bribery & affection.

Abby & I lazing around on a Monday night:

Sometimes I bribe my dog with graham crackers to sit next to me. Is that sad?

She likes men better. Probably because they don't smother her with unwanted love like I do. Right?

That must be it.

la poesia y la naturaleza

Words by Pablo Neruda, Graphic by Quality Peoples

One of the best things my undergraduate Spanish minor brought to me (besides my handsome boyfriend) was an appreciation for poetry. I can't say that I read poetry regularly; in fact, it's quite the opposite. I rarely do. But throughout my university years, when my studies would require it or when I came across a piece in a newspaper, I would consume it hungrily.

I took several courses that required extensive poetry reading in Spanish (my third and severely neglected language) and I loved it. But my interest in reading poetry fizzled after completing the courses and I didn't think about it for almost three years, until this weekend.

Yesterday, I went for a long stroll through Point Pleasant Park with Abby & a friend of mine, CH. Being surrounded by nature, reminiscing about our childhood travels and camping trips somehow reintroduced the idea of reading poetry again. I don't have the words to explain exactly why this interest suddenly reappeared, but it relates to the feeling I get when surrounded by nature. I'm one of those people who are captivated by the ocean. It makes me want to paint, draw and write. It's an endless source of inspiration for me.

So then why don't I just write poetry? That is because I can't appropriately express nature's inspiration in poetic form without it reading as my pathetic attempts at writing poems in my middle-school diary. His eyes are like the ocean, deep and untold. BLEGH.



Instead, I'll leave the writing to those who do it so well, like Pablo Neruda. All it will take is a quick trip to the library tomorrow.

Do you read poetry? Who is your favorite poet? I'm open to suggestions.

sticks in the park

Hiii! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My posts here have been non-existent for the past few weeks because, as I mentioned earlier, my computer was dying on me, little by little. This weekend was the last straw. This girl 'needs' internet.

A couple of weeks ago, Abby, the boys & I headed outside after work for some play time in the park. I am definitely appreciating the extra few hours of sunshine in the evenings. It's hard to believe that just a month ago it got dark at five and now the sun doesn't seem to set until after eight. I used to see Spring as a rainy, muddy pit stop that stood between me and summer, but I'm learning to appreciate it more.

While the boys tossed around the football, Abby & I romped around a bit.

Although Victoria Park isn't technically a 'dog park', lots of owners give their pups some off leash time here. I'm a little hesitant to let her off-leash unless there is another dog to keep her close. She is so easily distracted and tends to wander jet off at high speed when she gets her first taste of freedom. Luckily for her, though, there were a ton of sticks laying around so I decided to chance giving her some freedom. Luckily for me, it worked!

I leave the leash on her, so she's easier to grab.

When we try to play with her outside, whether it's with a ball, bone or her favorite stuffie, she wants nothing to do with us; but all we have to do is find the biggest, baddest stick and she is all over us. She is a wild-dog through and through.

I hope you all have a lovely, relaxing Sunday!

technical difficulties: round three

I think you should know that my computer is dying a slow and painful death. On top of getting a new hard-drive to the tune of $200 in January, my power cord recently decided to give out on me.
Thankfully, the roommate B has an old Dell, so I've borrowed his cord in the interim.

Un-thankfully, I also have a persistent parasite of a Java virus that refuses to let me use Firefox or upload photos. Oh, and I should mention that it's been exceptionally well trained in the art of hiding from my anti-virus software.

In two days, D & I are making the hour long bus ride to the Best Buy across the bridge. In two days, I will be around $1000 poorer. And, in two days, I can write a proper blog post.

Woe is me.

Love,
Janelle

turquoise & caicos: late night manicure.

I had this semi-intellectual post planned for today about recent books I've read and ones I hope to read soon.

Instead, I'm sharing how painted my nails tonight. And yes, this warrants an entire post because I haven't had them painted since November (Gasp!). I used to do my nails in this style all of the time. It was my signature style in sophomore year of my undergrad: diagonal color stripe with silver sparkle bottoms.

Don't look too close or you'll see the smudges.

This type of manicure looks fancier but it's actually easier for me. My cuticles are a jaggedy (made up word?) hot mess all of the time, so by doing clear sparkles on the bottom and colour only on the tips I don't need to worry about smeared polish on my skin. This works for me!

To get a similar look, place scotch tape mid-nail on the diagonal. Paint two thin coats of colored polish & peel scotch tape off before 2nd coat dries. Carefully fill in the bottom half of nails with clear, silver or coloured sparkles, doing extra coats if needed. Follow with a glossy top coat for lots of shine and staying power.

I don't always paint my fingernails, although I normally keep my toes painted in the summer. On my fingernails, I tend to go either completely bare or something extravagant. How about you?

 

Pssst: I'll be away this weekend to visit a close friend in my former university-town, so don't expect any noise around here until Monday. Hope you all have a great long weekend and that you get to enjoy some quality time with your loved ones. xoxo