Gravitating to pop and why others might too.

So the time has come. That is for me to talk about who has been playing endlessly in my car.

That's right.

ROBYN.

This whole thing happened on accident. Sort of. If you know of me, you know that me liking this sort of artist is extremely rare- so I'm kind of embracing it more than trying to reject it. So I was watching Gossip Girl (that's right-one of my biggest guilty pleasures) and if you're familiar with the show, at Blair's birthday party a couple episodes back, Robyn makes a guest appearance and performs. I thought her music was more mellow at first because of what they played on the show. I got her album and went to go play "Hang With Me". Super pop sounding, techno-y beats, wasn't really my thing. Bummer. So the other day, my iPod was hangin out in shuffle mode and "Hang With Me" came on while I was driving and this time I was completely receptive to it and was enamored by how much I loved it and felt the urge to repeat it over and over.

This song acted as musical nostalgia for me. It made me have a perfect image of what this song was supposed to encompass. "Hang With Me" reminds me of times where telephones still had chords (that you would twirl around your finger in the midst of conversation), scrunch socks made an appearance over your leggings, over-sized everything, and you were rockin' a crimped hair while singing in a hairbrush. Everything late 80's/early 90's. It puts me in a "Am I smack dab in the middle of a 90's sitcom?" daze.

So while listening to other tracks on the album, I reallyreallyreally like another one and it's one of those songs that I am shocked I like it as much as I do. It's called "None Of Dem". This definitely makes me want to move every fiber of my being-I lose myself in the music. I would love to dance to this in the appropriate setting. I'd imagine the perfect one being full of strobe lights in every colour and a few shots of Vodka to go along with it. I like how this song makes me feel so differently from the other one. 90's idols melt away into strobe light fantasies and dancing in minimal clothing (wait whatttttt?!?) So it struck me with this realization.

This realization of maybe why people like Madonna, Lady Gaga, Britney Spearks, Katy Perry, & Beyonce are so overwhelmingly popular among teen girls and well, just girls in general. The kind of music they produce is almost made to make you feel sexy, girly, or feminine. It may be more of a stretch clumping Madonna in with these other pop stars just on a note of her music being more accepted by a wider audience? I could be wrong on that. In the end, girls need someone to look up to, someone to make them feel sexy. At ages 13, 14, 15, & 16 most likely a boy won't be fulfilling that role. It's a lot to ask of a teen boy. Since you don't necessarily have someone at that age to instill that in you and you're probably not confident enough in yourself yet to find it and own it, your music takes that place -temporarily. A young girl doesn't realize this-she may never realize it. It's not necessarily just "pop" music, but rap/hiphop can also fill that role of making a girl feel "sexy" even with demeaning lyrics (& no, the lyrics don't bother me).

I feel like when a girl reaches sexual maturity (17, 18, 19, 20) she tends to ditch the pop music and starts to explore other venues. Some girls don't never stop listening to music favoured by teens which goes against this idea (can you smell my music snobbery??). I feel like these people become musically stunted- slaves to stations like B96 and KISS FM their whole lives, just waiting to hear the same song 30 times a day. At some point, you don't necessarily need your main source of music to be making you feel sexy or feminine anymore because that role has been filled; either by your own self confidence or a partner, but let me tell you, it's good to blast in your car once in awhile with the windows down-girl power style.

I have never connected with any of the pop stars from the 90's, sure I enjoyed the music, but I never felt a connection to any of the artists whose albums I owned. I don't like the music of Lady Gaga or Katy Perry or ::insert other pop artist here::. & Then there is Robyn; a kind of anti-pop star. She doesn't really conform to the ideals of American stars and being that she isn't American, she shouldn't. It's ironic that Robyn is actually opening for Katy Perry although she doesn't particularly like her music. She is just different. And Funky. And I can dig that. But the thing about Lady Gaga is that I really like HER. I know I would be very similar to her if I were a pop star too. I'm not against anyone here. It's just nice to have a pop star around where I like both the music and the person.

This just proves my theory that music is supposed to come to you at a certain time. When I get certain CDs, there is most likely a song on it that I enjoy. When I get the album I normally go straight to those songs and skip around and welcome in others. A few songs get completely skimmed over. That is until I somehow come across them at the time that is right-like the stars align for that song. Heh, does anyone know what I'm talking about here? Robyn didn't just appear recently. She already made her debut years ago with the hit "Do You Know (what it takes)" back in 1997. She's no newcomer, but she still rocks.

-Tessa

March 13; I lost time & money to good things.

