Happy Weekend:

[photo]

And finally, the weekend is upon us. I'm hoping the weather will hold out long enough for me to sneak in some outdoor time. I'm looking forward to being able to actually get out and enjoy the deliciousness outside. What I really want is a good long run. And a bike ride. Maybe both, weather and shoulder permitting.

Have a great weekend! Get out there in the sunshine.

J.Crew S/S:

I got the new J.Crew catalog in the mail the other day and have been obsessing over it ever since. These are a few of the looks that I am drooling over. 

I've been doing a lot of thinking about updates to my wardrobe. And I've decided some things. These decisions may be heavily influenced by the images I've been staring at over the past few days. Whatever. So this spring and summer, I vow:

1. more skirts, less pants
2. more flat sandals
3. bright patterns/florals
4. perfect that red/orange lip

Look What I Made:

One of my best friends, Kat, had a baby in January. His name is Elliott. And I knitted this lion for him. The lion doesn't have a name yet. I'll leave that to Elliott. But isn't he sweet? Andrew is insisting that I make another for us to keep. I may just go into the lion-making business.

New Reads:

Right now, we're reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. I've been reading his trilogy for about a year now. See, I'm the kind of person who always has books lined up to read. There's always a queue. As soon as I finish one, I take the next one off the top and dive in. After I read each one of his books, there one a different book to get started on. And so I read them months apart. This is not rare behavior for me, although you'd think it would be given my obsessive-compulsive tendencies. 

Anyway, I'm finally getting around to reading the last book in the series. Have you read it? This is how it goes:

"Lisbeth Salander -- the heart of Larsson's two previous novels -- lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge -- against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back."

I've heard a few things from people who have already read it. I'm interested to see how it all turns out. And if I agree with what I've heard.

Monday:

[photo]

Good morning, Monday. Let's just get a few things straight before we get started: yes, this week is going to be hard, but not as hard as last week. I will not allow it. Things are going to be better. This week, I will come out on top. Just try and stop me.

Happy Weekend:

[photo]

The weekend is finally here and we say goodbye to a week that I'm glad to see go. It's been a rough one. Hopefully this weekend brings good weather and better health. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Emerson Fry:

I have loved Emerson Fry (formerly Emerson Made) for years. The new S/S 12 line is in and there are so many beautiful pieces, I don't know where to start. Mostly I am in love with the kelly green two button belt skirt and the navy peacock yes dress. I dream about them. Join me in my daydreaming. Check out the collection here.

I need:

a new jean jacket. This one from J.Crew would do nicely.

Tuesday:

[photo]

This is funny cause it's true.

BTW:
I'm having an outpatient surgical procedure this morning so bear with me if I'm somewhat absent for the next day or so. It's probably all the pain medication.

Letters of Note:

[photo]

I love reading. Books, magazines, signs, cereal boxes, instructions. Especially letters. I love letters. And I really love letters that have been written by some of my favorite authors. These letters are usually so eloquent, so beautifully written, that it makes me want to cry. There's just something so personal about these letters, I feel like I know these people, like I understand them a little more, just by reading their correspondence. These letters are far more clever and witty than I could ever hope to be, even by letter. I find it incredibly interesting. And so I am in love with Letters of Note, a website that posts letters written by famous people, usually authors.

I am particularly enjoying the letters of Abigail Adams (wife of John Adams), John Steinbeck's letter to his son, and E.B. White's letter war with Xerox. Such smart people. Such great treasures. Check them out here.

Happy Weekend:

Thank goodness you're here, weekend. I didn't think I'd make it. But now that you're here, I plan to spend a lot of time with you: riding bikes, going for runs, snuggling up in blankets reading, and staying up late to watch the night sky through a telescope with mugs of tea to keep us warm.

I love early spring. Get out there and enjoy it!

New Reads:

This week, as part of the book club I'm in at work, we're reading Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James. This should come as no surprise to you as I am madly in love with the story of Pride and Prejudice.

 Here's what it's about:

"A rare meeting of literary genius: P.D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem.

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy's magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth's sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy's sister, Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth's disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.

Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P.D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story, as only she can write it."

