Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Brave New World

This is the southern view from my apartment about two weeks ago. The sky was so pretty, and the weather was so pleasant that I wanted to commemorate it forever.

How I spend my off days. I found a bag of little green army men for a $1 and all sorts of situations have happened since then! This was the epic battle I staged on my coffee table. The elephant candle holders are really the key to this battle.

My kitty Felix lounging in the afternoon sun. I love him so much! I am such a cat lady, but I don't care. If this cat were human, I'm pretty sure he would be my soulmate.

Vain self portrait. Don't judge me, but I was feeling hot that day (literally, it was 90 degrees!) and those occasions only happen rarely.

Summertime.

A tiger lily that my great-grandmother planted at my parents house, making it THAT much more special.

Ginger, my dog. She's getting old, but she still has spunk.

And she will melt your heart with her big brown eyes. Even if she's done something completely frustrating (like shredding a cardboard box into miniscule pieces all over the garage), she'll look at me with those big eyes and I'll be like, "Fine... I'll let you slide this once!"

Kitty brothers, Felix and Oscar (I love the Odd Couple). They like to sleep wrapped around each other and give each other baths when they aren't running up and down the stairs.

A wonderful view of the mountains out on a road the other day. It's views like this that makes me happy to be alive.

Another mountain view.

The view on the road when I came home from my 15.5 hour shift the other day. It was 5am, I was exhausted, but seeing these colors made me feel like it was completely worth it to work that long just so that I could see that sight.

The moon and the sunrise :-)

I'm hoping to have my Rebel operational again soon so that I can start taking better quality pictures and get more outfit pictures. I don't want to forever subject you to poor quality cell phone pictures!

Last night I got to hang out with one of my favorite people in the world after work, Megan. After breaking her foot, she was housebound for a month. She recently has become more mobile and we celebrated with Pizza Hut, my couch, and watching Black Swan. The movie was awesome, by the way. Megan and I agreed that we ache to dance again. Plus, Natalie Portman can't go wrong in my opinion, and the psychological aspect of the movie was also great to me. I'm really glad I didn't watch this movie with my mom, though - it would be a little awkward during her famous scene with Mila Kunis. Tomorrow is my off day this week, so I am planning to catch up on my Netflix viewing and then have Lasagna Night with my old college buds! I can't wait.

-B

Friday, May 27, 2011

Solemn is the Season


I am totally beat. I worked a 15.5 hour shift yesterday, came home & slept for 5 hours, got up & showered and now I'm going back to work. Dislike!

WATCHING: Rocko's Modern Life (it's on Netflix, ya'll!), The Hangover II, Golden Girl marathons.

READING: This is shameful to admit, but I just can't get into any books at the moment. I'm too antsy in my own skin to settle down into a good book.

WEARING: Blech, work uniform. I fear that I wear the red & khaki more often than is healthy.

WANTING: for my mind to stop racing and to quit feeling like I'm going to burst.

LISTENING: Whatever's on the radio. I have been in no mood to try to select my own music.




-B

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

An Update on 21 Before 22

With my 22nd birthday less than 3 months away, I thought I might update you on the progress of my list!

21 Before 22
1. Go to Austin, TX.
2. Attempt to cook at least one meal a week for myself.
3. Become a fancier dresser (this is a vague goal, but I'm sure it involves more dresses and fewer sweatpants).
4. Sew a dress for myself.
5. Go to a brewery.
6. Go to Savannah, GA (plans are underway for this one!).
7. Host a cocktail party.
8. Go to a salsa dance lesson.
9. Watch Casablanca, as an adult.
10. Drink more Gatorade.
11. Buy coffee from Kaffeklatch.
12. Use cash more often; don't rely on my debit card as often.
13. Create my own blog (check, more of a hostile takeover of the old one!) (check).
14. Buy an expensive pair of shoes.
15. Devote an entire day to reading (check).
16. Visit Hannah Jones in Auburn (check).
17. Paint my nails more often.
18. Take at least one spontaneous night time walk (check).
19. Wear red lipstick with no other makeup (check).
20. Cook dinner for friends (check).
21. Tattoo (check).

It appears that some of the things on my list are not going to be attainable, unfortunately. My ambitious plans to go to Savannah, GA were unexpectedly thwarted. My bestie and I were planning a trip for early May, but the week before we were going to take off, she broke her foot! Plus, she is preggo, so there is no way she could travel with her foot and stay comfortable. This is a bummer, but that just means that whenever we DO get to take a besties trip, she will be able to have full participation (AKA she will be able to walk AND drink beer!). This is a desire that will probably carry over to next year's list.



I also don't think I will make it to Austin, TX. No one is really that keen on visiting with me, and also most of my friends' financial situations are not conducive to traveling that far. Austin is ~14 hours from my hometown, and so it's not that easy to just jet off into the night and arrive in a new city, since we all have priorities these days like work. Boo. I still want to see Austin, though.

