GIVEAWAY: help me blow out the candles!

i'm having a giveaway in honor of my 23rd birthday this friday, october 2. you can win this little wristlet/cosmetic bag which comes in a few of my favorite colors (all colors are my favorite). i snapped this photo of it on one of my favorite mags which features one of the people i find the most glamorous:

AND i've stuffed it with a few things:

• ULTA nail lacquer in "happy hour"- if that doesn't scream me, idk what does. i love a good half-priced drink. *formaldehyde- and toulene-free
• ELLE metal-free hair elastics- i keep millions of these 'cause i'm a ponytail-rockin' chick (before my haircut)
• Ms. Manicure mini salon boards- these emery boards can fit in your purse or even your wallet. i'm always snaging my nails when im not home and i dont have my tools w/ me.
• pop-up hair brush and mirror- it's purple and fits in your purse and serves more than one purpose. i LOVE to multi-task.
• Too Faced Lash Injection mini mascara- "extreme thickening and lengthening mascara" extreme and lashes? YES! love me some flare.
• Burt's Bees beeswax lip balm- if i wear no other make up, i will at least have some form of moisturizer for my lips. and this one's all organic and stuff. bonus!
• Victoria's Secret PINK! panties (black)- they let me get a free panty like monthly and i love boyshorts so i get them every time. i got these in size medium hoping most people who read my blog could fit them. too big? too small? vickies might let u exchange, idk.

this giveaway is open to everyone in the continental U.S. special consideration will be given to members of my blog fam (people who regularly comment and/or who already follow me on twitter; they get extra entries). Let me know you want to win this by leaving a comment on this post by midnight EST October 2, 2009. in your comment, let me know about your best (or worst) birthday yet! *winner will be chosen at random using one of those online generators

do you budget for the bullsh*t?

some of you may know that i'm going to the maxwell concert for my birthday this friday. wonderful. originally i wasn't going to go because i thought i would have internship that day and wouldn't leave in time to go home and get ready and go. this was before i had my first day and i should have realized that i'm at a ghetto site where people just don't come in the second half of the week, especially on friday. anyway, my dad said that sense i deal with crazy people all day and the stress of school i should make time to do stuff i enjoy so he would get me the tickets. at the late date that he said this the tickets in the very top row came out to be like $90 with taxes and fees. he said to put it on MY credit card and he's pay me back.

fast-foward a week or two later. my dad picks me up from my internship site nightly because it's actually in a bad neighborhood. not just the people are hood, it's physically in the hood. a woman was shoot and a subway employee was stabbed within days of each other within a few doors of my site. he decides to pick me up in my car because my mom is like "it sits all week, you need to drive it from time-to-time". i guess me driving it some weeknights and weekends isn't enough for her which i would agree with if it weren't 80+ degrees outside. so anyway, i get in the car and it wont start. the complete worst place to have that happen at 8 o'clock at night. and my dad just sittin' there like nothing is wrong like he just gonna wait it out. negative. so i call my mom but luckily one of the people who works at my site was still hanging around and gave us a jump and we got home.

the whole point to me sharing this is: now that my car needs a battery, he's not gonna pay for the maxwell ticket, a $90 ticket in the nosebleeds. i would be like whatever if 1. i was working somewhere 2. he hadnt already agreed to pay and i was already planning on going and would have paid that for a ticket (i wouldnt have) and 3. he had taken my car for the 30,000 mi. service between now and June when I first brought it to his attention because they probably could have told us the battery was low. now aint that some bullsh*t?

i am glad it happened when it did. because what if i was out alone? or worse with friends? it's worse with friends because these dumb heifers would be hollering like "who can give us a jump?!" yup, they'd let everyone know at the hood spot we just came out of (all i do with them is club) that we were stranded and could easily be robbed. instead of rationally calling someone we knew to come jump us and sitting quietly in the car like nothing is wrong...

basically, this boils down to: i didnt budget for the "if" in "life". don't forget to plan for "emergencies" when doing your budget.

me and my car when i first got him, december 05. aww, he didnt even have tags yet.

upcoming....

a giveaway will be announced on tuesday so look out!

around the blogosphere

Here's some of this week's best posts:

• the cheap chica shares how EASY it is to get involved during breast cancer awareness month
• temptalia covers the beauty on the emmy red carpet over several posts. start here
• eye-opening facts about Latisse are over at spoiled pretty
• BGG is just the cutest chick ever as she shares some beauty news moms-to-be can use
• support T as she does the good-est in the fight against AIDS
• keep up w/ the MAC collections? temptalia can help out if you don't.
• get 1-year of InStyle mag for the LOW

one day/eventually

i have some wish list items and these are just some things i hope i get for my birthday but im not gonna flat out ask people for anything. i really dont expect to get much of anything for my birthday. so i guess this is just stuff i plan to buy over time. what's on your wish list?

