VF's 1930s Style

I adore old classic films and most of the actors (John Krasinski is in the above photo - a scene from They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) featured in a recent Vanity Fair photo shoot, parodying movies from the Depression Era. I really enjoy the magazine's recasting of old movies for their photo spreads like this one of West Side Story.

Images found here and here.

August Ease

Something about late August makes me think of the south of France - fields of lavender blowing in the breeze, the hot summer sun baking the light-colored stone of the sidewalks and buildings, drinking wine in the afternoon at an outdoor cafe. The south of France is all about appreciating the little things, enjoy the simple pleasures of a relaxed life. August -- often hot and dry -- makes me feel particularly restful before I gear up for the busy goings on of the autumn. This weekend was spent studying and then cleaning our immense apartment that never seems to feel truly in order. Not exactly restful activities, but necessary in order for me to eventually feel at ease about life.

Image found here.

OMG! My Future!

Thanks to Emily at wide open spaces, I found a M*A*S*H game on the web site for the new movie, Paper Heart starring Michael Cera and Charlyne Yi. For all the times I played this as a kid, I didn't have nearly as much fun as I had playing the digital version!

I am thrilled to see that I will be a writer living in San Francisco, driving a Cerulean Austin Healey (custom-made, I imagine), and married to Zachary Levi (yay, Chuck!) and we will have two kids (just enough in my mind)!

What was just a world is a star!

West Side Story is my favorite Broadway musical -- Leonard Bernstein's music is so incredibly moving. It touches some place in my soul and brings it to life whenever I listen to the sweeping melodies. These songs affirm my belief in the possibility of true love and the euphoria you feel when you first meet that certain someone and begin a beautiful descent into rapture. I am thrilled that there is a revival of the original 1957 production running on Broadway. I plan to travel to NYC to see it this fall. I've listened to the soundtrack of the new production and, while it does not reach the standard of the 1961 film soundtrack, I have fallen in love with the new Tony's voice (played by Matt Cavenaugh), which reminds me of older times -- a voice from the 1950s that is classic and full of sincerity (I literally melt every time I listen to "Something's Coming" or "Maria). The cast of the revival performed "Dance At The Gym" at the 2009 Tony Awards, a stellar performance that has to be shared with my friends!


Image can be found here.

The World Offers Itself

Some days I just need to pull back and think about the simple things - things that give me peace - the wind blowing my hair all over my face as I gaze into the beauty of the natural world.

Wild Geese

by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

from Dream Work by Mary Oliver
published by Atlantic Monthly Press
© Mary Oliver

Image by Diana and can be found here.

Style Love: Milkmaid Braids

My hair is almost long enough to try milkmaid braids which I am so excited about! I am a huge Star Wars nerd and have always wanted to have hair like Princess Leia (save for the cinnamon buns). There's something so sweet and fresh about this look - perfect for a late summer style!

Image is here.

Brunch Style: Metropolis Cafe

Brunch has become one of the quintessential experiences of my twenty-something life. There are scores of delicious brunch places around the city of Boston, and last weekend, I discovered one that I think tops them all: The Metropolis Cafe on Tremont Street in Boston's historic South End. We were looking for a place with a relaxed, vintage atmosphere in the South End, and we found it at the Metropolis. It was around two o'clock in the afternoon - not the best time for brunch - but we were welcomed into the place by Max, our young waiter, dressed head to toe in black save for his arms, which bore a myriad of tattoos. He was a vibrant character, vocal, and voracious for information about our lives as he served us (by the end of the meal, he wanted to hold the title of "chattiest waiter" in our experience). The small restaurant is diner meets French Bistro, an intriguing combination that totally works here.

The brunch menu was eclectic and tasty-looking and had a great price point for what you ordered. I had a delicious Chive and Boursin Scrambled Eggs with homefries and homemade whole wheat toast. It was AMAZING! I love when your mood and taste met their match in a meal - just like this brunch! Their dinner menu also piqued my interest for it's variety and style as well as the reasonable prices. I will definitely be frequenting this place more often!

