Dagny Finds Faith

the style of other.

2009-06-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

all pics from style.com

Most models are 15-18 year old Eastern Europeans, blonde, blue eyed, pale white girls, 5'10, 97 pounds, don't speak English. I think about that a lot (people wait until the second time they meet me at least before asking what ethnicity I am). I've BEEN thinking a lot about it lately. I remember the moment I realized I was in a biracial marriage. I remember realizing I'm not white, 2nd grade, girl beneath me on the slide called me a monkey, I kicked her in the face.

I don't talk about this a lot. (before Sept 11, most people asked me "are you brazilian?". after, people ask me "are you lebanese? middle eastern?")

It might be easier if people could pigeon hole me. If I lent myself to a racial slur already prepared. When I was a teenager, my boyfriends all told me I was pretty in an "exotic" sort of way. What does that mean? You think I'm going to make you pad thai/dim sum/lumpia/soul food cause you can't tell WHAT I am while I belly dance/carry a basket on my head of your laundry?

I am no hate crime victim (white people are the global minority). I am simply not the poster girl for the fashion industry. I have been made aware of my outsider status. BUT. The fashion industry, in my opinion, is (slowly) improving. Today, I just want to include a few models (above) that are shifting the focus from scary skinny pale adolescents to...well..everyone else in the world.

Also: this is my new favorite poet, who has the greatest cheekbones ever. And really depicts what I'm trying to convey here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q11Nnba3iQ

distant

2009-05-31T07:42:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the absence here, had a lot of family stuff going on. Will be back in full swing very soon. In the meantime, here is my new favorite thing: Shorts with heels.

Fashion Toast, Sea of shoes.

Chicks at Conference.

2009-05-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

This weekend I attended a women's leadership conference down south, land of I HATE YOU HUMIDITY . This is code for: basically, I hung out with my friends all weekend. Some of them are UBER stylish and cute so I took some pictures...you'll notice that I'm the only one who looks like she reads fashion blogs because I am. That's the greatest part: all my friends have their own style, very individual, always unexpected and fresh, whereas a regular fashiony person can get a little toooooo trendy for her own good. Anyway, enjoy the e ye candy:

the evolution of the trend

2009-05-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

This is just an observatory post, ladies and gents. It's a notation of what trends I have noticed are falling to the wayside, and which are beginning to join us. This isn't to say I don't like, own, or wear some of the former category, so please don't email me all huffy. It's called EVOLUTION. So:

On the Way Out

on the way out by maryjanemanolos featuring J Crew Shoes

This is just a sample, of course, there are tons of outdated stuff on bodies passing by us everyday. And some of this isn't totally outdated, it's just outdatING. So we have the cropped cardigan: I'm sorry, are your boobs the only part of you that's cold? I purchased one of these against my better judgement recently and as soon as I wore it, realized that I was the only person still doing so. Me and a few college freshmen. Then there's the city shorts and the pointed flats. Very 2003. Ok next is the pencil skirt. THIS IS A TIMELESS PIECE OF CLOTHING. Do NOT throw away your pencil skirts. My point here is that two years ago it was the cool new 40's thing and everyone and their mother was in a pencil skirt, squeezin' this and tuckin' that into this shape. In 2009, it has returned to its appropriate wardrobe place, that of a classic piece which flatters almost everyone but shouldn't be worn every bloody day like you're on an episode of Mad Men. And the pointy toe heel. The roach killer. This very severe, very intimidating shoe is dead. Off the runways, out of designers minds (wait five years, I'm sure they'll be back). Replaced with a much softer, rounded retro look. And then there's the leggins/tunic combo. I've never liked this never ever and I'm glad it's getting dated. It makes your legs look short and fat and your torso look like a sack of potatoes. But it's done. Move on. And Vera Bradley. Don't see it in stores anymore. Saw about 30 in the thrift stores this weekend. Dead.

