life lately...

I haven't done (anything) one of those "Currently..." style posts for a while (okay, I only did one once, so it's not like I've been neglecting a life essential, but still) so I thought I'd let you all know what's crack-a-lacking! (How do you spell that? More to the point, does anyone say that anymore?) 

Listening to...

This song is just so cute and happy! (Plus, someone dressed as the Doctor makes an appearance. Obviously I'd like it.) I've also found myself strangely obsessed with everything Owl City... too cute. It's like a hug in music form. 

Wishing... that I had gum. I really want gum. I also wanted gum yesterday, but we did not have any. THE SADNESS. 

Drinking... matcha.

(from David's Tea, of course!)

For those of you who don't spend over 2 hours browsing online tea sale sites, matcha is powdered green tea that you whisk into a froth and drink with milk... mmmm. It's very sweet and light, perfect even when it's hot out! 

Feeling... terrified, traumatized, tired... why are there so many negative t words? This is the first time I'm mentioning it here, but on Monday I leave to go to Winnipeg for five weeks- I'm very excited about it, but it's bizarre to think that I'm going to be away for such a long time and then leave almost immediately after for university. Everything is happening so fast! (I say, reclining in the hammock and reading...) 

Reading... the short stories of Fitzgerald.

(go read it. trust me.)

So maybe I'm obsessed (and reading into them far too much) but I find their descriptions of evanescent beauty utterly relatable. I might not be pining over lost love but I still feel that sense of being a spectator in my own life that he manages to capture so well. (Can I just say I want to be him? Except minus the drinking and mental breakdowns?) 

Wearing... My aviators. All three pairs. 

And most definitely NOT my uniform. Goodbye, kilt of awkward lenght! Au revoir, polo tent! You, I will not miss. 

Making... this exfoliant scrub from Under Peach Trees!

(her photo, not mine- I doubt mine will be that pretty!)

The idea of cleaning with chocolate and coffee just seemed so luscious that I couldn't resist. (Plus, one of the coffees we have is revolting and this seemed like a good opportunity to get rid of it!)

Watching... Blogilates videos.

DO IT. Right now. I dare you. It's only four minutes long... but it might kill your legs. (Hopefully it does because otherwise I will feel pathetic. Honestly, I'm not sure whether to find the thought that the only thing I'm even watching right now is exercise videos pathetic or not...) 

So what's going on in your life? 

anatomy of a prom

The moment that grade twelves wait for all year (or maybe that's just me?) has come and passed. Prom was sweet-bitter; bittersweet, but in reverse, and no less lovely for it. Here's how it all went down...(Warning: long post ahead. But at least I look gorgeous in the photos, so you have plenty of eye candy.)

2:00: wake up with last minute terrors: what if no one shows up? What if everyone else looks much better in their dress than I do?

3:30: convince self that fears are groundless and go back to sleep.

5:30: wake up. Read Georgette Heyer novel and do yoga in attempt to calm self down. This will be basically your entire day, because it doesn't quite work. (Aka: you are so stressed that you're not even hungry. This has never happened to you before, but you appreciate not needing to eat every fifteen minutes.)

2:00: buy Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuchino, because sugar + caffeine= good in every situation. (Especially when you've already been awake for almost 12 hours...)

2:30: arrive at friend's home to start getting ready.

3:30: actually start getting ready. This includes:

-redoing hair 17 times because the style that seemed so simple the first 10 times you practiced has suddenly acquired the complexity of open heart surgery

-acquiring a taste for country music

-texting other friends frantically

-worrying that makeup is too heavy and that you look clownlike

5:45: supposed time of arrival at school.

6:10: actual time of arrival at school. (Oops.) Wander around admiring everyone's dresses.

6:20: get photo taken by professional photographer and feel like model.

(too. much. glamour.) 

 6:30: be forced to put on cap and gown. Realise that the cap makes you look like you're bald, and that you now have to go up on stage wearing it in front of everyone there. (Of course this is also when your date will walk in and you will make a gorgeous first impression.)

