Dead Flowers

Happy V-Day!

2012-02-14T22:10:00.003-06:00

I made this playlist in about seven minutes before Glee started tonight so that I'd have it ready to go for me and the Dude's at-home V-Day dinner. I think it's not too shabby for being thrown together. Enjoy!

You'll have to go find the songs or download yourself, but I can recommend every one of them. :)

Image via Fairyfolk on Etsy

Happy Valentine's Day!

A San Diego Christmas

2011-12-25T19:26:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, if that's your thing.

I'm in San Diego with the Dude and the in-laws, and we're having a laid-back, sunny Christmas.

Kindle Carrying Cases

2011-12-13T07:00:00.001-06:00

One of the things I want most for Christmas this year is a Kindle. I've got an ancient first-edition one that's a hand-me-down from my mom, and it's so rickety that I can barely stand to use it. Usually I read e-books on my phone, which isn't exactly great for the eyesight. Anyway, if I get a new Kindle for Christmas, then I guess I need to pick out a cover for it. I've done a bit of window shopping online, and here are some of my favorite choices. I have to say, the designer choices, from what I've seen, are pretty lacking. There are a ton of options for iPads, but not so many for e-readers. Etsy was much more fruitful.

Image via Juicy Couture ($48)

Image via mlmxoxo on Etsy ($34)

Image via BearStiches on Etsy ($45)

Image via Ohmycake on Etsy ($32)

Image via ambette on Etsy ($45)

Image via JiuJiu on Etsy ($30.99)

Image via TaeliacStudio on Etsy ($60) (Yes, that is a Dalek!)

Image via bertiescloset on Etsy ($22.99)

Image via BearStitches on Etsy ($45)

Image via Ohmycake on Etsy ($32)

Image via matblac on Etsy ($53)

Image via MariForssell on Etsy ($45)

Image via GardenourLeather on Etsy ($45)

I am no closer to choosing a case than I was before I started searching. I love all of these! I definitely have a soft spot for that Dalek one, but it's the most expensive of all! The Kindle I asked for is the cheapest one at $79. It seems ridiculous to buy a $60 case for a $79 piece of equipment.

Which one would you pick? Or if you've found an even cooler Kindle case somewhere else, please link up!

October Photography Challenge Completed! (Sort of)

2011-12-12T07:48:00.000-06:00

Not sure if you've noticed, but it's pretty much a rule on this blog that if I SAY I'm going to write about something or share something with you guys at a later date, I never do. Once I even completely forgot what it was that I had promised to share (and I was too vague in the original blog post to recall it from that). So, you guys probably weren't expecting me to finish that October Photography Challenge. And I didn't finish it.

BUT, I did take a couple more of the prompt photos, and I thought I'd share them now as well as finishing out the last few days with some random photos. This is more for myself and my own personal sense of accomplishment than anything, so feel free to just scroll on past.

Day 25: Something pink

Day 26: Close-up

Day 27: From a distance

Day 28: Flowers

Day 29: Black and White

Day 30: Self-portrait

So yeah, that was pretty fun. Anybody seen any good movies lately?

Christmas Wish List

2011-12-08T23:57:00.001-06:00

Watch, $145
J Crew leather glove, $98
American apparel suspender, $18
Christian Dior - Miss Dior Cherie Blooming Bouquet (for women) 50ml, $95
Waterfall Ruffle Shower Curtain - Grey - One Size, $79
Amazon.com: Calypso Basics 2.2-Quart Enamel-on-Steel Whistling..., $24
Amazon.com: Pyrex 6022369 Storage 14-Piece Round Set, Clear with Blue..., $35
Purses, Bags and Handbags for Girls | Roxy.com, $38
Kindle e-Reader with Wi-Fi, 6" Display, $79
Amazon.com: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 [Blu-ray]:..., $19
Amazon.com: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (Three-Disc..., $25
Festive - Light Taupe Crinkled Patent - Corso Como Shoes, $40
Rifle Paper Co. - 2012 Botanical Calendar, $28

Just wanted to put together a little graphic of what I want for Christmas this year.* Since Polyvore doesn't allow you to clip items from Etsy (boo), I'll just plug my Etsy wish-list items in below.

Via beset on Etsy

Both lamps via Luke Kelly on Etsy

Via NotOneSparrow on Etsy (or really, anything from this shop)

What do YOU want for Christmas?

*Writing posts like this makes me feel so greedy (as does the fact that I have an Amazon wish list and convinced the Dude's family to make their own, too), but they're also too much fun to resist.

Just a Question

2011-12-07T16:56:00.001-06:00

OK, first of all, the following is a dead serious question.

Let's say I found some dried fruit in my car that I KNOW FOR A FACT has been there since July. But...the package was folded down and it's dried fruit, so...

I should eat it, right? Right?

Music for Your Friday

2011-11-11T15:03:00.001-06:00

It's Friday, and I feel like sharing some music.

This band, The Soldier Thread, is from Austin, and the Dude's band (rest in peace) played a show with them several years ago. Definitely one of the better bands they ever played with. It seems that now they've made their sound a lot more poppy, even adding a "rap" bridge in this version of the song. Aside from the mediocre rap, this song is incredibly catchy, and it wouldn't surprise me if it started playing on radios across the nation.

My latest gym-song obsession is Rihanna's "We Found Love." Seriously, this song makes me want to either run a marathon or do a bunch of ecstasy. Or both? And the video is incredible. Can't wait for her new album. Unfortch, I hurt my foot at the gym last week and haven't been able to run in several days. I am going through withdrawal! And the five-mile race I've signed up for is happening in two weeks!

I've also been obsessed with the new double-disc release from M83. It's got a cool '80s new-wave vibe going on, but the album as a whole is pretty versatile; I've been listening to this song on repeat:

I'm also incredibly excited about the Adele mash-up on GLEE next week. Warning: the next video is a spoiler.

Happy friday, friends!

Fall Tomboy Accessories

2011-11-07T15:23:00.001-06:00

For the first time in a long time, I don't feel the need to buy a new coat or boots this winter. I think I'm pretty stacked in those categories right now, actually. But I have been lusting after some accessories to make my fall to winter wardrobe more fun. Care to see?

Fall Accessories 2011 by mrsmouse featuring studded handbags

Obviously I have satchels on the brain. I can't decide between the warm neutral colors or the bright pop of red. I also just pinned a lovely tweedy satchel from Ruche. One of these will be mine. Just not sure which one yet.

What accessories are you planning on buying this fall?

Tiny Toon Adventures!

2011-11-03T19:56:00.003-05:00

Did anyone else watch this cartoon as a kid? I know it was pretty popular. We had the episode with all of the music videos taped and watched it constantly. This show introduced me to They Might Be Giants AND Motown. I think it was seriously ahead of its time. Plus, it was really funny!

I wanted to show the Dude the Sinead O'Connor spoof they did, so I went on YouTube and lo and behold! All those old "music videos" I used to watch as a kid were there.

I'm positive the reason I still know every lyric to "Respect" is because I watched it/listened to it on Tiny Toons over and over again when I was little.

And who could forget TMBG's "Istanbul"? Even as a kid, I loved TMBG.

Unfortunately, there are copyright issues with the "Particle Man" video, but it was one of my faves, too, so maybe you can find it on YouTube if you want to reminisce.

Did you watch Tiny Toons as a kid? Which was your favorite TT music video?

Ode to Oddibe

2011-11-01T01:53:00.001-05:00

I admit, I kind of dropped the ball on the photography challenge. I still plan on finishing and sharing the rest of the photos, but I might need a few days.

I haven't felt like posting much because our cat, Oddibe, is missing. We last saw him on Sunday, October 23rd. We've been checking at the shelters, on Craigslist, etc. And we've got fliers ready to go up in our neighborhood tomorrow. And he's microchipped, so that gives me some comfort that if he were picked up, we'd be able to get him back. But as each day passes, I feel more like he's not coming back.

I've had this cat since October of 2005. I took him and his sister Crookshanks at the same time, and they've both been wonderful cats. I don't think it's hit me yet that I might never get to hear his crazy-loud purr again, as he curls up right next to the Dude's head before going to sleep for the night. Or his alarmingly loud meow, sometimes at four in the morning, as he abruptly wakes up and MUST go outside AT ONCE. I'm actually going to really miss that.

I know that part of the dealio with indoor/outdoor cats is that there are more risks, including the risk that one day they will just disappear and you may never know what happened to them. We had a close call with Oddibe about three and a half years ago, I think it was. We were living in a different house, the one we rented before buying our current house. One of our neighbors apparently saw Oddibe wandering around and thought he was a stray impregnating cats left and right. (He was neutered! I don't know what made this guy think that he was intact.) Anyway, the neighbor called ASPCA, who came out and picked Oddibe up, tried to neuter him (the vet showed us the incision), realized he was already neutered, clipped his ear, and released him back where he was picked up. He came staggering home drugged up yet meowing loudly about 48 hours after we noticed he'd gone missing. We didn't put the pieces together of what happened until a bit later, but we were so relieved to have him back.

So I still have some hope that we'll find him, get him back, but it's been eight days. I just hope that wherever he is he's alive and uninjured and safe and well fed.

Oddibe, please come home! We miss you.

St. Vincent Inspired Outfit

2011-10-25T17:21:00.000-05:00

I was lucky to get to see St. Vincent play last night at Austin City Limits Live at Moody Theater with my friend Katie. (Thanks again for the ticket and the company!)

As enthralled as I was with St. Vincent's performance, her new music, and the intense lights, I couldn't help admiring her outfit throughout the night. You might be able to get an idea of it from these extremely blurry iPhone photos.

OK, I admit, the photos do not really show what she was wearing at all, but the second one is still pretty cool looking.

I decided I must have pleather shorts at some point. Here's my approximation of it, thanks to Polyvore.

Sparkle Fade navy top
$44 - urbanoutfitters.com

Balmain mini shorts
$908 - stylebop.com

Naughty Monkey platform heels
$53 - heels.com

Ladies Super Soft Tights
£4 - peacocks.co.uk

And check out this video from her new album:

October Photography Challenge, Days Nineteen through Twenty-Four

2011-10-24T23:23:00.000-05:00

Day nineteen: Something orange

Day twenty: Bokeh

I cheated and used my iPhone with the free app Tilt Shift Generator. It's pretty fun.

Day twenty-one: Faceless self-portrait

Day twenty-two: Hands

Sorry for this total cop-out of a photo.

Day twenty-three: Sun flare

Day twenty-four: animal

October Photography Challenge, Days Fourteen through Eighteen

2011-10-18T20:19:00.002-05:00

Got some new photos coming down the pike for the October Photography Challenge. This is getting kinda fun. Especially since I had my friend Deniz in town to help with some of these prompts!

Day 14: Eyes

Day 15: Silhouette (Oops, my lens was smudged.)

Day 16: Long exposure

Day 17: Technology

Day 18: My shoes

Embarrassingly enough, I didn't put on shoes all day. (Well, I'm about to put on shoes and go to the gym right now, but it's almost 8:30 PM.) So I photographed these vintage Stuart Weitzman's that I found at Goodwill this past weekend. Yeah, it's safe to say I'm addicted to Goodwill. I'm planning on going back tomorrow with my friend Katie. No idea how I'll end up wearing these shoes, as they're a bit daintier than what I normally wear. But they're like a combination of Cinderella and 1960s Barbie doll, so they make me happy. I need to find a way to butch them up a bit--maybe wear them with with my black skinny jeans and a vintage tee.

October Photography Challenge, Days Eight thru Thirteen

2011-10-13T18:39:00.000-05:00

Comin' atcha with some more photos. I have to say, I haven't been learning as much with my camera as I'd hoped to. I really need to sit down with the manual and/or some online tutorials and teach myself some stuff, but instead I just kind of wait until the last possible minute of the day and half-ass the prompt. Oh well, here we go...

Day Eight: Bad Habit

Just to clarify, I don't really consider my coffee drinking a bad habit. An addiction, sure. But I don't think coffee's bad for you. My actual bad habit is Diet Coke, but I didn't have one this day.

Day Nine: Someone You Love

Day Ten: Childhood Memory

This is a cast-iron cornbread pan that belonged to my grandmother. I'm obviously now using it as a jewelry holder, as I don't really do cooking. Also, that pocket knife and the wrist watch belonged to my dad. So lots of memories here.

Day Eleven: Something Blue

Torrealba sliding in safe at second. Go Rangers!

Day Twelve: Sunset

Day Thirteen: Yourself with 13 Things (Really phoning it in on this prompt, huh?)

iPhone camera reverse FTW! (And yes, that is exactly 13 fries.)

