Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

I have never had a year (as far as I can remember) when I haven't dressed up for Halloween. When I was a kid, my mom would help me put together costumes. We'd look through her closet, do some crafting, or even stop off at the Halloween store to put my costumes together. Perhaps I can find some of my childhood Halloween photos to post one day. This year, I came pretty damn close to not dressing up for Halloween. My Ryan and I took a train ride in the Blue Ridge for Halloween and then walked around town and stopped for some muscadine wine. We didn't get back until somewhat late, but neither of us had actually gotten a costume together because of our schedules. Regardless, I didn't want to make this the first year I didn't dress up, so I pulled something together before a Halloween get-together. The result: Carnival Fortune Teller complete with third eye.  Above, notice the "orbs" and face-like reflection on the mini fridge in the background. It really...

I've been low on ideas this year, but I recently browsed the Google to see if I could find any inspiration, and I did! I think that this year, I am going to plan on doing a vintage Halloween costume. Here's some examples of the photos that inspire me: source source source source source I'm not exactly sure yet about the details, but I do think I'd like to do a vintage-style animal mask costume. Let's see if I stick to that...

It's certainly been a while since I've posted anything worth reading on here, hasn't it? Even though it is midterm time at my university, I will do this tag. The assignment for this tag is to answer the 13 questions and tag 5 more bloggers. I'm declining to tag anyone specifically, but if you want to do the tag, feel free! Here we go! Questions: 1. Favorite Halloween song? 2. Witch or Vampire? 3. Favorite thing about Halloween? 4. Halloween party or scary movie marathon? 5. Skeletons or Zombies? 6. Favorite Halloween candy? 7. Favorite Halloween movie? 8. Favorite Halloween costume? 9. Favorite Halloween store? 10. Jack-o-lanterns, yes or no? 11. Bats or Black Cats? 12. Is Halloween your favorite holiday? 13. Pumpkin spice latte or hot chocolate? 1. Favorite Halloween Song? I listen to a variety of music, but around Halloween, I listen to more Goth Rock than normal. Fields of the Nephilim has been playing on my stereo and in my he...

My lovely astronomer, Ryan, flew over to Peru to visit me. Despite us both being sick, we had many adventures traveling to Cusco, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, and finally Lima. Ryan proposed to me in Machu Picchu Pueblo, also known as Aguas Calientes. It is the little tourist town at the bottom of the Machu Picchu archaeological site. There is a beautiful little church there that I had entered the time before when I visited the town. It was quiet and had beautiful religious art. I loved it for the life-sized crucifix of the "black Christ" in the style of Spanish Realism. The statue had real hair and a painful expression. viajeros.com I wanted to show Ryan this church, which had no name posted, and we walked up the aisle and knelt down to pray. We both prayed and reflected until he leaned over to me and asked to be my life companion. It was a beautiful moment that I will cherish my entire life. Now, we're both back in the US. It feels strange to be home and about...

I have been living in Cusco, Peru for over a month now. When I packed my bag, since I only had so much space and wanted room for souvenirs, I made sure that all the clothing I packed was practical and matched with everything else I had. For this reason, I brought hiking boots, running shoes, and flats, a few t-shirts and plain sweaters, jeans, and a couple of skirts. Oh, and I brought one necklace and only a few earrings. It's been a month of me wearing plain clothing, recycling the same outfits over and over. Because the air is so cold and dry here, it's harder to wear a lot of make-up. I also haven't used a hair dryer or styling products in a long time. This is how I look most days. Not bad! I just miss alternative clothing. On the Machu Picchu excursion- taken from Wayna Picchu. I love Cusco! It's a city with so much personality, history, and culture, and there's quite a lot to do here. However, after doing a month of the minimalist look (2 and a half ...

Although I do have a new blog, El mismo sol , I haven't forgotten this one. As an update, I have made it to  Peru. I definitely felt the altitude the first and second days: headache, stomach ache, slight nausea, runny nose, etc., but I'm starting to feel better. I've been really enjoying it so far, and I even got to  hold a baby llama yesterday!

I have created a new blog, El mismo sol, so I hope you all get the chance to follow! I have created this blog to document my Summer adventures in Peru. I will try to post videos, updates, and information. If you're curious, the URL is www.compartimoselmismosol.blogspot.com .

Hey, everyone! I just got news this weekend after doing my phone interview that I was accepted into my Study abroad and service-learning program in Cusco, Peru this coming Summer. I will be gone for over two months! I will most likely do some study abroad updates if anything interesting happens between now and then, but I do plan on making a separate blog to post about my adventures. For now, I'm still figuring out my budget and waiting on scholarship decisions to come in. The cost of the program is expensive, so I made a go fund me at this URL: http://www.gofundme.com/k11txc If you can donate and/or share this link, it would be much appreciated! Source Here's what I plan on doing while I'm in Peru: Visiting Ollantaytambo, a beautiful city with palace ruins from the old Incan stronghold during Spanish conquest. It's also one of the first stops on the Inca Trail I would really like to do the full Inca Trail Hike, which lasts four days, but I will definitely...

*Taken from a paper of mine in 2014           The Victorian Era, which took place during the mid-nineteenth century until the twentieth century, is a period characterized by societal change. The Industrial Revolution and clearer class divisions had taken hold, and there was an “increased ordering of leisure pursuits” especially amongst the middle and upper classes who had extra time and money (Lamont 903). Innovations in entertainment abounded, as seen through the burgeoning of cinematography, and Victorians were especially taken with “spectacles,” or shows that shocked or mesmerized audiences. In addition to new advancements in entertainment, Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution forced many to re-evaluate their orthodox religious beliefs, creating a mass crisis of faith. Caught in the middle of the revolution in entertainment and this popular crisis of belief was a uniquely Victorian situation: the emerging Spiritualist movement which challenged both conventi...

I see it's been over a month since I've last posted, which is actually less time than I thought. It's probably no surprise that I've been busier than ever. In fact, I've been in a perpetual state of busyness for as long as I can recall. I thought it'd be considerate to give an update because a lot of things are happening this year. The most exciting are my plans for Summer. For two months, from May through July, I will be visiting Cusco, Peru! This will be my first time abroad and the longest amount of time away from home. I will be studying and doing some service work (probably a teacher's assistant at a primary school). I'm going to take a Spanish literature class and a Quechua class. Both will be taught in Spanish. I'll be staying with a host family too! Hopefully, this will be the push I need to finally gain fluency in Spanish. Fluency is a really ambiguous concept anyway. I've been taking Spanish on and off for about seven years, and onl...

I have a fascination and love for iconography, particularly iconography from Eastern Christianity. What draws me to Orthodox iconography, besides the unique style and mesmerizing imagery, is the complete dedication it takes to create one. There are many elements that an artist does to create an authentic, holy icon . For example, it has to be a true representation of anything "holy" by traditional Christian standards. The work and care that goes in to creating such an image is awe-inspiring. The artist must fast for forty days  and live in an ascetic manner, allowing the artist to be in a prayerful state. During the process and after the icon is finished, there are special prayers to be read, and the icon should be blessed. With all this in mind, I decided to try painting a Theotokos icon for my love's family. Even though I knew that any icon of mine would not be authentic, I tried my best to make due with the time and materials that I could afford such a painting. A...

After some dedication to growing out my last haircut, I resolved that it was again time to just "cut it all off" when it started to grow into an unruly mullet. I decided to go with a simple and classic pixie. I really liked the one that Anne Hathaway had after filming Les Miserables ,   so I printed it and took it to the stylist. The results: