And Now For Something Completely Different...

Gentlemen and/or people who find fashion boring: please enjoy this vlogbrothers video while I discuss things of a girly nature with the other readers. Thank you.

And now that it's just us girly-girls here, I would like to discuss some tips and tricks regarding the concept of fashion. Yes, it is true that I identify as a nerd. However, do remember that this is just a label. I also enjoy many things that don't fit this stereotype, such as outfits, backpacking through the wilderness, makeup, hairdos, terrible romantic comedies in German, training animals, dancing, etc. My point: real people are much more varied and infinitely more three-dimensional than either the labels they use to identify themselves or the stereotypes that they are often forcibly crammed into. And so, without further ado, a fashion post.

Firstly, a method for making ponytails more interesting.

I like this style because: a) it's easy, b) I'm lazy, c) it looks good, d) it's versatile, and e) I'm really lazy. All you have to do is make a ponytail and then take a section of hair from inside the elastic. Wind that section around the base of the ponytail, keep it in place with bobby pins and/or a barrette, and hey presto, you've upgraded your head.

...Maybe I should delete that last sentence. 'Upgrade your head' just makes me think of, well, this:

But I digress. Don't limit yourself to doing this with just a ponytail, either. Try it with a side and/or low ponytail, the ends of pigtails, a bun, the end of a braid, etc. Here are some pictures of the wrap, if you're having trouble visualizing it:

And yes, that is a picture of a sci-fi character in a 'fashion' post. That's how we roll here on Rembrandt and Rubber Ducks. Have I made my point yet? ;)

(A note for Whovians: the ponytail wrap is actually what Jenny wears. Just throwing that out there for those of us who cosplay as her).

A second fashion thingy: Belts. As I'm sure you're aware, a cool belt can be a great way to spice up an otherwise bland outfit. However, if you wish to wear a belt over the waistline of, for instance, a skirt, sometimes there is too much slack on the belt and no way to secure it, as I have yet to encounter a skirt with belt loops. I have, however, found a solution for this: merely slide a small, clear hair elastic onto the belt, and tuck the excess into it. Magic.

A third fashion-y thing: Nails. You know how to keep them trimmed and not broken, because you're a big kid now. But I would like to point out it is a bad idea to keep them painted all the time, regardless of how nice that paint looks. Having paint on your nails all the time makes them dried out, yellowed, and prone to breakage (as I painfully was reminded this week). This is akin to wearing foundation on a daily basis: over time, foundation actually makes acne worse, especially for people who have horrible skin (me). So by covering up that acne with, essentially, cosmetic peanut butter, you're making your problem much worse in the long run.

Also, here's a fun nail design that I sometimes do:

1: Choose two colors that look nice together.

2. Paint one stroke slanted sideways from the base in one of the colors. Repeat this on every finger. (I apologize for the lack of photos). 

3. Once that is reasonably dry, paint another color coming from the opposite corner of the base and going in the other direction.

4. Repeat until the nail is completely painted. Here's how mine turned out:

(Again, note the pendant with Gallifreyan writing. Am I shamelessly beating you over the head with my thesis statement yet?)

One last fashion thing: vintage vintage vintage. I cannot express enough my love for society's current obsession with all things vintage and vintage-inspired. In the words of Justin Timberlake (er, sort of): We're bringin' classy back.

Gentle reader, please remember that this-- and all fashion and physical beautification, for that matter-- is very much overemphasized in our culture at the moment. Remember that makeup, hair and outfit designs are loads of fun and an awesome way to be artistic, but they're not a necessity when it comes to being happy with the way we look. Take it from me that there is nothing more classy or more hot than an aura of confident intelligence, and it doesn't matter how much lipstick you put on that. And (as I have hopefully repeated often enough in this post that you are now rolling your eyes at the fact that I am typing it yet again)-- say it with me: labels are just labels, and it is possible to be a nail-polish-loving, stylish nerd. Or a sports-loving nerd. Or a cheerleader/astrophysicist. You get the idea.

