2010: stay in your lane

an adorable co-worker of mine has taken to giving every new year a theme or motto. the idea behind it being that you apply said motto to everything you do, like her 2008 motto "balls out" wherein she (for lack of a better definition) grew a pair and did things she might not have done otherwise.

my office was chatting about themes for 2010 and came up with some great ones (my personal favorites being "stay in your lane," "bump it" and "what's in my box?"). does anyone have any suggestions for mottoes to live by in 2010? would love to get your input!

i was also trying to set some realistic resolutions for myself this year, which is something i've struggled with (like many people) in the past. last year's plan to be vegan lasted only a month or so (my birthday's in early february, and i couldn't resist eating a tasty morsel of animal product goodness).

this year, i'm hoping to resolve the following:

• finish reading any books i've only read half-way through
• eliminate as much of my debt/loans as is humanly possible
• learn french and swedish
  
• and...?

that's about all i have for now, but i'm working on more. those are some very big undertakings, but i'm ready to tackle them. bring it on 2010.

here today, gone tomorrow

i've been on the road traveling for work for about two and a half weeks already, and i'm nearing the end of my last leg. i'm currently hiding out at a coffee shop in winston-salem, nc, crossing my fingers that the worst of hurricane ida's rains have passed. my trip south started off on a good note: highs in the 70s with clear, sunny skies. that all changed yesterday when our friend ida decided to beat the carolinas with all she's got. eek!

i'd be lying if i said i wasn't trying to prolong my stay in winston-salem for fear of bordem in the hotel room that awaits me in charlotte. i've mostly enjoyed my solo adventures (read: recruitment travel), but i'm ready to get home at this point. i still have a few more days left of my north carolina travel... once saturday rolls around, though, i'm heading back to le city. mmm can't wait to finish the sewing projects i left behind (new curtains and [gasp] an anthropologie-imitation quilt, perhaps?).

i swung through athens this past weekend to see my family (my sister and brother-in-law were down from baltimore, and my brother lives there now). what. a. treat. i stayed with my dear friends nathan and bridget, whom i've posted about previously. i always laugh about it, but the only thing i really ever feel like doing when i visit athens is eat at all my favorite restaurants... go figure! my friend andrew even told me that if someone was on the hunt for me in athens, they'd know exactly where to find me. my route is much too predictable, i suppose :)

alright, time to brave the weather/drive/boredom (in that order).

before you go: i just put together this slideshow for my friend katharine, who recently left to teach english in tolosa/san sebastian, spain for a few months. her birthday is coming up, so i made this little gem for her... set to the tune of "only you can make you happy" by au revoir simone.


happy birthday, love.

beacon hill. boston. brrrr.

after my three-week stint as a nomad, i'm finally settled into a new apartment in greenpoint, brooklyn. well, i guess "settled" is a fairly relative term (i moved into my new place last monday and hit the ground running with work travel soon after). while i'm mostly unpacked, i could still use another weekend to get myself and things in order. that's going to have to wait, though, until i return in mid-november.

i'm out on the road traveling for work for the next three or so weeks. i'm in boston for a little over a week, and i'll head down to the carolinas in early november. i started a new job at the beginning of september, so i'm now working for the new school's liberal arts college. i could not be happier! i'm excited to have this opportunity to explore boston more, too. i've only been here once before, which is a little hard to believe considering i have family here. the drive up was pretty darn magical--cranberry, gold and burnt orange colored leaves...glorious!

the week's already looking like it's going to be pretty fantastic. i'm going to see the whigs, an athens band, play in cambridge with my friends sara and lauren; meeting up with my uncle, cousin and a handful of college friends at some point; celebrating halloween; and hopefully getting up to gloucester, ma (a quaint harbor town north of boston) this weekend. mmm fall.

while my internet access will be pretty scarce this next week, i'll try to put up some pictures of my boston adventures in the not-too-distant future. stay tuned!

doodles

i haven't posted in a while (mostly due to the fact that i'm currently couch surfing thanks to a landlord who doesn't know what "up to safety codes" means), which my sister brought to my attention a few days ago.

here's a little something i've been working on... it's a variation of a poster i did for a graphic design class in college. i got the idea from a poster jason munn of the small stakes (one of my favorite graphic designers) did for musician daniel johnston. note: i'm clearly not a whiz at figuring out how to make the image look as clear as it does in photoshop. my apologies!

{double-click on the image to view larger}

newness

i feel like i have a renewed sense of purpose.

ok, that sounds cheesy now that i re-read it, but it's the truth. there have been a lot of changes in my life recently (some great, others not as great), but overall, i'd say i'm pretty excited for what's in store...

i moved into a new apartment about two weeks ago in greenpoint, brooklyn. my roommate/college friend daniel and i are prepping for some awesome home improvements and decorating this weekend, which is going to be a blast!

i also started a new job this week. i now work for eugene lang college - the new school for liberal arts. it's a total breath of fresh air. after working in admissions for two years when i was in college, i'm jazzed i get to slip back into higher education. the people i work with are delightful, the new school is the jam, and i'm planning to take some classes through parsons the new school for design in the spring (one of the perks of being a new school employee). the best part is that i finally have the time and resources to explore hobbies/endeavors that have slipped by the wayside in the past year or so. whatever those may be.

[sigh] life. is. good.

{photo courtesy of paper tissue}

andy comes to town

again, i apologize for not keeping up with my posts.
{gasp} no posts in july?!

these pics are from my brother's (first) trip
to nyc to visit me last weekend. oooooh, boy!

mmm new york pizza

brunch at MUD

ok, i know it looks like all we did was eat,
but that's the best part about this city, right? right.

behind the times

oops! so i forgot to post these pictures from

the fourth of july. forgive me!

keeping good company at the cookout

i spy the moon {and two dashing gentlemen}

view from the rooftop: west end ave.

fireworks on the hudson