On the Way In

on the way in by maryjanemanolos featuring CHANEL Bags

So what's going to replace these old, last year-ish items? NEW CLOTHES!!! ROAARRR!!! SHOPPING! Ahem. Starting with the shoes, the new silhouette is the gladiator shoe. Last year we had these weird sandals that wrapped up your legs, but they've evolved into these super fierce heels and flats that kinda remind me of hippies. Also, the razor sharp pointy toe heel has lost some of its severity, as seen by the YSL tribute heel on the bottom right. Ditch the points. The pencil skirt gave ground to the new volume-based skirt (not for the pear shaped). Harem pants are here and I hate them. But there they are. I hate them. Anyway. Skinny jeans are now RIPPED skinny jeans..at least it makes for easy DIY. I am a little confused by the fringe necklaces I've been seeing everywhere...a necklace so big it might as well be a bra. But, there again, I'm not here to judge. Except I hate harem pants. Then there's the doctor bag shape, and embellished headbands available in any color with anything glued to it at F21 for 5 bucks. And last but not least: the BOYFRIEND BLAZER. Wear it with anything! Wear it to bed! Just get one! Try thrift stores.

Thrifting.

2009-05-11T14:14:00.001-07:00

wearing: great thrifted vintage blazer, h&m pendant, f21 tshirt, target jeans, really old shoes from ny

OK. I'm not a thrift store person. I'm not into the smell. I'm not into the rifling though tons of crap to find one or two things that are half decent. I'm not into the other people who are at thrift stores, snobby as that may be. But whatever. So I decided, after my umpteenth trip to H&M, that I needed to venture into the world of vintage. So I spent most of Saturday doing so. Here is a summary of my day:

1st stop: Goodwill by St Mary's Hospital. Verdict: Pants. Lots of pleated pants. Lots and lots of pleated pants. One really great 80s prom dress that was 10 sizes too big. Seriously contemplated getting it anyway and wearing it everywhere. Decided that was kind of a freakish desire. Put dress down. Left.

2nd stop: Hall Tree, Carytown. Verdict: This is more consignment shop than thrift store, and I did find a few pieces from Banana and Anthropologie, but barely discounted. In fact, I found several tops from Forever 21 that were MORE than they are in the store (!?). At any rate, nothing super unique or even super high end. I went expecting to drool and not buy very nice things. Instead I didn't drool, didn't buy, left confused.

3rd stop: Second Debut, Carytown: Also known as "the fancy goodwill" cause that's what it is. Not very well organized as far as sizes go. They arrange the racks according to color for aesthetic purposes but that makes it impossible to find anything. A few things stood out to me here: a fantastic pair of old cowboy boots, one size too small for me. A very small child laughed at me OUT LOUD as I danced around trying to get them off. Also, some really kick ass vintage fur coats and jackets for 25$. When it starts to get cold again, I'll be going back. I didn't note if they were faux or not, so vegans beware.

4th stop: Massey Cancer Center Thrift, Patterson Ave: Ok. This place owns. My. Face. It's basically a CLUB of old ladies that meet daily in this store and just trade their crap. I walked in and was the only one not involved in the conversation. I wasn't made to feel unwelcome or anything, it was just obvious that these ladies are all really tight. AND all their crap is AWESOME. This store is way behind Short Pump, far out of the reaches of both vintage- trolling hipsters and cheap, cheap scary cheap people with seven kids. I can't even tell you: there were vintage tuxedos. Piles and piles of old belts (I got a great Donna Karan one) that are all 1$. Amazing cookware and linens. Quilts. Wedding dresses. Toys, games, furniture from as far back as the 30s. Funky purses. Jewelry. Racks and racks of records and books. National Geographics from the 50s. Anyway, I didn't get much because at this point I was exhausted, but I'll be going back.

5th stop: Nap

6th stop: Goodwill on West Broad: I did some damage here. I think this one is also far enough away to not be mined by vintage savvy folk. This is the biggest Goodwill on this side of the river, and it takes awhile to go through it all. A great resource for dresses and blazers, and has tons of great comic book tshirts in the little boy section. :)

Anyway, I was going to go to Rumors but couldn't find it. And there's the whole southside to check out. So, I'm sure I'll be updating again soon!

Style Tips pt 1

2009-05-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, ladies and gents...this is part one of a series I am going to entitle "developing your personal aesthetic." It's my theory that everything about you and your world is a reflection of your personal style. A great deal of people see "style" as another word for "fashion" but it isn't. It's a conglomerate of every aesthetic decision you make in your life that creates the whole of your individuality. It's about being singularly, unapologetically, guiltlessly you. So, as I continue on my journey of making decisions that further define me, I will be sharing them with the interwebs, along with insights from friends. So what follows will be ideas and thoughts about style that will hopefully get you thinking about what makes you, you.

1. Find a signature scent and wear it nonstop. Everyday. Until your clothes smell like it and it doesn't wash out. Until people smell that smell and automatically look around for you. BUT! Make it a single note: chocolate. Cut grass. Roses. Linen. Daisy. Mine is honeysuckle. Try essential oils, like my friend Jackie who dabs a bit of gardenia oil on the ends of her hair. "A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future." -Coco Chanel

2. Pick your favorite disney movie. Put it in the search bar under "jewelry" on etsy.com and buy something. Check this out! And this!

3. Wear matching lacy underthings. Everyday. Throw out your boring stuff so you have no choice.

4. Tear pages out of fashion magazines. Frame them with ornate, over the top frames from Target or thrift stores. Fill a wall.

5. Collect something eccentric. Old books, vintage vogue magazines, china teacups. Make it unexpected (not dolls) and just one thing (you're not a bag lady).

6. STOP going to Wal Mart. RIGHT NOW. Surrounding yourself with cheap merchandise makes you feel cheap, even if it's just subconsciously. Inexpensive things can be found in much more self- image friendly places.

7. Find a few celebrities whose style you consistently admire. For me, it's Cate Blanchett, Gwenyth Paltrow, MK Olsen. Find out who their stylist is. Tag that persons website and plan to hire them when you're wealthy.

8. If you are not confident about your own style, shop alone. Buy things according to your own, unadulterated taste. Accept no input until you have developed a strong sense of self.

9. Think about your dream home, but forget the McMansions. Think about abodes that are strong stylishly, and fiercely individual. Japanese pagodas. Log cabins. Monticello. Huge english estates with 200 rooms and acres of rose gardens. Lofts in skyscrapers. Hip downtown brownstones. A waterlogged Venetian apartment. Consider what about these places you like. Is it modernity? Femininity? How do these concepts play themselves out in your daily choices? If they don't, change that.

That's all for today!

new observations

2009-05-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, guys, I know I haven't vlogged my last few days of the Raw experiment, and that's because I got a fantastic haircut today, left the salon, got caught in a deluge and promptly ruined my cute hair for the day. SOOO no me on camera. Maybe tomorrow. Ok, down to business:

not liking so much right now:

1. still hate harem pants. why are they allowed. why.

2. women wearing mens shoes. "brogues". that's not what they're called. they're called mens fugly shoes and you still look stupid in them.

3. the 90s fashion comeback. your acid wash is ugly. it was ugly then, its ugly now. shoulder pads are ugly. ugly ugly ugly. the 90s were a great decade for TV. that is all. and no I DONT CARE if that jacket is Balmain, your shoulders don't stick out like that.

4. adam still being on american idol. he sounds like an animal dying in the night. painfully. slowly.

5. the west end farmers market kinda sucks...nothing's organic!

far more positive about, and glad the list is longer:

1. cracker barrel with my dad. he's pretty wicked. and didn't make fun of me when i told him i'm a vegetarian.

2. owning multiple pairs of black high heeled shoes.

3. developing my own aesthetic.

4. ironically, this vodka sauce that i'm eating right now from the above ostracized west end farmers market

5. owning several pairs of linen shorts.

6. my 5$ peacock ring from etsy.com

7. finding a hairstylist, today, that LISTENS to me! and cares! and has great hair herself, which is a good sign!

8. this website: galadarling.com

9. deeply and completely loving and accepting myself.

10. high heels with spikes on them! a la rodarte

11. discovering the PERFECT white tee at forever 21! it's been two years that I've been searching!

also, on my style radar: a pair of mustard yellow, (thick) strappy, very high platforms under 50$. found the perfect pair at bakers for 80$. waiting for markdown. a gun necklace. big, chunky rings. a tissue- thin, visually interesting white cardigan. vintage band tees. structured dresses. anything from alexander mcqueen for target.

