Sunday Confessions

School Daze // There are no two ways around it. I HATE the class I am taking this semester. Basically the next 6 weeks of my life will be me working 40 hours at my job (which somedays I also hate), come home and do 2-3 hours of school work for a class which is covering the same stuff I do EVERY DAY AT WORK. So basically, I get NO time off from the job. No bueno.

Snow Flakes // I'm a bit obsessed with them really. The real ones. Not the ones you see adorning Christmas decor. This weekend I grabbed my camera and went hunting for some to photograph. They are elusive little buggers, but once you find one, nothing really compares to how amazing they really are.



Book Intelligence // Do ya'll ever start a book but can't bring yourself to finish it because you aren't sure you are intelligent enough to read it? This is my world right now as I try and finish reading The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. To say I'm just not "getting it" would be a total understatement.

Sunday Confessions

Bangs // Deciding whether or not to cut your own bangs can be a risky decision. It's either going to turn out fantastically or you will be experiment on new ways to pin them back until they grow out again. Depending on my anger/frustration level at the time I decide to take a hack at my own hair, I've experienced both. But the one constant that happens regardless of whether or not the bangs "look good" is that I inevitably end up looking younger than I really am. "Why would that be a problem?" you may be asking. Well, I'm in my mid-ish thirties, not my early/mid twenties like everyone already thinks I am so looking younger is not really a priority for me right now.

Girls Night // Last night a couple of friends and I headed out to one of my favorite restaurants followed by what is quickly becoming a favorite local brewery for some good food, good drinks but great company. I need to start making an effort to have more of these. It is so easy to play hermit, especially when it is grey and gloomy and cold and wet all the time. Getting out and spending time with my friends definitely helps to alleviate some of that. Plus, we always have fun and provide entertainment for those who are lucky enough to be graced with our presence.

Stuart Smalley // I've been having a lot of Stuart Smalley moments lately. Reminding myself that yes I am good enough, smart enough and gosh darnit people like me. Even when sometimes it feels like I'm throwing punches under water, barely keeping my head above water.

Sunday Confessions

I know. I know. We're back to the original title for this "series" even though half the time there isn't a confession to be found in the post. It just seems to sounds better....it fits.

Challenges // Tomorrow starts the next round of the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon. I have done it in the past and LOVED it. Seriously. How could you pass up a chance to participate in something that only requires you to read? It's wonderful. But I'm not doing it. In fact, I'm not doing ANY challenges this year. No 30 day workout challenges. No NaNoWriMo. No bookclubs. No nothing. I know it sounds very anti-social and pessimistic of me but the last couple of times I've tried to do them, I've failed. Miserably. Honestly. Who needs that kind of pressure in their life, especially when it is self induced and really the only person it effects is you? I'd like this to be a "pressure" free year as much as possible.

Laziness // My college classes start back up again this week, so I am taking FULL advantage of the cold Michigan weather to play hermit and just generally lounge about the house.

Hooking // For the last week or so, I have been crocheting like a crazy woman. I really had forgotten how much fun crocheting can be when you aren't making things for other people. Don't get me wrong--I love handing someone an animal I've made for them and seeing how excited they are to receive it (let's be honest--the dang things are adorable) but making so many of them started to be a bit boring. I've been enjoying playing around around with new stitches and even writing my own hat patterns!

Life

I took a wee bit of an unexpected hiatus from blogging. I think we all, at one time or another find ourselves struggling with time, life, friends, family, work, etc. and something has to give. In my case, it was the blog and finding a balance between where I was when I started writing here, where I currently find myself and where I'd like to be. I needed that break to take a bit of a breather and figure out whether or not I was ready for the change I felt needed to happen.  I don't know that I'm there yet, as we all are, it, I am a work in progress and don't know that I'll actually ever really get there.

But until then, I thought I'd at least share a bit of what has been going on around these parts over the last few weeks.

School Days // The semester ended last week and grades came out yesterday. I am extremely proud to say I ended up with a 4.0 in my psych class. Taking a hiatus from school for nearly a decade made the thought of going back nauseating. I couldn't figure out how I'd make it work with a heavy work schedule but I did and I'm pretty excited about it.

Big Apple // I spent last week in New York City playing tourist and trying not to annoy the locals. My favorite parts of the trip, other than spending time with friends were my visits to the New York Public Library and MoMA. The NYPL was really incredible. As a lover of books, it really was what I wanted the library to be. They had a great exhibit, The ABC of It: Why Children's Books Matter, that Vickie and I explored. As someone who didn't really fall in love with books and reading until they were a teen, it was interesting to explore a whole generation of books I'd not previously read. Wandering around MoMA was equal parts inspiring and discouraging. I always find myself itching to create some kind of art after visiting a museum, especially after seeing some of my favorite pieces, but this trip was different. Yes--since visiting MoMA I have felt the need to pick up my camera and start shooting again, to pick up my pencil and sketchbooks and draw something (ANYTHING) and maybe even do a bit of painting. But also discouraging--there are time when I feel like I'm not quite intelligent enough to create anything even remotely interesting and this is where I am currently finding myself. Let's face it, that is not a great place to be. But I'm finding my way out of that and it is all because of that trip.

The Plague // It's obviously NOT the plague, but it certainly feels like it. I managed to bring home with me a Big Apple sized cold that basically has me feeling like I am dying. It's not been fun and will hopefully be knocked out of my system in the next day or two.

The New Year // I already talked about my non-resolutions at the beginning of the month. They haven't really changed in theory maybe just a little more well thought out and maybe a little more stepping outside of the comfort zone.

Sunday Squawk: Non-Resolutions

Err........hello there, December.

WTF?!

December. I'm not ready for this. AT. ALL.

Eeesh.

How the hell has everyone been? As per usual, things have been dreadfully dull about these parts. I have no apologies or excuses for the sporadic dry spells. Life, you know? Oh. And I did follow through with a new blog. I'm digging the freedom of anonymity right now and I will likely keep it that way. The freedom to say what you want without the repercussions of people from real life finding out. absolutely amazing.

But in the spirit of not being totally separate, this is a carry over from the other blog with  few editions and subtractions.

As I have mentioned on the blog before,  I HATE New Year Resolutions. HATE. THEM. Each time I've sat down and thoughtfully made a list of all the things I'd like to accomplish in the new year, I've failed miserably. It just ends up being a list of things that I know I won't follow through on. 

Instead, I've started a tradition of New Year Suggestions. It's a list I always work on well before the new year. I never complete the items on said list. And well, I'm kind of o.k. with that. A pessimist way of thinking? Nah. I like to think of myself as a realist.

Here's my list for upcoming new year:

• Finish the C25k program and run a damn 5k. I don't even know how many times I've put this "goal" on a list and never completed it. I want to be a runner. There are days I feel like I was meant to be a runner but my body, specifically my hip, doesn't agree with me. But it's going to happen. I just know it. And until it happens, I'm keeping it on the list. 
• Read 50 books a.k.a. read a book a week. Again. This is on the list every year. And every year I fail miserably. Obviously we still have a month to go, but thus far I've only managed to read 39 books. Dismal. Absolutely dismal. 
• Finish a project. I actually have a project in mind, but seeing as it is a photography related project, it will likely remain unfinished as I can't seem to complete ANYTHING that requires a camera. 
• Wear more glitter! I'm not a skinny girl. I never have been. Never will be, but I still have this nagging little voice in the back of my head reminding me that "Girls like you don't wear that kind of stuff" and that voice sounds freakishly like my Grandmother who use to repeatedly tell me such things ALL THE TIME which I am sure is why my wardrobe is almost entirely black. Where is the fun in that?! So this year it's going to be more color, more glitter, more SPARKLE! 

What is on your list?

Life Lately

It is official. It is impossible for me to fight it any longer. Winter has arrived. I know. I know. I live in a part of the country where it is inevitable (and my job kind of depends on it) but I don't like it. If somehow we could figure out how to keep the snow off the roads and out of my driveway, then maybe I'd be o.k. with it. But until then, I am not happy. At least it's nice to look at though.


Speaking of work. It has been anything but pleasant. I don't talk about it much here and I'm not going to now other than to say, it is really frustrating to have an amazing day off doing something you find insanely interesting (seriously--I spent a day last week working on a paper for my psych class and loved every damn minute of it) only to go to work the next day and have the wind taken out of your sails the moment you walk through the door. When you feel like you can't have a day off, it's time to admit something is terribly wrong.

School has been going o.k. Last week (thanks to work) was a bit of a struggle which was sadly reflected in my assignment grades. This week didn't feel much better, but hopefully I was at least able to fake it enough make it seem like I had ample time to work on things. One of the assignments I had was to watch a TED Talk that Beau Lotto gave. This man is fascinating. If you have time, I highly suggest watching the following video on Optical Illusions. It is mind blowing.

Sunday Squawk

Squawk: I am trying out a new name for this series since they really aren't confessions. We'll see how long it sticks.

Good friends: It's been kind of a rough week but leave it to my friends to turn it around. I received
the BEST email before leaving for the day (at work) from a friend which simply read, "Lame. WOO HIM!!!" I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to go about doing that, but I'm going to go ahead and give it a good 'ole try.

French Movies: This week I stepped a bit outside of my usual movie genres of drama, art-house films and violent actions movies and have watch a few French, romantic comedies. Populaire (the way the story played out between the two main characters was adorable) was my favorite, followed closely by Romantics Anonymous (the scene where Jean-Rene is talking to his therapist about "letting the anxiety win" just about did me in) and Heart Breaker (they did the dance scene from Dirty Dancing, what isn't there to love about that!). Plus, Romain Duris was in 2 of the 3 films and he is lovely to look at.

NYC or Bust: I leave for the bright lights and the big city in exactly four weeks. I can't wait to spend some time with the ladies and play native in the city for a week. And I'm totally open to suggestions as to what I should check out while I'm there. Thus far, the only thing on my list is Rockefeller Center.

Wednesday Wishlist

Do ya'll have those days or even weeks where you think to yourself, "If only I had....." or "If only I could....."?

This has been my November. So rather than obsess about it, I've decided to make it into a (short) list because then MAYBE one day I'll be able to check said items off the list. Positive thinking. That's what this is all about. Positive thinking.

So here's the list of "If only I could....."

• Reclaim my funny. This has been an ongoing issue. My funny is lost and it has been for some time. I'm much more of a good time than one would be able to deduce from recent posts. Someday I'll find it again and I'll share it with the world.
• Run a mile without feeling like my lungs are going to explode or my legs are going to fall off. This could be due to the cold weather right now, but doubt it. I'm just out of practice. 
• Utter three little words to someone and NOT worry about them saying "No." One would think that I'd be slightly used to rejection, but nope. I'm not. What I'd really like to do is just hand said person a copy of Ben Rector's new album, The Walking In Between, and tell him to list to track #5. 
• Knit. I'm pretty good with a crochet hook and some yarn. But knitting needles? Nope. I can't seem to get it together, but there are so many super cute patterns out there that I want to try, but they are for knitting and not crocheting. 

Sunday Confessions: Still Not Really Confessions Edition

What the what?

I can't believe it is Sunday afternoon already.

Last week was ridiculous and flew by in what felt like just a wink! Between work, Sadie and school my spare time was pretty non-existant. Thankfully though, my class has the same weekly schedule (unlike my last one which was ALL over the place) so all things school related should ease up a bit from here on out. The rest of it? Who knows. I've given up on trying to have any semblance of a normal schedule.

And I also need to come up with a new title for this series of random stuff on Sundays. I'll be taking suggestions all week.

Boredom: I am absolutely one of those people who dives head first into a new hobby only to get bored with it and move onto something else. The more I have been drawing, the more I've started to move to things that could you a bit of color. And while I have a set of beautiful colored pencils, they just weren't doing it for me. So I decided to try some else. My new "something else" is painting. I used to paint a lot but never quite got the hang of it. But thanks to a bunch of pretty good sales PLUS additional coupons, I stocked up on some watercolor supplies at Michael's the other day. This mushroom is my first attempt at painting one of my drawings. It's not great. But it's also not half bad. I still need to go back in and add the shading and details but thus far, I'm quite pleased.

Movie Bonanza: It's been cold and rainy which means I have been in full on movie mode the last couple of weeks. A couple of friends and I head out to see Thor: The Dark World this weekend. It was good. Kind of dragged in some places and seemed to be really long, but overall I enjoyed it. But what I'd really like to see is Loki have his own movie. Seriously. Hollywood, I need you to make that happen. Stat. I also watched Iron Man 3 (a bit underwhelming), Sharknado (I couldn't even finish it)  and Blancanieves (fantastic!). Next up is World War Z and White House Down.

Sunday Confessions

Oh Sunday.

We meet again for another round of "confessions" which really should just be called "I've got some random stuff today say that doesn't really fit anywhere else".

NaNoWriMo: The first three days of NaNoWriMo have gone very differently than I thought they would. I am quite happy with what I've written so far, but it's not what I had planned. But that is fine. At least I am writing.

The Walk In Between: Remember last week when I said I was thinking about bailing on this blog and starting a new one? Well, I went so far as registering a new domain name any everything. I've yet to decide if I'll ever use it, but it's there. What I really should do is stop whining about not writing and just take a blogging break.

Ausmusauce: The Detroit Tigers have a press conference scheduled today which I am HOPING will be the announcement of their new manager. All things point to Brad Ausmus being their new manager, which I must say I am very excited about but for purely non-baseball reasons. I mean seriously. And I won't apologize for shamelessly swooning over him. Even if it kills some of my baseball credibility. Seriously though, he knows his stuff. The interview he did on NPR's Fresh Air back in 2011 is pretty good.

Sunday Confessions

Simplify: I'm not sure one could really tell based on the current state of disarray of my house, but I'm in the process of a major simplification. Getting rid of EVERYTHING I don't need, use and/or want has been a big undertaking but has left me feeling pretty darn good.

Book Fetish: I finally, FINALLY found a book that has grabbed my attention. So much so I couldn't WAIT to get up in the morning to start reading it. I'll have a full post on it on Tuesday, but until then, if you haven't ready, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Gone Girl. Such a good read. And I'm am finding myself not feeling bad even in the slightest that I'm not a fan of he lead female character Amy, any version of her.

Starting Over: I've toyed with the idea lately of abandoning Miles from Ordinary for something else. Something new. It's felt a little stale. And staleness doesn't exactly breed creativity or inspiration of any kind.

Misunderstood: I've been reminded (again) many times over that there are things my friends will just not understand about me and I need to let that go. They were a giggling mess when I tried telling them about Glitter. There was a resounding "NO!" when Random's name came up in conversation. And the idea that I have to, for a lack of a better term, "dumb down my vocabulary" (their words not mine) because they don't understand what I am saying is beyond frustrating. And yes, bitching about "personal things" that "people in my real like might read about" is breaking blogging rule number 18693 but this isn't anything they don't know.

Sunday Confessions: I'm All Over the Place

It has been a gloriously relaxing few days. I had taken most of this past week off of work for what was originally a legitimate reason but ended up turning into a bit of a staycation. I've spent most of my time has been spent doing homework and watching baseball and The Walking Dead. Totally my version of "perfect downtime".

Running: I haven't been out for a run in MONTHS. In fact I don't even remember the last time I went for a run. But I miss it. Boy oh boy do I miss it. My hip has been fantastic that last two months (no pain!! whoop! whoop!) so we're going to give the Couch to 5k Program another try. Hopefully the stretches my physical therapist gave me will help, but I'm still terrified the pain is going to come back. So there is that.

NaNoWriMo: This is happening in 18 days. EIGHTEEN DAYS. Each year I say I'm going to do it and each year I fall well short of my goal. But, I'm a glutton for punishment and I'm going to try to do it all again his year. 30 days. 50,000 words. Conquer it I shall.

Birthday: Not that I'm ever really excited about it, but this year feels weird. It's not a "monumental" birthday but it's a number I don't really want to admit to. But on the flip side of that, I did have a security person tell me that I "really, really don't look as old as my actual age" so that is all kinds of awesome.

Babies: I spent much of this weekend with friends and their kids. I've written about it before, but each year that passes, I feel like I'm losing a bit of my hope that someday I'll be a mom. I know that should that time every really come it would be an extremely difficult road, but I'd really rather have to deal with it than not getting the chance to deal with it at all.

Oh, It's Happening: October Baseball

I know it technically started with the Wild Card Playoff game on Tuesday, but for me, tonight is the night!

Playoff baseball is here.

Who's excited?!

I will fully admit to being one of those fans that doesn't really know a whole lot about the game. I know just enough to hold my own during a casual conversation at the bar and to annoy my friends. But when it comes to my team? I know all about them. Everyone else? Not so much. But that doesn't take away the fact that I love the game of baseball and will watch it any way I can get it.

It also didn't stop me from making my post-season predictions which are:

• American League: Detroit beats Oakland in four/Boston beats Tampa Bay in five. Detroit then beats Boston in six games to win the American League Title. 
• National League: Los Angeles beats Atlanta in four/Pittsburgh beats St. Louis in four. Los Angels then beats Pittsburgh in five games to win the National League Title. 
• Detroit beats Los Angeles in six games to win the 2013 World Series.

These were made using a very scientific approach called "my gut". AND they were made prior to both Wild Card Playoff games which I think is kind of awesome. 

If anyone needs me for the next couple of weeks, I'll be glued to post-season baseball broadcasts and cheering on my Detroit Tigers!

Oh....Hey there, October

Holy geez.

October 1 got here really fast.

I thought I'd do a super quick recap of the last couple of weeks which have kept me M.I.A. from this place.

• October baseball is here!! O.k.....so really it starts today, but the last couple of weeks have been equally as stressful as they were exciting. My preseason predictions didn't pan out quite like I wanted them to, but including the two teams in each wild card game, I had 5 out of the 10 potential teams correct. One might consider me a dang genius since I know next to nothing about the National League. Of course my Tigers won the AL Central but I'm not terribly confident in them winning the ALCS, but I do love to be proven wrong.
• School started and I'm kind of hating it. This whole "You MUST participate in online discussions at LEAST 5 times a week" is really annoying. I mean. I get it. But I don't get it. I have nothing to say and NO I don't want to explain my long winded answer that I already posted. No explanation needed. Just go with "Because I'm awesome, that's why."
• I've killed my other blog, you know the one where I was going to talk about health and wellness. Yeah. I'm not going to explain the why. It's not really worth it, but I may (or may not) just do what I wanted to do there here.
• I went CRAZY cleaning up my social media stuff. Deleting contacts I don't contact anymore. Removing blogs and twitter feeds. It was insanity but I feel better for it which is really all that matters. 

Life Lately

I'm calling it.

Fall has arrived! Yes. Yes. Yes. We had near 90 temperatures on Wednesday, but Mother Nature seems to have her hot flashes under control and we are back to actual fall weather.

I reserve the right to completely change my "Fall has arrived!" statement next week should things change.

Creating//The creative bug has been buzzing about the last couple of weeks. It's been equal parts awesome and strange. Awesome because I LOVE making things--starting with a blank slate and ending up with something "new" at the end is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Strange because I've been finding myself doing things I haven't done in a very long time, the main one being drawing. This past week I found myself constantly reaching for my sketchpad which hasn't happened in I don't know how long. I even bought a new one AND a new set of pencils. My drawings are still pretty awful but like I said the other day with writing, sometimes just getting whatever image I have in my mind down on paper is enough, even if it doesn't exactly look like I thought it would/should.

Hooking//The crochet hooks have been doing their thing still. I have a list of a few things to make for friends, but decided to take a "creative mental health" break this week and make a couple of things for myself. Are these minions not the cutest?! The little one, Carl will go to live on my desk at work. The big guy, Tim, will reside among the sock monkeys. I will admit at first glance they look pretty easy to put together (I timed myself, the little guy took about 6 hours from start to finish) but all the details were a little tedious. If you'd like to make your own minion army, Ami has a fantastic pattern and tutorial over on her website: All About Ami--Minion Pattern.


Anticipating//I know it is still over 3 months out, but I'm going to New York, ya'll!! In December I'm off to hang out with Vickie and Heather in the Big Apple! If anyone has any cheesy tourist stops, I'm all ears. I've been there a couple of times already but it's been a few years so I'm ready to geek out like midwestern tourist!

Sunday Confessions: The "I'm Over It" Edition

I'm fully aware that the following is going to make me sound completely egotistical and uber bitchy. But we've all had moments like these. Moments where you've had it with the "mAss lOvE!" of something you've held dear to you for a long time. Like when the fashion industry decides to embrace riding boots or your favorite color because the new "accent color" for EVERYTHING. Or a hobby you've had since you were a kid all of a sudden blows up and everyone looks at you like you've lost your mind because you're not super psyched about something they've just uncovered (likely via Pinterest) that you've been doing for a long time.

This is my rant and I won't apologize for it. I'm absolutely aware there are things I have said or done on this blog that would fall into someone else's list. One of them being that I have a blog. And that is O.K!

Health Fads: I am kind of over hearing all about this new thing that people are doing. You may have heard about it. It's called juicing and substituting smoothies for meals. Oh. That's right! Isn't that that thing I was telling my friends about a couple years ago when I stopped eating animal products and then they all told me I was weird and that it was gross? I'm not faulting anyone for trying either considering I've been doing it for quite awhile. Let's just stop pretending it's new or this amazing thing you just discovered. Because it's neither and I don't want to hear your bandwagon speech.

You Are Not a Photographer: Oh and that new camera you bought does not make you a photographer. Get back with me AFTER you've taken a few thousand photographs that weren't "ideas you found on Pinterest" and then we'll chat about fstops and ISO.

Commentary in General: As humans we LOVE to talk about other humans. It must be part of our DNA or something. But the constant need to voice our opinions about what someone else does or says or wear or whatever, where does that come from? I'm guilty of it myself and my initial thought when I do it, of why I disagree with something is because I personally won't have done it. This is a topic I plan on revisiting in the near future. And something I plan on changing in myself.

Tattoos--kind of on topic, but not really: My new tattoo has turned into an extremely annoying tattoo. I don't remember having such an issue with my previous tattoos and up until today, it hadn't been an issue. This freaking thing itches like I was attached by a swarm of mosquitoes. I know this is normal and I'm sure it happened with my previous ones, but I must have blocked it. Oh and the whole, "wow--I can't believe you got such a small one done. I thought you were really into them." snarky comments need to end. Yep, got kind of a small one because as any good consumer will tell you it's best to research the end product before diving head first in a major commitment.

And to anyone who feels like any of the above are directed personally to them (I know you are out there!), I leave you with this. Which I found on Pinterest, so if you want to join my wagon, we ride at dawn!



Do you have anything to confess this week?

Currently....

Anticipating//Today is the big day!! Today is the day I get my new tattoo!! I am quite certain there shall be loads of updates on both Instagram or Twitter should you wish to follow along. Otherwise you'll need to wait until next week for a proper post.

Reading//On Monday, I received a signed copy of Rock Island Rock from the author himself, Eyre Price. I've only just started the book so I'm reserving all judgement until I've completed it.

Listening//While Paradise Valley (John Mayer) and All People (Michael Franti & Spearhead) are still in pretty heavy rotation, this week I've been listening to A LOT of Free the Universe (Major Lazer). It's not an album that typically falls into any category of what I would "normally" listen to, but I dig it. I've been perfecting my dance moves all week.

Hooking//The production of crocheted animals has been in full force again! I have more unicorns and moose to make. I also just bought a pattern to make a minion that I am DYING to try out.

Organizing//I broke down and bought a fancy Moleskine planner to keep track of, well, my everything. If I'm going to make school work with a full time job and this here blog, organization is going to be uber important.

Sunday Confessions: Pet Peeves-The Music Edition

Happy Sunday ya'll!!

Taking a little different route today with this post. This weeks confessions are all about Pet Peeves: The Music Edition. Ya'll have been warned before--I'm a music snob to the MAX so none of this should be shocking.

