Sometimes real life is better than fiction...

...but other times, a good Jane Austen adaptation makes reality pale in comparison.

Sally Hawkins is the greatest Anne Elliot. The final scenes of the 2007 Persuasion:




Captain Wentworth's note from the novel:

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means
as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony,
half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings
are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart
even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years
and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman,
that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you.
Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been,
but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath.
For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this?
Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even
these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have
penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing
something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can
distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others.
Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed.
You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men.
Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in F. W.

"I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither,
or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look,
will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house
this evening or never."

Excuse me...I have to go swoon now.

A Sunday night.

So it's Sunday night...I've had two mojitos to try to fend off Monday. I don't think it's working. Instead, before falling into the warm embrace of my bed, I will share some things:

• Most importantly, my eBay auctions.
• Have you seen this video on the incredible meteor in South Africa? It is nothing short of magic:
• My song of the day from yesterday is still my song of the day, today. I can't stop listening to it. Oh, crushes. They're simultaneously awful and wonderful.
  
• Maya played dress-up again; this time in my sister's basketball hoodie:
  

And these things are enough to keep me occupied and happy until next weekend!

Oh, and on the topic of Maya playing dress-up, this is her dressed as an American Apparel model:

A preview for tomorrow's post.

Sequins and beading are becoming an obsession.

I Luff...

• Pomplamoose's greatest cover since "Single Ladies."

• Alex & Mina's engagement photos. If you don't read their blog, "...sending postcards," you should. The Canadian couple sold their house and most of their other worldly possessions, got married, and are now going to spend the next year or more traveling around the world.

• Concrete Cowgirl's gorgeous Photo Friday.

• White Owl's stunning Etsy shop.

Happy Friday!

Thankful.

What am I thankful for?

• Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, Brussels sprouts sauteed with shallots, stuffing, garlic-mashed potatoes with gravy, popovers, and desserts.
• Family: eccentric, loud, bossy, loving, funny, encouraging--my teachers, my coaches, my cheerleaders, my listeners, my protectors, my roots.
• Friends: my comedians, bodyguards, chauffeurs, sisters, big brothers--the ones who send me flowers when I'm sick, who laugh at my tales of bad dates, who answered my tearful late-night phone calls, who dance with me to the oldies, who let me pick out their clothes, who anticipate my PBR needs, who let me be the little spoon, who teach me the ways of the world, who weed out the bad ones, who have brought out in me the person who was hidden under wraps for far too long.
• 2009's big events: good or bad, they shook me out of the slump I didn't know I was in. They have helped me be stronger, louder, skinnier, more confident, more passionate, more self-aware, more everything.
• Charleston: a city filled with beautiful houses, warm sand, ghost stories, ocean views, wild thunderstorms, delicious food, magical friends, cobblestones, art, heat waves, cute boys, and pirates.
• Miscellaneous: Henry Cavill, thrift stores, dark chocolate Reese's cups, the way Maya looks when her lip catches on her teeth, the internet (namely Google and Wikipedia), Anthropologie, my bed on weekend mornings, Sunday brunch, stories that make me laugh until my stomach aches, letters, great works of fiction, poems that make me dizzy, music and those who create it, people who appreciate my nose, strong coffee, and more little and big things than I can put into words.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Goodwill Hunting

I mentioned in my last post that I was compiling my finds from my last thrift trip and I thought I'd share:

Why buy only one skinny belt when you can get three?

Two wicker purses...I especially love the blue chain-link cross-body bag.

Vintage Coach bag. Mmm...well-worn leather.

Cute little black shirtdress. I feel a little bit Audrey in this. I need to learn to tie better bows.

And, the pièce de résistance--the beaded, sequined sweater that I bought for Elizabeth's (update your blog, woman!) ugly sweater party. I am actually going to wear this to every holiday party from now through New Years. I'm not shrugging, by the way. The shoulder pads are just that high.

This is how the sweater makes me feel inside:
Completely overwhelmed...oy vey...what a sweater! The elderly woman ahead of me in the checkout line was dying of envy when she saw this. She suggested I wear this sweater with a pair of gray, wide-leg crepe pants and tell everyone I got it for $300.

I got it for $300, you guys. Not $3.49 plus tax. Nope.

Today I Like...

* My tall, black riding boots (Who am I kidding? I LOVE these every day.)

* morning drives over a foggy bridge

* hot coffee with sugar in my favorite mug

* layers of long silver necklaces

* funny text messages from friends near and far

* plans for holiday meals (Brussels sprouts sauted with bacon and shallots!)

