Upside Down

The world feels a little upside down and sideways lately...

Photo by Garrett Ross, via Snippet & Ink

Slow Return

I've been absent here for awhile. At some point the events of the summer piled up and the backlog of photos became higher, and it all seemed so daunting. I took a break. To just take each crazy busy week as it came, without the analysis and exploration that this space allows and creates. Just to breathe and let it all be. I'm beginning to feel my way back. 

We've been submerged in weddings lately- those heady days of celebration that make you think about things like the length of a lifetime, and how fast it all flies by. The last two weekends we have celebrated the unions of good friends, each wedding a small reunion in itself. Then this afternoon another thick envelope came in the mail, and suddenly we are gearing up for another celebration. 

I've been thinking about time lately. How fast it goes. It's terrifying- that in the blink of an eye a decade will have slipped away. That a lifetime is so very short. Time is also so gratifying- I've been looking back on friendships that have spanned half my life or longer. Knowing that time creates a history that can't be erased, even if a friendship ends. There is a comforting permanence in that. 

As fall curls around us, I'm hoping to slow down and carve out a little more room for this space- I hope you'll join me.  

Deer via Audrey Hepburn Project

Transitions

I went to Bikram yoga this morning, for the first time in ages. It felt great. It’s been a month and a half since W officially moved into our new apartment, and it’s been a whirlwind. I’m just now settling into a new routine- I joined a gym, and am determined to get my butt back in shape. The process of moving in together has gone smoothly, we’ve been running around buying shelving and extension cords and hunting down chairs on craigslist. We now have all the furniture in, all but two stray boxes unpacked and sorted and squirreled away. I realized this morning that in all the running around and doing, I haven’t acknowledged what an overwhelming transition this has been. Now that we are through most of it, I can finally take a moment to let everything seep in.

There are the changes that come with any new neighborhood- we’ve now sorted out which grocery store to go to for which items, where to drop laundry that can go in the dryer, and where to take the wash only stuff. Then there are the relationship bits- we’ve figured out a system for our finances so we don’t have to worry about who does the grocery shopping or who pays for dinner. We track our bills monthly so we can both agree where to splurge and where to cut back. We are learning to communicate about the small things- so we don’t run out of toilet paper, so I don’t buy bread when there is a half a loaf hiding in the back of the fridge I thought he’d eaten.

The biggest transition for me is simply the amount of time I get with W. It’s been hard for me to let go of the need to spend as much time with him as I can. For the first year of our relationship, we saw each other only on weekends, and that time was precious. I still find myself rushing home after work, or avoiding lengthy plans without him on the weekends. I’m just beginning to settle into this new life and let that go. Suddenly I can start volunteering again, even if it means an eight hour shift on a Saturday. I can go to yoga, or the gym, and not feel like I’m losing important time together. I can build a routine for myself knowing W will be here when I get home, and that is an amazing feeling.

(The photo above is W being a goofball at Bodega Head, more on our trip to California coming soon!)

Time

I love this photo. What a beautiful exploration of time. How thin the line between dark and light-  yet what a difference between dining over candlelight, and strolling in the sun. Such a narrow band of space and time and shadow creates such a difference for us down below.

Time has been flying by. It seems so long ago that we first started carrying boxes into this place, yet bins and piles still litter the floor. It's been a very gradual process. There is still no art on the walls, but the books are in place, the dishwasher humming away. We sit, two laptops facing each other, such a microcosm of the modern world.

These are days I know we will look back on fondly. Sweaty and dusty from assembling furniture, scrambling to find that thing that's somewhere in that box. Sorting and stacking and eating dinner on the sofa because the table is buried in stuff. It is a time of building, and it is wonderful. I have much less time to myself, less time brooding in front of my computer, but so much more time with W. We laugh in the morning, sleep-eyed and stumbling around; our conversations in the evening are over steaming bowls of pasta instead of crackling phone lines.

