1. Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?  I have been MIA from the blogscene lately for several reasons. Firstly… because I had too many secrets brewing and knew I would spill the beans before it was time and secondly… laziness? It’s always in there somewhere.  Secrets you say? Yes. I quit my job last Friday. More on that later.  Other things include: Liked a boy. Planted some flowers. Baked some pies. Typical things. The boy is gone, the flowers are sort of alive and the pies were good, so all in all we can call it a somewhat successful two weeks. Somewhat. In the summer of 2008 I studied abroad in France and went to the Cannes Film Festival with UGA. I had never done anything like that: Europe, or attempt to speak French. It was one of those experiences that gets tucked away in your soul and folded into your memory in a shiny gold box. I learned a lot about myself whilst lounging on the rock piers of the Riviera, and anytime I see or hear a reference to that Festival or to Southern France, I get a little nostalgic for the time in my life when I believed so much to be possible about life.  I saw the new poster for this summer’s Festival last Friday… on the morning that I quit my job. Not only do I love this photo of Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward, but I love the story behind it. It was taken during production of their 1963 film A New Kind of Love and was remastered for the poster. (Side note: if any of you out there know someone who’s going to the Festival this summer… I would love to get a poster…)  Staring at this image gave me all kinds of hope… the kind of hope that was fostered in the French sunshine many summers ago as I was nearing the end of my collegiate career and unsure of what I was going to do in the future. The kind of hope I needed to walk in there and quit. The kind of hope that endless crepes and bottles of cheap French wine can bring. A New Kind of Love.  My life looks very different right now than what my 21-year-old self would have thought… but I think that’s OK. I’m learning how to believe it’s OK.   More details on the job front as I have some, but can’t really share at the moment. Soon! Until then… enjoy these tunes. Some killer tracks by Elle King and Chic Gamine, to name a few ballers. But the whole thing is ballin’.  Happiest of Fridays to you.  ++All the Fridayiest Tunes here! Seriously though… any UGA kids out there going to the festival and wanna bring me back a poster :) ?

    Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? 

    I have been MIA from the blogscene lately for several reasons. Firstly… because I had too many secrets brewing and knew I would spill the beans before it was time and secondly… laziness? It’s always in there somewhere. 

    Secrets you say? Yes. I quit my job last Friday. More on that later. 

    Other things include: Liked a boy. Planted some flowers. Baked some pies. Typical things.

    The boy is gone, the flowers are sort of alive and the pies were good, so all in all we can call it a somewhat successful two weeks. Somewhat.

    In the summer of 2008 I studied abroad in France and went to the Cannes Film Festival with UGA. I had never done anything like that: Europe, or attempt to speak French. It was one of those experiences that gets tucked away in your soul and folded into your memory in a shiny gold box. I learned a lot about myself whilst lounging on the rock piers of the Riviera, and anytime I see or hear a reference to that Festival or to Southern France, I get a little nostalgic for the time in my life when I believed so much to be possible about life. 

    I saw the new poster for this summer’s Festival last Friday… on the morning that I quit my job. Not only do I love this photo of Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward, but I love the story behind it. It was taken during production of their 1963 film A New Kind of Love and was remastered for the poster. (Side note: if any of you out there know someone who’s going to the Festival this summer… I would love to get a poster…) 

    Staring at this image gave me all kinds of hope… the kind of hope that was fostered in the French sunshine many summers ago as I was nearing the end of my collegiate career and unsure of what I was going to do in the future. The kind of hope I needed to walk in there and quit. The kind of hope that endless crepes and bottles of cheap French wine can bring.

    A New Kind of Love. 

    My life looks very different right now than what my 21-year-old self would have thought… but I think that’s OK. I’m learning how to believe it’s OK.  

    More details on the job front as I have some, but can’t really share at the moment. Soon! Until then… enjoy these tunes. Some killer tracks by Elle King and Chic Gamine, to name a few ballers. But the whole thing is ballin’. 

    Happiest of Fridays to you. 

    ++All the Fridayiest Tunes here!

    Seriously though… any UGA kids out there going to the festival and wanna bring me back a poster :) ?

