4 days fly by OR how i became a tourist in my hometown

I did a lot of nothing this weekend in DC. And we all know when I say nothing, what I mean is SLEEP. Oh man. I slept and slept and and napped and snoozed, etc. It was glorious. When I wasn't sleeping I was hanging out with various friends including, but not limited to:
Iggy!!! (complete with hardcore stitching and R2)
Tim with the glasses and the Nelson sisters! (Tim voluntarily engaged me in what may be the highest pick-up and hug since I was in my diaper days)
My family!! The lovely Murray, Gramma Deb Deb, Papa Mickey, and Murray and her betrothed

These pictures show Papa and Gramma looking at the phone because Brooklyn was calling to tell us about the fireworks she saw. She is 2. Oh and apparently, they are called Fi-merks. Jenny later was featured on the speakerphone, calling to give us some Lizzie updates. We're all so excited to have her family moving back to Virginia! I wish everyone would move back and live with Papa Mickey again. Just like old times. In that last picture - Murray's Betrothed is looking into her eye for a runaway dust particle - because they take care of each other and are SICKENINGLY adorable. I love you Murray, you know I do.

Also, there was a lot of hanging out with this one:It was a good weekend for the teen heartthrob fan club (me).

Two favorite stories from this weekend:

1. TH and I went to Arlington National Cemetery before church on Sunday. We wanted to go see L'Enfant grave on account of I just read a book about Pierre L'Enfant - the creator of the city DC - he lived an unappreciated life and was never truly recognized in his lifetime for his great achievements. We walked through the hoard of tourists in our Sunday best and made our way up the hill to the Gravesite. As I approached his grave, I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the beauty that had resulted from this one man's artistic vision. I walked over to the plaque which had a brief description of who L'Enfant was and what he did. I waited patiently until the tourist man who was reading the plaque noticed I was there and he moved aside so I could read. As he moved aside, Tourist Man looked at me and with a dismissive wave of the hand informed me, "Some French guy". Ha. Poor L'Enfant. Still ignored. Here's Tourist Man, surveying DC in all its glory.
2. Talent Night with my family. We decided to hold an impromptu talent night, wherein I played a Mozart Sonata on the piano ( I MISS playing the piano!), Murray sang a soprano solo - a Broadway song for which I aptly butchered the piano accompaniment, and Papa Mickey played a little diddy he recently learned on the guitar.



Some other favorite moments: Netherlands Carillon, Hall church, Friends marathons, Fireworks with friends in the rain, Delicious sushi from Uni sushi, making The Cookies with family.

Least favorite moment: The train ride home stuck next to Disgusting Farting Man. Some people have no shame.

Oh Pierre, how can I thank you for your crappy design that keeps me coming back for more??

Half a semester down, 5 more to go. I think this means I am 1/6 of the way finished with grad school. How is this possible??

I can't say I've learned anything concrete, other than there is a lot of toxicity in the environment and a lot of it isn't even man-made. Oh, and Marty's on 106th sells the cheapest Monster around.

I've also introduced new vocab and buzzwords into my daily speech patterns, including "anthropogenic", "redox reaction" and "pesky environmentalist". I've also learned how to survive on approximately 5 hours of sleep on weeknights, using my weekends as extended siestas, wherein I become comatose and unresponsive for 2 days straight. (Sometimes 3!!)

I've made some really great friends already and feel totally lucky to have met such amazing people in this huge city. Once you have friends to have fun with and help sustain you, it makes living in a new city much easier!

I've realized there is still such a thing as a crappy roommate. My roommate is ridiculous. I don't think she's ever touched a dirty dish (after she deposits them in the kitchen sink where they mold and decay until I come in with my latex gloves and concentrated liquid soap). She wouldn't buy toilet paper after I held out for A WEEK. I bought it last time, so I assumed she'd step up. Common sense, right? Guess not. I kept a stash in my room for my own use, but I have no idea what she did in the meantime. I shudder at the thought. And the trash. She has never emptied any garbage can, and the "she who tops it drops it" rule is lost on her. Smelly garbage in the kitchen and girly (yes, girly) items spilling over the floor in the bathroom - it's the most puzzling thing I've ever witnessed. How is she able to be in an apartment that smells like steaming sour baby diapers and is littered with her disposable items. Truly disgusting.

Breathe.

Ok, so enough of that. Onto more exciting news...

I get to go home tonight!! I'm going to DC, which is so fitting for this weekend. What better place to celebrate independence day than the city where freedom was found? (Actually freedom was found in Philly...but who's counting) I'm so looking forward to hopping on my 6:00 train and truckin my yankee-poseur self back to the south where I belong. And taking a break from school. And being in air-conditioned housing. See you soon, DC.

Doing better, thanks

In light of my recent meltdown, I'd like to share some stories with you. You know, to lighten the mood a bit.

Tales of a Teen Heartthrob


Gnomie: (referring to a recent wedding TH attended) So, how was the wedding?
Teen Heartthrob: It was good.
Gnomie: Oooo, what was her dress like?
TH: Um, it was like...a normal wedding dress.
G: ?? What? Like how?
TH: You know...like a tank top dress.
G: (Stifling back the laughter) Um, what else?
TH: I don't know. Beads and stuff on it. And like a long veil...or train. Yeah.

Lesson learned: Boys don't pay attention to the same stuff girls do.

Gnomie: Oh, hey - how was that party you went to?
TH: Oh, it was really good. Yeah. Really good food.

Lesson learned: The most important party item to TH is food. And, I'm going to have to go to other sources to get my party gossip.

If these go over well, we may look into making this a weekly feature.

How it pours

Every Sunday since I've been here it has rained. Every Sunday I get caught in the rain. I still haven't gotten an umbrella (stubborn? broke? maybe both?). Today I got caught in one of the worst downpours ever and I calmly walked 3 blocks to my apartment from the subway while everyone else took cover under building awnings and various scaffolding. I walked, feeling the rain trickle down my face and it was one of the most cleansing showers I've taken. Not physically, but emotionally. I felt something bigger in that rain as tears poured out of heaven and out of my own eyes. Its been kind of a tough week. I'm trying to be strong and regroup today. Take a deep breath, assess the changes I need to make, and plow forward unafraid.

Starting over is difficult, but even more difficult is the act of giving up. I'm not giving up anytime soon. I don't have that chip in my brain. I just wish I had more of the "hard worker" chip. Eeek.

What have I done the past 3 days?

