things that make me happy: fresh flowers from the farmers market

being a recent college graduate on a limited income, i have to be selective with how i choose to spend my money. at the farmers market this morning i told myself that i didn't really need these flowers, but in the end i gave in and bought a bunch. aren't they gorgeous?

i also bought some peaches, potatoes and basil. kind of a random mix, but i already had some other produce at home.

i hope you're enjoying your saturday. i'm off to do some reading and then hit the bike path along the lakefront.

cheers!

north carolina museum of art

every now and then i come across a project that i completely fall in love with. ladies and gentlemen may i introduce you to my newest love: the north carolina museum of art.

hellllooooo, how can you not love this piece of architecture?? the rodin garden alone has me drooling.

and the inside is gorgeous too.

i first read about this project in architectural record. then this week i saw it again in architect magazine. it's everywhere and it makes me happy.

i think it's time for a roadtrip to north carolina!

so i'll sit perfectly still and i'll listen for a tune

some tuesday nights all you feel like doing is laying on the couch and staring at the ceiling while listening to alexi murdoch over and over again as the traffic goes by outside the window and a fan gently cools your apartment.

at least that's all i feel like doing tonight.

i bet when i leave my body for the sky the wait will be worth it

this past sunday night my friend jordan and i went to the local natives show at lincoln hall.

it. was. awesome.

it also helped that the majority of gentlemen in attendance were sporting beards, plaid shirts and cut off jean shorts. but i'm getting off topic..

this is my favorite song by local natives. i love how they are energetic and rustic at the same time. and their lyrics! amazing! this concert was definitely the best concert i've been to in a looong time. hopefully i'll get to see them again when they make the rounds through chicago in october.

things that are happening right now: slow roasted tomatoes

for the past two years or so i've slowly become obsessed with food blogs.

it all started with molly wyzenberg's lovely orangette. i honestly don't remember how i found molly's blog. a lot of the time i'll be reading one blog, then i'll follow a link featured on the side bar, which then leads to another blog where i follow another link and by the time i realize it i'm 5 blogs from where i originally started.

food blogs are particularly dangerous for me. i want to make almost everything molly or deb or katie posts. but it's not just the recipes that make me want to get in the kitchen, it's the pictures of the finished product that make me want to run to the kitchen and make something. anything. especially when the finished product looks like this.

it really gets my creative juices going. (ha, juices, get it?!)

so last night i decided today would be the day to finally give slow roasted tomatoes a go. besides, what says summer more than tomatoes?

as i type this, i have three tomato halves blistering in the toaster oven. my hot, non air conditioned, garden apartment is even hotter, but it smells like garlic, so i don't mind. plus i have a fan blowing on me, so all is well.

i'll let you know how the tomatoes turn out. i'm still not sure what i'll eat them with. i'll come up with something..

update:

um yeah, these are amazing. i probably should have let them go a little bit longer though. 4 hours wasn't long enough for this size. i need to make these again with cherry tomatoes and put them in pasta. oh how my mouth is watering right now.

things that make me happy: montrose harbor

i try to take my camera with me everywhere i go. i wish i had a fancy canon or nikon, even a holga would be extremely nice. but i have a simple olympus that i got for christmas 5 years ago. (yeah, i did not mistype that: 5 YEARS AGO!) i think it's seriously time for a new digital camera.

anyway, until i am able to get my hands on a pretty new camera, i live with what i've got.

yesterday i went for a bike ride down by the lake. that's my usual answer to "man, i'm bored. i want to do something."


i usually ride past montrose harbor while going north on the bike path. but yesterday i decided to slow down a bit and explore. i'm glad i did.


at the end of montrose harbor is a little piece of land the park district has reserved for native prairie plants. i took some time to walk around and snap some pictures.


i wish i had a garden. i guess i'll have to wait for that one too.