Damn, Chelsea! Back at it again with two posts this week!
I know. I’m trying to be better (she says to her non-existent audience).
I thought I’d share a few of my product crushes this week, which is somewhat ironic since I’m *truly* trying to save money. Tryna pay those college loans, you know?
I mean, c’mon. Daily inspiration to slay the game.
This whole gosh-dang collection: Of COURSE it’s sold out. I feel like I’m being punished by the hip-hop gods for wanting merely to receive some of Rihanna’s essence.
P.S. Still shippin’ Ri & Drake SO HARD.
TFW you can’t rock pink fur slides like RiRi.
This collection too, because I am a weak garbage-pail of a person. Beyoncé is everything. Beyoncé is so everything that it feels trite even writing this sentence. If anyone’s going to get me to do hot yoga in a bodysuit, it’s Bey. How do I justify buying all of this?
This book, which arrived in the mail today because I pre-ordered on Amazon. I’ve been reading Anna’s blog for years, and she finally has a book out! I can’t wait to revel in her brilliance. I wish I had the stones to do a Spending Fast. Hey, when those student loan payments kick in, I just might have to!
This book TOO. I am counting down the minutes until I graduate because my books-to-read pile is getting way too tall. Augusten Burroughs has been one of my favorite writers since the love of my life (aka my college friend, Brian) introduced me to his work circa ’09. I can’t wait to see what he’s been up to lately—from the articles I’ve read, it’s bound to be a juicy read.
This book THREE. Jen Kirkman is my spirit animal. She once liked my tweet about a Nirvana song, and that’s really all I need in this life of sin. I don’t own her books yet, but they’re in my Amazon cue—you’re next, Kirkman. Her Twitter feed is basically Feminism 101—check that shit out.
And finally, this song. The Sirius XM station we’ve been listening to at work has been playing this on the reg, like they don’t even understand that I’m grieving. It’s so hideously cruel. But regardless of my personal Prince feels, this is the jam.
What’s littering your online shopping carts lately?
Sandal season approaching, you guys! The weather has been so amazing in New England lately. Even when it rains, it’s still gorgeous. It’s been between 50° and 70° every damn day.
I am a Birkenstock devotee! Best sandals in the game.
The fabulous weather has inspired me to fill my house with plants and start the seasonal DIYs! My first step was to revamp the porch.
We have a big, gorgeous wooden porch that we never use because apparently we’re crazy? Really though, it’s because it became outdoor junk storage. The compost bin, the recycling–everything lives outside, making our lovely porch a major eyesore.
Something had to be done, and that something came in the form of a hanging planter of pansies and a spray-painted patio set!
Pretty purple pansies in the evening.Paint used (since the colors are washed out in the photo): Rustoleum gloss spray paint in Ocean Mist & Candy Pink.
The patio set is still missing its sister chairs—I’ll be hitting up Home Depot soon to buy & paint the rest of them—and the table needs another coat of candy pink, but it’s already shaping up nicely! I am feeling blush pink and mint this season—not just because of Pantone! I’m thinking about adding an umbrella, one of these beauties, from the Marimekko for Target collection.
Soooo many hooks for hanging planters!
Our porch, ceiling, which needs to be painted badly, has a bunch of hooks already in place, so you know I’m going to be adding a ton of plants to our outdoor space! If only I knew how to safely remove and refinish what is probably lead paint…
The best thing about nice weather and spending more time outdoors is dressing for it.
Self-timer fails: when your actual husband is a terrible Instagram husband. Sunnies/ABM for Bonlook, dress & choker/F21, jacket/BCBGeneration, bag/Rebecca Minkoff (available here), faux furball/Topshop, sandals/Swedish Hasbeens
I’ve basically been freezing my butt off for days, in complete denial that it’s not quite shorts weather, but these Anthro short-eralls are 100% worth it.
