REVIEW: PAPER TOWNS

For my birthday, one of my good friends gave me Paper Towns by John Green. First of all, I LOVE John Green. He has such a smart way of writing, with perfectly timed wit and enough emotion to make the characters real, but not a sob story.
I've been meaning to read this book by him, as I just finished The Fault in Our Stars, and was looking for another of his books to scarf down again (I read Stars in literally one day. I did not do anything else that day. Only read. Also, I HIGHLY recommend that book. HIGHLY).

Paper towns is about a high school senior Quentin Jacobsen, who falls madly for his quirky and adventurous neighbor Margo Roth Spieglman. Margo has an existential point of view, constantly questioning what is valuable and important and what is 'paper'. To her, their city of Orlando is just a 'paper town' full of two dimensional people who go about life without really living.

Margo and Quentin were good friends throughout elementary school, drifting apart in high school. One night, Margo sneaks into Quentin's room dressed as a ninja and takes him on a whirlwind all-night adventure, with highlights ranging from breaking into Sea World to throwing dead catfish through her enemy's window.

When Margo goes missing, Quentin enlists his friends Ben (or, Bloody Ben... hilarious back story there) and Radar (also good backstory) to find her via clues she left for her discovery. On his journey to find her in his minivan with his closest friends, Quentin learns a lot about himself and his values. He also learns that timing is everything (if you have read it, you'll know what I mean... ;) )

Paper Towns is quirky, hilarious, but also thought provoking. I feel like society really can be like paper - two dimensional, and easy to pass judgments on.

This novel is probably not for one who's looking for a quick read - Paper Towns is rather long, but for someone like me, it was quick-paced and an excellent read. I had a friend say she trudged through it, and was dissatisfied with the ending. While the last chapter may not hold all that the reader is looking for, this is typical John Green - bittersweet is his forte!

I really enjoyed how deeply this book discusses existential questions, and I found that I related to the anxiety-prone Quentin a lot. Overall, the characters are very dimensional and diverse, and I truly enjoyed this read. I definitely recommend it, if you want to put in the time :)

katie

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY

And that is all.





katie

WEEKLY MUSIC

This week has been... stressful. To say the least. My high school is putting on our play this weekend, and we've been in intense tech week for the past two weeks. However, I'm still here!
I'm back to featuring some good (or, what I think is good) music. This week, I want to show off The New Pornographers. I've known of this band for years, but never checked them out because the name intimidated the middle school me.

Don't let the band name fool you.

This music is amazing. I love every single one of their songs, although my absolute favorite is Crash Years.
The Canadian (which I did not know) band has been around since the very late 90's, and fun fact: from 2000 to 20006, every album has had at least one song in the billboard top 40 (thank you Wikipedia!)

Enjoy!
katie

EVERYBODY LOVES MICKEY

For this post, I was wearing something super comfortable and random. I wanted to post this mostly because this skirt is a new addition to my closet, and I'm in LOVE with it. I literally wear it with everything. My favorite is wearing it with my black baggy pull-over sweater, boots, and a black and white scarf. Or a button-down chambray shirt. Actually anything with this.

But for this one, I hadn't worn the good-ol' Mickey shirt in a while, so I figured... why not? Play with what you have, and you could be happily surprised.

Top/ Disney World, Skirt/ American Apparel, Shoes/ Nordstrom Rack, Clip/ Vintage


I also think hi-tops are some of the best shoes in the world. I found these on sale years ago, and they're really funky because they're actually a Paint-By-Number pair, with the corresponding colors inside. I'm really tempted to paint them and see what they look like...

It's been getting pretty chilly here. That was probably the last time I can get away with wearing just a shirt and skirt without a heavy sweater or something. But hey, I LOVE sweaters and coats so that's just fine by me.

Enjoy your weekend (and Veteran's Day).
katie

WEEKLY MUSIC

Alright,  I've been on 'hiatus' for a while, but I'm back!
This week I'm featuring Cheers Elephant. I only recently heard some of their stuff as I was browsing Spotify, and I really enjoyed it.
The acoustics are beautiful. It's really chill, and I find it perfect for making homework just a tad more enjoyable ;) Also really great driving music. Fun fact.

This Philadelphia band focuses on three part harmonies in their music, which always sounds fantastic. According to their website, the band's music will "make your dad's toe tap, your mom's hip shake, and your sister's heart throb." What more in life do you need?

