I swear I'm not ignoring you.

Dearest blog,

I'm really sorry for the neglect lately. I've somehow been staying busy between my new writing ventures, the job search (which is getting better), going to the gym (yes! I'm still going strong!) and (gasp!) a social life.

Let's recap my life:

- You can check out my new articles on ChickSpeak about Tammy Tibbetts and the MacDella Cooper Foundation here, Project Girl here, "The Zookeeper's Wife" here and getting your car ready for a roadtrip here. If you're on Twitter, FOLLOW US at @ChickSpeak. We aren't a robot, and I know because I'm the official tweeter! If you're on Tumblr, FOLLOW US here. We'll follow back, too!

- I'm also writing at BizMe.biz. My first article is about the corporate dresscode. I have more coming though, so stay tuned.

- I have a part-time retail job now. (Hey, at least it's something. Although I've had to dress up and wear more makeup for this job than pretty much every other job/internship I've ever had.)

- I have friends and a social life. Sweeeet. I even went on an actual date recently with a guy who actually lives near me. (No more of those out-of-town boys. Although they were fun, haha.)

- I have serious job prospects on the line. I'm not big on talking about it because I do feel it might jinx me, so just keep your fingers crossed.

- My war with the treadmill is definitely going in my favor. In fact, I actually managed to KEEP my weight-related New Year's Resolution this year! I'm thinking of possibly running a 5k sometime this fall. Although my only worry is that I haven't really run outside (and by haven't really I mean haven't at all). Oh well, I suppose I'll try soon!

Ok, that's my recap. I have also been reading a lot about interesting topics in my blogs. Tomorrow I have a 5-hr bus ride back home, so I'm sure I'll end up not doing anything I'm supposed to be doing and blog. For some reason, that's what tends to happen.

Toodles for today,

Cassandra

A Hair-Removing Beauty Trend

I'd call it a "hair-raising" trend except, in this case, there will be no hair to raise. As I was reading through my Google Reader (which I still adore) and came across a post from BellaSugar about a reemerging trend, barely there eyebrows. Although from the picture they used, it really looks like the model has no eyebrows.

Eyebrows have always been a source of trouble for women. I find them quite annoying myself. I try to keep them in check the best that I can, but I'm pretty terrified of getting them waxed. I've only done it once because I really trusted the esthetician. What I'm actually scared about is having the esthetician wax off both of my eyebrows and leave me looking a little ridiculous.

Apparently, my fear might actually be the latest trend! Crazy.

Twenty-six-year-old fashion consultant Lauren Boyle told the New York Times, "There is an asexual element to no eyebrows. We are much more accepting of the ‘other’ nowadays. Removing eyebrows removes a degree of expression, which makes one look less human and more cerebral, maybe even mechanical. It’s an exercise in modernity."

Another idea, including that of makeup artist Pat McGrath who recently did the latest Balenciaga show at the 2009 Fall Paris Fashion Week, is that the no-eyebrow trend has to do with the recession. Apparently financial troubles help people open up to become more daring and try new "inovative" looks.

Nevertheless, the trend is popping up everywhere from Balenciaga to Givenchy to Vogue. You can either bleach your eyebrows until they no longer seem there or get serious and shave them off.

As for me? I think I'll be keeping my eyebrows. I don't really understand how not having eyebrows is asexual. It's not like only one sex has eyebrows; both women and men have eyebrows. Also, why would one want to look less human? I don't know about you, but I feel blessed to be a human. (Granted I wouldn't mind being a domestic cat or a bear, but that's for another post.) Shouldn't we want to celebrate being human?

And the whole recession causing the look idea? I can see why this would be attractive to high-end luxury brands (who probably aren't suffering like you and me during the recession). They have to find new ways to grab people's attentions. Although the recession does not have me running out to try new innovative looks. In fact, I think it's almost had the reverse effect. Instead of wanting to push my looks to new extremes, I've found myself being much more conservative. (But then again, maybe that's just where I am in life, which would also make another post.)

So I'm interested in your opinion. How do you feel about going eyebrowless? Would you ever do it? I guess it's easier than plucking, though. Just one swift movement from the razor!

Just In Case You Didn't Know

So this isn't exactly new news, but here's the story behind Judge Sotomayor. I didn't really get too into until I decided to write this article. I'm going to say she's a pretty cool woman. Check it out, leave me a comment, join the site and enjoy!

Are You a Supergirl?

