The Extraordinarily Ordinary » Self-involved

On New Year’s resolutions

jtal — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:02:17 +0000

I know it’s a little late for New Year’s resolutions. GUESS WHAT–this is not a post about my New Year’s resolutions. And let me tell you why not: I don’t believe in them. It’s partly because they’re only made to be broken, partly because I’m too lazy to think of anything, but mostly because I [...]

A costumed life

jtal — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 02:00:51 +0000

I was wondering, after this year’s round of Halloween parties and subsequent photos, how many years of Halloween pictures could I collect?

19. 19 years out of 27…but some years included more than one costume, so there are in fact 21 different costumes represented. THAT’S SO MANY! You could tell a story with that many [...]

Waving evolutions

jtal — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:16:05 +0000

When I was a fresh-faced young undergrad, I was still quite shy and a little sketchy–not that I was creepin’ around, giving people the stink-eye–but I mean that I hadn’t fully figured out who I was yet. I’m sure I haven’t fully figured that out even now, but I can safely say I feel more [...]

A Blog Award

jtal — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:40:22 +0000

Holy mackerel, the lovely Aubrey has passed her blog award on to me! Thanks Aubrey! Check out her awesomely entertaining blog, Adventures in Aubreyland–which is kind of like Wonderland, but with more pop culture, TV commentary, baking and kitties. And less weird talking caterpillar, which I think we can all agree is a good thing.

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The girl as a young activist

jtal — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 03:08:34 +0000

Believe it or not, I used to be a hippie. Fact. Ask anyone who knew me in the mid-90s. When I was young, naive, unbattered by the winds of this cruel world, I thought that one small person could affect change if they just tried hard enough.

And then the system crushed that one small [...]

Cute as a button

jtal — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:28:53 +0000

I promise my next post will be funny and entertaining, but for now I wanted to brag about share my latest craftventures.

I know you're jealous of my vintage Lisa Frank tape measure

Item 1

Skirt with pockets. I made this awhile ago but now it’s warming up so I can actually wear it.

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Music memory

jtal — Tue, 10 May 2011 20:02:37 +0000

I’ve said before that music is the surest way for me to be pulled into the past. It’s like a wormhole–one minute I’m minding my own business, listening to one of my Pandora stations and creating endless wishlists on clothing sites working hard, then suddenly a song grabs me by the stomach and pulls me [...]

Portrait of a cat

jtal — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:49:49 +0000

I’m working on a real post, but it’s going to require some more field research than I had anticipated…so here’s a cheap post about my cat!

Here she is. Her name was very nearly Soap, Stegosaurus, or Cow. But instead her name is Pixel.

It's actually Pixel Cowbell Smidget Cowbell. Because she had a [...]

She’s a crafty little SOB

jtal — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:11:50 +0000

Fiance and I were discussing childhood past times the other day, and I realized how very crafty I’ve been throughout the years. Crafty as in conniving and mischievous, yes, but also crafty as in crafts. Y. Crafts-y. As an only child, my mother very smartly exposed me to a wide array of art projects and [...]

Castles ‘n stuff

jtal — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:26:57 +0000

That conversation about Paris with my stylist made me think I should try wrapping up my France trip recounting. It’s only been…6 months now.

When last we left our intrepid travelers, they had arrived in Cour-Cheverny in the Loire Valley at an adorable bed and breakfast. My main goal for this trip–besides seeing my awesome [...]