A lot of this:
And this:
Aaaaaaaaaaand....this:
Eating at the 24 hour deli (the yummiest avocado sandwiches) Riding on Trains...Hello Brooklyn
Visiting my school. Columbia has a beautiful campus.

Waiting for Planes. And making flights (phew!)
No, that is not me in the black suit there. It was a very nice lady who helped Teen Heartthrob speed in front of lots of angry passengers so he could make his flight on time.

Stay tuned for an amazing TH story involving girl topics (men have the funniest notions of women things). Oh man, this one is priceless.

It's been awhile since TH was featured on the gnomie blog, but it seems as though he might become a more frequent character in the near to immediate future. Yes, yes it does.

Geeking out

I have a new friend who works at The Apple Store. He is all tech, all the time. He always tries to get me to join sites like yelp, muxtape, mixwit, etc. Basically he is really into websites and is always talking about computers. That's what most of our conversations are about. It's kind of funny. So the other day I was telling him about this awesome new wallpaper I got for my mac screen.

Gnomie: So, I got some really cool wallpaper today.
Apple Geek: Where'd you get it from?
G: Oh, I just saw it on this blog
AG: Cool. Did you already put it up? What is it?
G: (slightly confused) Um, yeah. It's up. It looks really good. It's a nebula.
AG: Hmm. Did you look into decals, too?
G: Decals? What for? (thinking - like stickers or something for my mac?)
AG: Yeah, like birds flying or a tree or something.
G: (catching on) Oh. Hmmm.
AG: *Blank stare*
G: I think we are talking about 2 different things. I'm talking about wallpaper for my mac.
AG: Oh. I thought you meant the real wallpaper. Weird. This is the first time I've ever thought of something analog first instead of digital.
G: (trying to stifle laughter) Yeah. Weird.

I had some amazing gelato tonight from Grom, this awesome gelateria that's straight off the boat from Italy. They only have 2 U.S. stores, both in Manhattan. I had tiramisu and hazelnut. Soooo amazing.
Also, last night I went to Union Hall in Brooklyn to check out Via Audio and Jukebox the Ghost (a DC band!). It was a really great space - the sound was amazing and the crowd was a lot of fun and both bands rocked the party. So much dancing and fun for all. Plus my friend Bone Malone, who was with me, looks just like the guitarist from Jukebox. So funny.

Guess who'd coming to dinner tomorrow? And staying in the city for a few days? (Hint: It's not Sidney Poitier)

Adventures?

Have I been adventurous? Of course. Of course, what a preposterous question. I've been so preoccupied with sharing my fears and concerns with the blog-o-sphere that I forgot all about entertaining you all, which is the thing we strive for here at Gnomie, Inc.

So adventures have been a-plenty!(Lie #1)

The first weekend I was here was an east side trip. Checked out the upper east side and hit up a fabuloso Italian restaurant, Vespa, courtesy of Teen Heartthrob. I had some really yummy pasta and veggies with pesto. And thee most amazing molten lava chocolate cake I've ever tasted. Oh sweet purity, I long for you once more. I figured out how to use the cross-town bus, which has proved to be important since my church building is cross-town. This weekend also involved extensive walks around my neighborhood and the lower east side. There are some amazing churches that I need to photograph. Sorry about the lack of photos lately, but my camera is experiencing difficulties. Will be up and running shortly.(Lie #2)

Second weekend was Brooklyn weekend. Not this Brooklyn:


But this Brooklyn: (I must point out that I'd rather of been with my cutie niece Brooklyn. Come visit guys!!)
Went to the Brooklyn museum, fell in love with Japanese wood-block carving, checked out some pretty brownstones, scored a "fun pass" for the subway, back to my island for delicious lower-east-side sushi, union square to eat chocolate at Max Brenner, then later that weekend a trip to the Museum of Natural History. Oh and some H&H bagels, too! Fun weekend, and saw a LOT!

This past weekend was fairly tame. I did a lot of homework (Lie #3), saw a movie in West Chelsea, church, and met a few new friends. Monday was a no school day, so me and a new friend, Jess, went on a little treasure hunt through Union Square. We went to Brooklyn Industries and scored some sweet new laptop bags and then to like 12 different grocery stores, carrying TONS of bags around by the end of the trip, and had a blast! Jess is so much fun and I'm really glad we've met. I have a feeling she's going to make life tons of fun on this little island.

So what is on the plate for this weekend? Hopefully some more Brooklyn, some transportation fun, and beach time!

Sleep is just a number

Um, yes, hi. So what is the secret to getting to bed at "a decent hour"? I was in bed at 11:30 tonight and I've just been doing the toss and turn thing and it is now nearly 1 AM. I have THINGS TO DO tomorrow, body. Just go to sleep already. For the past week I've been wanting to run in the mornings so I set my alarm for an ungodly hour. By the time I doze off to sleep however, I know there's absolutely no way I will be waking up to run in the morning and still have time to take a girl shower and leave my house by 8:30. So instead I end up pressing snooze about 10 times and have a miserable morning. I've never been an early riser. Just ask my brother.

Robby, do you remember early morning seminary? The only way I ever even made it to 6 AM bible study was knowing if I missed a day I couldn't go out on Friday night. And if I missed 2 days, no going out at all. My father played cruel, cruel jokes on me as a teenager. He knew my weak spots and attacked when necessary. (Though I can't hold it against him that much, on account of I turned out okay and he took me shopping nearly every week - which actually was most likely the beginning of my current habitual shopping problem. Now that I think about it.) Anyway, where was I? That was one hell of a tangent. Oh, yes. Early morning seminary. Whoever thought this up must have a death wish for teenagers. I showed up most mornings with curlers in my hair and spent the majority of class either 1. sleeping 2. putting on makeup or 3. eating donuts. Not all bad.
I do remember crying at the seminary videos, though. I'm very sensitive in the mornings. If you ever want sympathy from me, hit me up in the mornings. Apart from my kitten breath, I'm much more approachable and emotionally connected.

But I seriously digress. Robby, my diligent seminary-going brother was late to class practically every morning due to my inability to get out of bed before 5:45 AM (seminary started at 6AM, ended at 6:50). We were doing good if we got there at 6:20, not even that bad if we arrived at 6:30. I know this made him upset, but he didn't show it too often. I love you Robby! You're a great brother. Sorry I made you late for seminary, but I think we both turned out ok. You're a well-adjusted husband and father and doctor-in-training. And I'm a stressed out college student who STILL can't wake up in time for the important things in her life. Some things never change.

