Bites and Hikes

An ode to chocolate and life

2010-03-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hello dears,

Sorry I've been away for so long. I've been insanely busy trying to get projects and papers done and looking for a new place to live...whaaaat? yes, this weekend I signed the lease on an adorable little apartment in Auburn, AL with my boyfriend! It's so perfect for us: cute little kitchen, located downtown, within walking distance to everything, and best of all- it's got a spiral staircase leading up to a loft bedroom. I'm so in love with the place. I can't wait to move in and take pictures to show y'all. (Not until Aug. 12 though...BLAST!)

A couple weeks ago I took a little road trip to Asheville with my lovely friend Penelope. I've been wanting to do a post about a place we found called the French Broad Chocolate Lounge ever since we got back...and finally...here it is.

This place was so completely perfect. We went around ten at night and there was live music (accordion and violin....awesome), and great atmosphere, low lighting, mixed tables and chairs...and the smell when you walk in was just delicious. They have an awesome menu item called the liquid truffle (we tried the lavender and honey one)--IT WAS AMAZING. Seriously, it's basically just the thickest, most decadent hot chocolate you will ever taste. I love, love, love it.

We also tried the chocolate, peanut butter mousse, also delicious. I would absolutley recommend checking this place out if you're ever in Asheville. They also have chocolates available online here.

The truffles look so yummmy! They're a little pricey, but so worth it.

Anyway, I'm hoping to be back a lot more with posts. I'm also looking for a job, so I'll keep y'all updated (probably only if it's something cool though). haha. I'd love to work at EarthFare for the summer and have time to write. Ahhhh, writing.

Have a yummy night!

Chelsea

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Well the moment we have all been waiting for has come and gone. After seeing the preview and drooling over the possibilities months ago I finally saw Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland this weekend. I was underwhelmed. Tim Burton can't really be Time Burton when he's in the employ of Disney I think. It was a pretty watered down maybe even uninspired version of Lewis Carrol's original masterpiece. That being said, I loved Johnny Depp as ever. He's amazing in everything he does. I was also really taken with Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Loved it. There was a lot to like in the movie, so I would definitely still recommend seeing it, but Coraline, the Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd are still my top favs for Tim Burton.

and here are some more from the past Tweedles from the past just for fun

: )

they're cute.

Ciao,

Chelsea

childhood in a nutshell

2010-03-03T13:07:00.000-08:00

this website is hilarious

ENJOY! happy wednesday. it's so close to spring break i can taste it.

Chelsea

awesome.

2010-03-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

I did this so much growing up. and magazines. I always used to smell the new National Geographic when it came in. I liked new book smell better than library book smell. My dad worked at a printing press though which might be why I like the smell so much. When I smelled paper and ink, it usually meant Dad was home : ) YAY!!

Have a good night! Think of something nostalgic from your childhood. It's fun.

Chelsea

First Draft of a poem for Washington

2010-02-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

Washington

Tonight the weight of the memories is too much to bear.
The things around me make me sick to my stomach: I hate
them with a vehemence I can't explain. Even the pictures
make me feel queasy and inadequate.
Who was I then? Who am I now?
I'm certain then was better.
I'm certain I was better then.
Weak, exhausted by the potency of the remembrances-
I can do nothing but let the tears leak from my eyes.
A weak cry. I do not sob.
The beauty, the vastness, the majesty of a world
so alien, yet so familiar- a place I'd never seen
that I could immediately call home.
Reaching out to it now I find only solitude
and intangible wisps of color, textures, and smells,
nearly forgotten, on the fringe of a reality that is senseless.
Wilderness whispers to me across the miles.
I do not answer.

Well, that's where I ended up tonight. Weird night in general. My poetry professor is really pushing me and this is a messy first draft, but I'm avoiding working on a different poem about something I want to think about even less, so there you have it. I have a love/hate relationship with poetry. Anyway, this is just a first draft and I miss Washington.

Sweet dreams all!

Chelsea

Cary Brothers Saves the Day

2010-02-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

Cary Brothers is one of the few musicians that has spanned many years of my life. And still today when I listened to songs like "Ride" and "If You Were Here" I got goosebumps. This man has an amazing voice and great lyrics and is just all-around inspiring to me. He makes me feel like the world is mine for the taking while also reminding me of every tiny human emotion that trips us up along the way. "Ride" was on the soundtrack to the movie The Last Kiss, which I liked a lot, but the song is an enduring favorite for me beyond the confines of the movie. It's a song that always makes me stop what I'm doing and give it my full attention. Here's the music video (mixed with scenes from the movie and his own stuff) but really, you should just close your eyes and listen....make your own pictures. I assure you, they'll be beautiful.

