Photos & Words: September 2017 // An airport

Liz

When I was a child, somebody put a big, blue plastic camera in my grubby hands. I got older and the cameras got fancier and I “studied” photography in high school then college and I took a LOT of photos. So now I’m going to post my photos in no particular order with stories that may or may not have something to do with what’s in them – my new experiment in creative confidence.

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I’m leaving the country for three weeks.
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Yes, it’s a little ridiculous. Three weeks is a long time. I didn’t think three weeks was a long time until two weeks ago when I made a list of all of the things I needed to wrap up at work and detailed instructions on all of the ways people will have to soldier on in my absence because I will be gone for nearly a month. My boss has spend the previous fortnight lashing out because she doesn’t know how I managed to slip a three week sabbatical through.
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The trick is I asked like, a year ago. And a year ago, three weeks didn’t seem so long. A year ago, I didn’t think I would be running around trying to make sure I don’t return to a series of garbage fires. A year ago, I wasn’t elbows deep in redesigning our website…or our customer portal…or scheduling a User Group meeting…
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ANYWAY. I’m leaving the country for THREE WEEKS. And because I’m a millenial and it is 2018, I need to internet (yes, I’m making it a verb) at least once every 24 hours or I will. So I’m going to write about it for all the world to see. Or, just the three people that read this…hi, Mom!
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I’m leaving the country for three weeks to go to Scotland. Three people are coming with me. Well, one is coming with me for the entire three weeks…the other two will be there for more reasonable amounts of time like 10 days or 6 days.
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Back in 2013, Mary’s parents told her that she could have a European adventure as a graduation present IF she could find someone to trek along with her. I was that special someone. Fast forward 5 years and now she gets to have a Scottish adventure as a present for graduating from grad school and once again, I volunteered as tribute to accompany her…and then i suggested we go for an extra week because ermagerd, how would we possibly make it to Inverness AND Skye with only TWO weeks?? Once again, I am rewarding MYSELF simply for living life so far. Why make money if not to blow it all every 5 years on a weeks-long overseas trip? We’ll drive through the highlands, sample the finest whisky, stop at some roadside castles, and imagine ourselves as the upper-middle class to which we aspire.
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So yeah…I’m leaving the country for three weeks. DC to London to Glasgow to Arran to Islay to Oban to Inverness to Skye to Edinburgh to Glasgow to London to DC. Allons-y!
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(For those of you who are confused by my French sign off on a post about traveling to Scotland where clearly they speak….um…English?…it’s less that I’m trying to relate to the culture I will soon find myself immersed in and more that I am a huge nerd and decided to quote The Doctor as a wrap up to this post. And for those of you who got it…props.)

Photos & Words: September 2017 // London

Liz

When I was a child, somebody put a big, blue plastic camera in my grubby hands. I got older and the cameras got fancier and I “studied” photography in high school then college and I took a LOT of photos. So now I’m going to post my photos in no particular order with stories that may or may not have something to do with what’s in them – my new experiment in creative confidence.

