My Golden Age: Being 22

ALAS! This post is finally getting written. Settle in, suckers! It's going to be a longggg one! It has been building up in my mind and fingers for just over a month now. Now that it is here I'm a tad anxious (BIG TIME ANXIOUS).

As I review the post from this time last year, I can't help but think that it was an extremely weak lead up into turning 22. Maybe that's because I was being extremely naive about what the year would actually hold for me. I cannot even believe it it actually unfolded how it did. I want to always remember this year, so I'm here to summarize the hell out of it.

Of course, I turn to Lin Brehmer to really pull this whole thing off. When I first heard this

'"Lin's Bin" about what it meant to be 22

air a few months ago, I thought it was just by sheer luck. I was closing up in my shoppe, and perhaps I was there a little later than I should have been, and then it was time and I heard this ode to being 22. And I listened. And I cried. How was I going to part with this fabulous age full of the most amazing experiences? How was 23 going to be better than 22? I don't know what it is about this new age of 23, but I'm extremely finicky about it. Is it the number? Maybe I'm getting that irritating flashback of Blink-182 where they declare "Nobody likes you when you're 23!" It could be likely this feeling is provoked by people saying "being 23 sucks." It does kind of sound like a drag. I'm really trying to find a bright side to this. So here's to the year! Everything below stands out extremely vividly in my mind over the course of being 22. Of course it's in order! ;)

The New Living Situation (3/21)

I moved in with Eric a few days before my birthday, but I think officially the day before. It's the first time living away from my parents and it's been a really great experience. We've really made this space our own, even though it was a total bachelor pad. I have not "chick-ed" out his place and have kept it preeettttyyy neutral. But I have learned so much this year through living with Eric. I feel like a completely different person through all the things I've encountered & picked up from him. He got me hooked on a countless number of shows, politics, and technology. I couldn't be more thankful that I live with such an amazing person & I get to share my space with him each day. How fantastic!

The first show in order after turning 22 was Spoon on (4/1)

no pictures unfortunately (on an old phone). It was at the Aragon and we had a good spot. A great show, very similar to the New Years Eve show, except they included more songs because their new album was actually out by the time April came around. I love seeing Spoon with Eric just because he loves them and I love them and we just enjoy seeing them together a lot. He just has so much excitement when he sees them live and I like seeing that come through :)

Thom Yorke with Atoms For Peace was next show at the Aragon on (4/11)

I really wanted to be front row for this, but I knew it would be a tough feat. We ended up having pretty good spots, but we were back at the Aragon (It kind of felt like home last year). It was amazing, but that feels like an obvious statement because it's Thom Yorke we're talking about here. One of my favourite artists of all time, I couldn't believe I was seeing him live. I couldn't contain myself when he busted out some Radiohead. This was one of my birthday presents from Eric.

The next night was Florence + The Machine on (4/12) at the House of Blues

(review for both of these shows here)

Holy hell. I can't even believe this experience happened. LOOK HOW CLOSE I WAS! I went to this show with one of my best friends, Cady. You don't even understand the disappointment I feel when I know I will be missing her second show here in Chicago, but I know that this first show was the true primo experience. Two of my all time favourite artists back to back?! Something like that only happens if you're golden. Or if you're my mom and see Melissa Etheridge onenight and Madonna the next. That's pretty close too. Oh & I snagged the setlist ;)

On (4/22) we saw Passion Pit at Congress Theatre!

This show was righteous because it was on the 22nd of a month, so that was ideal.

The amount of kids on drugs at this show was almost overwhelming.

There were kids throwing up and passing out in all corners and in bathrooms.

