compromise:

a bathing suit is pretty much the last thing i want to put on right now, but with our family vacation rapidly approaching, it's about to become unavoidable. unless i choose to lie on the beach in something like this, of course (to go along with bailey's outfit). i'm lusting over this one (and that bod?), but settling for this one (and researching nylon dyeing techniques).

virtual christmas shopping... for myself:

following darcy's lead, i'm compiling a list of beautiful things i would put on my christmas list if my family were exchanging gifts this year. (instead of collecting more things, we're going on a five-day vacation to cabo san lucas. sun-bathing and whale-watching? -- i seriously can't complain.)

anything from rifle paper company, including, but not limited to, this beautiful botanical chart card set:

a getaway at the tree house featured in the toast a/w 09 house & home catalog (... or anything else within the pages):

a big-girl purse:

feminine underpinnings:

cozy slippers:

a whole library of penguin cloth-bound classics:

...among other things.

uncanny:

bacon band-aids:

worn out of necessity, not irony.

it's that time of year again:

outside it is raining and cold, and i'm bah-humbugging already. not that i don't love the holiday season -- i'm just sick and tired of all of the stuff involved.

(photo from here, forever ago.)

to do:

unfortunately, felix "fox" harris' house isn't still here; but i really want to see the installation of his pieces at the art museum of southeast texas.

i can't believe i've been living back home for over two months. i've only accomplished a fraction of what i promised myself i would.

(photos by keith carter.)

wurstfest 09:

i wish i could tell y'all how many different versions of the chicken dance i have heard over the past 48 hours.

this was my halloween costume. and yes, that is beer i'm drinking through the straw.

my mother has used the word "hootenany," both in text and in speech, approximately 800 times over the past week.

(image from here.)

guess who is back in town:

...or, the country. finally! i can't wait to see my boo!

(photo from darcy.)

nomnomnom:

i just made myself a red onion, garlic, sun-dried tomato, spinach, artichoke heart, pine nut, and goat cheese omelet for dinner. delicious with a glass of cabernet sauvignon. YUM.

oh no:

i want this backpack! why is shipping $14.99??

i cannot do ebay. i always end up placing risky bids and accidentally purchasing things that i don't really intend to. please make me stop looking at navajo purses and rugs.

october in texas:

yesterday i shivered. today i sunbathe in the backyard.

mom is fifty:

i have heretofore greatly underestimated my parents' ability to party. i love my family.

(photos from bailey.)

i am wearing the most embarrassing outfit right now. i really hope that no one stops by for a surprise visit.

the worthwhile existence:

EAT...
SLEEP...
HUNT.

(from a homemade bumper sticker, somewhere between sour lake and college station.)

my afternoon:

hot cup of tea,
small bowl of almonds,
italo calvino.

i can't believe that october is almost halfway over.

me, today:

wearing my duck skirt, for those who lamented that i never do.

& sulking, because bradley is leaving for europe for a month.

all or nothing:

this song has been stuck in my head for a couple of days now.

Au Revoir Simone - All Or Nothing from JONATHAN DORTCH on Vimeo.

speaking of hairdos:

i think i'll try this one out next. (from here.)

me, today:

i got my hair cut off (!!!) and i've been blowing my nose and sneezing constantly (yuck).

uh oh:

i think i'm picking up an accent.

linens:

mom and i spent the morning drinking coffee and sorting through our linen closet. each quilt, sheet set, and pillow sham comes with a little story of its own; it's so difficult to get rid of items with histories.

also, neither of us have gone outside yet, but we agree that it really looks like autumn today. the light is different, softer. i can't wait for cooler weather.

a few cool things:

bailey sent me a link to this article earlier today. this guy's philosophy and aesthetic are incredible -- i can't believe he's from hunstville, texas. see the rest of the slide show here.

also, bailey and i have almost completed our 1st week of half-marathon training! i'm pretty excited about getting back in shape and having a goal to look toward; plus, we're going to start meeting up on sundays to do our long runs together, which will give us some nice sister-time now that we're in closer proximity to one another...

me, today:

i should be studying for my last-ever essay exam, but i am sort of tired and completely apathetic. instead, i am drinking a pacifico and listening to music and trying to take a photobooth pic that accurately captures the way i feel.

by the way, when was the last time you noticed how gross the tongue is?

bad luck or poor foresight:

this morning, my parents left with nearly all of my belongings -- excluding a lamp, a pair of antlers, some bedding, and a couple of changes of clothes -- and since then, i have desperately needed a handful of things that i left in their custody: some advil to ameliorate my agonizing menstrual cramps; a band-aide for my bloody knee, which i smacked into a door; the nail polish remover to take off the heinous polish on my toenails.

i very rarely need any of those products in my day-to-day life, so it must just be a little bit of bad luck. i guess i'll just make do until sunday.

finally:

i ordered the gladiators that i've been pining over all summer! marais is having a sandal sale. go get 'em, y'all.

