Why I'm Glad I Didn't Have Access to Social Media in High School

Perhaps you haven't heard, but there is a man in a mask competing on this season of The Bachelorette.  That's right, as if the show couldn't get more strange, one of the contestants is wearing a mask.

His reasoning? He wants Ashley to get to know him "on the inside" before she ever sees his face.  Now, on top of the whole stunt being a little bit more than creepy (He NEVER takes it off ... EVER. Even when he's alone.), he seems to be doing it completely devoid of a sense of humor.  It's as if he doesn't get that it's a bit bizarre.  I mean for someone who's so intent on letting his personality speak louder than his implied amazing looks, he seems to have missed the point that wearing a freakin' mask just makes him come off, well, weird.

In case you're curious what's hidden behind the mask... You can see Jeff sans mask HERE.

In last night's second episode we got to learn a little more about Jeff (i.e. hear his requisite sob story - every contestant has one now) and he was only seconds away from revealing himself when the producers sent  another contestant to interrupt the conversation and prolong the masked weirdness. There didn't seem to be incredible chemistry between the two. Although Ashley humored Jeff and his mask throughout the conversation which was strangely set in a stairwell.  Of course that didn't keep the producers Ashley from giving him a rose.  So, Jeff gets 15 more minutes of fame on next week's episode.

But this story gets a little bit more bizarre.  See, after reading the rest of this post, you will no longer find Jeff to be the creepiest person of whom you've ever heard.

The truth is, I have a personal history with the masked man.  No, I didn't date him.  In fact, I didn't really even know him.  Actually, he was one of a handful of boys that my friends and I used to stalk.  That's right, stalk.  We'd drive by their houses to see if they were home, gaze longingly at them in public places without their knowledge, and talk endlessly about them as if they were our boyfriends EVEN THOUGH WE DIDN'T KNOW THEM.  It was very, very sophomoric and very, very fun.

I've said it before, I am so very happy that I didn't have access to social media as a teen.  It would not have been pretty. And my police record might look vastly different than it does today.  Because I have no doubt, if the technology was present, I might have looked a whole lot like this:

Fess up, were you a creeper in High School? Or was I the only totally psycho boy crazy one?

7 Things I Learned in 7 Months As a Personal Style Blogger

Last Fall I was feeling ambitious and not particularly stylish.  In fact I was feeling frumpy.  I had recently started teaching Dance classes.  The classes left me sweaty and sweatpantsed. I had a full closet with "nothing to wear." And frankly I was bored.  Bored with my clothes.  Bored with my style.  In some ways, bored with my life.  So, I decided to start a personal style blog called Leaving the House in THIS?!?  It was creative outlet and a new adventure.

After seven months and 120 something different outfits, I took a break.  The break turned into a hiatus.  And during the past month and a half hiatus I've contemplated the things that I've learned thus far in my career as a personal style blogger.

What you are about to read is the post where I share those things with you. (Oh, and also share some pictures of myself)
You're welcome.

 I DO have something to Wear
During my tenure as a style blogger I participated in not one but two 30 for 30 challenges.  During those challenges I learned the fine art of re-mixing my wardrobe.  I started to discover that pieces I owned could be worn in unexpected ways and in unexpected combinations.  I am no longer tied to the same outfits and the same looks over and over in a stale and repetitive cycle.

{this is a skirt OVER a dress with 2 pairs of layered tights...

I wouldn't have tried something like that before the blogger days}

 Personal Style/Fashion Bloggers are some of the Nicest People in the Cyber-Universe
Never in my life have I encountered such a supportive, encouraging & vocal group of people.  Style bloggers are a fantastic community.  Period.

 It is not easy to look "natural" in front of a camera EVERY day
Necessary parts of a personal style blog are the pictures. You gots to show the wears.  And in order to post the pictures you have to take the pictures.  This means I had to get real comfortable taking pictures of myself real fast.  I learned how to manipulate a tri-pod in a public place without drawing too much attention. I learned how to get the lighting right (or at least almost right). But, some days you just don't feel like having your picture taken. I'm telling you, it is not easy to look natural in front of a camera every day.  And truth be told, those photo shoots are preeeety time consuming.  Especially if you're me and hoping for a handful of pictures in which you look attractive.

{more often than you'd like, you just kind of look possessed.}

 Personal Style Bloggers can get lots of FREE Swag if they work hard enough
It's true.  I had a very small blog and even I got free swag.  I'm telling you, there is swag to be gotten if you have the time, inclination and wherewithal to put in the work.