    April 12, 2013
  2. I love Athens. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has spent any amount of time here to disagree with you. For some, it’s a kind of Neverland— a place that exists in memory as the hallowed ground on which the years 18-22 were joyously spent with cheap rent and flowing kegs and balancing research papers with afternoon naps and football games under a clear Georgia sky. For others, it’s an eclectic and creative haven, burgeoning with music and art and great food and more great food. It’s the land of a thousand coffee shops, bars, music venues, and places to brunch. But it’s a hard place to live, too.  Hard in the sense that it’s transient. (I’ve talked about this before.) But it’s also hard because despite its cultural offerings and prevalent scene of academia, it’s a broken place. The poverty is astounding. The industrial and economic infrastructure is unstable. The city that is loved by so many is often left by so many.  Athens is able to remain a perfect snapshot in memory because if you don’t invest in the city, you never know its troubles, its depth, its bleakness. (People are like this, too, I think.) I have felt (ever since I decided to stay here back in the summer of 2009 after graduating from UGA) a certain kinship with this place. Something holding me here. Some unfinished work or duty to remain in the city I love. I couldn’t exactly explain it, and many of my friends who served this place well and loved it just as I did moved on, beginning to love new places and new cities. We all did what we felt we needed to do. And I felt I needed to stay in Athens. One of my best friends from college who now lives in Atlanta sent me a sermon a few months back from her church and said that she thought of me when she heard it. She and a number of my pals from UGA have grown to love Atlanta and many of them have “committed” to living in the city, probably forever. It’s not an easy thing to do when you’re a 20-something to say “This is my home. I am dedicated to its welfare. I am for the city.” especially when it’s so tempting to wander and explore and be transient and free and experimental*. The sermon, based on Jeremiah 29:4-8, was about establishing permanence, investing in infrastructure, and planning for a long and faithful work wherever the Lord sends you. And I think that’s what He’s doing with me here in Athens, with my friends in Atlanta, and a myriad of other people across the state, country, and globe.  If you’re thinking about permanence, about your place in the world, about the brokenness of your city or your school or your town or your job… listen to this. Even if you’re reading this and are not a Christian… I urge you to listen. Download Sermon: Renewal | Pastor Leonce Crump II Every time he says “Atlanta” just swap it with your city. It probably applies. I could have written the whole sermon down, but here are some nuggets I found particularly helpful: “You cannot will yourself to care about this city. The Holy Spirit has to break your heart for what breaks His.” “Pray that god would alter your heart so that you would not quit… that you would see the city the way He sees it and love it the way He loves it. And because of that, we seek its welfare so that it will reflect the glory of God.” “Jesus wants far more than your stuff or your money… he wants your whole heart.” *And it’s not that those things are bad. In fact, I’d argue that a certain amount of wandering and exploration and transience is a good thing, especially for the young and unattached. But what would it look like if we invested in our cities, cared about its people, and sought to make it a better place?
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    I love Athens. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has spent any amount of time here to disagree with you. For some, it’s a kind of Neverland— a place that exists in memory as the hallowed ground on which the years 18-22 were joyously spent with cheap rent and flowing kegs and balancing research papers with afternoon naps and football games under a clear Georgia sky. For others, it’s an eclectic and creative haven, burgeoning with music and art and great food and more great food. It’s the land of a thousand coffee shops, bars, music venues, and places to brunch. But it’s a hard place to live, too. 

    Hard in the sense that it’s transient. (I’ve talked about this before.) But it’s also hard because despite its cultural offerings and prevalent scene of academia, it’s a broken place. The poverty is astounding. The industrial and economic infrastructure is unstable. The city that is loved by so many is often left by so many.  Athens is able to remain a perfect snapshot in memory because if you don’t invest in the city, you never know its troubles, its depth, its bleakness. (People are like this, too, I think.)

    I have felt (ever since I decided to stay here back in the summer of 2009 after graduating from UGA) a certain kinship with this place. Something holding me here. Some unfinished work or duty to remain in the city I love. I couldn’t exactly explain it, and many of my friends who served this place well and loved it just as I did moved on, beginning to love new places and new cities. We all did what we felt we needed to do. And I felt I needed to stay in Athens.

    One of my best friends from college who now lives in Atlanta sent me a sermon a few months back from her church and said that she thought of me when she heard it. She and a number of my pals from UGA have grown to love Atlanta and many of them have “committed” to living in the city, probably forever. It’s not an easy thing to do when you’re a 20-something to say “This is my home. I am dedicated to its welfare. I am for the city.” especially when it’s so tempting to wander and explore and be transient and free and experimental*. The sermon, based on Jeremiah 29:4-8, was about establishing permanence, investing in infrastructure, and planning for a long and faithful work wherever the Lord sends you. And I think that’s what He’s doing with me here in Athens, with my friends in Atlanta, and a myriad of other people across the state, country, and globe. 

