bare bones, work in progress, but i'm striving to get in the competition
watch out C&J, i'm coming for ya!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
a closet *sigh*
so I'm going through my google reader and up pops this post from stephmodo, one of my faves (she has a vacation home in southwest france, need I say more?) about the new collection at H&M. as I commented on her post, I have an H&M addiction, but have been clean since moving to the 'burgh.
let's not talk about the splurge that was practically the only thing I did in the 24 hours between my return flight from STT and the trip to Jamaica for the bro's wedding. the one in which I bought maybe 10 bikini seperates. after moving from a tropical island to the midatlantic. yes. anyway.
so, my money has been safe from the ravages of this euro-megastore for nigh on ... whoa! eight or nine months! (just counted - impressed with myself!!) and while I had a vague notion that there was a store somewhere in the vicinity, I didn't allow myself to dwell on the fact UNTIL I physically spotted it the other day!
luckily, we were in the car and it was in motion and I think we were late to meet friends... because otherwise, my wallet would have been in trouble! I contemplated a tuck-and-roll maneuver, but it was sorta a freak blizzard outside and I would have been risking insta-frostbite along with the road-rash.
but now, since that day (Feb 21st, pens v. caps, mark D in town, first H&M sighting - a date to remember!) it's all I can think about!! I mean, I'll wake up and have an hour or so before work and I'm all "hmm, maybe I could slip over to the south side and ... NO!" who am I kidding?! I would need at least a solid hour in the store itself! none of this "before work" crap!!
and then yesterday, my work buddy mentioned dropping clothes off at a consignment store and I jumped on the bandwagon. really, I sorta forced myself on said wagon, because, shamefully, I am currently using our spare apartment (woo, sounds fancy, right? PAY MY DOUBLE BILLS and call it that!) as a giant closet of shame for all the stuff I don't want to go through, including all the clothes I haven't washed (re: biting infestation) or don't want or are warm-weather. SO, I was super productive, all before work, went over, sorted all my clothes, put hopefuls into a small box and others (to get rid of) into a large one and was off to chuck 'em! I say "hopefuls" because we were headed to a trendy-hipster consignment shop, and so I put my hippest stuff in the little box.
... and they accepted exactly ONE item ...
seriously.
they only accepted ONE of my friend's items too, and she's WAY hipper than me!
consignment fail.
i'm now on the search for a more accepting, welcoming, less snooty shop that will take my cool, if not hip, gently worn articles of clothing.
it totally boosted my sorting-confidence, at least in the clothes department, and I plan a secondary sort when sentimentality and time will be less in the way!
anyway, back to the H&M topic, maybe it's late (only 3:15am!) but my brain is trying to tell me that maybe I should go to the store, perhaps leaving my wallet in the car (you better not be reading this, car-breaking-into-thieves! ... oh wait, this isn't bmore. maybe ppl don't normally break car windows in broad daylight on busy streets here!) and just browse around in hopes of maybe upping my sorting/getting-rid-of resolve! because I have noticed that I always seem to keep clothes thinking "oh, it's a basic" or "I'll need a suit blazer and 10 skirts for when I get another hostessing or office job" ...
BUT WAIT. NOTE TO KATIE: you are not getting an office job. and you're not hostessing again (not 16 anymore...) and even when you were a teacher you didn't wear this stuff! and, if/when the time comes that you need ____ piece of clothing, you are going to want to buy something new ANYWAY! TIME TO GO!
so, I'm nixing the wallet-less shopping trip idea, cause I'm sure to find something I just MUST BUY IMMEDIATELY ... in favor of more sorting! I'm off work for the next 2 days and Jake works one, so there is no reason not to go over to that dismal, creepy, empty-ish (except for the bugs and roach carcasses) apartment and sort through more stuff to lose!
now, WHO'S WITH ME?!!!!!!
