in which it is all hallows' eve

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(dress: diy; turtleneck dress: american apparel; hat: vintage; glasses: f21; shoes: lulu*s; tights: hue)

I definitely failed on the costume front this year, but I wanted to do something sartorial to acknowledge the All Hallows holiday. Orange and black it is!

I had quite a weekend! Friday was my birthday (as you know), and K planned out a great evening for us. We went to dinner at our favorite Indian place in town and had a leisurely meal over Darjeeling tea and yummy curries before walking across town and descending into FlynnSpace for the Trio Gusto "Paris Hot Club" show. The space was arranged to evoke the ambience of a Parisian nightclub in the 1930s, and the music was fantastic. It was the perfect night--my fellow knows me so well! :)

On Saturday we drove to my parent's house in Woodbury and played music for a few hours in preparation for our show that night. Around 7 we headed over to the White Rock for pizza and drinks, and the Fresh Greenes kicked off the show while we ate and tapped our toes. We played an hour-long set and then hung out while the Fresh Greenes wrapped it up. After the show we headed over to a friend's house (in the snow!) for a little after-gathering, which involved a light-up drink fountain filled with spiked cider, pie and pumpkin bread pudding, and playing of the organ. By the time we were ready to leave the snow was really coming down, so we had a long drive home and didn't end up getting back to the apartment until around 3 AM.

The next morning we got up bright and early for brunch across the street at Toscano with my fabulous family, where I ate Florentine Benedict and sipped a mimosa and we had a lively conversation that got especially fiery when we started discussing the education system in this country (as usual). I spent the rest of the day curled up on the couch watching indie movies and winding down.

Tonight K and I are carving our pumpkin (finally!) and watching scary movies! Can't wait :)

in which i am 26

It's my birthday today! Hooray! :) In honor of the occasion, I pulled out my red tights. Apparently the sun also decided to pull out his shine for me, like a big, bright spotlight on my day. So these photos are a little wacky, but I'm not going to stress about it because I'm not allowed to stress out on my birthday. I have no idea what I'll be doing this evening, because my fellow has kept it quite secret, but I'm excited! I have no doubt that it will be tons of fun :) This weekend is going to be packed full of all the very best people in my life. I'm so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family, it makes it easier to know I won't be growing old alone ;)

(dress/bows: f21; tights: hue; shoes: seychelles)

Last year I made up a big long list of things I wanted to accomplish when I was 25, and... well, let's just say I'm not even going to update you on my progress because it's pretty embarrassing how badly I failed to deliver. So this time around I'm going to try to be a little more realistic (and a little more specific). Wish me luck!

26 (Goals) for my 26(th year)

1. Finish a first draft of my novel!

2. Finish in-progress TV pilot

3. Finish in-progress screenplay

4. Exercise at least 3x/week

5. Take an extended road trip

6. Rediscover film

7. Try Ethiopian food

8. Design and sew a dress

9. Sing karaoke

10. Go camping

11. Apply for an MFA program OR teach abroad

12. Go to the dentist (ha!)

13. Read all major religious texts

14. Get a massage

15. Take a train

16. Go cross-country skiing

17. See live music outside

18. Visit Walden Pond

19. Sell some clothes

20. Go ice-skating

21. Have a picnic

22. See a Broadway show

23. Have my short film transferred to DVD

24. Go to a jazz club in Montreal

25. Reorganize my filing cabinet

26. Stop biting my damn nails.

in which i emerge from the fog

I'm feeling a lot better today after a full 24 hour respite. I called in sick and spent all of yesterday swimming in a sea of blankets, tissues, and Nyquil (and finishing the last of Felicity--definitely see the J.J. Abrams influence in those final few episodes ;P). I still feel like my head is full of smoggy air (I promise that is not my natural state), and am hoping for another long, luxurious night of sleep to cure me completely in time for my birthday tomorrow! Today I just wanted to be comfortable for my return to the office, and opted for a cozy knit dress :)

(dress: modcloth; boots: seychelles; tights: hue)

As you can see, I did push through the fog of my head cold to trim my bangs last night. They were getting out of hand.

Did anyone else watch Felicity (I know I'm yeaaaaars behind on this one--last year I ploughed through Ally McBeal, so you can see I'm slowly catching up)? It's funny, because especially in the first season I kept recognizing clothes that some of the characters were wearing (specifically Julie Emerick--who was SUCH an annoying character I'm glad she went off to find herself and spared us for the last few seasons) from my middle- to early-high school days. She had a couple of shirts that I'm positive I had circled in the Alloy catalog (does anyone remember that?--Alloy and dEliA*s were the big thing back then). I'm curious--were you rooting for Ben or Noel?

in which i am sick

I'm crazy sick today. Booo. K and I went grocery shopping last night and I was craving Vitamin C so badly that I bought a carton of grapefruit juice and immediately drank two glasses when I got home. Apparently my body was trying to tell me something. I spent all night sniffling and sniveling and now I've got a full on head cold. Impeccable timing, illness.

(skirt/blouse: vintage; paisley capelet: thrifted; shoes: lulu*s)

Standing out in the cold with bare legs probably isn't the brightest way to spend a morning when kicking off a cold, but whatever. I've been so good about keeping up with the blog lately, I didn't want to fall by the wayside! Tonight I really want 1) spicy chili, 2) a hot bath, and 3) an early, Nyquil-induced bedtime. I really have to rally if I'm going to be able to sing this weekend!

Now, please excuse me while I go blow my nose for the nth time this morning...

in which look mr mojo i'm a coffee pot

I love coffee, I love tea

I love the java jive and it loves me!
Coffee and tea and the jivin' and me,
A cup-a cup-a cup-a cup-a cup, yeah!

(sweater: cedar chest; skirt/hat/belt: thrifted; shoes: seychelles)

... yeah.

I think this outfit has a great coffee&cream vibe going on. I had almost entirely forgotten about this sweater (which I stole from my parents' cedar chest long ago), but when I was puzzling over what to pair with this lovely pleated skirt, it immediately sprang to mind. I think this skirt is so pretty--just another Goodwill gem!

I had... quite a weekend. The kind of weekend that I kind of hope doesn't happen again for... ever. But that's enough of that. It's officially my birthday week (and Halloween is just around the corner)! I must admit, now that's it is starting to get reallllly cold at night (and snow is in the forecast), I'm getting excited for the holiday season. Since K will be away for Christmas and New Years again this year (visiting the family out in Washington), I'm going to have to get an early start on the celebratory spirit! But I'm getting ahead of myself... perhaps for now I should focus on getting that pumpkin carved. I live way too much in the future, and it's been quite detrimental to my mental health lately. I need to learn to be more present. Perhaps that will be one of my 26 goals for this new year...

in which this is a wild wind

'Twas a blustery day today--it won't be long before the trees are bare.

(dress: h&m; shoes: lulu*s; scarf/belt: thrifted; necklace: gift)

I sort of love the combination of mustard yellow and various shades of gray (and of course, my trusty loafers). I would literally wear this dress every day if I could get away with it. It's so floaty and fun and has a great vintage feel.

So, so glad it's the weekend. I've had a pretty productive week, which makes me feel better about my life [:)], but that doesn't mean I don't treasure the prospect of lazy days ahead! I'm hoping to make a Goodwill run tonight or tomorrow, since the clothes in my closet are pretty bored with each other and have been clamoring for some new friends! I hope you all have wonderful weekends and take advantage of these autumn days before the falling leaves become flurries of snow (maybe that threat is nearer for me than most of you... but still!).

PS: I will be 26 years old in exactly one week... crazy!