Get the London Look…or Something Like It

September 2, 2015Leave a comment

this was a joke picture i sent to my mom because i liked my makeup. best one i could find of a full done face!

BEAUTY BLOGGERS RUN! Just kidding. But seriously, I am in no way claiming myself as a beauty connoisseur. One may call me an admirer, fan, amateur, but in no way am I here to say I’m expert to answer all your beauty questions.

My previous post talked about the wedding I was apart of and I was able to do some of the bridal party and the bride’s makeup. Over the past two years makeup and beauty have become something I care a lot about. I have been asked recently by friends and family what I use and how I apply certain things. Well readers, I am here to give you the deets. No way am I sponsored by these (because obvi, but I would gladly accept). It’s just my humble opinion on items I thoroughly enjoy.

$24.95

I am a Lush addict. So I always moisturize with their moisturizer Celestial, which smells amazing and makes your skin feel like buttah.

*SMASHBOX PRIMER*

$16.00

This primer was suggested to me by a lady checking out at Ulta and I have so far been very pleased with her recommendation. The next month I got a sample of it in my *IPSY* (which if you haven’t subscribed for IPSY yet you’re missing out) and I feel like it was meant to be. Try it out peeps it works wonders!

*MAC STUDIO CAREBLEND PRESSED POWDER*

$26.00

This foundation powder is the greatest and has had the best coverage for my skin. I recently changed to this and I do not think I will ever go back. It may be a little pricey, but it’s lasts me a very long time!

*MAC MINERALIZE CONCEALER*

$21.00

Once again, I switched over to Mac coverage and this stuff covers up EVERYTHING. I tend to get dark circles under my eyes, and I HATE it. This lightens up under my eyes and covers any blemishes that may pop up. I apply concealer after foundation just to cover up what the powder couldn’t.

*TARTE AMAZONIAN CLAY WATERPROOF BRONZER*

Thanks again IPSY for opening my eyes to the greatness of this bronzer. I hate looking orange, and for the LONGEST time I could not find a bronzer that gave me a golden hint but not enough to be overly noticeable. This fit my beauty needs to a T.

*MILANI LIMITED EDITION ROSE POWDER BLUSH*

$30.00

IPSY can take all the credit for a lot of my beauty habits. This blush is the perfect shade of pink. And the shimmer that it gives me is the right amount of rosy for the day!

*NAKED PALETTES*

$54.00 each

I don’t think I’m the only one who loves the Naked Palette’s. The color combo for the Naked and Naked 2 are perfect for me. I am a person who does more neutral tones with some shimmer, so the variety between these two meets everything I would need.

*MILANI EXTREME EYE TECH LIQUID LINER*

$8.49

This applicator I have found is the easiest and gives me the perfect line across my eye. Liquid liner used to terrify me and after lots of practice I can only wear it. Gives you that smooth line and with different pressures you get a more dramatic or a perfectly subtle pop to your eye. Love love love this!

*MAC PREP & PRIME PRIMER MASCARA*

$17.00

GUYZ. This is the one I have to rave and rave about. I get asked daily how I get my eyelashes so full and long when I really don’t apply too much mascara. THIS STUFF IS IT. It goes on white and attaches to your lashes and make them look fake every time. Let’s just say I have applied this to friends who have essentially no lashes and POOF they were full and luscious in no time. If you take anything from this post get this, it’s worth every penny. Apply *MAC EXTENDED PLAY MASCARA* and you are golden! I stand by this combo, so go get it!

Final touch you always need a fun lip. I never leave for a night out without a red or dark red lip. During the day I usually just wear lip balm and keep it simple. These are my recommendations for those sassy-red lip-classic things you all like:

*MAYBELLINE COLOR SENSATION*

*HIKARI COSMETICS LIP GLOSS MERLOT*

*J.CAT WONDER WONDER LIP PAINT*-The only problem with this is that it gets MESSY but a little goes a long way!-

Okay readers that’s all I got for ya! My first recommendation would be to go subscribe to IPSY and get some samples of products. I am advocate for this company and what they have done to step up (and care about) my beauty game! It has done wonders for the past 2 years.

Stay cool (and beautiful) kids,
Ale

So in Love…with CO.

August 20, 2015August 21, 2015Leave a comment

Hello old friend. Sorry I’ve neglected you for the past couple weeks, but I’m back! With a #tbt piece that has me having all the feels.

