one good bird

the girl with the whale tattoo.

2012-01-24T08:14:00.000-05:00

alt title:
The Most Elaborate Tramp-Stamp Cover-Up of All Time

so. i spent the last 8 months getting my back upgraded with some Extra Extra Detail by the amazing Matt Brotka of Salvation Tattoo in Richmond, VA. whom/which shall heretofore be referred to as "My Favorite Tattoo Artist Ever"/"My Favorite Tattoo Shop Ever", respectively.

this was a large endeavor. i met Matt last march after scouring the internet for an artist i really liked. i told him my general idea about wanting a Moby-Dick-inspired-whale-attacks-ship back piece and brought him some artwork i'd collected for reference. like so:

he was into it and started drawing everything up and my first session was scheduled for a couple of months later in may. i told him i was ready to approach this aggressively and just wanted to GET 'ER DONE. so . . 8 months, 11 sessions, and 33 hours of work (and 8 flights to/from richmond!!!) later, it was complete.

it was all pretty grueling, truth be told. people have asked me what the worst part was and honestly, it was all just . . awful. but the 10th session was the absolute worst and i have no idea why. i was writhing in pain and had to actually go next door to get a shot and a beer to get through the last hour and a half. ridiculous. and after the sessions, sleeping with my back bandaged and sealed in cling wrap was just gross and difficult, as was sitting on a plane the next day heading back down to FL. and then trying to clean/moisturize while healing is a feat in itself when you have to do it by yourself. i probably looked pretty hilarious contorting myself to get to that little spot in the middle of my back between my shoulder blades. ha. but it's done and i am ecstatic and it's perfect and exactly what i wanted and my ancient old tattoo is all covered up and i am tramp-stamp free!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i can't say enough about how wonderful Matt is. he is clearly an AMAZING and talented artist, he put up with my incessant whining, he is hilarious and comfortable, and was just as committed as i was to this project. i couldn't have asked for more. for all the time we spent together through this process, we should be honorary best friends. next time i come up there, we're getting BFF tattoos, Matt!! you're welcome.

the other reason that Matt and Salvation are awesome is because they let me photograph every single session. i set up my camera to take photos at 1-minute intervals through every session - 1,988 photos in all!! and then i compiled them in this here video so that you can experience all 33 hours compressed into about 5 minutes!! yesssssssss.

oh, disclaimer: i will apologize in advance for incidental/gratuitous side-boob. couldn't be helped. carry on.

music: "Watch Song" by Shellac

i managed to take a result photo after every session, except of course, the longest, most productive one (session 7). moron. oh well, it couldn't be absolutely perfect, but it still makes me happy to watch. and even happier that it's all O-V-E-R.

and, for reference, a little before and after action for you, click-for-full-size style:

thank you AGAIN to Matt!!! time for some i-feel-awesome-and-happy-high-kicks. kbye!

2011 photographic year in review.

2011-12-29T07:45:00.001-05:00

2011 has certainly been quite the year. it is ending much differently than it began and i have faced quite a few major changes. some good, some bad, but i'm not trying to keep score there. i have also met some of the most wonderful new friends this year and have reconnected with old friends (and family!) as well. i am over-the-moon grateful for that.

there was quite a bit of photo-taking in 2011, although may was an entirely lean month photographically speaking . . all i have to show for it is a few iPhone photos. (well, truth be told, there were several hundred photos taken that month, but that's for another project that i am not quite ready to reveal yet, so you'll just have to wait. oooh suspense!! and that's how you keep 'em coming back for more.)

ok ok ok, so, without further ado, i present to you my 2011 photographic year in review!

*clickies*

thank you, friends and family. happy new year to all!

my nephew is my fave.

2011-12-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

last friday my parents and brudder trucked it down south to my house for a sleepover, picking up my nephew along the way. he is totally my fave.

i've been dreaming of having him over since i moved into this house . . i could just picture him running around and playing in the pool. well, dreams do come true. the weather was amazing, so we had the house all opened up and he could run from the back yard into the house at leisure. he went in the pool several times and stayed in until he got too cold and then was snuggled in towels and blankets to get warmed up and was generally the most awesome kid of all time ever.

it's funny, i've always considered myself a baby fan. i have said over and over how i lose interest in kids after the age of about 4. i like them from that whole 3 month to 3 years period and then i'm like "eh, you're too much of a person now who has opinions and sasses me, fuhgetaboutit. where's your baby brother/sister that i can play with and make smile/laugh?" i wondered how this would affect my interaction with my own flesh and blood. and clearly, it's blown out of the water because my 5 1/2 year-old nephew is probably the best person i know right now. my brother says he's "the sweetest guy", which is totally right on. true, he will try to trick you into thinking that his "tummy is full, yeah really full" when presented with a plate of thanksgiving leftovers and then change his mind when he finds out there's a bowl of cereal with his name on it ("you have CEREAL? i LOOOOOOVE cereal!!!!"), but gastrointestinal deception aside, he is one spectacular specimen.

his face in these photos tunnels right to the core and kills me every time. aaahhh!!!

*clickies* his little foot sticking up in the last photo! those ears! hahaha! he was fully into using the pool skimmer in his world o' imagination. sword and shield perhaps? whatever the case: awesome.

looooooove hiiiiiim.

highlight of the holiday weekend, for sure. glad i got my tree up before he came over too. just made it all the more festive. first time i've had a proper christmas tree in 4 years!! happies.

west coast weekend.

2011-11-18T09:10:00.003-05:00

last weekend i hopped on a plane and mere hours later i found myself on the opposite coast, reuniting with one of my favorite people on Earth, Brittany!!! we calculated that we hadn't seen each other in 8 years, which is completely ridiculous, but all is well as we have now rectified the situation and have a plan moving forward. which is for Brittany and her awesome husband Wade to use derisive tactics to lure me to the west coast at every opportunity and tell me all the wonderful and amazing adventures we would/could have if only i were a full-time resident of southern california. and for me to eventually give in. it's simple, really.

friday morning i awoke to Britt and Wade's awesome loft and the view of the LBC. i met cats. and we got ready to head out.

we headed first to Mozza for the best danged pizza i may have ever tasted. i had the squash blossoms, tomato and burrata pizza and it was pretty much amazing.

then we headed to the Beauty Culture photography exhibit at the Annenberg Space for Photography and it was completely fabulous and interesting and we all left feeling like better people for it.

next up we went to The Bazaar in Beverly Hills for cocktails and it was easily the coolest place i may have ever been for anything. this place is incredible. they are all about "molecular gastronomy" and have a "process" for everything they make. Britt and I had "magic mojitos" that are made using a huge pile of house-made cotton candy.

saturday i walked all around Manhattan Beach while Brittany did some hair and i had the best day. i bought lots of things and ate food and walked everywhere. it was lovely.

that night we went to a birthday dinner in Orange County then to Javier's for drinks and cougar-watching (though sadly they were not out in force), then to the Prospector (where Wade works) for more merriment and band-watching. we saw the awesome Cowboy and Indian perform, rounding out the evening nicely.

sunday we had excellent brunch at The Coffee Cup Café (baja burrito with veggie chorizo?! yessss!), got some Yogurtland, then met up with another long-lost lovely, Keri ♥ for some shopping on Retro Row in LBC. we had super-fun times trying on stupid/awesome clothing and accessories and walked around until it was dark outside.

sadly, i had time for just one more amazing meal with Brittany and Wade (it's so nice to be hosted by foodies), then headed to the airport for the red-eye back to FL. i forgot how much i loved SoCal and had such an amazing time with these fwends that i will most certainly be returning soon. now for a no-travel weekend in FL to gear up for my very favorite holiday, thanksgiving!! longest post ever!!

my fall lookbook '11: the perfect outfit in which to meet ryan gosling.

2011-11-10T07:57:00.000-05:00

all the heterosexual dudes: GROOOOAAAAAAAAAAN.

everybody else: EEEEEEEE RYAN GOSLING!!!!

yeah. i AM daydreaming about wearing this outfit walking through Disney Land and meeting up with my beau, Ryan Gosling, who has been waiting for me on a bench and greets me with a smooch and hooks his arm around my neck as we walk off toward Space Mountain together, giggling and sharing inside jokes and evading the paparazzi. so what?

faux leather hoodie, striped v-neck sweater, and jeggings: all from Target! wedges: Blowfish.

i'm heading to LAX tonight to see one of my best girls, Brittany! so you know . . this weekend is my chance to wear this outfit and make it all happen. i dream big.

BRITTANY, HERE I COME!!!

catching up, sappy-style.

2011-11-02T07:54:00.001-04:00

i'm totally having one of those "OMG I LOVE MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS AND MY WHOLE LIFE" kind of times. and NO, i have not been drinking. it just kind of smacks me across the face sometimes.

my only real sadness at the moment is the fact that i don't get to spend as much time with the wonderful people in my life as i would like. everyone is so spread out. so when i do get time with them, i'm all grateful and whatnot.

NYC the weekend before last was excellent. firstly, i strolled around brooklyn with Gavin. then we stuffed our faces with some deliciousness from the V Spot and got snacks at Snice and watched a weird documentary about Dr. Bronner (like the soap).

and i got to spend time with my main bitch, iris. who brought back friendship bracelets from her trip to Belize for her bestest friends (like josh here - who is a TRUE 6'2" *ahem*). this means we are all FRIEEENNDDSSS FOREEEVEERRRRR (it's a song). and we found some great masks at Ugly Luggage. creep factor of 4.

THEENNNN, last weekend, i got to go to a super-fun halloween party (where i
didn't take many photos because i felt kind of off from getting carsick on the
way there, so this will have to suffice).

and on sunday, i attended a bbq where 5 year-olds played chess . .

and kelly asked Siri on my phone dirty things and we laughed like 15 year-olds . .

and it was generally a really awesome fun time with fwends that i greatly enjoyed.

see what i mean? good times. love you, fwends.

my fall '11 lookbook: space cowgirl.

2011-10-20T10:38:00.000-04:00

SPACE: the final . . thing.

except probably not final anything anymore. have you seen that "Through the Wormhole" show where morgan freeman basically tells you that science people have been dead wrong and they're all thinking that space is NOT infinite? blowing my mind. i haven't actually watched it, but the preview blew my mind. pretty much anything that is hosted/narrated by morgan freeman has that affect on me.

the point here is actually not to get into some philosophical physics discussion. mostly because i don't know that much math (because i think that's what it takes? math?) let alone the amount of chalkboard space that would call for. the point is to demonstrate my staunch support for space with these awesome new leggings i ordered all the way from the other side of this planet. which i am/will be wearing this fall.

oversized gray t-shirt: Forever 21 (shame); galaxy leggings by BlackMilk; shoes: dolce vita wedges.
these leggings are amazing. they are seriously awesome and i want everyone to see them. everyone in the world. they are pricey, but in my opinion, totally worth the joy i feel when i put them on. they also feel great and seem to be of high quality.

and because you know how i love to whipmyhairbackandforth, this:

THURRRRSSSDAAAAAY!!!

my fall '11 lookbook: here we go.

2011-10-13T10:22:00.003-04:00

back by popular demand*! it's lookbook time: fall '11 edition!

i had lots of fun with my spring lookbook, and it is actually the "most popular"** hit on this blog to date. the summer came and went and now it's fall, and time for wearing the things that i like to wear the most! boots and jackets and scarves and hoodies and sweaters! although, now i am spending the majority of my time in south florida . . which greatly diminishes the need for this collection of items i've cultivated over the last 6-ish years. and items i continue to buy because i just can't help myself.

*no actual demands received . .
**this part is true.

my photo set-up is quite different now as i don't have the space to use my favorite 50mm lens (let alone a 70mm or 85mm like i should be using for this purpose) and get a full-body shot. and i feel as though the quality completely suffers - i'm cursing the lack of sharpness, the grainy background, arrrrgh. so. not ideal, but i'm totally Tim Gunn-ing it up in here.

now that i've stated all the disclaimers, the real fun can begin.

bubble hoodie rain jacket: urban outfitters (circa 2005?); jeans: G-star; boots that you can't see: Blowfish.

the difference with the 50mm lens is palpable. here are some incidental "candids" using the 50mm and ambient light only:

and that's why i love that lens.

now if i can just find some time to put up my halloween/fall decorations. time is swiftly running out. away we go!

ashleyville, nc.

2011-10-04T07:44:00.005-04:00

the weekend before last, i headed up to asheville, nc with the lovely Lori and Faith to see our bestie, Ashley, because she is PREGGERS AND HAS A BABY IN HER BELLY OMG!!!!!!!!!

look, it's bigger than my giant man-hand.

the fabulous Lori (lookin' cute in the doorway above) did all of our hairs and we went out on the town for deliciousness and merriment.

waiting for a table outside by the drum circle . . because it IS asheville, after all.

(it looks like i have bangs but i totally don't! it's fringe! Lori made me edgy!)

STILL waiting for a table at the bar next door to the restaurant. making the most of our time.

saturday was a complete whirlwind. so much so that i completely forgot to bring my camera to the baby shower. of course. it was half-way up a mountain and there was no going back for it. i stomped my feet and pulled my pigtails about it, but there was nothing to be done. so i'll just have to tell you that it was fabulous and pretty and i think she really liked it. there was lots of hot pink, if you will imagine. Faith did an amazing job planning, designing, and sending us PowerPoint presentations of the menu (frealz). the 3 of us together were a crack team.

that night we met up at the Grand Bohemian Hotel, which was extremely awesome. our friend Eric was staying there and i totally want to go back and spend the night. so many interesting photo ops.

Faith wanted some photography tips, so i let her have a go with my camera. not too shabby.

crazy horse head, amirite?

sunday morning, Chad and Ashley came over and i tortured them into letting me take their picture. they hated every second of it and are probably still cursing my name. but still, i got this:

and it was rather fall-y outside. though Ashley is all "no it's not, i'm wearing flip-flops and shorts still," and i'm all "well i'm wearing closed-toe shoes and jeans".

then came the sucky part, which was saying goodbye. i always hate that part.

this photo is kind of hilarious because Ashley and i look the shortest, which is totally Oppositeville, but we were on a MOUNTAIN and it sloped. you just can't see it. thanks for taking the pics of us, Chad ♥

we had an excellent too-short time and i can't wait to do it again and see that little baby Dylan's face because she is going to love her Untee Raena best (sorry Faith and Lori!). then i will play with her and give her presents and win her favor and then when there is a poopie diaper, i will be all like "oh i have to go now, here is your baby back. kbye."

love ya. mean it.

lately of late.

2011-09-13T08:13:00.000-04:00

i can say that the last few months have been the busiest i can remember in recent years. and whenever i think about busy-ness, i always remember William Blake's Proverbs of Hell, specifically #11: "The busy bee has no time for sorrow".

anywho. here are some things as of last weekend.

loving this pretty light in my house.

i still love having a pool. and my brother was helping me take full advantage.

mykel also let me flat-iron his beard, thus making a dent in my endless
beard-styling curiosity (day-maker!).

our friends SHROUD EATER played some nice music.

*click*

and finally, we sat patiently, waiting for friends.

and i think that'll do ~~pig~~ for now.

birthday-a-go-go.

2011-08-16T09:02:00.000-04:00

it's that time again. happens every year. like clockwork. thank you for coming again, birthday.

i spent the weekend busying and distracting myself in the most lovely ways. saturday night i met up with some lovely ladies in hollywood (the FL version) and we lit that town ON FIRE. well. i mean. i like to think that we at least added a little flavor after besting the rain and lightning storms, roaming the streets until 3 am-ish*.

at PRL Euro Cafe, walking the streets and perusing the sweets. with great company, you really can't lose.

over the weekend, i was also in the midst of moving into a house in ft. lauderdale since i'm working down here now. it gets me out of the hotel, for which i am extremely grateful. i have very little stuff for the time being, so there wasn't much to move and the house is pretty empty, but i'm super-excited about it. saturday morning the cable guy arrived 10 minutes early (* at 7:50 am - this was difficult) and 3 hours later (yes, really), cable and internet! magic!

then the lovely Ginnine drove down and we had a little pool party because I HAVE A POOL MY OWN POOL IT'S A DREAM COME TRUE FINALLY ONLY AFTER FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she took me for a wonderful thai dinner and then we got some ice cream, which we shared out on the back porch, which is surprisingly peaceful and lovely.

after she left, i set some things about and tried to organize what little stuff i currently have. including this make-shift nightlight in the bedroom:

then i worked on blowing up the awesome present i bought for myself . . seahorse pool float!!

i threw it in the pool and decided to go back in for my own solo pool party. BECAUSE DID I MENTION I NOW HAVE A PRIVATE POOL AT MY HOUSE?

alien face.

this morning i opened a "do not open til your birthday" package which broke my heart and made it soar at the same time. as a result, i now officially own my first piece of Tiffany's jewelry.

still reeling from this one.

tonight my parents and Kelly are coming down for dinner and who-knows-what-else! which will be some much-needed company.

birthdays are fun.

weekend o' stellar.

