Birthday Week

It's my sweet man's birthday on Wednesday, yet we've been indulging in special things here and there since yesterday. I love everything about birthdays, and the opportunity to spoil someone I adore so much makes it an even more joyous affair. So far, in the '12 Days of Birthday' there has been a Vietnamese meal, gelati (ginger, butter cookie, and nut caramel flavours), a behemoth dark chocolate lamington, and carob-covered ginger. To come, there is certainty of jaunts to Vapiano, Wagaya, and the German Sausage stand, as well as a Revenge Of The Sith evening. I'm also going to post random things this week that would make rad presents (both fantastical and/or probable..).

Until tomorrow, here is this weekend's happy list, inspired as always by this talented woman, and inclusive of some things about life with the birthday boy that make our days together unexpectedly spectacular.

1, Your pedantic obsession with coffee. You've perfected it to the extent that I no longer enjoy it out.

2, That I can count on you to utilise leftover icing and other baking confections. I'm referring to the dulce du leche crumpet incident of early June here.

3, That our language has extended to include both tactful reprimands, "I'm in The Zone", and ridiculous television quotes.

4, On some evenings I come home to the cleanest house in the world, incense and candles, and a pot of tea. There's often leftovers as well.

5, That you'll come out and meet me at the road if we've noticed some dodgy things going on around the neighbourhood.

6, That magnum of Shiraz we shared last week.

7, Your exceptional taste in music.

8, The ability to realign our Feng Shui each season.

9, The reworking of songs you utterly detest.

10, How welcoming you are to my family and friends. 

Happy (almost) Birthday, my S.

Sunday List

A little list of things from today that made my day. It seems like I can actually kick back and enjoy those moments in a purer way come these sweet evenings. Hope you've had a great weekend with your dearests.

1, The return of strawberries.

2, Dancing outside on the stairwell.

3, How my love wears his jumper hood up and we say "Ghost Protocol" to one another in Mission Impossible voices.

4, Watching the afternoon light change as I travelled home today. One half of the city was in shadow and the other was glowing pink.

5, Calling a girlfriend just to say hello, and unexpectedly chatting for an hour.

6, This soundtrack.

7, Trying on perfume for a bridal scent story.

8, Making a perfectly smoky Baba Ganoush.

9, Birthday countdowns (10 days).

10, Relaxing with the prospect of a new week and sharing our home with friends.

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A word about this image. I found it via Jonas Paterson's, a photographer, professional blog. I have more to say on his work, but until then, I hope this ideology resonates with you in whole, or at least in parts.

Two Weeks

It feels like a symptom of getting older to complain about how fast weeks, months, and now years go. Tonight, when my mum called, I was reminded that it's actually Friday and of all the things I used to do with those end-of-week, start-of-weekend nights. In college, my weekends would often begin on a Wednesday*, and despite working a near equivalent of 38 hours in the days before classes began again, I still managed all manner of shenanigans on those nights that drew Monday close again. Now, the idea of Friday night ABC crime and leftover pasta, or settling in with a new book and heavily-honeyed tea, exceeds the sort of mischief I might have gotten up to five years ago. And I don't mind at all. 

Some other Friday night highlights:

..all the pretty flowers dotted around the apartment: the jonquils and gardenias are unpictured, I'm afraid.

..a tray of half-dead candles that Simon resurrected, that have managed to stay burning all afternoon and evening.

..TED talks, that happily suffice in place of an absent TV. See above for my Silent Witness penchant.

..finding the exact sounds of our favourite albums on Simon's Nord, particularly M83's Saturdays = Youth.

..temporary contentment post a phase of intense wanderlust. I know it won't last, but it's surprising how satisfying right here and now is. Particularly with this quote:

 Our evaluation of our choices is profoundly affected by what we compare them with, including comparison with alternatives that exist only in our imaginations. The same experience can have both delightful and disappointing aspects. Which of these we focus on may determine whether we judge the experience to be satisfactory or not.

Ps, I took the quote above from Barry Schwartz's Paradox of Choice TED talk (via Gala Darling). This talk is both insightful and balanced, something that can be hard to find in opinion journalism. Although I realise TED isn't pure journalism, it provokes thought, and I find it to be an invaluable resource for provocative and unconventional debates. In this instance, I feel freer with the idea that I can be satisfied with my decisions and not fear choices that in time no matter what they are, and, if they're not meant to be, will lead me to the place I'm ultimately meant to be.

Posting will be back to normal on Monday, I just needed a time out, and will share new things then. Have an exceptional weekend. Enjoy the sun and shade!

* The beauty of a Social Sciences/Arts dual degree -- late classes and long days, worth it for a four day weekend. 

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quote via