Looklooklook what I just bought X3

So yeah it's Bodyline, but I'm not planning on wearing it for lolita, I'm planning on using it for maid cosplay, which is exactly what it is, so I'm in the clear haha.  Once I get it I'm going to get rid of the random white ruffles in the front and make it just solid black, ditch the headdress and replace it with the general stand-up maid headdress, probably end up replacing a bunch of lace and bows and cut off the sailor collar (? at least I think that's what it is, all I can see is that there's an extra white collar other than the peter pan one, wtf).  But either way...it was still so cheap and I was planning on making one pretty much exactly like it, so it's still worth it even if it just becomes a base for my own design heehee ^^  Too bad I'm not going to be able to wear it till I get back in June buuuuuuuu~

Speaking of cosplay, words cannot express how depressed I am about not being able to go to Bakuretsu Con this year T_____T  I think my internal clock knows it's time because I've recently been feeling this irrepressible urge to dress up and go do something (hence why I had to convince myself out of the schoolgirl uniform on the Bodyline website as well...cheap, but I don't really need it and I'm on a budget ;_; ), preferably dressing up in something completely adorable ^3^  I guess I'll have to wait for Christmas and dress up with Hannah <3

After spending the last hour or so oohing and aahing over beyond cozy-looking socks on the internet, I have firmly resolved to knit a pair myself!!  If I can hand-sew a duvet cover, who says I can't teach myself to turn a heel??? (lolomg this has such potential for failure XD)  Does anyone know how to already and can comfort me when I melt down give me hints?

Because I've been in the mood for lists lately.  My birthday is in one week exactly, here's what I want:

pale lavender nailpolish
sweet poems to read
cashmere blankets and snuggie soft pajama pants
drawer sachets
hot chocolate days and curl-up-by-the-fire books
a music box
Vermont leaves
pretty pictures for my corkboard
a pumpkin
warm socks and tights and big oversized sweaters and woolen mittens
fake eyelashes
a baby deer
(okay so the last one doesn't count XD)

Of course, in reality I'm just going to ask for money and spend it on things like traveling and food and museums and stuff.  But it's simple things like that that I think make the best gifts ^u^  Of course I want a lot of big things, too, but those are no fun to write out and demand.  What are everyone's petits vœux (little wishes, but it's cuter in French :p)?

Things I love:

Listening, really listening to the background harmony of songs and suddenly realizing how beautiful all the little things are that you never noticed

Chick flicks and pear wine with my two France besties

Hot beef boullion, caarrreeefulllyyy sipped from a china bowl (because while I have no problem spending 30 euro on the perfect fabric for my comforter, a 2 euro mug is out of the question XD)

The girl on America's Next Top Model who looks like Bambi.  No clue as to her real name, but she has the biggest, softest deer eyes i have ever seen >w<

This blog

Adorable, peppy French teachers

Softsoftsoft warm brown tights

Not having class tomorrow till 2:00 so I can stay up late and talk to my friends <3

I am currently obsessed with:

Baby deer...so cuuutteee!!! I am dying for a gold fawn pendant necklace now, I've been searching all over ebay, the French ebay, Etsy, the internet in general but I can't find one to my exact specifications *sulk*

This girl's blog....funnily enough, I stumbled across it was by searching for baby deer heehee. Even though I may not love absolutely everything on there, she seems so full of life and glitter and has a hilarious sense of humour ^^

Emu oil...seriously, this is a magical potion that will fix anything, I'm not kidding! And since I recently had a really nasty disagreement between my face and a street in France, I need all the help I can get >.>

Open markets and fresh produce....for some reason I've really been craving fresh fruits and vegetables recently and that's all I've been wanting to eat (except for chocolate croissants, but I'm blaming that on the fact that I had a really bizarre dream where I was at Hannah's house and took all her croissants and hid in the corner and ate them. Yeah, I don't even know XD)

My big, stretched out, worn in, grey cashmere sweater that was actually Hannah's but I blatantly and unashamedly stole from her...it's so warm and comforting and makes me feel loved ♥

Et vous?  What are the things you're most excited about now?

internetinternetinternetinternetinternetinternetinternetinternetinternetYAAYYYYYYYY

It's a pretty decent connection, too!  Not as good as my regular one at UVM, but better than my wireless at home.  It gets stuck really easily, though, which is too bad because I'm a superfast!clicker and always have a bajillion tabs open at once, so I have to keep reminding myself to go slow and wait for things to load, but it's miinnneeeeeee.

