An Overture to Illumination

Things I Love Thursday: Pupperoni

2012-01-26T09:30:00.000-05:00

This Super Bowl Sunday preview commercial for Volkswagon was SUPER cute (get it...Super Bowl...SUPER cute? eh? eh?) Seriously, though, puppies plus Star Wars=awesome. Then again, I am the type of person who can listen to Jingle dogs, so maybe I am not the best authority on the subject. It's worth waiting until the end of the video, or at least until the (spoiler alert) AT-AT greyhound makes an appearance.

A visit to the Aquarium

Some friends and I went to visit some penguins this weekend. I mean, we went to the New England Aquarium. It was a good mix of people—two of us had cameras and were viewing the aquarium through our lenses, and one of us was a scientist (and we kept teasing him for reading all the signs), and there was a lot of banter, some of it at the expense of some salmon.

Things That Made Me Smile

♥ Our wedding was featured on two places on teh interwebs this week:
100 Layer Cake and Fat Orange Cat (our photographer's blog)

Winter Riding: Lights and Safety

2012-01-25T16:20:00.001-05:00

Bell Muni Helmet
This commuter helmet has rear lights and built in mounts for Flea Blackburn rear and front commuter lights. I look forward to being fashionable and visible this winter wearing my new Muni, although I will probably wait until next year to consider the Flea Blackburn commuter lights, which run around $50. The helmet itself is also around $50, although there are always deals to be found online. I found that I've replaced my helmet twice, which equates to every two years, but hopefully this one will last well beyond two years.

Knog Boomer USB Rechargeable Rear Light
This rear light is rechargeable via USB, and it's super cute. I did not intentionally buy pink, but it was the cheapest option on Amazon. This blinky is super bright and I can't wait to get it out on the road. I have difficulty with rear mounts because I have a milk crate mounted on my rear rack, so we'll see how this one fits. I have another rear light (that will probably stay there), but I want to be lit up like a firecracker when I ride. There are three blinky settings and one steady setting) This one costs around $30 on amazon, which is very reasonably priced for a rechargeable bike light.

Cygolite Expilion 350-Lumen USB Rechargeable Headlight
This front light is also super bright and also rechargeable via any micro USB (a fact I discovered when I was able to charge my light with the cable for our Universal remote control after I mistook it for my light charger). It mounts very easily, even with gloves. There are five settings: one blinky setting, and four steady settings ranging from low to SUPER BRIGHT. This one was a birthday gift from J, and I use it in tandem with my Cateye OptiCube when I ride at night or in the rain.

Music Monday—Miike Snow

2012-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Although Swedish Electro-Pop is a departure from what I typically listen to, it definitely gets my heart pumping. Paddling Out, the first single from Happy to You, is a great song to clean house to. I might even be adding it to my getting ready playlist. I really enjoyed the progression of both of these songs, and can't wait to see what the album release has to offer. Also, I am a sucker for any music video that features the desert mountains, which are featured heavily in the following video for Devil's Work (the pleather pants are a weird juxtaposition, though).

Happy to You drops March 27th.

Miike Snow—Paddling Out

Miike Snow—Devil's Work

Things I Love Thursday

2012-01-19T09:00:00.000-05:00

aivo2010

Millet
This nutty and tender seed was a delicious addition to our salmon dinner last week. It was perfect straight out of our fuzzy logic rice cooker—I added carrots, salt and pepper, but I can see some interesting millet porridges in my future. Nom. Plus, this fulfills my requirement for January to learn how to cook something new!

scfiasco

White Sands National Monument
I love visiting White Sands. We have a blast every time and it's just such a wondrous place—miles and miles of white gypsum dunes. I wish that when I had lived here I had taken advantage of some of their events, like midnight bike rides. We only sometimes think to bring sleds, but most of the time cardboard will do just fine:

Music Monday

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

As part of my list of things to do before I turn 29, I am trying to discover new music once a week. This week's song is Location, by Freelance Whales.