Dressing like a 9-year-old boy is what I do best. Top/August Silk, Shorteralls/Anthropologie (or Free People? Urban? They’re from a brand buyout!), Necklace/Monqstyle
Alright, enough of my shenanigans: there are much more serious matters at hand. I don’t really have words to express my grief regarding the death of Prince. So, instead of risking sounding trite, I’ll just leave this picture, which gives me endless life. Good night, sweet Prince. I don’t care where we go, I don’t care what we do—I don’t care pretty baby, just take me with u.
Like any American 20-something with a pulse, I love Target in a big, big way. I don’t buy my clothes, accessories, and food there, but basically everything else I need to live comes from Target. I have one on the way home from work AND 5 minutes down the road from my house, so I’m pretty much doomed. I’m boxed in!
As a young (read: broke) person living on her own, I have to weigh a lot of options before I make big décor purchases. Décor necessarily falls into the “wants” not “needs” category, so decorating my home has taken me over 2 years and it’s still not nearly where I want it to be. Target has been an invaluable resource for buying things that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive, like lighting fixtures and rugs. There’s always some sort of deal going on!
This bath mat. I mean, bitches love geometric patterns, amirite?
Piece by piece, our little home is coming together. Nate Berkus for Target has really helped with that. Affordable pieces with a high-end feel are my jam right now.
I chose to redo the bathroom, as it’s been the most neglected room in the house. Seriously…even with cleaning. It’s messed up. I decided it was time to pretty-fy. It is amazing how much making a space pretty will affect my desire to clean.
I committed to this hue because, hello, pink towels. My bathroom is all black & white (and gold, thanks soap dispenser!), so I thought that a dark blush color story would be the perfect pop!
The bedroom also got a bit of a makeover. I bought this amazing rug in its 6′ round style and damn, is it plushy and perf. Della obviously approves.
My office is still the ultimate work-in-progress, but little details like this letter sorter and my kick-ass lamp from Urban Outfitters really make it feel like an actual room worthy of an actual adult.
I mean, does this letter sorter not give you LIFE?
Piece by piece, the house is coming together. On Friday, my grandmother surprised me with my bridal shower and wedding presents: a new refrigerator and a new living room set! This week will bring a lot of changes, and I couldn’t be more excited.
My new sectional is modern AF. It’s a leather-alternative with tons of storage and adjustable headrests. We got the matching storage ottoman as well. So excited to chuck our cat-hair infested hand-me-down couch!
So. Much. Storage. DUDE. No more coffee table for the Figs!
So, it appears that my house is black, white, and gold with occasional pops of mustard, blush, and turquoise. I can’t say I saw that coming, but it happened organically, so it’s from the heart. Decorating our house has been the most time-consuming, eternal endeavor, but I’m having the best time.
So many spoilers are about to follow. Just so you know.
“Chels, you just watched Jessica Jones? Do you even Marvel Universe, bro?”
Shut up, I know. I know! I should have been worshipping at the altar of Jessica for months and months. But the important thing is that I watched the show and I am forever indebted to its creators. Two of the baddest bitches alive just entered the (streaming) television arena: Jessica Jones and Trish Walker.
Jessica Jones combines romance, mystery, action, and gore in a way that manages to *not* be sappy, cliché, or gross. And while I’m skeptical it passes the Bechdel test (a lot of Trish & Jess’s conversations center on the takedown of Kilgrave) it’s still packed with refreshingly feminist moments.
My best friend pointed this out to me, so I won’t take credit: Jessica’s broken door. She shoves an irate client through the glass in her front door, and for the majority of the series it remains broken, a symbol that the fight for Jessica (and for women) is not just physical–it’s mental. For Jessica, who has super-strength and can take on any intruder, the threat is that Kilgrave might retake control of her mind. And, applied broadly, although physical violence is something that women are still very much in danger of, the most insidious elements of sexism are deeply imbedded in the collective psychology of our era. I mean, take my #QUEEN Hillary Clinton. Can you believe the shit people say about her? Can you believe the shit other women say about her? All human beings are flawed, but I guarantee you, if there were a male Hillary (that hadn’t already been Pres twice–I see you, Bill), Democrats would be licking his/her boots. (PS Not tryna be political, I love Bernie too! #Dem4Life)
The point here is, really, that Jessica Jones showcases badass bitches who learn fucking Krav Maga to take down serial-killing supervillains. It’s the realest.
