Oh, Giorgio!

Atlanta has been blessed with an amazing store whose mere name causes women everywhere to swoon and drool. Until I moved here, I did not even know they existed! Now, however, Filene's Basement is a staple on my shopping sprees which have recently been few and far between.

The last time I made it to Filene's, they were having a designer's sale. I should remember the official name of their annual event - I want to say it was called the Vault sale. :-) The actual title of the sale is mostly beside the point, though. I was in a shopping mood, and had maybe 3 hours before my roommate and I were hosting a bachelorette party at our place, so what better way to kill a few hours than head to Filene's?

Little did I know the temptation that lay ahead: Gucci, Armani, and Dior graced the aisles next to the usual Calvin Klein and Philosophy stands. Their swan song called my name in the sweetest voice, I couldn't resist! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be even thinking about buying a designer piece, however off-the-rack it might be. The decently-sized fitting room provided the perfect place to slip into the black Valentino number that had found its way into my pile of clothes. Trying to zip it up was another matter. I managed, but just barely. This was the perfect "10 pounds lighter" goal dress. A gorgeous "little black dress". Almost exactly what I would want in a LBD. But...for $200+ I didn't think a "goal dress" was what I had in mind. Regardless of it being Valentino. I know. But girls, there's a good reason behind this decision.

Enter the supple, saturated deep pink satin cocktail dress by Giorgio Armani. I slipped it on and it said "Take me home!". Two understated ruffles flow down the front of the dress, one on either side of the tasteful v-neck. Each seam hugged my curves and accentuated the positives. (And for a good bit less than $200, it also fit my budget better) Triumphantly, I made my way to the cashier's desk with my first designer dress. I even bargained them down another 10% because of a slight rip at the top of the back zipper! So now I have Armani in my closet, just waiting for the right moment to make its sexy debut! Now for the right shoes...jimmy choo, anyone?

Blog fail.

So I guess I didn't make my goal - already. But here goes another post with perseverance!

Thought of the day: One of our former labmates stopped by today, and we got a chance to catch up a little bit. As we were talking, she asked me how life was, and if I was happy. I said, "Well, things in lab could be going better, but I am content." To which she replied, "You definitely are emitting happiness, so life must be going well."

Those words have replayed in my mind like a soul-growing mantra, and it has made me definitely more aware, and grateful too, that yes, I am happy. Where I am in life is good. I have a steady, interesting (albeit frustrating at times) job, a truly amazing and loving boyfriend, a sweetheart of a puppy, and a brand new, gorgeous condo to live in. To add to that, my advisor is extremely supportive and understanding, and my lab makes it a pleasure to come to work every day. (Ok, almost every day)

Sometimes it really is the little things in life that make me smile. Like a few extra minutes of cuddle time in the morning, or the perfect piece of chocolate after dinner. One of the most vivid happy moments comes from my time Paris, now 7 years ago, on one cold, grey, almost-rainy day, walking from the Metro station to my school building. Among the multitude of small shops along the "rue" was a flower stand with so many beautiful colors bursting from its basket-stands. Admittedly I was feeling quite homesick and tired of living abroad at that instant, but as I passed that little shop, those flowers made my soul lift from its sorrow. I still have that picture I snapped from that flower shop, and every time I run across it, it makes me smile.

Day 2

We have talked about a theoretical second dog. Emma would love to have another dog to play with, at least while we are at work. She would have some adjustment to do though - she's got a moderate case of only-dogness at night.

There are a bunch of graduate students that own dogs, among them are a few of our good friends, A and N. So we offered to keep their dog K, a decent sized black lab/collie mix while they went out of town for a few weeks. We have kept K before, and besides a few "girl dog" moments (on both sides - food and rawhide make them territorial), they are a very good duo. Emma plays the bratty little sister while K tolerates her and generally tries to avoid being jumped on.

It's amazing what a stark contrast in personalities they are, though. Today's happy thought is a picture that captures their adorable relationship. :-)

Kitchen renovations

It may seem a little strange that re-doing a kitchen would fall under things that make me happy. The ensuing mess, lack of working (or even workable) space in one of the most vital rooms of the house usually causes some moderate to extreme stress and anguish. Our stove - the brand new, beautiful stainless steel stove - housed power tools and accessories rather than pots and pans for at least the first three weeks. A prybar (yes, a prybar...) made short work of the old laminate countertop, and some of the surrounding drywall too. When I left for Madrid, the pieces of new butcherblock counter were cut, the sink was at the house but not installed, and we didn't have a faucet picked out, so the sink would be mostly useless until that was figured out.

