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I cannot believe that today we finally get a new President. Has our country ever before reached such feverish heights over a new commander-in-chief? Between the paintings, t-shirts, and songs, along with the unadulterated hope and belief in change that Obama has inspired, as a nation we have become Obama-obsessed. And I’m no better than the rest. I’ve become absolutely consumed with anything and everything to do with the inauguration. Not owning a television on which to watch and hear the latest information makes my obsession somewhat difficult to satiate, which only serves to feed it even more. I catch hour-long glimpses of the latest CNN offerings at the gym, and to and from work I tune into NPR in my car and I read the latest happenings online, but I hardly feel as though this is enough. I need details. As in, how many people will be moving the Obama family into the White House and when, exactly will that happen? While he’s being sworn into office? How much stuff are they bringing? How are they decorating their new abode to make it more their own? What happens with the Obamas’ Chicago residence? What kind of dog did they finally get for Malia and Sasha? You know, all the important stuff. Thankfully, I'll be getting my Obama fix by watching the inauguration at work today, along with the rest of the United States.
We’ve been told that change will be a long time coming and that we shouldn't set our expectations too high. I completely agree with this assessment and am aware that for awhile a lot of us will continue to struggle. But at least we're struggling towards the light, towards a positive change we wish to see in this country. And that in itself is inspiring. Happy Inauguration Day!
Check out my brand spankin' new boots I scored in the half-yearly sale at Nordstrom. I've been looking for flat boots for ages until I came across these lovelies. Though to be fair, they're not exactly flats, as they have a slight wedge action going on. But I'm happy to take any help in the height department I can get (I'm only 5'2. Enough said). I've long had a little love affair with boots, especially knee-high ones such as these. Not only do they keep your legs warm, but they also offer a bit of versatility to your wardrobe in the way of toughening up a delicate dress or adding a bit of intrigue to a pair of otherwise basic jeans. Plus, they conjure that whole perfect-fall-day-in-the-city vibe which I can't get enough of. Boots, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways....
A friend of mine kindly pointed out to me that upon doing a google search for this blog using the words "joanna" and "lark", the first web site that pops up is a Joanna Lark selling fetish clothing and accessories from the UK. I mean, what are the odds? And what are the google gods trying to tell me, I wonder?!
If you read blogs with any regularity,you might have already come across these quirky, but delightful animal portraits by Sharon Montrose. Don't you love the spareness of the off-white backdrop and bleached hardwood floors? I certainly do! According to her etsy shop, these creatures live quite happily in a California zoo. Montrose captures each animal's unique personality, from the playfulness of the porcupine to the lordly exasperation of the owl (doesn't he appear to be tapping his claw, as if telling her to take the darn picture, already?). I take such pleasure in coming home and glancing up at my little menagerie hanging from my wall. Oh, the stories they tell....
Sigh. Why do holiday weekends have to end? It always amazes me just how quickly they go by. One minute you're relishing the thought of four luxurious days where you seemingly have all the time in the world to do just about anything that tickles your fancy, and the next you're lamenting the cruel, hard fact that work/school/reality must set in in a mere 24 hours. Still, I can't really complain (but oh, how I love to do it), as these past few days have been wonderfully relaxing with a healthy dosage of good friends, good food and good wine, not to mention some quality 'me' time. I finally finished Mrs. Woolf & the Servants, which was an illuminating look not only at Virginia Woolf's relationships with her domestic staff, but also her relationship with food and her own body (i.e. she wasn't a big eater, something I cannot identify with at all). I even enjoyed my workout session with my trainer (can you imagine Virginia Woolf with a trainer?!). Yes, I have a trainer and I go to a gym. This coming from a girl whose athletic zenith in life was doing a hand stand in yoga...with the instructor's help, I hasten to add.
In the final moments of the long weekend, the boyfriend and I (or T, as I shall henceforth refer to him in this space, because I'm getting lazy in my old age) braved the strong winds that had been blowing through the west side all day, grabbed a warm drink (earl gray for him, soy latte for me) and headed out to the bluff in the Pacific Palisades where we took in the setting sun. Only about twenty other people had the same brilliant idea. So did a few dogs. And it was FREEZING and extremely windy, even more so on that bluff than anywhere else. So our romantic interlude lasted all of one minute, and as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, we scrambled out of there as fast as our legs could carry us.