-MAC-

you knew they would be featured so i figured i'd put them first. and yes, this list is the longest

1. impassioned lipstick 2. cranberry lip liner and 3. eyeshadow 4. grain eyeshadow 5. lucky jade shade stick 6. penultimate eyeliner 7. coppering eyeshadow 8. velvetella lip liner 9. waveline fluidline 10. luscious spark dazzleglass creme 11. probably one more dazzleglass creme

-Sephora-

1. pencil brush 2. make up for ever lashes 3. really high end mascara 4. urban decay book of shadows II 5. urban decay 24/7 liners

-CVS-

1. cover girl lash blast luxe

Bath & Body Works

1. Patricia Wexler MD tinted moisturizer spf 30

can i be honest?

let me say some things that it's probably not ok to say to my professors and such. i just need to vent.

1. we're three weeks in. your vague scenarios are not gonna have us recalling specific disorders from the DSM-IV. let's be real, i dont plan on reading that large 750 pg book cover-to-cover...so just stop.

2. if i actively participate in class (raising my hand and responding twice when no one else would), don't call on me directly to respond to some obscurity at the end of a dense chapter...

3. it's a problem when only 2 of 10 students have a client in the campus counseling center. stop asking us to describe our clients to you. we all know everything there is to know about each other's clients and it's boring. think of something else to do during our time together.

4. my client is SO boring. i didnt realize it until my supervisor asked "do you find yourself bored in the session with him"? she hadnt even seen the video but just based on what i was telling her she was getting frustrated as hell. unacceptable. and he's been here forever and they just keep letting him rollover to new counselors when people graduate.

5. i really wish i had more clients in my caseload but clearly that wont happen 'til my classmates all get one. back to #3. why do 5 out of the 40 people total talking internship have clients right now? #fail.

scheduled maintenance

i refer to some of my beauty rituals as "scheduled maintenance". this includes: brows and other hair removal, pedicures, manicures, and hair washing and styling. my facebook statuses (when i was still on there) would read something like "...is overdue for scheduled maintenance". I'd usually be on my way to hair cuttery for a $25 rollerset or about to devote a saturday morning to self care.

i got my eyebrows threaded yesterday. went to a different stand in a different mall (im broke/cheap like that). they are the same people though 'cause they got the same flyer. it didn't hurt nearly as bad as the first time. the first time hurt worse than childbirth (as if i would know). this time was far less painful than waxing. didnt even tear up or get that lasting stinging like last time. imma have to start going back to her. plus, she did a great job for $10.

how do you groom your brows? would you try threading? what would be too much to pay?

on the yale girl and other snatchings

what if you got snatched? i don't have to worry about that because i'm not fittin' to go nowhere with you! you can have my car but you are not about to tell me to get up in my own trunk. nope. i need to be unconscious. you will just have to kill me where i stand because you not gonna take me to some nasty basement... i always think it's a nasty basement. i don't wanna be killed somewhere germy. i hate germs! wherever i already am will have to do because apparently, i was there on my own volition. and how dare you put someone in a wall? what year was that building erected? because that is the height of trife if there was asbestos (sp). see, no i'm gonna have to be killed in whatever dark parking lot i'm in or whatever. when you go to the second location they got more time to think of sick shit to do to you. and resources. and plus you might be there for days dying. i need to get that instant death if you gonna kill me. also, i don't do stupid shit if i can avoid it. i won't be wandering around unattended at midnight in bad neighborhoods. im just sayin'...

btw, did you ever read that book? i read it back when i really liked to read. cant remember what i thought of it. it's been that long. surprised i even remembered it just now.

