Spring Nail Polish

   I've decided that Essie's Cajun Shrimp is my new spring nail polish!  This red-orange reminds me of the "J. Crew Red" and tangerine colors that are so popular this spring.  

Sock Bun

   Way back in January, I promised a post about my sock bun (featured in this post).  Finally, I've gotten to it.  Here is what I did:

1. Cut the foot off a knee-high sock
2. Roll the sock into a donut shape
3. Pull your hair into a pony tail
4. Thread the pony tail into your donut-shaped sock, rolling hair under as you go
5. Continue until the sock is right up next to your head
6. Secure with bobby pins and/or hairspray

If you'd like some more detailed instructions, try this video tutorial here, to just search YouTube for "sock bun tutorial".  Helpful hint - try to use a sock that matches your hair color, in case it peeks through!

Brace yourself...

    ...because this is kind of a gross post.  There's no blood or gore, but if you're squeamish, you might want to skip this one.
    With my disclaimer out of the way, I can get on to the real subject of the post: toes.  Specifically, bruised big toes.  When I say bruised, I mean really bruised.

    Apparently, this is a pretty common injury among soccer players, whose toes get stepped on, jammed against their cleats as they kick, and stubbed in all kinds of creative ways.  However, despite my three years on the soccer team, this is new to me.  My toes gradually got this bruised in the course of training for a half marathon.  Grinding out all of those miles doesn't sound too dangerous for your toes, except for one thing - when I was fitted for running shoes a few months ago, the associate who helped me gave me shoes that are about 1/2 a size too small, and my feet have no room to move around or even swell a little bit on long runs, and consequently my toes jam against the shoe with every step, eventually creating these bruises.

   Fitting running shoes is a little tricky because you don't exactly wear your normal shoe size.  Always order either half a size or a whole size up (so, since I usually wear a size 8, I bought size 8.5 running shoes).  If you have any questions at all (and even if you don't, it's a good idea), go to a specialized running store (Austinites, I recommend Luke's Locker - the staff are very experienced and all runners).  

  What to do if you end up developing bruises anyway?  If it hurts, ice it.  If you are worried about losing the nail (which is always a possibility), wrap your toe in gauze and athletic tape.  Take a day off if you feel like your toenail is really in danger.  Always, always, always keep your nail short!  Consider visiting a podiatrist, and finally, get new shoes!
   Update: after finally seeing a podiatrist (fun fact: they have a different degree than a regular physician - not an MD, but they still have plenty of training!), here is what he told me to do.  If the bruising really hurt, he could remove my nails, but since my toes don't hurt, he wants to let them fall off on their own, so that the new nail will grow in a little and my toes won't be completely naked.  In the meantime, he prescribed an odorless, colorless anti-fungal medication (called Ciclopirox), so that when they do fall off, nothing gets infected.  You paint it on just like toenail polish, it comes off with nail polish remover, and it can be applied over nail polish!  How cool is that?

Tess Dress

   Is anyone as excited as I am for the return of Mad Men (March 25 - 17 days away - but who's counting)?!  I am thrilled that the show is back, 60's fashions and all.  Banana Republic produced a (somewhat disappointing) Mad Men-inspired line last spring, and I've spotted 60's trends inspired by icons like Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn all over the place (at least, I credit Audrey with all the cropped pants I've seen recently, whether she deserves it or not).  To date, my favorite homage to Mad Men and 1960's style is from Theresa Kopecky of Tess Dress.  

So Joan Harris!

How cute!

   I love that while Tess Dress' style is classic and retro, it is not weak.  Designer Theresa Kopecky was in the Air Force, and stresses strong women through her clothes.  Kopecky describes the "Tess woman" in an interview as: "She’s a grown-up. She’s a professional. She may or may not be a mother; it’s up to her. She’s a pioneer; a modern-day equivalent of the WASPs, Rosie the Riveter, and the pioneer woman on the wild frontier. She’s the go-to woman in the office; strong, but always a lady. She always cares for her family." All this in bright, happy colors at a fair price (dresses start at $160, and are all handmade in Austin).  Add to all this, a no vanity sizing promise, and I'm sold!  I can't wait to see what comes from Tess Dress next.

All images from the Tess Dress website.

Trash Dance. Yes, you read right.

    What happens when you combine a choreographer, a UT film professor, and the City of Austin sanitation department?  Trash Dance.

Trash Dance teaser from Andrew Garrison on Vimeo.

   In 2009, Allison Orr of Forklift Danceworks choreographed a dance for 24 City of Austin sanitation workers and 16 trash trucks.  Sounds goofy?  Keep reading.  

   Orr spent a year convincing the sanitation department to agree to the project, and then spent a year getting to know city sanitation workers and learning each job.  As you can see from the trailer, she faced some doubt from the sanitation workers themselves, but all of these groups combined to produce several standing-room-only performances at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (where else can you find enough pavement to maneuver 16 trash trucks?).  "Trash Dance" sounds goofy, but touched thousands of audience members.
   University of Texas film professor Andrew Garrison produced a documentary about the Trash Dance project, which demonstrates the transformation that Trash Dance started.  The project gave sanitation workers pride in their jobs and abilities, and helped audience members gain a new respect for the men and women who provide a key service for the city.  In short, I think the project made everyone involved a little more human.  I, for one, cannot wait to see the documentary when it is released in DVD!  For now, Austinites can see the world premier of the documentary on March 10th at SXSW.  For more updates, visit Garrison's Kickstarter fundraising page.  This project is a great testament to the way that the arts can enrich everyone's lives, no matter how unlikely a participant they may be.

"Whole Lotta Lovin'..."

    Hello everyone!  After a very busy few months, I am back to blogging, and I have a "whole lotta lovin'" for everyone who reads this.  What exactly do I mean, you ask?  First, I mean this guy:

Gary Clark, Jr.

   I'm writing this from Austin, which is gearing up for the annual South By Southwest music festival (abbreviated SXSW or South By).  I have already spotted a bunch of "SXSW staff" jackets, and we are about to be inundated with thousands of folks from NYC, LA, and every other corner of the globe.  Although SXSW has evolved over the years and now features "Interactive", Film, Comedy, "SXSWedu", and "Eco" portions of the festival, the cornerstone is still music.  In fact, you could say that Austin's whole cultural cornerstone is music (although the subject of tomorrow's post might get a little offended...).  

   At any rate, Austinites in general (and Austin Monthly magazine in particular) have been raving about Gary Clark, Jr., latest in a line of great blues musicians to hail from the (self-proclaimed?) live music capital of the world.  He is a fabulous guitarist, and his voice is just perfect.  The Washington Post reports fans awed into silence and Alicia Keys agrees.  I've been listening to his YouTube playlist all morning, and I couldn't agree more.  See for yourself!