Monday, November 30, 2009

Why you so speechless?



My brother came home from work and started slamming things around in his room and wouldnt talk to anyone so I made him cookies.

I got twitter, you guys! Follow me!.

"Don't go home tonight and tell all your friends and family that you love Lady Gaga. I want you to go home and look in the mirror and say, 'I Love Myself'"
-Lady Gaga, at her concert. Needless to say, it was breathtaking and i completely rocked out to every song. I've been sitting here for a few minutes trying to type something to adequately explain how amazing the experience was, but i can't do it justice. Just go see her if you have the chance, okay?

Outfit post and review of Winona's book coming soon, so stay tuned!

Love Always,
Amy

Friday, November 27, 2009

You gotta think

As I've mentioned before, I'm in university for an honours BA in History and Women's Studies. If you'd like to know more about Women's Studies, feel free to email me!

My field of study teaches me to critically analyze the world and it's social structures, structures which are often extremely oppressie to women and other marginalized groups, such as people of colour, gays/lesbians/bisexuals/transgendered people, the economically disadvantaged, disabled people, and the list goes on.

Something that's really been upsetting me lately that I wanted to talk about is the whole controversy surrounding Adam Lambert's performance at the AMAs, during which he simulated oral sex with a male dancer, and kissed a male musician on stage. I'm of the opinion that Lambert's performance was absolutely amazing and I believe the sexually-suggestive acts committed were really awesome and liberating. Whether or not you share my opinion about the performance is irrelevent. What I want to stress here is the aftermath of the performance and the double standards and discrimination at play.

Lambert was scheduled to perform on a CBS morning program a few days ago, but the performance was cancelled and the network cited the controversy surrounding Adam's AMA performance as the reason. They also blurred the image of Lambert kissing his male musician when reporting on the story. I'm sure you all recall the infamous Britney Spears-Madonna-Christina Aguilera kiss from an awards ahow several years back. The image of these women kissing was never blurred for public television, so why was the image of Adam Lambert kissing another male deemed inappropraite for public view? Patriarchy, my friends, patriarchy.

Women kissing one another feeds into straight male fantasies as is thus deemed socially acceptable and even encouraged in many situations (ever played truth or dare? Yeah.). This is why Katy Perry can sell a bajillion records singing about kissing girls, but Adam Lambert gets performances cancelled and his face blurred on TV. Girls kissing is "hot", yet a gay kiss is "gross", "inappropraite", "too controversial". On another note, while Adam Lambert was not allowed to perform on CBS, apparently it's okay to have Chris Brown go on-air to talk about how he beat his girlfriend in February. The message this sends? Being gay is not okay and not allowed on television, but if you beat up a woman, we'll TOTALLY give you even more airtime!

I encourage you to read this article from Feministing.com for more information, and think critically about the media.

Love Always,
Amy

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The truth never set me free, so I'll do it myself


Taken in the crazy hallway of mirrors in Nathan's house on Sunday. I should really be finishing up my term paper right now, but i figure I'll just wake up early tomorrow morning. I'm still a better student than my classmate i did an oral presentation with yesterday. She didn't know what the word "cyclical" meant and asked me not to use it in the presentation because she thought it would confuse people. Seriously?! Anyway...


Cardigan: Jacob, $40
Tanktop: Old Navy, $5
Belt: Thrifted, $2
Jeans: Joe Fresh via Goodwill, $3
Clip-on earrings worn as brooch: Vintage from great-grandmother

I really liked this outfit for two reasons. Number one, this is the first time i have ever worn a shirt tucked into jeans. I've never really felt like i had the tummy for it but i think it worked out well. Number two, I love cardigans (Had you guys figured that out yet?) and i usually wear them buttoned so they don't slip off my shoulders all the time. However on this day i wanted the cardi to be open to show off my super-awesome tucked-in shirt. So I clipped these old clip-on earrings to the neck of the cardigan and they really helped anchor it so it wasn't slipping off so much. I'm a genius.


