Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Politics 101: Voting

Yesterday was National Voter Registration Day! Did you register? I did. I will officially be voting in the District of Columbia on November 6. I'll be disenfranchised on the Federal level, but I so believe in the importance of voting, that I didn't want to skirt the lines of legality by voting in Arkansas. where I've been registered the last 2+ years. *Side note, my parents live in Little Rock, Arkansas--- I don't know if I've ever shared that little tidbit with y'all. Anyways. I mailed off my registration form to the DC Board of Elections and I'm so excited.

No matter what side of the aisle you fall on I think we can all agree voting is so important. I've talked about why I love politics before but in the weeks leading up to the election I think it's important to address it again. So here we go. Blue Dog Belle's top 10 reason to vote.

Vote


10. In order to be heard--- you have to make a statement. Duh, right? What I mean is Congress appropriates funds for various projects and initiatives. They really do listen to the constituencies who make the most noise, so speak up!

9. Don't let someone buy your vote (or your silence). Who wants to be manipulated by the powers that be?  No one.

8. Votes make Democracy work. Our government is by the people for the people. But if the people disappear from the process, the whole thing will break down.

7. It's important to stay up to date on the issues. No matter what the policy, you should know how you are affected. If you're up to date on the issues, your far more likely to vote.

6. It's fun. Who doesn't love that little "I voted sticker"

5.  You should get paid from work for any time you take to vote--- so hey, wait it a line. Exercise your rights. And take a break from work.

4. You shouldn't complain if you don't participate. Obviously, this is just my opinion, but it drives me NUTS when people start facebook or twitter rants about something stupid that the government is doing but I know they don't take the time to actually go vote. If you don't participate you don't get to complain. (okay--- that's a tad extreme, but it still a pet peeve).

3. Every vote counts. Voting is the ultimate equalizer. No matter how much money you have, what you do or where you live. Your one vote counts the same as that billionaires.

2.  The government is broken--- this is the easiest way for you to help fix it. Record deficits, unfunded entitlements and a broken tax code. There are so many important problems that we desperately need to solve. Voting helps provide a direction to the country, let Congress know how you think we should fix it!

1. It's your Constitutional Right. How many millions of people are denied freedoms every single day? In this country alone just think about our relationship with voting throughout history. 90 years ago our mothers won the right to vote. Less than 50 years ago African Americans were barred from voting all across the country. We are so lucky to live in a country, no matter your race, gender, sexuality-- nothing bars you from exercising your freedom. Above all this is why I vote. I vote because I can.

Is that enough for you? You only have a few days left to register (there is a 30 day deadline) so go on and register

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Woes and Wins

Lately I feel like my life has been flip flopping all over the place. I'm so hyper focused on studying for the lsat, I'm losing it in other aspects of my life. And the hits just keep on coming. So I need a vent day. Here are my recent woes, and some of my recent wins. And if you make it through, I'm linking up with Niki for Loving Lately with my latest obsession.

Woe-ing

Flat tire on a Monday morning. Great way to start the week.

Forgetting about soup simmering on the stove. For 2 hours. Can we say burnt soup? yum.

Sucking at sleeping. I just have too much on my mind, AND I am on an over caffeination cycle where I drink too much during the day, then can't get to sleep at night. Then I'm exhausted the next day, so I once again over caffeinate, oops and there goes the sleeping. How do I get off this ride?

Instagramming. I keep wanting to do an instagram drop post because lets be honest we all like picture heavy posts (and they are easy to pull together). But I've taken like 4 pictures since my last one. Oh well. I'll throw in a few





Parking. I got a $100 ticket For parking on the street in FRONT OF MY HOUSE in DC, in a two hour zone over night during the week, when the "supposedly" don't monitor this block between 8:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. Annoying.

My room is in a state of disarray. One that it has never seen (okay, that's a lie but it hasn't been this bad in a long time). There are just stacks of clothes everywhere. I forget what's clean and whats not... then it needs to get washed again because Oliver inevitably sits on it and leaves his black fur everywhere.

