So yeah... it's FRIDAY again! Stoked.

And, had a vision while trying to fall asleep last night, inspired by Om Shanti Om and all things Bollywood... (Rewind back to last Friday. When I acquired a certain amazing tunic. I scored this over-the-top, totally India tunic -was actually made there- at a Boston Proper sample sale.) I wasn't thrilled to get up but the vision and the tunic helped, mucho.

I've paired it to a distressed Roxy denim mini, my SICK Report Signature all-glitter heels, sparkling bead bracelets I picked up in Jaipur two years ago, a fun ganesh necklace my dear friend got me in Austin, Texas, a twinkling hand of fatima necklace, etc. etc. and the result—total West-meets-Bollywood. At least that's how I feel and it's fueled my desire to comb through my itunes for fun Indian music.

And that's just it, fashion should be fun, it should be inspired, it should be inspiring, it should reflect who YOU are as a person, your interpretations of everything around you. There really is no right or wrong in fashion. I don't care what anyone says. What you love, and what you feel confident in, you will rock.

Want to get a vibrant, wild, unbelievable look at what inspired me last night/this morning?
Check it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94NgXI7do74
Happy Friday!

Vitaminwater sync = FREE MUSIC? & Playlists YOU Should Stop Existing Without

Alright... today's blog was inspired by a playlist on my ipod i listened to whilst at the gym yesterday. I amuse myself, the playlist is called "Music Everyone Should Have" (which is eerily and coincidentally similar to the above blog title). As if i am the authority on what music you should be listening to. Ha. Imagine? I would never think such. No way. ;-)

So yeah, listening to said playlist, and i think to myself, wow, for me, this really is a good one. Simple. only features three artists total. but the songs are emotional, thinking songs. and the three artists have decades of brilliance backing them up. they have ways with words that arrest you, choke you up, provoke passionate thought. and in my music world as of late, i've been immersed in sexy, beat-driven, fun songs. so it was cool to visit a playlist i'd created in a deliberate & focused state of mind. That said, I'm going to post a few of my itunes playlists for you here today. I'll try and walk you through what they're like so you can decide if they might be right up your alley.

THEN, i'm going to talk about vitaminwater sync...

The Playlists:

(the infamous) Music Everyone Should Have Mix
Looking Glass Girl (RS Vocal Demo) The Glove
Punish Me With Kisses (RS Vocal Demo) The Glove
Mouth to Mouth (RS Vocal Demo) The Glove
Orgy (RS Vocal Demo) The Glove
Mr. Alphabet Says (Alt RS Vocal Demo) The Glove
This Green City (RS Vocal Demo) The Glove
Now My Heart Is Full Morrissey
Why Don't You Find Out for Yourself Morrissey
I Will See You in Far Off Places Morrissey
The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get Morrissey
Speedway Morrissey
Hawkmoon 269 U2
With Or Without You U2
Pride (In The Name Of Love) U2
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own U2

NOTE: RS stands for Robert Smith, YES, of The Cure, was a side project.

this next mix TOTALLY switches gears, it's more current, as far as what i'm listening to right now, however, it was created quite a few months back... very electronic driven. but not electronic! ha, well, a couple of the artists are pretty electronic (synth driven), but most feature guitars, bass guitars, drum sets (in addition to drum machines, not to be confused), all the makings of a "real" band. All in all most of the sounds in this mix inspire me to move. A lot of these songs are great to work out to as well, i.e. Drugs in My Body, it is THE PERFECT bicycling song. No joke.

