as opposed to simply compliment fishing. Soon, another message popped up claiming "I'm having a moment of low self-esteem and self-consciousness just so you know." 

It made sense to ask (I guess, maybe, in some weird way), but I didn't want to answer. I just told him "yeah." He replied with another stumper. "Huh. Then why do I have such girl issues?" Um, if you're asking, then that's exactly the problem. 
Thinking back on the incident, I should have told him that looks aren't the only thing girls care about. Your insecurities and annoying questions are probably what's keeping the girls far away. Asking if you're attractive, is a surefire way to make a girl think you are most definitely not. If you don't think you're the type of person people should want to hang out with, then why would anyone else? In order for others to think well of you, you first must think well of yourself. Honestly, my opinion of your looks is really not relevant in any way.

In honor of peace with your body and yourself, I invite you to check out Seventeen magazine's Body Peace Treaty. And then, of course, there's India.Arie who knows what's up, for real.


Instead, I told him it was because his interests were obscure and not a lot of people could relate, at least I couldn't. (The kid is a Billy Joel aficionado for goodness sake.)

Wacky Wednesday

Theme of the week: Cuffs



Knit Cuffs via Leethal

Sorry for the shortness and lack of enthusiasm this Wednesday, I just wanted to keep it short and sweet.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

101 Smoothie Fun

So, here I am today on our 101th (is that right?) correction. 101st post. And since we've been here for this nice large, round number of posts, I bring you something special and 101-tastic. A delightful smoothie full of springy goodness. It has yet to be named, but I think 101 is a good smoothie title, in honor of this post. Maybe when I grow up and own my own juice bar it will be on the menu. Also a small disclaimer, while writing this post, I have been listening to Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me! (which was especially good last weekend) and am not 100 percent focused on what's going on.
Here's the recipe:
1 banana
3 large scoops of vanilla ice cream
1 cup (ish) guava juice
Blend to combine and enjoy! Also, I recommend using slightly less banana because this did turn out pretty banana-ey.
Enjoy the rest of your spring-tastic afternoons!