9/30/13

scenes from my weekend.




If I posted a 'scenes from my weekend' every weekend...well, they'd look absolutely like this.
my weekends are so structured, so planned now - it kind of infuriates me with all of the work I have to do.
But I find time, even if it is bits and pieces here and there - for the things i love.
photos of the changing leaves, pumpkin lattes, and brown paper packages tied with strings :)
creating lessons for the week is a truly exhausting and time consuming thing. 
teachers out there - how do you cope? how do you keep your creative juices flowing?
sometimes I feel like i am so, so out of ideas.

 - - -

this week, it's busy busy, so i've prepared some old school siena posts for you.
things i've learned in the three separate trips to my faaaavorite italian city.
so be sure to check in for that this week. ciao xo!

9/26/13

yet another list


Making : lesson plans.
Cooking : lately life has been more take-out and quick stops at starbucks.
Drinking : far too many cups of coffee and lattes, not nearly enough water.
Reading: textbooks and Mental Floss, with the occasional dose of Sprezzatura
Wanting: to take more pictures, to carve a pumpkin, and for summer to return back to me.




Looking: the big, round moon that brightens the sky on a september night.
Playing: frasier re-runs on netflix as I work on other things.
Wishing: my weekends were longer and less planned.
Enjoying: the autumn breeze that comes in through the windows.



Waiting: for the next time I get to go here. i yearn for the day!
Liking: the kindness of strangers, my hush-hush bagel pit stops on my morning drive, and cuddling in bed at night.
Loving: morning dewdrops and weekend walks with my mom.
Hoping: I'll hear from that person again.
Marvelling: how this day ever happened. 



Needing: another day in the week. preferably a day between saturday and sunday. also, for the water heater to be fixed. cold showers are no fun.
Smelling: pumpkin coffee, sharpie markers, and dry-erase boards.
Wearing: all of my favorite current pieces from banana republic. this is one.

Noticing: how i'm falling into a routine; waking up in the morning is easier.
Knowing: i'm working my hardest and somehow it will pay off.
Feeling: stressed out at work. missing the summer.

Giggling: kid president

Got this idea from a cute blog, so feel free to grab and make your own!

9/25/13

a collaboration


two things that get me excited: double-shots of espresso and the buzzing potential of a cool collaboration!

Blog talk is exciting, because there are so many possibilities - but when you can work with someone else who is just as excited? well, that's when my sparks really start to fly. One of my oldest friends and I got together over the summer and had that amazing "wait, you like to blog too!?" conversation, and that's where all this talk of a collaboration began. The anticipation is getting me so inspired and giddy. I love and thrive in this intimate and bright working atmosphere with a jolt of some caffeinated goodness.

SO, not to give too much away, but look for a collaboration in the next few weeks with Cleo. Check out her blog over thisssssaway! 

ciao, xo


9/24/13

a florentine morning

Living in Florence this summer making videos feels like eons away, another lifetime. Some of the fondest memories I have, besides meeting too many fantastic individuals, were my solo morning outings in the Florentine fog. I so enjoyed walking down the cobblestone streets, by quiet cafes stocking up for the day, and by the merchants at the market setting up their leather bags and goods for display. Florentine mornings still have that mysterious, eerie feel to them - it must have felt that way during the height of the Renaissance, too - or is that characteristic something I just attach to what I know about Florence?

The bats screech in the morning and the Duomo doesn't necessarily pierce the sky, but dominates with a thundering certainty. The bells of the tower woke me up every morning at precisely 7:00 am. Next door to our apartment was Verrazano Cafe, a small and quintessentially Florentine spot that I somehow walked past every day on my way to another cafe. Silver espresso machines hiss and steam up countertops, men converse (or argue?) animatedly in front of open electric truck doors, and miraculously the streets are still void of tourists so early. Men in suits have newspapers folded under their arms and huddle in front of impressive building doors; an office to somewhere. Stacks of crates holding glass bottles of acqua are trustfully left unattended at store fronts waiting to be loaded in. Some tired, groggy travelers wheel in luggage on the uneven cobblestones, but that's the only staccato that breaks the constant yet serene hum of the morning. Foreign salesmen adorn their vendor tents with belts, and street sweepers spray the grey stone ground, cruising by the sides of buildings. Waiters set tables for the day, clinking the occasional glass and silverware.


One time on my morning adventures I was actually too early for a cafe I wanted to go to. So I started heading back to the apartment, known as Tav, for Tavolini. I stopped to take pictures of the bats, which still fascinate me - and a college aged girl interrupted me and said, "excuse me, are you the vlogger?" That was my celebrity moment! Her name was Margot, I think, and she was oh so kind. I don't think I'll ever be "spotted" like that again. But besides the vanity and the lattes and the elaborate morning routine of Florence, it is breathtaking and so comforting to me.