DFTBA,

~Maddie

Project 365 New Things: Day 6

Today, like the true Girl Scout that I am, I learned what to do in case of a flood. I do not, by any stretch of the imagination, live in an area where this is a serious concern, but I figure the more I know about everything ever, the better off I'll be in this life. And it occurred to me that if the skies suddenly opened up and dumped an ocean on my home town, I honestly would not know how to handle it, so this most certainly counts for today's challenge.

Did you know that fires are the most common concern after a flood, because power and gas lines may have gotten messed up? In retrospect, I suppose that makes perfect sense, but while I read it I couldn't help but think that that's sort of like worrying about a drought if you're a mermaid and you live in a coral reef.

Basically, the recommendations if you're caught in a flood are fairly obvious: get to high ground. No duh, Sherlock. Do not try to wade, walk, drive or swim through a flooded area, because the current may be strong and it may be deeper than it looks. When entering a building, wear thick-soled shoes, carry a battery-operated flashlight and look out for wildlife, fire hazards, broken electrical lines and signs that the building may collapse. If you're in a car, do not try to drive around a flooded area if you can help it. Turn around and find a different route rather than driving through a flood.

Remember this information. It might save your life one day, dear reader. And then you'll thank me for this somewhat boring post.

As always, comment suggestions for things that I could try or an account of your own exploits today (or a link, if you are Cassandra). Until tomorrow!

~Maddie

Project 365 New Things: Day 5

Long day today. My adventures included making ad hoc cookies, carrying home a dog, and wondering via spontaneous song what lunar dust tastes like. But, more importantly, today I invented a new kind of ice tea for my fifth new thing.

Now, a bit of background.

I actually have many strange and somewhat useless hobbies/skills. These include such things as being able to catch escaped crickets like a ninja, interpreting the body language of geckos and playing a mean game of Pacman. The useless skill that has relevance in this situation, however, is my ability to make tea out of fresh ingredients. I have an absolute mania for tea. I took this obsession to the next level by planting a tea garden, in which I grow several kinds of mint, lemon verbena, and stevia (a plant that is used as a natural sweetener).

And now, the recipe for my new kind of ice tea:

Fresh mint (I used chocolate mint (yes, such a thing exists), pineapple mint, garden mint, spearmint, and a type called Kentucky Colonel).

Stevia leaves

Two black tea bags

Honey

Vanilla extract

I heated up some water on the stove, chopped up all the leafy things and put them in a tea ball infuser, and put it in the boiling water. I added the two prepackaged tea bags, some honey, and just a tiny bit of vanilla (do NOT overdo the vanilla with this one). I let it steep, put it in the fridge and iced it. It was actually really delicious.

As always, let me know about what you've been doing and share any ideas with me, if you feel so inclined.

Until tomorrow!

~Maddie

Project 365 New Things: Day 4

Today I learned how to mend a broken nail with a tea bag. Now, before you tell me how hopelessly boring a skill this is, let me assure you that it was out of necessity rather than just for fun. Ouch. I had so much work to do today that I decided just to count that as today's challenge, because I actually hadn't done it before.

Basically, you cut a nail-sized piece out of the tea bag mesh, glue it onto the nail (I used a glue stick, as I am truly lazy), and then put on clear nail polish to keep it on. And it actually worked pretty well.

And then, because I am truly talented in the art of hurting myself, I topped it off with a Sesame Street band-aid, because yesterday I cut myself a knife bit me. I am actually really happy about the artistic content of my band-aid, and have been wearing it with pride and joy. Why don't big people get cool band-aids anymore!? I'm going to go to the store and buy a whole box of princess and/or Sesame Street band-aids the next chance I get.

And now, I have a special announcement.

