Brrrr!

It certainly has been chilly here lately. I feel like it took so long to actually get cold this year that when it finally did, I was not mentally prepared! I even tried to put Fluffhead's fleece jacket on him last night and he is too big for it! I could not believe he had outgrown his cold weather gear.

I have recently picked up a new love: owls. I got the cutest print for my apartment:


Somehow it struck the perfect mix of cute and just a tad weird, which I love. I have also been working on some paintings recently. My biggest project right now is a large painting for Rob for Christmas. It has sections to represent all our Phish shows together. It may not make it over the fireplace, but it's the thought that counts, right???

Speaking of Phish, I am BEYOND excited to go to New York for New Year's Eve. I think it will really be a memorable experience. I have been working to put together our itinerary... and planning what outfits I will wear, of course!

New Apartment: Part 1

This weekend was the big move to my new apartment! It will definitely take some time to adjust to living by myself, but so far so good. It's been a lot of fun to decorate and plan what I want to add next. Fluffhead seems a little confused (he ran into the patio screen door yesterday) but overall seems to like it here. I know he is loving the nice, clean carpets!

In order to share my new "space" with my far-away friends and family, I thought it might be neat to share some pictures of the place and what I am doing with the decor.

First up, the bathroom. While it is an admittedly tiny bathroom, I still wanted to do something from a style standpoint. I mean, if you have guests over, they are going to have to utilize it at some point, so it might as well be cute, right? I decided to go with a mermaid theme (which is still coming together) and I got some awesome mermaid wall art from the Raleigh flea market:



Next - the accent lamps. I also got these at the flea market and they are the decorating anchor of my sun room. I like things with character and these lamps had a very retro and gothic feel:




Finally, the china. I arrived at my apartment with a few drab plain white dishes and one plastic plate with a skull and crossbones on it. Needless to say, my dinnerware lacked a cohesive feel. I think that now that I am out of college, I should at least try to employ some matching dishes. Beth was gracious enough to let me use an amazing set of "vintage" china that has an awesome pattern that is right in line with my style sensibility:



Now maybe I'll finally be inspired to actually cook something out of my new Guilt Free cookbook!

The Little Things

I took Fluffhead on along with me on a jog this afternoon. It was my favorite kind of running weather - pretty warm, but overcast with a friendly breeze. As we rounded a corner, the wind picked up and carried away some of the little white flowers that have been blooming on some trees around here lately. I had to stop to watch the little white petals swirling and dancing in midair. It was a beautiful thing to see and definitely made me smile. It is a blessing to witness those little moments in life.

PHISH IN 3D!

PHISH 3D - IN THEATERS APRIL 30TH from Phish on Vimeo.

What did YOU do this weekend...

I got my nose pierced this weekend! It's a small, diamond/opal-tinted stud and I adore it. I also went to check out the brand-new H&M at Crabtree and I all came away with were braided and beaded headbands (gotta gear up with my headbands for the upcoming Phish summer tour!). The store was a madhouse and nearly gave me an anxiety attack at the amount of people inside! The merchandise was somewhat picked over in the fact that they only had the very small and very large sizes left (which I am neither). I am hoping that when the get in more spring shipments, I'll be able to find some stuff because I do love that store.

Also, I am just finishing my first week of the P90X workouts. I took my rest day yesterday so that I could go running around Shelly Lake in this beautiful weather. But those workouts are intense! I was very sore those first few days. But sore is good because sore muscles = change! Gotta get in shape for those summer music festivals!

Check out My Raleigh Examiner Page!

I make money based on how many unique visitors I get on the site, so check it out!

http://www.examiner.com/x-40741-Raleigh-Vintage-Style-Examiner~y2010m3d11-Best-VintageInspired-Spring-Trends

In Like A Lion... Out Like A Lamb

**I had to re-do some of my settings in order to get my comments working - they are now in pop-up window form. You should be able to post comments as long as you choose allow for this website if you're using a pop-up blocker. **

I can finally feel the edges of spring starting to peek in around here. Today it is sunny and breezy and an all-around nice day. We took Fluffhead for a walk around the lake - he made lots of new doggie acquaintances.

Last week I applied for a position in our company's training department. I still am a little ambivalent about it, though since it would be so different from my current department as far as atmosphere and the type of work I'd be doing. Right now, my department is big, with lots of socializing, although the nature of my work lends itself more to coming in, getting the work done, then going home (which I love after having to constantly work outside of my job for teaching). The training department is very small and requires a lot of interaction with both established and new employees. You're basically some of the first faces that people see when they begin working there. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't somewhat depend on the pay raise. I had an informal meeting with the heads of the training department last week which seemed to go well. I have put my name in for a formal interview, so now it's just a waiting game...

