Rainbow Warriors

it's my road, it's my war

2011-06-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving for Prague tomorrow.

One month of reading poetry in the royal gardens, sprinting through abandoned battlefields with a nikon, and adventure in a brand new country

(brand new to me at least)

I like cutting holes in things

Best crazy dane ever.

aw, Tiger.

Not sure if I'll be going to Berlin or not, but maybe there are angels in Praha too.

Hopefully I'll be able to update while I'm traveling. I don't think I've ever been this excited/insane/alone/in love in my life.

Na shledanou

some people never go crazy

2011-06-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

.what truly horrible lives they must lead.
-Charles Bukowski

tarik mikou

Jesus on a tortilla

Ann Hamilton

Cargill salt ponds, San Francisco

War Horse

Jours de France

Bliss Braodakis

ELECTRIC GIRL

2011-02-28T15:37:00.000-08:00

My friend says she wastes half her life trying to wake up. I think I waste mine sleeping. I'd like some more daylight to burn through, please.

[cos i am an atomic princess]

My first fashion show came and went. It was an amazing experience- I don't think I realized just how amazing until the moment my models actually walked onstage, and suddenly I realized- five months, two sewing machines, eight splintered needles, two major break downs and one word document world of a girl and a Russian bear later-

I should record all my major life experiences in lists of numbers. Tallied together, they might equal a winning lottery number. Or the meaning of life. Or the numbers on a banana's PLU code.
(the last would be most fitting)

I'll post more detailed photos soon

cole rise

street artist whose name I forget

Terry Border

The Fall
I cannot believe I only just now saw this movie. Featuring the guy from Pushing Daisies, the only series that I began watching as a rule, only to be cancelled after 2 seasons. Still bitter.

Tanner Almon

In love with Ed Ruscha right now.

you've been sleeping in a field but you look real rested

2011-01-28T22:30:00.000-08:00

It's late and I'm sewing and listening to the Kinks and I need a few pretty pictures and quiet conversation

old manga

lizzy stewart

I don't think I've ever felt as creatively drained as I do now. No, drained isn't the word, I guess- it's still pouring out of me. I feel like a fighter pilot in my head has just gunned the throttle and exited the atmosphere. 'Okay, let's see how fast this baby can go.'
Mission control doesn't answer- they're out for a coffee break or just don't care where the pilot flies anymore. And we're going faster and faster and space is getting so brilliant and cold, and we're going to keep flying until I either blow up or find somewhere to land, and sit down on alien earth to breathe some deep yoga breaths, try out the local diners, and smile cause we are so wonderfully far away from where we once were. And maybe feel a little lonely.

mcqueen

Every minute of every day, I need to be thinking and feeling and producing. And it's wonderful, but incredibly exhausting, and I keep looking at the little planet disappearing under my feet and wonder whether I can ever go back and maybe visit normalcy some time.

Carl Kleiner

courtney brimms

I've spent the last few months creating my first fashion line. The show is next Saturday, and I'm alternating between feeling like it couldn't come soon enough, and the need to book a ticket to some foreign country where they have cobblestone streets and no critics in sight. For now, some wonderful people, pizza with fried eggplant and chocolate and peanut butter popcorn, hitchcock, and my amazing job are keeping me alive.

Just felt the need to unload my head a bit. Heading back to the machine and needle-jabbed fingertips now. And wrackspurts.

The Ponies Run the Girls are Young

2010-12-30T17:47:00.001-08:00

I have a good feeling about this year. A really good feeling. Maybe it's because I accomplished my resolution from last year- to get published for the first time- and now I feel like I'm on a roll. That's it, rolling- it's like I'm gathering speed, rolling downhill. Bumps and potholes can't stop me, that's how fast I'm flying. I'm a big black boulder from the coal mine hills and I've only just found out how powerful I really am, how a little push can break me loose from the old mountain's teeth.

I don't know whether there's a crash at the end of this tumble or not. But hey, the ride is good fun, and I'm loving the speed.

If I could wear only one thing for the rest of my life, it would be my mom's Swan Lake tutu. She played the Swan Princess. I wish I could have seen her dance even just one time.

This tutu is the most perfectly constructed pieces I have seen in my life. Its structure is evident and strong, but still allows for the dancer's body to flow. The tulle is old and frayed but still floats like the feathers it mimics. I love how everything in this costume feels purposeful, and how it gives the wearer a purpose- there's no question about how you should hold yourself when you are a swan princess.
Sometimes I think that if a designer puts all of their effort and thought into a piece, a sense of purpose is instilled in it. The idea that inspired the clothing is so powerful that this purpose is inherent in the piece itself, and the wearer can't help but do what the clothing demands.

Photos are by the amazing and lovely Katie and Shelby Urus, aka the Black Swan.

I haven't seen Black Swan yet myself, but it sounds like it's as amazing as the costumes look. I have one week more until I go back to the city to face new classes, a new job, new projects, and an old show. Until then, I have my tutu, some hot chocolate to drink, and a Zombie Beatles Poetry Reading this Wednesday to organize.

I am very happily serious about this.
Happy New Year!

one more thin gypsy thief

2010-12-20T19:29:00.000-08:00

“Most of the laugh tracks on television were recorded in the early 1950’s. These days, most of the people you hear laughing are dead.”

— Chuck Palahniuk
I've never been a fan of fireworks, so I'm not the person you should sit next to on the Fourth of July. Yeah, for the first few seconds the sounds are exciting and the colors are beautiful, and then it gets monotonous.
My boredom with fireworks has always slightly worried me. I wonder, how have I become so overindulged that something so spectacular fails to wow me. But really, it's just lights in the sky and thunder in your ears, and it is much more interesting to watch the faces of the people around me.

I turned 20 last Thursday.

I celebrated earlier in the city with my friends, and then had an amazing birthday in Boston with a very close friend. I realized something over these past few weeks- if you have good friends, you will always have good food.

At least if you have friends as wonderful as mine.

Pittsburgh light-up night was beautiful. Enormous Christmas trees, lights everywhere, good food and music. I love crowds.
Has anybody ever heard of fried apple pie rings? I hadn't. Not before that night, when they rocked my world.

We can play in the snow together

Ian MacArthur

Kawase Hasui

Edward Gorey

Tekkonkinkreet

Kelly Reemsten

I feel ya, Donald.

Trust Ghosts

2010-12-16T10:46:00.001-08:00

Just a quick post- I'm flying to Boston tomorrow to visit one of my closest friends, who I haven't seen since August. Late night shows, lemon ricotta french toast, a drafty apartment and a very long catch up conversation wait for me in Massachusetts. Can't wait!

Remember when the ground was covered with brown and red rather than white? You still made crunching noises when you walked, but it wasn't quite as cold.

Giant leaf piles are one of the best things ever

So is peppermint hot chocolate. My brother and I kept things classy with a mound of whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and chocolate covered graham crackers. And of course our souvenir mugs only added to the classiness.

I just dyed my hair red! This photo was actually taken before I dyed it, the lighting just turned out this way, oddly enough. And I ended up liking it so much that I took it in to the salon and said, 'This please." Loving being a redhead so far!

I'm finally home. I finally have the time to hang out with everyone who means something special to me, and you know the saying 'distance makes the heart grow fonder'? Screw that. I'm close as can be and I love them even more now.

See you soon!

'cause a costume can be quite comfortable

2010-12-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

Tierney Gearon

There is a process for peeling a pomegranate. There are also several dozen youtube videos dedicated to this process. I tried to watch one this morning, and after two minutes I gave up and started carving liberally with a steak knife. I ate my yogurt and pomegranate seeds with red stained fingers and watched the snow fall.

I spent today baking and sewing. Someone must have been watching over me while I picked out my fabric in the garment district, because it has been three whole days and I still love my color palette. I am almost done with my first dress- I'll post pictures as soon as I'm feeling good about the finished product.

