to do in oh nine: march

monthly inventory.

☆2008 leftovers☆

1 1-stop biting my nails
i got gel nails as an attempt to keep myself from biting/picking at my nails. while i can't because they are super hard, i still want to.

3 13-keep in touch with friends back home - mail a letter to someone once a month (2/12)
i've got the postcard written. i just need to dig up the address and lick the stamp.

6 32-read more - read one book a month (2/12)
yikes. i didn't read anything. chelsea even sent me a book for my birthday. will read it in april!


☆habits☆
(beauty, diet, study, exercise)

1 stick with a face skin care routine
i slacked off this month, maybe half the time. but it doesn't seem to have made a difference one way or the other.

2 eat breakfast before work (/everyday, once i quit teaching)
i think there were a couple days i didn't eat before work. now that work is over, i'm not good about eating breakfast. speaking of which, maybe i'll make eggs this morning.

3 make a japanese study schedule and stick to it (esp. once i quit teaching)
i've got a rough outline. just need to make specific deadlines and goals.

4 hoop (or do some kind of exercise) three times a week, even for just 10 minutes
zero hooping this month. i do feel like i do a lot of walking throughout the day by walking one station then getting the train, or walking around shibuya (aka shopping). but i do need to get back on the wagon...


☆one time deals☆

none. yikes.


☆multiple time deals☆

1 apartment cleaning
kitchen pantry area. and i cleaned out the sink drain, cleaned the toilet, gave the floors a wipe down with Mr. Clean and put away random stuff that was all over. i'm so bad at cleaning on a regular basis, but at least it's been upgraded from a disaster zone to a presentable state. well, it rotates between the two.

2 make 6 things on my sewing machine (2.5/6)
still working on my charm quilt...

5 call home once a month (1/12)
i called home and talked to my dad for 2 and a half minutes. ha.

7 try out kumon (or other japanese language school) for one month (may?)
i'm thinking that this time around, i'm gonna try to go it on my own. if i don't pass in july, i'll be retrying in december, and might go to some kind of japanese school.


things for next month:
○ send my brother a birthday present.
○ with my parents visiting for ten days and two weeks in thailand, i won't be around to do much else. but, thailand does kill two birds (new foreign country and travel alone) with one stone. :)

macro monday

tokyo
march 26, 2008
1:17pm

sunday ☆s

☆ i got my nails done on thursday. gel nails. it's basially like really really hard nail polish that sets under a UV light. so, it's less like fake nails in that it just goes on over your real nails. i got pinkish/purplish glitter added in french manicure style. it's very un-me, in the girly sense, but they do look nice. ;)

☆ i sewed a couple more stars on my charm quilt (i'm quilting different size stars all over instead of free motion quilting or straight lines...) the other day too. i haven't completely forgotten it; it's just coming along very slowly.

☆ friday i got a bikini wax and my underarms waxed. i've gotten a bikini wax before, but it was a first for my underarms. i might even be willing to say that getting your underarms waxed hurts more than a bikini wax. (p.s. i know i don't have the income to be getting my nails done and all this, but at the same time, i feel like i just need to treat myself to something nice and be well groomed. haha.)

☆ yesterday i made curry rice over an open fire. it was fun, but i had to write something in japanese afterward, and i got all flustered and couldn't write anything and got upset about it. serious motivation for studying. i'm tired of not being able to write what i'm thinking.

☆ i went to my first hanami party of the season today. it was a beautiful sunny afternoon in yoyogi koen, and i enjoyed the beginning of the spring with probably close to 300 suited 20-something year olds. i had a couple drinks, ate some food, took a couple photos (no macro yet) and spontaneously joined in on a group jump rope that was happening at a neighboring party.

☆ i've been getting headaches lately. and my stomach is acting up too. it was bad when i walked Karaoke Boy to the station the other day, it hurt yesterday after eating curry rice, and it hurts now after a hamburg/rice dinner at Gusto. i think i have a sensitive stomach, but hardly ever get bad headaches. maybe it's my version of hayfever?

☆ i went to Gusto by myself for dinner tonight. i had parked my bike by station A but came home to station B so i had to go get my bike. on my way there, i noticed the Gusto sign. not that i haven't noticed it before, or maybe i haven't? either way, i stopped in after getting my bike and they have DRINK BAR! i love me a good drink bar. haha. i foresee using it as a study spot here and there. after a day of being in a big group of people and putting on a happy face, it was nice to sit and not have to figure out what to talk about or entertain or make polite small talk. i really enjoyed walking to get my bike and might have to put "evening walk" on my list of things to do every day now that the weather is getting nice.

