Travel and Toile

But from Funk Comes ART!

2012-02-20T13:38:00.001-05:00

It's President's Day, and I still have no new photographs for you. I'll have some soon. I swear. It'll happen. But, while you are eagerly awaiting that exciting day- I can smell your anticipation from here, enjoy some work by a friend of mine- Kacie Leo!

Kacie and I have known one another since we were eleven, making her one of my oldest friends. While I do photography as a fun and silly hobby, she's actually doing it as a career. She's in school for photojournalism, but does lots of amazing artistic photography as well. Kacie modeled in high school, and for a year or so after we graduated, and now she uses herself as a model in a lot of her work. She does mostly film, but uses digital as well sometimes. This morning, she sent me this new series she recently completed, with herself as a model, and I think it's lovely. Her art often has a darker, edgier quality to it that, frankly, I'm not particularly awesome at capturing. I tend to be drawn to things I find nice, or pretty, though sometimes I use subjects that are slightly grittier. When I do, though, I tend to shoot it in a way that ends up, once again, looking moderately pretty. Kacie keeps the edge in her work, and it's a bit different than what I usually show, which I think is fun. So, I thought I'd share it with you! Enjoy.

Here's what she told me in her email, "This recent hospital adventure put me into a bit of a funk. But from a funk comes ART! If you feel so inclined, I would love to see these on your blog. I put a lot of myself into these images. I don't have an artist statement, or any sort of text with my vision. If you choose to use any of these, you may write what you find fitting".

Instead of writing a statement... I'm just going to let the work speak for itself. I love how she used the hospital bracelet, and sick look after her hospital visit, however. It's so easy to want to photograph yourself as attractive all of the time... see yesterday's post to get a glimpse at my compulsion into this. Kudos to you, darlin', for embracing the look of the piece, and still managing to look glamorous.

Go, Kacie. Go.

Sunday Style: This Is Far More Difficult than Expected

2012-02-19T14:11:00.000-05:00

I wanted to write a blog post today. I've been dressing okay lately... not as stylish as I aspire to be, but not awful either. There have been a few outfit "zingers" in the past few weeks, and I've been pretty appropriately proud of all of them. This makes me happy. There have also been a lot of jeans and sweaters because it's cold, I'm lazy, and I don't like waking up too long before I have to leave the house. Also, I somehow manage to forget where things are sometimes. But, yeah. I've been doing well on the fashion spectrum. Despite not going to martial arts a lot the past few weeks I haven't put on any weight (woot) and I guess that means I'm eating less. Nifty. Now I'll look even better when I start working out more hours again. And there will be pictures, at that time.

At this time, there are no pictures.

I admire fashion bloggers a lot, because they have to do more than I ever thought. Getting your hair, makeup, and outfit model-perfect every day could be fun, sure, but it could also be painstakingly hard work. Doing my hair sometimes takes me a full 10-15 minutes depending on how straight/ curly/ generally organized I want it to be, and don't even get me started on outfits. There have been far too many times that five minutes before I need to leave the house, I find myself sitting in a pile of dresses, tights, socks, cardigans, and boots, silently sobbing. Okay, I'm not always silently sobbing, but you get the idea. Not always. Only every other day. Indecision is a cruel mistress, and makeup has to be reapplied every time you cry.

Why, clothes, WHY??!??

My standard go-to outfit is a dress, tights, boots, and a sweater, or, perhaps a blazer if I'm feeling particularly sassy. In summer, there is no sweater, probably no tights, although, maybe, if they are sheer, and some sort of little sneaker-shoe. A scarf could be worn around the neck with any of these outfits, along with some big, vintage-y earrings, and the three silver rings I have on every day. Sometimes I get creative and wear, oh my god, jeans. Or separates. Like, a skirt and shirt. That go together. On occasion, I even belt them. I know. I can't believe it either. Then, every once in a while, the sky melts, and... I ... I put a scarf in my hair. Or an equivalent thereof. My clothing is moderately creative, but there are really only so many options. I have a whole bunch of little dresses, but I wear the same 12 or so most of the time. Likewise with shirts- I own many neat shirts, ranging from blouse to tee and back again. Given that generally, dresses are worn, there aren't too many opportunities for shirts that cannot be used for the purposes of working out. Thankfully, I work out a lot, so the shirts appropriate for such tasks don't have to feel abandoned or unloved. The other ones get neglected quite often.

I did buy a pair of tights the other day with a pirate print. They are in the mail. Necessary? No. Wait... necessary? Yes. They have f****ing narwhals on them. Fighting. What did you think I said?

So, uh, yeah. FASHION. I'm wearing PJ pants and a sports bra right now. True story. I clearly am beyond qualified to write fashion posts. Both articles are from Target. Big budget.

I swear, one of these Sundays, this will be a real fashion post again. It's just difficult because....

It's cold. You know what you don't want to do when it's cold? Pose outside wearing anything that isn't a warm, snuggly winter coat.

I only have two warm, snuggly winter coats, and I've showed off both of them already.

