July 26th, 2009
Then And Now: Goggles
BEFORE:
AFTER:
May 24th, 2009
I Am Not A Travel Blogger. HOLLA
Hello my friends. We are back in the land of white people and fast food restaurants, where Pandora works and everything is air conditioned (I have had perpetually stiff nipples since we got in that plane headed back home). Don’t get me wrong, once we reached 90 degree Texas, I started enjoying the air conditioning again. I am also enjoying my ability to be a diva again, as I found that it is very difficult to be a diva and a ‘core backpacker at the same time. I, of course, opted for the ‘core backpacker, as I am a pretty smart cookie and realized that I would be much more accepted as such. I’m pretty accommodating that way.
We received word about a week ago that our dogchild was acting out, so we peeled our tan asses from the lounge chairs under the palapa near the sea where they had been parked for the last two months. We bussed 13 hours from Puerto Escondido to San Cristobal de las Casas, where we realized that Chiapas state was the coolest state in Mexico, and we mourned the fact that we only had two days in this amazingly beautiful mountain city. We consoled ourselves by spending up the last of our pesos in some of the lovely and creative shops and artisan markets. We will be back, San Cristobal. Believe me.
We opted to fly back instead of taking buses, which would have taken something like 36 nonstop hours (while Mexico has the best bus system ever, trust me when I say that a mere 12 hours will really take it out of you). We totally got profiled on our way through Houston International Airport, and were asked to go into this “other” room where some pretty unsavory looking characters were getting the third degree with their bags in various states of disarray. Our bags were COMPLETELY UNPACKED while we speculated the purpose of the “Secondary Inspection Room” looming conspicuously to our right which had frighteningly huge stainless steel doors.
Of course, since we are reasonably intelligent people who did not try to smuggle any illegal substances, we were eventually let go. Other people were not as fortunate, as our Homeland Security interrogator’s friend mentioned in passing that he had “just found 2 K’s” and had to go file a report. File a report my ass. Enjoy your lunch break and the lines my uniformed friend. No, I kid, these guys looked remarkably bored of the entire process.
So ended our first backpacking saga. I had a total blast, and I am passionately telling everyone who will listen how easy, cheap and fulfilling it is to travel Mexico…and I suspect many more countries as well. You could easily do Mexico on 20 U.S. dollars a day. That’s only 600 dollars a month! So save a couple grand and instead of blowing it on a week long package to a fancy resort*, put a few things in a backpack and stay in some hostels**, which are way more fun anyway!
*This is not to say that fancy resort packages are to be entirely scorned. Once I am back to my maximum earnings potential, I’m sure I will be spotted at some plush spa getaway enjoying all of those overpriced perks I once did. I am a gangster after all.
**A hint to any single ladies: this is an excellent way to meet some cool ass dudes and have a few memorable romantic encounters. European backpackers are pretty darn attractive as a general rule. I would recommend the Germans, although the Norwegians and the French had some nice specimens as well. When you are tired of them, all you have to do is open your Lonely Planet and pick your next destination. Voila!
Here are a few pictures:
These are traditional leather sandals called huaraches. They were about 4 dollars, and I wore them nonstop for the entire trip. They are great.
This is what my hair looks like after the sun and salt water took its toll. I’m calling it “Tequila Sunrise”.
Dogchild reunion!
March 19th, 2009
Oaxaca: The Whitest Town In Mexico, Or: The First Daily Outfit Post From Mexico
We have been in Oaxaca for about 5 days now. We spent the first three sleeping. This is a small exaggeration; we seemed to consistantly make it into the (fading) sunlight around three o’clock or so. Finally, we either managed to catch up on our sleep or we just got sick of spooning, and managed to explore the markets and plazas to some extent.
For some reason - probably the amount of places to spend your money - Oaxaca is a major attraction for travelers, and so we have seen more white people in the last few days than in the entire 5 weeks we’ve been in Mexico. That part has been a little weird. But like I said, there is a LOT of shopping here, including several major art and textile markets, and an art district with shops like you would find in say, Santa Fe. Seriously good art and amazing jewelry. FYI, in Mexico, most of the jewelry is import quality; it’s not really artesian work and you quickly realize that you’ve seen the same stuff everywhere else you’ve been, So it was fun to browse the art district and see some really original stuff.
