Dayenu, the fact that I'm getting old, and tenacious tanlines.

Excerpts of the art booklet (brochure? booklet?) that I designed for Margaret. I think I'm getting old, I can't handle late night designing like I used to. Mama needs to sleep. On the upside, I got to stare at lovely earth & water tones for a few hours. That's pleasant. Not as pleasant as actual beach time, but hey, I'll take what I can get. 

Speaking of beach time

This photo was taken at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, sometime last May. We arrived around six in the morning, staked our claim on the beach, exclaimed about a dolphin sighting, and found a Starbucks for croissants and coffee. I made a half-hearted attempt at reading before falling asleep on the beach for a few hours. We rented an umbrella and, no matter what he tells you, Justin hogged it because I woke up in blazing heat with the first sunburn I'd had in over ten years. I STILL have the tanline on my back. 

Beach time needs to happen soon. Staring at Margaret's textured sintra plates placates for only so long. 

Take a step to the left and right. The left and right.

Tomorrow, me and the@SpiritAnimalUS guys lunge and thrust at @dc9nightclub with our pals @eksiekso. Watch and be amazed/embarrassed for us.

— Paul Michel (@paulmichelmusic) April 29, 2013

Tomorrow night at DC9!
Spirit Animal, Black Taxi, and Ekso Eksi!
You should be there, because I will be there.

Tell it to me slowly.

Not that I could ever sit down and figure out my top ten favorite songs, but if I did then “Time of the Season” would make the list. Love this song.

the wee hours of Sunday morning

sounds like: beta lovin' Ra Ra Riot (I'm listening to the the RAC remix, but the original has a totally tubular 80s dance party video), having happy feet with The Gray Kid (Coop and the rest of the Spirit Animal boys will be at DC9 on Tuesday!), poppin' some tags with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (apparently I live under a rock because I had never heard of this song before today), and hanging loose with the Alabama Shakes. 

tastes like: a big-ass cream puff from Mom's Apple Pie Bakery. You start to ponder life, the universe, and everything the second you can't finish a cream puff because it has too much whipped cream. Too much whipped cream, what a wussy thing to say. Next thing you know I'll be eating half of a banana and saving the rest for later. Man the eff up, vina.

feels like: My sleep schedule is all topsy turvy. I do not like it. I took a nap at 10 PM on a Wednesday. 10 PM vina thought she was just going to “rest her eyes” for twenty minutes. 1 AM vina scoffed at such a silly notion, and then watched Elementary until three in the morning. On that note, A. Sexy deductive reasoning, B. Jonny Lee Miller's proper accent. Ampersand, not a dash. C. Lucy Liu, I love Lucy Liu! and  D. I can't look at Aidan Quinn without thinking of Practical Magic.

smells like: fresh rosemary on my bedside table.

Photo taken last month at Steph's house, the day we listened to Nikki's podcast.

Skeptical about The Skeptic

On one hand, scary ghost movie! On the other hand, that is Joe from Wings. 

and Tom Arnold. 

Alarm bells are ringing, Willie.

Can't touch this

[and the award for best text goes to]
Stephanie: MC Hammer is in our office lololololol

now that it's over all I can do is wish you well

B.B. King's car was parked next to mine at Manassas Battlefield Park.  Took everything I had not to run around like a fan girl. 

I adore New York, even when she's a lying and frigid b with her spring sun and winter winds. Photos of yesterday's trip as soon as I'm done tackling the Herculean task of putting away my winter wardrobe. I was unproductive for most of the day, might as well get in some cleaning so I don't feel like a complete layabout. Wish me luck, for I'll also be watching The Awakening as I fold sweaters and scarves. 

Photo taken somewhere in Chelsea, I think we were on 21st at the time. 

Laura & Keith

Recent shoot of Laura & Keith at Manassas Battlefield Park. 

It was windy, I made them sit on the ground, and they drank faux spirits. Faux spirits = vinegar. 

I accidentally popped the balloon on some grass, and we ended the day with dinner on a rooftop. 

It was a pleasant afternoon, and I even managed to get a vain vina photo out of it. Awyis. 

ain't no love like a love like this 'cause a love don't exist when a boy wanna play.