Image can be found here.

Bring On the Happy

{Kindred spirits by the Duck Pond in Boston}

Having soul-inspiring people in your life is one of the most important gifts you can receive. This past weekend, one of my very best friends, Jenn, visited from Washington D.C. Jenn is one of the kindest, most soulful and intelligent people that I have the privilege to know. Some people bring out the brightest, happiest sides of me and Jenn is at the very top of that list!

Her Boston visit saw a sultry couple of days in the city, but we had a grand time strolling around, checking out the Fanueil Hall area, the Boston Commons, the South End, and also, many of the area universities including Boston College (my Alma Mater), Boston University, and Harvard University. Jenn works in higher education and is looking all over the eastern seaboard for possible job opportunities after she graduates from her masters' program. We also saw 500 Days of Summer, which I highly recommend if you like indie romantic comedies along the lines of Juno or Away We Go. It was a relief to sit in the cool air conditioning and watch a simple, yet provocative mediation on love, relationships, and reading the signs of both. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so cute and I adore Zooey Deschannel's outfits in this film!

On Monday, I rented a ZipCar (a Volvo S40 - a fun, fuel-efficient car that is one of the smoothest rides I've ever experienced) and we drove out to the little village of Concord, MA, which is one of my favorite places to visit! It was home to philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, as well as authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter) and Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women). We got some delicious pastries at Sally Ann's Bakery and then walked around the village area, looking at the pretty historic homes and enjoying the nice sunshine.

We grabbed lunch to go at the yummy Main Street Cafe and then drove to Walden Pond to enjoy a nice picnic while dipping our toes in the warm lake water. After lunch, we decided that we couldn't visit Walden Pond without taking a dip, so we did! It was so refreshing and peaceful to swim in the same pond on which Henry David Thoreau contemplated his greatest treatise and where the fictional character, Josephine March, once skated with her bosom friend, Laurie. It was a perfect summer moment, allowing my body to gently float along as a fresh summer breeze brushed over me. I had a wonderful long weekend full of good friendship, fun activities, and inspiring conversations. I feel blessed to have such amazing friends!

{Dipping toes in Walden Pond}

Little Women

Look at the eyes of these young Afghan women. These are girls grown up too quickly in a war-torn, occupied country that has been ripped to threads over ethnic and religious turmoil. Despite horrific events and insurmountable obstacles, these girls show fierce determination in their eyes as well as intelligence and compassion. They humble me with their courage and perseverance to get an education and make a life for themselves, things that I have been given naturally and without impediment.

The New York Times has a running series called "Saving the World's Women," the features a special article on the schoolgirls who survived acid attacks in Afghanistan. Nicholas Kristof also co-wrote a beautifully-written piece, "The Women's Crusade," that provides a comprehensive view of women in our current world. The most shocking fact is the 130 million have experience genital mutilation or cutting. That fact almost made me vomit. I am at once ashamed of my humanity and inspired to fight against such violence aspects of our race.

Afghanistan has been on my mind a lot this week as the country held its presidential election yesterday, August 21st. A new president (aka not Karzai) is needed to do a manual overhaul and reorganization of the countries processes. Part of the reason why there is so much violence against women in Afghanistan is due to the government corruption, drug trafficking, and power given to the Taliban (all intimately connected). This needs to be changed under a new ruler. The results have not been released yet, but my heart is hopeful that perhaps Dr. Asraf Ghani might be able to triumph over Karzai so that women can receive more help and support from their own government.

Image found here.

