The Little Things

As always seems to happen once a month, I find myself ready to be out of the city. Back with my parents and cats and brother, even if it means sleeping on a couch bed and losing control of what I get to do and eat each day. I still get to fall asleep each night with at least one cat curled up against me and not pay for food or laundry for a few days.

I thought I was going back to my parents tonight (last night? Suppose it depends on your definition of night and day). My mom was going to pick me up on her way back from her MRI or maybe my sister on her way from Virginia, but the weather looked like snow, so suddenly...maybe I wasn't. I tried checking in, but there was no response, so I packed before going to my night class. Cleaned my room up. Took out a lot of garbage. Did a lot of dishes. Made sure that if things were going as I thought and someone was waiting when I got back from class, I could just grab my laundry bag and my suit case and go.

Once my sister texted me while I was in class and said she was driving, could I call her back? I got hope that I was getting picked up. I rushed out the door, frustrated at my professor for continuing to babble ten minutes after ending her power point. I called my sister back but there was no answer. I went home. I played with my new make up and I read and I tried not to unpack anything, really. I moved my bags into the living room so I wouldn't have to navigate them while in a rush. Finally around 9:30, I gave in to how tired I was and lay down, planning on taking a series of 15 minute naps. with my phone by my head and my purse next to the pillow so when I got the call, I'd know and be able to grab my phone and its charger and go.

I woke up and it was 11:30. I didn't have any missed calls.

It's now going on 2 am and I've come to accept that nobody's coming tonight, so I've unpacked a couple of things and have to dig through my laundry bag for my pajamas and my towel and pull out my getting ready supplies and one of my books from my suitcase. I couldn't have another meal of just soup, so I went to Popeye's and ordered a crapload of carbs, including some food to act as breakfast/lunch tomorrow.

I think I'm mostly upset that she just...didn't acknowledge what was going on. I've been totally left in the dark today. I knew I called back half an hour later, but I also left a voice mail, explaining why and that I was ready to go, but was she coming? An answer would have saved me a lot of grief. And I am upset I'm not there. I told my brother I'd be there tonight, even though he probably wouldn't see me until he got home from school, anyway. But he has a half day and he expected me to be there when he got home around 1 and I wanted to be there and ready to watch some movies with him. I wanted to sleep with my cats tonight. I wanted a little bit of extra time with my parents before the crazy descends Thursday.

I wanted someone to tell me what was going on. It's not so much to ask to be kept informed about matters pertaining to yourself, is it?

Having had two hikes to class, one uphill and one upstairs, and two trips into the post office to make 4 since Friday, I've decided I get a bath. I suppose that's the upside to all of this, really. I can't take a bath at my parents.

The Tale of a Birthday

Because, really, you can't make this shit up.

• Just out of Catching Fire, a group of friends and I went to a diner across the street right around midnight. I got root beer and chocolate pancakes and all was well.
• Got to walk a block in a gorgeous night in midtown. It was totally cool that the closest train wasn't running up to my apartment tonight. It was lovely out! And the other train was a block closer to my apartment anyway!
• Within a stop or two, someone came on and brought a stink to that subway. Which was running local. 
• Then I somehow either was oblivious to my stop, or the subway skipped my stop and suddenly I was in the Bronx. I had to wait ten minutes for a train that was Manhattan-bound. Saw at least three rats and got something in my eye that made it seem like I was crying while playing Candy Crush.
• Got home. Maneuvered around house guest sleeping on floor. Found pile of still dirty dishes in the sink. Then I did start crying. Got horrid sense that nobody else was going to do them, but everyone else would disappear for the rest of the weekend.
• Found my room felt like a sauna, even with the door open. Meaning I'd be overheated going to bed. In November.
• Had it confirmed that USPS had tried to deliver a package I've been desperately waiting on for almost two weeks. Twice. But no sign of slip I would need to go pick it up at post office. And as I knew I'd be out for several hours the next day, I couldn't request a redelivery. 
• Watched Reign because fuck it.
• Fell into a spiral of self loathing and questioning the importance of my existence in the shower. Then had the curtain rod collapse on me. Postponed further self loathing to reposition the shower rod and finish washing up so I could get the fuck out of there.
• Stole my brush out of the bathroom because I was 99% sure somebody else was using it without having asked.
• Watch Glee at 5 am because really, what the fuck else could go wrong at this point.
• Fell into super restless sleep because my room was so overheated. It included lots of waking up with too little sleeps and feeling like death.
• Still managed to have a missed call.
• Confirmed that I had to go to the post office without a package slip.
• Opened a present from my parents. It was a spinning TARDIS.
  