This song is upbeat and melodic, with some pleasing harmony and a sweet little banjo peeking out here and there. However, the upbeat progression of the music is juxtaposed by the somewhat dark lyrics, which to me speak out about how tough relationships are sometimes, and how difficult it can be to reach the person you love when they retreat into themselves. After listening to the whole album, I think Freelance Whales remind me a little bit of Arcade Fire, a more polished Oh No, Oh My!, and a less cheery Bishop Allen. Throw in some Postal Service for good measure.

If you have Spotify, you can use the link up there to have a listen, but here's the song on YouTube:

Things I Love Thursday

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Nike Training Club
This App is free and it works on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. You select a goal and level, then find a workout that meets your criteria. It's rewards based, so you get to see how your latest workout has brought you closer to your next reward, like power smoothie recipes or high energy training circuits. I can't wait to use this tool next time I am at the gym (or not!).

Sleep Stream App

I have already mentioned this app offhandedly when I did my year end summary, but I thought it was worth re-mentioning. There are three things I like about this app. One, the ambient sounds are varied, although I doubt I will ever get sick of listening to a mountain stream as I fall asleep, since camping in the Gila Mountains by a stream is my "happy place." Two, There is a guided sleep meditation, which helps with my goal of meditating more this year. Three, there is an option to add a layer of binaural beats, and I have found this to be très helpful as a relaxing white noise option.

28 Things to do Before I Turn 29

2012-01-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

~~Overhaul my office area~~
Restyle my closet to fit my new fashion needs
Sew and tailor all of my old clothes that need mending
Pimp out our balcony
Donate our old towels to the MSPCA
Go ice skating
~~Try a juice fast~~
Cook one new food or recipe every month
Participate in group meditation
Ride my bike more than 50 miles
Visit a new state
Take more photos
~~Go back to school~~
I took Graphic Design I at MassArt in the spring.
Complete at least two apartment projects
Visit the JFK museum
See Falling Water
Learn more about wine
Discover new music once a week
Start knitting again
Learn to embroider
Redesign my online portfolio
Change my name
Whip the apartment into shape
Make the spare bedroom guest-ready (i.e. not my dumping ground)
Keep sparkling wine in the house for impromptu champagne moments
~~Tour a chocolate factory~~
This one was actually a bit of a cheat since we did it for my 28th birthday.
Plant an herb garden
Compost

Things I Love Thursday: Corgis Gonna Corg

2012-01-05T11:14:00.000-05:00

From the Obsessive Corgi Disorder tumblr

honorable meniton

Feeling like a road warrior for riding my bike in the winter ♥ The Dinner Party, This American Life, and Freakonomics Radio—my new rotation of podcasts ♥ Excitement about new projects and fresh starts ♥ Daydreaming about our upcoming vacations and travel plans ♥ Listening to mountain streams as I fall asleep ♥ The pile of books I have waiting for me at home ♥

Happy Thursday!

Whole Body Cleanse, Week 1

2012-01-04T11:47:00.001-05:00

As part of a New Year's pact that I made with myself, I am three days into the 2012 Whole Living Action Plan. I have tried this plan before, but I didn't place any importance on the followthrough. I ended up fasting for a while, feeling great, then falling into old patterns and ordering a lot of takeout as a "reward" for all of that difficult fasting I'd done.

This time, equipped with a shiny new juicer, and some other life adjustments, I felt ready to tackle this thing and really think about what it is doing to my body, and how I can make it a lifestyle change. I am keeping better track of what it does to my depression, my anxiety, my skin, and hopefully in time, my waistline.

I have had some pleasantly unexpected results: I actually have more energy than usual, my attention has been more focused, and I have started drinking my coffee black. I'm supposed to be cutting caffeine out during this detox, but I knew I wouldn't be successful without coffee. In the long run, it's a habit I'm probably not going to give up, ever, but the benefit of cutting the sugar and milk from my daily cup (and being happy about it) is unexpected and amazing, and almost makes up for a little cheating.

Some of the recipes are really good, like these sesame kale chips, and these fruit and nut bites. Me, though? I just can't wait to start drinking wine again.

Wrapping up 2011

2011-12-25T09:53:00.036-05:00

Wrapping up 2010

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

Got married!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?

From last year:

diet, diet, diet. I would like to eat waaay better than we did this year. Less booze and much less frozen pizza.
start saving more money.

I did neither of those things. I exercised more for the wedding, but as it approached, I had less time to cook and the anxiety and stress made my diet worse than ever. I also didn't save any money, as the wedding completely wiped me out—back to square one!

This year:

Work on my yoga/meditation

I would like to be able to do crow pose without looking like a stuck barnyard animal. I would like to get my hips closer to the floor in pigeon pose, and I would like to touch my heels to the floor in downward dog
I would like to meditate at least three times a week, and check out group meditation at least once this year

Start earning more money as a freelance designer

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, our best man and his wife had a baby boy and I got to design his birth announcements!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Sadly, we lost someone early on this year to cancer, and my father lost his godmother.

5. What countries did you visit?

None, yet again. Here's hoping 2012 will change this answer.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

The ability to cook in my kitchen without feeling cramped.

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

November 19th—our wedding day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Organizing and throwing a wedding, basically by myself. I had some truly wonderful vendors, but we did not hire a planner or DOC, and my parents were very far away, and anyway I have control issues. But I did it, and it was fabulous and perfect in every way.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I wasn't always the best or most thoughtful friend as a bride-to-be.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I have been on a roller-coaster of anxiety and depression since the wedding, and when I finally nailed down my meds, they started causing side effects that were new and scary and unpleasant. I am in the midst of trying to fix all of this, and it has been pretty twitchy.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our wedding bands, a Clarisonic Mia, a wedding photo book from pinhole press.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
J, who married me this year in spite of all my flaws.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

One time at work this guy came into the office and just started being a big dickhole for no reason. He was angry and he was bossy and he thought he was better than everyone else, and was yelling at us about something he could have instead talked to us about like a reasonable human being. He will no doubt die of a heart attack someday (soon, I'd wager), and it will be all his fault, but in the meantime, he totally ruined my day for no reason other than the fact that he was a miserable person. People like him made me appalled and depressed.

14. Where did most of your money go?

All of it went towards the wedding. Rent? What's that?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Our wedding!

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

It's Alright by Bang Gang (our first dance song)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder?

I am more anxious—in fact, I've been showing symptoms of panic disorder. So...sadder? But not really because I have some really great doctors who I trust, and a husband who is supportive and understanding, and I'm not going through this alone. So...happier.

thinner or fatter? Ugh, probably about the same, maybe a little fatter. I lost some weight after we got engaged in anticipation for the wedding, but it all came back with a vengeance shortly around the time we tied the knot.
richer or poorer? We put a big hunk of cash into the wedding, and I quit my restaurant job, so maybe a little bit poorer. We're financially still in the same circumstances.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Exercise, and take care of myself.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Eating takeout, and not treating my depression.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

At our friends' house eating a turkey that is way too big for all of us and some pecan pie from Petsi Pies.

21. How will you be spending New Years?

No clue, but maybe a repeat of last year when we spent time at Ginger Exchange since no one else was in town, and we were friends with the bartender.

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?

I am so in love with my new husband that it's not even funny.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

Parks and Rec, American Horror Story.

24. Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

I think that I've come to decide that "hate," even the mild pretend "hate," is a completely wasted emotion. This doesn't mean that there isn't anyone that could have made this list, just that I choose not to participate in this question anymore.*

25. What was the best book you read?

Hunger Games. This book was not a life changer or anything, but it came at a time when I was sick as all hell, and it gave me something to do while I had a headache and runny nose, but it also gave me a really sharp focus on how much I appreciate my life. The only other book I remember reading this year (and not re-reading) was Mildred Pierce, which I only read because it was nominated (won?) all those Emmy's and we did not have a subscription to HBO.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Meditation music—specifically an app that helps me sleep at night called SleepStream, and has ambient noises like running water, in addition to add-on meditation like music that helps me sleep at night. And also The Joy Formidable.

