"You're too nice." I've heard this about a million times from a million different people - good friends and total strangers. I understand the idea of being 'too' nice, like letting people walk all over you, but that's rarely how people use this remark towards me. In fact, a great deal of people don't understand how I'm as nice and friendly as I am. To be quite frank, I don't understand how it's that difficult to comprehend - and I don't get why everyone can't be a little bit more kind.
I smile at strangers. I have a peppy attitude even when I'm extremely tired. I don't mind helping people with things because I think it's a good thing to do. I like to make people smile. I like to say positive things. I like to make work fun. I like to make the most of every situation. Apparently, all of these things make me exceptionally nice? To me, it doesn't make much sense; this is just how I am. I'm not sure if I was born to be this way or if it's just an attitude that I adopted over the years. Nevertheless, it feels innate at this point - I generally opt for the nice response to someone or the 'yes' instead of 'no' when someone asks for help. I don't have to try.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm the nicest person in the world, nor am I saying that I'm a saint. In fact, I probably think I'm far less kind that most other people would say. Why? Because I feel like I'm not doing anything special. I don't think I'm going out of my way to have a positive attitude, and I like the way people respond when I'm being my peppy, friendly self. I'm not perfect...far from it. I have my flaws as does everyone else in the world.
But honestly, life is about enjoying yourself, being happy, and making the most of this amazing experience we've all been given. If I can make someone else's time on earth a little bit happier, I'm definitely going to do so. The question I ask is this: why would you want to do anything but ? Sure, there are days when I am down in the dumps. There are times when I think everyone is out to get me. Some weeks, I feel like crap and want to curse at everyone (yes, even me). But do I? Nope! Why? What's the point? It doesn't make me feel any better when I am rude or mean to people, and it certainly doesn't make them feel any better. If you spread anger or cruelty, everyone ends up worse off. If you spread happiness or kindness? Everyone's that much better :]
So I guess the point of this post is to encourage everyone out there to think a little bit happier and act a little bit more thoughtfully. When you exude this kind of positivity, life seems that much sweeter. Kindness is simple, especially when you're used to spreading it.
Smile at a stranger today,
Liz :]
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Work Lessons 2.0
Today, after leaving work an hour late, I felt mentally exhausted but also....well, to be honest, like a terribly sucky nurse. I've been off of orientation for a couple of months now, and this hasn't been a sole occurrence. Am I doing everything that I can do? Why can't I get things done? Am I not organized enough? Why do I get such terrible assignments? Why can't things just go my way? Is something wrong with me? Of course, all of these thoughts have gone through my mind on shifts like tonight's (when I get the chance to think them, at least). But when it comes down to it, here are some things I've realized:
Sometimes work is just plain awful. I really don't like to say things like this, but I'd be lying if I said everything was rainbows and ice cream sundaes all the time. There are days when I want to curl up into a ball and scream for a little bit and then cry while eating an entire tub of ice cream. Unfortunately, you can't even predict when days like this will occur. But here's the thing - I can't blame myself for causing the day to be awful. Sometimes it's totally out of my hands. Of course, this applies to other nurses out there, but I'm pretty sure workers in every field have 'I need to eat all the ice cream ever' types of days. So here's something we need to keep in mind - sometimes work sucks, and there's not much we can do to change it. Of course, this sounds entirely pessimistic and depressing. I assure you, I'm about the most optimistic person out there. But I like to live in the real world, too.
I can't do everything myself. I like to be independent. I always have. And when it comes to work, I like to take care of the things I need to take care of on my own. I don't like asking for help unless I absolutely need it, and even then, it's a little hard for me to do. Quick questions are one thing...but asking for someone's time or physical labor is an entirely different request. And I really hate doing it. Of course, I'm as polite as can be, but I still hate asking people to do things for me. I've come to realize, though, that my day can go from ok to terrible in a matter of minutes if I consistently try to get everything done on my own. RNs have aides and charge nurses and other people for a reason...so we can all work together to make the day go more smoothly. Slowly, I'm getting better at this. But it's still the biggest obstacle I face as a new nurse. Someday, hopefully, I'll feel less guilty about needing help from time to time :]
I can't always be superwoman. As a nurse, I like to think that we play a massive role in the health and healing of our patients. And of course, we do! But, unfortunately, I can't be super nurse every shift I work. I can't always have discussions with my patients about their medical history. I certainly do not have time to bond with my patients every day. Sometimes I can't deliver their pain meds on time. Occasionally I can't even get all of my work done and have to pass it on to the next shift. But you know what? That's ok. That's part of the job...even if it's a little hard to stomach sometimes. I try to give my job 100% all the time - but sometimes 100% doesn't mean that everything goes as perfectly as I had hoped. Things come up, and I can't always be that wonderful nurse that I aspire to be. But that's ok. Just because I can't always do every single thing I wanted to do during that shift doesn't mean I'm a bad nurse. That's life. That's reality. And I need to learn how to accept it!
People are in the hospital because they're sick - and sometimes they don't get better. I love discharging patients. Honestly, there's nothing better than sending someone packing when they're on their way to recovery. It would be ideal and amazing if everyone left the hospital like this. Sadly, that's not the case. And oftentimes when people are in the hospital, their state of health continues to decline, as well. This is hard to see...and sometimes it's really difficult to avoid blaming yourself. "I didn't push the doctors enough to add this medication. I didn't encourage ambulation enough. I didn't keep as close of an eye on them as I needed to..." And so the self blame continues. Of course, nurses make mistakes like everyone else. And so do doctors. And so do aides. And interns. And everyone else in all of the world. But sometimes, sadly, people just keep getting sick and there's not much we can do about it. Health declines, and that's a fact of life. It's hard to wrap my head around at times, but it's something all health professionals need to realize.
For now, that's all I have to say. I'm still loving my nursing career, don't get me wrong, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it was stress inducing and difficult at times. While I'm incredibly optimistic, I also realize the importance of facing reality - and I'm learning more about how to do this with each day.
Toodleoo,
Liz :)
P.S. I went through a bit of a lull on this blog, but I'm going to try my best to post somewhat regularly. Frankly, I missed writing in this space whether I have an audience or not ;)
Sometimes work is just plain awful. I really don't like to say things like this, but I'd be lying if I said everything was rainbows and ice cream sundaes all the time. There are days when I want to curl up into a ball and scream for a little bit and then cry while eating an entire tub of ice cream. Unfortunately, you can't even predict when days like this will occur. But here's the thing - I can't blame myself for causing the day to be awful. Sometimes it's totally out of my hands. Of course, this applies to other nurses out there, but I'm pretty sure workers in every field have 'I need to eat all the ice cream ever' types of days. So here's something we need to keep in mind - sometimes work sucks, and there's not much we can do to change it. Of course, this sounds entirely pessimistic and depressing. I assure you, I'm about the most optimistic person out there. But I like to live in the real world, too.
I can't do everything myself. I like to be independent. I always have. And when it comes to work, I like to take care of the things I need to take care of on my own. I don't like asking for help unless I absolutely need it, and even then, it's a little hard for me to do. Quick questions are one thing...but asking for someone's time or physical labor is an entirely different request. And I really hate doing it. Of course, I'm as polite as can be, but I still hate asking people to do things for me. I've come to realize, though, that my day can go from ok to terrible in a matter of minutes if I consistently try to get everything done on my own. RNs have aides and charge nurses and other people for a reason...so we can all work together to make the day go more smoothly. Slowly, I'm getting better at this. But it's still the biggest obstacle I face as a new nurse. Someday, hopefully, I'll feel less guilty about needing help from time to time :]
I can't always be superwoman. As a nurse, I like to think that we play a massive role in the health and healing of our patients. And of course, we do! But, unfortunately, I can't be super nurse every shift I work. I can't always have discussions with my patients about their medical history. I certainly do not have time to bond with my patients every day. Sometimes I can't deliver their pain meds on time. Occasionally I can't even get all of my work done and have to pass it on to the next shift. But you know what? That's ok. That's part of the job...even if it's a little hard to stomach sometimes. I try to give my job 100% all the time - but sometimes 100% doesn't mean that everything goes as perfectly as I had hoped. Things come up, and I can't always be that wonderful nurse that I aspire to be. But that's ok. Just because I can't always do every single thing I wanted to do during that shift doesn't mean I'm a bad nurse. That's life. That's reality. And I need to learn how to accept it!
People are in the hospital because they're sick - and sometimes they don't get better. I love discharging patients. Honestly, there's nothing better than sending someone packing when they're on their way to recovery. It would be ideal and amazing if everyone left the hospital like this. Sadly, that's not the case. And oftentimes when people are in the hospital, their state of health continues to decline, as well. This is hard to see...and sometimes it's really difficult to avoid blaming yourself. "I didn't push the doctors enough to add this medication. I didn't encourage ambulation enough. I didn't keep as close of an eye on them as I needed to..." And so the self blame continues. Of course, nurses make mistakes like everyone else. And so do doctors. And so do aides. And interns. And everyone else in all of the world. But sometimes, sadly, people just keep getting sick and there's not much we can do about it. Health declines, and that's a fact of life. It's hard to wrap my head around at times, but it's something all health professionals need to realize.
