Tag: Humor

Favorites, Humor, Links

Five Things I Loved in September

“O love, turn from the changing sea and gaze,
Down these grey slopes, upon the year grown old,
A-dying ‘mid the autumn-scented haze…
― October, by William Morris

It’s October! Time to break out the cashmere and boots!

Okay, it may be my favorite time of year, but we still need to salute the good things of the month just gone, so here’s a short list of things that brought me joy in September.

MakeupRehab Reddit
I discovered this subreddit a while ago, but have only really got involved in in over the past couple of months. It’s a community for people who love all things beauty but may have lost control of their spending habits, fallen for the marketing hype on sub par products, and generally want to be smarter consumers. It’s a fun platform for talking about budgeting and critical consumerism, all through the lens of blush and eye shadow, and all based on mutual information and encouragement. Of course I loved it! A real focus is not shopping for shopping’s sake, which I gravitated to immediately. As a self described beauty junkie (you know how many lipsticks I own…) I’ve been thinking a lot about my beauty consumer ever since my Style Month project–which as you may remember, included a week dedicated to makeup and my bathroom shelf. Well, I’m still a beauty junkie, but reading and participating this subreddit has helped inspire a number of style goals and personal challenges, and encouraged me to use what I own in smarter and more proactive ways. My use-it-up challenge was inspired by a post I read here and I’m on track to deliver a positive report come Halloween! My year of “less but better” rolls on.

 

Looks basic in the pan, looks unbelievably natural and pretty on the skin.

Cargo Blush, in Tonga
Speaking of makeup! After using my Cargo blush in Tonga exclusively for weeks, I got the thrill of hitting pan on it–something I haven’t done on a powder makeup product in a long time. So satisfying.

 

So smug. So unapologetic.

Vintage shopping
An evergreen topic, but this month I finally found something I’ve been looking for for nearly two years: a vintage military style jacket that made me look like I was on a campaign to invade Russia in the 19th century. I found it, and I found it in a deep green. My Cossack Pirate came through yet again!

 

The First White President, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This already made it into a weekly favorites, but I’m signal boosting again because this longform essay has had me in its grip ever since I read it. As mentioned, I’m one of those ignorant fools who honestly believed we as a country had made more progress on race than it’s being revealed we have. This POV was utterly down to privilege I didn’t understand or realize I possessed and ignorance of the lives and lived realities of my countrymen. Shame on me, and shame on lots of us.

 

Travel
Jeff and I have been married for the better part of a decade, but have taken almost no holidays that involve just the two of us. Normally we travel with or to see family, occasionally we travel (with great pleasure!) with friends, but almost never alone. Seeing family is of course wonderful, but family can come with unique stresses that mean that visits aren’t always relaxing, and we live very far away from our mutual clans which means that’s seeing them usually involves an exhausting, multi-timezone slog that also diminishes rest and recharging. When we are with friends, we tend to want to milk enjoyment out of everything and so throw ourselves into food, fun, and exploration. Traveling alone meant that we were able to do only what we enjoyed and wanted to do, at the pace we wished. It was glorious. We’re already planning our next trip.

 

Humor, Links, News, Weekend

Weekend Links

“While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.” 
― Groucho Marx

This week the president took on the NFL. In the words of the philosopher, Pretty Woman, “Big mistake. Huge.” The Health and Human Services Secretary stepped down ostensibly because he made the administration look bad with indiscreet displays of wealth and poor judgement in using resources. Which frankly doesn’t bode well for the rest of his cabinet. Which in turn frankly doesn’t bode well for the rest of the citizenry, given how understaffed our government is. There’s just too much news to recap here, so I’ll leave it to the links.

This weekend we continue our deep clean for the seasonal change, we’ll do some brunch, and I’m working on a fun freelance project. I’m also working on some blog posts so I can stop being such a ridiculous writing bum. In the meantime, here’s another teaser Santorini post, and enjoy your links. Let me know of anything worth sharing in the comments!

How to help Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The dangers of American tribalism.