In other news, I found another picture (this one from treehousestories.tumblr) that just makes me want to leave Charleston forever. Look at this place...

mmmmmmmm.

And last but not least I'm reading Ulysses...and loving it. What? No you didn't read wrong. Joyce is a genius. (Although reading it with a group was admittedly, the only way I would ever be getting through it...so thanks Joe Kelley for setting this up).

Good night!

Chelsea

I'd give anything

2010-01-31T21:54:00.000-08:00

to be right here.

It's been a drab hangover, argumentative, and long day. But here is a nugget of beauty...the same sort of beauty that is everywhere if I'm looking. Today I didn't look and I wish I had, but tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow I will trust myself enough to look.

Good night,

Chelsea

(photo credit through papertissue.tumblr)

A Poem for Beach People

2010-01-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

I'm reading the Complete Works of Elizabeth Bishop and came across this awesome poem. I haven't been to the beach in ages it seems, but this poem took me there right away. It's beautiful!! So I thought I'd share so you can have a little beach time on this chilly January day.

The Sandpiper

The roaring alongside he takes for granted,
and that every so often the world is bound to shake.
He runs, he runs to the south, finical, awkward,
in a state of controlled panic, a student of Blake.

The beach hisses like fat. On his left, a sheet
of interrupting water comes and goes
and glazes over his dark and brittle feet.
He runs, he runs straight through it, watching his toes.

--Watching, rather, the spaces of sand between them,
where (no detail too small) the Atlantic drains
rapidly backwards and downwards. As he runs,
he stares at the dragging grains.

The world is a mist. And then the world is
minute and vast and clear. The tide
is higher or lower. He couldn't tell you which.
His beak is focussed; he is preoccupied,

looking for something, something, something.
Poor bird, he is obsessed!
The millions of grains are black, white, tan, and gray,
mixed with quartz grains, rose and amethyst.

--Elizabeth Bishop from the collection Questions of Travel

I really connected with how preoccupied the sandpiper is too because, this being my last semester of college, naturally, its INSANE! I feel like I'm caught up in the looking and the waiting and the waiting. I'm so excited about what's coming next that I tend to forget about what's here right now. Regardless, it's a great poem with evocative images and descriptions that I think are spot on.

Have a great day y'all,

Chelsea

GREAT NEWS!!

2010-01-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

My awesome, amazing boyfriend - TREY NASH- got into the pharmacy school at Auburn!! I'm so proud of him and so happy and so AHHHHH!! That means we're moving to Alabama in August! I'm stoked for the ensuing apartment hunting and best of all exploring a new place!!!!

From My Odd World Of Writing to Yours

2010-01-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

Hello Everybody!!

I thought I'd start with a picture of the Laocoon sculpture. My professor brought it up in class today and until then I'd completely forgotten I've seen this beautiful piece of art in person at the Vatican Museum in Rome. Now I can't stop thinking about it. It's such a passionate piece of art and perfects something I strive for in my writing all the time. It's powerful and elegant and so emotional. I love it.

Next-- I'm thinking it's about time to share some of my fiction writing with you. To start us off, here's a "short short" (a piece of fiction that's around 300 words give or take a little).

Experiments in Lewisburg, Ohio

In the summer we would roll up our pants and wade in the river that cut across our farm in Lewisburg, Ohio, trying to catch crawfish, upending rocks and splashing and screaming if we thought we saw a snake. Bernie was my best friend back then. We came up with the greatest plans.

When we were eight we decided that chickens not being able to fly just had to be a hoax. All birds could fly, that much we knew. The idea came to us when we were jumping on the trampoline one day, pretending to be rockets, seeing who could shoot up the fastest. When my mom went to the grocery store that afternoon we got started. We visited the henhouse and chose the chicken that we thought had the best looking wings. “Oh yeah,” Bernie said, when I pointed out the hen, “That old biddy can fly.”

We put the hen carefully on the trampoline and climbed up after her. We walked gently towards the nervous, clucking bird. Bernie’s eyes locked with mine and we grabbed each other’s hands, making a bridge over the bird. “NOW!” I shouted.

We jumped at the same time as high as we could, landing deep in the surface of the trampoline. We dropped our hands and then rolled apart just in time to see the chicken soaring into the air squawking and flapping her wings uselessly against the bright blue summer sky. She plummeted back down and we heard two sickening cracks in quick succession as the chicken’s legs broke on impact. The hen didn’t make any more noise. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were glazed over. “Oh shit,” said Bernie, “That bird sure as hell can’t fly.”

