This weekend I stopped at Value Village to help some friends gather their Halloween costumes. Being the compulsive shopper that I am, I did not leave empty handed. Among other things, I picked up two brightly patterned silk scarves. The yellow/orange scarf for $2 and the pink/green scarf for $4.
The yellow/orange geometric patterned scarf
For the longest time, I associated patterned silk scarves with middle school French teachers and aging flight attendants. But I’ve started to understand their appeal — they have so many functions! I can tie them to purses, wear them in my hair or around my neck.
After viewing Beyonce’s latest video for “Countdown” approximately 7,000 times rather than read about the censorship of pop culture in America (yawn), I decided to channel her fierce looks and apply them to my everyday wardrobe.
The Inspiration
As my hair grows out, I’ve been styling it pretty naturally. I used Garnier Fructis Pure Clean conditioner ($4 and no silicone!) and then just added a small dab of Moroccan Oil to my waves as they air-dried.
The pink/green scarf is actually pretty long so I wrapped it twice, twisting it at the top and securing it in a knot at the nape of my neck. I added a few bobby pins for security’s sake and I was done.
Tying the Knot
For my makeup I chose a look that was a bit simpler than Beyonce’s. Although I love Audrey Hepburn-esque winged eyeliner, I didn’t think it would be appropriate once I hit the gym after class. Nobody likes a sweaty raccoon. I used translucent powder, light blush, and copper-brown eyeliner to fill in my brows and to line both my top and bottom lids. My lipstick is Rimmel London Lasting Finish in “Airy Fairy.”
Makeup Closeup
Tuesdays are my busiest downtown days–class, gym, home for dinner, back to class–so I like to look stylish without trying too hard. A silk scarf headband adds a pop of color to my otherwise neutral boyfriend jeans, gray tee + booties look. Add some costume-y stud earrings and an over sized purse to carry everything in and I’m out the door. Thanks, Queen B.
Finished Look
*Side Note: Please excuse the horrible, photo-booth quality photos. My digital camera was stolen at the last party we threw at my apartment. But hey, at least this gives me an excuse to buy disposables and actually print my pictures for once.
So I’ve rejoined Twitter for all the wrong reasons. I hate profile write-ups…how hard people try to be witty and creative. And I hate the self-promoting aspect to it as well. But then again, it’s a great outlet to get my news from. And it entertains me on the metro so that I don’t end up making awkward eye contact with the bag lady…instead my eyes are glued to my Blackberry. So follow me if you’d like. Can’t promise I’ll stick around. Twitter and I have a fierce love/hate relationship. @kelseypudloski or http://twitter.com/#!/kelseypudloski
Please excuse me for virtually disappearing from the blogosphere for nearly four months. I was fed up with being the Judas of online feminism, then finals came around, then I was traveling out West and before I knew it I was working five full days a week. So I thought since I’m technically on vacation (even though work sometimes feels like slave labor) I should write about lighter, lifestyle-esque topics.
10 SUMMER OBSESSIONS
1. New music. Particularly, “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People and “You and I” off Lady Gaga’s latest CD, Born This Way.
2. Yellow short shorts. A fresh twist on a summer staple. Try Urban Outfitters for this pair— Urban Renewal Levi’s Denim Short Short. Also comes in classic denim, pink and navy blue. $39.00 (USD)
Yellow Short Shorts
Feather Hair Extensions
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
Pastel Nails
3. A fabulous summer getaway. The Yacht Week is essentially a week long party at sea. Gather your friends, book a yacht and go. Now sailing to Croatia, Greece, Turkey and the Caribbean. Also, check out the promotional video. Apparently everyone who sets sail is a model. http://www.theyachtweek.com/
4. Classy—not trashy summer beach reads: The Help by Kathryn Stockett is the story of African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s. I’m reading this book right now and I lose sleep every night because I cannot put it down. The film version hits theaters on August 12. Emma Stone is a goddess. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay bounces back and fourth between a young girl’s experiences during the Nazi occupation of France and a journalist’s present day investigation into the girl’s whereabouts.
