At the LACMA

Hi! Happy Thursday, everyone! Some time ago I took these photos as I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A group of us piled into a bus and took the not-terribly-long ride to downtown LA. Enjoy a little bit of my pink and polka dot clad self, and some art!

The wall of Yes! So much art in one place!

Rock that 1700's style, lady!

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As a musician, I hear about the antiquated viola di gamba, but I've never seen an artwork with someone playing it. 

Gotta love modern art!

A brass plate of Europa's return

I think women should wear this kind of thing again...

Hi!

Can I please have this to decorate my house? :)

Yup, that's a few of us in front of the oldest form of writing: Cuniform

Not quite looking in the right direction... haha!

I'm really proud of my pink and green eye shadow... 

The lovely Sister!

Thanks for reading, everyone! And hello to my one reader in Serbia! Thanks for joining us. That's the home of Nickola Tesla who invented alternating currents so our skies don't have to be filled with power lines! (I know... I'm a nerd...!)

The In-Between

You can totally see my hand in the reflection! kk

Today is a strange in-between for me. I'm in between posts (especially because I failed to post on Thursday), in between being sick and fully well again (hence me missing my post), and being an in-between for my sister at work. She's not as recovered as I am. Hopefully, she'll be back in tip-top shape soon, and I'll go on being starry-eyed about this great thing called life. :)

Hope you're all well. Love and peace to you!

Cousins and Fountains

I recently got to see my cousin! He teaches and takes classes on the east coast of the United States, and I sometimes go 6 months or a year without getting to hang out with this phenomenal person. So, it's always the main event for me whenever he's in town. He turned around and saw me for the first time since July and this was his reaction! :D

My cousin and my swag dad in the background!

Hey, cool tie bro!

This is his friend (practically brother), who is a first year medical student. 

... And then: Medical symbol between the stripes!

My sister, cousin and I went to get coffee and catch up on life. He and I ordered the same thing! (Which is funny when you call us and notice that our voicemail greeting is almost the same, word for word.)

The "For Here" mugs were popular among us that night.

All done!

Busy texting and being Vampire Weekend-ish! :p

 I also got to visit Palm Springs for the second time since I lived there. I remembered this great little fountain that was inside a mostly dormant shopping plaza. Not only did I see some new businesses, there, I was glad to have the chance to get some photos to share on this blog!

Climbing the stairs to get a birds-eye view. 

My new phone wallpaper

It reminded me a little of a picture of one that was taken in Isphahan.

This one was beside a cafe just outside. 

A lovely one in Rancho Mirage

Have a lovely Thursday everyone! Shout outs to my readers in Poland and Ukraine! I don't believe I've mentioned you on this blog before, but I'm glad to see you're out there, reading what I post! Thank you!

Bye for now! <3 p="">

A fabulous book review

Recently I was able to purchase a book that I had been wanting to read for years: Victoria Beckham's That Extra Half Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between. I've been reading everything she has to say slowly and carefully, though the first night I got it, I just flipped through all the photos in the book the same way I would a fashion magazine.  

Victoria could help anyone pull anything off with style!

Can I just say: Every time that I study Victoria Beckham, I see instant improvements in my personal style! The last time I had a kick when I really looked up Victoria, I was crushing on a guy who loved Manchester United. David Beckham was his favorite player. I decided to investigate, and dressed slightly edgy and plenty sassy for weeks!

In this book, she professes a love a T-shirts and jeans, two items that I rarely use, but am learning to love (see some posts from this summer, if you wish). She says that she's true to this favorite pairing, despite a love for high fashion, and if she were a chef she'd be true to her love of toast- no denying one's true preference. I admire that decision, especially because people can get so excited to see her in couture gowns as well.

The book is broken up into sections: What to wear for summer, when on holiday/vacation, skirts, dresses et c. I get the feeling that within those headings, some of the topics come at random. This isn't necessarily bad however; it's as though she were carrying a conversation with the reader. With that being said, it makes it a little bit harder to use it as a reference book (and I love doing that-- I'll have to make a post about the Bombshell Manual of Style later.)

Teacher knows best, so I'm reading her textbook!

I love reading about and getting to see photos of events she went to, and her impeccable memory for what she was wearing years after the fact (although it might have been because there were photographs taken, too...). The book frequently employs models and water-coloured designs, as well as couture sketches by famous designers.

Reading before bed...

 But something that I really love is how real and human Victoria comes across through her writing. For example she tells about how she altered her favorite jeans to fit the baby-bump when she was pregnant with each of her 3 children. She also tells about how to hide diaper wipes in a Fendi purse, stating that you have to keep your personal style even when you become a parent. That sounds both really healthy and determined to me.

Just because I love learning about communication and other cultures, it was a lot of fun (and a little confusion) to see the differences between English and American turn-a-phrase. I knew what she meant when she said "waistcoats" (vests) "the boot" (the trunk of the car) and "on holiday" (on vacation), but it took me almost the whole chapter on shirts to figure out that "vests" mean fitted tank tops.

I'm so looking forward to finishing this book, but I'm waiting to read the second half until after my seasonal work is through. If you get a chance to check out this book, you'll either be a bigger fan of fashion, Victoria Beckham herself, or (if you're like me) both. 

Just in case you were curious what my shirt said... : p

Adventures and the Journey Home

Hi everyone! I have a few more adventures in retail and some travel photos as well. After my one week hiatus, I'm glad to be back (and to have a computer to borrow again! Did you know I always borrow one for my posts? I don't actually have a computer of my own.)

Okay, so! This was a family of 5 that came to see Santa and take photos. The eldest son reminds me of my cousin Whit, who is just a smidge younger than me and is way more than a smidge taller than me. :p What I loved about said customer was his shirt: A pug in a Santa suit! Everyone had T-shirt in the family, but his made me laugh out loud.

Oh, look at these fun T-shirts!

 As a manager I got to hire my sister for the santa clause set. My sister was going to come up to spend time with us, so I hired her as my photographer (big surprise, right? She's awesome behind a camera!) Here she is holding a little puppy that came along to see Santa. Santa couldn't hold him that night, so one of the little brothers in the family held him for the photo. :) My photographer had hand sanitizer, though!

Photographer and pup

 This little boy showed me his lightning-breathing dragon that some fairies made him. If only N. Tesla could dream of such a creature...

Lightning-breathing dragon

This box made me think of my buddy Markus, who wears a penguin hat to class some days. Shout-outs to the photographer/actor friend of mine! ;)

 If you're ever in San Leandro and pass through the Bayfair Center, bring this lovely lady some business. She owns a little cart and sells all kinds of feminine goods like fans and parasols. I also just adore a little perfume shop just down the hall from her. The manager and his wife are salt-of-the-earth people with great fragrances and better prices. Check them out and send them my love, if you're ever in town. :)
 On my way home, we passed through the Monterey Bay, where I used to live. These are the beautiful trees of Carmel. Through these passages you can find the wonderful sports/exotic car event, Concours d'Elegance. Also, you might find the rehearsals for the Bach Festival, a great memory for me.

A common Carmel sight

It keeps happening. People never quite hear that my name ends in "A"...

In the East Village Cafe

May I have those hair combs?

And these rings?

Trying on a shirt for you guys. Express' Nature of the Beast ;)

The awe-inspiring sunset over the cliffs of Santa Barbara California

Back at home, now, and enjoying a white mocha espresso.

See you next week! Thanks for reading!