tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73374497655047359492024-02-19T00:27:16.041-05:00Under ConstructionFreckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-29941905813386886962012-03-20T22:02:00.000-04:002012-04-02T01:08:19.353-04:00Angry Women UnitedI am absolutely obsessed with Margaret Cho's blog posts on <a href="http://www.margaretcho.com/content/tag/beauty-body-image/" target="_blank">Beauty & Body Image</a>. She doesn't hold back what she's thinking or feeling. Margaret is pissed the fuck off and she is letting the world know. I love it. I love it so much. For awhile now, I've been trying to hold back my anger. I really have. But having anger, having passion for something is not something that should be held back all the time. If that was the case, then no one would ever stand up about anything they believe in. There would not have been any kind of change in this world. Anger and passion... Two feelings I have been trying to lock away, but can no longer.<br />
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I've been known to lecture when I hear people say anything negative about other people. Especially with the girls in my family. If I hear one of them bashing some girl in their class I get fucking livid. Trust me, my wrath is known. Sometimes it will be about the tiniest thing and I will look like a crazy dramatic bitch. But what people don't understand is that those tiny words like "fat" or "slut" and the like are not tiny words. They are not words that should be taken lightly and it makes me <b>angry</b> that we live in a society where these words are thrown around like nothing. You hear them at school, at work, in public, from your friends, and from your family... these words are everywhere. They are usually linked with the excuse, "Well, they said this about me" or "They did this to me." Not an excuse. I do not and will not take that as an excuse. EVER.<br />
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I grew up with plenty of people saying horrible things to me and about me. I didn't go around saying horrible things about them because "they did it first." No, because I know its wrong and I know its hurtful and scarring and I would never, ever want to inflict that kind of hurt and pain on another person. Not even my worst enemy.<br />
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I am obsessed with reading Margaret Cho's blogposts because she is so raw that it gives me goosebumps to have someone at her status spew anger that I have in my own heart about the fucking assholes in this world. Margaret Cho is fierce. She is angry. She is real. I wish more women were as pissed off as she is because it disgusts me how much we put up with in this world today. We have girls pining for abusers like Chris Brown, we have girls starving themselves to be on Top Model type tv shows and we have girls being beaten down by society because their size, race, beliefs, sex life and everything else in-between. Maybe if we had more women in this world like Margaret Cho we wouldn't be watching the rich, old, white men in our government slowly take away the rights our mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers and so-on fought so hard for us to have.<br />
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Margaret is pissed off. I'm pissed off. You should be pissed off.<br />
There are so many different topics that I want to tell you to be pissed off about, but I shouldn't have to tell you. It's common fucking sense. It's common fucking sense to be a decent human being...<br />
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- arpFreckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-78176453828939100792012-03-19T12:35:00.002-04:002012-03-19T12:37:44.186-04:00Still hungover?Oh, I forgot to write a blog post dedicated to St. Patrick's Day because I guess as a blogger, you're supposed to do things like that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://drinkwiththewench.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Boston_Irish.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://drinkwiththewench.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Boston_Irish.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I wish I could use the excuse that I was too drunk to even work a computer because as a freckly Irish lass I was celebrating leprechaun day.<br />
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But I actually went to my nanas house and ate a boiled dinner even though they don't do that in Ireland and then I went and got froyo with my cousins and friends because thats we do when we need to escape the crazy adults in our family. (because as a 21 year old, I'm not an adult yet, right?)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.history.com/news/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/st-patricks-day-boston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="http://www.history.com/news/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/st-patricks-day-boston.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Anyway - Happy St. Patrick's Day 2 days late. I hope you didn't get arrested. Unless you were those really obnoxious drunk teenagers at the parade every year who think they're super awesome for getting shit faced around a bunch of Southie families...<br />
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Is anyone else getting sunburnt on your back porch on this beautiful day? Am I the only one on Spring Break right now because my school sucks and waited until everyone else went back to school? Does this count as a good blog post for the day?<br />
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Well, it's good enough for a Monday after St. Patrick's weekend...<br />
How long until you'll stop gagging after someone mentions Baileys?Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-73633072489194132632012-03-04T19:03:00.001-05:002012-03-04T19:06:36.746-05:00Receiving Respect from Your Professors Goes A Long Way<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AzXoZ6Pier2g3QQvICaDK0e1insxrBwvUTlSu5DOH1jZecJu8CCwlOa_Dq21Gmmw9tTHbEHe-qoZILPgzv99L1oZgHSrUnQdiPRr9I90hotpU2_xXCFgFYfprFlBv-uj1VqTasfqiQta/s1600/Comic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8AzXoZ6Pier2g3QQvICaDK0e1insxrBwvUTlSu5DOH1jZecJu8CCwlOa_Dq21Gmmw9tTHbEHe-qoZILPgzv99L1oZgHSrUnQdiPRr9I90hotpU2_xXCFgFYfprFlBv-uj1VqTasfqiQta/s320/Comic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The past couple of semesters I've done my best to gain respect from my professors. This is something that every college student should make their goal. Not only is it great when you need recommendations (if you’re transferring from a 2 yr to a 4 yr) it makes you study harder, pay attention more and spend a lot more time writing that research paper. Striving to gain respect from your professors creates a whole new level of motivation that you’ve never experienced before. Before you know it, you’re getting papers back with those big red A’s, tests back with the maximum amount of points received and what I think is the best, a vocal “well done” when your professor hands you those papers. I’m going to help you get that respect. I’m going to help you do the best you can in your classes. Follow these tips and you should be golden. </span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>1. Eye Contact</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">If you’re like me, then the first day of class you go straight for the back of the class. I hate sitting up front. I feel like everyone is staring at me. I know that is ridiculous and totally self-centered, to think the whole class is staring at me, but I’m 21 so that means I’m still narcissistic and will be until I’m… a mother? I don’t know. Anyways… If you’re like me <i>freshman </i>year of college than you’ll be making your way to the back <i>corner</i> of the room. <b>Wrong.</b> I’m going to allow you to sit in the back of the class, okay? Because that is where we feel comfortable, but I refuse to let you hide in the corner. You are not being punished for being in class. It may feel that way sometimes, but you are not a little kid being told to sit in the corner for pulling little Mindy’s braids. Sit in the back center. Or as close as the center you can get. Why? Because your professor is most likely standing in the front center of the classroom and you want that professor to see you. You want the professor to know you are paying attention and you want him to know that you are listening intently. We all know how it is when we try to avoid eye contact because we don't want to be called on, but we are not in high school anymore. It's time to accept the fact that you have a human body and therefore are not invisible when you aren't making eye contact with someone. So, suck it up and look right back at your teacher when they're speaking to the class. It will make them see that they are actually speaking to you, educating you. You want them to notice you noticing them. Get it? Making eye contact, nodding, furrowing eyebrows while writing notes. This is what your professor wants to see. Make it happen.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>2. Speak up</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">You know when your professor asks the class a question about the reading or whatever you are studying and no one answers? Yeah, be the person who answers. Why? Because your professor is wishing with all his/her might that someone will actually say something. It does not matter if you think your answer is wrong or not what they’re looking for. <b>Say it. </b>You will either be a) right, and your professor will be all “yes!” and continue on or b) you will be wrong and the ground beneath you will open up and you and your desk will fall to the pits of hell. OH, thats not what will happen if you’re wrong?! WOW. Who knew?! Look, if your answer is wrong your professor will definitely make note that you spoke up anyway and then you will be the person he/she is talking to when explaining the actual answer. Again, eye contact while they’re explaining, listen and take notes. Try to involve yourself in the discussion always. I have a lot of teachers who want people to actually speak up and they never do. Everyone is scared to be wrong but if they notice that someone is talking, it will encourage others to shout out or raise their hand too. Ya know? Don’t freak yourself out about these things. Your professor wants to hear you. Speak up.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>3. Ask Questions</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Same rules apply to this one as they do in #2. You and everyone else in the class have questions and no one asks. It makes the professor think that you aren’t doing the homework or reading the material. It makes the professor think you don’t care. Raise your hand and ask the damn question. You’ll feel weird for two seconds while asking it and then it’s done! Then the professor explains it and who knows, it might widen the view on the topic. Professors may be doing the teaching, but they still want to learn what their students are thinking. If you are still being a little scaredy cat and don’t want to raise your hand in a room full of other scaredy cats, then go to them after class. The point is, you want the professor to know that you care, that you want to know the material, that you want to do well.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>4. Go to every single class</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Yes, even if the syllabus says you can have up to 4 missed classes without being penalized. Guess what? It’s a big fat lie. Yes, you might not have points deducted for not showing up, but when they’re putting your final grade in and they see that you attended <b>all of their classes</b> they might bump you from a B+ to an A-. Showing up to class means you don’t miss anything, so you are always kept up to speed, it means that your professor sees your face on a regular basis and it means that you get the respect that the other slackers don’t. If you must miss a class due to a doctor’s appointment or whatever, make sure you e-mail them <i>ahead of </i>time<i> </i>and assure them that you will bring some sort of documentation to excuse the absence. Don’t just not show up. It’s disrespectful. And unless you are in a huge lecture hall full of 300 people, they will notice. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>5. Do not miss your due dates!