Enjoy!
katie

10 THINGS

1. I am OBSESSED with this dress.























2. This tutorial on spiffing up wrapping paper.


















3. This shirt from Snorgtees.




















4. I find this so interesting and intriguing.
























5. This cardigan from Free People.

6. This tutorial.

7. This shirt is lovely.

8. These boots from Topshop.

9. Foxes. I am seriously obsessed with foxes right now. I really don't know why.

10. This necklace from Modcloth.

As you can tell, I'm going through a Modcloth phase. There are SO many things I love on there!

Enjoy your weekend.
katie

CHANGES

Recently, my life has been a big mess of feelings. I love school and I love being with my friends... but...

Basically, I'm going through a friend break-up.

It's true. I know I can't be the only one who has experienced this, but sometimes it feels like you're the only one, you know? And it is not fun.
Sometimes, someone who you thought was a really great person with similar values to you turns out to be very different from what you though. This can be a good thing, that you learn something about your friend that makes you appreciate them more. But sometimes, this can have a really negative impact.

Obviously I have the negative feeling.

Friendships, and relationships in general, are complicated. And while I don't count myself as a gifted advice-giver, I know that by posting this I will get out some bottled up emotions and ideas. And hopefully someone can benefit by reading it.

All I can say about this is, be honest with yourself. I know I spent a lot of time in this friendship because I felt like I should or had to. I felt tied to this person because we had many mutual friendships. But sometimes, you just don't mesh. If you're forcing something too much, or only putting work in and not receiving any mutual good feelings, then this relationship will take a toll. I'm saying this from a personal place. Eventually, I realized how emotionally exhausted I was all the time from trying to make this friendship work.

Secondly, if he or she will not meet your needs, whatever they are, that isn't okay. Anyone who knows me know that I have a very large personal bubble. I'm just not a hugger! I don't know why, it just doesn't make me all that comfortable. That goes for other non-physical things. I'm just not comfortable sharing a lot with people. And this friend in particular, even after I communicated this to her on several occasions, didn't seem to understand how important this is.
 This goes both ways. In order for a friendship to work, both people need to respect each other's quirks and feelings.

Going along with that, you can't change anybody. That doesn't mean you can't help them through a changing or growth process. But you can't go into a friendship knowing "hey, I don't really like how Suzie Q always isn't open minded about trying new restaurants with me, so I'm going to get her to". A person is who they are because that's who they are. Talk about convoluted sentence. But you're not going to change me into a person who loves mashed potatoes, because I really don't. We all have our own needs and personalities, and it's not fair to want to change that for your own benefit. I'm saying this, again, because I definitely did this in the aforementioned friendship. I thought maybe I could get things to be better if she stopped doing things I didn't like. Pretty selfish on my part, really.

Next, the truth will set you free. I know. What a cliche. But honestly, dragging something out because you're not being honest with them will not only make you feel bad for lying, but will also make them feel bad because they won't realize what's really going on in your head. Nobody can read minds (as cool as that would be). I know it's basically the hardest thing you ever do, but if you've had a lasting relationship with this person, you kinda owe it to them to let them know what's going on in your head. I sat down with my friend and told her how I felt. Is it going to be painful? Yes. Is it going to be ugly? Yep. Is is going to be something you will  want to relive? Um, no. But man, once I did it, I felt so much better not dragging something out.

And finally focus on your happiness. This one is really hard for me. I really didn't want to hurt this other person's feelings, but at the same time it was tearing me apart inside. There comes a point (at least for me) when you are past helping this person and being able to care for that person and yourself, and it's okay to pick your own happiness. After all, you're only here on this earth for so long... might as well make the absolute most of it.

I hope that helped someone, if anyone. I know it's so easy for me to just sit here and type these ideas out, but I understand how hard it can be to figure out when to end a friendship that just isn't working. I really do. And I hope even if you don't follow any of these ideas, at least reading this will give some consolation.

Here is a song that I always makes me feel better when reflecting/ pondering life/ getting past obstacles. I don't know. It's pretty. Plus I felt like posting some music.

Enjoy the weekend! Yay!
katie

SEEING GREEN

One of my absolute favorite color palettes for the fall includes black, white, and olive green. Something about those colors just makes me extremely happy. 

