more sesame street....

I love elmo...

Sesame Street has it going on.

old lady at 22

So I found my first gray hair the other day. I'm only 22 and yet the promise of middle age seems just around the corner. I don't relish the thought of bad knees, bad skin, and changing metabolism, but I think I can handle this gray hair thing, I decided not to pull it out and go with the flow. I have distinct memories of sitting behind my mom pulling out her gray hair, with warnings to get it by the root. So Gross! 

I'm sure a gray head is a long time off, but maybe it won't be so bad? I always kind of liked salt and pepper hair. And if I had a choice I would take gray hair over old skin any day. So I think I'll hold off on the dyeing... at least for now. 

cat morning

here they are being so cute... this is basically how they spend their day. Lainey on the queen's pillow and Hank not far behind.

I am so wanting spring right now,

And I am so ready for travel...

but before these things I have to write write write to get my thesis done. ugh. 

new jeans

So with the 30% of JCrew final sale, I had to get these jeans. Only $20! I have been keeping an eye out for new jeans for a while and these were such deal I couldn't pass them up. Hopefully they look awesome- Pamela from the store has them, but she can pull off anything. Better make my ebaying more profitable...

homemade bagels

Oh Aaron! You've done it again. A wonderful breakfast recipe. So much better than store bought. What a yummy Sunday brunch. The recipe can be found here. 

first project

So clearly this was my first project, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I finished this scarf last week for my sister's birthday present but had to wait to share it until I gave it to her last night.

Even though its all just a simple knit stitch, I think the width of the scarf makes it cozy and nice. I used worsted weight peruvian highland wool in purple, but pulled from two skeins at once and used 15 gauge needles for a thicker knit. I hope Katie likes it! I had fun making it and was so happy with the outcome I think I'll make the same for myself. 

Fleet Foxes

Have you listened to Fleet Foxes yet? The answer to this question is probably yes. They have been all over the place recently, but I can't get over how much I like this album. The tone almost reminds me of folky war protest music in the 60s. 

Here is what Rolling Stone has to say: 

Indie rock is undergoing a folk renaissance, which has spawned some great harmony singing. Case in point: Fleet Foxes' debut opens with a woozy a cappella that's part sacred-harp-choral tradition, part Beach Boys, and it resolves into a Celtic-flavored march with a searing Richard Thompson-style guitar line. The 11 songs are mostly pastorals — the sun rises, snow falls, spring comes, birds fly and, on "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song," the "tall grasses wave/They do not know you anymore." (Dis!) This style is what critics used to label "freak folk" before the term became verboten, though plain freakin' lovely is more to the point. A lower-dosage Animal Collective, the Foxes stuff their free-form songs with rich, swirling melodies; billowing clouds of organs, tom-toms, bells and assorted stringed instruments cloak group vocals whose secular-gospel, suede-fringed precision owes plenty to Crosby, Stills and Nash (check out the gorgeous intro to "He Doesn't Know Why"). The lyrics are haunted by mortality — one song finds the singer "staggering through premonitions of my death," and another's narrator finds a drowned child on the banks of a river — but the exquisite voices thrum with life.

-posted by Will Hermes on June 12, 2008

Have a listen and enjoy:


Fleet Foxes

out of my reach

Things I want from ebay but can't have...

J. Crew Fiona Jacket

J. Crew Grey Suede Boots

Anthropologie Amalialad Sweater Coat

new boots!

I just got new boots to replace my favorite but leaking wellies. I love my new ones; they are so classic, and I had an awesome discount code. I imagine myself herding sheep in Scotland somewhere. They are the Hunter work boots that farmers actually wear, called Argyll. And they fit! (my old ones were maybe a bit too small). 

some awesome things...

-I made an awesome split pea soup tonight. so yummy. 

-I was reminded of how aaron and I connected over ben harper.

-I sold my first ebay item and am on to the second!

-I found out I am not behind my cohort in thesis progress/ job search. In fact I'm ahead of some!

