suspended indefinitely

I'm shutting down this blog, but I'll still be visiting yours! I'll get in touch and let you know where I'll pop up online next.

Ashley

the start of an era: thrifting

I'm not one of those cool people with an apartment adorned with second-hand, thrifted, "vintage" items (anyone else find that people are using vintage to describe almost everything??), but....

I might eventually!

This past weekend I was in Bellingham, WA (about 1.5 hours north of Seattle) and had the afternoon to myself to walk around. My favorite stop was a store called Penny Lane that was just brimming with all sorts of odds and ends at fantastic prices. I scooped up this fan and can't get enough of the gently worn teal base and red logo. I've been shopping for similar fans in the Seattle area but haven't been able to find one for less than $80, so when I saw this for $26, I just had to snag it!

I think thrifting and I are going to become great friends.

It's tyrosine!

This morning while my coffee was brewing, I stared lazily at a rind of aged gouda sitting on the counter (need to clean the kitchen--bad) and thought, "That was a good cheese. It had those little crunchy bits in it. I wonder what those are? I like gritty gouda. Hmm...gritty gouda sounds funny, tee hee." Then the coffee was done and I went about getting ready for my day.

Then this afternoon rolls around, and the answer to my musings this morning shows up in my google reader! And as you might have guessed from the title of this post, those gritty bits are called tyrosine. Mystery solved via the kitchn.

Shoe score!

While fawning over the shoes from my last post, I ran across another pair of Faryl Robins that I instantly just had to have. This time, though, got them (as in, they're already shipped and on the way to my office!)!

The best part? I was just about to make the purchase on Zappos, when I decided to google them for a deal, just in case. I wasn't expecting much since I wasn't able to find a deal on the pink pair, but to my surprise and utter delight, I was able to snag these for $55 at Luna Boston (yeah, I hadn't heard of it either, but I talked to them on the phone and they are super nice and helpful). Woo hoo!!

Can't wait to wear them with a pretty skirt combo like some of these from Anthro:

image from anthropologie

And meanwhile, because apparently I'm obsessed with shoes right now, I also have my eyes on these from Frye:
Too bad the $55 I already spent on shoes is $55 over my budget!!

shoe images from zappos

being good.

How in love am I with these shoes?!?!? $188. Ouch. I will just have to admire them from here...

@ anthropologie.

Look over there!

I wrote a guest post on Angela's blog today about...drumroll please...whipped egg whites.

Check it out.

Oh, and that is my black Pomeranian, Aiden, who just got a haircut for spring. Isn't he the cutest?!?!?

...and more chocolate

Ok, this is getting serious. My newfound penchant for bittersweet chocolate is only getting worse, mostly because I have no will power there are so many new kinds to try. The latest? Endangered Species Chocolate. This is one of the more common brands I see around, but I've never tried it because, well, images of sad animals on the wrappers don't make me think "dessert."

Now, I love animals as much as the next person, but I wouldn't necessarily trust a group of animal lovers to be fine chocolatiers. But oh! how wrong I was! Oh, the chocolate! I had the bar with the bat (bat? chocolate? see what I mean?) on the wrapper, which turns out is dark chocolate with cacao nibs (70% cacao). Now not only am I enamored with bittersweet chocolate, but oh! cacao nibs! I wonder if I can eat those plain. As in massive quantities. Every day. Must do research.

Anyway, what is a cacao nib, you ask? I wondered too, so thanks to wikipedia I learned that cacao nibs are the cacao tree seeds after they've been fermented, dried, roasted, and shelled (and before they're processed further to render chocolate). I must eat more chocolate with nibs--can't get enough of that crunch!

I have a feeling I'm going to be saving a lot of animals at the rate I'm anticipating eating this chocolate.

You know you're lazy at work when...

-Your stomach is growling at you for lunch, but you don't go get anything and insist that the 3 grams of fiber in your Crystal Lite should hold you over until dinner.

-The printer is only eight feet away, yet you print everything you think you might possibly need throughout the day at one time in hopes you only have to get up once.

-You start drinking less liquid so you don't have to walk to the bathroom as much.

-You take a chance of missing the last mail pickup because you insist on dropping it off on your way out the door at the end of the day instead of taking it down earlier.

-You desperately want chocolate, but you don't want to walk anywhere so you tell yourself you'll get it later when you can take the car.

...not that I've done any of those things or anything. Or done all of them in a single day. Nope, never!

happenings

indulging: in lots, and I mean lots, of chocolate. The past couple of nights it's been the Oaxaca Bar by Vosges Haut Chocolat. This bar is a Tanzanian bittersweet chocolate (75% cacao) with pasilla chiles. I really want to try the Mo's Bacon Bar, but I'm limiting my sugars and the cacao content isn't high enough (74% or higher for me, please!).

indulging, part II: You know I can't stop at having just chocolate for dessert--of course not! That's why I've been pairing my chocolate selections with a petite pour of Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls Rimage 2005, a French dessert wine and an affordable luxury at $20. I usually favor ports over other dessert wines, but the sweet, syrupy flavor of this is the perfect complement to my spicy chocolate.

drinking: Saumur 2006 (appelation saumur controlee). I've long grown tired of oaky whites, so I love the sparkling acidic punch of this wine. Plus, it just screams of green apples. We've gone through three bottles of this already! I will be buying it again and again, which I can guiltlessly do because it's only about $13!

watching: Finished Season 1 of The Tudors! I was surprised to find this is a show that men would enjoy as much, if not more, than women. Or on second thought...lots of fighting and lots of boobs is no mystery formula. Men don't need more than that, do they? Carry on!

reading: lots! I added a section in the sidebar with the books I'm currently reading. Right now, The Omnivore's Dilemma is a favorite. I never thought reading pages upon pages of the history of corn could be so fascinating, but apparently it is. Though history and culture of food is not exactly a new interest (first sparked by reading The United States of Arugula and Good Calories, Bad Calories), this is bound to be one of those life changing books for me.

eating: so many chicken wings! Starting an informal "Seattle Wing Tasting Tour" that I will eventually turn into a web page of sorts. Right now some experiences are casually reviewed over on Yelp, but I will start the real deal soon. It's such a hard job. :)

watching, part II: Helvetica. Even if you're not interested in typography or graphic design, celebrate the 50th anniversary of this font that is all around you (as you will discover) by watching this film. Here's a peek (I particularly love the interview in the second half of the clip):

I'm results-oriented, so why do I feel so unsuccessful?

Who considers themselves results-oriented? Yeah, me too. And I've learned it sucks.

I blame work.

In business, it goes without saying it's all about projects, deadlines and the bottom line. Results, people! The person or team who achieves the results is always going to be financially and/or socially rewarded, regardless if they were "nice" about doing it or boosted company morale along the way.

But let's be honest. It didn't begin with work. We were all in the results-oriented camp long before we reported to a boss or had our livelihood dangling on sales targets. In fact, as children we quickly learned that by accomplishing certain results, we'd receive rewards, praise, or encouragement in return. You know what we also learned? How to get those rewards the easy way. Yeah, we were pretty smart as kids.

I'll use myself as an example:
School was easy. I was that annoying girl in class who whiled away the fifty minutes by writing notes and reading a novel surreptitiously tucked into an oversized textbook. And I got A's. As you can imagine, the parents approved and as such, I stuck with it. After all, it was a straight, easy path to praise and rewards.

On the other hand, I wanted to play volleyball. And play volleyball I did, though I was never good enough to warrant any special recognition or praise. So what did I do? I quit. Though I may have enjoyed playing the sport, I certainly wasn't getting enough positive reinforcement for the efforts I was putting in.

This inherent focus on results is how and why most of us have come to possess what is called a fixed-mindset. People with a fixed-mindset don't think it should take a lot of work and effort to succeed. They shy away from challenge because they believe rewards should come easy; otherwise, it's not worth trying because failure is not an option. After all, a failure would be catastrophic to their reputation, which can only be upheld by a continuous stream of successes and achievements. Whatever they do, they believe they should do it extremely well. It's only fun if you succeed.

If you are recognizing that maybe you too have fallen victim to the fixed mindset, there is hope! At the other end of the spectrum rests what is referred to as a growth-mindset. People with a growth-mindset foster learning, accept failures along the way and learn from their mistakes.

Here are a few ways you can start fostering the growth-mindset today:

• Set learning goals (not performance goals).

• Recognize that you hold enormous potential. Your intelligence and ability can be developed. You are not stuck with what you currently have--it's merely a starting point.
  

• Don't expect perfection. It's the enemy of learning.

• Reward effort, not only achievement. Effort is the only thing you can control. Making effort is committing yourself to get results.

As you abandon your identity as a results-oriented person, keep in mind these poignant words from Calvin Coolidge:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Things I want to make but probably won't

I spend an embarrassing amount of time getting excited about projects that will more than likely never see the time of day. Here are some of them:

• Infused vodkas, especially with oats and honey
• Pancetta
• Copycat these pillows
• Pore cleansing strips
• Glasses and vases from wine bottles
• Laundry soap

Of course, I'll get to those after I learn to write a Facebook app, use Photoshop, Illustrator, inDesign and Lightroom, install a little photo set-up for still life shots, and create a website. Oh, and keep up with my blog while I'm at it. Obviously that is going fantastically well.. :-)

merry happy

I have been overwhelmingly busy, but I can easily say that with every day that flies by, I am exponentially more happy. It's serious, ya'll. I can't sleep, think straight, or keep a grin off my face. It is seriously that good.