October Photography Challenge Days Five, Six, and Seven

2011-10-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

Day five: From a high angle.

Day six: From a low angle.

Day seven: Fruit.

October Phototography Challenge Days Three and Four

2011-10-05T15:52:00.000-05:00

Here are my photos for days three and four of the October photo challenge.

Day three's prompt was "clouds." Um, there were literally no clouds in the sky all day, as far as I could tell.

So instead here is a photo of a book I'm currently reading with my Kindle for iPhone app. It's called The Magician King, and it's a sequel to The Magicians, which I read for my book club. I highly recommend both books, by the way, especially if you're a fan of Harry Potter and/or The Chronicles of Narnia and have always wished for an adult take on either of those stories.

The prompt for day four was "green." You'll have to excuse the iPhone photo I took, as I didn't have my nice camera at dinner. We went out for a friend's birthday to Vivo, an excellent restaurant on the east side of Austin. This is the "east side margarita," a simple concoction of tequila, lime, and Cointreau. I always prefer margaritas without the premixed, toxic yellow stuff.

October Photography Challenge: Days One and Two

2011-10-02T19:23:00.001-05:00

In an effort to get more comfy with my camera and bond with some of my fellow bloggers, I'm participating in an October photography challenge. Here are the prompts. It looks like it's only a 30-day challenge, so I guess that means no photos on Halloween. Or maybe a bonus photo if I wear a really embarrassing costume.

I actually did the prompt for October 1 yesterday, but I was in Dallas at the Rangers v. Rays playoff game, so I didn't have a chance to post.

Without further ado, here is my photo from day one, the self-portrait:

This is in the bathroom at the hotel where my mom and brothers were staying in Dallas. It was the only decent mirror option of the day.

And for today, I took a photo of what I wore today:

DIY Chevron Lampshade

2011-09-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

Been meaning to share a few DIY projects. I've recently caught the crafting bug again. I think I was burned out on it for a while after all the wedding crafting, but now it's fun again.

Remember when I talked about replacing our boob light in the dining area?

So I was going to try and find some type of skanky '80s chandelier on Craigslist and spray paint the hell out of it. Maybe a copper color. But then we got this brown Ikea lamp shade for free, and I smelled a DIY.

I decided to paint the lampshade. I was debating between some type of ikat or vaguely American Indian print, or chevrons. I figured the chevrons would be easier, so I decided to go with that.

I started by using painter's tape to mark off a chevron pattern. The second from top row (not the little triangles at the very top, but the next row) was where I started, and it was the hardest to get exactly even. I just used trial and error until I got the tape strips to line up just right and to be at an angle that looked good. At one point I got it to line up, but the angle was so sharp it looked like Charlie Brown's sweater, so I started over.

Anyway, once I had that row finished, it wasn't too hard to knock out the rest. I did it in two nights, only spending about an hour each night.

Then I literally just used a white wall paint to fill in the gaps. I started off with a sponge brush, which was a fail. A small bristled brush worked better.

As you can see, the seam was really the only place that gave me major difficulties. I ended up painting a line down the whole seam. It doesn't look great, but that side is turned to the wall now, so it's hardly visible.

The rest of it looks quite good, in my humble opinion.

Here it is in action. Luckily we didn't have to do any pesky rewiring. I just had to pick up a few odds and ends at Home Depot to make the lampshade stay in place. Please don't ask me what they were called. I just go into Home Depot and choose things that look right. I don't know their names.

You may also notice some new art in our dining area. This peacock came from our trip to Nebraska last month. The Dude's grandfather passed away, and we were fortunate enough to get some of his belongings to remember him by. This peacock, which goes perfectly in our house, was one of them.

The white jars are from Ikea. They are not meant to be there permanently. I have another project coming up with them that involves a Xyron (which I just purchased for $7.22 including shipping on the Weddingbee Classifieds!).

I have two more DIY projects to share with you guys, so hopefully someone will hold me accountable for writing the posts.

Scoring at Goodwill

2011-09-26T08:01:00.000-05:00

I headed to Goodwill last week to look for some houseware items for some DIY projects I was working on. While there, I decided to look at the clothes because why not?

I ended up finding three shirts, a sweater, and a pair of black skinny jeans for around $30.

I bought this polka dot blouse AND the black skinny jeans. Oh yeah, those are Sevens. My first pair!

I was so excited to find this dorky fruit sweater! I'm pretty sure, based on the look of it and the label, that it's actually vintage, maybe from the 80s. At Topshop in London, I saw a ton of "Rachel Berry" type sweaters, with goofy things like rabbits and squirrels on them, but they were a bit out of budget. This was a much better deal!

I basically live in gray T-shirts, so I picked up this American Apparel shirt with owls on it.

And a gal can never have to many flannel shirts. So I bought this one.

Dang, Gina. Looks like I will be shopping at Goodwill more often from now on.

Austin City Limits Fest 2011: Recap

2011-09-23T09:06:00.001-05:00

Well, you guys will be happy to know that Austin City Limits Festival was a success, and I didn't even have to choose between Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes because they played back to back on the same stage!

I didn't listen to much music on Friday and Saturday since I was working, but on Friday I did get to hear Kanye, from afar. He is pretty much the epitome of an entertainer. I'd love to see him perform closer up at some point. I didn't realize he and Coldplay were playing at the same time. Kinda dumb, if you ask me; their audiences surely have a ton of crossover.

Video via YouTube

On Sunday, I headed out in the early afternoon to see The Head and the Heart. I honestly couldn't tell you much about them, as I had to pee through this entire show and was sweating buckets and sooo thirsty. Oh well, the perils of ACL Fest, I guess.

Video via YouTube

Then I saw the Walkmen playing on one of the bigger stages. It was still early enough in the day that I could get close enough to hear well and see OK but still sit back and relax. They were good, and they started to rock out a bit more toward the end of their set, which I appreciated.

Video via YouTube

Next was Elbow, a band from Manchester that has apparently been around for a long time. Don't let their stupid name steer you wrong--these guys are amazing! They literally made it rain, ha! And, as much as I despise being smooshed in next to total strangers and dancing at concerts, I did both of those things, voluntarily, for this band.

Video via YouTube

Fleet Foxes were just as amazing as the last time I saw them, though their fan base has grown considerably since then. They weren't as chatty and funny onstage as I remember them being a few years ago, but I'd say that was because they were more nervous playing for such a large audience, or perhaps they just had more songs they wanted to get through for their fans.

I'm pretty much obsessed with this song, BTW. They ended the show with it, and it was incredible.

Video via YouTube

Playing on the adjacent stage between Fleet Foxes and Arcade Fire was a really fun Aussie band called Empire of the Sun. They were super glam, I'd say a mix between the Scissor Sisters and Lady Gaga. Wish I would've known more about them sooner, and I would've gotten closer!

Video via YouTube

I ended the night with Arcade Fire, as did everyone else at ACL Fest. I had a really great spot to watch them, but I ended up heading back up the hill because I wanted to watch them with the Dude, and he was back in the Arts section helping out with our friends' booth. From where we stood, they put on an amazing show, and although I've always liked them, I have a newfound appreciation for these guys.

Video via YouTube

Hope you enjoyed the video selections!

Austin City Limits Festival 2011

2011-09-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

I'm so pumped to be going to Austin City Limits Festival this weekend! I'm going today and tomorrow to help out some friends with their merch booth, as I've done the past two years. And then on Sunday, another friend has generously given me her pass so that I can check out bands to my heart's content.

Now for the tough question: Arcade Fire or Fleet Foxes? If I'm remembering the schedule correctly, they're playing at the same time on Sunday night. I've seen both of them at previous ACL Fests, so that can't be the deciding factor (and both were great). I'm leaning toward Fleet Foxes because they've been on the rotation more lately. Unless someone has a compelling reason I should see Arcade Fire instead?

I'm a little bummed I probably won't get to see Coldplay. Even if I could sneak away from the booth for a while (which I can, of course--my friends are awesome), they will likely have such a huge crowd that I would just be standing on my tippytoes at the back, not being able to hear or see much. I missed out on seeing them a few years back when they played ACL. That was the year the dust was really bad, and we decided to leave early and bail on Coldplay. (I think that was 2005?)

Anyway, I'll leave you with another video, totally unrelated to ACL, but a song I cannot stop listening to since I first heard it in my car on Monday.

If you are looking for music to get you amped at the gym, I'd recommend this song fa sho. Nicki Minaj is just amazing. And I may or may not be trying to memorize the rap portions for potential future karaoke moments. (What? You didn't know I rap? Haha.)

Grammar Musings: Text versus Texted

2011-09-14T07:29:00.002-05:00

Has anyone else noticed the use of "text" as the past-tense form of "text"? As in, "I text you last night. Why didn't you answer?"

I have yet to actually hear a person use it like this in conversation, but I've seen it in written form on the internet time after time. It just sounds off to me. I'm wondering if it's a generational thing? Maybe I'm too old for it to sound correct? I mean, I was already an adult when text messaging became widespread, for chrissake.

For now I will stick to "texted" until I start to feel like a dinosaur.

The Post in Which I Come Clean About the Level of My Obsession with GLEE

2011-09-09T14:40:00.002-05:00

For this Friday's music post, I'm going to do something a little different. I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret about me (which you may already know if you follow me on Twitter): my obsession with all things Glee got to the point this summer that I dragged the Dude to Six Flags Fiesta Texas to see Darren Criss, the guy who plays Blaine, perform. And, while I'm being all confess-y, I'll admit that maybe I sort of have a thing for this kid. OK, moving on...

This was back at the end of July. I just have to say right now that I probably have the best husband ever. He went with me and spent the whole day at Six Flags, taking that Friday off work, even though we spent most of the day waiting in line in the blistering sun.

We actually had a lot of fun. After waiting in line to TRY and get VIP passes (no luck), we only had enough time to eat lunch and ride The Rattler before getting in line for the show.

Lunch at Johnny Rockets: Kids meal + beer

Many beers were required.

Husband of the year

We realized that most of these people had probably literally never been to a concert before, as they seemed to have no idea how it was supposed to work. Before Darren came on stage, they were playing some canned pop music, and every time a song would fade out before the next one would come on, everyone would get really excited like he was about to come on stage, and then sigh dramatically when the next song started up. Ha.

The girls in front of us were cracking us up.

So I am going to share a little video that I took of Darren Criss performing "One Fine Day." In case you're wondering, yes he does perform his own material too. But this is the best video I got.

Don't hate. He is pretty and has a nice voice.

(Oh, and I should mention that I HATE it when people change the pronouns, etc. in song lyrics to make it match their gender, so it makes me really happy that he doesn't do that.)

My favorite part of the show was when his "band" (i.e., a bass player and a drummer) came out and kicked it up a notch from the acoustic stuff, but my camera did not record the sound all that well once the bass and drums kicked in.

OK, I'm going to share the other video with you guys, too. Just because I can. This is an original song of his called "I Still Think."

As we were leaving the park, the Dude made me take this picture of Bugs Bunny.

Never realized how fey Bugs is before.

So, can we still be friends even though now you all know what a huge dork I am?

Junk of the Heart (Happy)

2011-09-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

This song made me happy today.

Via Pitchfork / YouTube

London Street Fashions, Late Summer 2011

2011-09-07T07:12:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to write this post forever, but life keeps getting in the way. The Dude and I drove to Nebraska for his grandfather's funeral this past weekend. And I've been working on my first freelance editing project (!).

I wanted to do a rundown of the fashion trends I noticed in London and which ones I'm really digging.

First thing I noticed was sheer black tights. They were everywhere. People were wearing them with shorts, including cut-offs, skirts, dresses, business-y outfits. And they look great with everything. Luckily I had brought a pair with me, so I felt like I fit right in. I like pairing mine with my black motorcycle boots AND my tan suede ankle boots that I purchased in London at Esprit. I want to pull of this look in Austin, but it's too damn hot to wear tights in the summer. But fall is coming soon...

Image via Lookbook.nu

I noticed a newish pants style: tapered trousers. My favorite ones were slightly baggy in the waist-to-crotch area (I'm sure that has a nicer name) and tapered gently down, ending in a rolled up leg that hits just above the ankle. I found a pair I liked at Zara but didn't buy them for some reason. I also saw some at Topshop, but those were too expensive, especially since I had just splurged on some suede ankle boots from Esprit.

Here's a pair I really like from Topshop, though I wouldn't buy in this color. I'd choose a burgundy or a brown.