Another one that is destined to fail? Drinking more Gatorade. I used to love Gatorade when I was younger, and actually attempted to drink more earlier this year in an effort to check this item off the list, but I just can't do it. Unless I am truly dehydrated, I don't like it anymore. It's too salty, and plus it's not good for you if you have not been doing something to deplete your electrolytes. Blech. Somethings just change with the times.

Everything else I don't want to rule out until August 9th rolls around, because I am gradually making progress on the other things on my list. Expect a big wins/losses post when that day rolls around!

-B

Monday, May 23, 2011

What's in Your Wallet?

I admit, I'm a sucker for a good bag. However, I am very picky about the bags that I like, and when I find a bag I will carry it for months on end. I haven't clearly defined all the rules of finding a perfect bag, but I do know that: a) it must have long straps b) it must have some unique detail that catches my eye 3) it must be either very versatile or so bold that it matches everything that I wear, because my style varies from day-to-day.


So what's inside? From left to right:

1) Revlon Just Bitten lip stain. If you ladies haven't tried it yet, PLEASE do! It is a great way to add some color if you are a low maintenance girl like I am. I love red lips, but I really can't be bothered with reapplying every few minutes.

2) Copy of my car tag receipt. Hopefully by posting this, I will be able to remember to put it in my car.

3) Movie stub to Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

4) Victoria's Secret "Very Sexy Noir" roll-on perfume. That's my scent, and sometimes I just need a little pick me up during the day.

5) Orbit Sweet Mint - it's my crack.

6) A DVD covered in office paper of "Game of Thrones" episodes 3&4. My lovely coworker, Dan, is burning them for me in exchange for me letting him borrow the books.

7) Chapstick, duh.

8) Loose change. I love change.

9) My trusty leaf earrings.

10) My fake turquoise ring that I got in Italy.

11) Burt's Bees "Naturals" lip balm in Rose.

12) Pen & Trusty wallet. I love it and have had it for years.

12) Inhaler :-( I'm a sad kid.

13) Keys! I have a Gumby keychain, but it's currently MIA.


What's in your wallet?

-B


Saturday, May 14, 2011

What's the Story, Morning Glory?

Anyone and everyone who knows me one little bit knows that I have sleep issues. First of all, I love it, but my sleep schedule is erratic at best. Because of the nature of my job, I do not have a set schedule - I may need to be at work at 4am one day and the next day I may not be able to leave until 12:45am. These are extreme circumstances, but you can see that it's hard to get into a regular sleeping pattern when you do not have a set schedule. It hurts me to say this but it sort of makes me miss college! At least when you are in a semester you have a routine that you can follow, even if it is hard to stick to.

Today is Saturday, and I have the weekend off. I love my weekends off because I generally do not make any plans and just lounge about. Well, thanks to my lovely sleep schedule, I woke up at 5am this morning. I willed myself to go back to sleep, but I woke up again at 6:30, and there was no hope of going back to sleep, so I threw in the towel and decided to get up and walk to my favorite local coffee shop. Little did I know, there was a race this morning! I was so confused and kept crossing paths with the runners. It was a perfect morning for a run, too: it was cool & cloudy and not humid, which is a miracle for the South in May!

Here is a little picture timeline of my morning walk. Once I started, I just kept going and walked for about two hours!


The view from my window as the sun rises. I know, I know, you can go ahead and hate me because it's beautiful.

My almond mocha. I usually don't drink "fancy" coffee, but it has been about 6 months since I have had one so I decided today was a good day to splurge. I love the artwork they have on the cups!

I live really close to this elementary school and drive by it at least once a day. It was built in 1938, and although you can't really tell from this picture, it has a really neat Art Deco feel to it. The city is planning on shutting it down because of low attendance, which really saddens me. I hope that they don't tear down this awesomely historic building.

Some lilies on their way to blooming. I really hope they are tiger lilies because those are my favorite, but I couldn't tell just yet.

More pretty flowers! The whole town is blooming this time of year.

Local street art.

KITTY IN THE WINDOW! I am such a cat lady. This cutie caught me off guard because I was not expecting an animal in the business district. It kind of warms my heart to think of a lawyers' office having an office cat. I would like to work at a place like that.

Many, many koi fish.

This is billed as the first canal in Alabama, incorporated in 1820. That has always cracked me up, because I'm pretty sure that canal has been there long before 1820 and besides, how do they know it was the FIRST canal in Alabama? It mystifies me.

Mama duck and her ducklings at the park.

It's Canadian Geese time.

Empty lot near my house.

Where my favorite piece of graffiti used to be located. Now it is just a grey splotch.

