Sunday, January 30, 2011

after all...


i've been searching for this book in stores since last may when i say it on my favorite professor's desk. then i saw it when i was in san francisco, and finally today i own it. having just come to paperback, this is the tale of love, friendship, and growing up. i haven't even started, and already i feel like i may be entering the perfect world of artistic and creative goodness. 

here's just a little internet blurb:
Smith's evocative, honest, and moving coming-of-age story reveals her extraordinary relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Part romance, part elegy, "Just Kids" is about friendship in the truest sense, and the artist's calling.

can't wait to get reading!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

yes, yes i did


i just really like this song and this glee episode. my sister would say i should have the nerve to post the unedited version, but, to be honest, i don't.

and on this saturday night. as i think about what to write about tomorrow and the fact that it's been a few days since i've posted anything, i'm just ready to jam along to this song.

happy weekend!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

be the change


it's been two years. the crowds have disappeared. the bumper stickers are fading, some torn off for good, others fraying at the edges. we are now living our history. 

tonight was obama's state of the union address. i watch it every year. i find obama fascinating. he is engaging, strong, and sometimes funny (please tell me you didn't miss the salmon joke). no matter what your political affiliations, there is something awesome (in the truest sense of the word) in politics. in it working. in the always present fight to do what is right, to have the wisdom to admit faults and be humble in success. 

there has been a lot of grief given to obama about his campaign motto. change. change is a funny thing. the definition is to make the form or course of something different to what it would be if uninterrupted

that got me thinking. got me thinking of expectations. of the judgement of success. of people's perception of individual actions. 

Gandhi said, ever so infamously, Be the change you wish to see in the world...

change. 
shift direction. 
shift direction. on purpose. with intention. 

DC, January 2009

Monday, January 24, 2011

hopeless romance...even for a cynic


when i saw "BHLDN" as the title to a strong aesthetic i thought mallory might have lost her mind. as i scrolled to the pictures i gasped at the gorgeous photos and thought the slogan "be you, be loved" was quite appropriate. i made an awkward screeching sound when i realized that she was announcing her discovery of anthropologie's new wedding line. 

i know. 

shut.the.front.door. 

so, obviously, i had to repost. this is knowledge that must be shared. i've always said that i'll be the last one of my friends to be married. i'm the cynic. but this luxurious line of dresses, shoes, and accessories could convert, well, even me. they are so uber fabulous.

bhldn (pronounced "beholden") will be launched online february 14...so fitting, right? a boutique will follow in august. with all the glamor and all the class of anthropologie, i am sure this will be a first stop for all brides. (even, one day in the FAR future, me)

to check them out, and sign up for their newsletter, and see the other marvelous pictures visit http://bhldn.com

enjoy the awesomeness. and let me know what you think. 

Saturday, January 22, 2011

must see!


my brother introduced me to this movie. looks so freakin' good. 

counting down the days until march...

Friday, January 21, 2011

happy happy weekend!


it's finally friday! happy weekend lovelies! 

here's a little bit of what i'll be up to and what i'm looking at these days...

where i eat...yum-o!

so stalking this site, and trying to look accordingly

my mom wants me to be her date for this movie...super adorable

i'm trying to be a better reader this year...so i'm re-reading this because it's my brother's favorite (plus, it's kinda a big deal) and then i want to see the movie (because it's a big deal too)

what would a favorite thing be without an outfit? loving this one!

cannot wait for the new spring line of wallets!

ahhh, weekends...the time when kicking off your shoes is actually expected...




Thursday, January 20, 2011

pearls of wisdom


wise words, right? i follow (really the right word is stalk) a strong aesthetic by a mutual friend who posted this quote as her inspirational thought of the day. i keep reading it over and over again and thought it was totally worthy of a repost. 


definitely something to think about. 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

baggage


as the pictures have said and if you've been following my posts at all, i was in boston this past weekend. four days away. away from my closet that is. hello, my name is mary and i am a horrible overpacker. i pack way too much all the time. on the plus side, i always have the right thing that someone else forgot, on the down side my suitcase is always very heavy. 

this past trip i did pack too much..again. and it was ridiculous! savoy packed so light and did it so well. from the picture above you can see my huge duffle next to me. and the big purse (which ended up breaking by the end of the weekend...a sure tell sign i carry too much around with me on a daily basis). 

this picture, me and my baggage (and the wonderful mfa, boston) got me thinking about baggage in all sense of the word. i carry around a lot of mental and emotional baggage. (i mean at least i'll admit it.) and just like my clothing, some of this stuff i need to let go. 

when the girls and i are together we try to make new year goals (not resolutions, those never work). one of my goals was to let go and by letting go find some peace and gratitude for the present. it occurs to me that by holding on to all the extras and clinging to the past, there isn't much room for the present. 

so this is my new challenge. i'm going to let go. of feelings, of people, of what ifs, of regrets. i'm going to (try) and let them go. 

because in the end, i'm going to need some space for the greatness for today and tomorrow. 

and vacation shopping. 

(p.s. the picture is taken by my dear friend savoy in front of the museum of fine arts, boston)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

bold.beautiful.boston.

