beautiful

 {Image via}

It finally rained yesterday. Heavy and tumultous, complete with thunder and lightning. And then it was over, nearly as quickly as it had begun. And the clouds finally parted, and the blue sky came through, and the air's suffocating humidity lifted. And this morning, walking to work through the cleaned air and the dampened streets, it felt like Fall was really and truly upon us. Not too cold yet, nothing frigid or terribly windy. But breezy and cool and refreshing. A truly lovely walk, making me rethink any potential moves to Brooklyn - or to any outer borough requiring underground transportation to get to the office five days a week. Because the walk can be so lovely on days like today, that I couldn't imagine giving it up. I hope the weekend holds more of the same - I have no real plans except to make meals for my week (frugality is back in its comforting routine) and rest, maybe wander Central Park aimlessly if I feel particularly ambitious, or desperate to leave my populated abode. And I hope you all have equally relaxing weekends!

PS - Like how I'm still not posting my own pictures, even when I actively search to find the most generic and un-staged photos possible? Thought so. You're welcome.

memories

 {Image via}

The oft-frequented beach in my former city, brought back to life with happy memories by the photos found

I came across an old email that a former neighbor had sent out to all our fellow residents years ago, when we all resided in the same complex. The email contained a link to a small, presumably forgotten-about online photo album wherein photos of our neighborly escapades had been saved. Looking at the photos brought back such fond memories for me - of my first solo apartment, of the incredible neighbors-who-became-friends with whom I resided, of the fabulous times I had in that complex, with those friends, in that arrangement. It reminded me just how much I have been lucky enough to experience - and cherish - in my life. How so many more things are to come, how I will always remember the times and the things that had to end, bittersweet but with my eye turned to newer adventures. It's wonderful to be able to look back and cherish good times with good people, no matter how fleeting, no matter how nice it may seem at times to be able to return to those maybe simpler, maybe just different times. And the bittersweet knowledge that you never can return to anything in the past. Still, it's nice to take time every now and again, to just remember.

Life!

 {Image via}

I went to a seminar on "Financial Freedom for Women" that was hosted by my cousin last night - it was an educational seminar on the importance of life insurance, hosted by the employees of New York Life. To be honest, I missed the presentation itself as I was volunteered to play the New York Life version of the game of "Life" - which was actually quite a hoot for this newbie who had never before played the game of "Life."  I had a truly wonderful time playing with 3 other women of obvious career strength, and delightful fashion taste, living their own New York lives, in varying levels of independence and couple-dom, and I mulled over a debate that I had been having with myself earlier that afternoon. Namely, I pondered whether or not to stay in Manhattan.

To be sure, the monetary struggles that bashed me over the head recently have been forefront in my mind - even as I've give myself a (strict) budget to get myself back on my feet and into the black, as they say. The impetus for the debate more strongly came from a good friend in California - with whom I first stayed upon moving to Manhattan as she was finishing up her final year in law school - who had received an offer of employment in San Francisco. "Now you have to start looking too!" was the secondary statement crowed. And I was almost immediately smitten with the thought. San Francisco. The city I almost moved to before New York won out. The city wherein my sister resides, wherein a multitude of my friends live and work, the (much) smaller "big city" in the same state as my family, from which weekend trips to visit those down south could easily be arranged.

Top this off with the voicemail my phone finally alerted me to as I headed to this financial seminar, from a former colleague advising me that her company - based in the Bay Area - was hiring those in my field. And with all these pieces falling into place, it almost seemed fated. Apply to a job you almost surely will get, or at the very least, be seriously considered for. Have the chance to get my foot in that door job-wise - without the year-long struggle of applying and hearing nothing as happened with my New York applications - in the fabulous city that would put me closer to family, closer to friends, closer to the place where I do eventually see myself ending up.

Eventually.

But is now eventually?

I went through severe bouts of homesickness in the past month or so. Severe to the point that had these messages promising a life in San Francisco come to me then, I almost undoubtedly would be writing this post from the City by the Bay right now. But they did not come then.

