1. Everything is so much prettier now! The color verde is no longer extinct here in Chihuahua and flowers and green leaves can be seen! (Although this still is the desert and they aren’t quite as abundant as Springtime at home.) This picture was taken at a little greenhouse that I stopped at on the way back from buying….

2. Empanadas! Right next to the green house is a delicíoso whole wheat or integral bakery. They have these superyummy empanadas de nuez, which are pretty much pecan pastries? It’s like a whole wheat, flakey, yummy pie crust stuffed with a ton of pecan pieces (not like a paste, but pieces) and mapley-sugary goodness. Let’s just say I spent a considerable amount of time in badly organized government websites hunting down the regulations for bringing baked goods from México to the US. ;)

3. Fun teachers! It is a good thing while learning the Subjuntivo tense in Spanish to have teachers that you like. And if you can still like your teacher after learning Subjuntivo that says a lot about them ;). In the photo is my afternoon maestra Judit. What you can kind of see in the picture is our razpados (Which I think I spelled wrong.) They are kind of like snowcones, but in cups, and not made with HFCS but blenderized natural fruit. So tasty! They we a perfect refreshment for the hot, dry, dessert day we had today!

4. Playing cards. Wednesday night I didn’t go out, but stayed at home and played cards with Soco, my host mom’s niece. (And won a few games, mind you!) It was lots of fun… And we laughed a lot about how they pronounce “Ace” in México. =P I felt like quite the exchange student plopped down in the dining room playing cards Mexican style…. I’m awfully content right now =)

5. This song! I love it! 

6. Taking a walk to the alsuper and buying mole and some other things to bring back to MI!

7. Wearing my linen pants and striped coral shirt. It’s too bad you can’t see my linen pants in this picture, they are bien padres. I felt like I was on vacation as I flip-flopped through the streets eating ice cream and wearing my linen pants this afternoon. They just scream summertime and also make my legs look less gordita, always a plus when you are eating ice cream.

8. I went to Cuauhtémoc aka Mexican Mennonite Country and also met a bunch of gringas who are living here just like me and learning Spanish!

**Sheerness levels increase and decrease–For both of these individuals that I saw, it made me wonder what they would do if they got especially sweaty or if it decided to rain that day…Then, we go from sheer with the partial view to complete peepshow…I honestly don’t understand why people would do this because you’re out there, both figuratively and literally.

**God forbid they should not cleanse themselves when going to the bathroom–I don’t feel like I should have to spell this one out…so, I’m not going to…yeah…

My suggestion is either 1) don’t wear the pants like this because they freak people out (I know personally I can’t have a serious conversation with anyone wearing these sheer pants like this…why? Because I’m sitting there going “don’t make eye contact with it…) or 2) wear some damn underwear (I know that it might not look the best in the world because the pants are the aforementioned sheer…but no one really wants to see what you’re packing downstairs [unless otherwise indicated in some other manner]). So, yeah….

Chelsea Brentwood has just received a new Spring shipment from Joie.  The colors are playful pastels as well as bold prints and florals.  Paired with our new linen pants and shorts, these tops look elegant yet casual.  The dresses this season come with leather belts and are simply gorgeous!  Prices vary from $158-$298, for more information on colors call Chelsea Brentwood (310)471-4770.

Janine and Summer have some tips for guys looking for the right spring look.

Janine says…

Linen is in for spring. Though I don’t see it as often as I’d like, guys look really good in linen suits. GQ says to rock the wrinkles and dress up your linen suit with a pocket square, like Armie Hammer here from The Social Network.

Summer says…

Leather jackets always look good on a guy, and they’re timeless so one purchase can keep you going for a while!

Men look great in Khaki or linen pants. It’s nice to see the versatility in their style. Casual but sleek is incredibly sexy.

Day

wearing~ glasses Ray Ban, top Urban, pants Forever 21, sandals Laila Rowe, jewelry Laila Rowe, bag vintage Louis Vuitton

Night

Jacket~ Max Studio, heels (gift from my sister), jewelry Laila Rowe, clutch vintage

“Man…even if I never fall in love I’m still going to find someone to marry me in Hawai’i just so I can wear linen pants to my wedding. I love linen pants.”

And to this Will starts laughing and replies,

“Ok, Don Johnson.”

 After which I of course started laughing, but still, I don’t understand why linen pants aren’t more popular. Sure they’re hard to keep clean but they’re just so comfortable. It’s like wearing pants and being naked all at the same time - I see no downside. And while I’m not normally one to conform to all social standards of dress and fashion, I also don’t really embrace sticking out like a sore thumb like I used to. If I had my way, I’d wear a hawaiian tropical tiki shirt covered in parrots, white linen pants, and sandals every day. Underwear optional, for the ladies of course.

And my question is, what jerk decided to make them unfashionable? Why do I have to be barefoot on a sandy beach watching my bride come down the aisle for them to be considered apart of an appropriate ensemble? They’re like a tuxedo t-shirt in that they say I want to be formal but you can pair me with sandals or bare feet so I’m also here to party. It reminds me of that song Black Velvet that I saw some trannies dancing to on TV last night (No joke. RuPaul has some show on VH1 that is pure comedy.) I just think it would make more sense and be a little less of a buzz kill if they added my revisions:

White linen and that little boy’s smile
White linen with that slow southern style
A new religion that’ll bring ya to your knees
White linen if you please

I can see the music video now.

So on my ever increasing list of things to do when I become world dictator, along with banning Ed Hardy shirts and making C&C Music Factory’s Everybody Dance Now the national anthem, I will place linen pants right above jeans on the official list of clothing options that will never go out of style. If you’ve got a problem with that you’re obviously not hip. Just ask my friend Don Johnson.

It was more than a little hectic, but fun, because I kind of love Kati a lot.  Hampshire is a cute school.  Their financial aid office is in a barn.  Sorry, sorry, I won’t make fun of it… it’s really a pretty cool place.  It’s got beautiful scenery, it features a unique academic program, and it’s near Northampton and copious amounts of civilization in general.  Oh civilization.

2. … And because I KNOW you’re wondering, the trip was pretty uneventful, except the whole getting a ride from Pittsfield to Williamstown with complete strangers thing.  They were Williams students at least.  And the only reason I even did that was because the stupid Pittsfield bus station closes at freaking 6 PM and we had a two hour layover and it was cold and I’ve already spent enough hours in that damn pizza place.  Well, I made some new friends I guess.

3. First day of classes!  The preflection post comes after Friday, but suffice it to say I’m a little tiny bit scared about CS, and I managed to not sit next to Ben and Alex in linguistics.  And I had like an hour long lunch.  And I have work to do again, and it feels weird.

4. The ethnographic theater production that just won’t die, “Home, for me,” that one I’m teching, is having a rogue performance tomorrow evening.  It’s a little unofficial, and a little last minute.  The rehearsals are even more last minute.  And we’re having trouble getting in touch with the other more skilled techie, and I don’t have keys to any of the rooms, and I still don’t know whether I’m even allowed to do this as a job, and GAH.

5.  Chris stained his white linen pants.  It was a moment of great tragedy in the entry.  Let us observe a moment of silence for Chris’s white linen pants, during which we contemplate the remote possibility of him tie-dying them.

TMZ has learned Elton spent $12,000 at the Ralph Lauren store in BH — picking up linen pants in yellow, green, white and navy. We’re also told John bought several “bright colored knit shirts in a variety of colors.”

Several fans approached Elton while he was inside — and he happily took photos. But we’re told securityhad to usher the singer back to his car when the fans became a little overwhelming.

Elton and his linen emerged unscathed.

This heat means girls are dressed more skimpy, comfortable and relaxed. And what’s more relaxed than a loose white top on a hot summer day, gorgeous!

Name: Alice
Occupation: Freelance fashion stylist
Describe your style: Crazy, mix of clothes.
Favourite fashion labels: Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Comme des Garcon.
Favourite clothing store: Shops around Brick Lane, Beyond Retro.

Name: Zhenya
Occupation: Fashion marketing
Describe your style: Simple, vintage.
Favourite fashion label: Peter Jensen and Vanessa Bruno.
Favourite clothing store: Selfridges

So dig out that white tshirt of yours, pull it over yourself and head out to enjoy the sun while it lasts. Oh wait, do put on a skirt or a pair of trousers. I am quite against the no pants look :p

Sold the house

So in big news in my life, my parents have sold their house. They had an open house on Sunday, 5/3, from 11-3. The people who bought the house came by at 11:30, and gave an offer by noon. That’s all she wrote! I was really nervous about the whole prospect of my home being sold… after all, I’d lived there since seventh grade. For all intents and purposes, I did most of my growing up there. I’ll definitely miss it. There’s plenty of good news in this situation, though: (1) they got full asking price, (2) it wasn’t a painfully drawn-out process, (3) the family who bought it has lived in the town for years and years, and we’ve known them for a long time, (4) the huband/father of the family recently retired as the fire chief in the town, and guess what– the BF’s on the list to be a fire fighter in the town. They were all super-excited to have finally found their dream house, and there are good vibes all around. It’s a nice feeling.

Earning my paycheck

This week, I’ve felt like I’m actually earning my paycheck at work. I’ve been busy learning and experimenting on campaigns, and so far, I’m enjoying the work. I know I’ll probably get bored of it eventually, but it’s a great change for now. I got a new computer yesterday, so I’m happy as a clam. Never understood that phrase, but there you have it.

Finally found a bathing suit

I’ve been looking around in stores and online for a while trying to find a new bathing suit for the summer. I want a slightly pinup-style suit that’s both cute and functional. I wanted a halter top with a wide band under the bust and  non-tie bottoms with decent coverage. Lucky for me, Victoria’s Secret was having a 25% off sale on swimwear, and I capitalized on it. Here’s the suit I ordered, except I got the solid “dusty coral” color and scoop bottoms. I wanted the belted bottoms, but they only came in the coral pattern with white. Unnecessary note: my boobs will never look like that. Sad. I got some pants, too– these ones in sandcastle and these ones in sand dune. Linen pants are always nice in the summer, and I don’t really have any khakis, so there you have it.

Now that spring is here, Nordstrom always comes out with great products to fit the season. I always like linen in the spring – it’s very light, comfortable, and breathes easy on the skin, especially if it’s hot like it is here in the south.

Take this linen pants by Michael Kors, for example. White or off-white colors are classic in style and appeal, and Michael Kors creates timeless pieces very well. You can definitely dress this up by pairing this bad boy with either a bright/spring-color button down shirt (think baby blue, spring green, or yellow in either linen, cotton, cotton blends), a nice brown or black leather belt, and definitely some Kenneth Cole shoes, and accessorized by your choice of watch and rings. Or, you can tone it down a notch with either a short-sleeve polo pique from Armani Exchange and driving mocs from Sketchers or Banana Republic to make it a bit more relaxed and fun. Want a totally casual feel? Get some funky tees from Armani Exchange or Express and follow it up with nice spring sandals.

You can also switch the pants from belt-oriented to drawstring ties like this one from BOSS. This makes a great casual feel, especially with the right tee or shirt and accessories.

There are great sales going on right now at Nordstrom, so go check them out and have fun!