Winter Glide

Winter Glide
Originally uploaded by [Zakkalicious / Mikael]

New Year's Resolution #1:

I need a bike. STAT.

World Aids Day

Today is World Aids Day.

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988. World AIDS Day provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals with an opportunity to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic.

Over a million Americans are estimated to be living with HIV. Worldwide, an estimated 33 million people are living with HIV.

Get the facts, and take action!

Here are some things you can do:

• Get tested.
• Decide not to engage in high risk behaviors.
• Use protection (Not only for you, but for your partner too!).
• TALK TALK TALK! Talk about HIV prevention with your family and friends.
• Get involved!

Thanksgiving

Hope you loves out there had wonderful Thanksgiving weekends! What did you do? Here's what I did:

1. Hang out with fam (see pic above...I look quite coy.)

2. Eat 2 Thanksgiving meals (fiance's family and my family living in the same state= full bellies)

3. Go Black Friday shopping (because I needed a dress for a Christmas party this coming Friday)

4. Study (sort of...)

5. HAVE FUN.

Now, to descend into a black hole of despair, to emerge victorious on December 16th.

Rihanna on domestic violence.

This is such a heartbreaking and honest interview. I think that Rihanna deserves a lot of respect for speaking out.

I have been volunteering at the Boston Medical Center for the past few months, interviewing women in the emergency room about their ideas and experience with domestic violence. The stories that I have heard are heartbreaking.

Domestic violence is an issue that I think deserves a much bigger audience. It is something that we, as women are warned about, but once it happens to us, we are expected to keep silent.

Nobody wants to be a victim. Nobody wants to admit that they have been emotionally or physically abused.

But how can we speak out when traditionally, the course of remedy to leave your abuser isn't so easy? What happens when you love the person who is abusing you? What happens when, the person you love is so violent, that even a restraining order won't keep them back?

This is not a simple issue, but somehow, we miss this point. In Massachusetts, one in every 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime, and an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner every year.

How do we change, because something has to give. It is NOT okay to condone or trivialize domestic violence issues.

Please take a moment visit Jane Doe Inc., for more information.

What I wish I had right now.

Some macaroons from Laduree would be so very good at this moment {11:29 p.m.} in time. I have got to find some way to get these babies for my wedding. Can there be such a thing as a macaroon cake? or a macaroon tree? Ah, I miss Paris.

The Heidelberg Project

The Heidelberg Project is this amazing community project in Detroit, Michigan that I happened to come across while futzing around on the internet. What a great program.

Check out some history:

The Heidelberg Project, bearing the name of the street on which it exists, was started in 1986 by Tyree Guyton. He was assisted by his grandfather, Sam (Grandpa) Mackey (deceased), and his former wife, Karen Guyton. Tyree was raised on Heidelberg Street and, at the age of 12, witnessed the tragic effect of the Detroit riots - from which he claims the City of Detroit never recovered. Though once racially integrated, many neighborhoods have become segregated urban ghettos characterized by poverty, abandonment, and despair.

Armed with a paintbrush, a broom, and neighborhood children, Guyton, Karen, and Grandpa began by cleaning up vacant lots on Heidelberg and Elba Streets. From the refuse they collected, Guyton began to transform the street into a massive art environment. Vacant lots literally became “lots of art” and abandoned houses became “gigantic art sculptures.” Guyton not only transformed vacant houses and lots, he integrated the street, sidewalks, and trees into his mammoth installation and called his work, "The Heidelberg Project", after it's location on Heidelberg Street.
Despite numerous awards, the city demolished parts of the Heidelberg Project installation in 1991 and again in 1999. Still, the Heidelberg Project continues to exist, evolve, and grow - providing hope and inspiration to the local community and the community of the world.

Today the Heidelberg Project is recognized as one of the most influential art environments in the world.

To donate, and check out more facts, go here.

And for real, here's my costume.

I'm actually in between two of my bridesmaids, Korto and Sarah
{a.k.a. Roller Derby Girl and Ladybug}

Where's Waldo?

I had waaaaaaay too much fun dressing up this Halloween. Can you tell?

