El Salvador del Mundo

It's full moon here. Saturn and Jupiter line up across the tropical sky and we wait. Our eyes focus and the sky becomes a color after all.

It is April, and you are the friend I most long for. My students line up in their sad rows of chairs and no longer move me, our little country of unhappiness exploding over and over. Last night I trailed a bottle of Tick Tack down Paseo Escalón, the red label fluorescent in the bright dark of our altitude.

What is the savior of the world doing among these wire fences, in all this broken glass? If the street were a sky, glass would glitter like stars, a thousand broken pieces along the curb. The planets would swing on their startled orbits, the earth, a heavy fist of heart, turn blue as death, flexing its chambers of love and sorrow, easing its way into some stone hand of God.

--Janet McAdams

Life Around Bennington

Abita lovin'

I want to paint this behemoth dresser super dark glossy navy (almost black) and replace the pulls with clean white knobs. Thoughts?

Mantle in the making.

Tomtes keeping watch

My good karma keeper.

120's getting there.

Random Resolutions

Well, they're not really resolutions, per say. More like things I want to do and would love to accomplish and will keep me motivated throughout 2012.

1. Start a Calendar Journal. Saw this on Pinterest like everyone else and thought it was a great idea. I saw someone who started a morning-photo scrapbook (take a new picture every morning and see what you can find), so maybe I'll mix the two ideas and see what I can create.

2. Read more books. Right now I've got one I found at Oh Suzannah on sale for $4, and I'm loving it. It's inspiring me to set up a chicken coop in my little back yard and take beekeeping classes at PVCC this Spring.

3. Try to spend very little dolla bills on stuff like soap or coffee or shampoo or food I can make myself.

4. Start riding again.

5. Spend my savings on gorgeous a rendezvous in France or South Africa or Peru or somewhere else breathtaking and far far away...

Trust me, there are plenty more aspirations and ideas that I have up my sleeve--I wouldn't want to limit them to one little list. I feel like I've already taken 2012 by the horns, and we haven't even had our first snow! First up on my un-listed list: live simply, expect little, give much, love extravagantly. Stay tuned?

It's A Christmas Miracle

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday yesterday and ate our faces full of BBQ ribs, cheesy potatoes, brussel sprouts, and amazing chocolate cheesecake that one of Pete's aerobics ladies made him. It was sugar suicide and worth every bite. We had a record 4 dogs in Grandpa's house, ranging from 5 to 75lbs, and amazingly enough, no catastrophes occurred because of them.

Who, me??

On Christmas Eve, we toasted to my wonderful grandma who would have been 83 years old (I think). Truly one of the most amazing women I ever knew, and I think she would have appreciated our semi-flat, local champagne and complimentary bottle of beer toasted in her honor. 

Christmas is always a little weird at our house because we are a super low-maintenance family and rarely ever need anything. This might sound like a blessing, and it probably is, but when it comes to getting gifts for everyone it can be a challenge. We can always resort to the ole socks and underwear grab bag, but that can get old after a while. My mom always manages to find us the strangest, most awesome "treasures" from various thrift stores and estate sales throughout the year--one year we got a baby incubator, a chandelier, and a velvet rendering of the Last Supper. Classics, right??

This is what happens when Rudolph comes through The Lou...

This year's theme seemed driven by alcohol, as we had a more than 40 different beers accumulate under the tree, several bottles of wine that Pete bottled himself, and even fancy old-man whisky. This is particularly funny seeing that my parents aren't big drinkers, and I'm usually satisfied falling back on a light and airy PBR in a can. We fancy huh now, I guess. 

My little house is coming along slowly, and my tree and assortment of Christmas cards on the mantle managed to give it a pretty homey feel. Even the crickets laid low yesterday and gave me some peace...

I went to a killer pedal, kettle, bosu ball class this morning with a couple girls from work, and now I am ready to spend the rest of the day lounging, reading, and downloading music for a new mixed CD. Thank Jewus for week-long vacas! Can't wait to rage in DC with my lovers this weekend to bring in the New Year!

