the results

The Halloween party at the children's hospital was wonderful. I left my camera in the car because I didn't think it was okay to take the patients' photos (they had all signed photo releases it turns out, but I still think leaving the camera was a good idea). I spent the majority of the time wheeling around a nonresponsive child and trick-or-treating for her. Nonresponsive children make me so sad, with their blank faces, refusing to react to anything (though I DID hear a laugh when we went down the elevator).

The fairy costume was a BIG hit, one person even told me later he didn't remember any other costumes except mine. And that sounds really conceited...but I put a LOT of work into this costume and I'm proud of it.

I know it's vain...but I really love the way this costume turned out...and the way the makeup made me look.

Here's how I had the makeup at the beginning of the morning. And here's the whole costume. Forgive the presumed artsyness and the bathroom setting...I'm a bit contained in my photoshoot choice.

New favorite photo of me ever...and that's RARE, that I ever like a photo of me.

Happy Halloween. I'm spending it at the Texas Book Festival.

It's hard being a fairy...

So on Sunday I went to the store and got just about anything purple in terms of makeup (I like purple, it's versatile, and it looks good on me, therefore, purple fairy I shall be). I tried several different possible makeup and hair combinations and wasn't truly happy with any of them. So, what did I do but post them on facebook, tagging a few of my makeup-expert and stage-expert friends, thinking surely they would give me good pointers. And hey, I'd be fine with constructive input so long as they said something along the lines of 'here's what I like, here's what I don't like, here's how it could be better' (not even that order, it could be any order).

I posted those last night, and some of those photos have as many as 23 comments.

Friends, readers, do you want to know something? I had a mom explaining to me that look one was wonderful, don't change a thing, but look two was tooooooo scary. Then I had a friend tell me that look two was wonderful, don't change a thing, but look one was WAY too scary. Back and forth...so I did another look, borrowing a little from a tutorial on youtube that I've now forgotten, and another person said they preferred this one, that it wasn't too scary. Then someone else who was tagged by a different friend as a joke said that they were all scary, but wasn't that the point?

Anyway, I have four looks now and here they are:

Look one: butterfly fairy Kate

(A mom said this was great, and then a friend said it was scary.)


Look Two: horns? spikes? wings? Yeah, a lot of people liked this one (including my room mates) but I have to say it's kind of frightening. Maybe if I was going to be a different kind of fairy...and not one that helps children in a hospital get ready to trick-or-treat, I'd modify it a bit.

Look three: downplayed fairy (for a fairy day job I suppose). A lot of people liked this one, and it's actually the one I modified from a youtube video, it's just not enough to me, I want to go all out! (Sidenote, wearing my dad's old youth service fund shirt that's probably about 30 now. My favorite shirt and I can't wear it anywhere because it's so see-through!)

Look Four: we have a winner! I like this because I still have color in my cheeks (and on my nose, I put soem blush on the very end so it was rosy), my eyes still are outlined in purple and kind of wing-ish, and my lips are purple (and they'll probably be purpler than this) but not oh-dear-God-she-must-have-drowned purple. And the eyebrows are defined enough to let me be really expressive and clown around with the kids. I've not decided if this fairy will speak or be mute. I have been a mute fairy before and I always ended up talking. We'll see what the kids need. I think I might try mute again, because it's fun.

Look how expressive I am!

The only fabric store in town was closed Sunday and closed when I got out of class today, so Tuesday I am storming it and making my costume. Lots of tulle will be involved. Maybe I'll get ambitious and sew in a top, or maybe I'll just modify a t-shirt (which seems more likely to be honest), I haven't decided yet.

Well, what do you think?

So....grad school

Grad school is hard. Especially when you live in an apartment complex full of crazy undergrads who attend a school known for being partial to partying. Especially when you suddenly fall ill the week of midterms and cannot even look at a computer screen without vertigo. Especially when your room mates are loud at odd times. Especially when you have to get something done, even if you CAN'T look at a computer screen. Especially when your targeted research has no prior work done. Especially when you don't have time to cook for yourself but cannot justify eating out all the time.
I need a break...one that includes the whole school, not just me being so sick I can't stay out of bed for more than three hours!
No, I don't know what I have/had. Symptoms are mostly gone except for some congestion (which is nothing compared to older sinus infections...thank you so much, balloon sinuplasty!) and a looot of fatigue and dizziness. I took the bus home today and watching the cars pass by on the street made me carsick!
Pray that I get all of this done. I'm losing steam.

it's gonna be awesome

This year I am volunteering at the children's hospital for the halloween party. You know what that means, right?
I GET TO GO CRAZY WITH THE COSTUME!

I puzzled for quite some time. I've been a ballerina for the past two years just using one of my old dance costumes, but it's a little too tight for the specifications.
I've decided to be a fairy because I'll get to have some fun makeup and hair. I'm going to sew a knee length tutu (my first ever) out of shimmery tulle, have some wings and a tiara, though I'm not sure what to use as a top! Tank tops seem perfect for this but I don't know if their dress code will find it "too revealing."
And of course, ballet flats and some colorful tights will seal the deal...perhaps with some of my jewelry or something...and of course a lot of glitter!
It's in a few weeks so just stay tuned!