• Tried to look through Facebook messages. Was denied this. By Facebook.
• Walked to post office. Got the phone call from my grandparents while walking, and therefore had to half-shout to be heard over traffic.
• Went to the post office. Was informed they would have tried redelivery today, but went to go look for it for me. Five minutes later, she comes back and informs me it's too far back, write down my number and she'll call me when the package resurfaces. So I can come to the post office AGAIN. BECAUSE EVERYONE LOVES GOING TO THE POST OFFICE, RIGHT? 
• With a few minutes and best friend texting, I calmed down and did my makeup. Even though I didn't have my new products to play with. 
  
•  Left for lunch with a friend, still in a mood. As the Subway Gods often do, the train I needed showed up within a few minutes and I was able to get a seat. Same happened with my transfer.
• She didn't know it was my birthday, but while in line to grab Shake Shack, I mentioned it in relation to my feelings about when Christmas celebrating can start (there ARE ALREADY SALVATION ARMY PEOPLE OUT). She offered to buy me fries. Being starving and knowing I'd need to orders of fries, I asked to to get me a creamsicle float instead.
  
• Got a table next to a heater and spent two hours eating and talking.
• Went to Argo Tea where I got a large chocolate mint for myself and a table for the two of us (which is nearly impossible in this particular spot). Sat and talked for two hours over tea, each of us buying more tea before leaving. Got phone call from dad and brother while in Argo to wish me a happy birthday.
• Walked towards Union Square and find the Christmas market is up, so we wandered through it, not browsing, but still taking in some of what was there.
• Realized I have a voice mail, and figure it's from the post office. Apparently, my package still hadn't been located, so she promised to check again in the morning and call me again. Spirits lifted about not going back to the post office AND the way this woman goes out of her way to keep me posted.
• Get to Strand and make a game plan of starting in the basement and working our way up to the second floor. Spend three hours there, browsing and chatting. She has to make trips all over the store to return some of her arm-fulls of books. I only put back two. Got a phone call from my mom with family details and Thanksgiving details and happy birthdays and she told me to enjoy cake and that my brother picked out a card for me that she hoped would arrive today. I almost cried when she told me he didn't like that I was away from her for the first time on my birthday, but...I was in the middle of some non-fiction shelves about Germany. Also while browsing, had a guy tell an employee he was going to load his arms with as many books as he could carry. The employee wished him a happy birthday and they separated. Friend and I laughed and she said "That's so weird! It's his birthday too!" Guy was apparently not that far away, and came back and said "Happy birthday." Sadly, I think I forgot to tell him the same.
  
• Leave Strand and texting my roommate, she instructs me to eat cake which I didn't have, so therefore I had to go find some. As its now almost 9, I ask friend if she wants to go to Times Square, our best option.
• After walking 6 most of Times Square, ultimately turn back to go to Chevy's to eat real food. Chevy's was always my favorite Mexican place and it was something my mom and I did after seeing movies before it closed. Ate tacos, ensuring I wouldn't have to make food or do dishes that night. Then ordered a brownie sundae that I mostly conquered.
• Got on the subway home which was running fine, despite signs at my friend and my station saying they wouldn't be. Quickly got seats and settled in, continuing to chat.
• Found two cards, a tidied up, empty living room with a light on, and a mostly-empty sink when I got home. Rejoiced slightly about the lack of dishes, alone time, and no stumbling in the dark. Opened the cards and found a sweet one from my parents with a generous check in it. Then there was this one, including a note that he had picked it out himself.
  