In the past month and a half I have traveled all over the US, living life and letting sleep be on the back burner. Dazed and confused the past few days, I had a chance to reflect on what I have done. I came to the conclusion that I have been celebrating so much LOVE amongst my friends, and it has been eye opening.

Particularly, the second weekend of August. I’ll explain:

Over a year ago, I was hanging out with one of my best friends from high school.

This friendship is one that is very important to me on so many levels. This little lady was the person who was there when I was going through the hardest year of my life. She encouraged, supported, and led me to understand what it truly means to have faith. Our friendship is not a best friend, talk everyday, friendship; she is my sister. So to continue…

I had just moved back to the Midwest and we were chatting in her parents kitchen (a past time we love dearly). As we dove deeper into our life milestones and thinking about the future, she dropped a bomb on me. My little Scuttle had found the love of her life. I was informed that they had been dating not that long but she just knew. His passion for missions and traveling was similar to hers so seeing her light up chatting about this new relationship made my heart happy for her.

Fast forward to the day I got a text of the most precious ring and engagement. Planning and getting ready for the day began immediately.

Now in reference to my title, she got married in Colorado. A destination wedding with the most perfect setting. Estes Park, CO. Before this trip I had never been to Colorado but had always wanted to explore the mountains and experience everything that so many people had raved about.

The pictures below represent my weekend there which consisted of laughter, hiking uphill, lavender lattes, gluten free dinners and the most perfect memories to celebrate their love:

It was such a breathtaking day and weekend that coming back to reality was a rough one. Seeing one of my oldest, and dearest, walk down the aisle brought tears to my (and everyone else’s) eyes.

Love is in the air peeps. A person who is apprehensive to catch the love bug, saw true love unite and it sparked the potential fever to be open for whatever comes my way.

Just a happy gal over here ready to take on the next season of my life, whether alone, or with my future life partner. Only time will tell!

Stay cool (and in love) kids,

Ale

Females are Strong as Hell!

August 12, 2015August 14, 2015Leave a comment

Alternatively titled: A great reason to explain why Mindy Kaling is my spirit animal.

Last week when I was out for drinks with Kristen, we discussed the top 5 women we wish we could be best friends with. We each took a couple of minutes to think about it and explain why each lady on our list was important. This is something I’ve been thinking about ever since we had the conversation – naturally I had to blog about it so I can explain to you guys about why I love these women so much and how they’ve impacted me as a person.

Natalie Portman
There isn’t much to explain here, I’m pretty confident when I say Natalie Portman seems like she would be the coolest person to hang out with. She’s an amazing actress, she gets to film movies with some of the hottest actors in the biz (I’m looking at you Ashton Kutcher and Chris Hemsworth) AND I spent most of my college years quoting her rap. Natalie, you are a bad-ass bitch.

Beyoncé
Do I even have to explain this one? I would love to wake up someday and have as much power, beauty and money as Queen Bey. Also, I’m really curious to see if she does in fact wake up ***Flawless. Or if in reality she’s like the rest of us and wakes up like Anna from Frozen.

This is something I’d easily be able to witness if I was her best friend. We would hang out all the time and have sleepovers where I’d help her make low-budget yet iconic music videos while Jay-Z takes care of Blue Ivy. Because we all know Jay-Z would have babysitting duties while B and P run this town. (That has SUCH a ring to it. Move OVER Taylor and Karlie.)

Jennifer Lawrence
I am so insanely jealous of how effortlessly cool Jennifer Lawrence seems. I bet she’s one of those friends I can call up if I wanna have a lazy, eat-pizza-while-binge-watching-Buffy-the-Vampire-Slayer kind of days. Then we’d go party at a music festival while hanging out backstage with all of our rockstar friends.

It surprises me that the entertainment industry is baffled by this young actress that acts like a normal 25 year old. It’s refreshing to see someone call it like it is – say they’ve spent an entire day getting ready for an event and complain about how hungry they are. In reality anyone would be starving and cranky if they were her! I would be so hangry I’d probably force Ryan Seacrest to order me a pizza and not keep my cool at all when it got delivered.

Katy Perry
Katy freakin’ Perry. It’s giving me goosebumps just thinking of how amazing it’d be to be besties with my favorite pop star. When I first found out about Katy and that one little single she put out, I immediately followed her Tumblr where she would post updates via Vimeo. It was great to see her make her way into the spotlight and show the world what an amazing artist she is. After getting a sense of her personality and becoming obsessed with her songs I knew I was going to be a KatyCat for life.