everyone gets one

you are guaranteed a birth date and a death date. it sucks to know the exact day and time you'll die. also sucks not knowing but whatever. we know when the DC sniper will die: nov. 10. all i remember is my school being on lock down for 3 weeks. we would normally have off-campus lunch but instead the school ordered us pizza...every-damn-day. and i dont think they gave us nothing to drink, just pizza. once you came to school, you werent leaving til school let out and there was no loitering around the school. go STRAIGHT to the the metro station or bus or however you get home. i dont even think people could go to their internship sites during that time. can't remember. i remember feeling like living in DC was SO inconvenient because this was just a year after the Sept 11 stuff where we were, again, on lockdown. couldnt leave unless our parents came to get us and my normal 15-20 min drive home was 3-damn-hours. ugh! #thingsidontmissabouthighschool.

i would lose my head...

...if it werent attached. this semester is the height of too muchery and we are less than a month in! i pride myself as being an excellent student. never miss a deadline and i know when all assignments are due and i have them completed far in advance. the far in advance has been few and far between the past few semesters and non-existent this semester. i'm getting all the way to school and forgetting i need a blank dvd. duh! where are you going? what are you about to do once you get there? uh, school to RECORD a session with a client #fail! i sure did make that a twitter trending topic on blogger. i'm surprised i don't turn my assignments in with trending topics (i.e. "client has been clinically diagnosed with #depression"). do forgive me if i get to be lacking on the posts again. i have no social life, no money, and no man. and then i cant tell you anything interesting about what i'm doing seeing as how there are laws against sharing that info.

random

i wanna be in the studio while some songs are being made. how can i just be around with no clear purpose? i needed to be that random chick around when say..."run this town" was being recorded. like who's idea was it for rihanna to make that wailing sound? or like when a dude is singing about some lewd act in a high-pitch, i would have liked to have been there. who's responsible for that falsetto? and then i just wanna beat whoever thought akon sounds good and decided he needed to be featured on people's cds...

letter writing campaign

how come people dont write letters anymore? my friend from undergrad is in japan right now. i jokingly told her to send me something and she thought i was serious. then it turned into, "naw, im playing. just send me a letter or whatever". she got excited because she feels like i do: people suck now. yea, writing a letter is slow and i bet you could tell me what you had to say face-to-face or through some other faster medium but i don't care. i've always placed more importance on the written word. show someone you care by sending them a written note. your handwriting sucks? probably because you dont write anything anymore due to typing/texting. get back to practice!

is this something you've thought about? want a pen pal? i'll write you letters. and yes, i have poor penmanship because im guilty of not writing as much as i should. plus i'm left-handed and i'll forever use that as an excuse although i know more left-handed people with pretty handwriting than not.

for people who do stuff

since i may not (or i may, idk) be doing anything for my bday this year, i thought i'd share some suggestions for those of you who will celebrate. if your special day has already passed this year, you can always celebrate in my honor on the 2nd of october ;D anyway, i thought i'd put this out there in enough time prior to my bday b/c i share it with a great blogger (wanna know who? click the link). she might wanna use these.

1. go to a gay bar and watch the drag show*
2. go get a new, or your first, tattoo
3. drink martinis all night sex in the city style w/ your girls
4. visit a bar catering to an ethnicity other than your own (in my case; white, asian, latino, ethiopian)
5. find somewhere to ride a mechanical bull
6. take a local cruise tour
7. visit a vineyard and leave w/ a personalized wine bottle*
8. have a spa day

got something to add? leave it in the comments.

*i might actually use that one

my 21st bday (2007)

2008

in theaters

going to see this? i'd love to read your review. i always say im not going to watch tyler perry movies when they come out. i see the preview and im like "nope. i wont." somehow i've seen them ALL.

over a friend's house

: hey let's watch this.

me: damn, everyone is like 'yea'.

out of town w/ a group of friends and spot nearby theater

: why dont we go see that?

me: well, looks like i got no choice

and sometimes i'm just genuinely interested based on friends' reviews and i'll watch online or my parents buy it on dvd.

this one, i want to see b/c i LOVE MJB's non-acting ass and Taraji is pretty good plus she's from the area.

aside from individual actors, i do enjoy Tyler's getting increasingly better casts and storylines/scripts. i love watching a talented person's progression.

best kept secret

megsmakeup.com, have u heard of it?

