Working on my qi

After a fantastic visit in St. Louis, I returned feeling a little bit antsy. Nothing excites me more than change, so I love traveling and moving around, but when I return from a trip I often do not adjust quickly and yearn to be gone again. So, in order to fulfill my craving for newness and change, I decided to rearrange my bedroom (I am constantly rearranging furniture, pictures, plants, ect.). I'm loving the results, with the exception of my incredibly sore body. I would not recommend trying to move a queen size ornate wooden bed and equally large dresser and mirror by yourself, especially when trying to swap their places across the room from each other. I decided to spice things up a bit, or rather zen things down a bit actually, and researched some principles of feng shui for the bedroom. Feng shui translates to "wind and water" and is the ancient Chinese art of placement.

1. Use warm, earthy tones- coral, peach, tan, cocoa- for a cozy atmosphere and natural blues and greens for a tranquil atmosphere. Accent shades of pinks and reds increase romance in the bedroom.

2. The positioning of the bed is crucially important. The bed should be positioned as to increase the feeling of safety and security. It should be away from the door and against a secure wall; a strong headboard provides additional strength. A bed should not be against a window, as it is thought that energy enters and exits through the window. Most crucially, the foot of the bed should not face the door. The Chinese call this the "Death Position" because the deceased are carried out of a room feet first, and this position is thought to drain your life force.

3. Bedroom furniture should have curves, not corners. Corners create a "sharp" environment and direct negative energy directly at your sleeping body.

4. Rid yourself of clutter. Excess objects in a room are thought to impede your progress in life. Don't store things under the bed because it can block energy from flowing. Placing plants in corners prevents energy from "stagnating" there. Also, consider what memories cling to the objects in your bedroom and get rid of anything that does not have a positive memory attached to it.

5. The bedroom is a place for rest and relaxation. TVs, phones, computers, and work stations are not welcome. If you must, hide any connections with the outside world or work from view with a pretty screen.

6. Create a space full of pairs and symmetry, especially if you are looking for someone else to share it with. If you are truly looking for a partner, the far right corner of your bedroom is called the "love center," an area where you should build a "shrine to love" with a photo, a pair of candles, or anything else romantic. Note: you probably shouldn't ever admit to anyone that you have a "shrine to love" in your bedroom.

7. Place beautiful art on the wall opposite your bed- something that makes you feel inspired. Only display photographs of people who sleep in the room. Also, a mirror should never be placed opposite or over the bed because it bounces too much energy around the room and is thought to magnify problems and worries. Plus, a mirror could negate all the work of your "shrine to love"- some say that mirrors in the bedroom can invite a third party in your relationship.

8. Light right. The room should have a lot of natural light during the day, especially a lot of sunshine in the morning, soft light in the evening, and pure darkness while you sleep.

9. Create a place that appeals to all your senses. Fill the bedroom with smells, sounds, materials that you love. Keep the air fresh.

After my quick lesson on feng shui, I'll admit that I didn't actually change anything; I just gave myself a pat on the back for all the elements I happened to already have going on in my bedroom. I'm not sure how much I believe that placing a pink pillow on my bed (which definitely wouldn't match my earthy tan and soothing green decor) will improve my romantic life, or that my boyfriend is going to cheat on me because I won't remove the mirror that I probably can't live without. However, the mindfulness that goes into de-cluttering and reorganizing your bedroom will certainly have a positive effect on your life, and any action will make you feel a little bit better. It did the trick for me and got rid of my St. Louis blues.

Meet me in St. Louie

I'm leaving tomorrow morning to spend the weekend in St. Louis, and my excitement level is a little bit excessive. Vacation in St. Louis probably doesn't conjure up images of your ideal getaway, but after living there for four years during college (and two unbearably hot summers), I have grown to absolutely adore the city. Here is a list of things that must be done while visiting.

1. Get frozen custard at Ted Drewes. The place is a legend, and with 95 degree plus weather and off-the-charts humidity, there may be several visits.

2. Run around Forest Park. Forest Park is something like the third largest urban park in the country, and in my opinion it is far superior to Central Park or even my beloved Lincoln Park. There is a six mile loop around the perimeter, and although I will probably have to get up around 7am to beat the heat, I can't wait to hit that trail.

