5th floor apartment

the thing about winter

2012-02-18T17:41:00.000-05:00

the thing about winter
is that it's kind of hard to take a lot of outside photos.
my camera doesn't do super well in the cold
and then there's the shutter button/glove awkwardness
or the shutter button/freezing fingers awkwardness
which means i end up taking mostly interiors during cold months,
or at least i used to before i switched to an iphone this week.
before i even uploaded my contacts
i downloaded instagram and instantly fell in love,
as you can tell from the shots above.
honestly, the camera on the iphone 4s is so stellar
the whole being able to make phone calls thing is just icing.
it's basically like having a new camera
that is so much more compatible for winter use than my DSLR
which means the world kind of opened up to me
for the next couple months, photography-wise
which is a really nice feeling.

how's your winter going?

xo alison

p.s. my instagram username is byalisoncooper :) find me + let's be friends.

like twelve cups of tea

2012-02-15T13:03:00.000-05:00

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i'm finally starting to feel healthy again.

i still sound like a middle-aged smoker

and need like twelve cups of tea

to get through the day

but the thought of leaving the apartment

doesn't make me want to weep anymore

so overall things are on the upswing,

albeit a slow one.

how's your february going?

xo alison

moments

2012-02-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

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i'm under the weather.

that is all.

xo alison

on the move

2012-02-05T17:11:00.000-05:00

phone shots

ten hours of sleep over three nights.

friends. vodka tonics. bad poetry. good laughs.

local art. cherry pie. midnight theatre.

and the best pirate blanket ever.

this weekend home = exhausting.

in a really good way.

how are you?

xo alison

wait for the avocado

2012-01-31T22:49:00.000-05:00

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this weekend my mom and i spent a lot of time in my tiny kitchen.

we dirtied a lot of coffee mugs and made gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.

i'm obsessed with vegetarian bacon, apple, and gruyere on sourdough,

and i can't wait for the avocado to ripen

so i can try it with some slices of pepper jack,

but pear and muenster may be the perfect combination.

seriously.

it should run for grilled cheese president.

what dishes/foods are you crushing on right now?

xo alison

sugar and eggs

2012-01-28T19:48:00.001-05:00

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this weekend so far has been about simple things that make me smile

like leaving classic grey converse unlaced by the door

splitting a spinach + feta frozen pizza from trader joe's with myself

and putting flour and sugar and eggs and a couple other simple ingredients together

to make the best pancakes, like, ever

(seriously. it's true.)

and then eating them with my mom

whose in town for the weekend

(hooray!)

how are you?

xo alison

how's the weather

2012-01-26T16:54:00.001-05:00

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it's been raining all day.

the twinkle lights have been plugged in since noon.

outside smells like melted salt and firewood.

i managed to fit in a walk during the only break in the downpour.

i'm not used to really wet januarys

(i'm more accustomed to the cold, snowy kind)

but i love slow mornings and cool weather and gray skies

so this one is starting to grow on me.

how's the weather where you are?

xo alison

i like

2012-01-22T15:23:00.001-05:00

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i like

sexybookclub meetings

and the shins on vinyl

and raspberry vanilla cream bars

and spending my saturday night in

with clever friends

and pennywise wine

and conversations about really bad erotica

what do you like today?
(besides the pens extending their winning streak to six
after taking down the caps in OT)

xo alison

the best thing

2012-01-17T09:41:00.001-05:00

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i broke out the coconut oil this weekend

along with my favorite slinky black robe

and thick, soft socks

(that aren't actually mine.

i mean, i didn't steal them.

they just mysteriously appeared in my closet

which is something that has happened to me, sock-wise

my entire life)

(i'm totally not kidding)

anyway, something about having an extra day off

actually hinders my motivation to do all my classwork.

this whole weekend i kept wandering over to netflix

and a story i'm working on,

not to mention tumblr and pinterest and twitter.

my camera was also another big distraction

as well as really gorgeous fruit

and an awesome hattrick by geno

but i did manage to find it---

the allusive thing called motivation

after a few hours getting lost

in abigail washburn's voice

and the contents of my wine cooler,

which is pretty much the best thing about my apartment.

i mean, how could it not be?

there's wine in there.

what are you up to this week?

