2011

My New Years plans kind of fell through, and there's no way that I'm going out to any bar, so I'm spending the evening at home with a bottle of $7 wine. It's actually the perfect kind of night anyway.

I was going to do some long sappy post about the past year, but I'll forgo it this year. I will say though, no matter how lonely or sad or anxious I ever am, the one thing that has been there for this past year was my music. I've discovered a lot of new bands, seen a lot of amazing musicians live, learned to play a new instrument (and now I can continue to learn on a brand spankin' new banjo that I got for Christmas!) and when a long day comes to end, the best way to fall asleep with big headphones on. I can't really do a "Best of" list because I don't really have that much diversity in my music tastes, but I made a playlist of all my favorite songs that kept me going in 2011. Give 'em a listen, if you so please. And I kept down on the Mumford and Laura Marling. You're welcome.

The Cave - Mumford & Sons
I Will Remain - Matthew & the Atlas
The Lengths - The Black Keys
Alas I Cannot Swim - Laura Marling
The First Days of Spring - Noah & the Whale
To Ohio - The Low Anthem
Tear Down the House - The Avett Brothers
January Hymn - The Decemberists
Ashamed - Deer Tick
I And Love And You - The Avett Brothers
Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
Learning - Perfume Genius
No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine
The Shrew - Beirut
Devils Waitin' - BRMC
Country London - Captain Kick and the Cowboy Ramblers
When the Night Comes - Dan Auerbach
Cigarettes - Hey Marseilles
Blown Your Mind - Langhorne Slim
The Rooster Moans - Iron & Wine
Hey, All You Hippes! - The Low Anthem
CC Rider - Old Crow Medicine Show
I Remember - Yeasayer
Zorbing - Stornoway
All You Ever Wanted - The Black Keys
Ghosts - Laura Marling
Goshen - Beirut
After the Storm - Mumford & Sons

graceland, revisited

diary of

Every year I am determined to keep a journal. And every year I last about a month and get bored. But I recently stumbled across a project on design Sponge, and made my own interpretation. Each day as a note card, and you keep them in a box, versus a book. I think it'll work out well, because I like to keep things (photos, business cards, receipts, etc) and after you put too many of those in a book, well, the book doesn't really close anymore, and that annoys me. So, this year I'll have little note cards and a place to put all my useless junk. Here goes nothing, 2012.

lunch box

For Christmas, I got this sweet lunch box. First off, it's useful, because I pack my lunch every day. Secondly, it's EDWARD GOREY. I can read about children's deaths during my lunch break.

christmas (instagramed)

I turned all of the stars of David into Chicago stars, because I'm cool like that.

christmas in gambier (part two)

My new toy.


Saddest part of Christmas: when it's over and you have to put away your themed dishes.

christmas in gambier (part one)

Home!












312




Driving to Kentucky

christmas in chicago

Soaking up some last bits of the Chicago spirit before I leave. As I was walking home from my co-worker's house (after the season finale of Dexter - LORDDDD) I thought to myself, 'This will be my last Christmas in Chicago'. Who knows if that's true, because I'm getting quite senitmental over leaving for 6 days. I'm excited to go home, eat something that's not ramen, have a relaxing Christmas...but I'm already looking forward to returning home. Is that weird? Don't I hate this place? Or maybe, I just hate where I am in my life now. I figured by now that I'd have some kind of nice job, or be back in school. Alas. Chicago will always have a special place in my heart... I think it's the city where I finally started to grow up.

Whoa, way off subject. Aren't we supposed to be talking about merry things and twinkling lights?

midnight dreamer

a snowy walk through lincoln park