Image via Topshop

Here is Posh rocking the look:

Image via Sugarscape

Other notable trends I was feeling:

Colored skinny jeans, especially bright red and faded burgundy. I liked the ones at FCUK, but they were not affordable.
Skinny jeans in general. I thought this trend was dying, but it seems to be strong as ever. Yay, because I love my skinny jeans.
Blazers. I finally bought a white cotton one at Forever21.
Body-con dresses and skirts. Need to hit the gym a bit more before trying this trend, though.
Stripes. Been hot for a while, even here in the States.

And one trend I noticed that I was most definitely NOT digging: fake tans. Did all of London just get a memo that orange skin is cool? Because I noticed a lot of people walking around with extremely fake-looking "glows." Maybe it's something about the weather there, but having a super-fake tan in England just seems...wrong.

Hopefully soon I will show you guys all the fab items I purchased for fall. I think I'm doing a better job of buying classic pieces these days. I'm shopping with more intention, whereas before I would shop on impulse.

Maybe I Like Being Judgmental

2011-08-31T15:12:00.000-05:00

So, I joined a gym about a month ago. I joined it because it's cheap and fairly close to my house and I missed having somewhere to use cardio machines. (When I was in law school the university gyms were "free," courtesy of my ridiculous tuition and fees.) It's just a bonus that my gym is really low key and has policies against things like "grunting" and dropping weights really loudly. (It's basically anti-body builders.)

But there is something that I didn't notice about my gym until I'd been going there daily for about three weeks. The gym's slogan, and the misspelling on said slogan, which is plastered literally EVERYWHERE in the gym: it says "Judgement Free Zone."

Image via Heck Yeah, Man

And OK, technically, some dictionaries list "judgement" as an alternate spelling of "judgment." But to me it just looks wrong. Especially since I spent three years in law school and two years as a lawyer seeing that word (spelled correctly, for the most part) constantly.

I'm definitely not enough of a snob to quit my gym over it. I'm just enough of a snob to silently mock the gym's founders or whoever came up with the slogan every time I see it. As one of my friends pointed out the other day, I am definitely going against the "no judgment" sentiment by being all high and mighty about the error. Point taken.

Regina

2011-08-26T13:10:00.000-05:00

Wow, you lucky ducks are getting a twofer today! I listened to this track on Pitchfork last week, and I'm so intrigued by this Helsinki band called Regina. I was tempted to buy some of their music on iTunes, but it looks like they have a new album coming out in a few months. I think I'll hold out.

Video via YouTube

What are you guys listening to these days?

Oxford and Oasis

2011-08-26T06:19:00.000-05:00

One of the funniest things that happened while we were in the U.K. is that Liam Gallagher sued his brother Noel for libel. The Dude and I are both Oasis fans and we tend to find the brothers' endless squabbles pretty entertaining. While we were having "dinner" at a restaurant in Oxford, we saw a guy across the street with a newspaper (not sure if it was a legit paper or a tabloid) that simply said on the front page: "LIAM SUES NOEL."

Image via live4ever.proboards.com

Fortunately, Liam dropped the suit after Noel apologized for telling the media that Oasis cancelled one of their 2009 shows because Liam was hungover.

Incidentally, this is what we ate that evening.

Belgian waffles with clotted cream ice cream and toffee sauce (mine)

Double shot

Some sort of chocolate deal with mint chocolate chip ice cream (and a Hoegarden)

Since it is Friday, I shall leave you with this video of vintage Oasis playing "Live Forever" at Earl's Court in 1995.

Video via YouTube

London!

2011-08-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

So I haven't blogged in a bit because...the Dude and I went to London! We're back, fighting jet lag and getting caught up on life stuff.

We had sooo much fun. I dragged Jason around Oxford for two days, where I spent half a summer studying abroad in college. In London, we stayed in a swank hotel thanks to a killer Expedia deal, ate dessert for dinner/lunch at least three times, and spent an inordinate amount of time shopping and ogling London fashions, among other touristy activities. I seem to have gained about 3.5 pounds since apparently I can't poop in foreign countries anymore. (Too far?) I freaking love England in the summer because the sun comes up so early and stays up so late. Whereas in Texas I am a total night owl (3-4 AM bedtime), in the U.K. I like to get up before 6 AM and go to bed around 9. It's lovely. Can't imagine how horrid and dark the winters there must be, though.

Some more London photos to come, as well as a DIY project I did the week before we left.

Those tents held people camped out on hunger strike in protest of the riots. At least according to their signs.

The Dude in Trafalgar Square on our first day

I made the Dude take this photo of me with the guards. I'm lame and touristy and I don't even care.

Oh, by the way, you can finally see my new Warby Parker glasses and you can (sort of) see my new haircut, though it's in a stubby ponytail.

I Heart Music (and a Moody Friday Playlist)*

2011-08-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

I've actually had a pretty eventful week when it comes to music. I've been jamming to the Cranberries and the Rolling Stones and Green Day in my car on the way to and from the gym. Because...I don't have an iPod adapter in my car? At home, I dusted off the record player to listen to some Bon Iver and Bowie on vinyl. (Unfortunately, our 1980s faux-wood speakers are starting to show their age. Or maybe they're just showing the fact that our cats scratched them up.)

I've been gymming a lot (what? it's a word) and figuring out the best music for workout motivation. (Consensus? Robyn's Body Talk, Gaga's Born This Way, and Rihanna's Loud. Brit-Brit's In the Zone gets an honorable mention.) I had an introductory binge-session of Morrissey and the Smiths on YouTube a couple nights ago. I feel like I could really get into it. And I've practically had to physically restrain myself to keep from spending more money on iTunes. You know how some people are prone to drunk shopping? I think I'm a drunk iTunes Store spender.

I read a tutorial online and figured out how to create a custom ringtone for my iPhone in iTunes. Embarrassed to say I spent a LONG time trying to get the ringtone synched to my phone. And that it took watching a YouTube video of what sounds like an 11-year-old boy explaining how to change the file extension for me to make the ringtone compatible with my phone. (Thanks, kid!) But it finally paid off. Here's a link to the tutorial if you guys wanna give it a whirl. Let me know if you need any Windows 7 tips, because this tutorial talks about XP.

And, I put together this Friday playlist just for you guys! Hope you like!

Oh yeah, I'm going to see the Glee 3D movie today. By myself. Luckily I'm going to a theater that serves alcoholic beverages. Will need them to feel less embarrassed about being the creepy adult going to see a movie for kids by herself. :)

*I'm going to keep the Mixtape Masters label on these posts for now, but I'm not going to be linking to the other peeps anymore because it seems like most of them are no longer doing it.

This Is How We Do It

2011-08-10T10:28:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking of having a loose schedule for my blog, since I've found blogging a little more difficult lately. What I'm thinking is posting something fashion related on Mondays, something grammar/editing/writing related on Wednesdays, and of course sticking to music on Fridays. Other days will be filled in with randomness. Silly photos, DIY projects, rants, etc. I don't have a lot of angsty stuff to post about these days (which is a good thing!) so emo posts will probably be minimal. (I hope I didn't just jinx myself!) Also, I 100% owe you guys a photo of my new glasses AND my new haircut. That's coming soon. I promise! I've just been going to the gym a lot lately (I joined a gym!), so my hair is often unwashed and I'm often wearing grungy gym clothes and no makeup. And I still haven't played around with taking self-portraits on my new camera.

Since today's Wednesday, I thought I'd get started with a mini-rant about a particular English usage that really rubs me the wrong way. That would be people who do not make the correct distinction between "I" and "me." Now, this is not a new problem, but it's something that seems to be on the rise.

Brief grammar primer: "I" is the nominative case and "me" is the objective case for the personal pronoun. Nominative case is used when the pronoun is the subject of a sentence or a clause. Objective case is used when the pronoun is the object of a sentence or clause, or when it follows a preposition. I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence with this paragraph, but I'm not sure how long it's been since you've taken a class on grammar, so there you go.

So, the short story is that English speakers started mixing up these cases a long time ago, using "me" in place of "I" when the nominative case would have been appropriate. This happens especially when the pronoun is combined with another noun or pronoun to make a compound subject. For example, instead of the correct sentence, "Mary and I kicked ass at Guitar Hero last night." we get the incorrect sentence, "Me and Mary kicked ass at Guitar Hero last night." This usage doesn't bother me, at least not in casual speech. It's the way a lot of people talk, including me, and really it doesn't sound grating to my ears or anything.

The problem (in my eyes) came along when people started noticing this mistake and, in an effort to be formal or correct or something, started using "I" when in doubt as to whether "I" or "me" was correct. This is a classic case of hypercorrection. Now you get incorrect sentences such as the following: "The difference between you and I is that you just don't read Harry Potter enough." when of course the sentence should be "The difference between you and me is that you just don't read Harry Potter enough."

For some reason, this usage just annoys the pants off of me. But it's been happening for several decades now and getting steadily more prevalent. I think, in time, the difference between the two cases will erode completely. That's language change. And yeah, of course I accept that. But in the meantime, I will continue to side-eye anyone who makes this mistake. It's my one true English-usage pet peeve! I'm really live and let live when it comes to these types of things, especially for a copy editor. :)

Our Deal

2011-08-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

I've been a fan of Best Coast for a while. Probably due in part to my Los Angeles obsession. And partly because their music is just so retro and dreamy. With emo lyrics.

Drew Barrymore just directed their most recent video for "Our Deal," and the extended version is basically a modern day West Side Story. Check it out for dreamy tunes, nifty fashion stylings, and appearances by some talented and hot young actors (Donald Glover among them!).

Get More: MTV Supervideo, Music, Best Coast

Via Pitchfork

I'll just be over here trying not to cry because I deleted all of my music and apps off my iPhone.

What Do You Wear to a High School Reunion?

2011-08-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

First of all, I just need to say that Polyvore can suck it. I was working on this post last Friday night, and somehow I ended up posting like five or six blog posts via the Polyvore site? Um, yeah. I have no idea how I did that. Annoying. Anyway.

Yeah, that's right. I'm (probably) going to my high school reunion in a little over a month. Yikers. I flip-flopped about whether or not to go, but ultimately decided that since I'm going to be there with one of my best friends in the world (Kell-dog, holler!) that it will be fun. And I'm dragging the Dude along, since I had to go to his a few years ago. And day-um was that full of awkward.

So if I had, like, any money to spend on clothes right now, this is what I'd wear to the reunion. It's probably for the best because this outfit is just this side of too fancy for a rural East Texas country club. I think I'll just wear my LBD with my new gray suede booties (that I got at Marshall's!) and my Top Shop bomber if it's cold. (It won't be.)

So basically the point of a high-school-reunion outfit is to make you look awesome but like you didn't even try to look awesome, right?

Hide and Seek

2011-08-02T13:45:00.000-05:00

Apparently this song came out in 2005, but I heard it for the first time last night and I can't stop listening to it.

via YouTube

30 Before 30: Update!

2011-07-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

You guys remember that whole 30 before 30 thing, right? Well, if not, I came up with a list about six months ago of 30 things I wanted to complete before age 30. Having turned 28 a few weeks ago, I thought it was time to give a little update. Here's my list with the completed items crossed off:

~~learn how to sew a pillow~~ I actually sewed a little pillow for my office chair!
get Lasik surgery (don't worry, I will probably still wear "fake" glasses from time to time--I am too attached to my frames to give them up completely)
become a mother Not sure I want to do this before 30 anymore.
visit the Pacific Northwest
~~pay off my bar loan~~
go to a pro soccer game (not MLS) Will hopefully be doing this next month when we're in London!
get an emergency savings fund with three months of expenses
take the Dude to Brasenose College in Oxford (where I studied abroad in college) Also, yes, next month.
finish furnishing our home
bake a pie from scratch
learn how to code Wow, this is really ambitious.
learn how to take pretty photos Working on it with my new camera.
learn how to sew a skirt
~~quit my full-time job~~
visit Mexico
~~learn how to apply a dual eyeshadow~~
go to batting cages and hit baseballs
go to gun range and shoot a gun
eat the best barbecue in Texas at Snow's in Lexington
make a wedding album for us to keep
pay off credit cards
see Radiohead in concert
install cabinets in master bath and kitchen
do editing full time Workin' on it.
build my wardrobe by adding five timeless pieces (~~the perfect black dress~~, black heels, etc.) At this point I'd like black slightly platform-y heels in leather or suede, a perfect white or chambray button-down, slim-fitting light-wash jeans, and darker wash wide-leg jeans.
~~cut hair really short (not mom-style)~~
~~replace all old dental work, get cavities filled, and get a retainer to prevent teeth grinding at night~~
get 100 followers and do a kick-ass giveaway on this blog in celebration I keep losing followers, probably because I don't update enough. Or maybe I'm just boring these days. :)
fix leaky pipe in bathroom and replaster wall Literally just called the plumber guy TODAY.
get another set of professional photos taken of the Dude and me (maybe a maternity shoot) Or maybe not a maternity shoot.

