Rhymes With Foam.

“I think a lot about what makes a strong female character. You...

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:40:38 -0400

“I think a lot about what makes a strong female character. You know, movies and TV shows, these things have influence, my own website. So I think the question of “What makes a strong female character?”, often goes misinterpreted. And instead we get these two-dimensional superwomen, who maybe have one quality that’s played up a lot. Like, you know, a Catwoman type, or she plays her sexuality up a lot and it’s seen as power. But they’re not strong characters who happen to be female, they’re completely flat and they’re basically cardboard characters.
The problem with this is that then people expect women to be that easy to understand, and women are mad at themselves for not being that simple. When in actuality, women are complicated. Women are multifaceted. Not because women are crazy, but because people are crazy. And women happen to be people!”

-Tavi Gevinson for TEDTalks [x]

How does Tavi Gevinson make more sense talking about this than most grownups do? I want to be her when I grow up (and then build a time machine so I have a second chance at being a teenager) because of this, and that time when she taught Jimmy Fallon about the assorted varieties of bitch face.

hellogiggles: WATCH #FITCHTHEHOMELESS/THE RE-BRANDING OF...

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:50:13 -0400

hellogiggles:

WATCH #FITCHTHEHOMELESS/THE RE-BRANDING OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH

by Blaire Bercy

http://bit.ly/12e3ZbB

Seriously, this campaign makes me want to bash my face into my desk.

I am all for donating clothes to the needy. By all means, if you have more clothes than you can wear, please give them to an organization who will distribute them to those who need them!
Mike Jeffries is for sure a huge asshole. I never would’ve worn their clothes in high school anyway because they were too expensive, but I was definitely in the too fat/too uncool demographic he so publicly despises. I would love to degrade the brand of A&F, but he’s enough of a jackass that I think he’s doing that on his own.
On the flip side, homeless people are not our props to use to humiliate a brand. Just like it was insensitive when jackass college kids tried to run a business taking donations of money to purchase rival schools’ gear (which was then distributed to homeless people to try to sully the school’s reputation), this is dehumanizing.
“But they’re homeless! They should be grateful to get free clothes!” No. You also can’t spit your sandwich out onto a napkin and hand it to someone on the street to say “Well you’re hungry, you should grateful.” They are still people, and should be allowed the human dignity of not being used as pawns in a game of degrading a brand. You are telling them that them wearing clothes is degrading that brand.
As far as I know, it’s fairly common practice to destroy damaged or excess product rather than donate it. I don’t think that’s RIGHT, and I don’t know if it’s a legal loophole issue or just a “stupid company policy” issue but does no one remember that we were JUST outraged about H&M doing that?

In closing, I think most of the people who support this idea have their hearts in the right place, but rather than tell people who find it problematic that they’re being “overly sensitive” or “too easily offended,” we should all take a critical look at it and how it really affects the people involved.

Old Dress/New Dress, part 1

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:30:43 -0400

As inspired by New Dress a Day, I finally finished my first Goodwill reconstruction!

I was torn about even buying this dress. It was the epitome of so many things that could be wrong with a dress. I didn’t even know if I liked the fabric. But I do like a challenge, so I decided to make this mine.

This is so you can see that it has pockets. Chest pockets. And I had to hold it like this or else it revealed more cleavage than I am comfortable posting on this blog.

I started by carefully seam ripping the pockets off, and then removing the sleeves and the collar. Already, it was so much better. I had to decide if I wanted to make it a sundress or just a sleeveless v-neck with gathered shoulders.

I also couldn’t decide if I wanted to rip apart the bodice and make the skirt a little less enormous, but then I realized that the skirt has POCKETS. I love a pocketed skirt, so that made the rest of the decisions easy. Full skirt, sundress top. The pattern on the dress is so busy and migraine-inducing, I figured it would be best if there was less of it.

