our spirit of strength, perseverance and resolve is what has and always will make America great || #neverforget đșđž (at 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial - NYC)
noise dept.
wallacepolsom

#extradirty
RMH
đȘŒ

romaâ
Mike Driver
i don't do bad sauce passes
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
Show & Tell

izzy's playlists!
I'd rather be in outer space đž
Jules of Nature

⣠Chile in a Photography âŁ
Cosimo Galluzzi
Sweet Seals For You, Always

pixel skylines

ç„æ„ / Permanent Vacation
seen from Chile
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@dazedmostlyconfused-blog
our spirit of strength, perseverance and resolve is what has and always will make America great || #neverforget đșđž (at 9/11 Ground Zero Memorial - NYC)
love this place times infinity || #keeppalmplayaon (at Grand Coral Beach Club)
i woke up like this || đ#keeppalmplayaon (at Pure Mareazul Riviera Maya)
if the âïžâïžcould talk || I imagined I would be sad to see the sun set tonight on a long, amazing two week break of quality time spent with family and friends, but truth is, I'm ready and excited for what is to come. I've thought a lot about what I'd like to change, what I want to embrace, the places I plan to see, the resolutions I intend to conquer. And I am eager to see where the road leads. Hope you all are too! Bring it 2015. (at U Street Corridor Neighborhoods)
autumnal commutes || DC's brownstones are đ (at Logan Circle)
What America Needs
This EveryGirl post is EveryThing. I hear from many young women like myself who feel its not worth it to have their voice be heard. Or they feel that there are no avenues because they have zero experience in government or policy. Unlikely career path or not, women, especially young women, should want to be involved in the public policy that will indefinitely shape the future of their lives, their childrens' lives. Maybe you won't become the next Hillary Clinton, but there are so many small things we can do as females -- aside from dumping buckets on our heads and using politically charged hashtags on our Instagrams -- that can truly make a difference. Our cities, communities, and our country need us.
I share this not to shame a women's use of social media advocacy, because that's important too, but to encourage those who may be standing on the sidelines longingly to finally really get in the game. Great successes in the face of adversity start with even greater ideas soaked in a lot of ambition. And honestly, guys can't get to have all the fun, right?
image via Glamour Mag
Women in Politics. The phrase brings to mind a few choice images, namely backward white males spouting defensively about wage gaps, feminists protesting the Hobby Lobby, and Hillary Clinton in a tremendous pantsuit. Whatever the reaction to these images, it would be fairly safe to say that they do not paint the picture of a career path particularly receptive to young females. I will be the first to stand up and say how inspiring Hillary Clintonâs path to power has been and how heartening it is for me as a young woman to see the faces of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Elizabeth Warren, and Janet Yellen, but if I am honest with myself, their paths seem almost impossible to follow.Â
For one thing, they are much, much older than I am. It is hard for me to aspire to the career of a woman in her sixties when I am still in my twenties. I can see that it could happen, by a long shot, way out ahead of a forty-year plan, but what about my five-year plan? Or my two-year plan? Who do I look up to for that? Where is Olivia Pope (besides back for season four on September 25 obviously)? Where are the brilliant twenty and thirty-somethings blazing their own trails on the political horizon?Â
The truth is, they are out there. The Olivia Popes of the world exist, along with their loyal compatriots, but they are few and far between. There is a drastic shortage of talent in government right now. As of 2013, the number of government employees under the age of 30 hit 7%, an eight year low. Compare this to the private sector where 25% of employees are under the age of 30. According to government statistics from the same year, about 45% of the federal workforce is at least 50 years old. There is a reason old white men have held office for so long â there are not that many people rising through the ranks to challenge them.Â
"There is a reason old white men have held office for so long â there are not that many people rising through the ranks to challenge them."
