Me and Dad | Raja Ampat, Indonesia
While on this trip to Raja Ampat and Hong Kong, I posted a lot of Instagram stories. And in response, I received a lot of comments (both IRL and online) to the effect of "you really need to wear less makeup; it makes you look old."
Which...you know...
Olivia here, again - while Jordan is ruminating on the beauty she's seeing, I thought I'd come by and share an interesting POV; I met Jordan over ten years ago via her blogmates on NonSociety (fun fact: I designed the NonSociety t-shirts...weird) and when Jordan began Ramshackle Glam, I naturally journeyed over here and I've been a loyal reader ever since. There have been so, so many posts of Jordan's which have hit me in the feels, made me laugh, and taught me something; but, there have also been posts of Jordan's which have left me scratching my head or with my hands over my eyes. I'd thought I'd share some of my all-time favorite Ramshackle Glam posts, and a few which made me shake my head. What's your favorite post of Jordan's? Which Ramshackle Glam post made you laugh or cry? I'd love to know!
1. The Great Impossible is one of those posts I bookmarked on my computer and would read almost daily. I almost memorized these lines, "Because marriage is hard – so hard that sometimes it feels impossible. It’s so consuming that when it isn’t working, there’s no lonelier place to be than next to the person you promised to spend forever with." It felt so nice to know other women were having similar thoughts, but also could come back from the thoughts and grow and learn. I feel similar about this post, too. At the time of reading both of them, I felt so seen and heard. Marriage can be tough, and it's okay to talk about the valleys as well as the peaks. In fact, Jordan talks about the fact that 'we don't talk about it' in this post - another fave.
Raja Ampat, Indonesia
In No Is Not Enough - one of my favorite books, and one I think about often - the activist Naomi Klein describes taking her five-year-old to the Great Barrier Reef. She was there to study climate change and the related destruction of the reef, and thought a great deal about whether to show him the vast landscapes of barren, bleached coral. Her instinct was to impress upon him, even at that young age, just how much had been lost, and how much more could be lost still.
And yet she didn't. She instead steered her child towards the most vibrant, beautiful corners of the reef, the parts still teeming with fish and coral and the kinds of colors you see only in dreams or on acid trips (or so I hear). Because how, she reasoned, can you fight for something if you don't learn to love it first?
Hi everyone, Olivia, Jordan's assistant here (fun fact: I've known Jordan since her NonSociety days, remember those?)! Jordan's still in Indonesia diving, reading, and completely off the grid, so I thought I'd pop in and share some of my favorite links&love&stuff from the 'net this week. You ready?
Here we goooooo.
Have I ever mentioned that I'm both mildly claustrophobic and not-so-mildly anxious about flying? I am mildly claustrophobic and not-so-mildly anxious about flying (especially after this little incident).
So to say I approached the idea of a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong with some trepidation would be an understatement. I pictured low-grade panic, exhaustion, and a smattering of lower-back cramps, just for kicks.
A few weeks ago, I shot a video with Tiny Tags (makers of the necklaces I wear everywhere, all the time) in which I talked about the emotional rollercoaster of these past few months. I may or may not have cried while filming it; I'm not telling.
Couch | Pillows | Top Rug (machine-washable) | Bottom Rug
Alright, so fiiiiiiine, the white family-room couch wasn't my smartest-ever purchase. I rationalized it because a) it's Ikea, and that's where my budget tapped out, b) there was only one Ikea style that I really liked, and c) that one style only came in dark grey (too dark), pink (too pink), turquoise (just no) and - yes - white.
But I figured we'd be able to collectively hold it together for at least the minimum of two years that I feel like you should be able to get out of an Ikea sofa. ...Right?
Me, one week from now
Next Tuesday, I leave for two weeks in Indonesia and Hong Kong with my father. It is now Thursday. Obviously this is the appropriate day to begin packing. (Can you tell I'm a little anxious about the trip? By Monday we're going to have a steady Xanax drip going over here.)
In keeping with my newfound "capsule" approach to packing - in short, giving the process actual thought rather than just throwing a bunch of crap into a bag and hoping that it turns out to be the crap I actually need - I have decided to make All The Lists. And I am going to make them here. Isn't that fun?
Botox...in your neck? Yup.
If you've been reading here for awhile, you know I'm not exactly shy about discussing the various beauty procedures I've had over the years (which is why the occasional "ADMIT YOU HAD A NOSE JOB, YOU LIARRRRRRR" comment I get here makes me laugh).
Take Botox, for example: I've been getting injections above my right eyebrow to help lift my lazy eyelid into a normal-ish position for years, and I've written about it pretty extensively, to the point where the magic of SEO has made me the Official Internet Authority on eye asymmetry. (As a sidenote, I get messages nearly every day asking me whether I *really* recommend Botox as a solution for this particular issue, and I do, absolutely - with the caveat that you need to find yourself an excellent aesthetician who's familiar with this specific usage.)
Oh heyyyyyy
I spent yesterday in Malibu, doing a little renovation consult for a friend who recently purchased a trailer home right on the ocean (more on the trailer home thing in a bit; it's a super cool story). It's an interesting undertaking, because the house is going to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up in a couple of years, so the renovation is more about making the house pretty and livable for the short term, without spending tons of money on things that'll ultimately end up getting tossed.
So. My advice was to figure out what amount of money per month was a comfortable amount to spend on general Life Happiness (meaning an amount that creates no financial stress whatsoever, but that feels "worth it" for the lifestyle improvements it'll confer), and multiply that by 24 to arrive at a budget for the mini-reno that'll take him through the next two years. Certain things are OK to spend a little more on, IMO - appliances that'll make the jump to the new place, and so forth. But when it comes to structural features, things are a little trickier.