Detail shot

When my life is crazy-busy (like, uh, RIGHT NOW), i like to listen to a lot of really epic music to keep me going. I love being on the bus wearing my pretty purple dress and feeling smug because no one knows i'm listening to gangster rap or a crazy guitar riff on my bright pink ipod. Feeling uninspired? Here's a list of some of the songs I've been listening to lately.

1. Careful- Paramore
2. Ashes- Embrace
3. House of Wolves- My Chemical Romance
4. Run- Snow Patrol
5. Bad Romance- Lady Gaga (obvs!)
6. Numb/Encore- Linkin Park and Jay-Z (please note this song is definately NSFW and not for everyone. The uncensored version has some very, very objectionable phrases but i absolutely adore mix of rap and rock)
7. Tranquilize- The Killers
8. The Wizard and I- Original Cast Recording of Wicked
9. Innocent- Our Lady Peace
10. Jai Ho- A. R. Rahman (a.k.a. Not the PCD version)

I didn't include any of my rap favs on here because I feel guity as a feminist endorsing such mysogynistic/violent/homophobic music. We all have our guilty pleasures though, right?

See you all when this @#$%^*& term paper is done!

Love Always,
Amy

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The back of yo' head is ridiculous

A little while ago, Kyla at Blue Collar Catwalk made a tutorial video about how to do a top knot hairstyle. I commented about how sad I was 'cause it looks so good on Kyla but I have a mane and it would look ridiculous on me. Kyla replied with something along the lines of "GRRRRL yo hairz would look FIERCE in a topknot". So I tried it and this is what I came up with!



Please note that this photograph was taken after being out in the rain all afternoon. Just sayin', it looked better before i left the house and stepped into the humidity. I wasn't sure about how the style looked on me, but my boyfriend liked it and I guess he would have said soemthing if he thought I looked ridiculous because he's the one that has to be seen in public holding my hand...

Oh yeah,
Sweater: Smart Set
Skirt: Thrifted, $4
Tights: Garage, $10

Everyone should try doing a top knot! I found it really comfortable, especially for sleeping, 'cause you're not lying on your hair. Also, if my hair is down on a rainy day it turns into a huge frizzy mess (even more so than usual), so this was a good solution.

P.S. The title of this post is derived from this hilarious YouTube video that I'm sure half of you have seen at some point. Whenever i ask people for their numbers in real life, i say it like this guy does haha.

Love Always,
Amy

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Things i bought this week


New earrings from work! I've had these on hold for about fifty years and finally decided to grab them today. They're crystal and sterling silver. Click the photo for a larger view.


Vanilla Nutmeg body lotion from The Body Shop. Today was 20% off their loyalty card holders PLUS buy-one-get-one half off seasonal products (like this lotion) PLUS card members got a free body butter. How could i resist? I bought one of these lotions for me and one for my mom for Xmas. I love it so much because i've been getting sick of super-sweet-smelling vanilla products, and the nutmeg in this lotion adds a perfect hint of alluring spiciness. Plus so far it has made my hands ridiculously soft. Win.

Lately I Am...
Eating: Lots of dried apricots. I swear i get more random cravings than pregnant ladies.
Drinking: Approximately a litre of orange juice per day trying to ward off H1N1
Listening to: The lovely sounds of my brother's respiratory infection in the next room...
Researching: Appropriate methodology for researching abuse in Aboriginal communities
Feeling: Cold
Reading (book variety): "A Simple Story" by Elizabeth Inchbald and "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, both for Women in Literature class.
Reading (blog variety): Work With What You've Got

P.S. Worn Fashion Journal needs your help!. They are an independant, volunteer-driven fashion mag and have run into a bit of trouble. The lovely Anna is a dedicated intern of theirs and she explains everything in THIS POST onher blog. Please consider helping Worn out if you can <3

Love Always,
Amy

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

I'll Do Anything For You

School is still crazy but I need to take a break sometime, right? Also I think i'm coming down with H1N1 and am too paranoid to concentrate on my term paper right now anyway.


