Final Destination: Black Friday

You would think after Black Friday 2012 with the one stampeding death, people would have developed the sense to be a little more cautious. Our shopping habits directly caused the death of one person.

Black Friday 2013's death toll exceeded the previous year by 700%. It's safe today that everyone who engages in Black Friday should think to themselves: "someone is going to die today and it very well could be me." Exercise a bit more caution that day. Make sure you're well rested and you have a proxy driver just in case. OR just don't engage - enjoy seconds of Thanksgiving dinner and take a nap.

Getting large amounts of people in stores creates more tension. Everyone present adds to someone else's feelings of panicked urgency that results in stampeding deaths. Recall, no single drop of rain blames itself for the flood.

One thing that gets on my nerves about the Black Friday frenzy is that it's coming to overshadow my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. A day that's about trying to acquire as much as you can for a good deal is overtaking a day that's about being thankful for what you have. That is messed up to say the least. Considering that seven people died this year, was it really that good of a deal?

Funky & Fair Trade

Maybe I just don't like physically shopping. I find it time consuming and it takes a lot of effort. This is all in addition to the fact that the majority of clothing out there carry questionable practices for the workers who make them.

I don't mind online shopping one bit though, I can do it any time of the day and it's virtually no different from window shopping. One top of that, fair trade options are more available depending on your boolean search skills.

Here are some nice funky goods:

American Apparel Tent Dress cut from vintage fabrics - $54

Here's a nice deviation from their normal offerings.

Saddle Back Stripes Skirt - $65 by Mata Traders

This one in particular is sold by Bittersweet by design

Ikat mini skirt with large pockets - $48 by Mata Traders

This one in particular is sold by Bittersweet by design

Tote bags made from rice bags and feed bags - $35

These ones are sold on the Global Girlfriend website.

Buttons and Bows top by Mata Traders - $54.99

on their website: www.matatraders.com



Found some nice duds. Now all I need is money. The prices are actually not too bad in the grand scheme of things, especially for ethically made clothing.

Curbing impulse for a cause

Being in a position that's more advantageous than others is sometimes hard to cope with. I'm an American. Walking through malls is kind of hard because it kind of brings to mind how America still functions on the institution of slavery and it's easier to cope with because we just don't see it. Things that are priced cheaply mean that the item itself was produced even more cheaply whether that means a machine did it or someone was paid dirt cheap to make a product.

Over the past few months, I've found it harder and harder to buy clothes. There are so many things made in China, Honduras, the Philippines and I can only wonder about the conditions in which these clothing were made. I can't make a wardrobe entirely of American Apparel - as much as I like them, the clothes seem very body type specific.

As of late, I just haven't been buying too many clothes. I'll make my small exceptions for jeans I know that fit, but generally, my new MO is to buy as few clothes as possible, utilize as much of what I currently have and if it is an option, I'll buy American made or sweatshop free clothing.

Given that this way of living severely limits my options, I've had the chance to reassess a few things in my life

1) Of the many clothes I own, I only wear a few of them anyway
2) Shopping for clothes is not one of my favorite hobbies.
3) Shopping for clothes to wear while shopping for clothing just doesn't make sense to me.

It's almost like a clothing diet, like that new years resolution I had a few years ago. I view a lot of sweatshop clothing the same as fast food - it's tempting, easy to acquire, and cheap, but ultimately in the long run, it's bad for you.

Oh Mercy

I watched The Warriors over the weekend. At first I found the opening odd because all the gang members were dressed the same.

I say to Frederick: "How come they're all wearing the same thing? What gangs do that these days?"

He says: "I don't think you're ready for this movie."

eBay-ables? etsy-ables? Round One

I was going to list a number of things on eBay before I remembered that I have good reason to not trust eBay. I shouldn't dwell constantly on the golden days of eBay as much as I should cleaning out my closet and  eating seasonal produce.

Given that I love themes, this first set of goods up for grabs all hail from Anthropologie. I like looking at it as going back to funkier times because sometimes Anthropologie can delve into grandma-ish territory and then it has a cycle of funky goods.

Ready for the Bag Ban?

This primarily applies to my comrades residing in the Peoples Republic of Austin, TX. Starting March 1st, anyone who has not been paying attention to the news will get a rude awakening if they intend to do any grocery shopping that day as there will be no plastic bags available. I think they will still allow paper bags, but you have to pay for them.

Welcome to the Ghost of Christmas-very near and eminent-Future.

"my flannel shirt still looks hot..."

Dream of the 90s. Dream of the 90s.

Let someone else dress you?

Ever wonder how someone else would dress you? This is the leather jacket that my boyfriend got me for Christmas. Generally, anything that I would get as a key piece in my wardrobe I would take it upon myself to get, but my boyfriend took advantage of the opportunity. I told him I'd been wanting a brown leather jacket for a while, but I didn't think he would get me one as I thought we had previously decided that getting clothes for each other was off limits. 

Nerd for Life: Approach for Make Up

Maybe I'm not so much a nerd as much as I need to organize my thoughts in a spreadsheet/chart type manner. In my old age, I'm getting forgetful, you know.

Since I'm not exactly a makeup virtuoso, I have to practice it. Watching RuPaul's Drag Race usually gets me in the mood to want to improve my chops.

For someone who doesn't wear much make up, I've managed to acquire a lot of eye shadow. Here it is sorted into a palette by type.

Chocolate vs. Sardines

It's easy to like Lilly. That's my little sister to the right. She's got a really likable personality.

In a small conversation over a fortune cookie fortune, I related to my little sis:

"You're like chocolate. It's easy for people to like you in varying doses. Even people who eat chocolate occasionally still like it. You're just easy to like."

I'm like sardines. I'm an acquired taste. At the same time sardines are "out there" enough to where if someone says they like them, there's some real genuine liking going on. We know sardines are not as easily likable as chocolate.

I personally like both at different times for different reasons.

For you 90ers

I'm kind of surprised how frequently my site gets hits for 90's style. Though I think what also surprises me is how it's been about 20 years since the 90s started. Damn you time!!! Anyway, for a nicer hit of what the 90s was, check out the opening to Portlandia.

Having been to Portland, OR I can say, I'm ready for an early retirement. If you like Austin, TX, you'd feel right at home.  

Plug - I love San Antonio and I love Queens

This Friday in San Antonio, TX. I don't know how many people happen to be in the Texas area, but if you like drag queens, like I do, these are two of the most lovable. This flyer seemed to pop up short notice so I'm just showing some love. Check out the flyer for more details. Check out my San Antonio blog for more things to do in San Antonio. 

2013 - Catch Up

So I'll admit, I've spent the last few days watching season 4 of RuPaul's Drag Race.

No kidding when people say this show is the best reality show on television. It has all of the best aspects of America's Next Top Model, Project Runway, True Life, Made, and occasionally American Idol.