What Kind of Music Do You Like?

I am in love with XM/Sirius. Between satellite radio and DVR I have blissfully deleted commercials from my life. I am in the process of converting all friends and family to this way of life. Be warned! I am a die hard Classic Vinyl fan but have recently been cheating with a new genre of music that I am unhealthily obsessed with. I can now recite almost all the words to any recent country song. Yes, I love the Highway on Sirius/XM. I do not live anyway near Nashville or the South for that matter, but I'm loving the country offerings in music right now. Sugarland and Little Big Town have such great sounds and they make car rides that much better. My boyfriend and best friend have helped me to jump on the country bandwagon and I'm lovin' it.

When I was younger, music was always a sensitive topic for me. My insecurities always got the best of me and I wrongfully assumed that people would think my taste in music was weird. Well guess what, that's the whole point! How fun is it to start talking to a person and find out that they listen to musicians you've never heard of. I then rush home and click through iTunes determining if this new music suits me. If it doesn't, I usually just assume I'm uncool and will eventually come around to this person's favorites.

Music always brings me back to certain dates, locations and feelings; how incredible. When I re-listen to mixed CDs and albums, I can distinctly remember the time in my life when I played that music on repeat. Many a high school night was made better by music. I would say our H.S. theme song was probably "Ignition" by R. Kelly. Every time I hear it, I picture my friends and I driving through our town.

What kind of music do you like? Do you get uncomfortable telling people?

Material Mondays

Ugh, aren't Mondays hard? I know, they really can be. Since I have had the summer off my Mondays have been just fine. As my boyfriend has mentioned to me, "Every day is Saturday for you." Yeah, yeah, I know. Hate the game, not the player. Seriously. Either way, I know Mondays conjure up all sorts of ugly stuff for all of us, so I would like to make them a bit easier. Say hello to Material Mondays. Here I will post fun stuff that will hopefully bring us all out of the Monday funk. Enjoy!

Bowtied Beauty Boots

anthropologie.com

I basically want these so bad, that I am imagining them with every outfit I possibly can to justify the purchase.

Stuart Weitzman "Alex"

zappos.com

Planning on splitting these with my best friend to yet again justify the price. Yikes! Jennifer Aniston has worn these in practically every picture I've seen of her and they are killer shoes. Love them!

Other items on my want/need wishlist:

- J. Crew cross-body bag with luscious zippers

- New pair of sunglasses, preferably large cat-eye

- A kitten or puppy to make my house feel more like a home (I guess that isn't really material...)

- Dinner out at my favorite french restaurant

- More boots

What do you wish for on Material Mondays? At my old job I used to do a LOT of online shopping. Now, not so much. Online shopping makes Mondays a whole lot better, yes it does.

Bouquets of Freshly Sharpened Pencils

Fall always makes me think of starting school. It just so happens that I'm a teacher and a student so I will be doubly starting school, but even in my past life as an office slave, I still looked at September as "Back to School Month." It's crazy to think that our lives were so defined by school for so long and I've taken a dive right back into that. Obviously I love all things education or I wouldn't be a teacher/student, but I think for some people the month of September might stir up some uneasy feelings.

I know that August was a tough one for me for quite some time because it meant summer was over and I was about to go back to college. Most of my friends found this beyond exciting because they had had enough of our boring small town (or so they told me), but my anxiety levels started rising to boiling points as soon as August 1st hit. Instead of my first words being "rabbit, rabbit" to start my month off right, I would be simultaneously stifling a sob and being a bitch to anyone in my vicinity. Now that college is over and my being a student feels incredibly different, I find August quite enjoyable and delight in the oncoming approach of September.