Sounds to Die For Mix
So Fine - Telepathe
Drugs in My Body Thieves Like Us
I Know I'll See You A Place to Bury Strangers
Impossible (Possible Remix by Studio) Shout Out Louds
Dawn of the Dead Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Kids MGMT
AirWar Crystal Castles
No You Girls Franz Ferdinand
Only This Moment Röyksopp
My Night With the Prostitute from Marseille Beirut
We Own the Sky M83
Sleepyhead Passion Pit
Feel.Love.Thinking.Of. Faunts
My Girls Animal Collective
Your Heart Feels Thieves Like Us

This next mix is a little different from the two above in that it's "itunes created", Genius Mixes are a brilliant, relatively new feature of itunes. All you do is click on an individual song within your music library, click on the Genius button (button looks something like a flower) and BAM! a 25-song playlist is instantly created for you with music from your own collection. It's the lazy man's playlist, it's instant, and I appreciate how it ends up reminding me of music I've forgotten I own! I created it from Depeche Mode's Violator song, Halo. So the mix tends to be comprised of sounds from that same era and genre. It's a little dark, a lot moody, my idea of perfect. It implements a few more recent artists/songs.

Genius Mix Tip: Once Genius creates your playlist for you, make sure you save it! You do this at the top right of itunes by simply clicking the button that says "Save Playlist".

Halo (Genius) Mix
Halo Depeche Mode
Kingdom (Single Version) Dave Gahan
Cuts You Up Peter Murphy
Fascination Street The Cure
Suedehead Morrissey
Everyday is Halloween Ministry
I Wanna Be Adored The Stone Roses
Ceremony New Order
C'mere Interpol
World In My Eyes Depeche Mode
Everyday Is Like Sunday Morrissey
How Soon Is Now The Smiths
These Things She Wants Revenge
Push The Cure
Wake Up Arcade Fire
Eye Smashing Pumpkins
Sweetest Perfection Depeche Mode
She Sells Sanctuary The Cult
Bizarre Love Triangle New Order
She's Lost Control Joy Division
The Heinrich Maneuver Interpol
Join in the Chant Nitzer Ebb
Lullaby The Cure
Sing Your Life Morrissey
policy of truth live Depeche Mode

To listen to ANY of the above songs, check out the individual artist's myspace page for streaming music players, or simply copy and paste the song and artist's name into your search engine of choice and i assure you a massive list of places you can play said song will appear. Let me know if you have trouble finding any, and I'll be happy to help.

On to FREE music...
I ♥ vitaminwater. I ♥ music. I SUPER ♥ FREE MUSIC.

Here's how it works... Buy vitaminwater sync, that is the name of the flavor, it's cherry berry to be more specific. drink it. SAVE THE CAP. get to your nearest computer!!!! THEN GO HERE:
http://www.myspace.com/vitaminwater Once there, click on the "cap" in the center of your screen that reads "click here to redeem your code" that will redirect you to amazon.com mp3s, and a field in which you will type in the code located inside your cap. Do that. press submit or whatever and your monetary "song credit" is saved. Now you can go search Amazon's mp3 collection, and pick out a free song to download! How cool is that? I think it's killer. This vitaminwater promotion ends at the end of August so drink as much sync as you can 'til then for free music galore!

I leave you today with a photo of the awesome new accessories i got in the mail from http://www.urbanoutfitters.com yesterday. i mentioned ordering them a few blogs ago. zipper-trim rose ring and studded cuff. it's love...

Hola Sunshines!

Once again it's Wednesday... and thanks to a quick run to Target yesterday for toilet paper i had a sunny reason to get up this morning, hanging in my closet! My $12 steal of a frock, in a fun golden plaid with subtle silver metallic stripes, a bow bust and smocked back, in a cool cotton stretch blend. Too cute. Summery, but hints at fall.
PLAID + METALLIC = A BAD A$$ WINNER



Had a lovely time wandering aimlessly about Target. Snapped a couple photos with my phone of things that I felt drawn to. a peacock print top, a vampire tee, a brit flag wallet... Target gets me.