In Her Own Words

For all my fellow English majors out there, I happened upon the above YouTube video that features the only known audio recording of Virginia Woolf's voice. The audio excerpt is from a 1937 BBC radio conference. When I first heard her voice, I thought, "oh yes, that is exactly how she would sound." Her voice is gentle, her English accent: refined, elegant. Her speech centers upon the English language, words. She reflects on how older words incite memories and images in the mind of the reader or listener. She discourages the invention of new words in favor of celebrating and developing a deeper understanding of these original creations (an opinion with which I do not personally agree). She sees words as part of other words and not fully existing until they are in sentences. Her speech runs like a dream, the pattern of her crystalline intellect. A brilliant, yet tragic pillar of the English language and literature, Woolf's voice embodied that same mix of intelligence and sorrow.

I also discovered an interesting speech given by the contemporary British author, Zadie Smith, at the New York Public Library in December 2008. Smith's speech also deals with the notion of language, in particular, tones and accents. First, she reflects on her own voice and how one's accent or accents directly correlates to your original experience. She draws her thesis to George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion to talk about how changing accents affects one's psyche and personality. In Eliza Doolittle's case, ending up in a sort of personal limbo between worlds. Especially in England, your accent indicates your origins and often dictates your place in a society that is still incredibly divided into a class structure. She also spends a great deal of time examining the chameleonic nature of President Barack Obama as evidence from his autobiography, Dreams of My Father. She leads talk of accents into a fascinating discussion of conflicted identity that can arise from moving between worlds,constantly living in the interim.


The full text of Smith's speech is here. You can listen to the speech here or download it from iTunes' New York Public Library podcast collection.

Image can be found here.

Style Love: The Frances Ruffle

Ruffles are such fetching accouterments. Ruffles done to excess make for a fashion faux pas in my mind, but I am lately loving the J.Crew shirt with the "Frances Ruffle." Here we have a well-crafted, elegant gathering of fabric. The regal neckline is the crowning glory on this style chosen so deftly by Jenna Lyons (J.Crew's SVP of Women's Design). I long to include this piece as a part of my late summer/early fall wardrobe. Unfortunately, I am having trouble justifying the price point at $88. But it's just SO pretty!

Images can be found here.

The Alpine Path

{The red cliffs of Prince Edward Island}

It's that August time of the year and I am wanting to be one place: Prince Edward Island. That is my heaven on Earth. My brass ring of places. When I was younger, my family - the three of us - would travel there in the month of August to stay for about a week. We'd rise before sunup, load our bags into the car, strap the bikes to the rack, and hit the road with our freshly brewed coffee (hot chocolate for me). I would open my car window, breathe in the sweet dampness of the early summer morning the warm colors of daylight brimming behind the black lace of the pine trees.

The first leg of the journey is a two-hour drive to Eastport, Maine and Campobello Island (where former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's historic summer home is located). We took a car ferry from Campobello to Deer Isle, New Brunswick, and then drove to another ferry on the island that would allow us to reach the mainland. Six hours later, after driving straight up the middle of New Brunswick, we reach the Confederation Bridge, a stunning connecting structure between PEI and New Brunswick. Driving across the bridge, we always played the Anne of Green Gables soundtrack, beautiful music composed by Hagwood Hardy that captures the rhythm of the Island. Crossing the bridge always held so much promise for a peaceful, enlightening experience. The Island and L.M. Montgomery's descriptions of it have always synced with a deep part of myself. It's my home, though I have never spent more than a week there.

{A view of the Confederation Bridge}

During our PEI visits, we always stayed at the Willow Cottage Inn, a darling bed and breakfast tucked amidst the pines adjacent to the tourist hullabaloo of the Green Gables house in Cavendish (the town upon which Montgomery based "Avonlea"). The inn was run for many years by a dear couple, Ann and Edward, who became our Island family that we would stay with every summer. They made the most delicious breakfasts - french toast, various egg dishes, homefries. I can still taste the natural perfection of their homemade bread. The rooms are quaint and comfortable with Victorian charm and the proximity to Green Gables made the inn all the more enjoyable. The inn is currently under new management and our family missed their warmth and kindness that we found in Ann and Edward, who had retired away from the Island to warmer climates.

