Sparkplug Minuet

Follow me this a'way!

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:46:56 -0500

Alright, kids. The time has come.

I’ve been re-evaluating my blog-life recently. Trying to figure out what works, what doesn’t. What I want to do, and be, and write about online.

For a while, I attempted to maintain multiple blogs, each with a separate focus. One for style, one for writing, one for social issues, etc. While this seemed like a good idea at first, I ended up losing steam and having very little content stretched across each blog. The blogs were one dimensional, only showing one small part of me to each audience.

I’ve really enjoyed having a style blog, participating in the blogosphere, and making lots of new friends. I definitely want to keep that going. However, I’ve realized that a personal style blog is just not where I belong.

So I’m bringing it all back to center. One person, one blog. You get the whole thing. And hopefully by seeing my story as a whole, you will be able to understand the individual pieces more fully in their inter-connectedness.

Sadly, I will no longer be using this web address for my blog, but I would love it if all of you folks followed me over to annogus.tumblr.com.

I spent hours watching HTML tutorials, did some theme re-vamping and element design, as well as some new content planning. You’re gonna get my feminist rants, my creative endeavors (yes, even some personal style posts), and the random interwebs treasures that make me smile.

So I hope you’ll come on over, give the new blog a look, and decide to follow me on this new endeavor.

OSCAR NOMS!

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:06:42 -0500

The 2012 Oscar Nominees were announced this morning!

You know what that means, it’s time to come up with pun-filled dishes for the Oscar party! AKA Oscar Noms. (Thank you, David LeGault or Jack Terpstra. I can’t remember who made that pun last year.)

Here’s a few that have come from years past:

(Blue Valentines)

(Firthday Cake for Colin Firth’s Best Actor nom. When he won, we lit the candles and all sang Happy Firthday)

(Left: Ruby Red Squirt Locker. Right: Up-Cakes)

Here’s The List of Nominees for this year. Shoot me your ideas! Whatcha got?

My Style Heritage : Part 5 - Personal Style History

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:48:22 -0500

I recently inherited a boxful of old family photos. Being the nostalgia junkie that I am, I thought you might enjoy looking back with me at the women (and men) of my family, imagining what life was like for them, and admiring (maybe occasionally laughing) at the styles of the time.

In Part 1, we met my paternal grandmother, Frances.

In Part 2, we met my maternal grandmother, Margaret.

In Part 3, we met my mom, Kathy.

In Part 4, we met my grandfathers, my uncle, and my father.

And now, the final post, little ol’ me.

That first ensemble is great. You know, pajamas, winter headband, and beaded flip flops with socks were all the rage in 1989. As were cute little coats with face-crushing hoods.

“What do I do?” I didn’t know how to pose then, I don’t know how to pose now.

I’ve been told that I refused to wear pants whenever possible. Skirts and dresses 24/7. Oh, how times have changed.

I was one of those kids who’s mom pretty much always let them pick their own clothes. Which is how I came up with things like this. I don’t know how I wore that hat without getting some sort of neck injury.

I wore a lot of tie dye growing up. Like, a lot. Not only did I grow up on multiple summer camps, but my older brother was a wizard at the stuff. He could make peace signs and hearts and turtles. I remember my gym teacher in elementary school calling me a hippie on more than one occasion.

(Oh, the goose! I forget that having a cement goose in clothes isn’t a normal occurrence for everyone. My mom doesn’t have too many of those weird mom things, but we do have a goose that wears clothes. My grandmother got one first, and we got one when I was about five. We usually lived on busy roads with lots of kid-traffic, and the goose kind of became a staple in our little town. She has outfits for birthdays, holidays, pop-culture icons, etc.

In fact, I have a fitting story for today. My mom really enjoys putting together outfits from things we already have. So, one Monday morning in January, she decked the goose out in a Blues Brothers outfit that she was really proud of. A little coat and tie of my brother’s, some sunglasses, and a briefcase. However, at lunchtime, someone complimented her on the Martin Luther King Jr. outfit. She was absolutely horrified. she rushed home to change the goose as soon as she could.)