And I made no moves to make them happen.

They're coming now. Of their own accord. Without my reaching out, without my hunting or looking or applying. When the wave of nearly debilitating homesickness has passed, when I'm getting back on my feet, when I'm solidifying family relationships here in this city, when I'm welcoming transplanting friends here to this city. This city that I chose a year ago. This city that I'm making my way in, however, awkwardly and haltingly, with scrapes and falls and doubts and uncertainty. I don't know if I'm ready to leave yet. After the last night spent with strong, independent, welcoming women, learning about how to take care of ourselves financially (however geared toward selling a product....) in a city where - statistics and experiences earnestly seem to prove - single life wins out in frequency and longevity over committed coupledom. Can I leave this city that truly exists only for me, now, as a single twenty-something woman? Can I leave the life that I've created in the last 12 months from the ground up in this gritty, make-you-or-break-you city? I don't know if I can.

I think it's too soon. I think I would feel like I hadn't given myself enough time. I think when it's time for me to leave New York, I'll know. I think I need to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I can't remain in Gotham anymore, before I go. New York and I need to eat each other up and spit each other out, and I need to pick myself up, dust myself off, give New York a good, sturdy handshake, and walk tall and proud away from it, perfectly content to not look back.

And right now, I would still be looking back.

I'm Late I'm Late I'm Late!

 {Image via}

I'm actually not late for anything at all - I'm just posting incredibly late today. The morning got away from me, I had to run what turned out to be pointless errands on my lunch, but now I'm here, really with nothing to say. Guests are still rooming, enjoying the explorations of the city they have adopted as their new home, and as they do so I get to entertain their pet cat and relish the fun of having a cat as I haven't experienced since I lived at my parents' house. It's really quite lovely - I very much am a cat lady, it would seem! I hope the rest of this Tuesday treats all of you wonderfully!

Of course

 {Image via}

I have a friend in town staying with me as adjustments are made from an west coast to east coast move, and we spent this weekend essentially doing nothing, except for Saturday night when we made the great excursion from Upper East Side to Downtown to meet up with a couple of my friends for a night out. Typically, we didn't start getting ready until around midnight, but then we got to the station and the train we needed to get down into the maze of Greenwich Village was - of course - not runnning. It has been so long since I have been on a train other than my standard 6, that I had forgotten just how frustrating it can be to have to transfer lines, wait for the next train, transfer lines again, all to get to the same place that one single train could take you on a weekday. Yet, I felt a little surge of pride as I followed the posted advisories to get us onto the right trains, which - also per usual for a weekend - were trains running on the "wrong" lines, and I got us to our destination unscathed. Although ridiculously late as all the switcheroos added on quite a little bit of time to our commute. Still, the night was wonderfully fun - a strong cocktail does indeed cure all ills - and I sort of like that my friend got a true taste of how it is traversing the city on the weekends. Because the commute is all a part of the experience in this city, and I like it that way. Happy Monday all!

Friday Funday!

 {Image via}

Okay there actually isn't anything particularly fun planned for today, or tonight, but there is a certain relief that Friday is finally upon us once again, don't you agree? In honor of the day, here is just a hodgepodge of pictures that I thought were nice. Enjoy your weekends, everyone!! (PS - I wish I could have half so chic in black, round classes as the Bitty in yellow below!)

{Image via} 

  {Image via}  

  {Image via} 

  {Image via}   

thursday thrills

 {all images via}

The glory of Friday is upon us in a mere 24(-ish) hours and in the meantime today is gloomy and rainy with thundershowers promised in the afternoon. That makes being at work cozy, and encourages a lazy evening spent tucked away indoors. It also makes me find a certain extra beauty in shots such as the one above, taken from TheGlamourai's incredible blog, which I have recently returned to after a surprisingly long hiatus. I always forget how elegant and pulled together women make me helplessly jealous, because I simply cannot pull off such complex looks. They overwhelm me and I enter the world entirely too self-conscious to be any good to anyone. Still, as long as girls like Kelly Framel can pull such stylishness off, I can at least enjoy the chic factor peripherally. And now, so can you. Happy Thursday all!

