Greetings from Iowa

Well. It appears that I haven't posted since there was snow on the ground! I can attribute that to two things: teaching myself to actually attempt completing all my homework (and no, that doesn't mean in the bathroom five minutes before the class starts) and being in a relationship. My first, actually. The fact that thinking about K, talking about K, texting K, or finding any way to physically be near K took up quite a lot of my time is probably one of the reasons he drifted, and that was why we broke up earlier today. Oh well. He was a jerk about it too, so that doesn't make it any harder to get over him! At least we were still together when prom came around. My dress was cuter than he ever was...

Anyways. Enough narcissism. Here's what's been on my mind lately:

• The Steubenville Rape Case. My favorite vlogger Laci Green tells it like it is in this genius video right here. To sum it up: no matter how bright the future of the rapist, no matter how popular or smart or anything, you NEVER NEVER N.E.V.E.R. blame the victim for being raped, you blame the rapist for raping. How hard can that be to understand?! They ruined their own lives (and the victim's!) for raping this girl. The victim didn't do a single thing to them. 
• Up-and-coming New Zealand musician Lorde. As a classically trained singer, I tend to be hypercritical of pop artists, but I cannot get these songs out of my head. In a good way though, not like when you get something hellish in your head like Macarena or nursery rhymes. Listen to her new EP on her SoundCloud for free. Recommended tracks: hit single Royals and Million Dollar Bills. 
• Although I'm currently boggled down with assigned reading for school, I can't wait to start Maya's Notebook, author Isabel Allende's latest. It seems to teem with all my literary guilty pleasures: magical realism, coming-of-age, gangs, drugs, family drama, and friendship. 
• A mother found her seven-year-old daughter's "diet list" and posted a picture of it to her parenting blog. Haunting, isn't it? You know you're too young to even consider a "diyet" if you can't even spell the word. I can't even remember what I was doing at seven, but it sure wasn't "pooshups"or tracking my "froot" intake. Now, it's certainly good to encourage exercise, especially to young kids, but not for the sake of getting skinnier! You know the media's truly screwed up when their propaganda of making us want to change our bodies so they can make money has even affected girls who are in THIRD GRADE. Girls are not humanly meant to be sexualized at that age. That's called stealing a childhood. 

• Focusing on an upcoming community service project I'll be taking on involving Kvennaathvarf, the sole women's shelter in all of Iceland. Stay tuned.
• What else? K was going to teach me how to play the guitar, but we're no longer a couple, so I don't know what to do with it now. Oh well.

current bookstack!

Top row:

1. The Soul of Rumi, compiled & edited by Coleman Barks- How can you be a poet without reading poetry? Still, Rumi's poems are more closer to devotions. The imagery is haunting, but they scratch a spiritual itch as well. My favorite line I've read so far: This is how I would die/into the love I have for you:/as pieces of cloud/dissolve in sunlight. 
2. The Notebook of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke- Since I've been trying to keep my own journal lately, I thought it would be good to get some inspiration. Rilke is one of my favorite poets, and the prose in this is not only beautifully written, but introspective and philosophical. It's a fascinating insight into the mind of a genius, but still designed to be interesting enough to draw you in, as if you were reading a friend's diary. But a really smart friend who lived in France 100 years ago.
3. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson- A collection of intimate-feeling short stories, painting an authentic picture of early 1900's prairie America. The author has a gift for characterization and seeing beyond the surface of seemingly ordinary lives. I recommend "Paper Pills" as a strong example. 

Bottom row:

1. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse- One of the quintessential "hippie era" books! (Even though it was written long before that, the English translation only came out in the 50's.) But I'm not reading it just because of that. I, too, am currently on my own "spiritual journey" (ugh it sounds really cheesy when I put it like that but you know what I mean) involving Vedantism and Buddhism. Therefore, this book is a great companion, reminding me that true peace cannot be taught, and that you cannot search for it, but experience it.
2. That's Not A Feeling by Dan Josefson- This one takes place in a therapeutic boarding school in upstate New York. It seems like a cross between The Catcher in the Rye (of course by J.D. Salinger) and It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. David Foster Wallace gave it some high praise before he killed himself, so I have high expectations for it. 
3. 2666 by Roberto Bolano- I don't know much about this book besides the highly complex synopsis on the back and the fact that it's 900 pages long. I'm too intimidated to start it! 

snowtoshoot

I've been living in Iowa since August, but today was the first snow day I've had so far. So of course I had to take some pictures!

First outfit: faux-fur coat by Trouve, tshirt by Luciana Quiroga, pinstripe jeans by Current/Elliot, purple Doc Martens, bracelet by Links of London. 