9/23/13

friday night pizza date


I wish Saturdays and Sundays had an extra day between them, so I could fit in more time for this. 
On Friday, S and I had this simple, quick right-after-work
 dinner at one of our favorite pizza places near home, and it was the perfect light end of the afternoon. 
Order: plain pizza, a root beer for me, and an order of fries for two. 
Friday nights are always my ambitious, "fun" nights; 
because I know Sunday always brings the most work - sitting in front of my computer screen to plan things for school. 
Friday nights are fleeting, and especially cool fall evenings like this make me wish I could extend every minute of it.
Just a snippet of happy from my weekend...what was yours?

ciao, xo



9/19/13

a happy list


+ sunday dinners.
+ shopping for shoes.
+ vases of fresh cut flowers.
+ summery clouds on a fall day.
+ pumpkin spice lattes.
+ pencil skirts and loafers.
+ lead pencils, sharpies and post-it notes (my inner teacher)
+ philly coffee dates.
+ long chats in the car.
+ getting inspired with friends.
+ poems.
+ julep nail polish.
+ walks with scout.
+ planning and daydreaming trips.
+ that out of the blue text from a person you want to hear from.
+ packages and pretty envelopes.
+ gold bracelets.
+ cups of tea.

Ugh, these things make my heart flutter right now. Yesterday I picked these flowers (it's actually a perennial and I have no idea what it is) and put them in a vase, just because. I need more of those moments. Admiring these things on my list gets me through the week, notably the big things like daydreaming with friends and walks with my family (and scout!) outside on a crisp fall evening. It anchors me in my whirlwind, 10000mph days. Is it okay if I am scared of how stressed I am at work? The pressure is on, and I'm overwhelmingly hard on myself; but then there are moments when I think I am not trying hard enough. I don't get me. All I know is that these things bring me a little peace of mind, in handfuls at a time.

What calms you down? What's on your happy list?

ciao, xo

9/18/13

venezia.

 so...which way?

From July 2013.

When you go to Venice, let me know how you like it. Because there are some parts of Venice that frustrate me to no end. The number one thing is getting around: well, I guess, that's the whole beauty of it - it's supposed to be a total maze. If you combine that, the oppressive amounts of tourists, and a blazing summer sun, then it can be pretty uncomfortable. But if you know how to get away from that and find the little jewels that are the unoccupied streets, the little hole-in-a-wall restaurants, and tucked away galleries...then, you're good, Venice.

This summer I had the pleasure of being assigned to go to Venice twice. That was way back when, when I was a vlogger. It's a hands off, get lost and explore sort of day. If you're solo traveling, without a group or tour or without any previous knowledge of Venice, getting around can be particularly difficult. Why do the signs point in two directions? It's just one of those things I'll never know.

Venice does have its beautiful parts to it; the emptiness of Murano is a great escape from the bustling, proud Piazza San Marco (probably my favorite on the main "island"); the little cafés outside with glasses and silverware set on the tables; the elaborately beautiful gondolas that bob in the soft waves of the canals. I know I complain about Venice (my friends know it too), but hey, I wouldn't be opposed to sipping a bellini in Piazza San Marco right about now.

Ciao! xo


9/17/13

fall is here!


This weekend was actually cold.  S and I dined al fresco Friday night and I realized it was safe to say...fall is with us here. I was freezing! On Saturday running errands, I wore my Florence leather jacket (a lot earlier than I thought I would, which was fine with me) - it was the perfect jeans and booties weather. Even my windows were open all weekend until I realized that it was just too dang chilly to keep them open any longer.

Even though it was really quite brisk, that didn't stop me and my best friend from finding home made pumpkin ice cream from a local farm. It was a delightful, crisp night with a beautiful sunset and pumpkins galore. I loved this beautiful, bright and chilly night. The angle of the sun is already so different, and there are already scents of bonfires in the air. Wagons by the road are filled with bulbous, bright orange pumpkins...it all makes me realize...fall is here!

I need more weekends like this... :)

ciao, xo

9/16/13

the coffee diaries | elixr


On my last blog (may it rest in peace in some cyberspace abyss), I had a series called the 'coffee diaries,' which was perhaps my favorite little series ever. So in honor of starting afresh here on Anticipation, I present to you my all-time favorite city cafe. Philadelphians, rejoice if you love latte art as much as I do - because Elixr, right off of Walnut Street, is probably the coolest cafe on the block, packed with barista talent and passion.

You'll walk into Elixr and see a dozen little illuminated Macbooks with people perched over them, typing away or in a musical trance with earbuds plugged in. Each person seems to have a fascinating story. But they all have a delicious, beautifully crafted coffee by their hands. Elixr ranks highest in my coffee diaries criteria, which combines atmosphere + service + of course, quality of the coffee (but let's be real, I only get espresso). The atmosphere is just so hipster-cool. Terrariums float over the industrial-style wooden floor and steps, and at the counter, you'll see all of those neat coffee gizmos that only the baristas know how to work. I sure don't.

I found Elixr through someone's recommendation; a perfect stranger, actually. He was a delightful cashier at Kitchen Kapers, and I am forever grateful to him for leading me to my all-time favorite cafe. Since then my sisters got me a little gift card to Elixr for my birthday this year, and every once in a while when I go into the city I make a point to grab a latte. Maybe I'll see you there :)

ciao, xo


207 sydenham street
philadelphia