Man Repelling

Wednesday night I joined my friend Meaghan and a few hundred other bloggers/fans/stalkers to attend a book signing by Leandra Medine. She's the smart aleck behind the Man Repeller blog.  The book signing was hosted by BrandLinkDC at the W Hotel's P.O.V. rooftop bar. 

Measure of success for me: making a funny person laugh! 

Measure of success for someone else: writing a book and having the cover of your book made into an edible adornment on mini cupcakes. Because honestly just having your edible book cover on a regular sized cupcake would be bush-league!  Thanks Georgetown Cupcakes for the delicious treats.

Kind of random, but there were models sporting looks curated by the Man Repeller. I just thought the reflection of the lights were cool. 

Speaking of pretty lights - hello lover! 

Two things:

First - Back in February Leandra Medine spoke at the IFB Conference and one thing she said struck me. She was providing bloggers with advice on how to stay true to themselves and she said, "Niche Niche Niche Niche Niche.com" Recap here 

It was at that point in time that I was still slowly embracing my "Made in USA" motto, but after hearing it over and over again that having a small focused approach was better than having a wide approach I figured why not go with it. And since then I've been focusing on items made in the USA whenever possible. My friends used to think I'm crazy. They probably still think I am, but at least now they just go with it. 

Second:  I have the utmost respect for funny women. I vividly remember a very frank conversation I had with a highly respected grad school professor about life and funny women. This professor had just met my soon-to-be-hubs at a department social event and saw how crazy we were about each other. My professor was thrilled for me because there was an old adage that funny and successful women did not always have the best of personal relationships. The beginning of that conversation felt like a slap across the face with a hot iron. I felt like I had to make a choice in life: be funny and single or be not-funny and married. 

To sum up: I said "screw it" to the old world of thinking and I went ahead and married the hubs and we make each other laugh every day. Okay, fine I no longer do stand up comedy, but those engagements were few and I think my potential was held back by my lack of cursing rather than my happy home life. I can still crack a joke during the most insensitive of times like the best of them. 

All of this boils down to why I'm a huge fan of Leandra Medine's and many other intellectual, funny women. The old world thinking that women couldn't be smart, funny, and successful is just outdated. Nobody's got time for that crappy way of thinking! Smart and funny women do not repel men. They repel intellectually inferior little boys, but attract smart and funny men. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

What was a moment in life where you said, "screw it" and did it your way?

5 Year Blogiversary

Made in USA: Dress: Three Dots (on sale!) // Purse: Luciana Verde via MyHabit 

Imported/Unknown: Shoes: Christian Louboutin // Ring: Gossip on 23rd 

Five years ago I took to the internet and 30 seconds later started a blog. I had have no idea what I'm doing. I can't quite explain why I do this, it certainly isn't any aspirations to leave my 8-4 job and blog full time, but five years later I'm still here.  

I started blogging when it seemed liked every woman on The Nest started a blog as a way to string together a few sentences and share a few hobbies.  I've certainly experimented with a few things over the years. There's that sewing machine that was purchased, abused, and then neglected.  Thank goodness the hubs talked me out of learning how to make my own candles. Then, there was that running flirtation that has blossomed into a full blown lifestyle choice. I'll never forget my first marathon and I'll be eternally grateful that my first one was with my best friend and surrounded by my family in the city I've wanted to work in since I was in the 8th grade.  Okay, technically I work outside of the The District, but when I was in 8th grade I didn't realize how expensive it was to live in DC! 

It was funny to look back at some of my earlier posts and realize that that I'm still obsessed with a few things.  My first post about wanting a DSLR was in 2008, then I begrudgingly waited until May 2010 to take the plunge and purchased my first Canon. That was an expensive hobby! It's yielded a few more lenses, a ton of accessories, and one gorgeous Canon Mark 5DII purchased in December 2012. 

It's good to know that my fashion obsession has only grown since starting this blog as my very second post was about me lusting over a pair of shoes. Granted, I don't think I ever would have dreamed of going to NY Fashion Week, but that happened in February 2013! My first outfit post in October 2010 wasn't even intended to be an outfit post, I just wanted a decent picture of me wearing a cute dress. I even made a pledge to shop local in September 2008 and that pledge has not only led me to discovering amazing treasures in Baltimore and DC, but to finding my passion of purchasing American made goods. 