The baking involved a lot of vanilla and almond and butter, which created the most intoxicating smell you could imagine. Every year that I can remember, my great grandma Oma baked tray upon tray of vanillekipferl. They are lovely, moon-shaped vanilla cookies with crushed almonds, dipped in powdered vanilla sugar. This was the first year that I took on the task of baking vanillekipferl, and they turned out amazingly. I can't upload any pictures right now, but here is a beautiful picture from a dessert blog: http://teacia.blog.hr/2007/11/1623580284/vanille-kipferl.html

I love the feeling of creating something. Watching a dress form under my fingers, molding almonds into little white moons, mangling a pomegranate beyond belief... Today was beautiful in so many ways. I will update soon again with more photoshoot pictures that are long overdue, but for now, here's a photo for your eyes, a taste for your mouth, and some words for your soul.

I am reading aloud the book of my life on earth
and confess, I loved grapefruit.
In a kitchen: sausages; tasting vodka,
the men raise their cups.
A boy in a white shirt, I dip my finger
into sweetness. Mother washes
behind my ears. And we speak of everything
that does not come true,
which is to say: it was August.
August! the light in the trees, full of fury. August
filling hands with language that tastes like smoke.
Now, memory, pour some beer,
salt the rim of the glass; you
who are writing me, have what you want:
a golden coin, my tongue to put it under.

-From Musica Humana by Ilya Kaminsky

yesterday sceptres and crowns fried oysters velvet gowns

2010-12-09T05:12:00.000-08:00

Going to the garment district today, armed with 8 sets of measurements and a hunger for chiffon and black velvet.

Wish me luck!!

and remember the Song of Mehitabel.

i have had my ups and downs
but wotthehell wotthehell
yesterday sceptres and crowns
fried oysters and velvet gowns
and today i herd with bums
but wotthehell wotthehell
i wake the world from sleep
as i caper and sing and leap
when i sing my wild free tune
wotthehell wotthehell
under the blear eyed moon
i am pelted with cast off shoon
but wotthehell wotthehell

O Karma, Dharma, Pudding and Pie

2010-12-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

gimme a break before I die

totem teddy

Julie Morstad

Reading Philip Appleman on a leather office couch with my feet up. Going home tomorrow then away again, and it's snowing outside, and I love driving in the snow.

Five Easy Prayers For Pagans.
And don't forget to study Geography.

Russian you would be deplorable,
But your Lapland is simply Andorrable
So my Hungary fantasy understands
Why I can't keep my hands off your Netherlands.


Love this guy.

Shahzia Sikhander

Josh Datu

bang bang

making chocolate pudding

Tierney Gearon

NYC in two days!

cannonical babbling

2010-10-26T18:53:00.001-07:00

every childhood nightmare I've had, mixed with nesquick

2010-10-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

I can't keep track of each fallen robin

2010-10-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

Michael Wolf

Joseph Cornell

Things I badly need

How I want to show up at the beach

party on the roof

where Katie wants to go when she dies

my head

I think I'm only starting to realize how crazy life is. The good kind of crazy, that gets you scared and excited at the same time, fast heartbeats and dry mouth with a song you like playing on the radio in the car next to you.

I will buy this house and sit in the front yard to watch it all day long

2010-10-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

just to little old me

2010-08-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back, and I can't even say I've had a legitimate excuse for abandoning this blog for so long. I mean, it's summer vacation....no impending deadlines or exams, dorm dramas, lost id cards....werewolves....you know. But summer has been busy in it's own way...definitely a good way. I've been sewing and painting like crazy, writing in the intermittent space, and burning every wok and saucepan I can get my oven mitts on in my attempt to, how do you say....cook. And I'll have pics to prove it soon! for now, NAVIN.

The people all call her Alaska

2010-06-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

Pictures from my first fashion show!

It was Alice in Wonderland- themed...guess whose hat this is....

Literally a leaning Tower of Pisa of satin and polyester.

White Rabbit sunglasses!

shot by the amazing Kristen...we are safe from evil

It was so much work, but it felt so amazing to see all of my pieces on the stage..definitely an incredible experience.

In honor of National Poetry Month, some friends from class and I decided to celebrate by leaving poems all over campus in the dead of night! Or early morning, really.
Frank Warren, the creator of Post Secret, visited our school to talk and share his awesome mail.

waiting in line, reading one of his books together

Attack poetry construction!!

random lonely balloon

flowers wilting in the heat of my shoe-box dorm...

I'm off to Colorado tomorrow, so this is just a quick post to show that I'm still alive... Hope all of your summers are sunny and fun! Or if you like rain, puddly and fun. That's cool too.

A child white as snow

2010-06-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

red as blood
and black as the wood of the windowframe
(from the Brothers Grimm Snow White)

I don't think I'll ever lose inspiration in fairy tales and forest lore...

I took these of our Snow White

So Pocahontas is not denizen of fairy tale lore, per say....but Annie was determined to play her. And she makes a beautiful princess of the woods!

Grandmother Willow!

Me as Little Red Riding Hood. My ridiculously tall lace boots, thrifted (( bag, and a sarong my mom bought me as my red hood

Thumbelina!

look closer- we were literally 2 feet from a sleeping fawn before we saw him! Definitely the most magical part of the day was watching this little guy take a snooze in the grass

This is one of my favorite childhood friends! His name was Sunchaser, I do believe...he lives in lavender, apparently

Red Riding Hood would totally wear these...not sure how well they'd work out trekking through the woods with a rapacious wolf on the trail, but, you know....he may just take the shoes and leave her alone if she wore them. He's a classy wolf.

Alabama, Arkansas

2010-05-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

I do love my ma and pa

Baaaack from the cramped dorm rooms of universidad!!!
living space NOT the size of a "fun size" butterfingers bar (....if they're going to be that tiny, WHY MAKE THEM AT ALLLLL. Not my idea of fun.)
chilling with my hometown friends: underway
rediscovery of embarrassing childhood books: check (remember those nancy drew notebooks? for kids who were too lame to actually get nancy drew?....yeah.)
Painting/writing/photography projects: underway (I've already stained my hands with aubergine, cadmium red, and hooker green. Not kidding with the last one.)
subscription to many wonderful works of print: check (FINALLY GOT MY SUBSCRIPTION TO LULA AND WORN!!!! now just have to wait half a year for each heheheh....yeah...)

increased summer blog-post schedule: initiated

BLASTOFF

So here's a bit of my comings and goings....friends, shenanigans with ice cream and photobooths (those things are just asking to be misused...)

my lovely photogenic and ice cream devouring friends

A creative writing reading graced by the work of many incredible people, as well as Thomas Lynch, funeral director, writer, and cool person extraordinaire.

(note the unoriginal perspective...still figuring my new camera out, guys..)

musicwise, I've been enraptured by Stars leading laday kicking ass

Photoshoots back when my lack of seasonal dressing sense made me suffer. And trip to the Mattress Factory

shopping carts, K-mart crates and overturned grills that look like charred shrines to a woodland god....that's mah dorm, yessiree

Two by fours make great props. Not so great places to stand in 4 inch heels, though

And my first fashion show! I'll devote an entire other post to this....I was a hat designer in my uni's show, incredible experience all around. Here are some inspiration photos I littered my desk with during construction.

Zora Neal Hurston knew her headgear

Naginoda....If I could wear a lion made of my own hair on my head every single day....oh the perfect life. And it would speak sometimes, but only in riddles, or to make witty comments. Oh, those witty hair-lions.

HERE BE MOVIES

Keats apparently liked to perch in trees

we'd get along well, then.

Bright Star.... fields of hazy blue flowers, a room full of dying butterflies, poetry from an insecure young genius and star crossed love.....beautiful

I am a bit of a Sherlock Holmes fangirl. My collection of all the original stories and illustrations is one of the more enormous tomes I filled my "fun size" dorm with. My mom recently got me the tv version with Basil Rathbone- not extremely accurate, but incredibly entertaining. Especially when watched with good friends over cookie dough and pasta.

I have so much to share coming up...I am reunited with my paint and my sewing machine, along with free time, inspiration, and amazing friends.

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

More than putting another man on the moon...

2010-04-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

....more than a New Year's resolution of yogurt and yoga

We need the opportunity to dance

with really exquisite strangers.

-excerpt from Slow Dance, by Matthew Dickman

Remember the creepily beautiful roses that my friends and I found last summer? Yesterday, my friend opened her bio text to a random page and found them again!

