Saturday, 2 October 2010
You know it's fall when...
... a pumpkin shows up in your backyard...
...you get tricked into buying beautiful stuffed acorn squash only to find out with the first bite that there is Italian sausage in the stuffing (sometimes I get so focused on looking for dairy in ingredient lists that I completely forget to check for meat)...
... you are happy to see your Starbucks-obsessed dad with a steaming soy chai latte to warm you up on a chilly Saturday morning- maybe living at home through the winter won't be so bad :)
...you get tricked into buying beautiful stuffed acorn squash only to find out with the first bite that there is Italian sausage in the stuffing (sometimes I get so focused on looking for dairy in ingredient lists that I completely forget to check for meat)...
... you are happy to see your Starbucks-obsessed dad with a steaming soy chai latte to warm you up on a chilly Saturday morning- maybe living at home through the winter won't be so bad :)
Friday, 24 September 2010
Dog Days are Not Over
This weekend, I have the pleasure of sitting for the most popular dog in the blogosphere.
For our afternoon walk today, I consulted my iTunes Genius, which happened to put together a great playlist based on my current favorite tune. It was the perfect playlist for a perfectly sunny fall day:
Dog Days are Over, Florence and the Machine
Mansard Roof, Vampire Weekend
Under the Weather, KT Tunstall
Moth's Wings, Passion Pit
You are the Best Thing, Ray LaMontagne
My Moon, My Man, Feist
You Rock my World, Michael Jackson
Revelry, Kings of Leon
Best for Last, Adele
Somebody to Love, Glee Cast
Sweetest Thing, U2
Fences, Phoenix
If it Kills Me, Jason Mraz
And now both my pups are taking an afternoon nap... not a bad idea...
but first, my stack of October mags need some attention.
For our afternoon walk today, I consulted my iTunes Genius, which happened to put together a great playlist based on my current favorite tune. It was the perfect playlist for a perfectly sunny fall day:
Dog Days are Over, Florence and the Machine
Mansard Roof, Vampire Weekend
Under the Weather, KT Tunstall
Moth's Wings, Passion Pit
You are the Best Thing, Ray LaMontagne
My Moon, My Man, Feist
You Rock my World, Michael Jackson
Revelry, Kings of Leon
Best for Last, Adele
Somebody to Love, Glee Cast
Sweetest Thing, U2
Fences, Phoenix
If it Kills Me, Jason Mraz
And now both my pups are taking an afternoon nap... not a bad idea...
but first, my stack of October mags need some attention.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
In MY fight to save the environment...
One of the bonuses of living at home is access to more magazines than I could ever even want.
My ever-supportive parents subscribe to a variety of magazines that I get to sample free of charge every month. Most I only flip through during a seemingly extra long commercial break, but every once in a while I find something interesting. This weekend, I came across an article in Ladies' Home Journal written by Peg Rosen. Her average American family took on the challenge of reducing their weekly waste from three bags of garbage to one. I was really surprised by how easy it was for them and how easy it would be for anyone to take on some of the new practices that they did (one really easy but really effective idea was "creating satellite recycling stations" around their house so recycling was just convenient as throwing something in the trash- smart).
photo courtesy of Ladies' Home Journal
After I finished the article, I couldn't help but think twice about everything that I went to throw away. Those who know me well know that I'm an avid recycler, but everyone can find room to improve. I immediately went to get a paper grocery bag (we alternate cloth bags and disposable grocery bags so that we have something to put recycling in) and started filling it with papers from around the house. I picked up last Sunday's paper, an entire stack of magazines from the summer months and even a few odd receipts and grocery lists that were laying around. When I had a water spill to wipe up, I went for a paper towel, but grabbed a cloth towel instead. And when my mom asked me why I was eating the last piece of homemade zucchini bread over the sink, I told her, "I'm reducing my waste. This way, I don't use a napkin that just gets thrown away, nor do I waste water by washing a dish." (Okay, so this may have been a little overzealous and driven more by laziness than anything else, but I was reducing waste, wasn't I?)