* cataloging the treasures I gleaned from the thrift store this weekend

* Today's "The Writer's Almanac"...especially this part of Eleanor Lerman's poem, "What The Dark-Eyed Angel Knows":

"so why is it that all I can think of (and will think of through
the torrential rains to come and the howling night) is
you, sighing so deeply in the darkness, you and the smell
of you and the windswept curve of your cheek? If this
train ever stops, I will ask that dark-eyed angel, the one
who hasn't spoken yet. He looks like he might know"

and this quote from Margaret Anderson, whose birthday is today:

"I believe in the unsubmissive, the unfaltering, the unassailable, the irresistible, the unbelievable--in other words, in an art of life."

Random Things from Internetland.

• Charlotte Gainsbourg's new music video for "Heaven Can Wait":

  Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait from Charlotte Gainsbourg on Vimeo.

  I have no clue what's going on in it, but Charlotte looks gorgeous, as usual.

• A Thanksgiving present from Audible.com. A free audiobook!

• Heidi Merrick's big sale. Most of her great pieces are already sold out, but I'd take the Dane African Paisley.

• I can never, ever get enough of Rules for My Unborn Son. I think the book should be required reading material for every guy. Especially my future husband.

• "The Dying Swan" at Chanel.

• Auto-Tune the News.

What a day. What a weekend.

Weakend Weekend.

So it's Friday, and I'm absolutely craving a night at home after scurrying hither and thither all week, especially since I'll be busy tomorrow night. (And you will too, if you know what's good for you!)

Tonight I'll make plans to have no plans. Maybe I'll cook a nice dinner, brew a cup of hot chocolate and finally start Juliet, Naked. (I heart Nick Hornby so much--I still haven't seen An Education, for which he wrote the screenplay, and it's driving me crazy.) Or maybe I will do something really crazy like being in bed before midnight. Or maybe I'll just rearrange my sock drawer.

Or maybe I will dance in the kitchen to Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead." Because I CANNOT stop listening to them.



It's Friday! Celebrate!

Happy Holidays?

People are saying "Happy Holidays" already, seeing as how Thanksgiving is a mere week away, and Christmas music has been playing in Banana Republic and other stores for at least two or three weeks now.

Yet, as much as I love Charleston's balmy weather, it's totally throwing me off. To me, it feels like late September has lasted for over two months. Even though I'm already making realistic and fantasy Christmas wish lists, overall I feel completely in denial that Christmas is just over a month away.

Here are some things that are helping me get into the holiday spirit despite the mild weather:

• Anthropologie's Snow House, and the outfits that go in it.
• The song "All That I Want" by The Weepies...it's a Christmas song, but I secretly listen to it throughout the year because it's so sweet.
• Lake Champlain Chocolates' Aztec Hot Chocolate.
• Seeing my family...I used to visit them at least one weekend a month, but it's been over four months since I've seen them! Six days until they're here!
• Watching the Christmas decorations go up around downtown.

Oh, 2oo9, where have you gone? I feel like someone's holding down the fast-forward button on my life.

Little white sparrows overhead.

Oh, distractions. Distractions, distractions, distractions.

Yesterday, instead of blogging, I went to trivia and finally learned some of the trigonometric tricks that will one day make me a pool shark, and then I spent some final moments with a friend who is leaving our beautiful city for his mountain hometown.

Today I am going to see some songwriters-in-the-round, whatever that entails, but if you are as curious as I am to see what it is, stop by the Music Farm!

And on the note of stuff to do...this Saturday is Redux's Art Auction at the Center for Photography. I will be volunteering there, so grab tickets, stop by, and I'll tell you which of the incredible pieces you can buy me. Har har har. All jokes aside, many of Charleston's best artists have pieces up for auction and places like Sugar Bakeshop, Sermet's, Pane e Vino, and everyone's favorite--D'Allesandros--are sponsoring it, so you know there's sure to be all sorts of snacks and drinks and delights and magic.

Here's a music video from my boyfriend, Robert Francis:

One of the many reasons Mary-Louise Parker is a goddess.

I've already put it out there that Mary Louise Parker is in my dream girl posse (I really need to update the roster), and I found a new reason thanks to my favorite men's mag, Esquire. When Esquire wrote a thank-you note to her for being hot/intelligent/humorous/hot, she wrote her own "Thank-You Note to Men":

To you, whom it may concern:

