Upside Down

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

Photo by Garrett Ross, via Snippet & Ink

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;

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

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.

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

Twitter

I've taken the plunge and joined Twitter. (@pbandpoetry). Come say Hello!
Photo by Brooke Shaden

The Weekend

We finally got some sunshine this weekend, the light was beautiful. We got our '60s groove on for a Mad Men themed party (I still haven't seen the show!), took a ride through Central Park, lingered over brunch, and watched the New Years Parade in Chinatown. It'll be a short week here at Peanut Butter and Poetry as I'm heading up to Boston Thursday night en route to a long weekend in Vermont. I hope your week is off to a great start!

Happy Friday!

I hope you all have lovely weekend, and thanks for visiting Peanut Butter and Poetry this week! It's been a very long and stressful week for me, as my dad spent the better part of the week in the hospital. He's home now, and I'm ready to let my hair down, scream from the rooftops and enjoy the weekend!

(And if you need a quick Friday chuckle, check out "How Generics Work", via Cup of Jo... simply adorable!)

Photos from here and here, found via Audrey Hepburn Complex.

What Inspires Me: Blog it Forward

Welcome newcomers to Peanut Butter and Poetry! Blog it Forward is a chain-letter type progression of blogs linking backwards and forwards to each other in a line. Many thanks to Victoria of Sfgirlbybay for pulling this all together! More details here, as well as a full list of the 300 blogs participating and their scheduled days here. Thanks to Paris Hotel Boutique for passing the torch!


So, on to a few things that inspire me...


1. New York City

 

The people next to me on the subway, the museums, the amazing restaurants. How does one choose between Opera in the park, strolling across the Brooklyn Bridge, or a drink on the Met rooftop? This city is alive at all hours with an energy that shifts and changes by neighborhood. Astoria, Park Slope, the Upper East Side, the Village- each one has it's own people, vibe, trends, and architecture. Each one is a mini city of it's own. 


Credits: The poster above is by Julia Rothman, soon to grace our subway cars, and available at the MTA store. Thanks to Oh Joy for the head's up!


2. Travel

All that city energy can be draining, and I often find inspiration in new places, new faces, and new vistas. I love history- seeing something hundreds, or even thousands, of years old takes my breathe away. Exploring the world, whether it's with a scuba tank or hiking boots, helps renew my sense of wonder in this crazy world. 


Travel can also be imagining yourself in new places, like this house on it's own cliff in Iceland. Or peeking into other peoples lives via the Sartorialist. I'm not a big fashion connoisseur, most days you'll find me in jeans with my hair pulled back with the same old clip. But when I see these photos I imagine a whole life for these people. Whether it's taken in Milan, or on Madison Ave, I feel transported. 


Credits: The largest known Olmec head in Santiago Tuxtla, Mexico; Camping in Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica; Trying out the Cu Chi Tunnels (enlarged for tourists!) in Vietnam;  From Kilimanjaro, Tanzania; Iceland photo here, as part of Heartthrobs and Villains "Let's Run Away" series; Fashion from The Sartorialist - 2/8 (man) 11/23 (woman).


3. Contemporary Photographers

I'm constantly inspired by contemporary photographers. Anyone that makes me look at the world a little differently. I love dreamy, ethereal prints, scratchy film edges, and have a huge soft spot for black and white images. 


Credits: Ballerina by Logan White, via Feaverish Photography; Field by Keith Davis Young via Lost; Freckles by Vic at Lost; Water by From Me to You; Yasmine Bleeth by Piewacket, with the story behind it here;


I hope you've enjoyed our journey through a few of my inspirations!
I now Blog it Forward to Piewacket! (what a great name, right?)

Vancouver 2010

I've been living under a pop culture rock since I canceled my cable right after the last olympics... I just realized this week that the Vancouver opening ceremonies are tomorrow. Above is the emblem for the games- Ilanaaq,  designed by Rivera Group. You can read about the history behind the emblem here. I like the graphic nature of the emblem- five pieces, five colors, five rings, and of course it ties to Canada's native people. It's simple and safe-not cutting edge or controversial in any way. Perhaps that's fitting, when have the Canadians really been known for stirring up trouble? By contrast, remember the passionate debate over the logo for London 2012?

I'm not a fan of the rest of the graphic identity (above). It's supposed to convey the "power, speed, and spirit of the athletes". Check out details here. There are also three mascots- Miga, a sea bear, Quatchi, a sasquatch with an adorably low voice and blue earmuffs, and Sumi, an animal spirit. You can meet them here.

What do you think? Are you planning to watch the opening ceremonies?

Blog it Forward

Today is the start of Blog it Forward! There will be a chain-letter like progression of various blogs posting about what inspires them, each linking backwards and forwards to the other bloggers in their line. The slightly confusing (and also slightly awesome) part? 10 lines at once- and over 300 blogs participating!