Tank top: Old navy, $5
Cardigan: Jacob, Gift from BF
Skirt: Jacob, Gift from BF
Shoes: Vintage from Mom's closet

This skirt is the shortest and tightest skirt i own. Let's just say there's a reason Nathan bought it for me when i wasn't going to... I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my fabulous boy for taking a lot of my outfit pictures on this blog. He is very patient :)

Did anyone see the Meteor shower? Nathan called me late last night asking me if i wanted to drive out of the city lights to see the meteors at one in the morning. How could i resist the chance to do the kind of thing Taylor Swift would write a song about?


We snuggled in the trunk of Nathan's parents Subaru on a random stretch of road south of the city until i got too paranoid about axe murderers and made him drive back into civilization...


Nathan brought me his father's parka from when they lived in Winnipeg. It wasn't cold, i'm just chickenshit.


Look at the stars.. Look how they shine foooor yoooou... and everything you do...

We stayed out for about an hour. I saw one meteor but it may have been a figment of my imagination. Oh well, only 30 years till the next shower, right?

IMPORTANT READER POLL: Should i get a twitter account? Do enough of ya'll care about what i would "tweet"? Please comment and let me know: i can't decide!

Love Always,
Amy

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Sunday Night Shoutouts

Everyone go buy Lou Lou Magazine because a friend of mine from middle school in the model in their huge editorial spread on pages 60-67! She is beautiful, and actually eats! Bonus!

Another reason i will never buy an Iphone

The amazing Anna, another old friend, featured me in a post about her favourite blogs this week. She's an intern at Worn Fashion Journal and is in the mag this month! (Found that out from Isabel.) I lubs yew too, Fitzy <3

My girl Taylor's hilarious SNL monologue song. Oh man, and the hilarious Shakira impression, too.

I forget how, but i somehow stubbled on Kenz's blog, All the Weigh. First of all, i didn't know people made weightloss blogs, and my first thought was "what a fabulous idea"! But the thing that struck me most was this girls beautiful attitude towards her life. Even if you're not trying to lose weight, read this blog and be inspired by Kenz's amazingly inspirational outlook.

I recently got back into wasting time playing this ridiculous game that my friends and i used to play when we were hungover in highschool for HOURS.

Make-up with unicorns on the packaging? Yes please. LimeCrime

Now if you'll excuse me, i need to write an essay on an 18th century novel I haven't read. Wish me luck. Seriously.

Love Always,
Amy

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Put a ring on it

I'm an absolute jewellery fanatic, and i really believe jewellery is a big part of fashion. I've worked in a tiny silver store for almost three years now and have ammassed quite the colection of baubles. I've been looking for a big ring with a beautiful, natural stone for a while now and the store i work in just wasn't providing. So i went elsewhere. I'm a traitor, whatevs.


The one on my middle finger is a stone called Malachite and the one on my first finger is Labradorite, which looks different depending on the angle you're looking from. Tilted a certain way, Labrodorite appears very greyish, but when the light hits it right you can see a play of blueish green colours and sparkles in it.

As i was taking this picture i thought it would be fun (read: ridiculous) to put all of my rings on one hand to show you guys. So i tried but i couldn't fit them all... So i just did all my sterling silver rings.


*listed from bottom to top of each finger*
Pinkie finger: Amethyst, Blue topaz, plain silver rose
Ring finger: cubic zirconia ring that is NOT an engagement ring (usually worn on right hand), Claddagh ring also usually worn on right hand (signifies relationship status), Amber, Turquoise
Middle finger: Malachite, plain silver, plain silver sunflower
First finger: Labradorite, Amber, Shell.

Phew. Honestly the reason i'm so into rings right now is because i stopped biting my nails. Whenever this happens (usually once every two years for a few months, though i'm hoping this time i'll stick to it) i buy rings because i think my hands look pretty. I also buy nailpolish. This is the same one i mentioned in the last post: "Black Cherry Chutney" by OPI. I looooove this nailpolish!

