tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3539115870890766002024-03-13T18:04:28.613-06:00Ariel ReverieAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-83010967814762873442017-07-05T00:07:00.003-06:002017-07-18T05:47:30.999-06:00Lookbook: Summertime T-Shirts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zWH08Gs60wU/WVx-dYlNhWI/AAAAAAAABYM/Jqi0rdFf1r4nN9SAysLwjp6-GhpxvxkigCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3961.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie Lookbook" border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="1600" height="634" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tbHjGmIC1_g/WVx-d5apNOI/AAAAAAAABYQ/3aYHppAFIv87dBRTBGUbkoZ_atCsIhSdQCLcBGAs/s640/1DD3D422-7F26-4743-87E7-ABA1764E8949.jpg" title="Adidas Summer T-Shirt" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie Lookbook" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MH9YERsUWzM/WVx-d_-2rbI/AAAAAAAABYY/7UA9TYwFGaU0-FSqiZuGQQHDzcVetT3FQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3962.JPG" title="Adidas Summer T-Shirt" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie Lookbook" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yqTWUJrsMpk/WVx-erXblgI/AAAAAAAABYc/3vboc2cr37UsR1EPyDFUCMbZMgrx7Q48wCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_3964.JPG" title="Adidas Summer T-Shirt" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie Lookbook" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q5q1Bol_mWE/WVx_jllZodI/AAAAAAAABYo/eW6Uan0BFX4K__IjgYJJBMokd9nALMlAQCLcBGAs/s640/image1-13.JPG" title="Nirvana Summer T-Shirt" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="500" height="71" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQ5xqWDCczP0mnoPzaFLSFiQCPcBGAYYCw/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-77142159069590431192017-06-12T03:52:00.001-06:002017-06-12T03:52:11.119-06:00Tragically Ordinary Thoughts, Reflecting on Failure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RErlWJKOvRM/WTeoZbGDvkI/AAAAAAAABW8/s-vrZaqwK_YlFDGoHhY-Pu8vRLPgvONBQCEw/s640/IMG_3745.JPG" title="Blue Sky at the Park" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;">I’ve been a little distracted lately. It’s not that I’m not doing anything or creating anything. It’s not that I haven’t been writing and submitting scripts to contests, or posting my resume to various job boards. It’s not that I haven’t planned almost every detail of my web series and my proposed funding campaign. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;">It’s not inactivity that is making me feel as if I am being propelled away from where I want to be, it’s just this persistent static feeling that no matter what project I complete or plan that I make, there is no forward motion. I feel no amount of acceleration. I want my dreams to be palpable, I want to be able to feel their weight in my palms. There is something deafening about not being able to quantify your worth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;"> Each writing submission that I’ve done in the past month has requested a short biography, where I always take the opportunity to rewrite the various ways in which I am a wanderer. I get engrossed in my surroundings, almost absorbed by their perceived complexity. I imagine this feeling of my mind drifting from my body to be something like growing up in a backyard forest that is always, always stretching. And you’re just standing there, aging slowly, observing through the glass. I draft versions of this feeling, ones that don’t make me sound like a crazy lady, to give an accurate portrayal of me, like a self-portrait that nobody understands but compliments anyway because they don’t want to offend you, and then I hit “send” in hopes that I don’t sound too panicked. Good thing writing doesn’t show the desperate claw marks of me trying to escape my impending insignificance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;"> It’s not that I lack confidence, really. I have the same invisible and terribly fragile force inside of me called faith, just like everybody else. I believe I am talented; it’s not my innate skepticism that is getting me down. Maybe I am fixated on ruin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;">I have an awful habit of collecting my alleged faults, like one might gather silver dollars to arrange in a coin book. I save all the rejection letters, take screenshots of every <i>no thank you, please try again next year’s </i>and various other thinly veiled insults. And in an immediate stroke of plunged self-assurance, all I see is rows of “declined” or “status: closed” like patterned wallpaper, if wallpaper had the ability to mock your failures in herringbone. I don’t know what it is about obsessively recounting my unsuccessful attempts at gaining recognition for my writing, but I can hardly recover its initial charm with every “no.” On the other hand, maybe I am endlessly impatient.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;"> I was halfway through my first screenplay when I was galvanized by the impact of the dialogue. The female protagonist is tormenting herself with the memory of her dead boyfriend that she recreates in her present relationships, resulting in self-sabotage. A stranger jokes with her about the world ending in the literal sense and she replies with, “You would be surprised in which the ways a world could end.” I began to wonder if my life was filled with little explosions that I ignited myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;"> Before I reflect more, I have to admit that 1) my brain is basically a labyrinth filled with false doors and staircases that don’t lead anywhere and the map was intentionally mislabeled by a disturbed and psychotic person who is definitely getting a rise out of it now from their grave, and 2) am not overdramatic. I just can’t skip over any words and I’ve never been one to skim through a book. If something allows itself pause, I will entertain it until I’ve cemented it as a part of who I am. Like how I’ve listened to “From Gold” by Novo Amor on repeat for hours stuck on the two background notes that gradually start to rumble as if I’m measured in 100 bpm. Like how I was drawn into the electricity of the word <i>galvanize </i>and elected it as a part of my speech. Like how a character says something so authentic and chaotic as if she was an extension of my own hurt and I couldn’t let her go unnoticed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Garamond;"> I’ve haunted myself with these persistent thoughts the past couple of months after feeling tragically ordinary. Though skeptical, I am not cynical. I would consider myself a fatal optimist, in that my positivity and enthusiasm will probably be the thing that kills me, if it’s not first from ending up as a suburban housewife who trades pie recipes with the other neighborhood moms. I can visualize success, but I seem to spend most of my time now deterred by uncertainty. But, I am more than the trepidation that consumes me. I am something to be valued. Despite all of the losses, time has to allocate some victories, right? Here’s to looking up again, for now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A0fLYSxQaxk/WTeoY_jThmI/AAAAAAAABW8/_oFz_3sa6RAByHM5Y11Ed7IeeN8AWdloACEw/s640/IMG_3746.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mqNLFyIqsKI/WTeoZeNUmWI/AAAAAAAABW8/C5jlHyuUrl8qeQRfpu6l3AB9BJXcUDKoQCEw/s640/IMG_3747.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Rq9nt_wye0/WTeodT5VAuI/AAAAAAAABW8/IzQfn3t4LP4yggPUuuqhgPEy-g8fT3qiACEw/s640/IMG_3748.JPG" title="Make a Wish, Dandelion" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cicjgcxQ444/WTeofw8bu-I/AAAAAAAABW8/WQB0RjokOfotOzrsHtO4GWFiN_-7kyQyQCEw/s640/IMG_3755.JPG" title="Tree and Sky at the Park" width="640" /><img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NJW7aVJJfUE/WTeofaGXBkI/AAAAAAAABW8/63VwVIjB4Y8y82UOPTbNx9rS2QwdkGjhwCEw/s640/IMG_3749.JPG" title="Looking Up" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="500" height="71" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQQv9CGb6nLl2GjzLfMtxNwQCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-85040616569267086012017-06-07T03:00:00.001-06:002017-06-07T03:08:40.073-06:00[Adidas+Nike] Blend the Rules and Mix Your Brands <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1600" height="420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WcxEv9WRlcY/WTfCdF3Wb_I/AAAAAAAABXw/XV5I3WCbL5A7Y7Qd-a-6vUgu5e0Hd8mTQCLcB/s640/brandmixing.jpg" title="Mixing Brands with Adidas and Nike" width="640" /></div>
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I've always wondered if it was acceptable to mix brands with streetwear. I've never been one to wear "athleisure"as dresses are the construct on which my entire identity is based upon so I am not familiar with the general guidelines, but lately I've been following my boyfriend's decades-long style trend, which has now finally been popularized more than five years after meeting him. His white t-shirts and Nike hats can finally be attributed to more than just laziness and a <i>very</i> specific personal taste.</div>
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As I've started to become more acquainted with the many athletic brands, I've decided that nothing is off limits. Why choose between the new soft pastel colors of Adidas tees and my Nike leggings that feel as if they are merely an extension of my own legs or between my incredibly comfortable Nike tennis shoes and my Adidas sweatshirt (that also looks good with jeans)? I like both brands, why only rep one of them at a time? So I've bended a few rules and mixed them into one arresting outfit, which is casual, uncomplicated, and perfectly fine, okay?</div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1600" height="458" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ai8G1MfGFSY/WTeofxd57FI/AAAAAAAABWs/4s9Vq1IUOW4rP9DcYAin3OFKBE2ybP_ZwCLcB/s640/IMG_3756.JPG" title="Mixing Brands with Adidas and Nike" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oqGS8M_RIFk/WTeollnG-uI/AAAAAAAABW4/n_twGQFn6L0NfF1FzzX_H14yu9oBLt2xwCLcB/s640/IMG_3757.JPG" title="Mixing Brands with Adidas and Nike" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2OJ6dYWdELc/WTeolPCYLUI/AAAAAAAABW0/GaedPxDfGuwwJ_7fFUjDFxM4sqNr7mY2wCLcB/s640/IMG_3759.JPG" title="Mixing Brands with Adidas and Nike" width="640" /></div>
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How do you feel about brand mixing? Is it disloyal or is it unreasonable to stay impartial? Do you think it's tacky or can you ignore the rules on this one? Weigh in in the comments, xo</div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="500" height="71" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQQv9CGb6nLl2GjzLfMtxNwQCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-70088891304638739882017-05-29T23:47:00.001-06:002017-05-29T23:47:52.137-06:00Gettin' Bolder With Styles Off The Shoulder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kvg94YSyri8/WSqTJDzL-DI/AAAAAAAABU4/hvXeMsIlP2gNEQZpOTfrIbl_AwMRVeAeQCLcB/s640/IMG_3616.JPG" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /><img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IVsdBCiL8hM/WSqTJPqVFcI/AAAAAAAABU8/ZLqwxZo8Y5I6u2VLYd_4HwQBX_JTGaPpgCLcB/s640/IMG_3621.JPG" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /><img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xjr9eqEGQQ4/WSqTI46D5cI/AAAAAAAABU0/ZT1w6raWRjYSXwlAMQymqZTNl8ZzqXGCwCLcB/s640/IMG_3622.JPG" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /> <img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1600" height="350" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMQQJXtIozc/WSqTMi7dUxI/AAAAAAAABVA/oqXro5fdhbkcW1AlQONwxQMV50E2SPXswCLcB/s640/IMG_3634.JPG" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /><img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-96itUNmvQiE/WSqTMmcUS5I/AAAAAAAABVE/ZBJReDuRvbQvKMp2W28n7tG_o2nsIzTXQCLcB/s640/IMG_3633.JPG" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KipqsuatDZ4/WSqTMxtD_iI/AAAAAAAABVY/49EuXzLOQTspq_1He-5Kzvc7lGkpacyywCEw/s640/IMG_3635.JPG" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_0j4XknLN7s/WSqTO0pYIaI/AAAAAAAABVM/pZZWQ3gFiysFeeTbQtCOE9vMEIWxMvFvgCLcB/s640/IMG_3636.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1600" height="446" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R0fFkyEauKg/WSqTP-t1aiI/AAAAAAAABVU/0lTlPqNQdVobPrR_RiQLbgmWUv65EjgIQCLcB/s640/IMG_3637.JPG" style="text-align: center;" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1600" height="448" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ph3ct3RnnhI/WSqTPcjXo_I/AAAAAAAABVQ/yKz_i8warhYM69h3_UwoLN860iKO5TfVQCLcB/s640/IMG_3638.JPG" title="Off The Shoulder" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirt: PacSun</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeans: HM</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Watch: NY & Co</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Flats: NY & Co</span></div>
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<img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="500" height="71" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQQv9CGb6nLl2GjzLfMtxNwQCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" style="text-align: center;" title="Ariel Reverie" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-17571067983568331122017-05-28T05:12:00.004-06:002017-05-28T05:14:19.974-06:00Yes, I Am the Manager and You Are Speaking to Her<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1600" height="337" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nt1ve5w6tNQ/WSqwcFC-4kI/AAAAAAAABVk/CGgwxW1DiCYLif652FA7F20t8x6BCrDjwCLcB/s640/girlboss.jpg" title="Girl Boss" width="640" /></div>
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As a person with chronic baby face
coupled with a relatively small stature, I am not immediately met with much
significance. In public, I am so often asked if my parents are around to offer
me their permission that I’ve been systematically conditioned to keep one hand
on my driver’s license and the other on a separate form of identification to
prove the first one isn’t fake. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am a server who speaks to many
different people in the course of a shift and I’ve learned to field questions
about my age as if I’m being interrogated by the paparazzi. On numerous
occasions, customers have placed bets and as they laugh off guessing almost a
decade short of my 25 years, I begin to question if it’s possible that a face
could become stuck in a fake smile and seriously consider Googling the answer
after my shift is over. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My presence gives off no real sense
of authority and it doesn’t help that I’m barely tall enough to reach anything
inside of standard-sized cabinetry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
when I became a manager in an industry where supervisor roles are mostly
male-dominated, I was again reminded how small I looked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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People challenge you differently as
a woman. It’s as if every answer you give is followed by a question. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is that the best for me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does what you’re saying make sense to me? </i>I
am suddenly less dignified because my employees did not favor my decision.
