reaffirmed and ready

Here is a handwritten post as an homage to the subject at hand and because I find it easier to say 

what I mean when I'm required to slow down and use my hands.

mabon

October 1st is here. My house is already decorated for Halloween, Upset is taking a trip to the east coast to play with the Muffs, I'm going to the Adirondacks with my dad, and I'm seeing Charli XCX on October 24th. I really love this time of year. I feel like it's always so full of life and happiness, despite the symbolic death of everything around you. Coincidentally, I've lost two people I loved very much in October (October 6th and 29th to be exact), so maybe this trend of filling the month with celebration and togetherness is a distraction. Or perhaps this time of year helps me to embrace the cycle of life and death, and appreciate the beauty in both.

Whereas Thanksgiving and Christmas are for family, Halloween is for friends. As a child, I looked forward to the night I got to stay out after dark, dressed up with my best friends, running around our neighborhoods on a sugar high. As a teenager that evolved into parties at friends' houses with costumes and booze. In my 20s, this means dusting off my Halloween decorations, baking halloween-themed treats, filling my candy dishes with all things pumpkin and caramel apple, and inviting a close group of friends over to watch The Craft and Hocus Pocus.

I don't consider myself to be at all religious, but I do find aspects of Paganism and Buddhism comforting. I researched the Pagan holiday, Mabon, and found this article on Huffington Post. I wanted to share the Pagan meaning of this time of year with my readers, because it's my favorite. Autumn is a time to celebrate your bounty and shed what isn't serving you. I think every season presents that opportunity. New Year's resolutions leave you waiting too long for things to change, and disappointed if they don't. If you reevaluate yourself seasonally, and use that information to inch forward, you'll make a lot of progress as a person.

samhain-all hallow's eve-day of the dead-halloween

Halloween is almost here!! Ok, maybe it's still over a month away, but waiting til Oct. 31st to get festive is boring.
Here are some ways you can get into the holiday spirit all month long.

halloween 2014 by alexandria-koehler featuring holiday decor

Read more for cute picks from my favorite places...

goldmember

I already did a fall fashion post, but now that my hair is officially gold/yellow/whatever, my entire taste in clothing has morphed. I should've known, this happens every time I dye my hair. Whereas before I loved prints and all things obnoxiously colorful, I feel like my hair and makeup fulfills that. Now I find myself wanting to contrast my bright head with neutrals and solids. I have a pair of brown Doc Martens that I was planning to donate or sell since I literally never ever wear them, but with my new amber head they feel perfect (not to mention comfortable.) Once I have a little extra spending money, I'm gonna stock up on denim, white socks and tights, corduroy, and anything in the mid century modern color palette.

autumn 2014 by alexandria-koehler featuring a full length sweater

i check the weather in los angeles and i think about you in that heat

A severe heat warning has been in effect in LA since yesterday morning. It will continue into Monday night, and I think I'm finally ready to talk about the Allison Crutchfield EP - Lean In To It.

Every morning that I step out into the stifling heat of Los Angeles, I sing in my head "I check the weather in Los Angeles and I think about you in that heat." Then I hit play on SUPERMOON in my car and have just enough time to hear most of the EP on my short drive to work.

Recorded and performed by Allison and Sam Cook-Parrott of Radiator Hospital, Lean In To It is a 7 song synth pop EP. Beats loop under flourishes of bass and keyboard as Allison sings beautifully and with painstaking sincerity about mysterious people and themes. LITI sets a tone, and on first listen I didn't know what to make of it. I'm not sure why, but I found it confusing. Maybe because I'm so familiar with Allison's style in Swearin' (though she warned me this record was way different).  I instantly recognized it was beautiful, of course. I'm not sure the girl is capable of making anything less than stunning, but it was a grower for sure.

Allison shares vocal duties with Sam on certain songs,  most effectively on Rose Knows. They sing a call and response, playing different characters. Rose is reluctant to let the male character in, but he is relentless. I guess that's what's different about this record. It doesn't feel autobiographical. It feels theatrical.

"I walk through you like you're dirty snow."

No One Talks is my favorite track of the moment, but really they're all great. I am a total lyrics person, and Allison clearly pays close attention to her words. Her vocabulary must be 10 times the size of mine. It's embarrassing how long it took me to wrap my mind around the meaning of...

"I don''t wanna be a victim or a muse in your flimsy depiction of acquiring conviction. I never needed any recognition."

I get the feeling that I'm not smart enough to fully grasp Lean In To It, so I obsessively listen again and again, hoping that it will eventually all make sense to me. For now, I'm happy to get lost in it while I work through this punishing heat wave.

VMAS 2k14 aka The Day I Fell in Love w/ Charli XCX

I love the VMAs. It's probably the most fun awards show re: style and antics. This year fell a little flat on both fronts except for this...

this...

fucking this...

and this…

fit fashion

All summer I've been at the public pool near my house with the girl I take care of. She recently started making more use of the deep end and becoming a more independent swimmer overall, so I've been using this new freedom to swim laps while she entertains herself for a few minutes at a time. It feels great. I used to take lessons and race on my town's swim team as a kid, but I had no idea how incredible of a workout it is. Plus, it's fun! So I'm taking up lap swimming as a hobby/form of exercise.

I thought it would be nearly impossible to look remotely fashionable in a swim cap and goggles. As a kid I always felt like a weird, bald bug, but swim fitness fashion has come a long way since my days on Dover Red. In honor of Labor Day (and an incredible Labor Day sale on the Speedo website) I present to you some surprisingly fashionable gear. I can't wait for my new suit, cap and goggles arrive in the mail.

pink mirrored goggles 

Fucking pop art swim caps?

Gimme.

And of course, an obnoxiously vibrant racerback suit with a boy short cut, because my vintage swimsuits and Forever 21+ one pieces won't cut it for lap swims.

Some other cute things I saw while browsing are new "vintage" swim caps. They look really chic, but probably aren't very functional while doing flip turns.

If the racerback doesn't work out, this cut seems flattering...

 And alas, two more quirky caps, brought to you by Sporti, cause I'm attention hungry and need to stand out even while getting my cardio on.