27. What did you want that you also ended up getting?

A pair of UGGS (don't worry, they're not the ugly kind, they're this pair), and a Clarisonic Mia.

28. What did you want that you did not end up getting?

A stand mixer. A subscription to Psychology Today.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

Jane Eyre, Bridesmaids

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 27. J took me to Harvard Square where we had cupcakes at Sweet (he even remembered to bring candles!)

And then we had dinner at Sel de la Terre with friends

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Not gaining weight after the wedding

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Lots of yoga pants

33. What kept you sane?

Medication, therapy, and yoga.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Seth Meyers
and always Ryan Gosling, but not just because he's suddenly the Internet's golden boy— see Exhibit A from Jan 2008:

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Marriage equality

36. Who did you miss?

All of our friends who have moved away. We got to see some of them at the wedding, but it's never enough! Our neighbors moved out kind of suddenly, and this summer will not be the same without them (or their pups).

37. Who was the best new person you met?

I don't think I met anyone new this year...at least no one who I can say was the "best."

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

That meditation is actually a useful tool, and that not all alternative medicine is hooey (some of it is).

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"And I was in your arms

And you were in my arms

And you might like what I say

And you might get what you hate
And it's okay to be right here by you
It's alright..."

Things I Love Thursday

2011-07-14T15:43:00.000-04:00

My restored letterpress, which I intend to learn to use very soon!

Fireworks!

This Fourth of July provided me with some excellent photos. My new 50mm lens, a tripod, and a remote trigger made this 4th of July more enjoyable, since I got to watch the show and let the remote trigger do the work, photo-wise.

This font, Pluto, which is on sale right now at MyFonts.

Things I Love Thursday: Congrats, Sis!

2011-05-26T13:41:00.002-04:00

My sister graduated from West Point this weekend. She is now a Second Lieutenant in the US Army! Go Awbs!

Things I Love Thursday

2011-04-07T10:36:00.002-04:00

I am oddly in love with this print from Casey Weldon, called "Poochie Poochie," even though it makes my eyes water. The colors are divine, and oh, how I love puppies! Even four eyed ones.

Things I Love Thursday

2011-02-03T08:47:00.001-05:00

I love listening to This American Life radio archives while I do busywork. It makes me feel a little bit more productive than listening to Bowling For Soup's Ohio (Come Back to Texas) for the fiftieth time in a row, on YouTube.

Better Off Wed, Kendi Lea's refreshingly honest and witty blog about marriage. It gives me what I hope to be a glimpse into my future, and her writing reminds me a little bit of Heather's (dooce.com), in that it makes me laugh out loud at my desk and that I drool over all of her images (also, her other blog: kendieveryday).

Red Velvet Pancakes! I love pancakes and I love red velvet. It just seems so logical to put the two together! Will be making for someone's birthday <3