These past five years have been amazing. The hubs and I have moved three times and bought our first house. I started my career in a field that I love and that I happen to be pretty good at - if I may say so myself. I've definitely wracked up a few more wrinkles over the course of the past five years, but with the hubs and the pups it was only to be expected. 

Thanks for stopping by. It doesn't matter if you've been here for 5 years (thanks Aunt Ev!) or you stumbled here this morning because you were searching for a pair of Christian Louboutins. I've meet some absolutely wonderful people through blogging and I wouldn't trade any of those conversations  for anything in the world whether they be in person or via electronic means. There's comfort in knowing that each and every one of us has a voice in this world. This little blog is my attempt at putting my voice out there in the midst of all the noise the world has to offer. I don't know what the next five years will entail (kids? moving? Nikons? new hobbies?), but I know it'll include a lot of laughter. A heck of a lot of laughter. 

Black and White Stripes

Top: Gap // Skirt: Vintage score (made in the USA!) // Necklace: Spike The Punch // Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (via Gilt) // Shoes: Goodwill // Shades: Ray Ban // Accesories: Hello Fab, InPink, iSanctuary 

Okay, I know, I know. I promised to wear less black this year.  However, Kristina over at Pretty Shiny Sparkly is hosting another edition of "Bloggers Do It Better" and the assignment this time was Black and White Stripes. 

If you're interested in seeing how other fashion bloggers (woah, did I just throw myself in as a fashion blogger?) take on this spring trend, then head on over to Pretty Shiny Sparkly to all the posts that are linked up for the series.

How are you incorporating black and white stripes into your spring wardrobe? 

IFB and NYFW Recap

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well here it goes. 

A massive, heartfelt thank you to all of the amazing vendors at IFBCon.  At what other conference can you pose with Tyson Beckford, get your makeup done by bare Minerals, eye up serious jewelry at Alex and Ani (made in the USA and out of recycled materials - double win!), get professional hair assistance by Fekkai, and hit up the Mail Chimp station to DIY t-shirts and hats?  Plus, throw in an open-bar after party at the W Hotel, because yes, that happened. 

Why yes, those are 140mm (aka 6inch!) Christian Louboutin shoes on the left.  I think the only shoes that I saw that were cooler were massive Chanel heels that included crystal rocks on the stems. Insane doesn't even begin to describe the serious shoe envy I had while up in NY. 

Again, just soaking up every word my girl crush, Lydia Hudgens, had to say. 

Took outfit photos of three insanely fashionable women (Meaghan, Natalie, and Lacey).  

The center of the fashion world. 

Just a few of the eye-dropping pieces I saw in Lincoln Center.  Seriously, these were mild compared to what I saw because the truly beautiful pieces floated by and before I could pick up my jaw and my camera they were gone. 

My first NYFW show.  The pieces at Candela were magical. Now if only I had a place to wear either that gorgeous sequined dress or that lace black number. 

Was able to find a bit of home inspiration at Lincoln Center and at the Hudson Hotel. 

Some take home swag. Seriously, there's more makeup and a few other things floating around my suitcase.  I'll be giving away a few things next week (hint - one item is a pink iPhone case).  You'll have to pry that $50 giftcard to Rent The Runway from my cold fashion fingers because I can't wait to use it. 

Anyone else attend IFBCon? What were your thoughts?  I loved, loved, loved the panels and I'm going to take Niche.Niche.Niche.Niche.com.gov to heart. 

As for NYFW, I swore afterwards that I was a "one and done" person when it came to attending fashion week. However, it wouldn't be entirely fair to only go once and make a permanent decision.  The weather was ridiculously cold, or seasonably appropriate in New York, so I might just go up again in September and see how I survive.  I mean, it's not like I wore sleeveless shirts or anything. Oh wait, I did :) 

IFBCon: Day 1

First day at a blogger conference, a fashion conference nonetheless, and I was a fish out of water.  Actually, it wasn't that bad. I may or may not have been hanging out with a few fashionable women who were routinely asked by various members of the press for photos.  Then, I would make eye contact with the photographer and they would ask, "do you mind stepping out of the photo."

Yes, I get it. I'm a fashion nobody.  Whatever. No sweat off my back.  

