Technology is Jealous

This is a few days late, but I'm going to post it anyway.  My computer seems to have overheard a conversation my roommate and I were having about future computer purchases.  I was picture these future purchases to be quite a ways in the future, but it appears I may have been mistaken.  I guess we'll have to see how things work out.  But without further ado...

This time lapse video is awesome.

On owning the things you like.

Amy has some Words of Wisdom for the days when you're not feeling so fine.

Some thoughts on Boy Scouts.

So, this article made me think harder about all the times guys tell me to smile.  I think next time I'll hit them with my purse.  Also, I need to get on that self defense class.

This week I like: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (especially David Boreanaz), sleep, walking to work down Michigan Avenue, Once Upon a Time, leftovers, and friends who buy me food.

Right Now...

greatly enjoying organizing everything for school.  I can't even explain how much I love organization.  I am going to have to show you at some point.


watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I'm loving everything about Whedon-'verse.  Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why my mom didn't want me watching it, but I do love it so.

trying to figure out how to talk to people who aren't having as good a time as I am in college.  It occurred a few times over break and for some reason is coming up in full force now.

calling people on Skype.  Even though my webcam dosen't seem to want to work.  Speaking of technology...

being hated by technology.  My computer hasn't turned on in two days, the only time I'm on the computer is at work.  Granted, when I'm not in class or at work it has been nice to just chill out and watch tv.

A Proper Dinner?

I have been wanting to have a proper dinner party for a while.  It's even on my 21 Before 21 list.  I don't really consider this a proper dinner party.  There were no invitations.  There were no RSVPs, but it was a sit down meal which is a step in the right direction.

There are no people in these pictures, but there were people there I promise.  I'm just not sure that the people who were there would like me to post their pictures.  I know them, but they are more Emma's friends than mine.  Sort of.  But we don't have to get into my whole I don't really know who is my friend in college issues, that seems like a post for another time.

21 Before 21: Skipping Class and Going Out for Breakfast

I decided that the more important part of this task was the going out to breakfast, and not necessarily skipping class.  My roommate and I went out for breakfast before our Wednesday class last semester.  I didn't take any pictures, but my roommate did.  They are on her blog, HERE.

It was fun to be able to get out bright and early.  I haven't had a meal like that in a long time, and probably wont have another in an even longer time.  I used to go out to breakfast with my dad every other Saturday (I would switch off with my sister), but that tradition has collapsed with our move to San Francisco, and the new tradition of going to the Farmer's Market for breakfast.  Don't get me wrong, I love that tradition too.  I just don't get diner food as often anymore.  Now that I think about it, that might not be a bad thing.

Picture Unrelated

There was this one time, my sister and I were watching Buffy and we wanted to go upstairs to get a snack.  We paused the DVD and this was the result.  Needless to say that there are multiple pictures.  Sometimes, she or I will make this face (or attempt to anyway) at each other when the other isn't expecting it.  We'll both crack up laughing.  We are awesome.

I spent last night eating far too much food at a gathering of friends.  I am so glad to be spending time with friends already this year and I just hope so much that I'll be able to keep it up this semester.  For now it is wonderful to spend time with people under no pressure of a projects needing doing, or homework to attend to.  I keep feeling like I should have something philosophical to say about school staring again, but I have no tidbits.  Of wisdom or otherwise.  School is school.  It's where I want to be right now and I don't care if that makes me a nerd.  In fact, all the better.

Today is the first day of classes for me.  I packed myself a lunch and got my backpack ready last night.  I also start work in a more official capacity this week which is exciting.  Not sure how much I'll be in this space in the coming days, but hopefully I'll be able to stop by and say hello.  In the meantime, I hope there are some people enjoying the snow as much as I am.

How Have I Never Known?

Lots going on this week.  in my world and in internet world.  Some of my favorites...

My roommate gets back from winter break this weekend and I can't wait to show her this time lapse video of travels.  She'll also love this video about a solo trek across Iceland that seems to have been making bloggy round this week.