They're called Ghost Roses, or Indian Pipe- how amazing is that??? Ghost roses....I want to paint these soon....

more inspiring creepiness. This is a portrait of Christina Ricci by Mark Ryden. Gorgeous both in Sleepy Hollow and as a bumblebee queen

Poetry that has been inspiring me lately....my poetry class was assigned a book by Matthew Dickman, and it really stuck with me....I think his style of writing has influenced my own current style.

His brother Michael is also a poet. My professor told us that he works at Whole Foods. I am really feeling the urge to quit school, work at an organic market, and wax poetic on legumes all day. The thing is, I'm not kidding.

awesome sweater/tie combo!!!! Reminds me of a grandfather suit from a Pixar movie.

Watched this recently....LOVE Gael Garcia Bernal. I enjoyed this movie, but not so sure how accurate it is, or how well it portrayed Che Guavera's life, because I don't know much about him to begin with...

Also recently saw this. Loved it.

And now for the clothes part of the post, yes this is inevitable....Pixie Market has this amazing desk that looks like that towel I used to dry off my watercolor brush for 6 weeks, but of course it's sold out....and more than 200 dollars....

Topshop booties! I have this addiction to all things leather and buckled. It has to end.

Who am I kidding, it will go on forever!

She was out of hell on a cold morning

2010-03-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

-pg. 90, Lady Chatterly's Lover

Just finished this book. It was the first D.H. Lawrence work I have read, and I think I liked it. It was not what I expected (NOT talking about the sex-I was prepared for that- the ending wasn't the way I imagined it would wrap up) If anyone is on Goodreads, I just joined! Let me know if you are. It's such a cool idea- an online bookshelf for you and your friends to share. Like a virtual library. But you can only look at it, you know. And write scathing reviews if you wish.

I splatter bleached these jeans myself. I was planning on taking them in to be skinny jeans, but I kind of like them as flares now (noooo this is not an excuse for lazy assery...)

the amazing Kristen had a photography assignment, and some friends and I took over a stairwell and several pairs of blue jeans to assist her. I will post some pictures of me and the other models as soon as I get their permission!

the wall in my dorm looks like a street alley

wheee!

I just got a sewing machine, and I am working on a very exciting project! I'll share soon. For now, here are some pics of things I'm planning on making in the future, when my life isn't ruled by exacto knives and stencils and paper deadlines.

I love quite a bit of Free People's online store, but oy vey....caro caro CARO. My frustration has led to this combination of Yiddish and Spanish. That is what it has come to.
Thankfully, soon I'll be making my own flowy, gorgeous grecian pastel dresses, which hopefully will cost a lot less.

Oscars anyone???

I was rooting for this short myself.... loved the movements and style, and the plot seemed predictable at first, but the ending was a bit of a surprise. I love me a good plot twist, yessir.

I really wanted to see Logorama too, but that was the only short I wasn't able to find online....if anyone knows where I can watch it, help plz!

A project on Spanish cinema has led to incredible inspiration

El Hotel Electrico

Maria Felix

A pic from the upcoming Disney movie....I don't know whether to be excited or not yet, since all I was able to find were a few stills. Anyway, I have sympathy for any girl with abnormal hair. Don't worry, Rapunzel. Can I call you Zel? Rap doesn't sound right.

Ending, as usual, with things I want but cannot has. All Topshop!

my love of stripes prevails

I really want to try a maxi dress. I have shied away from anything with a skirt this long before, but I think I can make an attempt to pull it off now. OR DIE TRYING. Or just....put it back on the shelf.....sigh. I need more moxy. Or chutzpah, to continue with the Yiddish thing....

I've been wanting some good ol' Granny Sophie lace up boots for AGES, but whenever I find a pair I like (usually at UO or Topshop), I find myself thinking it ridiculous that such beat up looking boots cost so damn much. Resigning myself to sifting through piles at Goodwill.

Goodbye, Sir John Thomas and Lady Jane!

We're all mad here

2010-03-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

Freezing but fun photoshoot with Kristen on some hidden train tracks. It's funny that it took us a fair amount of time finding something so big, but they really were hidden. That made it a lot more magical. Finding a spot of forest in the middle of a city is always incredible

Wearing Docs, my grandmother's fake fur coat, Yokoo scarf, and silver dress from somewhere vague

So psyched for this. I really can't remember the last time I was so excited to see a movie. Tonight I will be meeting with some mad wonderful people in hats and rabbit ears. We will have Chinese and then go to Wonderland.

Hitchhiking on a closed road

Whatchoo lookin at? No, I'm not cold, don't you see I have socks on?

Next winter, I seriously need to be more prepared for the cold. It fell on us like a ton of icy bricks. At the very least, I need a giant mushroom hat like this. Not quite so practical, but most definitely fuzzy.

What did you do for Chinese New Year?
We went to the restaurant of a friend's, where we had some seriously good food and fun times with great people.
I also learned how to make dumplings, and am now reconsidering my career choices. Expert dumpling maker sounds pretty good, especially if I can eat all of my clumsy creations...

Some things in my head

Performance art by Yves Klein

Mexican graffiti. Also my future apartment.

The last Aztec king, Cuauhtemoc

Found this on Facehunter, I think. As soon as I saw it I wondered why, why why had I never before realized my dire need for a tailcoat. WHY I ASK.

The road and tracks were so lovely in the snow...But the tunnel was incredibly eerie. It was so enormous, but I couldn't see any light at the other end. Totally black and quiet.

Can't wait!!!!

You're a wolf, boy

2010-02-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

If you haven't realized it by now, wolves are kind of my favorite animals....

grrrrrr/brrrrr....rather freezing. The area in front of my dorm room is pretty much a tundra wasteland in itself....all I need is the aurora borealis. The lamp post is pretty magical too.

Bigby Wolf from Fables, in both forms...wish I was that badass. Alas, I have only my 80's wolf shirt and a tutu. No cigarette or brooding gray trench. I may have to acquire those, though...

One of my favorite childhood movies, the kind that you can rewatch over and over again, while eating Kraft Mac n' Cheese....the spongebob kind.

The Ukrainian tale of Little Fox and the Friendly Wolf

Mowgli from the Jungle Book. I need to reread my favorite Kipling stories sometime soon

pictures by the amazing Kristen!

Snow White and Rose Red, don't beat your lover dead

2010-02-07T22:53:00.001-08:00

back again after a second inexplicable prolonged absence....stuff is happening. But the good kind of stuff, not that other kind. Stuff and bother.
Wonderful things are in the gears

photoshoot and bento boxes! Thank you to the amazing Kristen :)

Just watched Hable Con Ella...I don't think I could ever go to a bullfight, but this story stuck in my mind for days after watching it....the images have, too. Bulls and ballerinas and tiny men are in my dreams.

I went to a modernized version of The Mikado, thanks to my amazing roomie. We snuck candy into the theater in our purses, and I laughed so hard my M&Ms ended up rolling away...hope they didn't end up in the pitt....

I also went to the Mattress Factory for a brief visit for an article. Definitely want to return when I can spend more time tripping out, and when buses to Northside aren't so kooky.

And my 2nd ever visit to Target. Was only mildly impressed. UNTIL I REALIZED THEY STILL HAD SOME RODARTE LEFT. Ended up with a gorgeous blouse, a dress, and several heart attacks. I have yet to wear them, but pictures will come....

Also decided to wear everything that I could find that was yellow for some reason.

I just met Rose Red.
I've started reading Fables...a graphic novel with incredible images and an insanely gripping plot. She is Snow White's sister.
"Snow White was shy and preferred to stay inside, but Rose Red laughed and loved to play in the woods."
She also liked to lead insurrections.

And I knowwww everybody and their mother have seen the Dior Spring collection...but when I turned to the Styles Section in the NY Times and saw it for the first time I could help screaming a little. TOPHATS AND WAISTCOATS RED RIDINGJACKETS OHHHHH MY.
If I could dress like a victorian hunting party everyday, you know I would. Brings back good memories of the Lieutenant Pinkerton ensemble....lovelovelove....

Ending with lovely things that exist only in my mind. And Topshop USA. But ya know.

<3

You, though, you'll have stars like nobody else

2009-12-25T12:28:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays! I hope you are having a beautiful winter, wherever you are

Dreaming that I'm here

Presents!

5 pound box of peanut butter meltaways!

made me cry

I know this is an old shoot but I can't stop looking at it...