Instead, they want a detailed explanation with charts and graphs chronicling
how I’ve possibly reached such an appallingly off-base judgment that didn’t
take how they felt into consideration. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve noticed that every male
manager that works alongside me can say the same exact thing in the same exact
tone and yield better results. When I ask, I am instantly met with a series of
groans and accusations of nagging or being bossy. I am not bossy, I am your
boss. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And it’s not just employees that
challenge my position. Customers and people that walk through the restaurant
doors are just as affected. This is a conversation I have almost every day:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Can I speak to the manager?”<br />
“Yes, I am the manager. What can I do for you?”<br />
“Is there a manager around that can come talk to me?”<br />
“I am the manager you can speak to, what can I help you with today?”<br />
“Can you grab him for me?”<br />
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yes, I am the manager and you are
speaking to her. </i>What can I do for you?”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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This is the exchange I had with the
man who came to fix the refrigeration in the wine room and again with the young
woman who was upset that she had to wait twenty minutes to find out that we were
out of the cocktail she ordered. It’s the conversation I have with each person
who is surprised at the fact that a young woman could possibly be in some
position of power. It doesn’t matter how nicely I am dressed or the fact that I
carry a set of keys in my hand, I am automatically assumed to be the host or
just some really helpful stranger and that’s a problem.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I catch the sideways glances when
your steak is overcooked and I am offering you a free gift card to come back to
try us again and I can sense the confusion in your voice when I’m the only
person in the building you can negotiate the cost of repairs with. I know that
you’d rather not have a girl tell you what your cleaning tasks are for today
and issue you extra sidework. I am well aware that somehow it makes you feel
inferior or listening to me delegate is almost laughable. It must be adorable
to have a cute little girl think that she can show up and command things. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am not playing dress-up. I am the
boss. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We need more women to feel like they
can’t let those kinds of limitations dictate their direction or desire to
succeed. We need more individual women in a position of power to make us feel
greater as a whole. We need it so that no one will do ever have to do a double
take when a woman is running the place. And we need everyone else to let go of
the thought that only a man can be in charge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
So the next time you want to speak
to a manager, I will continue to give you my best and most believable fake
smile and I tell you proudly that you are speaking to her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="500" height="71" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yy1m2niAIa8/V8c3WgzT6HI/AAAAAAAAA8w/XDfUpWLWjwoTMMtSo7roFAeAY2sJfc5sACPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-24286450361248243502017-05-16T02:46:00.001-06:002017-05-16T02:49:05.461-06:00Past the Bleachers // Schoolyard Nostalgia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="Schoolyard Nostalgia" border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lobKDd4B5JQ/WRqtrK4TAsI/AAAAAAAABUY/ZZN477r2Iog0Zu5XjM5riW6PaImZ_I_uQCLcB/s640/image1.JPG" title="Past the Bleachers - Ariel Reverie" width="640" /><img alt="Schoolyard Nostalgia" border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lWQRUBLEN_4/WRqtrDIwNyI/AAAAAAAABUU/qpFNyKP80QgBYeE4LnWUhewQxtHmEZ1NQCLcB/s640/image2.JPG" title="Past the Bleachers - Ariel Reverie" width="640" /></div>
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<i>"My blood is alive with many voices telling me I am made of longing</i><i>."</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">-Rainer Maria Rilke, <i>The Book of Hours</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirt - Aeropostale / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeans - H&M /</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shoes - Steve Madden / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Beanie - Supreme </span></div>
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<img border="0" height="71" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQQv9CGb6nLl2GjzLfMtxNwQCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" style="text-align: center;" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-11807364095442433452017-04-23T03:35:00.001-06:002017-04-23T03:36:53.486-06:00#GlassesGoals: Affordable Online Eyewear from Zenni Optical<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.instagram.com/arielreverie"><img alt="Glasses Goals" border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kxg8-X1KwIs/WO8bslo5tVI/AAAAAAAABSs/jlYBW_kIKnM16cVtHZCBKZEYS_V-4Q3OQCLcB/s640/image1-9.JPG" title="Ariel Reverie and Zenni Optical" width="640" /></a>-</div>
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I'm an optimist. So when I made the discernibly smart decision to see, I had a vision that my eyewear could be both stylish and affordable. It's not exactly cool to have constantly visual proof that your eyes are failing you, but I remember a friend who gave me some insightful information on where to get glasses for cheap online that weren't an eyesore. Sorry about all of the puns, I just enjoy making a spectacle of myself.</div>
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My friend told me about Zenni Optical, the land where all of your #glassesgoals that you didn't know you even had become a reality and you can purchase a pair of glasses with prescription lenses for around $15. All you need is your prescription, which can be found through a quick call to your optometrist. I've bought glasses from Warby Parker before in the past, so I just transferred my information over from my purchase history. The only problem I encountered was that I needed to enter in something called a pupillary distance, an unfamiliar term to me. After a slightly distressed Google search, I learned how to measure it myself with a ruler. Equipped with only measuring tape and some anxiety over not doing it properly, I subsequently overcame a separate, but more extreme, anxiety surrounding making phone calls to strangers and called Target Optical to obtain the accurate measurement from my prescription dating back to 2013. Her immediate astonishment at how much time had passed between my last visit coupled with my impatience about receiving a thousand pairs of new glasses secured the decision to hang up before she could schedule my next appointment. Ain't nobody got time for that, I was fully prepared to binge order glasses with my outdated prescription. </div>
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<a href="http://www.instagram.com/arielreverie"><img alt="Glasses Goals" border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N3lewsHUPRM/WPxttwKAQmI/AAAAAAAABT4/ZHCgCeK4VvAFp6D2sApNP_oMrcDmuNRiwCLcB/s640/image1-10.JPG" title="Ariel Reverie and Zenni Optical" width="640" /></a></div>
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Then, I bought four pairs of glasses for $65.12. Granted, the total was priced incredibly low because I selected all of the bare minimum options, choosing to opt out of upgrades like lens tint and a range of different kinds of anti-reflective coating. In hind sight, I should have probably added the anti-reflective feature because the reflection of light is a little annoying, but if you want to stay basic forgoing it isn't detrimental to your ability to see. My order confirmation stated that it takes 2-3 weeks to ship, but I received my order in the mail 9 days after placing my order. Overall, the process was fast and easy and now I don't have any excuse not to wear my glasses. I can see and I can see in a scope of style. Look at me clearly looking like I made a wise purchase! Let me know which ones are your favorite and look out for more pictures on my <a href="http://www.instagram.com/arielreverie">Instagram</a>!</div>
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<img border="0" height="71" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpZ_iX070Ks/V7l8y7kNYmI/AAAAAAAAA6M/W1Nfu5LjUB8zOas15jSxQoFbV63dkdlOwCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-53639011544330502922017-04-17T02:38:00.002-06:002017-04-17T02:51:29.250-06:00Fracture: Poems for My Mother About the Vietnam War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Poems for My Mother About the Vietnam War" border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iAQqFkEV0ww/WPRstvBfnYI/AAAAAAAABTc/ke5VSlrmvu4m7VHuJYDonisSDjI39jmHQCLcB/s640/fracture.jpg" title="Vietnam War: Operation Babylift 42nd Anniversary" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"> My mother has always been rather quiet. Not the kind of quiet like the heavy lull after an exhale, but the kind of quiet where all of her truth is</span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"> </span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">inaudible. It's l</span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">ike there's a screen between her and her surroundings muffling the volume. Like she is always remembering. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"> As a kid, I would smooth over a piece of skin on her arm with my fingertips where the texture was different. It was a slight indent by her shoulder with serrated edges, little lines carefully arranged in a circular pattern like a child's crude cut-out. It was soft, glossy. I often asked where she got it, because my own arm was unblemished. She would turn to me each time I asked and say matter-of-factly that she had gotten a shot. </span><span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I would continue to trace it with my hand and wish I could wear the same scar on my arm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"> I've always admired the way her hands don't tremble, the way her eyes never travel, like everything she says is with the utmost conviction. She's quiet, but her smile is resounding and draws everything into focus. Light is charmed by my mother's silhouette. She is magnetic, powerful, and divine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"> When my mother came to America on a plane from Vietnam as an orphan, I like to think I know how she might of felt because of how I know her now, but I don't, and when it comes to these kinds of stories, the ones that require more detail, she is quiet. Sometimes remembering must be deafening. All I know for certain is that she is the strongest person I have ever known and that and her story, whatever she wants to tell of it, need to be honored. Forty two years ago this month, my mother became a survivor. These are the poems I wrote for her to be her voice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b>In My Dreams I Am There</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">by Ariel Sullivan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><i>A U.S. government plan to transport Vietnamese orphans out</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><i>of their war-torn country began in disaster. On April 4, 1975,</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><i>the first flight to leave Saigon crashed several minutes after takeoff</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><i>killing 138 people, most of whom were Vietnamese Children.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I hear the crippling sound of airplane</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">eruption of fuselage, of heartbreak.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">I like to think that each child felt weightless</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">like they could be jet-streamed into sleep</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">and they could sing anything they wanted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Inside the plane, I see everything suspended</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">in radical slow-motion. Children drift through</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">the air like dust particles only visible when sun</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">streams through glass, everything eerily stagnant.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Their faces are expressionless, arms cradle their</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">dolls and little possessions. I like to think they</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">thought of nothing, as they fell through the air.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Instead, they became bright shades of crimson,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">cries submerged into the ground, creating so many</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">clouds of earth, billowing downward the way</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">water does around a rock thrown into a lake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b>Backyard Stories</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">by Ariel Sullivan</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">The grass was always at it’s highest in my mother’s</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">backyard. A wooden bench-swing undulated in windgusts,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">guided softly by our bare toes moving dirt as we swayed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">Our bench overlooked the sky orchestra tucked behind the</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">fence, brilliant tinges of light like conducted flames almost</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">danced in the stillness of the evening. It was as if the sky were</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">one layer, us another opacity. We were doll pieces under the house</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">shadow, miniscule forms of ourselves beneath the nightfall. She spoke</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">softly of polio, of wreckage, of a country she only knew through fragments.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b>How to Write an
