02
Sep
Fashion Week Cherry Goes…Pop!
Christene

Pop!

So far in my “Random.Breathing.People.Watching.Life” of a blog, I have only hinted at my love for fashion and amazing personal style.  This year, thanks to Felicia Walker Benson, of www.thisthatbeauty.com, I will be attending New York Fashion Week (NYFW). (Insert ‘fat kid in an ice cream shop’ happiness, here.)  Now, before you start sending me gift cards to Saks to help me prepare for this occasion, I must say for the first time ever, I am more concerned about what others will be wearing versus what I will be donning.  Yes, of course I want to look fantastic but this is definitely not about me.  It’s about the designers who have spent countless hours pouring their creative souls in wearable works of art. Make-up artists  and hair stylists  who help designers bring their creations to life. Runway, lighting and music directors who set the stage (and may be at the mercy of the designers) and countless others who make a fashion show amazing. I will challenge myself to wear only what I currently have in my closet (old art, if you will.) I’ll reserve my severely limited funds to buy pieces inspired by fashion from my first ever NYFW.  Maybe for this one I’ll buy a couple of  tank tops and a pair of black skinny jeans and oh, a black military inspired blazer and maybe a necklace and ohhhhh, earrings and maybe a little black dress and a lacy top, oh, ok – I’m not buying anything – just wanted to see if you were paying attention :) .

What I will be doing for NYFW…

I will be back stage for a couple of make-up brands that I have reviewed for www.thisthatbeauty.com in the past, as well as some that I have only seen or heard about.  From the looks of my schedule, I’m going to be in the tents for more shows than I can fit on one hand  (insert ‘fat kid in an ice cream shop that just heard there is also free cake’ happiness, here.)  I’m also looking forward to the shows that are out of the tents because I’ve heard those shows tend to be on the more creative side. I don’t know what is going to be more intense, seeing the models as they get prepped or seeing them strut down the runway, live! One thing is certain, I am going to have to go clinical strength antiperspirant for the week because I’m “gonna be sweating like a slave” with excitement, of course.  Oh and another thing, I will not hesitate to laugh at a model who falls on the runway.  I don’t care who says what, this video in particular is mind numbingly hilarious. My coverage of New York Fashion Week will be available on www.ThisThatBeauty.com.

The Challenge…

Now, if you read my blog when I first started posting, you will know that I am directionally challenged (see post Directional Suicide.)  Translation, I get lost frequently and easily (I am convinced it is a brain defect.)  A challenge I will face during fashion week is getting to shows on time, especially when I have back to back events.  I’m not even one percent New Yorker, so, starting right now I am creating a schedule with directions and notes to help me navigate. I will also need an extra battery for my phone because it will be my second lung after the first has collapsed. If you have any suggestions, please share.

What I want from you…

I don’t even have to hope I have an amazing experience because it is guaranteed.   For up to the minute information on all things New York Fashion Week and beauty follow @ThisThatBeauty on Twitter. For information on my company JUNC Brands LLC (maker of Hair and Skin JUNC) follow @HairAndSkinJUNC. For up to the minute tweets about my first New York Fashion Week, life, love, all things random (especially what’s wrong with leisure suits) follow me @CNicholaC.

By the way, feel free to send those gift cards, I am never one to look a gift horse in the mouth.  Besides, after fashion week, I’m going to want to shop :)

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11
Aug
Love: Slowing Down to find the Improbable Ideal
Christene

I recently got to thinking about relationships and how we often see our ex-partners as disposable and unimportant, simply because a romantic relationship has ended.

I have relatively decent relationships with most of the people that at one point or another, were important in my life. People are sometimes a hugely important part of our lives and with the drop of a hat, we would step over them dying in the streets. I understand that people grow apart and that breakups are sometimes necessary for someone’s personal growth (or sanity) but so many of us relegate our former “loves” to the bottom of the garbage pile.  I think the ease with which we do this, reflects poorly on us and it begs the question, “how genuine were the feelings in the first place?” Another question that comes to mind is, “Can we be in love with someone we don’t know?”
In today’s fast pace dating world, many people skip the “getting to know each other” phase of the relationship.   I think this leads many people to prematurely declare that they are in “love.”  Often times, it seems people fall in “love” without even being friends.  That is the only way I think one could so easily walk away from a love not caring whether they lived or died. Or worse yet, wishing them dead and meaning it or taking steps to ensure it happens.

Very clear cases of bitter breakups and divorces are often a part of prime time news. We see once openly affectionate, “loving” couples who have  become violent and sometimes uncontrollable.  I guess it proves that we can never fully know someone else, or, maybe we simply know what our partners want us to know.  So, if we can never fully know someone and we cannot love someone without fully knowing them, maybe love is simply a highly improbable ideal.

