July 01, 2009
Gratitudes: Warmth
This Winter was HARSH. I know some of the Pacific Northwest veterans, and perhaps even inhabitants of states such as Minnesota or Wisconsin laugh at me, but it was HARSH. For many reasons: like the two week arctic blast in December, or the tough times, or the lack of thunderstorms.
So unlike a couple very silly people who detest temperatures above 60 farenheit (seriously!) I AM FREAKIN ECSTATIC ABOUT OUR 94 DEGREE "HEAT WAVE" THIS WEEK. Like, BRING IT ON AND DEAL WITH IT, PORTLAND. I honestly love feeling the heat on my skin, sweating a little bit (hey, it can be hot!) and being able to wear a tiny tank top and short shorts. Oh... and no longer being the whitest Puerto Rican I know. There's finally color in my skin. Thank you Sun.
It's like a little bit of my Island is back with me. mmm.
Posted by starmagn at 11:14 PM | Comments (5)
June 11, 2009
Gratitude: Kindness
Roomie E brought me a humongous cupcake just because today. I admit giving cupcakes do not require special events or elaborate excuses, but "just becauses" are seriously the best kind. :)
We should all totally bring back Random Acts of Kindness and Awesomeness. :)
Posted by starmagn at 02:51 AM | Comments (1)
May 16, 2009
Gratitude: Cooking
Which I only do like once every two months and when I do it seems like I rather be photographing, when I should be, you know, making sure I don't burn my food! I'm special like that. I cooked this yummylicious and super simple pasta primavera recipe my friend Linnea had cooked for me last week.
I am having delusions of grandeur and am currently plotting a Puerto Rican dinner for friends sometime this Summer.
Also, the very-close-to-the-equator Caribbean in me is STILL fascinated at how it can be bright as day at 8 o'clock in the EVENING, despite having lived in the States for 7 years. Seriously. I think it's AWESOME. You Americans better not take this for granted.
Posted by starmagn at 11:08 PM | Comments (5)
April 12, 2009
Breath that Southern air
Oh pink magnolias. After leaving Savannah, GA in 2007 I thought I'd never see them again. They always seemed to only belong amongst the old history of my darling South.
Little did I know hundreds of Magnolia trees would bloom this month in Portland, OR. All the way out here! Just for me! For weeks and weeks I was suspicious of the tree in my front yard. The buds were rather big to be a typical Spring flower. Oh deary me... I have a magnolia tree in my front yard! If I were PMSing right now, I'd be crying. Fo sho.
I find it kinda funny that these darlings are blooming now... just when I am about to travel back to Savannah, GA later this week to photograph a wedding! YAY! I can't wait to see my friends again, to visit Liz's vintage general shop At Home on Broughton, have a Conquistador sandwich at Zunzi's on York street, imagine flights of fancy at The Paris Market also on Broughton... and of course, have THE MOST DELICIOUS CUPCAKES IN THE WORLD from Back in the Day Bakery.
Most of all, like Johnny once sang, I can't wait to set my feet on Southern soul and breath that Southern air. Ahhhh.
Posted by starmagn at 11:54 PM | Comments (5)
April 04, 2009
Gratitude: Windows Open
Windows open.
60 degrees outside.
Sun shining as bright as Home.
Worried heart calming down.
Hands have stopped shaking.
Dreaming about the Ocean, always the Ocean.
Listening to Clarity* and Why Georgia.
Tomorrow 71 degrees.
When was the last time I felt 71 degrees?
Maybe that explains why my mind has been so out of orbit.
This morning, there's a calm I can't explain...
Every Portland blog must be blogging (or will on Monday) about how UNUSUALLY nice this weekend is. Sorry, but I hold on to 71 degrees with the strongest of grips. If I let go, I'll plunge back to the gloom. But if I just put more strength in that arm, it'll be 80... and I'll be Home.
*Clarity will ALWAYS remind me of an all-nighter Tony Maitz and I had back in 2004 editing a still-shot film we had to do for the DREADED Lightning & Field course in the film dept at SCAD. We had MTV on, and Clarity was played like 50 times during that night... along with Maroon 5's This Love.
Posted by starmagn at 06:40 PM | Comments (4)
March 11, 2009
Gratitude: pretty flowers in the Spring/ Sunnyside neighborhood
There is no better cure for the blues than to go out for a nice walk on an unusually sunny day and come upon pretty Spring flowers in bloom. The Sunnyside neighborhood in SE Portland provided many :)
This tree was just enchanting. Yellow!
Hi there, yellow!
I love photographing the beautiful homes of Portland. It reminds me to work even harder at what I do. One day I'll have my own space to decorate as I please.
Sharks. Let me show you them.
Image on left is from Mount Tabor, not the Sunnyside neighborhood. It's darling.
Walking down on 33rd, I realized I was just steps away from St Cupcakes! So I got me a little cupcake, then had a delicious split-pea soup at Opposable Thumb. I usually avoid spending $4.50 on a soup, but the foccacia bread served with it was worth the $4.50 alone. So kudos to them.
