Procrastination Station- June 17
Posted on June 17th, 2015
So, Yuccies are a thing now. Defined by David Infante as Young Urban Creatives, Yuccies represent the intersection of the Yuppie and Hipster lifestyles. They are also a point of contention. Are you a Yuccie? I am not. (Shocker, I know) But I’m not sure how I feel about that?
Ah, elections. While I was busy reading about Caitlyn Jenner (and ogling the photos– I covet that hair/makeup/wardrobe team), I digested Vanity Fair‘s musings on the disappearance of social issues as a major platform point and what it’s replacement will be. “What Will Be the GOP’s New Social Issue”? See for yourself!
As a completely objective third party, I was also amused by their coverage of dress code drama at the Yale Club. As a member of the Penn Club, which is right down the block completely different, I simply couldn’t relate. 😉
And finally… The Aspirational Yes. So very common among millennials. RSVPing “yes” to an event, when you really mean no, or at best a soft maybe. I avoid this like the plague because being seen as a flake is a huge fear of mine, but appreciated seeing the phenomenon documented.
See? I told you this week would be an improvement. Happy reading!
Now at Nordstrom
Posted on June 16th, 2015
Today is the day! I am so, so happy to be starting my new job at Nordstrom. The nature of my position will have me looking at numbers more than the merchandise, but I still thought it wouldn’t hurt to familiarize myself with some of the offerings. When I Were I to give my new employer a little business in celebration, I would happily bring the following items* home with me:
*Represents tiny fraction of the items I would happily take home with me. Possibly less than 1%
- This Kate Spade bangle will go with all of the jewelry I wear
- I am a big fan of running skorts. It’s a well-known fact you’re more likely to enjoy your workout if you know you look great.
- I don’t do carpool yet. But this tote still seems important.
- When running errands on the weekend, I love these kinds of totes. Particularly important now that I live in a state where you have to pay for each bag you take from the store!
- I’m planning to host some low-key summer soirees in the coming weeks. These cups are probably a good idea.
- My crossbody game could use some work.
- Even in the summer, there are moments you just need to curl up under a cozy throw. Although we also don’t have a couch yet, so it’s a little tricky…
- This scallop skirt is probably not office appropriate, but I’m sure I could figure out other uses.
- Speaking of scallops… my favorite nude Tory Burch flats are looking, shall we say, well-loved. These are in the running as a suitable replacement!
I am very excited for this next big professional adventure, and can only imagine where it will take me. Probably on lots of shopping sprees.
Note: Though I am required to disclose my affiliation with Nordstrom, I am not joining the Social Media team, nor am I receiving any support or incentive from them. My opinions continue to be only my own!
Welcome to Seattle!
Posted on June 15th, 2015
So, I live in the Pacific Northwest now! I flew out on Thursday, and I start work tomorrow so I’ve had a few days to get settled in. I’ll let these pictures speak for themselves, but safe to say I have been enjoying the legendary Seattle summers I’ve heard so much about.
Ian and I cannot stop remarking to one another about how happy we are to be here. (And to be together, too!)
Oh, and that last picture? That’s the view from our building!!
Procrastination Station- June 10
Posted on June 10th, 2015
I’m a little bit early in my friends’ stage of life for the full social media deluge of engagement photos swirling around Facebook and Instagram, but I’ve seen enough Pinterest content to get me started worrying about them. How does one avoid looking generic without looking aggressively quirky? Is it even worth trying, or is looking basic inevitable? Most importantly, do we really need to take engagement photos? I thought wedding photographers were sufficient in capturing your love… Anyway, I’m certainly not this negative on the topic, but it turns out I’m not the only one a little confused by the trend in which I’m sure I’ll end up participating anyway.
Video/computer games are very, very, very much not my thing, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit to participating in a little Backyard Sports action as a child. I’m not talking about actual games played with your neighborhood friends outside– I’m talking about the computer game franchise that included (in our household) Backyard Baseball and Backyard Football. Reading this ranking of the Backyard Baseball players definitely brought back some memories. While opinions in the articles I post do not necessarily reflect my own, Spencer is definitely right about Pablo Sanchez.