Well, cool. I think I will add one item to that list, and that is get back into "wedding shape." I've been working out and eating better, and I'm well on my way to it. Just got to keep it up. I guess I'll take off the "mom" thing for now. Don't want to rush it or feel like I have to have a baby by a certain point in my life.

Do you have a "30 before 30" list or any other type of life list?

Beginners

2011-07-25T02:59:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to see this.

Via YouTube

Colorado Redux

2011-07-16T13:28:00.000-05:00

Here are some more photos from our Colorado trip. We caught a fox sleeping in the Dude's parents' yard!

Mixtape Masters Fridays: 7.15.2011

2011-07-15T09:00:00.008-05:00

At some point I'm going to stop being lazy and take a photo of myself in my new Warby Parker glasses. But for now, I've got some music to share with you guys.

No theme this week, just whatever rando music I've been listening to lately.

What do you guys think about the Bon Iver song? I really like it, but the Dude thinks it's too eighties-tastic. I feel like Bon Iver is the only person/band who could possibly make cheesy eighties sax cool. But maybe I'm just wearing fan goggles. I kinda feel like you put those vocals with anything and it will sound good.

So what's new with all of you? I'm going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II tonight. (Well, at 4:55 PM; all the other times were sold out.) I'm going to Alamo Drafthouse, where I've seen ever other HP movie, which means I can get butter beer! (Basically warm alcoholic cider with butterscotch syrup and whipped cream. Kind of gross in this July heat, honestly, but when else will I get to drink it?)

Next Friday I'm going to see Darren Criss perform at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. I'm very excited about it and I'm just going to go ahead and pretend that I'm not embarrassed at all about how excited I am. Yep, I'm sticking with that.

Happy Friday!

Check out the other mixtape masters this week:

Ashley

Angie

Tyler

Lizzie

Dana

Jolynn

Lisa

Lyn

Josie

Kerry

Jen

Colorado Road Trip!

2011-07-14T18:36:00.000-05:00

West Texas windmills:

Dairy Queen:

These next three photos are of the ridiculous view from my in laws' back deck. Not even kidding!

Our road-trip buddies, Jessie and Eric:

The Dude and his mom:

Rocky. He kept hiding from the camera, but I got 'im:

Double rainbow all the way!

Garden of the Gods in Manatou, CO:

This guy played it cool considering all kinds of people on the ground were watching and photographing him:

We had a great time in Colorado! The Dude's parents have the most badass log-cabin-esque house ever, and it was great to see them (and Rocky!). Poor Rocky. He's a herding type of dog, so he likes to make sure all the people in the house are in the same place all the time, and he was a little sad when he woke up on Monday and we were gone. :(

Mixtape Masters Fridays: Embracing the Pop

2011-07-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd celebrate my first day as a full-time freelancer with a Mixtape Masters post--a fun one! I've decided to embrace all the pop music I've been listening to lately. It's the summer of pop.

Ugh, I am so done with playlist.com by the way. That site is full of annoying ads and most of the song files on there are messed up in some way. So I'm using Grooveshark this week. Let me know if you like it.

Check out more music here:

Ashley

Angie

Tyler

Lizzie

Dana

Jolynn

Lisa

Lyn

Josie

Kerry

Jen

New Life, New Glasses

2011-06-30T07:10:00.000-05:00

I have no words to describe how I'm feeling right now. Today is my last day at my legal job, and I am feeling footloose and fancy-free. Tomorrow marks the beginning of my new career in editing, and I really do feel like, for the first time since before I got on the path to law school, that my life is full of possibilities. It's very freeing, and at the same time terrifying.

Anyway, I'll try not to wax too philosophical in the rest of this post. After all, I need your help! I need new glasses, and I want you to help me choose my frames! First, let me introduce you to a company that I think is worth knowing about. Some of my awesome readers directed me to it in the comments on my last glasses post. The company's called Warby Parker, and I have to say they are doing everything right. I will withhold some judgment for later, when I actually place my order and get my prescription filled; but so far, I am impressed. First, for every pair of glasses you buy, they donate a pair of prescription glasses to a person in need. Wow. Second, every pair is $95. That includes the prescription. Huh. I seem to recall spending over $800 last year on updating my prescription on one pair and purchasing a new pair. WTF, glasses industry? You suck.

Finally--and this is the part that is really the shit--they let you choose any five pairs to try on at home for free! I jumped right on that. So, wanna help me figure out which ones are right for me?

They arrived in this fancy box. It felt like I was getting a present!

(Oh, notice that my photos are less grainy than usual? That's because my mom bought me a new camera for my birthday, which is Saturday! Thanks, Mom! I promise I'll take lots of photos of babies and cats.)

So, here's the first pair. They're called Sinclair.

These next ones are tortoise shell, which I love. They're called Preston. I think they might be my faves.

These are called Owen. They have a really sweet matte finish, but they look kind of crooked on me. You can't tell in this photo because I'm tilting my head. D'oh.

The last two pairs are both WAY too big for my face. I had a feeling this might be the case, but I wanted to try them anyway. These (called Tenley) make me look like an insect.

These are just too much. They're called Griffin, and they actually look better in the photo than they do in person if you can believe it.

OK, help, please! And bear with me as I get better at using my new camera! It's not a DSLR, but it is a very fancy point and shoot that has lots of manual features. I'm excited to learn how to take better blog photos for you guys! For now it's all "auto," but I'll try to correct for poor lighting next time. (Would've helped if I'd opened the shades, huh?)

By the way, my mullet is coming along nicely, wouldn't you say?

I Want to Go to the International School at Weasley's!

2011-06-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I bought the DVD for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I bought the cheapest one I could find on Amazon, and even though the quality of the DVD matches the rest of my collection, it was pretty clear from the...um...interesting packaging that it was a bootleg copy. (The large "Harry Potter 4" on the front was a dead giveaway.) Oops! One of my favorite things to do when people visit my house is make them read the blurb on the back of the DVD case.

The pivotal fourth novel in the seven part tale of Harry Potter's training as a wizard and his coming of age, Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go tto the International School at Weasley's. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). They have an event that's supposed to take place this year, an event involving two other rival schools happening that happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for his age, it's not what's stated in the wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.

Obviously it was written by someone for whom English is not their first language. I'm not making fun of them. I mean, if I tried to write something in another language, I'm sure it would make even less sense. I guess it's possible that it's not a bootleg, but just a foreign version of the DVD? Oh well. At first I wanted to replace it, but now there is no way I'm ever getting rid of this. (It's not like J.K. Rowling hasn't gotten enough of my money at this point.) Thank god the burglars didn't raid our DVD collection!

Perfect Mullet

2011-06-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

I want this hair.

Yep, that's all.

Light Me Up

2011-06-07T11:01:00.000-05:00

We've been on a pretty tight budget lately since my future employment is pretty up in the air. If we had the budget for improvement right now, though, there are several things that I'd consider buying. For one, I'd really like to replace the boob light in the dining area. You know those lights that are decent looking and fairly cheap at your big box home improvement store?

Although, admittedly, ours looks like it's wearing some type of intricate stripper boob cover.

It's not the ugliest, but it's also not adding anything to the room. I think a modern fixture of some kind would help make the dining area actually feel like a distinct part of the living area/kitchen/dining room space.

These are some chandeliers I've had my eye on:

Image via Y Lighting

This copper pendant is my favorite by far, but at $550 plus shipping, it's only mine in a seriously delusional fantasy.

Image via Design*Sponge

Man, this industrial-ish one makes me think. I don't even know if it would go in our dining room at all, but I heart it still.

Image via Design Milk

I literally just found this one on Pinterest. It's definitely too nautical for our home, but I love love love the rawness and the clear glass bubbles.

I've seen a lot of peeps lately, in the real world and the blog world, using fabric lampshades as pendant-type chandeliers. I must say, the look is pretty fresh.

Image via Minted Life

Kelsey at Minted Life found this lampshade on the cheap and replaced her boob light. I think it looks great!

Image via Design*Sponge

This dining room is the total opposite of the style of our house, but I love the lampshade light fixture. The shape and the organic texture are things I can see incorporating into our home.

I've got a problem, though. Our light fixture isn't centered over where we keep our dining table. And if we moved the dining table to be right under the fixture, it would look really odd; it would be too close to the door and just awkward looking. So I'm thinking we may need a light fixture that you can sort of hang to the side of where the wires come out of the ceiling, if that makes sense.

I think I'm going to hit up Goodwill sometime this summer and see if they have anything I could recover or spray paint into something beautiful to hang from our ceiling. As long as it doesn't involve any rewiring, this should be a job I can handle.

Got any good chandelier inspiration?

Lazy Eyes

2011-06-06T08:03:00.000-05:00

My eyes have been killing me lately. Dry and irritated. Painful, especially when I'm staying up late trying to get some editing done before bed. Also, I fear I'm getting more nearsighted AGAIN. It happened about a year ago. My eyesight rapidly got worse; it's mostly noticeable when I'm driving. I can barely read signs until I get right up on them. And driving at night is even worse.

I went to the eye doctor last week, and she told me that yes, my eyesight has gotten worse, and that also my eyes are just really dry and irritated. She gave me a bunch of eyedrops to use and told me to come back in two weeks to recheck my prescription. She also gave me a pair of contacts that are a closer match to my current vision. The eyedrops definitely are helping, but when I try to wear the contacts, my eyes are super uncomfortable and dry-feeling. And my vision kind of clouds up at the drop of a dime. Not fun. So I must stick to my glasses for now.

If I must get a new glasses prescription, which I'm thinking is highly likely, I kind of want to mix it up with some new frames. I love the nerd-chic frames that are so in style right now, but I'm afraid of two things: 1.) If I buy a cheap pair off of eBay, the frames will break or not fit properly. 2.) They will go out of style and I will be out a couple hundred dollars on the prescription lenses. I've worn the smaller glasses with black plastic frames for almost a decade, so I would love to try something new. Other types of glasses don't really look good on me, though I think I could pull off the nerd look.

Here are some inspiration photos:

Image via Accidental Chic

Image via We Heart It

What I'd really like is to just get laser eye surgery already. But I'm pretty sure with my dry eyes and randomly changing vision, I'm not a candidate. Also, I don't seem to have two to three grand lying around. Hmm.

What do you think? Is this look already on the way out? Should I even care? Is it stupid to put expensive prescription lenses into $0.99 frames?

Mixtape Masters Fridays: Pop-tronica

2011-06-03T09:00:00.003-05:00

Guys, if you're wondering what happened to your resident indie pop / nineties rock loving mixtape master, then uh...things got a little...weird here for a bit. I bought Glee Presents: The Warblers on iTunes and couldn't stop listening to it for almost a month straight. Oops. Brain officially broken.

Coming down off my Glee high (like I have a choice---the show's on summer hiatus!), I was lucky enough to get my hands on a ton of mostly new-to-me music, courtesy of a guy who used to be in a band with the Dude. I've been sorting through the 700+ songs, and so far it has been just what my musical palate needed---a good ritual cleansing.

I should point out at this time that the Robyn album has been on rotation for the past couple of months. If you like dance/pop at all---even a little bit---buy it. You will not regret it. (Oh, and sorry for the weird talking at the beginning of the Robyn song. I couldn't find a version without that!)

Check out more music here:

Ashley

Angie

Tyler

Lizzie

Dana

Jolynn

Lisa

Lyn

Josie

Kerry

Jen

How to Avoid Retail Shopping

2011-05-25T21:42:00.001-05:00

For Lent this year, I decided to give up retail shopping. Yeah, I do realize I'm not Catholic, or even a Christian, but I hope my Christian readers don't mind that I co-opted a tradition of theirs. I find it to be an admirable exercise in self-control and a nice challenge for a goal-oriented person such as myself. Anyway, retail shopping. None for forty days. And yeah, it was rough. I may have cheated a couple times: 1.) I asked my mom to pick up lawn bags for me at Lowe's so I could rake my yard, 2.) I had an iTunes credit that wasn't quiiite enough to buy Robyn's album Body Talk, so I spent about $4 on that, and 3.) I ran out of face wash so I picked some up at Sephora.

Obviously, food was exempt from my ban on retail. Homegirl had to eat.