Dinner that night was chicken cooked in garlic and lemon with our least favorite vegetable, peas. Bernie was making a funny face when Mom put the plates down in front of us and I felt a hard knocking against the insides of my stomach. “Eat up girls,” my Mom said, “I want to see clean plates.”

I'm really enjoying this form of fiction writing (new to me this semester) because you can be as flat out crazy as you want and the short short just lets you. There are no rules to writing a piece of short short fiction. You should try one yourself. It's a lot of fun. Let me know how they go!

Happy Monday folks

Chelsea

The most beautiful short story

2010-01-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

I have fallen in love with Eudora Welty. I had already read her collection of short stories, A Curtain of Green, and her novella, The Robber Bridegroom, both of which I enjoyed, but she didn't skyrocket into my favorite authors (joining Steinbeck and Hemingway and Tim O'Brien) until I read the story

"First Love" in her collection The Wide Net.

The story was so beautiful it literally took my breath away. It is not at all what I expected it to be from the title. It was brilliantly crafted and the last line was the most well-placed I've seen in a short story in a long time. This story is delicate in a way, yet so far-reaching, haunting, resonating in a part of my soul that often gets neglected. I could tell from the words that were so carefully chosen that Welty loved her characters like a mother loves her own children and every single word in the story is an ode to her devotion to them. I can honestly say I've never felt something quite like this after reading a short story. If I had to compare the feeling to another short story I would say it's the most like I felt after reading "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" for the first time...but different.

You absolutely have to read this story. It's incredible.

Have a beautiful night,

Chelsea

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-01-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

I'm 22 today. WHAT?? I know, I don't believe it either. But nonetheless I'm excited. I bought this as a little gift for myself from DELIA's

I LOVE IT!!!

I also got the best present ever from Trey...it's a 2 liter Camelbak...if you know me, you get it...I'm so excited to try it out on the trail. Can't wait!!

The Camelbak has gotten me so pumped about the reunion NOLS trip in June: beautiful scenery, awesome new gear and best of all GREAT PEOPLE!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday...Trey and I are headed to IHOP soon...yes, that's where I wanted by birthday dinner...I love pancakes. : )

Chelsea

Inevitable

2010-01-14T20:06:00.000-08:00

We all eventually let our parents down.

Then we say, "I don't give a damn what they think!"

Then that tiny place deep down inside that still wants your mom to bring you soup when you're sick cries.

Then one day, you get sick, make your own soup, and can be proud of your choices regardless of what they ever said.

(this was for sale on ebay...awesome)

Good luck making your own soup (even if you're 90 years old),

Chelsea

Yarn

2010-01-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a lot of craft blogs lately and looking through tumblrs that all seem to revolve around a return to a woman's strength and creativity through sewing: an interesting concept considering how much women of the 20th century did to pull us away from the idea of a domestic sphere. Even so there is a new edge to these crafty yarn-obsessed women with their knitted hats and their pillow stitching and scarf making. They impress me and I'm not sure why. Personally, I hate sewing. I have very little patience for the detail-oriented process and I never learned to knit despite several attempts on my mom's part to teach me when I was little. I've been thinking hard about this new (or at least new to me) trend. At first I found myself resisting this idea of arts and crafts because I didn't think it was art that made a statement. I thought it was simply an attempt to be "vintage" which is the new edgy it seems. (And I really can't stand when people make/wear/buy vintage simply because it's vintage and currently "in"). Maybe it is. However, the more I looked them over, the more I realized these are new thoughts and new ideas and while personally, I don't and probably won't ever identify myself with the "crafty" sorts of arts, I have a new appreciation for the women who dedicate themselves to this idea. Here are some pictures from a blog I frequent called A Beautiful Mess . This woman is the height of modern craft and while I find her dolls in homemade snow hats to be ridiculously creepy, I've begun to at least understand the work and dedication behind the process.

(this is a pic of her studio, which partly inspired the short fiction mentioned below)

I'm even making yarn an important "character" in the short story I'm currently writing. We'll see how it turns out, but I like it so far.

Though I generally consider myself to be an open-minded person these craft blogs helped remind me that creativity comes in all shapes and sizes were a reminder to keep an open-mind even if it's not something I'm personally in to. I think we all can use reminders like that now and then.

More true to my interest in art, I joined a reading group for Joyce's Ulysses. I'm really excited about being able to read such a difficult novel/experiment/groundbreaking piece of literature with a group so we can talk it over! Stream of consciousness writing absolutely fascinates me.