I bought this dress over the summer, and was kind of depressed because I couldn't think of what to wear it with to make it not so chilly (jackets and cardigans can only do so much). But after obsessing over the blog Delightfully Tacky, I realized... hey, layers are a BRILLIANT thing! I never really thought to layer shirts and blouses ( or in this case, a sweater shirt... shirt sweater? I don't know) under dresses. I don't know why, it just truly never occurred to me. 

Anyway, this is what I came up with today. 

Dress/ Urban Outfitters, Shirt/ years ago from Nordstrom, Tights/ ...I actually don't remember, Shoes/ Nordstrom, Rings/ Free People, family ring

Also, exciting, because I finally got a second knuckle ring. I've been wanting one for so long for no good reason except I think they're just super cool. You can see it in one of the pictures above. 

Other than that, I've been enjoying the crisp air and smiling at all of the beautiful orange and red leaves as I drive to school. I love the chilly air, because it gives me time to go inside and get cozied up by the fire and watch old classic movies. Last night I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's and Casablanca for the first time. Needless to say, I love both of them now.

I really just love autumn. 

How do you spend your time during this beautiful season? 

katie

FUN FACTS

I don't know about you, but I think random facts about people are the best way to get to know them... so I figured, might be a good way for you all to get to know who I am a bit better!

Here goes...

1. I have seen every episode of the Brady Bunch.
2. I've volunteered in the circus.
3. My favorite food is either sushi or pho.
4. One of my life goals is to learn to play the cello.
5. I have a not-so-secret crush on Joseph Gordon Levitt.
6. I'm scared of boats. Or of the water. Take your pick.
7. I have slight (self diagnosed) synesthesia.
8. I love cilantro. I don't know why, I just love it!
9. Hairless cats seriously freak me out.
10. I still count Pluto as a planet. Well, more accurately, I keep forgetting it's not a planet.
11. I have an extreme dislike for mashed potatoes.
12. I'm an extremely nostalgic person. This is probably why I love old things so much - I love the history and memories.
13. I would love to dye my hair entirely light pink. I don't have the guts, but I think it would be so awesome!
14. I've broken two bones.
15. I'm a Scorpio. And proud of it, baby! ;) (I'm actually obsessed with learning about my horoscope.)
16. I can't not talk with my hands. I physically cannot.
17. I hate the word 'hipster' with a passion.
18. When I was little, I thought that England was in the middle of Europe (near France and Switzerland). It wasn't until freshman year that I learned England is, in fact, an island.
19. I can't make a decision without creating a pro and con list...Even if it's a really fast one in my head when I'm deciding between something in a store or restaurant.
20. I'm a Ravenclaw (and a hardcore HP fan to boot).

I hope you enjoyed!
katie

WEEKLY MUSIC

It's that time again! And this time around, I have a lovely little story to go along with this fine track.

This week, I'm featuring The Horrors.  I only just learned that this band even existed.

Long story short, I was in a little shopping center with my friend, buying coffee at 9:30 (lord knows that was a bad idea - too much caffeine for me, I'll say) just as the stores were closing. We hopped into Claire's (you can find some pretty cool jewelry for really good prices!) and began perusing.

The lady at the checkout counter noticed my shoes (docs... as usual... ), and we struck up a conversation all about Doc Martens and how comfortable they are.  Eventually, we started talking about music and she recommended this band to me. I really wish I could thank her somehow - I've really enjoyed their stuff. It's way different from what I normally listen to, but it's really chill and very interesting.

Enjoy!
katie

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It makes me so happy to see so many campaigns about appreciating natural beauty, loving the skin you're in, and embracing who you are. It's empowering, and I have so much confidence in my generation, that we're helping kick start a group of young women who can change the world.

But at the same time... and my intention is not to be  Debbie Downer here... it's almost a bit demeaning. I mean, not really. But what I'm saying is, I've definitely experience people giving me a hard time if I wear makeup or something like that. The thing is... makeup is fun to play with. It doesn't mean I lack confidence or feel that I need to cover my face up or whatever. Maybe it's the painter in me, but I kind of think that my face is like a canvas and that I can play around and try new things. Okay. That sounds weird. But still!

Really, I just want to challenge people who see makeup as something bad. Let people express themselves however they want... if you don't like it, no one's makin' you do it, yeah? 

