Monday, December 31, 2012

Welcome!

Here's to welcoming in a new year some never thought would come. It will have its challenges, just like all the rest before, obviously. I mean there couldn't be anything more obvious about it. But let's embrace it, tumble into it, like we ran down the stairs a bit too fast and are now a little out breath, due mostly to our excitement.


Sunday, December 30, 2012

Twice

Just curious, do you ever watch the same movie twice in the same month? the same week? the same day? Or even just finished a movie and hit play again right away?

Because I do that sometimes.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Year

I'm talking to one of my really close friends about a guy issues. Typical, enjoyable, confusing, funny conversation. It's strange to think a year ago we were talking about different guys and planning on seeing each other very soon. Now I've no idea when that'll be. It's strange to think how years take us apart and bring us together. And it hurts or it's happy or it's boring and then it's gone and you forget all about it.
And then you look back a year later and think, "How on earth did I get here?"

Friday, December 28, 2012

Resolve

It's coming to that time of year again when people are making resolutions. Let me just say this outright: I am no longer in the practice of making year long resolutions, not in most categories at any rate. I prefer to make seasonal resolutions. I mean I used to try making year-long ones about working out, or painting more, very typical stuff. That never holds. And I would find myself making more at the start of summer vacation or school in the fall. 
So this year I'm just going to resolve for the winter, that way if I fail I can resolve again in the Spring. Also the idea of three months just isn't so daunting. 
So with that load off, we may all set forth to plan and resolve. 

(Feel free to share in the comments if you like.)

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Family

Well, Christmas is now over. It was a lovely lovely one.
We watched the traditional (for our family at least) Christmas movie, "While You Were Sleeping" starring Sandra Bullock as the final event of the day. I laughed out loud hysterically throughout.
I love my family and our crazy sense of humor and our strange traditions. I hope each of you can say the same, because it's a lovely feeling.
Merry Christmas everyone.


Source: listal.com via Connie on Pinterest

Monday, December 24, 2012

Doorknobs

So I have a new theory. You know how some doorknobs are round and rotatable, while some have a long part to press down? And how the long sort can be opened with an elbow? Whereas with the round ones you have to have at least one free hand? Well I do believe the little round kind are made to prevent you from dying on a staircase. For example, if you are carrying a multitude of packages for, say, christmas or something, you will be forced to make two trips to carry all of them if the doors cannot be opened with an elbow. However, the likelihood of tripping down the staircase is decreased. Thus a round doorknob saved my life, hypothetically.
Merry Christmas everyone.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Tomorrow


I fervently hope tomorrow is a day with tea in it, although it may wind up like today, full to the brim with going and doing.
Putting that aside, let's dream that we have tea and a nap in store. Maybe even some biscuits and the unexpected discovery of a good book. Or perhaps to time to write a good poem or begin a new project.
Although I do have some cards to finish painting, then there's the messages to be written in, and the gift wrapping. Why is my lovely list-making suddenly being marred? Shall we stick to dreaming of lovely summer days?
On the up side, I'm practically done my Christmas scarf. 
May tea be in your future, your very near future.


Saturday, December 22, 2012

Gravity

Tonight, I went out with my cousins and aunts and mom and sister and had a girls night. We went out for a nice dinner and took a limo tour of DC by night. It was the most fantastic thing.
I just want to give you this morsel of it.
Here we are, my cousin and I, in front of the Lincoln Memorial with Washington's obelisk in the background, shivering in the cold.
We're imagining the world, picturing ourselves on the downside of that little blue ball bobbing among the hundreds of stars we see above us. We're imagining that in this moment gravity is just like a little refrigerator magnet, and if we stand on tiptoe and jump away, we can float off and dance with the constellations.


Sleepless

Tonight I have been sleepless... or according to the app I use to track my sleep cycles (I know, I know) nearly sleepless. I think I got a little deep sleep between 2AM and 3AM, maybe. In summary, it's now half past 5 and I've been trying to sleep since around midnight to barely any avail.
This got me thinking. You see, all my life I've been pretty sleepless. I mean, I have countless memories of myself, age 5, in bed at 8 o'clock telling myself stories about fields of buttercups and wild horses, because there was no way in the world that 5 year old me was ever falling asleep before 10PM. Come morning I would be awake at 6, telling more stories and watching for the clock to ring at 7, when I was allowed to jump out of bed and pounce on my parents.
It carried on like this for quite some time. Through highschool it was sleepless nights of work, but I have to admit I half-enjoyed the thrill of having reasons to avoid slumber.
And then there's the story-effect, the dream-effect, or we could even call it the Pinterest-effect.
Earlier [it was meant to be posted yesterday, but it wound up being after midnight] I was writing about dreams I have for life. It has the same result that telling myself stories as a kid had, or browsing your Pinterest right before bed. You get your mind going on wonderful paths and scenarios and suddenly you are lost in your mind and as much as you might like a little sleep, you settle for dozing because who would want to leave the resplendent land of their own waking dreams?
And what use is sleep when one isn't tired anyhow? Tonight I was thinking, "all those nights when I was a kid I would have loved to get up and go downstairs and get on with life. And now here I am always saving 'carpe diem' for another day. Well now I'm an adult!"
So up I am at this ghastly hour to seize the day! So far it has been excellent.


