See in the Dark

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting."
-Alan Dean Foster

Lindsey Adelman Sudtios

My plan for today was to write this elaborate ghost story that would scare the living daylights out of Marilyn Manson.

I'm serious!

Hanging Lights

Jake Phipps

inhabitat

But now you'll never know because halfway through my story my house was struck by a thunderous bolt of lighting rendering my hard drive useless......fried......toast.......boiled..........Now I'm hungry.

But seriously, I WAS planning to write a fun ghost story narrated with amazing and dramatic lighting;  and there WAS a thunderstorm that made my power flicker on and off before I remembered to save. So maybe it wasn't as dramatic.......................Interesting nonetheless.

And how fitting,  planning a post about lighting when my power goes out.

Yatzer

I guess you had to be there.

Big Fish; Bigger Style

Is it possible to fall in love with a space?

An atmosphere?

An ambiance?

 Is it really possible to feel something special when you walk into a room?

Is it possible to get goosebumps from a mixture of textures, patterns, and colors? From ceiling heights so high you feel as though you were an ant?

The answer is yes, because every time an Interior Designer creates, he or she is telling a story. Whether it be the bold colors, the dramatic lighting, or the way you elegantly weave throughout the space. Whether you know it or not, the story is always there, and those are the ones that take your breath away.

That's what I love so much about it.

-Big Fish in Barcelona: Designed by the Mega Talented Laza Rorosa-Violan

The Dreaded Frenemy & Public Displays of Chairfection

"What others think of us is none of our business."
-Paulo Cuelho

Best Friends

I could see them in the distance. My best friend since eight grade walking towards a nearby restaurant with outdoor seating. It was a sunny day and the wind was just strong enough to push her hair around like she was on a movie set. I looked for the camera crew from The Hills to come running around the corner.  She walked up to one of the tables outside and was greeted with a hug. I was shocked when I finally made out who it was.

She was hugging a............................................. “Frenemy.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

You know what a frenemy is right? One of those girls that you vocally call a friend but secretly can’t stand.  The one you are in silent competition with, hoping that one day they will fall flat on their face and break their nose.

It’s really awful. Why do we do this?  And don’t pretend like you don’t, because we all know your lying.  “Who me? I would never,” Yea, yea, whatever.

By the time I had gotten over the fact that my best friend was having lunch with my arch frenemy, the conversation had turned to gossip. I had no time to be angry, I had to eavesdrop. "So and so is pregnant, Yada, yada, got divorced."

Come on..... get to the good stuff.

Don’t you ever just wish that you could be the fly on a wall during a private conversation between girlfriends? Then you could find out what they really think of you, and if your butt really DID look fat in those jeans. My advice to that? Trust yourself, if you think it looks fat, then she probably does too.  But then again, a lot of guys like that, so go with it.

All of a sudden, there it was, the part in the conversation that I had been waiting for.  “So you know Nikki broke up with her boyfriend and had to LEAVE New York.”

“Ha, I called it from a mile away. I could have told her before she even went in the first place, saved her the gas money. She only moved there because he wanted to go, she gave up on her dreams to follow him.”

“I know right,"  my friend responded wide eyed. I was hoping she would set her straight, change the way this frenemy saw me.

She didn’t.

I was crushed. If only either of them knew how wrong they had it. How, yes, maybe in the beginning I was hesitant to move.  But after arriving, I started to remember things about my childhood. Mostly memories of me designing my dream loft in lower Manhattan. One with the clichéd red brick wall and open  floor plan. I realized that New York had been my dream all along; I just needed someone to come into my life and push me in the right direction.

Dining Table, Chairs, Umbrella, Outdoor Sconce, Planters

I couldn't.

No matter what we do, we can't change the way someone sees us.  Where does wasting our time worrying about it get us? 

Here in this room creating stories in our head, preventing ourselves from taking the next step.

Spying, and hiding in the bushes

Like a weirdo………

* The thoughts and feelings of this story are all real, and the scenario seems authentic when I relive it in my head again and again.  But, it’s only a story my mind concocted to keep from marching forward. 

Forget New York

I'm moving to Sweden.