if not, you are sorely missing out. you rack up points for commenting and sharing your beauty knowledge. in return for your participation in the community, Meg sends you a prize pack when you reach 50, 150, and 250 points. points are real easy to get (for simple things like filling out your profile). she sends pretty decent stuff. people have gotten stuff from popular lines like urban decay. one of several items i recieved was valued at $55 alone. so worth it to check out and join. just click the button below.

btw, meg is very sweet and responds directly to emails : )

AND, because you care, i'm 12 weeks post-relaxer as of today.

are these my only options?

fashion/beauty-wise the trends are 1940's/50's and 1980's. thats...about...it. i have like 3 september magazine issues and that's all they're showing me. i admit i thought the 50's hairstyles and bold red lip was cute last year and i still like it this year, but it's starting to get played out. and i havent even finished my mac russian red lipglass. i hope i can empty it quickly, b/c i really dont like walking around looking like a clone. and the 80's thing? im so over it. i was good w/ the 80's/90's party we had for senior week 2008. i can be done with the neon such now.

looks like the 80's will stick around a little while longer for me. i had the bright idea to already plan my halloween outfit while i still had money from working and my idea was inspired by a barbie i used to have. she was "workout barbie" or something and her arms and legs could actually bend. i decided i should be an 80's workout video instructor. october 31st marks the end of this 80's trend for me!

sorry the pic is so small. it was the only one i could find of the actual doll i once had.

makes scents

am i the only one who feels like most fragances smell the same? for men and women, there are like 3 distinct scents and then stuff just starts smelling like slight, undetectable variations. im referring to higher end stuff, not vickies and bbw. those have distinct smells that i mostly dont care for. just a random thought...

let me see some credentials

T wanted to know about this counseling training thing and i figured most others reading would be curious too. let me know if you have more questions and i'll answer what i legally can.

1. the clients i see are aware that the center is staffed exclusively by master's students providing counseling as a part of their training. they call just as they would call any other agency and undergo a screening to see if the campus center will meet their needs. i wouldnt say they are getting lesser service than they would at any other setting. trust, our supervisors' licenses are on the line so if we were subpar, they wouldnt allow us to do that work.

2. we are supervised by our instructor, a doctoral student, as well as the clinic director. our sessions are recorded on dvd and clients have the option of not having their faces shown. we make all attempts to maintain confidentiality.

3. services are provided on a sliding scale: you pay what you can. i think it's a dollar for every $1000 of income up to $30.

4. clients vary but are mostly students from the university, students from my old high school next door and people from the area who cant afford much else. therapy in DC is high!

5. for high risk/suicidal clients, we have a procedure in place and im sure it's similar to that at any other agency.

6. you can get therapy for less by finding a university counseling center or a community agency that offers a sliding fee scale. some counselors in private practice may accomodate you.

i think of it as analogous to an doctor doing residency or interning or whatever they do. we're backed by those with far more experience and clients are in good hands. some people arent ok with that and those are the people who get referrals to other established counselors. i dont see anything wrong with that either.

this week in the blogosphere

this is a new feature. here, i will link you to some of the week's best posts. you'll find weekly discounts/deals and beauty tips among whatever else i find interesting. i cant promise that this will be every week b/c i may not see anything all that great or i just might not have time.

• dan coleman celebrates black history everyday w/ this malcolm x speech on open culture
• luvvie talkss about twitter foolishness
• bellasugar tells you how to make your own bubble bath
• visit spoiled pretty for a review of lancome hypnose mascara
• get info on NY fashion night out from mischo beauty
• can suspenders ever be worn well? omiru let's us know the answer is 'no'
• temptalia gives GREAT tips for lining lash and water lines
• what's argan oil? antihairslave tells you here

movie of the month

september's movie of the month is Inglourious Basterds. i'm a quentin tarrentino fan. i loved pulp fiction and kill bill. i think i can add this to the list of favorites. this movie was right on time for me. somehow they got on the topic and my sister told me that my 12 year old niece didnt know what the holocaust was. like she knew nothing. the next day, my sister, mother, and i took her to the National Holocaust Memorial Museum (or whatever it's called). maybe she was too young b/c i recall visiting in high school and she's just starting middle school this year. she didnt have a huge appreciation for it but i figured it wouldnt be too bad. think of the kids who actually suffered through it. hello? anne frank? (side note: where is my copy of the diary? couldn't find it to give to my niece). anyway, i digress.

