snow & gunpowder

-- Rules of Invalidity -- i) Immediately upon determining that something foul has entered your system, lie down. You will not regret taking it easy at the onset of your illness. Exertion of energy can prolong your predicament by a great deal. ii) As soon as possible, enlist the assistance of someone you trust with your life in order to obtain all necessary remedies and aids, as you will not want to be driving all over town trying to pick them up yourself, hurrying so as to make it home in the shortest amount of time possible, to allow for the most amount of time to rest, which only ends up requiring you to run or walk hastily through aisles and parking lots, thereby exerting more energy than is prudent for one in your condition, and possibly even making your symptoms worse.  iii) Guilt and shame (alternately, or simultaneously) the above individual to remain with you for the duration of your illness because you might die, after all, and we wouldn't want you ...

You learn things about yourself when you're under house arrest due to an incessant fever.      1) You learn how much you like sleeping. In my case, I realized that if I'm not sleepy, it's near impossible to make myself fall asleep. This is a conundrum when all of the strolling in the sunshine I wanted to do was out of the question, since the general understanding was that the less physical energy exerted, the better. I read a lot of articles instead.      2) You learn to appreciate how substantial food is. Most people eat too much. Multiple studies have shown it. I've found it out by ordering one meal at a restaurant, splitting it with my fiance, and still feeling stuffed. When you're sick, food counts. Little bites, little sips. Flavor is shocking.      3) You learn to appreciate the importance of an aesthetically pleasing home. It has been a hard-sought goal to get rid of anything in my apartment that is not either a) highly functional...

green tea ice cream - films at the art museum - night walks at the lake - luncheoning on memorial grounds - holding hands - baseball caps and overalls - makeshift beds and makeshift bathrooms - dewy grass - impromptu demo construction projects - venison and smoked pork with extended family - blackberry wine in virginia - scaffolding and historic architecture - MANCAKES - antique-shoppe-ing - free sushi rolls - solo dates - unexpected overnight stays - learning laughter's power - beach-marching in jeans and a grey cotton sweater - gritty, sweaty manual labour - the darjeeling limited / amelie / midnight in paris / girl with a pearl earring / west side story / safety not guaranteed - derek webb / marina & the diamonds / bailiff / jars of clay / amanda palmer / songs for water / kopecky family band / the vespers / the civil wars - moment-to-moment living - cooking for the beauty of it - uncanny "coincidences" - best year...

New favorite nail polish color: think of the deepest, darkest ocean you can. It’s that color. A blackish green-blue that just shines. New York City is bustling, humming, buzzing, whirring, vibrating, dancing. More on that later. People shouldn't fight about petty issues that miss the point altogether and waste everyone's time that could be much more effectively spent, if folks would set their minds to it with a little research and elbow grease. In other news: LONDON 2012. I think I'm rescheduling my British trek for sometime post-Olympia.  And now...down to the Deep South. God, life is beautiful.

Part of me is re-thinking my decision to visit London and Dublin this year.  I'm not sure if I feel rushed/forced by my own critical expectations, or if I just don't have enough money this year.  Sure, I have enough to purchase a ticket, secure my lodging, and find sustenance.  But I just don't know if I can go it alone.  Flying out of the country alone is one thing.  Fine.  Flying out alone and staying out alone for a full fifteen days is an entirely different thing altogether.  This isn't Mexico we're talking.  Mexico would be a breeze.  I know how to dodge conniving taxi drivers.  I can place an order with ease, even requesting extra cream, or 'no onions, please'.  I can haggle my way to an appropriately-priced wooden letter-opener.  But they speak English in that part of Europe, and that can be a tad more difficult to navigate, conversation-wise.  Deeper things can be said in one's own heart-language and, as a matter ...

French melodies from Camille wafting down the freeway. Took a walk through my neighborhood late this morning and met a lovely Indian gardeness named Sicily.  I'd often seen her peacock-shaped pine bush and lovely tomato plants while strolling past and had never had the honor of meeting the person responsible until today.  She showed us her "yasmine" plant that was just budding and would be a powerfully fragrant blossomer tomorrow.  Sicily and Zacharias (her husband) are in their 49th year of marriage. Sicily informed me that there is a duplex next door to her that is being renovated, and will need a new tenant at the time of its completion.  Upon inquiring inside, I came to discover that the owning couple - who are also the renovators - are people I'm already acquainted with, thanks to a community-group we attended together once or thrice about a year ago.  They are lovely people, and I'm very excited about the prospect of renting from them.  They'd li...

This evening finds me reading Milton Crawford's The Hungoevr Cookbook .  "I was left in no doubt about the severity of the hangover when a cat stamped into the room." - P.G. Wodehouse.  Cardamom Porridge with Spicy Apple Sauce.  How painfully lovely hangovers could be... On the note of alcoholic beverages, I was informed of / invited to a cocktail festival in the Paris of the Plains.  Late August.  Booking my calendar.  Perhaps a train trek?  Perhaps. Caffe breve in hand.  Bed calling to me.  Paradoxical nothingness.   I need to write .