Five for Friday - the "obsessed edition"

As we finish out our week here in, I find myself loving/obsessing about a whole handful of things that I clearly must share with you.

1. My new "piano"
Actually not a piano, but an electronic keyboard with touch sensitive keys that when you strike them a little hammer hits an electronic sensor, just like a real piano (minus the electronic sensor).

We went to the bike store last night to get Brad some gear for his ride this weekend, and were walking to Moe's (which now serves whole grain tortillas. holla!) for dinner when we walked past a music store. You know, your run-of-the-mill shopping center music store with kids honking on clarinets in the back, racks filled with books of etudes and scales, some random accessories for all your high school musical instrument needs... and some random keyboards of varying quality.

Since I grew up playing a real piano, I have always poo-poo'd keyboards. They never felt right to me; even the ones with weighted keys always felt too plastic. But because we live on the fourth floor in an apartment, with no end to that in the near future, having a real piano is just not a reality right now. So it's a keyboard or nothing. I had sadly resigned myself to it being nothing.

Until I randomly sat down at this piano last night (I refuse to call it a keyboard. A keyboard sounds like I should be standing in the back of an 80's hair band, rocking my graphic t-shirt and long stringy hair). I grabbed a book of sonata's (the same 17-minute long ones I used to play in high school) and sat down. And played. Played as if not a single day had passed. As if it hasn't been almost ten years since I seriously sat down at a piano. I was instantly transported back to that empty auditorium in 11th grade solo and ensemble where I kicked the butt of that ridiculously long Beethoven sonata, scored myself a superior and a spot in the state competition.

Anyway, back to last night... I'm sitting there, playing away, hardly listening to Brad and the sales guy talking, vaguely hearing words like "last one," "older model" and "clearance price." Before I know it, the piano I'm playing is mine. I may or may not have actually hugged it in the store (okay, I did) and squealed like a school girl.

It has pedals and a beautiful casing and a built in metronome and, best of all for my neighbor's sake, an outlet to plug headphones into. We go back to pick it up on Saturday afternoon, once they box it up all pretty. Hopefully Brad wasn't planning on anything productive happening Saturday night (or Sunday. Or any night next week). Because I have a whole book of sonata's to relearn.

2. these awesome city prints

I stumbled upon these this morning and have the urge to buy one for every city I have been to, frame them in simple black frames and line them up across my living room wall.

Heads of State, you guys are awesome. My only hope is that they continue to churn out all the awesome places in this country (world?).

Oh, and right now, they have a print for sale with benefits going to clean up efforts in the Gulf. If that's not a worthy cause right now, I'm not sure what is.

3. Cleveland
Long before I lived in our nation's capital, and before I became a beach bum Floridian, I was born in Cleveland.

The "Mistake by the Lake" seems to always get an unfair bad rap. I think it's actually a grand place, filled with amazing ethnic food, hard working people, some amazing cultural sites (hello? Cleveland Orchestra? Cleveland Museum of Art? Severance Hall? awesomeness.) and one of the best small breweries in the country, Great Lakes Brewing Company (Burning River used to be my happy hour staple). Perhaps now best known for the misery that their professional sports teams bring to fans (please don't leave, Lebron! And Tom Izzo, seriously?), one scoop of Mally's ice cream will bring a smile to any downtrodden Indians fan (62 year drought since the last World Series win? only the Cubs can claim a record worst than that!).

Over Independence Day weekend, we're headed to see my brother-in-law in Rocky River, catch a few Tribe games (I suppose going to more than one gives me a better chance of them not losing by 10+ runs) and check out all my old haunts. It is going to be a grand old time.

4. my husband

Duh, he's awesome. Just read the list above and this should be obvious: he bought me a piano. He lets me decorate our house with crazy travel-themed stuff. He's taking me to Cleveland. HE BOUGHT ME A PIANO (okay, still a little excited about that one).

He's the most selfless, loving, forgiving, sweetest, nicest person I've ever met. He mingles with my large Italian family with the same ease he mingles with politicians. And he mans the bbq grill like no one's business. He's riding in the Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure next week - 63 miles on Sunday morning (I'll be camped out at Panera with my coffee and wifi).