xo alison

p.s. for those who asked...sexy book club is a little thing some of my pittsburgh friends and i have where we read a smutty romance novel and get together and talk about it. basically it's a way to read something other than what we have to for our classes, which for the most part is usually long, dense, and difficult. it's light and fun and very giggly. and there's alcohol.

comes my way

2012-01-14T14:21:00.003-05:00

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it's always weird for me when i hear a different version of a song

that was very prominent in another time in my life

i just experienced that with

efterklang's modern drift from their recent daytrotter session

i really dug that song when i first heard it two years ago

and have ever since.

i immediately loved the piano and the lyrics and the

moving, moving, moving rhythm.

it's a perfect car ride song

because it just goes, goes, goes

and i listened to it quite a bit that year,

and hearing a new daytrotter-y version of it got my thinking

about how much has changed

since i latched onto modern drift in early 2010

2010 was a year of very big decisions for me

2011 was a year of enacting those very big decisions

and now it's 2012

and i'm just living

just doing my reading for classes

making coffee

planning sexy-book-club meetings

re-watching buffy

obsessing over the pens

writing

walking

and listening to a new version of efterklang's modern drift

on this unforgivably cold saturday

in january

2012

my point is that i've always been a planner

always been thinking two days, five years, broad strokes ahead

(and i still am to a degree

because i have a lot left in my life i want to accomplish)

but it's just nice to have a few months of downtime

to enjoy the current place my life is in

before the next wave of decisions comes my way.

basically i'm enjoying this time i have right now to just

oversee + legislate + regulate my life

before i have to start campaigning again this fall

how's your weekend?

xo alison

wine & diving

2012-01-09T22:13:00.000-05:00

veronica mars. spring weather in january.
finding comfort from the endless stream of penguins injuries
through project happiness wine & diving into my reading schedule.

hello, 2012.

xo alison

winter break // part three

2012-01-05T18:57:00.000-05:00

birthday shots.

more photos // here too

i turned 23 on december 20th.

like i said in my last post it was a day filled with all my favorite things:

my mom & bro, shopping, good french fries, local coffee,

and watching the pens win from eleven rows behind the home bench.

over the last few years my bdays have either been really amazing

or downright cosmically terrible (like a sitcom level of calamity),

so it was especially lovely that my 23rd ended up being especially lovely.

here's hoping it's a sign of how the rest of the year will go :)

-A

winter break // part two

2012-01-03T18:17:00.000-05:00

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i've been doing that whole living > blogging about living thing lately

after the stress of the fall semester it was awesome to take a break from everything

like, everything

as in the holidays came and went and i didn't take a one. single. photo.

i did play a lot of mario & sonic winter olympics for wii, though,

and listen to a lot of freelance whales and aunt martha,

and celebrate my 23rd birthday with all my favorite things in this world:

breakfast out, record shopping, the penguins, my family,

and the long island ice teas.

i didn't get to do everything i wanted or see everyone i love

because pitt only gives two weeks (!!!!!!!!!!!!) off for winter break

but overall the end of 2011 was pretty rad

as these photos can attest.

how are you? how's 2012 so far?

-A

winter break // part one

2011-12-18T14:44:00.002-05:00

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noodle soup. parks & rec. shopping on walnut.

an 8-3 win over buffalo.

sunday breakfast out. light snow. downtown architecture.

a lot, a lot of coffee.

that's my winter break so far.

what have you been up to the last couple weeks?

-A

see you wednesday

2011-12-11T18:20:00.000-05:00

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one paper down

two more to finish

three days away from freedom

thank god for irish breakfast

the rolling stones on vinyl

and really comfortable pajamas

that's all i can string together right now.

my mind = mush.

-A

wherever she goes

2011-12-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

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the last few days
oh the last few days
have been a little insane

a writing professor/mentor of mine
was part of the line up at a poetry reading back home
that's organized by one of my closest friend's lover-man
and that my write-y friends and i lovelovelove to go to
(because it's awesome).
it's always on the first friday of the month
which meant for me to make the december reading
a.k.a. the one with my prof
i'd have to come home two weekends in a row
(because of thanksgiving)
in the midst of finals insanity
for both me + my mom
and i didn't think it'd work
and i was very very very bummed
so my friends came to the rescue
a.k.a. came and got me from pittsburgh then sprinted back to akron
(with four people, a cat, and a baby in one car)
for a night of bagel chips in the back of the bar during the so-so poetry
then long islands and gin + tonics in the front
when our professor took the stage,
reading then performing some songs with his band
(which was downright stellar).
it was a pretty magical evening:
saw people i haven't seen in a while
didn't get charged for all my drinks because the bartender likes me
got some blush-worthy compliments from my professor
left my mark on the bar's back patio fence in the freezing cold
with a huge permanent marker one of my friends apparently just carries around
wherever she goes
just in case
went home and played video games with my brother
which is ten times more fun + funny
at two in the morning
while still riding the effects of stealing sips from everyone's drinks