Hanni El Khatib | Come Alive | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Yo, I want to follow Hanni El Khatib 'round the streets of Paris at night, pounding on walls and shakin' tambourines.

Way to make me feel special, Tumblr.

New to Tumblr? Look how exciting we are! Join us! Join us!

Oh, you already have Tumblr? I guess you can log in now. 

1:44 is where it's at.

I was on a bit of an Elvis Presley kick tonight, and this is what I found on a Youtube search for “Love Me Tender” - a mesmerizing video from the 70s of He-Man's European Lothario cousin and his merry band of dancing white people in cheerleaderesque costumes. This song is also a massive ear worm, so consider this fair warning. 

He says it all the time. 

I'm a sleeper, not a fighter

[after dinner in Crystal City]
Sohe: OMG parking was $21!
me: I know!! Highway robbery.
Sohe: So pissed.
me: Same. I'm going to exact my revenge by going home and sleeping.

I didn't know bliss could be attained by ordering food containers

vinstagram: eating shanks

Yo, dass how I do.

Pie for breakfast!

Paintbrush in one hand, pancake in the other. 

N-n-now eventually you do plan to have dinosaurs, on your, on your, dinosaur tour, right?

String lights. I loves them. 

Shanks very much!

She's a

I'm not telling you again what you need

It needs to warm up stat because I'm trying to blast this from my car with all the windows down.
Fuck yeah, you're going to dance with me.

I support her life decisions.

Russian Rachel: I totally bought a tin of chocolate at lunch, and I'm eating it like a side dish. This is my life and I'm damn proud of it. 

photo via Russian's phone

What a beta male.

me: What if I get you a beta fish?
sqrlz: No. I don't want a beta fish, I want an alpha fish.

I DO like apple pie and ramen.

Can't tell if I find Komforte Chocokolates disgusting or I really, really, really, really want to try them.

Vedge. That sounds dirty.

Vedge Restaurant
1221 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

We went to Vedge less than half an hour after I arrived in Philly. Justin couldn't find a parking spot. Horrendous parking and traffic were themes of that weekend. The hostess complimented my striped dress and red tights. We ordered off The Dirt List - grilled Brussels sprouts and mustardy fingerling potatoes. I tried the Elder Sage cocktail. The sage leaf was wilted. I judged. The menu said both funky and fancy, and I liked the typewriter font. 

I refrained from ordering dishes that were mushroomcentric. Justin does not like cauliflower, eggplant, coconut, beets, and mushrooms - sure, you won't find those at all in a vegan restaurant. To be fair, he will try them, but nine times out of ten he will not like it. I take that back. He did like a mushroom focaccia pizza situation from Dean & Deluca in Soho, but come on, we had been walking all morning and anything sautéed with garlic in butter is bound to be delicious, picky vegetarian or no picky vegetarian. 

Dessert, a white chocolate panna cotta with a blood orange agrodolce, was the highlight of the meal, aside from those Brussels sprouts. I had such high hopes for the pomegranate jelly doughnut, but it was made of chickpea flour and had the texture of a cake doughnut. I do not like cake doughnuts. 

It's just occurred to me that I do not remember much of the entrée portion of the meal. 

I now want panna cotta at 1:55 in the morning. 

I'm going to bed now. 

sans panna cotta.

:(

Just barely Monday morning

sounds like: Imelda May, Tom Morello & Ben Harper, and DeVotchKa (Enemy Guns is one of my favorite driving songs.). Peep the previous post with B.B. King. The man knows his way around a guitar. 

tastes like: Orange juice with pulp. Orange juice without pulp = why bother? 

feels like: Victory since I did laundry and cleaned my car. I've probably mentioned this at some point, but I love cleaning my car. There are cleaning wipes, protecting wipes, and a brush to clean in between the buttons on my dashboard. Mama don't mess around when it comes to cleaning, but don't ask me about the hellhole that is my bedroom closet. Items I found in the trunk of my car: four umbrellas, a Christmas gift for my Richmond cousins (I obviously see them often), a pie dish, a plank of wood that I was going to use for a woodcut print, and my room card from Le Meridien. I secretly thought that Justin lost my key. Now I feel bad. 

smells like: the cocoa butter lotion that makes me smell like hot chocolate. 

photo via Infinite Positivity