Bikram class count: 2, 3 and 4

Photo from Methlyn

I promise I won't announce it every time I take a stinkin' yoga class, but I'm a bit proud of myself right now and I'm doing a bit of self-motivation, so bear with me here...

Bikram classes 2, 3 and 4 down. Class 2 (Tuesday evening): money. Rolled along. Felt very flexible and decent balance. Class 3 (Wednesday am): struggled. Very sore and hamstrings tight. But felt myself adjusting to the heat and getting into the flow of class. Class 4 (this morning): check and check. Not amazing but not bad either. Feel fab after. Very excited! Thanks for your support, Em! Looking forward to class 5 tomorrow!

IQ-killa (alternately titled "VMA highlights") (alternately, alternately titled "no, I am not a 13-year-old girl")

I know, I know: I can't believe I'm actually posting about something that happened at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (aka the VMAs, for those of you older folks out there...Mom). I've had my scary pre-teen moments on this blog (posting about something I saw on Justin Timberlake's website [what?- it was a cool topic!]), but I wanted to at least give a quick shout-out to Pink for her surprisingly decent trapeze performance.

A video of the performance in case you're really interested:

As someone who actually does aerial, I have to give it to her for doing an okay job of trucking up at least 25 feet and doing some basic tricks. Thanks for bringing trapeze to the mainstream and for doing it decently, Pink!

And since I'm not even going to comment on the whole Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle, instead I'll just post this funny "to do list from Kanye" that I saw on Twitter the other day:

So there you have it. My two-cents about the 2009 MTV VMAs. Hopefully all this Bikram I've been doing will offset the stupidity I've just exerted in even writing this post. :)

Birds on the wires

I know you probably don't have a lot of time to sit around watching random web videos, but this one is pretty cool (and admittedly I sort of scanned through it a bit, so it didn't take long to check it out). I'd definitely recommend at least glancing through it.

A short synopsis: Brazilian film director and musician Jarbas Agnelli was reading a newspaper and in it, saw a photo of birds sitting on electric wires. He decided to make a song using the birds as musical notes on a scale. He didn't Photoshop their locations at all - he simply played out the melody the birds' positions created. Here's the short video and music made from the photo, as composed by the birds:

Nice little ditty, eh?

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo, as originally seen on Beach Bungalow 8.

Photo wallpaper

I am absolutely smitten with this photo from Ohdeedoh (and such a cute site name to boot!) showcasing a personal photo as a wallcovering. I think it's half about the adorable photo choice, and half the lovely styling of the pink and gray combo, but overall the room is cozy, cute and perfectly personalized. Love it!

Today is a new day.

My post yesterday was deplorable. Depressing, dark and totally over-the-top self-indulgent. Bikram last night really snapped me out of it, and I'm truly grateful for that. With that said, Happy Tuesday! Today is a fresh start.

More posts to come today (and not of the scary, sad kind!).
Cheers and love. xoxo -r.

Image from frangipane.

Muuuch better (alternately titled "Bikram class count: 1")

Photo from Getty Images

Well, I did it. I took my first Bikram class. I thought I was going to throw up, pass out or die at several points during class, but I also felt great at some points and afterward I felt absolutely amazing. So, I've officially signed up for an unlimited month card and am going to do my best to go as often as possible. Hopefully I can keep up the motivation, and with the help of three girls who are also doing this with me, I think we'll all do okay at showing. Whew - I'm so glad to be out of that slump from earlier today. Sorry for the rant! Back on track hopefully... See you tomorrow with more blogs!

Not so hot.

Photo by Ruven Afandor

Today has been a bad day. After all my musings on a Monday earlier today, it seems I was completely full of shit. (Please pardon the language. In a bad place right now.) Blogger admittance: I wrote that Monday post on Sunday night, back when I was feeling optimistic about today, I suppose, and pre-scheduled it to go up this morning. That's how it works in blogland. (Hope I didn't just disillusion anyone.)

So, full disclosure, today I woke up late, got nothing done, still can't breathe. What am I doing with myself? When will I actually start to do something about getting a new job? Have I really scoured the listings? (Well, I've looked somewhat. The prospects are dismal. Makes me want to look even less.) And in terms of this little blog-venture here, I love blogging but am thinking maybe I should stop - maybe it's just too self-obsessed and too self-indulgent. "Is anyone actually reading my blog?" "Do they like it?" "Why don't I get many reader comments?" "Let me post about myself and what I like, as if anyone cares."Sorry for the negativity. I promise I have some nice, bright, frothy posts to go up tomorrow. But in the meantime, I had to vent. Please excuse my honesty and my indulgence.

I am on my way to Bikram now. I'm hoping I will actually make it through and that my clogged-up bronchia will hold up. Perhaps the rush of endorphins (and 90 minutes of extreme heat) will brighten my outlook a bit. Until then, have a good night and blog ya later... Check out the bright and cheery chevron images below - maybe they'll brighten your day. Thanks for reading and sorry again for the downer post.

Interior obsession: chevron stripes

I've been accused of a stripe obsession before. But after seeing several chevron patterns cropping up in magazines lately, I may be re-thinking plain stripes and instead falling in love with their more sophisticated (yet still playful) counterpart, the chevron stripe. How fun and chic are these chevron examples from across the interwebs?


Photo from Austalian Vogue Living (Sept./Oct. 2009 issue), as seen on Habitually Chic


East Village duvet from Rubie Green bedding line


Painted floor as seen on Apartment Therapy


Rug as seen on High-Heeled Foot in the Door


Reusable shopping bag from Baggu


Curtains from Blount Design


Fab DIY chevron tabletop project from Sunset Mag, as seen on This Is Glamorous


Adorable wedding RSVP card from yes, please

Thank goodness our little home is brimming full o' stuff already or I might be very tempted to order up some pillows, rugs and curtains in various chevron stripes. Hope you enjoy these sunny inspiration pics on a Monday afternoon. Cheers!

Thoughts for a Monday

How utterly appropriate is this image for a Monday morning?

Photo from ffffound! via Brown Button

So hello. Good morning. Welcome back from the weekend, dears. This was a busy weekend for me: wedding festivities, helping friends move and so on, all the while battling various maladies. (Yes, I am still sick. Boo hoo.)

But, now that it's Monday, I need to get a move on and re-start the week with some vigor. I'm planning on taking a Bikram yoga class tonight (yikes - let's hope my sick [and desperately out of shape] body holds up!). Maybe the excessive sweating and stretching will get me going for a productive week. (Our maybe my ass will slightly decrease in size; let's be honest; that's the real goal here...)

I definitely need to get back into gear now that summer and its big events are over, and since fall is truly upon us now. No more excuses! With that being said, here are some thoughts for this Monday morning...







All text/images above from ffffound!

So with that being said, happy week everyone! (And more posts to come later today...)

Have a great weekend! (And happy wedding to S&B!)

Photo from frangipane

I'm off to be a bridesmaid in my friend Sarah's wedding today. I'm really looking forward to seeing everything come together and to see the adorablely great couple on their big day. Let's hope I can keep my cold and coughing under control throughout the ceremony, etc... Either way, cheers to you two and all the best wishes, S&B!

Sick.

Photo found on the drifter and the gypsy

Sick. Head aches, throat sore, lungs hurt. Phlegmy. (Sorry, but it's true.) Just in time to be a bridesmaid in a wedding. Tomorrow.

I am off to bed to try to get healed up as much as possible (and before my weekend houseguests arrive this afternoon). Ouch. Wish me luck. And goodnight...

Art-y slot machine

Super-fun! Objects in My House is great to mindlessly click through (perfect for when you've been on hold with Comcast for 23 minutes, as I am now...) and see what three photos of things in this guy's house that you get. Just check it out for yourself and you'll see what I mean - it's like a visually cool slot machine (sorry, no jackpot though). As seen on Swiss Miss.

Four eyes

Remember how I mentioned I scratched my eye last week? I went back for a follow-up appointment - my eye is all healed, thank you for asking! - and also got an eye exam. It'd been a while since my last check-up...as in 5+ years...and it turns out that, while I still have 20/20 vision, my right eye is slightly astigmatic. Sooo, the doctor said I am totally fine without glasses, but if I want to get a pair for task-oriented work, it might be easier on that eye and would help with headaches, etc. That was a total surprise. I've always had better than perfect vision, but I guess this is what happens when you get oldish. I might hold out to get a pair (I'm afraid if I get some now, my eyes will become totally reliant, plus I could use some better health insurance first...), but I am tempted by the photos I keep seeing in magazines and online of models looking totally cute in glasses. I'm not sure how this look will work on me, but it could be kind of fun to have glasses. What do you think of these options?








Photos from: J. Crew, Rockstar Diaries, Oliver Peoples via Design is Mine, Garance Dore, J. Crew, Design is Mine, Garance Dore, J. Crew.

Fall is in the air

Photo from frangipane

I can't believe it's September 8th today. How did it get to be fall already? I know the blogosphere went crazy declaring it to be fall back on Sept. 1, but I just don't truly feel like it's fall until Labor Day has come and gone and the air gets that characteristic fall chill. Well, since both of those things happened as of last night, I suppose that means that, sadly, summer is officially on its way out. Guess it's time to pull out the socks (though I won't put my flip flops into storage just yet!) and get ready for cozy sweaters and jeans once again. I'm looking forward to cool evenings, fall leaves and crisp air, and the MRE tug of war. Hello fall!

