oh goodness

expectations.

They're terrible.

Have you noticed that when you have expectations you will almost always be let down?

I suppose that's why I don't expect much of others or from experiences. Because when you don't expect much, things always go great. When you don't expect much, you appreciate what you get. When you don't expect much, it's hard to get angry over little things, that in the broad scheme of life, matter very little.

All I'm saying, people, is to expect less and enjoy more.

spunk

Last summer my mom came home from a garage sale with a huge box full of old photographs. And of course I permanently borrowed some.

When I look at these,
I wonder who they were.
What was their story?

I suppose I'll never know their reality. But it's fun dreaming them up.

Like this girl?
In my imagination, she's full of spunk. The slightly quirky girl that everyone adores and wishes they could be.


And these girls?
Fifty years later they still get together every Wednesday to gossip.


This woman has traveled the world. But nothing makes her feel quite as good as coming home to her cactus garden.

music for your Monday

Beautiful music, right?

This is Andrew Bird, who I'm new to, and then, if you have a longer attention span than I or time to kill, you'll see a bit of St. Vincent!

I'd say that's a pretty sweet deal.

Pom Pom Paige

This afternoon my family had a little get together to celebrate January birthdays, but I only managed to snag about twelve or fourteen shots. These are of my cousin Holly's little girl Paige, who just turned two. She had fun playing with my old dress up things, and carried these pom poms around the farm.

resonate

are there ever any quotes that just really resonate with you?

Here's one that's been getting at me lately-





This is my only self portrait from my Europe experience in 2008. Some of my happiest memories. Looking at this photo almost two years later, I hardly notice the disgusting blanket, my fuller cheeks, or my bad Italian haircut. What I see now is contentment.

Because I threw off the bowlines.

I long to feel that once again. The rush of stepping outside my comforts and fully embracing life. Which means I have some changes to make.

Glad we had this chat.

risotto

I learned a valuable lesson today.

The next time I'm hungry for risotto?

I should go to a restaurant and order it.

Attempting to make it myself?

Bad. Very bad.

music for your Monday

I like to dance around to this when I'm getting ready to go out.

Actually, that's not true.

I like to dance to it for absolutely no reason, anytime I please.

It's just such a happy song. Especially the video, doesn't it just make you long for warmer days? And a convertible? And sunglasses that magically change color?

The only negative about this video? Thinking about how much it's going to hurt when she combs out those windblown tangles. Ouch.

P.S. I first saw this on someone else's blog quite some time ago, but I can't remember whose! Sorry and thank you to whoever (whomever?) introduced me to this wonderfulness.

Oh geez, I just can't help myself... I also love this song by Mozella, Can't Stop. It's been on repeat all weekend.

one of those days

Do you ever have one of those days when you just wake up in a mood? Where you have a closet overflowing with clothes but ABSOLUTELY NOTHING looks good once you put it on? When your smile rarely comes out to play? When you come across as the supreme bitch? And you can't explain it? You're just in a bad mood and you want to stay that way, no matter how much you tell yourself you're being ridiculous?

Today. Today was just one of those days for me.

My poor mother. I don't think she knew what hit her. But she took it well. I guess I just had a case of the mean reds. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, oh man look out. I don't yell, or snap, I just become easily irritated. I become quiet. And perhaps overly sarcastic. Which could very well be worse than yelling. The worst part is, my family members usually take the hit. Innocent pedestrians, have no fear. Family, take cover.

Thankfully, approximately three hours ago, I snapped out of it.

I think the fact that I bought an adorable pair of lacey pumps from Nordstroms and a fun apron from Anthropologie helped.

Aah retail therapy.

spent

Today was spent

wondering why amazon hasn't delivered my book, Hatch Show Print. I ordered that and another book (French Milk which has already been read and found a place in my bookshelf) two weeks ago. Hurry up!

driving to town to meet my friend Taylor for lunch. We recapped on her first few days of cooking school. Entertaining to say the least. You see, Taylor has this reputation of looking fabulous. ALWAYS. No matter what she is doing. However, in cooking school, you're required to wear this jacket (which she plans on taking to the tailors, to put darts in and to shorten- fashion always comes first), man pants, and a "muffin" hat. Oh, and a kerchief. No jewelry, hair completely back. As Taylor put it- she just needs some kind of "dazzle." Love her.

running errands that didn't need to be ran because I got dressed up today in a skirt and heels, and I felt that my cuteness should be shared with my fellow Sacramentans. I don't dress up just to go back home.

making paper cranes. Back in October, I stumbled upon some origami paper in my room and decided it was time I learned how to make those really cool cranes. So I googled. Folded all the paper and decided FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON that I NEEDED more origami paper. I went out and bought a four hundred page pack. Then promptly forgot how to fold them and was too lazy to re-google it. So this paper has just been sitting on top of the heap on my desk. To add to it, santa gave me even more origami paper. Great.

dancing to commercials. Something about sitting during commercials drives me crazy, I usually end up getting up and dancing around the living room. To which my father always says- "it's past 8pm, she's finally starting to wake up."

watching American Idol. I didn't get into it until last year. Now I, like nearly every other American schmuck, am hooked. I decided tonight, that Randy is infinitely meaner than Simon. I mean, at least Simon is honest from the get go. Randy pretends like he's into you and then dashes your dreams by saying "you know dog, I just wasn't feeling it." Yeah?

feeding my mom's damn chickens. Dewey, Etta, Dora, Ollie, and Martha. Or maybe Martha is the one that died? Who knows.

working on my guitar finger calluses.

waiting for work to call me in. They didn't. Could've been out with my friends having fun instead of listening to Simon and Garfunkel's Cecelia on repeat. Which, all in all, is not too terrible. Makes me dance every time.


the sky was AMAZING today. Driving shot. Probably not safe but unless a cow was going to run across the road I figured it was all good.

oh boy oh boy

you know when you're excited about something, but then time takes so long to pass so you eventually forget about it?