27 Things To Do Before I Turn 28

2011-01-08T08:36:00.023-05:00

~~Get married!~~ We were married on Nov 19th at the MIT Chapel
~~Take a real vacation~~ I went to New Orleans for my bachelorette weekend, and J and I went to Vermont for our honeymoon over Thanksgiving, and were forced by the closure of every business and restaurant to just relax in our hotel.
Sew a dress
Take more pictures
This is a goal of mine every year, and I somehow fail even more every year. I got a new 50mm lens, which made me pretty excited to take photos for a while, but it wasn't enough. I still want to take a picture every day for a year.
~~Wear lipstick more regularly~~ After learning to do my makeup for the wedding, I made sure that I did myself up more often. Sometimes all I did was put on a little lipstick, and it's amazing how put together you can look with lipstick and nothing else.
~~Find a new hairstyle~~ I learned how to do a dancer's bun and it saved me when I was growing my hair out for the updo I'd have on Nov 19th.
~~Host a board game night~~
We had people over for Scrabble one night. It was brutal.
Use my kitchen every day
~~Do more yoga~~ A friend of mine teaches a class on Wednesdays. I feel more accountable since I know the teacher. It's also helped me do more yoga at home.
Compost
I did end up calling the city of Somerville to look into this, but they won't have any bins available until after the New Year. It's half win, half lose, so I won't cross it off, but I did look into it, and therefore try to do it.
~~Make a scrapbook~~
I ordered a wedding photo book from pinhole press, and because I am feeling unambitious, but also like it was still an achievement, I will call this one a win, since I had to spend a lot of time with that layout.
~~Letterpress~~ I letterpresesd and assembled our wedding invitations.
Make my office inspiring
I have prepped my office so that I will be ready when I get a new desk, since part of the problem is that we need more space. I did a lot of cleaning and purging, though, and it did help tremendously.
~~Unveil a new website/blog~~
Not that this is what I meant, but I did update the layout around here...
~~New business cards~~
~~Write more thank you notes~~ After the wedding, I feel like I've done nothing but write thank you notes.
Drink more water
I go back and forth on this one. Since my Wednesday yoga class is hot yoga, there's a lot more water being drunk, but when I'm at home lounging around, I frequently forget to have even a single glass of water in an entire day.
~~Pimp our our bathroom~~
Courtesy of our wedding registry, we now have matching towels. Matching. Towels. Also a spa-like bath mat, and a re-organized very spiffy basket to hold all of our bathroom needs.
~~Dog-sit a corgi~~
~~Organize my files~~
~~Clean out our bedroom~~
~~Start drinking tea~~
Participate in the Apartment Therapy Spring Cure
Thrift/restyle in my own closet
~~Eliminate chemicals from our home~~ We are down to some Mrs. Meyers cleaning solution for the bathroom (since it's so gross in there), but everything else is all natural (vinegar, baking soda and lemon if I can help it, Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, or Method products if I cant).
~~Tour a brewery~~ We went to the Magic Hat Brewery in VT on our honeymoon, and toured the Anheuser-Busch brewery with friends.
~~Hang more artwork/photos~~

Wrapping up 2010

2010-12-31T09:25:00.004-05:00

via qsprn

Wrapping up 2009

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?

Got engaged!
Hosted Thanksgiving dinner (made a turkey!)
Rented a lens from borrowlenses.com
Saw an Army/Navy game
Had jewelry designed (my engagement ring!)
Had a professional photo shoot (I felt like I was being followed by paparazzi!)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?

From last year:

Cut HFCS from our diet, or severely restrict it. I guess limit processed foods in general.
Fix my little anxiety/fear of bicycle death thing.
Resume cooking meals at home more often
Eat healthier foods, and by exercising more, possibly look smoking hot when I'm naked?

Last year, my diet was worse than ever. I did get over a lot of my anxiety, with a lot of therapy and just having things generally go more smoothly than last year. I did not cook very much, unless you count frozen pizza. Blech.

This year?

diet, diet, diet. I would like to eat waaay better than we did this year. Less booze and much less frozen pizza.
start saving more money.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No, everyone eked out their babies at the end of last year!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. What countries did you visit?

None, once more. We were going to go to "Europe," but J traveled a lot for work and I was generally broke/working customer service jobs, so we mainly traveled for weddings.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

The ability to browse wedding blogs without having to hide it (or rather, hide just how often I read them!)

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

November 13, because that was when J proposed!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I found not one, but two jobs, one of which I truly enjoy, the other which starts next January. I also made some really great personal breakthroughs in therapy. I did finally get that client to pay—the one that was my biggest failure last year.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Letting one of my coworkers get to me to the point that it gave me serious stress when I had to go in to work knowing he and I would be spending the day/evening together.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I caught the flu, again, but nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

The engagement photos, for sure, but we actually also got flannel sheets, which turned out to be an excellent purchase now that it is cold. I haven't even had to use the electric blanket since we bought them, and I'm sure that has saved us some money, as well as helping the environment a little bit (a stretch? Maybe, but they are awesome!)