For now, that's all I have to say. I'm still loving my nursing career, don't get me wrong, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it was stress inducing and difficult at times. While I'm incredibly optimistic, I also realize the importance of facing reality - and I'm learning more about how to do this with each day.
Toodleoo,
Liz :)
P.S. I went through a bit of a lull on this blog, but I'm going to try my best to post somewhat regularly. Frankly, I missed writing in this space whether I have an audience or not ;)
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Nursing Orientation: Complete!
Whew! These past few weeks have been crazy crazy crazy for me! Where I was hired as a registered nurse, we have to complete a minimum of six weeks orientation before we're out in the big bad unit on our own. With one week complete of real, on my own nursing, I'm happy to say I've survived! To have something to look back on, here are some ups and downs as well as things I have learned during my orientation and my first week (officially) on the job:
Later gators,
Liz :)
- There's never a stupid question! I know, I know. People say this all the time. But honestly, I mean it! I've asked a ridiculous amount of questions during my nursing career so far, and there's no way I'll know everything...so they're just gonna keep coming. When you have someone's life in your hands, this whole stupid question thing makes sense. Sure, a seasoned nurse might know something like the back of their hand, but I'm brand new and I don't. And even down the road, there will definitely be things I need to ask about. I'd rather ask and potentially look like a fool than risk hurting one of my patients. And, not that I really had a fear of asking people questions before, but I totally don't now.
- Some days will be excellent, and some days you'll want to rip your hair out. I think this speaks for life in general, but it definitely applies to the nursing world. Throughout my orientation, I had days that were nearly perfect. All of my patients were cooperative and pleasant, things happened on time throughout the day, and I was able to contact doctors (who were nice to me) with no issues at all. Then, maybe even the next day, everything goes to hell. My patient who was fully oriented in the morning suddenly becomes confused. A doctor goes off on me for paging him twice when he hadn't responded to a serious issue in almost an hour. My old man's blood pressure is through the roof and the docs aren't doing anything about it. My phone is going off every two minutes and I literally cannot get anything done. Days like the latter happen, and sometimes they occur much more frequently than I would like. But hey, that's what comes with the territory, and dealing with that stress is going to help me in the long run no matter where my life takes me!
- Just because nurses have a shortened work week does not mean that we have it easy. During my orientation, I was working three 12 hour shifts per week. Now, I'm scheduled as a 40 hour per weeker, so I do two 12s and two 8s. To a lot of people, this sounds awesome (myself included). But I'd just like to point out that it's not easy. Let me give you a little reference here. On the days that you work a 12 hour shift, you basically go to work, come home and eat, relax for a tiny bit, and then go to sleep. There's no time for fun, and there's a lot of catch up you have to do on your days off. If I do two or three shifts in a row, I usually end up sleeping in on my off day just because I need to catch up. Now, weeks when you're on days are good. But then after two weeks of that, you get switched to nights. So you're all messed up that first week because you're not used to the night schedule yet. It's hard to get good rest during the day because it's bright and noisy out, everyone else you know is not on your wacky schedule, and you end up waking up every hour or so. On your second week of nights, you're sort of in the swing of things, but you're still on the sleepy side since you haven't been sleeping well. That week ends, and then you're flopped back to days for two weeks. The vicious cycle stays on repeat. So, even if we work three or four days a week, it all evens out. Trust me. (Though, I must say, this is not me complaining. Just helping people understand. I love my job!)
- It's so easy to bond with a fellow nurse. When you work in a profession where it's not unheard of to get shit on, you gotta stick together. If you don't have a job in healthcare, you'd probably be grossed out by the routine type of thing nurses talk about over their lunch break. During my work as a nurse, and even more so as a nurse's aide, I've been peed on, pooped on, vomited on, sneezed on, and bled on. It's gross, but you get over it because it's part of your job. And at least for me, the best way to get over something is to laugh about how ridiculous the situation is. I'm sure most professions could connect in ways like this. When someone's ringing their call bell because it's an "emergency", and in all reality they just got orange juice instead of grape with their breakfast tray, you just have to put on a smile and deal with it. And so, it's easy to connect with fellow healthcare workers as we all have ridiculous, exciting, or funny stories to share and tell.
- I love my job. I was pretty certain I'd love my job going into my college career, and I became even more sure that I would once I started clinicals and working as an aide. But, since I've truly began my work as a nurse, I can now say that I officially love my job. Every day that I work, I affect someone's life. Of course, what I do isn't always the most amazing thing - in fact, it's usually something small that makes someone's day. Acting in a persistent manner with the doctors in order to get a patient's pain under control can make a huge difference. Offering a smile and a few jokes just to cheer someone up can really be a big deal. And talking to a family member and taking the time to explain something is usually very appreciated. I'm not changing the world here, and I may not even be changing lives. But I feel like I'm making a difference and doing something important with my life. I love taking care of my patients, I love doing my very best to get them better (or at least keep them comfortable), and I love learning new things every single day. Ultimately, I love being a nurse.
Later gators,
Liz :)
Sunday, July 28, 2013
What the Heck Do Dreams Mean?
I have crazy dreams. Yeah yeah, I know lots of people say this. But trust me...I mean it. When I dream, it's very rarely a sort of go with the flow, ordinary type of situation. It's more like...BAM WILD DREAM. What the heck do they mean, though?
Someone once told me that I have such crazy, extreme dreams because my every day life is so stress free. Well, at least I make sure to keep it that way. Because I don't stress over things and try to control my anxieties and worries in real life, this person told me they all manifest in my dreams! But other people have told me that I'm just hiding all of my stresses in real life, and my dreams show that I have serious issues! Who the heck knows. Still interesting to think about, ehh?
Over the past couple of nights, here are some snippets of the dreams I've had:
Anyways, just thought I'd share my ramblings on some of the bedtime happenings that go on in my brain. I'm curious to hear if anyone has any thoughts on these wacky dreams I have!
Happy dreaming,
Liz :)
Someone once told me that I have such crazy, extreme dreams because my every day life is so stress free. Well, at least I make sure to keep it that way. Because I don't stress over things and try to control my anxieties and worries in real life, this person told me they all manifest in my dreams! But other people have told me that I'm just hiding all of my stresses in real life, and my dreams show that I have serious issues! Who the heck knows. Still interesting to think about, ehh?
Over the past couple of nights, here are some snippets of the dreams I've had:
- A immediate member of my family died
- One of my good friends had sex with another good friend's boyfriend - and there was a crazy dramatic blowout
- I was harassed and chased by a crazy man through some kind of decade in the past (maybe the 40s)
- I lived in Game of Thrones time but instead of just dragons and war and that kind of craziness, there were also these wacky giant robotic machines trying to take over
Anyways, just thought I'd share my ramblings on some of the bedtime happenings that go on in my brain. I'm curious to hear if anyone has any thoughts on these wacky dreams I have!
Happy dreaming,
Liz :)
Monday, July 8, 2013
Moving Madness
Today, I officially started to pack some stuff up for the move. I'm staying in the same city - just moving to a different part of the area that's about 15 minutes from where I am now. This move is bittersweet in a million different ways.
I'm leaving my college roommate, one of the best friends that I could ask for. I love her to death, and it's going to be extremely weird not having her around all the time. Since I'm moving to a one bedroom apartment, that's going to be really strange, too. I'm used to having someone around to talk to, watch TV with, laugh at something silly about with...it's going to be a major change.
Leaving the area I've been in is going to be quite a change, too. I've fallen in love with where I am, at least for the lifestyle that I was living. My favorite coffee shop, favorite bar, favorite place to sit out in the sun, favorite friends...they're not going to be a five minute walk away anymore.
Of course, I am moving very close to the hospital I'll be working at, and I am really excited to make my new apartment my little home. It's just...going to be very weird. I'm all about starting fresh like this and the excitement that comes with it, but I can't help but feel a tug at my heart for all the things that are going to majorly change.
I'm glad to be graduated and done with college, but I totally understand the sadness of leaving it all behind.
Ta ta lovelies,
Liz :)
I'm leaving my college roommate, one of the best friends that I could ask for. I love her to death, and it's going to be extremely weird not having her around all the time. Since I'm moving to a one bedroom apartment, that's going to be really strange, too. I'm used to having someone around to talk to, watch TV with, laugh at something silly about with...it's going to be a major change.
Leaving the area I've been in is going to be quite a change, too. I've fallen in love with where I am, at least for the lifestyle that I was living. My favorite coffee shop, favorite bar, favorite place to sit out in the sun, favorite friends...they're not going to be a five minute walk away anymore.
