blueberry bike.

vacation update.

2011-05-06T03:17:00.000-05:00

it has been requested that i update this blog. working more on teenspiritnyc.com these days, but it seems that a few people still care for my personal whereabouts.

few things to note:

1. still in nyc and nyc is still dandy. no plans to go anywhere else anytime soon.
2. really into instagram. if you have an iphone, get it and follow me [blueberrybike] for constant pictoral life updates.
3. currently on family vacation and updating from my hotel room at 3 am (why?). see photos below.

weather shmeather.

2011-03-11T02:03:00.000-06:00

weather has been crazy in its bipolarity. bitterly cold, then warm and sunny, then rainy with monsoon-like winds all over the course of one week. and still things continue to be lovely...

a few photos from february and beyond:

my favorite brunch ever (rushed to the organic grill to try the tofu omelette almost immediately after reading about it on mel's blog. no shame in aggressively seeking out good food.)

so effing delicious.

late night vinnie's pizza with pals.

dj-ing at blackout bar (quickly becoming one of my favorite bars in the city - brought by the same people who own oak.)

rag & bone party at saks 5th avenue.

the smith westerns at rag & bone party.

new(ish).

2011-03-08T02:08:00.002-06:00

cutting makes everything feel fresh and new. no, not wrist-cutting. but hair-cutting, for sure. there's nothing more refreshing than a good, thorough hair chop. and now i'm totally feeling clothes-cutting. cropping all my tops in one fat snip, straight across. surprising how it makes dull, poor-fitting tops feel cute and brand new!

this top originally had long, droopy sleeves and a bunchy, cinched waist. now it's the perfect summer crop top.

pictured with $10 forever21 skirt and a diy hairbow.

for new york peeps:

2011-03-07T02:10:00.000-06:00

we're dj-ing at blackout bar on tuesday, and everyone is invited! i've been preening my playlist all weekend. click-through to rsvp via facebook.

favorite things - march 2011.

2011-03-06T02:47:00.002-06:00

changing my nail color every week.
big headphones. though they kind of irritate my new ear piercings...i hate earbuds.
early-90's indie cassette tapes. dunno why, but so hard to find.
"lo-fi" photography. no, not holgas or disposables...in this case it's just reverting back to crappy p&s.
doodling. doing this more via wacom intuos, but a notebook and pen seems more romantic.

spitfire sheldon headphones, velocity girl simpatico cassette, mint green notebook, pink pen, deborah lippman nail polish in happy birthday, pink sony cybershot, sally hanson nail polish in lacy lilac.

spring.

2011-02-22T01:05:00.000-06:00

well it was warm on friday...the rest of the weekend and coming week, not so much.

with my new floral backpack, however, i am ready for bicycling season to creep back around. it's a flimsy little thing from h&m, so i doubt i can carry much more in it beyond my 2-lb bike lock...but mission for a cool backpack finally accomplished. also, a new cardigan.

sparkle and shine.

2011-02-13T23:59:00.000-06:00

finally found some sequins. a bit of a novelty item but i have never owned a top so mesmerizing. thx urban outfitters.

teen spirit.

2011-02-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

click through below to see what i've been up to.

it's part music blog, part promotion for a dj gig that i'm starting with a friend. follow please!

unexpected january.

2011-01-31T23:39:00.002-06:00

january in new york city has been a pleasant surprise. it's not as crowded everywhere, the air is crisp and [seemingly] clean, occasional drops of sunshine feel amazing....even snowfall imposes a little known peacefulness on the city that i find myself enjoying more than hating.

addictive new music (the new tennis album is carrying me through winter btw!), the comfort of having best friends, warm beverages, fun gatherings...let the good times continue.

i'm used to hibernating and being miserable in winter but january has proved full of fun and adventure. newfound independence and optimism feels so foreign that i think im very much stuck in a moment...

another note: got my kate moss piercings tonight!

therapeutic.

2011-01-26T01:38:00.000-06:00

tonight i had some "me" time...soooo...beer and diy haircuts.

(separately is fine, but in combination is better.)

getting through the season.

2011-01-11T02:13:00.001-06:00

a springy color scheme for winter: pale/muted hues rotated with light, glossy sparkles.