skippin' class on a monday:

and it feels fine.

p.s. - let's have a party?

uh oh:

i only have two weeks left in denton, and the realization has got me feeling panicky. i'm going to sit on my front porch with a book and a cup of tea to calm my nerves.

yes, please:

from john robshaw
& anthropologie.

a poor girl's alternative to a $3 kombucha:

tap water
ice cubes
1/4 of a freshly-squeezed lime

current compulsions:

- afternoon catnaps on the sofa
- homemade iced coffee

inspiration:

chunky necklaces (from here),

& belarusian textiles (from here).

today i'm looking at:

100 abandoned houses


& flights to chattanooga, tennessee.

what is up:

i've been back in the states for a week now, and it's been almost a month since i last updated, so i'm sure that the foremost question on your mind is, "what on earth has whitney been doing?" well, this is it:

1. keeping my body temperature regulated. it's much hotter outside here than it is in costa rica, and much cooler indoors. so i usually spend the heat of the day under a blanket in my house (where i read my book or make jewelry [i didn't make this, but i made one very similar to it] or catch up on the 1000+ blog entries in my google reader [eek!].)

2. cooking. i promise never to take my kitchen for granted again. i really missed the freedom to prepare my own food while i was gone, and bradley and i have been making up for it since i've been back. a few nights ago, i made gallo pinto, chimichurri, and sauteed fish (that my dad caught!), and it was absolutely delicious. i went to the denton farmer's market yesterday and got a handful of pickling cucumbers from a sweet, toothless old man, so homemade pickles are next on my list of things to make.

3. floating in the lake/getting drunk with friends. this is pretty self-explanitory; i missed out on a lot of both while i was away.

i hope to be much better at keeping this old thing updated from now on.

on costa rica:

i´m having a great time, slowly getting to know the region and improving my spanish and sweating constantly. i have attended a dance class, a photography class, and a traditional costa rican cooking class, in addition to the spanish language and culture class from 10:45 to 1:45 every day.

my classmates and host family are great, and i sort of have a girl crush on our director, janiva, who is probably the most interesting, accomplished young woman i know. i´ve been so busy from dawn until way past dusk every day; i feel like i´ve been here for weeks rather than days.

missing you all. don´t have too much fun without me. besos.

leavin':

¿qué tal, dudes? i'm leaving for costa rica today; don't be surprised if i decide to expatriate

just kiddingggg. see y'all in three weeks!

dime dime dime:

i've been listening to hispanic pop radio for the past few days, sort of in preparation for my trips to méxico and costa rica and sort of just for fun. anyway, as a result, this song has been stuck in my head for approximately 48 hours. i think it's getting on bradley's nerves, but it is SO catchy!

sad, sad news:

i'm visiting my family in sour lake, and they just told me that maribelle was hit by a car in front of our house a few weeks ago.
r.i.p. baby girl. i'll miss you forever.

two things:

1. i'm finally done with final exams. remind me, why exactly did i think it was a good idea to get this second degree?

2. phat camp 2 is this weekend, and i'm really looking forward to bike parades and music and dancing and capturing the flag and hanging out with friends, and hopefully the weather won't get in the way of any of it.

stop raining:

...please? i really need some sunshine.

and speaking of the sun... the other day i came across one of my favorite photos from our family trip to belize last summer. it's of bailey and me, donning dark suntans and printed dresses in front of the rainbow hotel on caye caulker. bailey is leaving for barcelona in a few days, so i'm not going to see her until mid-july. i'll miss you, little sis.

"my first 'mader":

by whitney radley

also, i have baby european starlings living in the hole above my backdoor and they are so chirpy!

show and tell with ms. monét robbins:

"this is my new blackberry! it's sort of ghetto and it doesn't have a built-in camera."

"this is my kitty, benny! he's sort of chubby and very sleepy."

p.s. i'm so lucky to have amazing, beautiful, smart, talented, fun gfs all around the state and the country and the world.

my mint:

the mint plant (of an unidentified variety) in my windowsill is producing an inordinate amount of fragrant leaves on its unruly stems, and i just figured out what to do with it. who's in for mint juleps and/or mojitos? eh? happy hour to celebrate dead week?

p.s. you all should see how my little garden is reacting to this rainy weather. perhaps i have a little bit of a green thumb after all.

swimming cities:

how beautiful! i want to ride on one! read more about them here.

my garden:

i've got garlic sprouts!

and lavender blossoms!

and here's a shot of my dinky little container garden:

you're looking at: jalapeño and serrano pepper plants, spearmint, golden oregano, marigolds, basil, (dying) cilantro, rosemary, begonias, and a tomato plant. it's a modest start. easily movable.

i'm reading a book right now called "grassroots gardening: rituals for sustaining activism," and the author, donna schaper, talks about how she moves around pretty often and leaves a little garden behind everywhere she has lived. this sounds really nice, and totally practical for me, since i don't really plan on being sedentary for a while...