BUT, I will say that I am a weak, weak individual. Every Whovian that I talked to SWORE that Kilgrave would be a believable villain. But when this sociopathic, murdering rapist said “I love you” my only emotional response was “I love you too, Ten.” My David Tennant feels are too strong. I’m actually bummed that he won’t be back for season 2. Maybe we’ll get flashbacks of that sexy Scotsman.
Season 2 can’t come soon enough. As if we didn’t love Krysten Ritter enough from Don’t Trust the B. Now she’s Marvel-legit.
***By the way, I’m not shilling for Netflix or anything, but honestly, it’s 2016. I’d die before paying for cable. It’s cheaper to just have Hulu + & ‘flix. And Amazon Prime. What a glorious, privileged world we live in.
****All photos culled from Google searches. I take ZERO credit and give mad props to the artists/photogs that made these images.
Today marks a somewhat historic day for me: I attended all of my classes, submitted a homework assignment on time, and am in really good shape to catch up with this semester’s work! I’m actually excited to write a law paper on Plato’s Apology of Socrates. I might actually. freaking. graduate. It’s getting so real.
So, logically, rather than, y’know, study for Art History, I decided to clean the crap out of my apartment. It is amazing what accumulates in your fridge and freezer when you’re not paying attention…Let’s just say that, despite our super-green recycle-mania, we’ll have a full bag of trash this week.
Some useful stuff, like organizing my office, happened. But some fun stuff happened too.
the rainbow connection ❤
When I moved into Fig’s place, his cabinets were *sorta* decorated with random glassware, and I managed to go almost 3 years without realizing that they are perfectly rainbow-colored! Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess has an incredible rainbow-colored glass collection that has been a total inspiration. It was so nice to be able to start my own with “found objects” (which is what I call all of Fig’s pre-Chelsea possessions, basically).
Also, cleaning out your fridge and cabinets can be really inspiring…for cooking, that is. I invented a sauce that I kind of want to call “béchamelized”, but I don’t know that anyone would get it. Caramelized onions and cauliflower, white wine, butter, and parmesan cheese instead of flour. 2 legit 2 quit.
I served it over pierogies and wilted spinach because LIFE IS AMAZING.
When you have 3 full-time jobs (retail worker, 15-credit college student, & homemaker/housekeeper/adult-I-guess?), there’s very little pure “me-time”, so getting to do some redecorating and creative cooking was so refreshing.
What fills your “me-time”?
–DellaBites
P.S. I’m calling 3.18.16 the day I finally committed to Snapchat. I’m @highwaytochel over there. Story is fiiiiire right now.
P.P.S. Just in case the title reference isn’t clear…
Last week I had the immense pleasure of visiting the capital city of Florida, Tallahassee! I know what you’re probably thinking (unless you’re from Florida): “Florida? Northern Florida? Like, if you’re going to vacation on Spring Break, at least hit up Miami or something.”
Old Tallahassee State House (click through for photo cred)
I get it. Tallahassee isn’t exactly a typical vacation destination. The airport is so tiny, you can’t even get a direct flight there. However, my childhood best friend just got a job at a college there, so to Tallahassee I went. I mean, free lodging and the best homies, hello.
Turns out, I judged Florida too soon and too harshly. Tallahassee is a freaking oasis. I had both the best (glitter) manicure and the best cold brew of my entire life there. At The Lucky Goat, they call it “Cold Gold” and BELIEVE me, I’d swap my engagement ring for an IV drip of the stuff.
So, since I’m newly obsessed with this city, I thought I’d share a guide to the best eats, dranks, and activities in the game—plus a killer beach recommendation!
