Mmm, Coffee

Today the girl at Starbucks asked me if I ever drink coffee. Yeah, I couldn't believe it either.

The last few times I went in there, I bought apple cider or a chai, but that doesn't mean anything. So I set her straight: I had three cups of coffee already today. She laughed at me. But at least she knows me a little more now.

Snuggle Up With a Book

I finally got some reading done over the weekend. If you know me at all, then you know that it was a wonderful day. And it got me thinking of books that I want to read soon and books that I think everyone should read at sometime in their lives. (So I made a couple lists off the top of my head.)

Books on my 'To Read' list:
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future by Vasir Nasr
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
Working by Studs Terkel
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoulett
We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed by Philip Gourevitch

Books everyone should read:
The Portable Dorothy Parker
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The People Are the News by Grant Pick
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

Cute, Creative Proposal

Jill's (My Spinning Wheels) brother proposed to his girlfriend on the Brooklyn Bridge. It was such a unique, creative way of proposing. Check it out.

Lights, Year Round

My best friend made a deal with her parents a couple months ago. They would help put up Christmas decorations if she took them down. Two months later, her house is still covered with twinkle lights and Merry Christmas signs.

She thinks it's a little late. I think Christmas lights should stay up year round. You would only need to change the colors to green and red to signify Christmas time. Perfect.


Seriously, everyone gets a little happier when they see Christmas lights. I vote for Christmas lights everywhere, everyday.

Psst.. Pssst

I was cleaning out my closet earlier and I found a shoe box on the back shelf. It was full of little origami notes from friends in high school. It was so trippy to read them all, especially those from ex-boyfriends. You would not even believe what some of them said. How weird it was to remember the little moments in high school; they seemed big and important at the time. I think I may spend a couple hours reading through them and reliving my teenage years.

Did you pass notes in school? Do you remember what they said?

Snow and Hot Chocolate

Do you remember when you were a kid and got really excited whenever it snowed? I still do.

I haven't quite grown into the adult mindset yet. The last thing I think of is that I'll have to shovel later or what driving conditions will be like. I just love snow, especially when it swirls around and hangs in the air, it makes me feel like I'm in a snow globe.

I think I'm going to make some hot chocolate, curl up on my couch, read and watch it snow.

New Camera

I just bought the Canon XSi. I am so excited to get out and take some pictures with it! I might have to take a day off and wander around Chicago. It's been a while since I looked like a tourist, this could be fun. I'll post some pictures later.

Disney Movies Make Me Cry

I grew up on Disney movies, but because I grew up on Disney movies, I will probably never actually grow up. I love watching cartoons.

Even though Saturday morning cartoons don't come close to what they were when I was a kid, Disney has continued to make great movies. I really like the Pixar ones too.

I just watched Wall-E the other day and it is absolutely adorable. I'm always impressed by how animators are able to convey emotion. While deer do not actually talk or fairy godmothers exist, I still get worked up over the emotion that is very real.

If you could be any Disney character, who would you be? Cinderella, for sure.

Black & White

I think I’m going to set my camera to black and white and leave it there for a week.

I love how pictures turn into photographs when you remove the colors. They seem so much more dramatic and emotional in black and white. I also like that you almost have to interpret the picture too. You can decide the color of the sky, what kind of day it was- the mood and tone in the photograph. I like that.

The Coffee Pot

I went to brunch with my family today at The Coffee Pot, a small diner in my hometown's downtown area. We stood at the door and waited for a table at the thirty-something-seat diner; walked to the counter for coffee refills rather than making the waitress come to us; chit chatted with neighbors; had a great time all around.

I love the rush of big cities but nothing makes me happier than going to a small coffee shop or diner for brunch. I know I've said this a million times, but it's the best way to start the day. I absolutely adore the warm, friendly feeling of an intimate diner.

If I life in a big city, I would need that small place to feel at home. I want a place where I can walk in and someone asks, "the usual?"