Can you image all the laughs we’d share while sitting in a cat cafe? I bet we’d spend hours watching cat video after cat video or talking about all the important pop culture moments and music we missed because of our childhoods. (We’re both on different sides when it comes to this. She had a sheltered upbringing because of her religious parents and I mostly only listened to Spanish pop until the 7th grade.)

To say I’m a fan is an understatement. Attending one of her concerts was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever gotten to witness and I would love to be a part of the crew that puts it all together. Katy, if you’re reading this and need someone to help you on your next tour – holla at yo girl.

Mindy Kaling.
Let’s get straight to the point of why you’re here.

I’m positive Mindy Kaling is my spirit animal.
“Pam, how do you know that? You’ve been fan-girling over all these other women – what makes Mindy so special?”
First off, HOW DARE YOU.
Second, let me explain myself.
You see, I didn’t know much about Mindy until her book and the title caught my eye while I was browsing in a bookstore a couple of years ago. I grabbed it and sat down to read the first couple of pages to see if it was worth purchasing.

“IS everyone hanging out without me? I was a sensitive kid too! I WASN’T COOL IN HIGH SCHOOL EITHER. HOW DOES SHE KNOW ME?!”

Mindy’s story telling and her quirky one liners fascinated me as I became engrossed page after page. I immediately walked up to the counter, threw money at the cashier and ran home to read the rest. (Just kidding, I paid like a normal human being but I needed to emphasize how desperately I wanted to keep reading the book in the comfort of my pillow fort at home.)

Later on she released The Mindy Project and obviously I had to binge watch that as soon as it became available on Hulu.

I’d love to spend a day with her gossiping about celebrities; like why Zayn left One Direction and come up with his potential solo album titles while inhaling Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. We could also spend the day online shopping, watching classic rom-coms and still inhale ice cream.

If I had the chance to meet Mindy, I’d definitely thank her for being herself and giving a voice to some of the concerns I’d often worry about.

Also, Mindy. If you ever stumble upon this blog post I just want you to know that I think it’s BS that you aren’t a part of the Ghostbusters reboot because you called dibs on being a part of that cast back in 2011! I GOTCHO BACK GIRL.

Who would be your top 5 favorite people to hang out with?

Sidenote about my title: If you haven’t had a chance to see the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” on Netflix, then you my dear friend are missing out on one of the greatest theme songs in TV (streaming) history.
It combines my two favorite things: Catchy songs and mashups ala Youtube. (Think, “Hide yo kids, Hide yo wife”)

Weekend Warriors: A Night Out With The Awkward Adults

August 6, 2015Leave a comment

This week’s Collab is dedicated to those nights where we’re all reminded why we are friends with certain people. The nights when you’ve had a little too much to drink and you’re extremely happy to be surrounded by like-minded people, that will sing along to Beyonce or dance away from accidentally photobombing a stranger’s picture.

A typical night out for our little trio starts off like this:

Getting ready:
Pam: So I think we have a similar pattern, we’re very hyper about the fact that we get to hang out together and we’re usually listening to some sort of Spotify playlist. We’re not the typical “get ready in high heels while pregaming vodka shots” girls, we just like to talk about anything under the sun and listen to music.

Kristen: Pregame. Very Important. Normally it’s a few beers; if we’re in a hurry a shot or two, but definitely necessary in going out to deal with the masses who are not. on. our. level. (Pam: When have we pregamed??) (Kristen: Fine – I always pregame.)

IMG_4939 from Ale DiRenzo on Vimeo.

This is a result of pregaming before the wonderful Wurstfest. We sang this song over and over, our harmonies are what I believe some would say, “on point”.

Takin’ the Town by Storm:

Ale: We are a threesome (Pam: non sexual)(Ale: I thought about putting that!) that loves to dance and sing very loud in route to our next adventure. We tend to drink lot’s of cider and tequila until epic moments occur. The best way to describe us would be in phases:

Beers. Always beers. (Ale: Unless this is a SXSW Yahoo! party, then wine, all the wine).
We hear a song we love, or all know and we nod. Or dance. Depending on the level of buzz we got going on. (Kristen: Unless you’re me. I’m always ready to dance.)
Night goes on. Epic dance moves and singing begin. Whether it’s TSwizz, Aly & AJ or Whitney Houston, some tremendous high notes and ballads happen that should be presented for everyone to see (Ale: or at least that’s what I think when I am engulfed in the tune).

