Category: Small Talk

This song gets me everytime. Every, single time. Give it a listen and I dare you to tell me it’s not swoon worthy. Swoon worthy in a totally heart wrenching, makes you want to cry kind of way.

Later today I’ll be heading downtown for a 2 hour photography class. Ever since I purchased my Nikon 3000 a few summers ago, I’ve been hooked. I’m a snap happy amateur at best, but I’m trying. I really am. I set up a small photography portfolio last fall, and even made an addition to my running bucket list: “Sell a photograph.” I took an intro to digital photography class last year, but found it was… a bit more basic than I hoped.

So when I saw a LivingSocial offer for a photography course in Boston offered by Chimpsy, I jumped on it. I signed up for the intermediate level course, and will spend one hour learning about advanced DSLR camera features, and another hour doing manual shooting and composition exercises with the instructor.

To say I am so excited, is a wild understatement. Wish me luck!

Last night it rained. The showers held off until well after our Valentine’s Day dinner, so the day dedicated to pinks and reds and sugary treats wasn’t really ruined by the weather. But it left the grounds wet this morning. The pavement slick, the air too cold, and the clouds just won’t pass. So today is dreary to say the least.

And on top of the chill in the air, the boyf is heading home to Maine tonight. He won’t be back for a few days, which means I’m sure to have a number of sleepless, scared straight nights. Did I forget to mention I’m terrified of my apartment at night?

Anyways. The point of all this complaining is that I’m over tired, again, cold, and hungry.

And I’m craving a warm drink. In an attempt to save some extra cash, I’m supposed to drink home brewed or office coffee Monday-Thursday. Friday is usually my day to splurge on the $5 latte from Starbucks. But good god, it’s only $5 and like I said… I’m tired, cold and grumpy.

Photos online here, here, here and here.

So if you need me in the next 15 minutes, I’ll be at Starbucks. How’s your Wednesday treating you?

Today I woke up tired. I put off showering. I didn’t eat breakfast. I spent far too many minutes sitting on the couch, watching the Today Show, gabbing on the phone with my sister. I’m always exhausted. The past few days, weeks, the past month. So, tired. All the time.

And today is no better. I want nothing more than to be back home right now, far from work. Curled up in bed, warm under the covers.

Photos fromhere, here, and here.

Really, I just want to be anywhere but here right now. But hey, at least it’s almost lunch time.

Today I remembered a lot of things.

Like how much I love the taste of soy chai lattes, and the way listening to Damien Rice makes me feel like I’m laying in bed, wrapped tight in my warmest blanket on a rainy day.

I also remembered how empowering it is to make a decision with my best interest in mind. Not somebody else’s. And how equally freeing it is to declare that decision. Out loud.

I remembered how productive I feel when I stay late at work, and how damn delicious egg salad tastes. Every, single, time.

Although I had absolutely no interest in Superbowl Sunday, this sight made me swoon. I am so, absolutely obsessed with my sister’s dog Rex, and I just died when I saw him in this doggie jersey.

I’m having an internal crisis of sorts – emotional and mental. In terms of this blog, this pace. I’m feeling both uninspired and guarded. Dull, empty, tired, and private, quiet, hesitant. A few months ago I made a concerted effort to beef up my blog. I started intentionally sharing more fashion posts, detailing my travels, updating you on my attempt at making a home, and for a few weeks shared a daily color board.

And then the holidays came. I spent two weeks at home in Maine. I skied, I visited friends, I spent quality time with my family. I traveled for two weeks in January and remembered how wonderful it is to spend time with the people I love. Face to face time. In person. I reconnected with all of my best girlfriends. My 7 roommates from college, and my 8 best friends from home. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.

And then this. All of this happened.

I returned to Boston, I came back to work and life felt like it stopped. Life didn’t stop, of course it kept going.. but the exhilarating feeling that lives inside of me, the one that makes me feel like I’m really living, truly enjoying life. That went away.

I hit a wall this month. It’s certainly not how I envisioned the beginning of 2012, but it’s left me thinking.

What the heck am I doing? I spend 8 hours a day in front of a computer at work, only to waltz into my apartment and plop on the couch and surf the blogosphere for another 2 hours before making dinner, watching tv, and going to bed. My boyfriend wants to throw my computer out the window, and I guess when I really think about it – I don’t blame him.

I am consumed by my computer. My internet life. My iPhone, my iPad. Google Reader, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter. I could spend my entire life in front of my computer. But that isn’t what it’s all about, is it? This holiday season. That’s what life is really about. It’s about choosing a day outside with friends over catching up with my blog. It’s about going out to lunch with my boyfriend instead of browsing Pinterest on my lunch break. It’s about going away on the weekends, trying new things. Getting outside and getting together with people, instead of blogging.

I don’t know what decision I’m making right now. I suppose I’m not ready to make any, yet. But I’m thinking. I’m thinking about the purpose of this blog – what it is now, and what it should be moving forward.

And I need your help! I entered the boyfriend and myself in a Facebook contest to win a free ski vacation in Salt Lake City. Turns out there are less than 150 entries, so as far as online contests go, the chances of winning this one aren’t too shabby!

The prize package is the vacation of a lifetime. A ski vacation in Salt Lake City for myself and 3 friends. Accommodations in a slope side cabin. Dinner out on the town, a concert at night and … a new camera to capture the whole thing!

So here’s where you come in. The entry with the most “likes” wins. Will you “like” my entry?

1. Log into Facebook and go here: http://www.facebook.com/VisitSaltLake?sk=app_168069923289523&app_data=x1605438
2. If “Whitney’s Dream Vacation” pops up, click “like”. You’re done!
3. If my individual entry doesn’t pop up, keep reading.
4. Go to Page 6 of entries and find the 3rd row. Find the entry in the right hand column. It has over 60 votes.
5. Click that entry, click “like”. You’re done!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you times a million. As you know, the boyfriend and I are big skiiers, and he just went out west to ski. But I on the other hand, have never been beyond Vermont!

Please help me win the vacation of my dreams by clicking “like”!

Last week I shared with you my list of resolutions for the new year. Some items were lofty, hard to measure goals, like become more outgoing, and forgive. Others were easy, straight forward. Either I’ll do it or I won’t. Things like: run, read, and drink more water fall into this bucket. Just to recap what I originally wrote down as my goals for 2012, let’s take a look:

• Run, walk, whatever. Just start moving.
• Drink water. Everyday.
• Read more. One book a month.
• Spend less. Save more. Period.
• Travel to new places. Travel internationally twice.
• Create an online photography store. Sell at least one of my own photos.
• Cook more creatively, use new recipes. Bake at least one new treat a month.
• Volunteer more frequently. Once a quarter.
• Forgive. A lot of people. Including myself.
• Become more outgoing. Speak up for myself.
• Dress boldly, accessorize freely. Let people judge.

But since I shared that post a few days, new ideas have been popping into my head, so I thought I’d add them into the mix. I may even start a goals page to keep track of my progress (and to be able to add new ideas as they come up).

• Lotion, lotion, lotion. I have neglected my skin for far too many years. It’s a simple task. Get out of the shower, apply lotion. Done.
• Wash my face nightly. Who isn’t guilty of taking the lazy route and just hopping into bed?
• Send more snail mail. Letters, cards or postcards. Doesn’t matter. Send birthday cards to all of my friends, send thank you notes following visits. Send cheerful encouragement to friends that are having a hard time.
• Get a photograph with the boyfriend at all of the major events. Can you believe we don’t have a single couples photo from Christmas?
• See my girlfriends more. My absolute best friend in the entire world lives in South Boston. And I’ve been to her apartment once. Just once, since she moved here. How absurd is that? Get together, have more dinner dates.
• Back up my photos on my external hard drive. Then back up my external hard drive on CDs. Then print out some of my favorites to save.

So there you have my resolutions, revisited. I like that a lot of my goals for 2012 are doable, they are realistic and rather simple. Things I just need to be more conscious of like drinking water, and lotioning, and other things that I just need to do. Things like taking a photo with the boyfriend at major holidays and writing thank you cards after visits!

What’d y’all put down as your goals for 2012? Any good ones I should take on as my own?

I celebrated New Year’s Eve with friends, and welcomed the new year with a bit of positive thinking. But I never wrote down my goals. I’m now about a week late, but honestly, I figure sitting on your year long goals for a few extra days never hurt anyone. So now that 2012 has begun to set it, I find myself having two different types of goals for the new year. The easy, simple kind. And the more complicated kind.

Let’s start with the easy ones. These are the things I should be doing all the time, regardless of it being a new year. These are the things I know will do my body, heart and mind good, yet continue to ignore from year to year to year.

1. I want to start running. Or walking. But preferably running.
2. I need to drink more water. Like 8 cups each day, more. Every, single day.
3. I should read more. Doesn’t matter if it’s the newspaper, on my iPad or a paperback. Reading is good for my brain, and I don’t do nearly enough of it.
4. I have to spend less. Or I’ll never start saving.

And then there are the goals that I want to set, that just don’t seem as simple. Whether it be because they cost money, or cost time. Because they are challenging or embarrassing. Certain things that are just good for the soul, and I truly believe will make me a better, more mature person.

So here are a few more things I’ll add to my list of new year’s resolutions.

1. Travel to new places. Travel internationally, twice.
2. Set up an online photography store. And sell at least one of my own photos.
3. Cook, bake. Get familiar with new foods, new ingredients. And bake at least one new recipe a month.
4. Volunteer more frequently. At least once a quarter. Hopefully a lot more.
5. Forgive. A lot of people. Including myself, for a lot of things. Time to move on.
6. Become more outgoing. Speak up at work. Talk to strangers. Ask a question, if I have one.
7. Dress boldly, accessorize freely. Wear lipstick, whenever I want to.