i got back to pittsburgh yesterday
with some aspirin in one hand
and a bottle of water the size of my arm in the other
and of course my mom spent the night
because there isn't the option not to
so we got to listen to tracy chapman on vinyl,
watch the pens win,
and somehow manage to studystudystudy
like, a lot
which is also pretty magical saying as it was my instinct
to stay in bed all. day. long.

how's your december so far?

- A

already here

2011-11-30T12:10:00.000-05:00

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i gave myself one last night of a self-induced TV coma

before buckling down for finals.

i watched downton abbey + drank hot cider

+ wore my most unflattering/comfortable PJs

all evening. in bed.

and it was beyond awesome.

but now i have to spend the next three weeks

living on coffee, kashi bars, and the end-of-semester adrenaline,

which i kind of can't believe is already here

seriously though.

tomorrow's december.

when did that happen?

-A

glittery things

2011-11-29T09:24:00.000-05:00

many, many more photos

i think i'll probably look back on the weekend after thanksgiving

as the calm before the storm

because starting now i have to get ready for the insanity of having

a unit test, a comprehensive exam, two revised drafts, and three final papers

all happening within a couple weeks of each other.

but this past weekend was so awesome + relaxed,

i'm going to try to revel in it as long as possible.

my mom took me back to pittsburgh last friday

and stayed through sunday.

for three straight days we ate leftovers + fancy cheeses,

gorgeous olives, and more sour cream dip than either of us wants to admit.

we also decorated my apartment for christmas,

hanging cheap snowflake lights,

and arranging glittery things and random santas.

then, before kris letang reminded the world why he was voted into the nhl all-star game last year,

we check out one of the best record stores in the U.S.

(that happens to be only five minutes away)

and left with the best assortment of three-dollar records:

terence trent d'arby, julie london, rickie lee jones

and a patridge family christmas card,

because after growing up with it crackling in the background every christmas

it was a necessity to have my own copy to crackle in the background

while we snacked on pomegranate seeds

and turned off every lamp but one

so that the twinkle lights would look even more merry + bright than usual.

how has your week been so far?

-A

giving, etc.

2011-11-28T08:39:00.000-05:00

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cheap moscato, woody candles, gold-rimmed dishes,

gravygravygravy, laughter, sunset, three kinds of pie,

the good kind of nostalgia

my first thanksgiving in my hometown

after moving away from my hometown

left my stomach so full i felt like i was going to die

but it was worth it

how was your weekend?

- A

thanks, etc.

2011-11-25T18:28:00.000-05:00

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PJs, coffee, parade coverage, dog show,

tired eyes, the smell of food cooking,

more coffee, and classic christmas music
basically the perfect thanksgiving.

if you celebrate, how was your holiday?

if you don't, how was your thursday?

- A

p.s. there are more food + family photos to come :)

something white

2011-11-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

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i was called a wino last night

(or, technically the night before last)

because i kind of am a wino

i was sitting on the floor of one of my dearest friend's attic
surrounded by a few more of my dearest akron-friends,
and we were talking about grad school
or maybe wallace stevens
and beach house was playing
or maybe mazzy star
and i was on like my fifth glass of room temperature wine
we had just bought at the local grocery store,
along with a block of colby cheese and orange milano cookies,
and my friend was pouring something white into my glass
and told me to tell her "when"
and i waited until it was practically at the brim
and someone laughed and said "wino"
but i didn't even attempt to be offended
because i kind of am a wino

i am also the new owner of a macbook pro,
which is absolutely fantastic.
when all my friends started using macs a few years ago and i didn't
i used to say it was because i liked my technology
clunky, complicated, and non-trendy
but after my laptop died on monday i decided to just give in
because the shit with the PC was getting ridiculous
and i'm oh so grateful that i don't have to deal with it any more

i am also grateful for
shopping trips with my mom + brother,
and the cold + fresh november weather in ohio,
super soft sweaters and grilled cheese sandwiches,
dark blue nail polish and urban outfitters free shipping,
netflix, friendship, baby swiss cheez-its at one in the morning,
coming home for thanksgiving,
and the fact that sidney crosby is playing
after the longest ten months ever
and already proving why he's the best hockey player in the world
after only two games back.

in true thanksgiving cliche-ness, what are you thankful for?