Of course, I am moving very close to the hospital I'll be working at, and I am really excited to make my new apartment my little home. It's just...going to be very weird. I'm all about starting fresh like this and the excitement that comes with it, but I can't help but feel a tug at my heart for all the things that are going to majorly change.
I'm glad to be graduated and done with college, but I totally understand the sadness of leaving it all behind.
Ta ta lovelies,
Liz :)
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Major Man of Steel Disappointment
For as long as I can remember, Superman has been my superhero of choice. Though I've gone through phases with others, Clark Kent is the heroic wonder that I've gone back to time and time again. There's something about how pure and good hearted he is that draws me in - that positive, seeing good in everyone type of attitude is the way I strive to be. And in a superhero? Even better.
Of course, when I found out that Henry Cavill would be playing Clark Kent, my jaw literally dropped - especially when I saw promo pictures. He's a total babe and looked the part to perfection. I generally don't go for manly, muscley men...but holy heck. I. Was. So. Excited.
Maybe that's where part of the problem began - the anticipation. Henry Cavill playing Superman? OHMYGOD. Christopher Nolan taking part? YES. Superman on the big screen again? IT HAS TO BE AMAZING. But...it just...wasn't.
As you're all aware, this is certainly my own opinion and we're each entitled to our own. But was everyone else left with a lackluster feeling upon leaving the theater? I certainly was, and I believe these are the main reasons why (spoiler alert, by the way):
I'm curious to know what other people thought of Man of Steel! I've heard mixed reviews - some from avid Superman fans and others from those who don't know much about the superhero. Please share your thoughts with me in the comments!
And if you liked it or not, everyone in the world should appreciate this beautiful GIF:
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...just me heading out for the day,
Liz :)
Of course, when I found out that Henry Cavill would be playing Clark Kent, my jaw literally dropped - especially when I saw promo pictures. He's a total babe and looked the part to perfection. I generally don't go for manly, muscley men...but holy heck. I. Was. So. Excited.
 |
| I mean...just look at him! What. A. Babe. |
As you're all aware, this is certainly my own opinion and we're each entitled to our own. But was everyone else left with a lackluster feeling upon leaving the theater? I certainly was, and I believe these are the main reasons why (spoiler alert, by the way):
- Where was Lex Luthor? Superman obviously doesn't have to have Lex ruining the world every time he takes a step, but that happens an awful lot. And for the first legitimate movie about Clark Kent in a while (especially since it goes over his beginnings), I was definitely expecting to see the bad guy pop up.
- What the heck was going on with Lois? In this installment, Lois apparently finds out that Clark Kent = Superman before he even starts working at The Daily Planet. I wasn't a fan of that aspect, nor was I a fan of the way things played out between them. Even if it's totally silly that the only difference between Clark Kent and Superman is a cape and pair of glasses, that's part of the foundation of the comics. I really missed that aspect, and I just didn't like the relationship these two had...which is something I was looking forward to :(
- I love Amy Adams...but I didn't love her as Lois. I think she's adorable and such a good actress, but this part wasn't the best choice for her in my opinion. Maybe I just love the way Lois was played in Smallville, but I wanted her to be more feisty, havoc-wreaking, and mischievous in general. She was a wishy washy character in Man of Steel and not the strong, amazing character that I looked forward to seeing.
- The storyline for the movie simply wasn't what I expected in general, and it didn't keep me glued to the edge of my seat and totally loving every second as I had hoped it would.
I'm curious to know what other people thought of Man of Steel! I've heard mixed reviews - some from avid Superman fans and others from those who don't know much about the superhero. Please share your thoughts with me in the comments!
And if you liked it or not, everyone in the world should appreciate this beautiful GIF:
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...just me heading out for the day,
Liz :)
Monday, July 1, 2013
Nurse Nation?
As I went to nursing school, I'm Facebook friends with many people who share the same passion. So, when it came about that MTV is creating a show about nursing - specifically the traveling type - it was flooding my news feed. Curious and taken aback by this news, I had to check it out.
Nurse Nation is apparently a new "reality" type show that will be airing on the station, following the lives of several twenty-something travel nurses. If you're unfamiliar, a travel nurse is basically someone who gets a new assignment every three months or so. Your assignment can be in any city pretty much, and thus you have the ability to travel all over the country. It's a really amazing opportunity, and MTV is stressing the "work hard - play hard" lifestyle that these travel nurses shall have.
I'm totally unsure of how I feel about this show, especially with the spin that MTV tends to put on most things. As a recent nursing graduate, I obviously have a great love and respect for my profession. Part of me is entirely afraid that this show is going to make nurses seem like crazy partiers or people who lack morals or something else foolish and generally untrue like that. But, obviously, this is a common theme among a lot of MTV reality shows. On the other hand, I know I'm going to be tuning in. Why? Travel nursing has been a dream of mine ever since I decided to take up this profession. As I'm just starting my first RN position later this month, I lack the experience needed to travel. But as soon as I get it, you can guarantee I'll be grabbing that opportunity. I think the sneak peek into my future life will be interesting, though I'm sure the MTV spin won't be 100% realistic.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing how this show turns out, but I'm wondering if the general population will be interested in tuning in? Is that something non-nurses would like to watch? Let me know what you think!
Oh, and since I never made a mention yet, I did pass my boards in 75 questions and am now an official RN! :)
Until we chat again,
Liz :)
Nurse Nation is apparently a new "reality" type show that will be airing on the station, following the lives of several twenty-something travel nurses. If you're unfamiliar, a travel nurse is basically someone who gets a new assignment every three months or so. Your assignment can be in any city pretty much, and thus you have the ability to travel all over the country. It's a really amazing opportunity, and MTV is stressing the "work hard - play hard" lifestyle that these travel nurses shall have.
I'm totally unsure of how I feel about this show, especially with the spin that MTV tends to put on most things. As a recent nursing graduate, I obviously have a great love and respect for my profession. Part of me is entirely afraid that this show is going to make nurses seem like crazy partiers or people who lack morals or something else foolish and generally untrue like that. But, obviously, this is a common theme among a lot of MTV reality shows. On the other hand, I know I'm going to be tuning in. Why? Travel nursing has been a dream of mine ever since I decided to take up this profession. As I'm just starting my first RN position later this month, I lack the experience needed to travel. But as soon as I get it, you can guarantee I'll be grabbing that opportunity. I think the sneak peek into my future life will be interesting, though I'm sure the MTV spin won't be 100% realistic.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing how this show turns out, but I'm wondering if the general population will be interested in tuning in? Is that something non-nurses would like to watch? Let me know what you think!
Oh, and since I never made a mention yet, I did pass my boards in 75 questions and am now an official RN! :)
Until we chat again,
Liz :)
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
The Eve of My NCLEX
As this blog is named The Nutso Life of Nurse Liz, I figured it was about time to talk about something nursing related. Funny thing is, I'm not actually an official nurse yet. In fact, my registered nursing fate shall be discovered within the next 48 hours. At two o'clock tomorrow, I'll sit for the dreaded NCLEX. With over $200 down the drain to take this test, I'm obviously hoping beyond hope that I pass. The results are to be determined...and I'll add in a little update when I find out!
But besides that main point above, I really just wanted to whip a post up to share how excited I am about life. Yes, life in general. I have so many amazing things to look forward to.
Smiles all around,
Liz :)
But besides that main point above, I really just wanted to whip a post up to share how excited I am about life. Yes, life in general. I have so many amazing things to look forward to.
- Andrew McMahon Concert: This may seem a little foolish to some, but I'm literally jumping around right now as I think about the amazing time I shall have when July 11th comes and I get to see this amazing man live one more time. I am sometimes speechless when people ask me why I love this artist and human being so much. Or else I say something like, "He's just...amazing," and get this ridiculous grin on my face. I'm sure all you guys understand when it comes to an artist, author, actor, etc. that you adore as I adore him. Anywho, can't wait for this show!
- Nursing Orientation: As long as I pass my boards, I'll be starting my orientation on July 15th! It's gonna be crazy and hectic and difficult and wild and fun and I can't wait! I'll be working on the floor where I'm an aide now, and I'm super excited to remain with my coworkers and learn from them. Of course, my excitement also extends to having my first "adult job." Yippee!
- New Apartment: In July, I'll be moving apartments. From living in the dorms for my first two years of college to living with the same roommate (and amazing friend) for the past two years in our apartment, this is going to be a big change for me. I'm moving to a new part of town (though it's not really far away from where I am now at all), I'll be living alone, and my apartment will hopefully feel like my own place. Having a college apartment is definitely different from my new place, and I'm most certainly looking forward to decorating, making it my own, having friends over...but not so much the paying bills and all that jazz :P
- Being an Adult: While I'll still have my parents' support when and if I need it, I'm basically going to be an adult by the end of the summer. That's totally crazy but ridiculously exciting at the very same time. Leaving college and all of those shenanigans behind is definitely bittersweet. I'll miss weekend bar hopping, lazy movie nights, and even the pains of sitting through lectures with my classmates. But at the same time, I'm only 22! If I want to have a partying type of weekend, I still can! If I have the urge to go dancing, I am totally able to! If I want to read a textbook, I certainly could - though I probably won't have such desires. My whole point is, I'm growing up, but that doesn't mean I have to suddenly be a 100% responsible adult. I'm still a kid - sorta.
