Lemlem.

Loving my new Lemlem scarf.  Got it on sale, after waiting very patiently.  (Their everyday prices are a big rich for my blood.)  I have had designs on one of these for some time as a good all-purpose travel scarf/wrap/blanket/towel for bus and train rides, the beach, etc.  Still hanging onto my $5 sarong I got at a head shop in Delaware 10 years ago, but this will add a bit of class to my typical low-bagger travel look.  Now I just have to book my plane tickets!

From the website.

On me.  Really, it's even more beautiful in person, and I couldn't be happier!

Kiki Smith.

One of my favorite living and working artists today, and a remarkable woman.  I adore her and her whimsy and the way she weaves in themes of women artists' lives.  I was lucky enough to see her show at the Brooklyn Museum in person last year.

Pretty phenomenal, no?

 

a piece from Kiki Smith' Sojourn

 

Kiki Smith's Fawn

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

A somewhat oldie at this point, but I am having a crazy love affair with them. 

It makes me want to skip down the street jubilantly and unabashedly.

"Home is wherever I'm with you."  Oh, yes.

What I'm Reading: Graphic Novel Edition.

I usually don't like anything that has a gross-out factor above that of a Pixar movie.  I'm very particular about the kind of media I consume.  But I am really digging this series.  It's clever, suspenseful, engaging and really well-drawn.  And, yes.  Really pretty gross.  

 

When I asked my comic book guy whether it lived up to the (substantial) hype it received, he gave an enthusiastic yes.  

And he was so very right.

New Phone.

Big news in my life!  New phone!  It's a Droid 2, and I couldn't be happier about the decision to take the Android plunge.  My blackberry was downright awful, and am over-the-moon for my new phone.  It's so pretty!  And has all these fun apps!  And a touchscreen!  I love her.  More than I should love any piece of technology (or want to for that matter).  I took all my Joshua Tree photos with the cool Polandroid app.

Mary Oliver.

Is outstanding.  If you don't know her poetry, please do yourself a favor, and go out and buy (any) one of her volumes.  Or come over to my house and borrow some.  I received American Primitive for Christmas, but I probably own another half dozen collections or so.

...I am touching a few leaves. 
I am noticing the way the yellow butterflies
move together, in a twinkling cloud, over the field.
And I am thinking: maybe just looking and listening
is the real work.
Maybe the world, without us, is the real poem...
– Mary Oliver

And I say to my heart: rave on.
– Mary Oliver

Le sigh.

Joshua Tree.

My sweetie and I went to Joshua Tree National Park for New Year's camping with a passel of friends.  It was very beautiful and very cold.  Campfires, hiking, outdoor cooking, wandering around in the desert.  And hanging out in the hot tubs in Desert Hot Springs.  Fun!

 

Joshua Tree, Self-Portrait

 

Rocks, My Handsome Man

 

Desert/ sky/ the entirety of creation (or what feels like it.)

 

Hiking in a Joshua Tree desert; Me at camp with my friend, Scott

 

More beauty.  Really, the landscape is just unique.

Mumford and Sons.

Music discovery from this past fall.  I adore them.

So twangy, and boot-stompin', with beautiful lyrics that make me want to weep my guts out.  I can't stop listening to them.  Bluegrass that's perfectly suited for yoga practice?  Love.

Mudlark Journal.

These are so pretty, and I love the magnetic closure.  For only my most important to-do lists -- perfect for my new year's resolutions.

Marimekko Umbrella.

I bought this adorable umbrella from one of my favorite travel stores, Flight 001, in San Francisco, before going to Japan.  I was warned that there can be some fierce summer showers, and I wanted something a bit more sturdy than my old Walgreens umbrella.

In Kyoto, at night, on one of the drizzly summer days we experienced.
It’s light, easily packable, and stands out in a crowd, certainly.  The winters in San Francisco can be long and very rainy, so it’s nice to have such a cheerful way to keep the damp away.

I’ve had it for ages now, and it’s such a well-designed piece that it’s become one of my favorite accessories.