-A

and it was magic

2011-11-22T01:15:00.000-05:00

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today has been an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions type of day

i'm home for thanksgiving and don't have access to my laptop

(because it died)

and won't be seeing sondre lerche in concert with five of my best friends tomorrow

(because sondre cancelled the gig)

but sidney crosby played tonight

for the first time since january 5th

and it was magic

so i'm doing okay.

how are you?

- A

on endless repeat

2011-11-20T12:24:00.000-05:00

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the blog looks all bloggy now
a.k.a. not put together in 35 seconds.
i think it's pretty swell.
sprucing the place up has been one of my few minor accomplishments so far this weekend,
along with walking down to the drugstore to get kitten chow for GG,
and working on a final paper about gender stereotypes in proletarian literature,
which is exactly as fun as it sounds.

i have managed to polish my nails, though,
and eat a lot of dark chocolate
and read a smutty book for the smutty book club
some of my new pgh friends + i just started.
oh, and watch donald glover's comedy central special weirdo,
which i think you should watch ASAP
because i had to keep rewinding because i was laughing so hard
which is saying a lot because i'm not a stand-up comedy girl
like, at all.
[but i really love donald glover]

as for the rest of today i'm going to enjoy the gray, windy weather
that's chilly but not cold
and study for my next psychology exam
while listening to sondre lerche on endless repeat,
who i'm seeing live this tuesday with some hometown friends :)

how's your weekend been so far?

-A

p.s. i joined pinterest!

old home/new home

2011-11-18T12:26:00.000-05:00

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the first three shots are from the house i grew up in
and the rest are from my home sweet apartment here in pgh.

channing, tea, and buddha bells
that is so my house back in akron

and then there's a honeycrisp apple
an accidental self portrait
the new view outside my studio now that the leaves are almost gone
various kitten-y things that are an inside joke with some friends back home
and clean dishes drying next to the kitchen sink
that is so my apartment in pittsburgh

what images define your space?

-A

p.s. i joined pinterest!

a crazy beast

2011-11-16T12:25:00.000-05:00

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those are the rest of the friend-type photos

from my weekend home

which

if you can believe it

was actually almost two weeks ago

because TIME IS A CRAZY BEAST.

this week i've been eating sunflower seeds

and peppermint candy

and listening to florence + the machine's new album

and watching the boys top the eastern conference

and writing what feels like a million different papers.

is it december 17th yet?

-A

and really good peanut butter sandwiches

2011-11-11T10:19:00.001-05:00

many many more photos

time has been such a funny friend for me lately.

where is it going?

because for me it's been swirling down the drain at a really alarming rate lately ,

or maybe a metaphor that's a little less negative,

like it's been falling down the hourglass

too fast to count the grains.

i spent last friday through wednesday in akron.

i had a thing on friday then sunday then tuesday.

i spent a lot of time with my friends,

talking about our lives + our futures + the magic baby that's entered our lives,

about cats + musicals + a tattoo we're all going to get in spring.

we ate amazing bar food at 1am while discussing the difference

between novel writing + poetry way too loudly/drunkenly,

which are really the best kinds of conversations to have about art.

when i got back to my apt in pgh

i was so happy to be home,

but i've still been a little blue ever since because

even though i love my life here so much more than there

i wish all of them could be here

so we could go days instead of weeks between coffee dates

and really good peanut butter sandwiches

and taking photos like the ones above.

how have you been, my dears?

is this year ending at the same rapid speed for you

as it is for me?

-A

p.s. i joined pinterest!