Our legs carried us to Village Books in the palisades because I wanted to browse their selections, and I think T just wanted to get warm. I have to say that I really like this bookshop. It has a very cozy, neighborhood feel to it, and I like how the patrons all seem to know each other. Case in point: yesterday two men were talking very loudly in the shop about their houses and which architects they used and which homes they admire in the neighborhood, which would have been a fine conversation to overhear if it wasn't so suggestive of two grown men comparing body parts, if you know what I mean. It's the whole "my house is bigger than yours" mentality. Eventually, they graciously took the conversation outside, where they proceeded to talk at each other at exactly the same decibel. But apart from all that, I just like to give Village Books my business, especially in this day and age when Barnes & Noble and Borders loom on every corner, and Amazon is tantalizingly only a click away on the computer. So you can imagine my disappointment when I read that the shop is struggling a bit at the moment. Luckily, (or I should say hopefully), rescue came in the shape of one celebrity palisades resident and Village Books patron, Tom Hanks. I nearly whooped out loud for joy when I read about what he did for the shop. Which just seems so like him, too. I heart Tom Hanks and books and (hopefully) happy endings for book shop owners and extended weekends.
Oh, and for those who are interested, I ended up leaving Village Books with a copy of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, a book I've been meaning to read, and Barack Obama's The Audacity of Hope, because what better time to read the president-elect's latest book than the month of his presidential inauguration? In two weeks, people!
Wow, that was fast. 2008 positively flew by (and knocked some of us on our knees as it swept past). Despite the storms weathered this year, I remain ever hopeful that 2009 will be different, will be better. I'm really looking forward to the new year and all its infinite possibilities. Don't you think a brand spanking new calendar, especially when it's brimming with color and beauty like this Snow & Graham one, conveys so much potential and hope? There's so much that lies in store.
Whatever you're doing tonight, I hope it brings you joy and laughter with the people you love. Happy New Year!
2008 has been very good to me in terms of travel. This year I got the chance to re-visit some of my favorite cities on the planet: caught up with friends in London and Rome (the above shot was taken as a cold February day was drawing to a close in the eternal city), spent Easter in New York, celebrated a dear friend's birthday in San Francisco, and gobbled up some scrumptious turkey with the boyfriend's family in Petaluma (Sonoma County). I also had the opportunity to see Hawaii for the first time to celebrate my parents' 35th wedding anniversary. 2 parents + their 6 children + 1 son-in-law + twin 3-year-old granddaughters = 11 family members together in paradise for 1 week! It was both sublime and aggravating, and yet one of the best experiences of my life. I hope 2009 brings more adventure my way. Here are some highlights of my year in travel:
Spring bursting its way onto a north London street.
A cheeky sign at a north London pub where I tried the most amazing Argentinian malbec. Frustratingly enough, I'm having trouble finding an online retailer willing to ship to the states. Must continue sleuthing. Oh, and I can't remember the name of the pub. But I do recall it being at the end of a quiet street in leafy Belsize Park. My fellow pub-goers were achingly cool, too.
While in Rome, I was on the hunt for a couple great bottles of Italian wine to take back to my friends in London who so graciously let me stay at their Balham flat for a week. My Roman amici Paolo and Federica took me to this enchanting wine cellar somewhere in the city. I could have stayed there all day. Hundreds of wine at my fingertips, just waiting to be tasted! I didn't pay attention to where they were driving me, so I wouldn't know how to get there even if you paid me. I was too busy ogling the sights as we sped through the narrow streets as only Italian drivers can.
This is what heaven looks like. That, or a giant bookshop.
Riding bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge, having lunch by the water in Sausalito, taking a ferry back to the city at dusk. What better way to celebrate your friend's 26th birthday?
We finished off the weekend checking out the Fillmore jazz street festival. It was pure madness, but so much fun. Much like my 2008.
Oh, and I must give a big shout-out to my dear friend and travel partner Taryn who captured all the photographs in this post. Thanks for the memories, TS!
Finally, I thought I would share some words of travel wisdom from that English behemoth Dr. Samuel Johnson: "The use of traveling is to regulate the imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”
I cannot believe that today we finally get a new President. Has our country ever before reached such feverish heights over a new commander-in-chief? Between the paintings, t-shirts, and songs, along with the unadulterated hope and belief in change that Obama has inspired, as a nation we have become Obama-obsessed. And I’m no better than the rest. I’ve become absolutely consumed with anything and everything to do with the inauguration. Not owning a television on which to watch and hear the latest information makes my obsession somewhat difficult to satiate, which only serves to feed it even more. I catch hour-long glimpses of the latest CNN offerings at the gym, and to and from work I tune into NPR in my car and I read the latest happenings online, but I hardly feel as though this is enough. I need details. As in, how many people will be moving the Obama family into the White House and when, exactly will that happen? While he’s being sworn into office? How much stuff are they bringing? How are they decorating their new abode to make it more their own? What happens with the Obamas’ Chicago residence? What kind of dog did they finally get for Malia and Sasha? You know, all the important stuff. Thankfully, I'll be getting my Obama fix by watching the inauguration at work today, along with the rest of the United States.
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