Stressed, Anxious and Busy

Once again, readers, I apologize for my absence. I have a bunch of entries in-the-works but I haven't had time to make any collages or edit photos necessary for said updates. I've been slowly beginning the massive additions to both of my shops, however, and these I'm excited to show you (one such post should occur in a day or so).

In the meantime, if you'll allow me to briefly get a bit personal, I've been struggling with a lot of stress in my social life, at my day job, and even with little things like cleaning my apartment. My future is uncertain and I feel like I am in limbo as my nearest and dearest have begun the next chapters of their lives. Not that I am not thankful for all that I have that I didn't a year ago, but it does feel like I should be winding down the "aimless 20-something" act...and I don't know how to.

This, my ever-increasing social anxiety (crying at friends' birthday parties because I don't want to interrupt anyone's conversation), the news that ANOTHER of my closest friends will be moving away from Chicago, has left me a bit of a wreck. Michael actually knew how hard everything has been for me the past few days and showed up at my work Saturday night with these:



I'm so lucky to have such a sweet man!

With the news that my insurance will cover psychologist visits, I think this is something I will be needing to explore (and have been meaning to for years, honestly). I've barely begun the searching process so who knows when this will happen, but I'm determined to acquire this. Maybe it will give me some idea what I want to do with my future, or at least give me some pause and peace until I can arrive there.

Again, forgive me for being so personal on a supposed fashion blog. I just feel this is more relevant to my life at the moment than anything else. Soon I'll have more fun entries, promise.

On Manhattan Isle

I got a million photos so I will keep the text short and sweet so I can have a big ole lovely photo dump over here! Hooray.

Firstly, these pictures are all from the Monday of trip except for these:







Some weird little architecutre plates! I loved these. I discovered them while I was wandering around near Union Station while talking to Michael on the phone. I love little stuff like this that probably goes unnoticed by many.

Anyway the next day we did touristy stuff. Like go to Time Square:













Obligatory Radio City Music Hall photo:





NBC! Oh yes. And I was a huge nerd in the gift shop, too:





Who would actually buy this...?



Rockefeller Center is a big-ass building so I just got a snap of the diving dude in the front:



Capped off the sauntering my strolling down 5th ave and taking a peek at Bryant Park. Classiest bathroom ever, btw, there were flowers and classical music playing in there!



Then we got pizza and bagels and flew home. Then I moved! I finally just got internet at my place too so I can finally start updating on a regular basis again. I have a lot of exciting things to share with you, too! Stay tuned...

Friday Links for 04.09.10

This week I bring you 100% goofy links, both new and from the vault. Because, why not?

• Cat Shirts I found one of these on eBay, forgot the link, and then stumbled upon this gem. I wish there were more, though! Also great if you like bad puns.

• Kermit Bale I never get sick of this extended comparison between Kermit the Frog and Christian Bale.

• Garfield Randomizer A great way to kill time.

• Cast and Crew of Mad Men sing "Bye Bye Birdie" Need I say more?

• The Garry Shandling Movie Poster Project It's kind of embarrassing how funny this is.

Also this isn't funny butbe sure to enter my Abarne necklace giveaway! I announce the winner Monday!

Friday Links for 04.02.10

• Dharma Initiative Alarm Clock The item in Think Geek's "April Fool's Stuff" that I'd most like to own. And the Tauntaun sleeping bag.

• Sketchy Easter Bunnies With Dogs What's a major holiday without creepy costumes scaring small creatures?

• Some Enchanted Morning My Twitter friends have already seen this, but why are deer so friggin cute? They get along with pretty much every animal one would have as a pet. Prince Purrsalot and Lord Kissyface, hahaha.

• How To Be A Little Princess A general list of tips to feel beautiful and positive everyday.

• Instruction and Advice for the Young Bride Horrifying yet hilarious detailed instructions for a new bride on her wedding night published in 1894.

• The Sex Scholar: Clelia Mosher Speaking of Victorian sex for ladies, get a load of the findings of this pre-Kinsey survey.

• DYI Pillbox Hat An easy little tutorial and cure for not finding your dream hat on Etsy.

Friday Links for 03.26.10

• They are reissuing The Babysitters Club books And this is a really interesting editorial stating why it's important that they do get reissued.

• Spring Cleaning: Detox Your Space There's a million articles about cleaning out your closet, but this one had me at "What fashion enthusiast wouldn't lust over a closet that could pass as a little boutique?"

• Spool No. 72 I am lusting after all these delicate Spring items, especially the tops, even though I can't afford them. Story of my life, though. Swoon.