5. Feather hair extensions. Ke$ha rocked them and so can you, damnit (glitter is optional). You can get three extensions for around $25 to $30 at the salon. My favorite look is two natural colors, such as brown or black, and one brighter color–in H.Duff’s case–turquoise. Buuuuuuut, some animal advocats are claiming these hair extensions are killing thousands of roosters simply for the sake of fashion. So make sure yours are synthetic!
6. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Just when I thought TLC couldn’t come up with any more ridiculous (and addicting) reality shows they absolutely knock it out of the park. This show is both fascinating and sad. Essentially, it’s a bunch of modern day Irish gypsies getting married too young to go live in RVs for the rest of their days. It’s the bride’s day to shine because for the rest of her marriage she will be demoted to popping out babies and cleaning the trailer. How fulfilling. But seriously their dresses are insane. I don’t even know how they manage to walk down the aisle. I bet those feminazis over at Jezebl will have something to say about this show. Womp, womp, always hating on other people.
7. Hitting the gym and not the great outdoors. Typically gym memberships drop off in the summer. Normal people enjoy working out with mother nature. But not this girl. I enjoy air conditioning. Attend group classes in the summer when there are fewer attendees. It’s almost like having a personal trainer without the extra cost. Also, most gyms offer discounted summer passes for college students. I got mine at Element Diet and Fitness and paid $99 for four months. I am quite aware that Planet Fitness costs a measly $10 a month but they don’t have yoga or pilates so they can count me out.
8. Do-It-Yourself Facial Scrub. Mix a scoop of brown sugar, a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon. The sugar is a great exfoliator and the lemon serves as a cleanser. It removes pesky dry skin—which is great for a peeling sunburn (just remember to scrub gently). You could even use this scrub all over your body before applying self-tanner. Always shave and exfoliate the skin before self tanning to prevent streaking. I love the tan glow the brown sugar leaves my skin with.
9. Pastel colored nails. Forget the reds and hot pinks this summer. Pastels are in—much to my delight. Baby blue, sea foam green, yellow and lavender are great shades. Try OPI’s Nice Stems! Flower Stand Summer 2011 for ideas.
10. Browsing unusual blogs. What did people do before the Internet? If I have any down time, I can literally spend a good three hours on StumbleUpon without leaving my chair. My two all-time favorites are Boston Barstool Sports and Betches Love This Site. Because I’m a betch and sexist against my own sex—CLEARLY. I’ve also been getting really into reading food blogs because I’m trying to domesticate myself this summer by learning how to cook. Someone Left the Cake In the Rain is awesome but lacking in posts. But I forgive them every time I look at the peanut butter whoopie pies with nutella cream cheese frosting. I could lick my computer screen. Nom nom nom.
The Oxford Dictionary is adding new “techspeak” terms to its vocabulary
Updates reflect the way the English language is spoken online, and offline
By KELSEY PUDLOSKI
Staff Writer
MARCH 8TH, 2011
Techspeak, for those of us who are technically impaired, can be as mind-boggling as HTML formatting. Thankfully, Oxford Dictionaries Online is here to help. The site has recently added 200 new words to spice up our vocabulary, with many of them being associated with the world wide interweb (n. the Internet).
Since 1998, the Oxford University Press has published three editions of an English language dictionary, aptly titled The New Oxford Dictionary of English. The researchers start from scratch with every new edition, as the dictionary is intended to reflect the current state of the English language—not simply an updated one. The latest edition was published in 2010, but Oxford Dictionaries Online frequently updates their website with new entries to keep it contemporary.
The emergence of social networking has taken techspeak to new heights. Ever defriended (v. to remove someone from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking site) an ex after a bitter breakup? Or arranged a tweetup (n. a meeting or other gathering organized by means of posts on the social networking service Twitter) at Starbucks? Mark Zuckerberg has not only turned procrastination into an art form, it seems he has also infiltrated our verbal communication.
Beyond the confines of your Facebook home page lies a vast and chaotic network of other websites. Perhaps upon the purchase of your latest PC you installed freemium (n. business model, especially on the Internet, whereby basic services are provided free of charge while more advanced features must be paid for) malware to protect your files. Or maybe you’re a fan of microblogging (n. the posting of very short entries or updates on a blog) and read up on Perez Hilton from time to time.
Although it’s mainly self-proclaimed geeks who label these words, Oxford legitimizes them by slapping on official definitions and putting them into print.
