Christine asks the readers…

Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Daily Grind, Site Stuff
9 Comments

I’m aware that today is Saturday, and for the past two weeks I have been posting a new sonnet for all of you to read, enjoy, and marvel at. This Saturday is a little something different. Why? Because tonight my parents, Keith, and myself are leaving for San Francisco, California. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I am in love with that city, and have been three three times since I was only a little wee one (four years old!!). We went again my freshman year of high school, and once more in 2005 when I graduated high school. (see my flickr for the oldies!) SF is also the home of one of my favorite bloggers, Brook of homegirlcaneat. If you haven’t read her blog, go and do it. It makes for some fabulous reading material!

I am insanely excited to go back to the place where I left my heart (heh), and am excited to bombard you all with tons of visuals when I return, but when I am on vacation relaxing, I’d like to be able to come back with some new ideas and opinions from all of you loyal readers. So, without further ado, when you comment, please answer the following questions, so I have some good insights to read when I come back. Otherwise, have a nice week, thanks for the input, and expect lots of photos when I return!

1. Should “Sonnet Saturday” be every Saturday? Or every other Saturday to allow more time for “regular” blogs? (I ask this because I was seeing that Saturdays come around REALLY quickly!!)

2. Regarding health/fashion/beauty/fitness, what is a subject, product, or article YOU would like to read about?

3. What do you like about my blog? Why?

4. What do you dislike? Why?

5. What would you like to see more of on my blog? Pictures? Memes? Anything?

If there is anything else you would like to mention, just let me know in a comment. When I come back I’ll be reading all of your suggestions. Have a great week, and don’t miss me too much!!

Sonnet Saturday #2

Saturday, July 17th, 2010
Sonnet Saturday
4 Comments

As my second installation of Sonnet Saturday begins (it’s almost 11pm here, so it’s still technically Saturday), I had to include my second favorite sonnet written by the Bard. Sonnet #20, is one of my favorite because of the language and imagery, but also the underlying meaning of true love versus physical satisfaction. And I almost forgot, the possible homoerotic and gender queer undertones. Hmmm…

Sonnet 20
A woman’s face with nature’s own hand painted,
Hast thou, the master mistress of my passion;
A woman’s gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women’s fashion:
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men’s eyes and women’s souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert thou first created;
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
But since she prick’d thee out for women’s pleasure,
Mine be thy love and thy love’s use their treasure.

In almost every Shakespeare class I have taken, the debate has come up, “Is Shakespeare homosexual?” During Shakespeare’s time is was acceptable to have affection for another man. Men played women in performances, men were companions. It wasn’t thought of as strange to have a very close male friendship. To me, this almost sounds like a Renaissance version of the recently invented “Bromance”, but either way, it’s not something that offended me. Women can be friends, so why is it so strange to see two very close heterosexual men? The other side of this debate is that Shakespeare did in fact have a young man (hence the amount of sonnets written about him) whom he felt romantic attraction to. A great example of this type of “sugar daddy” relationship is in The Merchant of Venice (Antonio and Bassanio anyone? Totally more than friends in my opinion!!) Maybe Shakespeare did share some of his money and fame with a young aspiring writer when he was married. For these reasons, this sonnet has made scholars and readers puzzled over the obviously sexual undertones in this sonnet.

The sonnet basically describes a beautiful man created with delicate women’s features, a gentle heart, and dazzling eyes. This man is not likely to change his mind like most women tend to do, and is also sincere. More importantly, the gender ambiguity in the words “master-mistress” is mentioned to show the merging of female and male traits. Mother Nature began to fall in love with her creation, and made a mistake adding a part that would make it so the speaker of the sonnet cannot have this beautiful creature. What would that part be? A penis (isn’t it always something sexual in English class?)! The line, “But since she prick’d thee out for women’s pleasure” clearly mentions the male anatomy in a less than pleasing way. I’ve never been a fan of that term myself. The speaker realize that he was made for women and for their own pleasure. So, if the speaker cannot have his body, then he at least desires his love.

