These are my confessions...

(In addition to secretly loving Usher songs that were out in high school), I'm addicted to fashion! IT'S TRUE. I was reading the adorbs Jeannie Mai's wikipedia page last night and upon seeing that she started out as a MAC makeup artist (in San Jose CA, no less!), I had a brief thought of abandoning my thesis/my office job, and following in her fashionable footsteps. (Me as a makeup artist would be hysterical because I wear makeup approx 7% of the time annnnd I physically can't wear eye makeup. I'm a lip gloss/balm junkie, but that's about it.)

Now, I am a total nerd still, that has not changed. As I type this, I'm not wearing a Balenciaga ball gown but rather a shirt from the clearance rack at Old Navy and Miley Cyrus jeans that I got for $8 at Plato's Closet. Tim Gunn would not proclaim this ensemble a "MAJOR WOW FACTOR." But I've found that I really enjoy dressing up for work. I like finding quirky, unique pieces that I can put together in fun ways. I work in a tiny, largely female department, and my bedazzled headbands, splashy-colored flats, and (often homemade) necklaces are good conversation starters with my co-workers! So here are some fashion-y things that I've been loving lately:

High-end consignment shops are a great place to find this kind of stuff, and convienently, I work down the street from one! Things aren't especially cheap at a place like this, but you can get gently used designer goods at deep discounts. Some of my fave finds include a kimono-sleeved black Banana Republic sweater, a BCBG doctor's bag-style purse, light blue J. Crew shorts, and, perhaps my most beloved item of all, stackable gold rings embedded with sparkly studs!

Am I wearing these rings right now? Guilty as charged!

I've also begun to search out fun accessories in unexpected places... like Baby Gap! Yes, I felt like I would soon be ambushed by the crew of To Catch a Predator the whole time I was there, but I guess it helps that I look young enough to be part of Baby Gap's target demographic. (Sadly, this is true.) Of course, you can't squeeze yourself into a onesie or party dress, no matter how adorable they are... but necklaces and hair pieces are not off-limits! And while Baby Gap carries some accessories adorned with smiley cats and dancing ice cream cones, they have many tasteful pieces as well. For about $15, I got a sparkalicious bronze headband and a pink ribbon necklace... items that Grown-up Gap could have easily sold with a significant price bump!

Gettin' fancy with a filtahh (because this picture was not too exciting on my iPhone!)

Lastly, any hype that you've heard about those Sally Hansen nail sticker things is totally true. I applied glittery pink ones ("Bling It On") in early August (see above in the ring picture), and they are still going (relatively) strong! Sure, some nails have chipped worse than others, but for someone who had horribly chipped nails just days after painting with traditional polish, this stuff is MIRACULOUS! Something in these strips makes it impossible for the tips to chip, which is always my problem area. (I didn't realize my tips chip so easily until I got my first French manicure two days before my junior prom. TRAGEDY.) Don't believe me? Behold:

Clearly, I'm a fashionista, rocking my Flyers Eastern Conference Champions tee!

So why the sudden fashion post (along with my inability to update this thing regularly at all)? Well... I don't know. I guess I need some sort of fun, creative outlet when I'm not working or researching!

Quentin Compson cakes!

OH HAI. So I haven't posted anything here since January... largely because I forgot this blog existed. Oops! I also lost my mind along the way and decided to overhaul my original thesis topic. Cool.

Alas, now it's July. I spend my days figuring out the specifics of my new thesis topic, accruing copious paper cuts at my part-time office job, and shopping waaaay too much. Oh, and baking more literary-themed cupcakes:

Yes, I had to stand on a chair to get this shot!

The only text that I happily kept from Thesis Take 1 was The Sound and the Fury because I'm a weirdo and I'm fascinated by Quentin Compson, self-destructive eldest child of the dysfunctional Compson clan. Like many modernists, Faulkner puts Quentin's thoughts into a jumbled stream of consciousness. (It is largely incomprehensible, and make no mistake, I read it with the aid of Spark Notes the first time around.) As Quentin gets closer to suicide, his thoughts totally break down, and his sense of self shrinks--to a lower-case "i". Hence "i temporary."

Now, to cupcakes! This task was sort of daunting because I have a hard time writing lower-case "e"s in icing. As you can see in my first post, I totally copped out (after leaving many cupcake casualties in my wake!). But I couldn't do that with my Quentin Compson cakes because the use of lower-case is so symbolic. Miraculously, I didn't screw it up! Conquering my baking fears, one literary-quote-adorned cupcake at a time.

Oh! These cupcakes also are Funfetti-esque (Faux-fetti?) and have Nerds inside. Because Quentin goes to Harvard and is a nerd! (Um, sure. Really, I wanted to try this recipe AND make Faulkner cupcakes, so the two ideas merged beautifully.)

And so it begins...

E.M. Forster and I welcome you to my blog!

(If only I could submit literary cupcakes for my thesis...)

I've been writing an introductory post for AT LEAST a week now. And I think I'm going to scrap everything I've got so far and just start over. (Tragically, this seems to be the best route for my academic writing of late as well.)

Hi, I'm Jess, and basically, I'm a huge nerd, hence the blog title! You can regularly find me geeking out over things like hockey (I miiiight have been riveted to all three nights of NHL all-star weekend), music (I've been described as a human jukebox, perhaps my greatest compliment), and literature ("ZOMG There's Victorian references in this modernist novel!!!"). I also fancy making sports and literature-themed cupcakes (see above). Oh, and I tend to succumb to all things adorable, namely cupcakes, sparkles, hearts, Etsy... So if you put all of that weirdness into a blender, you get a spazzy girly-girl who gets too excited over fantasy hockey success, can name 80s songs by their guitar solos, and makes ridiculous marginal notes in her schoolbooks. Win?

The written word is (generally) my friend, as I get flustered pretty much every time I open my mouth. But this semester, the written word and I are at odds. You see, I'm currently working on my English Lit M.A. thesis, and I've never felt more frazzled/panicked/incapable of writing a coherent thought meant for someone who reads above a first grade reading level. So there's that. I also am terribly freaked out by the unknown, and the fact that my life will change drastically in about eight months is not sitting well with me. I've been in school since I was three years old. WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU'RE NOT IN SCHOOL?!?! Well, you get a job, I guess. I actually just took on a second job, which has exponentially increased both my anxiety and (on the plus side) my bank account. (Flyers tickets for all!) My ultimate dream is to be a novelist, which means that I should probably get my MFA in creative writing, so my school days may not be over. In case they are, though, I want to enjoy these last few months in grad school with my wonderful friends!

Basically, I need to heed the immortal words of keymaster Lloyd Dobler (upon being tackled by a drunken party guest): "YOU MUST CHILL! YOU MUST CHILL!" I'm hoping that this blog will prove to be a creative outlet to calm my nerves and also potentially help people who are feeling equally unnerved by the thesis writing process. (Solidarity!) Because if I can't help somebody through my writing, there's really no point to doing it at all...