6:40: nearly pass out or vomit from stress.

7:00: ceremony actually starts. Listen to long and boring speeches by people you don't even know.

8:00: things are perking up- you've received plenty of scholarships! (The advantages of a) being a nerd and b) going to a small school.)

8:30: realise that if you don't get out of the cap and gown soon you're going to die of excessive sweating before the fun part even starts.

9:00: ceremony finally ends. Sprint to take off your gown, then take lots and lots of photos with friends. They will all be attractive (even if you are as red as a tomato in many of them. And not just your dress. Sigh) despite the awkward school background.

(extra cupcakeness!)

(even though I'm not actually looking, I had to include this to a) show off my eye makeup and b) show off my date... aren't we cute?) 

9:10: admire corsage...

...bought by Bond Girl friends. (The ladies of mystery, dressed all in black.)

(this is honestly my favourite photo of the night. I have no idea why)

9:20: wander around (again) and try to figure out what's going on. (This is your life in a sentence.)

9:30: find the dance floor. Immediately start dancing like a maniac with friends... even if you're the only ones there. (Sad story.)

(we definitely had the most fun)

 9:45: slowdance with date. Dragons. (Like butterflies, but fire-breathing.)

9:50: continue dancing with friends. Forget to say goodbye to all your classmates as they begin to depart for the after-party. (...Whoops.)

10:20: slowdance last song with Kori. Be pleased you are not slowdancing with date because the two of you are so sweaty that it produces a bit of a Velcro attachment effect.

10:30: watch date leave. Realise that, yes, this is all actually happening, and that you won't see many of these people again, and start crying.

10:40: after a few final photos with friends, depart for McDonald's.

11:00: have mood slightly boosted by ice cream and listening in your friends' two separate conversations.

(McDonald's- where all the cool kids go on a Friday night.)

 11:40: leave McDonald's and drive friend home.

12:20: arrive at after-party.

12:22: get bored of after-party. Realise that being one of the only sober people is No Fun but have no desire to get drunk.

12:40: leave after-party with other sober friend.

1:20: arrive home. Jump on trampoline in effort to boost mood.

1:30: collapse on kitchen floor and cry so hard even your cat won't come near you.

2:00: go to bed, still teary but slightly more able to breathe.

...and there you have it: my graduation. Minus the hysterical sobbing (and the never-ending speeches), I enjoyed myself. (And if you really read every word of this, major brownie points to you- not quite enough yet for a home-baked pan, but close.) 

the problems I (of my) face

Some days, you just realise that a thousand tiny annoyances are following you around like biting flies. (Which are a trial all on their own. Why do they exist? Shouldn't our blood have evolved to be poisonous yet?) Here are some of the things that have been bothering me lately. 

-My pores. There are so many words to describe them right now, and none of them are pretty. (Some of them even begin with p for added alliterative appeal!) Let's say... pestilential, puffy, pustulous... I think you get the idea. To conceal them, I applied a mud face mask... 

...and wore it all day to school.

Okay, not really.

But I wanted to. It would have been prettier than the reality.

-The weather. For a week, it was glorious and hot and summer and I just lolled about eating smoothies. Now it is raining and feels like summer's already over. Can't we at least have a thunderstorm? 

-My shirt. I love this shirt so much.

(source)

Mine is even more beautiful because it's a gorgeous, deep ocean blue! I just want to wear it everywhere and with every possible combination of the rest of my wardrobe. Last night I had a mini fashion show- very mini, because I was both sole model and sole audience member- and tried it on with almost all my bottoms (okay that sounds like I have different butt sizes to try it with but you get the idea right?) and it totally worked. Literature is a magical force...but I can't wear it all the time. So sad. (Although, if I did, the smell might begin to repel people after a while... hmmm... ways to be antisocial are always appreciated...)

-The ending of I Capture the Castle. This is one of my favourite books... but the ending has always saddened me. (No spoilers, I promise!) Usually, I'm fairly good at inventing alternate stories for characters I think have been cheated (I spend far too much time lost within the pages of books not to!) but I've read this one far too many times to change its story.

