The powers that be

I started out February strong with so much enthusiasm about blogging everyday and whatnot. Posting everyday, obviously, didn't happen. So to end a month of lackluster blogging is hopefully what will be a luster-filled post of inspiration.

Pair this with "Last Leaf" by OK Go.

Pair this with "Floorplan" by Tegan and Sara.

Pair this with "Get It Like You Like It" by Ben Harper.

Pair this with "Aluminum Park" by My Morning Jacket.

Pair this with "Dancin' in the Moonlight" by Toploader.

The girl's got pizazz

I am officially declaring my love for the Korean Olympic skater Kim Yu-Na. When she skates she commands the audience's attention like no one else that graces the Canadian ice. Normally, I yawn in boredom at the music choices of the figure skaters. While they might be classical masterpieces, they fail to ignite any fire in the skaters. Yu-Na doesn't skate to Bach or Beethoven, she skates to James Bond, which in case she was lacking any fire before the music started would provide any supplemental.

She's a bonafide celebrity in her native Korea, something that we, as Americans, try hard to understand considering that we place our movie stars on national pedestals instead of our athletes. More than all of this though, she has the "it" factor that I spend so much time trying to comprehend. Just like that absolutely perfect spring trenchcoat you see at the department store, Kim Yu-Na will remain in our minds for a lot longer than the Olympics covers alpine skiing.

The luck of the stylish

Do clothes really bring us good luck? Some athletes have socks they wear for every game and others have that lucky pair of underwear that has never failed a test. I swear that I always play better when I don a certain white tennis skirt. Yet, whether these clothes really bring us luck or not no one will ever know.

On the other hand, can clothes bring us bad luck? A couple days ago my mom wore the same sweater that she wore when I had jaw surgery and, wearing that same blue and brown awfully knit sweater, she ended up having to spend a bit of time in the hospital again. We collectively decided to burn the sweater. Of course it can all be chalked up to a bizarre coincidence, but I certainly do not think that continuing to wear the sweater will do anyone any good.

Somehow, we allow ourselves to attribute bad or good luck to our clothes. After having the best college interview ever, I decided to replicate the same outfit to all other college interviews because, what harm could it do:? I desperately want to let go of my modish superstitions, but something, something that no one can quite seem to put a finger on, keeps us wearing the same pair of socks on game day.

When the legends die

I am still in a bit of shock that Alexander McQueen died. It seems as if all the real fashion legends are croaking, but at least they're leaving us with an inundation of young talent. Don't get me wrong this isn't a bad thing; the music world is paralleling the fashion world in this sense. What used to be the ten designers that ruled the world has turned into a broader array of a new generation who will succeed in their own little way.

Nevertheless, it's always hard to see someone as revolutionary as Alexander McQueen go. Everything he touched transformed from ordinary into fantastical. Yet, I have faith that his vision will live on in the clothes of this new brood of designers. Long live McQueen!

After seeing these shoes how can you not mourn his death?

In love you have loosened yourself like sea water

I'm pretty sure I may be the only person in the world who becomes giddy at the sound of the words 'bilingual edition,' but regardless this may be the best Valentine's Day present I will ever receive (ironically it is a self-gift); no more chalky, flavorless hearts. My love for poetry will overpower my love for any one person this holiday; and I'm not sure this is any particular form of a travesty.