Monday, July 26, 2010

sandy eggo.

This week was an eventful one to say the least.. playing hookie= playdate with the anne in San Diego, which was especially exciting since I hadn't had the chance to explore that neck of the woods since the boy and I went there for valentines day last year. we started of with window shopping and lunch at pizza fusion, followed by a trip to whole foods for some beverages.. We ended the day in balboa park, but by the time we made it to there the museums were already closed.. I'm thinking that I'll take that as an opportunity to make a trip back down to do some more exploring.

A few things that captured my fancy:




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hello bloggerdroid!!

goodbye blackberry, hello android!! I'm excited to say that im quite enjoying my new htc incredible and the millions of apps available in the android market! This will be the test to see if the bloggerdroid app is efficient enough to blog more...from my phone :) also, I'm super excited about the photo effect app that I just downloaded, so look forward to loads of pictureventures! above are snapshots of Matt and I on my one-hour-is-not-long-enough lunchbreak.

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

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Monday, May 24, 2010

pictureventure!!

It's summertime!! Now that I've got some free time (until my Lit class starts in June)my blogging abilities will be more consistent/frequent! And to make up for lost time, I've got a load of pictures from a naturewalk/pictureventure in Laguna Beach!








Today was my first day real day off (without having to go to school, or having to rush to do anything) Who knew a day without priorities could be so..eventful! I'm thinking I could really get used to this "no priorities on a day off" thing, because I actually got more done than I had planned! I'm feeling rather ambitious in planning my events for this summer. Here's a few things that I'd like to do:

[ ]read Anna Karenina
[ ]infinite summer
[ ]museum day!
[ ]Holga pictureventure!
[ ]re-learn my knitting skills
[ ]rearrange my room
[ ]skip rocks at the beach
[ ]feed the ducks at the lake
[ ]guerilla art
[ ]TOLOVEYOUMORE activities!(as many as I can!)
[ ]Writing Excercises
[ ]take advantage of netflix membership(suggestions welcome!)
[ ]gym=verb. as in: I need to gym more often.
[ ]Keep my car (pennylane!) clean!
[ ]DANCE the night away!
[ ]wade in an intertube
[ ]discover new favorite places
[ ]re-discover old favorites
[ ]read literature that I should have read when assigned
[ ]coconut popsicles/saffron&rosewater icecream/sno on the go
[ ]sushi by the pool

and more to come! Who's with me?

Sunday, April 18, 2010

"Melancholy is the pleasure of being sad" -Victor Hugo

Gloomy days make me nostalgic.. They always have, and probably always will. It's a mesmerizing feeling, almost like an overwhelming sense of déjà vu mixed in with a sort of preoccupation that makes me feel as though I'm in between remembering and forgetting. Like I'm attempting to hold on to things that are otherwise obsolete. The grey area when things start not to matter as much as they did, and when you want them to matter more than they used to.. Gloomy days are my favorite, although I feel that the past and the present are attempting to mix like oil and water.. The wind chills my cheeks, and I'm quickly reminded that I've felt this familiarity before.

I could remember numerous accounts of which I've felt this way, and numerous memories made on such a day with similar weather..like walking down to the beach and attempting to skip stones, saying I love You for the first time, new relationships and butterflies that come with it..the scent of cherry blossoms while mending a sore heart, moments with friends that used to be, with who I, myself used to be.. Moments of gain and of defeat, all of which shaped me as a person.. Are brought to my memory on such a melancholy day.. Its bittersweet,really.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

misANNEventures

Yesterday, ANNE and I went on a search for french macaroons. Being that this is "orange country" there isn't very much of a selection to choose from when it comes to macaroons, or anything out of the ordinary for that matter.. Our choices were limited. We ended up driving to Irvine, to a little place called Layer Cake Bakery. We were pretty ecstatic to find that they had a pretty good selection of macaroons, as well as cakes and tiramisu! In addition to the pastries they also serve breakfast and lunch. Anne and I opted for the prosciutto and pesto panini and a cup of soup, (I had the split pea, she had the cream of tomato.. both delish!) and gingerr iced tea.