Oh, he also organized a big volunteer day for his office today. They're doing a mock disaster drill where they learn how to set up and run a mass shelter (you know, with the Red Cross and PB&J and cots and everything). I volunteered to be a victim; he said my services were not necessary. I volunteered to fill the roll of "aggressive member of the local media." While I would have been perfect, my services were again turned down. Probably better for them... there is a lot of pent up frustration you can harbor after doing media relations for over four years...

Anyway, Brad = awesome. That's all there is too it.

5. Cary Grant

Because it has been a few weeks :)

list 15 - a summer fun "to do" list

1. Wolf Trap
2. water park
3. Tour de Cure (shameless promotion of the 63 mile bike ride Brad is doing in two weeks to raise money for diabetes!)
4. picnic on the National Mall
5. Tidal Basin paddle boats
6. the National Building Museum
7. Cedar Point
8. baseball - Nationals. Indians.
9. walk in the rain
10. county fair... with farm animals!
11. jazz in the Sculpture Garden
12. cruise
13. day trippin'
14. mini golf
15. brats and corn on the cob on the grill

(15 lists down, 37 to go!)

Five for Friday

1. I was going to start this post with an apology for not doing a "Five for Friday" last week by saying "Sorry I didn't post last week, we were in ______." But then I momentarily forgot where we were (answer: Ohio for Brad's ten year high school reunion). Do you think that's bad? Perhaps it's a sign we've been traveling a lot lately. Or that life is insane. Or that I'm getting old.

2. So yes, we were in good ol' Marion, Ohio (small town, about 90 minutes north of Columbus) last weekend for Brad's ten year high school reunion. It was a fun time had by all, filled with extremely cheap drinks (Hello $2 Blue Moon!), reenacting where Brad fell and broke his ankle his senior year, and extremely bad dancing to old songs (the "Thong Song" and Justin Timberlake. Hello 1998). But it also made me glad that I am boycotting my ten year reunion, which is at the end of July. Since I have a desire to really only be good friend's with one person in my class of 680 (or 630. or 640. something like that).

3. Summer has officially arrived in D.C. Too bad spring decided to skip out on us this year, as a sunny, 65° day is really the best...

4. I forgot the highlight of our trip to Ohio: strawberry chip ice cream at Graeter's. Mega yum. Really, summer isn't complete without a scoop of strawberry chip. I even splurged and got the waffle cone. I justified it by having a salad for lunch the day before. One day I will open a Graeter's franchise in D.C. There are so many Ohio people here, I wouldn't even have to change the flavor name from "Buckeye Blitz" to "Peanut butter chocolate."

I ♥ you Graeter's - you make my summer complete.

5. This weekend we are headed out of town, up to the Big Apple. We'll be meeting a bunch of my family there to celebrate the life of my great-grandmother. She always enjoyed the finer things in life, like awesome Italian food and a good glass of red wine, so I know we will be toasting her in style!

list 14 - 114 things I love

some previously mentioned... some not :)