  
  
  My brother is 9 (9.5 as of my birthday) and has never been good at saying how he feels. When he calls me and is ready to hang up, or when I'm leaving to go back to the city, I have to force an "I love you" out of him. But when I am at my parents, he likes trying to find ways to spend time with me, without saying exactly that, but asking if we can watch a movie or some videos together. Since learning to use a phone this semester, I've been getting at least one phone call from him between visits to my parents', usually to tell me things like the cats are getting along better or he figured out how to open his locker on the second day of school or he got his violin and wants to play for me over the phone. He doesn't talk about his feelings because that's not something we do in our family. So to get this card from him, knowing he picked it out and filled in things and all is what set me over the edge. And I cried again. Because for him to do this is a huge deal.
  
  
  Things I Got as Gifts:
  •  A TARDIS sweatshirt and spinning TARDIS from parents, plus money and phone calls (they don't call their kids unless someone's dead, my mom's pregnant, or it's a birthday)
  • Money from grandparents
  • $25 gift card to Starbucks from aunt
  • The card from my brother
  • College gossip from my roommate
  • A creamsicle float from my friend
  • Books, favorite foods, and tea from myself
  • A crapload of clean dishes from our house guest
  • A Doctor Who/Hunger Games parody video to my Facebook wall from my sister
  • Happy birthdays from a lot of friends.
  
  
  I had lost all faith in today being anything close to good before even going to bed last night, but it ended up being one of the greatest birthdays I've ever had. That's not saying much (I always get excited about birthdays and usually they're not that great), but still. It was very much MY day. And the little things that happened and small gestures from random people and my brother's card just kind of made it perfect.
  
  
  Now that this chronicle is done and all birthday wishes responded to (besides one aunt who said she hope things are going well here, so I feel obligated to ask about how things are for her? maybe?), I'm going to watch Scandal, then take a bath with a romance novel.
  
  
  --Julie

Reasons I Can't Be an Adult Part 1

According to my religion, I've been an adult for over 6 years. Legally, I've been an adult for almost one year. Within my family unit, I've probably been some degree of an adult...since I was 4. 

But nobody should let me be an actual, full time adult. Even if I live in an apartment and I'm old enough and have a job and whatnot. This week alone, I've

• Left a gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, and sour cream on the kitchen floor. For an hour.
• Exploded a bowl of soup in the microwave.
• Broken my book buying ban. Twice.
• Popped the top off of the cake-pop batter bottle...while holding it over a slightly over heated cake pop maker. That's sitting on the floor. Cue donut batter all over the cake pop maker and the floor.
• Had said cake-pop maker slam shut on my thumb while attempting to clean it
• Spent at least 30 minutes each day on cleaning dishes, only to have to stop because I ran out of room to put them somewhere to dry.
• The sink is already overflowing with dishes again. I may cry if I clean another dish, but I need lunch and we're out of silverware.
• Made birthday plans with a friend without telling her its my birthday.
• Stayed up until 6 am reading a romance novel. Because how could I possibly guess how it ends?
• Asked myself why I was so hungry for three hours before making food. I was so hungry because all I'd eaten that day were three donut holes.

Yet people have been trusting me with their small children since I was eight. I question their life choices.

--Julie

Things I Obsess Over: Julep Nail Polish

To put into perspective how bad this obsession is...I only joined Julep in mid-August. I got my first box at that time and only paid for shipping since the first box is always free. That came with the mint condition pedi-creme and two of the nail polishes.

My next order was the sea salt texture spray because it was 50% off and I've always loved what the beach does to my hair.