☆ my patience and ability to tolerate this that and the other thing are wearing thin. i'm tired. i don't know from what, but...just life? that sounds really pathetic, but i am. just tired of people. or, i get worn down so easily from being with people. i used to think i was a complete extrovert, and part of me definitely is, but i'm wondering if there's not quite a bit of introvert in me too. i usually don't like traveling alone and was worried about thailand, but now i am beginning to think two weeks alone might be just what i needed to get my fill of "me" time and then come back and be recharged.

☆ i'm going to disney sea tomorrow. it's the otsukaresama-kai for the 3rd year teachers. it'll be nice to see everyone in a different setting than school.

☆ my apartment has quickly gone back to disaster zone. must clean on tuesday because...

☆ my parents are coming to japan on wednesday!!!!!! it doesn't seem like it's only 3 days away because i've got a hundred and one other things going on, but when i stop and think about it, i am super excited. i can't wait to show them my life here. sadly i have no desk at work anymore, but i'm most definitely taking them there, and to all my favorite restaurants and all the tourist spots too (nikko, tokyo, kyoto, hiroshima). plus! they are bringing 5 friends, so it's seven completely non-japanese speaking adults and me. yeah, it's gonna be an intense 10 days.

☆ okay, it's bedtime.

ベンキョウのシゲキ*

*literally "motivation for studying"

date: 2009年03月28日
time: 21:45
subject: ベンキョウのシゲキ


今日、神奈川に行って、キャンプ所でカレーライスを作ってきました。

実は、作ったことなかった。たしかに、中学校の遠足で作ってたけど、生徒が作り、自分は火起こしたり、写真撮ったりしてたから、実際に作ってなかった。

家でも作らない。ま〜これから、作ろうかなとはちょっと思う。

片付け終わったら、ちょっと文書を書くところがあった。日本語（漢字も、良い文書も、自分が思ってることも、全体的に）手書きできなくて、ほっんとうに悔しかった。涙でる程度。本当に…もう嫌だ。

というところで、帰ってきて、頭痛でも、その（この？）悔しさにたまんないから、まず、２級用の漢字のテキストを開いて、百円ショップで売ってるリング付きの単語カードを作ってる。もう２級受かったけど、まだ知らない漢字もあるし、ちょっと復習から入ったほうがいいかなっと。

読めても全然書けない自分がいるって知ってたけど、どれぐらい書けないって最近本当に気付いてる。書けるようになりたいけど、最初（ってゆか試験）には読めればいいから、まずそっから。書く練習もやるけど、とりあえず、２級の漢字を全部単語カードに書こう〜。

けどまだ８１語。

が〜。

２級、７０７語だからね。

しかも、ここで、１級の数字を言おうっか？

…は〜、はい、９０７語。

４級〜１級の漢字、全部で１９４５語になるね。

が〜。

でも、やっぱり、勉強を諦めたいとき、今日の悔しさを思い出すだけで続けられる気持ちになるだろう。

なんか最近、気持ちの波が普段ヨリはげしくなってるみたい…＞＜　ちょっと現実の実感？一人の時間が多くて、気が弱くなってるかも。人にすぐに疲れちゃう。自分の時間は大事だと思うけど、一人で居すぎて、一人でしか居られないようになってるんじゃないかのがちょっと心配。ん〜そうなってもいいのか。ん〜どうだろう。

ま〜とりあえず、今日はもう寝よ。明日はまた新しい一日が来るからさ…

Karaoke Boy up to bat

yesterday Karaoke Boy came over. we agreed to meet at the station at 1:30.

1:30 - i arrived at the station. at exactly 1:30.
1:38 - still no Karaoke Boy. i texted, "where are you now?"
1:45 - finally a reply, "one station away"
1:48 - another text, "i arrived"
1:53 - he finally came sauntering out of the ticket gate.

no, "sorry i'm late" or "thanks for waiting" or anything until i jokingly said, "you have no problems being late, huh..." to which he said, "oh, sorry." and gave some lame excuse about how he went to the north exit instead of the south exit.

strike one. please, thank you, and i'm sorry go a LONG way buddy. if you're gonna be late, a heads up is greatly appreciated. if i would have known he was 20 minutes late, i wouldn't have rushed to finish that email to my mom or walked quickly to the station to get there on time. nor would i have waited out in the cold under my umbrella.