I had the pleasure of interviewing Supergirls Speak Out author Liz Funk for ChickSpeak.com. She's such an awesome girl. Very inspiring, too. You really ought to read the Q&A, then read her book. (Then join ChickSpeak and comment on all of my articles! haha)

Buy Me Some?

Article number two is up now. If you're a female, you should join the site and hang out and chat on the forum. You can also follow the site on Twitter. And there's a group or fan page on Facebook. You can find it on my profile. Read and enjoy! Thanks.

Shameless Self Promotion

So I'm writing for a Web site, ChickSpeak.com. It's a pretty cool site, and I definitely believe in the mission. Here's my first article. Check it out!

I am a Blogaholic.

Some of you may have caught my earlier post about possibly being a blogaholic. Well there is no possbility. I -am- a blogaholic. And thanks to Google Reader, my addiction gets worse and worse and worse. I'm currently at 83 subscriptions.

Ok, to make sure you don't think that I'm sitting at a computer all day, I don't necessarily read every post. I skim through a lot of it and read what interests me the most. It's so easy to do on Google Reader, too. I don't have to visit 83 different Web sites when I want to see what's happening.

Last time I got some great suggestions for new blogs. So once again, I figured I'd share a few favorites of mine and ask you about yours. What are you reading? Because here's a spotlight of what I'm reading:

Funemployed in NYC - They have a great "Job of the Day" feature where they find ridiculous job postings. It's pretty funny. They make unemployment funny, which is nice.

Save Like Me - This is SELF's money saving blog. MP Dunleavey gives you great suggestions on how to go about saving money. I like how she uses real life examples, too.

Salon.com's Broadsheet - This is my go-to blog for women's issues and current affairs. I like how they talk about serious and not-so-serious issues with a conversational, witty and amusing tone.

Almost Savvy - This blog isn't updated too frequently, but when it is, you can find some great information.

Beyond the Beauty Pages - This is SELF's beauty blog. I've learned a lot from all the women there. I love reading what they're up to and what they suggest. (I also love that my friend Ale is a regular blogger. She's awesome!)

Please Wash Your Hands

Swine flu also known as the H1N1 flu has (probably) reached my home state of North Carolina and definitely reached the state I'm currently living in. This is not a good sign, friends. Having the flu definitely sucks..

So I hope you're all taking the time to really wash your hands, try not to touch your face or eyes much and pay attention to your surroundings. Me? I'm going out to buy anti-bacterial hand stuff and lysol tomorrow. Oh, and please refrain from doing the following:

Thanks.

(PS: Where are this poor kid's parents?)

Just For Giggles

I wanted to share this because it makes me laugh. A friend and I were having a conversation on AIM about "slow news days." You know what I mean; days when nothing is really happening. Here's a tidbit from our conversation. I hope it at least makes you smile.

FRIEND: Oh like how the other day on CNN they had this story about how the underwire of a womans bra saved her life...

ME: nah, that's just weird interesting news

FRIEND: two wars. economic collapse. imminent pandemic. and really you're going to talk about the bra that saved the day?

ME: bad news. bad news. bad news. wouldn't you want some uplifting news? no pun intended

FRIEND: LMAO

Who knew I could be so funny? I sure didn't!

Another Magazine Death Close To Home

Reading Gawker's Great Magazine Die-Off and Web sites like The Magazine Death Pool always make me sad. I hate watching the industry continue to fall apart.

Some magazine foldings hurt a little more than others. The first magazine fold that really affected me was JANE magazine. It had always been one of my favorites, and I happened to be interning there when it folded. So I experienced my first magazine folding at my first national magazine internship. It was really tough to pack up the office and watch my editors become unemployed.


It was even sadder watching it again while watching Fashionista Diaries. (I'm on three episodes, by the way. Although you'd never know because it's just my arm or the back of my head or my face is blurred out.) Although I'm glad I kept in touch with my editors, and they've all landed on their feet in great if not better positions.

Today another magazine I interned at folded: Conde Nast Portfolio.
Of course I'm not interning there now. In fact, I interned there directly after JANE magazine. I technically interned for the Web site because the magazine had not really begun its monthly publication. I never really imagined myself at such a magazine, but I really enjoyed my time there and met great editors. (Luckily, most of them had already moved on from the magazine before today.)

Nevertheless it still saddens me to see it fold. I also feel bad because it was one of the biggest magazine launches in recent years. (It launched in 2007.) There's definitely a lot of talk going on about it. You can read about it here (on their site) and here (from a former employee) and here.

