Stuck in Limbo

What a beautiful day today! It's sunny but not too hot, with a nice breeze. I got a card from my mom in the mail, which totally made my day, and I'm listening to Marina and the Diamonds. Glorious.





I'm wearing: Urban Outfitters dress, vintage belt and bracelet, Target tights, Blowfish booties.

I'm utterly tired of being stuck in a sort of life limbo. I'm unemployed, searching furiously for a job, and in the meantime I can't really do anything. Aside from play Xbox or WoW and tumble long into the night hours.

Thank goodness for this blog, then! It gives me a little something to do during the day, which is a big relief. It forces me to shower and be presentable (yes, I was going days without showering before I started this blog; I didn't have a reason to), and I feel like I'm getting in touch with other style-inclined girls all over the internet. Huzzah for blogging! It has saved me from my own ennui! Well... it's reduced the ennui, at any rate.

I guess I'll say a little something about this outfit. I like it! These booties are super hard to style, for me at least, and I feel like I've hit the mark this time. Thoughts?

Black & White & Red

I'm wearing: ModCloth top, Old Navy skirt, F21 belt, Aldo shoes, vintage watch-bracelet.

Today's outfit was built around the shirt. I ordered it a while ago, before we moved to Portland, but I haven't worn it out yet. It's a pretty crazy-awesome shirt, but the style and the graphic's colors make it hard to style. It has these baggy dolman 3/4 sleeves, and a long tunic length. I'd been trying to layer it over skirts and shorts, to no avail. Finally I gave up and tucked it into a skirt, and voila! Instantly liked it. Problem is, you can't see the entire graphic, which is a godzilla-like monster saying something in Japanese. But, y'know, you get the idea. Whatever. I also rolled up the sleeves a bit, as they're a bit long for summer weather as-is.




Also, pardon the cut-off feet in some of these! Greg wasn't into photos today, so I took these myself with an awkwardly propped camera and the self-timer. I think they came out pretty well, considering!

Last night I watched Julie & Julia, as per my mom's recommendation. It was a sweet movie, cute and mildly touching. The cooking and food scenes were the highlight for me, though. At the end of the movie all I wanted to do was slow-cook a roast, or try to poach some eggs, or really anything to do with rich food and cooking.

The reason I'm writing about the movie, however, is not to talk about food! It's to talk about the one thing about the movie I loved, which was the character Julie's journey from being an unpublished "writer", to starting a blog, to becoming fulfilled and successful in what she did. She put so much time and effort into her cooking, it nearly took over her life. I was so inspired by this. I'm just the type of person who doesn't spend hours each day doing the same thing; I don't put every ounce of my energy into achieving my goals. And I really should. I don't like being the kind of person who craps out halfway through. Y'know? I'm sure you'd all love to hear me go on and on about this (and I could), but suffice to say, I have a newfound determination to finish a novel once and for all! Stay tuned. I'll be a best-selling author one of these days.

Fezes are Cool

I'm wearing: F21 dress and necklace, Wet Seal belt, Salt Water sandals.

I've decided to avoid taking outfit photos in my glasses from now on. I find I'm terribly un-photogenic in them, and they tend to distort my face. So look forward to no more glasses!

Poor Greg was up until 9:30 in the morning today; I guess he couldn't fall asleep last night, so I woke up and upon discovering his absence, poked my head outside the bedroom and found him splayed on the couch, wide awake. Silly boy. As a result, though, he's all shaky today and thus the photos came out slightly out of focus. Sorry about that guys! The strange nocturnal lives of unemployed people... unsettling.

My best friend Rose is back in town from Russia, finally! We had Noah's Bagels for lunch, and wandered up and down Hawthorne in the heat. It was pretty fun. I can't wait to hang out with her all the time now! And we live in the same building, so that makes things easier all around.

Now, before I leave, can I just say:


teamelevenftw on tumblr
If you're not watching Doctor Who, I don't know what on earth you could be doing with your time.