More details here, as well as a full list of blogs and their scheduled days here.

Today starts off with Creature Comforts, Oh Hello Friend, Design for Mankind, Paper Pony, Heart Fish, Poppytalk, Hula Seventy, Sfgirlbybay,  Ink on my Fingers, and Smile and Wave. Whew! Hopefully we'll all discover some great new blogs through this mashup. My post will be next Wednesday, 2/17. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's posts!

Of Turbans and Bellies

It has been one of those days. I grabbed my purple turban and threw it in my bag last week to use as the "several yards of cloth" that seemed to required of belly dancing class. At least, it was unclear. And yes, I have a turban. From a trip to Morroco, where they are quite handy at keeping the fine sand our of your nose and ears and mouth when balancing on top of a lurching camel. And yes, I was off to belly dancing class, which  I highly recommend- Brooklynites, you can check it out here.

The teacher was awesome, and very technical, so I felt like I wasn't just flailing about trying to keep up with some insanely fast choreography. She really broke it down and even talked about which moves came from Lebanon versus Egypt etc. I also loved the environment- most of the woman were proudly displaying an, uhhemm, plethora? of belly and chatting warmly with each other. This was a nice change from the stick-thin spandexed ballerina types I've found in other types of classes. Not that I have anything against those types, I'd love to be one, but I also love people who are confident about their bodies, it helps me feel more confident myself. Plus I've always been more of the tomboy-ish, atheltic, all-natural kind of girl, so those exotic, slinky, sexy movements are a bit of a challenge for me. To say the least. W makes fun of me- whenever I try to be sexy I get all self-concious and flare my nostrils in an attempt not to laugh at myself, and just look ridiculous.

Anyway, said length of cloth was not required, but I figured it could use a good wash since it's been acting as a tablecloth hiding my giant printer box for the last few years. Classy, eh? I threw it in the laundry bag and promptly forgot about it. Oh yes, I did. I just did laundry and it looks like a ballpoint pen threw up all over my clothes. I feel like such an idiot. Hand-dyed dark purple cloth? Uhhm yeah, I should have seen that one coming a mile away.

I would show you a photo of me in my gorgeous turban, but that was back during the pre-digital image days. So you'll have to enjoy this lovely image from here- just pretend the eyes are blue, and there you go. That's what I looked like. With a very handsome camel at my side I might add.

Vampires...

I've been rather grumpy this week- after 6 days of hanging with W, my empy apartment just feels, well, empty. Harrumph. Tonight I'm cleaning out the fridge and settling into a salad of wilted lettuce, dried out green pepper, and mushrooms that almost molded while I was away. No more chocolate and wine by the fire for me. I'm looking forward to a little girl time tomorrow evening. So let's talk vampires!

Tom Cruise as a vampire? I wasn't convinced. Buffy? She was ok, but I was never hooked. TruBlood? I watched one season on DVD- W referred to it as my "vampire porn". We just watched From Dusk till Dawn last weekend, and it was terrible. Selma Hayak as a satanic temptress of a vampire? Uhh, maybe not. But Twilight? I read them all. And I've been waiting for the second movie. Ok, so the writing is terrible, and the plot just gets more ridiculous as the books go on. And the first movie was worse than the book. But they are such an easy, guilty pleasure. All that drama and yearning. Tomorrow I'm off to see New Moon with two girlfriends- so, are you in? Team Edward or Team Jacob? I'm leaning towards Team Jacob, he's a bit of an underdog, and pale skinny boys have never been my type...

(Poster from here)

Back to work...

Happy Monday!

I'm on the 7 am bus back to New York this morning, heading straight to the office. I hope you all had a relaxing and wonderful long weekend with family and friends. W and I have both been fighting colds/flu, so we've been sleeping in, and cuddling up around a fire. There have been homemade cookies, french toast at sunset, and the rest we both needed.  We've been less sparkles and glamour and more flannel and hot tea the last few days, but it was a wonderful few days to let everything go, and I'm feeling reinvigorated to tackle the holiday rush of the next few weeks.

This has been me the last few days...

Wishing you more of this...

...and of course this! Happy Holidays!

Feeling Orange...

I'm already missing warm weather and flip flops- when shorter days, gray skies, and the winter sniffles get me down, a little dose of bright orange always helps to cheer me up. Here are a few things spotted around the web this week that made me smile.

This is the Leica M7 Hermes edition. Only 200 will be made in orange.

What a showstopper. Sigh. Details here, via Whorange.

Sunshine on my shoulders Makes Me Happy. Soo true. And on my nose. So it feels tight when you wrinkle it up like a bunny rabbit. Oh Summer.
From Olympia Community Print.

This rabbit is made of carrots. A lot of carrots. He is such a serious looking rabbit, doesn't he make you giggle a little bit? It's an ad by Gavin Martin Associates showcasing their new vegetable inks. By Magpie Studio, details here. via Swiss Miss.