bon week-end

lucyina moodie


"The real voyage of discovery exists not in seeking new landscapes
but in having new eyes."
Marcel Proust

in disarray

katya de grunwald


you ask me questions
and before I have chance or breath to answer you continue speaking answering before me in a fury of words I can’t remember what language it was you were speaking, and I heard you and I didn’t listen and as I didn’t hear I listened to abundant words and what you wanted to say and mostly what you didn’t and all the words you said and continue to speak before me now as I finish writing this look up into your eyes and you ask me questions

been one of those days.

been one of those days.

and for anyone who didn't already know, you can get this lovely
reminder at sfgirlbybay's etsy shop.
{i think i need one in every color asap.}

1:43am {still early in my book}

innocent chaos

The heights by great men reached and kept

Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.

h e n r y w a d s w o r t h l o n g f e l l o w

i can see the light

finally getting past the headache. sleepless nights remain {and i get so much done in the night..is it wrong?} et à part ça, the rain falls on my roof and the lack of sunlight does my head a refreshing deal of good. easing back into it, just a sunday afternoon quoi.

which brings to mind a few words written by a friend of mine {i've yet to ask permission for sharing this, but here it goes anyway}

"and because nature is just, it grants each droplet its moment to be heard."

isn't that perfect.

here are two fantastic images by robyn glaser..
the first reminds me of what my place looks like after a day or two of migraine...
the second is an image that i simply adore and my drink of choice before, during and after a headache {and anytime, really}, and yes that much of it, maybe more, prepared any style {except the weak stuff or the burnt stuff from that one corporation 'cafe' that's on every corner} i'll take it. this quite possibly could be a cause of those sleepless nights....nah.. it must be something else..


robyn glaser



robyn glaser

4:47am

4:47am. and i just happened upon this photo in the flickr of mrs french {of bliss} and fell in love with it {it's for sale in her etsy shop.} perhaps because i'm always late, perhaps because i stay up into the lost hours of the night, or perhaps, because often there are moments that happen each day that are simply a mystery to me and i don't quite know what will happen in the moments that follow, or what i intend to do about these situations. in any case, this is on my etsy wish list. hey if i stay up a little bit longer i can sing the song i mentioned earlier...5:55. out the window in the front yard i hear the sound of the newspaper hitting the pavement. 4:57am. on verra....

{3:26am} late night images on my mind

robyn glaser
absolutely adore this.



indenfor and udenfor antique shop from denmark
i heart chandeliers {in any color} and i love love turquoise. my mom's favorite color..reminds me of her.




great find, great image.
found via poppy talk, the think bakery is a bakery that cooks up innovative ideas, sweet suggestions and delicious tips for bloggers {especially the new guys, like me} of course they mention linking other blogs {hey look...i've learned something already} but i really wanted to share the info for anyone else out there like me, who may delight in any assistance, and also, i just fell in love with the image.



bart van leuven discovered via desire to inspire



lucyina moodie via delight by design


hmmmm i suppose i'll try to sleep now, 3:26am in california, but noonish in the parts of the world where my friends spend this saturday afternoon. two years since i arrived here in cali, but still on paris time. some things never change.

bonne nuit/journee/soiree wherever you find yourself, or somewhere in between.
•c••

aaaaah lalaaaaaaa

charlotte gainsbourg in vanity fair

wow what a 36hrs, hit with a dizzy spell then another migraine, am just now looking to find my way out of it. at least, momentarily. crept over to my computer {in the dark, screen on dim, tea by my side...yet not too close to my beloved macbook} and within about 15 minutes had discovered some really great new blogs {that is, new for me...remember i'm new to this game} and am greatful for their ability to casually distracted me.

so to start the weekend off on a better note, here are some of my finds and images from the posts therein that improved morale...

first off, great music during and after a migraine {and any time really} : charlotte gainsbourg {daughter of serge} 5:55





then three new blog discoveries and images i found amongst them that took me somewhere better:


design crush



finding my way



from delight by design's happy weekend post {photo tim evan cook}
delight by design

interesting, the images that caught my eye were all modes of transportation. think i really need to get going, to get out of here. i guess we could say that au moins for the moment, i was transported..