I did find some clever ways to freshen up my wardrobe during this time. Not buying clothes was the hardest! So here is my list of how to add some style without shopping retail. And for the record, I count outlet or eBay shopping as retail, even if you aren't technically paying retail prices. (I didn't do all of these things, but I did the ones with asterisks.)

Enter blog giveaways* (but I didn't win anything)
Do a clothing swap
Vintage stores*
Thrift stores/Goodwill/Salvation Army
Garage sales
Flea markets
Borrow clothes from your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/roommate/family*
Do a trade with a friend who has clothes to donate

Have you ever tried to give up retail? How did it work out for ya?

Hippy Skirt for Work

2011-05-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've done an outfit post, but I was kinda feeling what I wore today.

Cardigan and skirt: UO, tank: Target, belt: J.Crew, shoes: borrowed from my mom

I know it's a bit hot to still be wearing cardigans, but I kind of wear them year round since I work in an air-conditioned office.

You can see my hair is growing out a bit. Even though I love having short hair, I miss my bangs like every day. I think I'm going to keep growing it out until it's long enough to cut bangs again.

One more note about the outfit: I had put together a box full of stuff to trade at a clothing swap (that still hasn't happened yet), and I found this skirt in it. I was like, "Hmm, I'm not sure why I wanted to get rid of it!" I think sometimes putting clothes away for a while can make you appreciate them in a new way. I never would have thought of wearing this skirt with platforms before today.

It's Britney, Bitch*

2011-05-13T15:33:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! Thanks for not unfollowing me in the past few weeks that I haven't been blogging. I miss you guys.

I have a confession to make: in my last post I promised something cool and light hearted for the next day. I now have absolutely no recollection of what I was talking about. I have a feeling it was going to be some type of YouTube video, but now the world will never know. :)

Since I last wrote here, I've been officially outed at work as leaving at the end of June. It has made things more than a little awkward, but it feels great to have an official end date in sight, knowing that soon I will be running my own little baby freelance business. I've been thinking about what all I need to do to get my stuff up and running. Mostly I need a shiny new website and a pricing structure. I have someone in mind who I want to design my webby, but I'm not sure if she's available and I'm kinda nervous to ask. But I need to get on that ASAP. Also, I have a potential new client, so I need to figure out prices fairly quickly before he is ready for a quote. Squee! I'm pretty excited. I definitely want letterpress business cards, too, but I think I better save up for those. Hopefully I can go with my fellow Austinite Julie who runs Duet Letterpress with her husband.

OK, that's it for now. have a great weekend!

*Thanks to my Twitter friend obxwife for inspiring this title.

Taking a Chance

2011-04-13T09:44:00.001-05:00

This isn't going to be one of those posts with pictures. (In fact, I still haven't figured out how to blog photos from my iPhone. Oops.) This is a wordy post. Ack, you know what I mean.

This week, after a weekend of thoughtfulness, I made a scary and exciting decision. Though I was offered a permanent job as an attorney...I chose to turn it down to pursue my editing career. Simultaneously, I locked in my end date, making it officially June 30th. I'm terrified and exhilarated at the same time.

I'm excited about my decision because--hey!--I get to try and make it in my career of choice. I get to work from home and have greater flexibility in my schedule. I get to stop working two jobs; frankly it has really been draining me lately. Also, it gives the Dude and me more flexibility to pick up and move if we decide that's what we want to do. Now, only he has to find a job. I can edit from anywhere. And I don't have to get relicensed so that I can practice law in another state. Finally, it will make things easier when we get ready to try again for a baby.

But, there are also some things I'm panicking about. Less money, of course. Less job security. No retirement plan (gotta get an IRA!) or medical benefits (gotta get back on the Dude's plan!). And there is always the possibility that I will feel like I gave up on a legal career. That if I'd tried harder I could have made it work for me.

Honestly, I feel like publishing this post is a big fat jinx, but I want to get it out there. I miss blogging, and I want to keep my sweet readers informed of what is going on in my life.

Tomorrow I will share something a little mire lighthearted with all of you. Stay tuned!

That's What's Up

2011-04-02T20:02:00.001-05:00

So, what have I been up to lately? Well, I saw Hanson at SXSW and then went a little Hanson crazy on Twitter. (If you follow me, you may have noticed a slightly frenetic series of tweets.)

I was stoked to see them after being a fan for more than a decade. True, I fell off the Hanson wagon for a while, but that show brought back all of these crazy, 14-year-old fanatic feelings in me. It was surreal!

I threw away my driver's license and had to get a temporary paper one, just in time for my New Orleans trip that's coming up in less than two weeks. Oh yeah, did I mention I'm in the middle of renewing my passport, too? So my only photo ID is the temp paper printout from DPS. Hope they serve me in NOLA! Good thing I don't really look underage. (If I could get by with a stranger's expired license in Vegas when I was 20, then I think I can handle NOLA with a temp. Just sayin'.)

Mainly, though, I've been trying to save money for my trip. Oh yeah, I did splurge a little recently. I finally bought the boots I've been wanting for 15 months. And only a bit of minor eBay drama was involved. Though I have to point out that I bought them BEFORE I gave up retail shopping for Lent. (Does eBay count as retail? For that matter, does outlet shopping count as retail? I've been operating under the notion that they both do.) Anyway, the boots:

They're perfect! Even my mom likes them, and I don't think she always "gets" the stuff I wear.

And...I signed us up for HBO! This is the first time in my life, besides a year or two when I was in high school and living with my parents, that I've ever had it. It makes me feel slightly frivolous and posh for some reason. It's a premium channel! I got it specifically for Game of Thrones, a show based on a fantasy series I've been reading that's starting in a couple of weeks. And True Blood, of course. I find it almost unbearable to wait for the DVDs from that show to come out.

Finally, I've had less time for blogging lately because I've been focusing on creating new habits for my home routine, thanks to Fly Lady. My mom turned me on to this site. (I think she's been using it for like three years, and I finally broke down and decided to try it out.) The website is cheesy as hell, but the philosophies really work for me. Now I pick up after myself and consistently do my morning and evening routines. Our house is cleaner than it's ever been, and I don't feel as much pressure for it to be "perfect."

Anyway, that's what's going on with me. What's new with you?

My ABCs

2011-03-26T11:56:00.000-05:00

I haven't felt inspired to blog lately for some reason. So in an attempt to get myself back into it, I thought I'd do this little activity.

A. Age: 27
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore you hate: Where do I start? Vacuuming, cleaning the litterbox, dusting, cleaning the bathtub/shower. Cooking and grocery shopping are probably my least favorite.
D. Dogs: I want a puggle. But we're cat people, so I don't think it's ever going to happen.

Image via Dog Breed Info Center

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee.
F. Favorite color: Orange.
G. Gold or silver: Gold.
H. Height: 5′5″ (The Dude and I measured our heights and wingspans last night, and I found out I'm an inch taller than I thought!)
I. Instruments you play: I played piano from age 5 to 12 and saxophone from age 11 to 12. Can't really claim to play either anymore.
J. Job Title: Editor/Attorney (at least for a couple more months!)
K. Kids: I want at least one. And preferably by the time I'm 30.
L. Live: Austin.
M. Mom’s name: Elizabeth
N. Nicknames: Mouse, Holley-pop, Studfreak
O. Overnight hospital stays: Just once when I had a miscarriage.
P. Pet peeve: People who get irrationally angry over nothing or who are perpetually negative.
Q. Quote from a movie: "Careful, man, there's a beverage here!"
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Two younger brothers.
T. Time you wake up: Around 7AM on weekdays, anywhere between 8 and 11AM on weekends.
U. Underwear: It's expensive.
V. Vegetables you dislike: Black olives. I love green and purple, but the black ones that come on pizza are disgusting.
W. What makes you run late: Sleeping too late. Because I stayed up too late the night before. It's a vicious cycle.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: I can't remember having any. Does an ultrasound count? Oh yeah, I've had my teeth X-rayed a bazillion times at the dentist.
Y. Yummy food you make: Guacamole, salsa. I don't really cook a lot.
Z. Zoo animal: Monkeys. And elephants. I like the smarter animals.

Please link me to your ABCs if you did this on your blog!

I Did the Mulligan...and I Liked It

2011-03-10T17:51:00.000-06:00

Dudes. I have been holding out on you! I got my hair cut last Friday and, although I tweeted a photo, I meant to follow up here with more photos and just haven't gotten around to it. Until now!

Let me set the mood first. Last Friday, the Dude picked me up from work and instead of heading home we headed to Bird's Barbershop to get our hairs cut. They don't take appointments, but you can call ahead that same day, and we'd failed to do that. They were booked up for the rest of the evening, so we called ahead to another location (East 6th), and they told us we could get in in an hour. So we had an hour to kill in an area filled with cool, hipster-y bars. We headed to East Side Saloon for a quick drink, then to Bird's, where they give you a Lone Star while you wait! Let's just say by the time I got in the chair, I was not nervous in the slightest.

Thirty minutes later, I had this haircut:

(Yes, I took photos in the bathroom mirror at Bird's. What?)

The haircut looks pretty different every day, and so far I haven't really figured out the best way to style it. I was hoping for a messy, effortless tomboy look, but so far it seems like the straighter and flatter I can get it, the more I like it.

Here are some random self-portraits I took with the nifty flip-around feature on my iPhone:

Greasy Sunday photo

And, as a bonus, some outfit of the day photos the Dude took of me.

Top (that's really a dress tucked in): H&M, pants: hand-me-downs from Banana Republic, shoes: Nine West.

I have to say, if you're even slightly considering chopping off your hair, go for it. It feels so freeing, and it takes half the time to blow dry! Oh, and did I mention my haircut + beer was only $30 (plus tip)?

Happy Grammar Day!

2011-03-04T08:24:00.000-06:00

Today is National Grammar Day (!), so I thought I'd celebrate by sharing some grammar tidbits.

A lot of self-styled "grammar nerds" get their pleasure in orderly rules and are motivated by a tinge of perfectionism and the desire to point out others' mistakes. I'm not denying that I'm one of those people (though I like to think I'm considerate and not an annoying know-it-all when I gently dole out grammar advice). But I do feel that my perspective on grammar is a little different than the norm, since I first became obsessed with it through studying linguistics in college.

Linguists, in general, approach grammar from a descriptive, not prescriptive, point of view. In other words, they study how people use a language and then describe how the language is used instead of telling people how to use their own language. This point of view is fascinating to me because it's so . . . democratic. We, as speakers and writers of English (or whatever other languages you happen to speak/write) have the power to develop trends in language and thereby change it. If enough of us have a certain usage, then that usage becomes part of our language! (This is not just true for grammar, but also for word meanings, spelling, and all sorts of other little linguistic bits and bobs.)

I think some people, namely those who aren't as interested in the science behind language as I am, see grammar as a set of black and white rules that must be obeyed. Anything that doesn't follow the rules is "wrong." While I'll be the first to admit that rules are critical to good writing, I like to think of them more as guidelines. And I always like to keep in the back of my mind that once you know the rules, you have the power to break them in your own writing.

So what are some rules that I "break"?

Well, for one, I frankly just don't buy into the idea that you can't end a sentence with a preposition. Are English teachers still teaching their kids this? It's an absurd rule that was borrowed from Latin by some stuffy prescriptivist many years ago. You see, Latin is a language where the order of the words is critical to the meaning of a sentence. English, not so much. So for starters the rule has no rational purpose. Also, many writers who are trying so hard to obey the "rule" come up with ridiculously stilted sentences as a result. This famous quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill, is an example (full of irony, of course) of avoiding ending a sentence with a preposition: “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.” Who wants to write like that? Not me.

I feel the same about the rule saying you can't split an infinitive. Who the eff cares if you split an infinitive? If the sentence makes sense and sounds good, I say go for it! One of the most famous split infinitives is the following, from the opening of most Star Trek episodes: "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." The infinitive ("to go") is split by the adverb ("boldly"). But what's wrong with that? What if you changed it to "...to go boldly where no man has gone before." Nothing wrong with that, either, but I say there's no need to fix what ain't broken. (OMG, don't get me started on "ain't." Totally off topic, but "ain't" is totally a word. I'm just saying.)

I'm also not a stickler when it comes to sentence fragments. Sometimes I just need to express myself in that way! I think, if used deliberately and sparingly, sentence fragments can make writing more conversational and fun. They're also great for emphasizing a certain thought or phrase. Like this. See what I did there?