</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Pass your damn assignments in on time! I promise you that your professor is receiving more than a few emails the night before or the day of full of excuses of why essays or whatever aren’t going to be completed on time. Don’t add your name to that list. Just don’t do it. The only time you shouldn’t be passing in something on time is when you have SO many other assignments due on the same day, and if thats the case, then you should talk to your professor <b>in person</b> at least a week before the due date and ask if you can maybe get an extension. I’ve had to do this before. My professor was surprisingly very okay with it. He didn’t even let me finish explaining why I needed it, he just said, “That’s fine, as long as you do well on it. It’s alright!” I’m always scared to ask my professors for things, but it’s never been a problem for me. Sometimes we forget that the good ones actually want us to do well. And if you follow the other tips I’ve listed for you, then they should be okay with their favorite student needing a day or two to make their paper even more kick ass. ;)</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>6. Suck up</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Okay, by “suck up” I don’t mean be the annoying teacher’s pet that everybody wants to jump in the parking lot after class. I mean, if you look through your syllabus and see some things you’re looking forward to reading/doing, let them know! Before you leave class or if you see them walking through the building, just say a quick hello and a “oh, by the way, the syllabus looks great this semester. I’m really looking forward to this class!” They might give a slight nod and a quiet thank you or something not very enthusiastic, but I promise promise promise they were glad to hear that from a student. Teachers are people. They are not just robotic creatures of the underworld forcing you to do hours of homework because they get some sick enjoyment out of it. (okay, maybe some of them are, but lets stay positive here.) They too, like to hear that they’re doing well. If you enjoy someone’s class, let them know. They’ll keep you in mind when they’re sending in your final grades. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I wish it didn’t take me so long to figure out to do this stuff. I’m finally getting recognition from my professors and thats because I’m finally working my ass off to do well. Getting good grades is not the only thing to strive for in school, you guys. Creating a student/teacher relationship is really important. You never know who has connections or who you need recommendations from. It's a fabulous feeling when you realize you need something from a teacher and you can think of a bunch that would be willing to help you out. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">College can be unbearable. It can be scary. It can be intimidating. But do not forget that it’s not just like that for the students… We are all adults here. There may be some large gaps between student/teacher ages, but we are all adults. Adults striving to do well. Whether it’s in our studies or grasping the interest of students. Do your best to gain the respect of your teachers. It’s important. For both of you.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">xo ARP</span></span></div></div></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-64060292439516677612012-02-29T20:15:00.001-05:002012-03-01T03:56:02.187-05:00Imitation Is NOT the Most Sincere Form of Flattery... It's Annoying<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2-g74rqwfnCHBqbLEkVAUCNUjSe9fW7KOAZpu7qM7lEn5LbVbN-xDRNwshOjJjdtHVI_FnJJnJ8X5Bx0kDXR3W-xogvAOUoaP18XQUAgyenu7h2aaJqvVexGLJKXqhGkBxGhpVBdE20/s1600/rid-of-stalkers.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2-g74rqwfnCHBqbLEkVAUCNUjSe9fW7KOAZpu7qM7lEn5LbVbN-xDRNwshOjJjdtHVI_FnJJnJ8X5Bx0kDXR3W-xogvAOUoaP18XQUAgyenu7h2aaJqvVexGLJKXqhGkBxGhpVBdE20/s200/rid-of-stalkers.png" width="200" /></a>We've all been there: a friend or even a random individual who you are cool with likes the same movies as you. And the same books. And the same music. Before you know it, that person has started trying to talk like you, dress like you, follow the same life path.<br />
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Welcome to Introduction to Stalking, 101.<br />
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One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone takes their respect for (or even, in some cases, idolization of) someone to a level reminiscent of the campy plot to Single White Female.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhAzNr2sLGg1LoWw0CACa4FYu3O53F8J7FJRHdEVvNtYCwrWCCdsGStZi8_EXBRC3jvkoFsL6u8Vm-xRoLMw5nbGfRjr103lKs_lOEMM88baTdmG1jaGPinlLvvwEcbJjFGoelej_ZRg/s1600/single+white+female1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhAzNr2sLGg1LoWw0CACa4FYu3O53F8J7FJRHdEVvNtYCwrWCCdsGStZi8_EXBRC3jvkoFsL6u8Vm-xRoLMw5nbGfRjr103lKs_lOEMM88baTdmG1jaGPinlLvvwEcbJjFGoelej_ZRg/s320/single+white+female1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqngF1dFedL4oDEVCTsKBTWIkVS1KEyayCyYAmqIdUkprHFbyocEa3hh5WMefxqpkLaU4rKTbHnmVBQnJ0eDcwUOchytJRl12Kea6cciyCVoNEplR-AlIsVrlaSN_fvJBBL8FVpWPDhs/s1600/individuality1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikqngF1dFedL4oDEVCTsKBTWIkVS1KEyayCyYAmqIdUkprHFbyocEa3hh5WMefxqpkLaU4rKTbHnmVBQnJ0eDcwUOchytJRl12Kea6cciyCVoNEplR-AlIsVrlaSN_fvJBBL8FVpWPDhs/s200/individuality1.jpg" width="200" /></a>Friends don't need to be exactly alike for them to be friends. The point is that you have some aspects of yourselves that are similar, and some that are, blissfully, different. I actually prefer the differences. It allows me to view and come to appreciate and respect a person's individuality. I pride myself on being an individual; how come others don't? Stand out in the crowd!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqGr1xrgNRmAVPV-7UYGux2b_b3Eb9WnlXcuBJin2RASlgbDL1Wz5I8N4sXLhYEQv1Ue6VaV9sE5vyfIPVUqUYcvODkBO6_vRagHpgzTjJA67eVzftV9aCkLqzjlOeCkB11TAiGPXnp4/s1600/MV5BMTYzMTMxOTE0Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjA4OTkzMg@@._V1._SY317_CR5,0,214,317_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqGr1xrgNRmAVPV-7UYGux2b_b3Eb9WnlXcuBJin2RASlgbDL1Wz5I8N4sXLhYEQv1Ue6VaV9sE5vyfIPVUqUYcvODkBO6_vRagHpgzTjJA67eVzftV9aCkLqzjlOeCkB11TAiGPXnp4/s200/MV5BMTYzMTMxOTE0Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjA4OTkzMg@@._V1._SY317_CR5,0,214,317_.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>I used to want a twin. The gods were kind to my mother though, and only gave her one of me. I don't need someone who hasn't lived my life or walked a mile in my shoes trying to be like Siamese ass twins. It's not cute. I once had a buddy of mine tell me that if someone can do it better than the original, then they should. But she missed the point- there can only be one original. Sure, we all steal ideas. I'm not the first girl to study English, or to have multiple tattoos, or to love jeans with boots or whatever other quirks lie beneath my surface. But I am the only girl in the world to have all those qualities, plus whatever else defines me as me. <br />
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Stop insisting on duplicating something unique. Find what works for you and stick with it. Have the confidence to go out there in the world as yourself. That's all anybody else is trying to do.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Micky Ward: </span>You ain't me, all right. You can't be me. You had a hard enough time being you when you had your fuckin' chance and that's why you're in here. All right? - The Fighter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ry-Og9QmDGm8Z_H1oGaE3rcJ3-NLZfk-Klz-1FoI1PZ5JCWSHsH9T-NpWDMk4Oit5rYv7k_BnfcMbLkjBcBdA_p7AlJZksg4zJwWkqaHDOVvjNc7beNB7AOjaRSNFCSffha6bN0yq-Y/s1600/the-fighter-title-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ry-Og9QmDGm8Z_H1oGaE3rcJ3-NLZfk-Klz-1FoI1PZ5JCWSHsH9T-NpWDMk4Oit5rYv7k_BnfcMbLkjBcBdA_p7AlJZksg4zJwWkqaHDOVvjNc7beNB7AOjaRSNFCSffha6bN0yq-Y/s200/the-fighter-title-banner.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<3 IMP </3</div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-50804235185225643802012-02-02T22:18:00.000-05:002012-02-02T22:18:20.455-05:00Fiction vs Fact: Are we friends or are we foes?How the hell do YOU define friend? Go ahead, I'll wait...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM83VK5r0h4cFX37OnlSE9wpZospJYrtdKI4MnyQEs06amwxY5WoLM0PqAehhmptMochyphenhyphenz0dd-LkAd_o-yfBVw9P4BEG0e9qUYkFwU_q5zshByvwVm_a5ODEFsHyr63DvI8ANmdGuuTA/s1600/mean+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkM83VK5r0h4cFX37OnlSE9wpZospJYrtdKI4MnyQEs06amwxY5WoLM0PqAehhmptMochyphenhyphenz0dd-LkAd_o-yfBVw9P4BEG0e9qUYkFwU_q5zshByvwVm_a5ODEFsHyr63DvI8ANmdGuuTA/s200/mean+girls.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Ok, now, how many people do you know that actually FIT that description? Hmph. And what about best friends, bffs, bffls, bf4e, and whatever horrendously cheesy net-slang acronyms one can place around the concept of a friend above all others- what about those?<br />
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The concept of friendship has always been a tricky one. And in this post-modern world, we now also have to consider things like associates, allies, frenemies, and plain-old bitches we don't like. <br />
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Why is everything so complicated? Why does having a relationship with someone, where your connection has nothing to do with neither sharing the same blood nor sleeping together, have to be so goddamn taxing? Yes, romantic-relationship are hard with the drama they bring but in the end -the belief is- you find one person with whom you get along and you just keep working at it. With family, you fight, you stop speaking, you move away; but somehow they always get a pass because you have no choice but to just accept them as they are.<br />
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Yet the relationship between friends always seems to be more stressful. The other two are just accepted forms of stress. Friendships are supposed to be easy, right? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje51i6ZZfPcXV-lBfywDQCNChRrPy4VOV_nWeZTGJNX_DuiNAhYsGZ2m7Qx2v1OYzYPMaPQaQbpOrfh6-nwAMSu9KQ52uUOmzL63fxq74xS7pmiJlkUqhiec7Jd92EOmv7uKcEdrIebrA/s1600/sex-and-the-city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje51i6ZZfPcXV-lBfywDQCNChRrPy4VOV_nWeZTGJNX_DuiNAhYsGZ2m7Qx2v1OYzYPMaPQaQbpOrfh6-nwAMSu9KQ52uUOmzL63fxq74xS7pmiJlkUqhiec7Jd92EOmv7uKcEdrIebrA/s200/sex-and-the-city.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>I feel like the concept of true friendship is starting, like many other things, to become obsolete. Sex and the City-style quartets don't last. I've belonged to a few myself- I know what I am talking about. And I'm the kind of person who is not above a very hard, nasty critique of self. I put my own words, actions, and thoughts under the EXACT same magnifying glass as I do everyone else, and this I do regularly. What causes you to lose friends? Conversely, how do you gain real friends? And how does this affect yourself?<br />
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I feel that the first step towards true friendship is to be true to yourself. Remember that magnifying glass I mentioned? You have to be willing to break down your own character- this aides you in being able to see yourself the way someone else would. This does not mean to be self-effacing, or worse, to damage your own psyche. No, you just have to be real about who you are. And you have to accept it- you have to be okay with every aspect about you; flaws and perfections. Then, and only then, can you realize that yes, you may critical or yes, you may be a bit bitchy around that time of the month, or yes, sometimes you are a bit needy. But you can also see that yes, you would give someone your last $10 to be able to afford a bus pass or yes, you will drive to their house at 3 a.m. to console them after breaking up with a boyfriend (or throw a brick through his car window).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGjhja3_k1FkLDNlnsmmKIpN7CB1JlR4jQ4XPOVSyFxQBY7zYvFww28TZHbFUMWpMlXAKLveDixNRSYNkfbcgtPQ1uCNAYBi_v8w6CvzjTJgEBbulHdTC4sbsfSwImzygpi9cxp2hYSU/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGjhja3_k1FkLDNlnsmmKIpN7CB1JlR4jQ4XPOVSyFxQBY7zYvFww28TZHbFUMWpMlXAKLveDixNRSYNkfbcgtPQ1uCNAYBi_v8w6CvzjTJgEBbulHdTC4sbsfSwImzygpi9cxp2hYSU/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVp1c5lvUUsWC_IcM7_vB06LIHAO_D93WCM_sUPq-AVdA5hjAYXCj4UI9XeE8qR3-0Q-w78no546I1BbbScYdLQPvO28ByE7c61pQAbXRaoNr_sc-FdJ530qHFlDLSLe0yaeJjxxEeck8/s1600/Bart-and-his-friend-Milhouse.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVp1c5lvUUsWC_IcM7_vB06LIHAO_D93WCM_sUPq-AVdA5hjAYXCj4UI9XeE8qR3-0Q-w78no546I1BbbScYdLQPvO28ByE7c61pQAbXRaoNr_sc-FdJ530qHFlDLSLe0yaeJjxxEeck8/s200/Bart-and-his-friend-Milhouse.gif" width="163" /></a>You have to accept you. And then you have to find others who accept you as well. The theme of family relationships and romantic ones is acceptance. The same ideology has to be applied in friendship as well. You can't be friends with someone who doesn't accept you- what the hell kind of friendship is that? You need to be able to read people. Social cues and subtlety count for very little these days. You should be able to discern whether someone needs a pat on the back or a good swift kick in the ass and a dose of reality. People get so wrapped up in themselves that they don't know how to think about others. You need to be able to actually feel things too- anger, sadness, contentment. To feel allows you to remember that others feel as well. And, well, if you have someone with the same kind of social skills and intuition that you've got, you will have the kind of friendship where you don't even have to say much- the other person will just know what you think. Don't we all truly desire a connection like that? Isn't that what connecting is all about?<br />
