The Ocean

I've been missing the ocean a lot this week.  These photos were all taken in February, 2011 on Martha's Vineyard on a clear, warm day.  The deserted beach was so so beautiful.

When I miss the ocean, I like to watch/listen to this Grey Goose commercial.  It perfectly encapsulates the sounds of a New England summer and makes my heart ache for fresh oysters, lounging on a boat, and letting the ocean rock me to sleep. 

Tuesday With Moi

Tuesday, August 7
Boring Edition

So this is really embarrassing, but it took us two- almost three- weeks to hang these pictures.  The one in the middle was painted by my dear friend Angie our freshmen year in college. 

She's super artistic and amazing.

Weekly shot of Le Chat.  She has the best life ever.

"Paint it black" is kind of my new mantra.  Over the weekend, I painted the bathroom black.  It feels cleaner, now.

Still in the bathroom.  I was doing a hair mask and thinking.  It was deep.

David's son moved out last week and I've taken over his bedroom as a studio.  This gives you a taste of the current state of the room.  Super depressing, no?  I cannot wait to re-paint and turn it into a welcoming, inspirational space.

Being good, drinking water.

YUM YUM YUM.

The Redcoat and I were suuuuper tired yesterday because I made him watch The Sound of Music with me until 2:00 AM the night before.  I love the Von Trapps and sang along to every song.  Needless to say, our late night with Maria, the Children, and Christopher Plummer made us a little sleepy yesterday and David had to take a nap.

This is what our pictures look like from a different angle.  Love!

Ooops!  I took a nap, too.   My hair is super conditioned, but I'm still sleepy in this picture.  Also, please note my sweater.  IT IS STILL FRIGID HERE, PEOPLE. 

Picking up Indian food.

YUM YUM YUM.

I always have a notebook and pen with me, just in case...

I'm skipping around here because my life is too interesting and I don't want to make you jealous.

Actually, I spent all night working and watching the Olympics (surprise surprise!).  I was really into the wolf-man Russian high jumper who won gold.  He was so aggressive and, like, had high jumping autism or something.  Whatever, I totally have a crush on him.  He's crazy and I love it.

Also, three high jumpers won bronze.  How is that even possible?  I mean, I understand the scoring and know how it's possible, but why not make the three bronze medalists have a jump-off or something?  It was just too much.  Does the Olympic federation have extra medals hanging around just in case?  Considering they're giving them away so liberally, can I have one, too?

I don't want a bronze one, but I'll have an extra gold.

Hell, I'll even settle for silver... Please?

After the Olympics were over, I just hung out on the couch and drank more water.

Then I went to bed.

GLAMOROUS.

Okay, you guys.  You're all like, Kate, do not be ridiculous.  Please stop taking stupid pictures of your apartment, your cat, and your super sad life because you're making me depressed! And I totally hear you.  I promise that next Tuesday I will do something awesome.  Or, awesomer.  PROMISE. 

Okay?  Okay.  Great.

As always, thanks for hanging in there for another week.  xox

My New Favorite Cocktail: Water

Remember yesterday when I said I was going to make some changes in my life so I can be more of a superhuman?  Well, one of those changes is to do something I loathe, which is drinking water.  In my opinion, water is so boring and because I'm always freezing, I generally like to drink things that warm me, like coffee, mint tea, or alcohol.  Unfortunately, drinking only coffee, mint tea and alcohol is not super awesome for my body so I'm taking the plunge and forcing myself to liquify more healthily.  Besides, it's really difficult to stay hydrated when you're crying all the time, and you guys, I have a lot to cry about.  I mean, the Olympics are giving me weepy inspirational stories all the time and I just can't keep it together.  It's messy, but it's great.

Anyway, water!  Bernadette has graciously been supplying me with lots of delicious leaves to spruce up the watery taste from the tap for my more mundane water consumption (I've also come to learn that Le Chat does not like mint water so she's stopped sneaking sips from my glass which is a major win).  When I'm feeling fancy, I like to drink sparkling water with some of Bernadette's offspring and some fresh lemon wedges for a citrusy kick.  This is super yummy and tastes even better if you drink it out of a wine glass because it tricks you into thinking your water is a cocktail which is funfunfun!  When I'm cold- which is always in this sunshine barren country- I can drink hot water with the same ingredients and feel warm. 

