Happy Belated Birthday, Janis!

Taken by Bob Seidemann
From janisjoplin.net 

Did you pay homage to one of the most progressive and free-spirited, yet troubled, women of the last century on Saturday?  Janis Joplin would have been 70 years old and it seems that, like Marilyn Monroe, her memory and message have experienced a recent resurgence in popularity.  I like to think it is because a whole new generation (my generation) of women is finding comfort in her ethos as the pressures of true adulthood begins to set in.  Janis represented being true to oneself, speaking one's mind, embracing quirkiness (hello, blog title!), and trying to make the world a little better.

"I'm one of those weird regular people"

Taken by Barry Feinstein
From janisjoplin.net

My Mom loves Janis.  When I was younger, she would put on Janis and I would complain about the "yelling".  My Mom and I share similar interests but have sufficiently different personalities.  Her prominent "hippie streak" mirrors my type-A personality.  I like to think she captured quite a few traits from growing up in the sixties.  No joke - she pictured getting married barefoot outside with a floral wreath on her head.  My Grandma slowly eased her towards the large traditional wedding at St. Monica's in Garfield Heights.  Flowers were held in her hands and not upon her head.  I assumed these differences were why she liked Janis and I thought it was noise.  However, one night about a year and a half ago, I was visiting my Mom in Florida and we had nothing to watch after dinner.  We chose a Janis Joplin documentary on Netflix and, by the end, my Mom was sharing stories of playing the albums in her first apartment, we were dancing, and I was hooked.  Janis was smart, soulful, and vivacious.  She represented the traits within myself that have been a bit overshadowed by my incessant attention to detail and perfectionism.  She represented the traits I want to bring forward more often in my life.

Taken by Tom Wilkes
From janisjoplin.net

"Don't compromise yourself.  You are all you've got"

Since then, my Mom and I have truly bonded over our love of Janis: we saw A Night with Janis at Playhouse Square, cooked an entire Thanksgiving dinner with her "best of" collection on repeat, and joke that we need to tour Janis sites when near San Francisco for my brother's wedding in June.

"Tomorrow never happens.  It's all the same fucking day, man"

White Silk Romper - Made for Pearl
See madeforpearl.com

I am also super excited for the Made for Pearl clothing line to become available to the public.  A fashion line backed by the Janis Joplin estate, the clothes embody Janis's unique style with some modern twists and is drumming up some positive attention.  The white lace romper has my name written all over it - I don't care what it costs.

"You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow"

So join me in wishing a happy belated birthday to the artist that, while only recently has come into my life, has brought me so much joy.  Put on some of her tunes, put some feathers in your hair, and try to let go of some worry.

Taken by Ricky Ferreira
From janisjoplin.net

Do you have an artist that you "grew into"?

Bunny

Every child has "it". At some point very early in one's life, an object is selected to become "it". A child could have many objects with similar or even superior qualities to "it"; however, all of these objects were passed over, discarded or ignored in favor of "it". There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the selection process but, once made, the choice is definitive and everlasting. I am speaking, of course, about a kid's soother. Most people fit into either one of two categories: stuffed animal people or blankie people. There are unique circumstances of other types of objects becoming "it", but we will focus on the two mainstays. What was I, you ask? Stuffed animal class... Musical variety... Bunny division.

Out of the three children in my house, two were stuffed animal kids and one was a blankie junkie. It's funny, but just over the holidays, I learned that Blankie Brother found the love of his life in a fellow blankie child. The wedding is in June. If there was a study of the human race that looked at what a person's "it" was compared to the "it" of his or her mate, do you think we all typically stay amongst our kind? If two people cross contaminate, is one class more dominant than the other in terms of the "it" of their offspring? These are important questions! I need to know if "blankie or bunny" is an important question for first dates!

Bunny (name as well as description) is bluish purple, sporting a smooshed head that perfectly fits against my face and, upon winding, sweetly plays "Teddy Bears' Picnic". I have no idea why a bunny would play a song about bears. It's a weird toy, but apparently that doesn't matter because I picked it as my "it"!  Bunny has made his way into my adult apartment and I'm not ashamed.

I was pondering these things while knitting a baby blanket for a friend's bun in the oven. The blanket is based off a pattern available on the Purl Bee blog called "super easy baby blanket". It is a simple blanket that showcases the colors chosen in chunky non-repeated blocks. I chose Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn that is scrumptiously soft with a gorgeous selection of hues. While knitting the sixth of seven colors, I wondered if this blanket would be chosen as the "it". Each little nub my needles produced brought a new wish: maybe this blanket would be the calm during thunderstorms, the roof of a fort, the carpet of a playhouse, the cape of a magician, the secret stashed under a pillow at college and the first thing unpacked in a first apartment. It could be all of these things. Or it could be none of them... passed over for some cheap stuffed animal with polyester stuffing that plays songs about an entirely different animal species. One can never predict the future "it". But let us be real: it most likely won't be "it" because stuffed animals are way better than blankies anyway.