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You also have to understand the difference in being a friend and having someone be a friend to you. It is all too easy to throw around the word "friend" because it is such a huge umbrella that seems to be all-encompassing. But not everyone is your friend. You also must accept that even if you have known someone for years, they could really just be a foe in hiding- a wolf in a fabulous sheepskin fur coat with Uggs to match.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGcaquulGBj89DBJvOUT1u8AfhZ-CUnOfcoywaGaYKiM-lRv7GbnWfqjHaemeeqVCqI39YVQZAKvFp4S8KHuTbvCSC2TnoBRvHrgp1KFzEie4c9FAcDQag-H6rEfVsfo88HdTQJN1CGY/s1600/eye-spy-magnifying-glass-thumb5894477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGcaquulGBj89DBJvOUT1u8AfhZ-CUnOfcoywaGaYKiM-lRv7GbnWfqjHaemeeqVCqI39YVQZAKvFp4S8KHuTbvCSC2TnoBRvHrgp1KFzEie4c9FAcDQag-H6rEfVsfo88HdTQJN1CGY/s200/eye-spy-magnifying-glass-thumb5894477.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>The main point is that friendship, like every other kind of relationship out there, needs to be built on mutual acceptance, respect, and support for self and for all others involved. I haven't always been the <i>greatest</i> friend (magnifying glass); years of growing and maturing has taught me that. But if I love you, if I feel for you, empathize with you, cry for you and not because you are related to me or because I am sleeping with you- if I have a genuine spot for you inside of my small bubble of those who I truly care for and give shit about, then that should be enough. I don't need bffs and allies and whatnot. I just need a small circle of individuals who know me and accept me for who I am- not perfect but working on it. And ready to throw a brick through a window anytime of the day.<br />
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<3 IMP </3<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfS3TZPr5A1yuxJeIOhjRkOcUuqr_Ldm_FJsOdCzYb9cuXA4SZKLuS4aFvI56raX7rqlGvTZaMI9q9t-B5bGJpU5TeXIDQU1Ep1uI24hsapCgH2NS_u7KqBNK3tgtW3wzpnfCklyB0n8/s1600/snoopy-friend1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfS3TZPr5A1yuxJeIOhjRkOcUuqr_Ldm_FJsOdCzYb9cuXA4SZKLuS4aFvI56raX7rqlGvTZaMI9q9t-B5bGJpU5TeXIDQU1Ep1uI24hsapCgH2NS_u7KqBNK3tgtW3wzpnfCklyB0n8/s200/snoopy-friend1.png" width="148" /></a></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-49527597270267061142012-01-21T14:39:00.001-05:002012-03-04T19:03:40.874-05:00Book Club?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoyRoLjjNSHwnGV_mKGznIwc32IRwPkUmDZFFC_u9jN3mVdlaTFdg_QqGJcoobw2VabtupZfr4JxfwFgYWeb10d5YCdBOu5SZDjr5FK0R7j4_dQuwKVSolH0mvMXSDqhdAYmncnrrJ7o/s1600/free_books_online.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoyRoLjjNSHwnGV_mKGznIwc32IRwPkUmDZFFC_u9jN3mVdlaTFdg_QqGJcoobw2VabtupZfr4JxfwFgYWeb10d5YCdBOu5SZDjr5FK0R7j4_dQuwKVSolH0mvMXSDqhdAYmncnrrJ7o/s320/free_books_online.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I've always wanted to be part of a book club... and now that I've beaten my funk that has kept me from enjoying books like I always have, I've been craving discussion. I'm going to see if anyone I know is interested in the idea and then maybe have it be part of this site. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We shall see!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">xo ARP</div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-2968643731091974752012-01-16T22:56:00.001-05:002012-03-04T19:03:52.384-05:00YawnWhen I first started this blog, I had a vision in mind. I wanted it to be an online magazine for girls. I wanted beauty, fashion, advice... etc. and then I got bored. Fast. And as I click click click onto a few twenty something websites this evening I find myself reading the same things over and over and over. What Every Twenty Something Needs in Their Closet, How To Defeat those Winter Blues, Are Your Relationships All the Same?:Click here to find out what you're doing wrong, etc, etc,..<br />
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As much as I still want to create something one day targeted at young women, I think right now I'm just going to write what comes to me and hopefully find a direction along the way. I'm liking the fact that I have some traffic, it's really keeping my spirits up about this blog. Whenever I start something, I never continue with it and I'm really hoping this time around is different.<br />
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A special thanks to the regular readers... ;] There will be more material soon enough!<br />
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xo ARPFreckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-7184502770733620222012-01-09T12:09:00.001-05:002012-03-04T19:04:04.474-05:00"Buddy the elf, whats your favorite color?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeIC2SJ7onRDtWe9ysLDIeeW_9cdQWRhc16B04Qx7OQTmOD4AFcgOTDM_sfnUq0xyC4I6TxmcXzKQKW3QlYLRdjy1rEn6uNGT2QtZ9JCbrEZJtvRe5n8t36XvT5nZl21tY6T1cATPB0s/s1600/IMG_6161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGeIC2SJ7onRDtWe9ysLDIeeW_9cdQWRhc16B04Qx7OQTmOD4AFcgOTDM_sfnUq0xyC4I6TxmcXzKQKW3QlYLRdjy1rEn6uNGT2QtZ9JCbrEZJtvRe5n8t36XvT5nZl21tY6T1cATPB0s/s320/IMG_6161.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This post has nothing to do with Buddy the elf. I'm sorry. I am deeply sorry, but you need to stop crying and pay attention to this very important/disturbing discovery.<br />
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If you knew me, you would not expect to walk into a bedroom that looks like I'm sleeping inside of Barney the dinosaur's big pinkish purplish stomach. You'd actually be pretty... shocked.<br />
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How about also noticing the pink water bottle I purchased? Or the pink wallet? Or that there are little splashes of pink everywhere you turn in this bedroom?<br />
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How would you feel about that? Well, imagine how I feel? Clearly this past year has been some kind of identity crisis struggle for me, you guys. I mean... I even started <i>wearing</i> pink t-shirts from Old Navy. I wore neon pink nail polish the entire summer. I'm very disappointed in my family and friends for letting this happen to me. I'm starting to think this was some kind of plot against me and my sanity. My sanity that has clearly been wasting away ever so slowly.<br />
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I know this isn't a quality blog post, but it had to be said. It can no longer be ignored. My favorite color will not be pink. I won't be. It's not.<br />
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Now excuse me while I look over the Martha Stewart Living paint samples on the Home Depot website...<br />
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What do you think Buddy's favorite color was anyway? Or what about the person who called the office phone that he answered?<br />
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xo ARPFreckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-79876563514980282002012-01-08T12:01:00.008-05:002012-03-04T19:04:15.378-05:00Hasta Luego, Mi Amigo!<div style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEktDgPTp-OHvk_i-4c387-K-j7vB377R8xQmCusDHUhfMI6E4Fa2YtYFEGkThGwaYMUcxFl8WTaBvGPF4NxHurC37iFc14EUSE1yWNc0W1n1kIEXV0xSEBbuqU2ugDZ-DSBCWf_Oj3WT6/s1600/snail-mail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEktDgPTp-OHvk_i-4c387-K-j7vB377R8xQmCusDHUhfMI6E4Fa2YtYFEGkThGwaYMUcxFl8WTaBvGPF4NxHurC37iFc14EUSE1yWNc0W1n1kIEXV0xSEBbuqU2ugDZ-DSBCWf_Oj3WT6/s320/snail-mail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Goodbyes are tough. No - actually, they’re terrible. I feel like I’m being a bit dramatic about my situation but I don’t care! It hasn’t even been two months since I’ve become friends with a former best friend again and it’s been really wonderful having him back in my life. But he is going to school about 1,200 miles away and it completely sucks. I know I’m not the only person to feel a bit heartbroken when a best friend goes away for awhile so I’m going to help my fellow <strike>abandonees</strike> sad friends out.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So here are things to remind yourself when you have to say goodbye to a friend who's going away to school, camp, jail or what have you and feel like your life is going to be super boring and dumb without them around.</span></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Think about all of the stuff you are going to send to him/her in the mail (you might not actually do this but at least you can calm yourself down with fake happy thoughts)</span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Cell phones. You can text on them. You can also call. It’s a fantastic advancement in technology.</span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Facebook/Twitter You can know what each others doing every moment of the day so it will almost seem as if you’re with them!</span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Skype. Webcam hugs are fun attempts. Right?</span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Talk about each other ALL the time so you get sick of it and you won’t even miss each other for a little while. Other people might get really annoyed, but this isn’t about <i>them</i>!</span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 12.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So, after you say your goodbye and give a drunken hug and then drunkenly cry while eating the last of the toll house cookies in your cabinet… just go to sleep, wake up and plan really obnoxious things to send your friend in snail mail. It will be okay. The semester isn’t that long anyway. You’ll be too busy freaking out over papers, readings, mid-terms and finals to even think about someone else 1200 miles away so don’t even worry about it! Am I right?! ...right?</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Kai; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Xo ARP</span></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-39836947383472186112012-01-07T23:04:00.002-05:002012-03-04T19:04:32.916-05:00Angelina Jolie: My definition of a badass<div style="text-align: left;"></div><a href="http://movieactors.com/freezeframes510/girlinterupted4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://movieactors.com/freezeframes510/girlinterupted4.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Angelina Jolie first caught my attention when I was about twelve the day I saw <i>Girl, Interrupted</i> on my television. Wild bleached hair, wide eyes, that mouth and her very expressive eyebrows. At twelve years old, her character Lisa should have been intimidating to me, but I was drawn in and not only to this untamed character, but to the person playing her. I knew even as a kid that someone strong would have to let this type of character into their minds. I asked who she was and ever since then, I have been intrigued.<br />
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<div style="font: 8.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>"I think everybody’s a little repressd, </i></span></span></div><div style="font: 8.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>everybodys gotta be just more than they are...</i></span></span></div><div style="font: 8.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>I think we’re all a little repressed, we’re all just held back a little. </i></span></span></div><div style="font: 8.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>If we could all be a little more<b> <u>free</u></b>.” Conan O'Brien interview (2000)</i></span></span></div><br />
