A little gem from my reading.

I just started Eating Animals this morning, and I'm already in love/hate with it. Love because it's informative and educational, hate because our species infuriates me. I wanted to share with you guys a little thought prompt, found on page 26:

"If we were to one day encounter a form of life more powerful and intelligent than our own, and it regarded us as we regard fish, what would be our argument against being eaten?"

I love this quote because it provokes thought. If our justification for eating animals is that we're stronger and smarter, is it okay for us to be food for something stronger and smarter than us? Why or why not?

I found this image on facebook (source unknown) and thought it was perfect, and tragically accurate. Fortunately, books like Foer's not only bombards the reader with knowledge (a lot of it, and much of which you could have gone your whole life without knowing), it makes you think critically about your choices and values. Foer is an author, not a journalist, and also a father and a consumer, and as he evaluates his place in this multi-faceted issue that is factory farming, I guarantee you will too.

Look out later for a clothes post!

Alie

A long-awaited return to blogging.

 Hi all.

I hope I still have some readers out there. I truly am very sorry for my unannounced hiatus. Believe me, I missed blogging. For a while I felt like it would be best to discontinue the blog if I'm going to be so inconsistent, but that would be very hard. So, I decided to step back up and keep doing what I do.

This past semester was very hard, for a lot of reasons. One day, I stopped being able to focus on work. I was so worried about work that it interfered with work. I started to worry about other things - what if my friends secretly hate me? What if I'm ugly? What if I'm too stupid to finish college? What will I do with my degree?

From there it progressed further. The same sentence would flash in my mind, over and over, making me incapable of simple tasks. It was a very simple sentence, but a very powerful one indeed. It said: Everything is falling apart.

Finally, I accepted therapy. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, PTSD, C-PTSD, and possible panic disorder. My therapist and I worked on some strategies for dealing with anxiety and panic when they come, and how to battle the depression most effectively. (One strategy was to clear my plate of everything that wasn't absolutely necessary and essential. This blog, though I love it, was on that list.)I was able to focus enough to finish the semester, but I'm by no means "fixed." It will likely be a long battle to happiness.

But that's not all that's been happening, and it's not what I want to focus on.

Firstly, after the semester was over I got new hair!

Before. Long, side bangs, etc.

After! I went with a straight bang. I love it so far! 

Out and about with my new hair.
Sunnies: Target

I waited until after the semester in case I hated it. I've always been super stressy about changing my hair. I'm always so afraid it'll look awful. But part of it was that I wanted a change after everything that happened this past semester. It felt liberating and very nice.

I also took a maymester to get some extra credits completed as well as to cushion the blow to my gpa that last semester caused. I took my junior seminar and a class on the ancient philosophy of yoga. My junior sem was a writing intensive that I need to graduate. The professor I took focused the class around inherited genetic diseases. Did you guys know that being a heterozygous carrier for sickle cell helps protect against Malaria? Or that being a carrier for cystic fibrosis protects against tuberculosis? The body's evolutionary defenses are endlessly fascinating! Yogic philosophy will probably get its own post now that I have time, but I'll just say for now that even though it's ancient (upwards of 6000 years old) it makes so much sense, even and especially in light of scientific discoveries of the past several years.

Now, of course, I feel obligated to bombard you with pictures and news about APO!

This was my first day wearing letters! My wonderful big ordered them from greekgear.com

Pledging almost got scrapped for being unnecessary, but I felt so much friendship and positivity with my brothers that I knew it would be worth it. And I was right! Time spent serving with my brothers really truly was my safe haven when it felt like everything else was falling apart.

My pledge class, now newly initiated brothers!

My family tree. Top center is my g-g-g-big Brittany Brown and her descendants.

My family line!
From left to right: my big Rachel, my g-big Jess, and yours truly

It's been a great journey through the pledge process, and I'm so excited to begin my life as a brother of Alpha Phi Omega! Jess, my g-big, is Pledgemaster again, and she asked me to shadow her as her assistant! I'd love to run for Pledgemaster so the experience should help with that.

