Export jobs, export values?

My new simplicity binge has gotten me thinking about consumer products and how they're made.  I rarely look at a a thing and visualize the process of how it gained it thing-ness.  To separate a thing from its production process has become the norm.  When I look at my DROID, I don't visualize the factory floor and a working assembling all the different pieces.

Check out this article at Technology Review.  It's almost hypnotizing to watch the process of coloring the silicon (about 6mins in the first linked video clip).

If we export jobs and the processes of making our own goods, should we also export our culturally-held beliefs about workers' rights?  The extension of this argument, which the article didn't cover, is whether exporting jobs would be as economically advantageous under such measures.

Just googled how to write a check...

Time for bed.

Five days til spring break.

This will be my calming, dubstep-ish soundtrack for the next five days:


Two papers, two midterms exxhhalllleeee. Happy almost March!

Paper Bag Waist

I love this look and I am seeing more and more girls wearing it on campus. Girls are wearing them casually to class and I have seen some girls rocking it under professional suits.  Very versatile, I am nervous to order a pair, but I think I am going to go for it.  These are by Vila at Asos for  $62.76 (can you say strategic pricing much). 

You WILL die an immediate, painful death PIZZA STEALER.

Too aggressive? Maybe I should go the passive route: Dear person who ate my pizza, I'm glad you ate my pizza. I didn't actually want the leftovers - that's why I put them in the fridge. So you could eat a whole pizza (minus two slices) between the hours of 5am and 10am. Who's even up that early? Actually, I was saving it for my roommate. And you ate it. Now she's dead from starvation. How's that on your conscience? Xoxo, Domino's Whore

I actually  was planning on giving the pizza to my roommate. I was surprised that someone would take food from a communal fridge, especially with such a short opportunity to strike...Maybe after eating 8/10 of the pizza, the thief (or theives!) decided to leave two small pieces? Crazier things have happened between the hours of 5am and 10am.

Speaking of aggressive notes – and better yet, the passive aggressive ones – check out Passive Aggressive Notes. Upgrade from TFLN!

Ducks in the Rain

When you see a boy in duck boots, you know his mom still buys his clothing. Cutteeeee....but lately I've been seeing them everywhere, which makes me think that some splash happy boys have been perusing the LL Bean site by themselves. Something practical from LL Bean becoming cool, esp among the frat/srat crowd...NOVEL.

LL Bean mens duck boots

LL Bean has been making duck boots for almost 100 yrs – time for this design to move up the food chain. Designers like Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch have taken a nod from the rugged classics company in the past few seasons.  Hers and his duck boots? Yes please!

Tommy Fall 2010

Unlike Timberlands, frat boys aren't pretending to be something they're not when they wear duck boots. So frat stars, ditch the works boots and embrace your preppy WASP-y side self and lace up those duck boots.

Salve omnes!

I'm not a language person. I only liked French class when we got king cake. And I wasn't a Latin person for the 3 years I took Latin...maybe my passive aggressive teacher accusing me of cheating on my homework (one of the times I actually turned in Latin homework...) tampered my enthusiasm for declensions and conjugations. Maybe I didn't feel the need to take a language class to get 10 more points on a standardized test. Maybe the fact there is no such thing as Latin food is a huge turn-off...why learn a language if you can't order food in that language?!

This article from The Spectator made me rethink my seriously unwavering attitude towards Latin:

So keen is [Mark Zuckerburg] on [Latin], he once quoted lines from the Aeneid during a Facebook product conference and now regards Latin as one of the keys to his success.

Julius Caesar said "Veni, vidi, vici" not "Veni, dico, vici." Shakespeare play > The Social Network...Caesar wins!

Another gem:

“If I’m on an EasyJet flight with a group of European nationals, none of whom speak English, I find we can communicate if we speak to each other in Latin,” says Grace Moody-Stuart, a Classics teacher in West London. “Forget about Esperanto. Latin is the real universal language of Europeans.”

