Getting Ready

New shoes! I can't tell you how long I've been pining after a pair of square-toed ballet flats. I never imagined I'd find them made by Jessica Simpson of all people, but the buttery soft leather and perfectly snug fit assuaged any misgivings I held about celebrity-endorsed fashion.


And this is my "airplane bag". Big, slouchy, holds anything and everything, including camera, scarf, planner, Jon Katz and Meg Cabot paperbacks, guide book, snacky foods, etc.
Resting on top is my new shimmery pink camera case, special-ordered from Japan and delivered via fun care package by the wonderful Miho. I could not bear the thought of the boring black leather case offered on Amazon as the only option to house my new Canon Powershot, and so I turned to Rakuten (a kind of Japanese version of Ebay) where I knew my needs for a cute/fashionable case could be met.

One more day and then it's off to NYC! My lists are compiled, my suitcase packed, my liquid and gel cosmetics purchased in regulation-sized containers... I do love being organized.
Probably all this isn't really necessary -- unlike most of my trips I won't be leaving the country (I won't even be leaving this time zone). But I'll use any excuse to act like I am venturing on a perilous expedition into the unknown (a perilous expedition that requires tiny bottles of toner + moisturizer).
In any case, I promise heaps of photos upon my return.

lullabies

For the past I don't know how many years, I've been somewhat sleep-challenged. Not an insomniac, exactly; once I am asleep I can stay that way for 10 or more hours. It's the falling part -- my brain is often reluctant to succumb to slumber.
This used to be because I lived in earthquake country and the frequent night tremblors would keep me on edge. I would often Skype my musician boyfriend of the time and let the sound of him practicing the cello lull me into sleep.
I no longer go to bed with the fear of the ground suddenly falling out below me, but the restlessness is still there. So I have been trying various aural assistants. Nature sounds of rain, thunderstorms and calling loons are particularly effective.
This week I've rediscovered the unutterably lovely music of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It is music worth staying awake for and appreciating properly, but the soothing repetition and deep reverberating voices are like warm arms cradling my tired mind. Their singing is sweetness and calm and a knowing that everything is just fine. I hope peace of mind doesn't elude me forever, but in the meantime...

Custom Orders

Recently I've had a run of custom orders in my jewelry shop. Personally, I adore doing these. It is nice to realize someone else's artistic vision -- to be the inspiration and source through which their imagination creates something tangible.
And this most recent request: earrings to be worn on that most special of special occasions, that last little bit of sparkle added to a magical ensemble, the icing on the cake. For me, as a jewelry designer there is no higher honour than that.

Intro to Art & Drawing 101

Since we may or may not be getting a massive hurricane in the next few days, it seemed a good time to venture into the garage and check for items we wouldn't want to lose to a flood.
I found a box full of dusty old drawings and paintings I'd done, lo these many years ago when I flirted with the idea of getting a degree in Art.


I hated and loved my drawing classes. Hated them because they were just so messy -- I'd come away each lesson face and clothing smudged with charcoal. And the huge sheets of paper and art box were so unwieldy to lug about campus.


But I did love that quiet peace that would settle over the studio once we all had our easels set up, the air of focus and concentration. The occasional whispered suggestion from the teacher, the nod of approval. Stepping back after having been lost deep in the drawing to see a picture coming to life.


I haven't held a paintbrush in years (apart from painting my bathroom walls). After I discovered the clean and sterile world of graphic design the pen tablet replaced my palettes and paint tubes and my creations are now kept in tidy little computer files instead of rotting in the garage.


But it's no substitution, is it.

Love List Friday, because it's been too long

I haven't done one of these in a while, and when I saw this edition on Meg's blog it appealed to me (I love lists and I love fill-in-the-blank), so here we are. If you'd like to share your loves as well, please do!

Song you love: Chaiyya Chaiyya

Word you love: violet

Academic subject you love: quantum physics

Hobby you love: crossword puzzles

Type of baked good you love: メロンパン ("melon bread")

Type of sky you love: rolling black clouds & massive lightning bolts & torrential rain

Beverage you love: coffee with eggnog

Vacation you love: anything involving driving long distances and beautiful scenery and amazing food

Restaurant you love: Ramos House

Way of getting around that you love: train

Person you love: :)

Room in your home (or ideal home) you love: the library (in my imaginary home)

Movie you love: A Day at the Races

Book you love: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew - Margaret Sidney

City you love: Carmel, CA

Future plan you love: buying & furnishing my cottage by the sea

Form of communication you love: talking intimately over a cup of coffee

Junk food you love: hot dogs with mustard

NYC

1. Regardez, regardez... Les cupcakes!, 2. The Pink Shined Down on Manhattan

What do I know about NYC? Not very much. I've been there three times.
The first time I was an impressionable teen on my Grande College Tour, there to visit Colombia U. (did not end up going there). It was a different world to the laid-back SoCal town I grew up in; time moved at a faster pace, the colors were sharper, the voices louder; it all just seemed so much more. And it was the same both times afterwards; almost too much to absorb -- intimidating, stunning, big.
I am not a city girl at heart (I move much too slowly), but I do like the vibrant energy of New York in small doses. And after a lazy summer of not venturing further than the local library, I am more than ready for a dazzling change of scenery. I am looking forward to taking hundreds of photos and savoring delicious dishes in atmospheric restaurants and sharing it all with a lovely travel companion.
I'm not going until the end of the month, but I'll need that time to start compiling a list of must-sees/eats. Leaving room, of course, for the unexpected discoveries that are always the best part of any trip.