    If you’re thinking about permanence, about your place in the world, about the brokenness of your city or your school or your town or your job… listen to this. Even if you’re reading this and are not a Christian… I urge you to listen.

    Download Sermon: Renewal | Pastor Leonce Crump II

    Every time he says “Atlanta” just swap it with your city. It probably applies. I could have written the whole sermon down, but here are some nuggets I found particularly helpful:

    “You cannot will yourself to care about this city. The Holy Spirit has to break your heart for what breaks His.”

    “Pray that god would alter your heart so that you would not quit… that you would see the city the way He sees it and love it the way He loves it. And because of that, we seek its welfare so that it will reflect the glory of God.”

    “Jesus wants far more than your stuff or your money… he wants your whole heart.”

    *And it’s not that those things are bad. In fact, I’d argue that a certain amount of wandering and exploration and transience is a good thing, especially for the young and unattached. But what would it look like if we invested in our cities, cared about its people, and sought to make it a better place?

    February 6, 2013
  3. Where City meets School. 
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    Where City meets School. 

    January 9, 2013
  4. Tis the season in the pretty little city. #athens #uga (at City Hall)
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    Tis the season in the pretty little city. #athens #uga (at City Hall)

    December 4, 2012
  5. I made this print and put it on some cards for Thank You Notes a while back— everyone I sent them to loved them and some even wondered if I had the print in a larger format or poster-sized! Always a nice feeling! (oh stop stop you’re making my blush…) In my flattered laziness, it’s taken me until now to get something up online, but you can now buy the Glory Glory print (in gray or black) for $18, printed at 11x17 on heavyweight archival matte paper. Plus, 15% off today with the code: 12DAILYDEAL3  Perfect for a Christmas gift or recent/almost UGA grad or newly admitted pup! I have some other posters collecting dust on my harddrive that I might be uploading in the future, so stay tuned and… Go Dawgs.   The Glory Glory Print is perfect for the home of any Bulldog fan. Simple enough to blend with most home designs, but bold enough to let everyone know who you’re cheering for on Saturday. Glory Glory and Let’s Go Dawgs!
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    I made this print and put it on some cards for Thank You Notes a while back— everyone I sent them to loved them and some even wondered if I had the print in a larger format or poster-sized! Always a nice feeling! (oh stop stop you’re making my blush…)

    In my flattered laziness, it’s taken me until now to get something up online, but you can now buy the Glory Glory print (in gray or black) for $18, printed at 11x17 on heavyweight archival matte paper. Plus, 15% off today with the code: 12DAILYDEAL3 

    Perfect for a Christmas gift or recent/almost UGA grad or newly admitted pup! I have some other posters collecting dust on my harddrive that I might be uploading in the future, so stay tuned and… Go Dawgs.  

    The Glory Glory Print is perfect for the home of any Bulldog fan. Simple enough to blend with most home designs, but bold enough to let everyone know who you’re cheering for on Saturday. Glory Glory and Let’s Go Dawgs!

    November 30, 2012
  6. WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLLLLLLLLL  It’s Friday, and I am very excited. 1. Because it’s Friday and 2. The Dawgs play for the SEC Championship tomorrow. Am I wearing Red and Black right now? You betcha. Do I have unrealistic optimism about tomorrow’s victory? Of course. All good Georgia fans do.  All good Georgia fans are also aware of the uncanny similarities of this season’s set-up with the championship season of 1980:  Alabama was #2 in the SEC and UGA beat Notre Dame for the Big Win. I love stuff like that. Statistic nerds around the world rejoice. It’s enough to give me chills.  In honor of the 1980 season (and with the hopes that 2012 will feel like deja vu)… this week’s Mixtape hosts some of my favorite tunes from the 80s.  Tomorrow I better see all my Dawgs sporting acid washed jeans and rocking the casbah.  Maybe if we can make it feel like 1980 we won’t stop believing and we’ll win. BRING ME A HIGHER LOVE, Dawgs. Don’t go losing. Don’t do me like that. 
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    WE BUILT THIS CITY ON ROCK AND ROLLLLLLLLL 


    It’s Friday, and I am very excited. 1. Because it’s Friday and 2. The Dawgs play for the SEC Championship tomorrow. Am I wearing Red and Black right now? You betcha. Do I have unrealistic optimism about tomorrow’s victory? Of course. All good Georgia fans do. 