Second outfit: sweater I bought at a sample sale but it didn't have a tag, skirt by Free People, boots by Saks Fifth Avenue, socks by Urban Outfitters, "Love Elixir" pendant necklace by Waxing Poetic.

the golden girl

The day I had been waiting for finally arrived. I was fully prepared: I had a gently-used Penguin Classic edition of the book, and armed with highlighters, I wrote my name in the front cover and cracked the spine. I had been saving The Great Gatsby for when it would be inevitably assigned in American Lit.

It's just so canonical, reading it seemed like a rite of passage, a task every American high schooler must conquer at some point, like The Catcher in the Rye or Romeo and Juliet.

The novella itself was beautifully done, though not my favorite-it was more of a social commentary than a story that would keep you up at night, for me. The plot wasn't the focus, I feel, more of a vehicle.  Contrary to the anti-hedonistic message of the book, the glamorous imagery really drew me in, and more specifically, the alluring trope of the Golden Girl.

This is how I wish I was! It didn't seem very female friendly the first time I read it, with the focus on appearance and expectation to become a wife, but parts of it are progressive for the time, like being assertive, independent, free-spirited, and flirty if she wants to be. Especially in this awkward, confused, and sometimes lonely stage of life I find myself in, it seems so ideal. 

In terms of the fashions from that time, I'm no expert, but what I've seen is loose and indulgent on color and accessories, perfectly ready to both impress and party. I am in love with this glamorous yet whimsical editorial by Damian Foxe featuring model Sam Robinson for How To Spend It, February 2012.

Badass Goddesses

Lately I've been in a spiritual kind of mood. I used to be a grumpy, closed-minded little atheist who took pleasure in going up to religious people and trying to explain to them why they were wrong. Luckily, I've moved past my rebellious phase and have learned to see the beauty and purpose of faith. Like, it's meant to help you understand the world, make sense of it all, add wonder and sanctity to the everyday, and really just give you closure. What it is NOT meant to help you do is legislate the country, but that's a post for a different time, haha. So here are some heavenly beings who are also really cool.

Iha-Naga 

Roughly translated from Japanese, her name means "Princess Live-Long". In Shinto mythology, she is the goddess of stone, enduring for ages. Apparently, she was less than gorgeous, and when her father, the mountain god Ohoyama, offered the god Ninigi a choice between her and his other daughter Konohana, the goddess of cherry blossoms, he wouldn't even give her a second look. If he wasn't so superficial and had chosen Iha-naga, she would've blessed all their descendants with the strength and endurance of stone, but NO, he chose Konohana, so now we are all as fragile and vulnerable as flowers and we don't have eternal life. Let this be a lesson to all guys not to judge girls based on their looks! (source)

Saraswati

Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, science, and art (so basically all of your second trimester classes, haha). But really, she is very important and is like the Hindu version of a Renaissance man. She's called the "mother of the Vedas", which are the religious texts, and she is also the female counterpart of Brahma. It was with her knowledge that he created the universe. She helps Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer). She also flies on a peacock or a swan while playing the Veena. She is portrayed as being beautiful, because knowledge should be alluring. Sailen Debnath, a Bengali writer, in his book The Meaning of Hindu Gods, Goddesses, and Myths, says that she is female because women can conceive life, and that is creative. Fun fact: I have a poster of her above my desk to help me do my homework! (source, Wikipedia)

Freyja

Freyja is the Norse goddess of a lot of things. She does the job of, like, five goddesses, being in charge of love, beauty, fertility, gold, war, and death. She rides a chariot pulled by cats, which is like my dream come true, and we also have her to thank for Friday, which was named after her. Many places in Scandinavia, which is basically my favorite region of the world, are also named after her. Not to be confused with my favorite model Freja Beha. Oh and her name just means "lady". Represent. (source)

Tlazolteotl

Tlazolteotl should be respected because she is the Aztec goddess of filth. She rules over sin, vice, sexual defilement, lust, unlawful love, and STDs. However, she's also the goddess of purification of the above, sometimes in the form of a steam bath, so remember her next time you're in the shower. So, she both causes and forgives sin. (source, Wikipedia) 

Arohirohi

Arohirohi is so obscure that I can't even find a picture of her, so maybe she should be the patron saint of hipsters. No, I'm just kidding, and that was a terrible joke. Anyhow, she is the Maori goddess of mirages. She created the first woman, Marikoriko, from a mirage, and then asked the echo god Paoro to give her a voice. (Wikipedia)

Maman Brigitte

First, a quick lesson. In the Vodou (a.k.a. Voodoo) culture of Haiti and Louisiana, there is a belief in a distant creator god Bondye, who doesn't interfere in human affairs. Instead, there are spirits referred to as Loa, each in control of a specific aspect of life. Maman Brigitte is the Loa of death. She is the wife of another death Loa whose name means 'Baron Saturday' in French. She is said to use profanity and drink rum infused with red peppers, and protects gravestones only if they're properly marked. She is symbolized by a black rooster like the one above. (Wikipedia)

Artemis

Last but not least, Artemis. When we studied Greek mythology in 6th grade, we had to do a project on our favorite god or goddess, and I was the only one to choose her. Most of the other girls did Aphrodite. But even from that young age, she inspired me. She's like an ancient feminist. She fought against rape culture before it even had a name. She hit Bouphagos with an arrow for considering raping her, she turned Sipriotes who tried to rape her into a girl, and turned the river god Alpheus into her own personal spring when he came on to her attendant. But the greatest is when she turned Acteon, who forced himself on her after watching her bathe, into a stag and let her hunting dogs devour him. Believe it or not, she is not actually the goddess of men who can't handle their sex drives, but hunting. She remained a virgin for her entire life, and, when given six wishes by Zeus, she wished to aid women in the pain of childbirth. She was brave enough to approach Hephaestus and the Cyclops, and just ask for her bow and arrows that she wanted so much, when all the other girls were too scared. And she killed the daughters of Niobe, the goddess who boasted that she was better then Artemis' mother Leto. So she's loyal too. I could go on and on, but I recommend this article. 

what kind of poor schmuck makes a blogging resolution

Okay, I lied. I was planning on posting again "sometime soon", but yeah... that never happened! Lately though, seeing as I have a ton to do and therefore am on the internet procrastinating even more, I've missed blogging. I've missed posting and finding stuff to compile and talking to people and, frankly, having a blog to show off that's not a microblog. Like my Tumblr, which I love, but none of that stuff is mine. New Year's resolutions are for squares, but I have a goal (among many other conflicting goals i.e. getting my work done) to get this blog up and running. I come across so many cool things along my browsing of the interwebs and I just hate scrolling by and seeing it all go to waste. So, take 2!

Obligatory But Necessary Introductory Post

Hello there, I'm Sam. I'm still unsure if I want this blog to be more of a private diary-type thing or something published for others' viewing and reading pleasure, but it seems I've subconsciously gone with the latter, seeing as I'm introducing myself and all. So you know my name now, what else should I write? I'll give you some background; nothing will make sense without it. I am a rising sophomore, making me fourteen years old. I recently transferred out of a bourgeois, very homogenous Prep school in the deep south (of the US) to The Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in small-town Iowa. You can probably sense the contrast through the screen. To explain briefly, I had no friends, everyone was a conformist or had a one-track-mind lacking any intelligent thought, and the hierarchy of the whole place was determined by name or money or number of yachts and horses owned or whatever. This new place (my mom learned of it through the Oprah show) is more an alternative education, which I feel suits me much more. It was founded by an Indian guru know for being a "spiritual advisor" to the Beatles in the 60's. We meditate and practice yoga in the AM and PM, and make connections in all our subjects to ancient Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. (For the record, I myself am an atheist but I do follow the teachings of Gautama Buddha, so I am kind of a pseudo-Buddhist if you must put a label to it.) Even if you're no longer of school age I recommend you look it up, it's an interesting concept, and I'm obviously very excited to start. It has a really big international draw too. But I'm veering from the subject. My desire is to become more worldly, less materialistic, and find some meaning in my life. And that is what this whole blog is for. I have blogged before, I had a "fashion blog" which I maintained for about a year and had a moderate amount of followers and commenters. But I deleted it all accidentally year. Oh yeah, let me just put a TW (trigger warning) on this whole site. Maybe I'll share why, maybe not. It's not exactly something I want floating around the internet. But this is a record of the events, inspirations, and musings of my life, and there is a chance it could come up. Regarding what one might find on this blog, there will definitely be more written entries like the one you are reading, art, moodboards, probably lots of liberal politics and opinion-giving, maybe some reposts of other nice things I find on the interwebs, and an occasional outfit post - though this will NOT be a fashion blog, I cannot stress that enough. Oh, and I am a creative writer. Like, a serious one, that's what I want to pursue in my life. I'd like to post some of my writing up, if I wrote a poem or personal essay or such, though I kinda fear plagiarism, and you'll never know who'll be reading it. But we'll see. So yeah, I think that's all. Bless you if you've read this whole thing! I hope to see you back. I'll post again sometime soon.