Along the same lines, I'm a big fan of beginning sentences with conjunctions (e.g., and, or, but, so, because). I once had an English teacher tell our class, "You can begin a sentence with 'because,' but you won't do it right, so I'm not going to tell you how." (WTF? I hate that attitude when it comes to teaching. Just explain it to us, and maybe some of us will actually get it.) Anyway, I like starting sentences with conjunctions because it can be really good for flow. It sounds too formal to use the traditional connecting words, such as "additionally," "therefore," and "however," in the kind of writing I do. I'd so much rather start a sentence with "and," "but," or "so." This is one of those things that I have to watch out for, though, because I will most definitely overuse it if I'm not careful.

As much as I like breaking rules, however, there is no room in my book for sloppy usage. Here are some things I see that are just plain not cool:

Bad subject/verb agreement. Most native speakers know what's correct intuitively, but if you aren't confident about this aspect of your writing, here's a good resource.
Run-ons. Ick! If your sentence has three or more conjunctions, it's probably a run-on. It's also probably confusing as hell.
Overuse (and abuse) of ellipses. (They're those three lovely little dots that indicate a trailing off thought or a gap in a direct quote.) If you're using an ellipsis in some other way, you're probably not doing it right. Maybe try an em-dash, a period, or even a semi-colon instead. (Technically, ellipses are punctuation marks, not grammar per se. I think of punctuation marks as grammar's clothes. But, you know, I'm weird.)

The thing about grammar rules is that everybody has their own opinions about which rules you have to follow and which ones are bogus. I don't claim that my opinions on the matter are any more legitimate than the next guy's. (But secretly, I think they are. That's why they're my opinions!)

Did I bust any grammar misconceptions for you? Did you learn something new? I think it'd be awesome if you share something you think is neat about grammar in the comments. Happy Grammar Day!

Maybe I've Been Reading Too Many Fantasy Novels...

2011-02-24T08:49:00.000-06:00

I put on this outfit today and didn't realize until I got to work that I may have looked a little like Robin Hood.

Oh well. At least all I have to do for Halloween this year is buy a jaunty cap and a bow and arrow.

Shirt: Zara, cardigan: Urban Outfitters, cords: Uniqlo, boots: Urban Outfitters, belt: thrifted, watch: my dad's

Someone asked me to link to the posing video that I mentioned. Well, here it is! If you go to this post and scroll down to the bottom there is a (sideways) video tutorial on posing. It helped me get over my initial embarrassment.

I'm really wishing I could wear jeans + high-heeled booties today since I'm going to a happy hour after work. Oh well. I guess you will see what I decided to wear tomorrow morning.

Two for One

2011-02-23T09:56:00.000-06:00

I still have one more outfit post from last week that I never got around to posting.

Button down: Old Navy, tank: Old Navy, trousers: Gap, belt: Urban Outfitters, flats: Urban Outfitters, watch: Swatch

I'm not one to apologize for my appearance (usually), but you guys know I have to love you to share these greasy-banged photos with you!

I really liked this outfit while I was wearing it, but after seeing the photos, I think there is something about the cut of the pants and the longer tank that makes my legs look shorter. I'm thinking I should wear shorter tops or tuck them in from now on!

And as a bonus, you get my outfit from today! (I'm disappointed I didn't get outfits of my photos this weekend--I liked my rare jeans + heels combo at work on Friday. I also went out to a downtown bar on Saturday, so I got dressed up, which if you know me is not the norm.) Anyway, today's outfit:

Top: Target (I think--wherever it's from, it's SUPER comfy), skirt: Gap, cardigan: Urban Outfitters, flats: Mia, necklace: Banana Republic

I think it could have maybe used a belt, but it was more comfortable without one!

Inspired by Characters

2011-02-16T08:11:00.002-06:00

The other night, the Dude and I watched Mystery Train, a film by Jim Jarmusch that came out in 1989 about a seedy hotel in Memphis and three sets of people who are all connected to it and each other somehow. I was immediately struck by how modern it felt and looked. One of the main characters, Mitsuko, had me obsessed with her wardrobe from the first scene.

Source

There was one scene where Jun, her boyfriend, tells her to make room in the suitcase for the hotel towels. She tells him that she's not getting rid of any of her T-shirts. Instead, she puts on every single one of them. And every single one is perfect in its vintage, rocker-chic simplicity.

Source

Randomly, I am also infatuated with the actress on Season 5 of the new Dr. Who who plays Amy Pond. Her red hair, pale skin, Scottish accent, and "don't give an eff" wardrobe is all just killing me.

Source

I can haz red bat-wing sweater?!

At the Office: Skirt + Brogues

2011-02-15T09:39:00.002-06:00

This week's warm weather (low seventies by afternoon) is making me so happy! I continued my barelegged streak today at the office.

Button-down: thrifted, skirt: thrifted (It's vintage Ann Taylor!), brogues: Urban Outfitters (Hmm, I think I might have a slight problem.), earrings: Etsy seller Beyond the Rocks, watch: my dad's

I also added this little touch, since it was Valentine's Day, after all:

Ring: a perfumery in France (My mom took me on a trip to Europe when I graduated high school, and this is one of the two remaining souvenirs I have.)

Valentine's Date Outfit

2011-02-14T08:19:00.000-06:00

The Dude and I have been doing pretty good lately about not eating out as much. Easier on the wallet and the waistline. So we decided that for Valentine's Day, we'd go out for a nice dinner at a restaurant we've never been to before (one of our favorite things to do!). (Cheapie tip: If the date you celebrate is not important to you, it's usually much cheaper and less crowded to go out for V-day dinner on a day that isn't Valentine's Day. We usually go out on the 13th.)

I was excited for an excuse to dress up a little.

Bomber jacket: Top Shop (gift), dress: Urban Outfitters (gift card purchase), shoes: Steve Madden, earrings: Tasty Jewelry (local designer), headband: my own creation

If you like this Top Shop jacket, I recommend buying it in a size up from what you normally wear. Their website has both UK and US sizing, and my jacket is a full size larger than what I normally wear at stores like Gap and J. Crew, and it's still a bit on the small side. I know it's meant to be fitted and short, but I can't even really comfortably zip this thing up. Top Shop doesn't do exchanges for US purchases at this time. You can return items, but you have to pay for the shipping. And just my luck, they're sold out in the next size up. I wore this jacket around with the tags on for a while, thinking I would purchase the next size up. But I don't think that's happening.

The dress is a fairly recent purchase as well, and though it mostly fits, it's got a weird baggy-armpit thing going on. I'm probably going to have to get it tailored (boo). But no way am I returning it because it's the perfect LBD that I've been searching for for years (other than the weird armpit fit).

I guess the outfit is a bit dark and hard-edged for what some would consider a frilly and romantic holiday, but that's just how I roll. I figured the red lipstick (which I am usually too shy for) gives it a V-day feel.

Are you planning on dressing up for Valentine's Day?

Weekend Outfit #1: Spring Come Early

2011-02-13T17:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went to a five-year-old's birthday party. (Not a random five-year-old---the son of a close friend of mine!) The party was complete with pinata, pizza, cake, and Justin Bieber's "Baby" on repeat. My kind of party! Anyway, it was unseasonably warm, so I decided to take advantage.

Dress: Zara, belt: thrifted, sweater: Urban Outfitters, boots: Urban Outfitters, watch: Swatch, socks: Target (I think)

The belt is way too big for me, but it was only $3. I remedy the size discrepancy by buckling it, then looping it around and under twice. Let me know if you want me to do a tutorial video. It's pretty simple.

I watched a video tutorial on posing, which helped me to get over how awkward I feel doing it.

Casual Friday Outfit

2011-02-12T11:13:00.000-06:00

I know I promised a cool outfit for Friday, but I feel like I kind of copped out. This outfit is just...boring!

Jeans: Joe's, button-down shirt: H&M, sweater: Target, boots: Urban Outfitters, watch: Swatch.

I rolled the sleeves up on the sweater because they have kind of a weird bell-shape going on that makes the sweater look a little hippy-dippy if they're not rolled up. I do love these jeans, but they're my "fat" jeans. I've only got about three or four pairs that fit me comfortably now since I have gained a couple of pounds. I'm ready to shed my winter weight and these bulky clothes! Good thing I live in Texas. I dunno how people who live where it's colder for longer do it!

Stripes and Skinny Pants: A Little Rock 'n Roll for the Office

2011-02-11T08:24:00.002-06:00

It's day 2 of my little outfit-posting experiment, and I'm already starting to see a pattern. I cannot live with this hair anymore! I am so tempted to cut my grown-out bangs and make them bangs again. But I don't know exactly how I'm going to get my hair cut next month, so I want to keep the length there just in case I need it. But from now on, buns, buns buns! It's the only way I can get my hair to look decent.

Anyway, here's what I wore yesterday:

I was really feeling stripes when I woke up, so I grabbed the only striped thing I could find in my closet, this cardigan from Urban Outfitters. Pants: Zara, top: Nordstrom, earrings: Target, shoes: Corso Como. (You may recognize them from here.)

I have a really hard time dressing in the winter. I always have. It's getting a little bit easier since I actually own three pairs of boots for the first time in my life. But I still have trouble with outfits like this one. None of my boots have quite the rocker feel that I wanted with these skinny pants. (That is why I can't WAIT for my eBay motorcycle boots that I ordered the other day to get here.) So yeah, my feet were freezing. And the coat I wore today is the opposite of cute. It's very warm, though.

OK! Tomorrow I'll post my casual Friday outfit. I should have no excuse for not looking cool since I get to wear jeans. And I'll work on the posing. Maybe I need an America's Next Top Model marathon? (Am I the only one excited about the new cycle starting in two weeks?!)

Doing the Blog Thing

2011-02-10T09:24:00.003-06:00

A few of my blogger friends have started doing Outfit of the Day (OOTD) posts, and they have really been inspiring me! I have been wanting to do posts like this for a while, but I've been too chicken. And also, as I may have mentioned, I've been uninspired fashion-wise as of late. The cold cold weather combined with dressing for a professional job has left me feeling blah. But I think posting my outfits on here will keep me on my toes and hopefully get me excited about my closet again.

So, without further ado, here is my first outfit:

OK, there is really no excuse for that hair. Other than I cut it myself and am absolutely fed up with trying to style it. And I miss my bangs. Luckily I'm planning on getting a haircut next month.

Shirt: Old Navy, sweater vest: Old Navy, skirt: Richard Chai for Target, tights: Uniqlo, boots: Urban Outfitters, watch: my dad's

I think it might've been cuter with a skinny belt (and some better hair), but otherwise I was happy with this outfit. It's a lot more fun that what I usually wear to work. (Pants + sweater + flats or covered up boots. Snooze.)

OK, I'm really doing this! More outfit posts coming your way soon.

Oh, and I was also inspired the other night by my friend Natalie, who was in turn inspired by this awesome blog to try out a new hairstyle last Sunday for the Super Bowl party I went to. I'm pretty sure everyone there thought I was weird, but I didn't care (that much).

This photo doesn't really do it justice. It was a massive bun on the top of my head. It required a lot of teasing, and it bumped the roof of the car when I was sitting in the passenger seat (I'm 5'4''). Yeah, it was fun. Did I mention I miss my bangs?

If Only...

2011-02-07T21:10:00.002-06:00

Today I was daydreaming at work about all of the things I will have more time for when I start freelancing full time. This isn't really a to do list. It's more of a fantasy list at this point.

Landscaping/gardening. Right now our yard is embarrassingly dead. The grass is dead, and our yard is in need of some serious TLC. I'd also like to start a veggie garden in the back to grow things like peppers and lettuces. I'm thinking about going for some native grasses and cactus type plants because I don't want a high-maintenance yard.

Clothes. Even though I haven't had a ton of money to spend on clothes, like, ever, I really love putting together outfits and taking risks. Or at least I used to. Going to a nine-to-five and trying to make due with the meager supply of business casual wear that I have has left me feeling supremely uninspired by my closet. I want to go thrift shopping. I don't want to miss out on the remainder of my short-skirt-wearing years. I don't want to ever see another pair of khaki pants.

Cleaning. I actually find cleaning my house to be soothing sometimes. As it is now, I barely have time to keep it liveable. I wanna have time to keep it sparkly clean and fresh smelling.

Reading. Finally, I'm reading books again on a regular basis, for the first time since law school killed my love of reading. I wanna have more time to indulge in my recently rekindled passion.

Building my resume. I can't wait until I have time to throw myself into this editing thing 100%. Whatever I gotta do, I'll do it in the name of my career.

Cooking/grocery shopping. Right now, my poor husband does all of the grocery shopping and more than his fair share of the cooking. I don't love cooking, but it can be kind of rewarding to make something healthful and delicious. (Don't worry, I won't be taking photos of my food or creating recipes to share with you guys anytime soon. I don't have it in me!)