• "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" Worth it just to see Patton Oswalt as Dr Demento.

• DYI Tutorial: Make Your Own Kraft Packages A must read for anyone who likes sending post that's anything but ordinary!

• Do You Alter Vintage? Jennine at The Coveted asks, and defends, her answer to this question. I, too, am torn and can see both sides. I hem a lot of garments, sometimes take them in, but have yet to do a "dramatic" rehaul. I'm really curious of everyone's opinions on this. Please share!

Friday Links for 03.19.10

• That Mitchell and Webb Look, "Cheesoid" Since I finished Peep Show I started watching That Mitchell and Webb look cos I can't get enough of those boys. Last night I saw this skit and I've watched it 4 more times since then. I will almost always laugh at a robot joke, too. PET-RIL.

• Kotex Gets Real Kotex has a new line of menstrual products, and a new self-ribbing ad campaign to go along with it. I can dig it.

• AV Club's LOST reviews If you're a LOSTie, these are the best discussions of the episodes on the web IMO.

• Starbucks announces free pastry day Tuesday, March 23. It shouldn't be a surprise that I am gross, but free food when I buy my coffee? What's not to like? Who doesn't like free food?

• Etsy's Tips and Tricks for writing an engaging profile I like how it compares talking up you and your shop to chatting at the register. A must-read for any Etsy shop owner!

• American Apparel Nail Polish I'm a bit iffy when it comes to AA, but these colours look really really good! And the price isn't too bad either, especially when you buy a 3 pack. Found on Twitch Vintage's blog.

Written During The Menstrual Period

"That time of the month," while a delightful euphemism, is not always a delightful experience. I, in a weird way, enjoy my period more than more girls I know. It's a relief from the agony of the PMS I experience I usually have, especially since I got off birth control about 2 years ago. Being on my period helps me connect with my body, something I've enjoyed about it since I was in high school, and I take better care to minimize salt and caffeine intake and drink more water (something I should do all the time?).

Yet, like most of us, I really hated the discomfort of disposable pads. They were itchy, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and they felt really bunchy. I decided a few months ago as soon as my disposable pad supply ran out I was going to buy some cloth menstrual pads.



My god, the comfort! I could feel the difference immediately. They were so soft and cozy (not sure if this will be annoying in the warmer months but this winter they've been so nice). They didn't irritate me in anyway. The next day I just rinsed them under cold water and they were pretty much good as new in case I needed to reuse before a proper wash.



I mostly only use pads when I sleep, and liners during the day either on a lighter day or with a tampon, but I really noticed the decrease of waste I produced, too. And it's really nice to not need to buy a bunch of pads every other month. I don't think I will be able to go as far as using the Diva Cup or the Sponge (I get the feeling that with my being "small" and ability to shift oddly these may end up hurting me somehow) but I think that we all use pads, at least when we sleep, so these are a wise investment.

All of the pads in this post, as well as the ones I use for myself, came from Tamarack on Etsy, has some of these same points and more in her shop polices:

Why Cloth?

Cloth is more cost effective. Upfront cost of about $100 for a sizable stash of cloth pads that will last five years vs. $60-75 per year for disposables—more if you have heavy flow or short, more frequent cycles.

Cloth is more responsible. Your cloth pads will be used over and over again—no more adding to the landfills every month.

Cloth is more healthful. Disposable pads and tampons are bleached, and the by-product of bleaching, dioxin, is very unhealthful

Cloth is way more comfortable! Paper and plastic are no match for the cozy comfort of cloth.

Cloth is more pleasant. A breathable pad virtually eliminates the sweaty, smelly aspect of your period, not to mention that all that putrid garbage that needs to be dealt with.

Cloth is more fun! Why wear plain white paper pads when you can wear colorful, unique pads that make you smile.

Her shop is great because she has a variety of patterns and sizes, and has pads with holders so you can just switch them out. I got some for the minipads, and while they bunch a bit more than I like during the day as a liner (since it's twice the cloth) I still wear them at night and these would also be great if you wore thicker pads during the day and could switch them out that way. There are also a lot more shops on Etsy that sell cloth pads, so take a look around!

