freaking baby animals

Meet the sloths from Amphibian Avenger on Vimeo.

Now, I know, okay? They're a little bit creepy. But damn, they cute, too.

via Serious Eats.

Music Thursday?

via BrianWFerry.

figs

"I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn’t quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”
-Sylvia Plath "The Bell Jar"

on: the power of love

I'm sitting in Aixois- one of my favorite Kansas City spots. It's lunch time on a dreary Saturday. I've been posted up working on a take-home final (sort of) and the lunch crowd is slowly filtering in. Among them is an elderly couple. A husband and a wife; the woman is beyond frail. She looks as though I could pick her up and cradle her like a baby. She eats her lunch awkwardly, messily, and slowly, with much assistance from her husband. Each helping hand to wipe her mouth is a gesture of absolute tenderness and grace. It turns out it's her birthday. The waitress brings out a creme brulee for her with a candle in it. Her husband blows out the candle for her and lets her have it all to herself. When she finishes, she shakily folds up her messy napkin and he pats her hand.

I can't stop watching their interactions. The simplicity of tenderness, the commitment of compassion, years passed, love grown. Time expensed past worldly beauty and independence- when only a deep love remains. A love that is beyond the understanding of those of us that are still young and beautiful. Mysterious and passionate, transcendent of our immature definitions of those things. Sweet silence and acceptance. The power of steadfast love.

right now, i'm loving:

Some things that have made me happy recently (other than the weather. But I assure you, it've been primarily the weather.)

1. This Aardvark Manifesto from Keep Calm Gallery.


2. These "Ideal Bookshelf" prints from Jane Mount. (The one below would be close to mine.)

3. Photography by Paul Barbera.


4. And all things in-the-garden, really.

(photo by lonnymag)

5. The new JCREW. Like duh. All the shots are garden-themed, too! EEk. I esp. love the navy gingham checked button down. But I'm gonna have to wait/hope for the sale on that one. (Btw, did you know that they offer a 15% discount on in-store purchases to teachers and students w/ valid IDs?! I think I may finally go get my UMKC ID after all...)

6. Aixois coffee bar.

(crappy cell-phone picture)

7. THIS nook. THESE blue walls. THOSE lights. Ohhh be still my heart.

(spotted by Mel @ You Are My Fave, Jr., I think)

8. Pandas. Always and ever. Especially in front of yellow backgrounds. And waving pandas.

(spotted by P at What Possessed Me)

9. Red bentwood chairs. Red furniture in general, I think. And that huge table is nice, too.

(via little green notebook)

10. New music!!!

New jonsi album online!

Snoop Dogg goes Green? That Tree!

And of course, via Black*Eiffel a little poppy number.

So, what's been making you happy this week, lovlies?

Lovlies

Ohhhh holy moly. Swooooooooon. A flickr set for Farmer's Market polaroids. Jackpot.





Spotted by Mel @ You Are My Fave.

Hope.

Not to get all mushy on you, but I can't help but notice recently that the people that have the greatest impact rarely set out to do so. They set out to be faithful, to seek justice, to love well. I want to be one of these people.

My friend, Jane Williams, is an inspiring woman. Check it:

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/12/1809312/womans-persistence-pries-open.html#ixzz0i4O20Hka


Via Suzanne Williams