On Friday, I headed further down Main Street after work to check out the mayhem that is the Bockfest Parade. It didn’t disappoint: goats and kilts and general drunken craziness proved to be pretty darn entertaining! Afterwards, I pointed out the Shepard Fairey mural on the corner of 13th and Main to FriendBoy, and we headed over to Lavomatic for a bite to eat.

Saturday morning, I headed down to a still very cold Fountain Square to kick off the Cinciditarod, a race (loosely) based on the similarly-named Iditarod. I volunteered to be a judge for the food and drink part of the challenge, which entailed each team consuming 5 burritos and 5 drinks from a roving Senor Roy’s Taco Patrol as quickly as possible.

I am only slightly ashamed to say that I got a  huge, slightly perverse kick out of seeing everyone from the Oompa Loompas to the Super Mario Brothers to streakers to Devo chasing down a taco truck in the middle of downtown!

On Saturday night I stopped by the Cincinnati Fashion Week logo launch party at Mynt to check out the scene and say hello to event founder Nathan (top left) and his crew of organizers (bottom left). I also ran into Ashley, a designer and model I recognized from Lookbook.nu, of all places. The internets lead to some weird connections, no?

Unfortunately, my relatively new camera literally slipped off the strap and crashed to the cement as I was walking to the bar, leaving the lens damaged and nearly reducing me to tears in the middle of a parking lot. So my pictures turned out blurry and I have to shell out $200 for another lens. Great.

What did you do last weekend? Any plans for the upcoming one?

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The wonderful sunshine-and-rainbows almost-spring weather of the past few days means one thing–okay, two things:

1. I need to get back on the workout train and get rid of at least one of my chins.

2. It’s time for a new spring wardrobe!

These are my current obsessions:

Queen’s Wardrobe Lovely Burbery [sic] 2 trench

I was actually drooling over what must have been the original Lovely Burbery trench, but apparently it sold out while I was wiping my mouth. No matter. This one is close enough and, yes, just as lovely.

P90X Extreme Home Fitness Training System

This would take care of issue #1, and I can tell it works because the typeface looks like GLEAMING METAL. ‘Cause it’s a serious workout and stuff. Plus, TV infomercials only show products that really work, right? Right?

My So-Called Life

Hulu has the full first (and only) season of one of my old favorites, including the heartbreakingly relatable Self Esteem. The scene at the end with Angela and foine *ss Jordan Catalano is, like, one of the best. Ever.

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The socio-economic implications associated with style of dress makes fashion a topic worth talking about in my opinion, but this post about Why Fashion is Worth Blogging About does a great job of breaking it down for those who don’t quite get it.  Be sure to check out some of the comments, too.

“You should be passionate about what you do for a living, and don’t let any fool tell you otherwise.” Advertising copywriter Derek Walker’s account of What I Learned From an Old White Man I Never Met.

The Do-First Work Ethic: Cool vid from the founders of Threadless on falling into a business and doing stuff by…doing stuff.

CreaWriter Is a Distraction-Free Writing Space Complete with Relaxing Ambient Noise. Bring it. I need as few distractions as possible–my brain is distracting enough. (Windows)

Looking for a more systematic approach to social strategy? Try the POST Method.

Inspirational article about doing what you love – and sharing the success that follows.

The popularity of Snuggies (I won’t front–I have one and it’s darn comfy) has spawned a plethora of comfort-first “fashions”, including Pajama Jeans and the Hoodie Footie Snuggle Suit. No really, that’s what they’re called. I haven’t been feeling well for the past few days, so they both sound like GREAT IDEAS to me! I dare you to watch the videos and tell me you don’t agree.

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Twitter

As long as you’re not a spammer and I like what you have to say or what you do, I’ll follow you on Twitter. Like a drunk girl at a frat party, if you have a sexy avatar and can form a semi-coherent sentence, I’m all yours.

Intimacy rating: I’d only give you my number if I’ve had a few drinks, but we can hang out and chat by the hors d’oeuvres.

Subscribe to RSS

I’m somewhat wary of clogging my RSS feed with even more information since it already takes an hour to get through it all. If I subscribe to your feed, I expect to see you at least once a week…and I’m okay with that.

Intimacy rating: You’re fairly articulate, kinda cute, and have all your teeth–all right, let’s dance!

Friend/Fan on Facebook

I’m letting you get to know the real me, so it’s getting serious. I must really like you. How much depends on which group of privacy settings I put you in, so don’t get too excited.

Intimacy rating: We’ve been out a few times and are dating, though not exclusively. I might even hug you after dinner.

Work email

Like the RSS feed, I’m wary of clogging my inbox and there’s only so much you can do with filters. I actually want to hear from you on a regular basis.

Intimacy rating: We’re officially exclusive and I’ve talked about you to my friends. I better not hear about you hangin’ out with no (other) Twitter hoes.

Personal email

At this point, you’re one of my bestest friends and I trust you enough to know you won’t be sending me spam. We’ve exchanged some one on one messages and gotten to know one another on a personal level.

Intimacy rating: I know you snore and how you like your coffee in the morning.

Do you segregate your contacts into different social funnels or is it just me? How do you decide who goes where?

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Based on this post about changing style direction from leather and studs to softer and more feminine, I decided to pull a few items from the back of the closet to see if I could reappropriate all the gray and black into something a bit more douce.

Dress, Victoria’s Secret; sweater, H&M; tights, Forever21; socks, American Apparel; belt, vintage; earrings, The Little Mahatma

I see lots of grays and taupes in my future…What do you think?

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I understand the commitment, the dedication, the long hours, and the attention that goes into even the tiniest detail. I’ve experienced the frustration when contributors don’t follow through, the elation when the final product is finished, the nervous jitters that invade your stomach (can someone explain why this happens?) when an issue is released into the wild of the general public, where everyone can see and judge and criticize.

I read this interview at Stack.com (if you haven’t checked out this service yet, do it now. I’ll wait.) and absolutely had to get in touch with Bec at Blanket magazine to find out if she was spending time camped out in my head. It’s so reassuring to know there’s someone out there experiencing the same things and struggling with the same issues.

Blanket magazine’s current issue and website

I have a tremendous amount of heartfelt admiration for indie magazine publishers–really, independent creatives in general, because I know how much energy and dedication goes into producing something so deeply rooted in personal aspirations. There’s a really interesting (to me, anyway) section in Blanket called Soul Publishers, where the editors speak to a selection of independent magazine publishers about what they do and why they do it.

Bec was really lovely and responsive, and even invited me to meet with her group of indie publishers in Manchester–which would be great, save the cost of flying to England. Though, come to think of it, I haven’t been to the UK in a while…

I’ll likely start reaching out to other independent publishers more often. I’d like to offer the kind of encouragement and positive feedback that’s gotten me through many a difficult time. Might as well spread the love, right?

Do you know of any other indie magazines I should check out? I’m practically obsessed.

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NYFW, Fall 2009

It makes me tired thinking about it, and I’m a pretty hardcore strong-willed bitchy type. Maintaining such a defensive stance is exhausting!  Shoot, even Xena had her vulnerable moments.

All the leather and bleaching and shredding was fun for a while, but now I’m thinking it would be nice to feel pretty, instead of pretty tough. I’m ready for something softer, and while I’m not necessarily looking to drape myself in mountains of florals and bows and pastel ruffles (though it worked for Chloe Sevigny), it would be nice not to feel like I’m an armored truck heading into combat 24/7.

Soft and pretty on the red carpet at the 2010 Golden Globes

Light and feminine on the Resort ‘10 runways

Some days, yes, I will be in Power Bitch mode just because sometimes I wake up in the takin’ names and kickin’ butt mindset.  Other times, though, it would be nice to dress in a way that conveys more vulnerability–not necessarily weakness, but…openness. All the hardcore fashion feels a little closed off, which is understandable in times of hardship when you need increased protection from the uncertainties of life. While things are still pretty uncertain (when aren’t they?), I’m exhausted. I’m ready for a change in direction.

Um, let’s keep the stripper shoes, please.

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Sorry I’ve been MIA…then again, my name is TaMIA. Corny, I know… Let’s move on:

Become a social media guru in two minutes or less, now available with cassette tapes! Who knew it was so easy?

Ah, the green screens of the Apple IIe bring back so many computer lab memories. Anyone else remember desperately hoping the weather cooperated when playing Lemonade Stand, learning the difference between prime and composite numbers with Number Munchers, and dying of dysentery (seriously, every time) playing The Oregon Trail?

We girls can do anything (as long as we have our half-caf soy mocha lattes), right Blogger Barbie?

How is Stephanie Seymour still this hot? Does she have some kind of pact with el diablo? Where can I sign up?

Creating your own deadlines and setting aggressive goals for your business. Can (and should) be applied to personal projects, too. Ahem.

Why small actions are more important than big plans. Tip: “You can jump in anywhere in the process to get it going.”

French retailers revolt against e-book hegemony. The publishing world is getting ugly as traditional and new media collide, and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better.

Alexander McQueen’s death left me shocked, then sad, then confused, then kinda pissed. Why? Is it ever really that bad?

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