Arrivals!

 {Image via}

A friend of mine from high school and his wife are transplanting to New York City (as I type this, actually) and I am going to be hosting them in my bitty studio while they get their feet on the ground in the Big Apple. While I am hesitant regarding just how well 3 people are going to work in my studio - and house guests are always a rather loose cannon when the stay has no pre-determined end date - I am very excited to host and to hopefully offer some relief in providing a roof in these beginning days. God knows I don't know what I would have done if I had not had my dear friends to host me when I first arrived - and I abused their hospitality for, if I remember correctly, 3 weeks! Granted, they had a second bedroom - with an actual bed - in which I was staying, these poor kids will have to make do on air mattresses. But, regarding my hostesses (and, I suppose, myself in the coming days) there is still a certain amount of forethought and stress that comes from having someone for whom you are essentially responsible for days - weeks! - on end. Still it is my duty as friend-in-resident to take my turn and host these newbies, and to be honest I'm pretty damn excited to be the New York resident able to host and provide sanctuary to transplants now. My one-year anniversary just seems to be providing more and more moments of pride. It's quite nice, really. And now, happy Wednesday all! We've made it to the middle! It's all downhill from here! Also, regarding that piccy - it's a plane landing, I liked its simplicity. But I get that it rather looks like a non-smiling person in a hat...

Buh-bye "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"!

 {Image via}

Yes there is a lot of strife going on in this country and all over the world, and yes there seem to be no solutions and no way out and everything just seems to get terrible over and over again. But sometimes something good comes out of all the fighting and disagreeing and grumbling, and today that good thing - which prevailed above so very, very much opposition - is the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the United States military. Yes I know there is still a long road ahead, that there is a very ingrained culture that is going to be resistant to things they don't want to hear. But at least there's not a bigoted law allowing for the shaming of a person's self still standing for these ignorant people to point to. We have to take what we can get, and I, for one, am very proud to know that a step has finally been taken in this right direction. Congratulations to all the brave men and women who are now able to take this day and show their true selves to their fellow soldiers. And congratulations to all the proud but quiet men and women who may breathe a little easier today, even if they keep their cards close to the chest, and wait to see how things play out. Thank you for all you give and do and sacrifice for your country, and congratulations on finally not being able to be penalized for who you were born to be.

Wonderful weekend

 "Let's Make Love"

{Image via}

I had the most relaxing weekend that I have had in sometime this past Saturday and Sunday. I was a bona fide homebody and it was glorious. Saturday I woke late, dashed out to my corner market for eggs and milk, and made myself a pancake brunch, complete with peanut butter and syrup - truly the only way to perfectly enjoy either pancakes or waffles. I then settled in for a self-chosen Marilyn Monroe movie marathon which consisted of "Let's Make Love" and "Niagara" - two of my personal faves - before I dozed into a restful nap on my couch. After which I awoke, ate the rest of my leftover pancakes, and made a brown-rice-and-edamame dish to serve as lunches for the rest of the week. I ate the remaining portion for dinner, watched some TV, and then snuggled into bed for an early-for-a-Saturday-11-pm sleep fest. I awoke Sunday feeling more awake than I have in what felt like months. A walk through Central Park in the crisp fall air got me excited about the cooler weather to come, and listening to a magnificent cello-violin-vocalist group performing under the bridge by the lily-pad fountain in the park truly made the day feel quintessentially New York. A reunion with a new friend-who-is-also-technically-a-cousin for beer and pasta ended the night on a home-y high note, and I came to work this morning ready to take on the week. I can truly say that more weekends like that are necessary, for recharging. I hope everyone had equally relaxing weekends and is looking forward to this week with renewed vigor!

 "Niagara"

{Image via}

Fall is in the air!

