Contemplations on my so called love life.

Those of you that have known me since high school have always known me to be the "long-term relationship" kind of girl. For some reason, I always ended up dating people for long periods of time. And I don't necessarily regret that, as I have learned lots of things from it. But, ever since college started, I have been so hesitant to actually commit to a relationship with anyone. And it's not that I'm not over my ex or anything, it's just that I feel like as soon as I get in a relationship that there will be this huge cloud over me, this huge obligation to please someone else with whatever I do, and if I don't please them, then I have to deal with phone arguments or what not...and it's not just something I want to get into.

I hate to lump all boys together, but I just feel like there are very few guys that can handle dating me, as ever since I have started college. I am a very difficult person to be in a relationship with. First of all, there is my major: Theatre. That in itself is a deterrent to many guys- (well not of course, to OTHER theatre majors, but that's another story.)

• First of all, being a theatre major requires long hours of rehearsal in addition to class/homework time. Which in turn equals into not very much boyfriend/girlfriend bonding time.
• Also, at times being a theatre major will propose a situation in which you have to play a romantic lead, which, when you are dating someone who does not act, it can lead to bouts of jealousy, even though it is just acting.
• Especially in the theatre department, you get close to lots of people rather quickly, including people of the opposite sex. Many boyfriends don't take kindly to hanging out with other guys, even if it is obvious you are just friends.

So theatre in itself makes it hard to date anyone. Add to that my serious dislike for talking on the phone, (not having ACTUAL conversations, but the whole "I'm on the phone just to be on the phone" thing) and my scatterbrained-ness, and that is a real plan for disaster.

Haha, I suppose it just means have just not found the right one yet. But as of now, I'm not really trying to. I still don't want to get married until I am at least 30, and I am content with that.

I find it easier to focus on myself and my career for now, so I don't have to compromise my life for anyone, even a boyfriend. Sure, that may sound selfish and maybe it is. But I just have to look out for me. Because if you don't look after yourself, nobody else will. I think it's so important to nurture your passions in life and go for them full-force, no matter what!

So anyways, I am single and have been for about 6 months or so. And I'm totally cool with that! If there is a guy out there that can handle me in all my glory... haha... then he will show himself when the time is right. It is just important to me to have fun and enjoy my life right now without the burden of pleasing someone.

And that is all. =]

Let's put on a show! A Dior-Show, that is.

Let's just say that today was an uber-successful shopping day. It started off at the mall, where my mother wanted to pick up her free underwear from Victoria's Secret and her free lipstick from Clinique. Of course it did not end there. After wandering through several stores and trying to convince my mom that she was in fact, NOT too old to wear clothes from Express, we wandered into Sephora, of course. I happened to pass by the Dior section and mentioned that I heard that Diorshow mascara was one of the best ones but that I had never been able to try it because there was no place to buy Dior ANYTHING in Augusta until now. So my mom, who is always eager to try out new mascara's claiming anything great tried it on with a tryout mascara wand. (Now mind you, it may seem pointless to do so as the great force behind any good mascara is its brush, and not in fact the liquid, but even so, it worked enough for her.) So needless to say, even without the brush it worked wonderfully on her, enough that a customer near us saw her lashes and immediately went and bought it. Then I tried it on, with the same great results. My mom was so happy upon finding a mascara that works so well that she said "Oh what the heck, lets both get one!" This, coming from my mom who digs receipts out of the trash can to return a $7 item. At $24 a pop, Diorshow mascara is definitely not cheap, but for these results, I think it is worth it! When I wear it I look like I am literally wearing false eyelashes. It is beyond crazy. Look:

Pow! I told you! haha. But anyways, awesome mascara aside, I also scored some AMAZING deals at Plato's Closet. I got an entire outfit including 2 tops, shorts, and some heels for less than $30. And 2 items were from Express! So that always feels good haha. But seriously, aren't these shoes amazing?

Would you believe that they were $5?! Haha do I have a sixth sense for finding awesome bargains or what! These 2 tops are pretty cute too, eh? Excuse my hideous bathroom background but... you know..haha.