    All good Georgia fans are also aware of the uncanny similarities of this season’s set-up with the championship season of 1980:  Alabama was #2 in the SEC and UGA beat Notre Dame for the Big Win. I love stuff like that. Statistic nerds around the world rejoice. It’s enough to give me chills. 

    In honor of the 1980 season (and with the hopes that 2012 will feel like deja vu)… this week’s Mixtape hosts some of my favorite tunes from the 80s. 

    Tomorrow I better see all my Dawgs sporting acid washed jeans and rocking the casbah.  Maybe if we can make it feel like 1980 we won’t stop believing and we’ll win. BRING ME A HIGHER LOVE, Dawgs. Don’t go losing. Don’t do me like that. 

    November 30, 2012
  7. My pal Alyssa and her pal Natasha set out to give a guide to Athens for Design Sponge and oh, is it pretty. Pretty to look at thanks to the designs of Sarah Lawrence and pretty to read because all of the places and things they chose are such lovely places and things.  Come visit! Come stay! Move here! Whatever it takes! I love my little city!  sarahclawrence: I recently worked with two lovely ladies from Athens to make a city guide for Designsponge.com, a modern ladies’ design mecca. Natasha and Alyssa compiled a list of their favorite places here and I pulled my favorites from the list to make a map of the downtown area. This is the third map I’ve done for Athens, and I love these! 
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    My pal Alyssa and her pal Natasha set out to give a guide to Athens for Design Sponge and oh, is it pretty. Pretty to look at thanks to the designs of Sarah Lawrence and pretty to read because all of the places and things they chose are such lovely places and things. 

    Come visit! Come stay! Move here! Whatever it takes! I love my little city! 

    sarahclawrence:

    I recently worked with two lovely ladies from Athens to make a city guide for Designsponge.com, a modern ladies’ design mecca. Natasha and Alyssa compiled a list of their favorite places here and I pulled my favorites from the list to make a map of the downtown area. This is the third map I’ve done for Athens, and I love these! 

    October 23, 2012
  8. Yes, the Digital Atlanta Conference has been filled with learning awesome things about the tech and digital world from interesting people in cool jobs. But there’s also just a lot of ATL Love… folks who love their city and want to see it succeed, prosper, and define what’s on the horizon for technology, creativity, and well, living well.  I was a little afraid all this ATL Love Talk was going to make me want to move to Atlanta (which has long been my nagging, irrational fear.) And while I do LOVE the people and the food and the creativity that makes up that city… I’m not yet convinced it’s the place for me. In a way, it made me more passionate about living in Athens.  Athens, if you’ve ever been here you’ll know, is this wonderful little micro-city that breathes and synthesizes a unique culture flavor. It’s at one moment this robust, yuppy, scholastic enclave and the next it’s a teeming, swirling hotbed of music, art, and entertainment.  The food, outstanding. The people, so strange and smart. The architecture, southern hospitality and walkable streets make it a beauty to behold.  Despite all that, Athens lacks a lot of what could make it into a world-class city where people want to live forever and not just an amazing college town where people stay for a few years before moving on to something more permanent.  Athens is a transient place. As a permanent resident, this is something that aches my heart continually. I meet new people often knowing that they are only here for a season… mostly because of being in school or the lack of diverse career options. Athens is a training ground because of the University… and one that often feeds our talented residents to the nearest Big City when the pickin’s get slim.  Don’t get me wrong: people love Athens. Anyone who has ever lived here will forever save a small part of their heart that is the shape of The Classic City.  But how do we build a community here that people want to invest in before they leave for something Bigger and Greater just down the road? I don’t have the answers but I’m excited to think about them and what it could mean for my beloved Pretty Little City. 
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    Yes, the Digital Atlanta Conference has been filled with learning awesome things about the tech and digital world from interesting people in cool jobs. But there’s also just a lot of ATL Love… folks who love their city and want to see it succeed, prosper, and define what’s on the horizon for technology, creativity, and well, living well. 

    I was a little afraid all this ATL Love Talk was going to make me want to move to Atlanta (which has long been my nagging, irrational fear.) And while I do LOVE the people and the food and the creativity that makes up that city… I’m not yet convinced it’s the place for me. In a way, it made me more passionate about living in Athens. 

    Athens, if you’ve ever been here you’ll know, is this wonderful little micro-city that breathes and synthesizes a unique culture flavor. It’s at one moment this robust, yuppy, scholastic enclave and the next it’s a teeming, swirling hotbed of music, art, and entertainment.  The food, outstanding. The people, so strange and smart. The architecture, southern hospitality and walkable streets make it a beauty to behold. 