Smiles all around,
Liz :)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
My Top 10 Favorite Nail Polishes
I'm a nail polish addict. As someone who's not really into beauty products, nail polish is one of the rare things I get a little crazy over. To be honest, I have an embarrassing amount of polish - but it's not embarrassing if it makes me happy, right? :P And, sadly, when I see a nail polish in the store that I love, it's really difficult to avoid making the purchase. Keeping all this in mind, I think it's safe to say that I've loved on a lot of polishes...and I have quite a few favorites in my collection! If you're interested in finding out some of my most loved and used, keep reading! :)
This color makes quite a statement, and it's one of the polishes that people consistently ask me about when I have it on. It's bright, bright red with a hint of orange - different than your conventional red in a perfectly wonderful way.
I think dark colors are a fun way to change up your nails, but black can be a little blah for me (I usually opt for very dark blues, purples, greens, etc.). I was excited to find this Ulta polish which is a black with some awesome silvery shimmer. It doesn't appear excessively glittery on the nails, which I like, but it gives the black an extra special pop that catches the eye.
This name makes me happy and describes this nail polish perfectly. Sunshine Sparkle is a pastel, yet bright yellow that has the most beautiful shimmer in it that reminds me of the best summer day imaginable. It's gorgeous on skin with a bit of a tan, though I reach for this polish no matter the month because it's one of those that perks you up and makes you happy.
The name of this polish is punny, something that I love to begin with. But the color is to die for!!! It's a minty blue that looks amazingggg, especially this time of year. This Megalast line of polishes from Wet 'n Wild are some of my favorite, too. The formula is long lasting, I think the price is under three dollars, and the brush is on the bigger side with a curve to it that makes painting your nails incredibly easy. I also have two other colors from this line: On a Trip (lilacy purple) and Club Havana (awesome creamsicle orange).
I'm not one for wearing neutrals on my nails, and this gorgeous color is about as low key as I'll go. It's a rose gold-ish/copper shade that looks amazing once on. It's got the perfect amount of shimmer and catches the light beautifully. If you're not into super bright colors, I'd highly recommend this one!
This line of polishes is one of the best bargains at the drugstore! I believe I got this shade for $1.99, and the formula isn't lacking. Let's Talk is a particularly vibrant, bright purple with an awesome sheen to it. It's more on the purple than blue side as opposed to how it looks in the picture above. Definitely makes a statement, but that's exactly the kind of polish that I love and adore!
Midnight is a dark teal which reminds me of the night sky before it's gotten truly dark - so maybe a bit before the clock actually strikes twelve :) It's one of those deep colors that I would typically choose over black as it makes a dark statement while maintaining a fun pop of color at the same time.
As you can probably tell by now, I'm quite the fan of affordable drugstore nail polish. While I have a few more expensive ones in my collection, I generally don't pay more than $6 for a polish. However, when I spotted this Butter London one, I knew I had to shell out the, in my opinion, outrageous price tag. But honestly, it's gorgeous. This shade reminds me so much of all the "galaxy" things you see, transitioning from green to blue to pink to purple to silver with the slightest move of your hand. It's a bit sheer to be worn on its own but pairs perfectly overtop of a dark blue, teal, or purple. Plus, there's a pretty little shimmer that's slight but beautiful all the same.
This one is different from the previous minty shade I mentioned in that it's far more green than blue. It's wonderful all the same, giving a bright, fun pop of color to the nails. I've found it to be a tad bit streaky at first, but with a couple of coats everything sorts out :)
I'm not one to coordinate my nail polish colors based on the season (I wear whatever I want whenever I want!), but Vixen is the perfect vampy red for fall. This wine-like shade has a hint of plum to it, making it another fun, unique choice when you want to wear a shade of red on your nails.
And there you have it! Though I'm sure I'll find a new favorite in no time, the above are some of my most loved and adored nail polishes. I think I have one for every possible occasion I could get myself into, but there's always room for more when it comes to nail polish, right?
Toodleoo,
Liz :)
Revlon Fearless
This color makes quite a statement, and it's one of the polishes that people consistently ask me about when I have it on. It's bright, bright red with a hint of orange - different than your conventional red in a perfectly wonderful way.
Ulta Little Black Dress
I think dark colors are a fun way to change up your nails, but black can be a little blah for me (I usually opt for very dark blues, purples, greens, etc.). I was excited to find this Ulta polish which is a black with some awesome silvery shimmer. It doesn't appear excessively glittery on the nails, which I like, but it gives the black an extra special pop that catches the eye.
Revlon Sunshine Sparkle
This name makes me happy and describes this nail polish perfectly. Sunshine Sparkle is a pastel, yet bright yellow that has the most beautiful shimmer in it that reminds me of the best summer day imaginable. It's gorgeous on skin with a bit of a tan, though I reach for this polish no matter the month because it's one of those that perks you up and makes you happy.
Wet 'n Wild I Need a Refresh-Mint
The name of this polish is punny, something that I love to begin with. But the color is to die for!!! It's a minty blue that looks amazingggg, especially this time of year. This Megalast line of polishes from Wet 'n Wild are some of my favorite, too. The formula is long lasting, I think the price is under three dollars, and the brush is on the bigger side with a curve to it that makes painting your nails incredibly easy. I also have two other colors from this line: On a Trip (lilacy purple) and Club Havana (awesome creamsicle orange).
Revlon Copper Penny
I'm not one for wearing neutrals on my nails, and this gorgeous color is about as low key as I'll go. It's a rose gold-ish/copper shade that looks amazing once on. It's got the perfect amount of shimmer and catches the light beautifully. If you're not into super bright colors, I'd highly recommend this one!
Sinful Colors Let's Talk
This line of polishes is one of the best bargains at the drugstore! I believe I got this shade for $1.99, and the formula isn't lacking. Let's Talk is a particularly vibrant, bright purple with an awesome sheen to it. It's more on the purple than blue side as opposed to how it looks in the picture above. Definitely makes a statement, but that's exactly the kind of polish that I love and adore!
Revlon Midnight
Midnight is a dark teal which reminds me of the night sky before it's gotten truly dark - so maybe a bit before the clock actually strikes twelve :) It's one of those deep colors that I would typically choose over black as it makes a dark statement while maintaining a fun pop of color at the same time.
Butter London Knackered
As you can probably tell by now, I'm quite the fan of affordable drugstore nail polish. While I have a few more expensive ones in my collection, I generally don't pay more than $6 for a polish. However, when I spotted this Butter London one, I knew I had to shell out the, in my opinion, outrageous price tag. But honestly, it's gorgeous. This shade reminds me so much of all the "galaxy" things you see, transitioning from green to blue to pink to purple to silver with the slightest move of your hand. It's a bit sheer to be worn on its own but pairs perfectly overtop of a dark blue, teal, or purple. Plus, there's a pretty little shimmer that's slight but beautiful all the same.
Pop Beauty Mint Magic
This one is different from the previous minty shade I mentioned in that it's far more green than blue. It's wonderful all the same, giving a bright, fun pop of color to the nails. I've found it to be a tad bit streaky at first, but with a couple of coats everything sorts out :)
Revlon Vixen
I'm not one to coordinate my nail polish colors based on the season (I wear whatever I want whenever I want!), but Vixen is the perfect vampy red for fall. This wine-like shade has a hint of plum to it, making it another fun, unique choice when you want to wear a shade of red on your nails.
And there you have it! Though I'm sure I'll find a new favorite in no time, the above are some of my most loved and adored nail polishes. I think I have one for every possible occasion I could get myself into, but there's always room for more when it comes to nail polish, right?
Toodleoo,
Liz :)
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Tips and Tricks for Crazy Colored Hair
As promised, I'm following up my last post with this one all about the things I have learned from dyeing my hair funky colors for the past few years. Having dyed my hair blue, purple, teal, orange, red, and lots of colors in between, I'd like to think I've acquired at least a few tips that will help someone who is interested in fun colored hair.
1. Always dye your hair while wearing a shirt or tank top you don't care about. Even if you try your hardest to keep it all on your head, some of the dye is bound to end up below the neck one time or another.
2. Wear gloves if you don't want to have stained fingers for a few days. I don't care if my fingers turn out blue or purple, so I opt out from wearing gloves. However, I still use a brush to apply the color just to keep most of it off my hands.
3. If you do get color on your hands (or on parts of your ears or face), try using a toner or strong makeup remover to get it off. If it doesn't get rid of the dye completely, it will at least fade it a bit.
