19. ja-ja-ja-jammin' january

fresh water, sliced cucumbers and lemons, a handful of mint sprigs, let steep overnight. enjoy :)

Phew! January was a rough and tumble whirlwind of work work work! Even though there were moments my nails were bitten down to stubs and some zits had their spotlight moment right around mid-month, it feels good to be a busy bee buzzing to and fro. January has been nothing but a faboosh start to a promising new year. In the immortal words of John Lennon, oooo she done me, she done me good. Here is a wee recap:

NEW YORK NEW YORK NEW YORK NEW YORK. The first week of 2012 had me back in New York- breathing in the scents of the city, noshing on pizza and pomme frites, ooh'ing and ahh'ing with my nose pressed against Macy's windows, and dozing off on the ever wonderful N line.

Mr. Violin. There is a new member to my church's band (they are quite handy with the bongs you know) and I'm not sure if it is his delicious bum, broad shoulders, or the fact he isn't 35+ and married with children, but I have a mahusive crush and instead of drooling on the pew these days, I find myself up and adam, bright eyed and bushy tailed! He can play an impressive violin solo, I must say.

Mi amigo es tú amgio. Also made some lovely chums at work and am happy to be sipping coffee and doodling with them fine folk.

Nutterbutters + Nutella. Enough said.

February is looking to be filled with lots of hot yoga (must make up for lost time!), Revlon lip butters, pink nail polish, and a far better track record at church.

18. happy ending

blended açai with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, and granola.

happy saturday.

17. the last supper

No this is not a religious post. Some people may argue that the following content is trés grotesque but thanks to the blessed anonymity of the internet, I'm going to ignore proper folk and carry on.

After my first real shave of the new year (judge me if you must), I am sad to say it is not because I found the cutest bikini to slink into (haven't be running since Sunday) nor have I found a delicious Fabio-like dreamboat with washboard abs, a 5 o'clock shadow, and a sun/star/butterfly belly button tattoo (judge me again). No no, I shed my winter coat (yikes) in preparation for tomorrow, which will be quite possible, the absolute worst day of the entire year to come. Tomorrow, I go to see the gynecologist. I'm convinced there can be nothing more uncomfortable than having someone deliberately looking at your lady bits and have a poke about. If you are rolling your eyes at the screen and thinking "big deal!" then you are probably a sane person. I however, am not, as evidenced by splattering this rather personal matter on the grand old web, and making everything 10x more dramatic than it should be. So yes, Im ignoring the fact that millions of women go through it every year and live and that is beneficial in the long wrong. Instead I'm sitting in bed, moping, clacking away at the keyboard (treated myself to some good old acrylics) eating a heaping bowl of pasta that just happens to have a mountain of melted cheese on top. The last supper essentially.

Anyways, onto the pictures to document today. Friends and I met for some coffee and arsty farsty activities ensued. We had a few chuckles, enjoyed an interesting selection of cafe music, sipped on various hot drinks and a good time was had by all!

16.

Six weeks and six days till daylight savings time! The days are noticeably becoming longer, no?! :) Being able to escape from work in the late afternoon and still nab a glimpse of things like this will keep me smiling all through the remainder of the winter. And as much love as the chunky winter knits and black nail polish have been getting this season, I'm just about ready to shed the winter coat, slap on some festival green pants and start listening to 311 and other summer tunes with my feet hanging out the car window. Just thinking of the sand and sun makes me feel like bailing on class tomorrow and suiting up for some surf!

15. How much is your face worth?

The last couple of months I've been "um'ing" and "ah'ing" over NARS Casino bronzer. Every visit to the shopping center, I find myself thoughtlessly wandering into Sephora (after thoughtlessly wandering through H&M) and floating over to swatch, swaddle, and swoon over the dang thing. Only one, tiny, insignificant (read: significant) hiccup in the plan to rocking instant model cheekbones and a faux chiseled jawline: it is $33 for 16oz. Ouch. But $33 for healthy, glowing, grecian goddess skin? Totally worth it? Maybe? 8 hours ago my just-got-paid self would have squealed in delight as she handed over hours of blood, (watch out for deli meat slicers), sweat (schlepping stock boxes is tiring work), and tears (some customers can be divas) to the cashier. Then while at work (not working) I saw this post on other people's blogs: How much is your face worth? And after doing the math, I'm ready to swear off spending a single cent on more make-up. Even for the simplest and cheapest of looks, it sure does add up. Here we go...

Make Up Forever Smokey Lash $22

Maybelline Stilleto Eyeliner $8

Burt's Bees Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm $4

Maybelline Fit Me Liquid Foundation $8

Maybelline Super Say Concealer $8

Revlon Color Stay Mineral Finishing Powder $10

Boots Eye Color Duo $8

Ecotools brushes $5

Total: $73

Ridiculous, no? Alright, your turn. So fess up, how much is YOUR face really worth?

14.

"October gave a party;The leaves by hundreds came-The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,And leaves of every name.The Sunshine spread a carpet,And everything was grand,Miss Weather led the dancing,Professor Wind the band.The Chestnuts came in yellow,The Oaks in crimson dressed;The lovely Misses MapleIn scarlet looked their best;All balanced to their partners,And gaily fluttered by;The sight was like a rainbowNew fallen from the sky.Then, in the rustic hollow,At hide-and-seek they played,The party closed at sundown,And everybody stayed.Professor Wind played louder;They flew along the ground;And then the party endedIn jolly 'hands around.'"

How I miss the autumn. Thanks George Cooper.

13.

An impromptu booksale on the street corner.

Last good read: Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother (12.29- 01.14)

Currently Reading: NYT's

Today I managed to not return aforementioned library book (can't wait to see the outstanding fine on this one), did not get up early enough to run, and have yet to pick out a new book despite the shop being a 10 minute drive away. However I did manage to arrive to work on time, plan ahead and finish my students' study guides this evening, make a water drink steeped in cucumber, mint, and lemon, and finally, paint my nails. They were looking rather chipped and unkempt.

I've also realized Valentine's Day is less than a month away I'm not sure whether to jump and click my heels with joy or weep violently at the themed candy and card stands sprinkled throughout the different shopping centers. For the most part, I look forward to Valentine's day because it is the perfect opportunity to shove chocolate in one's mouth while indulging in the most chick-flickish of movies dressed in your fuzzy jim jams. Or as my mother would contest, "So just another Saturday night for you?" Hopefully tomorrow will prove to be more productive as I've finally got a morning off! Joy to the world! Stay tuned for fun adventures.

12.

Two months and seven pounds later, I've decided to rediscover this blog. Between my two jobs and a mid-December hair crisis (think bleach, hair straightener, and horrid haircut) I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed posting. So to herald in this new year, I've written "create a blog I'm proud of" as item 3 on my resolutions list. It is preceded by the following two:

1. Take up photography and document each day with a picture

2. Stop being curvy (read: get arse off couch and onto treadmill)

Owning a pair of Ray Bans also made the list as did reading two books a month. Considering I've managed to eat a burger, mashed potatoes, and fried chicken today, I'd say that the motivation for said resolutions is waning. So in the spirit of perseverance, I'm reviving the hope and anticipation for the new year and dubbing today, January 15th the start of 2012. Tonight I will lay out my pinnie and trackies for tomorrow's early morning run, return a long overdue library book, and pick up a fresh new copy of some NYT's best seller. And here it is, the first picture of 2012:

How appropriate :)