Un petit Vacation

We look so stupid in this picture

Rocky

Chinatown

I don't have any pictures from New York or of much, but I miss him and hope I can see him in December.

All Hallows Eve

Halloween is coming up quickly. Guess what I'm being...

Coats

Photos of a coat from Opening Ceremony by Charles Anastase . I love him, his designs, and I wish I was making enough money to be able to buy this lovely coat. Perfect for all the rainy fall days in Philadelphia. ;)

Tom Tom Tina

The other night, I was listening to the Tom Tom Club, and I was reminded of how cute Tina Weymouth is. She has influenced the modern music world via her work in the Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club, and I see examples of her outfits from gigs in the 70s/80s on the street now.

Covet

Shoes from Chie Mihara, too bad they're sold out in my size...

Cranbrook and Beatrix Potter

Yesterday I road my bike over 5 miles (round trip), and ended up at the art school library at Cranbrook. Where, after spending an hour looking at two books on Swedish decorative arts, I found a book on the illustrations of Beatrix Potter.

As a child I loved her books about the adventures of animals and their deeds and misdeeds, but it was not until yesterday that I experienced the beauty of her artwork that she did for the books themselves and how as the author of the stories she was able to bring to life moments in her book so much clearer than by asking another person to paint parts of the books for her. 

I was also struck by a similarity between the joy in her work and Carl Larsson's. Perhaps its just a shared sheerness in their work or perhaps because I can picture the adventures of Beatrix Potter's animals taking place in the backyard and house of Larsson's family? I'm not quite sure, but I'll share some pictures with you anyways.

Beatrix Potter:

The Author and Artist

so sweet

Carl Larsson:

Photos of her cottage and studio just make me want to cuddle up by the fire with a sketchbook and this:

Back to School, School, School is Cool

I've been trying to get my life in order before I return to school, and just adjusting to a time change has been difficult. This year I will finally be moving out of the dorms and into my own apartment. When everything runs smoothly and there are no bumps this can seem very exciting, until you hit a bump and it makes you feel as if your entire train has been de-railed. I need to find several large pieces of furniture, and the money for them, as well as what I expect to be a very large ticket (for speeding), once I go to court to attempt to change what it is for, to avoid a large monthly car insurance bill.

One way to avoid all the troubles, worries, and unhappiness is to dream, and right now I am dreaming about perfect fall outfits for school and I found some really lovely ones courtesy of WishWishWish (Thank-You!)

I am looking forward to the day when my hair is finally long enough to put up into Heidi braids like her! And I hope that I'll figure out how to use my camera/take pictures so I'll stop using up everyone else's wonderful ideas...

L'Italia

I got back from my summer study in Italy. There was so much that happened that I'm not even sure where to begin...

I left my house Thursday June 11th at 7am and didn't arrive until Friday June 12th at 9pm (so 3pm East Coast Time). When I arrived, soaking wet from sweat, (the 5 hour train ride from Rome was in a train car without air conditioning, and it was at least 90 degrees outside) I was told that a room in the Bed and Breakfast I was supposed to be staying at was not available until Monday. I burst into tears and something was found in another establishment temporarily. When I was moved into where I was supposed to stay it was into the owner's childrens' room, at first sans children until one night when I was told and not asked to share a room with them. This situation in combination with being sexually harassed by the staff and owner's son made studying difficult. And so I left after being repeatedly told that I would get my own room and never being given one.

I went to my friend Chelsea's apartment (she was renting a room temporarily from an Italian woman). There the owner suggested that I stay with her, like Chelsea, temporarily. Being tired and always wanting what seems like the easiest situation, I agreed. This ended up being another bad decision, as it turned out the woman had no plans of welcoming Chelsea and I into her home, and instead desired to charge us as much money as possible, not give me a key, and then yell at Chelsea and another girl living there when I went out with them, saying that they were not allowed to associate with me unless they asked her permission first. I left for a friend's family apartment in La Spezia, and Chelsea decided to leave as well. This ended with the woman chasing Chelsea and her boyfriend and myself out of the apartment (even though we had paid in full, she wanted additional money from Chelsea), the only thing missing was a banjo playing in the background. She was able to hit, pinch, kick, and bite Chelsea's boyfriend when he went back for the rest of the suitcases.

Following these episodes I stayed with a friend in La Spezia, then family in France. I had to return to Pisa to continue my studies and so Chelsea and I ended up spending the last half of our studies in a campsite outside the city. There we met lots of other people and made lots of friends. At least the trip ended well. And I even found something from Holland...

Hopefully, it'll be able to make its way through customs to me. ; )

"No Talking, Just Head"

I love that title of the album by the Talking Heads minus David Byrne.

And right now I've been listening to this early version of the song:

It is rather amazing.

Today I went to a doctor who practices Chinese medicine. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a total believer in alternative medicine and the moment she put the tiny acupuncture needles in I felt a release of heat and illness.

For now I'm further procrastinating doing my laundry and packing, which is a horrible idea, but everything will work out ok. I just need to switch over my phone, fax some forms, and find a power adaptor...

Summer

I wanna look like this:

All I've got to do is grow my hair out longer, get some highlights, somehow push all my extra weight to my boobs, and go tanning. Yeah!

Thank you wildfox. lovin' ya lots!

Ryan McGinley picture

Via Tigermilk

Brynnie Mawrie

On Thursday Alex showed me this book her mother got her when she was accepted into Bryn Mawr. I'd like a copy of my own, but it was published in 1903, so it is difficult to find one. I'll just have to go to John K. King Books like her mother.

Some images of Bryn Mawr books:

Here they re-used the old image from above:

Real Pictures of Bryn Mawr:

The Main Campus

The Pems (Pembroke East + West)

Thomas Great Hall (Old Library)

James E. Rhoads Hall (My dorm freshman year)

Drew Gilpin Faust at Bryn Mawr