Like, do you still love orange soda and mini powdered donuts?? I would kill for a mini donut right now.

Things I have learned

What, pray tell, is the secret to living in NYC on a student budget?

1. Not having time to eat decreases food costs.
2. Not having time to shop decreases clothing costs.
3. Not having time to leave school between the hours of 8 AM and 11 PM decreases chances of buying anything outside the realm of the vending machine. Which today consisted of diet coke and a rice krispie treat. (droool)

I knew grad school would be tough but ggggggg. This time spent on schoolwork is UNPRECEDENTED. I am not a good student. I'll admit I have some smarts, but studying was never my best feature (duh, have you seen my legs lately?). I don't really know how I'm doing all this studying other than it is completely necessary. I can't fail out of grad school and if that means I get 6 hours of sleep a night and spend 13 hours a day at school, then so be it.

I really really like it. It's just really very hard.

Non-partisan political vomit

As we are nearing the end of the first decade in the new millennium, it's clear that we still have a lot of growing up to do as a planet.

The habits of previous generations have been developing towards a better grasp of environmental problems and their respective concepts and possible solutions. Looking at historical conservation efforts, environmental groups have not effectively managed issues. Instead of rhetoric and technological pessimism, we need to start looking at solutions and how to implement these solutions. The environment has essentially become a special interest group, with hundreds of individual interests. This divergence in the definition of the environment has created a rift in end-solutions what can be thought of as a dead-end bureaucracy.

A clear loss of environmentalist credibility has inspired an inspired-duo to suggest a shift in policy focus. Rather than short-sighted solutions for the "right now" society, we need to establish greater sources of investment. Money maintains power and power allows ability to mandate what is important. Merely relying on emotive measures to affect change is not an effective policy tool.

Environmentalists should take a suggestion from a successful business strategist.

"Reward success and failure equally. Punish only inaction."

We must do something. The issue faced is where to find these investors? Will the private or public sector be the catalyst in hopefully solving one of the most pressing issues in society?

For more info, read: The Death of Environmentalism: Global Warming Politics in a Post-Environmental World

Nothing to say, really

It's damned hot here. No AC in my apartment. School is hard. Friends are good. Life is not about finding happiness, but being there. Meditate. Read books. Learn something new. Life can change, you have to make it change. I'm making mine right now.

Living in the city can be demanding

I have been in the city for two months now. (What? I got here in May and now it's June.) I have already seen so much. I understand how people can live in this city and miss out on so much. I only just took the subway for the first time last Saturday. Second time yesterday. I still have no idea which train is the express, where it lets off and picks up and how to transfer. These are things I hope to find out.

Until then, please enjoy the fruits of my labor, via photos.
Me in the City

Mmmm...pizza

Iggy! My idea, come to life!!

St. John the Divine cathedral

Mural of trash.



COAL-Oven Pizza? What is going ON in this city?

Flowers in the Conservatory Gardens

Gnomie goes to church

Central Park


It hard to live in the city, but I'm really enjoying it. There is an endless supply of activities and things to do and see. I just wish I had the time to see it all!!

on awkwardness

It happens to the best of us. You are planning on playing it cool and being "part of the crowd, etc" and you choke. Every time, you do. What, you don't? Bastard. Well...I guess I have my moments.

Whenever I talk to new people I use words and phrases that I would normally never EVER use. Allow me to present to you awkward phrases from Gnomie's closet:

"Will do."
"Alrighty."
"Nice weather, we're having today, eh?"

Ok I can't really think of any else right now, but trust me - I have an arsenal of quips and phrases. I especially suffer from something I'll refer to as "The Chandler Effect". When I first meet people I act like a goof. I don't know why I do it, maybe to help them relax or put myself at ease. But it's not always well received (I don't even understand WHY, my jokes are ALWAYS on par!!).

Anyway (yes, anyway) I'm trying to overcome these habits and just act myself. I guess everyone has a little front they put up, and mine has DEFINITELY fallen down a bit over the years, which I count as a success. OMG, I used to be ridiculous and try to pretend I was somebody I wasn't (ranging from drug-addicted hipster to saintly mother-teresa-esque figure) but I'm normalizing. If that's possible.

School is incredible. I don't even know what to say. So much good, so much difficulty, so...much. And my harddrive crashed today so that SUCKS. But now I get to buy a new computer, which RULES!!

In which my life is consumed my cheese

I cannot stop eating cheese, but that is beside the point of this post. Well, I'm going to be upfront, I don't yet know what this post is going to be about, other than the random ramblings of my life in the big city. I haven't quite "gotten organized". I don't "have it all together". I'm not "well-acquainted with this life-style".

To quote myself and to paraphrase my sister, Jenny - I have a shitton of homework. I mean, its only day 2 and already I'm slightly overwhelmed. Granted the past month of my life has been spent laying around on beaches, hiking volcanic islands, sleeping in until noon, sitting around the coffee shop all day, etc, etc. And granted, the past 1 1/2 years of my life have been spent sharpening pencils and refilling the drink closet with diet cokes and ordering laser pointers for boss people. And granted I have never liked doing homework EVER. So, basically I am probably right on track. I do, however, need to get on task. Yep, that's right. I need a calendar, an agenda, a binder of some sorts, something.

Ok so school is hard, but its SO FUN!!! Like last night I thought I might kill someone because I couldn't figure out how to plot a bell curve in excel, but then I figured it out today and I almost kissed my neighbor (apparently those emotions of mine are still running high). And then I MADE UP A MATH EQUATION to support this supposed correlation of lead amounts in gasoline to pollution in the air and it worked!!! My math equation worked and, more importantly, proved that math is awesome. Ever since I kicked maths ass on the GRE, I'm a little more confident in my math skillz. And I'm also doing other projects like working on solar energy legislation and devising a chemical analysis for forest fire chemicals. I LOVE FOREST FIRE!!! (The process, not the actual destruction.)

To quote Tanner, my bebbe, school is "the bomb dot com". And I'm also loving NYC. Yes, I spend most nights in my apartment and no, I haven't figured out how the hell to get cross town, and maybe I'm scared of the subway, but look - I'm getting used to my surroundings. I just discovered a Pinkberry around the corner from my apartment, and you can betchyerass I'll be eating ice cream very soon!

Anyway my mom is calling because SHE LOVES ME (and apparently reads my blog and I didn't know. hi mom) so peace out ya'll. Stay tuned.