One last one! Yours truly at formal. I was dateless, but had a wonderful time with my brothers!
Dress: a store called Group USA
I'm donating it to my high school so someone else can feel as pretty in it as I do, so it was nice to wear one more time.

That's all the fraternity business for now. To finish off, let's talk summer reading!

I think the last book I told you I was reading was Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist by Sharman Apt Russell. That was a fantastic read, I highly recommend it. Since then I've read Neil Gaiman's American Gods, a truly epic story by my favorite author, and Watchmen the graphic novel. I'm obsessed with the movie (and I'm going as the Silk Spectre for halloween!), and reading the book was awesome. What can I say? I'm a nerd.

In May, both Khaled Hosseini and Dan Brown had new novels come out, so I immediately picked those up on my nook tablet (Nook HD+ for anyone who's curious). Hosseini's novel, And the Mountains Echoed, was beautifully written as always, while not being as heart wrenching as his book The Kite Runner. Id give it 3.5 stars and would recommend it for anyone who likes deeply felt and strikingly human stories. Dan Brown's latest, Inferno, is my favorite by him so far. It was exciting, interesting, kept me on the edge of my seat, and dealt with current issues. 5 stars and highly recommended from me! (As a side note, I'd like to state for the record that I fully support the "bad guy." Do with that information what you will.)

Now I'm about to read something super important to me. Something that, interestingly enough, came out in 2009.

I bought this book when it first came out, on my tiny original nook. Since then, I've made it 84 pages into it. It's that gruesome. It's an author's research into the meat and agribusiness industry in America, and not since Upton Sinclair's The Jungle has such a horrifying exposé been put in print form. Did you know that for every ten large predatory fish that existed in the wild 50-100 years ago, only one is left due to overfishing the oceans? Or that the average KFC bird is only 39 days old at slaughter? Think about how many growth hormones it takes to make them that big! 

These are two facts I learned just from the first 84 pages of this book. It's a brutal read, but also very informative and important for anyone who cares about animal rights/welfare, public health and safety,  or sustainable food production. I've made it a goal to finally read it, start to finish. We'll see how this goes!

Sorry this was a long one guys, I just felt like I had so much to tell you! Look out for a post on some shopping I did this weekend, cruelty free beauty (as always), and a post about my recent exploits and discoveries about ways to help animals in need. 

Til then!

Alie

(Yes, I changed the spelling! What do you think?)

Updates.

Hello lovely readers,

I'm incredibly sorry that I'm such an inconsistent blogger :( though I do have quite a bit to tell you guys.

It's spring break! FINALLY! Midterms were very stressful, but I'm feeling confident that I did well. The only classes I had actual tests in were in anthropology, organic chemistry, and genomics, and they were all decently spread out during the week, so I feel good about how they all went.

Unfortunately, I got in a car accident on the way home on Friday night. I swerved, panicked and over-corrected, and now my precious Isabella is probably totaled, though I still have to hear back from my insurance agency. I'd just like to shout out to my boyfriend Dylan's WONDERFUL parents for taking me in for the duration of the break now that I can't get home!

I also started seeing a therapist at CNU's free counseling center. We've only had one session together, but so far I feel really hopeful for the outcome, and I'm excited to see her again after the break. Things have been particularly hard this semester, between anxiety and a lot of other issues, and I'm excited to try and work through them.

Another really exciting thing has been happening, specifically regarding my spirituality and worldview. I've been reading an excellent book called Standing in the Light: My Life as a Pantheist Sharman Apt Russell.  I've spent a lot of time reading about Pantheistic worldviews from a detached, explanatory, philosophical perspective, so it's been nice to read something by someone who lives it day-to-day. But, surprisingly, that's not all that's come of it. In fact, it's made me very thoughtful about a label I would NEVER have thought of in a million years: it's made me consider becoming a Quaker.