1st first snow

2011-10-30T21:11:00.000-04:00

it was the first snow of the season on saturday,

my 1st first snow in pittsburgh.

it was especially awesome because my brother was here.

it was one of those classic moments where i opened the blinds

and the, like, 25% chance of snow turned into a steady stream of big, fat flakes.

they only lasted until the late afternoon,

but it still added a wintry, adventurous feel to the tour i gave jordan

of all my favorite spots in oakland:

certain benches in the cathedral of learning,

the bamboo garden in the public libary,

the mary e. schenley memorial fountain

(that jordan announced is now his favorite thing in the city),

the chairs by the window on the ground floor of hillman,

and the incredibly wide, cement steps outside posvar.

we spent the rest of the weekend

eating cheese puffs + pizza, and drinking cheap wine,

baking + shopping + watching a lot (i mean A LOT) of TV,

but those couple of hours on saturday

when the rest city was inside avoiding the sudden snow

and we were rushing from building to building

as our hair and shoes got wet and the sky stayed gray

were probably my favorite part of the weekend.

i'm officially psyched for winter.

how was your weekend?

-A

her normal sunday thing

2011-10-23T13:19:00.000-04:00

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another week has flown by.

it's kind of creeping me out how quickly october is turning into november,

and how quickly i'm sure november will turn into christmas.

i barely picked up my camera this week.

i studied for my psych midterm, started a new story,

watched a semi-alarming amount of malcolm in the middle,

rooted for the boys (who are now 6-2-2),

and met with my history adviser for an hour and a half,

but my camera stayed in its bag for the last several days,

so i decided to take these shots while the coffee was perking.

it's chilly + sunny and GG has been doing her normal sunday thing

of flying around the apartment like a furry pterodactyl,

knocking over stacks of books and trying to get inside my satchel,

my zipped-up satchel.

she's finally asleep in a tiny ball on my bed,

acting like she's always this cute...which she kind of is.

as for me i'm going to spend the rest of today drinking that coffee,

catching up on my american lit readings,

working on my final midterm essay for my russian history class,

and, let's face it, watching a semi-alarming amount

of malcolm in the middle.

how's your sunday?

- A

the corn and the trees

2011-10-18T17:49:00.000-04:00

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those are the rest of the photos from my weekend in akron.

there is something innately ohio about those shots of the bus,

the puffy fall clouds and the corn and the trees

and midsize SUVs in the grass parking lot.

i really love it.

i also really love mrs. meyers spice cake candles,

the community commentaries,

chatting with my shuttle driver about apple butter,

skyping with my mom during pens games,

and being halfway through midterm hell.

those are my random thoughts from the day. what are some of yours?

-A

red beyond sober

2011-10-17T16:44:00.000-04:00

from the camera:

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from the phone:

i'm back in pittsburgh after spending the weekend in akron.

i started to type "i'm back home",

but then realized i'd had to finish that sentence with "from the weekend home",

which would've sounded weird.

the weekend was awesome.

there was junk food and pumpkin picking,

my favorite gas station coffee and many late night talk fests.

saturday was especially fun.

i spent it celebrating one of my closest friend's birthdays

at a wine bar with a lovely/not-annoying live jazz combo,

followed by dancing at a gay club that played the best like a prayer remix ever.

(which is really no surprise)

it was one of those nights when i drank riesling like it was water

and ended up having a very serious conversation in a one-person bathroom

with a friend who was also two glasses of red beyond sober,

that i only remember half of now.

it made me miss home, of course, miss being so close to people who love me,

who make me laugh the most loud + obnoxious version of my laugh,

and miss me as much as i miss them.

and it was wonderful to have a night out in my hometown,

especially after weeks of studying like a mad woman

and spending most of my time in my little studio apartment,

surrounded by books + notes + netflix envelopes,

but to be honest when i got back to my little studio apartment,

it felt good to be home.

which i guess is how it's supposed to be.

how was your weekend?

- A

home

2011-10-14T09:23:00.000-04:00

i'm sitting in my father's sun room right now.

the fact that my father has a sun room,
and a formal dining room + living room, great room, laundry room, 4 bathrooms,
1st floor master, 4 spare bedrooms, & a full finished basement (with a kitchen)
that's bigger than my entire apartment,
when he raised us in a tiny 3 bedroom/1 bath working class house
with a dishwasher that never worked
makes being here a little strange + horrible.
but also kind of nice.
i mean, the sea green couch is very comfy.
and the leaves are turning.
and the skylights show drifting white clouds on a gray sky.
so i'm trying to work past the weirdness,
past the fire engine red walls and plantation blinds,
and enjoy watching malcolm in the middle in my PJs
while waiting for my big brother to wake up so we can make coffee
and play mario kart and eat cold pizza all morning.

in case you couldn't tell i'm home for the weekend.
so i thought since i'm feeling like a traveler,
just me + my cat and five suitcases for three days,
i'd put together some photos i've captured with my phone over the last few weeks.
the week since i've posted has been whirlwind of studying,
getting together with a good friend, surviving on luna bars + diet snapple,
just trying to stay on top of my schoolwork,
and hockey games,
and new episodes of my favorite TV shows,
because i have my proprieties straight.

what's your week been like?