Has techspeak taken over our society to such an extent that grade five students throughout the country are using ‘becuz’ and ‘rofl’ in their book reports? Perhaps — but outside the world of academia, techspeak is widely accepted. It isn’t deteriorating our vocabulary, it’s enhancing it. The English language is constantly evolving. The addition of terms enriches our understanding of new phenomenons encountered on the Internet. And that is nothing to ‘lawlz’ about.
Please excuse me for not having written in quite some time. My goal for this summer is to be consistent with my blog. It’s going to happen one day. I promise. To make up for lost time, here are two articles I published in this week’s issue of The Concordian. Sorry, but they don’t have much to do with beauty pageants.
Is Concordia’s dormitory policy dated?
New Jersey university to allow students to room with member of the opposite sex
By KELSEY PUDLOSKI
Staff Writer
MARCH 8TH, 2011
The adjustment to university residence life can be tough. Gone are the days of home-cooked meals and Mom taking care of your laundry.
Rutgers University is hoping a change in their housing policy will put all students at ease as they settle into their new environment. Beginning in the fall semester, some students will be able to select either a male or female roommate.
The decision was reached following the suicide of freshman Tyler Clementi, who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after his roommate secretly streamed a video of Clementi in a sexual encounter with another man.
Rutgers now joins a growing list of universities offering gender neutral housing options. But could this policy also work for Concordia residences?
According to Rich SwamiNathan, the manager of Res Life at Loyola, the idea has never been discussed at Concordia because there have not been any requests for it.
“It could happen — we’ll just have to wait and see,” said SwamiNathan.
Currently at Concordia, students can choose between living alone or with a roommate. However, rent is higher for a single room than it is for a double so students may be limited in their choice because of financial reasons.
“If someone has an issue [with a roommate] during the year — we would solve it,” said SwamiNathan.
The residence application includes a brief questionnaire of one’s personal habits but it does not ask about sexual orientation — doing so is against Concordia’s policy. The actual pairing of roommates is done through a computer program. Due to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, residence life is not permitted to share any personal information about one’s assigned roommate prior to move-in day.
In the United States, where this act does not exist, many students choose their own roommate(s) after meeting them at orientation or talking over Facebook. Putting this important choice into the hands of students, rather than computers, seems to be a smarter alternative.
Concordia residences are relatively small: last fall, 600 people applied to fill 424 available spaces. But it’s this close-knit, community atmosphere that makes students feel right at home.
“One of the benefits of having a small residence life program is that our residents receive individual attention as opposed to sweeping policies,” said resident assistant Cameron Monagle.
Choosing your own roommate might not currently be an option at Concordia, but with a little persistence, students seeking equality have the potential to change these dated rules.
Happy Valetine’s Day, lovers! If you’re looking for somewhere to take your sweetie out to dinner, I highly recommend the Little Sheep Mongolian hot pot restaurant in Chinatown (Montreal, of course). I was there this weekend with my boyfriend and five of his friends. I have to say we were attracted to it only because of the handwritten “all you can eat buffet and unlimited beer = $23.99” sign on the door. Although it took us an embarrassingly lengthy amount of time to grasp the concept of this restaurant it was well worth the trip. The waiter brings out a giant pot of a broth-y soup (for which you choose your level of spiciness) and places it on a burner in the center of your table. The ‘buffet’ area is really shelves of refrigerated foods—noodles, cabbage, cow balls, quail eggs, mussels, crustaceans, etc. You then pile as much food as you can eat onto your plate and dump it into the broth to cook. Maybe it was the alcohol, but I’ve never had so much fun at a restaurant. 50, Rue de la Gauchetiere Ouest, Montreal, QC H2Z 1C1 (514) 393-0888, metro: Place d’Armes
“Hell hath no fury like a Belieber scorned” is the headline of CNN’s most popular NewsPulse story right now. If you were too busy studying for midterms last night and couldn’t watch the Grammys—the Biebs was upset in the category of best new artist by the jazzy, bass strumming Esperenza Spaulding. Like the majority of Grammy viewers, I was all Esperenza WHO? But after looking her up on YouTube I was pleasantly surprised. Girlfriend is INNOVATIVE! She’s got an incredible voice and to top it all off she’s at the microphone singing her heart out and playing a bass almost as tall as she is.
