Friday, April 29, 2011

Day 12 – A song from a band you hate

I don't even want to write about this. I hate the Dave Matthews Band almost as much as I hate it's fans, suburban white kids with hemp necklaces and white baseball hats who drive jeeps and call Dave Matthews "Dave" like they're really good friends. Rage.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Day 11 – A song from your favorite band

I might do my nails later, but I'm not sure. I'm in a really awful mood, all nihilism and anger about the economy and my generation's ever diminishing future. I got in a spat with my mom earlier about the boomers, I think they destroyed everything and are all a bunch of jagoffs, and well, she is one. Rawr. I might take a nap, because when I get all fussy I treat myself like a toddler and declare it to be nap time. I did fry up some of our favorite tortillas from a Chicago company we love, making delicious homemade tortilla chips for the first time, so that's good, and there's curry in the crockpot for later, also good.

I don't so much have a favorite band. I have many favorite bands who I love deeply and passionately, each for their own reasons. Today I'll pick the band that probably shaped who I am as a person more than any other non-familial source.




This marks the second appearance of Ms Kathleen Hanna thus far, for those keeping track. She's a woman after my own heart, what can I say?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep (and a manicure)

I'll start with nail photos. This is another manicure where you'd be better off seeing it in person, compounded with the fact that yet again it's grey and overcast out. It's one coat of LA Girl-Crowd Surfing from the Rockstar line, a sheer polish with a green shimmer and flakies that flash orange/orangish pink, yellow, and green, layered over Wet N Wild-Buffy the Violet Slayer from the new-ish fastdry line, a bold almost neon purple with a pearl/chrome finish. The end effect reminds me of Jem, very bright, and truly outrageous (har!)
























Onto the music, I have certain albums that will always be associated with bedtime, Madonna-Bedtime Stories, Siouxie and the Banshees-the Rapture, Sunny Day Real Estate-Diary, Slumber Party-Psychedelicate, the Postal Service-Give Up, Sleater-Kinney-the Hot Rock, and At the Drive-In-Relationship of Command are the ones I can remember most right now (I don't listen to music to fall asleep anymore, I outgrew needing it, now the white noise whir of a fan and an eye shade over my eyes is enough.)

I couldn't find a video from the Slumber Party album, which is sad making because it's such great music, an all girl band from Detroit, that nobody seems to have heard of. Instead I'll give you this- Sunny Day Real Estate-In Circles

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Matte-ly in Love and a song

I did a simple manicure to bust out of the cursed nails loop I was in. Here's two coats of Wet n Wild-Blue Moon topped with Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love matte top coat. First with flash, which shows the shimmer more, then without.





















Day 09 – A song that you can dance to

I'm dating myself with this, but I lived out my hard partying drinking and drugging early 20s during the early aughts, so when I think about dancing I think about dancing drunkenly at hipster house parties, because hipsters don't dance sober. Hipsters also have a habit of really getting into mainstream pop in what they pretend is a semi-detached ironic pose. It isn't, we love this shit. And in the early aughts we drunkenly danced to Outkast.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to

There should be manicure photos here, I'm in the middle of doing my third since my last photos. First the shimmery pink (Love My Nails-Strawberry Sizzle) was destroyed while cleaning the kitchen before I photographed it, then earlier midway through I messed up my attempt at a ruffian (China Glaze-Avalanche with Orly-Liquid Vinyl.)

It's late and Dan has class in the morning, so I won't have a chance to photograph my current manicure until tomorrow, hoping it lasts. I'm having terrible luck.

I did want to put up today's song, even if it's now technically tomorrow. This is my jam, my anthem, my eff you to the world when I'm really fed up- Le Tigre's FYR

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event

When I was 18 years old I moved to a small town in Wisconsin not too far from Minneapolis, MN. I moved there to live with my "boyfriend" a guy I had met on the internet, spent a weekend with, and talked to on the phone daily, but still barely knew. It was an absolutely miserable time for both of us. We quickly grew to despise each other. We lasted maybe 6 months, first in Wisconsin, then in Chicago. When we split up I finally had a complete breakdown because our relationship was that bad. It took a year for me to get fully ok again.


Anyway, my plane trip to Minneapolis from Chicago was my first. It was also the first time I'd live anywhere more than an hour from my mother and all my best friends. I was going to live with someone who for all my juvenile fantasies regarding love was basically a stranger, whose last name I'm completely unable to recall 12 years later. I was scared, so I did what you do when you're 18 and scared, I retreated into fantasy and high hopes. My mother and Joey who I wrote about before drove me to the airport and put me on my plane. My mother hid her eyes behind sunglasses to hide her own scared and sadness. Joey later told me she reminded him of Jackie O after John died. Sad but resolute.