A special wedding.

Photos from top to bottom: The Branford House, Groton, CT; bride, groom, best woman, and groomsmen; handsome devil; beauties in blue; exchanging the rings; BEST PHOTO EVER; and the damn good looking siblings of the bride.
Photo Credit: Me and my trusty Panasonic Lumix...I may have found a new calling.

Hi old friends!

MY apologies. I have been the worst blogger in the history of the world for the past few months! A little over a year ago, I started this blog solely because my boyfriend had one and he didn't think I would keep up with it, so...CHALLENGE, it was on. And I kept with it for such a long time! However, life got in the way, blahblahblah, and I felt as if I couldn't keep up with my old habits as much as I used to.

What's funny is that I miss writing every day on this thing. Even a little blurb here and there, it was something I actually looked forward to doing. But...I lost my spark for a bit, and didn't really feel as if this blog was really contributing anything of substance. I've seen my lovely friends' blogs blossom into really well thought out, beautifully written pieces of work. And mine, well...let's just say, I'm not so good with the words. Or staying on topic. Or writing interesting posts.

But, screw it. I started this blog for me, and yeah, I kind of do want readers, doesn't everybody? I want to be one of those popular, funny bloggers who are invited to blogging meetups and are experts on all sorts of things. I WANT TO BE THE FACE OF THE INTERNET.

Sort of. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this blog, while not important for anybody else, has been a really great way for me to express myself, and I miss that.

So I'm going to try and get back to blogging regularly. I need some expression in my life, other than making really bad law-school jokes about being a tortfeasor.

Glad to be back.

It's been a while...

...and I'll be back soon because I have a LOT to talk about. For now, I'll leave you with an infamous quote which I love so much:

The only people for me are the MAD ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but BURN, BURN, BURN, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight POP and everybody goes ‘Awww!’

-Jack Kerouac, because really, it couldn't be anybody else.

But I want it!

Um... can I have TWO wedding dresses?
{Saja Wedding}

Inspirational Cheese

I just prepared my bedtime tea, which came with this little quote that I thought I'd share:

The universe is the stage on which you dance, guided by your heart.

{quote courtesy of my Yogi tea bag}

On the subject of friends.

I happen to be one of those people who is extremely lucky in the friend department. I happen to have friends who support me, no matter how ridiculous I am (and believe me, I am quite ridiculous, like, beyond ridiculous). They love me even when I am difficult, and they're there for me when I don't even realize/acknowledge their support. You know, or when I'm a complete monster.

I had a visit with an old friend yesterday, who lifted my spirits, so much that I forgot to be stressed out (which is incredible since if my life is not stressful, I feel as if something is wrong. Sick, I know). We've known eachother since I was 12, but our friendship has grown much stronger as of late. This friend, I can say is one of the most beautiful, amazing people I've had the pleasure to know (biblically, ahahahah no, okay, just kidding, bad joke.). Yesterday reconfirmed it.

It feels good to surround yourself with positive, beautiful, witty, kind, FUN people who share your quirks, or at least, embrace/not make fun of you for them.

I happen to be an open book. This has proven to be a big problem, because it means I get hurt frequently and easily. Lesser people prey on my large, squishy life organs, and masticate them until the only thing that's left is a big, yucky lump of red flesh.

I've often been told I am "too soft, too emotional, too sweet, too nice etc." It's not a compliment. However, these characteristics that I find to be incredibly important have been completely dismissed by those who find those qualities to be obnoxious, insufficient, etc. Because being nice and fun is equivalent to being dumb. Or it means that you're being fake. Or if you cry all the time, it's for attention.

Or, when you take the empathetic viewpoint in law school, it means that obviously, you have no idea what the hell you're talking about because it's not about the people in the case, it's about the RULES.

So these friends of mine, the old ones, the older ones, and the very brand new ones, are pretty special to me because they let me keep on doing what I'm doing, being "me" in all of my sensitive glory, and giving me the gift of their company and love.

So, tchin tchin (raise your glass), to friends!