we originally had planned to grab lunch near ueno and he had said, "somewhere cheap please." that was a couple days ago and the red flag went up a little bit. don't get me wrong, i don't have anything against wanting to save money or being thrifty (at all!) but i've only met this guy once and it seems he just wants to get some action, and being cheap is not anyway to impress a lady. then the day before yesterday, i didn't feel like going out and just wanted to take it easy at home, so we decided to make lunch at my place. so on the way home, we stopped by the grocery store. on our way there, he asks if the super market is cheap. really?? neither of us were feeling very "let's cook!" so we ended up just getting ready made bentos. whatever, i'm not fussy, really. but when i picked up a little box of tsukemono, he looked at the 190yen price and said, "whoa, they're expensive." alright...

strike two. i can understand being conscious of money and making choices based on your budget, but you don't have to vocalize it everytime. it just makes you look super stingy.

after lunch, there was, in interest of keeping this blog on the safe side of the TMI line, some cuddling. ;P he's your typical 20 year old boy (yes, he's 20...let's leave that for another discussion). for better or for worse. i'm not one to play games, and even before he came over, i drew some lines and expected them to be respected. he kept pushing and maybe he thought i was just playing hard to get or that "no" was another word for "yes please"? i don't know, but in the end, i felt like he was just after one thing and kept trying to find ways to get me to give in faster. at one point, we actually had some serious conversation and he contended that he liked me and wasn't just playing around, but i don't know how someone who hardly knows me can say that. and, his hands only wandered to the obvious places. boy, there is so much more than that!! it's a total disservice to other "non sexual" places like arms, hands, ears, heads and backs! plus he is super ticklish, which just doesn't work for me. it reconfirmed my belief that there are people you "click with" under the covers, and some you don't. sadly, he falls into the second group.

strike three, you're out, Karaoke Boy. it was fun, but i'm not really interested in having to continually remind any romantic interest that i when i say no, i mean no. or have to teach you that even tiny gestures go a long way. i can excuse some things to being young, but by 20 you've gotta realize that if you don't value and respect other people's time and energy and boundaries, they won't hang around long. and they most definitely won't give you something just because you want it. all the compliments become empty if your actions are saying something else.


p.s. before going home, he spent a full 10 minutes "fixing" his hair with borrowed hair wax that i had laying around from when Carr used to come over. add to that his big "celeb" style sunglasses when it's already dark out...yeah, he's just not my type.

NEXT!

things i love thursday

.onsens.
."spring break".
.english muffins.
.a clean apartment.
.matching your bra and underwear.
.walking to the next station, then using the train.
.getting "dressed up" just because.
.karaoke.
.stars.

text message: guilty as charged

-----------------
date: today
time: 16:26
to: chelsea

may or may not
have just made
out in a karaoke
room.

hope you are
having a lovely
monday too. ;)

-----------------


i felt like a high school kid sneaking behind the bleachers at the friday night football game. i didn't actually ever do that, though, in hindsight, i kind of wish i had!

unfortunately (?) it was with a boy i don't imagine myself dating, and i am not holding my breath for anything more to come of it than the occasional "let's hang out" invite or booty call, both of which in his mind are probably equivalent to the latter.

for what it's worth, (700yen for karaoke and 200yen for tea at doutor, to be exact) i do feel slightly sleazy, but hey, everyone wants to hold hands and walk down the street with a cute boy every once in awhile, no?

young and free and spring is in the air. yeah, guilty as charged. ;P




1:56am edit

loneliness + a persistent boy = nothing but trouble
and yet, i let it happen. or don't i?
this week shall be interesting...

macro monday

tokyo
october 13, 2008
7:19pm

(i met HARIKEN almost exactly a year ago at FRAGMENT. i pretended i didn't speak japanese because he initiated conversation about his artwork in (albeit broken) english first. after about 5 minutes, he hit a wall and a japanese word slipped out, so i confessed that i could speak japanese. he couldn't believe i made him struggle in english for so long. we laugh about it still.)

first ever blog award!

jojoebi sent this award my way...way back in january, and it made my day! i couldn't believe *i* made the list of people who inspire *her*! i love reading about her latest sewing project or montessori activity and am not only impressed, but always inspired to create things. she's got some great things (over here) and has an adorable son to boot! thank you jojoebi!!



i think there was some rule like, "list 6 things and tag 6 people that inspire you" which i couldn't come up with at the time and so i never posted. but then, today i was out shopping and remembered the award and figured it was about time to make that list.

people/blogs/sites that inspire me, in no particular order:

☆design*sponge
i LOVE the before/after posts and all the sneak peeks into people's apartments. i love seeing how other people live.

