The Trouble with Fashion Blogging (Pt. 2)

When I read my post about GQ's "The 40 Worst-Dressed Cities in America," I worry that I come off as nasty. And so I think I should make clear my stance on Pittsburgh fashion. For those who haven't seen it yet, you should really check out my blog post about it (and the article itself or the article's blurb on Pittsburgh, at least).

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Your Life Disrupted

The University of Pittsburgh is having some issues.

After the shooting at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, many bomb threats have occurred all over campus. (I lost count after the 16th one.) People thought that someone just didn't want to take exams. But lately, it's become somewhat ridiculous -- I think we're over at a count of over 40, and multiple places are being evacuated all at once. And even worse is that dorms and even the library (read: sacred study space where no one should EVER be bombing!) have been targeted. I feel bad for the students there, especially since they've been forced to leave their beds before sunrise and after sunset. It's awful...

Stop the Pitt bomb threats has been doing a really good job of compiling information,
but I've gotten so nervous and paranoid that I am (sadly) suspicious of him/her/them.

 

At first, some people were laughing a little and treating it as a joke. "Oh. Another one? Why can't it happen during my class?" But now, people are getting really scared -- they think that it may be something like what happened at Columbine and Virginia Tech, where shootings were apparently heralded by bomb threats. At this point, everyone's starting to get on edge, and everyone's consensus is that the perpetrator needs to be caught -- if the threats just stopped, the unleashed hysteria would be terrifying.

This whole thing has gotten me really down -- classes are becoming empty, paranoia is catching like wildfire, and classes are cancelled.
But it's Easter, and I'm determined to raise up everyone's spirits.

In recent news, Pitt held its 11th annual drag show on Friday, and I got pictures for a photo essay. It's a great cause, and the Rainbow Alliance always gives its donations to the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, which is such a sweet thing to do.
Here are some of the photos from backstage:

Putting on the face.

After the face is on, it's time for makeup.

THE AFTERMATH
Queens never fall -- they descend with varying amounts of grace
and may or may not twist an ankle.

I have many more photos, but I need to edit them before I can put them up -- rotating, fixing the (awful) lighting, and such.
And I feel like such a tease since I'm actually prepping these for the next issue of The Original Magazine, which means you won't see the final pieces until the fall. But at least that gives you something to which to look forward, no?

Anyways, you can stay caught up on the news about Pitt's bomb threats through the University. Alternatively, you can keep up with the news on Stop the Pitt bomb threats and Pitt's reddit site, where people have been doing extensive compiling (and speculating). I'm not saying that the latter options are the most reliable, but you may find some useful gems here and there.

Photo source (for the bomb threat): Stop the Pitt bomb threats

Talk Nerdy to Me

I have a confession to make.

Maybe you haven't realized this about me. Maybe I'm good at hiding this.
But I'm going to admit it. I am going to get this thing off my chest.

I'm not a human -- I'm actually a figurine. That is my secret. (I'm kidding, obviously.) 

I am a nerd. Or a geek. Or whatever you would like to call it. (Christina H from cracked.com, for instance, would call me "someone with bad taste," which would have offended me were it not for the fact that a CRACKED writer said it.)

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THE LOOK: Warm Hopes

The city is really playing with us now -- from 80 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, it's gone down to 40 degrees. It's almost unbelievable until I remember that this is Pittsburgh. And then I resign myself to the city's cruelty and cry a little.

In any case, I took advantage of the sun last week and took pictures.

See? I had shorts on last week -- shorts. And it's not even April yet!
That's how nice it was.

I suppose it's a little more natural to have 40-degree weather in March than for it to be in the 80s, but it seems somewhat cruel to have given us such wonderful summer weather only to punch us in the face and say, "AHA. Back to blustering winds and cold extremities." Thanks, Pittsburgh.
Oh well.

Speaking of March, I know that the posts have become sporadic again. And I have to apologize for this and explain myself.
See, I decided (because I clearly make the best life decisions ever) to present at a literature conference. And it's not like I had three papers due by the end of this moth or anything. You know. And it's not like I now have to prepare to present this paper in addition to the other ones I had. And it's not like I've become a hermit once more or anything. (Because this would be completely unlike me, you realize.)
Anyways, it's just that we're nearing the end of the semester, and everything's reaching a culmination. And everyone always ends up a sobbing mess around this time, so you'll have to excuse me as I join the rest of society in mourning our choices: "WHY DID CHOOSE THIS MAJOR? WHY AM I HERE? WHY DON'T I JUST LEAVE ALL OF MY PRIVILEGED, FIRST-WORLD WORRIES BEHIND AND BECOME A FORAGER IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA?"
I'll make sure to tear myself away from the circle of tears once in a while to give you content, though.

Anyways, I have one more picture below.
Click the link to see it if you'd like!

The Trouble with Fashion Blogging (Pt. 1)

When I realized that I'd been blogging for half a year, I revisited my whole blogging experience -- the reasons for starting this blog, the exciting things that I've encountered so far, and the difficulties I've faced. As I thought about it all, one difficulty in particular really stayed in my mind.

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