4. If you don't want to get color on your face in the first place, try putting Vaseline or something similar along your hairline and ears. Though I don't do this, I've heard that it can prevent the color from transferring to your face in those areas.
5. The best way to go about dyeing your hair, for me, is to dive right into it. If you don't like how it turns out, it will grow out, fade away, or you can dye overtop of it. Part of the fun is adventuring!
6. If you can't find the exact color you want, try mixing! This way, you can get that perfect indigo, teal, aqua, etc.
7. If you really want your hair color to last for a long time, wash your hair in cold water. This definitely sucks (especially in the cold months), but it totally helps with longevity.
8. If you can, try washing your hair in the sink or under the bathtub faucet. This makes it a lot easier to deal with when using icy cold water.
9. For another trick on longevity, try to wash your hair only every other day or so. Less washes = less fading.
10. If you're looking for a hair dye that works wonders with lasting forever even if you don't follow the two tips above, try out Jerome Russell Punky Colour. I swear, they're amazing. I can wash my hair everyday in hot water and though the color fades, it still looks good for at least a month. They're great!
11. Have a towel that you can make your "hair dyeing towel." When you rinse out the dye for the first time, you may have some left behind that will transfer to the towel. And for the first one or two washes, the same might occur. Thus, the hair dyeing towel.
12. Try not to use a lot of heat on your hair. For me, this is easy since I use heat maybe once a month. But, in the past when my hair was longer, I noticed a dramatic difference with the way my color faded when I would straighten or curl it.
13. Try to find a product that will protect your color from the sun. Though I don't use it as often as I should, I've purchased the Paul Mitchell Color Protect Locking Spray. In the summer especially, the sun can drastically fade your bright hair colors. It may not work wonders, but a spray like this will at least help a little.
14. If you're putting colored streaks in your hair as opposed to dyeing your whole head, try dyeing the underneath layers. By this, I basically mean do not dye the very top section of your hair where you part it. In doing so, you won't be able to notice the area which has grown back months down the road and you won't have to rebleach as often.
15. Enlist a friend to help! If you're unsure of yourself the first time around, have a friend there for assistance. Whether it's just to hand you supplies, hold back your hair, or even put some of the dye on, another set of hands can be a huge help!
Adios,
Liz :)
1. Always dye your hair while wearing a shirt or tank top you don't care about. Even if you try your hardest to keep it all on your head, some of the dye is bound to end up below the neck one time or another.
2. Wear gloves if you don't want to have stained fingers for a few days. I don't care if my fingers turn out blue or purple, so I opt out from wearing gloves. However, I still use a brush to apply the color just to keep most of it off my hands.
3. If you do get color on your hands (or on parts of your ears or face), try using a toner or strong makeup remover to get it off. If it doesn't get rid of the dye completely, it will at least fade it a bit.
4. If you don't want to get color on your face in the first place, try putting Vaseline or something similar along your hairline and ears. Though I don't do this, I've heard that it can prevent the color from transferring to your face in those areas.
5. The best way to go about dyeing your hair, for me, is to dive right into it. If you don't like how it turns out, it will grow out, fade away, or you can dye overtop of it. Part of the fun is adventuring!
6. If you can't find the exact color you want, try mixing! This way, you can get that perfect indigo, teal, aqua, etc.
7. If you really want your hair color to last for a long time, wash your hair in cold water. This definitely sucks (especially in the cold months), but it totally helps with longevity.
8. If you can, try washing your hair in the sink or under the bathtub faucet. This makes it a lot easier to deal with when using icy cold water.
9. For another trick on longevity, try to wash your hair only every other day or so. Less washes = less fading.
10. If you're looking for a hair dye that works wonders with lasting forever even if you don't follow the two tips above, try out Jerome Russell Punky Colour. I swear, they're amazing. I can wash my hair everyday in hot water and though the color fades, it still looks good for at least a month. They're great!
11. Have a towel that you can make your "hair dyeing towel." When you rinse out the dye for the first time, you may have some left behind that will transfer to the towel. And for the first one or two washes, the same might occur. Thus, the hair dyeing towel.
12. Try not to use a lot of heat on your hair. For me, this is easy since I use heat maybe once a month. But, in the past when my hair was longer, I noticed a dramatic difference with the way my color faded when I would straighten or curl it.
13. Try to find a product that will protect your color from the sun. Though I don't use it as often as I should, I've purchased the Paul Mitchell Color Protect Locking Spray. In the summer especially, the sun can drastically fade your bright hair colors. It may not work wonders, but a spray like this will at least help a little.
14. If you're putting colored streaks in your hair as opposed to dyeing your whole head, try dyeing the underneath layers. By this, I basically mean do not dye the very top section of your hair where you part it. In doing so, you won't be able to notice the area which has grown back months down the road and you won't have to rebleach as often.
15. Enlist a friend to help! If you're unsure of yourself the first time around, have a friend there for assistance. Whether it's just to hand you supplies, hold back your hair, or even put some of the dye on, another set of hands can be a huge help!
Adios,
Liz :)
How I Bleach and Dye My Hair
All right, folks. As mentioned in my previous post on my hair dyeing fun, today I am going to tell you all about how I bleach and dye my hair. But, before we get started, there is definitely a little disclaimer I have to make:
I am in no way, shape, or form certified in anything that I am going to talk about in this post. Everything that I have learned about hair dyeing and bleaching has been from watching my hair stylist do it to my hair and from other blogs or posts on the internet. I am not trained in doing hair, and I am not telling you that all of the information below will work for you! Everyone's hair is different, can tolerate different amounts of bleaching, and will take to dye differently. If you want to try out any of my tips or techniques on yourself, feel free but do so at your own risk!
Whew! Now that that's out of the way, let's get started!
So, before putting purple, blue, green, etc. on my hair, I have to bleach it. Because my hair is a very dark brown, the colors that I use will not even tint my hair if I do not bleach it ahead of time. If you are blonde, you might be able to get away with skipping the bleach step; however, that depends on the shade of blonde you are. If you're bleaching your hair for the first time, I would recommend going to a stylist so you can at least watch the process and ask him or her questions.
I use bleaching supplies that I picked up at Sally Beauty.
Once you have your supplies, then comes the fun part: deciding what parts of your hair you want to color! Because of my job, I'm unable to have totally out there hair color aka a whole head of bright purple hair. So, what I like to do is put in small streaks throughout the front section. I simply do the front because then I can see everything I'm working with, and I've come to like just having a section of hair that's colored as opposed to going all the way around my head. Now that we've got all that covered, here are the steps to how I bleach:
So, now you have beautiful bleached hair! Sometimes you can look a little wacky at this point (at least I do)! I think it's a good thing to leave your hair at this stage for a day or two just to give it a break. However, I'm not at all fond of the way my hair looks bleached, so I am bad and usually head right into adding color. Now, here's where the process can change depending on your natural hair color. I used to resection my hair in the way that I bleach, using aluminum foil to separate the sections as I add color. However, I tried plopping the color on the entire front section of my hair once and found that my brown hair took on 0% of the color and was left looking the same as it did before. So, if you dye your hair a lot and don't want to deal with the process, you could try doing that. But, if you have blonde hair or would rather section it off, just follow the same steps as I mentioned in the bleaching segment. Once the dye is in, you simply let it wait to take to the hair.
Something awesome about the Jerome Russell dye (and many others like it) is that they don't damage your hair. At least I haven't noticed any damage and believe this to be true. So, I leave my dye on for quite a while. Sometimes I let it sit for a couple of hours if I have nothing to go and do, but sometimes I leave it in for about forty minutes. Once I've reached the desired amount of time, I head off to rinse it out.
But, beware! In doing so, you may accidentally paint your bathroom, shower, or sink the color of your hair. I like to wash it out in the kitchen sink since I can control the stream more. An important step here is that you only rinse out the dye...do not shampoo! You want to rinse until the water runs clear, taking your time. Once the color is out, I usually wait for 24-48 hours before shampooing so that it has time to set. Then, you are free to wash your hair and have gorgeous color!
Because this post is getting incredibly long, I'm going to cut myself off here. But, I do plan on following this up with another post full of more tips, tricks, and useful things I've learned from dyeing my hair. Once that's up, I will link it here!
Oh, and here's my finished product!
Definitely more pink than I expected, and I may let it stay this color for a bit or may just go ahead and mix some things up for the color I was hoping for.
Happy dyeing,
Liz :)
I am in no way, shape, or form certified in anything that I am going to talk about in this post. Everything that I have learned about hair dyeing and bleaching has been from watching my hair stylist do it to my hair and from other blogs or posts on the internet. I am not trained in doing hair, and I am not telling you that all of the information below will work for you! Everyone's hair is different, can tolerate different amounts of bleaching, and will take to dye differently. If you want to try out any of my tips or techniques on yourself, feel free but do so at your own risk!
Whew! Now that that's out of the way, let's get started!