2011-07-26T12:26:00.001-04:00

now you are all in big BIG trouble. for i have purchased myself a nice little point-and-shoot camera that is not big and bulky and annoying to carry around for taking photos of general hijinks and things that for the past several years have remained burned into my human-brain-memory only because of not wanting to carry around my back-breaking DSLR. enter the panasonic lumix gf1 - a curious little camera i learned of recently that has a cult-esque following and was somewhat difficult to procure. but now it is mine with it's nice little 20mm f1.7 pancake lens. and so it is written.

i brought it along with me last weekend to gainesville + st. augustine where lots of things happened. which i will show you. now.

mykel scooped me up from the airport and we had lunch at his magical workplace, Satchel's Pizza

that night, HOT GRAVES played a show at 1982.

the awesome band SHROUD EATER stayed with us and we went out for a fro-yo date on saturday.

jean + janette + colby's = friends for life.

WHO LOVES FRO-YO? WE DO!

here i have to say i am a jerk, because janette took the 3 photos that are pretty and clear, then the one i take of HER is not in focus. i fail at my own new camera :( and jean is technically drinking an iced coffee beverage here, but i assure you, she loved the 'yo.

later on we headed to st. augustine for the next show. here are some artsy around-town photos i couldn't resist showing you because DAMN this little camera is special.

ok, one of those is from gville. bragging rights to whoever guesses correctly.

we got back to gainesville around 3 in the am and somehow rallied and busted into the bag of goodies janette bestowed upon us and hilarity ensued.

HOLY CRAP. we totally supersized the awesome in last weekend.

shenanigans.

2011-07-21T08:48:00.000-04:00

that first photo is highly cinematic, no? and somewhat haunting. hope i haven't scared you.

oh right, WHY? last weekend my friend angel celebrated her birthday with a classic-story themed murder mystery party. i rarely pass up an excuse to dress up and when i saw the character choices, i knew exactly what i had to do. the lovely ginnine let me borrow the cape she made with her own two hands for her red riding hood halloween costume back in 2007. she does beautiful work. jesse was the other hood, robin hood, that is. and he crafted his own bow and arrow from some downed branches and twine (and an arrowhead out of cardboard and duct tape). before dinner, we got in some target practice.

and the table was set. fabulous dinner made by angel's sister, charity, and brother-in-law, tyler. Charity's storybook cake was amazing.

general merriment ensued. there were all sorts of characters . . angel was snow white, there was sherlock holmes, rapunzel, count dracula, john silver, the mad hatter, the wicked witch, (and more!) and even a little one-year-lold scheherazade! angel's dog even joined in on the role-playing as one of the seven dwarves - sleepy, of course.

i love it when everybody is a good sport and dresses up. well done, everyone. well done.

now gearing up for this weekend. heading to gainesville for the HOT GRAVES 7" release show. and brother + nephew time. verymuchlookingforwardtoit.

xo,

raena riding hood

the future.

2011-07-13T10:06:00.002-04:00

the future is veiled.

well, you know, OBVIOUSLY. but i barely even think about "the future". yes, i consider consequences of actions and am thoughtful of interactions and relationships. but thinking into the future holds no value.

my most feared job interview question has always been, "where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?" because i just DO NOT see myself anywhere in 5 or 10 years. in the past, i've given canned answers, but i'm a terrible bullshitter and, i'm sure, entirely transparent. luckily i don't have those kinds of interview questions or concerns in my current line of work.

i don't know if it's that i don't care or if i have just accepted the futility of musing about something i have absolutely zero control over. this line of thinking leads me to excessive eye-rolling at people who DO have some overarching 25-year plan because come on, dude. who do you think you are talking in absolutes like that? maybe this is sad and means i have no vision or ambition, but that doesn't seem to resonate either. i'm definitely a planner for the more immediate goals (3-6 months tops), but ask me where i think my career is going, if i'm going to make babies one day, or where i want to "settle down" and i stammer slack-jawed, stare at the floor, and shift from foot to foot.

people expect you to have a master plan and long-term goals. i think it's because it makes everyone feel more comfortable, as if they have some semblance of control.

big changes are coming and i'm trying to let that wash over me. because i don't know what the outcome will be. for now i will just let it all happen and try to pay some attention to the things that matter.

mon sky light.

beach snobbery.

2011-06-23T06:35:00.001-04:00

"oh the Outer Banks? oh yes, hah hah hah [superior laugh], i summer there . . "

-me last weekend

ok ok ok, it was more like 48 hours of awesome-beach-house-with-the-bf's-family time. but you get the picture. in case you don't though, following are some ACTUAL pictures. ha! oh man!

we arrived around midnight wednesday night/thursday morning. somehow, i woke before anyone else to a completely amazing sunrise. i didn't even mind that i was no longer sleeping and quite exhausted from listening to the dog get up and down and strain her ears (YES, this makes noise. somehow) all damn night. i mean, just look.

and the sun rose in my hairs.

and continued to blind a couple of Nelmans.

and then, to my great enjoyment, some children arose and proceeded to climb all over me.

then we took bouvie to the beach for the first time. i think she liked it. there's sand on her little pink mouf!

she left her temporary mark.

THEN we went to a beach where WILD HORSES [!!!] live and roam the dunes. we drove around for about an hour before seeing any. but it was totally worth the wait because there was a mom and her little baby horse walking together. then the momma decides "hey, i'm gonna lay down and roll around in the sand," and the baby is all, "ok, i'll walk/trot around in a circle while you do that," and a bird was like, "i'll fly by while you guys do that." and 'lo, it was awesome.

then they walked over to join their other horse friends waiting for them by the water. and the crowd goes wild.

this really happened. this was real life. for 48 hours anyway.

my diddy.

2011-06-15T06:52:00.000-04:00

my dad is a righteous dad.

my diddy and his diddy before him.

i am the person that i am today in large part due to my father. he shares the spot at the top of my "List of People Who Have Most Influenced Who I Have Turned Out to Be (I Sure Hope I Made Them Proud)" with only my mother and brother. they best the competition by a large margin. in the spirit of Father's Day (this sunday, kids! don't forget!), i shall now formally bestow thanks for the following:

teaching me how to take a compliment. there is grace in this.
conveying the importance of proper grammar and how it is a powerful tool for making people take you seriously. most paramount - DO NOT END SENTENCES IN PREPOSITIONS.
being raised in a musical house.
working hard his whole life to provide for his family. especially the braces. thank you so much for the braces.
leading by example.
the careful, noninvasive judgment reserved for some UNworthy boyfriends. you were right, dad. thank you for letting me figure it out on my own though.
indulging my lofty desires for dad-made goods.

exhibit A: the awesome make-up organizer i asked him to craft for me last year. i'm all "hey dad, do you think you can make this?" and he's all "um i don't know don't expect too much" then BOOM! awesomely perfect awesomeness:
exhibit B: this ADORABLE wooden whale that sits on my desk and holds pens and pencils and post-it notes and even my phone!!

lastly, and perhaps most importantly, always being there. being present. a full-time father who built me up and let me know there was never a moment that my dad was not there to hold my hand, stand behind me, and support me.

in conclusion, thanks for being all-round awesome, dad, and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!! i freakin' love you, ya dirty so-and-so!!

leaving DC.

2011-05-27T08:51:00.000-04:00

moving. again.

moving still sucks. unfortunately there have been no major technological breakthroughs in moving over the past ~2 years and you still just have to muscle through it.

WHAT:
we are leaving DC, which is incredibly sad and surreal to me. it didn't hit me until last weekend as i started packing some things up that we were actually leaving and i felt helpless and despaired for a moment (or five). Pity, party of 1.

WHERE:
we are moving into my work apartment in richmond, VA. though it will only be my work apartment for another month as i have accepted a new contract down in SFL to start at the end of june. nothing like piling change on top of change, right? my cup runneth over. i have a lease at the apartment until november though, and who knows where we will need to live by then? so we shall put a bunch of stuff in storage and move there for now.

WHY:
DC is an incredibly awesome and expensive place to live. jesse has graduated from georgetown law (cum laude!!!) and will be looking for a job and studying for the Bar over the next couple of months . . so it makes sense to do all this in a much less expensive (and much less awesome, HAHAHAHAHA. oh.) place.

WHEN:
tomorrow. ::whimper::

the one good thing i can come up with about leaving DC is that i won't have to play tour guide and visit museums and monuments that i've been to a zillion times now with each new guest who comes a-calling. oh, and not being subject to photo speeding tickets and parking tickets all the time and constantly worrying if i've parked in an ok spot. oh, and not feeling the hostility oozing out of the pores of the crazy racist african american extremist groups that yell all manner of TERRIBLE things about white people at the gallery place/chinatown metro stop. oh, and driving . . anywhere. but otherwise, you know, complete devastation.

and just a little tribute . . in and around the city. sighs around.

*click for bigger*

my spring '11 lookbook: i bore you with more stripes.

2011-05-11T11:03:00.000-04:00

seriously, who do i think i am with all these stripes? i have no explanation other than: this is what i'm into right now.

my fantasy regarding this dress is that some large-ish party would be thrown in my honor, for once, not at my own bidding, and i would appear in this dress and someone would hand me a bouquet of balloons (visual aid below) and i would be gracious and all, "oh! my! for ME??" then i would twirl around, letting the skirt flare up (modestly, unlike the Flashing Incident of My Birthday Party 2006, *ahemjustinmeredithkristin*), and then pause gracefully while everyone moves in closer for hugs. general merriment ensues.

nice, right?

i've had this dress for 3+ years and this scenario has never come to fruition. so here's to keeping the hope alive.

dress + belt: Kohl's; shoes: BCBGirls.

it's very much a party dress in my opinion and i wish i had more occasion to wear it. thus concludes "my spring '11 lookbook". AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW (+ the "gimme" gesture a la SNL's favorite city correspondent Stefon). to recap:

*clickies*

perhaps there will be a summer version. who knows? the month of may is extremely busy, including a move out of DC and into statim temporalis, eliminating my fancy kitchen studio. so. yes. you just never know what one good bird is gonna throw atcha.

destination elsewhere.

2011-05-04T09:10:00.001-04:00

i am officially out of it today. i woke up around 2 am with a crazy sinus headache. as usual when this happens, i try to go back to sleep without taking any medicine. this fails me every time. i got up and drank 2 full glasses of water hoping that would help. i filled my glass again and promptly spilled the entire contents directly on my open and active macbook. ha? hoo boy. hoping for the best there.

decided to read. i finished the first Dexter book (so disappointing . . rarely do i find a movie/tv series to be better than the novel, but in this case, the show is faaaaarrrrrrrr superior) and started Fight Club. gave up and took medicine and finally fell back asleep around 4:30. this combo induced odd dreams. 2 hours later = alarm. gross.

now i sit here in a state of Through the Looking Glass, wishing i could be anywhere but here (i.e., work). perhaps back on vacation . . somewhere in the ocean near the Cayman Islands, smooching stingrays, floating in the warm tropical seas . .

*click for bigger* ahhhhhh.

or perhaps just back at my apartment snuggled up on the lovesac taking naps and listening to the rain. or maybe fluffing it up nice and big and running and dive-bombing the hell out of it, just for kicks. i do that sometimes too.

yeah. it's like that.

my spring '11 lookbook: hello sailor!

2011-04-27T09:16:00.000-04:00

funny story . . is the worst way to start off any anecdote. it's egotistical and sets the expectations of your audience WAY too high. therefore i will not make such a boast and will instead say . .

story. i wore this ensemble on the cruise we took back in march on the "formal night". it's not really that formal, per se, but it seemed fitting (obvious reasons). upon exiting our cabin, the room attendant stopped us and made a big deal about how i looked "nice and everything", but warned me that there were hundreds of single women on the boat looking "just as good" as me and that i had better hold on tightly to my man. WTF, breaux?

what i wanted to say: i know you're giving me your best charming smile and foreign accent and seaworthy know-how and towel-folding-animal-sculpture-prowess and all, but you are being a complete - how do you say? - D-BAG.

what i actually said: ha. um. ok. bye.

jesse the rest of the evening: smug as hell.

i like to think i presented a twee bit better than just "nice and everything".

*click for bigger*

dress: Pinup Girl Clothing (yes, again); shoes: TOMS wedges.

i will now leave the deciding up to you via this fancy poll. please answer. for the good of humanity.

what do you think? eh?

post 100! a celebratory mood.

2011-04-19T10:03:00.003-04:00

last weekend's trip to florida was filled with equal parts tragedy and triumph. i am choosing, however, to not mention the tragic parts in any detail and to focus on letting the good times roll. savvy?

my dad's 60th birthday party was a complete success! he did not wish to have a Giant Inflatable Slip-n-Slide a la my 30th bday party (his loss), but instead had fine spirits, excellent food, and merry company. our wonderfully talented friend Carla (of Tasteful Simplicity!) made him not one, but two UH-MAY-ZING cakes to suit his fancy: one in the likeness of his favorite fishy prey, a snook; and the second - an exact replica of one of his favorite rums, Pampero Aniversario.

*click for bigger*

incredible, right? the rum bottle was a delicious carrot cake and the snook was red velvet - with rice crispy treat fins - genius!! it sat on the larger "deck" that was dual layers of chocolate and vanilla. one might say that Carla knows what she's doing.

cutting into the red velvet fish was awesome . . i'm sure you can imagine its realistic nature, but here are some visual aids:

and although it was my dad's party, after much begging and pleading, he allowed me to invite two of my favorite ladies, Iris and Kelly. we were just a regular gaggle of good time gals together.

*click for bigger*

i also enjoyed my nephew. most especially, right when he woke up in the morning, due to his snuggly, happy nature upon waking, and his awesome devil-may-care morning hair.

lastly . . this is my 100th blog post!!!! 100 entries of pure, unadulterated one-good-bird-ness! i feel as though there should be more fanfare around this event, but i'll leave it at that.

my spring '11 lookbook: mon dieu.

2011-04-14T09:02:00.001-04:00

today i hearken back to my french roots. well, i suppose they are "alleged" french roots, but don't worry, everybody. soon i shall find out ALL about my genetic composition (a la www.23andme.com) and share the real truth with you. tangential, but exciting. i wrote before about my color-ruts when shopping for clothes. it seems my new rut is stripes. because i really love them and am very happy that they are "in" right now so that i may enjoy the diverse selections at my disposal at most every shopportunity. (ewwwwww)

so here is my french-ish stripey dress that i think would've looked much better with red lipstick, now that i think about it, and am beating myself up over such an oversight. forgive?

dress/belt: Pinup Girl Clothing; shoes: BCBGirls

i love Pinup Girl Clothing. i've acquired several pieces from there and they always fit me like a glove. do appreesh. though i did modify this dress . . it originally had a kind of silly-looking bow on the front collar with a little skull pin. i found it distracting and promptly removed it. much cuter this way. just imagine the red lipstick, mk? or perhaps a little red scarf action?

now is time to get ready for FLORIDA!! going home for my dad's 60th birthday. i can't wait to see friends and family and bask in the florida heat. oh man. i wonder if i will ever return to live there again? i do miss it so.

my spring '11 lookbook: slightly dressy.