<div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://www.icelebz.com/celebs/angelina_jolie/images/photo562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.icelebz.com/celebs/angelina_jolie/images/photo562.jpg" width="142" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When mentioned, she gets either two reactions: adoring love or absolute loathing. Angelina Jolie has, does and will bring out a loud reaction from those within earshot. Number one on the list of reasons why she is not liked is the obvious “she stole Brad Pitt away from Jennifer Anniston. She always steals away men.” Now, I could go on about why these reasons are absolutely absurd now in 2012, but I will let you figure that out on your own. Yes, there are reasons why some may be put off by her, but I’m pretty damn sure that those reasons are about 10-15 years old now… so I think it’s time to move on. </span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Instead of making what she said when she was a young actress into something so horrid and negative, why don’t people focus more on what she stands for now… or realize what she’s stood for all of this time: freedom. Angelina Jolie was a free spirit and didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought of her. Of course she had her faults but thats what makes her even more admirable to me. She is so un-perfect, she’s perfect. How many women are out there that look back on crazy things they’ve said and done only to be ashamed and embarrassed? How about having all of those things in the spotlight for millions of people around the world to witness? Instead of trying to make people forget, not talking about it or having regretted her younger self, Angelina Jolie embraces it and knows that without those “wild” times or “shocking” moments, she wouldn’t be who she is today.</span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="http://saaalaaas.wikispaces.com/file/view/JolieField.jpg/143679193/JolieField.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://saaalaaas.wikispaces.com/file/view/JolieField.jpg/143679193/JolieField.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2008/news/081103/angelina_jolie320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2008/news/081103/angelina_jolie320.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i>"I was young, and I was bold, but I didn't have a sense of use. I didn't understand the world, and I didn't understand a sense of perspective that you gain as you get older. I started to travel, and I started to ask questions."</i> <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45870180/ns/local_news-orange_county_ca/t/meet-angelina-jolie-film-director/#.TwiQbRwTCFg" target="_blank">MSNBC</a></span></span></span></div><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Today, Angelina Jolie is Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She spends devoted time and money to humanitarian projects around the world. “Since 2001, Jolie has been on field missions around the world and met with refugees and internally displaced persons in more than 20 countries, including Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cambodia, Pakistan, Thailand, Ecuador, Kosovo, Kenya, Namibia, Sri Lanka, North Caucasus, Jordan, Egypt, New Delhi, Costa Rica, Chad, Syria, Iraq and Haiti, to name a few.” <a href="http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/2-angelina-jolie" target="_blank">source</a> Her and husband, Brad Pitt, founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to eradicate extreme rural poverty among other things. </span><br />
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<div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;"><i>"My understanding of the world changed. I never woke up again wanting to be self-destructive, self-possessed or self-pitying in any way. I realized that it was important to wake up every day feeling grateful for your family and for your opportunities." </i><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45870180/ns/local_news-orange_county_ca/t/meet-angelina-jolie-film-director/#.TwiQbRwTCFg" target="_blank">MSNBC</a></span></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I was drawn in with those spooky looking eyes almost ten years ago and have admired and adored Angelina Jolie ever since. I thought she was such a badass back then, with her tattoos, piercings and whatever other dark subjects that were rolling off of her tongue. And if you take the time to read or listen to her speak about all of the wonderful things she is involved in today to help others… you’d realize that she’s even more of a badass now than she was ten years ago. There’s no such thing as a perfect, innocent role model. It’s just not realistic. I want someone to look up to who has gone through some dark periods of her own but has matured and grown from them. Jolie has grown into someone who takes her success and puts it to good use. To this day she lives for herself and for those she loves, not paying attention to tabloids or rumors like all of us do. She lives her life the way she wants, the way she believes it should be lived without giving any thought to how anyone else thinks of it. </span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 18.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 14.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">You can love her, you can hate her, but you have to admit… she is <i><b>somethin’ else</b>.</i></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://infinitetattoos.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/angelina_jolie_tattoos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://infinitetattoos.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/angelina_jolie_tattoos.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><i>xo ARP </i></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-45593198038226581892012-01-07T09:13:00.001-05:002012-01-07T09:21:57.570-05:00Being a Rebel SHOULD NOT Be a Passing Phase...Back in early 2010, I was in the throes of an emotional upheaval that would change the course of my life forever. My mother had just become sick with the condition that would, later on the same year, claim her life. As she lay in the hospital bed, I had to find ways to entertain myself in the now eerily quiet house that we lived in together. On one such occasion, I found myself (as I always do) checking my Facebook page and hating life, when something in the corner caught my eye.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM11grAiRxT0_8SkHHVH3EvM0Sqb5BrtIHxVVSXdQkuFnKB8Yn0PtLwi7yWjRkevtGw3N44GCLgR6DmmJG_FsVNyHDaDWwmIiO7Rpu6iyR4NxZFby-eEsBC3O3XR1M2CJSjsrTmVPpKrM/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM11grAiRxT0_8SkHHVH3EvM0Sqb5BrtIHxVVSXdQkuFnKB8Yn0PtLwi7yWjRkevtGw3N44GCLgR6DmmJG_FsVNyHDaDWwmIiO7Rpu6iyR4NxZFby-eEsBC3O3XR1M2CJSjsrTmVPpKrM/s1600/images.jpg" /></a>There was an ad on the side of the screen that consisted of a picture of a girl sitting in front of a fire by herself. She had a hood on over her clearly dyed, jet-black hair. There was a piercing in her eyebrow and she had on enough dark makeup to put the most “emo” individual to shame. There were no words associated with this except for a phrase right beneath her- “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. My curiosity was peaked. I decided to research and that is how I was introduced to the world of Lisbeth Salander, one of the greatest modern heroines to be committed to paper.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8krmjnXKHWbir0NGIemzoa9KOMIZ6ykAE25u5ql_yFIur1BDRfm9g9H0i2tZXbB34NK2sTtSBEjOmEuEKhJy8rfzYMPIszL6eMGINz1AUR7xPO-gR_EbspVnMWaOzetho5k7XDDDfjwk/s1600/StiegLarsson_Millennium-1024x498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8krmjnXKHWbir0NGIemzoa9KOMIZ6ykAE25u5ql_yFIur1BDRfm9g9H0i2tZXbB34NK2sTtSBEjOmEuEKhJy8rfzYMPIszL6eMGINz1AUR7xPO-gR_EbspVnMWaOzetho5k7XDDDfjwk/s320/StiegLarsson_Millennium-1024x498.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">It took me a few days to get through the first book, less to get through the second, and I finished the third in the series on the same day I started it. Reading was one of many coping mechanisms I used to get through my mother’s death and through this rather healthier endeavor, I made a friend with the female protagonist. She was a computer hacker, which not only suggests a certain “I don’t give a shit about rules or the law” attitude, it also demonstrates a keen intelligence and concentration that is needed to even understand one machine, let alone to hack into several. She had several piercings, plenty of tattoos, she wore her hair dyed black and chopped up. She rode a motorcycle, carried weapons and guns, had a cavalier attitude about sex and most relationships in general. She was totally independent and she was real. She fought back against everyone who tried to control her and keep her down.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4O6rQupbtSY114KMuUbrpPcp5QMxr_ALuMvey_1tsoh6TJ6H02j3rtgbP3pX5oaqNsexCLdQFTCmjm8ULq06dhbX42gFAMU6sj8F3XxtIvXD3ac6PxnkOXY4Rwb5d6SJkDqxm3ni-Tg/s1600/dysfunction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4O6rQupbtSY114KMuUbrpPcp5QMxr_ALuMvey_1tsoh6TJ6H02j3rtgbP3pX5oaqNsexCLdQFTCmjm8ULq06dhbX42gFAMU6sj8F3XxtIvXD3ac6PxnkOXY4Rwb5d6SJkDqxm3ni-Tg/s200/dysfunction.jpg" width="200" /></a>Lisbeth is as rebellious and tough as they come. She was a rock star in her own right. However, as much as someone like me (and countless other young females) may place her on a pedestal, we need to examine something first. What made her that way? Would she have been as edgy as she was had she not suffered years of neglect and abuse? Would she not have been that way had she had a “normal” upbringing? It made me question why I loved her so much, why so many other people love her so much. Lisbeth Salander has strength, there is no doubt about that. Instead of whining and whimpering and crying like so many other fictional (and real-life) females do, she sometimes committed horrendous acts of violence in the sake of well-deserved revenge. She was a product of her dysfunctional environment. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a perfect world, the things that happened to this character would never happen to anybody. Even the minutest offenses I would not deign to wish on my worst enemy. So to read about them, even if they are happening to someone fictional, is almost sickening. It seemed the author had no choice but to make her as strong as she was to endure her own life. I believe this is why I related to her on such a personal level. My life was nowhere close to what LS lived through but it was no peach either. I am not wanting for personal traumatic experiences that leave one altered forever. So to read about how someone rose above it was empowering.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My issue starts to come in, however, when a commanding female presence such as this one is turned into something dismissible. Strength should not be a passing fancy. Lisbeth Salander is the “next big thing” at the moment with the release of the GWTDT movie in America. This means that after the spell has worn off, the character of Lisbeth Slander will fall by the wayside. Her 15 minutes of fame will be over. I have a serious problem with this. To take someone so compelling and diminish her significance down to a mere fad is outrageously brazen. What happened to her also happens in varying degrees to women (and sometimes men) all over the world everyday. These numbers of people finally have someone fictional to look up to and now that someone is reducible to a craze of ripped tee shirts and lip-rings.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv4IgPyJ9jkNRjRxNajXrWqhIyneSkNl4_eI7VBTbmkBQYhOILLnP64OaEkUQjHU5kj6kyI03rCOuwPtIKXTnfknLDgo0zHGgBL9FRcqLEJy4MdDH6-EvwlrsDk1OgtCBwnXSOInYruY/s1600/mind_unhinged.