stupid fashion trends of the last 3 years

#1 knitted ponchos - this really needs no explanation
#2 bohemian skirts - um, retarded.
#3 green, purple or other terrible nail polish colors - toes only please! otherwise you look like you hit all your nails with a hammer
#4 anything labelled boho
#5 new styles of fishnet stockings - the colored ones are ok, the classic style in nude is excellent, but hello, if you're wearing fishnets, you'd best be either in high school, working "professionally" or really just want to go out and look trashy

ballet kicks my ass.

although I have been an exercise fiend for the last couple of years, taking ballet class again has been a revelation (I last took it in 6th grade and it was not fun). I did not think that this type of more gentle activity would have such an effect, but I am a true believer now. Apparently doing all of those kicks and jumps really tones up your core muscles, which has an effect on the abs and ab-flab. I just didn't see the same kind of effect from dedicated running and exercise machine work, well, at least it probably doesn't kick in until you get down to a very low body fat and I was never quite there.

granted, I have also been pretty good about staying away from sugar and high carbs, but I started that more than a year ago, so I can see the new effects of taking ballet classes. plus, the thought of getting into a tight leotard makes for an extra incentive to stay away from sugary sweets.

no drama xmas rules!

hooray for holidays without my family. ok, this is not for all you that happen to have good and/or rewarding relationships with their family members. I doubt you would understand. but for those of you who have been thinking of ditching the drama, I will say that holidays without immediate family are great! this year was just me and my boyfriend, following up a great no-drama trip with my aunt and cousin to mexico for an early thanksgiving holiday.

now granted, you have to remember that a holiday without family is going to probably mean fewer presents, especially if they happen to think that not visiting means that you hate them. but when you factor in mental anguish, are more presents really worth the trouble? you can also get out of this bind by creating great excuses every year for why you can't get back and instead just send them things in the mail, which if they are early, can ensure a kindly reciprocal gift exchange.

another thing to watch out for is caused by the fact that you've probably become accustomed to dramatic family events. I found that the first couple of times I had christmas away from my family, I got bored and started to create trouble just to liven things up. be mindful of this and make sure to schedule in some extra exercise or other stress relief so that you can avoid this. the tendency is likely to disappear as you follow up that first year with even more no family/drama holidays.

a final caveat about having good holidays is to beware of snarky comments from your feeling left behind (and rightly so) immediate family. just don't bother answering them if you can't be positive about it. I followed up my brother's snide comment about my "thanksgiving resort vacation" by saying that it was a great opportunity and I just didn't have enough money to take him with me. realistically, that "wish you were there" sentiment is good, but don't push it too much or you might really find your dysfunctional relatives right there with you.

the key in all of this is, just don't get sucked into the drama. if you know there are times and situations where you just can't say no, the holidays being a prime example, make sure to set up events so that you don't have to say no. because you just won't be around for it. I assure you, if your family has dysfunctional tendencies, it's well worth the effort.

enjoy the rest of the holidays!
E

my secret vice
let it now be known that I have a passion for... wearing fur. REAL fur.
indeed, there are so many moral arguments against it these days, but it's just so damn nice to wear. it looks nice, it feels nice, it colors nicely. pretty much the only thing you have to worry about it cold storage for the big pieces. well, and my own allergy to rabbit fur. (which is an inferior product anyway.)
now, before you judge, you damn hippie, I will tell you that it really makes little difference to me whether the furs actually come off the backs of those cuddly little vermin, and I would be oh so happy to instead wear vat-grown-genetically-engineered-to-be-even-softer-fur. (also remember that in general, fake fur is not to be worn by those out of highschool or the rave/goth/industrial scene. ohhh...) besides, I think that's probably in the realm of our current cloning trends, so I'm waiting on it. first you clone the human hair, so as to capture the vast profits from the balding-guy demographic, then real fur is just a couple of jumps away. or at least so it seems.

I am so tired of consumerism and marketing. gushy teen advertising speak. hipsters trying to differentiate themselves ever so slightly from other snarky hipsters. holiday spending commercials coming out even before thanksgiving!

no wonder advertisers are always having to get smarter- people get tired of their bullshit.

I am tired of fake. I am tired of fashion churn. I am tired of disposable architecture.
apparently I need to move to paris, or somewhere else where they appreciate the value of quality things that won't be thrown out with next season's trash. fewer things and quality.

I'm resisting the entertainment media revolution.
as in, people actually buy DVDs? the only one I own is the movie Scratch, which was a present from my boyfriend. now bootlegs, I can understand, since they've got ghetto style, but even they get all cluttery. even if I were to buy DVDs, I can only think of about 6 movies that I'd actually want to keep around, including the Pride and Prejudice series, AquaTeen, and the japanese thriller Angel Dust. ok, maybe there are more, but I would totally have to special order and spend money on these art flicks and whatnot... I'm waiting for the day that we can get large-library video on demand online, which at the current rate, looks to be about 3-5 years off. (regular cable on demand is an ongoing issue in my life. due to officially launch in my neighborhood in the next couple of months or so, I get the regular offerings but no movies... soon though.) but really, why can't I just buy the rights to a movie and then be able to enjoy it from an on-demand service through my tv or computer, whenever or wherever?

there is one area where I love DVDs, and that is WORKOUT VIDEOS. hell yeah. NYC Ballet babee! isn't that totally stupid? but I love it. [update: on-demand workout videos are great too.]

in fact, I'm on a whole workout and ballet kick at the moment. got ballet shoes in the mail and then I'll take ballet class starting next week. I suppose I'm making up for the poor job that I did in dance classes as a kid. 6 years of ballet, tap and jazz, and all it did was make me a great rave dancer and less inclined to trip than I naturally am inclined to be. (you'd think it was the high heeled and pointy shoes, but I trip in tennis shoes too.) and all that core & abdominal work can't hurt. maybe I'll eventually work up to adult pointe classes. who knows?

DOPE TUNES!
I have been looking for good radio stations online, esp. with the collapse of groovetech. Now, there's something even better, and that is shoutcast.com (shameless plug.)
but for real, check it out.
my favorite stations are Deep moscow radio (deep tech) and Jazzmusique (downtempo & hip hop jams).
Now I want to set up my own broadcast.
Also, there are many good mixes on my boy mac's site: www.m50.net (including mixes from yours truly.)

update!!
Add secret sounds (downtempo), and frostbyte.
hot hot hot!