Sunday, June 28, 2009

meg bayley,

you made my girls only sunday funday the best.

lovin.
xoxo

Friday, June 26, 2009

i am just. exhausted.
on all levels.
right now.

next week at this time i will be on a beach in the hamptons. with my phone shut off. for peace and quiet. with no concerns. no worries. no anxiety. no stress. just me. the air. three sassy ladies. and the beach. days OFF. much needed.

the following week i am taking a mini vacation with g & his family for his birthday. again. days off. cell phone off. nothing but relaxation, bathing suits, laughter and good food.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

life, i really believe, is about falling in love. with ideas, with stories, with experiences, mistakes, adventures, poetry, imaginations, old books, new books, movies, music, and, of course, people. everything that is worthwhile in this world is worth falling in love with, and i can’t imagine a better way to live one’s life than to be always head over heels.

what are YOU in love with?
looking forward to:

adopting two kitties. sunshine for good. yellow yellow yellow. sleeping tonight.
with the windows open. breakfast tomorrow. a cup of tea sooner then later. a
walk in the sun. a relaxing weekend. an ice cream party. reading new york
magazine on the subway. getting my new bathing suit so it can finally feel like
summer. this. now. being.

Monday, June 22, 2009

where you come from

"When you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, and dignified as a king. Immersed in wonder, you can deal with whatever life brings you, and when death comes, you are ready."


- Lao Tzu

Friday, June 19, 2009

my hair misses being lovely. and long.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

why do bad things happen to good people?

especially people i love. people i consider my family. people who know me more then i know me. why all the pain? what does it teach us?

it's raining, it's pouring...

... im pretty sure my grandpa is still snoring :)

today the universe told me, "one must let go in order to be free". while this holds many different meanings, lemme tell you something. i am SO ready to let go of this gosh-awful RAIN. seriously now. three weeks of grey clouds and droplets of water is not healthy for our environment and surely not healthy on our mental health. give it up, mother nature! let's have a few days of sunshine, warm weather and sun kissed skin! instead, i both smell and look like a wet dog. delicious.

on other notes, did everyone/anything see so you think you can dance last night? um, hell-o, brandon doing the disco.



i watched it this morning (yes shea, this is what you missed at work this far) and have such a SMILE on my face. watch it, it'll make the rain clouds disappear for five minutes and you will picture yourself wearing six-inch glitter platforms. truuuuust me.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

i work with old people, and this being said, they are some of my favorite people out there.

just the other day, i left my office and was walking to the subway. as i was walking, i saw one of my favorite little mister's walking towards me. we stopped, and as always, his face lit up, he gave me a kiss on each cheek and kept saying 'IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!'. just his energy and zest always makes me happy. no matter what's going on in his life or health, when he sees shea or myself, he lights up. as we were getting ready to go about our ways, he took out his wallet, and showed me a photo he carries around of shea and i in his wallet.
the only photo in his wallet.
right there, front and center.
us.
he said he kisses it every morning, and everytime he takes out his wallet, because 'you two are good girls! my girls!' (said in a thick greek accent). my heart burst. to know that some people can truly care and love you, and take you into their heart and call you their family.

this job. these people. some of the sweetest. they are little rare jems with grey hair, walkers, wheelchairs, dentures and hearts of gold who have in so many ways, touched my heart, personally and professionally, and welcomed me into their lives, family, homes and soul. forever grateful.

dear you,

Drop the idea of becoming someone, because you are already a masterpiece. You cannot be improved. You have only to come to it, to know it, to realize it.

love,
me.

yes, please.

20 of the worlds most beautiful libraries.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

strong.

I’ve never tried to block out the memories of the past, even though some are painful. I don’t understand people who hide from their past. Everything you live through helps to make you the person you are now.
Sophia Loren

why my guy friends rule:

sitting in grey dog cafe. a favorite place. a common meeting ground. a friend home. a home away from home. on a calm, cool, breezy june eve. after a rainstorm. a bulldog sitting out front. sandwiches. soup. wraps. unknown beers. coming through a fence. smiles. new buzzed haircuts (gb). new wispy do's (cs). humid happy hair (mt). friendly winks (mr). my favourite laugh (ag). celebrating... the bar exam, mental health comp exam, new apt in brklyn, a book project, gmats. getting a running-into-my-arms hug from a birthday boy (ap). a surprise favorite cookie for myself. a surprise batch of red velvets. re-capping. re-living. planning. discussing. such a chilled night. a favorite.

"In the end, Marvelous Melissa, all you have are memories, and usually the ones you have with friends are the ones you treasure most.

I got you, babe -
The Universe"

so you think you can -

i am normally NOT a sucker for tv. of course, being that i have tv AND a fancy dvr in my apartment, i am a sucker to a zillion cooking shows, a zillion HGTV shows, a zillion tlc shows (the little couple! adorable), a zillion history channel shows, ace of cakes (personal favorite) and my newest guilty pleasure - so you think you can dance.

and this guy. he's the reason why.

(2008 audition)


(2009 audition)


when i first saw his 2009 audition, i had chills all over my body and was a sobbing mess. he makes it look so easy, but he puts so much emotion into every move. every step is taken with care, love and thought. brandon bryant. he blows my mind. he gives me inspiration to dust off my modern dance textbooks and break out some new routines.

Monday, June 15, 2009

for mbee,

"I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."
- Og Mandino

always thinkin' of you. xo.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

“I would ask every man and every woman who’s had the blessing of having children, ‘Would you deny your son or your daughter the ecstasy of finding someone to love?' To love someone takes a lot of courage. So how much more is one challenged when the love is of the same sex and the laws say, ‘I forbid you from loving this person’?”
- Maya Angelou, phoning New York state Sen. Shirley L. Huntley (D-Queens) and asking that she support marriage equality.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

life-ful. full of life.

life has been, well, life-ful lately.

i have began a part-time job, to help offset the ridiculous costs of a master's degree, and it's a sucker of time. in the midst of working full time, then park time, then going to school ive been busy. hectic. swamped. napless. i watched one of my best friends move out of new york city, back to dc (luckily though, she is already back for a visit this weekend!), i have watched familiar & friendly faces win tony's (the award, not the person), i have hopped on the iPhone band wagon (an extreme dark side), i have seen ryan adams enjoy live music at joe's pub (surreal surreal surreal!) and tonight, i am not only giving a five minute speech at a middle school graduation, im also seeing jenny lewis!

time for sleep, you ask? never. none.

a happy little yoga studio opened near my apartment. i urge you to come to astoria just for some morning meditations and midnight yoga. {the giving tree yoga studio}. and then of course, visit me!

i have also succumbed to making a lot of new recipes. george and i are the master of lentil salads these days, it seems. i also strongly recommend this spinach and strawberry salad. truuuuust me.
There will always be people in your life, Marvelous Melissa, who hold you back, who cost you too much, and who fail to see all you've done for them. But, of course, they're just there to teach you that you do have time, that you'll always be rich, and that your own high standards are all that matter.

i think this hits home. for so many of us. we all know that one person who completely drains us. who we may not even like... but we still go above and beyond for that person. why? because that's what we're used to. and no matter how many times they kick us down, we still are there for them -- holding them up, cheering for them and being there. and no matter how much they drain out of us, at the end of the day, we're still the same amazing person we were destined to be. the person who sees the good in the bad and the person who makes the most out of a little.

Friday, June 5, 2009

ryan adams, on why he writes:


"It feels like the noble thing to do in a world of fake smiles, cowards and so, so many undocumented miracles if standing in the middle of parking lots and laughing for no reason was one. And to see how many times I can get away with the word unicorn in otherwise unsettled text. And vanity. Vanity. Vanity."
if I wait to be
perfect
before I love myself
I will always be
unsatisfied
and ungrateful

if I wait until
all the flaws, chips,
and cracks disappear
I will be the cup
that stands on the shelf
and is never used

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

tonight:

this gorgeous lady, with some of my favourite gorgeous lady friends. directly after some over indulging at s'mac nyc. life is good.

metta prayer

may all beings be peaceful.
may all beings be happy.
may all beings be safe.
may all beings be awaken to the light of their true nature.
may all beings be free.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

"When you give of yourself something new comes in to being... the world expands, a bit of goodness is brought forth and a small miracle occurs. You must never underestimate this miracle. Too many good people think they have to become Mother Teresa or Albert Schweitzer, or even Santa Claus, and perform great acts if they are to be givers. They don't see the simple openings of the heart that can be practiced anywhere with almost anyone."

Monday, June 1, 2009

im sitting at my desk with a delicious iced vanilla chai. on a gorgeous city day.

this weekend was a weekend of firsts. the first of my part time job in the middle of times square. the first of a visit to the frying pan in chelsea (and what a glorious place it is! boats that are really docked resturants where i had first row seats to watch the sunset). the first of aimlessly walking around union square on a gorgeous sunday to score a new favourite vintage ring. the first strawberry salad of the season. the first feeling that it IS summer.

today is the opposite. today is my first day of my last day of summer classes. i start my internship course today, which means i am down to the nitty gritty. six more months until i am certified as a mental health counselor. my year and a half in the program flew by, so i know these two semesters are going to speed by.
exciting. nervous. happy. sad.

and on that note:
"It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings."

the universe always knows. always.