Camera Shy

Just don't leave it in the back of a cab, my dad pleads as I gush over the shiny new belated Christmas present he's sent me. For someone who has "lost" (read: set down and immediately forgotten about) many a point-and-shoot over the years, and happily went through all of college with one measly disposable to my freshman year name (it was 2003!), first-time ownership of a real, bona fide camera is an exciting and completely intimidating moment for me. I mean, what if after all this money spent, I have no eye for photography and even less talent and my poor father's well-intentioned gift ends up collecting dust in a drawer somewhere as I guiltily snap away behind the safety of my iPhone? What if I drop it in the Hudson River? What if Instagram filters have ruined everything? Ok, deep breaths, reality check. National Geographic is not calling to shoot their next cover (except, um, dream job!) and I'm getting just a wee bit ahead of myself. NatGeo pipe dreams and irrational fears aside, I genuinely just want to learn how to take better pictures, appreciate the small moments in life worth documenting, and perhaps even enroll in a class or two. At the end of the day, seize this opportunity to learn, improve and explore a previously unexamined creative side of myself.

Wish me luck? Tips and tricks of the trade for this "real camera" newbie would be very much welcome! Once I take this bad boy out for a spin and get a handle for it, I'll try to report back. In the event you're considering investing in a new DSLR and want my very expert opinion on the Canon Rebel T5i.

Tweet Pin It Now!

When One (Rather Heavy) Door Closes...

Today is my very last day working at 65 Bleecker Street. The last time I'll pass through these double doors (with the deceivingly heavy right-side one calling into question every "strength training" class I've ever taken).

The last time I'll ride the elevator three floors up, tromp through the hallways with the hardwood floorboards creaking below, and plop down at my desk. To know an office, a space, a group of co-workers will no longer be a part of daily life feels a bit surreal. In a different way than when you leave a job for a new one, with the old company remaining unchanged.

While feelings of uncertainty and a good amount of fear swirl through my head these days, I've decided to embrace change, not balk at it. A hunch tells me this one leads to something good, great even, and hopefully somewhere with much lighter lobby doors.

While cleaning out my office, I unearthed this months-old scribbled quote from Life of Pi which felt ironically very fitting for today: I suppose, in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go. But what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye. 

So this is me taking a moment!

Tweet Pin It Now!

Happy Friday + Valentine's Day

Whether today is "singles awareness day" or your 35th wedding anniversary, whatever your plans are make sure they include reminding loved ones how much they mean to you. February 14th is just another chance out of 365 to say it! I'm spending V Day (and the rest of the weekend) in balmy Minnesota with my sister, brother-in-law and niece and couldn't be more excited about quality family time. Doubly so for the three-day weekend! Wishing you lots of love in all its forms today.  Popping in from my room with a special message, this fluffy guy has something to tell you...

Tweet Pin It Now!

What Does My Hand Say?

I had my palm read over the weekend at a tiny candle-lit table in an unassuming corner of a bar by a soft-spoken, wrinkly-eyed gypsy woman for $25. And it was both eerily life affirming and wildly off the mark ("It looks like you're in a fight with your mom" Uh, no). But that's to be expected. As a friend later put it, after listening to the lengthy description of my foretold fortunes, "Well, they can't all bat a thousand."

At the insistence of Heather (more like pushing and shoving), I slid into the small chair opposite stacks of tarot cards and votive candles to embark on my very first palm reading. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect, beyond what Heather and Nicole (who'd only just vacated the same seat after much excited chatter over the future of her romantic relationships) had told me about this fortune teller at the bar every time they'd been, telling them the same thing each time they sat down. So there I was, right hand nervously outstretched beneath a heavily bedazzled magnifying glass as deep pen lines appeared in the creases of my palm, waiting for the proclamation of a lifetime. High expectations for the neighborhood clairvoyant, no?

Here's what she had to say:

- I am either living in the wrong city or working in the wrong career (ugh?!)
- I'm from the West coast; she guessed California (pretty close--Seattle)
- For work, I excel/enjoy most the creative side of projects and bringing people together (definitely true)
- I will have two boys and a girl for kids (if true, I'll take it!)
- My life line is unusually "all over the place" and not well-defined, indicating high levels of stress (somewhat true, more so at this time in my life)
- I have difficulty saying no to things/people which wears on me physically, and I should learn to be less of a people pleaser (1000% true)
- Sometime between the age of 31 and 32, I'll meet three important romantic relationships one of which will ultimately be the One (when I questioned which of the three was marriage material, she responded "Oh, monogamy wasn't established yet when palm reading was invented so I can't tell." Right, ok.)