2011-04-04T07:23:00.000-04:00

people don't invite me to weddings. i can only assume it's because a) i am no fun at all; b) i buy crappy presents; c) i WILL NOT PARTICIPATE in stupid activities like trying to catch a bouquet or dancing in congo lines (see point a); or d) people i know just don't get married. i've been to 6 weddings since the year 1999. no, really.

back to the point . . if i WAS invited to celebrate a loved one's nuptials this spring, i think i would wear this little green number. in fact, this is the dress that i wore to the last wedding i attended (in 2008 - it still fits!).

dress: BCBG; shoes: don't know i've had them for 5 years and they are neat; accessory: balloons.

for a while there, everything i bought was green. i go through these sorts of phases . . green is the first one i can remember. then it was orange. then turquoise. then, and now, gray. been stuck there for a while. but it's spring now and it's time for some color, right, little lambs? don't hold me to it in subsequent posts though . . there are lots of stripes in my immediate future. stay tuned.

currently awesome: jesse + bouvie.

2011-03-29T09:50:00.000-04:00

(last night) mine eyes are tired and strained from a 13+ hr day in front of a computer, and my body kind of hurts all over, but these photos from last saturday are still making me laugh.

*click for bigger*

ok, i'm ready to do it again now.

my spring '11 lookbook: casual sauce.

2011-03-24T06:52:00.002-04:00

geez . . i've been trying to post something here for the last 2 weeks. now i am sitting in front of my computer, trying to pound something out at 9 pm after a fantastic dinner out with my co-workers and i'm finding it difficult to focus completely after the 3 adult beverages i had. what? we have 70+-hour weeks coming starting this sunday. give us a break already.

last saturday, m'lady jenn of roots of she came over and we did a little photoshoot. it was great. i broke out the greenish-blue seamless backdrop (and also made her go up on the roof and though seemingly so sunny and warm, it was COLD and windy - she's a Trooper) and went to town. i bought balloons for the occasion (which shall be appearing over the next several weeks+, you'll see) to fulfill a vision i'd had for quite some time. and jenn delivered.

isn't she lovely?
i decided while everything was set up and since it's officially all spring now (never-minding the snow that's supposed to arrive on saturday?), that i would embark upon a project to show you all my spring lookbook for 2011. er . . as i see it anyway. in raena's world. things that are being worn. by me. raena. indulge me for the next several weeks+, mkay?

so, first up, a casual outfit:

jeans: g-star; shirt: target; cardigan: anthropologie; shoes: crocs; hat: urban outfitters; other accessory: DOG

speaking of . . dude . . how cute is this dog with a balloon? amirite?

hot shower time. and i vow to not post until the morning when i can look this over and make sure it ~~is not completely embarrassing~~ makes sense.

uninspired.

2011-03-02T07:35:00.001-05:00

i can't seem to find the inspiration to post anything here lately. been busy, stressed, haven't picked up my camera in weeks. i have tried and just look at my camera like "what? nothing? really? hmm, ok. maybe next weekend." perhaps i'll feel differently after my long overdue vacation next week? surely jet skiing, snorkeling with sting rays, shopping for jewelry, riding horses on the beach, and hiking up waterfalls will stimulate my creative reservoir. SO looking forward to trading in my coat and gloves for shorts, flip flops, and bathing suits. oh and quality time with jesse and these very special ladies:

taking it back to thanksgiving 2006? och. can't wait for sunday!!

braidses.

2011-02-08T07:09:00.002-05:00

when in crisis mode, do something frivolous and girly. oh and document it.

case in point: saturday.

i realized that i hadn't taken the time to test out my charcoal seamless paper backdrop yet, so it was time. i did my make-up, braided my hair all up, and busted out my ultra-comfortable (and admittedly dance-inspired) around-the-apartment wear and did the thang. gray on gray may seem a bit boring, but i was feeling moody and liked the results.

i've the following to say:

a) the charcoal background suits me so well as far as my gray-obsession goes. uncanny i haven't tried it sooner.
b) photo editing is my zen activity. i love it. far more than the act of taking photos, in fact. i'm one of those snobby i-don't-show-anyone-photos-that-have-not-been-edited type of jerks.
c) self-portraiture is challenging, yet it's easier than working with flakyass models.
d) i find myself using my 50mm lens almost exclusively these days. can't put it down.

during set-up/tear-down of my impromptu kitchen studio, someone else felt inclined to get in on the action. far be it from me to turn away such a looker!

bring it, tuesday.

loosely related ponderances and overusage of parentheses.

2011-02-02T06:55:00.002-05:00

AN ANNIVERSARY:
10 years ago this month i purchased my first cell phone. the office where i worked received a faxed (ha!) advertisement for a "valentine's day special" from cingular wireless. at least, i think that's what they were called back then. the phone (some sort of prehistoric nokia) was free. and i have the same phone number today. added shock value for you 20-somethings (and under): there was no text messaging. GASP!!

LIFE FULFILLMENT:
as i sat in my work-apartment-kitchen last night catching up on blogs and having "dinner", i began to ponder how fulfilling my current life/work situation is. i'm not unhappy, but when i realized what i was doing 3-4 nights a week while at work away from home, i thought "wow, this is pretty lame". i come home from work (which on its own has been pretty boring and frustrating lately), do my workout, shower, eat, tinker on my computer, read a book, then fall asleep. it's all very solitary. not that i think i should be going out and being around people every night as i like my alone time. but i have the general feeling that i could/should be accomplishing something more. i've now been traveling for work for 3 whole years (another anniversary - next week). wow.

SOMEWHAT RELATED:
i miss my family and my friends in FL and think about you all so very often.

ON NEEDING A BREAK:
just call me Nell Carter. i do this fancy thing with my hands when explaining my threshhold for stress that doesn't translate well to the written word. if you will, imagine me holding my hands about a foot apart whilst proclaiming, "this is my reservoir!" and listing the things currently filling it up - evicting my tenant in FL, "tax planning", forming an s-corp, talking to multiple attorneys/accountants about how to accomplish these things, not knowing where the hell i will be living when june comes along, etc. etc. - and moving my hands closer and closer together until they are almost touching. which means BWAA! BWAA! WARNING! NEARING CAPACITY!

this leaves very little space for dealing with normal every day tasks, such as standing in line at the grocery store (behind TWO people writing checks - COMETHEFREAKONREALLY?!?!!). in this state, those tasks are excrutiating and push me to the brink of Internal Meltdown.

hmm. upon further reflection, perhaps it's a good thing i spend so much time alone.

ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE:
6-day western caribbean cruise is now little more than a month away. thank the maker. also, i love our new roommate. i miss her muchly during the week. wish i was home with her now.

i think i had better quit there.

new roommate.

2011-01-17T09:22:00.002-05:00

what with the economy in the shitter and the rising cost of living and the absurdity of hoop-jumping one must go through to live in a city like washington, dc, who wouldn't need a roommate?!

don't misunderstand; jesse and i like our 726 square feet of 1 BR (+ a den!) apartment just fine, but we got a wild hair and decided to look for a roommate to share our little slice of the nation's capital. a half-hearted search began last august. didn't yield much. we began a full-fledged search in october with a more steadfast and dedicated approach. some prospects arose right before christmas, but you know . . the holidays, man. nobody returns calls or emails. so we stagnated a bit.

over new year's weekend we met THEE perfect roommate. she was everything we desired in a cute little package. she needed us and we needed her. so simple. we invited her into our home and she moved in last thursday night.

her name is Bouvier (fancy!) found at Bonnie Blue Rescue in Richmond, VA (AMAZING peeps). she is about 2 years old. and she is at least 7 kinds of awesome.

her hobbies include wagging her entire rear end, smelling things, curious meetings with strangers, looking pretty, and long walks in the crisp city air.

*click for bigger*

oh! and dancing!

it's been more than 3 years since i had this kind of doggie love in my life and i couldn't be happier about it. our first weekend with her has been awesome . . she's a complete snuggler and constantly cracks us up. so here's to life-altering commitments and crushing anxiety between my thumb and forefinger. heart.

anxiety-1; raena-0

2011-01-11T10:26:00.002-05:00

i don't consider myself a particularly neurotic person (i guess there will never be a leading female sitcom character based on me!) . . until i have to do something that requires a fair to moderate level of commitment. meaning that i operate on a low-anxiety level until i have to do something like a) buy a car; b) sign a lease on an apartment; c) meet with an attorney about what to do about my house in FL that will never ever sell and will always be a PAIN IN THE ASS; etc. you know, major life decision type things.

just this week, i happen to be engaging in 3 of these kinds of activities and it's a bit much for me to handle. logistics, man! how will it work?! what if it doesn't work?! i had a full-on nightmare last night. like i woke up heaving and panting and str8 up scared. i had to turn the light on and and try to think happy thoughts.

deep breaths. so here is a reminder to myself and anyone else who might be having an anxious day/week/month to just let yer durn hair down and not worry so much. it will work out. i mean, it WILL, right?

*click for bigger*

2010 photographic year in review.

2010-12-31T08:13:00.002-05:00

yes, here it is. the much-anticipated 2010 photographic year in review! finally! last post of the year! get with it!!

i had a good/challenging time going through the photos i've taken through the year . . it was kind of annoying as there were 30-something folders to sift through to find favorites, and, as evidenced below, some months are rather lean (*cough* APRIL *cough* NOVEMBER *cough*) and i wanted 3 photos for each month. i attribute these slim pickin's to the months i had go-lives at work. who knew that 70-80 hr weeks would sap me of my creativity? snarf.

ok . . without further ado . . favorite clicks of 2010. thanks for reading/looking, little lambs. happy new year!! fireworks! explosions! drunk make-outs!

*click for bigger*

family acrobatics: a christmas miracle.

2010-12-28T08:38:00.002-05:00

christmas is a time for giving, caring, sharing, and (allegedly) for running full speed and jumping over your smaller family members.

that's how we do.

whoa, it's december.

2010-12-16T11:46:00.003-05:00

i think i may have somehow been pulled into a black hole for the last 3-4 weeks. i mean, christmas is in a ~week. how? what? where?? good thing i stopped the "tradition" of christmas shopping or i'd probably be freaking out right now. especially because we're getting the first snow of this winter, meaning i will be stuck in my apartment until they dig me out in the spring.

kidding. sort of.

work (in richmond) sent us home last night so we could all hold up in our respective homesteads and be warm and snuggly and sip hot cocoa by the laptopside and do softwarey stuff as required. as of last night, i have also begun fighting the good fight in order to not become completely incapacitated by this looming cold. NAY, says i. nay. that's 2 nays, in case you were counting (heh, mykel).

so as i work dutifully i am engaging in the following activities:

listening to my brother's grow radio show mix from last night. it's good. listen to it.
wearing my favorite color combination of orange and gray.

watching the snow fall out the window.

and accumulate on my car.

and sipping on my favorite Numi tea.

now back to some regularly scheduled softwarey things.

pocket project.

2010-11-23T09:03:00.003-05:00

several awesome things happened over the weekend. including but not limited to the following:

went home to DC after 2 weeks away.
received my photoflex octodome 3' softbox kit!
got a new pair of shoes.
finally figured out nikon's CLS (creative lighting system) and feel like an idiot for waiting this long.
we the pizza night AND taco night.
finally delved into the pocket project. allow me to essplain . .

i am partial to garments with pockets in them. when i am out buying clothes, if a dress or skirt does not have pockets i a) get angry - why o' why would a designer eliminate this all-important element?!; and b) see if said garment has side seams and assess whether or not i could add pockets of my own. which i've been saying i will get around to for about a year now. therefore, using this very helpful tutorial along with numbers 2, 3, and 4 above, voila! le projet de poche! (french makes "the pocket project" fancy?)

*click for bigger*

guess what i'm thankful for this thanksgiving?? i mean besides baby animals, fro-yo, and my camera? pockets, of course!

making your monday - video style.

2010-11-15T05:04:00.002-05:00

in case you were wondering, yes, work has been eating me alive. thanks for asking! it's go-live time again and today starts week 3 of our ever-enduring and supportive . . er . . support. i worked both weekend shifts and saturday was grueling not in its intensity and amount of busy-ness, but in the amount of nothingness going on. so i brought my personal computer and decided to delve into Photos From the Past and was instantly inspired. i feverishly asked my brother mykel (LZRKMMNDR) if he had 30 seconds of music that i could use for the project i was working on - something upbeat and kind of happy-ish. after a few minutes of what i imagine was him going through files upon files of music, he said something like "how about i just make you something right now?" and i was all "OHMYYESS!".

as he was conjuring Beats From Beyond, he said, "i feel like i'm making video game music." you'll understand shortly.

less than 30 minutes later, he sent me 33 seconds of brand-spankin-new original LZRKMMNDR myewzik and i set to work on a series of photos i took way back in 2006 on a visit home to FL using my fisheye lens attachment. it made me really happy to make and watch this video. here's hoping it will cheer all those who gaze upon it and offer me encouragement as i embark upon this final (hopefully?) week of ~~hell~~ go-live support. love ya. mean it.

fall 2010, second annual jumping festival, and pumpkins.

2010-10-25T06:49:00.004-04:00

you do it once, it's just plain fun. do it for the second time, about a year later, and it's a tradition.

over the weekend, we returned to the National Arboretum to capture the magic again. we love that place. and we found a much better/easier/overall-more-efficient way to get there, so that is awesome. sadly, very few trees are changing colors as of yet. but we visited what proved to be the prettiest tree last year, and were not disappointed. we had an 8-year-olds' picnic (PBJ + chips) under it and became entranced by the reflection of all the pretty in each others' sunglasses.

then we got down to the very serious business of jumping photos to rival last year's. in all, i shot something like 267 photos. i edited down to 160. and i figured the very best way to share them all is to fly through them in 1 minute and 30 seconds via stop-action style video!

music: "the hardest geometry problem in the world" Rushmore OST.

man, i am SO SORE ALL OVER MY BODAY from all that horsin' around. no joke. this is when i realize that i'm "old".

THEEENN on sunday we carved $3 giant-ass pumpkins! this was accomplished whilst watching The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Great Pumpkin, and The Monster Squad (in that order). and i have no idea why it took that long? maybe because we didn't have any "proper" tools and just used reguar knives; so my hand cramped up like crazy, but the end result was worth it.

i love the stem on mine . . it's all thick and twisty and still green. you don't get pumpkins like that in FL, and certainly NOT for only $3. hmmm, there you have it. our 2nd FALL in DC has started off with a resounding "YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

i love my friends: version iris.0

2010-10-18T06:19:00.003-04:00

i'm so lucky to have all of the people that i love in my life. every single one of them. i'm even more lucky to have friends in my life like iris . . a person that i can be completely myself around, who brings out my best self, and a person i can tell any(damn)thing to and know without a shadow of a doubt that there will be no judgment of any kind. only support and understanding. and she will ~~probably~~ undoubtedly make me laugh too.

iris came to visit me in DC the weekend before last and i decided to showcase her drop-dead-beautiful self in a series of photos. we busted out my camera, seamless backdrop, and lighting setup around 11 pm saturday night and it was somehow the perfect time. there are so many beautiful shots of iris that it's difficult for me to choose my favorites. i mean . . just look at her.

*click for bigger*

and then there are all of these gems!

she is a complete natural in front of the camera and was so much fun. after so many great shots, i asked jesse to jump in and take some photos of iris and i together with our brand new faux fur hats that we will be rocking this winter WHAAAAT. jesse did an awesome job, even if he was grumpy about it.

here's me wishing i could see iris every weekend. i guess i'll just have to gaze upon these photos whenever i am missing her.

the business of busyness.

2010-10-05T10:04:00.006-04:00

it seems that the depletion of my creativity reserves is approaching a threat level of orange. i blame the following things:

work. is gearing up. less than a month until another go-live and 14 hour days. the anxiety-inducing feeling that i'm forgetting something has begun to wash over me.

my house in FL. my tenant continues to suck the life out of me. her name appears an overwhelming 14 times (i counted) in my "recent calls" list on my phone. in less than 2 weeks. hate.

a looming large purchase. draaaagggggging on.

interpersonal relationships. these require attention.

errands. i really detest errands. i've had so many places i've had to be and appointments to be on time for that have eaten up all of my "free" time. makes me a little frantic.

and fun. yes, i blame having fun. which has kept me very occupied and gratefully sane amongst the rest of my crazy. thank you to those who have contributed.

i've barely picked up my camera for anything fun in the past several weeks. i've left that to other people, including photographer Dave McIntosh, with whom i did a photoshoot . . WITH A HORSE!!!!!!!!! how fun and awesome is that?! you KNOW i love horses. the photographer, make-up artist, the HORSE (!! named Storm), and horse-handler were all so great. here, just see for yourself:

*click for bigger*

even though my adductor muscles* are still ~~on fire~~ sore, 'twas a great experience and it's nice to take in someone else's creative process. hopefully it will rub off on me.

and in closing - my dad is really AWESOME. more on that later.

