Favorite Album: Red

Yes, Taylor Swift. She is a goddess and no one can deny it, especially now that more than just young girls are recognizing it. 

I have loved and admired her since I was in elementary school, and as her the number of days until I see her in concert for the very first time dwindle down, I find myself becoming overwhelmed with emotion when I begin to comprehend it.

Although I never saw her live during the Red Era, I am comfortable saying that Red is my favorite album of hers because it is the one I relate to most, and the writing is the most raw and real. I will argue until the end of the Earth that Red is one of the best written albums of all time because each song is filled with emotion and magic.

Red has been the soundtrack to most of my happiest moments, as well as some of my darkest. This album covers the entire spectrum of emotion with an eloquence incomparable to anything else.

I'll explain my favorite songs and the songs I find important in the hopes that the world can understand and celebrate the magic of the Red album forever!

State of Grace

Standout lines: "We fall in love till it hurts or bleeds or fades in time." & " This is the golden age of something good and right and real."

This song opens the album with a hopeful and glorious outlook on this time period of her/your life; the Red Era, the a fore mentioned "golden age." She knows that all it takes is one exciting person to change your life, and she loves that it makes life unpredictable. 

Red

Standout line: "And that's why he's spinning around in my head, comes back to me in burning red."

A romanticized form of synesthesia, Taylor looks back on a relationship and sees all of the color they brought to her life blurring into just one; a vibrant red that buzzes around in her mind and refuses to be forgotten. This also happens to be the theme of the album and Red Era.

All Too Well

Standout lines: "I might be okay but I'm not fine at all." & "You call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest." & "Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it. I'd like to be my old self again, but I'm still trying to find it." 

This song. THIS SONG. 

As Taylor looks back on the glory days of a relationship and asks why they had to end, she can't find an answer and it leaves her feeling raw and lost. In the end, she comes to the realization that it was he who lost, not her. 

Holy Ground

Standout lines: "We blocked the noise with the sound of 'I need you,' and for the first time I had something to lose." & "Darling, it was good never looking down, and right there where we stood was holy ground."

As she looks back at an old relationship, she remembers the glorious times rather than the way it fell apart, because it was remarkable while it lasted. 

Everything Has Changed
Standout line: "All I know is we said hello, so dust off your highest hopes. All I know is pouring rain, and everything has changed."
I feel extremely attached to this song in particular from the album because of its absolute optimism. She meets someone who immediately gives her more than hope that she will be okay, and that they will maybe be happy together, but she genuinely believes it. Another appearance of the theme that a person can change your life.

Starlight
Standout lines: "He said 'look at you, worrying so much about things you can't change, you'll spend your whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way.'" & "Don't you see the starlight, starlight? Don't you dream impossible things?"
This song was written about a specific evening Bobby and Ethel Kennedy shared together when they were young, but if fits the album because of it's lovely outlook on love and life. It has a magic to it that embodies Taylor's optimistic vision of love, a vision she used throughout writing the album.

Although I didn't talk about every single song, the entire album is truly remarkable and deserves a listen if you never have tried it. I hope that my understanding helps you develop a love of the album and maybe of Taylor Swift!

Thank you for reading, come back soon!

PS; none of the album art images are mine, they are all from her website!

(Italian) Ice ice, baby

Friends climbing a tree with teamwork

FOTD (feet of the day????

~*Photo credit once again to Sophia Powers, all photos were either taken by her or on her camera except for the very last one. Check out her photography blog and her instagram for more of her art!*~

If you didn't already know, on Saturday, May 30th, the weather in Chicago was absolutely terrible. It got down to 44 degrees, and when you factored in the cold rain and wind, it felt freezing. This also happened to be the night my friends and I were seeing Lana Del Rey's Endless Summer tour in an outdoor arena. We were naive enough to wear dresses and jean jackets thinking we would be fine.

We were not fine. 

