Things That Make Me Furrow My Brows

This is going to sound like somewhat of a hypocritical post, but stay with me here....

Unfortunately, we seem to be almost constantly immersed in a polluted sea of negativity - from people we know, strangers, advertisements, news reports, basically any and every form of media, especially social vehicles like Facebook and Twitter.
Now, don't get me wrong. I probably laughed as hard, if not harder than you when Jimmy Kimmel aired several videos of famous people reading hateful tweets sent to them by random strangers. It was hilarious.
The golden cupcake rule here is that they were making light of a negative situation, and that is exactly what we, as a society, have to do. It isn't just the media and people around us who are oozing with pessimism; it has now infiltrated......ourselves!!! *Gasp
Girls: How many times have you been perusing the "Women's Fashion" board on Pinterest, seen an adorable yet edgy and trendy outfit and thought, 'I love that....but I'd never have the guts to wear it, because it would look stupid on me.' ??
That's that little hate demon gnawing away at your core.
Alright, maybe it's not that dramatic, but you get the point I'm trying to make. If we're constantly bombarding ourselves with negative thoughts and emotions, then all that can ever be projected in each of our seemingly separate worlds is Negative Nancy to the max and all over the place. :o
Being negative and/or positive is a choice. I know people who can have magic rainbows kissing their face all day long only to complain about the wonder. You know, "looking a gift horse in the mouth" - which by the way, I've been trying to explain to my husband for about 5 years now. "No, I don't really know where it comes from or what a 'gift horse' is. No, I don't want to Google it. Yes, I know what it means, and you obviously don't."
Anyway, I digress.
These kinds of people willingly seek out negativity, which is a waste of energy in itself. Things piss me off, too, man, but you have to pick your battles. Is it really that bad?
Like in relationships. When you have an argument, you have to stop and ask yourselves, 'Is it a deal breaker?" Because if it's not, drop it and move on. It's not worth feeding into unnecessary negativity that will undoubtedly penetrate you, everyone, and everything else around you until it's unleashed in an all encompassing blanket of lower frequencies of hate.
..........
......
...
Heavy.

So here's a list of things that used to make me angry, but now I try to merely furrow my brow at for a split second. That doesn't count, right?



1)Anything that requires washing by hand
2)FB drama
3)Camo
4)Guys who wear shorts in the winter
5)Sorority/Fraternity logo overload
6)Decked out for 8 AM zoology
7)Dudes who wear desperate shirts, i.e. arrows pointing to your crotch, and any and all sexual inuendos.
8)Old ladies at the pharmacy who never cease to cut in front of me. Nice burn, ladies. Touché.
9)Customer service robots instead of people
10)Grocery sackers insisting on carrying out my 2 bags
11)The "white/not Hispanic" box on basically any form
12)Allsups' bathrooms
13)Guys who wear white sunglasses
14)When I call someone and hear Verizon's default ringback
15)Croc's
16)Wearing tights as pants. Seriously, camel toe?
17)When someone knows the lanes are merging yet continues to Ferrari it right to the end and then demand someone let them in. F you, dude. I'm not letting you in, and I will actively encourage others to make you wait as well. Momma didn't raise no fool.
18)When I have to pay extra for hot sauce.
19)Sauerkraut


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Concert Advice (How to Rock Out Not Included)

My sister and I are the radest.
A stranger once told us that we were being "kinda loud" at a rock concert.
Was she joking? Was she lost?
At the time, we were astounded, and although she wasn't very rude, we were offended (and a little inebriated). I mean, we were at a rock concert! I didn't even think inhibitions were allowed in, but it got me thinking about manners and behavior in such an emotionally and creatively fueled space. My sister and I have been avid concert goers for many, many moons now and consider ourselves quite seasoned and experienced in the arena.

Since my sister and I are quite the concert connoisseurs, I thought I'd hit you with a little concert advice. 

Leave the heels at home.
I shouldn't have to explain this, but unless you'll be sitting in a seat the entire show, rock the Keds.
Also, don't wear bras that fasten in the front. A venue I frequent routinely administers frisks complete with a front bra pop. Learned that the hard way.

Ladies: Invest in a cute concert purse. Anything in your back pockets can and will take a nasty toilet dive. I don't care how drunk you are, sticking your hand in there is something you'll never fully recover from.
Cell phones, driver's licence, credit cards, debit cards, cash, cigarettes, lighters, ticket stubs...hell, I even lost two rings that way. Even if you don't have any of the ol' witch's brew, your chances of sacrificing something to the toilet gods are way too high for my liking.
 - And as always, flush with your shoe.

