the wanderer returned/ second stanza/ pablo neruda.

Time then does exist, I realize it.
I know it exists, but I cannot understand
how that city which had warm blood,
which had sky enough for all,
and whose midmorning smile
spread like a basketful of plums,
those houses with a forest smell,
wood newly cut at dawn with the saw,
the city that always sang at the water's edge
of sawmills in the mountains,
all that was yours and mine
of the city and its clarity
wrapped itself up in love, secretly,
and let itself fall into forgetfulness.

frak yeah.

I love this website: we heart it. These pictures (especially the ones under the "vintage" tag) always make me happy. And I want to model my fall look around this one I found on there:



I'll have my gray contacts and black hair and it'll be fantastic.

I also received a really nice compliment from a young man I may or may not think is pretty amazing. I told him thanks for being awesome and he said, "You enable awesomeness." Aw geez. We'll refer to him as Lovey in Las Vegas, herein after "LLV."

p.s. october, the best month of the year, is finally here! <3

uuuuummmmm.

I want this house.




The location may leave a little to be desired, but I can overlook that.

remember that time i made crepes for dinner and it was the best thing i'd ever done for myself?

(short of moving out of Utah County, that is.)

Tonight after work I knew I wanted to cook something really good for dinner--I saw a recipe for Lemon Risotto earlier today and that had me thinking of possible culinary concoctions I could enjoy after work. I also didn't want to stop at the grocery store so had to rely on whatever (scant) supplies I already had.

I originally wanted pancakes and eggs and got my cookbook out right when I got home so no more time would be wasted without some kind of delicious aliments in my belly. I got to the section that had pancakes, my eye landed on crepes first, et voila! Um, they pretty much are probably the most delicious thing ever, barring Jake Gyllenhaal. Luckily I had the basic ingredients on hand, and just filled them with whatever I had lounging in my pantry/fridge.

Here are a few of the combinations I tried:

-coconut, strawberry sauce, and chocolate chips
-brown sugar and sour cream
-Brie and apples
-peanut butter and chocolate

Next time I'll be more prepared and make a ham and cheese version. I tried that in Paris when I was there and it was about a 7.5 on the Richter scale of ultimate deliciousness. Yes I'll be living at the gym for the next few years, but what's a few calories compared to tastebud bliss?

annual craftiness.

I consider myself to be a creative person, but when it comes to "craft" projects I'm always a little hesitant. That being said, this past Saturday I went with Cara and my mom to a Relief Society activity in which we all pulled together little blocks of wood and paint with which to nest our little homes. I made--fashioned--these little wooden bats:



They're a little hard to see since I so professionally held up my computer camera to take a picture of them, but you get the idea. They make a nice addition to my mantle. Yeah they're Halloween decorations and it's only September but this is my favorite time of year so go cry somewhere else. It was a lot of fun and I liked being with just Cara and my mom. Afterwards we went to Tai Pan since Cara had a gift card there and wanted some fall decorations. I didn't really want to go so of course I left the store with a cute fall wreath for my front door, plus a picture and some bookends for my room. My poor, poor credit card. :(

In other news, I've finally gotten my lazy butt back to the gym. I had let my last membership expire but tonight Cara and I went to the Gold's by our houses and got me signed up again. Woo hoo! My body really appreciated the exercise. It feels good to be back and I'm glad Cub's so motivated to go because it helps me too.

So that's all the update I have for now. I have some potentially good news here soon, but I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to divulge until everything's final. Until then! Tu me manques!

la cucina.

This was my kitchen before I laid hands on it. (Hint: The word you're looking for is "unappealing.") Kinda makes you want to squirt lemon juice into your eyes, huh?



















And here it is after:
























Although, it's a little different now because there's a backsplash and other accoutrements behind the sink area, not to mention the wall by the dishwasher and fridge is fixed after the installers took their sweet time destroying it. And the cabinets are espresso, however black they may look in the photos. These pictures are old and I don't feel like taking new ones. I rather like my little modern kitchen. It's fun to cook in, especially with the gas stove. Sigh. C'est parfait, n'est pas? Le mot est oui.

Is it even so? then I defy you, stars!

I've been reading a lot of Shakespeare lately, mostly because I feel like even my college classes only skimmed the surface. And mostly because I don't have cable yet. Cough.

Many of his plays deal with fate and the role it plays in the lives of the characters. Which has led me to conclude that fate is a funny notion. (e.g. Romeo and Juliet--they were fated to be lovers and they relish that, but at the same time, Romeo doesn't want to accept the fact that Juliet was fated to die.) I find that if something good happens, it's easy to accept that it was "meant to be." But the same doesn't hold true for the opposite. When things don't go my way, it's harder to believe that it's supposed to happen that way. I believe that each person has things they were meant to do because of the talents and personality traits they were given. At the same time, though, I think it's dangerous to let a notion such as a single "destiny" drive your life and make you blind to what's real.

The analytical (read: dominant) side of me would enjoy sitting and dissecting everyday occurrences to decipher meaning and hidden bits of truth. And I could probably make meaning out of my life that way. Yet I've found that being lost in your own mind and inner "life" causes you to miss out on reality and life going on around you. And doing the above would make me a really boring and selfish person because I'd only be trying to discover what everything means for me. Real life doesn't happen that way and I'm now content to believe "Que sera, sera" and trust that it's for the better, no matter what.

i read too much poetry.

It is love that I am seeking for,
But of a beautiful, unheard-of kind
That is not in the world.


WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS, The Shadowy Waters

so, so tired.

that's all.

One random thing about me you may not know.

I love westerns. I really, truly do. Tonight I watched For A Few Dollars More. It didn't have the same impact on me as A Fistful of Dollars did, but it was still great--same director, same Ennio Morricone shenans, so it had that going for it. It's still one of the better spaghetti westerns. Um. Huh. K I'm bored now bye. Hope your 4th was wonderful!