Why do I love this sonnet? I’ve always wondered if Shakespeare was gay myself, but even after reading many of his works and sonnets I still cannot figure it out. I like to think that this sonnet shows readers that the physical aspect of love and attraction is not as important as the personal connection one makes with another human being throughout their relationship. The speaker knows that it would be impossible to be with the young man in the sonnet because he too is a man. Physically they cannot do what a man and woman can do, but they still can love one another. I like this sonnet because the emotion the speaker shows is so strong. He loves this young man and is saying how just knowing that he has the young man’s love is enough for him to carry on.

Now, in 2010, I like to think that homosexuality has become more widely accepted than in Shakespeare’s time. Do you think that people still feel the same way as the speaker of this sonnet felt?

What’s in my bag?

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Beauty & Fashion, Daily Grind, Photos
5 Comments

What can I say? Some of my favorite blog posts and photos to look at on flickr are “Inside My Bag” posts. It’s just interesting to see what other people carry around with them. So, with that in mind I decided to provide you with a chance to glimpse into the bag of Christine. Here’s what I carry around with me on a daily basis, with one or two things missing. When school’s in session, add in folders for each class and a poorly organized five star notebook. The bag featured for this post is one of my favorites. It’s from the Coach Poppy collection and I received it as a Christmas present from my parents this year. I love the fun colors. It’s a great carryall as you will see below.


1. My Coach Poppy bag. =]
2. My wallet with various things inside of it.
3. My Juicy loves Sephora cosmetic case. (see below to snoop that!)
4. The New Testament, I’m currently reading Revelations.
5. A hallmark datebook. Nice portable calendar.
6. A mini composition book, perfect for jotting down notes.
7. My sock change purse.
8. BBW foaming hand sanitizer in Warm Vanilla Sugar.
9. Lubriderm lotion. I wash my hands a lot at work & need to keep them soft!
10. Pens, to write down said notes.
11. Chococat mirror.
12. A mini flashlight.
13. A penny, I always keep a loose one in my purses.
14. ‘Attitude’ inspirational coin.
15-19. Randoms: Pink pocket mini Swiss army knife, snowman charm, gum, rose in a tube, & Carmine’s NYC matches.
Not pictured: Keys, Menthols & my lighter


This is a simple photo, but inside my purse I always have my Saint Theresa medals. She is my patron saint so I always keep her with me. These were given to me by my mother, and you’ll see that I have two in here. When school is in session I keep one in my school bag and another in my regular purse.


1. My cosmetic case.
2. Advil and Tylenol. Usually people end up asking me for it, but no worries. I always keep it on me just in case.
3. Scrunchie. Too many times staying at Keith’s and nothing to tie my fro up with!
4. MAC Blot Sheets, to absorb my EVOO skin. =P
5. Nail clipper.
6. Blistex Silk & Shine chapstick. Tastes like Koolaid.
7. MAC Lustreglasse in Luminary (I believe!)
8. Aquaphor. I kept this in here when my tattoo was healing up, but it works wonders for super dry skin too.
9. My awesome nail file.

You might be thinking, “Damn, she’s got a lot of stuff in that bag,” but to me it’s always better to have more than you think you’ll need. Plus, it’s great to have a large bag when someone (Ah-hem, Keith!) wants me to carry some of his stuff. Even with everything above tucked into my purse, there is still room for a book and my glasses (which I take with me to doctor’s appointments just in case), a bottle of water and a whole bag of Goldfish crackers (I found this out while going to Newport in May with the high school kids).

What do you keep in your purses? Do you prefer a large tote, or something more compact?

Sonnet Saturday #1

Saturday, July 10th, 2010
Sonnet Saturday
4 Comments

After some hard consideration, I have decided to have a recurring theme come to my blog. My TIL (Things I Love) posts are fun, but I want something a little more constant. I thought to myself, “What could be something fun and unique I could weave into my blog on a regular basis?” Ideas began to flow like fresh brewed Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. “Sunday Snack: a new healthy snack every Sunday”, “Friday Fashion: a photo and outfit I wear to start my weekend”, but they all seemed the same to me. What is something that I have NEVER seen? What is something that I adore? It came to me: “Sonnet Saturday.” Shakespeare’s sonnets are my absolute favorite pieces of his writing. You all know that I love Shakespeare! So without much ado (heh), my all-time favorite Shakespearean sonnet and why I love it.

