Eat, Learn, Move

LEARN from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

This gave me a hopelessly terrible case of wanderlust.  How amazing would it be to travel the world, to see and do even half of the things in this video?  I may very well be a broke college student but I am planning on exploring the world!  This video is one of three that can be found on Vimeo.  Each has a theme: eat, learn, move.  It was a tough choice choosing between Eat and Learn for posting, because I love the music and impressive food in Eat.  I also have been a foodie phase lately, particularly Italian cusinine.  I'm fearless when it comes to cooking new things, and making up half of the recipe along the way.   Anyway, I chose Learn because has the same spirit of adventure with a little more action.  Definitely watch all the films though!

Wild Flowers

I'm following two new blogs Souvenirs of A Girl and The Stylish Wanderer.  I adore the whimsical images they post.  Definitely check them out- above are a few of the summer lovin' pictures from their pages I wanted to share :)

Also, now that I finally looked into the problem, my blog can now be followed on Bloglovin' (the best way to stay up to date on all the blogs you follow)!

A Single Man

Tom Ford is a creative genius.  Watch the video to get his insight, as well as the actors, into the film.  Highly recommended.  This film was so artistically stunning that it is no surprise how many nominations and awards it received.  The story was taken from Christopher Isherwoord's book A Single Man.  It wasn't a plot to me so much as everyday life viewed with a "vibrancy" as Tom Ford called it.  There is no rush to what will happen next, but an appreciation of every moment.  The day is a progression of breathtaking moments as seen by the main character -George- because he is living with the knowledge that this is his last day on earth.  The music that accompanied these scenes was devastatingly perfect in heightening the experience. 

There were certain things that stuck out to me and I've decided to include them for everyone to think about. In particular I could not get past the very opening lines of, "It takes time in the morning for me to become George.  I have to adjust to what is expected of George, how he is to behave.  By the time I have dressed and put the final layer of polish on the now slightly stiff but quite perfect George I know fully what part I am supposed to play."  It is depressing taken in the sense that we are all pretending to be someone, but the statement is nonetheless true. Could there be a more perfect reference to Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage; and all the men and women merely players..." How we present ourselves very much influences and is influenced in turn by who we feel we should be.  The ending with the layer of polish and the slightly stiff reference is the perfect reinforcement of the idea of being quite artificial or superficial.  Artificial because he is creating a front for himself.  George is superficial in that when encountering him you are getting only the layer of him is allowing you to see not beneath it.  

One last quote: "A few times in my life I've had moments of absolute clarity, when for a few brief seconds the silence drowns out the noise and I can feel rather than think, and things seem so sharp and the world seems so fresh. I can never make these moments last. I cling to them, but like everything, they fade. I have lived my life on these moments. They pull me back to the present, and I realize that everything is exactly the way it was meant to be. "

Jazzin' at the Shedd

Tonight was one of the last nights to visit the Shedd Aquarium for fireworks, jazz music, and special exhibits.  I was dying to see a whale after I heard that their tongues weigh more than an elephant!  Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any whale tongues, but I did see the Jellies.  They have no blood, brains, or bones... cool or creepy? You decide. 

Be Your Own Hero

I love girls who aren't afraid to be bold.  Whip It is an absolute favorite of mine for that exact reason.  The movie has been out for awhile so this isn't a review.  Recently found these images, thought they were outrageously cool -like the movie- and wanted to share.  The photographs (all of them except for the last one I believe) are by Ellen Von Unwerth. 

Check out more of them here: http://home.frognet.net/~mcfadden/evu/Ellen_von_Unwerth_Hot_Skates.htm

Sweet Baby Jane

Denim is such an awesome trend right now for fall.  I am particularly loving the light wash jean jackets. I don't remember the magazine this came from but I love the layout.  Planning on using some of the images to decorate a notebook, but I wanted to share the untouched version before I did since they are actually back to back so inevitably something will end up destroyed.

Miss.takes.

Top: Target (with an adorable zipper in the back), Skirt: Target, Sunglasses: Belmont Army, Bag: Chanel, Rings: Shop in Puerto Rico

I went for a walk around Oak Park today after I took my film to get developed -picking up tomorrow + posting soon!- and found a store called Fly Bird.  The shop has a vintage earthy vibe with all kinds of innovative products.  Unfortunately, the website doesn't seem very functional but that just means you should check them out in person!  Two items I particularly loved were egglings, which are ceramic planters, and color gels to alter photographs.

Black & Blue

I had to get some new navy pieces in my wardrobe, so I started with these pants!  Pictures aren't the greatest. I took them as a last minute thing after work today because I wanted to share my new purchase.  This was a bargain outfit: white top- forever21, pants- sears (shockingly!), shoes- target, feather earrings- flea market.