new ride.

{not my bike exactly, but similar}

I bought a bike yesterday. It is all kinds of exciting. I am sooo ready for the bicycle shopping phase to be over. Everytime L and I would go to a store to check out bikes, apparel, accessories, etc... I just felt e and irritated. It is not enought that you're spending a couple hundred bucks on a bike, they can't bother to put a comfortable seat on the thing. Then, it is not enough that you've spend your $50+ on cycling shorts in order to withstand your seat, you've got to buy pedals and, probably, new shoes too. Then, you've got to gear up with flouresent and reflective apparel (which, naturally, is impossible to find at any store for cheap).

Whatever. I'm done. Yipee! My shorts (which weren't $50+ dollars!!) are on their way from Indiana or some place. My bike is in the garage - she's really fast! My cheapo target gloves are resting in my second hand helmet. And I am soooo ready to ride.

The creative junkie has spoken to my soul this morning: "So, exercise did not kill me. My entire belief system is shaken to its core." You've got to check it out. {click here}

learn something new

interesting.
{via learn something new everyday}

food envy, raw goodness

{from the dieline}

Janell is such an inspiring person in many, many ways. One of the things we talked a lot about over breakfast and strolling through Pikes Place was food. She and her hubby are avid chefs. They make their own pasta every now and then. They're on the move to start making their own yogurt. They're itching to make their own almond butters, peanut butters, etc... They're awesome. Anyhow, Janell has done a lot of research on the importance of eating raw foods. After talking about it a bit, I must say I am convinced. Of course, I don't think I could really go all out on an exclusively raw diet. But I am aching to start increasing the proportion of raw food I eat. For a brief account of raw diets {click here}. As the philosopher and I ate our economical $2.00 per person spaghetti dinner earlier with sauce from a can and garlic bread scavaged from a dumpster (not really as gross as it sounds, long story), I realized how envious I am of people who actually put in the effort to make their own food. L and I are not those kinds of people. We like to go with things that are easy, vegetarian, and locally grown, if possible. I keep telling myself that we'll do more cooking, etc... when we have an actual kitchen. I wonder if that is true.

tire-ing out.

The philosopher and I have been shopping for bikes today. Allllll day. It is not a very fun experience actually. The first store, Revolution Cycles, said decent entry level road bikes would start around $650. The next store on 45th and Roosevelt was a total waste of time. No customer service, no cheap bikes. Gregg's on Greenlake informed us that decent entry-level bikes would run more along the lines of $800. Yikes.

Craigslist has been pretty disappointing overall. A couple of leads but mostly old bikes. The ones that are new and that look pretty good are still selling for $5-6. A lot of money considering I could just get a new one for a little bit more. Hmm...

The pawn shops were worse. Mostly mountain bikes.

There are two really, really crummy parts to this whole bike-hunt. First, I feel like an idiot. I don't know the lingo. I don't know anything about the brands or parts (except for my brief internet research last night). AND, they always want me to get on the bike to check out the fit which is, by far, the most uncomfortable experience. "How does it feel?" "Uncomfortable." "Why?" "Because it feels like you're about to let go of the bike." Yes, I am terrified. I seriously wish I were 6 again and could go for one with ribbons and training wheels without being judged (or worse).

Which brings me to the second really crummy part of the bike-hunt. All of the "moderately" priced bikes are U-G-L-Y. Why doesn't electra make a great road bike that looks like the other road bikes... but, you know, cute?

I really want this bike:



Unfortunately it is a cruiser bike and the philosopher would never let me live it down. Maybe as a gift to myself someday after I face my fears and become a regular biker.

Another cruiser bike from electra I love is this one, voted Best Women's Cruiser Bike for 2009:


The electra road bike equivalent is, I think, "the townie". They're not really road bikes but some are a sort of cross between a road bike and a comfort bike. Some are single speed, others 3, some 7, some 8, some 16, and even a 21 speed model.