photo

Friday, December 21, 2012

Conversation

Today I was driving around with my Dad and we were talking about how I used to want to live in England. I still sort of do but I'd rather given up on it since I'm going for my nursing degree and will be licensed in America. 
Well my dad, being your typical, problem-solving male, started constructing a plan for it to all work, which made me panic. The inside of my head was screaming "but what about all my new dreams?!?! what do I do with those?" What do you do with that, when all of your ideal lives conflict a little? 
I sort of muse about having each for a few years here and there. It's not like every dream is even that complete or full time. For example, wanting a nice house with a window seat does not conflict with my plan to become a nurse. Neither does my plan to live near the ocean. But can I live in NYC and have my dream garden? I think not so much.
Just a thought. 

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Snow

So I'm a little disheartened. Christmas is coming. I came all the way east from Texas and still no snow. I feel like the cast of White Christmas upon arriving in Pine Creek, Vermont. Especially after all this anticipation... sigh.






Still, that's no excuse for not writing. I'll work on that one.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Museum

Confession: I used to hate museums. How was that possibly possible? I suppose because my mother was in love with them and my elementary and middle school self had had altogether too much.

Museum. Say that word a few times. Isn't it a most beautifully crafted word?
It calls to mind botanical conservatories and atlases, the ancient greeks and modern art.
Built on the word "muse" at least in sound, it invites musing and amusing. Picnics on the lawn out front, sunday afternoons. Combing through vast pages plastered in the halls and on the walls like some great story book. It's the art of museums.
Here are a few famous ones in Europe.

le Louvre


the Tate Modern




The Vatican



Source: flickr.com via Erin on Pinterest

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Paint

Today I had a list of things to do, none of which were really accomplished.
So we had friends over, and made plans to visit Philadelphia, and I painted. All day.
It's rather a lovely thing.
I'm feeling inspired by this lovely artist, who grew up in my hometown in Germany.
She's positively a fantastic illustrator.

I don't really like to buy cards when I could make them myself, so make them I shall. But first: to the knitting of a Christmas scarf!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

List-making


I am a list-maker; I love to list-make.
So here is a list of wonderful things for vacationy days:

baking
between-the-covers-curling
knitting
painting
family-movie-going
drives to the airport
decorating
grilled-cheese-sandwich-making
to-the-airport-driving
friend-seeing
grandparents-hugging
people-meeting
blog-following
reading
procrastinating
for-snow-wishing


Breaks from school are beautiful things.

Lincoln

Today I saw "Lincoln" in theaters. It's the kind of film that makes you proud of our history as Americans. It's very moving. I strongly recommend it. Although with so many good movies coming out around this time it'll be hard to choose...
Also, it reminded me of this podcast I really love. This one made me cry, be warned. It's just that spellbinding.


Sunday, December 9, 2012

Stars

Last night I arrived at my parents house, our should I say this morning. It's strange to have them living in a house I've never set foot in before. I suppose this will be happening more now that I've gone off to college, but it makes me feel so old.
At any rate, I meant to write last night.
The plane ride was so lovely. When we took off in Austin I almost drifted off, but a little jostling after take off woke me up and there beneath us were beautiful clouds like fields of lavender, soft and spreading in the descending sun. The rest of the night was black. We touched down in Tampa, then off to Philadelphia. On that last stretch the lights were everywhere beneath us. At one point some dark clouds were around us, but you could still see the glow of some anonymous city bellow. It was so bright, just as though it were a reverse sunset. It was a little odd. There I was with stars bobbing all around, imagining them below with their own blue skies. It's sort of magical to think that the people in your aircraft are the only ones to view the stars; extraordinary to be a lone astronomer on a bus driving out over the clouds, above people taking picnics in the park.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Something in the Air

It's that feeling when Christmas is coming. There's that little nip and all the lights. Or the way it smells when fall is peeping her head round the corner. The anxiousness of children in the school right before they're out for the holidays. It's when you know it's alright to cry. The air is a little heavier out those days. And when it's light it's practically a command to skip.
It's that feeling that you should be writing. It's in the air, like a whisper on the breeze. You know you're far behind, you should have been doing it for ages. And now it's calling still. And so we begin.