Sloped Ceilings

I am loving sloped ceilings right now.









When I was little, my great-grandmother's house had spare bedrooms with sloped ceilings. When we'd spend the night, I felt like I was crawling into a little nook all for myself as I climbed into bed. Something about them is just so familiar and cozy, don't you think?



(All photos via ApartmentTherapy)

Are You Happy?

So straightforward: just change something. Is it that easy? What do you think?

(Found via automatism, via Typcut)

A Dapple of My Weekend

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty miserable, spent sick with strep throat. I did so much nothing I was bored of it. And I never thought I'd say I could get bored of doing nothing. You'd think it'd be a nice break. But after awhile, the body aches and headache and congestion and worst-sore-throat-I'd-ever-had got to me.

I went out for a short hike on Saturday, but that kind of pushed it.

So like every smart sickie, I indulged in food all weekend. I'm not sure how that happened, but now that I look back all I really did was eat. Saturday night I made pad thai with my mom (so good! so easy!), Sunday morning I ate donuts with Mary, Sunday afternoon Lauren and I made chocolate chip cookies, and Sunday night we all made homemade pizza. Maybe that's the cure to strep--lots and lots of really good food. Because I'm feeling slightly better. Good enough to be back at work, unfortunately.

Man, I hate Mondays.

Sleepy Sundays

If you live in the Northeast, you know what I mean by a sleepy Sunday today.

These are the days that just make me want to curl up in sweat pants and a sweater with socks and my hair down and climb into bed with a good movie. Everything's quiet. The rain drizzles down steadily, not enough to hear on the roof but enough to make my hair frizz. It's dark but not too dark. The once-crunchy leaves are plastered to the ground outside, rather morbidly, really.

I want pumpkins.

Pam and Jim Get Hitched

Ah, they've come so far. I think everyone was always rooting for them, the endearing couple that everyone loved. And now PB&J (Pam Beezly and Jim, of course) are getting married?! Sniff sniff. I'm so proud.

A first look at their wedding photos are online now. I cannot wait for that episode, airing on October 8th. How cute are they?! (And how cute is their little PB&J going to be? Can't wait for that, either!)



(Found via Just Jared, via A Cup of Jo)

Inspired by Kim of Perfectly Cursed Life, I've decided to start my own edition of Open Letters Friday. I hope she doesn't mind. (You don't mind, do you?)

The ability to subtley rant and rave in a post every single Friday? Yes, please.


*****

Dear McDonald's Truck,

Why do you always have to cruise along right in front of me? Without letting me pass you? I can only look at your over-sized Big Mac and fries for so long before I fall into a drool-induced coma and crash sadly. All for a Big Mac. Which you know I can't eat (. . . . . right?).

Sincerely,

Victim of Good Advertising

*****

Dear Strepped-Out Throat,

Please stop hurting me. I needed to go to work today. Even though sick days are kind of fun.

Sincerely,

Innocent Non-Smoker

*****

Dear Blanche,

You can sleep cuddled up on my chest for as long as you'd like. And keep making those cute silly faces.

Sincerely,

Kitten-Smitten Owner

*****

Dear South African Children,

Good for you. I'm so inspired. Can I please come back and see you?

Sincerely,

Long Lost Traveler

*****

Dear Mouse in My House,

Get out of my room. Pronto. I do not jest. Stella is onto you. Aren't you aware of my irrational phobia of rodents? Perhaps you are. Perhaps you're smarter than I think . . .

Sincerely,

I'm-Not-So-Afraid-Of-You

*****

Dear New Organic Cotton Sheets,

Thank you for being so soft and cozy. I'm so glad I purchased you. Please continue to stay so soft and cozy (and watch out for the mouse).

Sincerely,
Tired Sleeper
cc: Mouse in My House

******

Feel free to write your own Open Letters in a comment or on your own blog!

And thanks for the inspiration, Kim!

the alter ego of felicitous findings.

Sometimes I think I should have an installment that's the opposite of Felicitous Findings. Something like, Disastrous Discoveries, or Bleak Bargains. I'd be popping them out like that if only I didn't have to think of things so damn happy.

You don't have to tell me, I know.

Yesterday, at a work meeting for our Center For Youth program kickoff, we each were handed two sticky notes, one for things that inspire and motivate us, and one for struggles or barriers we want to overcome. I sat for about two solid minutes before I could come up with something that motivates me, and that I'd want to share with everyone (which, we did--so lame). But when it came to time to name a barrier, I was scribbling away before she even finished telling us what to do. Sad, isn't it? That came so much easier to me. Like I was more in a mood to be depressing than optimistic.

You know? Sometimes it's just easier to just be mopey and pitiful rather than happy-go-lucky and Ms. Positive all the time. Sometimes I feel like it's a constant struggle just to be civil and polite. Do you ever get like that?

(This photo is my attempt to perk myself up. I'm sitting here at my desk with what feels like strep throat and not a ray of sunlight to be seen, when all I want to do is drag my butt home and gulp a bunch of Nyquil and cuddle up in bed and sleep till tomorrow morning. I figure, maybe if I surround myself with enough happy things I can trick my mind into being it? Yes?)

(Photo via Gris Bleu)

Introducing: Blanche

All right, I don't know why I've waited so long to properly introduce this little kitty, but since Stella got an introduction I figure Blanche needs one, too. You may have already seen her in a weekly installment of A Dapple of My Weekend. You see, Blanche is Stella's new sister.