In my head

Jack Kerouac

The dream land art of James Jean

<3>

Welcome back, Miss Jones

2009-12-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

HELLO!

Finally back. There has been so much going on, I haven't really had time to make any decent posts...and if you don't have anything good to say, then....

It just started snowing like crazy here, on my birthday. I have been neglecting it for the past few days, but tomorrow I'm going out to test its sledding and snowball-making capabilities.
I really don't know how my cat is able to walk in our yard when it's snowing- he must look like a little orange submarine moving around with only his tail visible.

Stories of confused and addled love have been in my mind....

It Happened One Night

My tree

White Christmas

as have stories from the snowy north or behind the wardrobe door...

Peter and the Wolf

Narnia

Bulgakov, Heart of a Dog

Peter FM

my wall and my yard

good to be back and relax in the snow!

And I do believe it’s true

2009-10-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
Death Cab for Cutie, Soul Meets Body

Annie Lennox and David Bowie singing Under Pressure and being awesome

Paul Newman and Robert Redford from The Sting

Sigur Ros, Glosoli

MGMT

Haruki Murakami

Jude Law as Hamlet

Gael Garcia Bernal in The Science of Sleep

Fleet Foxes

The Barber of Siberia

A Clockwork Orange

The Barber of Siberia

Funny Girl

Glosoli ending

Unbutton your clothes

2009-09-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Undress your soul, show them your vigor
Are those inhibitions easiest to fear?
Take this gasoline tin
Head up high, walk like a winner
Let the bare feet be the last sound that they hear...

OMG FIRST OUTFIT PICK IN AGES OMG

Boots: Urban Outfitters. Pants and hat: American Apparel. Tank: Old Navy. Little woodland friend: Can't remember when he showed up in my life.

This past Tuesday I went with friends to see Our Lady Peace in concert. AMAZING.

The two cover bands were okkayyyy.... I hate it when guitarists do ridiculous moves. I mean don't get me wrong, guitar moves are sweet, but only if you can pull them off. Which very few people can. To me, anyway.

Steve Mazur can. CAN YOU?????

Didn't think so.

They are an incredible Canadian rock band...It was amazing seeing them in person for the first time, and they sounded just as awesome as they always had. We had kickass seats, too- very front. Our crowd was small but mighty. And we were about two feet from them. (!!!!!!!!!!)

At one point Raine Maida hopped on the sound system thing. The same speaker thing we were leaning on. YESSSSSSSSSSS you can tell he's amazing even in crappy focus from the back.

So that whole night was pretty amazing. At the end we all got high fives/handshakes/some kind of hand swipe from Steve. And my friend got the pick he played with that night. Needless to say, I'm plotting its capture.

Other highlights in the studyguide of life... much reading, writing, shopping, and general cool shit.

Topshop dress, thrifted bag and bow

I went to the Cheescake Factory for the first time in my life and nearly killed myself with delicious goodness. Like this hunk o' gorgeous right here. Godiva cheesecake, you are perfection on a platter.

KAY LOVE YOU BYE FOR NOW!

ps- PLEASE ignore the crap music video and just listen.

I just don't know what to do with myself...

2009-09-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

planning everything for two
doing everything with you
and now that we're through
I just don't know what to do

So my laptop's screen is busted (I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING BUT I SWEAR IT'S NOT MY FAULT), and I have had to abandon it to the integrity of the U.S. mail service to send it back and have those losers replace it.

But in the meantime the laptop I'm temporarily using until mine recovers FOR SOME INEXPLICABLE REASON refuses to recognize my camera as anything other than a threat to its existence, so I can't upload pictures, which bites because I have had many recent shopping opportunities and I want to show my material possessions off.

But in the meantime, the lovely and amazing Jennifer gave me my first blog award!!!!!

Thank you so much!!! Your blog and tumblr always cheer me up with their adorableness and originality. And the food you eat always LOOKS. SO. GOOD.

lucky.

So I must reveal 10 things that nobody knows about me...hrrrm...well here they are, accompanied by some random photos of things that have been inspiring me lately.

1. I have a really strange obsession with old cameras.

Like, not even polaroids, or things that I have any idea of how to work. If I'm thrifting and I see a really junky old camera, the convo usually goes along these lines:

Me: OHMAHGAH LOOK AT THIS!
Friend: Huh, that's cool. Do you know what kind it is?
Me: No. Hold this for me. *dumps other shopping into friends' hands to examine camera*
Friend: ....do you know how to work it?
Me: Nope.
Friend:....where to buy film?
Me: No, mi amiga. Woot, fifteen dollars, I can do that!
Friend: .....

yeah.

They just always look so beautiful and intricate, I can't help it. Someday I will find out how to work them. Most of them.
photographs of a parangole made by Helio Oiticica

2. All-time favorite snack: A Chips Ahoy cookie dipped in nutella, then peanut butter, then marshmallow fluff. In that order.

Fever Ray- When I Grow Up

3. I am slowly getting addicted to Korean soap operas. I don't really watch tv, but I am slowly succumbing to these. My friend in Korea keeps sending me her favorite dramas, and I...I can't help it. I am picking up random words, though, like oppa, unni, um...that's about it....

By Gabriel Orozco

4. I still have a favorite stuffed animal. His name is Husky, and he's a husky. (I was such a creative child, I know.) He is adorable, but his fur is all knobbly and bumpy because when I was little I stuffed him in the dishwasher to clean him. Poor guy.

by Gonzalo Endara Crow

5. I love it when people have an accent It doesn't even have to be anything really kickass like Russian or Scottish ( although that is cool too), I'm even enthralled by Western and New Jersey accents.
On a related note- my roommate says "Draw-aws" instead of "Drawers". She claims that I'm the weird one. Does anyone else do this???

6. One of my biggest dreams is to just take a year (or two) off from whatever I'm doing and just travel across the world at random.

Eugene Onegin and Vladimir Lensky's Duel by Ilya Efimovich Repin

7. I have never been to a rock concert. I'm going to my first one this Tuesday, and I can't wait until I go and I'm not lame anymore.

BANGERANG

8. I LOVE Sherlock Holmes. Seriously, that is one of my favorite collections of stories. I was going to put my favorite book of all time, but I seriously can't choose. But here is one of them. Which had better not get ruined by the impending movie. I really do love Robert Downey Jr. and everything, but....le sigh. He is not the Sherlock I read of.

Another kickass detective

9. I am pretty much the most disorganized person I know. But in an organized chaos kinda way- every time my mom comes in and tries to tidy up, I can never find anything I need. I swear. ( I love you, mom!) But seriously. I have, minimum, at least three coffee mugs on my desk at all times and only a few inches of bare desk visible.

The Magic Flute

10. I can't live in a room with bare walls.
A few days after moving in anywhere and I get out my magazines and markers and wall putty, and paste up pictures of my favorite artworks, pictures of me and my friends, magazine editorials, and excerpts from my favorite books. Currently on my wall are several pictures from Juxtapoz, Vogue Italia, Humberto Baglione, a trip to Minnesota, Alphonse Mucha, and and You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Chiral Carbons

So sorry for lack of updates and pictures...I can't wait till my laptop comes back!
Thanks again, Jen!!!!

Love

I was once many things, but now I am only several

2009-08-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

Check out my new baby:
I found him (or her? I'm not sure yet.) at a used book sale on campus. He has no film and is dusty and old but he is gorgeous, isn't he?

So...anyone know where I can get film for a B-2 Sureshot?

eh?

Ebay had better not let me down this time...I can't wait to experiment!

Here are some pictures taken over the course of the past year with my old polaroid:

The road just in front of my house.

Gorgeous cherry blossoms from a college visit.

I love this one because it makes me think of a tidal wave of flowers

New York from the top of the Rockefeller. Yeah, yeah, I'm a tourist....

Evergreen fingers

Friend throwing helicopter seeds. This makes me miss summer...and my friends...

I love my polaroid. I've heard that the new company producing polaroid film will start selling sometime in 2010...until then, my camera will be asleep on my shelf.

I also picked this up at the book sale

I've never really studied photographers, other than Ansel Adams, but I seriously love Mr. Uelsmann's work.

The Photographer's Eye, 1967

His photos are so natural looking, but then also so ethereal. I got chills when I first looked through the book, the photos were so intense.