3. Go to the St. Louis Zoo. The zoo is one of the few remaining free zoos in the country, and I think it is one of the best zoos in the country too . Must see: penguin house, polar bears, monkey house, elephants, butterfly house.

4. Go to the St. Louis Art Museum. This is another free treat in Forest Park. I used to go here all the time just to walk around and relax.

5. Visit the boat house in the park. My mom and I have a great tradition here- rent a row boat and have my dad row us around the pond. No, I'm not joking.

6. Take a trip to the Arch. I have to admit that I had never actually gone up in the Arch until literally the day I moved from St. Louis to Chicago. The tiny elevators that take you up are a trip, but the view at the top is worth it.

7. Have margaritas at Canyon Cafe, my favorite Tex-Mex place. Besides the margaritas, the restaurant has the most amazing chips and salsa- sweet potato chips, cinnamon and sugar wantons, and tortilla chips. The restaurant also happens to be located in Plaza Frontenac, which is an upscale shopping center (Saks, Neiman Marcus, JCrew, you name it), so a walk around the mall might be necessary.

8. Take a tour of the Schlafly Brewery. While the Anheuser-Busch tour is a lot of fun, Schlafly is a local beer that is actually enjoyable to drink.

9. Spend some time in the Loop. The Loop is a street of restaurants, cafes, theaters, and shops. It's sort of like the St. Louis walk-of-fame, as it honors all the famous names from St. Louis with their own Hollywood stars on the street. Rock-and-roll legend Chuck Berry created the genre there and regularly still rocks, well into his 80s, at Blueberry Hill, a must-visit bar.

10. Visit the gorgeous campus of my alma mater, Wash U. With every trip, there is a brand new building up, and the students are spoiled beyond belief (new sushi bar, new restaurant that serves alcohol aka the place to go when you're a freshman without a car and trying to impress your date, new dorms with queen size beds and dishwashers, the list goes on).

11. Eat at one of my favorite restaurants- Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Drunken Fish, Cafe Napoli, Lo Russos, Harvest, Thai Country Cafe, Mi Ranchito, the Creperie in Clayton, Pi (President Obama's favorite pizza- had it flown into DC and now the wait at the small parlor is 2-4 hours).

12. Drink at one of my favorite bars- Mandarin, Sub Zero, Bar Napoli, Jimmy's Cafe on the Park, Molly's, Morgan Street, Pepper Lounge, Kaldi's or Kayaks for coffee, and a night out drinking would not be complete without a trip to Courtesy Diner.

13. Catch a movie at the Chase Park Cinema. The theater is a cool oasis in the middle of the day, and the concession area serves local treats such as wine and Ted Drewes ice cream.

14. Go to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, especially on a Wednesday evening when the gardens host music in the park (or as my roommates and I liked to call it, wine in the park).

15. Drive out in the "country" to one of the local wineries. My favorite is Mount Pleasant, which serves fabulous Missouri wine in a sun drenched scenic hilly setting.

16. Attend mass at the Cathedral Basilica, a church covered with the most mosaic stone tiles in the world and one that rivals its European counterparts in beauty. Then, head over to the tree-lined Central West End for some al fresco brunch and antique shopping.

la bella vita

I can hardly believe that it has been four years since I spent the most beautiful summer living in Florence, Italy. I can still sense that love. I can still taste the vibrant flavors of the gelati (which added a few pounds to my frame and happily gave my dentist two cavities to discover and fix). I can still feel the thickness of the heavy Italian red wine that I drank with dinner every night, even though it was 95 degrees outside and it made my mouth pucker with dryness. And I can still imagine the feeling of freedom and anticipation that came with exploring such a foreign, storied city and documenting it through photograph. One of my favorite places to spend time was at the San Miniato al Monte cemetery, an often overlooked oasis at the top of the tourist-trodden Piazzale Michelangelo. That adventure has been on my mind lately, as I just completed an iPhoto book of photographs of my summer in Italy for my mom for her birthday. Below are a small sampling, accompanied by quotes from one of my favorite Italian-setting books, "A Thousand Days in Tuscany" by Marlena de Blasi.

"I can make you feel loved but you can't make me feel loved. No one can. And if you try too hard, I'll bolt. I'm a runaway, after all."

