Cinderelly Dressed In Jelly

______I woke up this morning and decided I was going to sandwich the two most unlikely pieces together: the most smaaaaaahhhhhhshing neon pink jelly shoes and a confectionary-worthy blue dress. If you don't question the combination, is it even fashion? Boom shakalaka.

______I must shamefully admit that these are the third pair of jelly shoes I've purchased this summer. They were on sale. Don't judge me. Like Twinkies and the Neopets account you'll never be able to delete since you forgot your password, jellified plastic is forever. Jellified plastic is never a bad decision. Unless you're throwing it in an ocean. Then whales eat it, whales fail to digest it, and whales frickin' die. Not cool, man. Not cool.





______One of my best friends lives in North Carolina and besides texting, we tend to video chat back and forth via extreme, Olympic-worthy Snapchatting. She'll send a stack of videos and I'll reply with my own stack, and usually we'll end up sending so many selfie videos that our conversations run tangent to the initial topic. She may send an inquiry about my most recent thoughts on the current state of the millennial generation, but due to delivery delays, could receive as an apparent reply, a video of me vividly describing a strange blonde bird outside that looks like Donald Trump's hair.



______One thing that came up in a recent discussion was how we both aren't entirely satisfied with where we are after graduation.

______She confessed that she was envious how I was able to produce art on my fellowship and didn't have the pressure to get a job immediately after graduating; I confessed that I was envious of how she was already financially stable living on her own like a fully functioning adult, free to travel wherever she wanted. We both shifted guiltily, knowing it's selfish to think this way, knowing there are others who have it harder than us and have it much worse. But this is the way we both are: ambitious, desiring to be independent, and with minds that are constantly on the move, like recently hatched baby turtles who hurl themselves into the relentless ocean and expect not to drown.

______We both kind of laughed at the absurdity of desiring each other's successes instead of enjoying our own.

______Sure, she feels like her job is repetitive and knows it won't be her lifelong career, but she's climbing an uphill track and doing extremely well for being out of college for just three months. For that, I am proud of her. And sure, I might be as close to a career as a tomato is to be being a pineapple, but the fellowship I'm on gave me a year to produce work and acquire as much knowledge as possible through the workshops for which I was given funds. In addition, living at home with my parents who I get along with means I don't have to pay for rent or groceries. My friend and I both successful in our own ways, and we've simply failed to come to terms with that since we're too busy focusing on the future instead of the now. And that needs to change.

______Tell me one thing you really, truly appreciate in your life right now. Go!



Dress: KnowStyle (very similar)
Jelly shoes: Juju (similar)
Ring: graduation gift from dad, local jewelers
Necklace: Charming Charlie
Earrings: Charming Charlie