Another shot of color

 We are living in a time when the little things need to matter to us. So many of us have a lot less than we had a few years ago. Times are hard. It's depressing. It's disheartening. It's sad. Things happen to us that we aren't prepared for; jobs are lost, prices are up, insurance goes when the job does. I have been touched by the downturn in the economy as has everyone. When I go to the grocery store it makes me want to cry. Granted there are more offerings than ever at the store but there is less money to purchase them. I've read about people who collect stuff for fear the world will end. I continue to read about the rise in crime, especially theft. As a total anti-gun person I'm appalled by the rise in armed assaults and deaths from gunshot. It seems sometimes people with no money still find the cash to get a gun. And that is sad to me.

I look outside and the world around me is gray. The skies have been cloudy a lot this winter here in East Tennessee. We have had a few snow flurries but that is it. And I have become more sensitive to the cold as I get older. Since I can't afford the Hawaiian vacation I would love I've decided to try warming up my outlook. I posted some colorful pics before. No, this is not going to be a steady thing. But I feel the need to remind myself of the beauty of the world around me and the simply wonderful things done by other people to brighten their surroundings.                                                                                                                

Not a fan

This dress looks much better on Julianne but the way it's cut, I really don't think anyone would look terrific in it. It's great to have a toned backside. I'd love to have the  impetus to work for it. I'm so out of shape now it would take forever, literally. Actually this particular blog is a rant. If you want to check out now, go for it.

I'm ranting against the need of many women to focus on parts of their bodies. I'm speaking about women who are into the celeb thing. I know that Fashion has been pulled several different ways in the last few years. On the one hand, there are the designers showing see-thru dresses, blouses, etc. Without underwear. And when I see that, I think to myself "who would wear that and where?". I don't see much of the totally see-thru on the red carpet. So there is one question I don't have an answer for. I do see dresses cut to there.......
Despite not being a K fan, I do think Kim is pretty. But then the focus goes to the sexual nature of the girl-big butt, boobs hanging out, sex tape. Is this what it takes to become a celeb. And of course she isn't the only one doing this. Many of the girls in the media seem to think they need to use their bodies to get ahead. One fairly new actress is so into posing in a sexual way that you can see her on the red carpet doing it.

And then we have Toddlers dressing like sluts. And we have models(in France) dressing like sluts despite the fact that they are children.

What I think has happened is very simple. We have become a society of consumers(witness Missoni for Target) and in our minds we must have the very latest of the very latest of everything. I find myself watching the ads for a phone which show 2 people sitting and looking at their phones and saying "that's so 46 seconds ago". There is so much stuff to consume and there are so many people who like different things that those selling are doing crazy stuff to grab a piece of the market. I see that there are hundreds of designers in fashion. And in home decor. And in electronics. And probably in all other aspects. Are we going to come to a time when we have enough? I hope so.

When I needed a lift, I used to go to the celeb mags and the fashion mags. Who wore it better? I have begun to see this question as a great way to feel bad about myself. Articles like the Jen/Ang fight, which probably never even happened and if it did was over many years ago, still make the front pages of the magazines and sometimes even the news shows. I read on MSN about a model with a 20 inch waist who I think looks awful. Wonder how long it will take a few girls to die trying to look like her.

Now when I need a lift I try to look for true beauty. The pics of our world I included give me much more to look forward to in my life than the celeb mags. Don't get me wrong, I can be as interested and bitchy as the next person. I am just working on separating myself from the need to think those things are in any way about me. I grew up loving the idea of being an individual. Fashion was interesting but whenever I tried to fit into a group by dressing like them I realized there was much more to the fitting in than how I was dressed. And after I realized that it was OK to be myself, I fell into the comparison trap again. I am simply not good at carving out a persona for myself. Looking at the two top pics gives me a clue as to why. I, personally, like the thinner butt. Some people like the bigger butt. I don't understand. So I run quickly to the other sorts of input and try not to worry about it.