☆nienie
i came across her blog last august 2008, after the accident. i might have spent the better of an afternoon reading all her archives. i love her photos and the stories she tells. she is an amazing woman.

☆c jane
nienie's sister. i love her sense of humor. she always makes me smile.

☆gypsy feet
photos of feet. feet of people everywhere. it's great!

☆sherm
i stumbled across her blog somewhere along the way too. turns out she's a professional photographer (weddings, engagement photos, etc.) and her photos have a certain style that i really like.

☆sycamorestirrings
i stumbled across her blog one day and have been hooked ever since. she could possibly be credited with jump starting my sewing craze.

☆vintage fern
it's hard to believe she's only a few years older than me, with 3 daughters! that aside, she's super crafty. lately she's been doing a lot of quilting and it makes me want to get behind the sewing machine.

☆everyone else over at the SCRAPDOWN
not much explanation is necessary. bring on the quilting and sewing!

☆HARIKEN
i went to a live paint event he did in shibuya today. he's a funky illustrator and never fails to inspire me. his style is a bit different than mine, but just being around someone so passionate about their art inspires the artist in me.

☆gala darling
the best way to describe her, in my mind, is unapologetically gala. she lives her life according to her standards and does it with bright pink hair and an even brighter smile. she was the inspiration for things i love thursday.

☆sushizume
she is one hot hooper. if it weren't for her, i wouldn't have three hoops or be looking forward to hoopy days in the park now that spring is making its way to tokyo.

☆flickr.com
eye candy for a person who never tires of looking at photos.



things/places that inspire me:

☆tokyo
plain and simple.

☆loft
today they had a bunch of artists' work on display (all weekend in fact for those near shibuya) and i bought a couple postcards. it's really just floor after floor of colorful inspiration. kitchenware, furniture, curtains, notebooks, markers, lighting, clocks, etc etc.

☆tokyu hands
the everything-you-could-possibly need store. lots of DIY supplies - the supplier of 5,000yen of "stuff" for my next project undertaking. stay tuned! ;)

☆tomato
fabric fabric fabric! fabulous store in nippori.

☆francfranc
interior design type store. today i bought a set of fake flower magnets to spruce up my kitchen. photos to come. maybe.




in other news, lots has been going on this month: high school graduation, the school ski trip, the middle school end of the year party, middle school graduation, a congratulations party, the all employee farewell/welcome party, and tomorrow i'm off on the employee trip (overnight at an onsen!). i've got hundreds of photos. i just wish i had more bloggy energy to make them into actual posts. maybe next week.


p.s. today is the first official day of spring! yay!

things i love thursday

.more fresh flowers.
."to jo" one-of-a-kind signed artwork.
.costco spicy chicken pizza.
.licking the brownie mix bowl.
.laying in the sun on a tuesday afternoon.
.flirting to forget.
.sparkly manicured nails.
.cranberry grape juice.
.today is my last day of work.

treading air

please don't push me.



please.








it's been a long week.


a long month.




a long two and a half years.




i just have to hang in a little bit longer.

it feels like this heaviness will never go away.


i'm just trying to not drown.



tomorrow is the closing ceremony and the end of the school year employee party.

then one day next week to finish up loose ends and completely pack up my desk.



but i'm afraid that this is not all related to work.

that once work is over, it'll still be here.

and then what do i do...

macro monday

tokyo
february 18, 2009
1:19pm

Yokohama update

i hate that i let a stupid boy ruin my good mood.

i haven't really texted much with Yokohama recently. partly because i resigned myself to wait for him to take any little bit of initiative. but, alas, he never did.

last week, Yokohama texted me, in response to a text i sent him, on my birthday (a mere coincidence. he doesn't know when my birthday is) and i replied and put "birthday!" in the subject line. then he never replied.

that was last thursday. finally this past friday, i gave in and texted him again. i saw a poster in the train for an exhibition at the tokyo photography museum and i invited him. i asked when his next free day off was.

he wrote back last last night (saturday night) and said that he doesn't have a lot of free time but that the evening of the 16th is free.

i wrote back this morning to say that i wasn't free on the 16th and asked about next week. then later this evening, i got a text from a coworker saying that the farewell party that was supposed to be tomorrow got called off. i considered texting Yokohama to tell him i was free now, but figured i'd just take the evening to myself and left my offer stand at next week.

