life as experiment

old and new

2009-08-28T18:09:00.004-04:00

after a long hiatus, i've decided to start a new blog. it's going to be a little bit different, but hopefully for the better.

hope to see you there:

stand up straight

missing my blog...

2009-04-27T13:40:00.008-04:00

i didn't realize it until now, but my roommate, jackie, tagged me a while ago!

The rules are:
1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag other un-tagged people.

What is your current obsession?
chasing the sun. i want a tan so bad!

What are you wearing today?
a thrift-store sundress

Do you nap a lot?

never. only in a serious lack of sleep situation.

Why was today special?
well it hasn't been special yet, but i'm going to the mall with my bf to get new plugs for my ears, and a smaller labret for my monroe. it'll make it easier to get a job, i think.

What would you like to learn to do?
i'd really like to learn more about nutrition and gardening, as i'm a vegetarian now. (going on 3 weeks!) and of course, i'll never stop learning about cooking!

What's for dinner today?
probably stir-fry. yum.

What's the last thing you bought?
potted herb growing kits from target for $1.00 each! they're so cute! and hopefully yummy.

What are you listening to right now?
deadliest catch on teevee, and the wind gusting against the windows.

What is your favorite weather?
dry and 120 degrees. i'm serious. it happens in california and vegas.

What's your style?
easy, classy, and fabulous.

mary-kate olsen

What is your most challenging goal right now?
finding a job. with the economy the way it is right now, i'm really worried.

Say something about the person who tagged you:
jackie's a great roommate. and i'm hoping now that we're not so busy with school, we'll be able to have some adventures together like we used to.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
i'd like a fancy apartment in manhattan, please.

carrie bradshaw's new york pad.

Favorite vacation spot?
cocoa beach, florida. it's gorgeous, and you can watch shuttles take off at night. one of the most amazing things i've seen in my whole life.

Favorite meal of the day?
breakfast. it's so easy and delicious to eat healthy at breakfast!

Name a memory from childhood that sticks out in your mind:
when we went to seaworld in texas and i got to talk to and touch the beluga whale!

What person would you like to have in your arms right now?
i think, my mom or my grandma.

What's something you got rid of but wish you hadn't?
probably all of my hello kitty paraphernalia that i had when i was little. apparently, one day i decided i didn't want to be so girly so i had my mom get rid of my hello kitty toothbrush, jewelry box, and other things. i love hello kitty now!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
paris. i've been wanting to go to europe for a while now, and paris is full of contemporary art. plus it's always seemed beautiful to me.

Which language do you want to learn?
i'd really like to learn french. it's a beautiful language.

Which countries have you visited?
canada. although, it hardly counts when you live in michigan.

go ahead; tag yourself!

feminism: refreshed

2009-03-27T13:08:00.007-04:00

i've considered myself a feminist for a while now, but since i haven't had a women's studies class this semester, and haven't been able to attend womyn's equality, i've been a little out of it.

last night, womyn's equality set up an event - jessica valenti, author and founder of feministing.com, came to speak at our campus. it was so awesome.

these are the books she's written:

i've briefly flipped through my roommate's copy of he's a stud she's a slut, and i was so impressed. it made me critically think about everything.

i would suggest picking up one of her books sometime, and reading feministing.com.
i think you'll be glad you did.

and now, i leave you with some new pantene ads. you can kind of see the product, right?

'nuff said.

spring springing?

2009-03-20T13:20:00.007-04:00

i've been slacking, blog. soo much darkroom work!
ugh.

i've been trying to wear dresses/skirts this week. so far, it's been really awesome. it's so much easier when you just pick one piece of clothing, and then tights or leggings, than pants, teeshirt, and a sweater, etc.
i think so, anyway. plus it's finally warming up outside! spring is technically here today!
how much better of an excuse could one need?

i've mostly got dresses from thrift stores, which are awesome, but i've noticed a few in stores that i wouldn't mind having as well.

victoria's secret has a lot, but they want 40 - 100 bux for all of them! honestly, i think i could sew some of these myself if i had a sewing machine. but i like looking at them anyway.

i love baggy dresses, they look so carefree and comfortable!

i've been looking for a while now for a teeshirt dress - you know, like a teeshirt but long enough to be a dress? i can't believe how hard they are to find. the VS one above is like 40 bux. i found some great ones at urban outfitters, but their stuff is usually for people the size of asparagus.