Afterward, since we did, after all go there for the macaroons, we each chose a flavor to nibble on: I chose the raspberry and chocolate ganache, which is pictured above.. and Anne chose the Blackberry.


We also got two of each of the other flavors to box up and bring home.


after lunch we perused the party store for some festive decorations for our mini pre-literature class party. We came away with some colorful leis, a plastic tree statuette, a cd of party music, shot glasses of all sorts (namely tiki, fiesta, and bling bling ones to accompany the refreshments of the Jameson and 'Mr.pepper' kind)and some glowstick bracelets. (yes, I am aware that we're adults) Let's just say American Lit was a tad bit more interesting last night. And according to Anne, "Frederick Douglass was a looker".

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

writing excercises!


I purchased a book of writing exercises, one called Take Ten for Writers by Bonnie Neubauer and its chock full of ten minute exercises to inspire/motivate and encourage brainstorming!You can get the book here: here I was super excited to pick this up from the book store, and even more excited that each prompt makes you choose a number from 1-10, which yields 10 additional variables to consider.. After picking your number, it gives you suggestions such as first liners, words, spoonerisms, quotes, the book instructs you to take ten minutes to write freely, without over-thinking, erasing or crossing out. Editing can be done only after the exercise is over. you can find read an except / preview some of the rules and exercises Here:(I've got a horrible knack for editing, and the left side of my brain needs to be challenged not to do so!)

Anyway, I'm über excited to try some out :) I think it'll be a good idea to write more, and to get the creativity flowing! My goal is to do most, if not all of the prompts.. kind of mixed in with my journaling.. I want to write more fiction, nonfiction, everything, and ANYTHING.. I just want to write more in general! I'm hoping to make it habit to take ten minutes to write.. I'm excited/anxious to share what I come up with.. Feedback would be awesome!!!

as for my first exercise: A Spoon Full of Spoonerisms (No.3)

The challenge is to use a pair of spoonerisms as bookends by starting with one and ending with another. (because of a pack of lies/because of a lack of pies.)

here we go...

Because of a pack of lies, she hurried through the corridor of the Blue Beet Patisserie, and onto the dim veranda of the bar next door. There she sought solace in a bath of neon lights, readily flashing pink, green and violet rays. Her tights were ripped, and smock wrinkled as she listlessly took a sip of a watered-down beverage. At that moment, she felt diluted, dizzy, and diminished. She sat for a while, watching the world of oblivion and laughter pass her by. She felt isolated and insecure, only to find that no one had stopped to console her.. Her aubergine nails were chipped, and her ego, bruised.. She had blueberry stained hands, and mascara streaked down her cheeks. She began cry uncontrollably as the news from earlier hit her like the sack full of flour that had made its way onto the kitchen floor when the Maitre Patissier accused her for burning his creations. The stench of burnt carbohydrates and sweet blueberry topping spewed out of the building, setting off the fire alarms and encouraged discerning looks from the patrons. She had left the pies in the oven for far too long, and her ambition of being a Chef Pâtissiere was destroyed because of a lack of pies.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

on self reflection...

I'd like to think that for the most part, I lead a life that I've worked hard to attain..that I've broken away from old habits, and from a past that has been known to hold me back. I'd like to think that I'm more comfortable in my own skin--and more comfortable to become the person I wish myself to be.. eloquent, well rounded, and overall better put together.. less haphazard. Okay, a lot less haphazard. BUT Being busy doesn't exactly help.. and I'm beginning to feel that my life is in need of a face lift.

