Walk A Mile In These Shoes

Hello Friends!

2009-10-14T21:18:00.002-04:00

Hello, hello! So, I have news! I have MOVED location! I was experimenting with a new layout over here and realized that my archives were getting horribly messed up. I decided that all in all, it would be easier to move to a new blog address. I'm trying some new things over there, and I'm very excited! I hope you'll all give it a read!

I'll still of course refer back to this blog on my new one, and perhaps even post here sometimes for a true 'Walk A Mile In These Shoes' moment where I document someone else's life and chronicle a piece of their past...or maybe even literally take a walk in their shoes (I mean maybe I'll meet someone who will let me borrow their shoes and I can take them around my yard for a spin? Hmm, the possibilities!)

But anywho, I'm still fiddling around with fonts, colors, headers and such, but give it a look and perhaps stay, for you know, a cup of tea or something.

I'm sorry that this is all horribly scattered brained, but what can you expect--it's a Wednesday after all!

Well, hope to see you all here at On the Corner of Belleview soon!
Thanks, and hello and goodbye!

(Hey, now, I understand why the Beatles wrote that song...)

Poisonous

2009-10-05T21:40:00.019-04:00

I never knew that the following two words could put so much misery into my life:

POISON IVY.

or for all I know, poison oak or sumac.

(the doctor wasn't sure: he said it could be any of the three.)

But whatever it is, it's itchy and it sucks. Anyway, it was spirit week in honor of homecoming which basically means being able to dress up like a fool and not get looked at like you're too crazy. So, to match my poison ivy and my irate mood last week, it was accordingly class color day. Which for some reason unbeknown to me (but sort of ironically) is red!

So, itchy itchy itchy...but still, I'm managing.

(And crossing my fingers that it will be gone soon!)

Annie's shirt, Forever 21 necklace, mom's skirt, gifted headband

Until then, long sleeves for me!

P.S I hyperlinked poison ivy for your benefit, dear reader, so you can visit the official poison ivy site and avoid the dreaded plant at all costs.

(You're welcome.)

Running Club

2009-10-03T17:45:00.030-04:00

Once or twice a week, Lineth and I go for runs after school.

Unfortunately on Thursday we hadn't exactly planned for the sudden chill of fall weather and therefore couldn't quite bring ourselves to change from our warm layers into short sleeves and shorts.

So, to pep ourselves up for the freezingness, we opted to warm-up with a more aerobic routine! Who knew that playgrounds could provide so much exercise?

We try to put our game faces on...

...but really, we're just still little kids.

Basically the whole outfit was composed of clothes from my mom's past with the exception of TJ Maxx tights and a Stylish Wanderer astrology necklace. Lineth, Lil, Becky, Sarah, and I split the cost and we trade it around every week. To me, one of the best parts of our 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Necklace' is feeling like I'm carrying something that has a history bigger than I even know. I love picturing the adventures our little necklace has with each of us, and of course seeing how each of us bring our own style to it is always really cool.

Just perfecting that hair flip, (you know, no big deal!)

The homecoming game was last night. The band, as always, was the best part. But sitting on the hill drinking huge one dollar cups full of hot apple cider courtesy of the Little Theater Club and cheering Lily rolling down the grass was a close second. The dance is tonight...I feel like it will be the same ol' routine as always, but who knows? It's been known to surprise in the past...

Traditions

2009-09-23T06:08:00.044-04:00

Every year, Lily, Sarah, Lineth and I go to the local 'Oyster Festival.' We buy expensive seafood, spend too much money on carnival rides, and listen to some wonderful music. The evening usually ends with funnel cake and dancing, (although we always seem to run out of time by the end.)

The first year The Village People (!) performed. It was ridiculous. Nearly everyone got up to do the YMCA.

It was then we realized that we were really awesome spellers.

***

The next year, we posed with people inside furry costumes and Sarah and I got some disappointing Sweedish meatballs.

Everyone got face paint that year. This guy managed to creep into the picture.

That year, Los Lonely Boys were playing. The guitar solos were amazing.

We ran into some friends who helped us spell out LLB's number one hit (or at least basically the only one we all knew) 'Heaven.'

But still, we had to end the evening spelling what we spelled best!
***

This year started like it usually does. We went to Lil's first to pick up everybody (with a quick interruption to meet the adorable new kitten next door!)

We saw some friends who had just gotten tattoos I very much approve of.

"Silly Lollipop Game?" Basically describes Lily. I told her she had to pose with the sign.

After much much MUCH (how do I stress this enough?) debate and discussion over which ticket deal would be the best, we got a sheet of 22 and shared them for the price of $20.

Third year tradition for Sar, Lineth, and me to ride the Cliff Hanger, second year tradition for Lil.

The Ferris Wheel was a must.

We walked off the ferris wheel like royalty, waving to our fans.

Well, of course he had to creep into the picture again this year, too!

Confused as to what any of us are? I would give you big money if you got all of us right. Here, I (the fire breathing tiger...I told the guy to do whatever he wanted--I feel like they get bored with doing the same old thing so I told him my face was his canvas) am attacking Lineth, (the bloodied up zebra.) But that's what you thought...right?

I think this was post Lineth's fish-winning. She wanted company for her fish, Fire (or as he is better known to Sarah, 'Lucky.') He got his second name after sliding under the refridgerator and nearly choking on a pebble and living to tell both tales. The man gave Lineth three fish and she let us each name one. We came up with Pansy (Lil's), Shark (Sarah's), and Monsieur Galileo (mine).

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy played this year. How I wish I could have lived in the 30s. I would have been a swing dancer, no question.

The night always ends the same: smiles and YMCA. It really is a wonderful tradition.

***
Have a lovely Wednesday,

Sylvia

P.S I henceforth dedicate this post to Lineth, who turns 17 (!) today. Happy birthday Linut!

Benny Ninja Wears A Tutu Around His Neck

2009-09-11T23:11:00.009-04:00

This=Fashion's Night Out: Fierce. I can think of no simpler way to describe the wonders that Annie, Emmy, and I experienced last night!

It's fashion week, baby. All the time is runway time!

Emmy was kind enough to document my spur of the moment runway walks and my unfortunate "missing of the train!" Oh noes!

Eeeee!!! (I'm sorry I cannot be more literate at this time.)

After a peek in at Gucci, we went over to Prada...and...

...SAW GRACE CODDINGTON! Suddenly, Annie said: "Is that Grace?" We turned around. My heart started thudding before my mind could comprehend.

AND SASHA!

Grace was really very sweet, although I must say I felt very incompetent in her presence. I said something to her about the September Issue film but headed up my comment with an apology because I was nearly positive she had heard what I said just about 3,000 times.

Sasha was incredibly gorgeous and had such a warm way about her.

Emmy snapped this picture in Bergdorf's as we waited to get our shirts.

Crowds and crowds and crowds to see the lovely Milo! I got just close enough to take this picture before being ushered away by a guard.

After staring for a bit at the beautiful models, we headed over to Sak's where Annie and I got makeovers!

Annie's green shadow treatment looked absolutely stunning.

Honestly, I totally would have thought she was a mannequin if I hadn't seen her blink.

I was taking this picture when Emmy and Annie said "Sylvia, Sylvia...is that...Jade??" I literally sprinted, sprinted, and stopped right in front of her. "Um, hi! Can I have a picture?" She looked me over, smiled, and said "Yes, of course." She was elegant and classy...she WAS JADE!!!!! Do you KNOW how many ANTM youtube videos I've watched of her?!?!?!?!!?!?!??!?!?!? AH! AH AH AH AH!

I had an incredible urge to chase after her and tell her she was the most beautiful "biracial butterfly" (her own self proclaimed term) I had ever seen.

We went into Tiffany's, which was completely beautiful and got iced coffee and petit fours.

At Barney's there were many fabulous people.

There were people offering a photobooth session and free flip books with the final product.

Annie's finger is pointing to one of the photos from our session! After that, we had to run like the wind to Grand Central and make our train. Thanks to my dad's incredible New York way about him (he works in the city and has that unbelievably quick/traffic defying walk), we made it! We wish we could have stayed longer, but what we did see and do was well worth the short time we were there!

Naturally, today we all had to wear our shirts.

I borrowed Annie's skirt for the day and paired it with a vest from Forever 21.

We just had to indulge in some self timers with Emmy's camera after our own photoshoots.

Karatay.

Well, I seem to be on a theme with this hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil thing...maybe I can somehow incorporate into a third post in a row?

In conclusion, life is amazing.

Love to all and good night,
Sylvia

I said be careful his bowtie is really a camera

2009-09-07T21:16:00.000-04:00

Why, hello there!

Fancy running into YOU here...really, it's been too long. So, although you might have suspected I'd fled the country, the truth is much less exciting: school has started. And honestly, it's not that bad. I'm trying to keep on top of things...getting my work done, keeping the daydreaming in class to a minimum, etc., and so far it's been working out. But then again, it's been a week so I'll check in on this in another month or so.

Anywho, I went to Bex's after school on Friday. I always looked forward to these kinds of afternoon in the past when we'd go to her house, raid the pantry of any delicious snacks, play the piano, look at old yearbooks, and last (but not least!) grab the camera and go lie in the grass and indulge in long strolls around the neighborhood.

See no,

hear no,

speak no evil? Certainly not!

Our friend Sabrina came by to drop off a plate she had of Becky's.

She's a good driver.

Who knew plates could be so much fun?

Becky lecturing me on the rules of the road, of course. She's got it down!

After Sab left, we took inspiration from senior portraits in the yearbook and posed with trees. We did the typical ones...

...and then made a few of our own (including the ever popular tree hugging!)

(Because really, look at it. Trees DESERVE to be hugged!)

After our deluxe tree posing, we headed inside to play the piano.

I played a little Simon and Garfunkel, and Bex played some classical pieces, including one of my favorites...if you give it a listen, my favorite part starts around 2:10. I could just listen to it all day!

Inspired by Sabrina's visit and the ensuing car photo shoots, Bex helped me study for my permit test.

After leaving, I went to my hometown to have dinner with two of my oldest friends and the family. It was a lovely evening, complete with photo albums from 7th birthday parties, fresh gossip, the Simpson's road rage video game, homemade ice cream, and a nice long soak in the hot tub looking up at the beautiful evening sky. The weekend continued to be wonderful. I went to see Our Town in the city with the cast of the fall show and Annie, Lily, and I stayed in with two friends to eat Japanese food and get kicked out of a guitar store. Pictures will come, I promise! On Sunday, I waitressed from 9:30 to 7 and then went to Sabrina's for a very relaxing bonfire in which I ate way too many S'mores. Then today, Sarah came over and my dad helped us make a pop-up book for our human bio class (yep, that's right. We're still in 2nd grade!) Afer that was finished, Sar and I got fancy with the mixes and made some devil's food/yellow cake (nutella and peanut butter frosting recommended.) It turned out pretty delicious, if I do say so myself. I wish I could virtually give you all a piece, but that will all come with technology, I'm sure! Anyway, hope everyone had as great of a weekend as I did! For those of you who are starting school, good luck! For those of you who already in it...woot. And for those of you doing non-related school things, tell me what that's like.

