trunks & travel

Indulging in the wanderlust.

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 02:29:42 +0100

View Spring Trip 2013 in a larger map

In 2013.

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 03:29:20 +0100

2012. Picked up climbing as a legitimate hobby. Celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah. Spent a lot of time climbing outdoors. Spent a lot of time napping in hammocks. Saw the most beautiful stars of my life. Spent my Monday mornings having breakfast at some of the best places in Atlanta. Experienced the greatest show of my life. Successfully planned Prom at our climbing gym. Ran in a tutu. Climbed in a tutu. Bought a new car. Learned permutations. Discovered a love of brussels sprouts.

2013 Bucket List:

1. Take tap dancing lessons.

2. Climb in a foreign country.

3. Get lead certified before the end of January.

4. Start weighing ingredients instead of measuring.

5. Learn something new every month.

6. Drink better wine.

7. Spend every long weekend in a different state.

8. Meditate every morning.

9. Camp in Utah.

11. Write more letters.

12. Send said letters.

13. Spend more time doing things simply because they make me happy.

14. “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

15. Celebrate a holiday in an interesting city.

16. See at least one good show a month.

17. Cook at least one good meal a week.

18. Stop drinking bad mixed drinks.

19. Visit friends who mean a lot to me & stop spending time with people who bring me down.

20. Retake the damn GRE. & get into grad school. Or make better plans.

Happiness

Sun, 30 Sep 2012 17:56:15 +0200

Roughly six years ago, I composed a list of bliss (a bliss list?) with my lovely roommate at the time. Every year or so I’ve gone through & edited it so it pertains to my current life situation. Or in this case, I’ve started completely from scratch, since it’s been 3 years since I last wrote one of these. So gimme a smile, gimme a while, gimme a mile. Give me just a little bit of your sweet denial.

Just give me a smile.

Things that make me smile version 5.0

Stars
“This is my favorite part,” whether it pertains to a song, a movie, or an event
Sharing a meal with friends
Walking through Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
The moment when you’re clinking glasses. That split second where everything in the universe pauses & everybody is just happy to be with each other
Thanksgiving
An unexpected letter in the mail
Shower beer
Making a touchdown & practically falling over in a fit of giggles
Bro-isms
Slow dancing without music
English breakfast tea
Reminiscing
The first snow fall of the season
When you’re with someone you kind of like and there’s that half second where your breath is taken away and it’s like a hiccup in the universe.
Laying in a hammock, listening to the rain
Flowers
Overhearing somebody speak French
Being in a city where only a handful of people speak your native language
The level of predictability that comes with being really comfortable with someone
Butterflies, holding hands & kisses
Standing on top of a mountain
Drawing with chalk on a sidewalk
Putting on a pair of heels for a special occasion
The time before dawn
Driving home late at night with a beautiful song on the radio
Lying in the grass
Wishes

"I think I miss you even when you are too close to actually miss."

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 06:15:09 +0200

“I think I miss you
even when you are too close
to actually miss.”

- Daily Haiku on Love by Tyler Knott Gregson (via tylerknott)

i’ve been back in the states for almost five weeks now and i’m just about to leave for...

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:33:51 +0200

i’ve been back in the states for almost five weeks now and i’m just about to leave for another adventure. Praise the Lord. And, for the first time in a while, my suitcases will be en-route to a destination where i speak the language. It’s kind of a relief to spend these few days studying up on camp directing instead of the basics of a foreign language…

i used to be really set about not liking Bright Eyes. i’m not sure why, i just do weird things...

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:19:54 +0200

i used to be really set about not liking Bright Eyes.
i’m not sure why, i just do weird things like that. you know, decide i’m not going to like a band.
but after having a fair number of theirs songs make their way through the speakers of my HP, i think it might be love.

awe, shucks.

i have no real content to post.except that this has been an extremely silly weekend. i leave for...