Pam: When we drink, I think we start off like any normal group of girls. (AKA lots of cider/beer)Then when we start drinking more, come the shots…

Kristen: “Did you say $1 shots? Pam he said $1 shots. Let’s go” So terrible but so cheap.

When we get our buzz on:

Dancing. Singing. Serenading. Repeat. (Kristen: Yasssss the singing. So many great memories. Or more like so many videos that result in “Ohhhh yeah! I forgot we did that.” I will never forget us drunkenly singing Potential Breakup Song into the wee hours of the night. #IWANNAGOBACK)

Pam will get hyper, then sleepy. (Pam: Alcohol has the worst effect on me ever. Instead of making me hyper it just slows me down. I think I need to constantly be moving in order for it to work it’s magic. NEED TO GET THOSE DANCE PARTIES STARTED.)
Kristen will start chatting with everyone, mostly the bouncers, and run away. (Kristen: I know deep down they want to be talked to by another random drunk girl. I’m doing them a service really.)
And Ale, well, Sandy (Pam: explain Sandy) (Ale: Sandy is my drunk alter-ego who likes to dance like a big booty hoe and think her shit don’t stink, more explanation will happen in a later post) (Kristen: Sandy is my faveeeeee. Did we name my alter-ego?) likes to dance to rap music. And Snapchat….a lot (Kristen: Next day snapchat review is the best).

For example take a look at these videos:

IMG 4977 from Ale DiRenzo on Vimeo.

IMG_4976 (1) from Ale DiRenzo on Vimeo.

IMG_4975 from Ale DiRenzo on Vimeo.

IMG_4973 from Ale DiRenzo on Vimeo.

Last Call:
The night will end with us telling each other how awesome we think we are as a trio. We will say how much we love Austin and that particular night.

Occasionally, there will be a late night food run to soak in all the booze. Either Jimmy John’s or Taco Cabana will suffice.

And go our separate ways.

Next morning we will group chat, Snapchat, and voice message each other complaining about how that extra shot or beer was not a good choice. And the hangover is so real. (Kristen: We all know how I feel about hangovers.)

Hangovers and good memories aside, nights like these are always a fresh reminder of why we are friends. Everyone needs that night where they’ve had a little too much to drink and a whole lotta fun. Let your hair down loose this weekend and go grab a drink with your friends – or maybe 10.

Peace n’ Blessins,

The Awkward Adults

Fangirl : The Nerd Unleashed?

August 5, 20153 Comments

My roommate and I are nerds. In fact, we have a John Green quote posted on our living room wall that reads:

“Nerds like us are allowed to be unironically enthusiastic about stuff… Nerds are allowed to love stuff, like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can’t-control-yourself love it. Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what they’re saying is ‘you like stuff.’ Which is just not a good insult at all. Like, ‘you are too enthusiastic about the miracle of human consciousness’.”

When I first saw this poster I remembered being so excited that “Yes! someone put into words how I feel about a lot of things! Oh my God John Green be my friend. I love you!” which introduces, in the same sentence, the Fangirl.

I’d like to consider myself in someway an experienced fangirl. I wouldn’t go to say I’m a professional like Tyler Oakley, but I’ve had my fair share of pure joy moments brought on by the sheer existence of my favorite person, show, or band.

Let me give you a bit of exposition on my fangirling days. It’s hard to say who started it all, The Spice Girls or The Power Rangers. While these things are polar opposites, they both had me enthralled as a young girl. I needed to be Sporty Spice and dreamed of the day that I could do backflips in platform shoes (which I don’t think ever actually happened), and I would fight tooth and nail for the chance to be the Pink Ranger in Power Ranger Play Pretend (although my sister normally won 😦 and I’m apparently still butt hurt). I remember spending hours upon hours singing songs or karate chopping my stuffed animals. I’ve seen Spice World and the Power Rangers (both original and Turbo [obvi the better one and I will fight you about it]) movies more times that I care to admit and can probably explain them, shot-by-shot, in great detail.

As I grew older, the frequency in which I actively talked about these two things or watched the movies decreased to almost nonexistent, but my love and appreciation for them never went away. Which led me to think, was I ever really just a fangirl?

