Day 18

my shoes.

my beautiful, beautiful pumps. equally painful and delightful.

Day 17

technology.

these little windows of light take over my life.  capable so many wonderful things, least of all, serious procrastination.

Day 16

long exposure.

i don't know how to do this with a point and shoot.  lemme try to figure it out..

Day 15

silhouette.

this is not the best silhouette picture ever, but i'm trying to stick to pictures i took in the last couple days.  this is my sister while we're driving down Lakeshore Drive.  we loved soaking in all the beautiful delights of Chicago.  the closeness of the water to the city is a little surprising but seeing people beach it up with skyscrapers as a background is pretty cool.  i may switch this picture out for something else later..

Day 14

eye(s).

i had to try to keep my eye wide open for this, not easy when you're long-arming.  my sisters think i'm a picture freak.  i kind of am.  oh, and don't mind my unruly brow.  that's what being on the road does to ya.

Day 13

yourself with 13 things. 

i wanted to use my many travel souvenirs (i like to think of them as my "little people") but they've been packed up in boxes for the past couple months as my living situation is semi-transient and temporary.  instead, i used stuff that's in my purse. 

- glasses - the thought of me driving without my glasses is scary
- iphone
- chapstick
- antibacterial gel
- my beloved Chompy
- wallet
- sunglasses
- benedryl and itch cream - for my freakish allergies to bugs + my tendency to like to lay down in soft looking grass
- my favorite ring that i might, just in case, want to wear
- a heart from Build-a-Bear that i thought was so cute i decided i'd carry it with me at all times
- Greek mythology and history playing cards in case we got bored on our trip
- lotion

the "with yourself" part is my legs.  i took this picture in the car and it would have been ridiculous to attempt to get my face in there.

Day 12

sunset.  oh sunset, the loveliest and most elusive of all things to capture in its true form.

i love love love sunsets.  they just take my breath away.  i love when the sun rays cause the clouds look candy colored, makes me wish i could reach way waaay up and lick them.  snapped this in the car in between Nashville and Memphis.  was fortunate to find an open field with a good view, most of the highway was completely surrounded by trees.  lots of trees.  beautiful and scary.

Days 12-16

i'm clearly very behind.  spent a long weekend roadtripping across the midwest/south and had very little access to the internet.. i did remember to take pictures though!  i'll retroactively post these days and hopefully will be caught up soon. 

p.s. i like how blogspot lets me choose the date stamp on each post, so i'm going to pretend i'm posting them on the day they should've appeared.

Day 11

something blue.

i've been waiting for this one.... i am currently obsessed with shiny dark blue as evidenced by my toenails, phone case, and purse.  i've been wearing that color on my toes or fingers for the past 6 months or so, which is an eternity in nail polish time.  i don't care if i look too matchy-matchy.  i just loves it.

Day 10

childhood memory.

this is my baby blanket.  my auntie sewed it for me when i was born.  i actually have pictures of baby me laying on this blanket in a crib.  somehow, miraculously, i still have it.  maybe because it's so damned comfortable and it's big enough that it can cover my current adultish body.  it was my dad's favorite couch blanket as i was growing up, and now it's mine.  i know it looks kind of like a conferate flag, but it was made with love.

Day 9

someone(s) i love.

i couldn't pick just one someone, although one gets quite a prominent position.  the people around me are so important, i couldn't leave them out.  i have a collage in my room to remind me of all the people i don't get to see everyday.

Day 8

a bad habit.

of all my vices, sloth is the worst.  the thought of sitting on my ass and watching Criminal Minds for hours is so very tempting, but you know, life gets in the way ie eating, cleaning, exercising.  every once in awhile though, i'll allow myself a good 4 hours straight and it feels so good.

Day 7

fruit.

shiny.

Day 6

from a low angle.

rather than actually getting low, i took a picture of something that was much, much higer than me.  the brown building on the right is where i work, the building to the left is the Ashton where i park and in between is the fancy new Austonian condos where Oprah and Kanye are rumored to have penthouse suites.

i'm starting to notice a theme in my pictures.  you know what that's telling me?  i spend way too much time at work.  slanty-mouth face.

Days 6-8

i knew keeping up with this on the weekends would be difficult.  i fully intended to make the effort! but i was away and without internet so i'll just have to stack up the last couple days.  it was a little refreshing to not have access to this stuff.... for a very short period.

Day 5

from a high angle.

this is as high as i can get.  on the 5th floor with a nice view of Town Lake and the traffic i'm about to join.