Ah, so, I was going to talk about headbands today. And honor them and praise them and tell you why they should never be seen as a trend, but rather a true fashion staple. Oh how i adore headbands, how i collect them, how i often stare at said collection and wish i could wear a headband every single moment of every single day without it being over kill. recently they've made several appearances on the pretty rich little head of blair waldorf on one of my guilty pleasure fave shows, gossip girl. with feathers having a presence in the fashion scene, retailers like nordstrom and forever 21 have/are sold/selling over the top plume-graced headbands like i wore to the Coldplay show a couple months back. don't get me wrong, they're in and they're out there. so stock up now. as once you start donning them, and realizing what a fun accessory they really are, you'll be quite glad you did.

DIRE FASHION TIP: if something you adore comes into fashion, be it headbands, skull & crossbones, pyramid studs, plaid, ruffles, houndstooth, a specific color- buy it and hoard it like crazy. when the fad fades, such coveted gems can be relatively hard to come by!

Ode to Headbands...
headbands are awesome for a boat, beach or pool day...
headbands rock when you're working out...
headbands are fun with a girly frock...
headbands are hot hot hot with jeans...
headbands are an amazing party companion...
headbands are as lovely and kick a$$ as the sun, moon and stars...
la la la...
the end.
;-)

p.s. in every single photo i'm wearing one, i have a 10000000 photos of me
in headbands. thought i'd spare you and just post three. also pictured,
blair waldorf, my headband collection, the great little brit flag wallet at target, my sparkling plaid frock...

New Music Tuesdays... & FREE SOUNDS!

Preface: I was totally going to blog about headbands today, am wearing one (black & white patent with a smart, petite bow to the side, as shown), but decided to hold off a bit, I will do, just not today. Reason? A couple of my male friends said all the fashion talk was getting to them, making them question their masculinity. So, this one's for you, boys.



This particular blog topic is a really big deal. I'm letting you peek into my music obsessed soul. There's so much to this obsession, it's got to be broken up into a several blogs. It just has to be. It blows my brain just attempting to organize and compile all that's involved regarding how I come by music, explore what's out there, obtain albums and mp3s, etc. So stay tuned for music blog follow ups, and many of them. If ANY of these music-related blogs come across as big fat duh! no brainers, bear with me. I'm starting at the beginning. That said...

Did you know? In the vast world of music, new CDs/albums USUALLY release on Tuesdays? And that on Tuesdays, itunes generously offers up its Free Single of the Week? You really can't complain, while they do span almost all genres of sound (which inevitably means some such songs will be god awful), I have stumbled upon some insanely good artists via itune's free single.

No joke, that's where I first learned of bands/artists like Santigold AND Cut Copy (both of which i've since seen live, yep, that good!). itunes usually releases a free Discovery Download and Video each week too. this seems to be a little less consistent, but it's worth looking into weekly in the "FREE on itunes" section of their homepage. If you're not taking advantage of this effortless way to discover and GET new tunes, you're a foolish little thing. I'm sorry. Get on it.



This week's Free Single of the Week is from a band called Billy Boy on Poison (never heard of, ODD name), the song title is On My Way... The genre listed is rock. However once downloaded, it's labeled as alternative. What I find myself doing is, listening to the song once, immediately. If I hate it right off the bat, I delete it. No harm, no foul. But if I feel it just a wee little bit, i hold on to it, as with much music, it could be a grower. (grower- sound, song, artist that after several listens grows on you and becomes something you totally dig) haven't listened yet, but will, and then i'll let you know if it stays or goes. Do try and keep an open mind in this process. Do make a habit of checking out itunes weekly freebies. And lastly, Do expect MUCH more by way of music blogs. I've got loads in the pipeline.

Girls (and boys), an ode to headbands will soon follow... Happy Free Music Tuesday!

monday addendum. CANNOT get little Luna Lovegood out of my head today. OR her insanely brilliant dress for Slughorn's Christmas party. CHECK IT.
WHO'S IS IT!?

