The hunt is on.

The idea of moving into an apartment and staying there for more than 8-10 months is completely foreign to me. For the past 8 years, since I moved to college, I have been hauling my belongings back and forth across state lines. During college, I moved each year so I went back and forth from Poughkeepsie four times, then I moved home to CT, then I moved to BK, then I moved all my stuff home and lived in the East Village for a month, before living in LA for a month, then I moved to Harlem, then I moved all my stuff home to CT and wandered around NYC for a month with my essential belongings in a granny cart that I usually used for groceries, (shout out to LM for hosting me on her couch for many a night)  then I moved to Soho! Hopefully this summer I will skip the "double move" as I like to call it, which involves moving all of my stuff back home to CT in the gap between apartments. Unfortunately, this rolling stone has gathered a lot of moss...and one tempurpedic mattress (that is a-mazing) that is like moving a dead horse.

A couple nights ago SG and I wandered around Craig's List and Street Easy to see what was out there in the rental world. I have to say it was encouraging. I was ready to move back into an apartment the size of a postage stamp that had a beautiful view of someone's else's apartment (the fishbowl effect). Much to our surprise, it seems like we may get to live somewhere nice! This realization got me fired up about decorating! We are going with an ocean/beach theme- though I drew the line when SG suggested we mount fishing rods on the walls. Ha. Here are some ideas below that I am pulling together!

We hope to work in some lobster traps, lures (I know, just go with it) and big glass vases filled with sand and shells. This apartment is either going to be GREAT or look like the beach after a big storm, hopefully it tends towards the former.

I love these shells lining the wall. I would consider nailing some 2 X 4's to the walls and displaying beach-y paraphernalia.

I LOVE this Ikea arm chair, there is also a couch that goes with it. And, the cover is machine washable, which is key.

For the couch, and armchair, I was thinking a fun assortment of sea themed pillows. I will most likely make these myself,  but some inspiration is below.

I love both these shelves-- again, planning on making them- which will involve roping my dad in for some time on the CNC machine, but I think its doable.

I am not sure where this bench fits in, but I have to admit I like it. Possibly as an end table?

Life's Important Questions

Taking care of my girls two days a week has turned out to be one of my favorite parts of my routine.  I flashback to the day I did not get into my dream grad school.  I walked downtown to pick them up, crying the whole way. Ha, this in itself was a sight, being as it was St. Patrick's Day and I was pushing myself through 70 blocks of drunk green idiots. Somehow, despite feeling like I would never laugh again, their energy and happiness was infectious. By the end of the evening, I smiled again.

Fast forward two years and shock! life went on. Today T really got to the heart of life's big questions. While standing at the cheese display at Gourmage (Gourmet Garage), munching on her second helping of the sample,  she looked up at me and said: "Vinia, I am not sure whether I want to be a fashion designer, or a paleontologist..."

 

While I sit here, trying to grow out my mullet, I too ponder these important questions. By the way, SG recently sent me this photo, entitled: "Your Haircut!".  Bumma.

Hang Ten

Irritating. My Blog is telling me that I have no picture storage left and that I have to buy more on Picassa. That is certainly no happening.  Any advice?

Tri- Anything Once!!

Inspired by my fabulous sister MM, I have registered for the Block Island Triathlon!  I have always wanted to do a triathlon, but a few things have been holding me back:

1. I HATE competition. That feeling of your stomach flipping right before you take off, don't like it. This is why I was never a good competitor, just trying to beat someone else makes me nervous and unhappy, while most people respond to this by pushing themselves, I respond to this by stressing out and slowing down.
2. I have always been a terrible biker, an ok runner, and a great swimmer, so the ratio of swim:run:bike has always turned me off...I can swim for miles, but up until recently I could barely scale small hills on a bike and running is just pretty miserable all around.

These factors aside, I am also tired of working out just for the hell of it and I am hoping that a good motivator will put a spring in my step!

Not sure how to train for this baby, so please, if anyone has any tips they would like to share, send them my way.

July 30th. Here I come!

So far, best yet.

Wrote this a week ago- in the middle, spilled milk on the track-pad, hence the delay. Ha, the computer had to take a little vacation at the Mac Store...


When I started this blog I hoped it would make me pause and appreciate all the fun stuff that happens throughout daily life. It has been hit and miss. Today, as I was rocketing up out of the subway, I lamented the fact that life seems so busy lately. The weeks fly by, running from one day to the next, and the weekends, the oasis of relaxation to look forward to, always end up being more of a mirage. With all this in mind, I know for certain that it only gets busier from here. And this is not a bad thing, being busy with fun and interesting things is great and do not misinterpret, I am not complaining. I just want to find away to enjoy the busy life as it is happening, and find the balance between productivity and relaxation during the down moments. These are all just thoughts- but wandering back through the volume of photos that I have amassed since the camera purchase,  I picked out these to remind me of the fun times this year that can get lost in the mess. I am reminding myself that so far, things are the best yet! ( there, blog success)

the days of taking blurry pics in the bathroom at Jo's 

Your Car's a Dump and You're Broke.

My new favorite thing to do, is wasting my time on a bum like you. 

I am LOVING this Robyn song that randomly came on one of my many wildly inconsistent Pandora stations.

Actually my favorite things to do lately are:

1. Avoid my Land Lord
2. Wait for my Hair to grow

How much more you got? Can I put my cloths back on?

What the hell have I been doing in my absence you ask? Well, not a lot, but one very important activity occurred. After arriving home from CT two weekends ago, I stared into the closet.



DISASTER! As I have mentioned in the past, every time I turn my back, literally every unorganized item of clothing LEAPS out of my closet and wanders around on the floor until I stuff it back some where where it does not really belong. I realized, standing their staring at the disaster, that I had not worn many of these items since college- yet managed to move them, home from College, to Brooklyn, home from Brooklyn, to Harlem, home from Harlem and finally, here to SoHo. Basically, I have just been HAULING a dud wardrobe back and forth across state lines for oh, the past four years.

I have a hard time letting go of cloths in the past, but apparently I am over it. I started ripping things from the shelves, throwing them in piles in the hallway. Enter my roommate, eager to try on her favorite pieces from the rubble. She begins to put on and take off the rapid fire stream of discarded clothing shooting out the closet door...soon she asks, "how much more you got? Can I put my cloths back on??" About an hour later, she has inherited enough of my discard that she realizes she needs to start cleaning out her side...She as well has a hard time giving up on old favorites.

This was one of my favorite pieces from AZN's closet. Apparently, no, she has not been moonlighting as a magician.

As the evening went on, the pile grew.

What a gem. Somehow, when I wore this, I did not think I looked like I was in costume as Snoop Dogg.

The funny thing is that though we have enough time to clean out the closet, we apparently do not have the time to get all the rejects rounded up and donated. The pile is STILL in our hallway, waiting for transport. 

Just last Friday, as I ran out the door, I reached down and grabbed a sweater from the top of the pile...haven't worn this in a million years, I thought, but I didn't have time to go dig through the closet to find the sweaters I actually wear...

But man, the closet looks freaking GREAT!