1. my husband - clearly
2. cute new shoes that are actually comfy
3. warm beach breezes
4. bold primary colors
5. contrast-y black and white photos
6. Veterans and their families
7. maxi dresses... even though I've only found one in two years that works for me
8. hand-written letters
9. brownie sundaes
10. s'mores
11. long walks on sunny days
12. autumn
13. turtleneck sweaters
14. OSU hoodies at football games
15. fro-ZEN-yo
16. walking the Long Walk hand-in-hand with Brad
17. my family... they're the best
18. malbec
19. chianti
20. pinot noir
21. Facebook
22. laying in soft grass, looking up at a cloudless sky
23. the last line of The Great Gatsby
24. music that makes you want to dance
25. my black pashmina
26. college football
27. Cleveland Indians baseball
28. glass skyscrapers reflecting other buildings
29. Chicago
30. walking on the beach in a long sleeved tee-shirt and shorts
31. jeans and flip flops
32. trains as a mode of transportation
33. reading on the balcony of a cruise ship
34. hot coffee
35. fingerless gloves
36. NYC
37. show tunes
38. playing the piano
39. spontaneous memories from childhood
40. the first few hours after you get a new hair cut
41. finishing a really good book
42. bicep curls
43. pretending that I'm more Southern than I really am
44. pretending that I'm more Italian than I really am
45. big bear hugs
46. calling my grandmother every Sunday afternoon
47. decisions that come from the heart, not the brain
48. ultra-modern hotels
49. random roadside attractions
50. Seattle
51. neon signs
52. a hot pretzel in Times Square from a street cart at midnight
53. my wedding ring
54. blogging
55. unedited photographs
56. backyard kiddie pools
57. Washington Post on-line chats
58. text messages from my BFF's
59. old friends and new friends
60. the idea of Girl Scouts
61. awesome accomplishments at work
62. beach umbrellas
63. my new sandals from Target
64. Target
65. my iPod commuting mix
66. songs you haven't thought of since high school
67. the band Oasis
68. my ever growing list of "must read" blogs
69. talented photographer friends
70. bacon cheese fries
71. a cold Blue Moon
72. driving with the sunroof open (preferably to the beach)
73. key lime martini's in the backyard
74. Plank's thin crust pizza
75. giant neighborhood bookstores (I'm talking to you Book Loft and Elliott Bay Book Company!)
76. nostalgia
77. photos of returning soldiers, sailors and airmen
78. early morning in Old Town
79. the Sunday paper
80. learning new things
81. vodka martini's with a twist
82. the Gap Outlet
83. the Nine West Outlet
84. Bob Evans' biscuits
85. the Pioneer Woman
86. laughter
87. DVR
88. "Modern Family"
89. Monday Night Football
90. Sunday Night Baseball
91. TBDBITL
92. sending flowers to people
93. planning trips
94. massages and pedicures
95. I'm Not Really a Waitress
96. a really good biography
97. when a book makes me cry
98. when a book makes me laugh
99. planning big surprises for Brad's birthday
100. making lists and checking things off
101. typing fast... but not hard
102. Cary Grant
103. "An Affair to Remember"
104. "Sleepless in Seattle"
105. "When Harry Met Sally"
106. Carrie and the gang
107. movie theater popcorn with extra butter
108. the idea of running
109. Conde Nast Traveler magazine
110. Five Guys little cheeseburger and fries
111. hugs and kisses from old friends
112. my first car
113. Pandora
114. sun

list 13 - things that are rocking my world this week

1. the blue skies that come with summer (we can call it summer since it's 90° out, right?)

2. the awesome, awesome, awesome concert that Brad Paisley put on last Saturday evening. Literally two hours of me standing there, dancing and singing my head off (apologies to those sitting around us!). Added bonus? Opening act Darius Rucker (aka Hootie from Hootie and the Blowfish) who sang all the songs from junior high!

3. the great discussion with Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert that Brad took me to see last Friday night. Added bonus? We went to a meet-and-greet afterward and got them to sign books (I won't share the incredibly dorky thing I said to Mr. Bourdain... I was trying to be so cool, but ended up much more star-struck than anticipated!)

4. the new Sex and the City movie that opens tomorrow (even though it just got a horrible review in the Post)

5. the three photos below will be appearing in a display at the City of Alexandria Historical Museum this summer

6. the Pandora Radio station created by searching the song "Roll to Me" - a great mix of 90's music (a thanks to my colleague Lauren for this idea!)

Five for Friday

1. So, as planned, my brother David arrived this morning (unfortunately one of his bags did not, thanks United. It was not very comforting when the guy at the baggage office said "Are you sure it's not out there [on the belt]?" Um, yes.). But anyway, it's great to have him back on U.S. soil and I'm sure he's sound asleep and exhausted from traveling for, literally, over 24 hours.

Oh, and his reaction to my sign: "Wow... um, did you make that?" Clearly, my artistic ability won him over.

2. Tonight, Brad and I are going to hear a talk by Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. I AM SO EXCITED!! (sorry about the caps... I get a little excited talking about this) I just finished Bourdain's book and, well, I love to eat, so it just seems like the perfect thing to do. Too bad it means ditching my brother his first night back in the U.S. :)

3. Tomorrow night, we are ditching him again and heading to see Brad Paisley in concert. This is actually our fifth year in a row seeing him, as he seems to tour pretty much all the time (I'm sure his wife (who was the daughter from the "Father of the Bride" series!) is loving that, since they have two little ones). It's always a fun time and maybe we'll get lucky this year and it won't 1. rain and 2. have nightmare-ish traffic (but I'm not holding my breath). Check out this photo I dug up from the 2006 concert - scary!

