Berlin

One day I will live here, if only for a little while. I'll go to all of the cafes and museums and cabarets and trainstations. I'll improve my German (but refuse the Berliner dialect) and I'll see the city that is always changing.

I also might improve my collage making skills.

Maybe one day you'll find me here.

oh, and if I could pull this off, I would totally wear this

http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/3059BalVikaWeb.jpg

Cats don't like leashes

Never try to leash your cat. She'll look at you with shock and consternation, and she might see a dog, get scared, and try to run away. Of course, you might still be holding the leash, so she'll rear up, running in place with her back legs, front legs pawing in the air.

She will then retire to her (your) bedroom and sleep/recover from the humility for the next three hours.

As white as paper

These are simply the best flowers. They are fresh, clean, crisp and not cloying. They are the flowers I admired every day in London at the little flowershop by the tube. They were my comforts when Sadie died. My mother now has them in her kitchen and doesn't know what to do with them (perhaps I'm not related to her, afterall...) They are...

the great...

the wonderful...

the oh, so Lizzy...

paper whites!

(Ok, so their full name is paper white narcissus, but it sounds a bit off to say your favorite flowers are narcissuses.)

Picture: flickr, Carlye Calvin's paper whites

N/A V-Day

N/A. Not applicable. It's Valentine's Day and this is the general sentiment I feel. It is neither sad nor in-your-face-woman-power-take-that. It's just, well, N/A.

I sometimes think the media portrays singles on Valentine's Day as pathetic, crying, lonesome people playing "One is the Loneliest Number" or "Mr. Lonely" on repeat or something, but the media fails to acknowledge that some people are more likely to feel a pleasant sort of apathy.

For example, I have no qualms about receiving friendly V-Day cards or chocolates or cookies from friends. I also have no problem feeling like I have to buy these things for others. I do like the color red, so potentially garish Valentine's Day hearts don't bother me as much as they could.

The thing is, I'm a bit too busy with other things in my life to care enough to treat Valentine's Day as, say, Christmas, and I think that's the way life should be. (Sorry, Martha Stewart.)

Now, I'm off to read Daniel Deronda, perhaps do a bit of shopping, and have a relaxing, warm and sunny Sunday, and you know what? That's perfectly fine.

(Feel free to mail the chocolates, though.)

Roses

... I'm assuming this isn't the repetition of the German feminine definite article.

I love this.

Really, how can you not smile?

You know you're having a bad day when you drop your pizza on the floor face down and get upset enough about it to cry then decide that you're too overwhelmed with other stuff to do to even bother making something else so you go to your room and write a run-on sentence and feel sorry for yourself.

Just saying.

So, I'll try to focus on things that made/make me happy:

1. I got a postcard from the Pacific Wildlife Center: "Thank you for dropping off the finch. We hope to release him soon!" (I sincerely hope that they are honest and aren't just trying to play with my emotions so I'll donate money to them.)

2. Kamilla, Kamilla, Kamilla! My darling, purr-ball. I love seeing you race to the front door when I come home.

3. Writing nooks and spring gardens.