Shirt: Unknown (via Marshalls) // Jeans (Made in the USA): James Jeans similar (via Bluefly) // Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (via Gilt) // Shoes: Sam Edelman (via Bluefly) 

Lulu Frost CEO, Lisa Salzer, speaks to the adoring crowd.

Instagram snapshots dotting the wall from Mint Chimp. 

The Man Repeller cracks a joke, obviously, during a panel session on blogging longevity. 

Meaghan and I. 

Yes, I walked straight up to women and asked if I could take a picture of their amazing jewels. Love the necklace above? The amazing Jessie, from Style and Pepper, made it! Can we say "Made in the USA" fast enough?!?!

IFB and Birchbox swag.  Look for a giveaway coming up!

Back in the Big Apple

Do people still call it the Big Apple?  It's been far too long since I've either been to New York City or slept on the island.  But I'm here now and that's all that matters.  I'm not a native NYer, but I'm pretty decent at knowing how to check my iPhone and figure out how to get where I need to be.

Forget street smarts. I have tech genes in my blood.

I'll be in New York for the next few days, attending the IFB Conference, wearing sky-high heels, and enjoying as much of the city as I can in just a few short days.

I'll pause here for those of you who are shocked that I'm attending a fashion blogger conference. I love fashion and I love blogging.  I have an idea in my head I'm hoping to gain a bit more insight into this blogging community idea before I take my idea out on the streets.  The IFB Conference was just a train ride away and it fit nicely into my New Year's resolution to become more active in the blogging community.

For instant access to IFB Con and loads of other NY goodness follow me on Twitter or Instagram.

If last night's show at Bathtub Gin is any indication of how the next few days is going to turn out, then I'm all in.

Everyday I'm shuffling

Party Rock!

I get the most random songs stuck in my head sometimes and it drives me bonkers. However, it's a decent and fairly accurate description of my life in general. I become absolutely obsessed with something and then as always my interest inevitably flounders and I move on to the next obsession. Except for the things that make up my inner soul: I'm not committed to anything. Have no fear hubs - you're definitely a key aspect of my inner soul :)

When I started this blog back in July 2008 I didn't have any grand intentions of what it would turn into. As like most things in my life, it's turned into a random hodgepodge of things that pop into my head. Some say I probably have ADHD, I like to say I'm well rounded. The funny thing is that when I'm at work, I'm intensely focused and organized. Unfortunately, when I come home I spiral out of control and I'm the most disorganized and unstructured person humanly possible. At this moment right now there is literally a dozen projects sitting around me in some various form of production, yet nothing is close to being finished. Let's be honest - I no longer care for the fabric that I was using to make throw pillows for last Christmas and somehow I doubt they'll be finished by this holiday season.

Wait, back to the blog. A few weeks ago I gave my little ol' blog a minor face lift with a new background and such. It needed more yellow or at least that's my general rule of thumb for most things. As I was scrolling through a few pages of older posts I developed my own headache of disgust. What the hell was I thinking in that post? That doesn't make sense after that post? Who the heck came up with these post labels? In a nutshell: when you can't even follow the bouncing ball on your own blog it's probably a good idea to step back.

No, I'm not taking a leave of absence or some other form of forced hibernation. I post infrequently enough that there's no warrant for a formal dismissal. Part of me wants to cut ties and start over new, but another part of me is quasi-proud that I started something in 2008 and haven't completely abandoned it yet. That's progress in my book!

All rubbish aside, I'm hoping to make things more organized around here. Kind of give this blog a purpose, which would help both me and you (if anyone is still out there) follow the bouncing ball.

Here's what I propose:

- Shoe posts. I'm obsessed with shoes. To me they both finish and start an outfit. It's not a random coincidence that my second post on this blog was professing my love for a pair of Kate Spade Pumps. I've already informed the hubs that all I want for my 30th birthday (in over a year!) is a pair of Christian Louboutin's. The river of my eternal shoe love will never run dry.

- Fashion. This might seem like a funny topic from a self-proclaimed tomboy, but it's a secret that I've been a fashion loving closeted individual for years. My biggest struggle is I always think, "oh, that won't look good on my shape" or "if I lost 5lbs I could pull that off." Guess what, I ran a freaking marathon last year and didn't lose that infamous 5lbs. It's not coming off and I'm finally okay with it. I have thighs. I have an ass. Now I'm slowly learning to embrace them and I'm going to belt my dresses and start to show off the curves that I have. Plus, I'm really hoping that if I post more of my outfits here I can get constructive feedback and that's a perk for me.