On the plane ride I listened to the same CD I had been listening to the whole time I was planning that terrifying ill fated trip. Retreat from the Sun by that dog. In particular the song "Minneapolis" which I kept trying to convince myself was my good blessing going forward. Forever this song will remind me of leaving Midway airport, and sitting on that plane watching the city I knew shrink away from the window.


On the upside, I did get to see Henry Rollins speak at the University of Minnesota. That was a fantastic experience.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

swanky

Veganism is going great so far, and most importantly has been super delicious. Delicious is my favorite flavor.

Today's manicure is one of the fancy way too expensive for me to buy myself Chanel polishes I got from my in-laws for my birthday. I have to say that though the color is gorgeous and incredibly unique, I wasn't blown away with the Chanel formula. It was thick, sticky, and had a fair amount of bubbling, something I very rarely get at this point. Luckily my Beauty Secrets top coat smoothed most the bibbling out. The color makes up for everything though, I love the signature Chanel hidden shimmer.


















Chanel-Black Pearl (holding my bottle of Orly Bonder because I already put away the polish and I'm too lazy to traipse across the house to fetch it.)

Today's song is Day 06 – A song that reminds you of somewhere
When I was a little kid I was already pretty introverted and awkward. Even though I had friends, I often played alone. Before my parents divorced and we moved we had a long driveway that ran up along the side of our house. I would put on my walkman and roller skate or skateboard in the driveway for hours listening to the Beach Boys and a compilation tape of surf rock we got at a gas station or car wash or somewhere else you would get Rhino Records style compilation cassettes. I had an obsession with California surf culture as kid/early tween despite living in the rust-best Midwest.  I wore baggy board shorts and tie dye and listened almost entirely to surf rock and used valley girl slang and a put-on valley girl accent I learned from cartoons. On my surf rock compilation tape was this song

I Live for the Sun by the Sunrays. Even in my alt rock adolescence I still put this on mix tapes because it's that good. It also will forever remind me of my childhood driveway in the late afternoon in late summer, where the sun is filtered through the trees and it's shadowy and green. Carefree.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone

No new mani today, still wearing the matte pink and black crackle, and still loving it.

In high school my friend Joey and I were on the newspaper. We would get permission to leave during the newspaper class period, allegedly to sell ads for the paper. But we never sold a single ad, instead we would ride around in Joey's car smoking illicit cigarettes. Sometimes we'd go to a store or a gas station to look around or buy candy. On our way to Joey's car we would stop at my car and grab my small CD binder. Joey and I listened to 3 CDs again and again and again, the soundtrack to the movie version of Grease, Bikini Kill's first two records on CD, and Pansy Division-Pile Up. It's like a scene from some 90s coming of age movie, the rebel riot grrrl and her best gay friend escape the conformity of high school and have a rad time in a musical montage. I was going to try to be cool and post something off the Pansy Division or Bikini Kill albums, but really, nothing makes me think of Joey like Grease. Just a few days ago Joey messaged me on facebook to tell me he missed me (a mutual feeling) and quizzed me on lyrics to this song.


Rizzo is the patron saint of bad girls everywhere. To this day I get giddy if I happen across Stockard Channing in a movie.

For my love Joey, who I'll always let see me cry.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

a nubby mani, a song, and news

I'll start with today's song, Day 04 – A song that makes you sad
My first love and probably my best friend ever died of cancer when he was only 22. I'm tearing up just writing this. I have a small blue heart tattooed on my wrist with his first name initial in it. When he was sick I would listen to Guernica by Brand New a lot. It felt like I felt. Now when I hear it I get sad because I miss him, but I still listen because I love the song, and it reminds me of him. It's actually funny though, he was a total music snob, and was into all these obscure punk and metal bands nobody else had heard of, and would totally make fun of me for listening to sissy emo shit.



Onto happier subjects though, I did a new manicure. I had to file my nails down to nubs because of the break the other day, and I think my new nubs guided me to a pretty/ugly punk rockin' mani.





















Wet n Wild-Lust topped with China Glaze-Black Mesh crackle and Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love Matte top coat.

Why am I holding rice vegan cheese you ask? Well, that's my news, me and the hubs have returned to veganism, hopefully fingers and toes crossed we can stick to it this time. Because <begin rant> if you want to live in a world without rape and murder, you shouldn't contribute to the rape and murder of animals, and as a feminist I'm not ok with forcibly impregnating cows, then ripping their young away from them and stealing their milk <end rant>

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

a broken nail and Day 03 – A song that makes you happy

So the corner of my nail on my right middle finger broke yesterday. I filed it down so it wouldn't snag or break more, but it's still a bit wonky and crooked. I don't want to file my nails back to nubs, but I may have to. I'm still rocking the Glitter in the Air cupcake manicure, I've been choosing naps over nail polish the past few days. I might do my nails today, or I might nap again.