{Note: This post came out of me reading my horoscope from astrologyzone.com. Yes, it's true.}

Musings

Some things I've realized in the past 5 weeks:

I am not perfect.
I am not very good at adjusting to a new routine.
I have some really great friends and family.
I am really stubborn.
I am REALLY moody.
My fiance is a saint.
I really like tea.
I need to get my anxiety under control.
I don't need a TV.
I will be okay.
I'm way too dramatic.

Gray Sunday

(PC: Flickr)

I am sitting at my little desk with a big cup of tea, one little light, and gray drizzle outside.

I like gray Sundays, they make me happy (yes, very Eeyore-ish I know...that's probably why he was my favorite). I like having that one rest day where it's okay if I don't rush out to do something, or one day where I can just drink endless glasses of red wine with smelly, disgusting cheese (that's my wannabe French side coming out- though, this can be an "any day of the week" activity), while watching bride shows on TV (okay I know, I can't help it, I'm getting married dammit!).

Sundays are the only day of the week when I sit down and become very introspective, which is amazing since I constantly operate at a high-frequency level where I practically vibrate from energy and stress. I don't know what it is about a Sunday, it just seems to lend itself to calming, lazy moments. It's like I did 8 days of an intensive yoga/detox program (speaking of yoga, I need to get back into it. I used to do it 6 days out of the week. I don't know what happened. Probably life and the realization that I was spending a ridiculous amount of money going to a really expensive place and thinking it was absolutely necessary, hmmm) and now I feel great.

So, I'm going to finish up a tiny bit of work, and preparing to snuggle in bed and watch a few episodes of this show.

Happy Sunday, friends!

Awesome

This video is for the Brooklyn-based R&B band, Escort. It's muppet centric, and just spectuacular. Because I love Sesame Street, I figured I'd share this gem with you. Pretty amazing.

In my dreams

Only $825? Don't mind if I do...

New Home

I don't know when it happened, but somewhere between 2 years ago and today I found a new home.

To make a long story short, I have two very lovely parents who moved their children around the world and back for several years until they settled in Connecticut. Because we were so transient during my formative years (meaning, before adolescence), the notion of "home" does not come easily to me. When most people think of the word "home" and what it means to them, they're able to come up with a concrete image- perhaps it's the house they grew up in, dinner on the table at 6, or kids they knew in kindergarten whom they still have ties with/to.

I've envied those who have had a physical place to come back to, and often wondered if I would ever be settled enough in a place so that I could call it home.

Well, it seems as if I have made one. Cambridge/Boston has been my home for the better part of 10 years; ever since I came to college. I've become an adult here. Most of my friends are here. I walk around the neighborhood and greet people I know. Cambridge is my constant.

How is it that this happened? How did I create my own home when for so long I felt as if I didn't have one; that my "home" was traveling with my family?

I would argue that it might be marriage, but I don't think that's it. I think the turning point came before I was even engaged.

I think the real issue is that I had had a problem with the notion of "settling". Settled means stifled. I didn't want to be stifled. Therefore, I wasn't ready to settle.

Except being settled doesn't mean being stifled at all. And I think that I'm finally ready to accept that. I have a new life. I'm starting a new family. I'm starting a new career path. I'm okay with being settled. And that, my friends, is why I can officially call Cambridge my home.

Blergh

I am a HOT MESS right now! Trying to figure out this law school business is turning out to be tougher than I thought. I no longer seem to have any sort of a schedule, it's more like a long mash of work/eat/work/work/sleep/WORK WORK WORK WORK.

I'm really glad my poor boyfriend/fiance/fee-ahnce hasn't left me yet, because I'm pretty sure I've given him plenty of good reasons.

My wedding's only 9 months away, and I've kind of slacked on the details for the past few months. I need to pick up the pace! SO, with instead reading my Property casebook, I researched bridesmaid dresses instead.

This is pretty much my final choice; unless something else WOWS me (but nothing really has, as of late):

The girls are going to wear all different colors, because my wedding is rainbow-themed, a.k.a., I don't have a color scheme, because I don't like matching that much.

Ok...back to the books. Biz, my darlings.

Procrastination

How is it that I'm only in the second week of school and I feel like I've been here for 6 years?