-I'm knitting so fast I had to take a week off so as not to spend too much on yarn.

the narwhal.

I've always been intrigued by narwhals. I think they are magical and sweet looking and beautiful. I also always thought they were mythical. 

Uh, what? How did I assume a real animal was a legend, a story, a fake? I think thats why I always liked them; I like them like I like unicorns, fairies, and elves. I feel so disillusioned. I also feel like an idiot. Well, now I know. I wonder what else I think is mythological is actually real?

more art musings- Saul Steinberg

Steinberg with Le Masque mural, Galerie Maeght, Paris, 1966.

Saul Steinberg (1914-1999) was renowned for the covers and drawings that appeared in the New Yorker for nearly 6 decades. his various work was displayed internationally, and was at home both on the page and in the gallery. I really love his deceptively simple concepts and visual form. 

Girl in Bathtub, 1949.
Gelatin silver print, 12 3/4 x 11 1/4".
The Saul Steinberg Foundation.

Untitled, 1948.

Ink on paper, 14 1/4 x 11 1/4".

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.

Children's Labyrinth, 1954.
10th Milan Triennial, detail of History of Architecture section of mural.

Untitled, 1962.
Ink on paper.
Originally published in The New Yorker, November 17, 1962.

baked oatmeal... so so good.

Aaron made some baked oatmeal courtesy of The Kitchen Sink yesterday and it is so good. And you can heat it up in the microwave the next day and its still delicious. I don't always want eggs in the morning, cereal can get old, and pancakes can be just too sweet for me in the morning. Oatmeal is a good alternative, but its hard to get the perfect consistency. This baked oatmeal has a more cakey texture, eliminating some of the uncertainties of traditional oatmeal. I love it... thanks Aaron. Here is the recipe: 

Baked Oatmeal

Penzeys

2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/3 cups skim milk
4 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
milk, yogurt and fruit (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. In a medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes, or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly. Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal, tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Prep time: 15 minutes. Cooking minutes: 55-60 minutes. Serves: 6-8.

obamicon no more

In anticipation for the inaugural address, and in preparation for Obama fans to cease in their campaign idolization and begin their presidential criticisms (as it should be), I have become more interested in Obama posters and images. Whatever you feel about him, his candidacy sure did inspire some great art. Here are a few I found:

Or you can just obamicon yourself (courtesy of jon garda).

Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz, Snow Globes, mixed media

Caitlin showed me this exhibition the other day and its amazing. Martin and Munoz have been making snow globes with these touching and yet unsettling scenes. They seem to use the confines of the globe as a diorama for images of human interaction, sometimes familiar, and sometimes supernatural. The images below are from the Travelers series, but you can also see their Islands series as well as the rest of the collection here. Their current exhibition is in Spain, but have another opening March 1 in Sheboygan Wisconsin. Look here for exhibition information. 

Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz
Alone Together, 2005

Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz
Traveler 225, 2007 Snowglobe 9x6x6 inches

Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz
Traveler 186 at Night, 2006

Walter Martin and Paloma Muñoz
Traveler 48 at Night, 2003

this particular wednesday

I love Wednesdays. I have no class or work. I find my Tuesday night filled with anticipation for the next day with expectations for sleeping in, relaxation, productivity, and fun. This morning in particular has been defined by three things:  

1) Frozen blueberries. I read a nytimes piece about healthy things one should be consuming. Frozen blueberries were on the list. While many good foods are depleted when frozen, blueberries are less effected by freezing and contain a plethora of antioxidants and vitamins. So this morning I enjoyed a delicious bowl with vanilla yogurt. 

2) Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death. I read half of this 1969 Kurt Vonnegut book yesterday during my break from class, and finished it this morning in bed. It is the perfect novel. I would describe it simultaneously as funny, sad, beautiful, ugly, hopeful, and defeating. I've always shirked away from reading it expecting it to be some guys' book that would be too concerned with itself by being obviously satirical and glorifying men and war. Now don't get me wrong, this book is surely misogynist, but that doesn't take away from the genius of form and compelling technique making a completely unlikeable and weak Billy Pilgrim become the answer to the problem of man killing man the inevitability of death. 