"Under the weight of lesser or greater fortunes, I think what happens to a great many of us is that we really don't know what we want or with whom we'd like to have it. Nothing seems real until it's already gone. Until it's sealed up tight, out of reach. Until it's dead. Be it a person or a dream. And then the light comes, and so we mourn."

"Most of the pain in life is caused by our insistence that there is none."

"And I wonder why it is that, of all the thousands upon thousands of people who pass through one's life, most leave not a trace. Into abandon and oblivion they are consigned, as though they were never there. And more curious, why do those few, only those few, stay somewhere safe, dying, even, but never entirely so, engraving the heart, deep and smooth? The cut of the eyes, some voluptuous sting, one exquisite phrase, a voice like chocolate just before it melts, a laugh like thin silver spoons chinking across a marble floor. The way the see crashes into crisp champagne pools behind him as he kisses you. A hand resting on a hip. One mesmeric glance, brown or black, green, topaz. Blueberry."

"You trust risk more than comfort. I've always been afraid of comfort, too. Bring on the pain, because during those moments when I can neither see it nor feel pain, when it's quiet, I know it isn't really quiet at all but only gathering force. Better that pain stays where I can keep an eye on it. There's risk in comfort. There's comfort in risk."

"Each couple has a child: the Florentines a daughter, probably not yet four, the English, a boy of six or seven. The handsome blond boy seems to have caught the eye of la fiorentina...Dispensing with all other preliminaries, she says, 'Allora, baciami. Dai, baciami, Joe. Forza. Un bacetto piccolo. Well then, kiss me. Come on, kiss me, Joe. Try. Just a small kiss.' Stella has learned young to ask for what she wants."

"Maybe it's true that life is a search for beauty, for the harmony that comes from the mingling of things. Maybe life is a search for flavor. Not the flavor of food but of a moment, or a color, a voice - the flavor of what we can hear and see and touch."

"It's sensations rather than things I'm after. Only the mysterious is eternal. I prefer to feel this life rather than to grow foolish enough to believe I own it."

Note: These are all my original photographs. If you would like to use one please message me first and credit appropriately. Thanks!

More to worry about than a lost glass slipper...

This project, "Fallen Princesses," was recently brought to my attention and I had to share.  The woman behind it all is Dina Goldstein, a professional photographer who does not take herself too seriously.  The photos elicit such an odd sensation- they're shocking but understandably real- sort of like a child who sees Dad dressed up in a Santa costume.  My favorite princess has always been Cinderella- clearly such a romantic.

A nice little Saturday evening at Target

I'm going to preface this post by saying that I really am cool and fun.  I generally go out on weekends.  However, I did just spend this Saturday night at Target, and even worse, I'm now blogging about it.  In my defense, I'm home for Father's Day and there really is very little to do here.  Plus, I adore trips to Target, and I don't have a car in the city, or a close Target, so having a car and Target is a treat.  I thought I should share the love though and share all the fabulous things I found tonight.

Sandals in about 15 different summery colors and patterns that are exact look-alikes of Havainas.  And they're only $2.99.

Adorable summer pajama sets with lots of hearts and bows.

Cheap DVDs.  My college roommate and I discovered the art of the cheap Target DVD search in college.  Target regularly has a selection of movies, albeit older ones, for $5.  Generally, the rule for the $5 category is if you haven't seen the movie and want to, or think you would maybe watch it once, buy it.  The second category is the $7.99 DVD.  This calls for slightly more of an investment in the movie.  Fantastic movies often sold for $7.99: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Mean Girls, Sideways, The Holiday, ect.  The final category is the $9.99 DVD.  These aren't meant to buy on a whim, but if you see a favorite movie, it's definitely a steal.  I got the BEST steal tonight- He's Just Not That Into You.

Target/Market Pantry cereal.  I used to buy the Cinnamon Toast Crunch knockoff on a weekly basis, which my college roommate and I named Cinnamon Toast Crack. 

A fantastic selection of Father's Day cards/cards in general.  Target is my secret go-to place for cards.  I have never been one to give the Hallmark-staple, beautiful, sappy card; I have always been the one to entertain my family with witty, funny cards, or send my friends sweet little finds from Target.

