Today's Outfit

Hello again, all. I hope you're all having outrageously awesome days. My day was filled with school and sleepiness. That's what I get for staying up all night the night before! I have a slight funk about me... But these things do happen sometimes. I'm sure tomorrow will lift my spirits. I'm spending the day with my god-sister Anastasia, laser tagging and movie going. Good times.

I shall ado no further! Here is my outfit:

Yeahhh, I'm a dork... Mad good weekends, everyone!

Forcing Early Bird Syndrome

I'm trying this new thing where I wake up everyday at 5:00. I did it the other day, forcibly, because I had to finish a lab for science. The funny thing was, I actually felt like I had more energy all day! So, now, I'm doing it willingly. I'll let you all know how it goes.

I finally got pictures from my friend Val's 21st birthday party! Here is the outfit that I just adore:

Skirt and shirt from A'gaci
Sarah and Val, friends from Life

Please excuse those unsightly beer cans and such! It was a 21st birthday, after all!

Now! Everyone, have a marvelous day. That is an order!

Vintage Thrifting in Wicker Park

Yesterday, my friend Amanda and I went on a little adventure in Wicker Park. Wicker Park is a super cool section of the wonderful city of Chicago. The area is known for it's cute boutiques, hip thrift stores, record stores, used bookshops, and a cafe with it's own Back to the Future Delorean.

It's basically the most magical place on earth, besides Disney World. Amanda and I had one goal: Thrift until we could thrift no longer. We also wanted to document all of our finds, so I grabbed my camera and out we went to catch the El.

BUT ALAS. No adventure is without it's set backs. It appeared that the battery had been taken out of the camera, a sad fact which was discovered when I went to take my first picture. It's quite lucky we live in the modern age, where most cell phones have cameras, so the hiccup was a tiny one.

Here are some shots of yours truly:

Waiting for the El.

If boots could complete a person...

My favorite gloves from Target.

And here are some shots of the lovely Amanda:

Ready to brave the Chicago cold.

Scarf straight from Dubai

Fantastic bag from JC Penny

As far as adventures go, it was quite successful. We had some interesting encounters with a couple creepers. Some guys came up to us with a wrinkled flier, stating it was national hug day (which, once researched, we discovered it was NOT). Subsequently, we were hugged. It happened so fast, we couldn't spurn their advances. Blast.

Then, there was the forward fellow who danced up on us, and wanted to take us shopping. His "hey baby, what's your name?" failed to woo either of us.

They weren't all creepy encounters, though! We were stopped and asked to give an interview by this Australian salon owner who was really awesome, and quite complimentary about our hair/styles. He also said we gave the best interviews he'd gotten so far, and he'd been all over the country. So, that was flattering!

I found these fantastic shoes at Buffalo Exchange, which is possibly my favorite shop in Wicker Park:

I'm deepy, deeply in love.

Amanda also found this cozy sweater at Buffalo Exchange:

Would you like some coco with that cozy?

I'll end with this adorable cabinet from a little boutique we popped into for a moment, but by our lives, we cannot remember the name of the place! Whoops...

Far too much cute.

Tonight, we venture into the city again, this time for my best friend Val's 21st Birthday party. Drunken hilarity will ensue, better pictures will be produced, and I cannot wait to show you all my outfit. It's one of my favorites!

I hope everyone's weekend has been outta this world so far. Stay lovely.

Falling to Temptation: Ice Cream Edition

After writing today's previous blog post, I got to craving. Hankering, if you will. I wanted Cookie Dough ice cream like it was no body's business. Which it, in fact, was not. (With the exception of my best friend, Adrianna, whom I promptly texted the following before making any rash decisions: "Question. I'm tired, not well, it's cold. But I seriously want ice cream. Do I go get some?") Braving the Chicago mist -- at this point, it cannot fairly be called snow -- I raced to my friendly neighborhood Dominick's.

Of course, it started innocently enough with the acquisition of the Cookie Dough, as great quests often do.

But from there, things quickly got out of hand... I spotted Cheesecake Brownie ice cream, and I froze. And not just because I was in the freezer isle either! I knew what had to be done.

I fear I fall into that classification of humans who "can't be tamed." But worry not. I have a large spoon, which is appropriately paired with my large appetite.

Blog life.

Thinking Beautiful

What a quote! It makes me think about all the things I've ever considered ugly. That old sweater. A failed relationship. Heck, even some of my friend's new hairstyles... Don't tell them that! But are all those things truly and completely ugly? If you're like me, it's likely at one point, you indeed thought they were. When it comes to looking back on past relationships, it's especially likely that things were -- or are -- a complete mess. Your thoughts can't help but focus on all the bad mojo surrounding the memories.

The thing about thoughts is this: When you have one, you instantly stem another. That's just the way our fascinating and mysterious minds work. And that is precisely the reason why many of us often find ourselves falling into an endless thought spiral. Thought Spirals are dangerous, tricky foes that pull us down and cloud our vision. They usually end with frantic phone calls to your best friend, endless hours Googling for answers, and copious amounts of ice cream.

When you think something is ugly, and you write it off as such, you're only allowing your mind to cultivate more ugly thoughts. And Ugly Thought Spirals? Well, those are the worst kind of Thought Spirals.