Groupie Status: I HATE the world groupie. If you want to insult me and wound our friendship beyond repair, call me a groupie. I dare you. It is one of the worst insults someone could hurl at me. I don't understand why there is an automatic assumption that if a girl (i.e. me) likes a male musician (let's say John Mayer as he is a favorite) it means I want to jump his bones and make sweet, sweet love with him all night long. Ahhhhh......no. But if I guy likes a musician, male or female they have an appreciation for the music and "totally get what the musician is trying to get across". I get it--there is always a group of girls vying for backstage passes to meet the singer de jour, they are the super giggly ones up front doused in glitter, squealing each time they "make eye contact" but that is a small percentage of female population. They are the minority, not the majority. The rest of us are there because of the music--the lyrics, the guitar, the drums, the bass, the feeling it evokes and the memories it creates. Oooohh....that sounds like a lyric. Quick---somebody call Mayer! I've got his next hit started for him.

Musician Hotness Rating: I will lose respect for you if you don't like a musician because "they aren't hot (visually appealing to the eye)". I'll never forget the day I asked a friend if she'd heard Matt Nathanson's new album (Car Crash) and the first words out of her mouth were "Well, is he hot?" Really?!--someones hotness factor directly correlates to ones ability to write/create good music. I had no idea. Can someone invent the sarcasm font already?! This post is in desperate need of it.

Musician Hotness Rating V2.0: I'm not faulting anyone for saying a musician is "HOTT!" Since this is a day for confessions, I must admit that there is a certain fella who makes me weak in the knees and who I spent a greater part of Friday evening staring at while he shook what his mama gave him. BUT my liking his music and prowess on the guitar has nothing to do with his sexiness. It was two live shows before I was close enough to the stage to see what he even looked like. And even though he held my hand and called me sweetheart, I'm not naive enough to think he doesn't say that to all the girls and that doesn't make me love or hate (depending on how you, dear reader, choose to read that sentence) the music any less.

Band Names: This one confounds me beyond no other, especially when people proclaim "O.M.G. *Insert band name here* is my absolute favorite band!!!" but then completely forget there are band members beyond the lead singer. Like, really?! I don't understand who they think the other three or four guys are standing next to him are. Maroon 5 is more than just Adam Levine. Mumford & Sons is more than just Marcus Mumford. Just like The Beatles were more than John Lennon. Show some respect--all those guys work really hard to produce the music we love so in turn, let's give them some love, too!

So there you are.....my shortish list of grievances.

What do you have to confess?

OOTD: Concert Wear

Fashion isn't really word that fits into my vocabulary. At. All.

And OOTD posts rarely pop up here on the blog. That is mostly due to the fact that I rotate six outfits at work and the rest of the time am either squished into my workout gear or pants free. I don't own the most exciting of wardrobes.

But today I am throwing caution to the wind because sometimes it is fun to do. And how fortuitous that Nicole at Gypsy in Jasper is having a link-up on What To Wear at a Music Festival which is kind of what I am doing today, going to a music festival of sorts-not hosting a linkup.

Oh silly universe, you work in such mysterious ways sometimes.

This evening I am off to a little microbrew festival to see one of my favorite bands, Michael Franti & Spearhead along with some of my favorite people. This will be my sixth Franti show and I can't wait! They always put on a ridiculously fun show.

At some point in my old age, I abandoned any need for looking "cute" at a concert and/or festival and have opted for comfort. There really is nothing worse than standing in the sun for HOURS before shaking your groove thing while your favorite band(s) perform on stage while wearing something uncomfortable.

For tonights festival, of food, beer and music, I'm opting for super causal and comfortable--my favorite shirt, my favorite cutoffs and favorite boots. "Why boots?! Why not sandals?!" you may be asking. I've had too many toes stepped on to go with sandals at a GA show.

And I suppose I must confess, that after taking these photos I will need to readdress my decision to wear these shorts. They have apparently grown in size (or I've shrunk) as they are about two sizes too big and won't stay put. The last thing I need is to be jumping around an inadvertently moon someone.
   

This is my faux-rockstar pose while I try and figure out what Sadie has dug up and is attempting to eat from the compost pile. Oh, the life of a dog owner.


And of course, shades. One can't attend an event like this without their sunglasses. How you doin'?


What's your favorite thing to wear to a concert or music festival?

EDITORS NOTE:
In the spirit of full disclosure, this is in fact what I ended up wearing to the festival!