Heroes

Many, many years ago... in the days of fruit roll ups and friendship bracelets, I chose heroes. They were sparkly and pretty and sometimes they talked when you pushed a button. They were animated on Saturday mornings and they were in my books at night time and they snuggled with me when I was sad.

In the days of writing on your Keds and gossiping for attention, I chose heroes. They had pretty hair and sharp tongues and their Moms bought them Guess jeans. They were found in front of The Wall at lunch and they always bought their food from the snack bar.

In the days of Led Zeppelin and meeting at The Park for lunch, I chose heroes. They were pretty without trying, fashionable without fussing, and cooler than you could ever dream of being. They drove cars and drank and sometimes did both at the same time. They had tan lines and boyfriends who threw parties and knew the best place to get beer.

In the days of freedom from parents and splitting utilities, I chose heroes. They knew obscure bands and obscure thrift stores and held obscure political/social beliefs. They were "unique" with matching "look-at-me" hairstyles and converse shoes.

In the days of disillusionment, I looked around for heroes. I was in my early twenties and wanted to find something to believe in. I looked in bars and coffee shops and colleges and art galleries and ashrams and churches and books.

Skip forward.

Today, in the days where I know I am a child of God, I have more heroes than ever. I am overwhelmed at how many heroic people I witness every day. I am constantly in awe of them. They walk upright in spite of heavy burdens. They turn the other cheek. They sacrifice. They care. They forgo the excuse and they accept responsibility. They endure. They serve when they are weary. They laugh when they face trials. They cry when they need to. They overcome fears and barriers. And they do all this without sparkles. As a matter of fact, if you don't look close enough- if you aren't paying attention, you just might miss them. You have to train your eye to see them and to recognize them.

But they are everywhere and they are my heroes.

Bad. Bad. Bad Week.

Have you ever read the Iliad? Well, you know how the Gods are just so catty and emotionally unstable, but their decisions effect the lives of the mortals?

Ok, well I'm beginning to think that there really is some weird incestuous group of bipolar Gods who have decided my fate for the last week. I don't know what the hell I've done to offend them but maybe I should sacrifice a goat or something because I'm about to loose it.

I will give a short list of what I have been through in the last 5 days:

Stranded in Mexico with just the clothes on my back. Which ended up being little more than a bathing suit. No passport. No money. No phone.

Loosing expensive belongings on a cruise ship that I will never get back.

Getting a traffic violation ticket for something rediculous.

Loosing my wedding ring.

And some other really horrible occurances that are too private for a blog post.

So, grey-eyed Athena, lay off a bit.

Ummm.....Hi.

I've become a bit of an introvert lately. And I guess this blog has somehow symbolized another human being to me, because I've been avoiding it also.

But I'm back. And I'm ready to have friends again.

So, hi. My name is Angie. What's yours?

Oh, and I'm kinda shy.

And really weird.

Hope that's ok with you.

Wanna build a fort?

Or make some raw food?

Or go to the bookstore and look for craft ideas and do them?

Or go on a midnight bike ride and find a roof to climb up on and make a secret club that does secret stuff up there? Like throw things on people or play like we're in a spaceship?

Or paint something?

Or make prank phone calls?

Or dress up like a zombie and ride around town?

Or just come over and play with me?

Fashion Crisis

So I've been pondering the original purpose behind this blog, and realizing that I have made a mess of it. My intent was to make a list of goals, which I did here, and then publicly record my progress. I guess I've gone a little astray, as I don't even remember much about what that list said. I don't even know if it's still relevant to what I want today in my life, so I might even revise the list a bit.

One thing that I do remember is my desire to become a bit more stylish. I guess this one is on hold for a few reasons, the most important being funds of course. (Feel free to nominate me for What Not to Wear...) But another reason is that I still don't really know what I would like to express about myself- I mean who I would like to become more of. Last year it seemed all I wore was professional attire due to work. I guess what I wanted then was to make money.

Today I want to be comfortable. I want to honor my natural beauty and talents. I want to explore looking out more than looking in. I want to recognize quirkiness as perfection, and perfection as relative. I want to rediscover mornings as a time of meditation, instead of a time for alteration.

However, with that said, I want to find balance and harmony in design and nature. What I mean is that I want some alteration of the product that wakes up with frizzy hair, bad breath, and an oily face. I want some progress past my Uggs and hoodie sweatshirts. Yet, I cannot tell you how much I love the idea of waking up, throwing on the most comfortable thing in my closet, brushing my teeth, and walking out the door to start my day. I should have been an Indian. With a toothbrush.

Like I said, I do want to focus on being more "put together," whatever that means. I refuse to believe that I have to be uncomfortable to achieve it, so I am going on the hunt for designers that make comfortable clothes that are innovative and quirky and practical. I want to stay away from sports clothing, skateboard/surf designers (Billabong, will you please confine yourself to 16 and younger? Get your logo'd sleeves and candy-colored accessories off of the twenty-somethings!), and pu-leeze- no spandex. I have been down that road and I don't want to look back, unless it's for exercise or sleepwear.

At this time I will open up the suggestion box for contributions. Again, I'm looking for designers/labels who are

1. Comfortable
2. Quirky/Fun
3. Not exclusively fit for teenagers
4. Practical (especially for Utah winters. However, every piece does not need to fit this requirement.)
5. Modest

Some examples of a label I really like: Filly and Prairie Underground (although I would make some alterations to make their designs a bit more modest).

Fannie Brice - It's Gorgeous to be Graceful

This weekend I spend many hours laying around watching old movies. This clip is from "Be Yourself," a 1930 film starring Fannie Brice. Fannie has to be one of the funniest people who ever lived. I spent the rest of the weekend watching youtube clips of her.

As you can tell, I really need to get a life. Actually, I think I just got hired somewhere, but we'll see. I'm still waiting for the final call.

Well I hope you all had a fun Thanksgiving and enjoyed a lazy weekend like I did.

Why I voted for Prop. 2

And I quote, "KFC, that's foul!"

Confessions of a Stinky Woman

All apologies for the lack of posts as of late. School and a California trip are the culprits.

Due to a pressing school assignment, I have to keep this short and sweet. But I feel like I need to get something off my chest. Or at least that region. You'll understand in a second.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

Wait...

Ok.

Here it goes.

My confession.

Right.

Now.

I don't wear deodorant. I haven't in about 8 years or so. I've never had a problem with BO, and I've always believed that the chemicals in deodorant are bad for the body- especially when you put those chemicals on a place that absorbs as much as your armpits do. My mother had cancer twice (ovarian and breast), so I don't take carcinogens lightly. I also think that anti-perspirants are horrible. I mean, if your body wants to sweat, let it sweat. The good Lord made us that way for a reason.

Well, I mentioned that I've never had BO. That is, until now. Suddenly I have noticed a slight, well... you know. And I'm horrified by the thought of being stinky.

Just a side note here: I think I'm starting to smell because I'm too poor to eat as many fresh veggies as I used to. The lesson here is: Hamburger Helper= stinky pits.

Ok, so last week after an especially long jog I was breathing in myself and I decided enough is enough already. So I decided to search for an all-natural deodorant. I've tried Tom's and some weird purple crystal concoction, but didn't like either very much.

I google searched "natural deodorant" and this is what I found.



A diamond in the rough. A miraculous miracle of a product. Aluminum Free, Paraben free, Phthalates free, Proplene Glycol Free, Cruelty Free and Vegan.

And it smells like creamsicles. Yum.

I am in love.

This deodorant is made by a breast cancer survivor. She makes a skin cream and a hair and scalp revival serum also. Her story is pretty amazing. Here's the link to find out more.