Day one: Success

Well, I have found it. For years I've been searching for the thing in my life that would make me feel complete. I am absolutely in love and I have found my soulmate. Dying to know who it is? Well, friends, its New York City. That's right. Gnomie + NYC = Tru Luv.

Who knew moving could be so enjoyable? I am loving New York. There are so many things about this city that make me happy. Let's begin.
1. Of course I'm starting with food. This is the single thing that can bring me happiness no matter the time of day or temperature outside. Without ever crossing any streets here are the following types of cuisine available to me:
Pizza (duh)
Indian (dot)
Sushi
Thai
Mexican
Falafel
Bagels (this deserves its own category, right?)
Hamburgers
Chinese
I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting, but COME ON. How have I been missing out on living in an area like this all my life? I feel like everything in my life has been leading up to this move to Manhattan. I love ALL of these cuisines. I'm going to get so fat.

Which leads me to
2. Walking. I walk everywhere without a car and without the desire to take the subway very far. Today I walked down to 90th and up to 125th, from the west end to central park. Probably a total of 3 hours. I loved it. Hopefully I can keep this up and not get fat with all the nations of cuisine as my neighbors.

3. Stoops. People actually hang out on the apartment stoops here. It's great. It's like A Bronx Tale. Today I walked by a group of old, wrinkled men and they were carrying on and laughing. When I passed, one of the men took off his derby cap saying "I take my hat off for you" and their group all stopped to watch me pass. Someone uttered the words "What beautiful knees", which was altogether the weirdest and most flattering thing I've ever heard. I love this city.

4. Central Park really is that great. I live about 3 blocks from the Park and today being memorial day, there were hundreds of people enjoying frisbee, bbq's, soccer, picnicking, making out, dog walking, running, biking, jumping rope, etc. I love that walking these 3 blocks to the Park takes me away from the most congested city I've ever lived in to tree-lined paths, large expanses of green grass, and minimal city noise. It's genius.

5. I am not even nervous for school tomorrow. Well, I mean I am a human, I am a little nervous, but its just excitement mainly.

What the hell was I so scared about? This place is great! I just can't believe it took me so long to find the love of my life. I can't wait to see what our children look like.

Enough

You know that J Lo movie, Enough? She's a mom to this cute little person and is involved in a scary relationship with this abusive guy. One day she decides to be all super hard core and starts working out and going to the gym pretty much 7 times a day and kicking that big red foam thingy and sparring with her gym teacher, all so she can be ready for her ex-lover to come over and kill her.

Why doesn't she just MOVE??

I mean, sure its brave that she's trying to face the demons, but if some really scary man had a death wish for me, I would do the follwing:

1. Call the police
2. Move in with my parents
3. Get a couple of trained blood thirsty doberman pinchers
4. Watch a lot of days of our lives, cause it would probably give me really great ideas of what to do with a scorned lover.
5. If those don't work, move somewhere like Ecuador or Russia

Anyway J Lo is ridiculous and just wants attention. Grow up.

Getting ready

Back from Nica, never knew I had the nerves that are currently ruining my digestive system. Unless, of course, I got a little tapeworm in Central America...this is highly possible.

I'm freaking out, ya'll. I'm supposed to be moving in like 4 days and I haven't started packing or preparing for this move because I am straight up in DENIAL. I don't WANT to move. I don't WANT to go to school. All my friends are here. So many of the people I love are situated in one little metropolitan area, its so easy! Why would I LEAVE that? Because someone had the brilliant idea of accepting me to one of the best schools in the country I had no choice but to say yes. This is not my fault. The cosmos are working against me. The heavens want me in New York for some reason and I am fighting the heavens with all the courage I can muster (which isn't much right now).

I submitted my photo for my student ID today. This is the one I sent:
See? I don't LOOK crazy. Or scared. I look totally calm. Maybe I should refer to that picture during times of high stress = I should refer to it 24/7. I do look kind of old, though. And wise. And pretty damn smart, too. Ok, its no wonder they let me in to their little program.

I haven't even decided when I'm moving yet. I want to stay here for the weekend, but I know I should get up to my apartment to get prepared for Tuesday. TUESDAY.

And then I have nights like last night, wherein I get together with a bunch of friends and go out to eat at delicious restaurants that I love and laugh about silly things and plan future parties involving elastic sweatpant outfits. It makes leaving seem that much more ridiculous. Usually I move because I need a change and a new start. I guess I'm glad I'm going to be experiencing a change from my job situation. I didn't want to be a pencil sharpener for the rest of my life, after all. My mind is a jumble right now.

Atleast Mickey will be taking me up to school. Shopping spree anyone???

Day of unemployment part dos

Well it turns out I had a very productive day yesterday. I went ahead with the pesto making. Yumm. Who's eating pasta and veggies with homemade pesto sauce? This girl.
I also made it to a "vegetarians invited" bbq fest in Virginia. I had the pleasure of enjoying a catfish fillet platter with delicious mayonaissed cole slaw and mashed potatoes and cherry cobbler. Ohhh still salivating. I mainly went to hang out with my favorite people from Vir-jynia. My favs were there - Mary D, TH, DJ Adams, Meg&Mark, Tim "I control you" Jim, The Nelsons, C Bix...to name a few. Here is Mary D looking hot as per usual and me looking on trying to figure out "how does she do it?"
"Who knows! Its a mystery! Lets just blur the photo so I kinda look as hot as Mary D. We can definately fool some people."
So I layed out again for my requisite 20 minutes. I'm never getting a tan this way. Coffee shop today has consisted of downloading entirely too much music.
Some of which includes the following:
1. Japanther
2. Sons & Daughters
3. Shocking Pinks
4. Tom Waits
5. The Gutter Twins

So far so good!
Oh, additionally - you should check out my brother and his familys new blog.
They have the best pictures of cute little Abby and I love the way my brother writes. It takes me back to the video we have of him reading his book about...I think it was like TMNT fan fiction? Robby, can you back me up on this? Anyway - check out his blog. Welcome to the fam blogosphere! Who should we pressure next, Jen? I'm thinking Laura would be a good candidate...

Unemployed

Whats up ya'll? So this is how it feels to be gainfully unemployed. Sitting at the coffee shop mid day. Sleeping in till eleven. Walking around the house in your unda-wears. Contemplating whether I should first go shopping or make some pesto. Hmmm...which is more pressing? HAHAHAHA. IT IS SO GREAT TO BE WITHOUT A JOB!!! I can't believe I've been working for so long when I could've been sitting around all day. This must be what its like to be a trust fund kid. My bank account is still full and my outlook on life: positive. Listening to Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Bossa Nova. Sunny sunshine, breeze blowing outside. Barely there shoes, flowing dresses, flowers growing everywhere...