Some tips on blogging from Cam of Campfire Chic.

Four things to love about winter.

Five ways to fuel your dreams, and forty-eight things to be grateful about, both from The Freedom Experiment.

I may be a bit of a nerd, but I think this map that tells you what food is in season in your state is pretty awesome.

You guys.  Chai cookies.  How have I never known these existed until now?

Right Now...

gearing up for a new semester.  Buying textbooks, getting oriented in my new job, mentally preparing for schedules  routines, and homework.

meeting with people to plan for shows I'm working on this year.

cooking up a storm, in part because of a cooking blog I have in the works.  I'm not sure what it's future is, but I'll keep you guys in the loop.

finally getting back into a rhythm of blogging.

hopeful about plans being made this semester for the coming months and years.  Trips, gigs, and money-making all in the foreseeable future.

excited that it's getting cold.  I'm abnormal like that.

This week I like: cooking, Downton Abbey, impromptu Once Upon a Time parties, taking care of my kitty, skype, and my Google Reader.

Of Wool, Flannel, and Downton

This week I moved back to Chicago for school.  My roommate and I don't like to turn the heat on in our apartment to save money.  When the roommate is home this leads to long chats in the living room where we wind up eating ice cream because we've forgotten that it's cold.  When I'm home alone?  Not so much.  My mom's advice would be to "Put a sweater on", but sometimes that doesn't do much.  Once the seasons change and the temperature heats up, that will be all that's necessary.  In the meantime, here are some of the things I've been doing to keep from shivering.

1. Make Tea.  This is one of the more obvious ones, but certainly not wrong.  For me this is two-fold.  I get warm tea that is delicious and awesome AND when I'm really cold I'll stand over the kettle as I wait for the water to boil, soaking in the heat from the stove.  After which I'll go right back to the internet surfing, blanket wearing mode that I was in before tea was made.

2.  Cook or Bake.  Again, not the more original, but effective.  Along with the warm things eating, and the using of the stove, this one also gets you moving.  Movement means blood flow, means warmth.  That, and being holed up somewhere endlessly is much more enjoyable with a batch of brownies or a bowl of soup.  Or both.  And tea.

3.  Fold Warm Laundry.  Tell me I'm not the only one who will run the dryer again for five minutes to heat up the clothes/sheets/whatever that's in there so you can get the awesomeness of folding warm laundry.

4.  Curl Up and Watch TV.  I've found that what I really need when I'm cold is to be able to focus on something else.  Grab a blanket and the remote and cozy up for that NCIS marathon.  Or Friends if that's more your speed.  Whatever you watch, the more engaging the better, and you'll simply forget the cold.

5.  Get Some Exercise.  Pretty much the opposite of the last one, but once again with the movement, blood flow, and warmth thing.  Weather you play DDR on you Xbox or go run the treadmill in the shifty-looking exercise room in your apartment building, working up a sweat will make the cold less so.

6.  Wool.

7.  Leave the House.  Chances are that if it's cold in your apartment, it's colder outside.  That means that if you go outside and come back in, then the inside will feel warm by comparison.  Right?  This may work best if you walk to your destination as it offers you the most time spent outside in the cold.

8.  Invite a Friend Over.  Having someone else around doubles the body heat in the space, and also gives you something else to other than think about how cold it is.

9.  Go to Bed.  When all else fails, I've definitely gone to bed very early and/or stayed in bed very late.  What can I say?  Sometimes layers of flannel sound a lot better than a fifth cup of tea within an hour.  And not that I'm especially proud of this, but there was one time last week that I by the time I got out of bed the street lights were on.

This week a friend of mine is coming over for dinner.  We're going to be making lasagna and watching Downton Abbey (anyone else excited for the US premiere?  Bueller?).

Around Town: Friends and Newness

The Embarcadero at Christmas time.

Just a collection of pictures taken over winter break.  Soaking up San Francisco, spending time with friends, and getting ready for the newness of the coming semester.

The roommate took me out to sushi.

Waiting for the fireworks on New Year's Eve.

