MAY TRAVELS

OK. So I really, truly, absolutely, have a very hard time comprehending that we're in mid June already. Like total w to the t to the f, what happened? I guess my mind is still somwhere in early April. May sort of just disappeared. But I did do a lot of things in May, which might also be the reason it just flickered by - did a lot of traveling and also managed to come down with a stomach flue, which has been going around a lot here lately, and had me totally beat for some days. And then I've been stuck with my old laptop slowly dying and not migrating properly to my new one, and a bunch of other computer related things regarding my new one, which makes me think Apple for some reason hate me and are punishing me for anythin bad I may have done previously in my life. Karma-apple.  That whole technical mess has taken me some weeks too, and now I am finally writing on the new one, which hopefully will also contain the relevant stuff that my old one did. First world problems I know but high up on the list among those. Can we add hashtag #weeping here or so?

Well, anyway, so I did a bit of work-related traveling in May.

Pardon the crappy phone photos but I always, and I mean ALWAYS and truly always, get that seat. It's almost amusing.
(...And we're back in the first-world-whiners club again...)

THAT TIME OF THE YEAR

It's been that time of he year again.
Bokkeeping time.

Such a dreaded period - and I don't even do the business' books myself, just organise and gather it all for our accountant, but that itself is a challenge. (This here is halfway trough already, the starting point was much less pretty.) And it would of course be less of a challenge would I be nicer to myself during the year  and not leave it all for the future January-me to sort out ; I always plan an improvement for the year to come, to be more organised, and that plan is the same year in and year out, but there is still just a big messy pile of papers and a box stuffed with receipts (not to mention the print-list) waiting for me each and every new January. Are there really people out there who get this done nice and clean every month? (And yes yes I know there is, somewhere...) It always makes me strangely content to hear others who are not among those people complain about the same thing.

Well, I got it done now, and hopefully this was the last year I went trough this mess - because I can't change the world still can and now we got ourselves a phone app that will do a lot of the work for us! Yey for that!

SCENES FROM A BELATED SPRING

Mint green left heel: (tiny voice) Ummm... hello?


 (small, desperate, squeeky voices) Let us out!

And hey! Don't forget us over here! We're trapped in here!

Wear me! Wear us!

Weather (determined): NO!


Winter boots (fatigued tone): We are so done and tired! We're supposed to be off-season already!


Winter (mad scientist voice): MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

HOW IT IS NOWADAYS...

Some people go out and party on Saturday night.
I stay at home in mjukisbyxor* my negligée (of course) having cookies. With milk. Milk!
Where has the world gone? Where has my red wine gone?

Oh well, considering I've been away most other weekends performing I am not that much of a granny yet... (although I feel rather old as I totally oppose to change of any kind in any routines especially -and pretty much only now that I think of it- when it comes to the internet. I am not fond at all of the new Layout um, mode or so whatever its called that I am finally trying out on blogger. Have all of you updated already? I'm pretty sure it'd bring more benefits in some ways but I think I'll leave my template as it is and just switch back to the old interface too. Hah! Now somebody please fetch me my wool socks! And that walking cane too.)



*) Academically correct term for soft leisure pants in Swedish

REALITY CHECK

(If you were live and kickin' in the 90's you'll remember this)

Sometimes I visit blogs where the person is presented in a so unbearably hip way I wonder how they manage to actually fucking breathe. (And I think "Oh Come On" but perhaps that's just because I can be a real asshole sometimes.) And I see others - mostly young and waiting for things to happen I guess - heedlessly swoon over certain blogs or persons on the internet. It is true some persons lives are more interesting and some lives more fabulous, but one thing about blogging is that you very much get to -and should- choose which side or which things you do show. Some choose to blog about certain things, some about other, some a little about everything. Some do it more some do it less personal. Of course one reason why I read and browse blogs is exactly for those pretty and inspirational pictures and details! And often also for laughs and eye rolling and quite much for that little peak in to someone's elses life, that's different from mine. Or perhaps even similar.