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 01:38:01 +0200

i have no real content to post.

except that this has been an extremely silly weekend.
i leave for camp in 10 days.
i have wicked tan lines from lots of lake time.
i’m looking forward to spending those next 10 days out by the lake.
& the following 2 months working with super cool kids in Beach Lake, PA.

i’d like to reiterate my previous declaration of being the most oblivious person on the face of the planet.

i adore typography.this kind of thing makes me happy.

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 16:34:40 +0200

i adore typography.

this kind of thing makes me happy.

i love this. i think i may start using this recipe.

Mon, 30 May 2011 22:50:17 +0200

i love this.
i think i may start using this recipe.

i love the sea.split, croatia.april 2011

Sun, 29 May 2011 21:01:24 +0200

shark boat.

i love the sea.
split, croatia.
april 2011

4/25/2011Relax.Prague, Czech Republic.champagne blah blah.i miss...

Sat, 28 May 2011 20:25:00 +0200

4/25/2011
Relax.
Prague, Czech Republic.

champagne blah blah.
i miss friday nights spent sipping champagne.

i need to travel soon. my passport is sad.

4.19.2011split, croatia.holy moly, i love this city. in the...

Thu, 26 May 2011 00:34:00 +0200

4.19.2011
split, croatia.

holy moly, i love this city. in the center of the town is diocletian’s palace: a massive building that has been standing since 305 A.D. The palace is now home to many shops, restaurants, living quarters & of course, the lovely hostel we stayed in during our visit.

i started writing more about this, but then got side-tracked. expect a longer explanation another day.

Lennon Wall.4.25.2011.Prague, Czech Republic.

Thu, 19 May 2011 15:12:20 +0200

Lennon Wall.
4.25.2011.
Prague, Czech Republic.

kunsthaus tacheles

Tue, 17 May 2011 18:26:00 +0200

back to regularly scheduled programming.

my 24-day adventure through europe was one for the books. this is the first of many entries about those travels. The Kunsthaus Tacheles is a major cultural center in Berlin, Germany. During my travels, i had the opportunity to visit Berlin on two separate occasions & the building was a highlight of both trips.

Established in 1990, the site has been home to many artists’ studios. However, the bank that owns the building is now trying to take it over again. Huge upset, really. On my second visit, i found out that the gruppe tacheles accepted a €1 million payout to leave. this includes about 80 people, comprising those that ran the cinema & bar, as well as other artists’ studios.

Despite only spending a few hours here, i immediately felt a connection to this place. i’ve fallen in love with people who are doing what makes them happy. i think my mindset about success has drastically changed. before it had something to do with college and careers and money and blah blah. I think now it’s more so just happiness.

Well, let me clarify that, a bit. If happiness to you in sitting around playing video games or laying in a tanning bed, i don’t think of that as success. But being proactive. yeah, that’s wonderful.

So, back to the kunsthaus tacheles. basically, it’s this massive building from the early 1900’s that is now filled with artists’ studios. everything in / on the building is artwork. Behind the building are more studios full of sculptures (AND a cafe with drinks!)

i feel like this place is what my brain resembles most days.

people doing what they love. i’m a fan.

EDIT:
The Tacheles building is still home to about 80 artists. On May 7th the remaining artists & supporters held an event to raise awareness and additional support to the cause. To tear down this establishment would be a HUGE loss to the city of Berlin.

dear friends: please stop getting married &/or pregnant. i’d be lying if i said my...

Mon, 16 May 2011 14:15:00 +0200

dear friends:

please stop getting married &/or pregnant. i’d be lying if i said my apprehension about entering a relationship wasn’t attributed to this at least a little.

it’s monday & sunny & tonight’s festivities will include crêpes & champagne.

hitrecordjoe: richiemillennium: La Haine (1995)

Sun, 15 May 2011 17:19:52 +0200

hitrecordjoe:

richiemillennium: La Haine (1995)

Forewarning: this is some sappy love story about a city that screams dumb american girl. But this is...