My advice from experience:

• Before you buy, during your next period see how often you wear pads and what thickness you tend to need more of. This helps you to buy enough of the ones you use the most and keeps you from overbuying ones you might not wear more than one or two times.
• Rinse immediately with cold water and squeeze it through thoroughly. This gets the stains off before they set, and they dry faster this way. I used to try handwashing in warm water with soap and everything before doing this and the stains would set and take much, much longer to dry. If you are squeamish about reusing after just a rinse you could hand wash after the cold rinse. Otherwise you can just toss them in the wash/dry with your towels (no fabric softener!).
• For wear-during-the-day pads, I would recommend lighter colours since you never know when you'd be wearing them, unless you tend to only wear jeans/dark bottoms on your period. Then again, I don't know how many of you would wear a white skirt on your flow!

Good luck, readers! I hope you all try this comfortable, eco-friendly alternative and it works out for you as well as it has for me. Happy menstruating!

Pre-Spring Cleaning

Sorry, blogiverse, I've been really busy this weekend even though I haven't been at work! Yesterday I went to Ikea with my pappy and since then I have been working on building furniture, moving things around, organizing my closet and living space, etc. I'm still not done, but my room is at least functional. I might take better pictures later, but in my haste I just have two crappy cell phone pictures. Behold!



I have very little desk space, so to utilize it best I can I bought thick brackets at Ikea and blue-tacked my speakers to them. It's hard to see but I also got a spice rack that I mounted to my wall for all my odds and ends (mostly pill bottles). Now I will be able to spread out more when I make jewelry (or eat...).



I put my 4 vintage hats up on my wall, since I felt bad about them being tossed on the floor or hidden in my closet. I also put up my framed bookmark from Elsa Mora that I loooove. Again, so hard to see.

Better pictures to follow. I have some neat tips to write about, too, since my space is closet-tiny I have to be very organized. I hope everyone had a great weekend! What did you do?

Feast of Saint Lucy

I am not Catholic, but today is the feast day of my favourite saint, Lucy!



From wikipedia:

Because people wanted to shed light on Lucy's bravery, legends grew up, reported in the acta that are associated with her name. All the details are conventional ones also associated with other female martyrs of the early 4th century. Her Roman father died when she was young, leaving her and her mother without a protecting guardian. Her mother, Eutychia, had suffered four years with dysentery but Lucy had heard the renown of Saint Agatha, the patroness of Catania, "and when they were at a Mass, one read a gospel that made mention of a woman who was healed of the dysentery by touching of the hem of the coat of Jesus Christ," which, according to the Legenda Aurea, convinced her mother to pray together at Saint Agatha's tomb. They stayed up all night praying, until they fell asleep, exhausted. Saint Agatha appeared in a vision to Lucy and said, "Soon you shall be the glory of Syracuse, as I am of Catania." At that instant Eutychiaea was cured.

Eutychia had arranged a marriage for Lucy with a pagan bridegroom, but Lucy urged that the dowry be spent on alms so that she might retain her virginity. Euthychia suggested that the sums would make a good bequest, but Lucy countered, "...whatever you give away at death for the Lord's sake you give because you cannot take it with you. Give now to the true Savior, while you are healthy, whatever you intended to give away at your death." News that the patrimony and jewels were being distributed came to the ears of Lucy's betrothed, who heard from a chattering nurse that Lucy had found a nobler Bridegroom.

Her rejected pagan bridegroom denounced Lucy as a Christian to the magistrate Paschasius, who ordered her to burn a sacrifice to the emperor's image. Lucy replied that she had given all that she had: "I offer to Him myself, let Him do with His offering as it pleases Him." She was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel.

The Christian tradition states that when the guards came to take her away they found her so filled with the Holy Spirit that she was stiff and heavy as a mountain; they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. Even with a dagger through her throat she prophesied against her persecutor. As final torture, her eyes were gouged out. She was miraculously still able to see without her eyes. In paintings St. Lucy is frequently shown holding her eyes on a golden plate.

If you don't want to read all that, here is a dorky comic I made of her life when I was 18.

She is the patron saint of vision, light, and for those with eye afflictions. Always having bad vision, and being such a visual person, I think that's part of why I find her so interesting. I also first heard about her at the International Museum of Surgical Science, my favourite place in Chicago FYI, and they had an amazing painting of her up (that unfortunately isn't up anymore):



My ex gave me a bunch of Lucy relics, which I have in my room- a statue, a candle, and a prayer card. I would really like to see her shrine in Venise one day, as well as get a saints medal for her. In her honour today, since I did not celebrate the Scandinavian tradition of waking my roommates up at 4a with coffee and hot buns wearing a headdress of candles, I am "taking out my eyes," so to speak, by donning my spectacles instead of my contacts (a strange tradition I have found myself doing the past few years).

Here's a few more pictures of my lady of light: