and every house on this block has a clothes line perfect for hanging lights

So as predicted I got sick. Fortunately it hasn't been a flu, just a gnarly head cold. In an attempt to distract myself from the ugliness that are my sinuses, we're just gonna look at some pretty pictures today. Seeing as how it's chilly and raining (yay!), we're gonna run with the theme of cozy insides and drizzly outsides.


(photo by Rebecca Miller)








(oh hai kitchen OF MY DREAMS)

she's tired of playing mother to the boys at night/ ask her if she thinks she's gonna be alright/she says she needs a dr pepper and a parlaiment light

I have been told that sometimes I come off as cold or closed off (actually I was told that by my own mother. Thanks mom!) So this may come as a surprise to some, but I do not handle nervousness very well. You know those movies and cartoons where when the main character sees a long lost love for the first time in years and runs around a corner to vomit? That's me.
Clearly, as a result I now avoid nervousness at any and all costs. One of the means by which I avoid it is by allowing no question to go unanswered. If I want to know something, I ask. No hesitation. This is primarily in respect to relationships dudes.

This is largely why I just can not understand it when I see the women that I care about fester for weeks on end over uncertainties with men. I understand that it is scary to put yourself out there by asking questions. I understand that there is a chance it will blow up in your face. But isn't knowing better than not knowing? And often times the pain of not asking is far worse than even the wrost case scenario of actually asking. (This is generally the point at which I would puke my brains out.)

Allow me to say this: In my 22 years on this planet and countless interactions with men who either were or could have been significant in my life, I have never ever regretted asking what was on my mind. I did not always get the answer I was hoping for ("Are you seeing someone else?" "Yes" is a good example), but sometimes I did. Dispite the odds, every single time I have put myself out there I was glad that I did. Because knowing *really* is so much better than not.

balmain

Until last spring with the appearance of the military jacket, I had never been wild about Balmain. It was a fashion house that was simply not on my radar. However, their spring 2010 collection, which hit the runway in Paris on Thursday, has solidified their spot on my list of absolute loves. I am of the belief that fashion, like food, is all about texture. The texture, actual or perceived, will most certainly make or break a garment. The more textures you can fit into one look, the better. The only criticism I have of the upcoming season's pieces is the silhouette of the jackets and cargo pants. They are fantastic in an editorial setting, but seeing as how this is a ready to wear collection, they simply do not work and as a result were a poor choice.




(geeky confession: I actually gasped when I saw this dress. I could not love it more.)






(How adorable is Christophe Decarnin?)

eureka i found a nickel in my carpet and with the fifty in my wallet, this could mean good times

Oh sweet Jesus. I am exhausted and achy. There are two possible explinations for this: 1. The very good time I had last night and the sleep I was deprived of as a result are taking their toll today; 2. I, too, am getting sick. If the latter is true, a serious hissy fit is in order. Those who know me already know this, but for those of you who don't: I have a poor excuse for an immune system. Every fall and winter I get very very sick, and usually a few times. Since this summer I have been determined to not let this happen this fall. I have been drinking green tea like it's going out of style, I have gotten a flu shot and will be the first in line for the H1N1 vaccine (the visit during which I will also get a pneumonia vaccine). I have even been taking supplements, which I honestly dont believe work but, hey, what harm could it do? If all of this has been in vain and I wind up getting sick this early in the season I will lose my damn mind. Not only do I simply not want to be miserable, but I also cannot academically afford to get sick. I cannot miss classes. Can. Not. Will. Not. No. Way.

Anyways....

When I got my computer back last week I suddenly had acess to a library of 1600 songs that I had almost forgotten about. It should come as no surprise then that I have spent the last week emersed in nostalgia, listening to songs that bring me back to when I fell madly in love, to when I had my heart broken, to when I did some unbelievable socializing (hello, SXSW 2005), and everywhere inbetween. A few favorites?
1. American Express- "Find Another Way To Dance" (this kid later became Young Love, and his record was cowritten and produced by a friend of mine that I met two years after I began listening to this song)
2. Beulah- "If We Can Land A Man On The Moon"
3. Death From Above 1979- "Sexy Results" (in early spring of 2005 I dated a man in a band that would later become quite sucessful and every day for a month I listened to this album on my drive to his house)
4. Fiona Apple- "Extraordinary Machine" (dare I say this could be my theme song? and I'm not even that much of a Fiona fan)
5. The Natural History- "Beat Beat Heartbeat"
6. Sondre Lerche- "You Know So Well"