I also have a great love for any romantic comedy I can get my hands on. A big favorite of mine is "You've Got Mail." Any movie that pits Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks together as enemies and then brings them together in a sappy, yet believable way completely has my vote. I love Tom Hanks! Anyway, in one of their many anonymous online chats, Tom and Meg talk about school supplies and describe a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. Love! I discuss this quote from time to time and get weird stares when I say it out loud. Maybe it sounded better in the movie.

pleasedonteatthebooks.blogspot.com

Heading out West

I am taking a trip to Colorado with my mom. Beyond excited, I feel invigorated by the Colorado air. I also have had enough of the NY and all of the people I have had to fight for parking spots. I'm definitely ready to take a break. I may or may not have cell phone service out there and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Kind of awesome to take a break from the world for a hot second, but I might feel a little naked without my Blackberry glued to my hand. Right now my mind is going to my packing plan. I have a friend who I watched write out a packing list during a class.

I loved every second of it! I always get that guilty feeling when I know I'm not paying attention in class, but I look on longingly at my fellow classmates as they draw their names in bubble letters, compile to do lists and leave their cell phones on their desks. That's a big one for me, leave the cell on the desk or hide it in my bag? In the second scenario, I obsessively check my phone every minute or so looking for a blinking red light indicating a message. Do I have ANY friends? The fact that I judge this on a little red blinking light is a bit off. I guess it's clear that I will feel a bit of withdrawal from not having my phone on hand.

Either way, I still do need that packing list! After obsessively checking the weather and touching base with my mom about outfit ideas, I think I have an idea of what to bring. Colorado is blissful in the fact that there is no humidity (or if there is, it lasts for a few hours at most), so I don't have to worry about a halo of frizz resting above my hairline. The low level of humidity will also create the need for more clothes since it's supposed to be in the 60s. Awesome! I am so ready for my chunky, comfy brown Frye boots. I haven't worn jeans in months and I'm afraid of sliding them over my still sunburned legs. Ouch! No matter how much sunscreen I apply, a long sliver of skin always ends up red, itchy and hot.

I've been pale for 24 years, when will I learn?! So I'm thinking jeans, scarves, hiking boots and some sweaters. As usual, I will channel my style icon for looking good in basics: Jennifer Aniston. I think I somehow convince myself that I look like her when I put on jeans, a scarf and a t-shirt, but I think we all know the truth. I'll still try anyway.

Want Vs. Need

I think about this a lot. There are a lot of things that I totally, completely, absolutely want. But do I need them? As an adult (halfway there, I think), Christmas becomes a tug of war between want and need. Should I ask for a set of pots and pans that I need since my current set is falling apart? Or do I ask Mom and Dad for some lotions and clothes and jewelry that I really, really want? Of course, at this stage in the game, I did the latter. I didn't really need that diamond necklace, but man did I want it.

Knowing many people that are unemployed, I feel like Christmas can present a challenge. It is very hard to watch family and friends buy mountains of gifts for their loved ones and for you not to be able to purchase much, if anything. I won't name names, but a certain someone had a mighty hard time finding a gift for his girlfriend and the whole thing ended up with two pretty unhappy individuals. Be open-minded you say, well that can be hard when you want your significant other to mind read and figure out the perfect gift for you. I think having realistic expectations is a little more reasonable for this situation. Whatever.

So Christmas came and went, officially. Luckily December 26th was chock full of excitement this year, since typically it is a day where I feel crushing depression. There was a reunion of sorts and it was one of those occasions where you are excited to be there, but afraid of what may or may not happen during the event. Everything went well, but I most certainly felt it the next day.

Looking forward to 2010 and all of the things I want to buy. In no particular order:

(courtesy BananaRepublic.com "Carlita" boot)

(courtesy of BananaRepublic.com, "Amalfi" medium shoulder bag)

(courtesy of Loccitane.com, Almond Shower Oil)

(courtesy of Shopbop.com, Theory "Zuma" cardigan)

Vacation

Since I am on vacation I figured I would start back up again. Why is it that I can't commit to this blog? Being on vacation leaves me much more free time than I am used to or am comfortable with, so why not do a little work? I am currently wrapping up applications to graduate school, so again I am met with free time after work even when I am not on vacation.

