Everyone goes through periods of time where things in their life just aren’t balanced. We all have to juggle things like school, work, relationships, eating, sleeping, exercising, and cleaning up. I know the latter half of that list is usually lumped into “basic” “life” stuff, but I have not mastered the art of getting those things done while also maintaining positive relationships and doing what is needed of me at school/work. If you have, then good for you!

Over the past month, I have been putting a lot more time into my day job. We had a major project to work on and it is finally wrapping up – it was so rewarding, but the experience came at a cost. One of the first casualties of this experience was my blog – it’s been almost a month since I have posted something new. I didn’t feel great about this, but I decided that having enough time to make sure I am eating decent foods and getting sleep were more important – and that taking care of myself meant that beating myself up over not  being able to do everything isn’t worth it.

I wish I could share what I was working on, but one of the [very few] rules I have about writing on this [public] blog space is that I don’t disclose specifics about where I work [this is to protect both myself and my employer]. But I will say that I do like where I work, and in this case the team I worked with and the results we got were worth the 60+ hour weeks and gallons of coffee. At the end of it all, I was so inspired about the collective potential of a team  of individuals who are passionate about something. Isn’t that one of the biggest keys to life? Finding and unlocking your passion?

So, um, yeah. How was the last month of your life? The seasons are changing and San Francisco experienced a little mini-heat wave (I slept with the windows open all night! twice!) and I got to enjoy the fruits of my basil plant. Simple, delicious foods are just so amazing. My dad’s cousin passed away from cancer (really, really sad) and the whole family got together to remember her. I’m thankful for the time I got to know her and the memories I’ll always have. The cooler weather returned, and now everything is pumpkin-themed. I’m so excited about this…and about ORANGE OCTOBER! I really became a San Franciscan when the Giants made it to [and won] the World Series in 2010 and this year I even ran in the Giants Race so even though I’ve been too busy to watch the games I’m pretty excited. Oh! and I’m turning 25 tomorrow…I guess this is kind of a big deal? I’ll no longer be young enough to plausibly be “just out of college” and now I’ll be in my “mid twenties”. Eek!

Want to hear from me more often? Consider following me on twitter: @PaperGatti. As previously mentioned I’m an iPhone 5 owner now, so I can tweet a lot more often than I blog. Ha ha.

Whoa.

My (one and only) “baby” sister is turning 21 today! It seems like just yesterday I had my 21st birthday (how life has changed in four years!) and the day before that we were living at home together. It has been 7 years since we lived in the same house…or lived in the same town. I don’t get to see her often enough, and we definitely very different people…I won’t always admit it, but I miss her a lot. I never miss an opportunity to (humbly)brag about her!

I made my sister a jewelry holder for her birthday - I have practically no use for one but I think she will get a lot of use out of it!

But when I’m on this inter-net blog-thing I get kind of shy. I guess I don’t know who is gonna read my personal feelings on my sister.

So I will say this:

Left necklace: Forever 21 | Right necklace: Voz on Etsy

Thanks sister for ending my days as an only child. No, really, I mean it! I probably needed to be put in my place. Thanks to you, I learned how to share my stuff and get along with other people and avoid some of the social awkwardness that can come with never having siblings. Plus, you always tell me when I look terrible – and how to fix it. It takes a long time to find a friend like that. And when Mom does something weird or Dad laughs at something nobody thinks is funny, I have someone who can understand what is going on with me. Having someone to share all those childhood experiences with is a gift that I am so fortunate to have received.

Print: Little Things Studio on Etsy (littlethingsstudio.etsy.com)

Thanks sister for teaching me all kinds of things. Like how to properly apply makeup, or what styles are hot this season. And that sometimes you just gotta go all in on what your passionate about, because you just gotta be true to you. (Even if it’s not what your big sis does, or what anyone else says is the “practical” thing to do.) I’m seriously inspired by the path you’ve decided to take in life, even if neither of us have it all figured out yet. I hope you know that no matter what, I love and support YOU!

Okay, enough of the fuzzy feeling talk. I will raise a glass to you tonight in SF while you celebrate in Southern California!

The thought and experience behind a single-minded drive for consumer goods.

Every so often, I’m reminded of how much of a consumer society we live in…and how I’m definitely playing a part in it.