Wishes and wants

Wishes and wants for Sunday, January 29, 2012 include the color combos in the top two pics. I don't have the body for the pieces shown, but I would love the striped T and the flowered shirt and the colors of both outfits. The central piece I'd wear as is and I'm going to try and make something similar. I have the fabric but not the nerve. I'm working on the nerve.

I'd also wear the center bottom piece as is and maybe the polka dot one. The dress on the right bottom is a color I covet. I love it and I think it would be great to dress with turquoise, black, and navy. Those colors, used individually would give a top in that color a world of different looks.

I know Sunday is a special day so I'll not covet. I'll just wish for..................

Our world in color

Charleston's Rainbow Row

I don't know where most of the places pictured are. I got many of the images from pinterest and others from just browsing. However I am happy to share a view of the world that seems to be far away from us when the Winter months hit. I live in East Tennessee. In the Spring the landscape lights up with flowers and bright green leaves. The sun brings on lovely colors and wonderful smells. The birds sing and the animals run around. The earth puts on a show of color. All sorts of color. And my favorite thing is color. But in the winter we have overcast days, leafless trees, rain, fog, and a general brown/tan/gray coloration. So here are some things for those 

of you who need a dash of color. I realize that in many places, people are not well-to-do and they use color to enhance their lives. I am lucky enough to be able to see lots of those places on the computer. I've been to a few. I love the energy that the colors give the places and their inhabitants.

 I believe that the wonderful colors painted on the buildings shown are a re-affirmation of the human spirit. I'm drawn to color myself and I am trying to put more color into my surroundings. I collected some colored glass pieces several years ago. Nothing special, a few plates and a few pieces of Depression Glass. It's funny that it is named Depression Glass. I know the history but it also helps me deal with the feelings of depression brought on by Winter's gray days.

The other ways that humans color their worlds are so wonderful that I had to picture a couple here for you. I really can't imagine the giraffe standing still for a paint job but isn't it innovative that someone could make it look as if? And a pink Christmas tree? How unexpected. Of course flowers are a huge part of the color story. There is also art, fashion, home decor, and the imagery of reading. I watched Howl's Moving Castle last night. It is one of the most colorful and beautiful movies I've seen and I'll watch it again and again. This winter, instead of waiting for spring and its color, I am looking to add color to my life in a more agressive manner. I'll make it myself.

Look down

Shoes--I don't think I will ever get it right. The dress is a silky print with a flow to it that I like. I think sandals are terrific. But these sandals actually don't look much like sandals. Too much leather and buckles. Like boots.  The boots below don't get it either. Even with the right sort or garment- the color shouts "burn me. I'm ugly"

I'm pretty sure the rest of the shoes pictured are self explanatory. I will admit to being out of the current trends. I was so happy when the huge military style was on the decline because I have big feet and adding a large shoe to them makes me cringe. So now we have platforms. Shoes are sometimes so big that petite girls look as if their feet are as big as their legs. And I suppose it's inevitable to have some designers get a kick out of making odd shoes. Well, here is my gallery of the weird, the bad, and the ugly.

Expectations

Another New Year's Resolution.

Expectations are a real problem for me. I used to pride myself on my ability to handle change. Yeah, right. As you have seen, the things I expected to fill my life with haven't worked out so well in some cases. Riding off into the sunset(with my husband) has become day to day with my significant guy. Of course we have been together 23 years in April. But the sunset part- not so interesting actually. I have seen so many pics of things Brides want for their weddings on pinterest. I have seen ads for celeb weddings on TV. I've seen the brides magazine numbers increase and become the size of a dictionary. But please don't get me wrong. I'm sure everyone who marries wants their wedding to be wonderful. And it should be. Contrary to the Bridezilla thing on TV, I don't think tantrums have a place in nuptials.

