I'm exhausted from an all-nighter which involved Shakespeare and Jesus (bad combo, just FYI-- you end up arguing in circles or sounding like an idiot televangelist-- although I'm sure I know a few people who could do it intelligently, I cannot!) and I apologize for the sporadic (ie nonexistent) posting on here. Instead of pulling together a decent, well-written specimen for you today, I'm just going to put up some ____'s of the day:




POEM (OF ME IN 50 YEARS) OF THE DAY

Warning
by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes
that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

[Via Gala Darling]




DELICIOUS OBJECT OF THE DAY

Sam Wong's apple galette-- she made this herself! Check out her food blog at Portfolio of Patisserie if you get the chance: you won't be disappointed, because not only does she have fantastic culinary skills, but she also pairs it with impeccable artistry to make cute touches like the gingham bow. Her eye for detail is really makes her desserts stand out, and did I mention that she's amazing amazing amazing at baking?







MULTIPLE CATS IN ONE PICTURE OF THE DAY

Mike and I can identify only 14 of these 25 famous cats... can someone please let me know what the green one with a red helmet on the right side is?!

[Via Design You Trust]







AMAZING SAND ARTISTRY VIDEO OF THE DAY
This girl's fingers are fascinating to watch-- she moves so effortlessly from one scene to another, and is timed perfectly to the music. I imagine myself getting sand in my eyes if I were asked to work that quickly...



From the Youtube info:

Kseniya Simonova is a Ukrainian artist who just won Ukraine's version of "America's Got Talent." She uses a giant light box, dramatic music, imagination and "sand painting" skills to interpret Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII.

UNNECESSARY BUT WONDERFUL FRIVOLITY OF THE DAY
I wish I could own a toilet scrubber as lovely as this:


...and I can't believe I just used "toilet scrubber" and "lovely" in the same sentence.

[From Modcloth]







On that note, have a lovely day with your toilet scrubbers, everyone! (Twice in post! I really must be delirious.)

I'm a huge fan of "the little things in life"-- for me, its the simple pleasures that make my day, and I'm always trying to consciously recognize and repeat those things, if only to give myself the tiniest boost. You'd be surprised at how the smallest changes in your life can create immense joy to light up your everyday... so without further ado, here are 12 simple pleasures to make your day a little bit better:

1. grapefruit, 2. don't wake me, 3. Orchid Photo, 4. pea palm

1. Surround yourself with your favorite smells. I stopped buying shampoo based on what it does for my hair (its all the same, really) and I started buying it specifically for the scent of lemongrass and grapefruit-- and its one of my favorite reasons to wake up in the morning. Repeat the same concept with your laundry detergent, lotions, dryer sheets, candles, etc., because if you're going to be surrounded by artificial scents, you might as well make them something that you love.

2. Keep a soft blanket or pillow around. I have a fuzzy blue blanket that nearly every girl in my grade has cried into-- I always tried to leave it in an accessible place so that when crises arise, its within reach. This year, our futons always have at least one blanket or pillow on them, which makes insta-naps/cuddling more and more habitual.

3. Buy yourself flowers, then give them away. When you put yourself in close proximity with beauty, it rubs off on you-- and with flowers, you can think of yourself as the happy recipient, or as the thoughtful giver. Buy your personal favorites, walk around with them for an hour or two, and then give them away to someone: your roommate, a friend you haven't seen in a while, a total stranger. It makes your errands that much brighter, and its guaranteed to make someone else's day a little bit sweeter too.

4. Plan a dinner for you and your closest friends. Even if you never actually invite them over, thinking out an elaborate menu can be immensely fun, especially since there are no strings attached-- your imagination is really the only limit here. If you do get the chance to invite them over, make it a potluck where everyone brings their favorite food, whether its take-out or sushi or baked goods. You only have to make one dish that way, and if all else fails, order pizza.

1. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 2. Book Worm, 3. Hotty (hot tea), 4. fruit salad

5. Indulge in one (and only one!) guilty pleasure. The TV show that you're ashamed to admit that you watch, the dark chocolate you really shouldn't have too much of, or those shoes you've been eyeing for the past three weeks-- keep it clean, kids, and keep it to one thing only.

6. Read something that encourages you. This can be your favorite childhood book, old letters from good friends, classic books you always go back to, my blog (shameless plug!), religious and spiritual texts— whatever gets your heart going is always a good thing. You don't always have to re-read either; picking up a new book, blog, or magazine can bring some much-needed variety into your life too.

7. Apply hot water liberally. Hot water works wonders for me when I’m feeling down—there’s nothing quite like soaking your feet in the tub after a grueling day (women who suffer in stillettos with me, holler). Showers are even better, and if you don’t have time for either of those things, hot tea is a fantastic alternative. This works best right before you hop into bed, and if you’re opting for tea at that time, peppermint or chamomile is a soothing non-caffeinated way to go.

8. Do something really good for your body. The driving concept behind this: “I might have failed my midterm, but at least I had salad today instead of a lamb gyro.” Points for feeling healthy! If this fails, however…

1. Popeyes Fried Chicken, 2. The List, 3. Napping on Uncle Bean, 4. 32 / 52: Your Gift

9. Do something kinda bad for your body. “Screw the salad—I think I just failed my midterm, and I want something that tastes fantastic and may or may not cause clogged arteries in the not-so-distant-future.” Points for feeding the beast within!

10. Make playlists, wishlists, things-that-make-me-happy lists, and best of all, blessing-lists. Actually, just make any list other than a to-do list (and if you MUST make one of those, do it quick and put it aside for a bit). Sometimes the chaos around us, inside and out, can be a little too much, and setting things in place can be soothing, or at the very least, distractingly fun, depending on the topic at hand.