So step one has begun!  Please be brave with me as I approach this daunting task of super hydration.  It's going to be boring, but hopefully really great for my skin and as the Olympians are constantly reminding me, I'm not getting any younger.  :(

So Fresh & So Green Green

Let's be real- the closest I will ever come to having a baby is having my mint plant.  I mean, I have a cat, which I suppose is more like a baby than a plant is considering it's a living, breathing organism that pukes a lot and always needs to be fed, but the cat is more David's than it is mine so the cat is his baby.  The mint plant, however, is mine all mine, and she is GINORMOUS these days!  (I'm an excellent mother, what can I say?)

Over the weekend, I decided my plant- who from this point forward will be referred to as Bernadette- needed a new home to stretch and grow her roots, so I turned an old paint can into a planter and adorned it with ribbon (many thanks to Brent for the pretty chevron ribbon!).  I can already tell that she loves her new home and both of us are super happy.

Other than painting my bathroom, replanting Bernadette, crying, and cleaning, all I did this weekend was watch the Olympics.  While the Olympics are obviously super inspiring, they also make me feel fat, old, and really under-motivated.  Like, there are people with blades for limbs who are running 400m sprints in way less than a minute while I have two perfectly normal legs and complain when I have to walk up stairs while carrying groceries.  Not hot.  So, last night as I stuffed myself with chips and salsa whilst watching the Athletics, I decided that I'm going to start making a couple changes in my life.  Changes that will help my posture, healthily allow me to release some stress, and become a little more of a superhuman.  I mean, nobody's going to give me a gold medal for anything I do, but if I do it right, maybe I'll be able to buy myself some diamonds or a car, or something.  Though I definitely don't want a car in this country unless I have a full-time driver, too.  Driving on the left hand side of the road scares the shit out of me.... for realz.

Anyway, I hope you find it within you to become a better superhuman, too.  Together, let's rule the world!  xoxoxo

5 Months

Espresso-fueled strolls through London make me happy. 

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The Redcoat and I have been married 5 months today.  It's really not a big deal, I know, but it's insane to think about how much has happened in those five months.  I mean, it's August!  We've lived in the UK for almost three months!  I've started freelancing and David has shaved off his beard.  I have long hair and have started writing again.  We eat most of our meals at home.  I sleep late and go to bed early.  We do DIY projects and have a mortgage.  I mean, who are we?

It's been surreal, to say the least.  It's like that Talking Heads song, Once in a Lifetime, and I have found myself living in another part of the world and I'm asking myself, well, how did I get here?  Of course, I know how we got here, but it still doesn't feel real.  Despite the fact that everything has changed, everything still feels exactly the same.  It's as if everything is happening just as it should but it's all really weird.  But good.  But weird.

So there's that.

Goldfish on the Edge

On Monday I visited The National Gallery for the first time.  I'd agreed to meet a new friend there who happens to have a Masters in Art History and strolling through the galleries with her was like being on my own personal docent tour.  She pointed out influential pieces and explained the technical skill behind the work; though we didn't see all of the museum (impossible!), she gave me a terrific introduction to the Gallery's bountiful collection.

As we meandered past amazing works by Titian and Raphael, Da Vinci and Monet, one piece especially jumped out at me, A Girl at a Window by the French artist Louis-Léopold Boilly.  What struck me first about the piece was the fact that it's composed entirely in black and white.  It feels crisp and modern despite the fact that it's over two hundred years old, and I was immediately quite taken with it (I mean, those goldfish!). 

After watching a terrifying amount of the Olympics the other night, my live-feeds fell silent so I began a search for more of Boilly's work and was delighted with the results!  His pieces are flirtatious and sweet, silly yet truthful.  They maintain a spirit that is almost modern and capture moments that were charmingly unusual- in fact, the scope of his work reminds me of Norman Rockwell a little bit, in that it is a combination of intimate daily-life portrayals, more commercial crowd scenes and some lovely silliness.  I shall stop my blabbering as my opinions about art are incredibly unfounded and generally don't go far beyond "pretty!" or "Mmmmm?",  but I simply just wanted you to know that I love Boilly and I'm excited to have come to learn of his work.