See you around.

all images from Stadshem Real Estate via Adventurous Design Quest

P.S.  This makes me smile

Birthday Gifts; Etsy is a Girl's Best Friend

Birthday Gifts

The stuff dreams are made of. I personally try not to put too much pressure on people to buy me anything. Mostly because I don't want to feel any obligation to return the sentiment. Not because I have ice water running through my veins.  More like baked beans and ramen noodles, due to the fact that my current budget does not extend past weekly groceries.

Can't I just tell you how much I love you?!?!?

NYC Jewelry Design

The best birthday gift I ever got was from a man, a guy, el hombre,

an ex............

I use the term "best" loosely and here is why;

It was two nights before my twenty-something-ith (it's a word, I promise). I had just gotten home from work and there was a package at my doorstep. So excited to get my first present, I rushed inside to open it. I barely even had the will to close the door as I began my guessing. You see, I am the BEST gift guesser this side of the Mississippi. Maybe it's because I am very upfront about the gifts that I want. Maybe it's because I was spoiled as an only child and pretty much got everything I asked for. Maybe it's because I have psychic capabilities.

Who knows

I held the package in my hand. I was soft and pliable. A scarf maybe? Or that pillow cover I wanted off ebay? It had to be the pillow cover. So excited, I flipped the package over and began to pull open the envelope.

That's when I saw it. In small print, across the fold, the label read, "Tshirts.com"

My jaw dropped.....I laughed a little, "He's such a jokster! Wrapping my gift in a package from a T-shirt website to try and throw me off! Ha!"

Ha......ha......ha.

I ripped open the package and pulled out a plastic bag. It was white and didn't look anything like the pillow cover.  This is when I realized, there was no pillow cover, that was a pipe dream. This!!! This was in fact.... A T-shirt. I unfolded it and held the cotton masterpiece up in front of me. Across the chest it read:

I heart Revit


For those who are not familiar, Revit is a computer program used by Interior Designers, among other professions. "If you want to get anywhere in the next five years, You need to know Revit," As my instructor always said.  And yes, I do heart Revit. It's useful, and practical, and you can work in both 2D and 3D simultaneously.

Do I want to wear a banner advertising it across my chest?

No, that is what my resume is for.

...................Am I selfish?!?!?!?!?!

NYC Jewelry Design, Dinosaur Toes

Fine, I am! For my birthday I want thought and effort and impracticality. The times I want a vacuum cleaner or new underwear, I will ask for them!

All other times, fall under the fail safe category of jewelry.  Not from Kay, every kiss does not begin with Kay. At least not ones from me anyway.

Not the expensive stuff either. There is no need to spend a fortune, just put some thought into it. Ask a friend, Check out etsy. Guys, it's actually way easier than you think!

In fact, I have started a bookmarks tab labeled Buy me these things, so in the future, gifts like this don't happen.

Tentative Decisions

Designs by Sky, So Pretty Jewelry, Tentative Decisions 

My need for full control strikes again.

I'm pretty sure I will be single forever after I publish this.  But I like being single. It saves me money on birthdays and Christmas.

-The End

Chair Affair: Venus Natural Crystal Chair

A man after my own heart. 

Tokujun Yoshioka "grows" chairs out of natural crystal. 

Where was he during my sixth grade science fair?

I actually won the Invention Convention that year with my disposable water fountain cover.  However, I failed to sell my idea at the state level. Refusing to demonstrate how my prototype actually worked did not go over well with the judges. I was afraid that I would look silly sipping water from a "model fountain" made out of a water bottle and a cardboard box. It's a perfectly legitimate reason.......what?

 Now that I think about it. This could have been the start of all my problems. Damn you disposable water fountain covers!

Anyway, The crystals form around a polyester elastomer skeleton submerged in a tank.  

A tank filled with genius.

Images via tokujin.com

Found via NOTCOT.com

Psychic Energy and Advice on Nickelback

How to see the future: without the Delorean.

Prophecy

Do you have a question about what the future holds? Are you looking for answers in all the wrong places? I have the perfect cure for you.

I call it the magic iPod! (Otherwise known as the shuffle setting)

It’s quite simple. You just open your iPhone, iPod, or however you choose to listen to music. Ask a simple question:

How is my day going to be today?

Should I quit my job?

Am I going to get a chance to talk to him?

Fourtune

Then, you navigate to the song tab and simply hit shuffle.

The answer is revealed.

But don’t forget to delete your old Jessica Simpson and/or Nickelback albums before you try it………..

No one should take advice from Nickelback.

Ever

Oracle; Typography Print