- House projects. Words like "demolition," "permit," "custom," and "insanity," get tossed around my house these days in such frequency that you'd think we either lived by HGTV or were fighting crime. Our little foreclosure needs some serious house loving and the hubs and I are itching to get started. First up, we're ripping apart our half bath before the end of the year.

- Food posts. I bake a treat for every single one of my office co-workers on their birthday. I make pumpkin rolls on random Wednesday evenings for the hubs. I seem to come alive in the kitchen and it's because I love how you can take such simple ingredients, combine them, and come up with something amazing. And I love chocolate. I do, however, absolutely stink at remembering to take pictures of said baking creations. It's a weakness, but when I'm in the thick of things in the kitchen the last thing I want to do is stop, take a picture, and blog about it.

- Running posts. The hubs said this to me the other day and it might be the most profound thing someone has ever said to me, "Do you ever think that the reason fall is your favorite season is because you're running the most then and the happiest?" Now, fall has always been my favorite season. I think it's because of the colors, the crispness in the air, and my favorite holiday is Halloween, but it also used to be the prime soccer season for me and I absolutely loved playing soccer. I'm miserable in the summer time because my body just doesn't do well in the heat, so when the temperature starts to dip is when I truly come more alive. The last part of the hubs proclamation really hit me, am I happiest when I'm running? The answer is most likely yes. I feel sluggish on days when I don't run. If I go more than a few days without running I have trouble falling asleep and then I'm lethargic. As I get older and move farther and farther away from labeling myself as a "soccer player" I become closer and closer to labeling myself as a "runner."

- Random things. Yes, even if I try to be more organized it's going to happen that complete and seemingly random things are going to pop up. That's life. I hope you stick around to enjoy the ride.


Oh, and don't even think you're going to get less of the pups. Jax and Jewels are here to stay and they will make appearances in just about every aspect of this blog.

Come back!

Don't run away! I swear I'm still here.

Actually, I'm completely flabbergasted that I haven't posted in nearly two months. That's a really, really, really, ridiculously long time for me to go without posting. I've had multiple posts thought out in my head, but unfortunately a variety of things have kept me away from blogging.

I'm sorry about that. Plus, I'm sorry about the absolutely craptastic posts I've been putting out there in the past year or so. I'm going to shake it up and hopefully hone in a proper voice for this thing.

So come back, I swear I'll try to make you laugh a few times. It'll be good for both of us!

Craziness (Part Deux!)

I swear to goodness I haven't been hit by a bus.

Or, a train (which is more likely given my daily commute).

I've just been living my life. The somewhat carefree life of a 27 year old. Oh who am I kidding, I'm stressed out like crazy, but haven't fun while doing it.

In a nutshell my daily routine goes something like this:

5:40am wake up, shower, eat breakfast, get ready for work

6:30am leave for work

7:13am smooch hubs goodbye when he drops me off at the train station

7:48am get off train and walk to work

8:00am to 4:40pm the daily gig at work. The thing I love and happens to pay me so I can buy shiny stuff*

4:58pm catch the train home

5:31pm smooch the hubs and frantically listen to the traffic report

6:05-6:45pm get home sometime in this time frame. I'll stay it again, "I HATE rush hour traffic!!!"

So from 6:45pm to 10:30pm I get to cook dinner, walk a pooch, possibly go for a run, sit down and watch some tv, call friends, and try to do as many errands as possible because the last thing I want to do on a Saturday afternoon is clean the bathroom!!!

Oh wait, Monday nights I play in a softball league, so those nights are different. Crap, Thursdays I play in a kickball league, which means I'm anti-routine on Thursdays as well.

I love my job, but it does irk me that the mere thought of hitting the snooze button in the morning paralyzes me with such a fear that I'm worried the entire axis of my day would be so far shifted I wouldn't be able to function anywhere near normal. Craziness indeed!

Add into all this the fun times that I'm running again and the hubs and I are seriously starting to look at homes because our lease is up in a few months and that doesn't leave much time for free time.

