The Simple Sameness

Home to Maine last week was a welcome respite from the quick, unrelenting pace of Washington life. My job had crescendoed in many unexpected ways and I desperately needed a softer tempo to ease the tension. I needed some of that simple sameness that going home always affords. I awoke Wednesday morning to a heaving snowfall, a perfect change from the still humid climes of Virginia. 

We have a quiet, lovely thanksgiving with all the same traditions - the parade, hor d'oeuvres at noon, dinner at four, a walk with the lanthorn (old-fashioned word for lantern) after dinner, and enjoying pie and Miracle on 34th Street (the newer version). 

It felt so very good to be home with the people (and the animals!) that know me best.

Woke up to a foot and half of snow on my first morning home

Mae by a crackling fire

The table set for our Thanksgiving feast

Isabelle warming herself by the stove as the turkey cooks

An early birthday gift - an original oil painting by Maine artist, Vivian Wixom

A Design Journey

My cup continues to runneth over as I continue to settle into my new apartment! I feel so blessed to have this space to call my own and to furnish in accordance with my style. My dear and incredibly thoughtful friend Emily recently sent me Domino: The Book of Decorating to guide me as I begin to bring this comfortable space to life through design (an undertaking that I hope will not break my pocketbook!)!

I hope to post design developments on the blog, showing before and after photos of each area in my humble, yet darling studio apartment.

First off, the picture above is my current nightstand situation: using a chair as a nightstand -- an idea that I discovered through Chelsea Fuss's blog, {frolic!}. Since I have very little furniture right now, I used the chair more out of practicality than fashion, but I really like the idea nonetheless.

I am determined to ensure that this space is not cluttered with furniture and bits and bobs (an English phrase).  Domino asks me to determine my style, and, at the outset, I would like the theme to be English Country with a slight modern edge (but let's face it, it's me so there are going to be florals everywhere). I miss England so and I wish this space to be a little pocket of my favorite country. I chose to have my own place because I require a calm, comforting refuge after a day spent in the chaos of the world.

I am thrilled to begin this little design journey and hope you, my dear friends, will join me! Happy weekending!

Palatial Environs

This day off found me wandering around Capitol Hill. The weather was damp and grey (for a change - it's been gorgeous during this past week). It set a pensive, calm mood for me. I walked from Union Station up to the Capitol, behind the Capitol and over to the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress.    

Though I had experienced these buildings before, I was struck by their incredibly ornate, regal presence. For instance, looking at the back of the Capitol was like looking at one of the great palaces of Europe. Except, there is no monarch here but the People of the United States. My roommate said she always thought of the Capitol as the "People's Palace." I like that.  I was truly humbled by these noble structures - which is exactly why I moved here. To be near things that feel majestic (kind of dorky but true). 

{Walking up to the Capitol}

{The People's Palace, i.e. The Capitol}

{The People's Judicial Centre, i.e. The Supreme Court}

{My heaven, i.e. The Library of Congress}

{Inside the Library of Congress - so regal}

{Carpeting in the LOC's Main Reading room - my type of rug}

{The view from the LOC - my new city!}

Where I Go

A scene from Carousel: A Dance

Everyone has his or her own relationship to music. Why they listen to it. How they listen to it. Some people pay close attention to the lyrics, while others are in it for the rhythm. I fall into the latter category. To be honest, I have to listen to a song MANY times before I remember the lyrics.

The world seems kinder to me with music playing. Life needs a soundtrack! Music serves as a salve to heal my woes and revitalize my spirit. A vehicle of catharsis. I take refuge in the worlds created through each note. I think that's why I have always loved soundtracks. Listening to the orchestral music makes me feel as though I have escaped into another world. I can become a different character - feeling relief from reality for a brief moment.