-A

how you look at it

2011-10-08T17:36:00.000-04:00

I: poet crush // II: i swear they're going to last forever // III: i judge people that don't love catcher in the rye. there i said it // IV: favorite album of the moment // V: the perfect earl grey

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i'm surrounded by notebooks and textbooks,

sharpie pens and note cards.

i'm halfway through a paper on early 19th century american authors

and another on the connection between labor + hegemony in U.S. prison writings.

this time next week i'll be reviewing psych lecture slides

and figuring out how to incorporate turgenev's fathers and sons

into the essay portion of my russia to 1917 midterm.

basically i'm in upper level classes euphoria or hell,

depending on how you look at it.

but i do have my record player, a pens game,

and trader joe's spinach artichoke dip to help me through,

which isn't too bad :)

how's your weekend?

- A

use music as a sweater

2011-10-07T14:39:00.000-04:00

I: she's like a shadow // II: present from my hermano // III: they just keep getting prettier // IV: another present from my hermano // V: "yes?"

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the regular season started last night.

and not to hyperbolize, but MOTHER OF BABY JESUS THANK THE LORD...

or something like that.

we won. got the two points. 81 games to go. woo hoo. feels like home.

here are some other things i like about my life right now:

// pilot precise V5 extra fine pens

// the collected poems of william carlos williams on my coffee table

// waking up to GG sleeping on my feet...under the blankets

// the absolutely unpredictable gifts my brother sends me in the mail

// being super responsible + totally on top of midterm insanity [go me!]

// cranberry muffins from the cathedral cafe on campus

// mustard yellow + carolina blue things together

// the music of the sheepdogs, andrew belle, the holidays, DM stith, and wildlife

and new music from florence + the machine and lisa hannigan

// plans to make nutella hot chocolate tonight [that's right. i said nutella]

what's on your list of things you like about right now?

- A

a different year

2011-10-04T20:38:00.000-04:00

I: greer garson snoozing in her favorite spot // II: i like stacks of books // III: my favorite frida kahlo. can you spot the rip?

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yesterday it was so cold in my apartment i turned on the oven

except it was so cold in my apartment that the change in temperature

kept setting off the smoke alarm.

but then everything was okay because i re-watched the dexter S6 premiere,

which included my favorite line on any TV show ever:

"i have no idea what hammertime is...or how it differs from regular time."

i seriously want that engraved on my urn, under the pittsburgh penguins logo,

and "SUCK IT, NERDS!" in all caps.

today my fingers smell like clementines,

my DVR is set for the first regular season game of the season,

and i figured out my midterms study schedule.

i know. midterms. can you believe it?

it's going to be thanksgiving before i know it.

then my birthday.

then, let's get real, it's going to be a different year altogether, all shiny and new.

yikes.

here's to trying to stay in the moment,

which for me means a sleepy kitten, worn sweat pants, textbooks, candles,

and a plan to go to bed early.

what's your present moment like?

-A

scary fast

2011-10-03T11:27:00.000-04:00

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a week ago i was complaining about the longevity of summer.

now it's been forty degrees + dark gray + rainy for three straight days

and i've been sleeping with like twelve blankets at night.

my mom came into town for the weekend.

we hung more art in my apartment and watched community

and had warm parmesan focaccia dipped in alfredo sauce for our entire dinner.

the weekends always go by scary fast when she's here.

we went down to the igloo to say goodbye,

snacked + shopped + dirtied a lot of coffee mugs,

and then it was sunday again, another "see you later" sunday.

i didn't cry when she left, though, which is a huge step for me.

instead i drank hot cider, rooted for the boys during their last preseason game,

and had a mini aneurysm in reaction to the arrested development news (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

what was your weekend like?

