Movies About Graduation

So this blog has definitely strayed from its original intent. Writing about how to decorate a dorm room didn't really pan out, life got in the way. I didn't have time to decorate, let alone blog about it. I'm going to try to get back to that a little bit, but for now I'll be saving money and applying for jobs left and right. I'll update sure, but unfortunately it just won't be about style. So right now what's on my mind? You guessed it.

Graduation.

That's still the overriding thought in my head. Oh my God I've graduated, time to get a job, time to pay my own rent, time to freak out over the economy. Or I could just turn on a movie about graduation. So here are a few of the movies I've watched recently in between applications.

1. St. Elmo's Fire



St. Elmo's Fire is one of those old 80s brat pack movies which I just happen to love. Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Andre McCarthy, Rob Lowe and Mare Winningham star in this particular film about a group of fairly recent college grads trying to make their way in the world. What I like about it is that they're figuring it out and struggling. Sure at times it can get as depressing as hell and Emilio Estevez's character makes me want to slap him silly, but it suited the mood at the time. The downside? Most of them have jobs. Maybe the 80s were good for something after all?

2. Post Grad



Post Grad is a film you probably heard of, but immediately forgot. Starring Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls fame, Post Grad follows Ryden Malby as she attempts to make it immediately after graduation. The majority of the film is about her struggles finding a job, any job, let alone one in her field. Of course there are the romantic entanglements and crazy family that go along with any middle grade film, but I have to admit, this is a guilty pleasure of mine. Don't watch this one expecting great drama or writing, but it's kind of fun. You know, if you like that kind of thing.

3. About Last Night



Confession time. It was Rob Lowe night at my place the other day. This is another Rob Low, Demi Moore vehicle from the 80s. Sure this one isn't about finding yourself post university. However, it's about people my age, in their early 20s and believe me when I say they don't have it all figured out yet. It's about relationships and trying to make them work when you don't really know what you're doing yet. But seriously, 80s films and everybody has a job. Frustration.

4. The Graduate




This list wouldn't be complete without the ultimate classic in graduation films. The Graduate. Here's what you need to know. Dustin Hoffman plays a young man floundering following university. He has no idea what he wants to do and is just sitting around his parents house in a daze as the "adults" talk to him about the future. Cue Mrs. Robinson. Seduced by an older woman who happens to be the girlfriend's mother? Some Simon and Garfunkel songs? Sound familiar yet?

5. Reality Bites




I haven't actually watched this one yet, well not in years anyways. But it's back on my To Be Watched list. Here's what I remember. Angst, angst and more angst. Will I like this one? Who knows. But if not, I can always go back to the brat pack and relive Saturday morning high school detentions.

Honourable Mention: Say Anything


This is one of my all time favourite movies and it deals with graduation. I absolutely cannot resist a young John Cusack, even if he's has head gear and can't take a photo to save his life ( .... Sixteen Candles? Anybody?). This John Cusack is the ultimate John Cusack. He's Lloyd Dobbler! He doesn't know what he wants to do with his life yet, but that's okay because he's fallen in love. He is so in love that he'll hold a boombox outside of her window just to win her back. I love this movie. I watch this movie constantly. You should too. Seriously. Go. Now.

Graduation

So that's that. I have officially graduated. Weird. I don't think it's quite sunk in yet; let's just wait and see what September holds. I don't really know how I feel about it all yet. I can say this though, for the first time in my life I'm debating going to grad school. Congratulations to my fellow class of 2012 graduates! We made it through guys!

On that note, here's the outfit that I wore to my ceremony. I don't want to dwell TOO much on feelings! God!

So this was the dress I wore. I liked that it had a pattern, was soft and flowy, but wasn't too too casual. I feel like I can wear it as a day dress, but it works for a slightly more formal occasion. Plus you would not believe how comfortable that dress is. It's a BCBGeneration dress and the image is taken from Swell, but I got it at The Bay for a much lower price. 

I paired it with this neutral heel from Spring. I couldn't walk. At all. But I had black flats for the actual ceremony so I could actually cross the stage. I wanted to keep everything fairly simple and I felt confident in what I was wearing and isn't that the most important part?

So fellow graduates. What do you think? Are you excited to be done? Did you go to your ceremony? 

De-Stress My Life

Oh wow. What a day. Job interview one down. Which, well let's just say it did not go well. Turns out hand talking has its own special issues. Reason to not accept the coffee 1. My God.

Anyways, I thought I could use a little pick me up after that experience. As I usually do I turned to pop culture for that. I thought I'd share a few of my favourites for your listening pleasure. They're about as cheery as I get.

1. Maria - Blondie

I love singing along to this song in the summer. Debbie Harry is pretty much one of my heroes and it's just so catchy. Brilliant song.

2. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen

I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can't go wrong with Springsteen. I will listen to this day in and day out until my roommates are begging for mercy and throwing things at my door. Okay so this isn't the classic feel good song, but coming from me is it that surprising? I mean really. Here's the deal, a guy is trying to convince a girl to take a chance on him and they'll get out of their town and run away together.  Sure it's fatalistic, cars are suicide machines and the characters are living in a town that'll rip the bones from your back. But combine all that with an iconic sax solo from the incomparable Clarence Clemmons and you have one of my ultimate blast it from the stereo songs. So why isn't this song at number 1? Mainly because I'm writing this list as I listen and Blondie just happened to be playing when I started.

3. Won't Back Down - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Wow, so here's a song with some upbeat lyrics to match the tone. How novel. This is another classic song that's just great to sing along to and let's face it the lyrics are pretty great advice. To be perfectly honest, it's not my favourite Tom Petty song. I've always been partial to Last Chance for Mary Jane, but on a day like today, well this isn't a bad substitute.

4. Great Expectations - The Gaslight Anthem

Here's another song that's not the typical song to improve a mood kinda deal. In fact, the lyrics are downright depressing. Everybody leaves. That having been said, I love this band. They're competing with Springsteen right now in my record collection; that's some high praise coming from me. The guitars and vocals are pretty fantastic. It's another one that I just love the blare. And it's not AS melancholy as a lot of their music. So that counts for something....right?

5. Dancing On My Own - Robyn

I've gotta tell you guys, this isn't the kind of music I normally listen to. It's pretty dance heavy, lots of electronic music in the background. Very pop. But it's just so catchy! I was watching that new tv series Girls and it came on at the end of one episode. Immediate mood lifter. Better than the actual show for that. I'm counting this as one of my guilty pleasures and I'm pretty okay with that.

So there you have it. Five songs I'm listening to right now to take my mind off my day. Now all I need is a couple of friends and a bottle of wine and I've got a pretty good evening ahead of me! And if that doesn't work out, well there's always tomorrow.

Well I Guess You Can Call it a Life...

Photo Credit: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Lately, I have been feeling the exact opposite of chic. I have been completely uninspired. I have bags that still need to be unpacked and clothes that haven't been worn in months. My last few months at university involved a lot of very practical, very black clothing as I was on the run of a show for five weeks straight plus a week of tech before that. It was crazy ridiculous.

Recently I've had far less theatre work less a few nights of rehearsal each week, but my clothing (and okay lifestyle) choices have been completely uninspired. Basically if I can wake up at 11:30 and where pyjamas all day I will. So that's what I've been doing. This is probably something I shouldn't  be admitting. Oh well, too late, no going back now. Coffee on the couch, laptop open, applying for jobs and in my pyjamas until dinner? Well that sounds okay in my book.

Except of course it isn't.

I think it's about time to start living this post grad life. Yes I'm broke and yes I'm unemployed and yes I'm living in a sublet that only lasts the summer, but so what? Why shouldn't I fully embrace life? It's not about money or stability (although those are things that I'll want at some point). It's about doing the things I love and you know, leaving the house every once in awhile. I have absolutely no excuse to live life as a shut in.

I imagine a picture of myself in a circle skirt frolicking in a field at this point. Cue the overly cheery music.

So here's a list of things that could possibly drag me out of the house. Feel free to add more in the comments.

Pre-Summertime Blues Busters


1. Free Show/Festival. Summertime is just around the corner; there must be some sort of concert in the park coming up.

2. Neighbourhood Exploration. I just moved to a new part of town. I should probably figure out what's around me.

3. Coffee Shop Hopping. It's like a bar crawl, but instead of beer I drink coffee. This may in fact be my ideal day and hey, I have to figure out a new coffee shop anyways.

