My Type Of Guy
06.26.08 (11:19 am) [edit]Nothing bothers me more than when people go out and buy whatever clothes are "trendy". I think someone should be subtle yet classy about the way they dress and present themselves. I don't think it's a good look when someone looks like a walking advertisement. The guys, especially, around here walk around like Abercrombie or American Eagle pay them to wear their stuff. It's not only the preppy ones that commit this sin...seemingly every guy is guilty of this sin. I can separate 90% of guys into 5 categories.
Prep
Like I mentioned before, walking advertisements for stores like Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister and American Eagle. These guys always wear an Abercrombie & Fitch polo or button down with several layered Abercrombie tops. A white, destroyed cap turned slightly sideways, stud earrings, a necklace, wristbands and a Lance Armstrong band will accessorize the look. They always wear overpriced jeans or cargos when it is hot...and always flip flops...always.
Emo
My least favorite. Girls jeans, long black hair, makeup, tight tee shirts, studded belts, big shoes. Can't stand the look, can't stand the attitude. It is very depressing to me seeing almost grown men wear this in public.
Jock
The guy who doesn't own one dress shirt or pair of slacks. Everything he wears is a tee shirt or shorts. He owns several $100 jerseys of his favorite athletes, but can't buy one decend button down. I have no problem with being comfortable, but try to look presentable. Buy a pair of dress shoes for god sakes!
Bad Boy
The most tolerable of the group because they're good looking most of the time. This guy usually has facial hair and hoop earrings. Shaved or buzzed head, tattoos, bandanas, dark sunglasses all make appearances on this type of guy. They ride motorcycles, smoke cigarettes and wear a lot of black.
Gangster
The oversized tee shirts, all the patterened clothes, the caps with the flat brim. If you are a guy who works out, why would you want such loose fitting clothes? You can't show off your physique under an 8x white tee.
Anyways, my point is that you could easily take something from each of these stereotypes to make your wardrobe more balances and less laughable. Put on a pair of dark wash jeans with a lot of character and put a brown belt on them. Wear a tee with a design you like on it (no brand names!) and a solid hat to match. Tie this all together with a nice pair of casual shoes and a Roca Wear coat and you have a well balanced, classy look.
Bird Watching
06.25.08 (8:30 am) [edit]When 2 of my friends brought up the idea of a Smith Mountain Lake bird watch , I was more than a little skeptical. My two friends Sarah and Brianne are more of the "hippie" type. They are both vegans, members of PETA, animal lovers, organic food eaters. Although that isn't my lifestyle, we are all friends anyways. So they brought this idea up for a bird watch and I absolutely adore animals so I agreed to go.
We went down to Smith Mountain Lake VA with binoculars and a lunch in hand and I was excited to see what this was all about. I figured there was a certain way to "bird watch", but my friends told me that there really wasn't. "All you do is look at a bird through your binoculars and try to identify it" Brianne said, pointing to my little bird guide book in my hand. I agreed and knew that I had a tough task ahead of me. I love animals, but I am not too knowledgable about them.
We spent a few hours walking around, spotting several birds. Most of them I wasn't able to recognize, but the girls would help me out. All in all, I had a really good time. It was nice spending time with Sarah and Brianne, doing something they enjoy and something new for me. Would I go again? Definitely. I do have to brush up on my bird smarts though!
Thought Provoking Article
06.24.08 (11:56 am) [edit]I recently read an article on cracked.com illustrating the reasons why people are more miserable now than people were years ago. It was extremely interesting reading over some of the points. It got me thinking how it is amazing that people today live in a world with so many technological advancements and comforts are still miserable. The article highlighted how people through the early and middle 1900s had more friends and meaningful relationships, resulting in a better quality of life.
The one reason that really stuck out of this article is the idea of negativity. The world today is geared more towards hate and negativity. Nobody wants to read how a certain band is alright or how good a certain dish is, they want to read the "10 worst" and "100 horrible". Look through magazines like US Weekly and other magazine subscriptions as well as newspapers, television news and websites and you will find that there is a very negative tone to the news.
The comment in the article was "people are going to click on the story that says "Fall Out Boy is the worst band ever" before they click on the headline "Fall Out Boy is a decent band". That was the gist of the comment, I forget exactly what it was. I agree with this assessment...people want to hear dirt and juicy gossip. Well I hope for all our sakes, things brigten up a little bit and we concentrate on more pleasant things in life.
Stealing!
06.23.08 (12:40 pm) [edit]Myself and a friend were at the mall the other day just looking around, doing a little shopping. We sat down in the food court for a bite to eat...got some delicious Chinese food. After we were done, we took our trays to the garbage and when we came back, her Baby Phat handbag was gone! We looked under the chairs and tables and couldn't find it. We asked around and nobody saw anything...ugh.
My biggest pet peeve in the world is when people steal. I understand the whole philosophy behind it, I know why people do it. Not paying for something is a lot better than paying for something. I just think that stealing is the most basic lack of consideration someone could have. My friend obviously worked to make the money for that purse, and earned it in a sense. The guy or girl who took it did not. I, personally, wouldn't steal anything from anyone.
Anyway, there isn't too much we can do about it. We filed a report with the security and police at the mall and they said they'll call us if anything turns up. We learned a valuable lesson...not to take our eyes off of our belongings for one second.
Celebrity Clothing Lines
06.20.08 (8:21 am) [edit]In our society, the rich keep getting richer. Big time movie stars and singers are crossing over into other projects very naturally these days. Artists like Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Ice T, Ice Cube, Justin Timberlake and Beyonce Knowles all have successful acting careers. In addition, actors and actresses like Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus and Hilary Duff have budding musical careers. If the transition between movies and music wasn't enough, it seems like every celeb wants to get their hand in the fashion cookie jar.
