104| quiet post, new york.

less than two months.
i hope there are balloons.

56| easy come, go.

goodbye, chi-town. hello new york!

it turns out my dear friend, with whom i was going to go to chicago, has a friend who works for holiday inn and can get really cheap hotel rooms in new york. in a brand-spanking-new hotel in new york. for less than the cost of a hostel. srsly.

we're thinking july fourth. just because it's close to canada day, and because there are fireworks involved.

moma, guggenheim, central park, appolo, 30 rock, here i come. {ooh, just thinking about 30 rockefeller makes me giddy, giddy, giddy}

image uncommon

42| quiet post, chicago.

just a few reasons, why i'm excited to go.

41| to recreate us.

one of my dear friends, mikael, and i have decided to make a road trip this summer, mostly because holy-crap-i-have-cabin-fever {and i'm jealous that my better half is going to boston for his bachelor party, most likely}.

i haven't been travelling in the states since i was twelve or thirteen--i was with someone from grand rapids for a part of a summer, but that's a long story {which hopefully no one will tell at our wedding}. new york. boston. washington. these all seem like really wonderful cities.

but, really, i want to go to chicago.

it seems like a really wonderful, well-cultured, but not snobby city. an industrial city, with a lot of history and wonderful architecture. kind of like america's edinburgh.

plus, there's the complete opposite of italian pizza. and the 609m Spire. and they're bidding for the 2016 olympics.

| credit jaunted |

26| get your things and lose your way.

i truly cannot wait for the summer to arrive. more specifically, i cannot wait for this snow to disappear, and to be able to spend ten hours outside a day: gardening, walking, photo-taking, patio talks, late nights by the lake.

and to be able to dress in single digit layers again. it appears as though all my weekend goals revolve around preparing for summer's arrival. just like the arrival of a good friend, i want to make sure i'm well prepared {even if summer doesn't show for another three months here}:

• start planning trip with mikael
• get ahold of lovely plastic planting pots
• plant seeds and dirt into said pots
• order more seeds
• finish up planning of summer projects, via newly constructed planning board {planning is half the fun}
• give self pedicure in order to prepare for the apocolypse of boots and wool socks, and the coming of the age of sandals
• read about fashion trends and summer photography techniques while said pedicure dries.

this summer is apparently all about gardening and consumerism. but hopefully not too much of the latter.

24| quiet post, toronto

i took a marvelous day trip to toronto last summer. i didn't get a chance to edit my photos until this evening. it's a little like revisiting the city all over again.

10| joker to the thief

yesterday was possibly the most productive day i've had at work since i started this contract. i went through some forty-odd folders and compiled research, then i took work home! i think i felt guilty for taking two hours at lunch on friday {my work week is wednesday through friday on account of being a student. therefore, wednesdays are my mondays}.

today, i'm slightly less optimistic about being productive. there are too many other things to look at and think about.

for starters, i've become absolutely addicted to three things in the past week and a half.

one, eddyizm being such an amazing photographer, has lead me on a the very addictive path to flickr {imitation is the most sincere form of flattery? when i see someone do something great that i admire, i immediately want to learn that skill}. even though i can't upload photos at work, i can edit them, and i can look at other people's. so. very. distracting.

two, i have taken to mixed-media art lately. i love working with glues, paints, and whatever the heck else i can find. i've been spending lots of time on etsy and craigslist looking for crazy free {or cheap} stuff to make things from. so far, my favourite find has been some old fake roman coins.

three, i'm looking for a change of scenery. nothing permanent. but i realized last night that this is the first time in seven years that i haven't had a planned trip! and i don't have a trip planned. so, for anyone who is interested in creating some sort of awesome excursion into the wilderness, or urbanity, please let me know, because i'd love to be a part of it. {consequently, however, i have been on travel websites all morning. mostly for the united states}

and, so, in between spurts and spats of this post, i have gone through maybe ten folders, about a half what i had done in the same amount of time yesterday. ugh, what utter silliness this work stuff is. all it does me good for is paying the bills and inspiring me to play more. when i should be working.

alas. at least i have amanda's valentine's swappity to look forward to tonight when i come home, and photoshop.

title credit: bob dylan, all along the watchtower
photo: gehoert mir