Because I Want It... NOW
A shopping addict and her steamy love affair with Instant Gratification.
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I’m about to say something that will have me looking over my shoulder for the next several days, for fear that men in white coats will come and take me to my padded room. Brace yourself.
Fiona Apple knows my thoughts and feelings and she is capable of verbalizing them far more articulately than I.
Ok but seriously. Fiona Apple has a new album and here is a single from it. You know you’re excited, you know you missed her and you know you love her.
Happy Institutionalizing,
-Lib
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The best thing that has ever happened to me happened today. I was on the way to my car to go on an hour break after working since 6am. I got an email that The Shadowboxers had mentioned me on twitter and that alone is enough to bring out my goofily happy smile. Then I saw that it was a link to a youtube video and my eyeballs began to pop out of my head. You see, I contributed to The Shadowboxers’ Kickstarter to make their first album and because of that, they had to record a video of them covering a song of my choice. And I made the only choice that seemed right. And holy shitballs did they deliver.
I sincerely wish that I was exaggerating when I tell you that I literally peed my pants a little bit because I was laughing so hard. Please enjoy this nugget of proof that The Shadowboxers are the funniest human beings on earth. Try not to pee your pants. It’s uncomfortable and pretty inappropriate for someone in their twenties.
Happy Laundering!
-Lib
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This is the most amazing tank ever constructed. Please do yourself a favor and buy one. They won’t be around forever and the colors and sizes are already sold down so hurry up. I have it in three colors and I just did hot yoga for the first time in the light gray color. I fully expected to have the most disgusting sweat marks all over it but throughout the class, as I Chinese water tortured my mat with sweat dripping off all parts of my body, my tank stayed the same color gray. All over. Not one spot. Go get one. Right now. Do yoga in it. Zumba in it. Run in it. Just buy it, wear it and prepare for bliss to follow.
Happy Bending/Dancing/Running in Style,
-Lib
(Source: lululemon.com)
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I really wasn’t sure at first how I felt about this song until I heard an interview with James Mercer about why he wrote it. He said it was just like the title says, a simple song about how much he loves his wife. So I decided to actually listen to the lyrics and it turns out they are really lovely.
This line feels like the highlight of the song to me: “Love’s such a delicate thing that we do with nothing to prove. Which I never knew.”
Anyway, I think this is a really beautiful love song and it’s nice to enjoy a beautiful moment every now and again.Happy Swooning,
-Lib -
As I am writing this, my hair is not quite yet dry from my hot yoga session this morning. As always, I am convinced that I sweat more than any and everyone in the room combined and I’m totally fine with it. Nothing feels quite as amazing as laying on the floor soaked in a physical representation of the last ninety minutes of hard work. My other favorite yoga-related feeling (maybe just my favorite feeling) is the power you can harness in a handstand. Admittedly, I am no handstand expert. I think the longest I’ve ever held one was a very quick onemississippitwomississippithreemississippi. But those three Mississippis are counted among the greatest moments of my life.
I want to share that awesome feeling with you so I’ve attached a video that will hopefully light your handstand fire. Tara Stiles is basically the coolest lady on earth. She is featured in Jane Fonda’s new Workout DVD series, Elle Magazine’s Make Better DVD series with Brooklyn Decker and her own DVD series, Yoga Anywhere. She is Deepak Chopra’s personal yoga instructor. Yeah, you read that last sentence right. I have personally made my Hajj to Strala, her studio in SOHO, and have not one negative word to share with you about it. She was incredibly welcoming and kind, taking the time to talk with me and direct me to some vegan food nearby. She even remembered me on my second visit. (Most likely because I appeared pretty creepy having traveled from Atlanta solely to come to her classes.)
One of my favorite things about Tara Stiles is that she has oodles and oodles of videos that she shares for free on her Youtube page/video blog. How cool is that? Do you KNOW how EXPENSIVE yoga is? And she provides you with instruction FOR FREE! THE BEST instruction for free! So throw on your spandex, find a wall and get cracking on this video. And when you find yourself obsessed, I suggest trying Crow Pose next. You’ll be doing forearm stands in no time and you’ll never want to hang out right side up again!
Happy Handstanding!
-Lib
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When I go out to the bar there is one thing that I really like and one thing that I really dislike. The thing that I really like is dancing. The thing that I really dislike is when ANY sort of stranger approaches me while dancing. The dislike turns to burning hot rage if said stranger happens to touch me. So I have adopted several dance moves that are certain to repel even the strangest of strangers. (Creepy smile with head bob: for those that may be familiar with my technique.)
Imagine my delight when I looked up the video for this song by Tanlines to share with you lovely people and found that it contains some of the best stranger repellant material I have ever laid eyes on. So crank up the volume on your computer, enjoy this amazing song (the album released a week or two ago and it’s wildly catchy) and try, just try, not to dance along with those creepy old folks. I dare you.
Happy Solo Grooving,
-Lib
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If anyone besides the great Benjamin Ryan Williams, bassist extraordinaire, noticed that I have been slacking pretty hard I would like to begin by apologizing for my negligence. Unfortunately my recent shopping trips have left me without inspiration for relevant life lessons. So, for now, I will be posting photos of the most lovely things I can find for your viewing pleasure. And I may, depending on mood and time allowance, attach amazing and informational captions. Please Enjoy.
