what i want for my birthday

an original copy of the diary of a century... hardcover, bound in gold foil, edited by richard avedon, published in 1970. took me a long while to track it down in the l.a. county library system, but i want it for myself!

i guess i'm a long way from owning a home, but i dream of having deep mahogany wall-to-wall bookcases in my living room some day, along with marigold walls in my kitchen and an antique chandelier in the dining room. still can't stop buying clothes but these days i'm a bit more interested in collecting books. it will be beautiful.

gulabi gang

just read in the june/july issue of bust magazine: the gulabi gang is a vigilante organization in banda, an impoverished region in northern india. impatient with the lack of progress from pre-existing organizations, the gang took it upon itself to actively fight (literally, with bamboo sticks) against wife-beaters, rapists, and corrupt law enforcement. since its inception three years ago, thousands of women - many of which were victims of domestic abuse - have picked up the gulabi (pink) sari as a symbol of resistance and emancipation. as stated by their BAMF commander sampat pal, "we function in a man's world, where men make all the rules. our fight is against injustice."

you're on top of the world again

three more weeks of school but my head's set in summer mode already. i spend my days drifting from class to class, to the lazy luminous sounds of belle & sebastian. i suddenly feel so at ease and at peace with myself; it's an amazing feeling that only summer could bring. weird how little - just some sun and some pretty songs - it takes for you to realize how glorious life can be.

jesusita fires

santa barbara is (quite literally) on fire at the moment. thankfully our campus is next to the ocean and away from the mountains... from the eighth floor at night, however, you can see a glowing red outline of the mountains. so many little pieces of ash stuck in my screen window. third fire this year - crazy stuff!

strawberry rhubarb cake

the past two-three weeks have been a frenzy of papers and midterms. made it out alive, and now i get two weeks of relative leisure. thursday i came home and initiated operation couch potato... there is nothing i love more than muttering answers out loud to the television set, schlumped on the couch with a bowl of cereal on my lap. (i love cash cab.) also, more things to look forward to! turns out yours truly will be traveling to seattle, memorial day weekend. actually nothing is quite finalized yet, but it's looking pretty likely. sasquatch music festival, here i come!

april showers bring may flowers right? i could use some sunny weather.

edit: turns out i have a midterm next week AND seattle is no longer happening. pointless post hahah.