HOME
the plan: clean, study, blog, sort laundry, and re-organize my desk
the reality: go shopping, watch buffy, drink tea, watch hockey, stay in pajamas, and take these photographs…
check out the rest on my flickr
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what have you been up to the last couple days? anyone else in the US spending MLK jr. day doing the things they should have already done this weekend?.
xo Alison
THESE random THINGS
// listening to slow club’s especially awesome album yeah so
// watching toni collette kick all sorts of ass on united states of tara
// these lovely prints over at mont petit by petit royal
// including thunder, pancakes, and seattle in the same poem
// making a list of reasonable + worthy goals for the first bit of 2011
// four of my favorite hockey boys being voted to the NHL all-star game
// devouring homemade herb roasted potatoes with parmesan cheese
// taking down our minimal christmas decorations…but leaving up every strand of twinkle lights
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THIS incredible SONG
{which happens to be one of my all time favorites}
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THIS inspiring POEM
15
You still love the ones you loved
back when you loved them—books.
Records, and people.
Nothing much changes in the glittering rooms of the heart,
Only the dark spaces half-reclaimed.
And then not much,
An image, a line. sometimes a song.
Car doors slam, and slam again, next door.
Snow nibbles away at the edges of the dark ground.
The sudden memory of fur coats,
erotic and pungent,
On college girls in the backseats of cars, at Christmas,
Bourgeois Americana, the middle 1950s,
Appalachia downtown.
And where were we going? Nowhere.
Someone’s house, the club, a movie?
See the pyramids along the Nile,
WKPT, I’m itching like a man on a fizzy tree.
It didn’t matter.
Martin Karant was spinning them out,
and the fur was so soft.
THESE gorgeous GOODIES
tassel garland: neutrals by confetti system
silo votive by up in the air somewhere
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what are you loving about right now?
xo Alison
HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY LOVELIES!
i hope you had a safe + wonderful new year’s eve celebration. ours was simple + low-key, which was exactly what i wanted this year. for those of you who read my personal blog, you know that i have an odd, fickle relationship with new year’s eve as a holiday in general, so i’m extra happy that it was so stress-free + satisfying this time around. i’m also happy to be spending new year’s day drinking coffee, uploading photos, watching my brother play x-box, and counting down the minutes until the 2011 NHL winter classic, which features my favorite boys this year in my favorite city. so far today has also included reflecting on the previous year, a year that started out pretty scary with my mother being diagnosed with cancer, but ended up being, overall, surprisingly fun, meaningful, inspiring, and memorable in the best ways possible. so, when i look back on 2010, i will be able to say…
…that was the year i
// discovered florence + the machine, mumford & sons, broken social scenes, laura marling, and local natives
// learned how to say “be careful!” and “climb down from” in latin
// watched the penguins go down in the 2nd round of the playoffs, and started my next season countdown far too early
// was given my very first DSLR camera, appropriately named dexter
// found out what chronic lymphocytic leukemia is
// watched a lot of dexter, BSG, 30 rock, better off ted, damages, mad men, the tudors, and united states of tara
// wrote a lot of poetry i’m actually pretty proud of
// saw my boys, the pittsburgh penguins, two rows from ice level, and two other times besides that
// maintained a good GPA + developed new academic contacts
// bought a lot of records, ballet flats, dishware, and bottles of nail polish
// had countless conversation about creative nonfiction + friendship + supernatural + hockey + psychology + the movie inception
// was lucky enough to see the swell season, bob dylan, hanson, and john mayer in concert (from pretty awesome seats, too)
// became OBSESSED with netflix (how did i ever live without it?)
// took hundreds of photos of coffee + tea, cemeteries, books, cats, shoes, clouds, and my little front porch
// turned twenty-two in my favorite place on earth: consol energy center
// reevaluated every priority i’ve ever had in life while spending countless hours in a squeaky, uncomfortable chair next to my mother’s hospital bed at the cleveland clinic
// wandered through shenandoah valley national park
// drank too many starry night shots + sang along too loudly to songs on the radio in bars on weeknights
// ate my weight in con queso, homemade risotto, and blueberry yogurt
// maintained such a lovely group of writer friends
// worked on being more flexible, brave, and even-tempered
// wasn’t lucky enough to travel very much or very far, but still managed to “go” to many new places
// gave into the smart phone craze, and bought a new laptop
// pinned down what i would like the next five years to be like, and started to make the right decisions to get myself there
// tumblrd, tweeted, and started a personal blog
// developed this blog into the super artistic explosion of random creativity + funk that it is now! (bwahahaha)
// reclaimed my status as the master of my fate, the captain of my soul
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i am already oozing with excitement to find out what 2011 has in store for me, my friends, and for all of you here. i am oh so happy to have “met” (most of) you all during this wildly unpredictable + wonderful, incredibly fast year. have a brilliant new year’s day!
xo Alison
PART III
these are the things i LOVE about right now…
// staying up late + getting up early
// taking tons of photos of twinkle lights and the blue winter sky
// starting the day with chocolate, coffee, and peppermint
// spending the majority of my day on netflix, watching better off ted + damages for the first time
// singing the wrong words to christmas songs. loudly.
// watching the penguins’ sections of HBO’s 24/7 (which is an in-depth, uncensored look at the pens + caps on the road to the winter classic on january 1st), over and over and over…i’m in heaven!
// lighting dozens of red, green, and white candles in the early afternoon
// eating tons of my mother’s homemade risotto— it’s to die for!
// making plans to start my birthday celebration early, saying as i may actually have to participate in jury duty on monday, which is the day i turn 22 (what are the odds of that??)
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what are you loving right now?
xo Alison
my weekend in….
SIGHTS
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SOUNDS
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MUSTS
// baking chocolate raspberry marshmallow muffins at night
// giggling while skimming through an AP stylebook from 1988
// browsing the super rad pattern people surface design
// being two wins away from taking the top spot in the atlantic division
// watching glass: a story of philip in twelve parts, an incredible, in-depth documentary about philip glass that i highly recommend
// having a major psych marathon via the dangerous wonders of netflix
// getting lost in the awesomeness over at house of commons
// discovering how wonderful laura marling’s voice + lyrics + songs are
// scoring the perfect seats for the penguins vs. coyotes game in pittsburgh that’s on my birthday next month
// loving rachelle letain’s wonderful portfolio
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LUSTS
one. nob hill by kima kline at alkeemi via elsa may
two. tote by filedguided
three. owl table lamp by west elm
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what sights + sounds + little moments did you fill your weekend with?
xo Alison
p.s. i realized a couple days ago that i have not mentioned my mother’s leukemia for quite some time. that’s been because, for the most part, things have been (relatively) dandy. she had an oncologist appointment a few days ago, and while her white count did go up, it didn’t go up too substantially, which is good. if the white count continues to rise over the next four months, things could get scary again, but as of right now, in this moment, she’s okay, so we’re okay. thanks in advance for all the support. it means the world. ♥
