esprit de l'escalier

Happy belated

Sunday was my golden birthday - my age is now the same as my birth date. These photos are of my twin brother and I on our first birthday. My mother was of the "push them out of the nest as soon as they can and they'll learn" ilk. Plus she was exhausted with twins, so on our first birthday she gave us both bowls of mashed potatoes and our own spoons and let us have at it. She figured we'd figure it out and be feeding ourselves in no time. She was right.

I had a great birthday - I think it's my best birthday in recent memory. I went to New York and visited with some great old friends - one who was a supremely excellent hostess. I ate so very well. I walked so very far. I saw a favorite band play, and they were so very rocking. I also got to meet two blog friends who were generous and kind and fun as I thought they'd be. I am so lucky for the friends I have (new and old) - they make my life much better.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed my the kindness I've met through this space (and flickr). I was nervous prior to meeting up with Kathleen - I joked with my friend Natasha that it was like a blind date. But I realize now it's like meeting pen pals. You are already friends, you've just never met in person. Kathleen is just as I thought she'd be, and I wish I hadn't suggested meeting at the MoMA, because we were plagued by crowds and it would have been better if we had just found a spot to chat over tea and cookies or something. It was great meeting her and M.A. Peel. I always feel like I'm tripping over myself to talk - I jump around conversation topics because we have such little time together and I have so much to say!

When I finally got back today I had two packages from another blog friend, Meg. Again, I'm just overwhelmed by the generosity and friendship I have found. Thank you all, new, old and in-between friends. Here's to another great year with new adventures.

More polas and some inspiration

Yesterday turned out to be much longer than normal, and it wasn't as productive as I hoped, so sorry no pola love on Earth Day. The weather has been gorgeous, though. 75-ish, blue skies, puffs of clouds. Busy as I may be, I've fanagled at least a half hour or so of sitting in the sun. Very important recharging happening.

Right now I'm so incredibly bowled over and blown away by Andrea of Hula Seventy. (Actually, I should rephrase that, because she is an almost constant source of inspiration, due to the colors in her photostream and the honesty in her blog, and once she let me interview her for a paper on online self-portraits and women. She is so very cool.) But she just started a project where she is going to photograph one stranger a week for a year. (See her post on it here.) One thing that I love about the internet is how you can use it to push yourself creatively - you're giving yourself an audience (or rather witnesses to your commitments), and I think it helps you push past the boundaries of fear that exist in your head. Andrea seems to do this time and again, and I thank her for it. (She also made a list of 37 things to do before she's 38, and I think I'm going to make a list of 27 things to do before I'm 28. Because I'm a follower and need to keep doing the uncomfortable so I don't get complacent in my life.)

Here are some more polaroids, because I know you've been wondering where they are! (You can see all of the ones posted for 'Roid Week here, and all of mine here. I'm having a hard time deciding which to post, because six is a little much. The three posted here are some of my submissions from yesterday and today. Enjoy!

'Roid Week 2008: Monday

It's 'Roid Week 2008 in Flickr land this week, and I'm participating. I will try and post my polas here, too, all week, though Friday will be an early birthday post. I'm off to New York for the weekend to celebrate my birthday, though I got celebrations started early this weekend with a dinner/birthday party I hosted for me and my friend Mary. Apparently I like to drag out the festivities as long as I can.

Cute overload

Oh holy hell. I am completely overwhelmed by cute. My sister has reached that stage of early adulthood where you want a pet of your own. I can understand, and was curious about all of the frantic emails and calls to my parents the past week, as she has been anxious and excited about the prospect of being a dog owner. As of yesterday afternoon, my sister is the proud new mama of a 5 month old Maltese that she's named Tana (short for Montana). As some of you know, we had a Maltese for just shy of 18 years. Ivy was such a wonderful dog and she is missed deeply. I am so excited for my sister's new dog. I'm excited for her to experience the wonder and craziness of pet ownership.

I just wish she lived closer so I could play with Miss Tana.

Seeing these pictures gives me a bittersweet feeling, as they make me miss Ivy. But that didn't stop me from mooning over these photos all day. Or stop me from making all of my co-workers look at the photos (sometimes twice). Alix! I'm so excited for you!!

Hello, my name is Simon

On my drive home I was brainstorming a post about my day, but it was getting a little too navel-gazey and it amounted to the phrase, "It's all in your head." The incident from this morning that spurned it all was not in my head, but I dealt with it head on and (I think) got it resolved. By the time I got home I was tired of the subject. Instead I'm listening to a mix I'm currently crafting (please let me know if you want a copy - I'll drop you one in the mail soon) and enjoying some photos I just got processed.

Please meet Simon. Simon is my aunt's gray standard poodle. We dog sat him a couple of weeks ago. I love this dog. I started calling him, "Pony," because he prances around in a spectacular way, akin to a pony. My mother had a white standard poodle in the '70s named Mushroom. Mushroom died when I was a baby, and we've always been a pro-poodle sort of family. It's hard not to be, because they are so smart and sweet. Yes, they can have slightly silly hair-dos, but don't we all at some point?