For the most part, a knowing smile hovered on my face the entire 20 minutes we talked, though a few of her comments range false: two breakups at age 26 and 27 (nope, in a relationship with Kevin that whole time!) and I have zero desire for kids (this is only somewhat false as I do eventually want a family but have never been a dying-to-have-kids-right-now type). The epic proclamation I was waiting for? Still waiting. But that's ok because I've got polygamy in my future to look forward to!

Have you ever had your palm read? Did any of it actually come true? Is it all just a bunch of mumbo jumbo?!

Tweet Pin It Now!

The Weekend In A New York Minute

Last week flew by in a library induced haze of LinkedIn job boards, and now low & behold here we are back at the start of a new week. A short one though. Which means the weekend provided that elusive extra 24 hours. Did I take advantage of the bonus time? If taking advantage means cooking the entire 10-slice package of bacon on a Sunday morning instead of the usual half, than yes I most certainly did.

Bacon Late Bloomer | Recently, within the last six months or so, bacon has risen up the ranks on my list of morning breakfast staples. Salty. Crispy. Greasy. Yes duh where have you been, Ana?? Growing up the daughter of a nutritionist, that's where. Why it took another 10+ years for these crunchy slices of pork heaven to make their way onto my breakfast plate, I have no idea, but hallelujah count me in as officially converted to the uncured honey maple congregation. (Favorite brand so far: Applegate)

Curl Challenged | Evidently, this blog is quickly becoming a self-help guide on how not to take care of nice things. First the ruined sneakers, now the curling iron. Up until a couple years ago, my stick straight locks would not hold a curl to save their life, then along came this miracle worker, followed by a year of voluminous wavy bliss. The honeymoon period could never last, though. All this time I've been stowing my curling iron with the cord wound tightly around the barrel. Big mistake. Only after it completely shorted out mid-attempt at the above beachy waves, did a quick google search later reveal my glaring oversight. Don't make the same mistake! 

Wine & Cheese Please | At the risk of sounding like a late twentysomething cliche, spending a Friday night with friends chatting late into the wee hours over trays of brie and red wine, might just be the best kind of Friday, don't you think?

Fair-Weather Fan | As an NYC transplant from the Pacific Northwest, I have a lot of hometown pride when it comes to anything Seattle related. With one exception: our historically lackluster sports teams (ahem dearly departed Sonics). However, the Seahawks have dominated this football season, culminating in Sunday's nail-biter of a game sending them victoriously off to the Superbowl. And there I was cheering along like the true bandwagoner that I am. #gohawks, indeed.

Enjoy the short work week, folks!

Tweet Pin It Now!

The Weekend In A New York Minute

A few recent life lessons and mini discoveries worth sharing from around these parts because, well, armed with the critical knowledge of how to properly launder sneakers, your transition into Monday will inevitably be that much smoother.  

At the Library | Can anyone else remember the last time they saw the inside of a library beyond freshman year of college? Guys, we have been missing out. And so have weekend productivity levels. With my job hunt entering full-blown crisis territory, local coffee shops have been seeing a lot of me & my laptop lately and it's become increasingly clear how very little actually gets done amongst the endless distractions (is the music unnecessarily loud in here or am I just getting old? Are they seriously charging $8.75 for a latte? Did the newsboy-capped barista just wink in my direction?). None of that at the library. Still plenty of cute strangers to wink at, but shhhh inside voices only!

Gym Lace | Not your usual boring ol' workout gear, I'm loving this pale pink top with a hint of lace detailing. Just enough to lend an air of real elegance to back sweat.

Coconut Ice Cream | This unassuming treat isn't actually ice cream (milk being the key missing ingredient), but your tastebuds would hardly know the difference and isn't your freezer lacking in the coconut-based frozen dessert department? Enter So Delicious' line of dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free goodies. If that's a few too many "-frees" for you not to worry, grab a spoon & some chocolate syrup, dig in and… milk who?

Lessons in Laundry | This photo does not do the damage justice, but if you look closely you'll see wonky upturned toes and curled insoles. Yours truly threw Nikes into the washer machine (on hot water cycle!) followed by an hour in the dryer in an attempt to clean them. Result: size 7.5 now a snug size 6. Note to self--skip the dryer!

TV Sunday | Golden Globes. Downton Abbey. Girls. All in a single three-hour window. If like me, you struggled to decide which to focus on, ultimately switching back and forth between commercial breaks without truly watching any show in its entirety, than yes it was a great night of television.

Wishing you all a great week ahead full of sweet treats and freshly cleaned (un-shrunk) shoes.

Tweet Pin It Now!

Volunteer Park

While home for the holidays last week, my Mom & I took an impromptu walk (meant to be run) through Seattle's Volunteer Park a few blocks from home. Initially, we marched out the door with grand intentions of working off the 50+ chocolate salted caramels we I consumed in a holiday-induced binge, Lululemon gear on ready for max exertion. Instead, on a whim, we re-routed our course through the nearby park for a more scenic backdrop from grey city streets. Man, am I glad we did. Not only did we time it perfectly just as the sun was setting, bathing the already-beautiful grounds in all sorts of magical light, but we made up for the so-far lackluster workout by climbing to the top of the park's historic water tower. All 106 spiral stairs.