But what everyone should remember is that everybody out there does go to the toilet and gather up unwashed dishes at some point, nobody wakes up every day with a sexy bed hair fluff nor lives a life full of just rosy stuff, everyone has their issues although blogged images may tell a different story. (For example our home does of course not always look as sleek as in the pictures I post, it is most often messy. Sometimes it's a charming mess, mostly just terrible. And we all know what I look like at work :)

I'm not making a bigger than life point here, only saying that everyone should take it with a little hint of salt, and no one, no matter how pretentious one may be, should ever take oneself too seriously.

Well, you all go on and have a nice night now!
(I will enjoy my evening with a glass of red and some Puccini, yes. But by a messy table and with oh so un-attended hair.)

OH JUST FCK IT!

Seems that I around autumn get this urge to rationalize my wardrobe, get a few pieces that goes with everything and at any place while I want to get rid of all that that has no absolute meaning or serve any specific purpose in my wardrobe. (Yeah, good luck). Sitting here at work writing down what I would need and what needs to go or be replaced in smarter way (read: how can I justify getting these certain things) on small post-it's here in between the ships, while also browsing those dangerous sites I keep on visiting although I should know better it struck me: who am I kidding?
I do this every year.
My wardrobe is still not that much more functional than it was last year and will never be perfect (although it is very nice).

I mean how could I possibly claim that the Trashy Diva leopard mid season jacket I just ordered serves any important function to me living in a country when such jackets can be worn about four months a year divided in two month-periods? When I already have as many mid-season jackets as there are weeks per mid season (sort of)? That I had any important reason to buy it? Time to admit: I may get annoyed on the fact that it is considered normal to just buy buy and buy for the fun of it,to get something new every month (or week!), regardless weather it is vintage or brand new (I'm not thinking in terms of ecology or such, but in material). But I do it myself. A lot. Hehe.

So cut the crap, I need a pinafore skirt.

In green I think; the only question is: pencil or A-line?
Vivien of Holloway or Nudeedudee?

A SHORT STORY ABOUT CLOGS (IN PLURAL)

I though I'd write a little about those clog sandals of mine (conveniently now that summer is coming to an end and it's getting colder - well, at least it's still warm in some parts of the world. And ok, it's still sandal-weather here too. Over and out.) as some of you asked me about weather the hasbeens really were comfy or not and how their sizing was. So here's yet another shoe story for you:

As you know, after a lot of talk around town (the internet that is) and hype about what sounded to be the comfiest shoes ever (for this season at least) I was going though a tiny struggle on weather to put or not to put over 200 euros on a pair of clogs. I have had clogs as a kid, those more traditional ones, and clogs are no new pehnomenon for the 00's either - Carrie wore a pair of Hanna Sarén clogs in SATC years ago and FINSK has been all about wooden soles for years too. But now I could not get the thought of soft wood under my feet (or smooth actually, wood is pretty hard) out of my head. And, I was still on that endless quest to find the pair (or, at least a pair) of comfy and high heeled shoes to be able to wear all trough summer. I got a lot of tips from lovely people around the world (well, mostly Sweden since they know their clogs) about other, less pricey brands (than Hasbeens). And I did see a lot of cute clogs out there (again, internet) but none of them were as pretty or as high as the damn sky highs.

Then, on a hot humid July day with aching feet I stumbled across a pair of Moheda clogs (at Indiska) for a third of the price and decided to try them on and Oh! Feet orgasm!
So I bought them, altough not that high and thus not for the same purpose the sky highs would have served. But every woman needs a pair of less fancy sandals for when she goes to the countryside you see! Then one hot evening (you know, those hot humid Helsinki nights we have grew accustomed to...first time I was able to say that, ever!) when I was about to hit town with a big flowing skirt and with flowers in my hair I was reaching for my high heels those clogs in the corner started going all "tum tu dum", whisteling and looking up the ceiling. I tried not to notice them and squeezed a foot in the high heeled shoe. Clogs still all 'tum tu dum dum' in the corner of my eye and goddamit, the walk to the bus (yes! the bus nowadays!) and the strolling around town flashed before my eyes and I couldn't resist anylonger - I had to leave the pretty shoes behind and go for the comfy (and ok, rather cute) clogs.
That was the sign for me; nothing else left to do anymore, I was now allowed to order myself The Hasbeens.

