i HEART lists

Blog Goggles and Glamour are both making lists... and we know how much I love those! So I've decided that I'm going to copycat them both and make two lists of my own!

My Makeover-My-Life List

1. No more unproductive fights. They are a waste of energy and don't solve anything. So I am telling myself not to fight unless I am going to be a big girl and try to solve whatever issue is at hand.

2. Clean. I can't focus on anything (namely homework) if my surroundings are a pit. Now I will do my very best to keep things tidy-ish all the time so that it doesn't look like a bomb exploded in my apartment most of the time. And that means I have to start doing the dishes more frequently.

3. Stop procrastinating. Okay, I will admit that this one is a little bit unrealistic, but I wanted to put it on the list anyway. I will try my best to stop procrastinating. Example: tonight, I had an assignment due at midnight for an online class. I got out of work at 9:30 and still had 2/3 of the chapter to read. Yeah, not my proudest moment. I wrote my response about what I had read. Ugh.

4. Eat better and exercise - for the health benefits. Ignoring the rant I went on a few posts ago, I need to be healthy. Example: for lunch today, I went to Arby's and had not one but two ham melts and an order of curly fries... and I washed it down with a Mountain Dew. Oh my gawd, this is not good. Not good at all. Also, still convincing the BF to go halvesies on an exercise bike.

5. Have a cute winter wardrobe. Winter is blah, and I really don't like bundling up. However, I know that it is possible to still look cute, even with eight layers on. So I am determined to look good and therefore feel good this winter!

My Big Dreams List

1. Travel to interesting places. Top on my list: India, Japan, China, and Italy.

2. Graduate from college! I am almost there and I swear I will finish and hopefully still have my sanity in tact!

3. Be comfortable in my career. I know this isn't something that will happen immediately, and I understand that it may be awhile until I find something that works well for me. I am, however, determined to find something that fits me just right!

4. Buy a house! I am addicted to House Hunters and Hidden Potential, so I daydream about about buying a home all the time. The Boyfriend and I are always talking about our dream home with an awesome master suite and a movie theater room and a hot tub. Someday!

5. Publish a book. I love writing, and it would be an awesome accomplishment if I could work on something long enough to actually create a book that others would enjoy.

stairs are fun!

my distorted image of beauty

(photo from Glamour)

There’s been a lot of talk lately about supermodels not needing to be superthin to be beautiful. Glamour has decided to include all sorts of body types in its pages. Women all over the world are excited about this new phenomena and are recreating what it means to be beautiful.

Okay, I am about to be completely honest in the worst way possible. I swear I am making a point, and it’s not to offend people.

I am not excited about this “big is beautiful” perspective. I saw the picture of Lizzie Miller in the September issue of Glamour, and my first thought was, “Why would she do that? Why would she want everyone to see her roll? That’s gross.” I realize that these thoughts are wrong, wrong, wrong. But I can’t seem to keep myself from thinking them.

Is it true what they say about girls reading too many magazines and creating unrealistic expectations about their body? I’ve read about that and I’ve always blown it off as psychological mumbo-jumbo. The media can’t really affect a person that deeply, can it? I’m starting to realize that I might be exactly that young woman who now thinks that only thin women are beautiful because of the images she’s been exposed to.

Back in middle school and my first year of high school, I made it a secret goal of mine to not weigh over 99 pounds. I wouldn’t eat breakfast by telling my mom I wasn’t hungry in the morning. I’d take my bag lunch to school, maybe eat the piece of fruit or a few pretzels if anything at all, and throw the rest away. Dinner came around, and I’d push things around on my plate to make it look like I ate more than I did.

This routine became exhausting, and I decided that it had to stop. So my sophomore or junior year, I started eating like a normal person and gained quite a bit of weight which I am reminded of by the white and purple stretch marks that cover my inner thighs. However, I was never a big girl. I’ve always been petite and vow to never let that change. Being thin is surprisingly important to me.