It's not my intention at all to preach. At all at all. Just... food for thought ;)

katie

HELLO AUTUMN

It's finally here! Autumn (more on that later*) and winter are my absolute favorite seasons. I finally broke out the camera, as it's essentially just collecting dust in my room, and ventured outside.

Over here in the Pacific Northwest, we have... fickle weather. To put it gently. Here, Mother Nature plays with her guinea pig-like humans as she changes one day to seventy degrees, and the next to thirty. Today, it was pretty chilly, but not too bad.

Anyway, this is what I wore to just chill out on the weekend:

Today, I got to incorporate four of my favorite things: denim jackets, burgundy, stripes, and my beloved Doc Martens. Needless to say, I was more than content.

And I was lucky enough to be shooting just as the sun was setting, so I had some fun with solar flares...

Notes: jacket/ vintage, striped shirt/ Nordstrom, pants/ Madewell, Docs/ Doc Martens


Did I go a little bit crazy with selfies? You bet I did. But how could you not with such amazing light? I just pointed the camera straight at the sun, hopped in front to the side, and hoped that I might get something of interest. Sure, my focus is a bit off, but I'd never really experimented with direct sunlight like this, so it was a really neat learning opportunity.

Anyway. For me, there are three wardrobe staples: a denim jacket, something black and white (stripes, polka dots, you name it), and something burgundy. The black and white patterns are great because they can be worn with anything and everything. Almost all of my shirts are some variation of those two colors!  I usually wear pretty neutral colors, so burgundy is a great pop without being too bright. Burgundy, mustard and olive are generally the three colors I play around with most.

Going along with that, you can never go wrong with a denim jacket. I literally wear mine with everything: dresses, skirts, pants, you name it. I even break the rule of denim on denim (le gasp, I know) because I wear it so often.

And don't even get me started on Doc Martens. I would happily wear these every day for the rest of my life if I could. I think they are the coolest, funkiest, most comfortable things in the world, and I wear them all the time. I even paired them with a fancy dress for a semi-formal occasion at school... ;)

*Fun Fact: This year, I'm trying to call the season Autumn instead of Fall, because Fall reminds me of... well... Reichenbach. Anybody else get me?

Enjoy this amazingly perfect season :)
katie

Edit: okay, when I looked at this on the page, the photos are coming up way blurrier than they actually are. I don't know why that is. When you click to zoom in on them, they are much more in focus. I'm going to try and figure that out... 

10 THINGS

1. This dress from ModCloth. Quite possible candidate for my school's winterball?

2. This necklace from Topshop. So many possibilities with this little beauty...

3. I am OBSESSED with this jacket.

4. This gorgeous typewriter from Etsy. So expensive, but... *drool*

5. Colorful ombre hair. Maybe considering doing a similar pink treatment to my hair...? ;)

6. Anything and everything from brilliant illustrator Noelle Stevenson, aka Gingerhaze. (check out her tumblr too, so amazing).

7. This very exciting sweater. I mean, why not?

8. ... and this sweater, while I'm at it!

9. Roy Lichenstein's pop art. Such a classic, how could you not be obsessed? I'm really digging pop art and big graphics at the moment.

10. These super cool asymmetrical earrings from Love Nail Tree. (and... everything else on that website...)

So there you have it! A very random collection of everything on my current 'window shopping' list.

katie

WEEKLY MUSIC

Okay. We'll see how this actually goes, but I'm hoping to just keep up with posting music that I really like at least once a week.

This week, I'm showing off TacocaT. My friend and I went a few weeks back to a music festival, and when I saw them live I almost died.

They are that good.

Female lead singer Emily Noke has a really cool voice (not to mention amazing style. I want her platinum blonde and pink bob. Seriously). The music is just awesome. It's like a trip back in time (am I crazy for thinking there's a definite Monkees influence?), and yet super modern. What more can you want? The lryics are about anything from getting your new issue of Cat Fancy in the mail to discussing politics and the definition of 'indie'. They're local (at least to me), so not super well known, but definitely should be.

Here is my current favorite. Enjoy. Favorite line: 'angry girl music of the indie rock persuasion'. 

katie

...AND LONG HELLO'S

It looks like... I'M BACK.

I know, I know. It's been... well, it's been a good couple months, now hasn't it? So much has changed and so much keeps changing. I got so caught up in my daily life that, well, I kinda forgot this was here.