Posted by starmagn at 05:46 PM | Comments (6)
February 13, 2009
Gratitude: Living within miles of an active volcano
Only I would find this absolutely amusing and AWESOME.
{Taken from my Southwest window seat yesterday - I'm in Vegas right now. Oh Vegas, you crazy crabby girl.}
Posted by starmagn at 06:50 PM | Comments (1)
Gratitude: Sunny mornings
Ahh sunny mornings. Or otherwise, overcast. As much as I love them I can't seem to see them all the way through. Waking up early is pretty hard.
Posted by starmagn at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2009
Gratitude: Sundays with girlfriends!
On Sunday I had lunch with my homegirl Alyson, whose birthday is today (Monday). We had fine delicacies at Pix Patisserie, oogled at pretty letterpress at Lark Press, dreamed about gorgeous beakers at Ink & Peat, smelled nature (and air plants!) at Pistils Nursery, quickly meandered by Flutter and bought a neat hat and dreamed a little more at Porch Light. All in just one point five hours before I had to rush to work. *catches breath*
That's Alyson right there, me on the mirror and a Monkey.
The previous Sunday I played around with 35mm film, something I hadn't done in close to three years. My sweet friend Linnea and I had lunch (yum chocolate croissants) at Petit Provence on Division (thought the Alberta location is my fave) before going on a search for balloons. No such luck on our helium friends, so we just headed to Laurelhurst Park to test out cheapy Fuji film with the little rays of sunshine left on that WONDERFUL (yet cold) Sunday afternoon. I couldn't have asked for a better model and surroundings. Thanks girl!
Linnea!
I don't know about you, but I think I'm gonna save a little every week just so I can have fun Sunday adventures with my girlfriends! How do you spend your favorite day of the week? And will you join me?
Posted by starmagn at 03:38 AM | Comments (2)
January 25, 2009
Gratitude: Balloons
Really, can there be anything more awesome than balloons? Perhaps cupcakes and cute little Asian babies, but balloons are right up there as well.
I invite you all to watch this short, it's only 34 minutes long, and apparently this link has the entire thing.
{Photo by the super talented revivify} Pink balloons in fields of gold are the bestest.
Photo by my paper crane}
What are some of YOUR favorite things?
Posted by starmagn at 01:46 PM | Comments (6)
January 20, 2009
Gratitude: A break from the Winter Gloom
The Winter Gloom opted for an all expenses paid vacation to somewhere even darker and gloomier than the Pacific Northwest and allowed the Sunshine to sublet Portland for a few days. Sunshine made sure to water the plants, pick out seasonal flowers at New Seasons, do the laundry, walk the dog, run some errands {buy new sheer curtains, send off final poetry book manuscript of darkness and gloom} and generally keep the house tidy.
I reckon Sunshine has done a formidable job, and will further recommend it for any future house-sitting job postings in the Summer.
Ahhhhhh.
Posted by starmagn at 01:09 AM | Comments (2)
January 14, 2009
Gratitude: Black.
The radio is a powerful media outlet. I was a Radio Operator, or "DJ", at SCAD Radio for a spell back in college back when Femenella was the Director and we had our studio in a tiny room in Dyson House, and that was a great experience, despite the fact that I do not like their new website and the station can still only stream online. For years I have searched for that perfect radio station that will be the wind to the wings of my car.
I have found it in the form of 94.7 FM Alternative Portland. Everything from their knowledgeable DJs, programming, even their choice of commercials, is perfect. Upon entering the Portland Metro Area for the first time in August, my friend Jeffrey and I decided to stop Ten and tune on the radio, searching for that famed great Pacific Northwest music. 94.7 tuned in first and it is still first when I get on the car 5 months after the fact.
And of course, this being the Pacific Northwest, a city three hours South of Seattle, a lot of Pearl Jam is played. When the greatest song from one of the greatest bands of all time recorded for one of the greatest albums of all time during one of the greatest era of modern music comes on, though... a sense of heightened grandness permeates through me. I love listening to Black on the radio, sometimes I believe radio was invented for it.
Maybe that's stretching it too far. But man, it's an awesome feeling.
Posted by starmagn at 02:39 AM | Comments (1)
January 07, 2009
Gratitudes: Holiday Ornaments year-round
If you are anything like me, i.e. Hispanic and lazy, you will probably have your Holiday ornaments up all over the house very well into the year. We Puerto Ricans celebrate the Season all throughout January as well, so it saddens me a bit to see people quickly getting rid of everything Christmas-y once January 1st rolls in. I say, LET 'EM HANG FOR A BIT MORE!!
Posted by starmagn at 02:35 AM | Comments (2)
Gratitudes: Out of Town visits
In an effort to spruce my blog up and post more often, this is a little thing I will be doing from now on. List my gratitudes, in the form of pictures and a few words.
For reasons that can only be explained by an alignment of the planets, my good friend Josie and I had this past weekend off. After a switching of plans, I drove up to Seattle to visit her, where we proceeded to rock it awesomely. More images will come shortly (y'all know how slow I am at editing). FUN TIMES!!
Posted by starmagn at 01:47 AM | Comments (2)