I’d like to say that the obsessive thoughts about my appearance have left me as I’ve matured, but that isn’t true. I’m currently begging my boyfriend to split the cost of a new exercise bike so that I can lose the bit of pudge that’s made its way to my tummy. I constantly think to myself, “Should I be eating that? It’s going to go straight to my tummy.” There’s nothing wrong with being healthy or wanting to exercise, I get that, but when my main goal is to lose that bit of pudge, it’s for all the wrong reasons.

My hope is that when these normal size women start entering the pages of magazines or walk the runway, my irrational thinking will start to fade. I know deep down that this thinking of mine is bad, so I am hopeful that being exposed to other types of women will give me a more realistic perspective about women’s bodies – and my own.

Chanel and yumminess

I only have a few minutes to spare since I'm a busy bee these days, but two important little tidbits:

Karl Lagerfeld decided to put a few fake tattoos on the Chanel models in a recent runway show... as a tattoo lover myself and a diehard Chanel fan, I think I might pass out from the awesomeness.

(See all the looks here, at Glamour!)

Next, I have been super busy and kind of cranky these days, so I am vowing to change my eating habits in an effort to boost my mood. When I eat better, I feel better about myself in general, and I usually have more energy. I'll keep you posted about the changes I make in my diet in the coming week. :)

This. Is. Epic.

My sister is a junior this year, and as is tradition at many high schools, Homecoming Week is filled with days of naughtiness and mischievous behavior. This includes toilet papering houses (my parents' house was done FIVE times), hazing the underclassmen, and much more.

A recent tradition has been to toilet paper the house of one of the science teachers. As a creative and mischievous man himself, he plots with another teacher and a handful of friends to get back at the students this year.

SEVENTEEN cars packed full of students park in a lot nearby his house. Dozens of juniors and seniors erupt from the vehicles with more toilet paper than you can imagine. Armed with homemade SYRUP GUNS, the teachers fight back. Oh, and yes the cops were called, and no, they haven't seen anything like this:

Not enough time to watch all 9 minutes? After learning about the handmade weaponry, move ahead to about 3:30 to see them in action!

Mad Men

I just started watching MadMen, so when I saw this Mad Men meets Sesame Street video, I just couldn't help myself!

(video found here)

when did we get this way?

The weather has been getting quite a bit chilly lately! Last night, the Boyfriend and I went to my little sister's Homecoming Powderpuff game and bonfire. Thank goodness for the huge bonfire, because I think I would have froze to death! I'm in denial, however, that its time to bust out the mittens just quite yet (although I do have a love affair with cozy mittens) so when I saw this dress, I knew it was the perfect thing for the summer-to-fall transition: it's edgy but fabulous!

(dress from Glamour.com)

Warning: I am about to vent a whole lot, so brace yourself.

1. Two nights ago, the BF and one of our mutual friends thought it would be a good idea to get me wasted since I don't really drink much these days. A bottle and a half of wine later, we suddenly somehow find ourselves discussing a recent argument between me and the BF. Our friend willingly played the role of the therapist as we re-argued everything. I ended up crying and smoking a cigarette outside with our friend as the BF sat inside and stewed angrily. I finished the second bottle of wine and followed it up with three shots of vodka before tucking myself into bed. We woke up the next morning and pretended like nothing happened.

When the hell did we become so dysfunctional?

2. The BF applied for a promotion at work recently, and we've been crossing our fingers that he'd get it. It'd be great for his career and we could really use the extra money these days. Except for seniority, we really thought he would be perfect for the position. He got a letter of denial today.

3. I have an appointment for a tattoo in a few days. It's with an amazing artist who I worked with before, and therefore I know that he will be very upset if I cancel last minute. The problem is, I don't know what I really want to get, and I really can't afford it either. Now what?

4. School is taking over my life. Well, one class in particular. We're doing that competition for GM and I swear, it's consuming me. Checking my Facebook isn't even fun anymore since my message inbox is filled with messages about this stupid class.

5. I am so irresponsible. I have to do volunteer work for one of my other classes, and I planned to meet with a teacher at an elementary school today to discuss what I'll be working on. Guess who forgot? Yup, me. Way to make a good first impression, right? I suck.

So there you have it. I'm cranky. Someone wanna buy that dress for me to make me feel better? :)