A Weekend According to my iPhone

1// Strolling around High Falls on my lunch break.

2// New editions of Interior Design and Dwell for April.

3// I have this thing for large trees in open spaces - one of my favorites from Highland Park.

4// A weekend well spent with my momma.

5// Started my second job at Boulder Coffee Co. and I'm lovin' it.

6// Lazy snuggle times with this little fur ball.

7// Signs of spring finally springin' up everywhere.

I am the first to admit that I spend way too much time on the internet. Here are five things I saw/read/listened to/watched that stuck with me this week.

1// List - 18 Things Everyone Should Start Making Time For Again

Who doesn't love a list? They're a quick read, an easy organizational tool, and always straight to-the-point. I especially love this list of small little things to do to improve your day-to-day happiness. I could really use some help with #8, while my personal favorites from this list are #2, #6, #14, and #18. 

2// Design - Kettle Black Cafe Melbourne

I'm an interior design/architecture junkie and a willing coffee addict, so anytime I see a post involving cafe design, I GEEK OUT. These photos of Kettle Black Cafe in Melbourne, Australia have everything I love - clean white walls, plants everywhere, and mint green chairs that I want to have in my house.

3// Video - Coffee, Mesmerism, and Morning Routines

If you don't already subscribe to the PBS Idea Channel on YouTube, I highly recommend it. This video discusses how morning rituals are actually forms of mesmerism - a kind of hypnosis that helps you, me, and everyone we know get up and moving each day. check it out, it's a solid use of ten minutes.

4// Read - I'm Only 22, I Don't Want Someone Else to be my Whole World

For me, this was one of those articles that had me audibly yelling "yes!" at my computer screen in the middle of an empty room. My cat was very distressed...

All cat lady jokes aside, if you're a twenty-something who's ever realized that you don't really want to be with anyone but yourself for the time being, this will probably resonate with you just as much as it did with me. Definitely one of my favorite reads as of lately.

5// Quiz - Trust Your Taste: Our Ultimate Find-Your-Style Quiz

I'm a sucker for quizzes. I'm also a sucker for design and all things related to personalizing my home. That's why, scrolling through my newsfeed this week, this quiz on Apartment Therapy caught my attention.To no surprise, my results pinned me as the "Eclectic Collector." I like items with a story, that reflect who I am, where I've been, and where I dream I may go.

Currently

cooking coconut chicken curry and rice.

dreaming of taking a trip back to Europe with no predetermined return date.

enjoying having the sixty degree weather and having my apartment windows open.

listening to Mutual Benefit, The Cowboy's Prayer - an awesome little album found at Record Archive.

looking forward to starting my second job at Boulder Coffee Co. next week.

planning my trip to Chicago to visit my friend Nina and attend Neo Con.

reading 1984 by George Orwell, the first book on the Gilmore Girls reading list.

rewatching the series Firefly.

savoring time alone, doing what I feel like doing when I feel like doing it.

searching for a two bedroom apartment in downtown Rochester.

A Weekend According to my iPhone

1// Snap from a Saturday afternoon stroll through Rochester's High Falls.

2// Finally made it to 123 Sesame Street.

3// Watched some butterflies flutter by at the Strong Museum.

4// Snuggle sessions with a little brat cat.

5// Ignoring adulthood at the Strong Museum with Nils by playing with fake sinks.

6// Play is our brain's favorite way of learning...a day well spent at the Museum of Play.

7// Scored some entertaining CDs from this grab bag at Record Archive.

15 for 2015

So, in case ya'll haven't noticed, it's the new year...and I don't feel any different. Thanks Death Cab for Cutie, you're great.

 

Anyway, I surely didn't experience some sudden epiphany where I decided to make this my best year ever or create a new me in the new year. I did, however, get that customary boost of motivation to start what will hopefully be another incredible year.

In observance of any goal-setter's favorite holiday, I opted out of a single, specific resolution and instead decided to make a list of fifteen "goals" for 2015 - revolutionary I know. Some of them are professionally-oriented, some are personal goals, and some are just for fun! Regardless, I'm looking forward to working toward each of these and can't wait to see what I'm able to accomplish!

1// Register for and/or take the LEED Green Associate and AP ID+C exams.

2// Visit Toronto, Canada.

3// Start using my bike for daily transportation.

4// Spend more time on creative endeavors - paint more often, fill more sketchbooks.

5// Save enough to cover a month's worth of expenses.

6// Learn how to render scenes in 3DS Max.

7// Attend NeoCon in Chicago, IL in the spring.

8// Start a potted veggie garden.

9// Make my physical and mental health a regular part of my daily routine.

10// Read more design history and theory books.

11// Watch as many films on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies list as possible.

12// Sing at a karaoke bar.

13// Cross off at least five items from my ROC bucket list (...coming soon!)

14// Get a small, part-time job - preferably at a coffee shop.

15// (Re-)Teach myself how to speak, read, and write Spanish.

Cheers to 2015!