Below is "Ballet" from the Carousel (1957) soundtrack - a song where I often go for relief and catharsis. Now, I must clarify that I rarely listen to the entire song. If you listen to the first part, the notes are sprightly and mischievous (fun to listen to at times). Then, they grow to be grandiose as the Carousel Waltz plays (oh, I wish we had more waltzing in life).

Then, the rhythm tempers to a gentle beat. I most often go to the place that begins at 5:37 and ends at 6:47. Seventy seconds. I have curled up into those 70 seconds more times than I can count. Violins swell to a dramatic crescendo of grace and strength. It is the part of the ballet where Louise falls in love with the carousel barker - one of the most romantic and beautifully-executed dance sequences. The music here feels like the full-blown manifestation of my inside. And there is such solace in hearing your feelings played back to you. A sort of affirmation - however transient - settles in my heart and I am little bit more whole than I was before visiting this clinic of musical solitude.

Does my love of these seventy seconds seem a bit to particular and quirky? Or do you have moments in a song that resonate? Why do you listen to music (if you do)?



The 1957 film version:




Image found here.

An Eccentric Weekend

Sometimes you just need to let your crazy side come out. Or, rather your eccentric side as highlighted in this Vanity Fair article and slide show, a profile of some of the most eccentric characters in the British Isles. Above, is Grayson Perry, a West London artist, who is wearing a crinoline dress to accept the 2003 Turner Prize, which he won for his pottery work. Doesn't he look pretty? Hahaha.

Happy weekend to you all! May you bring out your crazy sides this weekend!

Image found here.

The First Waltz

The First Waltz. So romantic. A pair falling in love. Oh, to wear such fine silks and florals and have a dashing young royal whisk you about the dance floor.

I've been listening to The Young Victoria soundtrack on repeat (this is the last post of this film, I promise!). The music by Ilan Eshkeri is illustrious, inspiring, and reminiscent of my beloved England.

The First Waltz - Ilan Eshkeri

Image found here.

A Weekend of Petals

I wore this rose in my hair today, a bit of whimsy in celebration of more relaxed times this weekend. I hope to buy some flowers to spruce up the winter doldrums pervading my mind - perhaps some wee African violets for my window sill and some pink tulips on my desk! Flowers are particularly reverent for me during the winter, a time when they are scarce and their fragile construct seems so impressively resilient. Winter florals are beacons leading us to warmer times - my favorite season - spring!

My City

Indeed another New York City post for I have returned once more to what is increasingly becoming my favorite city. The apple of my eye. This visit was for my new job. In between all the new ropes to learn and content to absorb, I found spare bits of time to explore the city even further and on my own. This independence became my true friending of this vast metropolis. The view from my hotel window showed an ethereal gold hand from Madame Tussuad's (see here in a tilt shift-style photo), a strangely comforting object to see amidst the vast linear architecture of Times Square.

{A room with a view of Times Square}

Though I was based in Times Square for the three days, I tried to move beyond the "center of the civilized world." In the late evening, I wandered the streets as a means to understand the city 'scape. I passed by the Palace Theater, currently the home of my beloved West Side Story. While tempted to see an encore of the show (after my thrilling autumnal experience), I was unable to steal away from my work duties to make an 8 o'clock show. In the early evening, I walked up East 42nd street to Grand Central Station where I procured a small cappuccino at a delicious, albeit pricey cafe. I leaned against a wall in the vast main room of the station, pretending I was meeting someone, a dashing young man perhaps, when really I was observing the streams of people whose busy paths intersected eamlessly and sometimes clumsily, as they journeyed to their destinations.

{Snazzy cars zip by the marquis of Broadway}

I strolled down West 44th street for an evening work event at the Harvard Club (very "shay-shay," my term for upper-crusty and possibly pretentious) and after, stole away to the Algonquin Hotel bar where I sat in a corner booth and enjoyed my favorite cocktail, a gin and tonic. Here I sensed the witty, bitting presence of Dorthy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table. I surveyed the scene: a pair of businessman discussing stocks and new hires over oysters and martinis. Two young British men, in slim, dark jeans and matching striped cashmere sweaters nibbled bar nuts and drank thick, dark drafts of stout. Never before had I sat by myself at a bar and this classy, historic venue was just the ticket for this new experience. I felt a kinship with the scene and a sudden comfort in the city.

