peach pie, originally uploaded by karin!.

This morning I treated myself to a slice of pie and coffee for breakfast. It’s an expensive treat, as my pie purveyor of choice is a little on the upscale-but-pretty-delicious-so-I-guess-it’s-kind-of-worth-it side. Or maybe just the gimme-a-raise-and-I’d-totally-do-this-every-weekend side. Either way, it was fabulous, and I sat and read and enjoyed my people watching time while it was still cool enough to be outside. Which, I feel like I should mention, 12 hours later I think it’s hotter now than it was then. It’s sticky, and muggy, and the kind of all around miserable (it’s 30C! at 11pm!) where you can’t really lay in one spot too long becuase then it’s just too hot, and the fan’s not enough, and you wonder if anyone would even notice if you just slept on the balcony tonight.

Really? That’s just me?

Alright then. Air conditioning does funny things to people. I didn’t realize this until I was no longer in possession of that sweet, sweet luxury. My parents love their AC. Love. Adore. It wouldn’t actually surprise me if they worshiped it as the deity of bearable summers. And so, because they constantly bask in the glory of that recycled and artificially cooled air (really, I’m not bitter or jealous) regardless of whether they’re at home or at work or in their cars, the slightest hint of heat sends makes them a little, well, apoplectic. I recently had a conversation with someone at work who couldn’t believe that a friend and I could possibly survive in our respective un-airconditioned homes. How do you sleep??. How, indeed. Not particularly well, but it certainly makes you appreciate those wonderful, cool, breezy nights just a little bit more.

This all occurs to me because after having been home for less than 3 hours, I’ve been driven out of my apartment by the heat. Only to the balcony, mind you. We spend a lot of time on the balcony these days, and if I could just get it a little brighter at night without acrobatics involving a Coleman camping lantern, I think I’d spend more nights out here too.

photo-taking stance., originally uploaded by karin!.

This was a good day. You can tell it was a good day, becuase there I am, all pigeon toed with my knee uncomfortably wrenched in and my hip at an unnatural angle, doing the photo-taking stance. I don’t do photography comfortably. I don’t feel natural and confident. I’m awkward and unsure behind a camera. I feel conspicuous. All of these things in mind, it’s not terribly surprising that my body language isn’t comfortable when I’m doing it. Even with all of that being true, I’m strangely happy like this. Uncomfortable, awkward, but somehow complete with my camera strap all twisted and wrapped around my wrist, squinting up into the sky.

So, with that, and the fact that this has been a most excellent day/weekend, I give you again, 10 Things That Make Me Terribly Happy, but focused.

10 Things Things That Made Me Terribly Happy This Weekend
1. perfectly cooked eggs at a perfect brunch with a perfect friend
2. unbelievable weather all damn weekend
3. an unexpectedly fun Friday night, followed by an expectedly fun Saturday, and a lazy Sunday
4. Cleaning and cooking for myself (with leftovers for a lunch and dinner this week!)
5. I’ve started the growing of both a sourdough bread starter and my own bean sprouts
6. a lot of smiling, laughing, and talking
7. sleepy morning cuddles with the masters of the house
8. getting a text at the exact moment you were thinking about a person
9. buying the first flower of the year, and anxiously anticipating its bloom
10. buying and eating some seriously tasty cheese

And there you have it. I’m still trying to pretend that Monday doesn’t exist but for right now, I’m pretty content.

via the Craftzine.com blog

“This sweet card comes from CorrellaDesign on etsy, and is perfect for even human companions!”

I love this. A lot.

Dear blog,

I have been terribly remiss. Since I last wrote in you, I have gained and lost a lot.. I have gaied and will, at the end of this week, lose a store. I have lost a lot of artistic drive. I have lost a lot of sleep and time. I have lost year 26 and gained year 27.

I am lost, but will hopefully soon be found.

Until then, it’s a little like staring down a long dark hallway.

I still love you, blog. Worry not. I will return when the skies are blue and clear and when I don’t fear the loss of feeling in my fingertips when they’re outside of my gloves or pockets. I will hopefully return before I see green shoots piercing the dark earth. I will be back when I can leave my balcony door wide open, and when I’m itching to sit on the patio with my friends, even though it’s too cold, and even though we’ll have to go inside before the night is over.

I will be back. On the other side of this dismal winter. Hopefully sooner, but if not, on the other side.

<3 k

DANGER!, originally uploaded by karin!.

I’m NaNoBloPoMo”-ing.

Which is probably completely crazy considering the frequency with which I’ve updated this thing in the past, but I’m hoping that I’ll accomplish two things: figure out how to make this a habit (I’ve heard varying lengths of time that it’s supposed to take to make something a habit, but they’re all less than 30 days), and convince myself to get out there and take more pictures.

A fantastic side effect would also be a noticeable change in the caliber of my writing, but I’m not particularly optimistic.

So that’s that. Day One: Success.

This is going to be a piece of cake!

Every year around this time, I start throw around phrases that are largely variants of this weather depresses the [expletive] out of me.

Which it does. There’s something about the change of seasons (and in particularly the Summer -> Autumn -> Winter change) that I find awfully melancholy. I doesn’t help that I’m pretty sure I suffer from SAD, and that I have pretty serious seasonal allergies that are exacerbated when plant life starts to decompose, but I think that more than anything else, it’s the knowledge that mittens, scarves, hats, frozen fingers/toes, salt-stained pants and chattering teeth are all too close.

So I try to embrace the fall a little more. I like cardigans and hats-for-style-instead-of-warmth. I like the smell of the fall (despite the aforementioned allergen-related inconveniences) and the leaves crunching under my feet. Mostly, I like the splash of vivid colour against the almost-winter sky.

Blue to gray
Grow up and blow away…

(metric/grow up and blow away)

and I am traveling, traveling, traveling
…

I want to have fun, I want to shine like the sun
I want to be the one that you want to see
I want to knit you a sweater
Want to write you a love letter
I want to make you feel better
I want to make you feel free

Joni Mitchell / All I Want

storm front, originally uploaded by karin!.

Rain,

I love the sound of you when I’m going to sleep.

Please do your thing exclusively at night (whenever you need to! I’m so giving!) so that I can fall asleep in peace and also wake up and not have to think about wearing the appropriate footwear or taking an umbrella.

Selfishly yours,

Karin

* title credit — Anne Peebles, I Can’t Stand the Rain