My plan for Sunday is to come back to earth for a few hours and catch up on life, the blog, and my sink full of dirty dishes (and I never keep dishes in the sink, so you have to realize this is major!).

Oh, and "merry happy" is a song by Kate Nash, and though the lyrics don't necessarily tell a happy story, I like the sentiment of the phrase. I am very merry happy.

How weekends are supposed to go

Friday: T and I stocked up on lots of red wine and really, really bad movies to relax and escape the rain and cold. And relax we did! We stayed up laughing and having lots of conversation that can only be appreciated when both parties are drunk and trust each other--it can get embarrassing, but that is the best part!

Saturday: Spent the morning nursing my liver, then met up with Marissa in the afternoon to catch up and test out the coffee at the highly acclaimed Stickman Coffee in Fremont. The coffee was just ok, but as always, Marissa was a hoot. That girl can talk about anything from erotica authors to century+ old methods of storing root vegetables.

Saturday night, I fell in love...with a cocktail. T, Maia and I had a quick dinner and cocktail at the new and buzzworthy gastropub (Seattle's first!), Quinn's before catching a show. My friends are probably tired of hearing about it, but one their signature cocktails blew me away: The Dirty Little Secret. Bombay gin shaken with cucumber and served up with a cornichon (how did I not know about these delectable, tiny pickles?).

Sunday: Spent the morning drinking good coffee and reading the paper, then walked to the grocery store to stock up on wine, chocolate, and cheese for the week (my ultimate nutrition trifecta). The sun was streaming in through the windows, so spending my afternoon at the computer working on C# projects didn't feel like a chore at all. Finished the day drinking wine, nibbling on Manchego and watching a movie with SOS.

I don't think it gets better than that, folks!

Dress to Mingle: Meet More People with a Whatzit

There's a good chance there's one thing you're missing that's keeping you from meeting several new people a day. Oh, really? You doubt that? Well then put your hands up and show me you're Whatzit--you're under Whatzit arrest.

Whatzit's a word I picked up from the book, How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships. The technique is foolproof and one I've used for a long time without realizing it was a "technique" at all. So, what exactly is a Whatzit?

"A Whatzit is any object that draws people's attention and inspires them to approach you and ask, 'Uh, What's that?'"

Everyone's been there. You see someone you want to talk to on the bus, standing in line at the coffee shop or grocery store, or with you in the elevator, but you have no excuse to approach them! Some people rely on commenting on the weather--after all, it's one thing you for sure will have in common with a person standing next to you at any given time--but you run the risk of making a vanilla first impression are guaranteed to make a vanilla first impression. Last time I checked, remarking how cold/hot/[insert weather condition here] it is outside didn't inspire any captivating conversation. Or get you a date.

This is where the Whatzit comes in.

It doesn't especially matter what you choose to be your Whatzit, though keep in mind you want it to attract the right people as well as fit in appropriately with the situation (e.g. I would probably never use something with skulls on it. Just sayin'.)

Remember the key purpose is to give people an easy excuse to approach you.

After they initiate conversation (and they will, lots and lots of them), you get to choose how personal you make the conversation or if a simple "thank you" will suffice. It's up to you!

What? What's that you say? You're wondering what exactly is hanging around my neck in the photo? I'm not surprised! This Whatzit wasn't intended to be a conversation catalyst, but I'd be hard pressed to name a day that someone hasn't commented on it*. Whether strangers on the bus, cashiers, people at bars, coworkers, or friends, both male and female, they've all made a comment about it. I can't tell you why it works (maybe the irony of a preppy girl like me adorning herself with a firearm), but just believe me when I say it does.

So, what is your Whatzit?

*The necklace is the Revolver Single Charm Necklace from Charmed and Dangerous. Charmed and dangerous, indeed!

snap happy

I did not one, but two photo walks this weekend!

-Morning stroll through the Olympic Sculpture Garden downtown (end of my Seattle set)

-Late afternoon walk through the Georgetown 'hood

-Some pics of me. I haven't had my picture taken since November, so it was about time!

happenings

listening: The Gourds. T and I saw them live on Valentine's Day, and just as I expected, their performance was engaging and made me forget that the day was intended to be spent with a man (T is better company, anyway!). I've been listening to them pretty much nonstop since, and their album, Live at Bluebird Theater,even got me dancing in the shower this morning(probably not attractive, but festive!).

learning: C#. My C# class finally started up this week, and I couldn't be more enthralled. In fact, I stayed up until almost 1am last night talking about it!

hiring: an illustrator! I'm commissioning some illustrations for a new blog project I have been working on the last couple of weeks. I'm still not sure if I'm going to pursue it, but it's fun to take a blog design more seriously and talk to an artist about it!

subscribing: The New York Times, finally! I don't know why I've waited so long to order a weekend subscription--it's so cheap! My plan is to take it to this coffee shop up the street from my house on most Saturday and Sunday mornings.