Happy Labor Day

This photo felt right for today, Labor Day, the (sad) end of summer. As Habitually Chic noted, this photo by Matt Albiani really does epitomize the "packing up and heading home" feeling I get every year when Labor Day rolls around. I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day holiday weekend (perhaps full of sun and sand? And hopefully no traffic!), an even better summer, and that you're all excited for fall. Cheers, all - looking forward to a great new season!

Have a great weekend! (And happy Labor Day!)

I've been a general all-around slacker this week. I've not posted as much as I wanted, my blogroll is severely backed up, I haven't returned anyone's phone calls, and I've not been as productive as I would've liked to have been. And now we're headed out of town for the weekend. But, I guess that's just-back-from-vacation-and-still-adjusting syndrome, right? Please accept my apologies, folks.

In the meantime, I hope you all make like Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan (shot by Melanie Acevedo, above) and thoroughly enjoy this last holiday weekend of the summer (I can't believe it's September!). Have a wonderful Labor Day and see you Tuesday when we return! Cheers! -r.

Painted floors

Room by Sara Story, photo seen on Coco + Kelley.

I am loving the painted floor in this room. The purple ceiling is a bit more bold than I think I could dare myself to go, but the patterned gray and white floor offsets it nicely; add in the clean-lined light shade, cabinets and chairs, and this is a gorgeous room. I'm off to look for some more painted floor inspiration photos now; I'll post them if I find any good ones...

Update: here are a few more painted floors for your perusal:

Coastal Living


Making it Lovely


Apartment Therapy


Apartment Therapy

Justin's dad says

"Your mother made a batch of meatballs last night. Some are for you, some are for me, but more are for me. Remember that. More. Me."

If you want to laugh for, like, 15 minutes straight, check out "shitmydadsays" on Twitter. It is a collection of posts from a guy named Justin, a 28-year-old living with his 73-year-old father. He writes down things his dad says and posts them via Twitter. They're hilarious. I seriously laughed for 10 minutes straight when I read these last night. B came into the room and asked what I was doing and if I was okay. I think he thought I'd gone nutty. So funny - go take a look!

(And just FYI, the quote above isn't even one of the funniest ones - it's just one of the more G-rated quotes.)

Pennant roller stamp

I am thoroughly obsessed with this cute (and surprisingly easy) DIY project from Just Something I Made (which I originally saw on say YES! to Hoboken). How darling is this pennant stamp? I want to make my own and stamp everything from gifts to signs to cards to little notes to B with it. This thing could be used on virtually everything and it is so cute! The full how-to instructions, including step-by-step photos, are up on the JSIM site. Enjoy!

Pillow poll (alternately titled "help needed on the homestead!")

I need your help. All of you. (All 4 readers of this blog...)

Our guest room is very much a work in progress. It is home to a guest bed and guest-y accoutrements (side table, tv, guest bath, etc.), as well as all of boyfriend's clothes and gear (kayaking, camping and the like), but that's another story. Anyway, in a random fit of nesting the other day, I bought a slew of pillows from Target for possible placement on the guest bed. I got way too many, thinking I'd bring them home and only keep the one or two that worked best. Well, I got them home and simply can't decide which ones I like (if any).

Let me go back a step, though: the rest of our house is very airy, simple and clean. The duvet cover in the guest room is much more bright and fanciful than the rest of the stuff in our house, though I really like the punchy orange and the pattern of it. However, with all the stuff in the guest room (ahem, boyfriend junk), I'm afraid it's going to get a bit too busy in there. Here's a pic of the guest bed with the three pillows I liked best out of the bunch I bought:

So, dear readers, I need your help. What do you think of the gray, the navy and the white pillows? Should I keep any of them? All of them? None? Any other suggestions? I'm concerned the print above the bed, plus all the varying prints of the pillows are a bit much. (Note: that print may be coming down and/or getting paired with another similar concert poster in the same white frame. At the very least, it will be moved down a few inches. Just FYI.)

Here's a close-up of the navy pillow, which I love, but am not sure if it's working:

The duvet is very busy, so I wanted some really simple or graphic pillows. I think the gray one might be a bit too similar to the print of the duvet, so I thought this navy one would be perfect, but my friend who saw it doesn't like it.

So, readers, any thoughts? Any help? Cruel or kind words? Please? Comments appreciated and much needed, so leave 'em here! Thanks everyone!