The Metaphorical Magpie

Have a sweet weekend

Things I'm loving right now

* An afternoon cup of Florence tea by Harney & Sons Master Tea Blenders.  I was over JPo's aparttment one day and as I was leaving she pressed a tin of it in my hand. "Here try this. Smell this." It's been hot so I've been mainly drinking iced tea. Sunday was breeezy and rainy. A perfect day to sghare a pot of tea. With notes of chocolate and hazelnut, it is wonderful. Not like so many flavored teas that end up tasting strange or made in a beaker.

* Goldfinches. I've spied a pair perched on the echinacea and rudbeckia in our front garden. The last big storm knocked most of the petals off. Now the seeds are exposed for the finches to feed on. Their song is adorable. I was also excited about seeing an oriole at the backyard feeder this morning. I stocked the feeder well over the weekend knowing rain was due for most of the week. The goldfinches don't come to the feeder though. I don't think they care for the seeds. When you're that pretty, I guess, your tastes can be more refined.

* The scent of fresh wood. We spent most of Saturday sanding down the front porch that's just been replaced here at the house.

* Bringing my own bags. I got a set of hemp totes for my mother's birthday present and bought some for our house, too. Reusable Bags has a great selection at fair prices to get you started on kicking the plastic bag habit. I ordered four of these dual handled bags. We used them for the first time on Sunday. They seem strong and well constructed. I was happy that when they arrived, they weren't overpackaged- just some natural paper to fill the box, no peanuts or plastics.

Sometimes you need to float

Ideas, big and little, are floating around here this week about:

a big project at our house that seems to keep getting bigger

the future of the newspaper industry we both work in

how to be less destination oriented and enjoy the journey more

Happiness

I pushed all these thoughts into the drink and I'm going to let them float over the weekend. We'll see where they seek land.

Self Portrait Challenge: Swimming with diamonds

Sometimes the patterns of my life can make me restless. We all fall into patterns of behavior in the way we travel the same routes, approach a problem, deal with stress, eat, sleep, you name it. It can get to the point where you feel like a rat in a maze. Is someone in a white lab coat watching me while scribbling notes on a clipboard about whether I deviated from my pattern?

Lately, I've been trying to shake things up. These are small, imperceptible changes to most but they are meaningful to me. Last month, I experienced an anxiety attack for the first time. I took that as a warning sign that some things need to change. I'm fumbling about trying to find ways and time to relax. I'm keeping watch on how much coffee I drink. Cutting it off by late afternoon has made it easier for me to unwind at night. I unexpectedly had to take a detour on the way to work last week due to a big car crash. As I drove through new streets I felt so much more engaged by the scenery.

Recently, we went to the boardwalk to play skeeball, an activity I ritually like to do once a summer on a cool weeknight when the tourist numbers are low.  After we parked the car, I suggested we ride on the flying swings before going into the arcade. It's not like me to to do this. I'm very frightened of amusement rides. Just thinking of riding a roller coaster makes me tense. Honestly, my favorite ride is the merry go round. The ferris wheel is as exciting as I get.  Sweets and Jpo came along on the swings, happy to accomodate me but bored with the prospect of such an unexciting ride. They'd just ridden the Cyclone in Coney Island last month. I, on the other hand, was freaking out up there in the sky. Once the swings started to arch out and spin I felt like I'd made a terrible mistake. My nervous system was ablaze. I was convinced I was going to fling out into the atmosphere. When we came down to earth; I was shaken and felt silly because I was unable to control my reaction. Taking that dizzying ride made me uncomfortable but I'm ultimately glad I did because I pushed myself out of my pattern. I've been outside the bounds and I know how it made me feel.

This photo was taken at a fantastic party hosted by The Danger.

For more people pondering patterns this month, visit Self Portrait Challenge.

Head of Roses

I was standing behind this chap at the Siren Festival a few weeks ago and got all swoony over his chapeau. What a fantastic idea for accessorizing. Where would you tuck a polaroid?

The photo of roses got me inspired to do some gardening research. I put a few trellises up on one side of the house but I haven't planted anything there yet. Situated next to both bedroom windows, it would be wonderful to have rose perfume wafting in through open windows. I'd like a few climbers that are repeat bloomers and thornless if possible.  Heirloom Roses offers a staggering collection to choose from at excellent prices. The site gives good information on each variety offered. I'm imagining how our house would look like a fairytale cottage covered with this climber. There are so many roses to choose from it's going to be hard to pick just one or two.

