Dear World: Day One

Dear World,

I've got to step up my artsy-ness. I feel so entirely under-utilized in terms of the skills I have, so I am hopefully going to be addressing this feeling through exploring creative and physical outlets.

For some background on why I need to do this, let me tell you about what has been going on lately. First, JFR has gone back to school to finish his last semester for his master's. He will be very busy and many miles away, and though we've planned all our visitations for the next few months, I'm feeling very shakey about what happens after.
Next, I have been at my job for 2.5 months now. I work as a staffing manager at a temporary agency, and though I certainly enjoy certain aspects of it, I am very unsure about the sales part of it. It doesn't help that my awesome supervisor was promoted and I currently report directly to the branch manager, with whom I have communication difficulties. It doesn't help that I don't feel that my team is accomplishing what we need to accomplish. It doesn't help that I need to more than double the number of hours I am currently achieving.


But hey.

That's work.


This is for play.


I saw a great post about a Lullabye pillowcase on justcraftyenough , and I'm interested in doing something similar (without the tech aspect). I just bought a new set of sheets (which I am desperately hoping become softer over time), so maybe I'll embroider the topsheet and pillow cases. The only question is.... with what???

The theme of my room is currently mostly mid-eastern bazaar. I've been intending to post pictures all this time. Let's see what I can do about that.

I'm thinking for the embroidery, to go with the theme... maybe I should stick with geometric patterns. In Islam, creating art that is intended to depict God's work is some form of heresy, because man cannot depict God's work. I cannot really describe why, but then, I'm remembering this from the 9th grade, so I'm not going to push it.

Click below to learn more.

Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than on figures, because it is feared by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry and thereby a sin against God, forbidden in the Qur'an. Human portrayals can be found in all eras of Islamic art, above all in the more private form of miniatures, where their absence is rare. Human representation for the purpose of worship is considered idolatry and is duly forbidden in Islamic law, known as Sharia law.

Wiki

How about something like this:

Pattern 1
Alhambra Influence
For the corners of the top sheet
In the center, the Arabic word for sleep
And I'd like to incorporate the design on the left of this image somehow...


Music (and inspiration for "love pillows"): Noah and The Whale

Missing : whiskey and chess nights with JFR

Stonyfield's Organic Campaign

So, the bf, JFR, is really really into Stonyfield Organic Milk. I personally could care less (though it would be nice to have a goat so I could get goat's milk and make goat's cheese and butter... and maybe 2 hens or so... I'd be much more likely to eat these things if I was instrumental in our acquiring of them. Side note: I hate hate hate grocery stores [they are known to give me panic attacks], so buying them =/= acquiring them).

I signed up for Stonyfield's e-newsletter (hoping for some coupons maybe...) and I got a link to this pretty amusing video. The facts are true, but I personally like the occasional pun and the really funny backgrounds. Check it out if you're interested in your health / food/ short entertainment.

Long Time, New Things....

Dear sweets,

It has been a very very long time since I have posted. I must admit, I found myself to be very distracted with various social events, academic requirements (ie graduating last may), then work requirements, as I tend to overschedule myself.

Today, however, I have left all of that behind and moved from Sarasota to Philadelphia! By today, I mean about a month ago. I am living with my boyfriend, who will likely be referred to as JFR.

I didn't bring much of my crafting locker (yes, I keep it all in a locker), but that has not kept me from attempting various crafts. For one, I wanted to make the bedroom into a bazaar inspired nest (the inspiration was from a scene in Anais Nin's Little Birds . After I began, one of our roommates wanted me to do her room as well, in shades of gold and purple. It all feels a bit unfinished, but that is what I was aiming for. Apparently, that same week the New York Times Style mag had a similar image. Huh. Who knew.

In other news, I went on a long series of interviews for what seems like a pretty close to a dream job this week. We'll see what happens, though if I'm not hired, I'm not considering it a let-down. Ideally I'll be able to go to Ithaca with JFR this fall for his last semester in grad school.

Right now, I'm catching up on my VERY overdue RSS reading. We're talking months. I've got a new wardrobe, and I may incorporate pieces into some new idea boards for y'all. I've got some charcoal and watercolor pencils (seriously, did not know these existed until 2 weeks ago), and I can't wait to share more with you.

See you soon (check back for pictures of the rooms later).

It's love, it's love, well who would have thought it.

I am going to borrow from chicken soup for the dorky soul and say somethings that I love. You can visit this blog here: (I follow and love it). (I follow and love it).

