Accidental Picture

I label this post with "photography" simply because I took photos and nothing else really applies to them, but let's face it... this is nothing of the sort. And more annoyingly, no matter how many times I try to rotate the pictures to face the same direction, they won't. I've taken and rotated pictures before, but these ones seem to hate me, so the perspective is perhaps extra screw this time around. It's all about perspective anyway, I suppose. The first picture is just one I took of a corner in my boyfriend's room to show what it "really" looks like in there. The second is one I took a couple weeks before, quite by mistake. After waking up from a nap and checking my phone, I somehow went into my camera and accidentally snapped this picture. And I've no idea how it turned out so strange. Perhaps I had the flash on for that one, and not the other. Still, something about it puzzles me immensely, so I like it.

For the Lives That I Fake

Last week, I got to go to Seattle to see The Pretty Reckless live in concert. Well, it was more of a show. I think I overuse the word concert. I definitely prefer shows, even if sometimes I just want to sit down. I was lucky to have my boyfriend drive & tag along with me to what I could only describe as "angry girl rock" and I'm so glad he's so accommodating of me. I wasn't in a rush to get there "on time" as previous experience has shown me this does little good. We had a hell of a time navigating the stupid one-way streets, and it took us more than five minutes to get to the club that could have been easily spotted from the off-ramp we took had we known it was there. 

Half an hour after the doors opened, we finally wandered on in, and the first thing I did was start scoping the location of the merch booth. When Brandon finally located it, I plopped myself in the nice, short line and got myself a basic black tee with the name and the Going to Hell logo on it. In retrospect, I wish I'd waited til the end of the show, as I did get a touch tired hold it the whole time.

The opening band was Louna, a female-fronted Russian band. I'm sure if loud rock was my kind of music in the first place, I'd have really liked them, but since I'm basically a country girl through and through, the music didn't do much for me. Another problem I had, with both bands in general is that this type of music, if you don't know the words, there's almost no way in hell you're going to understand 90% of the words anyway. As Brandon pointed out, he basically got the lines that were repeated a lot, but not much more. I missed basically all of Heaven's Basement, as I was getting severely overheated and had to step outside the bar for their performance.

Finally, at 10:30, here came my girl. I know you can't always take a fan's word on someone they adore so much, but Taylor looked beautiful on stage. The "raccoon eyes" that so many people still seem to have a problem with really suit her in person, I promise. Now, we were standing near the back of the lower section (about 35-40 feet away), as I've got a tall boyfriend who was considerate enough not to go around view-blocking. While the room seemed to be filled with all sorts of people, most of them were skinny or just average, and somehow I got the two widest people in the entire audience standing in front of me once the main show started. Step where I may, I had a hard time getting a view.

An iPhone camera isn't really the best in the first place, and from as "far" back as I was, I had to use full zoom, so yes, the pictures are on the fuzzy side. And I took plenty with my hands stretched as far up as they could go. Moving lights and people, plus Taylor busily rocking all over the stage didn't leave me with a lot of good shots. Still, I enjoyed the show, more than some people I fear. Yes, I took pictures galore, but I waited until after the show to get online with them. It made me sad seeing people tweeting and instagramming the second they took pictures, when Taylor was still on stage singing her heart out for us.

Taylor was a giant tease at the end of Cold Blooded, and had to keep revving up our cheer for more than five minutes before the final word and jams of the song. I admit she was right, we were pretty tame for a rock crowd. Then again, I've never been part of a rock crowd, and probably won't be again, and I was still recovering from a cold. Even when I was trying to scream, my voice was a little on the weak side. On another sad note, being so far back, I didn't get to see any of the writhing on the ground that Taylor's famous for, nor her panties when she lifted her shirt.

The highlight of the show for me though was between Miss Nothing and Going Down when there was just music, Taylor went over and took a drumstick from Jamie, banged it around a few times on the drum, and without even looking back, chucked that drumstick at the crowd. Everyone in front of us ducked to avoid losing an eye, and Brandon had to step quickly to the side. It bounced off the wall we were leaning against and landed on an empty space of the floor in front of us. Darling boyfriend that he is, Brandon bent the hell over, grabbed it before anyone else could, and handed it to me. It says The Pretty Reckless on it, as well as Jamie's name, plus it has marks all up and down it, and was briefly used by Taylor Momsen herself. Definitely the best souvenir I've walked away with from any show I've been to.

For all my pictures on a public Facebook gallery, click here.

PS. Possibly the cutest thing ever was at the end before the final "title track" song was just the look on Taylor's face as she said "ladies and gentlemen, you're all going to Hell!" I mean... she should work as a tour guide at a haunted house or something.