Oh, you know, just a tucked-in Power Rangers tee with some polka dot shorts.

And some Aztec fringe to the max.

You guys remember that 90s thing where everyone wore enormous shirts? I remember ordering a large when I was eleven years old. An adult large. Then you’d usually tuck it into some straight leg jeans or, better yet, self-cut jorts, and the shirt would balloon out to your mid-thighs. So glamorous.

And then suddenly around 2001, I considered myself some sort of angsty badass. I listened to some seriously questionable music, ala System of a Down, Eminem, and the ever-so-emo Dashboard Confessional.

Though it’s difficult to see in the above photo, I’m wearing men’s cargo pants, and an Incubus tee. Seriously.

And here I am, in the height of my high school glory. I wasn’t a scene kid, we were too rural, but I was close. My two best friends, Echo and Steph and I went to shows in Grand Rapids and Midland quite a bit. Pop punk, screamo, indie, and anything on the Tooth and Nail label were our tunes of choice.

Black band tee? check.
Layered over a long sleeve tee? check.
Bandanna necklaces? check.
Chopped hair? check.
Art supplies all over my clothes? check.

I’ll bet you ten dollars that I had a bandanna tucked into one of my back pockets, chucks on my feet, and some jelly bracelets on my left wrist. You also can’t see my slightly gauged ears here either.

In college, my style evolved a bit more, but you could still find me looking like this a lot of the time. As a film student, you’ve gotta layer up on set. You never quite know where you’ll find yourself. I wore that Rufio sweatshirt to death, and most people knew me on set by that plaid flannel.

—

And there you have it. Twenty-four years of weirdness, and still going strong. I’m sure I’ll look back on some of these with a snort or two, but here’s where I am for now.

—

That’s the last of the My Style Heritage Series! Hope you enjoyed these little blasts from the past.

One final nod to 2011. A little mish mash of Christmas...

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:33:12 -0500

One final nod to 2011. A little mish mash of Christmas highlights.

I spy:
1 banjo
1 ukelele
2 pupdogs
a spoiled baby
lots of Christmas lights
1 unintentional ass-grab
some dancing
Pass the Pigs
some thoughtful discussion
lots of people that I love.

Enjoy!

2011 in Lists!

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:12:27 -0500

I compiled a few year-end lists over on my personal blog. If you’re interested, you should check them out!

Anna’s Top Five Films of 2011

Anna’s Top 5 Books Read in 2011

2011 in Song: Snapshots

Now onto the new year!

My Style Heritage : Part 4 - The Dudes

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:00:00 -0500

In Part 1, we met my paternal grandmother, Frances.

In Part 2, we met my maternal grandmother, Margaret.

In Part 3, we met my mom, Kathy.

And now, we get to a post that I’m really excited about: The Dudes.

We start way back with my grandfathers. Look at those sharp military men. Maternal Grandfather Merten on the left, Paternal Grandfather Neil on the right.

A couple more photos of Neil. I love the giant airplane on the right.

—

And now onto their sons and their namesakes: my uncle Mert and my father Neil.

First is Mert.

My uncle Mert appears to have been quite the sharp-dressed man. Suits, skinny ties, buddy-holly glasses, etc. He’s one of my most interesting relatives, but sadly he lives thousands of miles away. He’s retired now, but travels all over working on Habitat for Humanity sites.

Mert and Neil’s senior photos.

And finally, for the barrage of awesomeness that is my dad. The guitar-playing, pipe-smoking, king of sideburns.

Did I say the king of sideburns? Sorry, I meant emperor of beardom. And yeah, those are jorts.

My favorite photo of my poppa and I, when we lived in the Appalachians in North Carolina. A regular ole’ mountain man and his baby girl.

