Louie and I live in SoMA, and I understand rent in this neighborhood isn’t cheap but come on. It went up $300 last year, and now it’s going up $500 this year! I wish it was rent-controled, but for rent control in San Francisco you need to live in a pre-1978 building, which probably isn’t going to happen for us since older buildings are (1) smaller and (2) Louie doesn’t like them anyway.

I just don’t feel like our apartment is worth that much more money. Don’t get me wrong, the location is very convenient commute-wise (I walk a few blocks) and our apartment is a decent size for the two of us (almost 700 sq feet, I think). There’s just so much I don’t like. I don’t like that we don’t have many windows and that we’re near ground level, plus we live across the street from an abandoned high rise building that blocks all the sun. So the lighting in our apartment is downright dreary, especially when the days are shorter. (When the days are longer, in the Spring/Summer, it isn’t so bad.) Speaking of the abandoned building, they have started doing construction on that in the past few months and while they seem to be making decent progress it’s no fun living across the street from an active construction zone. Louie complains that they wake him every day at 7 am. (Luckily for me, in this case, I’m a heavy sleeper.)

With all that in mind, we’re looking to move. Louie really wants a loft, so I’ve been trying to find some in our price range but they get snatched up so fast! It’s like WHOOOOSH GONE. We have an appointment today at noon to see two lofts in Potrero Hill, and I really hope we like at least one of them so we can apply for it right away. They’re both available in mid-May, which is perfect since that is exactly when our lease is up for our current place. I called to schedule the viewing last Tuesday but the real estate agent had said that one of them was already being applied for. See what I mean? WHOOOOSH!

Personal Style—It’s a word that haunts some people because they feel they can’t decide what they want or stick to one look! It’s hard, seriously, figuring out not only what you like (and don’t like) but also what works with your body type and coloring (skin/hair/eyes). (Same goes for figuring out what makeup looks right too, actually.)

Since college I’ve done a little note-taking and have started to flesh out my style more and more. I’ve decided it can be classified as “edgy but still feminine.” For example, I like pairing floral dresses with corset belts or military-inspired boots. I also really like vintage/hand-made/eclectic jewelry, which I think accents my wardrobe nicely. And I’m also trying to move away from wearing too much black…

Which brings me to color palettes. I recently read this article on figuring out your wardrobe’s color palettes, and I realized it was a brilliant thing to do. This way, when shopping, you can figure out whether or not to buy something quicker based on whether or not it fits in your palette and also avoid buying things you’ll never wear because—despite whether or not you love the piece—it doesn’t go with anything else you own or it only works with one particular outfit.

Here are my colors:

• Neutrals: black, navy/dark blue (think denim), all shades of grey
• Base: Purples, Pinks, Reds, Greens, Teals, Deep Blues. Mostly jewel-tones. Dusty shades are okay, but not pastels.
• Accents: Copper, Silver, Gold, White, Ivory, Cream, anything considered neon.
• Try to Avoid: Oranges, Yellows, and anything pastel.

The reason I chose to avoid oranges and yellows is because I have cooler toned skin and orange/yellow are very warm-toned (unlike red or pink which can have cool undertones depending on the shade), plus my hair is red and I feel like wearing oranges detracts from it. Likewise with pastels, I’m very pale and I don’t want to wear colors too close to my skin tone. I’d rather offset the fairness of my skin with dark or bright colors.

It’s been over a year since then, and I picked the game back up last month after a friend convinced me to give it a shot again. I’m trying to approach it a different way, this time. Previously I was, as mentioned, in hardcore raiding guilds and that was my main focus. This time, especially since it’s late in the expansion, I have avoided raiding guilds. I joined a role-playing guild, and am super excited to get back into playing my character and have been doing so slowly but surely. If you’re interested, I have an in-character journal for her which you can read here: Fire at Dawn.

Role-playing has been a huge hobby of mine since college, when my coworker from the Apple Store introduced me to LARPing. As a writer (I double-majored in Creative Writing as well as Graphic Design in college!) storytelling and character development has always been a huge deal to me, and LARP/role-playing seemed to be a natural, nerdy extension of that. I quite enjoy writing stories based on characters I create. It’s much like fan fiction, I suppose, except you’re not using characters from canon very often.