I basically just chopped across the back and cut the overlapping pieces in the front. There was so much extra fabric that I didn’t know how to trim, so I ended up gathering them and trimming with some conveniently colored teal ribbon I had. I used the sleeves to make a couple straps, and suddenly I have a whole new dress!

I’m still trying to decide if I want to replace the buttons on the front (they’re so weird and random but I’m excited that I was able to turn the ugliest dress I’ve ever seen into something actually wearable!

This is my cat. Today(ish) he is 16. Is it weird that I’m...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:58:49 -0400

This is my cat. Today(ish) he is 16.

Is it weird that I’m more freaked out about HIM getting older than I am about ME getting older?

Popping tags

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 14:17:56 -0400

I’m going to Goodwill later, so I’m prepping by reading through the archives of New Dress A Day, which is the blog of a woman who spent a whole year buying a new (old) dress for $1 and fixing it up…every day.

I feel like every post I’m like “THAT ugly dress? There’s no way she can turn that hideous thing into anything cute OH MY GOD SHE DID IT.” So now I’m going to go buy $30 worth of muumuus which will become adorable sundresses for the summer. It’s happening.

Is anyone in the market for a new bag? I have a slew of totes...

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 17:12:56 -0500

Is anyone in the market for a new bag?

I have a slew of totes and clutches that I made for my Etsy store, back before I understood how much work it takes to have a successful etsy store. After a few years of listing them, having the listings expire, and paying to re-list repeatedly with few sales, I just want these out of my closet.

I have literally 8 medium-to-large sized tote bags, 2 large clutches, 1 small clutch, and 11 shoulder bags of assorted sizes.

If you or anyone you know might want a bag, just send me a message and make an offer. These will go pretty cheap since the money/labor I sunk into creating them is so long gone. Please reblog!

Pictured:

Rainbow spot quilted clutch (about 12”x6”).
Large black tote w/ pink stars (I have 2 of these. Closes with a snap)
Patchwork stars tote
Orange tote w/ appliqued headphones (lining coordinates headphone color- I have one with red, blue, and pink headphones.)
Pinup girl mini-shoulder bag (I have 3 of these. Zips to close. These are pretty tiny but cute, 6”x6”x2”)
Cherry shoulder bag (I have 2 of these, they close with a snap and are lined with black polka dots)
Jean pocket bag
Pink floral tote (2 of these)

Not pictured:

Orange tote w/ pink headphones
Another quilted rainbow spots clutch similar to the one pictured, but with lime green binding around the bottom edge.
2 more pinup girl mini-shoulder bags, with pink polka dot trim/lining
2 small red/pink/white checked shoulder bags (velcro/flap closure)
Pin-up girl totes (royal blue with pink/white polka dot straps, trim and lining. Very sturdy, inside zipper pocket) I have 2 of these.
Small orange-print clutch
Small citrus-fruit printed shoulder bag

I’ll send pictures of anything unpictured if you ask about them. If anyone buys a tote bag I’ll throw in a little shoulder bag free. Please help me get these out of my closet!

I also have one not-quite-perfect test print from the tote bags I made for Fall Out Boy that I’ve held onto for sentimental reasons, but I could part with that one too if anyone would actually use it.

Work dream.

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:16:00 -0500

The other night I had a dream about someone who works in my office, but who I don’t actually know. Now every time I walk by his desk all I can think is “Remember that time you hosted an open mic in your pajamas?”

I love this one, too.

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:57:29 -0500

I love this one, too.

Belated Oscar gif reblog. Adele, my BFFL in another world. Make...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:55:11 -0500

Belated Oscar gif reblog. Adele, my BFFL in another world. Make my hair and lipstick like yours.

Just what every girl wants for Valentine’s Day: an amazon...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:31:31 -0500

Just what every girl wants for Valentine’s Day: an amazon gift card! Really though, it’s a better option to just get no gift at all if this is the direction you’re going.

I hate feeling like I can't sass-back the catcallers in my neighborhood.

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:20:52 -0500

Because god forbid they are the type to hold a grudge or have an easily bruised ego or feel the need to teach mouthy girls a lesson, and I run into them again in the dark on my way home one night.

