tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77539510088758612602024-03-19T03:40:11.930-05:00Bella Green BlogWanderlust is a compass I carry in my pocket.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.comBlogger333125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-85675900684502178992011-07-27T20:52:00.000-05:002011-07-27T20:52:05.975-05:00Food & Famine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It's hard to look at <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/07/famine-in-east-africa/100115/">pictures of starving kids</a> and then think about how full my fridge is. I work with/as an advocate for a lot of hungry kids in my line of work, but <i>these</i> kids are dying of hunger.<br />
<br />
I don't have a lot of money, but I gave $15 to <a href="http://blog.heifer.org/2011/07/famine-declared-in-somaliawhat-you-can.html">Heifer Project</a>, who does work in countries neighboring Somalia that are taking on refugees. I know it's not a lot, but it's something. Maybe one day I can give more. There's other organizations actually in Somalia that are linked on that web page.<br />
<br />
I don't say "hey look I gave some money" to brag about being a good person - I'm kind of a whiny brat, like, lots of times - just putting it out there to hopefully guilt (yeah, I used the guilt word!) just one person into doing something similar. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXTg5UU7Z50kOBkBok09C3Yl2gNS6ACuCdo5pPBQ5fyFIJbAwEr6qPbBWp9qGETZPq29F6y8L-UMJeeH-SFUwuU_dDW1z6tjWNAWfEHjGlz96g4DJyPtGP7Y3WDuDchJtXvbVDz44vZk/s1600/s_f26_71109124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXTg5UU7Z50kOBkBok09C3Yl2gNS6ACuCdo5pPBQ5fyFIJbAwEr6qPbBWp9qGETZPq29F6y8L-UMJeeH-SFUwuU_dDW1z6tjWNAWfEHjGlz96g4DJyPtGP7Y3WDuDchJtXvbVDz44vZk/s400/s_f26_71109124.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Why can't I mail him food? Granola bars keep.</div></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-20283045923601792882011-07-25T22:19:00.000-05:002011-07-25T22:19:59.533-05:00Eggplant Parmesan Pizza & D.H. Lawrence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: LektonRegular, Monaco, 'Andale Mono', monospace; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 16px;"></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font: normal normal normal 12px/20px LektonRegular, Monaco, 'Andale Mono', monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><q style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-weight: normal; font: normal normal normal 14px/20px LektonRegular, Monaco, 'Andale Mono', monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 10px; text-transform: uppercase;">OURS IS ESSENTIALLY A TRAGIC AGE, SO WE REFUSE TO TAKE IT TRAGICALLY. THE CATACLYSM, HAS HAPPENED, WE ARE AMONG THE RUINS, WE START TO BUILD UP NEW LITTLE HABITATS, TO HAVE NEW LITTLE HOPES. IT IS RATHER HARD WORK: THERE IS NOW NO SMOOTH ROAD INTO THE FUTURE: BUT WE GO ROUND, OR SCRAMBLE OVER THE OBSTACLES. WE’VE GOT TO LIVE, NO MATTER HOW MANY SKIES HAVE FALLEN.</q></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; font: normal normal normal 12px/20px LektonRegular, Monaco, 'Andale Mono', monospace; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center;">D.H. Lawrence,<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Lady Chatterley’s Lover</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm reading the book <i>Reading Like a Writer</i> by Francine Prose, and I'm on her chapter about sentences. I even like the word "sentences." Reminds me of <i>The Phantom Tollbooth</i>, and eating words off of a plate, twirling sentences like strands of spaghetti. It was very important in Dictionopolis to pick delicious words. This is an apt lesson for life. I started running through my book collection reading first sentences after finishing Prose's chapter on decadent sentences, and came across this. D.H. Lawrence was a sexy, sexy, man. <i>The Sea in Sardinia</i> was my first Lawrence discovery in high school. I wish I had read more, earlier. Even his prosaic sentences made me feel warm, and I hadn't even discovered the likes of his brand of erotica.</div><br />
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<br />
<br />
Speaking of Sardinia, <i>Twilight in Italy</i>, and what-not, it's appropriate that one of my first meals from my new box was an eggplant and Parmesan pizza on whole wheat pizza crust. Whole wheat pizza crust is one of the easiest things to make, and as I crave Pappa John's, but won't let myself have it, weekly, I make a lot of pizza.<br />
<br />
<b>For the dough:</b><br />
<br />
3 cups whole wheat flour<br />
1 package yeast<br />
2 tbs olive oil<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1tbs sugar<br />
1 cup warm water<br />
Flax seed - I always mix some in for extra hippie points.<br />
<br />
1) Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.<br />
2) Add the wet ones.<br />
3) Mix until all combined.<br />
4) Spread on an oiled pizza stone.<br />
5) Top and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375.<br />
<br />
<b>Eggplant Parmesan Toppings:</b><br />
<br />
1 sliced eggplant<br />
1 cup bread crumbs (make toast, then pop in a mini-processor to crumble)<br />
2 eggs<br />
Parmesan cheese (the real kind! Ground up in a mini-processor)<br />
Tomato sauce<br />
Mozzarella (again, the real stuff you have to slice)<br />
Mild pepper, chopped (I also used a jalapeno, because I love heat)<br />
Black olives<br />
Basil leaves<br />
<br />
1) Mix the breadcrumbs and eggs in a bowl.<br />
2) Coat the eggplant slices in the mix. Pop on a greased cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 375 for 10ish minutes.<br />
3) Top pizza dough with sauce, toppings, and eggplant.<br />
4) Bake according to dough instructions.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1cPX4KYDXyYSMy1VFkQ4zDhdh4Mf9y6UjXHHj_W9Jgisf-0YADfrF0buX_YMPtwhe-NNAgZ2HAFrqKv6FffNjdqk7DcGx1kjRrOGEOlDhNqWGbz4sF_iEa_ELAzx7mC59ptAKvCxKJY/s1600/DSC_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1cPX4KYDXyYSMy1VFkQ4zDhdh4Mf9y6UjXHHj_W9Jgisf-0YADfrF0buX_YMPtwhe-NNAgZ2HAFrqKv6FffNjdqk7DcGx1kjRrOGEOlDhNqWGbz4sF_iEa_ELAzx7mC59ptAKvCxKJY/s640/DSC_0067.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-24146311740065220572011-07-22T19:56:00.002-05:002011-07-22T19:58:53.627-05:00CSA Box Week Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDi5YLU_dEtIcdFzjS-8UcpsiuQajc7l6LhrOuAVj_xaWaWwKCE9kdi3nMhSaK3Td3NsLpmyWGCQxX9BFx6roOwGn5llmq-LOG7vjPcQ0FAJq_ceG7ZuRR4MveF3696N7iJiM-PwRDlH0/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDi5YLU_dEtIcdFzjS-8UcpsiuQajc7l6LhrOuAVj_xaWaWwKCE9kdi3nMhSaK3Td3NsLpmyWGCQxX9BFx6roOwGn5llmq-LOG7vjPcQ0FAJq_ceG7ZuRR4MveF3696N7iJiM-PwRDlH0/s640/DSC_0050.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I picked up Mike and I's CSA box from Whole Foods yesterday, and these were the contents:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Okra</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Sweet & Hot Peppers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Cucumber</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Basil</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Parsley</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Mixed Summer Squash</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Beets</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Garlic</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Eggplant</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Winter Squash</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><br style="line-height: 1.5em;" /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Potatoes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">+ 6 eggs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">We got short changed some onions, according to their website, but I'll forgive that, as we still have onions left over from our first box. I haven't sat down to plan out what we'll cook using it all, plus the bits leftover from last time (including an acorn squash - I have big plans for that), but I'm hoping that between packing up the apartment this weekend, I'll find a spare moment to plan my culinary attack.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflgD8o9zk4f-7Klju9YyTgTtdqE6Hu24Ur6Xz0N046HGlc82miigit9wGI6LFYdx6QkQBkDCmdfLZapS3D-N8CDGKonjfW-0vXRXe10hTEz_-P-e2Brv73WqWf1nDm2hpL-hu83S285I/s1600/DSC_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgflgD8o9zk4f-7Klju9YyTgTtdqE6Hu24Ur6Xz0N046HGlc82miigit9wGI6LFYdx6QkQBkDCmdfLZapS3D-N8CDGKonjfW-0vXRXe10hTEz_-P-e2Brv73WqWf1nDm2hpL-hu83S285I/s640/DSC_0045.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">My biggest victory with getting a CSA box has not been figuring out how to use the produce, but rather, how to make it all fit in the fridge! With help from Wal-Mart's tupperware section and the Container Store, I've got a decent system going:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScUZnU7sEX-THGQVlvKoVJiw4MY6woMn16YJF2vYdt1YjmwSpsWdeCnoH-lYGcMwjhllfLMgAtz2_92zvWAqy9hzBKQl2D1y4V7tRrKzUZTNwcVSh4EBF9XBrx6pVNU5MvtpOw3datR0/s1600/DSC_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScUZnU7sEX-THGQVlvKoVJiw4MY6woMn16YJF2vYdt1YjmwSpsWdeCnoH-lYGcMwjhllfLMgAtz2_92zvWAqy9hzBKQl2D1y4V7tRrKzUZTNwcVSh4EBF9XBrx6pVNU5MvtpOw3datR0/s640/DSC_0059.JPG" width="424" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">When I first moved in with Mike, all he really had in his fridge was mustard and beer. Quite a change! Also, can we talk about how labels make everything better? The mere act of labeling what goes into the fridge helps me remember so nothing gets lost to rot in a back corner, visual reminders aside.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">That big cheese wedge in the upper drawer is real Parmesan. I have a friend who stopped speaking to me when we were in college - I don't remember why anymore - but, she spent a year in Italy prior to our friendship break-up, and one lesson she taught me upon her return: invest in real cheese. Buy the wedge of pricey Parmesan, put it in a mini-processor and grind it up; your world will be rocked. I have indeed been rocked, and will never go back to the powder in a green bottle some companies try to pass as cheese.</span></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-30606661497706634832011-07-21T22:11:00.000-05:002011-07-21T22:11:35.578-05:00Veggie Mexican Spiced Soup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yba0KCIA3O2dS9Kr9i8ZE9CgaZX45ai9lhsEw6vBoNKwbGQ6B2eLz7QoQ20nlbGY8TBe_VjDn0TIyRbFOmwBqaf3bVH1jHECaxGw5VOuNDnlPkW7WoYv_fCztFma1ppa5DgJ4l7KPe4/s1600/DSC_0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yba0KCIA3O2dS9Kr9i8ZE9CgaZX45ai9lhsEw6vBoNKwbGQ6B2eLz7QoQ20nlbGY8TBe_VjDn0TIyRbFOmwBqaf3bVH1jHECaxGw5VOuNDnlPkW7WoYv_fCztFma1ppa5DgJ4l7KPe4/s640/DSC_0034.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Today I picked up a new CSA box, so last night I had to find a recipe that used as many of my veggies left from my first box, circa two weeks ago, as I could. Cooking almost every night, I still had a few zucchinis, lots of hot peppers, a few onions, a couple of sweet peppers, and a few other stragglers I'll have to integrate this week, (if you know what to do with a bunch of mint, shoot me a message, please!).<br />
<br />
I found a recipe for "Garden Veggie Tortilla Soup" on the Johnson's Backyard Garden <a href="http://www.jbgorganic.com/community/forum/the-recipe-exchange">recipe forum </a>, and changed it up a bit to suit what I had on hand.<br />
<br />
Here is the recipe I followed:<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<br />
Olive oil<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
3 cloves garlic, diced<br />
1 cup assorted mild peppers, diced<br />
As many hot peppers as you can stand<br />
3-5 tomoatos, diced<br />
1/2 cup chopped broccoli<br />
1 cup sliced zucchini & summer squash<br />
1 cup sprouted mung beans<br />
1 cup corn (fresh is better, but I had a can sitting around taking up space)<br />
3-5 cups vegetable stock<br />
1 tbs cumin<br />
1 tbs chili powder<br />
1 tsp Mexican oregano<br />
1 tsp cayenne pepper<br />
1 tbs onion powder<br />
1 tbs garlic powder<br />
salt & pepper to taste<br />
sliced avocado<br />
shredded raw cheddar cheese<br />
Cilantro & lime for garnish<br />
Nutritional yeast & chia seeds - just because I toss these on <i>everything</i><br />
<br />
<b>Instructions:</b><br />
<br />
1) Pour a few tablespoons olive oil into a stock pot set on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, saute until tender.<br />
2) Add the peppers and cook until tender.<br />
3) Add the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are pulpy.<br />
4) Toss in the zucchini, corn, and mung beans, stir until tender.<br />
5) Add in the vegetable stock and spices. Let simmer 20-30 minutes. Season to taste.<br />
6) Top soup in bowls with avocado, cilantro, limes, and cheese. And if you like to toe the line of being a crunchy like I do, toss in that nutritional yeast and those chia seeds. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWyJKYxDWpukJuRF8f81bYqysFqrB3urwroqHkRpGdIc7NwtWHJHlRHCsOtNZbFzFuTV_f8W8IpnO_Koh13RrlPuvEJwJdu8uC7S9pW8rwDzzvYxE9fBL-oBqewe3efgzl7vMyJxY3Po/s1600/DSC_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyWyJKYxDWpukJuRF8f81bYqysFqrB3urwroqHkRpGdIc7NwtWHJHlRHCsOtNZbFzFuTV_f8W8IpnO_Koh13RrlPuvEJwJdu8uC7S9pW8rwDzzvYxE9fBL-oBqewe3efgzl7vMyJxY3Po/s640/DSC_0036.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
This made enough for Mike and I to have an overflowing bowl each, plus a tupperware container full of leftovers, (lunch for this weekend!). <br />
<br />
I just unpacked my new CSA box into my fridge. Time to start planning for the next few weeks of meals.<br />
<br />
Taco cat enjoys the box immensely:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJVVuGEgaRKW24mhe5afUSEogKIDP1nAalq1v_yooryF4ntB0TFs4c0V2OjUyzrBrRel_DtutHf5a4GXIiIg7xStAdL2OihRP6bky42ExTLV_w2vnIelJomulCUdMiPuVKLdSck5TZug/s1600/DSC_0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJVVuGEgaRKW24mhe5afUSEogKIDP1nAalq1v_yooryF4ntB0TFs4c0V2OjUyzrBrRel_DtutHf5a4GXIiIg7xStAdL2OihRP6bky42ExTLV_w2vnIelJomulCUdMiPuVKLdSck5TZug/s640/DSC_0056.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-50292131369843236372011-07-20T20:46:00.000-05:002011-07-20T20:46:22.662-05:00One More Time, With Feeling!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7blAANZkU9Teiw-0m2tEQlDLGOgFKyM2ho2Ie3UnDwz9_z7973qume9QhMfhor1ex2MVSJugrnJY7-4_gfqimEC_J9kXmZRabKDZlUi85WimFVKIaijCYZPUrj_sYtqKx4i8KXo-qUs/s1600/keith+bday2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7blAANZkU9Teiw-0m2tEQlDLGOgFKyM2ho2Ie3UnDwz9_z7973qume9QhMfhor1ex2MVSJugrnJY7-4_gfqimEC_J9kXmZRabKDZlUi85WimFVKIaijCYZPUrj_sYtqKx4i8KXo-qUs/s400/keith+bday2.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I keep my party hat nearby at all times.</span></div><br />
Oh blogging, I've missed you! And at first I was so sad that some nasty company stole my www.dishevelledstars.com URL, but I think it was a sign from the Universe to return to my roots. My blogging roots being back in... 2008 (??) when I initially started this blog, and called it Bella (my dog's name, and also, of course, "Beautiful") Green (my favorite color and demonstrating my affinity for all things eco, the long showers I take during a drought aside) Blog (because "Bella Green" by itself was taken). <br />
<br />
Coming back, I am finally ready to publicly admit a few things, which were probably painfully obvious from the beginning:<br />
<br />
1) I really don't care about fashion. It's a fun game to play occasionally, but I can't afford to keep it up, and usually, I'm too lazy to put on more than slacks and an Ann Taylor T-shirt when I get ready for work. And at home, clothes are just stifling - who needs them? Our apartment is a no-pants zone for all tenants! I think I started writing about fashion because I liked some of the fashion blogs I came across, I seemed to find an audience when I devoted time to that subject, and I liked looking pretty in pictures (still do, although snap shots never turn out like a posed fashion photo - I tend to look like a troll - see above).<br />
<br />
2) I can't spell. Thank God for spell check.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Anyway, I really miss having a "thing" that allows me to connect with other people, and I have felt isolated lately in my non-social hobbies of cooking at home, reading <a href="http://www.reddit.com/">Reddit.com</a> at home, working in an office, and hanging out with my boyfriend, (at home). I'm ready to go back into the public sphere, and am willing to re-make the effort to do so. <br />
<br />
If you're still with me, and I'll forgive you if you've ditched by now, it's important (or not) to know that a few things have changed:<br />
<br />
1) I had a birthday, (also see above), so I'm ripe and 27 now, holla!<br />
<br />
2) I'm no longer a Club Director with the BGC, I'm behind a desk writing grants (I actually, like a nerd, really enjoy this).<br />
<br />
3) In my last post, circa October 2010, I mentioned losing a boy I had been seeing. I found him again. I even took up residence in his apartment. We move to a two bedroom way far away from my first trendy Austin abode in Hyde Park next weekend, (and I haven't put one thing in a box yet).<br />
<br />
4) I cook a lot. This isn't really new. But it's become painfully obvious that my two real obsessions are collecting books, (most of which I subsequently don't read - need to work on that), and cooking vegetarian things from scratch, now using the lovely veggies Mike & I get from the <a href="http://www.jbgorganic.com/">Johnson's Backyard Garden </a>CSA. I diligently plan meals and record what I make using fresh produce every week, so I think I'll switch from using a word document to do this, to this blog.<br />
<br />
5) I traded my fancy Hybrid SUV for a more modest small car - stick shift, baby! I mostly know how to drive it now, (DO NOT pull up behind me on a hill). The wonderful people at Johnson's Backyard Garden also taught me to can vegetables, (we are set on pasta sauce and salsa for the winter), and I'm avidly encouraging myself to focus on my personal writings - journals, stories, poems, again. I'd love to get the guts to perform at the Austin Poetry Slam - I've been putting it off for 2 years. <br />
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I'd love for you to stick around as I ease back into the blogging world - here's to a new chapter.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyub9TDMU-9WT6DfBEhAYYdnzIUv1ismSeQB7lFl_Y217OeVUTo7yyoOG_ddKOCR7HIRACLcK1IQu-OMh205kXTjVcvHW-n-pnk4pBWiW-S2zI6Q2BwJcjKbkD150aKFyk06P9Ix33M0/s1600/DSC_0140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOyub9TDMU-9WT6DfBEhAYYdnzIUv1ismSeQB7lFl_Y217OeVUTo7yyoOG_ddKOCR7HIRACLcK1IQu-OMh205kXTjVcvHW-n-pnk4pBWiW-S2zI6Q2BwJcjKbkD150aKFyk06P9Ix33M0/s640/DSC_0140.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">And about that boyfriend - he's pretty cute! (And there's the Bella dog)</span></div></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-71969102621792111082010-10-23T17:41:00.000-05:002010-10-23T17:41:15.788-05:00Louisa May Alcott, The Avett Brothers, Sisters, etc.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"Then as now, thirteen is a critical age for a girl. It is at this age, as feminist writer Carol Gilligan among others has explained, that girls begin to lose their original voices. They are mercilessly pressured by the world around them, the impossible models provided by society, their parents' expectations, and the landslide of feelings and opinions released by their emerging, delicious, and unconscious sexuality. Under this onslaught of expectation, many young girls are pushed away from their original childhood selves and become silent hybrids, creatures molded so much by their environment that it is hard to recognize who they really are."</span><br />
<br />
- Susan Cheever, <i>Louisa May Alcott</i> (publishing next month)<br />
<br />
<br />
Ever wonder who you might have become if the rules & expectations surrounding you when growing up had been different? Or even different now?<br />
<br />
As for my mentioning not having free time because of a boy I liked... well, scratch that. <br />
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At the least, the end of a relationship does do amazing things for opening up your ears to fantastic "break-up" songs. As if The Avett Brothers weren't cool enough already. Speaking of, I get to review their new live album - just got my advance copy. Can't say the week didn't go down as a win.<br />
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<center><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OKNAfTowygA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OKNAfTowygA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><i>"I say it's not that simple - but then again it just may be."</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Also - my step-sister Amy's birthday was this week - and I got to go out on the town with too many beautiful girls to handle at any given time. I have pictorial proof.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBpDDJcIfg9pV1bULT8mhSG2pjX3uKNsmHOCTegf1bk5bkH-2xUVclFKwESq9grh8-R42P9jxiMEDkFXWT5525oX-yJyLQYajx6n0IEw7mfyuOiLddkmBNVXIxJgXQ_sLe0keB3YEQm8/s1600/Amy+bday1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBpDDJcIfg9pV1bULT8mhSG2pjX3uKNsmHOCTegf1bk5bkH-2xUVclFKwESq9grh8-R42P9jxiMEDkFXWT5525oX-yJyLQYajx6n0IEw7mfyuOiLddkmBNVXIxJgXQ_sLe0keB3YEQm8/s640/Amy+bday1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WE-mL3yYOsQwRaT5l5W_ZB4DhKNiw1QxS40lgB7NPWcBQV-zWqXUiboyshn8fcRswdZ-zoiDNZEGhlrvjoIeNdpzvwsAFj3_9l-PWYqTbDKOjI8qNg8lB0sjsHmpZrJz0qbiwC7LL_Y/s1600/Amy+bday2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WE-mL3yYOsQwRaT5l5W_ZB4DhKNiw1QxS40lgB7NPWcBQV-zWqXUiboyshn8fcRswdZ-zoiDNZEGhlrvjoIeNdpzvwsAFj3_9l-PWYqTbDKOjI8qNg8lB0sjsHmpZrJz0qbiwC7LL_Y/s640/Amy+bday2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">My sisters! The birthday girl is in stripes. I am clearly checking out a hottie across the room. We went to see the Josh Abbott band. I had so much fun - wish these gatherings happened more often!</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-69866445594741773412010-10-13T23:18:00.000-05:002010-10-13T23:18:36.585-05:00One of those bullet pointed "where I've been" posts + my ACL photo pit pictures!I haven't quit blogging! I think...<br />
<br />
Alright, here's what I have been doing:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Training to run the Austin marathon on February 20th. I'm at 13 miles now. The eventual goal is to get sponsorships to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Austin.</li>
<li>Yoga. A lot of yoga. "Cross training" is my excuse for spending the money on classes (yoga isn't cheap... anywhere, but Dharma Yoga is totally worth whatever they charge). </li>
<li>Prepping to teach a children's yoga class at one of the neighborhood BGC clubs once a week. I totally know what I'm doing...</li>
<li>Prepping to lead the poetry club that a few English teachers want to start at my school (because I don't do enough being the club director and leading Keystone and Torch Club... don't ask me to be a swim coach because I'd say yes to that too and then I might explode).</li>
<li>Working. A lot.</li>
<li>Spending more time with a boy I like than I should. I need my free time to blog, etc.</li>
<li>Reading... sometimes I go through long periods where I forget how, or so it would seem. I just finished <i>Holy Cow</i> by Sarah MacDonald. Loved it. It was <i>Eat Pray Love</i> on steroids.</li>
<li>Being a bad dog mom - I finally took Bella running with me today and now she has a limp.</li>
<li>Going to see LUDO!!!! perform at Emo's. (exclamation points are my own addition).</li>
<li>Not dressing cute. I'm really tired of pictures of my own face. Plus, oddly, the more I run and feel in better shape, the less I feel the need to dress nice. I feel great in everything.</li>
<li>Working - did I mention that? Running a program alone (I had a partner in crime last year) is a beast. I'm probably going to get written up soon for letting some data entry fall by the wayside. I hate data entry.</li>
<li>Not playing guitar. Bad Amanda, bad. I probably couldn't strum a C chord after this long without practice.</li>
<li>Getting ready to be the world's most awesome bridesmaid for the love of my life - Joanie! Her bachlorette party will be here in Austin (she's in Georgia), and a champagne table at La Bare <i>will</i> be going down.</li>
<li>Oh - and did I mention running? We run three times a week at 7:30 AM. I forgot what that side of the day looks like. This means I got to bed about... now, as opposed to 2 or 3 AM like I did last year.</li>
</ul><br />
The best thing I've done, though, is get a photo pit pass to the Austin City Limits Music festival to take pictures for Venus. I don't care if I'm in no way a professional quality photographer, it was amazing, and I'm so excited I got to do it and go see a festival I would have otherwise never have been able to afford a ticket to.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ct2V8E0sc8HxkoFN3XXdBPiB8UplSD62QpDIdYPJfmqwzk-_qzpIOkh4oylTokRqYT0xi8d-R8yJj68xuDEGsak_knRvedAO5StznXKoHmuh3Pq4WCZwm-nQzyOJvITTpt2sfJ0q1k/s1600/Edward+Sharp+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4ct2V8E0sc8HxkoFN3XXdBPiB8UplSD62QpDIdYPJfmqwzk-_qzpIOkh4oylTokRqYT0xi8d-R8yJj68xuDEGsak_knRvedAO5StznXKoHmuh3Pq4WCZwm-nQzyOJvITTpt2sfJ0q1k/s640/Edward+Sharp+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
From the Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zero's show photo pit. See all 69 (I totally did not submit that specific number of photos on purpose...) of the photos they published <a href="http://venuszine.com/articles/music/7834/Austin_City_Limits_2010">here</a>.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-41356679621185178912010-08-11T23:11:00.000-05:002010-08-11T23:11:17.591-05:00Albuquerque, New Mexico<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMLgdR_yk0kxwu01hZY18clqtLRQUeP_ooPunkv778I2XJTeAck4cCQpmycwH67f4RfJqTijDdHnBIy2K47pcnw335G0lu_quWhlkQ1ye-rMDEsd1IZkHkpi4_FX-L4Ni2ssm0bY8Vj4/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMLgdR_yk0kxwu01hZY18clqtLRQUeP_ooPunkv778I2XJTeAck4cCQpmycwH67f4RfJqTijDdHnBIy2K47pcnw335G0lu_quWhlkQ1ye-rMDEsd1IZkHkpi4_FX-L4Ni2ssm0bY8Vj4/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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I'm in Albuquerque this week for work. I got to spend a few hours today walking around Old Town and fawning over turquoise rings and wrist cuffs. Despite there being 50% off signs in almost every tourist and jewelry shop window, I held my resolve and did not buy one, (although it makes me a little sad to say so). <br />
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I had forgotten how much I loved being surrounded by mountains. It makes me miss Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, and think about one day moving to Santa Fe or Denver. I'm not sure if I can blame being a military brat or wanderlust (or both) for never being able to visualize staying in one place for more than a few years.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKw3FLC8jS64BRxHReg-1gGFNOe1JgCMABdWjWH8VsarFpV-mR4NW8XojeNkcHJ1scVcQchwJpvPG1F21sAMz_CujkVJMa1PRmuZ6OZd-HpwjXXtmnWZ5tYD54eEQBTzsAyvJwU5lG_M/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKw3FLC8jS64BRxHReg-1gGFNOe1JgCMABdWjWH8VsarFpV-mR4NW8XojeNkcHJ1scVcQchwJpvPG1F21sAMz_CujkVJMa1PRmuZ6OZd-HpwjXXtmnWZ5tYD54eEQBTzsAyvJwU5lG_M/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgvxNLwgPbDIYhpujtz_UwMWlkEaQgHYNhj7ajPTqYQYvxD501GIq6FCBPkd9lJN2zPGI4DWWNFVToEQommRUekiJLpJFHoS9EsGjj0U-LCgbCcFj_U2QW_BuDP5oonLW98Ee8MHoYDY/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKgvxNLwgPbDIYhpujtz_UwMWlkEaQgHYNhj7ajPTqYQYvxD501GIq6FCBPkd9lJN2zPGI4DWWNFVToEQommRUekiJLpJFHoS9EsGjj0U-LCgbCcFj_U2QW_BuDP5oonLW98Ee8MHoYDY/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm14VyXd7hppU8Gi-3bqW76tiIQoQpcjaViY_w_vRjURc7vPvTwZ5HnqWGRNe_aH_rp3A3TBRMNDRTFVC0KuGYwNc1DFT19NcFO0J_g8YTYCN2UIa4SShyphenhyphen6GSj-Ifhr7OEszjnuNmm-Vc/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm14VyXd7hppU8Gi-3bqW76tiIQoQpcjaViY_w_vRjURc7vPvTwZ5HnqWGRNe_aH_rp3A3TBRMNDRTFVC0KuGYwNc1DFT19NcFO0J_g8YTYCN2UIa4SShyphenhyphen6GSj-Ifhr7OEszjnuNmm-Vc/s640/3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-40855492905868135852010-08-09T19:43:00.000-05:002010-08-09T19:43:16.409-05:00Ex-Lover Countdown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgb7geUTG4U_1auf3wPDBhV6xCsN8pZahOL5ZrEaMtzNmJ0v_cFmzpHPwVSuUzI4SXTPaZ4hwFz3lZKLwXntjhztzsxtET7visnQTv6mEor5FKTzx2SU3036BN8ag0PK4U-qfw3lGQOB0/s1600/baz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgb7geUTG4U_1auf3wPDBhV6xCsN8pZahOL5ZrEaMtzNmJ0v_cFmzpHPwVSuUzI4SXTPaZ4hwFz3lZKLwXntjhztzsxtET7visnQTv6mEor5FKTzx2SU3036BN8ag0PK4U-qfw3lGQOB0/s640/baz.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25091274@N08/4137017478/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Do you remember when we were in love?</span></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/jwbaz">J.W. Baz</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">There is an old mayonnaise jar hiding under my bed,</div><div style="text-align: left;">every day I shove bad memories down its throat</div><div style="text-align: left;">like my own personal museum of things I can't</div><div style="text-align: left;">bring myself to forget yet.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It is brimming with words I wish I could force</div><div style="text-align: left;">back into my mouth, the taste of playground gravel,</div><div style="text-align: left;">the smell of police station coffee</div><div style="text-align: left;">that wedding</div><div style="text-align: left;">the ride from the hospital</div><div style="text-align: left;">the lens flare a gun barrel casts in the sun</div><div style="text-align: left;">dodgeballs (lots of dodgeballs)</div><div style="text-align: left;">and of course, romance gone the way of the goldfish</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I like to keep ex-lovers toward the outisde</div><div style="text-align: left;">of the jar. I watch them as they press their faces</div><div style="text-align: left;">against the glass and beat their tiny fists upon the wall.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sometimes when I'm sure no one is looking,</div><div style="text-align: left;">I roll the jar inside my palm and play a game I like to call</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ex-Lover Countdown.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Number 10</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">If you didn't know better, you'd have thought I took out a personal ad:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Single white male, 21, relatively attractive, enjoys poetry; seeks female </div><div style="text-align: left;">willing to treat him like shit within the confines of a terminal, largely</div><div style="text-align: left;">sexless relationship built on grain alcohol and guilt.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Number 9</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I had to stop and ask myself: Is it a bad sign</div><div style="text-align: left;">when you visit her apartment for the first time</div><div style="text-align: left;">and there is a pregnancy test on the top of the trash?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Dear <i>Number 8</i>,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I went looking for your passport</div><div style="text-align: left;">Found another man's underwear</div><div style="text-align: left;">I hope your baby gets lupus.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Number 7 showed me that when I put her on a pedestal,</div><div style="text-align: left;">it was really easy for her to kick me in the face</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Number 7(a)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">When she said, "Remember when I slept with your best friend?"</div><div style="text-align: left;">I wish I had something more witty to say than,</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm sorry you did what?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Number 6</i> had a problem with silence, so she talked</div><div style="text-align: left;">the way she smoked, end-to-end, rambling</div><div style="text-align: left;">for hours about absolutely nothing, stopping</div><div style="text-align: left;">only to light another cigarette. When she ran</div><div style="text-align: left;">out of cigarettes he'd turn the stereo up or burst</div><div style="text-align: left;">into tears while we kissed. it was here I learned</div><div style="text-align: left;">that I do not have a thing for crazy girls,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">crazy girls have a thing for me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Her stomach was as smooth as apple skin.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Just before dawn I would graze it with the back of my hand</div><div style="text-align: left;">and roll from her tiny bed. I'd get dressed hastily in the dark,</div><div style="text-align: left;">desperate not to rouse her though I knew she was not sleeping</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I wonder now what might have been if I had stayed</div><div style="text-align: left;">until the sun wedged its way past the drapes;</div><div style="text-align: left;">would we have found our silence then?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Just before I gave my virginity to the first </div><div style="text-align: left;">available bidder, <i>Number 5</i> put on a Rusted Root album.</div><div style="text-align: left;">We writhed together like two savage, suburban warriors</div><div style="text-align: left;">in the dense thicket of the school parking lot</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I gather <i>Number 4</i> mistook me for some sort of superhero,</div><div style="text-align: left;">the machine she employed to grind out this town, steal her</div><div style="text-align: left;">from a fire escape and fly away.