I also got some pretty non-descript brown knee-length shorts that I didn't feel like photographing. but they were only $5!

All in all it was a very fruitful day of shopping. Actually, the other day I bought some items as well (I have been shopping crazy, can't you tell?!) Like this blue top from Express, black suspenders from that Sylviana store, and some over-the-knee/thigh high(?) argyle socks from Express as well. (Associate discounts rock.)

They look pretty weird in this pic I suppose... but on they look pretty darn cute. They go about as high up as these do:

So yeah, I have some pretty nice stuff for the fall! I am excited =]

Legally Blonde?

OK. So. Tonight is the finale of Legally Blonde: The Search for the new Elle Woods. The winner of this show will actually be starring as one of the most vocally demanding roles on Broadway right now, Elle Woods, in the musical Legally Blonde on Broadway. For starters, this whole show was a mistake to me. I mean, there are many VERY qualified and talented performers out there and if they would have just had even an open call audition, or let the under-study come in it would have been so much better. But of course, MTV had the brilliant idea of using a reality show to find out who the next person will be. So, upon watching the first episode I was expecting that the finalists they chose would all be truly amazing singers, at least. I mean, you HAVE to be to play this role. Elle belts like crazy in pretty much every song.

So I watch the first episode and the first thought that is running through my head is "WHAT!? I can do better than that!" They were...awful. And it just went downhill from there.

I haven't been keeping up with the episodes but I watched some re-caps online last night... and I feel as if there is only one girl that I feel deserves it as she is older and experienced in professional theatre, and she obviously has the best voice as well as the most real acting out of all of the girls. The other frontrunner is cute, but her acting is an exact imitation of Laura Bell Bundy...nothing there.

And the third girl cannot sing. Simply put.

I'm worried for the future of this musical. At least the winner only is contracted to do it for two weeks.. haha. Although that may be too long!

I shop for free.

I think I have officially gone insane.

So today I cleaned out my suitcase (finally!) and for some unknown reason I had this urge to organize my closet. I actually ironed everything that was wrinkled in any way or form and hung it all up and organized it according to type (party/going out wear, casual, business-y/formal). Now, my closet is really tiny so of course I organized my drawers too haha. But anyways- here is some photographic evidence of my cleaning escapade. I'm saving these pictures because I know it will not last.

So apart from my closet organizing frenzy, I also had a pretty eventful shopping day. Mainly because I spent NO MONEY. Yes, that's right. Everything I bought today was free. Well, it was only because I had some leftover money on giftcards that I hadn't spent... but free nonetheless. The first one was from Dillards and I got a cute bra, but I really don't feel like I want to post undergarments on the internet. So moving on, I had a $15 giftcard to Goody's which I have had for a year because I never shop there. But I did today and I bought some cute accessories! I got these cute gold shiny bow bobby pin clips:These necklaces: (The pearls all came together- they are 2 super long strands, one white one gray which I doubled up) and this silver chain with beads and a horn looking thing. I like them all together so here you go.I also scooped up these cute earrings:
After Goodys I realized that I had a $10 giftcard to Borders left, so I stopped by and picked up the CD of The Raconteurs since it was only $8.99. (It is really hard to find music for $10!)
A successful day indeed.

Fun times.

Okay so I wore my dress today. And I thought I would show my hoards of devoted blog-readers (humor me, ok?) what it looked like on MOI. Add to that a certain degree of boredom and this is the result.

I know my fashion photography skills are lacking- the only big mirror I have is in my bathroom. You know you love how I used the shower rod to model with. I suppose all those hours watching America's Next Top Model have paid off, huh? =P

I was having a good hair day today, too! So here's a pitcha.

I want,I want,I want!