Do you participate in the Black Friday madness every year? I personally have never done it, but always thought it might be fun…the main problem being that I never need to buy anything that is going on sale. I’ve also got friends who will stand in line all night to get a pair of shoes, and I’ve walked past the Apple store prior to new product releases and found myself disgusted with the disparity between the guy who is waiting to buy a new gadget – with two previously purchased gadgets in hand – and the guy who is also sleeping on the street because he has nowhere else to sleep.

I mean, it’s kind of hard NOT to wonder what the world is coming to when you see that happen for a week straight every time the newest iPad comes out. But if a guy wants to camp out to spend his money on something, I suppose he has a right to spend his money on those kinds of things.

For what turns out to be the first and the last time ever, I decided to buy something on the day it releases. This is a huge deal for me, since I don’t even see movies on their release dates!

I’ve been needing a new phone for a while – the camera is pretty much shot (pun intended!) on my iPhone 3GS. I have waited (and saved up) for the iPhone 5 to release, and I felt like I deserved a new phone. It’s got a pretty indispensable part of my life nowadays. When Apple announced that you could pre-order it at midnight tonight, I made the choice to stay up late and buy my phone. It sounded easy enough…and I didn’t want to be “that person” who camps out (oh yeah and I have a job to go to as well!).

Well folks, it’s kind of like I always expected. The hype is more exciting than anything else. I had a way less than stellar customer experience and I do not think I will be buying my phone online ever again (and since I’m line-averse, I will just have to wait until the hype has died down for whatever I want to get.)

First, everyone advertised that you could pre-order your phone at midnight. But when that time rolled around, nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen for about half an hour! Normally this would just be kind of annoying, but I began to fear that the thing would be sold out. Also, since it was midnight, I was kind of tired and easily excited/irritated.

Then I got locked out of my AT&T account, even though I KNOW the password is correct! So I went to the Apple store website and ordered through there. My AT&T account info worked and everything! But this created a new problem where I had to ship my order to the billing address, and I have never changed my billing address from the address I used when I bought my first cell phone in college. I could have changed it if I was able to get into my AT&T account, but the only one I can get access to for another hour is the account for my home internet. I don’t know how, but i have three different AT&T accounts registered to my one social security number/identity, all with different passwords.

Yays.

So now my parents will be receiving a shiny new phone on their door step next week.

All because I didn’t want to wait in line for my phone.

Now I have to go to bed, and try to fall asleep despite the self-loathing and disgust I’m starting to feel about a) “having” to get an iPhone 5 and b) getting all annoyed when I couldn’t order my phone likerightnow and get it delivered to my place.

I wonder what I could do if I put this much zeal and effort into doing something for humanity, rather than my own self-serving needs….oh the guilt.

I picked up this striped dress at Nordstrom Rack the other day for $29! It love the longer sleeves, it makes the “body con” look a little more modest, and it makes it an easy piece to wear in the spring or the fall.

I had a whole idea of what kind of a look I wanted to pair with it. Forest green or burgandy tights, some chunky socks, a pair of camel-colored boots, a scarf, and a blazer to give the look some structure. It’s the first “fall” look I’ve dreamed up in a few months, which is a sure signal that I’m about to make a huge dent in my pocketbook if I’m not careful – the urge to revamp my whole wardrobe for the whole season is coming up.

I’ve been guilty of buying one article of clothing, and then never wearing it because I want to buy a whole bunch of other stuff to “complete the look”. Often times the “look” includes losing a couple of pounds or curling my hair up fancy. But this time around I told myself that this thing was NOT going to sit in my closet. I had to wear it in a week, or I was gonna make myself return it….the challenge to shop my own closet was issued.

Dress: Nordstrom Rack | Shoes: Anne Klein via DSW | Sweater: F21 | Bag: Ringo Pie via Etsy | Watch: Nike

Not quite the same as the look I had in my head, but I’m still satisfied! The sweater was lying around from a couple of years ago, and I chose my Anne Klein shoes because the only boots I have are black – I wanted to dress the outfit down a little by adding some brown or tan to it, rather than harsh blacks and greys.

I'm no good at being "put together" for too long. Eventually I have to be silly again!

What are you most excited about for Fall fashion? For me it’s bringing my sweaters out, finding a perfect pair of boots, and who knows…maybe I’ll buy some colored jeans.