The Best Room in My Future Home

I just finished yet another book and went to put it on my bookshelf only to realize that it needed some serious re-organizing. I have an issue when books in a series are not right next to each other. Now some books are laying down, mainly paperback series.

I have always loved libraries but never liked borrowing books from them. The library in my town used to be amazing and everything a library should be. It had hard woods floors, historic architecture, a big circular window at the landing of a staircase, and more than a little dust. I felt so comfortable there and often just went to hang out. Then they remodeled it. It now has bright colors and a lot of computers. I hate it.

I always imagined that my house will one day have a library. A secret room library is even better of course but I would settle for a regular one. I just like the idea of having a room in my house devoted to reading. As I was organizing my books I found this picture and fell in love.



It's beautiful! I have no idea how the owner of such a lovely library found books in those colors. Maybe I can make my own book covers (or even lazier just spine covers) for my collection. I love everything about this room. The furniture is my taste, the decorating, and my all time favorite dog is even on the couch. This is a glimpse into my future.

I better get working on those spine covers.

My Plan B job

Lets talk about cupcakes.
I have always loved cupcakes, the pretty ways to decorate them, the cute look of them. They have always been one of the few things that I could make well (from a box) and so I made them frequently.
When I think about my ideal profession I never really see myself in a cubicle. If I’m in an office its not a blank tan walled monstrosity similar to other places I have worked. Recently it has been an obsession of mine to create an office-optional life.
Though I’m not a huge office fan I know how difficult it is to create an office optional career. I know that even though I want to write I will need another job for a long time to come.
So I thought about what else I like.



I like cupcakes.
So I have been collecting cupcake cook books and trying to make them from scratch.
It hasn’t been going well.
The first batch was rock hard.
The second batch tasted inexplicably like corn bread (no, I didn’t accidentally used corn meal…I double checked.)
I will keep trying though because I can think of very few things better than thinking about plots in a vanilla and sugar scented kitchen, mapping out a chapter while piping on icing, and revising while eating a delicious cupcake.

Spring!

Yesterday was a very good day.

In general I am pretty easy to please. Give me nice weather and nothing catastrophic and I’m good to go. Yesterday had a lot of the things that I look for in a good day.

1: Nice weather
Holy crap it was nice out. High sixties and a beautiful sunny sky that made me want to spend every second outside. It was one of those days that make the long Ohio winters worth it. The first day of Spring is always like that for me. Usually it catches me off guard and I appreciate it so much more because of how used to coats and snow I am by that point. To celebrate I sat in a coffee shop that had giant windows and a view of one of my favorite places in my town.

2: Friends
Me and Amanda went out to lunch. She told me stories about her adorable grandpa and we talked about a lot of uncharacteristically important things like the publishing industry, the pros and cons of self publishing and ebooks, and whether or not its possible (or advisable) to be just a full time writer. I had a boyfriend one time tell me that listening to me and Amanda talk was like watching a tv show. He said that we play off of each others comments perfectly and have a similar sense of humor that makes us hilarious to watch. I am taking that as a compliment.

3: Family Time
My mom and I hardly get to spend time together anymore. She was waiting by my car when I got out of class and we went shopping. We used to do this all the time. For my birthdays she would call me out of school and we would spend the whole day shopping for my birthday presents. Usually my birthday presents are summer clothes since March is the beginning of short sleeve weather here and Christmas just happened. We went to JCPenney and got a few new summer outfits in prep for our vacation in June.

4: Walking Around
I love walking around aimlessly. It is my favorite pass time. It is the first thing I do on vacation and my first choice of activities on a nice day. Branden and me went to downtown Cincinnati and just walked around. I love old buildings and the energy of cities. We got hungry and decided to look for a place to eat but at seven most of the shops and restaurants were already closed. Finally we found a place right by where we started and decided to go all out. We got drinks, starters, and meals more expensive than usual. It was so good and a perfect end to the day.

I just love Spring and I am so excited for this nice weather to finally be here to stay.

The Curse of the Cat Hair

I am, and always have been, allergic to cats. This didn’t stop me from caving in at the first “Free Kitten” sign I saw when I moved out though. There were about ten kittens to choose from and I had been holding an all black one when I saw a little spotted one. She climbed up on the porch and proceeded to fall backwards off of it.



“That is my cat.” I told my mom.

While I decided on a name she was Free Kitty. I finally decided on Goblin. Goblin is a cat anomaly. She loves to cuddle and will always prefer to be around people. She loves sitting in things like boxes, cauldrons, and sinks. She also enjoys watching people brush their teeth.





When my ceiling collapsed and I moved back home Goblin had to stay with some friends since my mom, like me, is allergic to cats. Goblin had an unfortunate climbing accident that left her with a broken femur. After a long, emotional day she had her leg amputated.

This all being said let me talk a bit about why, two days back to school, I am skipping. Goblin is shedding. I am a finicky sleeper in the best situations. Add any irritating thing to my sleep environment and I get grouchy and can’t sleep. In a fit last week I cleaned my room. I dusted walls, swept the floor (twice but that makes me sounds neurotic), and changed my sheets and quilts. I was bound and determined that Goblin would not be able to lounge around my room until she was done shedding.

That didn’t work out.



Because she’s CUTE and my family loves her. She sits outside my door and meows and they melt and let her in when I’m not home.

So last night I was itchy. Not just a little but terribly, scratch your own face off, itchy. I felt like there was cat hair everywhere. Finally at four a.m. I went downstairs with a clean blanket and pillowcase to sleep on the couch. I closed my eyes and woke up to this not ten minutes later.