Onto today's song, this one was a bit harder. Usually I associate songs with emotions more complex than "happy." So I pondered, and pondered a bit more, and I remembered how downright gleeful this song makes me, it's like a hymn to masturbation and dirty photos. I can't help but clap my hands together and grin when I hear it. Pictures of Lily by the Who.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Day 02 – Your least favorite song

My biological father and I don't speak. My parent's divorced when I was 9 years old, and it was really one of the best things that ever happened to me. Anyway, he used to sing this to me a lot, and if I hear it now I have to leave the room or store or turn off the radio to get away from it.
Van Morrison-Brown Eyed Girl, my least favorite song (I dislike this so much I didn't actually watch the video. If it doesn't work, sorry, you know the song though, everyone does.)

Monday, April 18, 2011

so I think I'm going to try and do this thing

I've seen this going 'round facebook and tumblr, and it looked fun, so here I go
30 Songs in 30 Days
  • Day 01 – Your favorite song
  • Day 02 – Your least favorite song
  • Day 03 – A song that makes you happy
  • Day 04 – A song that makes you sad
  • Day 05 – A song that reminds you of someone
  • Day 06 – A song that reminds you of somewhere
  • Day 07 – A song that reminds you of a certain event
  • Day 08 – A song that you know all the words to
  • Day 09 – A song that you can dance to
  • Day 10 – A song that makes you fall asleep
  • Day 11 – A song from your favorite band
  • Day 12 – A song from a band you hate
  • Day 13 – A song that is a guilty pleasure
  • Day 14 – A song that no one would expect you to love
  • Day 15 – A song that describes you
  • Day 16 – A song that you used to love but now hate
  • Day 17 – A song that you hear often on the radio
  • Day 18 – A song that you wish you heard on the radio
  • Day 19 – A song from your favorite album
  • Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
  • Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy
  • Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
  • Day 23 – A song that you want to play at your wedding
  • Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
  • Day 25 – A song that makes you laugh
  • Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
  • Day 27 – A song that you wish you could play
  • Day 28 – A song that makes you feel guilty
  • Day 29 – A song from your childhood
  • Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year
Day 1-My favorite song
I don't think I have a forever favorite song, because like everyone I'm constantly in flux, growing and changing. Lately going from winter to spring I've been this cozy sweater sort of melancholy, and I've been listening to music that feels the way I feel, if that makes sense. I've been listening to the Julie Ruin album a lot, as well as My Body the Hand Grenade from Hole, Carnavas from Silversun Pickups, and the newest album from Lady Sovereign, Jigsaw. I fell in love with the single off Jigsaw, So Human, where she sings the chorus to the Cure's Close to Me throughout the song, as well as sampling Close to Me. So at this point in my life, early spring right around my 30th birthday, my favorite song is this:

cupcake nails!!!

The first time I saw Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air I had two thoughts: one, it would look great layered over a white cream, and two, it reminds me of confetti cake.

Hence my cupcake manicure was born





















Deborah Lippmann-Glitter in the Air layered over Studio M-French Tip, accent nail is Wet n Wild-Bird Bath with a Fing'rs cupcake and crossbones nail decal

What I see in Glitter in the Air in person that I don't see in photos is small silver glitter, and very tiny iridescent glitter, both of which add more depth to the shade. It's really a gorgeous color, I'm surprised I've seen so much dislike for it on nail blogs. I love it anyway *shrug*

Sunday, April 17, 2011

everything times ten

Super pic heavy post, first my current mani, then 3 separate hauls I haven't posted yet.

Etude House BL009, this color is this amazing green/blue glass flecked duochrome that sometimes flashes teal as well. These picture do it no justice. You can see some of the flash in the bottle, and in the one indoor flash photo, but otherwise it looks like a pretty but plain washed out blue. Just trust that it isn't.

























indoor flash shot



















First haul, from Wednesday night at Meijer. I didn't intend to get myself anything, I was picking up a few Studio M polishes for a swap with a lovely lady from the PPK, and spotted these. The Wet N Wild black jelly with glitter was on clearance, and seems to be on old polish that may or may not have been LE, the colors of the glitter make me think it was from a Halloween collection, but a google search of blogs made it seem like it used to be part of the permanent collection. The yellow is from the Bloom collection, which I've been looking for since I saw it on Nouveau Cheap in March. I asked Wet N Wild on facebook and they said it was a Rite Aid exclusive, but it appears they lied (more evidence upcoming.) This polish was all by itself so I imagine Meijer had the full collection but the rest sold out. The Sinful Colors taupe with silver shimmer is rumored to only be available at Meijer, so for once I'm happy to live in the midwest/rust belt.



