Poet's House, 1965

Untitled, 1966

It almost makes me think of an old science fiction movie, or a dream

A Moment I Do Not Remember, 1967

Memory and the Sun, 1966

Me in my dorm window, and my new camera...any suggestions for a name? Or a gender, for that matter? My polaroid's name is Bradley.

Love

The machinery is always going

2009-08-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Even when you sleep.

-Andy Warhol

Lamentation (Martha Graham), 1986

We went to the Warhol Museum a few days ago. Above is my favorite piece of the day.

Silver Clouds, 1966

Silver Clouds is my other favorite piece. We laid on the floor and stayed perfectly still, and watched the pillows float around above us. We were stuck between giggles and awed silence- sometimes the balloons seemed to be attacking us from above, and sometimes they just floated in the same place eerily, as though they were watching us.

I either really like modern art or I'm indifferent to it. But then it's the same way with more traditional, established art. Either way you feel, you gotta admit Warhol was a pretty kickass man.

This is currently hanging in my dorm room, above random shit from Ikea and my chinese lanterns.

Alphonse Mucha is one of my favorite artists- I won't recite his entire autobiography here, but in short he was an artist born in what is currently the Czech Republic in 1860. Although he has always been connected with the Art Nouveau movement ('new art' in French), he refused to acknowledge the connection between him and the movement, which emphasized the art of decoration and everyday life.

Like Warhol, he painted advertisements.

Job Cigarettes, 1897

He idolized famous actors and actresses.

Sarah Bernhardt in Hamlet, 1905

En L'Honneur de Sarah Bernhardt

I don't pretend to be an expert on Art Nouveau, Pop Art, or the life of Alphonse Mucha. It's just interesting to compare them and their beliefs.

The Morning Star, 1902

Andy Warhol created works that glorified everyday, commercial art, like his famous Campbell Soup Can series.

Mucha dismissed the term 'Art Nouveau' and grew frustrated at his growing fame in connection with commercial art.

The work that he was most proud of, his fine art masterpiece, is the least known of all of his pieces.

These are just a couple of the 20 pieces of the Slav Epic, which depicts the spirit and history of the Czech people.

I don't know why but I'm incredibly drawn to his work. The forms, the light, colors- everything.

Aight.

Now that the pretentious rant is done with, the shallow rant follows:

All from Topshop, except for the first one, which is from chickdowntown. Just things I want but can't have. Y'know. The usual.

Steve Powers' Love Letter Project

I will forever love the man who graffitis a wall for me.

Peace

It's nothing but time and a face that you lose

2009-08-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

I chose to feel it and you couldn't choose
I'll write you a postcard
I'll send you the news
From a house down the road from real love...

I leave for university tomorrow

I've spent the last few days meeting with friends and saying goodbye to favorite places.

And trying to fit all my earthly possessions into two plastic containers from Ikea.

My friends and I played in this forest almost every day when we were little. We made a little house out of old bricks and wood- it was pretty advanced for second graders if I say so myself. We even had a thatched roof until a storm blew it down.

The ruins of the house. I tied my lucky ribbon to that stick so many years ago and it's still there.

It was a bit bittersweet because we always used to sit on this enormous log that jutted out from the side of the hill onto another tree, like a huge bench in the air. We tried to sit on it now and we pretty much broke it. That didn't stop us from sitting on it anyway though. What lovely, stubborn log-breaking people we have grown into over the years.

What a perfect tree for sitting and pretending to be a fairy

Beautiful mangled wood

We successfully scared away wildlife with our old panflute, bought from Mayan musicians at an arts festival back when there still was an arts festival at our town.

Over this log is a magical kingdom

This was pretty much the most incredible thing we found that day- on the side of a hill we found this little patch of pure white roses. I'm not sure if they really were roses but they looked so much like them- only they were small and entirely white and smooth.
They reminded me of some Tim Burton illustration, they looked so ethereal. We decided to give them company in the form of a red hawk feather we had found. They were so tiny and gorgeous and looked so unreal.

My sushi-making skills are definitely improving. This one has tuna, salmon, asparagas, cucumber, and avocado. YUMYUMYUM
When you give a mouse a cookie he asks for crepes

Now which books should I take with me???....

oh lord my poor nerves

2009-08-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite quotes from:

Oh Mrs. Bennet...speaking of which, Talulah Riley in the August Nylon (she played Mary)- I've only seen her in Pride and Prej and also an episode of Miss Marple called 'The Moving Finger' (I love Mystery =p) but I love her acting so far and hope she gets some more publicity. She looked awesome in Nylon- not what I was expecting, but I guess I was just expecting her to look like Mary....black bonnet, black dress....depressario t shirt underneath.....

Gorgeous necklaces by Assad Mounser....Jane from Sea of Shoes is lucky enough to own the first one....I sense a DIY coming up....

Miu Miu bag from net a porter....whywhywhycan'tibuyyouuuu

Both from Sass and Bide on net a porter....I need more ruffles and fringe in my life....

My favorites from http://www.emmarea.com/emmareafrontpage.html
I've been leaning towards more black, base and ragged clothing lately...and also unicorns.

always unicorns.

This probably came out a while ago, but as for myself I only recently found out about photographer Annie Leibowitz's work for Disney.

Mikhail Baryshnikov (LOVE U) as Peter Pan, Gisele Bundchen as Wendy and Tina Fey as Tinkerbell

I really don't care that it's celebrities featured in the photos- it's mainly the style and imagery that's so awesome to me. Real life fairy tales.

Rachel Weiss as Snow White

The one above is my favorite-Julianne Moore as Ariel

David Beckham as Prince Phillip

Beyonce as Alice, Lyle Lovett as the March Hare, and Oliver Platt as the Mad Hatter

Speaking of which

CAN'T WAIT

there is a place

2009-08-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

Unfold me

2009-07-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

I am small

And breathe me...

Can u findz me

This trip took place about two years ago, but I still remember it almost perfectly....So many old, gorgeous buildings....If you think about it, the buildings and landmarks here in the U.S. are so much newer than those in Europe... what really struck me when we visited some of the cathedrals there was their sheer age, and their longevity...
Can you imagine how old some of those are? And they're still standing, right next to the skyscrapers.

Fit of nostalgia for this trip brought on by this...

breathe me

Ojo Rojo

2009-07-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

The rose is red

the leaves are green

God save Elizabeth

our noble queen

Red Algae

(Yoshimoto Nara, Little Red Riding Hood)

Red Winklepicker, Underground Shoes

Redhead

Awesome movie

Red balloons. The best kind
Red Dwarf Star

Also Red Dwarf (haha oh morgan....you and your brit comedies)

If the children don't grow up

2009-07-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms turnin' every good thing to rust....

Things that have been making me happy recently....

Awesome book. It's so cool to hear him speak (in the book...you know what I mean...) after just seeing his work for so long.
2:

ahhhh thank u borderz mah bff

speaking of which

All by Tiffany Bowzick
In an interview with Juxtapoz: "I paint because I love the process and I believe in the purpose of creating. "“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” —Mahatma Gandhi

Just read this at the beach, fittingly. Loved it- I've only read one other Hemingway book and was uncertain as to whether I liked his style or not, but I loved it in this one.
4:
CANNOT WAIT.
(I know, I'm the last person to have heard about this movie....what can I say...)
Oh man...one of my fav childhood books being brought to life and from the looks of the previews it looks like it might actually be done justice. The kid who plays Max looks great and Arcade Fire is always a THUMBZ UP. Not to mention the seemingly awesome animation of the wild things in question. I'm only judging this from the previews, but so far...

Right after posting that I realized the irony- the cat is optimistic about murdering the balloon, but he'll probably fail, just like I am optimistic about the movie, but- NO. NONONO IT LOOKS GOOD AND I HOPE IT IS DON'T JINX IT PLZ KNOCK ON WOOD. Ha I'm so supersticious- I think every wooden object in my house has been beaten by my fists to ward off jinxes.