Happy Mondays (the days, not the band, although J'adore the band, I do! AND, they're touring, with psychedelic furs, check it: http://www.psychedelicfurs.co.uk)

OK, start over, Happy Mondays... the alarm sounds and the brain stirs to consciousness, it alerts me within seconds of the fact that it's no longer the weekend, it's go time, move. get UP!

my slower to wake/still lost in dreams right brain eventually pipes in "ah but what will you wear? c'mon left brain, let's not make this too dreadful for her." photographic memory envisions a lone item hanging above the pants "section" of my closet. IT'S PERFECT! Here's why:

Last night the husband and i went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. pre-flick we popped in Super Target for a couple things. as we zoomed through the store (husband wants IN AND OUT of target, while i could linger ALL day, it's brings me true joy.) i took note of shiny binders and folders artfully displayed on isle end-caps. BACK TO SCHOOL! i said it out loud, "i MISS back to school..."
"huh?"
"you know, BUYING all new supplies, clothes, shoes, for back to school each year?!"
"what did we need to get while we're here, again?"

yeah, he wasn't into the back to school conversation. fast forward, we're at the movie. previews were AMAZING. Despicable Me, 2012, Where the Wild Things Are, Sherlock Holmes... feature presentation starts, LONDON! instantly i'm soaking up street scenes, wanting to be there, noting what those in Harry Potter's England are wearing. And about ten or fifteen minutes in, Harry's Hogwarts-bound on that familiar train and get it?! He's BACK TO SCHOOL! why yes, an unintentional theme is coming into play here.

Do note that films like Harry Potter & shows like Gossip Girl stir this never-dying crested blazer obsession for me, likewise, they reinvigorate my madness for plaidness.

and coming full circle, that's why i thought "IT'S PERFECT!" first thing this morning. the lone hanging item i mentioned, it's this smart little cropped, double-breasted, ruffly plaid-trimmed jacket. haven't worn it yet and in light of the events/thoughts/musings of the last 24 hours, it's exactly what i want to be wearing.

i pair it too a long, skinny, ribbed tank in red and a gray denim mini. i feel BTS fresh. now i just need a new trapper keeper...

(the jacket, yep,http://www.bebe.com again)
(what i'm listening to? Band of Horses - Cease to begin because it's been a while: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibE7IqEjni4)

lazy does it. please forgive.
will get better at weekend blogs i promise.
in the meantime, i made a mean tomato bruschetta yesterday and here's how, QUITE easy, just loads of chopping.
needed?
8 or so firm, yet ripe tomatoes
1/2 of large red onion
like 10 good sized cloves of garlic
two or three sprigs of fresh basil leaves
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
a couple French baguettes

-preheat oven to 350 degrees
-pour like half a cup of extra virgin olive oil into a small bowl, then finely chop or use a garlic press for the first five garlic cloves, -add to olive oil. stir a bit and let stand.
-then... cut the baguettes on the diagonal into oblong slices
-spread out on cookie sheet
-drizzle garlic and olive oil mixture evenly all over baguette slices
-put cookie sheet in oven and let baguette slices get toasted to a golden brown, you'll smell the garlic when they're pretty much done
- take out and set aside

-chop all your tomatoes, quite fine
-chop the red onion even MORE fine
-press or finely chop and add the five remaining garlic cloves into a good sized bowl
-add about 1/2 cup olive oil to bowl
-add about 1/2 balsamic vinegar to same bowl
-stir a bit then add tomatoes and red onion to same bowl
-stir then add salt and pepper to taste
-chill for a bit and let all the flavors infiltrate each other
-chop the basil leaves & add basil to tomato mixture when you're ready to serve it.

you can either plate this appetizer by spooning a bit of tomato mixture on to each baguette slice or, serve the tomato mixture in a bowl in the center of all the baguette slices on a tray or platter and let guests help themselves...

it's super fresh, super tasty and summery, enjoy!
(made this yesterday for a cook-out/pool party we had, drank tooo much prosecco.)