L-R Sinful Colors-Stella, Wet n Wild-Blackmail, Wet n Wild-Collecting Pollen

Once I found Collecting Pollen and realized I might be able to find the Bloom collection in my state after all (I live in a sad land lacking any Rite Aid stores) I resumed my search in any store I happened to enter. Friday after getting groceries in the nearest large town we stopped at the small local non-chain drugstore in our tiny town so I could buy some lotion (St. Ives Intensive Healing, it's awesome, and it says right on the bottle "Not tested on animals" and "Does not contain animal ingredients") and just for the hell of it I checked their tiny tiny makeup section. On the shelf up above their Wet n Wild display were two Bloom displays, one almost completely full, so I snagged the other colors I wanted from the collection (after doing this involuntary and embarrassing victory hop/fist pump.)


















L-R Wet n Wild-Bird Bath, Wet n Wild-Sunburst, Wet n Wild-Garden Hose (still thrilled about these, happy dance and many !!!!!!)

Speaking of THRILLED, above and beyond even, yesterday I visited my in-laws for a belated birthday celebration, and I got my gifts from my ridiculously overgenerous MIL and FIL, SIX, that's right, six high end polishes, of the type I'm overall way too cheap to get myself




















drooling here over my own photos
L-R Chanel-Blue Satin, Chanel-Black Pearl, Deborah Lippmann-Glitter in the Air, Deborah Lippmann-Across the Universe, Chanel-Particulière, Chanel-Vendetta

I have the best in-laws ever! Now I'm just waiting on my swap from the PPK, and my order from Ozotic in Australia, and then it should be a month before I get any more polish. Never fear though, I have an army of untrieds waiting to grace my digits.

Friday, April 15, 2011

...and the sky was grey

Overcast out, so my photos aren't very dynamic. It's a shame too, because in my not insubstantial collection of greens this is one of the most unique. I picked it up yesterday at Whole Foods after thinking about it and kicking myself for not getting it a month or so ago. It's a metallic lime green with almost a cool mint undertone. It has some brush strokes, being a metallic, similar to the Love My Nails chrome polishes, but they aren't incredibly noticeable. My nails make me very happy right now.

No Miss-Mt Dora Moss























Tomorrow I get my belated birthday presents from my in-laws, I know I'm getting high end fancy-pants polish, but I don't know what ones yet, so that's exciting, PLUS Dan is getting a new car as his undergraduate graduation present (a Toyota Yaris 5 door hatchback, extra doors in case we should ever decide to procreate) and I'm getting his current car (Yaris 3 door hatch, we love the Yaris) and then I'll soon be donating my car that's in not to great condition to Chicago Public Radio, it get's auctioned by a company and they get the funds. Because I love WBEZ and want to support them, and this is an opportunity to do so.

First though, I have to brave the winds that are so strong I'm afraid they'll rip my doors and windows off my apartment, and the inevitable rain the skies are threatening me with, in order to get groceries. Also, gotta make the coconut faux bacon bits from American Vegan Kitchen.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

new hairs

fauxhawk quiff thing with a big pink streak, inspired by http://fuckyeahlesbianhaircuts.tumblr.com/ because though I'm not a lesbian, I really like their hair.

My first ombre!

Here's the colors from thumb to pinkie


















L-R Wet n Wild-Nocturnal, MAC-Spirit of Truth, Zoya-Breezi, OPI-No Room For the Blues, Studio M-Whose That Girl
























Nocturnal is a very very dark deep inky blue, not black, just so you know. I decided to do today's mani modeling with a special friend, my Ugly Doll Poe, because he's even cuter than a bottle of polish (I am blasphemer!)

At first I was unsure about this manicure, I though the colors jumped too fast from dark to light, but now in the daylight it's really grown on me. Dark blue thumbs up!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

glitter bomb

I couldn't decide what color to wear, so I chose three. This is a base of Orly-Liquid Vinyl (glossy black cream,) then a coat of Wet n Wild-Blue Wants to be a Millionaire (a sheer blue scattered holo,) and then instead of the WnW I topped an accent nail with Love My Nails-Angel Baby (two sizes of multi-colored iridescent glitter along with a fine microshimmer in a clear base.) The accent nail looks to me how I imagine the other nails would look under a microscope.


























 Indoor shots to better show the accent nail, it was so glittery the sun washed it out