The Sincerest Form of Flattery

There's a section in Girl Code right under "Thou shalt not steal thy best friend's boyfriend" labeled "Thou shalt not copycat", right?

I've heard it said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I think someone must have made that up to soothe the tempers of the girls whose friends have broken Girl Code and stolen a look and called it their own.  I'm not talking about inspiration.  I love to check out what other bloggers are wearing and trying out with their outfits, but give credit where credit is due.  If I'm channeling someone else's look in my outfit, I like to think I'd do my best to cite my muse. I think its fair.

I saw The Roommate for the first time since returning home from my latest tri-state tour (PA, NY, NJ) yesterday.  Coming home to the apartment after she's been alone here is usually a bit of a shock to my system and it takes me a bit to readjust to living with her.  As I'm getting in my freshly scrubbed shower (the apartment doesn't get cleaned by anyone except me), she's telling me about her weekend. She brings up my orange dress.   You know, the orange dress that I love and rocked in NYC earlier this summer?  I am in love with that dress.  She knows how much I am in love with that dress, so I was surprised to hear, "You know that orange dress you have from Target? I found it in black this weekend." Oh. Umm... WHAAATTTTT?!?

Awkward moment number one of Wednesday.  Thank goodness I had the shower curtain to hide my face, because I'm sure it would've displayed pure shock.

Later on, after she got home from work at the grease trap, she excitedly hops into my doorway holding a pair of black shoes. "And, ooo, look what else I got! They're these cute little moccasin thingies! They're so soft and comfortable and are dressy enough to wear to work." Uh-huh. They are not, in fact, dressy enough for a professional work environment, but whatever.  I do know how comfortable they are. Do you want to know how I know? I know because they are already in my closet from last year!! I say something of to that extent to her, yet it doesn't phase her that I am or should be at all annoyed by the fact that, while I was away, she was apparently busy duplicating certain favorite elements of my closet.

What. The. Heck?  Commence hair pulling, Girl Code has been broken.

Thou Shalt Not Steal Thy Girl Friend's Boyfriend NOR Her Shoes/Clothes/Accessories.

Two-Toned Twinkle Toes

I first saw Essie's Lilacism on Joanna Goddard's blog, A Cup of Jo.  After she wrote about it, lilac kept popping up, so I decided to give it a try.  Lilac was a nice, summery change from my go-to ballet pink (Dear Diary... by Sephora by OPI).

I had to take the polish off of my fingernails after only a few days for a job interview, so I haven't decided if its a contender in the long-wearing category like the Sephora by OPI polishes are.  I've been wearing it on my toes, too, and its seemed to do alright.

I took another tip from some fashion bloggers and decided to try the half-moon pedicure.  I would've done a manicure, but I didn't want to have to take it off for an interview, especially not if I ended up liking it.  I applied a few coats of Lilacism as a base and waited for it to dry.  Then, I used binder reinforcement stickers at the base of each nail to cover the lilac.  Using Caffeine Fix by, you guessed it, Sephora by OPI, I carefully painted the front half or so of each toenail and carefully peeled the sticker back to reveal a lilac crescent.  A little more drying time and I finished the job off with some topcoat.

Lilac = Lilacism by Essie/Dark Purple = Caffeine Fix by Sephora by OPI 

I have to say, I love the outcome.  It looks a little bit like a half-and-half job since some of my nails are quite small.  Not bad for a first attempt, if I do say so myself.  I'm sorry for the poor quality of my photos. My point and shoot is out of commission due to its cracked screen, so I'm fully reliant on my webcam for its delightfully grainy shots.

Day 27: What's the Best Thing You Have Going for You Right Now?

Some days, I don't feel like I have much going for me. I feel stuck in my two to four part-time jobs and stuck in Ohio.  On those days, I feel like I will never find my passion or achieve success, like my relationship will never take a step further from where it is now.

So what do I have going for me then?  Optimism


Regardless of my circumstances, however dismal they may feel some days, I can choose to have a good attitude and be optimistic about my future.  Without optimism, I'd be settling for the not ideal situation I find myself in, as far as my career goes.

I believe that being optimistic will be what drives me to better myself and go places in life. I can't control the economy, I can't control whether or not my bosses decide to pay me my whole check or cut it short, I can't control the length of my lease here, but I can control myself.  I can live intentionally and someday, someone may see that and allow me the opportunity I need to make it big.

Day 25: The Reason You Believe You're Still Alive Today

Day 24 is missing, for now.  I'm supposed to have made a playlist for someone and explain my choices of songs. I'm stuck on it. Deal with it.

Why am I still alive today? Hmm, I know there has to be a reason because, if I'm honest, its a probably a small miracle.  Looking back over all the stupid shit that I did (jumping out of windows, etc) and unwholesome (to say the least) characters that I got my young self involved with, I very likely could've turned out terribly.  Without much effort, I can think up close to ten near-death-experiences.  Is this normal?   Why was I the one who survived the car accidents, the abusive relationships, the nights of excess?

There has to be a reason.  There must be something I am meant to do. I'm not just lucky. I certainly don't feel lucky most days.

I have a dream.  I dream of creating or being heavily involved with a private, non-profit organization that offers after-school care to girls.  They wouldn't have to be considered "underprivileged" or "troubled".  They would just have to want to be there.  It would be a very intentional program.  The girls would receive extra education, free counseling, mentoring, and a safe environment to grow their dreams.  I would hope that the girls would be able to be enrolled from elementary school through high school, after which college scholarship opportunities would exist.

Why do I believe something like this is necessary? One of my many jobs (four, currently. I kid you not) is to assist in an after-school enrichment program.  A majority of the students are there because their parents have placed them there to get them caught up or ahead in school.  During the school year, a smaller percentage of the students are there as a part of the "No Child Left Behind" bill.  Now, I'm not going to get into a huge discussion of the bill and it's effectiveness because it is controversial and I don't have all the facts.  What it has done for me is highlight how bad public schools are, at least in this area.  It is not uncommon to have students come in from the more urban schools reading at a kindergarten level even though they are freshman in high school.  It's so sad.  My heart aches for these kids.  As a rule, they aren't motivated to do school work. They aren't going to get anywhere with the attitudes they have now. I wish they'd believe it if someone told them that it was for their own good and they'd regret not trying later in life.

No matter what I do, I hope to see kids like this succeed.  The world can't be a better place if people don't try.

Who Are We, To Be Anything But Fabulous?

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." 


- Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles)