Desiderata

1. I finally caved and made my first purchase from Outdoor Voices. They've been spamming my feeds via style bloggers and sponsored posts for months. So congrats to their marketing team, all of your targeted ads have paid off. To be fair, it was a pretty good deal--$100 for a crop-top, compression pants and a pouch...to put stuff in, I assume? Actually, I'm not sure what the point of the pouch is, to be honest.  -  Outdoor Voices Warm Up Kit in Charcoal and Navy .  2. My friend Nora found this budget option for a round mirror when we were looking for things to redecorate my room. It was only $49! #targetdoesitagain -  Target Round Mirror in Brass . 3. I don't know if I've ever actually bought something directly from a Cup of Jo post, but her recent newsletter featured these  Dipped hoops from J Crew  and I just had to have them. 30% off $19--only $14.95 plus free shipping! Score! 4. I've been looking for a floor lamp for months. For...

Right now I am listening to Lola Kirke's eponymous EP, which was recently released. The first song, Baby Butt , is super catchy--I seriously can't stop humming it. Her whole vibe reminds me of Jenny Lewis meets Neko Case, though it's sweeter and bit more demure. Her voice is breathy and the lyrics are heartfelt--in short, it's totally cute; I love it. This is perfect summertime driving music (even though it's the coldest February I can remember and I am currently under five blankets suffering a weeklong cold). There's definitely a 1970s-California/Southwest thing going on here, too. Her voice is rich, but delicate; haunting, with a folky stylization. I remember reading an article where she quoted someone saying, "I feel like I have at least 5 folk songs in me," which resonated with her deeply. Of course, now I can't get that out of my head. I wonder what 5 folk songs are lingering within me?  Here's a little video for Tomorrow Morning,...

I began writing this post nearly a year ago. My poor, poor abandoned blog. It's been a whole year and, really, not much has changed. I can't decide if that's comforting or unsettling. Cunsettling? In any case, I'm just gonna go ahead and post this so it's out there in the open. Maybe then I will confront these long-lingering desires and issues. ------ There are always so many things I'd like to do or be. I'd like to be proficient at the piano. I'd like to learn French. I'd like to watch less television. I'd like to read more books. How do I allot myself enough time every day to do all of these things? Are we as humans always striving toward betterment? Toward self-improvement? Is it an endless cycle? One which we will never attain? It is unquestionable that I am a good person. A person who by all accounts, does more than one should. I exercise near daily. I clean up after myself. I present myself well and professionally at work. I...

“Happiness not in another place, but this place...not for another hour, but this hour...” -Walt Whitman, Leave of Grass

You'll get your money I'll get my friends Hard living's forgiven In the end You got your troubles I got mine On a clear day I can Read your mind Oh it's like a battlefield inside You got to Give a little love Give a little love Give a little love To get a little love Give a little love Give a little love I know you better Than you want me to Inside your pockets And walking in your shoes Oh it can get better if you try You got to Give a little love Give a little love Give a little love To get a little love Give a little love Give a little love I hope you Give a little love Give a little love Give a little love To get a little love Give a little love Give a little love

Honestly, I think we read horoscopes for selfish reasons. We just want to feel like that what we're feeling/thinking/emoting is validated by someone else out there. Maybe other people out there are neurotic like me! ::Reads horoscope furiously for anything relatable:: Ah, yes the universe gets me! Anyway, this little ditty came up in my horoscope today and it's accurate as hell: Warning: With Mercury retrograde until the 9th, you run the risk of spreading yourself too thin. Write down the top three goals (max!) you want to accomplish in October, and focus solely on those. After the 9th, you’ll feel the pace pick up at the office. Since this can get stressful, make sure you’re burning off steam with regular exercise. I have been spread SO thin by social and personal obligations that I had a full-on meltdown last night. I was crying uncontrollably because I have so many great things going on in my life and I can't do them all. I want to be Wonder Woman! I want to ca...

Everything is interconnected. Gratitude improves sleep. Sleep reduces pain. Reduced pain improves your mood. Improved mood reduces anxiety, which improves focus and planning. Focus and planning help with decision making. Decision making further reduces anxiety and improves enjoyment. Enjoyment gives you more to be grateful for, which keeps that loop of the upward spiral going. Enjoyment also makes it more likely you’ll exercise and be social, which, in turn, will make you happier.  - Alex Kord, neuroscientist, UCLA Ask “What am I grateful for?” No answers? Doesn’t matter. Just searching helps. Label those negative emotions. Give it a name and your brain isn’t so bothered by it. Decide. Go for “good enough” instead of “best decision ever made on Earth.” Hugs, hugs, hugs. Don’t text — touch. Read the full article on TIME.com .