In contrast to this is my experience with Twilight. I always say “Everyone went through the Twilight phase” normally followed by a snarky “don’t even try me.” But I remembered being so invested in all of the… hype[?] and needing to know everything about the characters which then transferred over to the movie in relation to needing to know everything about the actors. I watched hours of press junket interviews, talked ad nauseum about my Bella and Jacob feelings and my much stronger anti-Edward feels. I did it all, read the books, watch the movies, reread the books, went to cons, rewatched the movies, and regrettably spent way too much time looking at pictures of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. I look back and can really only be grateful for a few things during this time in my life, unlike with Harry Potter which I was exposed to several years earlier and still to this day talk about with my friends, revisit the books and movies, and appropriately freak out at the theme park.

But this isn’t another debate about Twilight vs Harry Potter or the impact either had on popular culture, but more so about differences between being a nerd and a fangirl.

I asked a bunch of my friends this week if they thought there was a difference between being a nerd and being a fangirl. I wasn’t surprised that it was overall “Yes”, but I was surprised that it was unanimous. And more than that, the idea of being a fangirl was viewed negatively.

Before I started writing about this, I never thought to compare these two types of groups. But then I thought “well wait, it’s like John Green’s quote, they both just really love something. Why is it different?”

According to my friends Fangirls are obsessive, superficial, extreme, stalkers and emotional; while Nerds are passionate, rational, inclusive, and excited. It’s easy to point fingers at certain groups of people like the Directioners and Beliebers and even the Twihards because even I can recognize crazy. But for me, this was alarming. I never really thought of the negative connotation given to the Fangirl because I for so long associated myself as one of them. Sure, I was aware that other people cared more (way more) than I do about certain aspects of things, but to me that didn’t make me less of a fan.

Which opens up a whole new realm of conversation about the topic. Are there levels of Fangirling? Are Fangirls Nerds who just missed the mark of passion and sailed into obsession? OR are Nerds Fangirls who matured into respectfulness?

Coming to the end of this, I don’t really have a conclusion or an answer. Have the tendencies of a nerd turned into fangirling through the access to social media? Is it a widespread problem that involves only our youth (*Schmidt voice*YOUTHS). However, after thinking about it further I came to this realization; while a Fangirls excitement is a feathery moment caught in the fleeting winds of popular culture, the experiences of a Nerd lingers. It embeds itself into the core of our DNA and last forever.

Philadelphia Freedom

August 3, 20153 Comments

“I love the dignity in the name Philadelphia, but at heart, we’re Philly” — Lisa Scottoline

This past weekend I went back to the city where my parents met, where I was born, and where some of my fondest memories are: Philadelphia, PA. I am a person who is so proud to have my roots embedded into this city. The sports, the culture, THE FOOD (ugh the food). Every aspect of it is intoxicating and I get giddy every time I visit.

This weekend started off a little crazy, a little off wire, but in the end it could not have been more perfect. Please let me explain:

Thursday:

I plan to leave IN at 3:55PM from the Fort Wayne airport. I leave work a little early and am expecting when I get there to get on the plane off to Detroit. I arrive at the airport, get to my gate, and notice that no one is boarding yet. I say to myself: “Okay, I have some time to sit and relax before get onto the flight.”

I put in my headphones and start blasting my new Spotify playlist. They announce the inevitable over the intercom that the flight will be delayed what they “think” only for an hour.

I sit there thinking “Okay, my connecting flight doesn’t leave until until 8:25 I’m good.” At this point I was eavesdropping on these two ladies conversating about how this happened to them before in Philly and they just drove to their next destination. I felt the need to jump in and tell them that the drive to Detroit is only a little over 2 hours. This sparked a bigger conversation and we all decided to caravan to Detroit from Fort Wayne so we could make it to our connecting flight in the knick of time.

I am avid snapchatter so I had to take this to send out to the world about my adventures when traveling. It never cease to amaze me!

We had to stop for a picture before running like mad men through the airport!

These ladies were the sweetest to me. They all had come to Fort Wayne for a conference and took me in like a lost puppy. Well, I guess I wasn’t the lost puppy since I was the navigation system and personal DJ for the trip. But in the end I made some new friends and a story to tell. I am so happy that I can put myself out there to meet new people and experience these treasures. I made my connecting flight thanks to them and got to spend that extra night with my family which otherwise would not have happened. So to the ladies from LF, thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting this weirdo who eavesdropped on your convo and hitchhiked to DTown. Hope to see you all soon! (I gave them the link to the blog because obviously).

