Teacups

This Friday I was supposed to stay the night at my friend Catia's house, but we ended up spending the night at other friends' house instead. When I stopped by her house with her the next day, by chance, I was so touched to see she had set out two cups of tea, a tea pot and cookies for when we would arrive. Overlooking her grand view of the city...

Dry clothes

If you also rely on a line to dry clothes, you know there's nothing like bringing your {dry} clothes in right before a storm hits. It even threatened with a few sprinkles. And nothing like bringing those clothes inside and making yourself some nice tea with tea leaves stolen from your landlady and some lemon. 

You build me up... so I can stand on mountains

Every three months or so I start running regularly and feel really wonderful about it... for about a week. Here's to hoping this time it will finally stick! It's really just a 20 min liiight jog around the park, but maintaining these little habits of exercise and playing piano during the week are what BUILD ME up. And I think I've discovered the trick: get plenty of PEOPLE and relationship during the weekend to be able to stay motivated during the week. 

A special cupcake at my sister's house, my dark run in the park (and the ducks there), practicing piano...

The tragic Tess of D'Ubervilles

Life is made up of a lot of bad things and some good things... is something I heard this weekend. Upon further thought, I think it might be true. Life is tough, an uphill battle. However, I don't think it's as hopeless and terrible as it is portrayed in the book Tess of D'Ubervilles. I am still depressed today after finishing it yesterday. It's a page turner, and has a really strong and interesting female protagonist, but it is REALLY, REALLY, horribly tragic and depressing. If I had known how it would make me feel, I might not have read it.  On the other hand, it made me put my own life and blessings into perspective.

 

“The beauty or ugliness of a character lay not only in its achievements, but in its aims and impulses; its true history lay, not among things done, but among things willed.”
― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles

 

“This hobble of being alive is rather serious, don’t you think so?”
― Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles

New year, fresh starts

How is your 2013 going? Mine was off to a good start on the 1st: cleaning my house, eating leftover Mexican food, riding bikes to the beach with the handsome man who will become my lifelong companion this year... something we love doing but unfortunately rarely do. Hopefully this year will be full of those things I love to do but rarely do. 

Our bikes supporting each other on their journey ;), D playing with a dog that isn't ours...