wild and unruly.

right now it is wild and unruly. but not out of control. like so much in my life right now. and i find it all strangely exhilarating.


habit

focus.

Focus from Ari Kruger on Vimeo.

tell me the truth.

When it comes, will it come without warning
Just as I'm picking my nose?
Will it knock on my door in the morning,
Or tread in the bus on my toes?
Will it come like a change in the weather?
Will its greeting be courteous or rough?
Will it alter my life altogether?
O tell me the truth about love.

WH Auden

rainy tuesday.

i would love to climb with you.

JENNY AND THE BERRIES (1861)

On a sunny summer morning;
Early as the dew was dry,
Up the hill I went a berrying;
Need I tell you-tell you why?

Farmer Davis had a daughter,
And it happened that I knew,
On each sunny morning,
Up the hill went berrying too.

Lonely work is picking berries,
So I joined her on the hill;
"Jenny, dear," said I, "your basket's
Quite too large for one to fill,"

So, we staid-we two- to fill it,
Jenny talking-I was still-
Leading where the hill was steep
Picking berries up the hill.

"This is up hill work," said Jenny;
"So is life," said I; "shall we
Climb it up alone, or Jenny,
Will you come and climb with me?"

Redder than the blushing berries
Jenny's cheeks a moment grew,
While, without delay, she answered,
“I would love to climb with you.”

bus buddies.

one of the great things about taking the bus is seeing and getting to know the regulars. i find these random people fascinating. so without further ado, i will share some of my favorites:

"typical target," aka TT. this woman is such the stereotypical target employee; carries no less than 4 bags every day, all of which have some sort of target bullseye on them. clearly her lunch bag, work bag, purse, gym bag, etc. she also is your typical midwest corporate girl; nice watch, lots of make-up. today she was talking to a guy (who i'm guessing is a coworker of hers) about her recent trip to california with some college girls since they are all turning 30 in 2011. apparently they did a 7 hour vineyard tour and got drunk in the first hour. she also seems to have some sensitivities to marriage since she was talking smack about one of her friends who is "just getting married to be married but at least she found a husband which is more than i can say" (followed by an awkward self-conscious giggle). if she follows the typical target female employee psychographics, she's probably trying to find a corporate target husband or earn her "mrs" in business school. no ring for TT, but i bet she wants one.

"hipster plaid couple," aka HPC. the HPC have been riding the bus with me since the beginning. i only recently found out that they live in the building 2 doors down from me. the HPC is a little older; probably mid-late thirties. tall man with large chunky eyeglasses and a short asian woman who always wears plaid and has an adorable smile. they are married and i wonder what their jobs are since they take the 4 downtown. today it was freezing and i stopped in to get a little hot tea at the coffee shop a block away. lo and behold, HPC bopped on in! we exchanged friendly minnesotan smiles and a "goodmorning." while i was fixing my tea, i heard her tell the barista that she was pregnant! i was awkwardly excited for HPC! i wanted to congratulate them but held off for fear of sounding too weird and creepy. they are just so adorable and the man is so chivalrous towards her- holds her hand to help her on the bus every day, shields her from the harsh winter wind, stands so she can take the open seat. i really like them and perhaps will strike up a conversation to actually know their names someday. in the meantime, i'm happy for their little bun in the oven.

"frosty lawyer," aka FL. i started seeing FL about a month or two ago. we usually are on the morning and evening bus together so i get a double dose each day. one of the first days i encountered FL, she was having a very loud chat with another random. what i gather is this: she is VERY proud of the fact that she is a full-on lawyer, she is also very braggy about her schooling and the fact that she is the youngest and only female at her firm (can't remember which firm it is for the life of me). she has a very severe face and look and is pretty plain. she tries to have glimpses of color and funky fashion, but it just looks awkward and forced. my guess is she would like to loosen up a little bit but just has a hard time doing so. i also saw what she was listening to one day; kanye west's "my beautiful dark twisted fantasy." a little surprise there- didn't think she would be into rap, but i stand corrected. FL seems like a nice gal, probably early 30s. i imagine she's fought her way to where she is on wit and confidence and now that she's got her career in place is probably lonely for a little companionship but i can see her turning down any guy that came her way to focus on work.


more to come, but those are the most intriguing. ahhh people watching; what a glorious game you are.

april 14.

april 14th has been a rough day throughout history; from the titanic hitting the iceberg, to lincoln getting shot, to black sunday in kansas during the great depression, to the oklahoma city bombing. here's hoping this april 14th will be a littler sunnier. and all these events beautifully captured in gillian welch song.

dear someone.

grace potter.

i know i've posted about my love for grace potter previously, but seriously; she is amazing. just check out THIS live cover of gillian welch and dave rawling's "elvis presley blues." love love love. LOVE.

the garden.

Oh light, shine down on me.
You know what I need, shine down on me.
Shine down on the garden, shine down on the garden.

Sweet earth, alive under me.
You know what I need, cradle me like the sea.
As I lay in the garden, as I lay in the garden.

Flowers and beautiful tree;
standing high above me, oh the things you have seen.
Tell me a story in the garden, tell it to me in the garden.

Sky above, so vast and so deep.
You know what I need, rain down on me.
Rain down on the garden, rain down on the garden.

Oh light, surround me.
Sweet mystery, in everything I see.
Come and find me in the garden, come and find me in the garden.

Ruth Moody

The Garden by gnometastic

wilderness.

Wilderness is a spiritual necessity. An antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium. I have found that people go to the wilderness for many things, but the most important of these is perspective. They may think they go for the fishing or the scenery or companionship, but in reality it is something far deeper. They go to the wilderness for the good of their souls.
Sigurd Olson

picture of the island courtesy of my sister, laura. oh how i wish i could be there right now!

guinnevere.

spring is indeed on its way.

waiting for the bus was unpleasant this morning; wind howling, icy rain battering my face. but i couldn't help but feel slightly encouraged by this weather- the snow is melting and spring is on its way. to help encourage my "spring-is-coming" optimism, how about listening to this little song courtesy of Joe Grass. Enjoy!

Joe Grass | Without Your Oar To Row | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

april fools!

some hilarious things going on in the world wide web today. this one HAS to be my favorite. hilarious, witty and uses jazzercise! have a laugh.

covet.

how delightful is this little coin necklace from emerson made? loving the bird one which says "semper ad meliora" -- “Always towards better things” but i'm especially coveting the lion coin (being a leo- figures) which says “FIDUCIA, VIRTUS, AMPLITUDO” -- “Confidence, Courage, Nobility of Soul.” So adorable!