Have a lovely evening! I'm finally out of holiday mode, so my posts will be much more frequent : )

Chelsea

Post Number Two: New Favorite tumblr

2009-12-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

I love this tumblr blog i found. It's called treehousestories . It's beautiful and inspiring and has given me a lot of ideas.

On that site I found a picture of this retro typewriter. I LOVE IT!! I would write like crazzzzzzyyyyy on this thing!! Like I said, this site is super inspiring!

Let's all promise to get in touch with our creative juices tonight!

Chelsea

Thank You Boyfriend

2009-12-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

I started out having a terrrrribbllee day today. But Trey came over and saved the it for me. We baked peanut butter chocolate chip cookies and listened to awesome music and played chess (he won) and Scrabble (I won...which totally makes sense considering he is the science, logic brain and I am the english major/writer). He really turned my day around with his great sense of humor and his unfailing childlike ability to be happy. One of the reasons I love being with him is there isn't really such a thing as boredom...and if we start to get bored we just start doing something awesome. Today we also made a list of stuff we need for our apartment, which we won't get until august, buuuuttt, we're pretty stoked!!! The first item on the list is Madden 10...yup. We've got our priorities in order. Love it.

So, it's not that Trey and I don't have our issues because we're extremely different people...but at the same time, we're also the same person. That doesn't make sense...or does. Of course it does. These things don't have to make sense.

this is one of my favorite pictures of us. how could i not like hanging with a

guy who likes to chill on top of a mountain?

in other news...i found this picture here and I LOVE IT. This is me. (wait: cute, graphic, and ourdoorsy? yes, like i said. that's me) haha...i jest.

...annnnndd I downloaded Zooey Deschanel music yesterday and have been listening A LOT. I love her voice. So perfect. Her new indie band is called She and Him and its her and a guy mysteriously named M. Ward. But regardless, if you want some soul tickling goodness don't pass her by. Here are some great pics of them.

Hope your holidays are going beautifully. I'm really enjoying mine. Even got my Christmas shopping done already.

Chelsea

Too Great to Pass Up

2009-12-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

So, I am miillleessss away from planing my own wedding and am usually not the girl who gazes at wedding dresses and plans for the future, but I stumbled across a blog called Once Wed and there were amazing pictures from a camping bachelorette party! Seriously, this is a great idea. And whenever/ if ever my wedding comes around I may steal it.

beach camping and a tepee!!!

great decor

tasty treats and wildflowers (no stuffy roses allowed)

indian themed party favors and just the right amount of girliness

Ahhh, well still plugging away at exam week. I won't be finished until Monday. So, beach camping sounds fantastic to me right now!! Love it.

Have a great night ladies and gents,

Chelsea

Snow Please

2009-12-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

Just finished an intense leg work out because I looked down and realized that during the summer my legs looked so fit. Now they just look normal-ish. Plus I want to be able to do a split by spring, so here comes lots of streeeetccchhhiiinnng. I hope I don't pull anything. If you know any more-awesome-than-usual stretches let me know. I could use some spice in my routine.

This is me come spring...that's right, in addition to learning how to do a split

I'm also going to clone myself. Watch Out!

photo credit: Getty Images (Cirque du Soleil)

I also just finished revising a short story I wrote called "Fox News, Ketchup, and a Christmas Tree". I'm pretty proud of it and I just sent that and a poem I wrote called "Oranges" off to the literary magazine at College of Charleston. I probably won't hear back until January or February, but exciting nonetheless.

I'm riding high on that feeling I get when I've actually completed a piece of fiction. I start them all the time, but very rarely do they get the satisfaction of having an ending. I'm thinking about posting my story in installments...let me know if ya'll would be interested in that!

Anyway, have a great night! It was humid and warm in Charleston today so even though this sounds weird, I'm going to say, I miss the snow from my summer in the Cascades. Ahhh, summer snow.

Backpacking on Copper Ridge, North Cascades National Park

June, 2009 (I'm on the foreground to the left)

Here's me (middle) and some backpacking buddies of mine from Europe

I miss the snow!!!!!!

Chelsa

Kite in the face

2009-12-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

That's the kind of day I'm having. I've been writing a paper all weekend. Yikes. One more week until finals are over and then I will have luxuriously yummy posts every day.

Until then I'll try to keep you entertained while also not detracting from the grade I get at the end of all this shenanigans.

Happy finaling...or whatever else your doing.

Chelsea

Paper Heart

2009-12-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

This movie asks the difficult question: What is love??