addendum: BOLD BRILLIANT NEW BUCKLE BOOTIE joyfully obtained today.

sporadic sleep creates eclectic blogs, no?
it's friday. and friday IS for coasting. let's see where this goes...

woke up with a less exciting item of clothing in mind as far as making my day goes. it's cool, a mesh steel gray ruffles galore racer back tank that truly is the perfect length. (perfect length = long, ideal with low-rise skinny jeans) nevertheless, it's new and i like, so I DID get up! ;-)

bear with me though here, and take note of the word racer back. racer back = special bra need

now for a quick moment here, rewind to wednesday, came home to an As Seen on TV Strap Perfect™ package on my bed. from husband, thoughtful. and suddenly, very useful! Ripped open the package, pulled out a clear "strap perfect" and sought out said husband for help "installing". the deal is, this little oblong clip of sorts hooks your two bra straps together in back to instantly create a racer-back friendly bra. clear clip in place, tank top (et al) on, i was off to work.

and at work for approximately forty five minutes before i found myself in one nasty little mood. pouty, grouchy, whiney, it was ridiculous. then it dawned on me, it was because i was in PAIN. felt like i was wearing an insanely constricting perhaps infant-sized life jacket! so i tweeted! a warning of sorts to all females following me, that this product HURT! and low and behold, a fellow tweeter clued me in, you're to seriously loosen your bra straps pre-clip installation. i very quickly begged help from a co-worker, straps were loosened and my mood was instantly much improved.

a bit later chitter chatter re: where to go for lunch began and immediately i thought of a billboard i often see coming into work. Uncle Julios? was that the name? at Mizner Park? i think... searched it online and yes, it was Uncle Julios and the site was appealing. "we can try it!" said a co-working onlooker. cool. done. fast forward...

UNCLE JULIOS IS LOVELY. no matter what anyone says, when it comes to restaurants, it's natural to judge the book by its cover. upon stepping inside, this looked like a bright, cheery, fun, inviting, artistic book! oohs. ahhs. we were seated. big round table in a large open dining room. seriously, this place is large and spacious. beautiful wall colors. painted pottery. chips & salsa come. chips are the thinnest ever!!! i literally compared their thickness to an empty Splenda packet. paper thin. so crispy. yum. chipotle-rich salsa- fresh, good. addictive.

Uncle Julios has soups and appetizers per day of the week. Menu is pretty expansive. soup of the day on friday? something creamy and lobstery and shrimpy, sounded quite good! but i opted for a cheese & onion enchilada/black bean taco combo lunch (asked for taco to be vegetarian, they kindly obliged AND informed me that sauce in enchilada was meat based, and instantly offered me alternative sauces. so thoughtful.)

portions are perfect. definitely not oversized OR skimpy. flavor was big. even the rice, usually just a boring afterthought on mexican restaurant plates was totally tasty. we all loved. want to definitely go back. totally envision happy hours there. and still MUST try their guacamole. that's a must at EVERY mexican restaurant, you know? ( http://www.unclejulios.com )

returned to office and was shortly informed that there was a pair of purple suede buckle booties i simply must see. a co-worker from our merchandising department spotted them and instantly called out "these are so Sarah Christoph" (that's me). so i went and saw. and instantly adored. knew i couldn't live without. and i also found this heavily bejeweled pale aqua (with silver Lurex® striations) tunic that was right away tossed on over my racer back tank and fawned over before a full length mirror. SCORE. YES, i score TOO much, seeing a pattern already, aren't you?

Happy Friday!

p.s. am LOVING these two music videos at the moment:

http://www.coldplay.com/videostrawberry.php

(in my humble opinion, best song off their last album AND such an imaginative video! delightful. really.)

AND

http://www.wearefriendlyfires.com/videos/233/kiss-of-life-video

(MAD for their sound. HIS voice & his dancing, follow up with a viewing of their Skeleton Boy video, SO creative and fun!)