Autobiography in Two Languages</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">by Ariel Sullivan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">1. Write it small, so they can’t hear you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">2. Remember, stories can be carved out of any raw material</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">(monochromatic, grayed photographs with corners turned, silica and soda ash).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">3. Admit, I want to remember it with fireflies, is as good as an excuse for revisions as any.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">4. Include layers of the woods whose roots are weaved like patchwork underneath your</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">childhood home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">5. Include portraits of cathedrals entombed by soil and penned by wounded hands.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">6. Use verses from Vietnamese folk songs so they can be recycled and filtered into</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">choruses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">7. Research all the words you’d like to include, but have no idea how much weight they</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">actually carry. How ngày is day and đêm is night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">8. It won’t be necessary to mention your role in any of this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">9. When you forget what words mean, let them braid into their own form. Let bóng t<span style="font-size: xx-small;">ố</span>i</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">take shape as sun silhouettes, even though darkness can’t be reformed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">10. Forget how hand games sound like hand grenades, crafting ripples in the sound.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><b>Syncopate, Saigon</b><br />
by Ariel Sullivan<br />
<br />
i. Twin Dolls<br />
<br />
Most of what I own is splintered<br />
by the streets, but I have two dolls<br />
whose eyes bead, their linen dresses<br />
cross-stitched with identical stars. <br />
Their faces are patched with so many <br />
bruises, their porcelain cracks<br />
in different patterns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><br />
ii. Bombs Are Maternal<br />
<br />
And gunshots are fireworks in people’s bodies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;">iii. War Games<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><br />
I play jacks on broken earth, <br />
tiny fractures are an injury from the mortar,<br />
but their size, an apology.<br />
I imagine the ground taking a mouthful of jacks<br />
and swallowing them whole.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;">iv. My Soldier’s Promise<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’ll come back for you</i> is like an
ornament<br />
I cannot touch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;">v. Treasures<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><br />
Snails hide underneath the rocks when <br />
the air gets too loud. I pick them out and <br />
turn them over in my hands. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Snails are
made <br />
of rocks</i> I tell the nuns. But they throw them<br />
back over the fence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><br />
vi. Ghosts<br />
<br />
Sometimes I hear their voices outside through the explosions. <br />
A thousand howls in my head. I won’t leave my room.<br />
I call out to them, my tongue thick with vowels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;">vii. “Goodnight, Good Luck”<br />
<br />
There are no orphans, only fog.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro"; mso-bidi-font-family: Aparajita;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b>Moon Children</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">by Ariel Sullivan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">In an orphanage, my mother wrote m<span style="font-size: x-small;">ặ</span>t trăng on</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">firecracker paper and then wrote it into the flames,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">their letters burned and crumpled, vanishing in the</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">smoke. She remembers stories of children who carried</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">lanterns to the moon. How the light acted as their guide</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">to somewhere safe. How they were always moving.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">How the sun spat kerosene and then stitched together</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">the stars. A statue of a man in front of the cathedral</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">was swallowed by the earth. Her friend went with it,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">a piece of lunar core slumping into the ground.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">They used to sing Vietnamese proverbs, played hand games</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">on the street. The songs, now splinters of muddled syllables</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">in her throat. She left her language on a plane, when she saw</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">the one behind her disappear into the cloud-rubble.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">In her new country, a woman with long brown hair changed her</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">name, dressed her American, gave her new moons. She held them</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">like trinkets in her palms. Her new mother pocketed her stories</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">of a place only recognized through black and white photographs</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">and distant echoes. Now, when she dreams, there’s no dialogue.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">There is only earth, swallowing voices and screams.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><b>A Foreign Tongue</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">by Ariel Sullivan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">When she speaks, her words carry a stereo delay,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">disable salivary glands, pool sound underneath<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">the frenulum, bend vowels in her mouth. Her lips<br />configure into knots, then wrinkles of words like raw<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";"><br />silk from the back of the throat. Letters form in circular<br />contours, shape her mouth pattern into templates,<br /><br />and create an arrangement of speech-strings. As they<br />unravel, she finds them distant and strange, yet familiar,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "adobe caslon pro";">knowing language never leaves. Pressure-sensitive, muffled<br />beneath years passed, it festers underneath the tongue.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-91373466432261233332017-03-28T01:31:00.000-06:002017-03-28T01:32:33.060-06:00Everything's Coming Up Roses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VusThzTCrrE/WNoFZursqmI/AAAAAAAABQM/KLRB7ymNiw8TgKXK4wwvIzJkobKvyRfGACLcB/s640/ROSES.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been surrendering to my external creative impulses lately, which has materialized into an explicitly pink aesthetic. It could be as a result of my generation's fascination with native flora or their identical obsession with apathy and need for epitomizing it through irony. It could be because I suddenly like pink. Or that there's something about roses that is interestingly enough both arresting and redeeming, which seems to be the theme of life lately. No matter what the reason is, I know that after all the smoke it's all coming up roses.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pink Aesthetic" border="0" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V7bmBgtdRy4/WNoPHYtvfdI/AAAAAAAABQw/-cXAWLiLcigo01yxLW_gzujMpXOjmf9XACLcB/s640/ROSES5.jpg" title="Everything's Coming Up Roses" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Obey Pink Jacket" border="0" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1QYELzjrMnU/WNoFbxx5z0I/AAAAAAAABQY/bLcj_DqkLH40JBDsVf_v-nIYjyG_N4Q2wCLcB/s640/ROSES4.jpg" title="Everything's Coming Up Roses" width="640" /></div>
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<img alt="Obey Pink Jacket" border="0" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UdqKz3_TTGE/WNoFaY3hH4I/AAAAAAAABQU/cZjtcsyKWlMP5H6wBmqmW5uYKP0wlI-gwCLcB/s640/ROSES3.jpg" style="text-align: center;" title="Everything's Coming Up Roses" width="640" /><img alt="Obey Pink Jacket" border="0" height="424" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DloNWZPZcZE/WNoFaF3EYvI/AAAAAAAABQQ/cQ_2ha7BwZMRCg-qdJ2KJiELsujd5wUpgCLcB/s640/ROSES2.jpg" style="text-align: center;" title="Everything's Coming Up Roses" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.zumiez.com/brands/obey/clothing/jackets.html">Obey Caviar Pink Coaches Jacket</a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-89685417289499356692017-03-15T01:32:00.001-06:002017-03-28T04:32:19.602-06:00Nighttime Skincare Routine: Get Unready With Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Check out my nighttime skincare routine in my new YouTube Video! Don't forget to subscribe, like, and comment! What products do you use to keep your skin healthy? </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-50809378764409484092017-03-13T01:09:00.001-06:002017-03-13T01:09:32.912-06:00Rock Hysteria: The Band Revival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8MMrqreg4GQ/WL_I4NOp-bI/AAAAAAAABO4/aIAyj_ji-2459ZsowH49yhCq6PLfeQ9iQCLcB/s640/image3%2Bcopy.jpg" title="Hysteria by Def Leppard" width="640" /></div>
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80s rock band nostalgia is real and seemingly more fervent than ever. As an avid music fan and a deep admirer of the greats, I love seeing new band T-shirts of early favorites on the racks. There's something comforting about guitar riffs, neon lettering, the words "glam metal," and a shirt with a band name on it, almost like catching up with an old friend. I, for one, have never really fallen off the band wagon, but am reveling in the fresh alternatives. Check out my favorite piece from all of the rock hysteria, a Def Leppard bodysuit from Pacsun. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-15465935142858544092017-02-20T02:26:00.001-07:002017-02-20T02:45:07.099-07:00Late for The Party: Chroma Vibes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="" border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JINUWRTnklQ/WKqoOy3lXdI/AAAAAAAABMg/Mx8plrXQa3YXD4TK180El2m9vEkerx5lQCLcB/s640/IMG_2745.JPG" title="Adidas All White" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"> It's no secret that I have become Adidas-obsessed. I recently picked up a white version of the classic Adidas T-shirt and to complete the look, I paired it with my TopShop white ripped-knee jeans and newly purchased tan Steve Madden slip-ons (not pictured). Instead of my usual wavy hairstyle, I opted for simplicity and threw my hair up in two top knots, which is both super low maintenance and matches the overall vibe I was feeling. I also wanted to play around with my newly-acquired Phillips Hue light app that generates light patterns that makes your room feel like a nightclub. With my DJI Osmo camera and a good built-in countdown timer, I was able to compliment my all-white ensemble with the whole chromatic color scale. There's something about Adidas that creates an aesthetic, which has also inspired me to create a short playlist of some of my new favorite hipster hip-hop artists. Come for my outfit, my amateur visual artwork, and some cool sounds. Stay for the party.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_HYGdHrTcSA/WKq36tgMJgI/AAAAAAAABNM/LAmdJwa7mUIUqr2RKhkZnpnNWkqgLG6oACLcB/s640/image1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Adidas, Polo, Northface" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Half <a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/02/tillys-is-for-fashionable-with-budget.html">top-knots</a> are cool too. </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Want more </span><a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2017/01/all-adidas-everything.html">Adidas</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">? </span><a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/07/adidas-got-its-cool-back.html">More</a><span style="font-size: x-small;">?</span></td></tr>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmqpLeLsTbs/WKq3eBAjijI/AAAAAAAABNE/DO91bS8-UTkxeKmFCVFM2DUPqPcKA2BVwCEw/s400/image2.JPG" title="Top-knot Adidas" width="225" /><img alt="" border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XyFu8I0QmAI/WKq3ec-P9ZI/AAAAAAAABNI/9Uk_aZVQZiAenq3pDotQn1IQ8gS2zZ_UQCEw/s400/image3.JPG" title="Top-knot Adidas" width="225" /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-15044537143017968662017-01-31T23:36:00.001-07:002017-01-31T23:36:49.128-07:00A Moment of Thanks - Ariel Reverie Hits 30,000 Views<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In April of last year, I was excited about my blog reaching 6,000 views. That meant my blog was given pause at least 6,000 times. Whether you've laughed with me, experienced with me, or related with me, the fact that you've given even just a moment to what I have created means so much to me. That is why I'm excited to announce that Ariel Reverie has surpassed 30,000 views, which makes my heart so full. 31,418 to be exact, not that I religiously count or anything. Thank you. Without you, I would just be some girl online talking to herself.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-26698642841376251822017-01-31T02:26:00.000-07:002017-01-31T02:27:39.331-07:00Fashion That Means Business - How to Work Business Casual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am a manager. I have chronic baby face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time someone walks into the restaurant
I work at, people automatically assume I am the hostess. In a review, someone