Mango. Wit. I could end the description there and you’d get why this place rules. Located in the Railroad Square art park, Proof is an indoor/outdoor beer garden & brewery (they don’t serve food, but they do sell their beer in growlers to go!) It has classy/minimalist warehouse vibes and an astroturfed patio with cornhole and bocce! Also–cute bartenders. I’d be a bad reporter if I failed to mention this important detail. If I lived in Tallahassee, I’d be a regular for sure. And if you go? Get a flight. Trust me, you’re going to want to try as many of their beers as possible.
Must try: Mango Wit, Creatures in the Dark Porter, La La Land IPA
Pizza. Whiskey. The end. Two establishments sharing one building, and my heart. I had my first ever mint julep here, and some of the dopest pizza in the game. We, um, spent a liiiiittle more time on the Warhorse side (which was playing 90’s alt-rock/my spirit music) which has a sparse warehouse-y vibe with a graffiti-esque logo. I tried to convince Sarah that there was a connection between the space (warehouse) and the name (Warhorse) but I was brutally rebuffed by her superior intellect. I was trying way too hard for a pun.
Must try: The Foxy Cleopatra. It’s a hummus pizza, you guys. And Templeton Rye, neat.
Catalina has a special place in my heart. Not only because it’s named after a California island and has major surf-shop vibes, but because it was there that I was introduced to my favorite drink of all time: mazagran. The coffee drink originated in Algeria has many variations, but the one they serve is the Portuguese version: lemonade & cold brew. That’s it. It is liquid magic. It somehow tastes like lemon iced tea and chocolate at the same time. Catalina (the Garages on Gaines location, that is) is another indoor/outdoor establishment (damn Floridians and their stupid good weather in WINTER).
I mentioned this gem of a café/roastery above, and let me tell you, it is worth the shout-out. We only got to go here once, since it’s separated from the area that we predominantly spent time in, but its killer coffee and super sweet barista really left an impression on me! I bought a pound of their freshly-roasted coffee which I can’t wait to brew up for the bae.
Now, this is the cool kid bar. Like, DJ with a MacBook, hot bartender cool kid bar. We stayed here waaaaaay too long my first night in town, but had some amazing drinks and Rihanna dance parties on the way. I had a drink called a Biergarita here, so clearly it’s a pretty legit establishment. The food seemed amazing too! Can’t wait to go back and try it!
Must try: The West Bank. It’s Sauvignon Blanc and St. Germain. Trust.
How do I even begin to describe Nefetari’s? I guess it’s like if you put a bunch of drunk vegans inside one of the pyramids of Giza? The décor is definitely Egyptian/Eastern inspired, but the food is, shall we say, eclectic? You can get jerk chicken, burritos, curry, samosas, and vegan mac n cheese in the same place. Heaven on Earth. I had a Hula-peño margarita (jalapeño & pineapple) and curry pasta primavera with tofu. My mouth was pretty confused, but also delighted. Nefetari’s definitely wins for best omni/veggie options.
Must try: The house-made ginger juice stuff. It’s liquid crack. And samosas.
We had hungover breakfast here on Saturday, and it did NOT disappoint. Vegetarian mushroom gravy, biscuits, and an overeasy eggs (the vegetarian Ralphie, FYI). And sweet potato fries, let’s get real. They also have Maple Tap, which is one of the most heavenly coffees I’ve ever tasted (and BOTTOMLESS REFILLS, Y’ALL!) Instead of taking our names for our order, they asked us to name a favorite band. We said Belle & Sebastian, because high school. Some of the others shouted out were The Roots and Lake Street Dive. Clearly, we were there with other kindreds.
The Fermentation Lounge is a local Tally craft beer bar with an adjoining restaurant called Grain on All Saints St. We didn’t actually hang at the Fermentation Lounge, but we ate at Grain and had one of the Lounge’s amazing beers. Great eats, great drinks—an all-around win!
Must try: Beer cheese fondue and the red wine beer. I don’t remember the name of it, but trust me, it was a revelation.
Tacospeak was walkable from my friend’s apartment. I would gain a million pounds! I ordered 2 “Hipsters” and I kid you not, there is FRIED CHEESE inside of there! If you live in or near Tally and you don’t go to Tacospeak regularly, you have failed me and I disown you. The end.