Day 4

so, i had a couple ideas for green things but i guess the whole point of this is to see what comes up as you go about your normal day. i have two pictures of things i walked by during lunch.

this is a sports bar around the corner from my office.  they have excellent mexican martinis which i love love love to drink with an abundance of olives.  they have these tasty, ginormous green olives perched atop the roof that makes me thirsty every time i see them.

the small(er) brown building in the middle is where i work.  i've never noticed that green bus before... and i walk around this area every day.  hm, perhaps he parked himself there, just for me, just for today <3

i'm posting both of these because, in my head, they're both runners up to this awesome image i had conjured up.  i wanted to stand in the middle of Congress and take a shot of all the traffic signals in a row when they were all green.  logistically difficult and looks better at night and i have a life, kinda, so didn't have time to make it happen.

Day 4 (Pondering)

so, today's picture is something green. i've already used a bunch of green so far. my first instinct would usually be towards grass or leaves but i don't want to be repetitive. hmmmmmm, what to do?

Day 3.5

i was telling Van how yesterday, there was one - just ONE - cloud in the sky when i was trying to find a good shot to take.  so of course, this morning, there are tons of beautifully lush clouds everywhere.  took this on my way to work.  it's piled up like it's about to turn into the smoke monster.

Day 3

clouds, clouds, i love clouds.

one of my most favoritest things to photograph.  i'd love to lay in some cushy grass and cloud gaze allll day long.

Day 2.5

okay, this is me being annoyingly perfectionisty.. but i was quite annoyed at how bland my outfit was yesterday.  i didn't have an opportunity to take a better picture.  when i get home from work, it's straight into big, comfy t-shirt and basketball shorts unless i leave the house to be social.  today, i accidentally wore the one work shirt i have that matches my. nails (hee hee).  it's much nicer looking, so i couldn't resist taking another picture.

Day 2 (Outtake)

as a show of solidarity for having to awkwardly take a picture of yourself and try to get your whole body in it, i'm posting one of the pictures i took of what i wore but decided not to use.  i feel ya, vantastical.  i have to say though, Monica pulled of the nonchalant awkward model pose quite well.

Day 2

day two is what i wore today.

unfortunately, today was a monday and i had a very long, tiring and fun weekend so i just threw on some clothes this morning and ran out the door.  a very boring black half sleeve shirt and gray pinstriped slacks.  my go-to formula for work is gray and black.  usually, i try to throw on a necklace to spice up my outfit but i forgot today.  the only accessories i had were my wedding rings and my bright blue nail polish. i loves the color, very fitting for summer time.  i got the color in a party favor bag from a bachelorette party i went to a couple months ago.  dunno if i'd've been brave enough to buy the color myself because it's so bright but it works.

Day 1

phew.  my laptop is okay.  it managed to turn on without exploding in my face after a system restore.

here's my self portrait:

i got Nhien to take this for me because my camera was out of batteries.  not sure if he intended to focus on the grass, but i like the contrast of the sharp blades versus my slightly soft and fuzzy face.  i wanted something vibrant and green because it makes me feel so alive.  the summer heat has yet to fry the grass in the backyard so i was lucky.  i am so going to overanalyze every picture in this photo challenge.. especially if i'm taking pictures of myself but oh well.  i usually pose in pictures to compensate for my extremely round face and small eyes.  it's stuff i can't help but we all know certain angles can do wonders.  

this is me.  just me.  and some grass.

Day 1 (Technical Difficulties)

okay.  so yesterday was day one of the photo challenge.  i took my picture, uploaded it and before i could do anything else, my laptop crashed.  so dedicated was i to the challenge, i tried to use another laptop to upload it to post.  alas, i had cut the file from the memory card instead of copying it...... so, the only copy of the picture i took is on my ailing laptop.  i'll try again later today but i'm on it.

take my picture

i have decided to (uninvitedly) participate in a photo challenge Vantastical and her friend Monica are doing together.  here's the parameters:

• day 1: self portrait
• day 2: what you wore today
• day 3: clouds
• day 4: something green
• day 5: from a high angle
• day 6: from a low angle
• day 7: fruit
• day 8: a bad habit
• day 9: someone you love
• day 10: childhood memory
• day 11: something blue
• day 12: sunset
• day13: yourself with 13 things
• day 14: eyes
• day 15: silhouette
• day 16: long exposure
• day 17: technology
• day 18: your shoes
• day 19: something orange
• day 20: bokeh
• day 21: faceless self portrait
• day 22: hands
• day 23: sun flare
• day 24: animal
• day 25: something pink
• day 26: close-up
• day 27: from a distance
• day 28: flowers
• day 29: black & white
• day 30: self portrait

i'm looking forward to being forced to blog.  i need structure.  i probably won't stick to one picture a day, but i'll try.  i already have in mind what i'm going to do for some of these.. this should be fun.  one question though, what's bokeh?