once said that the hostess was extremely helpful by coming over to check up on
their dining experience. That was me. If someone needs to speak to a manager, I
get stared at like I am playing some kind of joke on them and I watch as their
faces turn from initial apprehension to complete terror that a child is in
charge. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Though I’ve finally started to refer to myself as an adult
at 25, I have been experimenting with my professional look since I was 18 to no
avail. At 5’2, I have a small frame and struggle with a more mature wardrobe
because I always end up looking like I’m a toddler playing dress-up. Luckily, I
currently am my mother’s real-life Barbie doll and she has dressed me for work
since the day I was promoted. While I can’t change my youthful appearance,
thanks to my mom (for the genes and the advice), I’ve learned to polish my
workplace look.<br />
<br />
This dress is the introduction to my business casual wardrobe from Target’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Who What Wear </i>line. It’s my absolute
favorite piece right now because it’s simple and classy. This t-shirt dress is
long and cuts right below the knee, but cinches at the waist so I don’t look
shorter. It’s also incredibly comfortable and is perfect for making the right
impression. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Stay tuned for the part two of how to work business casual, tailored to the
fresh-faced girl bosses who need a little inspiration!<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cvOPS7IsDHA/WJBLAtPG_zI/AAAAAAAABLU/4t5j9tNBEAMVGg_PrO0j21DLbpg3WzhJwCLcB/s640/XOARIELbusiness.jpg" width="640" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-81074763031258062012017-01-25T01:15:00.001-07:002017-01-25T01:23:23.624-07:00All Adidas Everything<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ABQTnLX936w/WIhN0bIM5eI/AAAAAAAABJw/E-wgFiKz4MoxEeLAj1OZEpSv32BkdDKvgCLcB/s640/Photo%2BJan%2B23%252C%2B6%2B00%2B30%2BPM.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Back in July, I fell in love with Adidas as it made its comeback with
their image of an unparalleled urban athletic nostalgia. This year, my love
affair with the brand has deepened with Adidas' ability to never disappoint.
I've become, a term I've just now coined, bougie casual—sporting an activewear
style that’s as confident as streetwear. In this look, my enthusiasm for making
a statement was showcased by all Adidas everything. There’s something so alluring
about their line that crafts identity. With it I am poised. I am bold, indomitable.
I am unafraid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Check out my impromptu photo shoot below and let me know what brand you
identify with! I’ll start collecting my endorsement checks now, Adidas.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HdjZkAc-bEM/WIhNpkv-6sI/AAAAAAAABJQ/oJsXjcqr5H4gWb8cbnsqKJwNlEV3wntjgCLcB/s640/Photo%2BJan%2B23%252C%2B5%2B09%2B57%2BPM.jpg" width="640" /><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ke5NcFkc7sQ/WIhNhfFW-3I/AAAAAAAABI0/O01eBCLRHRkWV8jaGhbf3HJz1wLJQO40wCLcB/s640/Photo%2BJan%2B23%252C%2B4%2B41%2B14%2BPM.jpg" width="640" /><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEq3GbLCjT4/WIhNhQoPXRI/AAAAAAAABIw/DqCgSqOG7y8JsNPAyqo_pZm44fZkefaNQCLcB/s640/Photo%2BJan%2B23%252C%2B4%2B43%2B32%2BPM.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/07/adidas-got-its-cool-back.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/07/adidas-got-its-cool-back.html" border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-660MVhUSPv0/V5mgLYDD9cI/AAAAAAAAA0A/gUJHgozfqk8CZIe9uOclKNTB0t2VGfQ4gCLcB/s640/IMG_1790.JPG" style="text-align: center;" title="Ariel Reverie Adidas" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "garamond"; text-align: start;">Remember this? </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; text-align: start;">Check out my last post on Adidas style by clicking <a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/07/adidas-got-its-cool-back.html">here</a> or on the picture above. <br />Also, d</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; text-align: start;">on’t forget to follow @arielreverie on Instagram to keep updated on my blog and subscribe to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDf-yzT53GDQQNVqMxPLrjA">Ariel Reverie</a> on YouTube to see some new and exciting things that are yet to come.</span></td></tr>
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<img border="0" height="71" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQQv9CGb6nLl2GjzLfMtxNwQCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-74269199470716598112017-01-18T03:01:00.001-07:002017-01-18T03:03:44.287-07:00Why My Lipstick Color Doesn't Concern You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7crEUN6FPa4/WH8b2QovHvI/AAAAAAAABIM/gx95TSGjPNcKmIHdDfN1og8emqCcw3wNQCLcB/s640/image1-5.JPG" width="640" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love makeup. Growing up I would always break into my mom’s
makeup drawer in her bathroom and experiment with all of her products. In the 3<sup>rd</sup>
grade, my teachers were in uproar because I wore purple eye shadow to school,
which was deemed not to be appropriate for my age, but it probably didn’t help
that it was paired with a shirt that was bejeweled with the word <i>rebel</i> on the front. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
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I have always been captivated by the artistic qualities of
makeup, the magic of instantly expelled insecurity, the ability of a physical
alteration to incite an internal transformation. Makeup is limitless and I am
bound to it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a kid, makeup was the symbol of adulthood. As a teenager,
it was a way for an insecure highschooler to cover up acne and the subsequent
acne scars. As an adult, it has become a form of expression. It is now a way to
empower the idea of beauty; it gives the person who is holding the brush a
sense of control in a world where we are powerless. We do not get to choose the
standard. There is no open discussion about what is beautiful and what is not
and there is no world meeting that helps us to reach a consensus. Of course
there are ideas of beauty, but makeup allows it to take whatever shape you want
it to. I can express every little detail of who I am through how my makeup
looks. I can do it, too, through the deliberate decision not to wear it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And this is why my lipstick color doesn’t concern you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Holding a ridiculous amount of weight on everyone’s
individual appearance has shamed people into thinking that there are beauty
parameters that they cannot challenge. On many occasions, I’ve had someone comment
on my choice to wear blue, purple, or black lipstick. An observer will say, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Whoa! That looks good on you, but I could
never wear that color. </i>If I am received this way, I always reply that
anyone can wear any color they feel confident in. This particular statement saddens
me that someone is genuinely interested in my obviously unconventional color
choice, but for some reason feels like they can’t participate. I didn’t wake up
one day thinking that painting my lips dark purple brought out my cheekbones, I
just decided that I liked the shade and wore it. No one gave me permission. If
you enjoy the idea of wearing fun colored lipsticks that don’t fall into the
red or pink color spectrum, then you should consider yourself someone who is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">allowed </i>to do it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are no rules, though for some reason people have attempted
to create limitations like the countless men who have felt like it was their
civic duty to tell me which lipstick shade looks better on me. If I am not
being thoroughly questioned about why my lips are blue even before they have
asked my name, I am being told that I am prettier wearing pink. After being
assured that it is a compliment, I usually am so gosh darn flattered that a man
has so graciously helped me decide how to look better for other men that I have
sworn that I from now on will only wear color-approved shades hand-selected by a
committee of men who I am desperately trying to seek approval from.<br />
<br />
My lipstick color doesn’t concern you, because I am always beautiful. If I
really am, I will be still if I my lipstick is red or black. If I really am
beautiful, I will be with a full face of makeup, or when I roll out of bed in
the morning with my hair matted to the top of my head and the impression of the
wrinkled sheets across my face. And if I am beautiful, it won’t be your
decision anyway. I am beautiful because I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feel</i>
beautiful and I feel that way in every shade. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I will always be the 3<sup>rd</sup> grader with the
heavy-handed purple eye shadow and the glittering <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rebel </i>shirt rummaging through my mother’s makeup drawer. Only now I
am wearing Kat Von D liquid lipstick in Echo, a dark blue that is borderline
black, not caring about if you think it makes me look less beautiful because I’m
wearing it for me. And tomorrow, maybe I’ll wear pink and maybe I won’t.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<img border="0" height="71" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQQv9CGb6nLl2GjzLfMtxNwQCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-4583256090764595812017-01-17T01:43:00.001-07:002017-01-17T01:44:45.674-07:00Resolutions: How To Make the Most Out of 2017<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="How to Make the Most Out of Your Year" border="0" height="358" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P1xnJ3Fl2Pg/WH3XQ6HWZUI/AAAAAAAABHo/qQEhRJ348q0EkZg3p4dGwPmNRvRxQRGfwCLcB/s640/2017ResolutionsPost3.jpg" title="New Years Resolutions 2017" width="640" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am not a huge advocate for resolutions. It seems to me
that we often use them as an excuse to promote temporary change. We throw out
our calendars and act like we’re suddenly going to be different. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new year, new me! </i>attitude and
ridiculously unrealistic declarations of personal transformation made in
millions of Facebook statuses around the world makes me physically ill. Within
a few weeks, we’ll go back to binge-watching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stranger Things </i>and eating microwavable burritos instead of going
to the gym. Resolutions made at the expense of the panic of realizing that it’s
yet again already the beginning of an entire new year are short-lived, but they
don’t have to be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though I am incredibly repulsed by the idea of New Year’s
resolutions, I am a firm believer in goals. While segmenting life in chapters
is extremely corny, you have to be able to compartmentalize specific parts of
your life to measure progress. No, these chapters don’t turn at 12:01 on the
first of January. Instead, they are characterized on an individual basis by
specific events and other various factors, but each year is sort of like a
mini-chapter, too. I have become convinced over the years that even though
everyone has their own experience that defines the periods of their lives, it’s
okay to use the start of each calendar year as a marker for checking up on
yourself. It’s not a bad thing to use the New Year as a reason to initiate small
revolutions, ones that can be considerably, or even marginally, valuable to
achieving your personal objectives, or at the very least, re-igniting the
enthusiasm you had for them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If anything, setting reasonable expectations and ambitions
for yourself will give you better insight to who you are and what you want to
achieve. It’s okay to want and filtering those wants into goals will help make
them become reality. Each year is a reminder that you need to dream bigger or
keep working if you’ve fallen off. It’s a new year and you don’t have to be a
new you, just a better version. One that takes initiative and doesn’t let life
choose where each chapter starts and ends. Make this year whatever part of your
story you want. Make 2017 yours. Here are some of my goals for this year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="2017 Goals" border="0" height="358" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rfteH1S8xkE/WH3XDwFgSUI/AAAAAAAABHk/ndKmL0y2HdcoVWdRjwqoBy4TzvtOsm4vQCLcB/s640/2017Goals.jpg" title="2017 New Years Resolutions" width="640" /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Leave everything in the years before this
one.</i> <br />
I am 25 years old now and will be 26 at the end of this year; I no longer need
to dwell on that one time the host at Kona Grill was snarky to me, or the
embarrassment of not knowing that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sayonara</i>
was a Japanese farewell instead of a Spanish one. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will not re-read letters, text messages, or re-visit old
pictures, unless it is just as a nice reminder that they have shaped me in the
past. They are souvenirs of a different time in my life and they no longer
direct my future. I will leave everything before this moment as a gentle impression,
something to be subtly reminded of, but this year I won’t linger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Make good shit.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I often stop myself because I am afraid or insecure. Whether
it is during the creative process or just the decision to put my completed work
on display, I pause. This year, I will not allow myself the moment to question.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will not let myself get in my way. I will make art that I
am proud of. I will demand quality. I will not hesitate and will do so by
convincing myself that every movement is deliberate, even if it isn’t.<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Know when to apologize.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I used to always say sorry when I would accidentally bump
into someone at work. It happened literally every step that I would take. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh my god I am so sorry, I’m just so clumsy!