Nail Bar is not false advertising. There was booze there! We were way too hungover to take advantage of the complimentary mimosas, but what a way to spend an afternoon waiting for your rental car to become available! I got fucking glitter nails. Not a glitter polish. The nail tech poured actual glitter on my nails. It was extreme. I’m never taking it off. All gold everything. Best manicure experience of my LIFE.
Must try: A glitter manicure. Best $40 I have ever spent.
This beach makes Massachusetts beaches look like pond scum. I mean, they are pretty garbage but until you hit the Gulf Coast, you don’t really know, you know?
Houses line the shoreline, and they are the orange sherbet houses of my DREAMS. Sarah and I briefly considered not going back to Tally and just working coffee shop jobs on SGI. White sands forever.
Must try: Grouper from the Blue Parrot (a beachside restaurant). Disclaimer: I think fish is vile and don’t understand why people eat it, but if you’re into that sort of thing, this is a local fave that is served in tacos!! Also, FYI the Blue Parrot has a live cam of the beach! Daydreamers beware!
Other awesome things about Tally: La Croix is readily available everywhere, you can buy beer at the grocery store, and the Uber drivers are all amazing and mostly dads.
So, Floridians, did I miss anything? I’m obsessed with your city and can’t wait to go back!
–DellaBites
**All photos taken on my iPhone 6 and edited with A Color Story unless otherwise noted.
My lifelong dream has been to work from home. As a child, that meant becoming an author. I loved to write and was praised often for my ability. But things change and interests fade; as I got older (and social media blew up), I began to prefer the straightforwardness of the “blog” style, which also allows for a wide breadth of topics to be discussed in a single medium. Also, there’s an instant gratification to social media that is absent from traditional publishing. Beyond this, I truly don’t know if I have an original work of fiction in me! I read a lot, and the amount of detail in most of the fiction I read must require exhaustive research! When it comes to research, I prefer hands-on experience (such as trying and failing at replicating recipes or making pieces of art), to the academic type of research which requires databases and journal articles.
Basically, blogging is my dream job. There are just a few problems with turning an obscure hobby into a real job.
Successful blogs marry stunning visuals with substantive content. Well-designed websites are my kryptonite. As a millennial, I evaluate a company or individual’s worth by its visual presentation. When a company takes time to hire out artists and graphic designers, or a savvy blogger learns Photoshop and InDesign herself, it is an indication that her product or persona is important to her and worth the extra investment of time or money. Good web design makes the content of the blog or website more accessible (and therefore more useful) to the reader, contributing to the success of the site.
It takes time, money, or both to create a site worthy of traffic. Confession: I don’t even own a camera. I desperately want one, as photography is a huge interest of mine, but committing to a purchase of upwards of $500 is terrifying to a student. I would spend $500 on new tires for my car because that contributes to my overall safety and well-being. But to spend big money on something I want rather than need is daunting. The cost of maintaining a website is reasonable (I’m already doing that), but the investment of time comes at a price. Not only does one have to learn (or hire out) great web design and provide engaging visuals, but one has to have the time to create the sites content. DIYs take time. Writing essays takes time. Researching topics of interest in order to successfully do those things takes time. Hell, even outfit photos take time! There’s the photography, photo editing, image uploading, posting of affiliate links, etc. It takes a full-time job to afford to create content, but it takes a whole lot of free time to actually create it.
Sometimes you have to fail a few times in order to succeed. Nobody is perfect; even though the lives of bloggers may seem perfect, they are real people with real flaws. That food blogger might have ruined 3 casseroles before she found the perfect bake time and temperature. For the layperson who dreams of entry into the blogosphere, the idea of failing, and potentially wasting time and money as discussed above, is scary! Most of us don’t have the resources to accept failure. It takes a very determined person to persevere through that, and not all of us are programmed with such self-confidence.