Aren't they wonderful?! Electra is known for challenging the hunch-style riding most road bikes require. Unfortunately, that is just one more reason why it is hard to convince L that these bikes are real bikes. (Not that I really know... )

The felt bikes are kind of cute but the road bike versions aren't anything to write home about.

racing in circles

I'm on the hunt for a bike and it absolutely frightens me. True, I enjoyed riding around Onion Creek when I was younger. But the last time I really rode around was about 8 years ago and, in case you don't know, I am the least coordinated person ever. Or at least in Seattle. My some-day mother in law offered me a spare bike to ride around on a few weeks ago to save me the expense of purchasing my own. After three miserable attempts to ride it I realized, happily, that it is a kid's bike. I guess what is sad is that I didn't realize that on my own. Anyhow, the philosopher loves to ride and has been pestering me to get my butt on a bike and head for the open trail with him. This has been going on for a while actually, this desire of his for me to ride. So I am grudgingly, yet a little optimistically, trying to face my fears and take up riding. The bitter-sweet thing about starting this new hobby is it necessitates buying a bike. (Bitter because road bikes are f*ing expensive - even on craigslist I can't find a road bike for less than 150$ and that is for an 80's bike - but sweet if I don't break my nose or my neck riding and have some fun.)

a closet of clothes and nothing to wear...

I keep dreaming about my wedding dress. Literally dreaming. All night it is as though I'm just flipping through photos. It is like I've seen it before somewhere... yet as I search through hundreds of photos I can't spot it. Granted I'm not at all sure what kind of dress I really want for my wedding. For years I've thought the traditional white (often poofy) dress is just silly. Not to mention unflattering -- who really wants to look like a glorified marshmallow? But as I've browsed more and more photos of weddings and of dresses I have become **slightly** more impressed by the beauty of **certain** dresses. I am still unsure about the whole white dress thing...

***Mayyyybbeeee*** something a little like this:

or this middle one:
or one of these:or something like this:or something with a back like this:
or a twist on this:or perhaps one like this, my favorite white dress so far: Truth be told though, I'm still drawn to dresses with a little more color.

I really love these two:

and these two middle ones:and the second pink one, as well as that purple:If nothing else, I'm tempted to go for a fairly traditional wedding gown in a different shade.

Like this pale pink softie:
None of these are just right... but eventually I'll flip to the right page or, more importantly, go to the right store and find something wonderful for me.

i hate nature... moving in where it doesn't belong

Last night while the philosopher was getting a pile of clothes ready for the wash, it happened. We saw a spider. Was this the first time it had ever happened? No. But it was the first of its kind nonetheless.

The Philosopher: {look of disbelief and horror}
Me: ?!@#!@#$!!!?!?@#?!
Me (from the other room): Do you want a shoe?
The Philosopher: Yes please. Hurry!

{SQUASH}

A few minutes pass. The philosopher comes out into the living room, looks at me and asks: Was that a spider or a small dog?

Am I freaking out every night now wondering if a HUGE spider is creeping into our bed? Yes. I hope this memory fads fast.

On a happier note, JANELL IS HERE, JANELL IS HERE!!! She's looking amazing with a huge rock on her hand and so many stories to tell! I can't wait for Friday when I'm done with classes and can just hang out!

** Screaming from a Rooftop **

{photo found here}

Janell heads North
tomorrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!

I see some serious cupcake-ing in our not too distant future.

pretty paper and other things

The philosopher received a little gift in the mail yesterday from Amazon (read:mymom). What is it the philosopher loves to get more than anything else? Kisses? Close. But the answer is books. He's a voracious reader, that one. This time he received The Age of Wonder, a book concerned with the history of science. It actually looks really, really interesting! {Maybe I'll sneak in a few chapters before he gets a chance to cuddle down with it!}

Anyway, one of the most wonderful things about the book so far is the beautiful, beautiful dust jacket. The pictures online seriously do not do it justice. It is phenomenal... for a dust jacket anyway. In most ways it highlights the color scheme I'd like to incorporate into my wedding invitations... along with some greens and maybe some amethyst or papaya for kicks. I really wish I knew how they printed that gold. I've been asking around and I'm pretty sure that is not a letterpress possibility. But, if I can swing it, gold will make its way into the wedding invites (etc...) nonetheless!

i think...