</i>Then one day after delivering my thousandth or so apology to my coworkers,
I realized that I was getting tired. I’m a server, we practically stumble over
each other, almost as often as the thought of throwing the sauce a guest asks
for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">after</i> we brought the side glass
of ice for their wine they asked for in their face crosses our mind. I’m sorry
I almost knocked into your tray of food, but you already know that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I used to also say sorry after I made a joke. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sorry, I just had to use that pun since the
opportunity was there! </i>I’m actually not sorry in this instance. I’m upset
you didn’t laugh to the degree in which my animal pun merited, but I am
certainly not sorry. This unapologetic feeling extends to my writing and
everything else I create. I’m not sorry and I’m not sorry that I’m not sorry.
Something I do will offend someone or not live up to their standards and that’s
okay. I will learn to apologize when it matters, when I am petty or stubborn,
or if I make mistakes, which are all also okay. But I won’t apologize for
sometimes getting in the way, being myself, or any byproducts of being myself,
like my writing. I will apologize when it matters and I won’t apologize when it
doesn’t. This year, I will try to discern the difference.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not form judgments.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I actually thought of this one fairly recently. I think we
all fall victim to this, I just pretend that I don’t play any role to unfair
judgment because I am an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intellectual </i>and
because of this I am not only perceptive, I am accepting. But sometimes I find
myself commenting out loud that the news anchor has a large forehead or noting
in my head that the girl standing in front of me in the Chik-Fil-A line is
wearing a dress that doesn’t compliment her figure. I don’t know why these
things are important to me in the moment, but I allow them to become more than
surface-level background noise and take the form of thought-controlling
perceptions of who these people might be as humans, which is both unfair and
damaging. This year I want to limit myself to thoughts that are based on unity
and inclusiveness. Instead of jumping to conclusions, I will wander past them.
Instead of a discourteous comment about a woman’s eyebrow style, I will
consider asking her what her favorite brand of foundation is because her skin
looks flawless. This year, I will revise my attitude by modifying the way I
approach my thoughts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not let the big
picture fool me.<br />
</i>Everything is picture-perfect when you’re looking at a picture. Instagram makeup
makes regular humans look like their faces were carved by the gods. That pin of
a woman’s flawlessly sculpted braid on Pinterest is beautiful, her hair a
seamless ombr<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">é. Somehow, Facebook
profile pictures make couples look faultless, as if fighting about what to have
for dinner is never recurrent dialogue between them as they hold each other
sweetly in front of a Tumblr-worthy beach resort backdrop with matching tans.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But a picture captures only a moment and life is full of a whole
lot of moments and statistically speaking, only a handful of them are going to
be as happy as the moment caught on camera, perfectly edited and double-filtered,
first through Snapchat, then through VSCO cam. This year, I won’t look at these
pictures and self-generate anxiety that I am not a part of them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The same goes for looking at my life as a big picture. I
want to be a screenwriter, but sometimes the thought of all the things it could
take to get there makes me tense-up. I scroll through so much content, it is
difficult to miss all the people who appear as if they’re doing more than me,
or the ones who have already accomplished the things I want to. Look to the
ones who have made it in what you want to achieve, but do not look to them.
They have made it differently than you will. In 2017, I will take a deep breath
and take one step at a time until I get to where I want to be. I will not let
the big picture fool me into thinking that for some reason it is unobtainable. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Set realistic goals.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The reason our resolutions are short-lived is because we set
goals like “this year I will be a better person” and “this year I will be
healthy.” Those are just general things that we all want, but there are a lot
of things that need to happen between who I am now and who I want to be. It’s
okay to use these statements to shape your ultimate outcome, but only to
encourage you. These are not goals. In order to be a better person, you might
need to compliment people more. To be healthy, you might decide to try to take
your dog for a walk once a week. Then, once these smaller goals become habits,
create some more! Through time, you’ll start to become closer to the person you
want to be. This year, I will celebrate even the smallest of victories because
they are part of the bigger whole.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 2017, I will let go. I will be deliberate. I will learn
when it is appropriate to apologize. I will not judge. I will not be fooled by
the big picture. I will be who I want to be and I will recognize how much I can impact that myself. What will you do in 2017?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-57003881438163786992016-12-30T01:27:00.000-07:002016-12-30T01:47:56.366-07:00Ariel Reverie 2016 Highlights - Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's definitely been a year. Though I wouldn't say it was my personal best, I got some projects off the ground, graduated college with only a minor hit on my sanity, and got to continue to do what I love the most - write and create! And the best part, you read it! So even if 2016 won't be winning any medals, I definitely have a lot to be grateful for. I'm happy that Ariel Reverie continues to grow and that you guys are the most amazing readers. Thanks for being my test audience for puns of all varieties and my obviously ill-advised dad jokes. And thank you for every view, click, share, glance, comment, in-person compliment, and ounce of love you've given me. Take a look at the moments that have made Ariel Reverie what it was in 2016. I can promise you that 2017 will be bigger and better.</div>
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<a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/06/twinning-what-its-like-to-be-twin.html"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K4b1VE22IB4/V3Nfievc9-I/AAAAAAAAAyk/H80twBvAxekUHTkXvAPLZUnpODcM9qlowCPcB/s640/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-06-21%2Bat%2B3.29.25%2BAM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/08/handmade-bow-bags-from-sew-chrissy.html"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rhO5qNmmz_4/V5mk0ULKlBI/AAAAAAAAA28/Y_R2X9VYpbQfH9sIARz2h7GbY8WriKTrwCPcB/s640/savarifanny2.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/01/on-growing-up-and-chasing-ghosts.html"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ulk28pkcDhc/Vpdt_fcJqnI/AAAAAAAAAdo/0phDe8QN6pcUIih-FERPGJ1h4htWfM_gACPcB/s640/image1-8.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://arielreverie.blogspot.com/2016/04/online-summer-fashion-finds-at-tobi.html"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FMrHuFBqgGw/VxnCSVzavmI/AAAAAAAAApg/Z1n0ffKjgnMBTLfVMEQP4JxHFBkZtBHugCPcB/s640/image6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-30119722059860015942016-12-29T23:42:00.001-07:002016-12-29T23:43:22.995-07:00DJI Osmo Test Video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kd4hrdCJxeI/WGX-3R3aDYI/AAAAAAAABFU/eA-yNjC4FkgeDwJUU_XbvYCYnNishZE8ACLcB/s640/YouTubeThumbnail.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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Happy holidays! I've had my DJI Osmo video camera for a little while now, which is the one I shoot all my vlogs on and potentially want to shoot my web series with! I've been having some problems with recording as every time I shoot, there's a persistent beeping sound that won't go away and it's been driving me crazy trying to resolve the issue. The small microphone that attaches to the camera is also a little lower quality and catches a lot of the background noise, but once I updated the DJI app and switched to controlling the camera on my iPad vs. my iPhone, all the problems seemed to disappear! It was strange, but I can't complain. It is working better than it ever has and now I finally don't have buyer's remorse. I decided to test it out as a properly functioning piece of technology during Christmas with my boyfriend's family. You can hear them discussing Korean and American movies in the background. If you have a DJI Osmo or the Phantom drone by the same brand, let's talk nerdy! Feel free to leave a comment about any of your own camera gear! Reading forums gets pretty lonely.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-30904105138362887232016-12-20T02:17:00.002-07:002016-12-20T02:56:02.588-07:00Christmas On a Budget Gift Guide (Under $25!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Ariel Reverie" border="0" height="356" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zEhXtEgzCbQ/WFj_8sm9XfI/AAAAAAAABE4/U4MBZdnH6yYNmlSEF4SO-qoN4aBUxFRvwCLcB/s640/christmasgiftguide2.jpg" title="Christmas On a Budget Gift Guide" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt;">If you’re anything like me,
you haven’t exactly started on your Christmas shopping. Whether it’s as the
result of pure laziness or the fact that the misfortunes of 2016 have left you
virtually penniless, it’s time to pause that Netflix documentary and muster up
enough energy to navigate the holiday traffic. With less than a week to go, I
have created a holiday gift guide designed for the procrastinators and the
poor. With all items listed under $25, they all can be found either at Target
and Urban Outfitters, and will make it seem like you didn’t stop at a gas
station on the way to your grandparent’s house to buy a last minute gift. As an
added bonus, you won’t have to take a hit on your bank statement at the end of
the month, which will marginally minimize the end of the year ugly crying.