a+
c

"The best way out is always through."

r o b e r t f r o s t

{image: martin morrell via desire to inspire}

i seem to have been rather m.i.a. this past week..

i seem to have been rather m.i.a. this past week..though i've been sitting right here working {and reading all my favorite blogs..}




finding inspiring images and words that lead to new ideas....




and writing, i've been doing a good deal of that as well, just somehow it hasn't found its way up here...yet. and now another day has come and gone and i'm up writing in the middle of the night....again.




so i leave you with some images that have been floating on and off of my screen and in and out of my mind this past week.

a tres bientot, i promise.






and p.s. guess what application i found on my favorite new macbook....


yes, yes, the photo booth application. needless to say, now more than ever, i heart my macbook.

images:
1. martin morrell via desire to inspire {a new-found favorite blog of mine}
2. carla coulson backstage paris haute couture 2009 via carla loves photography {an old fav}
3. france ruffenach via simply photo {two fantastic photographers}
4. carla coulson backstage paris haute couture 2009 via carla loves photography {old fav}
5. shiny new macbook {new love}
6. glowing macbook of mine {true love}

5:59am

5:59am. sometimes i wake up for an hour, do my best work, then gently fall back asleep. like now

{image elle moss on etsy}

that's the funny thing about luck

all the pennies i passed on the street today were face down. someone told me once that face down pennies give you bad luck, so i walked quickly past. the last thing i need today is more bad luck that i could have avoided.

a demain.

{this great image for sale on etsy by jarrod williams}

lol

haha!!! maybe i'm tired, but i just glanced at this pic of mt and chris and realized that it looks like they belong in the statue park in oslo.......and even funnier, the statues are naked in the snow, and these crazy kids are wearing jackets on the beach. oh lalaaa. maybe it's just me, but hey it's a little bit funny quand meme..isn't it?! well, anyway, hope you had a good weekend with a little laughter in the mix....a demain x c

friends for all seasons

it seems as though my very favorite statue in the vigeland sculpture park in frognerparken oslo, norway (my norwegian friend {and oslo correspondent} lives right near it) is covered in snow, poor girl must be cold she has snow in her hair!


(the girl i'm refering to is this statue, my favorite, i love this girl! marianne {my norwegian friend} is, i'm sure, cold as well and most likely has snow in her hair, but i'm not sure it's as dramatic as this!!)


apparently it's been snowing a lot everywhere (except here in california where there's a possibility of rain today...but that's about it).. my olso correspondant sent reports today of 'it's been snowing like crazy here the last couple of days' and i've heard similar remarks from paris and toronto.. but i only walk through it in the warmth of my mind and the pictures i'm sent, and i'd venture to say it's a more pleasent experience like that.


this is my girl basking in the warmth of an august afternoon in oslo.


and i'm including some more of the images she sent of the statues in the snow..


i love how they look covered in snow!!


though these guys look like they've had just about enough!

...they make me smile, as does that girl, and this time, i mean marianne ;)))

25 ((now infamous)) random things

my group of friends is very socially networked. which is convenient considering we span the globe and sleep and eat and laugh and dance at different hours scattered about the clock. it's nice for keeping in some sort of touch. well maybe you've been invited to answer the 25 random things survey going around on facebook. after lingering over the questions here and there, answering on occasion for over a week, i had just put my finishing touches on the rambling 25th answer, and i saw this article in the new york times fashion & style section regarding the very same survey. i had no idea i was participating in such a widespread phenomenon i was just interested in what sort of answers i'd find myself writing... well anyway here is the article, it's rather interesting, don't you think, the 'random' things that catch us off-guard, grab our attention in the midst of everything and spread like wildfire. well. i was planning on posting it anyway, once i finished answering it, but now i hardly have a choice! would be fun if my fellow bloggers did the same! and without further ado, i give you, 25 ((now infamous)) random things:

25 random things

1. i write too much. i tend to use words to an excess (have you ever received an email from me?!) so i propose to answer these 25 questions in succinct yet descriptive and satisfying thoughts. think i can do it? on verra. in the words of mark twain "if i'd had more time, i'd have written a shorter letter."