The weekend:

Got to spend time with my cousins and it was great. When I am out there it is normally in the winter and Christmas, and running around always takes over. It was really nice to just relax by the pool, catch up and be active with my family. Not something I get to do very often. An impromptu Big Sean & J. Cole concert, graduation celebrations and birthday parties made for an epic weekend.

My Momma is the coolest (and tannest) person I know. Can’t help but smile when she’s around.

My goofy little man Tomas. He would not take the picture otherwise.

Love that I was able to experience this night with my family (and extended family).

Here are some videos to recap the weekend:

My cousin and his Fiancé invited me to hang with them at the J. Cole and Big Sean concert. So we obviously had our tequila confidence to help us dance.

My cousin Lou is always the life of the party with his happy feet. I had to capture this moment to keep it forever. 74 and still kicking, literally.

Celebrated my nephews birthday with my Mom’s side of the family with the best minion bash EVER. Love getting to experience these moments together as a family.

All in all, as I sit here back in Fort Wayne all I can think about is being back with them. It went by way too fast and I feel every time I go it’s never long enough. Family is forever and they are the main thing that keeps my heart beating. From my Nonna’s cooking to my Grandmom’s “whatchamacallits” the second I leave Philadelphia soil, I’m itching to get back.

Wait is it December yet?

Stay cool kids,

Ale

A Beautiful (Self-Destructive, Insecure) Mind

July 28, 2015July 28, 2015Leave a comment

Kristen’s open letter to her insecurities got me thinking.

“Gosh she is so right, our insecurities and mind get the best of us.”

I was thinking about this a lot this weekend as I was taking a trip to Indianapolis. My air wasn’t working and with the windows down going 80, my mind was the only thing that kept me from going crazy in the 90 degree heat. And of course it led me to a questioning place.

Like most people in the world I am EXTREMELY insecure. In every aspect of my life, but I think mostly in my relationships. I am the type of person that will doubt a friendship, significant other, etc. And it guides my every move within that relationship.

Imagine an annoying, nagging, bitter person constantly telling you that everyone is fake and being nice just because. It’s that devil on your shoulder telling you you’re never good enough. I have trained myself over the years to bury that voice, deep down in the ground so it can never creep up. And for months that voice has been a faint memory, that I felt was long gone.

Until this weekend. Silence, driving down the open road, that little voice crept back into the forefront. It was telling me that once again, even though I’ve been so incredibly happy for the past 5 months, that everything was a lie.

I continually wonder why my mind chooses to think that when it comes to people in my life. I am an anxious person. I overthink everything. I choose to believe that everyone is out to get me.

But why?

I always snap out of it, the angel guiding me always bitch slaps the devil to say that I am getting too caught up in the thoughts. I just wonder if people experience these same thoughts.

Am I alone?

The point of this rambling is to reach out to anyone going through this, and if there isn’t an angel guiding you, to let you know that you are not alone. Try your hardest to stop those thoughts from breaking down your spirit. Stop believing that you’re not good enough, because you are.

Insecurities are an evil thing, they make you think and believe the worst about yourself. A goal for myself is to try my hardest to never let them take over like they have in the past. I have to continuously remind myself that I am blessed and live a life that is extremely fortunate. I have people in my life that love me and that I love, that help remind me that these thoughts are just thoughts, never reality.

Your mind is the most beautiful, yet destructive thing in your body. It can give you the creativity to make something magical, but also put you through your the lowest lows.

This community that we are trying to build with this blog, the people we are reaching out to each week, understand that, as Awkward Adults, we are here to bitch slap those insecurities and hurtful thoughts away. We understand and will get through this.

Until next time…

Ale

My Neverending List of #fails: Part I

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015Leave a comment

Somewhere on the internet there is a quote from Steve Carell that sort of goes like this: Comedy is being good at being bad at things. Or something about failure is funny. I don’t know I couldn’t find it in my ten minute Google Search…so, whatever. It stuck with me for so many years (this was during the press junket for Get Smart so obvi a long time ago) and I reference (incorrectly) it all the time: in writing, in life, whenever I fail hysterically at something, which is often. Hence this list.