You’re welcome. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=39797329&category=GIFT_HERFAVS&color=040" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4g0R5ll57r8/WFj1NgaZm7I/AAAAAAAABDo/esgRG-cRXxYmB0EvqY2TN49bZ-eXOTdtgCLcB/s320/gift1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat Socks $7 - Urban Outfitters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=38403804&category=GIFT_HERFAVS&color=068" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bdZ3mmSxyb8/WFj1NieYYQI/AAAAAAAABDs/Peq-0H3vVtQZrT4zm2MDMAEreVsCfxv6ACLcB/s320/gift2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini Polaroid Photo Album $12 - Urban Outfitters </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=35686047&category=GIFT_HERFAVS" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O9l5l0Wlamo/WFj1NuQKkCI/AAAAAAAABDk/-IJiGGKDOWciZkqtyNTz0vlj-kVG1wXeACLcB/s320/gift3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marble Journal $14 - Urban Outfitters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=33943770&category=GIFT_HERFAVS" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91TOetj02NA/WFj1NpkBcsI/AAAAAAAABDw/ML_L3uU2R-gtL9nOHceJiYzCg-gPXbABACLcB/s320/gift4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant Tea Mug $16 - Urban Outfitters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/-/A-50947059" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yyhE_zEJAsw/WFj1N4a5f_I/AAAAAAAABD0/YedeU5v-z-km2UWTIRLMm4_hLmm6NXIKACLcB/s320/gift5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolor Tote Bag $22.99 - Target</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/women-s-merona-thin-double-wrap-strap-watch-brown/-/A-50915222" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MmHdosT0law/WFj1Nzm24BI/AAAAAAAABD4/k3cwVucLJgg7wxkxi8zrZHC0VQ4DmouAACLcB/s320/gift6.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double Wrap Strap Watch $12.74 - Target</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.target.com/p/ifrogz-chromatix-earbuds-rose-gold/-/A-50589375" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EqJb7ofFH6o/WFj1N06GRMI/AAAAAAAABD8/LpxdbNpyRW8nT8we_8MgeaxxYMz5M9EKACLcB/s320/gift7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose Gold Earbuds $16.99 - Target</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 12pt;"> Happy shopping!</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-23297096722815513842016-12-19T02:36:00.004-07:002016-12-19T02:38:44.758-07:00Pines – A Curated Holiday Music Playlist <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Pines" border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zvpv4FJNvmg/WFemlyrhJLI/AAAAAAAABC4/jtmWSqspLOUSOpBUHmcagm0ud4kmoQLwgCLcB/s640/christmasplaylist.jpg" title="The Holiday Playlist" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;">I’ve never been one for Christmas. There’s something about
working in retail during the holidays that ruins the prospect of merriment, for
obvious reasons. From the moment Thanksgiving dinner is wrapped up for
leftovers to the second even more extended family knocks on the door to spend
what amounts to a month-long vacation at your home, and all the way up to the
very last Christmas Day breath that is taken before falling asleep signaling
it’s all over, everyone is in a rushed frenzy to get everything right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;">From the gift to the wrapping, to the carefully crafted
compliment you give your mother-in-law, everyone panics to fit his or her
Christmas expectations in a neat little package, perfectly adorned with the message
of embracing love and family. Though the intentions are good, we spend far too
much time on the depiction and not on the content. This Christmas you should
relax, listen to some good music, and savor the moments you get to spend with
the people you love the most. Maybe even pretend you haven’t heard that story
your grandpa recycles every year a couple dozen times. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;">With Christmas as my muse, here is my holiday playlist that
should be played among those memory-creating moments as well as the memory-inducing
ones that incite a kind of nostalgia fit for a Christmas TV movie special
[note: no actual Christmas music is listed, because gross].<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>Susie Suh x Robot Koch ‘Here With Me’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: There was a reason I collided into you.<br />
Reason to listen: A gentle reminder that even when your loved one is miles
away, they are always there with you. <br />
Listen when: Your significant other couldn’t make it home for Christmas. Or
just in the car on the way to your grandparents house where no one can hear you
scream along off-key.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>Lord Huron ‘The Ghost On The Shore’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: I'm goin' away for a long time<br />
Reason to listen: It sounds pretty. Really that is almost 79% of my reasoning.
The other 21% is because of the strong <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">presence
</i>of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">spirit </i>of Christmas
throughout the song. It doesn’t actually, but now you know that I’m willing to
comprise my integrity for a good pun.<br />
Listen when: You want to fade into the background of the family game of
charades, sort of like a lampshade. Or a ghost.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>
Daughter ‘Still’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: Two hands longing for each others warmth, cold smoke seeping
out of colder throats<br />
Reason to listen: A song that quells the fire just enough to keep your thoughts
of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">familicide at bay.</span><br />
Listen when: Everyone else has fallen asleep on Christmas Eve and you curl up
on the couch in front of the fireplace, finally alone, to drink some hot
chocolate and ruminate.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>Bon Iver ‘Wash’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: I'm growing like the quickening hues<br />
Reason to listen: The repeating piano melody reminds me of looking out of the
window at falling snow and nothing is more cinematic than that.<br />
Listen when: It just starts to snow a little harder than it was just moments
ago and you’re feeling a little more poetic than usual.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><br /><i>
The Head & the Heart ‘Lost in My Mind’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: Momma once told me you're already home where you feel love<br />
Reason to listen: It sounds like a piece of advice your own mother would tell
you when you’re not quite feeling like yourself.<br />
Listen when: Your mom is finished giving you a pep talk about how you’re going
to do great things after you open the incredibly thoughtful gift she got you,
which is always just what you needed.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>The Paper Kites ‘Revelator Eyes’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: You can say what you want but I'm giving it a chance<br />
Reason to listen: In true 80’s pop culture fashion, the song actually feels
like a cathartic life-changing moment that can be played alongside a real-life
moment for effect.<br />
Listen when: Sitting semi-circle around the Christmas tree unwrapping presents,
you suddenly have a revelation about what your New Year’s resolution should be.
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>The Oh Hellos ‘Wishing Well’</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;">Lyrics that stick: Oh, I stole from my father all I thought I
could sell / Tossed his copper, and I watched as it fell / But there wasn't any
water in the wishing well<br />
Reason to listen: To bring you back to your teenage heathen days when you gave
your parents an endless headache that they complain still persists to this day.
<br />
Listen when: Your dad insists on telling the story about the time he had to
pick you up from jail after getting caught drinking underage to all of your
relatives.</span></div>
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<br /><i>
Down Like Silver ‘Wolves’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: When I die, let the wolves enjoy my bones<br />
Reason to listen: The mood is brood-y, but offers explanations about your
general feelings on a fundamentally important level.<br />
Listen when: You’re feeling super dramatic about your sister getting a
substantially better gift, which finally proves who the favorite is.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>Broods ‘Killing You’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: But we can make up for it on the weekend<br />
Reason to listen: Because I genuinely thought she was singing ‘but we can build
a fort on the weekend’ and was consequently let down upon discovering the
truth.<br />
Listen when: Christmas Day arrives on the start of the weekend bringing
excitement akin to Saturday morning cartoons and you decide to build a fort
with your grown siblings, just to make up for all the times you didn’t get to
because you were too busy being an adult.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>Oh Wonder ‘White Blood’</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;">Lyrics that stick: Giving me your white blood / I need you right
here with me<br />
Reason to listen: Besides being serenaded by a beautiful female vocalist, it’s
nice to be joined to your partner in blood (but not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">by </i>blood).<br />
Listen when: You realize you can’t deal with the stress of last-minute
Christmas shopping and constant condemnation of your career choice by your
older relatives who have no idea what you do with an arts degree without
someone who will listen to your constant complaints.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: BodoniURW-Reg;"><i>Chloe Tang ‘Forgive You Again’</i><br />
Lyrics that stick: They will make you confess your worst and your best but
maybe they’ll forgive you again<br />
Reason to listen: The song describes every moment shared between family
members, from the college graduations to the criminal offenses.<br />
Listen when: Upon being with your family for countless consecutive days during
the holidays, you realize they are the only people who still love you even when
with all of the embarrassing and sometimes incriminating things they know about
you.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<img border="0" height="71" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-K82e8zYtVsI/V9hQBibSjNI/AAAAAAAAA-A/h8u77I9t9SQQv9CGb6nLl2GjzLfMtxNwQCPcB/s200/XOARIEL.png" width="200" /></div>
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-64186967711795850912016-12-15T03:00:00.001-07:002016-12-15T03:11:27.225-07:00Why It's Important as a Writer to Revisit Your Old Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img alt="Journal" border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H6WZU2ctIFY/WFJpVK9zRQI/AAAAAAAABCg/90YcDsbZjVYuo3ZIGEdNe15UBYqt5LRBACLcB/s640/writingblog.jpg" title="Ariel Reverie Writing" width="640" /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I’m a writer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I used to refrain from
saying that out loud, the same way one might when they state they’re a rapper. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writer </i>just doesn’t roll off the tongue
comfortably. It often gets stuck under the weight of all the other words,
trying desperately to sound genuine and unassuming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">After such a declaration,
people will inevitably ask what I write, how I plan to incorporate it into my
career, if it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really </i>makes any money,
and ultimately they’ll reveal their preconceived judgments about writing not
being a viable, or at the very least valid, opportunity in the real world. I’m
not passing out my mix tape in front of a Walgreens, but I guess soliciting my
work over Facebook statuses is a similar form of social harassment. Only my CD displaying
a colored Sharpie-scribbled track list presents itself as a series of blog posts
in size-12 Garamond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I’m a writer and I know
this because every time I ask someone I know to read my essays, poems, and
random musings, they tell me they don’t understand so I must have done a good
job. I’m a writer because for some reason even the smallest thing might elicit
a tremendous urge to document it, whether it’s in a line, a verse, or a story taking
shape on a piece of paper, voice memo, napkin, or on the back of a restaurant menu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I am a writer foremost
and then everything else follows. </span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I am a person who often finds myself fully immersed in my
daydreams, resulting in me not always being an active participant in the shared
world. Writing is the only time where I can get lost in different worlds and
different stories without being told that I’m not paying attention. </span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I used to be afraid to
call myself a writer because that meant my passion was somehow concrete,
instead of the all-encompassing and enveloping bigger-than-me undulations of
feeling, of sentiment, of more than just existence. I know I’m a writer because
somehow all of this is fucking important and in some way I feel like someone
needs to know it. I’ll share my writing even with strangers, in the hopes that
it might catch someone the way someone else’s writing has caught me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Out of all the meaningful
and sometimes meaningless phrases I’ve ever written in my life, I wrote one
that stays with me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">I write small so you can’t hear me. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Words are dream’s muted
instrument. My writing is intentionally quiet. It is meant to read in passing,
in-between the varying pauses within your day. The spaces that make you stop,
consider. It is not meant for you to hear me, but to hear <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something</i>. The rest is yours to keep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">§</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
The first thing I remember writing was a tragically basic poem.<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I love you, do you love me too?<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">I’ll be missing you</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
<br />
I remember how big and clumsy my handwriting seemed elbowing it’s way between
college-rule lines, how I was still assessing which was the best way to form a
lowercase “a.” Was it like traditional type, or the lazy reproduction where it
only requires one rushed curve colliding with the tail end?<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I remember being
repulsed, even then, about how terrible the lines were. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There’s no authenticity</i>, I admitted as an acutely self-aware eight-year-old.
