krystine & magazines

the pros and (mostly) cons of being (mostly) unemployed

2010-01-25T15:28:00.000-08:00

now that i have stepped out of the college world, diploma in hand, i have been welcomed into the world of unemployment. now while i do have some freelance work that keeps me from going insane, i've realized that working from home is not all it's cracked up to be.

when i decided to be a journalism major, part of what appealed to me is this great idea that you could work from home. pj's, snacking, tv breaks ... what's not to love? when i was little, those were the three reasons that i thought being homeschooled sounded superfun.

i am starting to rethink the fun-ness of it all.

for starters, it is ridiculously hard to motivate yourself when you have no one to report to. sleep till ten, ten thirty, eleven? nothing is going to get in the way of you doing that but your snooze button and your guilt. and yeah, sleeping in is great. but then your day is halfway over and you have to muster up the motivation to do any work at all.

aside from that, i am finding it difficult to be motivated to do anything. shower? why bother? getting dressed? sweatpants are fine. making and eating actual meals? what's the point when i have a bag of pita chips? the point is, after a week or so of this 'my office is my bed' business ... you start to go stir crazy. all your friends are going to work, going out to lunch, and being with actual people. you start to feel like a shut-in.

not to mention, your bed/'desk' starts to indent where your bum has been for several hours straight. you keep yourself from freezing in the midwestern tundra, not by actually moving, no — you use your overheating computer for warmth.

all that's meant for relaxation and unwinding is now my undoing. wearing pj's all the time makes me feel sloppy, not comfortable; trolling through web sites is a chore, not a pass time; not having a place to call 'work' makes me an ankle monitor away from being under house arrest — not to mention that i have no place to go to escape work at the end of the day, either.

so kids, moral of the story: working from home is not as glamorous as it's cracked up to be.

is this abnormal?

2010-01-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

i have had a lot of roommates throughout my college years. how many, you ask?

fourteen.

fourTEEN. at least i got along with them, i suppose.
how many have other people had? i know my friend, kelsey, has also had about the same number of roommates....but is that common?

anyway. the first month of a new decade is almost done! have you done anything cool yet? if not, you have a new goal for the weekend. have an adventure!

five years from now ... who will you be?

2010-01-20T12:25:00.000-08:00

well, the last few weeks have been pretty nuts- i apologize for the lack of postings! trying to find a job while freelancing/working for free has been a bit crazy.

as i was going through some old papers the other day, i found an unopened envelope. i had completely forgotten that, in 2001, i had written a letter to myself to be opened in five years. (yes, i know i suck at math, but even i know that 2001 to 2010 is NOT five years). i guess it had just been stuck in a shuffle of papers and forgotten about ... until now.

the note was written on my 'fancy,' personalized, cat-and-pawprint stationary. (believe me, i realize that i was not the coolest junior higher ever. BELIEVE ME. i've seen the old pictures -- not my prime.)

anyway, after reading through my letter to my future self (favorite line: "I still haven't gotten a phone (do I get one in 5 years?)"---and i meant a cordless phone), i thought that i should write another letter to my future self.

this time last year, i knew 2009 was going to be big: i spent 4 months in new york city, one of my best friends got married (the first of my close friends to have done so), i went to guatemala for a while, i started working at a magazine, and i graduated from college. all from january to december.

but i'm realizing that a year from NOW, i have no clue where i'll be. i'm at a pretty big period of transition currently, and hopefully in the next year, i'll have steady employment, an apartment of my own, &c. but who knows when or how i'll get there?

so, what better time to write a letter to the me five years from now? i'm sure when i rip open that envelope in five years (or more if it gets lost in the mess of my desk) ... well, things will be different. how, i'm not so sure. but i'm sure it will be fun to read it.

you should try it, too!

x.
krystine

forgive me, readers, for i have been lazy

2010-01-12T15:03:00.001-08:00

blogsicle

2009-12-13T19:32:00.000-08:00

well, it's a balmy 11 degrees out right now...and it's also snowing...thanks, minnesota.

i was going to take a better photo but i was too cold. hopefully it still gives you some indication of the crap weather. bleak, no?

anyway.

my apologies for not posting anything sooner! (hannah, this is for you.) things are going to be a teensy bit busy this week, so it might be a week or so until i put anything funny/interesting/hilarious/engaging/life-changing on here.