One more installment of this series to go! And boy, is it going to be a doozy. Stay tuned for my own personal style history. Yikes.

Otis Redding - Merry Christmas, Baby Feel mighty fine,...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:50:05 -0500

Otis Redding - Merry Christmas, Baby

Feel mighty fine, girl
I’ve got music on my radio
I feel like I’m gonna kiss you
Standing beneath that mistletoe

—

Christmas photo dump Part 2! Electric Boogaloo : aka Party Time.

The bar.

A little display of my favorite family Christmas photos.

Pass the Pigs and snowflake making abounded.

Some shots from the makeshift “photobooth”

An important note: these two men had never met before this party. Does that not blow your mind?

I don’t know why this Colt 45 can is so pretty, it just is.

The Ravonettes - The Christmas Song All the lights are coming on...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:26:27 -0500

The Ravonettes - The Christmas Song

All the lights are coming on now
How i wish that it would snow now
I don’t fell like going home now
I wish that i could stay

—

I’m a little behind the times, but I thought you might enjoy a Christmas photo dump!

Part 1 : Christmas Prep. Decorations and cookies and caramels and my favorite spot in the house: The Cloud (aka my new full-sized bed with a down comforter and Christmas lights) Enjoy!

My Style Heritage : Part 3 - Mom!

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:58:00 -0500

In Part 1, we met my paternal grandmother, Frances.

In Part 2, we met my maternal grandmother, Margaret.

Now, in Part 3, we get to see some seriously great photos of my mom, Kathy.

My mom was an army brat and spent most of her childhood living on various military bases around the country. She was the youngest of three children, each born six years apart. In the photo above, she’s making use of her older sister’s newfangled hair dryer.

Would you take a look at her? Posing in various outfits! Remind you of someone? The greatest thing here is that she’s modeling various handmade pieces. She made almost everything in those photos! I’m getting a real Mary Tyler Moore vibe from her here.

I was excited to discover the wealth of high school dance photos in my inherited treasure box. Her senior year, she was crowned homecoming queen, and actually ended up dating Bill, the homecoming king. Below is their mind-blowing prom photo.

No, I promise that’s not Conan O’Brien and yes, he is wearing a buttercup colored tuxedo jacket.

Left: In college, she worked at Big Boy. This photo of her going to work in her red Volkswagen has always been one of my favorite photos.

Right: A photo from my aunt Becky’s wedding. It’s such a great 70s photo with very little cringe-factor. Speckley sunshine on a bright yellow dress and a wide-brimmed hat? Beautiful.

A photo from her wedding in 1973. If I’m remembering correctly, daisies were her favorite flower. Can you tell? I was also lucky enough to get this dress and veil when they cleaned out the house. Sadly, the dress has some stains and is made of an extraordinarily heavy taffeta. She told me I should turn it into a zombie bride costume if I so desired. We’ll see. I’m going to keep the veil intact. I think it’s beautiful.

This is another of my favorite photos of my mom. I am almost positive it was taken the day she brought her first child home from the hospital. I don’t know why she’s sitting on the ground, or how she looks so good, but she does have reason to be happy.

A snapshot taken at my grandparents’ house. I love this as a beautiful photo of a young mother. She’s only 24 here. That blows my mind to think about.

(Great face I’m making, huh?) I was born much later, and my mom’s hair was already almost completely grey. That’s one distinctive quality of her’s that I think is really cool. She’s had almost white hair as long as I can remember, but it’s not a brittle grey, it’s really healthy looking and shiny. I don’t think I would mind going grey early. However, I think I’ve got a decent dose of my father’s hair genes, and he’s still not all grey. So who knows what will happen.

That’s my mom!

Stay tuned for parts 4 and 5.

Part 4 - The Dudes
Part 5 - A Personal Style History

My Style Heritage: Part 2 - Grandma Margaret

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:58:00 -0500

In Part 1, I introduced my paternal grandmother, Frances.