(the teal one is exactly what i want! ahh!)

i only found a few at forever 21. they're showing mostly maxi dresses, which are very pretty, but i would never want my legs all covered up in the summer! unless it was a chilly night, but still.

who's excited for spring?

after spring break

2009-03-09T16:12:00.006-04:00

my spring break was this past week, and it was much needed.
mostly i caught up on my sleep and shot a few rolls of film, but i scored some new digs from old navy, including a new swim suit!
if only it were warm and sunny enough to wear it. i'm really done with winter, michigan.

i watched a few movies with my family over break, but when my family was busy, i downloaded and watched vicky christina barcelona. as a woody allen fan, it was only a matter of time before i watched it and instantly fell in love. and as soon as i got back to kalamazoo i watched it again!

scarlett johansson is one of my favorite favorite favorite actresses of all time, so of course i enjoyed seeing her in this film. i definitely identified with her character, christina, the most. (and not just because we're both into photography!)

i'd never heard of javier bardem before i saw this, which is unfortunate because he is gorgeous!
dark hair, deep eyes, and a thick spanish accent? yes please. (i think his eyes look a lot like jason's. we just got back together, btw.)

i've only seen penelope cruz in vanilla sky and now this, and she's growing on me. i think she's exotically beautiful and very talented. and i wish my hair would look like that!

so anyway, if you haven't seen this movie yet, you definitely should.
it opened my mind just a little bit more.

p.s. i think it's funny that this happened to take place in spain, when my roommate, jackie has been in spain this past week! i can't wait to see how her trip went!

my 21st!

2009-02-17T11:19:00.007-05:00

i finally have something worth posting! sorry guys...
anyway, this weekend was valentine's day, which would've been awesome except my boyfriend and i broke up. don't worry, it's for the best.
i'm single and fabulous!

anyway, i finally got my navel pierced!
i have a hoop for now, but i want to make something in my jewelry class that can dangle off of it when it heals. (kinda like britney's)

some other celebs with navel piercings:

so anyway, that was valentine's day, and that night at midnight was my birthday!
i was so glad to have great friends with me.
here's a few photos!

before we went to the bar, i got this cute little cake!

the first drink i wanted to try: a dirty martini. they're definitely my favorite now!

and we drank some more and danced pretty much the rest of the night.
i had such a great time!
(btw, my dress and jewelry is from forever 21!)

how was your weekend?

25 things

2009-02-03T11:50:00.009-05:00

so this has been flying around on facebook and the blogosphere for a while now and my roommate jackie from the pink panda just tagged me, so here goes!

25 things about me

1. i have 5573 songs, 15 days, or 29 gigs of music on my laptop/ipod, and i'm always looking for more.

2. i daydream constantly.

reverie by me

3. i have three younger brothers that are all bigger than me now.

4. i was born in michigan, but i've lived in mississippi, texas, ohio, california, maryland, michigain again, and my family just moved to north carolina this summer.

5. as a result of #4, i never want to "settle down" in my life. ever.

6. i have a lot of ocd tendancies.

7. i am extremely quirky. the toilet paper has to roll over, not under, my boyfriend has to walk next to me to my right, i like to have assigned seats at the dining table, etc.

8. i have an extreme, irrational fear of objects flying at me. thus, i don't play sports, and dodgeball is the. scariest. thing. ever.

9. sushi is probably my favorite food, and i really enjoy trying to eat healthy.

10. i've always thought that fashion was interesting, but as an artist, i always felt guilty about it. however, i attended a lecture by one of my favorite photographers, kelli connell, and she listed fashion as one of her inspirations! so i've come to realize that i shouldn't be ashamed of anything that i like.

carnival by kelli connell, one of my favorite pieces by her

11. i originally came to western michigan university to persue a degree in graphic design, but i learned so much about fine art that i decided i wanted to do that more instead. so at the insistance of one of my professors, i applied to the photography and intermedia program and got in!