ay, bee, see, one, two, three

you know what i always thought was funny?  having to spell things out over the phone.  in personal conversations, it's easy to just yell at the other person until they get it right.  in a professional setting, you gotta spell it out nice and slow.  i can remember growing up hearing my mom spell things out by designating each letter to a word.  she once said "u as in underwear," and i laughed for a week.

i have to answer the phones at work.  i didn't always have to, the duty was suddenly thrust upon me.  i don't do well with thinking on my feet sometimes because i tend to overthink.  if i'm spelling something out, i don't want to have an awkward pause in the conversation while i'm desperately trying to think of an appropriate word for the letter.  there are the standard "b as in boy," "c as in cat," but when you venture into odd letters like k and g.. it's a standoff between having a designated list of go-to words or wanting to say the first thing that comes to mind, not saying it because it's weird/inappropriate, trying not to laugh out loud while realizing the whole time you're thinking this, you're not saying anything = awkward pause.  here are the words i would use.

a as in apple
b as in boy
c as in charlie
d as in dog
e as in elephant
f as in..... as in.... (don't say facebook. don't say fail whale.) yea, this would be one i'd scramble on.  frog?
g as in gorilla.  that's always the first thing that comes to mind for me.  g as in gargantuan?  g as in great.
h as in hello.  that sounds lame.  h as in helicopter.
i as in igloo.  easy peasy.
j as in jello.  jay ee elle elle oh! or j as in justice, if i wanted to sound grown up.
k as in.. oh, kangaroo!!  the most obvious k word.  i was thinking kankles.  is that even a real word?
l as in lemon
m as in man would not work because m sounds a s or l or nan.  what?  "m as in man or n as in nan??"  i know, nan is not a word but you don't want to pick words that could be other non-words!  m as in michelle.  names are pretty safe.
n as in nancy
o as in octopus.  i love cephlopods.  but really, octopus is the easiest word.
p as in people.  people!  i said people, not peephole!
q as in..... quandary.  is that a common enough word?  q as in quality.
r as in... (don't say rastafarian) random?  that could sound like tandem.  r as in ralph?
s as in susan
t as in truck
u as in umbrella
v as in voodoo?  can't say veal (real, deal, meal)
w as in washington
x as in xylophone.  c'mon now, is there a better x word out there?  no.  since kindergarten, that's the best one.
y as in yesterday (all my troubles seemed so far away....)
z as in zebraaa

ta da!  even though i have this list now, i'm still gonna scramble and start frantically looking around if a good word doesn't immediately pop into my head.  or i might get stuck on a theme.  "t as in turtle, h as in hippopotamus, e as in elephant."  hee hee.  i would like that.  hey, that's actually really easy.  aminals.  i should just stick with that instead of trying to think of businessyish words.

or, in all honesty, i'll just continue to spell things slowly without designating words to them because the whole process just makes me nervous.  i don't want to have to explain my word choice.  that'd just be horrible.  ee em em eye.  no, em!  EE.  EM.  yes, EM.  EM.  that's two EMs.  EYE.  yea, that seems much more productive.

say the word and you'll be free..

okay, so i've decided to give this another shot.  i think i'm seriously impeded by not having a data plan on my phone.. which is okay because i'd hate the day i become (too) dependent on the interweb and social media.  also, i'm confused if i have an exciting/interesting thought that i'd like to share, do i update here? facebook? tweeter?  not really sure what the hierarchy is there.

obsessively opposed to the difficult

so, i've determined why i don't post more on here despite enjoying it when i do.  first, i'm lazy.  no, wait.  first, i'm a perfectionist.  i check and recheck every spacing and word usage to see if it can be better.  it's exhausting and time consuming.  second, i'm lazy.  i supposed i could be whatever about this and just enjoy it but it's not in my nature.  i'm attempting to give twittering a try.  i'm anticipating difficulty with the character limitations.  we'll see how it goes.

and the Oscar goes to...

i just finished watching the Oscars tonight and was reminded how much i love movies.  i love feeling like i get to know the actors through their roles, interviews and gossip columns.  i love knowing the story behind a movie, how long it took to make, where it came from, the trivia and behind the scenes goofs.  i love seeing the relationships between the people who direct, act in and produce the movies.  i have a renewed appreciation for cinematography, sound effects, editing and all the work it takes to make these stories seem so real.  these are my highlights of this year's Oscars - probably the first time i watched the whole thing, beginning to end.