There are almost too many celebrity fashion lines to name. Some, like Jay Z's Roca Wear clothing are insanely popular and reputable. In addition, celebrities like Russell and Kimora Lee Simmons, Jennifer Lopez, Puff Daddy, Michael Jordan and Nelly all have clothes branded in their name. With some celebs involved in a combination of fashion, music, movies and athletics, its no wonder that these young stars are some of the wealthiest people in the country.
Family Vacation
06.19.08 (10:58 am) [edit]Myself and the family have been discussing our summer vacation plans a lot lately. We usually go at the end of August for 7 to 10 days. There are the standard vacation spots like Smith Mountain Lake , Virginia Beach, Washington DC and Baltimore. A few of us would like to change it up a little bit this year though. I haven't been up north in a while and would like to see Philadelphia, Boston or New York City. I'm probably the only person on Earth that wants to go north in the summer, but I like to keep it fresh. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore going to Smith Mountain Lake VA , but I like to expand my horizons a bit. A couple nights in the big city seems like something that would be really exciting. The hard part is going to be selling the idea to my parents!
Pop Culture Society
06.18.08 (6:26 am) [edit]I was reading through US Weekly magazine and saw an article on Jamie Lynn Spears that prompted some thoughts on our "pop culture society". I personally think it is a shame the way some of these young celebrities act. These girls are getting arrested and constantly putting a bad foot forward in the public eye. Now I don't really care what happens to them, as far as I'm concerned they reap what they sow. If these girls like the Spears sisters, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton want to be so reckless with their lives, then let them suffer the punishment.
The only real issue I have with it is younger, impressionable girls look at this behavior and think it's acceptable. I wouldn't want my daughter to think that its OK to drive under the influence or not wear underwear under skirts. I know movie stars and singers don't perfect their craft to become role models, they do it to become famous and financially stable. Still, that shouldn't omit their actions...they know teenage girls are going to replicate them.
I don't want to come off sounding like an old lady, I just wish that these celebrities would be a little more responsible for everyone's sake. I don't want to see them pregnant, addicted or in prison....and I also don't want to see their fans in the same situation.
New Earrings
06.17.08 (7:06 am) [edit]As far as jewelry goes, I've always been pretty plain and conservative. On a given day, I'll wear a watch or bracelet, necklace with a little heart on it given to me by my grandmother, and a pair of earrings. The earrings were always very standard: gold hoops, silver hoops or diamond studs. I recently decided that my jewelry needed a little freshening up.
So I went online and looked at a few websites. Something caught my eye on the Roca Wear site. I went to the Roca Wear diamonds section of the page and saw some great big earrings that I never dared to wear before. I had some extra money left over from the birthday, so I ordered a pair of teardrop hoops with the Roca Wear flame logo in the middle.
They came in a few days ago, and I wore them out to a little get together. I couldn't believe how many compliments I received. It just shows that sometimes going out on a limb and taking a fashion risk pays off!
Shopping Online
06.13.08 (8:32 am) [edit]I absolutely love shopping online...I probably do it too much. It is just so easy to browse around the 'net looking at everything from Roca Wear coats to underwear. There are a ton of price breaks online as well. I used to work retail so I know that many companies have "online-exclusive" promotions and sales. Not to mention you can look for coupon codes online as well. I got $40 off of a Roca Wear purse this past winter from using a coupon code found online.
Not only do I shop for clothes, but I look for bedding, furniture and anything else you could think of. Overstock.com and eBay.com have become two huge favorites of mine. When you buy this stuff of of these two sites, you can be pretty sure that it's unique. Plus, I love the "auction" feeling of eBay....makes you feel like you won something instead of bought something.
I definitely recommend shopping online to anyone who hasn't. You credit card information is very safe online, just make sure the site you're buying from has "https" in their URL instead of "http"...the "s" is for secured.
Lakehouse!
06.10.08 (10:34 am) [edit]I figure that since my birthday is over, thats no reason to stop the fun. It is so nice outside and there is no way I am going to sit around when the weather is like this! I figured it would be a good idea to get some friends together and take a trip to the lake.
My friend has a house near Smith Mountain Lake VA and we've gone there a few times before. Always a terrific time, lots to do. A typical day at Smith Mountain Lake consists of some laying in the sun, some fishing, nice (hopefully romantic) walks!
Anyways, I'd like to get this together for this upcoming weekend. The weather here is supposed to stay nice all the way through Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully we can all get together. The lake, along with my birthday, would be a perfect start to the summer!
A New Pink RAZR For My Birthday
06.09.08 (10:16 am) [edit]This past weekend was my birthday, and I don't think it could have gone any better. We had a whole bunch of friends and family over my house for a little cookout. Actually, it wasn't little at all...there were about 60 or 70 people there! Good thing we have a lot of space! We had some really fantastic weather too, which was really terrific considering I can't remember the last time it was sunny on my birthday. I think the last 5 years were all rain. Anyways, it was so great seeing the entire family and eating some hot dogs and hamburgers.
Later on at night, a bunch of friends and I lit a fire in our fire pit and just hung around toasting marshmallows and having a few drinks. My friend Sean plays guitar so he played us some music while my other friend Jimmy played harmonica. Everything was perfect: the company, the food, the weather and THE GIFTS! My grandparents got me tickets for a concert I've been dying to see and my mom got me a pink baby phat phone that I've wanted for a while.
I love my birthday and I'm already looking forward to next years!