Thought for the day: All Love is Equal.

What if your best friend fell in love with their soulmate and wanted to marry them...and were told that they couldn't?

What if YOU found the person you were meant to spend the rest of your life with, and you were told you weren't allowed to?

This is the plight of gay people everywhere. Every day,in addition to the social stigma that they have to bear, gays everywhere are denied the right to marry.

This, to me, is completely illogical. Love is love. All love is equal, and the love between a man and a woman is no better than that love between two men or two women.

In addition, I would just like to point out that homosexual couples routinely report being happier (on average) in their relationships than heterosexual couples, and that a large number of adults who deal with depression and bipolar disorder are children of divorce. Homosexual couples are less likely to break up, and they are more likely to raise their children in a tolerant and loving environment. I'm not saying all gay couples are good and all straight couples are bad (I'm straight, so obviously I don't think it's bad), but I just want to debunk a bunch of the myths surrounding that particular issue. I'm not posting sources on here, look it up.

And if you bring God into it, then personally, I find it hard to believe that God would hate any form of love. God teaches us to love one another, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.

All love is equal. Equal rights for all.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

A Review: He's Just Not That Into Me.

Sometimes we have to review the things we don't want to review. Like accounting. Or chemistry. Or vector calculus.

One lesson that every woman should understand and review regularly: "He's just not that into you."

We kid ourselves every day, saying, "Oh, he's busy," "Oh, it's finals week," "Oh, he got too drunk," "He's in a meeting," "His grandmother died," "He got hit by a car."

WRONG. It doesn't take any amount of effort to text someone a quick "Hey, how are you?" If he likes you, it will show. Below I have some other major lessons, plus links to corresponding videos (click on the title of the lesson).

Class is in session.

Lesson 1: If he wants to call you, he will call you.
Men do what they want. Always. So wouldn't it make sense that if the rest of the time, men do what they want, that they will do what they want to get something they want? For example, call a girl they want to date? Basic logic says yes. So if he doesn't call or text, give it up.

Lesson 2: You are the rule.
You know how Cinderella got the marry the prince even though she never told him her name and she was poor and out of his social class? Or how Sleeping Beauty's prince randomly came and saved her? Or how the prince came and woke up Snow White even though he didn't know her and oh, yeah, she was dead?
Fairy tales aren't real life. They're STORIES. So no, sorry, you are not a fairy-tale princess. If your Prince Charming cheats on you, lies to you, doesn't call, or is only about sex, he's not Prince Charming, and again, he's just not that into you.

Lesson 3: If he breaks up with you, he doesn't want to be with you. For whatever reason, women seem to think that a breakup is just a jumping off point for negotiations. If he breaks up with you, HE'S NOT COMING BACK. No matter what BS line he uses when he dumps you.

Well, that's it for today. Sorry for being cynical, but I just felt like saying it.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo,
Laura

Put a ring on it. And a dress.

A couple of weeks ago, I did an AMAZING show for Bella Vista Bridal and Wedding Boutique in Columbia. The show went off without a hitch, and I had a blast working with everyone! Check out the video below to see lots of fun pictures (...and maybe laugh at how my expression never changes. I was having fun, I swear!)

Bella Vista Fashion Show from Dave Gilbert on Vimeo.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo,
Laura

It's coming...

Christmas is almost here, everyone! Lights are up all over the neighborhood, I'm finishing up my Christmas and birthday list (2 weeks until the big 2-0! Woo!), and I'm fighting the urge to turn my kitchen into a factory of baked goods.

So, in the spirit of the holiday, I've decided to post my two favorite Christmas songs and share my Christmas list:

Victoria's Secret Noir perfume
Black knit miniskirt
Victoria's Secret convertible sweater wrap
Silver glitter Toms
Dogeared "Karma" necklace
Nike running shorts
Vineyard Vines baseball hat
High Cotton Ties headband
20" faux pearls (I still don't trust those fratties on gameday...God forbid they should fall on me and break my real strand.)