Going to take my brownie and holga and walk around the city. Take some good shots before I scoot out of here.

Also, today is IGGYS BIRTHDAY!!! What a great day! Iggy you are the wind beneath my wings. My dear heart. I wish you the best year of your life. I dedicate this video and song to you today. But change Dave to Leslie.

Slumpy McSlumperson or Gnomie McWhines-alot

Aren't you sick of my bitching? Geez, bravo for anyone who still reads this pathetic excuse for a blog. Anyway I am on the up and up (whatever that means) and I have now spent 1 (yes, 1!) night out of the house this week.

Last night I went to dinner with Iggy and her replacement friends cool friends to Tonic - a hipster joint uptown. We ate very very fried foods and drew pictures of each other on the tables with the provided crayons. Afterwards we attended a benefit concert for the fire victims of the Mt. Pleasant fire that forced an evacuation of like hundreds of people out of their apartment homes. Very sad.

So, playing the role of BFF, I thought I'd throw Iggy a bone and pay for her entry into the benefit concert. It was a $5 suggested donation. I walked up to the doorman with the shoebox full of money and threw in a twenty. "How much do you want back?", he asked me. "Just give me ten back, please", and before I had the chance to add - I'm paying for two people, he looked at me with these huge sincere eyes and said "Oh, thank you SO much. That's so nice of you." WTF? Hey man, I care about the fire victims - I really do - but that money was meant for me and my BFF! I don't have money to carelessly throw around on benefit concerts! I have a shoe collection to uphold, afterall!! Well of course I couldn't be a jerk and tell the doorman that I was actually very stingey and wanted to pay for two people. So I just counted my losses and went into the concert, where I stayed for about 20 minutes until I was too sick to stand from all the very very fried foods and on account of my deathly cold plague thingy.

Lesson learned. From now on, I stay inside. No more nights out for Gnomie. From now on - its just me, my DVD player, and season 7 of Friends. Beat that, Hipsters.

Biznass trips change everything

I'm back from Indy (gladly returned. i don't care if i never go back). This past month has been so stressful - I didn't think I'd ever make it out in one piece. And, well, I didn't. I feel a bit scattered right now. But here are the bright sides:
1. It's a new month in 2 days.
2. It's getting warmer.
3. My last day of work is Friday
4. I'm painting a room this week.
5. I'm going on vacation next month.

Here are the sad parts:
1. I'm moving soon.
2. I won't know anybody where I'm moving
3. Me and R1 have parted ways.
4. In 3 1/2 weeks I won't get to see Iggy every day.
5. I've been plagued with a killer cold.

A lot has happened in my personal, professional, physical, and emotional life. (Lives?) And I am feeling rather down in the dumps. Kind of. I'm also feeling very hopeful. It's another New Beginning for me. A new month, a new home, a new career path, a new daily routine, a new city, new friends, new goals to set, etc. It's exciting. I just need to put on my Big Girl shoes and take my life back! First Stop: Ben and Jerry's for free ice cream day!

Who am I kidding?

If I wanted to take a real vacation, I wouldn't have chosen Indianapolis for petes sake. This place is the pits. So long suckers with your myriad of bars and strip clubs and racing themed EVERYTHING. Seriously, when your town is defined by car racing - you need a new gig. I'm just sayin.

The Boss

Lizzie and Jenny visit Gnomie

Ohhhhh I love me some Lizzie Time!!







Come visit me in NY! Looks like Lizzie already loves big apples...

I know its Tuesday

I didn't have time yesterday to post about the weekend, but today...well today I don't either. But I don't care as much as I did yesterday about working. Anyways.

So this weekend brought the influx of my dear sister, Jenny! And her beautiful, adorable, hilarious baby - Lizzie. The two of them and my dad came up to DC on Friday afternoon to check out cherry blossoms, museums, and the like. I met up with them after work and WOW it was so good to see them! My Dad is the best and my sister is beautiful and my niece is so yummy I want to bottle her up and save her for always.

We left the Mall and made a quick stop by Eastern Market to obtain some pastries and drinks, headed back to my house and got pizza, watched Friends, watched Lizzy dance to Gilmore Girls, and play inappropriate scrabble. R1 and Leslie joined for scrabble. High points for most inappropriate word. I say it is a tie between R1's "Fbbbtt" and Jenny's "Ironi"(its inappropriate cause it's spelled wrong. It was so strange and wonderful to see a babys little feet walking around the house. It brought such a cozy feeling to our home. Lizzy snacked on my Nilla Wafers and made the bold choice of dipping them in roasted red pepper hummus. I appreciate her highly developed baby palette. She giggled, babbled, crawled, chewed, screamed with joy, and -most importantly - made her presence known during our scrabble game. Jenny - I can't find the Z. If you find it..."laying around"...in the next day or so, I'd like you to just keep it. Please.

After the baby and her entourage left - R1, Iggy and I took off to Velvet Lounge to see some local, um, punk bands. I think. I don't know what type of music it was but I'm going to peg them as The Clash + early Queen / hair metal bands. Because that was R1's and Iggy's combined categorization. It was fun - I saw some old friends hanging out - the old standbys. We stayed out until 3AM and came home and CRASHED.

Saturday R1 and I had yummy toast and brie for breakfast and decided to go visit the Charlottesville clan with Jen, Lizzy and Dad. R1 had to do some maintenance work on his car and got all dirty and greasy under the hood. Holla. I hung out inside and found an apartment for the summer in NY!! Its only a sublet, but its completely furnished and I'll have a private room like 8 blocks from campus. I'm so relieved. After we finished our respective duties, we took off for a loo-ooong road trip to C-ville. May I just state for the record that I see why people believe Northern Virginia and the rest of the state should be two seperate states. My goodness. People are wiggidy wack in the south.

We finally arrived (after nearly 3 hours of driving) and hung out with babies, babies, and brothers, and sisters(in-laws), and papas, and cameras. I don't have any pics on this computer, but I'll definitely post some later. It was so nice seeing everyone and catching up on exciting news (finishing and starting school programs) and watching Abby and Lizzie play together. For a glimmer of a moment, I thought - you know maybe I do want a baby. But then someone always gets a dirty diaper or throws a tantrum and my dreams once again return to reality wherein I am a mid-twenties professional-cum-grad school student. And I live in huge cities where nobody knows their neighbors and smog isn't pollution - its a welcome blanket of protection from the suburbs.