Taking the time to look past how hurtful, uncool, or ugly something may seem and seeing the joy, effort, and beauty in it instead could completely shift your thoughts to a happier, lovelier place. Changing your established perception is difficult, to be sure, but it's worth the time and brainpower. It may even bring you closer to gaining some insight or healing some wounds. Whenever I fall into an Ugly Thought Spiral, and I'm elbow-deep in a vat of Crazy-For-Cookie-Dough Ice Cream, I remind myself to think of all the beauty instead. I remind myself to appreciate my life for exactly what it is.

Then I continue eating my ice cream.

What? I think we can all agree, ice cream is a most beautiful thing!

Being a customer service representative, I dig that work can be a drag. But, having something fun like this to watch/listen to can certainly break up the monotony. Tis a feast for the eyes and ears! Zooey Deschanel is just adorable in that skirt. I also envy her long hair. Heck, the whole video is just peachy. 

I haven't listened to much She & Him, but this song got my toe a'tapping. I'll have to investigate them further.

I hope it lifts your spirits!

She & Him - In The Sun from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Head-wraps and Book-stacks

A simple up-do for your viewing pleasure. And bonus, the best part of my room: the red wall! If you're lucky, you'll get to see what color the rest of the walls are...

Anywho, this cute little 'do was super fast and easy to... well... do. 

Observe:

1. Roll your hair into a bun. Flatten it to your head and shift it slightly to one side.
2. Bobby-pin it until your heart's content.
3. Loosen the hair at the top of your head. Place your bangs behind your ears and secure if needed.
4. Double wrap scarf/thick ribbon around your head, behind your ears.
5. Pull some hair from behind your ears for a messy look.

That was a lot of talk about ears. You won't usually hear that from me, because I happen to be self-conscious about my overly thin ears. It's a problem.

You'll note I'm still wearing my comfy sweater. And why not?! Tis a cold night in Chicago, and I've got books to read and coco to drink.

Mine is a Simple Style

Whatever fashion sense I have, I doubt it could be called flashy. There was that one time back in 6th grade where bright-blue glitter eyeshadow was my favorite thing, but that was a dark time we no longer speak of. Now-a-days, my fashion is simple. Simple and comfortable. Simple, comfortable and easy. Just how I like my tea. And life.

Today, I wanted to wear an outfit that would define my fashion-sense for all you lovely beings out there. This is that outfit:

{Sweater: My Dad's closet, Jeans: Target, Boots: Steve Madden, Necklace: Heartsmith}

Now, here's the issue: while I love this outfit, I don't really think it defines my fashion-sense. Maybe it defines  today's style, but this certainly isn't how I always look. On any given day, I could easily be mistaken for a Muppet out of The Labyrinth or Anne Hathaway after her makeover in The Devil Wears Prada. It really all depends.

A lot of factors go into the creation of an outfit. Today's factors were weather, work, and limited selection. Basically, it's raining, I had to go into work and all my fabulously expensive outfits were at the cleaners... Indefinitely. Don't worry, none of those things got me down! No, ma'am. But this situation did require thinking outside of the box -- or rather, thinking outside my closet. I meandered recklessly through my house, searching for some spark of inspiration. From room to room I went, leaving no drawer unopened, no door left shut. 

When I came to my father's room, I had little hope that this would be the place to find my outfit. Boy, was I wrong! Father's closets are goldmines. Huge sweaters for the hugging, button down shirts for the tucking! The moment I saw that sweater you see above, I knew I had met my match. Thick, substantial cotton. An interesting, accentual pattern. The perfect mate for a gloomy day.

While fashion isn't my main love, I do enjoy creating outfits now and then. It's an easy way to give your overall confidence a little boost. Whenever I wear something worth showing, I promise you'll be the first to know. After all, fashion is more fun when you share it!

Moving In

found

I never really moved around as a child.

Real talk, I'm STILL living in the same house I was born in. Now, to be fair, I am a college student, still a youngin' as far as ages go. But what I'm getting at is this: I've never had to acclimate myself into a new neighborhood. 

Well, that's not entirely true. There was that one stint where I went away to school for a semester to a town who's biggest claim to fame was their greasy, gooey, cheesy Chubby Sticks... Not high on the fame Richter Scale, but, boy! Were they good...

Sorry, I was drooling. What am I getting at here? Oh, yes. I've never moved around, but I feel like I've had my fair share of trying to fit in. I know how it feels to be the new kid in town. What town, might you ask? Only the biggest town ever to have existed. Ever.

Of course, I speak of the one and only Internet. The biggest collection of people in one place ever to have been collected. Sure, they are all in different places, different homes, sitting on different armchairs, swivel chairs, yoga balls. But they still, at any given time, all reside in one place. One vast, endless place, where gossip abounds, intelligent discussions rage and everyone has something to show the world. The internet is kind of like Hollywood, in that respect.

It's no wonder everyone is trying to nab their 15 minutes of fame before their computer at the internet cafe runs out of time. Goodness knows I've made (and deleted) more failed blogs than I can count on various appendages. Any maybe I'm breaking some unwritten rule here, talking about the Fight Club of the internet, but blogs are many. And I am only one. Who's to say if anyone will ever actually read these words?

Regardless, my goal is to find my place in this huge, swollen neighborhood. It's growing and changing constantly, which only makes it more exciting to be a part of it. Which, as it happens, is all I want. My part. My 15 minutes, if you will. I'm not asking for fame here, and I highly doubt any will come. I only want to create my own little section of the neighborhood. A community of people, all loving and hoping for the same things. What those things are... We'll flesh those out as time goes on. But this is my letter to the neighborhood. This is my casserole to the community.

My name is Patricia, and I'm having a barbecue later if you'd all like to stop by!