2013 best of

i'm only halfway through the year, but i declare singing bjork's "it's oh so quiet" with my friend rachel as my favorite karaoke performance of the year. also, i'm picking chocolate out of my special k. thank you. or you're welcome.

bad habits

my entire life i've had this tendency to latch on to one song at a time, and listen to that one song on repeat for days on end until it turns into dead noise and i replace it with another.  one would think that i would try some self-restraint, allow the song to live a little longer while i dabble in others, and then reach back to it, but i can't be stopped. sometimes i'm embarrassed that i do this, and i'll 'private session' my spotify so no one can see that i've listened to nancy sinatra 126 times in a row.

which i have been doing for about 2 weeks now.



the recent obsession is 'somethin' stupid,' a sweet little duet with ol' blue eyes that i listen to while i get ready in the morning, while i eat my breakfast, on my walk to work, sitting at my desk, going home, while i read, as i drift to sleep. i know, it's sick.  i've even taken it upon myself to try and actually learn to sing it well, which only consists of me singing the lyrics off the internet and trying to match the pitch, which is hopeless. this is what happens when you live alone. i expect a parade of cats to come into my apartment any second and smother me to death.

holy cow!

it's been 100 years or so since i've posted on here, and if i dust off the history books, my last post was around the moment i moved life to stinky little delaware. since those quiet days where rent was cheap but friends were few, life has hop skipped and jumped me from philadelphia to seattle in a blink. and while seattle is many times over more full of life than delaware, i'm finding myself at a point of always asking "so what next?"

my mind is always all at once overwhelmed and then bored, so in attempt to give myself a bit more focus (whatever that means), i've been trying to learn more and see more and hopefully at some consequence, feel more? or maybe just feel different.

step 1. read more

i just finished reading "after visiting friends" by michael hainey, which i really only heard about because i read gq, and the author is the deputy editor (who i stalk on the sly via men's blogs). every word felt so careful and thoughtful and i didn't begin reading expecting anything in particular because i knew very little about it initially, but i'm glad that i picked it up. the whole time i felt nostalgic as i read it, which doesn't make sense since i have no ties to the story or the time period, but i could so easily create the images in my head that i felt close to the feelings. if that makes sense. it also opened up a can of worms in my mind about mortality and the swiftness of death, but like my boyfriend often tells me after i see movies or read stories that put me in a mood, "it's good to feel weird."

i probably shouldn't grade books because i have no authority, and i usually like everything, but i'll say "after visiting friends" is an A.

melinda, you should read the book and then give a proper assessment, since i'm putting uneducated opinions out in the world.

Saturday Love

Can't get enough of this.

Cowichan Sweater

So, I did it. I made that quintessential kitschy sweater that seems to solidify knitterly dorkdom, but whatever. I love this thing.

It took me almost a year to make, even though it really only took a couple days. It's just that there were those months in between those days during which no effort was being put into this sweater. I even got to the point where I was considering just using the yarn for some other knitting project--I lost my way. But only for a little bit. Somehow I got back on the right path towards this cowichan sweater.

And I have this thing where I like to reflect on what I was doing/what I was thinking when I made one project or another. So for this, here are the sweater shoutouts, without which none of this would be possible.
1. Thanksgiving vacation from work, including the bus ride down to my parents' house.
2. Radiolab
3. Howl's Moving Castle
4. Marwencol
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Soundtrack

best week ever. seriously.

i can't remember the last time i've taken a vacation, but good lawd have i been missing out. getting in real family time, meeting the sweetest baby girl in the history of all baby girls, eating filipino food till i die, running pointless errands (which i love doing). i've got workaholic roots, but if i could vacation every month i'd be the happiest little clam. so in absolutely the wrong order, a series of photos from the best week ever.

1. this week was mostly the best ever because my sister gave birth to literally the most adorable baby i've ever set eyes on. i am not being biased, it is a fact that this baby is the cutest in the world. my sister is amazing. this baby is amazing. both are understatements.

2. my dog has gotten fatter. it's true. but i still love her and her snoring. this is her hiding from my sisters dog, who has way more energy than my little fatty.

3. TUMMY TIME IS THE BEST TIME. i can't even look at this picture, its just too fucking cute.

4. in all the hustle and bustle of the week, i managed to rip myself away for a day trip to richmond, because good god i've missed it more than i ever thought i would. my heart literally aches for this place, so when i was driving around the streets i know like the back of my hand, i was happy, heartbroken, and excited all at the same time. oh richmond. there really aren't any words.

5. ube shakes! all for me! syke. because they're terrible for you. but the one i did have was as amazing as anticipated, and next time i will get the tapioca pearls. because wtf was i thinking saying no to the tapioca pearls.

6. i walked into my closet today and noticed that 90% of my shoes are black. which is fantastic, considering this month i've accumulated three more pairs of black shoes. flats, small heels, and bigger heels. what? I NEEDED THEM.

7. okay, are you kidding me? look at this face. actually, look at those cheeks. actually, don't, because you're face might melt off from all the cuteness hitting you at once.

8. filipino food can be so so wrong, but really, who cares. because cooked blood is delicious, and filipino food tastes like home, and even if uncle whoever is causing deafness in my right ear from his karaoke ballads, i'd rather be sitting in that hot little restaurant eating this food than eat anywhere else.

vacations are rad.

sisters!

i had a fantastic getaway to d.c. this weekend, where i took this pic with my sis. after a long, sweaty, hustly bustly day, there was nothing better than sitting in this perfect restaurant, drinking a perfect smoothie, and eating perfect sandwiches. i miss it already.

Strawberry Loves Lemon

The popsicle madness in my life is apparently just beginning! And I guess it's the right time, as there's inspiration everywhere. Avocado popsicles sound so refreshing, and I can't wait for peach season to start so I can make these (I could just go to the store, but peaches straight from a farm taste infinitely better). In the meantime, I happened to have a whole bag of lemons and a pint of strawberries. Out of that came:
strawberry lemonade popsicles consumed for breakfast (note the epic morning light!)
and a sweet little glass of strawberry lemonade.

FRESH

I am in full-on summer mode. Got myself:

• a shorts tan from all the outside strolling
• a month pass to the swimming pool (after that I'll be in Arlington, so I'll have to hunt down a pool there)
• SPF everything!
• popsicle molds and some recipes at the ready (yup, that's a creamsicle pop made with some O.J., Greek yogurt, and honey)
• new sandals to go trekking through yo' lawn!

New and Old

Soon I'll be heading out of this town I've called home for the last ten years and rooting myself in a busy little city two hours further north. I'm nervous and excited and am already plotting how to make my experience there the kind I want it to be. My first step towards building a home is finding a home. High rises make me anxious, so those are out. Actual houses are maybe a bit too much responsibility right now (not to mention a little out of the budget), so those are out as well. So in comes this:
Thank God for garden apartments. I'm hoping it all works out and that I haven't just cursed myself, but if it does work out and the curse didn't stick, then more pictures will be coming in the future.

Now for the old. Or the newer-ish stuff from an old favorite (or old favorites--Michael Jackson and Little Wings).