Though I’m excited and engaged by RP in WoW, I admittedly miss raiding quite a bit. There’s something about the fervor of downing a boss for the first time after hours and hours of attempts—hell, weeks of attempts! It gets the blood flowing. I remember how I felt after downing Sarth + 3D (the hardest raid boss at the beginning of the Wrath expansion) and it was amazing. I loved it, it’s like a runner’s high but for gamers. Gamer’s high?

Anyway, I just don’t have the time to commit to raiding anymore. As much as I miss it, it isn’t a priority. There’s so much else I’d like to be doing! I have a list of hobbies about a mile long, so I’m okay with being a non-raider for now. ;)

I paired one of my favorite band tees (a Porcupine Tree one from their “The Incident” tour) which has a hint of teal in the design with a black & white striped bodycon skirt from Urban Outfitters and opaque teal tights from H&M. My shoes are Pearl Hart maryjanes from my favorite shoe designer, John Fluevog.

As for accessories: my watch is from Betsey Johnson, the stretch bead bracelets are from H&M and my earrings I purchased on Hautelook. Rings are custom.

And for makeup:

• Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen WOW Foundation in “I’m Pure for Sure Ivory”
• Urban Decay 24×7 Concealer in CIA (for blemishes)
• Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser in Fair (under eyes)
• MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Light
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Buff
• MAC Fix+
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• MAC Paint Pot in Nubile (eyeshadow base)
• MAC Eyeshadow in Shimmermoss (all over lid)
• Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Poolside (outer-V)
• Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Unexpected (to blend)
• Urban Decay Naked2 Eyeshadow in Foxy (brow highlight)
• Urban Decay Naked2 Eyeshadow in Bootycall (inner corner highlight)
• Urban Decay 24×7 Shadow Pencil in Clash (lower lashline)
• Stila Smudgestick in Stingray
• Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
• Kat Von D Sin-Full Lash Mascara
• Benefit BadGal Lash Mascara
• Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle

I named the look after a Porcupine Tree song, if you were wondering what the hell was up with the title. (Hah!)

A blog is, first and foremost, for the blogger. Right? Which means I should be able to write about whatever I want, whenever I want, and not care what other people think. For the most part, anyway. Readers come and go, and you can’t please everyone. I’m okay with that. But for some reason I still felt a blog should stick to a single topic.

Twitter friends, thank you for proving me wrong! I’ll be working to transform Haecceity.nu into the multi-faceted blog I’ve always wanted, and it’ll take a bit of time so bear with me while it goes under construction. Stay tuned for it.

Some of the topics I’m looking forward to covering:

• Baking
• Fashion/Beauty
• Gaming/RP
• Design (web, print, & letterpress)
• Life, the Universe, and Everything

Colors are Turned Up Turquoise by China Glaze, provided by my manicurist, as the base and Wallis by Butter London, which is my own polish, for the designs. I loved the combo, which is something I wouldn’t have normally paired together!

I have a sore throat and a touch of IBS, probably due to not eating very healthily over the past few days, plus I think I have the beginnings of a UTI due to holding it in on the plane for over 2 hours on the way back to SF. I just didn’t feel like getting out of my seat on that first flight (which was about an hour and a half long) and I didn’t have enough time to go at the Denver airport on our layover because our first flight was running 40 minutes late and the 2nd flight was being held for us to be able to make the transfer. Yeah. Then, of course, I had to wait some more on the 2nd flight for us to (1) takeoff—which took way longer than it should have due to a runway change—and (2) reach cruising altitude so the fasten-seatbelt signs could go off. Needless to say I held that in more than a little too long. :/

Right now I’m just trying to guzzle a lot of water and go to the bathroom frequently so it doesn’t get worse. Fingers crossed, I don’t want to have to go on antibiotics.

As for the sore throat, not sure what’s causing that. I don’t have a fever and I’m not coughing a whole lot, just occasionally when my throat gets extra dry. Unfortunately drinking cold water seems to be irritating it. Oh well.

Hope you’re all feeling better than I am and had a good holiday.

Hosted by Roots & Rings.

1. How do you eat your eggs?
I don’t eat eggs, actually. Never liked them as a kid but haven’t tried them again now that I’m older. I don’t mind them IN things though—obviously the best things have eggs in them… like waffles and cupcakes!

