I like to do creative things, especially if they're a little wacky. This morning, I went to the fashion studio at 8.30 and worked until 1 on a project. I got back to the room and decided to start cleaning my desk. It's not super entertaining, believe it or not... So then I decided to dye my hair instead.
Yup, today was/is a streak-your-hair-with-Kool-Aid kind of day =^)
I got some Kool-Aid packets a little while ago with the intention of doing this, then they got lost on my desk and I forgot about them. Oh yeah, that's partly why I decided to do it today - I finally rediscovered them while I was cleaning. It's also super fast and super duper easy, and smells better than normal dye. Although Splat smells pretty dern good if you don't use the bleach. Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and plug for Splat. If you want to dye your hair a crazy color, use it. It's the bomb.com. And, again, it doesn't smell bad.
Anyways, I grabbed some Q-tips, an old comb, an empty (and clean!) yogurt cup, conditioner, and my purple Kool-Aid packet. 1 squirt of conditioner into the cup (it was a pretty generously-sized squirt), dump in the packet, stir it up with the Q-tip, and apply. I only did a small strand of hair. If you're trying to dye all of it, don't ask me. Maybe ask WikiHow. After all, if it's on Wikipedia, it must be true, right?
Once I got my strand done, I needed to wrap it up in something. I have paper towels, but I didn't want those to absorb the dye while it's still doin' its thang, ya know? So I opted for a Ziploc instead. Just one of the little ones, I think it's "sandwich-sized" or "quart-sized" or something. Opened it up, stuck my hair inside, zipped it as shut as it would go, and rolled it up and bobby-pinned it to my head.
So that's where we're at right now. I've got a strand of purple Kool-Aid hair plopped inside a Ziploc bag that's bobby-pinned to the side of my head. Ah, the joys of improvising these sorts of things in a dorm room. I like to consider myself resourceful.
Oh! Fun fact - use toothpaste to remove dye from your skin. Or countertop. Or mirror. Or wherever you got dye that you shouldn't have gotten dye. Like maybe the dorm room floor... Oops. I use gloves when I dye with Splat, but a) I don't have gloves at school, and 2) I wouldn't have used them anyway for this, letsbehonest. So my fingers got super covered. But toothpaste has yet to fail me. It doesn't take very much either. Just rub it over the spot you're trying to get rid of and then rinse it off or wipe it away with a damp paper towel. In this case, I basically had to wash my hands with it. But the purple is totally off my hands. I should have done a before/after picture, seriously. It's impressive.
So that's what I've done today. But I've got no where to go this afternoon, so it's an opportune time. In fact, I need to stay in my room and prepare for a test, so this is actually totally conducive to my studying, right? Because I'm not about to go outside with a plastic bag in my purple hair, and I'm not sure how long this is supposed to stay in, so I gotta just chill for a while. So logically I'll use that chill time to study.
That's what I'm telling myself anyways.
While I sit on the computer and waste time blogging about my productivity... yeah...
I think that's it. Have a great Monday!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
To the Thrift Store!
I don't always go shopping, but when I do, I prefer thrifting...
I've come to realize that I'm at a very interesting place when it comes to shopping. I'm a Fashion and Textile Management major concentrating in Product Development, so I'm essentially studying "fashion design," just with a lot more of the business and science classes thrown in as well. Therefore, the world of shopping - and all that lies beneath it's shiny surface - is the world that I will most likely be jumping into once I graduate. However, as 1) a college student in possession of negative funds, and b) a person who has never felt it necessary to spend exorbitant amounts of money on clothes or accessories, I'm trying to find a comfortable spot that will allow me to balance my vehemently opposing worlds. I'm living in a paradox? Maybe.
So where does this predicament leave me? At the thrift stores, my friends!! Any of them! All of them!
Thrifting is an art form that really doesn't require much skill at all. A decent portion of it us up to Lady Luck, but the rest is up to you. The most difficult part about shopping in second-hand shops is keeping an open mind. Yes, there's some level of organization that goes on inside those stores, but actuallynotreally. Recognize the fact that you have absolutely no guarantees to find what you're looking for. Plus, if you go in searching for a specific item, you're going to accidentally overlook a handful of other awesome things.
Aight, here are my simplest steps to successful thrifting:
1) keep an open mind (see above paragraph. slash if you skipped over it and down to this list, shame on you!)
2) keep a tight-ish wallet
3) stay patient
Since we already addressed the open mind, let's address the closed wallet. I know when I go into a consignment store of any kind, (especially used book stores - those get me every time) this strange fog of delusion descends upon me and I get this crazy idea that, because everything is so cheap, I can buy whatevertheheck I see that I'm remotely interested in. DO NOT DO THIS. Have some self-control, people.