I have no backyard. I have to find somewhere outside to do this, because my apartment isn't the best setting, and everyone, including myself, looks best in natural light. This means going somewhere. This also means that using a tripod is maybe not the best idea because I'm outside in New York City. A skinny little white girl by herself, kind of close to, but not touching an expensive piece of machinery. I might as well run down the street screaming, "take my camera! Free camera! Take it!". This means I need a buddy. And, I'm just not quite narcissistic enough to steal an hour out of someone's day just to get photographs of myself.

All of these things will be resolved, but just to let you know, I admire fashion bloggers because they have apparently gotten over all of these things.

In the meantime, here are some cute things I've worn. In the past. I do wear clothing. Pieces you will probably see again, when I have real fashion posts.

This one is what I wore to the Sleep No More Valentine's Day Party on Tuesday. It's the only picture, because it was dark, and I felt tacky about using flash. This dress made me so happy, though- it's a floor-length black casual gown with slits on the site that let my ribs hang out. Since my ribs are the only part of my body one might describe as "bony," I feel like I might as well show them off. That handsome guy is Danny.

This was taken on Thanksgiving at my parents' house. The lady on the left is me, and the one on the right is my little sister, Julianna, who is doing her first print modeling gig this week! I'm excited for her. We're all printy and full of happy smiles here.

This was taken on my birthday, in Texas. That's our friend Alex Stevens on the right. It's an actual full-body shot of me... not too many of those exist. You can see how short I really am. But, you can also see how rocking that dress is that I'm wearing. It's one of my favourite dresses, but I've been having issues figuring out how to adapt it for winter.

Now this is a rarely-seen sight. That's me. IN SHORTS. Next to what may be one of the weirder tags I've seen, in Austin. Also, I'm wearing a Batman shirt, because, I can.

And, in this one, Danny is wearing a Batman shirt. Because, well, he can.

Really, though. I'll have a real post next Sunday. I'll get over this. Don't be stunned if it involves Batman too. Between the two of us, we have five Batman shirts.

Happy Sunday!

What's Your Spirit Animal?

2012-02-18T12:06:00.000-05:00

I think I'm an ocelot.

Absolutely adorable- and surprisingly deadly.

Danny is probably a husky.

And, I think my sister, Julianna, is a jackalope.

If you couldn't tell- I am out of photographs today. This has never happened to me before. I have no more. Work, martial arts, yoga, and you know, life in general, have been so busy that I haven't been out-a-shooting lately. Today, I should be able to get some new pictures, so that tomorrow's blog post isn't about spirit animals.

In other news though, what is your spirit animal? What animal do you resonate with the most? Share in the comments!

And, have a happy Saturday.

Inspiration Fridays: My Dream World

2012-02-17T15:14:00.002-05:00

So, we've properly established that I'd like to be a badass and live in a castle. If you haven't picked this up, read this article, and then read this one before continuing on here. We good? Alright.

If every romantic dreamed that ever danced through my subconscious, or conscious, for that matter, magically came true, I would be a shockingly gorgeous, magical witch-princess who lived in a moss-covered tower, somewhere in England, with Danny, who was my husband, lover, and commander of my army. Because, I'd have one of those in this fantasy. An army. All mine. All ours, actually. With lots of hot guys in it; but none of them would ever have a chance because, well, no one could ever beat Danny in a hot contest. They'd be our minions, essentially- saving the lands from the depths of evil and corruption on Danny's and my orders. Yeah. That is how I'd like this to work.

By the river Main, by Dionizije

My humble beginnings would be just that. Humble, and plain. I'd feed geese, perhaps, my long blonde hair flowing in the breeze. Although, in this mystical fantasy-world that is totally real in my head, I'm brunette, not blonde. Why? God knows. I just think of myself as having brown hair.

HBIC

My epic castle would be in a lovely, hidden grove, only accessible by traveling through some type of labyrinthine tree set-up like this one. The whole thing would be stunningly beautiful, because, yes. If you're going to have a moderately creepy maze as the entrance to your house, the would-be-invaders might as well be impressed by your sense of taste and your confounding entrance when they attempt to destroy you and storm your castle. That's how these things work.

Efidriade

My castle would not be densely populated. I like people, in general, but I wouldn't want them in my house. A house is a sanctum, in my opinion, and is meant to be kept silent, so that, if one wants to escape into solitude, it is possible. However, it would have an okay number of people, all of whom I would have hand-selected for their sarcastic humour and ability to understand true fun. Every pretty lady-in-waiting would be just as kickass as every one of the men, and wear their standard garter-dagger, as well as a sword. Or, a mace, if they are really sassy. The mace-wearers would be my favourite friends.

Kirkstall Abbey By (For the easily distracted)

This is my personal courtyard. I sit here, sip tea, read books, and cast spells to my heart's delight. Did I mention that I'm magic? I'm magic.

Fairy Nobasho

All of my clothing would be eloquently designed, except for my battle outfits, which would be desperately practical because I don't like dying.

I would camoflauge my castle and surrounding hedge maze with fog, making it just a bit harder to detect. This would be accomplished using that magic that we've established I have. Not only would this fog make me more difficult to overthrow, destroy, and/ or kill, it would also add a calming, though moderately creepy ambience to the whole scenario. Fog is mystical, and I am too. In my dream, I mean.

Starry Messenger

My enemies would be obliterated because screw evildoers, and all of their evil deeds that they do. Because I like and appreciate culture, I would not wreck the shit out of their architecture or art. Their buildings would be partially preserved so that history can look back on them, and appreciate my destruction of them, and also so that I have ruins to photograph now.

La Belle Dame sans Merci by Sir Frank Dicksee

This would be my painting because, on top of being a commander of an army, the head of my castle, a master hedge-designer, and magic, I would also be a painter. That would not be me on the horse. Flowers in my hair? No sir. A helmet would be on my head. A battle-helmet. Because I battle.

Medieval by Moyan_Brenn

This is the scene from out of our bedroom window, and what a view it is indeed! Marshy marshes with some manner of something with an acqueduct or bridge thing attached. I'm sighing in glee at the moment. Just look at that. I'm so glad we built our castle here!

Heart shaped book of hours from the 15th century, Amiens, Picardy, France.
Original from Bibliothèque nationale de France

And... that's my spell book. Because I can.

Happy Friday!!

599.......

2012-02-16T18:40:00.001-05:00

So, um, this is my 599th post. I don't know whether to be excited that I've been at this so long, because god knows, sticking to a habit, especially one that doesn't make you any money is a hard and impressive thing to do, or to laugh at myself because I've apparently had enough things to say to fill 599 blog posts. And, that would label me a pretty ridiculous narcissist. Or, someone who has way too much time on their hands. Probably, though, option C- all of the above. Both.

But, you know what? Despite thinking, "Oh, wow, I... I've been doing this for a while now... I should, um, yeah... maybe do things that well, aren't this..." on occasion, I'm thrilled. I've written a whole bunch of nifty articles, taken many photographs that I am incredibly proud of, and possibly, entertained you.

You guys are the reason I do this. Thanks for reading my stuff. It's rather cool that you do. Cool like ice. Covered in adorable, yet surprisingly scary polar bears, who aren't drinking coke, because, Coca-cola, bears don't drink coke you sillies, and who are certainly not fraternizing with penguins, because, duh, penguins don't like polar bears. They are too cool. Unlike every bird other than them, mostly, they are too hip to fly. Flying was so last season. Psscht.

Well, back to 599. What a cool number. For half a second, I thought this was the big six-zero-zero, and I planned some sort of bizarre 300 times two thing, where I was going to photoshop my face onto Leonidas, who, was that king who wore no shirt in 300. Oh, wait. No one wore a shirt in 300. What an amazing movie! That would have been a weird post. I didn't seriously contemplate this, I'm just joking. Or, maybe I did. That's up to your imagination. I'm not making that image. Or posting it. Because it's not saved on my desktop at work. It isn't. Stop looking at me like that. Today isn't 600. Today is 599- the post before 600, which will land whenever I happen to write my next post. Considering that I don't know what I want to write about next, the chances of you having the magical, mystical knowledge of when Travel and Toile shall update again is actually a moderately terrifying concept. Your future-telling skills are impressive. Snaps for you!

I'm going to be perfectly honest for a moment. I have no idea what I'm writing about, or where I'm going here. There was no planning. This is all stream of consciousness. Simply put- 599 was inspiring for reasons unknown, and the need was felt to post something.

OH LOOK. A GNOME.

Thus, let us discuss kitschy stuff. In particular, shall we say that this discussion is about lawn ornaments? Yes. Why not. Lawn ornaments. They're weird. They are bizarre. They are about as kitschy as kitschy can be. Lawn ornamentations range from moderately tasteful to supremely tacky. Freeport, NY, you know, that place we went for Danny's birthday, had an impressive number of them.

Like this one:

What is even... it's a bird. A heron? Pelican? A helican? Perhaps? Also, it's missing a wing. Not that the one still attached looks as if it would do much good- it's flipped around the wrong way. Someone kimora-ed this poor thing into oblivion of one-winged twisty terror. Although, I'm not utterly certain it's a poor thing. Those eyes make me think demon. This would also explain the wing flip, because, well, I have seen The Exorcist, and this just makes sense. Yes.

I'd like to title this one "Voyeurs". Porquoi? Look at the Rabbit. And the Turtle. Oh, right. And, the dog. They all want to get on that mosaic-y, kissy, childy goodness. Stone cold awesome right here. Except for the turtle out-of-frame on the left. That one shall henceforth be named Santora-turtle, because he is opposed to public displays of affection, and for some reason, this makes me think of Rick Santorum... because he hates fun.

ONE DAY I SHALL CATCH THE LIGHTHOUSE AND THE GIANTS WILL LET ME COME INSIDE. Unless I'm eaten by the giant crab beneath me. That would suck.

