Thursday Things

Two weeks in a row. Someone call the consistent police because this bitch is...um....consistent. Look, its been a rough couple of weeks so I am not feeling as clever and witty as usual. Let's just stop making this awkward between us and move on to the things I like this week.

This Piece of Work 

I bought this on etsy this past week. It was part of my mental meltdown/desperate attempt to fill the holes in my life with pretty things. I am not really a fan of traditional temple pictures with the tulips and the blue sky, but I loved this sort of modern interpretation of the standard picture. Now to find a frame...

This Song

I have always been a fan of the original version of this song. It is easily the most heart wrenching lyrics I've ever heard. It makes me feel like someone pulled my heart out, threw it on the ground and walked away while I was still professing my feelings to them...but I still like it because I am a masochist when I am depressed. Now take those debilitating lyrics and add in the haunting vocal stylings of Justin Vernon. Now they don't walk away, but they take a photo of your pain and then laugh and post it on instagram. Ouch.

This Film

This movie is honestly one of my favorites. It inspires me. Yes, it is centered around Arthur Kane's faith in the LDS church, but it really is so much more than that. You see this man who has been ravaged by drugs, alcohol and failed dreams, who found peace and hope in something he believes in and that something sustains him through his now bleak life. Through the course of the film you see his faith and what comes of it. Regardless of your religious preference and affiliation, if you believe in a higher power it is nice to witness a higher power give this man something that he had wanted so bad, at the perfect time.

These Boots

They haven't come to me just yet, but they have also been a part of my desperate attempt to fill the holes in my life with pretty things. They should be arriving Monday, but I am sending good vibes into the Universe and guess what, the Universe effing owes me after the bullshit it has put me through these last few weeks!

Update: I JUST TRACKED THE PACKAGE AND IT IS IN SALT LAKE!!! Tender mercies, you guys. Tender mercies.

This Concealer

I haven't been sleeping well lately at all. I am not getting even close to enough sleep. Also, my genetics were apparently at one point crossed with a raccoon because my mom's side of the family all have dark circles under our eyes. This is the first concealer I have found that can hide the marks of a long night spent awake. I slept maybe 17 hours all last weekend and still managed to look semi-presentable at my lunch meeting on Monday. I consider that a success.

Now lets all join hands and pray that I pull out of this funk and stop buying everything that tickles my fancy.

Seasonal Work

I should warn you that this isn’t a funny post. Nope, just random ramblings that have been jumping through my mind’s eye for the last few weeks that I decided to type out. If you are looking for my usual sarcasm, come back next time…

 

I love Fall and the crisp cool that you start to feel in the mornings. The smells, the colors, the football, and the pumpkin everything that comes into my life. After fall comes winter, of course, which in Utah means tons of snow and skiing. For as long as I can remember I have loved waking up the morning of a first snow and peeking out the window to see how much fell. There aren’t a lot of feelings like that first snowy morning…

But over the past few years I grew to despise them.  I worked in the ski industry doing recruiting/HR, so my falls and winters have been insanely busy. Fall involved traveling to job fairs all around the state hoping I could get enough staff for the winter. Then the first snow would hit and instead of feeling that excitement, I would start to panic over how busy my life was about to get. Winter meant training all of those new employees, dealing with the inevitable fallout that happens with seasonal staff, jumping in to help out in random roles around the company, 10 hour work days, often 6- 7 days a week, tons and tons of stress, and long, dangerous commutes home in the dark. I didn’t actually ski once in those two seasons because the thought of driving back up the canyon on my day off sounded excruciating. I haven’t gone to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square in two years or decorated, and my family received Christmas gifts that were purchased on Christmas eve when I was clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel at the outlets before I rushed down the canyon to eat cold leftovers at my Grandma’s. The day after Christmas was the busiest day of the year, so I didn’t really enjoy the day because I was worrying about what would inevitably turn into a 12 hour day of inspecting and cleaning houses.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved the company I worked for and the people I worked with. I could not have asked for a more fun group of coworkers and bosses, but the job made me absolutely hate the things I used to love. It took me one season to know without a doubt that I couldn’t do that for the rest of my life. I wasn’t happy, I missed out on so many fun things, I always looked like I had crawled out of bed and thrown my hair up and put on mascara(because that is exactly what happened), I was constantly tired and stressed, and I gained close to 40 pounds. To sum it all up: I was not cut out for that line of work. 

In case you didn’t know, I don’t work in the ski industry any more. Last spring I made a big career shift and I couldn’t be more pleased. I was incredibly sad to leave that company and I actually cried when I thought about not talking to the people who had become good friends over those two years, but I knew it was right. I think the magnitude of how right it was has started to sink in with the changing leaves these past few weeks. The first time I felt cold in the morning, I started to get this pit in my stomach that Summer was over... then it suddenly donned on me that Summer being over didn’t mean a thing to me anymore. I was free to love my fall things again without the anxiety. I don’t feel this looming cloud over my head telling me that my life is about to get real sucky. In fact, I find myself looking forward to the snow so I can go skiing and sledding. I am excited drive around and look at Christmas lights and to actually put up my Christmas decorations. On top of the seasonal stuff, I have had some time to reflect on how the lack of stress is physically effecting me as well—I don’t feel tired all the time, I work out almost daily, I eat much healthier because I have time to actually grocery shop and cook, I read the books I want to read, I put effort into my appearance, I go out with friends and laugh and don’t think twice about work,  I drink less caffeine, and I have lost about 30 of those 40 pounds. I just take better care of myself overall and I feel legitimately happy and at peace for the first time in a long, long time. 