-A

tomorrow is october

2011-09-30T12:39:00.001-04:00

it's been about four weeks since aravis died
and i'm starting to zero in on the acceptance stage of grieving.
somewhere over the last twenty-seven days i've also zeroed in
on feeling the excitement of my new life in pennsylvania
without all the sad side effects of being away from ohio.
i've transitioned from living day by day, one step at a time
just to get through the crazy newness, the scariness,
and the oh-my-god-i-miss-my-friends-and-family-ness
of moving to pittsburgh,
into the oh-my-god-i-love-living-here-ness
of moving to pittsburgh.
i think it really hit me when i was walking home from whole foods yesterday
how much i'm not just surviving on my own anymore,
but truly happy to be here.
i was carrying a bouquet of gorgeous alstroemerias close to by body like a beauty queen,
the stems as long as my torso.
it was evening and i couldn't wait to get my little apartment
and put the goodies from my brown paper bag into the refrigerator,
get into my PJs, watch TV, play with GG,
and arrange those awesome wine-colored flowers in a huge white pitcher.
i mean
yeah, i still miss my family and friends and channing and chuck.
yeah, i still miss the akron library, the grilled cheese & tomato soup at crave,
the thin man posters in our dining room, and having an awesome front porch,
but that was that chapter of my life
and now i'm in this one...
and i love it.

here are some photos of my life since i last posted...

more photos here

tomorrow is october.

when did that happen?

in september i became obsessed with community and fringe,

watched preseason hockey like there was no tomorrow,

read old white male american poets,

held my friend's newborn for the first time,

had a love affair with burt's bees almond milk hand creme,

visited coopers rock,

learned about the great reforms in 19th century russia,

conquered the unpredictability of public transportation,

and looked forward to the gray, chilly awesomeness of fall weather.

what are your favorite september memories?

- A

aravis

2011-09-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

about seventeen years ago we went to an animal shelter to pick out a gray female kitten

we left with a gray female kitten and her black and white female litter mate
i named the gray one aravis after my favorite character in the horse and his boy
and my brother jordan named the black and white one channing
after his favorite actress carol channing
i was almost six and jordan was eight (and yeah, we knew then he was gay)
i'm twenty-two now and jordan's twenty-five
and aravis + channing have been our familiars/confidants/soul mates through
childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and the beginning of our real adulthood
and now aravis is gone

her health has been declining for the last couple years
but she's still been playful, loud, smart, sweet, and demanding
but i knew when i moved three weeks ago that it was going to be the last time i saw her
i knew it
but i'm not going to be one of those people that says "knowing it doesn't make it any easier"
because that's such bullshit
emotional preparedness does make it easier
so. much. easier. than sudden loss
believe me
i'm still sick + sad + deeply devastated
but i'm going to be okay because i know that aravis had a lifetime of amazing years
living in the cat heaven that is my home back in akron
and she went as peacefully as possible
which is a blessing beyond blessings
and i'm going to miss her more than i can say
(my oldest friend, my companion)
and writing this is almost as hard as it is to feel this grief
but i'm going to be okay
i'm going to be okay.

me + aravis skyping

the last photo i ever took of her, 08.23.11

- A

p.s. if i don't post for a little while, no worries. i'll be back.

hello september

2011-09-02T17:10:00.000-04:00

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one week down.

one week of stress + strangers + sports night on netflix.

one week of shuttle rides + skype conversations + pages + pages of notes.

and after one week i'm genuinely starting to feel like a part of this city and university,

like the last three weeks have been prologue

and now i'm actually starting this living here thing.

i'm feeling like myself again.

i'm looking forward to cardigans + moccasins + leather bags,

preseason games and new episodes of my favorite TV shows,

pumpkin lattes, nickel creek, and deep burgundy nail polish.

oh, how i love september :)

what are you looking forward to this month?

- A

goodbye august

2011-08-31T18:22:00.001-04:00

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i don't have a lot of words + photos today

i do have coffee beans and chanel perfume and lit books out the ass

but words + photos...not so much

so, tonight = naan bread, netflix, and lots and lots of reading

and maybe a screwdriver in a pittsburgh penguins plastic tumbler

and some coldplay on the record player

what are you doing on your last day of august?