I had strongly ill advised feelings for a boy since kindergarten who couldn’t
tell me apart from my twin sister. Though at the time I was very much in love, I
was discouraged that the words I wrote to express it were too explicit. They
didn’t capture the category five hurricane in my young brain.<br />
<br />
Though I continued to examine my recurrent undying love through a poetic lens, I
actually found better direction through transcribing lyrics. I would listen to
a song on repeat at least fifty times and then I would painstakingly write down
what I heard in my notebooks, often pausing at least fifty more times before
fully completing the task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Before there were online lyric
databases, there were CD booklets that contained lyric sheets and if you ended
up damaging it, losing it, or using it as a poster like I did and never
actually using them for their designated purpose, then listening to my CD
player while rollerblading to the park meant I had to memorize the words. And I
would take extra measures to learn them just so I could write them down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">As technology rapidly
advanced I eventually acquired an mp3 player, but in a time predating the data
plan, I couldn’t look the lyrics up. I would sneak my headphones into third
period math in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade by way of wiring them through my
sweatshirt and applied intense dedication to secretly writing down what I heard
on paper for the rest of class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I frantically wrote down
Fall Out Boy lyrics as they were playing. Linkin Park also made a frequent
appearance in cluttered notebooks. I attached myself to every word. I hung on
every line. “Grand Theft Autumn” was my anthem and “Meteora” was my audio
storybook.<br />
<br />
Here is a poem I wrote after transcribing a song from The Hush Sound and a song
by The Cure:<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you’re the writer who can’t go on<br />
and i’m the wreck they sing in songs.<br />
like a thief…<br />
you steal my heart.<br />
i warned you<br />
now i’m paper<br />
…easily ripped<br />
apart.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I was captivated by the
weight of words, how they could be arranged to tell a story. I wanted to learn
how to pair them to create meaning. It was like magnetic poetry. I had all of
these single-words that could become complete phrases depending on where I
decided to place them. <br />
<br />
Some of what was born out of this time was more cringe worthy:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">I saved every tear<br />
I saved all my cries<br />
Just so when it’s time<br />
I could drown you in them<br />
<br />
I forgot all the memories<br />
I forgot about everything<br />
Just so when I’m ready<br />
I could kill you in your sleep<br />
</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
Here is one that is still morbid, but far less incriminating:<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And if we don’t go together<br />
Just get caught up in the time<br />
I’ll be waiting for you at your end<br />
Will you be waiting for me at mine?<br />
<br />
</i>While I can’t say that I was incredibly proud of some of my early work, I
can see how everything started to move from this point forward. This
transcription process slowly transformed my writing by allowing me to consider
structure and somehow, everything started to come together in my mind. <br />
<br />
I don’t think I ever thought I would be crediting the pop-punk era for my
writing ability. I now have to tell the story that my passion for articulating
my thoughts was bred from angst-ridden lyrics like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my hands are at your throat and I think I hate you.</i> But perhaps without
bands like Story of the Year, I wouldn’t have my own story to tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">§</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
I was a doodler of sorts. I couldn’t draw, but I would sketch words as I heard
them. They would simply be a word or a phrase, a line, or merely a thought.
They were never formed enough for me to have any complete pieces of work in my
repertoire. They were just little subsections of things I would only revisit
many years later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Some of my word doodles
were lists with no detail, like puzzles:<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inertia<br />
tip<br />
imbalance<br />
windshield<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">In high school, my
writing would always be sparked by a word I loved or a phrase a teacher would
say during class or by a person I admired that didn’t realize they were saying
or doing anything poetic at all. But I would catch it and record it. My
favorite word became “eloquent,” a word I stole after a girl I envied used it in
her screen name. A teacher once described films as “conscious dreams” and now I
never quite feel awake watching them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">The stories were always
centered on a word or an idea and then it would spiral into something else,
usually taking me somewhere different than I intended. On my old Xanga blog
under the guise, misnomer rather, of MizDramaKween, I detailed a story about my
mother getting stood up on a date. I think it was the image of her standing in the
cold, wide-eyed and waiting, that made me pause. The roaring silence of it. I
began with that image and suddenly by the end of my blog post, the universe was
a chain effect of empty promises and my heart was sinking, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I sketched many short
essays like the one about my mother. Reading back now, they seem cryptic. I
never mention the “who” or the “what” really, just descriptions of feelings,
generalizations, and some empty statements here and there that sounded nice. I
was highly imaginative and took care with my writing, but I would categorize
these early blog posts as a period of experimentation mostly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sometimes it’s like the world is flat.
Just a flat-out plateau and any minute I’m going to find myself falling off the
face of the earth.<br />
<br />
Or often I feel that when I’m not looking I’m going to fall into a tall
precipice. And I’m short so that would be impossible to climb out of.<br />
<br />
[…]</i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to gaze
through telescope eyes of someone else. Or microscope eyes. Maybe even glass.
Maybe I’ll get the chance to someday.<br />
<br />
There is a path, I know, that leads me to yours, but I have not enough power in
my lenses to see the relationship. And not enough feeling left in me to look.<br />
<br />
</i>I feel as if I can gather some kind of meaning from these lines, but I would
by lying if I claimed any real depth to the statements I made in some of my old
writing. I was just someone who collected words and was desperate to see a
relationship in them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Some of my writing was even
contrived nonsense: <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I once was a cynic, a critic, acrylic,
and partially made of snow.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">During this time, I was
never overtly specific, as if something was holding me back. At the time, I
thought I was being deep and sincere. And though I don’t think it falsified my
truth, I think withholding some aspects of the circumstances surrounding what
compelled me to write in that moment in my writing prevented me from being completely
honest, which prevented my writing from being completely real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">The first candid thing
I wrote was a poem about my coworker who died when I was 16. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">Theoretically fluent with a distinct notion <br />
of feeling; of partialness; of wind<br />
like mundane walls with scribbled cracks<br />
the subtlety I can never quite pin<br />
it was nice to meet you, I could never <br />
emphasize again<br />
the notes of words for you, my friend<br />
is it terrible to think that tomorrow will prove <br />
this wrong?<br />
That you will always hold repetition in this song?<br />
Like distance in two hearts<br />
they were there all along…<br />
and when I close my eyes, you will never be gone.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">Absence is merely a state of mind<br />
quintessential of a cursive rhyme<br />
and Rex, you were the space that kept<br />
the idea in line.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">He stumbled off a
five-story building. He often detailed his plans to write a thriller novel
about a killer ice cream truck man. This poem, which was written on the back of
algebra homework, is a ghost of him, still singing through MIA and Gorillaz
lyrics, his favorite. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let’s turn forever
you and me </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> all I wanna do is [gun
sound effects] and take your money</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">He was my friend and when
he died I couldn’t stop thinking about the pavement. This was the first time I
was truly vulnerable with my writing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">§</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Everything I wrote in
high school was lowercase, indicative of the era in which they were written. I
often wrote poems that provided instruction, a frail reminder not to let myself
become engrossed by my emotion. When searching for old writings, I found a note
written by my sister’s best friend in middle school. I told her about a boy
that had told me that he would love if I ended up moving to a house near his.
She responded with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God Ariel, you care
about the littlest things, don’t you?</i><br />
<br />
I did. I cared about every word that I was told, every gesture that was made.
And there was always someone on my mind.<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inhale; retain the posture in your voice<br />
and detach yourself; he fell out of love<br />
close your eyes; don’t let yourself fade<br />
in your thoughts; he’s all you’re thinking of<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I’ve written love poem
after love poem (upwards of about one hundred) about anyone I felt any type of
way for. It was always about love for me, actually, any classification of it.
These are lines from poems I wrote circa 2011:<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />
I can’t imagine a three-dimensional you<br />
who I used to love and dream next to<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">And,<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />
I wonder why there are so many chambers in a heart and if that’s what it means
to compartmentalize.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Whether it was love,
the idea of love, or the often misinterpreted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I really care about you, but am not in a position to understand the
actual weight of love and what that entails </i>love, I felt it and I felt it
profoundly. I found a piece of writing where I interrupted myself mid-poem and blatantly
wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I am deep, or something</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>as if I was criticizing myself<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. </i>Even then, I knew my unrequited
feelings were far too intense and a little excessive. <br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I wrote to the boy with
black-framed glasses and blonde hair who I think used to be my best friend, but
I keep forgetting his name every time I try to access that memory. I’ve written
letters to the boy who talked to me about the universe for hours on my futon,
but couldn’t bring myself to be with, that I’ve left on his doorstep. I’ve
written many to others I’ve never sent. To the boy who asked me on a date with
a fake wedding ceremony underneath a park tree. To the boy who moved out all of
his things on my birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I’ve imagined millions
of combinations of words reflecting my feelings, thoughts, and reactions to
these memories and the people involved within them, but rarely go back to reevaluate
them. Even though I cringe and toss the paper at the time, there’s something
about coming back again. I’ll read it and know that whatever words I chose most
accurately depicted how I felt in that moment. They were really quite perfect;
I just let myself get in my way of recognizing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I feel incredibly dumb
in the moment, trying to recreate memories, feelings, and images through
writing. But as months, and often years, pass before I read them again, I feel
an incredible sense of relief knowing that I chose to remember the color of
shoes he was wearing when I saw him for the first time after three years
(black) or what caught me off-guard through the window as we were driving and I
realized we had nothing in common (an airplane). I chose these images to remember
and by writing them down I’ve solidified their place in my life; they’ve become
permanent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">§</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">The first time I saw a
dead body, I wrote that through the window he looked as if he was sleeping. I did
not remember the detail that I pretended to fumble in my purse so that I could
look longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not remember that we
described him as an “expired patient” and that he had been filed under
“imminent death.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">There is something
about writing that solidifies memory and connects it with reality. I wouldn’t remember
it the way it felt then if I didn’t write it down. Memory is a form of translation
and memory doesn’t always translate accurately. I could accidentally lie to
myself, my mind tricking me into remembering the shoelaces were blue and the
airplane was headed west. But my writing won’t falsify the information. It
won’t overcorrect because it has nothing to gain from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">Writing isn’t the truth,
but it is an accurate stretching of the truth. It can’t be considered reality
because it only has one lens. While writing is always one-sided, it is only my
side I see, after all. So it is my truth. And going back to the source is how I
can revisit it in its purest form. When I write, I can’t alter my truth. I can
only paint my version of reality in real time and as it is written, it becomes
immovable. Though he was no longer alive, his body will always be seen as it
was, through the window, sleeping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">§</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I used to think that
Michigan was personally calling to me. In the days of the burgeoning hipster, I
loved Rogue Wave’s “Lake Michigan,” and Sufjan Steven’s “To Be Alone With You.”
