jokes

the times when i think i am the funniest girl in the world, nobody else does. ever.

for example, while walking with emily and jenna in the east village last summer, we passed a pet store with little puppies in the window. and jenna said "look! doggies in the window!" to which i then replied, "how much?" (referring to the children's song). to my complete surprise, no one laughed. so i repeated myself; retelling what had just happened thirty seconds before. and they said that they heard. they got it. it just wasn't funny.

i still think it is!

library card

i have a ton of interests. in every direction. that being stated, getting a library card is probably one of the greatest decisions of my life. i love reading. i love learning. there are so many things i do not know. and that's the best part of it all. i feel so inspired by the fact that there is so much out there to have knowledge of. there is so much to discover.

i fully enjoyed college classes. i learned so much. so much, perhaps random, knowledge in so many different areas. it was all quite interesting to me. even looking back, the concept of just learning and learning varied subjects each day is overwhelmingly amazing to me. i took a class on gerontology! on north american immigration! on entomology! i took two years of hebrew! an absolutely inspiring course on global violence against women and girls! i took figure skating classes! ballroom dance! a class solely related to cheese and culture! poetry! there are so many things that i have wonderful and random knowledge of, and yet, there is still so much more i want to and don't already know.

i like having conversations with people on subjects that i know nothing about. to learn, learn, learn. i am very unfamiliar with physics, with chemistry, with many things. i like talking to people who know about the subjects that i am not well versed in. you can tell me about thermodynamic fluctuations and statistical physics and i can tell you about the life cycle of the honeybee and france's first female perfumer, germaine cellier. i absolutely do not think that certain subjects have more merit over others. we'll both learn from each other. everyone carries very specific and delightful knowledge with them.

having a job after graduation in a specialized field is extremely different than taking an assortment of college courses. not better or worse, simply a distinct focus and new way of learning. you would not believe all of the unusual and enthralling facts about the fragrance industry that i have learned so far. there is so much to it. so much design. so much science. so much math, history. so much beauty and passion. every detail is fascinating to me.

and i feel very lucky to have a job in an industry that i will constantly, and rather delightfully, be learning in. and i also feel lucky to have the ambition and curiosity to discover more apart from it.

the sidewalk

here is another little city gem that made me smile on my walk home from work today. found on minetta lane. i like it.

a little experimentation

i made my roommate become part of my experiment.

for seven days, she had to practice writing with her left hand. she had three minutes of practice each day, and then had to write her name and the alphabet. this wasn't really about her actually having progress, but rather to see if there were any changes. absolutely no pressure.

day one to day seven:

result: questionable. the first day really looked great and the last day of the experiment was a little bit worse, but i think that was lack of effort on her part. also something to note, in the practice pages, she wrote like she was six years old and learning to write, such as "lindsey, lou and i are having a lovely afternoon in the west village. today is saturday. last night, we all went bowling," and that is rather silly.

we came up with other ways to track her progress on the road to ambidexterity, like sewing a circle with her left hand, but we'll see. em is now studying for the GRE and training yourself to write with your left hand may not be the most impressive activity to a graduate school.

golden swan garden

oh! just as i was writing about how little bits of loveliness are scattered all over the city, i find this little garden a few blocks away from my apartment. isn't that name just delightful? 

the city

i don't think new york city is beautiful. some people do. i prefer nature. i prefer flower gardens and ponds and critters running about (so much that street rats don't bother me one bit, though i would trade them in a second for a few deer and a rabbit.) and i prefer willow trees and bird's nests and their morning chirps. i look out my window when i am at work, located a few blocks away from grand central station, and all i see are buildings. no sky, no ground below. just buildings. something that has stayed with me for a while is a line in julia alvarez's book, how the garcia girls lost their accents. i am loosely rephrasing this, but she says that being in new york city is not being inside nor is it being outside. agreed. sometimes it doesn't feel like real life. sometimes i feel as though i am in a painting. concrete and skyscrapers may be gloriously appealing to some. but not to me.