Guys: While I respect your display of freedom, it isn't always imperative for you to remove your shirt.

If you're worried about holding, don't. Someone else always is. Yay! New friend for you!

Buy two drinks at a time. Holding them both is a whole lot less annoying than missing half of the show because you're stuck in the never-ending line of people loudly recounting every other concert they've seen. If it's a Summer show at an outside venue, get ready for some stinky, sweat swappin'. Rubbing sweaty arms with people for 20 minutes at a time is less than appetizing to say the least.


Take napkins from the bar. You'll need these about halfway through the night when every stall has been raped of toilet paper. (Most of it's on the floor.)


The perfect time for crowd surfing is like planetary alignment. We're talking ideal conditions here; pay close attention to the crowd's behavior. People infused with alcohol and emotion can easily develop into a raging mosh pit-
and why not? I love a good pit, but I also know when I need to get the hell out of the way. They may not WANT to inflict pain upon you, but it still happens nonetheless.
It's like a hardcore hug. 'I'm happy to be here! I'm happy that you're happy to be here, too!' It's fucking liberating.
The point is to choose the correct social weather; blissful rage does not always equate to your safe surf.

I've seen legs and arms broken, bloody noses, and lots of kicks in the head....
which brings me to my next piece of advice:
If you're like me, you've gotta feel the pure energy of the pit. Always give in to this, but always guard your head like a mofo. If you hear "flyer!" or "surfer!" at any point, get those forearms up and ready to protect and assist.

Autographs and pictures are obviously more of a possibility at smaller venues; however, I saw Elton John once in a large arena, and he signed autographs for the entire first row. Again, it all depends on the atmosphere and conditions. If you see a window, go for it. Be polite, gracious, and understanding if they can't/won't.  At the very least, you had the balls to speak.

And of course, always be respectful of your fellow concert rats.

If you get beer spilled on you, don't lose your shit. It's no big deal.

If you get thrown up on, lose your shit. It's totally a big deal.

Photo Abyss

Okay, so these are a few seemingly random photos that I've snapped over the past couple of years. I am in no way a photographer by any means, but I like to play with cameras and editing like a whole slew of photography lovers and admirers do. I find these particularly interesting for various reasons. Let me know if you do, too. 

All photos copyright 2011

Poetry Under the Stairs II

Tortillas with Butter

Mornings in my Nána’s kitchen were filled
with rhythm and emotion, where everything’s
punctuated with laughter and the smell of
chorizo con papas.
“Tu tienes hambre, wedita?”
Everything in my life could have been solved
by a tortilla with butter. Like when Jeremy
told me my gap was so big it looked like
my front teeth had an argument and separated.
Sometimes bits of tortilla would get stuck
in it and I’d tickle it out with my tongue
before flooding it with sugary coffee from my
zoo mug she kept just for me.
My mother’s brothers and sisters would chatter away,
joined by spinning, clicking spoons and
the steady rhythm of my nana’s rolling pin.
They’d stop and ask me if I understood them
and I’d shy away, not wanting the spotlight.
I’d stare into the jungle that held my caramel
colored coffee and listen to the enchanting
chatterings that would echo through me
for years. My nána, a warm heavenly figure,
was the buzzing center of it all. I felt special
seated at this foreign, grown-up island;
a welcome intruder and pupil. The butter
melted on my tongue as I received the blessing
of the softest, freshest flour.
“Hay mas, hijita. Comer todo lo que quieras.”
Everything in my life could have been solved
by a tortilla with butter. Like when my cousin
told me I was “being a white girl” and
pulled my chongo. Maybe it was because
I have my father’s name, or his teeth, or skin.
The white sheep and brown sheep of a herd
that stretches across all boundaries, grazing
on sweet tubes of culture made of tawny burns
interspersed in creamy whiteness, round and perfect.
I took each unique one deep into the body
of a growing mestiza. 

Sondra Lankford

Harbinger Student Literary Journal http://english.ttu.edu/SigTD/Harbinger/
Spring 2010 Issue
TTU 

Puscifer Power

      

    Like many others with rad taste in music, I find myself in some kind of vortex of artistic awe
when it comes to Puscifer. In case you've been under a proverbial rock somewhere listening to Nickelback, Creed, or some other "band" that regurgitates the same generic, shitty sounds and 15 year old boy lyrics - let me fill you in. Puscifer is a rotating cavalry of musicians that centers around Maynard James Keenan. If you haven't heard of Tool or A Perfect Circle....we definitely need to talk. Let me know and I shall cover these in detail within later posts.  