Reducing, reusing and recycling is easy! What was Kermit thinking- it IS easy being green :)
And the best part is, a little can go a long way- although I would still like to find a way to compost ALL of our food scraps...
My ever-supportive parents subscribe to a variety of magazines that I get to sample free of charge every month. Most I only flip through during a seemingly extra long commercial break, but every once in a while I find something interesting. This weekend, I came across an article in Ladies' Home Journal written by Peg Rosen. Her average American family took on the challenge of reducing their weekly waste from three bags of garbage to one. I was really surprised by how easy it was for them and how easy it would be for anyone to take on some of the new practices that they did (one really easy but really effective idea was "creating satellite recycling stations" around their house so recycling was just convenient as throwing something in the trash- smart).
photo courtesy of Ladies' Home JournalAfter I finished the article, I couldn't help but think twice about everything that I went to throw away. Those who know me well know that I'm an avid recycler, but everyone can find room to improve. I immediately went to get a paper grocery bag (we alternate cloth bags and disposable grocery bags so that we have something to put recycling in) and started filling it with papers from around the house. I picked up last Sunday's paper, an entire stack of magazines from the summer months and even a few odd receipts and grocery lists that were laying around. When I had a water spill to wipe up, I went for a paper towel, but grabbed a cloth towel instead. And when my mom asked me why I was eating the last piece of homemade zucchini bread over the sink, I told her, "I'm reducing my waste. This way, I don't use a napkin that just gets thrown away, nor do I waste water by washing a dish." (Okay, so this may have been a little overzealous and driven more by laziness than anything else, but I was reducing waste, wasn't I?)
Reducing, reusing and recycling is easy! What was Kermit thinking- it IS easy being green :)
And the best part is, a little can go a long way- although I would still like to find a way to compost ALL of our food scraps...
Saturday, 14 August 2010
As Ludacris Would Say...
Roll out.
Yes, this past week was, what we in the biz call, fall roll out (did anyone get The Break Up reference?). I probably should have just set up a cot in the stock room with how much I was at the store. But I am really proud of how great everything looks and am in love with the buzz of a new collection.
Our marketing right now is also really cool- and really poignant. It's based on finding a wardrobe that "works for life," which I love. When I moved home from college I realized that all I owned were sloppy sweats or "going out clothes." Then I went through the all-I-do-is-work faze where I would only buy "work clothes" because that's all I did (what a difference a couple months makes). Now, I am hoping to buy clothes that don't make me want to change as soon as I get home from work, and that is what I am basing my new fall wardrobe on. Check out this cool commercial for the fall collection- all the people in the marketing are people taken off the streets of New York, or at least, they aren't models:
I think what I love the most about roll out though is the fresh start that fall and back to school brings. As far as new beginnings go, I definitely prefer this time of year to New Year's. Maybe it's because it accompanies a change of season, or maybe because it's not as forced, but either way, I have my goals for the month all set and am looking ahead to a lot of changes for the rest of the year.
Yes, this past week was, what we in the biz call, fall roll out (did anyone get The Break Up reference?). I probably should have just set up a cot in the stock room with how much I was at the store. But I am really proud of how great everything looks and am in love with the buzz of a new collection.
Our marketing right now is also really cool- and really poignant. It's based on finding a wardrobe that "works for life," which I love. When I moved home from college I realized that all I owned were sloppy sweats or "going out clothes." Then I went through the all-I-do-is-work faze where I would only buy "work clothes" because that's all I did (what a difference a couple months makes). Now, I am hoping to buy clothes that don't make me want to change as soon as I get home from work, and that is what I am basing my new fall wardrobe on. Check out this cool commercial for the fall collection- all the people in the marketing are people taken off the streets of New York, or at least, they aren't models:
I think what I love the most about roll out though is the fresh start that fall and back to school brings. As far as new beginnings go, I definitely prefer this time of year to New Year's. Maybe it's because it accompanies a change of season, or maybe because it's not as forced, but either way, I have my goals for the month all set and am looking ahead to a lot of changes for the rest of the year.
