Rosettes and Revolution

First, kids, a confession.  While today is March 1 and therefore the end of my Shopping Embargo (henceforth known as my Worst Idea Ever), I have to admit that the experiment was NOT a soaring success.

I cheated.  I cheated so hard, and it felt so good.

It started on Wednesday.  I was a-trollin’ Trashy Diva, LIKE YOU DO, lusting after the pretty vintage-style dresses that I can’t afford, when a Mysterious Force led me to click on the Sale page.  It might have been God.  It might have been habit, because I always click on the Sale page, but whatever.  In past experience, this has been a futile effort.  Because while the prices are (sometimes) right when the dresses are on sale, the sizes rarely are.  I’m a size 8 or 10 (depending on cut, material, style and brand) which apparently are REALLY COMMON SIZES because they are almost never available on sale anywhere ever.

And then I saw this.

Rosalind Dress in “Mardi Gras” from Trashy Diva

My size.  My style.  Sixty-Six bucks.  More than I like to spend on a single item, but a killer deal for a Trashy Diva Dress.  AND LOOK AT HOW PRETTY!  I feared I’d never again find it in my size.  So I ponied up and bought it.  AND I’M NOT EVEN SORRY.

But that opened the floodgates.  Because then I ducked into Ray’s Ragtime “just to look” and came out with a new 70s-era dress, braided belt and floppy hat.  I tried to be sorry, but all I could think about was how Foxy and Jessa-from-GIRLS-chic I was going to look at my boyfriend’s show Thursday night (and I did).  But the dress needed a statement necklace, so I stopped by the Goodwill Boutique on 10th (a KILLER place for big necklaces and bangles, beeteedubs) on my way home.  Because in for a penny in for a pound, amirite? (No really–am I right?  I’m not sure I know exactly what “in for a penny, in for a pound” means).

Jessa-chic, hat and all.

Here is a superfluous shot of my boyfriend’s band, Swim Atlantic. Because this is MY blog, and I post whatever the hell I want, with nary a thought for relevance! Find them on Facebook, yo.

But even with my Last-Minute Shopping Binge, I still saved money this month.  So while  Shopping Embargo Worst Idea Ever was not a soaring success due to my horrible, cheating ways, it was still a success.  Arguably.

I spent a lot of time talking about that.

ON TO TODAY’S FINDS!

• So the Oscars happened.  My Girl Anne Hathaway picked up a trophy!

• So did the amazing Jennifer Lawrence!  Yay!

• But, as you may have heard, there was some serious sexist bullshit that went down.  I didn’t watch the Oscars this year, but there are articles GALORE on the sexism (from casual to overt) at the Academy Awards.  My favorite Lindy West does a killer breakdown on Oscar sexism.   Best of all, she links to a bunch of other awesome articles, so please follow the trail.

• Time Magazine published an extremely powerful piece on photojournalism and domestic violence, in which a photographer is present and able to document an instance of abuse.  As someone who has never (thankfully) experience domestic abuse, seeing these photos brought the experience millions of women (and some men) face into my mind and heart in a very real way.  Please note that the story and images might be triggers for survivors of abuse.

• But there is still Unexpected Awesomeness in the world, as Lesley Kinzel reminds us on xojane.com.

• I am very excited for Oz the Great and Powerful.  I never go to the movies anymore (because I am poor and broke), but this one I want to see.  What can I say?  My Mom and I read The Wizard of Oz together when I was a wee one, Wicked is my favorite book as a grown up, AND I WANNA SEE THIS MOVIE.  There’s also a place inside me that fears it’s going to suck.  I mean, there’s a whole lot of “please Man, come save us!” in the trailer.

• I’ve been reading up a storm in 2013.  One of the books I stumbled across was the remarkable We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.  This book will not be for everyone, but if you are a fan of the macabre and the strange world of realism-but-also-not (I just made that up, but I like the sound of it), this might be a book for you.  Merricat Blackwood is the best unreliable narrator I’ve come across in a long time, and this story of prejudice, guilt, love, routine, magic and otherness is utterly gripping.

• Last but not least, February will be remembered as the month where I finally learned how to wear false eyelashes!  The guide to my mastery was the divine Gabi of xojane.  You can find her how-to here, and it’s the best ever.  The biggest tip I took to heart was cutting my falsies in half–twice the lashes, half the trouble of applying!  But where she uses tweezers to gently press them in place, I use a Q-tip, dampened in the sink so it doesn’t stick.  It works great and takes away the “Fear Factor” part of the process.

It’s surprisingly hard to take selfies that feature your eyelashes.

I feel like I’ve been writing for a really long time.

• But before I go, I bring to you the delightful Garfunkel & Oates singing a song about hand jobs.  Yes, really.  Thanks to Allan Mott for leading me to this video AND for being one of my favorite people on the whole internet.  Follow him @HouseOfGlib.

Alright, Internet!  I hope your whole Friday feels like Happy Hour!

Tags: Allan Mott, Anne Hathaway, Girls, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessa, Oz the Great and Powerful, Ray's Ragtime, Shopping embargo, TIme Magazine, Trashy Diva, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Worst Idea Ever, xojane