Exploration #1

Well, actually, it's exploration #6 for PalladiumBoots.com. Observe:



Too cool, right? I stumbled across that gem after I stumbled across these gems in Nylon:



I really want a pair of adventurous boots for adventuresome adventuring. Hiking, climbing, and exploring the outdoors in Vancouver last summer has me aching for nature some more. I feel like this past year I didn't quite take advantage of all the outdoor things Austin has to offer. I'm vowing to be better about that starting next week.

Also on my wishlist:



I knew overalls would make their comeback. I predicted this back in 8th grade when I wrote a letter to Abercrombie & Fitch, asking them to do an overall collection. I never heard back nor saw results, but let's face it, they aren't the most fashion forward brand. I think the popularity of rompers this past year allowed overalls to ease back into chic. Baby steps, but we're there, and this white pair by free people is absolutely darling.

While I'm on the note of fashion (which seems to be a majority of the time), I finally got around to trying on some of the Zac Posen for Target items. There was one dress in particular that I absolutely loved (I first saw it on Rachel Nguyen from ThatsChic.com). They had my size and everything, but I just couldn't part with the $70 just yet. I'm hoping that the relative fashion-retardedness of North Richland Hills will mean they'll remained fairly well stocked this week so I can think it over. Seriously, they had the collection in its entirety. The Austin Targets were completely devoid of any pieces from the collection within a week (at least in sizes other than XS and XL). My home Target also had all the hats from the Eugenia Kim line, which was similarly fabulous. There is a mint green fedora I've got my eyes on. I'll be back before I leave, that's for sure.

Last night my friend Erika had a summer kickoff bash for all the kids back from college. It wasn't weird at all to see people I hadn't seen in a year. Some good catching up happened, of course. But it wasn't surreal like I expected it to be. We're all the same except for our hair.

By the end of the summer, my hair will be this color:

A Summer Made Well

About a month ago I found out that Alexa Chung is designing a line for Madewell's Fall 2010 collection, to hit stores this August. I've seen bits and pieces of the line. It's stunningly beautiful and I am valiantly fattening my wallet while starving my stomach in preparation (two months...two months...) I check the Madewell website on a weekly basis, for any updates, especially pertaining to the Alexa Chung line. Today was that day. No news on the line, but I found something better.



It's not healthy how excited I am. I don't know what it says about my mental stability, but I'm similarly worried about my upcoming financial stability.

But paired with all this excitement comes something that I'm significantly less excited about-- that being the fact that last night was the first night I had issues with insomnia since the disappearance of sleep aids from my life. Normally when I have those nights I just don't get a wink of sleep the next day is a total blur. I wake up around 11:00 AM, get Starbucks, aimlessly walk around Guadalupe in a haze, come home and watch Bobby, Paula, Stacy and Clint go to bed at 9:00 PM. Usually these days are weekend days. Bizarre? Yes. Fortunate? Definitely. Today was different. I woke up at 7:30 and ran. I didn't do the distance I had planned (10), but I did 5 miles. I drank mimosas and discussed vacations over brunch with the lady (my momma) and the sweetie (my stepdad, Brady) of the house. And then I prettied myself up and spent the afternoon clothes shopping and lounging at Borders, salivating over the sight, smell, and touch books. Most importantly, though, I finished Season 1 of 30 Rock. Great show, right? It was odd to go from finishing season 1 to watching my Sister's Keeper on HBO and being forced to take Alec Baldwin seriously. I was horribly unsuccessful.

Last week I'd set aside for completing my paper. Until I hear back from Chris (about what corrections and quick rewrites I need to do), I'm off duty with that. This week is friend week. I have planned to see some good buddies, which should be both refreshing and fun and a good way to end my short respite here in the NRH. I am definitely looking forward to being back in Austin this time next week. My first week back should be eventful enough:

May 31st: 4:30 AM wake up to get my volunteering ass to the Capital of Texas Triathlon (so, I couldn't compete, but volunteering should be fun enough)
June 2nd: First day of my 6-week beginner sewing class at the Austin School of Fashion Design
June 3rd: First day of Chinese 506, and so begins 3 hours of language, 5 days week.
June 4th: attempt to get to Houston before rush hour so I can see my ladies and spend the weekend at Free Press Summerfest where I will tell Amy Milan of my long standing woman crush on her and we'll make a pact to become domestic partners if I'm not married in 16 years.

Unfortunately, there's nothing fun on my calendar for June 1st-- any ideas? I know I'll be catching up on some zzz's and probably unpacking a bit, and normally I'd bake two or three dozen cupcakes to hand out to strangers on the street/really just devour by my lonesome. But I'm taking a baking hiatus for the summer to, again, fatten my wallet and slim my belly. Madewell, people. Madewell.