Honestly, what I'm saying is that when I come home from work the last thing I want to do is plop down in front of my computer. Thus, my blogging lifestyle has taken quite the hit. It sucks because I've been doing fun stuff: baking new recipes, sewing new things, visiting interesting places, and drinking quite a bit of wine :)

But, here is my pledge to start blogging at LEAST twice a week. Although, I'm out of town for work for two of the next three weeks, but whatever. I can do it!

Don't abandon me, I promise I'll get back on track. I've got some cool things to share in the next few weeks, so keep checking back for updates.



*Shiny things is what my boss calls fun, but not always tiny, indulges. It's funny because every Monday she'll go, "get anything shiny this weekend?" Sometimes it's a cool electronic (hello iMac!) and sometimes it's new clothes (guilty as charged).

I got a new phone!!!

I went from having one of the cheapest phones on the market to the new and very cool Motorola Droid phone! I didn't even send text messages on my old phone because it was such a pain in the bum to type out each letter of the word. Add that in with my anti-text slang stance and I basically never even purchased a text messaging plan because I hated texting with such a vengeance.

Anyway, the Droid is awesome. Well, in the 15 hours that I've had the phone I've come to love it. It's crazy cool how far phones have come in the past few years. Hopefully, with such a nifty device I can update my blog a bit more often. Or, just spend all of my "free time" on Facebook. Whatever.

I am worried that my current reading rate of finishing a book a week on the train is going to suffer due to playing on my phone. Oh well, I'm sure I'll strike a balance at some point.

Any cool apps I should download to my phone????

Making Adjustments

I started a new job this past week and the adjustments to my daily schedule aren't as easy I hoped they would be. Basically, I now have a two-plus hour commute each and every day. That part isn't fun. Couple my new extended commute with the ever shortening days and I hardly get to see sunlight anymore. Well, that's not true, I do get to see the sunlight dancing by as I'm in that awkward phase of, "if I fall asleep now I may miss my stop on the train and that would be really bad, so I must stay awake."

It's really not that bad. I was just being overly dramatic. Actually, I love, love, love my new job. The only negative thing I can say about the job is the commute and even that is a short-term issue. The hubs and I are planning to move this winter and that will make things much easier.

In the meantime my blogging habits have taken a big hit. I barely have time to make it through my Google Reader once a day. Don't worry, I'm not just neglecting Blogger as I'm almost completely off of Facebook as well. It's terrible!

Hopefully, I'll adjust to my new schedule and I can learn to make more time for blogging. Having a super cool hubs who cooks and vacuums is definitely an asset. I'm also going to upgrade to a more advanced phone so I can be more productive on the train. Any suggestions?

Whoops!!!

Okay, I don't normally receive a ton of comments on my blog. It's okay, comments are nice, but they aren't the main reason I blog. I did however notice that I went quite a few posts without receiving any comments. That struck me as somewhat odd.

Sure enough, the comment feature wasn't working correctly! Whoops!!! I uploaded a new blog template not too long ago and it seems I somehow disabled the comment feature.

So now, feel free to comment all you like. Or, don't comment, that's cool too.

And we have a winner!

Random.org generated a winner for my blogiversary giveaway. Congratulations Tiff!!!! Leave me your e-mail address (I'll delete it later) and I'll send you an e-mail so I can get your address. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Next year I promise to do something even cooler.

Last chance to win a Border's gift card

Okay peeps. I'm having a little blog giveaway that ends tomorrow (Monday, August 3rd at noon). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you are in the running to win a $25 gift card to Border's. All it takes is a second or two and you can possibly win a gift card that you can use to buy a book or whatever else you can buy at a book store. Let's be honest, you can buy a ton of candy bars if that's what you're craving.

As of right now the odds are in your favor to win. You can't win unless you enter, so go leave a comment!!!

I won something!!!

I will be completely honest, I have been in a heck of a sour mood the past week. I don't really want to go into everything, but last night my best friend heard me talk for 3 seconds and was already offering to drive up this weekend for a visit.

That sour mood quickly changed today when I was catching up on my Google Reader posts. Freckles Chick had a giveaway earlier this week and posted the winner today. I thought, "cool someone named Heidi won. It can't be me, because I never win anything."

Dude, I was wrong. Sure enough, the winner was indeed me.

I never win anything. Second place in everything is my claim to fame. I don't know how to handle this. I have to choose an awesome prize. I think I'm going to need more coffee in order to make a decision.