But I'm back. And I want to stay updating for a while now.

What I do know is that I can't probably devote a whole lot of time to photos. I would really love to, and I will try my best, but everybody loves a good ol' text post about my thoughts, yeah?

I suppose a little update is in order.

1. The two week arts program was... FANTASTIC. I was pretty nervous about it, but I have to say it was so unbelievably life changing. I felt so... free. Everyone wore whatever they liked, expressed any thoughts, made art about any subject, without feeling judged. I made some pieces that I'm really proud of, but overall I just learned so much. That was something that really struck a chord with me. And this experience was a major leader into this second point..

2. I'm attending a visual arts high school for a semester. Yes it's true! I'm leaving second semester to learn even more about art and who I am. Luckily, it's not too far from home so I can see my family more often ;) I'm thinking of it as a college prep semester.

3. I ombre-d my hair. Myself. Honestly, my friends and I were on vacation together three hours out of town. I wanted to wait and get mine professionally done, because I didn't know what I was doing. But while I was there, I did a reverse ombre on my friend (light to dark) and realized... hey, maybe I can do this. And, voila, before you knew it, I was slapping on lightening powder and came out with a brand new 'do. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I have to touch it up a bit, but overall I really am enjoying it. If there's any interest in an ombre tutorial, let me know (for any readers who are out there).

4. My shopping addiction has reached an all time high. But hey, more material to post here, eh?

5. I purchased my first vintage piece. And now... I can't stop. I've had hand-me-downs from family members and things like that, but I never really found a funky cool piece to buy. Let's just say a 60's red velvet blazer has found its way into my closet ;) I'm really starting to develop my style, which is exciting!

6. I recently saw Perks of Being a Wallflower. And highly recommend it. 

7. Instead of being onstage, I'm now doing backstage work and design. I know it's really not that interesting, but ever since I was twelve, I've always been on stage. I thought that was where I belonged. Recently, I haven't felt that gratification after coming off the stage. This is not to say that I don't like it, it's just that.. well, it isn't my passion anymore. Now, it's my first time doing set design and backstage work and I couldn't be happier. I'm designing a major graphic for the show, and even though it's a high school play, to me it seems like the Real Deal. The Big Time. It's making me realize how much I want to be a creative director in the future... ;)

Well. That's all I can think of. Really, not too much is going on - school is taking over (but hey, what can you do as a junior?), I'm balancing a job and after school curriculars (and homework of course), and trying to figure out more and more of who I am as the days go on. Plus, you know, try and socialize. And stuff. Not that that ever really happens anymore!

Plans for the future (yeah, this post just keeps on going!)
I'm hoping to write a lot more, try as often as possible to get photos up, hopefully showcase some art, and mostly just write about... well, stuff that interests me. I'm ready to start this journey... again!

katie

SHORT GOODBYES

so yes... I am posting at midnight. I leave for a two week arts program tomorrow now technically. because of this, I won't be posting for a long while, which makes me sad because I feel like I'm just now starting to understand what I want my blog to look like and be about. at any rate, it'll give me time to brainstorm.

I've been spending a lot of time journaling, recording, photographing, and preparing for this blog. I know it seems kind of empty, and the '10 obsessions' post which I want to be more regular has only been featured once, but trust me when I say that I've been really thinking about this. I'm just... trying to figure out how to balance it with my life as a student and a teen, you know? it'll all sort itself out.

today was a gray day, with pouring rain and thunder, and as much as I find it strange to be happening during the summer, I do love my rain.
because of all of this, I figured I'd part (for now) with a sleepy song that perfectly describes my mood, and hopefully numbs the nerves I'm starting to feel coming on before this 'camp' type thing. I'm beyond excited, but also a tad nervous as I go into it not knowing a single person. I guess that's life, though, right?I know I'm not alone. and  I'm ready for the adventure. 

I'll be back soon!

FEATURING: IDAHO

seeing as I just got back from our annual trip to little ol' Idaho, I figured I would make a post of my favorite pictures. we did tons of stuff there, and readied our little place for a much needed remodel. because of this, i spent a good portion of time at night drawing on all the walls (I've never been able to do that before!), and below you will see the beginnings of my doodle of the Sun Valley Serenade poster.
anyway, here you can see one of my favorite places in the world through my lens.