What Else Is There?

Röyksopp - What Else Is There?

{I don't know what more to say...I love this song, this video, this voice.}

Twelve Things

One of my favorite bloggers, Lobster and Swan, started an interesting blog topic...Twelve Things.  What 12 things would you take with you if you had to start over again?  Not the everyday necessities...but the sentimental items.

These are the 12 items that I picked out.  They are for the most part items that remind me of my love, my family, important friendships and traveling.  You can see them featured at Lobster and Swan with many other lovely items by clicking here.

ADDED NOTE: I forgot one very important item that was a wedding gift.  It is so fragile and precious that it has been packed away in a box with lots of padding until I can find a safe place to display it.  It's so special that it jumps to the start of the list that is now Thirteen Things.  I'll take it out and add it in a later post so you can see what I'm talking about.

Darling Diptych :: Red

Left: Mo

Right: Brittany O

I LOVE the color red!  I painted the walls of my college bedroom red, floor to celing.  It was pretty intense. 

I hope you all have a fun and safe 4th of July/Holiday weekend! I'm looking forward to diving into the next book in the Slow Readers Book Club, The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia.  

Ten off the top

"Unclose your mind. You are not a prisoner. You are a bird in flight, searching the skies for dreams."                  ~Haruki Murakami {from Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World}

Thoughts like that are why Haruki Murakami has held place in my heart as numero uno ever since I first peeled back the pages of the above book over 10 years ago...

As summer surges on, and with a Holiday weekend approaching I find myself thinking about books, books, books!  I have a few in mind to read this summer which I'll share in another post, but first I wanted to share some of my all time favorite reads.  These books are in no particular order other than Murakami's novel, which is what I'd take with me if I were stranded on a desert island and allowed only one book. 

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World ~ Haruki Murakami

One Hundred Years of Solitude ~ Gabriel García Márquez

Stone from the River ~ Ursula Hegi

Geek Love ~ Katherine Dunn

Tipping the Velvet ~ Sarah Waters

Of Human Bondage ~ W. Somerset Maugham

The Grapes of Wrath ~ John Steinbeck

The Alchemist ~ Paulo Coelho

The Fountainhead ~ Ayn Rand

In the Time of the Butterflies ~ Julia Alverez

What about you?  What books do you recommend off the cuff?  I love hearing about the books that inspire others.

"Sleep to dream"

I dream intensely almost every night, and my dreams grow stranger as summer heats up.  Last night I dreamt that I confronted a burglar in my home while I was alone...I searched his pockets before letting him leave. 

Darling Diptych :: Up

Left: Mo

Right: Brittany O

With all the planning it takes to get ready for a long weekend getaway, I forgot to send Brittany my photo for last week's Diptych!  So we are resuming our Friday project today, with Up. 

The weekend is here again so quickly!  Do any of you have exciting plans?  I am running in the Seattle Rock-N-Roll 1/2 Marathon in the morning, and the thought of getting up at 4 in the morning so I can be ready to run in a race that starts after 7 isn't sounding so good anymore...hopefully I'll get more pumped up about it in the morning, once I start hearing the bands!

R&R: PNW Style

 

We're back from 5 great days in the San Juan Islands.  We had a great time and were blessed with sun everyday!  We had some beautiful beach side campsites, cooked up some grubbin' meals,  as well as eating out a few times too.  My favorite was at Allium, on Orcas Island, where I had a carrot soup starter with cilantro, nutmeg and a dollop of cream.  My entree was wild mushroom open faced ravioli that was delicious.  Pete had clam chowder and some amazing salami gnocchi, all this paired with some quality wine. 

We explored the towns on bike and sat on many sunny decks with a tasty cocktail in hand. We ate fresh seafood and local ice cream that knocked my socks off.  All in all it was a great way to spend five days with good friends.  What fun trips do you have planned this summer?

{The last photo was taken by Pete...and I ♥ it!}