12. i currently have 15 credits and two jobs here at school. i am in charge of all of the equipment that the school has for students to check out, and i am a photographer for the western herald.

13. i drink the recommended 8 glasses of water a day, which is 8 cups of water, or four standard water bottles, or two 1 liter bottles a day. i pee a lot.

14. i get motion sickness when i read in moving cars.

15. i absolutely love roller coasters.

cedar point's millenium force is my favorite so far!

16. the more chocolate, the better.

17. i can't function without coffee in the morning.

18. i've only had one pet my whole life, a golden retriever/cocker spaniel mix named sammy. we had him for six months.

19. i'm definitely straight, but i find women extremely attractive.

20. my roommate once asked me if i identify more with the earth or with the sky, and i chose the sky because it's unknown, free, and constantly changing.

21. i've always wanted to be able to fly.

22. i love wes anderson, sofia coppola, and woody allen movies.

short film hotel chevalier, part I of wes anderson's the darjeeling limited

23. i don't usually talk unless i have something usefull or intellegent to say.

24. i like to incorporate hip hop and dated terms into my everyday speech because i think it's funny. i use words like jankity, shady, and rad all the time.

25. i have no tolerance for being fake or for people that are fake.

other randoms:

i don't like sleeping.

i don't like wearing socks so i wear mismatched ones.

i am completely obsessed with hello kitty.

i have a love/hate relationship with teevee.

tell me about you!

pin-up girl

2009-01-24T15:41:00.005-05:00

jessie's shoot went amazingly yesterday, and i loved being a pin-up!
she's doing the seven deadly sins as pin-ups, and i got to be greed. i don't know if i would ever have the skills to be a professional model, but i think i did pretty well.
tell me what you think!

photos by jessie stein

modeling

2009-01-23T12:53:00.004-05:00

i've sat down several times this week and tried and tried to think of something interesting to share, but i couldn't come up with anything.
my life is pretty much school school school right now.

today - finally - i came up with something!
my friend jessie is using me later today as a model for her studio project, and i'm going to be dressed up as a pin-up girl!

i'll post a few pictures when i can. i'm a little nervous though, because she might not have me wearing much! good thing my weight lifting class is in full swing!

so anyway, all of this modeling business reminded me that i modeled for my friend andrea last semester. her work deals with suffocation/fear of public speaking.
here are a few of the pieces i was in:

what do you have planned for the weekend?

secretary of the arts

2009-01-15T11:41:00.007-05:00

i came across an amazing news story this morning that i can't wait to share with everyone!
apparently mr. quincy jones, a man that wears many hats in the music biz, has asked obama about appointing a secretary of the arts, a cabinet-level position that would be the head of our cultural development.

i am so excited about the possibility of this position because of the potential there could be for the american public to gain more understanding about the arts/fine art, and for there to be better representation for the arts in our schools and the country in general.
many other countries have ministers of the arts, cultural secretaries, and the like. (most of which i imagine are in europe, and we know how much they love and support the arts.)

photo by me!

so if you're excited about this position also, what can you do about it?
there happens to be an online petition on the matter, which has about 111,585 supporters so far.
if you do support this, share the petition with everyone!
i'm not 100% sure how legit it is, but with that many people i'm pretty sure.
it can't hurt, anyway.

what do you think about having a secretary of the arts?

overdue

2009-01-13T11:27:00.005-05:00

photo by me of me!

d'oh! i forgot to post again!!
i know everyone hates to see a new blog post with OMGIMSOSORRYIDIDNTPOSTINAWHILE right up front, but i do feel as though an apology is in order.

reasons why i haven't posted in a while:
1. working in the lab/darkroom/jewelry studio = not hot outfits
2. working out at the gym also = not hot outfits
(but i have seen results/lost a few pounds! woo!)
3. having 8:00 a.m. classes everyday leaves me with zero energy, and mondays/wednesdays i have class and work from 8a.m. to 5p.m. boo.
4. having two photo classes and a metals/jewelry class demands a lot of homework, and i don't have much time to do it in as it is
5. thursday night, my girlfriends and i had a fancy dinner party! unfortunately, we were all lazy and didn't take any pictures, so this is the only one we have and we're not even all in it!