Now, in Part 2, we move on to my maternal grandmother, Margaret.

We always lived much farther away from my mom’s family than my dad’s, and both of my mom’s parents died when I was a sophomore in high school. Sadly, I don’t know nearly as much about her history, nor do I have as many personal memories of her.

I always got the impression that she was very put together. Not just in her appearance, but that she had a sort of quiet strength that you need to have if you’re going to manage three children and the house of an Army Colonel. Not to mention that she had to do this all over the world. My uncle was born in Germany, my aunt in Hawaii, and my mom in Virginia. True Army Brats.

This photo is from her wedding day. I have her wedding dress hanging in my closet. It’s a gorgeous 1930s silk number that miraculously fits me. I hope I’ll be able to repurpose it someday.

Isn’t it gorgeous? (Also note how great is it that I happened to hang it right over a heat vent. So when the heat kicked in, the air filled the skirt out perfectly. It was a pleasant surprise.)

I found photos from a few different New Years Eve parties, my Grandfather always in his impeccable uniform, and my grandmother in various party dresses. I also love the woman on the far left in the photo above. Bedazzled cat-eyes, bold floral dress, deep nails and lips, and a cigarette. Fantastic.

It would appear that she moved into the 60s with ease. Check out that beehive, willya? I must also say, if I saw a young man wearing my grandfather’s ensemble above, I would marry him on the spot.

I hope you’re enjoying this series as much as I enjoy putting these posts together. Still to come:

Part 3 - My Mom
Part 4 - The Dudes
Part 5 - A Personal Style History

Thanksgiving in Grand Rapids

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:39:15 -0500

I was lucky enough to partake in two Thanksgivings this year. They both provided much needed love and laughter and they balanced each other out perfectly.

Part I : 12pm : The Fountain Street House of Misfits

For those of us stuck in GR, Josh and Kevin cooked up a lovely bird, and we pieced together what ended up being a truckload of food. Veggies, taters, salads, pies, etc. While we worked, Empire Strikes Back was playing on the TV.

I insisted that Kevin cut the turkey at the table so I could take pictures. This was an unfortunate idea. He cut right through the aluminum tray like butter and turkey juice went everywhere.

So we cleaned it up, they cut the bird in the kitchen, and then we all sat down.

We each said what we were thankful for, and I almost teared up a little. This group of friends has always been one of the most welcoming and affirming bunch I’ve ever known.

To complete the image of perfection, no one had turned off the Empire Strikes Back DVD, so we ate our meal to the Star Wars theme playing on the looping menu. It was absolutely fitting.

—

Part II : 2pm : The VanderGus Family Hour

My immediate family had our first ever Thanksgiving NOT in Kalamazoo. It was different, but it didn’t feel strange. My brother Sam and his wife Laura had her folks, my folks, and me over. It was a laid-back, tasty afternoon. The best kind.

So laid back, in fact, that Olie didn’t even feel the need to move when we opened the oven.

I should also mention that Sam and Laura’s house is the best combination of vintage, DIY, and good taste I’ve ever seen. The table spread below gives you just a tiny glimpse.

—

So it is, I’ve come to the point in my life where family traditions start to change. The patriarchs and matriarchs of the family pass, and the strings tying the extended family together are naturally severed. It leaves my parents and my siblings and I with the job of creating new traditions with our growing families, a task which is both sad and exciting.

"Hello? I forgot my mantra."

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:59:31 -0500

Timing is a funny thing.

Not the most original observation ever, but this is what I mean:

The week I had a burst of existential blogging thoughts,
“What does it all mean?”
“Why am I even doing this?”
“Is this really the best way to spend your time?”

I felt like people in my life might see it as a vain pursuit.
“So… you take pictures of yourself… and then post them?”

And I wasn’t very happy with my blog itself. The look, the voice, etc.

I was ready to just walk away.