*thank you, gavin.

one last look.

2010-09-15T08:38:00.002-04:00

there are no words for how much i love fall. yes, yes, everyone says it. but i'm just SURE that i FEEL it on a much deeper level than anyone else. after all, it's my world. you're just living in it.

the onset of fall. that slightly skewed angle of the sun, making everything look just a teeny tiny bit surreal. the slightly yellow-tinged light filtering through the trees on the side of the highway. the slightly drier air floating on the breeze. it's amaaaazzzziiiinnnngg!!!

BUT . . i'm not quite ready to let the summer go.

because i really enjoyed digging my toes into soft, northerly grasses.

and the creepy deserted-summer-camp-horror-movie atmosphere at this lake.

and this view.

and lazy fans lifting the curtains with their breeze.

sssiiigh. ok, i think now i'm ready. i feel that change is a'comin'.

my faves: labor day weekend 2010.

2010-09-08T09:34:00.002-04:00

lots of things happened last weekend that were my favorite, including but not limited to the following:

i went home to FL and stayed at my brother's house in gainesville and we had a pizza party.
took my nephew duney on our first fro-yo date.
went down to south FL to my parents' house (first visit in a year!).
saw lots of old friends out on the town.
had a dang pirate party that was off the hook.
went cruising on the Indian River with some fwends.
general awesomeness.

and, of course, photos.

duney waiting for his party to start:

pirate dune and his new friend captain preston:

pirate dune and his untee raena:

preston in the giant inflatable bubble . . one of my favorite photos of ever:

mom and max . . max should've had an eye patch:
ashley and preston awwwwwwws:

kelly, me, ginnine. some hot pirates. i miss my jon waters-esque/johnny depp-ish mustache.

even though dune doesn't look excited, i assure you that he really really was:

my diddy:

and the next morning . . still in costume:

in all, such a great weekend. even if i am now coming down with whatever bug my parents had. still great.

office of future plans.

2010-09-01T08:20:00.002-04:00

adventures in band photography continue apace. you'd think i'd be getting better at it by now, but this time i took a wayward jaunt down the path of high ISO, and i'm not sure that it agreed with me. i ventured into this risky territory last saturday night whilst watching Office of Future Plans perform at Ottobar in Baltimore, MD as part of BiMA fest. they played a really great show after a far-too-long-6-month-show-hiatus (she remarked, after finally having seen them for the first time).

as a random side-note, Duff from that show Ace of Cakes has a band and they played right before OFP. look! evidence shot while testing out ISO and flash settings!

which was apparently not as random as i first suspected, since his cake shop/store/whateveryoucallit is actually right down the street from the venue. still a "who knew?!" moment for yours truly.

getting back on track . . Office of Future Plans played . .

and it was good.

*click for bigger*
go, guys, go! i'm already looking forward to their next performance, which is yet to be scheduled (or at least publicized), but will probably be somewhere in the DC/MD/VA area. yay for living in DC! eat your hearts out people everywhere else!

guest blogger: the jesse edition.

2010-08-30T12:05:00.002-04:00

after many photographic and editorial appearances on this blog, jesse now makes a juicy contribution. i have promised not to edit it at all, so here you go, straight from jesse. whom i appreciate very much for loving me and thinking i'm cute.

*****************************************************************
I’m sure we’ve all witnessed our special someone do something that is quite simply, adorable. Believe it or not, Raena too has her moments. But Raena’s cuteness has slowly become my downfall. On more than one occasion, Raena has caught me staring at her in a daze to which she remarks in the most snarky voice ever, “What, am I doing something cute?” Raena has become annoyed by how often I end up staring at her with a big fat smile across my face. But in my defense, she just doesn’t see what I do. I try to explain what I had seen or heard but anything else than the real thing will ultimately pale in comparison. Being the innovative law student that I am, I decided to create some evidence.

Attached is a video of Raena at her best. I hate to brag, but I am a video ninja. This video was taken with Raena being none the wiser. I began filming underneath the dinner table and did not place the camera on the tabletop until Raena was significantly distracted. It could be the effect of the homemade key lime pie, the almond flavored whipped cream, or the freshly made mojito, but regardless, Raena’s cuteness is out of control. I particularly enjoy the “boink”, the girlish noises syncing with her shoulder dance, and the hardy laugh from nowhere.

Maybe with the surfacing of this video Raena will cut me some slack. One can only hope.

my first video.

2010-08-23T11:09:00.003-04:00

that's right. i'm delving head-first into the realm of video! with much trepidation! yes!

with anxiety in check, i'm forging ahead. one of the reasons i wanted to upgrade my camera in the first place was so that i could embark upon some video projects and i figured that jesse's family reunion would be a decent place to start. so i did and then i compiled it and put some music behind it and edited it and this is my first time so please go easy on me.

as mentioned, this was shot at jesse's 2nd annual family reunion, Nelman Fest 2010. i used a combination of lenses, but loved the look of my fixed 50mm best (even though it's hard to change focus at a low f-stop). the 18-55mm looked really grainy in the outdoors setting for some reason. and actually, the clip of the kids being spun around is from my iPhone. mixed media! the music is "The Church of Cause and Effect" from The Mercury Program's Chez Viking album, and it is lovely. i hope you like it.

once i started editing the video, i LOVED doing it. i could sit there for hours and hours honing and getting it just right. so i will definitely be doing more of this, and hopefully getting much better at it.

almost-wordless-wednesday: paper umbrella edition.

2010-08-18T08:34:00.003-04:00

ain't no party like a miniature-paper-umbrella party.

*the "it's raining on me let me protect myself" photo was clicked by jesse.

it's my birthday and i'll blog if i want to.

2010-08-16T17:19:00.003-04:00

it's long and has lots of pictures because that's how i like it!

i see my birthdate all the time, everywhere. i look at the clock and it's exactly 8:16. i buy something and it costs $8.16. it's the day of High Voltage (according to the Astrological Book of Birthdays), also madonna's and charles bukowski's birthdays. and the day that elvis died.

growing up, we celebrated birthday weeks, which spoiled me for all time, obviously. now i settle for birthday weekends, because who has a whole week anymore?! so once a year, i take license to make founded demands ("can you get me some orange juice? it's my birthday!", "you have to take out the garbage - it's my birthday!", "hang this map on the wall - it's my birthday!*", etc.) and expect special treatment.

this year's celebration started off last thursday night (an extra night!) with my favorite goat cheese and basil and butternut squash ravioli from eastern market and a delivery tin of gourmet chocolate dipped peanut butter cookies, courtesy of my pal justin. friday consisted of some errands and then having meredith over for taco night! we had veggie tacos, mojitos and homemade key lime pie. mmmmm.

saturday i indulged in a monster workout, and it's a good thing i did because upon exiting the shower, my voicemail informed me that i had a delivery from Georgetown Cupcake waiting for me downstairs. courtesy of my momma.

by jesse.
i then did a little shopping and hit the town for dinner, fro-yo, then meet-ups with friends at Churchkey, a spot that had nice ambiance, decor, and good music, but was very crowded in a way that made me a little antsy.

sunday morning, jesse tempted me with blueberry pancakes. i said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and then caved for a solo heart-shaped pancake. because, really, what kind of heathen would say no?

[gone in 60 seconds (or less!)]

then jesse surprised me throughout the day with a few gifts, the most unexpectedly awesome being a set of the Marvel Comics Ender's Game graphic novels. nerd alert! but i don't care! i don't care what you think!

and while i busied myself FINALLY hanging my awesome rasterized yeti in the bedroom . .

notice the messy bed to made bed. ha.
*he was FINALLY hanging the map i got him for valentine's day (yes - february, it's now august), and when i walked out, THIS was hanging in the map's spot, all wrapped!!

i love it. then i decided i wanted breakfast for dinner in order to have a legitimate portion of pancakes, so we made ricotta pancakes and got down widdit. they were delicious, but i was on total sugar overload and had a TURRIBLE headache and went to bed on heavy medication.

cue gross, woozy feeling today. 08.16. i arrived at work, greeted by ANOTHER homemade dozen lovely chocolate chip with peanut butter frosting cupcakes AND piggy-shaped cookies AND biscuits from scratch!! come on, man. so feeling the love. and the ridonkulously dangerous caloric intake.

even though it is quite clear that everyone is trying to fatten me up this year, i'm chalking this one up to a BIG WIN.

♥

i heart jordyn.

2010-08-11T15:09:00.002-04:00

this is jordyn rae. she is going to be 3 years old on sunday (the day before MY birthday!!!!). i heart her a lot. and last saturday we did this:

*click for bigger*

her little face. aaahhh!!

texts from my mom.

2010-08-04T11:30:00.003-04:00

like most of the other cell-phone-toting peoples of earth, i enjoy a good text message. i even enjoy mediocre text messages. in fact, the only text messages i do NOT enjoy are those that involve people a) arguing with me; b) spamming me; or c) breaking hearts and promises. luckily a-c are rarely a part of my daily life. which i mostly accredit to my awesome judgment of character skills and my zero-bullshit-tolerance approach to life.

the text messages that never fail to bring a smile to my face are always from my mom. which i attribute to the following reasons: a) they are infrequent, therefore a pleasant surprise; b) she writes the way she speaks (enthusiastic, southern, and adorable!); and c) she is one of the cutest human beings on the planet.

evidence:

allow me to demonstrate her text message genius:
(in response to my text just saying "hello" and "i love you!!")
08.06.2009 1317: I'm kissin u!

(unsolicited!)
11.26.2009 0918: Lovin u and missin u!

(and later that day)
11.26.2009 1522: Thrnkr for being my dotter! kissing u

(after posting about post-workout knee pain on facebook)
12.17.2009 1240: Do not get kneesels! hee hee!

(after posting photographic evidence of my play-doh portraiture prowess . . on facebook)
12.30.2009 1125: I luv being one of the play doh colbys!

(in eager anticipation of a visit and sweet hang-outs)
05.12.2010 0848: I am already kissing you!

(and just today, in response to my awesomely scary new facebook — yes, again! — photo)
08.04.2010 0849: I luv your new muscle girl pic!@

as you can see, there are many exclamation points and lots of talk of "kissin u" — a sentiment of which i am a huge advocate, coming from my mom. so mom, thank you for making my day every so often and just being awesome in general. i hope spelling this all out doesn't "cheapen" our multi-media communicative efforts.

♥, yer dotter

my last friday in philly.

2010-07-23T17:19:00.003-04:00

around lunchtime, i got hungry and took a walk. here's how it went.

i found the possibly most awesomely decrepit door in my neighborhood:

then i found jesse and his co-legal-eagle-interns and photographed them:

moments later, i saw some doggies in the window at The Dog School. i swear they are real live dogs!

before going home, i stopped to get what turned out to be a disappointingly mediocre vegan gluten-free* cupcake from Sweet Freedom Bakery:

*i mean, how good could it be under those conditions? the orange frosting was ace, but the rest of the cupcake tasted like chocolate-flavored sand. hmph. now i know.

and then i collapsed into a pile of sweaty, hot, pink-cheeked girl:

not pictured here is my sweat-drenched-tank-top mid-section. ewwwwwww.
and that is how my walk went. there may be another in the very near future that will involve dinner, some fro-yo, and drinks at a clandestine and historical location. not too shabby.

diary of a cleanser.

2010-07-14T06:39:00.004-04:00

i've always wanted to do a cleanse/detox program as it seems like a good idea to promote healthy living and to give your digestive system a break. a bunch of my peeps down in FL have been all into the Isagenix thing - their enthusiasm for the product was infectious, so i gave the 30 day cleanse pack a try. i didn't do this in order to lose weight, i am after the cleansing, nutritional, health, and energy aspects of the program.

so the deal is, for 6 days you drink a nutritional shake for breakfast, then eat a 600 calorie lunch, and then another shake for dinner (with some other supplement pills and vitamin drinks thrown in). on the 7th day, you do a deep cleanse where you only drink a cleanse drink 4 times a day. and you do this for 30 days. here's my story. some days i wrote at the time, others i wrote at the end of the period - forgive the mixed tenses. mmk.

days 1 - 3:
pretty much miserable. all i could think about was food, food, FOOOOOOOD. even though i was eating some food for lunch, i was craving anything and everything . . pizza, fries, sandwiches, cookies, veggie burgers (oh my!). even jesse's ribs looked appealing to me. i felt a little crazed. and depressed. and i wanted to quit.

day 4:
suddenly, i felt great. i had so much energy all day and wasn't nearly as hungry. i was all happy and rarin' to go. since i am still doing my insanity workouts, burning anywhere from 600-800 calories a day, i figured i could maybe add another 100 or so calories in to not feel like death. that seemed to help a bit.

day 5:
was doing ok until i watched a harry potter movie on the train back to VA . . it was christmas time and they were eating lots of tasty-looking pastries. despair set in. somehow, i managed to stay the course.

day 6:
hardcore wanted to quit, not understanding why i am even doing this and thought of a million reasons to justify quitting. had major trepidation and anxiety about the following day - the first deep cleanse day - and was scared that i won't be able to do it. i sent out an SOS and received an encouraging response from a fellow cleanser. determination set in.

day 7:
1st deep cleanse day, and i was petrified. no food? for a whole DAY?!?!?! kelly had been emphatic about the cleanse drink tasting barftastic and i was ready to use all my willpower just to try to keep it down . . but i thought it was actually not so terrible and was, in fact, better than the daily vitamin drink. and yes, i was hungry for most of the day, but i wasn't dying. i made it. but it was a stressful day and i got really crabby. i just wanted to go to sleep because i knew when i woke up, i could have a shake again. and i felt bored. i had nothing to look forward to after work, and i felt i shouldn't do my crazy workout because i might fall out, so i contemplated going to the movies to take my mind off of eating. but nothing was playing that i wanted to see. so i stayed home and watched 3 episodes from an old season of Friday Night Lights. ♥tim riggins♥

days 8-10:
i woke up on day 8 expecting that i would be starving like CRAZY and would make a bee line for the kitchen . . but i wasn't. i felt . . fine. and i was like "cool". the next couple of days i coasted by.

days 11-12:
felt pretty angry and fed up again. the weekends seem to be my kryptonite - i'm around people having fun and eating food and people wanting to go out to dinner, etc. jesse's grilling out on saturday night and i have to watch him eat delicious food while i whimper and drink my inadequate shake. during the week, it's no problem. i'm by myself in a different city, working, not hanging out with people, so it's fine. it's almost easy because i don't have to cook or decide anything about dinner. but weekends. GAHHHHHH. sunday i planned to do another deep cleanse day to get it out of the way, but we were invited to brunch and i woke up HANGRY and brunch seemed like a much better idea.

day 13:
decided to do another deep cleanse day, a day early. i just want to get them out of the way. hating it. don't know how i will get to the end of this and i am for the 9 zillionth time questioning WHY i am doing this. hungry.

days 14-19:
the crazy dissipated after the deep cleanse day and i felt right as rain. once again, it feels like no big deal. i even maintained over the weekend and a trip to NYC, where amazing food abounds. i stayed within the limits (mostly) of my calorie restrictions and managed to do the right things. sunday brunch was a bit of a mess . . i had 2 biscuits (with honey butter mmmmmmm!!!) and ricotta pancakes (probably the best pancakes i've ever had). i totally crashed out from all the sugar and carbs and felt like hell for an hour or two afterward. massive headache and some nausea that caused me to lay in bed until it dissipated. note to self: don't go crazy with the sugar. that might be the best thing that comes out of this for me.