4. So, as you saw, last Saturday's trek up to NYC and back was indeed successful. It was such a great day, spent leisurely strolling through the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at MoMA, having a nice leisurely lunch at La Bonne Soupe on W. 55th Street and enjoying a leisurely few hours in relaxing in Central Park, reading and journaling. The overall theme for the visit: leisure.

5. Dunno much else, my brain is fried from being up all night checking the status of my brother's flights (yes, the neuroses about flying extends beyond just when I'm the one traveling).

Bon le weekend!

Christina Saull Photography featured on The Travel Photographer's blog!

A big, big shout out to New York City based photographer Tewfic El-Sawy, author of The Travel Photographer blog, for the shout out today!

His blog is one of my favorites. His travels are amazing, his photos even more so. He is an inspiration to broaden my travel horizons.

in a New York minute

last glimpse before turning onto the highway in New Jersey...

list 12 - blogs I read every day

I actually have a pretty extensive list on my blog reader, many of which I just skim through on a daily basis. But I really look forward to reading updates from these 12 blogs...

(in no particular order)

1. Mary Kate McKenna (my wedding photographer) and 2. Jamie Windon (aka the Blonde Photographer) - two extraordinary D.C.-based wedding/event/awesome-ness photographers

3. Erin Conrad - a former colleague and one heck of a talented photographer who has a love for her state of Oklahoma like nothing I've ever seen

4. The Pioneer Woman - duh. Because she is awesome.

5. Rockstar Diaries - D.C. residents with the best writing style and the cutest little bulldog

6. Young House Love - a great DIY interior design blog. They're also brand new parents!

7. Bakerella - because if I could bake like her, I would never work again. An AMAZING blog full of yummy things

8. The Big Picture - most photographers will tell you that what they're doing with photography over at the Boston Globe is pretty amazing.

9. Ciao, Chessa - another great photography and art blog. A mom-to-be and New Yorker who always has unique pictures of the Big Apple.

10. The Travel Photographer - interesting commentary on photography and world travel. He have gone to some amazing places to shoot and I admire his style of street shooting/photojournalism.

11. Fresh Brownies - a great style blog. Because if I was young, tall and thin, this is how I would dress ;)

12. Stuck at the Airport - travel columnist Harriet Baskas's fascinating blog about all things travel (she also writes a weekly blog on msnbc.com called The Well-Mannered Traveler, which I adore).

Henri Cartier-Bresson

I'll start this post by saying this: if you're a photographer and you live on the east coast (or have the opportunity to get to New York City), you absolutely must get thee self to MoMA to see the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit before it closes at the end of June.

Holy. Moly.

To say it blew my mind was an understatement.

300 of Cartier-Bresson's photographs in simple white frames with white matting on gray walls in room after room.

I spent 2.5 hours wandering around the exhibit on Saturday and it was worth every penny I spent getting up there and back (and every penny I spent at the gift shop afterward!). Also, if you go, pick up the free audio guide at the entrance to the exhibit. It offers some really interesting commentary on his photos and world travels.

I went with the goal of being inspired to improve my street photography and portraiture - I came away with more inspiration than I thought possible.

I fell in love with several of Cartier-Bresson's photographs during my visit, including one that I cannot find anywhere online (must mean that I have unique taste). I'll have to take a photo of it out of the coffee-table book I purchased that has a copy of all 300 photos at the exhibit.

Some of the others I found most inspiring:

Cartier-Bresson didn't shoot many landscapes and never shot a landscape without a touch of something "man-made" in it. I love the simplicity of this shot. I bought a 16x20 version to hang in our office, where I do a lot of my photography work.

Simple. Perfect lines. Perfect blurred motion. Perfectly contrast-y.

Taken when cameras first became portable enough to do street photography and fast enough to capture stop-action. Look at the poster in the background, with the dancer in almost the same pose. Genius.

Five for Friday

1. Remember the old adage "be careful what you wish for"???

Remember back in January when I posted how I was missing my brother, but that was okay because he was done with his military service in July and there would be a happy homecoming?

