Weekend Links.

I'm technically on vacation now, and I've been indulging in holiday laziness and frivolity. I'm sure I should be doing more work toward my dissertation, but instead I've been sleeping in, catching up with friends, and gallivanting around town. Let me gush about two great local outings I had this week {since I don't get out much these days!}: I had an unexpected surprise this week from Shae at the Tulsa Food Blog, who set me up with a luxurious mini-facial at Spa Lux here in Tulsa {they are one of her sponsors}. I really cannot say enough about my experience there -- the facial was so relaxing, my esthetician Morgan was sweet and professional, and my skin was ridiculously soft when she was done. It all made me feel so pampered -- thanks Shae, and thanks everyone at Spa Lux! I also wanted to thank Kristen at Cheap Thrills Vintage for always being so gracious and helping me find just what I'm looking for -- I finally bought a red velvet dress! It's a snug, 60's empire-waist dress with giant, poufy sleeves. Now, someone just needs to have a fancy holiday party...anyone?

Enjoy the links this weekend, m'dears!

::Tom Palombo's Flickr photostream of Paris, circa 1962 has been making the blog rounds, but if you haven't had the chance to see them, you must head over for some soft-focus inspiration.

::The Singular -- a new blog featuring fashion polaroids!

::Check out the Best Interior Design Blogs, according to the UK Times.

::Mossiere -- gorgeous scientific and industrial design photo-blog.

::V Magazine will devote their January issue to plus-size models {in other words, average sized women}. Maybe they hope this will save them from the black-face debacle?

::Have you casted your vote in Vogue's "Best Dressed of the Decade" yet?

Weekend Links

{Mind-boggling wallpaper from Tapeten Agentur}

I've spent most of the day so far catching up on blog-reading and staring at my prettily-wrapped packages. I finished all of my holiday shopping early this year, and now I can just sit back and enjoy! I tried to buy most of my gifts on Etsy, and it feels much more meaningful than the hustle and bustle of the mall and the big department stores. How is your list coming along?? If you're still stressing about finding something special for that someone special, be sure to check out my gift guide for those hard-to-buy for folks on your list. I truly hope you are all able to relax, breathe, and enjoy this time of year...

Here are some fun links for your spare time!

::You can certainly find memorable items on Etsy...the ones featured on the hilarious Regretsy are just memorable in a different way.

::Hey, local-yokels! Check out the tips and restaurant reviews on Tulsa Food Blog.

::Dandies and Quaintrelles is a club I would be honored to be a member of -- be sure to check out the images from their "Tweed Ride" on their Facebook page!

::A compelling talk on how technology enables intimacy.

::What I wouldn't give to be in NYC for Tim Burton's exhibition at MOMA.

::An Education: 60's era period piece film -- looks romantic, beautiful and inspiring!

::There is no rest for the wallpaper obsessed; awe-inspiring wall art at Decor8.

::My bar area is currently being taken over by Christmas gifts, but as soon as the holiday season is over, I'm going experiment some more with chic-ifying it...using these photos as inspiration!

An Okie Expedition: Bartlesville

I thought I would share some photos from our little getaway to Bartlesville...

Oh, Oklahoma. I might complain about you a bit now and again, but I love your quirkiness! Where else can you find beautiful mid-century architecture, roaming buffalo, taxidermy, and Native American art all in one place?

It still rather amazes me that Frank Lloyd Wright built his one and only skyscraper right on the open prairies of small-town Oklahoma. The building itself is like a giant copper entity from another planet -- covered in gorgeous green angular designs and strange layers and appendages jutting out in horizontal and vertical patterns. It's so unexpected against the flat horizon, yet it seems somehow at home there. Wright based the building off the design of a tree, as well as the tall repeating columns of buds on a prairie flower, and he hoped its organic yet modern shape would compliment and reflect the landscape...

