Current fashion trends I refuse to be a part of

Anyone who sees me on a regular basis knows that I have a very unique sense of fashion. I love to mix it up and wear unusual combinations I've concocted from an alloy of new things from stores or sales and what I've got lingering in the back of my closet. I love trying out new styles and trends to see if they're 'me.' That being said, here are a few recent trends that I detest and plan to stay well away from:

1. The gladiator sandal- Ever since I first saw this style, my first reaction has been, "Are you kidding me?" It's a hot summer's day. I'm looking to get out and enjoy the weather, maybe do a little shopping, but wait, let me first take an hour to strap on my cumbersome Star Wars shin armor, please. Yes, I do realize this style is available without the massive leather strap monstrosity-ness. Even so, heavy leather studded with metal is not what I want to lug around on my feet all day. Give me a pair of flip flops or cute peep toed heels any day.

2. The Romper- Why? Because I'm not four, the eighties are over, and my name isn't Daisy May. I also don't need to tramp through the underbrush looking for a man I presume to be Dr. Livingston.
3. The Maxi Dress- At first glance, you're probably thinking, "Now come on, what problem could she possibly have with that? It's just fine!" And yes, you're right. It's just........fine. A straight up and down tube of fabric. Hooray. I've chosen a picture that shows one in a cute pattern with multiple colors to highlight the fact that even with said attributes, it's a shoulder to ankle column. These dresses usually come in one color, and the ones I've seen most often are dark brown, dark blue, or black. *snoooooooooze!* Fashion should be interesting. It should have shape and texture (and yes, color). If you have any amount of curves with this dress, it looks all wrong. Why? Because it was designed to look exactly like this picture. Straight up and down. You might as well wear a fence post.


I'm not saying everyone out there should stay away from these looks, and quite frankly, what authority would I have to make such an audacious statement? I am far from being the fashion police. There are people out there that can totally rock these looks and on them, even I might like the way they look. As for me.......you won't find any of these outfits in the back of my closet at any time.

*Skrzzzt!!!*

Lord, we thank you for the bounty which we are about to receive........

The End

There's been some buzz, and yes, it's true. The Hypothetical 7 is having it's very last show on the 14th. Some of you will probably stop reading at this point (Ugh......another improv entry) which is fine, go right ahead, this ain't for you. Still with me? Welcome! Yes, Hype 7 is going bye bye. It's been swell, but the old adage is true: All good things must come to an end. The current troupe, as it stands, feels as though the direction we are taking the troupe is not true to the original H7 brand. We are different now, it happens after a decade and a half, and we want to explore new territory. As we experimented with different forms and styles, we began to feel unfaithful to the founding member's vision of the troupe. The short form got longer, the videos increasingly less inspired, and the sketches nonexistant. Could we have continued in our new direction under the old name? Maybe. But people have come to expect a certain style from the troupe that we find ourselves offering less and less. Therefore, it is with much deliberation and heavy hearts that we shed our old selves and look to the future. What future, you may ask? We'll keep you posted.

Deutschland

Wednesday the 18th I left for my first trip overseas. My good friend Tiffany has been living as an au pair in Stuttgart, Germany for the past nine months and for my birthday present I decided to visit her. We went from Stuttgart to Neuschwanstein, then Munich, then to Rothenburg ob der Tauber before heading back to Stuttgart and leaving on Wednesday the 25th. The trip was incredible an I have plenty of pictures, but Tiffany made some videos of our trip, which I will post later, so this entry will be relatively short. First of all, I loved it, I loved every minute of it. Kind of no brainer, I know, but the people were so friendly, the food was amazing, and I fell in love with the language, which felt oddly familiar on my tongue at times. I'm a bit of an architecture junkie, so the medieval buildings of Rothenburg (and this is a direct quote from myself) "fullfilled all my yummiest European fantasies." In the city of Munich it was so easy to picture people from centuries past going about their everyday lives while at the same time marveling at the modern culture that inhabits the metropolis today. I was blown away at their conservational efforts, such as escalators that turn on only when motion sensors are tripped and trash cans that had multiple bins for plastics, papers, glass and miscellaneous, not to mention their jaw droppingly extesive public transportation systems. In the face of such efficiency we as Americans should be ashamed of our piddlydunk efforts which we couple with a "green is the new black!" tote bag. We had a lot of fun and I have lots of great stories to recall, if you care to listen, but I just wanted to see if I could capture in words what it felt like just to be there, to experience another life that millions lead every day without giving it a second thought. It makes me wonder what they think when they come here and what we take for granted. It's amazing what you can see from the outside looking in.

Someday........

When I grow up, I'd like to be a slice of limburger cheese. Why? Your mom. That's why.

See you next fall!

On Wednesday, Leigha turned nine. We decided to give her an extra special treat this year, and instead of presents, we surprised the girls by waking them up Sunday morning and taking them to the airport (they had no clue, they thought we were taking them to church! The suitcase was packed and in the car) and we flew out to Orange County, home of the super cool architecture, even on everyday ordinary buildings:We went to my sister, Janina, and my cousins, Kelsey and Halley's place. Janina was in an opera, Cinderella, for a class at her college, and we were lucky enough to catch the last performance! We sat with my Aunt Denice and Uncle Dan. The performance was incredible. Janina was one of the ugly stepsisters and she did a fantastic job!
The next morning Janina used her employee benefits to grant us access to.......Disneyland!!!!
Janina also took us to the "Princess Faire" and let the girls get princess makeovers. Leigha chose to get her hair done, Brianna got her face painted.
Our first ride, at Leigha's request, was the teacups!
We did a couple rides then went to Disney's California Adventure. They gave a button to Leigha that informed the world that it was her birthday, and Bri wanted one, so they let her have one that said, "My 1st visit!" She made Janina wear it and I made Nina pretend it actually WAS her first visit:
We did a few more rides then hopped back over to Disneyland, which had thinned out considerably crowd-wise. We took the opportunity to ride all the big rides, including the Matterhorn:
At the end of the day we took Leigha for a birthday treat on Main Street. We tried to find matches or a lighter, but alas, there was none to be found. Imagine a flame on the candle, if you would, please.
I got a rice krispy treat!!!!!!!!!
On the way back to the parking lot Brianna fell asleep. Disney did it's job. Score!
This afternoon we flew home, Orange County to Denver, Denver to Kansas City. FYI, on the flight between OC and Denver you go right over the Grand Canyon, how cool is that?

Can't.......move........fast.........enough!!!