Summer Fashion

Hi readers,
Deep in my latest social justice kick, I have turned my considerations from manicures to clothing production.  I have a fun little weekend game for you:  Go through your closet and check the labels on your clothing.  Separate your various styles of black leggings stylish, graphic-print summer wear collection by country of origin.  Notice anything?  It will likely look something like this:


SOUTH EAST ASIA                                                                              EVERYWHERE ELSE

                                                       











The garment production industry is almost ironically un-fabulous.  The environmental and social consequences of clothing production in this world are completely horrifying.  A large variety of unbelievable statistics about water consumption, waste production and the unimaginable cost in human labor can be found here.
So, how can we make fashion more "deep fabulous"?  (Because shallow fabulous is gross, like when Tara Reid flashed her weird fake boob)  There are some awesome companies practicing something called "green fashion".  Think sustainable, fair-trade, organic fashion.  Have a picture in your mind? Does it look like this?

Get these creepy-looking old people (sorry) out of your head and start thinking about Stella McCartney.  Mina & Olya and yes, even H&M.  Check out some looks from elle.com below:

   

Check out ecofashionworld.com for some brand suggestions.  Happy shopping! 

Mont Blanc

Hi readers,
I am going to climb Mt. Blanc this summer. See photo:

It sounded like a great idea when "summer" was a vaguely defined pipe dream on the horizon of my thoughts.  Now that "summer" has arrived and I am trotting off to climb the highest mountain in Western Europe in 10 days I'm a little bit terrified.

I've had to remind myself (generally while I'm looking through expensive piles of waterproof outwear, envisioning the cushion an orange North Face Summit Series windbreaker will provide when I fall into a 1,000 foot crevasse) that being a little bit terrified is not a bad thing.  It means I am attempting something out of my comfort zone.  Other times in my life when I've been a little bit terrified include:

1) When I moved to Hong Kong (I don't speak Chinese, and my concern about getting sold into white slavery after accepting a job on the internet felt reasonable)

2) When I ended my last serious relationship.

3) The first time I went skydiving. Okay, every time I go skydiving.

4) When I learned how to drive (I was 20 years old and it took me between 6 months and 7 years to complete the process, depending on who you talk to)


5) The first time I went camping by myself.

So, looking back--am I glad I overtook all these moderately terrifying endeavors?  Big Yes. Because attempting terrifying things changes my perspective.  I'm able to look back and compare the NEW terrifying things to the OLD terrifying things...and I think that is what Opera Deepak Chopra, Benjamin Franklin meant when he talked about personal growth.  (see inspirational quote).  Even if I fail, it gives me a way to continue the evolution of my spirit.  As long as I don't fall off the mountain...and that is what my windbreaker is for.  Happy Wednesday!

There are no rules...

Hi readers,

I remember quite vividly the moment I realized being an adult was going to be moderately uncomfortable.  I had just landed in Figi for the beginning of my year of living in trailer parks and working for minimum wage in Australasia post-college "mental expansion".  I was staying at the cheapest most rustic hostel on the cheapest most adorable island, armed with a best friend and a backpack full of vodka books.

I had never been to Figi before.  I had never been to a HOSTEL before.  I figured it must be moderately similar to a dorm and armed with my squeaky plastic shoes and my travel-sized shampoo bottles, I ventured into the stall shower (which, conveniently, was located basically in the reception area).  I stepped in the shower feeling the "adultness" of the situation in that special way you are only capable of in your early twenties.  As I contemplated the mountainous volumes of my own adult knowledge, I slowly realized...the water in the shower was not heating up.
It was not cold, persay--it was roughly the same temperature as drinking water when it comes from a public school water fountain.  When I realized it was not going to get any hotter...that, pathetically enough, was my moment.  I felt my body adjust the the new temperatures of adulthood and realized:

"Hey.  I don't have to shower this whole year if I don't want to.  In adulthood, I make up the rules."  

I finished my days in Figi happily brushing dried salt water out of my hair in the morning before running off to play with the rabid, flea-covered tough but lovable island dogs.  I've been making my own rules ever since.  The key ingredients to making your own rules are simple: fearlessness and perseverance.

Much like "not drinking on weeknights" or "buying ingredients to cook dinner" fearlessness and perseverance sound much easier in theory than they are in practice.  However, as is the case with all scary new endeavors (except bangs, which are a crapshoot every time) the benefits outweigh the costs.

Give it a try! Make a rule for yourself and post it below.

PS--there is a reason I recommended Figi for a girl's weekend guest-posting on American Girl Dating Around the World.  Check it out!

Monday Memes

Hi readers, 

Yes-Monday sucks.  Obviously you would rather be outside enjoying a nice gin and tonic lunch walk in the park than playing youtube clips in your terrible little office.  Take a minute to remember the joy of the 80s and get your day on track with the following movie scenes.  In no particular order....

5 80'S MOVIE SCENES THAT MAKE MONDAY ALMOST BEARABLE

1.  Dirty Dancing. Because nobody puts baby in a cubicle corner

2.  Back to the Future.  Because if you went back to the future, Monday would be over! 

3.  16 Candles.  Because if your family has never forgotten your birthday...we don't have a lot in common. 

4.  The Breakfast Club.  Because if you want to worship in the temple of the 80's, you pray to John Hughes. 

5.  The Goonies. Because Ralph.  And true love.  And treasure! 

The Art of Oversharing

Hi readers,

I have a confession:  I have no filter.