And then yesterday, two things happened.

One, I got an email from a friend of mine, about how he is really interested in blogging, but doesn’t know how to get started, and asking me for help.

Two, I caught up on all the blogs I follow. I thought about the amazing people I’ve met in person through this endeavor, the DIY projects I’ve attempted, and the endless amount of not only style advice I’ve gotten, but also common sense lessons (budgeting, goal-reaching, etc).

I think at first, style blogging can seem like an avenue to consumerism. Always needing the new trends, etc. That stigma makes me self-conscious a lot. I think it can have that effect if you’re not careful, but I realized that it’s done the opposite for me. It all depends on who you take inspiration from, but the majority of the blogs I follow are creative, self-styling people who give me courage to try new things. When you have such a huge pool of inspiration to draw from, it really affects your shopping habits. I’ve been thrifting more. I’ve been remixing my existing clothes, and been more thoughtful of the pieces I do buy.

—

For a while I had been under the impression that my interest in style was a recent development, something I had just acquired in the past few years. But a couple months ago, my mom found my old Barbie box. Every single doll was in a (rather rough-looking) handmade dress, and most of them had customized haircuts. I didn’t seem to learn the lesson that Barbie hair doesn’t lay flat like human hair when you cut it short. It sticks up like a porcupine. I just kept trying it over and over again. Those poor women.

—

All of this to say, I think I’m going to stick it out. At least for now. Though there are things I want to change/improve.

I want to pay more attention to my copy. Sometimes it reads to me like my high school xanga, over-excited and full of adverbs. That’s not me. That’s not how I talk. I want to make the voice of the blog closer to mine. So, prepare yourselves for way more sarcasm.

It also probably needs a facelift soon. I’m one of those people who re-arranges their furniture periodically, and I feel like the blog could use some similar shifting.

—

So, lastly, thanks to my friends who have been supportive, and thanks to you countless bloggers who inspire me.

—

As a reward for reading all of this, here’s something pretty for you to look at.

And read the missed connection that inspired it.

Novembre,

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:17:02 -0500

or, when in doubt, title in a foreign language.

[Fairisle Sweater Dress :: White Scarf :: Grey Leg Warmers all from Target // Black Leggings :: Kohl’s // Brown Prague Boots :: Wanted via Shoe Carnival // Glasses :: Warby Parker]

I’ve got some new stuffs since my last OOTD.

1) Glasses! Finally got some new specs. I can see things faraway again! It’s lovely. Especially appreciate it while driving at night and while watching movies. I think sometimes they can overwhelm my face a bit, but overall, I’m diggin’ em.

2) Hairs! Well, you could sort of see this in my Halloween photos. The blonde was pretty grown out, so I asked Brandon for a dark brown. (only partly for Catwoman, promise.) He obliged and even threw in a little violet. How exciting! You know, new seasons, new tones, etc.

3) (not pictured) an ipod touch! Been saving for this little guy for a while. Really enjoying it so far. Hopefully my twittering and instagramming won’t get out of control.

I would also like to sing the praises of whoever thought of this sweater-dress trend. So comfortable! This one has a bit of wool in it (read: scratchy), so I have to wear a long-sleeve shirt underneath, but that just makes it more cozy. And the sleeves are long! So long. This doesn’t happen to me often. I love it.

I’ve also got to echo the sentiments of a few of my fellow bloggers and say that Daylight Savings Time is really not very helpful for bloggers who work full-time desk jobs. Soon it’ll be dark when I leave for work and when I come home. Probably going to have to find a photo-friendly spot inside soon.

As far as my days go, they’ve been filled with a decent smattering of things.

Creative Writing Homework : We just started writing fiction. Let’s just say it is not my strong point. Yikes. I’ve enjoyed parts of this class, but, oh, will I be happy when it’s over. Less than a month to go!

Burning through Kids in the Hall on Netflix : Absolutely hilarious. I had never seen an episode before this month. Loving it.