4. Reading in the Park. This one may only work in my head what with my fear of bugs, dogs and oh yeah, the sun is my enemy. I have two normals, so white I glow under black lights and redder than an overdrawn bank account.

5. Vintage Store Trawling. I never buy anything, but isn't looking at the old clothing just fun and great inspiration?

So that's a list of five. Not too bad for a  first go around.

But you know, things are actually starting to pick up. I have a job interview this week. A reason to leave the house! I also have some pretty amazing friends who look at me and remind me to eat in between cups of coffee. Plus, it's finally starting to feel like summer around here so you know, I'm in for some big changes and lots of growing pains, but I think that this life just might work out.

Apartment Hunting

So I have an interim apartment for the moment marking the beginning of my post grad life, but it's a sublet and I'll have to move out at the end of the summer. If I'm able to find a job, I'm hoping to continue renting. Moving home is the other option which isn't exactly ideal (although it may very well be necessary). So I've taken to looking at apartments. Is everything currently out of my price range? Of course! Does that make it any less fun? No! Mainly because I'm not having to make any actual decisions at the moment.

So what am I absolutely in love with right now?

Exposed brick and large windows! It's gorgeous and I love it!

I have no idea where this image came from and unfortunately can't credit it (I found it on Pinterest, but it won't like me back to where it's originally from). Wouldn't you just love to curl up in that window seat and read? Preferably with a cup of hot tea or coffee in hand? The only thing that could improve that picture is a throw and a large bookshelf.

This next picture is from Apartment Therapy and I'm head over heels in love with the exposed brick. It even has an old fire place that's been decorated with candles! Does it get any better? I love how the dark wood floors work with the brick and the furniture compliments it so nicely. This apartment also seems to get a lot of light which is just lovely. Remember folks, I'm living in a basement. Light is not my friend right now.

So what do you all think? Not everybody loves brick as much as I do. Are these places you'd want to live? What makes up your dream home?

End of an Era

Well that's it. I'm done living in a dorm; in fact, I'm done with school. I finished my last exam a few weeks ago and I've been slowly moving to a basement suite in a totally different area of town. It's a weird crossroads I'm at right now. I'm just waiting for graduation and asking myself what I want to do with the rest of my life.

First off, thank you everybody for baring with me for the past few months. I haven't been posting anything at all recently. It's a shame because it was my last few months in this blog's namesake, but I just didn't have the time. I honestly didn't even finish all of my papers this past term. I ended up not handing them in. Some stuff happened in my professional life that just completely threw me through a loop. So anybody who's still around out there a huge thank you!

I'm sitting in my new apartment right now applying for jobs and asking myself what I want to do with the rest of my life. Do I want to take a job that promises some financial security, but guarantees that it will be at least two years before I can ever do what I love? I will no longer be able to work in theatre if this job works out. Is that what I want? This terrifies me. Theatre is what I love. Theatre is what drives me in life and makes me want to wake up in the morning. Can I live without that? I honestly don't think I can. So now the question is, how do I make both work? Of course, it's not even guaranteed that I have this job so we'll see how it all goes.

Another question I have is do I continue this blog? My posts have been incredibly sporadic and I'm no longer in university. Is this something I want to continue doing? If you dear readers are around, I would love some feedback. Let me know if you think it's worth continuing this writing thing.

I suppose that's it for now. This won't be my last post, we'll just see what's coming down the line.

Chris Brown at the Grammys

I was watching The Grammys tonight and was absolutely horrified when I saw that Chris Brown was performing. I remember three years ago and the backlash against not the man who hit his girlfriend, but against Rihanna. It was horrifying then and I find it just as horrifying now that he's making some sort of "come back." This Hello Giggles post that I've linked to below perfectly expresses what I would like to say.

I’m Not Okay with Chris Brown Performing at the Grammys and I’m Not Sure Why You Are

Vintage Photographs

This post has been a long time coming. I've had these photos sitting on my computer for weeks now, but haven't had the time or energy to do anything with them. But they're here now so let's go.

These are some fabulous old photographs I found when cleaning house a few weeks ago. I find them haunting, but at the same time they can bring a smile to my face. It's a mixture of nostalgia and laughter? Does that make any sense at all? Anyways, to sum up I think they're great.