One or two days later  the UPS boy stood behind my door and there they were, all bubblegum coloured and new. After two days of walking them in and a little olive oil they were soft enough not to make my feet blister (and almost bleed) anymore. So I thought it to be a good deal although the price, as I did wear them quite a lot during summer. (It might be a bit alarming that I considering something worn a lot if I've had it on me five times or so per season but hey, that's today's world I guess - and I did wear the sky highs pretty much actually).

My clogged feet.

So, my real point here and to answer your questions however was that yes, they are comfy and go for the smaller size if you're in between. And watch out the pastel leather gets dirty easily.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE, OR TO HASBEENS?

First I'm going to tell you something and then I'm going to ask you something.

The telling: I'm completely fucked in the head.

To start with I blame the internet, my paypal account and then a bunch of other facts, phenomenons and whatever. The thing is, I just can't stop wanting stuff, not only believing but knowing I need it/that/those/whatever, trying to make my wardrobe complete; perfect for any occasion. You know, one part of life such as it is seen upon nowadays is a constant search for the perfect something - the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect partner, the perfect hand bag, perfect black skirt, foundation, mascara, every day shoes, life you name it... The longing for all things perfect and then even a little more prefect is something of a challenge we create upon ourselves but also something being fed to us all the time in magazines and commercials.

Well, enough about blaming society for my materialistic cravings as the thing here was about me and my f:d up head, plus, for the moment I actually have the perfect home-in-the-making and a pretty perfect partner (plus perfect lashes done so skip the mascara and I've given up on the black skirt). But, as it seems, not the perfect easy going shoes for summer. As that is clearly something everyone needs. And one fine day when I should have been out in the park enjoying the sunshine but instead sat down by the wonderful never-ending world of the internet I found the perfect ones:

Swedish Hasbeens candy coloured sky high sandals. That at least in my book look comfy enough for the so called every day wear.

But but but. I have a whole box of -yet-to -unpack-and-nowhere-to-put-after-that-shoes (not sandals though! Very few such!) at home. (Not to mention clothes, still a couple of suitcases in waiting. And strangely though, I think I have less and less to wear day by day. How can it be?)

Well anyway, I may be fucked in the head but the sandals are still pretty sweet aren't they? And one pair more wouldn't hurt. Plus my comfy everyday summer shoes so far have been a pair of red H&M peeptoes, well serving their 19 euros since 2006, now falling apart. I mean, these even come in mint green! (Even though I do think one pair of mint green shoes are enough, believe it or not. Might go for pink or natural-shaded ones instead).


Hmmm.

So, now over to the questions: since the apparently much hyped Swedish Hasbeens still are a little bit on the more expensive side I'd really like to know if they are comfortable. That would pretty much be the whoel point of purchasing. I sort of think that if you pay more than 150 euros for a pair of shoes comfot better come with the price - that works for Minna Parikka shoes at least, but you can never be sure.(And no, lower heels are out of the question. I don't think the sky high ones look that high anyway.)
So any experiences on the sky high ones?
Or hasbeens in general?

And does anybody know about the sizing? I read they are rather small but their size chart seems to be pretty regular, almost bit on the bigger side. I've been measuring my feet over and over here at work, even standing on a ruler and the result indicates I should go for a 36 but that would be one size smaller than my normal one and I can't really trust that.

Well over and out, let's see if I end up with a pair or if I find something else more necessary and interesting before I click Buy.

...by the

Way...

...as much as I would love to blog about all the things that come into my mind I never quite make it, many are the posts that remain just a sentence on some paper somewhere or as a note on one a stickie of mine (great application if you ask me). There's also a whole lot of great blogs out there too that I quite can't keep up with. Too many blogs, too little time, but what can you do when you have a hectic lifestyle (and sometimes even leave the internet, heh).

Every now and then you all suggest I should follow your bogs but I don't, that would be too many, although I check in on a lot of you every now and then, mostly trough comments. I only follow the first one I ever stumbled upon in the beginning of the internet (well, not quite the beginning, but beginning of blogging; when blogging was rather new over here :) -which I can't stand anymore but can't keep away from either- and some of my friend's, like Ina and Fiona. (Rather unlogic perhaps, since I know what they are up to anyway :)

But anyway, I had a few points here*; one; in between posts I blabber about a lot of unimportant and important stuff over at The Freelancer's Fashion Blog's Facebook page , a little less on Twitter and answer whatever, almost, you ask on Formspring. And two; I only add people I know on my personal facebook, however, sometimes readers of mine add me too. And I can't really say no then :) But you really really have to send me a message to go with the add, otherwise I don't know who you are, or why you add me, ok?