Go vote for style and charm in 440 square feet

I admire my bloggy friend Ms. Ana Blackburn for her style, wit and charm. But seriously for her style. She has a fantastic eye and she's gone and landed herself in Apartment Therapy's Small Cool 2008 contest. Check out what she has done to 440 square feet. And then go vote "Super Cool!" for her so she can make the semi-finals. I love her ceramic collection, the red in her kitchen, her custom made headboard. I even love her bathroom. Go vote SUPER COOL!

(Originally this photo is found here.)

Seriously, have you voted yet? You have to register, but make the effort. You know I'd do it for you.

Monday morning song and other thoughts

I was discussing the new Raconteurs album with some friends this weekend - actually, I was complaining about the radio in this town, and we were sharing some songs that we liked/hated, and I really like their new single. Anyhow, my friends asked me if I was familiar with Brendan Benson's solo stuff. When I said no, they showed me the video below, mostly because there are a plethora of Brendans in it and he's cute. The song has been stuck in my head ever since (in a good way). Please enjoy. (This is the sort of pop music I wish I could hear more of on the radio.)

Speaking of cute men, did anyone else see Masterpiece Theatre's newest version of A Room with a View? I didn't hate it, but I don't think 80+ minutes is long enough to tell the story. I did like Rafe Spall's George Emerson. He did a good job, and this version's George had more to say than the Merchant Ivory one of the mid-80s. Plus he's cute. Did anyone else see it? If so, how do you feel about the ending they gave it? I thought it was plausible and made everything more bittersweet. In the end it makes me want to re-read the book.

Speaking of books to read, the Outfit (a group of Chicago crime writers who keep a blog), are covering The Big Sleep this week. That reminds me I have to continue my noir education and read some more Chandler.

Internet fun

The internet is such a fun thing. Out of the blue I got a message from a friend from elementary school who moved back to Chile in the fifth grade. We were pen pals, but that petered out after a while and we lost touch. I had just found an old letter from her when she messaged me through Facebook. It is *so* great to be back in touch with her! I love how small the world can be.

Also through Facebook I tagged a person from high school to be friends. We knew each other, and I always thought she was cool, but we didn't know each other very well. We started messaging back and forth and found a mutual love for Josh Ritter, Nina Simone and photography (check her photo blog here and a photo collaboration with two of her friends here). We might do our own photo collaboration together. (Too cool!)

Today was warm with patches of short bursts of violent rain. I was stuck in a long staff meeting this afternoon, but had a view onto the parking lot, watching the weather unfold. It had cleared by the time five pm rolled around. The world was that type of bright after a rain storm - not bright so it washes everything out, but bright so the light seems to enhance all the colors. The air was sweet with freshly cut grass and rain. Although it's supposed to drop 20 degrees tonight. There's vague talk of snow, but I think we'll be safe at this latitude. I'm afraid for my friends in Chicago, though.

For those people who might get crappy weather this weekend, here are some photos from a greenhouse in Indiana, from a couple weeks back. (Sorry the photos are so small - I'm having issues with sizing them from Flickr - click on them to see them larger.)

Radio blues

My car cd player broke about two months ago, which sucks. I am currently driving more than I ever have in my life. (Which is depressing, especially since I'm in school to be an urban planner, but such is life for the moment.) The other depressing part of this is the radio in central Ohio. It's pretty dismal - lots of '70s, '80s, '90s hits or awful pop (at any given moment it seems that Fleetwood Mac is playing on one of four stations). The only "alternative" and "independent" radio station plays the same handful of new songs mixed with a larger handful of old songs, but it's not a very forward-looking station. This morning I was listening to its morning show, as NPR is in fund drive mode and one of its hosts was out sick, so it was low on stupid morning banter.

The songs were good, and I was dying to hear some of the She & Him album, so I called in a request. The host answered and said while she loved that album, the station didn't carry it. So I asked for her to play me a female vocalist. I still had about thirty minutes left on my commute (I know - it's long but I called at the beginning of it), and no female vocalists came on. Which is fine, I'm not really upset my unspecific request wasn't fulfilled. What I realized is that the station RARELY plays female singers. I have two questions. Why is the station limited in its new music? And why don't they play more female singers?

I think I'm just frustrated with my lack of choice. And I wish I could get Morning Becomes Eclectic on my radio station. Or WXRT. Or my favorite Pandora station. In the end this has lead me to wish I had my own radio show.

Silvery cat

We have been having some supreme weather and I'm almost afraid to discuss it in case I jinx myself and wake up in the middle of another blizzard. We've been flirting with 70 degrees, although the weekend is dipping back down again.

I wanted some immediate gratification this afternoon, so I thought I'd snap some polas of Monsieur Frank. Since the fountain thawed, Frank has suddenly noticed the two goldfish that reside in the bottom basin. He sits and watches and tries to figure out how he can get down there and bat them about a bit. For some reason - perhaps it was the extra contrasty sunlight or a bad pack of spectra film - but Frank was not coming out well in any of the shots. He appears like a silvery figment of my imagination.

I hope you're all having nice weather - and are able to enjoy it!