But I can say it here. To the gentleman who saw me out running this morning and told me, among other things, to “Yeah, lose that weight!”, you can kiss my giant ass and go fuck yourself forever, sir.

What happens when the sound system goes out at a karaoke bar...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:27:29 -0500

What happens when the sound system goes out at a karaoke bar with a loyal following. On closing night. During the farewell party.

No. Who is the target audience for these ads (and similar ads)?...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:37:00 -0500

No.

Who is the target audience for these ads (and similar ads)? Are there actually people who give iPads as Valentine’s Day presents?

I don’t hate Valentine’s Day. Sure, I get annoyed in DECEMBER when I go to Kmart and it’s already decked out with giant heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, but I don’t really care that February 14th is used to try to sell me cards, or candy, or flowers, or lingerie, or single-girls-night-out packages.

But Valentine’s Day is not Christmas. It’s a day for gestures to show someone you care about them. Maybe that gesture is material (aforementioned card, candy, flowers…I’m not a jewelry person but I guess that’s a typical Valentine’s Day thing so I won’t hate on it.) But “Here honey, I got you an iPad, I hope you think of me every time you use it to watch New Girl at the laundromat”? Maybe it’s thoughtful and nice but it’s not romantic. Valentine’s Day isn’t your birthday. It’s not for just throwing money at people.

It’s not like I think that the “holiday” is somehow being degraded or anything, I feel the same when Easter rolls around and I see commercials suggesting things like home appliances for Easter gifts. First of all, since when is Easter a gift giving holiday? Second, there’s no better way to say “Hooray for Jesus rising from the dead!” like a new dishwasher, am I right?

I get that companies will use any excuse for a special sale, or a reason to try to pressure people into buying more things (and giving them as gifts is a good way to pressure them- if you want people to know you’re a thoughtful person, obviously you have to buy them things!) But I’m not okay with companies trying to act like it’s the norm to give someone a piece of expensive technology as though that’s the best/only way to show them you care.

Dreams

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:17:39 -0500

Last night I dreamt (among other things) that I was googling actors’ names to try to remember the name of the movie they all starred in together.

I was googling Paul Rudd, Tom Cruise, and Sara Rue (who, in my dream, was named Cameron E. Sparks.)

I don’t think this is a real movie…

Resolutions 2013

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:13:00 -0500

Last year there were a lot of things I forgot about, or didn’t keep very good track of. I kept everything in a google doc, which is efficient and green but also easy to forget about. This year maybe I will have to make physical lists and charts to mark my progress.

Culture

Listen to one new album a week.
Once a month, go to any free concert of any band I’ve never seen or heard before.
Watch 10 of these movies
Watch 15 of these movies. Also, finish adding to the list.
Read 20 books.
Do 12 educational/cultural things in NYC. Choose these things thoughtfully instead of in a rush.
Watch fewer old episodes of SVU/Grey’s Anatomy/whatever, and watch a movie I haven’t seen instead. Unless I’m folding laundry or cleaning my room.

Social

Be less forgettable.
Each month, reach out to a friend I’ve lost touch with.

Money & Being a Grown-up

Open a savings account. Soon.
Have that savings account hold more money at the end of 2013.

Health, Food & Fitness

2:18 or faster in the Brooklyn Half Marathon
Be able to do real push-ups.
Go to the gym 10x/month, and go to 4 classes each month.
Set a monthly fitness goal and accomplish it (ex: yoga twice a week, try spinning, swim, sub-28:00 5k. Things that aren’t necessarily achievable for an entire year but doable for a month.)
Run a Ragnar relay.
Make attempts to learn to like bananas, cherries, blueberries, pomegranates, eggplant, and zucchini. Bonus if I try more new stuff.
Cook 25 new recipes, not including pumpkin brunch recipes.
Drink good beer instead of shitty/cheap beer, except after soccer.
Drink more tea. Drink tea at night instead of snacking on sweets.