Speaking of mine, my dorm room has started to smell like me now~  What exactly is that, you ask?  Smells like perfume, mostly, Miss Dior or rose, and lavender now too because of my little lambie sachets I brought along with me, jasmine tea and face cream, a hint of shoe leather and fabric, and the wind coming in from the window and balcony door I always leave open.  Home ^u^

We went downtown today to the most Frenchy market I have ever been to in my LIFE, it was HUGE and spilling over with cheese and bread and pastries (...and also small skinned woodland creatures, but I ignored those XD) and I bought crepes avec fromage et jambon and it was gooooddddd.  I also bought another comforter for my bed because last night I was already cold and it's still the end of summer.  I'll probably have to get another by the time winter rolls around haha.  I've decided to buy some fabric in this kind of toile print for the duvet cover...it's not up to my usual standard of cute, but my dorm room is yellow and orangey-red and very 70s so I don't have much to work with ahaha.  Yes, pictures eventually.  But it's already reached it's equilibrium level of untidiness, as rooms I live in are wont to do, and I really would need to do something about that before I show anyone any pictures XD

Nothing much more for now, but I'm sure there'll be more later!!!

P.S.  I want this necckklllaaaccceeee

Okay, so I'm here *whew*  I am bruised and sore from carrying all my luggage halfway around France, and absolutely exhausted in general from the time change, but I'm here.  Other than that, I don't have much to say, my dorm room is cute, I am vastly unprepared for speaking French to actual French people, Thursday is orientation so maybe I can figure out my life.  I'm content.

More later when I have my own internet connection to use ^^

UPDATTEEEEE

So one suitcase is stuffed packed (although not as bad as it could have been...I had to stop because I was getting too close to the weight limit. I've decided on this trip I'm going to weigh it in advance to minimize airport meltdowns XD) I have this sneaking suspicion that my carry-on suitcase will be filled only with shoes (oh hai, airline security's worst nightmare =_=) I thiiinnnkkk I might make it....I don't have too many more clothes to put in, plus all my toiletries which have to be checked anyway. I'll fill the second suitcase probably Saturday night/Sunday morning after I bathe and such. Oh, and I have to pack my Sleeping Beauty jumperskirt + blouse + bloomers too >.< I decided I'd limit myself to just one outfit, because obviously I have to have SOMETHING to wear when I go to the Baby store heehee.

In other news, I'm baking coookiieeeessss. I decided to be bold and experiment, so half of the recipe is flavored with springs of our lavender plant (after double-checking that yes, that plant in our yard IS lavender and I'm not going to poison my family with some sort of mystery-weed XD), and the other half flavored with a few bags of jasmine tea. That one, I'm not so sure about hahaha. The batter tasted good, though! A few minutes in the oven and they're already doing bizarre stuff, so I dunno if I can make any promises =_= It might have been the fact that I accidentally dumped more sugar in there than I had originally planned lol

Allrrigghhttt so the bizarro jasmine cookies are out, and yes, as expected, they're bizarro XD I think it must have been too little flour, although this recipe is always dicey because too much and they're just tough. All things considered, I think if I just served these up to someone they'd never know the difference....they're a pretty pale color, the spots of tea leaves a nice contrast, and they do actually taste very good and have a lovely fragrance. It's just.....they're not supposed to be flat haha

Time to go peek at the others!

Hmmm same issue on these, much too flat. I defintiely didn't have to worry about the flavor being too light, they've got just the right amount of lavenderyness, and smell really good too!

In case anyone's interested, this is the base recipe I used, adding 1 1/2 bags of jasmine tea to half of the recipe, and about oh, I dunno 2-3 tablespoons of chopped fresh lavender to the other half (I also didn't do the final toss in confectioners sugar because really, these cookies are fllaatttttt). It's also, coincidentally enough, the recipe I adapted (and then screwed up haha) to make Hannah's vegan cookies for the tea party. When they come out like they're supposed to, they're really lovely cookies, you should try it! And, all complaining aside, the variations I tried really came out wonderfully, so they're a nice base for things like that. I think I prefer the jasmine ones the most ^^


I should really probably get the heck off the internet and so something more practical buutttt I don't feel like it.  I always have to listen to this song in the fall - for me it has such a beautiful autumn spirit.  I'm not sure whether it's really trying to talk about winter, summer, or what, but it's beautiful.  The band's (Malinky) lead singer, Karine Polwart, is absolutely an angel.  I think she's left the band at this point and done some solo works - these two songs are some of my favorites of her's.  I dunno though, I feel like she's not as eloquent by herself.  Even though the songs themselves are beautiful, both of the songs' lyrics in particular just don't have the same beautiful crafting of language as Follow the Heron, or the other songs on the group's two cds, does.  Her voice is still magical though.  (speaking of, I would KILL for this woman's voice TT_TT)

I think if I had to pick one, Celtic music would be my favorite genre.  There's just something about it that's so sweet and pure and so much of life, of the earth and the people and the sky.  I'm big on storytelling, maybe that's why.  I can honestly say that I genuinely like every genre of music out there (try me haha), but nothing makes me want to stop and listen and think about the beauty of the world so much as Celtic music does (rap, techno, not so much lol).

