easy tiger.: October 2011

10/31/11

celebrations

This past weekend has been all about celebrations. Namely, a World Series win for my hometown St. Louis Cardinals. This team is filled to the brim with talent & good character & they worked hard to to become champs this season. In honor of this great group of guys I dressed as a cardinal while partaking in another great celebration -- Halloween! I wish I could have gotten a full body shot of my costume (my tail & wingspan were pretty great), but I guess I'll have to get a photo next year when the Cardinals go for #12 in 2012.

10/28/11

thank heaven for little girls

"As I always bite my tongue when I meet little girls, restraining myself from my first impulse, which is to tell them how darn cute/ pretty/ beautiful/ well-dressed/ well-manicured/ well-coiffed they are ...our culture's standard talking-to-little-girls icebreaker"

-Lisa Bloom

Maybe it's because I was such a stinking cute child (I kid, I kid.), but this article from Lisa Bloom really struck a chord with me & I think it's something that everyone should be more cognisant of. Many of my own childhood memories include compliments on my mini-me looks or being called Miss America & I'm completely guilty of doing this with little girls that I meet. Years & years of this type of greeting will most certainly result in the realization of "Oh wow. Looks are the first thing people notice about me. This must be really, really important." ABC News has even reported that nearly half of all three- to six-year-olds worry about being fat.

You've got to be kidding me.

Bloom goes on to offer some great alternatives for when you meet a little girl. For example: "what book are you reading?," "what are your likes & dislikes?" These are all intelligent questions with no right or wrong answers. They also show that her interests & opinions matter, which is something that will undoubtedly lead to confidence later in life.

Just thought this was something to keep in mind & as Bloom says, "Here's to changing the world, one little girl at a time."

Read Lisa Bloom's full article "How to Talk to Little Girls" here.

(via)

10/27/11

i was there : phantogram

Show : Phantogram

Location : Metro

Date : 10.23.11

Favorite Song : This show, more than many others, made the decision of picking a favorite song very difficult. All the songs I love on the albums also sounded amazing live. "10,000 Claps" was the most calming & beautiful & just made you want to be with someone special. "As Far As I Can See" & "Mouthful of Diamonds" were the two that really got the crowd moving & that's always a good time. Then you had "16 Years" & "Don't Move" from their latest album, Nighlife, which were pretty killer. It's a very tough call, but right now I'm really feeling "Don't Move."

Memorable Moment : Trying to decide if I was more attracted to Sarah Barthel or Joshua Carter. Both are total babes that look really good on a stage.

Biggest Letdown : Really, there was no such thing as a letdown for this show. If anything, I wish I had familiarized myself with Nighlife more before the show, but at least it has kept me busy in the days following the show. Also, maybe that I hadn't missed the openers. I was curious to check out Reptar.

This Show : was phenomenal & it was FREE! (Thanks, Chirp Radio!) I just really enjoyed the energy & the sound was great. Once again, I get to cross off someone I've been dying to see live.

(via)

10/26/11

lofty dreams

I can't even begin to tell you how often I dream about my future semi-permanent place of living. You know, that place that belongs to me & only me before I settle down & potentially get married. Lofts have always seemed dreamy to me, but I think this one here has the perfect amount of girly appeal.

(via)

10/25/11

last of the great indulgences

Remember her? I chatted about her last week. This was a Fab.com find I just couldn't pass up. I'm a huge fan of Charmaine Olivia & already own 4 of her prints. A while back I talked about how my definition of personal style was "Western Glam," & I'd say this print fits that description pretty well.

I'm excited about this purchase, not only because I've been oogling over it for a while, but also because this is the start (well after my haircut tonight) of my spending hiatus. Yep, no fun. Holidays are coming up & I've got an exciting trip in the works so that means I need to tighten the reigns on my spending. Typically, I don't do the best job at this, but if I need to I can be pretty thrifty. Wish me luck!

10/24/11

sound bites

"Twice Bitten" - SBTRKT

At this point, I should know not to be wary of people in masks. Daft Punk, Deadmau5, Miike Snow -- they all produce phenomenal music & SBTRKT, another masked musical avenger, seems to fit in with that crowd quite well. His Essential Mix a few weeks back blew me away & I can't wait to see him live myself at Bottom Lounge in a few weeks.

10/21/11

don't forget to use protection

A new iPhone 4S means I get to shop for a new cover. Society 6 seems to be the spot to shop for iPhone covers. I only made it through 50 of the 700+ pages of covers, but my wish list is hardly narrowed down at all. Here's a peek at a few that I'm loving:

I hate to be predictable, but I think I know what my decision is going to be -- Obviously I'm going to go with the naked chick.

...More on her later...

Also cool? Turn your Instagram photos into an iPhone cover.

a perfect date

What's your idea of a perfect date? I don't know about you, but this looks pretty great to me.

(via)

10/20/11

i was there : pretty lights

Show : Pretty Lights

Location : The Rave - Milwaukee, WI

Date : 10.7.11

Favorite Song : Pretty Lights was destined to remix Kanye's "All of the Lights" & the outcome was pretty ridiculous. This was a song that really got the crowd riled up.

Memorable Moment : I always love checking out new venues. The Rave wasn't my all time favorite, but it had some character. I wish I could have explored it a little bit more (& turned down the lights).

Biggest Letdown : The music was great, but I was expecting to see this:

Unfortunately, Pretty Lights couldn't do the full production in Milwaukee which was a huge bummer for me. I probably wouldn't have made the trek had I known that beforehand.

This Show : felt like I was far away from Chicago. I was in great company & enjoyed the performance, but the crowd just felt so different to me. It made me appreciate the diversity & weirdness of Chicago.

make me happy

"Meek - Happy" - James Holden

James Holden has been one of my recent discoveries that I just can't get enough of. Most everything I've heard from him has been high energy & electronic, & well, that's just about always a winning combination for me. I feel like a lot of his songs belong in action movies.

soundtrack to my life : the build-up

"Untitled 6" - Sigur Rós

Over the years I've developed a soundtrack to my life of sorts. There are just songs that are so inherently me that they would absolutely have to make the cut if my life were ever to be a movie. "Untitled 6" by Sigur Rós is one of those songs that I will always, always go back to. If you're patient with it, it will turn into something really beautiful. Go ahead, give it a full listen.

10/17/11

hometown glory

"Hometown Glory" - Adele

It's a great day to be a St. Louisan & Cardinals fan! We are going to the world series & I couldn't be more excited. These last few months of baseball have been an uphill battle & I am so proud of my team for making it this far. Roll your eyes if you want, but St. Louis really is a baseball town & the energy in the city must be buzzing right now. It makes me sad that I can't be back in my hometown now, but that doesn't mean I won't be celebrating here in Chicago.

(via ESPN)

10/13/11

feels so good, but damn it makes me hurt

"La Cienga Just Smiled" - Ryan Adams

I will never stop loving this song, but I will eternally hate Ticketmaster from preventing me from getting tickets to Ryan Adams' show in December. Assholes.