Today we went to Monte Alban, which is this flipping HUGE ruin complex, complete with temples and sacrificial alters.
I got seriously burnt, but I think I managed to escape blister level. I therefore am not too worried. Here are some pictures of me and some of my new purchases in front of ancient stone temples and a sweet vista of Oaxaca City.
Here we have:
- Drop crotch blue pants from Guatemala. I AM IN LOVE. Behold the different ways one can wear these pants.
- Silver and bejeweled belt salvaged from trashcan at Monte Alban
- Leather sandals from the market
- Crazy rainbow patchwork bag from the market (there is an amazing selection of these type of bags; most of them have beautiful embroidery and they come in every color imaginable)
- Assorted jewelry: coral bracelet from Veracruz, pearls from Catemaco, ring from Morelia, bottlecap earrings from Oaxaca.
I have been meaning to take some closeups of the jewelry, especially of these adorable wooden bracelets I got in Veracruz, but our camera has pretty much crapped out. Meaning the only button that works is the on button, and we can’t use the macro setting or even view the pictures we just took. Maybe we will get a new camera one of these days.
Hasta Luego!
January 17th, 2009
Linktastic: Week Ending January 17, 2009
Beautiful pictures from Violet Voice
The Internetz and the Stumble have been kind to me this week. Please enjoy the fruits of my incessant 2am clicking.
This girl is styling!
Make these adorable things! I am so doing this!
This girl is inspiring me! Her latest post on managing your time blew me away.
This is a funny site. The author claims to live right down the street from Frank Warren of Post Secret, and to post the “rejected” secrets here.
This is a GREAT tool. If you have multiple financial accounts, you can interact with all of them at once, track your spending and budget! I’m a convert!
This site keeps inspiring me! This is my latest crush.
Inspiration fodder!
I really have no clue what this is about, but it’s intriguing!
I love underwater photography.
This is absolutely shameless. It also made my husband laugh out loud, which is hard to do.
Cute animals here, here and here! Awwww!
I beg to differ. I wish the world would be more accepting of my cash and prizes.
My current favorite street style blog!
I think my brain just exploded a little bit. I want to go here.
And lastly, I love this guy.
January 14th, 2009
Occupation 101
I am not usually one for documentaries since I prefer to get my facts in smaller, more bite sized pieces, but Nathan and I saw one last night that I would encourage anyone who wants to expand their knowledge on the Middle East’s Israeli/Palestinian conflict to watch.
It’s an award winning film that came out in 2007. It is a little over an hour long, thought provoking and well made, with Noam Chomsky, many Israeli and Jewish persons that are against the Israeli policies, U.S. Congressmen and ambassadors, and human rights advocates. It questions some of the American-Israeli relations that have helped make the conflict what it is today…how do you think the modern state of Israel managed to become the world’s ninth-largest nuclear power in the few short decades that it has existed?
It covers the history of the area and of the conflict in the first part of the film, but the part I got the most out of was the second part that covers the current situation. The majority of the footage is taken on location, and I think that though biased to show a specific side of the conflict, it shows a good picture of what is going on right now and especially what the life of the children and young people is like. One of the things that stood out to me was how eloquent and mature even the very young children were, and how they seem so old at 6 and 7 years.
Groups such as CAMERA have been actively against this film, accusing it of being incendiary and anti-Israeli. That’s a bit hypocritical if you ask me, since those kinds of groups are very pro-Israel in the first place. I would guess that both Israelis and Palestinians would say that they are victims, and if that is the case, I think it is important that we give both sides of the story an equal ear and compassion.
I understand the biases as I was raised in a very pro-Israeli church environment, since the Israelis are revered by many Christians for their biblical history, and the conflict is seen as a spiritual war. Whatever your beliefs are about that should not cause you to turn a blind eye to the injustices that are being inflicted (on both sides) from a humanitarian viewpoint.