Do you actually need that obnoxious green sequin sweater?
"Yeah, it's just so obnoxious! And it's only $6!" Okay, fair enough. But what about those jeans that already have the paint stains and that don't actually fit?
"Well, they mostly fit." Mostly?
"Well, they're a little too short, but I'll cut them off." Will you, though?
"Probably..." Not good enough.
"But they're jeans!" But how many pairs do you already have?
"... touche..." I win.
Basically, thrift shops are the best when you're looking for something ridiculously awesome in a horribly tacky sort of way, like a green sequin sweater that's $6. Two of my favorite sweaters are these grandpa-sized knitted monstrosities that are literally the best things I've ever purchased at a consignment store. My mom shudders when I bring them back to school with me. All my friends think they're the bomb.com. I wear them so much during the fall and winter. And if you actually do need something basic, like jeans or a jacket or a dress, definitely check the Goodwill racks first, but stick to looking for what you're actually on a quest to find, and don't settle for something that's "mostly" good.
Oh yeah, and stay patient. Don't go thrifting if you're on a tight schedule, because the clothes seem to have a mind of their own, and they like to run away when you're hurriedly hunting them down. I dunno how they do it, but it's a true fact. Stay calm and patient, and be willing to look through everything and laugh at the absurdity of 98% of the things you find.
So those are my thrifting basics. I went to a used-book store with my roommate today and came back with five books: two that I've read before, one that I'll probably read, and two that are just super old and look cool and make me feel legit. Yeah, books make me feel legit. I'm okay with that.
Happy thrifting, everybody!
I've come to realize that I'm at a very interesting place when it comes to shopping. I'm a Fashion and Textile Management major concentrating in Product Development, so I'm essentially studying "fashion design," just with a lot more of the business and science classes thrown in as well. Therefore, the world of shopping - and all that lies beneath it's shiny surface - is the world that I will most likely be jumping into once I graduate. However, as 1) a college student in possession of negative funds, and b) a person who has never felt it necessary to spend exorbitant amounts of money on clothes or accessories, I'm trying to find a comfortable spot that will allow me to balance my vehemently opposing worlds. I'm living in a paradox? Maybe.
So where does this predicament leave me? At the thrift stores, my friends!! Any of them! All of them!
Thrifting is an art form that really doesn't require much skill at all. A decent portion of it us up to Lady Luck, but the rest is up to you. The most difficult part about shopping in second-hand shops is keeping an open mind. Yes, there's some level of organization that goes on inside those stores, but actuallynotreally. Recognize the fact that you have absolutely no guarantees to find what you're looking for. Plus, if you go in searching for a specific item, you're going to accidentally overlook a handful of other awesome things.
Aight, here are my simplest steps to successful thrifting:
1) keep an open mind (see above paragraph. slash if you skipped over it and down to this list, shame on you!)
2) keep a tight-ish wallet
3) stay patient
Since we already addressed the open mind, let's address the closed wallet. I know when I go into a consignment store of any kind, (especially used book stores - those get me every time) this strange fog of delusion descends upon me and I get this crazy idea that, because everything is so cheap, I can buy whatevertheheck I see that I'm remotely interested in. DO NOT DO THIS. Have some self-control, people.
Do you actually need that obnoxious green sequin sweater?
"Yeah, it's just so obnoxious! And it's only $6!" Okay, fair enough. But what about those jeans that already have the paint stains and that don't actually fit?
"Well, they mostly fit." Mostly?
"Well, they're a little too short, but I'll cut them off." Will you, though?
"Probably..." Not good enough.
"But they're jeans!" But how many pairs do you already have?
"... touche..." I win.
Basically, thrift shops are the best when you're looking for something ridiculously awesome in a horribly tacky sort of way, like a green sequin sweater that's $6. Two of my favorite sweaters are these grandpa-sized knitted monstrosities that are literally the best things I've ever purchased at a consignment store. My mom shudders when I bring them back to school with me. All my friends think they're the bomb.com. I wear them so much during the fall and winter. And if you actually do need something basic, like jeans or a jacket or a dress, definitely check the Goodwill racks first, but stick to looking for what you're actually on a quest to find, and don't settle for something that's "mostly" good.
Oh yeah, and stay patient. Don't go thrifting if you're on a tight schedule, because the clothes seem to have a mind of their own, and they like to run away when you're hurriedly hunting them down. I dunno how they do it, but it's a true fact. Stay calm and patient, and be willing to look through everything and laugh at the absurdity of 98% of the things you find.
So those are my thrifting basics. I went to a used-book store with my roommate today and came back with five books: two that I've read before, one that I'll probably read, and two that are just super old and look cool and make me feel legit. Yeah, books make me feel legit. I'm okay with that.