 Shop SMART
As I began to re-mix the pieces in my wardrobe, I looked at shopping totally differently. I was no longer drawn to the trendy pieces that I could wear one way for one season.  I discovered that it makes MUCH more sense to find pieces that work with the rest of your closet.  Why not buy a piece that makes 3 outfits rather than just one look?  It seems like a "duh" idea, I know. But I'm telling you that is NOT how I used to shop.

{this skirt can be remixed into at least 10 different outfits in my closet.  I kid you not!

It's the PERFECT SKIRT}

 I'm A Fashion Follower Not Leader
When it comes to fashion I love a trend.  I love to see a look in a magazine or on a blog and try to recreate it with things in my own closet.  But I am not too awfully daring if left to my own devices.  Generally speaking I've never been one that's ahead of the trends.  I don't innovate, I interpret.  Simply put, I'm a big old follower.  So, I occasionally feel like kind of a poser posting outfits that are heavily inspired by others rather than innovative or cutting edge in their own right.

{Consider this the quintessential personal style blogger outfit.  Check HERE for details explaining why.}

 I Don't Want to do it anymore
Even though there has been much fun along the way, it is time for this project to end. Lest you think I'm leaving with bad memories, know that some good stuff has come out of this seemingly frivolous hobby.  I fell back in love with my closet.  I got to cross something (get 100 followers on a blog) off my list. I made some new friends.  Plus, I discovered a few lessons about myself - and not just fashiony things, though I learned some of that too.  Probably the ultimate lesson I learned is that I don't want to be a full time personal style blogger forever and ever, amen.  It was a fun project and I'm glad I tackled it.  But I'm saying, "Adiós," to Leaving the House in THIS?!?  It has been a fun ride.  Now please make sure to take all of your belongings as you exit the car to your right.

Have you started a project recently only to find out it wasn't what you wanted to do long term?

Do tell...

A Minority Opinion

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Lately I feel as if I'm in bizarro world when it comes to the books I read. It seems as though my literary opinions have been bucking those of the masses. If I love a book, I inevitably encounter a bevy of other readers who found it be taxing or trite. And the books that I pick up which seem to garner praise en masse leave me disappointed and confused. Although the bloggy world seemed to unanimously love Never Let Me Go, I’ve repeatedly encountered family and friends who found the book to be pretentious and bland. And then of course with last month’s Book Club Blogger selection A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius I seemed to be in the slim minority who found the book even readable. I'm guessing you see where I'm going with this…

Two months ago, my “in person” {for lack of a better description} book club read and discussed Water For Elephants. This is a book that graced the New York Times bestseller list twice! Once when it was first released in 2006 and then again when it went to paperback. Critics loved it. A movie has been made. I have family members who’ve gushed about this book. I have friends who have read it MULTIPLE TIMES because they love it so much. But, me? I just wasn’t sold.

The discussion that I enjoyed at our meeting helped me to better appreciate the book. And perhaps if I didn’t have so many other books that I'm very interested in reading I might give it a second try. But, for me, Water for Elephants – the book – was unsatisfying. Let me tell you why I think it disappointed me. Before reading it I had seen the movie posters and heard the hype. See, a scene or two of the film were shot just outside of Chattanooga and it was RPattz fever around this town for a week or so. Caaaaaaaaaaaa-razy stuff. That being said, I learned early that Reese Witherspoon had been cast as the female lead/love interest alongside the aforementioned heartthrob. So in my mind I expected the plot to focus on their love affair. Get it? I read the book anticipating a love story. But, Gruen’s character development left much to be desired. At no point in the book did I ever find myself invested in the couple’s love story. I was constantly disappointed by the lack of attention paid to their burgeoning romance and felt as if it was necessary to create my own back story since so little romantic development existed. The other thing I was anticipating? I thought I was reading a book about a magical, big top circus. I looked forward to majestic imagery and descriptions of over the top circus acts. Instead I got a back stage view lousy with angry, crass, underpaid men. It’s probably fair to say that my own expectations ruined the book for me.

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Though I will say, Gruen’s history as a technical writer helps me to understand why character development was not one of her strong suits. I can honestly say that I really was never swept up by her prose. It felt forced and overworked. I also believe that while this book may have been intended to be read as a “coming of age”/ “summer that changed a life” novel, her protagonist is mainly focused on “getting the girl” which lends more to the romance genre in my opinion. I mean his pursuit of her is what propels the story forward, even if we as readers are never privy to WHY it is he falls in love at first sight. So, to me the book’s whole concept and structure are inconsistent and unsatisfying. It wasn’t until my fellow book clubbers pointed out that this was a “love story” of sorts between Jacob (the book’s protagonist) and the circus that I even began to see what Gruen may have been attempting with the novel.

