What he said

"You either have the stomach for the fight that comes with art, or you don't, and if you don't, get out."

I'm so proud to live in the same city as the person who said this, as well as the person who published it on the internet. This is why I want to do what I want to do.

Read it!

Who writes blog posts in paragraph format any more?

Things I Have Accomplished While on Hold with the Capitol Hill CSO

1. Found a recipe for skillet cornbread

2. Made a grocery list

3. Ordered faux-fur-lined rain boots

4. Wrote a killer blog post

Things Mother Nature Accomplished While I Was on Hold

1. Snow

Things I'd Like to Accomplish Today, But Can't Because I'm on Hold

1. Roll up on TJ's and stock up for any possible snowmageddons

2. Make skillet cornbread in my new Christmas cast-iron skillet

3. Go to SAM and have my Picasso ticket pro-rated towards a year membership at the student rate, thereby achieving the ultimate Poor Yet Cultured Person win

4. Go see "True Grit" and pay for it using the movie ticket I won in a holiday gift exchange and sneak in my own snacks, thereby achieving the ultimate Poor Yet Entertained Person win

An Incomplete List

Things I Have Learned the Hard Way Not to Do Alone

1. Watch "The Omen"
2. Watch "Law and Order: SVU"
3. Read Dracula before bed

Portraits of Win

Made possible by Photobooth. Exhibit A of the Awesome Things That Sometimes Happen to Me:

Retail is retail, and by that I mean it's the worst, but at least I work at a place where David Sedaris just, you know, drops by. Just 'cause. Don't worry about it, ok?

Exhibit B: my parents came to visit on Veteran's Day and surprised Maddie and I by bringing Her Royal Fuzziness, Sophie. As a result, I had a dog all snuggled up in my Seattle bed, which has never happened before! I wish it happened more often.

Also pictured: Dad in my absurdly wonderful, year-in-the-making bedroom reading nook.

"Lauren, I can tell you that this is most definitely not the dream"

...was my coworker's response when I said, "Kelly! We're living the DREEEEEEEEAM" after pooling our loose change to buy a package of Junior Mints to split during a long day of cashiering. I'm willing to concede the point, I guess. I guess.

Autumn! I'm loving it. I bought the best Fall coat last week. In case you were wondering what the perfect book to read at the beginning of Fall is, it is in fact The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. It's cozy, friendly, spooky and slightly sinister all at the same time, just like this time of year.

A Conversation

On why/how we forgot to watch Mad Men on Sunday:

Banks: Yeah it's weird because we weren't even doing anything. Like, when it came on I was sitting down to a game of Starcraft and you were watching Devil Wears Prada.
Me: Um? Pretty sure I wasn't watching that?
Banks: No I think you were. You kind of always are. I'm just saying chances are high that you were watching Devil Wears Prada.
Me: Buhhhhwhat??
Banks: It's ok, it's not your fault, it's the television's fault.

All is forgiven because Boy In Question is currently at TJ's getting pizza toppings.

Remember back in, oh, January?

When I was applying for jobs? Finally got one. Just a few/several/too many months later.

No more folding! In fact, as the state of my bedroom will demonstrate, I plan to never fold an item of clothing again ever. It's not going to be a problem actually: dirty clothes go in the laundry basket, clean clothes reside on my maroon armchair, which I don't currently use for its intended purpose (i.e. reading) as it is GLOOOOORIOUS SUMMER and any/all reading is done out of doors and at Taste while I wait for A Certain Boy to finish his shift so we can get beers.

Speaking of reading, after hearing I got hired, I went out and bought this:

...which I am super excited to start reading, right after I finish this TOME of a graphic novel:

I really, really like it when I find myself reading something I would have been obsessed with when I was 14 or so. As in, my copy of Ella Enchanted gets reread yearly. Hoo boy, 14-year-old Lauren and Zot would have really hit it off: he looks and acts like Peter Pan (ahem, my first crush), and he gives his girlfriend a LIGHTNING BOLT NECKLACE which is also a HOMING DEVICE so he can find her when she's in trouble. I die.

Come see me at the bookstore! I'll be the one selling...art supplies.