So, have a lovely week!

Sylvia

"Hey, that's a nice dress. Can I talk you out of it?"

2009-08-24T16:56:00.000-04:00

So, true to my word, here is my post about my most recent city adventures on Friday. Sarah and I went in to visit our friend Laura in Brooklyn. The night before we had a reunion with our three friends Becky, Lineth, and Lily and had then slept over at Lil's, so we left from there to catch the train. After coming home on a 7:14 train, we dropped Sarah off at home and then I headed straight to my friend Sabrina's house. Her two brothers both had friends over so we had a pretty intense game of Taboo. My team (Fourtility) lost and then a very long fight ensued over the rules of the game, but it was really fun. It was a non-stop day, but that's what summer's all about, you know? Or maybe it's supposed to be about relaxing? Hmm…

I got this dress at Goodwill. Lily, Sarah, and I ducked in for a look and we met a woman who said it made her so happy to see us interested in vintage clothes and that she would be opening a shop in the neighborhood. Just as we were getting ready to leave, she ran over carrying this dress and said she could totally see me in it. I don't think I ever would have picked it up otherwise, but I'm always up for trying things on and after a visit into the dressing room, I decided I really loved it. So thanks to her find and a spare 6 dollars, an outfit was formed for the trip into the city!

American Colonies, mocha frappuccino, and a camera case! Whoo.

Sarah's clearly a night creature...

and I like to twirl...

and hail subways.

I asked her to be high fashion on the subway stairs. I believe that she rose to the challenge.

Oh, right. My motorcycle...hmm, well I guess it's out of gas. I'll take it to work tomorrow.

We headed straight out to the garden when we got to the apartment.

Sarah stole my camera for the next two shots as Laura filled me in on a German friend in DC.

Wouldn't really be a complete day without self timer, now would it?

Apartment 225! Though of course my enthusiastic gesture to this is covering the fact...

Sarah could spend a day chasing around the dogs of the city...and I would probably be running behind her documenting it.

We saw the most beautiful couple in the world. I know I've said this before, but now I really really mean it! I've rewritten Mary Jo Salter's 'Boulevard Du Montparnasse' a little bit to match. I've entitled it...

Across The Street From The Restaurant We Were Looking For

Once, on a street in Little Italy, I saw
the most beautiful couple in the world.
They were each the single most beautiful thing in the world.
She would have been nineteen, perhaps; he twenty-four.
Their skin was not the same shade,

yet they complimented one another effortlessly,

as if that was their duty on Earth: To simply match one another

with his burnt tuscan and her impossible creamy pale.
And they walked by, looking like they had just been

photographed by The Satorialist, and now

another camera was most surprisingly being

stuck in their face.

She was lazily fanning herself with a 4 dollar paper fan,

but she made it look like it was crafted of the

finest material this side of Chinatown and

had cost 700 dollars, at least.

They glanced at the camera inquisitively,

as if they had never had their picture taken before that day,

although they must have already been snapped up by

ten tourists that day, all who assumed that they must be a celebrity couple (whose names they were just having trouble placing at the moment.)
I thought: Mary Jo Salter wrote a poem for exactly

this moment, for when I saw such a couple.
And although Sarah and I had every urge

to follow them down the street, we

hesitated. And so then, in that moment of doubt,

they were gone, as if they were

fairy dust, meant to make things just a little bit

more magical, but never to linger for too long.

Within a couple of moments from the sky being a beautiful blue and white, the forecasted thunderstorm started to brew.

I can hardly express how much I love when this happens. I want it to last forever, this limbo between the sunshine and the rain.

We ducked for cover at Pinkberry where I got pomegranate yogurt.

When we decided we were ready to brave the rain, we saw that there was an even cooler place right next store: a shop that solely sold rice pudding!

Sarah got caramel and gave me a taste. It was delicious.

I couldn't tell if this guy was trying to hit on this girl or if they were dating. But in any case, much to my embarrassment, he caught me trying to document it all!

We ducked into Top Shop and tried on shoes. Basically everywhere you looked there was a glorious sale rack, and I ended up walking away with an 18 dollar pair of jeans.

Oh and finally! I will get to doing my Kreativ Blogger tag, gifted from Sarah. Thanks again, girl!

1. I think of everything as a souvenir. It’s a mentality far beyond being a pack rat. Like, I’ve come back from Europe with napkins from restaurants, cereal tops, chocolate wrappers, metro cards people left on the ground…it’s a problem. I still have a water bottle from Vermont that’s 3 quarters of the way filled and a bag of sand from Martha’s Vineyard. Oh dear. But I love all my useless things anyway.
2. I have a Barbie umbrella from my childhood that I still like to use. In fact, it is chilling out on the door handle to my room right now. Makes it easy to grab on my way out into the rain!
3. Lava lamps are really entertaining. I mean…to a point. But still. Don’t let anyone try to tell you otherwise.
4. I talk to myself. I didn’t realize how much until the people at work started being like “What? What’d you say?” and then I just have to admit, “Oh nope, just talking to myself.” Which I guess it’s something that everyone does (right?) but really, this issue has only been increased due to the fact that my job is to be a waitress. Like I have this ongoing (and out loud) chant of “bacon quiche, no asparagus, extra fruit but no melon…hey I wonder why she doesn’t like melon! Oh and iced tea.”
5. I want to be Pam of Pam and Jim. Like, I cried when Jim cried in season two of the Office. I need a Jim Halpert in my life.
6. I’ve always wanted a sister. I would ask my mom when I was younger and say that I wouldn’t ever ask for anything for Christmas again if I could just have a baby sister or brother. I’m grateful for my older brother and I love him, but I always wanted tons of siblings. I think that’s why I want so many kids, so they can have what I (believe that I) missed out on.
7. I love pick up lines. Like I said, after I came home from the city, I went to Sabrina’s where her brothers and their friends were reciting different pick up lines. After they commented on my incredibly red dress (which just made me blush a red I didn’t even know was possible,) I asked them what they had as far as pick up lines went. One of them said “Hey, that’s a nice dress. Can I talk you out of it?” I just love it. Sabrina’s mom said that I would be easy because most girls hate pick up lines, but really they just make me laugh like crazy. If a guy is actually brave enough to try one of them out, I think it’s worth at least a conversation for the effort!

***

Alrighty, enough from me!

Hope everyone's week is going well so far,

Sylvia

So Here's To Summer

2009-08-23T22:41:00.000-04:00

I'm ready for fall, in a lot of ways. I'm ready for actually needing a blanket at night and wanting to put on a pair of tights in the morning. I'm ready fo--but wait wait wait. (Yes, I'm cutting myself off mid written down sentence.) Sorry, but this post isn't about fall and all that I'm looking forward to (just yet at least.) This one's for summer and all that I'm going to miss. Like for example, the spontaneous sleepovers, waitressing on weekdays, movie theaters, spending too much money on train tickets and subway rides, visiting New York City (which I just did on Friday again by the way (a post will soon ensue),) turning on the ceiling fan and feeling sufficiently cooled off, going for late night swims, the fake sunshine that undoubtedly leads to dark skies and glorious thunderstorms, and having time. More specifically, I’m going to miss deciding to accept an invitation to go on a friend’s boat, having to meet in twenty minutes at a place that’s fifteen minutes away, borrowing a bathing suit, and then jumping in the ocean. (Segue alert!) Here is a glorious evening spent with Sarah and Lily.
Side note: Jumping sunset silhouettes. Been done? Yes. Do I tire of them? Not at all.

I might be saying a premature goodbye to the season, but I’m feeling a little melancholy, content, exhausted, awake, overheated, chilly, smiley, half smiley (all at once.) And since I feel between seasons too, this post seemed about right.

Now, I’m off to read all that I need to on American history. But one last thing, I cannot express enough how happy your reading of this and all of your comments make me! I literally cannot click on my little email notification fast enough when I see I have one. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. And um I sort of kind of lied...I’m going to go catch up on all your beautiful blogs out there before retiring to my history reading…seriously, I can’t help myself; it’s been too long!)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend,

Sylvia

Never Thought I'd Be On A Dinghy

2009-08-10T22:58:00.000-04:00

Hello, hello! How are you all this fine evening? And me, you ask? Well...I'm just sitting on a Annie's checked quilt overlooking what I call her Italian grape vineyard view (but what is really the glorious Martha's Vineyard) and writing to you all! My stomach is full with some delicious steak, cous cous, and veggies courtesy Annie's brother and I'm very excited for the thrift store shopping/beach outing/concert listening that will be tomorrow! Life is good.

We took a 3:45 ferry over and Annie showed me her Paris photos on the way with details on all of her adventures..

After some unpacking, we headed out to Vineyard Haven for some enormously large (but fantastic) scoops of ice cream. I got mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone; Annie got black raspberry in a sugar cone.

There's a story behind these! To read about it, check out Annie's post.

P.S And below is a sneak peek of her beautiful self in her outfit post! We had a very nice photo shoot day.

More soon! Hope everyone's Monday was marvelous.

Dogsitting Mr. Frodo

2009-08-03T13:48:00.001-04:00

Hello all you beautiful people! SO. To those of you who are curious, this is what day one of dogsitting looks like:

I stole this shirt from my dad's dresser. All the little pictures are hobo symbols. Below are a few translated. I'm also wearing my new H&M shorts, H&M bag, borrowed belt from mom, and Lily's sunglasses.

Presenting Mr. Frodo himself!

Lily sporting my new bag that I very much overpaid for but still love.

Whattacutie!

Later that night when Mr. Frodo got sleepy, we watched the Office...

...and sang along to the Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures theme songs.
***

DAY TWO OF MR FRODO WATCHING:

Sarah came on the second day to keep me company! We posed with the Why so serious? poster that had freaked Lil and I out the first night. When we weren't being silly with webcam photos, we spent the time giving Mr. Frodo some fruit salad and hand feeding him his dinner and then eating slices of apple pie for both dessert and breakfast (because it was just that damn good.) We talked about everything from Sarah wanting seven dogs to naming our kids to...well, anything else we could think of...and OH! Speaking of the lovely Sarah, she has given me an award! Thanks girl!! It also comes with a tag that I definitely must do but cannot right now because I must get ready for work. I need to pack up some things because after my 3 to 7:30 shift, I'm taking a train into the city to spend some nights in Brooklyn with Laura.

