It's nice to see the sun setting outside my window. Texas sunsets are really extraordinarily beautiful. I am so thankful for this day.

I've realized today that no matter how many new clothes I buy I will still continue to wear the same pieces over and over again. So I've decided to only buy things that make my heart sing because those are the things I'll probably wear over and over again. Consequently the only purchases that I've made have been for work. Black and khaki pants. And I don't understand why but khaki pants are clearly not in season right now even though they should be since it's summer. Both Forever 21 and H&M had a dearth of khaki pants.

In other news, I have quit my first job. I was only there for six months but that was six months too long. I look forward to the new job I have for the summer and will be ready to be job-free in the fall if I have to be. I'm not sure how the dance residency and the grad classes will affect my schedule. But hey, at least when the times comes I'll have both retail and food service experience. I'm not worried. I was only looking for experience when I began my job search anyway.

This past week was my first week with a job and I have worked over 30 hours already. Hopefully they'll give me less hours once my "training" is over.

Yesterday I bought a purse. And then today I returned it. It feels good to have belated self control. At least I made sure that I knew the store's return policy. Since I was at the mall again I made the most of it and sought to find a new scent to wear because my Valentino Rock n' Rose is years old and finally all used up. I took a whiff of Chloe and I'm hooked. I want to wear this scent. I can't really describe it because I am no where near being a perfume connoisseur. I don't understand smells or how they work. All I know is flowery, fruity, or musky. But regardless, I am going to buy Chloe when I have saved up some money.

For the first time in my life I want winter to be over. I want the sun to shine and sheer, gauzy fabrics to go with a perfect sun-kissed tan. Usually I like to be comfy and cozy under the blankets while it's freezing outside, but this year I just want to fly to a more tropical climate and for the Texas heat wave to roll on in.

Something about the warmer weather screams carefree living to me. Even if the spring is as busy as the fall and just as full of essays, assignments, and a full social calendar. I want carefree living and I want it now! No matter how delusional it is! Winter is nothing by scaly skin and frozen toes.

But the winter does have the Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, and my birthday. 10, 14, 22.

This is my first post of 2013! Not that's it's some how more special than any other post just a marking of time passing us by. I have been thinking a lot about what I want this blog to be for me. So far I have come up with nothing. And although I spent both New Year's Eve and the first day of New Year sarcastically yelling at everyone "New Year, New You!" thinking about a "new me" for the new year was no where on my mind. But it is now. Especially concerning my wardrobe and not so much this blog (I don't need to over think everything in my life).

I have a lot of time on my hands right now because it's winter break, I'm at home, and I don't have a car. So with all my extra time I had a chance to really look through  my closet. I can't believe the garbage I still have hanging in there. After thinking for awhile I found the perfect word to describe what I want my wardrobe to look like. Streamline. I want my clothes to be as aerodynamic as possible metaphorically speaking. I need efficiency and a closet full of clothes that I can identify with and utilize. I'm not looking for a particular aesthetic for the pieces that I do keep but it would be nice for the pieces to reflect who I see myself as.

There are items in my closet I haven't worn in over a year, but I can't seem to part with them. Perhaps because I was so foolish as to think that I might wear them again one day in the future. I must remind myself never to be fooled by this kind of thinking again. But perhaps it's guilt that I spent money on clothes that I've finally outgrown and can no longer put to use. It does seem like a waste to resell my clothes at either Plato's Closet or Buffalo Exchange for significantly less than what I bought them for. But significantly less money is still money so perhaps I just need to move pass this psychological roadblock. 

So, it's been decided. This year I will attempt to streamline my closet. 

Here's to a new me this year.  

I went on a triple date last night with my best friends. As cheesy as that sounds it was actually a lot of fun. We went to Zenna's and had sushi and it was good times. 

Even though I have ten piercings I still get nervous when I change jewelry out for the first time. My heart was beating so fast when I pulled out the CBR that my forward helix was pierced with. But seriously though CBRs are nothing but trouble, barbells all the way. I think that my forward helix will be less irritated now. At first I was contemplating waiting until it didn't hurt anymore to change it but now I'm glad that I did change it. I've had it for a little over a year already so the hole wouldn't have closed up on me, but I was still so scared that something terrible would happen. I think that little pave crystal ball thing is cute. A very happy morning indeed. 

Rite of Spring

The Joffrey Ballet presented by TITAS is coming to the AT&T Performing Arts Center in January and they are going to be performing the infamous Nijinsky Rite of Spring Ballet composed by Stravinsky with original choreography. I am so excited to go see it. This ballet literally caused a riot when it was first performed and I don't know I love it for that. Good thing I'm a student because all of TITAS's performances are fifty percent off for students. And especially at the AT&T Performing Arts Center it helps a lot. The last time I went to a performance presented by TITAS I got third row seats for only 25$. I mean, that's close enough to see the beads of sweat on the dancers forehead. 

I found out about the show because the ballet 1 class I'm taking next semester requires me to go to two performances and to write a paper on one of the performances that I go to see. And since I took a modernist class this past semester and already wrote a paper about the Rite of Spring ballet, I figured that I could do it again. Hell, my high school marching band even played an arrangement of the score for the ballet one year. 

