Making: a playlist for my good friend's due date (any day now!) Cooking: tacos & all kinds of grilled things. Drinking: water with lime left over from squeezing into guacamole. Reading: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Wanting: good job prospects. Playing: Aerosmith in the car, Stevie Nicks on my record player. Wasting Time: watching old episodes of Laguna Beach. Wishing: that there were more hours in the day. Enjoying: nights at home with my roommate. Liking: these warmer mornings with no chill in the air. Wondering: is it time to finally get a credit card? Loving: having a place to call home. Hoping: that my best friends stay in my life forever. Needing: to go grocery shopping. desperately. Smelling: tulips for days! Wearing: my daily uniform -- black pants, nice shirt, cardigan. Following: a beautiful mess -- the black bean burger recipe!! Noticing: that a little goodness goes a long way. Knowing: my future will be fine no matter what. (must remember that.) Thinking: i'm really lucky that i don't have to work nights. Bookmarking: buzzfeed articles to send to my roommate later. Giggling: over Jimmy Fallon and his dancing panda. Feeling: excited for my friend's baby to be born so soon!!
Today someone at the office asked me if I was all right, and when I said yes, proceeded to seriously ask me if I had a black eye. No, I just look that tired, I guess. A reminder to use my under eye concealer tomorrow. Happy Monday! Anyway. Alt-J is an English indie band who I like for several reasons. 1) They remind me of my "little sister" Jude, who is not my biological sister at all, but a sister in spirit nonetheless. She loves them. 2) Their name is actually a symbol, "∆", which can be typed on a Mac using the Alt + J keys together. Guitarist/bassist Gwil Sainsbury notes, “in mathematical equations it’s used to show change." (Clever.) 3) One member of the band, Gus, was an English Lit major like me! They have an interesting sound. I'll admit they sound weird, and some people may not enjoy them. But I like what I hear most of the time... piano mixed with grit and half speaking, half singing. I think that's the beauty of them. They don't sound like anyone else, and they do have talent under the strange "not the norm" music. I'll let you be the judge, how about that?
It's a mystery to me why we have stopped using the phrase TGIF... because really, I am so happy it's Friday. Today has turned into an unexpectedly perfect day. The weather is typical spring, sunny but breezy jacket weather. I get to work from home today so I spent some time spinning a Fleetwood Mac record and sending out weekly reports in sweatpants. Then I got a glorious phone call from my good friend Cait, who just bought a house in DC with her husband. We talked for a while and then decided I should just come over since I can work from anywhere and I have been dying to see her new place. So into DC I drove, and saw her gorgeous 1920's house with a porch swing and old school spiral staircase and a great big tree in the front yard. I am so happy they get to live here and raise their future children in such an awesome house. She is in the middle of painting all the walls and I am happily typing away. :) Some favorites of this week: - Potbelly coffee milkshakes - Best friends reuniting - Laughing to tears with my roommate - Bad Lip Reading - the new Twilight one kills me! And the first Twilight. - Beach Boys tunes ("Kokomo" always reminds me of my elementary school ballet class) - Dashboard Confessional while driving with the windows down and screaming lyrics at the top of my lungs (perfect for a bad day haha) - Open windows and tulips in my garden - Messages from old friends - A water main break that shut off our water for a night so we have tons of water bottles in our house, yay hydration! - I got a surprise $10 off from my massage place because I referred a friend. Best piece of mail ever! Massage immediately scheduled for Sunday! Can't wait. - Pedicures with my best friend. I always pick pinks... she convinced me to do a dark purple and I loooooove it. Have a great weekend you guys!
This week's Sometimes Sweet journal prompt got me thinking. Usually I have a quick answer to the below question... but I wanted to dig deeper.