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">She had a habit of tossing her problems out the window</div><div style="text-align: left;">presuming I'd swoop down and catch them. She soon had a pile</div><div style="text-align: left;">in the alley; the neighbors had begun to notice.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I must have been afraid of heights back then.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Number 3</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">[with a bullet]</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I had a premonition about her once; I've been gun-shot</div><div style="text-align: left;">and I'm bleeding, crimson staining white sheets, spreading</div><div style="text-align: left;">the way afternoon sun soaks the bedroom. She's trembling,</div><div style="text-align: left;">but accomplished. She looks forward to missing me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The end is nigh and I'm staring at the ceiling, counting</div><div style="text-align: left;">flecks of nicotine embroidered in the paint, the same crack</div><div style="text-align: left;">I gazed into when we pretended f*cking</div><div style="text-align: left;">was more than just a virus befalling us.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Number 2</i>, I'm sorry.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Number 1</i>, for a record 86 straight weeks,</div><div style="text-align: left;">is you, curator of this museum.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you remember when we were in love?</div><div style="text-align: left;">Does the thought of it still glare at you</div><div style="text-align: left;">from across the room, tapping its foot impatiently?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you remember kitchens at dawn, running</div><div style="text-align: left;">from exploding cabs, diving teeth-first into frost-bitten sheets</div><div style="text-align: left;">because the heat never worked?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We were some kind of adventure.</div><div style="text-align: left;">All of this has been for you.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I've seen under the marquee where we used to meet</div><div style="text-align: left;">on Saturdays; the same pink scarf knotted around your neck</div><div style="text-align: left;">same valances of midnight strewn about your face.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Still a quiet exuberance in the way you lean in,</div><div style="text-align: left;">arms and elbows, with a new lover</div><div style="text-align: left;">kissing like the war just ended.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm glad you found your sailor while I was lost</div><div style="text-align: left;">at sea, how appealing memory lane can be</div><div style="text-align: left;">when you never look down.</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-72198855565199464842010-08-07T23:38:00.000-05:002010-08-07T23:38:42.860-05:00Toppling Towers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bgchbHeqqe4SRq59o7KZIQnpB0CjtXLsrl8m8l0flH6N5WRMlhOn5Jm4fSNGUHSc7KGKAEaleYcEbvS-aqt_oAgezVRQhRpQ83z4LCH0Fe72yb8JBFcICEgyYnY6V6YyqR_ciAmtbtc/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bgchbHeqqe4SRq59o7KZIQnpB0CjtXLsrl8m8l0flH6N5WRMlhOn5Jm4fSNGUHSc7KGKAEaleYcEbvS-aqt_oAgezVRQhRpQ83z4LCH0Fe72yb8JBFcICEgyYnY6V6YyqR_ciAmtbtc/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I've been on the hunt for affordable (read: super cheap and super steals) clothes that I can wear to work this year. I'm not quite sure if these sparkle espadrille wedges were wholly justifiable, but I loved that they are fun with an air of elegance, and that the espadrilles make them daytime appropriate but the shimmer of the fabric can make them work for a casual night. I found this skirt at SoLa a couple weeks ago when they marked down everything in the store that was from the summer stock.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvgAxBO6X4ISPi7fluUVibbckzfjXQKR5Y7b7OYGJevhIahAZgwvBKo-N_PBLg1CfZK0o5b4wBmAUZODGKRgrko29S7lij6311OfnlvDdjBO41CIMVK-vjYGbS9fSok6uMNZqZR8YgV0/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvgAxBO6X4ISPi7fluUVibbckzfjXQKR5Y7b7OYGJevhIahAZgwvBKo-N_PBLg1CfZK0o5b4wBmAUZODGKRgrko29S7lij6311OfnlvDdjBO41CIMVK-vjYGbS9fSok6uMNZqZR8YgV0/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br />
Lennon comes back from being gone on tour for over two months, but only for a quick visit and to dog and apartment sit for me while I go to a conference in Albuquerque next week. I'm not excited to fly - my dad was a pilot, but somehow I was born terrified of flying, (well, technically of crashing). After I get back Lennon is moving to Dallas and my program year sets into full gear. I hope the year is busy and wonderful and fun and if the grant cycle isn't renewed next year, I hope the principal hires me as a teacher on campus for 2011-2012. I can't believe how much I miss teaching. I can't believe I'd contemplate having to wake up at 5:30 A.M. every day again. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRO63doX1mDCN2-d0rus-5oIznY9HcninzsiIvBKNE6nNZH-oNMX1Cj8_hMqe-3lrUmRuket-LDPJcmP4PY8CuXjv9yi9xrh3lf4iFiCxwVWABgFxuNCuPouxPUdVDXRwh5xu4xRCDtc/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRO63doX1mDCN2-d0rus-5oIznY9HcninzsiIvBKNE6nNZH-oNMX1Cj8_hMqe-3lrUmRuket-LDPJcmP4PY8CuXjv9yi9xrh3lf4iFiCxwVWABgFxuNCuPouxPUdVDXRwh5xu4xRCDtc/s640/5.jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <br />
This is the outfit I wore in Arkansas to go out to dinner for my grandmother's birthday, but I also wore these shoes to go out last night to downtown. I love <a href="http://aus.gingermanpub.com/">The Ginger Man</a> pub, because I love beer, and I love being able to make the call that a beer is too hoppy or too citrusy, or some other distinction. For years I'd aspired to be a wine connoisseur, but I don't think that's in my cards anymore. I'm certain I'll be a full fledged beer snob in a matter of years. Luckily, I didn't stumble in these shoes while walking around downtown Austin at 2 A.M. I actually think that two pints in, the fluidity of my ability to walk in an extra four inches improved, sort of like my Spanish skills. Tonight was swimming, movie, and dinner with my friend <a href="http://elizs.tumblr.com/">Elizabeth</a>, and the fact that I fell asleep on her couch is probably indicative I should be going to sleep now.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-47538455877642748592010-08-05T19:39:00.000-05:002010-08-05T19:39:40.770-05:00Under Your Spell<center><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kE8qfuEm3UY&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kE8qfuEm3UY&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center><br />
<br />
It's 7:30pm, my balcony door is open and the star curtains are blowing up and out but the air coming in is hot hot hot and makes the room even hotter. But I don't really care - I feel trapped with the door closed. My iPod is on random and this song by the Smashing Pumpkins is playing. One time I went to Little Rock to visit my grandmother and a boy who played this song in his car over and over and over and over that weekend, so now every time I hear it I think of those few days, the sun when it's golden, and this song on repeat. I always wanted to think he was playing it for me.<br />
<br />
I'm devising my fall program schedule for girls in 6th-10th grade, and it's still amazing to think I get to pick what extra-curricular clubs to offer. In high school, I was a member of at least fifteen clubs - I'm perpetually interested in everything (but never fully invested in anything). So far, I'm settled on:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Girls Rock Camp</li>
<li>Film Making</li>
<li>Model United Nations</li>
<li>Cooking</li>
<li>Photography</li>
<li>Sewing</li>
<li>Roller Derby (Derby Brats)</li>
<li>Taekwondo</li>
<li>Theatre</li>
<li>Yoga</li>
<li>Science via a Sea World grant program</li>
<li>Girls Sports League</li>
</ul><br />
plus a few mandatory things like leadership development programs, technology, and similar concepts. I can have five classes a day, and since this is the last year of the grant cycle, I don't have as much money to spend as I did last year, so I've got to pick some lower budget programs. <br />
<br />
When you were in school, what was your favorite club or after school activity?Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-70433081676632914802010-08-04T20:01:00.000-05:002010-08-04T20:01:56.878-05:00Holla! Prop 8 Overturned!<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/08/04/california.same.sex.ruling/index.html?iref=NS1">Read all about it!</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLXjvYYp_aSUIEf6ZvgMeoDAUD4nftSkQbAPwW6GPgVungnl2LehuAnuHGUMx04BpPzCRE6oQbVIUvNtonb6ErZ_vXWFE_yw3yjsczWfdaSkE4sVQDxRdUQqK49HUrkU3UrL3YdGh8u8/s1600/prop8equalshate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLXjvYYp_aSUIEf6ZvgMeoDAUD4nftSkQbAPwW6GPgVungnl2LehuAnuHGUMx04BpPzCRE6oQbVIUvNtonb6ErZ_vXWFE_yw3yjsczWfdaSkE4sVQDxRdUQqK49HUrkU3UrL3YdGh8u8/s640/prop8equalshate.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-67679877111334355202010-08-03T20:03:00.000-05:002010-08-03T20:03:48.001-05:00Tamara Lichtenstein: Sparkly Cornfields<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6b9tD2DzjWpSTyUv-hktDYbYipXYi4X74NN0ud19h27euBLX7SFNDdqqAqYpqAoq4Fme8M_iUkU29ye6HNJ6K4ELKxoYyRI_bqQL67sy0pjefDcXF9krz4mQZo4j7bEObDh9CpABNqjg/s1600/tumblr_l2eagpvH1L1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6b9tD2DzjWpSTyUv-hktDYbYipXYi4X74NN0ud19h27euBLX7SFNDdqqAqYpqAoq4Fme8M_iUkU29ye6HNJ6K4ELKxoYyRI_bqQL67sy0pjefDcXF9krz4mQZo4j7bEObDh9CpABNqjg/s640/tumblr_l2eagpvH1L1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I'm not going to run out and get a Tumblr, but maybe I should break down and start collecting the photos I find pretty and inspiring instead of wishing I knew how they did that. Aya over at <a href="http://strawberrykoi.blogspot.com/2010/08/tamara-lichtenstein.html">Strawberry Koi</a> posted a few of these <a href="http://www.tamaralichtenstein.com/">Tamara Lichtenstein</a> pictures, and I ended up sitting for an hour browsing through her entire photo portfolio afterwards. I love how most of them look like snap shots that ended up being beautiful happy accidents.