Adrift

Feeling tired and overwhelmed about going out of town for a few days. Nervous about my presentation. Nervous about exploring a new city alone. But I know it will be good, and if for some reason it's not, well, I'll be home sooner than I think. I can think of a time when unknowns were exciting to me but a lot has changed about my life and about who I am since I felt that way.

Brunch

I am so lucky to have amazing friends and to be able to go out and eat amazing food with them. This weekend we brunched at Calico. Good times.

Last week

Last Sunday I went out of town and visited my aunt for a few days. She has a beautiful old house near the lake. The kind of old house I loved as a kid (still love) it is so very grand inside. And the lake was so beautiful, and no one down there. It was lovely.

Later this week I am heading to Boston for a conference. I am a little nervous about going somewhere new all alone, but it should be fun, and hopefully the conference will be informative and inspiring too.

Time feels like it is moving awfully quickly these days.

Stumped

I am feeling a little stumped on the writing end of things these days. I have been working hard: reading, gathering more materials, taking notes, organizing what I've written so far, preparing conference papers, etc. But not writing. And I have so much to say, and so much material to say it with. But I just can't seem to bring myself to write these past few weeks. I feel overwhelmed with all my notes and books and articles and transcripts. I am not sure where to begin (again). I know that once I start it will be easy to keep the momentum up for a while, I just need to start. Instead: all manner of procrastination.

Thrifting

Today was meant to be spent at a giant warehouse of an antique store in a wee little town north of the city. Sadly, when my future mother-in-law and I arrived we discovered it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. This ended up being perhaps for the best: we ended up going back into her town, where we had amazing luck at various thrift stores and antique stores.

A total steal was the large collection of bottles I have been looking for (to be used for wedding flowers-along with the old mason jars I bought this weekend). I found a collection of beer mugs with birds on them, a set of Pierre Cardin glasses (similar to these!!), cute hand painted plates, a couple of gorgeous vases, a 60's chip & dip set, and that Hermes scarf-still in the box. Total for all my purchases: $55. Indeed, a day well spent.

Monday

Ahh, nice weekend, busy but satisfying. We had a surprise party for a family friend and she was indeed surprised and it was amazing. We brought her a gorgeous flower arrangement in an old mason jar done by Coriander Girl. I meant to take a photo before we went but was too frazzled and rushed: we packed a lot in on Saturday. I am so excited that she is doing the wedding flowers.

Today I had a delightful brunch with a good friend at Saving Grace, where this hilarious celebrity was eating beside us. A little distracting. Now, I need to get to work on a conference paper that has had to be condensed to the point that I have no idea if I am even saying anything at all. Hard not to wonder what the point of the time and expense of traveling to Boston is, but I am trying to think positively that I will make some good connections and hopefully be inspired by some of the presentations.

Busy

Been busy writing and getting ready for a presentation I had today. Thankfully that is over, it always feels good to get something like that done. A relief that it went smoothly, and I got good feedback about my research. A bunch of errands to get done afterwards walking all over the city with L and I am completely exhausted. Now he's at band practice. It's kind of crazy how different our energy levels are.

Thinking

Getting a lot of work done today, but now it's 5pm and I am ready to be done, although for some reason I feel like I should keep working. This is the problem of being a student (or working from home in general I suppose), you feel like you could always be working, or that you always should be working. I feel alternately like I have accomplished so much on the thesis and then that I have accomplished so little. Sometimes I feel both at once.

Had a wonderful video chat with some far away family last night and it was just so nice. Then today I ate my sandwich lunch while having a video chat with a far away good friend. Family on the Pacific and my friend on the Atlantic and me landlocked in between. I love modern technology. Except I wonder how confusing it is for my two-year-old nephew who sometimes asks me to "get out of the computer" or tries to pass me his toys and snacks through the screen.

Long Weekend

A fabulous long weekend. Just the right amount of busy and relaxing times: felt productive and rested. These photos don't show it very well, but the weather was phenomenal. Yesterday we watched the outdoor thermometer climb to 32 degrees celsius. It was beautiful. The park on Saturday was fuller than I have ever seen it except for big events. It felt like the whole city was outside.

I love these two new stores side by side each other on Queen west. Art History has a strange and interesting assortment of old timey things alongside small art editions and magazines. The Melissa has a carefully and adorably curated collection of old timey things.

Today I got started early as I wanted to prepare more for a presentation I am doing on Thursday which I was having silly nightmares about. I have to remind myself I actually enjoy sharing my research with an audience.

The giant library made to look like a peacock. There is the peacock's head. The weather is simply delightful these days, supposed to get up to 25 celsius this weekend. What a beautiful long weekend it will be. Mind you, I really should be working. This week has been less than productive. Really need to get some writing done, but it seems like every day there has been something distracting. Today I had lunch and a "crafternoon" with a good friend. Lunch on her roof-top terrace was lovely. Then we crafted: aside from getting crazy glue all over my fingertips, I finished making a peacock feather hairpiece. Fun times. Anyway, I need to stop living this charmed life and put my nose to the grindstone. Not that writing is all that terrible or hard anyway.