I digress.

We left late saturday and returned to my house to watch...AIRPLANE!! R1 picked it up and it was pretty hilarious. Don't call me Shirley. Went to bed, woke up early the next morning and walked to Eastern Market to play with cameras and buy food for dinner and beautiful flowers for the entry table. Had a lazy sunday after the walk - watched The Queen, took a nap, made some curried fish and quinoa salad and grilled zucchini, then I fell asleep around 10:00. I was beat!

It was a fabulous weekend and I love and miss my family! I went to Dads house last night to spend a little more time with Jenny and Lizzy. They're so much fun and I seriously think you guys should consider moving back. Lizzy makes me laugh because of things like this:
1. Concerned with people eating noodles - how do they get slurped up so fast?
2. Is learning to talk and says "Yedllooo" for hello.
3. Responds with a "yeah" for things she likes.
4. Throws back her head when she laughs at things. Hilarious.
5. Loves healthy foods - chickpeas, tomatoes, green peas, etc.
6. Loves her momma so much - she wants to be anywhere Jenny is. It's so cute. Another thing that makes me want to have a baby. But I won't! I'm 25! And a student! With no husband in sight! Etc, etc.

Pictures to come later...

My world is getting smaller and smaller

It's basically confined to my office, the treadmill, and my bed (complete with laptop and seasons of Friends - thanks Heathbar for the addiction).

I need to get a life.

Things to look forward to:
1. Jenny and Lizzy coming to visit this weekend(and maybe Robby and Abby!)
2. Work conference next week (scary!) and then ending the following week (sigh of relief)
3. Bird Day
4. Costa Rica/Nicaragua
5. Moving (bittersweet. but changes are fun, right?)
6. New shoes coming in the mail TODAY!!

I cannot wait till this week is over. And next week.

This song is beautiful

I love that Robert Plant learned to sing in the style of Alison Krauss. Subdued, subtle music is as powerful as all the loud and intense junk (that I still completely love).

Flies in yo mouth

Last night I had this very strange dream that I was in a room with bugs crawling and flying around. Somehow - my mouth was very much agape and a fly landed on my tounge. I couldn't figure out how to get the insect off my tounge. I tried licking my hand but it didn't work. I tried my shirt sleeve - that didn't work. So I woke up from the dream, stuck out my tounge and licked my pillow. Hard. That seemed to work. I went back to the dream and continued as though nothing had happened.

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I remembered the dream. I looked at my pillow and there was a definite tounge marking. I am a little weirded out. What else do I do when I wake up in the middle of a dream to complete a Dream Task? Glad I sleep alone.

On exercise

I'm going to be bookending the month of April with workouts. After a 6 month workout-hiatus, I am going back to the gym. I hope to be able to workout a few times a week throughout the month of April, though this might prove difficult with my upcoming work schedule. If I cannot work out with the frequency I would like to, I will atleast complete my goal of bookending the month with another work out on May 1.

I packed up my backpack this morning with all the necessities. Grubby tshirt, workout shorts, old sneaks, fully charged iPod, white socks, and hair ties to keep the sweat off my bangs. It felt so foreign and I was sad to think that I used to do this nearly every day. What happened, body? Why did you give up on the working out? The weird thing is - I have dropped about 2 pant sizes in the past 5 months without working out once. I do a lot of city walking and a lot of lunch skipping. But besides the fact that no pants fit me that well anymore - my biceps aren't the size of boulders and my stomach cannot be compared to a washboard. Yet.

I did 50 sit ups on Friday morning before work and I spent the whole of the afternoon with a tummy ache. Coincidence or am I really that out of shape? Have any tips for staying motivated? Especially when my huge workout goal is to work out 3-4 times a week for only one month. Not that hard. But how does one hold themselves to these goals??

My latest activities and accomplishments, in no particular order

Easter family time
Falafalship
Look master frodo, an elefant.
Quick! Hide your children!
Le Loup's triumphant DC return
Puzzled? Check.
Upcoming activities: Polish dining, Frozen custard social hour, Saturday technicolor glamour-era-matinee at the museum, Cherry blossoms, marathon viewing(?), ok now I'm just getting ambitious. Lastly - painting. Hey, if we're being ambitious, there's no point in beating around the bush.

Everybody's workin for the weekend.

My weekends are never long enough and this past weekend was no exception. It was so much not long enough, in fact, that I took the morning off as well. Despite my relatively early bed time of 11:15, I couldn't get up to save my life. I had begun watching Royal Tennenbaums around 10:30 and fell asleep during the first half hour. I had the strangest dreams all night long about work, school, friends, family, you name it. So this morning I called in late to work and then proceeded to sleep in until a blissful 11:30.

I stretched in bed and reviewed the previous nights happenings, stretched some more and went downstairs to the kitchen for some brunch. Today's lucky meal was leftover tuna and white bean salad and an organic (yes, organic!) pop-tart. It was yummy. I brought the two items back to my bed and finished watching Royal Tennenbaums. There's something so delightful about being lazy on a work day. Everyone is busting their humps, and you are kicking back and being slothful. Blissful.

After the eating in bed and noon movie, I threw an outfit together and walked outside to catch the circus coming to town. Literally. Barnum and Bailey came into town today and they had their parade of elephants. I took some great pictures (hopefully) with my digital and my Holga - finally finished the roll.

This weekend was filled with hanging out with old friends, meeting new friends, a night in Baltimore - exploring parts of the city I never knew existed, church, easter dinner with my family and an evening of checking out camera stuffs. Oh and another show from Le Loup - DC's premiere (I think) band. Check them out!

It was a great weekend, but every weekend I spend here is so doomsday-ish. I know I only have like 6 more left. I'm having a hard time truly enjoying myself knowing that its all about to change. Am I scared? Hell yes. Has that ever stopped me from doing something before? No way. I just wish it would come sooner!! The suspense is killing me.

The Neighborhood - Riding the Bus

Part 2 in a series of posts about my neighborhood.

Every morning I have 2 choices. Take the bus through the ghetto (30-45 minutes) to get to work or take the bus through the other ghetto and catch the train (25-35 minutes)to get to work. Actually I suppose I have 3 choices - the 3rd being sleep in.
Anyway, it's never a dull moment on either bus. Sometimes I take the longer bus ride just for kicks - it's just that fun.