What's Santa bringing you this year?





Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo,
Laura

The Hottest Record of 2010.

Usher has been tearing it up lately.

"OMG" and "DJ Got Us Fallin in Love" have both been at the top for a while, but recently, Usher released a record featuring Jay-Z and Ciara.

Putting these 3 artists together obviously creates great music, but the trio's latest song, "Hot Toddy," is arguably the HOTTEST, SEXIEST record of 2010.

Experience the amazingness for yourself:


Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo,
Laura

aBsURD.

ab·surd   /æbˈsɜrd, -ˈzɜrd/
[ab-surd, -zurd]

–adjective
1. utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false: an absurd explanation.
–noun
2. the quality or condition of existing in a meaningless and irrational world.

Origin:
1550–60; < L absurdus out of tune, uncouth, ridiculous. See ab-, surd

—Related forms
ab·surd·ly, adverb
ab·surd·ness, noun
su·per·ab·surd, adjective
su·per·ab·surd·ly, adverb
su·per·ab·surd·ness, noun


—Synonyms
1. irrational, silly, ludicrous, nonsensical. Absurd, ridiculous, preposterous all mean inconsistent with reason or common sense. Absurd means utterly opposed to truth or reason: an absurd claim. Ridiculous implies that something is fit only to be laughed at, perhaps contemptuously: a ridiculous suggestion. Preposterous implies an extreme of foolishness: a preposterous proposal.


—Antonyms
1. logical, sensible.

I am a (Wo)Man of Constant Sorrow.

An interesting phenomenon occurs in terms of my musical taste.

I like everything from classical music to top 40 hits, but one kind of music I've never particularly cared for is country music. Of course, I like some, like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, but as a general rule, it's not what I would choose to listen to.

What's interesting, though, is that I don't like country music, but I REALLY like bluegrass! I don't know why I like it, but I just do. Anyways, today I was having a really rough day, and I thought about that song "Man of Constant Sorrow" from one of my favorite movies, O Brother, Where Art Thou? If you haven't seen it, it's a great film, and you really out to watch it.

In the meantime, here's "Man of Constant Sorrow!"


Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo,
Laura

MY FAVE CELEB COUPLE IS GETTING MARRIED!

So, for those of you who don't know--Caleb Followill, the lead singer for Kings of Leon, is my ideal man,at least in terms of looks, artistic ability, and mild southern twang (he IS from Tennessee, after all).

Unfortunately for me, though, Caleb was off the market long ago, dating an up-and-coming model named Lily Aldridge.

I didn't even realize who Lily Aldridge was until I stumbled across a random photograph from her early days of modeling (below). It was from a spread in Elle Girl magazine, circa 2004-ish. In this particular spread (which wound up being quite controversial), Lily was sporting undergarments as outerwear--slips, corsets, etc. Her hair and makeup was similar to that of a 1920s silent film star after the star sticks her finger in a light socket. I was so struck by this particular spread that my little 13-year-old self decided it would be a good idea to try teasing my hair and wearing a slip as a dress. But I digress.

So it turned out that my dream man was dating a model I had aspired to look like for many years now. I jealous that I didn't look like Lily, but after reading a couple of interviews with her, I saw that even though she was the newest Victoria's Secret Angel, she was extremely down to earth. I felt better that my rock-and-roll frontman wasn't dating some socialite wannabe.

As I lightly stalked the couple via internet, I fell more and more in love with them as a pair. They seemed right together--and if there's one thing I love, it's a good romance. So today, when I randomly decided to Wikipedia Lily Aldridge, I found out that she and Caleb are ENGAGED!!!

That's right, folks! As of yesterday, Caleb Followill is off the market!

I'm thrilled for them. Obviously, I would love to have Caleb Followill for myself, but since he happened to fall in love and get engaged to someone, I'm glad it's someone as cool as Lily Aldridge.

Congratulations you two!

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

So wha ha happened was...