2. Do you volunteer?
Yes, I do! I volunteer at the San Francisco Center for the Book, which is a center that promotes book arts and letterpress! They have classes/workshops where you can learn to make your own books or use a letterpress. I volunteer at events and sometimes on Saturdays to man their front desk.

3. What’s your favorite brand of jeans?
My current favorite jeans is a pair of super dark wash skinnies by True Religion. LOVE THEM!

4. What was your child’s first word? Or what was your first word?
I think mine was “Mom” but I’m not sure. I don’t have any children.

5. Can you french braid?
I wish, I always mess up. Admittedly I don’t practice very much. :P

6. Do you prefer wide rule, college rule, or blank paper?
College rule for writing and dot grid paper for drawing.

7. Is there a specific treat do you always make during the holidays?
Not really, unless you count sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving but that’s not really a treat. Maybe I’ll make a tradition doing a certain flavor of cupcake for Christmas. Louie’s mom wants me to bake some while we’re in St. Louis for the holidays, so I might as well.

8. Do you have a KitchenAid mixer? Do you want one?
I JUST GOT ONE OMG! It was an early Christmas gift from my mom. But I haven’t used it yet, which is a huge bummer. However, I plan to do so soon, maybe this weekend.

9. What kind of computer do you use?
I have a 27″ iMac with a 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 processor and 12 GB of RAM. It’s awesome. <3

10. Favorite Christmas movie?
Love Actually, which I watched today and it put me in such a good mood.

• Excessive use of exclamation points
• The use of an emoticon such as :) or :D after saying anything that could be taken badly

Firstly, never ever ever should every sentence in an email end with an exclamation point. Doubly so for blog posts. I don’t care if you are SO EXCITED OMG!!!! It’s just not necessary and comes off, to me, as childish. :)

See what I did there? I stuck in a smiley face after saying something is childish. After blatantly telling everyone who uses exclamation points everywhere that you know what? You’re acting like a little kid! But hey, I put a smiley face after so you shouldn’t be offended. How annoying is that?

Now you know what I mean. I constantly see this happening, most often in Tweets. It’s annoying. Please stop. :D

Kthnxbai.

1. What are 3 things that are on your Christmas wish list?
A KitchenAid Artisan Mixer (5 qt) was my main wish, and I have actually received it already from my mom (thanks Mom!). I am so excited to make stuff with it! Not sure about anything else I really wanted.

2. What’s your favorite Christmas song?
Um, not sure I have a favorite. In general I usually find Christmas music annoying, but that’s because it’s played everywhere and nonstop during this season. I have nothing against the music itself, just the repetitiveness of it’s airtime.

3. Do you have a favorite band or singer that sings it especially awesome?
N/A

4. Have you heard about the website Goodreads?
Yes, I have a profile there and I try to update it as I read but I haven’t been reading much lately.

5. What are 3 books you want to read?
The Hunger Games, I’ve heard such good things about this one and there’s a movie coming out soon; Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, I’ve seen the Swedish films and loved them so the books are now on my to-read list; the rest of the Kushiel’s Legacy series, which is one of my favorite fantasy series but the books are so long I haven’t read them all yet.

6. Do you hunt deer?
No.

7. Have you started Christmas shopping? Are you completely finished?
Yes, and I’m not done yet. Some people are so difficult to buy for!

8. Did you shop on Black Friday? What was the best deal you got?
I did, I went to Macy’s at midnight with two friends and it was actually quite a bit of fun! Best deal I got was on a bed set that was originally $400+ dollars. It’s part of the Martha Stewart collection and I fell in love with the metallic grey damask pattern of it. It came with everything, too! Comforter, sheets, decorative pillows, shams, even matching curtains! And the best part was I only paid $150!

9. What’s one holiday tradition your family has?
When I lived at home, we’d split Christmas Eve/Day up between my dad’s & mom’s side of the family. My dad’s side got Eve, so we’d drive upstate and see my paternal grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. My step-grandma would make dinner, too. For Christmas Day my aunt (my mom’s sister) would throw a big party for extended family and her friends so that’s where we’d go after opening presents at home in the morning.

10. How many blogs do you read? Do you subscribe/unsubscribe often or do you purge every once in a while?
Too many, I have them sorted by categories in Google Reader. I purge every so often.