Quite simply, what are you good at? All of us have particular strengths- what are yours? This week, talk about these talents, big or small. Ideas: discuss how you use these things in your daily life or job, how you discovered a knack for this or that, perhaps even touch on whether or not you are passionate about the things you're good at. I have always said I am good at two things: English (I was a Lit major at college) and music (I've been a musician since third grade). The rest of those school subjects can go right out the window ;) I am horrible at math, science is interesting but I could never pass chemistry class, history is cool but can be boring. I have always been excellent at spelling, grammar, and writing. I love it so much that I used to type pages of stories on my dad's typewriter before we had a computer. I also used to get in trouble for reading books in class in elementary school. The library was my favorite place. And I played flute for 10 years starting in third grade, ending with my senior year of high school before going to college and picking up guitar, singing, and recording. Today, I am happy to say that I use those two skills daily. I am the worship director at my church along with writing my own music. My professional job deals with publications, so that English degree didn't go to waste, dad! ;) This question made me think about what I'm good at internally. I have been told by my roommate and others that I am a super loyal person. I think that's true... I care so much about my friends. I would do anything for them. I have always been a good listener. I enjoy hearing someone talk about life and if they need help, offering advice. If not, I like just being there for them. Everyone needs someone to trust, you know? The other side of the coin is this: what can I be better at? This is something I've been thinking about this week. I will never claim to be a perfect person, but in my head, I can be pretty hard on people when they make mistakes. (I know I do, too.) I'm one of those people who is just wired to be everywhere on time, to carefully plan, to never lose my keys or wallet or lock myself out of the house, etc. Real talk: It's hard for me to understand people who are more scatterbrained or don't think things through. My dear friend Sarah made me a piece of art for Christmas that says "You don't have to have it all together." I love it because it's such a good reminder for me, and a reminder to have more grace toward people who are my opposites. What are you good at? Write a response and post the link on Sometimes Sweet in the comments of today's post!
For today's What They Wore, I wanted to share one of my favorite fashion blogs! I've been following this chick's fashion for a long while. She has amazing style and I find myself trying to find cheaper options of what she's wearing so I can be a copycat ;) Introducing Blair Eadie of Atlantic Pacific (@blaireadiebee). Here are some of my favorites from her (all photos via the atlantic pacific blog):
My favorite Kate Spade dress worn as a top with a neon skirt thrown over the whole thing?! Bliss.
It's been a dream of mine to be able to wear a leather skirt and pull it off. She has given me some good ideas...
She does colorblocking so well. And it makes me want summer to get here immediately.
The classy casual! The ripped jeans! I can't even.
All of this. Every bit. Now go read her entire blog, all of you!
In case you missed it, Record Store Day was this past Saturday! I had some very fortunate friends who were in Music City (the Nash) on that day, and I was jealous. But I went down to my local record shop and spent an hour or so combing the racks. Everyone was there fighting for new releases, but I went straight for the classics. Here's a recap of what I got & some fun facts: U2 - War. Released in 1983, this album was the band's first number 1 album in the UK (it knocked out MJ's "Thriller"!) The Clash - Combat Rock. Released in 1982, Kurt Cobain listed it in his top 50 albums of all time. Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits. I have a thing for Greatest Hits albums. There's just something about hearing all the goodness in one straight shot. My favorites are "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." The Doors - Greatest Hits. Give me all the Jim Morrison. They released this album in 1980 when the movie "Apocalypse Now" came out, which got a brand new age group hooked on their music. Smart move. The Best of Blondie. The album cover was shot on a rooftop in Manhattan in 1978. The Beatles - "In Abbey Road." This was one of my more expensive purchases, but I couldn't leave it. It has 14 previously unreleased tracks (as of 1983) and it says this on the back: "The record you're holding is the edited soundtrack of "The Beatles In Abbey Road" show that took place in London Abbey Road Studios from July 18th to September 11th 1983. This is a limited edition of 1,500 numbered copies for Beatles fan club members." Elvis - As Recorded at Madison Square Garden. Oh, I am such a sucker for a live album. I loved being transported back in time to a place where people lived for this music. It's magic to me to hear the clapping and cheering of a different era. The record is Elvis' June 10th 1972 performance. Bonnie Tyler - Faster Than the Speed of Night. Don't judge me ;) I had to get Bonnie because I go around the house singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" alllll the time. Just ask my roommate. I have a thing for the 80's, in case you couldn't tell. Simon and Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence. Because... "The Sound of Silence." Forever obsessed with that track. Did you know that without the knowledge of Simon and Garfunkel, electric instruments and drums were overdubbed by Columbia Records staff producer Tom Wilson on June 15, 1965? I would have punched him in the face haha This new version was released as a single in September 1965. Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna. Stevie's my girl. I bet she never thought this album would blow up like it did. And I think it's cool that this record is also the first recording featuring her backing vocalists, Sharon Celani and Lori Perry, who still record and tour with Nicks today. That's an incredible gig. Queen - A Night At The Opera. Gotta have Queen. With a title from a Marx brother's film and the most expensive record to be made at the time, it's always been something special. And Freddie Mercury wrote "Bohemian Rhapsody" on a phonebook. The Lone Bellow - Self Titled. I treated myself to a new release with this one. I saw The Lone Bellow at an outdoor concert last summer when they were just getting popular. They have some awesome harmonies and I enjoy all of their tracks. Bluegrass-ish to a new level. Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP. I was excited to find a Death Cab album in the stacks! It was recorded during the "Narrow Stairs" times and released in 2009. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. I like an album with a story, and this one was made during some band tension. There's bound to be some tension when you're on your 11th album. Note to self: divorce will not end well if you're both in the band. Somehow they surpassed all of the drama and Rumours won a Grammy. And there you have it! I'm excited for some windows-open, record-spinning spring days.
Is anyone else so ready for the weekend? I know I am. Today I got up at 6, drove to work, paid for parking, got into my building (which was deserted), logged in to my computer, and got a phone call from my boss saying, "Oops, I should have called you yesterday, but I forgot. Our team is working from home." Which is why this post is titled "glass half full." My original reaction was to be pissed that I had paid for parking and gotten dressed and drove to work this morning. Then I realized I could just go home and work on my couch and that is a nice feeling. I'll take it. PS, here are two songs that woke me up as I was driving.
Opposite ends of the spectrum, but sometimes that's what it takes to stay awake! On to favorites!
1. This lunch with Brooke yesterday. After Chick-fil-A breakfast (a rare treat), we had nothing in her house for lunch. So we made cheddar omelets with avocado and split a Mike's Hard Peach Lemonade. PEACH! It was so amazing. And we watched Pitch Perfect while eating, so that was even better. (Ignore the weird lighting, the sun was being crazy.) 2. Black/floral dress, leather jacket, boots combo as talked about in Wednesday's post. I'm dying for the warm weather to come back so I can wear this again!
3. My new army jacket from H&M. I just got it in the mail yesterday... it must have sold out after I bought it because it's no longer available (similar image above via google). It was $30 instead of $70... I'm proud of that deal!
image via google
4. This stuff is great. I layer it on over lip primer or Burt's Bees lip balm (my current favorites are grapefruit and pomegranate). If you put on a lot at first it wears off, but leaves you with a light layer of pink. It's a nice burst of color for a weekend night out! 5. Marylanders - this CSA is awesome. You can customize what you get, and they have amounts that are just right for single people, not just families! They have a lot of different places to pick up, which is convenient. If you're looking for a CSA, see if this one fits the bill. 6. If you're in the Columbia, MD area... I bought this Living Social deal and I am so excited to relax! There are lots of others to choose from, too. Thank God for deals like these; they keep me sane! 7. Feel + Flourish's blog post on TEMPER rings was awesome. Check out this jewelry and their story! 8. White Oak Tavern in Ellicott City is delicious. Go check it out if you haven't already! It's good for so many things... date night, girl's night out, happy hour, friend or family gatherings. I miss Jilly's sometimes, but this is a good replacement :) 9. My right eye has been red and irritated lately, so I've been taking a break from my contacts and wearing my glasses. People rarely see me with them on so they've been getting a nice, nerdy surprise this week ;) Mine are from Bonlook... such a good company, and my glasses arrived in a box with confetti and a Dum Dum lollipop! Happiness.
10. Trader Joe's dark chocolate edamame is one of my favorite post-dinner snacks these days. Just enough to satisfy my need for chocolate, but not a full-blown dessert that will ruin my good eating habits! The only challenge is not eating the whole container at once! Enjoy your weekend my loves! Until next week...