{Pricey drinks at the Algonquin Hotel}

This interlude energized me to stroll around the area and I soon found myself at Bryant Park where a skating rink and outdoor cafe had been erected. The cafe's translucent white tents and the brilliant white spot lights created an ethereal effect amidst the dark city night. This city breathes such possibility into me. It seems to fit me like that pair of black suede Dansko boots I magically found in a thrift store. Nothing ever fit so well. Boston-bound for now, who knows what may come in the months ahead!

{Bryant Park Skating Rink}

A New Day

Out with the old (a view of MIT and Cambridge)...

...and in with the new (downtown Boston)!

A glorious day! Not only is the sun beaming down on the frozen Boston 'scape, but I am moving to a new point in my professional career, as it were. A point where I will be writing! Yes, friends, writing will once again be my trade, my big meal ticket. Hooray! Writing has always been so very natural to me (I know many of my blogging friends can relate). A frequent pastime in college, this skill of mine has lapsed over the years. The miracle of this blog and encouragement from my few, but oh-so-treasured readers has remedied this deficit of creativity. A change of this kind reaffirms a life, energizes the spirit. A new epoch for me awaits in the coming weeks. Until the thick of it begins, I will be traveling to NYC for a little Colbert Report viewing, some law school inquiring (a journey to be tucked away for a year or two), and lots of friend-visiting.

May these next winter days be joyful for you all! xo

My Blogging Space

Inspired by others like Meg from The Wild and Wily Ways of a Brunette Bombshell and erin from reading my tea leaves, I snapped a photo of my blogging space - my bedroom desk. I crave to someday have a separate creative space, but for now I am lucky to have this sweet little place right by the window, which lets in a soft light and allows for daydreaming and gazing at the outside world. I put that desk together a few years ago, finding the legs and frame abandoned in my parents' barn and nailing a sturdy wooden board for a top then painting the entire piece in white paint. The ribbon board was made by my ever-crafty mother from one of my old bulletin boards. It contains cards from loved ones and images that most inspire me. As recently reminded by Dani of ...like a rolling stone, everything is a gift and this blogging space is no exception. Where do you blog, my friends?

Of Hope

{Narcissus - a flower of hope, rebirth, and new beginnings}

So begins my reflections of 2009. If anything, this year was not the friendliest to my spirit. However, I found many cheery moments. If anything, this year showed me how lucky I am to have all the people I have found in my life and through this blog! You are all gifts!

So this year and decade draw to a close, and a new time throws back its crisp, fresh curtains to all that lies ahead. This is the part I have been waiting for. I hopeful that this time to come will be my brass ring.

In thinking about these past ten years, these past twelve months, I marvel at all the joys and trials, how they have changed us and how, in some cases, we have refused to change, refused to succumb to things that would cause more harm than good. I think about how I've changed since the start of this decade - in many ways, I started very closed and focused on a few straightforward goals of being a "good girl," studying hard to advance in life, and enjoying a simple, quiet life in the tranquil Maine woods. There were times when I clung to this lifestyle more tightly than I ought - there were times when I should have let go, but I didn't. These small chinks of opportunity were filled whole with my fear of change. I dreaded change as much as I wanted it.

But no more. In this new time, I hope to be more open to change. I will crave it and welcome it. This is a promise I make to myself. A simple resolution I carry in my pocket. I am hopeful! I wish you all, dear friends, hope and joy for your own lives in the coming time!