Raw food day 4

2009-04-28T15:20:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB-bYXtMsOc

Raw food day 2

2009-04-28T15:10:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4k1m_psbwo

oh, and PS, mom, it wasn't you who texted me the second time. it was a voicemail. forgive my peevishness. :)

Raw Food Experiment day 1

2009-04-26T05:35:00.001-07:00

Blogger won't let me upload such a big file, so you can see my first vlog here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev-NtfvvQo0

food experience.

2009-04-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

FARMERS MARKET OPENS SATURDAY! WOOT WOOT!

Also, I've gone vegetarian (again although that first time was years ago iwasfourteenleavemealone)

Also, I'm contemplating going raw, not fully but like 60%. And f that vegan crap. You couldn't PAY ME to make almond milk. Weirdos.

What's really funny is that I've been looking into the raw food thing for about a week, and I'm going to start Monday with a 7day cleanse and see how I feel- supposedly it'll clear up your skin, fix weak nails, gives you tons of energy, actually drops your core temperature, evens out your blood sugar, and makes you need less sleep. If this is true, I will be very happy. Anyway, the funny thing is how NEW AGE these people are. It's all "eat stuff with life force and be one with the universe hug a tree and commune with the great POOBAH"...sigh.

Once again, the Christian with the weird alternative lifestyle. But I don't understand WHY... where in the Bible does it say it's cool to get fat and waste resources and eat crap and muck up the planet. What about stewardship? What about conditioning your body like what Paul said? I think if most Christians knew what happens to the meat they're eating, they wouldn't eat it. If it came from a happy happy farm with happy trees and happy grazing cows that live a happy life and then are peacefully killed to sustain the happy farmer and his happy family that would be one thing (and does exist, and that meat I'll eat when I find it) but it's not the reality of American industrialized meat.

SOAP BOX returned to under sofa.

dream summer wardrobe sample

2009-04-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

summer by maryjanemanolos featuring Hurley shorts

So I've discovered this amazing website called polyvore.com wherein you have access to pretty much every item of clothing available on the internet with which to create your own dreamboards. I've made the above one..it's what I would dress like this summer if I had a bajillionty dollars. Those Balmain shoes alone are like six grand. Holla.

i'm not over, i'm not over you just yet.

2009-04-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Spring, spring, and all I want to wear is black and heavy eyeliner. So I will (cause I do what I wanna do, ho.)

When my grey cat sees a bird outside she gets so excited she can't actually meow, but just opens her mouth and makes this clicking noise in the back of her throat. At least she's quiet.

Riddle me this, batman: What do I do if I can't find a job after student teaching?

Also: I am a pop culture diva.

shoes i covetadorelove from Fall 09

2009-03-14T16:26:00.001-07:00

Givenchy

Rodarte

Fendi

also Fendi

dries

dior

Eating Local Challenge

2008-06-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

I'm tempted. You eat local, and only local, for a month. I've always wanted to be a farmer's market kinda gal- so I went to Tom Leonard's Farmer's Market. Guess where everything is from? CALIFORNIA AND CHILE. local my patootie.

Anyway, it sounds interesting- you basically do a farmshare with a local...farm...where you pay like 350 a month and they just give you boxes of whatever's in season and growing. And from what I understand, it's about a car load every two weeks. What's stopping me? Thoughts like:what the hell would I do with a car load of bok choy and radishes? Drop 10 pounds? No thanks. BUT it's organic and everyone knows fresh food just tastes better but I don't think I can handle driving to an actual farm. The 17th street market is going to just have to do. If I ever get around to it.

Meanwhile, I have switched to cage free, organic eggs. I'm still a Republican, I promise. I hug no trees. Cut down the trees. Build mall. Grunt.

where the wind comes sweeping down the plain

2008-06-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

well Wyoming is essentially the prettiest place on the planet. essentially. and unexpectedly. highlights:

1. we saw a camel in a pen with a bunch of buffalo.

2. saw cowboys. real ones. herding...cows. with hats, and boots, and lassos, and all. they didn't look as excited to be themselves as I was to see them be themselves

3. the sky is so low there, or rather you are so high there, that it always looks like a tornado is going to kill you.

4. went to the denver aquarium. FYI-there are no black people in denver. not any. none.