We have a busy month ahead of us- later this week I fly to Vegas for a quick trip, then my folks are in town for a little fun, then we're off for a week in Northern CA with W's family. We'll be back in time to catch our breath before the holiday weekend, and suddenly the summer will be half over. I've always been one to look forward, excited for the next phase, and suddenly I've found myself happy with exactly where I am, anxious only to stop time and hold on to these moments.

photo via Audrey Hepburn Complex, taken by the crew of Columbia;

The Beatles

I love this photo. Isn't it amazing what a little change of perspective can do?

via mischief + madness 

Toes, Sunshine and Sailboats

I know I've been a bit absent lately, but time just seems to fly by and the internet has been a bit (ahem) difficult lately. So what have you missed? W and I spent last weekend in Boston celebrating one year of knowing/dating each other.

We started with a lovely picnic on the Esplanade watching the sailboats, had dinner at Cuchi Cuchi (I recommend the Strawberry Basil Cocktail) and later had burgers and a malt at Bartleys where we had our first meal/conversation together. The second half of the weekend was rainy and cold, so we checked out Iron Man 2 and W tried a popover recipe (delicious!) Would you like to see some pictures?

Puppy Dog Eyes

Something about this photo grabbed me. The colorful pop of the aqua shoes. The tilt of the dog's head, the attentive, inquisitive stare.

Things have been a bit of a blur lately. I've had trouble sleeping in the new apartment with the noise of the construction across the street. The weekend was spent with another series of shopping trips to buy apt things- from lights to various organizing bins and drawers and systems. The list seems endless, and while we always come home with full bags, it seems to make only a small dent in the overall effect. We do have a coffee table now, though we aren't sure if we're keeping it...

It will be another short week for me, as my parents are coming into town on Wednesday, and then Thursday night I'm heading up to Boston. Do you have any fun plans for this week?

photo via the Sartorialist

Hot Shoes

Wouldn't these shoes look smashing with a little black dress?

via Julia

Tree Sculptures

These tree sculptures by Patrick Dougherty make me think of rabbit holes and gnomes with thick accents. They remind me of the "Choose your Own Adventure" books I read as a kid where the lady of the manor goes running off to fight the goblins of the western wood.

Discovered via Bit of Beauty

The Move

Just a quick note to say that the move went well and we're busy shining the silver and hanging the chandeliers. It will be a quiet week here on Peanut Butter and Poetry, as we are waiting to get internet installed, and having so much fun dashing up and down flights of stairs carrying heavy things.

photo by Vitor RPL

Happy Friday!

Today is moving day! W is here to help, and I've hired two guys and a truck, so hopefully it will all go smoothly. The building I'm leaving has an elevator, but we're moving into the top floor of a walk up with a narrow stairwell, so that will probably be the the tricky part.

My parents are coming up Saturday, so they'll help with the cleaning and unpacking, and get to see the new place. (Hopefully we'll take a quick break to try the cookies at Ruby et Violette!) W will be moving his things down in a few weeks, and officially moving in June 1st. 

This week I've been alternately thinking of furniture and exotic vacations. Rustic farmhouse style tables, contrasted with industrial metal benches and designer chairs. Then it's on to dreaming of lying in the shade of a Tuscan villa, or climbing through South American jungles. Something about being surrounded by boxes and bubble wrap makes my imagination wander. I wouldn't mind a few hours stretched out on this bench with a glass of sangria, and a beautiful maze of hedges stretching out behind me...

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Photo from the Toast Catalogue, discovered via the style files.

Puma

Check out Puma's new innovative and minimalist "clever little bag".

A re-think of the traditional shoe box, it eliminates plastic bags, coated paper, and tissue paper. Designed by Fuseproject, it is the result of almost two years of study. More details at TheDieline.

Keys

I'm picking up the key to my new apartment this afternoon! I'm a little bit nervous that I've made it bigger and nicer in my head than it is in reality- I was in a bit of a daze when the realtor showed it to me. Gulp.

Photo from here.

Happy Friday!

It's been a whirlwind of a week, and next week promises to be even more so. This weekend is dedicated to packing up my apartment though we're going to make time for dinner with friends and hopefully a little stroll through the Brooklyn Botanical Garden before all the cherry blossoms fall from the trees.

I've been drawn to images of hair blowing in the wind recently, perhaps another expression of the chaos that has been going on lately.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Photos by Olivia Malone, The Electric, Lauren Kristin, and Katherine Squier

Beautiful Storms

My life is a bit chaotic right now, with boxes stacked high, full of books. Boxes leaning empty and loose against walls, and boxes half assembled and yawning open. Perhaps that is part of why I'm so drawn to the turbulence of these photos by Mike Hollingshead. The power of nature always makes me feel calm and serene. A big thunderstorm, a few minutes starring at rolling ocean waves, and the power of my own chaos is quickly put into perspective.