 {Image via}

Seemingly overnight, it feels like Fall has come upon us. Yes, I know it is surely just a teaser and that soon 70-degree mornings will be upon us once again. But it was beyond lovely to wake up to a surprisingly chilly breeze coming through my window, and to get to work without feeling flushed, over-heated and with a sheen of sweat. I didn't fully believe - or perhaps understand - just how grateful I would be for Fall weather out here, despite all that everyone insisted. But it really was a sweet relief from the constant mugginess of summer. I know soon the snows will come - but with how enjoyable this turn to crisp weather was this morning, perhaps even the snow won't be so bad? Only time will tell, and in the meantime I have Fall leaves to look forward to again, tights to don, and layers to wear. For being a girl addicted to the seaside, it seems beyond-a-doubt-true now that I wasn't quite built for summer in the city. Stay warm this weekend all, and enjoy the cooler air!
Oh, and I know the image above doesn't correlate to this post at all - because it's not about music or this particular artist - but I just thought it was too pretty not to include since it rather fits.

So it's Fashion Week huh...?

 {Image via}

I feel like last year at this time, I was voraciously reading blogs and websites about New York Fashion week. I had just arrived in the city, and was in transition between my dear friends' law school student housing and a 3-month sublet while I continued to look for more permanent digs. I mean this transition literally - on Fashions Night Out last year, I was physically walking my suitcases up 2nd Avenue from 11th towards the 30's because all the cabs were stuffed with fashionistas wise enough to know that walking to SOHO (or even the hub of 5th Avenue) in skyscraper heels was an ill-fated plan. By this time last year, I was safely ensconced in that new sublet, gazing online at skirts, shoes and shirts with the hunger of a just-moved-to-the-glitz-and-glamour-of-the-city girl.

Today, one year later, I didn't even remember it was Fashion Week (and I attended Fashions Night Out just last week, if you may recall?) until I heard a report on NPR this morning about the trends in women's fashion anticipated for this coming season. I'm not sure if it's that I've developed enough of my own life here in this past year that the more universal events of this city - known through the world, really - take on less significance. [Granted, I also don't know how much of this forgetting of a huge event for Manhattan stems moreso from my own aforementioned panic regarding my over-extension of funds. And as I am a neurotic worrier, this could be playing a very, very large part.] Still, I rather liked the fact that I apparently took New York Fashion Week's existence this year to be a peripheral part of the events going on in my life. Secondary to a catch-up session with a dear friend over nachos, insignificant next to phone dates with old roommates and good friends. Makes me feel like Manhattan is more my city now, somehow.

Incredible

 {Image via}

I am blessed with a beyond-amazing family. [And the humbling realization that this publication is actually quite public and is not the personal journal as I've sort of been viewing it these past few weeks. But that is neither here nor there.] I received a concerned call last night from my family, asking after yesterday's post - how much trouble was I in, what was going on. Did I need help? The preference being that they help me financially as they could, and be reimbursed directly by me rather than me falling deeper into a hole of credit card interest. No stipulations, just the offer. Generous and earnest. If you need help, we will help you. The facts were there - odds are good my lease is iron-clad and breaking it will not be an option, and why knowingly fall into more debt if there is someone who can stop the issue's spiraling now? I am not sure I will take the help - I feel ridiculous enough having gotten myself into this predicament, and I feel taking the help would make me feel even more shame-faced. Yet, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will feel infinitely more foolish and sickened should the interest start adding up faster than I can keep up with, and I will be faced with the knowledge that I could have alleviated so much stress from the get-go. And family does for family. It's not a handout, as I was earnestly reminded, it's not a bail-out. It's just a plug in the hole that I would pay back directly. So I very well may take the offer; I slept horribly last night and if that was only Night 1 of this monetarily-influenced mental state, I will need to take care of this sooner than later.