Have you seen this video yet? This girl has more sass in her wagging pointer finger than I do in my whole body. Which, incidentally, is about thrice the size of hers. Johanna, you go, girl!
We’re definitely not in the styling phase of decorating our apartment (we should probably get actual furniture first?), but I’ve been loving all of the new arrivals in Mackenzie’s boutique! This jewelry box is particularly lovely (and extravagant!)
Not the most heavy hitting this week… Enjoy the respite before I resume the deluge of more intellectual pieces!
Navy at Home, Part 1
Posted on June 10th, 2015
Since moving furniture across the country is so expensive (and we didn’t have that much of our own anyway), Ian and I decided to leave everything behind and start completely from scratch on furnishing our new apartment. Our major discovery in this process has been that it’s easy to furnish your apartment if you have an unlimited budget, and it’s easy to furnish your apartment if you don’t really care much about the aesthetic.
Unfortunately, we do care and our money doesn’t grow on trees, so I’ve put in a lot of time trying to find affordable pieces to put together to create a cohesive look. Unsurprisingly, in both the master bedroom and the main living space, the prevailing theme is navy.
In the master bedroom, we’re working with an accent wall, and I was inspired by following looks that are clean but still comfortable:
We have already ordered this bedding (petition to rename it PB Teen-ish?), but are still deciding on a lot of the other elements. I’m always looking for ways to add more color and print, so I like the idea of a mirror like this or this, and lamps like one, two, or three. (Just for fun, here are some out of budget lamps that we’re definitely not getting: one/two). With a headboard (current frontrunner), a bench at the foot of the bed and some extra throw pillows (swoon, love these colors, and surprisingly legit from H&M here and here), we should be off to a great start in the bedroom!
Still on the hunt for bedside tables… Any pro tips?
Going the Distance
Posted on June 8th, 2015
There are few things in life in which I presume to consider myself an expert. One of them is Diet Coke taste testing. Another is motivating yourself to work out. The third is surviving a long distance relationship.
This was never something in which I wanted to be an expert. Occasionally, I hear people glamorize long distance dating with talk of love letters and romantic airport reunions. These people are delusional. There is nothing enchanting about not being able to hold your significant other’s hand when they have a bad day. It’s just not that fun when you have to yet again decide whether to find a platonic date for your sorority formal, or just to go stag.
Ian and I have been dating since 2009, and dated long distance from September 2010-May 2015 (we were together for a few summers, though). Someone showed me the statistics on distance relationships in 2011– it wasn’t pretty. Our strategies have evolved a bit through the years, but I think a couple of key tenets really saw us through. Allow me to share my advice into the abyss:
- Remember you’re complete on your own. Have your own friends, your own passions. Don’t sit around waiting for the next phone call, or the next visit. You can’t be happy if you’re not finding fulfillment outside of your relationship, and you can’t be in a healthy relationship if you’re not personally happy. (This applies to all relationships, actually!)
- Don’t miss the big moments. You can’t be there for all of them, but you’ll feel more connected if you share memories of the major ones.
- Prioritize visits. Schedule them, plan your spending so that you can afford them, and keep them frequent and consistent whenever possible. Since January 2011, Ian and I have only once gone more than a month without seeing one another.
- Align on communication expectations. For
meus, this meant a lot of talking. I didn’t want to be a stranger in Ian’s life. I wanted to feel like I was a part of his day, even if that just meant being able to visualize where he was and what was on his plate. We texted fairly consistently throughout the day, and tried to Facetime or talk every night. Different couples have different strategies here, but it made it easier for us to be together when we didn’t have to spend all of our time explaining basic facts. - Face the tough conversations head on. It can be tempting when you’re not together often to just make sure things are calm and perfect in the limited time you have with one another, but if you’re spending years apart, it would be artificial to prolong meaningful progress in a relationship (and everyone knows important conversations should be had in person). I would always apologize to Ian if and when we had to have a tough conversation because I didn’t want him to feel like I came in town to ambush him, but the fact that we’ve had so much transparency and really addressed a range of issues makes me feel a lot more comfortable now that our relationship is genuine and mature.