What are your favourite stones to wear in jewellery (rings, pendants, earings, whatever!)? Why do you like these stones?

Love Always,
Amy

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Let all fall away that's not crucial now

Mixture of awesome and annoying things going on in my life right now.

The awesome: I won Winona's book, Closet Confidential, from Ambika over at (Into) The Fray. I NEVER win things. The last thing i won was probably my sixth-grade leadership award. I'm so excited to get it in the mail, Daddy Likey is by far one of my favourite blogs and Winona is hilarious. Thank you so much for holding that awesome contest, Ambika!

I also got a new phone, the Samsung Link. It's basically a Blackberry knockoff since i would never use any of the functions on a blackberry and as such, refuse to pay $400 for one. So far, so good. Samsung phones have always served me well. Until i drop them into toilets like i did in highschool, but that's another story.

The annoying: So. Much. School. Work. Must. Get. Scholarship. Or. Father. Will. Cry.

Anyway.


Sweater: Jacob, $20
Skirt: Gap, $6
Pumps: Madden Girl, Mom's
Jewelery: All great-grandmother's

I love the square neck of this sweater. You don't find square necklines around a lot, so i HAD to buy this sweater... after considering the $20 price tag for a number of weeks, 'cause that's how us cheap ladies roll.


I dunno about you guys, but i kind of love my "omg the sunlight is eating me" pictures. They're etheral, in an "i really don't know how to take pictures so i just stand directly in front of the sun and see what happens" kind of way.

In this picture you can kind of see my new nailpolish which i love love LOVE. It's called "Black Cherry Chutney" by OPI, and it's a really dark purple. I sure know how to pick 'em when it comes to those silly OPI names...

Love Always,
Amy

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Things i would sell my brother for: Gorgeous vintage cardigan edition



The perfect embellished cardigan, here.

I've been looking for a lovely heavily beaded cardigan for a while now. This one is perfect but sadly out of my price range. Vintage beaded cardigans are the perfect mix of glamour and classic style.

I'm off to watch Taylor Swift on SNL. I'm excited :)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Love is free

Just spent over an hour trying to get a new header up. Do you guys like it? It's just a picture i took of a bunch of my stuff... Hair bow, necklaces, and the lids from little vintage vanity jars i have. I like this new layout except for the way it cuts the pictures in the post below in half, but maybe i'll get around to fixing that. Anyway, on to today's outfit...


Cardigan: Mexx, FREE (found in classroom)
Dress: Garage, $30
Tights: Garage
Boots: Winners, $40

I found this amazing cardigan in one of my classrooms last week and it was pretty much the happiest moment of my life. My size, good quality, and seemingly brand new! It was there for two days so it became MINE.

Love Always,
Amy

Sunday, November 1, 2009

My grown-up Halloween

Edit: Sorry about the photos in this post not fitting the template of the blog! At least you can still see almost all of them ;)

So grown-up halloween is way more fun than childhood halloween ever was. First of all, my little brother always got more candy than me 'cause he was cuter. Secondly, you had to go to all the houses to get candy instead of just buying it on sale the next day at Wal-Mart. This year, i stayed in with the boyfriend, drank champagne, and watched Hocus Pocus. Sarah Jessica Parker and Disney "horror" effects circa 1993: fascinating.



We only got about thirty kids this year. There was tons of extra candy. Needless to say, that candy is now all in my tummy.

I "dressed up" for work in the afternoon. I was supposed to be a pin-up girl, but i've totally worn this outfit on a regular summer day. Oh well.



Pencil skirt: Smart set
Tank top: Suzy Shier, $10
Cardigan: Mom's
Shoes: Aldo, Gift from bf
Lipstick: L'oreal, "Penelope's Shade"





Hope everyone else had a good Halloween!

Love Always,
Amy