Well, now I really must go, so I'll talk to all you crazy kids later!

Hope you're having a super Monday,

Sylvia

All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go

2009-07-31T13:08:00.000-04:00

I remember first hearing that when I was a fabric store. I was in line to get my pieces cut, and the lady behind the counter was looking at the fabric selection of the person in front of me saying, "Oh, I just love this. I got some the other day and thought I would make something, but I was just all dressed up and nowhere to go. All dressed up and nowhere to go." She repeated it a couple of times like in a daze and then she sighed and continued on with her work.
***
I've thought about it many times since then when I put on an oufit for no particular purpose except that I want to prance around in my yard feeling like the woods is a pathway to a party with my closest friends and the grass is merely a different shade of 'red carpet.' These photos were from one of those days.

Soprano dress, thrifted for a dollar white house black market shoes, borrowed earrings and ring from mom, Forever 21 headband, Children's Place jacket, TJMaxx tights

Then on my way back in, I thought I'd stop by and do some brick wall photos.

If you know me, you know I like to take a lot of pictures, many times of the same thing only with the slightest bit of difference in each. If you'll bear with me for the next three, tell me which you like the best!

After I came back to reality, I got redressed to go see a town production of Footloose and eat at the local diner with Lily.

***
It's pouring outside now. It wasn't when I started writing this, but now everything is about 6 notches darker and it's raining like crazy. I kind of have the urge to go outside and just lie in it. But then again considering I had to take a couple of advil this morning because of impending sickness, maybe just listening to it might be better. Well, today I plan to read books, read blogs, watch things, listen to things, clean my room (or you know, not), and then go to Lily's for dinner. After I'm going to sleep over at Bex's so I can dogsit Mr. Frodo. The family's in California for the weekend and left me behind with some delicious treats (i.e. apple pie, fruit salad, pistachio ice cream) for my stay over. I'm looking forward to it.

Well, I'll see you all soon!

Sylvia

Make A Wish, It's 11:11

2009-07-29T23:12:00.000-04:00

...or it was, when I first started writing this. But wishing on the minute a clock changes feels like summer, doesn't it? Or maybe it feels like every day of the year, but still. Well, in other news, I've been a pretty horrible blogger lately. And by that I mean, I have not been able to catch up on all you lovely bloggers out there! I miss you and all your fabulousness A LOT. So let me catch you up on me, and then we can talk about YOU!

***

Dress Codes

Lily's mom was having a party with a black and white dress code and I took the theme farther than it should be allowed to go. I mean, I was giving some people dirty looks for having the slightest touch of blue in their outfit. Except for my eyes which I regrettably did not have any contacts for, I was in black and white, baby! But I mean, c'mon people, even the DOG followed the dress code!

Forever 21 headband, borrowed pearls from mom, Gap dress

Me, Sarah, Lily, and Bex.

***

The Dough Girl's Helper

Went to visit Lily who has a summer job baking and selling cookies. It sounds so perfect for her, I just can't believe it. Now if only she could get paid for watching movies and talking about Seth Rogen and she would REALLY have her perfect job.

Some of her own work!

She's also quite the saleswoman. Just look at how delighted that kid looks!

***

The World's A Stage, Clearly.

Thanks for the comments on the play pictures I put up in my last post! The four performances all went really well, the last one being the best. I miss it already. Above is a picture from a scene that I was in. In the front with Pikachu is my brother. He played Silvius and I played Corin, so I was kind of like his sidekick. It was the first time we really worked together in a show, so it ended up being a lot of fun. Photo cred to Chris Randazzo.
***

I Had Forgotten What New York Is Like...

...to new eyes that is! It's kind of delightful pretending to see it for the first time. Laura, a really sweet girl from Austria is visiting America for the first time and a few of my friends and I have been showing her around some sights on the East Coast. You can read more about it here on my completely lovely friend Sarah's blog. If you haven't checked her blog out yet, definitely do. Her posts are such a joy to read with really great descriptions and some ultra fabulous pictures. Okay. Gushing OVER. Moving on.

Even seeing yellow taxis completely thrilled her. And believe me, the excitement really was contagious.

Her first NYC subway experience...

The Brooklyn apartment which she is staying in with her old family friend was so fabulous. So much space and literally every room was painted a different vibrant color.

It has a view of the Statue of Liberty. It didn't really translate into pictures, but in person the silhouette was absolutely stunning.

Then on my way back to Grand Central, I saw this. And my day was complete.

***

Now. Enough about me. Let's talk about, talk about, talk about YOU.

It Takes Seven Minutes To Take A Bath

2009-07-24T14:29:00.000-04:00

That is, according to a certain few Family Feud contestants. So, in another news, summer now officially involves the Game Show Network......and I'm not even embarrassed. Well, not THAT much. Channel 75 is quickly becoming a staple in the rare free minutes of summer. And honestly, who can't resist sitting down for a moment or lingering by the television to catch a quick glimpse of Family Feud or Chain Reaction or a very young (still brunette) David Letterman on Password Plus?...well okay, fine. Probably a lot of people could pass it up. But STILL.
***
Anyway, moving on to real life, I'm in a play that just opened yesterday! It's Shakespeare's As You Like It which I knew nothing about when we began rehearsing a month ago but now really love it. There are three more performances to go! Here are some shots I took during dress week of the show.

Listening: occasional bark from Mr. Frodo, Becky’s dog
Reading: The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, and Becky and I are reading aloud My First Love (which, as you can probably tell from the title is a very cheesy--albeit very fun to read with a friend--romance novel)
Drinking: Nothing, but I'm actually rather parched, so I might just get something to drink after I post this!
Eating: homegrown cucumber by Becky and her neighbor’s string beans
Wearing: tie dye (made semi recently with a couple of friends) v-neck and navy blue capris. You don't really need much when you spend the day reading, playing clarinet duets, and watching Win A Date With Tad Hamilton.
Watching: The Game Show Network, obviously.
Thinking: Bex and I totally need to get a fake family together and go on Family Feud...or grab another person and get on Chain Reaction.

Anticipating: My first paycheck and the second performance of As You Like It
Wanting: Fresh salad on pita with salmon and feta cheese! Bex, if you are reading this right now...this is a hint. Ha. Just kidding. But not really. Anyway, also wanting to be lying on the beach or skydiving or something.
Obsessed with: Clearly the game show network. It’s funny what people say under pressure. Like that it take seven minutes to take a bath (?) or that monkey is a five letter word.

***
Will be posting very soon in the next couple of days!

Am now off to go eat and then read all of your lovely blogs...(:
Have a great weekend,

Sylvia

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

2009-07-18T10:24:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, I did some of my favorite things...
That is bike riding, feeling like I was in the Sound of Music, seeing THREE of my best friends, and seeing Harry Potter at midnight!

I was already feeling very Sound of Music esque when Lineth and I came across these benches and I felt very Liesl in the gazebo scene. I spent a couple of minutes hopping around, singing like a lunatic.

We ended up around Becky's neighborhood, so we popped in for a visit and shared our picnic with her. Becky provided some heated up pizza.

I hadn't seen Lineth for at least a month and now she's off in Colombia for 3 weeks to visit family, so I decided it was time to do some brick wall pictures before she left.

All that gorgeous red hair! I love it.

My personal favorite^^

I couldn't decide if I liked it better in black or white or color. Any opinions?

Then I ran into Rupert Grint at Taco Bell and he proposed with a salsa packet. It was very sweet! Sarah was there to document it all and give him the idea!

Okay I would love to chat about Harry Potter for an hour or five...but I really must go. I start my job today waitressing at a local retirement home, and I don't want to be late! Wish me luck!

I'm seeing A Chorus Line later tonight at an outdoor theater nearby--a couple of friends are in it and we're picnicking before. I'm very excited to finally see it.

Have a great Saturday,

Sylvia

"Wanna know painful? Sitting front row at The Perfect Crime...so don't give me no sass."

2009-07-15T12:24:00.000-04:00

Warning! Warning. The below is a mere glimpse of all the pictures to come. I will be very impressed if you stay with me, here!
So...why, you ask? Why do I have so many pictures? What have I been up to lately? Well, I'm glad you asked! I've just been doing...

...the usual. Getting two hours of sleep and then taking a 5:37 train into the city, attempting to see Shakespeare in the Park but then getting there and seeing that the 22nd person in line has been waiting there since 9:00 last night, asking eating blueberries on rocks, talking to random strangers, going to tkts, Katherine calling me a creeper more times than I can count for taking pictures of people I found interesting (aka everyone), accidentally going to Harlem due to Katherine's navigation, going to find the Met and failing, seeing the most beautiful couple in the world, deciding to take a visit to the Museum of Natural History instead and then leaving a couple of minutes after because we were to cheap to pay admission, going to see a truly terrible play that came highly recommended, going to dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner where the waiters/waitresses sing because they haven't made it on Broadway...yet, going to the Upper East Side, going to Little Italy, eating gelato, talking to really adorable Italian guys, going back to Grand Central, getting on a train, going home, and sleeping until 2:30 the next afternoon and only waking up because my mom came in asking if i knew what time it was. Like I said, the usual.

We saw the Twelfth Night poster out the window on the train and saw it as a good omen.

We decided to walk the distance from Grand Central to Central Park. Of course we ended up on the East Side and had to walk a mile and a half through the park to get to the actual line, but what did it matter? It was just the day for a lovely (albeit pretty long) walk.

One of the first of the many dog walking sightings! Sarah, the biggest fan of dogs I have ever met, was a little disappointed that none of the owners asked her if she wanted to pet their dogs when we walked by.

And alas, we arrived! Unfortunately, so had half the city...

I saw this guy and found him interesting with his awesome sunglasses and book, so I started taking some undercover pictures. This was before he realized...

...this was when he realized and started covering his face with his book...

...when we realized that HE realized.

Everyone slept over with mattresses and sleeping bags. We didn't have a prayer of getting tickets.

Admitting defeat, we ate a breakfast of fruit and chocolate covered fruit on the rocks.

Our shaggy friend came to say hi.

The subway became our new best friend...

HARRY POTTAH!!!!! Which by the way, I totally saw at midnight and thought was pretty great. Definitely the best of the ones with Michael Gambon. AHH. I was a big fan.

These girls were so sweet! And I loved them and their friend's outfits.

We went to Times Square to see what we could get cheap ticket wise at tkts.

In black and white:

I didn't get them. :(

"Love at first bite." They just didn't know it.

The most beautiful couple ever!

It reminded me of a poem:

Boulevard Du Montparnasse

Mary Jo Salter

Once, in a doorway in Paris, I saw

the most beautiful couple in the world.

They were each the single most beautiful thing in the world.