Okay so for those of you that don't know, I work at Express in the mall seasonally, so now that I am back from Macon I will be starting back up there again. Today we had our product launch meeting where I got to get kind of reacquainted with the new stuff we have... I'm so mad because there is SO much cute stuff. We had a fashion show and I was a model... haha it was pretty fun. Our background music was Baby Got Back. Yeah. haha. But anyways there are some items that i have absolutely fallen in LOVE with. Such as this tank:I totally love the flower brooch (the tank comes in white and a deep pink color too, and they all have different brooches!) with the feathers, and the awesome lacy back. I also love this teal tie-neck top for some reason. I feel like it would be so cute with a high waist pencil skirt or the jeans pictures which I also really want.

With all the cute new clothes, however, there are some items that leave me wondering, such as these Sandy-esque black leggings Sorry... you're not the one that I want. ( I couldn't resist that horrible joke!)I'm super excited because you can actually order clothes online now at http://www.express.com/. You couldn't do that before!

American Apparel Adventure

So yesterday I went into American Apparel for the first time. Being one who enjoys wearing solid colors, the store is a veritable rainbow of amazingness! Apart from some items which I really don't understand; this atrocity of a "dress" for example, and these shorts: Synthetic glittery nightmares aside, there were a heck of a lot of cute items. I really loved this dress:

But after trying it on I realized that first of all, 1: I am NOT a size small in this store! and 2: I am definitely not in shape enough to wear this dress. Since the M was too big, I couldn't go for that, but the S felt like liquid cotton on my body haha. Every single curve (even ones I don't necessarily want to show off) was visible. On the model, it's a hot dress, however.

I finally decided on this dress. It actually looks alot cuter in person. It's a comfortable t-shirt type dress that is very versatile- I can wear it in the summer and also when it gets colder if I layer tights/boots/scarves with it. I was bored and I was thinking of what to wear with it so I created this set containing some possibilities:

Midsummer Macon is Over.

So, most of you that know me probably know what I have been up to this summer- I have been working at Midsummer Macon. Well, today was my VERY LAST DAY and I am back home in Augusta.
For those of you that were questioning what I actually did there, I will tell you.
I created lesson plans for three one hour classes per day- all filled with about 15-20 kids ages 6-9. I was the acting/theatre teacher so mainly what I did was play theatre games such as charades, a game I kind of came up with that is like Freeze Dance but instead of just dancing I made them act out certain scenarios and people (i.e: 'you are walking on hot lava,' 'you are an 80 yr. old at a nursing home dance party) and many other things including Ninja Pie... which happened to be a huge hit among the kids :)

Also, each week we had a craft-like activity that tied theatre into it. I alternated between making puppets and making masks and letting the kids come up with a play to go with what they made. It actually kind of disturbed me that the majority of the kids came up with plays that involved lots of violence and/or included one or more people dying at the end. Another disturbing fact: my SIX year old kids knew the words and were singing along to Katy Perry's song, "I Kissed a Girl." I realized this when a counselor's phone went off and that was the ringtone and about half the class was singing along with it. I mean, the song is catchy and all...but what message are we really giving our kids? Sheesh!

But really... if there is one thing that I learned about doing this camp it is that I really don't want to have kids for a long time, lol. I mean it was fun and I learned alot but... Phew.... dealing with that many kids all the time just wears on your nerves. There is only so much crying/yelling/running around I can take. The good thing about it is that alot of the shyer kids really embraced the class towards the end and finally broke out of their shell a bit. That is always nice to see. I think though that I still would rather be performing right now, and not teaching until I am about 40 or so. =] Hopefully next summer I will have me a nice acting job. But Midsummer Macon was a good opportunity, and for anyone that wants a job involving theatre it pays pretty well and you get free housing and good food so that is something to keep in mind!

But really though, I am so glad to be back in Augusta. I am going to be working at Express in the mall for the rest of the summer until school starts, so you can come visit me. It's not necessarily my favorite thing to do but I still gotta keep the money rolling in.

I'm just a Nomad.