So, before putting purple, blue, green, etc. on my hair, I have to bleach it. Because my hair is a very dark brown, the colors that I use will not even tint my hair if I do not bleach it ahead of time. If you are blonde, you might be able to get away with skipping the bleach step; however, that depends on the shade of blonde you are. If you're bleaching your hair for the first time, I would recommend going to a stylist so you can at least watch the process and ask him or her questions.
I use bleaching supplies that I picked up at Sally Beauty.
 |
| Plastic mixing bowl, brush, powder lightener, developer |
Once you have your supplies, then comes the fun part: deciding what parts of your hair you want to color! Because of my job, I'm unable to have totally out there hair color aka a whole head of bright purple hair. So, what I like to do is put in small streaks throughout the front section. I simply do the front because then I can see everything I'm working with, and I've come to like just having a section of hair that's colored as opposed to going all the way around my head. Now that we've got all that covered, here are the steps to how I bleach:
- Combine powder and developer in equal parts, making sure it's mixed well
- With a comb that has a pointy end, select a thin strip of hair to bleach
- Make sure the strip of hair is even and straight for ease of finding the section next time you bleach/dye
- I find that thin strips of hair work better as they look more natural blending in with the rest of your hair once colored (or at least "natural" or discreet enough that my work never cares about my hair)
- Using regular aluminum foil, place the hair on top and hold in place
 |
| You'll figure out what size of aluminum foil works for you! I use about twice the size of an iPhone for reference. |
- Paint the bleach on using a brush, making sure to cover every little bit of the hair as well as the backside (it's very important to be thorough)
- Fold the hair up in the aluminum foil and pin back if necessary
- Using the pointy end of the comb again, select another even section of hair and push to the side so that it can remain your natural hair color
- This section can be as thick as you like, working as the in between sections of your streaks
- Select another thin, even section to bleach, following the process above until you have your desired amount of streaks
- Allow the bleach to sit into your hair for twenty minutes or so, peeking at the first section you bleached for progress
- Wash out bleach with shampoo, and you're done!
So, now you have beautiful bleached hair! Sometimes you can look a little wacky at this point (at least I do)! I think it's a good thing to leave your hair at this stage for a day or two just to give it a break. However, I'm not at all fond of the way my hair looks bleached, so I am bad and usually head right into adding color. Now, here's where the process can change depending on your natural hair color. I used to resection my hair in the way that I bleach, using aluminum foil to separate the sections as I add color. However, I tried plopping the color on the entire front section of my hair once and found that my brown hair took on 0% of the color and was left looking the same as it did before. So, if you dye your hair a lot and don't want to deal with the process, you could try doing that. But, if you have blonde hair or would rather section it off, just follow the same steps as I mentioned in the bleaching segment. Once the dye is in, you simply let it wait to take to the hair.
 |
| This is the color I used this time around: Jerome Russell Punky Colour in Purple |
 |
| You always look really nice while dyeing your hair! |
Because this post is getting incredibly long, I'm going to cut myself off here. But, I do plan on following this up with another post full of more tips, tricks, and useful things I've learned from dyeing my hair. Once that's up, I will link it here!
Oh, and here's my finished product!
Definitely more pink than I expected, and I may let it stay this color for a bit or may just go ahead and mix some things up for the color I was hoping for.
Happy dyeing,
Liz :)
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Small Apartments: Go Watch it Now!
Ok, so, first thing's first. This movie is weird. It's goofy, strange, out there, and questionable at times. And while it's not the best movie I've ever seen and certainly wouldn't win any major awards, it was enjoyable all the same, and I'd happily recommend it.
I'd never even heard anything about Small Apartments but came across it in the Redbox with my friend. After some investigation, we decided to go for it. Why the heck not? It had some stars that we liked (James Marsden, Billy Crystal, Rebel Wilson) and seemed as though it would be on the weird side - which is sometimes the best kind of movie. After popping the DVD in, we soon realized that Small Apartments was more than on the weird side. Let me explain...
- The main character's name is Franklin Franklin
- He is bald, walks around in just underwear more often than not, has a gross amount of orange soda two liters throughout his apartment, and has one of those giant horns from the Ricola cough drop commercials
- His brother, James Marsden, is in a mental institution and sends him "motivational" cassettes along with his toenail clippings on a daily basis
- The supporting cast are all super strange, too
- It's just an odd movie in general
- The whole premise is around the fact that Franklin Franklin killed his landlord and is trying to get rid of his body
So as you can see, I wasn't fooling you when I said this was a weirdo type of movie. Honestly, there's no overwhelming message you're left with at the end or anything of that sort. It wasn't deep or positive or even sentimental. At least not really. It was just strange - a hilariously odd, somewhat uncomfortable movie that had its fair share of humorous quirks. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions (though it was purely out of discomfort sometimes), shrieked when Franklin Franklin was in his whitey tighties over and over, and kept thinking to myself, "Oh, that's really strange." And while I won't watch it again for a good while, I would recommend you take a peek at Small Apartments just because the weird factor is all the way up there. Even if you just watch this movie once, it'll be something to talk about.
Adios amigos,
Liz :)
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
5 Songs I'm Loving
1. Synesthesia - Andrew McMahon
First off, the meaning behind this song title is an amazing word. Synesthesia, if you didn't know, can involve any of the senses but is most commonly used in reference to seeing certain colors in response to certain sounds. Pretty amazing, right? It's also the first single from Andrew McMahon's new EP, The Pop Underground. Since I think Mr. McMahon is a total genius, of course I'm in love with this song. The EP was certainly different than I had expected, but I'm playing it on repeat just the same. This song is incredibly catchy, upbeat, and really optimistic - a combination that I adore. Because he's brilliant, check it out!
2. The 1975 - Sex
Gah, I do adore this band as of late. Hailing from Britain, this alternative rock group is totally unique and intriguing. It was love at first listen, and I've been caught in The 1975 web ever since. One of my favorites from them is Sex (hehe!). And honestly, we Americans have a soft spot for Brits, don't we? Their style is kind of hard to describe, and I think the best thing to do is devote a few minutes of your time to this song.
3. Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
I can't say I've ever been a fan of Fall Out Boy, though I have enjoyed songs by them every now and then. However, I've never quite loved a song like I've loved this one. And honestly, this is surprising. Despite hearing this song repeatedly over the last couple weeks as it plays on commercials for the Pittsburgh Penguins, I still get a burst of excitement every time I hear it. As someone who really really starts to get irritated with songs that play all the time/are on commercials constantly/are just around too much, I'd like to point out how wild this is. Anyways, you've probably heard it, but here's a link to take another listen anyways. *insert me singing terribly* "Light em up up up. Light em up up up. Light em up up up. I'm on fiiiiiireeeee!"
4. Get Lucky - Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
I have to thank my roomie/bestie for this one. And man, I'm thankful. She raved and raved about the new Daft Punk song, and now I truly understand how catchy it is. It actually kind of reminds me of the Bee Gees for whatever reason, and that's totally a good thing. Literally so addicting - you know you wanna take a listen and become just as obsessed as me.
5. Capital Cities - Safe and Sound
Apparently I'm all about catchy, upbeat, snazzy songs lately...so here's another one. This song is by Capital Cities, an indie rock duo from LA that I'm planning on creeping on a bit more thoroughly as soon as I finish typing up this post. I know I've heard this song somewhere before - either in a commercial or in a tv show or something of that nature. But, since I can't place where the initial auditory experience began, I'm simply playing it on repeat and having a nice little dance session by myself. Care to join me?
First off, the meaning behind this song title is an amazing word. Synesthesia, if you didn't know, can involve any of the senses but is most commonly used in reference to seeing certain colors in response to certain sounds. Pretty amazing, right? It's also the first single from Andrew McMahon's new EP, The Pop Underground. Since I think Mr. McMahon is a total genius, of course I'm in love with this song. The EP was certainly different than I had expected, but I'm playing it on repeat just the same. This song is incredibly catchy, upbeat, and really optimistic - a combination that I adore. Because he's brilliant, check it out!
2. The 1975 - Sex
Gah, I do adore this band as of late. Hailing from Britain, this alternative rock group is totally unique and intriguing. It was love at first listen, and I've been caught in The 1975 web ever since. One of my favorites from them is Sex (hehe!). And honestly, we Americans have a soft spot for Brits, don't we? Their style is kind of hard to describe, and I think the best thing to do is devote a few minutes of your time to this song.
3. Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
I can't say I've ever been a fan of Fall Out Boy, though I have enjoyed songs by them every now and then. However, I've never quite loved a song like I've loved this one. And honestly, this is surprising. Despite hearing this song repeatedly over the last couple weeks as it plays on commercials for the Pittsburgh Penguins, I still get a burst of excitement every time I hear it. As someone who really really starts to get irritated with songs that play all the time/are on commercials constantly/are just around too much, I'd like to point out how wild this is. Anyways, you've probably heard it, but here's a link to take another listen anyways. *insert me singing terribly* "Light em up up up. Light em up up up. Light em up up up. I'm on fiiiiiireeeee!"