Brand Snob & I Don't Care

I honestly don't have a clue how I end up reading some of the things I end up reading in my day-to-day life, and it often leads me to having a lot of scattered facts about some idea or another. Of course I can't think of any examples right now, but if you mention something to me that I've read about in some way at some point, I could suddenly recall some useless information for you. So I can't tell you how I cam to be reading about the lingerie industry today (although I admit it probably didn't take much to lure me in, however it was done).

I learned some reasoning behind subscription sites (which I love in theory, but...) like AdoreMe and IntiMint (both of which I've ordered from) is that consumers are tired of the prices at Victoria's Secret, the unchanging styles at Victoria's Secret, the fact that you can't personalize the Victoria's Secret website to your personal needs and likes.

I also learned that in the beginning, Victoria's Secret didn't do so well. There was nothing to distinguish them from the cheaper brands. They're marketing geniuses, it seems (you know, unless you're offended by the whole thing, to which I say: whatever), but all that aside, there's still plenty of reasons I choose Victoria's Secret time and time again over these subscription sites.

1. consistent value. when I first signed up for IntiMint, it was just to get the 1$ bra, panty, and robe for getting others to sign up. since then, they have begun including more and more camis and tees on their site and bringing in "designer" underwear that costs infinite amounts more than the original bras and panties cost (I'm having this problem with all the Mint sites right now, to be honest, with perhaps JewelMint not being quite so bad), and none of the original good value options there were before. 
2. no bogus "showroom" page. okay, so it's fun to take the quizzes when you sign up for the subscription sites, and "find out" a little more about yourself. what irks me is that you mark your size - and you still get a showroom full of DD+ items. I understand if it's sold out in my size, but if it never came in my size, please get it out of my showroom. I really think across all sites, there's just one showroom, nothing has ever felt "special picked" just for me based on any sort of quiz results.
3. when you find something you like, why change it? I found my perfect bra at Victoria's Secret nearly 5 years ago. good fit and perfectly comfortable. I own like, 8 of this bra in various colors and prints. when I try other bras, they just don't feel the same for me. if I do get adventurous though, I like being able to try on a new style before I buy it, rather than having to deal with returns.
4. easier returns. don't ever return your Victoria's Secret mail orders by mail. shipping is deducted before your payment return. most of the subscription sites offer free shipping and returns, but I always find it a hassle to print out return labels, and waiting for a confirmation of return when something doesn't fit (this happened to me with AdoreMe... I thought I could wear a small, and it was too big, and of course, they don't have XS). I like being able to take an item that doesn't fit directly into the store... and then trying on a different size to make sure that one actually fits.
5. better quality. you get what you pay for. if you pay $50 for a bra, it's gonna last you. I still have the first of my favorite bras from Victoria's Secret and it still is in perfect shape. a little rougher for the wear I suppose, but I'm definitely ripping seams in my IntiMint pieces from the use they've gotten in the last year and a half. 
6. actual customer service. I just prefer talking to real people, having them be able to look at me when they make recommendations. I've never found anyone at Victoria's Secret to be anything other than helpful when I go in with a question, and they don't overload me with information.

I don't know, I really don't like the way that IntiMint has been going since it's launch, but I'm still a fan of AdoreMe most days. But I suppose deep down, I'm just a name brand girl who doesn't mind spending a few extra bucks for something I really love, rather than save and just get something I kinda like and might not even fit.

Happy Autumn

I've always been partial to Fall, for so many reasons. I'm a Fall baby, I love the colors of the changing leaves, Halloween pumpkin carving, and all the wonderful smells. The first indoor fires of the year, spilling out of chimneys. All the wonderful food for Thanksgiving. 

Mrs. Smith

 

she found "the one"

My best friend of ten years got engaged in April to the man she'd been with for three & a half years, the father of her adorable little girl. I was driving around downtown Olympia with Brandon when she called and said "you KNEW?!?!" (he'd shown me the ring the night before) and then chastised me for not telling her. Although if I had told, she'd probably have been pissed beyond words that I spoiled the surprise, because as much as she wanted it, she wasn't expecting it.

And so the next three months were hectic. Dress shopping for her, dress shopping for us girls, her shoes, our shoes. Or lordy, our shoes! My small feet were the woe of trying to get us to match, and eventually we gave up on that all together. The bridal shower, the shopping, the bachelorette party, the getting people to respond to our invitations.

bridal party at bridal shower

The rehearsal dinner was fun, but I definitely wasn't feeling confident about what the hell I was supposed to be doing. And I probably bitched just a little too much about being hungry. But hey, I was.

here comes the bride

Then came time to get ready for the wedding and I showed up almost right on time. I'll blame my chauffeur for my tardiness. But the fact that the woman who was supposed to do our hair and makeup never showed up, that is inexcusable. We were so lucky to find someone willing to help us last minute. When you consider that we got started on getting ready three hours later, I was really annoyed when people started asking us when we were starting. 