As a person who let music define my character, I thought because all of the
music I loved frequently referenced Lake Michigan, I was being drawn there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">There is an ocean calm<br />
swimming in my head<br />
and when the waves take their name<br />
i reflect on what you said<br />
the currents not as strong, you say<br />
the water’s not so deep;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">but the undulations create storms<br />
and then i cannot sleep<br />
<br />
</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";">Music and poetry has always been
a pull for me and I am always under its influence. Often, I see a pattern in my
old writing and wonder why I neglected to pursue it. Why do I hold on to these
things like a collector’s item and never take them off the shelf to examine
them? Why am I always trying to find a connection? I’ve wondered that many
times as I’ve procured ideas about places, people, things and put them into
words. I think about that even now and because I won’t ever fully understand
it, I write.<br />
</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
I have never made it to Lake Michigan, but sometimes I feel like it’s still
swimming around in my head and I wake up every once in awhile to check the
beach town weather.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">§</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";">My first ever poetry class made
me feel incredibly untalented. On typed pages of my work, a first for me as all
my poetry preceding it was exclusively handwritten, all I notice are the
teacher’s marks of confusion, asking for clarity, for elaboration, for more. <br />
<br />
I wrote a poem about my old house on Stirrup Trail, how it was almost like a
body. It moved. It contained grid-like window screens we used to draw on with
our spit. It described the forest, the wraparound deck, the wooden swing built
between two trees, my family and I in one photograph. In the poem, the house
shook and fell apart. But, there were so many comments written loud on the
page. <br />
<br />
I was confused. I had written something that meant something to me and no one
else could understand it. So I tried to write something different. The best
idea I could come up with was the image of a mandarin cloud. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I reach to unravel it’s skin in one
perfect peel,<br />
but instead it strips off into smaller pieces<br />
that I mold into my fingers.<br />
</i><br />
In the past I described my feelings, not images. I had only ever written for
myself. As a novice metaphor writer who was commissioned to change, I often
created images of cement, lampposts, clouds, and bedroom furniture. Another
professor would later call these things “familiar,” which basically meant they
were cliché. Somehow, though I thought I was being interesting and thought
provoking, even my mandarin cloud was deemed to be familiar, as well as
confusing. I let go of the mandarin cloud. I now examined all my poetry this
way.<br />
<br />
This is an excerpt of a poem my teacher asked us to write that was supposed to
be inspired by a more established poet’s work: <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The mirror’s lake must be forever,</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">entombing </span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";">(familiar)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> you within its
crevices </i>(familiar)<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and bone marrow. Somewhere I saw</i> <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you perpetually drowning</i>—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">a swirling ghost</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";"> (familiar).<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">In a lot of ways this new
way of looking at my work was unconstructive and it felt like limiting myself.
I wanted to write for me, I didn’t want to think about how anyone else could be
possibly involved in what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>felt and
how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>perceived it. But somewhere
along the line, I accepted the criticism. While it was discouraging initially,
eventually it forced growth. How else could I describe this? What makes this
moment an intimate portrayal of how I felt it and how I perceived it? How could
it mean more?<br />
<br />
Yes, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>was compelled to document my
world, but how could I make it so that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you
</i>understood it the way I saw it? Growing up I always thought about how I
cannot take a picture of the landscape the exact way that I see it through my
eyes. It always pales in comparison. What changed in my writing was not
straying away from familiarity, but embracing it. Through my writing, I could
attempt to take a picture of what was before me, the same way it is before you,
only the way it looked to me.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
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<!--[endif]--></span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: "garamond"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">§</span><span style="font-family: "garamond";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I still dream in similar
colors to my preexisting work, only now it requires more flair to examine them
more closely. I still question if a comparable love exists with mine, only it
sounds more like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It took an army of rose-colored glass,
but we still can’t riot with the past.<br />
<br />
</i>My elaborations are much more refined, clearer, and exposed. I do not try
to hide behind the fanciful. <br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I do my best thinking at night, when
everyone else is asleep.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">There’s only ambient noises, the room in little
uproars<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">and I can only see palm trees, faded filters on
fancy cars, <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">vulgar lyrics in sans serif and syncopated drums,
speakers pulsing.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
I am sometimes a different character. My writing sometimes transverses
perspective. This is an excerpt from a poem I hold close, “Syncopate, Saigon,”
about my mother’s experience as an orphan in war-torn Vietnam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";"><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">i. Twin Dolls<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">Most of what I own is splintered<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">by the streets, but I have two dolls<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">whose eyes bead, their linen dresses<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">cross-stitched with identical stars. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">Their faces are patched with so many <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">bruises, their porcelain cracks<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">in different patterns.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">My writing now sounds dizzier,
more stumbling, and much more like chaos, but it is a more defined representation
of who I am now and how thoughts fall out of my head. I used to write angsty
love poems and now I write angsty love poems with finesse, clouded by little
intricacies. And I can also now write about the other little moments that fill
the in-between.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">It’s important to never
delete your work, no matter how disappointed you are with it because, like a
childhood home, you need a place to come back to. Your old writing is like a comprehensive
roadmap of all of your failings and mistakes. It’s also a reminder of your
progress. And sometimes you need to travel back home to redefine your current
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond";">I’m a writer; I’ve come
to terms with acknowledging it. I’ve always been a writer, even from the
beginning, and everything I’ve ever written is a piece of that. Every word,
line, list, poem, song, essay, and moment is a part of my map. And I’ve come to
think that maybe I write small so I can’t hear myself in the moment, only to
hear it much much louder down the road. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-2530321229600451262016-10-24T01:32:00.001-06:002016-10-24T14:49:08.746-06:00In Neon Cinema: A Photo Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" height="476" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly7O7WH-TAM/WA2pmq--iXI/AAAAAAAABA0/7MRSH3mzQBo_GWipmgJ4O8JRSIXLmxpiwCEw/s640/AriRevTumblr.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 14pt;">It took an army of rose-colored glass, but we still can't riot with the past.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Every day is filled with a series of rehearsed
routines. We move in such synchronicity with our former selves, we forget to
wander. Allow yourself a moment to drift, to be pulled into the narrative, to
be wholly immersed in the unfamiliar. Fall into the cinema of your dreams
and then start a fire.</span></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-78616502136377233622016-09-24T23:56:00.002-06:002016-09-24T23:57:39.009-06:00Vlog Two: Dog Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The dog days are over, but not for me! Heading into the Fall, my dog Obi and I are still soaking up this warm weather by hiking with my boyfriend Mike, going to the dog park, and trying to get more familiar with all of this new camera equipment! Obi is a good assistant because he drools on everything and because of his innate cuteness, he is ultimately the main focus of my lens. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> The video is almost entirely shot with my new DJI </span></span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Osmo video camera, which is incredibly cool because it has a built-in stabilizer and shoots in high quality. I love it, but I still can't figure out why it won't stop beeping and no forum has provided me with any helpful insight. I will probably do a review in the near future, if you guys want to learn more about my camera and some of the other equipment I use! The last part is shot with my DJI Phantom 3 Professional, which I have since crashed upon what should be a routine landing (but I got nervous and steered it into the ground). It should be back up and running soon, but for now you can gawk at the beauty that is Colorado from half a mile in the air.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Watch the video below for a look into my second vlog and see what I've been up to!</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> I've also included the video of my drone crash so you guys can share in my pain. Let me know if you lovely humans want to see anything else in my future vlogs! Behind-the-scenes of my blog photo shoots, anyone? More of my mysterious boyfriend who never speaks in videos? Tell me in the comments!</span></span></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L31yvAIo3yY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L31yvAIo3yY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353911587089076600.post-24286598751968290262016-09-13T13:21:00.004-06:002016-09-16T00:05:09.585-06:00Fall In Love With Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="460" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XF9jxT9Lmw4/V9gx7EpnjLI/AAAAAAAAA9U/ESoiHGZpbr0xkOATpl6nUytMX0EsKF_1wCLcB/s640/image1.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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I am romantically involved with Fall. If there was an episode of 'My Strange Obsession' and I was featured, the camera would pan to me dressed full scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head and a Pumpkin flavored latte glued to my palm. I love the subtle changes of the season, the turning colors, and the layered sweaters. And even though it's still summer for one more week, Fall has already started making it's appearance and I'm here to help you transition your style as the days are slowly getting cooler.</div>
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With temperatures still in the 70s, I wore a jean to keep my legs warm in the shade paired with a sleeveless shirt for balance. You could flip it and opt for a pair of shorts with a long-sleeved shirt, but it's not quite cold enough to cover <i>everything</i> up and I also think I'm just excited to wear pants without dying of a heatstroke. PacSun always has the best deals on denim, 2 pairs for around $35 each and I take advantage of this promotion during every yearly back-to-school shopping trip.</div>
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For my color scheme, I kept it simple and classic with the contrast of black and white, which always makes it look like you're more dressed up than you actually are. To play the outfit up a little more, I wore a pair of short-heeled boots recently purchased from Payless and my favorite black hat. This will probably be the foundation for every outfit this season because of the limited effort involved. But don't worry, there will be many many more Fall outfits to fall in love with soon.</div>
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<img border="0" height="462" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r2GD7I6OBAE/V9gx6y5lZQI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/KGitkyihskADleXfHEKWVGBfgU3lYFRqQCLcB/s640/image3.JPG" style="text-align: center;" width="640" /><br />
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<img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-weWjWypR0bw/V9gx7cpUifI/AAAAAAAAA9c/DRStB8FBHWIzWUe7Vw9ZM7suatb31g3uQCLcB/s640/image6.JPG" style="text-align: center;" width="640" /><img border="0" height="462" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CkZcqBy_3Z4/V9gx6z1PFvI/AAAAAAAAA9o/r7wPnt0SF74VFWOYacVyLUyKBjaO4OVygCEw/s640/image2.JPG" style="text-align: center;" width="640" /><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09735836226071607019noreply@blogger.com0