maybe that's the best part of it all. i have to dig a little bit deeper to uncover the extra-ordinary beauty beneath. it is more precious and rare. but when it is there, it's loud and it's merry and it can make me smile long, long after.

definition

right before i took the SATs when i was 16, i stood with my friends in the main hallway of our high school. one of my friends had a practice book, filled with questions, strategies and definitions. we had a few minutes before we had to take the test, and so i took the book and opened to a random page. i saw a word that i had not known the definition of and quickly read what it had meant. of all of the words in the english language the test makers could have chosen, "bereft" had appeared twice on that test.

bereft. verb.

• deprived of something.
• lacking something needed or expected.

and up until that point, i was.

maybe a lower score on my SATs would have put me on a very different path than i'm on now. maybe not. something to think about.

aestheticism

though slightly evolved, my style has never really changed from when i was six years old.

i still love everything extremely feminine and dainty.
the lady. the ballerina. the queen.

florals. a mishmash of bright colors - à la lisa frank.

diamonds and gems.

but there was a time that i pretended i did not enjoy the beautiful things that i once did. i remember being in seventh grade and sitting on the bus with ashley. i had on pink nail polish. it was such a light color pink, really. and i told her it was more of a lilac shade. in no way did i want to admit to being one of those girls who "loves pink." even though i did!

well, now that i'm a decade older (and a bit wiser), i fully embrace it. and glitter. and rainbow colors and everything that i think is beautiful. and i don't worry about any other tastes and opinions but my own.

i am really fortunate that my office is an avenue away from the fashion district in nyc. there are countless shops with lovely ribbons and gems and pretty little embellishments. a few weeks ago when annie came to visit, i found this beauteous, little bauble. i haven't thought of the perfect craft to use it in yet, though i am certain that i will. it is completely kitschy and it really speaks to me. everyone i have excitedly shown it to thinks it is extremely odd. but i love it and i will never again deny what i truly fancy!

this dress

emily and i had a fervent desire to move to new york city. it was our dream and our every thought. right after graduation, and months before we actually found jobs here, we took a day trip. i can't remember if we had a purpose for going other then running around and living the life we dreamed of for an afternoon.

we found our now favorite peruvian restaurant in the east village. we had after-dinner drinks on the sidewalk in perfect summer-evening weather on the lower east side. we saw her brother's band play at the annex. we truly had a day packed with adventure. but what we remember the day most as, is the day where we swapped clothing. three times. switching with each other and buying new to fit the activity that we were doing at the moment. while not actually living here. it was excessive and silly. this dress will always remind me of that day, it was the dress i had purchased and wore mid-afternoon and into the evening.

now in our tiny, west village apartment, i still have the dress with me. i haven't worn it since our romp around lower manhattan over a year ago. but every time emily and i see it, it always takes us back to the time when the city was just a dream of bright lights and everlasting fun.

the weather

there is something really nice about discussing the weather with strangers.

when you're stuck in a quiet situation with a person that you do not know very well, or at all, in a waiting room, with a taxi driver, in a line, with your doorman, in an elevator, the weather is a perfect topic to discuss. i actually really love this. not because i particularly like talking about what's going on outside (like my father, who was overjoyed when i decided to go to vermont for college - hi dad!), but because it shows that a person is making a rather gallant effort in being cordial. it shows they have a good heart. it's just as simple to say nothing at all. this conversation really used to bug me, as i once thought it was stating the obvious. but now it brings me complete delight! when there is absolutely nothing to say, the weather is perfect. it's maybe the one thing that we can all relate to in times of a fleeting exchange. the conversation always ends with a feeling of solidarity. we all experience weather equally and together.

state-shaped food

emily's broken matzah. from our beloved blue ribbon bakery. isn't this curious and rather accurate?

luck

i save my birthday candles. for luck. 

i think it's working.

expressionism

my beautiful friend katherine, who is near and dear to my heart, 

is putting together a project. and i want you to participate! 

rather simple and really fun. it's called expressionism.