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1T4Aua7rayeFPaHlokLXvyH9QssL2houhKdfeZI-5ILQy2O8jqcqeFLJ6JGhHlgI-yrt8MFT4yTUxJ7TqF1std0OQ62WrRVLgM5iUPyaQvubLMM6Lz8P1dwYA0PZo8hTJepMzX_cZoQ/s1600/tumblr_l305bufzOV1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1T4Aua7rayeFPaHlokLXvyH9QssL2houhKdfeZI-5ILQy2O8jqcqeFLJ6JGhHlgI-yrt8MFT4yTUxJ7TqF1std0OQ62WrRVLgM5iUPyaQvubLMM6Lz8P1dwYA0PZo8hTJepMzX_cZoQ/s640/tumblr_l305bufzOV1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarux08PN13SB59IoP3-BGm76aGip4rIJA0NDhEtpc4twphK6ZFMluVcT9AvFNHAyJETLVvp_BfbEyCM0vEW5l-gpUesSH6WDwAtI6gHKnRi4cJCavjbrGarBtCJ4koJjzPIK5CSU8m5k/s1600/tumblr_l1uwj2F8LS1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarux08PN13SB59IoP3-BGm76aGip4rIJA0NDhEtpc4twphK6ZFMluVcT9AvFNHAyJETLVvp_BfbEyCM0vEW5l-gpUesSH6WDwAtI6gHKnRi4cJCavjbrGarBtCJ4koJjzPIK5CSU8m5k/s640/tumblr_l1uwj2F8LS1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdpcz2KRJTNRvh5BdgxNeor-6SbmPtswTtIzhqrleYjImaIGW7J6cNfWPT1d0JKvaSbxxgz0mH2LiLcGkn2nqCS5AWKTIfth-9TYYUwwOnefLT6wpJs4QwfcSOMpd7NAduSjF48OxAJM/s1600/tumblr_l5q0v5UmGn1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRdpcz2KRJTNRvh5BdgxNeor-6SbmPtswTtIzhqrleYjImaIGW7J6cNfWPT1d0JKvaSbxxgz0mH2LiLcGkn2nqCS5AWKTIfth-9TYYUwwOnefLT6wpJs4QwfcSOMpd7NAduSjF48OxAJM/s640/tumblr_l5q0v5UmGn1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPN2PEmo0JXchCCCng9aUcGx7p_rtrMHWKqNlfjXKB2Z_tslMU60K0G0W7PV5z2_p2OD58QjoktT5A5Jn3NXUjnd0ns5-6c2dGfLxGuw4gB0SoHnaCcD-3ppG3k7AOmVIqgx2D2ovzTM/s1600/tumblr_l2ym11LSqo1qzfza5o1_r1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPN2PEmo0JXchCCCng9aUcGx7p_rtrMHWKqNlfjXKB2Z_tslMU60K0G0W7PV5z2_p2OD58QjoktT5A5Jn3NXUjnd0ns5-6c2dGfLxGuw4gB0SoHnaCcD-3ppG3k7AOmVIqgx2D2ovzTM/s640/tumblr_l2ym11LSqo1qzfza5o1_r1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsgZssWZwqorIE3h8pkWNdUMs-_NzIamGyFS-qpvpVGMHqz0eFF5PEoMl_IgoDUm8jIUzxoQRvITXPLYedjZJPpoTolHgc8hxLSCaoF525hacBRfcgIAHkzocjccIbJcvyxRm2Lbrg84/s1600/tumblr_l4bzamvhsM1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsgZssWZwqorIE3h8pkWNdUMs-_NzIamGyFS-qpvpVGMHqz0eFF5PEoMl_IgoDUm8jIUzxoQRvITXPLYedjZJPpoTolHgc8hxLSCaoF525hacBRfcgIAHkzocjccIbJcvyxRm2Lbrg84/s640/tumblr_l4bzamvhsM1qzfza5o1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQ3HcrDls0RUzUqo6VdumpFTR0zVkugz_V7sfsmsAjcRZQFJX0KmeaDhZerxkyDh78zQnHqQbsqvE6ZCRwLxPwSe4VMdIwWcIrUCkIL95C5rqEp1_UABU5xIwHlY7o11Pq1UF7iz1k6s/s1600/tumblr_kpmwspDFSA1qzfza5o1_r1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMQ3HcrDls0RUzUqo6VdumpFTR0zVkugz_V7sfsmsAjcRZQFJX0KmeaDhZerxkyDh78zQnHqQbsqvE6ZCRwLxPwSe4VMdIwWcIrUCkIL95C5rqEp1_UABU5xIwHlY7o11Pq1UF7iz1k6s/s640/tumblr_kpmwspDFSA1qzfza5o1_r1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFVqtSTpREwHWtyHR7LPvSIwFwNfh952bGgeUPQQi1a805uCFI0PUu4u428EwZbSg7YiF_MLOBeFlVb9DdqnxrVLaE9lc5H1IWDa2kbzT9BLhgA_lYX6l0OMF1M-2T9JP14i4u9WtBDs/s1600/tamara_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFVqtSTpREwHWtyHR7LPvSIwFwNfh952bGgeUPQQi1a805uCFI0PUu4u428EwZbSg7YiF_MLOBeFlVb9DdqnxrVLaE9lc5H1IWDa2kbzT9BLhgA_lYX6l0OMF1M-2T9JP14i4u9WtBDs/s640/tamara_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
And I have to post this last one simply because I own this dress. But I do not look like that in it. I'm going through a hopefully short lived phase where I hate everything in my closet I've owned for longer than a few months. Most of it I've either shrunk or let wrinkle beyond recognition. I've spent today and will spend tomorrow and most of next week in professional conferences, and I'm tearing through my closet to find clothes that aren't sloppy. It makes me want to shop, but I know new clothes would look the same as the old ones after a washing. Verdict: I need an iron.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsqZgmHDpNR9vP2l94by2Ha68N2B_7kBLtk4RTJd7SaUhcTpIc9hpntKU6tonhiPp4RlCSgwH46TCt1YgynZzQRSJ2BmL-tuGjVleJWYGYxUv4r_jUf_any3i4P0XOEFCZZOHMtpbSsw/s1600/tumblr_l0bunoNxk01qzfza5o1_r1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsqZgmHDpNR9vP2l94by2Ha68N2B_7kBLtk4RTJd7SaUhcTpIc9hpntKU6tonhiPp4RlCSgwH46TCt1YgynZzQRSJ2BmL-tuGjVleJWYGYxUv4r_jUf_any3i4P0XOEFCZZOHMtpbSsw/s640/tumblr_l0bunoNxk01qzfza5o1_r1_500.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-18757226750172295412010-08-02T19:22:00.000-05:002010-08-02T19:22:55.927-05:00Tired & Uninspired<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bJeAQ6BwJeUPlDxV_OhlgXnpQFM6Ut2E0IGUmIbLJhODwiPb5C0rcTBKV0yRuMUK9rM6tE7Pfhx5z57JfxFd5A-ZqEMh-0yNDcdQ-RzqXob0UJf2_qf3GCgSR0e9mfgX-1IOqmCgSu8/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bJeAQ6BwJeUPlDxV_OhlgXnpQFM6Ut2E0IGUmIbLJhODwiPb5C0rcTBKV0yRuMUK9rM6tE7Pfhx5z57JfxFd5A-ZqEMh-0yNDcdQ-RzqXob0UJf2_qf3GCgSR0e9mfgX-1IOqmCgSu8/s640/4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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My summer as a teen program coordinator/counselor are over, and it's time to get ready for the school year. Since I'll be taking over the program at a new school, I'll have to reorient myself to everything - the teachers, navigating the school, resources, new program offerings, and of course, the students. I'm really excited to start but have to survive a month of trainings and meetings first, (today is the one year anniversary of my job with the Boys and Girls Club). <br />
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I have to admit in terms of writing, photographing, blogging, and even thinking, I've been inexplicably uninspired and discouraged. Fashion blogging is fun, but I feel so weird having a blog that ends up being nearly 100% dedicated to pictures of me, even if as a model, I'm second to the clothes. Maybe my internal critic is far too harsh. No one can argue, though, that clothes can completely dictate how you feel in them. A blah outfit makes me feel equally blah and want to be invisible. In wanting to amplify my current emotional state from the doldrums, I'm typing this while wearing camp shorts and Cole Haan 4" heels, (from back when I could afford the occasional pair of Cole Haan). It's actually working. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFmz5dVB_6yOab72_3fwsSGxm8hoPx567LoNR1NohNd0oWmbffFc1yG6zfT8ChirRyrKeoAbIHXcrd922mDIkm6LLWyUIfYcG93pNaMfa-hqmxBRVwve1bjFaf_Dq0ZP_kr03I3JspGw/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFmz5dVB_6yOab72_3fwsSGxm8hoPx567LoNR1NohNd0oWmbffFc1yG6zfT8ChirRyrKeoAbIHXcrd922mDIkm6LLWyUIfYcG93pNaMfa-hqmxBRVwve1bjFaf_Dq0ZP_kr03I3JspGw/s640/2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-eWsipoTahd8rA3UkiZXg8ON1f1l84DTCjd2zV472E7VRmXA5hTQyQG9p33_JNmtk3tZyBGh8_ApdxDHuvorFUMuuhRDM1te4HyYMY4x9IuVUF1JNQbtIgO_796NO6oJ9jBt-yEw_gk/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-eWsipoTahd8rA3UkiZXg8ON1f1l84DTCjd2zV472E7VRmXA5hTQyQG9p33_JNmtk3tZyBGh8_ApdxDHuvorFUMuuhRDM1te4HyYMY4x9IuVUF1JNQbtIgO_796NO6oJ9jBt-yEw_gk/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAdhJbxeAbNpuEe5BbfctGbIfiZxqzRctmR2cg1U7NF-GITSNdBLrjDf0IsQiz4-uMVYMlo9FAAMiYF_l6_EoHNOq2PTEFV-bkOb9P8KOk2nEsB6su6MDWm0by_O5sXKcwYkhgQlcN64/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAdhJbxeAbNpuEe5BbfctGbIfiZxqzRctmR2cg1U7NF-GITSNdBLrjDf0IsQiz4-uMVYMlo9FAAMiYF_l6_EoHNOq2PTEFV-bkOb9P8KOk2nEsB6su6MDWm0by_O5sXKcwYkhgQlcN64/s640/6.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_huvHdTGk9cBJTW1hBRd-wfX-O4Kzaj2ybMSfJYckPEvfb6n4VOuzzzAyx-Cq4g7nA479aue6l-PZchVbtw2OcwTfW88GFIa5npuClSdi8Za-2yBlQsjTZMF2ZBZGQx4cSIzoYAvaMTo/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_huvHdTGk9cBJTW1hBRd-wfX-O4Kzaj2ybMSfJYckPEvfb6n4VOuzzzAyx-Cq4g7nA479aue6l-PZchVbtw2OcwTfW88GFIa5npuClSdi8Za-2yBlQsjTZMF2ZBZGQx4cSIzoYAvaMTo/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I think a lot of my lack luster enthusiasm and thinking capacity stems from a case of PMS (TMI? oh well), and the fact that rather than feeling inspiration from other bloggers, writers, artists, etc, I often get a sinking feeling of not being able to measure up - that's terrible - I know. Hopefully in a week I'll snap out of it. Regardless, I wore this dress on a movie date a while back. It was a $20 splurge from Target and I love it, except one of the straps already popped off and had to be sewn back on.<br />
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<b>Dress:</b> from Target<br />
<b>Locket:</b> from my grandma<br />
<b>Shoes</b>: Seychelles from years ago<br />
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Also, in my list of world's best music, I accidentally left off what should have been a contender for number one: <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/The+Gloria+Record">The Gloria Record</a>. I played the EP <i>A Lull in Traffic</i> every night while falling asleep for a year after getting it. They were an Austin band and I would pay them money to get back together, or something of value, as I don't really have money to pay them with.<br />
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<center><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/taYisyO_MRE&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/taYisyO_MRE&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-56475371320003733972010-07-25T19:44:00.003-05:002010-07-25T19:48:42.275-05:00The Long Shot & My Top TensSo I've taken the long shot of applying to write for Pitchfork. Probably won't happen - I do not delude myself. I consider myself a padawan in terms of music writing, but I pride myself in recognizing how much I have to learn and improve (in all things). The time I spent making my application wasn't a waste, regardless, though, as I compiled a few top-ten lists I'd like to share, (debate?). I feel like John Cusack in <i>High Fidelity</i> making these, although he only went to five, (slacker).<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>My Top 10 Albums of 2010 (no order):</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
<ol><li>1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Wintersleep: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New Inheritors</i></li>
<li>2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Holly Miranda: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magician’s Private Library</i></li>
<li>3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Free Lance Whales: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Weathervanes</i></li>
<li>4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Fanfarlo EP</li>
<li>5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The National: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High Violet</i></li>
<li>6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Quiet Company: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Songs for Staying In</i></li>
<li>7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Magic Man: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Real Life Color</i></li>
<li>8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Band of Horses: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Infinite Arms</i></li>
<li>9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Suckers: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wild Smile</i></li>
<li>10. <span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Good Old War: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Old War</i></li>
</ol></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><b>My Top 10 Tracks of 2010 (no order):</b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
<ol><li>1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Hanna (Freelance Whales)</li>
<li>2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Atlas (Fanfarlo)</li>
<li>3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Mirror Matter (Wintersleep)</li>
<li>4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Sleep on Fire (Holly Miranda)</li>
<li>5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Daughter (Magic Man)</li>
<li>6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>My Body (Young the Giant)</li>
<li>7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Martha (Suckers)</li>
<li>8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Totuus minusta (Regina)</li>
<li>9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>My Own Sinking Ship (Good Old War)</li>
<li>10.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Your Love (Keane)</li>
</ol></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><b>My Top 10 Albums of All Recent Time:</b></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpLast"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
<ol><li>1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Jealous Girlfriends: <i>The Jealous Girlfriends</i></li>
<li>2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Ludo: <i>Broken Bride</i></li>