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I was born at 11AM. The way my mom tells it, everyone who was supposed to be there had just stepped out to get lunch. I was 9lb 9oz. My brother told my dad not to bring it home.
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One year for my birthday my mom brought cupcakes to school. I wore a paper crown and the whole class sat in a circle while we gathered the “ingredients” and pretended to bake a birthday cake. It couldn’t have been my actual birthday.
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One year for my birthday my mom hired a puppeteer to put on a show at our house for me and my friends. I loved the puppets then. The video is terrifying now.
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One year for my birthday we strung up a zip line from my grandparents balcony down to the tree line at the edge of their property. My older brother had to stand in front of the tree and catch us so that we wouldn’t run into it.
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On year for my birthday I had a joint party with a girl in my grade who had the same birthday as me because her house had a pool. Most of our friends gave us matching gifts but with a slightly different color or style…as if we were actual twins who liked to match.
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One year for my birthday we had a big party in Michigan and afterward I stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house for two weeks. My cousin taught me how to mix paints to get different colors and my uncle showed me how to cross pollinate the lilies he grew in the back yard to get different colors. My aunt took me to MAC to get “real” makeup and bought me ice blue eye shadow and purple lipstick. The only thing I remember about the actual party is that someone’s girlfriend gave me a color-your-own fanny pack and my cousin gave me a diary with a lock on it.
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One year for my birthday my aunt took me and a couple cousins to London. She bought me a special cake from the bakery around the corner, we rode the London Eye, and got Chinese food for dinner. I can’t remember what play we saw that particular night but it was either Billy Elliott, Footloose, or Mary Poppins. I had my first real scone.
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One year for my birthday, my friends came over and we had a water gun fight on the back deck while my dad barbecued. I had just cut my hair short and it poofed up into an afro. Mom got a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake with chocolate cake and chocolate chip ice cream and had a picture printed on it. My friends fought over who would get to eat my eye.
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One year for my birthday my college friends came up to stay with me at my parents’ house. We rented boats at Burke Lake Park, had dinner at Benihana, and went to play laser tag. A group of preteens cornered me upstairs until my friend came over and threatened them all. My brother gave me a bottle of Goldschlager and taught my friends how to play poker.
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One year for my birthday I had a joint party with my sorority sister who had the same birthday as me. Over 100 people showed up. Two tall guys from a different school carried me in on a chaise, we finished a keg in under 2 hours, and I met my college boyfriend.
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One year for my birthday my friend and my brother came to visit in Charlottesville. We went bar hopping around The Corner and the parking lot attendants gave me a swig of something they were drinking. My boyfriend and I streaked the lawn after midnight (it’s a tradition and no, my brother was not there) and I made him hold my hand the entire way down and back. As soon as we got our clothes back on, I threw up over the side of the rotunda into the courtyard.
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One year for my birthday I went to the beach with a friend of a friend I had only met twice and her family I didn’t know. Her mother asked what kind of cake I liked and I said ice cream but if it has chocolate cake it needs to have vanilla ice cream otherwise it’s too concentrated and she said “This is my child.”
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One year for my birthday I went to stay with my parents at their new house in Florida. My parents drove 45 minute to the closest Baskin Robbins to get my favorite cake. I wondered why nobody wrote me to say happy birthday until I posted a picture of our “birthday boat ride” to watch the sunset on the Gulf…I realized that I had my birth date set to private on Facebook.
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One year for my birthday my friend and I got midnight pedicures at a place that serves champagne. I took off work the next day and we wandered around DC. We went to see an interactive art exhibit, got manicures to match our pedicures, and were the first people at the door of our favorite ramen place when they opened (usually it’s a 1 hour wait).
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Many years for my birthday my dad has asked what I want to eat and I tell him gumbo. He spends all day making soup in the dead heat of summer with the windows open. Something about the smell attracts lady bugs and they’ll cover the screens. When he gets to the roux, he’ll say “come watch how I do this” even though I’ve seen it 20 times before.
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This year for my birthday I ate my favorite cake baked by my best friend/coworker/roommate and then we worked until 8pm eating Thai food in the conference room trying to get everything done before I leave on a long international trip in three weeks. We’ll have the real party this weekend.
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📷 This is a picture of me in a big chair in front of a big mirror in the timeshare condo my Aunt had to say goodbye to this year.
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Here’s to 29.

Book Impression: Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

Ok I don’t know how I feel about this one. I definitely didn’t hate it but I don’t know if I loved it either? Maybe it would be funnier if I were British with British humor. The main character is just such an unlikeable idiot but I think that’s the point. It reminded me of a movie Steve Carell would be in where they just do the stupidest things and act like somebody else is the big oaf. I have to admit that it did hold my attention enough and it was a pretty quick, light read. I mostly wanted to know how everything was going to keep going bad and then suddenly resolve. I kind of want to read some more Wodehouse to see how it feel about him.

I got this book from a little store in London and am having such a hard time finding another in the series. Considering asking them how much it would be to just ship me some overseas…

Book Impression: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

What a weird book. That’s all I can really think to say. This kind of book always makes me feel like I’m missing something…like I didn’t get it. What was the message? Maybe the point of it was to be weird? It’s interesting to think about the two main characters as an 18 year old and a 28 year old because they both seem so much younger. I just kept waiting for some twist but it didn’t really happen. It was just a weird story about a weird family and a weird town/angry mob. 

Full disclosure – this was a book club pick.

Book Impression: The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

This is book was incredible and terrifying. It made me yearn for adventure while also making me swear off visiting south/central America (or any warmer climates) ever ever again.

The imagery was vivid. This is a great example of the way I like to read history. It seemed to me to be well-researched and based in fact while still holding my attention with a narrative. I know that the expedition came up against a lot of protest but I can’t decide whether I feel that was justified. The author sensationalizes a little bit but that’s to be expected. It really sheds like on some fascinating bits of history that I would like to learn more about. And it touches on something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately – the true history of the Americas. When you go abroad and visit places like Rome or Scotland, they have all of this wild, ancient history all around. And America just feels “new” by contrast but really we’re not…we just don’t show off our actual history that way because (as the book discusses) the indigenous people and their cultures were killed off. I think this book mixes the exciting with he historical while also sprinkling in some important thoughts on the “New World” (even if it did try a little too hard to scare me into a lesson at the end). 