And then you remember it?

Well I just remembered that the new Vampire Weekend album comes out today, and I am ridiculously excited. I can't tell you how many hours I've spent listening to their previous album. Lately it's become a very rare thing for me to download and entire album, but I just have a feeling that this one is worth it!

Okay, enough about music.

I'm here to tell you, that you should most definitely go check out this blog-

...sending postcards. This couple wins the I-am-super-jealous-of-your-awesomeness award. Quitting their jobs and selling their house to become vagabonds? Yes. It seems like just about everyone (including myself) loves to talk about doing this but never follows through. And the follow through is what counts.

I'm off to take a walk to my mailbox, one of my favorite activities on lazy days like this one. The hope that there could be a pretty catalog or snail mail from a lovely friend makes the long, cold walk worth it.




Wow. There really is no rhyme or reason to this post. Typical.

music for your Monday

I think this little bit is the sweetest-

oh home
let me go home
home is wherever I'm with you

I want someone to say that to me someday.

obsession confession

I just went a little out of control.

And bought an incredible amount of envelopes online at Paper Source.

I had bought some from the store in San Francisco with my mom last week and have spent a good portion of my day making cards to go with them. Writing good old fashioned pen to paper letters. Thinking about how cute these envelopes were, I decided to visit the website.

"Over 600 items on sale!" it read.

Uh-oh.

Immediately after the message appeared saying that they had charged my card, it hit me. I just bought one hundred envelopes. One hundred envelopes that I do not need. One hundred envelopes that will take me forever to use.

They're beautiful envelopes. I think that fact alone should make it okay, right? They were on sale, too. But one hundred envelopes?

Well... just think of all the joy they will bring to whoever I desire to send a letter to. I mean, come on! To open up your mailbox to find a colorful envelope addressed to you, whose contents aren't credit card offers or magazine subscription renewals?

That's A LOT of joy you could be spreading, Courtney.



Purchase justified.

this year

After I arrived home from a party on New Years Day, I laid in my bed at four in the morning, thinking.

I thought about what a waste 2009 was. I thought about how, for the first time in public, I wore my bright red lipstick. How I wore it and how it didn't wear me. And then I thought about how good that felt.

How good I felt about myself. And how much I wanted that feeling to continue.

So I decided.

I decided that in 2010 I would make an effort. An effort to have a touch more self confidence. To feel good about myself. To realize, that yes, I am beautiful. Maybe not the conventional beautiful. But to realize that conventional isn't really beautiful. That appreciating myself, for exactly who I am, is exactly the kind of beautiful I want to be.

results of a midnight flower picking

good thing

So I'm thinking it's a good thing I didn't make any new years resolutions to eat healthier.

My breakfast today?

A gigantic piece of chocolate cake.

And I don't regret it.

bragging on my bosses

I know that somedays I gripe about work.

But I must say, I have the best bosses ever.

Last week they called me up and invited myself and two of the other managers over for lunch. So yesterday we showed up at their house only to be instructed to get back in our car (that we drove up together in) and to follow them. We ended up at an old mansion that had been converted into a spa.

And then the three of us were treated to both an hour long facial and an hour long massage.

It. Felt. SO GOOD.

And way less awkward than my first massage ever in Morocco (long story. Put short, let's just say VERY shy virgin and a non-english speaking Moroccan male masseuse who liked to laugh at the fact that I liked my personals covered).

Except my masseuse this time told me I was thinking to much. I can't help that I have an active brain.

I love my bosses.

Then, they took us out to an amazing dinner. I mean, come on, do I have the good life or what?

devouring pixie sticks

and waiting for photo emulsion to dry so I can start screen printing.

That's what I'm doing at this very moment.

Yesterday however...



I was

skipping through Bloomies.

sharing pain au chocolat and pain au jambon from Tartine Bakery with my mom. Delicious. The best I've had stateside. We then walked it off through the neighborhood and past Dolores Park.

visiting Flax (art store that seemed endless, with loads and loads of pretty paper, my fave) and Paper Source.

browsing the stacks of fabric at Britex.

drooling over Anthro's displays.

eating some tasty Margarita pizza at Delfina's and finishing it off with straciatella gelato, only the best flavor of gelato ever. Okay, passion fruit and nutella are close seconds.

getting lost on the way home.



There's just something about the city of San Francisco that makes me ridiculously happy.

music for your... Tuesday?

Oops. I'm falling to the wayside.

My mom and I took a little trip to San Francisco today (I'll share more later) and this so happened to be one of our listens on the ride over. Pretty relaxing, mellow song. Makes me feel like "whatever, everythings cool."

Gotta tell you though, I've almost posted it before but sometimes this video gives me the heeby jeebies. And the "whaaats....?" Something about those eyeballs. So, maybe you should just turn away and listen.

oh why hello 2010

so nice to make your acquaintance.

What do you plan on calling this new year?

Twenty ten?
Ten?
Two Thousand and Ten?

I have yet to decide. But I like that I have plenty of options.

I'm not one for new years resolutions and I honestly can't recall if I've ever made one. However, if I must, I have decided to make this year the best one yet. It wouldn't take much to top 2009, but my goal is to at least beat 2008 for best year ever.

Here goes nothing!