the selby

So we are kind of sitting comfortably on this side of the fence as home renters, peeking over to the side of homeownership. For years I was convinced that homeownership was the end all goal, but now that it is a little possible (maybe?) I am not so sure. We would have to sacrifice so much, you guys. We love love love where we live. We love out house. Our rent is really reasonable, since we have stayed put for the last decade. (!)

So there would be sacrifice. Primarily location. But within that, there is a lot.

Alternately, we could sacrifice space. There is a very nice, very small one bedroom house in our neighborhood that we might afford. People in New York share 1 bedrooms as a fammily of 3, no? 

Also financial. We are dead set in (should we embark on the journey) keeping the mortgage low. But I know all of the other costs of owning will sneak up on us. So yeah.  

The pay offs? Well. An investment. Of course. In 30 years we will have something that we can eventually pass down to Henry, instead of.... Nothing? And, you know. It would be OURS. We could do things like build a porch or take down a wall. Which brings us back to financial......

I'd love to hear from those of you who have had to make similar hard decisions. Did you skip buying in favor of renting? Did you take the leap, and how are you finding it? Do you live in a tiny place with offspring?

It is a bit silly really. I can't even make out the entire shoe. But I am completely sad that these demoo parkchoonmoo shoes as photographed by field guided by are from last spring. Because I am pretty sure they are the perfect shoe. They are like, the unicorn of shoes or whatever. Kind of like these dreamboats.

Exciting news.

I have figured out the perfect climate for me to live in. It goes like this:

A pleasant fall, as expected in the traditional fall months. After all, one does look forward to pulling out one's boots and whatnot.

A mild winter, just enough for hats and sweaters. Maybe a coat. 

Then as the excitement of the holidays pass, and we grow weary of our winter wardrobe, the monotoniy of January threatens us;

BOOM.

Spring hits. Not just any spring, an accellerated Spring.

Not the spring that leaves you like an anxious child on the long, long road trip to summer (are we there yet?), but one that lasts just long enough for us to appriciate the passing of the seasons. The flowers, the showers. All that.

And then before you even know it. Before you have a chance to even think, when will it be summer?

It hits.

And it is long, and it is summer. With hot nights and cool water. 

So tell me, where is this?

Stunning photographs by Eric Cahan via but does it float

(PS thanks for all of your kind comments! I think we will print both!)

♥

ohmygod you guys. i am doing something kind of big and a little scary and very exciting with my friend michelle. please pop on over to 100 layer cake to learn more? i need you there for support! eek! and, if you know of anyone who might be interested, please pass it on!

Last night I dreamed that Tom Waits had a side career as an engineer and that he was my new boss.

It was awesome.

(In other news, in case you were not aware he has a new album set to release. Check out the private listening party here)

Still from Coffee & Cigarettes via.

We have been watching To Kill A Mockingbird. (We can't get through a whole movie in one evening.)

It does a few unexpected things.....

1) rips at my heartstrings for a porch. the porches on this set are epic. have we ever discussed my love of a good porch? i fucking love porches.

2) rips at my heartstrings for hot summer nights. (almost non existent in san diego, even when we do get a real summer.)

3) makes me want to live somewhere a little... quaint? where kids can ramble around the neighborhood....

4) makes me further reconsider our one child only policy. (something that usually happens when we watch united states of tara, which always makes me feel funny that a show about a cookoo crazy family makes me want two kids.)

my conclusion? we move to the south and have two babies and sit on our porch all summer long.

movie still via

Mindblown. New York Times. Field Lab.

Sometimes I like to play a little game with myself, called, What If We Moved To....? While this involves many daydreaming aspects (seasons! other architecture! cities! farms!) it usually boils down to, What Could We Afford If We Lived Somewhere Else?* Don't get me wrong, I love it here in San Diego, but sometimes.... my mind wanders. Especially in relation to real estate prices. Let's look at San Diego first, shall we? If someone wanted to spend say $250,000 (ha) but stay relatively central in a sort of hip neighborhood (ha, ha), here is what you might afford(acually, this is literally the only option a quick craigslist search afforded me).

806 sf Heavy Fixer Craftsman home located on a full size lot and offers alley access. The home is in need of a major renovation but has tons of potential. Note the price wasn't actually given, and the neighborhood is one I would live in, but only just barely. A leeetle sketchy.

Now we have a base from which to compare all else. (If you are me)

Yesterday I was talking to Naurnie about Nashville (which got this round of the game going) and how much I might like to live there. She suggested I look at places in East Nasvhille. (Sounds fantastic.) Here is what I found:

$134900 / 3br - Incredibly cute brick cottage!!! Covered parking, great back yard with a huge deck for entertaining. Hardwoods and tile on main level. Two rooms upstairs allow for plenty of flexible use space. Concrete basement.

