january in photos

today marks the 31st day of my 365 project. each day of january i took at least one photo using my iphone. i've collected them at the photo a day blog. 1 month completed. 11 more to go.

1. [photo one], 2. [photo two], 3. [photo three], 4. [photo four], 5. [photo five], 6. [photo six], 7. [photo seven], 8. [photo eight], 9. [photo nine], 10. [photo ten], 11. [photo eleven], 12. [photo twelve], 13. [photo thirteen], 14. [photo fourteen], 15. [photo fifteen], 16. [photo sixteen], 17. [photo seventeen], 18. [photo eighteen], 19. [photo nineteen], 20. [photo twenty], 21. [photo twenty-one], 22. [photo twenty-two], 23. [photo twenty-three], 24. [photo twenty-four], 25. [photo twenty-five], 26. [photo twenty-six], 27. [photo twenty-seven], 28. [photo twenty-eight], 29. [photo twenty-nine], 30. [photo thirty], 31. [photo thirty-one]

Shadows in the Park

Spent the morning sleeping.
A late brunch with a good friend.
Relaxed at his place for a while,
Listening to his stories of his recent travels
And trips past.
Hearing his views on the world around him.
Palestinian music playing in the background,
Picked up on his most recent trip to Isreal.

A walk in the park.
Stopped a moment to capture the light across the dead winter grass.
Captured our shadows, the warm glow from the setting sun, and that blue sky.

Back home for the evening,
Dreading the coming week.
Needing to regroup, to refocus.
Needing to pull myself out of this mood.

maybe you didn't know, but...

i've just spent the last 15 minutes reading interesting facts from an app on seth's iphone. i've been inspired to make a list of my own...

*i've been on mtv. i was in college, and discussing my boyfriend's (now husband) addiction to video games. he's still addicted. ;)

*there are 17 dried mushrooms on my kitchen floor. i didn't use them in time, but instead of throwing them away... i'm keeping them and admiring the shape they've taken...

*i tend to listen to my favorite songs over and over and over. right now it is: one october song by nico stai, 3 rounds and a sound by blind pilot, hymn #101 by joe pug, maybe maybe by nico stai, neverending math equation by sun kil moon, her morning elegance by oren lavie, comes and goes (in waves) by greg laswell, all my days by alexi murdoch, fake empires by the national, call it off by tegan and sara, what a day by greg laswell, ain't no reason (acoustic) by brett dennen, i and love and you by the avett brothers, skinny love by bon iver.

*i like lists. wait. no. i love lists.

*i love being an adult. when i go grocery shopping, i get to buy myself treats. and i literally spend the whole time collecting groceries, thinking about what my treats will be for that shopping trip! :)

*crappy chick flicks with horrible ratings are one of my favorite types of movies to rent. (seth does not appreciate this.)

*i have 6 cameras. i want more.

*i bought fake mustaches the other day. i really want to make people where them.

*when i was younger, my grandparents brought my mom's old banana seat bike for me to use. it was blue. i remember falling off that thing and constantly have scabs on my knees. i wish i would have embraced it more, but it was different then the other kids' bikes. if i could go back in time, i would encourage my younger self to embrace differences, instead of yearning to be the same as the others.

*taking photos has helped me see.

Where have I been??

Wow! I haven't been around all week! What in the world have I been doing!!?! I'm even getting behind on posting my daily photo (but I'm still taking it each day, despite not sharing on time :)

It's been a hard week. Just when I think things are going good... They crash and burn. Or worse. Most days, I wonder what horrible things I did in my previous life to deserve some of these experiences... But they are what they are. And someday I'll be past this. Someday this won't be in my life. Someday, I'll spend my days taking in everything, appreciating every better moment, knowing I have a lot to be thankful for, that I'm in such a better place. But for now, I'm still at the bottom... Maybe this year things will change.

And in honor of the weekend and forgetting the week... I'm going to make a list of happy things to pull me out of this funk...