-A

something in the water

2011-08-30T19:14:00.000-04:00

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this morning i had an early lunch with a friend and his family.
he's moving to new york today.
it was fun + tasty + overall awesome
but also emotional because he's wanted this for as long as i've known him
and now it's really happening.
even though i am so happy + excited for him,
i'm not 100% sure when we're going to see each other again.
which is a little sad.
i'm here living my dream + he's (on a bus headed) there living his.
it's like there's something in the water.
if i hadn't forgotten my camera, i would've had pictures of pieces of avocado,
my favorite french fries in pittsburgh,
and bittersweet hugs.
instead i have some snapshots of what i listened to this morning.
(which you can find here)

now i'm going to organize my throng of lit + history books,
watch old episodes of ER i've seen dozens of times,
and celebrate the fact that we are only 37 days away from the first puck drop
of the penguins' 11-12 season.
(a.k.a. 37 days until my life feels normal again)

what are you up to this evening?

- A

swell

2011-08-29T20:12:00.001-04:00

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cory + topanga just got back together (for me this = the 398361052nd time)

GG is sleeping in the center of my bed as though it's hers
the tea is steeping and there's a mango and cream bar wrapper on the coffee table
and i survived the first day of classes
it's like the last piece of the moving-to-pittsburgh puzzle has fallen into place
and it feels really swell
so does watching one of my favorite movies
and having blooming white roses
and pink lady apples
and a cat so dark + slinky she melts into the bedspread
and a lucky ring in my favorite little dish
and a window by my desk that lets in the last monday sunset of the month

how was your day?

- A

p.s. thanks so so so much for all the good luck messages. it meant a lot!

tomorrow

2011-08-28T12:35:00.001-04:00

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classes start tomorrow.
i'm listening to cold war kids, drinking tea, and trying not to vomit.
okay, i'm not that nervous.
i'm not, like, seventh-grade-piano-recital-nervous
where i was seriously concerned i would pee my pants in front of the baby grand
and have to shout "but i'm not due for months!" to cover up my embarrassment,
running off the stage as quickly as my platform heels would allow me.
nope.
i'm a normal level of nervous that automatically comes with learning a new campus
in the center of a new, big city
i'm also still in the process of figuring out.
sigh
deep breaths
and GG snuggles
and day old overpriced spinach + grilled chicken pizza
and the reminder that i have a pretty rad support system
as quantified by my refrigerator.

i think i can, i think i can, i think i can...

- A

p.s. hope everyone affected by hurricane irene is safe as houses. scary weather = the worst.

flowers in the window

2011-08-27T10:08:00.000-04:00

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my mom got in yesterday morning.

we walked to starbucks after an early dinner.

we talked about fashion, psychology, and graduate school.

i found my new favorite combination of flowers: white roses + alstroemerias.

when we came home i took photos of the light on my clothes in the closet

and my favorite ring in the bathroom mirror

and listened to elbow + annie lennox.

i watched friends with my brother through the wonders of skype.

(that's right, i put the DVD on and set my laptop in front of the screen)

this morning it's gray outside and we had a simple, lazy breakfast.

i realized that my life will not be complete until i play this game with my friends.

the weather channel is on and mama put the flowers in the window.

hello, weekend.

- A

on the ceiling

2011-08-26T08:37:00.001-04:00

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i've been in pittsburgh less than two weeks.

in some ways it feels like two years, or at least two full moons.

in other ways it feels like two cups of coffee, or chapters of a good book.

it hasn't been easy.

it's been exciting + exceptional + really, really exhausting, but it hasn't been easy.

i miss my family, my friends, my cats, the color of the ceiling in my childhood bedroom.

i miss the familiarity of ohio, the comfortableness, the ease.

i'm not used to "new": new city, new space, new crown molding on the ceiling.

it's thrilling + amazing + gratifying,

but during this transition i've been needing to find comfort in the little things,

like raspberry & vanilla cream bars from trader joe's

and the pink faces on my shower curtain

and the words on my favorite rug

and the light coming through the front windows (plus topanga, obviously)

and the way glen hansard's face glows in the evening

and the billy collins tickets that just arrived in my rusty little mailbox

so far, so good.

- A

night + morning

2011-08-25T12:47:00.000-04:00

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last night the sky was very blue.

i listened to fiona apple + lit my favorite lavender candle + did the dishes.

this morning there was a thunderstorm.

i made a pot of kusmi earl grey and GG laid on the coffee table.

the wind keeps blowing the curtain in front of the TV.

i have such a girl crush on alex kingston.

- A