day 20:
3rd deep cleanse day. by far the easiest yet. other peoples' food isn't even really tempting me, other than a slight "aww". went to the doctor today . . i've lost a literal 10 pounds since starting the cleanse 3 weeks ago. this astounded me. my clothes have been fitting me looser, but i didn't think i was actually dropping weight. i've enjoyed not feeling bloated after meals, that is a huge plus, but i wasn't trying to lose weight. interesting. i'm thinking it will most likely just come right back. we'll see. i also got a pedicure after work and this was a huge thumbs up for a cleanse day. on these days, i've been too hungry to actually exercise and have little to look forward to in the evening, so this was a good idea.

days 21-27:
the days are blurring together. on day 25 i ate two meals in one day - i pretty much knew this would happen. had a friend visiting for 4th of july weekend and we wanted to go to dinner together. no big whoop. i also had a delicious cupcake on the 4th - devil's food, filled with nutella and cool whip on top. seriously. so worth whatever calories i blew that day. mmmmm. day 27 was tough because i was working from home and was bored and just felt hungry and unsatisfied. i also have a growing trepidation about the cleanse ending, if you can fathom, and going back to my "normal" eating habits. i went ahead and ordered a couple more canisters of the shakes to have for breakfast for the next month or so to ease myself back into things. i'm liking having fewer carbs in my day, so i think this will be good.

day 28:
this is my final deep cleanse day and i'm having a rough time. i hardly slept last night and have been plagued with a headache overnight and this morning, so i just feel funky and out of it. can't wait for this to be over. i have a massage scheduled for tonight and am looking forward to it, and just getting this day out of the way.

days 29-30:
easy as pie. i know what i'm looking forward to. the last day i felt celebratory and couldn't wait for my weekend eating plans :) i celebrated with an awesome italian dinner friday night. WOO!!!!

findings of note:

during the entire 30 days, i only had 2 headaches. now i am an at-least-one-really-bad-headache-a-week person, so this alone is pretty awesome. i also had lots of energy, didn't feel sleepy at work in the afternoon, and generally felt pretty focused.

a graphic representation:

to put things into perspective, here is a graph:

1 = HATING IT
2 = eh
3 = hey, ok
4 = awesome

this graph only pertains to my feelings about doing the cleanse as my mood about other general life things was pretty positive and steady. as you can see, this graph is all over the dang place.

conclusion(s):

some friends have asked me if i recommend this cleanse and/or if i'm glad i did it. there are some things i definitely have enjoyed, like not feeling bloated and overly full after meals, feeling lighter in general and knowing that i'm doing my body a favor. but what i've experienced hasn't really been that dramatic that i want to run out and make all my friends try it. i'm like "eh, ok, i did it." i will say that it has helped me crave sugar less and when i do get hungry, i don't get all HANGRY and crazy and feel that insane blood sugar fluctuation that i'm used to. that is an unexpected bonus that i hope to continue to enjoy.

all in all, hey, i did this, and i am proud and surprised that i made it through the whole thing and will try to maintain the positive results i've observed and will probably be more conscientious of what i eat in general. survey says: thumbs-sideways-to-up.

saturday lunch: a tale of "we got up and left".

2010-07-12T14:15:00.002-04:00

i have been coming around as far as my opinion of philly goes. the displacement has dissipated and i've sunk my teeth into my surroundings (at least, when i am there on the weekends). much of my pleasure has come from the food in philly. i mean, holy crap, every place we have gone to eat has been more than just good - more like OMAZING! for real, i have thoroughly enjoyed every restaurant we've been to.

that's why saturday was such an anomaly. i had this whole plan for the day . . it turned from "yay!" to "hmm, disappointing" to "what? weird" to "SERIOUSLY?" to "OMG NOOOOO" and finally to . . well . . "FINALLY!" here is a map of our saturday footpath:

we left home at 12:30 to walk to Reading Terminal Market, a completely awesome place with all sorts of foodstuffs all over the place, but really only one vegetarian place. we arrived at point B, totally my mistake because i thought the market was at 10th and Arch, so we overshot it by 2 blocks. we walked back to C, only to find that the vegetarian spot was CLOSED. just on saturdays. which makes a lot of sense. we tried one more place inside, a diner, that had no vegetarian options aside from the grilled cheese or a vegetable quesadilla. more like a vegetable questionable-adilla (ha?). we got up and left.

jesse had heard that D, a place down the street called Smokin' Betty's, had a good veggie burger, so we headed there and sat down. the vibe was weird and they were only offering the brunch menu - we looked at each other and said "what? weird." we got up and left.

we decided to head to E (right back where we kind of started at point B), as many people had recommended Banana Leaf to us. sat down and ordered a Malaysian iced tea and looked at the menu which was huge, but everything that was supposed to be vegetarian had shrimp or was in a chicken broth or was fried and i was like "SERIOUSLY?" i left $3 on the table and . . we got up and left.

it was kind of getting funny. but we were also VERY hungry, as it was about 2 or 2:30 and the string of failures was stacking up. jesse navigated us to F, Tampopo, a japanese place he'd been to that had awesome bento boxes and was open on the weekends. we get there . . and . . they are closed for renovations. OMG NOOOO.

i was having trouble keeping it together, but i dragged my feet around the block to G, Aqua. it was open. it was pretty. they had tofu. and finally, at 3 pm, we got lunch. i almost wept with relief.

we rounded out our trek with a trip to get a really crappy pedicure (H), some really good fro-yo (I), and a cute new dress (J). then went home.

total distance covered: 4.2 miles. take THAT, sidewalks of philadelphia.

blowing your mind right now.

2010-06-30T08:23:00.003-04:00

just thought you might want to have your mind completely blown on a wednesday, when you've got nothing better to do.

get ready. in . .

5 . .

4 . .

3 . .

2 . .

1!!

now you can get back to doing . . whatever it is you were doing. love ya. mean it.

favorite instant message conversation of the week.

2010-06-22T11:45:00.006-04:00

i swear we are not 12 years old. but sometimes kristin and i DO talk about horses. and how much we love them.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

raena: i want to plan a western trip
that involves lots of horseback riding

Kristin: i like it
horses are so pretty
and awesome

raena: yeah i love them

Kristin: i don't get scared of them at all, i know some people do

raena: yeah they are big animals and freak people out

Kristin: do you get scared of them ever?
i just want to hug them 4-eva

raena: no i don't really get scared, unless they are ornery
i just want to pet their soft soft noses and ears and hug their big strong necks!

Kristin: yes the best is when you're sitting on one and you can hug its neck
i love the sound they make when they breathe

raena: yeaaaaah
this is my favorite conversation we've ever had

Kristin: all these great ideas i'm having today!
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
yes
samesies
road trip
pool
horses
nail polish
shoes
i mean everything important is covered

raena: what else IS there?!

serenity now.

2010-06-16T08:37:00.005-04:00

i don't even know what to say. so i will just document things that i have said over the last 24 hours. but only the passionate, charged, emphatic, and mostly sarcastic things.

you have GOT to be f@&!ing kidding me.

i'm HUNGRY.

i just want this day to end. i can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning.

[slapping my hands down on my desk] NO. NO NO NO NO NO.

CLASSY. reeeeeaaaaally classy.

to my detriment, i still love you, you stupid CAR.

etc.

hopefully that does it. because right now i kind of feel like this very old photo from 2005. 2005!! what the heck. i miss that orange hoodie. gaaaaaahhhhh.

el fin.

the mercury program - v. 2.0.

2010-06-11T05:58:00.003-04:00

they done did it again. just as i was feeling the height of displacement in philly, the guys from the mercury program came to town to play a show. and i think it helped bring me back to something resembling comfort. seeing familiar faces was therapeutic.

i brought my awesome new camera and it totally delivered. every time i took a picture, i would stop and guffaw at the ridiculosity of the resulting photos . . it may not look like much difference to you, but i see a HUGE upgrade in the quality of photos that this thing produces. it makes me a little giddy. i would stop and review the last few photos and then sort of give my camera a little squeeze, as if it could appreciate my affection. truth.

the mercury program, of course, played a great show. you're jealous that you didn't see them on their mini-tour. trust me.

*click for bigger*

time for me to catch another train.

now touring the eastern seaboard.

2010-06-01T11:22:00.005-04:00

the last 6 weeks or so have looked like this:

richmond > DC > NYC > DC > richmond > DC > richmond > west palm beach > richmond > philly

now appearing in philadelphia, pa! through july, anyhow. so that means that i'm still working on my whole capital cities science project. i mean, it's a bit of a stretch, but philly was the capital of the US from 1790 to 1800. chew on that.

first impressions:

the city seems ok. i'm not blown away/impressed yet.

got some awesome falafel and sweet potato fries (two days in a row mmmm).

had a sub-par fro-yo experience (what's with the self-serve fro-yo? i went to a place in richmond like this too. no es bueno. i want an Expert to fro my yo)

feeling generally displaced/uncomfortable and trying to be ok with not having my sewing machine or kitchenaid mixer for the next two months.

train system is weak.

i've realized that nobody can stack up to my Standards of Cleanliness.

it's nice out, hot but with a breeze. if you'd like to see, here's a peek down the street. taken only moments ago!

now if only my powers of adaptation would kick in . .

my new camera: a love story

2010-05-28T11:22:00.006-04:00

5 years and 5,938 photos (at least, the ones i kept) later . . i have upgraded my camera. my nikon d50 served me well, but the freight train o' technology continues apace, and i had to make moves to keep up. now i am the proud possessor of a nikon d300s*. 5 years since a camera upgrade has me awestruck. after all, 5 years in the technology/electronics industry is like dog years, or so it seems to my feeble human mind.

(*here is where i will remind you that i do not care about/engage in nikon vs. canon arguments.)

the only way i can convey how it felt to fire off the first few frames on my new camera is to explain my reaction when i drove a brand-spanking-new bmw 330i for the first time. i was all, "WHOA. this thing drives itself."

i was pretty intimidated by my new toy at first. and still approach it somewhat cautiously. i longed to go back to the comfort and ease of my d50 and ignored my new camera for a couple of weeks. then my parents came to DC and i decided i had to conquer my fear. i also handed over the rights to my d50 to my dad . . i had no choice but to move forward. here's what happened in the first couple of days:

*click for bigger*

immediately after their visit, i flew down to FL for the annual Brotherhood BBQ and superhappyfuntimes. and then this happened:

*click for bigger*

i love it. oooooh i love it. and one of my favorite photos from recent history:

tough guys in the park, enjoying some bubble time. AWESOME.

here's to inspiration, family, good friends, and working lots of hours to justify purchasing my new toy.

the code.

2010-05-13T10:06:00.005-04:00

the blogging code, that is. because i love blogs. that intimate look into strangers' and friends' lives to feed the voyeur in me is part of my daily routine. i search for new blogs every so often and i can quickly tell if it's going to annoy me to death if it doesn't adhere to most, if not all, of the following rules (listed in no particular order other than this is how i thought them up just this moment):

do not address your "readers" or "fans". who are you?

do not make apologies for being busy with your life and NOT blogging for 2 days and disappointing your "readers" (see #1).

do not apply center spacing to all of the text in your post. layout is important, people.

courier font? REALLY? no. no no no. it is not cute and typewriteresque. it's an assault on the eyes. two latin words: sans serif.

do not just re-post stuff from other blogs or the internet. if the entire purpose of your blog is to recycle other peoples' content, then just get a bunch of followers on your google reader and SHARE stuff.

do post something at least once a week (if you can). otherwise, people lose interest.

piggybacking on #5, do not just post photos that other people took, especially if you don't give them credit. i'm fooled for a second thinking "wow, what a great photographer!!". (but you're totally not.)

to me, proper capitalization via internet communication has never mattered, but spelling, grammar, and punctuation sho' as snuff do.

don't be purposely vague/sad/emo to get attention. yawn.

remember above all else - this is the internet. it is accessible to everyone. your friends, parents, enemies, and even your ex-boyfriends and creepy people who stalk you.

and now for some blogs that i always really like:
My Milk Toof
Pacing the Panic Room
Whirly Bird
How About Orange

regarding NYC.

2010-05-03T17:39:00.007-04:00

new york city is still a mystery to me. i've been there only 4 times and still hate manhattan. yes, it's impressive and all that, but just being on that island makes me feel the constant need to shower. the dirt, the garbage, the people, the smell, the money, the consumerism. i rarely find anyone who agrees with my perspective on this, but that's ok. i'm fine with going solo on this one. the one redeeming quality: the food. oof.

i do like brooklyn, however. it makes me much more comfortable. i spent last weekend there with my beautiful friend iris. i've known her since the tender age of 14 and we have that kind of friendship where you can not talk or know what's going on with the other person for like 3 years and then get in front of each other and scream and jump up and down and pick right back up where you left off as if no time has passed. i hate that we don't get to see each other more, but it makes me want to explode with happiness that we don't have to have that to hold each other in our hearts.

she introduced me to a bunch of fantastic people that made me feel more than welcome. NYC is a quandary. i've never been to a place where i've felt more ordinary. everyone is attractive and does interesting things and has eccentric talents and cool jobs. and it's the norm rather than the exception. there are super models walking the streets, carrying their plastic-wrapped dry-cleaning heading off to a shoot. there's a band playing here, a dj spinning next door, and a gallery opening down the street. it's enough to make you feel downright ugly and uninteresting.

iris and i talked about the redundancy of relationships in a place like NYC. she said that you will start dating someone, and you connect, and it's intriguing, but there is the underlying nagging feeling that there is probably someone "better" out there for you. and i get that. i mean, it's hard enough to keep your eye on the prize when you're floating along in a Sea of Ordinary. i can imagine the exponential difficulty if you're swimming around in a Sea of Incredible. el Mar de Increíble!

so befuddled was i that i didn't even seize the opportunity to take any photographs. not even one. which is completely unlike me. i was overwhelmed and over-stimulated and have nothing to show for my excursion but my memories and these here thoughts. that's really only a half-reason. the other reason is that sometimes i want to actually just have the fun instead of documenting having the fun. i know. CRAZY.

mmmmm i already miss iris. she feels like home. i hereby vow to never let 3 years happen like that again.

just a little something.

2010-04-26T07:17:00.002-04:00

holy hiatus.

i was correct when i said the upcoming work events would suck all the courtesy and life out of me. i think i'm slowly returning to my former glory, but i'm not as resilient as i once was. after spilling the entirety of my angst, frustration, and general BLAAAGSDJFDKFJDLKSJLFMOTHEREFFER to jesse when i got home friday night, i spent most of saturday in a vegetative and repairative* (*i made that up, humor me) state. i finished some minor sewing projects, neither of which are anything to get excited about, watched the season finalé of project runway (which turned out exactly as i hoped, yesss!), and didn't really do much else. unless you count eating bad falafel for dinner then redeeming it with good fro-yo. that's a little something called breaking even.

sometime early last week i was fading fast and i realized i needed a short-term goal or reward. something to look forward to. therefore, i pulled the trigger on a couple of purchases that i'd been wishy-washily mulling over in my amazon shopping cart for the last few months. one of them was delivered saturday morning, so i busted out of the aforementioned vegetative state for a little trial run. it's just a little something to add to my medium-sized bag of tricks: the Orbis Ring Flash.

voila:

and my two most willing guinea pigs, me and jesse:

*click for bigger*
ahhhh that perfectly even light! it's fun. now everybody come over and let me take your peekchure. newer toys to come . .

rule-breaker.

2010-04-11T02:53:00.005-04:00

i'm breaking my own rules right now. well two of them anyway:

1. never post at night.
2. never post on the weekend.

why? i don't know. because no one cares at night or on the weekend. but guess what? i'm at work at 3:something a.m. and there's nothing to really do, but i have to be here and my boss said that i could blog so here i am.

there are a great many things i could probably talk about. stream of consciousness type of stuff. but i'm not sure anybody wants to hear/read it. i will say only that i am obsessing over getting some frozen yogurt lately - so obsessed that i had a dream that i was eating frozen yogurt out of my own skull. but i delved too deep. was too greedy. and i hit brains. BRAAINNZZ. and my eyeballs were spilling out. kind of horrifying, yet my desire for my first taste of post-winter fro-yo continues apace. i'm a complicated person.

what's happening at work right now is what a person in my position strives towards for months and months (sometimes years), so it's kind of a big deal. and the next week of my life will probably suck all of the courtesy and helpfulness right out of me. today was my last day of "freedom" for a little while and i toiled to get my affairs in order. i did laundry and got fresh sheets on the bed. i got insane (i'm on day 14! INSANITY!). not that i need any help with these sweet muscles.

i also got a pedicure, because . . well . . you gotta get it when you can.

then i watched bad tv, ate dinner, and waited for 11 pm to come so i could get ready and go to work.

that looks like it should be my album cover. you know, if i ever have an album.

how am i not tired right now? i don't know, but i think this post is going nowhere so i think that will be all for now.

most awesome saturday night ever,
raena

city of magic.