Still reading The Cider House Rules. Supplemented by generous helpings of Batman and X-Men comics.

And this weekend, I think it’s finally time. I think I’m going to jump into holiday mode. Lights, tree, movies, music, and baking galore!

Selina Kyle Style

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:18:04 -0500

In a little throwback to my Halloween Post, a crazy fun sketch of Catwoman/Selina Kyle’s Style by Darwyn Cooke. (He and Ed Brubaker revamped Catwoman in 2001. Still have to read that run…)

Paul shared this with me today and I was instantly fascinated. Click through to read all of the annotations. I love, “Sexy NOT sleazy. Style NOT fashion. Strong NOT butch.” I also love that he has film influences: Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn.

It’s a cool piece that shows a tiny bit of the process of creating a character. Not to mention the style is impeccable. I want to print this off and pin it up somewhere.

My Style Heritage: Part 1 - Grandma Fran

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:28:00 -0400

Greetings all!

Kicking off a fun little series today. I recently inherited a few stacks of old family photos. I’m a nostalgia junkie, so it was fantastic to see my parents and grandparents when they were my age, imagining what it was like for them to grow up when they did. It was also great to see both the classic and the horrible styles of the times. I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos with you!

First we have my father’s mother, Frances, aka Fran, aka Franny.

Franny was born and bred in Kalamazoo. Her mother Mercedes Carerras came to Michigan from Spain by way of Puerto Rico. Her father Jerome O’Donahue came from Ireland. They found each other and had three girls: Frances (Franny), Lorraine (Lou) and Mercedes (Tootie). Don’t ask me how they came up with that nickname. I don’t know.

I definitely inherited a lot of my Grandmother’s features: face shape, prominent brow, dark eyes, height. Both Franny and her husband Neil were very tall, and my father is 6’4”.

She looks so classy in all of the photos I found. Coiffed hair, red lip, full skirts.

Franny was a live wire, always moving, and usually singing. She met my grandfather, Neil, and they settled down in Kalamazoo.

Below (left to right): My aunt Debbie, Grandma Fran, my dad Neil, Grandpa Neil, my uncle Greg.

Franny is still in Kalamazoo. In all honesty, she probably won’t be around much longer. She’s my last remaining grandparent, and the one I knew the best. I have the most vivid memories of her: cooking, singing, and laughing. Always laughing.

(this is Franny and me a couple years ago at the ice cream shop.)

Here, kitty kitty kitty!

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:54:00 -0400

Another Halloween has come and gone. It’s second only to Christmas in my book, and it’s definitely one of my favorite blogosphere holidays. I love seeing everyone’s costumes. So before we launch headlong into Christmas like the rest of the world, here’s ~~a few~~ a ton of photos from my Halloween exploits.

After hemming and hawing for a few weeks between Greaser and 70s Roller Disco Chick, neither of which seemed to be falling into place, I finally had an idea that got me all excited: Catwoman. AKA Selina Kyle.

Initially, I thought it would be fun to try the old school, Lee Meriwether/Julie Newmar version. However, one look at myself in a unitard and that dream went poof! I don’t mean that in a self-deprecating sense. I think maybe 3% of people can pull off a unitard. Maybe.

So instead, I went for the more recent incarnation. Which I think fits me better anyway. Seen here:

I went through the process on three separate nights. And I will say, the best “getting into costume” song I found was track one side one of Heart’s Dreamboat Annie: Magic Man. Felt like a straight-up movie montage. Perfection.

Some homemade ears, a smokey-eye with some wing-tip liner, and red lips. Ta-da!

Yes, technically she wears a cowl, but I do not have the sewing ability.

Other ingredients:
Black skinny jeans // (Thrifted)
Pleather boots // (Don’t remember? 2005ish)
Black tank // (Express)
Black jacket // (Meijer)
Belt // (Home Depot)
Whip // (Party City)
Goggles + Pointy nails // (Halloween USA)
Silver spray paint // (Hobby Lobby)

Took a few photos with the Dark Knight himself.

