Snapshots of Massachusetts

In late March I travelled to the east coast to spend my spring break with my family in a place that had no idea it was even spring yet. With coats bundled up and the occasional snow flurry I wandered around the towns of Andover, Marblehead, Lowell, and Salem, complete with a day trip to the big brick city of Boston itself. While it was grey and chilly outside, the historical beauty of Massachusetts shined bright.

Salem










Andover






Lowell








Boston






The photos were all shot on 35mm without any sort of flash and while it does seem rather sad because all the photos are kind of dark I believe that there is something beautiful in the muted images.

2001 A Space Odyssey!

Today is another milestone blogging day for us!

2000 page views for Modern Girls and Old Fashioned Men!

This thousand took significantly quicker than the last! Spread the word! Add your friends!

love
Bailey and Jess

Money Talks

One of my best friends from my year abroad in London has been spending the last week with me here in the Bay Area. While we have come to a mutual understanding about the differences between our foods, spelling, and even our vastly different pronunciations of words (b-A-sil vs BAH-zil, Huh-erb vs ER-b), her trip to America has proven to be more difficult with all the cultural barriers.

Earlier this afternoon while I was at work Kayleigh (said English friend) texted me something that I found very unusual:

How much is a dime worth?

As I sat there in my cubical thinking why ten cents of course!, I realized that the United States of America has the most selfish money in the world. Why would Kayleigh need to ask me how much a dime was? It's because there are NO numbers on the coins--front or back.




Here are a 10p coin and a dime next to each other to compare. What does this say about our cultures? Are Americans more obsessed with being an exclusive society with our coins and money? Do we gain anything from leaving off the number?

All I know is that I really appreciated the numbers on the British and European coins when I was travelling so I didn't look like an idiot at a store. That's my two cents (sorry) on the matter.

BLEEP BLEEP (Future Talk) Graduating

In the last couple of days I have been lurking around the Cal Student Store because the daunting task of graduating from my last years of institutionalized education are coming to a crashing halt in less than a month. While there will no doubt be tears and camera flash bulbs going off on the day of the event, the planning has become just as much of a hassle as finals.

After shelling out over 200 dollars for semi necessary things (a cap and gown, thank you notes, a metal license plate holder, etc), it really began to hit me that I won't be going to school anymore. Never again packing up my life to move back to Berkeley, needing to look for an apartment closer to campus, picking classes on the adorably named telebears.

While my listings may seem sad and nostalgic, there is nothing I would like more than to get outta dodge and really start my life. Today I had to pick up my major commencement tickets at the "grad fair" and was greated by booths that reminded me that my graduation is the first step into maturity with free gifts such as...



a mini penant!



TEMPORARY TATTOOS

Nothing says adulthood like washable skin stickers. Class of 2011 represent.

DEALBREAKERS

Welcome to the first installment in in my Dealbreakers series! Most people have several established Dealbreakers which determine whether or not they will sleep with, date, or even look at a person. I, on the other hand, like to see how far I can push myself before I feel physically sick and the dry heaving starts. I'd also like to preface this by saying that I wear Jeggings and sometimes just one earring at a time, so like I get that I'm a walking dealbreaker too. Let us begin...

Stupid Facial Hair 

This includes: 

 

Ironic Mustaches

Ok look, it was kind of funny at first, but please stop. Or actually you know what, keep it because that way I'll know you're a tool just by looking at you, and can stay away. Also, I know you only have it so you can make jokes about free mustache rides to girls at bars. Although let's be real, I doubt I'd say say no to Twirls up there, AM I RIGHT?

 

Chin Patches, Flavor Savers and Soul Patches 

 Nope.

 This Shit

 Why.

Long Beards

This one was difficult for me, because I am absolutely Team Beard (and Devendra is so beautiful), but uneccessarily long beards just gross me out. Like are you shampooing that? Because if not I probably don't want it near my face. Why is this a thing? You probably have access to scissors or something to trim it with, and it is really that comfortable? 

Send me some of your dealbreakers!

Reel Talk: All Hail Michel Gondry!

Paul McCartney's "Dance Tonight" music video is beautiful, creative, funny, and adorable. While I would love to give all of this credit to my favorite Beatle (and maybe a little bit to the Natalie Portman cameo), I believe that most of the credit of the incredibly enjoyable success must go to Michel Gondry.

The French born director, and current Brooklyn resident, is best known for his unique eye and artistic manipulation. While stylized directors are often praised and sought after such as Wes Anderson, Michel Gondry continues to be underrated in the world of film. Having only directed 5 feature length films in his career over the last decade, Gondry has brought whimsy and creativity back to the screen in a way that no one else can correctly replicate. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep are by far his biggest commercial successes (we are not even going to talk about The Green Hornet. Everyone makes mistakes and needs money.), but some of the most creative and endearing moments comes from Be Kind Rewind which Gondry also wrote.



While he has certainly made a cult imprint on the big screen, Gondry's small screen endeavors have become icons all within their own right. We as the television viewers should thank him for making commercial watching exciting and humorous for at least a minute or two:



Last, but not least, Gondry is an instant hit maker in the music community for his timeless music videos. A drummer himself, Gondry understands the perfect balance between narrative, spectacle, and music for a band and it's fans. To match his creativity, Gondry continues to work with some of the most talented and innovative acts around such as Beck, The White Stripes, Bjork, and Daft Punk.





God bless you Michel Gondry for bringing originality and whimsy back to our culture.

Let Me Roll It

I think that while it is important to expose the idiotic truth about men in this modern age, I believe that we should also remember that good men truly do exist, and they will never stop surprising you.

While there is something wonderful about finding a man who is handsome (and happens to like you as well), it is even more special when that immediate attraction continues over years and years. I have been lucky to find someone that I continue to get butterflies with when I see him every day, but that is not what keeps us together. Simply put, he is my best friend.

Yes he's got everything I want on the superficial level: adorable face, great jaw line, perfect height, beautiful eyes and hair, makes me laugh, etc. Sure that is great, but more importantly he is just a genuinely good person who helps me understand myself better. Believe me I understand this all sounds so sappy, but something tonight upset me and all he did was say that he was sorry, here for me and that he loved me. I could tell that he really meant it. Now instead of just having this event disappear, I am so glad that it happened just so I could be reminded why I am with him and why I can't ever give him up.

Now onto the truly important stuff to help you all realize that perfect men are out there:
he tried to jump a parking meter to impress me, but instead badly injured himself...thus impressing me more
he changes the words of popular songs to the word "Bailey" or items on the taco bell menu
he now likes olives, tomatoes, dr. pepper, and Wings (the band...he always liked hot wings)
he always wants to make sure I'm happy
he loves my friends

end of story.