This is my most favoritest tiny bridge to nowhere.

That is all.

Guard Kitty.

Cute and chubby guard puppy.

A cabbage of the ornamental variety.

Another cabbage, which happens to look like an alien.

And last, but, certainly not least, a headless, um... stormtrooper? Stormtrooper.

Happy 599!

Freeport, New York, USA

If Nautical Nonsense Be Something You Wish

2012-02-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love the sea- and our trip to Freeport definitely had some lovely nautical nonsense. We spent most of the first day at the Nautical Mile, a stretch of marina, bars, and restaurants, and it was lovely. That hibachi restaurant I posted about last week was on this strip.

The day was cloudy, the sea was calm, and the smell was fishy in nature. We frolicked, almost alone on the piers, taking in the sites of the boats, and the closed-down outdoor bars. The wind was enough to blow around my hair, but not enough to create a chill. We wore lighter coats. It was lovely, and quiet. We were almost alone on the street.

Most importantly, Danny seemed to enjoy himself. I was watching his shoulders descend from his ears, and his gait slow. Ahh, vacation.

Freeport, New York, USA

Adorable Valentine Special

2012-02-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you aren't barfing in adorable happiness by the end of this post, you're doing it wrong.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Enjoy the cuteness. Celebrate the love!

From Up

Funny Cute Pic

Stitchy Sticherson

The Goode Life

Stephen Bay

From Wall-E

Fuck Yeah Felines

Shixaro

Animal Care 123

Beaute de La Muse

Edge of the Plank

Fun Corner

Await

2012-02-13T11:57:00.001-05:00

So, here is what I worked on yesterday! Fastest post-production ever.

I'm pretty excited about how this turned out.... some nice, simple fun super-artsiness.

Directed by: Ginny Kozemczek Dixon

Actor: Me

Location: St. John the Divine Cathedral and an apartment in the Upper West Side

Sunday Style: Ode to an Old Coat

2012-02-12T21:07:00.000-05:00

I received a new coat for Christmas this year, a military-style one, and I like it very much. It's a great coat- simple, attractive, flattering, and a little bit badass. That's about all I can ask for in a piece of clothing.

However, a button fell off of the front a few days ago, so I wore my older coat today. It's black and white, with buttons down the front. I love it mostly because, when I look down at the sidewalk beneath me, I silhouette like an Elizabethan courtier.

And that, my friends, is cool.

Anything that makes me feel Renaissance-chic is wonderful. Anything that went to Europe with me is marvelous. I wore this coat all around Europe- it traveled through four countries with me, and even though it isn't as new, or as trendy as the military-esque coat, this fact will always give it a place in my heart.

Stay tuned to see what I was working on today, why I wore the coat... I was acting in a short film directed by my friend Ginny. I'm so pleased with how the shoot went, I can't wait to see the final result! Hopefully I'll be able to post it on here once I get a hold of it.

Until then... another reminisce through my European travels with my coat.

God, I need to get myself back to Europe!

In a tourist shop in Picadilly Circus, London, England, paired with a Union Jack cowboy hat.

At the Albert Memorial in London, with a black beret.

At the Tate Modern in London with Lenny and Jackie!

At Camden Stables Market, London, with a be-dreaded horse.

At the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London, with a hunting cap, pipe, and Watson.

At Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England, with some graves.

In Canterbury Castle, Canterbury.

Trapped in Canterbury Castle, Canterbury, but wearing some cute gloves.

Outside the Rupert Bear Museum in Canterbury.

Inside the delightfully awesome Rupert Bear Museum in Canterbury.

Inside of Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales.

In Bute Park, Cardiff.

At Stonehenge, England, with a black scarf.

In The Rocket pub in London, with Kim!

On the hostel-boat in Stockholm, Sweden!

With Laura, Morgan, Alex, and Kelly in Stockholm, on a ferry!

Gazing into the future in Oxford, England.

In a college courtyard in Oxford.

Pairing a pink face with a pink scarf in Cambridge, England.

Gazing into the baths in Bath, England.

Straddling a crevice in Bath.

Inspiration Fridays: Bring on the Night

2012-02-10T12:25:00.001-05:00

Scenic Reflections

It's February. It's cold. Granted, this winter has been far less cold than usual- temperatures have been in the low forties (farenheit) almost every day, but at night, they tend to dip down into the twenties. In my book, forty is still pretty cold, so, I say, it's cold, because, well, it is. Brr. Because of this, it is harder to want to work out in winter, and easier to eat copious amounts of unhealthy food and drink all of the coffee in the world. I've been surprisingly good at the working-out bit, and by that I mean that I've been working out almost every day. Concerning eating everything- well, not too shabby on that one either. I've eaten some things. Cookies are tasty. But, I haven't eaten everything. Restraint has been shown. So, that's cool. Coffee is my weak point, clearly, and I might be sipping some right now. What of it? Coffee rocks my socks.