I also bought some riding boots that I love. I have seriously been searching high and low for riding boots for three years, now. It is about time.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

J's, whose support and devotion have never wavered, ever. And also because he proposed to me and all that.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Just this one guy who made me want to stop going to trivia, even though we've been going every Tuesday for over a year. He's such a dingbat.

14. Where did most of your money go?

rent, health insurance, wedding savings.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Getting Engaged!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

Home by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder?

Much happier. I am still in the engagement glow!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Exercise

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Eating frozen pizza!

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

In PA with J and his family

21. How will you be spending New Years?

Working at my restaurant job, then going dancing with my BFF, Jessica.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?

Yes, I still find new ways and reasons to love J more and more every year.

23. How many one-night stands?

Fail.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Walking Dead, Mad Men.

25. Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

26. What was the best book you read?

I am mostly reading a bunch of wedding books right now, so I am ill equipped to answer this question. Long and short? I don't know that I read very much this year. Offbeat Bride was probably the best wedding book, though.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. I was very sad when Ima Robot seemed to be breaking up. Now? I has a happy, again—and after Edward Sharpe, Ima Robot came out with a new album! Yeehaw.

28. What did you want that you also ended up getting?

MY VERY OWN LETTERPRESS. Also, a pair of riding boots.

29. What did you want that you did not end up getting?

A Clarisonic Mia

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Black Swan

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 26. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant with a bunch of friends. The owner even gave us a free cake!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Getting to tell a customer off. What a waste of a last day at a restaurant.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Pretty much the same as last year. More sweat pants, more flats, skinny jeans, comfortable chic.

34. What kept you sane?

Medication, therapy, and yoga.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

John Kraskinski.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Health Insurance

37. Who did you miss?

Our friends Dan and Lydia moved last year, but the loss is still just as strong.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Almost everyone at my new restaurant job.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

Let it Go

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"This is the first day of my life

Glad I didn't die before I met you

Now I don't care, I could go anywhere with you

And I'd probably be happy"

Heart

2010-09-21T12:56:00.003-04:00

Things I love Thursday

2010-09-02T10:53:00.011-04:00

Getting some work done. As I posted previously, I finished a website and the restaurant menus this week. Exciting to be done!

Hanging out with other people's pets. I hung out with my neighbor's corgi the other day, and I will be hanging out with Jess' cat this weekend. The next best thing until we can get our own dog.

So Much Going On Lately

2010-08-31T12:13:00.001-04:00

My To Do list has been growing at an astounding rate, lately—business is going well, things at the restaurant are going well, and there have been other personal developments that are finally going well now that everyone is on track. The things that have been keeping me from updating this thing, ever, these days.

I keep thinking about starting a professional blog—something I can tie to my website; a website that is woefully out of date at the moment. The Catch-22 of being a web designer is that I haven't had the time to work on my own portfolio recently. Which is why a professional blog seems like such a silly idea.

Tidbits from the past while:
We have met the neighbors. Drank a few bottles of wine with them. I ended up massaging the downstairs neighbor's dog's feet, which I could have done all night...LOVE HER. She was going to be a show dog before she broke her hip, so she has pins holding her together. I told her I knew how she felt, and about how my jaw is held together with pins, too. Downstairs neighbors' chihuahuas are scared of her, though, so they didn't really want to hang with us.

The new restaurant menus that I designed will be unveiled this week, and I am so excited about them.

I got a rockin' haircut.

J finished his Master's! No more grad school! For now!

I launched a hair studio's website

Plus other stuff, that I can't talk about just yet...Exciting times! As they say, Stay Tuned for more!