I have been catching up on all of my favorite blogs and on all of my favorite TV shows. I am so inspired by so many writers and would eventually love to be considered a writer myself.

During this vacation I have set my sights on some reading, as well as spending quality time with my family and boyfriend. I think it's time that we add a pet to my apartment so my boyfriend and I will be on the hunt for some clean, silent and dazzling fish.

My poor kitten (who I would love to have in this apartment!!) is at home with my parents being tortured with a ton of love and as much food as she can fit into her tiny, non-cat like body. As much as I would like to say she misses me, the truth is my mother treats her better than she will ever understand. So, since the kitten is banned from my tiny, one room apartment, I must go out and find a fish that I can talk to on the odd nights that I am home alone.

The only fish I have ever owned is one I or a friend won at various carnivals way back when. Always, those fish died within a few weeks due to neglect or something else that I wouldn't be able to pinpoint. The goal of my search is to find a fish that WILL NOT DIE. If this fish is going to be my companion, it must have a long and prosperous life. Hopefully the pet store will take me seriously and help me with this.

I also plan to read as much as I can. After watching Oprah interview Vicki Kennedy on her show, I am beyond excited to read "True Compass" by Ted Kennedy. I have always been infinitely fascinated with the Kennedys (especially Jacqueline and JFK) and am very intrigued by this autobiography. I am waiting impatiently until Christmas when I am hoping to receive it as a gift (Thanks Mom!). The Kennedys encapsulate all that is America and truly started the interest in celebrities/people in the public eye. I think we are endlessly fascinated by people that we don't know, but feel that we do, because curiosity pushes everyone. I highly doubt Teddy put anything shocking in his book that we may not already know, but to hear about his tragic and important family from his perspective should be outstanding.

Since deciding that it is financially irresponsible for me to purchase $25.00 books constantly, I have fully embraced the library in my town. It is so novel to me that you can get books absolutely for free and therefore I take the return date very seriously. I treasure the fact that I pay nothing for each book so I would never want to mess that up by incurring a late fee. I probably will never buy a book again, but welcome them 100% as gifts.

I will update continually through vacation, until then, Merry Christmas.

Inspiration

Can I just take this time to send some love and affection to my favorite blogs? What I love most about the internet (among other things, of course) is that by the end of your time "surfing the net" you have most likely ended up at a totally different place than you started. I can hop over to High Heeled Foot in the Door and be introduced to Three Men and a Lady. I respect both of these blogs so much because the women who write them are writing passionately about something they love. As soon as I own a house of my own, I will need all the help I can get from these ladies! At High Heeled Foot in the Door, I also learned about Midwest Modern. Like me, Elizabeth is a recent college graduate trying to get acquainted in her new post-college life. Unlike me, Elizabeth has an incredible eye for design and all around chicness. Can I just say that her entries about her sister's wedding were absolutely fantastic?! Her inspiration seems to be her family and I innate style is in her blood!

How can I forget the excitement I feel as I open my MacBook and click my bookmarks to Sea of Shoes? Jane Aldridge is a master when it comes to creating and styling outfits. Her collection of shoes and designer clothing is the most fabulous I've seen from afar and I am so impressed at her creativity. I learned about Jane Aldridge while reading Teen Vogue. Also featured in the article was her mother Judy. From what I have read, she has been quite the style icon for some time now. Flipping between their two blogs is a joy and I look forward to their innovative style choices.

Two other blogs that totally deserve some kudos are Dry Clean Only and Financial Services is not Fashion. Both women have very different styles, but I would say I'd like to hang somewhere in between the two. I was informed of Dry Clean Only by a friend and I find the posts to be so much fun! I love the high/low mixes and Courtney always notes where each item was purchased or what the brand is. Over on FSINF, Cari shows us what to wear to an office and also how to break out of that mold come weekend time.