I've never read anything by P.D. James prior to this book (mystery isn't a genre I usually get into) but I'm really enjoying it. As a fellow lover of Austen, I feel as though we share a common bond. And the more I read of her work, the more I like her. We are fast becoming good friends. And I read up a little on her too. She is amazing. Seriously. She worked for the British Civil Service for over 30 years. She was a magistrate and governor of the BBC. She's written over 18 novels. She's won the National Arts Club Medal of Honor for Literature. She's received honorary degrees from seven British universities and became a baroness in 1991. She was president of the Society of Authors and was inducted into the International Crime Writing Hall of Fame. And she has eight great-grandchildren. I mean come on, what a great life. I'm jealous.

And for those of you that have been keeping track of my goal to read 56 books this year, the list now reads:

1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
2. Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume
3. The Sweet Far Thing
4. Interview with a Vampire
5. The Tales of Beetle the Bard
6. Spud
7. The Secret History
8. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
9. A Discovery of Witches

Piperlime:

Today I got 2 (!) 20% off coupons for piperlime.com -- only my favorite online store (besides j.crew). I spent the evening look at all of the beautiful things. Here is what I'm loving:

Apparently, I'm loving corals, reds, and oranges this season. And those BCBG shorts!

Warrior Dash:

Andrew and I are running this race in May with a few of my co-workers. It looks insane, doesn't it?

More Drunk History:

Just a little more drunk history for this Monday morning.

Happy Weekend:

[photo]

The weekend's finally here! And though the weather's supposed to be bad, we're going to try to sneak a few runs in. I think a bike ride would be asking too much.

Hope the weather's better wherever you are! Get out there and enjoy it!

New Reads:

This week I'm reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

I love finding a good book. I love being sucked into the story. And I especially love it when the story turns out to be a series. I love the anticipation as each piece of the story gets released. So imagine my excitement when I found out my current book is actually a trilogy. I'm only about halfway through it, but so far, it's good.

It goes like this:


"Deep in the heart of Oxford's Bodleian Library, scholar Diana Bishop requests a manuscript called Ashmole 782 in the course of her research. Coming from an old and distinguished lineage of witches, Diana senses that the ancient book might be bound up with magic -- but she herself wants nothing to do with sorcery; and after making a few notes on its curious images, she banishes it quickly back to the stacks. But what she doesn't know is that the old alchemical text has been lost for centuries, and its sudden appearance has set a fantastical underworld stirring. Soon, a distracting horde of daemons, witches, and vampires descends upon the Bodleian's reading rooms. One of these creatures is Matthew Clairmont, an enigmatic and eminent geneticist, practitioner of yoga, and wine connoisseur -- and also a vampire with a keen interest in Ashmole 782.


Equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense, A Discovery of Witches is a novel of epic scope, traveling from the cobbled streets of Oxford to the chateaus and mountains of the Auvergne to a small town in upstate New York. It also takes us into a rich fifteen0-hundred-year history that spans Clovis and the Crusades, the Knights Templar, and the American Revolution. As Matthew and Diana's alliance deepens into intimacy, Diana must come to terms with age-old taboos and her own family's conflicted history -- and she must learn where the modern woman she is meets the source of ancient power that is her legacy. With a scholar's depth and the touch of a great storyteller, Deborah Harkness has woven a tale of passion and obsession; the collision of magic, alchemy, and science; and the closely guarded secrets of an enchanted world."

Stefon:

[photo]

If you don't watch Saturday Night Live, they you may not know about Weekend Update's city correspondent Stefon. Super Hilarious. Here's a sample of that hilarity:



Splitsider gave some pretty talented artists transcripts and clips from the show and asked them to illustrate some of Stefon's hot spots. They're pretty hilarious as well. Check them out here.

Spring:

To celebrate the beginning of Spring, I bought myself some pretty, springy things: Sperry Top-Siders and Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Get excited.

This is the story of a charming girl:

Just a little bit of beautiful for your Monday.

Happy Weekend:

[photo]

Happy Weekend everyone! I'm celebrating another hard work week behind me by basking in the beautiful spring weather outside. Bike rides, long walks, my first chance at bare feet, maybe even a picnic or two. I've also got a baby shower of a dear friend to attend. And an incredibly cute dress to debut. 

Beach Vacation:

We've got a beach trip planned this summer with some of our old college friends. Here's what I plan on packing for a week in the sun. Fingers crossed it doesn't fall through!