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Blueberry Jam

4/23/2015

Soooo, Gaia, in her infinite wisdom, decided that, even though it's Spring, it can still be Winter. By the way I'm pretty sure I used all of those commas correctly. Haha. o_O Umm, but yeah. She's all, 'Hey! The snow stopped, but I can still make it really f*cking cold. So, how you like me now, you squatters? How you like me, now?' *siiiiiigh* Damn, girl. Really? Seriously? Why you gotta be like that? T_T

It was one of those weird days where there was blue sky and sunshine. Everything looked OK and I felt pretty good untiiiiiiil this little thing called wind showed up. When its cold, invisible hand slaps you in the face, you instantly regret going outside. In fact, you regret ever getting out of bed in the first place. >_<

Wellllll, I refused to stay indoors. I had sh*t to do, man. Places to be! >:[~ ~ So, I put together the coziest outfit I possibly could. In all honestly, it's probably more appropriate for Fall, because of the color scheme. I wear so-called "Fall colors" all year round, though. I never understand why certain prints and colors are appropriate only for certain months. Who the hell comes up with those fashion rules?

I don't like being told what to do and I don't like restrictions on what I can wear and when. That's just me. I'm a stubborn asshole, I guess. I dunno. Hehe *shrug* Hmm.. Anyway, I picked some thick cotton fabrics that would block the wind, but that wouldn't make me too hot while sitting out in the sun. :D

I started with chevron patterned tights and then layered subtly patterned maroon over-the-knee socks over those. I had these maroon socks in my wishlist ever since I saw them on Sock It To Me, last year. The color is completely my style. I love deep plum! So, I was super stoked to receive the socks as part of my sponsorship with the company. As much as I want the cold weather to go away, I'm not thrilled about the fact that I'll have to wait until Fall to wear the socks, again. 秋を楽しみにしている。 *^_^*

The simplicity of the outfit was necessary due to the wonky weather, so I couldn't add complexity of color and patterns with a coat or cardigan. I would have boiled. Instead, I jazzed things up with the mix of prints in the tights and socks. It's a subtlety. However, the overall combo with the awesome tuxedo ruffle tunic and its pearl snap buttons satiated me. I did my best to adhere to the 'less is more' adage.

Sometimes, I get nervous about doing simple looks, because I think people have come to expect really big, bold, complex outfits from me. I think those types of outfits are the ones people get the most joy out of and that's understandable. I certainly like them! Still, I don't want to be a one-trick-pony and just always do insane things. Haha. I think I can get joy out of simpler looks, too. I rather like this one! <3

Thrifted - Sheer Chevron Pattern Tights, Black Fedora, Vintage Black Wingtip Tassel Loafers,
Modcloth Navy Tunic (Sale) & ModCloth Brown Satchel (Sale)
Warby Parker - Notched Key Hole Glasses In Tortoise
c/o Sock It To Me - Maroon Over-The-Knee Socks

♫ Thank you so much for your comments! Though I may not respond to each one, I read and appreciate all of them! ♫

26 Comments

Style Break: Storytelling Part II

4/21/2015

18 Comments

Hi hi hi! ^_^ Oh, man. It's been awhile since I did one of these. >_< I did my first storytelling post back in May 2014. It was painful, but necessary. Hehe. I find it easy to talk about fashion, but it's not so easy to talk about my personal life. I try to keep drama and weirdness to a minimum. So, I don't talk about religion, politics or things that are going on in my life that aren't very pleasant. I started by blog to share my fashion sense and meet new people. I don't think I have to talk about those other things in order to accomplish that goal. That being said, I *am* human. Haha. There is more to me than still photos.

I want you guys to be able to come away from my blog knowing more about who I am and not just about my style philosophy. So, that's part of the reason why I created a personal video for you all back in August. :P I want everyone to know that I have moving parts. I laugh. I cry. I do stupid shit. Yadda.

It's always difficult to figure out how to begin these posts. I guess I'll start by telling you all where I disappeared to back in August 2014. I stopped blogging for about a month so that I could go to Chicago and get my teaching certification. ^_^ The first two photos up there are from the place where I did my four-week intensive training course. The third photo is some Dr. Who realia that I made for one of my classes. I ended up plastering those Daleks all over my apartment. Haha. Anyway, it was a really tough course, but I found that I loved teaching. I didn't know how I would like it, at first, but it came so naturally to me. I passed the course and now I am certified to teach adults whose first language isn't English!

I wanted to use my law degree and this teaching certification to create a niche position of sorts. I think there is a high demand for teachers with specialized backgrounds who are willing to impart their knowledge to foreign students. So, my goal is to land a law teaching job at a foreign university. I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but I will say that things are going well! The last photo shows a map of where graduates of the teaching course ended up. My name is somewhere in the ocean, for now. I'm excited to see where this path takes me. It's nice to have options! They were very limited before now.