If you want to add some rosy fragrance to your life but don't have a patch of land or a green thumb then pick up some Bulgarian Rose fragrance by Demeter, a Tisty Tosty bath bomb by Lush, or a Rose of Morocco candle by Yankee Candle. I can't help you with your disposition.

One of my favorite paintings is "Soul of the Rose" by John Waterhouse. I tried to recreate it a few years ago when Cyndemouse and I visited the  International Rose Test Garden in Portland, OR.

I think I'll spritz the sheets with some rose flower water before I go to sleep tonight. Maybe it will help me have sweets dreams. It'll smell great combined with my Badger Sleep Balm. I'll either catch some zzz's or attract bees.

Self Portrait Challenge: Patterns #1

One of my photography patterns is to slip away into a restroom and photograph myself. I'll leave my friends laughing and noshing away at the table. When I leave the table it's with the intent of really using the facilities. Then I get in there, close the door behind me, lock the door and think, "oh, I can't resist" and out comes the little camera I always carry around in my purse. I usually shoot maybe three frames before I sheepishly hustle back to my pals.

This week, I shot a bunch of frames in my own bathroom at home. It doesn't feel the same. At home, I think to much. There's something illicit about being in a strange, transient place where other people are waiting outside the door. I just start shooting, quick and dirty, and get the heck out.

So, I ditched what I shot at home and I opted to go with this photo instead.  I took it in a Japanese restaurant in the East Village while out to dinner with Cyndemouse, JPo, Talulah and the Divine Mr. M.

For more pattern makers, visit Self Portrait Challenge.

Eight little things

It's always a fun surprise to find you've been tagged for an activity. Especially if it's by that scrumdilly, Jek. She has a way of sensing you need perking up and sends some merriment your way. At least she does for me!

Looks like I've been tagged for a meme that only requires you listing eight things about yourself. I'm just glad they don't have to be weird. One can only admit to so much weirdness in a year's worth of memes.

So here goes. Eight completely random things that are going to pop into my head right now that will  give you some more insight into the glory and gory bits of me.

1) I have an unhealthy relationship with the robot print pajama prints I made last fall in my sewing class. Perhaps it's because I am so proud I actually fashioned them with own hands and my lil cheapo sewing machine. It could be because they are custom made for me they fit so darn perfectly I don't want to take them off. Whatever the reason, I should probably lay off of them for a while. This may require electric shock therapy, someone "accidentally" misplacing them or me getting off my duff and sewing some new homemade garments I can wear the heck out of unabashedly.

2) I have an aversion to nail clipping. When I do it, I always do it over the toilet and flush them away immediately. Somewhere in the past someone told me you can do voodoo with people's hair and nail clippings. This freaks me out. I had a roommate that used to clip her nails in her room. When she moved out I found big, gross, toenails on the floor.  The horror.

3) I talk to strangers. I know, I know. In our society people don't expect it. They don't welcome it. I just can't help myself. If I have information people need, I offer it to them. I crack a joke. I'll dole out compliments. This kind of human contact can bewilder some folks. Like I said, I can't help myself. I'm always putting in my two cents.

4) I can make a very loud popping sound by pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth. However, I can not make that cool sound other people do by hooking their index finger in the corner of their mouth and pulling out towards the side. I want to learn how to do that. And how to tie a knot in a cherry stem with my tongue. Is that something you only see in movies? Can any of you out there do that?

5) My current favorite foods are quiches made with whatever I have in the fridge, Rainier cherries, neopolitan ice cream sandwiches and these adorable little pesto flavored crackers called Nish Nosh.

6) I think we should stop paying attention to all these spoiled, dysfunctional starlets, heiresses and hos running around. Aren't there more important things and people to be considering?

7) I got a sunburn on my feet the day before our wedding. I still have teensy tan lines from the crisscross straps on my Borns. I've tried to get the color to even out but I don't spend enough time in the sun.

8) I'm going to be a new contributor  at the Self Portrait Challenge site. In addition to participating by posting my own weekly photos, I'll be making a Friday Faves post on the second week of every month. Some of the photos that spoke to me that week will get some love and respect. I am very honored and excited for this new opportunity.

Some other bloggers are also joining as new contributors at SPC. I'd like to tag some in an attempt to bring us together to learn more about each other as we take off on this new endeavor together. The differences between us are we all live in a different country. The similarities start with a love for self portraiture. What else can we find? So Cris, Janet, Marc, and Lara, I invite you to tell us eight things about yourselves and then invite some more people in the SPC community to do the same.