Honest to goodness lion in winter. Disagree with him (and I do, often) he is an elder statesman who will be missed when he retires or passes, and I am sorry to hear his health prognosis is poor.

Good, it’s actually 2017 after all.

Disgusted this happened, thrilled at the response. I will never not be proud to be an Air Force brat.

Good lord. *fans self*

I don’t even have children, but I think a lot about emotional labor, both at home and in the workforce Jeff is a great feminist husband and we have a pretty gender equitable household, chores-wise, but it would be a lie to say that I haven’t had the exact same emotional experience over the box of gift wrap as this author!

Brand new Lizzo!

Miss Piggy is “over the frog.”

Hugh Hefner passed away this week and the think pieces flowed. Here’s my favorite.

This conversation on PBS NewsHour about how the overall news, with particular focus on how Republican party is/may (depending on your POV) becoming victims of their own PR and the president’s ability to steer the media, is both interesting and insightful.

Album of the week: Visions of a Life, by Wolf Alice

Humor, Links, Weekend

Weekend Links: Equinox Edition

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” 
― Jim Bishop

Holiday seems but a distant memory now! It’s been back to work, back to projects, back to deep cleaning the house, and all that jazz this week. It’s officially sweater weather and (as of yesterday) officially fall! I still haven’t written up our Greece adventure or caught up on all my To Dos, but we did make it to our annual local street festival, one concert, and have brunch plans tomorrow, so I’m going to call this a winning week. Here’s a nice big batch of links for you to enjoy this weekend, and let me know any of your plans (big or small) in the comments!

Clinging to that summer feeling!

The Cut asks the right questions. I am heartily over the push to make Secretary Clinton sit down, be quiet, or go away. Spite ’em, Madame Secretary.

Secretary Clinton has also been giving some great interviews, including this less formal one with the Pod Save America lads. Worth a listen.

In the body image segment of this week’s Ugh, Misogyny portion of the links, it sometimes feels impossible to be a woman, alive and in public.

In much better news, I forgot to post this last week but Leslie Jones fangirling was hands down my favorite moment of NYFW this year. (Bonus Lizzo, who is of course an active force for good in this world!)

I bow down to Danielle Steel’s desk.

This is journalism.

Oh my god, people, this needs money. Not as much as a number of worthy causes in the world (which you should absolutely be supporting), admittedly, but still. Phryne!

UPDATE.

The goodest boy.

This week in Mormon news, The Atlantic publishes a conversation with an author who grapples with Mormonism’s racist history, how it has changed, and what roles it may see moving forward as a very American faith whose main membership is now outside the US and whose racial demographics have changed dramatically over its history.

Old uni classmate and blogger extraordinaire Janssen has had a lot of great ideas and projects over the years, but this is one I’m definitely filing away for if/when I spawn.

The bloggers are pissed, guys.

No one needs this.

ETA, forgot to add the album of the week: Wallflower, by Jordan Rakei 

Goals, Humor

Summer Bucket List Check In

“Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first September was crisp and golden as an apple.” 
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I’ve mentioned that the weather has taken a turn for the autumnal of late, this past Sunday it reached a new high (or low, depending on your point of view). Ergo, we’re off to Greece, which as you may recall was the first item on my Summer Bucket List. Which means, given the weather, that it’s probably time for a check in on my frivolous summer goals!

Do you see this nonsense?

Buy new glasses. (See comment below!)

Get another piece of furniture for the house. And plants that I won’t easily kill. (I’ve got my eye on some shelves but that will have to be an end of month or October purchase, as we’ve spent that money on Greece. And I regret nothing)

Read a new heap of novels, both trashy and classy.

Finally get that call with my bank scheduled to kick off the proper investment and savings plan we’ve been talking about for months. (Call made but expat status means that we have to go through a few more hoops before I can start this properly. Annoying, but progress made!)

Do another month long blog project. (Nope, fail.)

Lose some weight. I’m typically wary of goals like this, but I’ve decided to just acknowledge that I’m going to work hard on some health and fitness goals explicitly. (I’ve started a new health challenge and X is my accountability partner. I’m only a bit of weight down, but I’m back to much better eating habits and regular exercise!)

Catch up with some long lost pals. (Another “fail,” but what I actually managed to do was make a few new friends instead. Gonna call this one a win.)

Knock out my audiobook goal.

Leave the office at a sensible hour most days.

Go to more movies. (I only made it to Wonder Woman, but I’m actually with falling down on this goal as we spent that fun money elsewhere, such as eating out at Hawker House.)

Throw some kind of party or get together.

Did you have a summer bucket list of any kind? What goals or triumphs have you ticked off over the warm months?

Favorites, Humor

Five Things I Loved in August

“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” 
― Sylvia Plath

August was supposed to be a quiet month for me, a relatively more relaxed pace at work, other people on holiday, a chance to catch up and get things done, possibly more blogging…

Nope. Hilariously nope. This month has been ridiculous and stressful in the extreme. A few projects at work exploded spectacularly and took over my and my team’s lives, there has been some silly personal drama in the background, and I still don’t feel as if we’ve recovered our flow after our weeks of houseguests this summer (which were not at all a burden, but did a number on the schedules and habits which help keep me balanced). That being said, I’m still urging both X and Katarina to come visit before the year is out because both would obviously be necessary to my happiness

However, we got there in the end. The projects have been righted and we’ve even had a few a few major victories, I’ve got some interesting side hustle opportunities that I’m exploring, and we’re finally going to have some time off next week. Everything’s coming up Milhouse! To celebrate, here is the list of things I loved this month and helped get me through.

It’s My Cushion Compact Case
I saw this product on YouTube and immediately thought it was a genius invention. I was searching for ways to apply sunscreen throughout the day (something I and my pale skin take seriously but still haven’t perfected after years of research) and came across this DIY option that riveted me. One short Amazon.com scouring later and I’ve embraced the tutorial in its entirety and my sunscreen cushion is now a tool I use daily–just before I leave work and head home. This same YouTuber also has another tutorial on how to create your own cushion foundation using the compact which I might be trying next.

 

Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square
I had a bad week when, in the midst of the work shenanigans, my favorite red lip product went missing. Turns out it had been having a vacation in a coat pocket, and I may have danced a little jig when I found it again. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: for me, lipstick is armor; when mine goes missing I feel less able to kick ass and take names. I have a plethora of lipstick, but this one reigns supreme in the red category and it was nice to rediscover my love for it, even if it was under emotional distress.

 

The Art of the English Murder, by Lucy Worsley
This is not a new book by my academic girl crush, but for someone who loves a good murder, it was a great read. Pretty sure I’ll be getting this for my father-in-law (who shares my love of Poirot) for Christmas!

 

“A Conversation With a Former White Nationalist,” by The Daily
The Daily, the podcast of the New York Times has been a great news podcast for my commutes, but this particular episode with a former white nationalist who had to unmake his own racism was exceptionally good. More importantly, he explains the vision of white supremacy he was raised with, how the movement has changed in recent years in an attempt to rebrand itself, and how members of the movement view the current political moment. It’s complex, challenging, disheartening, and hopeful all at the same time.

 

Lisa Macario sweatshirt
I purchased this sucker way back in May and (due to overwhelming demand for this and her other work) only got it this month. It was worth the wait. When she’s finally caught up on her workload–and I wish her all the success–I fully intend to buy something else for myself.

Humor, Links, Weekend

Weekend Links

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” 
― John Lubbock, The Use Of Life

Howdy kittens! I managed to make myself spectacularly and embarrassingly unwell this week and am still a bit shaky, but the blog must go on! I have some holiday coming up and we’re planning a last minute getaway for it but it really is coming down to the wire to make arrangements work. It’s necessary however, we’re both in need of a break. Generally when I start getting sick or my anxiety kicks up a notch, that’s my body telling me it’s time to cool my jets for a bit.

Here’s a batch of links for your weekend, and let me know what your travel plans for summer have been/are. It’s September, but let’s squeeze just a bit more sunshine out before breaking out the boots and cashmere, eh?

Hilary Mantel manages to write beautifully on a topic lots of people are well over.

In continuing Taylor Swift coverage, this. If you’re going to be a pop culture villain, go for it. Just be good at it.

I may have teared up a bit reading this story.

Uh, hi, Pliny?

Why ignoring white nationalists (code for white supremacists) is a mistake, from a guy who knows.

This week in Mormon News, a movement is causing waves in some LDS communities and noted religion report Peggy Fletcher Stack has the dispatch.

Why I don’t have the slightest bit of sympathy for Javanka.

C’mon, science!

Finally, the damage done by Hurricane Harvey is intense. Here’s a round up of all the ways you can donate and which calls may be scams.

Album of the week: Music From Before the Storm, by Daughter

Beauty, Britain, Humor, London, Style

London Glossier Pop Up and Power Branding

“Touch your customer, and you’re halfway there.” 
– Estee Lauder

Excuse the dive into marketing, ducklings, but since that’s what I do for my actual job, I couldn’t do a post about this fun summer event without talking about some of the technical aspects of the company behind it.

You’ve heard me mention Glossier a few times around these parts and and probably also stumbled across it out in the real world too. It’s a beauty brand that launched in 2010 and proceeded to casually take the editorial and online beauty world by storm. From their initial launch, they’ve rolled out product after product and are apparently expanding their line to include more “lifestyle” aspects to beauty in the future; their next product is going to be a candle, for example.

Glossier is launching in the UK later this year and I cannot wait to finally (hopefully) be able to have regular access to the items of their line that I genuinely adore. A few weeks ago I actually got to go to a pop up shop event they threw in Marylebone which was an opportunity for UK beauty nerds to meet some of the team, and test products that they may have not been able to try before. For a company that doesn’t even ship to the UK yet, it was amazing to see how many people (my humble self included) showed up just to celebrate the brand, for lack of a better term.

Which is extraordinary when you think about it. There was nothing to buy, we just wanted to say hi to team members that (due to Glossier’s social media presence) it feels like their customers know personally, or enjoy a beautifully curated space.

Because Glossier, excuse my fangirling, is genius at what they do.

 

I mention the brand and the products separately because while inexorably intertwined, they are different things. Where Glossier has set the bar in marketing has been in the solid curation and dissemination of its brand: its visuals, the people it has chosen to make its promoters, and its products all go hand in hand. It’s no mean feat to make something that must at some level be very well and intelligently controlled look and feel effortless.

From a marketing perspective, I routine point to them as one of the most interesting examples of brand and marketing work I’ve seen in years and I honestly would give my right arm to work with them at some point. It’s probably the most out of reach freelance goal a girl could have, but true nonetheless. Entrepreneur even featured founder Emily Weiss recently, with some of the numbers around the brand’s rise to success. They are damn impressive.

 

It doesn’t hurt that most of the products are pretty great and priced so as not to break the bank. I think they’ve had a few missteps, but they seem to be in the spirit of experimentation so I’m often eager to try products even if feel like a bit of a needle scratch. For instance, I’m really keen to try their new Wowder, but I also feel like it’s a bit of a strange choice for a brand who built their look and core product offerings around the “dewy” skin look. However, I expect that they created this powder…because their customers asked for it. So, in the end, probably smart move.

The whole of Glossier brand really is based on this conversational element–between the customers and the business, between individual customers themselves. Which makes sense for a company that grew out of a blog: Into the Gloss. ITG/Glossier routinely crowd sources feedback on what products their customers want them to develop, what elements of those products would be important to them, and how customers would use them. They have one of the best and most thriving comment sections on the internet (delightfully BS and troll free), and a friendly but authoritative editorial voice.

Guests to the pop up went away with a goody bag of full sized products to tide us over until shipping commences later in the year–a nice change from sample size bits and bobs that many brands hand out for promotions. Another smart move, in my opinion. For actual beauty bloggers and editors, there was an event with Weiss herself and the Beauty Director of Glamour UK on another day (the video interview is quite fun, if you’re interested in all things skincare).

This is a brand I’m not just going to continue to buy, but I’m also going to continue to watch. I believe strongly in the power of branding and am fascinated by organizations, creators, and producers who do it well. Glossier is up there.

Humor, Links, News, Politics, Pop Culture, Weekend

Weekend Links

“Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.” 
― Edward R. Murrow

I had to take a semi-break from news this week, kittens. There’s just too much to process and take in and too much of it is making me angry. What did I do with all those feelings? I channeled them into work and avoided Twitter; it did a lot of good. In spite of hurricanes, missile launches, racists amuk, and all the rest of it.

Here are your links, let me know what you’re doing for the long weekend, kittens! I’ll be doing some work, alas, but also watching the Game of Thrones finale through narrowed eyes (see below for more thoughts), cleaning the house, enjoying a fun brunch thanks to the kindness of a friend, and generally lazing about. I’m really looking forward to it!

It’s summer, let’s learn about seersucker!

I have a lot of thoughts about the current season of Game of Thrones (has time travel been invented in Westeros now? How the hell are people moving thousands of miles in mere minutes?), but of all the subplots I’m not enjoying, the most unenjoyable is how six seasons of character development for Arya and Sansa have been apparently been unraveled because some men seem to struggle writing female strength and growth narratives without turning them into rape victims or un-women. /rant.

Full disclosure, if this plot all turns about to be an elaborate plan to get rid of Littlefinger, I will gleefully eat my words. About the character arch I mean. Not about dudes struggling to write about women. That stands.

Ooh, yes, let’s talk about monstrous female archetypes.

Let’s be real, I am not here for this latest iteration of Taylor Swift. She got caught lying, she’s borrowing from Beyonce. Nope.

Man Repeller summarizes in case you are out of the loop on this one.

Super late to the game but here’s a new to me artist I discovered this week and have been digging.

I cannot wait for this film.

There is one Civil War pensioner still receiving checks!

Sit down, Cameron.

The Fug Girls wrote a hilarious thing about the topic in which they reign unquestionably supreme: royalty.

 

Album of the week: Legacy by The Cadillac Three 

Goals, Humor

101 in 1001 Check In

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” 
― Albert Einstein

Kittens, it’s time for some self accountability! I’m officially one year into my 101/1001 challenge (2.0). I’ve ticked off 23 goals of my list thus far; I was trying to get 24 so I could say I’ve done at least two a month…but alas. I’m still pretty pleased at my progress! The below goals are the long term work-in-progress ones that have been activated but I can’t tick off just yet.

8. Read every Agatha Christie novel
10. See 10 operas, ballets, or classic plays I haven’t yet (5 of 10)
17. Visit the Acropolis in Athens (trip to Greece in the works!)
30. Put $10 in savings for every goal accomplished
33. Pay off the remainder of our student loans
38. Do another 100 books in a year self challenge (I wasn’t doing this originally, but seeing as I’m well over 60 titles in for this year on my Goodreads tracker, while the hell not?!)
44. Go on a shopping hiatus for 3 months once a year (2 of 4)
49. Decorate a new apartment like a real, live grown up
56. Be able to squat my own body weight
58. Become a pseudo expert in a subject I’m interested by reading one book on the subject a month for six months (3 of 6)
66. Listen to one new-to-me music album each week for a year
80. Get credit card balances down to zero
84. Deep clean once a season for duration of 1001 day timeline (4 of 15)
86. Vote in every election in my US state for duration of 1001 day timeline (1 of 3)

All in all, not bad progress for one year. Our big financial goals are still around and some months we do better than others at budgeting, but I’ve discovered some recent ways of handling that which I’ll share in other posts. My writing goals are woefully behind, but I have a fantastic girl gang cheering me. There have been fits and starts with some health goals, but I want to do another month-long blog project around this as a theme.

Have a brag moment in the comments and tell me if you’ve ticked off any goals recently, and what they were!