let's not talk about the splurge that was practically the only thing I did in the 24 hours between my return flight from STT and the trip to Jamaica for the bro's wedding. the one in which I bought maybe 10 bikini seperates. after moving from a tropical island to the midatlantic. yes. anyway.
so, my money has been safe from the ravages of this euro-megastore for nigh on ... whoa! eight or nine months! (just counted - impressed with myself!!) and while I had a vague notion that there was a store somewhere in the vicinity, I didn't allow myself to dwell on the fact UNTIL I physically spotted it the other day!
luckily, we were in the car and it was in motion and I think we were late to meet friends... because otherwise, my wallet would have been in trouble! I contemplated a tuck-and-roll maneuver, but it was sorta a freak blizzard outside and I would have been risking insta-frostbite along with the road-rash.
but now, since that day (Feb 21st, pens v. caps, mark D in town, first H&M sighting - a date to remember!) it's all I can think about!! I mean, I'll wake up and have an hour or so before work and I'm all "hmm, maybe I could slip over to the south side and ... NO!" who am I kidding?! I would need at least a solid hour in the store itself! none of this "before work" crap!!
and then yesterday, my work buddy mentioned dropping clothes off at a consignment store and I jumped on the bandwagon. really, I sorta forced myself on said wagon, because, shamefully, I am currently using our spare apartment (woo, sounds fancy, right? PAY MY DOUBLE BILLS and call it that!) as a giant closet of shame for all the stuff I don't want to go through, including all the clothes I haven't washed (re: biting infestation) or don't want or are warm-weather. SO, I was super productive, all before work, went over, sorted all my clothes, put hopefuls into a small box and others (to get rid of) into a large one and was off to chuck 'em! I say "hopefuls" because we were headed to a trendy-hipster consignment shop, and so I put my hippest stuff in the little box.
... and they accepted exactly ONE item ...
seriously.
they only accepted ONE of my friend's items too, and she's WAY hipper than me!
consignment fail.
i'm now on the search for a more accepting, welcoming, less snooty shop that will take my cool, if not hip, gently worn articles of clothing.
it totally boosted my sorting-confidence, at least in the clothes department, and I plan a secondary sort when sentimentality and time will be less in the way!
anyway, back to the H&M topic, maybe it's late (only 3:15am!) but my brain is trying to tell me that maybe I should go to the store, perhaps leaving my wallet in the car (you better not be reading this, car-breaking-into-thieves! ... oh wait, this isn't bmore. maybe ppl don't normally break car windows in broad daylight on busy streets here!) and just browse around in hopes of maybe upping my sorting/getting-rid-of resolve! because I have noticed that I always seem to keep clothes thinking "oh, it's a basic" or "I'll need a suit blazer and 10 skirts for when I get another hostessing or office job" ...
BUT WAIT. NOTE TO KATIE: you are not getting an office job. and you're not hostessing again (not 16 anymore...) and even when you were a teacher you didn't wear this stuff! and, if/when the time comes that you need ____ piece of clothing, you are going to want to buy something new ANYWAY! TIME TO GO!
so, I'm nixing the wallet-less shopping trip idea, cause I'm sure to find something I just MUST BUY IMMEDIATELY ... in favor of more sorting! I'm off work for the next 2 days and Jake works one, so there is no reason not to go over to that dismal, creepy, empty-ish (except for the bugs and roach carcasses) apartment and sort through more stuff to lose!
now, WHO'S WITH ME?!!!!!!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Scandinavian gorgeousness
it's interesting to see what you save when looking at such a specialized website as this - it seems I save the least scandinavian pictures of the bunch
(prove me wrong, enormous caribou antler!!),
but I need that bit of warmth some of the other starkly white/empty pictures lack. It countries with such loooong, dark winters, you'd think they'd want some coziness inside too!
disclaimer: I don't believe all homes in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland are decorated in this sometimes severe style, but I get the feeling many of the population aspire to this aesthetic, perhaps.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Moving tomorrow!