I’m not a Justin Bieber hater, but nor am I a fan. He’s talented—anyone ever look up his first YouTube videos? Blondie is just pulling on my heartstrings with his rendition of “With You” by Chris Brown. A preteen angel. But Bieber is essentially a formula for today’s successful, young pop stars. At age 12 he posted some YouTube videos, was discovered by Usher and now BAM!—he’s at the Grammy’s wearing a white velvet tux and making teenage girls cry like someone just ran over their puppy.
I have to say I’m glad the Grammy’s aren’t simply a popularity contest. Upsets seemed to be a common theme—Arcade Fire took home album of the year (side note: Arcade Fire is from Montreal and some of their members went to Concordia! Take that, McGill.). Among the nominees in the category were Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum and Eminem. Underdogs rejoice.
To kick off my night of Grammy-watching fun, I tuned in to the 60 Minutes interview with Lady Gaga. I really appreciated her honesty—although it seemed to make Anderson Cooper a bit uncomfortable at times. Gaga explains how she developed the concept of shaping fame. The outfits, she says, are a way of directing attention away from her personal life and getting people talking about what she wants them to talk about. Tricky, tricky! Gaga also mentions she never lies—she was very frank about her songwriting process which includes the assistance of whiskey and pot. When celebrities lie about what they do in their personal lives, it only contributes to their demise. All the grandeur is her way of keeping her personal life personal. So when I saw Gaga arrive to the Grammys in an egg, I totally caught her drift.
Les Nordiques may be on their way back to Quebec City. It was announced yesterday the Quebec government and Quebec City will split the cost of building a new arena. Quebecers hope the project, which will cost roughly $400 million, will attract an NHL franchise. Back in October, 60,000 fans took to the streets of Quebec City to show their support for the team’s return. However, the federal government later decided it would not help to finance the arena. Provincial government officials say the project will be complete by 2015.
Two great things happened today. Mubarak resigned. Lady GODga caused spontaneous dance outbursts.
“Born This Way” Please let it be known I downloaded this masterpiece off iTunes at 9:02 a.m…I was that excited.
Celebrating in Cairo. Power belongs to the people after twenty-three years. And that guy’s face is hilarious.
Hopefully the blogosphere will turn its attention to more meaningful and relevant issues. I still can’t believe I made it to Yahoo News Canada (The Daily Brew), Jezebel, Gawker and Yale’s Bullblog. For someone who hates celebrating their own birthday because of the all the attention…this whole experience has been something else.
Evidently, some of the hateful comments have convinced my Mom I have a bounty on my head. She read one particular post from a woman who had taken the time to find my Facebook, Twitter (which I deleted, sorry kids!), all my previous articles from The Concordian and my blog. I’m surprised she didn’t look up my birth certificate while she was at it. Did she really have nothing better to do? Go change your tampon or something, seriously.
Anyways, here is an excerpt from an email my terrified mother sent me this morning:
Hi honey. For your safety (and don’t pooh pooh it). You CAN take down your Facebook page for awhile. If they see your hometown it’s easy for them to go from there and then they are off and running. Also, try to keep a low profile this weekend. I am glad **** [my boyfriend] will be there, but don’t let him get into it with anyone. Lock your room door even when inside. And park your car under the lights.
Some haters managed to worry my MOM. Not cool–not cool at all. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. And I wouldn’t leave hateful, anonymous comments to a nineteen year old college student in her first year of journalism school, but maybe that’s just me.
To put aside the rumors I must be an obese prude I have attached some pictures of myself. My absolute favorite comment was “put down the Twinkie.” Pshhh! You caught me, Jezzies!
Oh and one more thing: satiric – satirical: exposing human folly to ridicule; “a persistent campaign of mockery by the satirical fortnightly magazine” wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
“The most likely frumpy and bitter Kelsey Pudloski.” – Bullblog
“Pudloski must hate attractive people because she herself is miserable.” – Anonymous comment
I can’t believe how well-versed my haters are in the story of my life. It’s incredible!
TGIF! I’ll be puttin’ my paws up all weekend long.
Word Vomit 