This stuff is hard, but when it’s worth it, you want to work for it. If you find yourself avoiding the work, it might be a sign that it is time to reevaluate. Good luck, love birds, near and far!
Sunday Snapshot- June 7
Posted on June 8th, 2015
Ready for your grainy glimpse at my week?
We got the tough stuff over with at the beginning. My week began in New York with packing and moving. Since we didn’t take any furniture from my New York apartment, it made the most sense to just pack up a bunch of boxes and ship them to Seattle via FedEx. What did not make the most sense was transporting them 1/4 mile in the rain to the shipping center, but that didn’t stop us. Thanks to the generous porters in my building who lent us the hand truck they use for moving trash (…), multiple trips, and trash-bags-turned-tarps, we made it!
Celebrated my last night in NYC with some dear friends! …none of whom actually live in New York. I’m lucky enough to have gotten close to Ian’s roommates in the past four years, and before we scatter to all parts of the globe, some of us were able to enjoy a Last Supper together. Yes, I’m wearing my dad’s raincoat. Menswear inspired fashions are in.
I flew to St. Louis to kick off my mini summer break on Tuesday! I was greeted by a darling puppy with an ACL injury. Gracie loves to go on walks with my mom and me more than anything in the world, and we just couldn’t bear to leave her behind now that she’s out of commission. Thank goodness we still have this trusty wagon! Gracie doesn’t really get what’s happening, except that now she’s even more sure she’s the queen of the world.
I’m not one for Instagramming food– least of all #foodintheair– but I admit it. I got sucked into the hype of National Donut Day. After our Friday morning workout class, we trooped over to Strange Donuts to partake. I love a good holiday, don’t you?
The best part of being home is seeing the ones you love! With Lexi here, I never want to leave. We met up on Saturday night to watch the Belmont over gin & tonics. Luckily, horse races are very short, so there’s plenty of time for general catching up.
Looking forward to a few more days at home before heading west! My next Sunday Snapshot will be coming to you live from the Pacific Northwest. Crazy how much can change in a month!
Procrastination Station- June 3
Posted on June 3rd, 2015
Soda. Interior design. Gender discrepancies. Tennis. This post has all this and more!
Since my last day of work was Friday and I don’t start my new job for a few more days, I have had the luxury of time to actually read all of the interesting things my mother tells me to. The Economist recently published a lengthy essay that looks at the gender gap in a different way. Titled “Men Adrift,” the piece asserts that “badly educated men in rich countries have not adapted well to trade, technology, or feminism,” and explores the resulting implications of this reality.
I am grateful for the way Sheryl Sandberg has put women into the spotlight, but my respect for her has grown in a different way through her reactions following the passing of her husband. This post on her Facebook is heart-breaking, but beautiful. I so admire her decision to choose life and meaning.
Fact: Diet Coke is best from McDonald’s. I used to be a mega Diet Coke junkie, but I cut back last October and it’s been hard, particularly since Diet Coke was my only source of caffeine. Still, once a week I allow myself an indulgence. I look forward to my Sunday afternoon Diet Coke every week, and there’s only one place I would consider going. As I was thinking about my craving earlier this week, I wondered about McDonald’s supremacy. If you’re curious, too, this post lays it all out.
Tennis’s elite are busy at Roland Garros, and Rafael Nadal is chasing his 10th French Open title. But his relationship status with the fans who fill the stands at Philipe Chatrier Court? It’s complicated. John Stillman (a talented high school friend of mine) sets the stage.