I am actually going off on quite a tangent because the original point I was trying to make was about a band that was not on my computer when I got it back, but I have recently fallen for all over again: Clay Nightingale. I first heard them a year and a half ago through my friends Jack and Ryan, both of whom were good friends with the boys in Nightingale when they lived in San Marcos, Texas. Now I would have never doubted the musical tastes of Jack and Ryan, but the record they handed me far surpassed any expectation I could have had. Their album The River And Then The Restles was played on constant loop two summers ago (a summer which as you may or may not remember was bittersweet and above all else, alcohol intense) but somewhere along the line I listened to it less and less until I just... stopped. This past summer they released another album and began doing some shows in the area which I decided to treck out to. Hearing the songs live breathed a new life into them, at least for me.
Now, I understand that some people have a knee-jerk reaction of disgust for anything vaguely country, and to those people I say this: get over it. Listen to Clay Nightingale. Their second album doesn't have quite the soul the first did (although it is still pretty great), but I do not hesitate to say that these gents have encapsulated what it is to be a young (hip?) person living in Texas right now. At the absolute least it is an expression of my experiences, and the experiences of some of the most fantastic people I know.
So, one last time, I will tell you:
trust me

let's say we have a pitcher before we buy our plane tickets, remind ourselves how we used to get down

My procrastination in regards to my Chemistry studying is reaching a critical mass. I know. Just in case you were wondering if I knew, I do. But here I am, writing to you (the anonymous reader whom I have probably never met in my life). You get the fruits of my non-labor.

First and foremost, allow me to say hall-e-fuckin-lujah for autumn. I don't know where you are, oh mysterious reader, but as you have probably already gathered I am in the middle of Texas. It's a lovely spot filled with fantastic people and places, but we have a summer that will rob you of your will to live. There is no functioning. Summer in Austin is as restrictive as winter in Anchorage. Sometimes I am honestly aghast at the fact that life has carried on here for as long as it has. But now the summer from hell (68 days of 100°+ temps!) is coming to a close slowly but surely. As I write this there is a cool breeze ushering in smells of mesquite from the barbeque joint next door. Everyone has new sweaters sitting in their laps, eager to show off what they've proudly purchased weeks in advance. Between the cinnamonn and pumpkins suddenly appearing, and the abrupt disappearance of uncontrolable sweating, the whole city smells better. Coffee tastes better. Men look handsomer. Clearly, I can't get enough. About a week ago a large front brought in not only some much needed rain (we are in a very severe drought) but also temperatures in the 60s. For three days it was as if someone poured a large vat of xanax into the city's water supply.

Last night I rediscovered Boy by Band of Outsiders's website and my excitement for the season was complete. As I have previously expressed, Boy has almost perfectly encapsulated the asthetic that I strive for on a daily basis. I have spent the last two winters firmly planted in my trench, and seeing their newest season reminds me that it just might be time for a new one.

http://boy.bandofoutsiders.com/

sartorialist

A couple of weeks ago I finally got The Sartorialist book. Needless to say, I am enthralled. It is not about fashion; it is about style. This fall's fashion week seems to have brought out some of Scott's best work, as well as some of the best work of his subjects.


(nine days out of ten, this is exactly the sort of look i am trying to convey, and yet I don't think I have ever executed it this well)

guess who's back

Oh god it feels so good to be back. After an amount of time I am embarassed to admit, I finally have my very own computer up and running again. The freedom would be overwhelming if my operating system wasn't quite to ancient and achingly slow. I am now waiting for my OS update to arrive in the mail (common Amazon!).

In the meantime...

While I am admittedly a fashion junkie, I have never been one to have a favorite model. Just not so much my style. One Miss Lily Donaldson, however, is quickly on her way to changing that. She's been around for quite some time, but just recently some of her photos in Vogue Paris have been fantastic. The fact that she is beautiful is a boring given. What makes her so undeniably watchable is the abundance of personality she conveys in so many of her shoots.