Monday, December 26, 2011

Living

I'm lusting after Fabrizio Rollo's beautifully decorated space. His aesthetic pretty much sums up the look I'm going for at my SOCO apartment. I love the use of mixed animal prints, bold colors, and Uzbeki and African textiles. A peek inside Fabrizio's pad...

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Paris

I've been settling back into Austin, really trying to root myself for the first time in a long time. It's hard and it's scary, lonely and uncomfortable. Strangely enough, I don't really have the urge to pack up and move again. I don't want to. So I guess as I've been contemplating this new state of staying I've also been reminiscing, mulling over my past lives in other places. Paris was probably the most challenging. I felt a loneliness there that I had never felt before, and, thankfully, haven't felt since. I had some dark days, but I was also so inspired. Paris really is magical, full of beauty, art, and so much charm. I never tired of the Eiffel Tower. In my last flat in Paris, I would slowly watch it come into view as I stepped out of my metro station at Pyrenées. And it also made me gasp a little. I never tired of Montmartre. I could have spent every single day wandering through that tiny neighborhood, in and out of little shops. My first trip to Paris was with my buddy Alex. We'd been living/traveling together for a few months, and we had our share of full out fights on subway trains and angrily parting ways only to meet up with each other in a new city. Very dramatic. In Paris we were like children - blissful, giddy, full of energy. We walked everywhere. We ate everything. Alex took a million pictures. We didn't want to leave, so we extended our stay. On the last day, we wandered and I kept wondering to myself, "Could I live here...?"

Friday, November 11, 2011

Paris vs New York

I'm dying over these prints by graphic designer Vahram Muratyan. I ordered the book and am lusting over the prints at Society 6... So witty. Seeing them makes me miss Paris a lot...
I want some for my kitchen, some for my closet, and some to put above my little dining table...

Monday, October 31, 2011

Storm

Finally living out my Stevie Nicks obsession, thanks to my very talented friend, Paige Ann Newton.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Growing Pains

For the month of September, I love:

1. Summer Camp's "Ghost Train" .

Way back in September
I boarded the train.
Neon lights guiding me
Far from where I came.

Autumn brought you to me.
Speed from land to sea.
Land to sea and back again
And now there's only me
Alone.

Dawn broke out the window.
The glass filled up with pink.
You held my hand and told me,
"Try hard not to think."
You probably can't picture
The look that's in my eyes,
But I will never forget
The heartache of your sighs.

The slow train brought you to me.
Fast train sent you back,
Sent you far from me and I'm
Alone.

2. Decorating my apartment. I've discovered my true interiors love: Danish modern furniture. I'm obsessed with it, and I wish I had more space for more pieces...



3. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I'm addicted to it. Satrapi retells the story of the Iranian revolution through the perspective of her 10-year old self.

4. My Steven Alan "Janis" hat. I want to wear it everyday with everything.



5. All things coconut.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Postcards from Tunisia

Some of my favorite shots. Every Sunday when I go to church I feel a little twinge, a part of me that misses the quiet and the peace of Tunis, the slow Mediterranean pace. On Sundays I would usually cab it to church, then walk home. On the way back I'd get a 2 dinar smoothie from a small little hole in the wall. I'm sip it under the sun, usually have a little afternoon cigarette, put on my headphones and start the trek home.







Future Starts Slow

Today was the first day since moving back to Austin that there was a breeze and weather in the low 90's. It felt amazing and sentimental. I love the feeling of changing seasons (even though I think today was a temporary fluke). It brought me back to the last time I had moved back to Austin, post-Paris. I was living at Brian's, working up north, spending evenings with Bethany and our crew, dancing and going to Sunset shows. Those days were full and long and emotional and sweet and hard.

Now I'm living alone, working in south Austin, preparing for Bethany's wedding and move... Things feel less crazy and passionate, more stable, sometimes boring and sometimes sad, but good. I have a couch and a bed and a zebra rug. Pics to come soon.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Gratitude

Check out this Big Picture spread.

These are photos from the most dangerous countries for women. Really makes this American girl grateful for my life as a woman here in Texas. Also makes me feel like I need to do something with this information. I read an article a few months ago about societies which repress women. A common characteristic of said societies in terrorism and religious fanaticism. Interesting, huh? I guess the question we have to ask ourselves is how to make a place for these women in their respective countries. Micro finance? I don't know... What do you think?

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Culture Whore


It's good to be back, close to my family, taking spontaneous road trips, eating avocados everyday, sitting on back porches and balconies, hugging my brothers, and driving home to sunsets over Town Lake. I've been struck by the verdant beauty of Austin. I love seeing people paddle boarding at dusk, with a backdrop of vibrant fuchsia and kelly green trees. I love the old power plant and the train lines that cross the lake. I'm trying to be grateful at all times in everything, present and aware of my blessings here.

But I am, admittedly, a culture whore as my friend Kirsten dubbed it. I miss the foreign, the weird, the uncomfortable, the ancient, the traditional, foreign languages, the architecture, the sea...

A vague plan is stirring in my head - save my money this year and take a trip to Turkey again, maybe visit Beirut.

Friday, July 1, 2011

7 years later



I've put this blog on the back burner since returning to Texas, and I'm hoping to get back to regular blogging soon. I started a new job, am looking for a place to live, and have been really trying to ease into life in Austin again.

I'll write more later, but for now...

The W Hotel set up shop here right after I moved. It's in a honking downtown building whose glass panels have recently begun falling on people who are poolside, on pedestrians, and on cars. I couldn't help but think that this city is getting too big for its britches. Back in school when I studied urban development, my profs were always bitching about Austin's growth and warning us that the city just couldn't sustain it. I can't help but feel that the W situation is some kind of warning sign.

Austin has grown a lot; another 6000 people are projected to make Austin home by the end of the summer. Wah!!! It's too much. When I moved here in 2004, it was way chill and way weird, I crossed the city constantly to go from vintage shops in the south to my yoga studio up north. Now that drive could mean an hour plus sitting in stop-and-go traffic. Before, I didn't spend too long waiting to be seated, even at the most popular restaurants. Since being back I can't even book a reservation because everything is full full full!! Well the times are changing, and I'm sure they'll keep flying by. I'm trying to appreciate Austin as it was and as it is, because you can be certain that another 5 years down the road, it will be an altogether new experience.

No matter where I've traveled or lived, Austin's always been home in my heart, a city that I long for and love and try to convince people to visit. I want it to stay that way.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Just a blue star hangin out in space

My childhood friend Sara is in town this weekend. Last night was spent over ceviche and margaritas, talking about life and God and psychology (she's getting her masters in art therapy). Today we're going on a vision quest to find our totem animal. I'm not totally sure what that means. Basically we're going to a swimming hole and then we're going to drive around some small Texas towns and try to fill ourselves with the charm of the Wild West before she heads back to Virginia.

A little over a year ago we went on a vision quest through West Texas. I found Fleetwood Mac's "Bare Trees" album at cool record shop in Ft. Davis Texas, and we meandered through the Davis Mountains with the disc blaring. We found turquoise jewelry and beautiful stones, saw a bear at the Big Bend, had a tarantula riding in our car with us for a couple of days (it hopped in at Big Bend and reappeared on the dashboard a couple of days later), slept in a tent in Marfa, found a hippie colony in Marathon...





Thursday, June 9, 2011

Couldn't stop that spinning force I felt in me

Yesterday Bethany and I drove out to Canyon Lake. It's a limestone lake, so it's uber clean and the water is basically like a glowing turquoise gemstone. On the drive out we passed all of these funny little saloons and restaurants and what not. Apparently Girl Talk is DJing on June 29 at one of these random bar/restaurants in Canyon Lake?

Anyway, I made a summer mixtape and we rolled the windows down, turned the volume up and watched Texas landscapes zip by. Sometimes I feel like a dog because I love nothing more than sitting in the front seat with my window down.

My summer favorites:

"In the Flowers" by Animal Collective. This is my back-to-Texas jam.
"Mister Heavenly" and "Pineapple Girl" by Mister Heavenly.
"Kamphopo" by The Very Best. Esau Mwamwaya layered African tunes over Architecture in Helsinki's "Heart It Races".
"Azmari Dub" by Dub Colossus. It's an Ethiopian track, with vocalist Sintayehu Zenebe. It opens with these crazy horns and Zenebe is just incredible. I love it!!!!



This is a semi-horrible photo that really doesn't do Canyon Lake justice, but... I tried.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Shems



This photo was taken somewhere outside of Jbeil, Lebanon in 2009. Lebanon's coastline is really breathtaking. There are lots of great, low craggy cliffs that dip into the most inviting little swimming coves.

I forgot that I'd taken this picture, and I don't think I've ever posted it online before. I remember wanting to own one of those little seaside huts.

"Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of"

I'm back in Texas, and, well, I don't quite know what to say. I feel pretty terrified. I arrived to San Antonio at midnight on Tuesday, spent Wednesday in a bit of a jet-lagged haze, and had my grandfather's funeral on Thursday. The funeral was harder than I'd expected. All of my family was there, I was exhausted, and my mom was crying, which I hate to see. I'd been asked to read a piece that I wrote for my grandfather when I was 13, so I sort of tearily stumbled through it, sweating under the already blistering morning sun.

After the funeral I was bombarded with questions - "What are you going to do now? What's your five year plan? What are your goals? What are you going to do with yourself?" Huh? Um, well my answer is pretty unimpressive. I don't really know. I feel fairly certain that I was meant to come back. And I believe in Providence. And that's about it. I don't know what I'll do next, but I do think there is a challenge before me - the challenge of not knowing. Knowing isn't necessary. It's humbling, it's scary, and somewhere in there I think that it's really freeing.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Chiaroscuro

Chopped off about four inches of hair in Paris. Not happy about that, but oh well... The blonde's half grown out, and I think I'll keep it that way. I've decided to wear lots of white, bone, and pale, pale blush things this summer. And maybe some gold sequins.

While looking for some old French classics for a little Paris-inspired playlist, I happened upon and subsequently fell in love with this Eartha Kitt video for C'est Si Bon. 1962 and she was killin' it. Kitt spoke 7 languages and sang in 4. She sings with great wit, tossing some English-isms into songs sung in French and adapting her lyrics a bit based on her audience.

New hair and some old favorite photos that I found somewhere out there in the cyber world.





Sunday, May 29, 2011

Colore

I've been seeing a lot of local men here wearing great colors. Men in colored pants is a personal favorite. Yesterday I spotted fuchsia, burnt orange, and a nice shade of dark turquoise. Italians aren't afraid of color and they're good at putting playful twists on classics.

A lot of my style muses are Italians - Margerita Missoni, Giovanna Battaglia and Miuccia Prada (genius!), to name a few. But the girl who does color best is Verona-bred Elisa Nalin. She's currently living in Paris where she works as a stylist and shoe designer. I love seeing photos of her during Paris fashion week because she stands out among a sea of monochrome and black. Nalin has a knack for making menswear-inspired looks flirty with layers of bright color. And her shoe collection makes me drool.









Friday, May 27, 2011

Piccolo Paradiso

The coastline here is dotted with free-form towns nestled in the sides of hills. I love the little stacked villas facing the beaches, the clusters of buildings hanging over seaside cliffs, and the winding streets that zig zag from the tops of mountains all of the way down to emerald waters. The little towns here are so organic - it's like they've sprouted up from the soil. And speaking of the soil, I learned today that it's rich with ash from Mt. Vesuvius, which makes for some pretty luscious vegetation. The Italians here grow lemon trees, tomatoes, fennel, et cetera, under their grapevines, and all of those flavors find their way into the local wines. The cows munch on wild fennel and arugula which is what makes the mozzarella here so inimitable.






The colors here are great too - washed out pink and peach pastel homes, with the occasional saffron or rust-tones building, fuchsia bougainvillea, and of course the sea in its many shades and ranges of blue and green.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Hello from Sorrento







I'm in It'ly y'all! I spent one afternoon and night in Naples. My hostel was in the old city center, and it took my taxi driver and I about 45 minutes to meander through the maze of narrow stone streets before we found the place. And by that time I was starving, so I stumbled out into the labyrinth and into a raucous, bare-boned restaurant that served the tastiest pizza I've ever had in my life. I'm not really a pizza person, but this pizza was supernatural. I decided to walk down to the sea and got some gelato along the way. Also supernatural.