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJv4IgPyJ9jkNRjRxNajXrWqhIyneSkNl4_eI7VBTbmkBQYhOILLnP64OaEkUQjHU5kj6kyI03rCOuwPtIKXTnfknLDgo0zHGgBL9FRcqLEJy4MdDH6-EvwlrsDk1OgtCBwnXSOInYruY/s200/mind_unhinged.png" width="200" /></a>It seems that before LS came to the big screen and made being anti-establishment cool, it wasn’t cool and now that she has, everyone will want to be some sort of a bad ass rebel. What happens now to the girl who has a real dragon tattoo and got it before the movie came out as a means of coping with being raped? What about the guy who started carrying around a concealed weapon because he became unhinged after watching his mother get beat down by his father? And the young person who turns into a cyber thief to steal money to be able to pay for the family house that is about to be foreclosed upon, forcing his/her family out into the street- what becomes of this person? Is it now acceptable to be a chick who likes motorcycles? Or a guy who chooses to live on the edge of society? To some, these are just “fads”; this is real life for others. What do you tell them, that this “phase” in their life will only go as long as people can make money off of it and that once they can’t, it’s now over? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Personally, I knew at age 13 I wanted a tattoo. I told my mother and she said “wait until you are 18, then you can legally do whatever you want.” Months after hitting 18, I got my first one. I’m now up to 5 and have every intention of getting at least 3 more. But don’t worry, Hollywood says that right now tats are cool. I’ve always loved motorcycles and the freedom that comes with riding one. I’ve been taught how to shoot handguns. I personally thought the one used in the movie Sucker Punch with the charm dangling at the end was sexy. I want some new piercings. I can look at math puzzles (I couldn’t do this in high school) and now solve them in my head. Hollywood says this is cool. Oh great, now I don’t have to feel like a freak for systematically dyeing my hair black since I was a senior in high school or wearing black eyeliner and black clothes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheowU9Hf4wBAe7WTD-nX3vVrJVl0P2TmSrdD6Sit-t9N1jjTWc5IIA-lK0uqIjR_4V_KzgblG1OBRf67i7cbCzib7fn7hjD0M9vZsoKGTX8kxuDc3CPVl4NyxlucaSgDsqBT5rMYBKx2o/s1600/gun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheowU9Hf4wBAe7WTD-nX3vVrJVl0P2TmSrdD6Sit-t9N1jjTWc5IIA-lK0uqIjR_4V_KzgblG1OBRf67i7cbCzib7fn7hjD0M9vZsoKGTX8kxuDc3CPVl4NyxlucaSgDsqBT5rMYBKx2o/s200/gun.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGVzxRfjwTkz3yDn-m9JHaLS5JYn-ScBTYzRRso9yYbU8W0oa3q9J8DkoP_Tt3ANITAL-LfLKOhRIP_Hm5vS03rsbMitXDyh4RDSZCltJ4Eya38bALlC8WoGRrkSCHQ09gaKjkz2onCM/s1600/anti_hollywood_magnet-p147464149307072126qjy4_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGVzxRfjwTkz3yDn-m9JHaLS5JYn-ScBTYzRRso9yYbU8W0oa3q9J8DkoP_Tt3ANITAL-LfLKOhRIP_Hm5vS03rsbMitXDyh4RDSZCltJ4Eya38bALlC8WoGRrkSCHQ09gaKjkz2onCM/s200/anti_hollywood_magnet-p147464149307072126qjy4_400.jpg" width="200" /></a>I mean really, what the fuck? This was who I was before movie execs turned it into their latest cash crop. So now, all the girls who are going to be sure to request the “Lisbeth Salander” at their next hair appointment, are going to walk around feeling cool for falling for the Hollywood okay-doke once again. Basically, being yourself shouldn’t be a fad. It should be a reality, something that is practiced everyday. And you damn well shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Otherwise, you don’t deserve to call yourself a fan of someone like Lisbeth. Indeed, she never let anyone dictate who she was in life. And as someone who admires this particular character, I have no intention of doing it either.<br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">*PS- I loved the movie and thought Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara did a fantastic job.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">This was in no way, shape, or form aimed at the actors.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIET8OQjV3KyB6xZqVJj-IIee7Uf7pIsK0a8dvA2_X_kS6QUOgDcoQ6uv52DHEl46UhqGkWyhiesLj-RP_UyE09y94s1avRW8U-fAnlUjDv9fInsvTF2ubV_Wm2cimvwCBYIShHIdsyMY/s1600/tumblr_lww31o5Jbv1qdpa05o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIET8OQjV3KyB6xZqVJj-IIee7Uf7pIsK0a8dvA2_X_kS6QUOgDcoQ6uv52DHEl46UhqGkWyhiesLj-RP_UyE09y94s1avRW8U-fAnlUjDv9fInsvTF2ubV_Wm2cimvwCBYIShHIdsyMY/s200/tumblr_lww31o5Jbv1qdpa05o1_500.jpg" width="163" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3KB0a4E_UXLjTCVcU77Fo_VPXlYWgLxxkIWRDDxV7auEysgNst3h0thRWp9bzjgTju3mowUfPl9O5OTx3tglDlFh7PNkWUmiGqV5spH5CRVCHUKHJ_UuJAKuy3AFk-km7w8-4hMC4YU/s1600/StiegLarsson_Millennium-1024x498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-5152493980756992472012-01-01T17:45:00.003-05:002012-03-04T19:04:47.814-05:003 New Year Resolutions that I've heard about the most this week...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VSmKy1YnkdhK0IF2mdNR830LevM0ZpY4Gq5c41jwVC1O2WqtZJfh1RmlomFaWvh7SouGTy2nJL-NHc-Zn27zVBA74uUc77iGGzwu5qYqxB2gcPEcUEfZim3lcT672GwQjRQN2LNAd00/s1600/2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VSmKy1YnkdhK0IF2mdNR830LevM0ZpY4Gq5c41jwVC1O2WqtZJfh1RmlomFaWvh7SouGTy2nJL-NHc-Zn27zVBA74uUc77iGGzwu5qYqxB2gcPEcUEfZim3lcT672GwQjRQN2LNAd00/s320/2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I want to lose weight.” This is probably the most popular resolution out there. The only problem with this is that people don’t realize that a year is kind of long. You’re not going to lose weight in the first month of this year and then be a skinnier version of yourself for the next 11 months. People get discouraged when they don’t see the number go down on their scale after a week or they feel sore when they wake up in the morning due to a workout the day before. By mid-year, those resolutions are out the window and you’re back doing the same thing you were before… promising yourself that you’ll do it next year. How about you switch that resolution from “I want to lose weight” to “I want to be healthier.” Losing weight isn’t something that makes you feel better, it’s all up to your mind. You can starve yourself and workout and be skinnier in a few weeks. You look thinner, but you feel terrible… and before you know it, the pounds are back on and you’re hating yourself for it. My resolution is to be healthier. Instead of focusing on the number on the scale, I want to focus on how I feel when I walk up a flight of stairs or how long it takes to run a mile. Not only will I look thinner after some hard work, I will feel better in body and mind. You won’t find me throwing my money to a gym this year, you’ll find me using Wii Fit in my living room and walking around the block. I’ll be punching the bag I have in my basement and lifting the 8 pound medicine ball I bought at Job Lot for 10 bucks. I don’t want to lose weight just to be skinny. I want to build strength in my back and feel like I have a lot longer to live. Throw away the scale… the only thing you should be weighing this year is how you feel. </span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">“I want to be more organized.” Uh, how about I <i>need</i> to be more organized or I’m going to fail out of college. That’s enough motivation for me. Buy a full year planner, highlighters, post-its and whatever else you think you might need and don’t leave the house without them. </span></li>
<li style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Quit Smoking. Here’s some motivation for that… you will die if you don’t quit smoking. Die. You will be dead. And if you don’t die sooner than later, your tongue’s taste buds will diminish and you won’t be able to taste any of the awesome food next Thanksgiving. How about that? I mean, I could list all the reasons why you should stop , but you know them already. It’s not up to me to push you. It’s up to you to spend the money you would have spent on cigarettes on some damn nicotine gum or patches. Get it together. Its a new year. You wanna enjoy it without yellow teeth and lung cancer, dontchya?</span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I could write a chapter out of a self-help book here on this blog to help myself or you readers out, but honestly, you know all of the consequences if you don’t keep these resolutions. I’m not going to give you step by step instructions on how to keep them because there are NO step by step instructions. It depends on how bad you want this. Get off the couch, chew some gum and make a to-do list.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Happy New Year… now go kick some ass.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Xo ARP</span></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-51936881890193466702011-12-30T10:28:00.004-05:002011-12-30T10:51:25.250-05:00The College Experience- a dream of the past?You know how when you google something and it leads to a search on something else and before you know it, you're on a website and have no idea how you got there or what train of thought led you to this in the first place? That was me this past Tuesday night. I was bored and had my laptop open and was furiously going through old movies and songs; blurred memories I had collected in my head over the past 24 years- things that I hadn't even realized that I had put together subconsciously.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qC49CT6_5CKZQMh0wAmRuoD-wjv3Oi3iJKKaIbeBIOc0OJ37lLEdSpHxHR0z64VzJM6C-4B6PfbWazbahm2z_E7bAiwOQNCnmFq2vpeUvuCaDvoIm2rUjy66fv4K1giYBk0zB6nbeDA/s1600/TheWBfrogMedium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qC49CT6_5CKZQMh0wAmRuoD-wjv3Oi3iJKKaIbeBIOc0OJ37lLEdSpHxHR0z64VzJM6C-4B6PfbWazbahm2z_E7bAiwOQNCnmFq2vpeUvuCaDvoIm2rUjy66fv4K1giYBk0zB6nbeDA/s200/TheWBfrogMedium.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
I found myself on Youtube watching old promos from the WB (before it became the travesty known as the CW today). This brought me back to my childhood- or better yet my preteen/teen years,a time when you could legitimately watch the WB every night of the week and find something on that you could relate to. Buffy, Dawson's Creek, Popular, Roswell, Angel, 7th Heaven, Felicity, Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Jamie Foxx Show. Remember how the WB had the best promos? They showed the casts dancing around, being young and beautiful and loving life. Made you want to be an actor on one of these shows, didn't it?<br />
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXVrRL_vx1E&list=FLmP3vk6v-pnnYq4bsQTTqPw&index=13&feature=plpp_video<br />
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This was back when it seemed okay to wrestle with the big questions facing you: what to wear to your senior prom, what colleges to apply to, how to begin the next phase of your life. It seemed like the most important thing in the world at the time, right? On my trip down memory lane, I got stuck on one show in particular: Felicity.<br />
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This was one of those shows that was hailed as groundbreaking before it even aired. The truth was, it was a groundbreaking show. Most of the other WB shows focused on highschoolers living life and worrying about impulsive decisions made in the "here and now." This shows focused on the result of impulsive decisions made by one highschooler in particular. Keri Russell as Felicity seemed the epitome of college chic during the end of the 90s- wide eyed, natural beauty, wild curly rebellion hair, a decent vocabulary, and a bohemian wardrobe that belonged in the city where the show was set, in New York, and featured a wide array of taxi cabs and coffeehouses and random intelligent discussions about how hard life is post-grad.<br />
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Whatever happened to this? What happened to the college experiences of old? Yes, I know Felicity is a show but it was about as realistic as they come. More so even now. It didn't shy away from topics such as casual sex, sharing partners, moving away from home, becoming independent, following ones dreams, searching for love and the pitfalls of the "freedom" that comes with fledgling adulthood. I remember watching the promos for this shows at about 12 years of age and seeing the protagonist walking in slow motion to "The Power of Goodbye" by Madonna, her hair blowing in the wind behind her, a look of wonder in her eyes as she surveys this new world around her.<br />
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How come college isn't like this any more? Was it ever really like this? From my own personal experiences with obtaining my undergraduate degree (7 years in the making by the way) I remember my first foray out into the real world. I left my house at 17 and moved 1000 miles away to attend school in a part of the country I had never been in: the Dirty South. I was also on my own. I experienced first love and independence. I chased a dream (which turned into a nightmare) and I spent time in coffeehouses discussing what life would bring me. I remember all of this vividly. And yet, it seems that generations of students are now being robbed of this opportunity.<br />