2010-03-30T20:56:00.006-04:00

you may not know this about me, but i get passionate about stuff. my love is bigger than your love, etc. now that you know me a little better, it will come as no surprise that a best-ever feeling creeped up on me last weekend when i discovered that i was living in a city of magic - oh em gee!

the city of DC is host to many really great events throughout the year, but never did i (ever) think there would be a time where i would stand in the middle of the National Mall, slack-jawed in admiration and wonder, gazing at the sites before me.

[enter the Kite Festival] upon ascending the ridiculously and overwhelmingly crowded metro station, i saw that the sky was just full of kites flying everywhere. hundreds and hundreds of them. the sky looked like the sea during some crazy jellyfish migration.

and you couldn't really ask for a more picturesque setting.

i tried to look cool. but it's really just a great big facade.

because, really, there was just so much Beautiful everywhere.

and THEN, on top of all that magic, add a nice, big slice of Stardust Fantasy . .
because it's CHERRY BLOSSOM TIME!!

are you kidding me with this?

juuuuuust checking.

i'm not even sure how to behave.

the absolute best part? it's not even over. that wasn't even "the peak". i can't wait for this weekend: Cherry Blossom Festival - Part Deux. it's something i've wanted to witness my whole life and it delivered in metric tons. if you ever have the chance, please come see. you won't be disappointed. i promise.

the mercury program.

2010-03-21T15:19:00.007-04:00

DATELINE: THE MERCURY PROGRAM IS STILL AWESOME. story at 11. or, rather, in the next couple of paragraphs.

i don't know what's going on here lately, but all of a sudden there has been an upwelling of musical interest and activity in my life. i like it . . it's just sort of unexpected. one of those "just when you've given up all hope in the music scene you've always identified yourself with - BLAMMO! in your face! you still like it and it still likes you!" things.

that brings me to the mercury program. i grew up with these dudes and i can't help but swell with pride to see that these guys are a) still together; b) still making great music; and c) still awesome people. oh and d) pretty soon they will be coming to a town near you.

they were on a short little jaunt of a tour that ended in richmond, va, a place where i just happened to be spending the weekend. whaaaaat??? i KNOW. it's been literal years since i've seen all these guys in one place together, let alone heard them play. 'twas a treat.

and yes, i brought my camera. clickies for bigger.

and because i can't help myself, this:

in other news, i, like most other humans in the northern hemisphere, am enjoying the advent of spring with a newly defined sense of freedom that involves skin-exposing garments and open-toed shoes - in the out-of-doors. whaaaaat??? i KNOW.

raena colby, nightly news.

a day in pictures.

2010-03-16T16:50:00.007-04:00

i have nothing important to say. but i did some things today and i brought along my camera. so here is the story of my day.

1. i worked from home.

2. at home i always use my special former-workplace cup. i love it for a few reasons, not the least of which is that it has my name on it.

3. i had to run an errand . . so i waited for a train.

4. in fact, THIS very train.

5. my errand allowed me to take a stroll around Eastern Market, and i chased my shadow for a bit.

6. there was a little park with a bird house in every tree!

7. i also saw a few places where this bird wouldn't mind nesting.

8. then i went to pick up my ~~other boyfriend~~ corrado. sssssiiiigh.

9. it was a real "driving weather" kind of day.

then i returned home to more working from my desk (see pictures 1 and 2).

okthatsallbye!

i heart my brother.

2010-03-08T06:31:00.004-05:00

And Now The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love My Brother:

10. when i was born, he would lead people into my room by the hand and introduce me to them, all proud as he could be, saying "this is my sister, raena lynn".

9. a short time after #10, he thought he would "help" my mom out while she was busy or on the phone by changing my diaper and flushing it down the toilet.

8. he gave me a haircut when i was about 2 years old as we were waiting for my mom to be done at the "beauty parlor". he just wanted to make me pretty.

7. when i was about 4 and my brother was around 6, we took a family excursion to some florida amusement park, and my parents rewarded (or placated?) us both with ice cream cones. i took one lick and the whole of my ice cream toppled to the ground. i sat there staring at it, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. mykel just handed me his ice cream cone. and kept walking. (begin hero-worship now)

6. he tried to teach me how to play every instrument he ever mastered, up to and including a private, albeit short, lesson on the vibes in the community college music room. i never really progressed beyond the smoke on the water/sunshine of your love/black cat (really?? yes, janet jackson) stage on guitar, or the bass-snare-bass-snaresnare [tik tik tik tik (cymbal)] stage on drums, but we did once have a spirited session of The Pixies' "I Bleed" when i was learning how to play the bass. oh and in high school we had a ska band called The Halfsteppers for about 5 seconds (in which i sang).

5. we got through this together:

4. he can be the funniest, most charming, charismatic person you've ever met in your whole life.

3. he is a great dad. and he always has safety first and foremost on his mind:
2. sometimes he gets all swoll'-up-big-brother-over-protective on me. my favorite instance: in high school, i went with him and his punk/ska band, Gov't Cheese, to Tampa for some big ska fest. after they played a show in Ybor City, we went in search of sustenance and landed at the only natural place for cheap food at 2 am in a strange city - Waffle House. we walked in, went to sit down, and we walked right out because apparently the big redneck dudes were checking out my skinny, lanky, boring, yet still female 15 year old body in a way that made him entirely uncomfortable. yeah. take THAT, you Waffle House Hoes.

1½. speaking of Waffle House Hoes . .

1. i need him. and he needs me. because he's my effing brother. dammit.

howl.

2010-02-23T21:23:00.009-05:00

speaking of last weekend . . it was kind of the best ever. i know that i often say things are the "best ever", but seriously. it was really really great. admittedly, there was one period of about 15 minutes where jesse and i got all snappy with each other, but we were HOWNGRY, and that is a basic human need that supersedes all courtesy. in my book. all snappiness dissipated at the mercy of some delicious fresh-from-Eastern-Market goat cheese and basil ravioli, a little salad, and some crusty french bread. i'm giddy just remembering it.

it was also a fantastic music weekend, commencing with J. Robbins playing an acoustic set accompanied by my pal Gordon Withers on cello. oh the perks of living in DC. muy bueno. many old Jawbox and Burning Airlines songs were played and i sat there recording video on el iphone with a slap-happy perma-grin on me face. one of my favorites:

fast forward to sunday evening. FINALLY reunited with my old friend Vincent whom i hadn't seen in like 12 years. he and another old friend, Andrea, are in the very awesome metal band Howl from Providence, RI. they're on tour and came through DC and i made it happen, cap'n.

firstly . . it's really crazy to see someone after 12 years of minimal communication and then just sit down and hash out some real life shit and have a great conversation and realize you're so in sync after all these years. i always held Vincent in the highest esteem and the guy is still completely solid. squish.

secondly . . Howl. is. great. GO SEE THEM. they put on an awesome show, have great stage presence, killer music, and, even more importantly, have great hair. this is one of my favorite photos from the night because, um, hello?! andrea!! hair!!

and then this one because . . well, just look at these guys. the flash pointed up from the floor made them seem admirably sinister.

and more.

*click for bigger*

in summary, a culmination of events that have led me to revel in a state of content all week. i win.

50mm lens: day 1.

2010-02-21T11:59:00.008-05:00

i finally got my paws on the nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. meaning that after it sat in my amazon shopping cart for about 5 months, i pulled the trigger. i don't know what i was thinking - it isn't even expensive, as lenses go. i was just being an idiot. now you can breathe easy because i gave up moronique and my "little bag of tricks" has evolved into my "medium-sized bag of tricks".

all last week i kept checking the delivery (ha! just typed "devilry") status to see when it got to my apartment. i could barely wait to get home from my week at work and tear open the box. but when i walked in and saw the box sitting there, for some reason i exercised quite a bit of restraint and said "no. not yet. gym first." man. what dedication.

these photos are by no means great, but they are from my first 24 hours with the lens. it's hard to get used to a fixed lens. i put the viewfinder up to my eye and keep having to back up. then back up some more. and maybe a step or 2 more. and since this is my first lens with such a low f-stop (yeah yeah the f/1.4 lens is better, but it's also $330, so this will suit me juuuust fine), i cranked it all the way down to 1.8, but that doesn't work in most situations. so you know, yeah. yay. new toy. !!

first up, one of my favorite photographic subjects: my 25 cent globe:

base of said globe and a little pretty thing:

polaroid garland:

homemade chocolate chip cookies via the only recipe that matters:

and finally, jesse's "blue steel":

not bad for a first day.

grandma's sketchbook.

2010-02-14T19:02:00.008-05:00

i don't remember how i came to possess my grandma's sketchbook (it probably involved me stealing away in the night, rooting through my parents' hiding places - sorry mom - and stuffing it under my shirt to get it out of the house), but it is one of my most treasured possessions. i've already gushed about how talented and inspirational my grandma was, and now i can put my money where my mouth is and share with you one of my favorite things.

this sketchbook is nearing a state of "decrepit". the pages are yellow with age and the paper is so very brittle. inside the front cover the year is handwritten - 1938. my grandma was 24 years old that year.

some pages are feature studies . . one page is just eyes . . one is just lips:

then there are portraits of lovely ladies. their eyes are so beautiful. and their hairstyles. i love it. one page had a pressed flower - she was fond of pressing flowers and keeping memories:

the girl with the braid - i love this drawing. the look on her face is amazing. she's so serious, i love it.

she also did a self-portrait, and it's so lovely:

but these are my very favorite pages in the book . . because they are so unusual. i look at them and wonder what she was thinking, why she drew these, and i remind myself that it was 1938. amazing:

it's so interesting to see what she writes on these pages, how she signs her name, which is completely different on some of the drawings (using her given name, Marguerite, or her commonly used nickname, Billie). i'm so happy i have these.

that's a good start to monday.

i don't care what they think.

2010-02-10T11:02:00.007-05:00

my winter coat (previously called my "usher coat", heretofore referred to as my "p. diddy coat") is borderline ridonk. i wear it and people clear the sidewalk. i only assume it's because they conclude that i am a famous rapper and an entourage must be in tow.

but i don't care what they think. because this coat keeps me warm like nobody's business. and in case these people haven't noticed, there is a full-on blizzard up in here right now.

i did get to leave the house yesterday (briefly) (and in aforementioned coat) to go get groceries and the grocery store was in a pathetic state. the shelves were barren and picked over. there were no eggs, no milk, and hardly any meat (not MY problem).

by the time i got home i was sweating because of the awesome power of the p. diddy coat. underneath i had on only a tanktop. ha! take that Blizzard of 2010!

this diagrammatic photo doesn't do it justice, but man, this coat. somebody get me a chain from jacob the jeweler and i'll be complete.

clearly, i need to get out more.

snow schmow.

2010-02-07T12:05:00.009-05:00

as all the people of earth know, DC just got slammed by the biggest snowstorm since like 1922 or something. since before any of us can remember, that's for sure. when we temporarily lived here last summer, we asked everybody what the winters were like. everyone told us they were mild, hardly ever any snow, etc. etc. i thought the snow a week ago was sizeable, and after it, the news was saying how DC was at 300% of it's average snowfall. so now that there have been like 24 more inches this weekend, well, you do the math. i'm pretty sure it's around eleventy-billion% above average now.

here's where you might expect me to show you lots of pictures of the snow and snow hijinks. the problem is: i just don't want to go out in it. it's cold, wet, and makes my nose run. plus i don't have any water-proof gloves or boots that have traction. it would be fun for about 5 minutes, then fun would quickly decline into misery. i decided to get out there for a quick minute friday night to execute an idea: i wanted to take a picture of this tree across the street from us - it's branches were perfectly coated with snow - whilst shooting my flash up into the branches. it didn't work out as i hoped, but i like this one because you can see jesse in the lower right corner, dutifully holding the flash for me:

mostly, it was just all snowing and wet and i fumbled around with my camera and went inside shortly thereafter. jesse made a snowman, then he and our friend nick fackler (visiting us for the weekend), went out around 2 am and made FIVE more awesome snowmen. i went to bed. so what if i was a party pooper? i got some really great sleep.

i don't know what it is about snow, but it just makes me want to . . nest. i want to clean, but in a crazy, frenzied sort of way. i cleaned and polished all of the stainless steel appliances. i polished the flattop on the stove. did lots of laundry, including the sheets and blankets. vacuumed and mopped. and i got really mad if anybody dropped crumbs on the floor.

i also baked. and, dammit, i should KNOW better than to stray from the tried and true Nestlé^® Toll House^® cookie recipe (that i know by heart . . seriously . . ask me and i will recite it for you). i've tried 2 or 3 other chocolate chip cookie recipes and they are nothing but disappointing in the end. no matter how amazing these people tell me their recipes are, or how awesome the photos of the cookies look, forget it, sister.

so big fail on the cookies. i am literally throwing them away as they brought no joy to any of us. i made some blueberry muffins (from the box) for breakfast to redeem myself, only to find that they were a whole wheat concoction* that was massively inferior to (yet healthier than?) the standard. breakfast was decent though. muffins, awesome nick fackler eggs, and the boys had bacon.

while the boys went out to play and build snow forts and have snowball fights, i stayed in and got everything together for my taxes, went to the gym, and cleaned some more. they returned all wet and exhausted. i had not left the apartment all day and was experiencing some cabin fever, so we tried desperately to find some place open for dinner to no avail. couldn't even get a dang pizza.

the road looks treacherous and i'm scared to even try to get out there in my RWD "sportscar", so who knows when i will make it out of here to richmond for the work week. oh and we're supposed to get another 5-10 inches tuesday and wednesday. gaaah.

if you don't hear from me in 2 days, send reinforcements. or at least cupcakes.

*two words: fine print.

hot graves.

2010-01-31T16:11:00.010-05:00

i do not pretend to be a band photographer, or any other type of "photographer", really. i am just someone who is interested in photography. anyway, being that my brother mykel is a musician and has been involved in some type of band since he was in 7th grade, i am eager to lend my humble services when i can.

by a happy coincidence, last weekend his rocky metal band, Hot Graves, alighted upon Richmond, VA for the Heart of Winter Fest. i fought through a nasty cold to head out to take some pictures of them friday night. i tend to look at band pictures and think they all look the same, so i don't think these are anything super special. but i hope mykel likes them and it's always good to step out of one's comfort zone to try something a bit more challenging.

first up, mykel and tim (el bass player) helped me get my flash settings in order.

then i took a couple of group shots and it was time for them to get up on stage. here's some of what happened:

*click for bigger*
they were definitely the most entertaining band i saw that evening and have a way with the crowd. all in all, big win for the Hot Graves crew. if you have the chance to go see them, you TOTALLY should.

yay.

*edit: re-reading this it seems so lackluster . . sorry guys, i'm still feeling like death. what i really mean by this post is HOT GRAVES EFF YEEEAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

one good bird.

2010-01-25T19:53:00.004-05:00

dear birdie-whose-wing-i-accidentally-broke-off-by-being-careless-whilst-taking-down-some-twinkle-lights-behind-the-bookshelf-where-you-so-handsomely-reside,

sometimes . . i know just how you feel.

sorry.

love,
raena

"considerable cloudiness".

2010-01-21T08:59:00.006-05:00

ahhhh music to my . . eyes?

every morning as i'm getting ready for work, i dutifully check the magic iPhone for the weather report. this must be some hold-over from my childhood. my mom has always been very interested in the weather and even today the weather channel is the default station on the tv in the "florida room".

even though i will spend approximately 4 minutes outside in said weather on a typical work day (walking to car, getting out of car and walking into office, walking to car to go get lunch, etc.), this information is vital to my morning routine.