5. hiland, population 10. real sign.

6. you suddenly become a mountain goat and want to climb EVERYTHING. and then you DO. and then you FALL ON YOUR BUTT IN A FREEZING CREEK.

7. no one there has nice hair because it is always windy.

8. Taco John, not Taco Bell. wtf.

9. the rockies are as big and scary as they seem in movies.

10. dick cheney's ranch owns my face and i will buy it one day.

11. you are 2 hours from everything, literally.

in the last 15 minutes, i

2008-05-27T14:30:00.001-07:00

went to the store, washed some whites, vaccuumed, cleaned the shower, unpacked my new stitching frame, replaced the old one, put all the winter clothes in the closet and changed out of my scrubs. i'm not moving again. ever again.

yum-o. quoth rachael ray.

2008-05-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

This was the best meal ever. And I made it up...which I don't ever do. Anyway, here it is:

2 lamb shanks

Sauer's curry mix-NOT curry powder, curry MIX. it's got curry, cinnamon, cumin, coriander and other middle eastern spices

1 can chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

container of feta cheese

1 can chick peas

kalamata olives, pitted

Shake curry mix on lamb shanks, to taste. Place in deep baking dish. Pour 1/2 of the chicken broth into the dish. Drain tomatoes, add to dish. Drain chick peas, add to dish. Add kalamata olives. Back at 375 for one hour. Remove lamb to a plate, sprinkle with feta cheese and tent with aluminum foil (lamb continues to cook when it's resting, so make sure not to over cook it in the oven). Wait 5-10 minutes. Serve over cous cous, strain out tomatoes and chick peas and top lamb. YUMMY!

the depths and lengths of my nerdiness

2008-05-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

So Jackie's doing this horsey cross stitch which got me thinkin'....gee I haven't sewn anything in a long time. (the following is an example of how a choleric can go just a LITTLE TOO FAR in anything she does...) So I think about that tiger I've been working on since high school, and I know that it's already so messed up I probably won't be able to fix it. So I decide to just start a new one. I go to a craft store. Everything is really small, don't like it. Go to another craft store. They have big ones, but they're all like...Indians and things that I don't wanna do...dolphins. Puppies. Presents for grand babies. Ick. So I drive for TWO HOURS looking for a kit. Anyway, I go home and go online...find a few that I like but they look too easy so I finally stumble upon this website that takes fine arts masterpieces and converts them into poster sized cross stitch patterns on 18 or 22 count fabric (that's a really tiny stitch...most ones you buy in stores are 11 or 14 count). They use about 80-150 colors that you have to buy yourself and take (estimated) 1 to 2 years to complete.

So I buy one. "I think I might wanna sew again" turned into "Now I'm doing a 19x15 remaking of Starry Night using 85 colors that I have to find and will probably need to buy a scroll frame and this is gonna take HOW LONG and gee whiz why didn't I buy the wolf kit at Michaels?"

Anyway....after this I may do the Girl with the Pearl Earring. Everyone loves Vermeer, right? RIGHT?

if you're listening, woah oh oh oh oohhh

2008-05-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

I just went to the grocery store, and while checking out and watching the girl scan everything, I realized I am a culinary weirdo. A sampling of my grocery purchase today:

Lamb shanks. raw tuna filet. sesame seeds. cous cous. brussell sprouts. gnocci. chick peas. organic milk. organic grape tomatoes. hebrew hot dogs, cause kosher is better. spring mix lettuce. mangoes for salsa, not for eating.

Where did this come from? My mom usually made fried chicken/cucumber and vinegar salad/lasagna or cabbage stew. All of which I love, but never make. Perhaps I'm rebelling. Culinary rebellion always tastes sweet, heh...heh. Tomorrow we're having a church BBQ and I was at a total loss as to what to bring (hence the hot dogs) so I bought Pringles. That's junky, right? Junky enough, I hope. I just won't eat them. I should get to the gym; HOWEVER this interesting thing happens to me at the gym where people stare at me and look confused, I guess because I'm so small. But small or not, I still can't make it up the stairs without being out of breath. And I want Cameron Diaz's arms. Just a thought.

my heart goes out to the burn you feel inside.