Bucket List

Visit at least 10 new states (who wants to take a road trip to Kansas and Nebraska with me??)
Figure out what else I should add to my bucket list.

Other

Volunteer at least 5 times.

2012 Resolutions: Final check in

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 00:01:00 -0500

I made a lot of resolutions last year. In a lot of areas of my life. Some of them were pretty minor, some were large undertakings. I only fully accomplished a handful of them, but I made significant progress towards most of them. I refuse to think that I failed at the things I only got halfway towards completing, because reading 12 books is better than reading none and I’m closer to being able to do real push-ups than I was last year.

Culture

Listen to more new music, even if it’s just new to me and not new new anymore (basically, don’t let the “I’ve missed the boat on this band” feeling stop me from listening.)
This is hard to quantify. I know that in the past, I might not have newly started listening to Band of Horses because I would’ve felt like I was too late to the party. I might not have gone to see so many bands for the first time (55 of them, to be exact.) I didn’t do so well on listening to new music from bands I already enjoyed (except for fun. and Justin Bieber). I think that switching jobs to one where I’m not required to watch new music videos as soon as they come in hinders my new-music-absorption.
Watch at least 10 of AFI’s “100 Best American Movies” this year. (I combined 2 of their lists and once I deleted duplicates I am left with 120something. List here.)
ET, The Graduate. For some reason I thought I’d done better on this one this year, but I guess I just made big plans to have an Indiana Jones movie marathon and then never did it. I’m a little bummed I didn’t make this happen, this should’ve been the easiest one.
2a. I added a second list of more recent movies that I’ve missed out on. It’s part movies that people say “You haven’t SEEN ________?!?” and part movies that ended up on Best of 20__ lists. I’m still adding to it but that list is here. Goal is to watch 20 of those this year. Feel free to suggest things.
Amelie, Pirate Radio, The Help, Hugo, The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Artist, Midnight in Paris, Into the Wild, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Beginners, Kindergarten Cop. 12. I also never finished making my list. I lied, THIS should’ve been the easiest one. I can pretend I got closer to my goal if I want to count movies like The Hunger Games, The Dark Knight Rises, Life of Pi and Les Miserables (or Magic Mike, Pitch Perfect and Twilight 4 Part 2)
Find a list of 100 books everyone needs to read, and read at least 5 this year.
I made a decision to give this one up. I was actually reading a book for the NEXT resolution and consciously decided not to force myself to do something just because I feel like I “should.” I’d like to read more, and read a wider variety of books, but I don’t need to arbitrarily choose books from a certain list just to make myself feel smart.
Read at least 2 books per month.
This year I read Mockingjay, Angels & Demons, Read My Hips, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Bossypants, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, Middlesex, New Rules of Lifting For Women and got halfway through The Happiness Project. It only averages out to 12.5 books for the year. I did really well until I read those damn Stieg Larsson books. They took so long to read that it really slowed down my reading progress.
Do at least one educational/cultural thing in NYC each month.
This year I went to Secret Science Club (Astrophysics), New York Public Library Treasures exhibit, Peter & the Starcatcher broadway invited dress rehearsal, Brooklyn Museum First Saturday, Brooklyn Historical Society, Museum of Sex, Assateague Island National Seashore visitors center, The Princess Bride 25th Anniversary screening/cast Q&A, Secret Science Club: Wild Beasts of NYC, and the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Some of those things aren’t in NYC, but I did 10 things. Too often I left it until the last minute to find something to do, so some things were a little forced.

Money & Being a Grown-up

Open a savings account.
Oops. I didn’t do this, but I have a 401k now…
Figure out what I want to do with my life, career-wise.
I didn’t REALLY do this, but I got a promotion at work so I’m staff now, doing something different, and actually learning things. Also I have health insurance now, which is pretty sweet.
Start buying fewer, nicer items of clothing (instead of buying every shitty sundress from Forever 21 and H&M.)
I actually forgot about this one, but I’ve definitely cooled it on the Forever 21 and H&M.