I think what attracts me to these pictures is that they're more than that. They're memories. They may not be my memories, but that makes them no less important. They're from another time and another place and they mean more than what's on that piece of paper. They're a beautiful way to honour the past in a sense. Beyond that, they represent the happiest times in somebody's life. The bad times are never captured on film. The box chock full of pictures to me is a happy life, one where even the little things bring some joy.

It's so easy to romanticize the past and when you get caught under a pile of these old photos, you'll see why. And isn't that paper fantastic? It's from the box they were stored in. I've never seen anything like it before!

Music and Mood

Okay, here's the deal. I've been in a pretty relentless bad mood for the past few weeks. Combine a new semester with family stress and a dash of the ol' job search for luck and you get me, unwilling to leave my nice, warm, cozy bed. I may be a little pathetic and I'm okay with that. 

So for the past few days I've been watching Netflix pretty relentlessly. Turns out constant tv watching does so little to help with the whole mood thing. On top of that, work is not getting done which just adds to the stress. It's a relentless cycle. I decided today to make a change. I stepped away from Netflix.
(was I the only one to hear the trumpeting in the background just then?)

Instead of watching tv under the covers I decided to listen to some music as I started to clean up my room. Music is such a mood booster. For me, it gets my imagination going, it gets me thinking again after I've totally shut it down. The mood buster for the day? The Pixies.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am a roommate's dream. Who doesn't love a little alternative rock on a Wednesday afternoon?

On the whole music front, Springsteen is releasing a new album soon! March 6 to be exact. That really has nothing to do with the rest of this post, but come on! How can you beat that news? Oh, what's that? That's right you can't! That video up there? That's the new song.

I actually have stuff to share with all of you. Pictures of pictures and patterns and paper. I am loving the Ps. I'll  be back later this week with some fantastic old-timey photos, but until then...

My Week

I'm back in the full swing of this point everybody and it's not too bad yet. But it is eating up a good chunk of my time. I wish I had interesting adventures to tell you about or amazing design feats accomplished. Sadly my week has been fairly monotonous. The most colourful part of it has been the highlighters I'm using to take notes with. Even my post-its have been relegated to the back of the drawer for now. This post was supposed to go up midweek, but at some point during my sleep deprived nights I misplaced the cord that attaches my camera to my computer. So here it is now. My week in pictures everybody, hold onto your hats!

First up, the notes, the agenda. It's so exciting you can hardly breathe! Right! ...Right? Notice the poor quality lighting, perfect for eyestrain.

But by midweek things were looking up! The mail arrived. Two packages filled with free books! Yes, this was definitely the highlight of my week.

I started putting things up on my wall. No frames, a few show posters, but it's a start. There's still a lot of blank space so at this point I'm hoping to just sort of fill it up collage style with colour. Maybe some more show posters, maybe some prints and coloured fabric. Whatever I can find. 

So that's my week pretty much summed up. Hopefully I'll have more to share next week. Have a wonderful weekend everybody.

Anecdote of the Week

So what do you talk about when there's nothing to talk about. It was my first full week back at school this past week and while it went by fine, I did my work. Absolutely nothing interesting to share. Okay that's a lie. There were moments. Best story of the week? The ceiling falling in on one of my classes.

Yes. That's right. The ceiling.

There are these working who have been working on the roof of my building forever. Not kidding. Forever. It's like if you combined renovations with Tuck Everlasting. Well my classroom just happens to be in the attic area of this building, the very top of the building. So as soon as anybody starts working the roof starts shaking and before you know it. BAM. Ceiling in your coffee! Not going to lie. There were moments I thought I was going to die.

So in other words, all classes should be that exciting.

Funnily enough, I was still nodding off. God this post needs pictures.

Cooking Dinner, Sort Of!

Okay, admittedly this may not count as cooking. But look! I made dinner! A super fast one!

I was passing by my local fruit market today and there was a sale on berries and their prices weren't that bad overall considering it's still January. Let me tell you, so good. Mandarin oranges, mangoes, grapes, and blackberries all mixed together? It's hard to go wrong. I mean you can go wrong if everything is sour and off, but fortunately it wasn't! I just love the colours of all that fruit together. Just so pretty, no?