Paper Heart was so interesting. I loved the interviews with "everyday" sorts of people. There are also inserts with cloth puppets that are awesome. I was impressed because usually documentaries can't hold my attention to the end. Charlyne Yi is adorable and captures the spirit of the film in a big way. Plus Michael Cera is equally adorable, as always. It's definitely worth the watch.

Visit the website too. It has a MASH game!!! I don't miss middle school at all, but who doesn't like to play MASH? Here's the result from my mash game:

Crush: Johnny Depp
Job: big rig driver
Location: Vermont
Vehicle: motorcycle
Color: purple
# of Kids: 4

man, that's a fun game. I can't wait to start my life as a big rig driver in Vermont...awessoommmeee. haha.

Here are some fun stills from the movie:

On a different note, I have to confess I included Maggie Gyllenhaal in my MASH game. Was I secretly hoping my imaginary life included Maggie? Perhhaapps.

Yup. She's my girl crush.

Anywho, have a great night...it's raining, but that doesn't mean going outside wouldn't be fun : )

Chelsea

I want to be a Nonwriter when I grow up

2009-12-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

Paul Allen

I have gone to Paul Allen's class twice a week for the past three months. Today was the last class of the semester, and unfortunately, the first time I've truly appreciated being under the tutelage of Paul Allen.

What brought that change? An essay he handed out to us as we left called "Else and Other: A Nonwriter Addresses the Nonwriters at a Writers' Conference."

Here's the book Paul's essay is printed in

It's an essay/speech he wrote for the 1995 Charleston Writers' Conference and it is brilliant. Brilliant. He begins with the line:

All my life I wanted to be somewhere else.

I think anyone who aspires to be a writer can empathize with this. Writers are famous for being malcontents. W are great at imagining lives bigger, grander, more beautiful than the one we are living. I've heard over and over that being a writer, an artist of any kind, is a personal choice, a sacrifice that takes extreme devotion to the craft at the cost of destroying close relationships and becoming isolated from those that once loved you.
I've thought about this so many times wondering what I would do if I had to choose between my boyfriend and family, or my writing. I could never give up on writing. I love it. I also love Trey and I want to believe that my love for writing does not negate the possibility of a happy marriage and close family. Trust me, I've been told I'd have to choose.

Paul's essay changed my perspective entirely. He calls himself a "nonwriter" because he doesn't want to define himself as any one thing. He writes of a shift saying

...all my nouns (husband, poet, teacher) become verbs. I teach. I write some poems. I fix a thing or two around the house. I'm not the great I Am, but I am my I am (as in Frost's "Iota Subscript), and I accept that none of these activities is who I am. And if any one of them (or all) had to be consciously and willfully sacrificed...so be it. Each brings joy only if I don't ask it to, only if I see it as a minor activity under a larger peace.

A larger peace. Hmmmm. The idea of turning your nouns into verbs really stuck with me, so I wrote my own list of examples:

I am not a writer, but I'm currently writing.
I am not a girfriend, but when I'm with Trey, you could say I'm girlfriending.
I am not a student, but when I have to do work or go to class, I am studenting.
I am not a daughter, but when I'm talking to my Mom and Dad, I'm daughtering.

...and the list could go on and on with every label we give ourselves. I love the idea that I can be everything...certainly not simultaneously, because that defeats the purpose of giving your attention to things individually. Anyway, I was so inspired by Paul's essay. I am encouraged and re-motivated to pursue every single one of my interests.

I'll close with a quote by Walt Whitman that Paul includes in his essay:

From this hour I ordain myself loos'd of limits and imaginary lines.

Mmmm. I love it. I hope this can inspire my fellow artists, or really just anyone.
I really appreciate you sticking with this long post...Thanks!

Chelsea

This is what a semester of sculpture looks like

2009-12-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well, the semester is wrapping up and I've finally brought all of my projects home, so I thought I'd share them with you! This was my first time taking a sculpture class and I really loved it. It was great stress relief and I got to try out quite a few creative processes.

Park Bench with Tree growing through it

wire, yarn, tulle, nylon

Project 2: abstract

chicken wire, burlap, plaster, tulle, buttons

Project 3: Balloon project (front)

We inflated balloons and taped them to the inside of a box then filled the box with plaster and let

it set. After the plaster set we had to carve away the square, dealing with the negative

space where the balloons were as we got to them. This project was definitely my favorite!

Here's the back. I stained the plaster with tea bags (that's the brown) and did an acrylic paint wash for the inside spaces. Some of the holes were drilled and some were balloon spaces.