3) M. Ward's Hold Time. This album, by 'Him' of She and Him, is new to me, so I don't really feel I have a concise opinion yet. But I have sure been enjoying it this morning. You can listen to an exclusive first listen here. Here is what NPR says: 

NPR.org, January 12, 2009 - The songs of singer-guitarist M. Ward seem to drift in on the crackling radio waves of a distant time. Warm and intimate, his largely acoustic and usually spare arrangements are a tribute to what Ward sees as the greatest era for American music: the 1950s and early '60s, when singers like Buddy Holly andRoy Orbison infused country-rooted pop with honesty and romance. Ward's latest album, Hold Time, continues this tradition, with a gorgeously produced mix of finger-picked guitars, upright bass and shuffling rhythms, all tied together by his achy voice.

Hold Time won't be released until Feb. 17, but listeners can hear the entire album here on NPR Music as an exclusive preview.

The new disc was mixed by producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis, with guest appearances by Lucinda Williams,Zooey Deschanel (She & Him), Rachel Blumberg (The Decemberists) and others. Though it mostly features all-new songs, Hold Time includes a handful of cover tunes, including Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" and "Rave On," made popular by Buddy Holly.

"I think the songwriting style of (Buddy Holly's) period was superior," Ward says in an interview with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. "There was a certain amount of joy in it, no matter how sad the song is. You get joy in listening to these Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison sad lyrics. I'm attracted to songs that have balance between the darks and the lights and giving them all equal opportunity."

And now I get to head down to Caribou to get school work done. Nice day.

blog block... the yellow treehouse restaurant

Despite all my goings on I've been experiencing blogger's block. I sit down and feel very uninspired. I need to get on the ball with my employment search for after graduation, and when I sit at the computer I feel compelled to do a little job search. One good thing is that my work load has been decreased this quarter by joining reading groups. I cannot believe I didn't utilize them earlier.

I came across images of a really interesting design of a restaurant in New Zealand today. The Yellow Treehouse Restaurant opened recently, and yes, it is a restaurant at the top of a tree! There seems to be only a few table and it looks to be a fantastic dining environment. Very cool.

 

holy cow! hype machine, you rock!

So I have really been enjoying the inevitable best music of '08 lists that have popped up over the new year. I love to see what's new out there and what has caught friends' and critics' ears. But let me tell you Hype Machine has gone above and beyond. They have posted the top 50 songs, artists, and albums, Music Blog Zeitgeist, and are streaming them all for free! Go here and be amazed! I have been loving Fleet Foxes so am so glad to see they made #1!

...ok so I just saw Matt has already blogged about this when I linked him, taking away my cool. But whatever. I'll post it anyway.

random update

So I'm getting back into the swing of things. I was so sad to have to go back to school, reminding me of how sure I really am that I need a break from academia. I just finished the Fellowship of the Ring and enjoyed it very much. Hopefully I can get to the next book before summer (eek!).I have also begun two new ventures: knitting and selling on ebay. Hopefully they'll both go well. Here a few great pics of Aaron from break:

1) Aaron's cookies! He had a baking-fest one night to have treats to give away as gifts at work. 

2) Aaron at Strand. I love this place, and discovered a few great finds. So cheap!

nye in nyc

So I'm back from New York and I loved it. So happy I went and I can't believe I've lived this long without seeing it. By far my favorite moment was walking the streets of Greenwich Village at night. So many great shops and restaurants intermixed with the character of the streets. I didn't need to go inside... they were just as wonderful to observe. I also loved Central Park. How could you not love the park? So magical. I took less pictures than I would have hoped, but preferred just relaxing and enjoying than whipping my camera out at every great stop. Though I'm sad roomie Steve moved, I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to see The City. 

I've left with a long list of blog ideas, much like this, but have low expectations about what I'll get to before I find new things to move on to.