Technically it's only supposed to work with witch hazel (according to my 'Adventure Camp' counselor in 7th grade) but whatevs. Ikea plywood should do the job just as well. Speaking of jinxes- I was just wandering around some shops whilst at the beach and found the awesome hippy store where I previously had my tarot cards read. Amidst the plentiful Buddhas, yingyangs, Amy Brown illustrations, and inscence sticks, I found a shelf full of spells.
Yes, spells.
So of couse I bought one! It might have helped that I had just reread the Harry Potter books and seen the new movie (...which is a whole 'nuther post entirely...) So some spell casting will be in order. I bought a friendship spell, so I will wait till we are all together from our various parts of the continent to do some magic =)

Speaking of Amy Brown:
My friend has this book- we used to flip through the illustrations and pick out which fairy we would be if we could. You know. Turn into a fairy.

List-wise, numbah 5:

recent purchases from Urban Outfitters= VERY HAPPY! The jumpsuit is made of awesome and these may be the most kickass shoes I have ever owned. Just maybe.

Anywho, this turned into more of a rant than a list...I'm going to attempt a better list in my next post, which will be more pictures and less words.

But BEFORE YOU GO WATCH THIS PLZ I seriously nearly died of laughter.
A Very Potter Musical

Sheer and utter and incandescent BRILLIANCE.
Do youuuuu have a rocketship, Potter?

And I take a deep breath and I get real high and I...

2009-07-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

...scream to myself, whats goin on?

I have gone slightly mad with purpose and have rented about 10 movies I've always wanted to see.

Vertigo was the first one I watched. I really liked it- I've seen some Alfred Hitchcock movies before and it was definitely different from what I was expecting, and since I like to be surprised by a movie, this was a good thing. My favorite part was Scotty's dream sequence when he replays the murder and the fall in his mind- it was so trippy and definitely the scariest part of the movie for me.

If anyone has any suggestions for my must-see movie list, speak up, child!

Where I wish I was right now....:

Banksy at Bristol!

-All photos from Juxtapoz

I have this plan that somehow I will become this guy's cat suited apprentice and we will run around the streets at night and I will help him create his awesome art. Actually, I will probably just hold the ladder as he makes his awesome art. Or I could just keep watch at the corner and hoot like an owl if I see cops.

Great plan, no?

Actually, I do have a plan for the future...sort of. More like a loosely structured outline, perhaps...?

Anyway, I've decided that whatever I end up doing in my life, I want to be creating something. I want to have some kind of consistent output into the world. I can't describe the feeling I get from creating something- a drawing or painting or a story or just a movie I made with my friends.
Being able to take something from my head and make it real is the most incredible ability in the world to me- and it's strange, but even though this isn't really a steady career path, and I still don't know exactly where I want to be in 20 years, I feel sure of myself after realizing this.

WOOT future-ranting feels good.

Cat suited apprentice, OUT!

Samurai Jack, back to the past....

2009-06-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

I'll bet you didn't know there were fairies in the woods behind my house. They are gentle creatures, known for their frog princes, china dolls, ample gauze and a never ending supply of free time to run through the woods while laughing hysterically and frightening their neighbors.

This forest reminds me of some Miyazaki film

I always wear docs when I be pan-flutin.

coffee bean sacks don't make good umbrellas. Just in case you were wondering. oh look a coffee sack and a polar bear who ever thought they'd become bffs

CAUGHT IN A WEB OF DANCE STREAMERS FOILED AGAIN

We are helping the ferns grow, obviouslyBADGERBADGERBADGERBADGERSNAAAAAKE...remember that song? We also did the highly acclaimed cover, potterpotterpotterpottersnaaaape

halfway into the shoot it started to pour like bully with a garden hose on powerspray, so we had to hide under some bushes =D funfunfun.

INSANE CLOTHES THAT BLOW MY MIND THAT I FORGOT TO POST FOR A WHILE

Dude how many things are amazing about this coat...the beautiful Hokusai wave, the ballooning shape, the amazing collar....

love the sort of winding layered shape created by the ruffles and the kickass headgear.

my favorite dress from this collection- I love how he integrated paper crane shapes with a dress- it came off looking so elegant and creative to me, and you can clearly see where the inspiration is from
samurais= AWESOME
Amoured clothing has always attracted me- the high heels + sandals look even more awesome with the samurai theme than they did with the geishas, as black+straps+japanese platforms= general badassity.

You can see the amazing shoes better in this one, and I LOVE the shape of these pants!!! And the samurai bun on the model....reminds me of the good ol' days watching Samurai Jack...
One of my favorite shows everrrrr. Love the character design and the simplistic geometric style, not to mention the whole story itself.

And the amazing guy himself:I love how he went along with the theme of the show and dressed as Pinkerton from Madame Butterfly. This is John Galliano for Dior, btw- collection for spring 2007.
I am currently making a list of people whom I wish I could be friends with. He is on it.

hasta la vista, bebehs.

The Golden Path
p.s.-awesome song above that makes me wish I was a hippie in an alternate office dimension.
pause in cosmic reflection

"The only way out is up," Elsie whispered to me

2009-04-29T19:10:00.000-07:00

Lo siento for not updating in so long. I've got a load of tests and general crap headed my way with a rolling pin in its hand, so this will be short.
So a couple weeks ago my dad took me out to see Rent on Broadway!! I love love love this musical. It may be my favorite.
My dad turned to me during intermission, and said

"You know....every time I see this musical.....I dislike it less and less."

Well that's an improvement, I guess, haha. Thanks so much for taking me, dad! If you're reading this <3 . So at the door the guide took our tickets and led us down the aisle. We went down.
And down.
And down.
AND DOWN.
And my eyes got bigger and bigger the closer we got to the stage until we were four rows from the stage itself.

Needless to say, I was flipping out quite a bit. I love being so close to the actors- seeing their expressions and movements so minutely is incredible. And at the very end, when they were singing the finale and they were all crying... That was one of my favorite theater experiences ever. The original cast in all their awesomeness.

So in other newz....went thrifting with some friends and found some awesome awesome stuff. I got a really beautiful basket/purse that reminds me of a picnic basket, and a sweet indian necklace.Caught whilst pinning the beast. Didn't end up getting this, but it MAY find its way home with me soon...it's been awesome lacy goldness has been eating at my brain like unsuspecting gothic english common people eat Mrs. Lovett's meat pies.

I would totally have gotten this jacket. If there weren't cows all over it. Srsly. Without the cows, man....my perfect hippie jacket. With them....my third grade teacher who seemed to have a 'barnyard' theme comes to mind.

And I found a diary!!!! I think it was from the 30's- how incredible is that???? I had 6 months of someone else's life in my hands. I didn't buy it then cuz i didn't have the money (ka-ching, ka-ching...need a job....), but I'm going to go back there every couple days and read it in increments.

Where I could be instead of in Computer Applications at 11 am every morning.

The cherry blossoms outside of my hotel room.

On a college visit.

Didn't like the school. Loved the trees =D

I've got such a burning urge to create something right now. Doodling during school isn't satisfying enough...But everything has to be put off until I have thoroughly stabbed my AP tests in the heart with a stake. I am the high school Van Helsing.

It's amazing how little things can cheer me up so much...hot and sour soup and sushi at my favorite japanese place, lighting my frog on fire (haha)
In my journal last night I wrote a list of things that make me happy/inspire me. That will be my next post once the ghostly spectre of testing is out of the way.

Oh and geez louise I just saw Benny and June for the first time! Dude...If I didn't appreciate Johnny Depp as an actor before, I really do now. And I really want to iron me some grilled cheese sandwhiches. It's strange, because I'm not sure if I think the movie was a good one or not- in an artistic sense. But I loved it just because he was so incredible in it.

This is what I do when my mom tells me to smile with my teeth.
lovelovelove!
p.s.-only thing to do, is jump o-verr the mooon!

I know a guy

2009-04-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

who goes to shows
and when they're over
he blows his nose
he don't use tissues
or his sleeve
he uses
magazines
magazines
magazines
-She Don't Use Jelly, The Flaming Lips

Sorry I haven't posted in ages...college trips and general confusion have been stealing my life away like a pirate steals booty. Um. Anyway.

start spreadin the newzzz

NYU was pretty awesome. I dunno if I'm going there though...my life is as murky with indecision as a glass of Nesquick. Right now it's between NYU and another school...

I really did not get a good impression from the panel of admissions people who assembled to talk to us accepted students =p I did get a good impression from the actual students and professors though. Maybe I just don't like admissions people.