She would have been sixteen, perhaps; he twenty.

Their skin was the same shade of black: like a shiny Steinway.

And they stood there like the four-legged instrument

of a passion so grand one could barely imagine them

ever working, or eating, or reading a magazine.

Even they could hardly believe it.

Her hands gripped his belt loops, as they found each other's eyes,

because beauty like this must be held onto,

could easily run away on the power

of his long, lean thighs; or the tiny feet of her laughter.

I thought: now I will write a poem,

set in a doorway on the Boulevard du Montparnasse,

in which the brutishness of time

rates only a mention; I will say simply

that if either one should ever love another,

a greater beauty shall not be the cause.

After trying to find the Met and then realizing it was on the other side of Central Park, we decided to get back on the subway and head back to Times Sqaure. But then we saw the sign and thought...well, why not? At least, it's free.

Yeah...free? Not so much. And we didn't have enough time to get our money's worth. However, Sarah did spot this foursome who we thought could have easily been a British band, so she told me to take a picture, just in case they hit their fame some day.

We went to tkts before or picnic lunch and got tickets to a show three people had HIGHLY recommended. It was cheap, so we thought why not?...by the time we left, it was more like WHY. WHY. WHY??? At first we were super excited because we had front row seats, then we realized there was a reason that the theater was only about 1/3 filled.

The highlight of the show was probably before when Sarah and I raced up the stairs to beat Chris and Katherine on the elevator.

After we went to this diner,

where the waiters and waitresses sing between waiting the tables.

Yeah, we took the subway a lot. I love the subway. So many interesting people to see.

We went to the Upper East Side to do some shopping...but we didn't want to test Chris's patience too much, so we only got to one store.

We had to wait outside the subway because we went to the wrong subway station and used our passes too quickly in succession.

I was distressed, clearly.

My new dream apartment!

Studious Katherine in Little Italy.

We snagged a picture before the hot Italian guy come over. I hastily put my camera away, but he smiled and said we could do whatever we wanted...swoon.

Raspberry and pistachio! Delicious.
Outfit details:

Forever 21 skirt, Urban Behavior top, Forever 21 necklace, Laila Rowe bracelet, ring made in Girl Scouts way back when

And finally, back to Grand Central! It felt like being home.

Thanks for staying with me through all of this!

xxxx, more soon, especially about Harry Potter...

Sylvia

"Chasing fireflies makes summer really feel like summer!"

2009-07-08T10:57:00.000-04:00

My friend Lineth left the above on her twitter, and I thought it was a true sentiment...although I do believe then that my summer experience has not been fully realized yet. Hopefully by the end of it, I will finally chase those fireflies!

So, I am now making it my goal to take pictures of as many people as possible with bricks. I'll let you know how it goes! I took these three of Lily after she slept over on the fourth of July.

***

Fourth of July itself was pretty uneventful...

Someone offered my dad this festive headband, and of course he accepted and wore it with his innate fashion sense,

there were cute dogs,

a pretty moon,

and the good ol' fireworks.

***

And some more information about the current going ons (if you just feel like you haven't heard enough already :))

Listening: Turn Me On by Norah Jones

Reading: Just finished Love and Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson and reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot (for just about the millionth time), and The American Pageant textbook (oh how I’m loving this AP work…)

Drinking: pomegranate cranberry juice with ice and a straw

Eating: turkey-cran roll up leftover from my lunch with Bex

Wearing: teal Mr. Frosty’s ice cream employee shirt (although I was never an employee) & a flowery skirt my mom salvaged from the high school costume room

Makeup: a smidge of rhubarb colored Burt’s Bees
Bedside table: two disposable cameras, music boxes from Germany, picture of my two friends and I from first grade (they were Robin Hood and Britney Spears, and I was Cinderella before the ball), a mixed CD that Annie made me, a frame that describes what my name means, a lava lamp, batteries, pens, a Volkswagen blue buggy lamp, grapefruit lotion

Watching: The OC season 2 disc 2 (my friends have been lending me the seasons, it’s my first time watching it through and if you’ve never seen, believe me, it gets addictive)

Thinking: Lawn mowing is not my favorite thing to do

Anticipating: Seeing Shakespeare in the Park and going to the Met on Saturday with Chris and possible others

Wanting: To be in Paris, a fruit powered clock

Obsessed with: plums, Morgan Freeman, teapots (perpetual obsession), bike riding, Feltbeats

Mood: Content….and it feels good.

Saturday In The Park (You'd Think It Was The Fourth Of July)

2009-07-04T12:14:00.000-04:00

A very happy belated fourth of July to all! And a very happy and even more belated Canada Day to all as well. (:

Outfit Details Note: Okay, so we borrowed an obscene amount of clothes from my mom, and therefore I am not exactly sure where everything is from...I'll tell you what I do know though! I'll edit later with better details, but eek...here goes:

Top: On me: Becky's shoes, gifted (by none other than Sarah's mom!) scarf worn as dress, Bloch leotard, mom's gold belt, spare bit of fabric worn as headband

On Becky: my mom's skirt and belt, Bex's H&M shirt and shoes from Chinatown

Bottom: On me: mom's top, mom's dress worn as skirt, shoes found in shoe closet

On Becky: her sister's cardigan, Becky's gifted top and Tommy Hilfiger shorts

Okay, this was pretty pathetic...and all in all, quite useless. Well, I'll try to do better with these details next time!

The truck that appeared in our driveway turned out to be a wonderful photoshoot location! I'm thinking of hiring one next time I run out of photo ideas...hope everyone had a lovely weekend filled with fun, food, and fotos! (Okay, not how I usually spell it...but I needed to stay with the 'f' theme.)

xxx,

Sylvia

Walking Barefoot

2009-07-02T13:47:00.000-04:00

So, basically the whole reason I named my blog ‘Walk A Mile In These Shoes’ was so I could feature different sneakers, heels, flats, or simply bare feet and tell a bit of a story through any given person’s footwear of choice.

***

On Monday, I went to Katie’s and we had a bit of a photo shoot. One of my favorite things in the world is to come up with character profiles. There's just so many stories to tell, so many people to meet, so many things to see, and I kind of want to learn them all. And if I can't do that, I can at least make some up! So, now, I’ve made up a story to go along with the photographs.

Hope you enjoy!

Ellen Louise Paige was born in 1946 in a small town in Massachusetts. Her father wanted to name her after his mother, Louise, but Ellen’s mother believed it was a name going out of fashion. And if there was anything that Mrs. Mary Paige was not, it was out of fashion.

And besides, she had never really been particularly fond of her mother-in-law. But, to appease her husband, she said the middle name was to be Louise. The baby’s first name was to be Ellen if it was a girl, Patrick Louis if it was a boy. Many years later, the Social Security Administration published information of the most popular baby names of each year. Ellen was in the top 100 in the year of her birth; Mary Paige was the number one in hers. And Mary was right; the name 'Louise' was slowly going into decline.

Mary Paige raised her daughter in the same fashion she had chosen her name. Everything was to be done according to what was thought of as trendy at the time. Ellen was the first in her class to sport the poodle skirt. She was also the first to stop sporting it in favor of the next trend.

Needless to say, Ellen felt by the time she turned 16 that it was her time to rebel.

She started wearing what she wanted and asked two boys down the street to help her in her quest for freedom.

Ellen even tried taking up cigars, but unfortunately she never exactly got the hang of it. Her two friends made fun of her when the first time she tried smoking she attempted to put the wrong end up to her lips.

Besides attempting rebellion and trying to take up smoking, Ellen loved playing in her front yard amidst all the blooming hydrangeas and fresh vegetation. Because the Paige family was a prominent one and had settled in Massachusetts many, many years ago, they had a house in the center of the town that overlooked the citizens’ daily lives. Ellen discovered there was a spot behind a bunch of bushes that made for the perfect place to hear gossip and watch scandals in the making.

She walks barefoot.
***

Photographs can tell any story you want, that's the beauty of it, isn't it?

The real deal: Katie’s amazing mom gave me a dress from her collection. We did an impromptu photo shoot in which we stumbled across Katie’s brother and his friend. I asked to pose with the cigar, but unfortunately I didn’t even notice that I was holding it the wrong way until we were looking at pictures later on the computer. Oh dear, I'm such an amateur. Ah, well.

All photographs by the ever so wonderful Katie P.!

We Are The World

2009-06-26T21:32:00.001-04:00

We Are The World has so much talent, it is unbelievable. My mom showed this to me and I was instantly in awe. My dad then told me stories of how it was made. Listen to it if you never have; it is just so beautiful.

Attitude dancewear shoes, Forever 21 leggings, & jacket, belt, tank, sunglasses, earrings, ring all borrowed from my mom.

Remembering Farrah Fawcett

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.” -Michael Jackson

Send Me On My Way

2009-06-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

A thoroughly Matilda inspired day when summer almost started to feel like summer. On Tuesday, I went to Lily's wearing my previously thrifted 'Miss Honey' dress. 1,083 pictures (!) and this is all that ensued...

In the morning, I went to Borders. I read a bit of My Sister's Keeper and skimmed the discount bins (the cheapest holding books for a dollar a piece), but nothing seemed particularly worth buying and my mom had told me earlier to refrain myself anyway.

I was however thoroughly amused at how many magazines I saw that I did not know existed...Cat Fancy, Modern Dog, Rabbits USA? Who knew?

When we got to Lily's house, we were recruited to take Wink for a walk.

Lil had a staring contest with a tree on the way. She says she won, but I'm not so sure.

I thought it seemed very nice to go kayaking.

We found these shoes on the bridge. A couple of hours later when we were driving home from dinner, they were still sitting there getting soaked by the pouring rain.

This was before it melted all over my hands and down my arms. Still, it was delicious (albeit a little hard to handle.)

Thrifted (and immediately deemed the Miss Honey) dress, Payless shoes, Forever 21 sunglasses, & Forever 21 strawberry necklace.

I told Lily to be Allison from ANTM. No one can quite pull it off like she can!

Inspired by the final scene in Matilda (about 7 minutes into the clip), we hula-hooped it up. Lil actually used to be a bit of a champion.

Lily bidding farewell to her namesake.

Later that evening, we went to see my guitar teacher, JP, play. He writes a lot of his own songs, but at his gigs around here he can't really play his own stuff. Instead, he plays more Oasis, Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. However, when he was in London with his girlfriend, he was getting lots of gigs and he got a better reaction to his own stuff than the covers of classic hits. If you're interested in hearing some of his songs, you can check him out here. Go under audio to hear some samples of his work--'Free World' is one of my favorites.

Hope everyone is finding summer to feel like summer!