So last week I talked about suffering from breakuporexia and being upset because a boy sent me over the edge. So this is what happened:
I met this kid Thursday.
He was supposed to come to my function.
He ditched me Tuesday, 2 days before my function.
And that's the end of the story.

The details aren't important. I'm trying this new thing where I don't put every detail of all of my personal relationships on full blast for everyone to critique/criticize/scrutinize/idolize. Relationships are an A-B thing, so C-ya, everyone else!

We'll come back to Throwback Thursday on another day.
Or maybe we should just abandon the idea completely?

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

I am not doing Throwback Thursday because...

A boy made me lose my mind.

I will write when I am not suffering from breakuporexia and when I no longer feel nauseous and confused 99% of the time.

C-ya!

xoxo,
Laura

Triple Throwback Thursday!

So the past 2 weeks of my life have been a blur of dresses, breath mints, and Febreeze. Why? It was Spirit Week, and then Rush Week. Thus, Throwback Thursday fell by the wayside. HOWEVER, because I am so very accountable, today is TRIPLE THROWBACK THURSDAY! That's right, I will not be posting one story today, but THREE! Get excited.

Story #1: Falling for Jake.
As I have mentioned before, I used to date a guy named Jake in high school. He was 2 years older than me, and I was completely enamored with him.

I'd known Jake for years--we had been in church choir together since we were kids--but I had never really taken much notice of him, other than thinking he was totally annoying. He would periodically antagonize me throughout my middle school years, usually with some sort of dramatic reaction from me, but no real consequences (though one time when I was in 7th grade I did stomp on his foot while I was in tennis shoes and he was in flip-flops).

When I got to be older though, Jake started to intrigue me a bit more. We became friends--not particularly close friends, but friends all the same. At the very least, I wasn't stomping on his feet anymore. Then, November of my freshman year of high school, Jake started acting differently towards me. He'd make jokes the same as always, but he was paying more attention. I remember the night I first realized I liked him. It was after choir practice, and he playfully pushed me as we were walking near a flight of stairs (he wasn't paying attention, obviously). I almost fell, but he caught me before I could. We were both laughing, and for some reason, it just hit me how much I actually liked him. When I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

A few days later, he invited me to go to Prayer Breakfast with him (which happened once a week), and he said he would give me a ride to school. I was so nervous being in the car with him, and he was clearly nervous as well. I can still remember a very specific moment in the car--the heat was turned all the way up (it was December), and town square looked so pretty lit up with all of the Christmas lights. There was a Relient K CD playing "Mood Rings" very quietly. That morning was a week before my 15th birthday.

A few days before my birthday, Jake asked me what I would want as a gift. Initially, I said he didn't have to get me anything, but he insisted. I wanted a very specific pair of earrings from American Eagle, but I told him chocolate instead (I felt that earrings would seem too romantic, though in retrospect the chocolate was probably way more romantic than earrings.) However, instead of being a normal person and buying me a Whitman's Sampler or something, Jake went out and bought me a box of Godiva chocolate wrapped in gold paper, and he wrote me a really sweet note as well. (I wish I still had it, but I threw it out after some weird fight we had years later.)

On Christmas Eve, Jake asked me to come as his date for a New Year's Eve party at his friend Andrew's house. I honestly thought I heard him wrong, but I hadn't. Getting asked out by Jake was the best Christmas present I've ever gotten.

New Year's Eve was a total FAIL (see story 2), but Jake obviously didn't mind too much, because 3 days later, we went out again, and he kissed me.

After that, it was all over. I had completely fallen for Jake, and he became one the most significant relationships in my life to this point. He and I still talk on occasion--I even went to see Alice in Wonderland with him over Spring Break. We're very different people than we were then, but whenever I talk to him, I still feel like I'm in high school. Which, in this case, is not always a bad thing. :)

Story #2: New Year's Eve 2005, or the night of the Epic Fail.
As I mentioned in the previous story, I was Jake's date to our friend Andrew's party on New Year's Eve 2005. I was so excited--it was my first real date with him! I wanted everything to be perfect. But because this is me we're talking about, and my life is an absolute joke, the night turned into an absolute trainwreck.