$105000 / 3br - CHARMING total renovation in Historic East Nashville! Vaulted ceilings-gorgeous hardwood floors- wonderful private fenced yard- open floorplan with vaulted ceilings.

$184900 / 4br - Surrounded by lush greenery! City life, neighborhood/community feel, convenient location, and privacy. PERFECT for musicians and a recording studio.**

Sigh. Honey, can we go? Think of the porches music.

*kind of like this game, for people with, uh, less moneys.

**ben, did you read that?

This journey, being embarked on by Nathan & Katie of Eight Hour Day, is one of the raddest things I have heard of in a while. In their own words and illustrations;

...We had been feeling the need for “something” for awhile. We were ready to move on from a condo we owned in South Minneapolis, but we weren’t ready to buy a house or start a family quite yet. So instead, we hatched a harebrained scheme to travel across the United States for an entire year. We sold our home, rented out our studio and, this October, we’ll set off in search of design and inspiration. Here’s the route:


...The plan is to continue to work at full capacity, but remotely with existing clients—and maybe meet some new ones along the way. To help document all of this, we’ve redesigned our website and created this new blog. We’re hoping to have daily updates from the road on the themes of design and travel, plus whatever else comes our way....


Totally cool, right? follow their adventure on their blog, and check out their fantastic illustration/design work here.

These photographs via escape to new york gave me a sudden overwhelming urge to be somewhere city and winter-ey. Now I am seriously day dreaming about a trip. Christmas in New York? Or if we want to dream big, my (30th!) birthday in Paris? But really. Christmas in New York isn't so crazy....

There are 3 things I would like to point out/discuss about this home tour, featured in Dwell, found via Simple Lovely.

1) it is my (relatively modest, given my profession) dream that we will one day be able to knock out a whole wall in the living room to open up to a side/back yard/deck, like above. (Of course first we need to, you know, own a house.)

2) This appears to be a very adult, stylish, mattress only on the floor. Just sayin.

3) Teepee and wall of records? Come on.

instead of a perfect world, I have been dreaming of the perfect bag;

*brown leather (somewhere betweeen carmel and chocolate)
*new, but classic in appearance
*simple, rather masculine
*sturdy
*large enough to hold my huge wallet, a sketchbook, my camera, maybe a water bottle, if lucky, and miscelanous cositas (little thingies), or in a major pinch, my laptop, wallet and cositas only
*but small enough to not quite be a messenger bag, exactly
*a long enough single shoulder strap that it can be worn, while biking, across the chest like a messenger bag
*but styled to be worn over one shoulder, otherwise, if desired
*not entirely brake the bank
*wears well with many years of hard use

Okay. Can I live here? Have a second wedding here? Vacation Here? Something? Montreal Biosphere (um, I think) via Halcyon Days

yes, I will take either one, please.
se young via

this photographic account of train hopping by an artist fills me with a deep yearning for the days before career(s), dogs & cat that I am responsible for, student and car loans, and a House Full of Things I Like.

Which is ok. I remember yearning sometimes for the opposite back then.

Ben and I are really hoping to squirrel away enough money this year to take an international trip. Between new car & student loan payments kicking in, it will be tough. But hopefully with the help of curbing my consumer instincts (and limiting Ben's intake of fancy beers) we can do it. Maybe. We keep flip flopping between going to Japan where my Dad, the airline pilot, is based, and going to a few places in Europe. (Spain? Paris? Morocco?)

But some of the food/cafe images on ii-ne-kore are killing me. I wasn't sure what our food options would be like as vegetarians in Japan. Apparently they would be just fine.

Speaking to me even more is the image of this cafe, in Kyoto I think. When I think of Japan I usually envision the fast, urban, concrete nature of places like Tokyo, driven by technology. Of course I want to visit Tokyo, but seeing the softer side of Japan is really appealing to my heart.

Why can't we take two trips? or 3? or 9?

"My new years resolution is to make an infographic on every This American Life ever made. The idea is to expand and add context to the stories and information contained in the shows. Basically, anything I am curious about while listening to the pieces." Source.

Seriously? When two things that you deeply love and are totally unrelated come together, it is magic.

Thanks for the heads up, Kate.

*did I put make info graphics on my daydreams list? cause, that is one of them.

The high Desert was magical, of course.

I got my bulb wrapped antlers, after all.

Ben strummed his guitar, I learned just how much I love shooting BB guns. (At cans, boots, and pine cones, of course)

I really loved it.

Nerdy boys made electronic music late into the night. Aided by more antlers.

Going out was forsaken in favor of LOTR Trivial Pursuit. 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW. (We won the second night, thankyouverymuch.)

I gathered sticks, as usual.

Ben carried them, as usual.

We hiked the desert.

We layed around in the desert.

And most importantly we schemed and dreamed about pooling together to buy a plot of high desert land. Preferably, rocky bouldery land.