Have a lovely Thursday,

Sylvia

And At Last, Summer Begins

2009-06-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, June 17th: Pretending Like School Was Already Over

Four of us went thrifting, pretending like school was already over. Although I suppose for the three of them it might have been , I still had the much dreaded math final.

From left to right: Emily, Emmy, me, and Annie.

After, we went to get lunch around the corner. Fries for the table was a must.

Kobi decided it had been too long since he had last made an appearance on the blog.

"Awkward Matt"

Outside the library, I took pictures after studying very studiously (ahem) for my math final.

My fake Converse (they're actually called Jokers) from Germany.

Thursday, June 18th: And it's over for real!

With a quick change of plans, my four friends and I went to Lily's house and decided to take a rain check on seeing 'Up.' Instead, we watched Trivial Pursuit and Family Feud.

The afternoon consisted of two pizzas, an episode (or two...) of Arthur (the one above would be Buster's Amish Mismatch), game shows, and renting Bride Wars.

Sarah's a star, clearly!

Friday, June 21st: And Vacation Begins

I've been into biking, although granted sometimes it's just doing circles in my driveway. I took it out while I was waiting for Bex.

Becky caught me later taking pictures of her. I tried to be discreet with the ones of others in the restaurant, but I'm not sure if I always succeeded in that!

I was in one of those moods where I just looked at the menu and anything sounded good, and I would have been lost in the decision making, so I just got what Becky was ordering: shrimp kebabs.

After we went shopping and Bex and I determined that we needed to win the lottery so we could afford everything from Zara.

On the way home, we got stopped by a passing train. I had decided a year ago that it was my life's goal to be the first in line. It was my third or fourth being stopped in front of one, and I oddly get excited every time.

Saturday, June 20th: Reunited & Graduation

My four friends from the volleyball team had been attempting for months to reunite at the local diner. The first time we all went together, Katherine and I were in a British mood and put on accents. Since then, we've been told we have lovely accents and asked where in England we are from. Now it's just a grand tradition.

Guess which continent?

Katherine wandering off to get poison ivy AGAIN after she just got over a bad spell of it the week before.

After, Jackie, Katherine, and I went to graduation. Even though we're not graduating, everyone in chorus, band, and orchestra has to go to perform. I think I would like to go anyway, even if I didn't have to. Although it can be long, it's a nice tribute to play one last time with the departing seniors.

Yes, we do modeling on the side.

Bex and I went to get dinner after. I got penne vodka.

It's hard for us to take normal pictures...

...yes, it's very hard.

I am SO ready for summer.

...though I might be missing school, just a tad. Hmm, whoops, what? Who said that?

To The Person Who Named Me 'Bug'

2009-06-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

Some Reasons Why My Dad Rocks Like Crazy

He's given me many nicknames, including (Sylvie)Bug (the reason for my blog URL), Monkeys, Boo & many more

He breaks out into West Side Story moves outside diners

He does a spot on Tim Gunn impersonation

He taught me how to model...

and how to runway!

He makes some kick ass snowmans (and then let's my friend from next door take credit)

He gets really excited when opening gifts

He never says 'no' to a jumping picture...

and he experiments with new jumping poses.

He still sits on Santa's lap

He taught my bird how to fly

And I still love him as much as I did when I was four years old.

...and let's not forget all of our wonderful grandfathers...

Above: my beatboxing cousin, my fantastic granddad, and half of my uncle

Below: My adorable, amazing, I-just-want-to-see-him-everyday Opa

A Very Merry Father's Day to all!

P.S a post will follow tomorrow with the past couple of days, including quite a few super fun shopping trips and some fab lunches.

Norma Says I'm Looking Jazzy

2009-06-17T21:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty sweet day, something you would think would be impossible amidst all the final taking.

Sweater: The Stylish Wanderer, Tights: Forever 21, Necklace: Birthday gift from Lily, Belt: Borrowed from my mom's collection, Shoes: Thrifted, Glasses: Stolen from my daddy

Chem, German, math, oh my!

Balancing act...slightly failed! I'm working on it though...

With it being yearbook time and all, I've decided to bestow some Superlatives to some pretty special bloggers. I'm just working on some icons, so stay tuned for the results!

Spring Awakening. :) As usual.

Praying to the Chemistry Gods! (Although I must say, based on today's test, I'm not sure if they heard me...)

Some of my friends say I have two different colored eyes. A couple of them often check in science to make sure they haven't gone back to being the same color.

Before 'As You Like It' rehearsal, I went into the town's Chase Bank to get my pin number activated. My mom and I were sent to a woman named Norma who said "Why, hello there. You're looking jazzy today!" She then asked where I had gotten the sweater. I told her it was from a fabulous girl named 'The Stylish Wanderer.' And she said "HA! No wonder you look so stylish! I thought you were coming in for a job interview." Which I thought was rather nice. And as I told the Stylish Wanderer, now even Chase bankers named Norma know who she is! If you're eyeing any item from Shop The Stylish Wanderer's Closet, I would recommend buying it when she reopens in August! The package I got was so sweet, and I am IN LOVE with my purchase. Thanks Stylish Wanderer!

Only one more final to go...math. Ugh. But after that, I AM DONE! Four of my best friends and I are going to walk into town, grab some lunch, and see 'Up.' I'm uber excited! Also, coming up will be pictures from my thrifting adventures with Annie, Emmy, and Emily from today.

Talk to you very soon!

Sylvia

Random Musings & Otherwise

2009-06-11T20:03:00.000-04:00

What I’d like to be watching

I’ve been listening to the Spring Awakening soundtrack non stop for the past couple of weeks. Almost this time last year I was seeing it for my first time. It was...well, words just do not describe! My favorite songs are All That’s Known, Touch Me, and Blue Wind/Don’t Do Sadness. But they’re all fabulous. Bitch of Living has an incredibly amount of energy (and is the scene shown above in the photo.) Why oh why did you have to close, Spring Awakening? Although luckily, I was fortunate enough to see it twice.

First in July with Lily….

And then for the second time in December for Sarah’s 16th birthday. That was when we got lots of people in the cast to sign our program including the lovely Hunter Parrish (!)

He was a sweetheart.

Did anyone else get a chance to see it?

Where I’d like to be

The picture by Éole says it all.

What I’d like to be doing

Ah, yes. My dream to jump off a rope swing into a beautiful lake. The not yet realized but one of my most perfect, everlasting images of summer.

Photo courtesy of Stas Milksonov.

Who I’d like to be...even if just for a day

The beautiful city, the fabulous umbrella, the rainy weather...and then of course her chic self. I would not mind to be in her shoes right now.

Photo courtesy Bob Flounders.

Who I’d like to spend a week with

He is amazing.

What I’d like to be eating

One of Eileen Blake's delicious pies. I miss her.

And now, enough with the otherwise and onto a couple of random musings...

I wonder how it would feel to run up a tree like a squirrel. I mean of course Sarah did it in the picture above...so I must ask her how it felt. Must feel...free. Or at least very very cool. I suppose squirrels are just used to it though.

Why is your identity completely concealed when you throw on a mask?

Like, superheros, Cinderella…I mean, just because part of your forehead and nose is covered, no one knows who you are?

I want to attend a masquerade and see how well my identity being totally concealed works out…I would really love if it did, actually.

Ooh, wouldn’t it be so much fun if the blogger world all met together for a masquerade? That would be the most fantastic event that ever existed.

Well, on that note, I must go do homework (only five more days left)!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week,
Sylvia

And The Award Goes To...

2009-06-06T20:08:00.001-04:00

So, finally, I have time! I recieved a phenomenal tag from Annie a bit ago and since then, I've been telling myself I would get to it as soon as I possibly could. And, P.S Annie, I took the pictures in front of a brick wall because I know it's your favorite :) And without further ado, let the ceremony begin!

The Day to Night Award

I bought this Frenchi dress at a Nordstorm in New York. I was shopping with my friend and passed it, immediately falling in love with the color and cutouts at the top. It was the only one and I was discouraged when I saw it only came in a size smaller than I would usually get. However, I tried it on anyway, and a couple of years later, I’m still in love with it! I imagine the look on the left functioning as a work outfit in the city and then unwinding with some friends with the look on the right.

Die Liebe von meinem Leben Award

DIRNDL! Possibly my most craved piece of item pre-purchase. I was visiting my Oma and Opa in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with my parents this April break and you would be surprised to see just how many women still wear dirndls. I’m not claiming that all over Germany the stereotypical impression of clothing is correct, but in the Alps, it was very common—especially in stores and restaurants. On Easter Sunday, the whole city was decked out in their finest dirndls and lederhosen. It would have looked out of place not to be wearing the attire! I tried to think rationally: would I ever wear it when I returned home? Yes! I thought. Am I being crazy? Yes! I thought. But my mom, dad, and I headed out to the wonderful shop down the street, and I can confidently say that dirndl shopping is my favorite thing ever. The woman explained in German that “Women who are taken tie their bow on the right and women who are not tie it on the left…but then on Oktoberfest, everybody ties it on the left!” I bought the one my mom and I had first fallen in love with in the window display, and my Opa and Oma were so pleased that I decided to keep it on for the rest of the day. I must say, I felt fabulous…although, I made my parents talk in German whenever we were in the presence of other people so it seemed like I was just your average German and not some American tourist who had been swept away in the old trend (which I suppose, frankly, I was.) But still, I must ask, why oh why can’t we wear dirndls everyday? Because it is, truly as the award says, 'the love of my life.'

The Ferocious Foreigner Award

I bought this on the same trip to Germany when I went out shopping in Garmisch. I’ve been feeling a bit of love towards the animal prints lately, so I was very pleased to find this skirt!

The Necessity Award

Probably one of my best Forever 21 finds, this dress matches with all different types of cardigans and tights. I love the way it falls, and I always feel so comfortable and nice in it. I’ve worn it to dances, trips into the city, and on holidays, and it never disappoints.

The Traveler's Companion Award

About three years ago when my friend Becky took me to South Carolina to visit her relatives, I wore this on the plane. I decided that a week later on our return flight, I would wear it again. Ever since then, I wear this dress on any airplane trip or travel venture within another place I make.

The Feel Good 40s Award

I love the polka dot print and sleeves on this one! I’ve worn it on Thanksgiving and when I went to see Equus (!) with Annie and Jess, and I love its comfortableness (hey, did not know that this was a real word!) and 40s esque vibe.

The Blessed Hand Me Down Award

Before my oldest best friend moved away to Memphis, her mom asked if I wanted this skirt. She is a notorious shopper, so it wasn’t uncommon for her to return or give away things she realized she didn’t want. At first I wasn’t sure if I would want it, but now I’m really glad I took it. I can wear it different ways and it has cropped up in a couple of photoshoots.

The 50s Thrifty Award

I was trying on a dress at the thrift store when I heard Annie say, “Wait, Sylvia…I love this.” I pulled aside the curtain and saw Annie hugging a Granny beach themed sweater. It was truly adorable. A moment later, Annie had found another one. She only had money for one and because I decided this one could not be left behind, I bought it! We’ve traded them once or twice, and I absolutely LOVE this sweater!

The Best “Borrowed” Award

Can you still say it was borrowed when the person doesn't know you took it? This lovely skirt is not technically mine though it has been in my closet for a year or two. Becky and I were raiding closets at her house and found this skirt in her sister’s. We went on to have a photoshoot, and I really never took it off. Fortunately for me, a) Becky is kind and b) her sister likely never noticed! **Honorable Mention to the two sweaters I have on in these pictures. What could I do without you blue and yello cardigans? Note, the blue is also from Becky's closet. THANKS BEX!**

The Dynamite Deal Award

Okay, ready for this? Originally this was $139, then to 99….then….I got it for…………$6.88! Yes that is, 6 dollars and 88 cents. I think that is the best bargain I will ever see in my life. And besides the amazing deal, my mom said it reminded her of West London in the 60s and hearing what kind of city, time period, and vibe people associate when looking at things always makes me very happy, so all in all, I just needed to buy it.

The Greatest Gift Award

Another purchase made in Germany when I went last summer. I hadn’t really brought any good walking shoes, so my uncle and aunt remedied it with this amazing pair of shoes! I think this is a lesson to all to be slightly unprepared when traveling so you can later fill in the gaps with beautiful little buys.

Well, I had an enormous amount of fun! I tag:

Have a lovely weekend!

Sylvia

In The Government Yard In Trenchtown

2009-06-02T20:35:00.000-04:00

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Saturday, May 30th: Senior Prom

Don't you love my prom dress?
Ha. Ha. Yeah, well, I was just the photographer capturing the evening of my older brother.

Between the two of them...

...they can hardly take a serious picture.

Ahh! Yes. There.

The little picture in Sarah's hands was from two years ago. They went to his junior prom together and reunited this year for her senior prom.

Sunday, May 31st: Fruit baskets

Oh just the usual dinner with Jackie!

A lovely family sent us a fruit basket because my dad helped installed their laundry machine. We sampled them all. In recent news, I love kiwis.

Monday, June 1st: Audition day!

I had my audition for the play that's going on this summer, As You Like It. We all had to prepare a Shakespearean sonnet that struck us. The one I found and loved was number 32:
If thou survive my well-contented day,
When that churl Death my bones with dust shall cover
And shalt by fortune once more re-survey
These poor rude lines of thy deceased lover,
Compare them with the bett'ring of the time,
And though they be outstripped by every pen,
Reserve them for my love, not for their rhyme,
Exceeded by the height of happier men.
O! then vouchsafe me but this loving thought:
'Had my friend's Muse grown with this growing age,
A dearer birth than this his love had brought,
To march in ranks of better equipage:
But since he died and poets better prove,
Theirs for their style I'll read, his for his love.'
In modern English, according to No Sweat Shakespeare, it translates to:
If you survive me when my happy life is over and churlish death has covered my bones with dust, and you should by chance read again these poor, crude poems by your dead friend, compare them with the better poems that are being written these days. And though my poems are being outstripped by every other poet, keep them for love of me, not for their poetic quality, exceeded by the brilliant poems of better poets. So grant me just this one loving thought: "If my friend's inspiration had been matched by the poetic excellence of the present time his love would have produced better poems than these, good enough to be ranked alongside those of today's good poets. But since he died and poets are better now, I'll read theirs for their style and his for his love."
The old English is obviously much more eloquent, but I love reading the modern and realizing how incredibly true the words still are.

Sweater: TJMaxx, Skirt; Becky's closet (thanks Bex!), Tank: Old Navy perhaps?, Necklace: Trinkets & Treasures, Shoes: Payless

I'm learning No Woman, No Cry. It's so beautiful and has such a feeling of summer to me.

Tuesday, June 2nd: Lit Mag

Working on the literary magazine after school. In my hands is a copy of last year's.

Katie took this picture after we chuckled over the box for a bit.

:) His converse are rockin. Budding fashionista?

I tried to be contorted. Kind of looks like my left arm is amputated though--ANTM panel would be very disappointed. Thanks to Katie for the above three of me!

I'm watching 'Inside the Obama White House' on NBC which is incredibly interesting and makes me fall more in love with the president. (I know, I'm so unoriginal.) Now though I must go off to do my homework. Coming soon to a blog post near you will be the amazing closet awards that the brilliant Annie tagged me in.

Stay tuned!

Sylv

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays

2009-05-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

Monday, May 25th: Memorial Day

The morning started with a lovely breakfast of cheerios.

Being the good mother that I am, I shared with Jackie.

After picking up my instrument from the school, I headed down to the town center where the band was meeting to march and play in the Memorial Day parade.

Three flutes, two clarinets, and one bass clarinet.

Two of the sweetest men you'll meet, Glenn the bag pipe player and the Grand Marshal!

Sarah made us delicious patriotic cupcakes!

Wednesday, May 27th: Pops Concert

Becky and I got ready together before the 'Pops' Concert in which the main musical groups at our school play one or two songs. We played a Porgy & Bess medley--composed of songs I now totally adore. Other performances included a movie montage of Jaws, Jurassic Park, Terms of Endearment, and other classic soundtracks, Bridge Over Troubled Water, and an amazing rendition of the Beatles song, Because. Emmy and Annie were two of the people singing in the women's choir who made 'Because' the best song of the evening.

Friday, May 29th: Initiation

Speaking of the fabulous Annie, she came over yesterday so we could finish our DIY project. We didn't finish, but we had a lovely photoshoot and watched the ever fantastic Project Runway. After we went to Jess's house to watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I had never seen but found excellently ridiculous, with about 6 friends.

Annie and KP, my neighbor.

I'm like one of those ducks who flaps his wings but can't keep his balance. This duck like moment captured by Annie.

Hooray for self timer!
Annie is definitely a favorite of my many gorgeous models, so naturally there were many more photos featuring her photogenic self. I emailed them to her, so more documentation of her fabulous outfit might be cropping up on her blog sometime soon!

Well my mom is very irritable due to the fact that she is struggling to make a corsage for my brother's prom date. And I think she might just be about to take off my head, so I think I'll go take these moments to study chem before they head off--(I'm going along so I can take some pictures of Tim, his girlfriend, and the very troublesome corsage.)

Have a lovely Saturday!

Tie Dying & Raving With Richard Simmons

2009-05-26T18:48:00.000-04:00

Our Friday afternoon entailed...

getting back in touch with scootering,

dance aerobics,

getting out balls (that are not meant to be used as basketballs) from a hoop with a tripod,

dancing,

"abstract" posing,

basketball ballet,

more dancing,

more dancing x2,

racing Lineth,

beating Lineth (well, ahem, I suppose it's debatable who the winner really was),

failed jumping pictures,

self timer galore,

color accents,

self timer fails,

more abstraction and surprise poses,

pantsing,

Jackie on a platter,

posing with Jackie,

more posing with Jackie (because after all, he's everyone's favorite bird),

Gossip Girl covers,

sabotaging pictures,

sleepiness in the garden,

smiles,

moody shots,

gorgeous sunlight,

Lily's laughing,

many arms,

and...

pencil

diving?

Phew! Long list and even more that was not documented but was just as glorious, including cheeseburgers and shellfish shaped grilled cheese, tie dying, sweating to the oldies with Richard Simmons, raving, mosquito bites, and M&M cookies. It was a fantastic day, and I think we all agreed to make it the start of a tradition. The 50s next time, anyone?

I'm off to collapse into my bed for a very deep sleep before I even think about starting homework. Light load tonight though, thankfully.

xxxoo,
Sylv

P.S THANKS to the ever incredible, Annie for the

It made me beyond happy, and I would say the same times three million about her blog! Thanks again :)

"I still don't see how you glued your hat on, Harry. I mean, I know you say you didn't, but obviously, you did."

2009-05-24T14:08:00.000-04:00

Purple cardigan: H&M, Tank Top: Urban Behavior? Headband, the top drawer of my dresser, Shoes: Payless, Skirt: saved from the costume room trash bin at the high school by my mom

Fighting brick walls. It's a passion. Thankfully captured by Lil.

"Well some of these are going to be...abstract."

--above photos (except fighting brick wall crime) by Becky

I snapped these two of Lily and realized again how much she looks like Allison from America's Next Top Model.

Some highlights from Thursday
--had elections for the Little Theater Club with a slightly sad outcome but some funny speeches
--went to the gym and did some conditioning with Katie involving weights, hula hoping, and jump roping
--walked to the local deli. On the way, Katie realized she had dropped the 10 dollars I had given her 10 minutes prior. We started to double back then decided we should continue on and search on our way back.
--reached the deli and bought a three dollar (*#(@#(@!!) fruit salad with the quarters, dimes, and nickels I was keeping in a Hubba Bubba Tape case. Albeit, the fruit was delicious…but three dollars!?!? And it was the size of half of my index finger.
--headed back and by some strange miracle, found the formerly lost 10 dollars in the grass by the road. We felt very accomplished.
--Becky joined Katie and I in an intensely fun Zumba dance class
--went home and ate cheeseburgers and salad with my family
--watched Matilda and as always, loved it. Who doesn’t love Miss Honey? And I love the clips at the end—they both look so happy. I looked to post a video of the song, but I ended up finding a fan video that combined another thing that I love!

I’ve had a fantastic weekend so far which has included an 80s tribute day with my four best friends, Richard Simmons, and vest making with Annie. Pictures will soon follow!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday,

Sylvia

Wishing on Dandelions

2009-05-20T22:44:00.000-04:00

It's the season of dandelions and who of us hasn't plucked one up, closed our eyes, and made a wish? Despite my mom's protest that they will just keep duplicating if I continue (even though I think dandelions are quite pretty!), I've made quite a few. Here are some on my mind:

NUMBER ONE

I wish the wizarding world was real and I was in it.

J.K Rowling is a genius, and I don't think any other series has as much fun.

NUMBER TWO

I wish everybody wore Scottish clothing on a day to day basis.

I love this girl.

NUMBER THREE

I wish a guy would look at me like Jude looks at Lucy in the Across the Universe ending.

From 2:43 onwards…his face…my God. It just makes me cry—it is the sweetest thing ever. When he kind of looks like he wants to laugh and cry at the same time, but he’s just so so happy…And the edition of “She loves me, (yeah, yeah, yeah).” It’s just incredible.

NUMBER FOUR

I wish I had a tree house/room like any of the following:

Bex showed me this from visualize and I fell in love. I would love to do something similar to my room this summer.