Okay, seriously.  Back to work now.

(if anyone's interested, I have the rest of Malinky's two cds, plus tonnnssss of other Celtic music to share ^^)

I have been FAR to productive for only 10:00 in the morning =_=

I had to get up at 7 today to go to my physical therapy appointment (Hannah you would be so proud) and learn that apparently I'm all misaligned and my feet have no support so they wobble....which I believe 100% since I do seem to tip over quite a lot XD  (then again, it could also have something to do with my 5'8 self and my size 6 1/2 feet lol).  I got some exercises to do in France for my ankle, although the therapist seems to want to convince me that I should wear sneakers...to which I gave her a look of abject horror.  Sneakers??!  In France??!!  Perish the thought!!  I won't even wear sneakers in Vermont!  Once I recovered I sort of smiled and nodded, but in reality, it's gonna be heels everyday all day, baby XD  (and I wonder why I sprain both my ankles on a regular basis >.> )

Went to the bank, got my letter of recommentation to open a French bank account, got an outlet converter, tried to pick up some perscriptions but my doctor's office is the most inept group of people I have EVER met (and I've only been going here about three months...thank god I'm getting the heck out of there as soon as I get back!) and did something wrong AGAIN so I have to do it tomorrow.  Picked up my contacts, got my glasses checked, grabbed some stuff from Rite Aid, picked up my most favorite (high heeled) black ankle boots from the cobbler, and now am back at my house with an omelet for breakfast (made Julia Child-style, actually, which works very well!  only, because I'm me I put a few teaspoons of sugar instead of pepper and added some milk because I like my omelets sweet heehee)

Actually, I may be trying to wow you with my productivity, but really I'm just trying to procrastinate packing.  I had a dream last night that everything fit perfectly, that my suitcases were really light and I had tons of extra space.   BAHAHAHAHAHAHA yeah no. >.<

OMGOMGOMG two more days till Apple Pie Day YYYAAAYYYYYYYYYY.

Lol I am beyond excited about this XD  Traditionally, this would be done the weekend of my birthday, and Hannah and I would go to the Harvest Market and Jericho and then pick apples at Chapin Orchard and come home and make piieeeesssssss with the smell of leaves and wind and crisp fall air (see October of 2007 haha) but we're kind of fudging it this year.  It makes me a little sad.  A lot sad, actually, that I'll be missing fall.  I mean, okay, I'm sure they have fall in France, but I can't imagine it would even come close to comparing to fall in Vermont.  Fall in Vermont is perfection...chill days that make you want to wear huge warm scratchy sweaters and knee high socks, the crunchcrunchcrunch and the whisperwhisper song the leaves make as you're walking to class, the blazing color that stays with you all through the cold of winter.  Riding downtown today on the bus, I suddenly was swept by this wrench of nostalgia for waking up in my dorm room, tucked under my down comforter with the sun streaming in .  I dunno, that seems like such a silly thing to miss, I guess.

Ah well, I'm sure I'll survive.  And I'll pick out a couple of perfect leaves this weekend to bring with me, just in case.

BUT OMG SPEAKING OF THIS WEEKEND.  So it will be Hannah's birthday instead, which I guess works.  My grandparents are coming up tomorrow to say goodbye and I have to finish packing, which is terrifying, so I won't be able to meet Hannah for lunch and make her a cute magical bento, but that's okay because on Saturday we are going to the VERY FIRST DAY of Pick-Your-Own at Chapin Orchard, where I will pick the most perfect apples and pretend to be upset by the rule about not climbing the trees and then do it anyway and eateateat the crisp fruit till I am absolutely stuffed.  And then we'll go home and order organic pizza and make apple pies (vegan this year!) and it will probably look miserable because it does every year, but will taste fantastic, just like always.  And I'll pretend that in 12 hours I WON'T be getting on a plane to disappear for a year *shudder*

(oh, and Sunday morning we're going to Mirabelle's for breakfast before I have to be at the airport at 12, one last tradition before I leave ^^)

Here's a picture stolen from Claire (you always have the best taste in artwork lovey) that almost brought tears to my eyes it was so perfect

I am grouchy.