I am one of the lucky few who has family willing and able to help, would turning it down be, not only rude, but foolish? To bite the hand that feeds me, or something similar? I am incredibly, blessedly lucky to have such family. That I felt judged by no one but myself, and that the offer was swift and precise, no strings, no reprimands. Perhaps thanks to an understanding that the daughter they raised does not have an established habit of getting herself into these scrapes, or perhaps moreso thanks to the sheer fact that this is their daughter? And again I can't understand how I am so lucky in this life.

Some changes on a Tuesday...

 {Image via}

Well kids, it happened. I went too far in my Manhattan city life. After a handful of months of being very negligent and irresponsible and paying off my credit card bills with my savings instead of staying within budget, too many months of drinks with friends, of gifts to those back home celebrating momentous occasions, of welcome-back-from-vacation dinners, and Birthday dinners, and New Studio drinks, and You're Moving To A New Apartment drinks, and after several trips to purchase several outfits of new, better-fitting work pants and appropriately demure work blouses, I have hit my limit. Literally. I have run out of liquid savings. Completely. Me. Anal-retentive moi is experiencing the one thing I swore would never, ever happen. Not to me. I would not move to Manhattan - as a nearly-30-year-old professional female and spend my savings. And for a long while I didn't. I even added to my savings, replenished some of what had been spent in the cross-country move. And then I moved into my own studio, and brokers fees and first-and-last-months-rents and storage systems all came at once and took quite a few thousand out of my hard-worked-for-savings and going out took on new significance because who wants to stay home alone all the time? And I just paid off my credit card bills with my savings. I kept thinking it would be replenished, no problem, later, later, later. Well, later is here and the wall has been hit and there are still credit card bills that need to be paid off. And I can't do it in a reasonable-enough amount of time. Because I am living too thin in Manhattan. Because I am paying an entire paycheck for rent and there isn't enough wriggle room in the other paycheck to make dents in the bills I now have. And so, I must move. Into a bedroom in someone else's apartment in a cheaper neighborhood - I'm thinking Brooklyn where I've been wanting to try living anyway for a time now - but I am embarrassed to have fallen so far.

I am embarrassed that my cousins and family who are coming to visit me in November and who expressed such excitement to see my own Manhattan studio will have to be told that there will be no more studio. That I made too many arrogant decisions and that now I have to take responsibility for those irresponsible decisions and move out of the little Manhattan home I have created for myself. But the stress of these bills is too much, and I need to pay them off sooner rather than later. I have already taken my credit cards away from myself, tucked them away - sans one card with an extremely low limit for dire emergencies - and have begun warning friends that I will be a little MIA, a little "let's take a walk tonight rather than go for drinks..." for a time. Just until the bills are paid, just until I have some savings to work with should disaster strike. Because all decisions have consequences and bad decisions have bad consequences. And I must bear the weight of the repercussions of my decisions. I may have hit a patch of irresponsibility, but I guess at least I'm adult enough to know cut-backs have to happen and things must change if my current ways of doing things aren't acceptable, hm? There's always an upside, even if it's just that facts are facts.

Now the truly hard part, trying to get out of my lease. I'm going to have to claim financial hardships...and fingers crossed they care enough to let me out on that alone!

Clean Sweep

 {Image via}

Walking to work this morning I saw a shopowner sweeping the area in front of his store! That's right, sweeping. Not spraying with water, just sweeping. With a dust-bin no less. Made me happy. A lovely start to a new week, to a new page in this beginning month of my 2nd year in New York City. After a weekend spent charging nights and meals out like I had money to spare, imbibing far, far, far too much, and sleeping far too few solid, deep-sleep hours, I am ready for a life recuperation of the highest degree. I shall be striving to live a more monk-like existence for these next few months, getting back to basics, cooking at home, doing cheap-if-not-free activities with friends, paying off bills standing as goal number one, paring down my closet of goods I no longer wear as a means to get closer to that goal, downsizing my consumerist life, in general as an added bonus. It's funny how what feels like a bender of a weekend, is pretty much how I used to spend every weekend in my early 20's, in college. Funny how now, at the ripe old age of 28, I have a strange, sad, moral hangover of sorts after such a weekend. Guess I'm getting older, faster than I thought. The responsibilities and shoulda's weigh heavily now. And to have been to irresponsible and ridiculous on a weekend that commemorated the 10th anniversary of the horrors of September 11's attack no less?! The guilt just builds. But, all we can do is keep on keeping on, so such shall be the goal, eh? So. Here's to a productive Monday, all!

