Queue Autumn:

-Lexi

Simon and Grafunkel, Karen and Richard, Corn and Lexi.

This is a watercolor of my dearest sister and myself. {She's the pretty one with the long hair.}

Honest to blogliness, I was DREADING doing this one. And when I say dreading, I mean DREADING. It's for my Dad for Christmas, and I really don't like drawing pictures of my sister. For some reason, she's really difficult to draw, and I can never get her face shape right. {Which, she constantly reminds me of whenever I draw her.}

But, I'm relatively pleased with how this one turned out. I would like it more if were more REALISTIC {shoot. shoot. shoot.} , but my Dad will get the general idea.

{P.S: I think I have the greatest friends in the world. My pal Mary made this shirt for me as a Christmas gift. She knows me all too well to embroider my favorite word on a shirt in an equally awesome color. If I could, I would wear this shirt every day of my entire existence on this earth. SO CLASSY, I KNOW.}

Hasta Manana, {Corn had to help me spell it, because I am an illiterate non-Spanish speaking fool.}

-Lexi

Yukon Cornelius

is a total hipster. All he needs is a fixed-gear and he'd be set.

Deliciousness. And Canadian Afro-mullets.

-Lexi

Skip the rope, chop the tree!

My sister and I love Thanksgiving. {as shown beneath}

Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to eat delicious stuffing and the stereotypical Utah food, Green Jell-o. This ratio is illustrated below, in a plate graph.

I also love when those certain relatives that always seems to be drunk give you money. {Or in this case, my sister money. But it is kind of a yearly tradition.}

You want to know what else I love? Watching Pride and Prejudice with Teresius and Chilly and drooling over the other-worldly perfection of Mr. Darcy. Gah. So great. Honestly, I could probably watch that movie 80 times in a row and NEVER GET SICK OF IT. Really. And Matthew MacFadyen. Yum. I even went to the library yesterday and got the book. I'm going to read it, yeah! And Y'all better be supportive, yeah?

Oh man. I have a whole bunch more to say and I PROMISE I'M WORKING ON A NEW HEADER, OKAY?

I shall end the post with a lovely food-themed french song. Hoorah for yarn s'ghetti!

Over and out, more to come, yeah, potatoes.

-lexi

Hallows

This morning, I woke up and took my dog outside. It was nearly seven-thirty and I had been the only one awake in my house for quite some time. It was dark, yet day lit, and the sun struggled to be in view past the ombre clouds overhead. I wore no shoes, and the cold grass wrapped itself in between my toes.

The trees surrounding me were muted marvels of the brightest yellows and the deepest auburns, and cast the loveliest ochre hue over the entire yard. I just stood there, basking in the beauties of the earth that we live in. We are all very blessed.

Normally I find inspiration in materialistic things: A films, a song, a painting, a toaster, whatever. But have you ever noticed the mounds of insurmountable inspiration we find in the earth that surrounds us? Nothing generic. Just simple and raw. Nature is talented all on its own, it needs no help from the media or human society. No exploitation. It is just there. It thrives with no aids, and we take it for granted. Nature is the under appreciated step-sibling. The thing you always know is there, but you never truly miss it until it is gone.

This week my sister dared me to take part in a Facebook fast: no facebook for an entire week. I never thought I would become one of those people that thrives off of a comment, a like, or a message. But sadly, I have. I am a rather antisocial person and I enjoy being caught up in other people's interactions without having to actually interact with them. At first this fasting was difficult. I was many times tempted to get online and 'socialize' with others. I never realized how much I was actually addicted to social networking. Silly really, but it is almost as if I needed it to get through the day.

Now, it has only been a few days since I began fasting, but I have already noticed a difference in myself. I have found more productive things to do {i.e: drawing, reading, getting a head start on schoolwork.} and feel I am not as stressed when I am not facebooking. I rather enjoy living without it. And this morning is when it all came full-circle. I've been too consumed in my life and the virtual lives of others to even care about anything going on around me.

Sometimes we have to get away from all the drama in life to stay grounded. This morning I rediscovered that ground, whether it be metaphorically or literally. I rediscovered the beauty of the world around us, and I hope that we can all remember that from time to time.