Yokohama wrote back about an hour ago and said that he doesn't have next week's shift schedule yet but that he's got a lot of plans so we probably couldn't get together.

so i decided to tell him tomorrow night opened up and also that after next week, i'll be out of tokyo and then out of japan and i won't be coming back until may.

he wrote back and said that he's now got plans for tomorrow night. and then said, "may huh...well, let's get together when we can!"

i wrote back, "oh... :( yeah, it looks like it'll be awhile til we can get together but let's text every once in awhile, yeah?"



and the whole time, all i really want to know is...does he have a girlfriend? is he even interested in me? am i just wasting my time? because, as far as i'm concerned, we aren't going to ever become really good friends. we'll either be something more than friends, or we'll slowly just drift off each others' radar.

i had a great end to today until i let Yokohama get into things.

i wish this loneliness would just go away. then things wouldn't get so complicated.


...sigh.



p.s. consensus from Bee is as follows:

you guys went out a couple times, he thought about it, and just decided he's not into you like that. and now he's making excuses because he doesn't want to just come out and say it. and it sucks, but at least it's happening before something actually did happen between the two of you, because then it'd hurt even worse. you could throw it out there that you might be into him, but you don't want to be dating someone who makes you feel like this in the first place. just let it go. get over him. he's not worth your time.

i wish i had talked to Bee before i sent that last text. i would have written something with a bit more "whatever" attitude. so i guess it's get-over-the-boy-time again. bring on the ani difranco and fiona apple and a little alana davis too (i am currently purchasing an album i had in high school, but lost somewhere in the shuffle: alana davis, blame it on me. great album.)

quote of the day

"make it cute or put it on mute."

-aminat, america's next top model cycle 12 contestant

april adventure!

for all my worrying about saving money, it didn't seem to stop me this morning. i just bought a ticket to thailand for the last 2 weeks in april!!

if i fail level one of the JLPT in july, i could sit and stew at myself for not studying for those two weeks, but i also could see it as the chance that i saw, and took.

after the test, and mt fuji, it'll be back to working. and most likely LESS vacation since i probably won't be on a "school schedule" so it seems like i should take the chance for a long vacation while i have it. plus, i spent money from my checking account in the US (which i kind of pretend doesn't exist, for the sake of not using it) so the flight cost doesn't actually effect my budget for the months i'll be unemployed which will all be funded from my japanese bank account. (am i convincing anyone?)

i'm really excited, but i think my nerves about having made the wrong choice, or not knowing thailand or having a completely undecided itinerary is clouding my excitement. or maybe i'm just tired from a crazy week at work and everything is just blah. this time next week, i'll practically be FREE (minus a few loose ends to tie up at work...)

either way, thailand, and april in general, will be a great adventure!! :)

it looks like this:

1-10
travel with my parents and 5 of their friends. nikko, tokyo, kyoto, hiroshima and a day at school in saitama.

11,12
home in tokyo

13-28
thailand! i have no plans. just me, my backpack, my camera and 14 days of adventure.

29,30
home in tokyo

things i love thursday

.snowboarding.
.onsens (post snowboarding).
.fresh flowers.
.handmade pottery (rice bowls).
.weaseling my way into a day off tomorrow.
.quilting (lots of stars).
.chicken, rice, corn and black bean dinner.
.only five more days of work.
.my (rental) hakama arrives today.

encouragement

today one of the teachers, who is NOT an english teacher but had been in canada chaperoning the 4 week english program for 59 students, came to school for the first time in a month. he claimed not to be suffering from jet lag, but by 7pm, was dragging himself out the door.

in the afternoon, we were packing away some computers that the kids used for a special computer class and he kind of nonchalantly said to me, "going to canada made me realize how amazing it is what you're doing."

wow, talk about flattering. i know he wasn't saying it to be nice or because it was "the right thing" to say. he really meant it.

i guess sometimes i've just come to think of my life as normal. i wake up, just like everyone else, i brush my teeth and ride the train to work, just like everyone else. i work more hours than seem necessary, just like everyone else, but i earn a paycheck and pay my bills, just like everyone else.

but when it gets right down to it, i do it, all on my own, in a foreign country, in a foreign language. and, you know, in the whole scope of things, i'm doing alright.