Discovered via Black Eiffel

The Quiet

Sorry for the silence this past week- I've been rushing around trying to see as many apartments as possible while keeping up with craigslist and a slew of realtors. But, after a week of frenzy, I have signed a lease for a new place! I'll be leaving Park Slope behind, and moving into a one bedroom in Hell's Kitchen with a loft space, a super nice kitchen (with full fridge! whoo hoo!) Yes, I'm mov'n up in the world. The gazillions of checks have been written, the papers signed, the move date scheduled.

It all happened rather fast, and involved my trying to send a photo on my cell phone (grainy, dark semi-image, I do not have a phone that is equiped for actual picture taking), and discuss pros and cons with W while traipsing down the street after a realtor walking serveral thousand feet per second across midtown traffic. I believe he thought the faster he got me to the office the more likely I would be to sign the papers and hand over the cash. In the meantime W was firing off question like "are those beams structural or decorative" and "can we move the stairs?" To which I of course had no answers.

When it was all over we realized something: We don't have to look at apartments this weekend! Which was a fantastic and joyous realization. So Easter, which had previously been rescheduled due to the Giant Sudden and Stressfull Apartment Search of 2010 was reinstated. I'm heading up to Boston tomorrow after work with a little package from my hometown Easter Bunny, and we're planning a nice relaxing meal at home. I have a long list of things to get done-  stuff to clean out and cull before packing, and of course, an entire apartment to pack. But the worst is behind us, and now that we have a beautiful new place to look forward to, we can start planning and organizing. I already found a CSA for the area, and I'm sure W has been on several furniture sites already today...

photo by Pink Bow

Just Keep Mov'n...

I've got apartments on the brain. Realtors and craigslist and kitchens and bathrooms and neighborhoods. My current apartment has been on the market for 15 months now, and this week I got the notice that it has been sold, and therefore I must be out by May 1st. I've been in Park Slope for almost five years now, but it seems to have only gotten more expensive, and prices in Manhattan have dropped. So I' m thinking of cheating on my beloved Brooklyn, and moving onto the island. Crazy, right?

I hate the stress of real estate in New York City. It's all rush rush and "available immediately", and "I can show it to you tomorrow if it's still here". It's quick decisions and "can I live without counterspace in the kitchen, or windows here and not there?" "Is this or that neighborhood really where I want to be?"

This is all confounded by the fact that W hasn't heard from grad schools so I'm trying to find a place that I can afford on my own, but that has enough space for us to share if he indeed ends up here. Stress. This weekend will be all about real estate, with appointments already to see upwards of a dozen places. Hopefully something wonderful and new will come of all of this.

Wish us luck!

photo by Alex Varanese via Lost Bird Found

Clothbound Books

I've been using the library a lot lately- if I don't get drawn into a book pretty quickly I return it and grab the next one on my "hold" list. But when it comes to classics, I'll always have room on my bookshelf for a beautifully designed book. I have Sense and Sensibility from the first Penguin Clothbound series, and they've just released another ten.

Little Women in a chocolate brown? Emma? Alice? Yes Please! The Odyssey is so pretty I'm almost tempted to read it again. But not quite. Which is your favorite?

Designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, discovered via Twig and Thistle

Garden Markers

I would looove to have a garden. Fresh veggies, fresh herbs. Yum. I love the smell of tomato plants. They remind me of summer- that perfect combination of dirt and sunshine. If I'm walking along and spy a tomoto plant, I have to stop and stick my nose in it. Heavenly.

While my little Brookly studio doesn't allow for much digging in the dirt, a girl can still dream. I think these silver spoon garden markers are adorable. What a sweet way to mark a small plot.

Spotted via Naturally Nina, available on Etsy at DaisyChestnut.

Vinyl Sillhouettes

I've gotten a bit tired of the silhoutte trend, but these cut records caught my eye. A series called "Love is in the Air", Carlos Aires carves vinyl into all sorts of crazy characters. I remember the year my sister got her very own record player for Christmas. It was Fisher Price, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever. 

Discovered via d.Sharp