Likes:
- the video montage at the beginning of the show, of the hosts running through scenes of the best picture nominees was hilarious!  i laughed out loud several times: when James Franco told Jeff Bridges "i liked you in Tron" and when Anne Hathaway did the "Brown Duck" dance.
- Kirk Douglas presenting the Best Supporting Actress award started out as kind of awkward but he was really funny and cute.
- Anne Hathaway's song about Hugh Jackman.
- Natalie Portman acceptance speech.  nice to know gorgeous, talented superstars get overcome with nerves too.

Dislikes:
- was it just me or were they trying way too hard to make this year young and cool?  the scripted jokes seemed like it belonged more at the MTV Movie Awards then the Oscars.  and a host in drag?  classy.
- pre-show interviews.  i guess i've never watched early enough to catch these, but they kind of suck.  what are you wearing?  who do you think is going to win?  lame.  none of the people being interviewed seem like they care to be talking at all.
- Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis' inside joke.  it wasn't funny bc nobody got it.
- James Franco and Anne Hathaway as hosts.  they tried really hard to be cute and funny, but they just didn't have the grace and glamour that Billy Crystal might have.

Hehes:
- in a pre-show interview, Natalie Portman described working in Black Swan as "the bee's knees."  hee hee.  bring back the 1950's lingo.
- in a pre-show interview, Gwenyth Paltrow was asked who she'd want to duet with and she answered "Jay-Z."  cute because who can imagine her with a rapper? and she and Chris Martin are total couple BFFs with Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Questions:
- who picks the seating?  Halle Berry and Kerry Washington weren't even nominated this year and they were both sitting in the front row with Amy Adams and Jesse Eisenberg.
- Colin Firth's acceptance speech. was he talking reallllllly slow on purpose or what?
- if the Academy is trying so hard to be young and cool and appealing to a younger demographic, here's an idea: stop picking period dramas to win Best Picture over really amazing but less traditional thrillers/popular movies.  i really think Inception or Black Swan deserved the win.


that being said, i'm going to watch The King's Speech right now.  despite it looking stuffy compared to more modern, edgy movies, i still want to watch it.  i like Colin Firth, he's just so cute and charming.

I change shapes just to hide in this place..

hello dear blog.  i have been neglectful, tis that silly little distraction called life getting in the way of the really important things.  so many things have happened in the last couple months..

music i'm obsessed with right now: The Black Keys and Miike Snow.  playing on repeat every day for the past couple weeks.  they have similarish, at times, sounds but i still listen to their albums separately.  i feel like i'm cheating musicians if i make and listen to playlists with just their best songs.  stuck in my habits, i listen to the whole album, in the intended order even if i know i just like a couple songs.  but, with these two bands i like almost all the songs.

Lite Music Review // The Black Keys // Brother

oh, The Black Keys.. in one word, soulful (without being boring).  that's often the problem i have with soulful artists, they're too slow and as good as they are, i can only listen to them when i'm feeling particularly calm.  As Tall As Lions, Aqualung, Anya Marina, all those cute songs vantastical posts on her blog.. wonderful, good music but only for quiet sometimes.  i usually need something loud and upbeat and The Black Keys are wonderfully that.  they're technically blues rock.  i don't know anything about blues but i think i like.  discovered via Pandora from my The Heavy station.  The Heavy aren't as consistent but you can't beat the catchiness of How You Like Me Now.  i like all the songs on the Brother album, but Tighten Up, Howlin' for You, She's Long Gone and Sinister Kid are good for starters.  oh!  and they won a Grammy for this album.  well deserved.  they have a bunch on albums, but this was my first listen.  looking forward to diving into the rest of their music.

Tighten Up - The Black Keys


How You Like Me Now - The Heavy

Lite Music Review // Miike Snow // Miike Snow

i love love love Miike Snow.  it's just so happy and uppity.  it's electronicky with a good drum beat and fun, addictive lyrics AND it's soulful.  it has a bluesy sound with some of the songs when the singer uses his whispery voice.  he doesn't exactly have an accent, but there's something about his voice.. maybe because he's Swedish and english isn't his first language?  who knows.  some songs are more electronic heavy, some are more indie sounding.  Plastic Jungle sounds like it could be a club song by Mike Posner or something.  they're all good.  i excitedly asked my music-swapping buddies if they were listening to Miike Snow, wanting to share the wonderfulness, and found out i'm a bit behind.  apparently, they were at ACL last year?  and i didn't go?  because i didn't know many of the bands and was lazy to look into them.  totally my lost.  i'm going to try really hard to go this year, if the tickets don't sell out.  my favorite songs are Animal, Silvia, Song for No One, Black and Blue and Plastic Jungle.

Animal



Song for No One


i have been very busy lately bingeing on The Office, planning my trip to London and contemplating whether or not i should get bangs but i will try to update more often.  au revoir monsieur blog.