Real Love

I just have to share this quote because I don’t think I have ever heard more beautiful words ever written about love. Real love, not stupid fairy tale, chick flick, fake, perfect love.

I have been doing a lot of research on F. Scott Fitzgerald, frankly because he writes words like this. The background is that F. Scott Fitzgerald met Zelda, his future wife, while stationed in Alabama with the ARMY. She was a wealthy debutante but did not act like one; She was wild and behaved in ways that women of her day just didn’t. They became engaged and he moved to New York to make money for their life together. After a while, Zelda called off the engagement because she was accustomed to a certain lifestyle and his $35/week wouldn’t cut it. He was so distraught over the breakup that he moved back home to live with his parents so he could write a novel that would make him famous. That novel was “This Side of Paradise” and turns out it did make him famous. It sold out in hours and Zelda came crawling back. So basically he loved her so much that he quit his job and wrote a literary masterpiece in order to get her back. I don’t know about you ladies, but no guy has done that for me. I think the most heroic gesture I’ve ever experienced is a guy offering to pick me up from somewhere…

Back to the quote. I did even more digging and turns out he said it during that breakup. A mutual friend wrote him a prying letter because she heard he wasn’t doing so hot. She must have suggested something a little too defamatory of Zelda, because this was his response (and the full reference for the quote above):

No personality as strong as Zelda’s could go without getting criticisms and as you say she is not above reproach. I’ve always known that. Any girl who gets stewed in public, who frankly enjoys and tells shocking stories, who smokes constantly and makes the remark that she has “kissed thousands of men and intends to kiss thousands more,” cannot be considered beyond reproach even if above it. But Isabelle I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity and her flaming self respect and it’s these things I’d believe in even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn’t all that she should be.

But of course the real reason, Isabelle, is that I love her and that’s the beginning and end of everything. You’re still a Catholic but Zelda’s the only God I have left now.

I just can’t even imagine anyone ever feeling that way about me. I’m not trying to be self-deprecating, I just don’t think that kind of love is something that comes along for most people. Their marriage was messy; they were known to be raging alcoholics who fought often and she even cheated on him once. Turns out Zelda was schizophrenic, and that was why she behaved erratically. In their fairly tale ending, Zelda ended up in an institution and F. Scott Fitzgerald ended up writing scripts in Hollywood, which he hated, as a way to pay for Zelda’s treatments. Still, even knowing that their ending was far from happy, I can’t help but feel like he knew what real love was. She was everything he shouldn’t want, but he did and he didn’t care what society thought about her. That, my friends is real love.

Thursday Things

See, I missed a week already. I suck. Get over it. 

This Collage I made

 

There is no greater children’s book than “Where the Wild Things Are”. Period. I saw the movie opening night and loved in despite what all the haterz say. I’ve wanted some sort of wall art to represent my love of this book but I could never quite find what I wanted. It obviously needed to involved “let the wild rumpus start” because no better words have ever been written, but everything on etsy was too spendy for what it was. Then I got this bright idea to tear apart my copy of the book and make a collage of sort. I am pleased with the outcome and it currently hangs above my bed.

Sensationail

 

I have man hands. Okay, maybe not man hands, but definitely not dainty lady hands. I make up for my chubby phalanges by painting my finger nails always. The trouble is that I can’t stand chipping. The first time I got gel nails I was so pleased that my chipping problem was solved, but then I had the problem of paying upwards of $30 every 2 weeks to have them redone. The solution: Sensationail. I did my research and found this baby. It was a bit of an investment upfront ($50 for the starter kit and $10-$20 for additional supplies), but I loves it. I do my nails once every 1.5-2 weeks and then don’t worry about it in between. It isn’t quite as long lasting as professional salon gel nails, but it is also a fraction of the cost so I’ll stick with it.

Infiniti Scarves

 

Finally, it is cool enough outside that wearing a scarf doesn’t seem pretentious.  Yes, hipsters, wearing a scarf when it is 103 degrees outside is pretentious. So is instagramming everything you eat, so stop it! Infiniti scarves. They are hands down the best kind. You don’t have to fuss with them in the morning to try and figure out a way to tie it so you don’t look like an ass hole. You just put it around your head, around again and voila! Your t-shirt suddenly looks work appropriate.  I’ve spent a few bucks and built up my collection for this fall. Cheers to brisk mornings!

Dark Angels

 

Lush is making it to the list again! After the love affair I started having with my lush face mask, I decided to bump up my face washing routine as well. My dear friend Amber has been using this and had positive things to say, so I picked it above the other weird looking things to get the caked on makeup off of my face. I like it. A lot. A very small amount goes a very long way and I am officially down to 1 zit on this face of mine! (knock on wood)

That’s all for this week. I’m having an off week and I don’t much feel like telling you guys anything else I like. Sorry about that. You can blame men. They are almost always the root of the problem.