I skipped getting a box in September, but at the beginning of October, they started having a ton of massive sales for members, so I ended up ordering one little nail polish "set" of three, plus one extra. I also got the October box, which was the eyeliner and two more nail polishes. Then again I got the November box which was two nail polishes and a lip gloss.

You know how many of those products I've used? One nail polish, the lip gloss, the hair spray, and the creme. Yet I keep buying more nail polishes. I've actually had to put myself on a ban for buying any more for a while, because like...I don't need all of this. Or the super fantastic deals that come when you do get your box for the month.


As for the products I've used? 

I actually do like the lip gloss. It's not the greatest, but it doesn't dry me out and it's only slightly darker than my natural lips, which wasn't what I wanted, but it's better for every day wear or when I'm running late. However, even with the Maven discount, it's still way over priced.

The foot creme is decent but...eh. I wouldn't be buying more. Same with the sea salt texture spray. It only works if my hair is wet and since I shower at night then have to brush my hair in the morning...that's not super useful. If I spray it on at night and can avoid brushing my hair again when I wake up, it does decently, but it's rare I want to do that.

Then there's the nail polishes. The big sellers. The one I tried was a steel-y gray, the brown-ish looking one in the picture. It's actually a really nice color and really high quality. They don't have some of the more toxic ingredients in other nail polishes, but they also LAST. I painted this on every other finger and a different brand on what was left. The other brand was thinner and definitely didn't last as long, but the Julep polish was thick and had to be scraped off over the course of several days. That nail polish is DETERMINED to stay on for ages. 

Basically, even though the products themselves are hit or miss, getting two (or three) high quality nail polishes each month for $20? Not a horrible bargain. Just kind of out of my price range and not a big enough necessity at the moment. Didn't stop me from hesitating as I dug through the site writing this post for some details-research.

If you're interested in joining Julep, you can do that here. The first box is free with the code FREEBOX, besides $3.99 for shipping. You can switch up which box you get each month or skip months without penalty. When you get the box, you get access to a secret sale store where things are like 70% off for a few days. You also get Jules, which you can put towards getting a free box one month. And no matter if you get the box or not, just joining gets you discounts on pretty much all of their products. Not a bad deal, you know?

--Julie

Ipsy Bag of the Month: October

Recently, there's been a grand obsession with subscription boxes and I'm...not immune. I don't even really wear makeup, yet when I found Ipsy and saw it was $11 a month...I couldn't not. Never mind that my makeup included mascara-without-a-brand, eyeshadow from Claire's, and a powder that really only makes my acne less obnoxiously red (and...not much else I can really use). Clearly this was something I NEEDED, right? When else could I get 5-6 makeup products for that cheap? Even if most are samples, just one full size product is probably worth more than $11.

But, back to my point, I'd like to highlight what's in my Ipsy bag and how I feel about everything each month. And since I just started last month, I figure I can start with this one even though my November bag is arriving in like a day, right? Right.

I gotta say, the bag alone? Totally worth the $11. I know not every bag is going to make me this happy, but like...it's adorable. It currently serves as my make up bag so my stuff doesn't float all over the bathroom. I've already decided this one will be my Julep nail polish bag (Oh Julep. We'll get to that soon.)

What was IN the October bag:

• Big Sexy Hair: Blow Dry Gel
• Zoya Nail Polish: Giovanna
• La Fresh: Eco Beauty Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes
• Nourish Organic: Coconut and Argan Body Lotion
• Starlooks Lip Pencil: Tickle Me Pink

The nail polish and the lip pencil were the full size things, while the lotions and gel were in small bottles and I got a package of like 10 wipes.

I haven't used the Blow Dry Gel simply because...I don't blow dry my hair. I shower at night specifically so I don't have to deal with it in the morning. I'm passing the sample on to a friend. I also haven't tried the nail polish because I'm not a HUGE nail person, plus I've been trying to get my nails fairly event and lengthy enough before painting them again, so I may try it soon.