Ok.

So.
Somethings I love.

1. I love that I am not the only person my age who is sometimes taken aback by the blatent and offensive sex sells in music, movies, and, well everything. I love that I have a brain and can think for myself.

On a similar note, as my friend would say, I love that I am not "a sheep."

2. I love that I finally quit my job. I was working at an icecream shop. The corporate company I liked, and supported, and enjoyed the goals and missions of. The franchise, however, pretty much operated in opposition to those missions. And enjoyed power politics.


Seriously guys, it was ice cream.


3. I love that I am starting to actually learn and love and accept people for who they are. I think there is and will be quite a bit of difficulty for my generation to find and enjoy people. You can't love someone until you love yourself; you can't love yourself until you accept yourself; you can't love someone else until you accept that they too have flaws. The fact that I can look at someone and say, "yeah, you're a bit strange and have an odd flair for men's cargo pants, but that makes you comfortable, and I love you." This is a big step.

4. I love that I am starting my marathon training today and that I finished my warmup mile without losing my breath.

5. I love that my friends are back in town and I can annoy the hell out of them.

6. I love my obnoxious cat.

7. I love that my newer friends trust me so much.


<3.

Fill in the Blank Friday!

1. One fashion trend I really regret is:
So far, I don't have any! Though this one always makes me laugh:

My cousin and I had these interchangeable leggings when we were little. We were just that awesome.


Auf



2. The one thing that always completes any outfit is:
My hair. I always forget jewelry and often forget makeup (though I feel more put together with the two). My hair usually fills in any blanks though -- maybe just because it's so big...





3. I would describe my personal style as:
Somewhere between prep and boho-rock star. I love the glitz and glam, but really value the clean cut lines of the preppy look.
Auf
Auf
I am known to be a bit outlandish -- lots of petticoats, garters and insane heels. Well, just eyepopping heels. Not insane. Example of a typical Saturday night:



4. My fashion muse is : Betsy Johnson! I love her color palettes, petticoats, and brazen confidence.

Auf


5. If I could own one designer piece of clothing it would be : Shoes. Specifically, Christian Louboutin. I'm addicted to what they call "Walk away shoes."


Auf



6. I would love to raid the wardrobe of :

I don't have an answer for this one...





7. Today I am wearing:
I'm heading into work, so the uniform. :(


Have a great weekend!

It's Fill in the Blank... Tuesday...

So I am behind in blogging (read: life). But I am going to go along with this anyway. I always steal it from Diamonds and Tulle because I love reading her answers!




1. The first thing I do in the morning is: lay around. Not! I take my 11 year old cocker spaniel puppy outside (and she promptly goes back to sleep). Then, depending on the day, I get online, clean up a bit, then head out into the world.



2. Every night before bed I: shower. There's something about the hot water that makes all of my worries disappear. How awesome would it be to have the shower be a discofloor??


I love Dr. Spencer Reid.
3. My favorite thing to do when I'm having a bad day is: watch Criminal Minds. That show is amazing -- I just found it this year! I had an opportunity to get the entire series (of what is released) on DVD for $90, but I passed it up. It plays on USA all the time, and that's $90 that can go into the "travel the world" and "Sydney's college" funds.




4. Something that makes me cringe is: Jackass. The movie and the TV show. And for that matter, most of America's Funniest Home Videos. I don't want to watch the pain...



Karaoke!

5. Social situations: I love them! I am a good-time kind of girl. I like hanging out with my friends, listening to good music, and dancing the night away.



Source

6: I like to collect: tiny figurines. I pick one up every time I travel out of the country. I try to pick one that seems to define the city to me.



Diana and I at Gasparilla

7: Weekends are for: partying it up -- dancing, awkward festival times, and general inside joke material.


What are y'all's answers?

I am so excited about Rachel's swap -- I just got my swap partner information and she looks like SO much fun. While I am brainstorming and craftstorming (it's what I do now that I have no life), I wanted to prod your brains.

First of all, I am curious as to y'all's thoughts on sex in America. Yeah, yeah, broad topic, but CNN posted an article yesterday on hooking up and sex in college. (Click here). I asked my facebook friends, and got some pretty good responses from them. What are yours?

I personally am struggling with the issue myself. I'm about to graduate from college (which has no Greek, by the way), and I have never really been in situations where casual sex was acceptable. Now I'm going out into the big bad world! What will I do?

Well, until the future unfolds (and many a crazy night take place), I shall not know. Have any stories to share? Thoughts?