 

take a picture of yourself and attach one word about your current state. 

then email it to kath.robinson2@gmail.com

it's turning out to be quite the lovely project! 

watch out though. i spent a good minute taking pictures before i realized that i should have written my fancy letters mirror-imaged.

but it's okay, because we can all admit that having a tiny and indulgent photo shoot with yourself is silly and fun.

 

the lion

i fully identify with being a leo.

trickery

i was somewhat confused and concerned about these young ladies' school being closed down.

when i asked why, a girl said "because we are bad and there are no rules and we do whatever we want." and when i asked what her future plans were after the school closes, she responded with a rather aloof "i don't know." and when she said they came from england to protest in new york city. in front of the public library. and when not one of them had any variation of a british accent. and when i looked rather bemused and she said "well, we made a movie about it and it comes out tomorrow so hopefully we raise enough money to save our school." and when she handed me a branded lip gloss and mirror.

i must remember that i am swimming amongst actors. nonetheless, it made me smile.

weekend treats

the world is filled with treasure.

it is everywhere and it is completely subjective.

and that is the fun of it all.

certain things just appeal to others more.

my rule when purchasing absolutely anything, i always ask myself if i love the particular item, whether it is clothing, a new notebook, furniture or food. i only buy what i truly enjoy. my room is a testament to that. it took me over three months to get a mirror for the space on the wall above my bed, and not because i wasn't looking. i searched until i really found the one that i loved. i think i have a pretty good grasp on what i will like temporarily and what i will adore for quite a while. when i'm surrounded by everything that i thoughtfully chose and love, then that's a really good feeling, too.

these are my treasures that i found in vermont this weekend. they are wildly delightful to me.

• a lovely dress.
  
• a perfectly over-the-top swan statue from recycle north.
  
• an embroidery kit with instructions on how to sew poppies.
  

burlington, you bring me happiness

hey burlington, you're wonderful!

thank you for this weekend.

we strolled around church street and

ran into old friends.

we had the yummiest brunch

with colorful fruit plates

and the mandatory bucket-o-spuds, which were gone in five minutes.

brunch-time cake for the beautiful and kind birthday girl, anne-marthe!

i came up with my next few craft project ideas this weekend,

including a floral needlepoint.

burlington, you're knee deep in creativity. of all sorts.

when i bought a bar of beeswax at city market, just to have,

the cashier and i talked about craft ideas that include beeswax.

to use for color and such things.

and most importantly, thank you to burlington, for providing a good energy. it is certainly contagious.

the greatest feeling

this weekend was my second-ever university of vermont alumni weekend. i shared a room in the burlington sheraton, across from our old dorms, with my college roommates of two years. yes, six out of the seven lovely ladybirds of converse court. in one room. for two nights. we hadn't been this many all together since we graduated in may of 2008. the best of memories were all rehashed. it felt good.

my roommate and i were talking about the best feelings in the world. all this time in our old college town reminded us of what really just feels the greatest of all:

waking up on a freezing cold, vermont winter morning, being delightfully comfortable in your warm, soft bed and then having that conversation in your head. the one where you are really trying to convince your better judgement. "it's so difficult to hike the 15 minute walk up pearl street to campus in the snow. it's just too cold to walk up that far. has my bed always been this comfortable? i haven't skipped any classes this week. i could just ask my friend for the notes. i'm doing really well in that class."

and at that very precise moment, when your indulgent side wins and you decide to email your professor saying that you're (very unfortunately) sick (later on in the afternoon to give your story a bit more credibility), you drift back to sleep. securely warm and blissful. that's the greatest.

the next few posts will be dedicated to all of the things that i love about burlington. this weekend was wonderful and i loved everything about it. it was so incredible to see old friends. we all have such a camaraderie. regardless of how long it's been since we've talked or seen each other, there is this perfect, nostalgic love. joyful reunions are also the greatest.