Quelle Belle

2010-08-23T21:51:00.001-04:00

Palomino Colored Pencils

"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms"

Making Marriage Sound Cute

2010-08-17T21:42:00.001-04:00

quote via so much to tell you

Choose Your Own Adventure: Logan Airport

2010-07-15T11:43:00.001-04:00

Every time I come home from the airport, I manage to take a different route. This is never my intention, and usually I get home without incident, even if I end up taking Storrow Drive to Harvard Square instead of the more direct route to Inman Square.

This time however, at three o'clock in the morning I might add, I veered entirely off course in a way that was terrifying, moreso because I didn't even have my cell phone on me. My usual exit was closed, and instead of taking the next exit, I managed to get off the highway a little bit too early and ended up in Boston's North End. J and I have walked through Charlestown to the North End before, so I figured it would be a snap to get back from there using my bearings. Boy was I wrong.

I had no cell phone and no way of knowing when to get on and off the dozens of highways that might or might not send me back to Logan airport, where at the very least I would know where I was! I kept trying to catch a glimpse of the Boston skyline, so I'd know vaguely which way to go. Long story short, guess who ended up at a Walgreens in Revere, nearly in tears, asking the security guard how to get back to Somerville. I'm just really glad I had decided against driving in skimpy pajamas and had opted for real clothes, instead. His directions weren't really very accurate, uh, AT ALL—the only real insight he provided was that instead of taking a left out of the parking lot like I wanted to, I should take a right. I found signs for Everett/Somerville, and things finally began to look familiar at some point.

This is the route I SHOULD have taken, provided the exit I needed hadn't been closed:

View Larger Map

And in the end, this looks pretty close to the route I ended up taking, instead:

View Larger Map

When Gilmore Girls Mirrors Real Life

2010-07-11T13:20:00.000-04:00

"I feel awful—I feel sick...It just sucks, you know, because I graduated today, this was supposed to be a happy day in my life and now when I look back on it I'm just going to think about this whole other thing that happened." --Rory Gilmore

I don't really think about my own graduation anymore, but the penultimate episode of the Gilmore Girls dredged up some pretty awful memories for me. Thank God life has turned out beautifully every since I left college boyfriend's wretched family in my past. The wonderful thing about heartbreak is that it leaves you feeling alive, though. Going through it at the time is no picnic, and I personally learned a lot about depression when I graduated from college, but watching Logan's heartbreak was as beautiful as it was painful. I can imagine Logan telling the story about Rory—the love of his life before he met the actual love of his life—to his grandchildren when he's 80.

I won't be telling any stories about my awful college boyfriend to my grandkids or anything, but I can imagine talking about other boys in my past. And that kind of childhood heartbreak is just the type of maudlin thing that brings a smile to my face.

After all, I wouldn't be here in this wonderful place if life had taken a different turn at any point along the way.

Nice Guys

2010-06-09T15:43:00.002-04:00

The captions: hilarious.

Swagbucks

2010-05-26T09:05:00.001-04:00

Over the past few months, I have gone on a spending spree on Amazon. First, I finally bought the ipod I'd been saving for, then, when my mouse broke, I broke down and bought a magic mouse. When I went on this spree, I didn't spend any of my own money. I had accumulated amazon gift cards by participating in surveys and by using swagbucks .com for my daily searching.

Every time my account reaches 450 swag bucks, I get a $5 Amazon gift card. Searching the internet is something I do anyway, every day, and their search engine gets better and better as the site develops and grows stronger. Searching is a simple way to see swag bucks add up, but the real money is in referrals. After I had a few friends join, my points went through the roof and I ended up slowly being able to afford a $150 mp3 player, $5 at a time. There are some other prizes on there, and I can't speak to their value, but I know some people will "save up" for things like an XBox (I can't imagine how many swag bucks you need for an XBox).

If you're interested, you should check it out. It's pretty exhilarating when you get your first prize, just for using the search engine, and if you're into online games, they have a pretty active twitter and facebook account where they post opportunities and contests to grab swag bucks every day. And because this post is clearly about shameless promotion:

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/dearsweetbriar