Manly creature, who smells good even when you don't, you wake up too slowly, with fuzzy, vertical hair and a slightly lost look on your face as though you are seven or seventy-five; you can fix my front door, my sink, and open most jars; you, who lose a cuff link and have to settle for a safety pin, you have promised to slay unfortunate interlopers and dragons with your Phillips head or Montblanc; to you, because you will notice a woman with a healthy chunk of years or pounds on her and let out a wolf whistle under your breath and mean it; because you think either rug will be fine, really it will; you seem to walk down the street a little taller than me, a little more aware but with a purpose still; to you who codifies, conjugates, slams a puck, baits a hook, builds a decent cabinet or the perfect sandwich; you who gives a twenty to the kids selling Hershey's bars and waits at baggage claim for three hours in your flannel shirt; you, sir, you take my order, my pulse, my bullshit; you who soaps me in the shower, soaks with me in the tub; to you, boy grown-up, the gentleman, soldier, professor, or caveman, the fancy man with initials on your towels and salt on your chocolates, to you and to that guy at the concession stand; thank you for the tour of the vineyard, the fire station, the sound booth, thank you for the kaleidoscope, the Horsehead Nebula, the painting, the truth; to you who carries me across the parking lot, up the stairs, to the ER, to roll-away or rice mat; to you who shows up every so often only to confuse and torment, and you who stays in orbit, always, to my left and steady, you stood up for me, I won't forget that; to you, the one who can't figure it out and never will, and you who lost the remote, the dog, or your way altogether; to you, wizard, you sang in my ear and brought me back from the dead, you tell me things, make me shiver; to the ones who destroyed me, even if for a minute, and to the ones who grew me, consumed me, gave me my heart back times ten; to most everything that deserves to call itself a man: How I do love thee, with your skill to light fires that keep me warm, light me up.

Who could have said it better? If you've got time, check out some of her other Esquire pieces, such as "The Ten Types of Music No Man Should Own" (ie, #4, "Any soundtrack involving earnest undersea creatures who sing or play drums as they struggle to find their way home").

On a 76-degree day in mid-November...

What a weekend...with the weather being almost unbearably beautiful, it's shameful that I'm even indoors long enough to write this post, but after I finish this and some house-cleaning, I'm rewarding myself with several hours in Kudu's little gated garden.

Also, I'd like to add that Hominy Grill's huevos rancheros are nothing less than a miracle:



Sundays were made for eating good food and then lounging around in the sunshine with pals.

Saturday, a wedding day!

What a gorgeous day! Now that I've lounged around with my coffee and been thoroughly lazy, I'm going to try to enjoy the sunshine before heading off to a swanky swank wedding at the Daniel Island Club this evening. Take a peek at the incredible shoot Charleston photographer Leigh Webber did of an Indian wedding ceremony at the Daniel Island club back in May:



I've decided to wear one of my go-to black dresses:



Now I just need to decide how to accessorize it. Such tough decisions on this gorgeous day!

Black + white + gray, and stripes.

So, this was yesterday's outfit...

...and this is today's.

(I totes reenacted yesterday's outfit for this post.)

Do you ever get into a phase where you just want to wear the same types of things? I can't get enough of this combo.

Thursday night musings.

Sometimes I start to write a post and then I have to hold down the delete button until the cursor blinks patiently all the way back at the beginning, because I realize that my "college experience regression" antics should remain in blurred memories and in ink in one lone journal, which will remain forever in my possession.

On that note, here's a list of my own personal wants/wishes for myself:

• Really know Photoshop, beyond Gaussian Blur, checking image sizing, and all the standard cropping, greyscaling, etc. that I do. So many blogs I read daily are absolutely gorgeous, decked out with fancy Photoshop techniques that I never learned.
• Improve my German by reading more (novels, articles, etc.) in the language and actually attending some of the cool German Meet Up group events Charleston has.
• Really learn French, rather than pretending I know it by watching one billion French films and convincing myself that I don't really need the subtitles.
• Actually stick to this morning routine: wake up, work out, start coffee, shower, eat a real breakfast, spend some QT with Maya, and have a bit o' time left over to read. When I actually accomplish everything, the quality of my day is amped about 1,000%.
  
• On the note of this list, start a journal solely dedicated to my personal lifelong wish list, in the style of the fun book with the same title: The Wish List.
• Get everything in order: tupperware, paperwork, finances, the attic, my closet, under the sink, and then my life in general.
• Really be thankful: for the most part, I adore my life, but sometimes find my brain straying into the "My life would be so much better if I just had _______" territory. (I know this contradicts this list, but ce la vie.)
  
• Say yes to more opportunities (events, travel, et al.).
• Give myself more recharge/reflection time rather than just going, going, going.
• More to come.
  

I am becoming addicted to gingham.

I can't seem to stay away from it.

My main source of lust is the classic blue and white checked shirt seen...

...at J. Crew...

...and Gap.

The shirts are practically identical, besides the $20 price difference. How cute would this look tucked into a neutral skirt with the sleeves sloppily rolled and a fun necklace? Or worn untucked under a cozy sweater with jeans and boots? I'm so into this print that I even featured it in the first outfit I'd wear if I were a boy.