Now, hear me out: Quakers are NOT Puritans, nor are they exclusively and oppressively Christian. They are not the guy on the oatmeal box. My type of Quakerism is called "unprogrammed" - meaning they deviate from the very structured and church-like Quakers that we commonly think of. They follow the more traditional values system of the earliest Quakers, that see the Light in all. They are very egalitarian, with no church leaders, and believe in pacifism (if the Light is in all, what justification is there in violence?). Quakers were among the first feminists and animal rights/welfare activists, and have Pantheism strongly rooted in their belief system.

It's far from resolute, and knowing me I'll spend the next million years reading about it, but it's an interesting turn of events, and something I'm excited for.

Be looking out for what I'm calling Cruelty-free Beauty 3.5 in the next few days. I'm not calling it part 4 because there's only a few actual purchases and reviews, but there will be a lot of shout-outs to brands I've heard of or products I'm coveting at the moment :)

<3,Ali

The pledge process! And other randomness.

Hi all!

This past week and weekend were SO exciting! As you know, I was accepted as an official pledge of my school's chapter of Alpha Phi Omega!

My bid card! I've removed both mine and our pledgemaster's information.

After events Monday-Thursday, we found out on Friday whether or not we were accepted. Next stop: pinning! On Sunday I received my pledge pin.

Sorry about the picture quality. The "P" in the middle stands for pledge, obviously.

As you can tell, I was pretty stoked. 

Meet the Spring 2013 Pledge Class of Alpha Phi Omega, Alpha Delta Xi chapter! Can you spot me? :P

Brotherhood education/chapter meetings start this Sunday! I'm a little bummed that it will (for now) interrupt my Sunday dinners with Dylan's family, but I'll survive. I could not be more excited to have joined such wonderful brothers as a pledging member, and I look forward to one day wearing their letters!

This week is pretty dreary and cold - I'm babying a sick Dylan, studying for a herpetology exam, and trying to survive without getting sick. Over the weekend, Saturday night to be exact, Peninsula SPCA hosted their annual Fur Ball, a black tie gala-style event where donors and friends can have dinner, socialize, donate, and participate in live and silent auctions where all the proceeds go to our facility. They even brought some pets! I wish I had taken a camera, because seeing dogs all dressed up was adorable! Here's what I wore:

Please forgive my awful photography and my paleness!
Dress: Forever 21
Shoes: Kohl's, but I've had them since I was in the 8th grade :P #smallfeetproblems

We raised over $150,000! It was insanely successful, and the money goes to such a good cause. I'm so glad I helped make it happen!

Other than that, here's all the outfit stuff I have, but it basically sums up all of how I dress in the winter. Big sweater, leggings, scarf.
Sweater: Target (stolen from Maurissa)
Scarf: Gift from Dylan when he went to London a year ago :3
Leggings: Forever 21

Also, today was Signing Day. CNU likes to make a big deal out of everything, and declaring majors is no exception! Every spring semester, sophomores have to formally and officially declare their majors. Mine hasn't changed, but I still had to go through the motions -_- but I got a button, so it's worth it! (slight sarcasm).

I'm now proudly sporting this on my school bag :)

That's about all I got for ya folks - off to go do some chemistry!

<3,Ali

Weeeeeeeeee!

Hi all!

This week is stressful, as I'm expecting the rest of the semester to be as well :/ but that's NOT what I wanted to talk about!

As I mentioned before, I participated in rush week for Alpha Phi Omega, the national co-ed community service fraternity. I GOT MY BID! That means that I've been accepted for the pledge process!

I couldn't be more excited - I LOVE all of the brothers (it's co-ed, so you're called a brother no matter your gender - I'll even be a brother!) that I've met so far. They're truly amazing people, and I can't wait to get involved in service projects with such great friends. 

Pinning and first dues are on Sunday morning. I get to collect my official bid tomorrow afternoon, but the Pledgemaster Jess decided to alleviate the suspense and notify us if we were selected ahead of time. I love that, I love my future brothers, and I can't wait to join the family.

