kOs Has Moved!

It is decided: as of August 1, 2013, all new posts will be posted only on the new site, http://musingsofbuffyleigh.wordpress.com. That is, the new version of kOs has almost the same URL, but with 'wordpress.com' instead of 'blogspot.[insert your country's top level domain here]'. This original version of kOs will remain in existence both for my own purposes (in editing the copied posts whose formatting got screwed up in the move), and because links referring back to older posts will not be changed (at least in the foreseeable future) and will thus lead the curious reader back here. Also, I've been weeding out a lot of the older posts on the new site because they just weren't up to snuff formatting-wise and/or were throw-away/rather embarrassing posts. Those will remain here in all their awkward glory for those who want to explore kOs' roots.

I sincerely hope you all will make the transition with me and update your bookmarks/blog reader/email subscription. I'm quite happy with the new formatting I've settled on, with less scrolling needed, a cleaner presentation sans-sidebar, wider space for each post, and a much easier commenting process. If you have any trouble navigating it though or really really miss something that I've eliminated with the new look (e.g. the sidebar), let me know. The new site even has a contact form (click 'Contact' on the top navigation bar or here), so please feel free to send me any comments that way. Also, as I never had a WordPress account before, I could never follow WordPress blogs. I'm sure I've been missing out on some good stuff, so please send me any suggestions of WP blogs I should follow.

Anywho, it's been lovely spending time with you here on Blogger. Hope to see you on WordPress.

Vote for Pedro (or me)

So Fashion156 put out a call for someone to take over their blog for a week. I entered with my nerdy Sulpicia stuff, and I just received word that I'm one of the 7 finalists chosen by the Fashion156 people. Now, it's up to Fashion156's readers and Facebook fans to decide who the winner is. If you're interested in voting, go here or here and leave a comment/like for my entry...if you can guess which one is mine (hint: it's under my top secret name). Thanks!

(Photo from Florent Tosi, which you've already seen here and which I used in my submission to illustrate my Sulpicia-themed posts)

Moving pains*

So, just a quick update on the possible blog-moving. I played around with the different free themes WordPress has to offer today, and of course the one I chose that best suits the content of kOs does not allow for embedded videos in normal posts. I.e. I'd have to pay $60 a year to re-insert videos (that you can watch on the YouTubes or here for free) into old posts, as the videos that were already embedded in the original posts are now gone in the imported copies, and embedding videos in a pre-existing post is not possible. Is anyone opposed to not being able to watch videos directly on the WordPress kOs in the old posts? I can go back to any old posts that had videos to insert the URL, and perhaps should anyway since I'm sure some videos have been taken down by now. Let me know if this matters to you.

And speaking of going back, I have to go back and reformat literally every old post. In the import process, nearly all my careful formatting got lost in translation, such as specific picture-sizing and spacing inserted before/after photos and at the end of posts. I rather like the theme I was working with today (apart from the no-video nonsense) and the overall much-needed makeover, so I have already taken the time to re-edit a few pages of posts. The earliest posts though are complete disasters and not worth the work, in my opinion. So, I'm thinking I should completely delete some of the early posts from the WordPress site, and just leave them here if anyone feels the need to read them. Any thoughts? Of course, this would mean that I won't delete this site at all, but I'm already thinking that's necessary since all my references in kOs posts to other kOs posts link back here and not to the imported copies of the posts on the new WordPress site. Any thoughts/feelings/impressions are welcome.

(Photo that I had saved ages ago via Fashion156, from Parkeharrison)

*This is also posted on the Blogger site, in a slightly modified form.

Do I Move You

I did this today: http://musingsofbuffyleigh.wordpress.com/.

Any thoughts about a platform move? It seems much trickier formatting photos to my liking on WordPress, so that's a big vote against for me. I also can't figure out how to change the colour of the post titles to non-blue. I hate blue fonts. Oh, and there's no back button for editing changes I decide against while writing a post. However, it does look nice and clean all around. And I have to use Safari to work with Blogger, something which no one should have to do in the 21st century. Let me know what you think and I'll do up a couple more posts on WordPress to test it out before making a final decision.

(Photo via NJAL from British knitwear designer Amber Hards, of whom you can see more on the test WordPress site)

Of what was everything

It kind of makes me grumpy that she's making me think of cold weather, but this padded jacket by Barbara Í Gongini is perfect. Like a leather-less version of something Lisbeth Salander (as portrayed by Noomi Rapace, of course) would wear. Love. To end on a nicer weather note though, here's another piece from Barbara, which is like a sleeker version of the deconstructed ArtLab tee I've worn countless times. All is forgiven, Barbara.

Folding faces

I've thought it for the last few days, but today I actually said it out loud: my PhD thesis idea is dead. Sigh. Which is not to say that I definitely won't be doing a PhD, I just no longer have a case for getting my department to allow me to do an interdisciplinary PhD rather than a strictly Classics one. Meaning my next option is to do a UK PhD, which is about 4X the tuition per year, and thus many years of real employment away. Ah well, researching for that was getting in the way of the more present-day concern of finishing my Masters thesis on time. The books I checked out for the PhD topic also smelled a lot more than the Masters ones. Anyway, the contents of my brain and my thesis-idea notebook now look like the prints of London-based designer Frances O'Leary's S/S 14 collection (found via NJAL), i.e. metaphorical lines drawn to link ideas/cultural phenomenon in a coherent manner, but being more or less just jumbled up lines that have nothing to do with the original elements. Pretty and interesting, but not dissertation worthy. I actually have half a mind to just use the pages of that thing to wallpaper my study or something. Or write a fantasy novel with those ideas. Hmm...

Fisticuffs

I've always loved a good clean white button-up, but I haven't actually owned one for at least a decade. I just can't keep it clean enough (and it reminds me of working in an oppressive bakery). This BA grad collection from Natalia Troitskaya (found via NJAL) though has made me realize what it is that I love about the white button-up: the cuffs. And if that's the case, I don't even need the whole shirt, just something made of white button-up cuffs. Like a long skirt. Also, I might revive my search for a McQueen men's tuxedo jacket so I can turn it into a shrug (notice the back of the second look in the third photo). Though perhaps that's what I should do with the McQueen that is nearly a week into its freezing cycle. Reducing the fabric should reduce the smell, right? That's just logical. Though at this point, I'm thinking I should probably just resell it. Any offers on a freshly cleaned size 44 wool/cashmere mid-length 2007 McQueen that is perfect other than an expensive perfume smell, some mending done in the sleeve lining (from previous owner) and a couple other small holes in the lining? Speaking of offers, I think tomorrow is the day to photograph some stuff I'll be putting up for sale. Oh boy.

Syncopia

These fantastic grunge-meets-classic-meets-futuristic looks are from Brussels-based designer Alice Knackfuss' collection entitled 'Syncopia' (found via NJAL). And though the collection is inspired by Rachael in Blade Runner, I think that, given Alice's definition of the collection title, it also stands as a stylistic representation of today, Ian Curtis' birthday. I.e. the day that allowed for the syncopation of music as we know it and the creation of a musical utopia that was all too brief. Happy birthday, Ian. Now, time to spin Unknown Pleasures...