...and otherwise, somehow staying really busy!

February List Update:

1. See Atonement. Did it! I met up with T, Angela, and Angela's friend Sarah for some dinner and drinks downtown before going to the movie. I don't think any of us liked it as much as we'd hoped we would, but it was still fun to hang out with everyone!

2. Cook a nice meal for myself. Done! Bonus for drinking extra wine. ;)

3. Visit an art gallery. This weekend?

4. Comedy club. Still a to do. I meant to see Lisa Lampanelli, but I had the days mixed up.

5. Walk in snow. I'm not sure this is going to happen! Things keep coming up on the weekends.

6. Buy something for the apartment. Check! I bought new bed pillows and a pretty turquoise cast iron enamel pot. Can't wait to cook something in that thing!

7. Experience a new coffee shop. Saturday! With my New York Times!

8. Photo walk. No excuse, really. Also this weekend...?

9. Get Holga film developed. Man, I suddenly feel like I have plans for this weekend. ;)

Cure for a day of shopping for shoes and clothes:

Buy a book instead. You'll save money and be much happier. :)

If you didn't guess, I ended a long morning of unsuccessful apparel and shoe shopping with a quick stop at a used bookstore I've been meaning to visit for as long as I can remember. The selection was lackluster at best, but about the same time as one of the owner's cats began snuggling against my leg, I spotted the book, The Design Collection: Selected Objects.
Memories of snobby salespeople, shoes I can't afford, and blah clothing vanished as I oohed and aahhd over the pages upon pages of design classics, just begging to be framed.



More images on flickr.
Thinking you also need some pictures of some chairs? Good deals on Amazon marketplace.

Love at 24

First, some heart pouring:

I used to think that meeting The One would knock me over the head, leaving me dizzy with happiness forever and ever... Instead, I had homework to do, which conveniently enough he would be able to do for me. I sported a baby blue Dell t-shirt with a large image of a PC on the back of it (I knew he liked computers and I wasn't messing around!), a denim skirt that showed my legs so at least he would get something out of it, and probably flip flops since I don't remember wearing any other shoes during college. Fast forward from that fateful day in 2002, and we went through graduations, breakups, job changes, new cities, vacations, an engagement, and ultimately the breakup. Love. Schlove.

Despite everything, I am not spending today feeling bitter, regretful, or resentful, because more and more this last year I have learned to love myself. I realize that I cannot depend on The One or The Next One to make me happy, because it's entirely in my control (and he can leave!). I am challenging myself in new ways, accepting failures, applauding successes, taking chances, and being grateful for the little things that stay the same. I have nursed relationships with family, separated myself from negative people and replaced them with positive and inspiring friends. I have learned to push personal boundaries and care less about what other people think. I am learning that a lot of being happy comes from making others happy. I am learning what love really is, and what it can be.

So with renewed optimism, a positive spirit, and lots of love, today I'm celebrating a healed and open heart.

xoxo

Embroidery WIP

My progress on projects is only getting slower, so this would-be Valentine's gift for my sister is now a spoiled surprise, but hey, I'm working on it!

That wrinkled mess is a flour sack towel from the Martha Stewart collection at Macy's. It seems like it will make a nice lint-free towel, except the slightly loose weave makes the embroidery a little tricky. I'm stitching using the split stitch with four strands of floss. I've switched from using an embroidery needle to what's called a chenille needle, and I couldn't be more pleased. The chenille needle is shorter and the eye is long and slender, making it much easier to thread.

This is the first time I've attempted creating my own transfer as in the past I've used the iron-ons, evidenced by the images of a hand mixer forever printed on my ironing board from my first embroidery project. Oops!

This time I bought one of the mystery pencils at the craft store labeled "Heat Transfer." The transfer process is easy. Print out or free-hand your design (taking care to mirror text), trace your design onto tracing paper, then iron on to fabric. In order to get my image to show on the fabric, I had to draw pretty thick lines, and from what I've read this stuff doesn't wash out. It worked fine for this project since I'm using pink floss anyway, but in the future I think I'm going to have to find a better transfer pencil or method.

My transfer, after lots of line-thickening and lots and lots of ironing:


By the way, the quote pays homage to the comedian Chelsea Handler, but I also don't drink to make myself more interesting. I can say that it probably makes me more fun, though! ;)

Nine things I want to do in February

1. Go see Atonement, even if I have to go solo.

2. Cook a nice, complete meal for myself, just because! Wine optional, but necessary.

3. Visit at least one art gallery.

4. Go to a comedy club.

5. Walk in snow (with snowshoes on, preferably!).

6. Do/buy one thing for the apartment, however small.

7. Try a new coffee or tea shop and for once, actually sit and read instead of bolting out the door.

8. Go on a photo walk.

9. Take one more roll of film with my Holga and finally get some developed!