BUT, my friend kriste (who i'm trying to convince to be a DJ instead of going to law school) gave me some music from a band called the midway state. they're relatively low key, and they're from canada. which seems fitting to listen to right now, seeing as how the weather is currently so tundralike.

until next time... that's all, folks.

countdown till christmas

2009-11-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

i love the design on caribou's holiday coffee cups!
not to mention, they melt real chocolate into their drinks now.

glorious.

happy monday!

Top 5 Ways to Battle Through Black Friday

2009-11-25T10:53:00.000-08:00

(a little something i wrote in our recent issue of the newspaper...)

Producer/writer/director Yuri Baranovsky said this about Black Friday: “Shopping, especially on Black Friday, is like going into a War Zone. If you don’t have a plan, you’re going to be brutally injured, left behind enemy lines, and then saved by your dedicated friends who intend to go above and beyond the call of duty to get you back.”

If you insist on risking life and limb to get those day-after-Thanksgiving deals, you’re crazy. Here’s a plan to help you survive the stampede:

5. Dress the part: Running shoes and track pants. Don’t even try to be trendy — your survival depends on speed and comfort. If you are required to wait in line outside for hours be sure to dress head-to-toe in winter clothing. Also, don’t wear anything with great sentimental value; it might get spilled on, torn or blood-soaked.

4. Pack a snack: Or two. You’re going to need sustenance if you want to keep competitive against other shoppers. Make sure to bring something to drink too,stay hydrated, but beware: drinking too much will lead to a bathroom run, which could knock you out of line for your 40 percent-off food processor.

3. Set your alarm: But not too early. Though you want to get the prime discounts, you don’t want to end up being trodden upon like a doormat while you try to pack up the impromptu camp you have been living at all night. .Baranovsky warned, “Don’t get there when the doors have yet to be opened, because getting trampled in a primarily overweight country isn’t going to help you get that worm everyone keeps talking about.” Or that food processor, for that matter.

2. Use the buddy system: The true test of friendship. You want to bring someone who will entertain you while waiting in line, who will go ‘above and beyond’ if you become a shopping casualty and someone who will be the voice of reason. Although, if they’re willing to get up early on their day off of work, stand outside in the freezing cold and viciously attack complete strangers for sale-priced items, they may not be very helpful in the logic department.

1. Know your mission: Be 007.— Do your research in advance. Scour newspapers for the best sales. Clip coupons. Map out your shopping route. Keep the ultimate goal in mind. You’re sacrificing your appearance, a REM cycle or two and heck, probably a good chunk of dignity. Go forth and conquer those sales — you’re sure to get a bargain on something, right?

yuri baranovsky's blog

'80's trend, go away. (please.)

2009-11-19T18:42:00.000-08:00

"Adam Lambert wants more tattoos, but he doesn't have any ideas what to ink on his body next. It's the perennial conundrum of ostentatiously "unique" vapid people: an insatiable desire to express oneself, but no dust bunnies worth expressing in one's empty little head." [Gawker]

amen, gawker.

i get bored when people buy into a trend that doesn't work for them, just because it's a trend.

best current example:
leggings as pants.

who wants spandex to be the only thing concealing their legs?? really, i don't know a single woman who's said, "no, really, i LOVE my thighs." yet how many women who two years ago would've scoffed at the '80's throwback are now prancing about in leggings?

now, leggings under long tunics or under skirts makes sense. they're a good transitioning piece for your summer clothes into winter, they are comfortable, etc. etc.

but when leggings are worn with shirts that stop at the torso, we have a problem. why even bother with the leggings? you're just a thin layer of spandex away from accepting you are not wearing anything of significance on your lower half anyway. these silly girls are just in denial.

current most ridiculous outfit, which i unfortunately see on a daily basis:
-some sort of sweater/shirt/top (the type isn't important, but the length is: it ends at the waist.)
-leggings (the offender)
-high heeled boots (knee- or ankle-, it doesn't matter. heels do not make leggings more 'fancy.')

and really, do you know what this outfit is?

it's NO PANTS.

end of story.

get rid of the vapidity and the dust bunnies, and go get some pants!!

for more on this epidemic, check out these links:
Tights are not pants manifesto
Leggings without pants are a painful sight to behold

psych!