It was built in the 1950's, and the interior slowly became run down over the years, but was recently remodeled for use as office and hotel spaces. My boyfriend and I stayed the night, and I have to say it was one of the more impressive hotel experiences I've had. The rooms themselves are spacious and modern, with long rows of ceiling-to-floor windows and copper accents on everything from the lighting fixtures to the bed posts. My boyfriend is a huge architecture buff, and he was blown away by Wright's seeming ability to create a space that was both sparse and modern, while still being warm, comfortable, and completely unique. Wright's vision was certainly a distinctive one: part futuristic, part organic, and part sheer personality!

While in Bartlesville, you HAVE to visit Woolaroc -- a sort of museum / meets nature reserve / meets reliquary of the Wild West. I grew up visiting Woolaroc in the summertime, and have vivid memories of the herds of buffalo roaming freely [and my grandfather explaining that they were once very endangered]. The fact that you can buy barbecue buffalo burgers at the food stand always confused me...though, admittedly, they are yummy!

The man behind the museum and preserve was Frank Phillips, an oil man from Oklahoma's early days of expansive oil production. He collected native American art and he also had a penchant for collecting exotic animals. At one time, there was everything from giraffes and peacocks to rhinos and bears roaming his acreages. He loved them so much, in fact, that after they died, he would have them stuffed and mounted! I think my obsession with taxidermy must have started as a child, seeing his old cabin filled with every species of bird and mammal, lovingly mounted and displayed. {And yes, that is me above left, being ridiculous...}.

The entrance of the museum features a sky blue entryway, covered in tile mosaic, and depicting native dances. This guy on the right is just plain creepy and awesome...my boyfriend and I decided he was something straight out of a horror movie...Oh, did I mention there were shrunken heads and a huge doll collection? I didn't get a good photo, but believe me, they are impressive!

::If you're ever passing through Oklahoma {I say rather jokingly}, I will take you on a tour!!

Weekend Excursions.

I'm counting down the days until two upcoming getaways I have planned...

I booked two overnight trips in October and November for me and the boyfriend {we are in desperate need of an escape...}. I have been yearning for a vacation for a while, but until we can save up for a big, international excursion, these little weekend jaunts will definitely tide us over.

In October we are going to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for a stay at the Crescent Moon Hotel and Spa -- a gorgeous Victorian building, today considered to be one of America's most haunted hotels. There is going to be a ghost tour...and some spa pampering. Seems like a perfect combination! In November, for our anniversary, we are going to stay at the Price Tower in Bartlesville. Price Tower is one of architecture's best kept secrets -- it is a skyscraper built by Frank Lloyd Wright, right in the middle of Oklahoma's beautiful prairie. If you live near OK, or you are just an architecture buff, it is definitely worth the trip.

I am so looking forward to some R&R in the upcoming months! What about you, my lovely readers? Do you have any vacations or getaways planned? Sometimes the quick, weekend trips are more relaxing than the long vacations...you should treat yourself!

Have a Splendid Friday!

[::Here is a "real" picture of our lady's river trip last weekend -- taken with one of those crazy, old plastic waterproof cameras. Wish I were there right now.]

I don't have any links for you this week, because...well, frankly, I was lazy! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend planned, perhaps with a bit of laziness thrown in for good measure. Next week, "real life" [school] begins again, and lazy days will be few and far between. My birthday is on Monday, and we are having a party this Saturday. We will be grilling, drinking, dancing...and chasing chickens. Yes, you heard correctly!! My parents are letting us use their backyard for the party, and they have chickens! We are going to let them run around the yard and have a chicken-chasing contest. No worries, there will be no chickens harmed in the making of this party game. It is really fun for us city-folk to chase farm animals!! I will definitely try to get some good photos.

