HEY PUMPKIN

 

PUMPED FOR PUMPKIN!

It's Halloween, and while I may not be dressed up in costume or handing out candy, I will admit, it's a favorite holiday for some reason. There's lots of ways to celebrate it, and it's not just about giving yourself cavities. How do YOU?

Fall is my favorite season, when it's not Spring. And I'm am feeling the full brunt of Fall today. Fall is about being caught in between. You go from this to that, and once in full bloom, we gently fold our petals and get ready to wind things down. This is a season of remembrance, of savoring, of honoring.

And...also, SWEATERS.

SMELLS LIKE team spirit

“Perfume follows you; it chases you and lingers behind you. It’s a reference mark. Perfume makes silence talk.” 

                                                                                                                          – Sonia Rykiel

A NOSE FOR ROSE: I'd been on a casual hunt for a new signature scent, so when FB friend Stephanie Quick gave a shout out to her pal (who happens to be from my hometown, Sacramento) who happens to be a perfumer, I took it as a sign to try some on for size. Ordered me a sampler pack. 

While I didn't discover my future everyday smell, I did enjoy some unusual and creative concoctions.  If you're on the path to explore your world through perfume, DO give Arabesque Aromas a peek.  

 

Stephanie is a blogger and YouTuber who waxes enthusiastically about the arcane and the esoteric. She also is a cheerful cheerleader and promoter of friend 's endeavors, especially if they are arcane and esoteric. So I feel that she will appreciate this next bit, a bit.

NO BONES ABOUT IT:  she's going to be missed.

 

I'm not sure why, but for the past year or so, there have been TWO, two large skeleton yard displays in my neighborhood. One I know started the Halloween before last, when a family bought the jumbo yard decoration and realized after Halloween that they didn't have room to store it. So, great solution: THEY dressed it up for each current holiday- Santa for Xmas, Bunny for Easter, Rainbows for Pride. Fucking brilliant. It had been written up in local new stories.

This one, I'm not sure when or why it showed up, but I first saw it when I started walking to my work studio in May, and enjoyed strolling past it all summer. It seemed to wear various ensembles, but this bridal get-up was my favorite. I snapped the picture above during dusk, sometime late August.

And I couldn't help but wonder what she was going to wear for this upcoming Halloween. 

Well, lo and behold, this thirteen story love chicken just went AWOL By the first of September, this poster child for all things Día de los Muertos had vanished, and at first I thought maybe it was being freshened up for her true season. 

I'm not sure if some hooligans stole it from the yard, or if the people of the house just grew tired of her and packed her up. Now that it's almost Halloween, and there is no sign of this gentle giant, I am realizing that this bony girl has flown the coop. 

RIP big awesome monster skeleton. You were a highlight of my daily commute.  

Since this is the season we acknowledge the transition of our modes of being from this world to the next- do you have any farewells you'd like to say?

A Bird on the Edge of Space

A BIRD ON THE EDGE OF SPACE.

 

Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die,
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams.
For if dreams go,
Life is a barren field
Covered with snow.

         -Langston Hughes

 

 

 The above is a draft written in July of 2013. I think I will finish it today. 

"SHE TOOK THE LEAP 

AND BUILT HER

WINGS ON THE WAY DOWN."  

 

The sign was posted on a house

just a mile down from my home,

in between the Phinney Ridge and Fremont neighborhoods, nailed up

on the wall between two doors of a duplex.  

The duplex still stands, 

the sign long gone, 

as I suspect the tenant who posted it. 

The neighborhoods have changed a bit, the result 

 

of progress and prosperity of industry, and yet, 

strangely, now slightly bled of beauty

and creativity. The folks who live there now

are less likely

 

to pin up a hand painted

piece of wood with the stencil of poesy. 

Dreams still stand, though. 

The arrogance of ambitions, the drive to go up, up, up

is still nestled in the hearts amongst us. 

In me. 

Is it also in you?

Currently, I'm in a tumble of urges

prompted by a lifelong dream. 

Seemingly

I am quite good

 

at failure. Um, failures.

Also, seemingly, I've become

convulsively, amazingly persistent in the drive

to keep dreaming.

Keep going. 

 

It's what makes this life switch the mundane

repetitive acts of eating, shitting and sleeping

to the divine push to make rainbows out of piss storms. 

Girl Icarus, 

you were never so good 

 

as the false belief that you could 

out shine your wings

in the orbits of the sun.

 

   

 

             - RQ Bella 

BLOG like you give a damn

DAMN.

I haven't blogged in a while (ok, ok, YEARS.) 

And I also haven't read blogs for that same amount of time, but there are some really cool real life people doing real life cool style stuff, and they've been on it this whole time. 

When I first stumbled onto fashion blogs, the ones that really caught me were ones that I actually could relate to- only they had tremendous personal style- something special. Desiree, Dusk Devi, Vix, and Reva springs to mind- blogs possibly long gone, people still rockin' their style but not necessarily in the venue I "discovered" them. 

I'll tell you what I look for- people with great style but the focus is about expressing their personality not the latest trends. Style over fashion, I say, and bonus points for thrifted, second-hand and vintage shoppers. Extra bonus points if they are over 40 years of age, and good at photography. 

I enjoy photo/image heavy content especially if the photography has good lighting, strong composition and a memorable image. Clever, thoughtful posts are always appreciated. 

Do you blog? 

I'd like to thank a couple of style bloggers who have fun sustainable style and who have been so kind to leave comments here. For some reason, I can't figure out how to reply in the comments- so Sheila, and Ann, thank you for taking the time visit and leave your comments. You give a damn.

What blogs if any, inspire you and your personal style?

SNEEZING Selfie

ACH-CHOO, BOO. 

Behold: an awkward capture of myself in full sneeze. I think I love it because it's the antithesis of the purpose of the "selfie," a capture usually of an overwhelming flattering content. This selfie is so very NOT FLATTERING. 

I'll confess: I'm pretty fucking good at taking a flattering selfie. In fact NOBODY takes a more flattering picture of moi, than moi. FACT: I don't know of another human being who has the patience or willingness to milk out a good angle, perfect lighting or the persistence to keep taking picture  upon picture to get THAT PHOTO: the one that makes me look VERY GOOD. 

But I'm a sucker for an interesting photo, and to be honest, flattering photos especially selfies are often BORING. Because omission is boring and perfection is dull. 

That said, trust me, I'll be posting some flattering self portraits and selfies because, well, no one else seems interested in doing it. 

(For even more disgustingly flatteringly proliferation of selfies, do check out my Instagramz here)

How do you feel about taking selfies? Are you into it? Do you do it? Any tip or tricks of the trade? 

OUTFIT POST: My Unyielding Melancholy

MY UNYIELDING MELANCHOLY

Worn this past summer- 

I like the play of the graphic black + white with the romantic pink florals.
The sweater was a gift from Joyce. It's great for Seattle summer layering.
The tank and the shoes are new items, and both found me via Instagram ads, lol.
The skirt was a vintage Etsy find.

NOW WEARING

• pink floral cotton cardigan sweater- GIFTED
• black graphic tank- BOREDWALK
• vintage black + pink rose floral maxi skirt- ETSY
• checkerboard chunky sandals- ALOHAS