HOLD UP WAIT A MINUTE. that is pretty sad.

moving on.

this morning as i was brushing my teeth and thinking "should i wear my black patent kitten heels or my black patent boots? the weather will help me decide!", i looked at the weather and saw two words i had never seen on the magic iPhone before:

"considerable cloudiness." i like it. even though i know i will spend most of the day locked in a ~~dungeon~~ window-less room (ugh), i will enjoy that considerable cloudiness all i can on the drive to work, the drive to lunch, and the ride home to DC tonight.

that is all.

i've always wanted to wear red lipstick.

2010-01-17T18:49:00.008-05:00

fear and compromise have always gotten the best of me when it comes to wearing red lipstick.

"it's too garrish."

"it's too bold."

"it's too RAAAAAWR!"

"it's too . . red."

but friends, the season of change is upon me. on friday, i marched myself right into Sephora and boldly declared, "hey ladies, i want to wear red lipstick, but don't think i can." the pretty ladies in black furrowed their brows at me, wagged their fingers, and collectively testified, "UH-UH! YES YOU CAN!"

they corralled me over to the heretofore avoided lipstick selection (as i am *ahem* was strictly a gloss type of girl) and handed me a glossy red with blue undertones and told me to put it on and try to ignore the customary oh-my-god-get-this-off-me-quick-getitoff!!!! reaction. you know, walk around for a few minutes, glance up every so often at the many strategically placed mirrors around the store.

i left the store, lipstick-in-bag.

i was too much of a coward to show off the new me saturday night when we went out on the town, but i vowed to have a little photoshoot with myself on sunday to usher in this metamorphosis and also to try out my new strobe diffuser box and off-camera flash sync cord in the process. and away we go.

i don't know what's crazier. the fact that i'm actually loving wearing this red lipstick, or the fact that i took these photos in my den using one off-camera strobe and some white posterboard for the backdrop and reflectors and they came out kind of great.

now i just need to make myself leave the house like this. i'm sure after several iterations of "red lips do not make me a hussy red lips do not make me a hussy", i'll find my way.

what this is.

2009-12-29T23:13:00.007-05:00

this is the face of a daddy:

lovingly watching this boy:

doing the kind of stuff:

that he does best:

brother + nephew = ♥.

bring on the merriment.

2009-12-18T10:26:00.003-05:00

i always look forward to the holidays, but this year, i'm super-cited. my family is abandoning the never-before-broken tradition of a south FL christmas at my parents' house and we're movin' on up to have a north central florida christmas. we've procured a townhouse for the week in gainesville so we can be close to my brother and my nephew for a whole (dang diddly) week. woo!!

this is muy bueno. traditions are great and all, but sometimes you need to grab the tree by the trunk and shake out the dead leaves. or something. forgive, i'm terrible with metaphors.

in great anticipation of the holidays, i've got some very important plans over the next several days. here's a list:

1. get hair did.
2. pick up camera (all shiny and pretty from a thorough cleaning).
3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - viewing on the big screen at the AFI!!!
4. maybe hanging out with ketan who will be in town for some friendly lawyerly gathering?
5. SNOW. apparently it's a historical storm . .

6. get on the road for this drive:

7. do lots of silly stuff with duney. like this:

8. KWISSMUSS!

happy holidays!

from an ordinary light comes extraordinary lighting.

2009-12-17T07:31:00.005-05:00

last night was my final night in the aforementioned Hotel Hellhole. while this fact alone merits its own praise, that will not be the topic of this blurb. while i sat at my little table working on my computer last night, i turned on the light above me and glanced up. it's as ordinary as lights come for a hotel: it's design and construction are both cheap; the bulb is fluorescent; it gets the job done, but isn't winning any awards. looking at it, i noticed it has one of those circular bulbs that remarkably resembles a ring light or beauty dish. "hmm," says i. "i wonder . . "

i grabbed the only camera i had (*ahem* iPhone), turned the light directly on my face, and snapped one picture. voila.

huh. well-lit subject, and the lighting seems somewhat diffused. nice catch-lights in the eyes (though not the perfect circle that a ring light/flash would afford), and the background is automatically blacked out. not bad for a cheap fluorescent light and a cell phone camera, eh?

accomplishment: i sewed in my first zipper.

2009-12-13T12:12:00.010-05:00

this is huge, people.

well, for me it's huge. it might not shatter anyone else's earth.

i know my mom understands. she called me saturday evening and in my post-accomplishment glow, i gushed over my crafty nature and can-do attitude. she then told me the tale of HER zipper experience in her home economics class in 7th grade. it took her all 9 weeks to get the zipper in.

mom: "i said to my teacher, 'mrs. so-and-so, will you please just put it in for me?', and she said, 'diane, i just don't think you're ever gonna get this.'"

conclusions: 1) mom is still the cutest ever. 2) mom is proud.

nobody even showed me how! i read about it in a couple of sewing books that i have and looked up videos on youtube. it didn't really make sense though. like most everything else i've learned, i had to deconstruct something that already exists. so i grabbed one of my favorite skirts and just studied it. and it made sense. and i sewed it up.

in order to aid my sewing efforts, i recently bought myself a PGMPro dress form. the same kind they use on project runway! well, except mine doesn't have that little extra bottom cagey looking piece. but who needs it? this is my new friend.

she even has some junk in the trunk (not as much as i do, but i won't split hairs). i've named her Billie, after my Grandma Billie. she was undoubtedly my biggest and earliest influence when it came to anything creative, artistic, and crafty. i loved going into the second bedroom in her house and rummaging through the dresser drawers . . there was construction paper, tracing paper, crayons, markers, chalk, thread, fabric, netting (she used to make fish nets for catching tropical fish at the beach), glitter, buttons, tons of wrapping paper she carefully salvaged from gifts she received . . everything great. even the smell of those drawers was wonderful. one day i'll share her sketch book with you. it's pretty amazing.
grandma + me

mmm. i miss her.

so . . i invoked Grandma's spirt, busted out the dress form, and sewed up a skirt (with a side zipper, in case you forgot) and it turned out kind of cute and i'm looking forward to wearing it. my only regret is that i didn't spring for the "invisible" zipper. but i bought this one kind of for practice. i'll know better next time. and i still need one of those little hook thingies for the top of the waistband. details.

i may or may not have continued some other sewing projects as well. but they shall remain nameless for now . . at least until after christmas. wee!

winter wonderland.

2009-12-06T09:57:00.006-05:00

with the promise of snow falling up and down the east coast on saturday, i thought, "what better time to break out the christmas decorations?"

i was somewhat deflated when i pulled out the one bin (count it - ONE. i had to get rid of a few other bins before we moved to DC. sigh.) dedicated to christmas decorations and started pulling stuff out. i felt like there was hardly anything in there. sad face.

since we don't really have room for a christmas tree, i modifed the halloween tree by adding white lights and hanging some decorations on it. it isn't pretty . . but i guess it's a bit whimsical? it's decidedly not photogenic, so the description will have to do.

the only other decorations i kept are all snowflakes. which is ok by me. i really like snowflakes, both real and manufactured. i made a couple of simple garlands by twisting together some red and white furry yarn and hanging the snowflakes around. and then we had some giant cardboard snowflakes that were once target store decorations that jesse procured for us. i think they are my favorite.

i can't wait for the day that i can have a tree again. is it weird that when i apartment/house hunt, i take that into consideration? "oh, and there's where we can put the christmas tree!" mind you, i've only had one christmas tree in the past 5 years. hmm.

time to get on the road.

thanksgiving weekend success.

2009-11-29T18:32:00.006-05:00

my favorite holiday did not disappoint. last wednesday, we packed up our lives and headed for the hills. literally. we rented a cabin in the mountains of Whittier, NC with some friends and had us a big ol' thanksgiving feast. we got there really late wednesday night and were complete homebodies until late saturday night as we started the drive back.

the cabin was amazingly cute and nice, complete with an upstairs balcony, a deck with a hot tub and a fireplace. the owners even had a christmas tree and christmas lights on the trees out front. color us "stoked".

jesse, nick c., addie, cj
me, ketan, nick f.

while we were waiting for ketan to arrive late thanksgiving night, we all cooked our respective dishes. everyone contributed in many teamwork-ish ways: we all made food and/or drinks; jesse and ketan chopped wood; and we played games and mostly cooperated like the adults that we are.

ha, looking at that first picture, all the dudes look like lumberjacks with their facial hair and hipster dress shirts. anyway, the weather was nice and cold - it even started snowing for a quick second as the sun descended behind the mountains!! weeee!! all the food we made lasted us the entire weekend, with a tiny bit of excess. way to plan, team t-giving.
*click for bigger*
it was an incredible thanksgiving and i would do it over again in a heartbeat. with maybe one small exception being all the noxious fumes the one other female and i had to endure from all the boys. there i said it. for addie and for myself. but yeah, other than that, complete satisfaction. ahhhhhh. i can't wait for next year!

this just in: i still heart chicago.

2009-11-23T13:27:00.005-05:00

SHOCKER, i know. i hadn't been to chicago in about a year and a half and thus deemed it highly necessary to go and visit KK. i booked myself a god-awful 6:20 am flight for last friday and was on my way. in retrospect, choosing this early-o'clock flight for the morning after i returned home from my first week back to work was not exactly a great example of my decision-making skills. but the price was right.

i fumbled around starting at 4:40 that morning, trying to make sure i ate something and packed everything i needed. at 5:15 i checked my phone and realized my taxi was downstairs waiting for me - panic! i grabbed my carry-on and yanked it off the little table it was on and WHAMMO, it wasn't zipped. everything spills on the ground. my nice, neatly organized belongings were then crammed back into the bag, devil-may-care style. i briefly hoped that i didn't break my wide angle lens or any other part of my important camera set-up, as i was looking forward to taking lots of photos over the weekend. otherwise, how would i blog about it? ha. ahem. excuse me.

2 flights and 8 hours later, i am waiting to meet KK in a restaurant and get our lunch on. upon entering the city, i made 2 observations:

1. man, chicago's train system leaves much to be desired.
2. man, i still love this city.

this is the part where you are probably expecting me to be like "oh and here are the great pictures i took! here's the awesome bruschetta from Frasca that i died over; and here's the cute Marc Jacobs dress i almost bought, but decided against; and this is us playing iPhone Catch Phrase and it was hilarious; and here are KK and i sitting on the bus/in the taxi/on the train; oh and here is the BEST falafel joint ever, Sultan's and the foodgasm that ensued, etc.". yes, you would expect that.

ENTER MAJOR BLUNDER ON MY PART: oh i packed the camera. and my nice wide angle lens. and my sb600 flash. however, none of these items really come in handy unless one also has the special battery that one left sitting on the charger in one's apartment back home in DC.

BLARGH!

i thought about just going and buying a battery, but they are $40 and only have 5 minutes of charge on them, so i'd need the special charger that is also $40 and then some hours to charge it. so i couldn't justify an $80 blunder. i resolved to capture mental memories. and, if in a real bind, use the iPhone (but you all know how i feel about that).

therefore, there are 2 photos from the weekend. and i present them to you:

at least i captured two moments with two of my most favorite people. even though these pictures contain all of the qualities i dislike about cell phone pictures, they're all i've got.

speaking of cell phone pictures . . we got some sad news yesterday. jesse's favorite doggie, harley died sunday morning. we're not sure what happened, but his dad came in the house and found him lying there and he was gone. harley used to be my doggie lily's boyfriend when we would go visit jesse at his parents' house. here's a little picture jesse took (on his phone) for us one day:

harley, you are already missed. you big goof. ♥ going home for christmas won't be the same.

exposé: the un-glamorous side of business travel.

2009-11-16T20:11:00.005-05:00

yesterday started out pretty good. very early, but good. i was surprised, nay shocked to find the start of my journey south greeted by countless metric tons of traffic both coming into as well as leaving the city. at 6:30 in the morning. shocked. i thought i'd beat everyone on the road. so i turned my iPod on random and experienced good shuffle fortune.

the result of my waking up at 5:15 am (sleep was restless and filled with terrible dreams anyway . . might as well get up) was a state of bleary-eyed lethargy. for some reason, i just can't function properly if i wake up before 6:15. that extra hour is essential to my circadian rhythm.

my day wasn't very busy as i didn't have a computer set up or access to anything i needed yet, so that made it slow, but it was still good. things went a bit south after the sun went down. i checked into my hotel and brought all my stuff in and set it up. since i'll be here for a year without checking out, i can leave everything in my room. the hotel leaves much to be desired. i'm used to a bit more "luxury", if you will. the kitchen and bathroom feel like . . i dunno . . like i'm in an RV? the towels are glorified washcloths. and by "glorified", i do mean that they all look like they've been washed with a red sock. as i sit here typing, i can hear the slam of the microwave door in the next room. and someone blowing their nose loudly. i'll leave it at that.

after "settling in", i went to the whole foods down the street. i was already very tired and hungry at this point, which always spells disaster if i have to do something that requires thinking and common courtesy, like buying groceries or interacting with other humans. i literally walked through the prepared foods section, up and down the different island buffet thingies, THREE times. nothing looked appetizing. at all. defeated, i settled on some three squash soup, cornbread, and a salad. salad bar was weak as hell. disappointing at best.

upon arriving back at el hotel circa 8pm, i realized that a) i was WAY too hungry to squeeze in even a 20 minute workout and b) i left my 2 gallons of bottled water on my cart back in the store. i almost cried (indication that i was SPENT). i sucked it up and delved into dinner - one word: gross. the best part was the cornbread which does not quite constitute nutrition. i turned the tv on for some noise and didn't bother to see what was on or change the channel. monday night football - indicator number 2 that i was "dunzo".

these post-work events all made me wish i was cuddling up on the couch with jesse and my favorite blankie to eat a good home-cooked meal and relax. allow me a moment to wax photographic regarding my blankie . .

because it is the best blankie. ever. and this facial expression pretty much sums up my grump.

i enjoyed a fairly decent night's sleep, but opened my eyes at 5:24 am, wide awake, unable to further enjoy that last hour i deserved. strange. let's see what day 2 has in store . .

back to work.

2009-11-15T13:28:00.005-05:00

this morning i leave DC for richmond. the next few weeks will be a whirlwind of travel, but that's ok. i'm keeping it all in perspective. and thanksgiving is coming! it's my favorite!

in anticipation of how much i'm going to miss jesse after 6 straight weeks of sleeping in the same bed every night (first time that's ever happened in almost 3 years!), i bestow upon you an animated .gif that might possibly the cutest one i've ever made. get ready to vomit.

yep. there it is. one of the few crafts i actually got around to on my little break were these DIY silhouettes. and then i took pictures of them. and made this. ok, must get ready now. man, it's early. have a great monday!

my science project.

2009-11-11T15:30:00.014-05:00

as my 6 weeks of funemployment come to a close (HALLELUJAH!), i am reminded to enjoy the few days i have left. cherish them and whatnot. reflect on the time i spent watching shows on hulu. the baked goods i created and consumed. the many crafty projects that i did NOT get around to. oh who cares, bring on the work!!!!

on monday i start my new one year contract in richmond, va. and this begs me to pause for a moment.

(pause)

i feel a science project coming on. get ready.

****************************************************************
CAPITAL CITIES
by Raena
PROBLEM/PURPOSE: i may have stumbled onto something about myself here.

HYPOTHESIS: i think i must have some subconscious affinity for capital cities.

PROCEDURES: i lived and worked different places. and didn't even realize i was making science!

DATA: let's see, i lived in madison, wi for a year and a half. then worked/lived in atlanta, ga for a year and 8 months. now i live in washington, dc (capital of capitals!). and off i go to work in richmond, va for at least the next year! hmm, a graph may help here. graphics are very effective for explaining results.

i actually expended a good deal of effort making this timeline. it's not even that good. definitely not to scale. hmph.

RESULTS: curious, isn't it? would you even go as far as to say "uncanny"?? well i don't know if i would, but still. strange.

CONCLUSIONS: now i almost feel obligated to seek out capital cities and make it my "thing".

RECOMMENDATIONS: actually having some sort of testable hypothesis and using the scientific method would probably be best for a science project. and not leaving it until the night before it's due. (you're welcome, parents!)