This is different from not being able to keep secrets.  I'm actually quite good at keeping secrets BUT I need to be told explicitly to keep my mouth shut.  Why?  Because in regards to my own information, I will happily discuss the insertion of IUD devices with everyone on the whole internet or my latest thyroid maladies with my cleaning lady (she doesn't speak English so who know what she thinks I'm talking about anyway, right?).


This whole idea of having a filter is similar for me to "having a skincare regime" or "having a 5-year plan".  It sounds very grown-up.  I wish I was the girl at the cocktail party calmly debating the benefits of Clinque face lotion over a wine spritzer. Instead, I am the girl carrying on a cheerful conversation about the most effective sex positions with a group of reasonably mortified total strangers. No filter.

There are some benefits to my filter-less life:

After I discuss the way I recently long ago flashed a man on Second Avenue, (it's okay, we were on a date.  A first date, but whatever, towards the end...) people open up with funny stories of their own.

Also, I have been told people do not "get the sense that I am judging them".  I'm (probably) not.  Unless they are talking about something boring.

But the best thing by far is this: I don't have to spend a bunch of time considering what people think about me or know about me, because I don't really care. As I was yammering on about some completely inappropriate topic to my boyfriend the other night, wondering aloud if I was crossing the line with the things I choose to discuss with total strangers everyone he remarked it is good that I am not ashamed of how I live my life.

I took it as an invitation to keep discussing the merits of "gerbil-ing" a compliment.  

How to Beat the Heat

Hi readers,

Here is a fun little fact I learned this weekend: Spanish summer heat induces panic attacks.  Most importantly, Spanish summer heat induces panic attacks in me.

A friend asked me (at 9 PM, when it was safe to venture out-of-doors) if the temperature in Madrid wasn't comparable to the heat in New York City.  I responded by glaring at her while I violently rubbed ice cubes over my wrists calmly saying I thought the type of heat must be different.  Or the weird, Franco-induced Spanish time zone must make the afternoon hotter. Or something.  Because I havenever in my life felt so hopeless about the idea of going outside between 3 PM and 6 PM.  The dry, burning heat quite literally makes me want to kill....everything something.  People walking slowly in front of me.  Dogs that are barking.  Insects that dare land on my sweat-slippery arms.  Since daily panic attacks do not seem to be an option for the next 6 months, I am spending the air-conditioned evening coming up with fun ways to avoid the blistering hell heat.  Here's what I have so far:

Fun Things to Do with Ice in the Summer

1. Ice slide.  Necessary materials: ice cubes, trash bag, small hill.  Get creative.
2.  Ice necklace.  Not actually made of ice! Just put normal jewelry in the freezer overnight before wearing.
3. Ice underwear.  See above. With underwear.
4. Tea ice.  Make tea (very healthy) and freeze.  Put in a cup in the morning and drink as it melts.
5. Ice hat.  Get two baseball caps-put water in between and freeze for one cap-shaped lump of ice.

 Stay cool, readers. Besos. 

New York Times: The Price of Nice Nails

Hi readers,

Unless you have been lurching around under a rock for the past week, I assume you have heard sometime about the New York Times nail expose.  "The Price of Nice Nails" and "Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers" hit a chord with me as a die-hard, manicure-loving New Yorker.  The picture included in the article (see photo) highlighting the staggering abundance of nail salons "in one New York City neighborhood" is actually a picture of MY New York City neighborhood.  As I grew up I watched David's Cookies shops and locksmiths and crackhouses where homeless people hung out (hey--it was the 80's) turn into nail salons and nail salons and nail salons.

Personally, I didn't start getting regular NYC manicures until I moved back to Manhattan in my mid-20s.  But the median age of the manicure customers is getting younger and younger--the salons are routinely full of middle school students, high school students and parents with their kids (girls AND boys, especially in Park Slope where everything is very "equal opportunity").  The Times exposed an important subculture that sounds terribly isolating and depressing.  The articles were carefully researched, poignant and well-written.

 So.  Are you going to stop getting nails done?   I'm probably not.  

And you know what?  I don't feel bad about it.  Here's why:  When I get my nails done, much like when I take a taxi or buy a meal in a restaurant, I tip upwards of 20%.  That means on a $50 mani/pedi/massage package (you NEED to get the package) I tip between $10-$15.  I also usually ask the girl/boy for their name and introduce myself.  If they wants to practice their English, I politely put away my US Weekly New Yorker magazine and have a little conversation. If one of my nails get screwed up, I laugh and ask if it is possible to fix.  In short, when I am at the nail salon (or in one of the myriad of other locations where people work sh*tty service industry jobs in this world) I do my best to ACT LIKE A HUMAN BEING.

I routinely sit next to women (and men, if I'm in Chelsea) that tip with spare change and talk to the salon employees as though they are poorly behaved zoo animals (if they talk to them at all).  This seems unhelpful.  I dedicate the following list to you.

Don't Be a B*tch! How to Behave with People that Work in the Service Industry: A Checklist 

Step 1: Say hello and smile.
Step 2: Don't be a b*tch if you have to wait 5 minutes.  This applies to restaurants, nail salons, Starbucks counters, etc.  Take the time to practice your Zen-like deep breathing.
Step 3: Be clear about what you want.  To clarify: I do not mean "it's now okay to start acting like a b*tch about what you want".  But explicitly state exactly what you want: a menu item, a "square yet round" nail file, extra protein booster in your Jamba Juice, whatever.
Step 4: Also, be clear about time constraints.  If you are in a rush, tell the people what time you have to leave.  They are in the service industry--they want to provide you with good service in the time you have available.
Step 5: Tip 20%.  Don't believe me?  Read the Times articles again.  Seriously.  20%.