Well, I hope you enjoyed! I love getting my creative juices going!

Chelsea

Scrabble Awesomeness

2009-11-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

I totally forgot to post about this, but on Thanksgiving I had the best Scrabble letters ever. I thought I'd share because I'm pretty positive it will never happen again. I used all my letters and got a triple word score. Yay!

...and the word is...PREDATOR (oddly appropriate?)

ahhhh....happy day.

Go outside folks!

Chelsea

If you love cooking

2009-11-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

YOU WILL LOVE THIS WEBSITE. It's just too awesome not to share. It's called foodgawkers and its for all of us who hate it when a recipe doesn't come with a picture. Mmmm...these pictures are gorgeous and the recipes are too. Enjoy! I can't wait to dig in!

Here are some tasty looking sneak peeks:

pumpkin and chestnut tortellini

eggnog cranberry muffins

tomato and goat cheese frittata

and my personal favorite...

SUSHI SHAPED CUPCAKES

...that's awesome

Mmmmm,

Chelsea

I promise

2009-11-28T23:17:00.000-08:00

I know its not New Years yet, but these are a few resolutions I have for myself post-Thanksgiving break:

I promise to be strong
I promise to be honest with myself
I promise to believe in love, even when its hard

Yes, I do realize I sound idealistic right now, but sometimes we need idealism to get us through until logic and reason can support us. So, at 2 am with my insanely optimistic, Obama-esque idealism I also promise to cut back on TV watching as well as wasting time on facebook. Ahh...we'll see how long these last, but right now I'm feeling good about it.

pictures from: papertissue.tumblr.com

Go outside fellow dreamers,
Chelsea

All You Need is Love

2009-11-27T16:31:00.000-08:00

My family does not invite family over for Thanksgiving. We used to. But then the pressure and stress of pleasing in-laws and grandmas and the like was ruining the holiday for us. So we stopped. Now we invite only who we truly want to spend time with and that has really made Thanksgiving great again. Yesterday we had over friends: my mom's friend from college and her son, a young couple that are friends of the family, my boyfriend, and a few of my brother's friends. No stress. No unneeded obligations. Just chilling, drinking down some brewskies, dinner's ready when its ready. We play football in the yard, we all pitch in with the cooking, we play games, Scrabble in particular, but other stuff too (like Pit, which is hilarious and you should play if you haven't yet). We were cranking Dispatch and then the Beatles...I mean, life is good.

Because I've been reading so much Virigina Woolf lately, I was reminded of the dinner scenes in both To the Lighthouse and Mrs. Dalloway . They're stuffy. They're about isolation and inherent human loneliness. Woolf focuses on aspects of human interaction that separate us from each other. She writes about the numerous things that even our closest friends will never know or understand about us. The thing is, these scenes are so poignant. They resonate with me strongly because I understand exactly what she's talking about. These scenes are incredibly beautiful and the words run together like tributaries to the ocean, eventually forming a complete and huge and wonderful idea. Woolf is a GENIUS!

BUT, Thanksgivings at my house are beautiful too. When we all sit down to dinner and no one shuts up long enough for anyone else to talk and we're all laughing at something we half way heard from down the table, I think, this is the dinner party that is real. This is proving that human isolation is trumped sometimes by the sheer power of friendship. When people are comfortable around each other, they are more open, more willing to connect. For me that's the beauty of the holidays. Well that and a perfect spiraling football against a blue autumn sky. Great catch.

Thanks for reading y'all,
Chelsea

Writing a Paper

2009-11-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, no, I'm not writing a paper...instead I'm dreaming about owning this Osprey backpack. You know, because its gorgeous and spacious and good for nice, long expeditions into unknown terrain. And don't worry, its got ice axe loops. It will be mine. (On that note...who would like to rob a bank with me?)

Let's Go Backpacking!!
Chelsea

Pancake Sunday

2009-11-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

Sunday has become pancake day at my house. We watch football games all day long and then around three we make pancakes...and more pancakes. At least two flavors per week. Last week we had blueberry/chocolate chip and banana/walnut. Yum. This week we went with a sweet and savory option. We had cheese pancakes and (druuummmm roollllllllll) chocolate chip with shredded clementine peel (and juice). Oh man. Pancake Sunday can turn a crappy weekend magical with one bite.

I also have to say I forgot my own advice today. I was in a terrible mood this morning, bogged down with end of the semester work...hadn't left my room for hours. Then I remembered to go outside. Ahhhh...sweet release. It's about 52 degrees and rainy today, but it was beautiful. I just sat on the porch and listened to the rain hit the leaves blanketing the ground. It reminded me of Seattle. I love Seattle. Bad day saved.

So truly...don't forget to go ouside,
Chelsea

yearning

2009-11-20T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today, sitting in the library, I became absolutely positive that I could smell the airport. Now let me just say that when I'm having a bad day (and today wasn't really a good one) I like to imagine myself in the airport, so smelling it in the library did a bit to pick up my spirits. Airports smell like adventure. They smell like coffee, and Saran-wrapped sandwiches. They smell like sterile bathrooms and bubblegum sold at magazine stands (and for that matter they smell like fresh paper and ink). They even smell like people, a little stale from traveling. I love the hugeness of airports. I love the people emptying their pockets to go through security and the feel of your boarding pass, knowing that that small piece of paper will take you away. I love that you can be incredibly lonely in an airport even though you are surrounded by people. I love people watching in the airport: hassled parents herding children with pink rolly backpacks, business suit people looking bored, older couples going on vacation (fanny pack in firmly in place), teenagers with headphones in, groups of college students setting out to explore the world, and my favorite, field trips with a huge group of little kids running around in matching t-shirts, nametags, and ball caps.

And then there is me and while I'm watching all of those people, I'm wondering who is watching me. What category will they put me in? (And don't even get me started on the people that work at the airport...what is life like for them?) Also, when I think of airports I think of the movie Love Actually and this quote:

Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around.

Basically, I love the airport. I love traveling. I don't love today and I don't always love being where I am, but knowing that the airport is there for me makes me feel a lot better. It will never get impossibly bad because I can jet off on an adventure at any moment.

(This photography is from Sergio Vaiani's flickr posts)

Don't forget to go outside (or at least claim the window seat so you can watch the clouds) :)

Chelsea

Dear Gaudi,

2009-11-19T16:56:00.001-08:00

Please come back to life and build me a house. Thanks,

Chelsea

A Moment of Being

2009-11-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Virginia Woolf uses the phrase "moment of being" to describe completely transcendent moments of clarity. Her characters usually experience these moments of ecstasy, sadly enough, just before some tragic event or realization. BUT these "moments of being" intrigue me so much. They are beautiful snippets of life when every single piece falls into place. You are "in the now" as my Mom likes to say or "at one" or whatever it is you personally believe, but these moments are so real. They make up for every other moment of every other day, no matter what the mundane world is like. These moments of intense beauty show me that the world is, to its core, a wonderful place. Whenever I read a scene in a Woolf novel where these "moments of being" are born I feel ecstatic to the core because I love knowing that someone else, even if it is a fictional character, even if I do have to channel dead Virginia Woolf...someone else understands that these moments happen.

My most intense "moment of being" was in the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington State. I was laying on a dock at Ross Lake (pictured above) with two friends. The conversation had died away and my entire world was wilderness. We dangled our feet into the icy water and in that moment I saw all of the changes I would make to my life when I got back to the front-country. I saw the sheer potential of life in general and I promised myself then and there to stop wasting this gorgeous life. To go along with this mental revelation was a physical sensation of lightness. I felt wonderfully powerful, healthy to the core, beautiful, transformed in every aspect.

So I came back to Charleston and did exactly what I promised myself I would. Ask anyone who knows me, I was not the same after that.

So my wish for you today is that you find yourself in a frame of mind (unfortunately it can't be forced, it's a completely organic experience) where you can have a "moment of being". Virginia Woolf wrote about them enough to coin a term for them, so I'm sure she had at least one. I had one this summer. Now its your turn.

(or if you have had one, I would love to hear about it...leave a comment!!)

Go Outside y'all,

Chelsea

Flannery!

2009-11-16T14:39:00.001-08:00

Yes, yes, yes...today my copy of Flannery O'Connor's Complete Stories came in!! I can't wait to dig in to one of the best short fiction writers ever. The only story I've read of hers is "A Good Man is Hard to Find", but that's enough to know I'm going to love her. (If you haven't read it, it's definitely worth the time...I would call it shockingly delicious...emphasis on the shock). I'm off to dive into the wonderful world of fiction.

Hope you logged your outside time today,

Chelsea

Please Excuse My Girlie Moment

2009-11-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

I saw 500 Days of Summer today for the first time...and I loved it. It was so fresh and unexpected compared to every other romantic comedy (or is it?) movie I've seen lately. I loved the shift to the sketch-like world of Tom's architecture. And of course, any movie with an impromptu dance number (Tom's version of a post-sex swagger) has my heart already. I won't spoil the ending for you, but if you haven't seen it, it is well worth the hour and a half. This movie has cute Zooey scenes galore and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is adorable. (By the way am I the only one who thinks he looks a lot like Heath Ledger? I'm just saying).