Boston brownstones. aka the soon to be homes of r2m (i claimed the middle one)
the coolest bookstore ever. the guy could grab a book from the middle of a floor to ceiling stack without knocking over the whole thing. (salem, ma)

chez leary. beverly, ma. say "hi" savoy!

leary and savoy walking down the streets of ipswich, ma
savoy soaking in the sights...
mfa, boston 


we laughed. we hugged. we ate. 

it was a marvelous weekend is boston with the best friends. friendship is amazing in that when it's good you can pick up right where you left off no matter how long it has been. 

the rachels remind me of who i am at my essence. how i can be awkward and silly and yet highly poised. they are embracing and nonjudgemental. wonderful, wonderful people. 

new england is awesome in the winter. covered in feet of snow, there is a chill and a silence to the area that is enchanting. i could live there forever (i like to think it's because i was born in rhode island and my mom is from new jersey...i'm a new englander at heart). 

being a bostonian was great. i hope you enjoy this tiny sampling of pictures from the weekend. we traveled all over the 'burbs of boston...beverly, salem, ipswich...and bookended it in the heart of it all...

i do adore city life

Thursday, January 13, 2011

r2m takes over boston

r2M

this weekend it's all about the girls. me and two of my best friends are rendez-vous(ing) in boston where one bff goes to graduate school. we are taking over boston and impeding her studying for some good old quality friend time. 

i've been home since may and loved every minute of it. spending time with my family is exactly what i should be doing right now. but coming from a college community, and being myself and making friends late, leaving those friends was a very hard thing to do. now me and the rachels are in three different cities leading three different lives. there is no para every night. no coordinating outfits late at night. no sleepovers. skype dates and long emails are the basis of us at this moment. 

and i miss them dearly. 

so this weekend we are getting back to basics. we are making us a priority. back to hours at coffee shops, long lunches, wine with every meal and tons of shopping. 

i wish i could have this kind of quality time with all my friends all the time (michigan, charlottesville, new york). but right now there is something else planned. all of my friends and i are doing some growing up and self discovery on our own. 

i'm just glad that at the end of the day, there will still just be us. 

and maybe a coffee shop. 

(ps the picture is one from our photo shoot with our dear friend barrie...love it)

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

melancholic mood music--video of the week



every time my brother comes home, or when i used to come home, i would beg and plea for a mixed cd. my brother has awesome taste in music and knows the best songs. this break i got my playlist.

i'm becoming a big fan of alternative rock and a genre i like to call folk pop (think bon iver). and classics like U2, madonna (i'm eclectic, i can dig it).

so in this mixed cd my brother introduced me to blue october, the band in the music video. their song "hate me" is really dark and twisty and so true. it's the real story behind needing space, letting go, and the sadness sometimes behind "it's not you, it's me."

if loving someone means letting them go, maybe this is a song everyone can relate it.

or maybe it's just me...

Monday, January 10, 2011

i want it


i. LOVE. this.  

i love the length of the skirt (holler to a little length, the mini is of limited use in the real world), the mixed patterns, the fully buttoned shirt. and who doesn't want to rock a scarf as a true parisian would? 

i'm not sure i'll be brave enough to do so much pattern in one outfit, but i am certainly going to try. usually a color hog, i'm definitely going to have to incorporate more pattern (and i've certainly been stocking up on the plaid...i'm seeing some severe outfit trials in the future).

what about you? dare you try some patterns...


Friday, January 7, 2011

video of the week...tgif!



i love this song. it's cute, simple, and so much fun to sing along to in the car while sitting in traffic. my favorite lyric is "we may only have tonight, but til the morning sun you're mine...all mine"...it's kinda corny/ romantic, but i still like it!

so this weekend, have a little fun and relax with the plain white T's.

TGIF!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

at work today...


at work this week the new spring line for men and women arrived. and let me say, i love it so very much. it's all cotton and layers, florals, oranges and pinks. while i'm a HUGE fan of winter, there is something idyllic about dreams of wildflowers and warmer days, long walks and later days. it may only be january, but in fashion world spring is really only a hop, skip, and a jump away.

 i think i'll have to pick up a new pair of boyfriend jeans, some cotton cardigans, and a paper thin floral scarf. 

so besides that infamous spring cleaning...what's on your spring list?

(p.s. picture number 2 is lc's favorite whereas picture number 3 is mine...love the model, love the props, love the overall look)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

things to remember never to forget

January 2010 snowstorm overtakes Charlottesville, UVA Chapel 
Springtime in Washington DC! Cherry Blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial

FLY House Lovin' 09-10 
we LOVE para! thanks barrie!
UVA Graduation 2010 (I'm the gold star balloon)
may the force be with you
Lombard St, San Francisco CA 
the Golden Gate Bridge, under fog, which is really most of the time
Sausalito, CA
California State Capitol
Sacramento, CA
Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Relay for Life, Survivors Tent, Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach Snowstorm, December 2010
Busch Gardens Christmas Town (France)
Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!


one year. it's been a wild ride...who knows what could happen next?