left to right: my two girlfriends, and me!

i just shot two rolls of film this weekend and i will make contact sheets and print some this week, so hopefully i will be able to show you some progress shots!
i'll also show you some of my work for my jewelry class soon!

have you returned to school yet?
how have your first week(s) been?
have a great week!

not awake yet

2009-01-07T08:27:00.003-05:00

my 8am classes are definitely taking their effect on me today. i've either been going going going the past few days or i've been completely braindead - like today. most of my craziness has been running all over town getting supplies for my three studio class. i am soo broke right now!

here's a cool thing i found on last.fm - a visual representation of my musical taste and trends!

well enough about me, how has your week been so far?
(i promise i'll post something more interesting when i'm not so tired!!)

michigan again

2009-01-04T19:20:00.005-05:00

i've spent the last two days traveling, unpacking, grocery shopping, cooking, and enjoying some much needed catch-up time with my boyfriend. i hate having to be away from him over break!

here a sweet window shot out of the plane on my flight back.

after unpacking and settling back in, my boyfriend and i watched one of my favorite movies ever, annie hall! he gave it to me for christmas.

have a good week!

champagne supernova in the sky

2008-12-31T22:07:00.003-05:00

have you ever seen fireworks on new year's eve?!

i haven't since i was in disney world in florida for the new millennium. my dad's co-workers at the hospital are big fireworks lovers, apparently, and they had a whole pallet truck of the things delivered just for the occasion. they took six hours this past weekend to wire them all up in coordination, and the show lasted for well over half an hour. we were waay out in the country, and people were parked up and down the roads all over.

what a unique experience. i'm so glad that i can share it with all of you!
party safe, and have a healthy, happy new year!
see you on the other side...

waiting for tonight

2008-12-31T13:29:00.002-05:00

i don't know why i feel/look so tired today. kind of an odd hairday, too. my family has exciting plans in store for this evening. i'll report back later with more interesting events and photos.

happy last day of 2008!

60 degrees and sunny

2008-12-30T17:15:00.007-05:00

new year's for my family is all about a smorgasbord of appetizers and hors d'oeuvres until the ball drops. i can't wait! we've been having good food all of break. today, we went out to boss hog's and got some north carolina bbq. it has a lot of vinegar in it, and it's not as saucy as traditional bbq. yum.

i went for a run today! i'm pretty impressed with myself. i didn't run the whole time, but i ran as much as i could, walked, and then ran more, etc. so i'm really tired now, but it's a good, healthy tired. : )

how was your day?

case of the mondays

2008-12-29T21:29:00.007-05:00

eyeliner usually scares me, and i only wear it when i get dressed up and go out in the evening. but i finally found a good kohl pencil, instead of whatever twist-up kind i've had for a while. what a huge difference! next, i'm going to try liquid liner, because it's extra scary.

tonight, i'm sitting on the couch watching season 4 of project runway. i wish i could sew clothes for myself. camille of childhood flames continually amazes me with all of the things she sews herself. the closest i get to making my own clothes is knitting accessories and cutting up teeshirts. oh, if i only had a sewing machine...

queen of hearts

2008-12-28T21:19:00.007-05:00

nails: that's one "el" of a color by opi

i had a little inspiration of alice in wonderland while playing rummy with my family tonight. we've been playing cards just about every night since i've been on break. we play some poker every once in a while, but mostly we play lots of rummy, thirty-one, and of course, euchre. (don't worry if you've never heard of euchre, it's mostly popular in michigan, minnesota, etc.)

in other news, it was absolutely gorgeous here today! sunny and warm and 65 degrees; my mom and i actually laid out in the backyard and got a teeny bit of tan! gotta love that.

what have you been up to on your break?

animal babies

2008-12-27T10:38:00.006-05:00

good morning! while having my coffee, i was browsing abc news in my attempt to be more in-the-know about what's going on in the world, and it didn't take me that long to digress. i came across a link for a new baby aardvark in detroit, and found all kinds of adorable baby animals! yeah, i'm really adding to my worldliness here. here's my favorites.

the baby aardvark, of course. he's so wrinkly!

my favorite animals live in or around water. this is a little baby otter!

sea lion and mama

hippos!

polar bear cub

teeny tiny baby sonic the hedgehog!

and i don't usually like pigs, but this one won't walk in the mud unless she wears her little wellies! how cute!

what's your favorite animal?

things i love: presents and clothes!