basically, i liked the movie. it had sad, funny, and suspenseful moments which is my idea of a perfect recipe for any movie. the person i saw it with didnt like it but we can seem to agree on much of anything. no, it wasnt based on reality but i guess you have to have some knowledge of the real life events in order to appreciate the film. for more info and a synopsis, visit: the official site.

what movie did you really enjoy this summer? i didnt see district 9 yet, how was it?

um...

i won the dr. miracle prize pack from the anti hair slave and it included a braid spray. it's supposed to be good for braids, weaves, and locks. does anyone want it? leave a comment or shoot me an email and let me know. if more than one person wants it, i'll randomly select them. i can send braid spray in the mail right? even if you dont want it, let me know the answer to that, too. thanks!

for the if in life

how well do you prepare for the unpredictable. i consider myself a planner but i tend to plan for things in the forseeable future. i often fall short. for instance, i knew my blackberry was in danger when i noticed the prongs on my chrome ring for the rollerball were broken. i planned what i would do: buy a replacemetn from amazon. but instead of actually following through, i waited until it fell out in a casino in atlantic city about a week later to take action. so a panicked chick didnt know how to use the damn phone without the stupid track ball til about 2 am the next day. my whole life is in that phone (not really). but my schedule for this week was in there and it would have taken a whole bunch of extra steps to recover the information found in one place from various sources. im still pretty upset i have to wait until who knows when for this little $5 item to come. there was no option to expedite so im relying on standard USPS shipping. fml.

we cant all be prepared for EVERYTHING but try to follow through with any plans you have "for the if in life".

1 month

one of my friends is stressing about what it is she will do for her 24th birthday, which is in a couple of weeks. i can be of little to no assistance. i really dont want to be because i feel like a birthday should be about what you want to do. i spent many birthdays trying to guess what other people would want to do and doing that and also waiting on other people on MY day. im not going to advise her on what to do. she needs to figure it out. i hope she knows she should do what she wants to and if she's worried about no one wanting to come, she can do something by herself.

it is 30 days until my 23rd birthday. i can tell you exactly what i'll be doing to celebrate this year: NOTHING. i dont like the number 23. i dont like odd number in general and this age is just not appealing to me. further, with my schedule and my bday falling on a friday, i anticipate being very tired. i wont leave internship until late that evening and while maxwell will be performing alongside chrisette michele, i just cant see myself rushing home, getting ready and feeling 100% in 1.5 hours to attend on-time. that week i will enjoy all the freebies from the various fat girl birthday clubs i am a part of: coldstone, baskin-robins, rita's, red robin, and a couple more i cant think of but you better believe i will have maybe 4 more all with emails to remind me. also, i'll go pick up whatever sephora has to offer (probably more of their brand lipgloss). but on the actually day, i will go to internship and go home. maybe my parents will have bought the traditional strawberry shortcake, flowers/balloons. maybe not. all i know is i have no plans and i really think i'll like it like that.

session 1: intake

today is what i consider the official start of my graduate practicum/internship. let me tell you a little bit of what my schedule is like. yesterday, i met with my supervisor to discuss my client. this 1.5-hour session is mandatory weekly. this is in addition to mandatory weekly 1-hour sessions with my off-campus site supervisor. im expected to work (unpaid) 20-25 hours per week at this site. on-campus, i will work 4 hours a week. this week, im lucky *sarcasm face* to be charged with administrative duties so i get to log about 2 indirect hours from that. i call today the official start because im getting the highly elusive and coveted DIRECT hours. these direct hours are extra awesome because it's an intake session. so instead of the regular 50 min sessions, intake is 90 minutes! that was a brief, and maybe confusing look at what my week looks like. dont forget to factor in the 3- 2 hr classes i'm enrolled in.

i'm actually pretty thrilled that i'm one of the only people who actually already has a client. as a worrier, if i were sitting around all semester without being assigned a client yet, i'd be scared i would not accrue my required hours and all the things that come along with that sucky situation. so since im starting to get my indirect AND direct hours, i shouldnt really complain, right? um, we'll see after i find out how this first week goes.