When I finished the teaching course, my partner came down to help me pack my things. I was excited to finally have a chance to explore Chicago, even if it was just for the weekend. My partner and I were able to see and do quite a lot! We attended the Threadless Family Reunion, something I've always wanted to go to. It was definitely a right place at the right time kind of situation. I had a blast and some of the people who worked there recognized me from Instagram which was awesome and weird. Haha.

We went to Shedd Aquarium, which was really cool! Somehow, we were able to see a Second City show. Again, something that I've always wanted to do and we were not disappointed. If I ever get a chance to go back to Chicago, I'm going to put Second City at the top of my list. Also, as you can imagine, we ate a f*ck ton of food. Chicago is home to many restaurants run by Top Chef contestants and winners. My partner and I are so obsessed with that show, so we made a bee line for any Top Chef restaurant we could find. That last photo is from one such restaurant called, The Slurping Turtle. <3

And here we are. Home sweet home. Haha. ^_^ I returned to my little apartment in my hipster yarn bombed neighborhood. Heh. When I'm not busy volunteer teaching, I'm eating a lot; drinking a lot; playing video games whenever and wherever possible; and doting on my ungrateful cat, Bonaparte. <3

That first photo up there is my new rig! You may have noticed that I went on hiatus from my music blog. Updating it five days per week got to be really difficult, as much as I loved doing it. I knew that when I got back from Chicago, my time would be limited. So, I decided to put together quarterly mixes and upload them. I've been teaching myself how to spin records on and off for about two years.

I believe in vinyl even though it has largely fallen out of favor. Maybe I'm old school, but I think there's no substitute for the feel of vinyl. I think most DJs these days use beat matching software. I prefer to do all of that shit by hand. So, my mixes won't be without flaws, but the music will be good. Haha.

Those top two photos up there show my new kigurumi and my cat sleeping on me while I wear said kigurumi. *^_^* Many of you probably picked up on this already, but if you're a new reader of my blog, then you should know that I often wear really stupid sh*t around the house. When I'm not wearing boring yoga attire, I'm wearing a onesie or a hat (animals, wizards, cartoon characters, monsters, etc).

Last, but not least, it is time to show you some outfits that I considered unworthy of the old blog. Hehe. I've had people ask me if I ever have an "off day." I think this is due to the fact that you're really seeing my "greatest hits" on my blog, as I like to call them. I have neither the time nor the money to be clever with my clothing all the time. So, yes, I most certainly do have off days and boring ones, too! :P

OK, that's all she wrote! I hope that this time next year I'll have less boring things to talk about. Haha. Thanks so much for reading and for taking the time to try to get to know me a little bit better. <3

18 Comments

Blogger Spotlight #19: Her Name Was Celebration

4/19/2015

5 Comments

Meet Olivia of Her Name Was Celebration

Olivia is the cutest, sweetest person ever. I've been following her blog for a long, long time. Over the years, her blog has had three different names and her url changed at least twice. This is completely normal, as not everyone knows just exactly how they want to represent themselves as a blogger. In that sense, our identities are constantly evolving. That being said, as a blogger, it can be hard to maintain a steady readership when you go through those changes.

Sometimes people don't get the memo or they just find it hard to keep up and they don't have much patience. Olivia is so genuine and her style is so consistently fresh that I stayed with her and supported her through those changes. I think she is a strong blogger and I get her point of view. :D

I remember years ago when Olivia expressed how shy she was about taking photos in public.
I also remember how scared I was to leave the comfort of my bookcase which served as the background for many style photos when I first started out. So, I totally understood her anxiety; and I was ecstatic when she gradually gained the courage to change her surroundings. It's a huge step for many people, myself included! Now, I find that Olivia is a force to be reckoned with.

You can see her confidence in each outfit she creates. She still has that shy, girl-next-door charm that drew me to her in the first place. However, it's tempered with a maturity that can only come with experience and the passage of time. I've shared just a few of my favorite outfits from Olivia, but there so many more! <3

Check out Olivia's blog and say, 'hello!' You can find her on Instagram and Facebook, too!

Contact me, if you would like to be featured in my Blogger Spotlight series! I can't make any particular guarantees, but preference will be given to lesser known blogs (i.e. blogs with fewer than 50 followers).

DO NOT write me and ask how much it will cost to be featured. Those requests are offensive and I will immediately place your emails in my spam folder where they will languish forever.

5 Comments

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Hi! I'm Anna <3

I'm fond of artistic fashion, esoteric music, retro games (the older the platform, the better), delectable noms, good libations and my Maine Coon, Bonaparte.

Also, I attended university in Hyogo Prefecture and I am proficient in Japanese.

もし、あなたは日本語が話せる、あたしに日本語で話て下さい！練習が必要だ！*^_^*

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