Newness

I've been thinking about what I want to be doing with this blog in the space of a new year.  Thinking about things that I can change and things that I want to improve.  I'm not usually one of the New Year's Resolution types, I prefer to set goals regardless of the time of year.  Blogging has been one of my long term goals though, and I am enjoying it.  I was thinking about the name I chose for my blog and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it didn't say much about what I want this space to be.  So I've changed the name and the tag line.  It's still going to be the same topics and such, but I'm thinking a new name and header will keep things fresh.  So here we go.  Welcome to Everyday Beauty.  A place where I talk about the little things that make life awesome.

A Day Late... Oops

It's been a quiet week for me, both in real life and on the blog... sorry 'bout that.  I'm settling back in to life in Chicago.  Mostly this involves layers, a lot of walking, and a very messy room.

Sal talks about how to dress up when others are dressing down.

Looking forward to making these chicken pot pies at some point in the near future.

As one of my new year's resolutions is to be more consistent with blogging, I feel like these suggestions will be put into use soon.

Get what you want.

Amazing house made of found objects.

As a kid I wanted to be a cartographer.  Then I realized that it involved math.  All that to say that this map of the United States is awesome.

I found this video awesomely inspiring.
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This week I love: long conversations with friends, having the apartment to myself, taking pictures with my new-to-me camera, Once Upon A Time, Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix, and how my kitty is a bed hog.

Maybe Next Year

This week has been full of playing with my new toys, seeing friends, and trying sushi.  It seems in the blogging world that there has been a lot of planning and resolving for the new year.  New Year's is a strange holiday to me in that it never quite feels like a holiday, but that's a subject for another time.

If you're in need of some last minute resolution ideas, here are 5 Suggestions.

I will be making this Chicken Pot Pie at some point when I get back to Chicago.

This old Yes and Yes post in which Sarah Von imagines dressing as her heritage made me smile.

I will probably get one of these National Parks Passports because I'm outdoorsy like that.  Or at least I like to think I am.  Admittedly, I only discovered these existed because I've recently started following Campfire Chic.

How To Steal Like and Artist.  It's a bit long, but absolutely inspirational.

This week I like: rock climbing, Fringe, driving to parties in Marin, making vague plans of seeing old friends abroad, intellectual conversations that turn trivial in two seconds flat.

Hope you had a good week.  See you all next year!

Right Then

{This week instead of doing a Right Now post I'm doing Right Then as an end of the year reflection.  Hope you like it.}

I tried to spend my time more wisely this year and was continuously trying to see where I could be doing things that would better myself.  I'm not sure that this directly lead to more activity, but I think it did make me more aware of the ways that I could be wasting my time less.  It's a start at least.

I took on more responsibility this year, work-load-wise and financially.  It was really comforting to be able to say that I feel prepared for being financially independent.  I know that I'm nowhere near that now, but I'm working with the stepping stones of it.  I also feel more confident in my ability to keep house.  It's strange how domestic I am sometimes, but I really like having a nice place to live in.

I started planning and organizing differently.  I've always been a pretty organized person, but when I moved into the new apartment in Chicago I kind of took it to a whole new level.  This has lead to more health contentiousness and more budget contentiousness.  Awesome.

I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with leadership (not well) by being a leader in InterVarsity.  I didn't really talk about the process and reasons for me leaving on this blog, and may never quite be comfortable enough to explain it on here, but suffice to say I learned a lot and grew in my faith and in knowing myself.

Overall I'm really happy with 2011, and I'm looking forward to what 2012 will bring.  Travel, planning, new projects, and new possibilities are all on the horizon.  Bring it on.

Around Town: Climbing SFMoMA

I've got climbing on the brain.  After a trip to Sports Basement last week all I can think of is when I'll get a chance to climb again.  I haven't been since October, and I'm really itching to go.  This lead to a lengthy discussion of instillation piece that's in the atrium of SFMoMA with my Grandpa.  I'm still a little puzzled as to the exact logistics of how it was done, but I think it's one of the coolest things there.

