"I try and make work with the notion that my paintings may have been dragged up from the bottom of the ocean."
Jeremy Miranda - in an interview here.



Some things I'm doing right now (last night, actually):

-Bleaching my hair (for the third time in two weeks -- this shit takes a while when you've had dyed dark hair for ages)

- making 'to-do' and 'to-pack' lists

- trying to think of what clothes to pack for our journey north-ward. Normally this wouldn't be much of a thought, but the thirsty part of me is thinking about my one-night-only pass to NYC to visit some friends. It's been a long time since I felt good wearing anything. I'd like to feel pretty awesome on that night, visiting a city I used to have a love affair with. One wants to look good on these occasions.

-thinking about going to bed, and how awesome it's going to feel when we someday get a bed we really love. Our current one is crap.

-wondering whether we should move to the country or the city.

-thinking about how fantastic the weather has been these past two days, and how lovely it's going to continue to be this weekend.

-thinking about sweaters and other things I like.

-browsing through pictures that illustrate the above thoughts.

xoxo.

















Turned Out

(Some of the above images are unclaimed. Please claim them!)
While Abbott naps this morning I'm rushing about trying to get things in order for this weekend: friends are coming for a two-day visit before we journey with them up to Philadelphia for a week long vacation. I'm sweeping, dusting, doing laundry and, yep, procrastinating. Who cares? This morning when I woke at 5:30 it was already warm-ish outside. Birds were chipping and the squirrels made their first appearance since the beginning of winter. Such a nice surprise made me not care that I was awake so early. (I am super sleepy, however.)




At first I was sort of bummed to find out that it's going to be cold after all when I'm up in Philly and New York next week. But then I thought, No, bring it, Winter. One last time. If it's warming up down south for real (the squirrels and the birds certainly seem convinced that it is,) that means I can pack away our sweaters when I return. Why not use them one last time? I hated winter so much this year, I think I'll try to buddy up to it this week just for a change of attitude.








And suddenly, some more inspiration:

I know I'm not the only actress who looks up to Kate Winslet, but she's done something to me since I was a young girl watching Sense and Sensibility with Ma. Sometimes when I feel like my motivation is lagging, I look at this photo. As I pack my bags I'm muttering audition monologues
under my breath, just to get in the spirit. I happened to take a break, log into Pinterest and here she was again. Coincidence? Thanks again, lady.

(everything courtesy of Bonnie Tsang, who can always be counted on to cheer me up.)

A VACATION FOR THE POOR IS WHAT MEDICINE IN ICE CREAM IS TO A DOG


On Sunday little Abbott and I are headed to Philadelphia on vacation.

We're regretfully going without Andrew, who can't take the time off from work, but I really need the change of scenery and the opportunity came up. It will be the first time I've had to care for him all by myself, but I'm so up for the challenge. We're going to be staying in the house I lived in when we first learned I was pregnant, hosted by my old roommates.


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You have no idea how excited I am for this. Things have been so tough lately that I feel like a spurt out of town will boost my spirits tremendously. One of the things I'll be doing is leaving Abbott with a caring friend for an evening and bussing up to New York to see some great friends and a play they're working on. I'm hoping that will be the kick in the pants I need to start taking my own career's future seriously again.

If you're a regular reader, you know that I've been having a really though time with Postpartum Depression. Recap: had a baby in June, moved to North Carolina where I live in near-complete isolation with the husband and baby - broken up only briefly by pop-in visits from my dad and happy encounters with my neighbors. PPD is a tough cookie even without "starting over" in a brand new town, but add being super poor the the mix, and you're bound to have more Down days than Up. Part of the issue is the financial bind we're constantly in, but the rest is divided between our not knowing what to do with ourselves and the fact that we rarely get out of the house. What to do? Take a trip.

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We'll be in Philly for a week, punctuated by the quick visit to New York. I very much look forward to sharing this trip through photos and anecdotes in the coming weeks. I promise to try to use the good energy and turn it into a different game of life.

I'm about to get a vacation from life as we know it, and it's coming at a time where it's badly needed.





( shoes from Small Earth Vintage / graphic was taken from this awesome poster designed for Asel Art Supply ... isn't it awesome?)


BACK TO THEIR FUTURE


Irina Werning's ongoing project.

"I love old photos. I admit being a nosey photographer. As soon as I step into someone else’s house, I start sniffing for them. Most of us are fascinated by their retro look but to me, it’s imagining how people would feel and look like if they were to reenact them today... A few months ago, I decided to actually do this. So, with my camera, I started inviting people to go back to their future."





Driving Home Quietly




Last night Andrew and I drove home in silence, no doubt trying to stave off the comparisons that anyone in a marriage would have drawn up having just seen Blue Valentine. Luckily, in our case, the parallels stop just after a pregnant afternoon wedding with the court justice, but I was thoughtful anyway, just enough to feel very, very thankful to have Andrew - and, naturally, determined "not to let us end up like those two." Guys, go see this movie. I can't pretend to be a movie critic, and while anyone else with a theater background will have every technical angle covered I'm sure, all I can say is this: I'm very glad we were able to see it. I think it was well done. Beautiful, quite naturally human, sad and honest.





Some things I'm doing right now:

-Bleaching my hair (for the third time in two weeks -- this shit takes a while when you've had dyed dark hair for ages)

- making 'to-do' and 'to-pack' lists

- trying to think of what clothes to pack for our journey north-ward. Normally this wouldn't be much of a thought, but the thirsty part of me is thinking about my one-night-only pass to NYC to visit some friends. It's been a long time since I felt good wearing anything. I'd like to feel pretty awesome on that night, visiting a city I used to have a love affair with. One wants to look good on these occasions.

-thinking about going to bed, and how awesome it's going to feel when we someday get a bed we really love. Our current one is crap.

-wondering whether we should move to the country or the city.

-thinking about how fantastic the weather has been these past two days, and how lovely it's going to continue to be this weekend.

-thinking about sweaters and other things I like.

-browsing through pictures that illustrate the above thoughts.

xoxo.

















Turned Out

(Some of the above images are unclaimed. Please claim them!)