esprit de l'escalier

March snow

I know, it's kind of cruel to post snowy photos, especially on a day we got some snow, but I rescued a forgotten roll from December and had to share these two shots from a winter walk.

I also have decided this week to do a little blog project next month. There are 30 days in April, and I happen to turn 30 at the end of it, so I am going to post 30 times in the month. My goal is to post daily, though sometimes it might just be photos. I need to jumpstart myself in this space, plus I'm in need of some creative stimuli. I hope you join me for the ride (and that I make it through the month)!

Alternate plans for the day

Today I was going to do my taxes, then read the book I just started. Instead, I knit my first hat (!!!), dropped my car off to get checked up, had an impromptu visit with some friends, went on a hike with some other friends (all the while showing off my new hat and taking a roll of film). Later my mother and I watched a movie, I knit *another* hat, and finished a matching scarf. I check nothing off my to-do list (really, really need to get those taxes done), but it was a good day.

Here's a rundown of some recently watched and enjoyed movies in these parts:

• Pirate Radio: We watched this tonight; loved the breezy feel, the laughs, and most of all the music.
• Never Let Me Go: I had been wanting to see this for ages; it was sad and beautiful, like the source material; I loved it. I adore Carey Mulligan.
• Hannah and Her Sisters: Both my mother and I had never seen this Woody Allen before and we loved it.
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: I thought it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it more thoroughly than I thought I would.
• Easy A: I also enjoyd it. It was a great modern take on 80s high school movies.

I never see movies anymore and need some help with new additions to my Netflix queue. What should I put up next?

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Also, my brother was recently featured on a Chicago street fashion blog (see slide 7) and this post about some work he's doing.

Happy birthday!

My sister's birthday is tomorrow. I really owe her a post. For one, I went to Las Vegas two weekends ago to celebrate her upcoming nuptials. While Vegas is not exactly my scene, I had a good time with her, our cousin, and her friends. Last night I spent a couple of hours going through some family albums, scanning photos. I got a little obsessive and I went a little overboard. She asked for 20-30 and got about 65. I had to make sure I got all our family covered! Obsessive, I tell you. I'm still thinking about some of the photos I missed. Anyway, I'm excited she's getting married, and happy she's celebrating another birthday. Here's to a great year Alix! xoxo

(The photo above is from when Alix was about 2, with our Grandmother. I loved her hair at this age - white blond Tina Turner.)

Some thoughts on our yard

This time last year, I was unemployed, and had been since the first of the year. The one thing that I most enjoyed about having so much time (too much) is that I became intimately acquainted with our yard, especially marking the passage of time. I loved stalking over our hill, waiting for things to sprout up in the winter, watching buds turn to flowers and wilt and fall again. At the beginning of this February we had a big ice storm and were stuck at home all day. I took the opportunity to make some photos of the ice-covered plants in our yard. Hope you enjoy them.

This week

Oh man, this week was a bit of a killer. Twelve plus day on Monday, early and long days on Tuesday and Wednesday, AND I needed to look nice. Plus I promised my mother no carbs or sugar this week. I turned to coffee and found that caffeine at 2pm makes me really optimistic. So while I was super tired, I was upbeat. Plus I racked up some comp time and was able to take a half day off today. It was rainy all day, but I had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in a while (and the best snickerdoodle I've ever had; I cheated), did some errands, and got my hair cut. Oh, and I picked up two rolls of film from the end of January to this week. The photo above is of my friend Sharon's reflection as she was making photos of reflections.

I hope you have a lovely weekend. (Oh, I got to see the fabulous Blue Girl for drinks the other night. Love that woman.)