NUMBER FIVE

I wish I could be the old glamorous feel of an actress in New York City or Paris.

I am always inexplicably reminded me of Curious Case of Benjamin Button (in my top 20 movies, by the way) and the feeling of performing in a city.
P.S watch this scene. I absolutely love it…the way that every little event is important and is domino affecting onto the other…ah, it’s just beautifully done.

More wishes to come...

But for now, may you have many encounters with many lucky dandelions,

Sylvie

P.S I've just gone over my 50th post! Don't quite know why, but it's exciting!

Get It Briga-done!

2009-05-14T16:05:00.001-04:00

Oh all the spin offs and words play ons one can do with Brigadoon...
BUT...TODAY IS THE BEST DAY FOR SPIN OFFS...becaaaaaause........

THE SHOW OPENS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eeeeeeek!! AND YAYY!!!!!!!!

I really must go to curl my hair, but here's a quick recap of Tuesday. (A longer post shall surely follow once these 5 to 11 o'clock rehearsals are over.) So this week at school class of '11 is hosting a cancer awareness week. Tuesday's s color was yellow to honor bladder cancer (Jackie, our class president got used to hearing "oh ohh! HA. yellow for bladder cancer...that's a bit ironic, isn't it?" but she was very good at keeping herself under control unlike I would be had I heard that for the millionth time in an hour.) So anyway in the spirit of yellow, I wore...

Skirt: from about 4 years ago, I had to rummage through my attic that morning at 7 o'clock to find something, Tights: Forever 21, Yellow Sweater: thrifted and shared with favorite thrift store pal, Annie, Shoes: Payless, Ribbon: My top dresser drawer.

Julzes said I looked like I should be in Grease. Which reminded me...

Skirt by my mommy, pictures by Becky.

Well, I really must go! The next time I see you, I will no longer be a Brigadoon performance virign. And by the way, to get in on the magic, check this out. Doesn't it look wonderful?!? It's almost like being in love.

Ah, I just can't wait to get my Briga-dance on...

(Sorry. I'll stop. Well...I'll try to.)

Mutti, Mommy, Shanaynay

2009-05-10T20:55:00.000-04:00

Are we not like two volumes of one book? ~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. ~Ambrose Bierce

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his. ~ Oscar Wilde

You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back. ~William D. Tammeus.

Allerliebste Mutter Tee: Ach, was hab ich doch für'n glück: Du, mama, bist das beste stück. Wie schön, dass ich dich wiederseh', komm trink' mit mir ein tässchen tee!

Meaning, "All time best mother tea: How lucky I am to have you: you mommy, are the best piece! How nice it is to see you again, come drink a little cup of tea with me!"

Well. Doesn't exactly translate. But you get the gist! It was a little gift I picked up on our last visit to Germany when I told my mom to go ahead on so I could look at the bears and dolls decked out in their German outfits. Little did she know...

All in all, the tea is right, mothers are incredible--especially when they end up paying for lunches you "took them out on." (Long story...) At the top are pictures of mine.

P.S Calling my mom Shanaynay first came up on her birthday a couple of years ago when I was explaining how to get your spy name from a Boy Meets World episode I had watched:

Rachel: You take your middle name and the name of the street you live on. Then you have your spy name. My name is Kimberly Beaumont.

Eric: I'm Jonathan Cumberland.

Jack: Eric, your middle name is Randall.

Eric: Jonathan Cumberland.

Jack: Do you even listen to the rules?

Eric: ...Who is Jonathan Cumberland?

Jack: All right. Good job.

Shawn: I'm...Patrick Trailer Park.

Angela: Get this...My spy name is Sha-Nay-Nay Martin Luther King Boulevard.

We've both loved it ever since. My mom's actually would be Herta Ilse Riverdale. Mine would be Charlotte Belleview. What would yours be? Ask your mom, too!

Happy mother's day!

"I draw really good seagulls."

2009-05-09T23:45:00.000-04:00

Quoted from the drummer in The States. When signing my T-Shirt, I asked him if he could draw, and he promptly started putting little v's and w's everywhere. He explained he was really good with seagulls. So, last night was crazy fun. Lily, Sarah, Lineth, Becky, and I decided very spontaneously yesterday afternoon that we would go to the State Radio concert. People had been talking about it for a month at least, but we had never had any particular interest. Then suddenly, relaxing at home seemed less appealing than partying up at the much talked about/much anticipated concert. It started slow, but it picked up and was complete with much crowd surfing, an absurd number of drunk people, and feeling deaf by the end of it. We had an excellent time together though and went out after to the town's general favorite hang out, our local diner. I had the ever delicious french toast, sausage, and chocolate milkshake. All in all, it was a wonderful evening! Here are some pictures of the day and evening.

Jackie, my beautiful parakeet.

"...and then she went showgirl." -Mr. Jay, ANTM cycle 4

Below begins the adventures of my new shoes in the backyard:

They saw many things and had a good time.

“The mathematical sciences particularly exhibit order, symmetry, and limitation; and these are the greatest forms of the beautiful.” -Aristotle

Math is...cool, I suppose, but nature is just incredible.

Then it was concert time!

First taken from my phone: Us all with the States--Joe, Pete, and Chris.

Again, this time from a better quality phone and with the guys saying '1, 2, 3' and karate kicking.
^Picture courtesy Lineth's phone

Sarah joined the band. Turns out she fit right in!

^Picture courtesy Lineth's phone

State Radio playing

^Courtesy Lineth's phone

I had been talking to someone a couple of days ago, Lineth I think, about finding tickets to some concert. By the end of State Radio, it was confirmed: we are now on the hunt for cheap, good tickets to an artist we like. Top choices currently are: The Shins, Counting Crows, Jack Johnson, Britney, or the Backstreet Boys (but if Backstreet Boys, they better play the good ol classics). Others like Feist and John Mayer some of us (like me!) would want to see, but it would be better to all agree on one and then we can split off later on for the others.

Anywho, hope everyone had a lovely Saturday!

It's A Miracle: Math Made Fun!

2009-05-06T23:38:00.000-04:00

Annie and I had a fabulous afternoon--spent thrift store shopping, passion tea lemonade drinking, and Paris/travel discussing. We both had some beautiful finds though I know, I know, I must stay away. I feel like Harry Potter. I must not tell lies. Except, I must not try on one more outfit and then feel unrelenting desire to purchase. Anywho, it doesn't look like we're going to stay away from the thrift store anytime soon. We have plans to make it a tradition, and we'll hopefully be heading out for Goodwill and smoothies on Memorial Day Weekend.

I must go shower/study/homework it up, but I leave you with this lovely mathematical (OXYMORON?!?) sentiment. It all started when I said to Annie (who treated me to the delicious Starbucks today), "I'll buy the drinks next time!" Then I thought, huh, sounds kind of like I'm picking her up at a bar. And well, little known fact, I'm obsessed with pick up lines. And since I know she loves math...well, google did its work and I found...this piece of loveliness...

WARNING: MATH PORN BELOW

"They integrated from the very point of origin. Her curves were continuous, and even though he was odd, he was a real number. The day their lines first intersected, they became an ordered pair. From then on it was a continuous function. They were both in their prime, so in next to no time they were horizontal and parallel. She was awed by the magnitude of his perpendicular line, and he was amazed by her conical projections. "Bisect my angle!" she postulated each time she reached her local maximum. He taught her the chain rule as she implicitly defined the amplitude of his simple harmonic motion. They underwent multiple rotations of their axes, until at last they reached the vertex, the critical point, their finite limit. After that they slept like logs. Later she found him taking a right-handed limit, that was a problem, because it was an improper form. He meanwhile had realized that she was irrational, not to mention square. She approached her ex, so they diverged."

It's quite genius.

In another news, I really want to go inside and explore this house.

I feel like it should have a secret door, a library, and a really amazing attic complete with old photo albums and hats. Furthermore, I adore porches and would love to sit down with a nice pitcher of lemonade, a record player, and a really good storyteller.

All eye candy above courtesy of google images.

G'night all & dream well,

Sylvia

"You don't do drugs? Drink alcohol? No? There are worse addictions than buying too much at a flea market, sweetie."

2009-05-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

^These were the words of the woman who totaled up my purchases at our town's annual "Minks to Sinks" sale. As she looked at the price on each taped on sticker, I said "My mom's gonna kill me, my mom's gonna kill me..." (Indeed, before I left for painting sets that morning, my mom brought me into my room and said, "Look around, Sylv." "I know mom, I'm sorry--I know it's messy..." "No, well yes, but besides that. You don't have room for anything. Keep that in mind today when you're looking around for stuff you're going to buy." "Oh, right. Okay...will do." I told Lily this and she tried to be my mom's concionsus...but it didn't always work out that well...When I remarked this to the cashier woman, she told me "You don't do drugs? Drink alcohol? No? There are worse addictions than buying too much at a flea market, sweetie." Suppose she's right. Anywho, here are are the results of a very fun day.

Lily!

Outfit: Skirt: (borrowed from Bex's sister, Emily...I still don't think she knows...) Shoes: Payless, Yellow seater: TJ Maxx, Tank Top: New York & Company.

Katherine (in her fantastic new outfit) and Kobi (who later dropped her ice cream on the ground.)

Me, looking over my German record in the beautiful, comfortable, amazing plush chair that we all wanted.

Keith: "I want a pony and a rocket ship..."

Jake: "I'll show you a rocket ship."

She "doesn't like having her picture taken."

Jess and Kobi discussing this matter.

My purchases! 17 dollars in all for...

A teapot: I have a real thing for teapots. I'm working on my collection. In fact, I saw one when Lil and I first walked into the sale--a beautiful lilac one--and while we did skirt shopping, I said, "Should I get it? Should I call my mom and ask her?" Lily said, "Well, Sylv...if you really want it, I wouldn't ask your mom." Unfortunately, by the time we wandered back over, I was very sad to find out it had been taken. However, when I saw this forest green one, I thought, I'm not making the same mistake, and I snatched it up. (My mom didn't end up minding the purchase, or really any for that matter, being the lovely person she is! Besides, she expected her speech wouldn't stop me much from buying stuff.)

Two skirts: Lily literally had to drag me away from the skirt section after I decided I was buying them.

Orange earrings: Last minute add in for a dollar. Who could resist?

Three Cups of Tea: For 50 cents! YAY. Been wanting to read it for a while, too.

'Ein Abend auf der Heidi' record: Jess picked it out for me. I liked the cover. I added it to the bag.

Two pairs of shoes: Two dollars each. Again, who could resist?

London 2006 Book: With a pull out map!

Discovered the irony (and was very amused) of Three Cups of Tea and my new teapot!

Well, all in all, it was a very lovely day.