Fashionable Fete

 {Image via}

Last night was New York's Fashion Night Out celebration of all things wardrobe-related, and I popped in to experience the madness for a couple of hours with some friends. It was actually a lot more fun than I had anticipated, at least at the first stop. I didn't make it out until almost 9 pm so I think most of the soirees were winding down - it was a Thursday, after all - but Michael Kors was still swinging and made the night feel worth it as my first stop. I sipped champagne and caught up, eyeing the brand's signature-chic bags and boots. Those poor salesgirls must have been chomping at the bit to get commissions on FNO, I had three Pretty Young Things ask me if I wanted to try on the same pair of boots I was eyeing the brief time we were there. Afterwards we stopped by Saks, Tommy Hillfiger and Louis Vuitton, but all drinks were gone and the staff was starting to usher people towards the doors. The madness on the streets outside was fun enough to make it feel like the night was a worthwhile experience, however, as I made my way home. Such fashionable men and women flocking about 5th and Madison, I can't even imagine how crackalackin' SOHO must have been last night!

I will say, I almost wish I could have experienced all this even 1 year ago, when being surrounded by so much decadence and luxury - and so many fabulous people - would have really sent my heart soaring. At this point, having been surrounded by consumerism-ad-nauseum for a solid year in this city of consumption, I felt rather underwhelmed by purses selling for my month's rent and the admittedly supple-leather boots that looked like any other pair of flat boots except to the select few with enough money and interest to notice a logo. I liked watching the people, though, the night was worth it for that alone. The vibrant and fierce denizens of style with their Mohawks, tattoos, thick make-up, and swagger. Those are the girls - and boys - I think FNO was created for, and it was invigorating to see them parading around in all their creative glory.

Pizza Pizza!

 {All images via}

Last weekend, a friend's parents were gracious enough to take me out to lunch with them, to an amazing new pizza place they had found, "close your eyes and you'll swear you're in Italy" they promised. And this family would know, Italian to the core, the father owned a restaurant in the city for years and trips are still made as a family back to Italy to visit family and friends. But, back to it, the pizza place with the incredible pies was Forcello Eatery, located on the north side of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, and may I just say that it did not disappoint. Owned by 2 Italians, it was pointed out with obvious disappointment that already the restaurant was not employing Italian waitstaff or cooks, the undercurrent of the notification being that soon enough the flavors of this shop would start to slip, presumably as others had before it. Authenticity requires a certain bit of upkeep I suppose. Still, the interior of the restaurant was delightfully simple and bright, with mirrors on one wall and a mish-mash of photos on another showcasing a pizza cook in a venetian mask, shots of Italian streets, and one photo of three boys happily eating pizza that my friend's father smiled at, saying that the photo could have been of he and his brothers.

 Refreshing decor aside, onto the food! Now, I prefer my pizza crust to be crispy, but it would appear I am all kindsa wrong on that point, because this pizza was not crispy in the least. Thin-crusted and almost sweet, with a wonderful sauce and just the right amount of fresh mozzarella. Fantastic bruscetta was our appetizer and - obviously - I picked off of everyone else's plates so I can vouch for the house salad as well as an arugula Panini and my own escarole fried pizza which was rather like a Stromboli but with incredibly delicious, chewy dough and stuffed to the brim with escarole (a leafy green rather like arugula that I had never hear of prior to my dish), anchovies and capers. Trust me when I tell you the rest of the table was shocked at my order, and that it was absolutely divine. Even reheated days later, it was delightful.

I will forever insist that Williamsburg has the best Italian food out there - New York claims itself to have the best pizza all over the island, but a neighborhood so steeped in traditional Italian families, heritage, language, food and history just cannot be topped - and I am happy to report that Forcello is a definite go-to spot! Pop in for a meal, I promise you won't be disappointed.


Forcello is located at 485 Lorimer St. (between Grand St & Powers St), Brooklyn, NY 11211 or they can be reached at (718) 388-8820.

PS - I am very aware, whoever-may-still-be-reading, that this blog has been mopey of late. I am doing my darndest to pull it - and myself - out of those doldrums. A point will be made to keep mopey posts - and moments in life - to a minimum from here on out.

09.07.11

 {Image via}

...There are moments when I miss home and family and comfort so much I can hardly breathe...and I have to will myself back to calm...and I only hope that these are the moments that will yield growth or a benefit of some sort...

raintastic

 {Image via...worst blogger ever. I don't remember...if it is yours, or you know whose it is, please let me know!}

It would appear that Labor Day certainly pushed summer out of the way with force. It has been raining consistently since Sunday night - yesterday I got caught in a torrent although thankfully this time I had an umbrella with me. I love how empty the streets are on rainy days though, gives me some room to breathe. Such weather also makes it cozy for me when I'm stuck in the office anyway, although it does make me want to do nothing other than snuggle up under a blanket and watch television after work, rather than going out and mingling with other human beings. Tonight, however, I have already accepted an invitation to do dinner with a friend I haven't seen in some months, so wish me luck on dragging my blanket-craving self to the quasi-reunion! This picture is because it made me laugh, and I've been needing some laughter lately, and also because I wish I was in a hoodie, on a beach, watching this rain come down over the ocean instead of through the office windows.

Non-Laborious Labor Day

 {Image via}

I'm happy to report that yesterday was as non-laborious as a Labor Day could possibly be. Not only was it rather gloomy, but yours truly also did not emerge from bed until about 1 pm. At which time I ate a delicious breakfast sandwich, called my mother - what good it always does to hear your mother's voice! - and had a fully lazy day comprised entirely of watching television and eating. Lethargic and unhealthy, perhaps, but I very much enjoyed it. Today has begun completely gloomily as well, with the threat of rain in the air, lending to a very cozy first-day-of-the-work-week, even if I do rather wish I could have just laid in bed and dozed all morning again. I hope everyone else's weekends were wonderful, and that your Tuesdays are going swimmingly!

Friday, Friday, Fri-Day!

 {Image via}

We made it kids! And on a half-day no less! Truly fabulous. I have no plans this weekend, in what I'm accepting to be a truly glorious turn of events. I hope to rest and nap and watch TV and do much of nothing. Probably not the best way to spend the end of summer but, so it goes. I will be back on Tuesday, and I hope all of you stateside enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!

almost there...

 [Image via}

It's rather sad that after starting my workweek on a Tuesday and knowing that the weekend will be a long one with no real plans of any sort, I am still so antsy for Friday to get here. I've been having a rather wonky past few days - perhaps catching up on sleep is the culprit but I can't imagine I would still be suffering sleep deprivation this many days after my airport all-nighter. Evenings spent watching old seasons of "True Blood" followed by dreams about my sister and I watching musical theater rehearsals outside my bathroom window, and then re-starting with "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" soundtrack listenings on my walk to work, and I've been having some rather sleepless nights and some relatedly exhausted mornings. Perhaps I'm mixing too strange a combination of interests all together. Regardless, I am looking forward to a long weekend of nothing - and with any luck some rain - to get my mind focused and back on track. Is it sad that I'm already looking forward to an quick October weekend back in San Diego? Perhaps that's a little telling too...I guess I'm antsy, feeling bored? Needing change? Or...return to comfort zones? Maybe I just wanted to an excuse to use that picture? Le sigh who knows. Regardless, we've made it to Thursday, friends, and I hope your days all go smoothly!