I told myself that I cannot miss this performance. It's going to be so great I already know. I can feel it. 

I'm sitting in Founders listening to a boy talk about his idea for a screenplay. I am dying right now. He has an idea for a depressed Hibachi chef. Why. I am so over this day. But at least I ordered a fjallraven kanken backpack for myself this morning right before my 9am class. Thanks to Cyber Monday I got it for about 50% off. 

And just so that everyone knows. Black Friday is really just Black Weekend because I went to the mall on Saturday and all the same sales were still going on. I was able to get a pair of doc martens that were more or less in line with what I was looking for. It's like a casual combat boot. I'm diggin it. 

My Life Out of Order

A selection of pictures of what I've been up to lately. 

Good friends, good people, hair cuts, parties, concerts, movie nights, and date nights.

I just spent my whole afternoon looking through all the trinkets and mementos that I have collected over the years. There were movie ticket stubs, notes from close friends, letters sent through snail mail, and all the evidence of a life well lived. Rereading old notes and letters got me thinking about the moment that my life as I knew it at the time crossed over into memories of the past. A life I am no longer living. Every year before the next school year starts there's always this perspective shift because of the transition into something you always assume is going to be bigger and better.

Indigo

Another month, another hair color! I got this indigo color by mixing the blue and purple Splat hair dye (I bought it at walmart, but it's just like a drug store brand nothing fancy or expensive) that I had leftover. This is clearly the best hair color I have ever had. It's also a very subtle look that I'm digging right now. I am in looooove and very happy with my decision to do this. That is all.

I'm so surprised by the amount of page views that this blog has. I don't know...I don't really do anything except talk about myself. I don't even talk about important topics or things that we should pay attention to because they affect us whether it feels like it or not. I am just beginning to feel like an inconsequential person.

I also haven't been doing that many crafty things lately. School just takes up so much time. And studying means that I don't have free time to mess around and look at things on the internet. So mostly I just eat, sleep, and study. Nothing crafty about that.

Last night I got really anxious about moving out and all my final tests and everything changing again. Instead of going to sleep I stayed up until four in the morning taking down all the decorations that I had put up on my walls over the course of the past ten months. And when I finally laid myself down to sleep the room looked as empty as it did when I first moved in. I think I'll be more upset about moving out than I think I'll be. The ending of my freshman year at college is really quite bittersweet. Sometimes all these endings, beginnings, and transitions in life overlap and overwhelm me. Then I end up laying in bed staring at my ceiling while chugging a gallon of iced tea.

xx

Purple Hurr Don't Currr

 This past weekend I was able to do something I haven't had time for in a long long time. Leisure reading. I loved being able to read for fun rather than for school, which has been the case ever since the semester started. And I read Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki. It was written right after Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden and corrected a lot of the misconceptions in Golden's book. I am so glad that I picked this up at the Goodwill for only fifty cents. Also Mineko Iwasaki was such a badass. She had a girl put out a cigarette on her hand and she didn't even flinch. I was really awe-struck by how inspiring she is and all in all it was a great book and actually a memoir of a geisha. I would definitely recommend this book. 

 While I was at the Goodwill I also got this men's cardigan sweater that I found for only two dollars. It is really big and chunky and also makes me feel sophisticated and like I would smell like leather bound books or something. Probably because it's a men's sweater. I feel like a grandpa in it and I'm liking the way that feels. 

 This is the current color of my hair, just to give you guys an update on how it's fading and progressing. But I am getting a haircut this weekend so half of the purple will probably be gone. But the light brown color will still be there so I will still have my ombre hair. Ombre hair is so beautiful and I am so glad I got everyone on the bandwagon because I want them to know that they can rock the look too. Nobody should ever be afraid of ombre. I feel like I want to have ombre hair all the time, forever. 

 I also did my makeup. And I usually never do my makeup. I used purple because I love purple and it's just my signature color or something apparently. I should really try to use other colors and branch out. Next time I guess. 

 I also picked up some of this burt's bees natural shampoo because I was thinking about switching to the no shampoo method of washing my hair. And that requires my scalp to sort of settle and equalize the nature oils or something. So I thought I would start by going natural first and then slowly transitioning into the baking soda world. I will let you know how it goes. My hair honestly feels really gross right now but hopefully it will get better. And also, this shampoo and conditioner smells really good and the conditioner is really great at untangling my hair. And my hair is really bad about that because of how damaged the ends are. 

 Aren't these precious? I couldn't not get them.  My friend found some like these and I am glad that I found some too honestly. I got them at Ross for like three dollars each. Look at the animals? Don't they look so happy? I just get really happy looking at them. I am going to make tea for myself asap and drink it from these mugs. My day would be complete. 

Oh and my boyfriend got a longboard too.

xx 

Order

Hi. 