And they sure do love each other.



Blanche's backstory: Family adopts stray cat. Stray Cat comes back. Every. Single. Night. One night, Stray Cat brings along a friend. Friend Cat knocks up Stray Cat. Stray Cat births four baby cats. Family gives away all but one. One Cat sticks around with Stray Cat and Friend Cat. Friend Cat knocks up One Cat as well. One Cat also births four baby cats. Family gives away all but one. This is Blanche.



She's unfortunately suffering from some kitty conjunctivitis right now and not quite presentable for photos, so these are rather old.



But isn't she darling?



We love our Blanchey. Thank you again, Tennessee.

Felicitous Findings: Part 17

1. Finding the salt-water taffy my mom slipped into my brown-bag lunch before I left for work this morning

2. Reading Jackson Katz on The Huffington Post

3. Pretty scrapbook paper

4. The autumnal equinox--I'm totally going to try balancing an egg on its end no matter what anyone tells me

5. Being sore from the Global Mala

don't ask me to do math in the morning.

Or anytime, really.

me: oh i have a question for you
will you crunch some numbers for me? im too stupid
Rachel: sure
and you're not
me: i need to figure out how much i spend on gas driving to work every week
i drive 280 miles/wk, get about 28 mi/gallon, have a 13 gallon tank, and gas is about 2.60/gallon
i dont even know if i need all that info, but i have no idea how to figure it out
ha
Rachel: really ruth?
Sent at 11:33 AM on Monday
me: um yes
hey i have a headache!!
i cant think straight
Rachel: so if you drive 280 mi/week and your car gets 28 mi/gallon, then you use 10 gallons of gas a week
me: if i really tried, i could, but you can do it a lot faster than me
Rachel: and if gas is 2.60/gallon, then you spend $26/week on gas
me: oh
ha
haha im laughing right now
Rachel: why do you need to know this?
me: so i can make myself a budget!
Rachel: ohh got it!
me: haha thank you
Rachel: you're welcome

Via gchat, on a Monday morning. Ack.

meet me at the fair.

Hello readers,

How were your weekends? Mine was much too short. Doesn't it feel like it was just Friday afternoon? I suppose I always feel like this though. I despise Sunday evenings. Do you ever think that the older we get the quicker time feels like it's going by and eventually a weekend will be like the blink of an eye? (Okay, I promise, that's as melodramatic as I'll get in this post.)

My weekend started off with an "Office Party," for the return of my very favorite show to Thursday nights. I knew I always liked Thursdays for something.

Note: Please don't laugh at my cupcakes. This was my festive way of trying to celebrate The Office in all of its glory. By making cupcakes try to look like men's dress shirts and women's blouses. I know.

I also spent an evening at a friend's lake house, with this kind of view out the back door. Wouldn't it be nice? I sort of liked coming home to my wood-sy and leaf-y backyard, though.

And then, came the parade. The fair even has a parade through town, yeah. They shut down a large majority of the town, blocking off the streets and bringing in cops from all over. It's actually really frustrating. If I secretly didn't love getting candy thrown to me and reveling in the fact that I never had to be in a high school band, I'd think it was sad.





Later in the day, after I babysat for a new family from daycare and recovered from the night before (refer to photo of tequila bottle), we went to the fair. Of course, it wasn't nearly as spectacular as I remembered it (it never is), but it was still fun. I ate fair food and played Bingo and watched a circus and went on the rides and the photos that I entered even won ribbons. Had I been seven again, I would have been beside myself with excitement.




Isn't it funny how that works? The older you get, the less exciting things become--birthdays, holidays, vacations, you know? I hate cliches, but it's true what they say: youth really is wasted on the young. If only I'd known that those watergun game prizes would have been the most excitement I'd get from the fair for a long time to come.


My weekend also consisted of: a trip to the fabric store, working on some Halloween costumes with a friend, participating in the Global Mala (read: pretending like I was fine while doing 108 sun salutations in a row while wiping my sweat when no one was looking and trying not to wheeze too loudly in case the girl next to me doing the free-standing headstand and breathing peacefully heard), and lots of food. I'm not sure why this weekend consisted of so much food, but it did.

After the fried chicken and caramel apples, perhaps this week should consist of lots of workouts.


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summed up so well

Nicole Antoinette of More Is Better has a great post on the "quarter life crisis" that is SO spot-on I couldn't stop laughing.

This girl knows her shit.

If only I could turn my sorrows and misery into popular witty banter.

feeling like fall

With photographs by Lucas Allen. Aren't these wonderful?
It's as if you can smell the crunchy leaves and crisp air.

Perhaps I should just spend the rest of my life
getting degree, after degree, after degree,
and learn everything I've always wanted.

Like how to be a sweet photographer.

(Found via Creature Comforts.)

Letter to the Fair

Dear Four Town Fair,

For two long years, I've missed your

rattling antique tractors,

watergun-shooting games with crappy-toy prizes,

smelly cow barns,

ridiculously-rickety rides,

endless amounts of cotton candy and fried dough,

blue ribbons and red ribbons and white ribbons and yellow ribbons,

three hundred pound pumpkins next to seven feet tall sunflowers,

and most of all,

the sounds and smells of fall having finally arrived.

See you this weekend.

xo,