Countdown to VP PIC Pregame in the MPL!! Love it.

Happy early New Year!

xoxox,

Hannah

A Little Tiny Materialistic Wishlist

Tis the season to think of ridiculous crap that I don't need and forward obnoxious links to my brothers with the hopes that I'm doing them a favor by being sooo nice and helpful by sharing my Christmas List! Ho ho hoe, indeed.

I have a tiny wish list that I keep on my phone for rainy days, or when I'm feeling the holes in my pockets burn, or when I break away from my stingy genetics to buy "stuff" that will make me happy(ier).

Have your credit cards at the ready, people! The list stands as follows:

1. Lamy Safari Fountain Pen in shiny aqua blue!! I was in Rock, Paper, Scissors the other day and, as usual, found myself  testing every Lamy pen they have to offer. I have lusted and drooled and pined after these pens for years--they are just begging to be used to scrawl sweet messages to friends or little love notes in coffee shops. One of my old friends has a Lamy tattoo on his forearm and I'm starting to understand the infatuation. Let the journal-keeping documentation begin!

2. Virtuoso Conical Burr Mill for my lovely Rancilio. I've suffered enough harassment for using a sub-par grinder the last few months, and I think it would be OK by me if my fairy espresso godmother decided to drop this little beauty in my stocking this year. I'll make her a capp, for Christssake!

3. Gurgle Pot! Ever since I saw one of these at Julianne's house in Blacksburg, I've been a tad bit obsessed with how weird and cute they are. I could have a whole school of them in different colors, filled with wildflowers or punch or chilled cucumber water. 

4. A gigantic oil painting of a kaleidescope-colored, juicy, naked lady compliments of the one and only Rebecca Derring. Name your price, woman!! I would die to have one!

5. Design*Sponge at Home. This was the very first blog I ever discovered, before I even know what a blog was ("how do you follow a blog??" So cute).  Everything Grace Bonney touches is golden, and I have a hunch this would look practically perfect nestled next to my very favorite Domino hardback. It's sooo pretty. Sooo many crafts! Sooo many ideas!! Sigh.

So there you have it. The best part about this list is that I don't need anything. I have more than enough beautiful "things" in my life, and I would honestly be completely happy and satisfied with little Uli pie by my side, a book from the thrift store, and a hot mug of something delicious.

Three Cheers,

Hannah

While You Were Sleeping...

I'm in Fredvegas with the one and only fabulous Alwang lady and I'm making a special-request post just for her. Here are some snippets of things I've been doing while my poor, sad blog has fallen to the wayside...

Blessing of the Hounds

My parents' new puppy! I spy...

Room with a view and some shiny new windows...

Getting rll fancy...

A very Canard Christmas. <3

Off to Ikea tomorrow, hooray hooray! Then--Julianne on Sunday! The angels are singing for real...

Happy Weekend,

Hannah

Birds of a Feather

There are few things more satisfying than discovering a new stylist who can cut your hair well, have normal conversation, and make you look sooo pretty in less than an hour. I held strong to my man Tony of the hard NOVA streets, but he was no match for the glorious Cville hook. 

Enter: Moxie. A bunch of lovely ladies at work recommended this place, and I'm so glad they did! I doubt I would have found it otherwise, and I know I would have been rll creeped out by its warehouse, industrial, pseudo crack-house exterior. It's tucked back off Preston in a little corner next to Reids, across the street from Bodos (mmm...). I always thought it was a laundry mat--who knew?!

The walls are covered with Roy Lichtenstein-esque art; the lounge is sprinkled with funky mod chairs; and the salon is staffed by young and tattooed stylists. Also, it was packed with customers, old and young, who left looking ten times better than when they entered. I will definitely be going back, especially considering this Monday, I will work less than 1 mile away! Hip hip hooray for downtown addresses!

January loves Moxie... obviously.

xoxo, Hannah