It might be some kind of incredible to live in a place like this:

{photo found here}
I don't think I could get the philosopher to move into a pink house though.

somewhere along the way I turned into a hippie

With all our attempts at planning for grad school, a move to {somewhere}, and a wedding one thing has become very apparent: this next year is going to be BIG. SO, I would like our honeymoon to totally once-in-a-lifetime-crazy-spankles-super-cool! Of course all honeymoons are *fingers-crossed* "once-in-a-lifetime"-type trips and, of course, all honeymoons are *fingers-crossed* special. BUT, since this next summer is going to be such an unusual and important marker in our lives, I would like for the philosopher and I to make the absolute most of a summer that we'll remember forever. I want the stories we tell our grandkids to be flat out unbelievable (in a good way, bien sûr)!

In thinking about amazing, once-in-a-lifetime, incredibly fun trip possibilities I stumbled across a great idea: a road-trip across Europe or the United States in an old VW van. Memorable? Surely! Unusual? Yes! Fun? Well... I think so. I ran the idea past the philosopher and it didn't even garner a verbal response. I wish I had a picture to share of the look on his face. I guess this idea will rest in the reject bin. To give him credit, I probably would get tired of riding around in a clunker. What with my unrelenting car-sickness and my desire for our honeymoon to not be associated with the word «gritty». Maybe we could compromise on one of these or these.

Although if we can't ride across the country in a VW van, I'd at least like to head to New York dance in front of this one:

check mate.

{photo found here}

As it turns out, the philosopher and I have a leaky shower
attracting mold and eating through siding. It is a mess.

The good news:
we're getting a new shower and
we *might* be getting a mini bathroom makeover

The bad news:
our *current* bathroom will never look like any of these and
we'll have to do all the painting ourselves

{photo found here}

This has such a French country meets PBkids feel to it yet I really like it.

{photo found here}

All white bothers me... but I do love the molding and the curved ceiling.

{photo found here}

These sinks are a little industrial
but I still love the clean, fresh look Pottery Barn is so good at.

{photo found here}

I love these tiles and the Moroccan feel to this!

{photo found here}

I'm not so keen on this bathroom but I do love the windows in the wall.

Congratulations Janell!!

{photo found here}

Today my dear friend Janell will be wearing black, accessorizing with some fringe, and walking across a very special stage to receive her undergraduate degree. It is mostly a formality since she really finished her undergrad work last year and has already begun vet school. I don't know why they made her wait a year for official documentation of her genius-ness but I couldn't be happier for her to be walking across that stage, receiving the recognition she deserves! In three short years she'll have all that she needs to start saving animals for a living and doing what she's always dreamed of! Congratulations Janell!

a house is more than a home

{photo found here}

Sometimes I start imagining my future home... well, dream home.
{I think I get this from my mother and her ceaseless real estate browsing.}

It is so easy to see pictures of a beautiful home in a different city, state, or even country and imagine life being perfect. As if the house itself would push all problems and difficulties away. For the most part I've moved beyond the belief or desire for a real estate bandaid. However, I am genuinely excited for the day L and I have our own home.

{photo found here}

maybe it will have lots of pretty molding and curvy hallways

{photo found here}

a big beautiful kitchen

{photo found here}

an inviting library for all our books
with comfy chairs to read and get lost in on rainy days

{photo found here}

a bunk room for the kids
so they can have lots of slumber parties

{photo found here}

a nice little pool
(that someone else would clean...)

{photo found here}

and a treehouse out back, of course,
for adventuring and make believe.

Our lives will still be busy and we'll still have to grudgingly wash the dishes, fold laundry, and clean up after our kitties. But it will be our home to live and dream and love in.

oh my

I really want a cupcake.

From Trophy, of course, cause they're the best
{except for the ones my philosopher bakes}
wink, wink

Also, how did I miss the Trophy-Cakespy conversion of sweetness???
It was this May. This last May. All month.
Yum. Cupcake + Unicorn + Sprinkles + rainbow = Delicious.
Or so I imagine. Clearly I didn't indulge enough this last May.

Speaking of, I recently struck *sugar* trolling through the archives.
First came this delightful gem of hilarity: the little debbie death match.


Then I found a real treat: 50 ways to kill a twinkie.


Finally, I came across one of my all-time favorite cakespy posts:
how (not) to ship a cupcake

today

{image found here}

I want to go camping in a backyard that looks like this.