Naples had a certain authentic/trashy port-city charm. Apparently for the past two years the mafia has been controlling the garbage/waste disposal and hasn't really been doing any kind of, um, trash collecting? There were gigantic piles of trash all over the place along with lots of graffiti and black soot on the buildings, but it felt really... real. Clotheslines between narrow streets, scooters zipping around, loud southern Italians yelling at their kids, tons of bookstores, outdoor markets...

My camera was dead so I didn't take any photos in Naples. These are a few Sorrento pics. The Mediterranean and the bluest blues. I have some kind of obsession with boats and ships, the different colors and shapes, the way they look just floating out there on turquoise waters.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Palais Tokyo



Skater kids, photo booths, architecture books, coffees overlooking the Seine, and a clear blue sky.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Fridays with Josid


Halloween night. I blackened his chest hairs with my eyeshadow. He was a Chilean coal miner.

It's always nice to have real people in your life. I've never really been the kind of person who can just live off of small talk and doing whatever. Sometimes I feel like a grandma because I go out less and less, but I just can't be bothered to go out for the sake of going out. I'd rather have good conversation, preferably on a porch. And today I started to feel insecure and weird about that. "Am I a becoming a recluse????? Does this mean I'm lazy?" I think it's just a transitional phase. I becoming more aware of what I want out of life, what kind of people I want to be around, how I want to live... And sometimes it doesn't seem very glamorous, but leave it to good friends to make you feel good about turning into a grandmother. A little chat with Josid while he packed his bags to leave South Korea and I started to feel less lame and more empowered.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Magic Feather



Patti Smith. In Paris, I believe.

"try to ride on waves of activity
in every direction
you're the center and you're always free
in every direction"

Grey nails. New black jeans. Fake tattoos. Short(ish) hair. White blazer. Turban. Those are my Paris staples for this little stay.

Trying to look a little more chic and a little less hippie.

I love Paris, and it is so damn beautiful, but, well... I feel like I'm biding time here. I can't wait for, in no particular order: my denim shorts, Barton Springs, Polvo's Tex-Mex, Big Bertha's vintage, Tara's baby girl, hugs from my little (but very tall) brothers, yoga, late night walks, porches, and Austin sunsets.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

CAN'T WAIT



"I can not wait for summer,
I can not wait for June when all the ghosts are quiet,
when everything is new"

Oooooh, I went to see Twin Shadow last night and it was wondrous.

I'm in Paris, left Tunis yesterday. It was a bittersweet goodbye. I arrived to this city that I know so well, but I immediately felt like a stranger. The culture shock kinda hit me unexpectedly. I feel like a little fish in a big pond all over again. I've been living in this little curfew-laden revolution bubble, and it's acted as some sort of protective cocoon. And now I broke out of it, a bit earlier and in a different manner than I'd expected...

But back to Twin Shadow. Basically I told myself that if there was a Twin Shadow show in Paris, it was probably a sign from above that I should go. And there was and I did and it was great. I went alone as sort of a rebirth into Western culture. Would have preferred going with Austinites, but someday very soon I will, I'm sure. George Lewis Jr. had a cool stage presence. I like his style and whatever he's been doing with his hair is good. And the drummer was pretty awesome, also had some interesting hair going on. He was working a good old 90's bun. Yes! Tomorrow night I'm going to Little Dragon. Part deux of breaking out of the cocoon.

Picture and more to come when my thoughts are less sporadic and hazy.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

25

No depressing posts today, it's time to lighten the mood a bit. This year I turn 25. 25 is my favorite number. My parents married on April 25. I was born on June 25, my brother Wes on May 25, and my youngest brother Marshall was born on October 25. 25 reminds me of the ones I love. I suppose it's fitting then that I'm heading back Stateside to start my 25th year with friends and family.

Sooo then I have to ask myself the shallow question: What to wear for my 25th birthday? And I'm leaning toward Christian Dior S/S 2011. I LOVE the hair. I don't think I'm brave enough to go for the gold with those bangs, but maybe... Sheer chiffon dresses and colors that pop, that I know I can do. Once I get back to Austin, I'm going to troll the vintage shops to try to get these looks.