Who wants to talk to Europeans when you're in Europe? I much prefer Espearnto. Maybe my ignorance of the language causes my fear of Latin (Timendi causa est nescire).

If it's good enough for Mark Zuckerburg (and Grace Moody-Stuart), then it's definitely not good enough for me!

Carpe diem.

When I'm 70...

I will likely not be in a Paris club DJing. Not so for Ruth Flowers. I had though that she was going to blow up...ageism strikes again? No matter, I've never seen a grandma look so fly in pink lipstick.

Purposeful Purses

These fortune cookie-shaped purses are a bit overdue for the Chinese New Year...it would be cute to give out these out instead of red envelopes. Even better than their Asian appeal (and the fortune printed on the inside of them), they're made from leather leftover from various textile projects. Similar to Whole Foods posting signs for customers to trace how meat and fish were raised, purse buyers can trace the origins of their leather by the stamp on the purse

Off-beat designs meet functionality in Otaat bags. Each bag is smartly designed for a certain purpose. Love how the architect's bag accommodates binders. Where's the college girl's version?

Blackboard Breakdown

Droooiiiddddd. I may be obsessed with my phone, but I don't use the obnoxious name-dropping ringtone.

Unfortunately, blackboard is cramping my new phone efficiency methods with its lackluster app. First, the reviews say it generally blows. Secondly, it has to be available for your school (it's not).

Boo blackboard.

Granny Boots

I just can't jump on this trend, or even appreciate it. Everytime I see a girl wearing granny boots, it makes the rest of her outfit, look just so granny.  Maybe, I haven't seen this look done right...maybe with the proper tights and cute dress, it could look middle aged? But I think not, as I haven't seen this man-repelling look on one of my new fav blogs.

[No picture necessary]

I CAN appreciate the socks, especially obnoxiously printed or colored, that peek over otherwise oldish boots. Thankfully, this trend isn't limited to granny boots. I hope those die in the clearance bin at Urban Outfitters.

But ducky boots, that's a species of boots I can understand...

Diet Dessert Delights

It was about time a gum company created a product like Dessert Delight.  I was a bit skeptical until a friend gave me a piece of the Mint Chocolate Chip gum.  I put it in my mouth and it actually blew my mind.  I am obsessed.  The Key Lime Pie even tastes creamy, if you close your eyes you would think you had real Key Lime Pie in your mouth.  Food science at its best, this gum actually tastes like the dessert.  My favorite is the Key Lime Pie, followed by the Mint Chocolate Chip.  I also bought the Strawberry Shortcake, but that tasted more like sugary strawberries and not enough shortcake.  The flavor also lasts for quite awhile, which is great because that means dessert lasts forever in your mouth! I definently recommend trying this gum!

25,000 Ping-Pong Balls

Now that would be a long night of playing pong.

Instead, the balls were used to cover the walls of a tiny Brooklyn loft apartment.  

Challenge: do this to your dorm room. The shock factor would definitely be worth the room deposit. Pictures of my ping-pong-unworthy collaged walls to follow.

Hope your Friday night is filled with fewer ping-pong balls...

Cheap Pearls

I'm not much of a fake pearls girl (maybe with the exception of grotesquely falling-off-the-lobes pearls).

Originally $80, this pair of cultured pearls can be yours for 15 bucks. Too good of a deal to pass on.

Backpack Predicament

Nothing ruins a campus-cutesy outfit like a backpack. I especially love when I see my friend M in a cute dress and tights and boots...and then I see the monstrosity that is her LL BEAN storm blue Loch Ness monster imposing on her back and otherwise pushing her lovely outfit into my periphery. It is a true travesty.

Even worst: the two bag-offenders. Yes, I know you're taking 18 credits and president of 5 clubs and you're doing cancer research and starting a non-profit and so you have to carry all your various outfit changes and very smart-looking books.  How about working on your bag situation?

I love this first Gucci bag. I've always loved white bags...what better way to usher in spring?

This neutral Anya Hindmarch will go with anything...