It was just extremely odd. We were all the way in the back, but could see because we were on a platform. I'm just so glad they closed out with "Sleepyhead" because that song ruled my life for a solid month. I have to make a not here because the lead singer, Micheal Angelakos had a sinus infection and seriously sounded amazing. I was skeptical about seeing them live, but they're great.

on (5/20) we saw Metric at the Vic

Woohoo! I love Metric. I remember the first time Cady & I saw them a few months before at Cubby Bear we were going to start our own Metric Religion. I went with Eric to this show and he wasn't feeling the whole meshed in the crowd show thing so we headed up to the balcony. We parked it in front row all the way to the left. As soon as the music started I was up and dancing. Opps-I'm a crowd person, I need to dance exuberantly at shows. I continued to be the only one even standing, let alone dancing, which allowed Emily Haines and I to have a moment at the end where we pointed at each other from stage to balcony. It happened and it was beautiful. Emily Haines always makes me want to be a rock star.

A few days after on (5/29) we packed up

& flew down to Savannah, GA for a week to spend here & in Hilton Head

I had never been here before, but Eric had been many times as a kid & it's one if his favorite places. We rented a convertible and cruised all over Savannah and Hilton Head. I was so excited to get to see that place and he was happy to have shared those memories with me. We went during his birthday, so we were there until June 6th or so. Such a great vacation! I did a huge wrap up in this entry.

A few days after we returned we saw Phish at Toyota Park (6/11).

It was Eric's first Phish show if that says anything. I had seen them twice before. Both times with my brother and sister-in-law and this time Eric joined us. I love seeing Phish just because you can let loose and enjoy yourself, but it depends heavily on who is seated around you. Especially at this sort of venue. I remember camping out and going to see them a few summers ago. Ha, that was a wild experience. However, Phish played my DREAM SET on this particular night. Wolfman's Brother, David Bowie, Divided Sky, Golgi Apparatus, & Prince Caspian! Seeing them on this date was significant. I had seen them on 8/11/09. The day after I started dating Eric. But on this particular night we learned Eric doesn't dig live Phish in the most hilarious way ever. He totally fell asleep :( ha ha ha.

I saw Modest Mouse at Pitchfork on Friday (7/16)

They played a lot of good songs, I'm not really a huge fan of outdoor venues, depends heavily on the artist/crowd. It was similar to the show Eric and I saw awhile back of them at the Aragon. This show was one of the three tickets Eric got me for my birthday :)

Then one of the best nights ever happened; Natalie Merchant on (7/22)

I treated my mom to this one because she had initially turned me on to her music when I was a child. I wrote a huge review on the ticketmaster website. It will be the last one featured if you're interested in reading more about it. During "Kind & Generous" she called down from the stage to ask if my mom and I were "Mother and Daughter?" because we were dancing all over the place together. I snagged a setlist from this show as well. I just never ever thought I would see this artist live. I couldn't even fathom the idea, but when I got those tickets in the mail, it was almost surreal, and then seeing the marquee made it so official and wonderful!

A couple weeks after this was our one year :) (8/12)

and no, we don't like Starbucks coffee-we actually hate it, but that's just where it started :)

I didn't just make him the cookie. Eric got me this Arrested Development memorabilia.

Gob is my favourite character in the show and he uses this scarves in the episode "Missing Kitty". I couldn't even believe it when I opened it!

We spent a day in Chicago on (8/14)

We ate an amazing breakfast at Orange where I got this amazing Chai Tea French toast;

We also caught a Sox game, my first one with my die-hard sox fan of a companion.

He was at the World Series game where they won and enjoys the games immensely.

This is where I guess I was inducted into fan-ship on this day.

He even got me a shirt. I guess that makes it official.

In mid August, a furry friend arrived at our house!

His name is Toby! We took him in after a friend of mine needed a place for her cat to live.