Keeping up with the news. Right now, my only connection to what's going on in the world is the transportation-related articles I read for work, as well as the occasional listen to NPR. I'd like to watch CNN and read The New York Times on a regular basis, too, so I don't sound like a dummy at cocktail parties. (Oh yeah, that's another one. I will go to lots of cocktail parties. Heh.)

Blogging. I haven't had the time or energy to devote to this blog lately, and it makes me sad. I have a love/hate relationship with writing, and I know that I'm at my best when I'm doing it regularly. I still need to figure out the whole photo thing as well. I love blogs where I get a peek into other people's lives, and I think this blog would be a lot more exciting if I took more fun photos for you guys!

I'd also like more time to exercise, throw parties, have lunch with my mom, etc. I could keep on naming things, but you get the idea.

If you had more free time, how would you spend it?

Mixtape Masters Fridays: Dreamy Soul Mix

2011-02-04T09:00:00.004-06:00

Lately I haven't really been seeking out new music as much as I've been waiting for stuff I like to find me. OK, to be honest, that is my usual mode. But anyway, I put together a fairly eclectic mix of music for your Friday. Enjoy!

Jonsi "Animal Arithmetic"

Cee Lo Green "No One's Gonna Love You"

Fitz & the Tantrums "Money Grabber"

Mark Ronson (Feat. Q-Tip) "Bang Bang Bang" (via Gossip Girl, haha)

Phoenix "Love Like a Sunset"

Check out more music here:

Ashley

Angie

Tyler

Lizzie

Dana

Jolynn

Lisa

Lyn

Josie

Kerry

Jen

Project Reorganization

2011-02-01T07:45:00.000-06:00

January 2011 was the month of organization around the Dead Flowers household. We started with our kitchen, as we got a ton of new knives and a knife organizer for Christmas.

It fits perfectly in our silverware drawer and keeps the knifes safe and off the counter. Perfect!

When we reorganized our kitchen, we realized that we really needed a new space to store our pots and pans. We'd been trying to make due with our limited storage for the past few years, and we finally decided we'd had enough. So we took a trip to Ikea and purchased a simple pot rack. It fits in perfectly with the rest of our Ikea kitchen, and it ended up being an ideal storage solution for us.

Now we have a whole extra cabinet to store food in! We finally moved all the food (except for the cereal) off the top of our refrigerator. (Don't ask about the magnets. I have a problem.)

I had one more reorganization project in mind, and that was rearranging my bookshelf by color. I have to say, it was a bit painful getting rid of the perfect alphabetization + subject-matter classification I had going on. But the new bookshelf looks much more attractive. (Too bad I don't have a before shot.)

You might be wondering what a book lovin', former English major such as myself is doing with such a small collection of books. Well, what you also have to understand about me is that I'm a chronic declutterer. I'm constantly scanning our house for things to get rid of. I've hated clutter ever since I read one of my mom's books on decluttering when I was like 12. So these are the books that either I really love, are fairly new and haven't been purged yet, or have some sentimental meaning to me. Or they belong to the Dude and he won't let me get rid of his stuff, for some reason. :) (And no, I have no reasonable explanation for the fact that I still own a copy of Twilight. God that is embarrassing.)

Got any reorganization or decluttering tips for me? I feel like I'm always learning ways to make my home more organized.

Blergitty.

2011-01-26T11:14:00.000-06:00

As I sit here desperately grasping at straws on the Craigslist job postings, I'm wondering why I don't just use my blog as a place to get advice. After all, you guys are always so supportive of everything I write here. And I think right now I could use some perspective. Let's just hope that no one who I work with finds this blog! (Or maybe I should hope for the opposite. Who knows?)

Basically, as I've hinted at (or hell, stated outright) here, I'm unhappy in my job. I thought it best to just suck it up and ride it out until the end of June, when my job is scheduled to end. After all, what is six months in the grand scheme of things? (And now it's even closer to five.) But I'm incredibly unhappy there. I'm stressed, and I don't feel like I have anyone there who I can really go to to help me sort things out. I don't feel like I'm particularly useful there. It's not that I don't have work--I do. It's that I feel like nothing I do is good enough and that I'm just wasting my time trying to figure out a job I will never be good at. It's not normal to cry at work at least once a week, is it?

Someone (I think it was Tara?) pointed out a few weeks ago that I should look into temporary legal jobs, i.e. document review for law firms. Mindless work that I could potentially get paid a decent amount of money for, and perhaps even something I could do part time. Now that idea is sounding so tempting. But Craiglist's job postings have nothing to offer right now. So I'm left at the same place I started: feeling lost and confused.

Even if I did find something to apply for, I might end up having to work there past June to make up for the lost income from my current job. The Dude and I have budgeted for the entire year, and that budget includes me keeping my current job through its term. My original plan was to go full time as a freelancer starting in July. But switching jobs now could mean I have to put that off for a little while. Given the opportunity to switch jobs, I'm still unsure whether it would be worth having to put off my dreams for a little bit longer. Suffice it to say that quitting my job and then looking for something else is not an option.

I can't help but feel like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. I know that LOTS of people are unhappy in their jobs, and they don't even have a light at the end of the tunnel (albeit a tiny pinprick of a light) as I do. And I know many others who are currently unemployed and would give their right elbow for a job--any job. And when I think about that, I feel guilty for just wanting mine to end.

Tell me I'm crazy and I should just suck it up. Or tell me if you have a better idea.

Thanks for reading. You guys rock. Oh, and your reward for putting up with my complain-y post is a household-organization post, coming up soon!

I Rock. I Also Take Cash.

2011-01-21T09:00:00.008-06:00

I know I've been really spotty on the Mixtape Masters Fridays, but they're seriously my favorite to do.

I've been sort of not having the best time at my day job lately, so what do I turn to as the ultimate source of comfort? All three seasons of Veronica Mars on DVD, of course. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I heart Buffy. But my love for Buffy pales in comparison to my love for the quirky, film-noir-style dramedy of the mid 2000s known as Veronica Mars. Easily my favorite TV series of all time. (Rob Thomas, when are you going to do your next TV project?)

I've made my way through the first two seasons and about half of the third (um, I'm not telling you how many viewings of the entire series this equals for me), and I decided that I must put together a V. Mars inspired playlist. So enjoy! And if you haven't rented this series on Netflix yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

"Just Another" by Pete Yorn

"Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service

"Ventura Highway" by America

"Private Eyes" by Hall and Oates

"Run" by Air

"Sway" by The Perishers

"I Hear the Bells" by Mike Doughty

"We Used to Be Friends" by The Dandy Warhols

Don't forget to check out the other Mixtape Masters this week!

Ashley

Angie

Tyler

Lizzie

Dana

Jolynn

Lisa

Lyn

Josie

Kerry

Stephanie
Ms. Bunny
Sarah
Heather
Robin
Jen
Adam

All the Leaves Are Brown

2011-01-20T21:06:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you, but the winter gloom is really getting me down. I'm dreaming of...

Source

Yeah, when the sun peeked out and my little city warmed up this past Monday, I realized part of the reason I've been feeling so blah lately: I was missing the warmth and light of the sun. It's kind of a relief to have a physical thing to point to and say, "Oh, that's why I was feeling like shit."

On our way out to Ikea to pick up some organizational stuff for our kitchen (Do you guys care about that kind of stuff? Should I take photos?), the Dude and I started talking about the lovely weather, and I realized that I still haven't quite given up on my dream of moving to Los Angeles. Before, when I was pretty positive I was going to be a lawyer for at least a few years, it didn't seem practical. (I'm never taking another bar exam. This I know for sure.) And then when we were briefly pregnant, it REALLY didn't seem like we would ever get a chance to move out there while we're still young.

But things are different now. I'm probably going to be on my own job-wise and 100% working from home in the relatively near future. The hormonal fog that I was in post-miscarriage has dissipated, and I'm finding that I'm OK with waiting a little while to start trying to conceive. (The Dude is OK with waiting, too, though I think he's a little bit more "ready" than I am at this point.)

Hell, maybe the L.A. thing is all still just a pipe dream. I mean, we'd have to sell our house, or at least find someone willing to pay enough money in rent for us to keep up with our mortgage (not likely). The Dude would have to get a job, and even though he has an in with the Cali government, since that was his first job after college, it's not like their economy is exactly thriving right now. We'd have to figure out what to do with all of the furniture that we've been lovingly collecting for the past two years. (For the record, we are both firmly anti- storage unit.)

But I think what it really comes down to is do we want it enough? I think I do, but I don't know if I want it enough for the both of us. I'm not willing to force the Dude into something he isn't sure he wants. He says that he would totally be up for living in L.A. again, but I can tell that he's comfortably happy here in Austin. And I don't blame him. Austin is the shit.

I'll just wait for the winter gloom to pass, wait for my legal job to run its course, and see how I feel when I'm on the other side. Maybe it's just a fantastical notion that I need right now to get me through a job I'm unhappy at. Or maybe it's something more. I'm keeping an open mind.

Mulligan!

2011-01-14T21:16:00.000-06:00

I think I'm gonna do it. Next month. I'm gonna get a "Mulligan." A Carrie Mulligan, that is.

Source

I've been wanting to cut my hair off for a while, but I've been so chicken. Yeah, I hacked a few inches off with some kitchen scissors a few weeks ago, but I'm really wanting some real change. I've been browsing Google images for celebrity inspiration photos, but nothing felt right. I knew what I was thinking of, but I couldn't fully picture it, and I definitely couldn't explain it.

Then I remembered something my brother's girlfriend (who has a super funny and cute blog that you can check out here) said about how I had hair like Carrie Mulligan, and if I wanted, I could have short hair like hers. And then I found the above photo, which is perfect. I want something short, like, shorter that I've ever had. But I'm still not brave enough (and to be honest, I don't have the bone structure to pull off) something like this:

Source

But something unkempt and a wee bit shaggy? As long as it doesn't swing too far into mullet territory, sign me up!

Source

I'm pretty sure I'm going to do this in February. I mean, my at-home haircut is looking pretty jacked up right now, so I definitely need a haircut either way. Might as well go for it, right? Cutting my hair really short is on my 30 Before 30 list. I think it's as good a place to start as any.

What's the boldest move you've ever made with your hair?

Popping In to Say "What Up"

2011-01-13T15:05:00.003-06:00

Oh, hi. Did I forget to mention I got an iPhone for Christmas? I'm testing my mobile blogging capabilities for the first time.

Not sure how to add photos yet, otherwise I'd share with you all the football-themed Bubba Keg that I won at a white elephant party last month. I'm damn proud of this thing, and I use it every day at work to drink my water. Pretty ironic considering I made fun of my uncle to no end for carrying one of these things a couple years ago.

In other news, I've decided the best way to carry out my goal of reading 50+ books this year is to aim for five a month. So far this month I've read David Sedaris's new book, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, and I'm currently almost done with Football for Dummies. I just started reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss, a book that is right up my alley, as it's all about punctuation, its correct usage, and its history. Maybe a tad pedantic and extremist, but hilarious, if you can believe that about a book on punctuation.

So I'm trucking along pretty well, mostly thanks to reading books on my iPhone through the Kindle app. So, yeah. Love this phone.

Any suggestions for what else I should read this month?

Marfa

2011-01-09T22:19:00.000-06:00

For the second year in a row, the Dude and I went to Marfa, Texas with some friends to celebrate New Year's. We saw a lot of the art last year, so this year was more low key. We rented a house, cooked, ate, drank, and hung out.

It was a pretty fantastic weekend. Great way to ring in the next decade.

And if you'd like to see a real photograph of all of us, you can go to my friend Katie's blog here.

Back to Basics

2011-01-07T22:52:00.000-06:00

While it feels very nice and freeing to no longer have reverb10 prompts or nablopomo to post for, now I get into the reality of blogging for myself. It's great, if a little scary after the past two months of structure.

To be honest, I have been a little down this week. Maybe it's because the holidays are over, and now I don't have a nice long break from work to look forward to anymore. Maybe it's because the Dude's been sick all week and kinda grumpy and sleepy all the time. Maybe it's because I found out I need $2k of dental work. Whatever it is, it's nothing the weekend can't cure. In fact, I already feel better after my evening of watching the pilot episode of Veronica Mars (some of the best television ever created, IMHO), having a nice healthful dinner of chicken soup and broccolini, beginning the process of cleaning out my closet, and doing a yoga video for the first time in a long time.