What was your "it"? 

A Few of My Fave Things - 1/10/13

My personality is one which forces me to strive to find the best of everything (for me, anyways).  I like knowing what works for me, because then I can always rely upon it.  This is true with cosmetics, stores, brand names, recipes, places, you name it.  They are essentially "Katy's fave things" (the word fave is used so I don't step on any copyright landmines).  Recently, I have found that when I share these fave things with people similar to myself, they truly appreciate being shown the way to the bandwagon upon which to jump.  Since busy season for us in public accounting began last week, I have been feeling a tad blue and run down.  Therefore, I decided this week's post should be uplifting and fun.  What could be more fun than writing about things I love?!

www.stylemint.com

Anyone who knows me is aware of my appreciation of Ashley Olsen and Mary Kate Olsen.  Laugh, scoff, roll your eyes... I don't care because I think they are fabulous.  Born business women, these peers of mine have transitioned through each phase of their lives in the spotlight with hardly a scratch and successful brands and companies to boot.  Their current fashion lines are spot on with my tastes season after season; however, I can only dream of affording items from The Row and only own Elizabeth and James if found on EBay or Gilt.  This is why I love StyleMint.  What started as an online subscription based t-shirt company has expanded to offer dresses, skirts, leggings, jeans, pants, jackets, sweaters, and (shortly) sunglasses!  Ashley and Mary-Kate are the figure heads of the brand and, per the website, are the head designers.  Every piece I've purchased from StyleMint has been of great quality and cutting edge style.  I love having a place to go for pieces that can go from the office to the weekend.  Most items start at just $30 with free shipping and new pieces are released each month.  Watch for my favorite: the mystery boxes!

www.masonpearson.com

I was not blessed with a good head of hair.  My hair is thin and there is a lot of it.  No matter how regularly I get trims and how much I avoid heat styling, my ends always look a little frazzled.  I have finally found my fave line of hair products (perhaps I will share in another post); however, what has me the most excited about my hair potential is a recent Christmas gift: a Mason Pearson boar bristle brush.  These puppies aren't cheap, but after a couple weeks of twice-daily brushing I am already noticing a difference in the look and feel of my hair.  The concept is that the boar bristles stimulate your scalp while distributing your natural oils evenly down the hair shaft leaving shiny healthy hair from root to tip.  I wash my hair only two to three times a week (it's healthier and saves you boat loads of time getting ready, I promise!) and this helps me stay fresh for longer.  I'm excited to see the results the longer I use it.  I'll keep everyone updated if my hair magically turns into Jennifer Aniston's!

www.jomalone.com

My last fave I am sharing is an oldie for me, but a goody.  I love perfumes and colognes.  I like changing my scent with my mood.  When I am feeling creative, classic, and in the mood for some high end quality, I always reach for my Jo Malone colognes.  Jo Malone began in London, was acquired in the late 1990's and expanded its lines and retailers ever since.  The newest spot to exercise your sniffer is Nordstrom.  Jo Malone specializes in "the art of fragrance combining" (its trademark).  The idea is for you to pick multiple colognes and combine them for a signature scent.  All in all, it convinces you to buy a plethora and have "play time" each time you get ready.  I am a "spicy" scent lover at heart, so one of my favorites is pomogranate noir.  I also love nectarine and honey blossom, black vetyver and cafe, red roses and grapefruit.  Don't even get me started on their bath oils and candles.  Blackberry and bay is the next on my "to buy" list.  A girl is to strive to own a bunch to mix and match with.  My problem?  I use them up before I justify buying another.  Sigh...

What are some things you can't live without?

An Ethnic Start to 2013

Betty's Recipe

Dumplings.  If there was ever an antithesis to the "gluten free" and low carb crazes, dumplings are it. Potatoes, flour and eggs.  They are so dense and decadent that my Croatian ancestors decided to claim eating dumplings, pork and sauerkraut would bring the indulger good luck in the New Year.  Therefore, each January 1st, my family enjoys a monochromatic plate of deliciousness.

Seriously?

The process is always the same: find Grandma's handwritten recipe card, decide that Grandma's recipe card is "lying" and is not truly the family receipe, pull out the vintage and embarrassing Woman's Glory: The Kitchen cookbook to compare the recipes, determine Grandma wasn't lying, and finally make the dumplings.

Slightly stumpy from the previous night's festivities, the cook mixes a "one to one to one" ratio of mashed potatoes, flour and eggs to make a dense dough, which is then rolled out, cut, boiled and fried in butter.  Pure heaven.  It is because of this tradition that my New Year's Resolutions never begin until January 2nd at the earliest (hey, they are always leftovers!).

I'm not sure if the meal truly brings good luck, but I am not willing to risk the potential ramifications that could come if I don't stuff my face with pillows of doughy happiness.

Does your family have any New Year's food traditions?

Today I am saying goodbye to Florida and returning to Cleveland.  Bye bye pool... until next time.