I hope I don't see any of the other magazines I've interned at face the same fate. Something tells me they won't, but either way, I'm starting to get a little scared. Anyone else seen any magazine folds that hurt a little more than others? I hope not!

Miss North Carolina Wins!

So did anyone watch Miss USA Sunday night? Because I did. First, I'm so happy Miss North Carolina won simply because I'm from North Carolina. Second, I'm really annoyed with the media attention. To recap: Perez Hilton was a judge, and he posed a question to Miss California about gay marriage (surprise!). This was her answer:


I LOVED IT! Her answer was honest and true even in the face of Perez Hilton. Way to go, Miss California! Now I'm not saying I agree with her because I don't. I am glad she stuck to her beliefs. Ok, she didn't have the strongest answer. "Opposite marriages" still makes me giggle, but seriously, you get the point.

Perez, of course, didn't like the answer so much. Here's his response:


What makes me mad is that Miss California didn't even have the WORST answer to a question. At least she answered the question!! Did anyone see Miss Arizona's answer to the question about health care? What was her answer? Loosely worded: "Whatever we do, we should do it with integrity." ....really?

So I just watched Perez on MSNBC:


And here are my questions: Shouldn't both the President of the United States and Miss America both represent the entire nation? And since when can one person please everyone?

Media-Go-Round Spinoff

Wow, I've really dropped the ball on posting, huh? Well, you can take it two ways: you can be angry at me for not posting because I've been busy or you can be happy because I'm starting to have a life again. Anyways, on top of not posting, I've also forgotten to do a Media-Go-Round post for the past two weeks. But I hope you've kept up with it on your own. Anyways, I thought I just share a few things I found interesting.

- I got my first Mine magazine. First, they didn't even get my magazine choices correct. Lame, right? Although they did apologize and extend my subscription with another issue. I also now have the secrets to Tiger Woods' swing, which I wouldn't have if the switch up didn't happen. Second, I'm going to have to say I wasn't impressed. It was a really flimsy magazine with maybe one or two articles from each magazine. (Faithful readers, remember the post about dressing for your size, and I said it was probably from Glamour? I was wrong. It was from In Style, and I just re-read the article in Mine.) On the up side, it makes for good gym reading material, and I was one of the 31,000 to get a print copy. Want to read more about it? Click here.

- There's been a lot of magazines crossing the line when it comes to ads and articles. Some magazines are getting called out by ASME. (That's the American Society of Magazine Editors, if you didn't know.) This is how ASME explains itself and it's decisions. I kind of feel like it shouldn't matter what's on the cover of a magazine. In all honest, most magazines are pretty much one giant advertisement for thousands of products. It's sad, but true. And if it helps them sell at this point, good. Let them get back on their feet.

- So French Elle decided to put stars who aren't wearing any makeup on the cover of their April issue. Or so they claim. Yes, the women look a little tired, but I don't really notice any blemishes or anything. I don't think they're makeupless at all. That's just my opinion though. I like this guy's opinion, too. You ought to check it out.

- I've already posted about the whole 55-year-old intern thing, but it still makes me want to throw up a little. They actually set up an Executive Internship Program. I think I just died inside a little.

- Jossip folded today. Wait, I mean "it's on hiatus."

- My thoughts and prayers go out to Roxana Saberi and her family.

Media-Go-Round: 3/24-3/30

So after a discussion with a friend, I've decided to stop my weekly "Celebritized" roundups because most people do already know about celebrity news that interests them. Have a different opinion? Let me know.

But I'm continuing my media news roundups because I find it important for people to know what's happening in the media. Although, I'm going to try to add a bit more commentary.

- This week's folding announcements include Blender magazine and Ann Arbor News, with layoffs here and here and here and here and here. The sad part is that I probably didn't even catch them all. With the slow death of newspapers and magazines, you have to wonder what will happen to journalism as we know it. It's an exciting time to be an already established journalist, but as a journalist fresh out of school with no job prospects? Not so much.

- Hachette Filipacci is selling off titles. To be honest, I haven't seen much positivity when it comes to sold titles. They're like the red-headed stepchildren of whoever buys them. Best of luck with that.

- Obama skipped out on important newspapers during his news conference. Instead of taking questions from the NYT, WaPo, WSJ or USAT, he took questions from other sources. I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's good that he recognized other news sources, but at the same time, those major titles are read by people all over the country. Newspapers are also dying, so wouldn't it be helpful to have the president's support in at least answering to them? Aren't they the watchdogs of the government?