'course i'm lonely and terrified that i have no idea what i want to do with my life, but that's a totally different story. for today, i should be proud that i've made it as far as i have with what i have. and, i'm gonna be okay. we all are, really.

half way

i came across this self kanji check website.

they say i know about 970-1010 kanji characters.

that means i'm half way to passing level one.

i don't know if that's encouraging or not.

macro monday

tokyo
november 26, 2008
9:10pm

birthday retail therapy

i was on my home from work by 2pm (i love half days) and decided to head to tomato (fabric store in nippori) after i stopping home and changing.

it was heavenly. i sense the beginning of a very dangerous habit of fabric hording. but more importantly, i finally made a decision about my charm quilt! i spent at least 2 hours in the store, and probably more than HALF of that was laying my charm quilt top against dozens of different fabrics. here's what i eventually came to:


it's a little rough, but you get the idea. for as much time as i spent, the combination is nothing spectacular, but i like it. i had yellow in mind because of this quilt by jennifer. the white fabric has even brighter white stars and the yellow has tiny white polka dots.


and, for the back?! again, after seeing these quilted stars over at The Family McG, i decided that's how i wanted to quilt mine too. and so when i saw this fabric, i fell in love.


i also picked up some clearanced fleece for the inside. (though i guess i should ask if there's anything wrong with using fleece instead of batting?)

i also picked up a handful of other fun fabrics. the dinosaurs, giraffes, japanese writing one and the zoo animals were in a "two for 100yen" bin and i couldn't resist.









i haven't worked on my quilt for almost two weeks, because 1) i didn't have fabric picked out for the border (solved!) and 2) i ordered a walking foot for my sewing machine and was waiting for it to come in. i picked it up yesterday. it was discovered that i can't lower the feet on my machine, which i'm pretty sure means that free motion quilting is out, but i'm happy for now doing straight lines (STARS!) and can't wait to get going again!

it's too bad that i'm going on a school ski trip tomorrow and can't. but not really THAT bad because who would complain about 3days/2nights of skiing and onsen-ing?? of course it's with 198 rowdy 8th and 9th graders, but that's a minor detail, right? :P

in other news, i had a shit day yesterday (and the eyes to prove it this morning *sigh*) but today i only had one class, i got happy birthday texts all morning, i ordered my hakama for graduation, the weather turned nice, i treated myself to lots of new fabric (even though my wallet says i shouldn't), Chelsea called me from Oz to say happy birthday (thank you!!), i cooked chicken/corn/rice stir fry for dinner and i'm going skiing tomorrow! not the best birthday to date, but definitely better than most i've had and am most definitely thankful.





11:46pm

following this post, i continued to get happy birthday messages, from the boys (Bee and Style and a promise of a free dinner from Newbie), and a dozen other friends and acquaintances. i got 3 mixi messages and the time difference means facebook wall posts are still trickling in. and i got a gchat message from my brother. i missed a phone call while in the shower from a guy also who worked on mt fuji last summer. i hadn't talked to him or his girlfriend (now wife!) since their last day on fuji. he left a voicemail, which made me laugh out loud. it was just so "them". i called them back and chatted for about 5 minutes, but as for the voicemail, i saved it. for a rainy day when i need a smile.

and yet with all that, it feels a bit...lonely? i didn't go out to dinner or talk to my parents, or see my friends, or eat cake OR ice cream! but, i AM feeling fairly well loved so i can't complain too loudly. ;)

things i love thursday

.falling asleep without setting an alarm clock.
.bowling and dinner with my favorite (male ;) ) coworker.
.new curtains.
.interior decorating day dreaming.
.fusion restaurants (like Kaikaya).
.hot baths (water, sweat and tears become indistinguishable).
.rain and depressing music (when if fits your mood).
.cherry blossoms already blooming.
.oh yeah, it's my birthday today.

quote of the day

"Everything is small thing.*"**

-Mr T.

*he wrote it down on the paper in english, while saying to me, in japanese, 'sorry, it might not be grammatically correct.' he doesn't really speak english. somehow that makes it even better.

**"Don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff."

before and after: kitchen/entryway

too many shoes and costco-size shopping overwhelmed my one-person apartment:

but saturday i hauled two shelving units home:

it still doesn't all "fit" exactly, but i love the cleaner appearance and it makes me smile. (i'm such an aesthetic nerd...)

some notes:
○ the cork board will become some kind of inspiration board, or just a collection of postcards and pictures and other pretty things.
○ the sauce pan lid is now joined by its partner and the frying pan (they were in the sink).
○ eventually i want to paint the bigger unit. not sure what color(s) or anything, but it's on the someday-wouldn't-it-be-fun project list.
○ until then, the smell of pine greets me every time i walk in the door.


also:
before and after: entryway (part two)

quote of the day

"No one ever regrets raising the bar, jo, ever, ever, ever."

-the Universe

macro monday

colorado, usa
august 5, 2007
3:41pm