Window shopping, except I actually bought stuff

The weather has been spoiling some of my plans - the terrible air quality, humidity, crazy heat, and thunderstorms are all wreaking havoc on my allergies and asthma - but it's still been a pretty good time over here. I have lots of things to smile about. My exams are over, I secured a tattoo appointment, and I passed my second clinical evaluation!

My best friend took a job near me, so now we can hang out all the time. We've been getting together after work for dinner/drinks. We ate Mexican food last time!

I bought some new skate shoes, and I taught myself to ride switch on my longboard!

It feels so nice to just have a comfy, chill day to myself. I'm going to do some cleaning and laundry and put on Max Headroom and Aeon Flux in the background (all of the episodes are on Youtube now!) and then settle in with some nice skincare. Later tonight, I'm going to tune into an online synthwave/vaporwave/witchhouse event, Vaporgrave...all the good stuff! Super stoked! In the meantime, I'm just doing some online window shopping. I guess it's not really window shopping if I actually bought it...but then that disqualifies half of the things on this list. Oops.

A friend passed along a link to a pair of black Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Rocking Horse Shoes, which I bought immediately. I prefer the glossy look to the OG leather and wooden look for some reason. I sold my last pair because I mistakenly got a half size down and thought it would be okay. Normally this isn't too much of an issue for me since my feet are between sizes, but they must run small. My feet were bruised and numb after wearing them only once! The new ones are a half size up, so they should be comfy even with socks on. I'm so excited!

On the same topic of shoes, I also can't stop thinking about both of these shoes from Poison Shoes, a small Mexican shoe company that specializes in winklepickers and other trad goth footwear. The platforms are the Kasumi model and the flats are the Lilith model. I've worn a hole through my one pair of flats and the insoles have collapsed..my knees are also giving up after 15+ years of wearing heels every day, haha. They are pretty inexpensive, so I might pick up both pairs...but now that the RHS are in the mail, maybe I don't need the Kasumis. But they do come in red...⸜( ˙˘˙)⸝

I have too many damn shoes.

There's also a new Monster High collectible set coming out this week. I don't really have much space on my doll shelf anymore, but I really love Beetlejuice, so I'm going to try to snag them in the inevitable bloodbath. I'm really in it for Lydia - she's just so cute! It's so nice to see a doll with plain brown eyes, too. On the other hand, the Beetlejuice design is a little bit disappointing. I think they could have gone way crazier with the outfit and accessories..it just seems a little bland. The mismatched sandworm shoes are great, though. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see the dolls in person, but I'm likely going to sell Beetlejuice and keep Lydia.

I'm also very interested in this new Na+H dress. I love drapey, loose pieces like this, and the big collar is so cool and ninja-like! I've been wearing my natural hair up under a 30" Ariana Grande ponytail that I've bought several times since the pandemic began. During the height of the pandemic when I was still wearing scrubs every day, I didn't want my hair to be exposed but I still wanted to look a little cute. I think that hairstyle, or my favourite bob wig, would look really cute with the high collar. Or maybe double buns/puffs.

I like how they paired it with the Na+H pumps, which I do own and adore, but they obviously aren't great for daily wear. I wonder how it would look with my Frye Gia boots...too frumpy or would it look cool? I dunno, but I think I'm gonna pull the trigger and buy it.

Some other stuff: I've been listening to the new-ish Cyber Crimes EP from VR SEX on repeat lately. I'm a big fan of the band and their whole concept. A lot of their material focuses specifically on the pitfalls of modern life and technology, so it's a nice departure from the more traditionally goth subjects.

From the description:

"No one is exempt from the world wide web of destruction. A once-innocent digital playground has turned into a panopticon for pedophiles and predators - waiting, watching, baiting, and stalking. 2020 proved to be the tipping point in exposing these bloodsuckers within the world of music and art. Devoid of satire and sarcasm, Cyber Crimes stands alongside the victimized and attempts to serve as a sobering scene report for the current state of affairs."

The subject matter is pretty dark, but the EP is surprisingly upbeat-sounding and dancy. I love the contrast between dark lyrics and bouncy (well, bouncy by goth standards) music. I also really do appreciate that they chose to speak out about this topic. Unfortunately, myself and many others in my local goth community have had far, far too many run-ins with these kinds of predators, and seeing them get off scot-free by virtue of "but they're a DJ!!" or "but they host major events!!" is infuriating. It feels so validating to see this kind of bullshit called out, loud and clear.

Anyway, I'm mad because I didn't even know that it was released months ago on colourful vinyl (my weakness!!) so of course it's all been sold out by now. If you guys see the neon green record for sale, please let me know. I'll pay good money for it! In the meantime, I'm going to get the long-sleeve shirt because I still want to support them. I really love the print - definitely been feeling a little more into the futuristic/cyberpunk looks lately rather than trad goth.

I'm gonna need a second job if I keep this up...(*´∀｀*)

[Current Music: Then Comes Silence - Dark End]