My friend Airam at Lost in a Spotless Mind inspired me to create a goal/resolution list for the start of the semester. Since I'm a perpetual student [and a teacher], the start of the school year always seems like a bigger deal than the actual start of a new year. What better time to ruminate on what I hope to get accomplished? Do you set goals for yourself from time-to-time? Do you write them down? Does this seem to work for you? I'm curious to know how well I will hold up my end of the bargains I am making with myself. I will try to:

1. Carefully make a list of Fall/Winter fashion items that I want and stick to it! This means, not getting distracted and buying things before thinking it through, and not spending money on items I don't need.
2. Work on compartmentalizing my time better. Set a goal for how much time I want to spend on each aspect of my work each week [blogging/teaching/my work at the Modernist Journals Project/dissertation research/research for personal projects] and be strict about it. I am going to time myself every day for a while to get a feel for much time I'm spending or wasting on certain activities.
3. Keep up some sort of exercise-regime. In the summer I bike, swim, play tennis, etc. But in the Fall it is much harder to stick to a routine. I want to try and get back to doing yoga at least once a week and use the indoor pool at my university.
4. Treat myself to a massage once a month. There is a fantastic little hippie-spa here in town with really reasonable rates on steam/massage/jacuzzi packages. I think the benefit will be priceless -- lowered stress and anxiety and a bit of quality-pampering time for myself!
5. Work on following my bliss [a phrase I think Joseph Campbell coined?]. Despite my hectic schedule and professional obligations, I hope to follow through on my creative inspirations and personal projects...and I must always remind myself that these things are worth my time!

I would love to know about your goals, too...

Monday Mischief: A River of Inspiration...

This is where I spent my weekend:

[::via Freewine's photostream on Flickr]

Unfortunately, my digital camera died and I had to use one of those ancient wind-up disposable cameras, so I must wait to get them developed...like the olden days, no? I have been reading Emerson this past week, and was inspired to pay closer attention and really soak in the surroundings while out on the river. It was just so beautiful. My girlfriends and I were discussing why it is, despite the heat, bugs, and vast potential for injuring ourselves [which one of us did...and had to get a tetanus shot!] we have such a great time out there. I was reminded of an Emerson quote: "I expand and live in the warm day like corn and melons." It's sort of a funny quote, but I think it sums up the simplicity of what a day spent in nature does for the expansion of your soul. That's how I feel on a hot summer day, anyway!

To continue my project from last week, here are some more ways to bring a bit of beauty and everyday-passion into your life during the week ahead:



• Spend an hour, an evening, or an entire day in natural surroundings -- be conscious of all the details, all the ways it makes you feel in comparison with an average day spent at home, at work, or indoors.
• Buy yourself a delicate new teacup and a fancy tea to keep at your desk at work -- have tea time in the afternoon [by yourself...or ask a friend to join]. This is my new favorite tea -- it's insanely healthy and delicious!
• Order something out of your comfort zone the next time you go to a restaurant [maybe I'll order something with bell peppers...which I hate...maybe].
• Read some poetry...really! Try reading something you disliked when you were younger. I used to think that Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Christina Rossetti were boring when I studied them in grade school. But as I've grown older, I realize how fantastic they are!
• Give yourself a facial: steam, scrub, mask, the whole nine yards.
• Buy a fun coloring book and crayons and color with someone you love...here is one of my favorites.

Make just a few moments this week intensely beautiful!

Happy Independence Day!!

If you live in the States, you are probably preparing for a long, hot Saturday filled with grilled meat [or veggie burgers] and lots of fireworks! Corny as it might sound, right now I am just feeling very grateful for my home and the opportunities and liberties I've been given.

I kinda-sorta really like you, America. And here are a few reasons why:

♥ Levis, Coca-Cola, and cowboy boots.

♥ Diners and greasy-spoons.

♥ Route 66 [I'm lucky enough to live right on the longest remaining strip of Route 66 in the U.S!].

♥ The plethora of swimming pools.

♥ Grilling outside with family and friends.

♥ The abundance of hilarious political humor.

♥ Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Patsy Cline.

♥Cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and french fries.

♥ Wide, open spaces.

♥ Fiery pink sunsets.

♥ Cicada songs.

♥ Buffalo and Prairie Dogs.

♥ And lastly [probably because I am feeling very heart-sore for Iran right now], I feel really appreciative of the freedom we share to say whatever the heck we darn well please and change things when we are truly fed up!

Happy 4th of July, and I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!!