    Despite all that, Athens lacks a lot of what could make it into a world-class city where people want to live forever and not just an amazing college town where people stay for a few years before moving on to something more permanent. 

    Athens is a transient place. As a permanent resident, this is something that aches my heart continually. I meet new people often knowing that they are only here for a season… mostly because of being in school or the lack of diverse career options. Athens is a training ground because of the University… and one that often feeds our talented residents to the nearest Big City when the pickin’s get slim. 

    Don’t get me wrong: people love Athens. Anyone who has ever lived here will forever save a small part of their heart that is the shape of The Classic City.  But how do we build a community here that people want to invest in before they leave for something Bigger and Greater just down the road? I don’t have the answers but I’m excited to think about them and what it could mean for my beloved Pretty Little City. 

    October 11, 2012
  9. Congratulations on making it to another Friday. Time to treat yo self. Enjoy today, tell someone you love them, and Go Dawgs.  You can also subscribe to my FRIDAYS mix and listen to all the tunes from all the Friday Mixtapes. If you needed like, hours and hours of music to listen to, that’s a nice place to start. 
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    Congratulations on making it to another Friday. Time to treat yo self. Enjoy today, tell someone you love them, and Go Dawgs. 

    You can also subscribe to my FRIDAYS mix and listen to all the tunes from all the Friday Mixtapes. If you needed like, hours and hours of music to listen to, that’s a nice place to start. 

    September 28, 2012
  10. Monday Love - Normaltown  I’m a big fan of projects. My Myers-Briggs test indicated I am bad at follow-through, so giving tasks the title of “Project!” really helps get me motivated to stick with something. Probably some left over fear from grade school about not getting A’s or getting into college, but I digress.  The new project I’m tackling is really two-fold. First, I just moved to a new neighborhood and am constantly discovering new things about the city of Athens because of said-move.  What I’m talking about here, people, is food (if I’m being honest.) I’ve lived in this city for 7 (holy guacamole) years and the fact that there are still things to discover is one of my favorite things about this little Slice-o-Heaven. So, I’m starting, along with some of my friends, to do a Normaltown Food Discovery Adventure.  If you live in Athens or have been here for a visit, I’m hoping to enlighten you on some hidden gems off the beaten path.  The second part of the project involves t-shirts and you (and your friends.) I’m just going to leave that tantalizing little nugget out there until more of the details come together… so stay tuned.  Normaltown Food Discovery Adventure, commence! 
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    Monday Love - Normaltown 


    I’m a big fan of projects. My Myers-Briggs test indicated I am bad at follow-through, so giving tasks the title of “Project!” really helps get me motivated to stick with something. Probably some left over fear from grade school about not getting A’s or getting into college, but I digress. 

    The new project I’m tackling is really two-fold. First, I just moved to a new neighborhood and am constantly discovering new things about the city of Athens because of said-move.  What I’m talking about here, people, is food (if I’m being honest.) I’ve lived in this city for 7 (holy guacamole) years and the fact that there are still things to discover is one of my favorite things about this little Slice-o-Heaven. So, I’m starting, along with some of my friends, to do a Normaltown Food Discovery Adventure.  If you live in Athens or have been here for a visit, I’m hoping to enlighten you on some hidden gems off the beaten path. 

    The second part of the project involves t-shirts and you (and your friends.) I’m just going to leave that tantalizing little nugget out there until more of the details come together… so stay tuned. 

    Normaltown Food Discovery Adventure, commence! 

    August 27, 2012
  11. Nothing but blue skies in the Classic City today. Mmmm. Friday. 
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    Nothing but blue skies in the Classic City today. Mmmm. Friday. 

    May 11, 2012
  12. How I love this pretty little city. 
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    How I love this pretty little city. 

    April 4, 2012
  13. Ugh. North Campus So Pretttay. Like model. Or cheerleada. 
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    Ugh. North Campus So Pretttay. Like model. Or cheerleada. 

    March 26, 2012
  14. It’s a happy happy day in Athens, Georgia when the hydrangeas bloom… 
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    It’s a happy happy day in Athens, Georgia when the hydrangeas bloom… 

    March 23, 2012
  15. Post-game drive through the pretty little city. Nights like this I am reminded how much I love this town and this life I have been given to live.
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    Post-game drive through the pretty little city. Nights like this I am reminded how much I love this town and this life I have been given to live.

    March 8, 2012