Lately I have been feeling very nomad-like. I come from college back home then back and forth from home to Macon for 4 weeks- I don't think I have ever emptied my suitcase this entire summer! It is very strange. But in a weird way I have discovered that I really thrive on change... on changing up where I am. I really like to explore new places and I really just cannot stand to stay in one place. I shudder to think what life would be like if I lived in Augusta, GA my entire life. Moving around alot and discovering new cities just is really appealing- good thing I picked a career conducive to travel, huh? I hope to be traveling all over the country, moving from one acting job to the next. (Unless I get a steady full time job working at an amusement park or cruise ship or *gasp!* Broadway!)
I just get so antsy when I stay in one place for a long time... living in Augusta for the summer, even though I have been in Macon for most of it has bored me to tears already. (Apart from the times that I get to hang out with the people that I dont seen in college, that is!) Apart from that, I am ready to go back to school. A new, amazing, dorm- new, fun classes- a new season of shows-its just so exciting! Haha. I seem like the ultimate dork, I'm sure. But I'm also ready to just be around all my CSU folks. I miss people randomly walking into my dorm to hang out, and going to Ihop at 2 in the morning. But in about one month all of that will be happening again :) Yay college!

The Diviners- Behind the Curtain

My Senior year in high school I was in a play called The Diviners. We performed this for our One-Act competition and took home Region and won 2nd place at State. Two aspiring filmmakers in our senior class decided to make a documentary of our journey and it is really quite good. I just stumbled upon it and thought I would share :)


Diviners: Behind the curtain, Part 1


Diviners: Behind The Curtain, Part 2


Oh, and yes, I am aware that I sound like I'm on drugs or something in my interview. I really do not know why that is haha. Also, yes, my director was quite crazy. If you watched the whole thing- the part where he is holding up the script like he wants to slam it down on someone, he was dead serious and at one point during rehearsals he slammed it down beside someone he was angry with and cursed them out. Haha... I love Mr. Lewis so much. I miss him! So many good memories with that man...

I remember when we did the show Crazy For You that he had hurt himself and was constantly on some SERIOUS pain meds. Now, my friend Elias has this bear hoodie towel that is made for kids and he brought it to school one day. Mr. Lewis (under the influence of his intense medication) stole it and wore it around school saying things like "Im the king of the theatre!" and at one point he was talking to himself in our big mirrors backstage. He honestly told us he didn't remember doing any of this later.

Did I mention that I love this man?

Fun with Vandalism

So yesterday I was at the Golden Bough vintage bookstore in Macon and happened upon this book of graffiti art by a graffiti artist named Banksy (http://www.banksy.co.uk) Some of it was pretty awesome. Where some of his art is political and kind of a social commentary, some of it is just for fun. Here are some examples of some pretty cool stuff he did:
(In case you can't read it, it says "There is Always Hope" beside the girl with the heart balloon.)
If you ever see the book with a compilation of his work, it is definitely worth a look.

1 Vest, 4 ways!

I know, I know, I just did something like this. But I really am liking making different outfits based off of one clothing item! Hopefully these can inspire you to create your own outfits. =]


This next set is based off of a vest from Forever 21. It is a basic black vest which is very much in-style at the moment. The best thing about the vest is that is is extremely versatile. With a little bit of creativity, you can see that it can fit a variety of personal styles. The first style with the blue dress is if you like a vintage look. The dress is actually vintage, and the lace stockings give it that old-fashioned yet modern edge. The next style is preppy with the button up striped shirt and the denim mini. The yellow accents keep it from being boring, however! The next outfit is a little bit funky and cool. The zebra scarf and cherry earrings give it a bit of spunk, I think. =] Finally, the red dress and flirty shoes are girly and romantic whereas the vest keeps it young and fresh.

I have found that I really enjoy making these types of sets and I am eager to help so If anyone has an item in their closet that they are not sure how to wear it, or if there is a certain trend you would like to try but you just can't figure out how to style it in an outfit, send me an e-mail at j9isyourstar@yahoo.com and send me a picture/describe the item/find it online and I will create 4 outfits for you. Finally, put those bright yellow pumps or purple skinny jeans to good use! =]

1 Top, 4 Ways!

I was bored and decided to have some fun with outfits!