I can't praise the handyman skills and work ethic of the BF enough! When I got home, the sink was in place, counters set, and the beautiful new faucet sat in its place on top of the gleaming white porcelain sink. It was a sight for sore eyes!

We have been doing smaller projects since the sink install, but one of those is the subject of my favorite for today. Meet the Ikea spotlights! I bent over backwards to install these things (literally!) but I think it was well worth it! When we finally got done with all the drilling, screwing, wiring, and vacuuming - in that order - the outside waning daylight had turned to an intense dark night. It only served to make the reveal all that more spectacular!

Finding the right ...

One of my friends told me once that it took him a long time. I didn't believe him at first. He is one of the most articulate people I know, especially on paper. But now I understand. Somehow the process is more like making fine wine than a cup of tea. Although both take the proper incubation time, right ingredients, and a certain skill, making wine is something not everyone can do. Putting a tea bag into hot water for four minutes is hardly rocket science. Making wine is a different story, and I have come to realize that so is making a blog.

The right voice is everything. Without it writing a blog becomes laborious, tedious even. Hence the lack of regular posts so far. It is with resolve now that I embark on the soul-search to find the true inspiration for writing this public diary. My initial approach will be to classify on a daily basis something - one thing - that makes me smile, that inspires me, or that just plays an essential role in my life, however inconsequential it might seem. Check back to see how this experiment progresses!

Learning to compromise: part I

Not too soon after we got home that night - well, dinner, clean-up, a quick run to Home Depot to satisfy my cabinet curiosities there - we started planning. By we, I mean me. Sitting on the bed, Ikea software on the computer. The BF playing video games. You know how it works out.

I start planning the ideal remodel: cabinets, a pantry, roll-front cabinet. And then I look at the total. And BF says, "Is it really worth doing the remodel?" BOOM! CRASH! BURN!!! There go my hopes of gorgeous blue glass cabinets, the nice corner sink, the extra cabinet space...

I would like to tell you that I said, "No problem, honey. We can just leave the cabinets as is and everything will be fine." But the reality of the matter is that I was upset. After all the thought and research, planning and longing that went into getting the kitchen planned, it's hard to change gears to a downgrade that fast. I mean, seriously - from "here, plan your ideal kitchen and we'll talk about it" to "Does it even make sense to do this?" - it's kind of emotional torture! So I pouted. I did. Not proud to admit it, but it was better than bursting into tears (which, admittedly, I was also inclined to do).

Luckily, a little sleep does a world of good. After some careful consideration overnight, I came to terms with the idea of merely painting the existing cabinet doors and adding a few narrow cabinets for some extra room. It will be a lot less expensive, and possibly more fun! I'll save my true ideal kitchen for when we have a real house. Only a few more years...:-)

Moving in!

To say that I am excited about the prospect of moving is an understatement.

Given that I have moved every year since I got to Atlanta (and twice last year), not counting the fact that I had to move in and out of my college every year of undergrad, means that I have done my fair share of moving in the last 8 years.

All that pales now that I - we - are moving. Moving in. Together. Finally!

Honestly, having lived the last 9 months in a state of "no closet + 2 people + dog", I am jumping for joy at the prospect of having my own (well, shared) closet! This also means that I will be downsizing a fair amount. Not that this is a bad thing. I've realized upon reflection that I am much more like my mother than I thought. Not always a bad thing, but I'm more of a clutter-hoarder than I'd like to admit. But there the clutter lies in front of me and I can't really ignore it any more. And I'm not moving it either!

For those of you who are not in the loop, Jay and I are purchasing a 1br/1ba condo here in Atlanta. (Technically, his family is buying it as an investment) Either way, we are no longer renters. We can paint, put up pictures, change anything we want to change, and the best part is - we get all new appliances! The property is a foreclosure, so it's a steal, especially given the location and condition of the place, but it does not have any appliances, so we went out this past weekend and found a refrigerator, stove/oven, washer/dryer, and dishwasher! The place itself is in really great condition. It has beautiful red-tinted hardwood floors, nice light fixtures, and a washer-dryer hookup in the bedroom. The whole place was renovated in 2003, so there's not much that needs to be done. The only renovation in the works is the kitchen.

To be fair, it's not a bad kitchen. The cabinets are nice, but there are just not enough. If anyone doesn't know how much I love to cook and bake, I will post a picture later of the stacks of moving boxes of SOLELY kitchen stuff. :-) Multiply that by a factor of two (at least), since Jay and I both live in the kitchen, and you'll understand the dilemma. In comes IKEA. They have a (moderately) useful piece of software that allows you to design your own kitchen virtually, and the mock-up of the kitchen looks like it's a good option. Plus, I love their navy blue glass cabinet fronts! That may call for a separate post...more on that later.