Curly Girly

Hi Dad! These are for you. I neglected to wear my glasses just for you! And, you know... I'm kind of tired of my glasses lately. Don't be surprised if I show up with some clear frames or something later -- I really want clear frames. Thoughts on clear glasses frames, everyone?

I'm completely in love with my hair today! I admit, it's a little inspired by Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky, but a girl's gotta let her hair go free sometimes. I think I'm gonna keep this style around for a while. I'm so tired of fighting my natural curls. My mom should be smiling now; she's been telling me wise stories about how she finally learned to stop fighting her curls for ages, ever since my hormones decided to make my hair get curly. Haha. I love moms, mine especially. ♥





I'm wearing: Wet Seal top, Target skirt, Aldo shoes, necklace from my mom.

You can't really see them except in the one photo, but check out my sweet earrings! They're truly amazing; like little gold snowflakes, or doilies, or lace. My dear friend Brenn gave them to me as a birthday gift, right before I moved from Montana to Portland. I miss her so much. These earrings remind me of her every time I wear them.

And now I'm a little sad, so I'm gonna go out into the sun with my lover! Food and coffee here we come!

Star Trek

I'm wearing: Hot Topic t-shirt, F21 skirt, Target flats and necklace.

(Disclaimer: I took these photos myself! Inside! That's why they suck. Sorry... I'll drag Greg outside again tomorrow.)

Okay, maybe this is my favorite t-shirt ever. It, too, was given to me by my mom! I see a theme here. Sadly this is, I believe, where the list of Tees Given To Me By My Mom ends. However, I don't love this shirt just because my mom gave it to me. Oh no. I love it because it is emblazoned with the words "Star Trek", and a picture of the Enterprise. How is that not automatic favorite t-shirt material? It totally is!

I know, I know. But let's try not to be jealous of this epic shirt. You can all have one too, by simply visiting your local emo store Hot Topic! Run, don't walk! (Okay I admit, I shop at Hot Topic more than just rarely... but no need to tell anyone.)

Threw this lovely ensemble on to get some lunch at Cha Cha Cha! with Greg and my friend. I had steak fajitas, which were delicious! But they gave me a stomach ache, as usual when I try to eat Mexican. I think I'm getting used to it, though. That's right, stomach, pull it together! Harden up! If you want to experience delicious fajitas ever again, I expect you to step it up next time.

Oh hey, The Golden Compass finished downloading! I'm gonna go do that now...

Summer Colors

I'm wearing: Anthropologie dress, Old Navy flats, Forever21 necklace, Claire's earrings.

I felt like dressing rather gypsy-esque today. I'm not sure it worked out, exactly, but I do think the purple suits my new hair.

Sorry I don't have a lot to chat about today! I'm still on the search for work in Portland, which is a lot harder than I had somehow expected. Oh well, something will come along.

Thanks for all of your lovely comments, by the way, everyone! I'm so taken aback by the quick feedback and sweetness of my readers. I'm surprised anybody has even found this blog, it being so new and all. Thank you!

WTF hair

Turns out I dyed my own hair last night. Also turns out, I should not dye my own hair! Admittedly, the color looks better in the sunlight, but it turned out way darker than I had intended. I wanted it to be a rich chocolate brown, and instead it looks almost black! I spent a while last night wailing about how I'm a goth kid now, ignoring Greg's assurance that it looked fine. I mean, I love goth kids, and emos, and whoever else dyes their hair black. It's just not my style. I feel like a poseur now. Oh well, hopefully it will lighten in the summer sun. The Portland sun... yes.

I'm wearing: Old Navy tunic, Target cami and flats, vintage belt, thrifted denim skirt, F21 necklace, lame self-dyed hair.

I don't feel very confident about today's outfit, either. It's so hot out that I figured I'd try wearing something "summery", which is definitely not my forte when it comes to getting dressed. I absolutely loathe hot weather, the sun, bare legs, bare arms, and sweating. So needless to say, I don't enjoy having to get dressed for these things! Ugh. If I could wear sweaters and black tights all year long it wouldn't be enough.