I was going to bring him with me that last night of festivities, but I forgot. Whoops!

and off to the parties we went! At the first party, my extremely talented friend Tyler Card had a photobooth set up and took some amazing photos. All the photobooth pictures in this post are his.

Oh, right, not to mention fashioned himself a fully-functioning camera costume!

Perhaps you’ve seen him around the web this week. With the help of our PR guru friend Adam Barr, photos and videos of the costume made it everywhere on the web! Yahoo, Gizmodo, Buzzfeed, Discovery Channel, Huffington Post, Photojojo, on and on, even the local news! It was crazy!

He took much better photos than the ones I tried to take of myself. So here ya go.

You can tell I wasn’t really sure how to work that whip. I didn’t want it to hit me in the face.

Annie (a 30s movie star. all my clothes. :P) , Me, and Lindsay (Veruca Salt)

Some of my other favorites.
Above: Sesame Street YipYip Aliens, Prince.
Below: A tree and lumberjack, Daniel Plainview drinking Marty McFly’s milkshake.

Above: Sexy Sax Man (he could really play the song!), Super Grover
Below: Ringo Starr Trek, Paulie Bunyan and Mario

Above: Kate’s award-winning cloud costume! Menards gift card FTW! Also, Craig scaring the cat with his werewolf costume.

Lots of great times. Singing, dancing, etc etc. Thanks again to Tyler for some great photos! Hope you all had a great holiday!

Sunday Night State of Mind.

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 21:05:14 -0400

I’ve had these pictures queued up to post for almost a week now. I just couldn’t think of any content to post with them. Just wore this to work on a normal day. Nothing exciting happened.

But I like the outfit a lot, so oh well. Here it is.

[Flannel Top, Mustard Scarf (similar), Red Tank :: Target // Jeans (similar) :: Delia’s // Boots :: Wanted via Shoe Carnival]

Feeling pretty caught in the cogs lately. Wake up, go to work, go home. Five days a week. I can feel it getting darker sooner and sooner. Eventually I will leave for work in darkness, work in a windowless office, and come home in darkness. I’m thankful for the weekend, but sleep too much and avoid the cleaning and homework that needs to be done. And forget getting anything creative done.

It’s my favorite month, October. And it’s been absolutely gorgeous and sunny.

I started reading The Remains of the Day a couple weeks ago. Sadly, I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe I’ll try again another time. But I’ve since picked up The Cider House Rules and it’s sucked me in already. I read A Prayer for Owen Meany last year, and have been meaning to read more John Irving ever since.

I also saw a few very different but inspiring films this weekend (with, um, some stellar male leads).

1) Drive

There’s really only one word for this film: swag.

2) Boogie Nights

This was my first time seeing Boogie Nights. Not sure I could’ve handled it before now, but I loved it. Warning: sex.

3) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

I could watch Paul Newman for days. But it’s unfortunate that the screenwriters weren’t faithful to the stage play. The film could’ve been so much more with the homosexual themes included.

Well, sorry for the slightly morose Sunday-night woes. Back to the grind tomorrow.

La Vie En Rose.

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:51:24 -0400

Friday I was giving off a pretty strong French vibe. Mostly I reminded myself of this:

yeah? yeah.

[Frenchie Deets: Forever 21 Jacket :: Swapped via Teika // Striped Boatneck :: Old Navy // Jersey Skirt :: Express // Red Scarf :: Target // Red Belt :: Came on a Target Dress // Red Knit Hat :: The Icing // Red Wedges :: Payless // Pearl Earrings :: Mom’s]

I know it looks like I’d be listening to old standards in this outfit. Some jazz, some crooners, some Edith Piaf. Perhaps also sipping on cappuccino and smoking a cigarette. Sadly, this was not the case. I was rocking out to classic rock from the 70s and 80s ALL DAY on Friday.