This is a very controversial issue, and this film does have a Palestinian bias, though I think it tries to be well balanced by being anti-inflammatory and logical. If you haven’t already seen it, I would suggest you do so, and let me know what you think. Do you have any first hand knowledge that has helped you form an opinion on this issue?
You can see the entire video on google video here, and the official site is here.
January 3rd, 2009
Linktastic: Week Ending January 3, 2009
Fashion: These Hedi Slimane photos make me feel like a pedo. Beautiful people, beautiful clothes.
Yoga: This top drop yoga mat bag is genius, and comes in extremely stylish options.
Inspiration: I have a sizable “Inspiration Folder” that is full of pictures that I find. This Tumblr has added lots of goodness lately.
Sex: This Tumblr is HOT. (nsfw)
Website Tool: Tineye is a great tool for finding where on the web a certain picture is. I have the problem of saving a picture but forgetting to add metadata (where I found it, who took it, copyright issues, etc.). So with Tineye, all I have to do is upload my picture, and it will find everywhere that picture exists online! Of course, it isn’t 100% perfect, since the picture could have been taken offline or something, but it has worked every time so far for me.
Recycling: Please keep this post in mind for next Christmas, or the next time you need a gift tag! Great idea, and her blog has lots of pretties too.
Local: We have been going to the outlet Family Thrift Center here in Fort Worth for a while now (the one on Ephriam Street), and every time, I have left with treasures. The outlet store has fixed prices, starting at EVERYTHING for $1.75 on Thursday (Jueves - how we refer to the entire experience), which is when they put out all the new stuff, to 25 CENTS EACH on Wednesday. I have never found any decent shoes or bags here, but I have found great jackets, cashmere sweaters, silk dresses, and insane statement pieces. Go with an open mind and be prepared for complete chaos, since nothing is categorized. I love going here, it’s a great experience with great potential to score!
Media: While watching Arrested Development on Hulu, I saw this scene. I laughed so hard, probably because my family has their own substance issues.
Bonus! I will embed it here so you don’t have to go anywhere!
January 1st, 2009
Party In My Pants, NYE Edition!
New Year’s Eve Party at Austin & Magen’s!
I spent a wonderful evening with my man and my family, fueled by champagne, cupcakes and sparklers, and celebrating the fact that WE ARE LIVING IN THE FUTURE YO!!!
A shoutout to the mad style which was exhibited by my fellow partiers!!
It is so exciting to me that I am living in the year 2009, and that I have so much awesomeness to look forward to in the years to come. I hope you feel the same way!
P.S. More pictures of the festivities here! (In case you want some “normal” pictures.)
P.P.S Kisses!
January 1st, 2009
Then & Now: New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve, 2006
New Year’s Eve, 2008
Since the first pictures were taken, I have:
- Lost 85 pounds
- Married the most wonderful man in the world
- Found our dog Sophie, who made us a family
- Learned how to do yoga, which taught me to listen to my body
- Created a truly strong relationship with my husband
- Found the confidence to dress how I really want to
- Learned how to talk about my feelings
- Beat my depression
- Realized that I can do anything I want to do
I am so so so excited for 2009!!
P.S. More New Year’s Eve pictures to come shortly!
December 29th, 2008
Why Marrying A Techie Was A Wise Move
So one of my Christmas gifts was my hard drive crapping out. I thought the sounds emanating from my computer possibly belonged to a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. Thankfully, Nathan correctly identified the sound as “imminent hard drive failure” and advised me to back up all of my data. Not two hours later, the hard drive had indeed died, and so my lifeline to the great big world out yonder had been cut.
Thanks to Fry’s and a handsome technically inclined spouse, I am now able to keep exposing the contents of my mind to you! I am so happy I just drank two glasses of wine.
So people, if ever your computer starts making gentle knocking sounds not unlike a small animal setting up shelter, BACK YO DATA UP. Oh, and find yourself a cute nerd and at least shack up with them.