On another note, my mom asked me to pick up some photos for her that she had sent in online.  As I was waiting in the store for the photos, I realized how much I miss the old-fashioned take-a-picture-and-not-see-it-right-away-wait-a-few-days-for-the-film-to-develop-photos.  It's sort of like getting card or letter in the mail- there is something wonderful about anticipating the arrival and then opening up a full envelop.

Ah, a perfect Target trip.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!  A few of the things that will be a part of my life this weekend.

Can't stop eating

Can't stop reading 

Can't stop randomly/carefully decorating my apartment with now that it's summer

Can't stop stalking 

Can't stop wanting

Can't stop anticipating

Can't stop respecting

Can't stop supporting

Won't stop watching

yummmm

The Taste of Chicago begins next week, and though I think that the event can be a hellishly crowded and overrated mistake if you go at the wrong time (aka any day around the 4th of July), I am still excited to browse the booths.  I have checked out the vendors, which can be found here, and though I'm slightly disappointed with the seemingly smaller restaurant selection, decided on several restaurants that are a must.

Adobo Grill- I have yet to visit this Old Town favorite, but I hear the guacamole is to die for, so I will definitely check out their booth.

Blue Bayou- I have no idea what this restaurant is all about, but after months of searching for a place that has Bananas Foster on the menu (one of my boy's favorites) and not finding a single place around, we will definitely need some of their Bananas Foster bites.

Original Rainbow Cone- Chocolate, strawberry, palmer and pistachio ice cream with orange sherbet in a waffle cone.  Can't go wrong, especially on a hot day.

Lou Malnatis- By far the best pizza in the world.

Any place that offers sweet potato anything.

Hashbrowns- Good ole southern food?  Check.  This booth is offering sweet potato fries and sweet potato hashbrowns.

C'est Si Bon!- Sweet potato cheesecake.  What more can I say.

Aunt Diana's Candy Makers- A chocolate covered banana always does the trick.

My stomach is growling already!

cookie FAIL

I am officially THE WORST chocolate chip cookie baker in the world.  After several attempts, following several recipes perfectly, I give up.  As my hysterically laughing boyfriend likes to say, my cookies are ghost cookies.  Every single time, no matter what recipe I use, even if I buy fresh new ingredients, my cookies come out about 3/4 an inch thick and pure white.  They are like a strange mixture between cake and bread.  If anyone knows what I am doing wrong, please help!!

Here is the recipe I used.

Obsessed.

I have recently rediscovered the perfection of the song "Africa" by Toto.  I think this might be one of the best songs ever made.  Seriously, who doesn't love this song?

"It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do"

This part kind of makes my heart burst with happiness for some reason.  So, thanks to my fantastic boyfriend, I have discovered quite possibly the best version ever made.  Here are my top five:

5. Spongebob does Africa.  In German.  Not actually good, but hilarious to watch.

4. Howie Day cover.  His voice is definitely not perfect, but having seen him in college perform this live makes it a little better than normal.

3. Acoustic guitar.  This man is amazing.  I guess he plays covers at an Italian restaurant, but his sounds are peaceful and beautiful.

2. The original.  The original music video has got to be one of the worst, but the song clearly makes up for that.

1. I could watch this over and over.  

(almost) summer in Chicago

Last night I had the kind of night that made me really love living in Chicago (even though I had to rearrange my cute new outfit to include black leggings because it is still 55 degrees outside on JUNE 13).  The night started out at one of the best BYOB restaurants in the city- the slightly yuppie but always fantastic Coast.  Though I love sushi and will try almost any kind of food or drink, until last night I was a sake virgin.  Having absolutely no knowledge of sake etiquette whatsoever, my best friend in the world Natalie and I had to be stopped by our amused boyfriends before almost pouring soy sauce in the adorable little bowls they give you to drink sake from.  Despite having what I was told is very good sake, and attempting to appreciate the hints of apple and a little bit of almond and cinnamon, I have to say that I prefer wine made from grapes.  After stuffing ourselves with sushi- you MUST order the white dragon roll, found here, which has been called "sushi crack"- talk turned to dessert.