Check out this gem of a photo... and now, imagine that it's me-

Daily Shot of Coffee

Yep, that's pretty accurate. Though, something is desperately wrong with that coffee. The intention is very correct, though.

So, we've established that it's cold, and the natural reaction, though I've been fighting it tooth-and-nail, whatever that means, is to not move around, but cocoon in a nest of blankets while shoving cookies and coffee down your throat and crying softly. Maybe not crying softly, but seasonal depression is a thing.

Kendalls

I googled depression... and this image came up. Inappropriate? Maybe. Hilarious? Yes.

Beyond the freezing bit though, you know what winter is? Winter is dark. Dark as shit. It is so dark. All of the dark. It was at its worst near the solstice (December 21 guys), and now it's better. It got a little better. However, it got better like a festering wound gets better. It may not be bleeding and pussing any more, but that scar is still pretty ugly. Around here, night falls just after 5pm officially, but the sky seems a bit dim at least a half an hour before that. Tis dark, kiddos. Nighttime can be depressing, but it can also be magical.

Desktop Nexus

I was walking home from the subway the other night, and found myself standing still for a minute, just in awe of how beautiful the darkness was. Then, I had to run away because it turned out that I had stopped in the middle of the street and a car was coming. After almost getting hit, and scrambling my butt onto the sidewalk, I stopped again, heart racing a little faster, which somehow only seemed to enhance the experience, or, perhaps, prove my own insanity. Choose your own adventure here. Everywhere.

Tony Gala

I'm singing some kind of "Brooklyn Adventure" theme song in my head right now. It's a wonderful, 90's-tastic blend of the Skip-It jingle, and the Transformers theme song. With a little bit of Dragon Ball Z thrown in.

Anyway, the wind danced in spirals, nipping at my exposed cheeks and fingertips. Though it was nearly midnight, the street shone, partially with the dim light of the lamps, but mostly with the glow of the moon, which was full. I felt full as well- brimming with some kind of energy, some source of calm, or power that I can't quite explain. That sensation of expanding you get sometimes, where you take up more space than your physical boundaries, and the air around you is saturated with your atoms. At least, it seems that way. When you can feel your blood coursing through your veins, and hear your own heart beating, and the world around you seems to slow, like that moment in the Matrix, or the ending sequence in Queen of the Damned. That sense that this world is immortal, even if maybe you aren't. That something, or most things, are larger and more important than you, but that you are vital, vibrant, and alive. It's exhilarating.

The Matrix

Kind of like this.

I hope that you know what I'm referencing- honestly, I wish that everyone does, but I know that they don't. You may have never experienced this. Try it sometime. Slow yourself down. Go out into the night sky and allow yourself to embrace it, instead of letting it depress you, or scare you.

Dikeh

I've never sounded like more of a goth kid than I do right now. I'm a goth kid. Did you see the new layout? Nighttime inspires me. Sunshine does as well, let's get this straight, but nighttime- there's something mysterious, unknown, and exciting, perhaps even enthralling about what we cannot see, and the majesty, the epic proportion of the space we can gaze into when the sun isn't blocking our view. The universe. The night.

Basil Leaves

Vixstar

Paglen

Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night Over Rhone"

Cherry Coloured

Jmag

Hibachi Happiness

2012-02-08T23:25:00.001-05:00

As you know, if you read my post from Friday, Friday was Danny's birthday! On Saturday, we headed out to the little marina town of Freeport for a short little weekend of celebration. We walked around town a little bit, and then went down to the Nautica Mile- a mile-long stretch of boardwalks, streetlamps, boats, and restaurants. It was cute!

But, this post isn't about that. Tomorrow's post will be about that. Today's post is about Japanese food.

And tea.

Danny likes tea. Intensely. Look at that intensity in his gorgeous eyes. Hold on, I need a minute, I'm swooning... Ok. I'm back.

We went to a hibachi restaurant for lunch, and we were the only people there. The only ones. No one else, except for the people working there- a couple, a woman who looked like she was the grandma, and two girls, their kids. The older girl looked to be maybe 14, and she helped out with the serving etc, but the smaller child was very young. She was maybe 4. Probably, she was younger. Oh man, was she adorable though! She was yelling from the next booth about how she had snuck chocolate. Teehee.

The salad dressing was some kind of ginger sauce... and it was particularly delicious.

By particularly, I mean, I was excited. Look how excited I was.

In conclusion- everything was delicious, shumai included, there was a cute kid, we had a private secluded booth and the world was a wonderful place to be for those two hours.

Freeport, New York, USA

Frolicking Around

2012-02-03T13:46:00.002-05:00

Life has been busy. I've been doing 10 bajillion things, and being the most productive person ever. It feels great. Freaking amazing, if we really want to put an appropriate label on it, and, frankly, I want to put an appropriate label on it. What doesn't feel freaking amazing is my ankle, which has been bothering me to the point of pain-induced cringing and limping. It also has been preventing me from doing half the things I had planned to do with the first half of my week. It is so much better now (huzzah!) but, well, it's still not 100%, and I'm still psychologically reeling from the devastation it caused to my schedule this weekend. I missed a belt test in martial arts, and thus, am still the same belt level when I expected to be the next one up, and this was due to circumstances out of my control. That kind of stinks.