There were two tracks in particular that I kept coming back to. OVER and OVER.

1. Renegade - Styx
2. Hold the Line - Toto

So freaking good. Perfect Friday songs. If anyone had walked in on me in my office, they would’ve found a girl flailing around in her headphones and air drumming on her desk.

Can you tell I was digging this outfit? Did I take enough photos? I’ve worn this like three times since I bought this shirt a couple weeks ago. Definitely one of my favorites to date.

Ann Arbor Adventure!

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:46:00 -0400

I’m a weirdo sometimes. I talk to myself a lot. Especially in the grocery store. I’m sure mothers are hurrying their children away from the crazy lady.

Last Friday, I overslept, and rolled out of bed into the clothes pictures below. I had a wedding to go to in the afternoon, so when I got home at noon, trudging up to the house, I muttered to myself, “alright, Cinderella, time for your transformation.”

So I woke myself up with a shower, and played my Meet the Beatles LP while getting ready. When I went back outside, the sun was out and warming everything up. Pretty serendipitous.

This is my bridesmaid dress from the lovely Mattea’s wedding last year. It’s a little too dressy for normal wear, but it’s pretty perfect for wedding season. I didn’t have any weddings all summer, but had three over the course of this past month. And I wore this dress to all of them! (luckily it was three different social groups)

[Dress :: J Crew (similar) // Nude Pumps :: Target // Pearl Earrings :: Grandmothers // Gold Bow Necklace :: Vintage, thrifted // Red Scarf :: Target (similar)]

This particular wedding was one of my best friends from high school, Stephanie. It was at a gorgeous catholic church in Ann Arbor. I did make the mistake of driving two hours in my dress. I should’ve put it on when I got there so the back of it didn’t get all wrinkly. Oh well. Live and learn.

There was quite a large chunk of time between the ceremony and reception, but I sent an SOS out on twitter for suggestions of things to do in Ann Arbor. I received much help, and- after a change of clothes -set out on a wandering adventure. I grabbed a hot cider from Biggby, wandered around The Dawn Treader Book Shop, bought some Macca, Miles, and Coltrane from Encore Records, and was treated to a tour of the UofM campus by my friend, Paul.

My favorite was, pretty obviously, the law quad, a very ivy-league-esque spot featuring the enormous law library.

Then- after a quick change back into wedding-wear -I found my way to the reception. Aren’t they cute?

It was my first experience with the “singles table” at a wedding. I’ve always gone with a group of friends, but it was actually quite fun meeting all the new people and eventually dancing with them as well. Here’s Michael, Stephanie’s brother counting the cash from the dollar dance.

And finally, at the end of the day, I made my way to the abode of Proctor and Valdez, to unwind with ample amounts of film talk and fat cat Mr. P.

The next morning, we went to Zingerman’s Roadhouse for breakfast, and…whoa. Just, whoa. Delicious.

Saturday afternoon I tried my darndest to find the Michigan Blogger Meetup that Suze put together, but I could not. I wandered around the Nichols Arboretum for about an hour, and while what I saw was absolutely lovely, it was mostly trees and no bloggers. Oh well. Looks like they had a good time! Next time!

Halloween Help!

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 15:41:16 -0400

ok kids. I need some advice.

I’m pretty set on the rockabilly/greaser idea for Halloween. However, I keep wavering between male, female, or androgynous. What do you think I should do?

MALE:
White/black tee or tank, pompadour, chuck taylors, no makeup. ala this guy:

FEMALE:
Pencil skirt or crops, high heels, bandanna, eyeliner, red lips. ala this gal:

ANDROGYNOUS:
A combination of the above. ie: Black/White tee or tank, jeans, pompadour, but with heels and eyeliner. Or some combination like that.

Whatcha think, kids? Shoot your vote or other ideas at me in the comments or on twitter.