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The coffeehouse today is no longer a cool hangout spot where students can discuss papers and lessons taught in seminars. It's a dumping ground for douchebags who want to act as if they are "bucking the system" (aka modern hipsters). It is no longer trendy or cool to have thoughtful and meaningful conversation. It's cool to waste time, fail classes and be a college whore/man-whore. Perhaps I'm still naive. Maybe, college was never like what I imagined it to be; like what I saw in shows like Felicity. Maybe college has always been a giant clusterfuck of money that could be better spent and people who don't actually care about what they are doing. Maybe it's not a place to find oneself. Indeed, it seems that now, it is a way to extend the foolishness that went along with high school. College students are no longer in it for the education; they certainly don't care anymore about the benefits of having a degree (there don't seem to be anymore benefits in this economy anyway). People no longer go to school because they enjoy being challenged and using their brains. It seems that the "college" of old is now dead.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZDSXWHEvLBjEzCVAsBYhd3NHhx_bbu2fjryY9hOjVneiFJggZL0wA4eGEx3wQBtT4IiNm-j2uLD9DgeOtEDnp9kpXB3tIlRCTXf2fV3Gs-Ssd_bXUfFpp9gfljlhArZ1qyjyrh6iCEg/s1600/college-degree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZDSXWHEvLBjEzCVAsBYhd3NHhx_bbu2fjryY9hOjVneiFJggZL0wA4eGEx3wQBtT4IiNm-j2uLD9DgeOtEDnp9kpXB3tIlRCTXf2fV3Gs-Ssd_bXUfFpp9gfljlhArZ1qyjyrh6iCEg/s320/college-degree.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
I guess that's why shows like Felicity get cancelled. I guess that's why so many people stop going to school. Personally, during my 7 year odyssey, I have considered dropping out several times. I have "taken breaks" and have been content to have a "fuck it" attitude. Yet, the feeling of accomplishment, of knowing I spent hours writing papers and studying for exams that I aced, of learning to balance a personal life around a full class schedule, of having to decide what to study (which is akin to deciding how you will live the rest of your life), and that final moment when I have that piece of paper as proof of the path I chose to take- this all seems pretty worthwhile to me.<br />
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Perhaps, we as a society have changed our values. Maybe this new generation's focus on studying Sparknotes instead of actually picking up a book and doing the mental chemistry necessary to understand a text is the direction education is headed in. Perhaps, placing value on books and written notes and witty banter is now archaic. A good vocabulary is meaningless; now all you see is "net-speech." Being able to use proper grammar and perform complicated mathematical equations and understand philosophical concepts, and employing proper technique while doing a biology lab is comparable to learning another language. Maybe, I am just a fool hanging on to a dream I developed at 12 years old, when I saw a commercial about a young girl and her journey into becoming a young woman. All I know for sure is that the college dream is now dead- school is more of a curse in this country. A burden. And if that is true, if I am living through an Inception-type mind-fuck where everything I believed is really a nightmare, then I end with this: how do we turn the dream into a reality?<br />
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<3 IMP </3Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-50886023333559538992011-12-25T10:08:00.002-05:002011-12-25T10:08:33.972-05:00MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEkQvI-Z0hx_FN0b6NYwsizzmWKecgDbj5OhLwcWCJClEeYJQAFxOY2fBoTa1rUFpox_LwsisdNEA4uIW6vYLWobqy802gC4B_f8_dDKManlADPkfOXfFsdmv0xHWn0Cd4nnm9vo-174/s1600/MerryChristmas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEkQvI-Z0hx_FN0b6NYwsizzmWKecgDbj5OhLwcWCJClEeYJQAFxOY2fBoTa1rUFpox_LwsisdNEA4uIW6vYLWobqy802gC4B_f8_dDKManlADPkfOXfFsdmv0xHWn0Cd4nnm9vo-174/s1600/MerryChristmas.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spend the day with family and friends.... that's what Christmas is all about anyway. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">xo</div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-66118130201136587022011-12-17T22:45:00.002-05:002011-12-17T22:45:16.679-05:00<i>This is a blog with different voices, different views and opinions... we welcome everyone who wants to have a voice of their own.</i><br />
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<i>If anyone wants to be part of this blog, shoot me an email and we'll talk about what you want to bring to it. </i><br />
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<i>xo al</i>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-91292037578911070532011-12-16T17:45:00.001-05:002011-12-16T17:50:19.782-05:00Duckface- Um. Is this supposed to be cute?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitzuwfea9jKAvQCeoUaxIsdTQSvC_i4zoRHGJ0nVhVq14j4bBD-foodeP6AxAR7hF4JmCtyr2XO3P5w5aH8GQYUM5AEoLi6EPUgp9P1UA7FnS1IuXomgioUcabGG7rpsCCUnO5xcG-sE/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitzuwfea9jKAvQCeoUaxIsdTQSvC_i4zoRHGJ0nVhVq14j4bBD-foodeP6AxAR7hF4JmCtyr2XO3P5w5aH8GQYUM5AEoLi6EPUgp9P1UA7FnS1IuXomgioUcabGG7rpsCCUnO5xcG-sE/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">So, what’s with girls who take pictures of themselves with their lips poked out and cheeks sucked in looking like cracked-out prostitutes advertising free blowjobs? I believe this new internet “sensation” is called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">duckface</b>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Why??????????? Why do females do this to themselves? Is there ANYONE at all in the world who still finds this cute?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">See, most internet phenomena start out with one person doing something that works for them. Perhaps that very first girl, girl A, had incredible bone structure and naturally high cheek bones and decent lips… I would like to think that maybe, just maybe, she was taking a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">kissy-face</b> shot and the look became a huge hit as her facebook/mypace/twitter/aim/bebo/blackplanet/whatever-the-hell-else-is-out-there profile pic. (Am I dating myself by even mentioning Blackplanet? Hope not.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">However, the next chick, girl B, who was clearly a friend/groupie/fan/cyberstalker of the first one, decided to emulate her, because let’s face it, there is no such thing as originality on the web anymore. Oh, and let’s also throw in there that ever-perpetuated lie that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Why did girl B do this? The result is a plethora of internet wannabe models who believe that scrunching their faces and causing a bad case of premature wrinkles is the way to be sexy. Once one person copies another, it is a fad. A few more people, and it becomes a trend. When it seems that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">every</i> other person is doing the same ridiculous, I-look-like-I’m-trying-so-hard-to-be-beautiful-to-hide-the-fact-that-I’m-really-insecure-about-my-looks pose, then it becomes a mistake.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Perhaps this topic seems trivial; indeed, I am wondering myself why it bugs me so much. I guess the truth is because everywhere I turn, I am told what is supposed to be beautiful. And yes, I admit that I fall for a lot of it; it was even worse when I was younger. I just hate to see girls who are already beautiful in their own way try and emulate someone else- who has flaws- to cover up their own flaws. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you want to take bathroom self pics and act like they are Victoria’s Secret model shots, no one is stopping you; just do it the right way. Instead of trying to look like the next girl, look like yourself. Maybe then you’ll find that you are not at your sexiest when you are attempting to look like an internet skank. Maybe, just maybe, you’re at your sexiest (and your most beautiful) when you are smiling naturally and it highlights the killer eyes and perfect teeth you have. Just a thought…</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdi_PkUnR6reRy2Hm5t4ohbGtBIQq6cLYGdk0MyMmmysyS_c4nEFUQZ4cI7s2LDolYmCrIabo5WMUaZnPfCq_rF77sblXOP9OpWvxERkx83k1F-zO2RO03XYs_gBvOlmz8vHSUvb2z84/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdi_PkUnR6reRy2Hm5t4ohbGtBIQq6cLYGdk0MyMmmysyS_c4nEFUQZ4cI7s2LDolYmCrIabo5WMUaZnPfCq_rF77sblXOP9OpWvxERkx83k1F-zO2RO03XYs_gBvOlmz8vHSUvb2z84/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><3 IMP </3</div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-56918404438381857432011-12-15T11:36:00.003-05:002012-01-07T20:16:06.680-05:00You Have More Absences Than Completed Assignments This Semester, Don't You?<div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">So, it’s the end of the semester and if you’re like me, then you’re scrambling around trying to get everything in before grades close and you’re trying to suck up to your teachers so they won’t take <i>too many </i>points off your grade for not going to class. This is when you don’t sleep, eat all the wrong things and ask yourself WHY you did this to yourself? “If I had just gone to class…” “If I had just done this the day it was assigned…” If you’re like me, then you know exactly what I am talking about. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">This is an article on what to do to avoid being a mess at the end of the semester because trust me, you are not the only person going to your professor asking for “one more day! PLEASE.” See, I think that professors have this mental list of students they respect the least. The top of this list are the students who don’t go to class. You can be a shitty test taker, a bad essay writer, etc., but if you show up to every single class with a pen and notebook, your professor WILL notice and they will WANT to help you come final time. You just have to show up.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Easier said than done though, ain’t it? I’ve been in this school for three years so luckily I have a few teachers who know me, not only because I’ve been in their classes but because I work here too. One of my favorite professors said this to me yesterday when I asked what she was teaching next semester: “See, what I’m worried about it you showing up. That’s the only complaint I have about you Alexandra. You are a wonderful student, but you need to be in class more.”</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">It’s like a punch in the stomach. You look up to someone, you respect them, they inspire you and you, well, you are a disappointment. I take things personally. That’s how I am. I walk by a professor and I say hello and they nod, I immediately think, “Oh no, I did something.” I know, I am crazy. I really am. I know it’s not me. It’s rather narcissistic to think so, but I just want to be liked by those who I admire. You know what I want MORE than to be liked by those who I admire? </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Sleep.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Oh, sleep. Sleep and me go way back. It’s been a loving relationship right from the start, but it started to get unhealthy about the time I started high school. Sleep didn’t want to let me go. Sleep got jealous when I had to get up for school and I finally just gave in to the controlling behavior. It’s been a hard fight for the past three years being in college. Sleep <i>knows</i> there is more freedom in college but I <i>know</i> there is more responsibility, so it’s a constant battle trying to free myself from those nice warm arms early in the morning. Sleep wins a lot though. Hence this article on scrambling at the end of the semester. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">I’m rambling. You know exactly what I’m talking about though. I know you. You’ve been fighting too… There are lots of us. You are not alone. We must band together and stand up to sleep. Just say No. Get to class. Take those notes. Breathe. Get respect from those teachers that you respect. It will pay off big time at the end of the semester. Sleep may no be getting much love, but your grades will be getting loads of it. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Trust me. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">(I’m not saying don’t sleep. Sleep is the most important thing to getting good grades. Get plenty of it but don’t take that as permission to sleep through your classes.)</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Right now I am turning in very late papers. Very late homework assignments and doing so without looking my teacher in the eye. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">“I really hope to have you again next semester, you are one of my favorite teachers in this school. You really are. I’m going to prove it to you next semester.” This is something I should say. Maybe I’ll just e-mail it to them instead…. Oh dear.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Good luck on your finals everybody. I promise to have a better prep guide next semester! But I just couldn’t write one this semester. It’d be lying! I’d be lying about my study habits because I don’t have any study habits. But next semester will be different! You will see my dearest readers! You will see!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Xo Al</span></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-68690518358415601932011-12-13T10:48:00.001-05:002011-12-13T10:49:50.122-05:00Your Patience Will Be Rewarded!It's been a very stressful couple of months. This semester has been crazy and busy and broken. I wanted to have this site filled with awesomeness. I wanted gift guides and study tips, etc., but life just got too damn nutty for me to handle everything at once so I had to let go of this baby of mine. Next week is the last day of the semester and I am really excited to get going with this website. Me and my very best friend, Imani, will be writing and posting constantly for our lovely readers. An entire month of freedom will bring some life into this boring blog so hold on a little longer my loyal readers. (who I cannot believe I even have right now. Thank you so much to those of you who check up as often as you do)<br />
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xoxo AlexFreckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-64958851271972732732011-12-13T10:40:00.001-05:002012-01-07T20:16:23.693-05:00New Friends with Old Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx1RxETNGiYOqOnCeanA7r8R0Pr6GS0uaWNuURihbYat_pYVQpp92mm1Mobg7-oxPzXl8ZFwMa-PN91HoPNMCAZVMkATpcr6xQdsJIh5Dj82-uFxb7or6Ku-W-44cQpJ0m5WFYM8LguM/s1600/unusual_animal_friendship_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihx1RxETNGiYOqOnCeanA7r8R0Pr6GS0uaWNuURihbYat_pYVQpp92mm1Mobg7-oxPzXl8ZFwMa-PN91HoPNMCAZVMkATpcr6xQdsJIh5Dj82-uFxb7or6Ku-W-44cQpJ0m5WFYM8LguM/s320/unusual_animal_friendship_08.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Do not own photo</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When someone who was once your friend, tries to contact you after two years and you ignore it and they continue to press, what are you supposed to do? I put myself in their shoes and decided that if I was the one who screwed up and I was trying to get in touch with someone I hurt, I would want some kind of response, even if I didn’t deserve it. I would want a chance. So, I gave him that chance. I gave him the chance, but I made it clear that I was not someone who sat and nodded along with “I did this but you did that” bullshit anymore. If I didn’t do anything, I will not tolerate being told I did just so he can feel like he deserved less of the fault. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Hearing the words “I’m sorry” is something everyone likes to hear when they deserve to hear it, but it does not matter unless the words are sincere and you will never know if the words are sincere until it is proven to you after the whole forgiveness part. It’s a tricky situation. I wanted to keep my guard up. I wanted to make it seem like I had a wall up but it’s hard to do that with a person you were so close with before. Immediately I gave in and heard myself say “I love you” and I immediately felt regret. I felt like I betrayed myself by “giving in.” But then I remembered that I promised to say how I felt from now on. Wasn’t it just a few months ago that I decided to spread the love? Wasn’t it just a few months ago when I decided that the way to live my life was by telling the people I love that I loved them while I had the chance. And that’s what I did. And that’s how I feel. I love him because he was a friend for a long time and whether or not this friendship continues into our adult lives, I will always have a love for this person. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The ages 15 to 25 are brutal when it comes to change. The people you knew in high school are not the same people today. Some change for the worse, some change for the better. You’d be surprised at how many change for the better. I’ve had brief encounters with a couple people from high school that I was not friends with because I didn’t think they were very nice people back then, but today my opinions have changed drastically. I couldn’t believe how different it was talking to them, catching up and if someone asked me three years ago if I thought I would be doing that with these people, I would have laughed, “No way in hell.” </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I know that I have changed a lot from when I graduated from high school and I have to let myself accept the fact that others have changed as well. There were two specific people in my mind that I was the closest I’d ever been with anyone and I never thought I would be friendly with them again. But recently I have opened my mind a little more to see what these people have changed into and I am satisfied with one and certainly against the other. And that’s okay. I’m not saying to give everyone who wronged you in the past another chance, because sometimes your life is just better without these people in them, but don’t close yourself off from the chance to gain a little more knowledge about them. I recently learned a lot about this friend I’m talking to again and it really got me thinking if this was a good idea. My mind was kind of scattered while catching up because I was letting myself go a little but at the same time scolding myself for doing that so soon. I did manage to keep some things to myself though because there’s nothing worse than completely opening your heart to someone again only to find out it was huge mistake a month later. I want to move slowly and carefully into this familiar but unfamiliar territory and it’s not because I don’t trust this person, it’s because I don’t trust myself to be careful when opening up again. I spent my whole life trusting too quickly and too easily and though it got me a lot of different kinds of friends, it caused a lot of destruction as well. I don’t regret it though, because now I know. Lesson learned. Learn from my mistakes and all the other cliche`s you can think of. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I guess what I’m trying to get across here is that we are all human. We all make mistakes, we all forgive either too quickly or we don’t forgive at all and we should learn from each other so we can balance our faults. Yeah, maybe I did dive into the friendship too quickly yesterday because it was so familiar, but maybe thats okay, because we’re older and we talked and we listened and we agreed and hopefully we learned. </span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 10.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Time will tell though, won’t it?</span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Xo Al</span></span></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-88693286146015484512011-12-06T11:34:00.001-05:002012-01-07T20:17:33.132-05:00Season of Giving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zYDVjAsteIh_RyXQfGgsIRI5oyNMGl4tdZewOInf6CKZXoaLWVsHXJqUtUOEpfgjxI3tPbzU9IMGorpowq83pxRYXPRwX3CVc2ZDfq_Zq1iEncD5-yV0I_pVnRPN_dZ6GFbXQIdxq0Y/s1600/winnie-the-pooh-season-of-giving-movie-still-475x357-pr-03_476x357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zYDVjAsteIh_RyXQfGgsIRI5oyNMGl4tdZewOInf6CKZXoaLWVsHXJqUtUOEpfgjxI3tPbzU9IMGorpowq83pxRYXPRwX3CVc2ZDfq_Zq1iEncD5-yV0I_pVnRPN_dZ6GFbXQIdxq0Y/s320/winnie-the-pooh-season-of-giving-movie-still-475x357-pr-03_476x357.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As you're out and about buying gifts for your friends and family for this holiday season, take a second and look around at what you can buy for those who can't afford. It's no secret that almost everyone is having a hard time financially right now, but at least I have a bed and home and a warm blanket this winter. Their are countless families who have none of these this holiday season. Their are so many little kids who have parents worrying and feeling terrible about how they can't afford toys and presents for their little ones to wake up to on Christmas morning. This is where we come in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It will take no more than 5 minutes to Google your local communities food pantry or holiday charity. It took me 10 minutes to locate and get the numbers for two homeless shelters in two cities I spend most of my time in. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I spent 80 dollars at TJ Maxx yesterday buying some toys and outfits for children in the Quincy area. Father Bills Place is a wonderful organization that helps the homeless in the South Shore/Boston area. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I am also looking through my kitchen cabinets and running into a local supermarket to buy some more canned goods and boxes of pasta to bring to my small town's food pantry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are so many different things you can do right now. Not only can you be doing this yourself, but if you post about it on Facebook, friends and family can be encouraged to help out too. So, please, this holiday season give to the families who need help in your area.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's the Season of Giving.... and hopefully you will continue to give throughout the year. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Xo Al</div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-80151707510151422332011-12-05T19:21:00.003-05:002012-01-07T20:17:41.924-05:00Holiday Nails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v0cQ_5IcAukaIEIwAe3GT-nbcnPGTohsKHIiONAYvxyWGPqYPwlzm8-TuqIDsFWlQfR8W2-qv6jBT1vbDLu3ruKF1E6XyJuenBVgXjFlfpoi0cCZn938vIDU3H32a4_TlqLkUcAB9Xw/s1600/IMG_6097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4v0cQ_5IcAukaIEIwAe3GT-nbcnPGTohsKHIiONAYvxyWGPqYPwlzm8-TuqIDsFWlQfR8W2-qv6jBT1vbDLu3ruKF1E6XyJuenBVgXjFlfpoi0cCZn938vIDU3H32a4_TlqLkUcAB9Xw/s320/IMG_6097.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Black nail polish with gold glitter tips faded... Not the usual holiday look but thats my style ;]</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Xo Al</div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-2555077817322998662011-12-03T11:25:00.000-05:002011-12-03T11:25:24.816-05:00Christmas Lights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Do you ever drive or walk by somewhere that is full of lights for the holidays?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Something I do with my family every year is that we drive or walk around somewhere local that is full of lights. Whether it's a neighborhood that really decks out or a some kind of Christmas village that opens for the public. It's a perfect way to spend time with family and friends and if you're in the car.. make a mix CD with your favorite holiday tunes and bring mugs of hot chocolate if you're walking around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0KZl0yzQpxc8Jneac-j1Xwyndj-keV3XrSgSUaPpbpJtxvIJ7KT2P2bkes41CgUvGBNQnLxe3fgp8J-rufQRxuVYXm5fu-USUVLn2IL5YtkpgTlYpq4gen4Cz7D_Ym5vJXorFNnE_WI/s1600/tumblr_lvm3a28FGp1r4fwejo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0KZl0yzQpxc8Jneac-j1Xwyndj-keV3XrSgSUaPpbpJtxvIJ7KT2P2bkes41CgUvGBNQnLxe3fgp8J-rufQRxuVYXm5fu-USUVLn2IL5YtkpgTlYpq4gen4Cz7D_Ym5vJXorFNnE_WI/s320/tumblr_lvm3a28FGp1r4fwejo1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Do not own this picture</span></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-90293648096519143182011-11-25T12:56:00.001-05:002011-11-25T12:58:14.668-05:00So, you've stumbled across this blog that you think is about Freckles...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5S8_3F7t_CTzCiJlWKwhMFEvUN6DFbsAJmXbbH3Hx_9ZokKFMcDCQ5pPUAaZ7_7Yy1cZwCUr2OT1yadrkUQpCQZ_Osku4wbCz0MQfSqNFyN22JFtpHQhCUrACoGXtvtGjWZsg5_EEF-Y/s1600/tumblr_liwmfiOpWw1qzi80do1_r1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5S8_3F7t_CTzCiJlWKwhMFEvUN6DFbsAJmXbbH3Hx_9ZokKFMcDCQ5pPUAaZ7_7Yy1cZwCUr2OT1yadrkUQpCQZ_Osku4wbCz0MQfSqNFyN22JFtpHQhCUrACoGXtvtGjWZsg5_EEF-Y/s400/tumblr_liwmfiOpWw1qzi80do1_r1_500.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I've been trying my best to get some traffic to my site and according to my stats I've been getting a few curious visits. I just wanted to say hello and that I am brand new at this whole blogging/creating my own website thing and I hope to gain some loyal followers. It's not going to consist of only beauty and makeup type things like the posts I've put up recently. I want to build a place that makes teens and twenty-something women want to come and see what I've put up. I do want to talk fashion, beauty and material things but I also want to talk high school, college, education and advice on how to get through all of that. I want to discuss body acceptance and health. I want opinions flying and I want people to want to write for the site and tell people about it. I want to create a positive environment for women. I check certain blogs and websites daily loving every article, opinion, writer and I want to be part of that community by building something of my own.<br />