That's all for now! I could rant all day though!

Ali

SEVEN HUNDRED VIEWS!

I just checked, and I have 704 views!

This means SO much! Thank you to each and every reader who has bothered to stop in and read what I have to say! Thank you for putting up with my animal rights rants, my pointless opinions, my random breaks, all of it. I couldn't do it without you :)

This week will be busy, as I've got a test in organic chemistry, a lot of work due in Religions of the West, and an event almost every night of the week for Alpha Phi Omega, the national co-ed service fraternity that I'm rushing. I'll do my best to keep you all updated and not be a horrible blogger!

Cruelty-free beauty- Part III!

Hi all!

I am SO SORRY that this post is coming an entire week late :/ after this post I'll be resuming the 30 Day Self-Esteem Challenge, just picking up where I left off. This will make it more than 30 Days, but whatever.

Classes have been going well. I already have a lot of work piling up :/ but so far at least it's been interesting. We got some snow on campus Thursday night! Sadly not enough to cancel Friday's classes :(

Anyway! I thought I'd finally review some of the awesome cruelty-free products I acquired over the break and since! Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to take individual photos, and my new shampoo doesn't get a photo at all :/

1: 24/7 Glide-on Pencil in DEMOLITION [v]. 2: Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara in SKYSCRAPER. 3: Naked Beauty Balm (Sample). 4: Eyeshadow Primer Potion 5: 24/7 Glide-on Pencil in MILDEW (Sample) [v]. 6:  Supercurl Curling Mascara (Sample). 7: Grind House eyeliner sharpener
[v] = vegan

So, what can I say except that I LOVE Urban Decay?! This is my first purchase since learning they were purchased by L'Oreal, but I wasn't disappointed. The eyeliner is simply to die for - it can last through my hour-upon-hour, face-smashed-into-pillow after class naps, so I'd say it's pretty durable. The name is not deceptive, it does indeed glide on very smoothly. The mascara also leaves no complaints - my lashes look great and don't take an hour! I haven't had MUCH use of the free samples (which, by the way, you get a sample of SOMETHING every time you order - just another plus!) outside of the beauty balm considering I already bought mascara and why on EARTH would I use mildew-colored eyeliner?! I LOVE the balm, but don't really have $34 to drop on it :/ To be honest, I threw the sharpener in my order rather than dropping into CVS and getting a cheap one because I was a few dollars shy of the free shipping limit :P but I enjoy it quite a bit! I don't usually wear enough eyeshadow to need a primer, but it DOES work very well when I have special occasions.

I've also been using their Surreal Skin Creamy Concealer in DREAM [v], which may or may not be on sale at the moment (hint hint), for my under-eye circles that will inevitably appear when one has 8am classes, their Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Midnight Cowboy [v], and their Midnight Cowboy eyeshadow palette (not currently on sale). Love love LOVE all of it, and I do recommend it. A lot of it's vegan, but it's all cruelty-free. But it doesn't stop there!

1: e.l.f Tinted Moisturizer in NUDE [v], 2: Mineral Blemish Powder in TRANSLUCENT (with brush included) [v]. 3: Glitter nail polish in FAIRY DUST

So first of all, e.l.f is THE go-to brand for really affordable, cruelty-free/vegan makeup. They're truly fantastic. The moisturizer has, for me, who enjoys simplicity, replaced liquid foundation and consolidated 2 steps into one. Not that I'm saying that's right for everyone, but for me it works. Loveeee it. The mineral blemish powder and brush make up what's called the Mineral Blemish Kit, and it's arguably my favorite recent makeup purchase. It's better for zits than caking on liquid makeup because it's a light, breathable powder, and it's treated with willow bark and tea tree to try and heal breakouts WHILE covering. It's also translucent, so it works on ANY skin tone. The nail polish looked BEAUTIFUL online, but wasn't really what I expected upon receiving it. It's a nice glitter that I think will look nice on top of black once my nails grow back, but by itself it isn't my favorite. :/

On top of a makeup overhaul, I also picked up Renpure Originals Luxurious argan oil shampoo and conditioner [v], and am planning on switching to the Shick Intuition razor. Schick is owned by a company that tests, but I have it on good authority that they themselves do not. :)

I will now begin discussion of feminine hygiene products - if you're uncomfortable reading about it for WHATEVER reason, feel free to skip it. It's the end of the post, so you're NOT missing anything! Don't say I didn't warn you!