Luckily, there are some trailblazers out there who we can look to and hopefully, someday stand beside. Take, for example, Tulsi Gabbard, a US Congressional Representative for the state of Hawaii and a Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Committee. Sheâs 33 years old. She grew up homeschooled and at 21 decided to run for a representative slot in Hawaiiâs state government, an election that she won. A few years later she joined the military. Gabbard didnât graduate from university until she was 28 years old.Â
Then thereâs Rachel Haot at 31 years old, who is the Chief Digital Officer of New York State. She took this role after serving three years in her local city government as the Chief Digital Officer of New York City under Mayor Bloomberg (one of her first accomplishments there was getting the city governmentâs social media responses up and active during Hurricane Sandy, providing resources and guidance for thousands of citizens in danger). Before entering the government, Haot went to NYU and got a BA in History. Then she worked for tech start-ups and started a consulting agency. Sheâs brilliant, yes, but like Gabbard, I would hardly call her path conventional.Â
"Just because you may not look like the average candidate on TV does not mean there isnât a place for you in government. In fact, it means that our government needs you more than ever."
The point Iâm trying to make is that just because you may not look like the average candidate on TV does not mean there isnât a place for you in government. In fact, it means that our government needs you more than ever. You donât have to have worked in government before to get involved, and you donât have to have national aspirations. Start with your city, your community, a specific talent or area of expertise that you have, and first see what you can contribute there.
Maybe you donât think you could handle solving something as global as the ISIS crisis. Maybe you have no idea what policies should be in place when it comes to a terrifying illness like Ebola. Thatâs ok. I donât have those answers either. You donât have to make those calls. But is there an issue that you are passionate about? Does the fact that human sex trafficking still exists as a major industry in the United States make your blood boil? Are you living in Californiaâs drought and you just found out that flood irrigation is still used for a large percentage of agriculture? Would you like to see reform in our education system? Do you have an idea for better immigration processes? Green energy? National park preservation?
I am not going to tell you to call your Congressperson. I am not going to tell you to tweet about it or sign a Change.org petition. As great as those things are for awareness, they donât do much to tangibly address a problem. It is pretty clear that the only people who are really being heard in a meaningful way are the ones on the inside. Donât just call your Representative. Become your Representative.Â
Donât just vote. Get on the ballot. Run for the local school board. Work for a campaign. Find an agency that could use your skills and go work for them.Â
Everything that you are good at right now, whether itâs graphic design or marketing or accounting or biology, can be used to inform and support policy changes in our country. You donât have to have a law degree to roll up your sleeves and make something good happen. You donât have to be on the news to influence policy. What you do have to do is stop looking at the person next to you, waiting for them to do something. Get up and do it yourself.
column via The EveryGirl
|| hello, saturday || (at Alphonse Italian Market & Osteria)
steal your biscuits || @thediscobiscuits with legends, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of the #gratefuldead đčđđč (at 9:30 Club)
Music Mondaze: Banks - Drowning
Brutally honest experiences almost always bring about brutally honest words. And we all know that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. That woman is Jillian Banks, LA-based singer-songwriter and musician, who famously goes by just Banks, and the honest words come from her newly released single, âDrowning,â off her highly anticipated (well, at least by me) debut album.
Consider this: âIâm the one that had to learn to build a heart made of armor/ From the girl who made you soup and tied your shoes when you were hurting/ You were not deserving/ You were not deserving.â Deep. Ok, maybe not exactly deep, but pretty damn honest. I can relate to an armored heart, but if the dude wasnât even deserving of a bowl of some 69 cent Campbellâs, then it mustâve been real bad.
Lyrics aside (her writing is better on âBrainâ and âWarm Waterâ), her voice and the production are what really matter.
Producers Al Shuz (âDrowningâ) of The Weeknd, Shlohmo (âBrainâ) and SOHN (âWaiting Gameâ), who previously worked with Lana Del Rey, together invoke a darkly seductive sound that has become BANKSâ signature. Her songs encompass this sensual magneticness that is sleek and mysterious - it draws you in and then leaves you wanting more. I can't wait to hear the final product.