Well, July turned into next week and the "happy homecoming" part has turned into him coming to live with Brad and I for a few weeks. It's a little scary and nerve-wracking and exciting all at the same time. The scary part: how are three adults going to share one tiny bathroom? The nerve-wracking part: what is he going to do while I'm at work all day that doesn't result in our condo being burned down? The exciting part: I get to spoil him/re-do his entire wardrobe!

If anyone has any fantastic ideas for a big glittery sign I can meet him at the airport with, I'm all ears. I'm going for maximum embarrassment here - and yes, I'm already considering a small battery-operated tape player which will be playing patriotic music!

2. Tomorrow, I am embarking on a crazy, one day journey up to the Big Apple and back. Why so much travel crammed into one day? Well, because our life is a little insane right now (see #1), but a certain Mr. Henri Cartier-Bresson has an exhibit at MoMA which I have no choice but to go see.

Who has the best husband? Clearly, I do. Since he's:

1. getting up at 5:45am to take me to the bus stop (which is a random street corner in Rosslyn where apparently a reputable bus company is going to pick me and my fellow intrepid/cheap travelers up),

2. coming to pick me up at said bus stop/corner when I get back at 10:00pm,

and, most importantly, 3. going to clean like a mad man and reorganize the house for our unexpected guest.

Wohoo for Brad!

Wohoo for awesome-world-traveler-and-photographic-genius Henri Cartier-Bresson!

Wohoo New York City!

3. I dunno... what else? How could there possibly be more because, lets face it, #1 and #2 are, well, HUGE.

4. Oh! I will give a shout out to some recent new parents. My cousin-in-law Mindy, after being pregnant forever, gave birth to the cutest little boy last week. A friend and coworker of mine, after being on total bed rest in the hospital since February gave birth a few weeks ago to the two cutest twin girls ever and both girls got to come home this week. Added bonus? She already sent us a thank you note for our baby gift - you go girl! My friend's Mike and Kerri are expecting their second any day now (and are in the middle of changing jobs and moving to Wisconsin). So many babies! Such good birth control - sorry Dad ;)

5. I would be remiss not to mention the continued pain of Cleveland sports fans everywhere. In what was arguably the most important game ever for the franchise, the Cavs lost last night to eliminate themselves from the NBC playoffs. Just depressing that the best time in basketball falls to the Cleveland sports curse. Additionally, the 13-19 Indians should be pretty much paying me to attend their games by July. And we won't even discuss the Browns... ahhh, the joys of being a Cleveland sports fan, or as one of my friend's said "A 'there's always next year' sports fan."

list 11 - if I...

If I were a season, I’d be autumn.


If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be a rocking chair like the awesome ones in the Charlotte airport. Not that I would want to live in an airport. Even though sometimes it feels like I do.

If I were a country, I’d be Italy. Or Spain. Or Barbados. Or Argentina. Or Australia.

If I were a food, I’d be a brownie sundae.

If I were a day, I’d be Saturday.

If I were a color, I’d be purple.

If I were a letter I’d be W.

If I were a book, I’d be The Great Gatsby. Jordan. Definitely Jordan.

If I were a political leader, I’d be Margaret Thatcher. Or Nelson Mandela. Or George Voinovich. Or Olympia Snowe.

If I were a drink, I’d be red wine.

If I were a man, I’d be Cary Grant.

If I could know the future, I’d want a glimpse into my unborn children's lives.

Ft. Lauderdale fun

We are back from a fun, relaxing weekend trip to Ft. Lauderdale.

Biggest highlight: seeing my bestest friend.

Other highlights:
- locating imported Banks beer for Brad


- the beautiful beach

- the view from our hotel room balcony:

- staying out past 9:00pm. Friday evening, after a great dinner, we went to this lovely, quiet, intimate wine bar called The Naked Grape. After two glasses of a fantastic Malbec, I managed to get almost the entire place sucked into a raging conversation about the genius of Stephen Sondheim (this statement was/is not open to debate). I think I made my Daddy proud :)

Saturday night we went to this INSANE place called America's Backyard.

- hanging at the brunch place with the coolest vibe ever, Rosie's

- did I mention staying out past 9:00pm (this is really a big thing for us)

:)

list 10 - things I don't like

(yes, yes, I know I missed last week... bad blogger, bad blogger...)