First of all, I decided it would be a good idea to try a new blowout technique that I saw in a magazine. I got some spray hairspray (as opposed to aerosol hairspray), sprayed it on my hair while it was wet, and then attempted to blow-dry my hair. This technique not only took twice as long to dry my hair, it also made it incredibly frizzy. So, I tried to flat-iron it. This only made my hair angry, resulting in a sticky, poofy, sort-of-straightish mess.

I thought my outfit, at least, would have a few redeeming qualities. I wore Sperry Topsiders, a denim mini (it was winter in South Carolina...which means not very cold), and a pink sweater. The sweater, though, wouldn't dry. By the time I had to leave, it was still damp (and extremely uncomfortable). I wore it anyways because I didn't have another sweater I thought would be better.

On the way to the party, my mom asked for directions (I still wasn't allowed to ride with Jake unless it was to school). I looked in my purse...no directions. Then I remembered that I had left them on my desk. At home. 20 minutes away.

So, after about 30 minutes of driving around Andrew's neighborhood and trying to call Jake, I finally called Andrew's house. I got directions, and I finally made it--an hour late. Not only was it incredibly embarassing, but Jake was so mad at me that he said maybe 6 words to me the whole night. By midnight, he seemed to have softened a bit, but he still was clearly not happy.

So here I was, hot (there were wayyyyy too many people there), wet (because of the sweater), uncomfortable (because of the skirt riding up), and feeling ugly (because my lip gloss was sticky and my hair was frizzy). On top of all of that, I knew maybe 3 people at the party, and my date wouldn't speak to me.

Oh, and at the end of the night, my mom CAME INTO THE HOUSE and picked me up.
Awesome.

Story #3: The time I accidentally broke up with Jake.
If there's anyone who knows how to mess things up without realizing it, it's me. Case in point: the time I accidentally broke up with Jake.

So, while Jake and I were dating (as in going on dates), I mentioned to our friend Sarah that we had gone to the movies together. She, of course, thought this was fodder for gossip and ran off to confirm this news with Jake. Unfortunately, certain phrases get lost in translation.

Sarah apparently said to Jake, "I heard you and Laura were dating." Jake took that to mean "boyfriend and girlfriend." Sarah meant it as "going on dates." But because it was high school and no one thinks properly in high school, no one conferred as to the actual meaning of these phrases. That being the case, Sarah came back to me, very confused, and said that Jake said we weren't dating, and were we really? Did I misunderstand him on something?

I was crushed. How was this possible?! So, after school, I sent Jake an IM. (Remember, this is back when IMing was cool.) Jake, being the intuitive man that he is, asked if I was mad at him on Friday, and I was said, “Well, yeah, I kind of was, because you told someone we weren’t dating, so I got upset about it, but then I realized I shouldn’t be upset because, after all, we’re not dating.” And then he didn’t say anything, so I was like, “If that’s okay with you.” And he didn’t say anything again for a while, and then he goes, “Yeah, that’s fine.”

After that, Jake started acting really weird. He started dating another girl. Then, about a month later, he told me he took that conversation as meaning that I didn't want to date him anymore! Suddenly, everything made sense. We made up, but things were never quite the same after that incident.

It still amazes me to this day that I was able to accidently break up with someone. Though it explains a lot about how I handle relationships.


Well, lovers, I hope you enjoyed that trifecta of relationship follies. Hopefully your first dates are never that bad, and I very sincerely hope that you never accidentally break up with someone. It causes a lot of confusion.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

Ridin Solo is Bittersweet.

If there's one song on the radio right now that I think is absolutely brilliant, it's "Solo" by Jason Derulo. Everyone loves it, and they don't know why, exactly. I know why...because the melody is taken from "Bittersweet Symphony" by The Verve. If you listen to version on the radio, it's not noticeable unless you know the tune of "Bittersweet Symphony" by heart (like me).