My good friend, who is calling herself Cassandra for the purposes of the blogging world, has been following along with the challenge for the past couple of days. If I can speak for her for a moment, she has really been enjoying it. She decided yesterday to start her own blog, so that she can record her own 365 new things as well as opinions and thoughts and other bloggy material. Please check it out! Her url is fireiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com. I'm just pleased that other people are invested in this too, and it's not just me being crazy :)

I've got some ideas for tomorrow. Stay tuned! :)

~Maddie

Project 365 New Things: Day 3

So today, I kind of hit a wall. I'd spent the whole afternoon doing Spanish, and when I decided to take a break to do today's challenge, I could not think of a single thing that I could do. I didn't have the energy to cook something, I didn't have time to memorize a Shakespeare sonnet, I was at home rather than in a densely populated area and in possession of a bouquet of tulips, etc.

So I wandered around the house, looking for inspiration. Out of pure desperation, I picked up a bag of sidewalk chalk, determined to do something, anything with it that I had never done before.

After a fruitless Google search (did you know that you can use sidewalk chalk for the monumentally boring task of polishing silverware?), on impulse I ran into the bathroom, filled up the sink, and tossed in the chalk, just to see if it would float. It did not. I then ran downstairs to the microwave, and an astounding quantity of nothing happened after I heated up the chalk in it for ten seconds. Then I picked up a crayon so that the chalk could have mimed epic art supply battle, but they just ended up becoming friends and doing a dance on the kitchen counter. I then decided that the noble thing to do would be to give up, because I was clearly and unmistakably showing the signs of a textbook case of 'getting absolutely nowhere with these shenanigans.'

So I went into my room and decided to write a poem using the first line of the first ten songs that came onto my iPod when I shuffled my songs. Here is the result:

There's a fog upon L.A.
We made love all day
I'd like to be under the sea
Have a bit of me and a whole lot of you
Sun is shining in the sky, there ain't a cloud in sight
Haven't seen you since high school
She's not a girl who misses much
There'll be girls across the nation that'll eat this up
Cecilia, you're breaking my heart
No, I can't take one more step towards you.

Tadaaaaaaa.

I apologize for the lack of interesting content today. I will do something much more interesting tomorrow! As always, if you're following the project, comment your challenge for today, and if you have any ideas for me, please oh PLEASE comment those as well.

~Maddie

Project 365 New Things: Day 2

I did an art!

I've seen this done a couple times, and I've desperately wanted to try it for a while. I used my hot glue gun to place the crayons on the canvas, and then I took a hair dryer and melted the crayons. Things learned: use newspaper underneath. Pink doesn't like to do as it's told. Don't overdo it with the hairdryer. And no matter how hard you try, the colors won't melt in exactly the way that you want them to, though the end result is probably prettier than you could have imagined. I am vaguely aware that this last observation, with a bit of tweaking, could become a rather soppy and rainbow-y metaphor for life, but I've decided not to bother too much with that one.

Now, I want to know: does the art look better like this:

Or on its side, like this?

By the way, if you're doing the project too (I know a few of you said you were going to), go ahead and comment what you did for a particular day on my corresponding post! I'm honestly having a ball with this project so far, and I'd love to hear what all of you have been up to.

Yours in spontaneity and rainbow-y-ness,

~Maddie

Project 365 New Things: Day 1

Today I was very busy getting world history homework done, but I managed to take out some time to do today's challenge.

I learned how to say the word "bird" in three languages that I didn't already know it in: Finnish (lintu), Polish (ptak), and Dutch (vogel).

Now, if I'm ever stranded in France, Spain, Germany, Finland, Poland or The Netherlands, and I simply MUST procure a pet bird, I'll know how to get what I need. I feel so accomplished! ;)

I'm totally psyched about this project! A bunch of my friends on Facebook said that they were going to try it, too. My evil plan is working...

Looking forward to tomorrow. I've got a Girl Scout reunion (yay!), and I've already got a few ideas for a challenge that I could do.

~Maddie