Health, Food & Fitness

Beat my half marathon time at least once.

March 19- 2:21:33, which is 7:29 off my first half marathon time.
Be able to do real push-ups.
:(
Get better at soccer.
I did a 4-week soccer clinic and I think I improved, but there’s a long enough lapse between seasons that I don’t know how much good it did me.
Try more new vegetables.
I tolerate mushrooms, zucchini and eggplant better than I used to.
Make sure I’m getting enough iron.
Probably still not enough. I was better about taking my multivitamin for a while.
Cook a new recipe once every 2 weeks.
Butternut squash risotto, Falafel waffle, Mexican lasagna, Bacon cake, S’mores bars, Pumped up corn casserole, Pineapple upsidedown pancakes, Black bean burgers, Sweet potato black bean burgers, Chipotle seitan sausage, Pumpkin gingerbread smoothie, Pumpkin chili, Brown butter pretzel cookies, chubby hubby cupcakes, pumpkin s’mores, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin mac & cheese, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin baked french toast, pumpkin spiced cornbread, cinnamon swirl pancakes, Berry yogurt muffins, Unturkey, Gingerbread pancakes, Ethel sugar cookies. 25 recipes. Not every two weeks, but it averages out. Not all that much of a challenge.

Bucket List

Assess how many states I’ve visited/figure out what my rules will be for what “counts” (i.e. does driving through count?)

I had been to 21. My criteria are that I have to do something in each state (besides drive through, get gas and use the bathroom) and there should be a picture of me.
Visit at least 1/3 of the states I have not been to yet.
I got 4 more. It’s a far cry from the 9 I should’ve gotten, but it’s something. I have to step it up in the next 21 months. Here are pictures of me in New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware and Vermont.

Other

Volunteer at an animal shelter OR find/start a nonprofit like Monster Milers.
Fail.
Keep my room generally clean on a regular basis.
Mostly better.
Sew more.
I made a tote bag, some dresses, painted some pictures, made shelves for my wall, fixed some skirts, made throw pillows for my bed, sewed a tank top, some headbands/hair clips and my halloween mask.

Oh hi I’m on the side of a building.

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 09:22:40 -0500

Oh hi I’m on the side of a building.

Concerts of 2012

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:47:00 -0500

01/06/12 The Apollo Project @ the World Financial District Winter Garden

01/13/12 Socratic, Vinnie Caruana (acoustic) @ Angels & Kings

02/24/12 My Love For Danger @ Bar East

03/01/12 Young Statues, Mansions, A Great Big Pile of Leaves @ Knitting Factory

03/09/12 Vinnie Caruana @ Angels & Kings

03/10/12 The Wonder Years @ Gramercy Theatre

03/12/12 Brian McGee, Frank Turner @ Knitting Factory

03/25/12 Miniature Tigers @ Bowery Ballroom

04/07/12 Hostage Calm, I Am the Avalanche @ Santos Party House

04/18/12 Vanessa Carlton, Gavin DeGraw @ Webster Hall

04/25/12 Family of the Year, The Belle Brigade, Good Old War @ Bowery Ballroom

05/16/12 Kishi Bashi, The Barr Brothers @ Le Poisson Rouge

05/20/12 Hall & Oates (Great Googamooga) @ Prospect Park

05/23/12 Young Statues, The Wonder Years, The Swellers, The Early November @ Irving Plaza

06/08/12 American Babies, Trevor Hall @ Gramercy Theatre

06/10/12 Tokyo Police Club @ Bowery Ballroom

06/14/12 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals @ Irving Plaza

06/16/12 Now Now, fun. @ Terminal 5

06/22/12 fun. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

06/27/12 Suburban Legends, Big D and the Kids Table, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish @ Best Buy Theater

08/10/12 fun., Grizzly Bear, Santigold, The Flaming Lips @ the Intrepid

08/11/12 The Jacksons @ Seaside Park

08/18/12 Antibalas, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings @ Williamsburg Park