On a side note, the topknot is my new fashion love (especially since I now have BANGS!). I'll be rocking it all fall long.

And now it's off to do some more work.

{PC: Turned Out}

Life as a 1L

My life has taken a very large turn in the past week. I finally started school and I can officially say that I'm a 1L at Northeastern University School of Law.

It's been an exhausting week. I feel as if I haven't had time to breathe, but in a good way (yeah, I'm all about contradictions, it's sort of my thing). I haven't been to use my brain in its capacity (or rather, it feels that way) for 3 years. It's nice to be back in a setting with incredibly intelligent, driven people who are all there for the same cause.

I can only imagine that the journey ahead is going to be a difficult one, but one that shapes me forever, and I'm so glad for that. So onward and outward!

<3

My fiance deserves a post because he has been so wonderful putting up with my nervous nellie ways for the past few weeks. I started law school today, but not without some serious doubts. John held my hand, laughed at me, and told me it would be okay. And today it was.

So John, thank you for believing in me and being proud of me. It means more than you know.

{All pictures taken by my father in Tobago 3 weeks ago}

Because I like this.

500 Days of Summer was cute, but not my favorite movie of all time. However, I DO like this video of cute Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He's kind of bratty, and I like it, mostly because I can be bratty too.

Frida Kahlo

She will always remain one of my favorite artists. And the rich colors and flowers in her hair? Perfection.

Apartment Therapy

(What I'm imagining one of my 2 bathrooms will look like)

I'm moving! After two years in my lovely studio loft apartment (which I so generously shared with my fiance), it was time for a change. I start law school on Monday (eee), and had been begging John for a place with at least one door, and maybe, possibly, a teensy office for me.

Well, we found one, and I'm at a loss for how to decorate it! You see, we're moving into a handicap accessible apartment, and we now have two MASSIVE industrial-looking bathrooms and low counters. While some people may balk at this, John and I jumped at the challenge, especially since one of us is tall and the other one is short (but the dr. said I was 5'5"!)...

...Except that now I'm starting to doubt my apartment decorating abilities. Tell me, do you have any tips or suggestions for how to make awkward spaces work??

(P.S.~ I don't know how confident I feel about chalkboard paint, but isn't this table awesome?)

PC: Design*Sponge

My favorite kind of people (for Erin)

NERDS WITH SOCIAL SKILLS.

A fraction of fashion.

I just came across this beautiful woman's blog, A Fraction of Fashion while browsing yet another awesome new blog, Turned Out. God, isn't she gorgeous? And Celia (A Fraction of Fashion), seems to have kept her style totally her own, which is hard to do.

Plus, those curls! Ah, she is my new style crush.

Le Mariage

My darling friend Morgan got married this weekend, and oh, did it make me excited to get married. It was a beautiful ceremony, simple and sweet, at a GORGEOUS mansion in Connecticut.

I was with all of my oldest friends. I love the above picture because we're all so happy, and invested in making sure that Morgan (the bride) looked her best. I wish her all the happiness in the world, and to my dear friends, I love you.

A Return (of Sorts)

Today I leave the little island that has been my home for the past two weeks. It's been quite a relaxing stay in Tobago, being with my family and John for such an extended amount of time. It's rare that all of us are in the same place at once, considering that one of us is across the country, two of us are in (or about to start) school, grad and university, and my parents are in Connecticut, tending to their lives.

It's time to come back to the real world. I'm excited about it, especially because it starts this weekend with a wedding!

Happiness

smell of the ocean
ripe mangoes. and starfruit. and grapefruit.
fresh fish
salt water
cold beer
peeling nailpolish
brown skin

Relaxation

Drinking a Shandy and peeling a ripe mango with my teeth.

'BAGO

I decided to leave everything behind and come with my family to the island of Tobago, where my grandmother lives. It's a much needed vacation, and I haven't been with my family altogether since December.

I'm signing off (again) until I return on Aug 22 (with lots of pictures).

xx

Handwriting

hand type by Jean de Tremontels

{via booooooom}

Wowza

Talk about a wedding! This is what I want mine to be like, kay?