Sonnet 130
My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Out of 154 sonnets, why do I love this one the most? The speaker is discussing his love in a most unconventional way. A sonnet is typically a poem about something that the speaker loves. Instead, this speaker is talking about how his mistress’ lips aren’t as red as he would like, her hair is kind of wiry, she’s a bit pale, she’s not very graceful, and her voice and breath leave something to be desired. The final two lines talk about how their love is deeper than just what shows on the outside, and this is why I love this sonnet. She might not be the next Kim Kardashian, but he loves her just the way she is.

When I first read this sonnet as an awkward 18 year old in high school, I thought it was strange. Great! He loves her, but he ended up pointing out all of her flaws before getting to the point. When I studied this again in college in one of the two amazing Shakespeare classes I took, I looked at it in a different way. I automatically thought of Keith. Most women (myself included!) don’t have a tiny, tiny waist and a huge chest, perfectly tanned skin, or platinum blonde hair. Most of us don’t always dress up like we’re attending a Hollywood gala every day. I’m pretty sure that 99% of us ladies in the world can usually be found wearing jeans or sweats, have little to no makeup on, and perhaps some stains on our clothes due to the many things women encounter every day like pets, kids, and home improvements. I know that Keith loves to see me all decked out, but he also loves me when my hair is the size of the moon, my jeans are tattered, and my eyeliner that I tried so hard to perfect is now smudged after a day of work.

So, even though this sonnet was written in the 1500s and published later in the early 1600s, the message still reigns true today. Love yourself without the lipstick and the perfect skin, because there will always be someone else who does too.

Feeling droopy? Hang on, Sloopy!

Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Daily Grind, Work-a-Holic
8 Comments

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I am currently blogging to you from my brand new laptop (A Dell Studio 15 w/built in cam & black and white polka dot design!!!) that I purchased for myself with graduation cash. With all of the fanfare over, and the working world crashing down around me, I’ve been a little down on myself as of late despite my happy face in that photo up there. I think it has a lot to do with the stresses of job searching, working my butt off at Panera, and Keith becoming a manager at Michael’s. He’s been working a lot and sometimes we’re not able to see each other as often. I also am used to being an over achiever, and not being in school for a semester (I’m planning to go back to grad school in December) is hard for me since I’m always busy with some form of academics or another. I also want a teaching job…badly! So though I’ve been feeling a little droopy, there are some things I do to give myself a pick-me-up.

- Paint my nails a fun color: for some reason bright fun shades on my fingers and toes make me happy. I’m currently rocking a shocking pink on my digits and a purple with black and white polka dot design on my toes.

- Think about and sometimes write down my “Highs” of a day. This started on the beach in Rhode Island when my cousin’s were discussing their high’s and low’s of each day. Keith and I started doing that as well, but sometimes you just need to think about the high’s alone.

- Retail therapy: While I try to be savvy with my money, there are just some times when you need to spend a little something on yourself. I try to make it something small like a new accessory like fun sunglasses or a cute change purse, or a new lip gloss. When you work hard, and start to get down on yourself when things don’t work out, you have to remind yourself that you deserve a reward too!

- Talk it out: What are friends for? If something is getting me down I like to talk about it with a friend or two (or three!) A lot of my friends are going through some of the same emotions since they too just graduated and are trying to find jobs. We can offer each other tips or simply complain and vent together.

- Those fattening drinks from S-Bucks: Yes, I go to the gym. Yes, I watch what I eat, but sometimes a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks is just what I need. (And now I can get it made with skim!)

- “The Why I’m Awesome List” is pretty self explanatory, but sometimes writing it down and posting it somewhere visible to you (and perhaps the others in your house?) helps.

It stinks to feel mopey, especially when you’re usually a positive person, which I try to be as much as possible. What are some times when you just feel down? What do you do to remedy how you’re feeling? If all else fails, just be glad that you’re not like Holden Caulfield who says, “When I really worry about something, I don’t just fool around. I even have to go to the bathroom when I worry about something. Only, I don’t go. I’m too worried to go. I don’t want to interrupt my worrying to go.”

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