Happier Trails

Well, he left. My brother, I mean. He had his fill of Californian life, and is off to find his way... back in New Mexico. He's been gone 3 days, and I already miss him. Luckily, we were able to take a day and bum around LA the day before the Academy Awards before he left (see what a good brother he is - he even allowed me to indulge on his last trip to LA!). We had a ton of fun, checking out the red carpet for the Oscars, eating at the Roosevelt Hotel, visiting the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and touring the La Brea Tar Pits/LACMA downtown. I was really glad we both had time off to hang out together.

Me and Oscar - BFFs

The Oscars Red Carpet!

Totally almost famous ;)

Brother at the Roosevelt, right after seeing a wannabe star

The Space Shuttle Endeavor!!!!!!

We were a little excited ;)

Awesome painted billboards outside of Staples Center

My brother's true love at La Brea Tar Pits

It was such a fun day together, much better than our actual last day together (during which I spent 4 hrs at the doctor sick - lame). My brother and I have always been close. He's younger than me, but probably the one in the family that "gets" me the most. He's also the only one that bears any resemblance to me - something I find oddly comforting when living so far from home. Alas, California and he were not meant to be. I get it too - it's expensive, it's dry, and it can be a little pretentious. These are things I don't mind, but he's much more traditional/simple than I. I hope this next chapter in his life brings him much joy, and I can't wait for him to visit me sometime soon. (Who am I going to go on my fun adventures with now???)

Good luck, my brother, and I hope to see great things from you soon!

Until next time...

--- Becky

An Ode to FIDM

When I first started my career almost eight years ago, I struggled with whether or not I had made the right choice. I did not go to school to enter this profession, and the industry held no appeal to me at all growing up (even though I had been around it my entire life). Deep down, I had longed to have a career in fashion and marketing. My friends sometimes laugh when I say this - you would too if you saw how I act and dress in my personal life. But I simply adore fashion! I love the colors, the textures, the silhouettes... it's breathtaking. I especially like haute couture and costuming - who doesn't like to play dress up once in a while?

As I struggled with my quarter life crisis in Houston (what am I doing with my life? why am I in TX? etc), Lauren Conrad and her friends on The Hills were starting school at my dream school, the Fashion Institute for Design and Merchandising ("FIDM") in Los Angeles, CA. This stunning school prepares its students to follow their dreams in design, fashion, merchandising, and digital media. Oh, how I wish I had known about this school when I was in high school (not that I could have afforded it). I watched The Hills from my tiny apartment in Houston every week, loving every scene that took place at that school, wishing I could drop everything and go enroll there.

When I moved to Southern California in the fall of 2011, I put FIDM on my "to-visit" list immediately. Lindsay Blake (of iamnotastalker.com fame) had "stalked" FIDM a couple of times, the most recent being a visit to the FIDM Museum's annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition in March 2011. Although my first visit was long after that exhibit closed, it was Lindsay's blog that inspired me to visit the museum and check it out. I was not disappointed!

First Visit to FIDM

I have gone to various FIDM exhibits since moving here, including "FABULOUS! Ten Years of FIDM Musueum Acquisitions," "6th Annual Outstanding Art of Television Costume Design," "20th Annual Art of Motion Picture Design," and most recently "21st Annual Art of Motion Picture Design." This latest exhibit was phenomenal! It included costumes from A Royal Affair, Anna Karenina, The Hunger Games, Argo, Django Unchained, Hitchcock, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Skyfall. They even included a special exhibit of the clay characters and costumes from the movie, ParaNorman. It was so much fun! Sadly, they do not allow pictures in the museum but you can see some of the pictures from the museum's blog. These pictures do not do the costumes justice (especially in the case of Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror), but at least you'll get the idea. The work that goes into these costumes is amazing!

If you're ever in Los Angeles, I definitely recommend you check it out. FIDM Museum is located at 919 Grand Ave in Los Angeles, CA (Note: The door faces the park, not Grand. Walk around the building to find the opening).  It is Tuesday through Saturday, and is free (yes, free) to the public. It is definitely one of Los Angeles' best kept secrets! 

Until next time...

--- Becks

Same-Sex Marriage DOES NOT Spread HIV/AIDS!

I can't believe in 2013 I'm still having this conversation...

While lying here on my death bed (aka my cough from hell), I watched with pride as MN's Senate Judiciary and House Civil Law Committees passed the marriage equality bill today. This is a big step in marriage equality, which I hope to see spread throughout our great United States during my lifetime. While this was a wonderful thing to witness, it was not without pain. It made me so sick to hear the ignorant blasts from non-supporters on why they felt the bill should not pass.

I understand people have morality/religious conflicts with marriage equality, and while I do not share your opinion, I certainly respect them when they are argued without hate. Suprisingly, we can have different opinions and remain friends (or at least, I can). What I cannot support or respect is when people spread ignorance regarding the lives and welfare of same-sex couples when "supporting" their position on this issue.

One gentleman's testimony* in particular made my blood boil, not only because it talked about same-sex couples' sex lives (which is nobody's business but their own), but also about how same-sex couples' sex lives spread disease and affect the general welfare of society and the economy. In his words, only the act of sodomy can transmit AIDS since women have a magical "cell" that apparently fights off HIV/AIDS viruses in the body in order to promote procreation. (IS HE KIDDING ME???) So wait, is it just the lives of gay men that he has an issue with? I watched the whole testimony, and still didn't see anything that supported his position other than his opposition to sodomy. (Yay for the lesbians, I guess?). Regardless, to spew such nonsense in a public forum is dangerous and ignorant. 

Some facts:

HIV/AIDS does not know gender, race, sexuality, or income. It can infect anyone.

HIV/AIDS can be transmitted via shared needles. Another reason not to do drugs, kids.

Unprotected sex increases your risk for contracting HIV and/or the AIDS virus, REGARDLESS of whether that unprotected sexual act occurs between a same-sex or heterosexual couple. The virus is transmitted when infected blood, semen, or vaginal secretions come in contact with broken skin or mucuous membranes, whether those membranes are located in the mouth, nose, vagina, colon, or other opening in the body. Sodomy is not the only sexual activity that can transmit HIV/AIDS.

Knowing your status and the status of your life partner is IMPERATIVE. It only takes one bad drug deal, one bad blood transfusion (yes this still happens, although mostly overseas), or one bad sexual encounter to contract this deadly disease. Knowledge is power, my friends. Get tested, and make sure your partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, future husband/wife, etc is tested too. 

While I hope some of you will eventually change your minds and support marriage equality for all of our friends and family members, I again respect your opposition and point of view. And while I certainly hope one day my friends and family members will enjoy the same rights and privileges as me and my "straight" friends, I understand this is not something easily achieved. In the meantime, I hope you at least take away the very TRUE facts about HIV/AIDS and the gay community. Again, this is not a "gay" thing any more than it is a "white" thing or a "poor people" thing. It has the power to affect us all if we are not careful. Please educate yourself (if you haven't already), and educate your friends and your kids too. We will only win when there's nothing left to fight.

Thank you.

Becky

*Note: I refuse to share the gentleman's testimony, but I'm sure you can "Google it, boot" to put it in the words of my favorite faux policeman. I worry that if I share the testimony, people may construe it as fact which it simply is not. I appreciate your understanding.