Committing to a life off the beaten path requires an enormous leap of faith. If you, like me, have a family that would never understand why you quit your job to run a blog full-time, then you understand the stranglehold that traditional values have upon most of us. I can only speak as an American (specifically a New Englander), but you’re supposed to perform well in high school, go on to a competitive college, make Dean’s List, graduate with mountains of debt, somehow immediately proceed into a lucrative career, get married, buy a house, and procreate. Almost no one actually does this, yet your individual failure to do so is met with disapproval at every turn. Personal example: I was encouraged to go into nursing when I was in high school. I hate being around sickness, I’m disgusted by blood, and I excelled in humanities rather than the sciences. I would be the world’s worst nurse. I would be absolutely miserable every day of my life. But nursing is practical, noble, reliable work, so despite the fact that I would basically want to kill myself every day, my family did their best to encourage this path. I was raised with the understanding that work is an unpleasant means to an end. You need to earn enough money to lead a normative life that wouldn’t be judged by other successful people. That…sucks. Faced with such opposition, you have to believe in yourself or your product to your core in order to shirk tradition and make your own rules.
It’s not all terrifying, though. The freedom to wear whatever I want every day is almost enough motivation for me to make the jump! Working from home, blogging, or other non-traditional jobs aren’t for the lazy: you have to hustle and work your ass off to make a living, but in truth, there’s no one I’d work harder for than myself and the little family I’m making.
So, how do I do it? I’ve scoured the internet for advice that all seems impossible and daunting. I’m barely managing a job, school, and a home as it is. But that desperate hope to make my dreams come true never leaves the back of my mind. When people ask me what I want to do with my life, I either lie or say nothing. How do you put into a simple sentence everything that I’ve said here? I guess the only way to put it is: “I want to work for myself.” I want to create my own future and establish my own standards. I want to succeed on my own terms. I have no desire to be rich. I’ve honestly even given up on dreams of world travel. I just want to go to bed every night knowing that I followed my heart.
I know what you’re thinking: “Wasn’t New Year’s like, 2 months ago?”
Yes, it was. But not for me. I’m a lifelong sufferer of major depression, and the winter is the hardest season for me to get through with my head up. But, here in New England, it seems the sun has finally returned to us, and even though it’s still cold enough to snow, the vibrant energy of springtime is looming.
Earlier in the month, however, I suffered an extreme depressive episode. I’m medicated, so it was fewer crying jags and more general numbness. I couldn’t care about anything. I let my schoolwork, my job, and my relationships suffer. Wedding planning halted. I was in a really terrible place. After about 2 weeks of basically being housebound except for shifts at work, I decided that I needed to do whatever possible to pull myself out of my depression (hopefully, once and for all).
So, I made some changes. The first thing I did was give up alcohol. Cold turkey. I’ve blogged a little bit about drinking in the past. I’m far from a heavy drinker, but as alcohol is a depressant, it seemed counterintuitive to add depressants to depression.
I also started aromatherapy using Monq diffusers. I touched upon them in a recent post. They’re amazingly relaxing, and I highly recommend them!
I started going to bed really early (and trying my damndest to get up early). Going to bed earlier is easy—it’s the getting out of bed that I’ve always struggled with. I didn’t have much success with this until this morning. I’m hoping it continues!
I gave up caffeine after 3 p.m. This was a fairly arbitrary time choice, but it has worked wonders. I had no idea how much my caffeine consumption was affecting my sleep. Coffee doesn’t make me jittery or energetic, so I foolishly thought that I was immune to its effects. Wrong! My mind was jittery and energetic—shutting it off was impossible! No wonder I was having frequent nightmares! I switched to herbal tea—ginger with honey & lemon to be exact, and it has had a marvelous calming effect. It’s also great for digestion!
Upon the advice of a coworker, I started saying “thank you” more, and smiling when I did it. Just because I don’t personally need the validation of being thanked doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel good to validate and appreciate others. This alone has really brightened up my moods!