2008-12-26T18:53:00.006-05:00

i trust that you all had a magical and merry christmas this year! i was so glad to be with my family and with 60 degree weather on christmas day! we got to take a stroll around the neighborhood for some fresh air and exercise.

as i said in my last post, i picked out a lot of my presents early, but my mom wrapped them up for me anyway. here's some things that i got! (sorry, i'm being lazy so i didn't want to take my own pictures. i will take some pictures with outfits soon!)

i love love love my blowfish booties! so warm and comfy!

super soft pretty sweater from target

and the ever useful little black dress from old navy!

i also got some money from my grandparents and finally got my very first victoria's secret bras! (p.s. i want my hair to look like hers!)

my favorite was the angels ipex. you can't tell from the picture, but the band is all lace, which to me, makes this bra very pretty, sexy, and yet still practical. they are definitely worth the money! my girls feel amazing and supported! (and for me, that's a big deal. literally, haha!) sorry if this is tmi, but i'm so excited! i also got some lacy panties to match, but i'll spare you pictures of those.

what did you get for christmas?

it's christmas time!

2008-12-21T13:29:00.011-05:00

after being sick and miserable for a week straight, i'm finally feeling well enough to post. my apologies. the good news is, i'm writing this post from my family's home in north carolina! it's absolutely gorgeous here, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. compared to michigan temperatures, i feel like i'm on vacation! (well, i really am on christmas vacation!) my parents and two younger brothers moved to greenville, nc, at the end of july this summer, leaving my oldest younger brother and i up in michigan. (he goes to eastern michigan university, and i go to western michigan university.)

anyway, christmas has snuck up on me this year! i love being around family, and of course the food! of course i love christmas decorations, don't you? my mother is a wonderful decorator, and despite the house being rented, she's managed to fix it up quite nicely. here's some quick shots i took of our house.

i've been wanting to sit down and knit for a while, but due to being sick i just haven't had the right mindset to yet!

i've been lucky enough to recieve a few gifts early this year, because my mom says i'm hard to shop for. here are some shoes that i got the other day! usually i don't wear heels because i'm so tall (5'8") but a girl needs a standard pair of black dress shoes, am i right? plus, they were on clearance for 9 bux, which is easier on santa's pocketbook!

i love being back with my immediate family for the holidays, but michigan is the home of the rest of our family. usually our traditions involve going to grandma and grandpa's and my dad's family after church on christmas eve, having christmas morning at our house, and then going over to my gram's and having christmas day with my mom's family. so, i'm not sure what we'll end up doing this year, but i'm sure it will be just fine.

what are your holiday traditions?
merry christmas, and happy holidays!

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finally done with finals!

2008-12-10T08:31:00.013-05:00

woo! now that that's over, i'll have much more time to post!

my friend ian came over yesterday and set up a super nintendo emulator for my roommate, jackie. i was so intrigued that i thought i'd download one for myself! i found snes9x, a very popular emulator for mac. it works very well so far, and i have some sweet games for it!

my very favorite is pretty soldier sailor moon: another story. it's a cheesy girly rpg for an obviously old system, but it's a lot of fun to play! i haven't gotten very far yet, but i'm hooked! it even has the outer sailor senchi in it. (i.e. sailor neptune, uranous, and saturn)

sailor moon was the first anime i ever watched, way back in junior high school and it's still one of my favorites. since then, i've gone through a major anime phase, and kind of gotten over it, but i do still love anime, manga, and japanese culture. some of my favorites are flcl, mushishi, and cowboy bebop.

i just remembered that pluto's not a planet anymore! aww, poor sailor pluto.

anyway, here are my absolute favorite pictures of the scouts from the manga. gorgeous.

what do you miss from your younger days?