{The site of the Green Gables house}

Our weeks in PEI were spent visiting the Green Gables house as well as all the other historic homes and sites connected to the novels of Lucy Maud Montgomery (yes, we did buy season passes to Green Gables so that we could go more than once - but I just LOVE that house!). To find the most unique and meaningful site, you must cross the street from the tourist-infested Green Gables and follow a woodland path adjacent to a field of wheat. At the path's end, you will find the original site of Montgomery's grandparents' home where she lived while writing Anne of Green Gables. Run by her distant cousins, the site gives one an instant sense of tranquility with it's tree-covered scape and various plaques with a quote from one her novels. Her success, writing style, and story content inspires my creative self. Her achievements are embodied through her poem, "The Alpine Path," below:

"Then whisper, blossom, in thy sleep
How I may upward climb
The Alpine path, so hard, so steep,
That leads to heights sublime;
How I may reach that far-off goal
Of true and honoured fame,
And write upon its shining scroll
A woman's humble name."

I actually considered naming this blog, The Alpine Path, because these sentiments align with my own creative aspirations. I identify greatly with Montgomery's characters, especially Anne Shirley and Emily Starr, for their imagination and idealism. They became my bosom friends during times in my youth when I had none. Montgomery's work honors the Island in all of its natural glory. Read just an excerpt from her work and you will be transported there. I wish that I could be there now. I remember a perfect moment, standing near the edge of a North Shore cliff at sunset, gazing at the great blue ocean and the adjacent red cliffs, brilliant in the setting sun. A sweet-scented summer breeze blows by me. I go to this moment in times of trial and times of joy. Here, I am forever on the Alpine Path.

{A portrait of Lucy Maud Montgomery}

Image found here and here and here.

Jump Into The Sunset

Phew! I really allowed this week to bowl me over. Enough of the tough stuff - on to times unfettered by the triviality of the daily grind. I long to break free from the current patterns of this life and jump into the sunset, letting the warm rays and freedom of my limbs set my soul afire once more. I am thankful for the coming weekend where I can focus on the bright side of life. I hope everyone can do the same! Happy weekend, dear friends!

Here's a lovely summer poem by Mary Oliver:

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down--
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

Image can be found here.

Taking It All In

The image of this little darling had to be shared! Four month-old Aisha takes in the scene at a rally held by presidential contender, Dr. Asraf Ghani. The rally focused on women's issues and was held in Kabul, Afghanistan. The country will have presidential elections next week.

Image can be found here.

Ode To Beets

This homage to beets was inevitable - I eat them so often! There is something so incredibly luscious about beets - the vibrant color, the healthy vitamins, the flavor - pure delight! Last night I had hot dogs topped with a tomato, beet, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette combination and it was UNREAL in it's deliciousness. A beet and goat cheese salad is my old standby for nights when I am unsure what to have for dinner. I found some great beet recipes at Body + Soul magazine, which is a publication from Martha Stewart Living that gives really interesting ideas on "whole living" aka healthy, natural eating, exercising, and mental habits. I always find valuable points when perusing the site or the latest issue when I'm home in Maine (my mom subscribes)!

Image found here.

Reason Free From Passion

There are times in life when you have to let things go. Then there are times in life when you have to stand up for yourself and what's right. Knowing when to do each of these things is key talent to acquire in life. Encounter a problematic situation, I will first vent about the issue, often ascending my proverbial soapbox to decry the injustice and demand improvement. Then, I want to take action swiftly to fix/change the problem so that I can move on with my life. However, what I have learned through some experiences (which I unfortunately cannot divulge on this blog) lately is that it's not always the best policy to directly and dramatically demand change.

Tact and strategy are sometimes more important and more likely to lead to success than a mere "bull in a china closet" approach (when I was little, my mom used to call me '"a bull in a china closet" due to my notorious rambunctiousness and less-than-graceful mannerisms). In becoming an adult I have learned the importance of taking the emotion and drama out of the situation and apply more reason (not always successful from my end).

