0 The Danger of a Single Story

My friend Emily sent me this video because she thought it would be useful for my upcoming trip to Malawi. It's a really interesting talk about cultural unity and the dangers of cultural stereotypes. I find it a little patronizing to Americans at points, but nonetheless Adichie is a very well-spoken and introduces many probing ideas. It's a bit long, but check it out it you get a chance.

0 Alumni status

I visited F&M this past weekend for Homecoming Weekend. Aside from my traffic-ridden rides to and from Lancaster, it was a great time. My friends and I stayed in our sorority house, drank too much wine, and went out to all our old haunts (the diner, Thomas' Campus Deli, the frats, and the bar at Lancaster Arts Hotel). I felt old but happy to be in this next stage of my life. I took a measly four pictures, but here I am with Celeste, my "little sister" and sole blog follower (get on that, readers), as we enjoy margaritas at Lanc Arts.


My iTrip is busted, my tape adapter went missing, and I haven't bought a CD in years, so I listened to the radio for the entirety of the time in my car. I stumbled upon a full play of Phoenix's new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, on WFUV. They have the quirkiness and upbeat sounds of bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Spoon - only they're French (while searching for more info about them, I stumbled upon this funny article from the The Huffington Post: Phoenix, Band on SNL, Not from Brooklyn).


Look at how cute and French they are in their winter scarves.

Oh, and by the by, the lead singer is with and has a baby with Sofia Coppola.


(not uncomfortable at all)

0 I don't normally cry at commercials...

...but this one had me tearing up a bit. I think it's upsetting that people with mental illnesses, on top of coping with the symptoms of their disorders everyday, have to fear the stigmas synonymous with them. Diabetes and cancer used to be stigmatized, too, but now we talk about these illnesses openly to increase awareness and make strides to find cures. I don't think mental illness should be any different, and I'm not sure why it is - it's not like people choose to be depressed or bipolar.



You can visit the website here.

0 A haha/hmm moment

[Brought to you by Slate.]

0 Halloween

It might feel like the dead of November, but Halloween is just around the corner. I came up with my outfit yesterday, but it's a surprise :)

My friend is having a gate night party and I'm debating if I should wear a second costume to that. After all, my favorite holiday only comes around once a year...why not have two costumes? I will be bringing some yummy and spooky cupcakes - haven't decided what kind yet, but these spider cupcakes from Cupcakes Take the Cake are awesome. Also, they're pumpkin dulce de leche. Yummmmmm.

0 Neglect

Sorry, I've been MIA recently - kind of forgot about the blog for a few days. I've been busy between my two jobs, prepping for a big interview, and the Maloto fundraiser. The fundraiser went incredibly well - they raised over $200,000 for the refugee center and facilities for the new school. I was so impressed with the organization. It was fun, too - I met lots of interesting people and stayed out way too late. I don't have to work until 5pm tomorrow, and I got a lot done today, so I plan on sleeping in gloriously late.



Happy dreams to you.

1 Darren, I know you will like this. I know you are reading this.

Lady Gaga before she was Lady Gaga!



And if you're really fascinated by it, like I was, you can read a whole article about the performance here.
(video courtesy of Nadia.)

How is she even the same person? I guess you can see that same weird intensity in her eyes...only her intensity has increased about 12,000-fold from this performance to her bloody/parapalegic/suicidal performance on the VMAs. As weird as that was, it was also kind of awesome. She is seriously talented and "Paparazzi" is a killer song.

1 Fall/winter wish-list

I'm going to Africa in January, followed by Europe in April, so I'm trying to save as much money as I can. Still, I'm always tempted to spend on clothes, especially when I have a semblance of an income. Here are a few items on my wish list:


Hunter boots in merlot


Black skinny legging jeans, like these by Rich & Skinny (I have them in a dark blue denim and they're by far the most comfortable jeans I've owned)


A button-front ruffle top like this one on Etsy (this one is too long, but I like the delicate trim on the ruffles. Still searching for the perfect one!)


Peep-toe ankle booties (I'm all about the ruffles - so fun and feminine)


I would love a black leather jacket, only I don't know if I could pull it off - and it's not worth the price for something I'm iffy about (and I don't want a pleather one)

But, for when it gets colder, I would wear this gorgeous winter-white coat to shreds. Simple and classic - a style I'm much more comfortable with.


Oh, and while we're at, some totally impractical over-the-knee suede heeled boots in taupe. Yes.

0 "We are not what you think we are. We are golden."

Mika's new album is fabulous. He's so talented, and his music is original and upbeat and so energetic - perfect for pre-gaming or working out. "We Are Golden" has been playing on repeat on my iTunes for about the past hour.

Apple-picking the other day was so much fun. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! We pet goats and pigs at the petting zoo, lugged pumpkins around in our red wagons, got lost in a corn maze, climbed onto tractors (then got yelled at) and brought home a huge bag of apples, along with giant zucchini and corn on the cob (which, if it's fresh enough, actually tastes good raw).


We're laughing hysterically here because two teenage boys on ATVs and decked out in camouflage were yelling at us to get off the platform above the entrance to the corn maze. Only, we had a camera on a ten-second timer, so instead of getting down, we stood still and smiled while they yelled and yelled.

In other news, Laura and I finally finished watching True Blood. We're obviously hooked, and think it's absurd that it doesn't come on again until next summer.

And speaking of absurdly long breaks between TV show seasons - what's with LOST not coming on until this winter? I remember the writers said a while ago that the show would end in 2009. It's not that I'm looking for it to end any time soon. I just think they lied to us about knowing how it was going to end.

My mom's friend is arranging for her high school English classes to read my blog while I'm in Africa and correspond with me. Only a few more months...I just want to go already!