Of course, the exhibit we went to see, on Richard Serra's drawings, was no photography allowed.  I was a little ticked, but it was still a great exhibit.  Richard Serra is one of my favorite artists, because he forces you to experience his work, not just see it.  This showcase of his early work was a bit different then what I'm used to, but it was beautiful nonetheless.  One room in particular had two black canvases stretching to the ceiling.  When you enter the room completely you can feel the walls grow around you.  So cool.

These pictures are just general around the museum pictures.  Mostly the aforementioned instillation piece, and the sculpture garden.

Discovery: Once Upon a Time

People have been asking me all semester, have I been watching Once Upon A Time.  Well... no.  Based on the previews I figured that it would be overrated, and over budget.  I assumed that by now it would have already been canceled, and I wasn't too upset over it.  I was more interested in Grimm, NBC's response to the fairy tale that seemed more normal to me.

During the last few weeks of school I was implored over and over that I really must watch it.  People who know my taste were telling me that I would love it.  I was still reluctant, but figured that so many people couldn't be too far off base.  So I dipped a toe in when I went to a friend's house for dinner.  We watched the pilot.  Then the second episode.  I was very much so impressed.

First of all it was great to see Jennifer Morrison again.  She was one of the reasons I loved House as much as I did, and her smaller role in it was probably one of the factors in my giving up on the show.  It was nice to see her as more of a key player.  I think she did a great job and I can't wait to see more.

Can't wait to see more is the overwhelming feeling for this show that I wasn't planning on liking to begin with.  I guess I can't help it.  I think the idea is solid and workable, but I will admit I'm getting slightly confused.  The stories, especially in their fairy tale versions, are getting mixed up in my mind.  Is David/Charming the character from Snow White?  Or is he the dragon-fighter in the King Midas version?  Or both?  How?  As much as I like that they have plenty of different places to go, I'm also really hoping they have a plan.  Will it end neatly?  I know that's probably not what I'm supposed to be thinking so early in the game, but I can't help but wonder.

To some extent I don't even mind.  The whole show is a thing of beauty.  Between the intricate details of fairy land, and the spot on small town feel of Storybrooke, Maine, I don't care if I ever go back (Yes, I sort of used a baseball metaphor right there. Moving on.).  The details and thought put into everything brings me completely into their world.  And their wardrobes!  I'm usually not one for medieval dress, but these costumes are beautiful.  And the modern costumes too!  I want Mary Margaret's closet.  Peasant tops, A-line skirts, I'm taking notes people, believe me.

Over all I think it's fabulous.  The characters are true, and very well played.  It's absolutely beautiful, and double-worldly and twistedly wonderful.  And that cliff-hanger!  Let's just say that between this show, Sherlock, and Downton Abbey all returning in January, I'm very much looking forward to the new year.

This IS my Vacation (Links Post)

When I'm in school I don't ever have time to scroll far enough in Tumblr to see something I've seen before.  While I'm home on vacation this happens multiple times a day.  To me, vacation means the time to actually read everything in my google reader, and then laze around the house in my PJ's making cookies.  Maybe not glamorous, but good enough for me.  This results in a larger links post.  I'm pretty okay with that.

If you're more of a party person then I am perhaps these hair tutorials would be timely.

With New Year's just around the corner, it's about time to be thinking of Resolutions.  Perhaps filch some ideas from these lovely ladies, who are far ahead of me in planning.

I plan to make one of these in the near future.

And with all my new camera testing I will have to find a time to give this tutorial a shot.

I remember reading this guide to taking care of yourself sometime closer to when it was originally posted, but I found it again the other day, and am now thinking of how I'm going to incorporate some of the tricks into my life next semester.  That's the plan at least.

A few ideas for traveling.

On the art nerd side of things: that happened.

A sweet story about being kind to strangers.

This article on friendships is something I hope to take with me into the new year, growing the friendships that build me up, and checking in on the ones that may tear me down.

An answer to the whole, "Do they know it's Christmas?" debacle.

This week I love: Once Upon A Time (more on this at a later point in time), tea, cookies, Richard Serra drawings at SFMOMA, having clean teeth, spending time with old friends, and watching the stack of presents under the tree grow whilst wondering what's inside them.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

Right Now....

playing bloggy catch-up after my break for finals.

celebrating quite a few things.  I got the job I wanted for next semester (though nervousness is beginning to take over), and I got in to a conference I applied to for this summer which means I'm going to be spending a month in Germany.

happy to be home.  San Francisco is home to fog, farmers markets, cable cars, and me.

seeing a lot of old friends.

planning on how I'm going to be using some of the presents I'm going to be getting (*ahem*rockclimbinggear*cough*).

spending time with family.  My Grandpa is hear to visit for the week, and my sister is fun to hang out with when she comes out of her room.

'Tis The Season

It is worth noting that I have about 10 versions of this picture in trying to figure out what was up with  the camera.  I actually had to go to a camera store to solve it.  Turns out I just don't know how to use a camera.  Baby steps.

'Tis the season to talk about faith.  Because I believe that faith is true and Jesus is real.  Relatedly, I also believe that forcing other people to listen to what I believe isn't the way to make them change.  I know that I can't make people believe in what I believe, just like you can't make me believe that humans evolved from apes.  I'm not going to try, so feel free to leave now if you're uncomfortable.  I'll wait.

That being said, I also believe that there is a time and a place for religion, and Christmas falls under one of those times.  So, I will come out, tell you what I believe, and that can be the end of that.  Or the beginning, but that's more up to you guys.

I believe that Jesus is God's son who came to earth as a sacrifice for our sins.  I believe in the whole bit, the virgin Mary, the wise men, and the shepherds out in the field nearby.  I know that we live in a broken world, and I believe that Jesus came to put a stop to it.  I believe that's something to celebrate.  I believe in the forgiveness of sins, and in everlasting life in heaven.  I think there might be some credit to those conspiracy theories, but that's probably a conversation best had in person.

Three more days till Christmas.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

We Smell Like Smoke

The Birthday Girl with her lovely boyfriend.

My friend Brittany's birthday was this weekend and so a bunch of us hung out at the beach, made a bonfire, and ate hot dogs and s'mores.  We watched the sunset and we were all taking pictures of everything.  Oh, the Waldorf children that we are.

This was the first time I've used this camera, it's a 6-year-old Nikon D50.  My dad got it for my mom as a present, but it was one of those presents that you say is for the other person, but is really for you.  When he upgraded, my sister laid claim to it, as I was uninterested at the time.  I commandeered it for while I'm home and may even take it with me back to Chicago.  Though, it doesn't seem to want to let me adjust the settings, so I'll have to get it checked out before I drag it all the way back.

Hanging out just before sunset (note the long shadows).

Owen finally arrived.

Playing with the light.

And practicing my framing.

My shoes.  Because I want to.

Manetteie!

Better Late Than Never* (Links Post)

This weekend has been spent hanging out with my friends from high school, going to the farmers market with the fam, and taking lots of pictures.  There's something wonky with my my sister's camera that I am in need of fixing, so hopefully I will have some of the pictures up later this week.

In case of any last minute office holiday parties, let this chart be your guide.

I just found out that I will be going on a trip to Germany this summer.  Cheers!  If you're planning any big trips for the near or somewhat distant future, this guide may come in handy.  I know I'll be using it.

For Harry Potter fans.

25 clever tricks including wrapping paper storage, cord labeling, and ice cream cone cakes.  Awesome.

Because biking is cool.  Especially if you're a girl in India.

This week I love: the 6-year-old camera I'm borrowing from my sister (she says I can take it back to Chicago with me), Nancy Drew Games, warm socks, being done with finals, being home in San Francisco, my church, and having all my Christmas shopping done already.

What will you guys be up to this week?

*I am going to try to have a regular link post, I was hoping to get it out Sunday, but it wound up being Monday instead.  Next time.