Thursday, December 30, 2010

I love. I love, I love, I love - SO MUCH.

I love that if you stumbled across their trailer (and shed with big screen TV, apparently, hidden elsewhere on their property??) you would never think that the woman who lived there had created such a beautiful, lovely, intricate, ethereal hideaway.  Oh my goodness.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/23/garden/20100624-chic-slideshow-16.html

I wish I could do a teaser picture but of course it's on the NY Times website so that's never going to happen.  Just trust me, please go and look at it.  I love that it exists.  And of course...I wish I could do something like that.

So many dreams.  So little money.  :)  Someday, my friends!






Okay, so I totally posted this and then continued on my internet exploring to find this:

http://pinkshirtsandcarwrecks.bigcartel.com/products

Agh!  So cute!  Especially for all of my Twin Cities buddies, because according to this lady's "about" section, she lives in Minneapolis.  I want.  If I lived in Minneapolis, I would totally get that Mpls pennant.  Nix, I always think of you when I see things like that because you have such Minneapolis pride.  Go!

Also, I should stop surfing the nets right now because I'm at work and I actually have some work to do, but I wanted to let y'all know that I found this stuff via pictures posted on this blog:

http://printerpiemaker.blogspot.com/

who lives in my neck of the woods and who I happened to get to say hi to at the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco the weekend before Christmas.  As I skim down the rest of her latest post, called "Pretty Things" I see many more pictures I want to click on and explore but I have to get some work done right now!!!  Aaauuugghh!!  The internet is too tempting.  There are too many beautiful things on here, and in the world.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Shameless

So, I'm writing to tell all four of my lovely followers about two giveaways:

http://www.blondebargainbabe.com/2010/12/bbbs-first-giveaway-groupon.html

and

http://couturecarrie.blogspot.com/2010/12/runway-rundown-bracelet-giveaway.html

Because apparently if I blog about them, I get extra entries into the contests.  It's cool stuff, too, so I'm okay telling other people about them.

In other news, I read The House of the Spirits and I've been wanting to write about it but I don't really know what to say.  I mean...it's just one of those books.

picture courtesy of .roma's Flickr feed

It was incredible...and I feel like I need to read it at least one more time, if not two more times, to really appreciate its beauty.  It was her first book!  I can't believe that.  It's similar to Of Love and Shadows but broadens the story to include the whole family (two families, but mostly one) as opposed to just the two main lovers and one mother, as I seem to remember Of Love and Shadows doing.  Similar backdrop though, of civil unrest and political struggles, and main characters getting involved in revolutionary activities.  I don't know much about Isabel Allende except that she was the niece of Salvador Allende, so that makes me think that some of her content comes from her own family history.

Anyway, I loved it and it makes me want to know them and stay in the big house on the corner for a while and meet Clara and Nicolas and Amanda and Miguel and Alba.  Characters in two of my favorite books now are named Alba, isn't that funny?  I don't like that name.  Can anyone guess what the other book is?  :)

I will definitely be reading more Isabel Allende.  This is my third.  My first was Daughter of Fortune.  That's my least favorite so far, but not unenjoyable.  I liked it while I was reading it.  She creates very passionate female characters, and many of her characters, male or female, are completely possessed by world-changing love that takes over their whole lives.  I think that's one of my favorite things about her writing so far.  :)

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

I'm finally one of those people

I've never been someone who gets melancholy during the holidays.  I've always loved Christmas, no matter how stressed out I get myself over presents or parties or traveling.  This year I'm not stressed, but I am a little melancholy.  Who knew?

For the most part, I'm happy in California.  I have a good job, I enjoy my classes and about a week after I moved here I just happened to meet the love of my life.  My cat is happy and healthy, and so am I.  I feel successful, and I am slowly making friends.

That's what I miss, though - my real friends.  And my family.  Christmas is the time you're supposed to be with your loved ones.  I think maybe I'm given to fits of melancholy in general, because I always feel like I should be happier, especially when I think about all the good things in my life.  And like I said, I do like it here.  I'm happy that I moved here.  I just miss the people back in Minnesota.  It took me ten years to build the friendships I left there, and nothing here can compare to that (Yet.  Hopefully someday.). 

I also kind of miss snow.  Of course I had to move right before one of the biggest blizzarding winters in Minnesota history.  I kind of would've liked to experience that.

I hope it isn't more hard and sad than happy and exciting when I go back to visit.  It will have been almost a year after moving before I can make it back.  Well, we'll see.  However it is, it will be good.  I just wanted to say to everyone back in the frozen tundra - I miss you guys.  I hope you're all happy and healthy as well, and that you have a beautiful Christmas.  Don't forget the most important part - to love and enjoy your favorite people.  Try not to get too caught up in the holiday stress and let it become an unhappy time that you dread.  If you're stressed about getting people the right presents, just buy 23 bottles of wine and you'll be set.  You can tell them all you found it at some tiny winery that you can't even remember the name of (they do have some of those in Minnesota!), and they'll assume it's expensive instead of $5 at Trader Joe's.  :)

I love you all!  I'm going to try to create my own little Christmas that will be as wonderful as I can possibly make it, but in the meantime I'll just try to cheer myself up a bit by imagining that you're all going to come visit!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Oooh, I really want to go and buy Christmas presents here



Also, I heard on NPR this morning that in 10 years, 85% of the book trade will be in e-books.  I sincerely hope not.  That might be the first real rebellion I stage against change and modernization.