<li>3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The National: <i>Boxer</i></li>
<li>4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Get Up Kids: <i>Something to Write Home About</i></li>
<li>5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Hot Water Music/Alkaline Trio</li>
<li>6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Mineral: <i>The Power of Failing</i></li>
<li>7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Band of Horses: <i>Our Swords</i></li>
<li>8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Format: <i>Interventions + Lullabies</i></li>
<li>9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>The Walkmen: <i>Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone</i></li>
<li>10.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Grand Serenade: <i>Lean Times</i></li>
</ol></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><i><br />
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</i></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
Let's play the <i>High Fidelity</i> game: do you have a top ten list of albums, bands, or tracks? I'd love to see it.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
I really wanted to have pictures of The New Pornographers show from Friday night at <a href="http://www.stubbsaustin.com/">Stubb's</a>, but thanks to Stubb's discriminatory camera policy, I have none. I drove back from Little Rock to make it to the show by 8pm. I barely made it, (9 hour drive), had to park in way far away east Austin, had only my wallet, my camera, and a water bottle in my bag, walked the long way to Stubb's, and was turned away at the door because my camera had an interchangeable lens. Excuse me? By the time I walked back to my car, hid my camera under a seat, debated going back, decided to with coaxing via text, and walked all the way back, I'd missed The Dodo's, and was thoroughly ticked, and will probably hold a grudge against Stubb's for a long time, because that's how I roll. Luckily, Ludo will be playing at Emo's, and that's a show I might have gotten over my grudge to go see, begrudgingly. <br />
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</div><center><object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gh106QikoNs&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Gh106QikoNs&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object></center><br />
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So I leave you with the ultimate hipster video and a song I really like: Totuus minusta by Finish band Regina. Complete with bear costume, and cake. And puppets.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-24840833847490409862010-07-20T00:01:00.000-05:002010-07-20T00:01:01.298-05:00A Whole Week's Vacation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TITUD028xKkbmOz1ZUi4Q6CmQHPLIASvNZJApplJiK7QX6NHlKeiWE2rqFKxxHeKPtwPlkF0vWKyoXV_ytZT9-SXNFIw94LjABg15RiRuZ0JyTyomrzrEiP_bGGb2xy6XJJZKCgSp0Q/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TITUD028xKkbmOz1ZUi4Q6CmQHPLIASvNZJApplJiK7QX6NHlKeiWE2rqFKxxHeKPtwPlkF0vWKyoXV_ytZT9-SXNFIw94LjABg15RiRuZ0JyTyomrzrEiP_bGGb2xy6XJJZKCgSp0Q/s640/9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Starting on 5 p.m. yesterday, my vacation week officially begun. I'm en route to Little Rock, but stopped in Copperas Cove to visit my dad and step-mom. They have this beautiful pool, and I'm yet to even swim in it! This will need to be rectified soon. With 100 degree temperatures like we had today, I probably have some time to make it happen. I find myself already stressing about how much I will be able to get "accomplished" over this week, and then I want to thump my head on a wall. All I want is <i>one week</i> without a to-do list hanging over my head, or the itch to "get ahead" on projects or article writing. Although I have a friend's wedding coming up, and I'd like to save up to afford the gas to get there - it's quite a drive from Austin, so article writing may be in the mix. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXZdtVoxkMLvkF2OvMDbpEO6ecIpQT8-Zy6slXcm7u4cZ4bS2XbinSqwc4a-CK_m_W7Ua0GrOMNpsh6V9Tc-Q2t2JMQ6ELF2SAGMOkFvxJrFkm5dFVBYqY41e6I5uWC2iXwTMuX9ULtA/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXZdtVoxkMLvkF2OvMDbpEO6ecIpQT8-Zy6slXcm7u4cZ4bS2XbinSqwc4a-CK_m_W7Ua0GrOMNpsh6V9Tc-Q2t2JMQ6ELF2SAGMOkFvxJrFkm5dFVBYqY41e6I5uWC2iXwTMuX9ULtA/s640/1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vrKnYSk7SnhdqKAWlq7DwmsVJkZ_VzgmmXQNy-atK60nHjDJraz9QCV7DYOLv1NGAV0F0pathkcO8mbJkfWVEmOQnZxFI-gaKVgkD4ZQfSLyDZgAshL-xSk83F9QApIsXeIVsyOM0OA/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vrKnYSk7SnhdqKAWlq7DwmsVJkZ_VzgmmXQNy-atK60nHjDJraz9QCV7DYOLv1NGAV0F0pathkcO8mbJkfWVEmOQnZxFI-gaKVgkD4ZQfSLyDZgAshL-xSk83F9QApIsXeIVsyOM0OA/s640/7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W8U78eW8QDAoxk3JzuiWPFzIw5IB3rabRcrEVIgaXpN2Nj7T3lRYsTOWRfC82ooZ4ndzgZJ5jCFkDYEKVWHbwX6ZEFe1axLSSNH-IxOH8_23W8w9s9uMU3Z5gCiLz5vzRrFRgro3QEA/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_W8U78eW8QDAoxk3JzuiWPFzIw5IB3rabRcrEVIgaXpN2Nj7T3lRYsTOWRfC82ooZ4ndzgZJ5jCFkDYEKVWHbwX6ZEFe1axLSSNH-IxOH8_23W8w9s9uMU3Z5gCiLz5vzRrFRgro3QEA/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFO4t_DBuMmZDVCZ-rY4c-AsnP9Wu2LUIG5kcI6U3QhMYnvwDjVCZF3acARRaxa66qlqRLygMM0Aq5s4dMfrPir8-p9rEzCM_NsUKpYWOCcmQuUdh9B3n09tDHWc5izuA8QUnrg1vcHQ8/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFO4t_DBuMmZDVCZ-rY4c-AsnP9Wu2LUIG5kcI6U3QhMYnvwDjVCZF3acARRaxa66qlqRLygMM0Aq5s4dMfrPir8-p9rEzCM_NsUKpYWOCcmQuUdh9B3n09tDHWc5izuA8QUnrg1vcHQ8/s640/10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
These pictures let know just how much I need to work on using a light meter properly. That, and checking when the date stamp is on - I had to crop it out of all my pictures - oops. I've had this skirt in my closet for two months but never cut the tag off till today - what was I thinking!? This may get worn everyday this week. I have an eight hour drive ahead of me, so I should probably stop posting pictures of myself (I still feel weird about this - but it's fun to take them) and go to sleep on my air mattress. <br />
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<b>Crochet skirt: </b>Forever 21<br />
<b>Peach tee:</b> from SoLa in Austin<br />
<b>Necklace</b>: Little Rock boutique<br />
<b>Ring:</b> Little Rock antique mall<br />
<b>Shoes:</b> BGBG GirlsAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-59523559402117413752010-07-19T14:13:00.000-05:002010-07-19T14:13:53.856-05:00A Public Service Announcement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3LVxShoIPHsLVoZeXjY1xo2YsVwrqIo0VksK3bt0t4lxlG6K-_WNticKFPr3C7dgR2SbHQ54c_-zkAYtQQHkAcR3BxUQ_lmkEuhSeetjMVapX2wyEwYmkXCol5r4AtQJJAGz9fMb0Zg/s1600/35178_689489370613_203017_38302858_3646375_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3LVxShoIPHsLVoZeXjY1xo2YsVwrqIo0VksK3bt0t4lxlG6K-_WNticKFPr3C7dgR2SbHQ54c_-zkAYtQQHkAcR3BxUQ_lmkEuhSeetjMVapX2wyEwYmkXCol5r4AtQJJAGz9fMb0Zg/s640/35178_689489370613_203017_38302858_3646375_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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I went tubing weekend before last on the Guadalupe river. One house had this long rope swing with a platform to jump off from and swing into the water. This guy pulled it off successfully, and then this poor girl got up to try with everyone cheering her on. Her hands slipped or something and she fell with a full face plant onto the ground and then sort of skidded into the water. Everyone was STUNNED. She was ok. I doubt her pride was, though. <br />
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So, moral of the story - don't drink and rope swing, kids.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-91524441140293154822010-07-18T16:31:00.000-05:002010-07-18T16:31:55.791-05:00Blue Giant & Regina reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItVLRdjCrn8kOi7cgy5Sa5J94caSG2ts95QozTnmf_b2jOA2PXLKVnt9gA-A3i1cixa4GhibDHlEIWdMW68m4GOAC6vfOS8Nei13FgAeQ-JfkRupi09rSDmXYXiQmHpdv8pEwTxJmS5s/s1600/bluegiant+review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItVLRdjCrn8kOi7cgy5Sa5J94caSG2ts95QozTnmf_b2jOA2PXLKVnt9gA-A3i1cixa4GhibDHlEIWdMW68m4GOAC6vfOS8Nei13FgAeQ-JfkRupi09rSDmXYXiQmHpdv8pEwTxJmS5s/s640/bluegiant+review.jpg" width="548" /></a></div><br />
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Read my review for Venus of Blue Giant's self titled debut <a href="http://venuszine.com/articles/music/7401/Blue_Giant">here</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBqDEZrn8m5zpHaxIZT-znsya0CsKLUwOX3LD44KmMO_X14cDN1xtkybWAyPBh5bOxSDHiKT-oY4lBX_k0pHo-pbmRVWjEZjIPtdsPRpqaXV8vU9P7YRtxQCbXdUVEbCyKzlB2C-9jr8/s1600/regina+review.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBqDEZrn8m5zpHaxIZT-znsya0CsKLUwOX3LD44KmMO_X14cDN1xtkybWAyPBh5bOxSDHiKT-oY4lBX_k0pHo-pbmRVWjEZjIPtdsPRpqaXV8vU9P7YRtxQCbXdUVEbCyKzlB2C-9jr8/s640/regina+review.jpg" width="552" /></a></div><br />
Read my review of Finland's Regina new album <a href="http://venuszine.com/articles/music/7400/Regina">here</a>.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-42868708924951308362010-07-16T08:00:00.001-05:002010-07-16T08:00:10.886-05:00Poison Japanese Jasmine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKADgUAAz2zgC2WZebLSB5jBKhvCivtoHgHbFGV-q3FyeTyQd5YHGAh2cUiGLqFMWbxBtrSLKanCgyrtfGGmylBBFiulup4SOSfK7uZsTSu86sEHDHDZhBNGYbvya46Blwz5KYlhE_rM/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKADgUAAz2zgC2WZebLSB5jBKhvCivtoHgHbFGV-q3FyeTyQd5YHGAh2cUiGLqFMWbxBtrSLKanCgyrtfGGmylBBFiulup4SOSfK7uZsTSu86sEHDHDZhBNGYbvya46Blwz5KYlhE_rM/s640/8.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Now that taking pictures of myself has become more of an undertaking - what with needing my tripod, two lenses, (one that only half works), my remote, the energy to run back and forth after a long work day, etc - I've noticed that while the original goal was "fashion" photography, I've become more concerned with simply staging a decent picture than with the elements of my outfit. While my lack of emphasis on unique clothing and accessory choices sort of kills the "fashion" element of it all, I do like that my focus is on learning how to play with light at different times of day, play with the focus, even utilizing the broken zoom on my wide angle lens, and try to pair backgrounds with clothes. Taking a daily "outfit" photo is too much work, but I like creating an editorial style photograph, and I hope to improve at it, as well as all aspects of picture taking.<br />