(source)

Just read it. Or watch it. Then we can have a deep discussion about it and I can cry. (Too many feels okay.)

-I'm choking. There has been an Advil capsule stuck in my throat since LAST NIGHT. How has it not dissolved yet? Can someone please explain this? All day, every time I swallowed something, I could feel it blocking my nutritional passageways. (Yes. That is a scientific term. Just accept it, as we say in Chemistry whenever we don't understand something.)

...and, just to cap it all off:  

(source)

(Garfield, you and I are soulmates.) What have some of your problems been lately? 

the statistics of prom dresses

Last week, I realised a terrifying fact.

I was the only girl in my class who didn't yet have a prom dress.

When you're one of six girls, that isn't a huge deal... but still. I was abnormal! That never happens! (Cue skeptical laughter...)

I could go on about how silly it is that girls are expected to buy their dresses several months before prom actually happens (it won't be for another two and a half months...) but that's a post all on its own. Therefore, I now present to you... the results of my dress shopping expedition. (Who doesn't love statistics?)

Number of...

...days spent thinking about shopping for it: 124

...days spent actually shopping:  slightly less than one (approx. 6 hours)

...days spent thinking about wearing it: 761 (at least) (this is since before I started highschool)

...days spent wearing it: less than one (sob. cry. I am consoled by the fact that at least it's not too prom-y and I can possibly wear it again someday)

...dresses looked at: 367 (really. at least.)

...of dresses tried on: eighteen

...dresses that didn't fit because of my massive ribcage: four (yes. some people obsess over their thighs or their stomach or their arms. I obsess over my ribcage)

...dresses rejected because of length: twenty-six (because I am too short to wear something floor-length, or even longer than my knees.)

...stores entered: nine

...stores where I tried something on: four

...scary salesgirls faced: eight (like really, don't talk to me. I am perfectly fine on my own.)

...hours in the car: five (so just slightly less than the actual shopping...)

...unknown women who tried to remove my bra: three (thankfully all store employees)

...unknown women who petted me:  one (NOT a store employee) (most awkward moment of the trip)

...so, from this, the conclusion I'm getting to... is that I obsess over things wayyy too much.

However... I have indeed found a dress, so maybe this all paid off?

Sound logical?

What was your prom dress shopping like? What was your dress like? (Or what do you want it to be like, if you haven't yet had a prom?)

hootin'

The title of this post started out as 'ootn' (which is here an acronym for 'outfit of the night') but the strangeness bothered me too much (hypocritical much?) and I needed to change it. 

So instead, you got "hootin'". 

Which is, in its way, strangely appropriate- the whole reason for this outfit (because who am I kidding, it's a Friday night, I usually only wear pyjamas) was because I attended Bohemian Nights last night! This is, for you poor uneducated souls, a night dreamed up by a volunteer group in my town geared towards 'youth involvement' and ensuring that teenagers find somewhere other than our local McDonald's to haunt. 

Whatever the occasion is, I'm happy to be all dressed up! 

glasses: Ardene's

cardigan: AE

shirt: Bluenotes 

jeans: Sirens

Incidentally, this is my 'skinny shirt'. It's that one shirt that, whenever I feel bad about myself, I wear... and voilà! Five pounds gone! (Everyone should have a skinny shirt. The fact that mine has a penguin on it is either slightly unfortunate or very reflective of my personality...) 

(And confession: the only reason I'm blogging right now is to stop myself from eating more of these peanut butter pretzel chocolate chip cookie bites because I've already eaten more than I want to confess and I need to remind myself that yes, fitting into jeans is important... However, I am going shopping tomorrow, so I can always buy new ones!) 

...I just looked at the clock and realised I've been on the Internet basically all day. 

What am I doing with my life...

sugar and spice and everything nice

It is my cherished belief that you are never the wrong age to:
a) wear pretty dresses
b) drink tea
c) have a birthday party.