That said, I do like this belt. Er. Yep!

DDR

Today has been a good day! Slept in, heard a super bizarre-sounding bird outside the window, had some chocolate cheerios... that was nice. Then Greg and I walked to the bank and I deposited my tax refund (yesss! much needed!), and drove out to the huge Target semi-near (not really at all) our place. I picked up some hair dye (stay tuned for that!), a scale to keep up with my Weight Watchers without having to pay for the meetings, and some kleenex. I'll have you know, allergy season in Portland is not fun.

After running our errands, Greg and I walked from our apartment to My Thai Bistro, just a short walk down Hawthorne. We both absolutely love our neighborhood; it's beautiful and quiet, with two amazing streets full of delicious food, vintage clothes, and all kind of amazing little shops just a few blocks away in both directions. We were the only people in the thai place, but it was peaceful, and my diet Pepsi definitely had a cherry in it. So fun! I wish I'd taken pictures.

Then we got some FroYo from Swirl, which (much to my scale's dismay) has the most amazing toppings, such as: brownie bites, Mike & Ikes, gummi bears, cookie dough, strawberries, cheesecake chunks, AND MORE. It's pretty ridonk. I'm addicted, needless to say.

I mean, okay, after all that fun stuff, obviously I had a good day, but it doesn't end there. Oh no. It does not. Can't forget to take my outfit into account! I'm absolutely in love with it today. I did have to change into sandals before going to dinner, as it was quite warm out, but they were awesome sandals.


I'm wearing: Express skirt, Delia's boots, ModCloth tee, Ralph Lauren sunglasses (prescription lawwwl), Urban Outfitters backpack (which you can't see, but know that it is Epic).

My mom got me this badass Deutsche Demokratische Republik t-shirt for my birthday last month, and it's my new favorite tee. I took three years of German in high school and another two in college, and visited a friend in Trier in western Germany a few summers ago, so Germany holds a special place in my heart. I love anything and everything German. I recommend that everybody goes there at least once! If only for the delicious beer.

Dresses and Stuff

Oh man, sorry about the delay in posts. Kind of. Not really -- I've been rather busy going to engagement parties, moving couches, TV-hunting, and generally doing useful life things! So never mind about the sorry. But it is good to be making another blog post.

Today I felt I'd go a bit more masculine with the blazer and oxfords. I'm so in love with these shoes; they go with everything, and they make everything a bit more funky and fun and vintage-y. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing!


I'm wearing: Target dress, necklace, and blazer; Aldo shoes; gifted tights (from Greg); vintage watch (as a bracelet; it doesn't work! ha).

Today I had my first ever experience with wedding dress shopping! No, it wasn't for me, although I wouldn't mind trying on all of those flowy silk gowns. No, it was for a good friend, one of the best, and she found the absolute perfect gown for herself! I'm so happy for her -- she got a good deal, too. I can't resist good deals. Later I'm going to have to go through the rigamarole of trying on and picking out a bridesmaid dress, which I'm not sure will be super fun or super stressful... we'll see! For now, I'm gonna just stick to cheap Target dresses, thanks.

Stupid Sneakers

Today's outfit was built around this thought: "Hey, I wanna wear my thigh highs tomorrow. I also wanna wear that pleated blue skirt I never wear! Let me come up with some stuff that I could wear with it!"

Needless to say, it is a highly inspired look. Thanks again to Greg, who is the Best Ever for helping me with these photos. I'll get a tripod soon, but until then, he's stuck with this awkwardness.


I'm wearing: Target thigh highs and necklace, Max Rave skirt, American Eagle tee, Old Navy cardigan, F21 sneakers.

These sneakers are pretty useless. They're almost a size too big, I don't really like the plaid pattern, and they make an odd muffled clicking when I walk in them (which of course implies high quality soles). I only wear them when I really want to wear sneakers, because these are my only pair. I should probably invest in some Converse again... sigh.

By the way, does anybody know how to make these pictures bigger in my blog? Seriously, blogger, throw me a bone here.

Over-Exposed Mourning

Thank you ever so to my long-suffering boyfriend Greg for taking these shots. Sadly, these are pretty much the only two that came out not blurry, and all of them were over-exposed. I love my boyfriend, very much, but has he ever used a digital camera before?


That said, today was pretty anxiety-ridden at the outset. I had a phone interview at 1:30, and spent the hour or so before that sitting stiffly in my desk chair, looking at my phone, thinking I should probably go to the bathroom but worrying I wouldn't have enough time -- what if they phoned right as I was in there? Finally the call came, and it went much more smoothly than expected. Wish me luck for employment here in Portland, kids!

I am wearing: Old Navy skirt, American Eagle tee, Wet Seal belt (came with some skirt I no longer have), Target flats and tights, F21 necklace.

I decided to wear all black and brown today. Greg's first reaction was, "Are you in mourning?" ...Yes. I am mourning the fact that I don't have a black dress that I could have worn. Instead, I was forced to combine a t-shirt/nightie and a tiered skirt. Oh well, works for me!

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Star Power

Yes, the oft-sought Star Power, the power that makes you become a psychedelic rainbow strobe person, all enemies annihilated at your touch! Star Power! Star Power.

Now that that's out of the way, I had a very inspirational and life-affirming talk on the phone with a dear friend today. She gave me some insights that I have been reaching for, yet missing, for many years now. A life change takes more than just a conversation, but the two of us are so alike, and I feel that if she can do it, so can I. There's no need to lie around fatigued and negative all the time!

Speaking of fatigued: today's outfit. I was actually "lounging" around in pants and a t-shirt earlier, as it was laundry day, but I may or may not be getting pints with a friend later, so I figured I should put on some actual clothes. That, and who wants to spend their whole day in pants and a tee? NOBODY.




I am wearing: Forever21 skirt & necklace, Betsey Johnson sweater tights via Modcloth (you can't see the bow pattern really; sad), Target flats (from the little girls' section!), AA sweatshirt.

Thus, the sweatshirt and skirt unbeatable combo. This is pretty much a staple for me: short skirt, tights, flats, something on top. Stay tuned to discover what I'll wear on top next!!

Trufax: Portland Rules.

On an oddly sunny day, at least based on the near-month exposure we've had to Portland weather in late spring, Greg and I walked the three or so blocks to Hawthorne Street to scope some lunch. It was a regretfully short-lived excursion, as Greg isn't much for window-shopping, and neither of us have any extra cash to throw around at things like musty old books and vintage clothes. We settled for a slice of pizza each at a corner cafe I can't remember the name of, and watched what seemed like the entire world walk past the windows.

It really does seem like the whole world lives here. There are more people in the Portland-metro area than there are in the entire state of Montana, so I guess it's not a stretch to feel that way, as silly as it sounds. We truly are in the heart of the city, here between Belmont and Hawthorne. It may not be downtown, but it has such a vibrant, local feel that to me it truly is the city.


I wore: Target skirt, knee socks, and flats; Hot Topic tee; thrifted belt; Claire's earrings; Urban Outfitters bag; and Zenni Optical glasses (which I wear everyday, happily enough!).

I didn't put a lot of thought into what I wore, as I wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible. My only guidelines were: light, comfortable, casual, and nerdy. I don't always go for a "nerdy" look, as I find it kind of silly to always dress as a headline to my sub-cultural identity, but every once in a while I like to dress like a geek on purpose. So, if anybody decides to judge me based on a brief glance at my outfit, they'll assume I'm some kind of geek-nerd. This was the goal of my outfit, if only in a vague way!

On the next warm sunny day, I may even be brave enough to sport my only pair of sandals. It will require me to stop being lazy and paint my toenails, though.