I also applied to be a writer for the website The Examiner. Basically, sites like The Examiner hire freelance writers to post articles about topics they are local "experts" in. This creates a place with lots of local information written by people who actually live there, and it also generates revenue to the website through ads and readership. I have been accepted as the Vintage Style Examiner for the city that I live in. I'm excited to both have a purpose for my writing and to maybe even pick up a few extra dollars in the process! My plan is to check out all the local shops and do write ups about them, then do some pieces about vintage style in general.




Also, I finally got the haircut I wanted yesterday! I took in a picture of Liz from My Life as Liz & the hairdresser did a great job!

Vintage & Video Games

What a beautiful weekend - and what a dreary start to the workweek. In order to enjoy some of the early taste of spring, I decided to go check out some of the vintage stores in Downtown. I only made it to one - mostly because I spent so long looking! They had a great little local designers section as you came in - very artfully displayed and very sunny. They had a nice selection of both vintage and "vintage" (made to look that way, or too new to even be in there, in my opinion) clothing. Even though there were many pieces I would never, ever wear, it was a lot of fun to look through the racks.

It's such a completely different experience shopping consignment versus your average store at the mall. I like to glance through every single rack (you never know where a treasure might be hiding!) and imagine what sort of person owned the garment before. How someone might have worn it on a special occasion - or even just their regular, ordinary day. When you are someone who considers clothing to be as personal as I do, you can't help but think about the fact that someone else has worn these garments - and in them, they have laughed, cried, dreamed, maybe even fallen in (or out!) of love.

I ended up with two great 70's sweater vests, a soft cream 50's-esque pinup girl style sweater, and an oversized, black eighties sweater with sequined leaves falling down the front. I had to cut the shoulder pads out of the black sweater, because, while I wear a lot of things for the sake of personal style - shoulder pads just ain't one of them.

I also played World of Warcraft for the first time this weekend. I had promised Rob I would try it since he recently picked the "habit" back up. While it isn't necessarily for me - I just don't have the disposition (or patience) for most video games - I can understand why someone would enjoy playing. It does take some skill (not to mention an inordinate amount of time) and I much prefer something like WOW over those obnoxious Grand Theft Auto-type games. It really is an all-encompassing entity with it's own jargon and etiquette. Now let's just hope I don't end up a dreaded VGW (video game widow).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20397322/


Also, one last shout out: this week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.-http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/programs-events/nedawareness-
week.php#mission

As someone who has dealt with ED-NOS on and off for almost nine years now, I am no longer afraid to speak out about it and the issues that surround body image in our culture. Though I fall just short of fashion-worship, it pains me to see a size-4 model called "large." I know I'm only one person, but I, for one, am doing everything I can to raise awareness and challenge the norms of our society and what is considered beautiful.

Well... here it is

So, I've done the whole blogging scene before and although I always end up feeling as though the effort exceeds the reward, it can be a cathartic experience, albeit one that can verge on the narcissistic for some.While I hardly delude myself so far as to think that anything I will write on here is of any significance, it is nice to have a space to work out thoughts and share a little about what makes me, well - me, and what I enjoy.

Current Obsession List:
Website: http://lookbook.nu/
I cannot get enough of this website! It's true that not all these looks are wearable in the "real world," but seeing regular people express their sense of personal style never ceases to entertain and inspire me.

• Fashion Item: Clear Clubmaster Glasses

Despite the fact that these are admittedly on the poser-esque side, I adore them. They add flair to any otherwise ho-hum ensemble and have become my new go-to accessory.

• TV Show: My Life as Liz (on MTV)

While I cringe at the thought that I actually just admitted my passion for an MTV show, I can't help myself. It's as if My So Called Life and Urban Outfitters got together and had a quirky, beautiful, and self-deprecating baby - except this baby is actually in high school. "Reality" television that centers around an unsung hero for hipster nerds everywhere? Yes, please!

• Music: Teen Dream, Beach House

Since the moment I unwrapped my new yellow ipod on Valentine's Day (thanks, Rob - love you!), I couldn't wait to fill it with two things: Phish shows and new, uncharted bands. I was introduced to Beach House by the lovely folks on the Sirius XMU channel and I couldn't get their haunting, dreamy melodies out of my head. While the band embodies a mood that is almost diametrically opposed to any vibe that could be considered "beachy" (read: playful, carefree, sunny) perhaps they do echo that feeling you get when you stand gazing out into the ocean - mesmerized by the lonely moon's sharp angles on the crashing foam - that undeniable feeling of just how small you are in this world.