I guess that puts me in the minority again. I did not like the book Water For Elephants.

The movie on the other hand, I found to be decent. The screenplay was a proper love story. Christoph Waltz was a perfectly villainous August, Reese Witherspoon was luminous (her hair, makeup and wardrobe were out of control beautiful!) and Robert Pattinson played Jacob with quiet strength and just the right amount of dreamy-leading-man sparkle. I was NOT disappointed with all the circus scenes. The film was chock full of lots and lots of big top magic and eye candy galore. It’s not too often that a film improves upon the book which inspired it. But, for me, Water for Elephants did just that.

Now, it’s your turn to tell me why you loved the book and how I'm totally wrong.

Go ahead, I'm expecting it and can’t wait to read your opinions!

Happy Pining! (AKA My Mandatory Pinterest Post)

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned Pinterest? More specifically, remember that I was whining that I had been wait listed?  I had to wait a week after my request to get an invitation to join. I'll be honest, it tweaked me a little bit.

Well, it turns out that it's a fantastic website.  There I said it.  As much as I wanted to trash it because they made me wait a week to join, I just can't.  Pinterest is too, too much fun.  Seriously, the site is non-stop inspiration. Here's the deal.  Pinterest markets itself as a "virtual pinboard."  I consider it to be a virtual obsession.  Every time I open the site, I'm bombarded by pretty pictures, fashionable inspirations, appetizing recipes and inspiring DIY projects! The site is the simplest and most brilliant idea.  Using it has helped me to minimize my web bookmarks and I now have a way to discover, categorize and electronically store things visually.

Here are a few of my discoveries so far.

Source: flickr.com via Molly on Pinterest

Stenciled Hardwood Floors - Totally Chic

Creative Nail Art

Source: tnlocavore.typepad.com via Molly on Pinterest

Brown Butter, Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies? Yes, please.

Now, if I could close the website long enough to actually accomplish some of these inspiring ideas!!!

Have you caught the Pinterest bug? 

If you have please, please, please let me know what your user name is so that I can enjoy all of your pins.

The Best of the Best

In an effort to educate myself about American film and its history I set a goal (on my Ultimate To DO list) to watch all of the films listed on AFI's 100 years, 100 movies list. My hope is that by watching these films with a critical eye and then researching their cast, crew and cultural impact I can "home school" myself through film school. 

 Not a bad way to spend some time and save bunches money, huh?

A few weeks ago the hubby and I sat down to experience what AFI has repeatedly called the best American film of all time. In the name of full disclosure it isn't the first time either of us has watched Citizen Kane.  Each of us got to watch it during our respective senior year in Mr. Mehevik's American Civ class.  I guess the hubby actually watched it. I, on the other hand, used both class periods to catch up on my beauty sleep.  If I had known what I was missing, I might have tried a bit harder to stay awake.

Nominated for nine Academy Awards in 1941, it was the feature film debut of Orson Welles.  Welles not only starred in the film, he also wrote, directed and produced it.  Don't even get me started on the fact that he was only TWENTY-FIVE! (cough: Over achiever.) To make the feat even more impressive, Welles took home the Oscar for best screenplay along with his writing partner, Herman Mankiewicz.  While there seems to have been some drama surrounding who actually wrote the script, when the dust settled both Welles and Mankiewicz got writing credits.

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The film's plot is circular in structure. As a newspaper reporter investigates Kane's famous last word, "Rosebud," he speaks with a handful of important people in Kane's life.  Each character brings the audience around the story of Kane's life again and again.  With each circle, another layer of the truth is revealed.  The viewer is left with a portrait of a man who had "everything" but died thinking only of a simpler moment in his life before all his "success."

Frame after frame of Welles' masterpiece is worthy of appreciation and awe.  While watching the film, I couldn't help but marvel at every scene's stand alone visual spectacle.  Each frame's lighting and composition captures the audience's full attention and propels the story sometimes more effectively than the actors' recitation of dialog. I don't mean to say the acting or book are less than impressive, just that the cinematography is beyond compare. The play of light and shadow communicate more than pages and pages of the script ever could.