11. Nap it away. Napping isn't the answer to everything, of course, but it does a good job of putting you in a refreshed and relaxed state of mind. Plus you're giving your subconscious mind some time to process things, and its gives a brief moment of respite from overcrowding thoughts.

12. Make your own care package. This sounds terribly cheesy, but I believe in prevention as a cure-- in other words, take some time to think about what cheers you up, and put those things together for future use. Gather together hot chocolate packets, stash away a nice fashion mag or favorite book, place some choice letters from old friends into an envelope, and shoebox the whole deal under you bed. The act of collecting these "favorite things" is somewhat similar to washing and folding Linus' baby blanket (from Charlie Brown!)-- there's a sense of security in knowing that these things exist and are ready at a moment's notice.





These are, for me, tried and true ways of making myself feel better-- but of course, you know yourself best, and you can tailor it to fit whatever makes you feel the best.

What are your favorite ways to make your day a little bit better?

image via ffffound!

"...first it killed the Romans, and now its killing me!"

We used to chant this rhyme in fifth grade, because I was required to take Latin as an 8-year-old. I attended a Christian private school from fourth to fifth grade, and I remember struggling to conjugate verbs-- it was designed to help us learn Romance languages in the future, but truth be told I think it only made my French worse.

Recently I've been looking up Latin phrases again, especially after seeing it crop up over and over in Shakespeare, and I always wonder what my motto would be (if I had a family crest or something, you know?) For a couple of year I signed my email with "soli deo gloria" (glory to God alone) or "sola gratia" (by grace alone), and people never understood why I would choose to put in a bit of a dead language amidst my perfectly normal, English email.

Anyways, some amusing Latin phrases that have been cropping up in my searches-- some funny, some serious, some commonplace, some silly. Sign your letters off with these to sound high and mighty, or just to screw around with people's heads:

• Absum! - I'm outta here!
• Ad astra per aspera - To the stars through difficulty
• Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit - To boldly go where no man has gone before
• Adeste Fideles - Be present, faithful ones
• Alma Mater - Nourishing mother. (One's old school or university)
• Animadvertistine, ubicumque stes, fumum recta in faciem ferri? - (At a barbeque) Ever noticed how wherever you stand, the smoke goes right into your face?
• Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem - In the good old days, children like you were left to perish on windswept crags
• Balaenae nobis conservandae sunt! - Save the whales!
• Bovina Sancta! - Holy cow!
• Braccae tuae aperiuntur - Your fly is open
• Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam - I have a catapult. Give me all your money, or I will fling an enormous rock at your head
• Credidi me felem vidisse! - I tought I taw a puddy tat!
• Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? - Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?
• Feles mala! - Bad kitty!
• Fortes et liber - Strong and free. (Alberta)
• Fortitudine vincimus - By endurance we conquer
• Furnulum pani nolo - I don't want a toaster
• Gloria in excelsis deo - Glory to God in the highest
• Hic puer est stultissimus omnium! - This boy is the stupidest of all!
• Hodie mihi, cras tibi - Today for me, tomorrow for you
• Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum europe vincendarum - Sometimes I get this urge to conquer large parts of Europe
• Iubilate Deo - Rejoice in God
• Luctor et emergo - I struggle but I'll survive
• Luke sum ipse patrem te - Luke, I am your father. (Star Wars)
• Lux et veritas - Light and Truth
• Magister mundi sum! - I am the master of the universe!
• Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus - Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries
• Maximus in minimis - Great in little things
• Meum pactum dictum - My word is my bond
• Nonne de novo eboraco venis? - You're from New York, aren't you?
• Nonne macescis? - Have you lost weight?
• Nosce te ipsum - Know thyself. (Inscription at the temple of Apollo in Delphi.)
• Odi et amo - I hate (her), and I love (her) (Catullus)
• Paucis verbis, quid est deconstructionismus? - What, in a nutshell, is deconstructionism?
• Post scriptum (P.S.) - After what has been written
• Post tenebras lux - After the darkness, light
• Pulvis et umbra sumus - We are dust and shadow. (Horace)
• Quaere verum - Seek the truth
• Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari? - How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
• Semper fidelis - Always faithful
• Semper superne nitens - Always striving upwards
• Semper ubi sub ubi ubique - Always wear underwear everywhere
• Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes - Essentially it says, 'if you can read this, you're overeducated.'
• Stercus accidit - Shit happens
• Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure - I can't hear you. I have a banana in my ear
• Via Crucis - The Way of the Cross
• Vincit omnia amor - Love conquers all
• Vincit omnia veritas - Truth conquers all

My personal favorites:

• Cacoethes scribendi - An insatiable urge to write. (Juvenal)
• Clamo, clamatis, omnes clamamus pro glace lactis - I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream
• Fortiter in re, suaviter in modo - Resolutely in action, gently in manner. (To do unhesitatingly what must be done but accomplishing it as inoffensively as possible)
• Gnothe seauton (Greek) - Know thyself
• Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur - Anything said in Latin sounds profound
• Quis separabit? - Who shall separate us?
• Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who watches the watchmen? (Juvenal)
• Si vis amari, ama - If you wish to be loved, love. (Seneca)
• Vacca foeda - Stupid cow
• Veni, Vidi, Visa - I Came, I Saw, I Shopped

I think I'm going to use these for the next couple of days as my away messages, just to throw people off. It makes everything sound grander and more impressive, even when all you're really saying is "stupid cow".