I'm thinking that the school and work routine has turned me into a robot. Life has been more challenging than ever, having gone from busy to busier in less than 60 seconds. I think my procrastination only makes things worse... but it's difficult to catch my breath without procrastination. It's all a blur these days, and I have to admit that I wish that I had more time to De-stress, learn new things,discover new places, tastes, smells, invigorate the senses.. and I especially wish that I had moremade more time to be a healthier person, inside and out.

I need a change in routine.. and revisions are being made this very moment. I'm thinking that I need some time away from the monotonous-ness, and what better oppotunity than now. Spring is in the air, and I'm in the mood to take advantage of the romanticism..

some of the things that I wish that I had more time for (and will try my best to make time for): Bike rides, reading, nature walks, healthier meals, breakfast at the beach, idle time at the library, farmers markets, music shopping, thrifting, card making, cleaning, collecting random colorful objects of whimsy, blogging, going on drives, for canyons, roadtrips, thai food, holga photos, wind chimes, tea servuce for two, among many many others.

who's in?

Saturday, March 27, 2010

on, love.. with Mister Vonnegut

I am certain that this is most likely my favorite stories of all time. Because it made me fall in love with the idea.. [of love] and because I know that I'd swoon as willingly for [my] Newt as Catharine did.

A Long Walk to Forever (1960)
by Kurt Vonnegut


They had grown up next door to each other, on the fringe of a
city, near fields and woods and orchards, within sight of a
lovely bell tower that belonged to a school for the blind.
Now they were twenty, had not seen each other for nearly
a year. There had always been playful, comfortable warmth
between them, but never any talk of love.
His name was Newt. Her name was Catharine. In the early afternoon, Newt knocked on
Catharine's front door.
Catharine came to the door. She was carrying a fat, glossy magazine she had been reading.
The magazine was devoted entirely to brides. "Newt!" she said. She was surprised to see him.
"Could you come for a walk?" he said. He was a shy person, even with Catharine. He
covered his shyness by speaking absently as though what really concerned him were far
away--as though he were a secret agent pausing briefly on a mission between beautiful, distant,
and sinister points. This manner of speaking had always been Newt's style, even in matters that
concerned him desperately.
"A walk?" said Catharine.
"One foot in front of the other," said Newt, "through leaves, over bridges---"
"I had no idea you were in town," she said.
"Just this minute got in," he said.
"Still in the Army, I see," she said.
"Seven months more to go," he said. He was a private first class in the Artillery. His uniform
was rumpled. His shoes were dusty. He needed a shave. He held out his hand for the magazine.
"Let's see the pretty book," he said.
She gave it to him. "I'm getting married, Newt," she said.
"I know," he said. "Let's go for a walk."
"I'm awfully busy, Newt," she said. "The wedding is only a week away."
"If we go for a walk," he said, "it will make you rosy. It will make you a rosy bride." He
turned the pages of the magazine. "A rosy bride like her--like her--like her," he said, showing
her rosy brides.
Catharine turned rosy, thinking about rosy brides.
"That will be my present to Henry Stewart Chasens," said Newt. "By taking you for a walk,
I'll be giving him a rosy bride."
"You know his name?" she said.
"Mother wrote," he said. "From Pittsburgh?"
"Yes," she said. "You'd like him."
"Maybe," he said.
"Can--can you come to the wedding, Newt?" she said.
"That I doubt," he said.
"Your furlough isn't for long enough?" she said.
"Furlough?" said Newt. He was studying a two page ad for flat silver. "I'm not on furlough,"
he said.
"Oh?" she said.
"I'm what they call A.W.O.L.," said Newt.
"Oh, Newt! You're not!" she said.
"Sure I am," he said, still looking at the magazine.
"Why, Newt?" she said.
"I had to find out what your silver pattern is," he said. He read names of silver patterns from
the magazine. Albemarle? Heather?" he said. "Legend? Rambler Rose?" He looked up, smiled. "I
plan to give you and your husband a spoon," he said.
"Newt, Newt--tell me really," she said.
"I want to go for a walk," he said.
She wrung her hands in sisterly anguish. "Oh, Newt--you're fooling me about being
A.W.O.L.," she said.
Newt imitated a police siren softly, and raised his eyebrows.
"Where--where from?"
"Fort Bragg," he said.
"North Carolina?" she said.
"That's right," he said. "Near Fayetteville--where Scarlet O'Hara went to school."
"How did you get here, Newt?" she said.
He raised his thumb, jerked it in a hitchhike gesture. "Two days," he said.
"Does your mother know?" she said.
"I didn't come to see my mother," he told her.
"Who did you come to see?" she said.
"You," he said.
"Why me?" she said.
"Because I love you," he said. "Now can we take a walk?" he said. "One foot in front of the
other--through leaves, over bridges--"