Could you have imagined reading the past sentences ten years ago? You would have no idea what the F I'm babbling about.
That's a bit funny. There weren't even camera phones back then I think.

*) shameless purpousless marketing of self, obviously.

HELMET!

I've been shooting a commercial today and the hairstylist put a whole bottle of spray into my hair - it looks like a wig and feels like a helmet! Like I can safely go and bump my head into doors and walls now.
Insane. (And we cut off hairs peeking out of the 'do. That's insane).
But anyway, it looks normal on film.

HAIR

I miss my long hair! I should most probably tuck my hair into a turban with oil and keep it there all summer long hidden from evil curlers and heat rollers, sun and dirt. And bleach. I wonder if my locks will ever grow longer again.

VARFÖR? DÄRFÖR!

My life is full of things right now - my calendar is booked until December (! or Februay 2011 to be precise); we have arenovation coming up and otherwise there are a lot of big things going on in my mind. Sometimes it helps to erase all of those and concentrate on something totally different and less important. Like a pair of shoes (well at least it's a great excuse isn't it). So here's a wellfare country problem for you:

I spotted a pair of mint green Vagabond pumps online and directly dismissed the thought of buying them as I already have plenty more than enough of shoes, but then it struck me - is this it with the shoes? Does this mean I just won't get any new shoes, like, eh, ever? Then I happily reminded myself that my old rule still apply; no new shoes unless in a new colour. (It's not an absolute rule since one is entitled to have more than one pair of black and red shoes, at least). Plus surely every woman needs a pair of heels matching her refrigerator? Well, at least if it is mint green!


Now the only problem is stupid Vagabond Finland didn't have the guts to ever take in the shoes in this colour to the stores. And it seems they are sold out everywhere in my size online. So now a lot of happy size 37 bitches all over Europe are running around with my shoes on them (how dare they!).

This bugs me out like hell. I like the shoes, tried them on in black; they're comfy and has the same shape as a pair of 40's pumps I got from my grandmother but were too small, but they are not the most fantastic shoes in the world. Although right now it still feels like a mission for me to get them. Why? Well - just because. Because I can't have them, which made me reflect over the fact how easy it is to get things these days; I think we are quite accustomed to getting what we want as consumers (unless you loose a bidding on ebay of course :) Of course I do not always get what I want, not even when it comes to those things that money can buy as I am not made of it and do set some boundaries on how I use the money I have (yes I know it's hard to believe when reading this blog...). But a lot of things are so easy to get nowadays, nothing but that magical little click away and off to the post office we go to pick it up or pop by the store. And now I can't have these! Damn.

I will most likely get over this great loss rather soon, but until then, if anyone spots a pair of these green ash palma pumps in size 37 let me now ok? (Or I might just buy them for that German shop that carry them in size 38 and use them with socks or have the clobber somehow shrink them a bit. I can be quite persistent :)

BURLESQUE BRUISES

I used to train savate, french boxing, before and I liked it a lot. Now I haven't put on my gloves for more than a year and I, or at least my body, has a bad conscience about that from time to time. The reason is simply that I a) just do not have the time for it anymore and I b) have also become a bit very lazy. And then I c) tell myself it's OK because it wouldn't really look that good on stage as a burlesque dancer with my legs full of bruises now would it.

However, turns out you can get pretty bruised legs from doing burlesque too, who would've thought? I have this number that's pretty wild which resulted in me kicking down an amplifier from stage last weekend as I did a split and obviously underestimated the length of my legs. While that was pretty much just considered rock n'roll and I didn't break the damn thing, phew, I definitely beat my own knees up the other night at Glitter Grill by just jumping down on them in a twirling frenzy. Well I guess it was a great show and nothing really hurts on stage due to the adrenaline but afterwards I was wondering what the hell I'd done and why my knees hurt so much. The result sure ain't pretty:

But it's a good thing I'm not into short hems :)

HOTEL ROOM / HAIR

Nice morning light, a 'faking-short-hair'-do that turned out well, slightly hungover, thinking about the fact that it's sort of considered normal to sit in a tiny hotel room taking pictures of yourself and your boyfriend taking pictures of your hair if it is for the sake of blogging.