08/23/12 The Bright Silence, Jay Stolar, Charlene Kaye and the Brilliant Eyes @ Gramercy Theatre

09/07/12 Lauren Coleman, Vinnie Caruana, Matt Embree @ Mercury Lounge

09/11/12 Sad & French, Spirit Houses, Vinnie Caruana, Matt Embree @ The Acheron

09/18/12 Tyler Ramsey, Band of Horses @ House of Vans

09/29/12 Global Festival (K’naan, John Legend, Band of Horses, The Black Keys, Foo Fighters, Neil Young and Crazy Horse) @ Central Park Great Lawn

09/30/12 Jenny Owen Youngs, Larry and his Flask, Frank Turner @ Webster Hall

10/06/12 Virgin FreeFest (Justin Jones, Penguin Prison, Portugal. The Man, Dismemberment Plan, Ben Folds Five, Alabama Shakes, Nas, ZZ Top, M83, Jack White @ Merriweather Post Pavillion

10/09/12 Cartel, The Early November @ Gramercy Theatre

11/16/12 The Menzingers, Bayside, Taking Back Sunday @ Best Buy Theater

11/17/12 The Stepkids, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals @ The Beacon Theatre

11/20/12 Brandon Reilly @ Idle Hands

11/29/12 A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Ambassadors, Hellogoodbye @ The Marlin Room at Webster Hall

12/03/12 Chris Berry, Xavier Rudd @ Irving Plaza

12/04/12 Spin Doctors @ Irving Plaza

12/11/12 Band of Horses @ The Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom

12/11/12 Jason Lytle, Band of Horses @ Hammerstein Ballroom

(I go to a lot of concerts with my friend Dustin, so when available, I linked to his reviews.)

I saw a total of 78 different bands this year.
There were only 10 bands/artists that I saw more than once (4x: Band of Horses, Vinnie Caruana. 3x: fun., 2x: A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Frank Turner, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Matt Embree, The Early November, The Wonder Years, Young Statues.)
55 of these are bands that I saw for the first time this year.
17 of these were free shows.

Favorites (in chronological order):

03/12/12: Brian McGee, Frank Turner @ Knitting Factory (we were pretty much front and center for this one.)
06/22/12: fun. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (almost didn’t get in, but this ended up being an abridged, kind of better version of their Terminal 5 show from a week earlier, only in a much smaller venue)
08/10/12: fun., Grizzly Bear, Santigold, The Flaming Lips @ the Intrepid (lots of technical difficulties, but definitely a unique experience)
09/11/12: Sad & French, Spirit Houses, Vinnie Caruana, Matt Embree @ The Acheron (hilarious drunk Matt Embree wouldn’t stop talking)
09/18/12: Tyler Ramsey, Band of Horses @ House of Vans (my first time seeing them, and in a really small setting. Also, decent crowd and free.)
09/30/12: Jenny Owen Youngs, Larry and his Flask, Frank Turner @ Webster Hall (basically, any Frank Turner show. The crowd at this one gets failing marks, but the show itself was awesome.)
10/06/12: Virgin FreeFest @ Merriweather Post Pavillion (free! Road trip! Jack White’s band of lady ghosts! Penguin Prison dance party!)
11/17/12: The Stepkids, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals @ The Beacon Theatre (The first time I saw Grace Potter I hadn’t listened to the new album at all, so by this show I actually knew the music. Also Grace Potter is the coolest.)
12/11/12: Band of Horses (both shows) (This was kind of an exhausting night, but also amazing to see them having so much fun and playing almost their entire discography.)

Need a little more joy in your life? Just let this kitten give...

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 10:19:59 -0500

Need a little more joy in your life? Just let this kitten give you kitten kisses via the internet.

Mel shared this kitten cam with me yesterday and I felt like I should start spreading the news.

Birds! At the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 12:34:37 -0500

Birds! At the Vermont Institute of Natural Science.