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If you've stumbled across this blog to see what I'm all about it, I ask you to bookmark it... come back tomorrow and the next day and the next day and watch the progress that will come. My name is Alex, I am 21 years old and I'm a college girl who is trying to follow a dream from a long, long time ago. Be part of it. :)<br />
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xoxoFreckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-15397499468949976732011-11-25T11:37:00.003-05:002011-11-25T11:42:41.346-05:00Christmas at Sephora<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I wrote before about how I purchased most of my Christmas gifts at Sephora today. I thought I'd share with you some other things that were on sale that caught my eye. For the entire list go to <a href="http://sephora.com/" target="_blank">Sephora</a>'s website and you can read reviews there too! I made four different lists of different price ranges. There are SO MANY MORE on the store's website so if you're interested in anything you see I suggest you get on that site ASAP and pick some stuff out! Happy Shopping!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">xo</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VUtfoujRMcQpGp0aMkvXrnoUAawPWrZjYLQlQyC6mjlYnFobmbaH2wz8_hu72AGHZUEPDiHId3xmrOUZfjCwpITyVicNUOl4rBCSugEWJMmHUu5EnAvEZgSotOLnhTJXjjtHEhw8FOE/s1600/Sephora+Christmas+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VUtfoujRMcQpGp0aMkvXrnoUAawPWrZjYLQlQyC6mjlYnFobmbaH2wz8_hu72AGHZUEPDiHId3xmrOUZfjCwpITyVicNUOl4rBCSugEWJMmHUu5EnAvEZgSotOLnhTJXjjtHEhw8FOE/s400/Sephora+Christmas+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 13.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/sephora_christmas/set?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger&id=39937386">Sephora Christmas</a></span> by <a href="http://frecklesgalore90.polyvore.com/?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">frecklesgalore90</span></a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">polyvore.com</span></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Benefit Cosmetics</b> One Prime Day (Value $28)</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Selling for $10</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sephora Collection</b> Nail Art Kit (Value $25) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $16</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sephora Collection</b> Mini Shopping Bag Makeup Palette (Value $50) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $15</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Philosophy</b> Much Mistletoe Lip Shine Set (Value $40) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $20</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sephora Collection</b> Nano Eyeliner Set (Value $40) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $20</span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Yi29iX4fS4ORLcZ20UqroDgnwTNho63tkfKDqsSZIUOexy0w3hOv7U9LoGlPcUUFl8x6w5lW57b6QoNtiz5Fk6vhFEss8uvM1nUGdBI1n2Csm1I-7zQXtIbqCrTm2aI3pjecpZRC0Fg/s1600/sephora+christmas+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Yi29iX4fS4ORLcZ20UqroDgnwTNho63tkfKDqsSZIUOexy0w3hOv7U9LoGlPcUUFl8x6w5lW57b6QoNtiz5Fk6vhFEss8uvM1nUGdBI1n2Csm1I-7zQXtIbqCrTm2aI3pjecpZRC0Fg/s400/sephora+christmas+2" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #000099; font-family: Times; font-size: 13px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/christmas_at_sephora/set?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger&id=39937869">Christmas at Sephora</a></span> by <a href="http://frecklesgalore90.polyvore.com/?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">frecklesgalore90</span></a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">polyvore.com</span></a></span></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sephora Collection</b> Cream Eyeshadow Set ($40 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $22</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Soap & Glory</b> You Cube Set ($32 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $25</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Smashbox </b>Life Is Your Set Eye Liners ($62 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $22</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sephora Favorites </b>Give Me Some Lip ($63 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $25</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Tarte </b>Shining Stars Limited-Edition Best Sellers Collection ($67 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $25</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Too Faced</b> Glamour To Go Dream Edition ($98 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $22</span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjBksKXZ_NE8Q_f-I0TeeCELv8r1R09VletOkEoTZ0faTug8DSLXTe6JkJRJOs4XJAID17j5Xc-vLJeOtTp7qt3zYx87_RRFnXTKwe36l6NzJVzx4YQpN-3hhZ6kxfBK289SPy4NYVe0/s1600/sephora+christmas+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjBksKXZ_NE8Q_f-I0TeeCELv8r1R09VletOkEoTZ0faTug8DSLXTe6JkJRJOs4XJAID17j5Xc-vLJeOtTp7qt3zYx87_RRFnXTKwe36l6NzJVzx4YQpN-3hhZ6kxfBK289SPy4NYVe0/s400/sephora+christmas+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 13.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/christmas_at_sephora/set?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger&id=39937907">Christmas at Sephora</a></span> by <a href="http://frecklesgalore90.polyvore.com/?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">frecklesgalore90</span></a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">polyvore.com</span></a></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sephora Collection </b>Holiday Travel Clutch Brush Set ($128 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $34</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Bare Escentuals </b>bareMinerals The Total Package ($83 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $35</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>The Body Shop </b>Coconut Gift Set ($48 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $30</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Calvin Klein </b>Women’s Coffret ($82 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $37</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Fresh </b>Sugar Plum Glam & Go ($40 Value)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span></span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $28</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Kat Von D </b>Painted Love & Foiled Lipstick Set ($60 Value)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span></span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $28</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Philosophy </b>Sweet Kisses & Merry Wishes Set ($70 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $36</span></li>
</ol><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rbYDSESfXI-KvE3qC3FSo7WM1MMR6qgK4va3pvI_u_j2noutym0jah8JA4Ogw79OtqZZL0vAXspM9yv14e8YZ9BEBbEbEg5mZLDKO3CyQ7Mhv3ey-CVGgIie9Y46gi_CUqCRuFKROrg/s1600/christmas+sephora+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rbYDSESfXI-KvE3qC3FSo7WM1MMR6qgK4va3pvI_u_j2noutym0jah8JA4Ogw79OtqZZL0vAXspM9yv14e8YZ9BEBbEbEg5mZLDKO3CyQ7Mhv3ey-CVGgIie9Y46gi_CUqCRuFKROrg/s400/christmas+sephora+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 13.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/christmas_at_sephora/set?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger&id=39937963">Christmas at Sephora</a></span> by <a href="http://frecklesgalore90.polyvore.com/?.embedder=3001120&.svc=blogger"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">frecklesgalore90</span></a> on <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">polyvore.com</span></a></div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Josie Maran </b>Moroccan Getaway Travel Case - ($74 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $39</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><u>Sephora</u> by <u>OPI</u> Glimmer Wonderland 18 Piece Mini Nail Colour Set ($81 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $48</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Ole Hennriksen </b>Seven Skincare Sensations ($115 Value)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> </span></span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $55</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>LORAC </b>Bejeweled Day & Night Jewelery Box ($415 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $56</span></li>
<li style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Sephora Collection </b>Makeup Studio Blockbuster ($440 Value) </span><span style="color: red;">Selling for $50</span></li>
</ol>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7337449765504735949.post-42946741003821557652011-11-25T10:18:00.000-05:002011-11-25T10:18:56.442-05:00Black Friday at Sephora<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfg_Ej1b_CRfvE9eAKnJpRKCA15bZDzEtS3t4H6qBX_7xgSmXzRELx894BQND4zu0kLMo9zf34nlro6kmxKTaPPrJlGJZ-e_iVr7xBBiEq3zWiCc0mRLct0ZByYwnB0Oeg-hu58J0NqnQ/s1600/Early-Christmas-Shopping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfg_Ej1b_CRfvE9eAKnJpRKCA15bZDzEtS3t4H6qBX_7xgSmXzRELx894BQND4zu0kLMo9zf34nlro6kmxKTaPPrJlGJZ-e_iVr7xBBiEq3zWiCc0mRLct0ZByYwnB0Oeg-hu58J0NqnQ/s320/Early-Christmas-Shopping.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i></i></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>So, since my entire family consists of women, it was pretty easy to get their Christmas presents. I got everyone’s presents from Sephora. lol My cousins, my sister, my three closest friends. I spent so much money but it was worth it because they were on sale and I love my girls to pieces and if I had a million dollars I would spend it all on them. Me and my sister got my mom’s present too which is nice :) And we got my dad an awesome present that he’s going to love. I’m pretty excited for this Christmas. And for the rest of my family, like my aunts and stuff.. I’m just going to make some delicious goodies and make goodie bags up filled with different baked goods that I found online. :) </i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>I got myself something too. I have been wanting a new comforter forever. Like a really comfy one that I can sleep with and be warm and cozy. I went to Macys and found a Calvin Klein white comforter that was originally 220 dollars and I only paid 80 bucks for it. AWESOME, RIGHT?! I was so excited. I am so excited. </i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>My mouth hurts so much right now. Its been a week since I got my two wisdom teeth out but then I got dry sockets so it’s been really painful all week. :( I’m exhausted too since I’ve been up all night. I’m going to eat some oatmeal that I swirled some pumpkin maple butter in (my friend gave me a jar of it for my birthday!) and it’s super delish and I’m going to curl up in my new comfy cozy comforter and drift off into a medicine induced sleep.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Since I love Sephora and they have some pretty good deals, I'm going to post some of the stuff they have on sale that caught <b><u>my</u></b> eye.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Happy Holidays xo</i></span></div>Freckles Galorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09429165288623467958noreply@blogger.com0