Summer Vacation

There is nothing better than taking a self-imposed break during the summer months.  Despite the fact that I have seen more rain in the past 2 months than I have ever seen before, I haven't been deterred from having the time of my life (right now I'm sitting at my family's house in Connecticut in my mother's little writing shed, watching a very swollen river rush past.). 

I'm ready (somewhat) to come back to the world of blogging.  I have spent the past few weeks doing whatever my little heart desired.  I finally quit my job working as a paralegal, and I have a month-long break before I start law school.  I went to California to visit my friends and my brother, sat outside in the sun and read several books.  I came back to Boston and sat in my incredibly hot apartment with a fan trained on me and (several) glasses of white wine.  Right now I'm at my family's house, which is deep in the woods, and such a peaceful place to be.  In two weeks, I'm going to Tobago to visit my grandmother for two weeks.

I'm not so sure I'll be back very soon, but I guess you'll just have to check back and see!  

Tell me what you've been doing these past few months.  I would love to hear about it.

xx,

D

The Uniform Project

I just came across The Uniform Project (well, not really, since everyone is blogging about it), and I think that it's an awesome idea.

Well done, and I hope you get many, many more readers.

Here it is:

Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

~The Uniform Project

On the subject of love (and marriage)

{All images culled from Le Love}

I've been thinking a lot about love and marriage recently. As I begin the planning process for my own wedding, I realize that not only am I excited to get married, I am ready.

Did I think back in March that I was ready to be married? No. To be honest, though I had found the love of my life (and yes, I know I'm incredibly lucky), the prospect of marriage scared me. What would happen if our love changed, or worse, if our love died?

But when the proposal happened, I accepted immediately with no hesitation. I had no doubt that my fiance was my soul mate. We fit together so perfectly, that I can't imagine my life without him. Not only do we love eachother but we're friends-- you know, the hangout kind.

Things will change in our relationship, but we've been through some big changes together already, and managed just fine. We're moving along the same path at the same speed. Maybe my life won't turn out exactly how I imagined it to be, but when does life ever do that?

I haven't given up my dreams. I have someone who encourages me to reach for them. We're growing up together.

Future plans

Soo...remember all of those posts about taking the LSATs 8 million times and feeling totally inadequate? Now I can look forward to feeling inadequate in law school!

In March 2009, I was accepted at Northeastern University School of Law. I spent a very long and emotionally greuling time trying to decide whether or not I wanted to go back to school, to go back to school to be a lawyer, whether it was worth it to take the same test over and over again, if I was willing to put myself through 3 years of hell, and then take another exam that literally determines your fate in the legal world.

Why, do you ask, did I decide to continue through with my law school plans despite my apparent apathy? Because I knew that there had to be people out there just like me- intelligent, socially and morally responsible people who want to effect change in the world. And I knew that these people believed that the law should be practiced with passion and a deep understanding of its impact on every citizen.

No, not all lawyers think like this, not all lawyers want to change the world. But I do, and I believe that I can. Do I expect to have a deep social impact on our society? No, but a girl can dream. What I can do is provide a unique point of view and the passion to dedicate my work to what I believe in- in whatever way I can.

And I know I belong here:

At Northeastern University School of Law, our mission is to fuse theory and practice with ethical and social justice ideals so that students understand what it is lawyers do, how they should do it and the difference they can make in the lives of others. We strive to produce lawyers who see the practice of law as a way to realize their goals, to find meaning and purpose in life, and to be of service to others in ways that are intellectually satisfying and personally rewarding. We are committed to engaging with the world outside the university, to harnessing our individual and institutional energy to address societal challenges, and to expanding knowledge that advances our ideals through research and scholarship.

Weekend Recap

There's nothing better than blended families and warm, sunny weekends.

I saw no fireworks and wore no patriotic colors, but it didn't rain, I made fried chicken, and managed to get a nice tan.

And I got to spend the weekend with a certain person, one who still gives me butterflies every time he looks at me.

Happy birthday beauty!

This is my darling friend Erin. I've known her since I was 12 years old. It's her 25th birthday today. Join me in wishing her a happy birthday!

I luff you Erin!