I gave up. I have had ten minutes of sleep all night.

So here I am, still in my pajamas. I will go sleep in my parents cat free room and hope that maybe with the aid of Nyquill I will be able to sleep.

The Problem with Princesses

When I was younger I loved Disney. Ok, I still do, but I was totally a Disney Princess girl. I watched all of the movies, had the dresses to play dress up in and the first book I read was the Disney Cinderella one.

I’m not sure when I realized that most of the Disney Princesses were…less than awesome. Cinderella is quiet and obedient. Her fairy godmother does everything that turns out to be awesome in the story. Snow White just makes friends easily and hides in their house. Sleeping Beauty…well, sleeps.
The thing is I still love them! I have no idea why. I stumbled across these pictures from Dina Goldstein and fell in love.
I think its because one of my issues with the Princesses now is that their story ends as soon as they get their man. With these pictures the story continues and shows that just because they got said man doesn’t mean they lived happily ever after.










There are a few Princesses I can justify liking though. One is Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She reads, and loves it! There are so few role models for little girls about girls who love to read. Mainly we get “Math is hard” Barbie (for the record math IS hard but girls could use some positive reinforcement when it comes to more serious matters than shoes). Then there is Jasmine. She kicked butt. She didn’t want to be a princess, or marry a prince. She just wanted to explore and see the world. I loved Jasmine. Last we have Tiana. My favorite. Not only do I love this movie because it is set in New Orleans, has a creepy voodoo bad guy and good music but the main character is awesome. She works super hard, supplies plenty of sass, and has a dream that she doesn’t give up on just because she landed a prince.

I hope that Disney makes more movies where the Princess has goals beyond finding prince charming. They got my childhood heart by pretty dresses, songs, and magic. The can win my adult heart by giving me heroines who don't need any of that.

One is silver and the other's gold

I did girl scouts when I was little. Technically, I was a daisy and a brownie and then a girl scout drop out. When I learned that Teach for America looks for people who have volunteered with kids I knew what organization I wanted right away. Now on Tuesday's I am a daisy and brownie troop leader. Two classes, back to back, of singing and crafting. The funny thing is, not much has changed since I was involved in the early nineties. The song I remembered is still being used! I was overly excited.

Make new friends
But keep the old
One is silver
And the other's gold
A circle's round
It has no end
That's how long
I want to be your friend.

I loved this song when I was little and it's one of those things that you don't forget when you grow up. Lately I have been singing this song twice a week so it's even more burned into my brain. It got me thinking about friends that I don't make time for anymore. Two people in particular came to mind and I set out to right it in true girl scout fashion.

First was my friend Krissi. Krissi and I grew up together. Our parents are friends. We go on vacations together, celebrate birthdays together and had a span of time where we saw each other a minimum of four days a week. Once she started college that changed. I am not a phone person. I hate talking on the phone and avoid it at all costs. We drifted apart and I let it happen because I am stubborn. Recently I got in touch with her and we have started hanging out again. Our mom's already have a weekend planned for the four of us to go on a mini vacation. I feel like an idiot for almost letting one of my best friends slip away.

Then was Sarah. Sarah is my future roommate. We went to high school together but never really hit it off until college. I can talk to Sarah about anything and get absolutely no judgement for it. Last night me and Branden went out to Clifton to see her boyfriends band play. The band was bad but I had a blast. It was just like every time we hang out. We drink, talk outside while she smokes, and laugh about highly inappropriate inside jokes.

With my life its not the new friends that come in between me and my old friends, its my life in general. I get carried away and tend to bite off more than I can chew. One of the things I have learned about my friends is that they know me, they know I do this and they will be there for me once I step back and start to breathe again.

#fridayflash

thirteenOhclock

“I can’t go to sleep before twelve oh one.” I tell him. We are sitting on the benches next to the café and watching the river.

“Why? Seems like a crazy thing.”

“I need to make sure that the next day is coming.”

It’s eleven fifteen.

“What if you’re tired?”

“I get all anxious before it hits, like right before.”

“Like now?”

I nod. “Maybe this day will fool everyone and just keep going. Like we will look up and say ‘Oh look, it’s thirteen oh clock already’.”

He shrugs. “Maybe it is all just one continuous day.”

“I don’t like that.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“So will the day be on its best behavior since you’re watching it?”

“Maybe.”

“What if it wants to rebel?”

“I need it to change, to be a new day. If the days change that means I can too.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“I leave. People, places, things.”

“All the nouns.”

“I can’t feel like everyone else.” I look at him now. I don’t know how long he has been looking at me. “I can’t love someone forever. Barely for a year in fact.”

“Are you warning me?”

“Maybe. I should.”

“Are you going to run?”

“I ran here. I’ve always been running to right here.”

“So stop running. Simple.”

“What if I can’t find it here either?”

“Forever?”

I nod.

“Listen.”

I hear a few musicians down the street, people talking, laughing, singing.

“That’s Forever Love.” He tells me. “The soundtrack to Forever Love.”

It’s twelve forty five. “I’m terrified.”

“Everyone is.”

Silence. The guitars. The coffee mugs being sat down on tables next door. His breathing.

“What if I can’t stop running?”

“You can.”

“I can’t.” I look at my watch. “It’s twelve oh one.”

“No.” He stands and holds his hand out for my tiny one to hide inside. “It’s just thirteen oh clock.”