Sheâs been named Artist to Watch in 2014 by Shazam, and Artist Under the Spotlight on Spotify, and Artist of the Week by Vogue in August 2013. The publication wrote that her songs âperfectly capture a feeling of being lost and powerless in the world,â which is kind of ironic because I always get this feeling of empowerment after listening to her songs when Iâm feeling lost and powerless.
Her full album, âGoddessâ (because DUH, she is one), is scheduled to drop this September and her tour this summer conveniently stops at my favorite neighborhood basement. But in the meantime, you know where Iâll be:
Minimalism on My Mind
I used to loathe the fact that every time I would go through my closet for something to wear, no matter if it was just to run errands or a night out with friends, I would inevitably pull out something black, grey or neutral. Despite my attempt at cultivating a love for patterns and bright colors, Iâm constantly drawn to dark solids in sleek and simple silhouettes. So lately, Iâve just come to terms with my intense devotion to the basics â black is the new black, after all.
Everything that came out of Jil Sander and Rag & Boneâs Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2014 collections made me realize that sometimes minimalist dressing can be cool.
That black mesh dress. That pale tailored leather moto.
Those cropped grey silk pants. That cream blazer.
The collections were the epitome of effortless sophistication and for all the print lovers out there having a hard time understanding, its basically my heaven. Albeit a very expensive heaven.
Nonetheless, I find a recognizable silhouette in a recognizable color with a unique detail so incredibly intriguing. Minimalism with delicate complexities.
While my closet definitely doesn't need anymore black, I've spent the last few weeks lusting after everything at Anthom, DC's home for highly-curated, under-the-radar designers.
Anthom is the brainchild of Carla Cabrera of The President Wears Prada, a DC-based fashion blog, and Ashley Turchin of the now closed vintage shop in Columbia Heights, La Petite Marmoset. Originally an e-commerce shop, Anthom has recently landed a brick-and-mortar store in one of Northern Virginiaâs premier retail districts. Its mantra: wearable, but unique; well-made, but affordable.
Their latest look book, cleverly dubbed âA New Space,â is beautifully styled and shot in their new digs. I havenât been able to get out there to see the shop in person yet, but am loving the clean mix of copper, wood and white â itâs the perfect backdrop for these drool-worthy minimal and edgy designs.
Um, that orange jumpsuit though... *insert deep longing and desire here*
Images via shopanthom.com
Life comes in trees (and really great sunny days). (at Lock 2, C&O Canal, Georgetown)
This time of year is the itchy season. The itch to get out the city. To get out of wherever I am and from whatever is holding me back. And to just sit underneath a tree somewhere high up on a mountain. Quietly.
Music Mondaze: Tropic of Pisces - Symmetry
Are you hot? Because I am. It is a ripe east-coast-kind-of-humid 80 degrees today, a temp at which I thought the thermostat would surely never reach. And that is why I think a post here is in order, at best; way over overdue, at worst. Forgive my lengthy absence please, but the proverbial shit such that is life has, indeed, happened, so here I am attempting to scrape off my shoes and keep going. Getting settled into a new job, etc. etc. has required most of the little attention-span I have and evenings have become a bit of a blur between my refrigerator, my couch and my bed. Sounds so fun, right?
But alas! In order to get the juices â or piña coladas â flowinâ, here is the Brooklyn-based, Tropic of Pisces, who describes his non-existent namesake as âa warm, magical place that you must be special enough to have found.â Oh. Well if thatâs the case, ticket for two on the next scheduled carpet ride, please?
Wishing you all warm, magical and special vibes, feelings, days this week! Until next time...
Girls are trained to say, âI wrote this, but itâs probably really stupid.â Well, no, you wouldnât write a novel if you thought it was really stupid. Men are much more comfortable going, âI wrote this book because I have a unique perspective that the world needs to hear.â Girls are taught from the age of seven that if you get a compliment, you donât go, âThank youâ, you go, âNo, youâre insane.â
Lena Dunham, in an interview with The Guardian (x)Â (via blackbruise)
You are my main man, my favorite friend and the most fulfilling love, not just today, but everyday. Cheers to many more with the best dude, @sbogusz, who I so luckily get to call my Valentine! đ