Tag / holidays

by Lexine

Happy International Childfree Day 🥳

A quote from Hollywood film legend Katharine Hepburn that reads: "I would have been a terrible mother because I'm basically a very selfish human being. Not that that has stopped most people going off and having children."

Us childfree by choice may not get special sales events or merch of Hallmark cards celebrating our chilldfree-ness today, but at least we don’t have to worry about kids in the end because we chose not to have them. Happy International Childfree Day to us childfree* peeps! 🥂

*Those who gave birth to kids and no longer have to live with them are not and will never be childfree, thus they can’t celebrate with us. I shouldn’t have to bring this up but I’ve seen some parents on Bluesky lately legit calling themselves “childfree” just because their kids have moved out of the house. No. They’re parents for life and they already have their own day.

by Lexine

It’s Lipstick Day! 💄

Some of my all-time favorite lip products!

As a lippie hound, today’s my day to shine (and shimmer and gloss and pucker up) for it’s National Lipstick Day! Some collect shoes, some collect figurines, while I…well, I don’t necessarily collect lip products, but I know I have plenty in my stash, and that’s all I’ll say! 😜

The ones you see in the header pic are my all-time favorites. As luck would have it, most of those lippies have been discontinued, and I can’t even find dupes for a few of them because those particular shades and finishes are now out of style. Apparently, shimmery lavender nudes and glittery glosses are not hot these days. From top left to bottom: Urban Decay Vice lipstick in “Asphyxia”, Marc Jacobs Beauty lipstick in “No Angel”, Pat McGrath Mattetrance Lipstick in “1995”, Urban Decay Vice lipstick in “Trance”, NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in “American Woman”, Pat McGrath OpuLust lip gloss in “Naked Rose”, and NARS Lip Pencil in “Bad Girl”. Only two of these are still around. 😞 The OG Marc Jacobs lipstick cases were exquisite. And if only the OpuLust lip gloss line can make a comeback!

If I were to pick one from that bunch to have an endless supply, it would have to be the UD Vice in “Trance”. It’s not advertised as a nude (it’s a medium-tone pinky-brown), but it works well as one with my light-medium neutral beige skin tone. It also gets bonus points for its metallic finish, and I lean towards lippies with more of a satin/shine finish over matte finishes. I’ve seen a few shades from MAC’s Frost Lipstick line that are decent dupes for “Trance”, but I’m still clinging onto what’s left of the original for dear life. “Trance” was as close to perfection in a lipstick for me. It was never drying, lasted up until I ate something (unless if it’s a liquid matte or a lip stain, lipsticks don’t really last that long), and had great color payoff.

Also, I find it amusing that Lipstick Day shares the same day as Chicken Wing Day. If I were to pick one lippie from my all-timers to last through a feast of chicken wings, it would be the NARS Powermatte. That baddie will last through almost everything.

by Lexine

Now Playing (7.4.26)

My Song Of The Day and you know why:

Listen closely to the lyrics. Things really haven’t changed since 1985, has it? It’s two-plus minutes of woke, and seven minutes of funk and Prince shaking his ass in nothing but lace pants.

And because I refuse to let MAGA trash taint this day, I’ll be rewatching this. There was a time when I enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July, and President Obama and First Lady Michelle are two reasons why. Plus, Xtina is in this!

by Lexine

These Cool Poems (Passover 2026 + Jazz + Poetry!)

No foolin’: the start of April brings three things to celebrate this year: Passover, Jazz Appreciation, and Poetry! 

 

“Send Your Spirit”

By Solomon Ibn Gabirol
Translated By Peter Cole
 
Send your spirit
     to revive our corpses,
and ripple the longed-for
     land again.
 
The crops come from you;
     you’re good to all—
and always return
     to restore what has been.
 
**********
 
 
by Hayden Carruth
 
 
Zoot Sims, Joshua Redman,
Billie Holiday, Pete Fountain,
Fate Marable, Ivie Anderson,
Meade Lux Lewis, Mezz Mezzrow,
Manzie Johnson, Marcus Roberts,
Omer Simeon, Miff Mole, Sister
Rosetta Tharpe, Freddie Slack,
Thelonious Monk, Charlie Teagarden,
Max Roach, Paul Celestin, Muggsy
Spanier, Boomie Richman, Panama
Francis, Abdullah Ibrahim, Piano
Red, Champion Jack Dupree,
Cow Cow Davenport, Shirley Horn,
Cedar Walton, Sweets Edison,
Jaki Byard, John Heard, Joy Harjo,
Pinetop Smith, Tricky Sam
Nanton, Major Holley, Stuff Smith,
Bix Beiderbecke, Bunny Berigan,
Mr. Cleanhead Vinson, Ruby Braff,
Cootie Williams, Cab Calloway,
Lockjaw Davis, Chippie Hill,
And of course Jelly Roll Morton.
 
(Gonna be a critic with this one…I would’ve liked to have seen jazz legends like Coltrane, Armstrong, Fitzgerald, or/and Davis mentioned because I don’t know some of the names in that poem. Even Xtina knew who the jazz greats were!)  
 
Happy Passover, Jazz Appreciation Month, and National Poetry Month to all who celebrate! 
 
 
 
by Lexine

A Prince-ly Valentine’s

I’ve been listening to Prince the past couple of days, and it’s fitting I’m still in the mood for His Purple Badness on this Valentine’s Day. 💜❤️

(Side note: I first heard this song from the OG Beavis & Butthead run, and their commentary on this song will ruin your mood…from lots of laughing! Don’t ask what they thought the music video had a close-up of.)

(The guitar at the end of this is delicious.) 

I’ll end this on an upbeat note…

The ultimate Serve in one video & song: vocals, instruments, beats, clothes, face, and HAIR! 

By the way, remember the days of YouTube when it was beyond tough to find a Prince song on the site because he was that protective of his work (and rightfully so)? 

I also have my own story on him that I’ll share as it gets close to the anniversary date of it. (No, I never knew him personally, but it’s still a cool story.) In the meantime, have a Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!🩷

by Lexine

A Christmas Playlist

The weather outside is frightful (at least here in the Bay Area), as is having to be subjected to the same ol’ Christmas music. I’m one to get into the holiday spirit but I also don’t care for traditional Xmas music; working in retail eons ago rendered me this way. It’s worse now thanks to crappy Camp Rock remixes of the classics like “Silver Bells” and “Winter Wonderland”. That said, I have my exceptions…

I’ll always be down for 80s/90s rap and upbeat R&B with a Christmas twist!

One holiday tradition of mine is watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, so of course the soundtrack also gets some play. “Linus and Lucy” and “Skating” are two of the few Xmas classics that I enjoy, and “Christmas Time Is Here” is simply enchanting (I prefer the instrumental over the vocal version).

*That* one holiday song will keep Mariah a forever multi-millionaire, but this other holiday song of hers gets all the airplay in my house! I first heard this particular version of “Joy To The World” in one of those BBC Essential Mixes from the 90s (go to the 1:02:00 mark), coincidentally mixed by the same guy who made this remix. This song deserves more appreciation during the holidays; give it a listen if you need a break from hearing Mimi’s money-maker.

Speaking of BBC Essential Mixes, there are no holiday-themed songs in this one, but I always saw it as a “holiday” mix as it originally aired two days before Xmas (and it just turned 30 years old this year). Forget caroling–I’d rather rave around the Christmas tree with this mix!