Of course, I've climbed these stairs before. The park's soaring oak trees, yawning stretches of grass, winding walkways, and stone wading pool are all familiar faces to me from a childhood spent in its greenery. But the last time I climbed the water tower was a distant memory from more youthful years, and now the circular stairwell looked especially steep.

Much to our surprise, exhilaration replaced reluctance when 106 stairs later (plus a few stops along the way to snap pics but in reality catch our breath) we crested the final step thigh muscles and dignity intact. Take that youth! We still got it!



And apparently so does the water tower. Her charming brick glory shimmered especially bright in the late afternoon sun.

After much ooh'ing and aah'ing, the descent proved far more enjoyable filled with our excited chattering over the water tower's loveliness as if we'd just discovered an unknown hidden gem in the city (ah vacation brain!). High on park life, we stopped into the Conservatory too, warming ourselves beneath the leafy palm trees and swampy air.

Finally, just as the setting sun dipped below the horizon, our wandering took us by the infamous "doughnut" sculpture with the sun's last rays peeking through the center just perfectly.

 Well done, Volunteer Park. Well done.

Tweet Pin It Now!

4 Thoughts 4 Friday

Here again, the second installment of "Thoughts of the Day" now newly re-branded as "4 Thoughts 4 Friday" because, well, it's Friday and I'm sharing four things? Plus, everyone knows classic text-slang abbreviations will never go out of style. RITE? BRB.

Holiday Theme Outfits // At what age does dressing for a specific holiday become socially unacceptable? Can we extend that window to cover the late-twenties demographic? Because I would like to throw on one of the below star-spangled ensembles and look half as cute as Kevin's little niece Ella on 4th of July. That bonnet!

Technical Difficulties // This ol' guy has been a trusty companion for almost six years now and is on its last legs. The battery is dead so I can never use it unplugged and the constant frustration of watching a spinning wheel of death bring everything to a screeching halt for minutes at a time is driving me nuts. Someone's overdue for an upgrade. Should I go MacBook Pro or Air? 13-inch screen or 15-inch? If you have an opinion on either model, please share!

Vinyl Records + Street Art // How cool are these?! Spotted along Spring Street in Soho on my walk  home from work. I would share the artist, but he was one of those street stall sellers that I'm 99% sure doesn't have a website and is probably involved in some underground bootleg ring linked to the vinyl black market (that exists, right?).

Accessories Please // Finally making a bit of progress on the accessories front (the lack thereof blogged about here). Now what to pair these with?!

Umbrella Proposal // I don't really have anything specific to say here about umbrellas or wedding proposals, just wanted an excuse to share this adorable, clever, tearjerker of a proposal that took place on The High Line, one of my favorite parks in New York. Full disclosure: I don't know these people, I just happened to stumble upon the video thanks to the black hole that is social media. Get your tissues handy!

Just realized I'm terrible at counting (math was never a strength) and included five things today not four. Really more like four and a half since the last one has no photo & involves the annoying extra step of clicking through to another website. 2+2= ....I'll get there eventually.

Have a fantastic weekend, peeps!

xo

Tweet Pin It Now!

Nerdy Life Goals

For someone who doesn't do resolutions, this post sure looks a lot like a list of resolutions. However, it's really more a bunch of longer-term goals and ideas that have been taking up a significant amount of space in my brain lately and refuse to vacate. Ding ding! They must be important to me. To e-ink and e-paper they go!

My Goals:

• Travel more. Whether it's two miles away or 2,000, I want to go/see/experience it.
• Visit my family more often. These days, the norm is seeing them at Thanksgiving, Christmas and 1-2 other times throughout the year. Unacceptable! Frequent flier miles here I come.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator in my apartment building every day. It's five measly flights, yet shockingly weeze-inducing.
• Blog more often. The process of putting my thoughts to digital paper and sending them out into the ether of the internet universe has become, to my surprise, something I truly enjoy. Carving out the time is the most difficult part.
• Cook/Bake more and try out new recipes. Also something recently discovered that I'm surprised to find I love. Plus, I already have an eager taste-tester waiting in the wings with Kevin!
• Take more pictures. My older and wiser self will look back at them some day and thank me.
• Work on being less of an emotional eater and more on constructively managing anxiety, pressure, and uncertainty (hello stress eating). Embarrassing to admit, but heck, we're all friends here right? If I can't say it to the faceless, anonymous walls of the interwebs, then when can I.

These are the biggies that have been rattling around my head. More to come I'm sure. What are some of YOURS?

Thanks for listening blogosphere!

.

Tweet Pin It Now!