2. and while on the subject, i adore quotes, words that others spoke yesterday echoing still today and changing my perspective on tomorrow. they offer reflection, resonance, a refreshing and brief escape..

3. i write. all the time. i'm trying to navigate my way to making that a profitable existence. until then, i practice daily writing for an audience on my blog www.wordsandphotoboothmoments.blogspot.com, and i also write on napkins, old receipts at the bottom of my purse, all over my favorite moleskine notebooks (thanks nini) oh ya, and sometimes on my new shiny, glowing, industrial chic macbook laptop...

4. i get daily headaches, and have now for the past 2 years. some days are worse than others, and my purse actually makes this shaking noise when i walk, as all the pills in bottles move in unison.

5. these past 2 years have been hard on me, and i've been hard on them..... i haven't been the best friend that i could be, but have discovered those dear friends in the truest sense of the word, who have stuck by me when i've been distant (and i don't just mean location wise, because you're all dispersed all over the world, but i mean, i've been rather quiet.....slightly absent....not my silly little self) and i thank those of you who have been there for me even when i wasn't...for putting up with me and caring about the boring me as much as the more present me, and thankfully i think i'm finding my way back now...

"love me when i least deserve it, because that's when i really need it." swedish proverb

صَدِيقٌ لَيْسَ يَنْفَعُ يَوْمَ بُؤْسٍ * قَرِيبٌ مِنْ عَدْوٍّ فِي القِيَاسِ
وَمَا يَبْقَى الصَّدِيقُ بِكُلِّ عَصْرٍ * وَلاَ الإِخْوَانُ إِلاَّ لِلتَّآسِي
عَبَرْتُ الدَّهْرَ مُلْتَمِسَاً بِجُهْدِي * أَخَا ثِقَةٍ فَأَلْهَانِي التِمَاسِي
تَنَكَّرَتِ البِلاَدُ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا * كَأَنَّ أُنَاسَهَا لَيْسُوا بِنَاسِ

a friend who does not benefit at the time of hardships,
i s close to an enemy on the scales,
the friend does not remain, during all times,
nor does the brother, except for consolation.
i searched the days, with all my strengths
for a brother to trust, but my search was fruitless,
the lands and those who live them were barren,
as though its people were not people [I wanted them to be]

immam ash-shafi'i

6. hmmm as you might wonder from the previous lines, i've been learning a little bit of early arabic poetry from this certain algerian boy (formerly known as coffee boy) and i adore arabic calligraphy, it all started with my dearest egyptian friend sara in the back of our marketing class in paris, and now i get help from the algerian in sending her my hand scribbled (almost legible) arabic letters from california to cairo.. thx guys..my teachers

7. i love languages. hearing them, writing them, seeing them, speaking them (preferably in my mind when it sounds good) but as five years in paris harshly demonstrated for me, i'm not, as i might have hoped, too adept in languages, in terms of speaking the words, pronouncing them, and remembering them for next time. i tend to only remember the funny ones....like salak, etaminiiik, sheip dei, etc....

8. i have now totally forgotten how to speak french.

9. but i say "canim" all the time, which is a turkish word that i picked up from defne, selma and elif....it's just the most perfect word, it's like saying "ahhhhh" or "baby, honey" etc... you can say it when something's touching, or sweet, well anyway, i say it all the time, even to people who don't understand it :) caaanim girls

10. i love to laugh, i can't live without it. to live i just need laughter and water, ok and coffee too....and maybe one or two other things.....

11. i'm indecisive. horribly indecisive.

12. i'm writing.. about.. at least 6 books simultaneously.