I actually kind of feel like a new person. I'm gonna go to bed early tonight (after brushing my teeth with the electronic toothbrush and flossing, of course) and hopefully wake up bright and early for some coffee, then a day of organizing and cleaning, listing random items on eBay (gotta pay for that dental work somehow!), and making some tea cup candles.

I promise to blog about our trip to Marfa soon, but for now, I will leave you with this photo (taken by our friend, Colin):

Thirty Before Thirty

2011-01-06T10:29:00.001-06:00

A couple months ago, I started a "30 before 30" list of 30 things I want to accomplish before I hit the big 3-0. Because I was working on this list, I haven't really done New Year's resolutions this year. (Although I have been taking better care of my teeth and skin, as well as walking up seven flights of stairs at work at least once a day.)

I've been tweaking it and adding some things, so here is my list in revised, final form:

learn how to sew a pillow
get Lasik surgery (don't worry, I will probably still wear "fake" glasses from time to time--I am too attached to my frames to give them up completely)
become a mother
visit the Pacific Northwest
pay off my bar loan
go to a pro soccer game (not MLS)
get an emergency savings fund with ~~six~~ three months of expenses
take the Dude to Brasenose College in Oxford (where I studied abroad in college)
finish furnishing our home
bake a pie from scratch
learn how to code
learn how to take pretty photos
learn how to sew a skirt
~~get my own office at work~~ quit my full-time job
visit Mexico
learn how to apply a dual eyeshadow
go to batting cages and hit baseballs
go to gun range and shoot a gun
eat the best barbecue in Texas at Snow's in Lexington
make a wedding album for us to keep
pay off credit cards
see Radiohead in concert
install cabinets in master bath and kitchen
do editing full time
build my wardrobe by adding five timeless pieces (the perfect black dress, black heels, etc.)
cut hair really short (not mom-style)
replace all old dental work, get cavities filled, and get a retainer to prevent teeth grinding at night
get 100 followers and do a kick-ass giveaway on this blog in celebration
fix leaky pipe in bathroom and replaster wall
get another set of professional photos taken of the Dude and me (maybe a maternity shoot)

So what do you think? Is all of this doable in the next two-and-a-half years?

Reverbing It Up, a Few Days Late

2011-01-04T21:58:00.001-06:00

OK, now that I'm back from my New Year's trip (that I don't think I even blogged about yet...oops!), I'm ready to play catch-up on #reverb10. I know it's January 4, 2011. But eff it. I wanna finish. Would you object if I threw the last four all into one post? Didn't think so. Here goes...

Day 28's prompt was: Achieve What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today. (Author: Tara Sophia Mohr)

Going out on my own as a freelance editor. Right now, my completeness and happiness as a person are hinging on that magical moment when I leave my nice-paying job behind to strike out on my own. I think I will feel terrified, exhilarated, and completely free when I reach that point. Here go my ten things I can do or think to feel that way today: 1.) Stay up late dicking around on the Internet (or writing blog posts), 2.) Drink a beer, 3.) Close my eyes and hug my husband, 4.) Listen to something shoegaze-y, 5.) Do a few yoga poses before bed, 6.) Think about our London vacation we're planning for August, 7.) Think about taking my laptop to the coffee shop down the street to work instead of dragging my ass out of bed to drive to an isolating cubicle, 8.) Try not to think about my law-school debt, 9.) Nuzzle the cats, 10.) Fall asleep dreaming about Hogwarts.

Day 29: Defining Moment Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year. (Author: Kathryn Fitzmaurice)

Last year was a bit back and forth as far as my deciding what I want to do with my life. But the moment I decided that I can give up my law degree and the cushy (but stressful and yet somehow boring) life it could give me was pretty defining.

Day 30: December 30 – Gift Prompt: Gift. This month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. What’s the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year? (Author: Holly Root)

While I received many (way too many--people were way too generous with me!) wonderful gifts this year, I think the most memorable one I've been given is the gift of mortality. Somehow this year I have felt "old" for the first time. Well, not old exactly, but like a frail human. One who will definitely part from her body one day. Gray hairs at my part. (They're not new, but getting more frequent.) The tiny hints of what will become crow's feet and forehead creases. Hands that are less supple and youthful than they once were. Knees that don't bend as easily as before. (Maybe a little more yoga would help this.)

Anyway, the point is at 27, for the first time, I know--more than academically--that this body will not last forever. This knowledge has made me want to live my life more fully--enjoy being young now because it will never happen again.

It's bittersweet.

But it's given me a new perspective. Along those lines, I am having some dental work done this month: replacing old fillings, getting a new one, even getting one, maybe two, crowns. OMG, I am so old that my original fillings are no longer holding up! (The dentist asked me when I got my braces off, and I had to think long and hard before I said "14 years ago." Wow.) I'm now obsessed with taking better care of my teeth so they will stay healthy (and pretty) for as long as possible.

I think growing up is a balance between living recklessly and living carefully. I feel like my gift in 2010 was finding it.

December 31: Core Story What central story is at the core of you, and how do you share it with the world? (Bonus: Consider your reflections from this month. Look through them to discover a thread you may not have noticed until today.) (Author: Molly O’Neill)

My core story, I think, is about autonomy. We all come into this world with certain advantages and disadvantages (and I will be the first to admit that I'm a lucky girl), but ultimately happiness is about outlook. You have the power to be happy or miserable, to project a personality that's cloudy or rosy (or somewhere in between). I share this with the world by blogging about the good and bad in my life, and how I cope with both. I hope that the way I handle negative things now will have a positive influence on my kid(s) someday.

Did you do #reverb10 this year? Did you like my answers to these prompts at all, or was this totally boring? I think it was good for self-reflection, but I'm not entirely convinced that it made the best content for my blog. Oh well, on to the next thing!

Ordinary Joy

2010-12-30T15:22:00.000-06:00

#reverb10 prompt for day 27:

December 27 – Ordinary Joy. Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? (Author: Brené Brown)

I can tell you what my most joyful moment was this year: finding out that I was going to get to work for Weddingbee. I'm not sure if that would be classified as an "ordinary" moment or not. I'm not gonna lie: I had fantasized about working for Weddingbee in some capacity for a while. I just never thought it would actually happen! The Dude even took a video of me spazzing out after I got the news. Definitely joyful. Borderline manic, even.

What was your most joyful ordinary moment of 2010?

Soul Food

2010-12-30T09:31:00.000-06:00

December 26 – Soul Food

What did you eat this year that you will never forget? What went into your mouth & touched your soul?

If I had to pick a favorite new dish of the year, it would definitely be the fried alligator appetizer I ate in New Orleans back in April, at Muriel's.

And the classic, always delicious food that touched my soul in 2010? Burger and fries from In-N-Out Burger in Vegas.

Maybe it's because we don't have them in Texas, but this is seriously my fave burger in the world.

Speaking of burgers, the Dude and I embarked on a "Burger Quest" of sorts the past two years. I think we tried at least 15 different burger joints here in Austin, under the auspices of crowning a "best burger." Honestly, I think we just liked trying a new burger every month. It's kind of our thing now. We'll probably keep trying a new place every month until we run out of places to try. (Luckily, Burger Quest is exempted from our moratorium on fast food. We just can't go to any national corporate chains, like Wendy's, Mickey D's, etc.)

Capture

2010-12-29T21:26:00.001-06:00

Um, looks like I'm quite far behind on #reverb10 again. I wanna finish these up now, 'cause it will seem kind of pointless once 2011 rolls around. So...day 25:

Day 25: Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you; either who you are, or who you strive to be. Find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. Share the image, who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you. (Author: Tracey Clark)

This photo is somewhat aspirational, as my hair is professionally styled, and I like how I'm dressed. But I think it also captures the real me: the one who loves the shit out of her cats. And the fact that they let me express some of my as of yet untapped maternal instincts. When I was younger, I was unsure if I would want to have kids one day. Then a good friend of mine pointed out that I must have a maternal instinct buried in there somewhere based on the relationship I had with my cats. I'd never thought about it before, but it made sense to me! I want to be a mother; that much is obvious if you read my blog. So yeah, maybe 2011 will be the beginning of that process of going from kitty mommy to baby mommy.

Wanna play along? I think it'd be fun if you shared a photo of you from 2010 in the comments!

Everything's Going to be OK

2010-12-27T09:26:00.000-06:00

And...the prompt for day 24:

December 24 Prompt – Everything’s OK What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?

(OK, well I hate to be a grammar snob, but first of all I just have to point out that "alright" is not a word.)

Ahem, back to the question at hand. The moment that serves as proof that everything's going to be all right? That's really hard to say. Maybe when we got our check from the insurance company after our break in? It ended up being for more than we thought, so that was good.

I also find that hugs from my husband are always reassuring. (Which is ironic, considering anyone who knows me knows that I don't really like hugs. I guess I make an exception for the Dude.)

I guess I'll apply this discovery in 2011 by trying to remember that whatever life throws at us, we are really fortunate. Our house got robbed, yes, but we are fortunate to have things worth stealing, to have insurance, to have the strength to say, "So what? I still love my home and my neighborhood, and I'm not going to stop feeling safe here."

Also, more hugs.

Names

2010-12-26T23:11:00.000-06:00

Day 23's prompt was:

I'm really into boys names for girls right now (even though I know it's popular!). I really like Charlie. Chuck for short. Even though I was a prissy little kid, for some reason I've leaned more toward the tomboy aesthetic as I've gotten older. I guess I just wish I were cool enough to have been a little tomboy.

When I was five, I convinced my parents to let me change my name to Rosemary. They went along with it for a couple of days, until I got tired of being called that and wanted my name back. Seriously, Rosemary? Could I have been any girlier? Blech.

Travel

2010-12-26T13:34:00.000-06:00

Day 22's #reverb10 prompt was all about travel:

In 2010, we I did a pretty decent amount of travelling. The Dude and I rang in the new year in Marfa, Texas, with my college roomies and their significant others. I went to Vegas in March to meet up with many of my fellow Weddingbee bloggers. The Dude and I met up with J. Dawg in New Orleans in April. We drove to Dallas to hang out with some more bees during the summer. Then we drove to my hometown, Mount Pleasant, Texas, in August. Finally, we flew to NYC in September for our one-year anniversary.

Next year, so far we have planned: 1.) Marfa for New Years again, 2.) New Orleans in April (for me), 3.) Vegas in March (for the Dude), 4.) possibly a drive to visit the Dude's parents in Colorado in July, 5.) London in August, and 6.) possibly Chicago or Colorado for the holidays. Whew! That will be a lot of travelling. Gotta get it out of the way before we have our first kid, I guess.

What kind of travelling did you do in 2010? What do you have planned for next year?

Dear Future Holley...

2010-12-25T14:47:00.000-06:00

I'm soooo excited about this #reverb10 post today. The prompt is from day 21:

Dear 2010 Holley,

You know how you don't really like your job right now and it feels like the next six months before you quit are going to last forever? They won't. They will fly by. And then you will have the rest of your life to figure out your career. Enjoy the financial stability you've got right now. Keep paying as much as you can on your loans every month. Just remember: you're paying your dues.

Also, you know how you're a little bit obsessed with getting pregnant and having a baby? It will happen. Just enjoy the time you have now with your husband and friends. You will never be this free again. Ever. I know you feel like you're busy right now. Ha. You don't know busy. You don't realize it, but you're standing on the cusp of the biggest transformation of your life. It will be wonderful, but you will never be the same. Watch as much TV and as many movies as you can while you don't have a child to care for. And while you're at it, make sure to fit in as much adult entertainment as possible (and no, I don't mean porn). Pretty soon, you will be watching nothing but Barney and Teletubbies and Dora and whatever else babies like to watch. (The Wiggles? Are they still doing things?)

Mainly, just slow the eff down. You're young. Enjoy it. Oh, and you might wanna go easy on the burgers.

Love,

2015 Holley

---------------------

Might as well take a stab at the bonus prompt:

Dear 2000 Holley,

I know you are sooo ready to get out of that small town and move to Austin to go to college. Good news: it is going to be every bit as amazing as you think. Yes, boys will hit on you. Yes, people will invite you to parties and give you beer. And yes, you will have friends and try new things and maybe even like some of your classes. Just a little tip: go to class. Don't stay up until 5AM on the Internet every night. I know high-speed Internet is all shiny and new and awesome, but really? Do you need to talk to strangers in chat rooms on Excite Games? You could be out there making MORE friends and going to MORE parties and drinking MORE beer (OK, or trashcan punch, more likely) and getting MORE intellectually stimulated. Just a thought--you don't have to listen to me. You'll figure it out on your own eventually.

Love,

Holley