I don’t know anyone that would agree to date or marry someone they suspect would one day do them physical or (intentional) emotional harm.  Yet, so many people find themselves in these kinds of toxic “love” relationship. I don’t see the trend of bitter, hateful breakups ending anytime soon. But with each passing day, courtships become shorter and shorter  and so does the average relationship.  To achieve the improbable ideal, lets focus on the friendship. Maybe we need to accept that once we fall in love any number of things can happen to break up a romantic relationship but nothing can destroy love. Maybe we take a moment just to realize how absurd and impossible it is to hate someone we love. Maybe we all just need to slow down and take more time to know and understand someone before we make any commitments to, or declarations of love.

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02
Aug
The Beauty of You
Christene

Today I cried for You but more so for her
I know the pain now surging through her is infinitely worst than anything I can imagine
If only I could take her pain away
I wish I could go back a few hours
Back to when she was happy, excited and counting down the days
Can we go back to yesterday?
The day before the emptiness began

I remember where I was when I got the news of You
My heart smiled with joy and excitement
I remember instantly wanting You to be a girl
Because I knew we would get along famously
Your mommy only wanted a healthy You, a You to love unconditionally

We went through names and their meanings; we never picked the one that said,“You”
We have many pictures of You growing in mommy’s tummy
Daddy, uncle, grandma, grandpa and countless others anxiously awaited your arrival
You had tons of fans who came out and showered you repeatedly
We marveled at your mommy’s glowing beauty, even when she thought she looked otherwise
She loved You and happily welcomed all it would take to get You here

I sit here now remembering when You were a part of her
The most important part of her
The part of her she wanted to nurture and watch grow into an amazing You
To my best friend, You are an angel
You had a life and soul
You held promise, hope and had so much love
Now, she’ll never really hold You or see Your smiling face

Even though we didn’t get to meet, You are still a part of all of us
Mommy now knows a love she never thought possible and that’s because of You
We won’t ask why You left us
We won’t cast any blame
We’ll say good-bye with peace and love
You’re mommy’s forever star

-Always and Forever, CNC

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22
Jul
An Accidental Do-over
Christene

Today, a person I have known for less than a week said they understood where I was and that it is often difficult to start over in a new place. I was like ” Que?” Start over? In the year or so since I got laid off from my job in Florida and moved to the Big Apple…hmm, sorry, I mean Jersey, I have never thought about it as “starting over.” Even while in Florida I never thought about it as “starting,” I was laying the foundation for my future, or so I thought. I was working on the roots; roots that would eventually earn me a decent, independent living.

I think drinking the cool-aid regarding the importance of education above all else, was my first mistake. Other than meeting some great friends and eating some horrible late night pizza, I can’t say my formal college education has given me anything more than I would have had, had I relied on my wits, common sense and legs. MBAs are now a dime a dozen and the longer I stay unemployed or out of mainstream employment with an advanced degree, the more that degree will be compared to a GED by the time I re-enter the workforce. I’m not being fair, I don’t really yearn to return to corporate America but I would like the opportunity to reject a great job offer.

I recently started a business and though it is not what I thought I would be doing at this time, I am completely dedicated to it. After majoring in finance and marketing and completing an MBA, I am now making and selling hair and skin care products. Hair and Skin JUNC was started after working at my friend’s salon for a few months. I realized that a lot of the women that came into the salon had no idea what was going into their hair. It wasn’t hard for me to make the leap to try to educate them about the kinds of products that are available and the kinds of products that are possible. Many of the natural oils now included in my line, have been in my hair and skin care arsenal for years, yet I never thought about packaging and selling them (my fault, I know.) A classic case of school getting in the way of my education. I was very focused on getting the degrees. Now, I’m teaching myself chemistry, photography and how to customize WordPress templates (to name a few things.)

I read somewhere that a student from a New York university sued her school because she graduated but could not find a job. I think there is some legitimacy to that claim. After all, there are the years before entering college where you hear that all kinds of doors will be opened once you get that college degree. The thing they don’t tell you is that some of those doors will lead to a small room with no windows. I wish I could get a refund for years spent learning “business.” I would happily spend my refund on photography classes, fashion school or some form of education where I learn to produce tangible goods. As a youth, I was misinformed, no one told me that I needed to find my passion and pursue it and if that included higher education then “whop di doo,” It was always “you need to get an education.”

Having gotten a formal business education, I can now say that I really didn’t need one. So, yes, now I’m starting over and it’s difficult. It is difficult because I now know that all those years I spent in business school could have been put to better use.

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19
Jul
My Forever
Christene

There you are, my Love
There you are in my forever, my future
My heart warm and filled with happiness
I smile that forever smile, unintentionally
I know love’s possibilities because you smile
You see me with eyes full of promise but with quiet contentment
There you are, my Love
I’m overwhelmed by your possibilities
You, your smile, your heart’s joy has taught me well
You are my forever, my Love

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