Contemplating light

I enjoy my new apartment. I love how close I am to many of the stores I frequent. I love that we have a balcony (which we would use if it wasn't freezing outside). I love the wood floors, and the warm ambiance they give the basic white-wall look all apartments have. What I DON'T love, in fact, what I hate is the light. Basically, there's no way for sunlight to enter the apartment. We are on the wrong side of the building. Later in the year, when the sun travels to a better part of the sky, we will still get no light because there's another building in the way.

*Sigh* This wouldn't really bother me except I love plants. I currently have a kalanchoe (that I've nursed back to health numerous times), but I think this sunless prison will be the death of my faithful, green friend. So I will soon be bringing him in to work so he can survive.

While this saves my plant, it leaves me with little green at home. So how does one still have green, but no sun? One of the blogs I frequent, Design*Sponge by Brooklyn-based Grace Bonney, has the answer: Terrariums.


She offers a tutorial on how to make your own mini-terrariums, above. But, while I love the idea, I'm not sure if I could be that creative. I might just have to buy them already made, from an Etsy dealer preferably. I did buy one for my mom, and the thing is apparently growing like a maniac. I could go with either of these:

We all know why I like the one above (too bad it probably doesn't come with the typewriter). But I think this next one is really cool, too. One question: How would you water the dang thing?

The beauty of terrariums is that not only do they not really need sunlight (they generally are made up of moss) but they are self-sufficient, requiring little watering. I think they are the perfect way to get a little spring in the middle of winter.

If I had the money...

Recently I've been quite enamored with typewriters. There's one at the office that I just want to commandeer and take home with me. I'd definitely want a working one, one that could possibly stand in the place of a guestbook at our wedding reception? *Sigh* But alas, who can justify paying so much for a vintage, working typewriter that wouldn't likely be used that much? Not me, that's for sure. Instead, I drool over finds on Etsy.

There's this classy grey machine, complete with chrome accents:

Steel Grey 1950s Royal Quiet De Luxe. $250 from "funretro."

Then there's a slick 1920's version that is pretty because it's so old:

Underwood Noiseless Portable Typewriter, $239, from OldCoot.

And finally, for a lovely pop of color, there's this beauty:

Vintage 1950s Turquoise Royal Manual Typewriter with Case, $440, from The Fancy Tail

Pots of color

I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so I've decided to keep today's post short and sweet. I've been into photography ever since I was young and was given my first point and shoot camera. Since then I've taken so many photos that I can't even guess how many I have. But I do have a favorite (though my favorite tends to change, this one always makes me happy and I often point to it as a favorite). For me, it does many things. It makes me smile; it makes me feel warm; and it symbolizes for me where I can find myself, if only I am willing to go.

Bags of dye await purchase at a market in Morocco.

A day to remember

There's a tradition among us humans. Having more than a 5 minute memory gives us the unique and annoying habit of looking into the past and evaluating it.
The human race also has an annoying habit of making those infamous things called "Best of" lists. Most animals don't do this, and for many memories that are added to these lists, it's not a good habit to go about remembering them. But for those few moments that can light up your life and make you warm and fuzzy all over, being able to look back is a gift. I had a best day this year. There are very few of those, and their definitions are continually changing and evolving according to new moments that arise. But I think all my future moments will forever be judged based on this moment, and I guess that makes it the best of 2009.
While I myself hate "Best of" lists, it's not hard to get on board with picking my best moment of 2009. It was obviously the moment that Travis proposed. I would also have to say that it was also the best day of 2009, lest I forget how amazing the horseback ride on the beach at sunset was for me. I believe the photo illustrates that moment best, and I will therefore end this post before I spoil the beauty and simplicity that the image encompasses for me.

NaBloPoMo: Shall I try this again?

A couple of years ago I did the National Blog Posting Month November challenge. Put simply, you have to post every day for month. The group also hosts challenges every other month of the year. I have been unable to get on board with another month, simply because I'm forgetful, and just a tad bit lazy. But, I figure the first January of a new decade could be a good year to attempt to complete the challenge. In fact, January might be the best month to get on board again. Why? Well, the challenge for most people isn't the doing the first post, or even the first straight week of posts. Most people get bogged down and start missing posts after that. But, it takes some will to get up on New Year's Day after partying the night before to get that first post up. That's why January is the best month to dive back into NaBloPoMo challenges. If you're going to miss a day, you'll likely miss the first day in your hungover state, and then you don't have to bother finishing the challenge.
On a side note, the good people who organize NaBloPoMo have created a theme for this month. If you hadn't guessed it by now, it's "best," which seemed like a fitting theme when taking my theory about January being the "best" month in mind.
Of course, I managed to get on board for today, so now I better finish this up and make getting up early on New Year's Day actually worth it. Cheers and good luck to all my other NaBloPoMo contestants. May this year be your "best" year yet!