However, the original version of the song DID have "Bittersweet Symphony" in it! When Jason Derulo came out with the recording, the members of The Verve loved it, but advised him against using it in the song, as The Verve had been sued some years ago for using a tune from an old Rolling Stones song (not sure which one).

Despite the legal issues, the original version of "Solo" is available online, and, lucky for you, dear readers, I have it! It's even better than the version on the radio!

Listen and enjoy!



Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

Stuff Sorority Girls Like #11: Vineyard Vines.

The spirit of the sorority girl is inherently classic. Yes, we are all quite different, but our bond of sisterhood is sacred and goes back for hundreds of years. So perhaps it is this soft spot for things that are classic that gives way to a soft spot to things that are incredibly preppy. Case in point: Vineyard Vines.

Hopefully you have heard of Vineyard Vines. If not, you should probably up your prep factor (jk). Vineyard Vines was established in 1998 on Martha's Vineyard, and since then, it has grown to be one of the most popular companies in the area of prepster clothing, purveying clothing items such as polo dresses, cable-knit sweaters, and of course, printed silk ties (those fratties have to have something to match their date's dress). The pink whale logo has come to be a symbol of wealth, status, and good taste.

In addition to their already fabulous clothing, Vineyard Vines also makes tote bags, which is perhaps what they are most famous for. The Vineyard Vines tote bags are plain canvas, with navy blue handles, but what makes them special are the fun printed silk ribbons around the tops of the bags. All of the prints are colorful, and there is a design to suit almost every taste.

And, as we all know, most sorority girls love to rep their letters, even in the smallest ways. Vineyard Vines has a very specific target market (the prepster set) and has capitalized on that market by designing prints just for sororities. They are super cute and a great way to show that you're proud of your sorority (while still keeping it subtle and classy).

So Vineyard Vines love sorority girls, and sorority girls love them back!

Keep it classy and fabulous!

xoxo, Laura

What's new, Pussycat?

Well, I don't know what's new with all of you pussycats, but one Pussycat in particular is definitely up to something new.

Nicole Scherzinger, best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, is currently playing Maureen in the rock opera "Rent"!

I just saw this video on Perez Hilton (sorry to the guy that originally posted it, but you're getting a lot of hits now!), and I just think it should be shared. Nicole absolutely NAILS her performance, and frankly, I think it's even better than the recording done for the film version of the show.The best part is, this song is absolutely my favorite from "Rent"!



Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

Throwback Thursday: Becoming Blondie.

As I've mentioned several times before, my breakup with Alex was quite difficult. After he dumped me, I can safely say I suffered from what can only be described as a nervous breakdown.

I threw myself into dance. I pierced my cartilage. I vowed to be prettier--tanner, skinnier, and--blonder.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal--after all, lots of people dye their hair--if it hadn't been for 2 factors. One: Alex hated blondes, especially fake blondes, and Two: I'd wanted to be a blonde for years. I viewed being a blonde as a rebellion against what he wanted, and a way to prove to myself that I could do and be whatever I wanted. It was a way of feeling strong again.

So, after saving enough cash, I booked an appointment and went to my hair salon, armed with pictures of Lauren Conrad for inspiration. My stylist, Brianna, was surprised to see me, as I had just gotten my hair cut a couple of weeks before.
"Back so soon?!" She asked.
I took a deep breath. "Yes," I said. "Yes, I'm back."
We got to her station, I sat in her chair, and she ran her fingers through my hair, as was her custom. "So what are we doing today?"
At this point, I knew I had to go through with this. "Make me a blonde."
"A blonde?!" She cried. "You mean, like, Christina Aguilera blonde?!"
"God, no!" I said. "No, like, Lauren Conrad blonde." I pulled out my pictures.
"Ohhh, I see what you're saying. God, you scared me!" She said. "So what's your budget?"
"Sixty dollars. Make me as blonde as you can for sixty dollars."
"Okay. Here goes."