As Aristotle and Elle Woods point out, "law is reason free from passion." In a legal setting, one accepts and follows a set of rules that, hopefully, will see justice served. In my own life, I want to try to apply this rational line of thought used to obtain more positive results with my problem-solving. I don't want to completely suppress my emotion, but if I think more critically with certain interactions, I may be able to solve them more quickly and with less emotional stress. How people reaction to problems intrigues me, which I think can depend on the nature and degree of the problem. How do you react when faced with a tough situation?

Image found here.

Hot Dog Revolution

Maybe because it's summer. Maybe because it's been forever since I've had one, but I have been CRAVING hot dogs lately. Yes, I know they have disgusting meat ingredients. My diet, for the most part, is vegetarian, but I just LOVE a good hot dog. Bon Appetit magazine recently published a Global Hot Dog Guide that gives you all kinds of ideas for jazzing up your hot dog experience. I recently picked up some turkey hot dogs and I think tonight I will make their "So Cal" hot dog with tomatoes, beets, cheese and a balsamic reduction. Yummy!

Image found here.

home is

I made a submission (see above) to the This Is My Home blog, which is a project where people define their home in one sentence. The project's premise is meant to visualize the variance of interpretations of home around the world. Everyone submits a line about home and then they will match images to the lines, after which readers will vote on the best image/line combination. Comparing my sentence to others, I think I got a little too complex and descriptive about my home, but I have such a sense of this moment that I describe and it suggests a perfect calmness and ease in my soul that I must give it credit as the place to which I cleave when I am the most lonely. I first heard of this from erin of reading my tea leaves (thanks, erin!). My roommate Ingrid of the scenic route entered the contest as well and I just LOVE her definition of home (fourth one from the top).

Mondays Are For Strength

This picture made me think of the lovely gardens my parents have designed in the backyard of their house in Maine. They are such excellent gardeners and sadly, I did not really inherit that green thumb. Green turns to brown in my care. Perhaps someday, when I have my own home and yard, I will be pleasantly surprised with a new found talent for green things. For now, I deal in plastic potted plants from Ikea. I can still enjoy the lushness of the real thing, which I did this past weekend at home. I recuperated and enjoyed the company of my family, which always puts my mind at ease.

However, now it is Monday. Oh, the strength Monday mornings requires in order for one to muster through. You come off the sweet bouquet of a weekend, where you spent time with the ones you love, doing all the activities that define who you really are -- things that sync with your soul. And then Monday's here and you have to get up early, get dressed promptly, commute, and arrive at work where the mundane existence and the insufferable office politics slam into your body. Negative Nancy, I know.

I wish that I didn't always fall so far from the high of the weekend. I recently read this article, the tale of a woman experiencing a troubled marriage. Instead of giving in to her husband's request for divorce, she stands up to him, calling his situation for what it is: a selfish mid-life crisis. She wants him to go do his thing and then come back when he's finished. She shows such strength and a pragmatic view of her situation, it almost seems that she has transcended her humanity. I read this article and thought: no human could go into a situation that level-headed. For me, it's so easy to be brought down by a negative environment.

This article reminded me of something that I already knew deep down inside: the only thing we really have control over is our reaction, our happiness. We control ourselves. That's it. It's common sense and yet, I so often forget this fact and blame my surroundings for my unhappiness. Granted, I am not dealing with a husband who's trying to leave me. Her woes are far beyond my daily experience. But the article prompted me to think about finding the happiness within myself. I am so inspired by her example. I am reminded of the quote: be the change you want to see in the world. There are no truer words for me right now.

Image can be found here.