****************************************

Over the break I made the decision to switch from using pads/tampons during that time to using what's called a menstrual cup. It's a reusable silicone cup that you insert that catches products of menstruation. Once it's full you simply dump it, wash it, and reinsert it. It looks a little something like this:

It's much more absorbent than pads and tampons, so you can wear it longer. Because there's no rayon present, wearing it longer won't give you toxic shock. Most importantly (to me, maybe not to anyone else), the only packaging or waste is the original packaging it comes in. This makes it MUCH more eco-friendly than pads OR tampons. It IS sanitary if you keep it clean and wash it regularly, though of course misuse and improper care can make that not the case. There are many brands, all of which I'm sure are fine, but I bought one called the Diva Cup (shown above). It's available on a variety of websites, including CVS and Walgreens and Target, but the cheapest one I found was at Wild Earth Market, a really awesome website dedicated to natural cures and remedies.

Generally I like it a lot. I initially had a hard time inserting/removing it, but once I got used to it it was fine. I had ONE leaking incident, but it was due to improper insertion. After that, no problems whatsoever. I'd definitely recommend it!

I hope you guys have an awesome week!
<3,Ali

30 Day Self-Esteem Challenge - Day 3

A part of your personality that you like.

I'd have to say the part of me I'm most proud of is my over-nourished inner child. I'm a bad sufferer of Peter Pan Syndrome. I've never quite allowed her - or, rather, forced her - to grow up, so I've never lost my sense of wonder at things that are new. I've never lost the importance of play and laughter, and I've never stopped seeing innocence as something nice instead of something to be overcome. That doesn't mean I'm childlike or innocent or immature or anything like that, it's just that I can be perfectly happy playing with my baby cousin's farm animals with her and watching Disney movies from my childhood. It's fun, and you're only too old for it if you tell yourself you are.

Well, now that that's over, some announcements:

Today is the first day of classes! I've had Organic Chemistry, Genomics/Proteomics/Bioinformatics (study of DNA sequencing and protein form and function), and Herpetology (study of reptiles and amphibians). I have the same o-chem prof as last semester, so that's good, and so far I really like both of my other classes I've had. Then again, it's a little early to make such judgements :P

I have Religons of the West and Cultural Anthropology tomorrow, so I'll let you know how those go!

This weekend I want to accomplish two posts: One on my new cruelty-free makeup products, shown below:

Images from my Instagram

And one on Pantheism. I promised all the way back in my intro that I'd do it, and I haven't. Reading Carl Sagan has inspired me! I'll give you a sneak peak to that one, a video put together by Max Schlickenmeyer featuring a fantastic quote from astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson:

Looking forward to sharing all of it with you guys!

<3, Ali

30 Day Self-Esteem Challenge: Day 2

A physical feature you like on yourself.

I like nice collar bones, and I have really strong collar bones that I find attractive and actually enjoy showing off.

The 30-Day Self-Esteem Challenge

I have let many things over the past several years corrupt and demean my self-image and perceived self-worth, but with this I am making a commitment to see a new me in this new year. If any of my readers wish, I highly encourage you all to participate. It can be scary and painful, but in the end it is worthwhile. I linked the source in my last post, so here it is (I'll complete Day 1 at the end):

Day one: A facial feature you like on yourself

Day two: A physical feature you like on yourself

Day three: A part of your personality that you like

Day four: A habit you have that you like

Day five: Something about the way you think that you like

Day six: Something about the way you just are that you like

Day seven: When do you feel best about yourself? Why?