I can't believe I won. This is crazy, but oh so needed.

Freckles Chick- Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I've been a bad blogger

There I said it! Admitting the problem is the first step towards recovery, right? Anyway, I'm a bad blogger because I hardly ever visit other blogs. How is that even possible? Google Reader my friends, I am a complete and total addict. I tend to only comment on blogs that have that cool little feature that allows you to post directly from Google Reader and not have to actually visit the blog.

Pathetic, I know.

In the past week or so I've made it a point to visit every single blog in my Google Reader. I found out that some of you have pretty cool looking blogs. Far advanced from my pitiful attempts to jazz up my own blog. While checking out everyone's blogs I noticed that there are some really cool features out there and I've been missing out on those. I've missed out on the Twitter updates, wish lists, mini Flickr slide shows,intricate blog headers, fantastic blog backgrounds, running mileage, goals, baby charts, etc. The one feature I'm not a fan of is that little stalker widget aka the Life Traffic Feed. That thing creeps me out!!! Okay, not really, but when I see my town listed a few times I make a mental note to stop visiting that blog for a while (which is bad, because I should be visiting more often).

Anyway, I've been a bad blogger and I'm hoping to change. My first step towards change is that I vow to start commenting more often. The reason for doing this is two-fold, I'll actually start viewing all the hard work you put into maintaining your blog and I love reading comments on my own blog, so maybe you like reading them on yours. My next step towards becoming a better blogger is upping the maintenance on my own blog. I know it seems like I took a step backwards, but I changed up my template and went with something much simpler. I know scrapbook inspired blogs are all the rage right now (they are adorable), I realized that I'm a less is more type of person. I like white space and I like black text. Until I decided to ditch that plan, I'll be keeping things simple around here. Plus, I'm going to actually start using the labels feature. Who knows, maybe that might help people find their way around my blog a bit easier (or help myself when I'm trying to find an old post).

To kick things off, I made a new blog header. It isn't perfect, I'm not a fan of how the yellow flourish looks pixelated, but I'm working on it. Who knows, maybe next year I'll take on the challenge and try to code my own little blog template. Or, I could just have my incredibly talented sister come up with something for me, but calling in a professional would be cheating (and she better do it for free!!!)

Anyway, let me know what you think of the changes. Thanks for stopping by!!!!

November has come and gone

Wow, I can't believe tomorrow is December 1st. Not only does that further reinforce that the holidays are coming, but it also means that the year is ending. On a slightly more positive note, November is over. You know what that means???

NaBloPoMo is officially over!!!!!!! I actually did it! I posted every single day for thirty days straight!!! For someone that just started blogging this past summer, I take that as a pretty impressive feat.

Whew. I'm tired of blogging. Most likely I'm going to take a few days off. I'll admit, some of my postings were complete crap. Yeah, I would sit at my computer and go, "well I have to post something!" I sincerely apologize, but now that I've accomplished such a feat there's no need to do it again.

Thanks everyone for not calling me out on my crappy posting days! It really meant a lot to me.

NaBloPoMo

Say what??? Apparently, November is "National Blog Posting Month." Yay, I didn't know that either, but My Two Red Shoes made an announcement on the Nest and now I know.

I guess that means anyone who actually reads this thing will get to look forward to a ton of random postings. Consider this your warning!

New Banner

I have a new banner at the top of my blog (duh, where else would it be). I must give a shout out to kpapa over at My Two Red Shoes. She conjured up that banner in mere minutes from a horribly broad description on my part. I think the only concrete piece of information I gave her was that I don't like pink.

Again, thank you very much for the banner. Now, if anyone actually reads my blog- go check out her Etsy shop and buy a lovely photograph.

What? Another blog...

Yes, I have finally entered the blogosphere. If you had asked any of my graduate cohort, then they would quickly tell you that I have a minor obsession with blogs. I've wanted to start a blog for years, but for some reason I never actually took the 30 seconds to set one up.

I did today.

Call this my mission statement, personal credo, manifesto, etc., but I really don't know to what purpose I will use this blog. I expect that at first it will be a random collection of the little things bouncing around in my head. Eventually, I'd like to include additional posts on my many hobbies, whims and rants. Perhaps maybe a few photographs from some worldly travels.