Yoga. I haven't been in TWO MONTHS. and I miss it so... I need to start going again for my sanity. Maybe I'll squeeze it in tonight.

My Job. I normally pride myself on being great at my job. I'm super on top of things. Work through lunches when we're busy, show up early and stay late. I'm work hard, try to be as thorough as possible, and take on new projects regularly. I'm a pretty good employee if I do say so myself.   Well, I haven't done anything major, but I keep making just stupid mistakes. Losing receipts. Forgetting to print things for meetings. Not returning phone calls. I just have been so focused on the LSAT lately, I can tell my work is suffering. Time to step it up.

Winning

LSAT studying seems to be finally coming together. Just in time might I add. 11 days.

Losing weight. I'm currently hovering near a three year low! Yay.

Officially being free of a lease requirements for the first time ever in my life (we just went month to month!!)

Blogging. I feel like I've been kind of phoning it in since I started the LSAT studying, but I continue to add new followers at an astonishing rate! Thanks y'all. All the support and comments really mean so much to me! Don't forget to enter my starbucks reader appreciation giveaway.

Saving money/sticking to my budget. Having to study for the LSAT has been an awesome excuse not to go to happy hours or out for late nights on a weekend. Granted I paid a stupid amount of money to Kaplan for my class. AND I have to pay an even stupider amount to apply to schools. Oh yah... then there's that little thing about paying for school. Goodbye savings. I'm still counting this as a win, for now.

The GEORGIA BULLDOGS. 4-0. 40+ points in each game so far. #5 in the country. We are off to a great start. I'm feeling UGA vs Alabama in the National Championship. Anyone else? Gosh the SEC is awesome (4 of the top 6 teams are SEC right now. #winning).

And Since you read this far (and I'm so loving this link up so why not join in again)

Leopard Love
Oscar de la Renta flat / Madewell leopard print shoes / J.Crew ballet flat / Faith leopard print shoes, $55 / L' Autre Chose ballet flat / Steve Madden flat / ASOS ballet flat / Madewell ballet flat

 

Monday, September 24, 2012

September Birchbox

It's time for another round of



This month's Birchbox was not my favorite ever, but once again I picked up a few good things.  First off they threw in a twistband. I seriously love these y'all. If you haven't picked one up, you need to! They are super flexible and don't crimp your hair!

Twistband
Then I got a pack of the La Fresh Instant Body Soothers. These are wipes for your hands, face body, etc. that are supposed to sooth skin. They smell great and are definitely refreshing, but I don't think I'd invest in them. 

La Fresh Instant Body Soother
This Custom Color Club Polish was my favorite find of the box. Birchbox and Color Club teamed up this month to put together a few of the hottest colors of the season. I got the rose gold metallic color called "put a pin in it" I'm OBSESSED. This is definitely worth the $8 investment

Custom Color Club Polish
They also threw in a few of these brush guards. Definitely a nice thing to have when traveling. These are supposed to protect your brushes and help them keep their shape. They're essentially like those chinese finger traps and they can expand around pretty much any brush.
Brush Guard
Boscia Purfiying Cleansing Gel is preservative free, which is great. I've only tested it out once, so I don't feel like I can give you a recommendation one way or another, but so far so good!
Boscia Purfiying Cleansing Gel
I think I'm just not a Beauty Balm person. I need/want more coverage. While this Dr. Jart Beauty Balm is by far the best I've ever tried, I still got oily and felt like my imperfections were obvious a few hours into wear. I do have super oily skin and am constantly battling all of my products to extend the wear, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. 
Dr. Jart Beauty Balm

So that's it. My September Birchbox. Want to see more? Here's my August, July, June, and April reviews.

AND. Don't forget about the Starbucks GIVEAWAY 

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Happy Fall!

Fall

Please go enjoy this lovely weather. 

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