4:3 x 14

2008-12-04T10:06:00.007-05:00

it's been a long week here in snowy kalamazoo, so i thought i'd share with you what i've been up to!

my intro. to time based media class is having an exhibition! i'm so excited; i've never had my work in the student gallery before, and i've never done a video installation before! (or any installation for that matter.) i'll be sure to post pictures. based on our plans, this should be very creepy and amazing. i'd like to share my video with you! (i don't have the sound put in yet, but when i do i'll put it up)

also, my website is up and running! i'm probably going to redo the look of it and work out the kinks over break, but a few of my good pieces are up, as well as some just-for-fun stuff in the miscellaneous section.

i'd love to know your thoughts on this piece or on any of my work!

what have you been up to this week?

friday's looks

2008-11-28T10:37:00.000-05:00

happy thanksgiving! i hope that everyone is warm and with friends, family, and loved ones.
here are some looks from lookbook, and a bit of a personal wishlist from urban outfitters and american apparel. i'm trying to dress a little more feminine, so this week's all dresses and skirts!

what are your traditions for thanksgiving?

happy thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T10:29:00.003-05:00

i hope you have a great holiday with friends and family, and of course tons of food! i'll make it a quick post today and leave you with a very funny video of martha stewart and snoop dogg! happy thanksgiving!

obsessed: motion city soundtrack (acoustic)

2008-11-25T09:58:00.004-05:00

i never used to be able to stand mtv, but lately mtv u has hit the spot, in my book at least. first lykke li and now this!
two summers ago i was introduced to motion city soundtrack, and i really like them. it's not something i would listen to on a daily basis, but whenever itunes pulls it up on random, i listen to it. well, last night on mtv was a new(er) video from motion city soundtrack's acoustic ep. the song is gorgeous and addicting, and really, so is the lead singer. so enjoy this video and your tuesday!

what are you currently listening to?

fashion inspiration: carrie bradshaw

2008-11-24T12:46:00.008-05:00

now, i know you're all thinking she's not a real person, but she still has amazing style and the knack for really pulling it off!
sex and the city's carrie bradshaw is probably the character i most identify with on the show; and style-wise i like her outfits the best! (although samantha is a scream!)
(by the way, i have successfully downloaded all seasons of satc! if you're familiar with torrents at all, ravydavy has great ones of all the seasons. check it out!)

so hopefully there's some sex and the city fans out there. anyway, here are a few outfits that i'm inspired by.
happy monday!

by the way, do you love sex and the city, or another similar show?
if so, who's your favorite character/style inspiration, and why?

five minute chocolate cake

2008-11-23T21:42:00.004-05:00

sometimes a girl needs some chocolate, am i right?
well for those of you who aren't extremely baking savy (like me) or just need a fast fix, there's a great recipe that i originally saw on aimee marie's blog, but the original recipe is from the half assed kitchen.
so my roommate jackie and i decided to try it.

it uses just a few baking ingredients that you probably have in your pantry, and you make it in the microwave! in a mug! which is good, because we curently don't own any baking pans.

thanksgiving is coming so soon! i can't wait to go up north, see my family, and of course, eat!
what's your favorite things about thanksgiving?

weekend scavenging

2008-11-22T21:52:00.006-05:00

hello! i trust you've had a fun and relaxing weekend so far.
mostly i've been sitting on the couch being entertained by the teevee, avoiding homework, and knitting. i'll post my projects very soon!

yesterday my boyfriend and i went thrift store shopping. there are a few really great places in kalamazoo, and we didn't get to all of them, but i had some luck!

at the first store we went to, i found this ridiculous 80s sweater to wear over leggings,

and this great scarf that will go with lots of clothes as well as my winter coat!

and last but not least, at the second store we went to, i found this lovely leather bag! i love this color so much. i think it will be perfect to store and tote around my cameras and equipment!

what have you been up to this weekend?

inspiration: weird knits, and lots of links

2008-11-21T12:46:00.014-05:00

i love crafts, don't you? there's something very calming and centering about the process of them.