White dragon roll at Coast

After hearing that we were just down the street from Hot Chocolate, which has been voted Chicago's best dessert spot for years, and on my list of places I must visit asap (I am the person who believes that chocolate is one of God's greatest gifts and actually think I became slightly depressed for 40 days when I gave it up for Lent one year, never to happen again) we hightailed it to the adorable little restaurant.  Slightly buzzed from the sake I'm sure, the four of us decided that we each needed our own $11 treat, plus drinks and hot chocolate of course.  After pouring over the tantalizing menu, we picked out our sweets (except for Natalie's boyfriend, whose sanity I questioned at first when he ordered a cheese platter, which ended up looking absolutely delish- three large hunks of cheese, salad, nuts, and an assortment of homemade breads).  My boy, whose main weakness in life is cookies, ordered the cookie platter of course, which ended up being tiny bites of heaven.  Natalie ordered the warm homemade sugar doughnuts with a hot fudge dip and sweetly salty caramel corn.  And since I love all desserts with a passion and could never discriminate between them, my boy ordered me the s'more treat, an obvious choice considering my current obsession with anything s'more related (everyone must try the Limited Edition Edy's S'More ice cream).  This beauty was composed of a homemade graham cracker, a frozen block of chocolate ice cream, another graham cracker, and was topped with a perfectly burned homemade marshmallow.  Alongside the s'more was a perfectly adorable tiny glass of chocolate and cream soda phosphate topped with unsweetened whipped cream.  If I didn't care about the shape of my body I would drop out of law school in a second and become a food critic, I swear.  If you don't have room for dessert while here (shame on you) you MUST order a mug of hot chocolate.  There are no words- it is liquid, creamy heaven.

  

As if the night was not already beyond expectation, a large commotion on the street caught our attention, and we were lucky enough to witness Chicago's annual Naked Bike Ride!!  The trip only happens once a year, and the route is not disclosed until that night, so we were just fortunate enough to have a window seat on the right Chicago street.  Our favorite was definitely the naked rollerblader.

Note: This is not actually the naked rollerblader we laughed at.

What a night.  Until the next one...

I am a lover of all things creative, artistic, and beautiful.  As such, I love collecting bits of magazines, photographs, and things that interest me and gluing them into old music books (finding a use for my old sheet music books from my brief days as a sixth grade flutist).  Though nothing can beat the palpability of carefully tearing out a picture of the perfect outfit from a magazine or catalogue, that picture is never seen again, as I disregard these scrapbooks to the back of the closet pretty quickly.  So, I decided that I would transfer this hobby to a place I spend way too much time in my life- online.  That, coupled with my love of reading others' perfect blogs, spurred this new creation.

I titled my blog after my favorite word in any language- sprezzatura.  In fact, I like this word so much that I almost had it tattooed on my body (in white of course, the trendy color at the time).  Thankfully, I did not- I can't even wear the same outfit all day, let alone have something on my body for life.  The meaning of this High Renaissance Italian word is difficult to capture, but to put it in my own words, the word means "careless effort and perfection."  Below is a thoughtful explanation.

"The meaning of sprezzatura in art and life in the High Renaissance is difficult to determine. Part of the trouble stems from the contradictions inherent in the word itself; it is paradoxical, closely related to grace, but with slightly different connotations.  Castiglione's Book of the Courtier elaborated on what the word meant for social interaction.  A character in the book, Count Ludovico, explains the meaning of grace, and in it he mentions sprezzatura.  "It is an art which does not seem to be an art.  One must avoid affectation and practice in all things a certain sprezzatura, disdain or carelessness, so as to conceal art, and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it....obvious effort is the antithesis of grace."  The most important aspect of sprezzatura is its two-layered nature: it involves a conscious effort which is disguised by a concealing act.  Things which require effort are to be performed casually.  Count Ludovico seems to be saying that grace arises out of sprezzatura.  Anthony Blunt interprets it this way: "It will vanish if a man takes too much pains to attain it, or if he shows any effort to attain it.  Nothing but complete ease can produce it.  The only effort which should be expended in attaining it is an effort to conceal the skill on which it is based; and it is from sprezzatura, or recklessness, that grace springs."  In High Renaissance life, the courtiers wanted to put on a kind of performance, a subtle one, without allowing anyone to know it was self-conscious and deliberate behavior."