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In these photos, I truly suffered to create them. Those are morning glories growing on the fence, with a few springs of Japanese Jasmine interwoven between them in spots. I learned the hard way that leaning into the Japanese Jasmine vines makes my skin burn horribly, turn red, and prickle with hard bumps all over. Nothing calamine lotion didn't heal - forty-five minutes later. I sucked it up and finished shooting - tell me that's not being a trooper! After the first couple backwards shots I couldn't do anymore because the exposed part of my back had turned bright red, as had the backs of my arms, haha. If I ever wanted to pretend I was a super hero, the time has finally come - I've found my kryptonite! And it's a flower. Sigh.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtD6865JlrdHK-4MAGUykK37ncU3Dgq311Aw1G2NdECYtZRkyDcL5ZlKGl2_ezrkTBQrKJlcHuP3hq1vtJ7Y28JQXt_8wqrMpHnHrPjTkI8I2Sa4E2ZuSPbuzOUMcU1EOF-G9JSjl3prM/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtD6865JlrdHK-4MAGUykK37ncU3Dgq311Aw1G2NdECYtZRkyDcL5ZlKGl2_ezrkTBQrKJlcHuP3hq1vtJ7Y28JQXt_8wqrMpHnHrPjTkI8I2Sa4E2ZuSPbuzOUMcU1EOF-G9JSjl3prM/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJl3bJqP8W1fD1qN6gCcqTMBHe3G3oEXRg7Fmz1UFmGTHtwV0IhNWR10GnsDq6uxlsBNjBd_xeJ9yvSsG2F883mF4NZDEJpalsQxoOQR_9mcoPG6zU3lI47EUfFipFzGQqG014FG6HRM/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJl3bJqP8W1fD1qN6gCcqTMBHe3G3oEXRg7Fmz1UFmGTHtwV0IhNWR10GnsDq6uxlsBNjBd_xeJ9yvSsG2F883mF4NZDEJpalsQxoOQR_9mcoPG6zU3lI47EUfFipFzGQqG014FG6HRM/s640/6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBz76QRIZXS633Ja49YlXkebmpOiozFw4nm3rFZ0YTYDUcKxF_H6PzEufHBEj55gWSbsICbeaapeCoynfmuioIp0D6yZn5ehWRn6N5WshlpMEkW1BDYa6EnJDD6-zlEpuQMjNAh2vxxw/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBz76QRIZXS633Ja49YlXkebmpOiozFw4nm3rFZ0YTYDUcKxF_H6PzEufHBEj55gWSbsICbeaapeCoynfmuioIp0D6yZn5ehWRn6N5WshlpMEkW1BDYa6EnJDD6-zlEpuQMjNAh2vxxw/s640/5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GtGrgsfCFKkfUB75MTT5JCbKpZkr8CPmKZZZyW_P3xtfg3MSaAjmuZi3eMfees-FSAdGEHd-FvaOBr7mQLLoq23TKpaGpeazK-9oGGs4MKmFxUyNwHCRyVVbTwmfkiiI5wgwkXh8MjQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GtGrgsfCFKkfUB75MTT5JCbKpZkr8CPmKZZZyW_P3xtfg3MSaAjmuZi3eMfees-FSAdGEHd-FvaOBr7mQLLoq23TKpaGpeazK-9oGGs4MKmFxUyNwHCRyVVbTwmfkiiI5wgwkXh8MjQ/s640/1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvocmn_ONgzwFRQDut9g5uJlmTtCJVA0pEqI-cShM3CHHclbVmsHPoMTH4TZE6Gvq8uxOb3PWK3T4BOJ6qOH3gLnpqFc__3otNu-8jjfbXdiXVQJPacqWebBjukAuDZ5Qjs0VkwDDl8A/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvocmn_ONgzwFRQDut9g5uJlmTtCJVA0pEqI-cShM3CHHclbVmsHPoMTH4TZE6Gvq8uxOb3PWK3T4BOJ6qOH3gLnpqFc__3otNu-8jjfbXdiXVQJPacqWebBjukAuDZ5Qjs0VkwDDl8A/s640/11.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGEzKqlFoOYtrNPsEb6N24QyLBab9EFB_Jqgt9PqUtf0pB6OGWW-blRyy2a0EMzX6nWO55Z3cbfffU3enwyi9gHHvzkNs1XrKfjNwJ6mtABETFTFjbo9oflI0rpgW7dIyBtgnRQtBbgw/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGEzKqlFoOYtrNPsEb6N24QyLBab9EFB_Jqgt9PqUtf0pB6OGWW-blRyy2a0EMzX6nWO55Z3cbfffU3enwyi9gHHvzkNs1XrKfjNwJ6mtABETFTFjbo9oflI0rpgW7dIyBtgnRQtBbgw/s640/10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1acNKGZAhmc48evNU0YqypuYzGlZIBET0smyKLZxEbLQwxRYKzXz0OPNHrZX-8mWVhlG7jO6W7SGV8SbC0ImG1cIRCLU_aINL_j7cQ7AXQ4oPYN7AvQqEczao6qBQRLAx2tMmztY4z8/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL1acNKGZAhmc48evNU0YqypuYzGlZIBET0smyKLZxEbLQwxRYKzXz0OPNHrZX-8mWVhlG7jO6W7SGV8SbC0ImG1cIRCLU_aINL_j7cQ7AXQ4oPYN7AvQqEczao6qBQRLAx2tMmztY4z8/s640/3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<b>Dress:</b> Wal-Mart. I am fascinated, still, by the ability to buy clothes and groceries at the SAME TIME.<br />
<b>Shoes:</b> Classified<br />
<b>Necklace</b>: from Buffalo Exchange in DallasAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-80354540526110880502010-07-15T00:47:00.000-05:002010-07-15T00:47:25.334-05:00Eclipse Soundtrack Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrExVYRdhwXAdPDwzXzBZstj3O6cP9qTkuCJiImchmqxUarDjbrCRA4OL_ZBb8tY-XJWdjcM8jK5zVX5VZgyeKJPgkZ3GXAItk4xf560S7r_uW9pYyYJzzdef3pGJCfuyEPyzV5PSSFkM/s1600/eclipse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrExVYRdhwXAdPDwzXzBZstj3O6cP9qTkuCJiImchmqxUarDjbrCRA4OL_ZBb8tY-XJWdjcM8jK5zVX5VZgyeKJPgkZ3GXAItk4xf560S7r_uW9pYyYJzzdef3pGJCfuyEPyzV5PSSFkM/s640/eclipse.jpg" width="523" /></a></div><br />
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I reviewed the Eclipse soundtrack for Venus, and you can read my thoughts on that <a href="http://venuszine.com/articles/music/sounds/7323/Various_Artists">here</a>. My favorite songs were The Black Keys' "Chop and Change" and Fanfarlo's "Atlas." Since hearing <a href="http://www.fanfarlo.com/">Fanfarlo</a>, I've fallen 100% in love with them, and they just released their new EP with "Atlas" on it. <br />
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Tomorrow we are taking 80 of our kids to see Eclipse at the Bob Bullock Museum and Imax theatre. Is this movie appropriate for middle school?? Trying to coordinate field trips every day has been nuts and I can't WAIT for my week of vacation!<br />
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<center><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bVMfsQ_cM8s&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bVMfsQ_cM8s&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center><br />
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I've decided that a song is like a wave pool. Or the water of a beach, you decide whether you're a naturalist or not. If a song is good, it will be like floating in, under, and on perfect waves - like the types of waves you can boogie board on. They spin you around, raise you up, bring you down at the right time, and leave your head still swimming like you're floating in water when it's over. To me, that's a good song. What does a good song do to you? Any bands you're in love with lately? - I'm always looking for good music advice.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-54955585696109467312010-07-13T00:04:00.000-05:002010-07-13T00:04:02.444-05:00Goal Oriented<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCncT-kixPlwfPJhn68ZMzwkwuEima0O5ap963QnhUnLQAfmpzFlCCiHkR3ttcwqDbQTBk7TOtsKxPOInH4vTNop-aIq-8EOzROxLQ57K9y-1u358A3O-R3PgxB0Zg2tbVOnbN22smFZ4/s1600/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCncT-kixPlwfPJhn68ZMzwkwuEima0O5ap963QnhUnLQAfmpzFlCCiHkR3ttcwqDbQTBk7TOtsKxPOInH4vTNop-aIq-8EOzROxLQ57K9y-1u358A3O-R3PgxB0Zg2tbVOnbN22smFZ4/s640/DSC_0006.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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One of my favorite Austin blogs, <a href="http://hipstercrite.blogspot.com/2010/07/long-term-goals-and-me-lovehate-story.html">Hipstercrite</a>, written by Lauren, posted about five and ten year goals as revisited by someone past the ripe age of 25. This makes me hyperventilate a little. Here at the house-sitting house, where there is cable, I fall into the trap of watching HGTV. On these home buying shows, perfectly composed nearly-30's purchase townhouses for half a million dollars and look like they walked out of a Talbots catalog. I missed the instruction manual on how to be that perfect. I still dream about the perfect pair of boots to wear to a concert to not get my toes stepped on while still looking feminine. Not cardigans with rosettes. <br />
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At 26, I've had to do a lot of restructuring of my long term goals as I realize some of my initial goals, like, marrying a millionaire so I can be an agoraphobic eccentric novelist, are not going to pan out. How does a person make goals when they keep changing? With Lennon telling me all about his explorations of DC these past few days, it's had the effect of reminding me how much I would love, love, love to run the education program at a museum. Like, say, one of the fifty thousand Smithsonians up in DC, (and I'd love to live there again). If I could get to that position, and write for some (any!) publication, and have a closet full of pretty shoes, and a garden that actually produces a tomato, I'd like to think I'd feel accomplished in life. <br />
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But, if I ever should get engaged again, that could throw a wrench in things - having to accommodate a husband's career and what not. Sounds like a hassle! I really do want children, but I certainly see enough of them during the day, and when they start to get cranky I send them home, (like today! goodness kids get cranky when you ask them to clean things as a service project), and then I can go spend my take home pay on a new dress instead of baby things. I'm O.K. with this arrangement at present. That, and coming home to Bella.<br />
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Do you have a five or ten year plan? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mMHTTQiIUxwQk0UuJ9w8r0IrUsnODbUSvuPyF0rGJ3B0vhoe4qESrtWHiAc0By_kIOJGTEpXFczP7Ml25Ii81tNxxRzpvZCDRqT3bB1hifajdi7M19Kk8luIMZj9QMZRcBIgnklbRRE/s1600/DSC_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mMHTTQiIUxwQk0UuJ9w8r0IrUsnODbUSvuPyF0rGJ3B0vhoe4qESrtWHiAc0By_kIOJGTEpXFczP7Ml25Ii81tNxxRzpvZCDRqT3bB1hifajdi7M19Kk8luIMZj9QMZRcBIgnklbRRE/s640/DSC_0010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqVeI_SNWSSHDAEGhdIHPt81Iud0fOjJ_iyFSIvwKmHeMdzYDe6XQK1zIFVTeUxV92FO84NrGeUMD3-nzQhQx1QdiOj2rqoTDj5icyWX1lOtUtqr24SDd_KoHeAmfkkwJTt5Y6G3HD1k/s1600/DSC_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqVeI_SNWSSHDAEGhdIHPt81Iud0fOjJ_iyFSIvwKmHeMdzYDe6XQK1zIFVTeUxV92FO84NrGeUMD3-nzQhQx1QdiOj2rqoTDj5icyWX1lOtUtqr24SDd_KoHeAmfkkwJTt5Y6G3HD1k/s640/DSC_0030.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-72960385420908581192010-07-12T12:18:00.001-05:002010-07-12T12:19:15.196-05:00Working Girl<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">So in two weeks I start my new position at the Ann Richards School for Girls. The focus of the school is on developing female leaders, and I'll be doing less running around over a giant campus than I did at Reagan. This all means that I can dress more like my former-teacher-self. But, most of my three year old teacher items are getting a little threadbare, and some probably don't even fit anymore. I'm scared to try on my khaki pants. </span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">My high heels have been in retirement for a long time and I'm eager to break them out again. I'm also interested in dressing "nicer" at this school, because I'm genuinely worried about what the principal is going to think when she sees my tattoos that were concealed beneath a cardigan at my interview. It wasn't an issue at Reagan at all, but at ARS, I'm nervous. I would like to counterbalance any negative associations they might have by looking like I run the Boys and Girls Club there, (wait, I do - and I love it). </span></span><br />
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<div><div style="height: 500px; position: relative; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/charcoal_dress/set?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed&id=20654023" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Charcoal Dress" border="0" height="500" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFmRySE5iNEdOM3hHY2E2UHBjZmFteHcAAAACaWQKAXgAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="Charcoal Dress" width="500" /></a><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/" style="bottom: 2px; line-height: 1%; position: absolute; right: 2px;"><img alt="Fashion Trends & Styles - Polyvore" src="http://www.polyvorecdn.com/rsrc/img/logo_embed_alt_63x21.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Fashion Trends & Styles - Polyvore" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font-size: 0.75em; padding-top: 16px;"><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/about_author_dress_in_grey/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=19514531"><img align="left" height="50" hspace="4" src="http://img2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=s&tid=19514531" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/about_author_dress_in_grey/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=19514531">About the Author Dress in Grey</a><br />
$53 - modcloth.com<br />