Full disclosure – this was a book club pick.

Book Impression: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

SPOILERS AHEAD…

I loved this book so much. It felt like one of the most true to life, relatable things I have read in a very long time and even when the characters grew so large or obnoxious, it was in a believable way. The imagery of them at camp was so spot on and called up a lot of my own memories and nostalgia. I think that she also did a good job of growing each character without losing the fact that, even as people age, they stay the same, especially when they are around those who knew them when they were young. I think she addressed heart ache between friends really well and I like that she didn’t push certain characters together. Dennis was by far my favorite character because of the subtle ways he really was the best of them even though I think you’re supposed to think of him as pretty ordinary and a consolation prize. The characters were all complex just like real people without anybody being forced to the extremes of good or bad or right or wrong. They all were a little of everything. 

Book Impression: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

This book took me forever to get through. I agree with some other reviews I’ve seen saying it’s really two books (a good one and a not as good one). The beginning is hard reading with some overly lyrical writing that madee me really sttruggle to get through. I feel like it really hits it’s stride 150-200 pages in but I don’t know how many people would hang in there tthat long. The story gets a little infuriating but, at least to me, in a realistic way that kept things interesting.

I loved the use of real life people as supporting characters to the story and felt like Kingsolver seamlessly integrated her protagonist. I’ve never done well at recalling actual history so anytime a piece of fiction can (somewhat reliably) incorporate historical people or events, I find it that much more fascinating. And now I want to learn everything I can about Rivera and Khalo and Trotsky. This definitely got my blood pumping with the injustice of things and all of the ways it’s still coming out in our society. I loved reading Kingsolvers Q&A at the end when she talks about how America started with a bunch of rebels but patriotism has morphed in the idea that you have to accept America as a perfect finished product. I see so much of that with the fear mongering and hatred happening lately and have made that exact “founded out of rebellion” argument in conversation with friends. 

Overall, I enjoyed it and am glad I made the effort to finish. It feels like an accomplishment.

Full disclosure: This was a book club book.

Book Impression: Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

I loved this book. I am still very confused and I don’t know if I’m supposed to be or not. I feel like, more than once, characters were introduced early then brought back way later without any reminder of how we were supposed to know them. But maybe I’m just very bad at just recalling things like that. It also handled some of the world building without explanation, which I don’t necessarily disagree with but I think is adding to my feeling that I’m missing something. It kind of rattled off unusual things as if you’re just supposed to know and accept them. I read it because I really want to watch the show so maybe that will clear things up and maybe it won’t? Like Kovachs and Kawaharas relationship. And how old Kovachs is. I don’t know. Either way, I loved it. It was pretty gripping right from the start. And it didn’t hit too many “futuristic” cliches. 

Update: I started to watch the show and had to stop because I loved the book so much and the show changed such massive things (which also made me even more confused than before).

Book Impression: Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

I love Vonnegut. I don’t know if that’s a hipster or cliche thing to say but I promise I’m not doing it for attention. Now I’ve read…6 of his books? The first one I remember was Sirens of Titan back in high school. I finally read this one even though I thought I had before (I hadn’t…though I still might have written a book report). Most of the time when I finished something by my good friend Kurt, I feel like I’m missing something. And with this one, I definitely feel like I’m missing some joke he is playing. Or a broader message. But I still loved it. He presents the most absurd things in the most banal, ordinary way so that sometimes you don’t know what’s supposed to be insanity or not. 

Book Impression: Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

Liz

A few years ago I read an entire book before realizing I had already read it. I looked back at my Goodreads read list and realized I had no memory of about half of the books on there. So I built a new habit – (almost) every time I finish a book, I word-vomit my thoughts and emotions into a note on my phone. Sometimes they’re brief, sometimes they’re long-longwinded, sometimes they just ramble…and now I’m putting them here. Please enjoy the madness.

This book. There were just so many times that the raw emotions she described made me say “oh my god, yes!”  Especially with the way Tess pines for Jake. There was so much honesty and it really felt like an embodiment of your early 20s the way you can be self aware and horribly naive but know you are and still charge forward anyway. The knowledge of your youthful power. The way she regarded the older people around her. I loved every bit of it Stephanie Danler just writes the most beautiful, luscious sentences too.