monday

The past two humble days:



I AM NO
LONGER DEAD
I AM IN LOVE

















It's been years since I've touched my Pentax Spotmatic (& I've been giddy ever since I dropped off my film at the drugstore this afternoon).
I don't think I'll be able to leave her now.

thursday

How I became a spy:


God bless Louise Fitzhugh! I have been slowly trying to ink out tributes to a few of my favorite children's books and authors (and boy, do I mean slowly...). Words can do little justice to express how much books like Harriet the Spy meant to me as a kid and continue to mean to me as a growing lady; especially since I can't even watch the trailer for WTWTA without shedding a handful of tears. Like many other little ladies, I ate my fair share of tomato sandwiches, spent too much time in the bathtub trying to scrub that permanent freckle off of my right foot, and hid in bushes scribbling furiously on my fifty cent notebooks from the pharmacy. I admired Harriet's pluck, her passion for the written word, and her appreciation for a cool glass of milk with a slice of cake! At the age of seven, I traded in my barbies for things like silly putty, fake mustaches, and electric blue pencil sharpeners. It was, I felt, my duty to write down how many ant hills I saw on my walk to my best friend's house, her brother's boring conversations, and to figure out just why our neighbors only came out of their house late at night (late then meaning past seven o'clock). In fact, two years ago, I went so far as to try a milky egg cream for the first time in Harriet's honor. I'd never tasted something so dull and unfulfilling, but I drank every single drop as if it were the last!





And honest to goodness, every once in a while, when I'm researching for a paper or for fun (is it really research though when you enjoy it?), I feel just about as sleuthy as Harriet must have felt before she was caught in the dumbwaiter!

tuesday

Remedies for the weekday blues:
1) John Ashbery's book party tomorrow night
2) Living with just about the sweetest girl in the world (that runs out in the middle of the night to buy chocolate chips so we can bake our blues away)
3) I don't think I'll need to explain this one: Trevor Howard
4) Pooling together pocket change to buy my weekly glass bottle of milk from the farmers market
5) Practicing finger waves in anticipation of the Jazz Age Lawn Party this Sunday
6) Spending afternoons in McNally Jackson
7) Dreaming of Van Leeuwen's earl grey tea ice cream sandwiches
8) Fresh laundry (if you don't have the time for it, I at least suggest smelling like it!)
9) Making time to sit in public gardens
10) Searching for an endangered language in the city for Bob Holman (and still searching, might I add!)

monday

"Dear love, for nothing less than thee
Would I have broke this happy dream;"

from "The Dream" by John Donne

sunday

Found via Hollister Hovey.

God bless Eadweard Muybridge and his horses (murder excluded). I can't think of a better way to start your Sunday (fresh laundry included)!

P.S. This is particularly charming if you listen to some Al Bowlly or Billy Murray. I recommend "The Way to Kiss a Girl" from 1903!

monday

I don't think anyone should ever smile this much on a Monday! Having an adorable boy talk to me about solitaire whilst in line at Trader Joe's and listening to Michel Legrand all day tends to help. And of course, I can't go to bed without thanking brussel sprouts, avocados, and pine nuts!

sunday

Today has been a good day to slow down and breathe deeply. It's been an exceptionally good week on all fronts and I can't believe I still have so many things to look forward to.

So far, I've gulped down a cup of iced tea or two, read more than I should have for class (I am so thankful for curiosity), strolled through the Brooklyn Book Festival, laughed in the laundromat with two dears, ran into just about everyone I know (yay Robyn!), baked banana bread with N., and really considered myself the luckiest girl after my friends stuffed me with homemade bread, pork chops, and panzanella. Despite all of the bug bites, perspiration, and bandaids I've endured, it's been a wonderful day!

tuesday

Lately...











Life consists of lots of oatmeal, lots of school supplies, lots of sleep, lots of dinner parties, and lots of list-making. I am, however, determinedly on my way to becoming the next Iris Barry after my first day of class (or the Librarian of Congress). My heart was pitter-pattering for four hours today during my advanced seminar on film preservation this morning. I think that's a good sign as any.

A busy day awaits, so I better squeeze in some sleep while I still can! Goodnight dear friends!

thursday

Perhaps it's a combination of things, but I've never felt so glad to stroll through the farmers market, humming Donovan, tucking a baguette into my bag, fishing for the perfect tomatoes, and at times catching a drift of sunflowers and basil in the air. Despite my sleepy state (I dread red eye flights), I moseyed over to my friend's apartment where we made bruschetta and white wine soaked broccoli for dinner. I don't think anything makes me happier than cooking and baking with my closest friends (I am now hopelessly devoted to lemon pepper). Drinking mint lemonade on rooftops and singing Woody Guthrie songs together is a pretty close second.

Goodnight world!