how's your brain?

I don't know about you, but lately my brain feels like it's been on fire (coincidentally, right now I'm reading Brain On Fire). I'm on the go go go all the time time time and, wait, it's almost 2015? How? Who? What? 

'Tis the season for multitasking, conquering To-Do lists, and getting all your shit done in time to peace out for the holidays. In the spirit of peacing out, next week I'm headed home to California (!!!) where I plan to dunk my head/brain in the nearest infinity pool and relax (metaphorically, of course). 

What about you? Is your brain ready to cool off? 

beauty soup | morning routines

One of my favorite things to see on the subway is women putting on their makeup.

Without being a (total) creep, I love to watch the whole process - what kind of bag they keep their products in, what shade of lipstick they choose, how they apply their blush. I always like to know how other people do things. Why does she pick that brand? Should I try blue eyeshadow too? (No) Who taught her how to put mascara on while riding a moving train? I'm that friend that comes over to your house and wants to peek inside your medicine cabinet just to see what kind of soap you buy.

(I never said I wasn't kind of a creep)

Putting on makeup (or, as my grandma used to say, "putting your face on") is such a personal thing. I know very little about makeup and I wear even less. Mascara, liner, and usually a quick dash of lipstick. Ba da bing! Most of what I know about "beauty" I've copied from all the women in my life. I don't buy magazines, I just look around and see what all my ladies are doing. I buy the same foundation as my aunt because she has great skin. I have a rough idea of where I'm supposed to put blush because my best friend is the Makeup Whisperer. My cousin always has Burt's Bees in her bag, so naturally I went out and bought Burt's Bees (and army pants and flip flops). 

While normally I like to march to the beat of my own Italian ukelele, when it comes to beauty routines I have more of a monkey-see monkey-do attitude. And now for my burning question! What's your beauty routine? Who'd you learn your tricks from?

thanks, Thanksgiving

Thank goodness for Thanksgiving, am I right? 

Thanksgiving is the best for lots of reasons but my personal favorite is getting to sleep in on a Thursday. If your boss isn't a terrorist then you probably get to sleep in on Friday, too! Talk about great times. I like Thanksgiving because it's reliable - you can always count on that last Thursday of the month. Christmas on the other hand, while it may be the King of holidays, always jumps around. Christmas is stubborn and insists on being on the 25th every year (rude, right?), which means sometimes it falls on a Friday - or worse! - a Saturday. Nothing's worse than a holiday that falls on a weekend (I'm talking to you, Fourth of July, 2015!!) because this means less days for you to hang out in your pajamas and have wine for lunch. 

J & I are staying in New York for the holiday which I'm actually pretty excited about. We'll be contributing more than just bread tomorrow (shocking, I know) which means we (as in he) will start cooking some things tonight. As you know, I am a terrible cook so I think my role will be more of a cheerleader than a chef.

"You're doing great!"
"Go spinach dip, go!"
"Looking steamy, broccoli!" 

I think it'll be a good day. What are you doing for the big feast?

new york: more than just sparkly lights

BREAKING NEWS: New York City is not the only city in the state of New York. 

Were you aware of this? Because I wasn't. 

What I know about New York is New York City (and I'm still an amateur). Anything that lies beyond the city limits is a real mystery to me. I have to admit, since I've lived here the farthest I've strayed is.. Brooklyn, which, I'm afraid, doesn't exactly count. There's lots of talk about (the mythical) "upstate New York" but seeing as how I can't name a single city north of this city, I'm assuming "upstate" is just slang for "uptown". 

Imagine my surprise when I found myself on the top of Bear Mountain on Friday morning - hiking boots and all! - and realized that I was still in the state of New York. I mean, wow. What is this place, Oregon?  As part of our volunteer service program, I headed up there with a friend from work for a day of hiking trail repair (which is secret code for 'moving lots of rocks'). See that staircase we're sitting on? We built that! Well, part of it. I have extremely sore muscles to prove it. 

Anyways, I felt like a damn Dixie Chick with all those wide open spaces. I am madly in love with Manhattan, but there was something heavenly about escaping it. To be able to see for miles. To be the only people around for miles. To be surrounded by silence. 

It was one of those days that's good for your soul - but not necessarily good for your back. Or your arms. Or for lifting heavy things like a cup of coffee the next morning. Make no mistake, my friends, trail repair work is not for sissies.

What did I take away from this experience, you ask? That rocks are heavy. And that I am a sissy.

(and that there's more to New York than New York City)