About an hour and a half later, I emerged from the salon looking a bit Hannah Montana-esque. I had the color corrected a few days later (free of charge--Brianna was a really good stylist), and I was definitely a blonde beach babe. It was great! It was a gorgeous honey blonde for quite some time, until I had a pageant.

Bri knew I was determined to win. We decided I should transform into a Barbie, essentially. But after 3 weeks of being Barbie, I had had enough. I dyed my hair back to dark brown (almost black), simply because the upkeep was too much, and I didn't feel like blonde really fit my personality anymore. (Let me tell you, once the french manicure and evening gown were gone and were replaced with my usual black nail polish and skinny jeans, the blonde hair looked a bit awkward.)

Now, I've been thinking that maybe it would be a fun change to go blonde again! (Back to my really pretty honey color.) Or maybe light brown with baby blonde highlights, a la Mischa Barton during her early O.C. days. What do you think?

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura

A perfect song.

This song perfectly describes my life in every way.

POST 100: Understanding the artistic vision.

This is my 100th post!

I can't believe how much I've gotten into blogging. When this assignment first came up almost a year ago, I thought it was the dorkiest thing ever. A blog? I thought to myself. Why the hell would I ever read a blog, much less write one? Who has even written a blog since, like, 2005? If we're pretending it's 2005, why don't we all just start using MySpace and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over camera phones again? Let's all just tote around 1st-gen iPods, too, while we're at it. Oh, and maybe look at people who wear skinny jeans like they're freaks.

Admittedly, I did find writing this blog a bit stupid at first. However, I like writing, and I like expressing my opinions even more. So that, combined with the fact that I like talking about myself (doesn't everyone?), combined with the fact that I make a concerted effort to NOT talk about myself (it's annoying), added up to this blog being the perfect outlet for me. People could read what I had to say if they wanted to, but they certainly didn't have to. In fact, I didn't think ANYONE had been reading my blogs since December (when class ended), but I figured, if no one was reading, then I could say whatever I wanted. Turns out, a lot of my friends were actually reading, and even some people I DIDN'T know in the blogosphere! That made me feel like what I had to say was important, and that people actually cared about what was going on in my life.

So now, for my 100th post, I'm going to open up about my artistic vision. The next few things are tangible images of thoughts that swirl around in my head constantly. I have a blur of music, dialogue, and imagery going through my head at all times. Sometimes, I get so sucked in that I can literally see what's going on in my head right in front of me. (No, this is not a result of hallucinogenic drugs--it's an actual psychological condition, like the people who see colors when they listen to music. Lady Gaga and BB King both have it. Look it up.) I can stay in this state for hours.

The way I'm going to allow you to "experience" these visions is through sound and imagery. Play the song, and then look at the images while the song is playing. (If an actual music video is posted, watch the video first as an intro, then replay the song and look at the pictures.) Allow the music and the images to interact in your mind's eye. Most importantly, PLEASE keep an open mind and a clear head.

The first vision is of 1960s and 1970s counterculture/youth culture and the sexual revolution. I have always been drawn to this era, for as long as I can remember, and it is still a driving force behind many of my creative ideas.

The second vision contains elements of both storybook fantasy and the Victorian Era, but the strongest element is surrealism. Let's call it "Alice in Wonderland."

The final vision is the most prominent, powerful, and persistent of the visions. I call it the "Beautiful Dirty Rich" vision (yes, named after the Lady Gaga song...that song actually put a name to what I was seeing.)

(All images via Bumper Sticker for Facebook)

The work of Marilyn Minter captures the "Beautiful Dirty Rich" vision perfectly.

(All images (c) Marilyn Minter. From left to right: "Choke," "Cyclone," and "Mudbath.")

This, of course, is only a small part of what goes on in my mind. However, hopefully this gave you some insight, and perhaps some inspiration as well.

Keep it classy and fabulous!
xoxo, Laura