Technology is constantly changing. There is always something bigger and better to come on the vast pixelated horizon. But the leaves always stay the same. They always grow green in the summer, and turns marvelous colors in the fall. We can't trust this vast cyber-sphere, but nature is always dependable. Sometimes, you just need to let go of the approval of others and become one with it.

-Lexi

The ballad of BB Dakota.

It all started a few weeks ago when The fall Urban Outfitters catalog came in the mail....

I flip through the pages, making fun of how angry and unkempt the models look, and then I see it. BAM. The most beautiful coat in the world. A BB Dakota wray coat. And it is screaming my name. I am sitting there, hyperventilating. I don't think I've ever wanted anything SO MUCH IN MY LIFE. {lie, but it produces great dramatic effect, so we're going to keep it that way.} I look at the price. $168. Hey! I could buy that, right? I've already done half of my Christmas shopping, so, yeah. Cool. Awesome. I'ma buy this coat. {Though in my subconscious mind I knew I'd NEVER spend that much for a coat. No matter if it is by BB Dakota.}

So, I get on the Urban Outfitters website, just so I can stare at the multiple angles of the coat longingly. But, hey! Guess what? They don't carry the coat on the website! Ha! Funny joke Urban Outfitters, funny. You think that just because you can not show the coat on your website, that a person who practically covets the picture from the catalog will simply give up? No, Urban Outfitters. I did not give up.

In fact, I went straight to the manufacturers' website to look for the coat, when indeed they did not carry it either.

This, dear children, left me furious. How could the direct manufacturer of the coat not carry THE COAT? In such rage, I looked the coat up on google only to find myself stuck in a tragic situation:

There was the coat.

Labeled in the BB Dakota Fall 2009 collection.

Of course BB Dakota did not have the coat on their website! It was from a year old and most likely sold out collection! But the fact that Urban Outfitters would include this in their catalog for this year puzzled me greatly.

Why put a picture of something you claim to own in a catalog so people will want to buy it, when you, in fact, do not own the thing in question.

So, due to my anger, I made an edited version of the photo in the catalog.

Weeks passed. I never truly forgot about the coat, I just became preoccupied with other things. School, recreational sports, pretending to be retired from blogging, and the like. Then today, while preparing to write a blog post about the coat, I decided to go to Urban Outfitters.com, just for funsies. I'm scrolling. I'm laughing. I'm having a good time, and there it is. The Coat of many Navajo-themed, earth-toned colors! There! One hundred and sixty-eight dollahz, foo!

I was shocked. How dare the corporate scum at UO sell me last fall's BB Dakota wray coat at this years' bank-crackin' price! I refuse to support these Lackey's of commercialistic horror! I REFUSE. * unless it is really cheap. **Or really cute. *** Or references my love for beards.

Join with me, comrades! We refuse to participate in such villainy!!

Also, in order to settle justice, I altered my first altering of the photo in the catalog. {It says: EXCEPT NOT! We are the corporate swine at UO, about to sell you last year's coat at this year's price!}

Meanwhile, I'll be sticking to the local thrift store.

{Thank-you-very-much.}

-Lexi

f a l l

• The nights are getting chillier.


• the leaves are starting to blush.
  
• The 'Pumpkin Smash' smoothie is back at Jamba.


• My grandma sweaters are calling my name from their space bags and storage crates.
  
• Breaking out gloves without fingertips without being pestered.


• Hanging out on the stoop sketching stills when nobody else is home.


• Olive Greens, rusty oranges, and deep auburn's are all the more applicable.


• Listening to Fleet Foxes, Sam's town, and Morrissey.


• Long walks to not necessarily anywhere.


• Taking a lot of pictures of nature even though you aren't a good photographer.


• Apple Cider.


• Writing actually good blog posts.


• The little hairs on my short-sheared neck get to feel the cold for the first time.


• General conference {!}


• Art club. {I'm a dweeb.}
  
• Uke'n cross-legged in the great outdoors.
  
• Autumn water coloring--Dzama style.


• Matty, Ingrid, Band of Horses, 30 rock and strictly global.


• A new sketchbook.


• Possibly teaching myself how to get all Yokoo up in the place.

• Cloudy weather, wet leaves, rain, toasti-toes, Canadian hats and deerstalkers, and having an excuse to dress like a lumber Jane. {See picture above, drawn with tablet for my so-sick ALL GIRL BAND!}

It's just around the corner!