in which i'm singing in the rain

It may be raining, and I may be in black, but I'm not crying or mourning or any of that.

(skirt/sweater/scarf: thrifted; shoes: payless; tights: tjmaxx; umbrella: stolen from work)

Last night K and I went on a lovely little dinner and a movie date in Montpelier.  We were supposed to go on Tuesday night but his final went late and we didn't have enough time, so we got burritos and watched a movie at home instead, and postponed our date another night.  Seriously, though, we need to go out more often.  We had dinner at Positive Pie--my favorite pizza ever (The Green Man) with wine--then walked around town for a bit and went to the late showing of "The Five Year Engagement," which I thought was hilarious (like Friends with Kids, the cast makes the movie).  K's been so busy studying and writing papers lately that I feel like we never get to spend any quality time together, and the date was long-awaited and much-needed.  It's so, so important to have outings like this, to sit down and be served delicious food, have long talks, relax, and reconnect :)

in which there is snow excuse

It is cold, and snowy.  Boo.  I've all but given up trying to "think spring," and retreated back into my woolen skirts and warm coats.

(dress: h&m; skirt: goodwill; scarf: vintage via etsy; shoes: seychelles)

Monday night K and I went on a date, and it was great :)  We hardly ever get to go out anymore because he's always studying or writing papers or working weekend nights, so it was a welcome treat.  We were both craving straight-up Italian food, so we scouted out this homey little place in Winooski called Papa Frank's, where they served all of the basics.  We both got huge helpings of fettucine alfredo with broccoli (his also with chicken), a basket of buttery garlic bread, and a half carafe of chianti for dirt.cheap.  It was just what we needed.  After lingering a while over our wine, we went to the late showing of "Friends with Kids," which I've been wanting to see for ages.  Not only was it written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt (one of my favorites; she also did "Kissing Jessica Stein" and "Ira & Abby," which are both great), but it was basically a cast-sequel to "Bridesmaids" (starring Jon Hamm [Westfeldt's boyfriend of a decade, who knew!], Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, in addition to the fabulous Adam Scott ["Party Down" anyone?]). I really enjoyed it (no surprise there).  Her movies are always very much romantic comedies, but they're so much more clever and well-written than most of the crap out there these days.  She seems to write every script with the intention of NOT following the standard rom-com rules (in Jessica Stein she experiments with lesbianism because she's having no luck with men; in Ira & Abby she marries a man within 24 hours of meeting him [because why not?]; and in this latest two friends decide to have a baby together--not because they want to be together, but because they simply want a baby).  Recommended.  Also recommended (for me): more date nights with K.

In other news, you may have noticed that there is snow on the ground.  So much for not sticking.  Ironically, I got my summer tires put on just yesterday... jinx?

in which the stripes and checkers meet

Okay, so remember how I said I would probably cry if it snowed at this point? Well, it did. Nothing is sticking, but the flurries outside my window are infuriating (in-flurri-ating?). Scraping ice from my windshield didn't do much for my Monday, either.

(dress: h&m; cardigan/belt: thrifted; shoes: seychelles)

Luckily, I had a lovely weekend. On Friday evening I met a couple of girlfriends for some speed shopping at Goodwill (I didn't end up buying anything because the line was too long to check out... boo) and W./E. Terrible, terrible movie. Almost comically terrible, though, so I still enjoyed myself. The script failed me on so many fronts, I can't even begin to summarize my disappointment (it was disjointed, the dialogue was shockingly cliche, and neither relationship in the film was believable or had any depth), but the film was still pretty to watch (the costumes, the locations!). If only the characters had just stopped talking altogether and saved themselves the embarrassment of speaking such silly lines. After the movie we got late night tacos and chips and guac at El Cortijo downtown.

On Saturday I got up and met my mother in Montpelier for the Margot George Short Film Competition screening at the Green Mountain Film Festival. My friend Elizabeth (and movie-going, taco-eating partner in crime) had a film showing there that she made over the summer (you can watch "Last Days at Doughboy's" HERE). The story behind the film is that Elizabeth went into Doughboy's for a sort of "last meal" (it would be closing for good in a couple of days) and was struck by the emotion and community there. She felt that someone had to capture the place before it was gone forever, so she went in the next day with a camera and did just that. I'm so proud of her! (And I always cry when I see this film--it's so sad when these little mom and pop places close their doors. They can never really be replaced.)

On Sunday I finished sewing the elastic into my dress (by HAND, because I couldn't get my machine to cooperate) and added straps. Turns out it is WAY too short, even for me, so I'm going to have to go to Joann's and pick up some fabric for a thick hem at the bottom. I'm a little disappointed, but at this point I'm just glad it is almost finished!

K and I didn't get to go on a date last night because he was hard at work--so we're going out tonight! I like outings on weeknights. It makes the week fly by faster! :)

life lately: spring & st. patrick

1,2: tea at dobra

3: white whiskey punch

4: spring cider/camel's hump

5: my first summer dress

6: dreaming of cape cod

7: solipsist (@ art club)

8: sap season

9, 10: st patrick's day @ white rock

11: mud season

in which the weekend is over

This is a very typical Monday outfit, and a very typical Monday blog post (quick and late).

(dress/scarf: thrifted; hat: tjmaxx; shoes: minnetonka)

I had a very relaxing weekend, for the most part. Saturday I went back to my hometown to play a few songs at a fundraiser with my dad and brother... but first we all got dinner at Claire's in Hardwick (I got the polenta). Here's a glimpse into my afternoon:

(Only in Vermont would two children in a pony carriage be allowed to take to the main road like that, sans parental supervision...)

On Sunday I literally read the entire day. I did get up a bit later than I would have liked, skipped over to the market for the week's shopping, and then huddled into the couch for the remainder of the day. There wasn't much else to do this weekend--it was unbelievably cold!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Any fun plans? :)

in which i wear tooth of the hound

Brown and Black are the perfect combination, in my opinion. It is hard to find ways to wear this jumper, since it could potentially be sickeningly twee, but I think pairing it with vintage-inspired pieces keeps the whole look neutral and increases wearability.

(dress/belt: thrifted; blouse/hat: gift; shoes: seychelles)

Since K usually has lots of studying to do on the weekends, we haven't been able to go out as much as we used to (I've been filling that void with rowdy ladies' nights, but I still miss hanging out with my main man). Since he doesn't have class on Tuesdays, we decided to extend the weekend a bit and have date night on Monday, which works for me! I like feeling like I have all kinds of fun happening throughout the week, rather than trying to jam it all in on my two days off.

It was an incredibly beautiful day yesterday--upwards of 80 degrees!--so we had Thai food al fresco on Church Street (red veggie/tofu curry and Thai iced tini by candlenight, yes please!) and headed home to watch ancient episodes of the X Files on Netflix (we're working our way through Season 1).

Tonight, it's back to reality--dirty dishes and laundry. Blech. That's the trouble with being busy--there are always chores that get pushed to the side by good times. I need a maid.