Now that I have circled the point, I'll get to it. Weddings last a couple of hours, more if the reception is a biggie. Then there is marriage. If I were marrying one of the Bridezillas, I'd be worried about the marriage. I have heard that girls want everything at their weddings. It needs to be a fairy tale. Planning can take a year or more and the costs can be staggering, even to families who don't have much money. I've come to the point of my tirade. Love as the focus of a wedding is not even a guarantee of the success of the marriage. And for sure, huge weddings don't guarantee anything except a lot of money spent. I know there is a lot of excitement about getting married. I applaud the bride who wants to make a lot of the items used for the wedding.

My concerns are about the after wedding/honeymoon thing. Recently a 72 day marriage and an 18 day marriage made the news. My own marriage lasted 23 years and I still had the same problems. Expectations. As with many new experiences, it is hard to know what to expect out of married life. First, it is every day till forever. At least sometimes it can feel that way. Anyway, I had expectations when I married. They were based on the only marriage I had seen; that of my parents. I was disappointed from the git go and so was my husband. You see, we evidently thought we knew the route marriage was supposed to take. But his parents were as different from mine as night and day. That led to us both expecting things that didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of happening. We stuck it out. Oh well.

I've built a lot of the beliefs of my life on expectations. If I know someone I think I can predict how they will handle a situation and how they will feel. I forget I am imposing my feelings on them. I forget they have lived a different life. The old indian adage "never judge a man till you have walked a mile in their moccasins" is something I have long espoused. But I've never examined how my behavior has been relative to that. As I have aged I find myself wondering sometimes how a person can believe something. Again I have expected others to believe as I do. These is a terrific ego thing involved here. I'm right. Right?

I have put too much emphasis on my expectation of how things should be. This year I want to be happy with how they are. If I seemed to focus on the wedding thing it's because it is such a pivotal point in people's lives. I really believe that putting too much emphasis on perfection in a wedding or in anything else can lead us to terrible unhappiness. It certainly has for me. I hope everyone who reads this will see that expecting perfection in anything can be a problem.

My hope for the New Year is to expect good things, not perfect things. And to work to make good things happen.

Random

Thoughts.........

I'm still working on accepting new ideas in the New Year. Like I saw a pic of a huge sweater with sleeves that hid the hands and the sleeves had bracelets to let the hands show. Waist tucked in in front about 2 inches wide, short shorts, boots. And my first thought was-is it winter(huge sweater) or summer(short shorts)?

I saw a beautiful lace dress, and very delicate. The wearer was wearing oxfords and black socks. My first thought was-and they make fun of old men and their black socks with sandals!

I saw many sets of especially painted nails and my first thought was-How much does that cost? Then-How long does it take? Then-How long does it last? Then-Does the wearer do anything in the way of housework? I suppose I'm just getting too old to appreciate some things.

I noticed a lot of tattoos on pinterest. But all of them are new ones. You can tell because the skin around them is red and inflamed. And I thought-Doesn't that hurt?

I saw a news item about a plastic surgery loving Mom giving her daughter an iou for a boob job for the child's 7th birthday. Still don't understand that one.

I see a lot of pics on pinterest and in mags of high high high heels with huge platforms. I wonder if the shoe makers are making attractive back braces and ankle supports.

I see beautiful hairdo pics on pinterest. There are tousled, arranged, curly, wavy, colored(strange colors), short, braided, upswept, and long and straight. I wonder if most of the styles can be done without extensions.

I am totally out of it when it comes to the mustache craze. Where did that come from and why?

Anyway. All of this leads me to think about the what is in fashion question. I remember when something was fashionable for several seasons. But now in the age of instant electronic communications, things fly by so fast I can't keep up. A bag that was popular last winter is so yesterday. Now things are designed and shown at fashion shows by hundreds of designers, not 20 or so. Now the rag mags are showing ridiculously expensive dresses which are worn once and the wearer had better know the name of the designer. And now we have tons of fashion critics who have outlets in those mags but who don't seem to have credentials. I am so glad to know that I can thumb my nose at all of that and do what I want. Really!!!!!!!!!