Happy thrifting, everybody!
Monday, November 05, 2012
SoObsessed with SoJam
This might not be too long, just because it's difficult to put into words the amazingness that is SoJam.
SoJam is an a cappella festival that was hosted in Raleigh, NC, this past weekend. It's basically a big conference that draws groups and individuals from across the nation. It's sponsored by CASA, the Contemporary A Cappella Society. Maybe this will explain it a little bit better than I can:
http://sojam.net/about/
Anyway, it's a huge deal. And the group that I sing with on campus was accepted for the third year in a row to be a part of the collegiate competition. That's also a huge deal. I'm so proud of them, I just had to brag real fast.
So Friday night was the competition featuring six different groups from six different colleges across the US:
- University of South Carolina Cocktails
- North Carolina State University Acappology (that's me!)
- Georgia Institute of Technology Nothin' but Treble
- Vanderbilt University Melodores
- University of Colorado Denver Mix
- Northeasters University Nor'easters
Mix came in second place and the Nor'easters took first. Both groups were absolutely incredible. Check them out on Youtube or Facebook. Or both.
Classes started Saturday at 9 am and ended around 5 pm. There were courses on everything from running through a live sound check to group arranging music to being an effective leader. And each class was taught by a professional within the industry, so it was real information from people with real experience. So helpful.
SoJam is obviously fantastic because of the knowledge and experience floating around among all the leaders, but it's also great because it allows you to connect with so many people from so many places, on a professional level and a social level. We got to reconnect with the Faux Paz from University of Maryland (check them out too!) as well as meet members from other collegiate, semi-professional, and professional groups.
Oh yeah, so Saturday night is the professional concert. This year featured Edge Effect, Pentatonix and Fork. Go look at all of them. Because I can't even begin to describe any of them. Except to say that I went into an a cappella coma. And it was a wonderful place to be.
And we met members of Pentatonix. Dear Avi Kaplan, not to be creepy, but I love you. Then end.
And Kirstie Maldonado, you can just sing to me every day of my life, because maybe a little bit of your vocal epicness will rub off on me. I'd be down with that.
That's about it. It was definitely the most exhausting weekend of my life, but it hasn't even been over 36 hours and I'm already so excited for next year. I miss the classes, the other groups, the performances, and the excitement of the whole experience. If you ever get the chance to attend, do it.
SoJam 2013. Hurry up and get here. You're going to be insane.
SoJam is an a cappella festival that was hosted in Raleigh, NC, this past weekend. It's basically a big conference that draws groups and individuals from across the nation. It's sponsored by CASA, the Contemporary A Cappella Society. Maybe this will explain it a little bit better than I can:
http://sojam.net/about/
Anyway, it's a huge deal. And the group that I sing with on campus was accepted for the third year in a row to be a part of the collegiate competition. That's also a huge deal. I'm so proud of them, I just had to brag real fast.
So Friday night was the competition featuring six different groups from six different colleges across the US:
- University of South Carolina Cocktails
- North Carolina State University Acappology (that's me!)
- Georgia Institute of Technology Nothin' but Treble
- Vanderbilt University Melodores
- University of Colorado Denver Mix
- Northeasters University Nor'easters
Mix came in second place and the Nor'easters took first. Both groups were absolutely incredible. Check them out on Youtube or Facebook. Or both.
Classes started Saturday at 9 am and ended around 5 pm. There were courses on everything from running through a live sound check to group arranging music to being an effective leader. And each class was taught by a professional within the industry, so it was real information from people with real experience. So helpful.
SoJam is obviously fantastic because of the knowledge and experience floating around among all the leaders, but it's also great because it allows you to connect with so many people from so many places, on a professional level and a social level. We got to reconnect with the Faux Paz from University of Maryland (check them out too!) as well as meet members from other collegiate, semi-professional, and professional groups.
Oh yeah, so Saturday night is the professional concert. This year featured Edge Effect, Pentatonix and Fork. Go look at all of them. Because I can't even begin to describe any of them. Except to say that I went into an a cappella coma. And it was a wonderful place to be.
And we met members of Pentatonix. Dear Avi Kaplan, not to be creepy, but I love you. Then end.
And Kirstie Maldonado, you can just sing to me every day of my life, because maybe a little bit of your vocal epicness will rub off on me. I'd be down with that.
That's about it. It was definitely the most exhausting weekend of my life, but it hasn't even been over 36 hours and I'm already so excited for next year. I miss the classes, the other groups, the performances, and the excitement of the whole experience. If you ever get the chance to attend, do it.
SoJam 2013. Hurry up and get here. You're going to be insane.
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