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...?"

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...

Storm

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

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.

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.

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?