Cinematographer Gregg Toland's innovative use of deep focus is part of what makes Citizen Kane so special. In scene after scene both the foreground and background are in sharp focus. When this was impossible, Toland utilized in-camera techniques (such as in-camera matte shots) to manipulate images and create memorable scenes like the one depicted below.  When Kane discovers the attempted suicide of his second wife, Toland first shot the background and then the foreground and layered the shots to create, what I consider to be, cinematic genius.

For me, Citizen Kane is NOT greater than the sum of its parts.  While I'm in love with the film as a whole, I believe its brilliance is the value of each of the parts.  Every scene's individual composition is what makes this film outstanding. Perhaps it is because it's shot in black and white (I'm a sucker for black and white photography), but I constantly felt as if I was watching a series of brilliantly crafted single images rather than your typical fluid piece of film.  For me, Citizen Kane is the penultimate flip book with every beautifully crafted image more engaging than the next.

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Have you seen Citizen Kane?  What did you think?

Happy Thoughts (16)

Hello, All.  Welcome to the final day (I'm pretty sure) of theme week here at A Foreign Land.  The power has been restored and I've spent the last 24+ hours being completely frivolous with my electricity usage.  Tomorrow I'll go back to reducing my carbon foot print.  Today I plan to enjoy the conveniences that I have been blessed with simply because I live in the time that I do.

So, without further ado, I bring you happy thoughts for this Friday.

Light Switches That Illuminate Rooms with One Simple Touch

Long, Hot Showers in my Own Bathroom

(no shower flip flops required)

Clean Clothes to Wear to Work

... just in the nick of time too!

Our Refrigerator

Freshly cleaned and on its way to being restocked

Fans to Help Me Sleep at Night

(the sound drowns out someone's snoring...)

As I drove to work today, I was listening to a national morning talk radio show (first mistake) that was discussing last week's storms in the Southeast.  Some dippy little chick One of the radio personalities said something that got me raging thinking.  She said something along the lines of, "I don't buy it when people say, 'they're just material possessions.' That's so not true.  When you lose everything you own it strikes at your dignity. All your stuff, that's your identity. That's who you are."  Yes, she really did say that, "Your stuff is your identity."  My jaw dropped.

Ummmm, listen up, Missy.  Let me just say that my stuff is NOT my identity.  Please hear me when I type.  I AM NOT THE SUM TOTAL OF THE STUFF I OWN.  My identity is not what is in my bank account.  It is not my house, my car or what hangs in my closet.  I am so thankful and happy and grateful and blessed and aware that my identity is first and foremost in Christ.  I am his and I am glad. I am a woman, a wife, a daughter, a friend. My identity is WHO I am not WHAT I have! (Does anyone else feel like saying, "duh!!"?)  Anyway that, for me, is the happiest thought of all.  

The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen

WE HAVE POWER AGAIN!

Stuff In My Brain

At nine am this morning we entered into our seventh day without electricity.

Two crews drove down our street yesterday to assess our situation.  Two crews left without rectifying it one single bit.

Turns out we are a big job and only a few homes will be restored once it's complete.  Consequently, we are low priority.

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The above picture has nothing to do with what I'm writing.

I just thought it was pretty.

I'm trying my hardest not to get bitter when I read Facebook status updates like, "Power is Back!" and "We've finally got electricity!"  I still feel like I did last week.  We are fortunate.  Things could be way, WAY worse.  But, I'm not going to lie to you guys.  I've had some "waaaaa" moments.

Cliché ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!

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Didn't I warn you?

I'm trying to remember that through all of this {people, they are saying we probably won't have power until Thursday... Maybe even as late as the 10th!!!!} I'm learning patience.  I'm learning how much I take everyday conveniences for granted.  I'm learning that I don't miss TV all that much.  What's one thing I'm not learning? That light switches don't work when there's no electricity.  Six days deep and I still flip them on every time I walk into a room.  Each time I do it's a little stab to the heart.

Anyway, I'm definitely using all this as an excuse to be laaaa-zy.  No housework.  Plenty of time spent in coffee shops.  As a matter of fact, right now I'm in a little local shop by a HUGE window.  It's pouring down rain outside and there's whiny British pop playing in the background.  I'm not going to braggy brag and tell you that it's totally romantic and the perfect way to spend the afternoon.  But...

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in all this, there are still plenty of things for which I am mighty grateful.

By the way, do you think all this rain is helping or hurting the power crews (from 16 states who are working their butts off around the clock) to restore our electricity?