The birds are chirping outside my window enticing me outside. But I think I just really want to be a good girl and finish my homework and study for my upcoming tests. I always have upcoming tests and it never really ends. It’s so crazy to think that this is the last full month of school before I move home and go back to having a curfew, hanging out at the mall, and having all the clothes in my closet at my disposal. Four more weeks and everything will start winding down and coming to a close. I am just having an overflow of emotions about life right now because school is ending and although I know I can’t quantify it I want to. I just want to order everything so it makes sense and file them away in their correct folders.

I don’t know how far I went in meeting new people and trying new things. But somewhere along the way I realized that all I had to do was wait and the people who really wanted to be my friends and in my life would come to me and be around and give me chances to be their friend. I think I have succeeded in creating new, quality friendships as well as strengthening old ones that I don’t think I could ever truly sever no matter how often I announce that I am so over it. I have come to a lot of realizations about other people and myself this year and it’s really a freeing feeling to be self assured. And you would be surprised what experiences lay just around the corner if you just decide to take the plunge and dive in and see what’s there. 

Sometimes it’s really overwhelming to think about all the careless things I did and my flagrant disregard for everything. Those things are in the past and I am so ready for a beautiful summer and an even more beautiful fall. 

Hair Swag

 I dyed my hair purple again. I only did the tips this time. I just parted my hair into two sections and tied the ends with hair elastics. And I just want to say that my neck and chin look really pasty pale in this picture. I don't ever remember being so pale before. But I love purple hair and I just couldn't stay away. This is how dark the purple turned out at first after an hour and a half of leaving the hair dye in. I just used the splat brand that I saw at walmart. No manic panic or special fx fancy color for me. 

There is just something about the color purple. It really has become my signature color I feel like. Even the wheels on my longboard are purple for crying out loud! And the new dress that I got is purple too. Hot Damn Summer Jam. 

 This color is what I call the second stage fade color. I think it's quite nice because it's a great deal lighter and looks more vibrant. It also bleeds a lot less when I take a shower, which is a good thing for my bathtub and towel. I have a feeling that after most of the color fades I am going to go get a hair cut. I know my hair is beautiful and I should never cut it but...y'all have no idea how damaged and dry my hair is. It desperately needs a hair cut. The ombre will still pretty much be there still so I am not worried about a thing. I am looking forward to healthy ends and untangled hair. It will probably happen around Easter.  

 Did I mention that I fell off my longboard and got pretty scraped up? Because I did. It's been a week and it's mostly healed already. Showering was one of the most difficult things because it just burned. And then I got a rash because the adhesive from the band aids irritated my skin and it was itchy from the healing and I was just so happy this morning when I took a shower and it was painless. 

 It's my baby. I don't actually have a name for her yet. She's really quite beautiful and I don't think I'll be getting a new one even though this one is quite difficult to ride on. I feel like I have already gotten used to this one. But you never know. My boyfriend might buy me one. I can't take her down hills because it's hard to control the wobbly-ness when it gets too fast. My board was not made for going down hills. 

These pictures are sideways and I don't want them to be but I am lazy so....

xx

Herve Leger

So my professor that I constantly talk about gave me a Herve Leger dress that was too small to fit her. I can't even believe I got so lucky. Like not only is she stylish and funny, but she is also brilliant. I know it's really rare when you take a class from a professor who actually teaches you something. So to everyone who told me I couldn't get a good education in the liberal arts at UTD, Fuck you.

xx

Longboard and Rainboots

 I recently bought this longboard with this awesome cherry blossom picture on it. I am excited to get more efficient at riding it. My wheels are purple and they match my hair. At first the trucks were really loose and I was wobbling all over the place but I got them tightened and everything should be fine now. The two guys who rode my board told me they almost died. Twice. I think I am going to do some night riding and practice in the darkness of the night so as to save myself the embarrassment of falling everywhere. 

I also came into the possesion of these  rain boots from J. Crew. I love them so much. They have a zipper down the back with a little snap button closure on the top and I cannot wait for the rain. I originally wanted these in yellow because what's more iconic than yellow rain boots? But they didn't have it in my size and I figured it's not always so bad to be inconspicuous. They really just look like regular boots. The shape is really flattering and they are so comfortable. I got them for a steal because my friend used her employee discount to get them for me. Only 20$. 

The Big Easy

 I just got back last night from my trip to NOLA! There were so many things to see and we were surrounded by so much history and culture. Everyone should go visit New Orleans. The road trip there was really  nice too because there was miles and miles of beautiful blue skies with fluffy white clouds. We even stopped in Alexandria to have a picnic, it was nice. 

 St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square in the French Quarter

 Obligatory masquerade mask picture

 Gumbo 

 New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park

 New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park 

 New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park 

 New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden in City Park 

 New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden in City Park 

 New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park 

 Cemetary at City Park 

 Pralines from the French Quarter

 Fresh oysters at the French Market

 Pina Colada to go at the French Market 

 Beignets and hot chocolate at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter

 On the Riverwalk 

 Taking the ferry 

 Live jazz

 A Muffalata 

 Gumbo, etoufee and jumbalaya

 The oldest bar in America in the French Quarter 

 Marie Laveau, the queen of voodoo. 

A working altar in the voodoo museum

Three days was more than enough to experience New Orleans. 

xx