The wipes are...good and all. I've used them to help remove make up, which they aren't supposed to do and only do kind of well. The smell isn't overwhelming or anything, and they stay surprisingly moist considering the packaging is plastic. But it's not something I would buy separately.

I really like the lotion's consistency. It really isn't oily and doesn't leave that leftover gunk on my skin that pretty much every other lotion product does. BUT the smell punches you in the face. You apply it and it's just like COCONUT. DID YOU SMELL IT? COCONUT. Umm, no thanks. I'm good. It doesn't even really smell like coconut so much as sour coconut or something. It ain't pretty.

The lip pencil, though. Lemme tell you about this lip pencil. I've been using it as my actual lip color instead of just as lip liner because I don't HAVE anything to put over it really. And it's a really bright pink that pictures don't do justice to. It dries out my lips a bit, but not enough for me to really be uncomfortable with. I can't eat or drink anything for about half an hour after putting it on so it sets well. I put it on around 1:20 the other day and by time I got home at 5, a package of Twizzlers, a bottle of water, and a bottle of iced tea later (plus traipsing up and down stairs in the grossly cold), it still looked fantastic. By time I finished dinner and dessert at like 7 or 8, it was faded off, but I didn't mind so much. 

And normally? This retails for $12. So even if I had just gotten the bag and the lip pencil, it still would have been cheaper than buying the lip pencil in a store or online.

I'm getting my next bag, like I said, super soon, but I'll probably wait a bit to talk about it so I have time to try out stuff. I already know what's in it and I'm pretty excited.

So, honestly, I recommend this. It's probably one of the cheapest subscription boxes, you get a variety of stuff that they match based on your tastes, what you want, and what works best with your skin/hair/eyes and you're always free to change up those answers, and there's discounts to buy more of the stuff if you end up loving it. You cannot skip months with this, but there is a wait list of a month or two so long as you don't connect to Facebook, so you'll have time to reconsider. 

If you wanna join, it'd be super cool if you used this link. I get "ipsyPoints" for every person who signs up towards that link, which can get me some extra cool stuff. (You also get some points when you leave feedback on items in your bag, plus 100 just for signing up.) And I'll keep posting about my bags/the products in them because it's my blog and I can.

--Julie

An Introduction

 Lately, I've been wanting an outlet.

I have twitter and instagram and tumblr and Facebook but twitter is for short things, instagram is for photos, tumblr is more of a personal space for me that I could fill with things that make me happy and thoughts that I wish I didn't have, and Facebook has too much family and people who don't really know me. 

And yes, I have a book blog. And an editing blog. But those are for books. And writing/editing related topics.

But I wanted a place to rant about...everything else. In long details. And I want a place to review things that aren't books because it's not something I'm super invested in at the moment, but I DO want to review...something and maybe reviewing other things will get me back into reviewing books at some point. Or maybe it'll help me realize I don't want to review books anymore. I don't know. We'll get back to that.

And today, I start. Because today I'm exhausted after marathoning Sister Wives until 4:30 in the morning then getting up at 8 for class and I can't nap because I'm waiting on the UPS to deliver a package that neither my roommate nor I can figure out what's in it (and our birthdays are next week, so this is ESPECIALLY intriguing) and I'm too tired to be productive in the ways I would like to be. And because today I've been obsessing over things on etsy and infinity scarves and the ipsy bag I feel like I've been waiting for ages for and trying to not buy all the things because...I can't. Hence, you know, the "poor" part of this.

So, here's a few good things to know about me:

• I live in NYC.
• I also go to college here. 
• I'm technically a junior, but really a sophomore, and I'm studying English Literature for a degree, History for fun, and Publishing for things actually useful.
• In 8 days, on November 22, I turn 19. It's the first birthday I will not be spending with my family.
• I'm a lazy, procrastinating work-a-holic. 
• I like the idea of things more than I tend to actually like things...usually.
• Cats. Cats are life. And so is tea. 
• This is an approximation of my face:

And let's see how long this lasts.

 --Julie