I feel loved.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and sister attended the Union Square Paper Party here in Somerville. I couldn't go, but (two-thirds of) my family brought me a souvenir, and it's quickly become one of my favorite things.

When I made a garland of felt flowers two weeks later, it seemed like draping it over my favorite thing was a good idea. I still think it was.

Spectacle Island

On Saturday, Em, La and I decided to take advantage of the summer-like weather and travelled from our far-flung corners of Boston to meet at Long Wharf.

We got on the ferry and went to Spectacle Island, one of the Boston Harbor Islands. We spent a couple of hours exploring, taking pictures, gossiping, discussing our unique way of fabricating facts (it started in high school- one of us says something that they think they heard. Another repeats it. You've now heard it from two places, so it must be true.), and of course, dipping our toes in the water.

We ended the day with a glass of wine, Tuscan olives in rosemary-infused olive oil, and matching airbrush tattoos.

I love it when we're all in the same place.

A lunchtime garden

When I left my last job, I was nervous about where I would eat lunch.

See, old, pretend-scientist job was in the South End, so at lunch time, I would sometimes go for walks to take pictures and feel inspired. Now, while I'm much more suited to what I actually do at work every day, there aren't quite as many places to explore in the neighborhood.

Lucky for me, though, one day a coworker took us to this roof garden on top of the library. You can see the entire Boston skyline, not to mention surround yourself with green and sunlight. It's incredibly peaceful up there, and sitting in my favorite spot, eating my lunch and thinking my thoughts, has quickly become one of my most treasured rituals. It centers me, refocuses me for the second half of my day. I love it.

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, friends!

Over the weekend, the roomies and I had our pie-themed housewarming party. (Yes, we have lived there for a month and a half now and our house is quite warm already. I don't care.) We baked eight pies in preparation, and nearly killed each other in the process, but when Saturday night came around, we put everything out with the labels that I'd watercolored, poured ourselves glasses of champagne, and had a fun time showing our friends our new apartment. It was a really lovely evening.

Last night my friend Elizabeth and I made braised pork with three different kinds of peppers, and ate it with cheesy grits and delicious pinot noir. Elizabeth was one of my few foodie friends with whom I had never cooked before, and I foresee lots of cooking in the future. That pork was amazing, and I can't wait to have some of the leftovers for dinner, wrapped up in warm corn tortillas.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a good week, full of productivity, delicious food, and good weather. Happiest of Mondays to you all.

The High Line

One of the funniest things about visiting the High Line is that there are so many people taking pictures of it.

Not touristy "look at me in New York City on the High Line" pictures, but the kind I like to take, the ones where you pretend you know anything at all about photography. I have a sneaking suspicion everyone is taking the pictures to put on the internet, when they write on their blog about their trip to New York, a highlight of which was the High Line.

The thing about it, though, is that the High Line was a highlight of my trip to New York. Lisel pointed out that the gardens were natural without trying to deny that they were urban; it really was the perfect combination.

(Also, the homemade chocolate-dipped mint ice cream bar that I bought from the Lily Lolly, who has a cart right on the path, was delicious.)

(Seriously- is there any chance that any highlight of any trip I take wouldn't involve food?)

It was quite a weekend.

Brunch was eaten, apples were picked, a walk in Castle Island was had, and then we went to the Life Is Good festival.

I know, I know, lame, Life is Good, but whatever.

Have you ever seen OK Go live? They are amazing.

I mean, what else would you expect from the guys who did the treadmill video? In the course of their rather short set, they: played handbells, sang a song in the middle of the crowd, found a member of the audience to play guitar for them, and were awesome.

And then, as if that wasn't enough, there was Guster.

Guster has defined discreet periods in my life more than any other band ever will. Keep It Together will always always always bring me right back to the summer between high school and college. I was simultaneously as happy and unhappy as a human being can be, and when I wasn't working in that damn stationery shop I was hanging out with the Commies, listening to Guster sing about being back in Massachusetts and singing along at the top of my lungs because I knew that in just a little tiny while, none of us would be in Massachusetts anymore, and everything would be different.

Anyway, I hadn't seen Guster live since that summer. Seeing them yesterday, with Emily, who knew me then, and my roommate Emma, who's very much a part of this new, semi-grownup life I've created for myself in Boston, was one of the more poignant moments of the summer.

Now I'm ready for fall. Foliage, anyone?

{High Line, September 2010}

Happy Friday, friends!

This weekend, I'm going wine tasting, music festival-ing, and farmers' market-ing. (Now that Emma's moved to Boston, I finally have a farmers' market buddy who lives in Somerville, gets up as early as I do AND likes to go to brunch!)

How about you? Any adventures?

p.s. Last weekend Lisel and I went to the High Line. It was gorgeous, and I'll have more pictures next week.

Over the weekend, I went to New York to visit Lisel.

There was laughing (lots of laughing), and walking, and cupcakes.

It was perfect.

Sometimes, your friend has a bad day. So you bake a pan of brownies, sprinkle sea salt on top, and wrap them up with pink tape.

Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, it helps.