What are the recipes you guys fall back on when you're short of time or just craving something sweet and healthy?

Hanging Around

Why hello there various wall hangings that have been in my room for years. Literally years. I have this tendency to collect little pieces like this while I'm on vacation, but i never do anything with them. I think they're gorgeous; I do. But what can I do with two tiles from Mexico and two watercolours from Victoria, BC? So they sit, leaning against mirrors, dressers, walls. I love them, but I don't know how I can make them work.

I have this vision in my mind. I'll have my beige walls, covered in strategically placed washi tape and on top of that pictures. In my mind these pictures are black and white to contrast the coloured tape and will be in uniform black frames to tie it all together. I don't have those things just lying around. I have colour and paintings that don't require frames and tiles and this woodcarving that a dear friend brought back from Singapore.

The intricacies are just gorgeous don't you think? I love the arabesque lines. It's so different from everything else I own. It either needs to go on its own wall or be front and centre, surrounded by a mish mash of images. I'm thinking hunting down old frames could help. Tie it all together by having nothing match? Don't get me wrong. I love all of these things (especially the woodcarving, sentimental value you know). I just don't know what to do with them!

I'm all questions right now, very little action. But seriously, does anybody know what to do with tile? Do you dear readers have design problems like this and how do you resolve them? Let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you!

Washi Tape Walls

You know that giant wall area that I keep complaining about? The huge blank space that is just a screaming reminder about how ugly my current dorm is? The one I've done nothing to fix over the course of the past two and a half years? As you may know, I've been thinking of covering that wall with some sort of tape. I've been hovering between spike and washi (mainly because I already own a ton of spike tape). Unfortunately spike tape is meant to be seen easily for prop placement in a theatre; it's pretty much out of the question for decor. My glow in the dark orange is not the ideal wall covering.

I remembered coming across a blog from awhile back that featured a washi tape covered wall. One quick google search later and I came across this post from Little Green Notebook.

I think this image speaks for itself. I love the subtle pop of colour and the geometric shapes. I also love how it's targeted at renters. As a student living in a dorm I can't wallpaper, but I'm taking this as proof that I can tape my walls. This is my wall inspiration. 

In my searches I also found some beautiful images over at Hello Sandwich. Wallpaper sized washi tape! So pretty! I doubt I can find any of that over here. I'll be happy ordering some regular sized tape online and going to town. But seriously, look, so pretty!

I'm thinking of ordering this tape online.

I really love the colour. It will pop, it's fun and young and I'm hoping to hang up some black and white pictures as well for some contrast. I'll let you all know how it goes! Maybe even some before and after pictures?

How do you cope with the restrictions that come with renting a place, either an apartment or dorm? I'm so curious!

New Year, New Inspiration

So the holidays are over; I packed up the decorations today. The baking is almost all gone and our final family birthday is taking place this evening. Let me tell you one thing, I am tired. Definitely too tired to start on one of the many projects I have in mind for the new year. However, I'm not too tired to look for some design inspiration. I just love looking at other people's ideas to see how they can look in my place. So to tide you all over for the day here are some beautiful pictures that I've found around the internet.

This bedroom is from the Canadian House and Home website. I love the use of neutrals with just a pop of pink for some added colour. I also think the chandelier is an interesting touch; it's sleek. A small space like a dorm room can incorporate some of these ideas. Hanging your own chandelier is highly unrealistic, but the colour scheme is easy to recreate.

This next bedroom was found via the Lovely Undergrad. I love the use of light which is something easily emulated in a dorm room. I also love the clean lines. I desperately want that alarm clock, so much cuter than my cellphone alarm.

This dorm room featured on the Refinery 29 website is a lot bigger than  mine (I could never fit a lamp, let alone a Greek column in my room), but again I think elements of this design can work anywhere. I like how pictures are grouped together. I think it's a little more personal than buying one huge poster to cover up a wall.

Another dorm room featured on Refinery 29, I love the wall art. They used Wall Pops, which are stickers for the wall, to create the stripes. I've been looking into decals for my walls to add some colour. I think this is a brilliant way to get around the fact that you can't paint the walls.

These images have really inspired me to create something beautiful out of my room. I would love to incorporate these images into my design. I think finding things that inspire you is a good first step to design. Now I just need to work on the follow through.