I have a graffiti-related rant about my town. I love my town and there are so many great things about it, but graffiti tolerance is not one of them. This town has some truly talented street artists, and I have seen some really cool graffiti around time. The problem is, it never stays around for long. The city paints over it before it has a chance to be appreciated. I realize that some people think that graffiti is degrading to the community and a way for gangs to flourish, etc etc. I also don't approve of obscene graffiti that drags the community down. However, graffiti gives a town character and makes it unique and is a form of expression, just like painting or writing or making music. There used to be an old water tower that was located in town and I passed by it most days, and someone had spray painted "Tim the Tre[e?] Man" on it. I thought that was so nifty and wondered about the person who had done it for so long. Did (s)he climb up there at night? Was that person scared to get caught or fall? Why did they do it? It sparked my imagination and I'm sure it did to others as well, because it was unique. Big surprise, the city has since repainted the water tower and now it just says Lincoln Mills. Not cool. Maybe I'm just being a "radical", but I don't see the harm in graffiti. If I owned a building downtown, I wouldn't mind it. This is not an invitation to paint a giant swastika on my building or something equally inappropriate, but a display of artwork wouldn't be shunned.

I think I feel so strongly about this after visiting Berlin and seeing all the amazing graffiti in the town. Some people think it is a dirty town because of it, but really, it's one of the most clean cities I have ever visited. Graffiti has just become part of the cities' culture, dating back to the end of WWII.



See what I mean?

I was in Berlin this time last year, so I think I am nostalgic. Also the weather here has been "Berlin Weather" as of late, so I am really feeling that, too. The street art is just so cool, though! It's not just graffiti, there is just street art EVERYWHERE. And of course, there is the Berlin Wall!


Really, it's anything to show off some Berlin pictures :-)




Ah, enough. I want to return to Berlin so bad! It's one of my favorite cities for sure. I miss the feeling I had in Berlin: I was completely out of my comfort zone (in a good way), I was learning new and interesting things and for some of it, I was completely on my own. It felt good to be able to rely on only myself. I did not have an international cell phone, so I had no way of getting in contact with anyone! If I got lost, it was all just part of the wonderful journey.

I'm hoping today will hold as much allure for my hometown as Berlin did. It's BREWFEST! The only thing I love as much as traveling is fancy beers. I plan on sampling as much as is reasonable!

-B


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Monday, May 9, 2011

I Wanna Be Sedated

Things have been INSANE lately.

Firstly, a wave of intense severe weather hit my area, complete with many tornados, vast destruction, and a massive power outage for the entire northern half of my state. I was at work when it happened and thankfully, I was okay as well as all of my friends (although two friends had extensive damage to their house, they made it through unscathed - and so did their beautiful kitty!). The next few days were surreal and crazy and I ended up evacuating to my grandparents house in South Alabama with my family in order to have a hot shower and some sanity. Because of that, life has taken on an element of odd. Also, I have worked insanely long days - 12, 14, 16 hour days. Thankfully, the company that I work for took really good care of us - they provided food and clothing and gas, and provided assistance to those of us that lost all of our cold food. It was great to see the community truly pull together and help each other in this time of disaster. Of course, there were a few crazies and rude people, but as a whole the entire community was really appreciative and willing to help each other out. It's nice to know that humanity isn't all rotten apples, right?


One of my favorite things to do at my grandparents house: have a big meal outside on the porch with a Miller High Life (my grandfather's favorite beer) and chat with all the members of my family (or those important people who feel like family).


Beautiful lilies growing at my grandparents old house. Lilies are my favorite flower because they remind me of my great-grandmother, who had a big impact on my life. Every time I see a lily, I think of her and it makes me smile.

A dead tree at my grandparents old house. The kids decided to push it over, until they realized it was infested with ants and ran away screaming. This is right after we encountered a HUGE rattlesnake in the yard!

The beginnings of chicken marsala. I have been trying all kinds of chicken marsala recipes lately, trying to find the right one. Unfortunately, none have been on par with the chicken marsala that my paternal grandmother made, and I cannot ask her about it since she passed away. This rendition was the closest, though. I'm getting closer!

This picture was taken the night of the storm, before we realized the extent of destruction and damage. Work was slow (which rapidly changed), so we were playing hacky sack next to the pineapple!

WATCHING: The 10th season of "Friends"! I love "Friends". It is my favorite show, ever ever ever and I never get tired of watching it.

READING: "Flapper" by Joshua Zeitz. It's a really great book, especially since I am currently enthralled with all things flapper at the moment.

WEARING: Pajamas. Again. Later I will be wearing my classy work outfit. But I have this new cotton dress that I can't wait to debut!

WANTING: to hang out with a few dear friends that are going to be in town for the next few weeks. I can't wait to see them!

LISTENING: James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Prince.

-B

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