(forever 21, urban outfitters, forever 21, american apparel, gift)

mini diy projects: $5 keychain from urban outfitters and a fishhook earring attachment equals the perfect mono earring.

tasty comfort eats: vegan mac and cheese from s'mac. a coconut milk + marmite base, mixed with spinach, tomatoes, fresh basil. personally, i find it quite outstanding. order here.

sick of winter.

2011-01-05T02:32:00.000-06:00

need temperatures to go up a few notches, and then need bright, sparkly clothes plus a few colorful things.

finders keep cheetah dress: $89, pixie market - yellow cheetah print is my fav.

pink & navy accordian pleat dress: $32, vicious threads - need more tasteful hot pink.

gold metallic lace top: $26, pom pom clothing - gold lace = yes.

mina dress boot: $60, christian siriano for payless - blingiest winter-ish boots i've seen.

mood lipstick: $3, forever21 - my color of choice from 6th grade is back!

bb dakota owens sequin jacket: $80, nasty gal - i wanna be really sparkly.

sparkle pantyhose: $17, american apparel - i want my legs to sparkle too.

chain fringe pouch bag: $20, forever21 - need a flashy little bag.

bashful brick red nail polish: $3, forever21 - need glittery candy red on my nails.

matte makeup, turquoise and coral.

2011-01-03T23:57:00.001-06:00

i suppose i resolve to wear more lipstick in 2011. up to five tubes and counting!

make up forever rouge artist intense lipstick - 39

tarina tarantino conditioning lip sheen - candy jar

kat von d painted love lipstick - a-go-go

maybelline moisture extreme lip color - silver plum and royal red

i suppose i'm also starting 2011 with a new make up routine. this has been facilitated by a generous sephora gift card that i received for xmas. for pale winter skin, i am turning toward a matte combo of dusty coral lipstick + black eye shadow. and then just a teeny bit of turquoise sparkle.

supplies:

2010 memories.

2010-12-31T16:09:00.004-06:00

in 2010, i decided to get serious about leaving chicago. it took four or five months of torn deliberation before i really took action. from there, it all happened very quickly - sold my furniture, threw out a bunch of my things, quit my job, craigslisted a new apartment in nyc, bought a one-way flight and left.

all turned out to be a lot more heartbreaking than exciting. i attributed most of my feelings of incompatibility with the city to the weather...yet while i was trying to put plans of relocation into motion, we experienced unexpected warmth and sunniness by march, and we took to exploring the expansiveness of chicago on foot. in new york city, crossing from one neighborhood to another is a matter of a few blocks. but in chicago, it's miles and miles...

below is a photo from march, where we had walked from brunch in the west loop to drinks in lincoln park and were en route to more drinks in bucktown.

while i always considered the expansiveness of chicago a bit of a nuisance (takes at least 45 minutes to get anywhere), i enjoyed our long walks. it was fun crossing from skyscrapers to strip malls to industrial corridors to quiet residential streets.

in early april, i purchased an awesome track bike that served as primary transportation for my last two surprisingly temperate (although WINDY) months in chicago.

at the end of april, we finally got a chance to go to dark lord day in munster, indiana. a must for all chicagoans...

by the end of may, we were well into scorching summer weather. in addition to bike rides and long walks, there had already been grill-outs, outdoor brunches and nights spent hanging out on our top-floor deck.

and we had emptied out our wicker park attic apartment. it was so sunny and warm on our last day there. we sat around in the empty apartment for a few hours and reflected back on what a great apartment it had been.

and in june, i was in a new place.

i could go on about 2010. there was also the unemployment and job hunt that ensued, the exploration of nyc and attempts at adapting to a new place, the making of new friends and reconnection with old friends...but i think my fondest memories of 2010 are those last couple of carefree months in chicago.

december, 2006.

2010-12-27T13:22:00.001-06:00

around this time, four years ago, we drove from tennessee through alabama to the florida panhandle, then through mississippi and louisiana into texas. and then back around through arkansas until we arrived back in knoxville at 6 in the morning, about a week later.

there weren't a lot of sights to see in the dead of the winter. we could've picked a better time to go camping at destin beach. and we had an eery time trying to find things to do in texas resort towns during off-season. but it seems like some of the things that happened were meant to happen to us, because no one else would embrace it the way we did.

rest stop picnic in mississippi with a little puppy that kept following us. ps - i spot nerds rope, cheese cubes, peanut butter and pall malls in the picnic mix.

on the deserted beaches of galveston, a coastal city in texas.

more galveston beach.

feeding birds in the quiet resort town of crystal beach. so fun until cops surrounded us and we narrowly escaped legal troubles.

hard to believe that we haven't done anything so spontaneous and free-of-responsibility since then...and why not?

photobooth animations.

