{new favourite quote}

“I want to be a character, I don’t want to be defined, I want to change, everyday…I want to be silly, I want to be wonderful, I want to prance instead of walk, skip instead of run, I want flowers, lots of flowers, I want to write until the words mean nothing to others, but everything to me. I want to be enigmatic and magnificent. I want my aura to be gold; I want to wake up with the sun and with a smile…I want books, lots and lots of books, I want to read all day, completely let go, let my imagination run wild. I want to grasp life with both hands and not let go, I want to be magical and pretty…I want to watch Breakfast At Tiffany’s until I know every line. I want to be compassionate and considerate, and I want to make other people smile. I want to make them proud.”

~Victoria Hart

{the o.k. plateau}

Yesterday I was reading an article on mental athletes by the New York Times, it was a fascinating subject and contained so much information that I could probably write a whole series of blogposts about it. However, there was one section in particular that caught my attention and that I wanted to share.

In the "Secrets of a Mind-Gamer" (an article with a somewhat off-putting and tawdry introduction that will only make sense if you read the article in entirety) Joshua Foer explores his journey from journalistic curiosity to competing for the United States Memory Championship. As he related the steps he took, he tells of how he disappointed he was when he seemingly hit the plateau of his memorizing potential quite early on,

The Encyclopedia of the Exquisite

A new sunbeam has arrived in my life in the form of Jessica Kerwin Jenkins' book "The Encyclopedia of the Exquisite." This book gives me the same sort of thrill that a collection of leather bound books or midsummer morning sunlight gives me. It's pure happiness wrapped up in a red hardback with gold gilt tooling about the cover.

In alphabetical order it explores the histories of lovely, frankly inconsequential, things that make life twelve times better. Beginning with "aerostation" and ending with "yes," Ms. Jenkins explores the exquisite. As explained in the introduction "the word exquisite comes from the Latin verb exquirere, to search out, or to seek. It means uncommon delicacies, carefully selected, and the kind of beauty that can "excite intense delight or admiration." A definition that is exquisite in and off itself.

The Encyclopedia sits beside my bed and even when I don't have the time to read it, the mere sight makes me happy.

I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way. {sandbury}

{the carla bruni effect}

I have to admit, I have been intrigued by former model and First Lady of France, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, since I first heard of her visit to the UK decked in grey Dior. I scoured the internet for pictures, read dozens of articles commenting on her precision in styling and incredible success (in spite of a scandal that was attempting to blazon her as salacious before she even managed to put her ballet pumps down on English turf).


It is more than a little impressive how successfully she has managed to navigate the European fashion waters, particularly among European royalty. Maintaining faultless taste without ever doing the unpardonable of outshining or out dressing the settled Royals is no small task.  One of the many reporters who covered Ms. Bruni during her visit to England commented on how scrupulously she avoided stealing anyone's looks or colours, while still dressing in a manner that was stylistically flawless and entirely respectable. Dolly Jones, editor of Vogue.com, said: “With all eyes on her today – some of which are inevitably going to look for any excuse to be critical - Carla Bruni was perfectly demure, her tiny matching hat and rounded collar an elegant reference to Jackie O."