And finally (and most importantly), I KonMari’d. What the hell is KonMari, you ask?
image via google
KonMari is the nickname of Japanese organizational guru, Marie KKondo. She is a genius. I started reading her book, The life-changing magic of tidying up, on Friday, and I’ve already been able to improve my quality of life. I can’t do tidying up justice in a blog post, but suffice it to say that it advocates basically getting rid of 2/3 or so of what you own, and only keeping those items which “spark joy”. That’s a fairly vague criterion for most, but as someone who values her intuition deeply, it is now the only criterion by which I evaluate my possessions. I’ve donated a ton of stuff already to my local Savers, as well as sold my nicer clothing on consignment or through Poshmark. I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me that my apartment didn’t have a storage issue—I had a hoarding issue! Honestly, how many sweaters does one woman need? Do I really need to keep all of my old exams and class notes? Fuck that. I feel so liberated from the burden of things. I hope to keep up the minimalism for the rest of my life! Being exclusively surrounded by items that give you joy is inspiring and mood-lifting.
So, that’s my personal recipe for winter survival! What tips do you employ to keep yourself sane during the colder months?
How the hell did this happen? I’m 24. I never watched this show when I was in high school (it was hella popular too). These characters are *gasp* younger than me. This is my Dawson’s Creek binge of 2012 all over again.
What is it about these Upper East Side punks that is so enthralling? I’ve never even been above Midtown.
The scheming, though. And BLAIR. Blair is one of the best TV characters of all time. Fuck all the other characters because BLAIR. Dis bitch is a straight-A student. Ivy League-bound. Endlessly capable. Endures tragedy with grace. She truly is American royalty (even if being Monégasque royalty doesn’t exactly work out).
I always watch “trash TV” over school break. It’s soothing to the soul. But I never expected to fall head over heels in love with GG…and Chuck. I am an ardent feminist. It makes ZERO sense that I’m rooting for him. Crazy about him. But the allure of a powerful man is strong, and I am solidly #TeamChuck (I’m 5 seasons and 12 episodes in, so this is a tenuous stance).
The acting is borderline terrible (save the 2 actors above). The plot lines? Convoluted and implausible. Someone please release me from this prison!
2016 has seemed like a total “Invasion of the Body-Snatchers” scenario thus far. Get this: I’ve cut my caffeine consumption by 50-80% per day AND I’ve been practicing aromatherapy. I woke up on time for my 8 a.m. math class. 2015 me thinks that 2016 me is a hippie nerd.
Winter didn’t really come to New England this year. Sure, we’ve had snow and frigid days, but the usual onslaught of dampness and misery graciously spared is this year (unless we get another Easter blizzard). 65 degree February days are the only remotely acceptable part of climate change. This unseasonable weather, combined with my job in retail (where it’s been spring since Christmas!) have brought an unprecedented amount of bright, happy colors into my life during a month known for Groundhogs and below-zero temps.
All of this juuuuust so happened to coincide with the launch of the app A Color Story, so even our Instagrams have been brighter in 2016! I’ve been editing photos with A Color Story exclusively for the past week or so, and I’m really thrilled about the results. For a Photoshop pro, I’m sure it’s child’s play, but for the iPhoneographers among us, it’s an easy way to make your pics stand out.
So, other than ACS, here are a few of my other February faves!
Purity by Jonathan Franzen. So, technically, I’m a few pages from finishing this tome (I can’t accept that it’s almost over!) but I’m preemptively naming it my favorite book of the year. My Toasties/feminists hate Franzen, and there’s ample evidence to support such a view. However, a good story is a good story, and a writer who can make 500+ pages fly by pleasurably is okay in my book.
Monq. Monq is a brand of aromatherapy “vaporizer” (I’m hesitant to use that term because of the connotation with e-cigs). They use unique blends of herbs and essential oils to create mood-boosting aromas and promote focused breathing. I splurged for the 7-pack (which contains Zen, Happy, Sleepy, Vibrant, Skinny, Sexy, and Healthy). My favorite is Vibrant (shown above).
Cigarette smoking is a vile habit that I never personally got into, but I am weirdly down with “vaping”. No nicotine, no tobacco–just aromatic healing!
Della Bites 