i was looking around online the other day for some different knitting and crocheting techniques i wanted to try, and i stumbled across some really awesome (and weird) stuff!

first off, i saw this awesome hat on castoff, and i wanted to try to figure out how to do this loopy stitch.

so i googled for a while and found this page which shows you how to knit loopy, and this page that shows how to crochet loopy. so, whichever one you choose, you too can make this awesome stitch! once i'm done with all of my christmas knits, i might have to start on this!

then i stumbled upon pick me!, which features a lot of different kinds of knits, but one that particularly grabbed my attention. recycled plastic bag knitting! yeah, for real!
here's some examples of great things to knit/crochet out of plastic bags:

of course, anything knitted that you can think of you could use this plastic bag technique for! a quick search on google, and you'll find knitted plastic bag jewelry, bags, shoes, and even sculptures. it's really quite amazing!
here are some links to get you started, and some links just for cool knits!

if you have any other questions, suggestions for posts, or just general comments about my blog, i'd love to hear what you have to say! please leave me a comment! have a fabulous weekend!

lookbook with coffee

2008-11-20T10:39:00.013-05:00

i don't think that i've ever been more interested in fashion than now. i've gotten over my insecurities about my body and learned to embrace it. i've also found that i feel way more confident if i take a little time to wear more than just jeans and a teeshirt every day.

in the process of trying to find my own style, i've stumbled upon sites like lookbook. i like lookbook because it's real people, so i tend to think that what they wear is actually wearable in the real world. so i've been prowling around on there when i should be doing homework (oops) and i've found these inspiring looks!

what do you do/wear to treat yourself or to boost your self esteem?

sunday's post

2008-11-16T12:12:00.005-05:00

i'm sure you've all heard about post secret before, yes?
well just in case you haven't, people send in their secrets on homemade postcards, a few are selected, and every sunday they post them. it's pretty much a sunday ritual for most of my friends.

here's my favorites from this week:

this is true me with me too!

sometimes i feel this way, but then
i remember that stereotypes are socially constructed!

do you have a secret stash of your favorite post secret posts?
share them! i'd love to see your favorites!

have a great week!

photography show

2008-11-15T11:53:00.004-05:00

some of my fellow photography students (and very good friends) are having their bachelor of fine arts shows!
very exciting stuff. i'm pretty sure i can't just walk in and take pictures of their exhibition, but here are their websites with their recent work on them! enjoy!

adrienne marks

heather stratton

amber martin

to write love on her arms

2008-11-13T12:20:00.006-05:00

i just realized that today is very important. you may have heard of to write love on her arms from facebook groups, their myspace page, etc.

to quote from their website: "TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for those struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery."

on november 13th, people write love on their arm to support people who suffer from depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

i did this for my brother, for myself, and for various friends.

not dead yet

2008-11-12T20:23:00.006-05:00

a much overdue post after cleveland this weekend! it wasn't as beneficial or fun as i thought, but we made the best of it! i got back on sunday, but i'm so behind on college work that i haven't had time to post until now.

also, jason and i have been together for one year! (as of yesterday 11/11)so he's going to take me out to dinner this weekend!

anyway, here's some pictures of cleveland!

i wore this to a gallery opening:

and here's some shots of downtown!

these djs were so rad!
they had awesome music, and they had the transformers movie
projected behind them for their whole set!

well that's all i have for now.
i'll post something more interesting tomorrow, hopefully!

tuesday's adventures

2008-11-05T14:50:00.011-05:00

tuesdays are usually so blah and uneventful, but not this week! for class, we had to go out and shoot some video, but i brought a still camera and got some great pics!

one of my favorite spots on campus is east hall, built in 1902 i believe.

leaves grow on almost the entire building

i love the way radiators look!east hall is up on a hill that overlooks all of downtown. it's so gorgeous!
yours truly, the adventurer

there student studios and art classes held there up until last semester, but now all of the inside is chain-link-fenced off! luckily, we found a secluded door on the back and broke in! shhh....