2009-11-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

well....i said i might hear about a possible job on friday... and i have not. sorry to the many people (and by that i mean the one person who asked) for the false alarm!
though that job opportunity is still working itself out, i decided that if it doesn't pan out then i need to actually look elsewhere for a job. time to start putting together my portfolio...

side note: for a class of mine, we have to write three book reports. book reports?!? really? what am i, eight?
and the worst part is, we can't even do a shoebox diorama or anything creative. noooo, we just have to write a four page paper on each book. i am not a fan.

oh, and interesting fact: there is a website devoted to pictures of people who are talking into bananas like they are phones. i am serious.... here's the link:
http://peopletalkingonbananas.tumblr.com/
people never cease to amaze and amuse me.

and lastly, in this random conglomeration of information, is this:
my roommate and i came up with a new word today. while watching the kid's movie, up, we realized that the chubby little boy in it, named russell, has quite thick legs. it's honestly foot, ankle, knee, thigh. we're not even dealing with kankles here; no, no — we have full-fledged THANKLES.
poor kid.

AND with that....have a happy monday!

one of THOSE weeks.

2009-11-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

"...Tell me, what do you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?"
— 'The Summer Day' by Mary Oliver

Hmm, good question.

I will hopefully find out about whether or not I will have a job TOMORROW.

Exciting, yes. A little scary? Well, that too.

I'll just try to keep these few lines in mind the next day, no matter what happens.

website to kill time with: peopleofwalmart.com
trashy, disturbing, hysterical.

i can't afford to <3 new york

2009-11-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

a friend from New York emailed me this morning ... i haven't had much contact with her since i left last spring, and her email acutely made me miss the city. too bad flights are so pricey — i would be out there in a heartbeat. that was the main downside to living there: shelling out the New York prices without getting the New York pay!

instead of blabbing on about how great it is, etc., i'll just make a list of places in New York City people should know about. sure, times square is fun (well, i personally hate it, but most people enjoy it) but here are some less-touristy places that are what i remember most:

For scones and tea: Alice's Tea Cup
For coffee: Tazza or Starbucks
For Asian food: Fortune House in Brooklyn Heights
For late-night talks: Happy Days diner in Brooklyn Heights
For reading: Sheep's Meadow in Central Park
For wanting to feel like an academic: NYU campus
For the "devil wears prada" experience (minus the horror): Hearst Tower

(photos: 28th St. exit, a home in Brooklyn, the Hearst Tower, and coffee at Alice's Tea Cup.)

overzealous ... but who cares?

2009-11-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

is it bad etiquette to post two things right in a row?

though i usually love to consolidate things, i figured my introductory post should stand on its own. so here's part two! (who doesn't love an encore?)

a bit about me:
- as my blog title implies, i thoroughly enjoy magazines.
- my blog title does not imply this, but i moderately enjoy writing.
- i'm ambidextrous. other than that being a fun fact, it does nothing to make me more or less cool (no matter how much i wish it did).

i figure i should mention some of my favorite magazines. that seems fitting...
(in no particular order)
--InStyle
--House Beautiful*
--Esquire
--Twin Cities Statement Magazine*
--Harper's Bazaar
--Vanidades
--Chicago Social

*i have to admit bias for these two publications, since i have worked at both of them! but i still firmly believe that both are great publications.

link of the day:
http://gawker.com/

incredibly irrevrent. endlessly entertaining.

welcome, friends!

2009-11-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

okay laura, are you happy now?

my friend and design maven, laura, encouraged me to start a blog about a year ago.

so, a year later.....here it is. better now than never!

i love sharing links, good writing, and great products with people; so now, instead of flooding their inboxes or their facebook pages with these little gems, i'll post them here. how handy.

enjoy!