Well yeah anyway have a nice day :)

NEW SHOES

Oh the thrill of opening up that fresh box of shoes that's just arrived.
You know I love it, as seen before!


Exciting...

Ta-taa!


Ehh... what?
Hehe. I just had to. I can't be too serious here all the time now can I.
And these really are new shoes of mine you know. Workwear boots for the harbour.

You can't really beat workwear boots when it comes to keeping warm and having you feet feel, well, stable. Sometimes if the weather's real shitty I put my heels in my bag and let my boots take me home from work.

I'M NOT SAD, JUST THINKING (BUT SOMETIMES THAT'S THE SAME THING)

You know that 90 % of the time you come to my blog the first thing you'll see is me and my face. Ha! Me me me me me. Well, it's my blog of course. But if you think about it, it's a little...funny. Especially since I talk about my blog as concerning things I like. So then it would seem I like myself quite a lot. But then again I do like myself, most of the time at least. And you should too you know. Like yourself. Narcissism ahoy!



Well enough on the blogsistential crisis and back to business. And since I had nice colours on me today, here's even more pictures! (wohoo.)



(Some years ago I considered brown stocking to be too grannylike, but nowadays they've even beaten the black ones for me.)

Tara Starlet dress, old H&M jakcet, quite new ModCloth shoes and a newly thrifted bag.

IN-BETWEEN-AND-WAITING-POST

Oh my , seems I'm about to take it off! :P
Photo: Rik Stavale/©Helsinki Burlesque

I'm a patient person in general.
But secretly I can't stand waiting. Hate it.
As a kid Christmas was all about waiting (not for Baby Jesus I'm afraid but for the gifts you know).
Nowadays I wait for other things, and lately I've been waiting for pictures from a photoshoot, but most of all from two of our/my latest shows. Knowing how busy I am myself it's understandable that it takes time for our photographer to come up with the pics too. (But mostly when I finally get a hold of the pictures I tend to have really weird facial expressions in 90% of the live pics anyway, so it's like being a child waiting to get a dollhouse and receive a pair of knitted socks instead. Blah :).

Well, while waiting for our own pictures I'll just have to settle for some random ones taken by others... (the one above however is from Helsinki Burlesque's flickr. Full of funny rubber faces of me there, eh).

WANTED: LEOPARD GLOVES

Sometimes loosing the most material and otherwise non important things can still make you very sad or deeply frustrated - I had these really nice wool leopard printed gloves with a perfect lenght and a perfect slim fit that I stumbled upon in H&M a couple of years ago. I quite recently lost one of them and now I've been searching everywhere in stores here to find a similar pair but without result. I can't seem to find any proper ones on the internet either; they are either too fancy (like velvet or so, ment for evening wear) or then too ugly or cheap looking (like made of fleece or so) fleece. *sniff sniff*

Anyone got any hints?

(the picture is old. It was in the blog once earlier in a post that had nothing to do with gloves. Just in case anyone thought it looked familiar :)

UMMM...

I'm not usually not much for contests and stuff but if I find myself in one it would of course be nice to, well, win or something.

So if you find me nice and fabulous and stylish and all that why don't go on and put in a little vote for me in the Supermelons Best Real Style Contest?
Time's until December 19th!
Thanks in advance, heheh :)

EDIT : ...but in order to vote you have to register first. You'll get a membership to The Supermelon then, but they won't start sending you any emails or such though.

PINS, NEEDLES AND A LOT OF LACE

25 meters of lace, 15 meters of silk ribbon, pins and needels and my cats thinking I'm about to play with them every time I lift a ribbon up to cut it... I've been sewing so much today I think my eyes have turned into sewing pins. It takes a long time to sew outfits for five girls, but when they are done, they will be great! So be sure to ocme see the burlesque show at Wäiski November 9th!

Thank you all for the getting better-wishes, but I'm still a bit ill I'm afraid. My head can't really take too much of the computer screen , which is bad since I do have some jobs waiting for me. And which also means lousy updating and no blog browsing either. Oh well, I'll be back in full glory eventually then.

Hope you'll all have a great week!