1. When People Create Problems That They Can't Fix - like, oh I dunno, giant gushing oil pipelines that threaten to ruin my pretty Gulf of Mexico.

I readily admit to being one of those "Drill, Baby Drill" types, totally supportive of off-shore drilling and realize the huge economic benefit to the entire country. I even got excited last year on our cruise when, off the coast of North Carolina, we saw an actual oil platform (see below).

I believe this is my 2+ years of working with Oklahomans rubbing off, BTW.

Anyway, what shocks me about this situation is that for all the smarts out there, people just stand idly by as 40,000 gallons of oil a day gushes into that beautiful thing called the Gulf of Mexico. I know, I know, they're not sitting idly by, they're building some giant, never attempted at this depth before contraption to trap the oil - totally amused by that - but it seems like BP should be doing something, ANYTHING.

Because if my Gulf-coast beaches get messed up, I am going to be super pissed.

Because I have spent a lot of time convincing people that they are superior to the Florida east coast beaches. Which they are. Even though I'm headed to an east coast beach this weekend. Sssshhh... don't tell the Gulf.

2. Lima Beans.

I am an equally opportunity veggie lover. Brussel sprouts? Love em. Asparagus? Obsession. Green beans? Mega yum. Sweet corn? Well, more of a starch than a vegetable, but the highlight of the summer regardless. Lima beans? Can't stand them. It's something about the texture... just can't deal with the slimy interior.

3. Flying.

I know what you're thinking 'You're a travel photographer. You travel like 11 out of 12 months of the year. Air travel seems critical to your success in life.'

And it is, which is why I continue to get on airplanes. But that doesn't mean I can't hate every minute of it. I am so envious of those who can leisurely sit there, reading their Wall Street Journal as we barrel down the runway at 9 million miles per hour and I say 40 "Hail Mary's" and "Our Father's" while pulling a death grip on the seat/Brad. Maybe I'll be one of those people one day. But I doubt it. For now, I'll just continue to spend the 45 minute/2 hour/4 hour/8 hour flight staring out the window, worried the wing is going to fall off (irrational much?).

4. The Kindle/E-Reader/Nook/Sony Reader/etc.

I love reading. I read like no one's business, often with three books going at once. But part of the reason that I love reading is that it's so low-tech. Pick up book. Read. Flip page. Repeat. There's no screen to look at, no button to turn on, no battery to charge. Now I know the die-hard e-readers are saying "But it's great! I don't have to lug three books and 40 magazines on vacation with me any more! No more carrying a book on the Metro! All just right there on a computer screen." But really, how many more hours a day do I have to stare at a screen? Computer, BlackBerry, cell phone, television. Too. Many. Screens. Now just let me read my book in peace (we won't even talk about the feeling of holding a good ol' fashioned newspaper in your hands).

5. Shoes that appear comfortable, but by the end of the day, they're awful.

This actually applies to about 90% of my shoes (fortunately, not the ones I'm wearing today). Remember this post a while back about how much in love I was with my new shoes?

I cannot vouch for the first pair, since I haven't worn them yet, so I hold out high hopes.

The second pair - the cute croc flats? HORRIBLE. Huge blisters no matter how many times I wear them.

The third pair? Appear to be great. Wore them to work yesterday actually. I was crying by the time I got home. Appearances are deceiving, evil toe pinchers!

The fourth pair? Can't even walk through the house in them.

What's the deal? Why were these shoes all comfortable when I tried them on in the store? It's a secret plan put together by the shoe industry... grrr....


There are many other things I don't like - loud talkers on the Metro, people who chew gum (or food) loudly, aggressive driving, chronic tardiness - but one of the biggest thing I don't like are people who complain, so I shall stop here :)

Things I'm Loving This Week....

1. These awesome door photos
(I've been known to photograph a few doors in my day...)

(Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia)

2. This add-it-to-my-extensive-must-travel-list of the best ferry rides in the nation. I cannot say enough times, loudly enough, how awesome the ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island and back is. Staten Island Ferry is on my "must do" list for my next bumming around NYC trip.

3. The fact that Henri Cartier-Bresson was a world traveler before world travel was fashionable.

4. That get to see this Friday night:

(taken in the parking lot of a Starbucks with my p&s
in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)