My incomplete list of total and complete fails in no particular order:

The Real reason I don’t cook more often. Moral of the story don’t leave a boiling pot unattended for more than a few minutes. (or ever idk. I mean can i live?)
That time I yelled at Julia Stiles.
That time my roommate and I had a sick ass Bar B Q
That time I cried meeting Jake Bundrick
That time I almost cried the second time I met Jake Bundrick
That time I cried meeting Bryce Avary
Anytime I’ve cried meeting anyone
That time my mom asked me how I knew what “choke the chicken” meant
That time I tried to do that thing and then failed
That time I told Jason David Frank that I watched Power Rangers until I was 13.
That time I tried to impersonate a stripper and fell off the railings
The Twilight phase
That time I yelled out at an Ellie Goulding show “Wooo yeah Guns and Roses” When she in fact said “This one’s called “Guns and Horses”.
That time a band member called me out for dancing so hard
That time I wore a Fedora
High School in general
Whatever is happening here .
Every time I log into Myspace (yes that still happens)
My customized Myspace page
That time someone asked me if I was going to Big Bend and I said “Oh no, I don’t have a passport.”

Everyone has those days, those brain-fart moments, or times where all they want to do is forever insert their foot in their mouths. Sometimes you just gotta roll with it and move on. When the people start to laugh, chin up and join in.

Twinning: The Day My Life Changed

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015Leave a comment

I am an individual who possesses many names.

Birthname: Alessandra

Nicknames: Ale (like Allie), “Ale” (like the beer), Sandy, Ali Baba, Ale Dee, and the list goes on.

There is one name that I was given 8 years ago (tomorrow) that holds the most meaning to me: Zia (those of you who are not of the Italian descent that is translated to “Aunt”).

21261_4773481899657_1805722630_n The day my nephews were born was the day I knew I had a significant purpose in this world.Holding them for the first time is a moment in my life that I will cherish forever. I honestly never thought about having kids until that moment. I realized then that I could love something (or someonex2) more than myself. I wish everyday I would have cherished the moments when they were itty bitty, but the conversations we have now make up for it.

Here are a list of things I adore about them:

Benny’s high pitched voice with the cutest little lisp, and Tom’s deep man voice.
The way they scream “ZIA!” and run to hug me everytime I visit. Seriously my heart MELTS.
The way they tell me EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING all the time. I tend to have no idea what they’re talking about, but I try my best to listen.
Their toothless smile with the cutest laugh.
When they let me watch Netflix or play their games.
The way they barge into my room at 6AM to tell me that the sun is shining and I have to get up.
BOOM. BOOM. POW.
The excitement they get about swimming and the park. Even when Tom tells me it’s an exercise park.
How ticklish they are. Seriously. Just initiating a tickle fest brings out the giggles.
Their wit: constantly on point and unlike anyone else.
Their mind: beautiful and intricate.
Their quirks: unique and original.
Their love: the thing that keeps me going.

I am obsessed with these two boys in the healthiest way (they probably do not think that as I’m squeezing them). The fact that I get to experience their firsts alongside them is truly something magical. I hope one day they will read this and know that no matter what I am there for them, thick and thin, forever and always.

They are not my children, but I love them as if they were. My quality time with them are the moments I look forward to. I want them to be proud of me and hopefully in the future confide in me. I am so grateful to have a sister and brother-in-law that allow me to have those times with them so we can make lasting memories.

Happy 8th Birthday Benny and Tomas. You are two of the brightest stars and my biggest inspirations. (Stop growing up though, you’re already smarter than me).

Love always,
Zia

True Life: How I Got out of the Friend Zone

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015Leave a comment

Dating is tough, especially with all these dating apps and sites making you feel like you’ll find the one right away. What they don’t tell you is that it’s never that easy. I personally chose to wait until I got into a relationship with someone I could consider my best friend.

Make dating easy for yourself. Try and have fun! Meet lots of new guys and put yourself out there! Once you let go of all the expectations, you might find yourself meeting that special someone out of the blue and it’ll all be worth it.

Try and keep your cool – unlike my friend Chandler here.

I’m not here to say I’m an expert on relationships, because Lorde knows my boyfriend and I pick fights over the dumbest things. Mostly this is a “this is what I’ve learned/what I wish I would’ve done instead” type of post.

