classic shoes

I totally want these shoes right now... (Jill I know you used to have a pair- maybe in white?)

what a weekend

My trip to boston was filled with highs and lows, and now that I'm back I'm having a hard time summing up the trip. Perhaps a list of these highs and lows will help. 

1) I got in late Thursday night and went straight to the adorable inn Aaron was staying in. What a great place. The Mary Prentiss Inn served free made to order breakfast, was really convenient, and offered a really cozy and historic atmosphere. We got to meet quite a few nice people there too. The Mary Prentiss Inn give this trip a plus (+).

2) The next day I met a very nice agent who picked me up at my hotel showed me around Cambridge and Somerville. Nice agents who give rides: a definite (+).

3) The last apartment I saw on Friday I fell completely in love with, and after seeing more apartment with Aaron on Friday he agreed this was the best place too. What a great high that was to find an awesome apartment. (+). 

4) Friday night pizza and beer in amazing Davis square surrounded by baseball fans watching the Red Sox face the Yankees. (+).

5) 80 degree weather eve though I flew North. (+).

6) The amazing Italian district of North Boston with its windy streets, great bakeries and delis open late, and hopping night life (and sardinian cheese!). This was a completely great atmosphere. (+)

7) The incredibly horrible food and service at a recommended Italian restaurant in the district. (-).

8) Waking at 6 to catch a flight to leave Aaron for awhile week (-).

9) Sitting for an hour in a  hot plane not being able to move on a Philadelphia run way do to a few small storms in Chicago. (-).

10) Finally getting in Chicago and the blue line running on a single track delaying my return home even more. (-).

11) Finally reaching home and getting a call from aaron that the apartment we loved had in fact already been rented. it had listed through two brokers and ours didn't know it was be rented. After that day of travel finding out that I didn't even accomplish what I had set out to do was such a low (-).

Taking a look at the plusses and minuses, I see that the lows were situational and that many of the highs had to do with loving the city. But now I'm back to square one. Aaron works with nice people though and I think he'll like his job. So that is a really important plus.  Over all it was a great weekend, with  a rough ending. 

oh cambridge.

Aaron just left for Cambridge to begin training at his new job. He won't be back until next Friday! But, luckily for me, I decided to join him this weekend to look for apartments. I leave tomorrow night. I really hope we are able to find a great place, so we have something to come home to after our trip. 

We've made things really hard on ourselves as usual and decided to leave for Sardinia the day after graduation and return three days before Aaron starts work. In this three days we have to unload our things from storage, drive them to Boston and move in. We have a habit of doing things like this (hello- camping in DC... with no car... and no home!).

So getting acquainted with the Boston area now and attempting to secure an apartment before we leave seems like one thing that will make this summer a little easier. Now I just need a job....

Can't wait to post about my first experience with Cambridge and Boston!

picasa!

I'm so excited Caitlin told me about Picasa. I can't stop collaging. I'm sure there are many for features I could be playing with in this free google application, but I love the collage! You can find a few products on my procrastination below. 

Images that  hope to draw from in our new apartment's bedroom

sort of the palate I have going in my europe packing

one crazy collage of our winter NYC trip

the dress and sweater I am wearing as one of Caitlin's bridesmaids. so excited!

Pesto

After a few unexpected and unpleasant mysterious allergic reactions (anaphylactic tightness of throat and chest, nausea, and hives on my lips) I've narrowed down my allergy to pine nuts. This became clear after a number of unhappy pesto meals. Pesto? Oh No! I love Pesto! What could i do without pesto? It is so delicious and a staple meal in my family. Ugh. But wait! Further analysis has shown me that pesto does not have to me made with pine nuts. It can be made with walnuts. I used to cringe whenever I came across any recipe that required the food processor, but recently we've been becoming friends, so I though I would try out a new recipe:

Pesto Spread

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (to taste)

(via the kitchen sink)

This recipe was excellent, even with a few flaws. First, and this is my fault, I thought I had walnuts on hand but in fact has pecan so I substituted. It seemed to make little difference. Second, I think this recipe is intended to be spread on bread, so I think next time I will use 1/4 cup olive oil to make it better for pasta. But otherwise I think I found a winner. Pesto is still in my future.  

spring wardrobe remix!

so much fun to have new things to wear with the weather!

shirt: michael stars (half off)

sweater: uo

denim: gap

sandals: old navy

dress: h&m (new purchase for europe)

sweater: j.crew

sandals: old navy

Spring!

Today is such a spring day it makes me so excited for a number of things. 

1) Graduating soon. Ah to have a break.

2) Trip to Europe. I've started thinking about what to pack, and fantasizing about the delicious food and warm air. 

3) Boston! I've been reading some history this week and I can;t wait to be there. The warmth of spring is a reminder It won't be long before I'm there!