<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/dresses/shop?category_id=4&.mid=embed-imagelist" style="color: #888888;">More dresses »</a><br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cairo/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=18835032"><img align="left" height="50" hspace="4" src="http://img1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=s&tid=18835032" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/cairo/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=18835032">CAIRO</a><br />
195 GBP - kurtgeiger.com<br />
<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/kurt_geiger_shoes/shop?brand=Kurt+Geiger&category_id=41&.mid=embed-imagelist" style="color: #888888;">More Kurt Geiger shoes »</a><br />
<br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/elsie_satchel/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=16888204"><img align="left" height="50" hspace="4" src="http://img2.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=s&tid=16888204" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/elsie_satchel/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=16888204">elsie satchel</a><br />
325 GBP - toast.co.uk<br />
<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/tote_bags/shop?category_id=36&.mid=embed-imagelist" style="color: #888888;">More tote bags »</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><br style="display: none;" /></div><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/plasticland_green_satin_rosette_flapper/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=16161980"><img align="left" height="50" hspace="4" src="http://img1.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=s&tid=16161980" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 0 8px 8px 0; padding: 2px;" width="50" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/plasticland_green_satin_rosette_flapper/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=16161980">PLASTICLAND - Green Satin Rosette Flapper Headband</a><br />
$22 - shopplasticland.com<br />
<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/hair_accessories/shop?category_id=58&.mid=embed-imagelist" style="color: #888888;">More hair accessories »</a><br />
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These heels are too high to wear functionally for me, but I do like the color. And I'm in love with this dress, and will probably save my nickels to buy it in the next few weeks. I've had a pair of black patent Cole Haan pumps for years that are already whispering to me that they want to be worn with that dress.<br />
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<div><div style="height: 500px; position: relative; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/khaki_work/set?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed&id=20665166"><img alt="khaki work" border="0" height="500" src="http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-set/BQcDAAAAAwoDanBnAAAABC5vdXQKFjRFSl9nZGVOM3hHWGk2R2NXa2VUZmcAAAACaWQKAXgAAAAEc2l6ZQ.jpg" title="khaki work" width="500" /></a><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/" style="bottom: 2px; line-height: 1%; position: absolute; right: 2px;"><img alt="Fashion Trends & Styles - Polyvore" src="http://www.polyvorecdn.com/rsrc/img/logo_embed_alt_63x21.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" title="Fashion Trends & Styles - Polyvore" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font-size: 0.75em; padding-top: 16px;"><div style="clear: both; margin: 0em; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><a href="http://www.polyvore.com/beach_picnic_dress_in_afternoon/thing.outbound?.embedder=116562&.mid=embed-imagelist&id=17752906">Beach Picnic Dress in Afternoon</a><br />
$100 - modcloth.com<br />
<a href="http://www.polyvore.com/dresses/shop?category_id=4&.mid=embed-imagelist" style="color: #888888;">More dresses »</a><br />
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I was in Target yesterday and found a dress really similar to this one for $40 as opposed to $100, but they were out of my size, and it wasn't nearly as "neat," it had a bunched elastic waist, and the thing I like about the Modcloth dress is how smooth and pressed it is. Plus I certainly wouldn't actually be getting Christian Louboutin shoes, but certainly any color would match. <br />
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Is it normal to be fantasizing about work-wear in the summer? Maybe it's because I've been wearing t-shirts and pedal pushers all summer while working with the teens at the community club - I'm essentially a camp counselor. <br />
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Any suggestions for shopping for affordable work clothes and shoes? I still don't want to run around in stilletos, but maybe I can give my flats and tennis shoes a rest.</div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-18133320849705194592010-07-08T13:00:00.000-05:002010-07-08T13:00:00.576-05:00House Sitting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghddmQlk2Hj8x8Q1Bh2v1GlhjTwSrocCE_xbRngrUYyZe_TQUu5c57_N6wT-Cj5fE5OhXKED84v0ugf63NqIVahaFGH-Xp5eHYUPK7UazEVE_mG_Vbw78K-uymjlikJycLzQmzy1LfD1Y/s1600/DSC_0055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghddmQlk2Hj8x8Q1Bh2v1GlhjTwSrocCE_xbRngrUYyZe_TQUu5c57_N6wT-Cj5fE5OhXKED84v0ugf63NqIVahaFGH-Xp5eHYUPK7UazEVE_mG_Vbw78K-uymjlikJycLzQmzy1LfD1Y/s640/DSC_0055.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I am in love with this garden. When I get home from work I come out and water all the plants and pick things that are ripening. It was also necessary to share with the world how big Rufus's feet are. He makes Bella look dainty. <br />
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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAN0QsrqLx7Z3W-yJWcEvY0quxzUutWY2ZmvycGYkwHnZPFWHGKKX4tvdYBmnoDCujCe4SIyq7MuesmCz_Bql2i2qZ-aLxWFvA2p_gIagCRDU4SLqXdwIJ5tYoj9pPkjv1GocHWw7P5Zs/s640/DSC_0074.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1xXEOOUqIYNTMeAtJEX2x8YmYL9gg9MwRyQ-f3lnFI7ial5sS5l_K-UTQNFWivcm1rpvyQ9yrqrfj6DQMvwx2hldoPlj3MYzqao1Y5m-VborWGDUZatByIsqZ3-o7ydOcw9LUnhrjIw/s1600/DSC_0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1xXEOOUqIYNTMeAtJEX2x8YmYL9gg9MwRyQ-f3lnFI7ial5sS5l_K-UTQNFWivcm1rpvyQ9yrqrfj6DQMvwx2hldoPlj3MYzqao1Y5m-VborWGDUZatByIsqZ3-o7ydOcw9LUnhrjIw/s640/DSC_0075.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> I made pesto with the basil leaves from the herb garden. I'm growing some basil in a pot on my balcony but it's still just a sprout. This is enough pesto to maybe last till it's full grown. Also, I really had to fight the urge to draw faces on those adorable baby tomatoes. I may yet lose.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-11831880026344354562010-07-07T23:16:00.000-05:002010-07-07T23:16:59.193-05:00Dollhouses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWotwnsGkf38_AgXQI7brFIRfb01VvDFhJ6pZWapQG8WbamQTbJ1vH5wkKunvyreVm36eNzR141cHRNYnKs-Q35GPcImrjuWi6SlzKky4a5qx_5ep4540Ua7Pc7IEs14TH9QxsjzKIJR0/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWotwnsGkf38_AgXQI7brFIRfb01VvDFhJ6pZWapQG8WbamQTbJ1vH5wkKunvyreVm36eNzR141cHRNYnKs-Q35GPcImrjuWi6SlzKky4a5qx_5ep4540Ua7Pc7IEs14TH9QxsjzKIJR0/s640/2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
For two weeks I have a big back yard to play in - that's something I don't get in an apartment. Tonight I used Swiss chard from the <a href="http://www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/">Keep Austin Beautiful</a> gardent at LBJ High School to make bow-tie pasta with chard, garlic, olive oil, and sliced cherry tomatoes from this backyard garden. Tomorrow I'm going to make string beans that I picked from this vine right before taking these pictures. I got eaten up by mosquitoes while taking these, but it seems the trick is to not itch them initially and then they go away. I'm opposed to spraying bug repellent on myself if at all possible.<br />
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It appears that this summer I have taken on too many projects and extra work, and without time to do all of it, I end up in a state where I just want to scream and can't do anything. This is sad, because everything I'm supposed to be doing, I like. But I agreed to do too much, all on top of needing to writewritewrite articles to recoup all of my moving expenses. Being a grown-up is hard. Maybe that's why I like the doll house look of this workshop. I gave myself a "vacation" tonight to take pictures and cook, but really, not accomplishing anything just makes me more anxious, (well, not accomplishing anything extra - I did go to work all day). So, tomorrow will be a day of grinding paces (post-work - arg). <br />
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<b>Dress:</b> Blue Velvet Vintage in Austin<br />
<b>Pearls:</b> my grandma's<br />
<b>No shoes:</b> the Arkansas in meAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7753951008875861260.post-88135798571511449932010-07-06T11:26:00.000-05:002010-07-06T11:26:09.318-05:00Starlight Station<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UlzNFE9aGqrXBqahk8mwcW3CIpAHjeKMBWoIEENLL6ZczHRtrF1G9QV3FjXG_qBlXXtXcJdKEP02T9nQI6Vek8iRo6aKrkBwj3WWe_xBXSVHgj_EAYbx1zEQXvZzA8DCojkvXv3Zu2U/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UlzNFE9aGqrXBqahk8mwcW3CIpAHjeKMBWoIEENLL6ZczHRtrF1G9QV3FjXG_qBlXXtXcJdKEP02T9nQI6Vek8iRo6aKrkBwj3WWe_xBXSVHgj_EAYbx1zEQXvZzA8DCojkvXv3Zu2U/s640/DSC_0120.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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For the next two weeks I'm playing momma to a basset hound along with my lab, Bella. He has the biggest feet I've ever seen, yet somehow he makes less noise than Bella does.<br />
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Today I start running the teen program at East Club, and I'm finished with Reagan for good - all except for cleaning out my office. But I don't have my new one at Ann Richards yet, so for now, everything can stay there because I don't want to bring it home and have it clutter my apartment. The fun thing about East Club is that it's going to be all field trip based, so I'm taking the kids everywhere from the Urban Roots farm to Barton Springs to Caritas (went there last week with Reagan kids - very awesome) to career day at Old Navy to touring the Austin Film Studios. Today is introductions day, though, and I hate those. They make me anxious. I'm going to post these pictures I like and try not to be anxious.<br />
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<b>Dress:</b> I can't remember the brand - but it's from the boutique Indigo in Little Rock. I <i>love</i> orange.<br />
<b>Cardigan:</b> Gap<br />
<b>Shoes:</b> BCBG Girls<br />
<b>Locket:</b> my grandma's<br />
<b>Bracelet:</b> my great grandma's<br />
<b>Railroad car:</b> Starlight Station in Killeen (it was packed Sunday night when I drove by on my way home to Austin!)<br />
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so while I was on here, Lennon dropped my sunglasses (he was being sweet and holding them) and stepped on them. Then they looked like this:<br />
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and I also like to pretend I'm an airplane. Maybe I'll do that now to relieve my first day jitters.<br />
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The spring flowers are all gone now and I miss them terribly. But I'm watering a garden for the basset hound's mommy and daddy, and I get to eat all of the summer tomatoes and green beans out of it while they're gone - that may be better than flowers!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15384888697734034600noreply@blogger.com7