I went to get my haircut today and it is still obviously green even though I tried to dye it darker, apparently I did it wrong so it's still showing through and I have to get it done again, professionally this time.  I really should have just known better.  Why is it that no matter how hard I try I can never get it to look pretty, it never goes the way I want.  It should be this difficult!

I also really dislike sales people.  I am one of those people who you could really convince to buy anything, even if I really don't need it, and it makes me so. frustrated. when I get treated like some punk kid who isn't going to buy anything anyway so why bother.  Oh miserable, stuck-up Bonton saleswoman, if only you knew that I spend literally hundreds of dollars yearly on fancy skincare products (a weakness >.>) and that when I ask to try a perfume that you have behind the counter I actually wanted to spend the $80+ on it, not just window shop and waste your time, but now I'm just going to buy it online instead.  As if I needed another reason to feel like I don't deserve all the pretty things I like to have.

I really dislike packing.  Somehow I have to put my entire life into a few suitcases and I don't even know where to start.  I'm...not ready for this trip yet.  I just wish people would shut. up. about it, it's just making me that much more stressed.  I'm sick of planning and making lists and listening to my mother telling me how I will have to budget and be responsible and blahblahblah.  Someday I will be older and sophisticated and be able to waltz into stores and buy whatever my heart desires, rude, condescending sales women be damned.  Similarly, I will be self-possessed enough that I can just throw some perfect pieces into a cute valise and jetset off, elegant enough to pull off whatever I wear.  Yeah, that will totally solve all my problems.

Grr.

I caused a scene in The Body Shop today.

Well, as much of a scene as I could bring myself to cause, since I am 100% anti-scene-causing (I get personally mortified when other people cause scenes even, that's how bad it is haha). I went in to replace the bottle of perfume that I broke in London, and was told that the company had discontinued the line. I let out a huge gasp and exclaimed, "OH NO!!!" I'm glad there was no one else in the store, it was practically a shriek x.X The shop girl tried to show me some other, similar lines, but to no avail...it had taken me years to find this scent; the vast majority of perfumes blend really strangely with my body chemistry and just smell ick, like old lady perfume. I was devastated. "Is there anywhere I could still find it?" I practically begged. But no, there was nothing, and I left the store close to tears.

Of course, the happy ending is that one can find anything online, and I just bought 5 bottles on ebay, and will hopefully win one more bottle in a few hours *deep sigh of relief* A little excessive, possibly...but I'm terrified this ever happening again. It makes me so sad when companies discontinue perfume lines. What about all those people out there, like me, who consider that their scent? It's like taking away someone's eye color, or their height, or something that makes them so uniquely them. I smell like rose...what happens when I don't anymore? I don't even feel like me. Don't they understand how much they are disrupting peoples' lives?

Yes, I will probably never get through those six bottles; I will probably grow up and out of it eventually, or put them somewhere and forget about them for a while, or whatever. But what happens when I'm 83, and come across an old bottle in a box somewhere, and am instantly transported to my college years? That is priceless. I have a little (completely empty) bottle of Bath and Body Works "Juniper Mint" hand lotion in my drawer, that every once in a while I stumble across...and it smells like 6th grade, going in to a new school, surviving the homesickness of moving into a new house, the excitement of falling asleep in my own room instead of sharing one with my sister...I never want to forget it. I can't even find that scent online anymore, that's how old it is....but if I ever did, I'd buy it all up in a heartbeat.


On a less serious note, what are everyone's "signature scents"?

( My favorites! )

I really do want to try and post as often as I can...but absolutely nothing happened today. I went to work (an hour early because Hannah's clock was an hour fast D:), worked a lunch, a disaster as usual, then went to a lame safety meeting where I spent the entire 4 hours making intensive and detailed lists about the things I would need for my tea party. OH! Did you know? I'm hosting a lolita tea party this Saturday, so far we have 4 confirmed guests ^^ I'm so proud of myself heehee. I'm going to work so hard to make sure everything is perfect!! I love being a hostess ♥ (but please everyone, pray for sun!!!)

Hannah's gone to North Carolina until Thursday, I miss her.  I'm staying at her apartment to watch over her pets, and it makes me lonely.  I am going to make sure our last two weeks together before I go to France are amazing.  Dear god, don't remind me.