We love him and are so glad we didn't pass up the opportunity! He is a great cat :)

On (9/22) I took a night flight out to Portland, OR to meet Eric

We had wanted to go to Portland together sometime soon, and then the opportunity arose for him to go on business. He did for the first half of the week and I flew out there on Wednesday night. It was an amazing trip. We went to a bunch of scenic spots, went out to the coast, drove up to Washington, stood in a Lahar, and just enjoyed the hell out of each other's company for 5 days. Wow, what an amazing trip to an amazing place. You just get this vibe there. It's a weird place and I hope it stays that way

.

pictures: Mount St. Helens/Lahar, Yale Park (just a park we stopped at on the drive to Washington), I believe this was a sound we went to, Our hotel room at The Nines (I love this hotel), and Eric and I around in Portland. He's holding coffee from our favourite place out there, Public Doman.

In September I made a huge hair change when I took quite a few inches off.

I did it in my bathroom by myself. I cut it to above my shoulders and I am glad I did it.

I mean, I wish I still had long hair, but it was full of impossible layers. It needed to go one length.

The picture above is halfway. It happened in two stages. You'll see that below.

On (10/5) my Nephew was born.

Jack is the first baby I've ever held.

I couldn't have been more terrified.

October brought a lot of excitement!

I carved a pumpkin that was worthy of putting a candle in!

Eric and I made our third trip of the year by road-trippin out to DC for the Rally To Restore Sanity on (10/30) on the National Mall. He told me we were going as soon as it was announced and there was no objection. We are totally the couple that can be couped up for 10 hours in a car and not go nuts too. That helps. It was a really unique experience. I'm really glad we went.

On the way back home on (10/31) we went to both air and space museums.

I've been to the one at the Smithsonian, but not to the one in Virginia, where they have the good planes. So since it was only thirty minutes away and on the way home anyways, we made a pitstop. I got to see CONCHORDE up close and personal. I love that plane. We watched a documentary on it early in the year and it brought me to tears, I wish it was still in flight. I also got to see the SR-71 Blackbird. I believe it can get from L.A. to New York in 90 minutes. It could be less. It's no longer in flight, but it is such a beauty.

On (11/6) I spontaneously went on a trip with my father to Japan.

You can read more about how that happened HERE. I spent a 9 days there with family and it was such an exquisite experience! I got to see my niece for the first time and see that wonderful country! You can find an onslaught of pictures/summary HERE.

So after I came back from my adventure, it was smooth cruisin' in cookie world as I incorporated some Japanese & Chinese in one bouquet;

Thanksgiving and Christmas were both wonderful. We split them evenly between our families. It was a really good holiday season.

We ended the year on (12/31) with staying in the city.

We saw the Black Keys and stayed two nights at The Hotel Monaco in our favourite suite.

You can read about that whole weekend HERE.

That pretty much sums up everything big that we've done. When people ask me why it is I'm so sad to be 23, I tell them what I did when I was 22 and they join in with my mindset. I saw so many amazing artists, met some great people, learned so much about such a wide variety of things, and just have gained this sense of security that even though I don't know exactly what I'll do for the rest of my life, that I'll make my way. I feel so lucky to have experienced so many trips to different places all over this country and even internationally. I have grown in ways of what it is like to have to be responsible for keeping up a house.

I have learned three things while being 22 and will only continue to grow with this practice-

Ladies; Intelligence, Confidence, & Femininity are your three sharpest tools. Use them.

I have learned the perfect instance in which to just walk away.

I have learned to keep my mouth shut at the right time, but I have learned to speak up when I feel it's necessary or want to learn more on the subject.

I have learned a long walk can fix a lot.

I have learned that there is nothing quite like waking up next to your best friend everyday, but still longing to see them at the end of each work day.

There are many things that I have learned, but as long as I'm alive, that's going to keep happening. As Lin said, "expect suggestions...". I always will expect something from people, but if I get suggestions, let's just hope for good ones. I accept advice with open arms, but I'm careful on which bits to follow.

I'm not afraid of getting older, I just like the numerical appearance of 22. It was also, of course my Golden Year. The best year I've encountered. I can only hope 23 will go smoothly. I'm sure if I still have the momentum of everything that happened last year pushing me, then I will be just fine :)

-Tessa

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!