They were taking the walk now, were in a woods with a brown-leaf floor.
Catharine was angry and rattled, close to tears. "Newt," she said, "this is absolutely crazy."
"How so?" said Newt.
"What a crazy time to tell me you love me," she said. "You never talked that way before."
She stopped walking.
"Let's keep walking," he said.
"No," she said. "So far, no farther. I shouldn't have come out with you at all," she said.
"You did," he said.
"To get you out of the house," she said. "If somebody walked in and heard you talking to me
that way, a week before the wedding--"
"What would they think?" he said.
"They'd think you were crazy," she said.
"Why?" he said
Catharine took a deep breath, made a speech. "Let me say that I'm deeply honored by this
crazy thing you've done," she said. "I can't believe you're really A.W.O.L., but maybe you are. I
can't believe you really love me, but maybe you do. But--"
"I do," said Newt.
"Well, I'm deeply honored," said Catharine, "and I'm very fond of you as a friend, Newt,
extremely fond--but it's just too late." She took a step away from him. "You've never even kissed
me," she said, and she protected herself with her hands. "I don't mean you should do it now. I just
mean that this is all so unexpected. I haven't got the remotest idea of how to respond."
"Just walk some more," he said. "Have a nice time."
They started walking again.
"How did you expect me to react?" she said.
"How would I know what to expect?" he said. "I've never done anything like this before."
Did you think I would throw myself into your arms?" she said.
"Maybe," he said.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," she said.
"I'm not disappointed," he said. "I wasn't counting on it. This is very nice, just walking."
Catharine stopped again. "You know what happens next?" she said.
"Nope," he said.
"We shake hands," she said. "We shake hands and part friends," she said. "That's what
happens next."
Newt nodded. "All right," he said. "Remember me from time to time. Remember how much
I loved you."
Involuntarily, Catharine burst into tears. She turned her back to Newt, looked into the
infinate colonnade of the woods.
"What does that mean?" said Newt.
"Rage!" said Catharine. She clenched her hands. "You have no right--"
"I had to find out," he said.
"If I'd loved you," she said, "I would have let you know before now."
"You would?" he said.
"Yes," she said. She faced him, looked up at him, her face quite red. "You would have
known," she said.
"How?" he said.
"You would have seen it," she said. "Women aren't very clever at hiding it."
Newt looked closely at Catharine's face now. To her consternation, she realized that what
she had said was true, that a woman couldn't hide love.
Newt was seeing love now.
And he did what he had to do. He kissed her.

