The Huntington.

Man oh man, yesterday was all kinds of wonderful. As previously mentioned, I went to the Huntington  yesterday with two of my best friends, Claire and Cody. I had never been before, so I was anticipating  everything they had in store. They have incredible art collections, beautiful gardens, fascinating exhibitions, and a library. We even witnessed a proposal!

I love those two so much; they're kind of the best subjects to take photos of. For us nerds, there was so much to see and do. Of course, the trip was then followed by Chipotle, a pajama party, cuddling, and the usual exchange of stories. We sure did have the loveliest time.

Artbeats.

Today, two of my best friends and I made a visit to the Huntington today in San Marino. They have an incredible collection of European art, which completely blew my mind. Two of my favorite eras are baroque and rococo, so seeing so many of the pieces I had learned about in AP Art History last year felt unreal. I took photographs of my favorite details about a few amazing paintings. Take a look.

The Wilderness Must Be Explored!

Yet another early morning for this zombie. However, when it wasn't spent on the road, Sammy and I were building Lego contraptions and pirate ships for our nephew, Gabe. (Or Wubby, as we prefer to call him.) As a total Lego junkie, I had too much fun. Suddenly I wanted to buy my own Pirates of the Caribbean Lego sets. But the best part? Hanging out with my favorite person in the world.

I can't even explain how much I love that little guy. He's getting so big, and his birthday is coming up soon, too. And I still remember changing his diapers, putting him to sleep, watching every Thomas and Friends movie known to man, and singing The Wiggles songs with him. Now he's four (approaching five), currently into pirates, potty-trained, digs The Strokes (I've trained him well), goes to school, and has shed the majority of his baby fat. Nonetheless, he's still as silly and funny and wonderful as ever. He's the best.

California English.

It has been quite a "winter" over here in my neck of the woods... And by that I mean, that it has been out of the ordinary, even for Southern California. It gets a bit chilly at times , but never unbearable. In fact, today in LA, the highest temperature was 79 degrees. Sunny yet cool.

THE VALLEY

LOS ANGELES

I really, truly wish the temperatures were more consistent and much lower. But yes indeed, this was today, December 28, 2011. Only in Southern California, hey?

I Got Mine.

When I'm in an area close to a record store, I have a seriously difficult time containing myself, even when I have close to nothing left in my bank account. So, I went ahead and took a little trip to Rhino. They didn't even have the records I was originally searching for, though I did stumble upon this baby. I've been meaning to add to my Black Keys collection anyway, so of course, I went ahead and bought Attack & Release. I suppose you can call it an early birthday treat to myself. Good enough excuse, right?

As if the tracks aren't already fantastic enough, the album artwork is also stunning. I really love surprises like this. Vinyl never fails to excite me, but it's definitely a bonus when the packaging is also more than a mere sleeve.

Wake Up, Sleepyhead.

Falling asleep at about 6:30 in the morning, and waking up about an hour later. Ah, daylight, how I loathe thee..

If given the choice, I'd sleep all day, be up all night, everyday, every night. And happily so.

Cheap Thrills.

The night before, I'd only been able to catch a measly hour of sleep. As a notorious night owl, I don't like to snooze until I've drained myself of every bit of energy. Needless to say, I felt like a zombie when I got out of bed to take a morning trip to my favorite thrift store. (It's a secret, I can't tell you where it is!) To my great fortune, Starbucks tends to do the trick for a few hours or so. Honestly, though? When it comes to thrifting... no amount of exhaustion can slow me down.

Whozits and whatzits galore, I'm telling you! And as for thingamabobs? Oh, they had more than enough. We left with two and a half large bags for just a little over $100. I'd say today's thrifting trip was quite successful. I don't know if you can tell, but we were pretty darn excited about today's loot.