I love corset tops, like this green one from Charlotte Russe. The top right outfit is how you might wear it everyday, the bottom right is an example of work-wear, the bottom left is an example of maybe a nice dinner and the top left is a party outfit!

Nothing like old favorites.

I decided I would make a list of some of my all-time favorite songs. ... enjoy!

(in no particular order:)

1. First Day of My Life- Bright Eyes

2. Plenty of Paper- Eisley

3. Curious-Holly Brook

4. Love Today-Mika

5. Wishful Thinking- The Ditty Bops

6. Us- Regina Spektor

7. A Sight to Behold- Eisley

8. Lua- Bright Eyes

9. Thriller- Michael Jackson

10. I'm Not Afraid of Anything- Songs for a New World

11. All You Need is Love- The Beatles

12. Human- Jon Mclaughlin

13. Casmir Pulaski Day- Sufjan Stevens

14. Must Have Done Something Right- Relient K



If anything this would serve as a pretty interesting playlist.

Fun with Clothes.

I am about to divulge a guilty internet pleasure of mine. Polyvore.com. On this site you can basically play fashion stylist and create 'sets' such as what you may see in a fashion magazine. You can pick from thousands of items of clothing and accessories from high end designers such as Chanel and YSL to Target to basically create outfits. It is pretty addicting if you love fashion and if you love graphic design and placement you will love it especially because there are many design elements such as backgrounds and graphics that you can incorporate into your sets to make them look even spiffier. You can enter contests with your sets to win real prizes such as money, gift cards, etc, or just bragging rights among the community. It is a pretty cool site and I have made alot of sets... its one of those 3 AM activities to keep you busy, anyway :O)

http://www.polyvore.com

Unique handbags!

Last year, I stumbled upon a really amazing website called Etsy.com, where you can purchase all kinds of home-made and vintage clothing and accessories. I purchased a super-cute handbag from a seller named Beckymae, here are some examples of some of her stuff:

All of the purses below are made from vintage fabrics! How cool is that?

There are tons of other sellers that sell similar types of items for pretty decent prices. Go check it out! http://www.etsy.com/

A new blog. A new vision. A new day.

Okay. So with this blog I am going to be focusing on things that I, Janine, am interested in. The main things would be: Theatre, fashion, and music. Just for any future blog-readers in the world: here is some information about me.





So I am 19 years old and a sophomore in college. Where, you say? Well I attend the small but mighty Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. Not Ohio, contrary to popular belief...


It is a relatively small school but the theatre, music and art programs are pretty darn good. Im working towards a BFA in theatre performance and I actually enjoy going to school. In fact, I'm kind of sick of summer actually and I am ready for it to start! This summer I have been working at a camp called Midsummer Macon in Macon, GA teaching theatre to kids ages 6-12. It has been kind of exhausting at times, but a fun and a good learning experience for me. I also love to live in different cities and explore! I have found a really cool vintage bookstore and coffee shop here and every Tuesday there is live music at the aforementioned book store... it has become a tradition to go there and actually last time me and a couple friends jammed out ourselves.

Speaking of jamming out, I love music and I love to sing. In addition, I have been playing the piano since I was about 7, although I don't play as much anymore which is a shame, I know. I don't have a piano or a keyboard that I can bring to my dorm, though.


I just got done touring Schoolhouse Rock Live, Too! Last semester. We totaled about 60 performances in elementary schools as well as our mainstage season performances throughout the whole semester. Every single Tuesday and Thursday we were on tour! It was pretty hectic and stressful as well as tiring (We had to carry our huge set in and out of 2 schools each day) but a great experience nonetheless.

Next semester we will be doing BatBoy the musical! I really want to be Shelley, but there are many girls that would be suitable for the role so I will just have to update you on that. I am on the prowl for audition material, so far I am stuck between 2 songs (Even Though from I Love You Because, and Stranger to the Rain from Children of Eden.) I think I may have a monologue... it is from a play called Keeping Tom Nice. Auditions are the first day of class which is sometime in later August. We will see what happens!