Birthday Business

'Tis my birthday time of year, friends! As a kid, I recall such excitement flowing through my young limbs during the days leading up to my birthday. Especially the night before. I would lie awake in my bed, listening to my mom bring down my presents. Hearing the crinkle of paper told me that she was putting my birthday sign up, which read, "Happy Birthday, Emily Cora," written in her fantastic bubble letters (she really has some mean bubble lettering skills) and containing pictures drawn by her of all the different themes for my birthday cake - Belle, Misty of Chincoteague, dinosaurs, Isabelle, our family's cat. I cherish that sign. It symbolizes how much I know my momma loves me.

There's something notable about your birthday that makes you feel magical inside - perhaps invincible even. While a little of the specialness becomes tainted by reality and age, I can't help but feel a certain giddiness as I anticipate the coming weekend!

My first gift is the tops! From my dear friend and roommate, Emily, some personal cards from moo! I had been thinking about getting some cards and the doll beat me to it! Thanks, friend!


Image found here.

A Fine Fir

Before I left the cozy confines of my Maine home, we went to get our Christmas tree! When we lived in the country, we would drive down the road to a tree farm and chop a tree down (I know, global warming). We would trump through the rows of trees, deliberating over the various trees we liked. The air - cold, crisp, fresh - inspired the spirit of the coming holiday and ensuing winter months. There is something about being deep in the woods that makes me feel wholly alive.

We walked through a sea of prickly green...

...when, lo, my mom spied the ideal holiday fir to grace our home!
Later in the day, Mae and I helped my dad hang holiday lights around the outside of the house. This year my family is using LED lights to cut energy costs. They give a brilliant white, almost blue light, that took some getting used to after years of golden sparkle lights.
In the corner of the backyard, my dad strung colored lights on a tall spruce. It is so pleasing to pear out the back window on a winter's night and see those warm lights winking at you amidst the darkness!

Thanksgiving At Home

I awoke Thanksgiving morning to a beautiful table set by my mother - doesn't she have a flair for decorating?

Next, I checked on the freshly-baked pies, pumpkin and apple. Perfect tartes for our enjoyment later in the day.

The chef, hard at work!

My dad rose early and worked tirelessly to prepare all the delectable dishes we would so fortunately eat. Above, the hallowed stuffing is in the works!

The damp, grey day made us feel cozy and warm indoors. Looking out on the backyard, I could see all my mother's beautiful gardens had been laid to rest for the coming winter months.

As part of tradition, I watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - my favorite moments being the performances from the latest Broadway shows, the Rockettes, and the floats that had people singing Christmas carols. Afterwards, I caught a little of the National Dog Show and Sadie, a Scottie dog who won last year! Isn't she pretty? I just love Scottie Dogs!

The end of the parade heralds the start of the Christmas season and the inaugural playing of my favorite Christmas album, the soundtrack to the movie, Miracle On 34th Street. The album reminds me of a classic Christmas feel - of older, simpler times. A true feeling of the holidays.

We enjoyed a lovely roaring fire!

Our family friend from Massachusetts came to our home to celebrate the holiday with us, and once she arrived, we had a light lunch of hor d'oeurves: salmon salad with baguettes, crab dip with crackers, and a veggie platter with a yummy ranch dip. My dad mulled some organic cider to warm our souls while we dined on the yummy snacks!

After lunch, I took our family's dog, Mae, out into the backyard and threw the ball for her. Here she, mid-jump, trying to catch that ball!

My mom's pretty little gardening shed. It makes me think of our old house in the Maine woods in its rustic color and design. It's a lovely addition to the backyard.

My Thanksgiving attire. A brown silk dress from Banana Republic. Brown opaque tights. Teal suede and patent leather heels (they are SO high!). Cool, earthy tones for this autumnal holiday.

Getting ready for the big event!

Mae hides from the turkey!

A glass bird full of sweet cranberry sauce.

The bird, itself. Isn't it pretty? I didn't eat that much since I am become a quasi-vegetarian.

Our Thanksgiving table!

Happy Thanksgiving!