love it

photo credit: carli davidson

don't you just wish you could shake off the bad stuff sometimes?

history

so i think i've discovered that part of what i love about history is the ability to go into someone else's life from the past and find the things that they left behind that haven't been found yet.

freshman spring, i got the chance to write a paper through special collections and go through letters written by mary low and louise coburn (the first women to attend colby) and explore what happened with co-education at colby college when it was just starting out. there are so many private things that people leave behind when they die that i want to look through.

i thoroughly believe that everyone has an interesting life story and leave something behind to find. maybe it's just my love of snooping, but who wants to be forgotten after they die? if i can preserve someone's life story after the pass, i consider that a success.

i think that's what i like so much about this project. photographer jon crispin has been able to go through these suitcases left in an old asylum and see what people who died there brought with them when they first arrived. each suitcase tells a story of who these people were, what interested them, and most importantly, what their life consisted of before entering an asylum.

photo credit: jon crispin

i think these are insanely cool.

this will probably never happen

after my blog obsession this summer, i've started noticing my obsession of blogs written by women with long mermaid tresses.

now, you may be thinking: gabriela, that is probably not the only thing all of these blogs have in common. more likely it's the fashion and food and pretty pictures that are really pulling you in.

but no. i think it's the long hair. after i cut my hair last may for locks of love (a wonderful cause which i recommend that everyone do at one point in their life), i've been wanting the long hair back. granted, the time at which i decided to cut my hair, i was completely bored of my hair and wanted to get my hair cut immediately (as chelsea can attest to)... i guess i just wanted what i didn't have (as i do now?)

anyways, i have decided to not cut my hair for about a year following my last haircut in may. and i will let it grow out long... perhaps as long as this:

photo credit/photographed: a lovely escape

obviously this is a newly found blog that i spent hours using to procrastinate from actually getting work done that needed to be done... very similar to now..... ack!

weekend

although the multiple trips to the apple store in portland this weekend were not  to much fun (my computer's fine...) getting to spend a little bit of time down there was super nice.

i have a toooooon of work left to do and projects to start, however the chipotle, hot apple cider, and pumpkin latte made it all better.

i only studied for one thing this weekend and that was arabic. i can now count to 100, spell the days of the weeks and the months. for example, today's date:

الإتنين ٢٤ أكتوبر ٢٠١١

looks difficult right? not actually too bad.

maybe i'll even immerse myself in the language this summer...?!

is it christmas yet?

this might be a little premature, but i am already so excited for christmas. i know it's too early for christmas music, and if i bring up snow one more time, everyone around me will probably stop talking to me but i can't help it.

presents
hot chocolate
fireplaces
blankets
family

...what's there not to love?

pumpkin love

if you haven't already noticed, i'm a big fan of fall.

living in maine, fall comes and goes quickly, but it does so full of color and the perfect temperatures (even if it does only last for about a month and a half before the snow starts to fall).

with this love of fall, pumpkin has become one of my all-time favorite flavors. in fact, last year, i forced my friends to make a weekend-morning trip out to big g's so that i could eat pumpkin pancakes the size of my face (nobody complained.) pumpkin latte season has come around and lets just say my local starbucks has never seen me this often.

photo credit: taza and husband

even though i'm feeling overwhelmed with work, i think i may just have to take a break from everything and indulge in some pumpkin muffins, and maybe add a little cream cheese frosting on top.

i mean... how good do these look:

photo credit: smitten kitchen

i think i will be breaking out some muffin tins either tonight or tomorrow.
pictures (hopefully) to follow!

raw milk

i am a lover and consumer of raw milk.

ever since finding it at my local farmers market i search for it whenever i'm at a farmers market.

grassland organic farm, maine

there's something absolutely delicious about the idea of eating milk that hasn't been processed or messed with but instead seems pure.

for some reason i can only enjoy whole milk when it is in its raw form. that and a cookie or a slice of bread from neighboring stands is the perfect fit.

grassland organic farm, maine

warm and fuzzy

ten things that make me feel warm and fuzzy

1. climbing into my bed under the quilt that has fabric my mom picked out and my aunt made

2. looking at photos of my adorable niece and nephews

3. making something really cool with my hands

4. crunching fall leaves on my walks

5.

cloudy days

cloudy days like today always make me yearn for fall and winter. while the weather this weekend was beautiful and i thoroughly enjoyed getting to wear flip flops one last time till probably april (or may), i do wish it was colder outside.

in theory i love bundling up under scarves and jackets and trudging through the snow although the thought of spending another january in maine sets my mind going slightly crazy. the complete lack of sunshine and ability to spend long periods of time outside drove me a little nuts freshman year but at the same time there's a little piece of me that is nostalgic for that time and would love to stay on campus again.

maybe this desire for poor weather is just my true desire to wear my new rainboots and curl up with a blanket and percepolis (for my foundations of islam class). who knows. but this:

 

 

 

photo cred: adam pender

just seems magical right now.

photography

 i've always had this dream ever since i was small of becoming a photographer and being able to print my own photos.

such a romantic idea...

these photos on npr rekindled my urge

photo credit: richard nicholson

 the thought of having my own darkroom as a place to escape to just makes the urge stronger.
it's sort of like my pottery hobby, i love going to the studio at odd hours when i'm less likely to see others. that way it feels like it's all mine (and nobody can critique my work while i'm around :)

anyways... back to my reconstruction era reading: