2005 called

So I rearranged my closet the other day. Not necessarily to get rid of things, but to get, for example, all the dresses together and to have tank tops separated from sleeved tops, that kind of stuff. In doing so I found a few things I had more or less forgotten about. This dress is one of those things.

This dress is super 2005. It was the first open back dress I ever saw, and it straight BLEW my mind. I remember lusting after it my sophomore year in college, but not having the money to buy it. I scoured the internet, sometimes just googling it to look at it, but it was sold out everywhere that would have had it cheaper. I had to wait, and wait I did.

Then in late 2006 when I had all but forgotten about it, I found it at Nordstrom Rack for $20.

What's my hand doing? It's kind of like I'm saying "bitch please" with my body language here.

Dress: Drifter

Hat: Buffalo Exchange

Leggings: Forever 21

Shoes: Keds

Wearing this dress brought me back instantly to 2005, and walking to school today I listened to a bunch of my absolute favorite songs from that time period... ahem...

"Absence" Antarctica

"Linear" Mewithoutyou

"Piano" Last Days of April

"All the Shitty Things" and "Idle Hands" Murder City Devils

On that note... on the OFF chance anyone who knows someone whose cousin knows someone who does taxes for the guy who used to drive the tour bus for Murder City Devils sees this... please tell them to make more. MORE. I need more. I've listened to the entirety of their scant, albeit utterly flawless, discography too many times over this last decade.

I swear, sometimes you just need to listen to those songs that instantly transport you to other places and times. I was an oh-so-angsty 19 year old who had no conception of the what, why and wherefore of her existence walking to school this morning. It was immensely comforting to know I've been this confused about, well, life in general before, and in retrospect it all worked out in ways I would never have been able to foresee at the time.

But seriously, Murder City Devils need to make more music.

I'm kind of moody and introspective today. It happens... actually, it happens every... oh... 21 days or so... if you're picking up what I'm putting down.

Me and my hormones need to get to the lab now... holy crap I'm late! Have wonderful days anyone who might read muh ramblin'!

Mex-I-Can

I bought this dress yesterday. Well technically I didn't buy it, I returned a whole bunch of stuff from urbanoutfitters.com that didn't fit and got this dress with some of the money I had coming back to me. So it was like a free dress! (yeah, that's how it works...) Anyway, I got it because I'm going to Mexico this weekend, and I thought it would be perfect.

NOTE: I did this in such a hurry this morning I didn't notice how terrible some of the pictures were... there was strange and indecent side boob, so I switched them out.

My boyfriend's family has a house in Rocky Point, and I have never gone with him because it seems like everyone you talk to about Mexico has had an uncle/neighbor/cousin/cousin's friend/brother-in-law who has been killed by the Mexican drug cartel, and to someone as gullible as me, that's pretty scary.

You know, I should probably start referring to my boyfriend by his name because I am just realizing it gets kind of tedious to type "my boyfriend, my boyfriend, my boyfriend." His name is Bob, but I've always spelled it Bahb because it's more phonetically correct. And he just changed it from "Bob" to "Bahb" on Facebook which made my heart so stinking happy! Awww... whatta guy :)

Anyway, Bahb swears that most people just make shit up about how bad Mexico is and that we're fine where we're going, so hopefully I will be able to relax and not worry every freaking second until I pull back into my driveway! Have I mentioned I'm high-strung?

Dress: Urban Outfitters (Ecote)

Jacket: Target

Socks: Target

Boots: Frye

Bangle: Express

Sun Glasses: Ray Bans

I am apparently saying "oh no!" here.

Also, about the skirt I wore Friday, I got a few comments saying that it could totally pass for vintage, and I just wanted to say, that it actually is vintage... look at!

Urban Renewal just finds these skirts and hems them. So you guys were right, I mean a plaid that amazing HAS to be vintage. But it also means it's a veritable crap shoot when you order online and that the "small" can encompass all possible permutations within the sizing spectrum. This might fuel, to an extent, my severe love/hate relationship with Urban Renewal.

Ok, so unrelated, I am scared to death of spiders. Like seriously. I can't even look at pictures of them without starting to cry in terror. With that said, it's pretty neat because the warm weather has driven all the shit you want out of your house inside. Like spiders. You ever get the feeling that there's something on you and then there's nothing there? Well that keeps happening to me, except there is something there, there's a goddamn tiny spider. This has even happened to me while I was sleeping. IN MY BED. MY BED. The one island of safety I had left from spiders.

I stayed up all night watching Married with Children and Booty Call because I couldn't face entering my bed.

My whole life my mom has always told me that because I am so much bigger than them that there is nothing to worry about. Now Mom, I love you and all, but guess what? I am also physically larger than handguns, prison shanks and cyanide capsules, but I still feel it's good practice to avoid them at all cost.

Oh well, spiders or no spiders, today is PERFECT out. Sooooo gorgeous. I hope everyone else's weather is just as great :) have wonderful days anyone who might see this!

Love Story

Is anyone else completely useless the day after they cut their fingernails?

Christ, I tackle some real hard hitting stuff with this blahg, don't I?

I'm serious though. I can't open jars, I can't scratch muhself, and latches, doorknobs and zippers? Forget it. Useless. My fingers will be strictly ornamental until I get a little bit of nail back.

On an unrelated note, what the hell is my hand doing? I hate taking my picture, so I take exactly three or four, usually the three or four I post, and that's it. So things like the T-Rex hand slip through.

Totally channeling Ali McGraw from Love Story today. Also, I haven't worn this shirt since 2008, so hooray blogging about what I wear! It's getting me out of "buy crap" mode and into a "what the hell do I already own that I can pair this skirt with?" mode.