"You're hell to get along with!" she said when Newt let her go.
"I am?" said Newt.
"You shouldn't have done that," she said.
"You didn't like it?" he said.
"What did you expect," she said--"wild, adandoned passion?"
"I keep telling you," he said," I never know what's going to happen next."
"We say good-by," she said.
He frowned slightly. "All right," he said.
She made another speech. "I'm not sorry we kissed," she said. "That was sweet. We should
have kissed, we've been so close. I'll always remember you , Newt, and good luck."
"You too," he said.
"Thirty days," he said.
"What?" she said.
"Thirty days in the stockade," he said--"that's what one kiss will cost me."
"I--I'm sorry," she said, "but I didn't ask you to go A.W.O.L."
"I know," he said.
"You certainly don't deserve any hero's reward for doing something as foolish as that," she
said.
"Must be nice to be a hero," said Newt. "Is Henry Stewart Chasens a hero?"
"He might be, if he got the chance," said Catharine. She noted uneasily that they had begun
to walk again. The farewell had been forgotten.
"You really love him?" he said.
"Certainly I love him!" she said hotly. "I wouldn't marry him if I didn't love him!"
"What's good about him?" said Newt.
"Honestly!" she cried, stopping again. "Do you have any idea how offensive you're being?
Many, many, many things are good about Henry! Yes," she said, "and many, many, many things
are probably bad, too. But that isn't any of your business. I love Henry, and I don't have to argue
his merits with you!"
"Sorry," said Newt.
"Honestly!" said Catharine.
Newt kissed her again. He kissed her again because she wanted him to.

They were now in a large orchard.
"How did we get so far from home, Newt?" said Catharine.
"One foot in front of the other--through leaves, over bridges," said Newt.
"They add up--the steps," she said.
Bells rang in the tower of the school for the blind nearby.
"School for the blind," said Newt.
"School for the blind," said Catharine. She shook her head in drowsy wonder. "I've got to go
back now," she said.
"Say good-by," said Newt.
"Every time I do," said Catharine, "I seem to get kissed."
Newt sat down on the close-cropped grass under an apple tree. "Sit down," he said.
"No," she said.
"I won't touch you," he said.
"I don't believe you," she said.
She sat down under another tree, twenty feet away from him. She closed her eyes.
"Dream of Henry Stewart Chasens," he said.
"What?" she said.
"Dream of your wonderful husband-to-be," he said.
"All right, I will," she said. She closed her eyes tighter, caught glimpses of her
husband-to-be.
Newt yawned.
The bees were humming in the trees, and Catharine almost fell asleep. When she opened
her eyes she saw that Newt really was asleep.
He began to snore softly.
Catharine let him sleep for an hour, and while he slept she adored him with all her heart.
The shadows of the apple trees grew to the east. The bells in the tower of the school for the
blind rang again.
"*chick-a-dee-dee-dee*," went a chickadee.
Somewhere far away an automobile started nagged and failed, nagged and failed, fell still.
Catharine came out from under her tree, knelt by Newt.
"Newt?" she said.
"H'm?" he said. He opened his eyes.
"Late," she said.
"Hello, Catharine," he said.
"Hello, Newt," she said.
"I love you," he said.
"I know," she said.
"Too late," he said.
"Too late," she said.
He stood, stretched groaningly. "A very nice walk," he said.
"I thought so," she said.
"Part company here?" he said.
"Where will you go?" she said.
"Hitch into town, turn myself in," he said.
"Good luck," she said.
"You too," he said. "Marry me, Catharine?"
"No," she said.
He smiled, stared at her hard for a moment, then walked away quickly.
Catharine watched him grow smaller in the long perspective of shadows and trees, knew
that if he stopped and turned now, if he called to her, she would run to him. She would have no
choice.
Newt did stop. He did turn. He did call. "Catharine," he called.
She ran to him, put her arms aroud him, could not speak.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

oh, hello spring!

Spring equals kite flying season! This makes me really happy, even though my kite flying skills aren't exactly amazing. Other things that I'm especially looking forward to for this spring: pique-niques at the beach, zoo outings, watermelon popsicles!, farmers markets, sun dresses, blue keds with leather laces!, coral colored nailpolish and coral lipstick!, BBQ, ladybugs, SANDALS!, helen kaminsky visors, black berry water, Mint iced tea! green grass, longer days and cold mornings with warm nights. oh, and did I mention kites???

I'm not much of a spring person, but there's something in the air and its making me giddy!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Cet Air-Là

France Gall's Cet Air-Là circa 1966