4. Get Lucky - Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
I have to thank my roomie/bestie for this one. And man, I'm thankful. She raved and raved about the new Daft Punk song, and now I truly understand how catchy it is. It actually kind of reminds me of the Bee Gees for whatever reason, and that's totally a good thing. Literally so addicting - you know you wanna take a listen and become just as obsessed as me.
5. Capital Cities - Safe and Sound
Apparently I'm all about catchy, upbeat, snazzy songs lately...so here's another one. This song is by Capital Cities, an indie rock duo from LA that I'm planning on creeping on a bit more thoroughly as soon as I finish typing up this post. I know I've heard this song somewhere before - either in a commercial or in a tv show or something of that nature. But, since I can't place where the initial auditory experience began, I'm simply playing it on repeat and having a nice little dance session by myself. Care to join me?
Monday, May 20, 2013
The Night Circus - Go Read it Now!
During the school year, I find that I don't reach for reading as a leisurely activity...I'm guessing because school implies so much reading to begin with. This always makes me sad since reading has always been one of my very favorite things to do. Thankfully, I'm done with school and have been keeping myself occupied with a selection of books. One of my favorites thus far is a book that I've read once before: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
This book is simply AMAZING. Obviously so good that I've willingly read it twice and will probably read it again before the summer is through. In short, the book is a magical fantasy revolving around Le Cirque des Rêves, or the Circus of Dreams. Basically, this circus appears on a whim without any notice and is only open at night. Inside, there are absolutely spectacular sights to see that Morgenstern describes with amazing vision. At the circus, two magicians, Celia and Marco, have unknowingly been thrust into a competition to essentially out perform the other. And along the way, an adorable love story blossoms.
Like I said, this book is good enough to read multiple times, and I would recommend it to everyone! I must say, however, that I'm apparently a sucker for loads of lovely imagery and the whole appeal and atmosphere of a plot like this one. So, if that's not your cup of tea, this book might not be for you. Even if you're not gung ho about fantasy type novels, this one is so perfectly magical and dream-like that I think you'd still enjoy it. Erin Morgenstern has such a beautiful way with words that really makes you feel as though you are at the circus experiencing it all for yourself - and isn't that the best kind of book?
“The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.”
Happy reading,
Liz :)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
My Crazy Colored Hair Adventures
Upon knowing me for quite a short period of time, it becomes rather apparent that I'm a lover of colors - particularly brights. My wardrobe is filled with greens and blues and purples and rainbows, and I decorate my bedroom in the same sort of manner. Freshman year of college, I met a friend who introduced me to the world of crazy hair colors...and I've never looked back since! I've had quite a few colors as well as good and bad experiences over the past few years, so I thought I would take this time to share them with you :)
(Also, I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures as I never knew I was going to make an internet post like this!)
Fall/Spring-ish '10: This is when I decided to color my hair for the first time! Sadly, I don't have any pictures that do the hair color any justice. The first time I got it done, I went to my hair stylist at the time and she procured a purple hair dye (I never asked what the brand was). This experience was positively AWFUL. I'm not sure she knew what she was doing, and I don't think she even bleached my hair ahead of time. Keep in mind, I have very dark brown hair. The color showed up a decent amount, but it got on my body, my clothing, and ran terribly. Overall, I was not satisfied with this experience, and it turned me off from dyeing my hair for a while.
Spring '11: This time, I went to a stylist who I knew had experience with doing unusual colors in hair. What an awesome decision that was...she's great! I ended up getting purple again, and the product she used was CHI Chromashine in Vibrant Violet. My stylist bleached my hair in small streaks ahead of time, and I came back a couple of days later for the color. She also gave me some tips about keeping the purple vibrant, a step that was truly helpful. Again, I don't have any pictures which do this color justice - but I absolutely loved it at the time. It also faded to a nice fuscia/hot pink color, and almost did an ombre effect as the time passed.
Summer '11: Finally, some pictures! After having the purple in my hair for a few months, I knew I wanted to keep the fun streaks but needed a change. (That's a common theme with me and hair color - I get bored quite easily!) So, I opted for blue. I went back to the same chica, she didn't rebleach as my streaks were still intact, and we put CHI Chromashine in Rich Blue on. I loved this blue. It was incredibly vibrant and really stood out against the dark brown of my natural hair. This sounds a bit funny, but the purple blended more naturally. The major downside of this color for me was that it faded to a gray shade, not a light blue as I had expected. Either way, I really loved it!
Fall '11: Once fall rolled around, I opted to put some red in my hair. The main reason for this change was school. As a nursing student, I assumed my clinical instructors wouldn't approve of bright blue or purple in my hair. So, red it was! I kept the same sort of streaks, but this time I decided to just do them towards the front - touching up the color on the back of my head was a giant nuisance and required the help of friends! Sadly again, I am lacking pictures of this red. My stylist did the color this time, as well, and she was able to use a more permanent type since red is not an unusual shade. I loved the red, but it soon became too boring for me! I went back to purple and attempted to be sneaky and rebellious while wearing it for school. I know all of my instructors and peers noticed, but since my hair was long, it blended pretty well and apparently wasn't a big enough deal for me to get in trouble over. Score! Another super exciting part? I had started working at a new job as an aide
in the late fall, and when I came into work with purple/blue/red hair, they all
loved it! So, no more fears of being shunned for weird hair on my part!
Spring/Summer '12: Finally! School ended for the semester, and I was free to do whatever I wanted to my hair. This time, the coloring was rather exciting. The biggest reason was that I had chopped most of my hair off and rocked a short 'do at this point. At this point, I had also decided that it was crazy to be paying for my stylist to do the color over and over again (with a cut, my appointments were around $80-100!). So, I ventured into the hair dyeing myself! I had some leftover CHI hair dye, and I went off to pick up some bleaching supplies. I was pretty happy with the results - especially since I had never done something like this before.
Summer '12: Yet again, I wanted a color change, but I ran out of my leftover CHI hair dye. So, I popped on over to Ulta and picked up some Jerome Russell Punky Colour hair dye. This stuff was love at first application. The first color I used was Violet. I was really satisfied with this brand, though the Violet was darker and less of a pop of color than I had hoped. However, I still loved it! Punky Colour is an amazing brand of dye, and I've never gone back to CHI nor felt the need to test out any other brands. There's a wide range of choices that I'm satisfied with, and until I want a color they do not offer, I'm sticking with this kind. Again, no pics of the violet :/
Fall/Winter '12: After having done red, purple, and blue, I decided that I had to try out a much desired color on my part: teal. So, going back to my trusty Punky Colour again, I picked up both Turquoise and Lagoon Blue. Yet again, I bleached my hair on my own and was even more satisfied with the results than I had been the last time. I popped on some of the Turquoise, let it do its work, and washed it out to find an amazing, brilliant shade of turquoise/teal. I absolutely loved it! This color started out more blue and faded to the greener spectrum. Even when it had been in my hair for a month or so without touch ups, it still looked pretty darn good.
Winter/Spring '13: Since I had purchased the Lagoon Blue at my last Ulta trip, I decided to try it out since it was just sitting around. But, I didn't really wanna go full out blue at the time, so I made my first dye concoction! I mixed some Turquoise with Lagoon Blue and popped it onto my hair. It came out to be a fabulous shade! I did some mixing touch ups a few times over the months, not really paying attention to how much I was putting in each time compared to the last. I had a lot of fun and even added some of the Violet shade once to darken up the results a tad.
Late Spring '13/Now: I kept the above combinations in my hair for about five months. That may seem like nothing, but it was a very long time of the same-ish colors for me! So, deciding I needed a change, I chose to do the only color I really hadn't dabbled in before - orange! I covered up the old stuff, re-bleached my hair, and popped in some Flame (again by Jerome Russell). Once the dye had been rinsed out, I was on the fence about this one. While I liked the idea of having orange, I wasn't super excited about how it looked with my dark hair, how it appeared against my skin tone, and how it appeared in general. Needless to say, I kept the color in and have been wearing it for a week or two now.
Future Plans: I haven't been taking all that great of care on my orange hair so that it will fade more quickly, and I hope to re-color soon since I'm not the biggest fan of it. I recently purchased Purple and Atlantic Blue from the Punky Color line, and I think I'm going to do the Purple shade next. I think I'm just a purple/blue/green type of gal (those are my favorite colors in general anyways), and I probably won't go for orange again, though a red (maybe purple toned) may be up my alley down the road. We shall see!
If you liked this post, please let me know! I love reading about wild colored hair, and I think it's interesting to see what people enjoy using/how they use it/how they liked it, etc. In the weeks to come, I'll probably do a post about my hair dyeing routine and one about how I attempt to maintain my color, so keep an eye out for that.
Later gators,
Liz :)
(Also, I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures as I never knew I was going to make an internet post like this!)