13. i'm reading.. about.. at least 6 books simultaneously, but more like 20, i love to read like that. i'm indecisive like that.
(note, i don't mean i have 20 books open in front of me all at once and i'm reading all of them in the same instant, in case there was any confusion. no no, this is an on-going attribute of my lifestyle)

14. i still read, cut out, and save articles from real newspapers (you know, those things they used to put the news in and deliver to your place of residence early in the morning)

15. i'm drinking black tea right now, in which i added dried sage leaves and a little honey. it was given to me by a special friend who knows how much i love dark tea, like the turkish 'çai' i used to drink in paris. it's delicious.

16. i bake cupcakes. and i had the idea to sell them in my cafe (my imaginary dream cafe) long before all the trendy cupcake stores were popping up all over california (yes i realize they were in ny long before that, i'm not sure who had the idea first in this case)

17. in the past week i've developed, out of nowhere really, this curiosity for the city of portland in oregon....i suddenly want to go there and can't stop wondering if i should try to find a job there or something...i know it's so weird, i've never considered moving to any other city than paris, ok and oslo...istanbul...copenhagan, and a recent interest in spain, well anyway i've never considered moving somewhere else in the states...

18. i've just started doing writing tutoring and i realized i love doing it, i would now consider teaching, but only small classes and only for writing/english and of course all of you ESL (english as a second language) people that i love so very much :)) actually if any of you need help with writing/editing anything i'm your girl :))) i have reasonable rates and extremely flexible hours...............and work online, across continents, oceans and time zones, or around the corner at the coffee shop.... ((haha, not bad, i just came up with that, maybe i should market it))

19. i have approximately 100,276 business plans, inspirations and ideas scattered across my mind.

20. i'm technically unemployed.

21. but i really work all day.

22. haha, i haven't transferred any of my files to my new computer (my gorgeous and glowing industrial chic macbook ;))) and i haven't loaded on word yet...but i insist on working on this new laptop instead of the old one, so i do all my writing for the moment on gmail, then send it to myself ;)) hey, at least i'm creatively resourceful!

23. i'm always late. always. oh wait, am i supposed to be talking about things you don't already know?

24. recent movies i've watched and enjoyed are the visitor ((love love it)), heights ((good movie)), the edge of heaven ((intense, but great)), and purple violets ((had never heard of it, but great movie))

25. i hate endings, or goodbyes, and have trouble letting go of things, i get too attached and sentimental, even to inanimate objects, i keep old ticket stubs and receipts at the bottom of my purse as reminders, old notes and scraps of yesterday....i never know what will inspire me next, or what story will be hiding where i least expect it, although now i expect it. i also like to write run-on sentences. but that should technically be a #26...and as you can see, i'm rambling, because i have trouble with endings, so as you can understand, this is a very hard part of this survey for me. i'm also very dramatic. but perhaps that goes without saying. ok, seriously, i'm done now.

blogging amoreeeee.

remember the italian wedding i was talking about a while back?
well here they are, literally too cute for words,



my italian friend maria teresa and my french friend christophe




they're getting married this summer in maratea, italy, the
beachside village where maria teresa spent her childhood summers......



this is not only a destination wedding, but a destination to which friends will be traveling from all over the world ((yes, this is the group of friends i love to talk on and on about...we all met in paris over the course of about five years..a lot of stories to be told....)) anyway, since this destination wedding is a big deal for so many of us, i took cue from maria teresa's lively emails loaded with information on where to stay, what to do there etc.... and offered to make them a wedding website. this is common practice in american wedding culture ((not that i'm an expert, but i've noticed a trend..)) largely on account of the wedding industry i assume, however in this case, i really thought it could be beneficial, and fun. and after trying to figure it all out, i decided that with a group as social and socially networked as ours, a blog format would be the most exciting format to present the information, post photos before, during and after, and for everyone to interactively follow the path up to the day. a sort of gradual guest book/journal if you will. and an easy way for both mt and i to post from different continents.

and thus i'm on my way, creating it and gathering info, i will share more when i know more
((or, i guess, when i've done more)) but think we're gonna have some fun.

ciao bellas, c

"Experience is not what happens to a man. It's what a man does with what happens to him."

