so fresh

These pictures were all taken last Monday. I left early for my hair appointment so I could spend some time reading in this little square. I find that days when I spent time outside are days when I am a happier person. As the weather cools (and I mean cools, it may snow this weekend) I probably won't be able to do much sitting but I love going on brisk walks during my lunch break; it's a chance to explore a new part of the city.

I have been reading everything in my local by F Scott Fitzgerald. I started with The Great Gatsy, then Jazz Age Stories, I just finished The Last Tycoon yesterday, and this morning I started Tender is the Night. F Scott seems to hold a disdain for women. In his short stories the female characters are so flighty and easily manipulated by men. I think Cecilia and Kathleen (in The Last Tycoon) are more convincing women, not just sketches of characters of women. I'm excited that Nicole (in Tender is the Night) also seems to be an interesting woman. Of course, I am in love with Monroe Stahr--less so with Gatsby. Does anyone know of any other 1920s-30s authors I should be reading?

The third photo is my natural hair color. I haven't actually seen this dark brown in years. Of course, the second I have it back I go and change it. I love my foil mohawk! It was actually quite painful because they had it pinned like that for almost 20 minutes and it was very heavy! Do you like my bleach streak? I really really want to go blond in the future! I wish I could have had my whole head bleached so I could have seen a bit of what I would have looked like. Oh well, another time.

Harry Potter and Bench Monday

I risked uploading these five photos because I really wanted to submit a photo to Bench Monday. I've been meaning to take one forever but whenever I remember it's like Wednesday or Thursday, which are perfectly lovely days but no Bench Monday. I think it's a satisfactory start to my bench-photo-taking career. Although, I do like some of the other photos I took better. As you can see I've started reading the Harry Potter series again. I don't think I've read the whole series in at least five years. Yikes! Nothing beats Harry Potter, root beer, and a cool breeze!

The Downfall of Obsession

I have a tendency to obsess over new things. Recently I've discovered new blogs and have begun to read them through from latest entry to the very first post. This means that I end up admiring outfits from the cooler seasons (temperature wise). Last week I found myself out in 95 degree weather wearing the above outfit all because I happened to be lusting after fall clothing Julia (from Song of the Exile) and Shannon (of Dirty Hair Halo). Fantastic planning Sarah Yvonne, really.

Despite the inappropriateness of my outfit for the weather, I really enjoyed what I was wearing and felt stylish. Luckily, the walk from metro to library is only 4ish blocks so (had I not stopped to take outfit photos for 15 min) I spent minimal time outside.

I love this new shirt. It's so soft and worn and comfortable and perfect. I thrifted it and then immediately wore it for three days in a row. True love means not having to do laundry.



Clockwise: Lovely Asian restaurant I walked past just as the announcer announced that there were 7 minutes left in the final game of the world cup; pretty and pink; I love human & animal twins; this dedication is precisely why I am in love with Neil Gaiman.

read and white

Hello there, I decided to post this outfit (worn June 29th) today in celebration of yesterday's holiday. I did in fact wear red, white, and blue but I did not take a photos of my outfit so I offer this one to you instead:

I've mentioned the fact that I find my job constricting to my daily outfit choices but I'm not sure I've explained. See, my job is to sell my university. I give tours to potential students and I feel that if I'm wearing some of my wackier outfits that I could turn kids away from my school. Part of this may just be me being silly but it's something I worry about. So lately I feel my work outfit's stagnating.
This outfit looks very work-like. What could be more 9-5 than a pencil skirt? However, with my thrifted 'where's waldo' shirt and a miss-matching stripe belt I felt a very me!

I rarely wear make-up (longer story later) but I did today and wanted to show off. Unfortunately, by the time I took this photos it had been a long hot day. Also unfortunately, this photo shows my lovely scar tissue from my industrial piercing. I had this pierced two years ago, right after my freshman year of college, and I was silly and irresponsible and didn't clean it properly. Lesson learned: if you don't take care of your piercings you will get scar tissue.

These photos were, as usual, taken by my darling Boyfriend (shown here making faces at me). Do you mind if I tell you one of my favorite things about Boyfriend? No? Oh good, well here goes: he reads!

This is such a simple thing but so awesome to me! I am a total bookworm but before Boyfriend none of my previous relationships had been with readers. Let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying then being able to exchange books with your love.

The books here are Wizard's First Rule, a sci-fi/fantasy book with wizards (obvi) and The God Delusion, lent to me by my lovely boss it's all about atheism and proving that god doesn't exist. An interesting read.

excerpt from Beauty

This is the stack of books I would much rather be reading than working on my projects (which is what I'm doing). Here's an excerpt from the short story I am reworking for my creative writing course.