Homeward Bound

I'm heading Maine-ward this weekend to regroup after a rough set of days. I've been going home quite frequently this summer, which is fine because Maine is a beautiful place and I am very lucky to have a wonderful family who always receives me with open arms. As of late, I have been longing for a rural setting where I can kick up my heels and frolic in a country field (not unlike this young man in the picture above). I want the fresh, natural air to fill my lungs once more. I love the easy, forgiving nature of summer. It just let's you lay in the palm of its hand and rest your weary head, lulling you to ease with the delicate sound of crickets and smooth, wild flowery breezes. Happy weekend, my friends!

Image can be found here.

Supreme Sotomayor

Another sign that good and fair times are here is the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor as the 111th Supreme Court Justice. She is the third woman and the first Hispanic to assume this role. I watched her Senate hearings last month before I made my final opinion of her. I was very impressed with her unemotional, intelligent responses to the bating questions from certain Mid-Western senators (you know who you are, Tom Coburn). I think her insight and tough rationale will be a valuable addition to our Supreme Court. One hopes that, should the need arise for another Justice to be appointed, President Obama will continue to balance the Court with varied, yet reasoned individuals instead of the old white boy's Court additions from the Bush administration. See below an example of Sotomayor's coolly calculated responses to Senator Coburn's queries on gun control.


Video found here. Image found here.

There's No Place Like Family

{Euna Lee. left, embraces her daughter, Hana, and her husband,
Michael, while Laura Ling hugs her husband, Ian}

Tears brim continually in my eyes as I read the deluge of articles, chronicling the return home of two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were imprisoned in North Korea and sentenced to twelve years hard labor. I admire these women for their courage and strength. They are citadels for women, and in particular, women in journalism. The incredibly dramatic images like the one featured above yanked at my heart strings and unleashed emotions that I had sequestered as of late. These emotions remind me of my humanity. They make me feel more real - like I am actually living my life. It makes me think of how much I love my family and close friends - how much I value having them in life. They sustain me in times of trial and lift me up in moments of joy.

In my life, I have learned that human connection is the most important thing. It should always come first. Take care of yourself if need be, but do so that you can take care of your family and let them take care of you. These days, being connected to others is top of mind. Perhaps it's this whole post-college-living-on-your-own experience, which has been harder than I imagined it to be. I think everyone experiences it differently, but once you are out in the world living your own life, there is a whole new wave of feelings that you never dreamed possible (and they are not always good). Your life becomes a set of scales that tip from thrilling to terrifying, depending on the day or even the hour. I've always loved the quote, "Life is a great adventure, or nothing at all," and these two women have definitely had an adventure, albeit a horrific one. But at the end of the day, the most important feeling was not the passion for their careers, but the love for their families.

Image can be found here.

My Julia

I feel as though this post on Julia Child is a small trickle in the deluge of publicity and chatter around the famous chef and the upcoming Nora Ephron-directed film, "Julie & Julia." So many people are excited to learn more about this culinary connoisseur from Cambridge. I've read article upon article on Ms. Child's life, as well as that of Julie Powell's. It's made me recall my own experience with Julia Child and her infamous cooking. When I was a young child, I remember watching her show on PBS with my parents every Saturday around lunchtime (yes, I am an only child). My dad would whip up some delightful sandwich or yummy soup and the three of us would gather round the TV for a little "bon appetit" time. Her show, along with The Frugal Gourmet and The Victory Garden, became big part of my childhood. So much so, that one time, when I was four and out shopping with my mummy, I overheard a woman call her daughter "Julia,"and I went up to the little girl to ask if she was Julia Child. Sadly, I was mistaken.

When she lived in Cambridge in the 1970s, my mom ran into Julia at the New Balance shoe store, where they both had gone to buy shoes. My mother overheard Julia remark that she needed very large shoes, and my Internet research says that she wore a size 12 women's shoe. It was fun to share stories about Julia with my mom when I was home a few weeks ago. I recently read an interview with Nora Ephron in Vogue, where both the author of the article and Ephron shared their Julia Child encounters. Now I'm wondering, what is your Julia Child story?
Image can be found here and here.