Top: Delia's

Skirt: Urban Outfitters (Urban Renewal)

Purse: Dooney & Bourke from the Goodwill by my house

Belt: the Goodwill by my house

Necklace: Buffalo Exchange

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Sunglasses: from the ONLY store on the atoll of Kwajalein

This bag is probably my greatest thrift store find ever. EVER. It still had the tags on and everything, but it was priced $70. I can't spend $70 on something from the Goodwill by my house at this point in my life, so I had to put it back. At the register I asked Yesenia (I will always remember her name for helping bring this purse into my life) when the next half off sale was. She was like "you want that purse don't you?" and I of course said "YES! more than anything I have ever wanted ever" or something equally hyperbolic and she told me that that bag was actually 50% off today. So I peed a little then ran and got it and the rest is history.

Also worthy of note, I have on yet another thrifted necklace with no rash today (granted it's plastic, but a victory nonetheless)! And it's Friday! AND it's a payday! Yay, yay and yay!

Alright, I'm off to feebly thumb my way through my day with my useless stubs of fingernail-less fingers. Have wonderful weekends :)

Holy Georgia O'Keeffe Dress

I have been cold all day! It's a perfect 79 degrees outside, but maybe I acclimated to the high 90's quicker than I thought I would or something, because BRRRRR! As soon as I got home I put these tights on! I am pretty pathetic, I say.

It's a Target type-a day. From head to toe I'm all Target-ed out. I think the turning point with me and Target was when the Rodarte from Target line came out. I had never paid attention to their clothes before, but that line, oh that line, it changed everything. I became OBSESSED with the designer lines, purchasing them online at midnight before they would sell out (I got the Rodarte for Target skeleton dress that sold out instantly that way).

It also makes me respect the designers so much more. I understand there is a sizable amount of income in it for them, but still, I fully support any designer who is willing to work within a paradigm of pricing that is usually only a fraction of that which they are comfortable. It connects them to the needs of 99% of clothing wearers out there, and also gets them thinking creatively, weighing options in terms of cost, as opposed to having no upper limit on materials used and labor required.

Whatever, I'm rambling... I love Target designer lines. Period.

I didn't even know there was a Dolce Vita for Target line out when I stumbled across these boots in stores.

I am pretty fussy when it comes to clothing, and I don't wear a lot of what I have (which I'm working to change, promise!) but these boots get worn. A lot.

Dress: Tucker for Target

Tights: Target

Shoes: Dolce Vita for Target

Bangle: the Goodwill by my house

Necklace: Buffalo Exchange

Sun Glasses: Ray Bans

I am just now noticing the extent to which I wear bangles. It's pretty excessive. In my defense though the only jewelry that doesn't give me super sweet rashes are those made of wood, string, phenol formaldehyde and sterling silver. I would also assume platinum, however, I've yet to have an occasion where I've been in intimate contact with platinum.

It's the nickel I'm allergic to, and considering my profession, that's like a pastry chef having a skin allergy to flour.

I once handled a nickel-based super alloy without thinking about it and had a rash on my hand for like 3 months. I've learned to be careful, kinda.

Check out this sweet necklace I found at Buffalo Exchange and since the metal didn't make direct contact with my skin really, I decided to take a gamble on it. So far so good. But seriously, just look at it for a second.

Palm Trees? Check.

Cluster of three stars? Check.

Bright orange shack? Check.

A flower in the sky above the palm trees? Check.

An enormous butterfly the size of said shack dive bombing into said shack? Check.

What does it all mean?!

Oh well, I love it! For someone with a nickel allergy, finding a thrifted piece of random ass jewelry that does not cause weeks of itchy agony is always a joy, so I shouldn't ask questions.

Thursday already? Hooray almost weekend! Have great days anyone who may see this :o)

This post is hereby dedicated to Brandon...

So no one knew I started this blog, well, no one knew I restarted this blog.

I'm not sure why, maybe because I'm shy about how I look in photographs, so I don't want people who know me to see tons of pictures of me. Maybe because I wasn't sure how I would like it and didn't want people to know in case I got bored in a week. Who knows.

Either way, I finally told someone. I told my BFF extraordinaire, Brandon, who is also an engineer with me where I work.

I was like, "oh my God, don't make fun of me! Don't judge me! I look like such a spaz don't I?" and so on and so forth but I really didn't have anything to worry about because Brandon was really supportive!

So I had a couple of classes today from 10:30 to 1:15 and when I got out of classes I had a text from Brandon saying "why is there no new blog post?!" haha, friends like Brandon make life so magical!

Tonight is MEATLOAF NIGHT!! And, yes, of course meatloaf night deserves all caps and two exclamation points.

Did you ever have a food that you hated as a kid, but once you grew up were obsessed with?

Mine is meatloaf. I make a mean meatloaf, too. I'm actually very excited, I just have to do some homework here and then we're going to make meaaaaatloaf! With mashed potatoes and corn and Pillsbury "Butter Tastin'" rolls. Please, please try them if you see them in a grocery store. There is nothing finer than Butter Tastin'.

Dress: Urban Outfitters (Nom de Plume)

Cami: Express circa 2002

Tights: Target

Scarf: thrifted circa 2002

Bangle: the Goodwill by my house

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Heart-shaped Sunglasses: Juicy Couture

On an unrelated note, this is getting easier, or at least I'm getting more comfortable with this! This blog is rapidly becoming a therapeutic, quasi-cathartic form of expression for me, and for someone as high-strung as me, that is AWESOME.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!