That's why, this past weekend, I combined all three! (My guests were ordered to come wearing dresses en lieu of the usual gift-bearing... okay no I just like ordering them around, no trade-off involved cause you know, presents!)

just to show how cold our house is... my poor guests needed to wrap up well

omg tea. there are no words.

also, food. isn't everything so tiny and pretty?

we headed upstairs for a photo shoot, and Tilney finally got some love

see? I'm not the only one who loves hats!

Cécile and I are spies, while Kori is our obliviously happy spy-ee? 

Bronwynne is also part of our amazing spy cult, watch out

...while Anna just likes frogs (there were probably 20 photos similar to this one)

after so much exertion, more food was necessary before Tamara ate our heads off (or Cécile's spun all the way off...)

there were fights over who got to eat... the pickles? 

OMG LISTS... let's just say my friends know me well. 

 this bag was also a contested favourite... I wouldn't be surprised if my basement was raided later

snow angels are equally ageless!

...although I personally don't see the appeal of sitting on the road

The next section of the evening was free of photographic evidence... but let's just say it involved more food, and more screaming. (AKA: we watched a horror movie. That is, some people watched a horror movie. I fell asleep, so obviously it could not have been that traumatizing...) 

note that I am alone here because no one else wanted to show off their gorgeous mask

seriously I don't understand why

...and that was that! (Apologies for the lack of text in this post- I'm currently in the midst of packing for France (confession: you can barely see my floor under the mountains of clothes) and my creative inspiration is therefore running a bit dry... being entirely devoted to figuring out gorgeous outfits!)

Thank you to all who attended... and to the chefs (/cult/parents) who made such a lovely spread possible! (and ensured that no one's head was eaten... I truly was worried at some points!) Do you still have birthday parties? What about tea parties? 

sunny day confessions

It's actually gorgeous outside today, so this title isn't wishful thinking!

-It still feels bizarre to be blogging under my real name... but I like it.

-Even more bizarre? I am incapable of pronouncing my own name. I love hearing other people say it, but the way I say it just sounds stilted. (This makes introducing myself difficult...)

-Older ladies often tell me I'm gorgeous but I rarely hear this from people my own age. This confirms my suspicion that I was born in the wrong age.

-Even my mother has now accepted I will be a Crazy Cat Lady... just look at what she gave me for Valentine's Day!

(Hint: it wasn't the clothes... Also, apology for the slightly creepy smile, blame it on the awkward changeroom lighting!)

-The thought of prom is a bit dispiriting right now. Everyone's talking about their dresses, dates, etc, and all I can think is a) I have no idea where to look for my dress b) I'm probably going to be the only one without a date (in a graduating class of ten people, this is not an exaggeration) and c) what if, when I find my dress, it doesn't fit?


-This weekend is going to be a total Chocolate/Junk In General Overload... but whatever, it's so delicious and it's just one weekend, right? (Except it's three days instead of two... oh well, living in a chocolate buzz makes the extra calories worth it!) (Hm... maybe this is why I have no prom date? And why I worry about fitting into a dress? Shhhh)

-I'm scared of putting gas into the van by myself. I'm worried that, just as I put in the nozzle, someone will leap out and kidnap me.

-I'm addicted to this line of body products.

They all smell absolutely luscious- like candied fruit and dessert and everything nice- and I can't stop using them! (Thank you once again, Mum and Sephora.)

What do you have to confess?

dancing up a storm

Ah, highschool dances. Also known as "the misnamed event wherein no one actually dances, but stands around awkwardly bopping their heads and pretending that they're not too embarassed to dance."

Other than Kori and I, of course. We flung ourselves into the middle of the dance floor and... flailed?

Okay, that was just me. There is no false modesty involved when I say I can't dance. Some moves I tried to coin yesterday were named "The Jellyfish" (waving my arms like tentacles in front of me while jumping from side to side) and "The Octopus" (...pretty similar). There was also quite a bit of tripping involved- my knees are now black and blue. (I consider it a war wound in the service of Fun.)