Living in the Friend Zone: I used to live in the friend zone and I was totally okay with that. The thought of dating boys terrified me because I had no idea how to be someone’s girlfriend.
I grew up in a single-parent household where it was just my mom and I – very Gilmore Girls, minus the witty banter because Hispanic mothers are not about that.

I got my tips on dating from movies and shows, which we all know is a huge letdown because I never had a guy write me a letter every day or play a boom box outside my window (granted I grew up in the Walkman/iPod era, so it would’ve had to have been on a speaker system.)

hlosUPW The most attention I ever got from a guy was if I was helping him with his homework (i.e. let them copy, but joke was on them because I was not a straight A’s student) or if I quoted some song or movie the certain person liked. Even if I got attention from a guy, I had no idea how to handle it – I feel like I self-sabotaged lots of potential relationships because I was so awkward.

Tip: If you ever feel/have confirmation from a friend that a guy likes you, seize the moment. You’ll look back on this and regret you never said anything if you don’t.

If you don’t care about rejection, then tell him yourself! Make sure you’ve talked to this guy long enough to where you know you want to pursue something and mention you’d like to go to dinner and a movie sometime. If he’s interested, he’ll be all for it. If he’s not, hopefully he won’t be a jerk about it and let you down easy. If he’s an ass, then GOOD RIDDANCE. (Please make sure to give me his address so we can slash his tires while blasting some Carrie Underwood.)

The one that got away:
I was in the fifth grade and I was head over heels for this boy named Jorge.
From what I remember, he was tall (for a fifth grader), Hispanic, played sports and word in the hallway was he liked me too! I’m pretty sure we never dated because we were waiting till we went to middle school in order to feel more ~mature~ about it.
Then, I switched middle schools the summer before 6th grade and I never saw him again.

More than “Just Friends”:
“EVERYONE KNOWS WE’RE MEANT TO BE, FALLING IN LOVE JUST YOU AND ME TILL THE END OF TIME.” If you can name that song, then you and I should be best friends forever.

Picture this: You and your “friend” have been hanging out for a couple of weeks/months/years now and you both can feel the chemistry. You are constantly hanging out with this person and you would love to make this official. When do you jump into the relationship? My experience was definitely different from your average, “Hey I like you, and we should date” scenario.

I knew my boyfriend for a full year before we started dating. We were introduced to each other my freshmen year of college and we spoke/hung out occasionally until the mid-way through the fall semester of my sophomore year. Since we lived in the same apartment complex, this made it super easy to call each other up and say “Hey, wanna study?” or “Hey, wanna go out to eat?”

I didn’t think anything of it until we had a fall out with a mutual friend that turned out to be a scum-sucking road whore that tried to ruin our lives. We found comfort in each other as we both ended up losing friends and were both embarrassed we let this person into our life.
Months later, we were definitely hanging out more often than normal friends do.

I think the moment everything changed and went into this “soooo, are we dating?” situation was when he kissed me during SXSW 2012 while we listened to that “Young, Wild and Free” song by Snoop Dogg. Yes, this was my first kiss song and it was very romantic.

Months followed and he still hadn’t asked me to be his girlfriend, but we were “technically” dating.

Tip: This is what I meant by, “If you have confirmation someone likes you, then bite the bullet and ASK THEM OUT.” Do NOT wait this out. Boys can be clueless and assume you’re dating without having to ask you.

It wasn’t until one evening in November (yes, I waited this long) when we were working out that I finally got clarification on our relationship status. I was telling him this story about how a guy was trying to ask me out earlier that day on the shuttle to school.

To this he simply went, “Why didn’t you tell him you were seeing someone?”
Me: “Because I didn’t know I was seeing someone? Am I seeing someone?”
Boyfriend: “Yes!”
Me: “Then why haven’t you asked me to be your girlfriend??”
Boyfriend: “Because…” he paused, “I haven’t asked someone out in a long time!”

He said this all in one breath and quickly went back to working out. Turns out he was too nervous to ask me out because he didn’t want to lose me as a friend/girlfriend. (Even guys get shy about asking someone out.)

Now, I tell you this story because if you have the same awkward situation going on in your life, make sure to clear things up immediately!
I wouldn’t change my experience for anything in the world. I think it’s hilarious and now I’m head over heels for this goofy, talented guy that makes me feel like it was all worth it.

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This week’s post is dedicated to a certain special someone to celebrate our three year anniversary.
You’re all I need, and I love you and I like you, B!