Although both bags are a bit outside of my current bag budget of...zero dollars and zero cents, I'm loving the idea of carrying a smaller bag with room for your laptop or notebook, a book, and organizer. I'm not super productive when I carry stuff for 10 different tasks and find myself calm and more mentally collected if I have a set of doable tasks immediately in my beautiful leather shoulder bag. Cheers to simplicity and luscious leather!

Ear Candy (rose gold, of course)

Rose gold on your ears...yes, I would like a pair of rose gold hoops.  But I'm talking about Eskuche's headphones that come in gold, rose gold and silver.  My ability to lose iPods is truly astonishing, but I'd happily wear these classy old-school headphones, sans iPod, around my neck.

Regina should've worn black yoga pants.

From the sage shoe blogger, the one and only MANOLO:

Unfortunately, for the Americans, the American version of hedonism is now mostly all about the nachos.

So true, my man. The Superbowl was all about nachos. And by nachos I mean....crackers with cheese dip, chips with guac, chili, 50 wings, DORITOS (blue ranch and nacho cheesier), the very best premade cookies I've ever tasted, homemade chex mix, every type of carby chip annnddd you get the idea. My attention span was so shot, I couldn't even decide whether Roethlisberger looked like a rapist. I really never got past the hipster resemblance between the Steelers' spandex and a pair of $80 leggings from American Apparel. Maybe the Steelers' players use their uniforms for 80s parties!

But I digress...when yesterday morning rolled around, I was in no state to wear normal clothing. I almost didn't feel fit to wear black yoga pants. A rare feat indeed. Are black yoga pants a college girl's wardrobe choice after a particularly hedonistic weekend (or week..)? It seems some girls (some girls = me?) wear black yoga pants like jeans. Jeans are overly worn, not too mention not the most flattering piece of clothing, unless they are super dark wash (and from some obscure LA company). Black stretchy, pseudo exercise pants are far superior. So I, sort of, embrace the newest, mediocre pant choice:

Yoga pants > Jeans
Jeans > Sweatpants
Yoga Pants >> Sweatpants

And I though yoga pants were just glorified sweat pants.

Tried, but true.

Eye candy.  The band is timeless. And like I've said, rose gold is oh-so rich.

Cheers to an equally classy week.

As my dad always says...

"It is just as easy to fall in love with a wealthy man as a poor man."
Happy hunting this weekend!

@whitegrlproblem

I have had a twitter account for a few years, and have never used it.  Now, I am a few years behind and I am finally beginning to see what all the twitter hype was/is about.  I cannot get enough of all the "girl problems".

http://twitter.com/whitegrlproblem
http://twitter.com/SororityProblem
http://twitter.com/crnellgrlprblms

These make my day.

fashion dork needs a life

 Okay, I have to embarrassingly admit I have been following this woman's blog for over a year.  I used to think she did a good job mixing designer stuff with j.crew and urban.  Today, I deleted her.  I cannot take her!! Seriously, read the url for her blog... "momsafashiondork"...."thank-god-for-ebay"  Even better her "about me" section.. Mother of 2 in her late,late 30s pretending to be somebody.

http://momsafashiondork.blogspot.com/2011/01/thank-god-for-ebay.html

She needs a life. More importantly, I need a life. Goodbye to fashion dork, your days of clogging my google reader are over.

Humor in Academia?

Sometimes I wonder if some of my professors have a sense of humor...SOME of them prefer scratchy sweaters (Hawaiian shirts occasionally..) and equally scratchy-looking pants to laughs.

Maybe, I'll start referencing the Journal of Universal Rejection to draw a chuckle while my professor reads another paper on the state of Social Security. Or maybe he (sometimes she...) will just scratch at his scratchy sweater.

Handcuffed to Love

Happy February! Happy month of all things red and heart-shaped!

And handcuffs? Cute? As part of the Valentine's collection, Jack Vartanian is selling handcuff necklaces...and a handcuff bracelet...if that's your style. Regardless, rose gold is always sexy.