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get any photos (blame Kori, who refused to pose with me) so you'll just have to imagine my thrashing- but at least I have one glamourous bathroom mirror shot.

(Isn't that toilet in the background lovely? Actually, maybe it's a good thing- it makes me look extra gorgeous in comparison!) As you can tell, I maybe like purple a little bit. This was a perfect dancing skirt- it swirled and dipped and made even my most awkward moves look elegant. (I was also told that I made everything I did look princess-y. I would be flattered by this, but the bemused tone and snicker that accompanied it made  it a dubious compliment.)

I'm sure you're all dying to know: Did my flailing attract anyone? Did I meet any cute boys on Valentine's Day? The answer is... drumrolll.... no. (I didn't even end up going to the doctor's- I had to work.) However, my principal did give me a piece of fudge, so... there's that consolation. Really, chocolate makes everything better... in part because I need to go work out after, and exercise makes everything better too! It's like a double punch!

And my third consolation: At least I have Taylor Swift sing-alongs with my spare mates. However, watch out: when you start singing Miley Cyrus, this is what happens:

You fall off your chair and hit your head. KARMA, I'm telling you!

Oh, and just remember... in case you ever feel there's no chivalry in the world...

Happy weekend, ninjas!

promspiration (NOT perspiration)

It might only be February... but for those of us graduating, prom seems to be approaching at light speed. Here are some of my dress ideas! (All of these photos come from Tumblr... at least my procrastination paid off, in a way!)

But first... a workout, just cause I want to look good, youknow?

And now, allons-y!

So adorably retro!

Lace. And corset. OMG.

Okay, so maybe not quite this frothy... but still.

Love love love the rich red colour... and the corset, of course!

This one reminds me of something a faerie would wear. 

Now, dearest ninjas, I'm enlisting your help. Do any of you know of good sites I could peruse? Or, if you live in Canada or near the Canadian border, any actual stores? (I'd really rather try my dress on first... picky, picky!) My top requirement (as you may have noticed) is that it have a corset top (Victorian glamour!)... and other than that, I'm open to anything.

Let the shopping madness begin!

confessions from the heart

1. Wearing these shoes makes me feel kinda gangsta.

(and yes, I realise that as a white girl who screams at spiders, that is not an appropriate thing to say)

2. For the upcoming Emilie Autumn concert, Erika and I are planning to look like, in her words, "crack-whore faeries"... so be prepared for some pretty crazy photos!

3. I REALLY want this foundation.

source

However, every single time I try to buy it either online or in-store, it's out of stock. I think the universe is trying to tell me something...

4. I also REALLY want this palette.

 source

My birthday is coming up, world... feel free to send it my way! More seriously, though, I think I'll simply not buy any neutrals for a while, then when I run out, buy it.

4. I wish people would mail me letters (or presents... I'm not picky!). I think it's an art that's been lost within my generation, and that saddens me. Is there an official letter day during which we can all share addresses and mail each other things?

5. I don't understand why chip bags contain so few chips.

Like, seriously? (For the record, these aren't even my chips. These are Kori's, so it's ALL HER FAULT.)

6. My right eye is slightly less open than my left eye, all the time... and I hate it. I can't make my eyes match, and I'm really insecure about it.

7. Despite the fact that Friday's snow day caused many accidents and that no one appreciated it except for our town's minority of highschool students... I'm hoping for another one tomorrow. (Yes. When it comes to days off school, I am very selfish.)

8. I can't do a messy bun, and for this reason (amongst many others) I feel that I fail at being a girl.

9.  I'm currently addicted to this song.

(Amongst many others. My friends are kind enough to lend me CDs, and I thus discover much lovely music!)

10. David's Tea no longer sells my favourite tea (Ice Cream Cake)... I discovered that this morning and am still upset.

And that's it for this week, dearling ninjas! (and yes, that is spelt intentionally incorrectly. Because I can never remember any of the lovely and educated words I know, I am forced to invent my own) What do you have to confess?