Allow me to share some bus stories. Sit back! Relax! Grab a cuppa joe...

Bus Story #1: The books
This isn't so much one episode- rather a reoccurring theme of the bus rides.
People read some interesting books on my bus. I don't mean interesting like 100 years of solitude or a biography on Genghis khan. I mean interesting like this: and this:
I seriously need to start a book club for Ghetto Lit. I'm sure these books must be a fascinating look inside the minds of my peers and neighbors. Or at least the fantasies they have. I'm sure when they see me reading High Fidelity, they just shake their heads and laugh at the middle aged white man on the cover. I'm severely uncool.

Bus Story #2: The Glaring Woman
Some people are very slow entering and exiting the bus. It creates a line where impatient people, like myself, get perturbed and the foot tapping begins. The other day an elderly woman made her trek on the bus. It took her about 5 seconds to go up each step and 10 seconds to put her money in the machine. She stopped in the aisle after she put her money in and I thought she was going to stay in that spot for the duration of the bus ride. I had already deposited my bus fare and so I tried to scoot around her. Well apparently she had been getting her purse in order because at the precise moment I tried to scoot around her she started walking down the aisle. She stopped dead in her tracks and gave me The Stare-down to Top All Stare-downs. Oh, I'm sorry ,I said politely. She shook her head and muttered something under her breath that SHE IS LUCKY I didn't hear. I don't take muttering very well, although it is something I've nearly perfected. But something about that stare and that muttering - I felt so ashamed for the entire bus ride and couldn't even look up from my Nick Hornby book. Now that is shame.

Bus Story #3: The Crazy Man
Now occasionally I will sit next to a crazy person on the bus. The other day it was an African Crier. She cried and cried and whispered things to herself in a foreign language for an entire 20 minute bus ride. Should I have said something to her? I didn't. I just turned up my iPod - I'm empathetic like that. Anyway I sat next to a man last night who was staring at my iPod the entire bus ride until finally he started talking to me about it. We discussed the different iPod varieties and all the pro's and con's of each. He told me about his boyfriend who bought him a shuffle and how he thinks maybe his boyfriend doesn't really love him or else he would've bought him a 160g video iPod. I had to agree with him there - I mean bigger is ALWAYS better, am I right ladies? Actually he wasn't even that crazy - I wasn't scared for my life like I have been with other Bus Friends. He was cute and funny. He even helped me with a game of iPod solitaire.

You see why the bus is so great? You find new and interesting books and genres or fiction. You become humbled. You make new friends. And you never stop wondering Why Does it Smell Like That? or Will I Puke On This Bus Ride? Ahhh, the bus. Truly God's proof that he loves us.

The neighborhood - new friend

I'd like to begin a series of posts about my neighborhood. This is post numero uno.

Last saturday I was surveying our front yard, trying to figure out what I needed to do to make it less ghetto. Even though we live in the ghetto (in the ghettooo)it doesn't have to feel like it all the time. Now when I say "front yard" what I'm referring to is the 8' x 8' patch of "grass" that is home to a pathetic little tree, 2 trash cans, one recycling bin, and some precariously placed large rocks. It's very sad. This patch was covered with trash, tons of leaves, and sticks and things. I decided that something must be done, so I searched the house for a rake. Not finding one, I was relegated to the plastic bag method - use plastic bags as gloves to scoop up the mucky. Me being the silly froofy girl that I am, I didn't want to get any worms or buggies on my hands, so I armed myself with 2 old grocery bags, one large hefty yard bag, and set out in my front yard to clean up.

I got as far as my front step when my next-door neighbor decided to initiate a little conversation. He snickered at my attempt at yard debris cleaning and offered to help. Oh, no - it's ok. I've got these bags. I'm fine. Without another question he announced he was going to get his rake and help me. Oh god help us all.

Thus began the new friendship of Gnomie and her neighbor, D. He is an urban gentleman, a rare find in this day and age. He has the ghetto fabulousness, but he is sweet and funny, too. We talked about nothing in particular while I held the large Hefty bag and he raked the square of leaves and trash. During this 10 minute escapade, I deciphered the following information out of him:
1. He is living next door with his aunt (he is in his mid-thirties).
2. He's only living there for a "quick minute" (whatever the hell that means).
3. He likes to go for "morning jogs".
4. He takes care of his women.

Look, maybe I ask a lot of pointed questions or something, but I couldn't get any real info out of him. He's the kind of person where you can talk to him for days and days and leave thinking what the hell did we just talk about anyway? We definitely talked about the weather. We discussed our mutual distaste for G Dubya. We discussed plants. BOE-RING.

So D was layin on the flirt pretty hard during this 10 minute tryst. Also I should point out that foodstuffs boy, now designated - R1 - was inside talking on the phone while I was outside cleaning. R1 heard me and D talking outside and came to check out the situation. He stood at the door like Big Brother, checking things out. D looked up and saw him standing at the door.
D -Oh is that your husband?
J - Noooooooo. No.
D - Oh, your boyfriend?
J -(Relunctantly) Um, yes. He is. (anyone who knows me knows that I HATE the boyfriend designation. But how do you explain this to an urban gentleman?)
D - So, not your husband then, huh.
J - No. And don't let him hear you say husband. Boys are scared of that sort of thing.
D - I ain't scared of that sort of thing. You need a real man to step up. A strong man. Someone to take care of you. I take care of my women.
J - Good. That's, uhhhh, good.

As a direct result of this intense 10 minute bonding period, D and I are great friends now. We chat in the morning when I'm leaving for work and he greets me when I come home. He's a front porch lounger, and my personal welcome wagon. He's like a little puppy - always excited to see me. I can always count on D. I just wish I could tell you what his real name is because it just makes his character that much better.

I actually don't really recall

This weekend was full of revelations. Not like prophetic revelations (that was last week) but maybe more like realizations. I am calling them revelations because they sound more important that way.

1. The phrase "reinventing the wheel" -
I was driving around in my friends car and was pondering what I could do to save the world (true story. I know, I'm ridiculous). "If I'm going to do something monumental, I really need to conceptualize something completely new. Something like the first invention all over again. Like the wheel. I will reinvent the...oh! I get it!"
That conversation actually did take place in my head. Don't judge.