Aldus Huxley

second look: images in my mind

★★today was spent encountering new blogs, as i'm still a newcomer to this game (thus blogs new to me, but otherwise well established) and through these blogs, new photographers were discovered as well, and many excited exclamations muttered. anyway, my mind was working overtime, as were my fingers typing stories on my glowing keyboard and scribbling notes on the paper mouse pad beside me and all at once images, ideas, thoughts and personalities encouraged by multiple cups of coffee interspersed with my favorite black tea in which i soak dried sage leaves and honey.... all made for a delightful day, but i'm exhausted. and i'm rambling. lots of images are roaming about my fatigued consciousness, here are a few that stick with me.

images in my mind. you know how sometimes you see a picture and you're somehow mesmerized -- you simply adore the image, sometimes you can say straight away why it is you can't take you're eyes off it, and other times, you can't put in words why you're so utterly taken with this particular image...

at hei astrid i discovered her colorful photographs like this........

and this..............

complete with her warm commentary direct from chilly norway.

★★

and then i came across this bike basket, and fell entirely in love.

i went to design house stockholm where the basket can be purchased for only $39, and, well i haven't fully recovered yet. look around this fantastic site. for tonight i'll let the products speak for themselves, but i will show you more later!

★★

the day actually started with a lingering look at unruly things, where i discovered photographer jennifer causey's blog simply photo and these perfect images available for sale in her etsy shop.

((i really want them all.))

★★

and also another blog with photos that are stuck in my mind, bliss...

this last one is first on my list in her etsy shop, i can't find words to tell you how much i adore this image and the feeling that i get from gazing up at it.....

.....i found so much more today, this is all off the top of my head as i try to digest what i took in today. and yes i realize you all probably know about these blogs and photographers but i'm a new girl in town, feeling my way around...and really liking what i find myself bumping into!!

★★

oh yes and another delicious 'edible idiom' that fits right in with my own little life, found today on clotilde's c&z..."mi-figue mi-raisin." which she translates as "half fig, half grape," basically implying ambiguity.. and that's me in a nutshell. read more about her description here amongst infinite recipes and beautiful images that you can almost eat..

like this one..

and a polaroid at that!! great taste.

★★yes, i'm getting tired, almost time to swivel my executive chair around from my desk to my bed..

but one more thing, i've also, in the past few days, had a starteling number of encounters with talk of portland. ya, portland..as in oregon. i'm suddenly intreagued with this city and want to know more. many of the blogs i read today were located in portland, beautiful photographs taken of portland, i watch the movie feast of love the other day which took place in portland, and i can't remember what else right now, but now it's on my mind...so tell me, if you know, what's it like, this portland?...

ok, i'll stop rambling now..bonne nuit, dream of these images as will i. i mean, why stop now, i've been doing it all day au fait!★★c

everyday

John Updike was a writer of the everyday, of the everyday person in everyday situations. Though Obama has somewhat recently elevated his own 'everyday' status, and that of his family, I saw these photos of moments, snapshots that capture this everyday family in a most endearing, a most understated light.

annie leibovitz

"A leader is one who, out of madness or goodness, volunteers to take upon himself the woe of the people. There are few men so foolish, hence the erratic quality of leadership in the world."
j o h n u p d i k e





"Inspiration arrives as a packet of material to be delivered."j o h n u p d i k e






"Truth should not be forced; it should simply manifest itself, like a woman who has in her privacy reflected and coolly decided to bestow herself upon a certain man."j o h n u p d i k e








"Creativity is merely a plus name for regular activity. Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or better."j o h n u p d i k e







annie leibovitz

"You know how it is with fathers, you never escape the idea that maybe after all they're right."j o h n u p d i k e





"To be President of the United States, sir, is to act as advocate for a blind, venomous, and ungrateful client."j o h n u p d i k e


...and with the words of Updike intermingling in these photos of a family, bringing us all back down to earth, where images, inspirations, perseverance and dreams do, at times, walk amongst us, where the new arrive and the old find some well-deserved rest. everyday.