We weren't even a whole hour late in starting the wedding.

getting married!

As soon as we headed down the stairs to line up for the procession, the nerves hit. My best friend was really about to get married. But I felt like I did okay. I walked down the aisle without tripping, and without giggling my head off. Of course, as soon as my Kendra walked out, the tears started falling down my face. Thank goodness everyone was looking at her!

The ceremony was rather short... but it was far better than sitting through an excruciatingly long one. And even though they had silly little things they did (I mean that in an endearing way guys, really!), it was still absolutely lovely. Russ did a wonderful job barely tripping over his words.

matron of honor, maid of honor, bride, groom, best man, groomsman

And of course, the reception was a blast. I managed not to cry during my toast, and gave everyone a good laugh with Kendra's note from high school ("I'm not a pinhead who likes Shawn anymore so hahaha!), but was shaking like a leaf for 20 minutes afterwards. I am going to have a hard time forgiving the DJ for getting me excited for the Macarena and then cutting it off and never letting me dance it.

PS, guess who caught the bouquet and garter?

Love With Food, August

Last month, I was browsing the Swagbucks homepage looking for offers I could complete to make a few quick points. I don't do this very often because a lot of offers require me making payments, and I just don't think most of them are worth it. but then I saw the ad for Love with Food, which only credited 65 points (about 70 cents, maybe), but gave half off the first month and delivered food to my door. Being a member of many, many subscription services, I knew I'd be able to cancel easily, especially with my debit card expiring this month.

It seemed like a good deal to me. Even if I did like it, I felt no qualms about spending $12/month on food, because everyone needs food (unlike clothing sites I subscribe to, where I merely want). Plus, I saw that for every box I received, a meal would be donated to a hungry child in America. So, food and charity. I signed up, and last week, my first (of many!) box was delivered to my house. Inside were several little goodies, as well as a list of what they were and more about the products, as well as a couple of coupons. 

I didn't care for the taste of the mints (I prefer peppermint to spearmint), but I liked that for every tube, the makers plant a fruit tree. The snap pea crisps were just that, but something I enjoy anyway, so I was happy to have them. The potato chips started out as bland for me, but by the end of the bag, I was craving more. My pralines, unfortunately, were all melted together (sticky sweets in the mail in August?) but I loved them anyway. I was most excited to try the waffle cookie, as I was supposed to set it on top of my tea (well, I had coffee at the time, but I'd love to try it with tea) and let it soak up all the aroma, but somehow it fell in. So I didn't get to enjoy that to it's full extent. I will definitely think about getting some when I have the funds to try it again. I haven't yet had a chance to try the salsa, but I plan to split it with my mother sometime before the end of the week; nor have I had a chance with the spice rub, but I think seasoning meat is something my stepdad will have to do. My favorite thing was the fruit and nut mix. It was strange but tasty, with its sesame taste. Definitely will want more in the future.

My favorite thing about this box was all the new stuff it let me try. For $12 a month, I can try several new things with no commitment to something I may not care too much for. It'll help me expand my tastes (and perhaps others' as well, when I'm able to share), and getting a little something to look forward to each month. I also like that these products seems to be healthier than I'd normally go for on my own. And of course, I'll be giving a meal to a hungry child.

There Was A Time

When I was in high school, I fancied myself a poet. And friends, bless their little hearts, told me I was amazing at it. That's the problem with friends. They support you. Even when you're crappy at what you do. I don't know, perhaps it actually was good poetry at that time, but looking back on it, it's truly awful. I wrote far too much about how "in love" I was (what a joke, I was never in love in high school), and that I'd never be able to love again (thankfully, having never loved before, I have since loved). But I thought I'd share some of it anyway just because a) I need to post again and b) it's always funny remembering how intensely you looked at the world when you were a teenager. Super cheesy.

Last night
You knocked
On my door
And picked me up
For our first date
You took me out
To dinner
Which we ate
By candlelight
Then to a movie
Followed by
A simple walk
Down a moonlit beach
As we walked
We talked and laughed
Holding hands
With out fingers
Intertwined
You took me
In your arms
And looked deep
Into my eyes
And told me
How much
You loved me
You took me home
And gave me a
Long, sweet and tender
Kiss on my lips
This morning
When I saw you
I remember our night
And that you weren't really there

Gone from my life
Are sorrow and pain
As though my heart's
Been ripped from me
And I can feel no more
Which I don't wish to do
'Cuz gone with my sorrow
Are my hopes and dreams
And I can't feel love
For you, ever again
'Cuz my heart
Has been ripped out
And gone are both joys and fears
And I can feel no more
No more emotions
Ever again