I know it's a long shot, but if anybody reading this is an NYU student, please email me or leave a comment! I really didn't have an in-depth conversation with a student about the school...just light chitchat. I'd love to have an actual student's point of view, as I'm having a really hard time deciding what's right for me.
HAAAAAAAA AND AND AND I did get to go to Topshop!!!! Total surprise. I didn't think my parents would let me go, but suddenly, out of the blue and after our tour, my dad asked me:

"Hey, what's the name of that store that you were shrieking to me about a week ago?....Stopshop?"-Dad
"TOPSHOP. "-Me
"Yeah, yeah, that...where is it?"-Dad
"Uh...Broadway and Broome?"-Me
"Okay."-Dad
*howl of joy*-me
This may be old newz, no big deal, regular butter and bread to some of you lucky people who are within 10 min of a store, but as I haven't been to one in 3 years...and the one in NY just opened about 2 weeks ago....BIG DEAL 4 ME =D

So these jeans I'm wearing in the picture are some I got from Topshop...I've loved high waisted skirts for a while now and recently have graduated to high waisted skirts, but I was a bit skittish about the style in jean form...but I tried these on and fell in lurv <3

Me having fun in the hotel. The bed was disappointingly un-bouncy, which is the first quality I look for in a mattress.

The week before last I was visiting another college, which was ohhh kayy... surprisingly, I did like the area it was in though. Kinda the complete opposite of NYC. The sky was up to some weird shit

I love rainy days

The best kind is either a complete storm, or a day when the sky can't seem to decide whether it's going to be dark or sunny.

I love being on the road. I love traveling. One of the things I want to do most before I die is just get in my car and drive for hours. I don't know if I want anyone to come with me or not. But I would drive and drive and when I felt tired I would stop and sleep, and when I was hungry I would stop and find something good to eat, and when I saw something beautiful I would stop and take a picture of it.
It's a bit frightening right now that I don't know where I'm going to be a year from now...what I'll be doing, who I'll be friends with. It's scary in a good way, but that doesn't make it any less frightening to me. It's like life just yawned and woke up and checked out my life and thought "Hm, better change things up a bit all at once."

My reading material doesn't help much right now either...just finished Fight Club, and finished The Fountainhead a while ago...both books that really make you look at your life and what you're doing. I'm trying to figure out how I see the world right now, and how I see myself in it. But whatever I'll do, I will have a camera and my notebook and my friends. And hopefully a good sushi place =p haha.
My parents have been hinting that I should focus on a practical, business oriented job...once I have that settled, I can spend time on things like art and writing. But I want to be proud of my job, and to do what I love.

So I figure as long as I do that, I'm doing okay.

Lovelovelove

Dancing Bears, Painted Wings...

2009-03-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

So I scored the dvd of Anastasia from the Walmart $5 bin last night =D What an awesome movie...my friends and I had forgotten just how awesome it was. I had SUCH A CRUSH on demetri when I was little.

The true story is obviously not as simple as the movie, but I still luv it <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JGbPfj4pAjk/Sc-zKxa8zsI/AAAAAAAAARA/rYIPj7jPNX4/s1600-h/romanov.jpg">but then, I am too I guess. I don't know why I love reading about the royal family's story, but it really fascinates me. Not just the Revolution part, but before that as well. Russians are pretty cool, you know.

But ALSO last night I was in a production called Firefly. It's a collection of poems and stories written by children displaced by war, submitted to WarChild Canada. I'm the co-president of a humanitarian club at our school, and this was our first production. I was so nervous but it turned out great. We read poems, had some guitar and piano, and amazing cookies. YAY FOR SUCCESS!

And the shorts I ordered from UO arrived! They aren't as quite high waisted as I would have liked, but they're pretty cool.Shirt from some shop in England, shorts from UO, umbrella from my dad. Enormous lawyer umbrellas are AWESOME.

Mr Wombles (my bro) was my photographer, in exchange for a ride to the mall.

And a Goodwill find!

I love love love Alfred Hitchcock. I have a dvd of some of his movies, and now I have his fav scary stories =)
My favorite so far is probably The Lady Vanishes
Hurray for Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave!

OH and yesterday also was Unity Day!

The local university has Unity Day once a year- different ethnicity clubs have tables in a big hall with food and cultural activities, and there's a big performance with traditional dances and a cultural fashion show!

This was the first year that I went and I loved it.

This little guy played amazingly, and then he grabbed his violin by the neck and pretended to smash it into a chair. Wut a cutie XD

So I'm in Arabic Club at my school, and I saw some kids from Saudi Arabia there who I knew, and I went over to them to say hi. This was after the performance, so the stage was empty, but there was still music playing and the audience (packed house) was still in the hall eating and sitting. So as I was talking to one of the kids he suddenly goes "Let us dance!" And pulls me on stage.

So we started dancing on the stage, because it was apparently dance time now.

And then a giant guy from Kenya came and joined us and he tossed me a stick that was painted yellow to dance with. And he started break dancing. So me and the other kid were dancing like crazy and waving the stick around as the dude was break dancing in front of us.

And then the Indian group came up and joined us. And the next thing I knew, the stage was crowded with people dancing as everybody came up to dance. It was just like in a movie! haha.

Sorry for the bad pictures, but I didn't bring my camera with me on stage and it was CROWDED. I just took these after we escaped the crowd to go forage for food.

So earlier in the week I went to get coffee with a friend and we ended up driving to one of my favorite places in my town- there's a big hill overlooking the main street in the town, and there's a stone stairway leading from the top of the hill right down to the street. I have no clue why it's there, but it's roped off and there's 'No Parking' 'No Trespassing' signs all around it, so whatever purpose it served 50 years ago is gone and forgotten. But it's so cool. Over the summer, my friends and I would go there in the middle of the night to sit on the steps and watch the cars go past below us.

And at some point I watched Fight Club with a friend (awesome, AWESOME, AWESOME!) And cooked mushrooms.

At some point there will be a post dedicated to my fav movies. and books. But until then....

Sandals by Urban outfitters, shirt from Urban outfitters, dress by mac and jac. Shades from the kitchen counter don't know where they came from.

I'll always be by your side...even when you're down and out...wear your black eyes, bake you apple pies....never ask whyyyyyy...um that's what the above outfit reminds me of, sorta. By your side by Cocorosie.

le sigh. Ima go subscribe to some magazines I've been dying to get FOR EVURRR so that I can have something to look forward to in my mail other than college responses. I luv mail.

And I'll try to repaint my finger nails because the lovely teal color is practically all chipped off now. In fact, the color that remains looks like continents- they're the same teal color continents are on my globe haha.

Australia seems to be on my middle finger and I have Greenland on my pinky.

PEACE

But We're Still Makin Noise...

2009-03-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

Lo siento for not updating for AGES...school and family trips and general nonsense have been taking up much of my time.

But awesome stuff has happened as well. Cuz.....

I GOT INTO NYU!!!!!

AHAHAHAHAH

Wow. So NYU has kind of been my dream for....forever. I'm a senior, and after spending my entire xmas break sending in applications (cuz I'm a lazy lazy woman and put them off forever), I hadn't heard back from any of them for 2 months. Which is normal, I guess, but pretty much everyone else I knew had at least one school lined up.

except me =(

BUT THAT HAS CHANGED

Whether I actually get to go there is still up in the air...why oh why must parents be so stubborn. Just because I got lost on the subway....But we'll see. I'm really into some other schools too, so it all depends on the next few weeks...
But I am going to the accepted student meeting in two weeks, which is 3 days after the first Topshop opens in NY!

HAHA efforts to drag my vater there are in motion.

Anyway, the past week or so has been full of weather fluctuations...Gah the weather needs to get over itself. Get a midol. Some iron tablets. Something that will prevent it from tricking me into thinking "hey, todays the day I'll wear my sandals for the first time!" on the day it begins to snow. Again.

Anyway, I had some fun times this weekend, and over the past week in spite of general crappiness trying to ruin my fun. NICE TRY, CRAP. YOU ARE FOILED AGAIN.