Tue, 10 May 2011 01:02:19 +0200

Forewarning: this is some sappy love story about a city that screams dumb american girl. But this is different.

after three long weeks away from my second home in france, i’ve come to realize that paris will always remain my favorite city in the world.

silly conversations with the doorman at gilbert jaune. the language is the keeper of a very big part of my heart. walking down the street this afternoon, i fell back in love with the very things that caught me years back.

i recently compared paris to an old flame with which one has ended things on good terms. “visits are lovely, but there’s a reason we aren’t together.” and all that changed completely this afternoon.

“remember me? remember the reasons you loved me?”

yes. unfortunately. i think i was better off without that reminder. it makes leaving so much easier when things suck. the enduring scent of urine & homeless person at each metro stop. battling crowds of tourists partout. And… well… i guess the streets are kinda dirty.

but then i stepped out onto boulevard sebastopol from the reak of metro line 11. and it was this cheesy love story, chick flick, preteen, “now I understand those songs” kind of feeling that overthrew the sheer exhaustion of living out of a 55L backpack for 3.3 weeks. “this is that thing i’ve been searching for. It was right here, all along.”

you see, an underlying driver of traveling for me has been this search for a city that encompasses my heart’s desires.

& so I found that today, in a city i know better than atlanta.

My dearest, darling france: I adore you.

croatia & hungary.

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:33:15 +0200

quick life update on the traveling.

croatia was stunning. zagreb was a nice little city (different from any other country capital i’ve been in, though it was never intended to be the capital of Croatia). split is one of the prettiest coastal cities i’ve visited. ended one of our nights with croatian karaoke.

we’re in budapest, hungary now, after an insane 13-hour train ride here from split. went out last night & raged until 5:30 this morning with strangers-turned-friends. woke up 3 short hours later to take a tour around the city. spent the afternoon in the Szechenyi Bath with these super cool guys:

chess in the turkish baths. brilliant. Szechenyi was b-e-a-utiful.

heading to Vienna tomorrow, followed by Prague on monday.

Oh, & on another note, i had a phone interview while in Split & will be spending my summer at Chestnut Lake Camp in Pennsylvania working as their web director! hooray!!

miss you folks like crazy & can’t wait to be back home in just 2 1/2 weeks!

xo

i wish i had thought earlier in this week to start writing some sort of “i’m leaving for...

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:37:16 +0200

i wish i had thought earlier in this week to start writing some sort of “i’m leaving for three weeks and it’s pretty unlikely i’ll be at a computer regularly” kind of post. so consider this my last post for a while, unless i have some serious downtime.

here’s a map of the current plan. starting in Zagreb, Croatia— ending eventually in Paris. I have five days free between amsterdam & my flight from paris, so i’m open to destination recommendations.

since i’m kind of really short on time this morning (still having to pack up my apartment), the next bit is going to be a mashup of whatever comes to mind. excuse typos, grammatical errors, sentences that don’t make sense, etc.

The past 7 months have been this incredible, amazing adventure. The people i’ve met and the places i’ve been and the things i’ve seen have without a doubt changed my complete perspective on life. take every opportunity you have. i ended a blog post months ago saying “don’t half-ass life” & that saying rings true. the world is a mighty place and you have no idea who you’re going to meet and who will change your life until you get there. i’ve met my favorite people in completely random places.

i started writing some other things but it sounded too much like a hallmark card.

this year kicked ass. the bar has been set.

a bientôt, my loves.

No Shame Bouchardon was a success. I had each of my students put...

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:11:00 +0200

girls reading their poem.

dance

dance

"nadine, no cry." a bob marley cover.

scene.

scene.

scene.

scene.

No Shame Bouchardon was a success. I had each of my students put together something for the class that followed the usual No Shame rules. They did a phenomenal job with it! I’m so proud of them :)

3 rules:

1. must be original.
2. pieces must be 5 min or less.
3. pieces must not break anything— yourself, the audience, the space, the law.