2008-05-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

Journal excerpt, May 7:

Where do I start with you [God]? There are whole canyons of my heart unsanctified, filled with dirt and dryness. It's more than a realization that I am broken- it's a realization that I am CAPTIVE. My heart- in as much as I have one left- has been unshepherded and unwatched for. There is no one to fight for it; just as there never has been. In that is my most resented and abused wound, the most evident root of my bitter tree. I have allowed the enemy of my soul to possess me and take, unrestrained, all my hopes; make my dreams shadows and tattered rags fit for a prisoner of war. I don't want a mended heart, I don't want a restored life- I want what I was made for. I want glory. I want Eden. Let's fill my canyons, God. Let's rebuild this temple. Partner with me, and come into my locked doors. Be my love. I was a passionate girl, and years of disappointment have left me without the will to continue hoping. I give you, therefore, my will. I loved fiercely and innocently; and now I only manipulate and disdain love. I give you, therefore, my heart. Whatever I thought I was doing, whatever "Christianity" I thought I was participating in- it was not living. Existing is no longer enough, it's not an option, I can't do it. Protect me from the one who would destroy my soul. Recover all that has been taken from me while I was bound and gagged. Love me, so that I may remember it is good. I don't want disciplines of a beautiful woman, my best life now, 7 habits of highly dead souls; it's the new Pharisetical law. I want to be who I was meant to be- desperate, reigning, glorious, unfettered, unshallow. You are my love, all I have left. In Jesus' name, Amen.

back when I was younger, I was someone you'd have liked

2008-05-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

"Our desires-from picking up the quickest line at the bank to the overwhelming hope that our children will walk righteously with the Lord- are rarely satisfied in a way that relieves the ache of incompleteness...Our heart seems to rage against the ache. Our typical response to the heartbreak and sorrow of disappointment is murderous rage...We want someone to pay."

-Dan Allender

The heart has reasons which reason knows not of.

2008-05-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, in moments of honest restfulness, when I'm not striving to complete something or manipulate something or fix something- when I just sit with a pint of Haagen-Dazs, I think that there is no one on earth as discontented as I am. I don't know why I do or say half of what I do or say, although I do know that my motives are probably not great and probably born out of some mental or emotional wounding. But, of course...who wants to go there? Who wants to sit down and say "OK God I'm screwing up here and here and here and I can't figure out why but it's probably cause I'm never happy and could you help me with this, please?" I just can't ever remember being satisfied, or joyful. I'm either doing or I'm not. My life is deeply unsatisfying, and I don't actually know why or how to fix it. I've encountered no job or business or book or person who can tell me what will make me...I don't know...chill out? I suppose life is deeply individual, and no "counsel" or self- help book will ever really be able to tell me what's going on with me, specifically. I mean, great, Winning Friends and Influencing People sounds like loads of fun, in a superficial, is-that-all-there-is-to-life kind of way. And I don't say any of this to be cynical or sound like I'm upset or fist-shaking. I just have a life that doesn't fit me. This is not the adventure I was meant to live. I've married a man who is the opposite of me- he's calm, he's relaxed, he's go with the flow. I'm sure that's good for me, but I'm such a hard charger that I'm afraid I'm just making him uncomfortable with my "let's do this" and "let's go here". I have, however, finished my grad school application and mailed it off today. I'll go back, if they'll let me, to the last thing that I felt I was good at because here, in this place, I feel like I'm good at nothing. My great independence sin. It seems that God and I have some soul- searching to do, but, true to form, I'd rather avoid it and work until it all just goes away.

Only this time, I don't think it will.

symbolism in the silliest things.

2008-05-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today, our apartment complex roped off the parking lot in our area of the neighborhood to repaint and repave. I came home from the grocery store, and the work was done, the laborers gone, but the cones still up-I suppose to allow drying time. I get out of the car, smudge my foot on some paint and asphalt and realize it is dry. I move the cones out of the way, drive through the lot and park right outside my apartment. I am now watching other people stop, seeing the cones gathered to one side, and STILL turning around and leaving to find another lot to park in. I'm wondering- there isn't even a barrier anymore, just what REMAINS of one. GET A BACKBONE.

And it's just about parking.