I am currently experiencing the strange sensation of rogue elongated silver sequins sticking me in the butt and upper thigh. they are ornery little guys. i strive to straighten, yet every which way they go. this isn't working out the way it was supposed to. this skirt was supposed to make my day.

As of late, i've been using a unique new tactic to get myself upright (and out of bed) in the morning. i focus my thoughts on some particular item within my closet that i consider to be super cool and that lucky me gets to wear IF i get the hell up and get going.

And today it was this skirt. people it's amazing. it shines like there's no tomorrow. the length is hot. the knit waistband gives it a casual edge*. and i'm in love. for real.

forgive all this digressing but i must tell you how i came to be the proud, albeit a little injured! owner of this sparkly piece of bad ass-ness. please do not judge, a girl must do what she has to do in the name of fashion.

to make a long story short, i lost my check card weekend before last. That said, I am adament about not charging purchases related to my fashion addiction. Skirt came into my consciousness and i became desperate. i went out on a limb and IMed my college pal to buy it for me. sounds crazy, i know, but i wanted the bloody skirt. around and around we went as to why i thought i needed it. and why i thought he should get it for me. and in the end, he caved, gave me his amex info, and i experienced that blissful little euphoria one gets clicking "purchase" post adding something coveted to their shopping cart.

****i interupt this blog post to say i just purchased an insanely cool zipper flower ring and studded cuff bracelet from the awesome $5 sale at urbanoutfitters.com HELL YEAH****

Did I sell my soul to college friend? Hmm, not quite. I just assured him in the coming weeks I would introduce him to at least two attractive, sane, single girls. Shouldn't be THAT hard. I've got things lined up. ;-)


GOOD LORD, sorry, the original point of the above tirade is to say: if you love it, get it. where? http://www.bebe.com (search stacked sequin miniskirt) how much? a mere $59 bucks. But don't say i didn't caution you, it sticks you in the thighs and butt when you sit. (it's worth it)

WARNING: if you know me personally DO NOT get silver. i'll kill you. ;-P

*by casual edge i mean, makes it cool to wear by day, keeps it from being labeled strictly a chaotic club night in south beach skirt, although trust me, it WILL live to see such nights, i promise.

the time has come...

i've been blogging for a couple years now... on myspace. which i've recently learned is considered the "ghetto" of the social website world. woe is myspace. that makes me sad.

what you'll find here in the future is...

blogs about fashion (am highly addicted to it, an avid shopper, damned good at scoring deals, get myself out of bed in the morning purely based upon the thought of putting on something fun, otherwise i'd STILL be in bed and i believe more is more)

blogs about music (highly addicted to THIS TOO, wow. constantly falling in love with new bands, passionately obsessed with old ones, old on my terms = late 70s/80s/early 90s, buy mp3s like there's no tomorrow on itunes, amazon, scour the web for new sounds with some aid from great sites like pitchfork and filter, attend more shows than the average 30-something can keep up with, will occasionally fly on a whim for a band, etc. etc.)

blogs about food (I LOVE IT. and i'm predominently vegetarian so my fare of choice tends to be ethnic in nature, a ridiculous passion for cheese, dangerously fond of MOST sparkling wine varietals, known to travel to countries solely to eat afforementioned ethnic cuisine where it actually comes from, etc. etc.)

blogs about travel (without fail i take one BIG trip a year and shoot for a few smaller trips sprinkled throughout the remainder of the calendar year, i can't stop, i live for purchasing airline tix, the second i'm home i'm already mapping out where i must go next and dragging the mister along, thank GOD he's willing or we'd be divorced, love collecting amazing things on said travels, can't imagine what my brain would be like {empty} if i hadn't journeyed elsewhere and often!)

and the occasional philosophical, literary rambling (majored in English, enough said).

i wish for this blog to evolve organically. i don't really care for capitalization. i totally love stream of consciousness type thought. and i'm pretty opinionated. stay tuned cookies!