- Your favorite magazine fold? No fears; make your own. Hewlitt-Packard is offering a new Web service, MagCloud, which allows anyone to create their own magazine and print it at 20 cents a page. It's more for people who want a magazine about a favorite hobby or very niche-esque things. I'm not really sure how I feel about it though. Would you make your own magazine?

- Freelancing is becoming essential for most journalists, but you have to beware of the one's that don't pay well. I can't believe SELF is on there though. It takes time for the paperwork to go through and all, but they pay! General shadiness? I don't believe it.

- Barbara Walters might retire?? She's a pretty amazing woman at 79 years old. I still want to read her autobiography.

- This is starting to become a frequently seen thing--ads on the cover of magazines. The latest victim? ESPN The Magazine. To be honest, at this point, if it saves magazines, I'm all for it. It's on the cover of the magazine. Now if it were an advertorial inside a national magazine, I might get a little more upset.

Little Internet Joys

With Monday approaching shortly, I thought I'd share a few distractions I've recently discovered. Sometimes you just need a few minutes to do something completely aimless, you know?

- Dead at Your Age: I'll admit; this site is a little strange. You can learn about famous people who died at your age or younger. But useless bits of information are always entertaining.

- Monster Tetris Game: I can tell you now that I have never finished a game and probably never will. In fact, sometimes I get bored after about five minutes. But if you're a Tetris-lover, this just might be your Heaven.

- Life is Short. Synopit.: Ok, I confess I haven't used this one before, but it still intrigues me. Since we're always on the go, this site apparently summarizes long articles. If you try it, let me know how it goes.

- Bubble Wrap: The title says it all. I kind of love this one.

- Twistori: According to Twitter, it's a social experiment type-thing. I don't get it, but it still entertains.

I hope you still get things done during your day though.

Media-Go-Round: 3/17-3/23

I feel like someone should make a soap opera about all of this: "As the Journalism World Turns."

- Dear Bloggers, are you sure you know what you're doing by saying you'll pay for online content? I hope so.
- Twitter will take over the world, one newspaper at a time.
- Think I'll buy a Vanity Fair this month simply for this shoot. I love it.
- This one hurt a little. People magazine promoted advertorial on the cover. Is this what it takes to survive nowadays?
- I made my own magazine, thanks to Time Inc. More info here; make it here.
- Supposedly only the crappy magazines are dying.
- Conde Nast suffers layoffs and budget cuts. Again.
- Ellie nominations were announced.

Celebritized

There were a lot of ups and downs this week.

- Natasha Richardson suffered a serious head injury while skiing and passed away. Please always wear a helmet.
- Bruce Willis married model and actress Emma Heming.
- Harrison Ford proposed to Calista Flockheart over Valentine's Day weekend. They've been together for seven and a half years.
- One of my favorite designers Marc Jacobs also got engaged.
- This is why I don't like deer. Poor Matt Lauer.

You've Got To Be Kidding

As we all know, entry-level media jobs are far and few between. Minimally paid internships are also getting much harder to find.

This leaves behind the unpaid internship, which is fine during the college years when you still have health insurance and your parents to support you. But after college, with no money, no place to live and no health insurance, the unpaid internship becomes nearly impossible, too. What's an aspiring journalist to do?

Wait, wait, it doesn't stop there. In fact, it's getting WORSE. Your opportunity at an unpaid internship may disappear soon, too! Why? Because your mom decided she wanted to learn new skills to keep up with you (yet fails to see that you are still unemployed).

Don't believe me? Watch the video.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Please, dear media, come back to life.

Media-Go-Round: 3/6-3/16

I have a lot of interesting media news to update you with since I've been gone for a week. So let's get started:

- Hachette Filipacchi moving to Wall Street? A new money-saving trend?
- More trimming around the edges for most magazine companies.
- Layoffs were found here and here and here. Plus a fold here and here. And possible folds here. Times are tough.
- NCAA Tournament to help CBS Internet Ad Revenue. My bracket is done!
- A Twitterview? Seriously? Does anyone else find this a little odd?

Media-Go-Round

What kind of journalist would I be if I wasn't on top of the latest media news? Honestly. Therefore welcome to this week's media roundup!

- The Reader's Digest Association not only face a possible bankruptcy, but some freelancers are boycotting their most recent launches.
- On a slightly positive note, at least traffic for magazine Web site's are up.
- Why aren't there any women Chief White House Correspondents?
- ASNE's convention cancellation will cost some big bucks, but they're still ok financially.
- "Mr. Magazine" to launch the Magazine Innovation Center. Invite me?
- Poor Rodale. Layoffs suck.