March 13th not only made us lose an hour, but it made me lose a few bucks too. Sunday marked the return of the designer lines in Target stores and since I skipped out on purchasing the things I loved last time it was around, I decided to go again to see if anything caught my eye. Zac Posen did a really cute dress for target that you could definitely tell had some Zac Posen in it. I wish I could find a good picture of the back. You can see it on the website linked below. Unfortunately, even though I love the color in general, it looks god awful when matched up next to my skin tone. The same thing is kind of going on for this girl. You need dark skin/dark hair to wear this--or ultra light blonde hair. Some shades just don't work on me and I'm willing to accept that.

So then I remembered back to what caught my eye the first time I saw the lines featured there. I remembered navy blue and green and stripes. I remember I liked it. I couldn't remember the designer until looking on Target's site to see what would be featured this time around. Libertine was the one who conjured up the dress of stripes. They were only bringing back the stuff that was the most popular and what not- "the best of the best" and lucky for me they were featuring that dress in stores. So initially when I went to Target it was between the Zac Posen & Libertine Dress. I tried on the Zac Posen and found out how unfortunate it made me look and then went back to look at the latter. I didn't pick it up right away. I had to get grand biscuits and some wild rice before the feeling crept up on me. You know, that feeling you have, like, pre-regret for not buying something the first time around. I could feel myself being filled with a bit of rage over passing up the purchase. Plus it was so Margot Tenenbaum/Prada 2011 Spring collection that I couldn't resist and due to it's "plain-ness" it was only $24.99. How can you resist? So since my arms were already overflowing with things, I got to the register and explained to this older woman cashier that I needed to go get this dress and she was like "Oh this is so cute!" when I brought it back and I told her more about why I bought it. She was diggin it for sure.

Dress I bought:

There are just a million different ways you could go with it &

that is why it needed to be mine.

Prada Spring 2011 RTW

entire collection here

I loved looking at the clothes of this collection, but what I enjoyed looking at even more was the details of it. I thought the core of it was pretty minimal, which at times, I really like or even prefer with most pieces because it opens up the door for you to do so much with it, like how is shown with certain outfits. I am always pleased when a spring collection is full of greens, blues, and yellows and of course some fruit!

I love these furry purses--or whatever the hell they are;

They make me miss my Japan tail a GREAT deal. I wish I still had that amazing accessory. Then there are the shoes of the spring collection which is one of the main reasons why this line caught my eye in the first place. The Starburst wrapper shoes!

I wrote about them in the previous post so I'll stop drooling all over them now.

Upon checkout, this is what ended up making it out in my arms;

Finally. Something like this made it's way into my closet.

They felt very flower child/Mediterranean vacation where you're wearing short jean shorts and a white button up top that is tied above the belly button(does anyone else know this look?)

anyways....They needed to be mine.

I freaking love these. The colour didn't get captured too well, but they are a great versatile boot. They are kind of this dark olive/brownish colour, but I have nothing like them.

I cannot get enough of Target's end of season sale. I snagged both of those shoes for $8 and during the usual season they are about $20-$30.

I got these awesome peachy/orang-y/pink socks;

all because I had this one sweater in mind that I got recently and have been dying to have something extremely matchy-matchy with it;

My mom inherited 5 huge bags of clothes from this upscale resale shop the other week. Most of the clothes got divvied up to donate, but I looked through a few and found some gems. I'll have to post some of that stuff another time, but it would be worth it, because some of it is just one of a kind. I even snagged a pair of Cole Haan shoes in the mix. This sweater also reminded me of something I saw recently--likely from a spring collection. I cannot remember which :(

Yesterday, there was some spring in my step and I wanted to take Sunday as an opportunity to dress up a bit. I ended up layering these tights, and wore this cute mini skirt. The shirt was just a plain white top. I just loved looking at my legs all day with the two colors contrasting so well against each other.

Now I just have to wait for consistent weather.

A little Chicago joke.

Heartbreak in Japan & disdain towards "the line"

Heartbreak and outrage would be two words that you could possibly use to sum up this day.

My alarm went off at 7:20. I have this habit of eating and breathing Tweetdeck on my phone, so in the morning when I have no desire to get out of bed, I'll catch up on news and any flashy fashion posts rollin' on in. Today was something of a more somber note; Tsunami and earthquake reports from Japan from every source possible that I follow. I freaked when I saw how high it was. 8.9. Shit. Where did this happen?! I went on Facebook, saw the people that I knew there had posted they were okay and relief hit me hard. My brother, sister-in-law(her mom,dad,brother,& sis-in-law), niece, and I know a girl that works and lives there from one of my old jobs. When I woke up with nothing planned out to wear (CASUAL FRIDAY!) Japan was on my mind and in my heart today. My clothes reflected that because it was all from Japan.

The pants are from UniQlo & the shirt was is from a shop called AC/DC Rag on the

main street in Harajuku.

I don't think any of my customers got my "Japan vibe"...that's fine...

I had to leave my phone behind today and I didn't really get too much of a chance to catch the news before I left. I had to go without any information about what was going on in Japan until I got home past 3pm-the pictures are truly heartbreaking. Especially for hit in Japan-where such beauty resides in all forms. The people are so respectful and gracious; a country that is so ornate and gorgeous. It is a country that stole my little heart. Those images are horrible to see. I'm grateful everyone that I know is okay. I know a handful of people there, so it makes it all the more saddening. I'm just glad that so far nothing I've seen there has been hit or destroyed in anyway.

It's amazing to see such force impact this country. It's completely mind boggling. The thought of destruction at the arms of nature, something completely beyond your control...woah. Tsunamis have got to be a completely terrifying experience. This meltdown around it all is terrifying too. I'm glad we have the ability to get so much help over there at such a rapid pace.

photo from Time

photo from Time

photo from Time

photo from Time

::insert awkward paragraph transition here::

Whilst watching the local Chicago news this evening, they showed the line of people, three blocks long to be precise, waiting in line- FOR A GOD DAMNED IPAD 2. YOU. HAVE. GOT. TO. BE. KIDDING. ME. It's called tomorrow, people. The reasons that people want this...are you ready?

BECAUSE IT HAS A CAMERA.

I bet EVERY one of those people in line like cattle down Michigan Ave has a digital camera in their pockets or somewhere within 30 feet of your computer. Your phones have a camera-probably a better one than the IPad 2. (oh, if you hadn't noticed, I'm not acknowledging the "i") It shocks me of the minimal changes they can make that will still make people line up. Seriously?This got me heated for the latter part of the day. I got home and said "Seriously, tape the camera to the IPad." He fashioned something real fancy!

Ah. Perfect! "Hey, look babe! It's the IPad 2!"

hardy har har!

Oh and in case you were curious, the Friday Feature on XRT was The Who. Woohoo!

Career choices & the twists they take

This post was relying heavily on the arrival of Friday night's Lin's Bin on the wxrt website. It was finally posted and I can finally dive head first into this post which seems to have been writing itself in my head over the past year.

The Lin's Bin came at a lucky time; a perfect question that I will never tire of hearing people attempt to answer it the best they can. "How do you choose the right career path?" Listen to it. It is good.

Me at the age of 6. I won all three events that day.

It all seems rather fascinating; trying to think back, I cannot even remember what was going through my head at the age where all other kids are in their "doctor/lawyer/ballerina" phase. My mind was clouded with figure skating, competitions, sequins, hair scrunchies, and getting out of school early to be encompassed by it all. No complaints, it definitely contributed to who I am today, but who would I have been if I hadn't had people telling me that I was destined for Olympic stardom? When people tell you that when you're 7, you don't know how to have other dreams. So when people ask me "what do you want to do with your life?", I still feel like that confused 7 year old that fumbles with their coat strings when you ask them questions like this.

Seven Bridges ice arena on a perfect day where I had the clean ice to myself.

I did indeed train here an an Olympian, but that Olympian was not me.

The question isn't "What the hell am I going to do?!" it's more like"How am I going to get to everything that I want to accomplish?" It's not that I'm necessarily limited, it's just that I'm not sure which path to take; they all seem so alluring. Trying to explain this to people face to face where I have to present myself verbally versus written word always goes as awful as possible. People just end up not taking me seriously or just viewing me as a 'lost soul'--which I guess I am fine with for now. People say to me-no, bombard me with, "What do you want to do with yourself" and I look at them and say "Take over the world". I am half joking. My dreams always seem like a long shot, but I just want to be successful in whatever I do (isn't this what we all want?) I want the path I take to be a kind one ,where I encounter fabulous people and am greeted with insurmountable inspiration every day. I find myself to be in that unrealistic dream phase sometimes when it comes to careers. As Lin says, blogging isn't a career--not that I prided myself on it being one, but that would be great if it were. I would love to be a ballerina or a lawyer or most of all a rock star, but I need to find the right thing for me now, as a 22 year old, not a 7 year old. Not to think that I couldn't accomplish all of those things. I could. Time and monetary restrictions remain to be my excuse. I'm passionate and I believe my drive can take me far; whether I'm on stage, in a court of law, or sewing seams to pursue my collection.

There are so many careers I could successfully fit into, but I have one significant hinderer; lack of a formal degree (luckily in most careers I want to pursue, it's not necessarily needed) An associates is nice and all, but so many companies want that shiny Bachelors--at the least, to come in that office with you. Business isn't necessarily my focus, but I just want to do something that makes a difference in this world. I want to make an impact; reach people through formal means of product or service. Stand behind a product I believe in and market the hell out of it. I could do that-well. I just need to establish myself in the right way, but which way is that? Hey, could I make a career out of making mix CD's for people? It's taking things that I love and finding out where they could be useful in a career sense. I'm specific about who I share my goals and dreams with. There are many things I want to do and some of them are big, it takes a lot of motivation and time, but I want to get there. Each day I find myself getting closer and closer to figuring out what it is I want to do. I'm so excited that I feel like I'm getting to know more myself more and more each day and what it is that I want out of life. The drive of your 20's is a wonderful thing.