Happy Anticipating,
-Lib
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Upon returning from my sabbatical, I’d like to discuss one of my largest personality flaws. I become intensely, immovably and destructively fixated on things. I will, as always, be using a shopping metaphor to elaborate.
Taylor Sterling is the adorable genius behind The Glitter Guide and Sterling Style. I worship every outfit she composes. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed some shoes she had featured from J. Crew (above) and immediately went to buy them. They were sold out. I was so angry and spent maybe five minutes looking for an alternative. I then spent about an hour searching for the sold out J. Crew shoes elsewhere (and making the J. Crew customer service representative spend an equal amount of time searching.) And now I have spent about two weeks pouting and staring discontentedly at my shoe collection because those shoes are THE ONLY ones that I want to wear. Ever. Again.
This comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me because once I know what I want there is no appeasing me until I have it and I will settle for no substitutes. Seriously. Give me a substitute that everyone agrees is suitable, possibly even better, and I will literally spit on it. I will rip it apart from top to bottom, front to back until said substitute seems like the most absurd prospect in existence. I will hate it for absolutely no reason and there is nothing anyone can do to convince me otherwise.
First of all, yes, I am aware of how stupid I’m being (even while I’m doing it.) Second of all, yes, I’m trying to change it. Sort of. By buying a knock-off of these shoes. (See them here.) My lovely new roommate has been helping me realize that sometimes this kind of compromise is ok. She writes a blog on dressing fabulously for cheap. Check it out, it’s pretty great. But here’s the thing! Sure I will enjoy these shoes. Sure I will wear them all of the time. The problem lies in the fact that I know they aren’t the shoes I wanted and the fact that they are $200 cheaper and were very much easier to acquire than the shoes I wanted won’t change that. Even if I did enjoy them just as much they won’t last as long and when they break or wear out they won’t be worth repairing.
Sometimes my fixations are justified. Sometimes the best things are worth the extra time, effort and (in this case more so than in real life situations) money. Because if you’ve taken the time to understand what it is you need and you find it right in front of you there is really no length too far to go to get it. When you know, you just know and you wait and you fight and you don’t mind it one bit. It’s worth the trouble and it always will be. That doesn’t mean you can’t find your temporary fixation fix, like buying the knock-offs from Express. Sometimes you need something to tide you over but you’ll always know your shoes aren’t from J. Crew.
Happy Fixating,
-Lib
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Valentine’s Day is coming quickly and I need to focus on not being bitter and spiteful about it. So I promise to work on that as long as The Shadowboxers promise to play this song soon. And I mean real soon. Because I want it. Now.
They put this video up last year for Valentine’s Day and it’s one of my very most favorite of their songs and it brings me to invisible tears.
Happy Joyful Weeping!
-Lib
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There are a lot of irritating things that people do when you work in retail but one in particular really got me thinking the other day. Every now and then someone (more often than not it’s a girl with her mom) will decided to try on virtually everything in the store. Completely without exaggeration, they will try on about 30 items. That number is the count BEFORE they ask for different sizes, colors, styles etc. Every other associate in the store gets overly excited, falling over themselves to suggest items to the customer, compliment every single thing they put on, giggle, fake smile, yada yada yada. I, on the other hand, completely ignore those assholes except to hand them pile after pile of clothing that…. DRUMROLL, PLEASE!?
THEY HAVE NO INTENTION OF BUYING!!
At most, this type of customer will buy one or two of the infinite items that they tried on and will leave the rest scattered all over the fitting room or, if they are polite, hung on hangers inside out and backwards.
So why am I the only sales associate who sees through this act? It’s because I know this kind of person. They’re wishy washy. They touch all of the chips before they pick the perfect one to dip. They leave a store without buying anything because they “need to think about it.” (What!?) They consider all of their acquaintances friends. They take an hour to order at a restaurant. They serial date.
Just thinking about it makes me cringe. I know what I like, I know who I like and I know what I’m about. Why don’t they? And why do people try to make me be like that?
WHY do I need to think about that belt before I buy it? I can see it right there! I know I like it! WHY do I need to give that girl I work with a chance? I just talked to her! She was awful! WHY do I need to listen to Vampire Weekend’s new song? I heard all their other songs and my ears bled! WHY do I need to go on more dates with that guy before I nix him? I know after one that he’s boring!
Trust me, people, I have tried all of these things out and not a single one has served me well. You wouldn’t know it by the hours I spend on Pinterest but my time is precious to me and I don’t need to waste it hanging out with Chatty Cathy or Boring Brad, trying on twenty outfits when I know very well that if I liked it I would have bought it already or thinking about buying that sweater when I know I want it. There’s something to be said for giving second chances or putting some extra thought into certain decisions but it’s just not for me. Because I know what I want and I want it now!
In my mind, you are the most important person that you need to know, trust and believe in and I think that once you do, you won’t want to waste a single minute second guessing or debating. So go with your gut, believe that you know what’s best for yourself and, for God’s sake, do not try on junk you know you’re not going to buy.
Happy Soul Searching!
-Lib
PS. I just like those shoes.