4) Cooking! I love to cook when the seasons change.

5) Spring clothing. I'm so tired of my sweaters. 

Hope you all enjoy the day as much as I do. 

call for volunteers!

Friends, I am in a pickle. As you know Aaron and I will be in Europe for 6 weeks this summer, and with so many family members participating in the trip I'm not sure who to ask to watch our kitties. They are very nice, non-destructive cats. Anyone up to the challenge??

grey t-shirt

I have found that a grey t-shirt is a must have for any wardrobe. I used to (and usually still do) rely on ribbed white tanks as my first layer undershirt, but have come to find that a grey tee 1) goes with everything, 2) can be classily dressed up or down, and 3) adds a little more interest than plain white. Yes sometimes I think about what I wear this much. I confess. 

new home... here we come

Big news! In our hunt for jobs Aaron was offered an excellent position in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We are both so excited for the move, but are sad to have only two more months in Chicago for a very long time. After Europe we will be heading almost directly to Boston. Though I've never been, I've heard such wonderful things about Boston. I'm really looking forward to starting a new life there. Life for the first time as a non-student! I've been combing through Craigslist looking for apartments, and may even go in April with Aaron to look at a few. I don't want to get my hopes up - its hard to move (as I learned this summer in DC) - but I think Boston will be a great new place to get to know! Yay!

cat fight

When Hank and Lainey interact it usually begins with sweet licks on each other's faces. Usually Lainey will clean Hank's face, demonstrating nice big sister behavior. But that quickly devolves into neck biting and kicking, and a full blown wrestle session ensues. I think they enjoy it because neither dashes off, and one is always instigating the other. I thought I would share one such fight. I guess its a good thing they don't have front claws. 

Listen: First Aid Kit

This morning a friend sent me a cover of the Fleet Foxes song "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" by sisters duo from Sweden called First Aid Kit. I was instantly a fan and had to investigate further. I love the folky/country sound, the plaid and fair isle garb, and their enchanting voices. 

Below find an excellent little piece about these young Swedes, and two videos of songs (including the cover that brought me to them in the first place. 

“Blessed with the voices of plaid-clad angels” The Guardian 

The Swedish duo First Aid Kit comprises sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg (born 1990 and 1993, respectively), hailing from Enskede, a suburb south of Stockholm. Yes, they are very young, but the pure music they create speaks of bygone times and old souls. The emphasis is on narrative lyrics accompanying playful melodies with intense, dense harmonies. 

The musical journey of Klara and Johanna began with singing along to the pop songs that leaked into their childhood home, radio hits by Britney, Christina and so on. However, it was not until happening upon the music of such venerable artists as Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, that the sisters discovered how music that could touch them in a way that those radio songs could not. 

Klara describes her first encounter with the song ‘First Day of My Life’ by Bright Eyes as a revelation. With authenticity and honesty having struck a deep chord within, this is what came to characterize the music of First Aid Kit. It has the feel of forest folk songs, full of enchanting storytelling, and as on EP highlight ‘Jagadamba, You Might’ a sense of compelling, ancient mystery. Their music has much in common with artists like Vashti Bunyan, Devendra Banhart, Bright Eyes, Joanna Newsom, Karen Dalton or The Carter Family. 

At 13, Klara was given her first guitar, and the sisters started playing music and composing songs together in the spring of 2007. The first lyrics, melodies and harmonies came quite quickly. Then came another song. And another. And another. 

The warm ember glow of ‘Tangerine’ was recorded at home and sent it to a Swedish radio hoping it would get attention. It immediately went on air and was listed as one of the best songs of the summer 2007. In April 2008, First Aid Kit’s 7 track debut EP ‘Drunken Trees’ was first released in Sweden on The Knife’s label, Rabid Records. 

Wichita Recordings is re-releasing ‘Drunken Trees’ with a bonus track, the sensational and much You-Tubed cover of Fleet Foxes’ ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song’ http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrqBldlqzA, along with a DVD with 3 songs performed and recorded live in the Swedish forest. 

Added keyboard and an autoharp to their live set up, First Aid Kit has already performed at high-profile gigs and festivals in Sweden. A full album is set for release in September 2009. The confidence, wide range of obvious natural talent and exceptional promise of these songs is undeniable. 

The future for First Aid Kit feels star bright.

where the wild things are

I think this has the potential to be amazing. This was a favorite book of mine as a kid so my expectations are high - but the trailer looks promising. 

I'm off to my home town for a few day for Spring Break. Enjoy the weather!

apple pie

Aaron has some mad pie making skills. Note the leaves of dough -  very creative! We were having dinner over at a friend's and took the pie out just before we left. Everyone from the elevator at our building to the elevator at the Fisher Building received complimentary whiffs of apple from the steaming pie as we carried it over, and were noticeably envious.