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Vogue Can Wait
Ever since my sister introduced me to Sex and the City, at arguably too young of an age, I have been hooked. We would come home from school, pop in a VHS and not move until the end of the tape. We'd be sitting in the dark with only the glow of the television when my mom would come home from work and find us mesmerized by women far beyond our age.
I'm a Carrie. I don't have as avant garde of a fashion sense, and am much more cynical, but I'm definitely led by my emotions the way she is. Most of all, I'm a writer. And I always identified with her reflective self-questioning, imagination and desire to romanticism, which is often characteristic of those in the profession.
It seems that no matter what I've been going through in my life, I can find an episode where Carrie is going through it too.
Recently, I put in the first disc of season five (because VHS is obsolete) in search of an episode I knew of where Carrie is in a rut with her career. Sitting at her computer, she reflects on her situation and says, "The worst thing about not being in a relationship, is when your job is to write about being in a relationship."
Lucky for me, I write about life's gaps and getting through them. And since I started writing two years ago, I have realized that no matter where in the world you are or how old you are, every stage of life has "gaps." I never run out of things to write about, but then again, I don't have a book of my blog posts... Oh well, even Carrie Bradshaw didn't start out at Vogue.
I'm a Carrie. I don't have as avant garde of a fashion sense, and am much more cynical, but I'm definitely led by my emotions the way she is. Most of all, I'm a writer. And I always identified with her reflective self-questioning, imagination and desire to romanticism, which is often characteristic of those in the profession.
It seems that no matter what I've been going through in my life, I can find an episode where Carrie is going through it too.
Recently, I put in the first disc of season five (because VHS is obsolete) in search of an episode I knew of where Carrie is in a rut with her career. Sitting at her computer, she reflects on her situation and says, "The worst thing about not being in a relationship, is when your job is to write about being in a relationship."
Lucky for me, I write about life's gaps and getting through them. And since I started writing two years ago, I have realized that no matter where in the world you are or how old you are, every stage of life has "gaps." I never run out of things to write about, but then again, I don't have a book of my blog posts... Oh well, even Carrie Bradshaw didn't start out at Vogue.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Seasonal Sneak Peak
The days are definitely getting shorter.
I opened the back door at 4:45 a.m. and swatted away bugs zipping around the light above the door. It was darker, which made the light brighter and more attractive. The air was still heavy with humidity, so I know summer hasn't left yet, but it's packed it bags.
I got in my mom's car and fumbled for the ignition and then the lights. Hers aren't automatic like mine. Surely one day I'll return to the parking lot to find the battery dead. As I drove the familiar route, that's when I noticed- brighter green lights. And no rabbits congregating on the corner and feasting on my neighbors plants.
I love the seasonal sneak peak that comes every few months. The air was downright cool the other morning on my run, and it felt amazing. Wind blew past my face and I breathed without the weight of the air on my lungs. As a born and raised Midwesterner, I will always love, and need, a seasonal change. A reminder that time is, in fact, passing. Life is continuing on despite how stationary I feel.
I opened the back door at 4:45 a.m. and swatted away bugs zipping around the light above the door. It was darker, which made the light brighter and more attractive. The air was still heavy with humidity, so I know summer hasn't left yet, but it's packed it bags.
I got in my mom's car and fumbled for the ignition and then the lights. Hers aren't automatic like mine. Surely one day I'll return to the parking lot to find the battery dead. As I drove the familiar route, that's when I noticed- brighter green lights. And no rabbits congregating on the corner and feasting on my neighbors plants.
I love the seasonal sneak peak that comes every few months. The air was downright cool the other morning on my run, and it felt amazing. Wind blew past my face and I breathed without the weight of the air on my lungs. As a born and raised Midwesterner, I will always love, and need, a seasonal change. A reminder that time is, in fact, passing. Life is continuing on despite how stationary I feel.
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