****************************************************************
i don't know what happened here, but i think i got something across . . ok, gotta go.

practicing our plyometrics.

2009-11-09T09:28:00.005-05:00

i am sorry, but jumping photos rank right up at the top of my list. why? i don't know . . they are so fun. so much movement, you never know what's going to happen. it's dangerous - you might accidentally jump right onto the photographer or, in our case, knock over the tripod. it's livin' on the edge. to the max!!

sometimes i can even get jesse to indulge in my photographic whims. he's mostly hesitant at first, maybe even self-conscious, but he comes around to enthusiasm, even dreaming up what we should do next. yesterday we headed back out to the National Arboretum and scoped out a spot to make it happen. which was rather difficult, because we were losing light fast (the sun set at like 5:06 yesterday - what the what?!) and i didn't want to see a bunch of humans or cars in the background. jesse found this spot for us as soon as i was getting frustrated.

and we did lots of this:

and this:

and even some leap frog:

and a bunch more of it all:

man, that was uplifting. ha! get it?!! UP-LIFT-ing??!? oh come on, who doesn't love a good pun?

serious photographer(s).

2009-11-06T08:26:00.012-05:00

you are probably already able to tell by all of the amazing photographs in this blog, but i am a serious photographer. so serious, in fact, that there have been some times when others have caught me right in the middle of my photojournalistic stance. it's true!

this shot, for example, was taken by my good friend meredith when i was "on location" in maui back in 2006. that's right, serious photographers get to go really serious places. don't feel bad if you don't know what "on location" means - ha! it's an industry term. anywho, this is the essence of pure photojournalism: crazy hair, weird outfit (camera bag + hoodie + short cotton cheerleading shorts?), kneeling down to scope out the best angle and lighting, hand at the ready to zoom in and out at will. man! such a pro!

why, just the other day when i was out "shooting" (ha, civilians! that means "taking photos" - oh, you) the fall colors on location at the National Arboretum, my assistant, er, boyfriend, jesse caught me in this serious moment of repose, you know, just scoping out the remaining lighting, trying to figure out where i wanted to venture next.

yep, just checking my "gear" and securing everything in my bag. lenses and flashes and whatnot. keys hanging from a little clip thingy on my beltloop. ha, why am i even saying things that no one will understand??

little did you know, jesse is a serious photographer too, if you couldn't already tell by the expert composition in the photo above. nice use of fill flash. good work. so that you may properly diagnose a serious photographer when you see one "in the field" (there i go again!), here is another example from a photo i took of jesse:

mmm hmm. that's the look, alright. two different takes on the same idea. i like the use of space in the shot he took of me a little better - you see the tops of the columns and a bit more sky and that little plant on the right. i like how the sun is poking through the columns in mine though with a bit of lens flare, and how you feel like you're right on top of him! aaah! this isn't a competition though. just fun and games. except, you know, very, very serious. not counting the tickle fight we had when we put down our cameras.

yep, now you know everything.

a whole lot of nothing.

2009-11-04T06:38:00.005-05:00

i was awake, tossing and turning for some time before i decided to look at my clock (read: phone), telling me that it was 5:52 am. i turned off my light well after midnight last night and wasn't tired then, why should i be at 5-something am? there is far too much on my mind. it was racing with thoughts of triple-checking to make sure i paid the mortgage on the house in FL, and what is happening with that security deposit mess from KY, and turning over the job prospects that lay (lie? this is my grammatical achilles heel) before me, and poking holes in each one.

it's a strange week. i can think of nothing to do during the day, save for things that would cause me to spend money. so i feel i must refrain from those things. my wrist is killing me lately, and i went to an ortho doctor about it. he prescribed physical therapy, get this - 2 to 3 times per week. what normal person could accommodate that? the only reason i could possibly even go more than once a week right now is because i'm jobless. but therein lies the problem, because i'm afraid to shell out the money for it. same goes with my back - i've had some sleepless nights because i can't even find a comfortable position to sleep in it hurts so badly. but chiropractor visits are all out of pocket. the irony is thick up in here. i'm too young for that much pain. what the what?

wow . . i just realized that i haven't actually stepped outside since sunday when we went to the grocery store. WOW, even worse, i didn't even step outside as we went from parking garage to parking garage. that is pretty disgusting. i share this here so that now i become accountable for DOing something about it. today. and i will post photographic evidence, so help me.

this is over. so over.

i did myself a favor today.

2009-10-29T16:18:00.005-04:00

the shortage of canned pumpkin in the grocery stores has been distressing. after 3 unsuccessful trips to different stores, i finally hit pay dirt and scored a few cans. a couple of weeks ago my momma sent me a recipe that i've been dying to try - pumpkin cookies with brown butter frosting. seeing as how i'm on a brown butter kick* lately, AND since i've also failed 3 times whilst trying to score pumpkin donuts from Dunkin Donuts, i had to make something with pumpkin.

we are talking serious delicious right here. the cookies are very cakey, and moist, and the pumpkin flavor is light. their consistency is almost spongy. and the frosting with that nutty brown butter flavor is bowl-licking amazing. i just ate another one right this moment because i got all revved up just describing them!!

*ok, i made one chocolate chip cookie recipe with browned butter, which was my very first attempt and it was awesome!!!!1111

mmm ok. here they are. and the recipe via good ol' Betty Crocker. mine don't look just like theirs, but they are so yum.

Cookies:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup (from 15-oz can) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, ¾ cup butter and 1 tsp vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in pumpkin and eggs until well mixed. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
2. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup butter (do not use margarine or spread; it will burn)

1. In medium bowl, place powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/3 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until light brown.
2. Pour browned butter over powdered sugar mixture. Beat on low speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Gradually add just enough of the remaining 1 tablespoon milk to make frosting creamy and spreadable. Generously frost cooled cookies.

skele-grow.

2009-10-27T08:18:00.006-04:00

we recently became the proud parents of a magical growing skeleton. it's true! 'twas a present from jesse's mom and dad. you put this little guy in water and watch him double, triple, and quadruple in size over the course of a few days. magic!

we decided to stick him in this big glass jar i've had for years and make him a halloween specimen of sorts. i don't know if we'll ever get him out of there. at least not in one piece.

observe:

his condition is serious. very serious.

fall in the district.

2009-10-26T09:46:00.006-04:00

i know that fall is everybody's favorite time of year and everything, but having spent the first 25 years of my life where there are no seasons, i appreciate every last drop of color that bursts from these deciduous leaves. yesterday we went out to the National Arboretum - another awesome, free place to go see/do stuff in DC. it was absolutely beautiful out there, and perfect weather to boot. everything just looks and smells better in the fall. i don't know how i lived with construction paper leaves in a sea of palm trees for so long. mmmmmm.

now, more importantly . . photos.

found this little guy at the beginning of our walk:

jesse taking a breather under a tree:

ooooh those colors:

and a smattering:

man. that is good stuff.

my cedar box of weird.

2009-10-21T10:34:00.008-04:00

whilst digging through some unpacked stuff yesterday in search of a hanging lantern cord, i came across my old cedar box. before i was born, my grandfather had a thriving furniture store in my home town. as a promotion one year, they gave out these little cedar boxes. my brother always had one when we were little, and i coveted thy box. my grandfather's sisters, elinor and lynn, also worked for the family business. they were very close and lived together ever since i can remember. lynn was once married, but after world war II her husband experienced some pretty severe post-traumatic stress disorder and divorced her. she never remarried, and she and elinor spent the rest of their days together. literally until death did they part.

when my great aunts moved into a smaller space in their later years, many of their things needed to be weeded out. my mom came across this cedar box and i instantly asked if i could have it. i haven't looked inside it in years, but i found some kind of weird and definitely random stuff in it.

the box:

and inside, the key, naturally:

a tiny measuring tape, i think it came with the box maybe:

a plaster mold of my bottom teeth, taken for a retainer when i was 9 (this is the WTF??? moment):

more happily met, a polaroid-esque (but is kodak) photo of me, my great aunt lynn, and my brother mykel - look at those pink on pink leg warmers!! i was probably 5 or 6, so this was around 1985:

and coolest of all, an old christmas card that my aunt elinor sent with her picture on it:

the back reads, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Sure wish I could see you two lovely people."

what a great find. it's like a treasure box!! now i'll put everything back inside of it, thank you very much.

i'm not even going to add it up.

2009-10-20T15:38:00.004-04:00

funemployment is weird. it's not fun, or bad . . it's just kind of weird. and a bit boring. i've never not had a job before, so not having a real reason to get up in the morning and put real clothes and makeup on is off-putting. strangely, the days go by just as fast though. this is week 3 and i can't believe it. it's fine and all, i'm just used to having more of a daily purpose. yesterday was highly productive, but mostly i'm starved for attention and social interaction.

today i went to have lunch with my friend ashley down around GWU. such a beautiful day, it was nice to get out and walk around the city. upon exiting the train station, i was harassed by 2 different people about some social issue and would i listen blah blah blah. after lunch, i walked to georgetown to shop for some things i needed. was harangued on every dang corner by homeless people. one of them yelled at me. par for the course, but still. what has gotten into people? several people asked me for directions. and two guys from Poland stopped and asked if they could take some pictures of me (they had some pretty decent equipment). he asked me to hold up my left hand to show my tattoo. he wanted me to do something with my hair. and then kind of just point it at him. i obliged, but i was thinking " . . strange . . ".

i walked the 1.2 miles back to the train, in hopes of catching some photos of my own. i lugged my camera around with me the whole day so i could capture some fall colors. nothing grabbed me. the leaves aren't that pretty yet. between there and home, i was asked for money twice more.

i got into my apartment, put my bag down and went to pee. i then heard a knock at my door. "shit." as i'm buckling my belt, i hear a key turn in the lock and the door opens. "UMMMM, HII????". the apartment peeps were going around because there was a flood up on the 10th floor and had to check if i was affected. the carpet in the bedroom is all wet. they are coming back in half an hour with a shop-vac and a dehumidifier.

i know i said i was starved for attention and social interaction, but save for the lunch with ashley (which was so nice!), all this is not what i had in mind.

eh, when it rains it monsoons i guess?

gloomy days are my favorite days.

2009-10-15T11:26:00.005-04:00

it's true. i'm happiest when it's rainy outside. a big plus if it's also cold. today's high: 48°. and that = yay!

maybe i prefer it because sunny days ultimately give me a headache no matter what. stupid sensitive eyes.

maybe it's because i don't feel obligated to "get out and enjoy the day" and therefore, i actually DO get out and enjoy the day.

or maybe it's because i can sit around and no one will blame me for it.

regardless, i love living in a place where i can actually experience fall, and that's what yesterday, today, and apparently the rest of this weekend feels/will feel like. i always think of fall like living inside of Sleepy Hollow.

mmm rain. and gray skies.

just taking it in.

speaking of skeletons . .

2009-10-14T08:41:00.006-04:00

i just love halloween time. when i was little, there would come a day in october when the air would change ever-so-slightly (remember, south florida, not much of a change). my brother and i would walk home from the bus stop and into the house, where we'd notice the windows were open. once we got inside there was the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked cookies and the halloween decorations were up!!! my favorite was this big lifesize paper skeleton with brads at the joints so his limbs were pose-able. it was the best day.

fast forward to now: jesse is obsessed with halloween decorations. we've lived together for the past 3 (pause - wow) halloweens and he is always rarin' to bust out the decor. the last 2 years, he has put out our stuff in AUGUST. yes, seriously. but i love it. one year, i was enamored with this spooky light-up tree that target had, but it was like $80. so jesse gathered up some wire, a coffee can, some cement, and a bunch of grapevine from his parents' and their neighbors' yards and MADE ME my own halloween tree!!!

i always complain about it when we move because it takes up so much space, but (not-so-) secretly, it's one of my favorite things ever.

as are these guys: skeleton lights from restoration hardware (from forever ago?), and little ceramic pumpkin and skull candle holders.

and rounding out the list of my absolute favorite things ever: the fiber optic pumkin/scarecrow duo from my momma.

halloween decorations make me so happy, dangit. it's always so depressing taking them down. then again, it will be about time to replace them with the christmas stuff. that i can deal with. the real depression will set in come january. ha.

i used to draw.

2009-10-12T09:53:00.005-04:00

it's true. i used to draw. i didn't think i was ever really that good at it, but i did it anyway. i actually won an award in 6th grade: "Student of the Year in Art". i have a plaque to prove it!

i didn't enjoy drawing that much, so i kind of stopped sketching anything. then my senior year of college hit and i took Human Osteology. it was hands-down my favorite course ever. we were stuffed in a lab with real human bone samples from all over the world. we had to study every single bone and be able to identify the bone (and its laterality in many cases) from fragments using certain "landmarks". sometime the professor even threw in non-human bones to make sure we knew what was what. did you know that a bear humerus looks very similar to a human's? it's true. it was like a mystery and i loved solving it.

for the class we were required to sketch every bone we studied, and i took it seriously. i like these drawings, but i can't help thinking they would be so much cooler on the whole if i had better hand-writing.

we spent the most time studying the skull, since it is made up of so many bones (some say 22, some say 30 . . somewhere in there). these are the first 2 pages from my sketchbook:

and a sample of the rest:

if you want to see the rest, click!

p.s. i got an A+ on my sketchbook. heeeeee.

a tale of 2 post-its.

2009-10-08T09:48:00.004-04:00

on tuesday i went to get a pedicure. i grabbed one of the magazines off the rack and sat down in the massage chair: it was Cosmo. now i'm not one of those girls who has periodical shameful pleasures . . i don't particularly like thumbing through these magazines. i just do it because it's something to do to avoid looking my pedicurist in the eye as she works away at my feet. i really could care less about this month's "50 great bedroom moves he'll never see coming" or how to make a guy "follow you everywhere".

so i was flipping through some such vapid article about new sex tricks or something, and smack-dab in the middle of the page is this neon green post-it that someone had written seemingly random words all over. i of course stuck it in my bag to pour over again later. see for yourselves:

weird, right? i mean, was this in answer to some Cosmo love quiz? was this an exercise assigned by this person's therapist to come up with a list of words to convey how she was feeling? WHAT IS IT?!?!?! platonic is first scratched out and then re-written as if it matters how it's spelled here? and what is that first word? "wuss"?? so weird.

in a post-it coincidence, this morning i arose at 9 am (which seems to be my "internal alarm clock" time as it's the time i've woken up every day this week), unloaded the dishwasher, filled a bowl full of cereal and almond milk, and got a glass of orange juice (no pulp). i sat down and opened my macbook for my morning read and found THIS post-it waiting for me inside!!!!

the message is much more clear on this one, wouldn't you say? 1 for 1 isn't bad. and it's on a cupcake post-it (courtesy of Kelly). it's already such a good day.

adventures in baking . . sorta.

2009-10-07T10:01:00.006-04:00

it doesn't really have to be any time of year for me to want to bake something. i suppress the urge much more often than i give in to it. when my mom taught me how to make tollhouse cookies when i was 12, i literally baked them every. other. week. for like 2 years straight. i still know the recipe by heart. go on, quiz me.

and don't get me wrong, i'm not some gourmet baker who comes up with amazing recipes and always cooks from scratch. i'd like to say that i was, but i just don't have that kind of time. well, maybe now i do because i'm funemployed, but heretofore, being home only 3 days a week didn't warrant much time for leisurely/arduous baking.

for instance, a couple of weeks ago was jesse's 30th birthday. he wanted some glamorously halloween decorated red velvet cupcakes. but i only had 2 hours in which to accomplish the decorating. therefore he got rather plain, yet delicious red velvet cupcakes.

sans icing:

i have never seen cupcakes devoured so fast. it was great. i hate leftover baked goods.

and yesterday the weather was just perfect for baking pumpkin bread, so i fought through my sinus headache and busted it out.

the whole apartment smelled amazing. i sat on the chaise right by the open windows catching the slightly chilled air from the cloudy day while i took in that intoxicating aroma. seriously. oh and it tasted good too. jesse even did it up with some of the leftover cream cheese icing from the cupcakes. he's an innovator.

i can already feel myself ready for more baked goods. but i also don't want to weigh 300 lbs at the end of my funemployment, so i'm going to take it in baby steps. or at least half recipes.