Sometimes I find myself freaking out about my life. Like in those moments where people ask "So, what are you going to do?" as if they need an answer for their own gratification and I literally have no follow up as if I will decorate cookies for the rest of my life (sometimes I want to). Sometimes I find myself in the calm and realize, we never really know what we want to do. We never even really know what we want out of life. We just know we want to live it, experience some great times, and learn a shit ton along the way. Why do we have to go getting all settled in one little path for the rest of our life? Why does the presence of someone under the age of 25 arise the questions of life goals? I suppose this is one part of growing older that I cannot be more excited for; you've established yourself in this world. People take you more seriously, there is less need for you to explain yourself or sell yourself out. You have reached an age of acceptance among both young and old. It will be a golden time when it is indeed reached. I am so sick of the harsh reactions I receive from people when I tell them my plans lie in the wind. Of course, I have a job and I'm making money, you know, doing the thing that everyone told me to do. Now that I'm doing that, there has to be a farther step. I admire having goals and ambitions, but having every little thing planned out step by step doesn't necessarily ensure success either.

"Do you plan on going to Graduate School?"

For now, I don't really know exactly where I'm going with this thing called life. The path I'm on so far has been good to me, but boy, has it taken me down some paths I'd never thought I'd come into contact with. I couldn't be more thankful for that. Life isn't made to be set into stone, careers aren't meant to be permanent, and expectations will come and go, but it is making each experience and encounter count so you can use it towards your next opportunity. That's what I'm here to do. Hopefully when someone asks me where I plan on taking my life, the link to this post will appear on my forehead and we can skip on to the next subject.

-Tessa

Currently listening to: Radiohead's 'The Bends' album

XRT- my kind of people in my kind of town.

::bowing down to radio gods::

Before too much time passes, I must mention the greatness that took place this past Wednesday on 93.1 WXRT. It was the 5th annual Chicago Day! -but this was the first time I've listened in. I remember when I heard them promoting it how excited I was that I was going to be working in a shoppe that received the signal perfectly.

They kicked the celebration off at nine where they talked a bit about it and then I believe Lin Brehmer played Sufjan Steven's "Chicago" to ease us in. I remember I was making the gourmet cookies for the shoppe during this and I said "Aw YAY!!!" That is the huge perk of working alone. You can say things out loud, shed a few tears, laugh extremely loud, dance like you're in a musical, and sing with great enthusiasm- all things that XRT provokes me to do daily. The song definitely kicked off a journey of music that starred this wonderful city I have to close by; it made me appreciate it. It made me want to hop on the Metra and emerge myself in the city of wonderful food, good people, beautiful buildings, and fantastic artists. It made me want to be seated in a ballpark, scarfing down a Chicago Style dog-extra everything. I wanted to be found in Spiaggia on a Saturday night date, only to return to the W on none other than Lake Shore Drive to retire in a room overlooking the water. Chicago Day wasn't just music with a theme or exquisite interviews and insight with the City's finest, it was musical and verbal nostalgia. The stories and great tunes made me wish summer would just get here already!

I am so appreciative to have this line up of DJ's. When I tell people that the folks at XRT are "my kind of people", I'm not kidding. I'm dying to get in a class over at Columbia just to be in the presence of Terri Hemmert. These people are so lucky. They inspire me to tell people the stories behind the music I give them. The information I receive is used to promote shows around to people I work with and encounter. They make me want their jobs-to spread the love and joy of music. Best. Station. Ever.

I was so excited when they played Aliotta Haynes Jeramiah's 'Lake Shore Drive'. I knew they would, but it is always so great to hear that awesome piano intro. A customer was in the shoppe when it came on and I was like "OH MY GOSH, I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL DAY FOR THIS SONG! MY MOM USED TO DATE THIS GUY!" ha ha. I was also revved when they played The Smashing Pumpkins a countless number of times and of course Frank Sinatra's 'My Kinda Town' brought out the best in me and led to compose a fancy little sequence of steps that left a little something special for the cameras ;) I loved; singing along to 'Hands Open', hearing Mavis Staples, and doin' the shoulder shimmy while decorating cookies. Thank you XRT for such an amazing day! I never wanted it to end.

*random note* so excited that Enterprise uses Rusted Root's 'Send Me On My Way' for their commercial.

You can stream XRT on your iPhones!