The concert was astonishing and enlightening, but I was cold for days afterward, until yesterday when I sat in a grassy field and let the sun thaw my frozen bones. We fumbled our way making daisy chains and climbing trees. 

We also treated ourselves to some Italian ice from Gina's Italian Ice, aka the only acceptable place for Italian ice in all the world. (I had never even been, but I can say this confidently now that I have. I also expect this place to be my favorite summer treat spot!) I chose the pomegranate flavor, and it was the most delicious thing I had consumed in quite a while! 

Summer is picking up speed and I am finding myself getting excited for things like the Fourth of July, and seeing the 1989 tour later this summer. I hope I can also remember to enjoy the current moment before the summer's wound away.

Thank you for reading, come back soon!

Choose Happiness

~*None of these images are mine, I encountered them either on tumblr or other far corners of the internet*~

Here is my personal collection of nice phone lock screens for when I am feeling down, I hope by sharing them with you you can turn on your phone and be inspired to choose happiness every time.

Thanks for stopping by, come back soon!

Lovely Lake Weekend

Welcome to The Retro Herbivore! I feel that this new title and URL are more suiting to this blog and its content, and I am very excited to write heaps of posts this summer!

Sorry there was not post on Sunday, but I happened to be in a wifi-free and signal-less zone; a tiny town in the middle of Michigan right on an even tinier lake. I hope you enjoy these photos taken over the weekend!

Maggie gets frustrated at lawn darts

What might Maggie be doing? 

Maggie actually took this one, Sophia was working on homework.

The woman usually behind the camera

I stole Sophia's camera and took this one!

The above photos were almost all taken by my friend Sophia, you can check out more of her photography here, here, and here!

Thanks for reading, come back soon!

Coffee Collective #1

New Pot, a Thai iced coffee (photo from months ago, before I went vegan)

The Buzz Cafe, some kind of spiced mocha made with soy

Stan's Doughnuts and Coffee, soy chai latte and a vegan doughnut!

Sugar Fixe, soy chai latte ft. my friend's coffee and lemon square

Ah, a collection of my various favorite places to get coffee, and my favorite drinks from each place. I expect this to be a saga, because I love coffee and my favorite coffee spot was not even included in this post. 

Also, expect a URL change by next Sunday! This blog will be found at 

the-retroherbivore.blogspot.com

Thank you for reading, come back soon!

#FightTheExpectations

This past week in my community a feminist movement spearheaded by an incredible high school senior, Rachel, has taken over instagram. 

Tagged with #fighttheexpectations, teenage girls are questioning why it is we feel so pressured by expectations, influences, and ideals placed on us by a patriarchal society. Our years spent in high school are some of the toughest of our lives because they are when we are most confused and vulnerable, and it's also the time that the pressure from these expectations can crush us. 

Rachel decided it was time to not only challenge them, but put up a fierce fight. By posting provocative statements questioning why it's acceptable for women to feel this way, she has enlisted ladies from all grades and groups from my huge high school in the fight. 

I remember when I first entered high school and was soon enlightened to the principles of equality and feminism, and I imagine this movement has done the same for many young ladies. It's amazing what a few instagram posts can do, and how much power they can have. 

Join the movement and spread the ideals across your community!

Thanks for reading, come back soon!

Sprung

Dress: Bought at a second hand shop

Sweater: Thrifted

Shoes: Thrifted

Earrings: Thrifted

As it is now getting warmer and flowers are blooming, I thought I would take the opportunity to catch my bright outfit from Friday for the opening night of a play I've been working on. 

This is one of my very favorite dresses because it's a more vibrant shade of my favorite color,  mint green. The fit and flare shape is the look I always lean on, it's cute and classic as well as flattering on everyone. 

I love this sweater because I think it's got the granny appeal but is delicate and lovely at the same time, and it matches my heart shaped earrings perfectly. I paired it with my trusty pair of thrifted loafers to finish the look. 

Thanks for stopping by, come back soon!