SURPRISE!
i know, i know, we just moved to Pittsburgh! how can we already be moving again?!
all i can say is, i guess if you know us at all, it's less of a surprise, really. six months in this apartment, which, while it has it's good points (storage) it never truly felt like home. i've always been a little uncomfortable here. (and that has nothing to do with the mystery bugs!!! note: no bites in a while but we're still washing EVERYTHING before it goes into the new place!)
maybe it has to do with the fact that i had to rearrange a bunch of times until i found a good setup, and i still wasn't really happy with it. it was just what worked.
arrangement 1 - no workie
arrangement 2 - awesome, but impractical
arrangement 3 - sorta worked, but didn't feel right
final arrangement - okay
or it could have been that clause in our lease that mentioned "no pets allowed that cannot survive for one hour underwater." ... seriously. and i don't own cat-scuba-gear!
anyway, we're getting a truck tomorrow to move all the big furniture items, though i wouldn't mind changing a few of them up. and since we are stuck with our old lease until the end of March, there's no rush; i don't want to take anything to the new place that we don't REALLY want to keep in our lives!
the old place will be my storage shed. i shall think of it as my other job: every day i should get up and head to "work" to go through all our junk and get rid of things! if it's something we really love and want, it can move to the new place. but with all the traveling and moving we do, the less stuff we own, the better! it means less to take with us, less to store with friends and family, less to worry about! every place we go we accumulate so much STUFF! it must end HERE!
THE END!
ps. get psyched for new-place updates coming soon!
snorkel, yes; scuba, no.
i know, i know, we just moved to Pittsburgh! how can we already be moving again?!
all i can say is, i guess if you know us at all, it's less of a surprise, really. six months in this apartment, which, while it has it's good points (storage) it never truly felt like home. i've always been a little uncomfortable here. (and that has nothing to do with the mystery bugs!!! note: no bites in a while but we're still washing EVERYTHING before it goes into the new place!)
maybe it has to do with the fact that i had to rearrange a bunch of times until i found a good setup, and i still wasn't really happy with it. it was just what worked.
arrangement 1 - no workie
arrangement 2 - awesome, but impractical
arrangement 3 - sorta worked, but didn't feel right
final arrangement - okayanyway, we're getting a truck tomorrow to move all the big furniture items, though i wouldn't mind changing a few of them up. and since we are stuck with our old lease until the end of March, there's no rush; i don't want to take anything to the new place that we don't REALLY want to keep in our lives!
the old place will be my storage shed. i shall think of it as my other job: every day i should get up and head to "work" to go through all our junk and get rid of things! if it's something we really love and want, it can move to the new place. but with all the traveling and moving we do, the less stuff we own, the better! it means less to take with us, less to store with friends and family, less to worry about! every place we go we accumulate so much STUFF! it must end HERE!
THE END!
ps. get psyched for new-place updates coming soon!
snorkel, yes; scuba, no.Sunday, February 6, 2011
before...
we have a bit of an obsession, sort of a love affair, with a movie. well, two movies really, but the second is a continuation of the first, as it should be. if you've never seen Before Sunrise and Before Sunset with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, these photos and the clip might not mean much to you, but to me, and the hubs, so much about them solidifies these two in our top movies ever. Please watch them (again) and enjoy!
Monday, January 24, 2011
itching to travel
Romathe hubs and i just realized that we haven't lived in europe (glorious europe!) in almost 4 whole years now. FOUR YEARS! to be away from a place we know we love for that long is becoming unbearable, but we're trying to save up as much as we can before hop back across the pond for good. no vacations, no splurges, just workworkwork and savesavesave!
powder in Zillertal, Austria
Praha = true love
for now, amazing videos like Mike Matas' still frame movies keep us focused on our goals!
powder in Zillertal, Austria
Praha = true lovefor now, amazing videos like Mike Matas' still frame movies keep us focused on our goals!
Morocco & Spain from Mike Matas on Vimeo.
this is the TRUTH!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)