this is what work looks like

 

sometimes i'm all like "blah blah blah work is blah blah and i don't want to wake up and you can't cage this bird blah blah"

and sometimes, i get to play with all this fun stuff. and all that bird talk flies out the window.  

solo salad sunday

  

some weekends require big ass salads with an egg on top. they are just too boozey and fried and it needs to be remedied asap by something that is the polar opposite of all that, but not too crazy healthy because it's still the weekend.  this salad consists of couscous, asparagus, greens, and feta tossed in a giant wooden bowl with homemade caesar dressing and an over easy egg on top. good gravy - it hits the spot.

shady dealings

 

guys. sometimes my job requires me to be really shady. it requires me to do things like google 'gray children's wig' or 'child's foot to scale'. it requires me to go into the baby section of stores, pick up clothing and stretch it out as far as possible. recently, it required me to walk around philadelphia with a bar of scissor up my sleeve and stealthily snip off greenery from the limited city shrubs and trees. i looked like a straight up crazy person. i wish i could have worn a sign that said, "it's for work!" but that might have raised even more questions. can you guys just mail me some green things to prevent this from happening in the future?  

top five

 

cloud cult is an amazing band with eighty thousand people in it. it's full of brass instruments and string instruments and two paints who travel around and paint original art during the show then auction off the works at the end. they sing about beautiful and sometimes sad but all the times true and hopeful things and i just melt all over the place. at their live shows, i literally get goosebumps. all of their lyrics are so sincere and they genuinely look like they're having a blast performing. here are my top five tracks: 

1. 'washed your car last week'

2. 'ghost inside our house'

3. 'a good god'

4. 'your eighth birthday'

5. 'complicated creation'

(photo from their show a two weekends ago at johnny brendas - best concert venue in philly in my humble opinion. my boyfriend pointed out it feels a lot like the bronze for all you buffy fans. it's just super intimate and cozy and sweet. go there!)

nutella cinnamon rolls

 

i don't know what your lifestyle is like, but i feel like a lot of homies complain about baking or act like it's some kind of wizardry out of their humble reach. this homie disagrees. baking is terrific, because it's just following directions! measure this! mix this! wait for this! does it look like this? now bake this! you did it! i made this nutella cinnamon roll recipe a few weekends ago and gadzooks it was simple yet so delicious. also: if you ever want people to like you stuff on instagram i recommend putting nutella on it. smear some nutella on that sunset! put nutella on your selfie! nutella wins instagram. dogs also win instagram. babies total trump all of those and are instagram gold. imma rent a baby and make it sit on a puppy holding a jar of nutella. walden filter. you're going to love it. they'll throw a parade for me.

mad for mad men

 

are you nerds watching mad men? because if you're not riding that train, you better hop on. three solid reasons: 

1. i'm watching it and it will strengthen our bond if we're consuming the same programming & discussing it regularly. 

2. stunning costumes. 

3. gripping, character-driven stories. 

it took me a couple tries to get into the show, i'll admit. but day-um. worth it. i blew through the first five seasons in two and a half weeks. these people are nuts! my jaw was dropping so frequently i started to just let it hang open! the first four seasons are on netflix so you're in luck - the fifth season is on demand or you can watch it online or you might be so hooked at that point, you'll just commit to the dvds. (though i'm not sure if they're out yet. i have no time to fact check this post! my passion for mad men is taking over!) and we're currently only 3 episodes in to this season, so you haven't missed much! 

i watched the two hour season premiere with some homies and this was the spread - pb&j ritz crackers, unpictured mac'n'cheese, full size pigs in a blanket with an american single squashed in there, and of course, some whiskey sours with homemade sours mix and tiny umbrellas to wash it all down. because this show seriously makes you want to drink. all the time. if you watch this show, i promise i will buy you a glass of bourbon at our next meeting. 

spoils of sale

 

 did you guys know there's a yard sale section on craigslist? recently, craigslist has been my main hub for internet time wasting. i can scroll through that business for hours. i typically stick to the same categories: apartments, motorcycles (sorry mom!), gardening, free stuff, furniture. but occasionally i branch out. 

hence, the discovery of the yard sale section. 

and further hence, the discovery of the most stylish yard sale ever. 

these two lady gal pals apparently host seasonal yard sales where they cull all their beautiful, yet somehow unwanted things and sell them for stupid cheap. this also all takes place in one of their gorgeously decorated homes (blue walls! built in book cases! vintage black printed couch!) and they're wearing matching aprons. so. cute. 

i could have just gone in and done a sweeping motion with my hand and roared, "I'LL TAKE THE LOT!" but i was a poor more discerning shopper, and instead selected a few items to add to my collection: 3 books, 2 bird ceramic wine stoppers, camel tea pot, and 3 rolls of unopened decadent wallpaper. what am i going to do with wallpaper as a 20-something renter? probably just droll all over it. which might ruin it. but, for $3 a roll (compared to the original $30) i think it's worth it. one day, i will be a person who can wallpaper a room. one day.