What doesn't stink is that today is Danny's birthday! My darling is 26 today. He's officially out of the first half of his twenties, and, in my humble opinion, which is the one that most frequently appears on this blog, he is looking sexier by the day. What an awesome guy. Seriously. He's so great. I'm the luckiest lady in the world to spend so much time with him. I mean, he lives in my house. Woah. How cool is that?

Tonight, after he has what promises to be an incredible and incredibly exhausting martial arts private lesson, I'm taking him out for a Mexican dinner to stimulate and appease his Texan manliness-rage-awesomeness. He doesn't really have any rage, I just hoped that maybe, because I said that, you were conjuring an image that's a cross between Chuck Norris as Walker Texas Ranger, and Danny in your mind. If you weren't, you are now. You're welcome. We're running away to a tinier town in Long Island tomorrow morning, which should be very pleasant. I love New York with a passion, but some days, you just have to get out of it. I'm excited about getting to treat him to this... and, not going to lie, I'm pretty enthusiastic about treating myself to this as well. This weekend has no excuse to not be awesome.

In celebration of the assumed wonderfulness of my upcoming weekend, and in revenge of the havoc my ankle wreaked on my weekend, here are some photos, which hadn't made it up on here yet, of Danny and I frolicking around Austin during our last vacation. I know it's Friday, and I usually do an inspiration post... so, consider this inspiration for the kind of shenanigans that shall begin this evening. And, then last forever!

Austin, Texas, USA

Facelift

2012-01-29T13:10:00.000-05:00

You probably noticed, but yesterday, I changed up the site design a little bit. The blue was nice and all. the white background was simple. It was classy, I guess. Probably, it was easy to navigate.

But, it just wasn't me. I don't resonate in the realm of aqua with pretty birds. I like deep reds, crumbling medieval walls, and theatrical fonts. You know those people who actually write in cursive? The ones who continued to use it even after they passed fourth grade and never were required to again, despite the rantings of your lower level teachers? I'm one of those people. I dream of living in castles and wandering through European Forests. I want to wear big hats and scarves on my head whilst sipping super-fancy lattes in tiny towns. I'm that person.

So, the new header image is a photograph of mine. It was taken in the Saint Chappelle Cathedral in Paris. The photograph was edited into sepia-tone- the actual painting, which dates back to the late 1200's, was in green, red, and a deep golden yellow. I love history, especially medieval and renaissance history. I've said this on here before, but I almost accidentally acquired a minor in the subject in college. Perhaps someday I'll research it more, not for my career, but for the sheer fun of it, because, well, I love this stuff. It's fascinating. I wish I could live it.

The background is just a stock print with a burgundy colored overlay. Simple. But, I like how the overall design invokes a theatre. I am an actor, and now an aspiring teacher of actors, after all. My idea was to play on the aesthetic of the theatre inside of Versailles. Basically, I wanted the new theme to be very French in nature. I like France. I like anywhere that has a little bit more history than the United States. Since we wiped the history of the natives of this land away, there are only a few hundred years left to study, and few signs of opulence equivalent to that of the French people. I don't know.

I just hope you like the new design. In my opinion, it fits the content and soul of this blog much better. Instead of copying the format of other blogs, it's a little bit more of me expressing, well, me.

Feedback is very, very much appreciated!

OH. And, there's a poll in the sidebar. I'll keep writing and posting what I feel like, because, you know, I'm the sole author/ photographer/ curator/ whatever of this blog, but it is decidedly helpful to have a vague idea of what it is you most enjoy seeing on here. Is it style posts? Do you relish Fridays when I post inspiration? What about my writing? Do you dig it, or find it abominable, and unnecessary? I'm filled with curiosity.

Thanks all. I appreciate that you read this blog. Thanks.

~Emily

Hearty Cookin'

2012-01-28T12:15:00.000-05:00

Danny and I went out and got soul food for lunch yesterday, and it reminded me of our Christmas meal at Threadgill's in Austin. There was so much comfort food. Chicken fried steak, green beans, biscuits, hot chocolate... ah. On a cold day, dealing with a hurting ankle, an old injury that likes to come back and remind me of its existence every one in a while, nothing sounds better than warm, rib-sticking food!

And... here is Danny bundled in many scarves. His dad was worried that he'd be cold... so he did this.

Austin, Texas, USA

Inspiration Fridays: Look at Me

2012-01-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

We share so much information through our eyes. It's amazing. I've heard it said that the eyes are the window to the soul, and I completely agree. When you look into someone's eyes, I mean really look into them, if they are allowing themself to be at all vulnerable, you will see what they are thinking. As an actor, and a teacher at an acting school, I'm reminded of this over, and over again. It's fundamental.

Which is why these photographs astound me. These aren't humans, but in an instant, it's so easy to see the incredible depth in these animals. Feel their souls resonating with yours.

