Ho Hum

I've been in a rut lately, sartorially that is.
I've always been a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl. My wardrobe in college was chock full of oversized tees I could tuck into jeans, turn into a dress with a belt, and be ready in a moment's notice with just a pair of leggings. Fast forward to 2015. I am not by any means, ready to embrace the crop top trend (is it even still trending?) but one thing's for sure: I am so over this oversized business.
But moving beyond my whole conundrum with t shirts, I've been so stuck, period.
I open my closet and hem and haw until I reach for the same striped shirt/plain tank top/cardigan and decide to play it safe because I don't have time to take risks.
I veer from skirts (because I have cankles). I step away from maxi dresses (because I'll look even shorter and I'll have to wear heels and I hate wearing heels). I can't wear shorts (because, yet again, the cankle problem). Which leaves me with 3 pairs of jeans that have been in heavy rotation since forever.
With that in mind, here are some images I hope to use as inspiration for this week and hopefully the next as well.

I love Olivia's outfit and that of the girl behind her

Young Frankk SS15 line. That skirt is divine

I love her "just threw it on" vibe with a not-so-oversized tee

I say YES to this outfit in so many ways

How is her t shirt so perfectly cropped? And where can I get a skirt (and cat (!)) like that?

Shades, check. iPhone, check. Sneaks, check. Attitude, check.

Librarian meets goth meets prepster. Bam. 

This look is so LA and I love it

A perfect Sunday

On a perfect Sunday I take advantage of warm temperatures, drag a friend out of bed, and and make a spontaneous trek out to the beach. We venture to a bakery that's long been on my to-eat-at list, pick up a sandwich and soup to split, and take it to-go in a crisp white paper bag so we can eat by the waves. We drive around, not wanting to shell out fifteen bucks for parking, and happen upon the one open metered parking spot that's valid for two hours. We spread our two person towel on the sand, unwrap the sandwich and open the soup, and satiate our semi-hungry stomachs. The food does not disappoint. Post meal, we lie on our backs, watch airplanes go by, and talk about snorkeling. We yelp ice cream places because there's always room for dessert and leave because it's getting a little chilly. We walk to our car and spot a little canal surrounded by houses and decide to take a walk there. Can I say I fell in love? I've never been so mesmerized by real estate. There were rows and rows of little houses, some glass and modern, some cozy and adorned with greenery, and each complete with its own canoe. It starts to get dark and we drive to an ice cream shop on Abbot Kinney. We split a medium cup of watermelon sorbet, waffle cone crunch, and honey yogurt granola. We then drive home and finish off the evening with a marathon session of House of Cards. 

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing, (Thinking)

It's been over a year since I last posted.
A year.
For the past three or so years, I would look back on the year at the end of December and think, what have I done? I couldn't think of anything remarkable, anything I had accomplished, anything noteworthy. Another year of my life had just gone by and I had done nothing. I felt like I was wasting away my early twenties wandering in circles with my head down, uninterested, uninspired, unhappy.
This past year though, I feel like I've accomplished a little bit. I finally made the move out to LA and fulfilled a childhood dream of mine: living in a sprawling urban metropolis.
No longer would I have to trek 20+ miles to attend that event, go to that designer sample sale, or try that new restaurant. Everything was at my fingertips and within a 30 minute (without traffic) drive.
This year, I want to be different. I've come to realize more and more that my fatal flaw is perfectionism. I don't start things and end up never starting them because I want the end result to be perfect. Flawless. A masterpiece. Even as a child, I never completed coloring books because I was so afraid of coloring outside the lines and basically, in my mind, ruining the whole book.
But now I really need to start DOing. I can't just sit here waiting and wishing for things to happen.
I don't want to waste my ideas, resources, and my youth because I'm only getting older and I'm only going to have less free time once I start a full-time job, get married, etc. etc. etc.
I want to start creating. I've always been such a research-oriented person and made scrolling through blogs and newsfeeds, writing down quotes, and compiling to-do lists my one pastime.
I don't want to do that anymore. I want to create even if it sucks at first. Write even if it doesn't sound so right. Go out and see and travel and not be afraid of being alone while doing it.
Here's to a productive 2015.

Frances Halloway

I've been wanting to watch Francis Ha for THE longest time and I finally got around to watching it on Netflix last night. I wish I could ironically or un-ironically hate this movie but really, I almost want to say I loved it. How is it that a movie can so aptly summarize everything you're going through and everything you're feeling and know you're going to feel in the near future, without having ever met you? Frances always wears these leggings and socks, a fur collared aviator jacket, some sort of wrinkled button up, and Converse high tops: a uniform that remains the only consistent aspect of her unpredictable and confused life.
I think I need a uniform for my own life.

i do what i want

Sometimes, life calls for a celebration (and drinking wine from a straw in a pineapple cup).
Happy hump day!

habits

I came upon this little piece about famous writers' quirks and habits and it made me realize yet again that there are no rules when it comes to writing and honing your craft.
I was also reminded of this book that I gifted a friend last year.
Maybe I should buy it for myself.

stuck in the house need to get out more

If you asked me if I liked Drake two years back, I would have responded with a grimace and an open mouth ready to say "ew." But I think I understand now why exactly he's so popular, and it's not because he was born in October (I have an affinity for people born in the same month as me). It's his relatable lyrics; those one-liners buried in his countless laments of rising to the top and staying grounded at the same time. Right now, at this time in my life, I'm his "mom cooped up in her apartment, telling herself that she's too sick to get dressed and go do shit."
I've been stuck in a limbo far way too long. It's a limbo where I'm almost forgetting what I am, who I am, why I'm even existent on this Earth. At this point, music's one of the only things reminding me I'm alive and in the words of Drake, to not think about it to much. Or think about it at all.