  I've been a fan of Keenan's for many moons and have never been able to catch a Tool or APC show, so I'm ultra psyched to see Puscifer in December. From what I've digested through the albums, videos, interviews, internet info, etc, I'm expecting a cornucopia of art and performance mediums. Not only is Maynard not giving in to record companies, over-merchandising, and the all evil "mainstream"; but I feel like he's really ushering in a new style of collective artistic performance. Think vignettes,

comedy, cabaret, videos, costumes, thought
provoking ideas/suggestions....oh yeah, and some balls to the wall, kickass music from the desert wine country of Arizona.
The new album "Conditions of my Parole" is an experimental blend of Maynard's unmistakably unique voice (that is just as hauntingly beautiful as it was in 1990), and crashing, addictive percussion and guitar melodies.

        There's something nostalgic and simultaneously new about songs like "Telling Ghosts" and "Green Valley", and honestly, the whole fuckin' album. It's emotional, it's chaotic, it's gorgeous, it's creepy, it's fearful, and it's brave. There's grit and sweat in the songs, and they're infused with an intoxicating, audible elixir not unlike the effects of excellent wine.
Tracks like "Tiny Monsters" harbor trance-like industrial rhythms with hypnotic vocals lifting you up through the vortex I mentioned earlier.

        Self-expression is the ultimate high. Everybody wants to be unique, and yet almost everyone's the same due to pop culture, fads, and such. We are obviously much more complicated human beings than Facebook and Pinterest can showcase, and we all know that the majority of the time when people meet us, they meet our representatives -our general, public exterior that we perceive as what society deems "normal". We eventually reveal our true faces to a portion of people, but even then, there will always be a gap between what interchanges between the two of you, and what swims inside your head at 2AM, or 4PM, or every minute of every day.

So, well done, Puscifer. I can't wait for the experience in December!
Yay for artistic expression!

Owl Observations

You know how every family has that one piece of decoration that's always been there, in the backgrounds of years and years of photos, the one that gets handed down 'til it eventually reaches the youngest child? For me and my pack, it's been owls. In particular, a large 70's style painting of a mother and her owlet that hangs in my living room today. I'm not entirely sure what it is about it, but I love it in such a way that I suspect I draw power from it....maybe.

Anyway, what I'm really getting at is the complicated fact that I absolutely adore owls, and I've noticed lately that I am definitely not alone. Personally, I'm partial to retro, vintage, 70's owls. I rock owl necklaces, rings....hell, just the other day I discovered owl impressions on my favorite "leather" flip flops.....coincidence? I think not.

 This old school beauty is only $8 on Etsy.com



  These sew-on patches are adorable and SO deliciously throwback. They'd be fuckin' cute on blue jeans or a bag. Snatch a set of 2 at Etsy.com for $3.50






Maybe it's because they're a symbol of wisdom and freedom, or their all knowing globes for eyes, or nocturnal nature that draws us towards them. Or maybe it's just society regurgitating certain threads called "fads" running through our cyclical web of culture. Everything moves in a circular motion, right? Karma, the life cycle, nature, our circulatory system, and apparently, fashion trends and whatnot. We always go back to revisit times that have already passed. It's like we feel that there's more there than we previously learned, so we need to go back, retrace our steps and remember.

Frugal Fall Fashion Finds

Hiya, Dollface!
Although I wouldn't dare refer to myself as "trendy", I do adore fashion like any not-so-regular woman.
The year is dwindling down to its last months, and lovely, crisp Fall is gliding in on our heels (or in her's) with beautiful, earthy orange tones, and bold blues and reds.

 

Forever 21 has been supplying fashionable and affordable gear for us thrifty chicks for many, many moons, so it's no surprise that they're offering us these Halloween-orange, denim skinny jeans.  $27.80 - Buy them at Forever21 Also, if paired with a burnt-yellow sweater, you have a better chance at remaining camouflaged by leaves while you're cat napping in the yard instead of actually raking. Also, instead of whatever else you really don't want to do that day. Go on, go outside...it's groovy out there.
This multi-tonal sweater has a nice distressed look. Get it for $29.80 at Forever21



First of all, I don't care who you are. Everybody likes Target. Period.  This time, I found this super cute and ultra chic Xhilaration dress for $24.99. I'm really loving the blue and brown blend, not to mention the throwback zipper and boho vibe. Snag it at Target



Now this next item is currently out of stock (sad face), but keep an eye out because it's totally worth it for $24.99!

Ever wanna be bold and try new color combos? Try it out this fall. :) Pair with either of these two colors and styles to create a playful, sophisticated look for less dough.

$19.99 at Target

 $26.99 at Target