It's beautiful.

Martin Meissner

X-Crossroad

A Belated Sunday Style: Snowy Sandiego

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

It snowed here on Saturday! Brooklyn is covered in a beautiful blanket of white. Prospect Park looked particularly wonderful. On Sunday, Danny and I went out for a nice jaunt. I tried out my new Holga camera, and we froze our toes. It was cold, and though our shoes were waterproof, well... it was cold.

The afternoon was finished with lattes and a trip to the comics store!

Why is this called Snowy Sandiego? Because this boss hat makes me feel like I'm Carmen Sandiego. At least, I end up silhouetting like her. Where in the world am I? Where in time am I?

Hat: Urban Outfitters
Coat: American Rag for Macy's
Scarf: A Street Vendor in Brighton Beach
Boots: The Walking Company
Socks: Ralph Lauren
Gloves: Christmas Present from Mum and Dad
(... the coat and socks were too!)
Leggings: Uniqlo
Earrings: Topshop
Nail Polish: OPI Muppettes Collection

Photos taken by Daniel Garrison in Prospect Park
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Responsibility Champion

2012-01-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

I've been busy this past week, and starting next week... I am going to be the busiest kid ever. By busiest, I mean that, 5 days a week, I will probably be leaving home between 6 and 7:30am, and not getting home until 9pm or possibly even 10pm.

AHHHHH.

But really, it isn't so AHHHH because I love everything I'm working on right now.

A lot.

I love it a lot.

I'm going to be the champion of responsibility this semester. I'll be teaching 6 hours of classes again, but two of those hours will be with more advanced students- I was assigned basically last minute to teach the second and third year Outreach students! I couldn't possibly be happier about this. They are a great group, and I feel like I'm doing good for the community. The Outreach program where I work provides free acting training for low income high school students who live in New York City. It's pretty amazing, and I'm privileged to be a part of it!

I'll be working just over 40 hours per week, shadowing incredible voice and speech teachers about 5 hours a week, and in martial arts class anywhere between 5 and 12 hours a week. Somewhere in there, I plan to fit in some yoga, singing lessons, and you know, sleep. I've taken to reading on the subway instead of just zoning out, and that simple choice has made me feel far more productive. Yeah, what I'm currently conquering is a sci-fi novel based off of a video game, but damnit, I'm getting stuff done. It may not be super-duper important stuff, but I just took an hour of sitting idly and used my brain for something. Success.

Starting at the end of March, I'll begin Yoga Teacher Training, which will consume my weekend. And then, no one I know will see me for three monthes. Really. I was hanging out with a good friend of mine from college last night, and going over this with her. I got a bit overwhelmed but in all honesty, I'll be busy for more than 12 hours each weekday, and 6 hours each weekend. I'm just not going to have time. I'll be investing in my future, and my learning. It's so exciting!

THUS... I have earned the status of Responsibility Champion, like my mug says. I can't back down from any of these things, so I will either be the learning-est student and teacher ever seen, or I'm going to have a nervous breakdown. I think it's just going to be awesome. I know it's going to be awesome.

Cheers to a spring semester full of getting shit done.

(Mug art is from Hyperbole and a Half, which you should totally check out. Like, now.)

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

PS. I'll have some more normal posts up in a few days. Stay tuned. Once again... I'm busy.

This Is Important.

2012-01-18T22:34:00.003-05:00

Hilariously enough, I don't know the source for this. I found it on Tumblr.

Keep the internet a place where blogs like this can exist.

Stop SOPA and PIPA.

For more info, click here.

I Got You the Best Christmas Present Ever

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

ME!

Every year on Christmas, Danny plays a Christmas prank on his dad. Generally, this is his way of waking David up. This year, we decided to wrap Danny in Spiderman paper, and cover him in bows. Danny stood outside of the door yelling, "COME ON! I got you the best Christmas present ever!!". He also kicked the door a bunch of times, because his dad had locked it.

When David finally opened the door, Danny screamed out, "ME!". Best Christmas present ever!

David then unwrapped him to find... Danny wearing a sweater vest! How festive.

Austin, Texas, USA

Sunday Style: Everything Is Better When You're Together

2012-01-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

They took me to a park on top of the mountainside, to look out over the glorious hills.

What I'm wearing-

Leather Jacket- Talbot's

Jeans, Kimono Top- Forever 21

Boots- Ariat

Tank Top- Express

Earrings- Accessorize

Necklace- Flea Market

I wish I knew where Danny and David got their clothing. They look great.

Blue Genie

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Now, I did buy some stuff at Blue Genie! I got myself a cute pair of earrings with fleur de lis, which were only $5, and a magnet for David as a Christmas present. In general, Blue Genie was much kitchier, more well curated, and, just interesting than Armadillo Christmas. Also, it was free. The set-up was easier to navigate, it was bright, there were more colors, and it was overall better. I had a lot of fun at this one. Also, lots of the signs and set-ups of the booth-areas were sassy and funny. This market won. Plus, one of our friends, Stefanie, who's work I've featured here before, had a booth.