My father and Dr. Brennon talked far into the night. I sat at a table by the dirty window. I stared at my distorted reflection and ran my finger up and down my scar. I tried to picture myself without it. I turned and looked at my profile. My eyes are big and dark. My skin is pale and my lips look red against it. I might be beautiful from this angle but always there was the pale red scar on the other half of my face. I stared and wondered if without it I would be beautiful. I stared and wondered if life without my scar was real. Was this the answer to all those prayers, those nights curled up crying out to a god, any god? Was Dr. Brennon the proof that all my wishing had not fallen on deaf ears?

“Beauty, Beauty,” My father rested his hand on my shoulder. “Wake up, my dear Beauty. Tomorrow you go with Dr. Brennon.”

I lifted my head off the table and looked around the bar, Dr. Brennon was gone.

“He went to his hospital to arrange everything. Tomorrow I will drive you there and soon you will have the surgery.” There were tears in my father’s eyes. “Soon the scar will be gone.”

The next morning I packed my small suitcase with a few items of clothing and a picture of my mother. I kissed Joanna and Lettie good-bye and my father and I got into his old, dirty car. We drove for hours but for once, the sleep that normally stole over me on long car rides was kept at bay. I stared at the window and smiled up at the sun and the clouds. When we stopped for gas I almost didn’t notice the stares from the other customers; soon no one would stare at me.

We arrived at the hospital as the sun was setting. The mirrored windows of the building reflected the red and pink of the sun over and over; every way I looked there was beautiful color. A nurse met us at the door and took us to my room. The bed was big and soft, not at all like the hospital beds I had slept in after the accident. The walls were pale blue and the floors were a thick carpet. When my father left that night to return to the bar and my sisters, I took off my shoes and sunk my feet into the carpet. I stood with my arms outstretched and smiled. That night, before I went to bed I said a prayer of thanks for Dr. Brennon. While I slept, I dreamt of princes and castles made of sunsets.

Arlington County Public Library

This is the main staircase. Behind and to the left is the entrance to the youth section.

Sunday afternoon, Boyfriend and I headed over to the Arlington County Public Library. One of the disadvantages of going to a small university is that sometimes the library doesn't have all the books you need. Since Boyfriend is writing a paper on a specific gun used in the Spanish-American war, our university had no books. Luckily, Arlington has like 12 libraries, only one of which was open on Sunday.

The main Arlington County Public Library, besides being the only library open on Sunday, happens to be the library I grew up at. I don't think I've been since I moved to Falls Church when I was eight. When we pulled into the parking lot I grew nervous because I didn't recognize the outside. I have very few memories of my childhood but I have very distinct memories of this library and I was worried that everything was going to have changed in the past 12 years.


View from the top.

My worries were for naught. The second we walked through the doors I was awash with memories. The huge round staircase was just as I remembered and behind it was the youth section. They had switched the kid and young adult sides but everything else was the same. There was the long counter for check outs and the video section. Even the top floor, which I don't ever remember going to, felt familiar.


Outside there are cherry blossoms :)

I remember spending my summers filling out the reading chart to win prizes. Do you remember those? You had to read a certain number of fiction, nonfiction, chapter books, etc. I remembered how excited I was the very first time I got to check a book out of the young adult section. I know what book it was too, if only I could remember the title. I have always been a bookworm and all my memories of this library are with my Grandmother and are tinted with happiness (and for some reason yellow?).

It's nice to have somethings from your childhood remain the same. I'm also registering for a library card so, hopefully, this summer I'll have more time to read and more options!

i am not a teenage fairy

When I was a teenager I read all the time, all the time. Some of my favorite books were by Francesca Lia Block. I recommend them all; especially the Weetzie Bat series. Block continued Weetzie's story in A Necklace of Kisses, which picks up almost a decade later. In the very beginning, Weetzie is leaving her husband (long story) and Block writes the most beautiful description of what Weetzie packed.

"Then, carefully, thoughtfully, one by one, Weetzie took out of her closet:
a lime green, pink, and orange kimono-print string bikini she had made herself;
two fresh, unopened packs of men's extra-small white tank tops from the surplus store;
new-fallen-snowy-white Levis' 501 jeans;
men's black silk gabardine trousers from the Salvation Army, tailored to fit;
a pair of orange suede old-school trainers with white stripes;
orange-leather, silver-studded slides;
some bikini underwear and bras in black, white, pink, lime green, and orange;
a pink-and-green Pucci tunic from her best friend Dirk's Grandma Fifi."

I want to be so prepared; looking through my closet there is nothing that really sticks out to me. Through the rest of the book Weetzie (btw, how cool is that name?) puts together multiple, amazing outfits with just these seven items (not counting underwear). I want that skill!

On another, slightly related note, I am heading to the South tomorrow for my Nana's 90th Birthday! It's a multi-day event and I'm excited. I am packing.

- a red corduroy strapless dress
- a gold "cruise ship" jacket
- black boots
- floral flats
- a sheer kimono with purple flowers
- a black lace cropped-sweater
- a sundress with blue-purple flowers
- various underswears, leggings, and tights
- a pair of skinny white jeans
- one purple hound-sooth jacket

Let the party begin!