The dream kitchen. Everyone has one, and everyone hopes that some day it will be theirs. If you need inspiration for yours, Domino Mag lays out the best movie/TV kitchens. Of course, Charlotte York makes the list.
Here’s to You, Amtrak
Posted on June 2nd, 2015
Dear Amtrak,
Now that Ian has graduated and we are moving west, it’s time for the nature of our relationship to change. I know, I know… when I say it like that, it sounds like I was just using you to get close to Ian. But what we had these past three years was real and special, too. I demonstrated my love for you by giving you 1/3 of my paycheck each month; you reciprocated with a very sweet gesture when you granted me Acela Select Plus status. So as we part ways for the foreseeable future, I wanted to reflect on some of the positive times we had. I think it will bring us closure.
Getting to you was never easy. If the whole “personal circle of hell” thing is real, I know mine will be set in Penn Station during rush hour. I arrive chronically early because I never want to miss one of our special dates, so I spent Friday evenings between 5:40 and 6pm surrounded by sweaty, frustrated business professionals who just want to go home to their families. I’m right there with you, frustrated and sweaty business professionals. Sometimes, you are late, but I never give up. Masochistically, I am even still happy to see you, even when I know I should be chiding you for your tardiness.
Once you arrive, I find a seat in the quiet car, which is our little slice of heaven together. My fellow Amtrak disciples take silence very seriously. It’s a quality we admire. Once, Ian saw an older woman guarding the door to the quiet car, personally reminding each of her fellow passengers that this was the quiet car, and that talking would not be tolerated. I laughed along with Ian about how insane that was, all the while knowing that would most likely be me one day.
As we cruise up the eastern seaboard, I needlepoint and watch movies while binge eating foods that have essentially no calories (cherry tomatoes, watermelon). Eating out of pure boredom is one of my specialties. I particularly enjoyed the trips when I would BYO and have a little personal pregame so I wouldn’t be too far behind before heading to some Harvard party. Thanks for that.
I have also developed a little fantasy of living in a coastal Connecticut town, which I’m sure would completely evaporate after one New England winter. Nevertheless, I always made sure to get a window seat facing the correct direction for maximum daydreaming.
At the most basic level, Amtrak, you moved me from point A to point B so I could spend time with Ian. But you were a destination in your own right, too. A symbol of a workweek wrapped up, or a lazy Sunday evening following a relaxing weekend. I won’t go so far as to say I’ll miss you, even though I can’t help but think about how convenient and easy you are each and every time I have to fly. We were just star-crossed lovers, brought together by necessity in a particular moment in time in the universe. But there’s no denying I owe you, and you’ll always have a little piece of my heart. And a large piece of my bank account.
Most sincerely,
Helen
Sunday Snapshot- May 31
Posted on May 31st, 2015
Welcome, summer!
As I mentioned, I went home Memorial Day Weekend for some time with my family. The weather forecast for the weekend was horrible, but for once I was so pleased the meteorologists got it wrong. There’s no where I would rather have spent Memorial Day!
Even long weekends must come to an end, so I flew back to New York on Monday night. We took an unexpected route into Laguardia, and saw some beautiful views on the way. It was a poetic way to kick off my final week as a New Yorker.
In the midst of my final New York week, I did have to make a very important trip up north to celebrate Ian’s graduation! More on this another day, but my heart was very full. It was sweet of Harvard to make me feel at home with H ice cream sandwiches, too 😉
Saturday we finally got to visit Marta! Danny Meyer is my favorite restauranteur– he went to my high school, and I’m delusional enough to feel a personal connection to him because of that– and it took me far too long to get to his latest place. Loved the food (pizza is always my favorite!), but also loved the blue and white pottery and the atmosphere it lent to the meal.
And finally, my latest handiwork! I made Ian and all of his roommates matching crimson/white keychains, and was also happy to fulfill an order for a sweet follower. As always, let me know if you’re interested in having a keychain of your own!
Have a great week! If you need me, I’ll be shoving my whole life into boxes and shipping them cross-country.