*Amazing chocolate balls of goodness from Alissa
*Great music (Maybe I'll go find a new song to buy and add to my play list)
*A new purple hoodie for my college basketball game tomorrow night
*Finding beautiful actions that I want to purchase for photos
*Talking to Melissa about her upcoming beach wedding :) Can't wait for May!!
*Less than 2 weeks until Seth and I are heading home to the midwest for 10 days!! We haven't been there in a year and a half! (I'm kind of scared though... because it's sooo not NYC.)
*A bottle of Malbec (and since Seth's working late tonight, I'll probably be enjoying by myself while watching a netflix movie...)
*As if the chocolate balls of heaven weren't enough, Alissa brought red velvet cake balls today. When I was about to fall apart, I headed down the hall to her room to sweeten up my thoughts! And, she sent some home!! (But I have to hide them from myself so I don't eat them all before Seth comes home. NO LIE, they may be the BEST things I've ever had.)
*Having 2 friends at work to keep my sane.

Off to refill my glass of wine... Happy Friday!

Week 4: Transportation

Top Photo: Country Charm, Mrs. E

Bottom Photo: Metropolitan Magic, Me

Sand Art

A spontaneous trip to Union Square yesterday led me to this. It's a piece of art, created right on the sidewalk. The artist, Joe Mangrum, started creating it at 11:00 a.m. He was just finishing the piece at 5:30 p.m. He uses colorful sand to create his masterpieces.

I couldn't get over how incredible it was. He pored the sand with such ease, it shocked me how detailed and perfect this seemed.

I'm a huge fan of art being created in public for people to see, take part of, be moved by. His art, created with this colorful sand, is done throughout the city. It's created in a space that is large enough to accommodate the piece (which was probably 10-15 feet wide?).


I talked to the artist right before I left and asked him what how long the piece would last here in the space. He explained that he created the pieces, left them up for a while for people to see. Eventually people walk over them (which we saw two oblivious people walk right through this one, despite the obvious circle of admirers that surrounded it). He then explained that before he leaves, he actually sweeps up all the sand! I can't imagine how the must be!! To actually sweep up your art into a dustpan!

Movie Watching

I go through phases where I don't like to watch movies because I feel like it takes up too much of my time. Right now is Not one of those phases! I've been watching so many movies!!

Tonight - Confessions of a Shopaholic - Cute. I wish I would have read the book first, because now I want to read the rest of the books in the series... I wonder how much to movie and the book are aligned. (**Note: Any movie with a tall, dark haired English boy is worth watching!) Oh, and the only reason I watched this tonight was Seth was taking forever to get home (because I know Seth would NOT watch it with me)...

Movies I've watched the past week or two...
*Book of Eli
*Adventureland
*Taking Woodstock
*Sunshine Cleaning
*Julie & Julia
*Some Iraq war movie...
*The Wackness
*Baby Mama (Seth wasn't too happy to see that one, but I had to give it a try -- I love LOVE Tina Fey!)
*Up in the Air
*Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Slane Castle (I should own this)
*Red Hot Chili Peppers Rock Your Socks Off
(Can you tell I was a bit on a Red Hot kick? I was reading Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis's memoir, over break...)

PS: I love this cheese. (Can you see where I nibbled on it after I got tired of shredding it??)

Enough of my rambling... I have to make an early meeting tomorrow, which means I must be out of bed at least 45 minutes earlier than I'm used to!! So off to bed with me!!

The Best Way to Spend a Day Off

1.) Wake up early and head for a comfy, cozy coffee shop (perferably one with free wi-fi and really comfortable chairs). Order a warm mug of something wonderful. Spend a few hours enjoying the jazz and relaxing. Maybe write a little in a journal (much like the one I wrote in today).


2.) Meet someone you love for lunch (in our case, at a Japanese restaurant).

3.) Buy art from a local artist. And if you must, buy two pieces. Click here to see the artist we bought from today while in Union Square. His work is absolute beautiful, and the stories he shared in the moments while we were admiring his work were great bits to add to the uniqueness of his pieces.


4.) Take photos of people. Take photos of the Farmer's Market going on in Union Square.


5.) Wonder down to Washington Square Park. Sit. Watch people. Enjoy the sunshine and warmth of the afternoon. Write. Take photos. Fall even deeper in love with your city.


6.) Head towards the subway, looking for photographs along with way.



7.) Make it home feeling satisfied, refreshed, and successful.

Week 3: A Street View

Top Photo: Country Charm, Mrs. E

Bottom Photo: Metropolitan Magic, Me

Stoop Music

stumbled upon a couple guitars.
set out on the stoop for someone to find.

decided to take it along for a walk.

did a little tuning to the damaged guitar.

played a few notes for people passing by.

left it behind for the next one to find.