(This is a picture from their Sundance photoshoot...I love it)

I hope your Sunday has been as enjoyable as mine (the BENGALS BEAT PITTSBURGH!),

don't forget to go outside,

Chelsea

Stress Free

2009-11-14T16:17:00.001-08:00

Today I got sucked into the absolutely stress free zone of the sculpture studio on campus. I worked on my current project (carving plaster) for four hours straight with no break. I was jerked out of my extreme concentration by a friend of mine coming in and mentioning that I had plaster all over my face. I felt like I'd been in a time machine, couldn't believe how much time had passed. It was nice to not be checking the clock every few minutes. All I noticed in the world was the form of the lines and curves coming out from beneath my tools.

I eventually left and went to Andolini's for pizza and beer. Mmmm...life is good today.

Go outside!!! (Did you see that gorgeous sunset this evening?? I hope so!!)

Chelsea

I Grew Up With Him

2009-11-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

I think that when you say you grew up with someone it should not refer to Joey that you were friends with in elementary school, or Sara that you decided you were BFFs with in middle school. It shouldn't even refer to someone you went to high school with and had your first drunken revelations with. Today when I said, "I grew up with him" I literally meant growing up, which didn't really happen for me until college (not that I'm claiming to be a bona fide grown up...at all). But the years between 18 and 22 are so crucial. (That's me and Trey up there. He's been with me for every one of these crazy, informative years). You learn so much about yourself and you learn who the people are that truly care about you. I've really enjoyed these four years. I've been up and down, done my fair share of "experimenting" and learned more in classes than I ever thought I could cram into my brain. But most importantly, I learned a lot about people, human nature. The point is, percentage-wise, I've done the most growing up in college and the people I know right now and keep in touch with right now are the ones I'm growing up with.

However, I will mention this: On Thursday a guy in my class said he liked my Peter Pan shoes and no lie, that's a great compliment. No matter how old I get there's still going to be an absolutely goofy, adventure-seeking little kid in me who just wants to spend the day playing pretend.

Don't forget to go outside, it's supposed to be beautiful this weekend : )

Chelsea

Apple Pie Night : )

2009-11-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

I was feeling ambitious in the kitchen tonight so I made Pear Glazed Ham, baked potatoes, green beans, and to top it all off a glorious Apple, Raisin, Walnut Pie with homemade icing drizzled across the top. Yes. Cooking makes me so happy! Plus I created a Rusted Root radio station on Pandora and it. is. awesome. Here's a Rusted Root song you might know.

In other news, a friend tipped me off to this amazing thing called Ice wine. I'm sure I'm just behind the wino curve, but this is really cool. It's a dessert wine that is made out of grapes that have frozen on the vine!! I can't wait to try it! (Here's the Salt Spring Island Vineyard in Canada famous for their tasty ice wine...so beautiful!)

Well, have a lovely evening everybody! and don't forget to GO OUTSIDE,

Chelsea

2009-11-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

Things that make me happy on a rainy day...when I've had to bike to campus and back and have been totally soaked:

1) I paid for a tall coffee and got a venti instead...SCORE!! and yes I downed that bad boy and did the "I have to pee" dance all through Spanish Baroque Painting (world's most sleep inducing art history class).

2) My favorite movie: GARDEN STATE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u82n0e1mgmQ

3) This song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYtk1Z0UUuE&feature=fvst

4) Hemingway short stories: I love, love, love Hemingway. What a genius. Today I read "A Clean, Well Lighted Place" because I'm really feeling "Our nada who art in nada..."

5) Looking at pictures from my backpacking trip through the Cascades I took this past summer...like the one above for example...these are my wilderness buddies and we are goofing off on top of a mountain...because that's how we roll.

So, there we go. Bad mood averted. This glass of cheap red wine isn't hurting either. Anyway, sorry for my still amateur blogging skills. I hope you'll keep coming back...and I promise it won't be so long in between posts anymore.

Go Outisde,

Chelsea

Entering the Blogging Scene

2009-08-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

YAY! My first blog.

I'm creating this little blogspot with the intention of talking about food (warming up to be a food critic and recipes) and nature (good hikes I've done, places I've been, stories about outdoors shenanigans), but I'll be interested to see where it actually goes because I thoroughly enjoy letting my mind wander. So if either of those subjects interest you I would encourage you to stick around, and if not, indulge me anyway.