2010-12-24T13:05:00.002-06:00

another holiday surprise!

2010-12-22T01:42:00.001-06:00

did you see my previous post about ordering a paul baribeau 10"? paper order form + dolla bills stuffed into an envelope?

i requested for the 10" to be sent to my parents' home in tennessee (where i spend the holidays and where this particular gift exchange will take place).

so i arrive at my parents' house tonight and find a package from plan-it-X records. tear it open and find the following:

the note says:

hey. i used my own lp to protect this 10"! i'm playing solo in knoxville on dec 19th @ the birdhouse. chris

wow! so awesome to receive a personal note AND bonus lp from chris clavin (who runs plan-it-X records and plays in ghost mice!) - but very upset that i missed the show by two days. i've only been to the birdhouse once, but i like it. it's a neat vintage house + art space. and i got to see calvin johnson play a very small show there last year.

now i'm anxious to listen to the lp, but alas, my record player is in nyc...

first xmas gift of the season.

2010-12-21T03:26:00.001-06:00

[well, not including the company backpack that i received from work...]

a soy candle from patch nyc!

vanilla, bourbon, cognac, tobacco & patchouli. soft and mellow like a worn leather chair, smooth as a snifter of brandy.

thanks daphne!

how about a visual holiday wishlist?

2010-12-12T16:00:00.001-06:00

it looks like a clutter of pink plastic crap and metallic shiny stuff.

which is no surprise.

1. lime crime lipstick - cosmopop ($16) - really want light orange/coral lipstick.
2. make up for ever aqua eyes - 12L ($17)
3. merkury innovations universal square speakers - pink ($10) - need this for my record player.
4. laptop table for bed - pink ($35) - ugly but i really need it before i die of eye strain, curved spine, carpal tunnel and bad posture.
5. oury handlebar grips - purple ($8) - to go with the handlebars.
6. nitto pink riser bars ($60) - to go with the bar grips. even better if they're trimmed.
7. urban ears plattan headphones - pink ($60) - because they look cool and deter unnecessarily chatty people.
8. bliss mammoth minty scrub soap ($18) - this is the best and biggest soap, and after 6 months, i'm finally running out.
9. deux lux reptile backpack ($68)
10. rachel rachel roy crystal arrow earrings ($38) - i want to wear both in one ear.
11. low lux x erin wasson gear bangle - gold ($63)
12. jme english breakfast tea ($30) - sick of coffee, time to make my yearly switch to fancy black tea.
13. rachel rachel roy gold spike ring ($36)
14. fallon speed of light teardrop ring - gold, size 6 ($115)
15. rachel rachel roy purple spike bracelet ($75) - i still like spike jewelry, can you tell?
16. mrs. meyers soy candle - basil ($10)

long distance.

2010-12-11T18:44:00.000-06:00

good night.

good morning.

thoughts @ 4 am:

2010-12-07T02:54:00.001-06:00

1. layering a pan-collar buttondown underneath a simple velvet dress = y/n?
2. yay for finding more glitter nail polish, this time for $1.99 [wet n wild craze nail color in glitz].
3. very happy to have almost all my friends nearby.

holiday shopping...

2010-12-02T23:49:00.000-06:00

and ordering vinyl the old-school way, from plan-it-X records. kinda love it.

this holiday, someone will be getting a paul baribeau 10"!

sunday night anxiety.

2010-11-22T03:33:00.000-06:00

it's life-related.

we'll never sleep (god knows we'll try).

mini manhattan bedroom.

2010-11-15T02:17:00.001-06:00

in order to understand why it's hard to focus on personal projects...you must see how severely lacking i am in workspace. a teeny shelf nailed to the wall serves as a desk if i'm seated atop the foot of my bed. is it ergonomically correct to have no back support or leg room?

probably not, but this is all i got for now.

glitter nail polish

2010-11-12T01:38:00.001-06:00

i almost bought the glittery deborah lippman HAPPY BIRTHDAY nail polish for $18, then i came across this one at forever21 - huuuge, iridescent flecks of glitter for $3. it takes four or five coats to get nails completely covered.