Now off to clean that horridly messy room of mine and make some space for my new buys.
~Sylvie

Honey, honey, food for the bees

2009-05-02T22:19:00.000-04:00

Feeling like a Top Model on April 29

Shirt: birthday present from Julzes, skirt: Gap, tights: TJ Maxx, Shoes: Havaianas (birthday present from Allie)

Turtle earrings!

Thursday, April 30th

Oh hello!

Outfit on me: Red shoes: Joker from Germany, Shorts: Express, I believe? Mustardy top: Forever 21, Cardigan: TJ Maxx, "0% Plastic" Bag: Gap.

Photo of me and Miss Liberty courtesy Sar bear.

Sarah, me, and Lineth (Bex as the photographer)

View outside the library window. Jackie, Zoe, Claudia, Sarah G., Julia, and I gathered there for a little study sesh in preparation for our Merchant of Venice quiz. Not much was accomplished before I had to go off to theater rehearsal, but Julzes and Zoe filled us up on the gossip and we discussed the upcoming dances (and oh, the drama of it all.) I have pictures ready to go up from today's adventures at our town's annual "Minks to Sinks" flea market like sale, but I'll be posting tomorrow. Bye for now ;)

"Don't be a fiend, give me your queen."

2009-04-28T22:51:00.000-04:00

TODAY'S OUTFIT

Skirt from H&M in Germany, Shoes from Payless, Shirt from neighboring town's ice cream store (Sarah and I got matching, because who DOESN'T want to be coordinated with their best friends??), Mood necklace from Germany, Apple courtesy my breakfast and the upstairs kitchen.

THE HIGHLIGHT OF TODAY

Katie and I played Go Fish! Except instead of saying "Do you have a six?", one might say "Trees, trees, trees, sticks, sticks, sticks, please dear Katie, give me your six" or "YO FACE. Now give me yo ace!" or "three three three" (when things started getting less creative.)

A TIME I WAS REALLY HAPPY

From left to right: Viki (from Slovakia), Karolina (from Poland), Me, and Katy (from Colombia)
We were all in the youth hostel castle in Pullach, Germany. This particular night our camp program had a "ball." It was one of the best times I've had. Dancing, chatting, music. Just being blissful.

SOMEONE I REALLY MISS

Viki! Haven't talked to her in ages, too. I really hope we meet again someday. We had so much to talk about, even with the language barrier. Her English was amazing anyway.

A MOMENT I WISH I COULD GO BACK TO

Back to Pullach again. Jumping off bridges with hilarious, sweet Irish boys. This particular one who is jumping in the photo is Richie. Yum.

A PURCHASE I WISH I COULD HAVE AFFORDED

Three hundred Euros? Most likely. Still...

PEOPLE I WANT TO HAVE TEA AND CRUMPETS WITH

Richard Griffiths, Dan Radcliffe, Jess & Annie. We'd be a cute fivesome.

A PICTURE I REALLY LOVE

Sarah and Lily, taken at Thursday photo club

SOMETHING I NEED TO GET BACK TO

Sign language! It used to be offered after school in my old town. I remember it being a fun time. Lineth and I are bringing it back at our weekly (err...monthly?) running club. A letter for each time we have a meeting! This 'A' was our first.

A TALENT I STILL WISH I HAD

Climbing up doorways. I'm sure it will come in handy if I relearn, too. Don't ask me how, but it will.

AN OUTFIT I WOULD REALLY STILL LIKE TO PULL OFF

Look at all that mismatch and those layers! Oh Sylv.Trendy you. Kid fashion just rocks.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOSHOOTS
(With one of my favorite photoshooting buddies!)

ONE OF FAVE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Kirsten on left as Peter Pan, Kaileigh in center as Britney Spears, and me on right as Cinderella...BEFORE the ball.

CURRENT FAVORITE BOARD GAME

TWO OF MY FAVORITE PLAYS TO BE IN THUS FAR

Seussical and Alice in Wonderland.

Playing Hillary Clinton is just as fun as it sounds.

SOMETHING I WISH I HAD STUCK WITH

Well actually I don't think I ever actually took ballet, I just really liked the tutu. But still, I wish I could go en pointe.

TRIP I WOULD TAKE AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT

France with Lily.

MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY

Thanksgiving!

A SIMPLE JOY

Stacking cards in France. Lil and I got pretty good.

WHY I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRING

Bex and I spent three days in a row together a couple of years ago. It was a blast.

Well, that's all from me. These were just some things on my mind, but I encourage anyone who is interested and reads this to answer the same questions! Annie, Jess, Emmy, Mary, Katie, Chris perhaps? Have fun! :)

P.S I hope you all enjoy the new summer color scheme! It's still under progress, but I wanted something lighter.

Why I've Been A Poopy Blogger Lately

2009-04-22T10:56:00.000-04:00

I just used poopy in a title. How eloquent of me. The idea of it all started in my free today when I thought about how I still needed to do a proper post on my adventures in Deutschland. Then I realized...hey, my schedule is ridiculous and I'm only home...like, right now (aka only from 10:30 PM to 7:30 AM.) So here is my schedule of today and an example of why I've been sadly lacking in posting (P.S, it's surprisingly fun to write out your schedule moment for moment...try it sometime. P.P.S, the pictures have absolutely no relevancy to my schedule, but I felt like the post looked sad photo-less, so I couldn't resist):

My friend, Lily, after school at photo club.

6:50 "Wake up." (Note. This should be said aloud using air quotes)

7:20 My mom comes into my room, "SYLV. You're not up yet?! It's 7:30!" (I've noticed she always exaggerates the time to make it sound more severe. Good technique though and it always makes me get ready faster)

7:46 Bus comes. I listen to my 'Moondance' playlist on my iPod. Songs include:

Moondance, Michael Buble

Sunrise, Norah Jones

Feeling Good, Nina Simone

Fields of Gold, Eva Cassidy

You Raise Me Up, Josh Groban

Can't Help Falling In Love, Michael Buble

Don't Know Why, Norah Jones

Fly Me To The Moon, Frank Sinatra

So Long, Farewell, The Sound of Music

Wonderwall, Paul Anka

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Bette Milder

Home, Michael Buble

Born Free, Andy Williams

Turn Me On, Norah Jones

Everything, Michael Buble

Edelweiss, Julie Andrews

8:06 Walk into school. Locker time with my friends. Talk about going to Disney world, dirndls, boys, a certain school book with a certain past user, etc.

8:20 German. We talked about transportation and flights and I really wanted to be on one.

9:10 World Lit. We get our essays back after just about 3 years of waiting and wondering and forgetting they even existed. I could hardly remember writing it when I looked over it again. But I got a 93! Thank God. Our teacher gave a little speech on how much we all suck first, so it got me a tad nervous. Annie did okay, she got 100 or whatever. Like nothing to be excited about. (And I totally told her she would.)

10:00 Math. Ew. EW. WHAT THE FUCK IS AN ELLIPSE? I took a picture of Alex because he had strategically placed his hat over his eyes and I believe was taking a nap. Then because my cell phone was dying, I threw my pencil across the room, and as I bent down to pick it up, I plugged my charger into the nearest outlet. My teacher did not notice any of the following. Of course. I left thinking what I always think: "I hate math." and "WHAT THE FUCK IS AN ELLIPSE?"

10:50 Free! For the hour! A rare perk in my day. Bex is sitting next to me and in approximately 6 minutes, we will go meet Lineth for lunch. Unfortunately, I actually do have to do work. But I'll finish this post first before essay writing sets in.

Wait. Just kidding. Apparently the bells aren't working in the library and it's time for lunch. I'll continue during my next free.

11:12 Lunch! I was very excited to see they had these french toast strips that I used to love seeing in elementary school. I asked if I could just have those instead of the omelette but she seemed all flustered and like she was getting steadily more annoyed, so I said I would take it all. The full meal included applesauce (eh, not great), potatoes (Bex warned me they were weird and I had one or two before deciding that they were more than just weird), vegetable omelette (not the kind of omelettes I make or particularly like, but it wasn't terrible), a little cone shaped syrup pack (fun!), the french toast strips (YAY!), a Green Delicious apple (wasn't that ripe, but it was alright), and skim milk. All in all, for three dollars, it was a great deal. I mean, it only would have been a better deal if it was just french toast with a side of....frech toast. But whatever. It was satisfying enough.

12:25 Chem. Hey, I actually understood stuff! And after the 48% on my last chem test, this was a big accomplishment!

1:15 Band. Our teacher seemed to extra hate us today considering we're leaving for our adjudication tomorrow and we can either do pretty great or fail miserably. So he got pretty angry. However, I found my other teacher playing piano and singing a song from an operetta to himself when I first walked in and that was nice.

2:05 Gym free. That's where I am now...it's pouring like crazy outside. Usually I sit facing the entrance, but now I'm at a computer with a huge window to look out of. I love the rain. And now I'm listening to my 'Sunday Morning' playlist, care of the genius button on my iPod. I wanted to see what it came up with. Lyrics from The Fray's 'All At Once'... "Sometimes the hard thing and the right thing are the same." I like that. But anyway. Gym frees are fantastic. This is my best schedule out of the 8 day rotation, actually. Yesterday it went more like World Lit, Math, Creative Writing, Chem for the hour, Gym, Double lab. Oh the joy.

Okay, I must work on my essay now. I'll finish up the rest of my schedule when I get home at 10:30. Ugh.

Driving to the Alps in my uncle's car.

3:00 Lit Mag. So peaceful when it's only four people. I really enjoyed it. We read, chatted, listened. It was what lit mag should be.

4:15 Apply at the elderly home down the street for a job. I'm setting up a meeting so I can volunteer in the summer and once the play is over.

4:30ish Ran into Stop & Shop and got a glazed sticky bun. Quite scrumptious.

5:00 Guitar lesson. Went by fast. We talked about my trip to Germany a bit and I discovered that JP had the same German teacher in high school that I do now! He says the only thing he remembers is "Ich spiele Gitarre." Oh well. At least it's something.

6:30 Rehearsal for Brigadoon. Ample rounds of Marry Screw Kill (a game in which it sounds exactly like it's called and you give three people (three guys if you're playing with girls and vice versa...or to switch it up, guys if you're playing with guys and vice versa) and you have to pick one to marry, screw, and kill.) It's fun to play with the guys who say exactly what they think and don't concern themselves with cushioning the blow of rejection.

9:30ish Head home. (I got out early!) A nice surprise...even though I actually love going to rehearsals.

Captured out of a bus in Tunis, Tunisia. I wonder where they were all going.

It is now 11:08 and I must go do homework.
Adjudication for band/chorus/orchestra in DC tomorrow! FINALLY! I can't wait.

See you all ladel,
Sylv