and if that wasn't enough shenannigans already, we went over to the cemetary so my friend could get some footage. it was so gorgeous with the fall colors!hope we don't get haunted!

hope you enjoyed the scenery!

do you like to go on advetures? if so, what do you do?

obsessed: lykke li

2008-11-03T14:00:00.006-05:00

very late last night i was flipping through channels to avoid homework, and i stumbled across this video on mtv. i can't get enough now!

lykke li is 22, swedish born, and fabulous! this hit song "i'm good, i'm gone" features saucy deep piano that reminds me of feist's "my moon my man," and the video is full of stop-motion animation, which i am becoming extremely fond of.

aand now, enjoy the video!

sunday sunday sunday

2008-11-03T00:22:00.007-05:00

almost time to start another busy week...ugh! at least there's halloween candy!

and in case you partied hard this weekend, here's a little mix for you! it's upbeat to give you some energy, but has a lot of soothing electronics so it's easy on those headaches! enjoy!

happy halloween!

2008-11-01T15:16:00.009-04:00

well i know it's now the day after halloween, but it is still halloween weekend, so it's all good! i went as poison ivy from batman! i was happy because most people could tell what i was right away! i went out with some photo majors from school the first night, and the second night i went out with my friends. my roommate jackie went as a fairy, and my boyfriend jason went as the joker. we all had so much fun!
did anyone else do something fun for halloween?

is it the weekend yet?

2008-10-30T11:19:00.009-04:00

this week has been so stressful! projects, writing a grant, a take-home-exam, and an annotated bibliography (which i haven't started yet!).

it jumped up to the 50s today (yay michigan?), but it's still cold and i wanted to wear something warm and comfy. at least the sun's out and the sky's blue!top & leggings: walmart, legwarmers: charlotte russe

i don't usually wear glasses, but my contacts were freaking out this week so i had no choice. i don't think they look too bad with this outfit though.

anyway,

halloween's pretty much here! one of my fellow photo majors is having a party tonight, my buddies are throwing a 21st birthday party tomorrow night, and saturday a couple of my girlfriends are having a halloween party! i don't think my system can hack going to all of them. i'll be making my own costume, so i'll be sure to post.

guess what i'm going to be!

how to look good naked

2008-10-23T13:55:00.011-04:00

it's hard to feel good about yourself these days, i mean honestly.
we are constantly bombarded with images of women who are super skinny, super photoshopped, and completely unrealistic.

i was flipping through a waiting room copy of a fitness magazine yesterday and i found this show. i can't believe i've never heard of it before!

carson kressley (queer eye for the straight guy) is, of course, fabulous and feverishly working with these women to help them to accept and to love what they look like. it's amazing to watch these women transform completely in just a few days!

the show is now into its second season, and you can watch all of season one and most of season two at lifetime.com!

i want to be on this show!

palin as president

2008-10-22T12:53:00.003-04:00

my web design class began studying web art yesterday, and our professor showed us this website. it's very interactive, and new features are being added every day until november 4th.
it's called palinaspresident.com.

i'm not trying to tell you who to vote for, i just think that this is just plain funny!

greetings!

2008-10-21T12:55:00.012-04:00

a few reasons why i started life as experiment:

· i'm a longtime livejournal user, but i wanted something that could be more public.

· as a junior in college, i'm learning daily about things that aren't necessarily academic, but that are none the less valuable, i.e. websites, blogs, tv shows, etc. i want to have an avenue to share these media, thoughts, ideas, and just plain cool stuff with the world!

· i love looking at blogs from people around the world and peering into their thoughts and lives. don't you?

well, i guess that covers it.

and now a little about me!

· i'm a junior at western michigan university majoring in fine art photography
and intermedia. i originally wanted to be a graphic design major because i love computers, but decided i wanted to do something meaningful with my life and not be limited to making letterheads or something my whole life. i love photography, but i'm still learning!

· i have an amazing boyfriend (whom i'll probably mention a lot) and we've been
dating for almost a year!

· other than school and work, my life is pretty limited right now, but i still find time to do things that i love. i have a few good friends, i knit and crochet, play videogames, listen to music, read books, exercise, and have fun!
welcome to my blog!