Cards and Quarters

A great song by Local Natives. I like to play live/acoustic versions of songs on here to change it up, and this is certainly an interesting version. It’s beautiful either way, and I have a lot of feelings towards it. Check out the album version here.

Little Life Lessons and Facts

 

• Good sleep and lots of water are necessary for feeling good. The less sleep you get and the thirstier you are, the worse you will feel.
• When in a bad mood, take a bite of something chocolate. You will feel better instantly, guaranteed.
• There is nothing wrong with heading immediately and only to the sales rack when clothes shopping. But you don’t have to buy everything just because it’s cheap.
• It’s important to think through your decisions, but it’s also just as important to forget your brain for a little and focus on your heart.
• The wise words of my friend Dana (via some other clichés): “You only live once, and you can’t take it with you.” She said this not long after I bought my DSLR and was feeling a little guilty for spending the money. But that money won’t be with me when I’m gone. I don’t suggest using these words to justify every penny spent, but I’m so glad I used it for this passion purchase, something that has brought a little color into my life.
• Losing friends over the course of time sucks, but the good ones are those who stay despite all of that. Be thankful for them instead of spiteful for those who have left.
• There is nothing more important than the present. It’s literally all you have, because the previous and future moments are not in your control. Live in the now and take things as they come.
• When you’re sick, stay home. You’ll get better faster and you won’t have to hear people bitch about you getting them sick.
• Listening to music in the morning on the way to work will make the dreaded arrival a bit easier to bear.
• There’s nothing wrong with having a free, plan-less day/weekend/week. You will be thankful for it/miss it/wish you had it when your life becomes cluttered with responsibilities.
• Do not underestimate your powers or allow anything to get in the way of how you feel about what you do. If it makes you happy and it’s not hurting anyone, do it anyway (and no one is perfect anyways and you’re probably better than you even realize and even those “better people” think they aren’t all that great sometimes…).
• Look around you. Like, really look. The world, while crazy, is beautiful and colorful and breezy and sunshiney and comforting and astounding.
• Never underestimate the power of getting dolled up. Sure, it may seem superficial. But when you’re having a grumpy day, sometimes all you need to do is throw on a nice outfit or do your hair or put on some bright eyeliner/lipstick and everything can turn around.
• Heartbreak/ache ends. Eventually. It sucks, but don’t worry about rushing it, or finding something new right now. Going through it will help you grow, change, learn, and prioritize your life.

These are just a bunch of little silly things I’ve learned through my 23 years on this planet. I’m not the best at taking advice, but I’m always trying to tell myself and listen to others to tell me happy ways of looking at life. Let’s face it…this is all we have. So why not make the best?

I have a problem…

Christmas Bonus time! So…I decided to buy,*SHOCKER*, another camera. This will be the last one for a while…I SWEAR!!!!

Ugh…so cool! Cannot wait to play!
(I know I already have the Mini, too, and I adore it, but sometimes it’s nice to not have to squint to look at your photos…)

And also, not that I have to justify my behavior, but I always make sure to dot my Is and cross my Ts before I make such purchases. Money is saved, bills are paid, and I’m not at the bottom of some camera-induced debt which will cause me to be kicked out on the streets, with only my cameras on my back, begging people for money or, more likely, rolls of film to play with (yet).

Photos (and my purchase) from Photojojo!

Reasons to smile this week…

It’s been a rough week thus far. Adjusting back from the holidays, half days, and shorter weeks. To top it off, a couple of things shifted around and changed at work, and it’s going to take some getting used to. However, every cloud has a silver lining, eh? So, instead of dwelling too hard on the negatives, I’ll look at the positives.

• Snuggling in my Slanket before bed
• Parks and Recreation Season 2 on DVD
• Sunshine (even if it’s still cold out)
• Watching Buffy with my friends
• My dance exercise DVDs
• Midweek dinner date with Brad (my treat!)
• Frozen yogurt, even after cleaning my plate at dinner
• Payday
• No work on Saturday
• Knowing my Saturday schedule for the year (I no longer have to work more than one in a row…more free time and weekend trips to follow!)
• Happiness and love so strong, my heart could burst

More Action Sampler stuff…

I finally (this seems to be the general theme with my rolls of film) got a roll of Action Sampler film developed. I was surprised that some of the pictures I thought I took didn’t come out…that’s the thing with these plastic cameras. But man, do I ever love them. (And I love reliving the summer/warmer months, too.)

P.S. Bare with me as I play around with the blog. I’ve been wanting to make it something a little different for a while, but I don’t have much know how. Regardless, since the site is mostly about pictures, I didn’t want such a small template anymore. I know some things from the past are going to look wacky…but what can you do?

Teen Dream

No, not Teenage Dream. I’ve had Beach House’s album for a while now, but sometimes I throw everything on my Zune and it takes me a while to get to things.

I’m glad I didn’t really get into it until now…it’s fitting my life perfectly at the moment. Beautiful and calm and relaxing and optimistic in it’s beats.

Beach House–Walk in the Park

Victoria Legrand’s voice is something to hear. I’m not going to lie…I didn’t think it was a woman at first. But her voice defines the sound. And I love it.

P.S. It was hard to pick one song…check the whole thing out.

Happy New Year, indeed.

What a fantastic weekend and beginning to 2011. I haven’t had such an enjoyable time in quite a while. I think since the stress of the holidays finally calmed down, it was easy to let go and just enjoy myself.

Reasons to love this weekend…

• Ringing in the New Year with sis, friends, and lover at the casino (I won 18 bucks, too!)
• Two consecutive nights ending at around 4 a.m.
• Late night diner food
• Bowling and pitchers of beer
• 5 bucks worth of tunes on the jukebox
• Tons of pork related foods on 1/1 (fantastic ham and bean soup being the highlight of the day…) with family
• Seein’ my baby cousin, Danny
• Satisfying cravings (wings and, shockingly, an apple)
• A new blazer, LBD, and two pairs of black flats for about 25 dollars (I love you, Target)
• Cuddling
• How I Met Your Mother marathons
• Grocery store wandering

I am hoping that these happy 2 first days of the year mean only more happiness along the way. I have some things I’d like to do…things I’d like to change…things I’d like to work on this year. But I don’t want to call them resolutions and I don’t want to make a big fuss because that’s when it always seems to fall through. I just want to try and live the best life I possibly can this year…and every year to follow.

Not much time to take pictures…too busy soaking it all in…