2. I am going to miss DC. I have really grown to love this city, even more so since Iggy and I moved into our sweetly located bachelorette pad. Saturday was spent taking pictures of city scapes such as awesome rowhomes, graveyards, and urban peoples at bus stops. Don't worry that I was taking pictures on my holga and I didn't realize I was shooting on the wrong frame and all my pictures are going to be screwed up. Whatever. I'm so tee - oh'd. Anyway, I finished up the roll on my Brownie and will be processing that film this week. I want to take pics of DC to NYC with me and keep them by my bedside for when I have downtime to sit down and be depressed about missing my friends and hometown.

3. Just because you pay $5 for a small bowl of fries does NOT mean they will taste good. However if you buy 3 Zydeco songs on the jukebox as you are preparing to leave it will make you feel better about the loss.

4. Puzzles and tofu scramble are a good way to spend Sunday morning.

5. I got a new iPod! (Not a revelation but rather an exciting andecdote to be cherished. Thanks for the pod, Debbie!)

Hope you all are having a happy St. Patricks Day. I am (thankfully) wearing green underwear, so no pinchies for me. My friend, Jenny, told me on gchat this morning that she forgot to wear green and instead wore all black. She's trying to change the holiday to gothpatrick's day. I stand behind you, J Core.

Ohhhhh girls just wanna have, they just wanna, they just wanna-uhhh

Last night I had the discreet pleasure of taking in an utterly girly movie - Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day. This was the ultimate chick-flick, in that it had silk robes with feathers, squeaky high voices, tete-a-tete's with a variety of men, makeovers, glitzy glamour, singing, and - yes most importantly - LOVE.

The love part was an essential part of the movie, yes, but I'm talking about when I fell in love.
With him:
Oh, Lee Pace. You are delightful, aren't you? The way you make me swoon in my seat in public. The effortless charm you possess which willed me out of my seat last night and forced my hand to fan my blushing cheeks. You are my husband, lets not deny it any further.

I had a girls night out last night with the Iggster, Mei Mei, and Mary D. I love these girls. It is so difficult to find girls who have as much depth, humor, love, sweetness, style, grace, and kind words as these 3 girls. I feel lucky to have them as friends and - girls - we need to have a sleepover so soon. I'm talking pedi's, mani's, facials, cookie dough, brownie batter, pizza, and smutty magazines and rubbish movies.

Anyway I highly recommend you see this movie. Take your boyfriends/husbands if you must. But if you really want to have a fun girly time-out: go with the gals. It wasn't even all fluff, either. The movie was superbly acted and there were some very heartfelt moments interlaced with all the bubble baths and fashion shows. See it and let me know how it changed your life.

I can't stop listening to this

It's done

Yesterday I walked into my boss's office and put in my notice that I would be leaving to go to grad school. My heart was pounding, but I had to do it because I was about to get a promotion and I couldn't have felt right about accepting the promotion knowing that I would be leaving in 1 1/2 months.

So after telling my work that I'm getting the H out of Dodge - I'm feeling like this decision is actually real. I really am going to quit my job. I really am going to move to Manhattan. I really am going to Columbia University. I really am going to have a really hard, intense year of studying and learning and growing and trying to survive on my own without knowing a SOUL in the city. It's a bit intimidating, but I'm starting to feel like - just maybe - I can do this.

Another item that sweetens the deal is that I get to quit my JOB! I love working here, but it's been a challenge to get things accomplished that I feel I'm capable on doing. One thing that is definite is this job helped shape my career path and focus my professional goals - I've learned so much about the energy sector, being a "professional" and learning how to behave in an office environment (no, its not ok to turn up your computer speakers when your watching a video with "buttcheeks" being screamed in the background). I've also learned how to keep plants alive in low sunlight, how to smile at people you don't really know who are always walking by your cubicle, and that you must put your name on food items in the fridge or people WILL eat them.

And yet ANOTHER item that sweetens the deal is that right after I quit, me and Iggy are going to go on a vacay for our double birthdays!! Somewhere warm and somewhere with an ocean for me to lay in front of and sip cold beverages as I run my fingers through the sand. Ahhhh...I can hardly stand the wait.

However, with all these great opportunities, I'm finding it really hard to deal with the reality that I'll be moving, leaving the city of poliical love, leaving my dearest friends and my family, going to a strange and unfamiliar place, ugh. I was hanging up pictures in my room last night even though I won't be there for much longer. I'm looking for rugs and furniture for the house even though I am leaving. I'm making new friends in the neighborhood to hang out with, even though I'll probably never see them after April. I can't help but feel a little sad about all this. I mean - it's the END of an ERA!!

In a frenzy

This week has been abso-nuts with work and school decisions and the whatnot.
However I have made a few really great decisions and reached some conclusions this week.
ALSO I came up with a new word:
Bro-dea: An idea from the bro's. Example: Hey bra! Lets go catch the game and drink beers on our heads! Gnarly!

I think its really going to catch on.

So it seems I have decided on a school. I had to respond to the school by this past monday on whether or not I would accept the offer. I accepted by default - mainly because I'm on the waitlist at the other school I really want to attend. And the waitlist doesn't always pan out. It's kind of like the DC lottery. People will wait in those damn lines and spend money on lotto tickets instead of food and wait and wait and wait to win money. This almost never happens. So I'm kind of bummed.
What this means is that I might be moving to New York City in the next few months. The program starts in June. I'm terrified. But once this is more solidified, I'll let you guys know a little more.

I went to a basketball game earlier this week and realized how much I despise the stupid sport. I thought it was just USU games that I hated (that Lars would always drag me to. Dumb.) but no - its pro games, too. That being said I LOVED the "cams" they put on the megatron thing. I don't know what its really called, but you know my friend, Megatron? She's super cool. Just wanted to give a shout-out. Anyway. So they have a kiss-cam, a dance-cam and apparently a flex-cam, but I missed that.
So my favorite is the usually the kiss cam because it narrows in on really awkward couples. I love it when the attack each other but i love it MORE when one person really wants to kiss the other and the other person is OVER IT. Suckers. They look like such jerks. Hilarious.
Do you have any good stories about kiss-cams or dance-cams?

Walking around, just checkin stuff out

I walked down the street over the weekend to take some pictures of the neighborhood. It was a fun time and I felt like quite the tourist. Glad to play the part.

I found a family
And a big giant pencil in the middle of a field.
Columnal.
Sepia tones make everything look old. I like it.
I need to get out and take more pictures in my neighborhood. I'm working with some old box camera right now and I got some new color lenses for a Holga I just started shooting with. With which I just began shooting. Anyway. I am trying to work on my skillz. I want to find shots that look at every day things from a different perspective. I like that.