I've also avoided larger check prints for fear of looking too much like a hipster or a lumberjack, but I can't fight the temptation to wear checks much longer.

Look how cute this vest from Forever 21 is!


Or this jacket!


Or this dress!


Should I just cave into temptation? Or should I run from gingham as fast as I can?

Autumn in the kitchen.

My kitchen was filled with autumn colors and savory smells last night.

Onions and leeks sautéing in butter.

Chopped butternut squash and carrots and a ripe tomato.

Butternut squash soup seasoned with curry and garam masala.

There are few things cozier than soup on a rainy autumn night.

Cute headbands...

...are the best part of growing out my hair.

The Anthropologist

Has anyone had a chance to poke around over at The Anthropologist? How on earth can I get hired to be part of Anthropologie's creative team?

People have already been all a-flutter about Man Shops Globe, the Sundance Channel show all about how buyer Keith Johnson travels the globe half the year searching for inspiration and treasures to sell at Anthropologie stores:



And on the note of inspiration, The Anthropologist is just another step into the world Anthropologie works to create...creative and dreamy, its focus now is pondering something that we all struggle with...inspiration and its source(s).

Some of the treasures you'll find there:

Valentine letter from director Jane Campion's Bright Star world.

Photographer David Eustace capturing one of the many moods of his daughter on a road trip they took together.

Just go peek at The Anthropologist. If you're looking for inspiration, you're sure to find some there.

Some romance for your Sunday.

State Library of New South Wales collection

Love is a hand-stitched heart.

Missed Connections as art.

Notte Sento (English subtitles) from napdan on Vimeo.

Thursday time.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy. Today I'm packing and thinking of country life and horses and riding boots and wool blazers and ruffled blouses and river houses and adventure. Then I will go to trivia night and drink beer with friends and laugh in dark corners and maybe even dance to the jukebox.

What are you doing this Thursday?

Modern Family

Modern Family is so stinking funny, I can't even handle it. My favorite character is Manny. He's strong, yet sensitive. He's a great listener and is in touch with his roots.

Meet the family:


Does anyone else watch this show? I am hooked.

"We are so many tiny pieces..."

So, I got t-boned today. That was pretty scary. It's also a fun thing to add to my "crappy things that have happened this year but will totally help build my character" list.

I am so ready for 2010. It's going to probably be the best, most amazing year of my entire life. Next to 2009, an uneventful year would look amazing.

Here are a list of resolutions I have for 2010:

• Successfully grow out my hair, and then get cute bangs (and then dye it reeeeed).
  
• Find someone to harmonize to "Afternoon Delight" with me.
• Write in my journal every day, even if it's boring.
• Finally open my Etsy store.
• Go thrifting at least once a week.
• Tour every historic home in Charleston.
• Less texting, more letters.
• Travel: I mean you, NY, LA, and Chicago.
• Bake treats, then give them away.
• Make more secrets.
  
• Less driving.
• More pictures.
• More and more and more music.
• Whisper more.
• Finally try a Pimm's Cup.
• Have a tea party with all the girlfriends I've made this year.
• Say yes to more slow dances.
  
• Spend an entire day barefoot in the park.
• Learn to make really good Indian food.

2010 is going to be a busy year, because this list is just going to keep growing.


I can't stop dancing to this:

From the basement.

Nigel Godrich's new website, From the Basement, is so much fun. I wish my Opa and Oma's basement had the goodies in it that Nigel's apparently has. Their basement has a furnace, storage bins, a freezer and some junk in it. Nigel's basement has Radiohead, Cold War Kids, PJ Harvey, Beck, Gnarls Barkley, and tons of other talented performers playing insane, passionate, beautiful music.

Some performances I enjoy:
Fleet Foxes, "Your Protector"
Andrew Bird, "Tenuousness"
Jose Gonzalez, "Down the Line"
Thom Yorke, "Videotape"
Damien Rice, "Rootless Tree"
Zee Avi, "Monte"

On a side note, Nigel Godrich said this about Andrew Bird: "I accidentally stumbled into Andrew Bird's show at a music festival at Conway Hall in London. It was a fairy-tale moment for me.. if slightly disorientating. He was alone on stage whistling and looping some seemingly random sounds, and I wondered what exactly it was that i was watching. Soon the noise grew to become beautiful and enormous. It was spellbinding."

Don't you just love music? How it works? How it layers? How it makes your heart beat funny? How it makes your palms sweaty like love? How it bothers your dreams? How the right song speaks to you in a way that makes your spine shiver? It haunts and titillates and inspires and overwhelms and rocks you to sleep and makes you dance.

I love music.