Speaking of baking, my sister and I threw a huge surprise 50th birthday party for the lady and the sweetie. It turned out to be a centenarian celebration of epic proportions and I baked a beautiful, double layer red velvet cake. I'll give more details about the whole thing when I get the pictures, but things went deliciously.

Summer has been nice. Early morning runs and rides, lots of lounging. I'm aching to be busy again, though. It's when I'm happiest. I've decided that once I go back to Austin I want to make myself disgustingly busy. I'm severely capping my chill time because I'm so ambitious in what I want to do and get done. Running, cycling, swimming, stretching, classing, studying, sewing, singing, recording, playing, crafting, photographing, hiking, and loving again but definitely not watching (TV) and even more definitely not surfing (the internet or life in general because I have a history of waves drowning me).

Writing the days away

Sitting at the NRH library, a table in the back corner. There's a window and it's light outside. This literature cited, it never ends.



These past few days have been busy. Mostly, I've been working on finishing my paper. That proved to be the easy part, though. It's organizing over 100 sources into works cited that has me on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Today was the first day I went to the library to work on it, but only because I needed to look at a book. Monday and Tuesday I spent my afternoons at Barnes & Noble where I realized that people talk too much about their children, but no one else really cares. That's why they proceed to talk about their own children, who they care about, but no one else does. I'm really hoping to finish up tomorrow morning and get it sent to Chris for review (scrutiny) so I can finally start enjoying my time off. Next week will be less hectic.

I got my final grades for the semester and I'm pleased that I ended with the 4.0 I established last semester. Hard work, hard times. I'm tired.

I'm also tired because I've been getting up early every day this week to run before the sun (gets hot). I've cycled, too, but I think I've bruised a bone from an ill-adjusted seat. I'm looking into that tonight. And yes, I'm tired and I'm bruised, but I'm proud to say I've gone 4 nights now without a sleeping aid and natural slumber is creeping back into my life. Thank you little blue pill for getting me through the nights these past 3 months, but I don't need you anymore; I don't want you anymore.

Doing What I Do Best

One of my all time favorite past times is some unashamed, unabashed creepin'. I've embraced the title of creeper wholeheartedly, and who's to blame me? It's the bee's knees! (did I use that correctly?) But it's also why I have to occasionally ween myself off facebook. I know a few too many things about strangers, but I know I'm not the only one like that. I saw my nifty friend Kim Nguyen yesterday and here is me creepin' on her with my camera.





Another thing I'm good at is spending money. Aren't we all, though? I did a lot of that spending money thing today. Big shopping trip with the momma in Dallas. I got some real gems. And by gems, I'm mostly referring to the faux fur cardigan I got on clearance at Forever 21. I don't care if it's the summer, it was $15! I'll wear it everyday in July just to show off what I consider to be a practical steal. Really, it's that gorgeous.

Probably one of the things I'm most skilled at is creating these insanely regimented and intense training schedule that I do only a marginally mediocre job of maintaining. I guess I over plan because I know I'll always fall short, but in this case, the degree to which I fall short is exactly what I should be expecting of myself. Regardless, I'm beginning one of these schedules tomorrow. Oh jeez, 6 am wake up call followed by 5 mile run, followed by 18 mile ride, followed by 30 minutes strength training, follow by this blog will now be called "This is muhdead existence." We'll see how it goes, but I know to expect some major soreness.

Finally, after a semester (well...more like half a semester) of intense research and planning, I officially begin rewriting the paper Chris Bell and I are working to get published by the NCSE. The next few days I've allotted 7-8 hours of productive time to be spent in the wonderful haven that is Barnes & Noble at Southlake Town Square. Hopefully I'll have my first draft out to Chris by Thursday. But we all know I'm overly ambitious in my expectations. I'll most likely spend a majority of that time looking at books about making cardboard furniture and figuring out how to incorporate as many H.L. Mencken quotes as possible in to my conclusion paragraph(s). Because really now...who doesn't love them some Mencken?

Monday Morning Ride

And so I go home.

Hours from now I will be returning home for a couple of weeks. I will rearrange my life and my days and do things that are satisfying to me.

Things will be different by the end of the summer and tomorrow is where I start.

Traveling to the Underworld

I feel like I've been on one of those epic journeys to the Underworld and back that we hear about in legends and myths from every single civilization's history. But I feel like I've done it over and over and over again and the constant violation of what's natural and right is wearing away at my humanness. Am I exaggerating? Probably a little bit. Do I feel worn thin? Unarguably. I'm ready for a change of pace--things need to slow down a bit so I finally have the chance to pick up what's left of those pieces. I'm ready for a change of environment--the familiar needs to go away for a bit so I can forget why it was ever important. I'm ready to feel good again, permanently. Not the fake extreme feeling good that unfortunately comes paired with or immediately followed by periods of lower lows. Consistent contentedness, please.