Fall/Spring-ish '10: This is when I decided to color my hair for the first time! Sadly, I don't have any pictures that do the hair color any justice. The first time I got it done, I went to my hair stylist at the time and she procured a purple hair dye (I never asked what the brand was). This experience was positively AWFUL. I'm not sure she knew what she was doing, and I don't think she even bleached my hair ahead of time. Keep in mind, I have very dark brown hair. The color showed up a decent amount, but it got on my body, my clothing, and ran terribly. Overall, I was not satisfied with this experience, and it turned me off from dyeing my hair for a while.
Spring '11: This time, I went to a stylist who I knew had experience with doing unusual colors in hair. What an awesome decision that was...she's great! I ended up getting purple again, and the product she used was CHI Chromashine in Vibrant Violet. My stylist bleached my hair in small streaks ahead of time, and I came back a couple of days later for the color. She also gave me some tips about keeping the purple vibrant, a step that was truly helpful. Again, I don't have any pictures which do this color justice - but I absolutely loved it at the time. It also faded to a nice fuscia/hot pink color, and almost did an ombre effect as the time passed.
Summer '11: Finally, some pictures! After having the purple in my hair for a few months, I knew I wanted to keep the fun streaks but needed a change. (That's a common theme with me and hair color - I get bored quite easily!) So, I opted for blue. I went back to the same chica, she didn't rebleach as my streaks were still intact, and we put CHI Chromashine in Rich Blue on. I loved this blue. It was incredibly vibrant and really stood out against the dark brown of my natural hair. This sounds a bit funny, but the purple blended more naturally. The major downside of this color for me was that it faded to a gray shade, not a light blue as I had expected. Either way, I really loved it!
 |
| Just a day or two after getting this color - super vibrant! |
 | |
| After a couple weeks or so without touching up |
Spring/Summer '12: Finally! School ended for the semester, and I was free to do whatever I wanted to my hair. This time, the coloring was rather exciting. The biggest reason was that I had chopped most of my hair off and rocked a short 'do at this point. At this point, I had also decided that it was crazy to be paying for my stylist to do the color over and over again (with a cut, my appointments were around $80-100!). So, I ventured into the hair dyeing myself! I had some leftover CHI hair dye, and I went off to pick up some bleaching supplies. I was pretty happy with the results - especially since I had never done something like this before.
 |
| Bleached just the tips for my first time around - if I messed up, I could just chop it off! |
Summer '12: Yet again, I wanted a color change, but I ran out of my leftover CHI hair dye. So, I popped on over to Ulta and picked up some Jerome Russell Punky Colour hair dye. This stuff was love at first application. The first color I used was Violet. I was really satisfied with this brand, though the Violet was darker and less of a pop of color than I had hoped. However, I still loved it! Punky Colour is an amazing brand of dye, and I've never gone back to CHI nor felt the need to test out any other brands. There's a wide range of choices that I'm satisfied with, and until I want a color they do not offer, I'm sticking with this kind. Again, no pics of the violet :/
Fall/Winter '12: After having done red, purple, and blue, I decided that I had to try out a much desired color on my part: teal. So, going back to my trusty Punky Colour again, I picked up both Turquoise and Lagoon Blue. Yet again, I bleached my hair on my own and was even more satisfied with the results than I had been the last time. I popped on some of the Turquoise, let it do its work, and washed it out to find an amazing, brilliant shade of turquoise/teal. I absolutely loved it! This color started out more blue and faded to the greener spectrum. Even when it had been in my hair for a month or so without touch ups, it still looked pretty darn good.
 |
| Oh, just showing my bleached hair for a chuckle. |
 |
| This is probably after two weeks of wearing the color...love! |
 | ||
| After about a month or so without touch ups...you can see the green tones more here. |
 |
| Combo of Turquoise and Lagoon Blue |
 | |
| Lagoon Blue with a tad of Violet to darken it up! |
 |
| Lookin' all cool and hair/shirt matchy |
Future Plans: I haven't been taking all that great of care on my orange hair so that it will fade more quickly, and I hope to re-color soon since I'm not the biggest fan of it. I recently purchased Purple and Atlantic Blue from the Punky Color line, and I think I'm going to do the Purple shade next. I think I'm just a purple/blue/green type of gal (those are my favorite colors in general anyways), and I probably won't go for orange again, though a red (maybe purple toned) may be up my alley down the road. We shall see!
If you liked this post, please let me know! I love reading about wild colored hair, and I think it's interesting to see what people enjoy using/how they use it/how they liked it, etc. In the weeks to come, I'll probably do a post about my hair dyeing routine and one about how I attempt to maintain my color, so keep an eye out for that.
Later gators,
Liz :)
Friday, May 3, 2013
Hello! My Name is Liz!
So, here I am, and I've decided to create a blog. As a recent college graduate, I'm not going to be filling my free time with studying anymore (as if I usually did that anyways). While I was thinking of ways to occupy my days off, I immediately thought of writing. Ever since I was young, I've always had a love for English, grammar, and writing in general. What better hobby to adopt?
Though I think from time to time about how I'd love to be able to write a book, my attention span really isn't cut out for that at this point in my life. With the ability to post whatever's on my mind at that point in time (from makeup to books to music to movies to random stories to nursing things), a blog seemed like the perfect way to express myself. Here I am!
For whoever chooses to venture onto this page and creep around, I think a little introduction to me, myself, and I would be good. So, without further ado, here are 25 facts about me, Liz:
1. I'm more cheerful than the average person.
2. I love to laugh and do so often.
3. I recently graduated with a nursing degree and shall be starting my career in the next couple of months!
4. My favorite color is purple. Or yellow. Or teal. Or aqua. Scratch that...I just love colors.
5. I have a slight obsession with nail polish.
6. I chopped off my hair about a year ago, and it was the best decision ever.
7. Speaking of hair, I like to put random, fun colors in mine.
8. I love superhero movies. SO EXCITED FOR THE MAN OF STEEL. Henry Cavill - woweeee.
9. I like to craft, but I really don't do it often enough.
10. I'm a vegetarian. And no, it's really not that difficult.
11. I love animals. And babies. I mean, who doesn't?
12. I'm kind of tall for a girl (5'9"ish).
13. Grammar freak right here.
14. Weird things happen to me on a frequent basis.
15. I love citrusy, lemony smells the most. Yum.
16. Dexter. That is all.
17. I have a lot of celebrity crushes. A lot.
18. I love math, and I miss taking math classes.
19. Tumblr is one of my favorite ways to goof off and waste time. Oh how addicting it is.
20. My favorite desk accessory is my orange-haired troll from the '90s. He's a cutie.
21. Andrew McMahon is a genius and my absolute favorite musician ever.
22. I'm hoping to get a tattoo this summer - my first.
23. I wish I could be a character on New Girl. The main reason is because I want to fall in love with Nick Miller.
24. Coke is better than Pepsi.
25. Finding Nemo is my favorite.
Until next time,
Liz :)
Though I think from time to time about how I'd love to be able to write a book, my attention span really isn't cut out for that at this point in my life. With the ability to post whatever's on my mind at that point in time (from makeup to books to music to movies to random stories to nursing things), a blog seemed like the perfect way to express myself. Here I am!
For whoever chooses to venture onto this page and creep around, I think a little introduction to me, myself, and I would be good. So, without further ado, here are 25 facts about me, Liz:
1. I'm more cheerful than the average person.
2. I love to laugh and do so often.
3. I recently graduated with a nursing degree and shall be starting my career in the next couple of months!
4. My favorite color is purple. Or yellow. Or teal. Or aqua. Scratch that...I just love colors.
5. I have a slight obsession with nail polish.
6. I chopped off my hair about a year ago, and it was the best decision ever.
7. Speaking of hair, I like to put random, fun colors in mine.
8. I love superhero movies. SO EXCITED FOR THE MAN OF STEEL. Henry Cavill - woweeee.
9. I like to craft, but I really don't do it often enough.
10. I'm a vegetarian. And no, it's really not that difficult.
11. I love animals. And babies. I mean, who doesn't?
12. I'm kind of tall for a girl (5'9"ish).
13. Grammar freak right here.
14. Weird things happen to me on a frequent basis.
15. I love citrusy, lemony smells the most. Yum.
16. Dexter. That is all.
17. I have a lot of celebrity crushes. A lot.
18. I love math, and I miss taking math classes.
19. Tumblr is one of my favorite ways to goof off and waste time. Oh how addicting it is.
20. My favorite desk accessory is my orange-haired troll from the '90s. He's a cutie.
21. Andrew McMahon is a genius and my absolute favorite musician ever.
22. I'm hoping to get a tattoo this summer - my first.
23. I wish I could be a character on New Girl. The main reason is because I want to fall in love with Nick Miller.
24. Coke is better than Pepsi.
25. Finding Nemo is my favorite.
Until next time,
Liz :)
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