So I first began the crusade against crap with preparations for the annual English fest video. Some friends and I are in a program called english fest...in which we are supposed to read a number of books and then go to a fest where we act out scenes and are quizzed on them. Every year we skim thru the books on the ride to the festival and take home first place in everything >=D hahahah.
Making a video of a book is optional. We have always taken advantage of this wonderful option. This year we chose Mother Courage.
I was Mother Courage. Hence the Indian headress, metallic 80's vest and valkyrie braids.

Jon was a lieutenant, badly injured while fighting in the Swiss Army. Hence the makeup and devil fork thing. Triton.

As soon as we finish editing the movie, I will try and post it because it is a work of art. The star of the film was a packet of feta cheese.

In my attic searching for period clothes. All costumes must be historically correct.

TA DA Pikachu was around back then, right? And Spiderman?

OH MAH GAH SO GAW-JUSS
Haha if you haven't realized by now, I LOVE playing around with insane costumes and integrating them into any situation I can. Like a play/movie/thing about the 30 years war.

And do you remember Aunt Petunia's violet pudding? From the 2nd Harry Potter book???
Me and Julio decided to make it. Which required a trip to Walmart.

It sounded soooo good, didn't it? From what I remember, it sounded like a mound of whipped cream with sugared violets on it. WE IMPROVED IT.
So on the bottom is instant-vanilla pudding (because APPARENTLY Walmart does not carry violet pudding. What is up with that.), then there is a layer of banana slices, and then a BIG layer of whipped cream, and then sugar flowers and bunnies =D
SO GOOD. We ate it whilst watching Howls' Moving Castle. Which- no. I'm just going to dedicate a whole other post to that movie. And others. It shall have to wait. It's that awesome.

So why did no one tell me (Goodwill skirt, JC Penny tights, UO shirt, Global Pursuit hat, Walmart shoes)
about Walmart's shoes??? I mean they don't have the Jeffrey Campbell strappy sandal boots I've wanted for ages, but they're so cheap!! I did get these. They are the Mr. Rogers shoes.

And I got to break out my wolf shirt from Goodwill!!! (UO leggings and sandals. Goodwill shirt, Global Pursuit hat)
I love this thing. so. much.

This is what happens when you suck at timing jump pictures.

The next day called for an emergency run to Martin's for donuts. (UO skirt and tank, HM jacket. Not that you can see it.)
Or as we like to call them, ho-nuts.
Some kids spend their nights partying. I spend mine getting donuts and shoes and pudding at local grocery superstores. Is that wrong? THE HONUT SAYS NO.
I could live on Boston Cream donuts. Seriously.
And then DANCE PARTY IN THE CAR
*I'm. too sexy for this car. *Too sexy for this car* And the thing is......we were seriously listening to that. And I was doing a really cool dance move. YOU JUST CAN'T SEE IT SO I LOOK STUPID BUT ITS TRUE.
We drove around trying to find V for Vendetta cuz Morgan hadn't seen it yet and we were in the mood for something epic, but not one store had it. NOT EVEN WALMART. So we settled for Treasure Planet (SERIOUSLY underrated disney movie) and Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Later that weekend...PHOTOSHOOT! Which I will post later cuz this is already insanely long.

Love and bye!!!

In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey

2009-03-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

Prepare for massive outfit upload.

Doc Martens, Tights from JCPennys, skirt from my mom, shirt from some shop in London, belt from F21, hat from Goodwill
Soy un perdedor.

How awesome is this hat??? I found it at Goodwill at my visit there last Sunday...It reminded me of those hats from Marc Jacobs spring 09...so I snatched it even though it didn't really fit :( I was tired of things not fitting on my head!!! THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW!!!
So I took a pair of scissors to it >=)

Now it fits over my head if I just angle it on the side.

I really have no hoodies, and only one jacket (which is very old and mangled), so when I'm cold I wrap myself up in a blanket. I came home on Monday and was FREEZING, so I used my usual blanket (I think it's from anthropologie), and for some reason decided to contort it into a kind of mexican cape.

Speaking of things Hispanic, I've convinced my parents to get me a Rosetta Stone for Spanish! I've been taking Spanish for 5 years at my school, but I still feel extremely inadequate at it. I've talked to some people who have it and I've tried the exercises on their programs, and I think (hope) it can help me not to sound like an idiot when I speak it.

I've been on a major Cocorosie kick...their art, music, videos....style....I don't know why but I love them a LOT. I am going to make a list of the awesome people in this world- I would be these people's apprentice and run around in a sweet catsuit helping them commit their deeds of awesomeness. Cocorosie will be on this list.
I will be putting together an inspiration mish mash from them soon...And I really want to come up with a cocorosie inspired outfit but it will take some doing and effort cuz I want to make it AWESOME and not possum.

Utter awesomeness.

Bianca is pretty much the only girl I know who can rock a 'stache.
Also a Beck inspired outfit cuz I feel like it =) Our school broadcasts the 'morning news'-two students from the tv department describing the events of the day...and it opens with a song of their choice. Usually I hate the music they choose but 'loser' came on today and it made me happy =) almost as happy as the one week last year when they played all broadway music- including 'worst pies in london'. Wonderful music makes me so happy, especially in the morning.

So today was the first day that I finally felt spring was coming! I have been wearing a lot of flowery, light stuff lately, so I'm glad the weather is finally agreeing with my clothes. I really have no conception of dressing according to the season or weather, and yet I still wonder why I shiver uncontrollably when wearing a flowery skirt and moccasins in the middle of a blizzard.
Go figure.
I got to break out my new blazer from Goodwill :)

Ignore the strange hair please...I slept on it funny...

skirt- American Apparel, tights-jcpenny, blazer +hat- goodwill, shoes- Urban Outfitters Even Caramel came out of his dark lair to frolic in the open air!

Which is a big deal. For him.
When he rolls on his back I have this urge to shove my face in his fuzzy stomach and scream. Sometimes I do this. When I do this, he gets pissed off. I do it anyway :) I call it snorgling.

Plz don't eat me. Please.
YAY IM STILL ALIVE

Happy spring!!!!

I Have Laughed Up Galaxies, Hats and Glasses...

2009-02-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

Today I got to hang with one of my bessstest friends who's off at prep school so I never get to see her often enough....

Woke up at the crack of dawn for coffee at one of our favorite places....

I love coffee art =)

And then marvelous misadventures at the downtown thrift store, which is one of the sweetest places EVER. The lady who owns it is so nice too, she always gives us cheaper prices than are listed....'cause we're just cool like that.

I was TORN THROUGH MY SOUL about the sequin jacket....I really liked it, but hrrrmmmm....

I found this floral blazer which reminded me of the one that Queen Michelle from Kingdom of Style got from Topshop! I found I quite liked it once I ripped the shoulder pads out.....

This hat reminded me of an Alps-esque hat my grandpa had once

I would have gotten it if it had fit over my hair.

I've been looking for a hat for spring/summer- the problem is very very very few things fit over my head. Very few. There's a hat I really loved from Urban Outfitters, but I'm trying to see if I can thrift one like it someplace for something substantially less than $32....I'm such a squirrely mouse with my money but you gotta be when you have no steady income. But this will hopefully change around March 6, when the local ice cream shop opens for applications.

I have all of these beautiful images in my head of my impending job...Barrels and barrels of pastel ice cream, Willy-Wonka-esque jars of sprinkles and nuts and peanut butter and chocolate chips and everything you could want on ice cream, towering steel cylinders of yogurt and beautifully swirled strawberry and chocolate...

But of course it won't be anything like that.

But how sweet is this lion neclace??? I ended up buying it and the floral blazer. It reminds me of a mask from The Lion King musical.

Photos by Johan Persson at BBC

I loved that show. ...I once saw the art book for that, and it was amazing- it showed pictures of the costumes in development, character sketches, the set design...It would be mine today if it didn't cost around forty dollars...I think...

After our shopping expedition we went to the mall to get her hair done- her school is having a dance tonight and she wanted it in an updo. But we met another of our good friends in the center of the mall, doing of all things, a waltz!

A renaissance waltz, apparently.

Of course I joined in the fun.

Morgan wimped out and took the pictures.

I had the most adorable partner ever!

So after we were finished waltzing, we checked out all the hair salons, but none of them had a free stylist to do her hair. So the task fell to me.

It was accomplished while listening to The Fantasticks and Sweeney Todd soundtracks.

loverly

I hope she has a fun time tonight!