Austin, Texas, USA

Inspiration Fridays: I Just Want a Castle...

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't want to live in a castle? I do. Castles are the coolest.

While I was studying in London, I was able to visit many of them, including Canterbury Castle, below. I wrote a post about it soon after visiting, but the structure was incredible. By incredible, I mean it was old, historically important, and crumbling to bits. Though it had been a residence of the monarchy of England, it apparently wasn't important enough to charge money for entry, or even to be guarded. We walked right in. I climbed around in it. I stole a rock from off the ground, which was part of the Roman wall that surrounded it. This was legal, apparently, because were there cops or Unesco Heritage Site guards or anything? Nope. It was a big, open space that, you know, happened to have a castle in the middle of it. No big deal. The UK has tons of those.

As an American, this pretty much blows my mind. Living in a castle, or seeing one, is one of the pinnacles of existence, as far as I'm concerned. I was in awe of every structure I had the pleasure to view that was built before about 1550AD because we just don't have any of those on our continent. At some point during the first couple weeks I was living in London, I took a moment and bragged to one of my English friends that I had lived across the street from one of the oldest pubs in New York- it was founded in 1865! With an utterly straight face she said something along the lines of "Yeah, whatever, my building is fifty years older than that and it's the newest building on my block"... It's just different.

But, this post is about castles, not pubs. Once again, as I have hypothesized during basically every Inspiration Friday post from the past few monthes, I may only be inspired by castles because I read too many fantasy and historical fiction books, watch too many fantasy and historical fiction films, and play too many fantasy video games. I'd play historical fiction video games if more of them existed. Or, maybe I do all of those things because I love fantasy and historical fiction with a passion. Honestly, I'm rather certain this is the reason. I almost accidentally acquired a minor in medieval and renaissance history in college. If I had been paying attention, I would have achieved that, but frankly, I didn't notice I had done it until I was about to graduate. I just gravitate towards this stuff. Reminders of times gone by, times in which I did not live, excite me. Or, maybe I did live there. Who knows the true nature of our existence?

Yet someday, I want to climb a castle tower in the middle of the forest and gaze out over the land. I want to feel the wind whip through my hair as I do this; I wish to watch a hawk circle overhead.

Well, I think I've established that I'm not just a hopeless romantic, but a completely lost one. Sounds fine to me.

Here are some castles and such in the British Isles.

Tintagel Castle

Windsor Castle

Restormel Castle

Castell Caerdydd

The White Tower, Tower of London

S.M. Tunli

Chepstow Castle

Piers Perrot Gaveston

Caerphilly Castle

Euro Tours

Caernarfon Castle

Castle Wales

Edinburgh Castle

Beautiful Places to Visit

Castle Stalker

Scotland in May

Threave Castle

Sascha Koehler

Caerlaverock Castle

Tom Langlands

Armadillo Christmas

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas markets some of the most wonderful places in existence. This wasn't the best of Christmas markets, but it was pretty neat. There were a lot of vendors with unusual wares... and one with a Wembley puppet. Even though I spent no money here, I did get some vibrant photographs of the offerings, so I thought I'd share. Saturday, I'll be sharing photos from another Austin Christmas fair, which was a little bit better.

Austin, Texas, USA

Give 'Em the Boot

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

The second thing we did in Austin this December was... shopping for cowboy boots! Danny bought me a pair for Christmas! I love them, they are so pretty, comfy, and well, just cool. They have a steampunk-esque vibe to them in their design. I'm wearing them in that Yeehaw style post I put up. The store is Allen's Boots, one of the oldest boot suppliers in Texas. Their selection was... massive. There were so many styles! Each one was so individual and some were expensive as hell. The ones I got weren't, but they are still so nice.

I told the sales lady that I wanted boots to last, and she told me that the brand I was getting wouldn't be as good. At first I was dismayed until she meant that they would only last for about 6 years of heavy wear. That... that's amazing! I usually go through a pair of boots every winter. I wear the shit out of boots. I love boots. Sooooo much. These new ones will be fun to wear and this store was simultaneously hilarious and awesome. Hilarious, you ask? Check out the pants with the bedazzled shape of the state of Texas on the butt pocket. Also, the shirt with the dancing, cowboy hat-wearing skeleton. Hilarious.

Austin, Texas, USA

Arrival Taco Luncheon

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Mexican food is the bomb diggity. Just sayin'. The first thing we do, when we get to Austin, usually, is go and get Mexican food. Our Christmas jaunt kept to the tradition with a trip to Baby Acupulco's for tacos, chips and salsa, some steaming hot coffee, and a chance to eat outdoors. There is some decent Mexican grub to be found in New York City- two places near home in Brooklyn, The Flatbush Latin Grill, and Don Burrito, never disappoint. Manhattan Mexican in general is pretty disappointing. Tex-Mex in the Texas is always spicier, and more satisfying.

Austin, Texas, USA