Day eight: The last time you smiled when someone complimented you. What was the compliment and why did you smile?

Day nine: Something that you yourself do that makes you smile. Why?

Day ten: Why are you the way you are?

Day eleven:  Do you like the way you are? Why or why not?

Day twelve: If you could change something about your personality, what would it be and why?

Day thirteen: What do you think of your smile?

Day fourteen: What do you think of your laugh?

Day fifteen: Why do you think people are attracted to you, either friend-wise or romantically?

Day sixteen: The last thing you did that made you smile

Day seventeen: Another thing you like about yourself

Day eighteen: The last thing you did that made you laugh 

Day nineteen: Is there a particular outfit/article of clothing/accessory you like on yourself? Why or why not?

Day twenty: If you finish this challenge and still feel that your confidence is low, would you be willing to do it again? Why or why not?

Day twenty-one: When do you feel your most attractive? Why?

Day twenty-two: What do you think others like about your personality?

Day twenty-three: What physical feature do others seem to find most attractive about you?

Day twenty-four: What is your definition of “beautiful”?

Day twenty-five: Do you often compliment other people?

Day twenty-six: What is your favorite compliment to give and receive, and why?

Day twenty-seven: Do you often accept compliments? If not, why?

Day twenty-eight: Do you feel good about yourself today? Why or why not?

Day twenty-nine: When you don’t feel good about yourself, what do you do to change that, if anything?

Day thirty: Are you happy with yourself?

Day One: A facial feature you like on yourself.

I have nice skin (most of the time) and during the summer when my freckles come out I think they’re kinda cute.

I can tell you right now not all of them will have a picture, but for this one I figured why not.

I'm really excited for this challenge! :)

Post-holiday, pre-semester laziness.

Hello my dear readers!

I'd like to apologize for the unannounced (and genuinely unplanned) hiatus I took from blogging over the holiday and break from school. I haven't been SUPER busy, but I've been enjoying family, both mine and Dylan's. I had a wonderful Christmas, and I got some great stuff:

Prada's perfume isn't actually produced by Prada, which is a major fur powerhouse. It's actually produced by Puig, which is a completely vegan fragrance company. This is "Candy" and it smells fantastic!

I also got a really cute elephant  necklace, an plug-in for my iPhone that looks like the receiver for a corded phone from the 90's, and some clothes. With my Christmas money I ended up buying a TON of music (which I'll get to later), Windows 8 (love it), took my mom to see Les Mis for her birthday, a TON of vegan makeup I'll review in a future post, and these babies:

$23 at Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse in Newport News. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

New Years was fun, Dylan and I spent it together, which is nice because we had to Skype our New Year's kiss last year :(. It was pretty low-key, so I ended up just wearing skinny jeans, a sparkly tank top, and a baggy cardigan (curses for me not taking a picture of it!).

Now on to some other news:

First of all: GO SEE LES MISERABLES. I've seen it twice now. I hardly ever cry in movies, but I was bawling. It's so beautiful! I want to name my daughter Fantine. (The soundtrack is, needless to say, wonderful as well).

Second: Go listen to Marina and the Diamonds. Yes, as usual I'm late to the party and they've been around for a while, but I bought both of their albums within 24 hours. So good. 

Third: I bought a lot of Urban Decay and e.l.f makeup, not all of which I've been able to try. Once I have, I anticipate a Cruelty-free Beauty Part III post in the works! :)

Fourth: I'm thinking about doing a 30 Day Self-Esteem Challenge (links to a Tumblr that I greatly enjoy; follow her for great advice and social commentary!), both on here and my personal Tumblr. Each day I'll answer a question with something I enjoy about my body, my personality, or my interactions with others. I think it sounds fun and uplifting, and I encourage all of you to partake as well!

Fifth: Feel free to follow my tumblr (linked above), as well as my Twitter, Pinterest and my instagram: AlexndraRae! 

I hope you all had a great holiday season, and for those readers about to start their semesters like me, good luck and study hard!

<3, Ali