Thursday Things

Thursdays Things

I am taking a note from my favorite MTV alum, LC and posting a weekly list of my favorite things. So as to not totally copy my imaginary bestie, mine will be called “Thursday Things”. Same concept—I will share a few items I am currently obsessed with and tell you why. I am going to try to keep up this weekly post, but let’s be honest about how inconsistent I am at life in general, so I am going into this with a realistic promise by saying that it will more than likely not be weekly, although I will try:

Kombucha

 

This stuff is amazing…ly weird. I love it, I really do, but I know it is not a taste most people enjoy. I don’t really know why I do. It is vinegary and tangy and fermenty all wrapped into one $4 bottle that has little floaties at the bottom. Also, it takes me like 20 minutes to open it because it is so fermented that it will spray floaties all up in your face if you open it too abruptly. Sounds terrible, right? Well, I think most people would agree that it is but I loves it.

Individually Wrapped almond butters

 

I haven’t posted about this yet, but if you have caught me in the kitchen at work then I have likely told you all about how I eat Paleo now. I loves it too, but it limits my treat intake quite a lot. No more Fastbreaks for this lady. My new favorite treat is to take a banana and break it up and eat it with some of these little packets. I usually only eat half a packet and just rub my banana all in the almond butter, getting it good and gooey. Surprisingly, this combo tends to cure those Reese’s cravings.

Lush’s Cupcake Face Mask

 

This stuff is the shiiiiiiiiiiiiii…I have acne. Forget that I had porcelain skin all through my teens and early 20’s. I hit age 24 and started breaking out like I was a friggin’ 16 year old who worked at KFC and didn’t wash her face after. Cool of my hormones to save the acne for the years when I was actually trying to attract a man for more than just a prom date. Stupid idiot skin. Well this Lush facemask was designed for acne-riddled teens, so it’s perfect for me! In 1 week of using it (probably more than you need to, but I slept in makeup the other night. You don’t need to know why.) my skin already looks better. Three cheers for anything that will trick a man into thinking I’m hot!

To Kill a Mockingbird

 If you’re like me then you read this by force in some High School English class and didn’t like it because you hated everything you were forced to read. Well, I highly suggest you revisit this novel as an adult. It is so good! I feel like it is relatable for anyone who had a childhood, regardless of the decade. It makes me reminiscent of Summer nights with my brother, playing Pocahontas or Star Wars in our backyard until 10pm or daring each other to walk on the sidewalk in front of Dolly’s house. That beezy was scary! But read it. Really do.

These Shoes

I bought them. I love them. They are my new babies. A good friend of mine is getting married in a little over a month and I’ve had this whole outfit planned in my mind’s eye. It involves blue shoes so when I saw these during a Nordy’s trip last weekend, I knew they had to come home with me to join my other babies. Do I have an unhealthy relationship with my shoes? Yes. Is my relationship with my sunnies even more unhealthy? Yes. Judge away! But my sunnies and shoes will never end up in therapy because of the emotional damage I inflict upon them.

Happy Thursday, lovers!

#hashtag

Let’s talk about hashtags. AKA the most improperly used form of communication in social media. Heaven knows I do not have perfect etiquette (in social media, life, table manners, anything…), but the frequency at which I have seen hashtags being misused has begun to make my temples throb. If you’re unclear on what a hashtag is then you probably aren’t misusing them and I thank you for that, but I will still explain for those who are: A hashtag is the pound or number sign that people use before a statement in social media (example: #goutes #obama2012 #BearLake). Fun fact, hashtags have an actual purpose!! The purpose of a hashtag is to connect various tweets (and now instagrams) with other tweets (and now instagrams) of the same topic. Its not this fun way for you to make a random, lengthy remark on the post of your fetus or your lunch on instagram. If you wanted to make that extra remark, a simple period before starting a new sentence would be more appropriate. Hashtags started as a twitter thing, although they also work on instagram. I would venture to assume that they will also eventually work for Facebook as well, but for now they do not so just stop using them there, mkay?

I will now provide the class with some samples to show the appropriate use of hashtags:

Example 1:

I post a humerous tweet about my new lifestyle choice (which I will obviously talk your ear off about if you’re interested…or if you encounter me in the office kitchen and ask why I am eating “rice” made from cauliflower):

 

See that #paleo hashtag and how it is blue? I can now click on that hashtag to see other things people are posting about the paleo diet. Neat, huh?

Example 2:

I post a humerous tweet about how irritated I am over the misuse of hashtags, giving it a ridiculously long and unimportant hashtag:

See how the hashtag is still blue? I can now click on it and…wait, what?! You mean no one else posted a hashtag about the stupid and unimportant thing I hashtagged?? How could that be?!

Alright everyone, lets take today’s lesson and go back to our social media applications and stop looking stupid by posting things like #IalmostcriedwhenIsawmybabyonthesonogram or #IlovethissandwichsomuchIwouldmarryitandhavebabieswithitandposttheirsonogramsoninstagram